#i've spent sooooooo much time

[gojosattoru]

❤ ANYA FORGER | THE CUTE & AMAZING MODEL ❤

[lucifer-kane]

Having floor time thinking about Warren Godby and his anger issues and how much I love playing in the space with his anger issues

[mochimooon]

The Other Side - jean kirstein x reader

pairing: Jean Kirstein x gn! Reader summary: Canon-Divergent. Three years after the Battle of Heaven and Earth, you and your comrades journey across the sea to return to Paradis. While reflecting on how far you and Jean have come, he surprises you with one final promise. word count: 800+ notes: Sooooooo....feeling nostalgic after the finale and I found this piece I wrote in December 2022. Felt it was befitting to share considering Jean's fate at the end. To cope with the bittersweet ending, I might share more of my Jean writings that I've never posted.  Brief context, this version of reader is one that I've written about in the past and they used to suffer from a stutter (due to trauma from the fall of Wall Maria at the start of canon), hence the reference in this piece. warnings: fluff, fluff, FLUFF ☻ 

It only took a week when Jean’s company became familiar, comfortable, something you looked forward to. During your training years, you struggled to communicate with others due to your stutter. You had experienced all spectrums of responses to your speech impediment. Some were patient, waiting for you to say all that you had on your mind, others were polite, as in they gave you the time to speak fully, but their impatience spilled out with tapping feet and stiffened smiles. Some avoided you more than the rest because it was too much effort waiting for you to be clear. A few were bold enough to demand that you “spit it out” or likened you to a goat. 

It was the few that never failed to have you shut down and limit your speech as much as possible. This came with the cost of having no friends.

After an outburst from a comrade for taking too long to ask a question, you spent little time in the mess hall while it was crowded, slipping in when it emptied. 

The first morning as you bit into your slice of toast, Jean stood nearby on the mess hall steps, a cup of white tea in his grasp. When he met your eyes, he nodded, bringing the cup to his lips as his gaze swept across the training grounds. 

It happened again at lunch, you hung back outside, a ripe apple ready to be devoured, and Jean’s shadow spilled at your side, a cup of cider in one hand, and the other buried in his uniform pocket. 

By dinner, you were outside with a bowl of soup for only a minute when Jean leaned against the wooden railing with a steaming mug of black tea. 

A week went by, and you had warmed up to his company. 

After the breach of Trost, the death of your comrades, you didn’t expect to hear Jean change his mind about the MPs. As you took your spot in rank, ready to cut your life in half for the Survey Corps, Jean took the spot at your side, eyes burdened, but posture rigid with renewed purpose.

That was when the tide really turned for everyone, but especially for you and Jean’s future. Facing death again and again, from the fall of the Survey Corps to its renaissance, Jean offered you space and time to speak with abandon, and you offered him the same whenever he was feeling overwhelmed with guilt and regret over his choice to fight for this cause. 

When the truth beyond the walls enlightened everything, you ever knew, your heart blossomed with so much desire to make it to other side of the ocean, to the other side of this war. It was all you dreamt about, and you couldn’t imagine it without Jean. 

Side by side, you and Jean’s bond strengthened, raiding Marley to saving the nation. And when the power of the titans fell, you were grateful that Jean made it. 

“You’re a little different than when we met,” Jean says on the ship back to Paradis. 

Looking up, bristling from the tendrils of hair that tickled your face from the sea’s wind, you smile. “I’d say the same happened to you, however I still see the person I met all those years ago, the one who kept me company.” It had been years since you stuttered. 

Jean approaches, mirroring your smile as his hand caresses your face to tuck the tendrils behind your ears. “If we ever went back in time, the one thing I can guarantee won’t change is me finding you.”

“If you didn’t find me, I would have looked for you,” you say, closing your eyes as Jean’s lips grace your forehead. 

He pulls away for a moment, and you open your eyes, watching him with a raised brow. 

Jean digs into his pant pocket, while another hand takes yours. His trembling fingers fill you with concern for a moment, but he levels you with a soft gaze as he pulls out a ring. 

Your heart catches in your throat, tears pricking at the corners of your eyes. “Jean…”

He takes both your hands in his with the ring touching your fingers, softly uttering your name. “I’ve waited for this moment for so long. Now that we’ve it made to the other side of this, will you marry me?”

The tears fall, catching in his grasp as he takes your face, pressing his lips against yours in passion. 

Breaking apart, you tearfully accept, feeling your bond with Jean strengthen as he slips the ring onto your finger. “I love you, Jean.”

He breathes a laugh, taking your face again with his own tears spilling for his eyes just before he kisses you again. “I love you. I have always loved you, and I will love you forever.”

[mysteriouslybluepirate]

IZZY HANDS FIC RECS! (I want em', I've got em')

What is everyone reading in OFMD fandom right now?

I am currently mostly caught up on my 'to read list' and YALL. I'd love more recomendations!! I will take ANYTHING! I will read ANYTHING!

I'd love to start a chat, so I'd love y'all to leave something you've read recently down below!

I've also added some tasty ones I've read recently down below separated by ship! THEY ARE AMAZING!

Frenchie/Izzy:

The Poetry of Flowers: By Aletea [Rated:Teen. Complete]

Frenchie falls hard and fast. It takes Izzy a little while longer to catch up. This is the slow courtship of Izzy Hands, using flowers.

This fic was written for OFMD Aro/Ace Week 2024.

