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carryonsimoncarryonbaz · 5 years

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Master list of my Carry On fanfic

I’ve seen this done recently and decided maybe it would be a good idea for me to organize my fics a bit, now that I’ve got more than 20 of them posted! Sometimes people are in a mood for a one shot, sometimes a multi-chapter fic, sometimes both. Here’s my master list of all my fics at ao3 including my WIPs.

One shots:

Friday I’m in Love Post canon fluff where Baz has a post exam surprise for Simon but Penny comes home first. I like to imagine Fiona has nurtured a love of 80's alternative music in Baz. Particularly bands like The Cure, The Smiths, Joy Division, Duran Duran, Siouxsie and the Banshees, hence the title. Idea came to me as I was baking my first batch of cherry scones.

Stay to the End A post canon late night conversation between Baz and Simon. Some fluff, some angst. Lots of talk about vampires and the long term.

You Make Me Feel Like I Am Home Again Leavers Ball fic. Simon and Baz at Watford for Baz's last night. What happens after their dance at the ball. Conversations, late night snacks, pilgrimages around Watford and a return to Mummer's House. Soft moments, much needed conversations and flustered Baz. Glorious and brilliant art by the inimitable @vkelleyart https://vkelleyart.tumblr.com/image/180908698942

Play the Game Simon and Baz are unexpectedly snowed in for the weekend. They find plenty of activities to occupy their time. A domestic, fluffy Simon and Baz fic set post-canon. This is a gift fic for @vkelleyart as a thank you for her glorious art and a shout out to her love of board games.

Just Another Kiss A one shot where SImon and Baz visit Penny during her term abroad in Chicago. Fluff, boyfriends, arctic weather, and an unexpected kiss-cam. Written as a birthday gift fic for @penpanoply who requested a giggling, laughing kiss.

In Between Days Baz visits Simon at Penny’s on the weekends during his last term at Watford. Simon isn't himself and Baz is focused on distracting him. Soft boys, protective Baz, clothes shopping, curry, and conversation. Written for @vkelleyart based on the prompt she liked “being unable to open their eyes for a few moments after a kiss.”

I Couldn’t Love You More Simon and Baz at a posh evening event, set post canon. Pure self-indulgent fluff. Boys in love. Inspired by the gorgeous art posted by @dancingwithdinosaurs on Instagram. Written as a gift for @dancingwdinosaurs I found myself writing this fic immediately after viewing the art.

Let Your Laughter Fill the Room Snowbaz prompt: Simon and Baz laughing their asses off. Like, falling down, snorting, clapping each other on the back, tears in their eyes where they can’t catch their breath-hilarity. Where things quiet down and they look at whatever set them off and then Baz snorts and Simon laughs and they just start cracking up all over again. Prompt from @fight-surrender

nb: the autocorrect fails in this fic have some nsfw words

A series of one shots written for the Carry On Countdown:

Love is Like the Flowers Flower shop AU for Carry On Countdown 2018 first day prompt. A two chapter fic. Simon works in a flower shop. A handsome reticent young man makes repeat visits to the shop and piques Simon's interest. Little does he know Baz isn't there for just the flowers. Chapter two written as a gift for @fight-surrender from the kiss prompt she gave me for “kissing, then staying so close that you’re murmuring into each other’s mouth.”

Always Something There to Remind Me Written for the Nostalgia prompt for Carry On Countdown on Tumblr. Baz and Simon at Pitch Manor before setting out to find Nicodemus. The scene where Simon ends up wearing Baz's jumper and how that happened. Simon stumbles on a box in Baz's closet and snoops a bit.

Home Is Wherever I’m With You Written for the Carry On Countdown 2018 Nov. 27 prompt Abroad. Simon and Baz are spending their first summer together in London. Baz plans a weekend getaway for Simon but things don't go quite as he planned.

As You Wish Written for the Nov 28 Carry On Countdown prompt Fluff. Simon and Baz on a weekend night at home. Simon has some work to do to get Baz appropriately caught up on pop culture. He's also dealing with an underfed vampire. A night in at home fluff for these two boys.

Lead Me Into Your Darkness Written for the Carry On Countdown 2018 November 29 prompt Mythology. Simon and Baz are Persephone and Hades but with a twist on the original story.

With A Little Help From My Friends Written for the Carry On Countdown 2018 Nov 30 prompt Hogwarts AU. Simon and Baz first meet on the Hogwarts Express and bond over the Sorting Hat experience. An early meeting and early friendship.

Here Comes the Sun Written for the Carry On Countdown 2018. Dec 3 prompt Sunset/Sunrise. Except this fic starts with early morning musings at sunrise for Simon and ends with a shared sunset back at Watford for them both. Soft in love Baz and Simon. Post canon setting.

You Can Read Me Anything Written for the Carry On Countdown prompt Bookstore AU. Baz and Simon are university students. Baz works in a bookstore. Simon's looking for a gift for Penny. Misunderstandings, embarrassing situations, spilled coffee and unexpected gift wrap. A story of love that starts under awkward circumstances but manages to move on from there. Any opportunity to throw shade on the Mage taken.

Multi chapter fics:

Close to Me A collection of Simon and Baz stories. Each chapter is a one-shot. A series of ficlets written based on a Tumblr OTP question prompt list I posted on tumblr. Chapters are based on the individual asks I received. Story title is the Cure song. Because you know Baz likes angsty 80's music.

Can’t Find My Way Home Former school roommates Baz and Simon run into each other at an airport when their flight is cancelled due to inclement weather. They team up to try to get home for the holiday but luck is not on their side. A Carry On Travel AU with planes, trains, automobiles, snowstorms, road trip mishaps, and mutual pining. Expect oblivious boys, bickering and banter, gratuitous use of tropes, and quite a bit of romance. A non-magical AU.

Behind Closed Doors Non-magical AU. Baz is doing his best to keep his mother's beloved Watford afloat but CEO David Mage is making that more difficult with each passing day. The finances are what Baz needs to focus on but Mage's personal assistant, the devastatingly attractive Simon Snow, is becoming more and more of a distraction. The annual company Christmas party unexpectedly throws them together and their mutual pining results in a clandestine relationship that could threaten both of their careers and break their hearts. Miscommunication, misunderstandings, nosy coworkers, overbearing bosses, and the challenges of speaking from the heart create mayhem for them both. Of note this is starting as a T rating but may well go up to an M. Originally conceived as a one-shot gift fic for @krisrix that has now burgeoned into a full blown multi-chapter fic. WIP

Never Tear Us Apart Simon and Baz have comfortably settled into their relationship and their university studies. Summer is here and with Penny visiting Micah in America they can finally indulge in the relaxing summer holidays together. But then a bewildering letter arrives for Simon and they find themselves following a trail of clues that might lead them to discovering Simon's true parentage. Soft boys in love, road trips, misunderstandings, uncomfortable conversations around the dinner table--Simon and Baz discover more than they expected about each other and about Simon's mysterious past. Written for the Carry On Big Bang 2018/2019. WIP

Dance the Night Away Dev and Niall have their suspicions about why Baz is being such a prick this summer. Or rather more of a prick than usual. Their idea of a night on the town to get him to confide in them doesn't quite go as planned. Featuring Dev and Niall POV, Baz being evasive, and dancing. Takes place the summer before eighth year and then about a year post canon. Written for @basic-banshee

Written as a companion piece to my fic Never Tear Us Apart, taking place just after chapter 10.

