#i've been in fandom spaces for as long as some of you have been alive and i've only come across that sort of unbridled joy like

[madamemiz]

sad: falling out of a hyperfixation

tragic: watching your beloved friends and mutuals fall out of the hyperfixation while you're still in it

#oughhhhhhh #this is about the dca fandom but also about every other strong fixation ive had over the years lol #i know it's normal and inevitable esp for less popular works or minor characters with little canon content #and there's nothing wrong with smaller communities of course those rock #but there’s just something special about getting into something at the same time as a lot of other people all at once #and existing in this chaotic fandom space that's just bursting with creativity and passion #i've been in fandom spaces for as long as some of you have been alive and i've only come across that sort of unbridled joy like #a handful of times at best #it's just a heartbreaking feeling to see real lightning in a jar fandoms like that wither away as people drift away #(understandably so!) #anyway don't mind me i'm just having thoughts #musing about fandoms past as well #that i too eventually moved on from but remember fondly even if im not active in anymore #also my music just aint hitting right so im just sitting in silence which makes me more Contemplative(tm)

[pastafossa]

Happy Birthday and a merry 6 years to TRT! 🎂 🎁 🎈 🎉 🍰

🕯 🕯 🕯 🕯 🕯 🕯

Some FUN TRIVIA FACTS:

TRT's sun sign is VIRGO and its moon sign is LEO!

After 6 years, its current wordcount is 932k words. If you put that in size 12 arial font, single-spaced, this would come to about 2000 pages, and even more if the pages were the usual mass market paperback size!

TRT is now 40 in cat years!

The Man in the White Coat is my tribute to the Mad Scientist trope common in scifi, which is one of my favorite genres!

It is old enough developmentally to tie its shoes! Keep going, TRT!

Ciro is partially inspired by John Marcone from The Dresden Files!

TRT shares a birthday with literary great Agatha Christie! Maybe I'll introduce poison-based murder into the fic in her honor...

The idea of seeing threads came to me after seeing a meme about red threads tying soul mates together. Everything that came after - the other threads, the thread world, how it works, is unique to TRT!

TRT is now longer than War and Peace, and Crime and Punishment combined! So if you've read all of TRT so far, then you have the perfect middle finger to anyone who tries to say you can't focus on longer stories!

The inciting penguin documentary that Foggy drunkenly watched (which led to him declaring Matt and Jane 'penguins') was about Adelie penguins specifically!

Jane has a leather jacket because I love leather jackets and think all badass characters should have a leather jacket! And so you should you! EVERYONE DESERVES A COOL LEATHER JACKET.

The long hiatus between Chapter 4 and Chapter 5 was because I had life things pop up. During that hiatus, I realized the plotline/ending needed some work, so I spent those two years outlining, and I also wound up doing a bunch of additional novel writing classes just because I wanted to learn. A lot of this wound up influencing TRT!

The grey threads are one of the only threads that no one has solved yet!

There are absolutely some bad people working for Cyrus James. There is also a guy named Kyle. He is there not for Evil Purposes (tm) but instead because this was the only place he could work that would allow him to pay off his student loans.

When I started TRT, I thought maybe 5 people total would read it. I was told five people total would read it by some shitty people. So I wrote it expecting five total people would read it, and told myself at least I'd enjoy it, and I could use it to learn. In other words: I had ZERO idea TRT would take off like this. None. Nada. Zip. AND LOOK AT US NOW, BABY. FUCK THE HATERS, 6 YEARS AND GOIN' STRONG.

Based on my outline, we're a bit over halfway to the end!

I hope you enjoyed these TRT funfacts. And I hope you know: this fic isn't just me. It's you, too. This fic has become so much larger than just me. It's the TRT playlist you've sent songs in for that keeps me inspired when writing. It's the fanart I look at to give me a boost. It's your sweet comments and likes and kudos and messages that encourage me when I'm sick or depressed. It's the people who've made friends over this fic, or who've been inspired to write fic themselves, adding beautiful works to the community that we all use to keep going. It's all of this love for both TRT and Matt, and I'm so happy that I've been able to contribute in at least a small way in keeping Charlie!Daredevil love alive even after the show's been gone for years now. I love you all so, so goddamn much. I love this fandom. I love TRT with all my heart. Thank you so much for being a part of these past six years through cancelations, through your high school and college years and beyond, through my ups and downs of moving and sickness and fiberglass and pandemic craziness, through late night chapter drops and wild twists and turns.

And I hope the next few years as we enter the second half of this story are just as amazing!

#the red thread

[naranjapetrificada]

This is going to be long so the short version is this:

I convinced my therapist to watch the 🌟Gay Pirate Show🌟 and now I have to confront a previously unidentified and terrifyingly deep emotional wound that could be as transformative to heal as it is terrifying to approach.

My therapist and I have a lot of let's say...demographic things in common that have made this the most successful therapeutic relationship I've ever had, but also that just made me think he might like the show. It's no secret that ofmd has been a deeply moving experience for its viewers, and queer, neurodivergent, and/or people of color have written at length about the special ways it touches us (or doesn't). Those are three categories both he and I fit into and it feels relevant to say that for context.

So yes I thought he might like it, but I also wanted to pick his brain about Big Feelings it was giving me that I hadn't experienced with the same intensity with other media/fandoms. Y'all, he gave me a completely unexpected reading on the show (and its story and its fan works) and why it makes us feel So Much that I haven't seen anywhere before.