[Personal notes: OMG-It's so *GOOD*. This has a bit of S2, but mostly takes place post S2, if that tempts you, READ IT. This got me back into the hobby Frenchie does in the fic and AHHH]

you steal my breath away: By ChangeTheCircumstances [Rated: Mature. Complete]

Something is clearly off about Izzy, but when Frenchie sees him petting a cat, it finally clicks. Izzy is a fucking witch! In order to protect the crew, Frenchie makes the next obvious step in logic: he has to kill him.

[Personal notes: I feel this one is just 'if you like Frenchie/Izzy, you've READ THIS- but it's so earnest! SOLID fic the 'realizations' on both ends are really amazing and well written, reread it if you have]

Warnings from the Bottom of My Heart: By scrunglebungus [Rated: Teen. Complete]

Izzy likes Frenchie's voice. He appreciates his music and his long pretty fingers as they move across his Lute. He doesn't have a crush. He DOESN'T.

...and if he did, it's not like he's obvious about it.

(Spoiler: He is) AKA: 5 times Izzy is given the shovel talk + 1 time it's given on his behalf

[An alternate S2 fic written before S2! It leans a bit more 'Izzy needs to redeem himself' than I usually read, but all the Izzy & Crew interactions are SO in character it's scary. That and the Captains are so well realized on top of Izzy and Frenchie being great. LOVE IT]

Roach/Izzy:

Take Up Thy Stethoscope And Walk: bongbingbong [Rated:Mature. Complete]

Of Roach, the scientist - although, that those ghoulish practices he carries out should be called science is a subject on which some might disagree - I feel like I should speak with extreme terror. In laying down those events which transpired during that winter in the turning over of our century, it seems as though on paper they create an impression of little more than a tawdry tale, a freak show in writing for the morbidly curious. It’s no question that I spent a great deal of that time afraid for my life, and for my soul. And yet, I tell you - I have never felt quite so alive as I did during the days I have spent living in the graveyard.

I wonder what this might say about me. What a pair we make.

Izzy Hands dies. Roach brings him back to life. This is the easiest part of the process.

Written for the OFMD Reverse Big Bang 2023, with art from Tarouofthesea!

[Omg. OMFG. I love this fic. I love this Frankenstein'ian/Reanimator fic SO MUCH. It is just SOOOOOOO-! AMAZING characterization, stunning art, the way everything pays off plot/reference-wise! LOVE IT!]

Blackbeard's Roach: bongbingbong [Rated: Teen. Unfinished. 4/6]

What if Roach had ended up on the Queen Anne's Revenge before the events of the show?

(A alternative universe Roach who wears leather and cooks for Blackbeard's crew, and flirts outrageously with their first mate)

[ANOTHER bongbingbong Roach/Izzy fic!!! I love the way bongbingbong writes Roach/Izzy. It's not finished, but I am SO excited to see how it goes! In this one, even though it's unfinished, I feel it GETS the pre-Bonnet life Izzy lived on the Queen Anne. If you like probably autistic Izzy, READ THIS! That, and Roach and Izzy's relationship is SO GOOD. I won't spoil it, but the mutual trust is really strong!]

Stede/Izzy:

The Mount: rainingrenee [Explicit. Complete (WLW smut<3)]

Stede Bonnet enters the Revenge self defence class expecting to learn something.

She meets instructor Butch Dyke Supreme Izzy Hands and gets more than she bargained for.

[God. I love women. This smutty 8k fic is AMAZING and honestly any WLW in this fandom needs some love!]

When It Takes Hold: krill collins (krillcollins)[Explicit: 5/12]

Izzy Hands, a 90s heartthrob turned casting director with an impressively average back catalogue, never foresaw his career trajectory bringing him back to television. He certainly never would've guessed that his big return would be on Strictly Come Dancing. At least it breaks the monotony, even if he's paired with the insufferable twat, the Gentleman of the Ballroom.

It's the kind of fast-paced environment that Izzy was sure he'd long-since grown out of, and he's sure he's not going to make it past the first few weeks. Still, the more he finds himself enjoying it, the more he hopes he'll stay, and he finds himself more in love with life than he's been in years.

Still, the talk of the curse puts Izzy on edge. Bonnet is strangely captivating and seems more interested in Izzy than Edward has in years. Izzy may not believe in them, but that's the thing about curses: once they take hold...

[OMG. OMFG?!?!? Do you know how much I love 'Dancing with the Stars' AU? NO? Well. For every fandom I enter, my first tags I search are 'time loop' 'time travel' and 'dancing'. This fic is EVERYTHING I love about the trope. I have been following this fic from Day 1 and OMG. I love it. Can't recommend it enough]

The Island: triedunture [Explicit: 10/? Updates every Friday-SteddyHands but Izzy/Stede focused]

Stede Bonnet wakes up in the little cottage he and Ed share—except Ed's not there. Izzy is. Stede is somehow stuck in a world where Ed died and Izzy lived. As he struggles to get back to his real life, it becomes clear that things on the island are very different from what he first assumed....

Updates every Friday.

[A fic that, if the premise sounds cool-READ IT! It's a bit out there concept wise, but SO fun, and a great look at how Stede and Izzy interact in a 'do I want him' type of relationship. This fic has been my weekly bed time story, and I can't wait to see how the drama UNFOLDS!]

[sleepyconfusedpotato]

Your drawing of Ghost's eyes are sooooooo mesmerising!!!!

The eyelashes! The softness and gentleness in his eyes as he looked at Jade??? I don't know why but he looks kinda nervous here???? Like I'm getting the vibe that he's revealing himself to the 141 and Los Vaqueros, and he's not used to it so he's also kind of anxious to see their reaction, especially Jade's!!

