#there is an author i love. their fics are great. however something recently made me realize we live vastly different lives

[daz4i]

alternate version of "he would not fucking say that". he would not fucking have muscles like that

[sunfyresrider]

ミ♥︎OUR LAST SUMMER | NETEYAM SULI

❥Summary: You were never allowed to leave the lab, especially to venture off into the forest. However, one day you get a extreme urge to go to the river and that’s where you met him. The man who would surely be your downfall. ❥Word Count: 8k ❥Tags: obsessive tendencies, love struck Neteyam, mild manipulation, jealous!neteyam, interspecies relationship, wingman!Lo’ak, smut, fingering, oral, p n v, choking (slightly), mild angst. Am I missing anything? Lmk! ❥Author’s Note: This can be seen as a part one to a future fic of mine ‘Mated for Life’. S/O to me for finally remembering to add a word count LMAO. This is inspired by an older fic of mine so I’m kinda copyrighting myself😎

Neteyam knew from a young age everything would fall on his shoulders, that all the responsibilities of an adult would be his to bear. It made him pretty fucking miserable to be honest, but he would never let it show. It made him a better person in many ways, a better son, a better warrior, and a great brother. It did not make him happy nor did it make him forget the loneliness he felt.

Lo’ak always claimed he was misunderstood but Neteyam dare say he had it worse. No one viewed him as other than perfect, no one attempted to see what’s under the surface, and no one was there to love him in the ways he thought he deserved. Today was one of the days that proved he wouldn’t be anything other than the perfect soldier. Another day he had to take the blame for something he did not do.

His brother had snuck onto the battlefield and nearly killed them both. The second their ikrans landed his father had a speech to give to them both, even while his eldest son was bleeding. He took the blame as he always did, the yelling, the insults, and the beratement to protect his younger brother. How much more could he take though? After his wounds had been healed he found himself in the corner of the forest, knees pressed tightly to his chest.

Neteyam prided himself on not being weak but today he let the tears flows. He let the river attempt to wash away the burden that he had no choice but to carry. Neteyam wanted someone, just anyone, to understand him. That is what he prayed for from Ewya, even though the great mother did not involve herself in petty things such as this, he hoped she would this one time.

You had grown up on Pandora, your mother being one of the great scientists who worked with Grace Augustine and Jake Sully. She didn’t allow you to venture outside often like spider, you were too small, too precious to her to risk being harmed in the wilderness. In your opinion it was a load of bullshit and you deserved to play with the Na’vi kids just like him! Except now you were older, inexperienced, out of shape, and would probably die by a viper wolf attack.

Unfortunately for her you were born with rebellion in your heart and a strong sense of will. Dusk had fallen on the moon and the light from the windows inside the lab were beginning to fill the room's orange. It was one of the rare moments you were able to be completely alone. It was a strict rule to return to your room after biology lessons with Norm but you had plenty of time to stroll. Right now, your mother would still be aiding the warriors returning from the recent battle. It was prime time to make an escape and explore.

You first met Neteyam in a very compromising position, curled up by the stream and sleeping. There was a subtle stain on his blue skin from tears that were shed earlier. He looked pathetic, not in a bad way, in an abused puppy way that made your heart melt. How could you leave him out here all alone? Granted, he was twice your size and carried many weapons but that thought did not ease the ache in your heart. No one should ever be left alone to cry. You crawled next to him and gently placed a hand on his shoulder to shake him awake. “Neteyam?” You whispered into his ears.

His eyebrows began to furrow slightly, ears twitching in the direction of your voice. “Neteyam, wake up.” He jumped up and snatched your wrist, startling you. “Brother?!” His eyes scanned the surroundings quickly and you before settling with a confused expression plastered on his face. “S-sorry Lo’ak isn’t here,” you mumbled out. You knew the former vastly better since he visited the lab so often, all you knew of the eldest was stories.

Neteyam’s quickened breathing settled, his eyes scanning over your form. Which human were you? You were too pretty to be another scientist, too young to have lived here during the war. It took him awhile of staring at you for his brain to finally put it together, “star girl.” His hands released you slowly as his mouth hung slightly agape, why in Ewya’s name would Lo’ak hide you from him? He had seen you in passing once or twice but he didn’t realize you looked like this.

Neteyam never considered an alien could be beautiful but you proved him very wrong. You had the perfect lips, your eyes glistened with his reflection inside your pupils. Your hair fell perfectly, highlighting your pretty face. And from what he could see from your strange clothes you had a nice body too. “Lo’ak told me many things about you, all good so far.” He quickly cleared his throat, pulling his hands away to wipe the tears from his eyes. This was embarrassing, but he was going to push through it.

Two tiny, four fingered, hands cupped his cheeks. Your skin was warm, soft and distracting him from his original thought. “Are you alright? Was someone being cruel to you?” You regretted the last sentence as it stumbled out, he was just in a battle you idiot! Oh Ewya, help him because you sounded like the angels his dad spoke about. Neteyam was too dumbfounded to say anything coherent, maybe too starstruck by your presence.

You weren’t necessarily wrong, his father did hurt him deeply. His mother hurt him by not standing up for him either. The most perplexing part was you cared to ask, your tiny self risked being in these dangerous lands just to see if he was alright. Neteyam forced himself to nod slowly, not entirely sure how to react to such comfort.

Perhaps this wasn’t the best thing to do but your mother always comforted you in this way. You had even done this to Kiri a few times when she came to the lab to cry about her own problems. Gently, you swiped the tear tracks from his face, pressing two gentle kisses where they laid. “Don’t cry, you’re an amazing warrior, a good son, an even better brother. You finished your Rite of Passage before anyone else your age. You have so much more to offer than just those things and they’re just too blind to see it. And so many people love you like-”

“My child,” the sounds of your mother's cries echoed in your ears. Shit, she knew you had escaped. You let go of him quickly, preparing to run into her arms and feign innocence. Before you left though, you jumped onto him, arms embracing his frame the best they could. “You're perfect, okay? I’m always here to talk if you need it." You jumped to your feet, brushing off the dirt you had collected whilst exploring. "I gotta go... feel better!"

Neteyam sat up and watched you scurry away, his eyes were wide and time had stilled around him. Where the fuck have you been his entire life? His heart felt full in a way it hadn’t before, Neteyam’s stomach twisting around itself. The thoughts of your little hands, your little frame, your sweet voice and soft lips swirling in his head. You were so… perfect, so inviting… You had to be his.

He had never truly thought about having someone all for himself, especially an alien. But even the perfect son needed to indulge his own desires at times, even the hardened warrior needed to be held in times of sorrow. At this moment all he could think about was stealing you away, keeping you safe in his home, protecting you from the dangers of this world forever. He needed more, desperately and as soon as possible.

Neteyam pulled himself up, with a new found confidence he ran home. It was time he talked to his parents about finding a potential mate.

The talk went about as well as Lo’ak claiming his ikran. He mentioned he had found someone, and he was prepared to finally choose a mate. His parents rejoiced, the proud look they reserved for him finally returning. Until he mentioned that it was you, and the light drained from their eyes, the colors fading from their faces.

Neteyam’s idea was shot down faster than he could manage to speak it. You had an avatar body in that damn lab and he knew it! You could easily become one of the people like his father and be his mate. Why was his mother so against it? His father at the very least gave it some thought before succumbing to his mother’s rants.

It wasn’t her fault she was traumatized, but it was hypocritical considering his father was an alien when she met him. Fine, Neteyam was used to a challenge and he would claim you before they had another chance to say no. Hopefully this time around his love for you would override his fear of disappointing his parents.

✦•······················•✦•······················•✦

The next time he came across you was far after eclipse, everyone in his home was fast asleep while he made his move. It was incredibly hard to sneak out of the camp, even harder to sneak into the human camp. Your stupid cameras and metal monstrosities make it nearly impossible to creep through, let alone into you. Neteyam vaguely remembered where Lo’ak claimed you slept, in moments like these he was grateful his brother had his back.

The more he tiptoed around the camp the angrier he became, were you even real or was that a fever dream? He stumbled onto a group of tree metal homes stacked against each other. Carefully, he peeked his head into each one searching you out. To his disappointment the first two were occupied by a snoring Norm and a drooling Max. It took him one more attempt before he finally saw your sleeping figure.

You were so adorable, all bundled up in the things called sheets and holding a pillow tightly to your chest. It made his soul melt at the sight, Neteyam wasted no time welcoming himself inside, pushing the first door open and closing it tightly behind him. If he let any air in from the outside you may die before he got the chance to touch you again. Thankfully, the next door was easier and much quieter than the first.

Neteyam had to crouch as he approached you, ignoring how terrifying he probably looked. He outstretched one of his long fingers to brush a strand of your hair out of your face, admiring the peaceful view in front of him. If Ewya allowed it he could stay and watch you sleep all night but your air was already taking an effect on his lungs.

“Yawne… wake up,” he gently placed a hand on your shoulder, urging you awake. You were an incredibly light sleeper, your eyes shot open and you jumped back as if you were about to scream. Neteyam quickly shoved a hand over your lips, bracing the back of your head with the other before it crashed against the wall. “Shhh, shh yawne, it’s Neteyam.”

You crooked your head to the side, watching him closely. Obviously pondering why he invaded your space at such a late hour. “Neteyam,” you murmured into his hand, confirming if this was a dream or reality. A wide grin blessed his features, “good morning, baby girl.” He heard that nickname from his father, and by the blush on your cheeks it worked quite well. “What are you doing here?”

You rubbed your eyes, gazing out the window, “it’s after eclipse...” you drawled into a yawn. His entire body language shifted, excitement coursing through his veins. “I’m always too busy during the day to visit so I thought now would be the perfect time.” You sat up on your bed, he reached up and brushed the hair out of your face again. His eyes were completely memorizing, and he touched you with the gentleness only your mother did. “O-okay.”

Neteyam smiled at you with such kindness, even with his size you didn’t feel threatened in slightest. “I thought since you never get to go out I would take you tonight. Of course, you would be under my protection the entire time.”

Your face lit up, you could finally leave and see what’s outside these dull walls. But at the back of your head the sound of your mother's voice telling you what not to do rang strong. The fear of disappointing her was even stronger and the fear of potential punishment. “I- I can’t.”

“No one will find out, I promise.” His amber eyes peered up at you with the same heart wrenching expression as the other day. “You wouldn’t want to make me sad, would you? I- I just thought you would want to spend time with me.” It was manipulative, he knew but it worked flawlessly with you. Neteyam would make up for this one transgression later. “Fine, just wait for me outside please. " you said in a nervous whisper.

Neteyam didn’t take his eyes off you as you slid into your “outside” clothing, at some point he would need to get you actual ones instead of the odd human fabrics that cover too much. You hastily slipped your mask on, taking in a deep breath as you did. He hated that thing, hopefully soon he could get rid of it. A very subtle, almost unnoticeable feeling of butterflies filled your stomach as you exited the lab.

“You ready, baby?” The word sounded foreign on his tongue but music to your ears. You nodded in excitement, letting Neteyam grasp your hand and pull you along. He was gentle with you no matter how much excitement was coursing through his veins. You moved in unison through the thick leaves, granted he whisked you off your feet anytime you seemed to falter. The farther away from the encampment you got, the happier you became.

The forest was naturally lit with bioluminescent flowers, vines, and grasses of all kinds. The noise of animals coming out to play filled your ears and for once it did not frighten you. Neteyam was basking in your joy, your voice carried only the excitement of someone innocent to this world. And when you glanced at him? It felt like Ewya herself had sent you to make his heart ache.

To avoid any possible maimings or accidental injuries he kept you very close to him. If Neteyam’s arm was not around you then his hand was on yours. The warmth you radiated felt like his only life source. To your surprise, he was naturally funny and laid back. You had only assumed he was cold, stern and serious, this must be a side of him he only showed a few.

You spoke with him more than anyone, babbling about everything you saw, heard or felt. It may seem obnoxious to others but to him it was like a melody being played by a flute. Each time you squeezed his fingers he felt the blood rush to his head, pounding at his skull in the most beautiful way. You had completely and irrevocably captured his heart.

As the evening progressed the original point of this journey was almost lost to the daze you put him in. Instead of immediately taking you to the sacred place he opted for the stream where you originally found him, you could call it a second, better, impression. It was memorizing in the eyes of a girl who never got to leave her cave of comfort. The fish glowing beneath a gentle stream, a waterfall glistening under the light of several moons.

But this place would be the start of your inevitable downfall. It started off as a dare that turned into swimming half nude with a man twice your size. You let the water flow past you, cradling your body in its warmth. Neteyam was a better swimmer than you, granted you had never gotten the chance before. You chased him in circles below the surface, quickly becoming distracted by the fish that swam by.

The orange was your favorite, reminding you of the sunset. His favorite was the yellow, said it reminded him of you because yellow was the color of happiness and you made him happy… It was a very sappy way of flirting but it worked. Neteyam spent most of his time indulging you on what you wanted or asked the entire night and he did not mind for one second.

You asked him personal questions no one else dared to, further carving your way into his soul. If he thought he knew what love was before he was terribly wrong. Whatever you were doing to him was much worse in all the right ways. It was about the time he came to the realization, staring into your eyes and seeing your future together, you started to nod off. Your eyes become droopy, yawns escaping your throat every other sentence.

Neteyam would stay like this forever if he could, drowning in your existence. Your health was more important to him though and you desperately needed sleep to survive. You tried to fight him off when he said it was time to go, whining to stay here forever. It was cute, and he almost didn’t make you leave, until another adorable yawn left you.

He whisked you off your feet without protest, wrapping your legs around him so he could carry you home. You felt embarrassed at first, realizing you probably looked like a baby being carried by their mother. But then you began to feel his breath on your neck sending goosebump down your spine, long fingers wrapping around you to keep you in place. The low, deep, whisper of his voice telling you sweet nothings echoing in the walls of your mind.

A new sensation washed over you as Neteyam’s lips brushed against your ears ever so slightly. A sweet ache between your legs that progressively got worse the longer he held you. You attempted to pull away, embarrassed he could feel the heat, but he easily overpowered you. Neteyam was determined to keep you in place, as close to him as humanly possible.

He paused his stride, gazing at you for a moment and then back to the forest ahead. You avoided his eyes, but you could feel the smirk creep onto his face. He didn’t say anything on the way home, deep in thought it seemed. However, you could hear his breath becoming ever so slightly heavier.

Neteyam should be a good little soldier and take you home and feign ignorance. He noticed every sound, every look, every smell, every movement coming from you. The warm feeling across his waist that was driving him to the brink of insanity. His own arousal was bound to be noticed the second he put you down… How far could he go with you before he was stopped? You wanted him and why should he not give you what you wanted?

Sneaking back inside the second time was easier than the first, and this time he intended to stay a little longer than necessary. You were drowsy, too tired to change yourself into dry clothing. You probably told yourself he was used to seeing people in less clothes and that it was nothing to Neteyam. Oh how wrong you were. He managed to keep quiet though, attempting to avoid the thing between his legs.

