#the first chapter is genuinely one of my favorite things i’ve ever written

[fagtainsparklez]

What was your fic you wrote?

i’m assuming this is supposed to say favorite? i really enjoy captains of the sky as a sillie fic that i get to dump all my stupid little hcs and shenanigans on, but i think my favorite fic is my cmyk work! it’s a very long title so that’s what i’ve referred to it as, but it can be found here [link]. while i only have the first chapter Officially up i have drafts for like, 5 or 6 of the other chapters and i just genuinely have so much fun writing them. as much as i like silly nonsense i LOVE character analysis and exploration, which is the point of that cmyk fic, so it’s definitely my favorite in all aspects ^_^

[ask game]

[onceuponaoneshotfanfic]

Something There (Chapter 8)

6.7k words

Roy Kent x Reader

Warnings: Language, mentions of sex, angst, mentions of slut-shaming and double standards, horrible reporters being horrible, pining, finally some fluff!!!

A/N: This is probably my favorite chapter so far, and has some of my favorite scenes I've ever written!! My heart is HAPPY!!

Series Masterlist

I understood; I understood completely.

Ted Lasso was warm, and kind, and fun. He looked at a person like they mattered and listened with genuine interest. He made you feel like he’d have your back and believed in you.

Ted Lasso was exactly what I needed.

After chatting over drinks about our backgrounds and careers, delving into our shared deep love for sports and coaching, he finally broached the subject that had been plaguing me nonstop for what felt like an eternity.

“So. How’re you doing? With all this… hullabaloo?”

He was too kind and polite to even name the hell I was living in.

A grimace crossed my face as I lifted my beer to my lips, trying to delay answering the question for as long as possible while those patient eyes gazed at me. Finally, I had no choice but to fill the silence. “I am… okay,” I finally mumbled. “Trying to just focus on the team, you know?”

Ted nodded, watching me carefully. “I completely understand,” he hummed. “Well, I mean, not completely of course. It’s mighty unfair the way they talk about you. But…” He shrugged, giving a small pop with his mouth. “I mean, they weren’t exactly nice to me when I got here. The press, the team, hell, even Becca.” His face softened at those last couple of words. “But, eyes on the prize, as they say.” He patted my hand gently, a paternal touch I didn’t realize I needed. “Now, like I said, I don’t totally understand what you’re going through. But if you need someone who has some small idea, well, I’m here.”

“Thank you, Ted,” I murmured. “I really appreciate it.”

He shrugged, turning his attention to glance around the pub. “Anytime, Clementine.”

After a moment, I opened my mouth again. “I’ve just waited my whole life for this. To be a role model, more than a pretty face that runs fast. Sometimes that’s all I felt like back when I played. And being a coach, well everything depends on my brain, you know?” Ted’s understanding nod urged me on. “And I was finally doing it. I was winning, and because England actually gives some semblance of a crap about soccer, people started to know who I was. And then…” A big breath left my lungs. “And then this… thing happens, and it’s like nothing else matters. Olympic medals, World Cups, national titles, win streaks. Nope. Everyone thinks I’m just another Roy Kent girl.”

“You’re not just another Roy Kent girl,” Ted assured me. “It might feel like it, whatever that means, but you’re not. You’re Coach Buck, for Pete’s sake.” His smile warmed all the cold parts of my heart that had developed since Keeley first showed me the photos. “And it might feel like everyone thinks so, but I can tell you for a fact it’s not true.” He pulled out his phone and showed me the freckle-faced kid who took up his lock screen. “My boy has not stopped asking about you since I got here. Kid thinks you’re the absolute bee’s knees, Coach. He doesn’t care about these stupid headlines or what you do off the field. Heck, he even told me I should ask you for some coaching pointers.”

Beer nearly shot out of my nose as I let out a thankful laugh. “Ted Lasso, you have no idea how badly I needed to hear that.”

“Sure, I do.” He bumped his shoulder into mine. “Sometimes, ya just need a reminder about why we do what we do. To inspire other people to be their best selves.” He nodded towards his phone before pocketing it. “And you sure as heck inspire this kid. And I’m willing to bet he ain’t the only one.”

I stared at him for a moment. “You know… If you want, we could Facetime him while you’re here. If you think he’d like that, I mean.”

Lasso’s smile lit up the whole pub. “He’d love that, Coach.”

~

“Hey, Coach. Ready for that chat?”

A growl escaped Roy’s throat as Ted entered the empty office. “No,” he huffed, turning his attention back to the playbook on his desk.

Ignoring Roy’s scowl, not for the first time since they’d met, Ted plopped himself down on Beard’s desk, eyebrows raised. “I know what you need,” he announced, leaning over to grab the phone off Roy’s desk. “Better get some bones and treats, because I’m calling the Diamond Dogs.”

Before Roy could protest, Ted had called Higgins and texted Nate and Beard; almost instantly the office was filled with the sounds of howling and barking that Roy was sure anyone who was still in the building could hear. The men assembled, closing doors and perching themselves in chairs and against walls, eyes expectantly trained on Roy, as if they already knew the reason for this meeting.

When Roy glared at Ted, the American knew he’d have to get the ball rolling.

“Diamond Dogs,” he announced, “as y’all know, our favorite junkyard dog here has been goin’ through somethin’. I bet he could use some friendly ears to bark at.” He nodded to Roy. “Coach?”

There was no getting out of this. Roy knew that. So, he might as well get it over with.

“Yeah.” He turned his chair and plopped his feet on his desk, trying to keep up his uncaring demeanor. “You all fucking know. Fucking photos, fucking paparazzi and reporters, blah blah blah.” He nodded to Ted, whose face was stupidly supportive. “There. Done.”

Nate cleared his throat. “What about you and Coach Buck?”

It was probably the harshest scowl Roy had given in a long time. “What about me and Coach Buck?” His chest felt tight just saying her name out loud.

“Well…” Nate’s eyes were on the ceiling. “I mean, the two of you were getting kind of close, weren’t you? Before all this happened?” He seemed to shrink slightly under Roy’s glare. “Weren’t you?”

“We’re not close,” Roy spat. “So, dunno what there is to talk about.”

Beard sighed and narrowed his eyes at Roy. “How about we talk about how unhappy you’ve been ever since this all went down? How about we talk about the fact that you slept with her- don’t make that face at me, neither of you have denied it- and now you both look like the most miserable people in the world? Let’s talk about that.”

Before Roy could argue, Higgins cleared his throat. “Roy, have you tried, I don’t know, talking to the poor girl?”

Was there a way to renounce his membership from the fucking Diamond Dogs? “As a matter of fact, we have talked. And she wants nothing to do with me. So, again, what’s the point in any of this?”

Ted cleared his throat. “If I may, Coach, it sure didn’t look like she wanted nothing to do with ya when I saw y’all in the parking lot.” His face was soft. “She seemed pretty grateful for your help, actually. Did everything but call you her knight in shining armor when she told me about that paparazzo.”

Roy rolled his eyes, hating the blush on his face for betraying him. “Yeah, well, that’s about all I’m good for probably.” He stared at his shoes for a moment, scrunching his nose. “Just hate seeing her so fucking miserable,” he heard himself admit quietly. “It’s not really fair, this shit. All that ‘takes two to tango’ shit, but no one’s saying a word about me. It’s stupid as hell.” Dammit, he was ranting now. “And I just want to fucking fix everything but I can’t.”

“You could be her friend,” Ted said quietly. “It sounds like she could really use more of those right now.” He cleared his throat. “You know, I told her all about how Henry just really admires her- heck, I think there might be a little crush there too- and let me tell you, she looked so relieved to hear that. We actually FaceTimed him earlier today before he went to school, and man she was almost as jazzed as he was.” Ted shrugged.

Higgins nodded. “I think she just needs to feel supported and respected right now.” He cocked his head at Roy. “Just give her that, Roy. The rest will follow.”

“The fuck do you mean ‘the rest’-?”

The sound of a door opening had the men jumping. Through the window, Roy could see Buck stroll into her office, sipping her water bottle and looking at something on her phone. She froze, as if she could feel the eyes of the Diamond Dogs on her. She blinked several times when she looked up and saw the Greyhounds office filled with men staring. With her eyes on Roy, she gave a small, awkward wave before sitting at her desk and turning to her computer.

Ted smiled at Roy. “Diamond Dogs, dismissed.”

With soft barks and yaps, the men dispersed, ready to call it a day and go home. Roy sat at his desk, staring through that window, watching her type away. He thought about what they’d said; for some reason, he felt struck by Ted’s mention of Henry. Not quite sure what he was doing, Roy stood and approached the door that separated their offices. He opened it softly, raising his eyebrows when she turned around to look at him.

“Knock, knock,” he mumbled stupidly.

Her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes, but Roy would take what he could get. “Hey, Coach.” She wrinkled her nose. “What the fuck was all that barking?”

“Barking? What barking?” Roy entered the office and perched on Lucas’s desk, feigning ignorance as he stared at the too-pretty manager.

“Fine, don’t tell me,” she chuckled with an eyeroll. “Need something? I’m just trying to finish a couple emails before I head out.”

Roy studied her face for a moment. His gaze briefly flickered to her Brandi Chastain poster before returning to those eyes that made his insides squirm. “Would you want to come meet Phoebe’s football team?”

She blinked a few times. “Phoebe’s team?” she echoed.

He nodded, feeling good about himself for once. “Yeah. She asked me a while ago about inviting you, hasn’t shut up about you since the charity game actually.” He shrugged. “I think it’d be… fun.”

The hesitation in her eyes was heartbreaking. “Oh, I don’t know, Roy…” She bit her lip. “What if the parents don’t like me being there?”

Fuck, her voice was tiny. “If they don’t like the idea of a fucking Olympic champion watching their daughter’s football practice, they can deal with me,” he huffed. “What d’you say? Want to make me the coolest uncle in the world?”

“Well, in that case.” A genuine little smile graced her face. “Alright. Fine. I’m there.”

~

Leaving the Dog Track to go meet Roy and the girls’ team, I felt that familiar mixture of excitement and anxiety, the kind I got before games, or before an important meeting. It was a good feeling; I hadn’t had it in a while. My phone vibrating interrupted my reflecting on why this practice had me so wound-up.

“Hello?”

“Hey there.” I could hear Geroge’s smile through the phone. “I know it’s last minute, but I wanted to see if you’d want to grab dinner tonight?”

I cleared my throat as I started my walk towards the address Roy had given me. “Oh, sorry, not tonight, George. I’ve got plans.”

The disappointment in his voice was kind of sweet. “No problem. Anything exciting?”

Why did I feel weird telling him?

“Kent invited me to come meet his niece’s team,” I explained slowly. “So I’m heading on over to the school to go see their practice, say hello to the girls. Should be fun.” I tried to keep my voice light and casual, as if this was a totally normal thing to do.

Goerge was silent for a moment. “Oh. That’s lovely of you.” He cleared his throat. “Don’t you think it’s a little risky though? Being out like that? Someone might see the two of you, take some pictures…”

I passed a Whippets advertisement, one that had yet to be graffitied. “I mean, it’s a kids’ soccer practice. I doubt the press’ll be there,” I pointed out with a huffy chuckle. “And honestly, I don’t really care if anyone sees. What can they say about me visiting a girls’ team that they didn’t already say about me going into Roy Kent’s house?”

Another silence came, the same one that usually followed references to the fact that I’d slept with Roy; I hadn’t directly told George that I had, he hadn’t directly asked, but it wasn’t difficult to figure out. It was clearly not something George liked thinking about, and it was something I did my best to avoid bringing up. But for some reason, it slipped out now.

