#below tags sound so awful out of context

[sarandipitywrites]

dead darlings tag

@darkangel319 tagged me here - thank you! go read her cut here and join me in my urge to punch a king in the face

Rules: Share a part of your writing you love that got cut for the greater good. It doesn't matter if it's a line or a paragraph. It doesn't matter if you might work it back in. If it's not currently in a WIP and you want to share, please do.

so i'm having a great time editing DRDW, but not gonna lie, i miss my boys. so i'm sharing an early, early think piece on Lienzo and Baz's relationship in The Art of Empty Space. i'd still really like it to exist in the next draft in some form but, sadly, i think we're just not going in a direction where this will work as-is. so here's a whole-ass scene that's as good as cut!

some context: Baz has gone through some character changes since i wrote this - he was still fully nonspeaking at this point (in this scene he communicates with a chalk and handheld writing slate as well as sign language) whereas in the other, more recent snippets i've posted here, he only loses speech when stressed. he also was a lot more into bugs in this version, whereas now he's more into plants and magic (he still loves plants in this snippet though).

i'll stash the excerpt under the cut because long, and also because of light and fluffy human/monster romance

tags first: @notwritinganyflufftoday, @macabremoons, @oh-no-another-idea, @reliul, @winglesswriter, and anyone else who wants to share a piece of writing from the cutting room floor :)

“Hey, Baz? Teach me something.” Cicadas droned from the nearby trees and the ocean grumbled against the cliffs below. The air was thick with salt and nectar. Though Baz had yet to pour the wine they’d brought with them, Enzo’s head was already buzzing. Baz paused, mouth of the wine bottle hovering over the glass. He’d insisted on bringing this particular wine for their impromptu picnic — he’d claimed it to be required for the cheese and bread they’d brought from the palace. Enzo suspected he just wanted an excuse to drink in the sun like the overgrown iguana that he was. Setting the glass and bottle down on the thin blanket, Baz hummed and grabbed his slate. “Cicadas can lay dormant for years, waiting for favorable hatching conditions.” Enzo squinted into the trees, trying to spot one of the ugly devils. “You think these guys were around before the curse?” If he could speak their monstrous language, would they reveal the spell’s secrets? “The eggs they hatched from certainly were. The cicadas that laid them are long dead. Adult cicadas only live a few weeks.” “So, what, they wait for years for a good time to hatch, then when the planets align, they emerge, fuck, and die?” Baz snorted, the chalk in his hand snapping in two. He began to reach for a new piece before abandoning the slate in favor of sign. “More or less.” “Sounds awful.” He scooted back on the blanket, shoulder brushing against Baz’s as he resumed filling the wineglasses. Plum and chocolate wafted up from the glass, sending a shiver down Enzo’s spine. Only when the glass was sufficiently full and in Enzo’s hand did Baz respond. “To us, perhaps. But it’s all they know.” “Doesn’t mean you can’t look for something better.” “True. We’re not cicadas, after all.” “Thank the gods for that.” Baz laughed again, a quiet, breathy sound that made Enzo’s chest flutter. He raised his glass in a silent toast. Enzo couldn’t keep the grin from his face. Didn’t bother to try. “To not being cicadas.” The clink of glasses echoed across the terrace.

* * *

Baz had been right about the wine. Smooth and strong and delightfully fruity, it complemented the tangy cheese and sourdough bread perfectly. By the time they’d polished off the bottle, Enzo’s head buzzed with warmth and delicious lethargy. Enzo turned to tease the Rookport Beast for his fancy knowledge of wine pairings, but the words never quite made it out. Beside him, Baz lay supine on the blanket, one muscled arm draped over his face to shield his eyes from the late afternoon’s light. Enzo’s tongue dried and he found himself lamenting that they hadn’t brought a second bottle of wine. For someone who looked to be born of midnight, Baz seemed to be terribly fond of the sun. Each ray threw the shadows at the hollow of his throat into deep contrast and highlighted each ringlet of his crow-black hair and warmed the cool undertones of his dusky skin to summer twilight. The sun, it seemed, was equally fond of him. “…Hey, Baz?” A grunt revealed him to still be awake. “What… uh…” What would convince him to uncover his face? He cast around and plucked a small blue flower hiding in the shade of a memorial stone. “What kind of flower is this?” Baz was up in an instant, propped up on one hand as he blinked the sunlight from his eyes. For one glorious moment, however, as his eyes fought to adjust after his self-imposed darkness, his pupils shrank to pinpricks in rings of crepuscular copper. He blinked at the flower in Enzo’s hand. “That’s a columbine. It’s a wildflower — pollinators like them, especially hummingbirds”

Hummingbirds were pollinators? Gods, Baz was smart — Enzo still couldn’t get over how smart he was, couldn't understand why he let Enzo hang around him, even when they weren’t working on the curse. If he were Baz, he’d want to spend his free time casting spells and breeding mutant plants and swordfighting, not laying around with a drunk, stupid— “Hey.” Baz’s hand appeared in front of Enzo’s eyes, claws clicking together as he snapped his fingers. “Don’t talk like that. I like spending time with you.” Enzo’s face and ears heated. Thinking out loud. Worse on wine, apparently. “And I’m not any smarter than you.” Baz looked away, his cheekbones stained a deep maroon. “I just remember things. You understand them. You solve problems and people and you know what to say and you can say it, and—” The knot at his throat bobbed. “I think you’re a genius.” Enzo clamped down on his tongue before it could say, ‘Then why do you make me speechless?’ Because he wasn’t that sappy. Not even on wine. “Tell me more?” he asked instead. “About columbines. They’re just… naturally blue like that? Looks like someone pinned two flowers together, one inside the other.” Baz hesitated only a moment before he looked at Enzo again. He really couldn’t resist talking about plants, the big dork. “They… can be a lot of colors.” He took the tiny flower from Enzo’s hand and twirled it between his fingers. Though his talons grazed the flower’s petals, they didn’t tear. “In some parts of the world, they’re thought to symbolize the meeting of two souls — the inner and outer petals. They remind us to have faith in those we love.” Warm skin shifted under his. “…Enzo?” Enzo pulled away, cheek burning like he’d laid it against a stove. “Shit, sorry! Sorry, that was— I didn’t—” “Wait.” Baz chewed his bottom lip, sharp teeth sinking into plump flesh without breaking skin. Drawing Enzo’s eyes inexorably, when he needed to be focused on Baz’s hands— “Come back? Please?” He did. Slowly, carefully. Reminding himself that Baz’s desire — tolerance — for contact was just that. He’d been alone for seven years, maybe longer. He needed human contact, but not the way Enzo needed it. Baz needed it the way all people did, at some point or another, not Enzo’s sick, needy, pathetic— “Enzo?” The sign pressed against his chest, through his shirt, through his skin. Baz’s eyes were right in front of him, pupils blown wide until they nearly eclipsed his irises. Molten copper coronas in the darkness.

He swallowed. How had he gotten there? Had he straddled Baz’s hips of his own accord, or— “Teach me something?” There wasn’t much someone like Enzo could teach someone like Baz. He opened his mouth to say as much, but somehow ended up saying nothing at all. Lips pressed on sunwarmed lips. Chaste. Chapped skin dragging against his. Then again, harder and faster, lips parted, brushing against teeth. Enzo nipped at Baz’s lower lip, eliciting a growl as a big hand combed through his hair, loosening it from its tie. Claws grazed over his scalp, raising the tiny hairs at the nape of his neck. Enzo’s breath came harder and faster. “Your turn,” he breathed. Feeling Baz stiffen beneath him, he kissed him hard. “You won’t hurt me. Tougher than I look, remember?” Slowly, gently Baz returned to Enzo’s mouth, lips sliding against his. He drew Enzo’s bottom lip into his mouth and nibbled at it, tongue swiping across the worried flesh just as quickly. It felt like an apology, a hymnal, and a teasing test all in one. Chills raced across Enzo’s skin, down his spine, straight to the pit of his stomach. He moaned into Baz’s mouth and buried a hand in his hair, springy-soft coils scrunching in his grip. He ran his tongue along the rim of Baz’s lips and, when they parted, plunged in. Sharp teeth grazed against his tongue as he brushed the slick muscle in a caress that drew a sigh and a moan. Enzo’s heart stuttered and he swallowed the sound. Baz’s voice. He’d never dared to wish for it beyond the hums and grunts that made up his companion’s vocalizations, but now, with it reverberating in his chest and soul, a bassy thrum like a big cat’s purr— He wanted it. Wanted to hear it, feel it, always. For him. Only for him.

[literalliterature]

So, I'm a new follower that is a bit slow on the uptake. Are Keet, Yonder, Aisling, and Onyx in the same story? Are they interconnected? Yonder 🎯 Keet ✨ Aisling 🧊 Cassius 🍀 Onyx 💼

Omg I appreciate your curiosity about my guys!!! You are not slow on the uptake, my oc tagging system is labyrinthine even to me and I'm sure it's incomprehensible as a new follower djsvbksjbg. Anyway, Yonder and Onyx have connected stories/share a universe, and Aisling and Cassius are in their own separate story, but they're otherwise not connected. They are all my D&D player characters (with the exception of Cassius, who is a side character serving Aisling's story)! I included brief descriptions of each below for a little more context, and their relevant tags are included in the tags on this post if you are curious about any of them.

Yonder (kenku/ravenfolk witch, in their 50s*, pathetic tiny little bird guy, skeevy con artist, wants to literally fight god but is 4'8"): 🎯 What do they do best?

Oh man.......probably finding things out, by which I mean both actually locating things that are hidden and getting information/making discoveries. They are an experimenter at heart and once something's piqued their interest (especially if that something could get them some power they didn't have before), they won't stop poking at it and trying to get to the bottom of it, even if it means making themself a test subject.

Keet (selkie ranger, 19-ish*, amnesiac, washed out of military training and really should let it go, cute dumb lost puppy energy): ✨ How did you come up with the OC’s name?

Hehehe I was hoping someone would ask this about Keet specifically. So she did name herself, being that she woke up alone on a beach about 18 months prior to the start of the story without any recollection of her past life. Her name is the sound an osprey makes, because, when she was living in the woods by herself for the first month or so after waking up, ospreys were some of the only living things she could talk to semi-regularly. She named herself after their sound because, in her words, "It's nice to feel like at least something is calling your name."

Aisling (half-elf rogue, 23, very fire-themed, kind of unpleasant person unless you know them well, chronic pain haver): 🧊 Is their current design the first one?

Her current design is pretty close to the original one from several years ago actually! The general body type, big face scar, hair and skin tone, black and red colors, and gold key accents were all there from the start. The blackthorn cane and white blackthorn flowers are added motifs that are more recent though. (The original art is very old please do not ask to see it vkdsbvkjdvbksb)

Cassius (orc healer, 71, extremely sweet old man with nonetheless crippling anxiety and self-esteem issues, 7'5" gentle giant, widower): 🍀 What originally inspired the OC?

Man this is kind of a hard question for me to answer about any of these guys because ultimately a lot of things probably influenced them, but Cassius is like. The comparison that comes to mind is the bishop from the beginning of Les Miserables lmao. He's that kind of fatherly archetype.

Onyx (formerly human druid turned hellbeast, mid-30s when they died, tar pit/fossil-themed, awful awful person, twisted by vengeance etc.): 💼 What do they do for a living?

Uh, well. When they were alive they were a knight/personal bodyguard for their ruler/lover. Then they were framed for her murder and weren't that anymore. Then they sold their soul to a devil who made them a devil as well. And now they torture people in Hell! They love their new job <3

Apologies if that was a lot but thank you again so much for asking

[mysteriouslybluepirate]

Watching Con O'Neill's old stuff cause it's fun. Day #?- Ordinary lies-EPISODE 1

I am going, to be honest. I don't know how to tag this without 'ruining it' look up the warnings on your own? Tell me below in the comments those of you who have seen this how you would tag warnings for this. Just take this meme and go googling.

UPDATED CON RANKINGS DOWN BELOW! Also, for anyone who doesn't know, I finally have a tag for this series! It's easy to find now!

As always thanks to @ivegotnonameidea for the love

Some people I follow who I think have seen this and I'd love their opinions @cliffcostello @gydima @dianetastesmetal @mossiestpiglet(if you haven't seen this, just ignore me. Or go read the warnings and watch it?)

Thoughts below, I'd love to hear yours.

(IS IT BETTER TO KNOW OR NEVER HAVE KNOWN)

SPOILERS FROM HERE ON OUT BABES! ITS A WILD RIDE! For me this is almost as emotional as Joe Meek from Telstar. So....YEAH.

Con being the first name in the credits?

DAD ROCK CON!

AHHH, smiling. A sign of more to come

OHH! Cringe boss/coworker Con! I love it. I've seen a gif of this speech out of context and thought he'd be an ass.

What job is he doing?

JOE! That name has no Con O'Neill associations.

"I don't assemble teams based on the basis of who might fuck eachother" JOE I LOVE YOU

I know that head of hair! Hey Joel Fry!

As someone who worked at a warehouse, they've got the energy down. "I will just, leave them here, for you" Yeah, real.

DONT WALK BACKWARDS IN A WARHOUSE

WHAT THE FUCK!

(As someone who has dropped a boxed up sewing machine on my head from about that height, the boy's going to need help. If he suddenly becomes 'crazy' ill be a bit peeved.)

Also, most pallets for warehouses are stacked bottom heavy. We don't know the freight they ship, but still. The only reason heavy stock was on top is if the whole pallet was heavy. (I get that they had to drop empty boxes on Con for ~Safety~ but they could have edited snappier)

Headache? Do you know what helps? GOING TO THE HOSPITAL WHEN YOU HAVE AFFORDABLE HEALTHCARE!

I'm calling it. The wife is cheating on him. Joe's not allowed to be happy.

AHHH! They won't let him drive! Love it.

I LOVE HIS JACKET!

This over-the-bed shot was necessary, and I love it

Oh, look at him. Community leader.

So he's insecure, has a shaky relationship with his family, and is semi-committed to work? LOVE IT

No Joe, partners don't snoop at their partner's phones.

NO, CHEATING WOULDN'T BE GOOD HERE?!?!

Also, that fucking look Joe gave him. love it.

GOD CAN PEOPLE JUST FUCKING TALK?

If he cheats in retaliation, this will start a circle of cheating and bullshit. Speaking from life, don't put your kids through that.

Actually, this is the most realistic portrayal of warehouse managers. Especially ignoring basic safety rules for a laugh. The only thing they messed up on was doing it in front of the cameras. Managers know better.

BRO

DON'T PUT CAMERAS IN YOUR OWN HOME

I know Joel is a superhero which just makes this scene fun.

As paranoid as I am with my space, I like to think I'd notice.

EXACTLY TECH GUY. Trust is mandatory. Wait, don't threaten physical harm, that's a bit much

He's trying to be fun, but god. OH HIS YODA IS SO FUN

Going to a bar with coworkers sounds awful

I hope my life pushes me to follow the narrative as hard as it's convincing Joe that his wife is cheating on him.

Maybe don't fuck your coworkers?

BRO DOING THE WEIRD STALKER THINGS AFTER WORK?

Joe is going to a meeting, at least he's proactive.

NOT AT WORK? THE FUCK.

GAY? Gay cheating or do they just have long hair?

Yeah, he's having a good day. 10/10

Why is the PA at his desk? What the fuck? Even if he wasn't paranoid, it's still wrong if he's upper management.

(Smoke alarm scene) Oh joy, the cards come crumbling. Also, I don't know when this was published, but they definitely had small enough cameras to fit inside a working smoke alarm.

SHE DOESN'T TRUST HIM TO TALK THIS OUT? At least entertain the thought that your teenager is smoking?

Ohh he's quizzing her to see if she's cheating, bro don't look too suspicious.

BRO IF YOU'RE UNHAPPY ENOUGH TO CHEAT JUST FUCKING TALK ABOUT GETTING A DIVORCE!

I love this adventure outfit.

What did he expect? They don't supply the mountain with 4g

Aww he's in recovery, it'd be a shame if, over the course of this episode, he slipped up :|

'Good Time Joe' :( (also, this is just going to make me sad, huh)

Good for him. But not including his wife/kids is kind of saying a lot.

That looks like a nice sleeping bag!

Oh shit, that's a walk. Good thing you didn't tell anyone where you were going. :\ he's asking to get murdered

Yeah, babe. This is creepy. Please evaluate your actions.

Yeah, this scene is sweet.

BRO DON'T ACT LIKE THIS SUDDEN EVASION OF PRIVACY

Wait, did he accidentally out his kid's relationship? Is that what I'm supposed to gather from this?

WHY IS HE CASUALLY FLICKERING A LIGHTER?

