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thebibliosphere · 8 months

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I love how transparent you are about what its like to be a self published author in this day and age, and i was just wondering if there was a difference on your side between amazon ebook/paperback and audible - and also if Scribd is any better, because i use it as an alternative to amazon whenever possible (and whenever the library doesnt own a copy of whatever im looking for) is it functionally all the same? What is best for you?

Thank you!

I actually did a huge long post a while back when I got the audiobooks produced and uploaded to various platforms. I included Scribd in the breakdown after people falsely claim that Scrib is better for authors than Amazon/Libraries.

A lot of people were not happy when I burst that particular bubble by showing that Scribd paid me 97 cents out of the 19.99 price tag. Which is less than what Audible paid me.

Now, obviously, Scribd is different because it's a subscription service, and you’re paying for access to multiple things with that subscription. But saying it is better than libraries is just false because I also showed the numbers for that, and my income from libraries was several times higher than both Scribd and Amazon combined (for audio), which is why authors are always begging people to request their work in libraries.

Libraries pay us better and are usually free. Not always. I know it depends heavily on the country, but for most of my English-speaking audience, that is the case.

Now, this is not to say people shouldn’t use services like Scribd. If Scribd is what you can afford and it gives you access to things your library can’t fantastic. Please continue to access our work through that legal option. I would much rather earn 97 cents than zero.

But uh, yeah, Amazon pays me more than Scrib for digital stuff and I really don’t like when people who aren’t on the author side spread misinformation and frame it as some more “gotcha.”

The sad truth is Most retailers pay us the same or within the same royalty range. The difference I earn between Kobo vs Kindle is literal pennies with Amazon coming out on top. I make my work available on multiple platforms to give people options, but unless you’re buying directly from my personal storefront, it's all roughly the same.

I do actually earn more from Amazon paperbacks than I do any other retailers (for self-pub, paperbacks are a flat rate regardless of how much a retailer is charging), but the difference is about ten cents, so I always tell people to buy from wherever is best for them.

I like bookshop.org because they give some of the profit on their end to indie bookstores. Same with libro.fm for audio.

Audiobooks are just a whole fucking nightmare. Audible sets your price point for you and takes 80% of your royalties. And because Audible does that, I have to then use that price tag on all other platforms or risk being fucked by the algorithm gods. Other audio retailers take about 60-70% in royalties, most of them veering toward 70%.

As we say in radical acceptance therapy, it is what it is—fucking end-stage monopoly driven capitalism.

Now, speaking personally, when it comes to digital media, I earn the most royalties from my Payhip store where I keep 90% of my income.

That's the best place for me.

It's also why it's worth looking up an author you like to see if they have their own storefront. It doesn't help our sales rankings or put us on any bestseller lists, but frankly after launch week, who cares. I’ll take being able to feed me and my dog.

I hope that helps!

#indie author shit

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davidtennantgenderenvy · 5 months

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On David Tennant and Aging

So, I’ve seen a lot of posts in response to Tumblr users’ habit of affectionately calling their favorite middle aged dudes “old men”, David Tennant in particular, saying things like “clearly you’ve never met an actual old person”, “omg you talk about these guys like they’re 80”, “please be normal about people aging”, etc. And on one hand, all of these statements are objectively right and true! But as someone who’s always been really fascinated by and found a lot of beauty in getting older (which I’ve explored in some of my writing on A03 because nobody else is going to do it for me), I’d like to provide a bit more nuance on how I think this label applies to David in particular.

David, obviously, in literal terms, is not “old”, at least not to me- I don’t personally consider people old until they get past 60. 52 is middle aged, simple as that. And yet, when I see David stuck with the “old man” label, it still somehow feels weirdly right, for a number of reasons.

It annoys me so much when people say David “hasn’t aged a day since Doctor Who”, because, well…

He clearly has. A lot. He’s got forehead creases, deep crows’ feet and eyebags, and I think that post-Fourteen we’re gonna see him rocking the grey temples a LOT more. He also has the voice of an older man now, his upper range is still there but the default is much more deep and rich, with a gravelly, rumbling quality that just goes straight through you. I personally think Broadchurch was when David finally started to embrace looking his age- Alec Hardy just wouldn’t have been served by Ten’s fresh-faced boyishness.

Obviously, these are the kinds of changes you’d expect any 52-year-old man to have, but something about David just makes it all seem a bit more… intense? The expressiveness of his face combined with his almost gaunt frame makes his wrinkles very prominent, and when he works his voice to its emotional extremes, his lower register can sound positively ancient, to devastating effect.

David, I think, is someone with an old soul- I don’t think he could be as good as he is at playing ancient characters like Crowley and The Doctor if he weren’t. He has lived so many lives, given so much of himself to so many characters, often incredibly tragic ones, and I think it wears on him. David also has five kids. FIVE. Do you know how exhausting it is to be one of the hardest working actors alive and be a present, loving father to even ONE child? But David somehow does it anyway! Nowadays I see him and my heart breaks because he looks so tired, so weary and fragile. But he’s all the more beautiful for it to me because I know that that is because he is kind. He’s a deeply empathetic person who feels and lives to the absolute fullest, and that story is written so clearly on his face, along with every other story he has ever been a part of.

There’s other things about David that make the label endearingly fitting- his utter hopelessness when it comes to technology, for instance. And he’s just got that warm, wise, grandpa energy too sometimes- look at that above Fourteen picture and tell me I’m wrong!

I once showed my friend who’d only seen David in Doctor Who and Harry Potter a picture of David from Around The World in 80 Days. It was a particularly emotional scene, and his face had just the most beautiful expression of compassion and sadness, every wrinkle on full display. And she said, in a less than complimentary fashion, “he looks so old!” Which, of course, offended me quite a bit at first. But to me, referring to David as old almost feels like a badge of honor, something he’s earned by living fully and selflessly, working hard and being wise and compassionate beyond his years. I think David himself is secretly more than a little insecure about the fact that he’s getting older. There’s sadness behind every jovially self-depreciating remark he’s made about his age in the past year, particularly in comparing himself to Ncuti Gatwa. I know how much David struggles with his impostor syndrome and how people perceive him, and I can clearly see in his eyes the fear of being discarded, the anxiety he feels about if he’ll still be as loved as he was back in 2007 now that he’s closer in age to King Lear than he is to Romeo. So I hope David knows it’s a privilege to watch him grow older, to watch his soul and talents deepen with the crinkles around his eyes. If I, in my silly goofy tumblr girl-ness, call David Tennant an old man, it’s because it’s a label that suits him beautifully- even if it isn’t TECHNICALLY an accurate one yet.