“Time for bed, yawne.” You threw yourself onto the bed, melting into the mattress. Sleep evaded you, the wetness between your legs making it unbearable to get comfortable. To your surprise, he climbed on top, hovering mere inches from your face. “You okay, baby girl?” His ears twitched, Neteyam’s tail betraying his thoughts. There it was again, the foreign nickname that rolled off his tongue like honey.

You crossed your legs together tightly, “I-I’m okay.” He cocked his head to the side, bringing a finger up to brush your face. “I can help you if there’s something wrong,” he purred. You gulped, opening your legs ever so slightly to make a little more room, but that only made the ache worse. His knee found its place between your thighs, applying pressure to the one place you were trying to avoid.

You turned away and evaded his gaze. You felt like a complete idiot, a grown woman acting like a horny teenager, it was disgusting! However, when you looked back at him he was still looking at you expectantly, waiting for you to ask for his help. His knee moved forward once more, you bit your lip to avoid the sound attempting to escape. “I can show you what helps me, yawne.”

He whispered lowly, you didn’t have time to think, or reply before his lips were connecting to yours. You attempted to push him back, tell him no, this was wrong, and you could get in so much trouble. But the feeling of his legs between yours was easing whatever plagued you. A sound of pleasure escaped you before you could stop it, and that seemed to embolden him.

His lips pressed harder against yours, the sweetness of his mouth made your mind hazy. Neteyam’s tongue found itself entangled with yours, and you found yourself getting lost in the moment. The feeling of need was quickly becoming too much so you moved your hips against him, desperately trying to release the pressure.

Neteyam chuckled into your mouth, his fangs glistening in the light. “All you had to say was your problem was down there,” he purred. “I can fix that for you,” Neteyam’s voice turned into an exhilarating whisper, sending chills down your spine. You shivered at the feeling of his fingers gently slipping inside your waistband, hovering over the spot you really wanted him.

You grabbed his hand, your nerves getting the best of you. “W-what if someone finds out.” Neteyam moved forward, cupping your pussy . It was so wet and desperate for him, how could he stop? “I won’t tell if you don’t.” You closed your eyes, nodding your head. Neteyam kissed you once more, this time more rough than before. Internally, he hoped everyone would find out.

He slipped his finger inside of you, his eyes growing wide at how tight you were. He could feel the heat emanating from your core, and you were practically throbbing. Neteyam’s fingers were large enough to easily reach your sweet spot, stretching you out as he added another. You clenched around him, a high pitched sound leaving your lips.

He groaned at the sight of you, you were far too good to be true. Neteyam leaned down, gently nipping at your neck and sucking on your pulse point. His fangs occasionally gliding across your sensitive skin. Neteyam continued to pleasure you, fingers moving at a steady rhythm, a pace he knew he could keep up for hours.

You bit your lip to hold back your whines, each breathy exhale turning into a high pitched moan. The sound was like music to Neteyam, he couldn't get enough of you. His tongue snaked out of his mouth, tasting your skin as he left marks. He wanted everyone to know you belonged to him, in one way or another.

His thumb began to circle your clit, thankfully human anatomy was similar to his own. His tail wrapped around one of your legs, pulling it to the side, allowing him more access. You gripped onto him, burying your face in his chest to hide the embarrassment of the sound leaving your lips.

Neteyam kissed your forehead, nuzzling you softly as he quickened his pace. You clenched tightly around his fingers, bucking your hips against his hand, riding it out as much as possible. Neteyam had you pinned under him, mercilessly trying to pull out your orgasm. He was almost certain he would cum in his loincloth.

"You're doing so well for me, baby girl." He purred into your ear, his tongue darting across it as his hand worked you. His fingers consistently applying pressure at the spongy spot inside of you. His thumb continued to move across your clit, working it to match the pace. You gripped tightly to his broad shoulders, rolling your hips against his hand as you felt your body begin to give way. "Oh, I-I-I..."

“Hmm? Baby girl I can’t hear you.” His breath was hot on your neck. “S-sgood, Teyam,” your new nickname for him made him groan. His fingers continued to move, making your words come out more high pitched and incoherent than before. He nipped at your neck, biting it and sucking hard enough to leave a mark.

He didn't want to stop, he didn't want this moment to end. The feeling of your warm cunt tightening around him as your body tensed. Your nails digging into his shoulders, you back arching and hips bucking. His hand moved at a steady pace as your body began to unravel, letting yourself go. The euphoric feeling washing over you like a tidal wave.

Neteyam took his time as he eased you through it, gently bringing you down as he whispered sweet nothings. He peppered kisses across your face, murmuring how good you were to him as you relaxed. "Good girl," he whispered. He carefully removed his fingers, and your body mourned the loss of him. “You did so good for me, yawne.”

Your body was limp underneath him, your weighted breaths slowing. “I’m so tired,” you murmured. Shh, go to sleep, yawne. I’ll clean you up.” And he did exactly what he said, unsurprisingly. He took the time out of his night to carefully clean up the mess he made on your body and clothes. It was pathetic to admit but at some point, he came in his loincloth, and it was leaking out onto your sheets.

Neteyam watched you sleep peacefully until the light began to shine into the camp. He rushed back home and thankfully, no one noticed his disappearance. This became a routine between the two of you, and Lo’ak became his best wingman. He pretended to not know anything, made excuses, and visited you pretending like he wasn’t just going so Neteyam had an excuse to follow. For once he was very grateful his little bro was the way he was.

Things were looking up for you as well, Now you got to leave the human lab more often and you got to watch him train with the other boys. A few people noticed the way you watched him and how he watched you, the way he moved if you moved. It was kept quiet, as far as anyone knew you had no relationship. Neteyam was always teaching and showing you exciting new things, making you laugh constantly, showering you with affection you received from no one else. He worshiped you in a way you never thought possible.

Neteyam was completely beside himself, and it was going to kill him eventually. You told him you loved him, were proud of him and he was so much more than just the perfect son. You liked him for the reasons no one else did, seeing him for how he truly was and wanted to be. It was no wonder he was infatuated by your existence.

Neteyam, thankfully, found enough self-control to not fuck you. To do enough to keep you attached to him but not enough to ruin you completely. He was pretty positive he wouldn’t even be able to fit inside you anyway. It didn’t change the fact he thought about it every single day. It was hard to explain the things he was feeling but he knew he was stuck to you. Without you he wouldn’t be able to breathe, eat, or sleep like he used to. Neteyam’s existence would become completely meaningless without your presence.

But for now, it was new and perfect. Shiny like a freshly carved toy bound to break.

✦•······················•✦•······················•✦

All good things come to an end, you learned that after Quartich had returned and Neteyam was being stolen away to a reef clan too far from you. The moon stopped its rotation, all of the life you had being stolen away after he uttered the words goodbye. It was an indescribable pain, unrelenting and all consuming. It took weeks for you to be able to leave your bed, for the nightmares to cease, but the thoughts of him haunted you at every waking moment.

The only place you could find him was at the river, in memories. A part of you wished to go back, to have never left the lab and stayed oblivious to his existence. In your heart you knew he was bound to carve his place into it one way or another. Neteyam used to say how he prayed to the great mother for you and Ewya always finds a way. Day and night blurred together, you stopped counting the hours and let them fly past you. In your darkest moments you repeated a chant to yourself, a prayer almost, One day, Neteyam will come back for you.

He cried, a pathetic display, in front of his parents to bring you with. Neytiri was disgusted, but not enough to hate you as much as spider. He took that as a small win in a losing battle. Jake never faltered on his stance, only family could come unless you wished to put yourself in danger. All he received for his pleas was sympathy from his siblings and a harsh scolding from his parents. It felt as thought his heart had been torn from his chest, the air sucked out of his lungs. You would be here alone, without him, doing all the things you should be doing with him. Neteyam would be stuck in the middle of the ocean with strangers on a droll island.

He did not adapt to the way of water like Lo’ak did. His brother had finally found an environment to thrive in but he was completely lost without you. It was becoming harder to maintain the perfection his father strived for. Even whilst in mourning he had to care of everyone, protect them, comfort them and receive none of it in return. It was a hard life to live but what other choice did he have?

Neteyam only ever felt happy again when he drifted off in his sleep. He was always with you in his dreams, feeling, touching, hearing and smelling you again. For a few hours each night he was back in your room making stupid jokes and listening to rave about your newest discovery. It was always sunny in his dreams, even when it was nightfall. Each time Neteyam closed his eyes it was as if he was in the promised land… but everyone has to wake up eventually.

To ease the eternal ache, he started pleasuring himself more often. It would be a sad sight if anyone ever caught the once mighty warrior stopping to such levels but desperate times called for desperate measures. Neteyam fully intended on stealing you away one day, human or avatar body he didn’t care anymore. If anyone was against you he would kill them… except his own blood, of course.

When he connected to Ewya he saw you, crouched down by your mother in a body he didn’t recognize. Oh, your avatar, your mother is finally allowing you to use it. You were still ethereal in the new body, still tiny, but you looked much more like him. You felt so close to him, your warmth radiating through the connection. He was at peace again, for a limited time only. Neteyam was dragged away the second he felt a shift in the water… Kiri

“We’re leaving… now!” You scrambled to grab the med supplies before you leaped onto the helicopter. For all that it was worth, you hoped Kiri was okay. Still, a very selfish, disgusting, part of you was glad you now had an excuse to visit Neteyam. Norm wouldn’t allow you to go in Avatar form, too early to tell if it would last the long journey ahead. You nervously picked at your fingernails the entire way there, she would okay you knew it.

Neteyam could only watch as your little form rushed past everyone to get to his sister. He never left her side or yours for that matter, choosing to stay outside and watch you work. He couldn’t put into words how grateful he was for you, for the effort you were devoting to his family, to saving his sister. He felt a sliver of happiness just watching you again, seeing that you were alive and well.

You hadn’t given him the time of day though, too busy checking Kiri’s pulse and giving her an IV. If you were being honest with yourself this didn’t appear to be a normal human illness. Almost all people can wake up from seizures naturally, almost, as she wasn’t waking up at all. You didn’t know as much about Ewya as everyone else but if this happened whilst she was connected to the tree… then it was probably due to that.

Of course, you hadn’t voiced this out loud in fear of insulting Norm and his hard work. Also, Neytiri breathing down your neck had you too scared to move, a good mother, but a very scary woman. Eventually, you were all kicked out and you nearly fell on your face rushing onto the woven walkways. They were much more bouncy than you expected but a rather large Metkayina boy caught you before you dived head first into the ocean.

“You should be more careful, alien.” You gazed up at him with wide eyes, he was even bigger than Teyam! The last word was in Na’vi but you knew very well what it meant. Luckily, it wasn’t filled with disdain like it usually was, rather disappointment paired with curiosity. A strange thing you did notice was his hand remained on your shoulder, was this normal? “Thank you…” His head raised, eyes scanning you cautiously, “It’s Aonung.”

The crowd around the marui had finally begun to disappear and Neteyam was able to release a breath he didn’t know he was holding. He stood up from his crouching position, thanking ewya for saving his sister and welcoming her back to the land of the living. It was times like this he was grateful his dad pushed him so hard, if he was too weak, too careless, she could very well be dead.

Neteyam slowly stalked out of the marui, lost in his own thoughts. He knew you would love the ocean, the water, the creatures, and all of the plants you fawn over. His dream was to be able to show you it eventually, under more positive circumstances. For now, he would accept showing you what he could whilst you remained here. A childlike smile graced his features as he looked around, head turning in all directions to spot you.

“I’m going to kill him,” his eyes twitched and Neteyam’s hands unconsciously balled up into fists, granted they were not the same as those with four fingers. Aonung was touching you, talking to you as if you weren’t an alien. After all the bullshit he’d done to his siblings he had the nerve to touch you? He felt the bile in his gut rise to his throat as you smiled at something he said. “It’s a waste of time,” Lo’ak appeared beside him and if he was in his right mind Neteyam would have demanded to know where he has been.

Except he wasn’t in his right mind. “Fish lips,” his younger brother mumbled under his breath before turning to go into the marui where Kiri rested. Jealousy, rage, hate, hurt, Neteyam couldn’t put a name to everything that was boiling inside, but it was too much. You hadn’t even fucking glanced in his direction the entire night. Before he knew it his feet had carried him right behind you, his chest rising and falling with each deep breath.

“Teyam,” you exclaimed, more excited than you have been in months. Your smile fell when you noticed the way his eyes were staring daggers into the water boy, enemies perhaps? “Back off,” he gritted through his teeth as he poked at Aonung’s chest. Obviously, this wasn’t a fight the other was interested in. He glanced at you with a raised brow, if he had a brow, and back at your Teyam.

“Okayyy then,” he lifted his hands in mock surrender. “It was nice meeting you, human.” Aonung spoke to Neteyam more than you, his smirk directed only at him. You swore you heard him growl lowly, maybe the heat was getting to your head. He didn’t move as he watched the fish boy walk away, his tail swaying violently behind him. “Neteyam?” You turned to him, staring at his face after what felt like centuries.

“Teyam-” you were cut off as his hand wrapped around your wrist, literally dragging you away from the camp. You protested at first, slamming your fist into his arm, offended by how he was behaving. Did the reef people make him cruel? “Let. Me. Go!” you shouted at him, but your cry fell on deaf ears. The grip he had on you wasn’t bruising but his strength far outmatched yours and this was completely unfair. You whipped your head around to watch where he was taking you, the sandy beach quickly turning into heavy shrubbery.

It was beautiful at the very least, you told yourself to remain positive. There hasn’t been a time where you’ve seen Neteyam this angry, especially at you. He paused in his steps when he felt you were now far enough away from everyone. Neteyam let your hand fall to your sides, taking a deep breath, “you!” You flicked when he raised his voice, your fear only heightened at your sheer size difference. "Y-yea, me."

Neteyam huffed, his eyebrows furrowed and gaze piercing though you. “Why haven’t I seen you all evening” Normally, he kept all of his feelings under check, making sure to never express them in case they would upset someone else. Now, the anger radiated off of his shoulders and his words dripped with malice. His question came out as more of a demand, and you could feel your own anxiety spike up. “I was helping Kiri.”

“Helping? You were too busy swooning over fish lips to help anyone.” The words fell from his mouth faster than he could process, regret immediately flooding his system. You wished the ground would open up and Ewya would swallow you whole. “I- I-'' you choked on your own words, tears welling in your eyes. “You don’t love me anymore?” Your damned mask began to fog as you stumbled over your words.

Neteyam's hands were around your shoulders before you could even react, pulling you into him, “don’t cry please, you’ll suffocate to death.” His tone was gentle and he spoke softly, but you could still hear the pain in his voice. The tears came quicker now and your heart hurt. His large hands ran up and down your back in an attempt to calm you down.

"I- I'm sorry, I don't mean to," You sniffled, attempting to keep the tears in your eyes. Neteyam didn’t mean to make you cry, although seeing you like this for him was far better than watching you with the other. Shit, was this manipulation? He dropped down on his knees so you could almost be the same height, placing his hands on your cheeks, forcing you to look at him. “Shh, I still love you. I would never stop loving you. No matter the time we spend apart or the distance between us, you’re in my heart forever, yawne.”

