#sparrowmoth

[sixofcrowdaydreams]

That's my story! 😍 It's lovely, thank you so much! ♥️

Wylan is sooooo pretty. And so is his precious waistcoat. The butterflies! Love seeing all of his sketches on the walls come to life.

“Did you draw those?” She asks in awe, looking at the charcoal sketches lining the walls, illuminated in the soft candlelight.   Wylan follows her gaze, seeing the drawings anew through fresh eyes for the first time in years.  They’re mostly doodles. Added whenever he’s inspired, whenever there’s time and he’s not so exhausted that he wants to fall asleep the moment he steps into his room. Plenty of them are just images from the garden. Roses half in bloom. Tulips, lavender sprigs, and the lilac tree he often sits beneath to play his flute.  Other pictures, like the hidden portrait of his mother, are from memory. Pictures of animals and magical creatures from the story books he used to look at before he was expected to read them. Trading ships he once saw floating in the harbor. Piano keys. Paintbrushes dipped in jars of water. Embarrassingly, the stuffed bunny he used to carry around as a child.  There’s also lines of music. Notes describing the melodies he hears in his head. These are the messiest sketches, where he purposely smudged and rewrote rhythms until he was satisfied.  The tips of his ears pink. “My mom painted. She taught me to draw before she died.” -Chapter 3, To Live in Color by Pen_n_Notebook

Gift art of Wylan for @sixofcrowdaydreams, inspired by her heart-wrenching and magical Wesper Cinderella AU, To Live In Color. 💙

Please do not use, edit, or repost my work without permission. Thanks!

[waterloou]

Sankt Jesper for @sparrowmoth (a year late)

Love you!

[jazzythursday]

tagged by @fancy-fangs (however many weeks ago) thanks for the tag! <3

Rules:

Make this picrew of yourself

Take this uquiz

Post the results side-by-side

Tagging (no pressure) @sparrowmoth @waterloou @tinyarmedtrex @aphroditestummyrolls @happy-turtle48 @oneofthewednesdays and anyone else who wants to make one!

[sixofcrowdaydreams]

To Live In Color Bookbinding Tutorial(s)

Here's how I turned To Live In Color into a book.

This fantastic book binding tutorial by @armoredsuperheavy was incredibly helpful and insightful. It taught me how to format the fic in a Word document. I cannot overstate how detailed and wonderful this tutorial is.

After winning a battle of wills against Word headers, I sent the PDF to a printer in order for it to be printed in color. Shockingly, color was important for the artwork in a story whose title and main theme is about color. I used Armored Super Heavy's method for sewing signatures together using linen ribbon for stability. I took no chances on my masterpiece.

I used this bookbinding tutorial from youtuber Bitter Melon Bindery as a guide for the construction of the book. Two cutting boards still covered in cellophane and two clamps as my bookbinding press were my pressing tools. Is it fancy? No. Is it cheap and does the job? Yes. After the spine was glued, I cut the edges for a smooth, polished look using a box cutter and metal ruler. This was the most nerve wracking step, and the one I struggled with the most, honestly. Mistakes were made. Fine grit sandpaper was key for fixing them and achieving a smooth, professional look. Then I added mull (or the closest fabric I could find acting as mull) to strengthen the spine. I made two copies of the book, one for myself and one for @sparrowmoth, who was the biggest cheerleader for this fic. Seriously, their comments (and friendship which started because of this fic) were so wonderful that I'm gifting them a physical copy.

I measured and cut the book board. The cover is meant to look like Wylan's waistcoat in the fic, Cinderella blue with eye catching silver and blue embroidery. Sparrowmoth helped me design an embroidery pattern to fit the dimensions of the cover. The final design is an adjusted version of this embroidery pattern from Bella Savory on Etsy. I did buy the pattern, for the record. I would have liked the pattern to swoop diagonally across the cover (as pictured above on paper), but the narrow length made this difficult.

I cannot tell you how many times I drew this pattern. First, it was copied onto paper and also copied onto the reverse side of the paper. Then, it copied (backwards) onto the interfacing which was then ironed onto the wrong side of the blue satin used for the cover. All of this was a spacial awareness nightmare for me to make sure it was on the correct side of the cover and facing the correct direction. Woof. Finally, I held the satin up to the light and retraced the pattern AGAIN with pen onto the front of the satin.

