#—× quotes | that irresistible voice of the heart | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

askinkiskarma · 1 year

Note

my andra baby 💕 a thought just crossed my mind, and if there's anyone who can write it, it's you. imagine neteyam and you using the throat microphone device one night, getting all needy and talking dirty, thinking no one else can hear you when suddenly, you’re interrupted by lo'ak, who accidentally fell asleep with the device on and is regretting all his life decisions upon hearing you two. just imagine 🥴

my lana the fact you came to me??? :((( i will cry real tears, i hope you enjoy my love x

also wow, that did things to me right before bed, my GAWD

wc: 950 words

warnings: 18+ minors DNI, aged-up!neteyam x reader, smut, strong language, phone sex, the tragic realisation that someone heard your phone sex, that's about it.

Na’vi compendium: tìyawn - love, tìlor - beauty

Being in a secret situationship with a Na’vi, the Na’vi, your beautiful, strong, tall, blue, mouthwatering Neteyam… it had its moments. So many moments, so many good, good moments that made your eyes roll in the back of your head at the mere memories of them and your back arch in futile anticipation and ruin yet another pair of lace panties at the image of his body hovering over yours, his length slipping past your dripping folds, filling you up until you were so full you finally felt whole.

Being with Neteyam also had its challenges and conundrums, and the one that bothered you the most in the moment is your desperate ache for relief that only he could give, that he demanded only he provide for you. Neteyam was an overachiever, and he always aimed to please, and please you he did with every opportunity that presented itself, with every opportunity he made for himself. Neteyam heard a quote from Norm once that went something like “I am a man of fortune, and I must seek my fortune.” Neteyam always took that to heart, ever since he was a child, and he never took it more seriously than when he talked about the fortune of being in between your legs.

Alas, he wasn’t here, much like he couldn’t be most days, your biological differences enough to keep you from each other in two places that felt like worlds apart, especially tonight. But, with a smirk, you picked up the little radio choker and receivers quietly resting on your nightstand, that were intended and created for entirely different purposes, but which came in handy in… sticky situations like this one.

Sprawled on your mattress, a hand softly reached for one of your breasts, caressing it softly, catching one bud in between your thumb and index fingers and pinching, imagining it was his touch instead, the one you craved like air. The other hand went to the button resting on the choker, and with a slight pressure, you pushed it, whispering into it.

“Neteyam… are you still awake?”

You knew everyone would be asleep so far into the night, and none of them wore their radios to bed, except for one person, the one person whose tent you’d much rather be in right now, whose voice would have to suffice in this moment that seemed to drag on forever.

“What are you doing up so late, tìyawn?” Neteyam knew very well the answer to his own question, his voice almost a purr as his imagination of your state, the vision of your naked body all on display on your bed rushed the blood to his now rock hard cock, that was begging for a hand around it, for any release, as it was tugging at his loincloth uncomfortably.

“I need you, Teyam.”

“What do you need from me, baby?”

“Y-you… your touch, your voice. Please.”

“Does my pretty girl need me to make her cum? Do you need me to tell you all the ways I’d fuck you until your body trembled and writhed under me?

Your loud, inhibited moans egged him on, and with a soft, languid bob of his fisted fingers on his length, he continued.

“How I’d start off slowly, kissing your irresistible lips and your neck, down your collarbones and chest, how I’d suck on those amazing tits until they bruised, until I marked you, how i’d move slowly south, down your navel and your hips until I’d settle in between your thighs. Fuck, those thighs, and that pussy, they could drive a man to his knees, my love. If I ever for a second doubted Eywa, all that doubt would vanish looking at you, at your body, and the way it reacts to me, because no chance of the universe could have created something as perfect as you by accident.”

His words made you mewl into the mic, as your fingers found your folds, that were dripping in your slick as pressure build in your core, and while your touch wasn’t his, not as skilled nor as yearned for, it helped you build upon the imagery he created to reach the peak that would drive you to indescribably pleasures, that you would still share with him, despite the distance.

“Do you want me to tell you what a good girl you are as you’re taking my cock, in that pretty pussy, in your perfect mouth? What do you need, tìlor? To hear my groan as you squirt all over me, as you coat my tongue in your sweet juices? Is this what you need, pretty girl?”

Neteyam was pumping his cock harder and faster with each second he was picturing you in these scenarios that you’ve been in a thousand times before, in all the positions he would make you cum in, with each second he heard the whines and moans escaping your lips, and all the enticing noises as you were fingering yourself dumb, imagining it was him doing it instead.

“Neteyam, I’m - fuck! So c-close!”

“Me too, baby girl. You want to let go for me? Be a good girl and co-“

“COME THE FUCK ON!!! YOU DO REALISE THIS IS A FREQUENCY THAT THE WHOLE FAMILY HAS ACCESS TO, YOU PERVERTS?! I WAS HAVING A BEAUTIFUL DREAM ABOUT RIDING AN IKRAN AND IT TURNED INTO A TERRIFYING NIGHTMARE ABOUT YOU TWO RIDIN-“

You turned off the radio before Lo’ak could finish a sentence that you were sure was going to be the driving nail in your coffin of embarrassment, that might as well have been made out of lead, because you didn’t think you were ever coming out.

taglist: @fanboyluvr @theycallmesia @yagirlheree

575 notes · View notes

gauloiseblue · 5 months

Text

Gauloiseblue's Bookmarks

A/N: Since there's no bookmark system like they had in AO3, I decide to make one on this site. Will update the list from time to time.

COD

Price

[The True Me] by @i-am-hungry-24-7 Useless by @syoddeye Lazy Saturday Mornings by @clementine-thedestroyer Price and Beauty Mark by @ohmygraves Growing older with john price. by @obsessivelullabies Growing older with john price; smut. by @obsessivelullabies Ex-husband price, but the “ex” lays on significantly blurred lines now. by @captainfern Ex Husband!Price by @moongreenlight (A/N: you have NO idea what this fic had done to me) The boys all collectively realize that you are the captain’s favourite by @dante-mightdie weird HC by @theycalledhimastar

Gaz

lavender skies by @yeyinde (A/N: Gaz girlie, please read this I'm begging-) I may love Kyle, but I can totally admit when he acts like a total weirdo (he doesn’t, he’s perfect). by @theycalledhimastar

König

Ex-Lover Konig with runaway reader by @diejager Dog Hybrid König by @comfortless Hades!Konig and Persephone!reader by @comfortless Aroura Borealis by @clementine-thedestroyer Underground Fighter!König X Rich!Reader by @melancholic-thing

Soap

Rugby player soap fucks you after a win by @vanderilnde Pushy ass cbf!johnny and benefit pay by @shotmrmiller Valentine Days with Soap by @killerpancakeburger cbf!johnny as the dog he is by @ghouljams

Ghost

soulmate au with ghost but it's the fucking opposite of rainbows and sunshine by @bi-writes

Poly/HC

Fancy (Vampire! Poly! 141 x Plus size! Fem! Reader) by @swordsandholly 141 80’s Arcade AU by @clementine-thedestroyer TF141 and "can I try your drink?" By @syoddeye (A/N: don't @ me) 141 when they need attention by @void-my-warranty TF141 when you gave him hickey when you're drunk by @gloomwitchwrites

The Arcana

Asra's Love by @bahrtofane Teen Asra and puppy love headcanons by @smoke-and-silver Trip adventures with Asra by @smoke-and-silver Arcana and Weddings (fanarts) by @bastart13

Random/Miscellaneous

A/N: I put all of the Ghost Band stuff here bc I'm not officially into the fandom, but they're so irresistible to read hnggg

THEN // if (then) FINAL PART (Ghoap Comic) Roach's puppy eyes Korangi pt. 1 Korangi pt .2 Korangi (sus) pt. 3 Korangi (even more sus) pt. 4 Ghoap food pt. 1 👍👍 Self-care (Ghoap short comic) Capt Price having a cheeky wank (audio) Barry Sloane thirst trap (maybe) Bare chested Barry- Barry ugly ass poems (i'm horny) Barry Sloane seducing clip ASMR Barry talking ASMR Barry (Price) pt. 2 The band Ghost wildin' Ghost band shenanigan: part 1 The Ghouls + Rut Season (HC) Swiss meets red velvet ‘you’ve got to press it on you.’ (Ghost Band HC) Nameless Ghoul NSFW headcanons Swiss relationship and NSFW headcanons .... yeah I'm normal I swear St. Vincent *heart eyes* Miyazaki's Retirement Declarations (chronologically) Hayao Miyazaki's "Inspirational" Quotes The Hand

Web Weave | Poetry

not romantic not platonic but a secret third thing [what would happen between earth and the moon if the earth stopped spinning as illustrated by xkcd randall munroe] - Lyudmilla Ignatenko, the wife of deceased firefighter Vasily Ignatenko, Voices from Chernobyl, by Svetlana Alexeivich (transl. Keith Gessen) Robin Wood, “Psychoanalysis of Psycho” | Stoker (2013) dir. Park Chan-wook Stoker (2013) dir. Park Chan-wook and "The Lady of the House of Love" by Angela Carter This Is Me (Stoker 2013) Rice Paddies Home (What Is Home?) Whenever I see you, I remember AM I MAKING YOU FEEL SICK? // DEVOTION THAT EATS YOU ALIVE

#bookmark #call of duty #the arcana #tell me if any of the link doesn't work #i'll try to fix it #i might add my fave web weaves later on. idk

64 notes · View notes

f0point5 · 10 months

Note

"You look incredibly cute."

"I'm literally in my pajamas, but okay,"

Y/N chuckled, her eyes meeting Max's as he stood in the doorway with a warmth that melted her heart, his stressed eyes revealing a vulnerability that only added to his charm.

Max's gaze held an intensity that sent shivers down Y/N's spine, making her heart skip a beat. He hesitated for a moment, then took a deep breath, his words carrying an air of longing.

"I know we're best friends, and I know this request is very selfish of me but let me be yours forever, please."

Y/N's eyes widened, the room filled with a charged atmosphere as Max's confession settled in. She found herself lost in the depths of his eyes, realizing that the bond they shared was about to transform into something breathtakingly profound.

Max continued, sincerity dripping from every word,

"I'll do anything, anything, as long as it's with you."

Emotions swirled within Y/N, the familiar comfort of their friendship intertwining with the promise of a love yet to be explored. Her mind raced, the idea of their connection transcending into something more profound becoming irresistible.

