#currently I am struggling with number 2 from the list.

[katyspersonal]

I have only two possible emotional responses to feeling really safe and warm talking with a new person:

1) Withdrawing from them almost instantly and rarely responding, even if against my wish or control, because of reflexive fear of attachment since usually everyone I felt safe with blocked me out of blue and revealed that all along I was giving them """red flags""" I didn't even know existed

2) Somehow not falling for withdrawing reflexively, but in turn the value of everyone else I know that does NOT make me feel safe (so, 95% of the people) sinks in my perception and now I have to struggle against a very strong wish to abandon everyone except The Person. Why waste time on anyone less than this?

[summerlinenss]

out of curiosity, if Max doesn’t release its metrics, then what metrics are you actually using to make these statements about the show’s popularity? what does “it’s currently in the 99.7th percentile of the comedy genre, meaning it’s in higher demand than 99.7% of all comedy series in the u.s.” even mean? How are you measuring what’s “in demand” - by who? Where? It’s bold to claim that this show was wildly popular (despite the fact that I never hear about it outside of tumblr, tho that’s a personal anecdote) but cancelled just for being queer, so I would be really interested to know where you’re getting all these numbers from. Thanks!

hey anon! first of all i am so sorry for the delayed response. i started typing something up and then i got distracted with something else and totally forgot about this in my drafts.

sure, i have no problem citing sources. i probably should’ve linked some in my original post, that’s absolutely fair.

this ended up way longer than i planned so bear with me, but a quick overview of what i’ll be going over:

1) what are the stats/where did they come from?

2) how is the show so popular?

3) was it really cancelled for being queer?

(also just a disclaimer that this will contain spoilers for the show)

1) first, the numbers

you’re right that hbo doesn’t release metrics to the public. in fact, ceo casey bloys tried to justify the cancellation to the hollywood reporter by saying “the numbers weren’t there,” despite refusing to say what exactly those numbers were or where they came from.

however, there are websites dedicated to researching/analyzing the data of different media. one of those is parrot analytics, who focus on industry insights like audience demand, competitive analysis, and content valuations. they’re trusted as a reliable source by forbes, the new york times, reuters, the wall street journal, and more.

this is what we can learn from them about our flag means death from a basic google search (note that all of this data is relevant to the last 30 days as of january 26 2024):

audience demand for our flag means death is now 33.6x greater than the average tv series in the united states. as explained in the “about demand distribution” section, this means it’s one of only 0.2% of all u.s. shows to fall in the “exceptional” performance range compared to the “average” demand benchmark of 64.1%.

the change in demand for ofmd in the u.s. has increased by 7.5% compared to the average tv series.

ofmd now actually ranks at the 99.8th percentile in the comedy genre in the u.s. i’m not a math person, but in basic terms, this is like a scale of measuring and comparing performances to create an average score. essentially, ofmd is performing at the very top of all comedy series in the u.s.

ofmd has 100% home market travelability. as it says above, the market of origin is always 100%, so in fairness i included the graph of international markets for comparison. some of these aren't super high, however (as explained by parrot analytics themselves) one of the key issues with the international market is accessibility to content, which has been an ongoing struggle for international fans. many people (i guess fittingly) have resorted to pirating ofmd because they don’t have access to max or affiliate streaming services in their country.

there are more stats i could have and wanted to go more in-depth into but it would make this even longer than it already is, so i’ll just leave some links you can check out if you’re interested and move on:

• comparison of ofmd's success to shows like ted lasso, euphoria, and peacemaker

• ofmd's placement as #1 most in-demand breakout series in the u.s. for 8 weeks

• ofmd's impressive 94% critics score and 95% audience score on rotten tomatoes

• how ofmd evolved from sleeper hit to a flagship series at max

• a list of ofmd's past and present award nominations/wins

• praise and recognition from news/entertainment sites: the atlantic (2022); the new york times (2023); tv guide (2023); vulture (2023); forbes (2023); the los angeles times (2022); vanity fair (2023)

2) so why haven’t you (or others) really heard of the show outside of tumblr despite all this success? likely because max did a terrible job marketing it.

ofmd first aired on hbo max (pre-merger before it was “max”) in march 2022. the entire season aired over one month, every thursday at 12am pst. season 2 followed a similar release schedule in october 2023.

season 1’s marketing was almost non-existent, pretty much relying on taika waititi’s name being attached. there was one teaser and one full-length trailer, as well as a few clips on youtube of taika and rhys darby answering pirate-themed trivia, all painting the show as a “silly pirate workplace/buddy comedy.” but hbo max didn’t put any real effort in because they didn’t care. david zaslav and the other higher-ups had no faith in the show and expected it to fail.

most people weren’t aware it was actually a romance due to the poor marketing, and although there were many romantically charged scenes between them, many were still wary to believe it wasn’t queerbaiting until ed & stede confessed their feelings and kissed.

showrunner david jenkins has said in interviews that he had no idea how deeply queerbaiting had hurt audiences and impacted their ability to trust what’s on screen without feeling like they’re being ridiculed, despite the fact that he was calling it a love story the whole time. it wasn’t until people realized they weren’t being queerbaited and that it was a funny, sincere show with a compelling plot that word-of-mouth began to spread. by the time the season 1 finale aired, there was a decent-sized fandom that continued to grow as it received more praise.

it was a fight to even get the show renewed for season 2, and david jenkins and the cast have majorly credited that renewal to the unexpected and massive fan response to the show, which basically forced hbo’s hand.

max didn’t bother trying to properly promote the series until season 2, when they begrudgingly accepted that it was one of their most profitable and successful shows. ofmd had huge billboards in times square, downtown los angeles, and on the side of hbo headquarters. they started accurately marketing the show as not just a workplace comedy at sea, but a heartfelt romcom. max began selling long-demanded merch (which became best sellers) and spent money on an FYC campaign.

i will emphasize, whether they liked it or not, they knew ofmd was their new moneymaker (especially with the recent end of succession, which was obviously a cash cow for hbo).

photo credit: @/bookishtheo

3) now if it was that successful, was it really cancelled just for being queer?

i mean, i can’t say that definitively. no one can. there are several potential factors at play that we may never know, and there have been a lot of rumours and speculation (many of which i don’t feel comfortable discussing in case they aren’t true) since the cancellation.

but do i believe the fact that it’s a queer romcom was one of those factors, especially since max has a history of cancelling and scrapping its most diverse projects? absolutely.

first and foremost, i can’t stress enough that this isn’t just a show with a few characters thrown in for token representation. ofmd is built on a diverse, intersectional cast and narratives, including:

• lgbtq+ representation: 5 main couples are explicitly queer (including mlm, wlw, nblm, and nblw relationships). multiple characters are implied to be poly, and there’s a polycule forming in season 2 that was hinted to be developed more in season 3. beyond relationships, it’s confirmed that (similarly to the way wwdits depicts all vampires as being pansexual) all of the pirates are somewhere on the queer spectrum.

• bipoc representation: the majority of the main cast are people of colour. this includes david fane, joel fry, leslie jones, samson kayo, vico ortiz, anapela polataivao, madeleine sami, samba schutte, ruibo qian, and taika waititi, as well as many guest actors (like rachel house, simone kessell, and maaka pohatu) and extras.

• disability representation: multiple characters have physical disabilities, most notably amputated/prosthetic limbs and visual impairment. a lot (actually most) of the characters also deal with mental health issues, particularly coping with severe trauma and suicidal ideation/behaviour.

• the show has been praised for addressing difficult and serious themes like toxic masculinity, colonialism, and self-discovery, all while still managing to be a witty comedy and not come across as “preachy.”

• the diversity also extends off-screen, with a team of directors, writers, and additional crew comprised of numerous bipoc, women, queer people, and trans/non-binary people.

my point isn’t just the quantity of representation, but the quality. they take great care and respect into every marginalized group depicted on-screen. the actors would often be consulted about their characters’ costumes, hair, tattoos, and the kind of language they use. it’s not a world where discrimination magically doesn’t exist, they just have zero tolerance for it. if a character does something homophobic or racist, you can guarantee they’ll quickly (and often violently) be punished.

so okay, sure, it’s got great representation. what does that have to do max cancelling it?

because they’ve been interfering with production from the start.

i already mentioned the marketing issues so i won’t get into that. it was also revealed in interviews with david jenkins after season 2 that hbo cut their budget by 40%, which is why they had to do everything they could to save money. this included letting go of some of the original cast (and even still having episodes where some of them don’t appear at all) and moving the entire production to AoNZ. the budget cuts also meant two less episodes, so they had to rush to fit an entire season’s worth of plot into eight half-hour long episodes.

but one of the biggest frustrations is hbo’s (alleged) censorship of the show. samba schutte revealed that the entire plot of episode 2x06 was completely different in the original script. before it was rewritten as “calypso’s birthday,” the episode took place during lucius & pete’s wedding and focused on the crew getting sick of the sexual tension between ed & stede and trying to get them to hook up (this aligned with lucius & pete getting engaged and ed & stede deciding to take things slow in the previous episode).

vico ortiz and writer jes tom have also commented that many scenes between jim, oluwande, and archie establishing them as a polycule were cut, including one of the three of them emerging from a bedroom in their underwear. jes has mentioned other elements of season 2 that had to be cut out or rewritten, like the implication of other poly dynamics between the crew and more sexually explicit scenarios and jokes.

considering that ofmd is an extremely sex-positive show that isn’t afraid to be raunchy or taboo, it’s clear that either higher-ups at hbo forced them to cut these things out or they had no choice but to cut them out due to tight budget/time restraints.

in addition to this, a recent article citing an “anonymous insider” has alleged that hbo was uncomfortable with and was unsure how to market the “shock violence” in the show (the same network that aired game of thrones), which david jenkins outright called out as being bullshit. ofmd is rated TV-MA and the posters and trailers all show the audience that it contains violent content. there is literally nothing more graphic in ofmd than any other pirate show — it’s probably a lot tamer than most of them, actually.

violence on the show is most frequently used in a comedic context, in the sense that it’s not meant to be seen as scary or taken seriously. the few instances of serious graphic imagery on the show are meant to invoke a mood shift, like ed’s transformation into the kraken or ned low’s murder. it should also be noted that some of the most graphic deaths are reserved for bigots, like ed snapping the neck of a colonizer who was ridiculing stede’s love letter.

it’s also most often used in a sexual context — not sexual violence, but violence as a sexual metaphor. more specifically the act of stabbing as a metaphor for penetration, as seen with both ed & stede and anne & mary. bearing all this in mind, it seems like the real issue here isn’t executives struggling to market explicit violence to a mainstream audience, but rather explicit gay content.

as much as we joke and affectionately call it the “gay pirate show,” ofmd has always been nothing more than an opportunity for rainbow capitalism for hbo (e.g. the fact that they waited three months to announce season 2 just so they could do it on the first day of pride month). like other cancelled queer media, ofmd was a way for hbo executives to show how “inclusive” and “accepting” they are when it was convenient (aka profitable) for them, but they never actually respected the show or us as a community.

it’s impossible to be certain of what the exact reasoning for cancellation was, especially when they won’t give us a clear answer themselves. and maybe it had nothing to do with ofmd being a queer romcom at all. maybe that’s all a horrible coincidence. but for hbo/max to axe a critically acclaimed and beautifully inclusive show that’s successful by every metric, with an extremely devoted fanbase, especially after casey bloys just had the nerve to ask “gay twitter” to hype up the gilded age? it doesn’t exactly put them in the best light regardless.

in summary, i’ll leave you with this editorial, which details how the campaign to save ofmd isn’t just about one show, but a fight to save the future of all queer art.

[footiehoemcfc]

A sip, and you score

Hello :), this is my first John fic, ngl I'm nervous bc its my first time writing for him. Anyway, if you have any ideas or request you can send them to me I will gladly do them :). My master list is pinned in my blog if you want to check it out. Fluff, smut, tw none, 2.8k words.

To say this season for John has been amazing is an understatement. He was selected for the England world cup squad, he is now challenging for the title again, UCL semis again, the FA cup final and having played in different positions and out of his comfort zone so well. You were very excited for him and so proud of all the hard work he has done, seeing it payoff is amazing. 

You and John started dating during Covid year. It was a very weird way to start a relationship, to quarantine with someone you had met for just 2 months. In a way, it was the best thing that could’ve happened to both of you. You had someone to spend a lot of time with, at times where it could become quite boring. You got to know him more than anyone and discover that actually, you two were perfect for each other. When you two first started dating, he was struggling to get into the team. It sucked seeing him sad and upset but seeing the progress he has made from that time to now; it just amazes you.

You were currently cuddled up to him, his arms around your waist and his chest pressed to your back. It was early in the morning and you knew his alarm would be annoying you at any second. Today was a big day, they were playing against Arsenal at home. John had told you he was not nervous but excited for this game. You on the other hand, you were very nervous because you know how south a game can go. 

You don’t know why, but you woke up with a very different feeling this morning than the feeling you had last night about the game. You felt in your gut they would win, and John having scored already and played amazingly you had a feeling he could score again. You didn’t want to jinx it, but you also wanted to let him know how sure you were and how confident you felt in him. 