Chapter written for the Carry On Round Robin:

3) Frozen Baz has been avoiding Simon. Simon's not having it. Tempers are lost, things chill out, morning brings some interesting revelations.

#carry on #simon snow #baz pitch #My writing #my fics #tbazzsnow

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jackdawyt · 5 years

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Happy N7 Day 2019 guys! ICYMI, I made a video a while back delving into Mass Effect’s future from here on out. Check it out!

Today I'm once more looking into the future of Mass Effect, plunging into where the franchise will go since Andromeda's ramshackle attempt. Honestly, I respect Andromeda for trying to create a new narrative for the Mass Effect franchise, arching into many games. However, it's the direction that the game took, and the sheer lack of knowledge of games design from BioWare Montreal that, for the lack of better words, screwed this spin-off.

Andromeda didn't have the heart and soul of a Mass Effect game, and that's simply because the team had no experience with creating the previous entries. Though, now that Casey Hudson, the original trilogies director has since returned to BioWare, there's hope for the future now. Mass Effect has his vision, and under his supervision, perhaps we could get a return to this beloved franchise in due time, repairing the mistakes of Andromeda with a new entry in the series crafted from the same team as the trilogy.

With that, I guess we've got to ask ourselves what's next for Mass Effect?

Over the years, I've gathered and constructed many concepts and ideas for where this franchise could go from here, so lock yourselves down guys, because we're heading at ludicrous speed into the future of Mass Effect! First up:

Mass Effect Milky Way Spin-off:

This is probably the best possible way for Mass Effect to return in my opinion, this concept revolves around returning to the beloved Milky Way Galaxy as a new character surrounding an entirely new plot-line in a spin-off fashion.

I’ve always been enchanted by the idea of playing as one of the many races in Mass Effect, embarking on a grand space adventure, perhaps as a mercenary with a small crew, against a more localized threat. At least that's my pitch for now regarding such a spin-off!

This title would encompass origin stories just like Dragon Age: Origins, as an example, if the player we’re to be an Asari, perhaps they've lived a life on the streets of Omega, fighting for scraps and living in poverty, experiencing the true harshness of this urban lifestyle that Omega entails.

This could be a completely different narrative as to someone else who perhaps plays as a Volus growing up on Illium, or a Quarian living nomadically on a fleet. Either race the player picks, they'd always end up with the same goal.

From any lifestyle, perhaps the player would become a highly-skilled mercenary or freelancer, acquiring a ship for the first time in their life, building a squad and opposing a smaller threat within the Milky-Way. Just a quick, role-playing influenced idea there...

However, on the flip of that, perhaps the player and their squad are able to fit the role of anti-heroes within the galaxy, fulfilling a sort of 'Guardian's Of The Galaxy' archetype, allowing the squad to be slightly more antagonistic than ever before.

Even scrap that idea and let the players just be antagonists in this world, let's have a Mass Effect game where we can be villainous, and stir up trouble in the Terminus System! I'm not rightly speaking on being a grand evil, I'm more for the idea of playing as a mercenary leader, experiencing a life of crime in a condensed space opera tied to this plot of backstabbings, betrayal and complete espionage.

Perhaps sneaking thorough the backstreets of Omega, assassinating contracts, smuggling and stealing resources, hacking into operations and even just blatant bank robberies, in Mass Effect's fashion of course!

It'd be a complete change-up from the previous Mass Effect titles, and the way I see this concept, it's more of a back to the roots of BioWare. They'd be a huge emphasis on character creation and freedom, with a story inspired by pen and paper role-playing games, inspiring more of a D&D feel than anything!

In any case, this scenario would allow me to fulfil my many fantasies of playing as one of the very many Mass Effect races, with a fun, jaded and morally grey narrative to boot, right back in the Milky-Way! With even the possibility of coming across so many of the beloved Milky Way characters that appeared in the original trilogy.

Perhaps not as simple as it sounds, but possibly this title could be a 'Mass Effect 4' set after Mass Effect three's events, this could be done if BioWare gave way to retconning three's ending. After accomplishing that, perhaps you could just pop this concept within the time-space after the Milky-Way is saved thanks to Shepard and Co.

Again though, this is just one of my fantasies, I could talk about this concept all day, perhaps I may do another video one day just on expanding this idea, for now though, we've got other ways to consider!

Andromeda Sequel - a continuation of Mass Effect Andromeda's narrative, crafted by original dev's:

The next possibility surrounds the Andromeda Galaxy, within the game - Mass Effect Andromeda, the developers did a great job of opening up and setting this galaxy as a new narrative. The team were expecting on creating a trilogy within that space, they've planted plenty of seeds for the future of Andromeda.

So, perhaps with the original developers of the trilogy on hand, we could potentially return to the Andromeda Galaxy.

Of course, I've got a few ideas of how this could work!

The simplest concept is just a basic Andromeda sequel, perhaps fulfilling the repressing role as Ryder once more and picking up where things were dropped off. It'd be simple, however, I don't think it'd be a good idea just considering the flack both Ryder and Andromeda's narrative got. it's still an idea though!

A better and more efficient way for Mass Effect to return to the Andromeda Galaxy is to simply set the events of the next title 500 years ahead. Allowing all of Andromeda's ongoing political turmoil, misguided narratives and just general settlement of humanity and other species on this Galaxy. No more Ryder, no more dull companions, a new palette in a Galaxy that could've changed dramatically since it's the very origin.

With centuries ahead since the last game, new threats and species may have evolved, more characters, different technologies, varied biotic capabilities, etc. A completely unique perspective on Mass Effect, just with the same original team working on this one. Perhaps a different protagonist, not related to the Ryder family with a fresh cleanser of a world, this could be a blank canvas for the Mass Effect franchise to start again.

In the same vein as this concept, however, slightly adapted considering Andromeda's flack...

Andromeda Galaxy meets Milky-Way:

Perhaps the Andromeda and Milky-Way Galaxies could convey a way to correspond and transport - to and from. Sharing an experience with both world-states, creating an incredible way to amalgamate the main games and spin-off together, creating an adventure and narrative that could sprawl between two Galaxies, perhaps there could be an even more apocalyptic threat that risks more than just the destruction of worlds, but instead Galaxies! Rivalling an opponent with the capabilities to wreak supreme havoc, with the help of both the Andromeda and Milky-Way Galaxies, the narrative could easily over-arch, creating a huge space-opera scale of a story!

With this narrative set so far in the future, Mass Effect as a franchise would be recreating itself, with no more tie in's to Shepard or Ryder's adventure, this would be world's apart from either story. Which I guess could be a good or bad thing... Anyhow, onto the next concept!

A reboot of the franchise:

In a similar vein to games like PS4's God of War, 2013's Tomb Raider and Legend Of Zelda, Breath Of The Wild. Mass Effect could reboot itself following a similar a fashion, each of the mentioned games has accepted the past game's narrative and lore, however, don't particularly regard it, it's not necessary for its new forwarding narrative. God of War, for example, Kratos' previous narrative with the Olympian Gods, doesn't really have much influence in his remembrance of his lover, and new fatherhood revelations. Breath Of The Wild, hardly any of its previous stories sway much within that game's narrative... perhaps Mass Effect could attempt such a reboot for a future title.