Those eyes you draw holds so much emotion in it and I've always liked that about your drawing 😍😍

YOU!! 🫵🫵🫵🫵

YES YOU GET IT 👏👏 I believe eyes are the most expressive part of the face, and I spent lots of times on them every time I draw.

Thank you so much!!!

[msmargaretmurry]

nico/nolan future fic could be so good!!! a scenario where nolan decides he actually isn't done with hockey yet but goes to switzerland and ends up on nico's brother's team, befriends him, gets all kinds of second hand nico updates, interrupts their facetime calls a couple times. and nico's still so NICO, except now he's all grown up and confident and the captain of his nhl team, and nolan's just. a second overall fuck-up who plays in the swiss league. angst! healing! feelings! family! please someone steal this idea, i wanna read it sooooooo bad.

ok i know at this point it has been weeks since my queue spat out the nico/nolan content (sorry!! i've been busy!! 😭) but i HAVE been thinking about this constantly because i have spent a lot of time pondering their second chance romance futurefic but i have NEVER considered this scenario before!! and i am obsessed. the potential for fraughtness and pining and softness and family feelings......... nolan's journey of finding himself again in the swiss alps........... he could wear so much carhartt while sipping hot tea and staring moodily out at the mountains. maybe he and nico haven't really been in touch for a while but nico jumps at this opportunity to reconnect under the guise of helping him out with Swiss Life(tm) and nolan has really complicated feelings about it?? he fell so hard so fast for nico the last time they were in each other's lives and he doesn't need a heartache on top of all the other stuff he's dealing with. the long-distance slow burn, the intensity of the moment when they're finally physically in the same place!! i need it please.

[fairycosmos]

(I’m sending it again just once in case u didn’t see it before. I won’t send anymore just in case you don’t want to answer 💘)

Do you have any tips for having fun alone out of the house? I’ve been going on walks but because I’ve struggled with agoraphobia in the past I p much always go to the same park instead of trying to find new places close by. I kind of need to know where I’m going so I feel at ease, which maybe kills them whimsy of a walk lol I’ve been thinking of going to watch a movie on my own, which I’ve never done, and maybe visiting public libraries and bookshops I haven’t been to yet. Anyway, only thing I probably wouldn’t do is go out to eat cause I hate eating in public (unless it’s a lil snack, that would be fine), but other than that I’m very open! Thank u angel 💫💗🪸

hi sorry i didn't see this the first time! very proud of ya for getting out there and taking these steps, it's not easy but it's always sooooooo worth it. i cant remember taking a walk/trip i've ever regretted, especially when i'm just hanging on my own. i think the movies, library and bookshops are all wonderful ideas!! you know what i do sometimes, i just look on google maps for things to do in my vicinity and then i plan a short excursion around it, like i super low pressure and low key, i just dip in to check it out. coffee shops, parks, local classes and community centers, museums are a good one, nature trails, shopping centers, you could go and get your hair done, maybe see some local live music. hell even a gym, just to get used to being around people again, and to get out there. i felt so silly when i started doing this at first, like some sort of robot trying to participate in regular human activities, often i still do. and it takes a lot of energy out of me, i can't manage it often tbh. but getting out of my head is so fucking important for my mental health it's insane. moving through the world and seeing that it's much much much muchhh bigger than me and my worries and just being a person and not a pair of eyes sleeping or crying or looking at a screen. it can feel like a lot of pressure, but once you've done it a few times it kinda becomes something to look forward to. and if i'm not in the mood i just tell myself i will stay for 10 minutes and then head home, like i'm always aiming to be super flexible and gentle with myself so i don't get discouraged from trying at all. something else that helps me get out of the house is taking headphones for the walk, and also taking my phone/camera to take pretty pics on my way along. just makes it feel a little easier and more fun because sometimes just leaving the house at all exhausts me. but honestly i have no hang ups on doing things alone and you shouldn't either - time spent with yourself is still time spent with the world etc etc. any effort you make is absolutely going to pay off, sometimes just in a short term way, sometimes in a long term way, and sometimes both! much love, i hope you're able to find a routine that works for you. <3

[papermint-airplane]

Ok ok so let me explain what it is I'm doing here. Or try to, anyway, because it's admittedly a dumb idea and it's far from original, but I like to think I'm putting a little bit of my own spin on it. First, let's discuss what the original game, Façade is.

What is Façade?

So I'm going to do my best to explain what this game I'm parodying/playing homage to is in my own words. There are plenty of Wiki articles out there about it but I've spent enough time thinking about this cursed game and I'm not about to add actual research on top of it so take everything I say with a pinch of salt.

Façade was created in 2005/2006 by the two guys whose names are on the title screenshot I posted before. These guys.

From what I have gleaned over time, they created this "game" as a masters thesis project (I could be wrong but I already said I'm not looking it up so my source is "Trust Me Bro"). This isn't really a game as much as it is a tech demo to show off their brand new advanced (for the time) AI text parser. For those of us who don't speak übernerd, it pretty much means the game can understand you. Kind of. You type sentences on the screen and the AI does its best to figure out what you mean. Using this system, you can kind of have a conversation with Trip and Grace and they will react using pre-written voice acted lines. That sounds incredibly impressive and it is, especially for someone like me who can barely understand the magic going on under the hood, but what this basically all boils down to is that you can fuck with the characters so much. They have certain triggers which, if you trigger them, can either get you scolded, contribute to the couple's argument (more on that in a second), or outright get you kicked out of the apartment. For instance, the first time I played, while Grace was going "oh my Goooood [Player] you look sooooooo amaaaaaazing", I replied "you look terrible" and instantly got the boot from Trip.