#David tennant #doctor who #the tenth doctor #the fourteenth doctor #good omens #crowley #shakespeare #around the world in 80 days #phileas fogg #pro aging #growing old

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itsajollyjester · 6 months

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yessss that defo answers my questions! ur thoughts on compassion & community intertwined w rebellion definitely show up in ur art lol. something more specific i have been curious abt is ur version of the endings of each specific hunger games & ur characterization/portrayal of the victors at those points! if u have any more thoughts abt any of those characters or their games id love to hear.... im also very not neurotypical abt hunger games

For sure!! But this is a novel and a half so I apologize in advance (also most of this is from memory so anyone can correct me if I'm getting any details wrong)

((TW: For visual depictions of Blood, Gore, and Wounds))

I realized I'd seen barely any art showing what the victors would have looked like when they won their games. They were all just kids and I feel like it can be easy to forget that sometimes

For all of them, I made the background one of their main "weapons" but tried to make it look like its turning back on them instead since there are no victors as Haymitch said.

I'll try to explain them all more in depth individually going in the order I drew them:

Finnick Odair, 65th Games:

His main weapons were his trident and nets that he made with vines. His background is one of the nets ready to trap him.

Finnick was the youngest victor ever at only 14. I really really wanted to emphasize just how little that is. (Especially since we know exactly why the Capitol loved him from the start…) Once I actually drew him looking that little I had to step away for a bit because I made myself too sad…

Outside of just how horrific his age is as a concept, I tried to think about what circumstances would lead to him actually winning when surrounded by older tributes. I think he would have had to avoid any kind of fight he didn't have the upper hand in. We know that he got the most expensive sponsor gifts in the history of the games (a trident), so he probably got plenty of sponsors outside of that as well. Because of that I doubt he needed to go looking for supplies much if ever so it was easy to avoid people there. He was also probably in a career pack, despite his age, due to his training and his popularity, and they would have hunted other tributes down together much like the one we saw in the first book (safer in numbers). Once it was narrowing down and the pack broke is when I think he started catching people in nets. All of that is a long winded way of saying that's why, unlike the other victors I drew, I only show him with minor cuts and bruises.

Originally I was going to draw him with a kind of strained smile like he was acting for an audience from the start. But I decided I actually think its sadder if he believed he was popular because of his skill and strategy as a fighter and only learned the whole truth after he won and that's when he started acting more for the camera. Instead I gave him a more muted despair kind of look, like his world is crashing down. One of my favorite parts about the movies, mainly THG and ABOSAS, is when they give the career tributes at the end a moment of realization about what they've done, and I wanted to give Finnick his. I'm a person that believes Finnick had to have volunteered for his games. I think he would have legitimately believed in the propaganda the career districts were fed and had a bit of a (very middle school boy) ego about his abilities. (I was NOT expecting to write so much about his lmao)

Enobaria, 62nd Games

She's most well known for ripping someones throat out with her teeth. (Her background is her sharpened teeth getting ready to eat her.) This is treated by The Capitol, and by Katniss, as grotesque and terrifying blood lust (Which obviously the Capitol loves her for). However, and I'm not at all the first to say it, that sounds more like a terrified and desperate attempt to survive a fight she was losing and an example of hysterical strength. We know that Career packs have had bloody betrayals in the past and I can see Enobaria being a part of one of them. Enobaria doesn't have a canonical age, but I decided to put her on the younger side (15 or 16.) I can imagine some of the older, bigger tributes deciding she was the weakest link towards the end and that was the result. I tried to make the blood around her mouth and down her shirt look more faded, like she tried desperately to wipe it off (Also I had to step away from drawing again after I drew her little tooth gap)

I think she probably leaned into the bloodthirsty image afterwards as a way to protect herself and (maybe even started to believe it too)

Annie Cresta, 70th Games

Annie's known for losing her mind after seeing her district partner decapitated in front of her. After that, she ran off and hid until the game makers started an earth quake, which made the large dam in the arena break and cause a huge flood. Annie was the only survivor because she was the strongest swimmer. So I decided to make her background dark water that's churning up and over her head. I also think it can work well as a way to show her mental state in the moment (and afterwards) Annie is actually one of my favorite characters in the series and I've been writing out a plan for a possible comic series about her that'll go more in depth about my headcanons for her. (when I say comic series, I mean sketches and oneshots, not a full thing lmao) It wouldn't take place during her games (outside of a few flashbacks when I need more context), instead it would start at her Victory Tour and go into her first (and last) year as a mentor for the 71st Games. Which is a perfect segue to-

Johanna Mason, 71st Games

Johanna is actually first mentioned early on in the first book when Katniss is wondering if the reason Peeta is crying is because he plans to act weak and helpless as a strategy in the games. (Katniss, he just found out he has to fight in a murder tournament with his crush. He's just Sad.) She bases her theory on Johanna, who pretended she was a "sniveling, cowardly fool" in the arena until the final stretch of the games when she proved to be deadly with an axe.

OR….. Katniss is an unreliable narrator and Johanna was actually a terrified kid from a district with so few victors that she was the only name in the bowl for the Quarter Quell… This is totally just a personal headcanon of mine tho lol. I think there would have been a point in her games where she realized she actually had a chance and that's when she seemingly had a huge character turn around. Maybe there was a infighting with the careers that ended in multiple deaths and there was only a few left along with any other tributes hiding away like her. Maybe she poked around what was left of their camp, found the axe, and felt strength from her district.

Her background was a little harder for me. Just slapping a big axe behind her felt cheesy. But them I remembered her saying there was no one left that she loved. So instead I put trees that could represent her loved ones (Two fully grown trees, a younger "teenage" tree, and a sapling) that are in the process of being cut down.

Haymitch Abernathy, 50th Games

Don't worry, I'm almost done. I don't have as much to say about Haymitch since we know SO much about what happened in his games. But his background was probably the hardest for me. His main weapon was invisible after all. I thought maybe the axe that was used, but again, That would look cheesy. I tried (and kinda failed imo) to draw the cliff side the force field was on instead. But the main thing I did was split the three panels I had on the previous drawings into six for two reasons. 1: Because he had to face twice as many tributes in order to win and 2: Being the only victor of a district that's tributes are seen as fodder for the blood bath means he had to meet and watch the death of twice as many kids every year.

#tw blo0d #tw g0re #tw wounds #the hunger games #catching fire #mockingjay #hunger games fanart #hunger games headcanon #thg series #ask #finnick odair #enobaria #annie cresta #johanna mason #haymitch abernathy #jolly art #long post

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becausegoodheroesdeservekidneys · 2 years

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The disrespect toward indigenous peoples is what popped put at me today in one of your posts. I wonder how long the English have been looking down on the Welsh. We're the Saxons like that or is it the Normans who really thought they were better than everyone else. Cause it seems like it goes back a long way.

Oh, both, just in different ways. The Normals were imperialist, the Saxons were more theft and landgrab.

