#but I figured I'd post the snippets here at least

[moonydanny]

Little fic idea I had... Maybe if you guys like it I can expand it a bit?

After Eddie drops the bomb that he’s leaving, Buck holds it together.

Honestly, he’s kinda proud of himself for that. He does help with the video call with the realtor. Helps Eddie pick a house. They have a beer after. And he holds it together.

When he goes to leave, he gets into his Jeep and starts to feel himself losing it. But he knows he has to hold it a bit longer. He’ll let go when he gets to the loft. Only he doesn’t drive to the loft. Without realizing it, he ends up in front of Tommy’s house. And he sees Tommy’s truck in the driveway, so he knows he’s home.

He sits there for a minute, two, trying to find the strength to drive away, but his resolve is crumbling, and he needs Tommy. So he walks to the door and knocks before he can change his mind.

Tommy opens the door, and the surprise is clear on his face. And god, how Buck has missed his face. 

“Hey. What are you doing here? Is everything okay?”

And that’s what does it, what breaks the dam. His eyes fill with tears, and through his blurry vision he sees Tommy’s expression morph into genuine worry.

“Eddie is leaving for Texas”, he says, voice barely above a whisper, the words only just going past the lump in his throat. Tommy’s eyebrows go up in disbelief and his eyes go all soft as he looks at Buck.

“I—Tommy.”

Next thing he knows, Tommy’s arms are around him, holding him tight as a sob finally tears from deep in his chest.

[chdarling]

Frequently Asked Questions

Hi! I'm mostly on a fandom break right now and consequently am really slow responding to messages, so I figured I'd post answers to some of the questions I receive the most. :)

Snippets and Spoilers can be found here!

***

When will TLE3 be released?

I don't have an exact date, but it probably won't be in 2025. I am giving myself the space and time to write TLE3 at my own pace and pleasure, and I plan to have a full draft finished before I start publishing on AO3. I promise when it's ready, you'll be the first to know.

***

Can I print TLE?

Please do not print TLE using any commercial printing service, as this is not legal (at least in the US, which is where I am). If you are printing and binding it yourself solely for personal use and in a manner that is 100% in compliance with copyright law – aka no one at any point in the process can make any money off of it – then I personally am fine with it (and very honored!). However, I cannot give approval for anything that infringes copyright law in any way. Thank you for understanding! I don't want to be sued!

***

Can I translate/create a podfic/create fanart for TLE?

I would be so unbelievably honored! I give a blanket approval for translations, podfics, and fanart, and I'm so, so touched that you would take the time to do this. I just ask that you ONLY post to AO3* and to please mark it as a related work so it's linked to the original. I may be slow to approve the AO3 email linking the fics, but I promise I will! Thank you!!

*except fanart, obviously. Do whatever you want with that. Although if you post it on tumblr, I would LOVE to see it. <3

***

Are you on any other social media sites?

No. I am ONLY on Tumblr, AO3, and the TLE discord. I don’t even use social media in my personal life, so don't try to find me! I'm not there!

***

Do you have fanfic recommendations?

I’m sorry, but I am not a good resource for this. I haven't actually read much fanfic as I spend most of my limited free time writing it. However, I always recommend checking out @jilyawards for a fantastic collection of the incredible talent in this fandom over the years.

***

Do you take requests for one shots/other fics?

No, sorry. I have my hands more than full with TLE.

***

Do you take suggestions for the plot of TLE?

No, sorry. I have the story pretty tightly plotted from beginning until the (very) end, and while I occasionally swerve down new creative alleys, I’m very committed to sticking to my original plan.

***

Is [super specific spoilery thing] going to happen in TLE?

You are of course welcome to ask, but I am almost certainly going to shout “SPOILERS!” and run away cackling.

***

You say this is a canon fic but [super specific thing that I don’t agree with] is included. What gives?

For the purposes of TLE, ‘canon’ means the original seven books. Everything else is dressing. I do include as canon a lot of the lore JKR provided in interviews while the books were being published (for example, James being a Chaser), however I tend to view all post-book authorial additions as mostly optional. I do use a fair amount of Pottermore in my story, but I do not keep up with new HP material, so it’s impossible to stay up to date with everything. For example, I tweaked the Animagus process somewhat to my liking as opposed to what is described in Pottermore. This is partly because I already had my version sketched out before that was published, and mostly because I did not like what was given on Pottermore.

I do not consider any of the films canon. If this alleged HBO show happens, I will not consider that canon. Video game? Not canon. I also simply do not know what the words ‘Cursed Child’ mean, as I am pretty sure this is from an alternate timeline in which I do not exist. Tra la la. :)

All of this to say: The seven books are the framework. However, I feel pretty strongly that within that framework there is room for many, many interpretations – particularly with regards to the Marauders era, about which we know so little. Just because my headcanon or characterization is different from yours (or vice versa!) doesn’t make it less canon. Similarly, just because something is not explicitly described in the seven books, doesn’t mean it is against canon for it to have happened in the background, unnoticed by Harry, or before the timeline of the seven books starts. See: Wolfstar.

***

Wait, there’s wolfstar in TLE?

Yes. There will be wolfstar in the series. I did tag it from day one, please stop sending me shocked and horrified messages! (lol) Because people have such strong feelings about this ship, I always feel the need to give my little disclaimer: There will be wolfstar. Personally, I love it and am excited to write it. However, if you are a fan of exclusively fluffy, happy wolfstar, you might be disappointed. If you are interested in exploring the fraught, occasionally toxic relationship between two angsty, repressed, and deeply traumatized young men during an escalating war…strap in, gird your loins, etc. We're gonna have some fun.

***

Why do you have two blogs?

Because I'm dumb. Because I didn’t know how tumblr worked when I started this whole nonsense and thought that a side blog sounded like a good idea…aaaaand then pretty much immediately regretted it. This was back before you could reply from a sideblog, so everything was a mess. I'm an archivist at heart, so I can't bring myself to delete @chdarling-tle but I almost exclusively use @chdarling these days. Feel free to only follow that one, unless you only want chapter updates and none of my silly reblogs, in which case @chdarling-tle is here for you. Otherwise it's pretty dead over there.

(ok, confession: this actually isn't a frequently asked question at all, but I shoved it in here anyway because the two blog thing annoys the shit out of me and I wanted to give some context for my disorganization. I meant well, once upon a time!!!)

***

Do you have a Patreon?

I’m amazed and flattered that I’ve been asked this enough to include it in an FAQ, but no, I do not. While I am so appreciative that people want to support this project, TLE is a work of fanfiction, created entirely out of and for love, and is in no way a commercial endeavor. I do not make a penny off of this project. I almost certainly lose pennies to this project. But that's okay! Because of the aforementioned love! And, once again, my deep and enduring desire to not be sued!

***

Ok but seriously when will TLE3 be released?

(sorry I couldn't resist)

[1thesewordsaremyown1]

This idea has spawned in my head for a "Buck transfers out of the 118" fic, and after setting out an outline of where I want this story to go, I realised this is going to be a loooong one. Like, at least 10k long (especially as the first chapter is already hovering around the 1.5k mark). It's been a while since I've written a multi chapter fic, so I want to get more written down before I start posting chapters, but I figure I'd post a little snippet of the start for anyone who might be interested. So read below for the start of my hiatus project.

It was 11 days later that he got the call.

Well, 11 days, 3 hours and 15 minutes if Buck was going to be pedantic about it, but he wasn’t.  He just happened to remember the exact minute that he sent through the request, and while he may not have superpowered math skills anymore, it wasn’t hard to figure out the timeline between sent and response.  So, 11 days after he had put in the transfer request, he received a call from the Fire Chief.

“Fire-fighter Buckley, this is Chief Simpson,” came the brisk voice over the line after Buck had picked up his phone.

“Chief,” Buck sputtered in shock.  It shouldn’t be a shock – he had put in the request, he had never rescinded it, so of course the higher ups were going to get back to him at some point.  But somehow, it was still unexpected.  Although he had been busy the last few days, so it wasn’t surprising that the transfer request had slipped his mind.  But of all the days that the Chief had to call, it had to be today – the most hectic of them all.  Buck stepped aside as a pair of movers walked by, carrying Buck’s couch in between them, the pair of them laughing and joking loudly amongst themselves. 

“Can you hold on for just a second?” Buck spoke into the receiver.  He quickly headed to the back door and stepped out into his back yard for some privacy, closing the door behind him to muffle the noises coming from inside.  Well, it wasn’t technically his back yard anymore – the house was going back to Eddie when he came back from Texas in a few days’ time.  In fact, he had gone back to sleeping on Maddie’s couch the last two nights as everything had been packed back up, waiting for the movers to arrive today to put it all into storage.  “Sorry about that Chief, it’s a bit chaotic around here at the moment.  How can I help you?”

“I have your transfer papers here Buckley,” the Chief continued.  “And we have found a place for you.  A member of the 217 has been on medical leave and has decided to retire, so there is a spot that has become available.”

Buck’s mind blue screened.  “The – the 217 sir?”