I have no real experience embroidering, other than using a simple back stitch once for cosplay. But I looked up stitch tutorials online and made two practice samplers (once exactly as instructed by the original pattern I bought, and once with the modified pattern, satin fabric, and satin silver floss) before attempting the final version. It's not perfect, but I am very proud of how it turned out.

I then turned the satin fabric into bookcloth by using a double sided adhesive (shown with the square paper) and blue tissue paper. The color was not necessary because it's not seen when finished, I was just being extra. The adhesive had the added benefit of securing the back of the embroidery. Then I glued the cover boards. The glue warped the boards, but they were easily fixed by placing the text block between and pressing it down overnight with a heavy textbook.

Unfortunately, the corners were a mess. The satin frayed easily despite being glued and I was forced to use metal corner covers to prevent the fabric from damage. The corner covers actually worked in my favor. Now I like the look of them. They definitely make the book seem more polished and fairy tale fancy.

Finally, I glued the textblock to the cover, completing the book. It's not perfect by any means, but it is my masterpiece. Every part of the book (except for Sparrow's artwork) was created by me. I wrote the story, formatted the text, created all of the other artwork including the title image with the butterflies, and embroidered the cover. It was a labor of love from beginning to end. I am so proud of my fanwork-turned-book.

[magicandpizza]

the wesper lingerie model meet cute au that no one asked for! inspired by @sparrowmoth and the wesper discord server <3

Jesper eyes himself appreciatively in the mirror. The black boxers he’s modelling are slung low on his hips and fit him snugly in a way that leaves very little to the imagination, but it’s hardly the first time he’s worn something like this.

He can still remember the first time he stumbled across a gigantic billboard of himself, naked apart from the tight, white underwear he sported as he draped himself over a leather sofa. Seeing his crotch magnified times a hundred and on display by the side of a road is certainly something he’ll never forget.

“Alright, you’re up,” his manager, Kaz, says. “The photographer will take some solo shots and then you’ll have another model with you. I’m not sure who it is, though.”

“Fine,” Jesper says with a shrug. He’s hardly bothered, he’s been in the industry for long enough now to know how it goes. Show up, charm the photographer and the other models, get the shot, go home.

Kaz leads him away from the prep area and into the set for the day - an airy apartment with huge windows that let in plenty of natural light. The photographer introduces himself, and Jesper smiles and shakes his hand, listening and nodding as he’s given instructions. They take a series of photos in front of the windows, some in the bathroom with Jesper pretending to go about his morning routine, then some in the kitchen as he imitates making coffee.

Apparently satisfied, the photographer calls for the other model to join them, and Jesper takes the opportunity to sit down for a moment and drink some water. He’s stretching his shoulders when the sound of voices draws his attention, and he looks up just in time to see his fellow model greet the photographer with a polite handshake.

Jesper’s breath catches in his throat. The other model is pretty. He’s dressed in a white robe for now, but Jesper’s eyes are drawn to pale legs, a narrow waist, artfully messy hair and wide, brown eyes.

The photographer beckons him over then, preventing Jesper’s brain from spiralling any further. The other man is introduced as Wylan, and Jesper struggles to suppress a grin at the faint pink blush that dusts his cheeks when Jesper shakes his hand and winks at him.

This time when the photographer explains his vision, Jesper is distracted, entranced by the way delicate fingers fidget with the tie on his dressing gown, the flutter of his eyelashes, the press of teeth into his lower lip.

“We’ll start in the bedroom,” the photographer says, and Jesper blinks back to awareness, letting himself be led to the apartment’s bedroom and positioned against crisp, white sheets.

Across the room, Wylan slips the dressing gown off his shoulders. Whatever Jesper expected him to be modelling, it certainly wasn’t lacy black underwear that clings to him like a second skin.

Saints, he’s pretty.

They shoot a few photos with Jesper on the bed and Wylan standing at a dressing table, giving Jesper ample time to admire the curve of his hip bones, the pale expanse of his back, the swell of his arse through flimsy fabric. Then Jesper is instructed to stand behind him, to touch him, to lean in and nose at his neck.