When I say Big Feelings, I mean like I've literally had to swear off a couple of pretty innocuous categories on AO3 ("Growing Old Together" and "Domestic Fluff") because they would devastate me in ways that I couldn't attribute to anything specific. Growing Old Together comes with the possibility of death separating them, which is heartbreaking, but that didn't feel like it was the thing that was gutting me. Domestic Fluff could probably be called the most innocuous tag ever, but anything that saw our blorbos settling down and watching the Revenge sail off into the distance was fucking me up as well.

There are plenty of reasons why OFMD makes queer people feel so much, but when I say this was fucking me up I mean like, well, remember when people outside of classical music started learning about appoggiatura? Like intellectually knowing why I was crying but at a loss how intense everything felt. And my therapist (who is as good at analyzing a text as he is at being a therapist) was like "oh, it could be all the grief."

The grief.

The audacity of this motherfucker (affectionate).

It's a romcom! It's a romcom that we were explicitly told would have a happy ending! It's a romcom where the characters will get to sail off into the sunset together like they want and like we want for them! Stede and Ed, after four decades of self-hatred and trauma and fear and isolation, somehow find each other. And one of the sweetest things about their story is that it's a late in life love story, because it's incredibly inspiring for someone to get to experience a part of life they thought wasn't for them. The inescapable fact that their time together will be shorter than any of us would like is sad but not unaccountably sad to me, because of how much joy they'll be able to cram into the time they have left. I could be wrong but I don't think that alone is the source of what's been overwhelming me.

Grief is a constant presence in the world-building and the storytelling because grief is a natural response to well, so many things about being alive. Grieving is some of the hardest shit any of us ever have to do, but it's also so universal and so many of the things that make us uniquely human also make grieving well, maybe not easier, but something we can endure and process through ritual, community, and the example of those we've witnessed grieving their own losses. Many kinds of grief come with narratives that you can accept or reject all or parts of, but the narrative exists.

But have you ever heard of disenfranchised loss? Loss that's not easily labeled or classified or given the time or space or understanding it deserves? Have you experienced a loss like that? Can you imagine how much more difficult it makes the grieving process?

Well what my therapist suggested, the thing that knocked me on my ass hard enough that I had to come have Online Feelings about it, is that eventually, we all have to mourn ourselves. Not necessarily in a "mortality is inevitable" way (that happens to everyone) but in ways that are often unique to people like him and me (black, ND, queer). Even if we work on ourselves, if we grow and heal our trauma and feel at home in our identities and our bodies and build beautiful lives, eventually we will be forced to mourn the selves that we never got to be in the societies in which we live and the selves we once had to become to survive this long.

And that mourning is a kind of disenfranchised loss, with no clear path forward. Obviously this conversation happened within the context of everything my therapist knows about me as an individual, but I thought certain things might resonate with other fans as well so I wanted to talk about it. The story of this bizarre little man and his remarkable second act and his lovely little found family and his incredibly beautiful love story (that we've been guaranteed will end happily) is still haunted by the specific kind of grief that comes from learning what's possible, and regretting that you didn't know it was possible sooner.

And does anybody have more delayed milestones, later-in-life discoveries, and/or need to invent places for themselves than those of us on the social fringes? Than those of us in societies unequipped for (or actively hostile to) the ways we exist and the things we need to survive and thrive? Than those of us who have to create our own narratives or be saddled with inaccurate or harmful narratives created by others, or even no narrative at all?

And narrative is so much. Narrative is everything. Narrative is the story we tell ourselves and each other and that literally shapes our reality. So those story beats where we discover something better than what came before are inherently stories with loss and will require mourning, because we mourn loss.

Even when the story has a happy ending. Especially when the story has a happy ending for someone who never thought they would be allowed to have one.

I mean just like, FUCKING HELL. I can't blame anyone for this but myself. I know my therapist. I know how insightful he can be. I did this to myself and now I have to live with it. But my god is it a massive mountain I'm about to have to climb now. My therapist and I have always found it helpful to discuss media that makes me Feel Things (see all the trauma work that came from Life is Strange) but if you had told me that I'd be looking into this new dark cave of unprocessed shit thanks to what I thought was just gonna be a harmless little gay pirate show starring fucking Murray from Flight of the Concords I would probably just have assumed you were in the middle of having a stroke and taken off to get you the medical attention you desperately needed.

#not to be dramatic #but I definitely worry this might still be dramatic #my therapist is great #but the problem with a good therapist #is that sometimes they will fucking read you #and then you get whiplash #don't be afraid to bring up media that speaks to you in therapy #you never know what might come of it #or how much it might shake you #I should also be clear that all this grief in a story with a happy ending isn't a bad thing #it just kind of is #and when you enjoy it #just enjoy it #every moment of joy is a gift #no matter the context #go ahead and grieve yourself #also I couldn't find an elegant way to fit this in #but the storytelling is very neurodivergent #or at least unfolds in a way that is friendly to my neurodivergence #that's why I'm not a big TV watcher anyway #but I was able to sit down and mainline this #it's the first new show I've watched in literal years #ofmd #our flag means death #ofmd meta #our flag means death meta #🤯🤯🤯 #😳😳😳 #disenfranchised loss

[azquine]

Can I get something on the JoanFK tag that ISN'T just complaining? It is ok to be feeling shit that things went badly in the show, but do you have to tag that negativity on the ship? The negativity is all that there is to see whenever I try to interact with the show and it's making me feel horrible.

