#newbie writer problems

[delyth88]

Lol! How do I write about a character being tempted by a magical artifact without it sounding like bad porn? XD

[blushingwife]

Hi. This is my first post! I keep wanting to finally launch into writing something simple, maybe just a prompt in a paragraph. But my anxiety and perfectionism spike. What if it’s trash? You’re not enough to write something that people will care about. Is it really enough if I write just for me? Or am I lying to myself?

I try to give myself grace. Gosh but it’s hard. So hard. Still, maybe one day I will gather enough courage.

[popponn]

if sae, at high school, decided he had enough of soccer and switch into drawing manga he will just become a fucking nozaki

[flamesofjupiter]

How do other newbie authors get over writers block. I have been staring at my first rewrite for hours and my brain is empty 💀

[incorrectbatfam]

Types of obnoxious batfam stans

Written by an obnoxious batfam stan

Not really a rant but something I've noticed over the years interacting in different spaces and I've decided to make your problem now.

Please note that I'm not saying there's any "right" way to be a fan because we all suck by virtue of being comic nerds, but there are certain kinds of batfamily fans that stick out to be in particular.

Anywho, here are 12 kinds of annoying batfam stans that you've probably run into and you better get a laugh out of it *points gun to your head*.

1) The Newbies Who Never Heard of Google

There's no shame in being new to something. It's a phase that we're all guaranteed to go through, whether we're 11 or 101. However, in this day and age, so many things can be easily googled that you don't need to shout every question you have into the VVorld VVide VVoid. If you need comic recs or a reading list, google it. If you wanna know a character's origin story, google it. If you need to know the color of Batman's underpants in a particular issue in 1965... well that's probably too specific for Google but Reddit will definitely have an answer.

2) The Middle School Authors

Before the 13-year-olds get up in my notes, I'm not saying everyone that age writes like this. Middle school is a state of mind. These fanfic writers usually stand out in a few ways.

They're oftentimes first-person POV or reader-insert. Give Y/N a break, she's tired.

The grammar is stunningly atrocious. I get if you're inexperienced or if you're writing in a second language, but we are in the prime era of autocorrect. If you need help, it's right there. Also, fuck c*nsoring b*d w*rds and fuck "unalive."

The characters do things that are out-of-character because the author is projecting their own personality. Bruce Wayne is a lot of things but he does not listen to the fucking Mountain Goats.

There's a lack of experience or research when it comes to certain topics. That's not how physics works. He can't walk that injury off. And that's definitely NOT how you do the horizontal hokey pokey.

3) The Neckbeards

Unfortunately, these basement-dwelling mouth-breathers tainted the image of what a comic fan is, though that's been changing recently. Still, we've all seen them. They gatekeep via pop quizzes, 'cause obviously you're not a real fan unless you know what page 10 of Batman #138 smells like. They give unsolicited commentary on people's cosplays, nitpicking the guys and being gross toward women. And heaven forbid the comics add a little diversity.

4) The Moviegoers

Nothing inherently wrong with getting into the fandom via the movies, nor is there anything wrong with sticking to that. I just feel like we're two different species of Galapagos finches, you know?

5) The Christopher Nolans

Separate from casual fans of the Nolan movies. I'm calling them the Christopher Nolans because these people have a tendency to reach for the grimdarkest thing possible. It's like they cannot fathom Batman having any other emotions besides punching and gargoyle brooding.

6) The Canon Purists

Wanna share a fun headcanon? NO, because Stephanie Brown never used cherry lip balm in the comics so therefore that must be the absolute truth. These people are a stickler for comic accuracy to the point where it's like... why bother interacting with the fandom in the first place? The worst part is when they're adamant on following a single continuity and refuse to consider anything else. This is comics we're talking about. Everything either has been or will be canon at some point.

7) The Fanon Worshippers

On the opposite end of the spectrum, we have the people who base their entire perception of the characters on something either they pulled out of their ass or that their mutual with 16 followers came up with, despite evidence directly contradicting it. I love WFA, but I feel like that's partially responsible for further perpetuating certain popular myths. Also, these fans tend to focus solely on the batfam/their ships. It's one thing to have some people in the foreground vs. background, but put some respect to Bart Allen's name you goddamn cheesecakes.

8) The Golden Age Dads

These guys aren't really obnoxious. I actually find it kind of cute how they think Jason Todd is still dead.

9) The Chronically Online

I have a rule of thumb when it comes to discourse: if it's not something I'd hear about at a bar, it's not worth my mental energy. Some people haven't gotten the memo, though.

These are either the well-intentioned but misinformed teenagers or grown-ass adults beefing with children because they don't have a life. They have takes that are oversimplified, rage-inducing, TikTok algorithm attention-grabbers that no one cares about in real life.

Don't get me wrong, we've got a bunch of issues in comics and fandom that are worth discussing. However, there comes a point where you're splitting hairs and need to go the fuck outside. I'm not gonna link the post 'cause I don't wanna call them and their 7 notes out, but the other week I saw someone saying Stephcass was a racist ship because something something colonialism parallel. You gotta be Elastigirl to have that kind of reach.

10) The Corporate Simps

I love comics. I appreciate the writers and artists. However, you will find my carcass in a ditch before you catch me licking the boots of DC/Warner Bros. Basically, these fans, fewer as they are, can't seem to fathom that their favorite franchise can (and does) put out some steaming motherfucking garbage.

11) The Hot Cosplayers

Not actually annoyed, I'm just a little jealous. Stop being hotter than me, please and thank you.

12) The One With A Punchline For Everything

Wait–

[zahri-melitor]

A Quick, Somewhat Joking Discussion of 'the Best Ways To Get Into Comics' (TM)

Be 10-14 years old, pick up a random comic at the library/bookshop/someone's collection and become obsessed. This is proven the best method and the level of confusion engendered by it is actually more useful long term than any other method. (At that age you are going to fall deeply in love with random texts that are never going to quite have the depth your brain imparts on them)

Mention to a friend who does like comics that you want to 'get into comics' and said friend, knowing your preferred types of tv shows and books, your favourite characters and having asked what you're hoping to read, carefully picks out something that is objectively a good starter comic that fits your tastes and makes your brain go brrrr. (god tier level, that friend is a keeper, also congratulations on the fact you are never going to replicate the feel of reading that first comic again)

Lurk or hang out in some fandom space where you are regularly exposed to discussions of comics that includes actual panels and storylines of recent comics, and work out from that what seems to have a vibe you like, so you go and pick up that run (solid option, being able to taste various writers and styles of run before diving in gives you a better chance of choosing a run that hooks you, I was introduced to so many runs via scans_daily in this way back in the day).

Wander into a library or comic shop or bookshop that has a decent number of comics with the idea that you want to look into reading these, and then flip through a bunch of trades in what you think you want to read before something catches your eye and you pick that up (less likely to be a definite hook, but has the benefit of being far more likely than any option listed further below to involve newbie-friendly art. And newbie-friendly art is something that isn't discussed enough in terms of recommendations but is one of the biggest reasons people just getting into comics bounce off the format).

Only here will I mention recommended character reading guides. In my experience they're useful in certain contexts, particularly for characters who have hard-to-trace chronologies, for finding out what runs that person considers essential to the character, for untangling the order of comics in particularly confusing large events, and for narrowing down and directing people where there's a big chunk of material to read about a character. My objection is they tend to be treated like gospel by newbies, they frequently don't consider whether the artwork is going to make their eyes burn, quite often they are more focused on the 'best' stories for a character rather than the 'most accessible stories' for that character (these are two separate concepts!) and they tend to sell a narrative of 'don't read X' where X is quite often a comic which people don't enjoy but where an important event happens or is simply an older comic that's particularly affected by community expectations and standards having changed since it was written.

You know that '75 Years of Comics' series of prestige hardbacks that DC did? They're great to hand to a newbie looking to get into a specific character or mantle, because it's got stand alone stories that are highly regarded or solidly introductory about that character from each era, they can page through it and work out what version makes their brain happy, and then follow up on those leads into more reading. (Expensive but perfect for libraries)

The first trade of a recent run for the character in question by the current or second most recent writer. Most runs when they change lead writers are going to have some level of onboarding simply because a lot of people DO switch what they're reading depending on what team is on the book, and by going with a current run you manage to sidestep a lot of the 'this feels weird and old' problems.

[physalian]

I think being an ace writer lets me write sex and romance with less of my own biases/wants/what-I-think-is-sexy getting in the way, to better incorporate these scenes into the story as a method of plot and character development instead of just gratuitous, among other things. In the same way being atheist lets me write real and fantasy religions without my own beliefs interfering, because I can respect religion academically and objectively, as a tool, not a given.

I write my characters in tons of situations that I myself would never enjoy, anything from bathing together or having kinks or even making out. I know why people enjoy these things and I’ve read enough romances to know how to write the proper buildup and the right tone to strike and all that jazz and I do enjoy reading romance.