“That’s correct.”

Buck couldn’t believe his ears.  Of all the fire houses in LA, it seemed the only one that held an available spot was the one where his ex-boyfriend was stationed.  The ex-boyfriend he hadn’t seen or spoken to since Bobby’s memorial service weeks ago.  Great.

[twisted-wonderland-shenanigans]

Kaiju AU Concepts

So while I'm currently slowly working my way through working on my AUs, I had a burst of energy and motivation to draw some Kaiju concepts for characters we've already seen in what I've written--namely Grim and Crowley! (I did have a concept for Crewel's Kaiju form I did last year, but I'm probably going to edit it and just do a before and after comparison or something)

Kaiju AU Grim/Grimfang:

Notes:

This design is based on the updated description in the rewrite of the first chapter I'm almost finished with, keeping enough of his original design while making it fit into the AU.

The crystal on his chest is embedded into the flesh, and yes, it is purple like the crystal on his ribbon in game! It was a spur of the moment thought while sketching, but seemed very fitting and would lend more into the crystals being important to the kaiju themselves and how it helps with regulating magic similar to their in-game counterparts.

In the story, Yuu is supposed to be able to give Grim a proper bath since his fur wasn't as clean as it could have been when they first met. That's how Yuu will discover the crystal.

Keep in mind this is a relatively rough concept sketch to help me with designing the final version. In the meantime, this'll at least help with visualization when reading!

"Average Human" is essentially how tall an average sized human would be compared to kaiju Grim, since not every Yuu is the same height or size!

Kaiju AU Crowley/Nevermore Concept:

Notes:

So...I'll be honest, I've rarely if ever drawn anything relatively bird-like, so Crowley's design in this AU always made me worry he'd be too cartoony or something if I'd attempted before. It is a complete and utter accident that he wound up looking like a griffin without the lion half, but I'm not complaining! 😂

His "face mask" wound up being a last minute pattern I added, which wound up helping flesh him out more and not making him look like any old griffin bird creature. Still a major concept development for his overall design, but I'm feeling more confident on how he looks!

Based on the height differences for each kaiju here, I'd put Crowley at 70 ft tall. Which is pretty crazy in general, but then again, so is Godzilla and the other monsters, so eh. XD Anyway, tiny average human is spooked!

Yes, Crowley has those tiny arms that I mentioned in the rewrite snippet I had posted a bit ago, I just gotta figure out how they're shaped and such. They typically hide under all that chest floof!

That's all I've got for now regarding their designs. I'm still tapping away at the rewrite and working out how each character is designed. I've also got to post the updated species list since I decided to change things around, so keep an eye out for that! 😌

[cadybear420]

Happy Wedding Day to Aiden and Evie!!!!

It's June 20, 2025! AKA, the official date of Aiden and Evie's wedding! So I've decided to revamp my original Aidevie Wedding Headcanons post! Comes with edits and a few dialogue snippets!

Original Questionairres Here and Here. I've combined them into this one big list.

Tags for those who may be interested:

@lover-also-fighter-also | @choicesmc | @our-own-private-paradise |

@loreofyore | @rjschoicesstuff | @aria-ashryver |

@zhoumeyourlove | @dutifullynuttywitch | @storyofmychoices |

@peonyblossom | @rosesnink | @aces-and-angels |

@pansexy-choices-the-sequal | @hssprimefan | @aallotarenunelma |

@lilyoffandoms |

How long were they together before they got engaged?

They got engaged on May 21, 2022– so they'd known each other for about 5 years, and had been girlfriend-boyfriend for about 4 and a half years. By this time, Evie had finished her second year of Uni and Aiden had finished his 3rd year of Uni. Despite them dating in high school and maybe going to different universities (I'm still figuring out where Evie goes to for Uni), they've had a very strong relationship all throughout.

Who first brought up the option of marriage? Was it an easy topic?

Evie I think was the first to bring it up. A few months into their relationship, they mostly just casually tossed the idea around a few times, as well as the idea of living with each other. Sort of like "imagine if we got married one day", or "I'd love to live with you in the future". Evie has fantasized about it more, so she was the first to think of talking about it. It wasn't necessarily difficult, but it was something they both wanted to be absolutely sure about and not rushing too fast into.

Evie had long since made it clear she wanted to be the one to propose, should they ever get married... but the two had also agreed that, prior to any proposal no matter who proposes, they would talk about it together if either of them felt sure of having a marriage. That way, no one would feel like they're being put on the spot by the other's proposal.

By at least late February 2022, Evie was starting to feel more sure of actually marrying Aiden, and by mid April, she initiated the conversation with him. And both were sure they were ready for it.

Who proposed and how? Was it grand and public? Discreet and private? Was it expected?

Evie proposed, obviously. She's always fantasized about proposing to a hypothetical future husband and always imagined it going perfectly. It's what makes her feel special personally, not to mention it's very gender euphoric.

Again, even early on into their casual marriage talks, Evie had made it very clear that she wanted to be the one to propose... though she'd often worry she was coming off as picky. Not to mention how she knows how Aiden sometimes worries he's not doing enough for her.

But they have sometimes coordinated who would do homecoming proposals and promposals– after Aiden had asked Evie to homecoming and prom as per the OG HSS timeline, Evie did express wanting to ask Aiden, and so he did agree that Evie would get to do the asks next year (during the HSS:CA timeline). They split it in Evie's senior year– Evie would ask Aiden to homecoming, Aiden would ask Evie to prom.

So, it probably wouldn't be as big a deal for Evie to insist that she propose. But she still can be unsure of herself about stuff like that.

I imagine a younger Aiden had always pictured himself being the one to propose, if he were ever to get married. Part of him still wanted to be the one to propose marriage and in general planning something big and special and important for Evie, but he does also understand how much it means to Evie to propose to him.

In the end, it's not all that important to him to be the one to propose. Plus, it didn't take long for him to grow onto the idea of being treated to a big special spoiling proposal. Even ignoring their Who Gets To Do The Hoco And Prom Asks talks, he does know he should let himself be treated and spoiled more.

As for how the proposal went down... Evie had been rotating this proposing-to-Aiden fantasy in her head like a rotisserie chimken for years, but it was only by late February/early March that year is when she was settling on a distinct idea of how she'd like to propose to him.

But even though her plan had become more strongly developed, when it was time for the actual proposal... she started screaming internally and began agonizing over everything.

While they made sure no one would be put on the spot to agree to say yes, they both still wanted some element of surprise to it. Like, Aiden knew Evie might propose to him, he just didn't know when. So there was already a lot of agonizing there on Evie's part.

See, she wanted to treat him to something big and special leading up to the proposal, but it couldn't be too big that it'd be painfully obvious what it was leading to and thus ruin the element of surprise. Like, oh wow, the two of you have officially decided on marriage, and you're going all out in spoiling the fuck out of Aiden on a day that isn't a particular special event? I just wondeeeerrrr what it could be abooouuuuut.

Evie also agonized a lot over which kind of engagement ring to get Aiden. She wanted one that sort of made him feel special, but was still within his tastes. She knew he probably wasn't gonna be upset and that she did know him well enough to choose something he'd like, but part of her also really wanted the proposal to be perfect y'know?

On May 21, 2022, Evie proposed to Aiden. She found a way to keep it simple but big. So she just took Aiden on a very extensive date that day. A day full of swimming, go-karting, and dancing. Then she took him back to her house, only to find that she– or at least their friends– had decorated the shit out of her house (Evie's choice of decorations, of course).

Then she led him to her backyard, giving a speech about her love for him... before dropping down on one knee and opening up a purple velvet ring box. Aiden said yes before she even had a chance to actually pop the question.

"Aiden Zhou, will you–" "Yes, Evie, yes yes YES!!!" He freezes, his face turning deep red. "Oh... sorry, um..." "It's okay, My King!" "Um... you can continue if you want..." "Are you sure? I mean, I'm not upset that you–" "Yeah, but I know how much you wanted to say it." "That's true, heh. Well then... Aiden Zhou, will you marry me?" "Yes, yes, a thousand times YES!"

Show us their engagement and/or wedding rings!

The engagement ring!

Dazzling diamond, unique, stylish– but still sleek and simple and not too clunky. Exactly what Aiden likes.

The Wedding Rings!

Think the style/design of the top image (sans the engraving on the heart), with the purple stripe+pattern in the bottom left image on the outside, and the music engravings of the bottom right image on the inside.

The musical notes engravings would be directly from one of the songs Aiden has composed for Evie.

Bonus: a series of other ideas I considered for their wedding bands! Was hard to decide which one, but ultimately I think they both wanted something with a cute design that was unique to them, but also relatively simple and not too clunky.

Truth be told, I'm not sure who wears which ring. Evie likes the left one because it's technically the more "masculine" one, but she also likes the right one because it has the gem in it and she likes that shit. The left one is also the one with the hole, which does make it suited for Aiden. I think judging by how the rings are designed, they are adjustable and so they each take turns with who wears which ring, swapping every month. I'm also gonna pretend their ring sizes aren't much different anyways.