Something that makes me want to start hurling knives is the INCREDIBLY COMMON English myth that the Anglo-Saxons were a sweet innocent indigenous British people who were conquered and bullied by those mean nasty Normans (and Vikings), and because the Normans came over via France, that means everything was actually THEIR fault, and the true English i.e. the Anglo-Saxons, were victims too :(

When I say it's incredibly common, by the way, I really mean it. Enormous numbers of modern day English people believe this. I've seen BBC programs about the Viking invasions that claimed without a trace of irony that the Vikings would take slaves from "the native Anglo-Saxons". I've literally had English people comment this shit on posts of mine about Celtophobia and Welsh history. Like I'm there describing how the last Prince of Wales was locked in a wooden cage in Bristol Castle at the age of eight and lived out the remainder of his life there until his fifties so the Welsh would know their place, and some snivelling English cunt will straight up write a message going "Teehee really it was the Normans not the English though and they conquered the poor Anglo-Saxons too, poor England uwu"

Anyway in the dying days of the Roman empire in Britain one of the leading reasons for Rome abandoning Britannia was the constant waves of Anglo-Saxon invaders. There were so many the east coast of Britain became known as the Saxon Shore. There were so many the Romans built a line of forts that were and are literally called Saxon Shore Forts. There were so many that an official, historically documented, paid governmental position in Roman Britain was the Count of the Saxon Shore, i.e. the guy responsible for keeping the bastards out.

Rome had banned native military, of course, so when they then withdrew and took the armies with them, the people left had no defences against the incoming waves of Angles, Saxons and Jutes. England fell pretty quickly, Angles in the north, Saxons in the south, Jutes primarily in the east, I believe. What stopped their westward expansion was the Brythonic Celtic nations living in modern day Wales. And this is the origin of the Welsh dragon - those separate kingdoms needed a banner that united them, and represented Not Saxon. An anti-Saxon force. They chose a red dragon.

This is also the origin of King Arthur. An anti-Saxon king of the Brythons, who would repel these Germanic invaders. (It was several centuries later that England realised they should probably steal the term 'British', because otherwise they were marking themselves as 'not native'.)

Anyway the saving grace of the Anglo-Saxons in the end was actually that they were whiny little bitches who gave up trying to fight in Wales with its difficult mountains and fought each other instead. The whole sorry tale of the Heptarchy is the various Anglo-Saxon kingdoms fighting like cats in a bag, while Saxon king Offa built a dyke along the Welsh border and went "WELL YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED OVER HERE" and every Welsh king went "...we literally didn't want to conquer you anyway, you spectacularly sad and stupid man"

Oh, and of course, there's the name 'Wales'. Given to us specifically by the Anglo-Saxons. And translated by centuries of English scholars, mostly very smugly, as 'foreigners'. A fun bit of early propaganda, look - foreigners in our own country that they tried and failed to steal.

All of which is a circuitous way of saying - yeah, it goes way back.

#WALES!#closed for cleaning on mondays #history nerdery #celtophobia

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xxoxobree · 11 months

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Miles’ Room

Miles G. x Fem!Black!Reader

Summary: Miles Fumbled His Perfect Girl.

WARNINGS: Aged Up , Cuss Words, Mentions of Alcohol.

A/n: Please don’t take the picture of the girl, it’s literally me and I feel like that’s weird 🤣🤣

I said I wasn’t going to post for a while but I lied 🙃😂. Hope you enjoy and run it up 🩷

Miles sat alone at the party, a mix of emotions and regret consuming him. It had been six months since he and you, the love of his life, had broken up. While he wanted to believe that it ended amicably, deep down, he knew it was his own distractions that had led to the end of your relationship. Losing you was the biggest mistake he had ever made.

Surrounded by people he didn't care for, Miles attempted to drown his thoughts in alcohol, hoping to forget about you. But with every drink, his mind only grew hazier, and your memory became the only thing he could focus on. He downed another shot, the burning sensation offering no comfort.

Desperate to fill the void you had left, Miles turned to his phone, scrolling through his messages. He contemplated reaching out to a few girls, hoping to pretend that one of them could replace the hole in his heart that only you could fill. Frustrated and intoxicated, he angrily switched off his phone.

The room began to spin as the alcohol took its toll, and the party, once a welcome distraction, now felt suffocating. Miles knew he didn't belong there; he should be at home with you, where he truly belonged.

In a moment of weakness, he reopened his phone, seeking a distraction in the void of social media. As he mindlessly scrolled through Instagram, a picture of you suddenly appeared on the screen. You looked beautiful, a smile lighting up your face. In that moment, it hit Miles he had lost something truly good.

The image of you, so happy without him, pierced his heart. It was a bitter reminder of what he had let slip through his fingers. The regret washed over him, leaving him feeling more alone than ever before.

Miles let out a sad sigh as he stared at the picture, resting his hand on his head. The only problem was, you were happy with another guy and not him. His mind started to race, do you think about him too? Or did he just need to move on like you did? He thought time would heal, but 6 months later, here he is, wishing to be the guy that got to treat you right.

He opened his contacts, scrolling, and stopping at your number. There was no chance that you still had the same number, right? He stared at the number, contemplating if he should call you or not. He had a whole lot to say. His finger hovered over the screen before the liquid courage took over, and the line was ringing.

"Hello?" You answered, sounding every bit as drunk as he was right now.

"Hey, you home?" Miles asked, the sound of your voice making a small smile spread across his face.

"Yeah, I just walked in. Wassup, Miles?" you replied.

"You good, ma?"

"Yeah, I'm good. How have you been?"

"I'm great now. Maybe we can link up?" he asked, hoping you'd say yes.

"Like tonight, right now?" you questioned.

"Yeah, mami. Is that alright? Did you go out?"

"Huh? Did I go out?" you repeated, a bit confused.

"Yeah, ma."

"Yeah, I went out, just to a couple of clubs. Did you say something about a drink? I'm soo gone right now," you laughed, making Miles laugh too.

But his laughter quickly faded. He paused for a moment, reluctant to tell you how he really feels before it all came out. "Look, mami, I'm so sorry. I know he's not around because you picked up. Fuck that nigga, you could do so much better."

You paused for a moment, being too drunk to actually know how to respond.

"You can do so much better, baby. Do you know that?" Miles said, almost pleading indirectly for you to break up with your boyfriend.

"Are you drunk right now, Miles?" you asked, trying to make sense of the situation.

He was drunk, but that didn't matter. His feelings were the same.

"I'm just saying, Mami, and I hate that for you."

"Look, Miles. I have to go, okay? Take care of yourself," you said, hanging up, leaving him to stare at his phone and continue to miss you

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yelshin · 1 year

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NEW KITTEN?! | MLIST | ♡

An: Rethinking my life decisions rn

Tw/Cw: Scarameow being insecure

It was a normal day for you and Kuni well not really after he heard a shocking news.

You're gonna adopt another kitten. He was sad because he thinks that you might replace him soon.