He always knew the right things to say, it made your heart swell and warmth fill your body. Neteyam could make the worst situations feel okay. "I-I," Neteyam placed a hand over his heart, "you don’t need to say anything to me, I've upset you." You sniffled "I still love you too," Neteyam released a deep breath, his face turning stern once more. “Let me prove to you how much I care about you.”

It took minutes before you were laid out on the sand, your pants long discarded. Neteyam had your legs over his shoulders, devouring you. Your toes curled against the cool beach as the wind blew through your hair, the breeze from the water chilling the heat radiating off of you. It was a new sensation, his tongue rubbing circles around your clit. The feeling was foreign and intense, sending jolts throughout your body.

Your hips bucked as his fingers prodded at your entrance, forcing all three inside as an attempt to stretch you more. Neteyam growled in response, the noise sending vibrations throughout your core. His fingers pumped in and out of you, curling against the top of you to press into the soft spongy spot that had you crying out. Neteyam lapped at the wetness leaking out of you, drinking up every single drop of you.

His eyes met yours, you felt as if the whole world was spinning, a euphoric feeling bubbling inside you, building and building. Neteyam's tongue pressed against your clit once more and you felt the orgasm ripple through you, your walls contracting against his fingers and squeezing them. The pleasure was overwhelming and you couldn't do much but writhe and cry out as Neteyam brought you down from your high, licking you clean of your mess.

He pulled away and you whined at the loss of his body heat, until you heard the sounds of his loincloth falling to the ground. You pulled your head up off the ground and gasped, he was large, incredibly too large for you. His tip was a bruising purple, shining with precum. Your eyes nearly burst out of your skull, it looked painfully hard as his veins popped out. “T-teyam-”

Neteyam climbed on top of you, shushing you with his finger. “I’ll be gentle I promise,” he purred, his hand snaking down to his tip, rubbing the sticky liquid around the head before placing himself at your entrance. “I’m gonna claim you, mark you with my scent so no one else fucking touches you.” The head of his cock prodded at your entrance and the pressure was intense, your walls achingly slow stretching to fit him. "I can't," Neteyam pushed the head of his cock into you, forcing a choked cry from your lips. “Shh, just be a good girl for me.”

It hurt, yet it felt good in the most bizarre way, a tingling sensation shooting through your body as he pushed deeper and deeper inside you. “Oh ewya, you’re so fucking tiny, baby girl,” he groaned as he pushed deeper. His cock was stretching your walls, the pain slowly disappearing as you grew used to his size. You could feel him against the very base of your cervix, his hips pressing flush against your thighs. “F-f-fuck,” you choked out in a choked whimper, trying to get accustomed to his girth and length, it had to be the size of your forearm at least.

Neteyam began to pump into you slowly, giving you a few seconds to adjust to his length before snapping his hips and forcing the air out of your lungs, causing you to scream and arch your back. You couldn't believe the noises coming out of your own mouth, the moans and cries echoing around the beach. Neteyam moved painfully slowly, thrusting himself in and out of you.

He used one of his large hands to press against your stomach, feeling his cock move inside of you. “You feel that, yawne?I can feel myself moving inside of you. Fuck, you're so perfect, sweetheart, taking all of me inside you.” He hissed as his movements got faster and more erratic. The feeling was indescribable, the mixture of pain and pleasure that had your head spinning and mind hazy.

Neteyam couldn’t fit all of himself in you no matter how hard he tried, he settled for slamming into the top of your cervix, forcing a scream from your lips. He hoped everyone could hear you screaming his name from miles away. “You like that, baby?” Neteyam growled, you wrapped your arms around his neck, clawing at his shoulders. “Ssyes teyam, sgood,” you slurred your words, feeling the waves of euphoria begin to roll inside of you again.

His thrusts started to become faster, and your mind began going numb. Your cunt clenched around him as your eyes welled with tears. “Teyam, p-please. Please!" You stuttered between moans and whimpers. Neteyam wrapped a hand around your neck, squeezing softly. "That’s my girl,” his praise made you whimper for more. His cock was throbbing inside you, his seed threatening to spill at any moment. "Louder, yawne. Everyone has to know you’re all mine," he growled into your ear, putting emphasis on 'mine’. Your entire body was going limp beneath him.

Neteyam removed his hand from your neck, wrapping his arm underneath your legs, spreading them as far as they could go and angling you so that he hit the sensitive bundle of nerves inside you, pounding against it rapidly. Your vision started to turn blurry and you felt yourself begin to fall over the edge again, a new kind of wave washing over you, “F-Fuck! Tey- teyam- please in for me!"

Your cunt clamped down around him, forcing Neteyam to cry out, his thrusts becoming shallow and erratic. You could feel Neteyam release inside of you, ropes of hot cum filling your insides, mixing with your own fluids.

The sound of a twig snapping nearby pulled you both out of your haze, “Neteyam!” Jake’s booking voice echoed around the beach. Both of your heads shot to the left, staring at the mortified father whose eyes were boring into you. Oh, you were completely fucked.

✦•······················•✦•······················•✦

The walk of shame you both endured was the most humiliating moment of your entire life. It was an excruciating silent trip back home but at the very least Jake waited until you boarded the helicopter, with a traumatized look on his face, before he called your mother. Without a doubt he told Neytiri soon after and you could only imagine her utter rage. Norm and Max said nothing, opting to stare out the window and dissociate from the entire situation completely. You were extremely grateful for their silence.

You couldn’t imagine the scolding he was about to receive, the punishment he was going to endure. Your mom, although mortified, let you off the hook easily. No avatar for another month, and no Neteyam for the rest of eternity. That one hurt, you felt the same soul crushing despair as you did when he first left.

On the other side of Pandora Neteyam remained completely unphased. He took the yelling, the punishment and everything else like a strong man. In the end he had won, you were covered in his scent and no one was going to touch you again. As for your future together? He had a plan for that too. Neteyam had already practically mated with you no matter what his mother said and once you’re in that new body, he would run away and do it again.

You may not realize it yet but he was coming back for you. One way or another you were going to come to the reef with him, be a part of his family, bear his children, and never ever leave his side again. Even if it meant disappointing his parents one final time, but he had hope in Ewya that would not be the case.

[perpetualexistence]

Alenoah Hypnosis Corruption AU, where after Alejandro hears Noah call him an 'eel dipped in grease', Alejandro makes a deal with Noah... If Noah lets Alejandro hypnotize him into not saying the truth about Alejandro to anyone again, then Noah won't get eliminated... However if Noah refuses to get hypnotized, then Alejandro will hypnotize Owen instead, after Noah's elimination... Noah hesitantly agrees to be placed in a trance by Alejandro... Alejandro tells the hypnotized Noah to be loyal to Alejandro! 🍥

So, funny story anon. I don't really have any more ideas I could add to this lovely idea you've presented...because you've accidentally (I hope) recreated the wheel.

You've also accidentally awoken the essayist that has realized she has the opportunity to share things she knows. So, with that in mind:

(I don't mean for Lisa to be mad. I am genuinely excited to share these things with people who potentially don't know them. I just couldn't find a better meme.)

Feel free to read under the read more for fanfic recs followed by my own personal thoughts about the Alenoah hypnosis corruption and why I love it so. I'm basing my knowledge on what I've seen on Tumblr and on Ao3. If you feel like I've missed anything, please let me know!

First the elephant in the room: the horny fics.

Yes, the earliest examples of Alejandro using hypnosis on Noah were smut. No, I'm not about to link them for what I would hope to be obvious reasons.

To be clear, I've got no problem with people who do have hypnosis as a kink. Everyone's allowed to have or not have a kink so long as it doesn't hurt anybody. To each their own so long as consent's involved.

The problem only starts when you do things like bringing minors into the mix. For what, again, I hope are obvious reasons.

Hypnosis is something that can be used as a great plot device when used for non-horny reasons too, and that's the context we're looking at them here.

So now onto the more palatable dark, horrible things you can do with hypnosis! /aff

The one who started the most recent trend was Creative_Creatures with their fic To Reach New Heights. It's a NoCo fic they started in November 2023 and was discontinued in April 2024.

Alejandro tricks Noah into letting himself get hypnotized, and Noah starts getting more and more corrupted as he grapples with his sense of self and the version of himself Alejandro is imposing on him. Cody starts noticing something's up, and Alien Cody also gets involved in the plot.

There are some moments of OOCness that the author has admitted to. They've also stated that they no longer like the work, hence the fic being discontinued. However, I still think it's worth checking out at the very least as a fic to learn from. It still deserves the credit for being the first to try tackling the subject, even if the result didn't end up as expected.

After Creative-Creatures came Total-drama-brainrot, aka Ophe. For Ophe there's actually a linear timeline for how their fic, Snap, Crackle, and Pop, came to be.

The seed started on January 14th, where Ophe made a stray comment about how the fandom doesn't really address the fact that Alejandro hypnotized Owen, and received a response regarding the negative side effects of hypnotism that Owen could have hypothetically dealt with: https://www.tumblr.com/total-drama-brainrot/739512421490835456/i-was-thinking-more-along-the-lines-of-how-messing

About a month later, Ophe made a seemingly random ask regarding how one would write hypnosis. I may or may not have a footnote in this history as I made a comment regarding To Reach New Heights: https://www.tumblr.com/total-drama-brainrot/741634477880754176/how-the-fuck-am-i-supposed-to-write-hypnosis

A day later they unleashed Snap, Crackle, and Pop, a fic where Alejandro convinces Noah to make a bet regarding hypnosis, and takes advantage of Noah's forced compliance from then on. Though Noah is by no means helpless and finds his own ways to fight back.

The fic only has three chapters written so far with no clear idea of when the next chapter will release. Still, I highly recommend it for the writing and the exploration of the concept.

About a week later, Ayawilliams came into the picture. For those of you who don't know who Ayawilliams is, I'm going to assume you're new to the fandom. In which case, hi! Glad to have you here! They've been shipping Alenoah as far back as 2016 on Fanfiction.net from what I can tell. This was way before it started taking over as the main ship in 2021. They're still consistently writing fic every few days, and through all of this have made a name for themselves on AO3.

If you look through the comments for the first chapter of Snap, Crackle, and Pop you can see that AyaWilliams definitely did take note of the hypnosis fic, and of To Reach New Heights. Almost a week later they delved into their first foray into hypnosis fic: Passive. (Though the main inspiration for the fic is credited to a role-reversal genderswapped fic called Hexxed by lonelybrachiobrute (triceratroops)).

Passive's a role reversal one-shot where Noah is actually the one hypnotizing Alejandro to be better at the competition for just a small, tiny price.

AyaWilliams liked the idea so much they made a sequel fic set in the same universe during the London episode called Unrecognized Yearnings.

The hypnosis trend of fic came full circule on March 5, 2024 when AyaWilliams wrote A little persuasion. After London, Alejandro threatens Noah into letting Alejandro hypnotize him or else he'd do it to Owen.

Since that fic, there haven't been any new additions to the hypnosis trend for Alenoah.

Which I think is a shame, because I do rather like hypnosis as a plot device. It's a branch of mind control that needs one party to trust the other in order for it to work. It's an exploration of power dynamics, and how they can be exploited and taken advantage of.

And although none of these fics explore it, I also like considering the other side of hypnosis. With the idea that the trust is warranted, and the hypnotizer uses a power that could so easily destroy and corrupt to instead help the hypnotizee achieve a state of calm and peace they didn't know was possible. Or to help them work past their own inner demons by detaching in a safe way, with the ability to ground themselves to come to a better understanding of themselves.

Or as another, more specific, certainly not something I have in mind for one of my own AUs example: Having Alejandro who starts off with using hypnosis merely to get what he wants from people, only to transition as he grows as a person to use it to do something like bring a certain cynic out of a dissociative state induced by personal trauma. And possibly becoming open to the idea of allowing said cynic that same amount of power over him, creating a more balanced relationship founded on trust between the two.

But you didn't hear that example from me.

Hypnosis can be used in multiple ways, and how specific characters use it and react to it speaks so much about who they are as a person. Every way is neat, and I hope to see more of it!

Thanks for coming to my TEDtalk.

[bobfloydsbabe]

hi!! I’m kinda new to tumblr and I’m trying to figure out how to be a respectful reader. So I’m just going to dive right in, I’ve added my age to by bio - which I’ve read that you should do from many blogs - but how do I go about supporting works? Recently I’ve just been liking + commenting but I was wondering about the proper rebloging etiquette? (for example do I add tags? and if I do, is it the same ones that the original poster used when they uploaded?)

sorry for the super long ask 😭 have a good day!!!

Hi Avalynn! Welcome to the madness that is tumblr–we’re so happy to have you!

You’re off to a fantastic start by adding your age to your bio! This lets authors know you’re of an age to read fics labeled 18+ and respect the boundaries they have put in place to protect themselves and readers alike.

Liking and commenting are a great first step. That being said, Tumblr doesn’t have an algorithm. What that means is liking and commenting doesn’t get a fic in front of more people, but that’s where reblogging comes in. Reblogging is NOT the same as reposting. Think of it as sharing something you love with other people–by reblogging a fic you’re telling your followers I loved this and you might enjoy it too!

A blank reblog (no tags or comments) is appreciated for the reason stated above. I discourage adding the same tags as the author because it doesn’t serve a purpose. Your reblog will not show up in the general tag, only the original post will. If you want to add tags, I recommend something like "this was so good" or "loved the tension in this" and similar things. You can then add a tag with the character like #bob floyd or #bob floyd fic to make it easier for yourself to find fics you’ve previously enjoyed and reblogged.

The key to a fanfic writer’s heart, however, is reblogging WITH comments. Add your commentary underneath the post! Share the things that made you laugh or cry or feel some type of way. Pick out your favorite quotes or interactions and tell the author why you loved them. You don’t have to be super detailed in every single reblog or comment, but even a little goes a long way. It gives writers, myself included, motivation to keep working on the story.

There are certain types of comments and tags you should not use. These include but are not limited to "more please" or "update soon please" and similar phrases. They’re demanding and make most authors feel unappreciated, like we’re just machines churning out content and not actual humans with lives outside the internet.

If you have other questions, please send an ask or shoot me a DM. Reaching out about this shows you’re willing to learn and want to understand the etiquette, which is a big difference from most new readers around here. Thank you for showing us that there are people out there who know the value of fanfics.

[v3nusxsky]

Hello! Love your work. Kinda embarrassed to make this request so that’s why it’s anonymous. 😅 could I get something with Larissa Weems x Lesso x reader? Like where they all in a relationship? Any kink is fine. I’d prefer if the reader was in their 20s if possible. I love these. Idk any kink in particular I think I’m too embarrassed to ask so anything is fine. Have a great day!