Simply done by creating a new title, set it in the Milky-Way disregarding the previous events and continuing on a new adventure. If that doesn't intrigue you, perhaps an entire reboot of the original trilogy, or (as we'd all prefer) perhaps a reboot of Andromeda's story. Taking this new direction towards the discovery of the Andromeda Galaxy into an exciting, encapsulating narrative with the OG team helming the way, as it was supposed to be.

At best, this concept works as a retconning for a future title, ignoring or only subtly mentioning the past, perhaps as a reboot of the previous games, or a new adventure entirely!

Prequel:

I agree partly to this concept, I'd love a prequel of Mass Effect, simply so I could go back and witness key events and characters that have shaped the experiences we cultivate in the trilogy. For instance, It'd make for an encapsulating story if we, as a human we're to be one of the few to travel into the first Mass Effect relay for the first time in history, going through that Charon Relay with an entire squad of humanities best, would be an enthralling experience!

Witnessing character's like Alec Ryder, Ashley's grandfather, etc. We'd see Jack Harper, before he became the Illusive Man, fighting in a galactic war against the Turians. Plenty of previous narratives could unfold, setting the way for the trilogy, and as much as that sounds like a great idea, we all know the ending of it all.

This narrative's been told thousands of times within the games, books, comics, etc. It's a sold story, I feel to go back to that, maybe slightly underwhelming, I think it's a great idea, especially seeing previous characters before they develop, witnessing their origin stories, but again this ship has already sailed, we know those plots already. It'd just be a rehash in my opinion.

Anyhow, guys, that'll do it for me today regarding the future of Mass Effect, tell me down below where you'd like to see this shelved franchise going from here on out. But for all your things BioWare, you're already in the right place!

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excalisbury · 5 years

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Skullcrusher Mountain by abbynormalj (hufflepunky)

Carry On Countdown Day 12: Song/Music-Inspired

I’ve had the beginning of this AU of Jonathan Coulton’s song, Skullcrusher Mountain, written for a while as a part of a series I have in mind called Weird Songfics. I love weird story songs and the idea of putting my favorite characters into those little worlds in plotty songs is just delicious, so that’s what I did.

Summary:

Dr. Tyranny is out to destroy the world. Sir Simon Snow knows this. The mad doctor has stolen state secrets, destroyed government laboratories, and even taken over a small island in his quest for power and world domination. And Simon Snow is the Golden Hero the Mage has chosen to fight against Dr. Tyranny’s evil schemes.

But when the mad doctor manages to kidnap him, Simon is forced to reconsider everything he’s known to be true about his world, his mentor, his nemesis, and even himself...

Dr. Tyrannus Basilton Grimm-Pitch knows he’s been made out to be a villain. After all, even his henchmen think he’s crazy. But if that’s the price for protecting the world from a dystopian dictatorship, he’ll take the hit.

That is, as long as it doesn’t involve seeing or hearing about Sir Simon Snow, Baz’s childhood crush and the Mage’s Golden Knight. Unfortunately, his carefully constructed emotional walls all come crashing down around him when Dev, Baz’s favorite henchman, kidnaps Snow on a mission and brings him to their secret lair...

on Skullcrusher Mountain.

SIMON

The Mage’s Golden Hero, Sir Simon Snow, awoke in a bright white room. Simon blinked several times as his eyes adjusted to his new surroundings. He looked down to find himself still clad in his sweat-soaked, slightly bloodied, golden armor. His helmet and sword were both gone. Simon’s eyes wandered the strange room, but nothing stood out aside from the brightness of its smooth white walls. The room was bafflingly seamless. Simon wondered how he had even gotten into it. Where would the door be in a place such as this?

The last thing he remembered was fighting a mechanical monster at the Watford National Library. It was probably a nefarious invention of Dr. Tyranny sent to burn down all the books in the kingdom. As that thought crossed his mind, he shook it from his head. Dr. Tyranny wasn’t the type to burn books. He may have been evil, but he loved knowledge. He was probably planning on stealing the books with his strange robotic contraption.

Simon readjusted his sore body and made to stand and get a closer look at the walls of his little box. At his movement, a screen suddenly flickered to life on the wall to his right and a voice said “Hello!”

“Ah!” Simon shouted and fell back to the ground. Simon caught himself, but barely. He hoped no one was watching him. Simon shook his head again at this thought. There were no windows in this room. Although he had thought there were no screens or speakers in this room, either, and he was clearly wrong about that.

Simon directed his attention to the screen for lack of anything else to do. There, he found a close-up shot of Dr. Tyranny himself. The infuriatingly-handsome bastard sneered at Simon from the screen, his characteristic black lab coat impeccably ironed. It wasn’t fair. Villainous mad scientists were supposed to be old and wrinkly with wild grey hair. Dr. Tyranny, with his long, pitch-black hair and sharp jawline, probably had his pick of the femme fatales that he partnered with throughout the years. And he was always perfectly put together, unlike Sir Simon Snow, the Mage’s Mess of a Golden Hero.

Simon grimaced.

The recording on the screen continued, “My name is Tyrannus Basilton Grimm-Pitch and I would like to offer you a warm welcome to my secret lair on Skullcrusher Mountain.” Simon snorted at this. Baz was anything but warm. Simon had known and fought against him since they were both boys at the Watford School of Heros. Baz had always been cold and aloof. The first day they met, Baz refused to shake Simon’s hand, even though they had been magically linked as roommates for their time at school. From there, their relationship only soured.

“You may know me as Dr. Tyranny,” Baz’s voice droned. “Despite this nickname, I assure you I mean you no harm. I only seek to usurp the Mage from his unjust position of absolute power over my beloved home of Watford. Thank you for your consideration and I sincerely hope you enjoy your stay.” Simon’s mouth fell open at some point and he remained gobsmacked. The screen flicked off and the walls, of what he now realized must be a very clean dungeon, returned to unblemished white.

Simon mulled over the absurdity of Dr. Tyranny’s claims as he began to unlatch his armor, expecting to be trapped in this room for a while. Of course, the silliest thing about Baz’s little introduction was his "warm" welcome.

Then he had the audacity to say he meant Simon no harm. How could he claim that when all they’d done was fight for the last thirteen years? Years and years of fistfights and sicing monsters and robots on him and verbal sparring during school, followed by an escalating scale of violent encounters in which Simon was proud to say he’d come out on top in every battle, vanquishing a slew of Baz’s convoluted inventions, and foiling a few of his secret plans, usually with Lady Penelope’s help.

Ever since Baz left Hero School abruptly in their last year, he and Simon gone from bitter rivals to mortal enemies. How, then, could he claim to mean Simon no harm? After everything they had been through, Simon had to scoff at this assertion, even if it was from a prerecorded message.

Finally, Baz had presumed the Mage’s position of power was unjust. The Mage had done more in the name of justice than any leader of Watford before him. Of course Tyrannus Basilton Grimm-Pitch, a product of two of the most powerful old families that used to rule Watford, would accuse the Mage of injustice. The Mage had stripped a lot of power from the former rulers of Watford, but in doing so, he’d been able to enact policies that had better united the kingdom. He’d constantly fought against the elitism of the oligarchical rulers that preceded him. And Simon, himself would have been a poor nobody orphan from a distant town without the Mage.