They’re playing lovers, apparently.

Jesper clings to whatever shreds of professionalism he has left and tries desperately not to focus on the way his hand fits perfectly in the dip of Wylan’s back.

It all goes to hell when they’re moved back to the bed together, with Jesper positioned on his back against the pillows and Wylan straddling him.

“Place your hands a little higher, Jesper,” comes their photographer’s voice from behind the camera.

Swallowing against the sudden dryness in his throat, Jesper slides his hands further up creamy thighs. Glancing upwards, he’s met with pink cheeks and dark eyes as Wylan breathes out shakily.

“That’s great guys, it’s really working. Wylan, could you lean down? Like you want to kiss him, but you also want to tease him?”

Wylan nods and licks his lips, leaning down and forwards and, oh, Jesper is so, so fucked.

There’s scant inches between their lips, both of them breathing heavily and trying to hide it. Jesper’s eyes flick down to Wylan’s lips and then back up to his eyes. A question, one that Wylan answers with a tiny nod of his head.

He surges up without a second thought, cupping Wylan’s face with one hand and sealing their mouths together. Distantly, he’s aware of the click of the camera, but then Wylan’s lips are moving softly against his own and Jesper’s mind goes wonderfully, blissfully blank.

When they pull apart, Wylan sits back with a smile that Jesper matches, one that quickly dissolves into giggles. The camera continues to flash away in the background.

“What are you doing later?” Jesper asks when they finally break for a reset.

Wylan grins at him over his mug of coffee. “You, hopefully.”

[reonnex]

Heads up seven up

I was tagged by @sparrowmoth and @jazzythursday to post seven sentences of one of my wips! I have many wips but my two im actively trying to get done are the gift exchange, and my wesper little mermaid au, so I had to go with the au. Funny enough these ten sentences are the only part I have of it done lol

Seven years. Seven whole years of lies. How cruel of a son could Jesper be? The only thing keeping his lie up was his father begging him not to vist was his fear of the ocean taking him just like it did his mother. Colm had to shove all his worries for Jesper to attend Ketterdam, praying that he would make it to the shore safely. Jesper hated that it helped kept the lie going. It was his excuse to not vist. His excuse to lie for years about how he graduated university, got himself a desk job, was making a living for himself. And his father believed every single word. Of course, everything has to come crashing down at some point, and that day came with Colms's worrisum letter detailing that he was sick, and bills were pilling up. Jesper had to go back.

Tagging with no pressure to do anything💕💕 @hotpinkmurex @sixofcrowdaydreams @cxyotl @oneofthewednesdays

[stormkpr]

Reposting a fic I love because it's so close to a kudos milestone. In The Mossy Shadows, rated Teen and Up, complete. Wylan is locked in his father’s cellar since his father has found a way to replace him. But an old tunnel allows him to sneak out, where he meets a handsome sharpshooter… Inspired by a prompt from @sparrowmoth

[kindness-ricochets]

heads up, seven up

Tagged by @sparrowmoth to post 7 lines of a current work-in-progress, so here we go!

(Jesper's hanging out with an oc. Dl;dr.)

"So this is where you've been hiding," Jesper said. He tossed himself into an armchair. "We're not hiding," Neely replied, "you're not looking." Well, ouch. Instinctively, he wanted to defend himself, to joke, to say that if she wanted a game of hide and seek… except that she was right. He was an adult; it was his job to take care of her, not her job to ask. "You're right. Let's go for a walk, huh? Weather's good for once, let's go spy on the neighbors." "Really?" "I can't spy on the neighbors alone, who will I blame if they catch me?"

[nerdlingmerchling]

WiP Wednesday Friday Saturday

I was tagged by the talented @jazzythursday to share a bit of a wip I'm currently working on.

(This excerpt is from the next way too long chapter of Shoot From the Hip)

----

Wylan hesitated, then took a few, staggering steps in the wrong direction. 

“It's the other way,” Jesper pointed out.

“Oh.” 

Jesper frowned. “Are you drunk, Wylan?”