Who you belong too 18+

*Authors note~ combining two of my favourite characters for the first time I’m hella excited about this and the fact it couples both of my Agere fics I’m posting tonight as I open my requests is exciting*

Trigger warnings~ mommy and daddy kinks shifted dick, enchanted strap switch Larissa dom l sub orgasm denial edging toys praise degrading threesome exhibition kink

Prompt~see ask^^^^

+

Could I request a lady lesso x larissa weems × reader smut? Maybe larissa is visiting sfge and flirts with reader a little so lesso shows reader thier place with the help of larissa. You don't have to do it

&) - tried anon

P.S. love your writing

✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿

Visiting the Nevermore Academy was one of Leonora’s favourite thing to do when she got free time. It was nice to see other realms and all of the different types of outcasts, however her main reason for visiting Nevermore was to visit her girlfriends Larissa and Nevermore’s potions teacher. But on todays visit she wasn’t expecting to stumble across you being such a brat towards Larissa. After all you all had certain rules set and by the sounds of what the cross blonde was ranting about you’d been breaking every single one recently. Leonora watched in amusement as the principal threatened to ring Leonora, only for her to clear her throat to announce her presence.

“N-Nora?” You stuttered in shock at her appearance, “I um I didnt “ you stumbled over trying to explain yourself. “You didnt what pet? Break every single rule I put in place? You know when I return home our darling Isa is in charge.” She purred causing Larissa to whimper in acknowledgment, “darling, I did try to explain that and I was just about to call you.”

“I know my precious girl, you can switch now darling, I’ll take care of the mischievous pet” was all the confirmation Larissa needed to slip into her subspace. Leonora loved how she could have both women at her feet with a simple look. “Now pet, kneel” the redhead demanded and you instantly knelt at her feet, you knew the consequences of ignoring a direct order off your girlfriend and that made you easily fall into submission. “I want both my toys in Larissa’s bed stripped down, Larissa on the bed and you slut will be on the floor.”

Both you and Larissa scrambled into position and waited for the tale tale signs of her cane to indicate she would be joining you. The red head entered the room bare save her strap on, the magic glow indicating she had enchanted it. “Larissa darling, where’s your toys?” The red head purred and immediately followed the directions to find what she wanted. A vibrator was attached to your clit and a dildo placed on the floor, “sit on it” was all she offered. You followed her instruction whimpering at the stretch. “You can’t cum, don’t disappoint me, I have more fun things to do.”

The vibrations started combating the cock stuck in your cunt as Larissa was presented with Leo’s strap. “You’ve been so good for me darling, daddy has a special treat for my sweet girl, be a doll and take it” was purred into the blondes neck with a nip to end to her pulse point. “Mommy” Larissa mewled her consent and all Leonora did was kiss her way down the blondes body, paying extra attention to her breasts, the like whine of need and displeasure at being denied it came from you. You love Larissa’s breasts, they are your favourite part of her body, so of course Leonora made sure to put on a show.

“Mommy” you whined desperately hoping this would all the teasing would be, your orgasm right there, if you could just have a little more. “No no no no no!” You whimpered as the vibrations stopped. The other two women seem to be ignoring your pathetic whimpering as they continued on with their task. The cry of pleasure Larissa let out when Leonora entered her had jealously clouding every sense you had. But you took your punishment no matter how hard it became not to cum, you wanted to be good for her, for them. Leonora knew how to fuck both of you well, to the point Larissa was crying out in ecstasy as she tumbled over the edge, squeezing the red heads shaft for all it had.

Lesso only stopped hammering into her cunt when she had fucked her load right up to the blondes cervix. “Isa, my love take a breather and shift that pretty pussy into a cock, we have a disobedient pet on our hands.” The red head immediately approached you with one simple command, “open” so she could have you suck her strap clean while you moaned over the taste of your other girlfriends juices.

You aren’t quite sure how it happened but you ended up on your hands and knees, Larissa boneless on the bed, cock straining for attention while Lesso was stroking her strap from behind you. “Mommy” you whimpered to a blissed out Larissa, “daddy” you whined feeling the red head teasing your dripping folds. “Pathetic whore whining to mommy when your both daddy’s toys really” she teased knowing that Larissa tended to lean towards submission. With a quick snap of her hips she fully sheathed herself Into your awaiting cunt. You tried to cry out only to be silenced by Larissa’s cock being forced into your agape mouth.

You had no choice but to take the brutal assault from both women the sinful sounds of your wetness, skin meeting skin and gagging filled the room. Larissa’s whimpering of needy with slight over stimulation while Leonora panted with the effort of pounding into your tight hole. “Oh fuck Leo, her tight warm throat is taking me so well, thank you for sharing the whore with me” Larissa whimpered out only for Leonora to respond with a harsh smack to your ass, “taking our cocks so well, such a good little cockslut, just a dolly for mommy and daddy to use isn’t that right?” Lesso teased knowing damn well you couldn’t answer but the way your walls were clamping around her she knew you were close. “Don’t cum till we’ve filled you up with our seed, you’d look so beautiful all round and full with our baby.”

Larissa was first to let go, unable to hold it any longer, she couldn’t help but paint your throat begging Leonora to paint your slutty cunt with her. That was all it took for Leo to roughly grab your hair and tug it backwards as she filled you with her impressive load. “Cum doll, cum for daddy!” Larissa decided to help and snuck her hand down to your clit rubbing tight and fast circles causing you to cry out as you came. You came so hard in fact you squirted like a water fountain you’d see in a park.

Only when Leonora slipped from your core she saw how it leaked with her did she scoop it up with her fingers and fuck it back in, “do not waste it pet” was her final warning as Larissa scurried to get a warm wash cloth and some snacks and fresh sheets for you all. Once you were all less sticky and had some water and something to eat did you all settle in Larissa’s bed, the blonde on your left and the red head on your right as you snuggled and basked in each others body heat. “A drop in visit Nora?” You mumbled only to be hushed be Leonora, “missed my girls that’s all.” You truly were lucky to have these women in your life.

Tag list~ @farahtissaiamyloves @i-write-sometimes-maybe @blu3berrykiss3s

[thevikingwoman]

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. Spread the love ❤️

I was tagged by @myreia and @a-shakespearean-in-paris, thank you both! It's hard to pick favorites? (I cheated)

Tagging forward, and to anyone else who wants to!

@galadrieljones @redinkofshame @ubejamjar @roguelioness @galadae

@bearlytolerant @kittlesandbugs @ellstersmash @janzoo @coldshrugs

@gangrelslut @superfluouskeys @buttsonthebeach

- 1. The Lovers

FFXIV | Shadowbringers | Wol x Tansui | Explicit | 4310 words

After defeating the Rak'tika Lightwarden, Warrior of Light (& Darkness) finds time to teleport back to the source, yearning to see her lover again. Tansui is more than happy to see her again, and their need for each other is undeniable. However, after they come together, something weighs on Tansui's mind

This is one of my most recent fics, and I really love exploring both Meryta's and Tansui's POV in this one. I struggled getting it to where I wanted, but I'm so happy with where it ended up and some of the nuances I was able to get in here.

- 1.5 Passing Through

FFXIV | Stormblood patches | Wol x Tansui | Explicit | 4518 words

Warrior of Light Meryta Khatin, while helping Genbu with the Four Lords passes through Onokoro. She can't help checking in on a friend - and Meryta and Tansui can't deny the attraction between them.

Alright, I'm cheating and adding one more Meryta and Tansui fic. This one was the one that settled the idea I had for them in my mind, that made me think of them as ship - even if they're not there yet. I had such fun writing it, and I think it shows.

- 2. Choices

FFXIV | Shadowbringers | Wol | Gen | 736 words

After the reveal and failure of G'raha's plan, Meryta has a moment - angry, hurt, confused and falling apart

I love this little MSQ coda, it was so great to express the feeling about the whole plot, and how it felt to Meryta. I think I expressed her feelings and interiority so well, and put some great images in here.

- 3. Comfort

Dragon Age | Vampire AU | Solavellan | Explicit | 7107 words

"Brooding alone?” someone asks. A woman, an elf, leans on the bar next to him. Her red hair is up in a ponytail, displaying the tawny skin on her muscular back. She is wearing a shimmering white dress, only a scrap of fabric covering her back. “I am just here to enjoy a drink in peace,” he replies. She laughs, eyes sparkling and lighting up her face. Her lips are painted bold red, and he notices her vallaslin, a dull olive covering the right side of her face. Dalish, then. Not many clans do that anymore. “No one comes here to drink in peace,” she says. “Iwyn Lavellan.” She holds out her hand, and he has to take it, bringing it to his lips in a kiss. Later, he blames the alcohol, or her sparkling the eyes, or the way the dress barely covers her ass. “Solas. Pleased to meet you.”

Probably my favorite AU. I love the little plot, I love the world, I love the dynamic between them. I love writing Iwyn as the immortal. I love the images and descriptions I wrote - and he smut is pretty good too!

- 4. Home

Uprooted (Naomi Novik) | post-book | Agnieszka/ Sarkan | Teen | 2175 words

He misses her, just not more than he fears belonging.

This is probably the favorite fic I have ever written. I think I hit the mood of the book so well, and managed to make a believable continuation. I just think this one flows so well and I'm very proud of it.

- 5. Temerity

Dragon Age | post Inquistion | Solavellan | Explicit | 10728 words

Iwyn Lavellan is doing all that she can to stay one step ahead of Solas, opposing him after he reveals his plans. When she runs into her former lover in an abandoned ruin, they start a tenuous and dangerous dance. They can't help but being drawn to each other, no matter how harsh the flames of love or hate will burn them.

I love this one for so many reasons. Though not Iwyn and Solas canon (in my head) reunion, I love the darkness of this, and the way they're messed up. I'm so proud of myself for going there and writing this and putting it out in the world. I love some of the metaphors, I love the intensity. And I love the open ending I left; do they spiral or do they make it through?

[a-shakespearean-in-paris]

Fic authors self rec

Thanks for the tag @myreia!!!

When I graduated with degree a few years ago I honestly thought it would be all downhill and things would just move slowly without any excitement or milestones. Well, last year and this year have completely proved me wrong. This year alone, my grandpa passed away and I dealt with some bad family drama after that, I went to New York with my best friend, I turned thirty, I got a yellow lab, I made it to the one year mark at my editorial job, I’m getting ready for two major trips in the late summer/fall, and i also think i had a major glow up and never looked hotter. However, it hasn’t been a big writing year after last year was *so* good. Maybe writing about my last stuff will help with that!

In no order:

1. The Sweetest Sorrow

Rdr2, Arthur and Charlotte. This is *probably* my best fic overall if we’re just going by what internet experts say “good writing is.” Plot doesn’t meander much, development is solid, I think the characters make sense for their time period, and I just think it’s neat. The setting of the story also made me appreciate the hill country area near my hometown too. I also love that I didn’t overly rely on love scenes for the main relationship. Which I still love, but the older I get the more I recognize some stories don’t have that “vibe” that call for overly explicit love scenes, and this was one of them.

2. In waking dreams

DAI, Cullen and quiz.

I find this to be less of a story and more of an exploration of my life immediately after getting my undergrad and not knowing what the flaming hell I was going to do, and then an exploration of my life as I was finishing getting my graduate degree and *trying and failing* to secure a teaching job. Writing quality is certainly better in the back half, and I would kind of love to try rewriting this to see what I would do different, (I can think of several things) but as it is I am very proud of this.

3. Our immortal Longings

DBH, Connor x original character

Wasn’t going to include this, I don’t think the game aged well, and I honestly wonder if it was even good to begin with (graphics still are great though, and I do appreciate how many choices there are) but someone commented recently on it and it made me revisit the fic, and I have to admit this is a solid story and I really appreciate how batshit crazy I was for the actress and robot pairing. The world needs more robot love stories.

This fic just felt different to write. Not in a bad way, but in the way that really made me think I was transforming as a creative.

4. Let’s get away for a while

Leon and Ada, resident evil.

So I have a few Aeon fics but I am plugging this as my favorite—I like the fact that I did not shy away from making Leon a bit of a dick at the beginning. I mean I don’t blame him he’s tired of this thing between him and his woman being a situationship. Man is built for commitment.

In all seriousness I wrote this and felt myself level up. I also just love writing about what people do when they’re on vacation/ traveling, something that soon after became very near and dear to me, as well as relevant to my life experiences.

5. Stains of Red

dragon age, Cullen x inquisitor

So this is a cute little one shot about Lydia basking in the “oh my god we just got together!” Glow and sneaking in some kisses with her commander. I like the imagery and details of this fic, and I think it captures that honeymoon excitement. I reread it and I actually blushed.

Tagging @thevikingwoman @galadrieljones @laelior @wintersongstress and anyone else!!!

[pollenallergie]

My Favorite Person | e.m.

A/N: This author is a sucker for a good slow burn and what could be slower than that which spans a whole freakin decade. I mean, who doesn’t love baby love? Also, the prices of the toys mentioned in this fic are based on actual toy prices from the ‘70s bc I did a ton of unnecessary research for this.

Thank you so much @mxcheese for beta-reading this!! You’re the best!

CW: potentially inaccurate portrayals of children’s conversations, brief mentions of Eddie’s shitty father, two curse words (i think???), heavy idolization of Dolly Parton, the reader’s dad is kind of a jerk to Eddie

Eddie watches you skip joyously around your fourth grade classroom, handing out the invitations for your birthday party this weekend. He’s already made peace with the fact that he isn’t going to get one this time around. Your party’s at your dad’s house this year and, due to his dad’s reputation, he isn’t exactly welcome over there. So, the way he sees it, Eddie stands about as much of a chance of being invited to your party as he does getting a date with Faye Dunaway. Despite his resigned acceptance, he can’t help but feel jealous of your other friends.

Eddie tears his gaze from you and puts his head down on his desk, using his crossed arms as a make-shift pillow. He tries to think about something other than you and your stupid birthday party, conjuring up guesses as to what his dad might serve for dinner tonight and picturing what it might’ve looked like when the mean aunts got flattened by the peach in James and the Giant Peach; the latter causing him to giggle to himself. However, Eddie’s thoughts are soon interrupted when he hears a familiar voice call out his name. Almost immediately after, he feels a tiny finger gently poke his shoulder as the smell of your apple-scented shampoo fills his nostrils.

Eddie lifts his head up out of the dim fortress created by his arms to see you standing next to his desk, smiling at him sweetly. Only then does he notice how your braids have begun to unravel and your jumper has gotten a bit of dirt on it, most likely from the exhaustive play you did at recess. He resists the sudden urge to look down at his own clothes, wondering if they got as dirty as yours did today. Probably dirtier, he thinks.

“Hi, Eddie,” you greet him cheerfully, “you wanna come to my birthday party?” You ask simply, albeit with a slight lisp due to having recently lost one of your front teeth, as you hold out an invitation to him.

“Really?” Eddie asks in disbelief as he hesitantly accepts the invitation from you, half-expecting you to yank it back from him and announce that you were just kidding.

“Yeah, of course! Just don’t get me a present that costs more than ten bucks; my daddy says that’s the only rule,” You explain, causing his eyebrows to furrow.

“Why not?” He asks.

You shrug, “I dunno, something about him not wantin’ other parents to spend all their money on me.”

“Oh, okay,” Eddie doesn’t really get that, but he nods anyway.

“So, you’ll come?” You ask giddily.