Who were the first people to find out about the engagement? How did they react?

Pretty much all of their friends, since they helped with the decorations for Evie's proposal.

We all know Emma, Ezra, and especially Myra just absolutely lost their shit when they found out. Everyone was very proud and excited for them, but especially those three.

Scott also knew prior to the proposal. Evie was so excited, there's no way she wouldn't tell her Dad about it. He's equally excited, but also of course can't help himself with Dad Puns.

Aiden's parents would have of course known that they were technically making wedding plans, but they don't learn about the official engagement until after Evie's proposal, when he tells them excitedly.

How long was the engagement?

Evie and Aiden waited 3 years after their engagement before officially getting married. Seeing as they were both still in Uni, they wanted to take their time with planning the wedding. Plus, they're both pretty cautious and did wanna give it a few more years to think about it more deeply.

After Evie graduated, they had a lot more time and were able to fully plan their wedding within the following year.

Did they plan the wedding by themselves, with help, or with a professional planner? Who did most of the planning?

Both had pretty equal parts in the planning. Though I'd probably say Evie chose most of the decorations, but Aiden did vibe with nearly all of her choices so yeah. They did also have a few friends and family to give them guidance.

Was the planning and time up til the wedding stressful?

Evie sometimes did agonize over it, wanting a perfect dream role-reversed wedding. But for the most part, they were taking it relatively easy.

Wedding Party? Who are the maids of honor and/or best men? Why and how were they chosen?

Evie's bridal party consists of:

Emma, who is her Best Woman

Caleb

Cher Lee (my HSS:CA MC)

Bear Lee (my HSS:CA MC's twin)

Frank

Julian

Jade

Sakura

and possibly others.

Aiden's groom party consists of:

Myra, who is his Maid of Honor

Adelaide (my ROD MC who is also Aiden's cousin)

Ezra

Cameron

Michael

Ajay

Maria

Skye

Nishan

and possibly others.

Emma and Myra are Evie's and Aiden's closest bestest friends, respectively.

Emma generally prefers dresses, but she knows she can rock a suit and enjoys wearing suits every now and then. She was more than happy to wear one as Evie's Best Woman.

Myra wanted to go a bit all-out for Aiden's wedding, but did have to be careful not to upstage the groom. But let's be real, given the look he picked for himself, it's near impossible for anyone to upstage him.

Big Wedding or Small? Was there any drama whatsoever regarding the guest list?

Somewhere in between? The venue is fairly expensive, but the guests only consist of family and friends (a lot of the friends being those that they knew at Berry).

There wasn't really any drama with the guest list.

Show us a mood/stimboard of their wedding's general aesthetic/colors/theme?

Both Evie and Aiden want a nice balance between "simple, light-hearted, and whimsical" and "upscale, luxurious, and grand", so they decide on the former aesthetic for the ceremony, the latter aesthetic for the indoor area of the reception, and a mix of both for the outdoor area of the reception.

They definitely wanted some cherry blossom(-esque) decorations, because it's one of their favorite flowers. Cherry blossoms are awesome.

The leafy purple and succulent flowers + stray flowers for table decorations were because they both love the color purple, and because it did add a touch of summery chill relaxation vibes. Also, it matches the genderqueer flag. Pure Coincidence, I assure you. I picked those in like 2023, before I became more familiar with genderqueer as an umbrella term.

The candles are also Bergamot-scented and free party favors for guests to keep. Aiden and Evie made sure to save a stash for themselves as well.

I imagine there may also be some sunflowers. And rosies. So many pretty flowers aaagahhahahaga I want all the pretty flowers and so does Evie.

Tell me about the cake!

Red Velvet cake with chocolate chips inside, covered with an appropriate layer of basic vanilla frosting. Topped with a little ceramic bride-and-groom topper of them.

What about the flowers/bouquet?

Aiden's Bouquet (left) and Evie's Bouquet (right).

Evie has a bit of a fixation for pretty flowers, so they decided on both of them carrying a bouquet. Also whoop-dee-fuckin-woohoo surprise surprise, Evie's bouquet is genderqueer flag colored too. Also a Pure Coincidence, I picked these in 2023.

Aiden wanted genderqueer colored flowers too, but the two of them did want to add some summery-lookin flowers into the mix. It is a Summer wedding. They did also want each bouquet to match the other's outfit.

Do they get married through court? Church? Third secret option?

Either court or secret third option. They want it to technically be officially legalized, but also not so fussy.

When do they get married? Night or day? Any specific reason for either?

Probably they'd want it to take place over mid-late afternoon and/or early-mid evening. I'd think they'd want a bit of daytime and a bit of nighttime, but also still have enough nighttime to consummate their marriage hehe

Where was the Wedding?

The wedding was in the ballroom of a grand beachside hotel in upper Cedar Cove, I do not have a name for it yet lol. Evie gets excited about hotels, especially beachside hotels, so yeah.

Do either of them play music while walking down the aisle (if they do at all)? If yes, show us their song.

They definitely wanted music for when Aiden's walking down the aisle (and when officiating the marriage), preferably something that was the right balance of grand and ethereal.

I feel like they'd go with "Worthy" (Bmblb pt. 2) by Casey Lee Williams ft. Ariyel, from the RWBY V9 soundtrack. They both find it a beautiful song, a great combination of grand and ethereal, and these lyrics in particular are VERY fitting for them and their relationship:

And now I know I'm worthy of you (Oh, can't you see, you could be with me) With еvery smile you told me (I am your dream)"I love you" See me for everything I am You don't run away No matter the mistakes I made It's here, you'll stay And now I know I'm worthy of you (Oh, can't you see, you could be with me) With every smile you told me (I am your dream)"I love you"

Show us their outfits!

Edits by me, Art by @rjschoicesstuff! Please go give that art some love hehe <3 <3 <3

Evie of course went with a suit. Masc velvet suit hell yeah. Evie is obsessed with velvet textures.

Aiden by this point has become very comfortable wearing a dress. But he had a hard time deciding between whether his wedding outfit should be a suit or a dress, because he does like both for different reasons. At one point he even considered a hybrid of the two, eg. a blazer and tie over a dress, a suit that had a skirt-like appendage (think of f!Sam's wedding outfit from TNA 3), or some sort of jumpsuit.

He did end up deciding on a dress because a pants suit isn't exactly practical for the garter toss they wanted to do. He wanted a mix between elegant and sexy for his dress, and decided to forgo a blazer and tie too because he preferred the dress as it is.

In general, Aiden wanted to look and feel like an absolute ethereal special beautiful sexy GODDESS on his wedding day. Because let's be real, he is an absolute ethereal special beautiful sexy GODDESS, and he absolutely DESERVES to feel like one.

Bonus because why the hell not: My old designs for them. I liked them at first but eventually I just wasn't vibing with the hairstyles; Evie's looked too neat and corporate and did not go with those glasses, and Aiden's looked too blocky. Also the belt on Evie's suit is pretty, but I think she'd quickly start to find it too clunky. Also Aiden's skirt looked too thick and clunky in the original and it looks much better in RJ's art.

Bonus 2 because why the hell not: an older design for Aiden's wedding dress. I initially didn't like how the liquify tool made the dress come out, but revisiting it now... it's actually pretty decent to me. I may hold onto it for a different event.

Bonus 3 because why not: even older, more prototype Aidevie wedding designs, from 2021. My editing skills were very beginner level at the time. A friend of mine did the recoloring for Evie's outfit. I do still kinda like the idea of Aiden having a flower crown veil, not sure I can see Evie wearing a veil tho.

Do they follow any familiar, cultural, and/or religious traditions at any point of the wedding? Which traditions were important to them? Which ones did they skip?

They kept a lot of basic conventional wedding traditions, but with many of the gender-based ones they had, they'd have the roles reversed.

Aiden is the one walking down the aisle while Evie is the one waiting at the altar.

Both of them are carrying a bouquet, but only Aiden is doing a bouquet toss. Evie is holding onto hers.

Evie is the one tossing Aiden's garter.

Evie is the one bridal-carrying Aiden out of the venue and into their new home. Their first dance was a role-reversal of traditional waltz/ballroom as well (as is all their waltz/ballroom dances).

Evie and Aiden would also incorporate a few traditions from their own cultures, but role-reverse those too as fitting. Eg. IIRC there's a tradition in Chinese culture where the bride's new shoes can't touch the ground until she gets to their new home, so naturally Evie and Aiden would do a reversal of this and carry Aiden to make sure his shoes didn't touch the ground until their new home. Also there may be some sort of dragon-phoenix symbolism incorporated somewhere somehow, where Evie's the dragon and Aiden's the phoenix– though this one is also partly because that's what fits them best, and not just for the sake of role reveresal.

Who was the ringbearer?

Aiden's cat, Meowzart.

Evie's cat Daisy would have joined too, but she hates large crowds. Meowzart is a little more coordinated. But Daisy would still get to wear this little top hat (along with Meowzart wearing the veil)

Who married them?