There’s absolutely other factors at play here and I can’t speak from experience for a lot of the situations I put my characters into (nor do I write smut, I’ve tried, I’m bad at it because I’m ace) but I’ll beta read sex scenes for original authors, especially cis/het authors, and while “writing to satisfy yourself or your readers” is different than straight up just writing a story that includes romance, I seem to keep finding myself stuck with a constant stream of author wish fulfilment, a lot of newbie original authors seem… narrow-minded when it comes to sex.

Like they can only imagine what they find kinky or romantic or sexy, like the subtext is saying “this is sexy because I think it’s sexy and if you don’t think it’s sexy something’s wrong with you”. Which isn’t at all a problem in fanfic for whatever reason (probably because these authors also tend to think sex=romance thus smut=character development).

So I have a character with a medical kink, for example. I haven’t had readers gushing over him or that scene (haven’t had that many readers period, mind you), but I haven’t had any complaints, either. Heck, my protagonist in ENNS is a frustrated virgin in a vampire romance who at one point realizes “hm yeah I definitely don’t hate teeth anymore pls do it again” meanwhile I’m sitting back with my metaphorical coffee going “you have fun now, enjoy”. Maybe because it’s not just an 111k word fantasy smutfest but his self-discovery is part of his arc.

But I think the difference is, either in just skill at my craft or being on the outside looking in, is that I think “what would he think is sexy? And how would I go about writing that?” vs “what do I think is sexy? And how do I go about contorting my characters to fit that?” I spend the time making sure he’s in character, it makes sense for his character, and that he’s acting authentically.

Or at the very least, I think aceness (and possibly aro-ness we are undecided in that department) gives you a baseline of 0, clean slate, not that aces can’t enjoy the idea of sex, the idea is that sexuality is self-contained. But when your whole life is sex-favorable/allonormative I think it puts blinders up.

Or, I just keep reading heterosexual romances that leave something to be desired. Not just beta-reading, the romances in like, Maas books, for example—no kinkier or more wish-fulfilling than a fanfic with the same tags, but there’s something so cheap and artificial about those sex scenes. The first time I read… I think it was book 3 or 4 of the TOG series and I realized just how much sex there was, I legit got bored and scanned ahead until I could get back to the story—and I have sat through fanfics that surpass 100k words with as much smut and I am fine and entertained. Is it because she’s not a great author, or because she’s a cis/het author with blinders up, or some mix between the two? I have enjoyed poorly written but sincerely written smut in fanfic, so it can’t be that, either. If this was a science experiment and I’m controlling for all other variables except the sexuality of the authors and/or characters, I’d have my answer.

That’s not at all to say allonormative authors cannot write beautiful romances and hot sex scenes. There is only one (1) romantic scene in Maas's books that I used to go back specifically to reread, and it was just two characters finally tossing decorum aside to make out. She lost me completely after that.

Just in my experience, inexeperienced allonormative authors vs queer of any kind tend to be worse at making it compelling and sincere and my theory is that they can’t escape their own ideas of what sexiness is, because they've never had to, and can't get in the minds of characters and readers who don’t all think like they do.

—

Interested in a queer vampire fantasy novel? Eternal Night of the Northern Sky is out now!

[derinthescarletpescatarian]

Derin, you once said that posting consistently in a web series is very important for the growth of audience. But how do you keep yourself motivated to create stories on schedule? Whenever I try to do it, I just lose motivation and get stressed out or bored with my project

My answer is to have a big buffer. I aim to have a buffer of at least one year's worth of chapters. That way, I can take a month or two off every now and then to avoid burnout. It is also far, far less stressful. Not having a buffer is the most stressful thing a writer can do, do not do that.

So far as long-term sticking to projects goes, there's a few skills involved here and all of them involve a lot of practice. The first thing is what I call the Shiny New Fruit problem. This is something you see pretty much every newbie writer doing -- they get a great idea for a story, they know how it's gonna start, they have a cool premise and a twist that's gonna BLOW EVERYONE'S MIND, it'll be great! They start writing! Their first chapter is cool and unique and full of promise, and they get great feedback, and they move onto the second chapter and it's also great, and...

Quite quickly, they run out of "great chapters". Most of the time, the start of your story is low hanging fruit, so far as writing goes -- it's where you get to introduce all your cool concepts and you're not weighed down by anything established yet and all the Cool Stuff That's Gonna Happen is still in the future, it's your perfect imagined version of it and not the (usually worse) version that ends up on the page. Then you run out of low hanging fruit, and it gets slower and harder, and you have to do a lot more actual work and it doesn't feel so new and exciting any more, and a newbie writer thinks, "oh, this isn't as fun, the story feels more boring to write, that part didn't come out as well as I'd hoped -- this story must be bad". And sometimes they might give up right away. Or instead they might continue... but they're distracted, because solving the issue of how to get those two guys out of prison in chapter 6 just gave them the BEST idea for a different story, it's gonna be so much better, the characters are great and they can already feel the words pouring out of them and...

So they run off to pick the low-hanging fruit for their new story, and before they know it, they have nine unfinished stories on their hard drive and not a completed story to their name.

Every writer will get distracted and enthused about new ideas for projects. This isn't a newbie problem. The newbie problem is letting them tempt you away from the viable projects you're already working on so that nothing gets done. My solution to this is very simple -- I am not allowed to write my future projects until I finish my current one. This way, all that enthusiasm for the future project is transmuted into motivation for the current one -- I can write that cool story about a bug alien who adopts and astronaut but first I have to push through the slow part of this story and get this story finished. This has always worked really well for me.

The second reason that you might lose motivation for a story you're working on is that the story is indeed bad, or at least, the version of it incubating in your mind isn't ready yet. The problem with this is that every story feels bad when you're bored or frustrated with it, and it takes a lot of practice to tell the difference between a genuine dud idea and one that your brain is lying to you about because it wants to play computer games instead. My advice on these is to push through anyway -- it almost certainly isn't a dud idea, and if it is, you'll learn way more by completing it than abandoning it.

The third reason is burnout. Now, it's important to note that everyone is bored and frustrated with their stories sometimes. I got sick of writing space intrigue and took a month off to play Subnautica (I could afford to do this with no stress because of my massive chapter buffer), then came back when I felt like it -- that isn't burnout. I've procrastinated for weeks before because I'm up to a really complicated scene with a lot of emotional beats and new information and it's hard to write so I don't wanna -- that isn't burnout. Burnout is what you get when you don't manage these things properly for way too long and grind your brain to paste. I have a lot of tips for avoiding burnout, but they'd take a long time to explain, so all I'll say here is that learning to recognise and avoid burnout is a skill that you will gain with experience.

The fourth reason that people get bored and frustrated is that writing is a skill, and it's a lot harder to do than it looks. Writing when you're not in Full Inspiration Mode is exhausting. It's difficult. It almost always looked worse on the page than you expected; your favourite authors do so much better than this, why doesn't your work look like theirs? It's just words! You know words!

This one trips a lot of newbies up, because in Full Inspiration Mode, writing is easy. someone can have five chapters pour out of them in that mode, and then look at their page two days later and go, "huh, writing is so much harder today". then they'll call that "writer's block" (that is NOT writer's block) and decide to write again when they "feel inspired".

Do not do this. It's a trap. If you only write when you're inspired, you will not succeed as a writer. Take advantage of your periods of inspiration, obviously, but writers must learn to forge ahead without them, because they're going to get fewer and smaller as the low hanging fruit all get picked and you simply will not keep up with a schedule relying on them, whether it's a web serial update schedule or a deadline given to you by a publisher or simply the desire to have a manuscript ready to pitch to an agent before you die of old age. The world is full of people who are "writing a book" and have been doing so for thirty years with almost no progress. If you want to finish, you need to write when it's a bit tricky, when it's a bit boring, when you're not inspired at all and aren't entirely certain where things are going. Fortunately this, like everything else here, is a skill that is honed with practice.

So, yeah. That's my advice. Have a chapter buffer, the bigger the better. Make sure that your writing pace is faster than your publication pace. Avoid these quitting/stopping pitfalls. That's pretty much it.

[spnfanficpond]

Manta Ray in the Discord server!

Coming soon, one of our Manta Rays, @heavenssexiestangel, will be in the Discord server, just hanging out!

What time will it be for you:

UTC - Tuesday 17:00

Los Angeles - Tuesday 10am

New York - Tuesday 1pm

London - Tuesday 6pm

New Delhi - Tuesday 10:30pm

Melbourne - Wednesday 3am

Our Manta Rays hang out like this in an effort to foster the mentoring side of the community, where more experienced members help the newbies with anything and everything Tumblr- and writing-related. This is your chance to get advice and feedback from people who have been there and done that!