Also, if this is something 'serious' please tell me this wasn't the era when weed was the worst tv would do

I feel like this talk would be easier if you didn't make eye contact

INSTALLING THE CAMERAS GAVE HIM TOO MUCH FUCKING INFO. God, that's funny as fuck.

She needs to stop fucking new employees, it's an HR issue

This whole meet-up scene is nice

IT IS BETTER TO HAVE NEVER FOUND OUT BABE. Life is a mystery and being able to find out is an issue. In fact, you can stop whenever you want. Like, now?

Teenage daughter is drinking, calling it now.

OH SHIT, THE WIFE?

Okay, maybe the two women are just really close friends.

SHE GRABBED HER FACE, THAT'S CODE FOR FUCKING

Also, even I don't know that I'd keep alcohol in the house if Joe is known to drink instead of reaching out for help. Obviously, everyone has different limits, but eh. Feels courteous at least.

Joe is not having a good time. If I need to pause for embarrassment reasons, I'll say.

OH SHIT JOE. THAT'S NOT GOOD.

"It's not porn" If you think your wife is fucking someone, and you caught it on camera, that's porn.

Look, say what you will. But it looks like she cares as his boss/equal.

He's not himself cause he's scared.

"How would you rate that assessment?" "6/10" BRO

Just tell her. About the cheating at least.

See, Joe is just coming to this realization. This is the healthiest mindset to respect people's boundaries.

No, you don't have a right to know everything. AHHH HE LOOKED AT THE CAMERA OMG THAT WAS SO GOOD.

YES! IT'S A NEW ADDICTION GOD THAT'S SO SMART! AHHHHH

Good! Look at him apologizing. An Adult.

Also, their business is heavily dependent on people's excess income. As hard as he can try, he's fucked living with the economy as his ruler. Sad honestly.

I haven't mentioned that he's spying in the bathroom now instead of the desk, but god is that unhygienic.

You know what, I have some hope for him.

IS THAT A GUY? Threesome? Foursome? Wait, what pamphlet? Are they close to scoping him out?

ITS DANGEROUS BULLSHIT TIME

It's probably just her coworkers, right? This is all an innocent mistake?

OH HE'S TAILING THEM! That is so BALLSEY!

How the fuck is he going to explain himself if they catch him?

OH SHE CATCHES PREDATORS! OH MY GOD!

ICON

FUCKING HERO

HELL YEAH!!!!!!!!!!! OH GOD

What? What am I missing? Oh SHIT.

OH SHIT.

GOD HE'S A GOOD FUCKING DAD. LOOK HE'S SO FUCKING GOOD GOD!

AHHHHHHHH

Look as shitty as it is, he has a point.

Violence won't do shit, and neither will entrapment.

OH FUCK

OH SHIT

OH MY GOD

NOOOOOOO

GOD FUCKING DAMN IT

WHAT???!?!?1?!?!??!?!?!?!?!

GOD AT LEAST HE HAS PROOF!?!?!?!?!? JESUS FUCKING CHRIST

Jesus. Just get a divorce.

OH SHE DID ACTUALLY CHEAT

HE DIDN'T EVEN GET PROOF! DID SHE ACCIDENTLY LET SOMETHING SLIP?

Okay, Jesus, get a divorce.

FUCK.

No, let her do this, hit him.

How the fuck does he not know what statutory rape is in this instance? This is a really fucking good episode but Jesus Christ, that fucking neggs me.

ME FUCKING TOO JOE. WAIT THATS BOOZE. NO

NO

FUUUUUCCKKK

At least he immediately went to go see someone in his support system (his daughter) after relapsing.

___________________________________________________________

CON: FUCKING 10/10. I don't even know where to begin. I am so fucking happy I wasn't spoiled for shit besides his opening speech and seeing gifs of his chest. He plays Joe as a raw, damaged individual who just wants to protect himself and his family. I have entire fucking essays I want to write on his performance.

What Joe needs is a support group. I know he's in other episodes, and the entire point of this show is that people live Ordinary Lives, but just knowing how bad he's struggling, it seems cruel to me. Real in a way I want media to clean up nicely with a bow. He's reaching a new low in his life, and fuck! If yall tell me other episodes have more prominent Joe scenes, I will absolutely watch it.

Yes, I've seen "Let me buy you a drink! Tier Five Friday, whoo whoo?" and a few other clips of Joe and Joel Fry's character. AND ITS SAD, regardless of how funny it is. I'm so fucking weak for this depressed man.

It just hurts cause I know he can work to be happier.

If he thinks she's willing to cheat, he doesn't trust their relationship to hold.

But with how he feels like he's failed them as a protector, losing them could fucking break them more. As I mentioned sports supplies are an excess funds type product. Imagine if all of this shit was going on, AND a recession hits, and his position at work was threatened? I was laid off from my warehouse job THREE MONTHS before peak just because profits were low. Joe having a record of assaulting staff and unsafe workmanship on the floor could be enough to lose his job if things get tight.

I want to give this man a fucking happy ending, a partner who he can trust and have these discussions with, and a better fucking support system.

I know my 'as I watch' summary seems disjointed but my original one without editing was too long for Tumblr. It included me just fucking hitting my keyboard. LOTS OF FUCCKKKKKS. Etc, you get my point. I want to rewatch this to see all the nuances with full context, and also never think about this again cause I will explode it's so fucking good.

For Joe's final thoughts, who's better to give final words than Con himself?

"I feel for him. I wouldn't do what he does – but I understand why he does it."

Characters besides Con: 9/10. A few small things bugged me. But eh. They are people as Joe sees them. I'm sure if I watched other episodes these people would be more fleshed out.

Story 9/10: I love that this was a mystery drama in the truest sense of the word. We were meant to solve things along with Joe until the rug was pulled from under us. WE WERE THE OBSERVING EYES BUT WE WEREN'T ALL-KNOWING. The audience wasn't God. We went from thinking he was weird to even considering this, but Jesus. He caught his son doing one of the fucking worst things he could have possibly done.

Again, I know fuck ups exist in every goddamn family. But the son is old enough to have been aware of what happened to his sister when it happened. The son knew exactly what happened to his sister and still did what he did. Again, it's real, but it just feels like so much shit stacked on top of Joe's shoulders at the last fucking second to make him break. I feel for the Mom and Daughter but they were kind of side stories here we barely got to see.

Everything unravels from the audience at first thinking Joe is weird, to OH MY GOD?!??!?! Is a delight. If a mystery is served to us like this, I will eat it the fuck up.

Overall: 10/10. I fucking love this hour of television. We got so many scenes of Joe just slightly breaking down as everyone around him wouldn't just be honest with him. He had to break down in the last ten minutes, and we the audience had no clue just how shitty the situation was. If you want me to watch more, don't be afraid to fully spoil the cool stuff down below. If I didn't care more about keeping a 'scale' this would be a 11/10+.

Again, everyone in S is essentially interchangeable.

I will add his bit roles if needs be. Or if I'm bored! (Update-2/23/2023 to include recent bit roles)

As always, have a good day. Or night. I'm writing this at 1 in the morning so hopefully, it's understandable. Please throw up words below, it always makes my day!

[galacticlamps]

ooooh I'm VERY interested in hearing about second nature (I'm assuming this is the human nature au? if so I LOVE the title that's so clever)!! also 6th time's the charm and the 29th fic in your big document if you like o:

wip tag game!

(descriptions posts above the cut, excerpts below it)

second nature is indeed my human nature au - as in, literally a spin on those episodes (I haven’t read the book) & not just a chameleon arch humandoctor story, so the basic description of Two, Jamie, & Zoe being on the run from the Family of Blood and winding up hiding out at an early 20th century English boarding school with Professor John Smith is as you'd expect it to be. That’s probably about the extent of the plot similarities though, since it’s also a get-together fic primarily about the relationships between the 3 main characters.

I just realized "6th time's the charm" probably sounds like a satisfying conclusion to some adorable 5 + 1, but no, instead it's a reference to the fact that 5 other documents in that list are attempts at writing the same story, and that particular doc's version of it hasn't been touched in over a year now (whoops), but I’ll post a little piece of it anyway. It varies between being multi-chapter or a one-shot and between perspectives, but it’s basically a fic in which Two & Jamie have managed to go quite a long time without actually talking about their feelings, Jamie’s certain they should, the Doctor’s convinced they shouldn’t, and the eventual result is a kind of forced confession.

In the list, 29 is set in season 5, with the description “the doctor saves jamie with time lord regeneration energy. they aren't sure if they can leave because of it” - I actually really like this one, I just know I have some big parts of the plot to finalize before I could really work on it seriously

Second Nature:

Picking one piece of this was really hard but let’s go with this bit from what should be the second chapter, since that doesn’t really require context:

Zoe studied the Doctor's unconscious face thoughtfully. "Do you think I could pass for his daughter?"

"Hm? Oh, I don't know - I'm no good at that sort of thing. Your hair's similar?" he ventured.

"Thanks, Jamie,” she rolled her eyes.

"Yours is neater,” he added quickly.

"I should hope so, seeing as I have actually been known to brush it on occasion."

"But wouldn't a lie that big be kind of difficult? I mean, if you're his daughter that would mean he should remember your whole life growin’ up, and your mother and you bein’ born. The Doctor said he'd just go along with most things, makin’ up memories that make things make sense but . . . I don’t know, that's an awful lot to not really remember about a person, isn't it?"

"I suppose. And then, I'd be expected to know anything he can't recall, and to refer to all the right places and things he invents for himself in his past. . . You’re right, it’s probably not the best explanation for my being here."

"Probably not." Jamie wasn’t sure what would be, but he didn't think he could pull off pretending the Doctor was his father for three minutes let alone months, so he was especially invested in having Zoe come up with a different cover story for them both. She seemed stuck on it though.

"Perhaps I could be adopted, and recently? I can say I'm a little younger than I am, and if he's been a teacher, maybe I was one of his students, and I lost my family, and we got on really well so he took me in? How's that sound?"

"Och, I don't know,” Jamie shook his head, defeated. “It might work."

"I think I ought to say I'm an orphan either way,” Zoe continued, unfazed. “It’s close enough to the truth, I suppose, since I never really knew my family before going away to the institute, and it saves me having to invent existing relations." She sighed and kicked up her feet so they dangled over the edge of the front seat of the cart. Jamie put an arm out and pushed her back protectively even though he knew she was fine. "Oh, I would so like to say I'm here to teach at the school with him or something like that, but I don't think they'd let women teach boys here, at least not one my age."

from 6th time’s the charm:

“. . . and, anyway, Jamie’s anxious to get a look at some of their nicer resorts, aren’t you, Jamie?” They both turned to him then, and while Jamie could tell Zoe had read the room well enough to know that was more than half a lie, she still looked intrigued. It was the Doctor, however, that put the nail in the coffin on Jamie’s protests, staring at him so hopefully, like a child on Christmas morning. No matter how many trips they made – and no matter how disappointing any of them proved, he was always so determined to be excited about the next one. And Jamie could hardly blame him for that, what with it being one of those things that made his heart thrill and his cheeks blush and Zoe remind him wasn’t there something you said you’d discuss with the Doctor?

“Oh, aye, sure,” he agreed, rolling his eyes, but even the Doctor’s persistence had come to be endearing. It was one of the many things Jamie loved him for, he knew, and just because he hadn’t quite gotten up the nerve to ever tell the Doctor as much didn’t make it any less true.

29. Here’s a chunk of the first scene of actual dialogue I wrote for it, after making notes on the premise & context (sorry it’s so long & so light on both punctuation  & narration, that’s how most of my wips start out, & bc of that I figured it'd make even less sense if I gave you a shorter piece):

Jamie! Good to see you up and about but maybe it'd be better if-- I feel fine And I'm very glad to hear that but still, a little precaution never-- I feel great Really? I know I feel much better than I've any right to Ah. Well you see, the ah, the medical assessment, initially, last night, may not-- You did something to me, didn't you? Saved my life? Jamie, I-- You did, I know you did. I didn't understand it when it was happening - still don't, really - but now I know you can do something-- Jamie, keep your voice down! Only I never saw you do anything like that before. So why is that? It's dangerous, isn't it, what ye did? That's why ye don't do it all the time? It's . . . complicated, Jamie-- Complicated? I've seen I don't know how many people die in front of us and never seen you even try to do a thing like that to save any of them before, and now you tell me you couldn't because it was complicated?? Complicated to explain precisely why it's dangerous, Jamie, please. Sit - if, if you can comfortably, that is. Oh. Aye, of course I can. I don’t know if I’ve ever felt better in my life. the Doctor only nodded evasively at the ground as Jamie sat on the edge of the sofa opposite him & leaned forward conspiratorially, his elbows on his knees Alright, it's complicated to explain - but start with this - is it dangerous to me or dangerous to you? To both of us. And to Victoria. Victoria? And to Ben, and Polly, and for that matter to Kirsty and Colin McLaren and to a hundred other people you haven't-- How in the world can it be a danger to all those-- It's very hard to explain, Jamie. In fact, part of the explanation could add to the danger too. Jame sat back. He’d been with the Doctor long enough to know there were plenty of things he didn’t tell him, but some were things he knew he wished he could, information he didn’t feel safe sharing however much he'd like to. There were a very few topics it all tended to connect back to, and given the situation, it didn’t take long for him to guess which one it was this time. It's to do with your own people, then. the Doctor shrugged helplessly, as if convincing himself he wasn't saying anything that wasn't already obvious. Well, it would have to be, wouldn't it? he suggested in a thin voice, almost wincing away from his own words. Jamie's heart ached at seeing how pained such a small admission made him, but his pulse quickened too, and there were some facts he needed to know before he could leave it be. And for whatever reason I'm guessin you're not supposed to do what you did to me last night? the Doctor nodded jerkily, not meeting Jamie's eyes. You might put it that way, yes. And it - he couldn't help but glance incredulously down at his own hand laying unassuming, palm-up in his lap; even he wouldn't know, just to look at it, that the Doctor had squeezed it so tightly in both of his own last night until all three had glowed a blinding gold - except, of course, for the fact that it didn't belong to a dead man this morning. but there were people more perceptive than he in the wide universe  - it leaves traces? Yes, it does And if those traces are used to find us... he knew when and when not to bother with details. We should leave he stood up abruptly. The Doctor rose too catching him by the elbow They have time travel too, Jamie. That wouldn't make it better How not? If they've noticed the trace - and they might not, but if they have - then watching it move through time and space irregularly would be the final confirmation on what had happened That you used your... abilities to save me? Or a - one of my people - to save a human, yes Aye, and? And that would not be taken lightly by anyone Alright, and the alternative? Well, if we stay put for a while, the Doctor explained slowly, releasing the hold on his arm at last, behave in a spatially and temporally standard way, then, possibly it'll be given up on as a blip on the radar. A mistake. Somehow Jamie was quiet a long time How long will it take the trace to wear off? I've no idea Doctor? Well, I've never done that before! So why do it now? Because the risk was too-- How? How was this risk worth it when you've just said all the things it endangers? God, Doctor am I even gonna be able to-- he blanched, suddenly, and the doctor knew his thoughts before he spoke them Am I gonna be able to come with you when you leave here?

[queen-of-meows]

WIP tag game

Thanks for tagging me, @insert-witty-user-name-here !

I don’t really have any WIP because I tend to publish right away and edit later (terrible habit !). But today I’ve been writing more of my long running Doctor Who story and I want to share some of it.

Here’s a little snippet of chapter 18 of Innocet’s War. For the context, Innocet, the main character, is hiding underground in former mines alongside Gallifreya Aeterna, a rebel faction led by the Pythia, a powerful witch who wants to restore the old political system (well, it’s a bit more complex than that ^^). During her stay, Innocet befriends some of the cultists, mostly villagers who lost everything in the war and army deserters. Among them is young Raiden, who has no memories of her life before the mines.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Finally, they reached some sort of a platform surrounded by the remains of ancient mining contraptions, giant cranes and rusting drills. Raiden walked close to the unprotected edge of the platform and let out a blood curling scream. She was only met with silence and a faint echo. She tried another one, this time stretching her voice as thin as physically possible. This time, she received an answer, barely audible cry from below their feet. Innocet backed up a little when she heard the sound of large flapping wings.

Suddenly, a large creature emmerged from the dark and hovered towards the platform. Innocet gawped in awe and terror. Under the bright light of their greenish Terranium lamp, the creature looked pale and famelish, its protuding joints forming weird angles as it slowly moved its leathery wings.

“Come closer !” Raiden prompted Innocet.

The old woman swallowed the lump in her throat and made a few steps towards the girl and the unsettling creature. Raiden smiled and stretched her hand to pet the Draugr's bald head. Innocet smiled. It's blind face was smooth, its eyes covered in a thin membrane of skin. It had two thin nostrils and no nose, and a large mouth like a reptile.