He pulled a sheepish face, worrying at his lower lip. “Just tipsy, maybe?‘'

“You're tipsier than tipsy, I reckon.” The rush of adrenaline might have delayed the symptoms, or maybe, Jesper had been too caught in the action himself to acknowledge Wylan's glassy eyes, or the fact he was unsteady on his feet and slurring his words. “How many beers did you have exactly?”

Wylan squinted as he tried to recollect. “Not that many. Like four or five maybe?” 

“Saints, Wy! Featherweight like you, on an empty stomach? It's enough to get you completely hammered! And you handled explosives in that state?” 

“I had to. I had to help those people,” Wylan stated. “I'm out of red phosphorus now, though,” he mused, more for himself than for Jesper's sake. His eyes wandered around the alleyway, as if a fresh supply of said chemical could be hidden somewhere. 

“Come on. Let's get you back to the Slat. You can lean on me,” Jesper offered, putting his arm around Wylan’s shoulders and pulling him toward the street. “I'm going to make my mom's secret recipe, so you dont wake up with a bad hangover tomorrow.” 

I'm tagging : @i-am-still-bb , @sparrowmoth, @brandywinebridge-twentymiles, @sophiez85, @hotpinkmurex , or anyone else who want to play. Feel free to ignore if you've already been tagged 10 times this week...

[emmy-everafter]

Tagged by @sparrowmoth to share about my WIPs. Idk if anyone is actually all that interested in these, but on the off chance that you are, feel free to swing by my ask box with questions!

Rules: Post the names of your WIPs and open your ask box for questions about them.

Published WIPs

Right now, there's just one: Don't Come Any Closer (But Don't Move Away), Win/Team (Between Us/UWMA), rated M, 3 chapters out of ????

(I actually have written several chapters ahead but updates will likely slow down over time as i catch up to the place where I'm currently drafting. But we're getting to the good stuff now and ugh I'm so excited, I love this fic and these boys so much!!)

Unpublished WIPs

Greenhouse fic (better title forthcoming), a short and fluffy sequel to We're Gonna Need a Bigger Pentagram. Jesper/Wylan (Shadow & Bone/Six of Crows), rated T, one-shot. I have about 2k words written and because it's a Jesper POV, I'm planning to publish it later this month as part of "Jesptember," a celebration of our favorite Sharpshooter from the @i-can-read-to-him Wesper discord server.

A Week in the Life (tentative title), followup to the greenhouse fic and continuation of the Coven of Crows universe. Told through flashbacks to a time before WGNABP. Mostly gen crows-as-found-family with hints of Wesper, Helnik, Kanej, and Kuwei/Jesper (I forget if people use Kuwesper for just them or for them + Wylan oops). Probably rated T, probably 6 or 7 chapters. I've only written out a bit, the rest is all outline right now.

Other general ideas for Coven of Crows stuff that I'm happy to talk about!

The time travel crows fic (it has a title but I don't want to share it yet). All the crows ships, probably rated M, gonna be a longfic. I have some chapters written but I need to revise them because I changed my mind about some worldbuilding stuff. Time travel is hard to write, y'all!

Servant & Lever(age): a six of crows Leverage AU, rating TBA, length TBA, mostly just outlines at the moment.

I Won't Give Up Your Ghost, Julie & The Phantoms longfic, rated T or M. I have maybe 8 chapters of this written? But I don't know if there's enough people reading JatP anymore for me to maintain motivation when doing a longfic and I also got distracted, but I had a solid outline for the rest and may come back to it eventually

Untitled sexytimes fic, Palm/Neungdiao (Never Let Me Go the series), definitely rated E, one-shot. Will I ever finish this? Who knows.

A few other half-written or half-baked Thai BL fics, mostly M or E one- and two-shots, for shows like Moonlight Chicken, Tale of a Thousand Stars, etc.

I have some other Six of Crows ideas but I'm much less certain that I'll get around to writing them so I haven't listed them here

No pressure tags for anyone who feels like sharing (apologies if you've already done this and I missed it!): @oneofthewednesdays @hotpinkmurex @magicandpizza @ace-kaz-brekker @starwritebrekker

[starwritebrekker]

heads up seven up!