(We also like to just chat with you guys and see how you’re doing as people, so don’t feel like you need to bring only writing problems into the chat. Writing is life, and we welcome all parts of life! Be that writer stuff, personal stuff, or really personal stuff like sex, periods, and poop.)

RULES TO LIVE/CHAT BY:

You must be a Pond member to participate. (Joining is easy! Send us an ASK!)

No hate. Everyone’s opinions must be respected. (Ship and let ship!)

No NSFW images or text, as some Pond members are under the age of 18 and we want all members to be welcome. (If chat turns NSFW, we have a whole separate channel we can move to!)

So, bring your frustrations, your problems, your lack of inspiration, and let’s see if we can help you work it all out! 

[qcomicsy]

Choose violence: 1. the character everyone gets wrong

Wade Wilson. Harley Quinn. Tim Drake. Dick Grayson.

I could go more but each one for each particular reasons.

The problem with comic book fandom is that eventually people will be attracted by the vibe. And there's nothing wrong with that most of the time the vibe is good.

Unfortunately it does involve people affirming things without being absolutely sure and myself was also guilty of that a while ago.

Yet, I do not think we should bash these people or act purposely towards them, the comic media is big. There are 80 years of history regarding some characters (Dick for example) and others (the newest ones like Harley, Tim, Deadpool) around 30 years +. That's a lot.

And I am not even pointing out the fact that how different writers will have different takes and different approaches to each character, because each history regarding them will have a particular theme and unfortunately comics suffer from what I call "playing doll house" effect where the writer wants to make a concept he finds very amusing or interesting and most of the time they will be willing to bend character each way their like to serve that.

As a newbie in comics the possibility of getting characters wrong, getting overwhelmed and taking early comics where the version of those characters is fucked up already, wanting to give up even before start is absolutely understandable and possible.

It is overwhelming, it is easy to get it wrong, it is even expected to get wrong because most of this characters have been suffering some kind of flandarization coming from the comics itself.

That being said.

Jesus Christ how those this poor fuckers are misunderstood.

Since I do not read much comics from Tim Drake I won't be speaking much about him, I also won't be speaking much about Dick because I am getting around reading his old series now.

The problem with characters like Wade, Dick and Harley is that the three of them are multifaceted people. Writing characters and understanding characters who are multifaceted is hard.

I, for a long time believed that their more silly moments the jokes and easy going persona where facades a thing that they use as a coping mechanism a thing that it's not the real them. Now I am not so sure.

Yes I do agree a lot of people summarize them as either this ray of sunshine without real feelings and in Wade's and Harleys case a crazy person that has no logical thought process.

The thing is that all of them can be funny and thoughtful. Can have the habilidades of cracking jokes both because they feel like but also to distract an enemy.

Dick Grayson can be a very thoughtful and kind person and cat like an asshole when he's in a bad mood and willingly be mean with people he cares about.

It all boils down to one thing that I have been thinking a lot lately. Comics are one of the few medias where you can have all the liberties to make multifaceted people, people who make mistakes and have a long time to make up for it. To fall on old ways to evolve, devolve, you can express and explore them in each way it relates to the character history and the people who love them.

And I find it such a shame that it's literally the characters who are the most written in that way the ones who suffer the "only character trait ever" syndrome.

[uniquexusposts]

Her || Charles

Main characters: Charles Leclerc x OC Genre: fanfiction, fluff  Story type: novel  Part: 21/? Word count: 3022 Co writer: @mistrose23

Story summary: Matilde Jørgensen, the new Scuderia Ferrari team principal, faced the nerve-wracking challenge of reviving the team's fortunes and aiming for a championship. Leading a historic team as a 'newbie' and separating her work and personal opinions posed a significant challenge. The big question: is she capable to do so?

Previous chapter

Chapter 19. That Leclerc Boy Of Yours

During the entire day, Charles couldn't shake off the gnawing anxiety that gripped him. The day had been a whirlwind of uncertainty, fueled by unsettling rumours and unanswered questions. For the entire day, there was still no update on Matilde's well-being, and it felt right with him.

Charles decided to make his way to the hospital on his own, and he didn't let anyone know, like it was his secret mission. Navigating through the fading light of the hospital's car park, Charles approached the entrance of the medical facility. His footsteps echoed in the quiet corridor. The sterile scene of antiseptic hung in the air as he approached the reception desk, where a nurse looked up from her paperwork.

"Excuse me," Charles began, his voice betraying the nervous tension within. "I'm looking for Matilde Jørgensen. She was brought in two nights ago."

The nurse nodded and looked Matilde up in the system. She told him where he should go for further information. Charles thanked the woman and walked through the white halls until he found the department reception to which he was sent. Another nurse looked up from her computer.

"I'm here for Matilde Jørgensen. I got sent here."

The nurse glanced at him with a mixture of sympathy and professionalism as if deciding whether to send him away. "I'm sorry, sir, but I cannot provide patient information. Family members only."

Charles' face fell with disappointment, but he couldn't give up that easily. He had to see Matilde, he had to see that she was alright. "But she knows me well, I know her well," Charles hopelessly replied, attempting to convince the nurse of the situation's urgency. "I just need to know if she's okay."

The nurse raised her eyebrows, her expression sceptical. "Oh? So what is your relationship with her then?"

"I'm her boyfriend."

"The boyfriend..." The woman nodded impressively, she knew who Charles Leclerc was, she knew who Matilde Jørgensen was and she knew that Matilde was his boss. "And I'm the Queen of England," she declared, her tone taking a playful yet authoritative note. "You are quite late to visit her, as 'boyfriend'. I appreciate your concern and love, but her family asked not to let visitors through unless we know it. I suggest checking with the family or the team for updates."

Charles nodded, and pressed his lips into a thin line. "Okay, thank you. Have a nice eve-"

"It's okay," someone cut him off, who approached the reception. The man padded on Charles' shoulder. "He is her boyfriend, he is with her, huh?" he looked amused at the nurse.

Charles looked next to him, surprised to see Christian Horner. So Christian was welcome, but he wasn't? Christian was wearing a grin on his face.

The nurse couldn't help but chuckle at the unexpected turn of events. She understood that Christian Horner was messing around too, but she allowed it because Christian had permission from her family to be around Matilde. "If there's a problem, I suppose I won't be there to help," she said with a smile sarcastically.

"Hopefully, there's no need for help," Christian said, walking through the hallway. He looked over his shoulder, wondering if Charles was following. A grin played on his lips; there was more going on than he knew. "I found your boyfriend in the hallway," Christian mentioned when he entered the room.

The four people in the room all looked at Christian. Matilde was frowning, Jens looked unamused, Max looked at Matilde to read her face, and Gemma was just grinning, waiting for the unknown boyfriend to enter the room.

"My what now?" Matilde asked.

"That Leclerc boy of yours."

Matilde's eyes shot to the door opening when Charles walked around the corner, entering the room. He got welcomed by five people, who all looked him straight in the eyes with straight faces. Charles felt his cheeks warming up. Not only did he face Max, but also a very muscular guy next to Matilde's bed who didn't look too friendly and another woman who couldn't stop smiling.

Matilde, on the other hand, looked tired, but confused. "Hey," she said, surprised.

"Hello," Charles uncomfortably said and stepped inside the sterile room. He squeezed in the stuffed animal he was holding. "Uh... Yeah... I wanted to see you and ask how you are doing." If he was honest, he didn't know what to do. Would he give her a hug? A hand? Nothing? Charles' eyes met with Max, Christian and Gemma's eyes, it looked like they were all enjoying the moment. However, the man next to Matilde was...he was very intimidating. Who even was he?

"Oh," Matilde softly said, a smile covering her face. "That is kind of you." Her response seemed genuine, and a hint of warmth softened the room.

Charles took a step closer, still feeling a bit awkward. He handed her the stuffed animal—a cute duck. "I thought this might cheer you up a bit," he said, a small smile playing on his lips.

Her face softened, and she accepted it. She looked at it like she had won the lottery. "Thank you," she smiled and pressed her nose into the duck. "I love it. It smells nice," she mumbled. "Thank you."

Charles greeted the members of Red Bull with a nod before he looked at the man on the other side of the bed. He stuck out his hand, slightly leaning over the bed. "I'm Charles."

The man grabbed his hand and shook it, giving Charles an extra firm handshake. "Jens, Matilde's brother."

Charles nodded; the brother. The press officer? He didn't look like a press officer. He had an idea that Jens knew more of him than he would've liked to be. Charles grabbed a chair and placed it next to Matilde. He sat down. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," she replied. "I had appendicitis, so my appendix got removed."

"Oh," he nodded slowly. Appendicitis, nothing else. No stress. No mental issues. No addictions. No pregnancy. At least, he hoped none of that was happening. It was just appendicitis and it was already removed, everything looked fine now.

"Look at that," Max muttered playfully, who only noticed the stuffed animal now. "Charles, who brings her stuffed animals, how cute." He couldn't help, but grin and joke about it.