“Well,” he finally murmured. “I think you’ll have a good time. Should be a fun little evening with the kids… and Kent.” He paused. “Call me later?”

“Sure,” I hummed, hating the sinking feeling that I’d done something wrong. “Talk to you later.” I shoved my phone into my pocket and continued my walk, trying to ignore whatever that phone call was and focus instead on the evening ahead of me.

When I finally arrived at the school field, I realized my heart was hammering. It was kind of ridiculous; I’d done school visits and things like that. I’d spoken in front of crowds of students and young athletes. But for some reason, visiting one little girls’ soccer team had me feeling the way I did before stepping onto the field for the World Cup: anxious, unable to breathe.

But a high-pitched squeal immediately brought a smile to my face.

“Coach Buck!”

With a small wave, I approached the group of girls that were passing and warming up; immediately, I was tackled by a familiar blonde.

“Hey, Pheobe,” I chuckled, hugging her back. “How’ve you been?”

She beamed up at me. “Good! I’m so glad you came. I’ve been asking and asking Uncle Roy to invite you. And-”

“And she’s fucking here, ain’t she?” Roy wrapped an arm around Phoebe and shoved her aside. “Go warm up, you.” As Phoebe scampered away, he nodded to me. “Coach.”

I couldn’t help but smirk at him. “Coach.”

He cleared his throat, suddenly the picture of nervousness. “Right. So, I was thinking, I’d introduce you to the team, you could say a few words if you want, and maybe you could help run training? Unless you’d rather just watch. Either way’s fine with me.”

“I’d love to help.”

His face turned relieved. “Great.” He turned towards the group of girls, who were more interested in us than in their warmup. “Oi! Huddle up!” As soon as the girls were gathered around, Roy nodded curtly at me. “This here’s Coach Buck. She manages the Richmond Whippets. And, in case Phoebe here hasn’t already told you, she’s a World Cup champion and has an Olympic gold medal.” The excited buzzing from the girls had me fighting a smile- and it looked like Roy was fighting one too. “She wanted to come say hello to you all and help with practice. Sound good?”

“Yes, Coach!”

Roy raised an eyebrow at me. “Coach?”

With a deep breath, I took a step forward, willing myself to gaze at the little faces staring back with solemn expressions of excitement and awe. “Hello, ladies,” I greeted, putting on my best smile. “Roy- Coach Kent- has told me that you are probably the best team he coaches.” Their little giggles began to put me at ease. “And I am so excited to get to hang out with you today and see what you’ve got!”

The next hour was the best one I’d had since I moved to England- probably one of the best hours of my entire life. The girls were more than talented- they were enthusiastic, fierce, passionate, determined, fearless, everything I remembered being at their age. They played as if there was no such thing as losing or getting hurt. Every mistake was an opportunity to get better, every success was meant to be exceeded. By the end of practice, I knew every girl’s name and felt a tug in my heart when they called me “Coach”.

“Uncle Roy,” Phoebe hummed as he gathered the team at the end of practice. “Can we try to get past you?”

Roy glanced in my direction before shrugging. “You girls really want to play?”

The resounding YES had me wondering what ‘getting past’ Roy meant. As if she could sense my curiosity, Phoebe tugged my hand.

“You’re going to love this, Coach Buck,” she gushed. “It’s our favorite!”

The girls lined up, bouncing with excitement, while Roy grabbed a ball and jogged towards one of the goals made of a couple of cones. With the ease of someone who’d done this dozens of times, he rolled the ball to Kokoruda, who was first in line. She immediately began dribbling towards Roy and made a respectable attempt to score on the experienced player.

“Next!” he barked after kicking the ball out of bounds.

One by one, the girls tried to score on Roy; and each one failed.

“You don’t go easy on them?” I probed as I trotted over to Roy to return another ball to him.

He caught the ball with ease. “Fuck no,” he chuckled. “Their opponents won’t ever go easy on ‘em, will they? Why should I?”

Before I could concede that he had a point, Phoebe called out, “Coach Bucky! You should try!”

With a smirk, Roy tossed the ball back to me. “Yeah, Coach Bucky. You should try.”

Maybe it was being around the girls, maybe it was the cockiness on Roy Kent’s face. Maybe it was something else. “Fine, I’ll try,” I shot back, taking my place at the front of the line. I looked at the girls. “Any of you ever get it past him?” When they all shook their heads, my grin grew. “Well, guess he’s due for a loss then.”

I stood with my foot on top of the ball for a moment, just staring down Roy Kent. He narrowed his eyes playfully, a smile almost breaking through his serious glare. With a deep breath, I began dribbling, wondering when I had last just played like this. Roy jogged out to meet me, expertly trying to get the ball out of my control. We moved this way, that way; I was a bit surprised how well I was doing against him, if I was being honest.

“Not going easy on me, are you Kent?” I huffed, very aware of the way his body pressed against mine as he tried to steal the ball from behind me.

“Not a fucking chance,” he assured me, his breath tickling my neck.

With what I hoped was a casual chuckle, I found my opening, evading Roy and making my way towards the goal, a smaller target than I was used to. As I inched forward, I felt a pair of hands brush my sides, warm and playful.

Phoebe’s giggling voice interrupted the reeling in my head. “Uncle Roy, that’s a foul!”

“Right!” came a gruff voice behind me, laughing as the hands disappeared.

Able to return my focus to the ball at my feet, I sprinted forward, ankle be damned, and broke away from Roy; the ball sailed between the cones with ease, giving me that old, thrilling feeling of scoring a goal. When I turned around, the girls were cheering- and Roy was smiling at me.

“My knee’s fucked,” he huffed jokingly between breaths, hands on his hips as he approached. “That was hardly fair.”

I quirked an eyebrow at him as we started to walk back towards the team. “Oh, and what would you call my ankle?”

His smile widened. “Also fucked.”

Before I could snark back, the girls tackled me with hugs and shouts, clearly impressed that anyone could get past their burly coach. Roy eyed me over their heads, his face soft, reminding me of the night of the gala. All I could do was grin back at him, wondering if he felt the same warmth in his chest that I felt.

Roy dismissed his team, reminding them about their upcoming game, one they begged me to come watch. To my shock, a few parents stopped me to shake my hand and ask if they could get a picture of me with their daughter; that warm feeling in my chest grew with each “My daughter adores you!” or “It’s so cool that you came!” The whole time, Roy and Phoebe collected the equipment, with Phoebe watching me with great interest.

As the last of the girls left, I meandered over to the coach and his niece, stopping when I found myself looking into those brown eyes.

“Thanks, Kent,” I said, wondering if he could hear the thick emotion in my voice. “This… this was exactly what I needed.”

His eyes sparkled. “What, a bunch of little girls worshipping you?”

A snort escaped when I tried to hold back my laughter. “They didn’t worship-”

“Fuck off,” he chuckled, giving me a soft punch in the arm. “They fucking adored you. You’re their queen or some shit. Seriously-” He bobbled his head playfully. “-they’re probably planning a coup to get rid of me so you can be their coach.” He pointed to Pheobe, who was hovering nearby, obviously anxious to interrupt our conversation. “And that little traitor will be leading the fucking cavalry.” He waved her over. “Come say goodnight, Phoebe.”

Phoebe wrapped her arms around me, giving a squeeze. “Thank you for coming,” she gushed before letting go. “You know I have your poster in my room?” Her smile was full of pride. “I told Uncle Roy I wanted one, so he got one for me. It’s right above my dresser, so I can see it when I get ready for football.”

My jaw dropped slightly as my gaze shifted between Phoebe and Roy, who shrugged at me. Before I could think of something to say, he opened his mouth.

“I’ll make you a deal, Pheebs,” he started, eyes fixated on me. “You score in our next match, I’ll take you to see the Whippets, and we can ask very nicely if Coach Buck here will sign your poster.”

A lump formed in my throat when I saw the delight on Phoebe’s face. “Yeah,” I managed to choke out as I blinked back tears. “I could do that.”

~

There was a dull ache in Roy’s knee when he arrived at the Dog Track early the next morning, but it was a hell of a lot better than the sharp pain in his chest that seemed to be slowly disappearing. He figured he’d pop into the treatment room, grab some ice and baby his knee before getting ready for training.

When he walked through the door, he realized he wasn’t the only one that needed some tending to.

There she was, leg propped up on a chair, ice on her ankle as she scrolled on her phone. Her head snapped up at the sound of the door opening, and her face broke into one of those perfect smiles when she saw it was Roy. Without a word, they both started chuckling, almost relieved to see that the other had also overdone it the night before.

“Guess you meant it when you said you weren’t going easy on me,” she mused, watching Roy grab himself an ice pack.

He chuckled and rolled up his trackpants to expose his knee, flinching slightly as the cold touched his bare skin. “You’d fucking kill me if I did,” he pointed out. “It’d be fucking insulting.” After a moment of silence, staring at each other’s injuries, Roy opened his mouth again. “I’ll be at your game tonight,” he murmured, hoping he sounded casual.

Instead of the surprised look he expected, he swore he saw pleasure on her face. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.” He let his eyes linger on her face. “I know the guys’ve been trying to go to as many matches as possible to show their support. Told Sam and Jamie I’d be joining them tonight. Richmond til we die, right?”

“Richmond til we die,” she repeated, her soft smile nearly stopping Roy’s heart.

Their quiet moment was interrupted by the door opening again. Rebecca stood with her hand on the doorknob, eyebrows raised at the sight of her two managers grinning at each other and icing their injuries.

“Good morning, coaches,” she greeted in a light voice, eyebrows raising slightly higher when she locked eyes with Roy before turning to the Whippets manager. “Just wanted to check in, I know you’ve got a long day. Match is at six, I believe some of the Greyhounds will be there again-”

Roy couldn’t resist piping up. “We will be.”

Rebecca didn’t bother hiding her smile as she went on. “After the match, Keeley will take Lucas to the press room, and you and I can-”

This time, the other manager interrupted her. “No.”

“No?” Rebecca blinked.

“Fuck it,” she sighed, sitting up and tossing her ice pack aside. “This is my team, right? I’m doing the press conference. Luke has covered for me long enough.”

Rebecca tilted her head sympathetically. “Are you sure?”

For a moment, those eyes turned to Roy, silently asking for his thoughts, as though his opinion mattered to her. When he gave her the tiniest, almost unnoticeable nod, she looked back at Rebecca, head held high. “Hell yeah.”

Roy had chosen the right match to come to, he realized. A 4-0 win to move into first place had him grinning with the Greyhounds as they cheered on the Whippets before they disappeared back into the tunnel. For a moment, he locked eyes with Buck, who tapped her fingers to her temple, giving Roy’s signature little salute. He saluted back, ignoring the grin on Jamie’s face. Maybe, just maybe, the two managers could grab a drink together to celebrate her win. Roy’s treat, of course. She’d more than earned it.

But first, she had a press conference to give. The Whippets and Greyhounds, intent on celebrating together, assembled in the weight room and gathered around the televisions on the wall. Roy stood right in front, Jamie by his side, eyes glued to the screen as she took her seat, red lips curled into a perfect smile.

Initially, the questions were typical post-match queries: how did she feel about the performance, what did she have to say about this error, how thrilling was that goal. And she handled them all with ease, reminding Roy of that first press conference he’d watched, where he couldn’t keep his eyes off of her. But now, instead of a scowl, he almost wore a smile watching her, and he finally understood why his heart was hammering so hard. Yeah, this was good. She was good.