“Poeple say Draugrs are ugly and disgusting, and they teach their children to hate them too” Raiden explained with a sigh.

“I have to admit they're an acquired taste” Innocet replied humorously.

“Why can't they see how much we would benefit from working together ?” the girl asked. “Draugrs are smart and friendly.”

She unpacked her food as she was talking and handed a full embermole to the creatures. It snatched it's prize away and teared it apart with delight. Raiden laughed and playfully removed the bag from sight.

“Hey, keep some for your brothers !”

The Draugr growled and turned its head to Innocet. The old woman froze under the terrifying dead stare.

“You still have that mole in your hand” Raiden remined her.

Innocet blinked out of her trance and realised she had not given the rodent back to its thief.

“If you give Alabaster a treat, you will become her new best friend !”

Mustering her courage, Innocet came closer to the pit and handed the dead animal to the Draugr. Alabaster, as Raiden had called her, sniffed her prey and tilted her head.

“You can have it” Innocet encouraged her, loosening her grip on the furry thing.

Alabaster snatched the mole away and swallowed it full with a growl of delight. Soon, more high-pitched cries announced the arrival of more Draugrs. All of them were approximatively the same size, but there were small variation in the shape of their wing or the coloration of their skin.

“Mushrooms for Limestone ! And more Embermoles for Moonsand !”

There were now three of them, eating treats from Raiden's hands.

“The Night Patrol killed their mother” Raiden explained. “They used to kill a lot of Draugrs, before the Pythia passed a law to officially protect them.”

The young girl could barely hide her anger.

“So you raised those three babies ?” Innocet asked.

She nodded proudly.

“Yes. Father Jareth and Daddy Lyron were in the patrol when the idiot guard fired up. They had found the nest and the rest of the team would have killed the babies too if my dads had not prevented it. They had a heated argument and it ended with an audience with the Pythia herself. She punished the guards with extra cleaning duty and allowed my dads to bring food to the little Draugrs until they get old enough to survive on their own.”

“It's a lovely story. I knew your fathers were good men.”

Raiden nodded.

“We had just arrived at the Sanctuary. I was still very young when my dads saved them. They were adorable, and they grew into majestic creatures."

Innocet glanced at the three Draugrs. With their long limbs and sharp ribcage, she could understand why the ancients had mistaken them for undead bodies. The smell didn't help either. Whether they had always looked like this, or they were the result of a mutation after being tainted by the Yssgaroth, Innocet would never know. Maybe it was all myths and legends, and Draugrs were simply endemic creatures from those caves. But superstitions died hard, and every child and loomling on Gallifrey had heard of the scary Vampires from the Moon that came at night to eat the desobedient little ones.

I’m tagging you, @bushs-world ! And whoever wants to join.

[vixenfold]

"Don't let your guard down - especially when all is going well."

Nayen | 27 | it/its only | Germany

Ind. Raifort of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. Scarlet based, potentially Violet depending on context.

Probably low activity.

Mun | Muse | Tags

Read the rules below or perish by my wrath and sword. I'll know if you haven't read them.

Absolutely no drama. I don't touch anti/proship discourse either. So long as what someone writes isn't fucking illegal or abusive I do not care. - If you have proof (screenshots, etc.) of a mun being abusive or doing illegal shit, feel free to send them to me.

Shipping only with chemistry. - I reserve the right to say no. - Multiship. - No romance/sexual ship with minors (mun AND muse). -- Platonic ships are welcome and encouraged. - We do not ship with pokemon at all here, UNLESS it is a legendary pokemon played similarly to a GREEK GOD (e.g. human form, intellect, comprehension, and ability to consent.)

Oc friendly. So long as you have a decent amount of information on them for me to work with and I can see that you put effort into your blog and muse, I welcome you.

Do not softblock me. If you want to get rid of me, hardblock me. That way I will not think that tumblr made a mistake and refollow again. This'll ease the stress and work for both of us.

I reserve the right to drop any and all interactions any time I want. - You're free to ask why, but then don't get butthurt if I say it's because of your muse or the thread topic.

You can remind me of a thread once every three days.

I fucking ADORE crossovers. I fucking LOVE AUs for other fandoms. - Ask me what fandoms I'm familiar with. We can work something out!

I will absolutely never write anything noncon/dubcon/r*pe related whatsoever. Mentions of such may be the case, as well as potentially be part of my muse's story or backstory, but I will never actually post anything that actively describes that assault.

Do not aim to kill or maim my muse without my consent. - Raifort is antagonist/villain coded, but that does not give you the right to have your muse hero-complex on her for no fucking reason. If that is the type of conflict you want to write with me, approach me privately first. - - If you still do try without talking to me first about it, I will ignore you. - Unless your muse is directly involved with Ms. Raifort, they cannot know of her real motives and history. If you want our muses to have pre-established history together, approach me in DMs, I love that sort of thing! But only if you give me a chance to put my own mark on it as well.

I adore villain redemption arcs, but that's going to take a lot of time for Raifort. She's pretty antisocial, and doesn't like people much. Which means that it's going to be harder to get through to her. - She's not perfect. In fact, she's an insanely flawed woman. She WILL fuck up. She WILL do awful things. But she's still a PERSON.

If you have any problems with me, the writer as a person, approach me in DMs. I promise I don't want to fight. But I will also not let myself be bullied into compliance.

More rules will be added or removed as they become (un)relevant.

Please like this post if you have read it. Thank you in advance.

I promise I'm much more chill than I sound like here. I'm more afraid of you than you of me, probably!

[spicyicymeloncat]

Sorry gang for being late to the party but this guy

And every other lava shipper is so right and I can’t believe I never even noticed I’m actually disappointed in myself.

Under cut I ramble aimlessly

When you think, oh yeah lava is no more valid than any other non canon Ninjago ship but then you get reminded

Cole is the most queer coded ninja, his true potential was about him coming out to his father. Also Kai is the most touchy in that episode, hugging him

In s7 when Jay calls out Nya’s name and Cole calls out Kai’s (Ik this and a lot of other points might be handwaved that Kai and Cole are more of a default match up just because everyone is already in relationships, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they aren’t in one too)

S10 Kai’s reaction of trying to turn back the ship, and then crying to Cole falling (although I’ll accept that this is more of his reaction to grief,m, counterpoint from Cube - Kai only really reacts like that, here and then with Nya both times she died)

S10 when Jay and Nya help each other up, Cole does the same for Kai (and then Cole takes his hand off Kai’s shoulder when Kai points to Zane coming over - yeah that doesn’t mean anything it’s just kinda sus)

S10 Kai and Cole paralleling Jaya’s hug also

Wildbrain era really said lavashipping

S11 Cole is the one supporting Kai when he brought back fire to the village. That could have been anyone it could’ve been Lloyd or Nya in that shot with him but it was Cole

S11 Cole being the one to comfort Kai when the village was frozen. S11 said “you can have all these close ups of Kai but it’s mandatory that Cole’s face is in the corner of the screen”

S12 and everything about it. “On one life Kai” jumping off the mountain to save Cole

S12 Kai watching Cole dance before Cole pulls him into dancing

S12 them sharing a car and then having the gayest sacrifice in the whole show (on the race track)

S12 also being notable for its dance lesbians (who aren’t confirmed to be gay but if it gets censored in Russia and Malaysia then I think it counts) and

Also s12 including couple moments for every other character (Jay and Nya, the Pixane episode, even Lloyd and Harumi show up (not saying their a good pairing, just that technically they were a romantic pairing at some point)

Cube mention s13 where Kai is the one to demand to search for Cole (which Ik can be handwaved as just Kai’s personality) and then Kai being one to call out to Cole just before the tunnels collapse whilst Zane doesn’t (again this could be chalked up to their personalities; Kai is the loud one and Zane doesn’t need to follow suit, but these are less of evidence and more of increasingly interesting add ons when after you watched prime empire). Tbf s13 had Kai and Cole separated so they couldn’t have interacted much anyways

The island, where Kai and Cole share more moments tm with Cole complaining he’s hungry and later on Kai getting Cole something to eat. This actually contextualises that one comment from Cole in s11 where he says he’s done with cake jokes from Kai. Anyways it’s cute that Kai first makes fun of Cole and then goes out and gets him food

Seabound where they both stayed behind to play video games. Do I need to say anything?

Crystalised, the only thing I remember is that one scene where Kai went for a hug but Cole ran passed him to get water

Besties that’s actually a lot yknow. Pretty sure that’s more interactions than both of those characters and other characters. It’s like lava is in a weird position where its not canon but it’s definitely more canon than the other non canon ships. Including kailor and conia.

No shade to either shippers but Conia’s only claim to canon is that Vania is a girl introduced in the Cole season, he said he didn’t even like her, and Kailor are not even dating. I think Tommy Andreasen and Chris Wyatt also tweeted that neither are dating (also Tommy replied in a tweet in regards to Cole’s sexuality that anyone’s interpretation is valid). (Also imo I personally see Vania is younger than the ninja yknow)

With Kailor, Kai barely knew her and she barely new him or literally anything other than the island, and they go their separate ways in the end. I mean Skylor definitely needed to establish her own identity after being an extension of her father her whole life so I think it’s fair. Yeah they continue to be good friends but Kai doesn’t even have Skylor’s number. Ik Kai visits Skylor in s7 but that’s to talk about his dad with someone who understands. Ig the more convincing moments are near the end of s9 where whilst some can be seen platonically, there is this one shot where they look at each other in a more romantic way (the same shot in which Cole embraces his true soulmate, cake), idk ig it can be just a hug but I will say, that post s4 that shot is probably the biggest Kailor contender. But as Cube said, it’s just a little awkward. Kai doesn’t really visit Skylor often and their closeness in s9 could be due to the fact that everyone nearly died? I’m assuming there’s a chance Kailor, regardless of whether it’s a thing in the past or the present, will be addressed in crystalised tho.

What is interesting is that both s4 and s13 have a lot of parallels. In both, the ninja stay over at a new place hosted by the villain, who underneath his house, owns slaves who he uses to earn money, and his daughter turns to the side of the ninja. Kailor and Conia have a lot of similarities (and therefore a lot of similar issues, such as the assumption that woman = love interest)

Also I don’t think I have to argue that Cole was ever interested in Nya. He was much more concerned with kicking Jay’s ass and we all know it.

But yeah lava is surprisingly a lot more convincing. Also some of their interactions (s10) do imply they’re keeping it a secret from the other ninja. Either because they’re worried how the others would react (although it’s hard to believe the legos are homophobic. Imagine. Homophobic Zane 🙀) but also, in a world where there probably is homophobia (considering there are pride flags) it’s still possible that there is a worry. I could see Kai being closeted since he very clearly showed interest in girls since s3 to s6 so the realisation that he is anything but straight may have shaken him and he’s not quite ready to be open about it (oh look a fanfic idea), and I can see Cole maybe wanting to be more private about the relationship since he tends to withdraw when anxious (see pilots, where the death of his mother made him leave home and climb mountains, see s4 where the group’s fight made him retreat to the forest to become a lumberjack, see s5 where he wanted to quit the team because he was a ghost, s11 where he leaves on his own because he felt bad about losing the tea, this guy has a history). The last romance related thing Cole was a part of was s3’s love triangle which was not fun, so maybe Cole is still kinda traumatised but that. Or on a lighter note, maybe they’re both seeing long it takes for the others to notice. An out of canon explanation is that it’s making fun of how Russia and Malaysia wouldn’t accept them either. Also that was in s10 and tbh since they canonically killed of Hageman (idk which one) in s11, there has been a lot more lava so maybe in canon they’ve become more of a relationship as time went on and they might be out now, if they weren’t before. Or maybe I’m reading into it too much.

Anyways they’d definitely have double dates with jay and Nya can you imagine Kai and Nya getting ready and then Cole and Jay (cuz they’re besties) getting ready because that’s cute.

That’s it. Just know I’ve successfully turned into a lavashipper (I mean polyninja ftw but as in this could literally be canon if Lego says yay to the gays) this is all I’m going to think about this week.

[scott-mccall-the-hot-girl]

my ultimate guide to thiam fic !!

( as a new teen wolf stan )

-

the classic post war, long ass (multi chapter) fic !!with great development that genuinely made me laugh out loud, they have the best friendship in this & i love it very much. ( like theo teaches liam to drive and i just *happy sobs* ) a fundamental in thiam fanfiction !! all stans have probably already read it but if you haven’t this is in fact a threat ,, go show this vv iconic story some love !!

Airplanes - Captainmintyfresh

Summary: After the Anuk-ite and the hunters are dealt with Liam needs a break. Cue Theo and a road trip that Liam should know better than to think will be peaceful.

Not Rated, No Archive Warnings Apply, Completed, 43/43 Chapters, Words: 236,875 (236k)

-

okay okay so this one is also post 6B !! but ,, now we introduce fighting monroe & the hunters again ,, so we get the boys & a new mission !! so if you like an intresting plot 11/10 would recommend !! just to be clear this ISN’T complete ,, if that turns you off i understand but definitely give this one a read !! it litterally have theo doing crossword puzzles & fighting zombies

Vacancy Signs - LovelyLittleGrim

Summary: Theo and Liam are in Manhattan negotiating a pack allyship when the zombie apocalypse breaks out. Now, the two of them have to find their way back to Beacon Hills without getting eaten by zombies or killing one another.

Rated: Explicit, Graphic Description of Violence, Not Completed, 15/17 Chapters, Words: 89,605 (89k)

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Royalty AU !! I REPEAT ROYALTY AU !! a fantastic au where i stan their moms more than i stan them !! genuinely so good at the childhood rivals to lovers trope !! i’m genuinely obsessed with this one. has made me cry more than once ,, hurts in a good way <3 the ending is just *chefs kiss* also one of the tags is genuinely: # theo and liam make bad choices for over 130k straight !! if that doesn’t sound appealing i don’t know what does !!

Artificial Love - songbvrd

Summary: Prince Theo and Prince Liam are forced to spend every Summer together from age five onwards. They hate each other, and usually find ways to make each other miserable as much as possible in their six weeks together. But when they're reunited because of intended unions as adults, things change. They're both supposed to be married to noble women, but neither of them is as interested in anyone else as they are with their childhood rival.

Rated: Mature, No Archive Warnings Apply, Completed, Chapters: 32/32, Words: 172,935 (172k)

-

so if you are in the mood for a crack fic that’s not explicitally a crack fic this is for you !! okay so i’m really hit or miss with AU’s ,, sometimes i feel like they don’t quite capture the characters right but this story have the BEST dramatic liam i have ever seen in my life !! basically they all live in the same apartment building & it’s fantastic !! i saw this one floating around a lot but the summary didn’t really unrest me until i have it a shot !! so go read it rn !! also nolan & brett are genuinely fantastic and make me wheeze ,, LIKE ACTUALLY VERBALLY LAUGHING !! all i’m gonna say is that my fav characters are scott & the beetles but that won’t make actual sense until you read it !!

The Neighbors Song - TheodoreR

Summary: “I always hear you singing on your balcony every morning, but suddenly you’ve stopped?”

Or the one where Theo annoys Liam every morning with his awful singing until he doesn’t anymore and Liam is even more annoyed. Liam hates every single thing about his mornings -the fact that they happen in the morning alone is enough. The thing Liam hates the most about his mornings though is the terrible voice of the guy who lives below him. He can’t sing for shit and Liam tried to politely let him understand that by throwing flour and water on his balcony, and also by shouting it to him, you can’t sing for shit!, and then by writing it into a note he proceeded to attach to his door, but this Raeken guy just keeps doing it, every single morning, like a fucking rooster. Liam did nothing to deserve this. He probably didn’t do anything to deserve better either to be fair, he doesn’t expect to open his window and be welcomed by some angelic voice singing him good morning, he’d just be happy with nothing. Silence. That’s something Liam can appreciate in mornings. Just some bark from his dog and the sound of his misery and that’s it. But no, god forbid the new guy lets him have that.

Rated: Explicit, Creator Chose Not to Use Archive Wanrings, Completed, 8/8 Chapters, Words: 42,814 (42k)

-

me: i’m not a big fan of AU’s ,, proceeds to talk about ANOTHER au… OKAY BUT THIS ONE !! it’s not complete but the author has been updating regularly ,, vv slow burn !! but in a REALLY intresting way !! i lOVE LIAM IN THIS SO MUCH ,, he is such a diaster of a person and it’s wonderful !! they have a great dynamic & i’m sucker for general puppy pack content ( and erica reyes being a badass ) !! also theo plays lacrosse in this & i really like it ahhhhh ,, also liam is just being an artic monkeys stan the whole time & theo is like *que confused repressed gay noises*

Inglorious Roommates - honeyscape

Summary: A roommate is defined as “a person with whom one shares a room.”

