#I have so many other Charles fantasy ideas too....

[bsaka7]

16 & 23?

Thank u marthe ILY 🥰🥰🥰🥰

16. What is your most underrated fic?

i mean i only know from people telling me what they think of my stuff/my stats but like. probably Charles and the three curses (chalex) or Charles dragon fic (Charles gen)... Idk. They're both fics I had a LOT of fun with and I think are... Fairly quality???? Or at least interesting. And definitely are more niche. But I think they're good!!!!!!!! I guess I'm saying people need to get more into Charles-centric fantasy come ON!!!!

23. If you had to remix one of your own fics, which would it be and how would you remix it?

Oooh I'm not sure. I feel like ill ray could be interesting from the non-daniel perspectives...especially like Jenson and pierre who we just get little bits of.... So maybe I would do a reverse pov inverse of the fic....

[thisismeracing]

Charlieverse | CL16

― Pairing: Charles Leclerc x fem!reader ― Word count: 2.1k ― Warnings: mentions of alcohol and Halloween costumes (clowns, werewolves, and others).  ― Summary: When Yn decided to go to a Halloween party with her best friend, Charles Leclerc, she did not consider that some of the fantasies would be so close to reality that they would terrify her. But one thing Yn had no idea about too, was Charles’ feelings for her. All Hallow’s Eve is not the most romantic scenario to confess your feelings, but it might be just the perfect one for them.

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There are many sayings about how sharing is caring, and how life feels bigger and better when you do so.

Charles knew this all too well.

He was used to sharing everything with you since he was a kid.

It all started after you forgot your snack at home. He was only five years old then, but he had two brothers so he knew exactly what to do. Little Charles offered to share his bag of colored goldfish and grapes with you. The next day you shared your coloring pencils with him. It started with simple things, and it grew as you both grew older. All through the school years, Charles and you were inseparable, even with his crazy racing schedule. You would take notes for him, he would bring you stories, and you would study together until late hours. You shared your fears, deepest feelings, and even the shame of being underdressed when invited to a party such as now.

“I had no idea people would go this hard,” you state, watching as the Taxi driver came to a halt in front of the big doors. Gathered in front of the mansion were people dressed as all kinds of gore Halloween beings, some of the makeup seeming too real to your liking.

“We can go back home and change if you want,” there’s Charles' tranquil voice. He is always the one to keep his patience even if the world is ending, and you love that about him.

You shake your head, “We would never find something else in time, plus, we’re together, so… here’s to another good story,” you point to your matching costumes, and Charles smiles.

You’re both wearing Spiderman costumes. Though it felt like the best choice, the easiest one, you should have guessed it was too easy and, therefore, not ideal.

Charles gives you one last wink before putting on his mask. You do the same just as he opens the door for you, and hand in hand you walk through the crowd into the house. You cling to your best friend’s arm trying to stay as far away as possible from some of the costumes.

“You sure you’re ok over there?” Charles asks when you’re halfway to the kitchen, and you tighten your grip on his hand.

You nod, “Yeah, just.. That werewolf costume seems too realistic.” And there’s no need for you to explain to him. He knows you like he knows the back of his hand, his favorite track, his most played song. Charles knows that someone planted a seed of fear about some creatures when you were little, and some of the stories have stayed with you even after you grew. It is a bit curious how despite your fears, you still love Halloween, at least the kind of parties you go to where people will dress in a way that clearly shows that they are human beings and meant no harm.

Were you supposed to guess that a certain crazy clown costume was a mere costume after seeing people being killed by those?

You wouldn’t stay to answer that question.

When you finally reach the kitchen, both of you take off the mask to your friends, hugging and making your rounds. Charles grabs you two a drink and you choose to stay there instead of mingling and risking bumping into scary figures.

“Can you get me another of these?” You mouth to Charles pointing at your empty cup. From across the kitchen, he nods, and a few seconds later he’s in front of you with a full cup.

“They were out of ice, is it ok if we share this one?” he asks over the music and you nod. You’re sitting on the counter, and when Charles turns to your friends he stands right between your legs. One of your hands goes to his shoulders, and you keep talking about your costume as if your heart weren’t hammering inside your ribcage, almost coming out from your throat the second his hand finds your knee, holding it so your anxious bounce can cease.

You gulp trying to keep your attention on whatever your friend is talking about because all your mind can focus on is your best friend’s hand on you, his body radiating warmth into yours. And not that it is unusual for Charles to touch it, quite the opposite, he loves to hug and kiss those he cares about, but it’s just lately your heart seemed to wish for a different kind of sharing.

It wants to share the secret touches. It wants to claim hungry kisses, tears of happiness, loud silences, and whispered mysteries. It is as if your heart created a reality where you had all of this with Charles.

Your own Charlie-verse.

The party keeps going in full swing, and Charles never leaves your side for over thirty minutes. He comes and goes always checking if you’re ok and if you want to go with him, but you choose the safety of the counter and your crowd of friends. The conversation is good, and so is the booze, from the kitchen you can see a bit of the living room and the pool area through the glass doors.

And it’s only when part of the girls decide to go dancing that you hop off the counter, and grab Charles’ hands following him in the direction of another crowd of friends. You’re tipsy enough to lace your fingers with his and to tighten your grip when you pass people dressed as clowns, werewolves, and with fake open wounds.

You end up in the pool area in front of Charles, he holds your body protectively against his, while his other hand has a cup you’re still sharing. The conversation is between the group, but every once in a while something will catch his attention and he’ll whisper about it in your ear, to which you’ll slightly turn your head, chuckle, and then answer him.

Though you felt a bit out of place at first with how everyone’s costumes seemed so extra compared to yours, you and Charles have had a lot of fun. So much so that you have given up going back home and decided to share a cab to his apartment.

Half of the ride a tipsy Charles is lecturing you with his “I told you so” about how he suggested you slept at his place and you denied it before the party. You just rest your head on his shoulder and pretend you are listening to his non-stop rant.

As it happens, the driver seems a bit uninterested in Charles’ rant because he turns the music on, and the last song that starts playing when he makes the curve into Charles’ street is Michael Jackson. You shriek and start jumping on the car seat.

“Chérie, it’s late,” your best friend tries to reason, but you just giggle.

“You have soundproof walls.”

“But not windows,” he tries again, and you playfully roll your eyes before getting out of the car wishing the driver a good night.

“Annie, are you okay?” you start to sing as you reach the elevators, and Charles just fakes a sigh, holding you close by the waist.

“So, Annie, are you okay? Are you okay, Annie?” you sing loudly until you reach the penthouse.

“Love, that’s not Smooth Criminal’s dance, that’s Thriller…” Charles holds back his laughter when you start a made-up choreography in his living room. “Oh mon dieu, you’re so precious.”

You giggle, smacking a loud kiss on his warm cheeks. While you make your track to the bathroom Charles goes to the kitchen.

“I’m using the guest bathroom! Go shower on the main one, you stinky!” you scream from the corridors and you hear his scoff, almost able to picture his eye roll.

You go through your shower on autopilot, brushing your teeth, and reaching for one of Charles’ shirts that are on the guest bedroom bed. Your visits have been so frequent you have everything you need there, but tonight you didn’t want one of your pajamas, you want to indulge in the daydream that your mind is harnessing.

When you reach your favorite Monegasque bedroom you can hear the shower still running, so you settle in the middle of his bed, staring at the ceiling. Somewhere in your head, there’s still music playing and your body seems to have kept a bit of the buzzing from the party. The distant noises coming from the open windows, along with the wind hitting the curtains lull you into a soft slumber, that only goes away when a door closes, you guess it's his closet, you smell his body wash and shampoo before he steps close to you.

There’s too much happening inside your head, so you choose to stay in silence while your best friend watches you attentively, eyes finding yours in a beat.

Charles, on the other hand, doesn’t have much in his head. He only has you. Your smell, your laugh, your voice, your body on his bed wearing his shirt.

“You’re the prettiest person I’ve ever seen,” his mouth works faster than his brain does, and just like that you’re staring at him in confusion.