I've been in far worse fandoms, and they didn't make me feel this bad.

It all feels so puritanical, like you have forgotten what a teen drama parody entails. Did you forget that they were ALL assholes in the first season who backstabbed and did shitty things to eachother for their own selfish gain? You are applying pretty strict rules of morality onto characters who intrinsically must break those rules to allow the narratives of their genre to move.

This was a short kiss, the result of feelings that JFK and Harriet had actively been trying to avoid for the sake of Joan. This could have been resolved by open communication, but that's not how either drama shows OR stupid hormonal teens work. After making this mistake, they did the most responsible and moral thing they could have and confessed it literally within the same episode as soon as Joan would not, you know, DIE as a result.

All things considered, it wasn't a secret relationship, it wasn't sex, it wasn't a long term secret held until it accidentally spills out and ruins everything. It could have been SO much worse, it was none of my worst fears, and I'm honestly relieved a kiss was where it stopped. And I am also really glad they confessed to quickly because I HATE liar revealed plots more than ANYTHING and I probably would have stopped watching. If they were going to do this plotline it was the best case scenario for me.

And do you know what is even better? What should be the bare minimum but is actually pretty rare in dramas from my experience? Neither of them tried to mitigate Joan's reaction, to say she was overreacting or to dance around the issue to make it sound better beyond a truthful 'we felt nothing'. Joan was allowed the space to fully process the information and her emotions, even if through a montage. And damn I wish I saw that more often.

As for those saying JFK would need a redemption for what he has done- does being open and honest about his wrongdoings not do that pretty succinctly? Beyond having not done it at all what else do you want? Pretty puritanical to want him to suffer before he can be forgiven.

And granted, Harriet got plenty of unjustified hate before she had even done anything, but post-kiss most of the discussion and anger I have seen has been directed solely at JFK. Harriet was part of that kiss too, knowingly going against her friend. Why is the romantic relationship deemed worse to betray? Both of them did a stupid thing together, and fixed it together.

And I'm not saying Joan putting all the consequence on Abe is justified, he didn't do shit wrong either, he tried to keep his friend alive in a tricky situation.

All of your feelings are valid, and I do see why the dominant opinion is what it is. Cheating is an awful thing to do and you should not be with someone you do not trust, I cannot refute that.

Yet at the same time, I felt it was important to put forward some differing points that I had been having. This show will not be enjoyable if we hold a position of being negative and moralistic. To some extent there has to be an acceptance that this is a fiction and moral failings are often part of a narrative structure.

(And while many of you have legitimate critiques on the execution of the show, it feels like some of you are taking the 'thing done badly because I don't like it' route)

I really hope nobody takes this as me trying to enforce cheating or to say that JFK and Harriet kissing was ok. It was shitty of them to do in the first place, but they are not morally irredeemable. Teen do stupid bad thing is not new. I'm also not interested in having an argument over this, I get caught up far too easily in that so I won't be answering any replies or asks. It is fine if you disagree, I'm here to propose a counterpoint.

Sorry if this was repetitive or lengthy. It just felt like I had to get it out there despite it being the early hours of the morning.

#clone high #joanfk #clone high jfk #clone high joan #rant #ramble

[edream93]

I think it's time...(WLTF Outline)

So, for my Descendants folks, I'm sorry to say that I think it's time to call it. Though I know exactly how I want the story to go, I've unfortunately lost a lot of motivation for "We'll Light the Fuse" and most of my other unfinished Descendants stories.

Post D2, being part of the fandom, especially the Huma/Sea Three Side of things was so inspiring. I vibed with a great group of mutuals and for the first time I engaged in a fandom outside of just being an observer. I'm not sure exactly what I'm trying to say, but I just want to thank my readers and other Descendants mutuals. Y'all unknowingly go me through a pretty rough time in my life. I hope you're all doing well ❤️

Anyway, I said I would give an outline of how I wanted WLTF to go. If you use any substantial bits, please reference me and also let me know! I'm not doing much writing but I'm still reading!

Neverland Arc/Hooked Intermission Arc:

Uma, Mal, and the others run into Tiger Peony and the remaining Lost Children who have hidden in an underground bunker away from Pan. Tiger Peony let them know that the spell that kept Pan asleep was broken due to the blood of Hook.

--- Long story short (and this would have been told throughout the arc, not just in one scene), Neverland always needs AT LEAST a Pan and a Hook to keep the island alive and thriving. The Pan (and technically the Captain Hook) that we see in this story is just the latest one. It's kind of one of those things where technically each Pan is unique in their own way but in the end all of their collective memories and experiences come together. When King Adam and the rest of the heroes got rid of/reduced the use of magic, it caused a magical blockage for Neverland as one of the few sources of pure magic in Auradon. It also was causing the current Pan to lose himself in thoughts and memories, like he would just space out. Sometimes he would forget entire conversations or days. It was shortly after Tiger Lily became leader of Neverland that people started noticing changes in Pan. Playing less. Spending time alone. Voice getting deeper...the Boy Who is Never Supposed to Grow Up getting...older... Around that time, the island was dying and the fairies were dying out. The Isle is Pan and Pan is the Isle. The Council of Magic (more on them soon) decided it was best to put Pan to sleep to halt his aging and to also naturally unblock some of the magical build up that he was unintentionally causing due to his unexplained growth.