Jens, however, couldn't see the humour in it. He squeezed his eyebrows together and gave Charles a side-eye.

"Oh, come on, he's my... I'm his boss," Matilde sighed and shook her head disapprovingly.

"Hmmhmm," Christian hummed and smirked. "Who gets in by saying he's your boyfriend."

"I'm... My intentions are entirely professional, and I am just here to see how Matilde is doing," Charles defended himself. He and Matilde exchanged a glance, both slightly embarrassed by the unexpected turn of events.

Gemma, who had been observing the scene with a smirk, chimed in. She noticed some invisible strings between Matilde and Charles, like the way how Charles entered the room, or Matilde's reaction, or when Matilde said that the duck smelled nice - Gemma noticed Charles had pressed the stuffed animal against his body because he kept it in the pocket inside his coat. "Well, if this turns into a romance novel, count me out." She looked at her watch. "I'll leave you two alone for now. I have to go back to the hotel, anyway. Big day ahead tomorrow."

"Yes, I agree," Christian said.

"Maybe I will see you tomorrow or Sunday," Max added.

Matilde smiled. "Focus on the race. I will not die. See you after the race."

Christian, Gemma and Max left the room, leaving the couple alone with Jens, who still seemed to be evaluating Charles. "Do you want me to stay, or can I go home?" Jens asked his sister in Danish.

"Why can't you go home?" Matilde replied, confused.

He raised one of his eyebrows, not saying anything, but hinting it was about Charles.

"Oh. If you want to stay, you can stay, but I don't mind if you want to go home. It's been a long day, and you need to rest, too," she said.

"Okay," he nodded and got up. He gave Matilde a hug. "I will pick you up tomorrow, okay?"

"Yes," Matilde nodded. "See you tomorrow."

"And call when something is happening." Jens looked at Charles and gave him a hand. "Good evening," he said in English.

Charles smiled politely. "Good evening."

The Dane left the room, leaving the team principal and driver behind.

And for the first time, Charles felt like he could breathe. After last week, it still felt uncomfortable to see Christian because he had lost it in front of him, same goes for Max. He also knew that Matilde had told Gemma about it, and Max probably had, too, since they were all connected. And then her brother Jens... Charles didn't know what Matilde told him, but he was sure he knew something because of his behaviour. Why else would he react so cold and overprotective?

"How did you get here?" Matilde then asked Charles.

A shy chuckle rolled over his lips, and he leaned back on the chair. "I... eh... I needed to see you, and I just went to the hospital."

She nodded impressively, she appreciated it. Even though her family decided that no one should visit her so that she could rest properly, she still appreciated his visit. And of course, Max, Christian and Gemma's visit. "That's sweet of you." She looked down at the duck, tracing her fingers over the soft fur.

He shifted in his chair, a bit uncertain about how to proceed. The air in the room felt lighter without the watchful eyes of Matilde's family and friends, but the weight of concern still lingered. "God, Matilde, I was so worried," he blurted, letting out some air. His shoulders hung low.

Matilde parted her lips, not knowing how to react. Blushes appeared on her cheeks. Her eyes shot to the heart rate monitor. Luckily, the sound was off, but if it wasn't... She was hoping that the nurses wouldn't panic and randomly enter the room in a rush to see a quick heartbeat caused by just one sentence—and the way it was being said.

"There were so many rumours and no one knew what was actually going on. The rumours went from alright, reasonable to worse," he shared.

"Like what?" Her eyes shot up to him. Rumours? What rumours?

Charles wanted to say something, but then realised that she must not have heard the rumours for a reason. "Can I say it?" He scanned her face. "Because I assumed you knew them, but you don't-"

"Please, say it. My brother has been keeping my phone away for the entire day, on doctor's orders, to keep me away from the stress," she sighed. "So, please tell me. I can handle it."

"But, they kept it away for a reason."

"Charles, I have been dying for updates. You see, I am way too curious and... I just want to have an update on the entire day, the team, the sessions, you, Carlos." Her voice sounded cheerful again, for the first time in days.

"Stubborn or?" A cheeky smile came on his face.

"I'm just very interested."

"Stubborn, against doctor's orders."

"Yes." Matilde smiled. "Now, go on."

"Do you really want to hear it?" Charles met her gaze, she was waiting for it. He nodded. "Okay, so the rumours... It started off with stress and exhaustion."

She looked impressed. "Fair."

"Then they assumed you couldn't handle the job, and collapsed due to an addiction..." He took a breath to think about the rumours. "High blood pressure due to an unconfirmed pregnancy, miscarriage."

Matilde scoffed and squeezed her eyebrows together in disbelief. "I officially lost the faith in humanity. Who even made this up? Whose fanfiction machine is making over hours?" She shook her head and smirked. "Well, I can confirm, none of those are true."

"Well, yeah."

"I wanted to tell you all about it, but my family made the decision to not share it yet since we're still waiting on some other results. I can confirm it's appendicitis, but not for the other results yet," she shared, it was like she told him about a secret. "And to be honest, I liked the quietness."

"I understand you, I absolutely do, but I also understand those rumours... What actually happened?"

"For the entire day, week, I felt like shit, but I assumed it was something else. So sorry if I reacted like crap to things, it wasn't personal. Anyway, during the team principal meeting, it escalated. I somewhat collapsed. They say that if I waited for a couple more hours, my appendix would have burst, and that's way worse." Matilde pressed her lips into a thin line and shrugged.

"And now?"

"I am leaving the hospital tomorrow morning. I have to rest for three weeks, and I cannot travel."

A glimpse of disappointment went through his eyes, followed by concern. "So you can't go home?"

She shook her head and sighed. "Nope. I have to stay in the UK for three weeks. It's up to Ferrari whether they want me to work from home, but the chances are small that will happen. So I guess I will be out of the team for three weeks," she mentioned. "At least," she quietly added.

"Who will replace you? Where will you be staying here?"

"Uh..." Matilde blew up her cheeks. "I will stay at an Airbnb, trying to get a fast recovery. And they will probably get someone from the board to replace me, or supervise you for three weeks. But it will be fine. You survived today as well. So, time for updates?"

Charles put a small smile on his face; he wasn't sure about the situation, but he couldn't change the facts. "Well, that sucks... But there's nothing else that we can do," he breathed. "But, err... It went alright. We collected enough data for tomorrow."

She slowly nodded, it didn't sound too promising, but there was nothing else that she could do about it. If that was what he wanted to share, then that was it. He wasn't here to get an interrogation. And even though she was curious, she decided to let it go. Their conversation shifted to a lighter subject, about the track itself and other hospital experiences.

During their chat, Matilde noticed a chill in the air, and a shiver ran through her weakened body. She was only wearing a T-shirt and thin tracksuit bottoms. Of course, she was laying under a blanket, but it was summer, warm, so she was laying under a summer blanket. While listening to Charles, she glanced at the sweater draped over the back of a nearby chair. It was probably a good idea to put it on. However, she couldn't reach it due to the recent surgery. It was a simple task, but it made it seem daunting.

"Sorry," Matilde said when she had to answer a question. "Do you mind giving me my sweater? It's getting a bit cold here."

"Oh, yes, of course," he replied with a gentle smile. He got up, grabbed the sweater, and moved closer to the bed, holding the sweater open for her.

It was a hint from Charles to Matilde to help her. Matilde just let it happen. She carefully put her arms into the sleeves, but the movements were stiff. Charles, sensing her discomfort, took another step closer. His eyes locked onto hers. Their gazes held an unspoken understanding, a connection that transcended the boundaries of their professional roles.

With a delicate touch, Charles gently guided the sweater over her head and shoulders, being careful not to cause any strain. He pulled the sweater down her torso, ensuring the fabric covered her body nicely. Their eyes remained fixed on each other.

Charles carefully pulled her braid out of the collar, placing it over her right shoulder. His fingers delicately brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. Matilde's breath caught as his fingers lingered on her skin for a moment longer. She felt the warmth of his touch, a tender reassurance in the midst of uncertainty. His hand cupped her cheek, the soft pad of his thumb rubbing a shooting pattern.

A quiet knock on the door shocked them. Charles turned around immediately, widening his eyes, facing the nurse of this department. Matilde's eyes shot to the door as well.

"Sorry to interrupt, but the visiting hours are over," the nurse mentioned, smirking. "Even for your 'boyfriend'. Tomorrow is a new day."

Charles glanced back at Matilde, his eyes reflecting a mix of surprise and embarrassment. He took a step back, creating a subtle distance between them. "Oh, eh, sorry," he mumbled, his cheeks slightly flushed. "I didn't realise it was that late. Visiting hours and all."

An understanding smile grew on Matilde's face, but she couldn't help but feel a tinge of disappointment at the abrupt end of their moment. "No worries. Thanks for visiting me, I appreciate it."