The Story

We've already established that the point of Façade is to be a tech demo first and a game second, so the story isn't as impressive as the code driving it. You, the player, are an old college friend of Trip and Grace's and have been invited to their apartment for a "dinner party". The problem is, there is no dinner, there is no party, and all the couple does is fight in front of you. It is up to you, dear hapless player, to help them with their marital issues that you are, in no way whatsoever, qualified to address. Alternatively, you can just troll the shit out of them.

That's it, that's the whole story. Couple invites you over, couple doesn't feed you, couple proceeds to scream at each other for reasons unrelated to the absent food. And yet, as simplistic as it is, it's captivating for reasons that aren't easily articulated. This is the sort of game that must be experienced in order for you to really get it.

I can't stress enough how impressively made this game was for the time. We're talking absolutely groundbreaking stuff and probably part of the reason AI is going to take over the world and enslave us all. But somehow, in the process of changing the face of technology as we know it, these two guys gave us the worst characters in the entirety of videogame history.

Grace

Grace is a bitch. There, I said it. It's true. Anyone who's ever played Façade knows it's true. And yet, you can't fully hate her because she is justified in her bitchiness. Her husband is shallow, materialistic, and is cheating on her with everyone. She's unfulfilled in a career she didn't want and feels suffocated in her current lifestyle. However...listen, you're just going to have to play the game or watch a Let's Play because the whininess has to be seen to be believed. Grace and Trip are already fighting when you arrive at their apartment (you can hear them shouting at each other through the door) and Grace does a piss-poor job of pretending they weren't. She is the one who throws the first verbal punch and she's the one who keeps it going even as you are frantically trying to mediate. Trip calls her cold but honestly, I find she comes in way too hot.

Trip

Lest you think I am on Trip's side in this debacle, I hate him too. He's the other side of the coin. Where Grace is standoffish, Trip is overly gregarious. Where Grace sees the value in the little things in life, Trip constantly brags about his wealth and possessions. This fool forces you to look at his vacation photo. Yeah sure the vacation in question was to the Italian countryside, but he keeps talking about that photo long past the point where both you and Grace are uncomfortable. Trip is deeply insecure and it shows. It's a bit more difficult to explain what it is that makes Trip just the absolute worst, because he doesn't wear his emotions on his sleeve the way his wife does. He's slimy. He's trying to keep the conversation light (at first, anyway), but he does it in the greasiest way possible. Again, you're going to have to see for yourself in some way.

What I'm Doing Here

I've been watching a lot of Façade Let's Plays recently. *Trip voice* "That should be obvious" (if you know, you know). We all know Sims parties never go well so it was a very small step from "game about a disastrous get together" to the Sims. I'm not reinventing the wheel here. Besides, this very concept has been done before, but when has unoriginality ever stopped me? You shut your whore mouth if you're in the comments agreeing with me on that, by the way. So, to ease myself back into the Sims world after my extended unplanned hiatus, I'm going to kick back, turn free will on high, and let the magic of the Sims take over. I have gone out of my way to give Trip and Grace traits that I feel correspond extremely well to my reading of their Façade counterparts.

Trip, for all his rich guy posturing, is still a country boy at heart (much to his dismay), which is why I gave him country music and PB&J as faves. Can't Stand Art isn't exactly canon, per se, but it conflicts with Grace's artistic trait and I thought it would give them something else to fight about.

Grace, as much as she romanticizes the starving artist trope, is a rich bitch through and through and wouldn't survive five minutes on the street.

I'm hoping for fireworks with these traits. Knowing Sims 3, I won't be disappointed.

And finally, who is going to be invited to this evening of pain? I suppose I could send Trip and Grace out on the town to make friends but that's boring and I don't want to spend more time with them than necessary so...

Funnily enough, the game seems to know what I'm trying to do. All of Grace's randomly-chosen friends are the rich and famous of Bridgeport while Trip's are just regular folks. I find that very interesting. Maybe Sims 3 has a touch of Façade's magic AI, too.

[dotster001]

The Thing I Want Most

Summary: Mammon x gn! Reader. Mammon knows what he wants for his birthday, he just has to wait it out.

A/N: It's my beloved's birthday. I just love him so much 🥺

Mammon knew what he wanted for his birthday. Well, what he wanted from you that is. He just had to hold on, stick to the plan, and not give into his greed and he'd be…

"What do you want for your birthday? I'll buy anything you want, I'm seriously out of ideas."

"Anything?" He responded to your question. Awesome! He could ask for so much! Maybe a new TV! Or a suit with real gold thread in it! Or….wait.

"Oh there's nothing I really want except to have a private dinner with ya. No brothers allowed."

"I'm not buying it. You're up to something. And when you crack and tell me what you want, whatever scheme your cooking up will be foiled"

He spent the next two weeks with you trying to get him to admit to a material good that he wanted for his birthday. And it was hard on him. Sooooooo hard, but he knew if he could hold out until your private dinner on his birthday, it would be worth it.

                                 ….

It was quite the romantic setting. Lucifer had footed the bill as his birthday present, so he was able to take you somewhere really nice. In the lighting of the restaurant he was for the one millionth time reminded of how stunning you were. He was so lucky to have you. Which is why…

"You asked me what I really wanted for my birthday," he pulled out an ancient looking piece of paper and slid it across the table. "This. This is what I want."

You picked up the paper in confusion, but your eyes quickly widened as you read what it said. You looked into his eyes, probably scanning to see if he was joking. He'd never been more serious about anything in his life.

"Mams…this is…it's…" you were breathless, unable to form a coherent thought. He understood though.