Theo would say a roommate was more along the lines of, “The person who's the bane of his existence. The weirdo that sleeps for days. The spaz that exercises at 3am. The guy with a revolving door of annoying friends. An insufferable human being that Theo has no control over living in his room.”

Example: Theo hates his roommate Liam.

-

okay okay i hate myself but i have another WIP for y’all !! this one is jUST FANTASTIC. i’m genuinely so upset it’s most likely not going to updated again *incoherent screaming ensues*. for this story ,, it’s very theo-centric bUT thats bc it ends right before liam becomes a concrete member of the story !! ANYWAY: basic plot = theo & acquiring not one but two children ,, so #dad theo but he is still crusty & homeless and i love him very much. it’s just so GOOD !! just read if you want to experience my fav theo coming out story & him etching high school musical

Look who's talking - Captainmintyfresh

Summary: Theo had been labeled many things in his life. Evil, failure, monster. He'd never thought Father would be one of those things but as he looked across the table to a six year old with blue smears of bubble gum icecream across her face trying to coax the first words out of her sister. Finger jabbing towards Theo's face as she repeated 'Daddy' again and again he couldn't bring himself to dispute the label.

(Theo accidentally adopts two young werewolves)

Not Rated, Creator Chose Not to Use Archive Warnings, Not Completed, Chapters: 16/?, Words: 48740 ( 48k )

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so here me out: post-canon ( poetry like angst ) summer get away !! just the boys doing cute little domestic things together whilst pining !! theo’s guilt in this is just so powerful & aGjffkgkkfkvkdlv !! i think it’s so interesting to see how they interact in this one, it’s just very heart warming !! and it features one of my favorite niche teen wolf tropes of theo being great with like seven year old girls- it’s just so good ,, very much a wonderful little one shot that just makes your heart happy.

(next time i see you you'll show me) a hundred different ways to say the same things - cherrysprite

Summary: “...You deserve good things,” Liam says eventually. He makes sure not to look at Theo even though he can feel his eyes turn on him. Somehow he can already tell that Theo doesn’t believe him.

Liam instantly makes that the goal of this summer - making Theo believe him.

Rating: Teen and Up, No Archive Warnings Apply, Chapters: 1/1, Words: 28875 ( 28k )

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okay so this next section of fic recs is a bit different !!

two of my favorite authors !! and a compilation of fics i’ve read by them both !!

for context: these two have written some genuinely gorgeous fics, like pure poetry, they explore the real gritty & scary side of our boys relationship in such a wonderful way. they’ve both used some of my favorite tropes & i love them very much !!

whenever i need something soothing but so genuinely intresting & enticing these are my go to !! ( also they both write a lot of good nolan angst & some vv good fics with hayden )

go check out:

eneiryu

as well as fallingforboys

here are some of my favorite fics by them ~

darling i want you here in my arms (kiss the pain away, i know you can) - fallingforboys

even before you touched me, i belonged to you (all you had to do was look at me) - fallingforboys

memories linger like tattoo scars (but your touch on my skin is just as permanent) - fallingforboys

skin, bones, a stolen heart, and an ugly creature lurking underneath -fallingforboys

i don't know how to breathe in the place i called home - fallingforboys

whisper your gossamer truths into the shadow, maybe you'll find the answers you're searching for - fallingforboys

between the mountains and the valley we built a monument to our regret - eneiryu

cracked the hinges of the cage and waited for you - eneiryu

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okay and finally: since i am a self centered whore

my own fic: an rendition of the # elevator scene

it’s basically my version of post canon if we did get the kiss in the elevator. we got a classic liam pov in which he is has 12/10 for extreme bi diaster energy even whilst being shot at !! so go him ig…

Fuck Off, Fuck This & Fuck It! - nefelibata_peach

Summary: Liam thought to himself heart rate climbing, they were bound to be dead by morning. So he thought with everything but his brain and he kissed him.

Where Liam Dunbar is very confused, slightly traumatized, and just a bit scared but hey, aren't they all! Bad decisions ensue as two boys fight in a war they never did sign up for.

Rating: Teen and Up, Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Chapters: 1/1, Words: 3558 ( 3k )

[damienthepious]

hello this has immediately rocketed to the top five softest fics i’ve written i think, aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

A Sound That Runs In The Deep

[ao3]

Fandom: The Penumbra Podcast

Relationship: Lord Arum/Sir Damien/Rilla

Characters: Lord Arum, Rilla, Sir Damien, The Keep

Additional Tags: Second Citadel, Lizard Kissin’ Tuesday, Established Relationship, Singing, Fluff, Cuddling & Snuggling, Love Confessions, (love confessions is a SORTA?? maybe????), (in a sideways sorta way)

Summary: Harmonies are a beautiful thing, even if you don't know the words to the song.

Notes: gentle gentle soft soft kiss kiss. possessed yet again by an idea that ran away with me before i could have ANY say in the matter. Title from the song Foxglove, by Murder by Death.

~

Amaryllis sings with a frequency that Lord Arum finds immeasurably comforting. While she works, while she sketches in her journals, in leisure, even humming while she rests gently in bed, fading towards sleep-

Of course, she does not sing with the same layered depth of meaning that his Keep does, no. Of course not, she lacks the vocabulary (so to speak) and the inherent, inborn magic, though that does not make her songs any less beautiful. She sings with his Keep as well, at times, when they find more songs in common between them.

(another voice in harmony with his Keep; it strikes something deep within Arum's chest, heat like coals glowing warm, the same feeling that struck him the first time Amaryllis gasped with wonder at the sight of their greenhouse, the same feeling that struck him when her eyes sparkled gazing out his workshop window into the majesty of the swamp below, the same feeling that struck him at the reverent awe in Sir Damien's expression upon his own introduction to Arum's home)

(the idea of these little humans, these creatures whose affection he covets, cultivating warmth and fondness not only for Arum himself, but Arum's creator, his charge, his counterpart, his Keep-)

(there is very little more beautiful to Lord Arum, than a fond harmony)

He tries not to let on, of course, regarding his greed for Amaryllis' voice (both of their voices, of course, but in this specific context-). Some nebulous part of him worries- if she knows, perhaps she might stop. Or, worse. She might continue, but only out of some indulgent pity, and not of her own desire.

Foolishness, of course. In more ways than one. Amaryllis will only ever do what she wants to do, stubborn thing. He has known that since the first day he knew her. Additionally-

Foolishness, to think he could possibly hide his feelings from the pair of them. Amaryllis possesses the sharpened focus of a scalpel, and Sir Damien (when calm) can interpret his moods with an ease that almost frightens him. She sings for him more and more, as they grow more comfortable together, as they settle into affection and understanding.

Arum wakes gently, his head carefully pillowed on Amaryllis' thighs, an actual pillow tucked beneath his horns, and he feels the warmth of Sir Damien draped boneless above him, the poet's cheek pressed to his chest. Above them both, Amaryllis sings, vague and soft and wordless, and the tune-

Arum wakes quickly, then, going still as his heart pounds hard in his chest.

She must feel him tense, because the melody fades from her voice, drifting into a curious hum as she lifts a hand to caress his cheek, her fingers drifting soothing lines down the fragile webbing of his frill.

"Did I wake you?" she says, her voice still gentle so as not to wake Damien in turn. "Sorry, I didn't mean to."

"It's... it's quite alright," he murmurs, tipping his head back to get a better look at her face, her cheeks curved in the slightest sheepishness. Mostly, though, her face is simply pleased, her eyes sparking with their usual warmth. "What were you... what were you singing?" he asks, though he knows perfectly well. "I recognize that tune."

"Oh," she says, the sheepishness a little more pronounced. "I- well. I've heard the Keep sing it before, when you're sleepy, or-" she pauses, and he knows that she's avoiding saying something that might embarrass him (the purse of her lips gives her away). "Or when you're frustrated, or upset. Mostly sleepy, though."

Exhaustion is typically the only state during which Arum isn't too proud to allow the Keep's coddling. He shifts very slightly, readjusting his arms around the poet, nuzzling his snout into Damien's hair for comfort.

"It is a... a good melody," he mumbles into the curls. "A comforting one."

She grins, stroking her hand down his frill again, gentle pressure that makes him want to simply drift back off, safe between his humans. "I figured that you probably liked it, if the Keep sings it that much." She pauses, then shrugs with a breath of laughter. "Plus, I've had it stuck in my head for days."

She hums the phrase again, a mellow lilt, and Arum's scales shiver, the corners of his eyes pricking in a way that he thoroughly ignores.

She doesn't know, of course, what the Keep is saying when it sings that particular song. She couldn't possibly. The melody without the meaning, without the same magic of connection to underlay the sound, only pleasant nonsense to her ears, but Arum-

So short a time, it seems, he has known these two creatures. So short a time they have embraced, learned each other, tried together. So short a time-

But Arum feels it in his heart. Especially here, especially now, with Amaryllis beneath him, hands caressing and supporting, with Damien above in repose. He feels the song sing sweetly through his own veins, burning in his own lungs.

"I..."

So short a time, he reminds himself. He swallows, and then he tilts his head, pressing his cheek into her palm, feeling his throat rumbling deep with drowsy contentment.

"It sounds- beautiful," he says instead, his voice faltering despite himself. "In your voice."

She laughs again, softly, and Arum can sense the subtle heat in her cheeks for only a moment. She cups his face, leaning closer as her skin slowly warms his scales. "Aw, thank you," she says, her tone warm and indulgent enough to prompt a subtle growl to interrupt his purring. She sings it again, though, and his growl stutters off just as quickly.

Arum closes his eyes. He cannot help it; if he looks at her while she sings that, he cannot be certain what he might do. He curls his claws possessively around the poet in his arms, instead, and he tips his head back so Amaryllis might draw her hand down from his cheek to his neck, palm warm against his pulse. He feels, for a moment, as she sings above him, and he swallows roughly, and then-

Arum trills in echo, a leitmotif repeated, and he means it.

I love you, he sings, and he can hear the smile in Amaryllis' breath of laughter even if she does not understand. Not yet. I love you, he sings, and when Amaryllis presses a kiss to his forehead, fond harmony buzzes on her lips.

[gyucore]

to reach a happy ending

pairing: beomgyu x reader

tags: fluff, childhood friends to lovers

word count: 1.6k

warnings: beomgyu swears like once

prompts:

017: "A fairytale with a happy ending always brings a smile to my face."

023: "Do you believe in love at first sight?"

— requested by ⛅ anon! sorry this took so long to make. i hope you like it!! ♡

"Ew, look at this." You hand the dusty old photo album to Beomgyu who's sprawled across the floor by your side.

"Wait—" He stops you, rolling away before letting out a sneeze so loud that it managed to echo off the dusty untouched walls of his old room. The poor guy couldn't help it, his room hadn't been cleaned since he moved out in the middle of high school, and his mom preferred to keep things as they were— dust and all. You wonder if it was simply an excuse to clean one less room.

Beomgyu did say he had dropped in yesterday without notice. You'd think he'd want to spend some quality time with his parents first, but he'd decided to invite you over after spending a single night under this roof. Having heard nothing but radio silence from your best friend in years, you were thrilled to get to see him again. And what better way to shed off the ever present awkwardness in the beginning than to go through old photo albums?

"Okay, show me." Beomgyu rolls back to your side, scooting in closer to rest his head on your lap.

You turn the photo album, pointing at one photo in particular of you and Beomgyu dressed as a knight and damsel in distress— Beomgyu playing the role of the latter. Contrary to the roles, you were pummeling Beomgyu to the ground as if having caught a thief, and Beomgyu was shoving his handkerchief to your face, blocking your eyesight. The context behind the photograph alludes you, but this might just be a case of seven-year-olds doing whatever they want whenever.

"The fuck you mean ew? I look great in that dress!" Frowning, Beomgyu grabs the album to stare longer at his past self's glory.

"Lying to yourself isn't good for you, Gyu." You jokingly disapprove. It was fun seeing his reactions right after.

"Oh, look at these."

Beomgyu points at a photo of you and him on stage, wearing the same costumes as before. You figured it was for a play back in first grade when you two had been classmates. The next series of photos included one of you holding out a sword towards a kid in a cheap dragon costume, one of Beomgyu holding back his tears after tripping over and ripping his dress, and ones of you rushing to Beomgyu and kissing away his tears.

"This takes me back." Beomgyu lights up with a smile, failing to notice the surprise on your face. "Remember when your mom made us believe that kissing any injuries we had would make it go away? I knew you wanted to help me back then but I couldn't stop crying and tell you were it hurt, so you started kissing all over my face hoping it'd go away."

You find yourself laughing at your past self's foolishness. "But did it work?" You ask in between laughs.

"Well," Beomgyu chuckles, getting up from his position on your lap. "I don't think it would've worked if another person had done it. But since it was you— Wait." He takes one last look at the album, letting slip a wheeze before placing it back in its box. "Mom wrote something right below the photo."

"What did she write?" You ask, holding out your hands for Beomgyu to grab.

"A fairy tale with a happy ending always brings a smile to my face." Beomgyu tells you as he helps you up, trying his best to keep a straight face after delivering that line.

The two of you burst into laughter at his mother's words. You knew she'd been fond of fairy tales all her life but the caption was taking you out. Beomgyu was literally crying in the photo yet somehow this, to her, was a happy ending.

You eventually take notice of all the photos plastered around his room, some framed, and some simply stuck to the walls— memories of happier times. Most were of you and him, and in some, just you. He'd shown off the Polaroid camera his mother bought for him in seventh grade, proclaiming he'd only take photos of moments he'd want to keep in his memory forever. It never actually crossed your mind that a lot of them would be of you.

Beomgyu notices your wandering eyes and chuckles, placing an arm around your shoulder. The distance between you shrinks as he holds you closer. And at that moment, you take note of everything that's changed.

He'd gotten taller since the last time you saw him. Gone was the lanky boy you knew, evident in the way his muscles flexed with every small movement you wish you hadn't noticed. Beomgyu had grown his hair out; the thick, wavy locks tucked behind his ears, covering the back of his neck. The deepness of his voice had been a surprise when he greeted you at the door earlier, but you held back from pointing it out.

You feared that if you acknowledged all the changes, you'd be forced to face reality. That things weren't the same anymore, no matter how hard you tried. After all, Beomgyu wasn't the only one who changed. You had quite the few character development arcs yourself, and experiences which Beomgyu remained oblivious of. And somehow despite that, in his presence, you started to feel like your old self again.

Beomgyu's invitation had come as a surprise last night. You thought he'd forgotten about you, what with all the silence these past few years.

Life continued on as it should even without Beomgyu by your side, but you could argue that all the amazing experiences you've had on your own would've been better if he were there to experience it with you. And now here you were in his old room, pretending everything was the same as he'd left it.

You look up at your old friend, wanting to tell him what had been plaguing your thoughts the entire day but find yourself tongue tied when his dark eyes stare back into your own. And you wonder, how many times had it been that you'd stared into each other's eyes just like this? How many times had he pulled you close into his arms all those years? And just how many nights had you spent wondering if your feelings for him had grown into something more?

"I missed you." Beomgyu speaks first, his gaze never faltering.

Hearing his voice, you swear you could've melted right then and there. Part of you had wished he'd tell you those exact words, confirming that it hadn't been just you who'd been wanting to see him all these years.

"I missed you too."

Beomgyu could only smile at your response.

His arm leaves your shoulder— hands slowly finding their way to your own. His hold was gentle as he slowly guided you to face him.

"Don't laugh, but," Beomgyu starts. "Do you believe in love at first sight?"

"Love at fir—"

The question throws you off.

"What?"

"I heard you the first time!" You cut him off, wanting so bad to cover your face from the secondhand embarrassment. "I can't believe you just said that. What even happened to you in college?"

"Hey! At least hear me out before you make fun of me." Beomgyu bursts out laughing at your reaction, his thumbs caressing the back of your hands to help you calm down. "Judging from your reaction, I'm guessing your answer is a no. And I honestly felt the same too until a few hours back."

"Okay, you lost me there."

"Shut up. What I'm saying is," Beomgyu squeezes your hands, leaning in closer. "I'm sorry I haven't been in touch the last few years. I had a lot of trouble adjusting, and it took a while for me to really get the hang of living alone. I wanted to talk to you as soon as I got there but then I thought that maybe it would've been better for you if I left you to live your own life for a while too."

"Beomgyu.." You squeeze his hands back, sensing the sincerity in his eyes.

Beomgyu shakes his head. "I know this sounds silly and all, but I didn't want you to feel the emptiness I felt when I left. I wanted you to go and make experiences of your own without me."