"Yeah, anytime." He gave her a nod. "I'll, um, see you around, I guess. Oh, and, eh, what can I say to the team?"

"Just what really happened. I will post a message tomorrow on Instagram, contact Ferrari and whatever needs to be done," she said.

He nodded. "Okay. You won't be here tomorrow, right?"

"Nope."

"See you later, then."

"Bye. Good luck. And tell the team that I said hi."

As Charles made his way to the door, the nurse's smirk lingered in the air, adding more discomfort to the situation. Matilde watched him go, a mix of emotions swirling within her. She let her head fall onto the pillow behind her and sighed; what was going on?

"Your boyfriend, huh?" The nurse just adored the situation. She walked towards Matilde, ready to check some monitors.

Matilde's eyes shot open. "No," she immediately replied. She cleared her throat. "I'm his boss."

"Mhm-mhm," the nurse hummed. "I see. Charles likes you," she concluded. "And I will make a bet: he will be your boyfriend anytime soon. The way he looks at you and treats you, the best man fancies you. And you do the same, but you don't realise it yet."

"Yeah, right," Matilde snorted. "Never. I don't date people I work with."

"Dating is not the same as loving."

Next chapter

Taglist: @itsjustkhaos@crashingwavesofeuphoria@maryvibess @chocolatefartstrawberry @snzleclerc @ironmaiden1313

[jazzycurls]

I'm Yours

Pairing: Eddie Munson x fem!Reader

Summary: It's a surprise 😉🤫

Warnings/Tags: 18+ minors dni! light angst, fluff, kissing, smut, unprotected sex, oral sex (f! receiving), fingering, unprotected piv (let me know if I missed something)

An: Hi you guys! I guess I'm not new to writing anymore but I'm definitely still a newbie. All feedback is welcome, be gentle please lol. Please do not steal or copy my work. Don’t repost without credit. This is my written work, everything besides the characters and plot points by the original writers, belongs to me. Also, sorry this took so long and sorry if it sucks lol, life has been extra stressful lately. Anyways love you guys and I hope you enjoy ❤

Word Count: 5,342

You had it bad for Eddie Munson and that was putting it lightly. He was the best friend of your older brother James. You guys had practically grown up together. When Eddie had moved into the trailer park to stay with his Uncle Wayne, he was just some scrawny little kid with a buzz cut. However, that never stopped him from standing up for himself, including the people he cared about.

That seemed like a lifetime ago, what was once admiration, slowly turned into a crush and now had become full-blown pining. The problem with that was Eddie didn't see you in that way. He only saw you as his friend's kid sister, even though you were eighteen now and out of High School. He still saw you as the baby of their group, that needed to be protected.

You were a late bloomer, so when you had finally started to blossom into a young woman; you had thought, finally, Eddie will see me as more than just some little kid. The only reaction you had gained from him that day was a glance and a quip about how chilly it was outside.

You had missed the blush that had spread across his face before he schooled his expression. With tears in your eyes, you had run off, holding back your sobs as Eddie and your brother chased after you asking what was wrong. 

Eddie had felt horrible afterward for hurting your feelings. He had reacted without thinking, embarrassed at how you had made him flustered. He thought that you were the most beautiful girl in the world but was too shy to admit it. To make it up to you he had spent that whole summer raking yards and doing odd jobs to save up to buy you an EZ bake oven, complete with all the accessories.

You had begged your parents to get you one for your birthday and they had told you that you would have to wait until Christmas. You were disappointed but never complained, you knew money was scarce and didn't want to make your parents feel bad.

That was one of the things he loved most about you, you were so selfless and always considerate of others. The joy in your eyes as you jumped into his arms giving him a big hug was worth all the callouses and sore muscles he had gained.

Eddie was something like a mediator between you and your brother. He would always help keep the peace whenever you and your brother fought, which was often. Not to say that you and your brother didn't get along. He had a reputation for being a badass but deep down he was a softie, even if he refused to show it.

You were currently waiting on your brother to get home so he could take you to work. The concrete steps of your porch made your back ache as you tapped your foot impatiently, glancing at your watch as a sigh of frustration fell from your lips. "This is so not a good look," you thought angrily.

This was only your 2nd week at work and you were already showing up late. Every time you were late it had something to do with your brother. He either had a hot date to get ready for or something had just come up, leaving you scrambling to find a ride at the last minute.

The sound of heavy metal and tires screeching interrupted you from your thoughts. You lifted your head to see Eddie's van bending the corner on two wheels. He skidded to a stop in your makeshift driveway, causing dust to fly hazardously.

"Need a ride kiddo," he drawled with a joint hanging loosely from his lips. One hand was on the steering wheel and the other was draped precariously along the back of the passenger seat.

You grinned, your mood instantly lifted at the sight of Eddie. "Please," you replied as you got up, dusting off your backside as you made your way over to him. You swung open the door with a heavy creak and hauled yourself onto the seat, slamming the door shut once you were settled.

"Let me guess, James sent you because something important came up," you said sarcastically with a lifted brow.

He chuckled as he threw the car into drive and drove off. "You know your brother," he joked, looking at you warmly before merging into traffic.

The conversation fell into a comfortable lull as you stared out the window. The trees passed by in orange and red whirs. This was was your favorite time of the year, the perfect season for cuddling with someone special. You glanced at Eddie's side profile, admiring the curls that framed his face. The prominent slope of his nose as it curved downward, right above his full lips. He was perfect in every way to you, inside and out.

"Penny for your thoughts," Eddie said suddenly, snapping you out of your trance. You flushed heavily as he cast a quick grin over to you before turning his gaze back onto the road.

"Just wondering who I'm going to the fall festival with," you stammered nervously. "I have so many prospects to choose from," you added quickly before falling silent.

Eddie visibly tensed, his fingers tightening on the wheel. "I hope these 'prospects' know that they're going to be interviewed and interrogated before I allow them to take you anywhere," he retorted, his voice thinly disguised with bitterness.

You were taken aback by his sudden opposition. Irritation blazed through you instantly, making you lash out. "I'm not a kid anymore Eddie, I don't need your or my brother's permission to go out with a guy!" You turned towards the window, choosing to ignore him for the rest of the ride.

If you were being honest, you weren't entirely sure why you were upset. Your chest felt heavy with guilt, you knew that Eddie meant well, he didn't deserve to be berated just because of your repressed feelings for him. You bit your lip as you sat deep in thought.

Eddie pulled into the parking lot at Family Video, finding a spot quickly. He exhaled a heavy sigh as he looked over at you. You were turned towards the door and had folded your arms under your breasts, a cute pout on your dainty features.

"I'm sorry sweets, I just don't want to see you get hurt," he said softly.

Your resolve broke as you looked over at him to see him giving you his puppy-dog expression with his lips poked out. "I'm sorry too Eddie, I just want you— and my brother, to see that I'm not a little kid anymore," you admitted.

"I know your not," he said as he leaned over the console. Your breath caught in your throat, nervous at how close he suddenly was. He regarded you for a moment before ruffling your hair, gaining a cross look from you as struggled to contain your smile.

You smoothed your hair back into place and leaned over the console, giving him a soft hug. "You're such a goof," you mumbled against his neck.

A pretty blush spread across his nose, settling on the tip of his ears. You smirked as you opened the door and hopped out. "Picking me up later," you asked hopefully, batting your lashes at him.

"Of course, can't leave you stranded waiting on dingus," he joked.

You smiled, giving him a wave goodbye before heading in for work.

Eddie watched until you disappeared into the building, a small smile still gracing his lips, even as he pulled away into traffic.

■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■

"Earth to y/n," Robin called out waving a hand in front of your face pulling you from your daydream. You straightened up from your position of leaning onto the counter.

"Sorry," you laughed, embarrassed to have been caught daydreaming at work.

"Sooo, what or who is the reason you keep spacing out today," she queried.

"No reason, just tired is all," you replied lamely. You turned around and began to wipe down the counters for the thousandth time today.

"Yeah right, I'll believe that when Steve here stops using so much hair spray," she quipped, smirking at you.

"Hey, I'm right here you know and I do not use a lot of hair spray," he argued, annoyed at having been dragged into the conversation.

"Yeah, yeah so not the point right now. The point is that y/n can't seem to focus and I want to know why," she declared, folding her arms and staring at you questioningly.

You stared at her for a moment before dropping your eyes and sighing. "It's Eddie," you confess.

Her eyes widen with alarm before taking your hand into hers. "What's wrong, is he okay?" she asked worriedly. With everything that had happened with Vecna and the Upside Down, Robin had developed a soft spot for Eddie.

"No— I mean yes. I mean...fuck I don't know what I mean Robin. I'm just tired is all." You continue to rub the counter harshly, taking out your frustration onto the laminate countertop.