---Not everyone was happy with it, especially those of Neverland but it was a time where unity was needed and Neverland, a historical site was dying (due to King Adam's decision to get rid of magic but no one really wanted to talk about that) so it was an agreed upon decision. Pan was put to sleep by the Council of Magic led by Fairy Godmother and Yen Sid, his loyal and faithful fairy Tinker Bell sealed away because they feared that she would find some way to wake him up. All very humane...Not.

---What people didn't realize, except for maybe Tiger Lily and her people is that Neverland is not inherently a Good place. It's also not inherently a Bad place. It's neutral, and with everything in life, has its good and bad. With Pan being asleep and Hook held prisoner under the barrier, there were no filters for the magic to go through and though it may have seemed like the magic was once again settling, it was actually building up dangerously. As stated before, Neverland always has a Pan and it always has a Hook. Even with Pan asleep, the delicate balance was skewed and magic will always find a way to get balance back, whether its outcomes are liked or not.

Anyway, back in the current timeline, Tiger Peony tells the Auradon gang that Neverland is forcing balance once again but unfortunately, the years of being asleep as well with his deteriorating mind has warped Pan. He has killed her mother and has put most of the island under his control. Tiger Peony was able to get most of the Lost Children (the kids who live in Neverland) into the underground bunkers under the hollowed old tree of Pixie Hollow the no longer spills out pixie dust. Since the Neverland fairies have long ago disappeared (around the same time Pan was put to sleep and Tinker Bell was sealed away) beneath Pixie Hollow has been turned into a disaster station.

Tiger Peony is grieving her mother and her home and angry for ever trusting CJ and thinking that she could be better than her father. She tells Mal that she did her duty and got High King Ben and Royal Counselor Evie back. Uma quickly notices that Harry, Carlos, Sammy Smee, and Big Murph are not present. Tiger Peony's make shift lieutenants (who were supposed to be heavily implied to to be either be the descendants of or were actually the three kids from the Nightmare Before Christmas - more of a world building addition/head nod than actual important part of the story) report that they thought the remaining boys were the few Lost Children under Pan's control.

Obviously Uma and Mal are not happy.

Across the Isle, Pan is not happy. He woke up to find Evie gone (there's a reason he's so obsessed with her) and CJ lost the Boy King (Ben). Thankfully he still has his Hook (Harry.

CJ is slowly starting to realize that maybe she isn't on the same page as Pan. She wants to be great and make a name for herself but Pan seems to be ordering her around worst than her siblings did on the Isle.

Harry tries to talk sense into her one last time but Pan (because he's connected to the island) realizes that the Auradon gang are now on the Isle and that causes CJ to get angry again at the thought of Uma and Mal coming in to ruin her fun and glory again.

Eventually, Uma, Mal, and the others find Pan. Pan tries to control Harry and make him his new Hook but Harry is so freaking devoted to Uma that despite having the blood of Hook (which basically means he's more susceptible to Neverland's influence), he easily breaks free of Pan's control like swatting a fly. (The power of simping compels him and all that jazz. I mean, there's an actual reason that'll be explained but that's what it comes down to basically, Harry's loyalty and devotion to Uma and vise versa.)

---"Why follow yer scrawny ass, when I have a goddess as a Captain?"

Obviously Pan is not happy and basically throws the world's biggest tantrum. The sky darkens, the waves rise high and crash violently against the shore as a storm begins to brew. Decides that if he can't have Harry as his Hook then he'll takeaway his thimble (aka kill Uma)

Back at Auradon, Audrey, Jane, and the left behind isle kids try to cover up for the others but Fairy Godmother and Mickey soon realize where they've gone.

Back in Neverland, though Pan may seem out-numbered, he has the Neverland mermaids and the Lost Children that he does have under his control. Basically a fight starts. Uma is trying to make sure she gets Harry, Gil, and the rest of the isle kids under her protection off this damn island but is struggling with her instincts which is to just destroy everything and take Harry and Gil away, somewhere safe.

In the midst of all of this chaos, Evie suddenly "knows" what to do to put Pan back to sleep and tells CJ that she's the only person who can help them do that.

At some point Mal turns into a dragon and goes rawr, flames, rawr trying to stop Pan.

Uma, while fighting Pan gets pushed into the water where all the Neverland mermaids are waiting to tear her to shreds. They pull her down into the murkey water and soon all that's seen is blood, rising from the depths.

The others try to fight Pan but he's too powerful.

Harry gets hurt. Like bad. Like might lose a hand bad.

Evie uses magic (her magic that smells likes roses - IT'S A CLUE that I've been sprinkling all throughout the written story so far as to what's going on with Evie and who Pan thinks she is), telling CJ that she's the only one who can stop Pan.

CJ blinks and suddenly she's alone and surrounded by darkness. With a far off light ahead. She walks and finds a fairy which she eventually realizes is Tinker Bell. -below is a scene I had typed up years ago because I loved it so much-

Silently, CJ watched Tinker Bell stroke the rusted surface of the thimble. 

“He was perfect. Made all up of starlight kisses and the wind’s laughter. Unwavering belief and the feeling of warm sand between your toes,” Tinker Bell smiled brokenly, her none-bent wing fluttering slightly. “My boy. My Peter Pan. Mine. My starlight asked me, so I gave him my heart.”