A Professional Wedding Officiant, probably.

Show us their vows. Did either of them tear up at them?

Aiden, unsure how to properly word his vows, decided to compose a violin song. He has his Maid of Honor bring his violin along and hand it to him when it's time to say vows. He follows his composition with a short speech:

"This particular song was, of course, inspired by you, Evie. My future wife, and my best muse. Specifically, it was inpired by your confidence. Your confidence in me. Even when I would screw up, or had my less favorable moments... you could challenge me, but you never closed the door on me. You never thought lesser of me for... not always understanding you. Or when I would try to communicate through song, when my words just felt wrong. "Which is why I've composed this song for you today. Even now, words don't always come to me so easily, and these vows are no exception... but you've helped me accept that part of myself. You've helped me accept a lot about myself better. And better understand what are the real problems, and what aren't. And understand that those that are real problems... are manageable with you. "The moment I realized for sure that I loved you was when you told me, seven years ago, after my first promposal to you... that because music was important to me, my using it to express my feelings towards you was like me saying you were important to me. And it's vastly changed my perspective. "I love you, Evie Ayana. And I promise to maintain this all for you. To maintain my confidence and love for you just as you have for me. To work through our difficulties together. To always value the influence you have had and still have in my life, and to be– to continue to be– a fantastic person and now husband to you. You are important to me, you deserve only the best. And I want to continue to be that for you."

Evie also has a lot of trouble with wording her vows at first, but then has an easier time when she learns that employing narrative can be a common and pretty significant feature of wedding vows. So she decides to base hers around the story of when they first confessed their love to each other at prom.

"I remember, about seven years ago, when you first told me you loved me at our first prom. I was... elated, flattered, so, so excited, that you loved me just as I loved you. But at the same time, I was also... a little terrified. Terrified... that that love could end. Terrified that I'd end up doing something to hurt you, and destroy that love. There had even been a few disagreements before that, where I... was worried I'd hurt you, or that I'd overstepped. As well a few times where I was upset with you, where I felt you did something that you shouldn't have. "And yet, you said you love me anyway. And I said I love you as well. But what did that mean? That we were never going to disagree or be upset with each other ever again? "No. If we thought like that... well, where would we draw the line on what constitutes... a lack of love? Do we just never challenge each other ever in order to have real love for each other? Do we end things just because one of us so much as doesn't understand something the same way? "Even though disagreements were not (and still are not) commonplace for us, it was (and is) still evident that... they are inevitable in good, strong relationships. In even the best relationships So why did I still say 'I love you', even with my fear that it could be ruined, that it'd almost been ruined before, that our love was not real? Because in a way, sunconsciously, I figured... there may be a few reasons here and there that I might get upset with you. But there are a thousand more reasons for me to love you. And maybe that's what makes it real. "Perhaps, when we said 'I love you' to each other, we implicitly made an understanding. An understanding... that we probably wouldn't just be unwaveringly enamored with each other for eternity, but understanding to... accept... that imperfections and rocks and bumps... will be inevitable in our relationship. Understanding that you and I are people who can and will figure out how to work through those rocks and bumps in the appropriate manner, however it may be. Understanding that we... trust each other, but also can't be afraid to challenge each other when it matters. Understanding that not only would we have a lot of positives in their relationship, but also that any negatives in out relationships would be things we can and will do our best to work around. "By that point, I had known you well enough that I could decide... yes, Aiden Zhou, you are someone with whom I can manage the rocks and bumps with. You are just such an amazing person, and my life has only improved with you in it. I value you. I trust you. I love you. And after seven more years, I've gotten to know you even more, and my opinion holds even stronger because of that. "Within those following seven years that have passed since then, I've come to realize that that is the understanding we have of each other. Not just in our love declarations... but in almost every relationship milestone we've had. Every time we've come back together after either of us screws something up. Every time we say 'I love you' to each other. It's that understanding that keeps us going, that has always kept us going. "And today, our marriage... is simply an extension, a larger-step continuation, of that understanding. "Aiden Zhou... I love you. And I promise you that I mean everything that comes with it."

Did they tear up at each other's vows... do I even need to answer that? You know they both did.

Did anyone oppose the marriage? Did they speak then, or did they just forever hold their peace?

If anyone did oppose, we wouldn't know if they did or who they were. They forever held their peace, as they damn well should!

What was the ceremony/reception like? Any highlights?

After the ceremony, the reception went as follows:

First is their first dance as newlyweds. Aiden composed and recorded the song for it and kept it a surprise until now. Evie absolutely loses her shit over it.

Next is dinner and cake. Aiden and Evie fed each other the cake. No smashing it in each other's faces because that's messy and annoying however Aiden had a different kind of cake he was gonna smash into Evie's face, and they saved the wedding topper statue as a decorative commemorative ornament.

Next is toasts and roasts. Michael roasted the absolute fuck out of the newlyweds. Scott gave a very pun-infused speech. Emma read out some prose she wrote for them. Ezra and Myra performed a ballad they made for them. Glen and Bridget gave a very emotionally charged (in a positive way) speech about how far they've come since the Isa incident and how proud they were of their son. And possibly many more that I can't think of right now.

After that is the bouquet and garter tosses. Michael caught the bouquet (Evie was reluctant to let him keep those pretty summery orange flowers). Maria caught the garter (Aiden was reluctant to let her keep that lovely sexy accessory, even though he did keep a backup for their wedding night). Evie also almost tried to pull the garter off Aiden's leg with her teeth, until she remembered that both of them had family members there.

Last, is the actual party. Aiden and Evie made sure to have a variety of activities set up such as dancing, video games, karaoke, crafts, etc. A very exciting and vibrant night for everyone.

What about something that was uniquely ‘them’?

Their blend of aesthetics to have something vibrant and grand and exiting but not overwhelming. The insane variety of flowers. Their vows. And also how very shamelessly deliberately GNC their wedding was.

What’s their favorite memory of the day?

They can't really choose just one memory. Aiden is particularly fond of the songs he composed, though.

Did anyone pass out from a food/alcohol coma?

I don't think so, no.

Not food related, though, but Aiden will certainly be very stuffed by the end of the night :DDD

Do they have a honeymoon? Where to? How soon after?

First they spent one week in a suite of their wedding venue hotel. It's a very lovely hotel, plus they wanted a week to just go straight to their room and chill before heading out on a plane. There was a fair amount of sexy time and jacuzzi extortion, especially on the wedding night itself, but most of it was them relaxing and cuddling in bed, watching favorite movies, etc.

Next, they spent a week in a beachy/summery resort in Las Vegas. They wanted at least one part of the honeymoon to have full summer getaway vibes. 50% of their vacation was spent going swimming in the hotel pools, and the other 50% was very intense sexy time + extortion of the shower and jacuzzi.

They spent the final week in London, England, in the same hotel that they stayed at for the Spotlite trip in HSS:CA 3. Partly because they both like it there and partly because of the memory of going to Spotlite that was very important to them. This part of the honeymoon is lower on the sexy time, somewhat higher on the chill/relax time, with a lot of exploring of the city.

Do they renew their vows? Remarry, even?

I think they might do vow renewal on major milestone anniversaries (10 years, 25 years, 50 years, etc).

If the couple could describe their wedding in a sentence, how would they?

Grand, whimscal, ethereal, and shamelessly genderqueer as fuck.

If you could describe their wedding in a sentence, how would you?

Grand, whimscal, ethereal, and shamelessly genderqueer as fuck.

[writefightblog]

Welcome To Writefight!

A while back, I made a post musing about how artfight looks so cool, how much I wished there was a version of that for writers, and to my surprise, people actually told me they were interested! I thought the post wouldn't gain any traction, but instead, I found some like-minded users, and so...here we are! Writefight!

Okay, that's not much of an intro, but shhh

Like artfight, it will start on July 1 (time zone doesn't matter) and go through the month. Participants will "attack" each other during that time by writing one-shots about each other's characters. You can involve as many characters as you want, or just focus on one.

Now, in artfight, the players are separated into two teams, and the teams attack each other; here, though, I was thinking we could just do a free-for-all where anyone can attack anyone, since this is a small group.

After receiving an attack, you can counter the attack by writing a one-shot about the attacker's characters, or you can pay it forward by attacking someone else.

In artfight, the attacks are scored with points, and the team with the most points at the end wins, but I'm not sure how we would do that here, so I figure we can just all attack and have fun and all be winners :D

So, what do we do until July? We post refs! Unlike artfight, these don't need to be visual, but images of the characters certainly can be in there. What we need are descriptions of the character's personality, mannerisms, backstory, role, relationships with other characters from the same story/canon you also have refs for, that sort of thing. If your characters are from a story up on the internet, link it! Snippets are also great! It would also be a good idea to talk at least a bit about the setting the characters are in, so I'd recommend grouping character refs by story/world/concept/whatever you're cooking.