If it wasn't for your friends stupid idea you wouldn't have to feel bad be guilty while looking at the sight of your kitten sulking at the corner. 'if i need to take a punishment for hurting his feelings ill gladly take it because i deserve it.' you thought while eyeing his movements.

He rolls on the ground and hit the wall. You immediately stand up and start rubbing circles at his head while he keeps sulking; still thinking about the new kitten that you're gonna adopt "god are you okay? Do you want food? Toys? Anything to cheer you up?" You bombarded Kuni who still didn't answer you nor look at you. But your heart wasn't prepared for what will he pull.

Kuni look at you with those big eyes with his pupil becoming big as if he was begging you to not do something 'OH MY GOD I'M GONNA DIE' You eternally screamed. Trying to avoid his tempting pleading eyes "I swear you're gonna be the death of me..." You grumble, picking him up and grabbed your (empty) wallet.

"I'm sorry but pets are not allowed-" "Do i look like i CARE?" You glared at the guard who's trying to stop you from bringing Kuni inside the mall "but ma'am im just following the rules-" he keeps on insisting and then you decided to gave up... Well actually the opposite of that. "Fine then." You walked away from the mall and hid beside the building.

"if they don't allow pets, then how about this huh.." you smirked at your silly idea; putting him inside a plastic bag and put some unnecessary light weight items inside and pretend its full of your groceries. "God why am i so smart"

You walked at the building again but this time the guard doesn't care about people entering in the mall 'WOW LATELY HE'S MAKING A SCENE ABOUT BRINGING MY ANGEL IN AND NOW HE DOESN'T GIVE A FUCK IF SOME PEOPLE ENTER WITH THEIR PETS' you glared at the guard before entering the mall; ready to spend everything

"now then for the new kitten, maybe a same treatment with Kuni will do" hearing the word "new kitten" Kuni's head pop out of the plastic bag while looking at you, but you didn't seem to notice the poor kitten.

Now here you are, standing Infront of the ATM; staring at your bank accounts amount of money. Seeing a low number made you laugh at yourself nervously "haha... Did i spend too much? hahaha..." You scratch your cheek while looking around if thr coast is clear enough for you to pull your black card

'just once...' you thought but you knew that "just once" will turn into amounts of spending. Clearly not just once. "Let's just pray this shit still have money inside after what i did last month"

You checked the plastic bag thinking that Kuni was still inside,but to your horror he wasn't there. You immediately panicked and search the whole bag but still no sight of Kuni 'How am i gonna find him with this big ass mall...' you went for 10 minutes breakdown beside the ATM before gathering all of your energy and find your small kitten while praying that no one will adopt him.

Meanwhile your Kuni...

A young man with indigo hair that covers his ears, as well as indigo eyes look around the mall trying to find a glimpse of teal hair but he didn't noticed someone bump to him.

While you are busy finding your kitten you suddenly bump into someone; you apologize and the man who you bumped with reminds you of you Kuni but you quickly shook off the thoughts and apologize again "im sorry!" Before running away.

Scaramouche froze in his spot... Not only you didn't recognize him nor know about his secret (that he can turn into a human) you didn't recognize him. He muttered something before going to a empty place; transforming back into a kitten once again, on his way to find you.

You were going insane. You searched every corner, every store and even asked every person in the mall if they found your kitten. You were close to give up but not until you felt a soft fur rubbish on your feet, you looked down and almost screamed when your beloved kitten finally appeared "Thank goddess! I thought you got kidnapped!(kittennap)" You hugged your cat; promising yourself not to let him go. "Now lets head home, i heard the new kitten is already in our house!" You exclaimed and run out of the mall.

Opening the door of your house, you gently dropped kuni to the ground and immediately search for the new kitten. While you're busy roaming around your house Kuni was staring at something under the couch. He hiss at whoever or whatever creature is there hiding under the couch. Kuni stared at the glowing yellow eyes of the new kitten while displaying his sharp nails as a sign of threat.

"ah! There you are!"

An: if y'all guessed whos the new kitten i would continue this fic🤭

@thetwinkims @sunsethw4 @etherisy @kunikuzushicandegrademefr @Heiijoxz, @eliciana @naritecs @kkazuyass @itztaki @makilovescofi @louise-rosita-leroux @w9vyy @lystaaa @midoriapologist @lilithticalx @red-chester @yushiu @raideneiari @scaraapologist @kxr0mi @sakiimeo @shizunxie @yanfeimainn @just-simping-over-genshin @thenightsflower @eunchaeluvr @ohmyfinggod @misomiis @spookyqueenduck @chalksdreams

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axelsagewrites · 11 months

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Daemon Targaryen*Key

Sugar Baby Series Part 4 non-smut edition (4.5 is the smut and goes before this part but can be skipped without affecting the plot)

Part one - Part two - Part Three - Part 4.5

Pairings: Daemon x f!reader

Summary: Daemon and the reader finally decide to add a new level to their relationship

Warnings: sad Aemond

Word count: 2816

Masterlist Here

you woke up the next day in his king size bed. when you sat up in the silk sheets you looked around the room for the missing Targaryen, clutching the sheets to your chest to cover your naked frame. daemon walked in the room, fixing the cufflinks of his shirt. when he looked up and noticed your gaze he smiled, walking over to the bed to sit on the edge of it, “Morning doll,” he said, kissing your lips softly.

“Morning,” you said, your voice hoarse from last night. the night before had kept you up late into the night. dinner had truly been a success. “Why are you awake?” you yawned when you saw the clock reading seven am.

“Some of us have jobs love,” he chuckled as he finished putting on the cufflinks, “As much as I would love to stay in bed with you all day,” he said, brushing the stray hair out of your face, his hand resting on your cheek, “I’ve got meetings all day today that I can’t miss,”

“Just quit then,” you joked, leaning into his touch.

Daemon chuckled, leaning in to press a soft kiss to your lips, “How would I spoil you then? it’s alright love I won’t be gone forever,” his phone buzzing snaped you both from the moments, “That’s the driver, I need to go doll,” daemon said as he placed a kiss to your forehead before standing up. “Feel free to stay or there’s a spare key in the lock box by the front door. codes 2291 then just keep the spare for yourself,” he said as he shrugged on his suit jacket.

you looked at him curiously, your eyes following his movements, “You’re giving me a key to your place?” you asked.

daemon only glanced as he gathered up his things, “Well it’s not like you would have to rob me love, I’d give you whatever you wanted anyway,” he said before quickly crossing he room, giving you one last kiss, “I’ve really gotta go now love, just lock up behind you, be safe,” he said and then he was gone.