“The acorn,” CJ thought, heart lead in her chest.

She sank down to her knees before the fairy. She bit her lip, unsure of what to say. 

“But was it worth it? Was it worth the years stuck here? Broken? Trapped? How could you stand to be in a place like this all alone?”

A lone tear fell down the fairy’s cheek, but her smile never wavered. “Because he is my greatest happy thought. Even if he didn’t have my heart, I would shred my wings for him if it meant he would be happy.” Tinker Bell’s beautiful fae face twisted into something simultaneously cruel and longing. “That Wendy girl would never do that. Only me. Only Tink.” Her features smoothed out, and she looked at CJ with sudden new wonderment. “You understand...don’t you?”

The shadows around them shrieked and clawed, and CJ swore as the already small circle of light that surrounded them grew smaller. 

“Tinker Bell,” she desperately clasped the fairy’s hands, careful not to touch the almost tarnished thimble held so tenderly in Tink’s hands. “If you don’t help me, there won’t be a happy thought left of your darling Pan. And my brother-” CJ bit her lip, trying to hold back the sob that was threatening to claw itself from her throat. 

She was a pirate, dammit! No time for tears! 

“I’m not good at this mushy feeling crap,” she chuckled wetly, thinking back to Harry, her idiotic, brash, overprotective, heart on his patched-sleeve brother. She wondered if she would ever see him again. If he would ever forgive her...“Probably should be the last person to talk about this, but,” CJ gripped Tink’s hands tighter, willing what little warmth was left in her into her hands, “holding out like this, keeping him in this limbo instead of letting him pass along, you’re not helping him. You’re hurting what little is left of your boy.” 

“NO!” Tinker Bell shook her head vehemently, trying to pull her hands away from CJ’s firm grip with little luck. “No. No. No. No. Nonononono. He’s mine. He’s mine! My Pan. My Peter. My-”

Tink froze in shock as CJ’s arms wrapped around her, careful of her broken wing, in an awkward but firm embrace. “It’s okay to let him go,” CJ whispered softly. “It doesn’t mean you stopped loving him. Doesn’t mean you failed. But sometimes...letting go is the best thing...because holding on tight, no matter what you intended...it’s just hurting him.”

The withering shadows and breathing darkness pressed further against the perimeter of the circle and CJ could nearly taste the smell of decay and rot and death at their backs.

“CJ?” Tink murmured, leaning into her embrace. “I’m...I’m so tired, CJ. So so tired…”

“Then sleep,” CJ whispered, holding the broken fairy in her arms. “Sleep and dream of your boy, made up of starlight and laughter and belief and the feeling of warm sand between your toes. Sleep, and when you wake up, it’ll be a whole new adventure waiting for you.”

The darkness was now licking at her skin, threatening to consume her until nothing was left. She would embrace it. It was what she deserved. 

Slowly, so slowly that CJ didn’t even notice as the darkness crept higher until the only light that remained was the dull thrum coming from the rusted thimble as Tinker Bell turned over her hand, letting the small item fall into CJ’s. 

“Laugh always. Have many adventures. Cry just as much in laughter than in fear. And...cherish your happy thoughts...even when you grow too big for them,” Tink blessed as she pressed a kiss, as soft as fluttering butterfly wings on CJ’s forehead, just as they and the darkness shattered, until all that was left was faith, trust, and pixie dust.

(Note: ) Somewhere in all of this chaos, I would explain, drop hints that CJ's mother (because the Hook siblings all have different mothers) was Zarina, a fairy like Tinker Bell that fell in love with Captain Hook and when all the villains were forced onto the Isle, she gave up her wings and became human to be with him. Obviously did not end up well for her. Hook was horrible to her and around the time she had CJ she was deathly ill. Not sure if all of that was going to be explained in the story or not but basically my idea was that even though Zarina looked like a human, she was still a Neverland fairy, and unlike other fairies like Maleficent, Neverland fairies have such a strong, almost symbiotic relationship with Neverland. Essentially she died because she was cut away from magic.

CJ appears back - now with wings and more fae like features - in Neverland with the thimble Tinker Bell gave her that basically would put Pan back to sleep. (Essentially, Tinker Bell gave Pan her heart to try to fight against the deterioration of his mind due to the magic restriction. It ties into the bigger idea of magic is not something you can control and in its own way is kind of it's own entity, but essentially the magic of Neverland fed off of that exchange in a toxic way.)

Around the same time, Uma emerges from the water in her giant Sea Witch form looking like a goddess, the bodies of the dead Neverland mermaids turning into sickly foam around her.

The wind picks up, thunder and lightning pick up, and with CJ, Mal, and Uma (and Mickey though they don't know it) working together they are able to beat Pan and put him back to sleep.

Mickey arrives on a slightly newer boat than the steamboat they stole from them, basically giving the Auradon gang a ride back to the dorms. He also has Baymax with him who Harry who is slightly woozing from blood loss is surprisingly happy to see.

CJ apologizes for all the trouble she caused and asks Tiger Peony if she can stay to help restore the island. With Pan back to sleep, she wants to make sure that the magic of the island is actually balanced and as someone with the blood of Hook, she can influence that balance more now that she's aware of it and now that Pan is back asleep. Though still grieving her mother, Tiger Peony agrees.