Until the questions weren’t good.

“Roy Kent was in the stands today,” one reporter called out. “Any thoughts on that?”

Her smile faltered as her eyes shifted away from the crowd in front of her. “Oh. Yes, the Greyhounds have been great in showing their support for the Whippets.” Her smile returned, though not as confident as before. “We’re overdue to cheer them on, so keep an eye out for us at their next match!”

Another question came at her. “What is your relationship with Roy now?”

She cleared her throat. “All the coaches here at Richmond have a great respect and fondness for one another. We’re lucky to have two great staffs that work together so well. It’s how we get wins like the one we had today, on both the men’s and women’s sides.”

Roy felt his face burn, along with several pairs of eyes staring at him. He didn’t care that she avoided the question; it was the same non-answer Keeley had given him to spout out whenever he got asked the same thing. It was the way the question came out, accusatory and aggressive, that had him frowning.

“Does your dominant personality play a role in your relationship with Roy Kent?”

There was no denying the way she scrunched her nose, fully understanding the implication. “Again, all of us coaches hold each other in high regard and have great professional relationships. Now, if you want to talk dominance, out there on the field today, Kira-”

“Speaking of Kira Malone,” a gruff voice interrupted. “She was recently seen at a pub with Jamie Tartt. Do you think your affair with Roy Kent has made the Whippets think it’s okay to run around with the Greyhounds? Is that professional?”

She began sputtering for the first time. “I would hardly call it an affair- But honestly, they’re adults, they’re professionals, I honestly-”

“And you were spotted with Ted Lasso recently,” another voice called out. “Can we assume you’ve moved on from Roy Kent?”

Her eyes widened, but she tried to recover her cool. “Coach Lasso’s a great coach. I-”

A harsh laugh rang out of the speakers. “Yeah, what does Kent think of your relationship with his ex-manager?”

Roy took a step towards the door; he knew that running into that press room would make things worse, would be a headline every paper would be running in the morning, but he didn’t give a fuck. His whole body was burning with fury as he listened to them challenge and fucking laugh at her.

A hand clasped his shoulder; Jamie was shaking his head, eyes full of sympathy, as if he too wanted to rush in and rescue her. But they both knew that she needed to do this on her own.

“Oi, is Roy why you always wear that red lipstick? Should we expect to see it on his collar sometime?”

She looked small, so impossibly small, not at all like the woman Roy had been fighting with and falling for all these months. Her defiance disappeared under their demeaning questions, her fierceness was stolen by their laughter, her cockiness was stifled by their mockery.

“What kind of example do you think you’re setting for the girls of Richmond? Sleeping with Roy Kent and all?”

That seemed to be the question that knocked the fight out of her.

“Oh, fuck this,” Roy growled, tugging out his phone. He quickly typed six little words, the first text message he’d ever sent her.

Don’t you fucking dare play nice.

Her eyes flickered to her phone, eyebrows raising; Roy knew she’d gotten his message. She closed her eyes for a moment, letting them continue to shout and shame her. Finally, she sat up tall, jaw set, and stared down the crowd in front of her.

“You know what?” she asked, her voice low and gravely. “Fuck these questions you keep asking me.” Roy was sure he heard Keeley squeak on the television. “You’re not asking Roy Kent these questions. You’re not asking if he’s a good role model. You’re not questioning his ability to manage his team.” She shook her head. “What message am I sending to young girls? Really? How about what message are you sending?”

Roy was sure it was Kira Malone’s voice behind him calling out, “Fuck yeah, Buck!”

She sat up taller now. “I am a fucking Olympian. I am a champion coach. I have won more titles and trophies and medals than this entire building combined.”

“Tell ‘em, Coach!” Jamie laughed, nodding up at her face onscreen.

Roy’s mind wandered, of all places, to his niece. To the way she adored that loud, abrasive woman, a woman who was standing up for girls like Phoebe. A lump formed in his throat as he listened; fuck, he might actually fucking cry. And he didn’t care if the Greyhounds saw the tears in his eyes. He didn’t even care about the way Jamie was staring at him; he was too enraptured by the scene unfolding on the television.

“I chose to sleep with a nice man one time, and suddenly all my accomplishments don’t matter? Who cares about Olympic gold when you’ve gone to bed with Roy Kent? What defines me is who I go home with? What message is that for the daughters of Richmond? You’re telling your girls that their accomplishments and dreams are nothing compared with what they do in the bedroom. No.” Her eyes were hard and steely as she shook her head. “Fuck this. I’m done. If I wanted to go and sleep with Roy Kent tonight, that’s my own damn business. If I wanted to sleep with any other man, or woman, or whoever, that’s my business.”

Shouts of agreement echoed through the weight room, from both Whippets and Greyhounds. A smile crept across Roy’s lips; fuck, she was incredible. If he wasn’t in love before, he definitely was now.

“What example am I setting for the girls of Richmond?” she asked with a dry laugh. “Not letting jackasses like you question our worth because of a man. That’s the example I’m setting. So if you’re here to ask about my sex life, you can fuck right off. It’s not up for debate, not anymore. It’s not what we’re talking about, now or ever. What I’m here to talk about is the fact that the Whippets are in first place and are expected to finish in the top three in our first damn season. How about you ask me about that?”

~

My heartbeat throbbed in my ears as I stood up, only vaguely registering the female reporters and handful of men who also stood, clapping and calling out words of support. I grabbed my phone and rushed out of the press room, not bothering to look at Keeley and Rebecca; I’d apologize to them later. I’d do whatever Keeley needed me to do to spin this. I’d offer to do whatever public appearances Rebecca demanded.

But first, I needed to get to my office to hyperventilate in peace.

As my feet did their job, carrying me down the halls, I became aware of the sound of… clapping? Cheering?

When I turned the last corner that would take me to the changing room, I finally stopped in my tracks.

Lining the hall were both Richmond teams, a beautiful jumble of smiles and applause and cheers, all watching me with affection. Suddenly, I found myself smothered with hugs and kisses and handshakes. Kira held me close, whispering in my ear about how proud she was to play for me; Jamie Tartt kissed my forehead and called me a bad-ass; over and over, Greyhounds and Whippets embraced me and offered their love and support.

By the time I reached the locker room, tears were freely streaming down my face, releasing all the emotion I’d been holding back in the press room; hell, all the emotion I’d been holding back since Keeley first showed me the photos of me and Roy.

The Greyhounds coaches stood in front of the locker room, pride shining on their faces. Beard and Nate each held me tight, murmuring about how amazed they were. Finally, Roy stood in front of me, his eyes watery as he gazed down at me.

“Welcome back, Coach,” he hummed, sticking out his hand.

I grasped his hand, shaking it firmly, unable to hold back my tearful smile. “Good to be back, Coach,” I murmured. I gave his hand a squeeze before letting go. “And thank you,” I whispered.

He shook his head softly. “Anytime.”

A pair of arms wrapped around me; Lucas was hugging me, tighter than anyone else had. “I’m so proud of you,” he choked out, crying almost as hard as I was. “So fucking proud, kid.”

With one last look at Roy, I let Lucas steer me into our office, listening to him chatter about how much he loved my little speech. I collapsed in my chair and laughed, from disbelief that I had just done that. My phone went off; George.

“Hey!” I exclaimed, wiping my face. “Did ya see me?”

“What the hell, Buck?” he hissed. “You just made things so much harder on yourself. They’re not going to forgive you for this. They’re not going to like you after this. Trust me, I know these people.”

When Lucas saw the way my face fell, he gave my shoulder a squeeze and left, figuring I needed some privacy.

I hunched over my desk and clutched my phone to my face. “To be honest, George, I don’t think I care if they like me. They don’t respect me, so why do I care if they think I’m nice?” I shook my head. “I’m proud of myself, actually. And so is my team. And so are the Greyhounds.” And so is Roy Kent, a little voice in the back of my head whispered.

He paused. “It was good,” he sighed. “You sounded great. Honestly, it was a great ‘girl power’ moment.” There was another moment of quiet on his end before his voice turned thoughtful. “You know, I bet we could do a great article about this. Give your side of things, talk all about the slut-shaming and double standards-”

“Didn’t you listen to what I said?” I scoffed, sensing someone approaching my office. “I’m fucking done talking about this. I’m not answering questions about this, ever again. Everyone knows I had sex with Roy Kent, that’s more than they need to know. I don’t owe anyone anything else.”

“Right.” He cleared his throat. “Why don’t we grab a late dinner? Could, I dunno, celebrate your win or something.”

For the first time since we met, I had no interest in seeing George Willows. “Not tonight,” I muttered. “I just… want to go home. Sleep. Avoid Twitter.” I finally turned, realizing it was, of all people, Roy hovering in my doorway. “Listen, I gotta go. I’ll call you tomorrow.” Not waiting for a reply, I hung up, tossing my phone on my desk before turning my chair around, raising my eyebrows teasingly at Roy. “Need something? Or are you going to send me another inspiring text message?”

He stared at me, mouth open like he was about to speak. Finally, he just shook his head and let out a breathy chuckle. “Fuck,” he breathed, stepping further into my office. “You… you were fucking something today, you know that?”

I shook my head and stood up, meeting him in the middle of the room. “Kent-”

“No.” He smirked at me. “Take the fucking compliment.” He shrugged. “I just wanted to tell you I was… really impressed today.” He cleared his throat. “On the field. In the press room. You’re a fucking great manager.” He let out a deep breath, eyes shifting around the office. “Don’t think I’ve told you that, and I’m sorry I haven’t.” He met my gaze, his smirk becoming a smile. “And I am very glad Phoebe has someone like you to look up to. So… that’s it, I guess.”

Roy Kent was looking at me with admiration. Roy Kent, who’d hated me and screamed at me. Roy Kent, who’d slept with me. Roy Kent, who asked me to speak to a girls’ soccer team. Roy Kent.

Roy Kent, who I wrapped my arms around and pulled into a hug. Not giving a shit about anything outside my tiny office, I pressed my body close to his, squeezing him tight. I buried my face in his shoulder, letting my tear-stained face dampen his Greyhounds shirt. His words, the look on his face, they were exactly what I needed.

His hands hovered over my hips, not returning the embrace, and I could hear him clear his throat, the vibration rumbling against my chest. Fuck, fuck, fuck.

Immediately regretting my impulsive action, I pulled back, positive my face was bright red. “Shit,” I mumbled, my mind reeling from the roller coaster of emotions I was having tonight. “Sorry, I-”

Suddenly, I was pulled back to Roy’s chest, his arms wrapped tightly around my waist. I swore he sighed when my arms returned to his neck, and when my head hit his chest, I could hear his heart pounding, just as hard as I knew mine was. We stood there, hugging, wrapped up in whatever little world we were in, away from the press and the rumors and the judgement.

Just me and Roy.