"Max," she began, her voice a soft caress, "I cherish our friendship so deeply, but I don't want to risk losing that."

Understanding the gravity of the moment, Max nodded, his gaze never leaving hers.

"I get it, Y/N. But I can't deny what I feel. I've fallen for you, and I can't imagine being just your friend. Especially now that you've told me you love me back."

Y/N sighed, caught in the sincerity of Max's eyes.

"I do love you but-"

"But what?"

"But I don't know how this will work out for us."

"Schätze, please, we’ll make it work. I'll make it work. I'll make us work."

“Oh my God, why are you crying? Does the idea of us terrify you that much?”

“No, you dumbass, it’s because you like me back, but I spent all this time thinking you’d never see me that way!”

"Can I—may I...kiss you? Shit! I didn't mean to say that-" Max's breath caught in his throat,

"Shut up and kiss me, you big idiot."

“I’ll do anything as long as it’s with you” WHAT IN THE BRIDGERTON JANE AUSTEN PERIOD ROMANCE GOD LEVEL QUOTES IS THIS

I AM OUT

Dm me for the login info for this account this fic is yours 😭😭😭

But seriously this is ADORABLE. I’m not doing a companion piece for right after the text convo so I hope every finds this because it will satisfy them

🧡🧡🧡

#the other side of the door

132 notes · View notes

wutheringskies · 1 year

Text

Jin Guangyao and Wei Wuxian aren't the same.

Jin Guangyao is one of the best written characters I've come across. A villian that doesnt look like one, doesnt act like one, is likeable, has strong motivations and a defined personality and extremely fun to read fanfics about. But what I dislike is the role that fanon gives him; specially his role in the story with allusions to Wei Wuxian, casting Jin Guangyao as someone similar to Wei Ying. The "poor children turned to forced villains" trope. This meta is about WHY that's NOT true.

The humiliation of his mother didn't give him the right to burn down an entire brothel. (personally, I found it satisfying but). The desire of acceptance from his father was a motivation for his crimes, not a factor that validates those crimes. Often, Jin Guangyao is treated as the counter part of Wei Wuxian. They both share only three similarities, however:

1. Both came from low backgrounds and struggled a lot in their childhoods. Meng Yao had food, but witnessed constant humiliation. Wei Ying had nothing, and then got tangled into the fucked up dynamics of the Jiangs.

2. Both were found to be much different than what people believed them to be. Wei Wuxian was supposed to be evil, hateful, a murderer who kills just to satisfy his blood thirst and need for power, a monster. Jin Guangyao was supposed to be the guy who worked hard and rose to the top, humble, kind, honest and pure of heart.

3. Both had their reputations destroyed from targeted rumor mill.

That is all.

Other than that, Jin Guangyao is NOT at all similar to Wei Wuxian by any measure. He had to do bad things because he desired power, and to gain, power in a corrupt world, you need to be even more corrupted. He killed all those who looked down upon him (not bodily harm him). He clenched his teeth and killed everyone who protested against him or questioned him. He silenced everybody before they could silence him. He isn't SOLELY responsible but he only played the cards that would bring HIM benefit, not the cards that were righteous, or good, or kind.

Wei Wuxian never desired power, was willing to give up a limb for the safety of his sect. When has he ever raised his sword or his flute if not in self defense? When has he ever attacked first and when has he ever killed an innocent? The only innocent he's most directly responsible for is Jin Zixuan and that was too, in an ambush, where he was asked to back down.

Not just that, everyone is always talking about the Nightless City massacre but never about the Burial Mounds Seige 2.0 where all of the cultivators WOULD have DIED, if not for Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian.

If your reasoning behind justifying Jin Guangyao's actions and murders is the "intention" then you come across as hypocritical if you condemn Wei Wuxian for the Nightless City massacre, ignoring everything that led to it. His prowess in cultivation, his natural genius, and his terrifying powers that he built himself even after losing a core are not crimes that he should be punished for, but he was. Because he's supposed to be just the son of a servant. How dare he be so powerful? So many attempts on his life were made and he survived them all. So many attempts to summon his soul, and they didn't work.

Is surviving a crime? For the Jiang Cheng stans who always thrust the survivor narrative onto JC, this is a question for them. Was Wei Wuxian wrong to have survived incidents in which he was being attacked? Should he have died for doing absolutely nothing wrong, other than having a different voice? For standing against a structure that always prioritizes one being above all, being the ultimate voice that cannot be questioned?

Here I'm going to quote some parts from the ExR translation of Villanous Friends:

He Su, “What was the irresistible trend? What was stirring up trouble? Jin GuangShan wanted to establish the position of chief cultivator only to imitate the QishanWen Sect in being the only ones at the top. Do you think all the world is ignorant? You frame me like this only because I spoke the truth!”

When you really succeed, all of the world of cultivation would see the true face of the LanlingJin Sect. Do you think killing me alone would put you eternally at ease? How wrong you are! We, the TingshanHe Sect, teem with talent. From now on, we’ll unite and never surrender to you Wen-dogs of another skin!”

Sounds familiar?

After a few laughs, he continued, “Sect Leader Jin, let me ask you something else. Do you think that, because the QishanWen Sect is gone, the LanlingJin Sect has all right to replace it?”

Wei WuXian added, “Everything has to be given to you? Everyone has to listen to you? Looking at how the LanlingJin Sect does things, I almost thought that it was the QishanWen Sect’s empire all over again.”

Wei WuXian, “Did I say something wrong? Forcing living people to be bait and beating them up whenever they refused to obey—is this any different from what the QishanWen Sect does?”

These were voices that questioned the greater powers. This is what happened to these voices:

Jin Guangyao: That’s not the way to go about things, is it? The TingshanHe Sect rebelled and schemed to assassinate Sect Leader Jin with all its forces before it was caught red-handed. How could that be called without a reason?”

Flashback to Wen Chao, asking if the disciples in the Xuanwu Cave were rebelling when they protected Mianmian who was asked to be the live bait of a monster.

Also, flashback to Wei Wuxian standing up for the Wens and being called a rebel when he stood up for the Wens who were being used as live baits to strengthen the Jin.

The ones over there cried, “Brother! He’s lying! We didn’t, we didn’t!”

Flashback to Wen Ning "losing control" at Koi Tower probably due to Xue Yang's invention. But the point to be taken away is that Sect Leader He Su's younger disciples, who are harmless, are framed as murderers. A position similar to what Wei Wuxian was put into.

He Su, “Utterly nonsense! Open your eyes and fucking look! There are nine-year-old children here! Old men who can’t even walk! How could they rebel against anything?! Why would they assassinate your dad out of nowhere?!”

Funny how the evils of society comprised of old grandmas, uncles, a toddler, a doctor, a fierce corpse, and a cultivator with no status, no core, no money, no voice living in a cave with a pool of blood, digging the Burial soil to grow some potatoes.

And not those who were sitting on their thrones, reveling in riches and ordering people around.

Jin GuangYao, “Because you made a mistake and committed murder, Young Master He Su, while they refused to accept Koi Tower’s conviction of you, of course.”

"A mistake" reminds me of the incident at qionggi path. Even if Jin Zixuan hadn't died that day, they would've kept cornering Wei Wuxian until he'd have no other choice but to go on the offensive (which is what he did.)

Turns out even being sooo powerful that he could shake mountains, he eventually died.

Yet, at such a place, nobody would listen to his protests. Sitting before him were two villains who already treated him as though he were dead. What they enjoyed was precisely his dying struggle. Smiling, Jin GuangYao leaned back, waving his hand, “Hush him up, hush him up.”

"You shut them in live?"

Xue Yang turned around, curling his lips, “Wei WuXian never used live humans, but I wanna try.”

So, Xue Yang is an actual demonic cultivator who's protected by the Jins, murdered 2 entire clans and this is the third one and godness knows how many more. Absolutely very few people give actual fucks about what cultivation methods to employ. The one who really cared was perhaps, Lan Wangji.

Jin Guangyao as you can see isn't being "forced" to kill people because he's of lower birth and nobody accepts him :(

He's killing people to silence those who speak against his and his father's (and they both are one and the same entity. he's acting on his father's orders which he could've disobeyed and run away but he would lose his sect reputation and standing.)

Why does his reputation and standing mean more than the lives of all these 70 people ?

Were they trying to kill him? No.

Did they attack him first to the point he would lose his life? No.

Would they have thrown him into a whore house? No.

Let us please not compare Wei Wuxian and Jin Guangyao.

MXTX wants us to know what's said and told may not be right. Wei Wuxian isn't fond of the techniques that are used to confirm Jin Guangyao's demise. He's critical of how nobody else is concerned. He's unsure of what NHS's motivations are - does he now want complete power? or did his plan only extend up to his revenge? He's critical of how only yesterday people were all over this guy and today they hate him. Critical of how society works on what is favourable and not what is true.

But he's not SUPPORTIVE of Jin Guangyao. He's sympathetic to people turning onto you, but not empathetic towards Jin Guangyao. He believes Jin Guangyao to be a cruel man.

Those are two different things.

Nobody knows better than Wei Wuxian how it feels to be set up at every step:

1. Firstly he was used as a punching bag for Madam Yu and an emotional one for JC throughout his childhood

2. The Wens completely played him up, setting him as the cause of LP's fall.

3. Then, he was played by the Jins and the cultivation world until his death by validating JC's jealousy against him, by villianizing him and estranging him, by setting up the ambush, by sending JZX, by making false promises, by not checking for validity, by controlling Wen Ning, by setting up the seige parade, by getting JYL there, and finally the seige. (even after his death disrespecting his all)

4. He was brought back to the world on the revenge plans of NHS and tossed like a tennis ball from the plans of NHS and JGY. Yi City arc? children would've died -> NHS. Burial Mound seige 2.0? everyone would've died -> JGY. if LWJ wasn't with him at every step of the way, Wei Ying would've once again been in such a spot. Without any status or authority he would've gotten no help, no aid, and been villianized once more. He would've been stabbed and captured with nobody to save him. He would've made himself the bait without anybody to fight the monsters off.