The arc ends with Uma, Mal and the others returning back to school, hoping that's the end of all the weirdness.

Other things that were supposed to happen in this arc that I couldn't figure out where to put in the above:

Sammy Smee and Big Murph die under Pan's control which though she wasn't close to them, causes a lot more greif than Uma initially expected because 1.) she was supposed to keep them safe and 2.) she sees how it impacts Hadie and Diego

Carlos is fine but he's left with feelings of helplessness. He felt like such a damsel in distress all throughout this experience and that's going to have impact later on in the story.

Jay starts displaying more latent magic.

I hadn't decided when exactly it was going to happen but either in this arc or towards the beginning of the next arc, it would be revealed that Evie is the Sorceress (also known as Circe) from Beauty and the Beast reincarnated. She reincarnates every few years to make sure she's always experiencing new things and not getting stuck in her ways like other people. coughcoughFairyGodmothercoughcough.

Also, the remaining parts of this arc would have probably been another 3 or 4 chapter depending on how I broke things up with one of the chapters being a last Hooked Intermission. This was supposed to be happening during the same time the others were fighting Pan.

---Basically a riot happens on the Isle starting over by the docks but quickly spreading. Right before that though, Harriet runs into Anthony's mother, Anastasia, who warns her she should go somewhere safe to protect the baby. Though she appreciates the concern from the only adult who seems to genuinely care about her (despite her being her ex's mom) Harriet, with the help of Gil's brothers, Jonas, and surprisingly Sophie (Yen Sid's assistant) - who is back on the main part of the isle after checking the generators that partially help maintain the barrier - try to stop it. Harriet quickly realizes that the riot was started by Hook who is acting strange, even for him, almost possessed. They sword fight on the Jolly Roger. Harriet gets hurt but before Hook can deal the final blow, Anthony pushes her out the way and takes the fatal blow. Anthony gets a line out about how he was never good for her before dying. Some has lit the gunpowder that's on the ship and Sophie pushes Harriet into the water before jumping in herself before the Jolly Roger explodes. It's unclear who survives but it's implied that briefly the barrier was down.

---Back at Hades's place, while all this happens, the god of the underworld is paid a visit. He seems to expect it, going to his hidden stash and asking the uninvited vistor if he would like some wine. He doesn't get a response back so decides to drain the bottle himself pittering around his home wistfully murmuring: "'She will be a child of the sea; Chained to fae land, godly blood made mortal. Death’s attendant will be kind to her, protect her before his last breath. A coat of blood red will follow in her wake. And when the second star has risen. Then the realm of the dead and the sea shall be hers . And then the throne of Zeus will be hers, bringing upon a pantheon anew.' Or something like that, right sweetheart?"

---Hades says a few more things, basically implying that even though he knows the person with him in the room is going to kill him, that he'll come back again in another form. Death always needs attending to after all and death is one of the few things that humans still fear, still give power to. The person kills him, and just before he dies, Hades smiles, pressing a trembling kiss to Peresephone's lips as she pulls the dagger from the place where his heart would be if he were truly mortal.

And...that's how the Neverland arc would end! I'll come back and write the outline for the final arc if that's something folks are interested in.

Sorry again that I can't actually commit to writing this all out but I do have some scenes here and there written out that I had been saving.

Let me know your thoughts! Did this arc go the way you expect it to?

Also, remember, you can use some of these ideas, just give me credit and share so I can read and give you all the likes and kudos!

Eternally grateful for all the support ❤️

#we'll light the fuse #disney descendants #harry hook descendants #uma descendants #edream93 writes #edream93 outlines #edream93 fanfic #edream 93 fanfiction

[monstersinthecosmos]

So I'm a newbie in the VC universe that discovered the books only a few months ago through the series and I have a question regarding Louis character so I came here because I believe it's a safe space for that. Well, to begin with, I'm not really into the vampire lore before so the show was okay to me and since I'm more of the reading type, I plan on reading the books after watching the movie too because I kinda like the aesthetic of that century. And oh gosh, that was the best decision I ever made because I am madly in love with it especially with Louis whom I find so relatable, but then that's when I realised that though I find myself relatable in Book Louis, that never came across me with Show Louis and I wonder what could be the main reason for it. Is it my lack of understanding the story in the show or the show doesn't show me the side of that Louis? I suppressed this thought for a long time because of the constant fandom war going around regarding the book vs movie vs show on Twitter and I only upload Tumblr not long ago so I really got no one to ask at that time. Sorry if my question is hard to understand/lacking in any sense, I'm not really good in voicing out my thoughts.

Hi! So like, TLDR; they are two completely different stories and two completely different sets of characters that happen to share names. I don't think it's a big mystery that one resonates with you and the other doesn't, that's just how it goes! And I hesitate to compare & contrast the two canons too deeply because I don't need any drama lol. But I'll try to parse some of this: I don't think you're missing something in the show. Unless I missed it too. 😅 But truly the show has a completely new character, and while I think they have some things in common, and I definitely really SAW LOUIS a couple times, they really aren't the same. And even in moments where I think I see Louis (ie: thoughtful, brooding, spiritually tortured) I think some of the decisions the show made to change the story just really narratively don't work for the book character. I really think these two pieces are best enjoyed as completely unrelated series, because we can tie ourselves in knots trying to make the book fit what we're watching, and vice versa, and every character on the show is essentially an OC. Of all the characters we've met on the show, I don't think ANY of them feel like the book counterparts. (Lestat is the worst offender for me personally LOL.)