“Yeah, if my dad says I can,” He replies, causing you to flash him a grin that’s just about a mile wide, a grin that he couldn’t help but reciprocate.

“Great! I’ll see ya then!” You exclaim blithely as you start skipping back to your desk. He still wears that grin on his face as you go.

In fact, that grin doesn’t leave Eddie’s cherubic, freckled face until later that afternoon, when he comes home to find his uncle sitting at the kitchen table wearing a somber expression and nursing a mug of black coffee, his dad nowhere to be found.

“Uncle Wayne?” Eddie asks as he drops his backpack off by the door.

Wayne sighs, rubbing a hand over his scruff, “Hey, kid.”

“Where’s dad?” Eddie asks curiously.

“Your dad’s in a little bit of trouble right now, so I’m gonna be lookin’ after you for a little while,” Wayne informs him as he offers him a sympathetic smile.

Eddie, however, seems a bit apathetic about the whole situation, simply asking, “For how long?” This is the third time his dad has skipped out on him this month alone, so he’s not really phased by his sudden disappearance.

“I don’t know, pal,” Wayne says truthfully.

Eddie’s brow furrows, “I got invited to a party today. I was gonna ask dad if I could go,” he informs his uncle.

“Yeah? Whose party?” Wayne asks, offering his nephew a happier smile. His smile gets just a bit wider when Eddie tells him that it’s your birthday party. He’s well aware of who you are; you’ve been friends with Eddie for a while now and he can tell you come from a good family. Or, at least, he knows that your mom’s a good lady, she’s offered to take care of Eddie many times when his dad’s gone off to do god knows what without him. Unfortunately, Wayne’s had to take her up on that offer far too many times for his liking, but she’s never minded.

“If you still wanna go, that shouldn’t be a problem, bud. Her mom’s place is only a short walk away after all,” Wayne informs him.

Eddie nervously chews at the collar of his shirt, only stopping temporarily to say, “‘S not at her mom’s. It’s at her dad’s.”

Shit, Wayne thinks.

“Can I still go?” Eddie asks, his rich brown eyes silently pleading to his uncle to say yes.

How could Wayne ever refuse him?

“Yeah, bud, you can go. I’ll take ya,” Wayne tells him and, despite having just learned about his dad ditching him once again, Eddie’s face lights up with a brilliant smile.

“Thank you, Uncle Wayne!” Eddie exclaims as he wraps the man up in a warm, grateful hug.

Wayne chuckles, “So what do you wanna get her, kid?”

The question catches Eddie off guard as he was in the middle of internally celebrating that his uncle said yes.

“What?” Eddie asks after pulling away from his uncle. Wayne gets up from his place at the kitchen table and drops his now empty mug off in the sink before turning to lean against the counter and look at Eddie.

“You got any ideas for what you’re gonna get her for her gift?” Wayne asks.

Eddie begins to panic. In his eight year old mind, this is the end of the world; he finally gets invited to a birthday party and doesn’t even know what to get the birthday girl.

“W-what- What do kids like her even like?” Eddie asks as he begins to nervously wring his hands together.

“What d’ya mean? She’s your friend, kid, surely you’ve gotta know what kind of stuff she likes,” Wayne says as his dry, cracked lips curl up into an amused smile.

“I just- I don’t- She already has so much. I mean, she gets two Christmases, you know? What if I get her something that she already has?” Eddie asks, his face scrunching up adorably as he looks up at his uncle.

Wayne chuckles, “Yeah, I know, bud. You know, you could always ask her what she wants,” Wayne offers as he moves back to the dinner table and slowly lowers himself back into his seat, Eddie mirrors him as he moves to sit in the seat just across from him.

“But then she’ll know exactly what I’m gonna get her. Doesn’t that kinda ruin the surprise?” Eddie asks, causing Wayne to sigh.

“Fair point,” Wayne pauses as he eyes his nephew carefully, “What’s the toy we kept seein’ on tv around christmas time? The one with the doll that drinks and stuff?”

Eddie snorts humorously, “Baby Alive?”

“Yeah, yeah, that one. We could get her that.”

“Too expensive, there’s a ten dollar gift limit,” Eddie sighs.

“Says who?” Wayne laughs in disbelief.

“Her dad,” Eddie grumbles.

“What kind of dad puts a dollar limit on his kid’s birthday presents?” Wayne scoffs. Eddie simply shrugs in response.

“Well,” Wayne trails off before continuing, “does she like to read? We could get her a book.”

“I- I don’t know,” Eddie sighs. He does know, you love to read and you’ve told him that many times before, but his mind draws a blank under pressure.

“I’ll tell you what… How about you do some investigating this week, find out what kinda stuff she wants. Then, when I get paid on Friday, we can go to the toy store and see if we can’t find something that she might like. How’s that sound?” Wayne asks.

“Okay,” Eddie sighs.

“Yeah? Sounds good?”

“Yeah, that sounds good, Uncle Wayne,” Eddie confirms.

“Alrighty then, use those detective skills and report back to me, alright?”

Eddie does just that. For the next four days at school, he pays extra special attention to you. So much so, that you’ve begun to take notice. Sometimes you think you can feel those rich coffee brown eyes on you and every time you catch his gaze, the abrupt flush of his cheeks lets you know that you’re right. At first, you chalk it up to him being excited that he got invited to your party. After all, the two of you didn’t get to celebrate it together last year because you’d gotten your tonsils removed a week before your birthday.

However, when you continue to catch him looking at you later on in the week, you begin to worry. And, given the fact that you’ve yet to fully learn social cues, you decide to confront Eddie on it. On Friday, after school dismissal, you catch him on the bus, sliding into the seat next to him before anyone else can take it. He suddenly looks up at you, his eyes widening slightly in mild shock.

“Hey,” you said somewhat breathlessly as you had to sprint to the bus after nearly getting on the wrong one; you were forgetful like that sometimes.

“Hi,” Eddie replies hesitantly.

“Did I do somethin’ to upset you?” You ask abruptly, catching Eddie off guard.

“W-what d’ya mean?”

“You’ve been lookin’ at me a lot, but not, like, talkin’ to me or anything. Are you mad at me or somethin’?” You ask innocently, your head quizzically cocking to the side a bit as you look at Eddie. In that moment, you remind the young boy of a puppy dog, all curious and cute.

“No! No, I’m not, I swear. I just,” Eddie trails off with a sigh, pulling his shirt collar up to his nose to hide his embarrassed blush before shyly admitting, “I don’t know what to get you for your birthday so I’ve been watching you to see what you like.”

“What I like?”

“Yeah, ya know, what kind stuff you like to do for fun and stuff like that.” He explains, his blush now spreading to the tips of ears as he lets his shirt collar slide off his nose before catching it in his mouth so he can gnaw on it nervously.

You giggle and he finds himself wondering if someone can actually die from embarrassment.

You nudge him gently with your elbow and smile at him sweetly, “Eddie you already know all that stuff!”

“Y-yeah, but I just, I don’t know what you want,” He sighs, “I don’t wanna get you the wrong thing or somethin’ you already have.”

“You could’ve just asked me what I want for my birthday, silly billy.”

“I know, but I didn’t want you to know what I was gonna get you beforehand.” He explains and you giggle some more.

“You really are silly, Eds. I would’ve just given you some general ideas, not told you exactly what to get me! I’m not dumb,” You tease.

“Oh, r-right,” Eddie stutters.

“I s’pose you don’t really need to anymore now that you’ve been spying on me,” You tease him some more.

“Well, I didn’t really come up with much. I mean, at best, I was thinking about getting you a new bookmark,” Eddie admits sheepishly.

“Well,” You trail off, thinking of some options to give him, “I like drawing, so you could get me a coloring book or stuff to color with. I also really, really like playin’ board games, so you could always get me one of those. I already have Candy Land, Boggle, Mouse Trap, and Operation, so don’t get me those games. Or you could get me a new doll, my brother ripped the heads off a few of mine, so I need to get some new ones,” You ramble on about gifts that he could get you for the majority of the bus ride home while Eddie just stares at you with comically wide eyes, desperately trying to follow along.

Finally you inhale a big breath, slightly winded from your incessant talking, and flash him a warm small. “Really, you could get me just about anything and I’d still be your best friend for life, Eddie,” You inform him.

“For life?” Eddie asks, tone laced with uncertainty and disbelief.

“Mhm. Forever and ever, amen,” You reply while doing your best imitation of a pastor on sunday morning; your tone a theatrical combination of pomposity and nobility. Eddie giggles in response.

All too soon, the bus turns onto your street and pulls to a stop near the curb. You let out a dramatic sigh, disappointed that your conversation is, in your opinion, cut short, before flashing Eddie a smile so bright it nearly blinds him. “I’ll see ya tomorrow!” You remind him cheerfully before hopping up from your seat, grabbing your backpack, and rushing off the bus with all the other kids that live on your block.

The scent of apples stays with him until he gets off the bus at his own stop later on. Even then, he swears he can still smell it a little bit. In a way, that smell actually helps him remember what you’d told him; he mulls over the ideas you’d given him as he walks the rest of the short distance to his trailer.

Eddie wouldn’t mind having a best friend for life, especially if it’s you. He remembers that, keeps it in the back of his mind as he coaches his uncle on what to look for at the toy store during the car ride there. Technically, he doesn’t know exactly what he wants to get you yet, so he simply tells Uncle Wayne to keep an eye out for something that fits any of the suggestions you’d given him. At that, Wayne can’t help but feel like he’s in over his head.

When he was a boy, Wayne would gravitate more towards sports, mostly baseball, so all of these modern toys and games were really unfamiliar territory for him. Nonetheless, Wayne tries his best to find something that you might like because he can tell how important this is to Eddie.

They’ve only been perusing through the aisles for a measly fifteen minutes when Eddie spots the gift. An art set chalk full of all the supplies a kid could ever hope for, water colors, a few brushes, a tiny pad of multi-media paper, oil pastels, colored pencils, and even a vast array of markers, all contained in a cardboard case that’s been painted to look like it was made out of a rich, earthy wood. It’s perfect. Art class had always been your favorite in school and you’d even mentioned wanting some colored pencils to him, so it certainly checks all of his boxes. Even better, it’s only seven bucks.

Score.

Eddie’s practically vibrating with excitement as he rides back home with his uncle, hand tightly clutching onto (and crinkling) the roll of treasure map wrapping paper they’d also picked up at the store. You’re gonna love this, he knows you will. He can’t wait for you to open his present tomorrow.

When Eddie gets home that night, he sets in search of the second part of your present; a tiny little elven figurine that came in one of the boxes of mismatched toys, individuals missing from their sets, that Wayne had gotten from a garage sale a few years ago and gifted to him for his birthday. Last summer he’d shown it to you while the two of you were playing on the playground situated at the front of the park, and the sight of your eyes lighting up with wonder as you gazed at the figurine has remained engraved in his memory ever since. It’s one of his favorite toys, but he's willing to part with it so long as he gets to see that gleeful expression of yours again.

The next morning, Eddie wakes up bright and early to start getting ready for your party. He’s practically buzzing with excitement as he quickly wolfs down a short stack of smiley-faced pancakes prepared by the world’s greatest uncle, Wayne, for breakfast.

Said uncle chuckles at his nephew’s giddy excitement as he frantically searches for the perfect outfit to wear to your party, finally landing on the navy sweater that he had worn to picture day this year and his nicest pair of blue jeans. He then makes you a card out of some plain white paper, decorating it with the generic-brand crayons that Santa got him for christmas and taping it shut with the Fred Flinstone sticker he’d gotten at his latest doctor’s appointment. Eddie finishes the card in the nick of time, as not long after he’s put away his crayons, Wayne’s calling his name to let him know that it’s time to go. He grabs your presents and rushes out to Wayne’s car excitedly.

Wayne follows him out, shutting and locking the door behind him, before sliding into the driver’s seat. Eddie tries his luck at sitting in the passenger seat, but Wayne flashes him a disapproving expression and motions for Eddie to sit in the back. The young boy sighs and reluctantly climbs back there before buckingly up. Wayne then turns the key in the ignition and peels out of the makeshift driveway in front of their trailer.

The drive to your house isn’t terribly long, at least not by rural Midwestern standards. Your dad’s place is situated in the outskirts of Hawkins, so Eddie has the absolute pleasure of getting to see all the cows and horses roaming the pastures on the way there. Wayne, however, is sort of desensitized to the wonder of livestock after having lived in Appalachia for most of his childhood.

“Hey, did you know cow farts are bad for the ozone layer?” Eddie asks, offering a random, not fact prompted by the sight of the roaming cattle. Of course, it’s not entirely true, but it’s close enough.

Wayne snorts humorously, “You know, son, can’t say that I did.”

After passing a few more pastures and cornfields, the two finally arrive at your house, only to be met with the sight of a long, narrow, gravel driveway which leads past a dense patch of spruce and pine trees and up to a house with pretty blue siding. Eddie’s never seen your dad’s house before, so he’s pretty shocked at the sight that greets him. While your home certainly isn’t as big or ornate as some of the houses clustered in the local neighborhoods, it’s still pretty nice, and the plot of land it sits on is much bigger than he was expecting. Frankly, Eddie’s a little pissed that you didn’t tell him you lived on a Christmas tree farm. Not to mention, he’s starting to get the impression that you’re filthy stinkin’ rich.

Little does he know, your grandpa bought this once undesirable plot of land for dirt cheap back in the 30s and spent years fixing it up, even building that quaint little house that you call home with his own two hands. Truthfully, the house’s only luxuries are the octagonal above-ground pool your dad installed in the backyard a couple of years ago and the few acres of land that it sits on, though most of it is taken up by the rows of spruces and pines. Other than that, it’s really nothing more than a modest little ranch house, nothing too out of the ordinary for rural Indiana.

However, in Eddie’s eyes, if this is the kind of luxury that carpentry, with a side of tree farming, can get you, then he now knows exactly what he wants to be when he grows up. He even tells Wayne as much while he’s driving up the long driveway to your house, to which the man huffs out a laugh.

“A carpenter, huh?”

“Yeah, like that Jesus guy,” Eddie says nonchalantly to which Wayne lets out a proper laugh.

He’s still laughing as he pulls into the patch of short, sparse grass where the other parents have parked their cars. When Wayne unbuckles his seatbelt and turns the key, taking it out of the ignition and shutting the car off, Eddie’s filled with a mild sense of dread.

“What are you doing?” He asks his uncle as he unbuckles his own seatbelt.

Wayne looks back at him in the reflection of the rear view mirror with an expression of sheer confusion. “I’m gettin’ out the car, what’re you doin’?” Wayne asks teasingly, causing Eddie to sigh.

“Uncle Wayne, please, don’t. I promise, I’ll be fine by myself,” Eddie pleads.

“Nuh uh, I’m coming in, bud, at least for the first few minutes,” Wayne refutes. The man just wants to look out for his nephew. He knows why Eddie’s never been allowed to come over here before, knows how your dad and the rest of the adults in this godforsaken town feeling about all who carry the Munson family name, so, the way Wayne sees it, he’d be an idiot not to be apprehensive about how your dad and the other parents might treat Eddie when he’s not around.