He gently grabbed your hand. "I know I'm asking a lot of ya here, but this is what I want more than anything I've ever wanted."

You still seemed in shock, but at least you were trying to form a complete thought, "but why now? All of a sudden?"

Suddenly, he felt his eyes water, and found it impossible to look you in the eye. "My birthday used to just be a day where I got stuff I didn't have to pay for. But then you came into my life, and suddenly, it's marking how many years I have left with ya"

He found the courage to look into your eyes again, and tightly clutched both your hands to his chest. "I can't lose ya! You are the most important thing in my life, and with that spell, there never has to be a birthday without you!" 

You gently removed one of your hands from his, and cupped his cheek. He nuzzled into it and let the silent tears flow.

"Mammon," you sounded so soft, so kind. "I love you so much. I want to spend as much time with you as I can. But before we rush into something as permanent as immortality, we should probably have a full on conversation and look at all our options. Talk to other humans who have done it. Plan for the future." He wanted to protest, but you pressed your finger to his lips. "I'm not against it though. I want to spend forever with you too."

He gasped. He had planned this all out, and known deep down that even if you outright rejected him, it wasn't for lack of love. But a small part of him had questioned if the thought of forever with him would be unbearable. But now, hearing you felt like he did, just wanted to be rational about things, he felt his heart soar.

"Well, I can wait. But ya better not do something stupid that breaks you early. Stupid humans are so fragile."

Both of you giggled, and then continued on with your dinner. When you went home, Mammon held you close, unable to sleep while planning his future with you.

[sunflowersandcherryblossoms]

I have an idea that I'm going to use on my new Love Is The Colour Of Sunset series...

Since I'm not going to change it radically when it comes to using the original characters I've already created, Minako will have to appear here too.

And I had an idea!

Ichigo and Byakuya get married and they buy a house in Karakura.

It's an ancient house, needing some renovations, but lovely — according to Byakuya, of course...— and quaint.

The only issue is that everyone keeps telling them that the house is haunted.

Do they care? No... They've dealt with sooooooo much worse....

So, they begin researching the history of the house and the original structure was destroyed in the Great Kantō Earthquake, on the 1st of September, 1923.

It was later on rebuilt, but it didn't take long for the rumours of it being haunted to begin.

It kept changing owners until the last family that bought it back in 1979.

The stories about a ghost never truly went away, but the Izawa family never complained about feeling uncomfortable.

It went back on the market after the Old couple joined their only daughter in Australia in 2004.

In 2006, Ichigo and Byakuya buy it and they start renovating the house, leaving the traditional features, but including a modern touch to it too...

It's all going just fine, until they start finding toys everywhere...

A stuffed tiger. A wooden whistle bird. A Kokeshi doll. A porcelain doll...

All ancient looking.

It's only a matter of time until the child finally shows herself to them...

Byakuya had felt quite curious and impressed the first time he felt the presence in the house...

A soul, all alone, since 1923?

It was unheard of...

The fact alone that it did not attract Hollows, was something extraordinary!

Ichigo had researched the registry on the casualties of the Great Kantō Earthquake in Karakura, and he had managed to identify the original family living in that house at the time.

The Usui family had all died in the Earthquake, but apparently only the child's soul had remained attached to the house... For 83 years...

Maybe it had been the constant presence of people in the house that had somehow shielded the little soul from being devoured by any Hollow around.

And maybe that was the cause for her to not turn into a Hollow herself.

Byakuya began collecting the toys and one night after pleading his case to his husband, they'd agreed to go the extra mile to bring the child out of hiding...

They renovated an entire room for her.

Finally, they began feeling her presence becoming stronger.

Pitter patter of little feet.

Smothered giggles as she quickly ran to the bedroom, disappearing before they could catch her.

A couple of days before their return to Soul Society, Byakuya made one last try to get the child to stop being fearful of their presence.

He called for her.

"Minako-Chan? Can you please come to your room? We need to talk to you. Don't be afraid. It's okay. We can see you, you know?"

Ichigo shook his head with a smile.

"Do you think that is going to work?"

"I hope so... We can't just leave here like that can we?"

They headed to the girl's renovated bedroom, sitting on the floor and waiting...

Ay first they thought that she was not going to come, but after the longest ten minutes of their lives, the small figure of a child appeared at the door.

"Hi." Ichigo waved, smiling at the girl.

The girl entered the room, stopping between both men.

"Hi. You wanted to talk to me?" Her voice was that of a toddler in tone, but with the maturity of someone who's mind had spent 83 years frozen inside the spirit of a two year old...

"We did." Byakuya spoke softly. "We wanted you to know that we have to go back home in two days time."

"I thought this was your home..." The small soul pouted.

"It's our vacation home. Not our everyday home. We want to show you something..." Ichigo turned to Byakuya nodding at his husband.

The raven hair took out his Yuki mod soul dispenser and took the pill.

His Gigai remained seated with Yuki now inside of it, but Byakuya himself got up, donning his Taichō uniform, Kenseikan and all.

Minako took a step back, looking oddly serious at him.

It was way too much like grown up look for a toddler...

"You are one of them!" Her lip was trembling. "You're one of the people who killed the monster my parents became..."

Oh.

"Minako," Byakuya kneeled closer to the child, taking Senbonzakura out of his waist and setting it on the floor in front of her. 'What happened to your parents?"

"Haha* kept screaming that it was Chichi's** fault. She was really angry and then she changed into a grey monster with a white mask. Chichi told me to hide so I did..." Minako had her hands behind her back, eyes on the floor. "I heard screaming and a howls like a wild animal in pain. When I took a peak, Haha had changed... She was bigger. I stayed hidden and two men dressed like you appeared. One of them took his sword and killed her."