Robin grabbed the towel from you, tossing it out of reach. "What do you mean y/n, what's going on," she implored, staring at you in concern.

"I just want Eddie to see me as more than just some little kid," you yell out, startling  Steve and the customers he was waiting on.

"Sorry," you apologize as Robin guides you into the backroom for more privacy.

"Okay first, breathe y/n okay?" she says as she rubs your back gently. You take a few deep breaths, feeling yourself start to relax a little.

"Second, Eddie's an idiot if he still looks at you as a kid. Your fucking hot y/n, trust me," she asserts.

You flush at her words lowering your gaze bashfully. "I just love him and it's getting harder to pretend that I don't. I wish that I could get him to see me differently."

"I think I might know how to fix that," Robin says with a gleam in her blue eyes. You listen intently as she tells you her plan.

■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■

You're sitting in your room surrounded by shopping bags. With the help of Robin, you both went shopping on your lunch break. Nancy had met up with you, after phoning her and giving her the rundown of what was going on.

According to Robin, Eddie needed a gentle push to help speed things along. She was certain that some revealing yet still innocent-looking clothes would do just the trick. Nancy helped you in picking out the items while Robin judged whether it was hot or not. If all else failed, then you would have to make him jealous by going on a date with someone. That would be a last resort, the thought of going out with someone you had no feelings for filled with you dread.

Tonight you would put the first outfit to the test. Movie nights were always on Fridays around 9, a tradition you guys had kept stemming from middle school. Your brother had missed the last two weeks due to some girl he was interested in at the moment.

Even though James missed the dates, Eddie always showed up like clockwork. You would use this to your advantage. Usually, you would wear some sweatpants and a hoodie or pajamas if it was too hot for that.

Tonight, you would be wearing a racy little number. It was more revealing than what you usually wore but not too out of the norm to raise suspicion.

You checked yourself out in the mirror after you had put the outfit on. It was a black and red romper onesie that dipped low in the front. The words princess were written all over it in red with hearts. Your lower cheeks peeked out slightly and it hugged every inch of your curves leaving nothing and everything to the imagination.

A smile spread across your face at the sight. You looked and felt good about the possibilities of what could happen tonight. You heard the front door open as you sprayed on a light mist of your perfume. 'Showtime,' you thought excitedly.

"Y/n, I'm here" Eddie called out as he flopped down onto the couch. He set the tapes he had rented from Family Video onto the table. He had chosen mostly horror movies but had gotten a rom-com since he knew that those were your favorite.

"Just a minute Ed" your voice rang out.

He took out some rolling papers setting them to the side as he began to break down the small green buds. He was finished and had put the lit joint into his mouth when you entered the room.

When he saw you his mind went blank and his jaw slack, causing the joint to fall into his lap. The embers singed into his jeans causing him to hiss in pain. "Shit," he yelped, grabbing the joint from his lap and dusting himself off quickly.

"Eddie, are you okay," you cried out. You sank down to your knees in front of him trying to look closer, inspecting him closely for any injuries.

Eddie groaned internally at the sight of you on your knees in front of him. He felt himself begin to harden, which would be a recipe for disaster, with how close you were to him. "Yeah, yeah, I'm okay sweets I promise," he says shooting you a nervous look.

You peered up into his face questioningly before rising to your feet. "Okay but let me know if you need any creams for burns or anything," you state sternly with your hands on your hips.

Eddie's eyes shifted from the valley of your breasts exposed by the low cut to your lower pubic region which was being hugged intimately by the onesie. If he looked close enough he could see the outline of your lips.

You clear your throat, bringing his gaze back onto yours, he notices a small smirk on your face and knows you caught him checking you out. His face warms as he nods his head in response to whatever it was that you had just said. His gaze follows your movements as he watches you turn around and bend slightly to look at the videos he selected.

His throat runs dry as he watches the fabric ride up, letting your cheeks poke out provocatively. Clearing his throat, he lifts his lap attempting to adjust his hard-on.

"Picked what you want to watch yet?" His question comes out as a squeak, and he mentally face-palms himself. 'What the hell is wrong with me,' he thought. 'This is y/n for God's sake.'

You turned to look at him over your shoulder, raising a single brow. "Yeah, I think I want to watch a scary one first," you smile, taking the tape and popping it into the VCR. You shut off the lights before taking a seat close to Eddie on the couch.

You leave no space between you as you sit down, making him turn towards you in confusion. "Just wanna be close to you y'know— just in case I get scared," you reply simply. It's bullshit and you both know it, you're a longtime fan of horror movies, making you insusceptible to jump scares.

Eddie doesn't question you, only giving a slight shake of his head before settling in and focusing on the movie. After a while, he becomes completely absorbed in the movie. His eyes are wide as a random big-breasted blonde gets beheaded by a flying machete.

You however haven't been paying attention at all. Your gaze has been focused on Eddie the entire time, giving him innocuous side glances ever so often. You use the sounds of screaming to feign being frightened. A fake shriek escapes your lips and using the momentum, you jump closer to Eddie, slinging your arms around him and burying your face into his neck.

Eddie's heart stops and he forgets how to breathe. Half of your body is sitting on his lap and he can feel your soft full lips against his neck as you tremble with fright. His arms wrap around you without a thought in an attempt to comfort you. This action brings you inadvertently closer to him.

He groans silently at the feel of your soft body pressed against him. Using every ounce of self-restraint he wills himself to calm down before speaking. "It's okay sweets, the scary part is over now," he whispers in an attempt to soothe you.

You remove the small smile on your face before moving your head from his neck to look up at him. A small pout sits on your lips as you look up at him. "Okay Eds," you whisper. You remain seated on his leg as you turn to look at the tv, content with watching the movie this way.

"What are you doing y/n," Eddie asks when he realizes you're not moving off of him.

"Don't wanna move, s'comfy right here," you murmur, laying your head onto his chest as you continue to watch the movie.

Eddie's conflicted, on one hand, he's enjoying having you pressed against him like this, on the other, he's certain that if you don't move soon he's bound to have an embarrassing situation occur. He opts to leave you be while he suffers in silence.

Minutes tick by as you stare silently at the screen. You have no idea what is happening in the movie and you honestly could care less. Tension is heavy in the air making it hard for you to breathe normally. You shift against Eddie, attempting to get comfortable.

"Stop moving sweetheart," he chides gently.

"Why," you ask as you shift against him again. You move your leg resting in his lap, inadvertently spreading your legs farther apart.

He grabs your thigh in an attempt to halt your movements. The feel of his strong ring-clad fingers against your inner thigh causes your breath to hitch and a small gasp tumbles from your lips.

Eddie's brain is short-circuiting, his hand has yet to let go of you. His body is no longer responding to any commands from his brain, acting solely off reflexes. He watches you intently, noticing how the swell of your breasts rises and falls rapidly. Moving his hand higher up your thigh he whispers "you nervous baby?"

You nod your head yes, unable to speak, fearing that you'll say exactly what's on your mind and ruin your relationship with Eddie forever. Your heart feels as if you've sprinted a marathon, your body strung tight, like a chord ready to be strummed. His fingers play with the edge of the fabric from your clothing.

Eddie's mind is reeling as he revels in the feel of your smooth skin. Calloused fingers begin to knead and massage the crease where your thigh and groin meet. His eyes are wide as your gaze meets his. Your eyes begging him to continue and his are searching yours for consent.

You lay your hand on top of his, guiding his hand through the opening of the fabric, directly onto your cunt. He finds you bare underneath and immediately takes over as he begins to caress you slowly. The pads of his fingers rub small circles into your bundle of nerves.

Your head falls back onto his shoulder, as pleasure unfurls in your stomach and your core clenches in anticipation. You close your eyes and he puts a finger under your jaw, bringing your gaze back onto him.

"Eyes on me sweetheart, I wanna see you" he commands. His eyes are trained on yours and it feels as if he is staring directly into your soul. "You're so wet baby, this all for me?" he marvels in awe.

"Yes Eddie, all yours," you confess, finally finding the words to speak. Your lips are slick and swollen with your arousal. You can feel your stomach contract as waves of pleasure bloom through you.

Eddie's eyes darken at your words and any self-control he had left is completely wiped away. Something passes between you two, no words are needed, as you both come together simultaneously. Colliding in a wet passionate glide of lips, tongue, and teeth. A moment of clarity hits Eddie when he feels your lips on his. He knows that he's in love and has been ever since the first time he saw you. He is hooked on you and will spend the rest of his existence addicted to the feeling you give him.

You pull your lips away from his as your orgasm hits its climax, the feeling washes over you in waves, threatening to throw you over the abyss. "Eddie," you moan loudly, throwing your head back against his shoulder. Your core flutters repeatedly as you ride out your high.

Eddie watches you intently, not wanting to miss a single moment. He wishes he could capture the look on your face, so he could remember it forever. "Have I ever told you how beautiful you are," he whispers against your ear. He hasn't even taken your clothes off and he's already enraptured with you.