“C’mon,” Eddie groans exasperatedly.

“C’mon,” Wayne mocks him, “I paid for that gift, the least you could do is let me see the look on the birthday girl’s face when she opens it.”

“Fine,” Eddie grumbles.

“‘Sides, having you around all these trees is a hazard, someone’s gotta make sure you don’t try to climb one and break your arm again,” Wayne teases as the two of them hop out of the car, shutting their doors behind themselves.

Eddie flashes him a look of pure annoyance as they begin to walk up towards the house, “That’s not funny.”

Wayne grins, the outer corners of his eyes crinkling with the change in his expression, “It’s a little bit funny.”

Eddie rolls his eyes before walking up the few concrete stairs leading to your tiny front porch. He walks up to the front door and rings the doorbell politely with his free hand, the other one holding your gift, Wayne follows his lead. Your older sister answers the door and, honestly, Eddie and Wayne are both extremely grateful to be met with the sight of a familiar face.

“Well hey there, Sunshine,” Eddie greets her warmly by her nickname; it’s an ironic nickname, one given to her by your mom the minute she hit puberty and morphed into a mass of pure teenage angst.

Despite her perpetual moodiness, she flashes the two of them a warm grin before calling out to you, “Hey, dweeb, Eddie’s here.” She then invites them both to come inside.

Eddie barely makes it two steps past the threshold of the front door when you suddenly emerge, seemingly out of nowhere and adorned in a nice, pink dress that your mom had made for you and a cowgirl hat that, despite being the same color as your dress, is too glitzy to actually match it. Just as suddenly as you appear, you’re abruptly flinging yourself onto him, wrapping him up in a warm, albeit tight, hug. He stumbles back with the sheer force of it, but Wayne reaches out and steadies the two of you before you can go tumbling to the ground.

“You made it!” You cheer excitedly.

“Happy Birthday,” Eddie says as he reciprocates your embrace with the same level of enthusiasm, his face lighting up with a grin that seems to stretch from ear to ear.

“Hi, Uncle Wayne,” You greet his uncle politely while releasing Eddie from your crushing embrace.

You then grab one of the young boy’s hands and begin to pull him into the other room while saying, “C’mon, everyone’s downstairs. My dad decorated our basement to make it look like one of those dance halls you see in the movies, the ones with all the square dancing, and it… looks… amazing!”

You practically drag the poor kid down the stairs as you excitedly ramble on about all the decorations and party games that your dad and his girlfriend set up for your party. Wayne and your sister aren’t far behind, following you downstairs; the sound of children chattering away and country music softly playing in the background fills their ears as they descend down the stairs.

“This party has a theme?” Wayne asks your sister. All the birthday parties that he’s ever been to have been just that, a birthday party; nothing more than a cake and maybe one or two party games just to keep the kids entertained. This party, however, is impressively elaborate; from the detailed decorations to the surprisingly on-theme games, you’ve even given each kid a cowboy hat of their own to wear, though none of them are as ornate as yours.

“Yeah, she’s been begging my dad for a Dolly Parton-themed party for months now, he figured a hoedown-themed one was a good compromise,” She explains, causing Wayne to chuckle. Really, he should’ve expected that; you’ve been obsessed with Dolly ever since you heard Coat of Many Colors on the radio a couple summers ago.

As you and Eddie run off to go join your other friends, your sister leads Wayne over to the side of the basement that the adults have congregated in.

“Dad, this is Wayne, Eddie’s uncle,” She introduces him, “Wayne, this is my dad.” Having fulfilled her greeting obligations, your sister soon ditches the party to go do angsty teenage things with her friends upstairs, abandoning Wayne with your dad and the few other parents that chose to stick around.

Your dad offers him a nod of acknowledgement before asking, “You want a beer?”

Wayne curls one of his eyebrows up and eyes your dad suspiciously, “Is that a trick question?”

Your dad chuckles, “God, no, it’s just the only way I can get through these things,” He says, referencing the hoard of nine and ten year olds gathered in his home.

Your dad then heads over to the cooler sat atop the card table that the other parents are sitting around and fishes out two bottles of beer, one for him and one for Wayne. As he hands Wayne one of the beers, both men settle into a conversation about the latest NASCAR race, prompted by the Richard Petty baseball cap that Wayne’s wearing. It’s awkward at first, given both men’s preconceived notions about each other, but the tension dissipates as the party carries on.

Your dad lets you and your friends bounce from activity to activity for a couple of hours before deciding that it’s time for cake and presents. So, everyone gathers around the long folding table set up in the middle of the room, Eddie sat right by your side, all watching as your dad brings out your homemade birthday cake and begins to light the candles. Once each waxy stick is topped with a delicate flame, everyone begins to sing to you and excitedly wiggle in your seat, too gleeful to contain it. When the celebratory song finally comes to a close, you blow out your candles with the encouragement of all your guests.

Apparently no one’s ever told you how wishes work before, or perhaps you know and simply don’t care, because you immediately turn to Eddie and excitedly inform him, “I wished for a corner piece of cake and to meet Dolly.” Unfortunately, Eddie notices that, in making your wish, you failed to account for the fact that your birthday cake is round, but he still hopes that the other part of your wish will come true.

In the rare, fleeting moment of calm that settles over the party after your dad has distributed a piece of cake to each kid, you slide your seat even closer to Eddie’s before digging into your slice. Eddie flushes at the sudden closeness and tries his best to ignore how nervous it makes him as he begins eating away at his own slice of cake.

“Eddie,” You softly call out to him, getting his attention without alerting your other guests.

“Yeah?” He replies through a mouthful of sugary sweet cake.

“Are you having fun?” You ask him suddenly, your bright eyes drilling holes into the side of his head as they stare at him unwaveringly.

“Y-yeah, I’m having fun,” Eddie replies as he bashfully meets your gaze.

“So you,” you trail off nervously, your fingers dropping your fork down on your plate in favor of picking at your cuticles, “You like hanging out with me?”

Eddie turns slightly in his chair, now facing you and fixing you with a quizzical gaze, “Yeah, you’re my friend,” He reassures you.

“Good,” You practically breathe a sigh of relief, “I think next year I might just invite you to my birthday party,” You confess, whispering your words so that the other kids won’t hear them.

“Why?” Eddie asks.

“Cause I really just wanted to hang out with you today, but that’s kinda hard when all my other friends are here too,” You explain as if it makes perfect sense, which, of course, it does to you.

“Me? Why’d you wanna hang out with me?”

“Because,” You sigh, “We don’t really play together much anymore, not since school started. But we used to hang out all the time last summer.”

Eddie frowns, “Yeah, I know.”

“Why don’t we hang out anymore, Eddie? Did I do something wrong?” You ask softly.

“You didn’t, I promise. I just- You have so many friends, so you don’t really need me,” Eddie reasons, causing your lips to turn down in a frown as well. His gaze falls to his lap as he swallows around the lump in his throat.

“But, Eddie, I like you more than them,” You confess, your tiny hand, with nails painted bubblegum pink, reaching out to grasp his own for the second time today.

Eddie’s head snaps up out of shock, his gaze meeting yours once again, ��You do?”

You giggle sweetly, a smile breaking out on your cherubic face, “Of course I do! Eddie, they’re not good friends, not like you are. They all think I’m weird and sometimes they pick on me because of that, but not you, you’re always nice to me. Plus, you read all the coolest books and you’re so good at everything,” You confess.

“I am?” Eddie asks.

“Yeah! Like you’re really good at skipping rocks on the lake and you play guitar, which is so cool! Oh and you always draw the coolest stuff in art class.”

“I do?”

“Yeah, silly billy, you do. Eddie, you’re like the coolest person I know, besides my momma, of course,” You tell him.

While Eddie certainly agrees that your mom is really cool, he’s never really thought of himself as being cool before.

“I’m cool?” He asks doubtfully.

“The coolest,” You reassure him, wearing the cheesiest smile on your face all the while. Eddie can’t help but mirror your gleeful expression; the two of you now grinning at each other, lost in your own little world. The two of you are suddenly pulled out of that private little world when your dad walks over and gently rests a hand on your shoulder.

“Hey, honey, go on and finish up your cake now so you can open your presents,” Your dad says in an odd hybrid of a midwestern accent and a slow, almost southern sort of drawl, the kind of accent you get when you spend your whole life living on a farm in the rural Midwest, the kind that makes it sound like he’s perpetually speaking with a toothpick in his mouth and a couple beers in his system. He squats down beside you to plant a kiss on your cheek.

“Daddy.”

“Yes ma’am?”

“This is my friend Eddie,” You say enthusiastically, gesturing to the boy sitting to your left.

“Yeah, I know, pumpkin. Hurry up and finish that cake, alright?” He says in a tone that’s plenty nice, but still dismissive all the same, your smile falters at the sound of it and Eddie deflates just a little bit too.

Eddie doesn’t know what he did to make your dad hate him so much, but he finds himself wanting to apologize to him anyways. However, your dad walks away, rejoining the adults, before Eddie can even utter a word. Perhaps it’s for the best, though, because, as soon as your dad’s gone, you’re turning back to face Eddie and flashing him another megawatt smile. This smile, however, is a bit more devious than the ones you’d sported earlier on.

“Go on now, honey, finish your cake so I can open my presents,” You jokingly tell him in a near perfect imitation of your dad, one so good that it makes you both giggle.

Nevertheless, the two of you do wolf down your slices of cake fairly quickly, both eager for you to open your presents. After everyone else has finished too, you move to sit at the chair that your dad has positioned by the table that everyone had set their presents on, and all of the other kids circle around you, including Eddie. Then you finally start opening your gifts, beginning with the ones sitting closest to you on the table. You end up opening a few gifts before you finally get around to Eddie’s. They’re nice gifts too. Ellie Wilkinson got you a brand new doll house and Isaac Donaldson got you a chemistry set.

So much for that ten dollar limit, Wayne thinks.

After seeing all the nice gifts that the other kids got you, Eddie’s left feeling a little insecure about what he’d gotten you. However, the pure joy that radiates from your entire being as you rip off the treasure map wrapping paper of his gift, along with the mile wide smile that lights up your features as your gaze rests on the art set he got you, serves as the perfect source of reassurance. Your joy increases tenfold when you spot the wizard figurine that Eddie had snuck in with the art set.

Wayne immediately recognizes that little figurine and fixes his nephew with a look of pure disapproval from across the room. However, Eddie can’t find it in him to feel guilty or ashamed for going behind his uncle’s back, not when you’re smiling so sweetly.

“Who’s it from?” You ask excitedly, your feet tapping against the floor in a speedy, energetic rhythm.

“Read the card, honey,” Your dad tells you as he hands you the card that Eddie made for you this morning. You grab it from him eagerly and open it, reading the words written on the inside of it aloud, “Happy Birthday,“ you read your name as he’s written it on the card, following it with, “Love, Eddie Munson.”

In a flash of pink, you’re hopping up from your chair excitedly and bounding over to the curly-haired boy dressed in blue.

“Eddie, you are my favorite person alive right now!” You cheer gleefully as you catapulte over to him with your arms outstretched; once again, nearly knocking him over with the force of your hug.

While that’s not exactly the lifelong best-friendship you’d promised, Eddie thinks being your favorite person for even a moment might be worth losing his favorite action figure.

[booksandabeer]

Catching up

I got tagged approximately one million years ago by @burberrycanary 💙 and @somanywords 💛. Sorry it took me so long! 😬

Last song: I don't know the exact song, but I've been listening to the album Cat Power Sings Dylan: The 1966 Royal Albert Hall Concert a lot. I'm not a particuarly big fan of Bob Dylan, or a fan at all, really. However, I am absolutely a die-hard fan of Cat Power and I think that Chan Marshall is probably the best cover artist of...all time? Well, certainly of her generation. That's not to shade her original compositions, which I also love, but she's brilliant at taking songs that you thought you could no longer listen to because they've been played ad nauseam everywhere for decades, and then teasing something fresh and original and truly moving out of them. Listen to her covers of "I'll Be Seeing You" or "Mr. Tambourine Man" or even "New York, New York" and tell me they don't excite you in any way (if they don't, I suspect you have no soul). She's even great at covering herself! Please go and listen to her 2008 cover of her own 1998 song "Metal Heart" right now. It's one of my all-time faves and also, yes absolutely a Stucky song.

Relationship status: I have a person.

Sweet/spicy/savory: Everything all at once, please.

Favorite color: Blue, blue, blue. International Klein Blue to be precise. I cannot get enough of it. Also, I will die on the hill that chartreuse is actually a great color.

Last movie: The Last Stop in Yuma County which was a fun neo-western/crime thriller that didn't take itself too seriously and didn't outstay its welcome. Imagine that! A 90-minute movie. They still make those! Wild. If you like Tarantino and/or the Coen Brothers, but played at a faster, snappier tempo, you will probably enjoy this one too.

Last show: So many. Bodkin, which is the epitome of "this show doesn't know what it wants to be." Is it a quirky comedy? A crime show? A (very tepid) satire? It's not like you can't combine these genres, but the show doesn't combine them, it swings wildly between them. The ending was terrible. I've finally started watching Hacks (a delight!) and I'm still slowly making my way through Kings (only 2 episodes left). Also following along with the new season of IWTV, which remains an absolutely bonkers show. If *this* is what made it into the final cut, can you imagine what didn't? Oh, to be allowed to read the studio notes for this one!

Last thing I googled: The origin and meaning of a Norse/Russian name. For reasons.

Current obsession: The Terror brainrot is still going stong. I have learned so much about Arctic Exploration in the 1800s over the past few weeks. Also, in a curious turn of events, I have started reading Masters of the Air fanfic? I was unfortunately pretty disappointed with the show. I had hoped it would trigger a level-11 hyperfixation but instead it just kinda came and went and I didn't even think about it anymore. Then an author, who I still follow because they used to write Stucky, started posting one Buck/Bucky (yes, they are two different characters) fic after another, and one day I said, 'Why not give it a shot?' Well, here we are, tens of thousands of words later, and for the first time in my life I'm beginning to understand the people whose general fandom attitude is 'I don't care for the source material at all, but the fic! Oh the fic compels me!' I have been compelled. I'm now a person who reads fanfiction for a pairing that includes a character played by Austin Butler (sorry Butler heads, I just don't get it).

Wonders never cease.

--

Like I said, I got tagged for this ages ago, so I don't know who's done this (recently). I'm gently tagging @bromcommie, @aimmyarrowshigh, @zenaidamacrouras1, @shackleton2 and @hail-americas-ass. Also, I mean it when I say I want to know what everyone else is watching/eating/obsessing over/etc. Tell me! Open tag for everyone who wants to do this.