You got up from bed carefully to not wake your sleeping boyfriend so he could enjoy 5 more minutes of sleep. You went straight to the kitchen to make yourself and John a cup of tea. You noticed the time, it was 8:55 am. You noticed how many tea bags were left, 5. You noticed you had unread messaged from last night, 5. You remembered a scene from the movie you binged with John last night, Focus. How they made someone choose the exact player they wanted him to choose to win a bet by making the man see the number 5 the whole day and subconsciously pick 55. All of these 5’s was giving you even more of a better feeling. You were always a big believer in intuition and going with your gut. 

You were thinking about all of this while making tea and jumped a little when you felt two strong arms wrap around your waist. “Morning my love” John said kissing your cheek. “Hi baby”, you stopped doing what you were doing, turned around and hugged him. Once you pulled away, John went outside so your dog could go potty and to take the trash out. 

John came back in and sat in the stool from the kitchen bar looking at his phone. You finished up the tea and placed his mug in front of him. “Are you excited about today?” you asked taking a sip from your tea. He placed his phone on the table and looked back at you, “Yea, I feel like it’s going to be a good game honestly”. “I have a good feeling too” “How? You said you were nervous last night” he says laughing. You laughed as well, you were scared but all these signs gave you a good feeling. Before John could take the first sip of his tea, you wanted to tell him it was different today. “I made a different tea today and… a sip of it means your scoring today so” you said playfully and proudly. “Is that so? You are making like a magic tea for me then?” he asked smiling. “Yea, I woke up with a good feeling today” “alright then” he takes a sip from his mug and smiles. He takes another one and soon enough he finishes his tea. “I guess I’m scoring a goal today then” he says smirking and you laugh. “If you do actually score, I want a bit of credit” you say as he comes closer to you. He grabs your face gently and kisses you. “You will get more than that”, you smirk when he says this knowing exactly what he means. 

John went back to his room to shower and leave to the training center before the game. Meanwhile you started doing work stuff to be free in the evening since you were attending the game. “Okay my love I’m off” John appears in your little office like space to kiss you goodbye. “Bye baby”, you both hug each other tightly like you do before every single game. He kisses you lovingly, “good luck yea? I know you are going to be so great today” you said smiling against his lips. He kisses you one more time before he has to leave. 

As excited as you were, you always had that thought in the back of your head of “what if they actually lose?” but you distracted yourself with work stuff, house chores and organizing your stuff around the house. 

It was near 6 pm and you started getting ready to go to the stadium. His family would all be there today, as well as some of the other teammates girlfriends which you have gotten very close with. Once you were satisfied with your makeup and outfit, you headed to your car. The whole ride to the stadium was filled with John’s playlist and it kind of made your nervousness go away, at least for a little bit. 

You were the first one in the box and you could see the staff arranging a banner they would display and the players warming up on the pitch. Before every game you would text John a quick message consisting of I love you and Good luck. This time, it included something else. “Already at the stadium! I love you and good luck! Score that goal for me please ;)”. 

Everyone else arrived to the box, you greeted his mom, dad, sister and Sasha who was in the box next to you. “I need them to win otherwise Jack gets so moody and it’s annoying” you laughed at Sashas’s joke. You were in between John’s sister and Sasha watching the game. The atmosphere was amazing, the stadium was bouncing. Everyone knew how important this game would be in order to win the title this season. 

The ref blew the whistle and not even 10 minutes in, Kevin scored the opener causing the whole stadium to roar. The game was looking good. You were holding either Sasha’s hand or fidgeting with your bracelets from the anxiety you had. Just before half time, they gained a free kick. You knew John loves his header goals, so you were excited to see if it would be a goal from him. Kevin made a really good pass and John was able to put it in the net. You all stood up once the ball went in, screamed but not even for a second. The goal was ruled as offside. “For fuck’s sake man” you said sitting down and covering your face. “They need to probably check it, damn that looked like a great goal” John’s sister told you. “Yea they are checking look” Sasha says pointing to the screen. “I really need him to score otherwise I will look like an idiot and disappoint him” you said while biting down on your nails, “what? What do you mean?” Sasha asked chuckling. “Oh god, I woke up today with a good feeling he would score and I told him, I was very confident and now if he doesn’t I will feel dumb” you said almost laughing know realizing it was just dumb coincidence all the signs you saw. “Oh my god look!” Sasha says pointing to the screen. The green line. It was a goal. You fucking called. “Yes!! I called it! Oh my god!”. Once the referee gave the goal, the whole stadium and all the players started celebrating and singing John’s song. You were so happy for him, and you saw he blew you kiss from the pitch after celebrating. 

The whole second half, city were playing amazingly with Kevin scoring another goal and Erling in the last minutes scoring one as well. You were so happy for the team, but you were even happier for John. You knew how much it meant to him the fans singing his name and making them proud. 

While you waited for John in the player’s lounge, you caught up with his family and some of the other wives and girlfriends. You still felt a lot of adrenaline form the game but the only thing you wanted to do right now was to hug and kiss John and say, “I told you so”. 

You saw your tall boyfriend enter the room and greet his parents first. They hugged him and congratulated him on the win and the goal. Once he saw you, he couldn’t help but just laugh to himself knowing exactly what you were about to say. He hugged you tight and kissed your temple. “I might more of your magic tea for the rest of the season” he whispered in your ear. You just laughed, pulled away just enough to see his face and give him a kiss. “I told you” you said smiling against his lips and he just chuckled. Once he talked to his parents and sister a bit more, they informed him he had to do some post-match interview. “I won’t be long yea, let me know when you get home yea?” he kisses your temple and leaves to the media room. You said your goodbyes to everyone and arrived safe at home. 

You made something quick to eat before John arrived so you could both just go to bed peacefully. Once you were done eating and cleaning up in the kitchen, you went upstairs to your bedroom and started getting ready for bed. You changed into your little shorts and a just a training bra. You pulled out your face wash, moisturizer, eye cream and oils to do your skin care. While you were washing your face, you heard the front door open meaning John was already home. “Babe?” John called out for you, “In the bathroom” you yelled out. 

You felt his two strong arms wrap around your waist while you were just applying moisturizer on your face. He gave started kissing your cheek, your shoulder and neck. Once he reached your sweet spot, you didn’t even realize you had stopped moving and just enjoying his kisses. “You said you wanted me to give you credit right” John whispered in your neck. You closed your eyes while his hand started touching your stomach, waist and finally comping up and cupping your breasts. “John” you moaned out, you turned around and immediately kissed him. It was a rough but loving kiss. His hand on your waist, your hands grabbing his neck and pulling on his hair. He lifted you up and you wrapped your legs around his torso. He carried you to bed, laid you down and kept making out with him in the process. He was on top of you kissing you, but he stood up and removed his hoodie and his joggers. He came back down and started kissing your lips again. Your hands roamed all over his toned body. 

After just kissing and making out for a little bit, you wanted to make him feel good after the game today. You tried to push him so you could be on top, but he stopped you “I thought I had to give you credit” he said smiling against your lips. “Yea, but I want to make you feel good”. He agreed and you were now on top of him. He was laying down while you were sitting on his lap. You stared slowly removing your bra so your breasts could be free. Once you threw your bra to the other side of the room, John came back up to you and nuzzled his face in between your breasts kissing them causing you to moan. Your hand pulling his hair, him gripping your hips, you rolling them so you could feel his bulge in your core. “Take this off” he said pulling your shorts down. You took your mini shorts off and now were completely naked straddling him. 

“Lay down babe” you whispered in his ear. He laid back down, you stood up and started removing his boxers. One off, you took him in the palm of your hand and started stroking him making him close his eyes and moan at your touch. You started slowly and after a minute, you place your mouth on him. He grabbed your hair, making you go up and down. As much as you loved how John always wanted to make you feel good, feel his face in between your legs, you loved making him feel good and making him cum. You didn’t want to finish just yet. You wanted to do it at the same time as him. 

“Baby, if you keep going I’m gonna cum” John says in between moans. You were on your knees bobbing your head up and down when he said this. You started coming back up to his face slowly, kissing all over his abs and torso, his chest, neck and finally his lips. You lined up your wet core with his cock and sank down in it. Once he was fully in you, it felt so good. You had your eyes closed, moaning while he watched and loved the view. This was his favorite position, you riding his cock. You started bouncing up and down, your breasts as well and John started moaning at the sight of you. “Oh my god John”, it felt so good. 

“I’m close” he started moaning, his hand firm gripping your hips helping you bounce on his cock. “Me too baby” you moaned out. You felt his hands leave your hips and grab your breasts. You lowered your hand down to your clit to feel your orgasm even more, turning John on more. He came up to you, now face to face to kiss you. He removed your hand from your clit and replaced them with his. You were both panting and moaning in each other’s mouth. “I’m cuming John” “Me too my love” “Cum with me baby”, it didn’t take long for both of you to see stars and cum at the same time. 

Straddling him, both of you just hugged riding out your high. He kissed your neck and chest lovingly. You pulled away to see his face and give him a kiss. He moved your strands of hair out of your face so he could see you properly. Your face was flushed and a bit sweaty like him. “I fucking love fucking you” John whispered against your mouth making you smile. “I love fucking you too” you replied chuckling. “Was that enough credit for the goal or do you need more?” “Mmmm maybe in the morning I can get more credit”, both of you laughed. 

Once you got cleaned up, you were too tired from the activities that took place. John made sure the front door was locked and all the lights were turned off. Once he returned back into the room, he laid down in bed and pulled you as close as possible to him. Your nose was bumping his, his hand around your waist and your hands on his chest and cupping his face. “I didn’t tell you before but, you played really good today. I love seeing you play so good because I know it means you are in a good place” he just smiled at what you said and kissed your nose. “Well I wouldn’t be in a good place if it wasn’t for you, you know?”, “what do you mean” you were confused now. “Ever since we’ve been together, I feel like you’ve been the one person in my life who has cared about me, like how I actually feel outside of football. You’re always at the games supporting me even if I don’t play, you’re the only person I want to see after a loss. I know I haven’t really said it but I’m very grateful for all of that” His comment made you smile and blush a little. You were happy that he appreciated you being a supportive girlfriend. “Well I just want to make sure you’re happy you know? I hated seeing you upset when you didn’t play or didn’t get called up. I’m really proud of how far you’ve come” “Thank you babe”. He kissed you, “I love you, more than anything” “Me too John, more than anything”. 

[savriea]

Get To Know Me Tag

Whew this was a long one! Thanks for the tag lovely, @darkurgetrash <3 This was fun! I love these games and learning more about my moots and sharing about myself when I wouldn't otherwise!

No pressure tags for: @little-paperboat @seabirdsong @forget-me-maybe Do you make your bed? Nope! Once I manage to peel myself out of that thing, what's left behind isn't my business. (plus I have 2 dogs who would promptly tear it back up, so,)

Favorite Number: I've always liked the number 11. Can't really say why, though!

What's your job? I am in sales, which works shockingly well given that I am pretty introverted IRL

If you could go back to school, would you? No. I was always smart but struggled in school because I had undiagnosed ADHD and was only seen as a problem child and as the weird girl. The lack of support and social issues left a bad taste in my mouth for school. Then, post-high school, I experienced terrible burnout in my first few years at college.

Can you parallel park/drive a manual car? Yes and yes. Cars and motorsports are actually a big passion of mine :)

Do you think aliens are real? Hell yeah! We'd be insane to think we're the only ones here. I kinda subscribe to the Dark Forest theory, though

What's your guilty pleasure? Napping. On the rare weekends that I have free time, there is nothing to stop me from a 6-hour mid-day nap. That and sweets.

Tattoos? I have 4, with plans for a few more. I have more piercings than tattoos at the moment. I just need to find a new artist, eventually... if I ever remember.

Favorite type of music: I have 2, depending on the mood. Metal/Rock or Electronic/House music. Which, these days a lot of metal leans on electronic heavily so it balances 🥰

Do you like puzzles? Yes and no. I really enjoy escape rooms as my ADHD can just go crazy with finding something, getting distracted and finding something else, then putting it all together. The time constraints are the vibe killer there, tbh

Any phobias? Fear of falling, definitely. I don't mind heights themselves if I'm in a secure position, but things like skydiving/ziplining/certain roller coasters do me in.

Favorite childhood sport: I was never into sports as a kid. I've gotten really into motorsports as an adult, though, and feel like if I grew up somewhere that kids motor sporting/karting was more prevalent *cough cough Europe cough cough* I would have been super into that.

Do you talk to yourself? Not really. There's enough going on in my mind 24/7 that the external stimulation might push me over the edge lol

What movie(s) do you adore? When people ask about my 'favorite movie', there are only ever 2 answers. Animated: Pixar's Cars. Live Action: Interstellar. No I will not take questions.

Coffee or tea: Depends. Cold: Coffee, all day. Hot: Tea, green, please.

First thing you wanted to be growing up? An astronaut 🥰

Last song I listened to: tear gas - Architects

Favorite color: Black!

Current obsession: BG3, lol.

Last thing I Googled: The phone # for my local tire shop 😂 Fancy.

Favorite Season: Winter. I love a good cold day.

Skill I'd like to learn: Painting. I actually went to art school for 2 years before suffering from extreme burn out. I was always decent with digital art, but I would love to be able to really, actually, literally paint

Best advice: I genuinely can't share any. Big head no thoughts. Sorry

Currently watching: Catching up on the Fallout show! I'm always very behind on new TV but currently about halfway through it.

Currently reading: A stupidly long list of BG3 fanfics as my "to read" books sit gathering dust on my bookshelf.