It’s like his brain is shortcircuited.

Charles gets up from the bed.

He walks to the door, then turns around and comes back to your side. There’s a crease between his brows and you have known him long enough to identify it as worry.

“Sharls, what’s going on?”

“I’m not drunk ok? Before you say anything, I’m not drunk, I’m just tipsy like you,” he starts and you nod from your spot on the bed. “I am so sorry, but I have to tell you this, and I’ll completely understand if you don’t feel the same, but I have to take this out of my chest, Yn.”

Sensing how serious the situation is you sit up, legs crossed one over the other, hands tucked under them.

“I- uhm… See- It’s like this, I-”

“Charles,” you call.

“I’m in love with you,” he spills in a single sentence, but then he keeps going. “I love you so fucking much it’s starting to hurt the fact that I’ve been keeping it from you. And I don’t even know when it started, but I’m so used to sharing everything with you, I just.. I wanted us to share more. I wanted to share my bed with you, and my clothes, and-” he points with his fingers before you could say something, “And I know we already share those things, but I want to do it differently. I want to share romantically. I want to share my heart with you, Chérie, all of it. But I’ll understand if you’re confused or overwhelmed by my outburst, in fact… shit… I should have waited in case you wanted to go home right? Please, tell me that if you don’t feel the same you’ll at least get the farthest guest bedroom, I promise I won’t bother you, we’ll pretend it didn’t happen in the morning and I-”

“No,” you interrupt.

“Pardon?”

“I said no, I won’t sleep in the farthest guest bedroom.”

“Oh- then let me drive you, just…– fuck I can’t I drank… uhm I’ll–”

“No, Charles, stop,” you get on your knees on the mattress and reach for his arm, bringing his body close to yours.

“No, I’m not sleeping in the guest bedroom because we’re sharing a bed tonight. No, I’m not mad about your admission, I’m sharing my heart with you too. Romantically,” you confess.

His shoulders drop in relief, and you giggle, threading your fingers on his soft strands. Charles mutters something you can’t understand because you’re too focused on how his face seems different from this angle, after all the confessed words. He’s still your Charles, but he’s also a new Charles, and this knowledge brings a new feeling to your heart and stomach.

When his lips find yours, soft and warm, a contrast with his cold hands on your jaw and waist, he presses your bodies closer and hums in pleasure. You smile, unable to contain your happiness. He kisses you like you’ve never been kissed before, and when the air has made itself scarce, you part the kiss, foreheads still touching.

“So, Charlie, are you okay? Are you okay, Charlie?”

Charles throws his head back and laughs.

He knows how insufferable you could get once a song gets stuck in your head.

“I was struck down. You’re such a smooth criminal, Chérie. Stealing hearts around so easily.”

It is your turn to laugh.

“That was cheesy, but I loved it,” you mumble before pressing a kiss to his jaw. “I love you.”

────── ⋆🪩 VOICEMAIL: Hi, lovelies! I hope you liked the piece, I wanted to add a huge shout-out to Delia (@struggling-with-delia on Tumblr) for proof and beta-reading this <3.  Let me know your thoughts on this piece *mwah*.  

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©thisismeracing ― do not copy, steal, or translate my work; do not repost on a different media platform.  

[rphunter]

In need of some 18+ rp partners as my chats are pretty empty at the moment! 🏹

I’m looking for both fandoms and nonfandoms! Some info and rules of are:

- please be patient with me because i do work and have started school so i can’t be on 24/7, but i will always communicate when i cannot reply and what not and i expect the same respect!

- to add on to communication i would love an rp partner that is open to ooc chatter, sending headcanons, TikToks, music, and so on. I love getting to know my partners too and just being comfortable with one another! Be open and ready to discuss plots together as well.

- write 4+ paragraphs. I personally love details and get so bored with anything less than the four paragraphs. If you can write more than that i would give you my heart and soul!!

- dead dove 🕊️ topics are fine with me but we can discuss what our limits are in private.

Now moving on to what I am in search for!

- nonfandoms/ocxoc: looking for FxM where I play the female character, MxM and FxF as well. i have never played against a trans or nonbinary character but I’d be more than happy to discuss it together! I don’t have any set plots yet but i do have some ideas that I’m looking for oc pairings. Bring other ideas too if none of these call your attention, I will do just about anything honestly.

✨single parent x their child’s nanny, teacher, or any other pairing we can think of; modern prince/princess hiding their identity to attend university or live out in a small town for a bit before being crowned x anyone really; a/b/o; partner detectives; ; some more forbidden ideas professor x student, therapist x patient, in a fantasy or medieval world royalty x servant or knight, cheating with each other, etc; post apocalyptic world (think the last of us, the 100, or the walking dead); unplanned/accidental pregnancy (possible teen pregnancy idea I’d be down for); arranged marriage; and so many more that we can also come up with together!

- now for fandoms: for fandoms I’m more than happy to double up as long as both sides take place together because that is easier for me. And for most of these fandoms I’m looking for either ocxcc (FxM) but for your side I’d be down for whatever! Some other fandoms i may just do ccxcc and the characters i play will be in parentheses.

✨X-Men: looking for someone to play Logan/Wolverine for my oc; canon pairings i’m looking for (Charles) x Erik, (Scott) x Logan and possibly could also do a throuple with Jean.

✨Once Upon A Time: Rumple, Emma, or Regina for my oc

✨Fairy Tail: i just started rewatching the anime and I’m so obsessed right now!! I’m currently in the Edolas arc. I’d love if someone could play Gajeel, Laxus, and a possible throuple with my oc Gray and Juvia my loves.

✨Harry Potter: Severus or Cedric for my oc (i have two separate ocs for both of them don’t jump me); Remus x (Sirius) PLEASE I WILL DIE FOR THEM

I reply preferably on discord but can stay on here! I’ll reply to each like as soon as i possibly can! 🏹

.

[ampheenix]

That love is like a star (it's gone, we just see it shining)

Hello Charlotte oneshot // Vincharles // CW for OCD // fluff & angst

SUMMARY:

Charles lets out a soft sigh of resignation, feeling the sores on his hand throbbing even more than before. “Thanks. I should… take care of that.”

Vincent smiles and rolls back over on the bed, looking back up at the ceiling, eyes empty.

Charles lets his gaze linger on the bandages around the other’s slender wrist, the patches on his cheek. Vincent… he wouldn’t judge him for it. Would he?

Anxiety prickles in his chest, and before he can think about it too much, he slides off the gloves completely.

---

Or, Charles wonders if Vincent would understand.

Turns out, Vincent understands better than anyone else ever could.

Charles’s nightly routine is not for the weak.

He scrubs.

And scrubs.

And scrubs. As hard as possible, to the point where it feels like he’s tearing the putrid flesh off his tainted bones.

Charles ignores the blood beading from his filthy skin and staining the sink scarlet, completely and utterly focused on ridding the bacteria from his hands.

His mind is in a haze right now, emotions blurred and thoughts drifting idly by as his furious scrubbing slowly comes to a stop.

Distantly thinking he went a bit far this time, he rinses his torn and tender skin.

He dries it.

And on come the gloves, hiding the sores from the world.

Charles emerges from the bathroom, running a gloved hand through his greasy black hair (and wincing at how the scabs on his fingers are stinging viciously, like a swarm of filthy wasps.)

Vincent is sitting on his bed cross-legged, flicking through one of Charles’s sci-fi novels. He glances up as the other walks over, giving him a warm smile. “You certainly took your time in there… did you eat something bad?”

“Hardly.” Charles gives him a half-hearted smile in response as he sits down next to him. “Wouldn’t be surprised if I had though. Anri attempted making me lunch today, since she claimed ‘that’s what girlfriends do!’ and it… well… left some to be desired.”

Charles winces as his hands started to throb again. They had needed a thorough cleaning after today, but he hadn’t expected them to protest this much.

Vincent let out a soft laugh, shutting his book and passing it back to Charles. “That sounds like something she’d do… not much a cook then, hmm? Perhaps you could give her some lessons, if ‘that’s what boyfriends do.’”