Taglist: @optimisticsandwichgladiator@reading-blogs@callmecasey81@ladygrey03@puckyou-forpuckssake@royalestrellas@shineforever19 @rae4725 @burnafter-reading @her-fandom-sanctum @infinetlyforgotten@giggling-sewer-ginger@whataloadofmalarkey@agentstarkid@kingleahhh@tortilla-maria1@geekgirl1996 @amatswimming @meg-ro@spicyraccoonlordking@spaghetti-dad187@needlesthreadandbuttons@elissaaa @imsoluckyeverythingworksoutforme @reverieisaway@djskakakaksjsj-blog@thatonedogwithablog@allthetroubleiveseen@sunderland-6 @netflix-addict @paranormal-is-my-life@jill2629-blog@itsbuzzfeedbitch@pretzelactivist@amieinghigh@kashee-h@beingalive1@mythicalbinicorn@needyomega@kno-way-home@janalustare@sssatorus@its-a-rich-mans-world@confessionsofatotaldramaslut@hesitant-alien33@katie-sheep-111 @bonesbonesetc @seacactusplant@thebookwormlife @dreamscape22 @rae4725 @timelordhunterandmysterysolver@littleesilvia @anonurs @itswhateveripromise @chewymoustachio @gcidrvsh @katdahlali @ohwauwdoritos @lemoonandlestars

[sugarpasteltmnt]

Hi there! I've read a lot of ROTTMNT fics, and I mean. A LOT. But holy fuck The Neon Void is literally the most amazing thing I've ever read.

The pacing is FANTASTIC? I'm way too impatient for reveals to take so long in my own writing, the fact you've managed to make it last 20 chapters (so far)? INSANE. /POS.

The characterization is absolutely phenomenal, it genuinely feels like this is something that could have happened in canon. It FEELS like the characters in every sense, even with Leo being the way he is! Its genuinely amazing.

Not to mention the ANGST. Presumed death is my favorite trope ever, and the fact all of their grief feels so palpable? The way you described Raph's grief in one of the chapters stuck with me so much, I forget the exact wording but it was like "He couldn't be more grateful to have had Leo for a brother, or more proud of the fact he had been his big brother" I don't know something like that AND IT FELT LIKE A KNIFE TO THE CHEST. WONDERFULLY DONE.

AND THE TELEPORTATION THING- making true teleportation so difficult in such a smart way was such a great move. I LOVE that aspect so much.

I'm gonna cut this ramble off here before I further go off the rails, I just wanted to say this is my all time favorite fanfic EVER. Even long when this is over I expect myself to come back to reread it VERY often. You're doing an amazing job, and you're a really awesome writer!

Have a wonderful day! :D

SOB THANK U SO MUCH

But seriously, that means a lot ;w; I’m always worried that my pacing is too slow, or if I’m hitting the marks on the boys’ personalities. ESPECIALLY with Leo fighting between insane giggle fits and self-loathing. It's been a challenge for sure. The reassurance that it’s somewhat believable makes me incredibly happy ;w; The story beats of this fic are honestly new territory for me—so it means the WORLD to me that you took the time to let me know you like my silly story!!! Especially since this is the first fic I’ve ever published—it’s a huge relief knowing that people enjoy my brain worms LOL

Honestly the amount of positive feedback I’ve gotten just from my silly little fic has totally floored me. Everyone has been so sweet and so kind and honestly writing this fic has brought me so much joy and I’m so happy that it makes other people happy too ;w;

But like??? The fact you feel like it could be canon?? THAT IS SUCH A HIGH COMPLIMENT THANK YOU 😭😭😭 I will admit I am proud of the teleportation aspect, and while I have some other silly particle physics lessons planned I just hope it all makes sense to readers in the end ;w;

Thank you again so so so much ;w; I love big dramatic reveal fics too, so it’s been VERY painful for me to have made it this far without a reveal LMAO. Seriously, I can’t wait to get this silly guy written and moved out of my head to free up rent space for some fanfic READING again (I WILL get distracted if I let myself read other fics rn SOB) I’ll def have to check yours out too because it sounds DELICIOUS 🤤✨

[m1ckeyb3rry]

tips and tricks on writing fanfic if u have any i beg <3<3

i have wrote so much throughout my life but it never feels like it flows right yk? i just want to write my silly characters being devastating with eachother

and you are infact my fav fic writer ever so pretty please <3

(its fine if not lol just may as well ask)

hihi!! sorry this took me a sec to respond to lol but yes ofc i can do my best to help!! and apologies in advance if any of this isn’t helpful/applicable 😓 i’ll put it all under the cut just because i can sense myself rambling in advance why did it end up being an entire thesis

okayyy so the most important thing for me when writing is having my plot and characters be in constant conversation with one another. typically i will come up with a very vague idea for a plot, which will then tell me exactly what kind of main characters i need to write, and from there, i build my cast!! it’s why i’m always afraid of writing characters ooc — typically i take aspects of the pre-existing character from canon and then expand on them so that they fit the plot i want, and sometimes i get worried that that means i’ve changed them too much LMAO.

once i understand what i want from my characters, i start to write. i usually have to rewrite my first chapter a few times as i get a feel for the characters and their perspectives, especially my pov character (we’ll call them mc for the sake of simplicity moving forward). it’s only after i feel like the mc’s voice and personality have been established that i can continue. i like to understand a character well enough that i can intuitively know how they would respond to any given situation. it makes it much easier in the future!! because once you’ve established a character, you can’t change them. i’ll use glass princess as an example because ik you’ve read it — if i wanted to write a slight different story, i could’ve written the mc to be a ruthless killer who has a short temper and resents her brother. however, i then would’ve had to work within the constraints of that character’s outlook instead of the constraints of current mc’s character!!

that’s why i typically only have loose ideas for plots. after i begin writing, i let my characters tell me what they want to do. they usually know what they want better than i do!! a lot of my “best” scenes have been entirely unplanned and based on me just following the characters’ actions to their natural conclusion. i guess you could say i go into each chapter having an idea of what the “inciting event” for the chapter will be — for example, mc runs to the tea shop the day after meeting the blue spirit, but the results of that inciting event are based more on my knowledge of my characters than any preconceived outlining or plotting. along the same lines, EVERY time i’ve had writer’s block with a fic (that was unrelated to me losing interest in the fandom/character/storyline) it’s been because i’ve forced my characters into a situation that they would not naturally end up in. my best example of this is a story i started writing with a very cold main character; she meets an injured enemy soldier who has lost his memories, and the plot was meant to revolve around her nursing him back to health and falling in love with him. however, given her character and the backstory i knew she had, i genuinely couldn’t come up with a single reason for why she would heal him instead of just killing him or turning him in, so i literally abandoned the story 😭 essentially i would recommend solid understanding of characters over a solid understanding of your plot 100% of the time. imo strong, well-rounded characters can carry even the shittiest of plots, but the opposite is rarely if ever true.

that was a lot of theory stuff!! as for where i get my ideas (not exactly what you asked but tangentially related so i’ll add it in here in case anyone else is reading and wants to know), it depends on the kind of fic i’m writing. my favorite fics are canon-verse, and for those fics i try to look for niches in the source material that aren’t already filled and make a character for it. the best example of this that i can think of off of the bat is two of my aot fics — in one, the mc is a member of the military police and the first interior squad, and in the other, the mc is a warrior candidate during the events of the show. both of these roles aren’t really filled by canon characters, so creating these characters allows me to look at plot events in a new light, which lets me expand the fic into something beyond just a rehashing of canon. in terms of au’s…to be honest listening to music is huge for me!! i’ll scroll through tik tok and hear an audio that inspires me, and once i have a vibe for what i want to write, i’ll search for similar songs that help me picture the general aesthetic of the au. the idea for my one bllk fic peregrine was conceived when i heard a snippet of the song welcome and goodbye by dream, ivory, on tik tok!! overall i don’t really like writing straight au’s that much though. idk why but in my experience every time i’ve tried to write an au fic i’ve gotten bored of it much much quicker than i would’ve with a more canon-based story. that’s just me personally though!!! i do loveeee worldbuilding though HAHA the amount of fantasy worlds i’ve created but never written for is horrific.

when it comes to things like grammar, sentence structure, and word choice, the only two things you can do to improve are reading and writing a LOT. at first, you should read more than you write, and when i say reading, it can be literally anything. find what you do and don’t like from all of the authors you encounter, and try to incorporate the pros into your writings while noticing the cons in your own work. it’s not plagiarism! you won’t be able to copy any author’s style completely, and if you engage in enough kinds of works, you’ll become a blend of so many different styles that it won’t sound copied or anything. then, once you’re comfortable mixing and matching depending on what scene you’re writing (maybe for a serious scene, you take references from a classical novel, whereas for a more lighthearted moment, you look at a social media au to see what kind of jokes might land with a broader audience), you can start to develop your own style!! it’ll come naturally as you go. the more you write, the more you will be certain of yourself and the way YOU would write something. the mixing and matching will smooth into one style that flows more naturally and does what you need, when you need it.

my final advice is that you shouldn’t compare yourself to others!! just because your writing doesn’t sound like your favorite author’s doesn’t mean it’s any worse. i’ve read amazing stories that are nothing like my own — it doesn’t mean that mine are worse than those stories, just different. there is a place in this world for every single story!! and it’s inevitable that you will look back on your old writing and cringe. i do!! i cannot read anything i wrote more than a year ago because i’ve improved so much that the old stuff is embarrassing to me. if you don’t push through the fear of cringe, though, you’ll never get anywhere. i’m not sure if you’re planning on posting anything ever, but i can say with certainty that if you do, there will be someone who reads and loves it. there’s people who still comment on and read and love my stories from 2021 that i absolutely despise now (it’s the only reason they haven’t been deleted yet). oftentimes we are our own worst critics, and also, knowing the plot ahead of time doesn’t help (writing suspenseful scenes is SO HARD when you know what’s coming 😭). your readers will love what you write, probably even more than you do!!

i hope that that was helpful and i’m so sorry for writing a literal essay OMG. like this is such a long post 😓 if you have any questions about what i wrote or about a specific aspect of the fic writing process, then lmk!! i’m always happy to help 🫶🏻

[girlfriendsofthegalaxy]

tuesday again 8/29/2023

my ENTIRE SUMMER has been either worrying about moving or actually moving. ALL OF IT. however an incredibly hot butch milf on the gay community bulletin board/dating app lex has finally answered my piteous call for gun safety classes with an invitation to her private range. unfortunately she is a landlord who owns a VERY large apartment complex. houston is a land of contrasts

listening

more joywave! one of my favorite bands bc they are best listened to in full album format, and i did a fuck of a lot of driving this weekend. little lies you’re told has an opening like a big machine warming up while you are in a control room way high up on a gantry somewhere. spotify

-

reading (2x bonus round)

All The Trimmings by Tesni Morgan (published 2001 in the UK) is a gift from @believerindaydreams. it is “erotic fiction written by women for women” (debatable) and “the publishers recommend that this book should be sold only to adults”. also, “Black Lace novels contain sexual fantasies. In real life, make sure you practise safe sex.” idk i’ve ever seen that kind of notation on an american novel before? fascinating precursor to the saccharine little “stay safe kids” ao3 authors notes

i do find the premise genuinely fun and compelling— two divorced milfs opening a hotel/bordello with historically themed rooms. i have had to look up a lot of british purple prose and i refuse to believe anyone says “rogering” in real life.

im being edged with glimmerings of bisexuality. every time one of the milfs gets turned on and goes out roaming to distract herself from being turned on, i go “oh?” like at a pokemon go egg, but so far all the dalliances and encounters have been dudes.

had a very strange experience with cormac mccarthy's blood meridian. i don’t normally interrogate whether or not i am the intended audience for a work except when it’s literally made for children, bc i as a modern bisexual woman am the intended audience for vanishingly few works. for example, many entire genres (westerns) are very challenging to enjoy.

a western has never made me go "wait so why DO i like westerns at all" so hard. like, what AM i doing here in this genre that is often deeply fucking uncomfortable to consume as a woman, and where the most foundational american and european works of the genre often uncritically embrace the worst parts of the american mythos in the most violent way possible? i do believe critics when they say mccarthy is not embracing violence for the sake of, and in fact has something to say with his revisionist western, but my god is it hard to wade through. anyway, dad media will not fuck me and i still have only a tenuous grasp on why i try so hard to glean enjoyment from it.

i know what mccarthy is trying to do and the overall tone of “weird old maybe-uncle” spinning a yarn to a big group of you and your cousins around a fire somewhere is pretty effective. unfortunately I have less tolerance for mccarthy’s style now than when I read The Road thirteen years ago in high school. i was immediately super invested in The Road’s single dad and how he and his kid were surviving, which does not need a lot of interiority.

blood meridian also has very little interiority. the first five chapters are a teen falling in and out of various fights. i was not, and am still not invested. if im reading A Man Goes On A Journey western (as opposed to A Stranger Comes to Town western) i would like to know two or three things about the man, especially if it seems to be angling at a bildungsroman. i don't typically care for third-person objective narration when it is this closely focused on one guy, and i really don't care for loving descriptions of maggots. comforting to know a lot of critics were also squicked out by this book. so it goes.