Relationship status: Married! Together since 2016 <3

Sweet/Savory/Spicy: Gosh it really depends on the mood, but if I had to choose only one for the rest of my life, SWEET! I have a weakness for baked goods.

[asshlyyyy]

Not My Father (Austin!Elvis x Reader)

Here we go. This is a request where someone wanted a multi-post series. If you want to see a part two, let me know! You can either comment or vote on the poll at the end of the fic. 

I actually liked writing this. That doesn’t mean that I don’t like others that I have written, but some give me a struggle more then others. I appreciate all the help on my last post. Tumblr is really frustrating and it sucks sometimes. Looking at your followers and then your notes... it just sometimes doesn’t add up.

I will be writing what I want to. I will still write request... obviously from this one. I hope that on Halloween I will somehow combine all my Halloween headcanons into one big fic. I am just rambling... let’s get on with it.

Masterlist

Pairing: 1969!Austin!Elvis x Fem!Colonel!Daughter!Reader

Warnings: Swearing, Terrible Father, Locked Away, Sneaking Out, Spelling and Grammatical Errors Most Likely

Word Count: 2.7k

You have been a secret for as long as you could remember. Growing up you were mostly by yourself. Your mom left you with your father pretty early on. You think you were about two or three when that happened. You didn't blame her for leaving... Hell, you wanted to leave. However, you couldn't. He made sure of that. 

You grew up around the circus. Your family was the circus at this point. It was much better than the family you currently had... considering you only had one jackass of a father. At most parts, you didn't know what to call him. You didn't exactly want to call him father... dad... and certainly not daddy. He was far from your father. He didn't care for you. All he did was make sure no one knew about you. 

Yet, he didn't want you out of his eyesight... the man who didn't want anyone to know about you, won't let you live your life. So, here you were at age thirty-two still following your jack-ass of a father around. In fact, you even had a list of rules that you had to follow.

Let's just quickly name them off. Number 1, no falling in love. This includes getting married and starting a family. Number 2, no having any hobbies that can put you in the public eye. Number 3, no interaction with any of the Colonel's acts. Number 4, do not speak to the Colonel unless an emergency and unless approached. Oh, the list goes on, but those are not as important.

"Do you hear me? Are you even fucking paying attention?" Colonel snapped his fingers in your face. You shook your head gently, getting out of your fantasy world, and returned back to your sad life.

"Don't... leave?" You questioned. That was usually all he told you. Stay put and stay out of the public eye.

"Yes, do not leave this room under any circumstances. You can call food service and that is it. I better not see you outside of this room." He repeated himself, which he hated doing. 

"What if I want to go swimming?" You asked as you folded your arms against your chest, a testing look on your face. 

“You can go swimming in your tub. Do not leave this room. If I see you outside of it… things will not end up nice.” He gave you one last warning and closed the door as he left. You let out a huff and plopped down on the couch.

When the Colonel got Elvis to sign the Colonel as his manager, talking to Elvis quickly became a big rule. You were not allowed to talk to Elvis. You weren’t allowed to even look at him. Weirdly enough, you weren’t allowed to listen to his music. You weren’t even allowed to watch his movies. If you had to guess, the Colonel didn’t want you to gain a crush on Elvis. 

Now, you were a rebellion. You always snuck out because you wanted to know what the world was like. The Colonel kept you locked up so often, that you didn’t get to see the world much.  Sure, you looked outside the windows on planes when you traveled. But, it wasn’t the same feeling as walking around and exploring. 

On one of those nights while you were exploring back in… god when was that? Sometime in the fifties for sure. It was back when Elvis was going around on the jamboree with Hank Snow and other special guests. It was late at night, and you had snuck out. It had to be around midnight, but you snuck out anyways. You walked around the area for a bit, but eventually, you just sat down and stared up at the stars. 

One of those nights Elvis came up to you. The two of you hit it off, and during that same night... you told him about the Colonel. Especially the fact that he was your father and that he was… well that he was a terrible father. It was at that point you and Elvis started to talk.

While nothing romantic has ever happened between the both of you. There were feelings that you had developed. Mostly due to the fact that he was your only friend. Yet, you knew nothing would happen. As much as you wanted them to happen, and to be freed from the Colonel's grasp... that would never happen. 

You stood up from your couch and walked over to the door that led outside to the balcony. You walked out and leaned over the railing. You looked down at the pool and smiled. You really didn't know why it mattered if people saw you or not. It wasn't like they knew you were the Colonel's daughter. No one would know unless you told them. 

You just wanted to be a normal person. You never got to live your life, and that wasn't fair. You were always stuck in hotel rooms. All you ate were the same food every day from the hotel's menu. To be honest, you were getting sick and tired of it. Even when you stayed at a motel the Colonel would have to bring you food.

You heard the phone in your room ringing, which forced you out of your thoughts. You let out a sigh and walked back inside and over to the bed. You sat down and picked up the phone. Wrapping the cord around your you held the phone up to your ear.

"Hello?" You spoke softly.

"Miss Y/l/n, how are ya?" A smile broke out on your face as Elvis' voice filled your ears.

"Oh, I'm just thriving Mr. Presley." You sarcastically said as you moved to lay down. You had got to say, this is one of the nicest beds you have ever slept on. Maybe it was because this place was still new and no one has ever stayed in this room before. Either way, the hotel was beautiful.

"I have a proposition for you."

"Like what?" You asked. What did Elvis Presley have up his sleeve?

"I want ya at my opening show tomorrow. Now- before you start to argue, I have someone buying some clothes, wigs, makeup, everything to disguise ya." He explained. You thought about it for a bit. To be able to see Elvis play, and to be able to blend in with the world. 

"You think it would work?" You asked after a bit. It sounded crazy, but if you could dress up in a disguise... you would be able to leave more often. You could explore. You could make more friends. It... sounded perfect, but that didn't stop your mind from wondering. 

"It will work, I promise." Elvis reassured you.

"Okay... okay... let's do it."

"WOOO Yes! This is going to be the best night of ya life, darlin'! I promise you that." Elvis celebrated. You let out a giggle and shook your head. He was such a goofy boy. He might've been a few years older than you, but he was still such a goofy boy.

"Okay Elvis, calm down," you smiled softly, "how could I even leave? I mean... the Colonel-"

"The Colonel will be in the casino, and ya know this. There is nothing to worry bout. Plus, you said he never checks on you unless he absolutely has to. So, let's sneak out."

"You make it sound like we're teenagers again." You chuckled lightly.

"Aren' we?" You could practically hear the smirk on his face. Elvis loved to sneak out, and you learned this quiet early on. He explained it as freedom. He felt as if it was the only time he could get away from the crazy lavish life he lived during the day. You didn't blame him exactly. You snuck out for freedom as well.

"I wish. So... what was your plan then? Since you're sneaking me out tonight?" You asked. You were really hoping that he would say swimming. You loved going swimming, and you learned to love night swimming as well.

"How bout some sw-"

"Yes! Yes please!" You answered immediately before he could finish. You could hear him laugh from the other end. He knew just as much as you did how much you loved it. 

"Don't laugh at me," you chuckled lightly

"I'll meet ya at your door at elven?" He suggested. Usually you wouldn't leave until midnight, but... the earlier you left... the more time you could spend with him.

"Sounds perfect. I'll see you then Mr. Presley."

"See ya, Ms. Y/l/n." He responded back. You blushed gently and hung up the phone. You let out a light breath and felt your stomach flip. You felt like a teenager who had a crush in high school. Only one difference though... You were thirty and not a teenager.

You looked over at the digital clock on the nightstand and took note of the time. You still had so many hours left until it was three. Which meant, you were stuck in your room until then. Minus well take a nap, or even get a bite to eat. 

That was exactly what you did. You ordered some room service and then set the alarm. Mostly so that you would wake up roughly half an hour before eleven. Which worked amazingly. You woke up and had enough time to get ready. To make yourself look awake, and dressed. Then you stood by the door waiting... and waiting.

It was painful waiting for the knock, and at one point you thought it would never come. As the clock struck eleven, there was a knock. You jumped up from your seated placement and opened the door with a smile.

"Waitin' for me, doll?" He teased you lightly with a small smirk. You rolled your eyes playfully and walked out of the room.

"Says the one who suggested the whole idea." You retorted back.  Elvis smiled and wrapped an arm around you, pulling you close into a hug. While he acted like a jerk, he was still very friendly. Not to mention, you guys didn't get to see each other much.

"Hmm, got me there." He muttered as you returned his hug. You hummed and shook your head. The two of you pulled away and made your way down to the pool. Which was closed, but you were with Elvis Presley... and Presley was pulling in all the fans to the International so... they bent the rules for him. 

You found a lounge chair pretty close to the pool and put down your towel, and a few other belongings you brought down. You kicked off your flip-flops and sat down as you went to pull your hair up into a bun. Mostly to keep it from getting wet. 

"Scared to get ya hair wet?" He teased lightly as he pulled off his shirt. You hummed a response and looked at him. This wasn't the first time you've seen him shirtless. You two have been swimming before, but every time it sent you butterflies.

"I'm sure it will get wet anyways since I'll be swimming with a child." You commented as you stood up, and started to peel off the clothes that covered your bikini. 

"I am not a child." Elvis huffed and folded his arms against his chest. You let out a chuckle and shook your head.

"Sure~" You replied and walked over to the pool. You reached down to test the temperate of the water. Your hand glided through the clear water. It was warm, which hinted that it was a heated pool. Not to mention, if you did get cold... there was a hot tub you could chill in for a bit. 

"I could push you in right now, ya know," Elvis mentioned as he walked up behind you.

"Oh I know, but I trust you." You said as you looked at him. You could tell Elvis was fed up with your sassiness already. You let out a giggle and stood up. You walked over to the steps that lead into the pool and emerged yourself down. 

"You know, I can sense some of ya daddy in you," Elvis commented as he got into the pool himself. You sent him a glare and sent a powerful splash his way.

"I am not my father. I will never be my father. Plus, I warned you plenty of times about him, so why stay?" You questioned. You really didn't understand why he stayed. You warned him plenty of times and even threw down the evidence. Elvis just always seemed to ignore it. 

"Mm, there's this girl." He replied simply. You gave him a moment of silence because it sounded like he was going to continue to talk... but he didn't.

"And? You're wasting everything because of this girl? That's stupid." You shook your head. You personally have never been in love. Well... there was Elvis, and you knew you loved him. Probably due to the fact that he was the only guy you knew besides your father. 

"Yeah, but that's what ya do when you're stupidly in love."

"Elvis Presley a romantic? That's a shock," you teased and swam up to him. He turned to look at you. Even in the water, he stood taller than you, even when in the deeper zones.

"Well, Y/n Y/l/n, 'm going to break some news for ya. I am a huge romantic, you just don' know... because ya never out in the sun." He confessed his big old secret. 

"You know why." You jogged his mind because he clearly needed to be reminded of your current situation. 

"Go out with me tomorrow mornin', we'll go for breakfast... I'll take ya around Vegas... then we'll come back and put on the disguise. I will give ya the best day." He suggested. Well, it wasn't really a suggestion or a question. He was going to take you out rather you wanted to or not. 

"Elvis-"

"I won' take no for an answer." He quickly spoke against your response. You let out a sigh and shook your head. 

"What if he sees me? What if the paparazzi see? Then we'll both be screwed. Mostly me, but... you could be also." You pointed out to him. Those were your fears mostly. Sneaking out and getting caught. That might just be a universal fear, but it stuck for years. 

You imagined many outcomes of getting caught. They arranged from, yelling... to screaming... to hitting... to harm... to being homeless... even the possibility of being killed. It's like you were his big secret. You were far from his big secret. Him being an illegal alien... that's his big secret.

"You're gonna be okay, I promise, darlin'. I'll protect ya from him." He held a smile on his face. It was soft and inviting, and it somehow said that... everything will be okay. Yet, you didn't understand why he would want to protect you from your own father.

"Why would you protect me? I-I'm just the girl who can't be seen."

"Exactly. You're the mysterious girl that no one knows about, but me." He whispered and got close to you. You let out a breath and looked up into his eyes. He was so close that your noses were almost touching.

"I stay because of ya. I'm not dumb when evidence is thrown at me, but I knew that if I left... I would be leavin' ya and I didn' want to do that." He confessed. You couldn't believe what you were hearing. If that was the case... that meant Elvis loved you. Before you could open your mouth to say something, Elvis spoke up.

"Yes, I love you." He answered your unspoken question. You closed your mouth back up and broke into a huge smile. It felt so nice to hear that. Never in your life have you ever been told I love you. It only took damn over thirty years.

"Now, let me take ya out." He once again brought up. This time you didn't have to think about it. You nodded your head and gave him your answer. Elvis seemed to like your answer... because he brought his hands up to your face and tilted your head. Just before he tilted his own and connected your lips together.

Here’s the link for the poll! // If a post a part two, it will include the date... the performance, and maybe even the colonel finding out!

Want to join my taglist? // Let me know If I spelt any wrong! I have updated my form for my taglist. You will be tagged under everything now in that selected fandom/person. Just makes my life easier.