After getting dressed in one of his few casual t shirts and boxers you decided to explore more of the house. you weren’t sure why rich people had multiple living rooms, but daemon had three. that plus his study, dining room, three bedrooms, and four bathrooms made you wonder if this was considered a mansion. not to mention everything could be controlled with an app he had installed on your phone last night.

there was a door to what you assumed was the garage, but it had a code on it, and you were not about to accidentally trip a security system to be nosey. after hanging around the house for a while, even making lunch in his fancy kitchen, you decided to get dressed and do the walk of shame back to your house. however, when you were leaving you noticed an envelope sitting on the table by the front door addressed to you.

Get home safe and please darling, call a car you don’t need a bus – D.T.

you laughed that even after last night he still left his initials. inside the envelope was also the number for a car company as well as a few crisp hundred-dollar bills. when you called the number from his landline the operator who picked up already knew the house by name, yes name this house was apparently above a number and was named Dragonstone. you almost couldn’t believe how lucky you were.

when the car came the driver seemed sceptical of the address you told him but took you none the less. “You sure you’re gonna be alright here miss?” he asked as he pulled up in front of the street. you laughed lightly at the man, reaching over to pass him a hundred, “Its paid for miss,” he tried to tell you.

“Keep it as a tip, I won’t tell,” you joked as you reached to open the car door, “And I actually live here,” you said as you got out the car, ignoring his shocked look.

when you got into your flat you were met with a wolf whistle from Jace and a loud ‘ooo’ from Sara. “Walk of shame, walk of shame,” Sara chanted as you walked over to the couch, flopping down on the couch that now felt like concrete compared to daemons, “I’m so proud,” she said, reaching over to pinch your cheek.

“Shut up,” you laughed, swatting her hand away, “and dude guess what?”

“What?”

“He gave me a key. to his house,” you said, holding the shiny silver key proudly in the air. sara tried to reach for it but you quickly pulled back, “Hey you’ve already got your own Targaryen,” you said as you slipped it back into your purse.

“Velaryon,” Jace tried to correct but the poor boy went unanswered as Sara started asking her usual 50 questions. it ranged from what his house was like to if you could throw a house party there to sneaking her in. In true sara form once she had asked every possible question, she then started to tell you about everything you had missed from the restaurant.

Aemond had started crying in the walk in from his mother’s reaction and refused to leave it till she went home. Rhaenys actually had to come in to tell Alicent and her father to get out because of the whole drama. apparently, she had whispered something to her which instantly made her back off but sara sadly didn’t hear. Aegon managed to convince his little brother to come home with him and no one’s heard from Aemond since.

“I actually feel a bit bad for him,” you said, wondering if you had made a mistake.

“Dude needs to stand up to his mom,” Jace said as he told stories about his cousin, “Like he’s a good dude but he has some number of issues,”

“Didn’t your brother stab him in the eye?” Sara asked.

when you both turned to look at Jace he held his hands in the air in mock defence, “Hey that’s a long story that legally im not allowed to talk about but if hypothetically it may be partially true then hypothetically Luke was six and may have hypothetically been running with scissors and fell but legally I know nothing,”

You both stared at Jace in shock, “Dude your family is a mess,” you said, breaking the silence.

“You’re fucking my uncle you cannot judge,” Jace said and even you had to give him that one, “Just you wait till the gala. shits gonna go down,”

“Oh, yay can I come?” Sara asked, jumping to cling to Jaces arm.

sometimes you wondered how she survived this long. however a realisation dawned over you that every person you have issues with is somehow related to your sugar daddy/boyfriend/you have no clue what he even is really. “I’m gonna die,” you mumbled, head falling into your hands.

“You’ll be fine,” Jace tried to assure you, but it was little comfort, “Just stick with the normal side of the family,”

“THERE IS NO NORMAL SIDE OF YOUR FAMILY,” You yelled at the delusional boy, “Your grandfather married your mum’s childhood friend, your mum married her gay second cousin, your uncles a pervert, your other uncles got more issues that Sara- “

“Hey!”

“Your aunts sweet but I went to school with her, and she put a cockroach on me one time in third grade- “

“It was her friend- “

“Your other uncle is my sugar daddy, and your brother STABBED your uncle Jace,” you said, throwing your hands up in the air, “Someone’s gonna stab me in the eye I can feel it,”

“One time!” Jace protested, “One time a kid accidentally may have stabbed another kid. but that was it. well, I mean one-time; Alicent did do- “he started to say, his eyes trailing off before he suddenly looked back at you, “You’ll be fine,” he tried to say but you had never felt less sure of something before, “We hire security now its fine,”

Jace tried to assure you, but you decided the best move was to pretend it didn’t exist and start on your next problem, getting a job. You were sat on the sofa drinking beer and apply for 100 different jobs when Sara got back from work after what sounded like a particularly rough night. “Why do you even need a job? you have a daemon,” she said, sighing as she finally sat down after pacing the kitchen while she ranted bout her shift.

“Because all it would take is one bad night and bam, im fired,” you said as you drank a beer that unlike before cost more than 3 bucks.

sara rolled her eyes before downing half her own drink. “Daemon wouldn’t do that to you,” she said.

“Okay but what if?” you said shaking your head at her, “Besides I’d get bored doing nothing,”

“Oh no sitting around richy boy’s mansion is so hard,” Sara faked cried as she grabbed the laptop out of your hands to see what jobs you’d applied for, “Omg what’s the point in quitting to go work in the Highgarden’s instead? hospitality sucks get out of its girl,”

“kinda hard without a degree,” you said snatching it back, “Why is life so hard?” you whined, closing the laptop daemon had bought you and tossing it aside.

your job searched continued over the next few days with little success. it was a week later you found yourself staying over at daemons again, curled up against his bare chest in bed. “You good doll?” Daemon asked, snapping you back to reality.

“Yeah,” you said as you absentmindedly drew shapes onto his chest, “Just thinking,”

“What about?” Daemon asked as he held his hand over yours to stop your doodling. you rested your chin on his chest, looking up at him as he gazed back at you. “You seem stressed,”

you sighed, sitting up slightly as you spoke, “Just been trying to find a better job but anything I like wants a degree or four years’ experience or something else dumb and I just really don’t wanna go back to being a waitress,” you said.

Daemon sat up and pulled your legs to sit across his lap, his hand moving to stroke your cheek, “You know you don’t have to go back to work doll. you could just stay with me,” he said, kissing your cheek, his nose nuzzling your skin.

“I appreciate that baby but I still wanna be my own person. it’s one thing you buying me clothes and giving me money and stuff but I don’t wanna sit around waiting on you getting back home all the time,” you sighed, moving your head to rest on his shoulders.

Daemon let his head rest on top of yours, his hand rubbing soft circles onto your thigh. “Well, we can get you a job love. just tell me what you wanna do?” he said softly before joking, “I could always do with a sexy secretary,”

you laughed, shoving at his chest before giving him a quick kiss, “As…appealing as that is I don’t think that’s the best idea,”

“Okay fine fine,” Daemon chuckled before silence fell over you both. after a few moments of thinking Daemon perked up again, “You have that TikTok don’t you?” he asked.