Each of us have individual capacities and also, each of us have the one thing we cannot let happen:

1. Wei Ying can't let injustice prevail and sit by the side doing nothing

2. Jin Guangyao can't take in being stripped of power and being a lowlife again.

Those are two very different things. JGY made every decision he could to escape his grand fear, which was personal. I don't condemn his motivations personally cause I find them hot. Similar to how I find his character hot. Yet, he's not the hero on the opposite spectrum. He's not the lowlife who was killed because people can't handle people from lower birth statuses being on the top chairs for making decisions - but that is also true - but is not the reason behind his tragedy. Not the sole reason and also not the most important reason.

The most important reason is as it is said: he believes himself to be different and values his life over others, similar to Xue Yang. Their personalities vary greatly, yet his "true" friends were Xue Yang and Su She. (He showed glimpses of the truth and of his reality to LXC. So, he's hiding the truth and LXC doesn't wish to dig deeper anyways thus not a true friendship.) One wished to take revenge in extremely unfair shares, a clan for a finger. A clan for a son. The entire cultivation world could die but he couldn't be badmouthed or put on trial or killed. The other - Su She, wished to be recognized by those who he equally hated, despised and considered arrogant and also was jealous and envious of. So, these two traits - great desire for revenge onto everyone who's ever said anything mean about him, and the desire for power. You may argue how this developed from his childhood trauma but you can't argue that this justifies his cold blooded crimes because it doesn't. Another thing I'd like to add is that, his friendship with Lan Xichen also shows his personality; not wanting to take the messy, big path (such as showing up to your own death planning party, or planning a death party) and his relatively calm nature. Yet just like the friendship it is fragmented and fake; a composure that is stuck onto the cold, and hot brimming desire for power.

There was one character who had to kill a large number of people or would have no other option left and it wasn't Jin Guangyao. There was one character who was hated by society solely because of his background and his desire to protect people and it wasn't Jin Guangyao. There was one character who had to give up everything for what he believed in and it wasn't Jin Guangyao. There was one character who ended up being the indirect reason for the passing of loved siblings due to the unjust society.

and it wasn't Jin Guangyao.

(but there were two characters who had confirmed sex before marriage. one of them was Jin Guangyao)

#mo dao zu shi #mdzs #mdzs meta #wei wuxian #jin guangyao #xue yang slaughtered 2 clans and was protected by the jins #xue yang #cultivation world bullshit #jin zixuan #wei ying #burial mounds #wen remnants #my meta #my thoughts #my essays

192 notes · View notes

eleanor-bradstreet · 11 months

Text

Let Me Be Your Anchor

Chapter 3: Repercussions

Benedict Bridgerton x Sophie Beckett An Offer From a Gentleman reimagined Chapter rating: T - nasty insults and insinuations Word count: 3.3k

Masterpost Previous chapter Next chapter

Author's Note: This is a fully original chapter with no AOFAG quotes or references.

Sophie’s sobs had managed to die down by the time she reached Gen’s shop. She didn’t have the breath to cry and run simultaneously. Now she was stricken with confusion and what felt like a bottomless well of anguish. In one way she had gotten what she wanted from her night of adventure. It had been an evening of near-realized dreams, an escape from her reality of scorn and servitude where she had felt beautiful, welcomed and worthy. It would be one of her most cherished memories, something to bolster her through the drudgery that would inevitably dominate the rest of her life.

But what she had not expected was that the memory would grip her heart the way it did. That the longing she always had to change her circumstances would be magnified into longing for a person. For a man. She hadn’t intended to speak with anyone at the masquerade to any significant degree, nor did she think she would have anything in common with them, seeing as they lived worlds apart. But Benedict had appeared in the garden almost as if he were fated for her. And he was…he was nothing she could have anticipated. Their connection had been undeniable. The magnetic heat between them, irresistible. Something wondrous may have lain in store for them if she were legitimate, if she hadn’t needed to lie to gain access to the ball. Now her actions had only left them both in pain. She was torn between censuring herself for her stupidity and admitting that though it would break her heart hereafter to hear his name or see him in the city, she was grateful to have known Benedict Bridgerton for one night rather than to never have known him at all.

Repressing her feelings as best she could under hiccuping gasps, she retrieved the key Gen had tucked into her cloak and let herself into the darkened display room. Her friend was still at her own party and had told her to return the dress at her leisure. Sophie certainly couldn’t bring it back to the Cowpers and so she changed quickly, hanging the silver treasure neatly in the back room and silently thanking the modiste for wrapping her in magic. She removed the borrowed jewels from her hair and ears. She peeled off one glove, then her heart nearly stopped. She had left the other one behind. Benedict had it when she dashed off. Her mind began to whir. He could use it to trace her if he thought to ask Gen about its origins.

Scrambling back into her servant’s clothes and slipping Araminta’s shoes into her bag, she found a quill behind the desk and dashed off a note.

Dearest Gen,

I haven’t words to thank you for all you gave me tonight. I am sorry to say that a glove was misplaced. Please forgive me. I know I can trust in your discretion should it be returned to you. I owe you more than this.

Yours in friendship, S

She needed to return to Cowper House before anything else went amiss. With the unmasking over she didn’t have long before the family returned. Locking the shop and slipping the key through the letterplate, Sophie took off once again into the night.

She slowed her pace as she approached the house, entering silently through the back servants’ door. She made for the staircase, eager to return the shoes to their place and then hide away in her room for the night, washing off the last remnants of the debutante she feigned to be. But when she rounded the corner she stopped dead, finding herself face to face with Araminta. The lady of the house was already dressed down in her evening robe and had a wicked gleam in her eyes.

“Good evening Sophie.” Her voice was cold as always.

Sophie swallowed hard, barely able to breathe for shock. “Ara…Lady Cowper.”

“You’ve been out quite late.” A sinister grin tugged at the corner of her tight lips.

“You are home early.” Sophie stammered. “Where is Miss Cressida?”

She touched a finger to her temple with a grimace. “I had a headache. I took a carriage home an hour ago. Cressida and Lord Cowper should be home shortly. But I was surprised to find upon my arrival that you had gone out for the evening.”

Sophie’s thoughts raced. Surely she could talk her way out of this. Keeping her composure, she nodded. “Yes, to visit a friend.”

“A friend?” Dropping her pained expression, Araminta lapsed back into her affected, sickly sweet tone of voice. “Pray tell what friend do you have in the city?” She looked the young woman up and down with bemusement, then stepped closer. “What is that on your face?”

Sophie jerked back as a bony thumb swiped across her cheek. Araminta’s expression grew dark. “Little Sophie, what on earth have you gotten into? Are you meeting up with men in the wee hours of the night?”

Sophie balked. “No, my lady.”

“Then who are you looking to impress with your hair done up that way?”

Her heart began to pound. Another misstep. She shouldn’t have left the modiste shop until every trace of her disguise was removed. But she hadn’t expected anyone to be home…

“My friend and I were only playing at…”

“This friend again!” Araminta clucked. “What did you bring to meet them?” Eyes narrowing on the bag Sophie held behind her skirts she clawed at it, the two of them tousling as Sophie fought to keep it out of reach.

“Let me see!” The older woman shrieked, finally ripping the bundle from Sophie’s grasp and peering inside. Her jaw fell open. “These are my shoes…”

“I was working on cleaning them!” Sophie exclaimed, knowing her story was hopelessly unraveling.

Her employer glared back at her. “Cleaning shoes in the middle of the night, dolled up like a harlot while you went to meet your ‘friend’? I suppose that is my rouge too that you’ve stolen?”

The allegation caused Sophie’s spine to stiffen. She may have transgressed social rules but would not be accused of thievery. “I haven’t stolen anything.”

“Shut your lying mouth and listen to me.” Araminta snapped, her deadly cool demeanor returning. Setting down the bag she began to stalk a circle around her maid, flinty eyes never blinking. Sophie held still, feeling like cornered prey.

“Sophia Beckett. I knew you were no good from the moment you became my family’s burden. Lord Cowper spared an ounce of pity for you and so I agreed to keep you on. You have been useful but I always suspected you were rotten at your core. I always knew someday it would come to light. I only hope your bad influence hasn’t rubbed off on my dear Cressida.”

“I have done nothing wrong!”

Sophie’s protest was silenced with a sharp slap to the face. She bit her tongue, tears welling in her eyes but she forbid them from falling.

Araminta leaned in, hissing like a snake. “Sneaking off in the middle of the night with my things and coming back looking like a common whore. Perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised. What would a bastard know about propriety? How would she know to keep her legs closed until she was married? That is if any man would stoop to claim her. Like mother like daughter.”

Something jagged cut into Sophie’s stomach. She clenched her fists and closed her eyes, trying to tamp the fire rising within. The urge to lash out, fight back, hurl all the bitter insults she could at this cruel and horrid woman. But she schooled herself. Such actions would only prove her right, that she was a classless, impertinent, good-for-nothing who deserved her low rung in society. She wouldn’t dishonor herself or her mother in that way.

But she also wouldn’t subject herself to such abuse any longer. This was the final straw. Perhaps it was her recent taste of freedom which made her bold, or perhaps it was that she already felt such pain and confusion at losing Benedict that she hardly cared if she lost everything else. All she knew for certain was that she needed to get away. Perhaps her carelessness had already set her free.

“Are you going to release me?” She ground out, opening her eyes.

Araminta paused then stepped back with a vicious smile. “No. I’m sure that’s precisely what you want isn’t it?”

Sophie’s heart sank but she remained steely.

“You will no longer serve my Cressida as her lady’s maid. It will be scullery work for you now. But since you are so committed to ensuring my shoes are cleaned, that will be your final task upstairs. You will clean them. You will clean all of them. And you will remain in my dressing room until the task is complete.”

Sophie understood this was her employer’s version of imprisonment. Araminta owned dozens of pairs of shoes. To clean them all would take nearly an entire day and there was a lock on the dressing room door. It was where she liked to stash Sophie when she longed to forget about or punish her.

Signaling for a footman to collect the bag and escort Sophie upstairs, Araminta shot her a final glare. “Perhaps with that level of discipline you can learn to make something of your sorry life.”

Sophie said nothing, only kept her jaw locked and marched behind the footman to the dressing room. She was given a single candle, ushered inside and then heard the key turn behind her. She looked about the room, recalling the many hours she had worn her fingers raw scrubbing shoes and the many nights she had cried herself to sleep in a corner. This would not be one of those nights. She was well and truly done.