Simon sighed, trying to will the tension in his shoulders to melt into the stupidly clean floor. As he unlatched the last of his armor, he pushed thoughts of the strange video message from his mind and meditated, instead, on more pleasant matters.

He leaned back onto his breastplate where it now lay, closed his eyes, and imagined himself making a daring escape from wherever this Skullcrusher Mountain place was located. He smiled at the absurdity of such a name. It was exactly as theatrical as he would expect from someone like Baz. Baz had also called it his Secret Lair, which is so dramatically villainous, Simon can hardly believe Baz had the gall to insist he wasn’t ‘Evil Dr. Tyranny, M.S.’ (the ‘M.S. stood for mad scientist, of course) as the world knew him. Simon would laugh about it with Penny when he did make his escape. But thinking about Penny just made him miss her. She was his best friend, his partner in heroism and solving mysteries. He has never known what to do with himself without her there to advise and admonish him in equal measure.

What would Penny say about Baz’s little video message if she were here? Probably, she would scoff with Simon about how dramatic and posh the recording was. And the odd cleanliness of this strange room. She might side with Baz about the Mage, though. Penny may have agreed with many of the Mage’s policies, but she consistently accused him of hoarding power.

(“It’s tempting fate, Simon. One person having that much control over Watford,” Penny said to him once. Simon scoffed at her, but she glared at him and continued. “No Simon. You know I agree with most of his rulings, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that isolating power is always dangerous. People need to be checked. Power has to be balanced or it will corrupt.” At this, Simon questioned Penny about how she thought Watford should be ruled if not by a king or ruling class. “Well,” she began, and her tone told him to expect a lecture, “I know it’s a new and controversial theory, but I would love to see Watford under the rule of the people, directly. It’s a theory called ‘Democracy...’”)

Agatha would side with Simon, though. Or she would have before she left him. She always believed Simon when they were in school and he said Baz was evil. Penny would usually just scoff and say that he was just a kid like the rest of them, which was true, Simon supposed. But then Baz left school and became Dr. Tyranny and Simon’s worries were proven valid.

Suddenly, Simon wished he had been wrong about Baz. He wished they all had a normal childhood, without becoming heroes and war strategists and runaways and mad scientists. Simon wished that the Mage didn’t put the worlds brightest spotlight on him by declaring him his personal ‘Golden Hero.’ Maybe then Agatha wouldn’t have had to run away from the immense pressure of being his betrothed (which he didn’t begrudge her in the slightest. Not anymore.) Maybe then he and Penny could have lived together peacefully, somewhere far away, like she talked about. Maybe he and Baz could have even been friends. Someone as sharp as Baz would be a great friend to have in any reality.

Simon’s stomach picked right then to growl loudly. The sound echoed around the room slightly, and Simon groaned. He was terribly hungry. Hopefully, Baz would take pity on him and feed him while he was held prisoner. The alternative would be the worst kind of torture Simon could imagine. Even thinking of something so evil agitated Simon, so he stood and began pacing the room.

It was only minutes later that a door appeared suddenly in the opposite wall of the screen, opening to reveal Simon’s savior. His savior from the horrible torture of hunger, at least.

BAZ

“You brought WHOM?” Baz shouted at Dev, who had just returned from his latest reconnaissance mission in the capital.

“Simon Snow,” he responded, his scarred face not showing a hint of remorse. Dev knew Baz dangerously well, which was unsurprising considering the two were cousins and had been working together for the last five years.

Baz forced himself to breathe deeply in an attempt to control his quickly-beating heart.

“So let me get this straight,” Baz began (although nothing about this situation was straight). “You captured Sir Simon Snow: the Mage’s Golden Knight, my mortal enemy, the same Sir Snow that I have banned as a laboratory discussion topic.” Baz took a deep breath, hoping Dev hadn’t noticed that his voice broke when he said Snow’s name, then he continued, “then you decided, in a fit of apparent delusion, to bring him here? To my Secret Lair on Skullcrusher Mountain?”

Dev’s expression didn’t change one iota. “Yeah. Your ex-roommate from school, Simon Snow, the Mage’s Chosen Golden Hero.” He shrugged. He shrugged. Baz couldn’t believe Dev, his right hand man, his favorite henchman, his assistant, would defy him so.

“I-” Baz started, shaking his head, “I don’t know what else to say.”

“Well, he’s here,” Dev answered, “in the holding room. He’s just seen the introductory recording.”

Baz sighed. He supposed he would have to work with the situation that had been handed to him, whether he liked it or not. “I guess I’ll have to go see him, then.” Baz closed his eyes, trying to repress the way his heart jumped at the simple idea of seeing Simon again.

Baz walked through several hallways and at least one hairpin turn before reaching the control room for Skullcrusher Mountain’s security. Sure enough, there was Simon on the monitoring screen for the holding room, lounging back against his dirty armor, which was spread across the floor of the room haphazardly. Baz sat down quickly in the chair of the control room before he fell to the floor in a full swoon.

Baz had almost forgotten how strong his feelings for Sir Snow were. All it took to remind him was Simon sitting in Baz’s holding room in only a tunic and leggings, sweat sticking his bronze curls to his forehead. As he watched the screen, Simon sighed and fidgeted, his eyebrows pulling together for a moment while he lifted his arms to pillow behind his head. Baz looked away quickly before he was too overwhelmed. There was only a certain amount of Simon’s shoulders and biceps (and curls and cluelessness and bravery) Baz could handle at once after months without contact.

Baz Pitch had been in love with Simon Snow since they were fifteen. Of course he knew, even back then, that they could never be together. Baz could never align himself with the Mage and Simon would never leave the Mage.

They were a mismatched pair in so many ways, but that didn’t stop Baz from pining for years. For one thing, Baz was quite probably the smartest person in the kingdom. He was certainly the best in his classes when he was still at Watford School of Heros. And Baz was the youngest Doctor in all of Watford. That, he was immensely proud of. Sir Snow may have been a ridiculously brave and brash hero, but he was too much of an idiot to see that the Mage was using him. Or that Baz was in love with him. And once, after a battle with a dragon that they eventually managed to banish, Simon told Baz his strategy for dealing with his difficult problems was just to not think about them. Sometimes Baz railed against his illogical feelings for someone so dense, but he never resisted for long.

Then, when he was supposed to begin his eighth and final year at Watford, Baz began hearing from the ghost of his dead mother. She was smart, too. A genius, really. Probably smarter than Baz. She figured out a way to encode a sliver of her conscience into his DNA. At first, when he started hearing her, he just thought he was crazy. (Maybe he was crazy. He still wondered sometimes if he was making this whole thing up.) Then her voice explained. When she died, she used her final and most advanced invention. She embedded a piece of herself in him. In her son. Her flesh and blood. When she felt he was old enough to cope, she revealed herself and he began his quest for revenge and for the truth.

Baz had been pursuing his mother’s dying wish for the last five years since leaving hero school, and he didn’t regret a moment of it. However, following a voice in his head for five years did make the people around Baz question his sanity. Even Dev and Niall, Baz’s favorite henchmen, who fully believed in his cause, doubted his original motivations. After all, transferring any portion of human consciousness to another person was unprecedented. Niall even thought Baz should see a psychiatrist, which was absurd.