As in artfight, we should all also list any things we'd be uncomfortable with in terms of receiving attacks. For example, you might not want anyone to attack you with something gory or nsfw, or involving certain subjects. Or perhaps there's a certain character you wouldn't want to be involved in certain scenarios. We're small writers, and we want to be considerate, so let's make sure to put that in the refs as well.

Some other notes:

There's no limit on the amount of characters you can have refs for, though I'd recommend organizing them by either putting them all in one post or having one post per story/setting.

No minimum or maximum wordcount for attacks. We all write in different ways, and they're all valid :D

This probably goes without saying, but, y'know, be nice, follow standard internet etiquette, all that stuff.

By "characters", I'm going by artfight's general rules: original characters from original stories/concepts, original fanfic characters, and AU versions of canon characters.

Now, to put all the writefight stuff in one place, tag your refs and attacks and such with #writefight, and @ this blog, and I'll reblog them all.

(In terms of attacks, they can be posted wholly here on tumblr, or you can just post them on a writing side -- ao3, for example -- and link to them, or do both! Also, be sure to @ the participant you're attacking.)

A list of refs can be found here. I'll keep updating it as more ref posts come in!

Similarly, a list of attack links will go here in July.

I'm excited! Let's all have fun together and celebrate writing :D

[lsunstreakerl]

Carlos, Max and Daniel's relationship is exclusive, right? But like, do they know that whoever stays at Toro Rosso will get in?

What's the name of their ship? Carmaxiel? Versincciardo? DMC?

when can we expect darkbull on ao3?

Where will we see more about Max's kidnapping, here or on ao3?

Why is Max being with Charles a worse future for Max in Darkbull?

How does Charles treat Max? (I suspect this is a spoiler, but just give us a hint plssssssss 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺)

yes, their relationship is exclusive, but there's the unspoken understanding that the 4th driver will also be a part of it. (at least, an understanding between RB, carlos, and daniel. max is like "wow that'd be crazy and I'd be so lucky if a third person wanted in on this" but that's just max. he doesn't realize that's exactly why the screening and hiring process has been so difficult.)

I hadn't really thought about a ship name, honestly. I'll let you guys workshop it :)

I'm trying to figure out what angle I want to tackle Darkbull on AO3 from. the ficlets I post here are too short to be real chapters, so I honestly might start the AO3 fic from the beginning and run it chronologically, and you guys here on the blog will get updated snippets as I think of them, or little future ficlets that I want to write but aren't ready for the fic.

you'll see the more fleshed out kidnapping on AO3 (as well as other things, because I don't want my blog banned), but you'll still get little snapshots here, like the max pov I posted earlier.

I sort of mentioned this under the earlier ask from Decidedly33, but as far as who's "better" for max- all the options are bad, but physically, max is much safer with rb than he is with charles. psychologically he's kind of screwed either way. everyone in this verse is unhinged but charles has a few screws less than everyone else.

you sent this before I posted the kidnapping ficlet, so that's your hint for how charles treats max lol

[daryaplesen11]

Where can I read about your oc?! I need more... I need a sequel to this story

This is a snippet from a roleplaying scenario, or rather, a character's diary entry. I haven't posted it anywhere, as I'm not an experienced roleplayer or writer.

Briefly, about the character:

Name: Hilda Kane Gender: Female Age: 28 Occupation: Lighthouse keeper (Assistant to her uncle from age 16 to 20; sole keeper since then)

My artwork with Hilda and a timeline of the character's changes after the events described in the diary and arrival on the mainland:

Here are all of Hilda's diary entries for this episode. Read at your own risk. I am not a writer and English is not my first language.

TW: Alcohol, starvation, isolation, mention of cannibalism for survival, mental illness, unreliable narrator.

***

The winter is particularly cold this year; it seems to be the coldest I've experienced here, maybe even in my whole life.

The delivery is two months delayed. The reason is unknown, and there's been no communication. I'm beginning to think we've been forgotten or abandoned.

So far, I have enough canned meat to feed Brownie (dog’s name). I feel almost no hunger myself; I have to literally force down a couple of spoonfuls of oatmeal porridge, which is more like kissel. Or maybe I'm convincing myself I'm not hungry.

***

I woke up to a strange noise from the backyard. It was hard to identify the source, but it sounded unusual—definitely not "just a gust of wind." I quickly got out of bed and grabbed the shotgun I keep nearby in case of emergency.

The house was dark, and there was no point in lighting the kerosene lamp. It wouldn't help much in this weather anyway.

When I reached the back door, I heard the noise more clearly: footsteps, the crunch of snow under heavy feet.  Pushing open the door, I stepped outside.

The wind whipped my face, and the snow blinded me. I tried to see through the whiteout, but I couldn't make anything out. I took a few steps forward when I suddenly noticed a dark figure approaching.

I raised my shotgun and pointed it at the silhouette. It stopped. It looked like a bear.  I should have remembered then...

there are no bears on this island.

As I fired, I braced myself for the deafening roar of a wounded animal or, if I missed, to accept death. But what I certainly wasn't prepared for was a human scream.

***

The shot took him in the neck, grazing the carotid artery.

I don't know how long I spent trying to shove his soul back into his body through the wound. I should have eased his suffering, let him die peacefully.

***

I wanted to believe it was a dream, but the man's body and the smell of blood quickly brought me back to reality.

***

It's a good thing I won't have to live with the guilt of killing a man for long. I'd hoped the night visitor would be a jackal, at the very least, a bear at most.

Yes, predator meat is risky to eat, but it's still meat.  And that's at least another week to wait for rescue.

***

Butchering the meat took far longer than usual. Besides the physical exhaustion, I had to take breaks, drowning my conscience in alcohol to steady my trembling hands. 

I'm doing this to survive. But I'm not sure I want to live after this

***

Today, I finished dismembering the body. It's unrecognizable now – just bones, a bucket of liver, and a freezer full of meat. The severed head is in the freezer as well, in a black bag. I lack the strength to even look at that man's face.

***

The stomach aches have subsided, but I still can't sleep. Every time I drift off, I hear screaming.  Every night, I hear curses directed at me, screams seemingly emanating from the freezer.

***

I can't remember the last time I slept for an hour. Five or six days ago?  I can't ignore the screams of the man I killed any longer. I guess I'll have to confront him and hear what he thinks about me…

***

Howard is incredibly unstable. He'll try to calm me down, saying it wasn't my fault and I did the right thing. Then he'll scream and curse, calling me a "monster" and a "disgusting creature."  If he had the use of his limbs, I think he would have hit, maybe even killed me.

***

Howard started yelling hysterically and cursing again. When he calmed down, he said something utterly insane:

"I want to see if you have a heart.

I want to see your conscience consume you.

I want to see you destroy your life.

I want to see you rot from the inside out.

I want to witness it with my own eyes.

I want my eyes to be with you always."

***

I've heard about the Mongolian national dish, supposedly "boiled lamb's eyes."

It sounds like a strange, ancient tradition, and certainly "exotic" for tourists.  But I've never had any desire to try it.  Much less swallow human eyes. Raw.  Howard, however, promised that if I did, he would leave me alone.  He wanted to watch from the inside as time and disease destroyed my body, to see and revel in my suffering.

***

Chewing on an eye is impossible. It simply slips down your throat like a slug or a jellyfish—a jellyfish with the smell and taste of rotting flesh and blood.

I wanted to spit it out, but the eye had already slid down my esophagus and into my stomach. I deeply regretted listening to Howard. It was unbearable. I was ready to rip my belly open to get it out.  Bending over the sink, I tried to vomit, but the strain caused my esophagus to spasm, and the eye became lodged in my throat. After several attempts to cough it up, I felt like I was suffocating.  Praying for a quick death, I continued to cough and writhe in pain, no longer hoping for, or wanting, survival.

But God, it seems, was not merciful. I managed to dislodge the rotting flesh from my esophagus and breathe again.

When I regained consciousness, I saw the eye on the floor, seemingly looking around the room fearfully, then at me, its pupil narrowed to a tiny dot.

I don't remember the events that followed.  Suffocation or sleep deprivation likely caused me to pass out.

***

A couple of days ago, they brought in supplies. Thank goodness those idiots from the mainland brought a paramedic.  However, they apparently only thought they'd need him for a death certificate.

Fortunately, the paramedic had sedatives and painkillers.

All that remained of "Howard" were a few frozen pieces of meat in the freezer and cremated remains. I'll bury him in the spring, under a flowering tree. I wish I knew his real name.

[dargorian]

Figured I'd at least share a tiny update with my fics, and I say tiny but it's probably not.

This is my "everyone is a year older" Rayllum AU notes/ideas where I put down anything and everything I think of to do with that AU. I also expand on ideas, flesh out bits to include and recycle parts I've excluded, and I'm very quickly losing control of it following a conversation with a friend of mine.

I have six fics planned now instead of four (and so many potential titles for the AU that I really need to sit down and think over what to actually call it before I post my Sea Legs fic - which should be soon at the rate I'm roughing it out).