Ichigo, also in his Shinigami form, kneeled on the other side. His face looked stricken with grief.

"Minako..." He reached his hands to her, waiting. "What those Shinigami did was a mercy, you know? Your Okāsan had turned into something called a Hollow because of her grudge over hers and your untimely death. When we use our Zanpakuto to cut through a Hollow, their souls are purified and they get to go to Soul Society... Which is our home."

Minako looked at Ichigo's hands. A small sob shook the child before she threw herself onto his arms.

Ichigo held her close, allowing her to cry freely. Byakuya raised one of his hands to Minako's head, gently brushing her black hair with his fingers.

A grief to great for such a small child, both of them thought...

"We were thinking maybe you'd like to go with us so you won't have to be lonely anymore." Byakuya's voice was almost a whisper. "And when we come back here you can come with us too."

Minako stopped crying, sniffling as she tilted her head to look at the raven hair. A little snort left her lips.

"It almost sounds like you want to adopt me or something..." And there it was. The oddness of the speech pattern of an adult in a toddler's voice...

Ichigo and Byakuya chuckled lightly.

"Well," Ichigo patted her head. "That's for you to decide, if you think you want to put with us as your new parents."

Minako straightened herself, looking attentively at both men. It felt like she was evaluating them, almost.

"I don't think I would mind that." She smiled. "Actually I think I'd like that... A lot." She seemed pensive for a while. "Will I be able to finally grow up and grow older too? Being stuck as a two year old for 83 years as been really boring."

Byakuya nodded, his smile widening.

"Yes. As soon as you get to Soul Society, you'll resume growing up like an ordinary human for the next eight years. After that, it depends on how strong you are. On your Reiatsu."

"I have no idea what that is..." Minako squinted.

"Don't worry, you'll learn. That and more." Ichigo told her.

"Okay. I agree. I'll go with you..."

* Haha - Formal term for Mother

** Chichi - Formal term for Father

[besidesitstoowarm]

Davies era recap?

sorry i've been procrastinating on this one so bad. i spent three weeks in costa rica thinking about jurassic park. tbh i don't know what to say about the specials or the era overall that i haven't said already

nine feels so beautiful post-time war, traumatized and snappish but also light and warm and kind. he was once a father and grandfather and now he is neither but he is still a doctor!! s1 feels so much richer after having seen "day of the doctor" tbh i know how we got here! it was hard, agonizing, impossible choices. yet he's still here, and he chooses love every time. a coward. he would rather doom the entire universe as long as it kills him too; he cannot survive another genocide. he can't see it happen again. if he can't prevent it, he just wants to not see it. i love nine so much

and then ten. ten is more built from nine than ANY other regeneration i can think of. ten is rose, he's bad wolf, he's nine. he's the echo of donna, of tentoo. ten is someone struggling to find his place between "where he's already been, as remembered by rose" and "where he is destined to go, via donna" like he is so dragged along by fate. mf is a full on greek tragedy, he does NOT know what is going on

that's what makes the specials such a wreck (good/bad). when he was with rose, they were a painful but understandable match. with martha, kinda middle ground. with donna, it was fate. after them? after tentoo, after the most important woman in all creation? he's adrift. he clings to randos, he tries to be the hero so hard. and he fails. he trips and cries and sobs like a huge loser, over and over again. i do love him (and tennant is fully failed by 2/4 specials) but he's unraveling! little baby duck imprinted on their mommy who is gone. what's left, after that? martyr/savior complex and dubiously gay shit, i guess

tennant is a marvel, i have to say this. eccleston too, in different ways. davies has such a wonderfully human touch with these characters, iirc moffat draws a lot from fairy tales while davies pulled a lot from modern social commentary. jack is... something, but it was a different time. ten/master is sooooooo much. this era ended more than a decade ago

all in all, davies era is beautiful, it's decadent. it's complete nonsense bullshit a good chunk of time, but i don't think that's a negative; doctor who is like star wars to me, where i truly genuinely believe it's at its best when it's kind of bad. i mean, late 60s is MY era of who. base under siege nonsense galore. farting aliens. doctor who should be bad, in order to be good. i mean this, genuinely. attack of the clones is great. you get it

i feel more comfortable leaning into this ending knowing what comes later; knowing that davies comes back, knowing that ten becomes fourteen eventually and cleans up his shit, knowing that donna gets a better, more complete ending. it's honestly hard to say what i would think about this era without knowing about the 60th; i do think "journey's end" is a nonsense bullshit episode that is nonetheless very fun to watch, however cruel an ending it is for donna. very grateful we got a redux. moffat is writing for this new davies era too i'm so excited i want to throw up

anyway! excited to re-enter the moffat era but davies had so much sway over the new tone of the show, so much feels so dated but there's no denying the impact his episodes had at the time. there were cat people. it was thematically consistent. god i love it all so much. quel domage!

[altraviolet]

Just caught up with The Echo Garden… holy shit.

I have so much respect for you rn. You’ve been updating this since 2020?? That’s incredible. It’s fics like yours that make me wanna write (even tho I’ve never finished a project ever but shhh). You’re an inspiration, I wanna create stories like yours. I don’t think I’ll be able to come close but am not about to lose hope. I cannot wait to see where The Echo Garden goes. Keep doing what you’re doing 💜

Thank you so much for the very kind ask! 💜 I started drafting Echo Garden in 2019 and posted the first chapter in 2020, yeah. Covid hit my professional and personal life hard, so writing and development went/are going a lot more slowly than I thought they would. Today I realized I've spent hundreds of hours on The Echo Garden and I felt mixed feelings about that, but messages like this make me feel better about it ;A;

I'm honored to be an inspiration and yes, don't lose hope!