-

watching

finished watching s1 of spy x family! a Legally Not West German spy in Legally Not East Berlin has to go into deep cover and pose as a family man in order to gain access to Legally Not Erich Honecker, because the only social events Legally Not Erich Honecker goes to are the ones at his son's elite prep school.

this man FLINGS himself into being the absolute best husband and father possible. for the mission, of course.

i found the first few episodes the best, which is generally the opposite of my normal anime experience. i think it does a really good job of balancing high-octane spy hijinks and chases and explosions with very domestic concerns (he PROPOSES. with a THE RING OFF A HAND GRENADE. AFTER THROWING IT), and once you're really hooked on these characters it turns into a bit of a curtainfic. curtainanime? i had fun with all of it and anxiously await season two, but the actual applied spycraft does drop off significantly as the series goes on.

-

playing

we're going to continue with out of context genshin screencaps for the duration. the watery land of fontaine has a neat smorgsabord of visual style-- freshwater but also saltwater but also the aquarium section at petsmart.

-

making

unpacking mostly. acquired this coffee table and its mother. needs a very deep cleaning and some touchups but is intact. the individual tables are a bit large for like individual party drinks tables but all six together are QUITE large. four tigether would be a comfortable coffee table size for many apartments imo but! bc everything truly is bigger in Texas including my apartment it works for right now. for the first time in my life i am considering a sectional sofa bc the living/dining room is that dang big.

[scoops-aboy86]

20 Questions for Writers

I was tagged by @steviewashere, wahoo!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

19.

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

68,563. 

Which, given that I made the account in January, means I’ve written an average of about 13,713 words a month. 😵‍💫🤓

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Stranger Things exclusively, except for like. That one itty bitty crossover with Good Omens, but that was more of a thought post on here than an actual fic. All Steddie, with occasional dashes of Buckingham or Ronance.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

Love Language and Twice Shy are tied for 1st, which is cute. The latter isn’t really wg related and, amusingly, has fewer comments and bookmarks than the former. 

Window, which I swear I will write a part 2 for someday. Probably. I want to, cross my heart, I’m just… easily distracted sometimes. 

Office Baking, which is part of a collab with the lovely @hotluncheddie

All About the Bounce in My Step, another one with a part 2 on my WIPs list. The title came from an AJR song that has… nothing to do with the fic really, it was just one of the first songs I heard on Pandora after I finished editing it and needed a title in order to post.

Kitchen Pig. Perhaps the most, uh… “contains mean comments about someone’s weight” of my fics, purely because Tommy and Carol are involved. I was kind of nervous about posting it. Glad I did though.

5. Do you respond to comments?

I try! Sometimes it requires a lot of a particular kind of energy that I don’t already have, but I like to acknowledge that someone took the time to leave me some words, even if my response is just heart emojis or something. 

If you've commented and I haven't responded yet, it's somewhere on my to do list.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Uh… The first chapter of Not Dating, for sure, because it was originally intended as a one-shot. Or maybe Twice Shy because one little reassurance (however genuine and however accepted) is definitely not enough to untangle the knot of Steve’s trust issues. Hashtag thanks Nancy. 

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

Ooh, tough one, because I always go for the happy ending sooner or later. (Even with angst, I crave that sweet sweet resolution.) Maybe Seven Christmases though, because the whole thing is so family focused and caretaking and indulgent all the way through. 

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Surprisingly, no. I guess I’m doing a good enough job with easily blockable tags and staying in my lane—by which I mostly mean, if I reblog something that sparks kinky thoughts, I put them in a separate post so the people who see it are mostly those who seek it out. 

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

Heh, mostly smut that involves eating too much and getting off to that.

10. Do you write crossovers?

Literally just that one Good Omens post, where rockstar Eddie has brought chubby Steve to The Ritz or something, and Crowley or Aziraphale overhears Eddie calling him "angel" and miracles an extra dish onto their table, as a treat.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of. But I don’t lock my ao3 posts, so if they’re being scraped then I guess I am doing my part in making AI weird. 

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not that I know of. That would be kind of cool.

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

Not a ton, but @hotluncheddie and I have written some stuff back and forth, notably Office Baking. 

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

Steddie! With additional spaces carved out in my heart for Buckingham, platonic Stobin, and platonic Hellcheer. 

Ronance is alright, I have nothing against it, but in my heart I feel that Nancy has been consistently in one relationship or another since she slept with Steve in the first season. She’s been through a ton since then, grown up a lot, and become an incredibly different person… I just think she needs some time with herself to figure out who that is and what she wants. 

15. What's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you will?

Never admit defeat, never surrender. 

I never mean to leave things unfinished, I’m just, yeah. Easily distracted. I also have a full time job, a partner, and seven furry children… It’s a lot to juggle sometimes.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Banging out the tunes story. And then—I read someone describe it this way once, can’t remember when or where—going back over it like a painting and filling in more details, building up the layers until it’s got more texture, like a Van Gogh. Like, when I wrote Trick & Treat, I got most of the way through writing it before going back and working in their costumes. And that became a huge part of the fic! Also, originally I forgot part of the prompt and wrote Steve only getting as far as a downstairs bathroom instead of his bedroom. 

Yes, I know, technically I am just describing editing. But I like thinking of it as adding texture. 

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Ugh, settings. I’m usually pretty good with dialogue and what the characters are doing, but I really have to think about where they are. 

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

I only know English and the bare minimum of Spanish to get enough credits to graduate high school, so… Some bits of other languages sometimes, like slang that I’ve verified through online research, and I’ll run things back and forth in Google Translate a few times to try and keep it from coming out too garbled, but eh. If it’s extensive I’d probably switch to italics or special brackets to indicate another language, unless the main pov character doesn’t speak it and isn’t intended to know what it means without an in-story translation. 

That’s just what I do, I don’t give a fig what other writers choose to do as long as it’s consistent within each story.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

As a wg kink writer, Stranger Things. In general, I started with the works of one Douglas Adams back in college. 

20. Favorite fic you've written?

Oh god, I’m so indecisive… Seven Christmases makes me feel all warm inside, I’m really proud of that one. 

I’ve seen this making the rounds lately and everyone I can think of has probably been tagged already, but… @hotluncheddie @tangerinesteve @pearynice @lingeringmirth, no pressure!

[dragonologist-phd]

Jumping in on the trend started by @mightymizora and doing self-promo for some of my favorite stuff I’ve written/worked on this year!

Midnight Black and Paris Green (BG3)

Shadowheart isn't accustomed to placing her trust in other people. Neither is Naia. But these are interesting times, and stranger things have happened.

(Tav/Shadowheart, 15.3k, ongoing)

“The way you write Shadowheart makes me oddly happy. It just feels... right in every way. Her internal musings and conflict, the dialogue, the longing, the banter, the prescence of her Shar worship and how its affecting her and Naia's little affair all just fits together so nicely. You're doing her such justice and I'm so charmed by Naia!! She's so lovely. Just a silly and whimsical girlie trying her best.”

The Weight of Silver Linings (BG3)

Wyll’s pact is broken, his father saved. All should be right with the world…but of course, things are never so simple as that. After a tense reunion with his father, Wyll and Naia find themselves contemplating the day’s events as they discuss forgiveness, family, and the twisting path into the future.

(Tav & Wyll, 2.4k, one-shot)

“That's really beautiful, and I love the snapshot of Wyll and Naia's friendship and the contrast in their perspectives”

Her Tongue So Mean (PWOTR)

Lilith is busy. Wenduag is bored. A battle of wills ensues.

(Commander/Wenduag, 1.4k, one-shot, smut)

“Oh, this was SO GOOD! I love the way you write Wenduag, and the back-and-forth she and Lilith have is so captivating to read ❤️”

“Incredibly hot AND a good character read”

Love & War (PWOTR)

Galfrey was a queen, a paladin, an icon for all that was righteous and just in the Crusades. Cleo was a barbarian, a tiefling, a personification of demonic chaos. By all rights and logic, the two should have been at each other's throats- and often, they were.

But somehow, through war and struggle and sacrifice, they ended up finding more in each other than either ever expected.

(Commander/Galfrey, 27.8k, ongoing)

“I absolutely love your characterization of Galfrey – her awareness that she’s no fun, but also her awareness why. Her doubts and hopes about this new Knight-Commander and her reaction to her insubordination. That hand kiss was so charged…I am also in love with how you describe Cleo. She totally comes to life already in this first chapter.”

“DRAMA!!!”

Of Diamonds And Dust (DA:O)

Marja Aeducan and Darvis Brosca lead lives as different as one could possibly imagine. Marja Aeducan, a member of the nobility and second in line for the throne, has spent her life maneuvering the dangerous political machinations of the Diamond Quarter. Meanwhile, Darvis Brosca, a Casteless dwarf rejected by society, does whatever it takes to survive on the streets of Dust Town.

When a Grey Warden arrives in Orzammar, the lives of Marja and Darvis are forever changed. Driven from the city by misfortune and betrayal, the two must join the ranks of the Wardens in order to save their own lives. But the surface has far greater dangers than they realize. The noble and the thief will need to stand together if they're going to fight against the oncoming Blight, the brewing civil war, and the strange surface malady called "sunburn".

(205k, longfic, ongoing)

“Ooooh! What a wonderful idea! The dwarf origins are my favorite and to have them both brought together in a single adventure honestly has me excited! And such a great writing flow you have here! The episodic parallels work so well to showcase the characters and how they grow into their own people! Love it!”

And So They Burned (DA:O)

The world was not a kind place to those touched by magic. Haunted by whispers of demons, fear of the Templars, and memories of the lives taken from them, three apprentices in Kinloch Hold turned to each other and made a world of their own.