I'm trying to write them in order now (the previous post 7x09 sandwich fic I mentioned is now in the AU, following the same conversation with a friend of mine). All of the fics have titles too (two are tentative until I can get more plotted/written and then I'll have a definitive title for them).

What I can do though, is share the timeline for the AU and where the fics take place. Note that only the first fic has its title shared, otherwise it might spoil the plot of that fic if I just outright share the title.

"The Lavender Inn" (5x02 inn fic) - complete and on AO3

Aboard the Sea Legs (5x08 fic) - being plotted out thoroughly before I write it. A couple of scenes have been roughed but not enough to share snippets. This has a tentative title.

The Frozen Ship (6x03) - base plot for the most part done

The Starscraper (6x06) - basic plot roughed. Two scenes roughly written.

Aftermath of the S7 battle (7x09) - just notes rn, and the other tentative title.

Post 7x09 fic - spent a good few weeks roughing this out before I intergrated it into the AU. Several scenes are roughed out but also not enough to share snippets of.

And there might be more squeezed in here and there.

Feel free to guess and speculate.

.::Adding on that I saved this as a draft and went back to writing a few hours ago and I have since broken this file down into each story's notes instead so it's easier for me to keep on track with each story. I was bouncing between stories and adding things here and there that I kept having to step away to refocus. I should be able to focus more easily now and get stuff done quicker::.

Stating again that everyone is a year older in this AU. (And I mean everyone).

[writingphoenix]

Hi all! I've been kind of absent here since most of the writing I've done lately is fanfiction. However, I've been working on some of my own stories lately and I'd like to start posting one or two of them! I'd like to see which ones you all might be interested in. Feel free to send me asks for more information or a snippet for any of these too! Summaries are below the poll.

Here are some summaries:

In the Shadow of the Tower: This is a close to being finished story that is told from the perspective of a husband and wife who learn they can talk to each other telepathically. They start off as a normal American couple but then Andy is kidnapped and disappears off the face of the Earth, quite literally. A desperate father finds Kiera and tells her that Andy has been taken to a different realm as a prisoner, as has his son. He thinks that they are being held together and hopes that by teaching Kiera to speak telepathically with Andy, they can figure out a way to rescue the both of them. Meanwhile, Andy finds himself in a dungeon cell being tortured, which he learns is a way to unlock certain powers that some people have. This one features several side love stories, some torture, and fun powers and fight scenes.

Brinnande's Story: Brinn is a seventeen year old pyrokinetic (controls fire) caught up in a battle between two factions, one who wants to bring a tyrannical rule to the world and the other that is trying to stop it. In her world, pyrokinesis is a secret that only those who have it know about it. She was found and began training with the group trying to stop the tyrants when she was in early middle school and has developed a fair amount of skill. However, her world is turned upside-down when her best friend (and secret crush) Matthew is mistaken for her and kidnapped by the tyrants. She has to find a way to rescue him without support from her group who deems the mission too risky. This one has some dungeon whump and a lot of healing after.

The Mer Story: Kai, the sixteen year old adopted son of two marine researchers, moves to an island in the middle of the ocean. There he becomes friends with two other teens (Mano and Keala) and they learn that they are all half mer and can shift between the two forms. Unfortunately, an unethical research group learns about them and to save his friends and all their families, Kai decides to sacrifice himself as a research specimen. This one has some fun lab whump and if it isn't chosen now, I will definitely be posting in May!

Jessie's Story: Jessie stumbles on a mafia hotspot and is kidnapped to keep her silent. They decide to keep her alive as a bargaining chip. She is eventually rescued by a band of previous victims of the mafia group and is adopted into their company. Her biggest goal after that is to figure out a way to safely reunite with her family, since she knows that they will be closely watched in case she tries to make contact. This story is set in a country where the government is extremely unstable and corrupt and the cities and towns are largely run by various criminal outfits. Some of the main features of this story are being tortured in a basement, found family, and seeking healing and peace.

The Servant King: This is my least developed story that I'm putting here. It's about a prince whose parents were killed in a coup when he was still a child. The head cook saved him by disguising him as one of her servants and raised him in the castle. As he grows older, he begins to take after his father, the slaughtered king. The usurping king decides that the boy will have to be killed because of his resemblance and so the cook tells him he has to run. He does and takes with him one of the maids, with whom he has fallen in love. Together they flee for the far off land of his uncle, where he hopes to find safety and potentially support to retake his kingdom.

[justmeinabigolworld]

@spilledinkpot @ninjiisbetterthanyou @bunnybluemagic

So, a little while ago, we talked about maybe making a little "writefight" as like a writing version of artfight. If you guys are still interested, I've typed my idea for how it'd work here. Tell me what you think, if you have suggestions, etc.

Like artfight, it would start on July 1 (time zone doesn't matter) and go through the month. Participants would "attack" each other by writing one-shots about each other's characters. You can involve as many characters as you want, or just focus on one.

Now, in artfight, the players are separated into two teams, and the teams attack each other; here, though, I was thinking we could just do a free-for-all where anyone can attack anyone, since there aren't that many of us.

After receiving an attack, you can counter the attack by writing a one-shot about the attacker's characters, or you can pay it forward by attacking someone else.

(Bunny said that she's not so experienced with writing but can retaliate with visual art; this isn't some big formal thing with strict rules, so that's totally fine! Character art is so cool! Just remember that if you do choose to write something, the writing doesn't have to be the most amazing thing in the world, and nobody's gonna judge you when you're writing something about their characters; as Ninji said, most people are just excited to get a thing of their guys!)

In artfight, the attacks are scored with points, and the team with the most points at the end wins, but I'm not sure how we would do that, so I figure we can just all attack and have fun and all be winners :D

So, what do we do until July? We post refs! Unlike artfight, these don't need to be visual, but images of the characters certainly can be in there. What we need are descriptions of the character's personality, mannerisms, backstory, role, relationships with other characters from the same story/canon you also have refs for, that sort of thing. If your characters are from a story up on the internet, link it! Snippets are also great! It would also be a good idea to talk at least a bit about the setting the characters are in, so I'd recommend grouping character refs by story/world/concept/whatever you're cooking.

As in artfight, we should all also list any things we'd be uncomfortable with in terms of receiving attacks. For example, you might not want anyone to attack you with something gory or nsfw, or involving certain subjects. Or perhaps there's a certain character you wouldn't want to be involved in certain scenarios. We're small writers, and we want to be considerate, so let's make sure to put that in the refs as well.

Some other notes:

There's no limit on the amount of characters you can have refs for, though I'd recommend organizing them by either putting them all in one post or having one post per story/setting.

No minimum or maximum wordcount for attacks. We all write in different ways, and they're all valid :D

This probably goes without saying, but, y'know, be nice, follow standard internet etiquette, all that stuff

By "characters", I'm going by artfight's general rules: original characters from original stories/concepts, original fanfic characters, and AU versions of canon characters.

Now, to put all the writefight stuff in one place, I was thinking I'd make a sideblog and call it writefight or something similar. Refs and attacks and such would be tagged #writefight and would also @ that sideblog, and then I'd reblog them all. The sideblog's pinned post would list the rules and link to lists of the refs (and eventually attacks).

(In terms of attacks, they can be posted wholly here on tumblr, or you can just post them on a writing side -- ao3, for example -- and link to them, or do both!)

While I mostly made this post in response to the people who showed interest when I first talked about a "writing version of artfight", if anyone comes across this post and would like to join, you're all very welcome! It would be great to get some more people to join -- the more the merrier! You don't need to ask or jump through any hoops; just make refs and tag/mention them like I discussed two paragraphs above.

I'm so excited!!

Update: sideblog created! It's @writefightblog

[twisted-wonderland-shenanigans]

Okay, either the scientist knew she was preggo or they just thought she was going through hormonal changes or whatever, there is NO WAY CROWLEY DOESNT KNOW THE HUMAN IS PREGGO.

Also, how much should I bet that Cater is just going to keep the whole world updated with every single DETAIL.

Oh, Lilia is going to have a FIELD DAY WHEN THE BABY IS BORN, same for Trein, he’s probably going to love it.

Referring to this fic snippet here:

Okay, to be fair, I forgot to mention that the events take place shortly after Yuu's arrival. Probably between chapter 2 and 3 given the timeline we have, which puts it at about...two, three weeks after the prologue and shortly after Riddle and Leona overblot.

As for the scientists/researchers, while logically speaking they would immediately jump at the chance to come to the island to start their studies, they first had to make sure these pictures circulating on Cater’s Magicam posts were legit first. Once it is established through a video or two that was posted, that's when they reach out to Crowley to make the arrangements!

And they actually arrive a week after the pregnancy announcement, so you can bet that they are very eager to get some studying done as quick as possible! 😂

As for the staff not realizing that fem!Yuu is pregnant, they are aware of what a pregnant monster's scent is like for sure. But because there hadn't been a human in centuries, even if Crowley was old enough to have been around humans, it's not like he remembers the scent off the top of his head! The staff would all essentially be like those confused cats and dogs trying to figure out what this strange bump is and why their human smells funny before instinctively feeling protective.