You frown, refraining to speak until he's done.

"But then I couldn't stop thinking about you. Everywhere I went, I'd think of you and how the place would've been better if we got to hang out there together. Every time I had fun or ate something that tasted good, I wanted you to share the experience with me."

Beomgyu sighs. "Honestly, I thought I could make it through my visit home without seeing you but I passed by your house on my way home yesterday and I just.. I couldn't hold back. And when I saw you for the first time in years at the front of my doorstep.. I knew I had to tell you."

Half of you knew what to expect, and the other half doubted the reality of the situation. But all the doubts instantly melt away as soon as Beomgyu closed the distance between you, pressing your foreheads together.

Face flushed, you stare at him in awe and notice he had his eyes closed shut. "Cute." You thought.

He whispers in a voice so quiet you could barely hear.

"I like you."

You couldn't hold it in any longer, the rush of emotions crashing into you like raging waves against a cliff. The next moment, you find yourself inching closer and closer, face heating up even more as you press your lips against his as a reply.

Beomgyu's eyes widen, body freezing in place. He hadn't exactly expected you to respond so soon, especially not like this. And he couldn't be happier.

You feel Beomgyu returning the kiss, his hands going up to cup your face— his hold gentle. The two of you wanted nothing more than to stay in this moment for as long as life permits, because for once, you could finally see the path to your happily ever after slowly unraveling.

This was just the beginning.

[winterscaptain]

priorities.

Aaron Hotchner x Gender Neutral AFAB!Reader

a/n: a lil bitty outtake from the end of faith! requires absolutely no ajf context and is just some good stuff for the grown-ups! I included the end of faith, just for a little setup. 

words: 1.5 warnings: smut (fingering, cockwarming [we’re finally trying it!], desk sex, chair sex, penetrative sex w/out a condom), Aaron Hotchner Being Sweet™, Aaron Hotchner Being a Lawyer™

summary: apparently, a supreme court decision is more important than you. 

masterlist | a joyful future masterlist | requests closed!

He looks over his reading glasses, and his eyes light up. “Welcome home.” 

You offer him a warm smile as you cross his office and round his desk. “Hi.” 

Aaron drops his pen and pulls you close by your hips, and you lean on the side of his chair. “How was the case?”

“I would hate to spoil Emily’s report that will inevitably be about three hours late getting to your desk on Tuesday.” 

He raises his eyebrows. “I see.” His hand drops down to the outside of your thigh, and you swing a leg over his chair to straddle him, getting situated on his lap. “You know, I still have work to do.” 

“What? Is this Supreme Court decision more interesting than me?”

He shrugs, leaning forward again and picking up his file. His chin hooks over your shoulder, and you settle against his chest as he continues to read. With a sigh, he says, “You’re wearing an awful lot of clothes for someone who wants something specific.” 

You huff. “Oh, c’mon. It’s not like I’m getting any in here.” 

“You don’t know that.” His voice is even, almost distracted, but when you shift over him you can tell he’s affected. “Something might surprise you.” 

“Are you suggesting what I think you’re suggesting?”

He takes another breath and, just like he’s done so many times before, says, “Sweetheart, I’m not suggesting anything.” 

You smile against his shoulder and slide off of him, removing your slacks and undergarments in one fell swoop. Bare before him, you straddle him again, feeling the soft fabric of his sweats against your sex. 

He’s hardly moved, only leaning back to let you go and resuming his position once you’ve returned, the law review still in his hands. 

“What did you have in mind, Chief Hotchner?”

A hand leaves his desk and trails over your hip and lower back. “I came across this...thing and figured I’d ask if you wanted to try it.”

You raise your eyebrows, though he can’t see your face at the moment. “Oh?”

He hums, pressing a kiss to your shoulder. “What if...I gave you what you want -“ In case it was unclear, he thrusts his hips up just a touch, his hardness pressing into you. You tighten your thighs around him. “- but you don’t get to move until I’m done with my reading.”

You lean back. “Really?”

“From what I’ve read, it’s something people like. Want to try it?”

“What happens if I move?”

He’s still not looking at you, even though you’ve leaned back to meet his eyes - the law review has just increased altitude so he can still see it over your shoulder. “Traditionally, there’s some kind of punishment involved in these dynamics, but I don’t think you need punishing.” The offhand delivery of his observation makes a rush of heat flow through you, and you just know you’re even wetter than you were before. “I think we just see how long we can stand it and then I’ll spread you out over this desk when I’ve had enough.” 

All the breath leaves you in a shaky exhale, and you loop your arms over his shoulders, playing with the hair on the back of his neck. “Okay.”

He drops a hand between you, purposefully brushing over your clit as he undoes the button fly on his pants. He frees himself, and it takes everything in you not to move as he coats his cock with your wetness, two fingers, then three, pushing into you. The sound of his fingers moving in your soaked pussy informs you he’ll have no problem slipping into you to the hilt. Nevertheless, he reaches into a drawer for a bit of lube, pressing a kiss to your neck as he slicks himself up for you. Your mouth drops open, completely floored by his forethought.

How long has he been planning this?

You lift up and his eyes never leave yours as he guides himself into you. Both of you let out deeply affected breath, and a whimper chases your sighs. He’s deep - bottoming out and then some as you sink all the way down until your thighs are flush with his lap. 

The muscles of your abdomen jump, seeking any kind of movement. He shushes you, pressing a hand to your lower back and l tilting your hips just so. The change in angle forces your lips between your teeth. You can feel him everywhere. 

“Relax, baby.” His low murmur reminds you to breathe, and you do your best to let your body drop into him, your clothed chests melting together as if you were built for each other. 

He continues to read, but his cock twitches and flexes within you every once in a while. You inadvertently pulse in response, fluttering around him. Each time, a hiss leaves him from between his teeth. The effect you have on him is insanely hot, and you know he can feel how wet you are, even with his lack of movement. 

The hand on your back begins a slow circuit, traveling from your lower back, to your shoulders, down your ribs, over your hips, and back again. You remind yourself to relax, resisting the urge to roll your hips in time with his hand. 

After about fifteen minutes (an era, really), his hips start to move the smallest amount, pushing up just enough to make hot sparks of pleasure fly up and down your body. You tighten your arms around his shoulders and relax your legs. The feeling is ineffable - you’ve never been split so deep in your life. 

Don’t move. Don’t move. 

His breathing gets a little heavier in your ear as he swivels his hips in a miniscule version of that twist that always brings you close to the edge in seconds. 

“Aaron…” You press his name into his neck, and he huffs something that sounds like a laugh. 

“Not done, yet, my love. Be patient.”

You’ve always known his stamina is incredible, but you’re almost in awe of how rock hard he still is inside you, how he’s been buried to the hilt in your tight, wet, heat for close to twenty minutes without breaking a sweat. 

In fairness, he’s outlasted you every single time, never once leaving you bereft or wanting (unless it was on purpose). His size and skill, both impressive metrics outlining his prowess in bed, both pale in comparison to his control. 

You do your best not to whine, but you’re reaching a breaking point. Your patience is rewarded when, only a few minutes later, he flips the pages back to the beginning and sets them aside. You can feel one foot, then the other, search for the wheel locks of his desk chair (a necessity, you figured out very early on) and engage them. 

He presses kisses to your neck, still moving just the smallest amount inside you. Your legs are already shaking, your body a bowstring - wound and aching for release. You lean back to give him access to your mouth, and he laves you in soft kisses, his tongue sliding against yours. He holds you close to his chest, his hands sliding down your back and around your hips. 

You move under the guidance of his hands, rolling over him, your thighs still flush against his lap. He’s thrusting up into you for real now, knowing exactly what you like. With a hand braced on his shoulder, you drop a hand down to your clit, already impossibly close. 

“I’m gonna come really fast if you keep doing that,” you say through a laugh. 

He lets out a laugh that’s a little bit of a snarl, and only increases his pace, helping you meet him thrust for thrust. “That’s alright, love. Take what you need.” He kisses your throat. “I missed you.”

You gasp at his words and he drops his head to your chest, solely focused on you. As promised, only moments later, your orgasm crests over you and you pull your pleasure from him, your hips setting a bruising pace against him. His name falls from your mouth, and one of his hands crawls up the back of your shirt, cradling you close. His breath is hot on your neck and he covers you in sweet, reverent kisses. 

As you’re coming down, he rises, setting you on his desk. You let your legs fall open, showing off for him as he looks down at you. 

His brow crumples as he watches you, ravaged and fallen apart before him. “I love how you feel,” he whispers, like it’s a secret. His eyes close and he slows his pace, savoring you with his hands on your thighs. You clench around him, reaching out with your fingertips. With his current position, you’re just able to brush the skin below his navel, feeling the coarse hair there. 

He takes you slowly, and you find most of your enjoyment watching him fall into you. Eyes closed, his hands reach for yours and lace your fingers together. Leaning over you, he brings your joined hands above your head, pressing kisses to your neck and collarbones. 

When his peak washes over him, the sweetest sound of relief leaves his chest. His hands leave your grasp and glide down your arms, your sides, your hips. From there, his hands assist you as you sit up, his fingers splayed over your shoulders and spine. 

Your arms settle around his shoulders, and you press your face into his neck with a satisfied hum. “That was really fun.”

He chuckles. “Loathsome in theory, but definitely fun in practice.” A kiss is pressed to your temple, and he lifts you from the desk, still inside you. 

You know you’re both creating a trail of nefarious substances on the floor as he walks down the hall to your bedroom, but knowing Aaron, he’ll deal with it before he settles into bed.

You’re loved. You know it. 

+++

tagging: @arganfics @quillvine @stxrryspencer @agenthotchner @wandaswitxh @hurricanejjareau @ughitsbaby @rousethemouse @criminalsmarts @shrimpyblog @genevievedarcygranger @ssaic-jareau @good-heavens-chris-evans @davidrossi-ismydad @angelsbabey @gublergirls @writefasttalkevenfaster @venusbarnes @ogmilkis @marvels-agents100 @hotchslatte @risenfox @mrs-dr-reid @captain-christopher-pike @dwellingsofrosie @pinkdiamond1016 @writerxinthedark @word-scribbless @aaronhotchnerr @violentvulgarvolatile @mooneylupinblack @ssareidbby @ssa-morgan @violet-amxthyst @capricorngf @pan-pride-12 @mandylove1000 @joanofarkansass @cevanswhre @infinity1321 @zizzlekwum @popped-weasels @mandylove1000 @jeor @capricorngf @missdowntonabbey @nuvoleincielo @spencerelds @ssahotchnerr @bwbatta @roses-and-grasses @winqhster

[imbellarosa]

Let’s Talk Calm-ly about Two Loves

OR: When you’re a grown man who writes stories for a living, you definitely wrote your own weird bedtime story, too. 

The TLDR here is that H has taken one specific listener around the globe, notably to Tokyo and Jamaica. He quotes an old Victorian Poet who was an awful human but who’s lasting legacy is the phrase “a love that dare not speak its name” which is - you guessed it - a reference to queer love. He also is super excited to spend what seems like the foreseeable future with this listener and has bought a little house with a garden of daisies with them and it’s very sweet and domestic. Anyways this is a wild time and it’s all under a cut because it’s...really a lot. 

Anyways I think the people I owe thank yous this times around to are @queenlokibeth​ who had to listen to me scream about this for a while, Astrid, who screamed with me when this came out, and “M” who convinced me to finally get to work in this fandom. And, of course, all of the lovely people tagged below who’s work I used to build my argument. 

1.) Who Wrote “Dream With Me”? 

Well, not H, or so the story goes. Two other people (Steve Cleverly and Sanj Sen) did! I mean, right, okay, for a while I was like...that seems like an odd choice for a man who didn’t want to hand Two Ghosts over to his own band because it seemed too personal. He wrote on every song in both albums’ he’s released thus far, because he seems to be passionate about telling the stories he wants to tell (even if he won’t tell you explicitly what they’re about). But for a while, I was totally going with the flow there, and the rest of this analysis would still stand: the writer of this story definitely referenced a poem by Lord Alfred Douglas and Harry’s own songs. 

However, I then read this fun quote from the Co-founder and CEO of Calm: 

“Well,” he said, “The the Harry Styles one is interesting because that came purely from Harry Styles himself...we took the approach of creating a sort of musical epic poem – he doesn’t sing, it’s spoken with poetry, but there’s a sort of musical sound bed to it and it’s pulling on things and themes that Harry’s fans really adore about him and associate with him. So his story was driven really by him – we really created a concept around him.” 

-  Chris Advansun, July 7th, 2020 via @hlupdate​

And I thought, hmmm. This does not sound like a project that he was not involved in creating. From this point on (July, 7th 2020), I began to think of it as a three way co-collaboration between him and the other two authors. But this confused me a bit, because there was largely a nonreaction from the fandom. I was waiting for an actual transcript, because I always fall asleep to these meditation stories, but it was being referenced to as some sort of Y/N fic, which was...honestly not what I expected, but also not implausible, thanks to the ~lovely~ image this man has had since the age of sixteen. But also, twitter seemed to be concerned by other things at the moment, and no one was analyzing the story. . 

In fact, I messaged a friend the day that this story dropped, because it had been kind of a shit show day on Twitter. Rumors were sort of flying about everyone and everything: had Liam shaved his head? Was he engaged? Had he and Maya broken up? Were Zayn and Gigi engaged? Had they broken up? Did Niall have a girlfriend? (this one was true lol). Were Elounor engaged? Were they pregnant? Had they broken up??? My personal fav was the bald Liam rumor, which he promptly put to rest in LP Act 1 by...having a huge mane of hair. 

So then I thought - huh. Why has today looked like this? I’m not saying that there aren’t days that twitter goes wild because of boredom, because there definitely is - the articles about secret meetings in Italy that are coming out this week (8/12/2020) are proof positive. So that definitely does happen, but it doesn’t usually happen on the days that there’s a lot of content. And maybe I’ve just been starved for content in this fandom, but I would consider a 40 minute video quite a bit of content. 

Then the transcript dropped. I’m using two as references - this one on Wattpad and also @carl-and-pearl ‘s version here (thank you so much for the transcript!!). We’re going to get into a more detailed description of what’s going on in the story, but the first thing I recognized immediately is that it was first person POV. I knew that going in, based on the number of Y/N jokes going around on twitter. Then I read it aloud, and I realized that it read like a letter. Like an experience specific to the writer and the reader. And while that’s not super uncommon to write about an experience from the author’s POV - I listen to a podcast called Nothing Much Happens: bedtime stories for adults which has a similar concept - I thought it was odd that they were trying to include both the author and the listener. I completely understood why the y/n jokes were pertinent. But at the same time, it felt like something had snagged in my mind - like a particularly annoying splinter. 

The conversations I was having around this story - completely based on the content, concept, and my own instinct - was that this story contained specific references to one person. I thought that it did read like a love letter, and that most identifying features would have been taken out, but the essence remained. Which, once I thought about it, was something that H excelled at doing. Think about Sunflower Vol 6 and Adore You and Canyon Moon and even Watermelon Sugar and Golden.  Ask yourself, What do I know about the person they are about? They have skin that browns, they have a secret, they have mesmerizing eyes, they’re willing to dance in the kitchen with him (to dancehall), they have a belly, they’ve been through hard times, they’re witty, they have an accent, and they have lips. I know - super specific right?

So the splinter grew into a thorn - what was I missing? And then - when I was looking for something completely different - I stumbled upon this old interview Harry did with Zach Sang and the Gang Show back in 2017.  For context, he was being asked about Sweet Creature. As you can imagine, it’s hard for people to believe he wrote such a beautiful love song when he hadn’t ever really had a long term relationship (two hearts in one home?? Who did you move in with, you can imagine them asking. When did you have time?). So what did he have to say about this?

"In my opinion,” he explained, “I think most songs are written for one listener. Maybe there's one thing in there that only they'll notice about them.... It's so much easier to say something in a song than it is to say it to someone and I think it's really amazing to be able to communicate through that and be able to wrap up everything that you want to say in three and a half minutes and say it in a song."

- HS, May 3 2017

By this time, please believe that I was screeching. Seeing this felt like he put into words the exact feeling I had about “Dream With Me”. It felt like a nod to someone that I didn’t know, which made the story hard to listen to, tbh. Although, I will say that when I did finally listen to it, it knocked me out and gave me odd dreams so. Once was enough for me haha! 

So my new operating theory is exactly what Advansun said: I think that H was the primary writer/the driving force behind the story. Because of the references I’m about to run through, because it feels like the way he tells stories, and because they admitted to him being more involved than they originally claimed. That’s going to be how I write the rest of the analysis - under the impression that H had a direct hand in the story that was being put forth. However, I think that the analysis itself would stand whether or not he wrote any of it. It would just be a more tenuous reflection of him than I believe it to be. 