“Yes, I have the TikTok,” you laughed at him. he may be cute and look young but sometimes he acted like such an old man.

daemon rolled his eyes at you before continuing, “Well you could work on our social media team? they had a meeting the other day about expanding our presence, whatever that means,” Daemon said, shaking his head.

the idea seemed good, but you were a bit sceptical, “Wouldn’t that make me like a nepo baby?”

“You’re already a sugar baby,” Daemon joked but you just slapped his chest in protest, “Hey! why do you deserve this any less than the next guy? or girl I suppose but still,” he said, taking your hands into his, holding them softly, stroking his thumb over your hand. “Besides we’re a bunch of oldies, we barely know how it works,”

you laughed at his words and took a moment to consider the idea, “Wouldn’t me working for you be weird?”

“Technically you’d be in PR so that’s Coryls’s area. im in finances,”

“what is it you even do?” you asked, tilting your head up to look at him. daemon just patted your head telling you not to worry about it and you took the hint to drop it. after a little bit more convincing you agreed to set up an interview with Coryls’s who a pretty chill guy was actually. it was a part time position currently but with what they were offering it was still more than the restaurant had paid. you did notice a picture of his wife on his desk, aka your ex-boss but you kept your fingers crossed that he wouldn’t put two and two together.

the job had actually been going pretty well and you spent more time at Daemons than you did at your own house. everything was going perfect for once in your life. you decided to get drinks one night with Sara, Jace, and Cregan to celebrate your newfound success, daemon was wrapped up in meetings that night, so headed to your favourite bar, The Wall.

however, when you went up to get another round you saw a familiar face siting at the bar. “Aemond?” you asked causing the blonde to spin round. his eyes were heavy and the whiskey in his hand was clearly not the first. “Hey,” you said awkwardly, fidgeting with your hands in the awkward silence.

“Hi,” he said finally, his eyes glancing for an escape but not finding one, “Um how you been?”

“I’ve been fine- “you started to say before stopping, “Dude I’m sorry about- “

“Don’t be,” Aemond cut you off with a slight but depressing laugh, “I was a massive asshole. I don’t know how you put up with me,”

“Its alright man, stuff happens,” you said, moving to sit beside him, “But are you okay?”

Aemond took a second before nodding, “I think so. I don’t know things have just been weird recently. I’ve took off from work for now, but I don’t think I’ll be going back. probably just gonna focus on school,”

“That’s fair,” you said, another awkward silence falling over you both.

Aemond finished his drink before turning to face you, “I miss when we were friends,” he said, his eyes glazed over, “I just got so focused on the wrong things and I just miss it,”

“I miss it too,” you said honestly, “It’s been weird without our resident emo,” you said and for the first time in months Aemond laughed. “I’m here with Sara and the gang if you wanna come sit?”

Aemond paused for a moment, “I don’t think they’ll wanna see me,”

“You never know till you try,” you said, resting a hand on his shoulder, “We’ve all done shit things Aemond. come have a drink with us,” you said as you got off your stool and flagged down the bar tender. you gave him your order, telling him to add one of whatever Aemond’s having. when he loaded up the tray for you, you turned to Aemond who’d been sat quietly pondering your invitation, “Coming?” you asked.

without a word Aemond stood from his chair and followed you to the table. “What took so long?” Sara piped up as soon as she saw you then her eyes went wide, “Oh Aemond hi,” she said quietly.

Aemond’s gaze dropped to the floor, “I think im just gonna go,”

“Sit,” Jace said suddenly, standing up from his chair. Aemond looked up, eyes wide, “We’ve always got room for you Aem,” Jace said as he pulled out a chair for his uncle to sit down.

Aemond nodded silently, taking his seat and drink, “So,” Aemond said trying to break the awkward silence, “What’s been happening?”

Sara sniggered and you had to elbow her side. Aemond shot a confused look, even more so when Jace put a hand on Aemond’s shoulder, “You know Uncle Daemon?” Jace asked and Aemond nodded. your face dropped into your hands, your skin burning red as Jace spoke, “Well uh she’s his-what do you call it?” Jace asked.

they must be a delicate way to explain this, you thought. a way to make it sound less immoral or embarrassing or creepy. Jace was a good guy, he’d find a classy way to say it. unfortunately for you Cregan was four tequilas deep on an empty stomach and northern, “She’s fucking your uncle for money bro,”

Part Five - Finale Part

Taglist: @clairacassidy @valeskafics @starkleila @delicious-xx @pet1t3 @skyesayshi @urmomsgirlfriend1 @dark-night-sky-99 @lantsovheiress@themotherofblood @avalyaaa

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circemme · 1 year

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I made that b*tch famous

In which paparazzi catch Itoshi Sae with a random girl in a hotel

Suggestive, AFAB reader (larger chest implied but you can ignore it), bad grammar and written in 15 minutes

Being a football star has it perks, one of them being getting a lot people interested in you. It also has its cons, one of them being all of those people not seeing you as a person but as an object of power. Itoshi Sae always have been full of himself in his daily life, but when it came to women, he actually succeeded the hard task of becoming worst. He could have who he wants, so he wouldn’t bother putting any effort on anyone, always looking down on women who anyways couldn’t have anything to give him that he could take interest in. He was everything, they were nothing. Anyways, his career was too important for him to waste it for things like that.

And then you came along. Oh, don’t misread me, you weren’t worth of his attention either, just a random girl wanting to get a taste of what a famous man like him could be. However, you had a memorable pair of tits, and Sae was tired of being the only one sober in a random party thrown in Spain’s summer. To be honest, you were kind of a pain in the ass, insisting to do it in a hotel and not in a random bedroom or in his car. But Sae was bored and horny, so he listened to all your command and took you back in the city, bringing you into an expensive hotel.

Focus on the way your chest bounced as you were dragging him toward the hotel as the both of you just left his car, he missed the flash that came from a few blocs away.

You talked too much, mentioned is little brother at least twice and Japan national team three times, but Sae couldn’t lie to himself, he actually enjoyed the night he spent beside you. He almost felt like staying up until you woke up in the morning in order to take your number, but didn’t. After all, you were just one fish in the sea.

A few hours later, Sae was staring at his phone. It was rare for him to bother reading Shidou’s text, however the “you cheated you bastard” kind of catch his attention, especially followed by a “it’s all over the news dude”.

For once he decided to relax and enjoy a little time, and then his private life was spread everywhere. At least, you had your moment fame.

Suddenly, a new message popped up on his screen, he didn’t know the number and frowned. “Hi, it’s me from yesterday night (I ask your number to our friend in common)”, Sae sighed and almost didn’t read the rest of text. One night and you were all over him… “I’m very sorry for how things turned, I should have known they would come after me. Again, I’m really sad that you had to be thrown in this, I hope you’ll give me the occasion to make up for it!”, Sae had to read it twice to be sure that he understood correctly.