Can you just imagine Crowley building a nest for Yuu without realizing just *why* he was doing it in the first place? Or the blank stare he'd give the moment someone asked him like, "...why am I doing this??" and it only becomes clear shortly after the announcement, in which he tries to pretend he knew all along 😂

I'm also reminded of this one post where OP's cat had had multiple litters in the past and was so excited when OP got pregnant that the kitty kept trying to show her to the nest she made for OP's "kitten", and it was the sweetest thing I'd ever read 🥹

Anyway, you can bet your bottom madol that Cater will absolutely be keeping EVERYONE updated on Magicam throughout the whole process, and he is getting flooded with baby picture requests 🤣 It's also sweet how mothers come across the posts and try to offer advice that they'd learned on raising their kids, which is nice, though not all of the advice would really be practical based on species 😅 But at least they're sweet enough to offer that and words of encouragement! I can even see some inviting Yuu to a mother's support group meeting ;;v;;

You can also bet that Yuu will be receiving a lot of baby shower gifts and such from Cater’s followers. At least they don't have to worry about needing to buy diapers for a while! 🤣

Ooooooh yes, Lilia is going to be ecstatic to be able to hold and care for a baby again! He will offer to help watch over the little one (hadn't decided on a gender or name yet for the new baby) so Yuu can take a break, though don't worry about him trying to feed the baby his cooking. He learned and knows that milk is important for the baby, so he makes sure to have the bottles readily available even at Diasomnia~ (though Silver and the others make sure to keep an eye on him when it comes to feeding time just to be on the safe side)

Trein has already raised two daughters, and while he may not be interested in raising another, that's not to say he won't wind up spoiling the little human baby like any grandparent would! He'll also offer a shoulder for fem!Yuu to lean on and reassure her that she's doing a great job as a mother ;;v;;

[heretichromia]

Thoughts about Gladiia and Kal'tsit

I'm frustrated by (among many things) how little context we still have for Gladiia's relationship with Kal'tsit.

Even post-Path of Life. I was hoping for some more information, but at the very least the MTL of Path of Life is much more sparse with...characterization than I'd have liked it to be. I'm hoping that the official translation reveals things that were lost by automation, but I won't hold my breath.

The juxtaposition between Kal'tsit and her mother in their IS3 dialogue is really interesting. It's one of my favorite passages in the game. There's so much there, but it's also very specifically an early dialogue between them. At the time, they'd only recently met, and we only get snippets of anything that suggests a deeper connection between them in their other interactions.

More on that below the cut.

There will not be any Path of Life spoilers here. I don't really feel comfortable using Path of Life to support my arguments before it gets an official translation.

Does Gladiia see Kal'tsit as a mother figure?

Despite her being an adult woman, she's still—at the time of their IS3 conversation—trapped in the mold that her mother made for her. She reflects and realizes that the very virtues she's always fought for, the greater good she was prepared to sacrifice her life for, were planted in her by her family and her nation, and that she's never been able to "[swim] against the tide." Kal'tsit was the first person who prompted her to consider otherwise, to offer her some form of self-determination. She's attentive to Gladiia, directly contrasted with her mother's neglect. Her voice is cold, but her actions are warm, and that warmth is directly contrasted with her mother's at every beat. It's hard for me to read this passage without coming to the conclusion that Gladiia sees something of a mother in Kal'tsit, the mother she needed instead of the mother she had.

And...that's kind of the only place we really get that! And we don't even get the full conversation! Not that we need to, I think the passage is perfectly fine on its own without going in depth about what Gladiia shared with Kal'tsit and what her reactions were.

...So long as it's also supported by other passages that can help us fill in the blanks. Which we...don't have a lot of.

It's...abundantly clear that Gladiia has incredible respect for Kal'tsit. She's defensive of her, she speaks highly of her, and she actually listens to Kal'tsit when she contradicts her, often without argument. That doesn't mean she always behaves how Kal'tsit wants her to behave, but she clearly values her opinions and her judgment. She's obedient towards her, to someone completely uninvolved in the Ægirian power structure. The mere suggestion that the Inquisition could handle her in the event of conflict bruised Gladiia's ego enough that she turned confrontational in the middle of mission-critical negotiations, but she behaved the instant Kal'tsit pulled on her leash. This has been spoken about to death, so I won't belabor it any further, but it reflects some surprisingly warm feelings on Gladiia's behalf.

But that's...all we get.

We don't even get many looks into how Kal'tsit feels. She's obviously empathetic and caring, but that's...Kal'tsit. That's how she is, always. She's trying to carry the world on her back as much as she can while knowing that it needs to be able to stand on its own. If Gladiia does see Kal'tsit as a mother—

—which, if true, isn't even necessarily an indication that she sees the actual nature of their relationship as that of a mother and daughter, or preclude them from being on more equivalent footing (friends, partners, or even lovers); the entire Abyssal Hunters story is full of familial bonds that aren't necessarily literal—

—it's unclear if Kal'tsit sees Gladiia as a daughter, an equal who's lost her sense of direction, or just another of many, many lost children that she's taken temporarily under her wing until they can fly on their own. Kal'tsit is notoriously hard to read, by her own design.

Gladiia herself is hardly emotionally forthcoming, or perceptive for that matter. I think it's unlikely she knows exactly how Kal'tsit feels. Has she ever given it much thought? Has she considered speaking with her about it? My personal read on Gladiia is that she likely wouldn't unless prompted to, as she's had to be prodded to engage with others on an deep interpersonal level (mostly by Laurentina outside of this one conversation).

This gives a wide range of possible dynamics between the two of them that I would really like the story to actually give a damn about exploring! I find myself straining against the Abyssal Hunter story sometimes. I am extremely invested in these characters but only really interested in the plot by how it develops them. When the plot is intimately personal to the involved characters, like with the Sui storyline, it works wonderfully*—but the Seaborn as a plot device are extremely hit-or-miss.

*I do not actually think the Sui plot has consistently worked wonderfully, and I think it has considerable problems with direction, but I think this one part of it is actually pretty praiseworthy. See: Here a People Sows, where the entire thrust of the plot was deeply ingrained in character motivations.

[girl-lostconnection]

I don't have any words left.

I came back on here to check for an answer to my ask and it took me a while to figure out on how to address all the informations that you gave me, and–

The conclusion is that there isn't a way.

I'm left speachless and in pure awe.

You made me feel grief? Pain? Whichever you prefer.

The way you talk about Helldiver and Snippet has me on the ground.

But I do feel like saying one thing, or two, even if I'm fully overwhelmed by all the important and delicious informations.

First thing that picked my eye was how you made tf!141 become the reflection of snippet. I could hardly imagine seeing my past loved one in more people and those people care about me!? Yeah no, I'd be sobbing. Plus helldiver has a foggy and clouded memory about snippet, as you said, so they aren't even fully aware of how much resemblance there is. (I'm taking you to hell with me, author and jester.)

And again, as you said, snippet doesn't have a name, because Helldiver got such a traumatic blow about their death that it rewired them. (Kind of). Like.. IMAGINE not even remembering the name of the person you put your hope on. That would personally drive me crazy, speaking of experience too.

Now, moving onto the softer stuff, I'm glad each helldiver has something that reminds them of how they are alive, human. Living and not (yet) dead.

Last, but not least important, helldiver marriage. You and Jester are absolutely special. I love how your mind works. That concept is so beautiful. In hell, you get to show off your humanity to keep you and the person you want to commit to safe. Has my heart clenching.

I'd love to add more, but, my heart cant take it and I'm still half processing.

THANK YOU TWO FOR COOKIN !!

-🦭 anon

Oh, I’m so glad you found the response to your previous ask! It took me a little longer than usually so I was worried it would get lost among other posts.

Honestly, thank you so much for coming in and giving me a chance to talk about all of that! Before it was all the part of what brewed in my and Peach’s ( @jesterinc come here you are getting compliments) heads so to have someone to share it with was so absolutely amazing.

I really enjoy all your asks, anon, so thank you for chatting with me about this stuff.

And lil quick thing before I go about Diver’s sergeant. In all other universes where he lives and we get to know him, his name is Noah.

It means “rest/comfort” from Hebrew (see what I did there? With his lil grave and final place of rest and the name? Yeah? Yeah? Evil, I know)

[wikiangela]

fuck it friday

tagged by @daffi-990 @giddyupbuck @spotsandsocks

hi!! i'm back lol - well, the craziness at work is done and I'm slowly getting back to writing bc I haven't written in like a week and it's killing me lol (this is gonna sound dramatic but I literally don't feel like myself if I don't write for too long haha) I don't have anything new to share rn, but I figured since it's already december and since some of y'all are sharing Christmas fics, and knowing I likely won't write one this year, I'm gonna shamelessly plug my holiday fake dating fic with 4 Christmases and 6 Christmas chapters actually 😂 (Christmas was a very important time for Buck and Eddie's relationship in this lol) - there's obvi more holidays in this but anyway, here's a snippet of their first Christmas together also, it's been a year since I posted the first chapter and I'm feeling nostalgic lol, this fic is my baby and I love it so much (tho there's so many things I'd change now lol)

[read on Ao3]

___

Turns out, Buck is very much serious about the whole thing, and Christopher finds it hilarious and is eager to play along. Eddie doesn’t have valid arguments not to do it, and it’s not like he doesn’t want to. After another snide comment when talking to his parents, he made his decision. And he already felt this exciting feeling of satisfaction when he told them he’d be bringing someone for Christmas this year – miraculously, Buck and Eddie don’t work on Christmas, and they took an additional day off, so their schedules allow for a three-day trip to Texas. 