It had been fear of the unknown that had kept her from running away before. Fear about her employment prospects knowing she couldn’t get a letter of reference for another position as a lady’s maid. But what did it matter anyway if she was now a scullery maid for the Cowpers? Surely someone somewhere needed help scrubbing floors and tending fires. Her chances would improve in the countryside where households cared less about employment history. Leaving London would be a necessity after she escaped. She couldn’t risk being tormented or dragged back by the Cowpers. She reasoned it may also soothe her heart to be further away from Benedict and free of the anxiety he may discover her. She didn’t think she could survive watching the light die in his eyes if he recognized her on the street only to realize the woman he sought to woo was nothing more than a bastard servant, barely worthy of cleaning his floors. She couldn’t bear his revulsion and his anger.

But all the money she had to her name would hardly get her out of the city, much less sustain her until she found work. There was nothing for it. If Araminta already presumed she was a thief, what reputation would she damage if she did nick just enough to get by? If any family both deserved and could endure such treatment, it was the Cowpers. Picking through the finery laid across the room, Sophie pocketed the diamond clips from the shoes she had worn along with a pair of ruby earrings tucked in the back of a jewelry box. Surely their sale would be more than enough to keep her fed until she started a new position.

Now she had to make her escape. Sitting in the darkness and listening intently, within the hour she heard Cressida and Lord Cowper return, then the tittering voices as everyone readied themselves for bed. When all grew quiet in the house Sophie knelt at the door. She had only picked a lock once before when she was a young girl at Penwood Park desperate to get into her father’s library. It had taken many tries but she was ultimately successful. The trick was to have a hair pin. Something she had always been locked in the dressing room without. Until now. Pulling pins from her masquerade coif, she quietly teased them into the lock, breaking two before she finally heard a promising click that made her heart soar.

She uttered thanks once again to Gen who had gifted her more than she could ever repay. Then she paused, thinking of her friend and how sad she would be to part from her. But she didn’t have a choice. She couldn’t stay in London and risk encounters with the Cowpers or Benedict. And the last thing she wanted was to endanger Genevieve and her livelihood by hiding out at her shop with stolen jewels. No, she simply had to leave for the betterment of everyone. She would find a way to reunite with her friend one day. She knew that Gen would spur her on. She would understand better than anyone, having completed her own fierce climb out of the muck toward independence.

Tiptoeing silently through the house, Sophie gathered her few belongings from her room and washed the last of the powders from her face. She pulled her hair back in a modest style and hid it under a bonnet. With all she owned in the world tucked under her arm and her stolen revenge clinking in her pocket, she slipped down the servants’ stairs, out the back door and as far toward the city outskirts as her feet would carry her. If she knew anything for certain anymore, it was that the details of her life were not significant. Where and how she lived was nothing to fret over. All of it was bound to be equally unfulfilling since none of it would include Benedict.

---

The next day, Viscountess Bridgerton swept through the halls of Bridgerton House. She had just laid her newborn down to rest and the sounds of an argument were echoing from the morning room. Marching toward the noise, she could make out the voices of her husband and brother-in-law.

“Benedict, I am not sure how many ways I can explain it to you. This is the guest list for the ball. Why is that not good enough?”

“There has to be another one! I’ve met all these families already and she’s not one of them.”

“Who?!” The Viscount practically shouted.

His brother responded with uncharacteristic agitation. “Have you heard anything I’ve been saying to you?!”

Reaching the door, the Viscountess swung it open forcefully. Two chestnut heads swiveled to face her, eyes wide. Anthony sat at the head of the breakfast table. Benedict sat at the corner, papers spread before him.

“Gentlemen!” Kate chastised, letting her frustration be known. “Lower your voices, please.”

They both shrunk into themselves.

“I’m sorry, my dear.” Anthony’s brow turned up in supplication.

“Sorry.” Benedict mumbled, dropping his head and turning back to the documents.

Kate walked to them, letting her own temper cool. It wasn’t unusual for the brothers to have disagreements, being opposing sides of the same coin as they were, but it was odd that they were so impassioned about it. Benedict especially never raised his voice.

“What is the matter?”

Benedict looked up at her, red-eyed and disheveled as if he had not slept at all. “I met a woman last night at the masquerade.”

Kate flicked her eyes to her husband who met her gaze knowingly. They had both been waiting for an entire season to hear Benedict express interest in a single young lady and had all but given up hope. Now it seemed the year may not have been fruitless.

He continued. “She wouldn’t give me her name and she left before the unmasking. I had never met her before. I need to know who she is.”

“Because you would like to court her?” Kate asked gently.

“Yes.” There was something desperate in his voice, something pleading in his eyes. “You must have seen her. She was in a silver gown, an old fashioned dress. Jewels in her hair. She wasn’t on the dance floor but you must have seen her come in.”

She furrowed her brow, questing back through her memory. It had been the first ball she had hosted since Edmund was born and the first ever masquerade. Even with the help of all the Bridgerton women and staff, it had been overwhelming. She had been needed everywhere at once and had met dozens of guests, all of them hidden behind masks and disguises. None of them had stood out in the blur.

“I’m afraid I don’t recall anyone of that description. There were many guests.” She turned to Anthony. “You did not see her either?”

He shook his head, frowning. “Colin did apparently.”

“And that’s the only thing assuring me that she wasn’t a dream.” Benedict dragged a hand across his face, looking ready to collapse on the table top. “That and she left a glove behind. Someone has to know who she was.” He turned back to the Viscountess. “Did anyone inform you that they were arriving without an invitation? A guest of a guest?”

“I’m sorry Benedict, no. Seeing as it was a masquerade, are you sure you didn’t mistake her for someone else? How do you know that she was not one of the young ladies on the list?”

“Because I know.” There was a sternness in his eyes and an edge to his voice that were altogether novel. Gone was the carefree bohemian brother who never failed to light up a room with his mirth. He was haggard, clearly distressed. Kate was reminded of her own anguish when she had watched Anthony courting her sister. How she had contended with longing for something she could not have.

Anthony leaned forward, his voice exasperated. “Brother, it was one evening. How much of an impression…”

“If you felt such a connection to this young lady, it is doubtless she did too.” Kate cut off her husband, flashing him a warning look before turning to her brother-in-law. “I will let you know if I learn anything in the usual gossip. You should keep your eyes open too. Perhaps your paths will cross again.” She placed a hand on Anthony’s chair. “That is often how things occur when two people are destined to be together, is it not my love?”

The Viscount swallowed and nodded. “Indeed.”

Benedict sighed, a hint of his crooked grin returning. “Thank you. I suppose I’ll start by interrogating the footmen. John seems like a secret keeper.”

Kate gave him an encouraging smile. “Very good.”

Raking a hand through his already wild hair, Benedict gathered the guest list and plodded out of the room.

Staring after him, Anthony rolled his eyes. “You should not encourage his flights of fancy.”

“And you should not discourage him if he thinks he has found a match.” His wife cut back. “Do you want your brother settled or not?”

“I do, but leave it to him to fall in love with a nameless ghost.”

Kate stepped closer, arching a brow and running a hand across the width of his shoulders. “You did not learn my name when we first met.”

Anthony smirked, tracing the pattern on her dress and allowing his hands to travel up the contours of her thighs, rounding over her hips and coming to rest around her waist. “You would not give it to me. Something about enjoying a victory lap.”

Kate pursed her lips triumphantly, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Ah yes, I had come out on top in our little race.”

In one swift motion Anthony pulled his wife down into his lap, holding her tight as he gazed into the depths of her eyes. He nuzzled into her collarbone, a purr rumbling from his chest. “Mmmm, on top…”

The sounds that emanated from the morning room for the following hour were ones that the staff had long grown accustomed to and knew not to approach, but at least they were not loud enough to wake the sleeping heir.

Tagging: @angels17324 @broooookiecrisp @secretagentbucky @eg-dr3amer3 @time-to-hit-the-clouds @lyta2323 @autumn-grace @sadprose-auroras @the-other-art-blog @goldrambutan @colettebronte @heeyyyou @musicismyoxygen84 @faye-tale @ambitionspassionscoffee @starchaser325 @malna4903

#let me be your anchor #an offer from a gentleman #benedict bridgerton x sophie beckett #benedict bridgerton fanfiction #sophie beckett fanfiction #benophie #benophie fanfiction #benedict bridgerton #sophie beckett #bridgerton #bridgerton fanfiction #head canon

58 notes · View notes

shallanigans · 4 months

Text

So, you want to write fanfiction? Here's some advice from someone who spends too much time on ao3, Part 1:

Hey everyone! This is a bit of a deviation from my usual shitposts. I was looking at the "#writers on tumblr" tag today, and I got inspired to post this after some interesting discussions. I'm someone who has read a lot (and I mean A LOT) of fanfic, as well as written some myself... so I thought I'd make this little (no, I lied, it's Very Long) post with some writing tips that I find personally meaningful for those of you who may be getting started or want to try something new.

My qualifications? Honestly, because I said so. This is just my opinion. Feel free to ignore, disagree, hate, ask questions, whatever. I'll be discussing some common fanfic writing advice and what I think about it, as well as giving some general pointers.

Disclaimer: What is "good writing?"

Good writing is effective writing. There is no one way in which everyone should write. Effective writing compels the reader; it makes them interested in your story, keeps them turning the pages, makes them click that "next chapter" button and stay up all night to finish your 500k epic. Some people achieve this through flowery, descriptive prose. Others do so with their quick wit and snappy dialogue. Others write all their fanfictions in second person epistolary format only and make you cry harder than you ever have. The first thing to know is that 1) tastes vary and 2) confidence matters. Find your voice, and be proud of it. If you feel that what you are doing is working for you, and you love it, then keep at it. Someone has already made every "writing mistake" and made it well. Don't fall into the trap of getting bogged down with 674835 contradictory tips and being too terrified to write at all. The only real writing sin is being boring.

Furthermore, this post is for fanfiction specifically. A lot of this advice might be useful for traditional fiction, but it's not a 1:1 carryover. A lot of fanfic advice will be irrelevant for traditional fiction, and vice versa.

That's all fine and dandy, but what do I do?