Charles rolls his eyes as he gets up to place the book back in it’s place in the shelf, nice and neat, whilst pointedly ignoring Vincent’s raised eyebrow. “It’s Anri who’s into all of that, not me… I don’t really see the reasoning for any of it. There’s no certain actions this way or that which making someone a ‘perfect partner,’ in my opinion… but anyway.” Charles turns back to his friend. “How’d you like Douglas Adams? That was one of my favourite books of his, personally.”

Vincent hums, smiling. “It was interesting. I don’t read much science fiction, since I tend to prefer psychology or fantasy books, but it was fine. I liked some of the ideas that were introduced.”

Charles considers him for a moment before leaning back on his elbows, a bit disappointed. “You didn’t like it at all, did you?”

Vincent laughs again, letting himself fall back onto the bed. “…You caught me, haha. I didn’t really like it, but I can see why you enjoy it so much. I’ve been too focused on my own writing lately to read many books, to be honest.”

“Mm…” Charles says in response, straightening the coverlet on his bed that has become a bit wrinkled, and then wincing at the stinging in his fingers. Probably shouldn’t try to move them much right now. “That makes sense. Your writing is amazing, after all- I bet you’ll be on par with the likes of Douglas Adams someday. You’ll probably be releasing bestsellers before we’re even out of university.”

Vincent doesn’t respond, so Charles glances back up at him.

His friend seems to have paused for a moment, eyes widened as he gazes at him. Charles’s eyebrows furrow in confusion, and Vincent lets out another laugh, his smile just a touch too tight.

“Well, thank you… though I think you’ll be the one releasing bestsellers. Your writing is always a great read.” Vincent tilts his head, eyes bright. “How’s yours going, anyway?”

Changing the subject, Charles notes, but he lets the odd behaviour go. “Er… it’s certainly going, I guess. The plot still feels rather forced and confusing, and I still don’t know how to get some of the ideas out of my head and onto the page.” He shakes his head, feeling rather hopeless. “I suppose I’ll just keep trying… I’m guessing your process is a lot easier.”

“We all get blocks in writing sometimes, but it’s true that I rarely, if ever, get them.” Vincent gives him a sheepish smile. “Anyway, like I’ve said before, just trust your readers to be able to figure it out. I was able to understand your writing as easily as breathing.”

“Well, sure, but that’s you.” Charles lets out a sigh, a tad frustrated. Vincent was… he was far more intelligent than your average person, so of course he could unravel the tangled mess of his story quicker than you can blink. Vincent was miles ahead of your average reader, so he’d be the anomaly in a survey of “who can make heads or tails of my shitty story’s plot?”

Well, there was Anri, but Charles was 99% she’d make fun of the plot and characters and wouldn’t understand the meaning or plot even if you paid her. And please, he wouldn’t want to share his story with his classmates even you paid him.

And as for Mother? He would never dare bothering her with this nonsense.

So, safe to say Vincent was his only reader thus far.

“Earth to Charles? Hello?” He blinks, jerked out of his thoughts by a hand waving in front of his face. Oh, he’d zoned out. How pathetic of him. “Sorry, just got lost in my thoughts.”

“Happens to the best of us. You were just scratching at your hands through your gloves absentmindedly, but I think you might’ve opened a scab…” Vincent smiles distantly, gesturing down at his hands.

Shit. Charles glances down and sees small flowers of scarlet blossoming on his skin, slightly visible through the gloves. He lets out a soft sigh of resignation, feeling his hand throbbing even more than it was before. “Thanks. I should… take care of that.”

Vincent smiles and rolls back over on the bed, looking back up at the ceiling, eyes empty.

Charles lets his gaze linger on the bandages around the other’s slender wrist, the patches on his cheek. Vincent… he wouldn’t judge him for it. He’d understand.

Anxiety prickles in his chest, and before he can think about it too much, he slides off the gloves completely. Luckily, the sores aren’t bleeding too much, just irritated.

He doesn’t let himself look over at Vincent as he gets off his bed, picks up a tissue from where its neatly positioned on his desk, and dabs away the beads of crimson, wincing. To his annoyance, the bleeding isn’t stopping. As soon as he takes away the tissue, it starts again.

Charles jumps as he feels a hand gently rest on his arm, looking up to see Vincent in front of him with his eternal, patient smile. “Here, allow me.”

Charles sits down on the bed, wordless with relief as his friend stands before him, putting pressure to the sores. Vincent’s fingers are soft and clean, efficient as they press down on his skin. After a moment or two, the scarlet flowers slowly stop blossoming.

It might just be his imagination, but Vincent lets his hands linger on Charles’s hands longer than necessary. As the other moves to get up and throw the blood-spotted tissue away, Charles finds himself reaching out to grab his wrist.

Skin on skin.

For the first time in a long time, Charles doesn’t feel the sickening sensation of bacteria bubbling on his hands, doesn’t feel the need to scrape and scrub until every single germ is dead.

Vincent is different.

He realizes he’s been silent for too long, Vincent looking back at him with confusion in his eyes. “…thanks. Thank you, for that.” Charles says softly, letting go of his friend’s wrist.

Vincent smiles again, understanding in his eyes. Just once, Charles thinks, he’d like to see him be something else. Angry. Sad. Overjoyed.

Something other than this… this constant mask of contentment, empty in its insincerity. But what can be expected, from a godlike being? Charles would question if he was even human, if he didn’t know of the cracks in Vincent’s mask.

Slowly, and deep in thought, Charles pulls his gloves back on.

“You can keep them off if you’d like, you know. Can’t be very comfortable, having fabric directly on the the sores.” Vincent says with a casual smile, like it’s nothing, like he hasn’t changed Charles’s perception of reality.

He lets his gloves slide off and fall on his floor, not feeling the need to instantly scoop them up and put them away where they’re supposed to be, in the second drawer of his desk.

His wounds breathe. The scarlet flowers rest. His skin doesn’t feel like it’s crawling with tiny bugs and worms, for now.

And just for a moment, watching Vincent smile like he doesn’t have a care in the world, Charles smiles back.

[violets-in-her-arms-writes]

Welcome ! Welcome ! I created this sideblog because I wanted to be able to find my writing content more easily and also because I thought it might motivate me to write more. We’ll see how it goes ✨

A few things about me:

■ Hi, I’m Cécile ! I’m 27 years old and I write mostly fantasy, science-fiction and, sometimes, urban-fantasy. I write in french but when I’m feeling ✨ bored ✨ (read: when I procrastinate), I can be convinced to try and translate excerpts from my novels.

■ I have too many WIPs to count, and they rotate like rotisserie chicken, which means it takes me years to finish one project. It’s a curse.

■ When I don’t want to write but still want to think about my stories, I can be found on pinterest and canva, making wayyy too many moodboards, aesthetics and fake covers.

■ I love ask games and OC questions and worldbuilding wednesday, so don’t hesitate to hit me up !

I can’t think of anything more to say about me, so I’ll stop here ! See you under the cut if you want to know more about my WIP !

(also... if you've seen this blog before, no you didn't ♥ I don't know what I did but the thing just disappeared so here I am again. technology and me, a love story for the ages)

Titre : La Fledgling

Genre : urban fantasy ; romance ; action

Status : first draft

Target wordcount : ~80k

Synopsis :

I don't have an official summary just yet, so for now, take this bunch of tags I typed once and have been laughing at ever since :

#me with “the fledgling” like babe i love you but i have no idea whats's going on anymore #it's all about the ✨vibes✨ #it's about a human and her vampire gf and about a threat to the matriarchal vampiric society #there's a really sexy powerful vampire coven and time travel and forbidden magic #and a witch slowly getting consumed by her own powers while she tries to keep the vampire alive #there's a lesbian werewolf who's allergic to dogs and resent the fact that she is now one #there's a mermaid with voice issues and a long lost mate #and a fae with hanahaki disease trying to avoid both her crushes #but other than that? No idea what the fuck is going on #who cares

(Bonus : #yes it was my nano project last november what's your point? #I wrote 50k and i still don't know what the fuck is going on in this story)

Settings : a big city filled with supernatural creatures ; a gloomy manor ; a cozy apartment crumbling under the secrets of its habitants ; a café/bar théâtre de tous les drames

Characters:

Johanne “Jo” Hautain || [27] || lesbian || human || perpetually exhausted ; Done™ ; doesn't have a moral code

Louise Venti || [27] || bisexual || vampire fledgling || losing herself to bloodlust ; passive ; doesn't know anything

Anaëlle Charles || [27] || lesbian || witch || breaks magical laws for breakfast ; hunted by the Virulentes ; would also like a nap

There are more characters but these three are the backbone of the story and my aaaaangels 🥰

Tag: #wip: la fledgling

[13-frinfransstudios]

I don't understand Damsel (2024)

It's a good idea and I enjoyed the visuals but...The story is a little messed up.