[altocat]

You helped me, my friend, so now it’s my turn to help you ❤️

From a complete kudos, comments, and bookmark stance, I can’t express enough how AO3 can get into our heads in terms of wanting to perform well. Despite having no set “algorithm”, being a more library-organized system, that’s not gonna stop the rat race of social media standards from messing with us! I think it’s more than understandable to want a fic to do well; I think it’s more than understandable to want those kudos numbers to be triple digits; I think it’s more than understandable to compare which kinda things resonates with people more in order to achieve those things — bc there IS an undeniable validation and satisfaction that comes with seeing those fics perform well! It’s just how things work in 2024, imo, as good and as bad as it may be. So plz know that, at least from me, you have all the empathy in the world when it comes to this kinda stuff 💞

HOWEVER!~

We can’t let those pressures squash our own creative drives ❤️ Bc at the end of the day, we ARE writing fanfiction… we ARE writing a genre that is completely and utterly free, that has no limitations and no guidelines! We ARE writing a genre that, as much as our brain wants to convince us otherwise, is for Us. There’s really no better ecstasy out there than knowing a fic we wrote is appreciated by others!! (Again, that validation!!) But it should never be the other way around ❤️ It’s a hard endeavor in the world of social media, but we shouldn’t be the ones seeking that appreciation from others. I can tell how much you love to write angst from the sheer passion that goes into every single brutal fic you put out. And lemme tell you know — whether I’m being a broken record or not! — you are So. Fucking. GOOD at it ❤️ Beyond good. Beyond great. Straight up masterful. AMT’s wouldn’t be what it is without the heart-shredding angst that made it as powerful as it was. Sinners wouldn’t make me shriek into my pillow if you weren’t go gifted at wielding the angsty blade. Barrage wouldn’t bring me to tears the way it did; Flashes Before Your Eyes wouldn’t still linger in my mind the way it still does. And I can go on and on, but I think you get my point ❤️ You are beyond extraordinary at what you, my friendo. It still leaves me speechless to this day.

So, I guess what I’m trying to say it… if you wanna write angst, PLZ HECKIN’ DO!!! If only for the fact that there is so much love that goes into it when you do ❤️❤️❤️ And that love is palpable, and it leaves impressions, and those impressions make for one heck of a wildly blessed author. I honestly don’t think a fluffy fic written for the sake of it being fluffy will be able to have the same kinda heart that something like Unrequited did… y’know what I mean? 💖 And plz do not get me wrong — Shelter is phenomenal, and every kudos and comment and bookmark is so, so deserved and more!! But I don’t think that should be the basis/comparison point for your fics. You don’t have to be an “angst” writer; you don’t have to be a “fluff” writer; you don’t have to be anything.

Just be you, Alto ❤️ Bc you are fucking incredible. And I wouldn’t want you to be anyone else ❤️💖

*jumbo hugs!*

(P.S. - I was thinking recently that I should switch over to primarily angst writing bc I thought that’s what the people wanted 😂😂 But maybe the Yin and Yang of fanfic genres are simply meant to balance each other out lmaooo!)

DFGHJGFDSAWSEDFG Thank you Pichu!!!! Don't worry, I wasn't seriously considering cutting my angstfics. Just sort of speculating out loud and seeing if people had preferences. But with that said, this all means so much to me to hear. And I'm so grateful that my fics have meant something to you in the long run. I write for fun, mostly as a means of expressing myself or exploring ideas that are bubbling in the surface. So I'm glad it appeals to an audience, however niche.

I'm rambling lolol Thanks so much. You're such a good writer and a kind friend ❤️

[courfee]

navigation post & faq

ao3 my poetry insta for fanart

Marauders fanart (tumblr)

Marauders microfics (tumblr)

Marauders fanfics (ao3)

Operation Walburga's Arbitrary No Kissing Ever Rule – T | Jegulus | 11/11 | wc:91k A 10 Things I Hate About You AU where James fake dates Regulus so Sirius can date Remus again

All My Theory Complete — M | Jegulus | 25/25 | wc: 166k a slow burn Hogwarts fic with a hopeful end.

Watch Me Meet My End — G | Wolfstar | 1/1 | wc: 2.3k Remus finds out about Sirius' escape from Azkaban

On Lies And Spies — M | Peter | 1/1 | wc: 2.7k On Halloween 1981 Peter does not mean to betray his best friend, but somehow everything goes wrong.

blindspot — G | Jegulus | 1/1 | wc: 3k turns out dogs, deer and wolves are red-green colourblind, which has some questionable consequences for the people who can turn into said animals

Something That Tastes Almost Divine — G | Prongsfoot | 1/1 | wc: 2.6k unrequited but very intimate Prongsfoot

If you ask nicely — T | Jegulus | 1/1 | wc: 1.2k James is great at flirting. What he is not great at, he recently had to learn, is being flirted with.

Borrow My Name — E | Jegulus | 10/10 | wc: 30k James is Regulus' new neighbour, who finds many excuses to knock on his door

let's walk the road backwards the way we came — M | Marauders | 4/4 | wc: 5.4k It shouldn’t have come to anyone’s surprise that Remus is the first of the Marauders to die.

high delight — E | Jegulus | 1/1 | wc: 4.7k james is scared of flying on planes, regulus makes for a very good distraction

Les Mis fanart (tumblr)

Les Mis fanfics (ao3)

Now Warm in Love — G | Courf/Jehan | 1/1 | wc: 1.0k Jehan has an awful day and Courfeyrac has an awful sweater

A Piece of Sun — G | Triumvirate | 1/1 | wc: 395 a character study of the triumvirate comparing them to the sun

Nature Assigns the Sun — G | Courf | 1/1 | wc: 2.2k Courfeyrac struggling with not being alright all the time and asking for help

FAQ

Can I translate your fics? you can, as long as it stays on ao3 and is marked as a translation with the ao3 function

Can I post your fics elsewhere? no.

Can I bind your fics? if you do it yourself by hand only for personal use and do not make a profit off of it, go ahead! (and also show me pls i wanna see)

Can I put your fics on Goodreads or Storygraph?  no

Can I use your art as my profile picture/lockscreen/... sure, if it's on the internet credit me properly though

Can I repost your art? don't repost if you have nothing to add to it. if it is merely a compliment or some excitement about my art, reblog/retweet/etc my post instead and add it in the comments/tags/etc. if you do have something new to add (using it as visualisation, art/detail analysis, etc) feel free to repost it as long as you give proper credit (link back to the og post & tag me). however, don't repost my art on social media platforms i am on when i haven't posted it there myself yet

what about fanarts you made for other fics? please do not use the fanart i make for certain fics to relate to other fics. those fanarts are gifts to the authors of the fics they're about and i want them to stay connected to those fics

Can I use your fics/art as training data for AIs/use AI to to expand on your fics/art? absolutely not. I do not endorse the usage of AI in any creative field whatsoever

[uncleasad]

A friend recently asked, among others, “how does one get good at naming a fic?”

I don’t have any good answers, because naming is hard. Really. (There’s a famous maxim in computer science that naming is one of the two hardest problems in that field.) Hopefully, maybe, like all other things writing-related, one gets better at it through practice, though I still struggle with it sometimes (there are some real head-scratchers among my fic titles).

That, unfortunately, is a bit of a chicken-and-egg problem when you’re starting out. (I have no-so-fond memories of this. Not that I have a huge number of great names or fics to my name now, but you get the picture.) So maybe throw spaghetti at the wall and see what sticks? 😂

Seriously, though, naming is hard. It is often the last thing I do with a fic. It’s very rare that I have a good name for a fic before I start writing or even soon after. (There’s a reason I tag most fics here with a semi-descriptive phrase, like Roman Republic Hosie.)

Exceptions include my first fic, Have At Least One Totally Epic Love, which gets its name from a famous Hayley Marshall quote from The Originals S5 which in part inspired the fic, and, among others, my most recent, The One with Hope’s Wedding, which is a twist on the name of the Friends episode that inspired it? See a pattern here?

(There’s also a kinda anti-example, Two Scoops of Hosie Delight, where I had the title to start and tried to write a fic around it; it’s not a great fic.)

Sometimes an idea will come to me when I’m writing. In that case, it’s usually because I’ve made someone say something I really like. This is also my go-to option when I get to the end of writing and/or editing and still have no title: I look for a fun line or sentence. Even better if it captures something unique or descriptive about the fic. (As an aside, all of the Legacies episode titles are lines someone spoke in that episode.)

The other major area I try to mine for name ideas are things related to the fic’s content in a broader sense: the theme or subject, the mood, or something related to the description. I don’t have a good example off-hand from my own work, but let me dissect (from a reader’s POV) a title I really like from a fellow author, pins, needles & hexes by vitrisimbre.

This fic is a Hosie Hogwarts AU, and one of the things I really like about it is the dual meaning of “pins [and] needles.” On the one hand, “pins” and “needles” go well with “hexes” in a magical sense, e.g. poking dolls with pins as representational magic, while on the other hand, the phrase “on pins and needles” is a way of describing excitement, anticipation, and even sometimes trepidation. In this fic, the Saltzman twins are yanked from the Muggle world and thrown into the world of magic at Hogwarts, so Josie is experiencing a bunch of those emotions from that, and then again from a burgeoning attraction. There’s also a third meaning of “pins and needles” in English, which is that tingling of numbness in a limb when it goes to sleep—but I have no idea if that is relevant to this fic yet. (It’s a great fic, so you should read it!)

If you have a series, you can have a pattern or theme that carries through all of those titles. My Tales from the Salvatore Kitchen series features titles that are either—and often both—bad puns and food/dessert related, for example. The “model Josie/painter Hope” trilogy started with Hope painting a landscape, and that theme carried through with the titles: Landscape of Your Skin, Landscape of Your Heart, and the unfinished Landscape of Your Secrets. (The actual series name there, however, is the very uninspired, though descriptive, The Model and the Painter.)

tl;dr

Some good sources of ideas for fic titles, in my experience:

Quotes from the real world or other media, and riffs on them

Titles from the real world or other media (including song titles!), and riffs on them

Favorite and/or fun lines from the fic itself

Riffs on descriptions/subjects/themes/moods of the fic

Fellow writers, any other advice on naming fics, and how to “get better” at it so that you feel like you like your fic titles?

[msmargaretmurry]

any advice on someone who’s new to the hockey/hockey rpf fandom on trying to make friends? I miss having people to bounce ideas off of

hi anon! welcome to hockey fandom! i hope you're having fun so far ❤

in all honestly, i'm probably not the best person to answer this question. the majority of the friends i made in hockey fandom i met 7–10 business years ago in a locked hockey twitter environment that just doesn't really exist anymore in the way it did back then. i've made a handful more recently (whom i adore!!) but i'm such an introvert that most of the time it's them deciding we should be friends and me being like "sure sounds great!" 😅 however. i will try to give some advice anyway.

i assume since you're here you're on tumblr in general, so if you haven't yet, definitely start following people who are into the same teams/players/pairings as you! don't be shy about reblogging from them and putting your fannish feelings in the tags, or prev tagging them if you like what they added, or sending them an ask if they blog about something you'd love to hear more about. except, and this is key, i'm sorry: you gotta send your asks non-anonymously. anons can be super fun but you can't really make friends with them.

it really depends on the level of outgoing-ness you're comfortable with, but if you've had a couple of interactions with someone and you want to see if they'd like to be friends, honestly, just shoot them a message. say something like, hey, i'm pretty new to hockey fandom and trying to make friends, and you seem cool, so i wanted to say hi! like, unfortunate because it can be scary, but in my experience reaching out intentionally to people to start a dialogue has a way higher success rate than just interacting from afar and hoping they make a friendship move.

if you post fic on ao3, link your tumblr in your author's notes or ao3 bio. that way people who like your fic can find you! (actually do this even if you just comment on ao3. if you leave a really nice comment on someone else's fic they might want to find you, too!) and, if you find fic writers on here whose stuff you like, don't be afraid to message them about it! we live for that shit, and you might make a new writer friend.

i feel like this is all very basic advice that is not specific to hockey fandom at all, so i'm sorry if it's nothing new. if i had an idea of what in hrpf you were into maybe i could point you in some more specific directions. i know there are some discord servers out there for hrpf in general and for more specific teams/pairings/etc within hrpf, but i don't discord so i can't help with that :(

hockey fandom, i think, can be a little intimidating because there is so much information and history and so many players and teams you could be into. i really do think being honest with people — hey, i'm new, i'm excited to learn and geek out about this stuff, i wanna be friends — is the best way to be. and if you have questions, you can always dm me! i'm nice, i promise!!

[thirdeyeblue]

Hey I just read your recent post The one about the fandom hyper fixation and then your entry in the tags. And I'm not sure if this helps anything, But I feel like it needs to be said, I am so sorry that you are feeling under confident right now, and I hope dearly and truly that it's just a dark cloud overhead. Because I'm someone who does not know you personally, I am truly disheartened to hear you're having a rough time with something you love You spend time and energy and emotions writing these fics for free—not only just you but dozens of authors in this specific fandom we call doctor who— and it must be rough seeing the discourse, (I'm only assuming it's about the purpose of a reprose if I'm wrong just ignore this little rant. That I honestly find a bit annoying because if you don't like the fic do to the ship, back out. If you do, don't use it as an excuse to be toxic and harsh. It's petty and childish.) And the campaign falling through (quite frankly I wish I could punch whoever made Ninex"the doctor's wife" a "canonical" thing, I find the actual shipname a curse in this house and you know who I mean. Like even if you couldn't get Billie back, Just make cool Nine adventures! Also tell us what the heck Mia comes from, I love it I do, but context!) and anything else you might be going through personally. I'm sorry that you're not exactly feeling the motivation right that you use too.

I hope that you know however long this break last, you're an amazing writer and more than likely there is someone jumping into this fandom who—like me— fell in love with tentoo based on your Fics. Even if it might not seem like much books like your brighten up someone's day, and that's one of the best things you can do in the world. Make someone happy. So take your time, ride this wave out, and I hope you have something out there brightening up your life like to do ours!

Jesus, I'm sorry that I'm only just now responding to this lovely ask! It's been buried beneath someone else's novel-length piece of nonsense I've neglected to read for ages/only just now got around to deleting.

I actually quite needed to see something like this today, so even though you sent it months ago, it's serendipitous to have found it again now!

(See below for my long af reply-turned-diary-entry, I'm sorry—I just drank a C4 Smart Energy and my brain is a-going)

I appreciate you for reaching out with all of this love! It's difficult to concentrate when you're already not particularly kind to yourself, but I'm trying—and good god, stuff like this is so helpful.

I'm also so honored and happy to have changed your opinion of Tentoo AND to have brightened up your life in ANY way. You're wonderful 🥹💖

As for the Repose stuff, thank you, fam. Of course that discourse is annoying, but I've recovered from it by now (I'm also close to updating that fic again soon)!

To be honest, it's more upsetting that some people I consider(ed) friends started treating me differently because of shipping (including one not-so-stealthy ""anon"")—but I've made my peace with that. The real ones+incredible readers+actual friends will be with you no matter what.

(Honestly, with the amount of critical thinking that led me to appreciate that ship in a nuanced way [while still actively shipping TentooRose, mind], it's silly for anyone to lump me in with all of the worst opinions present in the T/M fandom—that'd be like lumping me in with the people who think Ten and Rose were fucking (we are not the same)—but people are insane. Still, I've since made separate accounts for my T/M stuff to improve my quality of life as an unpaid content creator. And it's been great! But people can still be weird. Suppose that's the price of engaging with fandom in the first place.)