Good question. First, let's break down what makes a fanfiction effective. Most people searching ao3 for a story probably want:

A compelling premise

With in-character characters

Good spelling, formatting, grammar, and syntax

Stylistically strong writing

A coherent plot

With a certain degree of wish-fulfillment sprinkled in (this is fanfic, after all)

In this series, I will be mostly discussing elements 2-6. Number 1, unfortunately, comes down to "don't be boring," and I can't tell you how to come up with an idea that's going to hook your reader. However, assuming that you already have The Coolest Idea Ever, and you only need the reader to see that, then here's what you can do:

Effective Summaries

No, seriously. Tell people what your fucking story is about. One of my favorite stories on ao3 has the worst, vaguest one-liner of a summary I've ever seen. It is a gem, and if it hadn't been for a friend's recommendation, I would have never read it. You may think that your epic out of context quote from the paragraph you spent hours perfecting will make people care, but it will probably just confuse them. This is likely to be the most controversial thing I say today, so I'm starting off strong.

When I say effective summary, I mean a summary that will tell people the basic premise of the plot while also making them want to learn more. I don't mean something fancy. I mean something like:

When Blorbo started his new tech development job at Tumblr, he never expected to have Blorbette for a boss. She is smart, cold, calculating - and, to his horror, totally irresistible. In order to win her heart, he decides to make her jealous by fake-dating his colleague and frenemy, Blorbinson. But he soon finds that there is more to his mysterious friend than meets the eye. Could it be that the real Tumblr sexyman has been next to him all along?

That's a pretty standard summary for a relatively long fic. It's nothing fancy, but it tells the reader what the story's about. Now this same summary, in the hands of someone who refuses to inform the reader about the premise of the story, would probably say something like:

His eyes are the color of spring.

You can get away with that kind of stuff more often in a one-shot, but best practice is always to tell your reader what the story is about. Say to your reader:

Blorbinson's eyes are too easy to get lost in. Blorbo cannot find his way out.

If you MUST include a quote from your story, then do it alongside your informative summary, in the much-loved format below:

"What do you mean Welcome to Nightvale is winning the contest?" --- In which things get heated at Tumblr dot com, and Blorbinson's the one making Blorbo get all sweaty.

I can already hear you arguing. You say to me, "But there are people who choose quotes that are both pretty AND informative! But writing anything is better than writing nothing in the summary!"

True. My response to the first point is this: if you had mastered that skill, you wouldn't be here. A simple, to-the-point-summary is almost never going to make the interested reader scroll past your story. You know what will? An out-of-context block of text about how much Sans Undertale loves the player from chapter 3, paragraph six.

To the second point, I say: obviously. This doesn't mean that you shouldn't seek to improve. No one is perfect. I'm certainly not. But you're doing yourself a disservice by spending so much time and effort on the content of your story and then fumbling it on the home stretch. If you take pride in your work (and I'm assuming you do, because you posted this story for a reason), then make like a chef at a five-star restaurant and start caring about presentation. It goes without saying that there shouldn't be any typos in the summary.

A note on tagging: I will make a separate post on tagging your stories appropriately. This is a writing-related rant.

Now, onto characterization:

If you're one of those people who thinks that there's no such thing as "too OOC," congratulations. May you enjoy fanfiction free from the shackles of the narrative. Tag appropriately and have fun. If you're like the rest of us haters, you probably want to keep your characters as faithful to canon as possible. Yes, even in an AU.

I've included this wonderful addition because entryn17 said it better than I ever could have. There's difference of interpretation, and then there's Severus Snape deciding that James Potter was actually just misunderstood.

Being "in-character" is an elusive ideal that we all strive for, but no one can quite tell you what it means except for "the vibes." The way I like to define it is this: If you asked yourself the question "Would He Fucking Say That/Do That/Feel That?" and the answer is "yes, absolutely," then it's in-character. If the answer is "absolutely not," then it's out of character. If the answer is "maybe?" then your goal is to move that needle firmly into the Yes camp.

To do this, you must first determine what is making you unsure. Is it the dialogue? Is your stuffy Edwardian speaking like a Gen Alpha well-versed in Cocomelonese? Is your overconfident flirt stammering and stuttering through a conversation? Often, the content of what a character is saying agrees perfectly with the source material, but the how doesn't match it. Beta readers can help with this, as can going back to the source material to study a character's speech patterns in canon. You don't have to get it perfect. Just make sure it doesn't stand out. Would Snape perhaps say "Come over here!" in a much wordier, snarkier manner? Maybe. Maybe not. But he sure as hell wouldn't say, "Yo! bring your ass over and check this out!"

Actions and feelings are a bit trickier. There's always some leeway in personal interpretation here, and most of the time your reader won't question this very much so long as the rest of the story keeps them engaged. One OOC action or thought is easy to brush off. Ten, not so much. Read up on the wiki pages for whatever you're writing, go back to the source material, and maybe get the opinion of a willing beta reader. Ultimately, if your characters start feeling like featureless puppets subject to your whims rather than people with established personalities, you might want to go back and revisit what made them stand out to you in the first place.

Keep things consistent within your story. Especially in AUs and canon divergence fics, there are certain character traits that are malleable. Maybe Draco Malfoy wouldn't have been such a dickhead if he'd had caring adult mentors in his life. So, justify that within your story. You don't necessarily need to keep the characterization faithful to the canon, but you do need to convince the reader that their beloved character has a reason for their behavior. Keep things consistent. Whenever a character deviates from their canon behavior, make sure there's a valid explanation for it in your narrative.

Don't fall for the trap of confusing canon and fanon. Fandom is like a game of telephone. Someone writes one story of Blorbo adopting a cat, and suddenly he's the biggest cat person in the universe. The poor author who posts about Blorbo's canonical love of dogs gets trashed for writing OOC. You can't prevent people getting mad at you, but you can always grin smugly and go to bed happy with the knowledge that you were right. Someone will love you for it.

SPAG

Ew! It sounds like something your dog spit up. Spelling and Grammar might be boring, but they're necessary. You shouldn't break the rules until you know the rules. One day, you will write a run-on postmodern epic to rival the worst of Wallace's page-long sentences. Today is not that day. No one wants to open a story only to be greeted by a massive block of text, a lack of punctuation, and a heretofore undiscovered form of there/they're/their.

In the modern age, we have many tools at our disposal to clarify our SPAG doubts. Dictionaries! Spellcheck! The weirdos on those Substack forums! Oh, my. If you wrote your story at 3AM directly onto the ao3 editor, perhaps take a moment to run it through some kind of spellchecker before posting. Microsoft Word has a pretty good one, but Grammarly and other such software can help you if that's not available. There's also nothing quite like a beta reader. There are people in this world who love picking apart every comma, period, and quotation mark, and they'll be happy to do it for you. I am one of them, and I volunteer. There are many of us.

Here are some SPAG mistakes common in fanfiction.

1.Your/you're, they're/their/there, "could of," and "lie" vs "lay."

"YOUR" means that something is yours. You possess that thing. YOUR story is going to be great if you fix the grammar. "YOU'RE" is a contracted form of "YOU ARE." If you fix your grammar, YOU'RE going to be a great writer.

They're: Shortened form of "they are." They're going to the beach. They're very nice people.

Their: They possess a thing. A thing belongs to them. They're going to the beach in THEIR car.

There: Related to a place. You are going to be THERE. THERE are many pretty horses in the field.

"Could of" does not exist. It is an incorrect way of writing "could've," the shortened form of "could have."

The verbs lie and lay are tricky ones. You (a person) LIE down on your bed. You LAY an object down on a surface. However, the past tense of LIE is LAY. I know! Who invented English, am I right? Blorbo LIES on his bed in the present tense. He LAY on his bed in the past.

The past tense of "lay" is "laid." Blorbo LAID down his water bottle.

2. Run-on sentences.

Sometimes, when we're writing, we get a little excited. We have so many thoughts and we never know how to end them. You might think the solution here is to just keep throwing down commas, but you'd be wrong.

Run-on sentences can be effective if used intentionally, but a lot of the time, they're not. The period isn't your enemy. In general, you want to make sure your sentences have a subject, a verb, and an object, and that they end when you've finished your thought.

Blorbo was the most beautiful of all the tumblr sexymen. He really liked to show off his sick gains at the gym. He had a hot wife and an even hotter side piece.

This writing isn't very exciting, but it's correct. Contrast that with:

Blorbo was the most beautiful of all the tumblr sexymen, he really liked to show off his sick gains at the gym, he had a hot wife and an even hotter side piece.

Finish your thoughts. There are ways to connect independent clauses (a group of words that can work on its own as a sentence) correctly, like the semicolon; the semicolon is a great piece of punctuation. There is also the em-dash. Sometimes, you really need to add clarification to a thought — you really want to emphasize the second part of what you're saying. Em-dashes also work like a cooler version of parentheses — because who uses those, am I right? — and can help you seem like a chic and seasoned writer. Don't overuse them, though. I know you want to. And no, I don't heed my own advice here.

Look, these rules aren't intuitive. I can't possibly go through all of them in a way that's easy and digestible. There are smarter people than me who have written all about it, and I use incorrect punctuation all the time. Misplacing a comma isn't going to be the end of the world for your story, but at least give it a once-over with a beta or spellchecker to fix the worst of it. At the very least, make the reader think that run-on sentence was totally on purpose.

3. Paragraphs

Make sure your paragraphs stick to a single theme or thought. Fanfiction writers love to have one-sentence paragraphs for the impact, but you don't need to do that. Just keep them coherent. For example, if you're writing about Blorbo's weekend, you might say,

Blorbo loved Saturdays. On Saturdays, the world seemed to sparkle and sing with the whole of the city's shared happiness over not having to work. He would wake up on those mornings and leap out of bed while singing a jaunty little tune. Then, he'd text Blorbinson a string of heart emojis and plan to meet up for their weekly ice cream date. But Sundays — oh, how he hated Sundays! Sundays were the day before Monday, and he'd always spend so long worrying about going back to the office that, by the time he decided to do something, it would be dark outside already.

Each of the paragraphs above, clumsy as they are, have a clear idea that starts and ends within the same paragraph. If you talk about Blorbo's Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday all within one paragraph, your reader will be confused!

On the other hand, if you make every single paragraph one line, your reader is going to resent you. You have unwittingly made them take part in a bad action thriller. One-line paragraphs are supposed to be impactful and create suspense. When writing, a good tip is to consider the word "impactful" a synonym of "sparing." See below:

Doesn't it suck? Not to mention all that scrolling!