2.) How Do I Love Thee? In Two Ways. 

Before I jump into the story, let’s talk a little about the poem that I want to compare it to: Two Loves, by Lord Alfred Douglas.  Let’s be clear this is not at all a defense of who Bosie was - he was a terrible person, particularly in his later years, when he’d converted to Catholicism and turned his back on his younger self, and his partner, Oscar Wilde. He was violently anti-Semitic, and turned his back on his own community. I want to get this out of the way because I very much believe that we should examine artists for who they are. That is, after all, what I am trying to do here. 

But his poem Two Loves has often been used - much to his disappointment, I’m sure - as an exploration of queer love in Victorian times. A line that I will be exploring more deeply in a second was in fact used against Oscar Wilde in his trail for indecency . He attempted - unsuccessfully - to explain it away, but it was too blatantly about their relationship for even the British Victorian society to ignore. I really, really recommend a read of this poem, because it is - despite it’s author - a good piece of work, which explores the themes of shame and love and longing between two men in that time. 

I’m going to start with my own background, as someone who’s analyzed fandoms before. I first came across this poem in the Sherlock fandom, with this analysis by @the-7-percent-solution​, when I was running in that fandom, and she explains the poem brilliantly in just a few lines. I’m going to take a little longer to run through it, but if you want a concise explanation and a brilliant meta, I encourage you to run to their blog and check it out. That fandom taught me most everything I know about catching symbols and recurring themes and “clueing for looks” and I love it desperately, still. 

But we’re here to talk about this fandom, so on with the poem! Essentially, the poem outlines a dream the speaker had: In his dream, he’s standing in a field with flowers - beautiful ones of all kind - and he meets this young man with clear blue eyes and bright red lips and they kiss a bit and have a picnic, and it’s all lovely. If you think I’m kidding, I’m really not. Please, read it for yourself. 

Anyways, after they did they did the whole picnic thing, the speaker and his date go on a walk in this field, where they come across two figures. The first is described as, 

“...fair and blooming, and a sweet refrain Came from his lips; he sang of pretty maids And joyous love of comely girl and boy, His eyes were bright, and 'mid the dancing blades Of golden grass his feet did trip for joy; And in his hand he held an ivory lute With strings of gold that were as maidens' hair, And sang with voice as tuneful as a flute, And round his neck three chains of roses were.” 

- Two Loves, 1894

The speaker, however, was drawn to the second figure: 

“He was full sad and sweet, and his large eyes Were strange with wondrous brightness, staring wide With gazing; and he sighed with many sighs That moved me, and his cheeks were wan and white Like pallid lilies, and his lips were red Like poppies, and his hands he clenched tight, And yet again unclenched, and his head Was wreathed with moon-flowers pale as lips of death. A purple robe he wore, o'erwrought in gold With the device of a great snake, whose breath Was fiery flame..”

- Two Loves, 1984

Of course, the speaker immediately asks the second man who he is. The second man says, “My name is Love”. The first man corrects him quickly: 

“ He lieth, for his name is Shame, But I am Love, and I was wont to be Alone in this fair garden, till he came Unasked by night; I am true Love, I fill The hearts of boy and girl with mutual flame.”

-Two Loves, 1984

The second man sighs and acquiesces, “Have thy will. I am the love that dare not speak its name.” 

It was, of course, this last line that really gave the meaning of the poem away. It was the line that was put to Oscar Wilde as proof of a romantic relationship, it was the line that went down in history as a way to refer to queer love, and it was the line that first stuck out to me when I was reading “Dream With Me”. 

The reading here is clearly that “Love” is the love that is acceptable to society - easy, sweet, and cherished. “Shame” is the love that happens in secret - beautiful, alluring to the speaker, passionate, anxious ( as can be seen in the clenching and unclenching of his hands), and proud. He refuses to call himself as anything but what he is. The first man may call him Shame, but he refuses the name, and instead, offers a qualifier to his own descriptor. He is still love, he is just the love that can’t be spoken about. 

3.) Walking in Golden Fields of Sunflowers

Now let’s talk about “Dream With Me”. I’m ignoring the first few stanzas (from the line “Have you ever wondered” to “What the two of us can find”.) because those are pretty standard introductory paragraphs to a guided meditation. So we start with the line “Let’s travel now to moonlit valleys...”. 

I’m going to do the same thing I did with “Two Loves” first. I am going to describe literally, in general terms, what happens in the story. Warning, I change pronouns from “they” to “you” because the whole thing confuses me, but note that I’m always talking about the speaker and the listener: 

So after doing the standard intro, the speaker and the listener take a walk through the woods enjoying nature, particularly the grass, the trees, and the blue sky above. You’re already clearly in love. Then you’re magically on a raft, with cherry blossoms all around you. If you want a good visual for that, here’s a site that has pictures from a boat rental in Tokyo where you can snuggle on a raft in the  Chidorigafuchi moat. And then suddenly it starts raining, and they (you) watch the rain for a hot second, and then the scene magically shifts again, and you’re under a porch (although I guess it could be the boat rental’s porch. They do usually have covered areas). 

Kind of furthering that theory, they then lounge by the shoreline, skipping stones and hanging out, looking at the snow capped mountains. In case you’re curious, because at this point I sure was, you can see mountains from certain areas in the city of Tokyo. 

Anyways, then it’s snowing, and you’re magically in a cabin, just chilling by the fire, and you fall asleep again. You wake up somewhere else.

Where are you now? Well, you’re on a tropical island filled with palm trees. As an American, my mind immediately jumps to the Caribbean, but I suppose it could absolutely be in the Mediterranean as well. The island has white beaches, mangroves, a turquoise ocean, and a gorgeous, peaceful atmosphere. 

If you’re curious as to what a mangrove looks like - and I certainly was - they are a group of trees and shrubs that live in the coastal intertidal zone and Jamaica is doing a massive restoration project involving primary school children to regrow this vital part of their ecosystem. More interestingly, there currently exist no mangrove forests in the Mediterranean, so my initial feeling that this scene would take place in the Caribbean was correct. On that note - again, because I was curious - Jamaica has gorgeous white sand beaches with turquoise oceans. 

But I’ve gone off topic again! After you’re minds are “in tune” once more (trying to find a heartbeat, anyone?), you reappear in a meadow, with beautiful flowers of all kind, where you are now walking hand in hand through a field of sunflowers, which give the feeling a “warm and golden hue”. Then you come across a little farmhouse with daisies poking out (clearly I have no way of locating this anywhere in the world, but I assume that the UK has both sunflowers and daisies). It’s an empty house which was loved and left because of the passage of time, which inspires my favorite line in the poem: “ The thought of passing time inspires/A feeling that grows stronger”. It’s just...really sweet to me. 

So, of course, they do what anyone would do when they come across an empty farmhouse, they go inside. And there, they begin to fall asleep, reflecting on all they have just seen, referencing other scenes of the poem: “ Moonlit valleys, Burdened forests, Gazing at the ocean. Summer meadows, Tranquil sunsets steeped in emotion”. 

The next few stanzas are just going to be copy-pasted, and then I’ll go into them a bit, but this is the end of the poem, so they’re the final reflections;

“The tenderness we feel When we are close Two minds as one Surrounds us and connects us But we’ve only just begun.

For now we dream together Of all there is to follow. And know that sleep will keep us safe From now until tomorrow.

Maybe all the memories That we’ve gathered here tonight Are all dreams now remembered Or wishes in plain sight.

No matter what They’re with us now. For this night and forever. And every time we close our eyes They’re yours and mine to treasure.” 

- HS, Dream With Me, via @carl-and-pearl​

And that’s it! The literal story, in short, is that you started in a forest, then went to Tokyo (maybe) and then Jamaica (perhaps) and then back to a field of sunflowers and daisies in the UK (which is also a guess, it could be Italy or France or Idaho for all I know, but let’s call it an educated guess). 

4.) My Dream Journal

So now that we know what happens in the story, how do we interpret this? Well, There are a few lines in the poem that I want to draw your attention to: the first takes place in the first part of this story, when you’re still in the forest. This is, I must say, the most direct reference to Two Loves in the whole poem/song/story. Both works are describing a walk in the woods with your loved one, and, in a fun reference in the middle of the story, Dream With Me says

The shimmering reflection Shows us smiling from above. But what we think But dare not speak is L-O-V-E love.

-Dream With Me, 2020

Remember that line I mentioned before? I am the love that dare not speak its name. Right, so that’s almost a direct quote. It also has a really fun nod to “I Would” (Would he say he’s in L-O-V-E?/Well if it was me then I would), but I digress. 

This first part of the narrative, I feel, really sets up what the rest of it will look and feel like, in the same way that “Golden” sets the tone for Fine Line. (You didn’t think I was going to make a post about Harry and NOT mention Golden, did you?? If you did, I’m disappointed!!). So  let’s take a look at what’s happening, and the language he’s using to describe it. 

One of the best things about this poem is how vivid it feels. Of course, I’m about to argue that it’s vivid because it was based in reality, but let’s talk about the sheer amount of detail he uses to describe the place he’s walking through. The valley (canyon lmao) is moonlit, the grass and the leaves make mosaics of green, you’re walking by the heather (the symbolism of heather is good luck, admiration, and protection), the sepia sunlight breaks through the trees. 

You know what it kind of sounds like? Sweet Creature. You’re about to roll your eyes at me! I can feel it! But listen, okay?  

“Sweet creature Running through the garden Oh, where nothing bothered us But we're still young I always think about you and how we don't speak enough”

Which, to be honest, sounds like what they’re doing. They’re walking through the garden in the sun, not daring to speak about the Love that he (they both) feel, and instead refering to it in veiled Victorian terms. 

And then we head to Tokyo! I know that you’re about to ask me why I think it’s Tokyo versus...idk, anywhere else? Well, for one, he went to Tokyo (to let it go) publicly in 2019. He was there for a few months, and there are some great pictures of that time: 

Look! Here he is with his club owner friend and his dog, and a fun red bandanna! But let’s be honest, the dog really steals the show here. But wait! there’s more! More dog content, too!

This was on Jan 31st, 2019, and he’s taking the dog for a walk! Very cute! If nothing else, he spent a lot of time with dogs in Tokyo! And the city fits the description of the story. So I feel rather comfortable with my interpretation that this first date is a memory of this trip - or another - to Tokyo. 

So what did “you both”do in Tokyo? Well, chill on a raft while the cherry blossoms flutter around you, clearly. You also refocused your purpose. What did he do in Tokyo in 2019? Well, he took time to think about and write songs for the album he was about to go record. Kind of like refocusing on what’s next, right? And then, in the story when “you both” had time to think amongst the lake and the water and the rain and the moon, and you’d come to the conclusions you needed to, you left. What did he do when he did the things he needed to? Well, he left, too. 

And where did he go? Well, in real life, I suppose he went to do his job. But, in the story, you’re meant to be falling deeper and deeper into sleep, so it’s sort of like traveling backwards, you see? Like counting down to one. So you end up on this island with turquoise ocean and mangrove forests. I’m calling this Jamaica. Why? Well, the description fits, for one, down to the four types of mangroves that exists within its ecosystem. 

And - probably the biggest reason - I can place him there, too. Here’s him in 2017:

I added this picture because the water around him....looks rather turquoise, doesn’t it? Kind of like he’s enjoying his time on a tropical island by the beach?? Oh, and here’s another one!: 

The red bandanna makes a comeback! 

So what are you doing in Jamaica, according to the story? Well, you’re hanging out, basically. Enjoying the beach and each other, of course!  What else? To be exact, “[Your] thoughts dovetail and unify/ In tune two minds together”. I’m so glad that you’re tuned like an old guitar now! Congrats! Really happy for you! 

What was he doing in Jamaica three years ago? Why, he was recording his first album, or so the story goes. I’ll tell you something: finding press for that album was literally the most difficult part of this whole analysis. I got a fair bit of the tattoo roulette with Kendall Jenner, and some things about Carolina, but the interview with Zach Sang took me like an hour and a half to find again to link. The fact that a lot of it has been buried is...not great, for posterity purposes. He’s going to want that one day. 

But I’ve gotten off track again! We gotta go back and finish our story, right? What happens now? Well, this does: 

hahahaha okay, I’m really sorry, but I had to. I’m not, actually, making it up though! According to the story: 

“ As minutes turn to hours We drift off somewhere new. And visualize a stairway To a door we now walk through”

- Dream With Me, 2020

So maybe Louis was just...demonstrating for you. 

Anyways! Where do you walk out to? A golden field full of sunflowers. You walk for a minute, then come across an old house with daisies popping up out of the garden. And that’s where the story ends. I guess you’ve made that farmhouse feel like home. 

Now to the little reflection he does on the outro. The lines I want to bring your attention are: “The tenderness we feel when we are close two minds as one surrounds us and connects us but we’ve only just begun” and “Maybe all the memories that we’ve gathered here tonight are all dreams now remembered or wishes in plain sight.”

Let’s talk about the first sentence first. In the context of finding a home that could be a shared home, and a future, this is very much an “end of the story, beginning of our lives” sort of thing. You’re back from all over, and it’s time to settle down, and see what’s next. 

And now the second sentence. I think this is the one that really drives my point about this story being a collection of memories he has - that’s what he calls it. The story is “gathered memories” that might also be called “remembered dreams” (think of how people say of vacations, “oh it was a dream!”) or you might call it “wishes in plain sight”. This feels in line with the rest of the story. In this stanza, he’s sort of letting you in a bit. If I’ve read this right - and I really think that I have - he’s giving the larger context for the story. It’s a collection of memories he’s had with someone he loves. 

5.) Cool! Can you prove it? 

I mean, I’d argue that if you read this far, I have proved it, but let’s make some more links, shall we? This was called a “muscial epic” that was “driven by him”. I’d argue that if I know my Victorian literature (thank you, Sherlock!), then he definitely does. Then there’s the fact that he quoted it, so. That did happen. And he knows what it means. And even if he didn’t, there were two other people on the story. Someone was more than capable of catching that one, and the fact that they didn’t speaks to intent. They want you to think of that phrase when you read this poem. They want you to think of that walk in the woods while you’re going on this one. 

And, as for my assumption that this is for and about one person, well. Think about it. He said that he writes his songs for a single listener. I’m not saying it’s the same listener each time, let’s get that right, but it is always just for one person. With that, and with the assumption that he’s been involved in the writing of this story, I’d say that the same rule applies. He went with someone to Japan and Jamaica (J^2 haha). And, if I had to guess, it was the same person. 

Why, you ask? Well, for one, if that weren’t the case, then this poem would no longer be for one listener, it would be for multiple. And, for another, imagine how awkward it would be to listen to it with his current partner and have to explain “oh, yeah that was the super romantic vacation I took with someone else” . And, I suppose that because I think that attitude of “refocusing” and “dovetailing” and “tuning” and getting excited about imagining all of the tomorrows with your partner speaks to a long term relationship breathing easily, you know? 

I’m also going to argue that describing the aura around the house as “golden” was intentional, especially when paired with the location - in the middle of a field of sunflowers. Those are both direct references to his songs. And those two songs are particularly linked by the number 28. The third song that features 28 is Fine Line the song, but that’s a different story. Anywho! “Golden”’s bridge just repeats the word ‘golden’ twenty eight times (if you go here , you can count the bridge) and “Sunflower Vol. 6″ ends the song with 28 “boops” (believe me, I wish I was making this up. I’m not.). So then, once again, you’ve linked a story to two already linked songs. 

And, even if you don’t buy the intentional repetition, they’re linked another way, aren’t they? The color scheme and the sun symbol. Sunflowers were named because of their sun-like appearance. They turn to face it. They symbolize loyalty and adoration. And then, of course, the sun is - say it with me - golden. And it - like the person in golden - waits in the sky, beautiful and dangerous and constant. And here that symbol is, in a farmhouse in the middle of nowhere. At home. 

This whole story feels like you’re taking the time to find that heartbeat that you think you might have lost, and sort of coming back to a space where you understand that this is what you want, now and forever. It feels like finding a home that could be yours forever, and it feels like walking through some of the moments that remind him of that. 

It really is rather lovely, if you think about it, especially since he has a tendency to attribute “home” to people rather than place, in his songs. So it’s like. Going all around the world and always being at home. 

[musingsofvenus]

do you have any tips for writers who want to write more but can’t seem to do it for some reason? I noticed that you’re super prolific - how do you write so much and so often? I love the fic I’m writing and I want to write it but I get so caught up in self doubt and not having the right words to say that I get all frustrated

So one of the first things is to not beat yourself up over not writing. Sometimes you don't feel like it or you're just not feeling inspired, and that's totally okay! Writing is supposed to be fun!! If you're feeling self doubt about your writing then just remember that at the end of the day the only person you need to impress is you.