You smile shyly at him as you shake your head no. His cock strains against the denim material of his jeans causing him to shift uncomfortably. You notice his movements and take your hand placing it on his hardened length. He twitches against your palm as you begin to stroke him slowly, testing out the waters. Your lips find his again as you pull him in for a kiss. This time it's gentle but still just as passionate as you both enjoy the feel of each other.

His hand slides from between your legs and joins the other behind your back pulling you even closer to him. You sigh into his mouth "I've wanted this for so long," you murmur against his lips.

"I'm sorry," he whispers giving you a series of quick kisses along your temple.

"For what," you ask, confusion etched across your face.

"For being a jackass," his face is serious as the words leave his mouth.

"Apology accepted," you giggle before bringing your lips back onto his. You break the kiss and stand up grabbing Eddie's hand. He lets you lead him out of the living room into your bedroom. The movie is still playing in the background, now long forgotten. Closing your door you turn towards him with a shy smile.

He's sitting on your bed surrounded by the lace and frills of your comforter, looking out of place and at home all at once. You walk towards him slowly, tugging down the zipper of the onesie. His eyes follow your movements as you lower the zipper teasingly past the valley of your breasts. His eyes shoot up to yours when you stop unexpectedly, you give him a sweet smile before looking down and pulling the zipper the rest of the way down, stopping just above your pubic bone.

"You're so beautiful, I can't believe this is happening." He takes ahold of your hips, bringing you to stand between his legs. "Remind me," he pauses as he presses open wet mouth kisses around your navel. "Why have I waited so long to do this again," he questions, while he slips the soft fabric of your clothes down your shoulders and onto the floor.

His face is awestruck as he gazes at your naked body causing you to flush deeply. "Hmm, I believe you said it was because you were a jackass or something" you smile teasingly.

Eddie's face breaks out into a grin as he grabs you and flings you onto the bed. You squeal in surprise which quickly turns into laughter as he begins to tickle you. "Stop, m'sorry," you laugh breathlessly, wiggling your body over onto your stomach trying to escape his tickles.

He stops his ticklish attack and begins to rub his hands along your sides slowly. He pauses a moment and you hear the quick rustling of clothes before he commences, picking up where he left off. You feel the soft press of his lips along your shoulder, followed along with the drag of his tongue as he moves on to the next spot. He covers your back in kisses and soft bites as he makes his way down.

You feel his large hands take the soft globes of your cheeks as he kneads and massages them. Your face heats up in embarrassment as he spreads them apart. You look over your shoulder questioningly and your breath catches in your throat. You think that Eddie may just be some sort of demon like the town thinks because at this moment the look he's giving you is downright sinful.

He catches your eye and gives you a wicked smile before pulling your hips up off of the bed and lowering his head to your cunt. His tongue glides along and through your folds spreading them apart. You can feel the tip of his tongue as he prods into your hole teasing before sliding to your clit.

Moans fall from your lips as he laps at your clit. You feel dizzy and your hands fist into the sheets as you arch back into Eddie's mouth. "Eddie," you whimper when his fingers dip into your core.

"Yes, princess," he mumbles into your folds, his voice reverberating through you causing you to shiver in response.

"I want you to fuck me," you beg salaciously. A heated flush coats your entire body as he sucks on your clit while he scissors his fingers in and out of you. Your orgasm creeps up on you and crashes into you unexpectedly, making you cry out, your voice echoing throughout the trailer.

"You did so good sweetheart," he praises you as he turns you over. Your heart sings at his words and you wrap your arms around him, bringing him down to you in a heart-stopping kiss. His face is wet with your arousal and you grind up into him, feeling yourself getting turned on again.

He laughs kissing you on the nose. "So eager huh," he says as he slides his cock through your puffy lips. He moans at the feel of your slick coating his length. "Gonna fuck you so good baby," he promises as he nudges his tip at your entrance.

You kiss him in response and he takes the opportunity to slide into your slickened warmth. He gets halfway into you before he's stopped by a barrier, he takes ahold of your hands and deepens the kiss as he drives into you until he bottoms out. You cry out in pain and he is quick to soothe you with sweet kisses to your temple.

"I know sweets, just breathe kay," he instructs, his eyes trained on you, wanting to make sure that you are okay. You breathe deeply as the stinging sensation begins to lessen, turning into something more pleasurable. Your hips begin to move against him, urging him to continue.

With every thrust, your walls pulled him back in greedily. "Fuck— this tight little pussy is squeezing my dick," he grunts as your velvet walls pulsed and squeezed around him. He kisses you again and again, unable to stop himself. You looked so perfect like you were made just for him.

"Oh God," you sobbed as his cock hit a spot inside of you, making you see stars. You could feel the mix of your arousal and his saliva as he slid in and out of you with ease.

"You like that," he moaned into your ear, taking it between his teeth and nipping it gently.

"Yes, don't stop" you cried out, wrapping your legs around his waist. "Fucking me so good," you babbled, the expression on your face was one of pure bliss as Eddie drove his cock into you over and over.

"Fuck— you feel like heaven babe," Eddie groaned as he grinded deeper into you.

"You're gonna make me cum," you whimpered breathlessly as his patch of curls rubbed against your sensitive clit. Your words died in your throat as you came, the feeling of your orgasm becoming too much, and your vision began to tunnel.

The motion of his hips faltered as his cock began to pulse with his release. Eddie railed his hips against yours once more as shallow puffs of air fell from his lips. Wisps of curls had fallen around his face, curtaining around you both. You blinked up at him with a bleary smile, eyes still hazy in your post-orgasm state.

He pulled out of you slowly, conscious of your sensitive core, and got up from the bed. You stared in silence as he left the room, returning with a warm towel. He quickly wiped you off and then himself before throwing the towel into your clothes hamper in the corner of your room.

Getting back into bed, he took you into his arms and pulled your comforter from the foot of your bed, tucking it around you both. You relax onto him, your head resting on his chest as you listen to the soft beat of his heart.

Taking your hand into his, he intertwines your fingers before pressing a soft kiss to each knuckle. You're half asleep when he begins to talk, the timbre of his voice is like a low rumble in his chest stirring you awake.

"When we were little, I asked you to marry me," "you remember that," he whispers, his lips pressed against the top of your head.

"Kinda," you replied groggily, struggling to stay awake.

"I went to your parents and asked for your hand in marriage," he chuckled. "And your brother, he made me swear to always protect you. He promised that he would kick my ass if I ever hurt you and I said that I would let him if I ever hurt you in any way." He tilted your chin to look up at him and you gave him a sleepy smile, making his heart stop momentarily.

"You asked me to marry you and I said no. Said I was saving myself for Elvis. I don't know how I forgot about that," you laughed softly.

"Yeah, broke my little heart," he said jokingly. "I always knew I loved you, even then. Just never thought you saw me in that way I guess. Shit, I'm rambling— what I'm trying to say is. I still want to be with you, if you'll have me." He presses a tender kiss to your lips as his question hangs in the air.

Your heart clenches in joy and tears prick at your eyes. Nodding your head you kiss him, slipping your tongue into his mouth teasingly. After a moment he pulls away, laugh lines crinkling along the sides of his big brown eyes "I guess that means yes," he smirked.

You roll your eyes and laugh "Of course, that's a yes, unless Elvis is really alive, then we might have a problem." you tease, laying your head back down onto his chest. His chest hums with soft laughter, you remind yourself to thank Robin and Nancy and let them know their plan was a success before you doze off into a peaceful slumber.

The end

[gars-weaponeer]

Echo's place in The Bad Batch.

It pains me to say it... but i guess we all have noticed that Echo is not that relevant in the Bad Batch, at least not as much as the rest.

Hunter is the Leader, Tech is the Technology expert, Wrecker is the Muscle and Crosshair is the Sniper, With omega being both the cute factor and the newbie/apprentice trope.

They are pretty much a complete team and Echo is pretty much left out. Even without Crosshair, Echo doesn't seem to fit as well as the rest.

Sure could argue that he is the strategist, but Hunter already is the one that formulates plans. And we could say that his scomp link makes him useful to hack into stuff, but Tech could easily do that too.

Echo has no real place in the Bad Batch and that's kind of the reason why they wrote him as a background character and had him disappear for so many episodes, which i find very sad.

But it kind of makes sense. The bad batch was designed waaaay before they decided to make the series and Echo was not intended to join them before tbb episodes in the clone wars series, even if it was decided for a long time that he was alive and would come back after his demise in the citadel.

Those two story lines were not supposed to connect at first. My guess is they later decided to combine both storylines to finally bring both concepts to light, which is not a bad idea.

The problem is that the writers never really found how to merge Echo to the rest of the team, even after Crosshair leaving.

BUT--

How about we ignore cannon and give him an actual role in the team?