3. Dialogue

Right off the bat, I'll say that the best way to learn how to format dialogue is by reading books. Not fanfiction. BOOKS. They have been checked by an editor, so you know you're getting the real deal. Generally, well-formatted dialogue achieves an engaging and seamless conversation between your characters. Poorly-formatted dialogue forces your reader into a game of Who's Who?

See for, instance, the following abomination:

"I can't believe you cheated on me with Blorbette!" Blorbo had been crying about it for a week. His tears would soon erode a riverbank down his cheeks. Blorbinson sneered at him, "I can't believe you ever thought this was real." "I was only with you for the tax benefits." No! How could you? Blorbo said. Blorbinson laughed a wicked laugh and looked at him. "My heart is shattered into a million tiny pieces. Love isn't real!"

Did you follow that? Because I sure didn't. Generally, here are the rules of dialogue:

Start a new line for each character that speaks, and keep a single character's dialogue within the same paragraph.*

Use dialogue tags to CLARIFY who is speaking. Note: I said clarify. If it's redundant take it out. I will write more about good (not merely correct) dialogue in a follow-up post.

Put a period after or before an ACTION tag in dialogue, but a comma before a SPEECH tag. The reason you do this is that ["Here is an example line of dialogue," he said] is a complete sentence, but ["Here is an example line of dialogue." He looked at his watch.] is TWO sentences. The quotation marks are merely to indicate speech. Whether or not something is a sentence is determined by the content of what the writing actually says, not by any punctuation it may have.

Use quotation marks to indicate speech. If you want to quote something within quotation marks (in American English), you put it in single quotes, like so: "And then he called me 'a lost cause who's doomed to be single forever.' Can you believe that?"

By following these rules, we get the much nicer:

"I can't believe you cheated on me with Blorbette!" Blorbo had been crying about it for a week. His tears would soon erode a riverbank down his cheeks. Blorbinson sneered at him. "I can't believe you ever thought this was real. I was only with you for the tax benefits." "No! How could you?" Blorbinson only laughed a wicked laugh. "My heart is shattered into a million tiny pieces. Love isn't real!" Blorbo said.

Obviously that's still pretty bad, but now it's readable. Formatting your dialogue properly will fix a lot of problems with your story, make it clear who is talking, and make the reading experience much nicer for everyone.

* An Important addendum: sometimes, characters will speak for a long time, and you'll want to split up their dialogue into paragraphs. To do that, you start the dialogue in quotation marks, but you leave them open until the character is done speaking, like so:

"My favorite thing about Blorbinson was that he always knew just what to say. He had this magical ability to always tell when I was sad, and he showed up with ice cream every single time. It always made me feel better," Blorbo said. "I can't believe our relationship is over now. I should probably tell you all about how that happened. "I walked into my house one day to find another pair of shoes by the door, where Blorbinson's usually are. I knew Blorbinson would never wear those shoes, because his style is more boho-inspired. Anyway, my worst fear was confirmed when I walked into the bedroom and found him there with Blorbette! My two loves, betraying me so callously!"

This is common in fantasy stories where you need to impart some deep lore knowledge on the reader, or for characters who like to talk a lot.

4. Verb tenses (edited after posting, in true fanfic writer fashion)

Us writers tend to have very strong opinions about verbs. You could even say things get a little bit... tense sometimes. Ok, but seriously; whether you write in past or present doesn't matter. What matters is that you keep things consistent.

Nothing takes the reader out of a fanfic faster than abrupt tense switches in the middle of the narrative. If you are writing in a specific verb tense, stick with it.

Don't say:

Blorbo is never sure what Blorbinson is thinking. He watched him chew his pencil from across the office, that beautiful face scrunched in concentration as he stares at his computer. Blorbo knows he's in love the minute Blorbinson looks back.

DO say:

Blorbo was never sure what Blorbinson was thinking. He watched him chew his pencil from across the office, that beautiful face scrunched in concentration as he stared at his computer. Blorbo knew he was in love the minute Blorbinson looked back. or Blorbo is never sure what Blorbinson is thinking. He watches him chew his pencil from across the office, that beautiful face scrunched in concentration as he stares at his computer. Blorbo knows he's in love the minute Blorbinson looks back.

When we write in past tense and we want to talk about events that happened prior to the narrative, we use the past perfect. When we write in present, we can use either simple past or past perfect. This one's kind of iffy. As you write more, you'll get a sense of what "sounds correct."

Ultimately, your choice of verb tense is personal opinion and what you feel best fits your story. Just make sure that you keep whatever you choose consistent. A beta reader can help you with this.

And that's it for Part 1!

This post dealt with some technical, basic things about fanfic that will mostly be useful to new writers. I will be going more in depth about making your prose stronger at the sentence level in Part 2, where #4 is getting an entire post. It'll probably be even longer than this one. I hope it was able to help someone!

#fanfiction #writers on tumblr #writing tips #writeblr #writing #creative writing #I make long posts about things that no one cares about series

12 notes · View notes

findfunnynames · 6 months

Text

150+ Funny Rizz Names (Fresh, Funny & Cool)

Feeling smooth is one thing, but striking gold with funny rizz names? Now that's legendary. Tired of "hey beautiful"? Want a conversation starter that'll leave them laughing (and maybe blushing)? Buckle up, because we're about to unlock the funniest rizz names this side of the internet. From puns so cheesy they're gouda, to pop culture references that'll make them swoon, we've got your game covered. So, ditch the generic and get ready to unleash your inner Rizz God.

Funny Rizz Names

1. Smooth McOperator: This name oozes confidence, hinting at your ability to "operate" the conversation with ease. Bonus points for channeling your inner disco king. 2. The Charmerizer 3000: A playful nod to cheesy infomercials, suggesting you possess an irresistible charm upgrade. 3. Cupid's Right Hand: Imply you're so good, even the god of love needs your help to score some matches. 4. The Compliment Cannon: Firing off compliments like a pro, leaving them feeling smitten and wanting more. 5. Meme Machine: This name suggests you're a master of using humor and pop culture references to break the ice. 6. Punny in Love: Warning: This may cause uncontrollable laughter and heart palpitations. Side effects include a desire to get to know you better. 7. Sherlock Smooths: Channel your inner detective, uncovering their interests and using them to your advantage. 8. Mystery Matchmaker: Leaving them intrigued with a touch of playful mystery, making them want to know more. 9. One Liner Wonder: A master of crafting witty, one-liners that leave them wanting to hear the next one. 10. Netflix & Chill...Me: A cheeky take on a popular phrase, suggesting you're both funny and worth getting to know. 11. Trivia Titan: Impress them with your random knowledge, sparking a playful game of questions and answers. 12. Rhyme Weaver: Craft playful rhymes on the spot, leaving them charmed by your creativity and wit. 13. Karaoke King/Queen: Show off your singing voice (good or bad) and invite them to join the fun, creating a memorable moment. 13. Dance Revolutionist: Bust a move (even if it's awkward) and invite them to join in, breaking the ice with a touch of silliness. 15. Open Book: Be genuine and open about yourself, showing your true personality and inviting them to do the same. 16. Cheesy Gordita Supreme: For the hopeless romantics who wear their heart (and cheesy pick-up lines) on their sleeve. Bonus points for taco lovers! 17. Notorious F.L.I.R.T.: Inspired by the iconic rapper, this name oozes confidence with a playful wink. 18. The Cat's Meow: Express your playful side with this feline-inspired name, perfect for cat lovers and anyone who appreciates a good pun. 19. The Snackrifice: Show your willingness to make sacrifices (like sharing your fries) with this punny and playful name. 20. The Underdog: Embraces their perceived "outsider" status, turning it into a charming self-deprecating joke.

Female Rizz names

Calling all queens! Level up your flirting game with a rizz name that's both witty and unforgettable. We've got you covered with 30 unique names that'll make you stand out from the crowd. So, pick your favorite, own it, and get ready to charm your way into their hearts! - The Quote Queen - Meme Matchmaker - Smooth Talkin' Siren - Charming Chameleon - Wordplay Wonder - Trivia Temptress - Mystery Muse - Dancefloor Darling - Karaoke Konfidence - Underdog Enchantress - Open Book Beauty - The Lady Luck - The Compliment Connoisseur - The Pickup Pro - The Wingwoman Whisperer - The Nostalgia Navigator - The Punny Princess - The Sherlock Holmes of Hearts - The Social Butterfly - The Conversation Catalyst - The Icebreaker Extraordinaire - The Daydream Director - The Adventuress - The Storyteller - The Quirky Queen - The Confidence Coach - The Optimistic Oracle - The Laughter Liberator More Giggles: Funny Names for Fat People

Funny Rizz Names for Friends

- Shenanigan Shepherd - The GIF Guru - Trivia Titan (Duo) - Hype Alchemist - Conspiracy Connoisseur - Mastermind of Mischief - Snack Sultan/Sultana - Dance Floor Destroyer - Punny Professor - Movie Marathon Maestro - The Quote Queen/King - Social Butterfly (Extroverted Edition) - Nostalgia Navigator - The Master of Ceremonies - Emoji Enthusiast - Impromptu Impersonator - The Accidental Agitator - Champion of Challenges - Naptime Negotiator - Soundtrack Selector - The Movie Buff (Walking Spoiler Alert) - Board Game Blitz - Wingman/Wingwoman Whisperer - The "I Got You" Guy/Gal - Philosopher of Fun - Champion of Compliments - Mastermind of Midnight Munchies - The Human Wikipedia - Meme Matchmaker

Fresh Rizz Names - Captivate in 2024

- Metaverse Matchmaker - NFT Negotiator - AI Assistant (Flirtatious) - Sustainable Seducer - Climate-Conscious Casanova - Crypto Crusher - ASMR Artisan - FinTok Financier - Global Grub Guru - Hobby Hoarder - Hyperlocal Historian - Zero-Waste Warrior - Upcycled Icon - Plant-Powered Pal - Minimalist Maestro - Digital Detoxifier - Social Media Minimalist - News Naysayer (Lighthearted) - Quiet Quitting King/Queen - Self-Care Specialist - Productivity Pro - Language Learner - Travel Trailblazer - Foodie Forager - Skill Swapper - Community Cultivator - Meme Mastermind (2024) - Gen Z Whisperer - IRL Influencer - Wellness Wanderer - Crypto Connoisseur More Giggles: 200+ Funny Names For Redheads