I hate how they gave the dragon redemption. like yeah, awesome the royal family got what they deserve. But that dragon killed MANY innocents. If she doesn't want the royal blood to exist, why only the daughters? Should've burned the whole kingdom. Should've fly high and let him watch his kingdom burn if she wants to feel the hurt. Why is she only asking for 3 daughters every year? And she talks! It's not like she can't conceive a basic logic. Doesn't she think that "hey, they be giving me three royal daughters consistently, and at the same time! Wew! Must've been one heck of sex!" I know it's human's fault why the dragon is like that but...THE DRAGON IS SHITE THAT IT PISSES ME OFF "I'll make you feel my daughters' pain" guuurl maybe they perhaps don't know what the king did? Whether they're royal or not? Because THEYRE INNOCENT?? Also I THOUGHT THE DRAGON WANTS TO KILL 3 ROYAL DAUGHTERS?? WHY IS SHE SO FIXIATED ON ELIODE? (or whatever her name is spelled)

El has way too many open wounds when the dragon saw her, besides the one on her hand that's been mixed with royal blood (fire wound, falling wound) so why did the dragon not smell that? Is she bias??? Also WHATS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ROYAL BLOOD AND OTHER'S BLOOD? DID KING CHARLES HAVE A DIFFERENT BLOOD TYPE THAN US?? AM I TYPE O AND HIS IS LIKE...TYPE R OR SOMETHING??? HOW DID THE DRAGON KNOOOW???

and WHY DID THE FIRE GOT BURNED ON ITS NECK??? THATS LITERALLY WHERE THE FIRE CAME FROM??? DOES IT HURT ITS THROAT WHEN THEY BREATHE OUT FIRE??? and bitches trying to get sympathy card "then just kill me" guurl shut up. You have brains to be angry, have brains to reflect.

am I mad at a fictional dragon? yes. very. It boils my blood.

But El is also confusing. One thing I can critique about El is that they should've shown a brief moment from the beginning that she is a resourceful princess and a badass who knows to fight because she's in a poor village or kingdom. But they didn't. Like...how did she know how to set up the distraction? How did she know how to fight so well?

So far, that's it. It kinda doesn't make sense. But hey, it looks pretty at least. My one last message is to Simon: Should've stayed with Bram instead of digging your nose in the fantasy royal kingdom. Then maybe you wouldn't die.

[zoomimal]

So I’ve seen the wip tag game going round and got inspired to post a bit from one of the stories I’ve been working on for Lestappen week! (This one is for day three) I’m still too shy to tag anyone else, but know you’re all so amazing and talented and I love seeing all your incredible ideas 💚

Also, this is my first time writing fic in many years so plz be gentle 🥲

~

Sleeping with other drivers, especially one’s teammate, was certainly not unheard of. There was even gossip whispered in the paddock saying that some teams even encouraged it with the idea of getting drivers to be more amenable to working together. No one ever seemed able to say which teams though, so it was probably an idea borne more from some people’s smutty fantasies than actual reality. Not that Charles would judge anyone for having fantasies, not when imagining being with Max, his dear fellow-driver-childhood-rival-turned-friend-but-also-still-rival, was his favorite way to get himself off lately.

If ‘well over a year now’ still counted as ‘lately’.

However, even with all that, it was generally understood that drivers were not supposed to mate each other. Part of it was teams and executives not wanting to deal with the professional conflicts and PR headaches that could potentially arise, but beyond that, and the more important issue, was that expectations and attitudes around drivers choosing mates were still quite conservative. Alphas were expected to find some sweet, devoted omega who could look after the home and pups while they were away, and occasionally show up at races to show support for their mate. Omegas were supposed to find an Alpha who ‘could help look after them’, often someone who also had a professional role in their life such as a trainer or engineer, or someone who helped sponsor the team.

That said, the idea of a team dictating who a driver could mate was widely frowned upon these days…

Which was why Charles felt utterly blindsided when he was called in for a meeting with a few Ferrari executives, and presented with a list of Alphas they ‘felt strongly he should get to know’.

Charles stared at the list in front of him, barely listening to what the men were saying and feeling his anger claw its way up his throat.

How absolutely

Fucking

Dare

They

[c-is-for-circinate]

Kind of want to toss more snippets of things that probably won't become long extended fics up onto tumblr. So: Eddie/Chrissy, with deeply bisexual ADHD disaster child Eddie, because we deserve it. (Also background hints of Steve/Nancy, but rest assured Eddie is 100% projecting and highly incorrect about that dynamic.)

Chrissy lives, through sheer dumb luck -- a tape shoved into a player out of some vague idea in the back of Eddie's mind that he could be smooth, could maybe help a pretty girl who for some godforsaken reason seemed to like him have a good time -- and it's great, it's incredible, it's more luck than any of them should've ever dared hope for--

And Eddie is thrilled, obviously. Terrified out of his mind, pretty sure he should be running for the hills, but. Chrissy Cunningham is alive, and for some bizarre, unfathomable reason, she seems to like him.

It's just...jesus christ, what is he supposed to do with that?

It's not that Eddie doesn't like girls. Girls are pretty, and smell good, and have curves in places he's maybe imagined putting his hands a time or two (thousand), and have generally starred in at least thirty to forty percent of his favorite jerk-off fantasies for the past several years. But the general class of females of approximately his own age in Hawkins, Indiana have heretofore been somewhat disinclined to follow up on Eddie's occasional flirtations, and somehow he doesn't think the other skill set is going to be much help here.

It's just...look. Eddie knows, he knows goddamn well that for ninety-nine point nine percent of guys like him, whose eyes skate over the slope of a gentleman's broad shoulders as readily as the swell of a lady's hips, that the easy road would mean playing straight for sixty-some-odd years, marrying a nice girl who doesn't ask too many questions, and maybe getting the occasional blowjob in a truck stop bathroom from a pretty boy you pretend you don't want half as much as you actually do. Of course he knows that. He's given those blowjobs, a lot more often than he's ever had a nice girl like Chrissy Cunningham look at him twice. Because that's the thing, isn't it, once again the Munson luck striking right at the heart of things. Once again, Eddie isn't like every other guy in Hawkins or Indiana or, fuck, the whole damn world probably. Can't just do things the normal way. Has to do everything opposite, and look where that's gotten him lately.

Truck-stop bathrooms are easy. The grit of them, the feel of cold tile through thin denim, the taste of latex and the smell of musk and sweat and come, a thick-fingered hand in his hair and the press of tight muscle under his fingertips, the rush of knowing that even on his knees, he's the one with the power here -- it's good. It's so good, the back rooms of that bar in Indy where one flash of his fake ID gets him an all-access pass to all the sex a boy could want, no strings attached. Slipping into that space is almost as easy, as natural, as slipping into the DM's seat at Hellfire. He doesn't even have to change his look, just makes sure the bandana is tucked into the correct pocket and they come to him, ready to let Eddie take the reins and drag them into something just painful enough to be really satisfying when they make it through to the end.