I don't worry about whether my stories are good or not to other people because I'm writing to entertain myself. If other people like what I got, cool! If they don't, 🤷🏾‍♀️. Be your own hype person!!

Let's discuss my Kill Bill AU. That fic doesn't nearly get as much engagement as anything else I've written. My Bella x Jacob fics are infinitely more popular. And yet, I still treat my crack fic very seriously. I rewatch the Kill Bill movies countless times to write a chapter. I reread the film transcripts to cross check details where I can slip in Twilight references. I don't think anyone really notices those nuanced details unless I point them out in my author notes, which hardly anyone reads. But I'm still writing it because it's for fun for ME and I think it's a goddamn masterpiece.

Even if your story ideas are half baked just go for it. Shoot for the moon. Do it for yourself. Again, be your own hype person!!!!

Writing tips when you're in a slump below the cut

When I'm not in the mood to write, I try other things to get my writing brain working again like: making characters from picrew, browsing pinterest for visual inspo of settings and outfits, writing character fact sheets, and sometimes I even make 3d floorplans of places in my stories. For me, this helps with world building or fleshing out characters. Then the story comes more easily.

Another thing I do is read and take notes. A lot!!! Although I currently write a bunch for twilight, I don't actually read many twilight fics. I search for fics, regardless of fandom, based on scenes/conflict/tropes/genres that I'm stuck on to get a sense of how other authors write them. Then I just try to remodel it to fit into my stories. I keep a plethora of private bookmarks on AO3 with specific tags for this purpose, and I 10/10 recommend taking notes from your favorite writers if you're stuck on dialogue, pacing, portraying emotions, or whatever.

And reading isn't exclusive to fics/books either! I follow a bunch of blogs and tags for writing prompts and tips, specific tropes, and poem excerpts. TV shows and movies are good source material too.

Finally, when I can't find the right words I basically default to 4 things:

1) Skip a scene entirely by inserting things like [sword fight here]. I search for the brackets and fix it later when I find the right words. In the meantime, I write other scenes that I'm in the mood to do

2) Check wordhippo.com for better synonyms and phrases than what I currently have. Write that awful sentence and make a note to update it later! At least I got something down on paper. Small victories

3) Write notes or an outline of what I would like to happen in a scene/chapter and address it in small pieces. Fragile has a document of 150k+ words for notes and two spreadsheets. Sounds insane but when I'm stuck it's a lifesaver

4) Text/call my friends/fam and word vomit scenarios with no context at them to help me brainstorm ideas. Last year I was in the car with my mom and asked her, 'if I suddenly turned into werewolf in front of you what would you do?' Chapters 12 and 18 of Fragile are based on that conversation! Literally.

Hopefully something in my babbling resonated with you! I have a bunch more tips that I reblogged under my tag 'writing tips' that could also help

[captain-barnes-writes]

Someone Like You [5/6]

Summary: In which Sebastian tries to win you back a year and a half after your relationship’s rupture, but only because there’s a new man in your life. [Part 5]

(Mini-series)

Pairing: Sebastian Stan x Latina

Warning: Angst (LOTS) , language, 18+. 

NOT PROOFREAD so watch out for lots of errors.

Word count: 4.5k

You’d avoided thinking of Sebastian for a good portion of the morning, but he was creeping back into your head forbidding you from forgetting what had happened just last night. Upon arriving at your hotel room the night before, you had turned into a weeping mess while still clad in your beautiful satin dress, a huge contrast to the ugly emotions that were seeping out of you. Sobs had wracked through your body to the point it had become hard to breathe.

The strong smell of him lingered on your body as if taunting you that he still owned every part of your being. Despite everything, despite the many months apart and despite the very reason why things had not worked out he still had an effect on you. Even after you’d jumped into the shower to wash the night away, especially to rid of his scent and the smell of sex that had followed you, you could still feel his lingering hands on you, the wet trail his lips would leave on your skin. As if taunting you, his scent was still present even in your room. You couldn’t escape him.

He still managed to pull at your every heartstring. It was the silky locks, the azure eyes with the crinkles on each end and that toothy grin of his. It was the way a single glance your way and you were a puddle at his feet, melting for him. But whatever happened last night had been a mistake, he was a part of your past and had to stay there. Yet you still found yourself pondering over how after so much time he could hold such a part of you, tight and permanent. The fluttering sensation in your belly, and pressure on your chest weighing heavy and electric that he induced with just one glance let you know that he was still very much a part of you. And when he looked at you, kissed you, let alone put his hands anywhere on you? It was a magnetic force so strong it left you breathless.

With a heavy chest and an even heavier heart, you thought of how you’d become pathetic and submissive all over again with just a mere touch of his. So puddy in his hands, holding onto every word that fell from his lips. His hands had been so greedy, wanting to hold you and kiss you all at once. He’d been everywhere, placed his large hands on every single part of your body. And you couldn’t lie to yourself, couldn’t deny the deep attraction that was clearly still present.

The magnetic pull, the sexual tension and desperation that had surrounded both your glistening bodies the night before was an engraved image in your head; pinned to your mind not letting you forget how he’d felt inside you. How he took you with such force, kissed you as if your lips were his only mean of survival.  It was memorable what you’d both shared. Raw and emotional and in its wake left a gaping hole in your heart.

Despite how good it had felt while it happened, once it ended everything felt as if it had come crashing down. Like shattering glass around you, falling, breaking and so very loud, your mind had woken you from the bliss that had been shared in that stuffy closet. Like an alarm that rang and rang and the only way of shutting it off was the very act of leaving. Again. And so you did, you ran off once again from the man who’d held your heart almost two years ago and had refused to care for it. Refused to hold only you and you alone. He’d been valiant enough to corner you and take you again with such confidence, then you were valiant enough of walking away too.

But this time it felt different. Horribly different because there was pain growing inside, building up and tormenting you. You had been unfaithful. It didn’t matter that the relationship with Romeo was not yet serious or that he was away in a different country at the moment, none of that mattered because your desire for Sebastian shouldn’t have clouded what reality was in the first place. Nothing should have made you forget your morals and had you commit such a sinful act. It felt as if the guilt was diminishing you if you didn’t come clean or at least put pause on the budding relationship.

As if he had an extra sense, your phone rang next to you breaking you from the torturous thoughts that had been clawing at you. Romeo’s name appeared on the screen, his contact picture blank. Swallowing loudly with tears already brimming your eyes, you took a hold of your phone with shaky hands. God, what the hell were you going to say?

“Hi.” Was all you managed to choke out when you finally answered. Voice low and dull, nothing compared to the usual silkiness and cheerfulness that laced it.

“What is going on, Y/N?” Romeo’s boomed through the phone. The background noise was distracting, loud chattering in Spanish could be heard.

“What?” You felt slightly shaken at the tone of his voice, he didn’t sound like the sweet Romeo you’d grown used to hearing. He sounded different and, dare say, impolite without even a simple greeting to start the conversation off.

“I’m not a fool, Y/N. What the fuck happened yesterday? What are all these pictures of you and that damn actor from those Marvel movies?” He paused, the sound of heavy footsteps could be heard and the background noise was slowly disappearing. “They’re circulating everywhere to the point that people keep tagging me on that shit.”

You shouldn’t have, but a wave of relief washed through you. He was referring to Chris and at the mention of him you wanted to laugh. Even he thought the same as the media and besides the relief, you also felt upset.

“Oh, that...I got really anxious during the red carpet and he was nice enough to help me out. Walked me inside the venue and all. After the awards, we were just chatting.”

“You’re making me look like a fool. My whole team thinks so too.” It was apparent that he was only concerned about his image and the way people perceived him. It was disappointing to hear the roughness of his voice, accusatory and unkind. Though deep inside you were telling yourself that you deserved this type of treatment. You deserved it because even though he was upset about something that had not even happened, there was still something to be upset about. He just didn’t know what.

“I can’t befriend people because it makes you look bad? That makes no sense.” The words had flown past your lips before you could even think. You wanted to take the accusations, forgive them because you’d done something awful, but you weren’t that type of person anymore. You didn’t let men walk all over you.

“That looked more than friendly to me.”

“Yes, to you. My line of job has me meeting people constantly, as does yours, so either you get used to it or you don’t.” You had no filter. The words were just coming out without much thought. You wanted to be calm and let him continue accusing you using the harsh edge in his voice because you deserved it. You felt like he had every right to treat you this way, to denounce your behavior because he was right it had been more than friendly. It had become more than friendly just not with Chris, but with a different man he didn’t even know about.

“¿Qué estás diciendo? Se clara conmigo.” What are you saying? Be clear with me.

“You heard me. I’m not going to sit here and let you accuse me of anything. ” You responded, voice somewhat shaky. You were pleading with yourself to let you be firm and to keep an even voice, but your eyes were already welling up with tears for the second time in less than a day.

“Don’t embarrass me anymore,  that’s all I’m asking.” He couldn’t be serious, you thought. The world didn’t revolve around him.

“Vete a la verga.” Go to hell.

And you hung up the phone. You didn’t know what had come over you. You wanted so badly to take the treatment and the accusations because you were worthy of them. Despite Romeo’s true colors that were coming to light, you had still done him wrong. You’d slept with another man and now you had probably just ended a relationship not even over that, but because of another man whom you had nothing to do with. You were an awful person.

Although you were an emotional mess and felt like one too your mind drifted to what Romeo had said about being tagged in certain pictures. You became curious and despite the state of being you were in, curiosity always overrode anything.

Grabbing your phone again you did the one thing you were advised to never do, google yourself. Upon typing your name in the search bar and hitting the search button, instead of it being about you it was about none other than Chris Evans. High quality pictures had surfaced the web the moment your anxiety fiasco happened last evening and it had become an even bigger deal today.

Y/N flirts with Chris Evans.

Romeo who? Y/N cuddles up to Chris Evans.

You pressed your face back into the pillow and groaned loudly. The sound echoed in the empty room as the city of Angels boomed below you. You were upset that even the sweet interaction such as yours and Chris could be taken so out of context. The man was no doubt an Adonis, you weren’t blind and you’d be a liar if you said your heart hadn’t beat faster at the sight of him yesterday. But it had all been so innocent and his gentlemanly actions had been genuine and with no underlying intentions. It was nothing but friendly.  He’d been gallant, extending his arm so you could hook yours through it to get you out of the dramatic disaster that had been your red carpet experience. That was it. People were insatiable with their yearning for new information on people’s personal lives, wanting every little detail.

You’d taken pictures with other people at the after party and those pictures were out there too, but the media had clawed at those images that included Chris and ran with them. Of course, he was single and any woman who crossed his path was apparently dating him. You hated that now you were rumored to be one of them.

You were now a fuse of different emotions. Sadness because your relationship had just ended through a phone call, guilt because you’d been unfaithful and a flare of anger because you couldn’t believe your interaction with Chris had been taken as otherwise.

You saved one of the images to your camera roll. You were upset because many things in your life had come tumbling down in a matter of hours, but you knew that only you could discredit rumors that had no foundation. You didn’t want to become a victim of the media and knew just how to fix this.

Just letting y’all know that @ChrisEvans noticed me become extremely anxious in the middle of the red carpet & was kind enough to walk me the rest of the way. That is all. Please don’t believe these dating rumors, men and women CAN be friends🙄

You typed on twitter and attached a picture of him being the perfect gentleman, your arm hooked to his, bearded face smiling while he led you down the carpet. The real fixture of the picture was the clearly agitated face expression you wore. Lips formed into a nervous smile, anxious with knitted brows, forehead creased.

Pleased with the words and image, you pressed send to your tweet and dropped your phone back onto the bed. It bounced on the very edge of the very edge of the bed, any sudden movements and it would fall to the floor but you didn’t care.

Your cheeks were still wet with tears. Eyes dull, saddened and you felt exhausted. Chest so heavy it felt as if a weight was on top of it. Crawling under the covers you decided that the only way to forget about everything at least for a few hours was to doze off into a deep sleep.

-------

When you arrived back in New York a few days later after having concluded with a packed schedule, the weather had significantly dropped. You noticed the way the trees were still continuing to change in colors and drop their foliage on the wet floor. The holiday season was commencing and the vibrant colors of lights and many christmas decorations were already up throughout the city. It was such a divine sight and provided a serene feeling throughout your body. It felt like such a contrast from the way life had been playing out for you the last few days. Everything had changed in such a short time.

Your apartment was exactly as you’d left it and because the temperature had dropped even being in the comfort of it you felt as if you were freezing so you’d turned on the heater. You’d spent the last few hours trying to forget what the reality of your personal life was by taking the christmas decorations from storage and beginning the process of decorating that you loved so much. The holiday season was one of your favorites and despite the emotional state you were in, bits of happiness had oozed into your aura.

Frank Sinatra’s Fly Me to the Moon was rudely interrupted by the ringing of the doorbell. You hadn’t contacted anybody in the last few days so nobody knew you were back in New York so you felt a little puzzled as to who it could be. You looked down at yourself in a haste noting that you were decent enough with your cozy oversized clothing. With a huff, you opened the door.

“Sebastian.” You sputtered out at the sight of the disheveled man. Like you, he was clad in comfortable clothing. Black sweats and a large jacket. With a shocked expression you noted how he looked so tired with dark undereye circles and he looked awfully cold standing in the hallway of your apartment complex.

“Hey.” Was all he said. His hands in his pockets.

“What are you doing here?”

He remained quiet for a few seconds, his teeth biting the plushiness of his bottom lip. Sebastian was just standing there looking at you as if you were the one standing in his apartment. As if you’d been the one to show up to his place unannounced.

“I know you probably don’t want to see me, Y/N. But I really have to talk to you. Can I please come inside?” His azure eyes were almost pleading, gazing at you. Even in the situation you found yourself in you couldn’t help but take notice of how blue his eyes were in the light, gleaming and so pretty. It was inappropriate to even be thinking of him this way when he’d just asked you a question and you seemed to be stalling.

“Uh. I don’t know, Sebastian.” You were unsure if to let him in. You’d been so weak for him at a venue filled with hundreds of people that you didn’t trust yourself to be alone with him in your apartment.

“I just really have to talk to you. Please.” He was begging and looked so desperate for you to say yes. He looked so cold just standing there in the freezing hallway that his lips seemed chapped too. You were pitying him despite everything and thought how this was the exact reason why sometimes you were taken advantage of. You were too kind.

Regardless of how much internal battle was taking place within you, you nodded and pushed the door ajar to let him in. He walked into your living room, taking a seat on the love seat opposite you when you did too.  The atmosphere felt a little awkward.

“I can’t stop thinking about that night, Y/N. I know I shouldn’t have initiated it, but it felt so right at the time. And even now, it still feels right.” Sebastian started.

“That night wasn’t supposed to happen, Sebastian. I did something awful to someone I was in a relationship with by being unfaithful. And guess what?” You paused, slightly chucking at yourself and the way life seemed to be playing with you. “Not even a day after I cheated and we broke up. Not even because of us, by the way, but because of something completely unrelated. And now here you are in my living room almost a week after we had sex and I’m...lost.”

Sebastian’s gaze was glued on you, he looked desperate. But you didn’t know what he was desperate for. You were confused as to why he was in your apartment in the first place.

“I’m sorry about your relationship.”

“No you’re not.” Was your response. He wasn’t sorry at all, why would he be?

“My relationship just recently ended too. But this was a little bit before the awards show.” God, what did he want from you. You wanted to know why he was at your apartment but he was beating around the bush.

“Oh. Well, I’m sorry about that.” You unconsciously took your lip in between your teeth while looking down at your clasped hands. Your apartment was warmer now with the heater having been on for a few hours and you made a mental note to turn it off soon.

“I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you. And this has been going on for a long time, Y/N. It’s not a recent thing. I think what triggered it even more was when I saw those music videos of you and...Well I felt extremely jealous. And I felt so angry with myself at having let you go and not treated you the way you deserved.” Sebastian stopped himself as he broke his gaze from you to look down at his hands. “And God, he just couldn’t even keep his hands off you...fuck, it was like you were a piece of meat to him and you just let him touch you like that.” His blue eyes were wide, mouth slightly ajar while he ran his hands through his hair in frustration. He had no right to be telling you off like this, especially not when you were witness to his many escapades with other women after you called it quits with him. No matter how hard you tried to avoid any news on him, it always came up somehow. It had been a nightmare.