The book I think also is about grief and Anne Rice often discussed using "the vampire as the other" as a means to write stories about feeling isolated. I think that's a huge reason why the books are so successful and why they reach so many people! It's such a broad theme and using vampires as a symbolic conversation means that we can make it about anything when we're reading. And especially like IWTV being written IN GRIEF I think makes that theme so so powerful like not just the pain but like, how disorienting it is, how lost you feel, how small and powerless. And feelings of grief come up over and over in the series, and not just literally about people, but about the sun, about life, about things we lose when we're forced to go on without. And I don't think the show really got into that topic; even using vampirism as a conversation the timeline of the canon is so short it doesn't really stick the landing. We get some brief glimpses of the life Louis had before, but by the end of the season his family is still alive. Barely any time has gone by. If this will be sort of an overarching theme over the longevity of the whole series we shall see, but tbh S1 was so absolutely unrecognizable to me as a book fan that I'm not super interested in following up lol. You'll have to get back to me in a few years and let me know how it went. 😂

ANYWAY. I outsourced this ask to a couple friends because admittedly I've never been a huge Louis fucker so some of the show changes were lost on me and I hesitate to speak deeply on either version of him for that reason but!

@somevagrantchild says: [...] the tv show created a whole new character in Louis’s place, in a different century with different values and a different background that gave him his own unique personality and struggles that are very different from book Louis. Which means the decisions and choices he makes are also very different as well as the way he relates to Lestat.

An example is show Louis using his vampire powers to get revenge on people from his mortal life vs book vampires becoming detached and not caring about those things anymore Also show Louis being selective about who he kills (coming up with the evildoer idea on his own) vs book Louis just never wanting to know, so being the most indiscriminate killer of them all @covenofthearticulate says: i mean god the whole goddamn point of louis' character is that he only really values humanity after losing it, so after being turned he's like desperately grappling to find some sense of humanity and identity and goodness and i think that's something that resonated with a lot of readers who feel Othered………whereas the show gave him vampire powers that were basically an excuse for gore porn and weird revenge power fantasy @covenofthearticulate also wrote this post (in her @sangcreole blog) about the decision to have Louis kill Lestat rather than Claudia and I think it sums up a lot of the dissonance as well.

Anyway yeah the fandom can be a nightmare about this topic because I think people can be very defensive and emotional, and unfortunately there's a lot of cult behavior and bullying when people step out of the party line, and it makes it difficult to discuss these as two pieces of media which are different from each other, without saying that one or the other is bad. And we all relate to characters differently, and for random reasons, and we often DO NOT PICK OUR BLORBOS LOL, so like it makes sense that a book character might resonate with you when the TV character didn't, because they aren't the same character, and they are acting from different backgrounds, they are being used for completely different narrative functions, and their relationships to the people & places & centuries around them are totally different stories.

#vampire pajama party on amc

[lullabyes22-blog]

On Fanfic, Print-to-Read and Legal Grey Areas

I've had a number of PMs on tumblr and AO3 over the last few months asking if I'd ever consider doing a printed 3D version of Forward but Never Forget/XOXO the way it's popular on fanfictok.

And my feelings are Many :3

It should be noted that there is a difference between printing vs publishing. It should also be noted that sites like Lulu.com have been used in the past to print copies of fanfic - some of which are even up for purchase like regular old books.

However, fanfic, by virtue of its ambiguous occupation in the digital domain, is full of caveats in the form of "Yes, but..." and "Well, actually."

As a medium, fanfic enjoys protections so long as it's being hosted on sites such as AO3, FFnet and other platforms which have the apparatus (legally) to defend the content. To do so, said content needs to be fair use (no profit is being made off its distribution) and transformative, i.e. it takes original content and contributes something new to it.

While the act of printing a fanfic for personal use technically straddles the line between Yea and Nay, it should be noted that the printers, shipping agents and other sundry parties are still making money off of the process. Thus, there is still a commercial profit being made for a technically illegal work, even if the money is not going into the fanfic writer's pocket or to the original creators.

Lulu in its FAQ policy also discourages fanfic from being hosted on its platform - and has been known to take down the accounts/works if they're flagged.

Riot Games as a company are also incredibly litigious when it comes to their intellectual property. They state in their own FAQ that unless it's fair use, any distribution of their stuff will earn you a swat on the rear. Non-commercial projects like Kickstarters, Patreons and Ko-Fi to crowdsource works for widespread distribution are also a no-no.

All of this is to say: it's unlikely I'd put FnF out as a print version at any point in the near future.

:(

I am incredibly flattered folks like this fic enough to want to read it in 3D print, and all the messages of support make me so happy<3

Legal ditherings and blatherings aside:

If you would like to reproduce my works as printed books for your own use, without any intent to distribute them for profit, this is my blanket consent post.

Go for it<3

And please share pics - I would be delighted to see them!

I'm hopeful, that as fanfiction gains traction as a more mainstream medium, that large corporations will be less fussy about its consumption in fandom spaces. However, recent trends are not hopeful in that sphere.

Even fair use content that is now in the public domain has the OG copyright holders clutching their pearls and summoning their lawyers - see the whole Enola Holmes and Sherlock is too Emuuuuutional! hilarity.