Baz looked back to Simon, still lounging on screen, and thought about their various fights across the years. Simon certainly thought Baz was evil. If Simon knew about the voice in Baz’s head, Baz wondered, would he think Baz was crazy, too? That would be the fly-infested icing on the shit cake of Baz’s love life, which had thus far only consisted of pining and wanking.

In a move sure to increase his misery, Baz replayed the recordings from when Sir Snow arrived to Skullcrusher Mountain. The first few minutes consisted of Dev dumping him in the holding room and then Sir Snow lying unconscious on the floor (Baz appreciated the peaceful look on Simon’s face). Eventually, he started to stir in his sleep. He groaned as he awoke (Baz felt his heart rate increase, traitorous thing). Snow stared blearily around the room from his place on the ground. Finally, he began to stand up, which triggered the motion sensors in the room, and in turn, the introductory recording Baz had standardized for when he took prisoners, which was generally his last resort.

As the recording began, Simon startled and fell to the ground with an adorable shout before looking around the room and blushing under his freckled cheeks. (It was moments like these that destroyed any resentment Baz imagined himself to have against Sir Simon Snow. The man was simply so good and so well-intentioned that Baz couldn’t help falling for him over and over again.) Simon frowned when he saw Baz speaking on the screen. The camera that recorded the room was just above the screen, so it seemed to Baz as if Simon was frowning directly at him through the screen. He huffed and puffed through Baz’s welcome message and rolled his eyes after it was finished.

If only Simon weren’t so afraid of Baz, so entrenched in the hate the Mage (and Baz himself) had encouraged over the years, maybe Simon could be swayed to Baz’s side in their mortal conflict. It was probably wishful thinking on Baz’s part. And definitely not good for his already tenuous mental health.

Baz rested his chin on his palm, eyes fixed on the screen as Simon decided to settle into the room and began removing his armor one piece at a time. When Baz checked his chin for drool and his hand came away wet, he was mortified enough to stop the recording and switch back to the live feed, in which Simon was now pacing the room, his hand dragging along the wall.

At some point, Baz would have to deal with the fact that Sir Simon Snow was his prisoner. He would rather live in a world where he didn’t have to confront Sir Snow, but Dev had forced his hand. Baz’s finger hovered over the two intercom buttons at the communication center, unsure of how to proceed. When he glanced back to the screen, Simon was stopped, inspecting the wall that housed the screen. He was strangely distorted so near the edge of the fish-eye lens of the room’s camera. Suddenly, he looked straight up at the camera. Baz’s heart jumped and he pressed the intercom button.

“Dev. Would you escort Sir Snow to our best secure guest chamber? I have other business to attend to.”

Baz did not have other business, but the momentary illusion of looking into Simon’s plain blue eyes (a little pouchy, the only plain thing about him) reinforced the fact that he was very much not ready to confront Simon.

“Sure, Baz,” Dev droned back over the intercom system. With that, Baz hurried away along the labyrinthine hallways of his secret lair on Skullcrusher Mountain.

SIMON

Simon jumped violently when the door to his strange dungeon revealed itself. He had been inspecting the wall that had been a screen only minutes before, but had yet to find a single divot or imperfection in its surface. Predictably, the door was at the complete opposite end of the room from where he was looking. He reacted quickly (he was a knight, after all) and reached for his sword. When he realized it wasn’t by his side, he turned and picked up one of his greaves from the pile of armor on the floor. His armor had served him as makeshift weapons in sticky situations several times before.

The corridor beyond the open door was dark in contrast to the white room in which he’d spent the past several hours, so all he could see in the doorway was a looming figure.

“Who goes there?” Simon asked, squinting through the door.

The hulking figure stepped into the light and Simon realized quickly that he recognized him. It was Dev Grimm, commonly called ‘Scarface,’ and a known associate of Dr. Tyranny. Of course, Simon also recognized him as Dev, Baz’s cousin from school. The scar was a relatively new part of the equation, but it didn’t scare Simon, who had always been friendlier with Dev than with Baz.

“Oh. Hi Dev. Didn’t know you’d be here.” Simon dropped his greave back on the floor and it clanged loudly. Dev cringed.

“Yup. I’m here.” Dev said, nodding. “Dr. Pitch wanted me to take you to your guest chambers.”

“Guest chambers? Wait. Dr. Pitch? Aren’t you, like, his cousin?”

“Yes. Even more reason for me to respect his achievements, don’t you think?”

“His- I’m... Wait, is Baz an actual doctor?”

“Yes. He’s just finished his second PhD.”

“Oh. I... I thought Dr. Tyranny was just a name. Huh. That makes sense, I guess.” Dev’s already-scarred face twisted further as Simon spoke, but he didn’t respond this time. Instead, he tilted his head towards the door, gesturing for Simon to follow. He wondered briefly why Dev wasn't restraining him. He was a prisoner, right? “Uh. What about my armor?”

“We’ll have it brought to your guest rooms after it is cleaned.”

At this, Simon shrugged and followed Dev through a maze of winding white hallways that eventually became smooth stone walls. He wondered idly why he was even here. He wasn’t sure what The Evil Doctor Tyranny, M.S., or The Evil Doctor Tyranny, M.S., PhD, he supposed, would gain from keeping him prisoner. Simon was under the impression Dr. Tyranny wanted to kill Sir Snow. Their eventual epic battle was practically prophesied. Simon was privately not very hopeful of his own chances. Baz was wicked smart as well as strong. He was never great at swordplay, but it seemed unlikely to Simon that their battle would resort to such measures. (The current prisoner situation also deserved consideration in their fated duel-to-the-death.)

Finally, they reached a dark-stained wooden door, deep in the complex, or lair, as Baz had called it in the video (typical). Dev opened the door and turned to Simon.

“This is where Dr. Pitch will be hosting you during your stay on Skullcrusher Mountain.”

Simon nodded at Dev and paused. “Yup. Well, thanks Dev.” He started toward the open doorway, but paused before he was all the way through. “Uh. Sorry. Actually...” Simon trailed off, trying to figure out how to properly word his question. “Can I ask you why Baz wants me here? Why did he take me prisoner instead of killing me?”

Dev had backed partially into shadows again, but Simon swore he saw him smile. “I think,” Dev said, “you will have to ask him yourself.” Simon quirked his brow at that answer, but stepped fully into the richly decorated room that was to be his new prison, wondering what nefarious tortures and interrogations might be in store for him. For now, though, he fixated on the beautiful tableau of food set on the table near one rocky wall of the room. Simon couldn’t resist a feast, especially when he hadn’t eaten since breakfast. He pushed aside any niggling thoughts that the food might be poisoned and dug into the bread, roast beef, and fresh fruit spread before him on fine china.

Once Simon had devoured the possibly-poisoned food, he was overcome with exhaustion, despite being unconscious for an undetermined amount of time earlier in the day. He turned toward the bed, which was decorated with a disturbing number of skulls and gargoyles, intent on a nap. Simon inspected the bed from a few feet away before turning to the couch instead. Some things were a little too creepy to sleep on.

BAZ

Baz was loitering in the lab, watching a test for a new batch of automated decoding software he was planning to use against some of the Mage’s private records, when Dev returned from escorting Sir Snow to his new chambers. That particular test didn’t actually need to be monitored. The test was run by Baz’s main bank of computers, whose AI was more than capable of reporting and fixing any errors that might occur. Dev was aware of this, so Baz decided not to snap at his cousin for the judgemental look he sent Baz.