Still frowning, he typed his name on google. “THE STAR OF THE YEAR CAUGHT WITH A FOOTBALLER IN SPAIN” was all he could find. Flustered, he opened Instagram to check your account, his gaze widened when he realised that he had gained more than 600k in the past hours. On his last post, he founded a new comment coming from Shidou “@youranonymousgirl made that bitch famous”. He suppressed it, but not before clicking on your account and following it.

#blue lock #blue lock fluff #blue lock x reader #sae fluff #sae itoshi #sae itoshi fluff #itoshi fluff

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ceasarslegion · 9 months

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Ive made my stance on oppenheimer discourse very clear but one detail of it that really bothers me is the "movies about sad white men are always bad" attitude, and i didnt really know why until i was able to sit down and parse it out.

Here's the thing. I have a film degree, I've spent more time in movie theaters than I have sleeping and I've easily seen more films and shows than all of my peers combined. Which isn't a flex btw, I'm a little hermit who prefers the warm embrace of a cinema seat to human connection and is the most annoying mfer imaginable during family movie night; don't be like me.

But I know hollywood, I know cinema history, and I know the legitimate frustration this attitude comes from. Hollywood doesn't like to take risks, they have to historically be dragged kicking and screaming into any territory that isn't a guaranteed profit, which usually means that we get periods of stagnation where every film is the same goddamn formula over and over again until audiences get sick of it and stop buying tickets en masse. Hollywood also tends to reflect the dominant culture and the sociopolitical issues of the time, but not SOOO much that you'd rock the boat. As an exec, you wanna hit that sweet spot where audiences relate to your films without them being so blatant that they'd cause them to question things that weren't acceptable to question. Noir was a picture-perfect example of that.

And in the modern day, that DOES tend to translate into the weird genre of Sad White Man Who Regrets Killing Foreigners movies. Like American Sniper. But I've seen American Sniper, so I can speak on how lowkey disturbing I found it, and the history it's based in and the goals it had as an art piece were to make you sympathize with a system of corruption. And here's my unpopular opinion: if done RIGHT, those films still have a place within the cinematic sphere of influence, like if you made a film exploring the psyche and experiences of what leads a man to willingly participate in a system like that, but that's not really what it was.

Now let's move onto Oppenheimer and other films like it. I don't think these films are at ALL equivalent to films like American Sniper, even if they follow a sad white man who regrets killing foreigners. You are looking at the bare bones surface level of it and assuming its contents both real world and dramatized and judging it based on that instead of the, well, actual film.

One of the biggest differences here is that Oppenheimer WAS an important historical figure just, objectively. Even removing all western racial influence from the equation, you can not look me in the eyes and tell me that the man who invented the atomic bomb in the middle of the largest world war of modern history was not an important historical figure. If you try to make THAT argument just based on the sad white man-ness of him, I'm sorry but your point is already moot, because it's not based in historical fact anymore but your own personal subjective feelings. He IS an important historical figure, he's not soldier number 648 in the middle of a massive battlefield who followed other peoples orders.

And also to be completely honest, you are a huge fucking liar if you try to claim that people like Dr. Oppenheimer are not interesting. Flawed people who make flawed decisions with complicated variables are what make for good fiction, so when one exists in the historical record, of course they are going to interest people. They are going to be studied and interviewed if they're still alive and have their entire lives and every word they said picked apart and analyzed because they are interesting. You are straight up lying if you try to act like these people arent interesting enough on their own to have media made about them, regardless of what identity they had that fits into the opposing side of the 21st centure culture wars. This attitude reminds me a lot of the people who claim that the only reason anybody could find true crime interesting is because they MUST want to fuck jeffrey dahmer or whatever. The argument just doesnt hold up because all it takes is one person going "thats not what i find interesting about them" to collapse that entire absolutist argument.

So yes, hollywood absolutely has a racism and war glorification issue. But I take issue when these accusations are just made blindly against any historical dramatization based on nothing but the poster. If you're going to talk about hollywoods sad white men issue, at least make sure the films youre citing actually fit that bill AND that you actually understand whats WRONG with those sad white men movies, because its not just the presence of a sad white male protagonist, its a conglomerate of various sociopolitical issues that must be present within those characters and what they represent.

#some thoughts #oppenheimer

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mollyolikeme · 2 months

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Thoughts as I read TSC: A Stream of Conciousness Part Two!

Filthy Spoils!

classic kevin.

LOL keep saying i see how much you bench as if thats an indicator of someones ability to kickass

HA! i always forget about the sixteen hour days shit, i cannot, i find it too fucking funny it's fucking impossible. mfs would be DECEASED. like DEAD.

they are so hardcore this fantastical has me CACKLING every time

like a ken doll!

BLONDE.

ill advised thoughts....

uh oh jean, your crazy is showing.

goddamn. to hate but need. complicated and absolutely screwed up relationship dynamics are fascinating.

okay, i like to rag on our beloved kevin (because its fun and easy) but like props where props are due. i know we didn't get to see his transition from raven to fox but i honestly think the boy would have handled it a lot better than jean jean morose over here. boy isssssss messed up.

foreshadowwwwww SWIM SHORTS!

dangerously low? dangerous for who jean?

do not be slut shaming, lucas. thats fucking gross of you and i'm not even gonna mention the nonconsensual factor...........

oh. my. word. its not funny but i feel the morbid sense to laugh at the ravens dropping like flies.

bad therapist. you cant force it. where is Dobson?

OMG LOL i summoned her!

dont you worry about kevin babe, the foxes got him

thats two hands on chin! thats two!

he's got a big dick! lololololololol boys not tryna be gayyyy

oh the heat! the HEAT! yes jeremyyyyyyyy

fear of water.

what happens when he losses his grip......i want to see you lose control......... hi familiar phrasing and trauma, i ADORE you.

in my head, jean has a very french tsk of his tongue reaction to almost everything people do around him.

yesssss the foxes ARE synchronized.

you tell him jeremy! none of his raven intentionally injuring people bullshit

omg were gonna get a little kevin trip to cali! reunion of the abused buds! (again gotta take the morbid hilarity into account for my health)

LOL wheel throwing! Patrick Swayze where are you?!

not the self flagellating notebooks he kept.....

oooooo intense. it all comes to the surface. the truth will always come out.

this is clever, gives just enough info about the ravens without explaining the crime side of things. go nora.

okay damn lucas.... issues buddy. dont be comin after jean jean. you'll regret it.

chin grab number 3! this time by jeremy 🤩

omg cuuuuuuuute little motorcycle ride and seashell gifty

again. uh oh jean. your crazy is showing to the coaches now. this truth is really spilling out the cracks

pause.......... guys my sanity........ my INsanity upon reading this........... im losin it! ......... okay resume.

morbid laughing morbid laughing morbid laughing fuck fuck fuck

yo. to somehow make me feel like neilio's story is a positive tale................

wow lucas. doubling down are we. his character does have a very difficult truth to come to terms with. its fuckin rough and a hella interesting arc.

you should call dobsonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn

OH SHIT! neil's here! Thats not good news for you jean!

fy faen neil. you're kind of a gangster babe!

oh. dead sister. so sad. (typing it out like that looks sarcastic. It's not.)

yaaaaasssss thats the smart mouth we know and love! telling an agent he parked illegally!!! ahhhhh lolololololoolol

OMG Neil!!!! sweetheart! you care so much! awwwwwwwww wow nora seriously, what. a. treat! he cares about his buddy jean.

jeremy...... you got it so bad hun. always with the 'what do you need?' like just promise yourself to him forever and ever.