Regarding the campaign thing: I'm not too concerned about that! I'm the one who made the terrible decision to try and get a petition going around the 60th... It didn't occur to me until after the fact (AKA after RTD obliterated my faith) that I should have based the entire petition around Big Finish/Titan Comics/etc to begin with. I've since come up with a way better idea, I just haven't deployed it yet — but keep an eye out if you're interested! It's going to be the last attempt I make, but I've discussed it with several like-minded friends, and I think it'll be brilliant 💖

But yes. Dear god. That shit they pulled with River and Nine... I don't even wanna talk about it. Hopefully this plan I'm working on will make up for it. Maybe. Who knows.

And thank you again for being lovely. Sorry for the wall of text!

[wallpaper-inside-my-heart]

💛Smoshblr December Asks Day 21💙

Top 3 tropes in media/fanfic

So in terms of general concepts/tropes I enjoy in all media, there def any iteration of (Enemies/Rivals to) Friends to Lovers; then Found Family <3 and hurt/comfort -> especially in combo with one of the other two tropes!

When in comes to which types of fanfics I specifically seek out most of the time:

(putting these answers and the fanfic recs under the cut, cause this is once again getting way longer than I intended)

I know this is super unpopular, but I love well done miscommunication in fanfics! Hate it in most movies tho!!

-> also what I think constitutes “good” miscommunication basically boils down to “ is the miscommunication plot or character motivated?” cause in a lot of media the miscommunication feels forced and only meant to prolong or escalate the story

-> but if the miscommunication happens bc the characters are, for example, insecure about sharing certain info/feelings it is way more captivating and relatable (to me)

-> so this is ofc directly related to (Mutual) Pining <3 (plus also connected to another fave of mine: Memory Loss/Amnesia & also secret identity)

2. Forced proximity!!

-> I’m counting both sharing a bed and stuff like fake relationship under this umbrella

-> I just love when characters are forced to interact with each other in a different and typically more intimate way than they usually do! (and what it reveals about themselves and their relationship to eachother!)

3. Fix-it fanfics

-> I actually love original stories that have tragic endings! But there are many ways a story can end in a disappointing way and make me immeditaly turn to what all the wonderful fanfic authors have come up with in order to clean up the mess!

I have way too many favourite fanfics tbh... SO I'm actually gonna do both general and smosh ones I enjoyed a lot recently!

Multifandom (I am a huge podfic girlie, so I'm gonna give them a shoutout here!)

Harry Hart and the Honey Pot: An Indiana Jones Adventure - reena_jenkins, samanthahirr - Kingsman (Movies) [Archive of Our Own] -> I love me a good movie based AU from time to time and the kingsman fandom has so many great writers!

2. [podfic] tomorrow will always and forever now be today (tomorrow is our always and forever) - Matriaya - 9-1-1 (TV) [Archive of Our Own] -> this fic changed me as a person istg; like it is such an incredibly well done take on the timeloop trope, I'm-

3. Be My Savior - Chapter 1 - jessebee - Supernatural [Archive of Our Own] -> this is me coming out as lowkey more of a Sabriel than Destiel fan 🙈 Like ofc Destiel have the better canon story, and I do love them very much; However Sabriel fanfics captured my heart when I was a teenager and are still hanging on by a thread! (also I can still make myself cry instantly via a headcanon I created for them ages ago and that's gotta count for smth 😹)

Smosh Fanfics &lt;3

In general of course any and all fics by Katie @jovenshires 🩷🩵 (love you and your writing to death istg🫶) but having to choose one for this, I'm gonna go with right where you left me - jovenshires (imdeansgirl) - Smosh [Archive of Our Own]

2. doing something like this right on the first try - halfwheeze - Smosh [Archive of Our Own] my most recent bookmark and 100% my fave fic I've read these past few weeks! But Mer 🖤💜@tommybowefuneralattendee has so many banger fanfics, it was super hard to choose! <3 But this fic made me truly ship nintendogs, so it deserves this mention

3. I abstained from choosing any of the amazing spommy fics by the lovely ppl I mentioned above, bc I might have spommy brainworms 24/7, but I cannot lose my multishipper rep! 😹🙈 But here is one of my other fave spommy fics from a different author! maybe my animals live in your zoo - creepysounds - Smosh [Archive of Our Own] edit: by the lovely @tommybones 🫶

[luv-assangiebatch]

Mendax Undercover - Chapter 3: The Cameos

Author's Note: It was actually thanks to @imaginationismybubble and her recent fic that inspired me to put some of you in this AU-- hence the chapter title of "Cameos." I hope it is okay and if it is not, please don't hesitate to let me know.

Author's other note: The writing hasn't gotten there quite yet, but this fic is turning out to be my most emotional one yet...I can actually picture living in Basel with Assangie... 🥺

As several weeks continued on, Kat and Julian did not cross paths very often.  There was the occasional passing by in the office halls, infrequent encounters in the coffee station where they met previously, or in the office café.  Julian typically kept to himself and did not talk to many people outside those on his team, but when he saw Kat he would usually acknowledge her with a nod and a soft smile, sometimes followed with a greeting of “hello” or “good morning.”  Kat always blushed when she saw him, and usually fumbled in one way or another.  Her ankle might buckle under her slightly that would cause a small but awkward change in her stride, or if she were carrying something like papers or a pen they would find a way to fly out of her hand the instant she would enter his presence.  After passing him by, she would always sigh at herself in annoyance.  She would often ponder, do I always have to look like a complete idiot every time I run into this guy?  However, unbeknownst to her, Julian found her slight clumsiness to be somewhat endearing.  It made her seem real and honest—and truth was something that was very important to Julian.  He did not trust people easily, and was generally stand-offish and uncomfortable around most of them.  Though there was something about Kat that he sensed was different in that aspect and it did intrigue him, but not enough to aggressively pursue it.  He had larger concerns on his plate such as keeping up with this new job that provided a sort of undercover refuge for him, and the salary helped him to continue to fund and support his main cause, despite having to seemingly disappear from it as far as the outside world was concerned.  While Kat stressed over her embarrassment after passing Julian in these instances, what she didn’t see was Julian would turn around to watch her walk on for a small moment, blink and grin softly before turning around and continuing on his path.

The weeks continued to pass by and soon the time arrived for the company banquet, where they would take time to celebrate their scientific and sales accomplishments for the year.  It was a formal affair that Kat always looked forward to because she loved getting dressed up in a fancy evening gown and socializing with her colleagues outside of the office over decadent food and unlimited champagne.  On this evening, Kat and Jun were seated at a table with some employees from different departments, the rest of their team of variant scientists was a table over.  Kat was very proud of and loyal to Santé Genomics—she found most of her self-worth and identity within her career.  Due to this, she was always enthusiastic about meeting new people from different departments, and learn more about the company as a whole.  She believed the more she knew about the company the better she could serve them.

As the evening went on and people moved about the room to mingle, Kat and Jun found themselves in some great conversation with three other ladies sitting at their table.  One was an assistant medical writer named Bethany, who sported mid-length straight brown hair with bangs covering her forehead, and brown eyes to match.  These features were in contrast to her light complexion.  She was a UK native, and after her university studies and a few entry level jobs within the biotech sector she found herself at Santé Genomics working alongside the medical writers who were responsible for helping with marketing materials as well as churning out the institution’s many scholarly research articles.  Seated next to Bethany was Marilu, another American expat who was an artist by trade and was able to land a role with Santé Genomics as an assistant medical illustrator.  Similar to Bethany’s writing role, Marilu assisted with the artwork that went into marketing publications and abstracts that would be presented at major oncology conferences like ESMO and ASCO.  Marilu came from Latino roots, and wore her wavy, dark brown hair short to her ears, but it was thick and full on the top of her head.  She also wore black-rimmed glasses, nothing too flashy.  Marilu was typically shy and quiet, until she felt comfortable around people then she would start to come out of her shell a bit.  Like Kat and Jun, Bethany and Marilu had started their relationship as colleagues and soon escalated it to friendship after they found they shared similar interests in art and entertainment as well as a strong worth ethic.  They partnered on many projects together which benefited the company.

Finally, on the other side of Marilu sat Astrid, the company receptionist who typically saw almost everyone who entered the vast biotech building.  Most of higher management and executives like Julian tended to enter through a restricted access site on the other side of the facility.  However, vendors, investors, auditors, and other guests of the facility as well as typical employees were often greeted by Astrid when they entered the building.  Astrid was a French native with short black hair cut in a chic bob style and dark hazel-like eyes.  She loved to dress her eyes with dark eyeshadow and her lips with red lipstick, which many times made her look like a sort of modern-day flapper.  She had a look that was both classic and yet modern, which made her an intriguing site at the front desk.  As the receptionist, she had to put on the friendly and professional façade, but few knew of her more sarcastic side that frolicked within a garden of dark comedy.

As the champagne continued to flow throughout the night, the five colleagues shared fun company stories of their prospective roles and departments after introducing themselves.  They bonded over their respect for the company mission, which was about fighting cancer and helping to prolong lives through innovative science and precision medicine.

Kat had been having such a good time chatting with these new colleagues that she had completely forgotten about wondering if Julian would be at the gala.  She had nonchalantly surveyed the room at the beginning of the night and did not spot him, figuring he decided not to show.  Maybe he was not into such things, she really didn’t know—and it was annoying that she wanted to know.  She just found him to be so mysterious, and it intrigued her deeply.  Of course, while she let her mind focus on her surroundings and forget about him and his mystery, he then showed up in her periphery as she cocked her head back to chuckle at one of Bethany’s office stories.  Once she got a glimpse of those white-blonde strands she had to double take and pause.  Every time she looked at him it was as if life moved in slow motion for those moments.

Julian looked quite dapper as he lightly chatted with his upper management scientists.  He was wearing a black suit and shirt accented with a bright red tie.  The black made his hair stand out even more, and it almost shined in the light like some sort of celestial being.  After a few minutes, Julian’s eyes wandered in her direction and seemed to lock onto hers.  Startled, Kat looked away, fearing of being caught. 

Surely he didn’t notice me from all the way over there…

Julian did see her though, and it was his turn to be a little intrigued.  He wrapped up conversations with the other gentlemen nearby and finished his last sip of champagne before setting down the glass and heading in Kat’s direction.

She looked back up and saw him walking toward their table, but the door to the ballroom was not far behind them.  Perhaps he was finished with the evening and heading out.  Kat looked down and sighed nervously as she fiddled with some of the silverware that remained on the table.

“Ohhh my Goddd…he’s heading this way I think…” she muttered under her breath to Jun, who was sitting next to her.

“Wait what’s going on?” Bethany leaned in, curious.

“Who…?” Astrid inquired.

Marilu was not paying much attention, she was locked in on her cellphone as she often was, sitting with her knees folded up toward her chin and her feet resting on the chair.

“God, make sure the knives and other sharp objects are away from me if he comes over here—before I hurt someone…” Kat yammered, pushing them toward the center of the table.

Jun giggled at their friend, then looked at the others.  “She has a bit of a crush…”

“Jun--!” Kat protested.

“Oooh..!” the two ladies sang in unison, and even Marilu looked up from her screen.

“Shutupshutupshutup…” Kat muttered under her breath to the table as Julian approached them.  He walked up beside Kat’s chair and rested his hand on the back of it.

“Ah Kitty-Kat—I thought I saw you,” he stated softly with a smile.

Kat looked back up at him and saw his zircon eyes shining from behind his errant strands once again.  “Julian…hello!” she returned with a bright smile back, trying to keep her cool and not blush too much.  Luckily the room was somewhat dimmed.

Julian then looked briefly at the others at the table.  “Hello…” he nodded politely, then turned his focus back toward Kat.

Everyone else returned his greeting but he didn’t seem to take much notice.

“I am heading out but I wanted to stop and say hello… Don’t get too crazy—we have lives to save tomorrow…!” he quipped with one of his signature silly grins.  He addressed the whole table but let his eyes lock with Kat’s for one small second before turning away and walking toward the exit.

Kat’s eyes fluttered once he walked away, and as she reached for her champagne glass, she fumbled it a bit and almost knocked it over completely.  She was able to regain control of it, however.  Unbeknownst to her, Julian took a final glance back as he walked through the double door exit of the room.  He smiled to himself when he saw her tiny falter, then finally turned around to be on his way.

Kat gulped down the rest of her champagne as her face flushed and her demeanor seemed a little more agitated than she had been before.

“So this man—you have a crush?” Astrid inquired nonchalantly, her French accent thick.

“Yes!” Jun blurted with a giggle, and Kat was mortified.

“Shhhhh!!” she motioned aggressively to the table.  “Gads, I don’t think the pathologists in the BACK heard you…” then she covered her face in embarrassment.

“I think he likes her too…he calls her Kitty-Kat…” Jun added. 

“Well I barely know either of you but I ship the hell out of this..!” Bethany exclaimed genuinely with a bright smile before grabbing another glass of champagne.

“Ouais, absolument—ship!” Astrid proclaimed, raising her glass.

“That man looks familiar…” Marilu muttered with a suspicious air.

Kat, still visibly mortified, tried to regain control of the table. “Stop it…stop it….”

“Wait, who is he though…?” Bethany asked.

“He’s the new VP of Therapeutic Bioinformatics…” Jun answered.

“Ah Dr. Assange…?” Astrid returned, emphasizing the silent e at the end as the French sometimes tended to do.  “So many doctors here, eh…?”

“Still familiar…that name…” Marilu muttered, poking away at her cellphone.  She seemed to be trying to research something, but was coming up with dead ends.

Marilu had a hobby of following political whistleblower stories and supporting their plight.  She remembered when Julian and his website blasted the United States many years ago.  Yet now she couldn’t seem to find a trace linking Dr. Assange to any of that on the internet.  She wondered if her mind were playing tricks on her—but as stated earlier, Julian was very gifted and impeccable at covering his tracks.  He knew he needed to disappear, so that he did as far as the internet was concerned. He was so arrogant in his abilities that he did not feel he needed to go to the trouble to change his name or appearance.  He, however, did not anticipate a person like Marilu would ever be embedded in a small biotech town in a politically neutral country.  For now though, his magic had thrown her off course.  Plus it seemed unlikely that someone at a VP level at a biotech company would double as a rogue internet journalist.

Kat sighed. “Okay, yes..it seems I may have a little bit of a crush…but that’s it!  It’s not like anything will ever come of it, honestly.  I can’t even interact with the man without blushing or making a complete fool of myself.  I’m sure he thinks I am a total idiot.  He only knows me because I dumped coffee pods all over him and our department works closely with his…”

“Dude has literally never said two words to me,” Jun protested.

Kat sighed again as she shrugged.  “Well…I’m sure he will soon…eventually…”

“This is fun!” Bethany exclaimed with a smile, pouring champagne into the other’s glasses.  “We should hang out more—maybe do dinner after work or something…”

“Yes!  You guys should come by my desk sometime—I always have little cakes and other snacks there…” Astrid added.

And just like that, this table of colleagues at Santé Genomics became good friends that night, and would continue to stay in touch for years to come.