Here's a story that might encourage you (or might not... let's find out):

In 2016 or 2017 I told a friend of mine I was thinking of writing TF fic, but I was really intimidated by the age of the fandom and the extent of the franchise. There were so many characters! And people seemed really, ah, protective of their built up headcanons. Fandom seemed to have these collective interpretations and understandings of characters that I was vastly unfamiliar with.

My friend recommended that I read a particular story, which was quite popular, to get an idea of what TF fic was like.

I read the fic (okay mostly, I did skip a little bit because it is a very dark and heavy fic). One of the chapters is, legit, I kid you not, the best thing I've ever read. Of anything. It's not my favorite thing I've ever read. It is the BEST thing I've ever read.

I put my head down on my desk and didn't write for a year.

(I literally put my head down on my desk. And I literally didn't write for a year.)

I knew I could never be that good. Why try?

But after a year, I had an idea. And, dammit, it wasn't an intricate, political longfic saga, but it was my idea and I wanted to write it. And I did. And a few people liked it. I wrote some more. Wrote a really long fic about my favorite pairing. A few more people liked that.

I'd had the idea for MTMTE Rodimus/TFP Soundwave forever, but didn't have a canon explanation for how they'd get together until Lost Light ended (thanks, JRO!). And I knew that what I wanted to do with it would take a lot of skill and thought and hard work to pull off. I didn't know if I was skilled enough to do it. After I finished the first rarepair longfic, I thought, "Well, I completed 150k and I have a canon-based explanation for how they meet. I'm as ready as I'll ever be." I was sooooooo nervous when I posted the first chapter.

To my utter shock, a whole lot of people have been reading Echo Garden :u

Which is very exciting!

But. I do wish I hadn't spent a year not writing because I thought I wasn't good enough, and I compared myself to that other author and that other fic. What I've written is different. I dunno if it's better, but why compare?

Anyway, don't give up!! Don't lose time to worrying about being good or not. Also, this is advice I've seen pro writers give: finish a project. Do your best. A little project :) See it through to the end. You can do it!

Thanks again for the kind ask =)

[kkmeeluqq]

hi meelu, I am so happy to see that you left❤ on my introduction of sebchal the witcher au, I have been following you since I started to ship sebchal at the beginning of this year, I love your work sooooooo much!!! Also tuna, thank both of you so much for creating those splendid arts🥰

I also wrote another sebchal work before, it's called blank space, I don't know whether if you had read it ? It's about an interesting amnesia after they fucked(yeah seriously) and sebchal 5+1 things

Anyway I want to thank you, since writing a fic which didn't get many responses, meanwhile you have spent a lot of time and energy on it. And then you found that your favorite creator send a little heart, I have to say it's quite cheering when I open tumblr today. Thank you! And I love your work🥰🥰🥰

hiiii!!🥰🥰 yes ofc i have read blank space! it's sooooo good and i kept punching my pillow when reading that fic XDD also it's not a common theme so im really interested just by seeing the tags, and the fic itself is so incredible! i love how you write chal as an insatiable puppy... every time during sex he would never fail to fuck seb into oblivion! and i love how you utilize the theme of amnesia like, seb would always fall in love with charles even he doesn't know who he is....its so sweet😭😭 and the ending!!! them getting married omg😭😭 that made me really want to complete my sebchal wedding doodle which ive been discussing with romy....here's some of the bits i've done XD

and you dont have to thank me😭 i should be the one thanking you for your work!! i really enjoyed reading them and i have left probs 500 kudos :) everyone go check out @noxgreen 's fantastic fic blank space!!!❤️❤️

[fandomfrolics]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Tagged by @chainofclovers and @revolutionsoftheheart, thank you <3

Since I've only posted to AO3 for 2 fandoms and one is disproportionately larger than the other, gonna separate the two for my own curiosity.

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

123 (77 Ted Lasso, 46 Marvel)

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

567,878 (336,213 TL vs 231,665 Marvel over a...much shorter period of time😬)

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Currently only Ted Lasso, previously Marvel (both MCU and comics)

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

Marvel

They Call Me Dad

In the Heat of the Night

Roll the Dice and Swear Your Love (for me)

what is (or what could be)

Situation Normal: All Fogged Up 

Ted Lasso

and in the morning we'll start all over again

Linger

lick me baby or leave me

my body fits just like a bruise

I don't wanna live like this (but I don't wanna die) 

Fun fact! My top Marvel fic has pretty much almost exactly 10x kudos as my top TL fic.

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I do but very, very slowly. As for why, idk I think it's just a nice way to engage with people. I like seeing authors' responses to my comments on their fics too.

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

A <400 word established relationship Steve/Tony fic where one half of the pairing DROWNS and for what, who knows

Any angsty endings I had for TL were only chapter endings that were then undone by peer pressure (except, I guess, this one where Ted and Rebecca break up because his.....spoon.....is too big).

OH WAIT I forgot about this Rupodore one (but also the A/N does undo that angsty ending too sooooooo)

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

This is a hard one because I'm not sure how to differentiate degrees of happiness but sorta related to the last answer, I'm going to say this established relationship Steve/Tony fic, where it SEEMS like Steve dies but he doesn't, mostly because of this comment that makes me emotional every time I remember it

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Just once I think, on a kinky TL fic (thanks Kyle!)