“I’ve fed him and locked him in the first secure chamber.”

Baz cleared his throat and nodded. Dev was a good man. “Good, good. How was it?”

“He came along with me easily. No struggle. Even without restraints, as requested.”

Baz nodded again, still avoiding looking directly at his cousin.

“You should go talk to him. He asked why you kidnapped him.”

“You kidnapped him, Dev.”

“Yes. And now you have a chance to talk to him again. Stop with your determined misery.” Baz met his cousin’s eyes and frowned. Dev really did know him too well. Or maybe he had an accomplice. It was a rather complex plan for Dev to execute on his own. Not that Dev wasn’t an adept minion. Creativity just wasn’t his strong suit. Baz narrowed his eyes in a glare.

“Someone helped you with this, didn’t they?”

Dev simply nodded. “It was Niall’s idea, but Fiona has been in on it, as well.”

Baz sighed. “Figures.”

It took Baz another hour or so to work up the courage to go down to the secure chamber to talk with Sir Snow. It was, unfortunately, shaping up to be an unavoidable task, though. Three of Baz’s most trusted henchmen (henchpeople?) conspiring against him was a real blow.

Baz arrived at Simon’s door (he was already calling it ‘Simon’s door’ in his head? This spelled disaster) laden with tea, biscuits, and a set of spare toiletries for the en suite. He knocked twice and waited a moment before scanning his palm to unlock and open the door. The knocking was technically unnecessary as Simon had no way of opening the door from the inside. Baz simply hoped that some manners might soften their relationship now that--. He sighed. What a silly thing to hope for. They had far too long a history of animosity for anything to improve between them.

The door opened and there stood Simon, his hand reaching out toward the door as if he could have done anything to open it. His hair was on end and his clothes dirty and rumpled. Baz wondered if he had been sleeping. They stared at one another for a moment, stunned into silence.

“I--,” Simon started, “I was expecting Dev.”

“Ah. Yes.” Baz responded. “I’m glad you met him. My assistant. Scarface.”

Simon made a face. He couldn’t raise one eyebrow, though, so he raised both and just ended up looking surprised. It was entirely adorable. “You know I’ve met him before, Baz. We went to school together for years.”

Baz cleared his throat. “Yes. Well, it has been a while. I know Dev’s appearance has... changed.” Simon shrugged, bless him. “He’s generally as harmless as when you knew him; the rumors are untrue, as usual. He’s always been a bit of a romantic, really.” Baz coughed, surprised at his own admissions.

Simon still wore his baffled expression. “Yeah. He seemed the same. Called you Dr. Pitch, even.”

Baz could feel the corners of his lips twitch at this, but he held back his full smile. Dev was a good man, despite his meddling. “Ah. He does do that. He says it’s a reclamation of the good parts of ‘Dr. Tyranny.’ Here, take this.” Baz paused to hand over the tray of food. “I brought tea for you. I know you don’t function without constant caloric intake. And these are fresh toiletries for the en suite.”

SIMON

“Yeah,” Simon muttered, taking the tray and placing it on a table just inside the room before returning to the door where Baz waited, holding an expensive looking zipper bag. Why was Baz doing this? This was the nicest conversation they’d ever had. But Simon was apparently his prisoner? He should ask about it now, right? Baz was right here. He should ask why he was taken prisoner. Why hadn’t Baz killed him when he’d had the chance? So many questions were swirling through Simon’s head, he felt as if the correct one was sure to pop out of his mouth at some point.

Then he was at the door again, staring Baz down. (Well, staring up at Baz, technically.) He looked older than the last time Simon had seen him. He still looked good, of course. Great, even. But Simon didn’t miss the bags under Baz’s eyes. Or the anxious slope of his shoulders.

“Ummm,” Simon said, unable to find any of the words he was supposed to say. He leaned against the door frame and lifted up his arm to run his fingers through his hair. His hands were itching to do something, but he couldn’t figure out what. He clenched them repeatedly so they would stop.

Baz handed him the zipper bag before flicking his gaze to the ground. He opened his mouth and closed it, also at a loss for words. Simon had never seen Baz like this. Frankly, it concerned him.

“Dev doesn’t deserve the reputation he’s gotten by associating with me. I hope you can see that.” Simon simply hummed in response, a bit surprised at Baz’s choice of subject. “He’s a good man and is good at his job. And,” a smile cracked Baz’s facade, “he has a way of finding pretty things and bringing them to me.”

Suddenly, Baz looked up, into his eyes, and Simon was hit with the full force of his grin and his words at once. Simon stumbled back from the doorway, only one question running through his head now: Baz thinks I’m pretty?

As soon as Baz took in Simon’s reaction, he dropped his smile, glaring instead, and grabbed the door handle to lock Simon back into his opulent prison. The last thing Simon heard from him before he shut and locked the secure door was a terse, “goodnight, Sir Snow,” and then the room was silent.

BAZ

Baz walked down the hallway toward his lab in a daze. He couldn’t believe he’d just said that to Simon. To Sir Simon Snow The Mage’s Golden Knight, and also his prisoner. (Baz wondered what on Earth he was thinking keeping a prisoner such as Simon. The two of them were fated to kill one another. Why not take the chance now that Sir Snow was disarmed? He really should. He never could.) His hands were trembling at his sides and his feet were taking him, by muscle memory, to his own chambers.

Suddenly, Baz’s mind cleared enough to recognise there was a voice in his head. He had a difficult time untangling it from his own thoughts. The longer his mother’s voice had lived in his head, the more he’d gotten used to it there. And the more he had gotten used to it, the harder it was to separate from his own stream of consciousness. Now, though, he heard her message loud and clear:

You shouldn’t kill him yet, you shouldn’t kill him yet, you shouldn’t kill him yet.

#fanfic #my writing #carry on countdown 2019 #day 12: Song/Music-Inspired #coc #carry on fanfic #my fic #it's still december 6th where I am so this counts!#also I put it on ao3 way earlier today #simon my idiot son #baz pitch

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mooncello · 4 months

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It's Sunday night, and I've got a few fun things to share with you! Which is a small miracle because this past week was rough. Grateful for friends, stupid amounts of tea, and this community. 💛

Thank you for the tags today @blackberrysummerblog (v excited for your COBB), @rimeswithpurple (Niall!!), @thewholelemon (hellooo 5x1, this already rocks), @artsyunderstudy (we are def in this together and you're brilliant) and @you-remind-me-of-the-babe (we get your new wip this week??!!). 🩵 to you all.

I'm not sharing a ton of writing today because chapter 1 of my deniall fic will drop tomorrow. This has been a blast to write, and I'm so excited to start posting. We've got a title: more than a footnote.

And we've got a banner!

Here are two short snippets, Niall POV:

Dev has snatched my textbook away, and he takes a few steps back until he’s leaning against the side of my bed, homework held hostage against his chest. He taps his fingers against the book and smirks at me. His fingernails are painted a deep navy today, I notice distractedly. I notice it like one might note a passing cloud formation. It’s there, it’s pretty, it’ll change by tomorrow.

“Wistful, you say?” “Fucking moony, Niall.” “Think he’ll be at dinner tonight? We can ask him about it.” “Oh,” Dev says, and leans towards me until I can smell his warm, spicy cologne, his dark eyes a scheming fire. “I have a much better idea.”

love and tags under the cut!