So now, it’s Christmas Eve and they’re on their way from the airport to Eddie’s childhood home, and he’s nervous, doubts just starting to seep in. What on earth possessed him to do this? He can’t lie to his family. He can’t pretend to be in love with Buck. What if he really does fall in love with him? What if everything goes to shit? He’s watched enough movies to know it’s a bad idea, but he couldn’t and still can’t bring himself to stop it.

“So.” Eddie says, his voice shaking slightly, as they sit in a cab. “We’re doing this.”

“Yep.” he can hear Buck grin next to him. “Unless you still wanna back out?” he adds quickly. They could still say Buck’s just a friend. No big deal. But Eddie does have this petty desire to stir something up, and this seems perfect. 

“No. It’ll be fine.” he smiles at Buck, and then feels hot when Buck grabs his hand and interlaces their fingers, winking at him. Christopher laughs.

“You’d make a great couple.” he comments. He’s been unusually happy about all of this. He also asked Eddie a few days ago if Eddie loves Buck, which prompted a conversation, but he thinks Chris knows what’s going on now. Eddie doesn’t really know what to think about that.

“Thanks, buddy.” Buck responds excitedly, squeezing Eddie’s hand, and he can’t contain a smile. If not anything else, at least all three of them are going to have a lot of fun.

___

no pressure tags: @elvensorceress @gaydiaz @diazass @thebravebitch @silentxxsoul @shortsighted-owl @eddiebabygirldiaz @arthursdent @diazblunt @911onabc @spagheddiediaz @housewifebuck @gayhoediaz @rogerzsteven @watchyourbuck @monsterrae1 @honestlydarkprincess @underwater-ninja-13 @eowon @exhuastedpigeon @weewootruck @loserdiaz @evanbegins @steadfastsaturnsrings @ladydorian05 @malewifediaz @pirrusstuff @theotherbuckley @911-on-abc @hoodie-buck @wildlife4life @fortheloveofbuddie @nmcggg @diazpatcher @jeeyuns @jesuisici33 @thewolvesof1998 @lover-of-mine @hippolotamus @disasterbuckdiaz @jamespearce9-1-1

[mtreebeardiles]

Snippet

Posted to my Observations of an Antivan Crow series on AO3, but figured i'd cross post here, too. This was apparently an unfinished piece that I scrapped in favor of going a different direction, but liked parts of it enough to share. I think I was planning on exploring the use of magic as we see it in DATV, but my inspiration left me partway through lol. SO IT GOES.

From Lucanis’s Logbook: Additional Notes on Tevinter

We only saw part of the devastation in the immediate aftermath; smoke and fire and…Blight. So much Blight. Tendrils of it choking the city as surely as the smoke, and just as heavy…blood. Magic, Venatori, and I cannot be certain what was giving me more of a headache.

This could have been Treviso.

This could have been my home.

“One person can’t make all the difference.” Maybe. Probably. Maybe Treviso would have been fine, fended off its dragon without Rook and Bellara there as backup. Maybe Minrathous would have fallen even if he had chosen differently.

But he didn’t choose differently, and we will never know.

“One person can’t make all the difference.” I don’t know if he was telling me, or himself, or Neve.

I don’t know that it makes any difference.

The writing changes, letters scratched out in jagged script, indentations in the paper where the writer pressed too hard.

ROOK

H URTS

——

It was inevitable, really, that they would wind up back in Docktown.

If things had seemed horrible before, it paled in comparison to the sight that greeted them beyond the Eluvian. The safehouse was a shambles, furniture strewn haphazardly across a gouged, bloody floor. No bodies, and Lucanis wasn’t sure that was necessarily a good thing, not with the press of magic so heavy here. Blood magic, making the backs of his eyes itch, and Spite shifted restlessly just beneath the skin. Close, too close, the Veil undoubtedly thin here, or at least recently thin. Recently enough to leave a mark beyond the obvious scars of the struggle that had taken place here. How soon had the Venatori made their move? Had the Shadows been able to evacuate?

How many of them were left, after this?

Lucanis glanced sidelong at Peregrine, but the mage’s face was carefully clear of expression. All Lucanis could really detect was the subtle tension in his broad shoulders, the clench in his jaw tightening the tendon in his neck as pale green eyes quietly assessed the extent of the damage.

An eddy in the air, so faint that only years of training and hunting mages told Lucanis he hadn’t imagined it, and the broken space before them erupted in a flash of red, light catching on the wicked curve of an assassin’s blades.

Of course they would have left someone for us.

Peregrine must’ve thought so, too, the mage bursting into action without so much as a breath of hesitation. The air pressure grew, Lucanis’s ears popping with the sudden shift of it, jagged light dancing around Peregrine’s dagger as he charged the Venatori assassin.

Smells like —

--Lucanis was moving a scant second later, Davrin stepping in to cover Peregrine’s right flank as Lucanis went left —

—Storm—

— and both men struggled to keep their feet as Peregrine’s blade of lightning seemed to cut across the fabric of reality itself —

—too thin, too thin, he’s going to kill us all—

—No! HELP. ROOK.

Lucanis couldn’t begin to describe what happened then. It was as if he was experience the events that followed in a sequence, each caught in it’s own distinct moment as the world slowed down around him. His focus narrowed, purple, skeletal light superimposed over his own hands, guiding him forward, and it felt only right to follow it, to lean into the motion, to exploit the weakness he now saw in the Venatori’s defenses. One slice, two, the third coming from Peregrine’s own blade, and it wasn’t the Fade the mage was ripping, it was the air itself —

—a storm, perfectly concentrated and contained, unleashed at just the right moment, leaving them with a ragdoll of a corpse thrown against the far wall from the sheer force of it.

Powerful, Spite whispered across his thoughts. But still. Man.

Powerful, Lucanis mentally repeated, looking over at Peregrine where the other man was standing over the dead Venatori. And still a mage.

A dangerous one, at that.

Maybe it would have made a difference, Lucanis found himself thinking as they made their way out of what remained of the pawn shop, if Peregrine had come to Minrathous’s aid instead. It was as if he could still sense the storm under Peregrine’s skin, growing and growing with each lifeless body they spied hanging from a makeshift gallows, with each ruined building and each hollow-eyed beggar they passed.

But it didn’t break free; the mage kept it contained.

Right up until he didn’t have to. Venatori, darkspawn, demons, all were met with the storm eventually.

And maybe Peregrine was just one person — but sometimes all it took to tip the balance was one more piece on the board.

——

“Do we know where the Shadow Dragons have gone?” Lucanis asked as they emerged from another portion of the catacombs. The sun was well on its way to setting, glinting golden on the stretch of sea beyond the docks. From here, with the growing darkness of gathering twilight, it was easy to miss all the things that were wrong: the bodies, the fear, the scorching by magical fire that marred the landscape even here, on the outskirts of Dock Town itself. Easy, but only for those willing it to be easy, and their group weren’t the sort to deal in easy things. “Has Neve…?”

Peregrine’s mouth tightened, and he shook his head once. “If they’ve set up somewhere else, I don’t know anything about it. As for Neve…” He shrugged. “Wasn’t really coming here to track her down; she asked for space, and I’m giving it to her.” He chewed on his lower lip a moment before releasing a deep sigh.

“We should head back,” he went on. “I want to double check my wards on the Eluvian here and… I think we’ve done all we can to help, for now. Need to check in with the rest of the team; should be good to track down Harding’s lead on a dragon hunter in the next few days.”

Lucanis and Davrin shared a glance, the Warden offering a small shrug before falling into step just behind Rook. Lucanis waited a beat, watching after Peregrine, wondering, wishing, he knew what to say to… help? Empathize?

Reassure?

But words weren’t his forte, discussing feelings of guilt and remorse and grief even less so, but there had to be something. Some way to reach out, not for the sense of gratitude he was certain Peregrine didn’t want, but in… camaraderie? An acknowledgment of that pain, even if it wasn’t something Lucanis could personally ease?

Wasn’t that the point, of being on a team? Of… forming connections? Friendships? Something beyond blood, shared or spilled together, something beyond the politics of knives in the dark, beyond anything Lucanis would have thought possible for himself even before the Ossuary. He cared for people yes, he cared deeply, but this…

It was different, wasn’t it?

Help. Rook.

I’m working on it, he thought at Spite as he moved to follow the others. I’m working on it.