CHIN!!!!!!!!!! FOUR TIMES NOW.

woah Jer.

i like that jean actually doesn't like exy. such a good contrast to neils pov obsession.

im curious where this whole 'its not freedom its a pretty cage' thing is gonna go. like, yea i dont think you'll ever be 'free' free jean. but honestly this is pretty damn close. professional athletes lives are very straight forward. and if youre that good, fuckin easy.

#tsc spoilers #the sunshine court spoilers #jean moreau #jeremy knox #tsc #the sunshine court

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stinky-bus · 2 months

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I’ve only gotten into the stranger things fandom in the last 3 months but it’s actually swallowing me whole, and it’s so bittersweet. I haven’t even gone in to actually watch the full show, and there’s a good number of reasons why.

I really wish I had been in this fandom earlier, if not during season 2 and 3, at least during season 4 when it got so big and so popular. I didn’t think much of it then, but now, as I learn about all these characters who I love and am starving in content for, it’s kinda sad seeing that I joined the party super late. Also the fact that I’ll only be in the fandom for the least season, which probably won’t have as big of a following as the last one, and once it’s over everyone will leave. It’s great because there’s so much content to consume and I could look at st things for days, but considering it’s almost 2 years after season 4 and season 5 isn’t set to come out for another 2 years, I’m stuck in this weird spot. I’m hyperfixated on this show, and I’m just now discovering how much I love every detail that goes into this, from the character dynamics to theories to how they write and film it, I fucking love it. And no one else has been talking about it or will talk about it for a good while. I’ve loved looking at the characterization of Steve, and the dynamics of the party/the fruity four, I’ve loved it so much. But I wish I could have experienced this when everyone was talking about it. None of my friends are really into it anymore, and the ones that used to be have understandably fallen out of interest. I know season 5 will be great, and I’m so excited for it, but I can’t help but feel like season 4 was its peak with how big and popular it was, and how just genuinely fucking good everything was about the whole show. I worry that not only will the final season be somewhat underwhelming or stray from the path a bit (with the whole marvelification of st) but that less people will care. Anyways love this show with all my heart, but it makes me so sad thinking about it!

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cactusspatz · 9 months

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July recs

It might be the very last day of the month, but that means I'm not late! Five Sandman recs under the cut, and one each for Batman, Murderbot, and Biggles.

SANDMAN

What Manner Of Creature by @ro-moray (Dream/Hob)

Hob's had a number of theories about his strange friend over the years. They are all, of course, completely incorrect.

Great through-the-years look at Hob and Dream, with humor and understanding.

to dream you was remembering by @cuubism (Dream/Hob)

Hob understands now both why Dream created this nightmare, as well as why doing so was an unconscious rather than conscious act, and the thought hurts more than the nightmare itself. After all, Hob has had four hundred years to grapple with his own loss. He's not sure that, even after so much time, Dream has grappled with his.

Short scene with Hob and Dream and a baby nightmare, but it packs a hell of an emotional punch.

The Dread and Fear of Kings by @maybemalapert (gen)

"I'm afraid I'm not much into charcoal sketches," Hob said, taking in the crude rendition of himself and his Stranger that he'd last seen in the hands of Johanna Constantine. "Now, oil paintings on the other hand--" "Mr. Gadlen," the man interrupted. "I have gone to great lengths to find you and to confirm that it was indeed you who met with Dream of the Endless in 1889 and every century prior. Let me assure you, I do not make a habit of kidnapping people on a whim."

Deliciously whumpy fishbowl rescue with Burgess being a real bastard (what else). Happy ending, but mind the tags.

Yours for the Taking by @signiorbenedickofpadua (Calliope/Dream/Hob)

When Hob spots a sad woman in white through a window of a famous author's house, he gets a bad feeling. Further investigation reveals that she's in need of rescue, but what Hob isn't prepared for is the fact that the woman he sets out to save turns out to be a literal Greek goddess, the ex-wife of the Stranger he keeps waiting for, and a rather lovely person to boot.

SUCH a good and satisfying read, with a skillful build to the three-way romance.

more sky comes and more days by Chrome/@catalists (Calliope/Dream/Hob)

In the aftermath of her imprisonment, Calliope is determined to learn to trust humans again, so she finds a roommate and settles in the mortal world. Meanwhile, her former husband has been on another quest that ended in grief, and he seeks her out for solace. What could possibly go wrong? or, “Hey, Zed,” Hob answered. “Something the matter?” “Yes,” she said. “Calliope’s ex showed up and he’s fucking terrifying.”

Really enjoyed this way of them all colliding - funny and bittersweet at turns - and the resolution.

MISC

Birdwatch11 by @smilebackwards (Batman, gen)

Tim hadn’t actually meant to start a popular Batwatch blog. He hadn’t meant to start a blog at all honestly but by the time he turned eleven he’d accumulated hundreds of pictures of Batman and Robin on his Nikon DSLR and it had just seemed inefficient to go through the trouble of printing them and storing them in a box under his bed when BlogSphere had a perfectly adequate platform.

Short, funny, sweet story about someone trying to claim credit for Tim's pre-Robin photo habit, and his A+++ response.

in recognition by isilee (Murderbot, gen)

Volescu's first communication from SecUnit, once it had pieced together its brain again and settled into Preservation a little more, appeared in his feed inbox right as he took a sip of his morning coffee.

*dies laughing* In which Murderbot recognizes Volescu for having the sense to retire. Cute look at the friendship of the whole survey group.

Biggles in Sarawak by @philomytha (Biggles/von Stalhein)

Biggles is asked to help the CIA transport a Soviet spy they've captured in a remote jungle location. The trouble is, the spy is Erich von Stalhein. And that's only the first problem.

Excellent adventure jam-packed with tropes from hurt/comfort to teaming-up-with-your-nemesis to sex pollen (with said nemesis, of course).

#fic rec #monthly recs #sandman #hob/dream #hob/dream/calliope #calliope/dream/hob #the sandman #batman #murderbot #biggles #biggles/von stalhein #gen

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