@drowninginships, @valeffelees, @run-for-chamo-miles, @blackberrysummerblog, @orange-peony

@youarenevertooold, @shrekgogurt, @hushed-chorus, @whatevertheweather, @larkral

@cutestkilla, @you-remind-me-of-the-babe, @artsyunderstudy, @emeryhall, @raenestee

@shemakesmeforget, @arthurkko, @iamamythologicalcreature, @bookish-bogwitch, @rbkzz

@best--dress, @facewithoutheart

#deniall #simon snow series #carry on fanfiction #dev pitch my beloved #niall my geeky love #more than a footnote

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nuttytriumphenthusiast-blog · 6 years

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I hate RelatedIn . I open it out of addiction and settle for everybody who provides me as a result of I don’t know why I wouldn’t. There isn’t any transparent get advantages to the social community. I’ve by no means met a recruiter on there. I’ve by no means gotten a task. The best messages I am getting are junk mail from offshore dev groups and crypto bulletins. It’s like Facebook with out the good thing about perhaps seeing an image of any individual’s award-winning chili or canine.

I take into account that I’m the usage of RelatedIn mistaken. I perceive I will have to domesticate a salon-like listing of contacts that I will be able to use to supply tales and meet fascinating folks. But I’ve my very own story-sourcing equipment and my very own contacts. It’s no longer even just right as a printed medium. I’ve 16,000 connections. As a check I posted a tale on RelatedIn and on Medium. It’s a submit about the way to write a ebook. If the spammers on RelatedIn would have beloved to be told one thing from a creator, I suspected that might were it. But no. Check out those learn counts…

This is Medium:

And that is RelatedIn:

RelatedIn is a junk mail lawn filled with misspelled, grunty requests from world device homes which can be taking a look, basically, to promote you services and products. Because it’s RelatedIn it’s tremendous simple to slide previous any and all defenses by contrast junk mail and so I am getting messages like those every day:

I don’t know this needless to say however I feel that someplace available in the market is a self-help ebook about networking that tells introverted table jockeys to fill their conversations with canned junk. Gail, above, turns out great sufficient and he’s been doing a in reality great task maintaining with all of my anniversaries. But why? What did it get him? Maybe I’ll meet him at a convention and he’ll be capable of use it as some degree of connection. That may well be cool, however I doubt it is going to occur.

I do know folks have used RelatedIn to seek out jobs. I by no means have. I do know folks use RelatedIn to promote merchandise. It’s by no means labored for me. Guys like my friend Lewis Howes have used it to create mass followings however now Lewis is most commonly appearing up on Facebook and no longer RelatedIn. In brief, I do know folks like RelatedIn.

I feel it’s scorching vomit in a paper bag.

How would I really like RelatedIn for use? Want to peer the most efficient pitch I ever were given in that useless drop sewer? It’s proper right here:

Bang.

That’s the most efficient trade I’ve had on RelatedIn in years. I imply the perfect. It’s one who I spoke back to kindly and with hobby. Why? Because I wasn’t any individual’s cheery junk mail message. It was once a query that I may just assist with.

That’s it. It’s a real dialog. Someone says “Hey, I need help” and the reaction is a handy guide a rough “What’s up?” Someone on Twitter stated that this trade stroked my ego. Sure. Why no longer. But it was once additionally essentially the most human interplay I’ve had on RelatedIn in years.

Rather than get into that, on the other hand, I’d like to give an explanation for the way to pitch any individual like me — a hectic journalist and entrepreneur who treats RelatedIn like a whack-a-mole weekly chore that has turn out to be extra a nasty addiction than necessity.

As I’ve stated earlier than and can say perpetually: promoting and PR and amassing shoppers is set being a human. Want to means me on Twitter? You say “Hey, I have a question,” you ask it when caused, and also you look ahead to a reaction. Sometimes it by no means comes. You transfer on. A large number of other folks have stated they like a complete bite of textual content when the get spammed on services and products however I disagree. I am getting sufficient of that during e-mail. I am getting sufficient of that in all places else on-line. If you’re going to community with me (or any person else who’s similarly cranky) you’re going to have to check out one thing other. You’re going to have to check out to be human.

So subsequent time you’re inspired to Control-V in some copypasta about your corporation, don’t. Next time you assume it may well be a good suggestion to mention “Congragulations on fifteen years at Scrablr!” perhaps take every other tack. RelatedIn isn’t a sport. It isn’t an alternative choice to MailChimp. It’s a conversational device. Use it that approach.

Fortnite is spectacular, nevertheless it’s completely dwarfed via the arena’s greatest online game, RelatedIn, performed solely via 40-50 yr outdated white guys who compete via sending random connection requests in a quest to construct the furthest-reaching “professional network.”

— Zack Kanter (@zackkanter) September four, 2018

RelatedIn sucks – TechCrunch

I hate RelatedIn . I open it out of addiction and settle for everybody who provides me as a result of I don’t know why I wouldn’t.

RelatedIn sucks – TechCrunch I hate RelatedIn . I open it out of addiction and settle for everybody who provides me as a result of I don’t know why I wouldn’t.

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saltysuittaco-blog · 6 years

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This is Medium:

And that is RelatedIn:

I feel it’s scorching vomit in a paper bag.

How would I really like RelatedIn for use? Want to peer the most efficient pitch I ever were given in that useless drop sewer? It’s proper right here:

Bang.

— Zack Kanter (@zackkanter) September four, 2018

RelatedIn sucks – TechCrunch I hate RelatedIn . I open it out of addiction and settle for everybody who provides me as a result of I don’t know why I wouldn’t.

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mooncello · 4 months

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Thanks for the tags @artsyunderstudy (queuing up some star trek snowbaz for tonight) and @you-remind-me-of-the-babe (simply cannot wait for this fic to premiere). And thanks to everyone who has tagged me recently. I've been quiet for a few weeks. Life and work and mental health shit, but also I got so very stuck with both my wips. I invested a lot of creative energy into lost boys and then got ... lost tbh. Burned out. All the joy got sucked out, which broke my heart. It's on a shelf right now. I'll return to it (that Baz is very precious to me) but I need a break. I can't bear to look at it atm.

And then! My COBB decided to set fire to my original outline and go off on an unanticipated hike through the woods without a map. No nav equipment. I'm not even confident it knows which star is north. It's just ... wandering around with zero fucks about due dates or timelines, which has sent me into a panic spiral. My one wip is an angsty teenager who has shut himself in his room and refuses to talk (and like same dude), and the other thinks they're Bear Grylls with the survival instincts of a spoiled house cat. EPIC TIMES.

So I started a new wip. (Obviously.)

I needed something fun. Joyful. Something that reminded me why I like writing in the first place. And my boys Dev and Niall fucking showed up, and I'm halfway done with a lil Watford-era, canon divergent wip from their perspectives. It's the most self-indulgent thing I have ever written, and I'm having a blast. Eternal love to my fellow Dev/Niall stan and comrade (and beta!) @valeffelees, and to @bookish-bogwitch and @thewholelemon for cheering this fic on. And thanks to @iamamythologicalcreature and @best--dress for chatting about craft and process and validating that sometimes projects need rest and restoration, and breaks are a natural part of creativity.