That's the thing about being a freak. That's the thing, that's always the thing, the backwards mixed-up thing in Eddie's brain that had him reading Tolkien before he turned nine but can't get through one Charles Dickens novel without wanting to scrape himself out of his own skin. He can calculate probabilities and percentage tables for a D&D game in his sleep but can't sit still through a single math class. It took less than a week to get note-perfect on the entire Master of Puppets guitar solo and six years might not be enough to graduate high school.

So yeah, Eddie knows how to be a freak and a faggot, can take a grown man to pieces with his hands and his voice and his dick if he just clicks into that zone where he has all the power to shape the world the way he wants it. That doesn't mean he has any goddamn idea what to do when Chrissy Cunningham smiles at him like that and he trips over his own feet.

He should be looking at Harrington. Steve goddamn Harrington is striding around like that, absolutely shirtless, streaked in dirt and his own blood like some goddamn primal warrior come to life. That would be safe. Safer. Something. Pretty boy in just the right amount of pain, Eddie should be enjoying the eye candy, but he can't because: 1) they're literally in hell and monsters could come after them at any time, 2) Nancy Wheeler apparently has a bedroom full of actual guns and is still in love with her ex-boyfriend, so Eddie's pretty sure he'd better keep his eyes to himself if he wants to keep them at all, and 3) far more importantly than all of that, Chrissy is scared enough to be holding his hand and he's terrified that his palms might be sweating. She's so pretty. He wants her to actually like him so, so badly. This is an absolute nightmare.

"You doing okay?" he asks Chrissy quietly, letting her lean on his arm to help her over some rough terrain when they have to take a detour around a knot of vines. She clutches at his sleeve and smiles timidly, putting on a brave face that makes Eddie want to do something insane like find a suit of shining armor just so he can bow to her in it.

"We're going to be fine," she says. "We just have to get to Nancy's house and it'll all be okay. Right?"

"Gonna let Wheeler make you a a total badass with a gun?" Eddie asks, and then mentally kicks himself. Who flirts with a girl by calling her a total badass? How do smooth guys flirt with girls if they stick around past the initial five minutes of inviting them to come see your band, which literally no girl has ever actually said yes to before? Eddie isn't even sure he has a band any more, if Chrissy's ex-boyfriend has anything to say about it, which means he's kind of out of ideas.

Eddie has one blinding, insane moment of wondering what would Jason Carver do here? before he almost chokes on his own tongue. Fuck. He really can't do this.

"Maybe," Chrissy says, a little shy, and slides her hand down his arm to slip her palm into his again. "Do you think I could?"

There's a smudge of dirt on her perfect nose. Eddie wants to lick it off. Oh god he's a freak. You can't lick cheerleaders. Fuck, Eddie doesn't even know how to go down on a girl. Fuck, why did he think about that. It doesn't matter! He's never going to get the chance! Chrissy is never going to want him to touch her like that anyway!

"I think if the last few days have proven anything, it's that literally anything is possible," Eddie says, and then realizes he just implied that Chrissy being a badass is even more unlikely than alternate dimensions, which is probably even worse than calling her one in the first place, and holy shit, how is it even possible to be this awful at this? Why is she still standing here with him? "I mean, I could even stop being a coward who apparently runs away from absolutely everything, which I've discovered I am now, that's how weird things are, so yeah, compared to that, Chrissy, I think you could absolutely be a badass if you wanted to be."

"I don't think you're a coward," Chrissy says, and she's stepping closer, why is she stepping closer, tucking their arms together. "I mean, I couldn't even run away. He would've gotten me right there, if you hadn't..."

"Luckily I think Harrington and Wheeler are big enough heroes for all of us." Eddie catches sight of them up ahead, Wheeler on point like a hunting hound leading the way, Harrington keeping watch on all sides with that flashlight ready to spring into action at any minute. It should probably be Harrington back here with Chrissy, if he and Wheeler weren't so obviously the perfect battle couple together. Hell, even Buckley, who's up front with Nancy right now and who Eddie knows he clocked checking out Chrissy's legs earlier. She's awkward, yeah, but on her it'd be endearing, and maybe Chrissy deserves better than cowardly asshole boys for a while anyway.

She definitely deserves better than Eddie. She tugs him out of the way of a vine half a second before he trips over it in the dark, like a klutz and a dumbass, and Eddie curses himself for a failure.

[aragarna]

For the fandom ask: the three musketeers ❤️

What originally drew me to it

What I like most and least about it

The character/story arc I find the most compelling

A scene/moment that makes me really emotional every single time

What originally drew me to it

You do realize I first read that book 25 years ago?! I have not idea why I picked up that book in particular then, except for the fact that as a kid, I read as many French classics as I could. But what I do remember immediatly enjoying are two things:

The camaraderie. That strong and immediate friendship. That deep sense of loyalty, and that feeling that together we can face anything. Together, we're unstoppable. You need to cross the Channel and go right into the Enemy's den? Let's go, I've got your back. They didn't call it that back then, but it's totally the foundation of the "found family" trope. Tous pour un, un pour tous.

The other thing that contributed a lot to my love for this book was Dumas' writing style. It's joyful, and funny, and very rhythmic. There is quite often a sort of jubilation in his words. It's classic literature, beautiful and with a lot of flare, but still very readable (nothing annoys me more than a writer that makes it unnecessarily complicated. Words must flow.).

What I like most and least about it

What I like the most is the aforementioned friendship and the sense of adventure (see above).

What I like the least is probably the whole Milady story arc. As much as I love those books, I have to admit that, as a product of its time, the story lacks truly compelling female characters. Yes, there are a couple of female characters (including the Queen, who feels actually more important than the King), and of course Milady. And yes, Milady is an interesting and complex character but she's also, despite being originally the actual victim, shown as a very dangerous woman. One we must not feel too much sympathy for (and well, she did some pretty nasty things to our heroes, so I didn't feel too much sympathy for her...). And I've never really like the Femme Fatale archetype, which really is a male fantasy.

So on the one hand, she's not a character that I liked, but on the other hand, boys, what the hell?! You don't take justice into your own hands like that!! That's just... wrong! And Athos, my friend, really?! For a tattoo?! And you're supposed to be the wise one. So, yeah that whole *hand wave* thing at the end of The Three Musketeers, not their finest hour. (I'm actually quite curious how they're gonna solve that in the movie...)

The character/story arc I find the most compelling

My favorite character is d'Artagnan. He's the youngest one (18 already seemed super old to 12-13 years old me), and when we meet him, he's full of innocence and hope, something I could relate to. I love that he is so full of energy and ideas. Daring and adventurous. Very positive, though he becomes more philosophical and sarcastical as he grows older (I'm including Twenty Years Later and The Vicomte of Bragelonne). But always, all his life, he remains attached to his original three friends. He is the definition of loyalty.

And a story arc that I love is actually something that happens in Twenty Years Later. It's more of a scene than the whole arc, but it's one of my favorite. D'Artagnan and Porthos are in England for like, capturing Charles I, who was on the run or something. On the road at night, they encounter some enemies and start fighting, though it's too dark to see who they are. And d'Artagnan gets annoyed cause his opponent is parying all his attacks and he let go an exasperated "Mordious!" and his opponent freezes and they recognize each other - the enemies were Athos and Aramis, who were helping the King - and they just fall into each other's arms. Like, the circumstances that brought us here don't matter, we'll figure things out, but man it's so good to see you. Let's go clean out an inn, and we'll talk.

(I really wish they'd adapt Twenty Years Later for once)

A scene/moment that makes me really emotional every single time

Of all the very emotional scenes from The Vicomte of Bragelonne is probably Porthos' death. I won't give too many details as to not spoil the how and when but damn, I actually remember a lump in my throat as I was reading that chapter. It really felt like I had lost something. Or someone. The book goes all the way to the end of their lives, so, like, they all die, but Porthos', for some reason, is the one that hit the hardest.

Wow that got long! Thank you so much for the ask, my friend :)

[graceshouldwrite]

How to Edit Your Novel (Pt. 1)

If you haven't finished writing your first draft yet, feel free to save this for future use :) If you HAVE finished first drafting (BIG CONGRATS! That's a massive accomplishment, and I hope you're super proud of yourself ❤️ ), I really hope this helps you!