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Unfortunately (though that's pretty much a new thing for TL fic)

Idk what the kinds of smuts there are but: PWP, emotional/feelingsy, kink (for exploring dynamics/psychology of it re: certain characters), kink (horny)

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

Borderline? Idk if this fake dating fic featuring an unnamed-but-hinted-at actor counts as Ted Lasso/Actor RPF crossover.........

That's probably the craziest one but actually I guess this Marvel one where the video game versions of the characters visit the comics universe counts.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not wholesale but bits yeah

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yeah, a bunch of Marvel fanfic got translated to Chinese and Russian but my top kudosed fic got translated into I think at least 4 languages (including off AO3), which is really cool!!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes with @thatsrightjohngoodman <33 and it was a blast, even though the number of words spent talking about the fic >>>> actual words in the fic. Also I only did like 15% of it, which is probably also why I had a good time.

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

I don't really get into fandoms through ships, usually more through specific characters so idk if I have a fave. I'm pretty loosey-goosey about ships.

15. What's the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

OH BOY okay, well I'm still holding out hope for some of the TL ones even though I haven't touched them in ages but from the (almost definitely) abandoned ones, there's one about Ted dealing with executive dysfunction that gets in the way of like really mundane things like mail he needs to do something about (e.g. his TV licence) or using groceries before they go bad and how Beard and Rebecca and others help him help himself.

On Marvel, I have a CarolJess coffee shop AU that is like 90% done and contains some bits that are very personal and reflective of that period of my life and it'd be nice to put it out into world but. I probably won't.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I've been given the impression that it's.......sad shit lmao. But also like conversations between people that feel realistic. And at this point, I think unfortunately also smut.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Settings I think? I like actions and dialogue and I always have to go back and fill in like...where are they, what are they sitting on, that sorta thing.

Also endings, I never know how to end a fic, especially short feelingsy one-shots.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I have no real thoughts on this tbh

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Harry Potter, but only one fic that I posted on LiveJournal I think as part of an event

20. Favorite fic you've ever written?

The first one that popped into my head was All Our Days Ahead, a Beard and Ted friendship road trip fic. It was written with more care than a lot of my other fics and idk I like it's energy when I reread it. I can remember exactly where I was when I wrote it too (and that it was raining lmao).

Honorable mentions from when I actually went scrolling through my works:

I like all my humour fics purely for how unhinged I feel when writing them but the body shots fic was particularly wild because of the insane live writing experience and Cannibal!Rebecca offshoot

I also have a soft spot for my episode tags. I don't really write a lot of fics that are related to specific moments in canon but I really like this Colin one about the impact of Nate's words on him, featuring my beloved actual Coach!Ted. Also one of the few fics where the title feels right and isn't just sorta there to fill in the field.

I think by now most people have been tagged in TL so ignore me if you've already done this but tagging some folks from both fandoms @theodore-lasso @howiehamlin @thatsrightjohngoodman @ishipallthings @onemuseleft @snoozingcat @bardingbeedle if y'all wanna do it

[darkness-holds-eternal-light]

What a Christmas time this year. 😵🥴 I know we're all struggling but I just need to let it out.

I had been looking forward to this year's Christmas time all year, really! But now it's 4 days till Christmas and I'm sitting here, listening to the rain outside and feeling very exhausted and just meh. I'm down with some kind of the flu, I received my social benefits only today (I applied at the beginning of November and should've gotten it at least on December 1st) so I wasn't able to buy any presents so far, I hope I can still get something for my mother. The money I've received is way less than it was supposed to be, I'll have to deal with this again after Christmas. I'm so exhausted from everything and I'm still waiting for my best friend, my boy cat, whom I love soooo, sooooooo much. He hasn't come home since November 19th and I've spent the last weeks looking for him. I still have hope, I'll be waiting for him and praying every day. 💗🐈💖 I love him soooooooooo much.

So yeah, I feel a little heavy at the moment, I'm only focusing on my fantasy worlds because that's where I can live the most. I'm trying to recover at the moment. I just feel sad a lot of the time. I want to live with more joy and more hopeful and I'm still trying to do this in the ways that I can right now. I just want things to get a bit better.

I'm grateful though that I have a roof over my head and that I'm warm while outside it's cold and rainy. I'm really, really grateful that I have my mom and that she loves me. ♡ And I'm grateful that we at least were able to buy a Christmas tree and most likely also a goose for Christmas. I'm grateful for the "Harry Potter"-books, which are an immensely great gift to me and I see more and more how great of a gift they are! 💗📗 And I'm grateful for the most wonderful Old Hollywood movies and for Winnie Pooh. Those are things that I really love. 💖🐻

I hope there are better things ahead next year, this year was so hard. So many of my friends have had a terribly hard year and so many are struggling. I'm trying to not give up on life and see the divine, holy worth in living in itself. I want to believe that it's sacred to be alive and that I can open my heart to it. May God bless us all and may the goodness of God be so visible to us all around, that everything else pales in comparison and is less important. May we feel God's glory regardless of the circumstances! 🌠💛🌟🙏🏼

[iso220]

one of the things that DOES make me sad about my current hnk oc plans is that .

well. ok if any of you have seen my old comics on my old account..... its probably obvious that they started becoming rough after a certain point...?

and thats because i was 100% rushing them.. really just for the adrenaline of pumping out one every week...

and i WAS hoping to change that for the next batch, but.... i spent too much time planning and not enough time actually working on the art itself

sooooooo now i've been busting out lineart every few days because my next semester starts on the 14th... of this month... Drats !

im gonna try to Do Better next summer but. you know..still kinda sucks