Writers seem to forget that Echo was an ARC trooper and that's not something to be brushed off.

To put you in context: ARCs were clones that were specially trained to become special units. It was a high rank that was given to those clones that proven to be exceptional in the battlefield.

Echo became an ARC and was regarded as one of the most skilled troopers in the 501st along with Fives and Rex.

We do see some of his amazing skills, specially in the finale of the third season.

So what is Echo was the most skilled of the batch?

Despite having prosthetic, his limbs are made of a lighter material, so he is swifter, agile and faster than the rest of the batch, and with his ARC trooper training he is a very skilled trooper that can move through the battlefield with ease.

When they need a distraction, Echo can easily run and dodge blaster fire to lure the attention of the enemy.

When they need infiltration, Echo is the one that has the knowledge and skill on how to be swift and silent.

When they need speed on the ground.

When they need agility.

When they need something that is difficult for the other's bodies.

Echo is the one that takes care of it.

Combine that with the other's skills and we got an important and useful asset to the team.

One that WOULD be missed if it left.

Yes we know that Echo is a one man army, but wouldn't it had been great to see his skills helping the bad batch more than just having him gather dust in the background?

[beevean]

Have you ever stopped and realized that Lanolin just kinda sucks as a leader?

No, I don't even mean her being an insufferable know-nothing know-it-all to everyone around her, because that's obvious to everyone not distracted by "HURR-DURR LOOK THE LADY SHEEP CHARACTER HAS BIG TITS!1!!11"

What I mean is that this comic is trying to paint Lanolin as a wise, tough-as-nails, no-nonsense straight-man in a group of action addicted fighters who need to be kept in check by her leadership... and yet, things get resolved and conflicts get dealt with far more effectively when people DON'T follow her orders.

Hell, Team Dark being there to solve the problem wasn't because of anything the writers tried to pretend Lanolin had any part in; they just happened to detect that shit was going down at Eggperial City, and so they tried to stop it. And they do. All without Lanolin being there.

bro what do you think I've been talking about until now 😂

Lanolin is objectively incompetent, the most obvious sign being that she fell for Duo contradicting himself in the span of a minute - he told her "I did everything I could to save Silver", and then he told Silver "I was trying to get some help" in front of her. girl. girl c'mon. do you have wool in your head too or

Her ruling with an inflexible iron fist is sloppy leadership. She doesn't trust anyone but herself and her judgment. She won't even talk with her teammates, like when she rudely snatched Tangle's toy instead of simply asking her to stop. She escalated the situation with Whisper to the point of violence and then had the balls to tell her "control yourself". All of this creates a climate of resentment and fear. And, as shown, Tangle is scared of telling Lanolin the truth about PR because she is scared of her leader. What could she do, objectively? Nothing terrible, it's not like she'd attack Sonic on sight. But that's the climate she created, so now Tangle and Whisper are sneaking behind her back.

Which is fairly realistic for a newbie who was kicked in that position and who was traumatized into becoming a control freak: she has no natural charisma, so she overcompensates by playing tough and sticking to rigid, simple rules. But I'm genuinely not sure how much of this was intentional.

As usual, people don't hate asshole women because they hate women "with an attitude": it's when said women are given much more charte blanche than anyone else in the story that it gets annoying. Whisper spent the last arcs getting beaten into submission without doing anything that could warrant it (she got literally gaslighted, in the dictionary sense of the word!), so forgive me if I'm not quite charitable to a sloppy condescending disdainful wannabe leader whose only role in the story is making things harder for everyone and I'm only meant to be seen as flawed, not an actual bully.

[feedthefandomfest]

Hiya!

I love this blog and just wanted to ask- do you know any advice on formatting and tagging for AO3?

Or just general etiquette!!

I'm not new to AO3 (reading or writing) but I haven't interacted with the actual community much and would love to know more :)

oof, I still feel like a newbie posting stuff on ao3, and tagging is something i've always struggled with. and actually formatting is also on ongoing issue 😅 so with that in mind, here's what i try to consider:

TAGGING

relationships -> tagging the main is obvious, but i'm sometimes torn about tagging side relationships that feature in the fic, especially since it's annoying to be searching for that pairing and get a bunch of results where they're not the main focus; unless the other pairing is a prominent feature, i leave it out of the relationship tags and at most add it to the additional tags

characters -> i remember updating the character tags on my early fics every time another character popped up in the story, but now i'm of the same mind as the side pairing issue; unless the character is prominently featured, i leave them out of the tags

content warning/advertising -> if i know the fic features an element that some people might wish to avoid, i always tag it and also always fret that i've forgotten to tag something in that regard. when it's more about advertising what's in the fic, especially sexual content, i sometimes feel silly listing every flavor of physical encounter unless the fic is pwp/smut (in which case i gleefully list all the depravity); i sometimes worry that over-emphasizing the sexual content in the tags is misleading? like of this 100k fic, if 15k is spent fucking, how do i get the tags to reflect that while also tag cw appropriately? is there an established tag for that?

sometimes i see fics with TONS of tags, like an exhausting amount, and sometimes i see fics with very minimal tags... sometimes frustratingly few. i also know some writers add chapter-specific warnings in the author's notes. in the end, so long as you're making it possible for people to find or avoid your fic as needed, then you're good. Here are some good posts that dive into it more!

(i remember when people on tumblr would scold writers for monologuing in the tags on ao3 like we do on here, claiming it was a strain on the system, but i believe that's been debunked?)

FORMATTING

i've noticed some MEGA annoying quirks with copy & pasting over from Google Docs and Word, and I know there are some tricks to get around them, but i tend to just slog through the Rich Text window fixing everything manually 🙃 OKAY I FOUND SOLUTIONS LINKED BELOW.

spacing problem #1 -> pet peeve of mine, but i dislike it when the paragraphs have massive spaces between them (ditto for indented paragraphs). idk why, but it's tiring for my eyes to constantly leap the chasm between paragraphs. so whenever i copy and paste from Word, which for some reason ALWAYS appears with double spacing between line breaks, i go in and manually fix it. SOLUTION

spacing problem #2 -> when copying over from Google Doc, whenever there's a punctuation mark following an italicized word, a random space appears between them. and yep, i have to go in and fix every one because typos make me twitch. (this might not be an issue for everyone; i overuse italics and dashes like it's my job) SOLUTION

spacing problem #3 -> again probably a me issue, but i tend to include song lyrics a lot, and it's always a headache to format because when pasting from the doc, ao3 embeds these spaces between the lines that i can't remove by backspacing. only fix i've found is to copy and paste lyrics directly from a website, and then it formats fine. random and annoying and weird. (no solution 😔)

since this section has just been me whining about finding SOLUTIONS for formatting issues, i'll offer one tip that's more about general editing: i try to proofread best i can in Word/GDocs, but it's always easier to spot errors when i'm reading the draft on my phone. the typos always jump out at me from a phone screen. it's now my favorite way to edit!

every writer has their own preferences on formatting, and every reader has their own level of tolerance for formatting quirks. in the end, so long as the formatting doesn't interfere with the reading experience, you're all good.

[superectojazzmage]

First issue of the From The Ashes era is out and I'm still very bleh about the new direction for the X-Men after the glory of Krakoa (or rather, the glory of Krakoa as it was when Johnathan Hickman was involved).

The book itself is fine, good even. Jed McKay is a great fit for X-Men and a wonderful writer in general, he's clearly trying his best even if he has the mess of Fall of X hanging over his run. And to his credit, he's facing that issue head-on instead of trying to sweep it under the rug. All in all, this and Gail Simone's book are the both really looking like they'll be a lot of fun and I could see one or both of them becoming the next great run for the X-Books if things play out well for them. Like how the otherwise terrible Decimation/Utopia era has the utterly classic, must-read Uncanny X-Force plopped in.

But the problem is, they're the ONLY books that seem particularly interesting and like they're seriously trying to carry on from where Hickman left off thematically speaking, certainly the only ones where I feel like have a really good handle on the characters, themes, and vibe of X-Men. The others all feel very lifeless at best.

And a bigger problem hanging over it all is the way Krakoa was screwed over and the way editorial has once again torn the X-Men's progress down and forced the same shitty "mutants are near-extinct" status quo that nearly destroyed the series decades ago now. It doesn't help that Krakoa was a huge jumping on point for newbies and is arguably to credit for the newest generation of X-Fans. Every book in this "fresh start" has this looming in the background and aside from McKay and Simone, it feels like everyone is now flailing to figure out where to take the franchise from here, now that they've basically burned down the greatest leap forward it made since the Morrison run, possibly since Claremont's legendary run.

Holding onto hope that, if nothing else, From The Ashes will produce an enjoyable book or two in the form of Simone and McKay's runs. And maybe that it won't be too long before the writers and editors as a whole once again stop being afraid to push things forward instead of dwelling in the past.