There's a lot to get into regarding editing, so this post will focus on more macro edits while part 2 will focus on micro edits.

Reread

In my opinion, one of the MOST IMPORTANT parts of editing is rereading your own book.

I highly recommend printing out your book into a physical copy. Generally, you can print out hundreds of pages at the copy or stationery shop (e.g. Staples), and then put them in a 3-ring binder.

For presets, I highly recommend at least 12 pt. font and DOUBLE-SPACED!!! This is so you can annotate easily DIRECTLY between lines on the paper while you're rereading. For me, I annotate with a red pen. The biggest things to focus on for a first reread are:

Plot + subplots! Example questions:

What things don't make sense?

What things don't you like?

(Spec fiction specific, mostly) Any worldbuilding issues, like no introduction to the cool fantasy gadgets, lore not matching up, or no logistical possibilities (e.g. how do gladiators in your book use modern flush toilets when the world is based on Ancient Rome?)?

Is anything too confusing?

Unnecessary scenes?

Issues with important plot beats (e.g. inciting incident too late, climax too early, etc. depending on how you want your story to flow)?

Characters! Example questions:

Is the development clear?

Are their personalities, motivations, and backstories fleshed out?

Do they have distinct voices that can be relatively easily distinguished in dialogue?

Are their names/appearances/personalities too similar, causing confusion?

Do you have too many or too few characters?

Are the character/group dynamics organic, significant to the plot, and enjoyable to read?

Other things to get picky with include:

tone, mood, voices, general atmosphere

prose issues like dialogue, description, etc.

plot discontinuities (e.g. John has blue eyes in Chapter 4, but in Chapter 6, he has green eyes)

grammar

Go in with your red pen and do whatever you want, as long as you can clearly read what you scribble. Let yourself go wild with *circle* "GRAMMAR ERROR!" or *underline* "STRANGE CHARACTER INTERACTION" or *large bracket spanning paragraph* "BAD SCENE!" Don't worry about making it look "aesthetic," just go for it in whichever way is most efficient for you.

However, for your first reread, or just an earlier one, focusing on the big picture things should be your first priority! Imagine tweaking the prose in one chapter for it to read like the love child of Victor Hugo and Charles Dickens, but then you realize the chapter doesn't serve the plot at all and needs to be cut...

Revision

After rereading, it's time to revise. Revision is the BIG PICTURE, GENERAL edit! Remember those issues that you found? Now, you're actively brainstorming how to fix them. This is not the REWRITING stage yet—that comes after!

Refer back to the list of questions above, and find solutions. I like to do this in a systematic method where I make a table (in this case, using Notion):

You can make this in any spreadsheet software, or even just create columns in a doc or on paper. I sort it by the ISSUE, SOLUTION IDEAS, TYPE OF ISSUE (e.g. character development, worldbuilding), and STATUS (done?).

Of course, doing this in a linear fashion is also fine, where you directly go down the chronological plot order. However, I would suggest separately brainstorming for each issue before you begin this step.

For example:

ISSUE: Heist is too easy and underwhelming

IDEAS:

Increased number of trained security personnel + improved tech (e.g. city hired guards who were former thieves themselves, security cameras, classic laser beams protruding from walls, a door with more locks and a very hard constitution)

In the thief group, more tension between each other -> harder for them to all cooperate and coordinate, leading to some things going wrong

Decreased competence of certain thieves, or just careless mistakes (e.g. tripping, coughing because of dust and attracting attention, not scaling a wall properly, etc.)

After you comb through all the issues like this (or however much effort each issue warrants), you'll find yourself at the REWRITING step! We'll cover that next time :)

∘₊✧────── ☾☼☽ ──────✧₊∘

instagram: @ grace_should_write

I used to dread revising, especially after I'd finished the first draft of my first novel, but now, I quite like the process :) Yesterday, I just finished re-plotting an improved version of my story after LOTS of revising through 4 drafts! I can 100% say that no matter how difficult it is, a thorough revision is totally worth it!!!

OH! Also, goes without saying, but that spreadsheet revision example is NOT a real project hahaha

Hope this was helpful, and let me know if you have any questions by commenting, re-blogging, or DMing me on IG. Any and all engagement is appreciated :)

Happy writing, and have a great day!

- grace <3

[pumpkinnning]

Solarpunk??? Bad dog?? Also red??? Ik it’s greedy to ask all three but???

~rolling-restart

Hiii 😁 no not at all !

I answered solarpunk here.

Rest under the cut because very long

Red was a working title for the first sebchal fic i ever thought of. I took out a lot of the worldbuilding ideas for other fics so I will probably not write this one but who knows. This AU takes place in a dark fantasy post apocalyptic dystopia, in a city surrounded by malignant darkness full of monsters that is constantly trying to devour the city. The city is defended by ten magic houses that are each devoted to a minor god/spirit ; each house is headed by two Riders that work together to harness the power of their god so that they can go out and battle and push back the darkness, sometimes gaining new ground and sometimes losing it. It is said that one day one of the Riders will achieve Apotheosis by melding with their god entirely and manage to vanquish the darkness forever, freeing humanity from its curse. We follow Charles as he becomes Seb's partner and learns to be a Rider - worshipped like a demi-god by the population, but also the heavy cost of failure and learning that this power comes with heavy chains. This is a dark world full of manipulation and intrigue so their relationship starts out as very toxic but somehow they end up finding real tenderness and decency in each other. And then of course stuff goes down ! Ahhh this was fun honestly. I wish i could write three times as fast I have so !!!!! Many ! Ideas !!!

Bad dog was my attempt to write a straight up horror dead dove fic, but after putting the plot down and a few scenes I was like. This would be really interesting psychologically but i don't know if I have the stomach for it. In this one Seb works for the mob and his boss asks him to figure out who has been brutally murdering a lot of his collaborators and assets. Turns out that it's Charles, the ward of the old boss himself - known for being a dissolute party animal and a general mess, but this is probably a facade. Seb figures he's a genius with something seriously wrong with him but feels somewhat responsible because after all, they created this monster. Instead of killing him as he is ordered to, he convinces his bosses he can "rehabilitate" him and channel these violent tendencies so they can use them.

So he takes Charles to an isolated compound so he can break him down and mold him into something better but instead it's Charles that ends up getting in his head and convinces Seb to set him free so they can take down the rest of the mob together, especially as Charles shares his reasons for wanting to do so.

I think the cat and mouse psychological aspect would be fascinating ; I do love the "villains in love" thing where they're both horrible people but they get each other and descend into this shared madness, the Hannibal/Killing Eve vibes etc but honestly this would have gone into extremely dark territory and idk that i want to stay in that headspace for too long.

[arrthurpendragon]

Hiya!! Let's give some positivity!

OC creators that helped me through 2023

You, @shrinkthisviolet, @lady-of-the-spirit, @dream-beyond-the-fantasy and @daughter-of-melpomene have all helped throughout this year - most of you I only found out about through the OC Creator Bingo, which was a fabulous creation that not only connected me to other OC creators but gave me the confidence to create OC masterlists and to be more comfortable in talking about my OCs, to create moodboards and web weaves which really do work in helping the ideas flow, and I love seeing everyone's OCs and how much work goes into them, and it cheers me up whenever I'm tagged in an event or an OC post.

OC fics of others that helped make 2023 a little better

i still love you (i promise) by @shrinkthisviolet - broke my heart many times but there's many good moments too and the revelation is worth it.

just close your eyes, soon we'll be home by @lady-of-the-spirit - I love Ioana/Joan and her interactions with The Old Guard so much! They're family!

Never Knew by InvisibleObserver13 - always love a good long-lost child fic, and this is such an interesting take on the trope and the kid OCs are all well written and the family tension is believable, even though I do hope it gets resolved

The Prayer by @arrthurpendragon - I'm a little behind on this but I've read the first seven chapters and I already love it and Nerissa and Merlin's dynamic (always love well-written siblings), and the tags are funny because we know what Nerissa and Arthur are going to become, so the slow burn is going to be good

Little Bit by sabershadowkat - a Buffyverse fic with an OC who is Angel's half-human daughter and one I recently rediscovered. I love the character of Kathleen so much and it remains one of my favourite stories in the fandom

OCs of others that made 2023 not so crummy

Morgan Wells (shrinkthisviolet) - a beautifully well-rounded young girl who deserves the absolute world (and whose not-father I am going to personally yeet into the sun).