Short snip of untitled deniall fic below the cut:

Niall POV, Watford, year 7

“You’re the worst, Niall.” I grin. “So you always say.” I stretch my arms up and flex my fingers before interlacing them behind my head. “And yet you keep running to me for advice.” Dev’s nostrils flare, and there’s a very real moment I think he’s gonna punch me in the shoulder, but then his face splits into a sharp, crooked smile, and he shucks off his blazer. He tosses it toward his bed, but it only partially makes it and falls to the floor. “You give the best advice,” Dev says, and I see the flash of his tongue piercing. “You’re so practical.” He begins undressing. Casual, unhurried movements, until his entire school uniform is a wrinkled bundle on his bed, sans jacket which is still on the floor, and he’s rooting around his dresser in nothing but pants and socks. The light from the late afternoon sun cuts through our window of Mummers, casting him in muted orange and amber. He does this all the time. Mindlessly strips in front of me. We don’t have an ensuite like Baz does (the lucky bastard), and Dev has always been comfortable in his body. He’s open and confident in a way that makes my chest ache. I wish I were more like that, but I’m sinew and bone whereas Dev is polish and muscle. Half the time I feel like something the cat drags in, and Dev, well … Dev’s the cat.

tags and hellos 🩵 @drowninginships, @run-for-chamo-miles, @youarenevertooold, @blackberrysummerblog, @orange-peony

@hushed-chorus, @whatevertheweather, @shrekgogurt, @cutestkilla, @facewithoutheart

@you-remind-me-of-the-babe, @artsyunderstudy, @emeryhall, @rimeswithpurple, @shemakesmeforget

@raenestee, @skeedelvee, @rbkzz

#dev pitch my beloved #niall my geeky love #deniall #carry on #carry on fanfiction #my writing #wipsday

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mooncello · 2 months

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It's Wednesday night, and the migraine I've been under since yesterday evening is finally lifting. Fingers crossed it stays away. So many updates today! I look forward to catching up on them all. Thank you for the tags @rimeswithpurple, @monbons, @you-remind-me-of-the-babe, @hushed-chorus

@messofthejess, @bookish-bogwitch, @artsyunderstudy & @thewholelemon.

I'll be posting chapter 4 of more than a footnote sometime over the next couple days. I'm the most excited to share this chapter, and the most nervous. We get to learn more about Dev's backstory in this chap, and ngl it's a bit nervewracking to fill out and present a char to you all that isn't detailed in canon. I don't know why but it feels extra vulnerable. Even so, I'm excited. Because I adore him. When I thought about which snippet to share in advance of chap 4, I knew I wanted to share this bit about Dev. So here he is. 🖤

Dev POV

My father makes Malcolm Grimm look like a deadass softie. My mother cares for nothing except her tennis whites, Christie’s acquisitions, and organising extravagant parties. (Sorry, soirées.) And my brother and sister … I have a few sun-flared memories of strawberry jam on toast, ringlets of inky hair tickling my cheek during naptime, bare toes while searching for tadpoles along the country estate’s creek … and then my siblings got older and left me behind and, well, honestly, fuck them, too. With their perfect jobs and perfect partners and perfect teeth. Didn’t take them long before they were parroting our parents on everything. Too little focus, Dev. Too many boyfriends and girlfriends, Dev. Those shorts are too short, Dev. You never take anything seriously, Dev. I learned very early on that the best way to survive my family is to not care. They can’t hurt you, if you don’t have any shame.

love + tags under the cut --

I want to echo Ashton's post from earlier today, about normalizing telling people how much we like them. So in that spirit: I fucking ADORE you all. I'm so lucky to know you, here in our little, precious corner of the internet. 🩵🩵

@drowninginships @valeffelees @run-for-chamo-miles @blackberrysummerblog @orange-peony

@youarenevertooold, @shrekgogurt, @hushed-chorus, @whatevertheweather, @fatalfangirl

@cutestkilla, @you-remind-me-of-the-babe, @artsyunderstudy, @emeryhall, @raenestee

@iamamythologicalcreature, @bookish-bogwitch @thewholelemon, @best--dress, @rimeswithpurple

@ileadacharmedlife, @skeedelvee, @monbons, @j-nipper-95

@ic3-que3n, @theearlgreymage, @theimpossibledemon, @brilla-brilla-estrellita, @palimpsessed

@facewithoutheart, @cosmicalart, @supercutedinosaurs, @larkral

#deniall #carry on fanfiction #more than a footnote #dev pitch #my beloved

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jackdawyt · 6 years

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Mass Effect Milky Way Spin-off:

This title would encompass origin stories just like Dragon Age: Origins, as an example, if the player were to be an Asari, perhaps they've lived a life on the streets of Omega, fighting for scraps and living in poverty, experiencing the true harshness of this urban lifestyle that Omega entails.

This could be a completely different narrative as to someone else who perhaps plays as a Volus growing up on Illium, or aQuarian living nomadically on a fleet. Either race the player picks, they'd always end up with the same goal.

Perhaps sneaking through the backstreets of Omega, assassinating contracts, smuggling and stealing resources, hacking into operations and even just blatant bank robberies, in Mass Effect's fashion of course!

Andromeda Sequel - continuation of Mass Effect Andromeda's narrative, crafted by original dev's:

So, perhaps with the original developers of the trilogy on hand, we could potentially return to the Andromeda Galaxy.

Of course, I've got a few ideas of how this could work!

A better and more efficient way for Mass Effect to return to the Andromeda Galaxy is to simply set the events of the next title 500 years ahead. Allowing all of Andromeda's ongoing political turmoil, misguided narratives and just general settlement of humanity and other species on this Galaxy. No more Ryder, no more dull companions, a new pallete in a Galaxy that could've changed dramatically since it's very origin.

In the same vein as this concept, however, slightly adapted considering Andromeda's flack...

Andromeda Galaxy meets Milky-Way:

Anyhow, onto the next concept!

A reboot of the franchise:

In a similar vein to games like PS4's God of War, 2013's Tomb Raider and Legend Of Zelda, Breath Of The Wild. Mass Effect could reboot itself following a similar a fashion, each of the mentioned games have accepted the past game's narrative and lore, however, don't particularly regard it, it's not necessary for its new forwarding narrative. God of War, for example, Kratos' previous narrative with the Olympian Gods, doesn't really have much influence in his remembrance of his lover, and new fatherhood revelations. Breath Of The Wild, hardly any of its previous stories sway much within that game's narrative... perhaps Mass Effect could attempt such a reboot for a future title.

At best, this concept works as a retconning for a future title, ignoring or only subtly mentioning the past, perhaps as a reboot of the previous games, or a new adventure entirely!

The final potential future for Mass Effect comes from one of my Swallow-Bird Patrons.

Eli Deason:

"They really need to do the First Contact War. It's been hinted at for so long, that the hype behind it might put them back into the good books for most fans. It's also a very important part of the Mass Effect universe, that deals with Humanities first attempts at colonization and first contact with an alien species."

Prequel:

I agree partly to this concept, I'd love a prequel of Mass Effect, simply so I could go back and witness key events and characters that have shaped the experiences we cultivate in the trilogy. For instance, It'd make for an encapsulating story if we, as a human were to be one of the few to travel into the first Mass Effect relay for the first time in history, going through that Charon Relay with an entire squad of humanities best, would be an enthralling experience!

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