Taglist: @mirandastuckinthe80s, @mommy-maia, @yagirlalexx, @slutforblueeyes, @alligator-person, @diorxmimi, @anangelwhodidntfall, @pumkiinpasties, @djconde58, @starryhazee, @21bruhs, @girlblogger2002, @dollfaceyourfear, @smbonilla2002, @homebodybirkin2003, @apparently-sunshine, @dark-as-love, @pandora-journey, @hsstylesrings, @jeonggukschris, @4everrmore, @bewitched-tales, @thelaziest10, @butlersluvbot, @curatedbyemily, @lovingly-unlovingme, @starlight-jpg, @omegellenlouise, @gyomei-tiddies, @Chlobug07, @wandawiccan60, @re3kin, @Itzjira18, @passengerjett, @neepo, @vane28282, @emilykolchivans, @gothantoinette, @gruffle1, @ilovemuppets, @hangmanswhore, @theinvibislecapricorn, @hariestyles1, @annamarie16, @holliemahady, @misacc08, @Brighteyesscum, @marchingicenotes7, @callthedarknessdown, @domaniquessidehoe, @gay-af-satan, @skinnypantsmcgee, @sassyblazecloud, @lovelyney, @lordandmistress, @Sharkslayersblog, @billysway, @nuo0n, @coldonexx, @adoreyouusugar, @aliciaelle47, @kh1898, @danitheedanimal, @raefoxiegirl, @cobra-kaii, @rylee-durhxm, @bob-the-tomato, @crabat-the-queen, @naveyelise, @austinbutlersgirlfriend, @iluvnerds69, @hopefulinlove, @aradevil, @Tylerdurdenisme, @laperceval, @xcallmetaniax, @londonalozzy, @mslizziesblog, @rosemochaaesthetic-blog, @bxbylexi23, @gloomynigvts, @persephones-blood-iris, @milaa24, @randompointlessbeauty, @auds02, @BubblyYork, @nora-nexus-34, @jazmin2211, @kittenlittle24, @Rqseycheeks, @moonbird1507, @bobthefishiesworld, @cevans-winchester, @luckyevansstan, @noorreads, @idc123sworld, @normatural, @hauntedarchivesx, @Luna4mnoon, @imagineslut01, @Kayleealicej, @thatcrazyfangirl22, @amiets2, @loveisalover, @myguiltypleasures21, @poppet05, @xcallmetaniax, @fullmetal-falcon, @kaitaesupremacy, @rainydayz101, @asd-n-adhd-fox, @loveisalover, @eliseinmemphis​, @adaydreamaway08

[iron-sparrow]

List 5 things that make you happy, then put this in the askbox for the last 10 people who reblogged something from you! get to know your mutuals and followers (ू•‧̫•ू⑅)♡

In no particular order!

LIFTING BIG WEIGHTS. It is a mental and physical struggle I absolutely enjoy, and very few things on this green(ish) earth can give me the same high lifting does. My current highest number is 253 lbs/115 kg for 2 on sumos. The other day I did 227/103 for 3 without pausing. Also, depressed queer lifters are some of the best people you could know!

I freaking love anatomy. Sorta ties into why I'm so into lifting weights + watching others lift. I am obsessed. We all joke about our shitty our meaty flesh suits are, but have you ever just sat and thought about how intricate they are and how long it took nature to evolve us into such efficient sweating endurance machines despite our other shortcomings? I mean, I hate running (flat feet suck), but the IDEA of how long we can hypothetically go for because of how our bodies work mechanically is mind-blowing. And have you seen how an Olympic lifter utilizes momentum and balance with their incredible strength to lift as much as they do off the ground and above their heads? The breakdown of every single limb's motion and muscle movement is SO beautiful that I can't even... WHEEZE...

I don't consider myself a writer, but I really love writing more than drawing sometimes -- no offense to my art degree that definitely wasn't a waste of time or anything. Something about processing images through words just hits different. A freight train slowly crawl by on the tracks versus a bullet train zipping across its rails; a horse breaking into full sprint; bird beating its wings against the air in very specific patterns; houseplant slowly changing directions as it seeks light. My heart feels so heavy that it's threatening to slip from my ribs down into my stomach in search of an escape from the pressure building inside my skin; I think if it burst, I would see it turn my breath into the same abyssal blue we perceive the ocean to be.

I guess music is another sure way to feel anything, including "happy." Some friends of mine talk about stimming with specific types of music, and I think back to how often I find myself unable to function at all without something playing in my ears. I'm actually prone to sensory overload (high ceilings WHY), so I will always carry around headphones or earbuds with me to help! And really, I'm content to listen to the same tune on repeat for 12-14 hours to stabilize my mood. This fucks with my Spotify statistics in the funniest way. Plus, people are more likely to leave you the fuck alone when you got headphones on, and I like being left alone. (Social misanthropes, rise up.)

My friends make me happy, and I am incredibly blessed to have friends that love me. When they can't support me directly, they walk alongside me so that I can still see their shapes while I traverse the fog. They ask me how I'm doing when I change medications. They tell me my muscles look nice after I've finished a gym session. They watch my OCs turning on the hot dog warmer with me. Some nights, when I'm struggling, I remind myself that I'll be able to talk to them again when I wake up. ♡

[scribe-of-stories]

Hi, I'm Scribe

(Art by Kollapsar)

About: As per the title you can call me Scribe; I also go by JL and or Knight (see Avatar) They/Them. I am a ex-professional Psychologist, I pretend to know things about Philosophy, and I have been known to write things that take place in my own silly little world. Also a TTRPG hobbyist that dreams about making my own one day. I mainly write modern fantasy with horror elements from a first person perspective. Things tend to get existential and there is often not a difference between reality and metaphor. Also there is no shortage of queer folk with super powers or deep occult knowledge in my stories. Currently most of my work is in the form of short stories and flash fiction, with a novel/serial in the works here or there.

Intent: What an ominous section title. Honestly I'm here to make friends in the writing community. I want to read other people's works and I want others to read my work. I want to encourage and be encouraged. I want to see the little notification number pop up on my screen and give my brain the good chemicals. Take this as blanket consent to tag me in games, to send me asks, and to send me messages. Tell me about your OCs and I'll gladly talk your ear off about world building. I also intend on getting published one day. It would be lovely to meet others going through the process.

Lexical Earth: Is the setting of most if not all of my writing. It's a modern fantasy setting who's hidden magic side was forcefully revealed during the year 2000, when the First Wave of Inscribed started showing up. Now governments are struggling to retain control, Thought Entities are going public with their machinations and hunger, and there is no small population of super heroes and villains trying to impose their views on reality. The magic system of this setting is generally soft with harder rules the closer one is to the material world. The Realm of Spirit is swirling occult bullshit, but it takes someone with actual knowledge to pull it down into reality. Experiment with Jungian masks, personas, and shadows; see the connective tissue of stories stretch across cultures; and walk those paths. Alternatively write words on your Soul and bend reality to the whims of your Inscription.

Directory: Bellow is a collection of the works I have posted and a short description of which each is about. Let me know if you would wish to be added to a general Lexical Earth tag list or if there is a specific series/protagonist you'd want to be tagged for.

(Under construction, there are a few works buried deep in my blog that I need to go excavate)

Samuel Smith, the Smith of Masks: Private investigator, grumpy and sarcastic, and part of the pre-inscribed world of Lexical. He's paid to solve issues between the Wyrd and the human; and often gets too emotionally invested. 1 – PI just wants to read books between jobs but Wyrd stuff is happening. Technically the first Lexical short I ever wrote. 2 – Sequel to the previous short. PI has a bad time working on this case, ends up having to sell part of his soul. 3 – Stand alone story. PI forgets what he's doing several times before solving a serial killer problem. Marian Wheeler would be proud.

Ken “Host of Fangs”, Lord of Hearts: Telepathic Inscribed that makes a hivemind with animals as his main power. He has substantial family and old life trauma and a masc., non-binary, partner who's soul is shaped like a jellyfish. 1 – Date gets interrupted by old woman/man Humanity handing out super powers. 2 – Ken gets a letter from his Ex and has big feelings about it.

Wander/er, Wanderer of Spirit: First Wave Inscribed that noped out of reality and went deep into the Realm of Spirit to learn about the Wyrd side of things. Generally an important person who shows up around big events, but more an advisor than a hero. 1 – Wanderer and a Thought Entity friend travel a bit too far away from earth. Careful not to wake Slumbering Kings.

Lexical Lore: For the World building and TTRPG side of Lexical. 1 – Inscribed, how do they work? How do you become one? Would they make a good RPG player character? All answered here. Go and make your own Inscribed and @ me with the results.

Lexical One-Offs: for stories that don't have a named protagonist or just aren't part of a series. Bedroom – Someone wakes up and gets ready for work. The Recursive Tree – The life cycle of one or more Thought Entities as seen from the perspective of a Soldier.

[best-childhood-book]

Round 1 Day 1 Update

First of all, thank you so much for this crazy amount of support! I never thought this poll would get so big in a single day. Here are some major updates through this first 24 hours:

I am compiling a list of potential books to be included in future polls. Those polls will not start until this one is over. Anyone can submit, but please check the guidelines and what is currently on the list, which you can find in my pinned post.

I am getting a lot of asks with people submitting books. If you don't want to see those on your dash, block the tag 'submission', but also let me know if that isn't specific enough. I know it's a lot, and I'm sorry for spamming! I'm also going to be working on tagging more in-depth since things should be winding down.

Now, about the poll itself, I've got some fun number-related updates under the break!

Poll 1

In a crazy upset, Pegasus is leading against Harry Potter 75% to 25%! This is absolutely insane, considering their numbers when I decided these placements.

Poll 2

To no one's surprise, Narnia is beating Pixie Hollow by a whopping 50%. However, there's been a lot of support for the underdog, so we'll see where the next week takes us.

Poll 3

Matilda is demolishing The Unwanteds 80% to 20%. I thought Matilda would be leading, but not so extremely!

Poll 4

Artemis Fowl and Wings of Fire are in a very close race with a less than 2% difference. There's been fierce campaigning on both sides, and I can't wait to see the result.

Poll 5

Oz is beating Keys to the Kingdom, which I could've guessed, but there are more votes for Keys than I thought! It's great to see since it's a personal favorite of mine. This one also has some of the least votes overall, so go give it some love!

Poll 6

The Mysterious Benedict Society is going strong against Charlie Bone, but there's been some real effort on the CB side to try and pull things back.

Poll 7

Another one with fewer votes overall, but there's a lot of campaigning going on. Both Land of Stories and 39 Clues have some devoted fans!

Poll 8

In perhaps the most contentious poll, Redwall and Warriors are duking it out. Warriors is currently leading 55% to 45%, but it's been back and forth.

Poll 9

In a very pleasant surprise (for me) EFC is currently beating Gregor. It isn't neck-and-neck, but there's still plenty of time for either side to take it.

Poll 10

Perhaps the most intense poll so far is between KotLC and Ranger's Apprentice. There's been lots of support from both sides, though Ranger is leading by 20% right now.

Poll 11

The most surprising to me, Sisters Grimm has a hefty lead of 40% on SGE, completely unexpected considering SGE's recent movie and publicity.

Poll 12

WtMMtM is struggling against City of Ember right now, but I've seen some support for it spreading.

Poll 13

In an insane turn of events, the author of Young Wizards, Diane Duane, reblogged the poll, turning Ella Enchanted's hefty lead into one of a mere 4%.

Poll 14

As this is the We-Love-Howl-Pendragon website, Howl's Moving Castle is beating TotFP in the second-largest lead overall.

Poll 15

Dragon Slippers is losing sorely against A Wrinkle in Time, but the gap isn't as huge as before. They've made it to around a 25-75 split.

Poll 16

To no one's surprise but many people's chagrin, Percy Jackson is solidly in the lead against Guardians of Ga'Hoole. However, both sides are seeing significant support.

That's all for now! The next update will be on Day 4!

[nonbinaryeye]

Myths of Gods (and their Godly bickering)

Written for @lonelyeyesweek

Day 2 - Mythology

There are many great myths and legends about Gods and their Godly deeds. But days of Gods cannot always be filled just with battle of wits and armies. Sometimes they are filled with petty little arguments.

Read on AO3

…

Gods are quite peculiar creatures. Born just from one’s belief. So powerful, greater than life, yet dependent on silly mortals and their prayers and faith. Luckily humans just love believing in stories and so for now there is no reason to worry about their Godly existence. Well at least the better-known Gods do not have to worry. There are also many of smaller ones, less important, those that will get forgotten almost as soon as they are born, worshiped by one village, one long winter from getting forgotten by their believers…

But no need to worry about them. They are not important to be given a proper legend. No, those are saved for the important Gods. Gods of Flame and Destruction, Gods of Deception and Insanity, Gods of the Death and End, Gods of Vast Skies and Space, Gods of Disease and Rott, Gods of War and Killing and so many and many more playing the starring roles in great number of ballads and dramas and songs and epic poems.

But God cannot always be in some great battle or planning some genius scheme or either helping or torturing mortals… So there of course are theories and stories of how their free time looks as well. And as it was established before… If enough people believe it, it must manifest into truth…

“Jonah!” God of Loneliness angrily enters the shrine of God of Knowledge. It is a glamorous and spectacular building filled with books and priceless artifacts and of course decorated by the characteristic All-Seeing eyes – it is said that the God of Knowledge can see from them everything that is happening anywhere in the world. Not exactly a place where the God of Forgotten would feel the most comfortable. Alas for once he is annoyed enough to ignore the uncomfortable stares from all sides.

“Yes, that happens to be one of my names. Is there any particular reason why you come here screaming it, Peter?” addressed God puts down his Quill and raises his sight of the manuscript as if he only now noticed his Guest and was not curiously watching him for the entirety of his way here.