Lucy Kenobi (shrinkthisviolet) - the Skywalker triplet who seamlessly fits into the Star Wars 'verse, and whose dynamics with Luke and Leia and Obi-Wan are always a compelling read, and I look forward to seeing her become a Jedi.

Molly Yates (dreambeyondthefantasy) - a great Whoniverse OC who fits in well with the Sarah Jane team, and I love reading about her and I'm definitely going to catch up on the fics soon.

Cheryl Johnston (daughter-of-melphomene) - the first and so far only Bill & Ted OC I've seen but I already love her so much, and I love finding out more about her when I send asks and I really look forward to seeing more of her in the future.

Ioana/Joan (lady-of-the-spirit) - I was delighted to find out I wasn't the only person with an Old Guard OC and I love this woman, though I desperately want to give her a hug because of her backstory, because of the fact that she met most of the Immortals after her first death and Booker at one point, so she doesn't dream about any of them and spends centuries thinking she's the only one. And that's just tragic.

Marianne (lady-of-the-spirit) - I've only read five chapters of the fic but I already love this mutant because of how protective she is of the younger cast and how unwilling she is to put up with Charles's bullshit. She's also a great mother and her son is amazing and I love him too.

Project some love into 2024 for another OC creator or fic

I love them all, of course, but I am definitely looking forward to seeing more of Molly Yates!! And Cheryl Johnston too - she's going to be a good fit in the Bill & Ted verse, I just know it!!

Send some love to yourself on which of your fics & OCs you'd like to project some positivity for into 2024

I want to give some to love, you're not alone (cause i'm gonna stand by you) and my OCs Steph Taylor and Alyssa Clayton. I haven't updated the story for a while but I'm really hoping to work on it in 2024 because I've have a really good story that I want to tell (and I'm very interested to see what other canon characters, OCs, and plot points will show up).

OC posts of your own you're particularly proud of from 2023.

I've made so many this year, but I do love the Main OC and Side OC masterlists - I love updating them and they're a great way to keep track of things, though I also love the character introductions I've done even for OCs I've had for years. There's something nice about giving a small summary of the OC and their story.

.

[phantom-of-the-ruckus]

The Handee Nutcracker: The Snow King

Ah yes, the epic Return of Charles in this AU. I do still remember and do think of him, but I haven't thought how could I implement him XD

This one was a bit hard to make as I haven't drawn or redesign the poor bro in two years T.T

(I do consider him a himbo tbh)

A bit of a fun fact, Charles (or Charlie) actually featured in my Hello Sisterhood fanfic as Riley's future crush that later will become her best friend (as the two better worked as friends) So I am keeping the friend aspect of their relationship in the Nutcracker AU

As I mentioned in the Queen Angel thread, he is happily married to Angel herself. He rules over the land of snow (or the Frostbite kingdom.) He is quite jolly and has the energy of a golden retriever. He often helps Angel take care of her plants and love designing patters for ice

His design was a bit hard as I wanted to keep the elegant and royalty look the others have, but also avoid the whole Genderbend Elsa or Jack Frost, so I tried to give him a more relaxed type of outfit and a cool cape inspired by winter, with some ice-looking jewels

I think Charlie would be like the fun Uncle to Scout and the friend who adores helping people as he is very connected to many citizens of the Fantasy world, and was generous to give Riley a sled and a magical coat to her Rosco after taking care of him while he got lost

He also has a library that looks...frozen in time (bad pun and joke, i know), so this is like the sorta thing Riley could use to learn more about the fantasy world and find some clues about the roots of the darkness affecting the kingdom

He also has a magical staff that helps him unleash his winter-like powers, which he often uses to make snowmen or snowflakes for the kiddos as he is fond of kids and likes to make people smile. He is greatly afraid of Mortimer, but is nice enough and does invite him to balls. Mortimer refuses due to his paranoia and knowing his presence won't be too welcoming for the people, which does make Charlie a tad sad as he doesn't like people feeling left out. So, he was one of the people who came right away and support Riley in her idea to integrate Mortimer

Most likely, what inspired Owen to create him was some fond memory of Amy trying to catch snowflakes and a bit of her extroverted and sweet personality. I do think he placed something of her in the fantasy he created, as it was meant to be a coping mechanism after her death

[more-than-a-princess]

@quickdeaths asked: [ cherry ] what is one thing you love about yourself? + [ canary ] do you have pets? if yes, how many and what? + [ olive ] what gives you the most inspiration for your muse(s)? + [ mauve ] give one random headcanon about your muse / one of your muses.

Colourful Interview (Munday meme) - Accepting!

[ cherry ] what is one thing you love about yourself?

These questions are never my favorite because it's awkward to brag about anything in my family unless it is professional/career success, but in contrast to a lot of my extended family, I'm very determined to succeed that way but on my own terms. A lot of my family rests on their laurels, so to speak, and feels they don't really have to work hard to be well-off and successful. But I've worked my way from the ground up at my job and while I'm not satisfied with where I'm at right now (and can do much better), I can still say I did it myself.

This is in contrast to extended family members being terribly puzzled why I simply can't 'summer in Tuscany' this year, or spend all of fall exploring wineries throughout France. No, I have a full-time job with health insurance, a 401k, and limited days off but I've earned them with my own hard work. And I'm proud of that (and used zero parental connections to get hired in the first place).

And in a slightly vain love: my fashion sense is on point and my friends know that if they want my opinion, I will not sugarcoat it for them. It's not easy to dress a plus-sized body with decent fabrics, cuts meant for my size, and not have it look like a fast fashion disaster or something a retiree might wear.

[ olive ] what gives you the most inspiration for your muse(s)?

Probably the best answer is what doesn't give me inspiration for my muses? Ha. And it's mostly things like fantasy literature/TV/movies (Game of Thrones would be the obvious example, but other things similar to that), video games, and most anime/manga interpretations of royalty. While they're fun to read, they don't really help cultivate the vibe I've always wanted to write for Sonia and her family, which has always been rooted in historical fiction, biographies, documentaries, contemporary fiction of royalty and upper classes in general, and news/current events. Not that there's anything wrong with the fantasy royal route: it's just not my thing.

But otherwise here's a few things:

Books: From classics written by Jane Austen, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Edith Wharton to more contemporary offerings from Dominick Dunne, Julian Fellowes, Tom Wolfe, and Kevin Kwan...I read. A lot. And beyond romance novels of all sorts, rich and/or royal problems are my particular literary interest. Ironically, the reading list that the character Corinna provides Kitty Pong Mrs. Bernard Tai in China Rich Girlfriend as part of her 'Appeal to old Hong Kong money crash course' is a good start. (Mild spoiler for book series that's been out for years, but still)

TV/Movies: Split between historical dramas (of comedic and less-comedic varieties), documentaries, and contemporary dramas most of the time. Considering how both quiet luxury and mocking the super rich are both trending right now (ahead of the likely recession), it's hard not to watch things like The Menu, The White Lotus, and Succession for some inspiration. Otherwise, everything from Downton Abbey, Bridgerton, The Gilded Age, and The Great to The Royals, Gossip Girl, Elite, and The Crown is up for fair game. I watch some Asian dramas too, but often more contemporary than historical for inspo. And plenty of royal documentaries (and I'll probably be watching King Charles III's coronation live, too).

Publications: Tatler (and I've mentioned it IC, too!), Town and Country, and Vanity Fair especially. But I look over gossip magazines as well for scandal inspiration.

Royal websites and social media: Yup. These too, for a variety of royals. Great for checking out social diaries, charity ideas, etc. For the fan questions Sonia and her family are asked? I follow royal confession and shitpost accounts for inspo. I had no idea there were so many people who diligently tracked when and where pieces of various crown jewel collections are worn, but they exist.