(Amell/Surana/Jowan, 56k, ongoing)

“Everything from the characters to the writing is so good. I genuinely couldn't put my phone down and just binge read it. I especially love the whole poly aspect, I haven't really seen fics that explore that. Also wanted to add, the dynamic among all three of them is just so amazing, I want to put them in my pocket and run, they don't deserve this circle life. This story is amazing 😊”

[beefromanoff]

Going Under Ch. 5

summary: Bucky Barnes is assigned to head the security detail of an internationally beloved singer named Gianna as his next mission.

characters: Bucky Barnes x OC

soundtrack: sleeping with a friend - neon trees; phantoms and friends - old man canyon

warnings: fluff, pop star fantasy x love story, set in an AU where the Avengers reunite after Civil War, pre-infinity war, slight angst, hurt/comfort, lonely reader/OC.

author’s note: realizing this story combines all my favorite things right now...the Anakin/Padme dynamic of love interests/assigned protection, the Taylor Swift eras tour content all over my FYP, and of course, James Buchanan Barnes.

chapter list/links - xo

Standing backstage, Bucky shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his dark jeans, watching as Gianna took the stage. Tonight’s show would be the first time she was performing the song they had written together live in concert, and he was nervous. Since it wasn’t recorded or released yet, she planned to sing it in the encore as a special acoustic version for her fans. He’d seen dozens of her shows, and every single one went to at least one encore, sometimes even more. The time she chose to do a third encore, Bucky had been tempted to walk out onstage, throw Gianna over his shoulder, and force her to leave the show. He’d held back, seeing the light in her eyes that didn’t seem to dim as she sang to a stadium full of people who adored her. He did, however, give Tom and the tour staff a very pointed warning that anyone who woke her up before noon the following day would risk losing the hand that knocked on her hotel room door. 

Several hours later, the final song faded out and all Bucky could hear were the screams of the crowd. He wondered if he’d ever get used to the deafening roar of tens of thousands of screaming teenage girls, made even more unbearable by his heightened super soldier hearing. 

“Great job, doll. Took my breath away.” Bucky winked, handing Gianna a glass of water as she walked offstage. She gulped the glass down, too parched to respond, but the look she gave him over the top of the plastic cup made his stomach turn. Her green eyes didn’t break eye contact with him as Kate dabbed her brow and another stage hand checked the settings on her earpiece. Gianna didn’t seem to notice anything but Bucky, and he almost felt himself shrink under her undivided attention. Especially knowing what she was about to do. 

Just like all the nights before, not one person had left the stadium. The chants of encore, encore echoed throughout the arena, only growing louder the longer Gianna held out. 

Tucking her hair back over her earpiece, she remained locked on Bucky. “Are you ready for this?” Her eyes showed genuine concern. “I don’t have to sing this one, if it’s too soon, if you’d rather not -” 

Bucky cut her off, tilting her chin up to look at him as he stood inches from her face. The cool vibranium felt heavenly against her hot skin as he did so. 

“I’ve been waiting for this all night.” 

He looked back and forth between her eyes, shoving down the nerves he felt at something so vulnerable about to be shared with thousands of people. He reminded himself that no one would know what the song was about, or the circumstances it was written under. No one would know about that rainy day in the hotel room that changed their relationship from contracted security to something deeper and not yet defined.  

Gianna nodded, a smile spreading across her pink glossed lips as she reached for her microphone from the stage manager standing beside her, parting the curtain. She took a deep breath, her chest twinkling with the sweat beads still illuminated in the neon lights. 

Turning on her heel, Gianna walked back to the stage, taking a seat at the piano on the far side. She was facing the side of the stage where Bucky stood in the wings, shifting his weight as he waited for her to begin. 

“If it’s alright with everyone tonight, I thought I’d play a little something I haven’t gotten to share with the world yet.” Gianna’s eyes twinkled as she teased the fans. The crowd erupted and lit up with tiny pinpricks of light from every phone rising into the air. It looked like she was singing to a sea of stars. Bucky swallowed nervously, trying to focus on the beauty of the moment and not the prospect of this song being played for millions of people via the internet. He always seemed to forget about it, no matter how many different iterations of it were scrawled down in his notebook. 

“Okay, okay,” Gianna laughed, quieting the crowd down. “This song was written on this very tour, with someone who has come to mean a great deal to me.” If it weren’t for his super soldier eyesight, Bucky would never have noticed Gianna’s eyes searching for him in the wings. He took a step forward, letting the light illuminate him while remaining hidden from the crowd. Her eyes softened when she spotted him. 

“This song is about strength, struggle, and coming back to ourselves on the other side. I hope you all feel a little of yourselves in this one. It’s called…Going Under.” 

The crowd roared and then quickly quieted down as she began to play, fingers dancing over the keys. Bucky stood stiff and still, soaking in everything from the sound of her voice echoing through the room to the fans in the front row wiping their eyes on their sleeves. 

Blurring and stirring the truth and the lies (so I don't know what's real)

(So I don't know what's real and what's not)

(Don't know what's real and what's not)

Always confusing the thoughts in my head

So I can't trust myself anymore

Gianna sang the lines that had gutted him the first time he heard them. After such a vicious struggle reclaiming his own mind, endless hours of work and therapy to find himself in his own mind, and years of brainwashing convincing him of what he was and what he wasn’t…these words sank heavily into his skin.

Her powerful voice filled the arena, stronger and bolder than the soft rendition he’d heard in the hotel room, and the words they had written together based on his history as the Winter Soldier took on new meaning.

For the first time, Bucky was able to see his horrific past as something other than shameful. He felt a sense of pride and gratitude that Gianna had been able to take his experiences and turn them into something beautiful. Everyone backstage had paused their closing duties to listen to her sing. He heard a chorus of soft voices saying “wow” and “this is her next hit” from the team gathered behind him. 

As the encore came to a close, Bucky stood ready to escort Gianna offstage. Instead of the usual hand outstretched to guide her to the green room, he greeted her with the tightest hug Gianna had ever felt. Typically the extent of their physical contact was Bucky’s hand grazing her back as he guided her through crowds, and that was mostly unintentional. This was different. Warm, firm, assuring, full of gratitude, and something else Gianna wasn’t sure if she was imagining. She closed her eyes and relaxed into him, feeling her sheer exhaustion for the first time all day. 

They stood like that for several moments before a sharp voice yanked them from their own world. 

“Hey! Stop! You can’t go back there!” Bucky opened his eyes to see a thirty-something man in a mask running towards Gianna, having hopped the barrier and evaded the preoccupied security. The man was barreling towards them with a crazed look in his eye, but didn’t appear to be armed. Bucky rolled Gianna behind him and took two powerful steps forward, left arm rearing back. There was a resounding thud as Bucky’s metal hand collided with the man’s skull, and a second one as the man landed on the stage, unconscious. 

Gianna gasped, unable to process what had happened in a matter of seconds, but Bucky didn’t hesitate. He put his arm around her shoulders and began weaving her purposefully through the backstage chaos. Her vision blurred with fear, confusion, and exhaustion as Gianna struggled t keep up with Bucky’s long strides. She heard him talking into his earpiece, but her ears were still ringing with the sound of the man’s head smacking the hard stage floor. 

She closed her eyes and concentrated on the warmth of Bucky pressed against her side and the weight of his arm resting on her shoulders. She heard a whoosh of the sliding door, felt the cool night air on her skin, and hear sirens in the distance. 

Gianna opened her eyes to see the black SUV parked right outside the back entrance to the stadium, but the bus was nowhere to be found. 

“Get in. We aren’t taking any chances.” Bucky growled, eyes scanning everything around them. Gianna nodded and climbed in through the door he was holding open for her. Bucky joined her in the backseat and the private driver peeled out of the parking lot. Glancing over at him, Gianna noticed that Bucky’s hand was firmly resting on his right hip, where she assumed he had a gun holstered. 

He must have felt her eyes on him, because he tore his eyes from the window and looked to his left where Gianna was sitting. His eyes softened, seeing her trembling from a mixture of fear, adrenaline, and cold sweat from the show. 

“Hey, don’t be scared, this is what I’m here for. We haven’t had an incident so far on this tour and nothing happened.” Bucky tried to keep the angry edge out of his voice. Reaching for her hand, he spoke softly. 

“I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise you, Gianna. That guy never had a chance.” He squeezed her hand and she smiled sheepishly. 

“Thank you, Buck. It all happened so fast, I didn’t even…and you moved so quickly…it was weird to see you like that, so intense…” She fumbled over her words, eyes glossing as she recalled the events playing out. Bucky stiffened next to her, worried that she was afraid of him. 

“It was cool, you know, seeing you like that.” She flipped her hand over to squeeze his. “You’re kind of a badass.” Bucky looked up and locked eyes with her again. 

“Just doing my job.” 

At that moment, with her green eyes locked on Bucky’s, it hit him how important his role on the tour was. He wasn't just there to protect Gianna physically, which proved to be more necessary than he’d originally thought, he was there to provide emotional support and comfort to a scared and lonely girl. Whether or not that was in the contract that Stark had given him, Bucky didn’t care. If he was all she had, he was determined to be everything she needed.

They took a service elevator back to the room and crept through the halls, Bucky remaining glued to her side as Gianna walked along. They got to her room and she slid the card into the door with trembling hands. 

“Your bag should already be on the bed, Tom gathered it for you. The room has already been cleared, but I can do it again if you’d like.” Bucky stood in the doorway, one hand above Gianna’s head to prop it open. 

“I’d appreciate that…y’know, can’t be too safe.” Gianna mumbled, flipping on every light switch in her reach. Bucky nodded and walked into the room, combing it for anything unusual. He ran his fingers over every door frame, checked each closet, and found nothing. 

“Alright doll, you’re good to go. You gonna be okay?” Walking over to where Gianna sat on the edge of her king sized bed, still in full sequin leotard and heels, he tilted her chin up to look at him. Bucky felt a pang in his chest when he saw the streaks where her tears had torn through her makeup. 

“Yeah, yeah, I’m all good. Thank you again.” She stood, mustering a smile. “Knight in shining armor and all.” Gianna reached for his hand, weaving her soft fingers through his metal ones. “Literally.” 

Bucky chuckled, relieved she still had her sense of humor after a rough night. 

“I guess that would make you a princess, which doesn’t seem like too big of a stretch.” Bucky’s voice was low and soft, gentler than she’d heard it before. He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and regarded her for a moment. Gianna couldn’t read him if she tried. 

“If you need anything tonight, anything at all, just ring my room. I’ll be here before you can even get my name out.” He squeezed her hand. 

Gianna felt a lump in her throat and hot tears welling up. Not wanting to seem childish or weak for being so upset over something that almost happened, she didn’t speak. She fixed her eyes on the ground and nodded, standing to walk him to the door. 

As Bucky walked through and pulled out his keycard from his back pocket, he heard Gianna’s voice, barely above a whisper. 

“Don’t go.” 

He hesitated, unsure if he heard what he thought he did. He looked over his shoulder, still holding the room key in his right hand. 

“Stay with me. Please.” 

She stood in the doorway, illuminated from behind with all the lights in the hotel room left on. The way the rays of light shone around her made her look like some kind of angel. Some kind of sad, scared angel. Bucky let the door fall shut behind him and crossed the hall towards her. 

“Whatever you need.” 

She let out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding, unsure how he’d respond to her asking him to stay the night with her. Even given the circumstances, there wasn’t any way around the fact that her room only had one bed. 

“Give me two minutes to get my stuff, I’ll be right back.” Bucky gave her a reassuring look. “You can time me if you want.” 

Gianna smiled at the super soldier’s attempts to be goofy, and slunk back into her room. She wiped off her makeup, throwing her lashes in the garbage and running the hottest shower the hotel pipes had to offer. She heard Bucky let himself back in and set his bag down outside the bathroom door. 

“I’m here, doll. Take as long as you need. I’m not going anywhere.” He rapped his metal knuckles softly on the door, a random but comforting thing he’d taken to doing when he had to retrieve her from her hotel room in the morning or green room before the show. 

After scrubbing her skin and rinsing all the hairspray and most of the glitter from her hair, Gianna emerged from the bathroom in the hotel’s plush robe and slippers. Her feet ached from the extended time in her heels tonight. The excess cushion in the slippers felt like heaven. She rounded the corner into the bedroom to find Bucky pacing, talking on the phone. 