“You know very well why I am here!” Peter folds hands on his torso, a gesture that is a bit ruined by his toga sliding off his shoulder. It is quite simple, dark blue with a silver rim yet Peter still struggles with how to fold it around himself properly. Jonah is dressed in much more complex and fancier toga in bright green colour decorated with intricate golden hem which he manages to wear in much more noble fashion. However, it is not exactly clothing either of them would choose, unfortunately people and their drawings were quite clear regarding Godly dress code.

“Do I?” the God of Watching asks with theatrically overdone surprise. His uninvited guest does not seem to be amused. And well, to say Jonah knows why exactly he is here would be a bit of overstatement. His state of knowledge to this particular subject is more like strong suspicion than certainty.

To make it clear, what exactly their titles of Godhood actually are, one must understand that even though there are some universally known and accepted Gods, people do not always agree exactly what their area of power exactly is. They are understood and worshiped the same way in different parts of the world, often even bearing different names.

For example Jonah is God of Knowledge, of Watching, of Seekers of the truth and of Innovations and Discoveries, and also of Perception and Sight and sometimes even Towers and many other things as it tends to be with Gods. Because if you need help with something and you are not currently keen to create a new God you can always just decide that it belongs in a jurisdiction of an already existing one. So of course, Peter’s list of things he was supposed to be God of is not any shorter. From the main ones he is God of Loneliness, of Forgotten, of Solitude and among many other things sometimes also God of Fog or even God of Sea Voyages.

“So, are you going to elaborate?” Jonah tries to prompt his conversational partner after the silence starts getting way too long. It is not as if he had no idea what could cause all this fuss. On the contrary. There are way too many things he is aware that he has done that could upset the other God and he would hate to accidentally confess doing something Peter was not aware of yet.

“You stole one of my priests,” God of Loneliness finally speaks his accusation and… is that really all? Jonah honestly did not even think he would notice. Besides, his accusations are not even technically true…

“Priests-to-be! He was not even your follower for that long. And people change who they worship all the time. You know how fickle they tend to be… So, really no big deal I would say.” He should have known it would be something like this.

“I was quite fond of him…”

For how long they know each other, the God of Loneliness never stops surprising him as he never cares about things Jonah would expect him to and makes scenes about little things like these.

“There are plenty of lonely boys around. You will find a different one,” God of Knowledge waves his hand as if it is not worthy talking about any longer because it indeed is not. The other God, as always, does not share his opinion. He frowns, calculating look in his cold eyes. He leans closer to him.

“Ah, yes, I’ve noticed scholars tend to be quite solitary, maybe I should steal one of your precious followers in return.”

“Oh, go ahead and try it! You stand no chance. Their loneliness comes from their dedication to studying and learning. You can offer them only the exact opposite of what they want…” Jonah leans to him as well.

“Are you daring me? You know I would never refuse such a bet.” A spark flickers in Peter’s eyes and Jonah immediately regrets his words. He loves a good wager, but he also does not like to play a game of chance.  Statistically speaking it would be foolish to fully trust in the full commitment of all his worshippers.

“Do what you want I will not play with lives of those devoted to me…” he tries to play it safe. And also a bit of a change topic seems like a good idea, now where were they- “Nevertheless, your favourite little priest-to-be would never commit to you anyway. If it was not me, I have from… hm… reliable sources that Anabelle had her eyes on him.”

This seems to indeed catch Peter’s attention. Unfortunately he immediately follows it with: “One more reason why you should have included yourself into it, you seem to already have enough disagreements with her.”

Yes, Jonah ironically has not the best relationship with the Goddess of Relationships. She was also Goddess of Connections, of Manipulation, of Spiders et cetera et cetera, as she was getting too close to his territories being also the Goddess of Secrets. And what else is a secret than a valuable information, a knowledge, that should be his area of and not hers! He would never tell her that openly of course. But he might be a bit daring and he already stole one of her priests before. But it is not like she was not meddling with some priestesses of his before so it seemed only fair…

“Thank you for your concerns but I have everything under control.”

“Do you now?”

“Yes. Yes, I do,” he tells Peter much more certainty with himself than he feels like. He knows, of course that he Knows, that he has been testing her patience a bit too much lately. Peter’s remark is the proof of that. His action must appear to be really bold when, even someone oblivious as he is, notices them. It is only natural that some Gods were getting along better than others but most of them are quite competitive and hostile towards each other. And as much as it is a normal state of affairs among Gods, the God of Forgotten for once does have a point. The enemies of the God of Knowledge seem to be unfortunately growing and so it might not be wise to boldly laugh at the one of the few allies he still does have… 

“Anyhow, enough about Anabelle. Shouldn’t we move back to the topic of your gracious visit?”

“Yes. I want my priest back.”

Jonah takes a deep breath. Peter, like a spinning wheel, repeats over and over the same line. As if he did not know as well that they do not tend to directly affect the life of humans… it is mostly just suggestions and gentle nudges… he cannot just appear to his priest and tell him how whiny is the God he was considering dedicating his life before him and whether would be so kind and convert because he is tired of listening to that.

“You know that is not how it works. He made his decision-“

“I don’t care.”

Ah, this will be a long debate. Is the fragile allyship really worthy?

“Alright, alright… I am certain we can come to some agreement.”

“I am not interested.”

“First hear my offer then refuse!” he puts on his charming smile. Luckily, he Knows God of Loneliness to his dismay quite well. “Of course, I would not dare to strike any deal without offering you a glass of ambrosia.” That indeed peaks Peter’s interest. He seems to be contemplating it for a while but then he resigns.

“Just make it short… Also, do you have any place here without all those eyes?”

“You’ve been in my shrine plenty of times, Peter, you know very well then I do not.”

 They have quite an interesting relationship – the God of Knowledge and the God of Forgotten. Or at least so people seem to believe. They seem like opposing powers yet somehow they get along – as much as Gods are able to get along. Of course, in some parts people believe that they despise each other and that sometimes really is the case. In other parts some worshippers believe that they are lovers. Some branches of their worshippers might even go as far as to claim they married. It makes a lovely story of opposites that attract and such. Those naïve enough trying to find some consistency in both of the ideas might even decide both claims might be true and they get a divorce from time to time. Afterall what would be any good religion without at least a tiny bit of drama?

[nilikhangdiwa]

2023 Fic Wrap Up!

following last year's post, i'm going to go through all of my fics for the year and talk about them a bit! again, um, mostly a3, but yeah!

1.

unbearable warmth

tasuhoma, master loves a mystery

this one was a comm for my lovely friend asra who really loves tasuhoma, so i wrote her a little thingy! there's nothing too much to say about it i think, but i struggled writing it because mlam isn't really my usual playverse. i think it turned out okay though!

- - -

2.

if the sky stops dancing

washisora, kuyuki, +3ghosts, first crush baseball, akiyama twins, canon-compliant (mostly), canon character death

this one was a comm for my friend mic, aka the ceo of washisora and my co-ceo of misuomi! i think i ruined a few lives with this one, not gonna lie. it's a little thing of hikaru and sora getting closer, and they're sooo cute. i've never done anything wrong in my life.

the comments in this are so funny if you check them out! and this fic was the reason for one of the next fics in this list.

- - -

3.

FUCK YEAH, THEY/THEM!

transfem banri, transfem nonbinary taichi, established relationship, fluff, silly

i took a break from destroying lives to write this silly fic. actually, i was in a pretty bad writer's block in the earlier part of the year, so this is one of the first fics after, like... rarepair week 2022 that isn't either a gift or a comm. i wrote this in the school library when i was supposed to be writing a paper, lmao.

it's a sequel to YOU GO, SHE/HER! which i wrote in 2021 and consider to be my magnum opus bantai fic. it's basically the same tags as this one.

- - -

4.

i hope this little light reaches

washisora, kuyuki, +3ghosts, first crush baseball, akiyama twins, canon character death

after the first kuyuki fic, mic came to me like. an hour later with more terrible ideas. so, of course, i helped them make it happen! mic had the idea for the plot, so i just wrote it out into the world, and then this! and then i got sniped by my friends who came for my neck for both of the fics.

- - -

5.

modern talking, modern walking

bantai, transfem taichi, internet friends to irls to eventual lovers

okay, no more angst. only sillies. this fic was for a little server exchange for my friend max! we both love bantai and transfem taichi, so like. this was the natural progression of things, i think! there's not much to say, just that it's very silly and i like it very much.

- - -

6.

i wanted to be your tomorrow

homachika, non-explicit sex

please note the one and a half month gap between the last fic and this one because my god i was so tired from life. but then this roleplay thing happened, and i was playing homare, and my friend was playing chikage, and then... and then i brainrotted so hard. it was so bad. chikahoma was all i could think about for weeks.

there's so much backstory for the chikahoma that inspired this, but it does end in character death, so i'll warn for that real quick. homare confessed to chikage via poem (i am not good at poetry but i tried lol) and they got together and they just... they were so in love with each other and just wanted to protect each other. but it ended up that homare was dying, and as he's about to die, chikage promises that he'll continue writing poems in his stead. and i. and i shatter every time i think about that.

brb crying. anyway.

- - -

7.

elogium

hex & willis, patholosite

SNRK. NUMBER 7. okay. so patholosite is the oc universe of my friend, jas! and i'm very mentally unwell about it. patholosite ruined my life. 10/10 would recommend. it's basically about this doctor, hex, who has, like. seven million issues, the most pressing of which being his inferiority issues. and he's basically currently working under willis, who is a genius and is not helping hex's inferiority complex at all.

stuff happens. please ask please ask please ask. i need to inflict the world with patholosite.

- - -

8.

Lost and Found

samlil, devil's gambit

okay, so this one is a gift for my lovely girlfriend, quill! umm. she did not ask for it. she just randomly sent me money so i sent her this in retaliation.

for context again, me and some friends made a little fake theater troupe like a3, and we're all split into little subtroupes. so devil's gambit is the lead play of my oc/sona (lance, playing sammy) for the troupe, and quill's character (quill, playing lilith) is the colead!

so. um. yes. gay. also this is from before we got together so like. yeah. finger guns. sometimes the gay precedes the gay.

- - -

9.

Why do you, as a man, call another man your partner? Because you're gay?

misukazu & tsuzuru, queerplatonic relationships, established relationship, aromanticism

this one was for the pride month exchange on twt for my friend, link! she asked for a couple things, so i settled on this. it was really fun to write, since i, like kazunari in the fic, am aro, so i was like. hahaha, projection go brr.

(note. i did not have a girlfriend yet at this time. but i do now and i'm still aro. so like. um. the projection projected back at me.)

i was actually supposed to also write a second fic, since i managed to finish this one pretty early. a 5+1 fic about kazunari again, but then i didn't manage to finish it. maybe one day!

- - -

10.

we can be dyed in any color we want

sakuya & kazunari, mentioned bansaku, smoking, just bros hanging out!

this actually wasn't supposed to be the next fic. this fic takes place in the same universe as this, like. kazuchika/bansaku universe i have fluttering around my brain? kazuchika is not mentioned in this fic, but bansaku is. it's not necessarily an au, it's just... a thing.

anyway, so the next fic was supposed to be the main kazuchika fic. but then the main kazuchika fic was turning out too long and i wanted to post this fic. so i decided, hey, instead of posting the main one first and then this side fic, i'll just drop the side fic. i mean, it still makes sense!

so, yeah. this. hopefully, i'll be able to finish the main kazuchika fic this year. maybe.

- - -

11.

someday, i'll be falling without caution

chikatsumu

okay, this one is one i wrote for chikatsumu week, so i'll go through each of the entries. it's chikatsumu week, but the actual thing went on for about a month with 7 prompts. i didn't get to finish all of them, but it was slay!

day 1, first meeting. chikage meets tsumugi in act 5. i don't think there's too much to say about it, since it's pretty self explanatory, but i think they're silly. they should stare at each other and try to peel each other.

day 2, letter. a letter that tsumugi writes to chikage following some unspecified incident where chikage disappears. i wrote this with the intention of it being the same universe as this au i have where april becomes the next organization head, lua.

day 3, domestic. it's just chikage picking up tsumugi after rehearsal and they hold hands and talk and walk. i can write so much about people just doing the most mundane shit, i swear. i love writing mundane shit.

day 4, angel/demon. playverse fic, morimiche (moriarty and michael). this one was inspired by a roleplay me and my friend did a billion years ago. basically, moriarty wants to corrupt the angel and drag him to hell with him. which, like. i mean. i fuck with that. go moriarty go. moriarty is a meanie.

day 5 fic, i ended up putting it in a separate fic (next fic in this list) because it touches on some more sensitive topics.

- - -

12.

silver sulfadiazine

chikatsumu, attempted suicide

day 5, scars. so this one is an unofficial sequel to a fic i wrote on my alt, where basically chikage. y'know. this is the aftermath, and it's from chikage's pov, and he's kind of hazy in-and-out and doesn't quite know what's going on. it's unofficial because the actual fic didn't have any intentions of chikatsumu, but i figured it'd be a nice little what-if.

the original fic was titled freezerburn, and had a lot of themes of like warmth and coldness and such, so i carried that over here. so this one is titled silver sulfadiazine, which is used to treat burns.

i actually wrote this whole thing on a flight to visit my aunt, and then i posted it when i touched down at the airport. very fun.