I was tagged by @sixofcrowdaydreams and the lovely @oneofthewednesdays to post seven lines of one of my wips. Thank you very kindly for thinking of me, and I apologize for the lateness! Here's a bit from No Funerals:

“I’m still dead, you asshole.” Wylan cut in unamused with Kaz’s drifting thoughts. Wylan looked like he had in his early days as a crow, how Kaz had always seen him. Freckles absorbing the gas lamplight in Kaz’s office. Still full of youth and vigor.  “Then we share that as well now, I suppose.” Kaz sat up in bed, sleep shirt loose over his frame as the blanket folded gently at his hips. It was evening, Kaz could feel that as much as he could hear The Slat roaring to life beneath him, the lamplighters making their rounds outside amongst the mass of people pouring down the staves seeking their nightly entertainment.

No pressure tagging @sparrowmoth, @waterloou @remadora-black

[finitevoid]

I was tagged by @sparrowmoth to share 7 lines of my current WIP, and I have no idea what a “line” constitutes in this context, also I’m on mobile, so you’re getting like 4 paragraphs sorry lol. Reading this over is an absurd amount to post for this prompt but I hate breaking up my writing Sorryyyy cries

And I spat bile onto my vomit puddle, and then I laughed. I laughed long and loud, sharp and high. I sat there and I laughed, because the world was on its head; I was back home and my dad’s head was cracked open like an egg leaking scarlet rot and you were yelling at me. Even the sunlight seemed absurd. Like I’d taken a halfway trip through my own nonsensical, terrifying dreams.

“Is this funny?” You snarled. “Do you like flying off the handle? I swear to god, you’re insane!” You buried your fingers in your hair, tugging on it, hard. “I don’t get you at all! I think you’re not into me and then you’re kissing me! I think you’re pissed and then you laugh! I think you’re calm and rational and maybe— for once— actually handling yourself, and you punch my dad!”

“He killed him,” I gasped out. “I could tell from the look on his fucking face. Innocent men don’t look that calm.”

[waterloou]

Mouse Wylan by @sparrowmoth for this fic I literally I treasure this sm sm sm

[jazzythursday]

heads up, seven up

I was tagged by @sparrowmoth to post 7 lines from one of my current WIPs… truthfully I have a lot of WIPs but not many I’ve been actively working on, so here is far more than 7 lines I dug out of a directly post-ck fic (show!verse ofc)

His feet take him, inadvertently, to his old room. Muscle memory and exhaustion warring together to lead him through the familiar path down the halls he’d walked for so many years. He stops, one hand already closed around the handle, in frozen realisation.  

He remembers, then, about the cheery, nautical themed nursery now behind the door. The decorations, the crib, the toys, all set out in preparation for someone new. Someone meant to be far better than him.

What am I doing here? Wylan thinks. I don’t belong here. What am I doing here?

“Wy?” Jesper wraps his arm around Wylan a little closer, breath close and warm by his ear.

Wylan snatches his hand away from the handle like it’s burned him. “I don’t know why I came here,” he says, instead of explaining. “We should…” he trails off, turning to lead them back the way they came, towards the guest quarters on the other side of the house. He picks one completely at random, making sure only that it’s empty and that the bed is made up before tugging Jesper inside. 

Wylan isn’t really sure what to do after that. Looking around, the room is plain and overwhelmingly beige, but fitted with subtle shows of wealth throughout all the furnishings; all gold accents and dark maple and silk drapes. Wylan thinks, what am I doing here? 

this is also technically part of the same fic as this snippet from way back

tagging (but no pressure): @aphroditestummyrolls @magicandpizza @sixofcrowdaydreams @reonnex @nerdlingmerchling

[sixofcrowdaydreams]

6 and/or 21 for fic rec game?

Gladly! I love making fanfic recs and sharing the love. ❤️

Ask game prompts list found here!

6. A fic that kept me on the edge of my seat

all this (but heaven too) by sparrowmoth (20K, E-rating)

This fic by @sparrowmoth literally had me at the edge of my seat, heart pounding for all 20K words of this fic. I'm not kidding. I felt my body temperature rise as a stress response while reading about Wylan's captivity and trauma by Prior and Miggson in this serial killer AU. It's labeled dead dove: do not eat for a reason, so mind the tags, but it's an incredible example of dark fic. Never once is it graphic just to be graphic. Every rape and murder that Wylan experience has a profound psychological impact that's handled with the utmost care and delicacy despite the horrors. I adore this fic and the unique narrative structure it uses to lead the reader through his heart racing journey.