Funny Rizz Names for Crush

Tired of the same, old nicknames for your crush? Spice things up with a dash of humor and a sprinkle of creativity! This listicle curates 30 unique and chuckle-worthy "rizz names" guaranteed to leave a lasting impression. From puns so cheesy they're gouda to pop culture references that'll make their heart skip a beat, these names are the perfect conversation starters and a playful way to show your interest. So, what are you waiting for? Unleash your inner flirt and get ready to make your crush smile! - Smooth McGroove - Cupid's Caffeinated Arrow - Million Dollar Matchmaker (But Cheaper) - One Who Stole My Heart (and Maybe My Socks) - Walking Emoji - Subject of My Daydreams (Except the Weird Ones) - My Personal Comedian (Because Apparently I'm Hilarious) - Missing Piece to My Puzzle (Shaped Like a Heart) - One I Text at 2 AM (But Regret in the Morning) - Future Lobster (Just Minus the Butter) - Personal Soundtrack (Because Everything Reminds Me of Them) - The One Who Makes Me Blush (More Than Should Be Socially Acceptable) - My Muse (Except I Can't Write Poetry) - The Peanut Butter to My Jelly - The Fry to My Ketchup - My Forever Person (But Let's Not Get Crazy) - The Reason I'm Late (Sorry, Not Sorry) - My Distraction During Lectures (Shh!) - Personal Superhero (Without the Cape) - The One I Doodle Hearts Around (In My Notebook, Not on Walls) - My Spotify Playlist Curator (Because My Taste is Questionable) - The Sunshine on a Cloudy Day - The Upside to Mondays - My Weekend Adventure Buddy (Except We Never Leave the House) - My Partner-in-Crime (For Innocent Pranks, Of Course) - The One I Practice My Smooth Moves On (Even Though I Have None) - The Butterfly-Giver (Because They Make My Stomach Do Somersaults) - My Future Co-Star (In the Rom-Com of Our Lives) - The Answer to All My Prayers (Okay, Maybe an Exaggeration) - Forever Snack (Because They're Always Delicious)

Tips for Using Funny Rizz Names Effectively

Confidence is key: Deliver your funny rizz name with confidence, even if it's a bit cheesy. Owning your humor makes it more likely to land well. Read the room: Gauge the situation and the other person's sense of humor before unleashing your comedic rizz name. Not everyone appreciates the same type of humor. Quality over quantity: One well-crafted funny rizz name is better than a barrage of jokes. Focus on making it memorable and relevant to the conversation. Be prepared to follow up: A funny rizz name is just the opening line. Be ready to engage in a conversation and build upon the humor you've created. Know your limits: Avoid offensive or insensitive jokes, even if you think they're funny. When in doubt, err on the side of caution and choose something more lighthearted. Embrace the cringe: Sometimes, a little bit of cringe humor can be endearing. Don't be afraid to laugh at yourself if your joke falls flat. Be genuine: The best rizz names, funny or not, come from a genuine place. Let your personality shine through, and the humor will follow naturally. Make sure you check out our main page findfunnynames for more hilarious content. Read the full article

0 notes

solatgif · 1 year

Text

TGIF: Roundup for April 21, 2023

I spoke with author David Kim about his book Made to Belong, and where the lonely can look to find connection in Christ and with the church. Check out our interview and read my book review. Visit us on YouTube for more Author Interviews.

We featured new contributor Eric D. Shin, presenting 10 Lies Christians Believe About Their Faith and Church. And a quote from Esther Chung-Kim and our 2021 SOLA Conference was referenced in this CNN article: A viral scene from Netflix’s ‘Beef’ nails a very specific religious experience.

This newsletter is one of the many ways you can keep in touch with us. Find us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. For more, check out my Asian American Worship Leaders Facebook group and TGIF Playlist on Spotify. You can reach me on Twitter and Instagram.

Aaron Lee, Editorial Curator

Enter to win this outstanding book! Read my review. Thanks to David Kim for providing this book for our giveaway, in partnership with my newsletters for @diveindigdeep and FCBC Walnut.

Articles From Around The Web

Faith Chang: Walking with Children and Teens Through Doubts About Christianity

“If God loves the children in our lives and has them in his hands, then we are not the main actors here. Thus, with peace, we can walk them through questions and doubts, patiently engaging their minds and hearts, trusting that as we sow and water the seeds of truth, God is the one who will make things grow.”

AJ Willingham, CNN: A viral scene from Netflix’s ‘Beef’ nails a very specific religious experience

A quote from Esther Chung-Kim and our 2021 SOLA Conference is featured: “One attractive feature about Asian American evangelicalism is that the focus is more on deemphasizing racial minority status and emphasizing more the primary identity as Christians, so this also explains some of the sociological benefits of joining ethnic-specific churches.”

Sara Billups: The Irresistible Peril of Publishing

“What if writing is never a career for most of us, but a practice that chooses us and encourages many? Those of us with eyes open, published and unknown, moving towards the storm. Telling better stories. We are here, we write because we are writers. God, do we ever believe. Help our unbelief.”

The SOLA College Writing Cohort is our new writing cohort for college-age students to receive mentorship and training as young Christian writers. Editorial Board member Soojin Park will personally be leading this initiative, and she is very excited at the prospect of nurturing the next generation of Asian American thinkers and writers who will help encourage and edify the Church!

Books, Podcasts, Music, And More

9Marks: On Spurgeon the Pastor, with Geoff Chang (Pastors Talk, Ep 235)

“Did Charles Spurgeon care about ecclesiology? In this episode of Pastors Talk, Mark and Jonathan chat with Geoff Chang about Spurgeon the pastor.”

OnScript Podcast: Contextualization and the Old Testament with Dr. Jerry Hwang

“This wide-ranging conversation follows this wide-ranging book, covering topics such as the “is God the same as Allah” question to Filipino views of reciprocity to Thai philosophical views informing aniconism.”

Aaron Lee: Related Works

Book Reviews: On Getting Out of Bed by Alan Noble. Comics by Fish Coin Press. Illustrated Books by Fish Coin Press. Listen to our TGIF playlist on Spotify. Join my Asian American Worship Leaders Facebook group.

Check out the new edition of our SOLA Network Magazine! Download it for free and share it with your friends as a great way to be introduced to the work we do at SOLA Network.

Featured This Week On SOLA Network

Aaron Lee: “Made to Belong”: An Interview with Author David Kim

SOLA Network’s editorial curator Aaron Lee speaks with author David Jang Hyun Kim about his book Made to Belong, and where the lonely can look to find connection in Christ and with the church.

Esther Chung-Kim: Gaining a Voice: The Asian American Church in Context with Dr. Esther Chung-Kim

“The treatment and reception of Asians in the broader American society has shaped the theological tendencies of Asian American Christians, ranging from very radical to very conservative theologies and all of these tendencies, even though often at odds with each other, share a common goal to gain a voice in mainstream Christianity.”

Aaron Lee: Cultivating Community: A Book Review of “Made to Belong”

“Where can the lonely look to find connection? In Made to Belong, David Kim discusses five practices for cultivating community in a disconnected world.”

Eric D. Shin: 10 Lies Christians Believe About Their Faith and Church

“The Church belongs to Jesus. This means, we must build Christ’s church the way he desires. Unfortunately, there are so many lies that Christians believe and practice regarding church and their church life.”

TGIF: Roundup for April 14, 2023

Asian American Theologian: Our ‘Culture’ Is Not to Blame / Three Things Jonathan Edwards Teaches Us about Holy Communion / Banksy and Beauty from Ashes

General disclaimer: Our link roundups are not endorsements of the positions or lives of the authors.

0 notes

knightinoldarmor · 2 years

Text

— general tag drop #1

— (tag tba) thread.

— (tag tba) visuals.

— (tag tba) memes.

— (tag tba) ask.

— (tag tba) navigation post.

— (tag tba) crack.

— quotes | that irresistible voice of the heart.

— (tag tba) aesthetic.

— (tag tba) music.

— (tag tba) reference.

— (tag tba) dashboard game.

— (tag tba) dashboard commentary.

— (tag tba) headcanon.

— (tag tba) wishlist.

— (tag tba) open starter.

— queue | some ancient call that i've answered before

— mobile | low quality writing on the go because I fucking can('t)

#— (tag tba) thread.#— (tag tba) visuals.#— (tag tba) memes.#— (tag tba) ask.#— (tag tba) navigation post.#— (tag tba) crack.#— (tag tba) aesthetic.#— (tag tba) music.#— (tag tba) reference.#— queue | some ancient call that i've answered before #— mobile | low quality writing on the go because I fucking can('t)#— (tag tba) dashboard game.#— (tag tba) dashboard commentary.#— (tag tba) headcanon.#— (tag tba) wishlist.#— (tag tba) open starter.#— quotes | that irresistible voice of the heart.#— tag drop

0 notes

lfc21 · 2 years

Text

The wall

Your husband had always been somewhat inspirational. Since the day you had met him he had an everlasting charm on anyone he met, a charm in which stayed imprinted into the hearts of thousands across the world. You fell for his irresistible charm and the print he left on every part of you. His success was counted in his dedication towards the city streets. The streets layed with countless memories of steps of school kids chasing after that ball which went over the neighbours fence one to many times. Trent had his city and his city had him. In honour of his success among his club a mural was painted off him and his all famous quote.

"Are we excited to see daddy's wall?" You asked excitedly as your small children held tightly against your hands and followed every footstep of yours. Trent was ecstatic to see the wall on the day it was set to be finished which ment him getting up at stupid o'clock in the morning to let the media have there moment and for him to get as many pictures as possible with his fans. He had no idea you where coming, you constantly told him you couldn't be there due to your oldest sons school schedule but there was nothing stopping this.

"Yeah!" Your oldest - theo said with a giggle in his words at the excitement he was feeling. Every step you took the wall was coming closer and closer revealing more and more of the huge mural.

"Woow daddys huge" your daughter - skye said as you slowly walked around the corner into sybil Road. The sound of excited children's voices forced trents head to turn at the familiar sounds around him.

"Hey you three" trent cheered as your two children released there hands from yours and ran straight over to there dads embrace. Your eyes where glued to the moment shared between them, there smiles perfectly matched the delicate sun shine across the city.