- - -

13.

a collage of cicadas

tsumuguy, tasuguy

this one was for fuyu ship week, though regrettably i only finished two, because i was preoccupied with rarepair week that started days later. i was also really busy at the time, since i was fortunately able to take my latest term abroad, but that also meant i was packing my shit and running documents for weeks.

day 1, garden + growth. nothing too crazy, just cute tsumuguys! i love tsumuguy. i love guy ships, though there aren't very many, which makes me sad.

day 2, debut. no-mankai au where guy still has journey, and tasuku is still at godza. this is based off a tweet i saw once about this concept, so i just wrote a little something.

i actually had plans for the rest of the week! very briefly:

day 3, beach. tasuhiso. tasuku picks hisoka up from the beach at 3 in the morning.

day 4, passion. tsumuhoma. it was going to be just ages of homare waxing poetic about how much he loves tsumugi's passion for theater and gardening and life.

day 5, snow. azutsumu. they're drinking hot chocolate in the lounge in winter and azuma laments how the flowers tsumugi was tending to are dying because of the cold. tsumugi tells him that there are flowers, too, that bloom in the snow. like you, azuma-san!

day 6, home. azuguy. my note for this just says "guy: tadaima; azuma: okaeri". and like. that's all you need to know, really.

- - -

14.

i just want to hold you tight (i don't want to go back to that lonely life)

lantaru, past tonoita, self-shipping, knights of round iv, internalized homophobia, kind of a character study

HEY. YOU. DO YOU WANT TO HEAR THE LANTARU AGENDA. "what the fuck is lantaru?" you may ask. LANCELOT AND ITARU. listen. hear me out. okay. i just think that, as a child and a teen and even into adulthood, itaru yumes with lancelot. that's his lanchan. that's why his hair is bleached at the tips, so they matchy. that's his 2D anime british twink boyfriend.

the fic itself is a little bit of a love letter to self-shipping in general, and how it can help people get through some tough times. it kind of just explores itaru's relationship with lancelot as a character, and his relationship with the people around him, and just. idk. i like them. because, hey, listen. sometimes i can make out with hisoka in my head as a treat and it fixes me a bit. insert that post about being a little mentally unwell to get better.

i like lantaru a normal amount please hear me out on this.

- - -

15.

fool's errand

chikatsuzu, chikamerl, knights of round iv

rarepair week 2! um. listen. i blame my friends wholeheartedly for this. like several other fics, this was inspired by a roleplay between me and some of my friends. and like. god. i'm so mentally unwell. tl;dr is that merlin spent the entire time antagonizing everyone, but then he's becoming human and shedding his magicky dragon-y nature, and chikage, for some fucking reason, decides to be kind to him.

and my brain has never let go of it.

my god i hate them.

i love them please make out.

but yeah. i really like how this one turned out, actually! i like how merlin talks all fancy and old timey and chikage's like uhh ok lol. merlin refers to chikage solely as "chikage utsuki" in this fic, rather than "utsuki chikage" which is how i usually write it. this is because merlin is white. thank you.

- - -

16.

my universe is filled with you (more and more)

sakyoita, future, marriage, established relationship, moving

itaru and sakyo move into their house together! there's not much to say about this, i just really wanted to write an itasakyo fic for rarepair week. they're just really cute and shaped. this one was a little late i think, so all my rpw fics were a little late, but hey! that's fine.

- - -

17.

meet me where our scars collide

tasuchika, introspection, intimacy

i am obsessed with chikage and his scars. like. i swear. i just think about them randomly. it also goes a little into chikage's default flight response of just running away from the problem. i just think. i don't know, man. just... chikage's got so many issues, i think kissing men could fix him.

it's actually really funny because i posted this fic in august, and then like i got a dm in december from one of my friends just SHAKING ME. and i was like WHAT DID I DO. and she was like MEET ME WHERE OUR SCARS COLLIDE. THAT'S WHAT YOU DID. and i was like I POSTED THAT FOUR MONTHS AGO???

anyway, i really like how it turned out!

- - -

18.

despedida

citokazu, act 8, canon compliant

before rpw, someone in a server was like, hey, someone give me a rarepair for day 5 of rpw? i'm thinking citokazu, but idk... and i was like, YO CITOKAZU DAY 5 THAT'S LITERALLY MY PLAN TOO THAT'S CRAZY !! DO IT.

this fic is actually really timely beecause actually between the previous fic and this one was my flight to japan. so i literally had a despedida like when i was writing this. i really like citokazu, though i haven't talked about them a lot recently, so i wanted to write something for them for rpw!

- - -

19.

Venus

tsumuhiso, uriluci, urimiche, sympathy for the angel, stray devil blues, non-linear narrative

okay. so if you haven't seen me during the a3 play ship poll, i made this propaganda for uriluci/urimiche. the au that i mention there is the same one that this fic is inspired by. and i am so unwell about uriluci it's unreal. i adore them, they make each other worse.

the title is venus, because it's the morning star! morning star, morgenstern, is also associated with lucifer. so, yes. also in the end note of the fic, the numbers indicate which order the different fic sections actually go in chronologically.

- - -

20.

Ichor

augju (kind of), gekka, blood and violence, canon character death

this one was my fic for the gekka zine! (which, hey, if you haven't checked it out, you can find it on tumblr @/gekkazine!) it's just, you know, the usual augju bullshit.

july is a really interesting character to me, and more often than not i end up writing him? to the point that some people think of me as july oomf. which is. um. i don't know if that's a compliment, but sure, i'll take it! he's just really. somethimg. he sure is something.

- - -

21.

you are gold, you are home

chikaita, domestic fluff

a comm for cg! most of my chikaita are stuff for cg, tbh, and i'm not complaining! this one's just a short and sweet one about chikage waking up with itaru in his arms, and something about the vulnerability and gentleness of domestic life that he never thought he'd have for himself... yeah.

- - -

22.

bunnies and red pandas

chikaita

this one was for chikaita week! i had a lot of fun writing for these, and i had previously committed to being chill and low stakes about it, so i didn't have a lot of trouble or stress about it. the title references, of course, their a7 (??? i think ???) animals.

day 1, late nights. chikage hasn't come home and itaru's so worried he throws his matches. chikage's his lucky charm! or actually he's just so worried that he can't focus. either way, they're cute.

day 2, playverse. gawafuta! gawain (kniroun) and futami (uraomote). i think... this is the first fic for them i've posted, though i know there are more on ao3. my and my friend ended up making this ship after (another) roleplay thing, and then just... i just think they're neat, i don't know. i have a lot of gawafuta thoughts. i think that futami's one of the best people to help gawain adjust to getting, like, reverse isekai'd, because of his job. like, yeah, the info gathering stuff, but moreso being a teacher. like, modern jp lit takes a lot of inspiration and cues from earlier parts of jp history and lit, so futami presumably knows quite a bit about history and society as well, and just. i think they're neat.

day 3, office life. this was kind of inspired by when i met my friend and he was telling me about how when he went to shinjuku there were just a bunch of salaryman sitting around on the sidewalks and shit drinking and smoking and i was like... yeah. and then this was born. there's a lot of things about itaru's reputation that he has to keep an eye on, i think... but chikage will help, don't worry! also chikage is super pining and in love in this.

fun fact, there's a deleted line in this where chikage says something like not entirely accurate because he wasn't born in japan and only started living here a few years ago, and itaru calls him a gaijin lmao. i took it out because i don't think itaru would do that but like it's funny to me.

day 4, domestic. "nuh uh" "fym nuh uh" is the reason i wrote this entire thing. i had this exchange with someone on twitter about how itaru just says silly things and i was like. you know what? yes. so i just make itaru say silly things in this one.

day 5, plushies. after writing this, the world plushie didn't even look like a word anymore. and i'm just really obsessed with the mental image of itaru turning all of his plushies away so they don't see him and chikage doing the nasty. there's also references to the extended kniroun lore there (runa) which i am happy to talk about at great length always anytime.

- - -

23.

Oversized

samlil, devil's gambit

same deal as lost and found. although, okay, we were actually already together at this point. she, like... randomly sent me money again. i think because i didn't have enough in my paypal to resubscribe to dropout, so i was like haha is anyone willing to commission me real quick. and then she just sent me money. so i wrote this because i wasn't going to take no for an answer. also i had major samlil brainrot, since i had a manga studio art class where we had to make our own manga, and i was like. okay! great! (makes devil's gambit manga) (does not sleep for three weeks)

- - -

24.

Hunter's Mark

azusakyo, nocturnality extended universe

this one was a gift for soda for a little server exchange! they didn't ask for much, so i was like... hm... what's the last thing you said about azusakyo... and then saw vampires and went, PERFECT. I ALREADY HAVE A SAKYO VARIANT FOR NOCT. although he ended up a little different from how i'd originally made him, but i think this works!

the faust backstory is that he's a vampire who's also the head of vampire hunters. why is he hunting other vampires? who knows. he and franz have a history. also, despite being a vampire, he can interact with holy objects and things. he literally trained himself to do that and not to react when it burns. he's crazy, lol. that part i think was inspired by raphael from the mortal instruments. i'm a little unnormal about raphael santiago, but don't worry about it.

the summary of the fic is an excerpt from goethe's dr. faust, who faust is, y'know, name for. he did this bargain with a vampire a long time ago for something. haven't decided what exactly, but something along those lines.

also, fun fact! in my current noct universe, faust's heir is akito, played by azami.

- - -

25.

Shaped Like Halloween

kazunari & chikage, halloween, liberal use of the word "slutty"

this one was for a halloween exchange in a server! for. um. my girlfriend. IT'S ACTUALLY REALLY FUNNY. the previous fic, the azusakyo fic, it's for a different friend. but initially, the giftee i had received was also my girlfriend. so i asked if it was okay to switch with someone else since i figured she might like to receive fics from people who are, you know, not just me. AND THEN I FUCKING LEARNED THAT BOTH THE GIFT EXCHANGES IN DIFFERENT SERVERS JUST RANDOMIZED THE GIFTEES. SO I RANDOMLY RECEIVED QUILL'S NAME TWICE BECAUSE THE POWER OF GAY OR SOME SHIT??? IDK.

anyway, it's sillies! kazu and chikage. i'm pretty sure that when we'd filled out the forms to join the exchange, we hadn't gotten together yet? and she had something written down like, kazu and chikage, i've been thinking about them recently. and like. i kin kazu, she kins chikage. i know what you are (gay).

- - -

26.

Starburst Tea

bansaku, first meeting, no mankai

for being my favorite a3 ship, you'd think that i'd have more bansaku fics. but, hey, at least i have this one! i also posted this around the time of the bansaku cg, so i was literally losing my mind.

this is based off an actual place i went to while wandering around. me and some irls found this cool little tea shop the city. it was really cozy, and there was an actual wall of tea with different blends. i got carnival! it was good tea. the owner asked my friend if he would be willing to help paint a mural on the side of his tea shop with some other japanese people, so that was slay and fun. there was a fire, we made smores! the owner also has a little wood soldering set, and he let my irl draw his face on the wooden counter. it's really nice. anyway, in universe, my irl is kazu, he just does shit for banri.

- - -

27.

(if) we are meant to be

mukuyuki, soulmate au

last fic of the year! this one was for the secret santa on twt for my friend, aud! admittedly, i don't have a lot of practice writing youngestgumi, but i think it turned out well! i wrote this on the plane ride back home, actually, so it feels like a really nice close for the year.

i'm super normal about soulmate aus, by the way. i have a billion fluttering around my mind at any given point in time.

- - -

thanks for sticking with me this year! hope to write a bajillion more fics again next year~ i actually have one coming up soon for a server secret santa, so look out for that one! >wa)b

[bakudekuficlist]

Hello!!! Do you perhaps have a list of bakudeku with villain!deku??? Thank you!!!

Mini-List: Villain!Deku

please mind the tags!

Last May - spoiled2percent

Chapter(s): 1/1 | 3044 words | Mature/Graphic Depictions of Violence - Major Character Death - Underage

"My best friend, Izuku, his dad was a big drinker so he hated all of that stuff, parties too." Katsuki said, glaring at the people around him yelling and pushing each other in an attempt at a mosh pit.

"And where is Izuku tonight?" Mina asks, her words slurring.

"Oh, he killed himself last May. Kinda wish he left a note, you know what i mean?" Katsuki says, downing the rest of his beer.

When Pink Runs Yellow (You Will Still Be a Rose to Me, My Dear) - ACrazyCooki

Chapter(s): 1/1 | 1171 words | General/No Warning Apply

"It seemed rather impossible from a logical standpoint, but nothing about Deku made sense.

His obsession with Katsuki, for instance."

OR: villain deku kidnaps the number one hero, his crush, and attempts to get Katsuki to reciprocate his feelings.

miles upriver (and stranded without a paddle) - sempiternalsolace

Chapter(s): 5/5 | 8634 words | Mature/Graphic Depictions of Violence - Major Character Death

The city of Musutafu is plagued by a series of murders, none of the bodies whole and all of missing organs or even a limb. Rightfully dubbed "The Harvester", police have been struggling to gather enough evidence to locate and apprehend the infamous serial killer. Months and months of searching, and still no sign.

Eijirou Kirishima, a current student at the local university, begins to suspect that something is... off about his roommate's childhood friend after more and more evidence begins to point to him being involved somehow.

Let's hope he doesn't look too deep into it.