Real life: And finally, some of my ideas/plots/headcanons come from people and situations I know and/or experience personally.

[ mauve ] give one random headcanon about your muse / one of your muses.

Going to piggyback off the last question for this, but one of my headcanons for Sonia's younger cousin Sam (Prince Samuel of Novoselic. His father, Prince Arthur, is the King's younger brother. And a duke in his own right, alongside being a giant headache for a lot of people, Sam included) is that he learned how to fly a plane before he learned how to drive a car. This was an acceptable hobby growing up for him, as it would allow him to serve in the national air force for mandatory service required of all Novosonian royal men. But mostly, he wanted to learn because he could blissfully block out all of the family stress and squabbles thousands of kilometers in the air.

In the clouds, no one cares about the royal line of succession, net worth, who's who in the peerage, who went to which school and knows which person, who runs which charity, etc.

It's just him (and an instructor, and a bodyguard), the controls, and the sky.

This headcanon and the reasoning for it are based off of someone I know very well, and while they don't know I included this in one of my OCs for Sonia's family (hell, they don't even know I RP), I'm happy to honor them in this way.

Maybe after I eventually write the whole "Royal Residences" headcanon post I should work on a Sonia's family tree headcanon post

[ canary ] do you have pets? if yes, how many and what?

Ah yes, time to pay the pet tax!

Yes, I have one cat of my own. This is Molly, aka. Princess Molly, the true ruler of the house and my life.

She is a formerly feral buff tabby tuxedo girl, thus the notched ear. A rescue organization saved her from a cat colony when she was six months old, holding her own against a bunch of adult cats. I knew she was the cat for me at adoption day when she tucked herself into my arms and hissed at kittens and human children alike.

I like kittens, but I've got no interest in having human children of my own, so we really are kindred spirits.

Molly enjoys: sunny spots, windows, seafood feast, chicken feast (but only if the chunks are mushed up by me or my husband with a fork before presenting it to her. She doesn't like the pureed version: only the chunks but further pureed by hand), quiet, solitude, sitting on my belly while I read, watching the electric kettle come to a boil, my leather shoes and handbags (the higher the quality, the better to rub her face on), heated blankets, watching British dramas, grooming herself and her parents, sleep, ordering her mother and father around.

Molly dislikes: noise, anyone besides her mother and father entering the house, when her mother and/or father leave the house (they may not be coming back!), closing the bathroom door so she can't supervise shower and/or toilet time, stompy feet, salmon, turkey, coughing, sneezing, other cats, dogs, children of all sorts, people, cleaning her perch mats, when her catnip toys lose their flavor, and Amazon Alexa.

[haroldgross]

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The Power & Citadel (Two Amazon Misses-ish)

[3 stars]

Sometimes ideas are better than their shows. Amazon recently added two to its arsenal that were just good enough to watch, but more than a little flawed in their delivery. In the case of The Power, the story and implications overrode the flaws by a narrow margin. In the case of Citadel… not as much.

The Power

While the better of these two shows by far, this is not a subtle show on any level. It’s an in-your-face physical metaphor for female empowerment, and often the lack of it. It borders on revenge fantasy, but given the state of the world I can’t really blame Naomi Alderman (Disobedience) for this self-adaptation of her book. It’s a wide-eyed reminder of reality viewed on a global scale. 

The problem with the lack of subtlety is that it often slips into arch presentation which diminishes the point and credibility. While that may work in a book, it is less effective on screen (large or small). The show may continue on in another season to be something more like a reverse mirror of Handmaid’s Tale. However, at the moment, even with a solid cast, it’s simply teeth-grindingly written at times. Not just in the dialogue, but also the forced character choices.

I didn’t know the book going in. And though the blurb was intriguing, it was the cast that initially got my attention. Toni Collette (Nightmare Alley) top lines this ensemble. The other main points of contact are Toheeb Jimoh (Ted Lasso), Ria Zmitrowicz (Teen Spirit), Zrinka Cvitesic,  and new-comer and tightly controlled Halle Bush. Each very different facets of the world and issues for women.

On the male side, Eddie Marsan (Vesper), John Leguizamo (Violent Night), and Josh Charles (Away) each bring different aspects of toxic masculinity, even while some are also “supportive.” Again, none of this is subtle, but also little is unfair or untrue at the core.

But that is, again, part of the problem. If you’re going to bring a problem to the screen that you want people to learn from or feel empowered by, you have to give them something more than what they already know to rally around. In The Power it is literally the “power” made manifest. But it’s just too obvious for a series…at least as stretched out over so many long episodes that turn out only to be prelude to the more interesting tale to come. I’d definitely come back to see if the story can be nurtured into something more, but this initial season had a little too little progression, despite its scope.

Citadel

The Citadel, on the other hand, tries way too hard to be clever and ends up being ridiculous. It’s purpose as a show, we find out at the end, is really to set up an anthology of series, each from different operatives in some way. I can’t say I’m all that intrigued as the writing was painful, even if found all the Brits and Aussies and Kiwis doing solid American accents entertaining.

I will say, though they weren’t well used, they did land a great cast for the inaugural story. From Stanley Tucci (Jolt), Richard Madden (1917), Priyanka Chopra Jonas (Baywatch), and Lesley Manville (Magpie Murders) in the main driving roles to Miss Fisher alumn Ashleigh Cummings in a solid supporting role, no one wasn’t working hard. But the script and direction did none of them any favors.

The story itself is a clever idea, and the writers try to cover over the silly aspects of it as best they can. But it swings wildly between action and absurd with very smart people making very stupid choices. And the world itself is rife with contradictions of facts that are presented to us at different times. I will grant the show that it often didn’t take the easy route for solutions at least.

Basically, watch for the action and, should it attract you, the romance. Don’t expect brilliance, at least in this opening entry to the anthology. Whether they can save this or offer something better, only time will tell.

Where to watch  

[druidx]

Liebster Award

Wow, I don’t think I’ve ever gotten any kind of aware for my writing, so thank you @adelinemwriting :D

These are the questions that were posed:

1. The best advice you'd have to offer for any writer? 

Bum in seat, words on page; fix it later. Honestly, the act of getting any words down is challenging enough, but too many of us fixate on them being perfect from the get-go (myself included!). So the best advice I can give is putting in the hours to get the words on the page to start with, then edit later.

2. Favorite songs, artists, genre, etc to listen to when writing?

My go-to's are soundtracks and movie scores, but I listen to a mix of genres depending on the mood I’m creating in the story at that time. I do like fast music as well; it makes me type faster! 

3. How many WIPs do you have?

About 84 right now (they vary from one-shots to novels - I’m not writing 84 novels!).

4. Are you emotionally attached to your characters?

Oh, gods, yes. Some I love more than others, but they’re all my babies, even the mean ones.

5. Have you ever entered a piece of your writing in a contest? 

Nope. Never had the courage, or I’ve seen the call for works too late to write anything new or fix something that might be close to the prompt.

6. Favorite book(s)? 

Ah... Let’s see

The Shining Princess, a book of Japanese legends I’ve had since I was very small still carries a special place in my heart.

The Sixteen Trees of the Somme by Lars Mytting is such a perfectly wrought tragedy.

The Baby Bestiary, a TTRPG book, because it was the first book I was published in.

A Spy by Nature by Charles Cumming is what got me really interested in Espionage as a genre

7. What is your typical target reader (age, etc)? 

Adult people who like fantasy (I don’t think too hard about it TBH)

8. Favorite trope of all time, no matter how cheesy? 

Coffee Shop AU. I love the idea of two people finding themselves across universes like this, in situations were these two types of people wouldn’t otherwise meet unless their lives crossed in some unique happenstance.

9. Who in your WIP would tuck you in at night and kiss your forehead? 

I’m currently focusing on The Ruby Falls, so that would be Baurus I think.

10. Who is the nerd, the muscle, the hero in your story? 

Again for The Ruby Falls, that would be Martin, Baurus, and Aderyn, respectively.