He’d turned off the overhead lights but left all the lamps on, and even pulled back the covers so the bed was prepared for her to collapse into.

“I gotta go, I’ll call you tomorrow.” Bucky said to whoever was on the other end of his call. “Yeah, send me any details you can come up with. Thanks Nat.” 

Bucky shoved his phone into the pocket of his sweatpants, a look Gianna couldn’t help but appreciate. He was typically in slight variations of the same outfit every day. Leather jacket, dark jeans, tactical boots, various holster buckles visible from different angles when he moved. 

Tonight, he looked softer, more human. He wore dark grey sweats with a black t-shirt that read Stark Enterprises across the chest. She let her eyes wander over him, soaking in this unfamiliar look. The shirt was snug across his chest and even more so on his arms. The short sleeves revealed more of his metal arm than she was used to seeing, and it caught the lamp light when he moved. Bucky ran a hand through his hair and took a deep breath, turning to face Gianna. The dog tags hanging around his neck clinked as he lowered his hand.

Tousling her damp hair with the towel, Gianna sat down on the bed. “Who’s Nat?”

“Natasha, she uh, works with me. She’s good, we should know this guy’s blood type and childhood stuffed animal’s name by the time we wake up in the morning.” 

“Natasha, she’s Black Widow right? I’ve seen her before, online and on the news, and wow - I can’t believe you just called her up, you are way, WAY cooler, than me…” Gianna gushed. 

Bucky couldn’t help but notice how young she looked. The excitement over Natasha, her bare face and wet hair, the way she was swallowed up by the robe and the giant bed, she seemed so small. So innocent. So undeserving of tonight’s circumstance. Selfishly, part of him was glad it had happened. He wasn’t sure there was really a need for him on this tour or if Tony had just given him this assignment to throw him a bone and keep him busy. 

Now, after tonight, he knew he was there for good reason. He tried to force away the small part of him that was thankful for the scare, because without it, he wouldn’t be crossing the room to spend the night with Gianna Cruz. 

He perched on the edge of the bed, giving her a sympathetic smile. “Feel better?”

She nodded and widened her eyes to show how serious she was. “Oh, god, yeah. The attempted assault, or whatever that was, that was bad, but those heels were the real crime.” 

“You’re a real trooper.” Bucky teased. “I figured I’d just sleep on the chair, I don’t want -” 

“No!” Gianna startled him with her abrupt response. “Sorry, I uh, I just really want…I want to be held tonight.” Looking down at her hands in her lap, she fidgeted with the belt of her robe. 

“It’s just been lonely, I guess, and tonight was so scary, and sometimes I have nightmares anyways, and you’re already here so I just thought…maybe you wouldn’t mind…” As she trailed off, she looked up to meet Bucky’s eyes. When he saw the way she looked up at him, his heart melted and turned to stone all at once. He knew he would do anything this strawberry blonde little thing asked him to do, hell, he’d throw himself off another train if it meant keeping her safe. He knew that he’d stop at nothing to protect her, and that scared him. He knew what he was capable of without having someone dear to him to protect…but now? He pushed the thought out of his mind and smiled. 

“Whatever you need.” He sat down beside her, sliding his legs underneath the plush white comforter. Propping his back against the wall, Bucky lifted his arm so Gianna could crawl underneath it. She rested her head on his chest and nuzzled in, her hair leaving a damp spot on his shirt. He felt her sigh and then relax, as if she hadn’t taken a deep breath all day. Her shoulders rose and fell with her breathing, and Bucky used his left hand to stroke her hair out of her face. 

Her eyelids fluttered open and looked up at him one more time. Wrapping his arms around her and holding her close, Bucky knew that he couldn't erase the trauma of what had just happened, but he could be there for her in that moment. He could stay through the night and until she didn’t want him there anymore. 

As they laid together, Bucky realized that he had come a long way since he first started working with Gianna. He had gone from being a distant and cold bodyguard, reluctantly assigned to protect a twenty-something singer, to being the one holding her as she fell asleep.

“G?” Bucky asked softly, wondering if she’d drifted off yet. 

“Mm-hmm?”

“Your song was incredible tonight. I never got to tell you.”

Her cheeks turned the slightest bit pink, and he saw her smile into his chest.

“Our song.” 

[sylvies-chen]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love ❤️

Ahh ok this is so cute I’m glad I was sent this because I feel like I never promote my own stuff on here and wouldn’t unless prompted lol.

Hopelessly Devoted To You - anyone who’s read my stuff has probably read this one, it’s my most popular fic and my first ever AU. I was so proud of this story, and met some of the most wonderful fandom friends through this story

Spinning Out - this is my most severely underrated fanfiction ngl!! I was so proud of this when I wrote it and was in my Burzek feels. I owe @fighterkimburgess for this, who championed this fic for me, like I was writing it solely for you at one point cíara! you were its biggest fan for sure. anyway y’all can pry ballerina kim from my cold dead hands it was glorious.

Violin Concert in D Minor, Op. 47: I. Allegro Moderato - MY KENSTEWY FIC MY BELOVED yes I absolutely wrote a fic because of a violin concerto I’d heard it’s the geekiest thing ever but I lovedddd getting to write college!kenstewy and this was right after the succession finale too so I needed a win (or at least to write a little smut).

Where the Mind Wanders - one thing about me is that I LOVE the “dream sequence where deceased loved ones visit them” trope. think that episode of Sherlock where he gets shot, think 8.15 of Bones, things like that. because you get such an insight into a character’s psyche while also getting feral worried energy from character B who’s in love with them, and it’s just. SO GOOD. so I tried writing that for Chenford because we have yet to experience any true whump from established chenford now that they’re actually together and I wanted to write Tim losing it over Lucy being in danger!!

Love & Metachrosis - listen I love getting to write sort of higher concept fics and getting super creative with it, but this fic is none of that. it’s heartfelt as all my stuff is, but I’m proud of it for its comedy and humour. I genuinely did try writing it as a real scene from a (hypothetical at the time) season 2 episode of OFMD, and added in some comedy in there (I hope) so I’m proud of it precisely because it is super kitschy and silly and fun, but there is still a lot to sink your teeth into and it slowly sinks into the emotional stuff just like the show does. Idk, it was just the first fic I’d ever written for a show that is technically a comedy so I was really happy with the balance!

bonus points for my new chenford AU that I’m writing right now which is probably the best thing I’ve written and my favourite new idea, because I haven’t posted it yet but I still am so excited for it!! Title is TBD but @morganupstead knows what’s up (morgan it’s my superpowers fic and it’s coming along beautifully I totally need to send you the first two chapters or something because you kept me going with writing this)

[loquaciousquark]

If it's not too much to ask, could you recommend some books to read? I really enjoy your fics, so I figure you're a good person to ask! Happy to try pretty much anything. Any length, genre, reading level - just anything you think is worthwhile! Thank you!

Oh man, that’s so kind! I’m always nervous about recommending things, but if nothing else, here are some of my favorites that have absolutely informed my adult tastes.

1. Riddlemaster of Hed trilogy by Patricia McKillip. High fantasy from the 70s with prophecy, romance, and IMO the most beautiful prose I’ve ever read. I’ve talked about how important this series is to me here and here.

2. The Queen’s Thief series by @meganwhalenturner. Six books, and the last one just came out last year. (Hamlet nibbled on the spine while I was at work one day and I just about died.) Historical low fantasy in a Mediterranean-esque setting where cleverness always (usually) wins and the gods are very, very, very real. This was the first book I read where the hero gets genuinely, irreversibly hurt, and watching him love the woman who hurt him and watching her heal after the horror has shaped all of my writing ever since.

3. Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen. My parents gave me a set of this, Sherlock Holmes, and The Odyssey for Christmas when I was about 12, and realizing that people have always been funny and smart and hurtful and proud blew my mind.

4. Gaudy Night by Dorothy Sayers. Tenth in a series of 30s-set detective novels starring Lord Peter Wimsey and his client-turned-love (and eventually -lover) Harriet Vane. Not all of the Wimsey novels feature Harriet, but the five or six that do are some of my favorite writing ever. I stole my use of epigraphs almost entirely from these novels, and there is a great pleasure in reading fiction when you’ve realized the author is so much smarter and well-read than you, and rather than becoming jealous you just lean back sponge-like to soak it in.

5. The Hercule Poirot novels by Agatha Christie. I’ve always loved period detective fiction, and the moustached Belgian is my favorite. I love the setups; I love the general constructions of the plot; I love the glimpses into certain romances (and doomed romances) seen only through Hercule’s & Hastings’s eyes. I love how you can see the early influences of other detective pieces in the early works develop into new and exciting original takes. The Murder of Roger Akroyd is widely considered to be one of the best detective novels ever written, and I vividly remember having my mind blown by some of the revelations.

6. The Grim & Blackthorn trilogy by Juliet Marillier. Irish-inspired historical fantasy, this trilogy came with me on my recent trip to Chicago, and as @silksieve, @eponymous-rose, and @fistfulofgammarays can attest, it was a high struggle for me not to gorge myself on them back to back. I finished the first book just as my plane landed in Chicago, and the wholly involuntary gasp I gave at a certain revelation made my seatmate laugh, which of course meant I had to sit there and explain to her why the sentence I’d just read changed EVERYTHING. @jadesabre301 recommended these to me because she thought I’d love them, and she was right. Tons of hurt/comfort; it could even be argued that all three books are a slow comfort after the horrifying hurt of the first two chapters of the first book.

Hopefully this at least gives you a starting point! I’m not reading as much as I’d like to these days, but these are perennial favorites.

[mad4morbius]

My Morbius Fanfic recs!

Keep in mind that the pickings are very, very slim, especially when it comes to non-xreader fics or non-movie fics. It’s genuinely impossible to find fanfics that actually dare to use readable grammar so my bar is kind of low for contenders. Sorry, but pickings are too slim to worry about long fics. In addition, I will not be putting explicit NSFW fanfics in this recommendations list, however, some might have innuendos and little spicy jokes here and there. Now, on with the list!

One of the first Morbius fanfics I ever read. Always a top tier read and character analysis.

I so wish I could have this as a mini-comic. It’s like Morbius’ own dumpster fire of a life as a short fanfic, and I live for it.

“This right here is my favorite thing ever, in the history of forever. I think about this every day. I think about this all night long. I stay awake not sleeping because I’m thinking about this.”

–Markiplier.

This quote takes the words right out of my mouth. A god tier work that I reread so often I’ve got every story beat memorized, and yet it still hits me in the feels every time I read it.

The singular scrap of written She-Hulk and Morbius content outside of the 80’s, and I thank the heavens above every day that it’s digestible content.

I’m addicted to this ship because everything about Venom: The Enemy Within was so homosexual and I absolutely needed more. This fic filled a hole in my poor heart. I normally don’t really read ship fics, but holy hell, this was great. I don’t even care that it’s just a bunch of ficlets mashed together; I love it.

These are technically the same fanfiction, but some parts are different. I recommend reading the first chapter of the FF.net version instead of the AO3 version, and then go back to AO3 until the formatting gets jank (you’ll know what I mean when you read it). This fic also hasn’t been updated in years, so just expect a cliffhanger. Why am I recommending this if this has so many issues? Despite the formatting problems and typos, it’s a pretty good continuation. Plus, it’s long. I also really like Max Modell and Morbius interactions, and this is the only fic on the planet I’ve seen that covers it. It’s also got really heavy angst, and lord knows I love the sinking feeling I get in my chest when I read good angst (I may or may not be a bit crazy).