Going Cookie for Kacchan - CubedBoxes

Chapter(s): 1/1 | 16,339 words | Explicit/Rape/Non-con

Back in the bedroom, Izuku sat himself up, wanting to chase after Kacchan…but he quickly thought better of it. He paced across the room and slammed his head against the shut door in frustration. For fuck’s sake. He finally gets an age-appropriate, human Kacchan and this damn version won’t sleep with him because he’s fucking married to alternate him. What a fucking disaster.

-----

Izuku's been having some trouble getting Kacchan to realize they belong together so he imports one from another dimension.

in my room - aceofthedeck

Chapter(s): 1/1 | 1324 words | Not Rated/Creator Chose No Warnings

He turned his eyes to look at his alarm clock. 2:45 the numbers blinked back at him.

Fuck this.

Clearly he doesn’t want to show his dumb face tonight, Katsuki thought as he turned his back towards the window and buried himself up to his neck in the covers.

“Bastard.” He grumbled lowly under his breath, slightly muffled from the blankets.

“Well that’s not very nice.” A voice said from behind his back.

Katsuki let out a small shriek as he twisted around to sit up and stare the intruder in the face.

Deku.

I Am the Devil That You Forgot - resistantborg

Chapter(s): 1/1 | 1703 words | Not Rated/Major Character Death

“What do you mean he’s dead?” Mina asked, her words coming out in a horrified whisper.

“What do you think I mean?” Bakugou rolled his eyes as he stood, kicking at a few rocks as he began to pace around.

“He got in my way.” The smirk that crossed his face made Denki want to throw up, and a horrifying realization came over the group.

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

The hero commission falls and two former heroes stand in its ashes.

gullible man's death - bakuangst

Chapter(s): 1/1 | 1333 words | Mature / Major Character Death

Bakugou Katsuki. The man known as Dynamight. Many were intimidated by him, villains cower at his name and civilians admired his presence.

Izuku was a villain. He was a man known with no mercy.

Would you fall for love, laying in a bed of lies?

[sophieswundergarten]

@nobody33333333!!!!

I know I said I'd get this out, like, two days ago, but unfortunately I had a pressing essay that I needed to finish. HOWEVER, I have now dealt with it, and so I get to gush about how much I enjoyed this chapter of "S.O.S."!!!!

(This is also going to be in a few parts, so I do apologise. I wanted to do it justice.)

First off, ten chapters!! A very exciting milestone :)

And I was so happy to see all of the sneak-peaks from the WIP Ask Game slot into this chapter; it's like five different layers of satisfying to see the passages I was really excited to read earlier match up with a piece of writing that I love so very dearly.

There is something so exactly siblingesque that Curtain is extremely angry about his brother "stealing" their joint ideas. I have basically had that exact conversation too many times to count.

Poor Jeeps. He's jeeped it up again.

"How many back-up locations and safe houses can one person have?" How many indeed. I think that either they have a ton, because all of them wanted to be prepared so they just set up like five different back up plans without telling each other, or Curtain's forces are absolutely abysmal at finding their singular safe house.

Curtain thinking about how Garrison is closer to him than Nicholas, even though she's currently brainswept herself is so sad. He had a family, and now all that he can do is compare how deeply their various "betrayals" hurt him.

"The family Curtain had lost" OKAY, WE'RE GOING THERE. OUCH.

But, really, that is an exquisitely crafted line with so much nuance and drama and pain.

It's really interesting that Kate and Milligan's names seem to be at (or near) the top of his list, while Nicholas is purposefully at the bottom. Because he still devotes the same amount of attention and mental energy to thinking about/capturing them. He's just pretending not to care.

" Nicholas, and everyone else that Curtain had ever cared about always fought against him, like disobedient unruly children" Oh, oh buddy. I totally get why this makes sense for his character and everything, but, again, why are you trying to run a school?

It is a skill that you can write Curtain's inner monologue and include such things at “The Endless Burden of Greatness is Mine Alone to Bear.” and still make me feel even smidge of serious sympathy for him. You have a talent, my friend.

You included the bit about Number Two's name!! I find that so funny, and am intensely gratified that you gave him that little thought anecdote about it.

Oooh, the way you included the lights from the shore so early in the chapter gave me shivers. I was brimming with anticipation by the time Curtain fully processed through it all.

It's a tiny bit funny to me that Curtain continually thinks of children and their skills as "pathetic", whereas when he himself was twelve he thought he could rule the world, and still holds that conviction!

"Or maybe Curtain was just being paranoid. Or maybe he wasn’t being paranoid enough." Or maybe you need therapy

His statement about the syllables has always thrown me off, but I reconsidered it here, and while I still have no answers, I have some observations: "Ledroptha Curtain" is 3-2, while "L.D. Curtain" can be considered 2-2 ("Reynard Muldoon" is also 2-2). However, both "Nathaniel Benedict" and "Nicholas Benedict" are 3-3. I wonder if the writers chose "Nathaniel" purposefully because of its syllables, as well as starting with "N". I wonder if it bothers Curtain that his name isn't really balanced anymore (as I can definitely see him struggling with some OCD tendencies; need for control and all) or if he likes it (or pretends to), since it no longer matches his brother.

Curtain's just sitting here judging Reynie for wanting to talk about his Manipulation Salad while pretending to care for more manipulation. I can't believe how irony-blind he is sometimes.

He's so awkward ugh this part makes my insides squirm

It's crazy but also really sad how much Curtain has retreated into his defensiveness since the S.O.S., because he's comparing Reynie to both Nicholas and Pedalian, but he can't get out of his own head enough to recognize Reynie as a person and possibly offer him some grace or even consider why he might be acting so oddly. It's good, because it means that the kids' plan works and their people reading skills have been put to good use, but it's still a little sad.

"who by this point was certain that the backhanded nature of his compliment would undoubtedly be completely lost on Reynie, as he didn’t even seem capable of determining the appropriate time to enter a conversation." Why is he so judgy this is actually hysterical-

Why. Just- Why? What about the Ribbon Interaction was so concerning that nearly ruins Curtain's opinions of Reynie? I mean, it sounds exactly like something Curtain would do but I am dying trying to sort it out in my head because it's so weird

AND HE'S STILL OFF. He has a whole interaction with Reynie, and then goes "Hm, I wonder where the possible spies my brother may have sent are. Truly a mystery." He's such a goofy dork, for all his "Greatness"

MILLIGAN

It's so neat that Milligan loves hiking. I just adore that detail.

Oh boy, Rhonda and Number Two's fighting never really sat right with me in the show, but I am liking the spin you put on it. I think it's probably just because I read the books and I was expecting them to be sisters, rather than colleagues. That said, I am very curious to see where you take it!

The way that you interject the girls' argument with the little descriptions of Milligan is amazing! It really captures the energy of the situation beautifully.

In a way, Milligan is mirroring Curtain in this scene, with his uncomfortable awkwardness and trying to escape the conversation.

Mr. Benedict's whole life sometimes feels like a series of putting off a task until it eventually confronts him and tips over into a domino line of other tasks. Same, buddy.

IS IT CONCERNING THAT I INSTANTLY KNEW WHAT SCENE MILLIGAN'S MEMORY WAS OF AND IT GUTTED ME

You are a beautiful artist and it's like watching a gorgeous quilt come together or someone weaving very fine lace to see you write but also sometimes it feels like you're repeatedly stabbing me in the heart

Oh, oh oh oh dear. It's the Milligan flashback. Still just as emotional the fourth or fifth time around :(

The way you describe his wife is so cool!! It's very genuine and sincere, but you keep the vague, mysterious air as well!! Very good.

Agh, and poor Milligan keeps second-guessing his memories and worrying that they're hallucinations or something, my heart hurts for him. And once again!! He wants to meet her again. I think that it adds a lot to things with how you've been writing him, because while obviously finding Kate again was amazing for him, but he probably had to grieve his wife all over again when he remembered her. (But, of course, we know that he'll get to "see her" in Kate, a little)

The way that Curtain does a full 180 from harshly judging Sticky for being timid and like Nicholas to (correctly) assuming that he's a spy is as ridiculous as it is interesting. Curtain is highly intelligent, he and Mr. Benedict are siblings, after all. However, he is constantly handicapping himself with his distrust of others and unhealthily excessive self-reliance.

S.Q.!!!!

“Not slacking off on your classes, are you?” SIR. What classes????

[m34gs]

What are your Top Five Ships of All Time that you can Scream (TM) about and why?

All time? Of All Time???? OOOOOH you are making me choose! This is tough, but an exciting ask! Thank you so much, friend!!! I will list them in reverse order, from number 5 to number 1!! (as always, this is just a list based on my current interests, and it could change in the future!)

5. Brawler/Hoodlum from Akudama Drive. Listen, listen. These two? They are in love. So clearly in love. Brawler is Constantly showing off for Hoodlum, and Hoodlum blushes??? When he's talking with Brawler???? Excuse me?????? I 10000% believe Brawler knew Hoodlum stretched the truth with his amount of years he owed the system, but he took One (1) look at Hoodlum's pretty eyes and went "yeah that's fine he's pretty I want to keep him around I will humour him" and that was IT. (I could also talk about the scene with the bridge but I WILL NOT for reasons😭😭😭 He's resting. Just resting.) This one comes out at number 5 because while I love it and could easily go on and on and on about it, I haven't talked about it as much or as often as the others on this list.

4. Mondo Oowaa/Kiyotaka Ishimaru from Danganronpa. These two. THESE. TWO. Ugh. I love them so much. Mondo is MY SON. He's just so...precious. And so is Taka. I love them both and I think their dynamic is very sweet. I think they are very similar to Brawler and Hoodlum in some ways, but obviously not exactly the same. I do love how they bonded over a mutual respect for each other that came from competition. I also will cry every time I watch Mondo's execution, and every time Taka ends up murdered. Pain. I live for the AU where they are both alive and healthy and able to fall in love and live happily ever after. This ship is at number four because I did settle down a lot after my initial playthrough of the game and while I can definitely scream about them at any given time if prompted, I don't search them out as actively as I used to in fanfiction or fanart.

3. Jade Leech/Floyd Leech/Azul Ashengrotto from Twisted Wonderland. This OT3 is honestly addicting to talk about for me. I love them. They're three of my favourite characters in the game, and I really find their dynamics fascinating. They have this incredible trust with each other, they know each other so well, and they support each other. Also I am *here* for the Mafia theme. Love that so so so much. Honestly, over the past few days I don't think I've shut up about them in our DMs and texts.

2. GrimmIchi from Bleach. Honestly, I had to give Grimmjow and Ichigo one of the top two spots. I mean, honestly, I'm one of the co-writers for a blog *dedicated* strictly to GrimmIchi (though I haven't written anything there in a long while...ooops). I have Many Many Many thoughts about them and I love to yell about them. It's very hard to get me to stop once you get me going, and it's so easy to get me going. Just ask @backwardshirt

Honourable Mentions: Byakuya/Kirigiri/Naegi from Danganronpa, Gundham/Souda from Danganronpa 2, Noiz/Aoba from DMMD, Vash/Wolfwood/Meryl from Trigun, Lawrence/Adam from Saw (2004), Byakuya/Renji from Bleach, Vil/Rook from Twisted Wonderland, Bokuto/Akaashi from Haikyuu!

1.Number one spot goes to:

Kalim/Idia from Twisted Wonderland. I mean. It's not hard to figure out, I'm sure, lol. I talk about them a lot, and I make a lot of posts about them. I love to discuss different dynamics, different possible aus, and I have written several one-shots and short scenes about them now, as well as a multi-chaptered fic centered around them as a pairing (and there will be more to come!!!). I love them and I will take any and all opportunities to shout about them. They are so cute; the introvert and the extrovert, the grumpy rain cloud and the sunshine beam. I love that dynamic with my entire soul. I can't help but be drawn to them. They got that Sun and Moon dynamic. Both of them have such complex emotions, and I think both of them struggle with conveying what they feel; just in totally different ways. I love them so much!!!!!!!!!!

[jimmyneutronrevival]

JIMMY NEUTRON REVIVAL PROJECT: UPDATE 33

Hi folks.

I wanted to take some serious time to discuss the events from December in this blog so that everyone, cast included, can better understand my situation and my circumstances. L.A. COMIC CON AND MY 2022 LIFE

Before I get to the L.A. Comic-Con itself, let me discuss my 2022 in a nutshell.

In April of 2022, I developed a weird tiredness feeling that I have had for many months. I had been in and out of doctor’s offices trying to figure out what it is and was put on a waiting list for an Endocrinologist who will see me on March 9th. I also suffer from depression which has plagued my personal life for many years. I have been seeking help through a talk therapist and a medication therapist who, try as they might, haven’t been able to do too much. But I am now on a medication (Wellbutrin 300mg) that has given me a little bit of my energy back which is something. However, the amount of money I have had to fork over for these visits has been anything but cheap. My insurance covers a lot of it, but the rest of the cost is up to me.

Additionally, I had been mulling over the prospect of returning to school. My current degree wasn’t helping me as far as my career prospects were concerned and I wanted to work on a business degree to improve my chances of landing a fulfilling career. As I was a gig worker and part-time online test scorer, I didn’t have a lot of money. And at the time, I had made zero plans to make any trips for the year or do anything else that would set me back financially. So, I made the decision to take the plunge and I applied to college. I was accepted and began my studies online in the fall of 2022. I spent close to $7000 on my first semester and the spring semester so far has been roughly the same, give or take a few hundred dollars.