"That's a big you" Theo shouted in astonishment whilst looking up at the daunting painting of his dad. Trents hands placed skye onto his hip giving her the opportunity to see her dad plastered onto the side of someone's house. Her eyes followed the white letters perfectly placed on the right.

"I-im just a n-normal... lad from L-liverpool who's dweams have j-just come twue" skyes voice said causing trents mouth to turn up into an admiring smile. Hearing the words fall from his daughters mouth reminded him of how far he had come in his career even at such a young age and the idea of his kids being able to experience this with him made the world of difference. The media team filming the final project captured the three bond over the wall as you watched from a far just next to Jordans wall.

"Come over here let's get a picture" trent suggested ushering you over causing a few fans to stare at his sudden outburst to you.

"Its abit bloody daunting" you laughed as you looked up at your new version of your husband. You both wondered over to the front of the wall both holding a child each on your shoulders getting the perfect photo for the media and yourselves.

"Let me and mummy get one together yeah?" Trent said to his two minions which where staring straight up at him in awe after just being placed down. The two pairs of legs gently ran to the side watching you both with there hands held tightly together.

"Hang on" you softly said as you turned around and placed your hands right onto trents bum cheeks which where plastered on the wall. You couldn't help but let out a laugh as he stood there shaking his head in a joking manner at your amusing action. When you woke up this morning you didn't think you would be touching someone's bum cheeks on a brick wall infront of actual humans.

"Wow your funny" trent said sarcastically trying to cover up his actual emotion. You knew he hated to admit it but deep down he did believe you where actually quite funny not as funny as Robbo but definitely funny. Your hand snaked around his large waist as you carefully positioned yourself in the middle of the side wall of the terrace house. There where huge smiles plastered on both of your faces hiding nothing but the truth of how happy you both where. This was just the begging, the normal lad from Liverpool had way more to win and achieve.

I hope you enjoyed this small one! I've had this idea for a while as I have been to see this wall many of times. It's such an amazing piece of art and is definitely bigger than you actually think. Please leave comments, feedback and requests as it is greatly appreciated. @prettylittletrent @cornertakenquicklyyyy @trentsko @trentshoe @trentalexanderarnold @robbo38 @robbothegoat @kostasstsimikass @chelseamount @chloereddy @hnrfc @tsimikas2l @avenirdelight @blueathens @jordanhendersunshine @mrs-henderson @thatonesexycancerian @henderson1truelover @nyctophilic0vitnir @peekapeaches @tsimikxs @tsimikostas @trentalexarnofan @leddows @moneymasnn

#lfc imagines #lfc masterlist #liverpool imagines #lfc imagine #trent alexander arnold x reader #trent alexander arnold imagines #trent alexander arnold imagine #england team imagine #england fc imagines #england imagines #england x reader #trent alexander arnold x y/n #trent alexander arnold #lfc x reader

62 notes · View notes

crazyk-imagine · 3 years

Text

It’s Time

Pairings: Fred Weasley/ Plus size reader (platonic), George Weasley/ Plus size reader (can be read as a non-platonic relationship)

Characters: Fred Weasley, George Weasley, Plus size reader, Ginny Weasley, Molly Weasley, Hermione Granger, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley

Warnings: The second half is a bit sad not gonna lie, fluff, minor angst, references to a certain twin’s death

Word Count: 1,446

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

“It’s time to get up,” two annoying voices say out of nowhere.

You reach over towards the nightstand and grab your wand, holding it in front of where you believed the two to be. You were close, only off by an inch... or five.

“Why are you disturbing me and my precious sleep,” you mutter, hardly aware of what you’re saying.

“But it’s Christmas,” twin one says.

“The best time of year,” the other finishes.

You roll onto your back and open your eyes, staring up at the ceiling. “If I get up and get ready to go downstairs, will you two leave?”

“Maybe,” George says, extending the ‘A’.

“Or we could stay and help you,” Fred wiggles his eyebrow.

“I am this close,” you pinch your fingers together, “to casting a spell on you and turning you into a skinless toad.”

“Your fingers are touching,” Fred points out.

“Which one?” George asks.

“That’s exactly my point, Red thing 1 and that goes for either one of you.”

“I think it’s best we stay here,” Fred starts.

“To make sure you don’t fall or trip,” George finishes.

“You two get out now and I won’t tell my favorite Weasley.”

“Me,” the two say and glance at one another. “You?”

“It’s clearly me she’s talking about,” Fred says.

“I don’t think so. She’s clearly talking about me,” George adds.

The two break into a minor argument which then turns into a physical fight, mainly some rolling on the ground and light punching.

“Alright, that it’s.” You wave your wand and force the two apart then open the door.

“Okay. We hear you,” Fred says with his arms up in a defensive manner. “We’re leaving, waiting for you downstairs to open presents.”

You narrow your eyes at the two. “If something blows up in my face and stains anything whether it be my skin or clothes, Molly will be on you faster than you can get out the door.”

The two scoff.

“Words hurt,” Fred places a hand over his heart.

“Bye you two,” you offer a mock wave and close the door with your wand.

Once your dressed and ready you head downstairs to see all the Weasley’s, adopted and biological children aka Harry and Hermione gathered together in the living room.

You look for a spot to sit and get pulled down beside Red thing 1 and 2. “Oh good and I was just waiting to see you two again.”

Fred smiles, “of course you were.”

George scoots closer to you. “Any woman would. We’re simply irresistible.”

“More like unbearable.”

“Alright, now children, that’s enough out of you three,” Molly interrupts the three of you. “It’s a joyous and memorable time. No more fighting from you three.”

“But were not-” you try to explain.

“No more. Here,” she hands you three a gift.

“Open these and enjoy. I expect you three to behave.”

“Of course, mother,” Fred replies.

“Scouts honor,” George gives a two-finger solute.

“Neither of you were in the boy scouts. That’s a muggle thing. Who taught you that?”

“Harry,” the two answer you.

“I think he explained it to you once you heard the quote but okay. We’ll go with that.”

“Alright, you heard our mother, let’s open our gifts and make some memories,” George diverts your attention away from them.

“Open yours first.”

“Why? You don’t trust us,” Fred asks.

“Oh, I believe we’ll be making memories but I think there the kinds I don’t want to create.”

“Just open it already,” Ginny shouts from across the room.

“Do you want to open my gift?”

“No.”

“That’s what I thought.”

She sticks her tongue out at you.

You do the same to her. “I swear-” you begin to say.

“Open it!” Fred, George, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione shout.

“Alright, alright,” you mumble. You open unwrap the box, setting the wrapping paper off to the side, pull the lid off, lean back, and close your eyes, releasing a high pitch squeal.

You open your eyes to find fireworks forming into your first name initial before turning into the phrase “Merry Christmas”. A wide smile takes control of your lips before you even realize it.

You look down and find a poorly knitted scarf and you understand now that the fireworks were to distract you from your physical gift.

You pull it out to find some pieces of yarn sticking out as if either one of the twins lost and stitch and didn’t know how to fix it. The ends had some type of charring to it, as if they set the ends on fire in order to give it that frayed effect. The colors didn’t seem like they’d typically go together but you loved it.

“Aww you guys are the sweetest!” You gush and throw your arms over their shoulders pulling them closer.

“We know it’s not the best,” George says.

“But we tried,” Fred adds.

“I know and honestly, I don’t care. It’s perfect, it’s the best thing I’ve gotten handmade by a friend in a long time. It’s to see how much you both tried and that’s what makes it extra special just like you two,” you say, pinching their cheeks.

They shove your hand away and rub the spot, giving everyone a dramatic show of how much pain they’re in and Merlin knows how long they’ll be sore.

You roll your eyes and wrap the scarf around your neck, showing it off with pride.

“That’s got to be the ugliest thing I’ve ever seen.”

“Shut up, Ginny! It’s beautiful!” You shout.

“You need to get your eyes checked.”

“I’m not afraid to harm you little girl.”

“Elders are supposed to protect the young, not harm them.”

“Yeah, well you young kids are also supposed to respect your elders and I’m getting a lot of sass.”

“If you saw what I saw you’d be the same way.”

“Ginny!” Molly shouts your name once she sees you chasing her youngest child.

“I’m only showing how much I care for your dearest, dearest daughter Molly,” you smile, holding Ginny in a headlock.

Molly raises a brow and places her hands on her hips.

You let go of the young girl. “Alright, alright.” You sit beside Red thing 1 and 2 once more.

“You really like it?” George asks with slight fear and concern in his tone.

“Of course, I do. You two made it.”

“You’re still wearing it?” George asks while restocking the shelves.

“Obviously, you two made it. I love it. It's what I plan on giving to my grandchildren after telling them all of the stories I have about the two of you.”

“I bet they’d love to hear them. I can see it now. The young ones running in here, their parents right behind them, and then the weird old lady following behind them.”

You punch his shoulder.

“Ow! Blimey, you’ve still got some strength left in you. You should wear a warning sign.”

“Oh, shut up, Red thing 1.”

“I thought I was 2?”

“I always switched it up on you two but clearly neither one of you caught.”

“Clearly.” He clears his throat. “So, what brings you hear today?”

“I wanted to give you this.” You pull out a thin box from your bag, holding it out for him to take.

He takes it with a raised brow.

“It’s nothing bad. C’mon open it.”

He opens it to find a scarf, a hand knitted scarf by you. It has the same colors and frayed ends... only this time it’s done the correct way.

He pulls it out of the box and examines it, one of the ends catch his eye and he examines it closer to find ‘F/ G’ side by side. He has a sad and happy smile on his face as he remembers the Christmas morning you got your scarf.

Your voice brings him back. “I’d been planning on making you both one but with everything that was going on at Hogwarts I never had the time and then... things happened, and I came up with this.”

George wraps the scarf around his neck. “I love it,” he hugs you. “Thank you,” he mumbles into your hair.

The two of you bask in each other embraces, thinking about Fred and wondering what it would have been like if things had gone a different way.

“I’m glad we still do this,” George admits.

“Do what?” you ask.

“Spend Christmas together.”

“Of course, we would. I’d never miss spending the holiday with a Weasley.”

“You mean your favorite?”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.”

“I’m gonna pretend you didn’t say that.”

“Okay.”

“Merry Christmas, my darling.”

“Merry Christmas, Red thing 2.”

201 notes · View notes