———

That’s all for now! Sorry this list isn’t very long as pickings are slim. Regardless, I hope you guys found something to enjoy, and for my older Morbius fans, something to go back and reread. I’m still searching the depths of tumblr for fanfics, so if I see anything of interest, I might make a part 2. Who knows!

[netherfeildren]

will you ever sell binded physical copies of your stories (with chapter artwork and everything included)? i would absolutely send you all my money if so. i’d kill to have your work in a physical format but i would never want to pay anyone for it other than you! you also deserve to get paid for your work in some capacity, it’s all genuinely the best i’ve ever read - i know so many others agree and would most definitely pay for it as well

holy moly i’ve never even thought about it tbh but oh my gosh it’s so insanely flattering that you’d want a physical copy of anything i’ve written thank you endlessly

bookbinding is actually a pretty complicated, lengthy, and expensive process (so says one of my friends who knows about it) and i honestly wouldn’t know the first thing about getting into doing that. i had a fic from another fandom that is my favorite fic ever and one of my favorite pieces of writing ever period bound a few years ago for my bff as it’s a very special part of our friendship and it was such a lovely gift to give her. so if any of you would ever like to have one of my stories bound i would not mind whatsoever i’d just ask that you please let me know before you do it! i’d love to see the finished product and to just know youre doing it generally that’s literally such a nice thing to do honestly

thank u so much for this honestly truly i’m on my third margarita of the afternoon and reading this again made me a little weepy lmfao i don’t know what i ever did to deserve all of u amazing people on here omgomgomg i’m getting emotional just thinking about u guys ily😭😭😭

[pockethep]

Can I ask your top 10 fav fics ever (from any fandom, if you don't mind)?

Also, just curious, is there a story behind your name "pockethep"?

I’ve had this Tumblr for a molten minute and originally it was a Pokemon themed blog before I deleted my side blogs (a choice I regret every day). The Pocket in my user came from “Pocket Monsters” and the HEP was just tagged on because a lot of pocket monster themes names weren't available but younger me wanted to be open to having a blog that wasn't just 1 thing.

Now for the fics…

These are in no order whatsoever. This is based purely on fanfics that I love that no matter what I keep going back to, there are honestly a lot I could put especially if I think harder but its late and I'm typing on my phone.

Yesterday Upon The Stair by PitViperOfDoom on AO3. (My Hero Academia)

Genuinely an amazing fanfic, probably the best BNHA fanfic I’ve ever read which is a strong title to hold. It even has its own TV Tropes Page. It was Published in 2016 and I read it religiously. It had it all, Queerplatonic relationships, Drama, Angst, heartwarming moments, and realistic character depictions. It’s one of those fanfics that most people in the fandom know as “One of the Big Ones”.

A Breach of Trust by Phantomrose96 on AO3 (Mob Psycho 100)

Another “One of the Big Ones” and another fanfic that I’ve been following since it was published way back in 2016 (a wonder how 2016 had a lot of really great fanfics just like how a lot of good writing came from the quarantine). This is such a good fanfic, that really expands past the base content of the manga/anime and has a well fleshed out world as well as characters. It’s a drama that has a good dose of angst and I love the way the relationship between Mob and Reigen develops.

Issho by ToastyToaster22 on AO3 (Mob Psycho 100)

Normally I’d try to keep it one to a fandom with these types of lists/asks but Issho was really good. Once again has the bonus of being a fanfic from one of my favorite anime/manga. But it highlights one of my favorite characters, Teru, in a way that develops him very well over the course of the series. Issho is just the first of ten parts and I'd recommend reading all of them.

Salvage by MuffinLance on AO3 (Avatar the Last Airbender)

One of my comfort ATLA fanfics. A great amount of humor, angst, and a lot of found family. I absolutely adore Hakodad pics and Zuko honestly deserves it but Salvage has the plus of adding more additional siblings and a cute isopuppy because Zuko really deserves it.

fool in the moon by arahir on Ao3 (Trigun)

Despite having read the Trimax manga and having seen the original Trigun anime, I didn’t actually start reading fan fiction for it until Trigun Stampede paraded through…And BOY was I missing out. Although fool in the moon is a recent addition to the roster of amazing pics, it’s up there as one of my favorite. It’s a vashwood fic with a healthy dose of angst and comfort. I don’t know what it is but Trigun writers all have the ability to write the most visceral things.

(HONORABLE MENTION: A Ship and his Anchor by DerringerMeryl who aced the Vash whump.)

Press 9 to delete this Message by moriturism on Ao3 (Jujutsu Kaisen)

One of the most cleverly written fics not just on this list but that I’ve read. I can’t recommend it enough, even to those that don’t ship satosugu. This is a hurt no comfort fic and the way my stomach sunk reading the date for one of the last messages is a feeling few people can replicate. It’s good all around. 11/10

Those Hands Were Meant To Love by Ahenix on Ao3 (Spy X Family)

I think this is one of the big fics for Spy X Family and for a reason. It’s fluff without plot, and I love a good bit of found family and fluff especially centered around my favorite “fake” family. I read this one a couple times last year because it’s cute and its only 6 chapters.

Cascading (In a good way) by Hubbleablubble on Ao3 (Genshin)

There are a lot of well written genshin fics but this one is my favorite both for the ship (Kaebedo) and that I enjoy the way the characters are written. I like how everyone was written in this. Although it’s only a chapter the pacing was great, especially as it told their story from strangers to friends to lovers. It also mentioned Khaenri’ah Royalty Kaeya which is a huge plus.

(HONORABLE MENTION Song of Resistance by TheOpticalMouse absolutely check this out, its a series of 2 fics)

Starstruck by shizuoh on Ao3 (Yuri on Ice)

All that needs to be said is that the author basically created the Actor Victor Nikiforov tag on ao3. It’s a fic that’s been there since around 2016 when the show debuted and it hasn’t left my favorites for a while alongside a lot of others. Featuring the aforementioned actor Viktor, a barista/babysitter yuuri, and Yuri as a child caught up between the two. There are a lot of great’s and this is one of them.

(HONORABLE MENTIONS: There are a lot of Yuri on Ice fics I could have put here so…Until My Feet Bleed and My Heart aches by Reiya (The Biggest Diamond among the rest of the diamonds), crust and sugar over by ShanaStoryteller, Where the Cliff Greets the Sea)

Academic Intrigue by kassvea on Ao3 (Word of Honor)

It’s a modern AU, college/university AU with well written characters that are true to the original source. It’s a story about starting over, especially given the scandal at the start of the fic. I love the connection between Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing in all forms of media but this is one of my favorites.

(HONORABLE MENTION: Sanguine by jaemyun this is one of the big word of honor fics and for a reason.)

[fixfoxnox]

Luke you’re probably gonna make me cry with pyre I’ve been oscillating with excitement the moment you announced it if you find my heart shattered I’m gonna bill it to your house 😪😪

Ajdbdjdbjf listen...I'm not going to say you guys won't cry...but also I can't promise to pull tears from you.

What I will say is that the first chapter of Pyre is I think one of my favorite angst things I've ever written and I'm genuinely so excited to get it out there. I also think tonally Pyre is a good bit darker then SiTO so it'll be fun to see you guys reaction to it!! I'm so excited to share!!

[onward--upward]

hiii just read the first two chapters of (make me) misbehave, it’s soooo good. i clicked on your account and realized you made one of my favorite first prince fics, that email fic made me love the little bits and pieces of humans that make us whole. it’s lovely, i cry thinking about it. anyway- all of this was originally to ask if you have a scheduled time for updating or if it’s just sporadic? cant wait for what’s next!! thank you :)

hello lovely!!! thanks for your kind words about wbhf (email fic), that’s genuinely one of my favourite things i’ve ever written!! <3

make me misbehave is currently updating on sundays!! i’m hoping to keep it consistent but i’m still not actually quite done with the draft so we shall see

[ongreenergrasses]

✨ End of Year Questions ✨

tagged by @genyathefirebird thank you 💜 i was apprehensive to answer these because i thought i hadn’t written that much but uh. Turns out i wrote a lot it’s just that nobody’s seen any of it.

What is your favorite thing you created?

i think my favorite is zombie movies, because that felt like closing a chapter that i didn’t even know i’d left open. runner up is something slightly cursed encouraged by @xar626 whether she knew it or not where i returned to something I wrote this summer and it turned out it was 2k about a very pivotal blowjob. which i consequently wrote in comic sans. it needs at least another 2k before it’ll be ready for polite society

Which work are you proudest of?

AMARYLLIS i forgot i posted Amaryllis this year. i am so proud of it

Is there anything you are proud of that you achieved this year?

i’ve had brief shining moments where i’ve been writing every day and i’m proud of that. i absolutely believe that it was what allowed me to pass the big test i took this year because i had practice quickly organizing my thoughts and putting them to page

Did you explore anything new this year?

i learned to crochet! i took a class and then i was like yeah this is the life so i’ve crocheted a hat a lot of granny squares with my scrap yarn and am working on a strawberry bag

Which work gave you the most difficulty?

shout out to that time i got caught writing porn on a plane this year and i was like i have to post this or it’ll mean NOTHING and it still isn’t posted because i’m only halfway through revising and i have negative sixteen ideas for a title

What was your biggest creative challenge this year?

i found myself in multiple situations this year where i was confronted with something genuinely close to my worst fears in term of my PTSD, and in both situations i was required to do my absolute best on creative work, once taking a test (lots of writing!) and once playing in the pit in a very long and difficult production. being able to tap into my skills and perform to my best ability was one of the hardest things i’ve ever done and THEN i cut my finger and had to do 3 shows without use of a finger. so that was exceptionally challenging but i succeeded and overcame!

Which work brought you the most joy?

be on your way for sure, first serious smut i’ve ever published and a rarepair passion project. loved writing it and loved posting it

Which of your works do you think people should check out?

i would say i write pretty varied stuff, a lot of it is about grief and a lot of it is angst, so it’s hard to say but i think the series love, persevering is some of my best writing. prompt fills are all under #prompts and my ao3 is here

Do you have creative plans for next year? Is there anything exciting you’re currently working on?

i do want to set myself the goal of posting a lot of the fic on my phone if i can get it up to my personal standard. i’m really nervous about posting it because it’s a big departure from the type of thing i normally write and it’s also for a pairing that is very personal for me, i also know that it’s for something that’s older so i know it won’t be that popular which is always something that makes posting less fun

in terms of music, this is the year i fully learn the prelude to Bach’s 6th cello suite, it’s one of the most beautiful pieces of all time imo. i am also very fortunate in that i’ll get to play Largo from Dvorak’s New World which has been a dream of mine for a long time, plus i get the beautiful little solo 💖 and in terms of fiber arts, it’s the year i finally knit a sweater (or three) and crochet a couple blankets

Lastly, any words of wisdom or advice you’d like to share?

i think writing a lot and posting almost nothing has reminded me why i write, and that’s just because i love it. the external validation is nice and important but if you’re writing just for that, you will inevitably lose your joy for it, which is what happened to me in 2022. set goals for yourself, write what comes naturally, and you can keep it forever or post it, whatever serves you.

tagging @goldheartedsky @sigurism @godihatethisfreakingcat @scorchedhearth @shatterthefragments @bakingmoomins and anyone else who would like to 🌸 important note this doesn’t have to just be about writing!! Anything creative goes