21. A fic I've re-read

Do you know how difficult it was to choose? There are so many fanfics that I love and have re-read a number of times that I'm embarrassed to confess.

Everyday, Just a Little or a Little Bit by Jazzythursday (42K, T-rating)

This fic by @jazzythursday may be my favorite Wesper fic in the entire fandom. I love it with my whole heart and soul. The writing is gorgeous. Everything about this fic is lovely. I think that I keep re-reading it because the prose is so smooth and poetic. Every phrase describing Wylan and Jesper's relationship and the profound trust between them as Wylan grapples with his past rolls right off the tongue. In fact, I was moved by the language of this fic so much that I recorded the first chapter as a podfic for Jazzy. Hopefully, I'll be able to record the other 3 chapters one day too. I also love this fic so much that I bound it into a book and gave one copy to Jazzy when we met in person, and kept a second copy just for myself. Sometimes I flip through my printed version, choose a random page, and begin reading it like poetry. Then I find myself getting sucked in and re-read whole story again.

Build My World Of Dreams by Lukkien (178K, E-rating)

This is my ultimate guilty pleasure fic even though there is no reason to feel guilty about reading it! This Pretty Woman AU is the best AU adaption I've ever read. It manages to keep the heart and plot beats of the original film while allowing the story to grow and become it's own narrative that can stand independently without being propped up by the source material. The author is an incredible writer and is a master of both characterization (backstories!) and pacing. I love this sex worker Wylan with a heart-of-gold and a tragic past. I adore movie star Jesper. Their relationship is sexy and sweet. This fic makes me giggle and kick my feet with joy. I've read it twice now and plan to read it again to leave proper comments describing exactly how much I love this story.

[magicandpizza]

For @sparrowmoth, a lil continuation of this prompt 🫶

“All saints,” Jesper groans when the trail of kisses that Wylan’s trailing up his neck turns into him sinking his teeth in and sucking, hard. It’s rare that love bites show up on Jesper’s dark skin, but Wylan’s going to make damn sure they do tonight. Let everyone in the Barrel know that Jesper is his, and that he is Jesper’s.

Wylan draws away and pauses to admire his work. A viscous purple mark is starting to bloom just below Jesper’s pulse point. Lovely.

On the bed beneath him, Jesper ruts his hips up impatiently against Wylan’s. “Touch me, love, please. Need you…”

It’s a scramble to rid them both of their clothes, neither Wylan nor Jesper seemingly wanting to move too far from the other, but eventually their clothes are discarded onto the floor and Wylan is kneeling between Jesper’s spread legs and coating his fingers with oil.

“So good, you’re so good, darling,” Jesper moans when Wylan’s fingers press into him, curling gently against his prostate.

It’s perfunctory prep at best, just enough to loosen Jesper up and get him wet, because Wylan is all but vibrating out of his skin with need and Jesper is too impatient to wait.

“Ghezen’s hand,” Wylan curses when he sinks into Jesper’s welcoming body, at once overwhelmed by the hot, tight clutch of him.

“Move, move,” Jesper urges, hitching his legs high on Wylan’s hips, and it’s all the motivation Wylan needs to set a brutal pace, fucking Jesper quick and hard and dirty until the headboard rattles and Jesper clutches at him desperately, a moan being punched out of his chest with each thrust.

Sweat beads on Wylan’s forehead and drips down his spine. In the space between their bodies, Jesper closes a hand around his cock and jerks himself off.

“Fuck yes, right there, ah-!” Jesper comes with a cry, his body going taut as he spills over his fist and his stomach. The rapid clench of his muscles drags Wylan over the edge too, and he collapses on top of Jesper in a sweaty heap when his arms eventually give out.

Jesper hums contentedly and nuzzles at Wylan’s neck. “Told you…” he mumbles. “No one makes me feel as good as you.”