Now, let’s go back in time to the Jimmy Neutron panel at L.A. Comic-Con which had been formally announced on October 28th. This gave me barely a month to prepare. I was scrambling to find low-cost airfare, a reasonably-priced hotel, and transportation. I did my due diligence and researched every site I could, including popular sites like Orbitz and Expedia. The airfare was going to set me back almost $500 ($400 + fees). I was able to find a hotel on the L.A. Comic-Con website, but it would have been about $700-$800 plus a large hospitality tax. The one good thing about it is that it was on the same street as the convention center and within walking distance. Then came the dilemma of finding a cab or an Uber/Lyft to get me from the airport to the hotel and the hotel back to the airport, which would have been at least $50-$75 both ways. Add food, money for souvenirs, the actual cost of two badges for the show plus fees since I would have attended 2 out of the 3 days, plus autographs and it was going to cost me close to $2000.

By the time I had the knowledge that a reunion panel was happening, $7000 was already gone due to school. I did not have enough discretionary funds I could use as far as taking any kind of a trip was concerned.

I am in the lower-income bracket along with so many other millennials. Some of us got lucky and found good careers while others like myself have had to struggle. There are probably more articles on the Internet about the struggles many of us millennials have went through than I can count. For people like me, life has been tough.

Because I am in the low-income bracket, I have to budget a lot of the things that I do. School was a major cost factor as far as my budget for 2022 was concerned, and I knew that any little bit of money I did have left would have to go to the other bills and responsibilities I must pay for each month.

In the end, after crunching the numbers, I did not have the $2000 I would need to make the journey out to the convention, and I had to make the difficult decision of informing all of my followers that I would not be able to attend. This broke my heart more than anyone could possibly realize. I was extremely upset and sad about it.

I decided to take the initiative to finish the petition so that it could be displayed at the show if the cast wished. I spent several weeks in about 3-4 settings working 3 hours at a time to edit the fake names and duplicate signatures out of the petition as well as the odd comments and duplicate comments on the petition comment page. On November 27th, at midnight, I finished everything and sent it off to the organizer of the panel and that was that.

There were a couple of people who thought that I was going to attend which caused quite a bit of confusion. I did my best to try to clear up any misunderstandings. Even though I did explain that I wasn’t coming on my socials, I know not everyone sees these posts which I totally understand.

The weekend of the show was extremely difficult. It got to a point where I had to shut my notifications off on social media so that the pictures and other notifications bombarding me about the show wouldn’t send me spiraling into a deeper state of depression. Unfortunately, I fell apart. I had been able to keep it together for so long, but the weekend of the show, I was no longer able to remain that stoic person I always try to be. I broke down several times and felt absolutely awful. I have had many days of sleepless nights and still feel absolutely guilty. I felt like I had let people down and it hurt like hell.

While I hope this is not a one-time deal, if it ends up being that way and I missed out, all I can say is I am sorry. I am sorry that the funds were not there for me to attend. This was something that I wanted to do and had I had more advance notice I would have moved mountains to try to get the money. I wish I was one of those people who could drop everything to do something like this. But unfortunately, I am not.

In order for me to attend anything like this in the future, should that happen, I would need advance notice that is more than a month, so I have the time to prepare. Otherwise, it will be hard for me to get a plan together along with the proper funding.

Also, I will try to set aside a savings account for trips so I can be a little better prepared in this way.

I hope that this explanation is helpful to my followers, the cast, or anyone else who may be reading this.

Thank you all for your understanding.

[booksandchainmail]

Pale 4.6

Practice, my dears, is about repetition, rhythm, and presentation. We take some form of power, often something Others have to offer, or a bit of our Self, and we use our inviolable word to push that power into the ruts that the past has carved into existence. Those ruts are the circuits in the computer of reality, the currents in the aether of unreality.

oh I love this. What a great description of how magic works in the Otherverse

This was my difficulty, because I was raised with what I would term craft, rather than by practice.  The word ‘practice’ implies rote repetition, with aim of perfection.  Craft, on the other hand, is skill.  Something that comes from the honing of the self.

this is an interesting philosophy. Makes me wonder about other completely different approaches to magic

It is possible for an Other to step into humanity and assume nearly everything about a human life, including the ability to practice

Blake... :|

“No,” Dreg rasped, speaking with an adult’s voice. “A good familiar is a partner, something you can control, or something you’re willing to be controlled by.

depressing but true. I feel like most practitioners fall into the second category

“Meh.  If you asked around you’d probably hear something like how my family’s a bunch of magic janitors.” “Janitors? What do you do?” “I’m a knight of seals."

cool name though

If I got kicked out, no high school education or anything, then I’d probably end up a goblin exterminator.

ok. so. 1) teach your children enough to get a GED and 2) MAYBE NOT WITH THE EXTERMINATING OF SAPIENT BEINGS? Like, I can see how you might need to deal violently with some goblins, but "extermination" is a hell of a loaded word

Like… boy band attractive, but without the attached annoyance of the boy band.

I think the band is supposed to be part of the appeal?

“I find,” Jessica said, “the proportion of bad people remains roughly the same.  If ten percent of people are assholes, they’re going to be assholes whether you’re in a big school or here, or in the city or a town like mine.” “The proportions may remain the same, but the smaller the group, the harder it is to find the necessary number of people to surround yourself with, and the harder it is to avoid the monsters who are not Other.”

even leaving aside actual assholes, its so much harder to find people you genuinely like if the pool of total people is small

I think you have to find a family, found family or blood, and I don’t think Zed, I, Eloise, Ulysse, or Amine can be yours.

... yeah. I think Zed is a good ally, at least so far. But I think longterm the difference in goals is always going to be a divider. But the Kennet Trio have each other.

“Younger students, move closer to the front.  Don’t be scared,” he said, as he placed his laptop beside him.  “I byte with a y, but I don’t bite.”

oh, bad cs jokes

Not entirely sure what's going on with Ray here, if he's being racist or if he's seeing how Lucy responds to provocation

“That,” Ray said, after a short while, “was the Faerie. Seven courts.

oh! going back over those descriptions: Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter, dark Autumn, dark Summer, dark Spring?

She struggled to.  All she remembered was how upset she felt as her emotions had gotten away from her.  Like Ray had hit a button and made her feel something.

this makes me think Ray is deliberately pushing at her emotions. Maybe something to do with trying to figure out what was up with the Hungry Choir binding?

Are these categories from the Pactdice practices list? I think some names have been changed, but I remember Divine being a column header, and I think goblins and abyss were in the same column

“You’re agitated.  Please relax.  I would like to explain and move on to a practical lesson, but I can’t do that like this.” You’ve been telling me to shush, you’ve been keeping me from raising my hand… She bit her tongue. “Would you step out, please?  I am doing my best to include you in the class when I don’t have data on you.  I will include you more after I have a better idea of where you stand, skillwise.  For right now you’re being disruptive.”

literally not doing anything!

So. From what Zed's saying, this seems mainly to be that at practitioner school, the professors all might have issues or unreasonable pet peeves and students just kind of have to roll with it. Sucks and is unfair, but that's how life goes.

But. If Ray's issue is people being angry, it is deeply unfair to hook someone up to an emotion detector and then react to the emotions being shown by the detector, even if the person controls them.

And also, out of all the students there, including other new students, including other students who didn't fill out the forms. The student he singles out for being overemotional and angry is the one Black girl.

She found them, not that far from the school or that deep into the paths.  The Dollmaker, Graubard, and the ex-headmaster, Bristow, talking.

hmm. Don't like that!

Verona turned a book so it was at an angle both she and Lucy could read, and she beamed, excited and happy.

I wouldn't be surprised if Verona wants to consider staying at school for the school year rather than returning home.

It isn’t nothing, answered that other part of her, that had just been lit up with simulations of karma and divinity, colored with spirit and seven shades of Faerie, and shaded with darknesses both visceral and ruined.

this is a hell of a closing line

[the--sound--of--rain]

2022 Writers' Review

It's already two months into the year, but I'm still going to do this, because I think it's such a nice thing. I was tagged by @lavandulacosmos and @natures-marvel thank you! 💕

1. What is your AO3 account?

brownest_goldfish

2. How many words did you write total in 2022?

34'481, according to AO3 stats

It's not a lot of words, but I feel like this was the year I've developed most as a writer so far, especially writing the first chapter of Lamb and the last chapter of my spooktober fic and I'm very proud of that ✨

3. How many fics did you publish in 2022? How many multichapters vs oneshots?

12 fics, 3 multichaptered and 9 oneshots (and of the 3 multichaptered ones only one is finished so you can see that this is not where my strength lies agajsks but i'm trying to do it more and i actually love it!)

4. What was your longest fic? Your shortest fic?

"A Lover in the story" (finished) is the longest at 9987 words but I published 5000 of those in 2023. Otherwise the longest is "A Lamb for Our Love" at 8618 words so far (one of two chapters)

The shortest is "With a smile" at 412 words. The shortness is owed to it being only one scene, more of a picture I imagined after reading Cry Wolf by @roccinan – and since I can't draw, I decide to write it down 🥰

5. What was your most popular fic? Your least popular fic?

I find this so hard to say, because numbers can never really encapsulate this, and every piece of appreciation from anyone for any fic is a gem in itself. But just for simplicity I'll go for Kudos and Hits here:

The one with most Kudos and Hits is funnily one I didn't write for Berlermo, but for "Arcane" as a birthday gift for @stilljustbitten: "Ice blue" got 113 Kudos and 842 Hits, probably owed to the fact that this fandom is just a bit bigger. My most popular Berlermo fic in 2022 in numbers is "Art and Attraction" at 83 Kudos and 755 Hits.

The least popular in numbers is "Love wins" at 16 Kudos and 146 Hits.

6. What fic didn’t perform as well as you thought it would?

I didn't expect a specific amount of reaction on any of them, so I'd say none of them. Every interaction with on of my fics just made me go "oh!🥰"

7. What fic performed way better than you thought it would?

I'd say "Like the Painting of a sorrow" because it was this oneshot I came up with, wrote and posted within 24 hours, a random idea after reading Dorian Gray. That being said, I am very proud and fond of it, so it made me so happy that it was appreciated!

And also "Love wins", I struggled getting the first chapter together and was worried it was too chaotic, and I was so happy it got good feedback.

8. What was your favorite fic you wrote from 2022?

I'm most proud of and currently most emotionally attached to "A Lover in the story". I'm especially proud of the last chapter, mostly because I managed to write it at all and make something I really like of it.

A Lamb for our Love stands right next to it though – although it's still not finished. (Not because I neglected it, but just because the second chapter is so hard to write) and I'm so excited for what it will become <3

9. What was your favorite fic that somebody else wrote in 2022?

Reducing this to one would be a shame, so I'll list a few 😊

and that was the moment i knew by @alfredo-kesmann

Andrés has Hanahaki disease and coughs up red roses. Whose favourite flowers could those be?

It had started with inconspicuous coughing, a few weeks ago. Soon followed the shaky breaths, the trouble breathing normally at random times. Then, came the shaking fingers, half a week later, creating unavoidable unsteady black lines in the painting he had been working on, the jawline of his self portrait now ruined.

A beautiful take on the trope, with all the drama befitting Berlermo, and overall an extremely romantic and enjoyable read.

Chimera 키메라 by @signorin-anarchia

A sort of crossover of Money Heist Korea and La casa de papel. Andrés is in the concentration camp Korean Berlin was in. Martín joins him there.

His mother's arms are a cradle, a safe haven.

A shelter from all that is evil on earth.

He can remember the faded feeling of bones colliding, rubbing, which nevertheless feels as comfortable as nothing in the world.

Nothing in the whole world.

But there's never much more than anything in the world.

And now his mother's arms are pincers, stealing his life, locking his way.

A very interesting concept with beautiful execution, and very poetic prose that aches just right when you read it.

The Swan's Symphony by @nharidy

Martín plans another and executes heist after the gold heist, and a rescue mission for Andrés on the side – who is alive but asuffering <3. All the old members of the gang are there, and also a lot of new additions.

“Is this true?” Estocolmo asked, turning to El Professor. Mirko, however, was looking at Palermo. It doesn't matter whether it's true or not , he realized. Palermo wasn’t there because one night in the future he might get killed in his bed. 

No, he was there for the one and only reason he's ever done anything since Mirko knew him.

El Profesor sighed.

This genuinely feels like a continuation of lcdp. It gives all the vibes of the show, the characters, their interactions and the action, flashbacks and execution of the heist are spot on. Just overall extremely fun to read.

Remember what your old pal said by @roccinan

La casa de papel Toy Story AU. Andrés is a bullfighter doll, and he finds Martín in the collection he belongs to. But what is Martín really up to?

Andrés is beautiful. And he doesn’t need a mirror to tell him what he already knows. Because he can stare at anything that bounces back light for a wonderful view of himself from head to toe: sunglasses, helmet visors, watches, or even the window on a bright spring day.

He has a slim, well-proportioned frame, a statuesque figure that expertly hides a body of incredible might and power within its wires.

This is genuinely just hilarious, and Andrés is perfectly delusional in it. And the Berlermo romance is so sweet – with an added element of darkness, of course.

10. Tag your friends to do this year-end fic review as well!

I think everyone has already been tagged and done this agajsks but I'll tag the ones I haven't seen doing it, please just ignore this if you have ✌🏼💕 @dormarunt @liz @signorin-anarchia @oreo @lammaducks ✨