“Who do you think you are, Sebastian?” You retorted, loud enough to alert him but not loud enough for your neighbors to hear. You didn’t let him answer as you continued spewing your rage. “So what’s it to you now? It seems like you suddenly want me again only because you saw me with another man. Was it because it wasn’t you?” You spat, doe eyes furious. Even with the gushing hot anger pulsing through you, this whole scenario was somewhat satisfying to you. After so long, he was the one in a jealous fit.

“Because that should be me. I feel like it’ll always be me.” His face had perked up at your questions, face still red with anger but slightly softening his hardened expression. He’d gotten to his feet, rounded the coffee table and started walking to you in a slow manner, careful not to push you away. You were on your feet then too, watching his movements and not at all knowing what to expect next from him.

“I don’t belong to you, Sebastian.” He hated the way his name seethed out of your mouth because you used to call him adoring names or whenever his name flew past your lips it wasn’t out of anger.

“Did you think I was going to sit around and wait for you? You refused to commit to me. I mean we weren’t even in a relationship according to you. You didn’t have time for one, didn’t have the type of commitment it took to be in one. Even the thought of being in that type of situation again makes me sick now.” Your voice was wavering, but your newfound confidence had not. He was going to hear what you had to say and he was going to hear it loud and clear. “You never did much for me. We were always holed up in my apartment because it seemed as if you didn’t want to be seen with me.”

“No, that was not it at all. Don’t think I was ashamed of you because that’s not it.” Sebastian was grabbing at his hair again, and this time he was pacing your living room back and forth. He couldn’t believe you thought he’d been ashamed of you.

“I was stupid. I was a fucking idiot who didn’t appreciate you and had commitment issues. That’s it, but I was never ashamed of you. I don’t want you to think that.” He exclaimed, eyes meeting your teary ones. He didn’t want to make you cry, and the sight of your pretty face with fresh tears falling down your cheeks was eating him alive.

“What the fuck do you want from me?” You cried out, hands wailing in the air in exasperation.

“To be with you.” Sebastian choked out. He was coming to terms with his feelings again, he’d pushed them aside for too long.

“Fuck, that’s all I want baby. To be with you. A chance to make it right by you and treat you the way I should have done before. I’m sorry for not appreciating you before and for taking you for granted. I’m sorry for being a blind asshole. I’m sorry for everything. You deserve the whole world and I’m willing to do anything to give you just that.” He was walking closer to you, hands stretched in front of him to grab hold of your arms. Your heart was beating erratically and eyes searched your living room, looking everywhere but him.

“Look me at me, doll.” He whispered as he stood in front of you now. He was so close. Too close that you could feel his breath fanning down at your face. He was taller than you and your eyes peered up at him through long dark lashes .

“I can’t, Seb…” Your voice was wavering, the confidence it oozed earlier was diminishing. You were internally screaming at the fact that he still had an effect on you. A heavy deep seated effect that pulled waves of electricity through you as his hand traveled up to caress your tense jaw.

“Fuck, yes you can. We can. Don’t you feel this?” He was inching ever closer if it was possible. His body plush against yours.

“No. ” You said, eyes breaking contact with his and hands pushing at his chest to move him away. He slightly stumbled backwards, not expecting the harsh refusal from your part.

“And you need to leave right now.” You pointed at the door. His shoulders had dropped at the sound of your words and he felt so dejected at your refusal to be with him now. He knew exactly how he had made you feel now because he felt devastated. Chest tight and his breathing uneven. You were tearing him apart.

“Is that really what you want?” His voice was low, eyes downcast as his hand slipped from your arm.

“Yes.” You whispered, your eyes looking forward trying so hard to focus on the tan lamp at the far end of the room. Even though it tore him apart, he walked his way back to the front door. He turned again just to take a quick glance at you as if expecting you to change your mind. When you didn’t even budge, didn’t even offer a single look at him, his demeanor faltered and he sauntered past the door managing to shut it behind him.

A sudden pang of excessive emotion allocated itself in your chest. So heavy it almost had you gasping. Cheeks wet with fresh tears and lips quivering, you were in such disarray not even a minute after he’d walked out the door. Even after so long, this is what you’d wanted. Him finally confessing how he felt about you, showing you the very emotions you so deeply felt for him.

You were unable to move as if glued to the spot near the sofa staring into space as cries wracked through your body. The man you thought you had stopped loving and had seemingly forgotten had just left and instead of feeling relief or a gust of calmness, you felt desolate. You were being forced to face the very reality that you didn’t just desire Sebastian, you were undoubtedly still in love with him. It didn’t matter that you’d been apart for so long, none of that mattered because what you felt for him was otherworldly.

And maybe you were the most ludicrous person in the world and maybe you deserved to get your heart broken many times again, but your feet dashed to the front door. You swiftly pulled it open, expecting to find the hallway empty. But Sebastian was still cemented there, back against the wall of the narrow hallway, with teary eyes. He pushed himself off the wall as your figure planted itself in front of him.

“Y/N.” He gently whispered your name. Frantic eyes meeting, both swollen and red, and his hands had moved to touch you in a desperate manner but they moved back as if scared you’d stalk back inside your apartment and leave him.

“When you walked out, I felt—I felt everything was closing in on me and this sudden rush of sadness washed over me. I don’t know why I feel this way about you, Sebastian. You know, maybe I’ll never be able to understand why after everything that’s happened between us we still have this strong connection. And I’m probably stupid for even contemplating this…”

Sebastian was holding onto every word you were uttering. Waiting for you to say the words he wanted to hear the most. He watched you pause, trying to gather your thoughts with your lip between your teeth.

“You get one chance, Sebastian. One chance and you better not fuck it up.”  You finally finished. Sebastian’s mouth had fallen agape first before a large smile began to form on his handsome face. He immediately moved his body to reach out to yours, but you backed away.

“Not so fast. We’re going to do things differently this time.” You pursed your lips. He was still beaming at you and you tried so hard to fight off the same expression from your face.

“I’m going to take you on a date. That’s the first thing I’m going to do.”

“What?”

“I’m going to do things differently this time, Y/N.” Sebastian was looking at you with gleaming eyes as if they were reserved just for you. His smile hadn’t faded away. 

“Tomorrow we’re going on our first date.”

----------

Good god this took me so long to write lol I feel like this is a horrible chapter! Next chapter will be the final one. Lee Bodecker is next on my list🥴

Thanks for reading y’all ♥️ 

@jeremyrennerfanxxxx123

[anotherbeingsworld]

Here Tonight

Pairing: Bryce x F!MC (Casey Valentine)

Rating: G/ Fluff with a bit angst - a few lines of angst. 

Summary: A rewrite of Bryce’s diamond scene from Chapter 1 of Book 3. // Bryce and Casey talks about the future. 

A/N: Hiii! So, here is my attempt of somewhat a rewrite of the first chapter for Bryce’s diamond scene but...without the sex? (lol) And, maybe a bit of a twist and a some additions to it!  But, this was a fun write as I havent wrote anything in a whole while, and...maybe not a bit - since finals are approaching again 😭🥺🤧 but, I might sneak in a few during my procrastination hours lol! Thank you @kelseaaa and @ofpixelsandscribbles for the help <3 Enjoy! 

// Tags below the cut! 

MY MASTERLIST

The final year of residency has befallen, as the re-opening party for Bloom Edenbrook is in full swing. The people were dressed their best to celebrate the night, a new era for medicine.

There were laughter, smiles from the people as they were admiring the new constructions, some of them even were spotted gawking at the replica of the Bloom Edenbrook cake. Her roommates were scattered as her eyes fall upon the group who is looking excitedly to raid the whole party themselves. She lets out a small laugh, as her eyes wander upon a figure – searching him in the crowd of people.

Her wish was granted instantly, as the figure appear in front of her eyes with a grin shining up the room even more.

“Hey there stranger.” He winks at her, as she smiles upon the greeting. He immediately took her hands in his, as they wandered around the party – it’s a combination of laughter, mediocre dance moves and a huge supply of food that leave them wanting more.

As the moments pass, they were slowly enjoying the night as Bryce’s eyes light up with an idea in mind, a look that she knows all too well.

“What are you planning there Bryce, I know that look.” She questioned as Bryce explains the plan to her.

“How about a trip to the serenity garden; this time of night there won’t be anyone up there. And if I’m wrong…that just makes it more exciting!” The hint of excitement in his voice is equivalent to a child receiving their gift during the holidays which made her chuckle at him.

She nods along with the idea, as they haven’t had much time together and it would be a good night for some peace from the party.

“To living dangerously then...” The glass in hand was raised, as Bryce did the same.

-

The serenity garden is beautiful, as it gave a sense of calmness in the air – away from the commotion below.

“It’s been so long since I’ve been here, it never changes on how amazing it still looks. The flowers, the view still looks breathtakingly from up here.” Her eyes glazed over the view of the room, it hasn’t changed since the time she went here with Kyra. It feels like a lifetime ago since she stepped into the room.

She felt a pair of eyes looking at her, as it was met with his brown ones. A smile perk on her face,

“What are you looking at there?”

“I’m looking at the most beautiful woman in the world who is here with me today, and I never felt so lucky.” He steps forward, pulling her into a kiss – as she melts upon the touch.

Both of them pulled away, as the need of air was urgent at the moment.

They moved a bit, as they took a sit upon one of the benches there overlooking the view that caught both of their breath away.

“I gotta admit that the view indeed looks incredible.” He said in awe, as Casey lay her head upon his shoulder.

They sat in silence for a couple of moments, as she broke it.

“How was your day?” A simple question to start, as her shift occurs today – and she didn’t got the chance to see Bryce all day long.

“Mine was filled with surgeries, it was quite the norm but – it feels good to do it again. How about you?”

“The diagnostic team got a new patient today, and honestly – it wasn’t a bad start for this year of residency actually. I got lucky, Leland still kept the rooms at the same place or I’d get lost today.” He lets out a laugh at the answer.

Casey’s eyes fall upon the view once more,

“With what Leland doing, it honestly doesn’t feel like the hospital I came by three years ago – it feels different. I can’t believe how much life could change in those three years….”  She paused, as a realization hits that a major change might fall upon both of them as well – the thought went away as she pushed it away for this moment resuming to enjoy the view in front of her eyes.

“…and it will change again too in a year.” His words were soft, yet rough in context. Casey sat up, as she looked at him in the eyes.

“I will never change how I feel about you, and us…its real.”

Bryce sighs, as he took her hands in his while staring upon the emeralds of hers.

“I know, we will never change. But, look what Leland did – this is where we are heading Cas, our life is changing, medicine is changing and we can’t do anything about it. Life is about change – and like Edenbrook it changed alongside of us.”

Casey lets out a breath she is holding upon the revelation from Bryce. It is the truth, and it’s gonna fall upon them anyways somewhere in the future. She wanted to deny but, she knows it’s the whole truth – as her head falls on his shoulders once more.

Bryce pulled her into his embrace, as he slowly strokes her hair – letting out a sigh along the way.

“But, tonight – the future can’t touch us and, we will always going to be us, Bryce and Casey.” His words were soft and gentle, somewhat an attempt to calm her heart down.

“Tonight, it’s only us and that’s the only thing that I want to know.” Her lips met with his, as they enjoyed the night together talking about everything and nothing – as the feared was buried at the back of their minds. Somehow, it still leaves a bitter taste for them as the truth will come to face them very very soon; but for now… they have tonight.

-

As the party died down, Bryce walked her back to the apartment. They walked upon the sidewalk, in silence as the bright stars of the night accompany them along the way.

After a while, they arrived in front of her door as both of them are reluctantly not wanting to say goodbye.

“I had fun tonight.” Casey stated with a smile on her face, as Bryce returns a smile of his own.

“I did too, and…I really missed you today.” The sound of his voice made her heart leapt in happiness, as she stood in front of him – with the seconds passed by into the night.

He pulls her towards him, as he planted a kiss once more. It was tender, and passionate – the way their relationship has been.

“I missed you too – so so much.”

He waited for her a few moments before leaving, as she step inside  – a new hope and fear was planted in their hearts upon the challenges that lies ahead, but... they believe that they will get through this in the end.

THE END.

Tags:  @bitchloveskcbaseball , @mvalentine , @storyofmychoices , @princess-geek , @lahellacute ,   @annekebbphotography , @mrsbhandari , @dcbbw , @choicessa , @fantasyoverreality98 , @baltersome , @ofpixelsandscribbles , @thundergom  @starrystarrytrouble,  @kelseaaa  , @choicesficwriterscreations  , @lalizah , @drethanramslay , @eleanorbloom , @openheartfanfics , @brycesgirl  ,  @freckles-spangledvampire , @agentnolastname , @robintora , @adriansbiss  (comment if you want to be tagged or removed 💜💜)

[mostly-megan]

December 2nd: Sleeping in

Pairing: Javier Peña x Reader

Rating: E for Everyone (Fluff)

Word count: 630; not beta read, we live and die by the sword

Warnings: Soft as a mattress

❄️December Writing Masterlist ❄️

(A/N): Prompts from @honeymandos​​; Photo credit: iStock

A chill running up your spine wakes you, causing you to pull your body under the warm covers. Your body easily seeks out the nearest source of heat and you end up pressed into his side, uttering a small grumble. Something rustles and your brain is just awake enough to realize that you must have left the window open before bed. As hot as Columbia gets at the peak of summer, December nights were still chilly.

Your eyes slowly creek open, despite the tired soreness you feel from the effort, can make out the faint, deep blue glow of early morning. Over your bedfellow’s shoulder, the clock displays 5:27 am. Your eyes snap shut, mentally groaning at the fact that the loud buzzer is set to sound in three minutes. Javi needs to be in at 6:30 and likes to be up an hour before for breakfast. It wasn’t breakfast, it was really a cigarette and as much coffee as he could manage to guzzle, but sometimes you can convince him to eat toast or shovel some eggs into his mouth before he gripes about being late. 

Your eyes peel open again. 5:28 am. Javi lay between you and the offending chronometer, peaceful and blissfully snoring. His cheek is smooched into the pillow, one arm beneath it and one arm lying over his head. His hair, a sharp contrast with the beige pillowcase, has been missed over the course of the night and now curls and lifts messily in different directions. The sheets had pulled back over the night revealing the expanse of warm, tanned skin to your bleary gaze. His broad shoulders, so strong and sturdy in every context you hold to them, flow gracefully down a light slope before disappearing from view. 

Sighing, you shuffle over, laying your cheek on the back of his shoulder, your arm lifting up to lightly play with his hair. He grunts at the weight, mumbling something into his pillow before sniffing and turning his head away. You turn your cheek as well, now facing the clock. 5:29 am. “Javi,” voice warbling from the night’s disuse, “Baby, it’s time to get up. The alarm’s gonna g-” BEP  BEP-BEP   BEPBEP-BEP  BEPBEPBEPBEPBEPBEPBEPBEP

Both of you make a wild flail for the clock, you aren’t fully sure who successfully hit the button. Javi’s low groan rumbles in the pillow before he turns back to your side of the bed, mustache turned to a sleepy grimace at the labored movement, landing with huff. You smile, kissing his temple, deciding to simply let him snooze for a bit. “I’ll get the coffee started,” a heavy arm lands on your waist just as you begin to shift. He pulls you tighter to his side with a mumbled, “No, too cold.” Biting back a giggle, you nuzzle back into his warm embrace. “Aw, poor baby, do you need me to keep you warm?” Javier’s grumble shifts to a growl, causing you to release the light giggle as you lift his arm to snuggle deeper into his weight. Drozily, he puckers his lips and kisses your cheek, leaving his lips there. He then lazily puckers a few more times, giving you a sweet series of pecks. He breathes in deeply, sighing as he exhales.

As you close your eyes, you can hear movement through the window on the street below. The early risers and morning workers getting ready for the day. You aren’t sure how long the snooze lasts, so the time feels endless and limited in the same breath. Just as you’re settling back into the shared body heat, another gust blows in. “Baby, did you know the window is open?” You lay your hand over Javier’s mouth, it was too early for stupid questions.

Tagging who might be interested: @zeldasayer​ @winters-buck​ @max--phillips​​ @rae-gar-targaryen​ @yespolkadotkitty​ @scribbledghost​ @plexflexico​ @sunshinepascal​ @agirllovespancakes​ @keeper0fthestars​ @din-djarin-owns-my-wap​ @youmeanmybrain​ @talesfromtheguild​ @frannyzooey​ @absurdthirst​ @softpedropascal​ @fairytalesintheend​​ @lackofhonor​​ @maybege​​ @getinthepoolkeanu​​ @pedroepascal​​ @pedropascalito​ @mylifeliterally​​ @catfishingmorales​​ @miss-me-jack​​ @ithinkhesgaybutwesavedmufasa​​ @pettyprocrastination @autumnleaves1991-blog​