I encourage everyone interested in fanfic - and keeping the medium alive and thriving - to check out the Center for Internet and Society. We're going to have a lot of dialogue in the coming years re: net neutrality, fair use, free speech, and copyright, and I promise you, the era will be a litigious one.

Forewarned is forearmed.

Also please support sites like AO3 that, whatever their faults, do so much to keep fandom content alive, and give it a global platform. Especially for LGBTQ+ works, which continue to be squelched and otherwise suppressed in so many parts of the globe.

Also please feel free to contribute further info to this post - and start dialogue.

Just keep it polite and respectful<3

#arcane #arcane league of legends #forward but never forget/xoxo #forward (never forget)/xoxo #fanfiction #ao3 #ao3 fanfic #fanfic printing

[inslumber]

Hello!

So I feel like i should probably address the Voidbeau account thing since it seems like some of you have been wondering about it.

For those who have no idea and don't care, you may keep scrolling lmaooo.

Anyway!!!

First of all I want to say, sorry if I worried anyone! I genuinely didn't think anyone would notice if I'm being quite honest.

Secondly, it was a spur of the moment action based on something I've been thinking of doing as far back as December.

I've wanted to take a break from the Fandom for a really, REALLY long time.

It's been doing crazy things to my head space. Both good and bad.

First of all, y'all have been great. So super cool and supportive, I can't thank y'all enough!!! ^^

I've been able stay on top of my art better than I have in years and it's so nice. The Fandom has kept me sane while I flounder irl with mental health issues and other fun real world Beau problems.

Problem is, my anxiety- among other things, likes to take a big fat dump on anything i do for myself. So while I was thriving for a while, what was once something that was helping me turned into the thing eating me alive.

I started to feel like I needed to do better and better eveytime, to the point where my own standards were set to unreachable heights. I became obsessed with validation via notes. I started to hate my own work. I felt like I wasn't good enough and I realized like, man this isn't fun anymore...

I got so stuck in this cycle of unhealthy thinking but if I tried to take a break I'd only be able to stay logged out for maybe a day. If even that.

I felt so anxious if I wasn't creating. I was so restless all the time and I felt if I wasn't working on the next project I'd "fall behind" or something silly like that.

It was very strange to say the least.

So finally what happened after months of struggling with it, I just kind of woke up and was like, "fuck it. I'm pulling the plug." And I deleted VoidBeau.

I do kind of regret it.

So many headcannons lost and asks unanswered.

I wish I had saved them somewhere.

Oh well. We can rebuild.

Eventually.

For now, consider me still on break for a while while I beat my demons into submission. And if/when I do come back- which I probably will cause my brain is still being eaten alive by twomp thoughts, I won't be doing it here. This is just some throw away side account to sort of announce that I'm still breathing.

My main is @hereliesbou

I might still upload art from time to time but for now I'll just be focusing on ocs or different Fandoms.

But twomp is still the #1 fandom of my heart.

So for now in terms of twomp...

I am, In Slumber.

See you next time! o/

#is on vacation #😎 #love y'all #also sorry if anyone has ever #tried to reach out to get to know me #im hard to talk to #its the signature #social anxiety cock block #im either nervously awkward #or i dont say anything #no inbetween #im working on it #the thoughts are very noisy #when they tell me #people secretly hate me #and im learning how to shut them up still #ok bye fer real #voidbeau #twomp #i guess lol

[aydaptic]

Sorry if you've already answered this before but I'm new to the fandom and I found your account through your web-comic and I was wondering what is it about Gavin that you like so much? Why is he one of your favourite characters in dbh? (I've noticed that he isn't much of a fan-favourite in this fandom 😔)

This'll be a long post, but you asked (...and I'll happily answer!) I'll add some descriptions for context. At the top of my head, I can think of 21 reasons why I like his canon equivalent.

1. He's charismatic

Gav gives off an energy that makes it easy to hang onto his every word. I can quote all his lines by heart and I like listening to Neil Newbon (in this specific role) talk. I remember some of Kamski's lines as well -- also mo-capped/voice acted by Newbon -- but Kamski doesn't have nearly as much charisma as Gav does.

2. He's expressive

Ppl who 'talk with their hands' are more charismatic. Gav is all over the place in the break room if you stick around. Hand gestures capture people's attention as they emphasize what is being said.

3. He doesn't think androids are alive (...so in his eyes, the way he treats them isn't wrong)

"Could always try roughin' it up a little. After all... it's not human." - Gavin Reed, The Interrogation

That means he wouldn't rough up a human suspect. This alone justifies his unpleasant attitude towards androids. Hank -- who treated Connor way worse than Gav ever did -- changed his mind. Nothing says Gav can't do the same.

If Alexa suddenly said she was alive, the vast majority wouldn't take it seriously (if any at all.)

4. He's sarcastic

"Congratulations on last night, very impressive." - Gavin Reed, Waiting For Hank...

5. He has dark humor

6. He looks down on people that pay for s*x

Quote above. You don't call someone a "pervert" if you agree with their actions. The Eden Club, in particular, is immoral AF... bc those androids don't have a choice. Gav doesn't care about them being androids, but he still looks down on the guy who paid money to get laid, and I applaud Gav for that. Especially when said guy also had a wife and kids.

7. He has valid concerns about androids taking jobs

Anyone who says differently is either in denial, uninformed, or never had a job they were scared to get fired from. There's already been an uproar about ChatGPT and that's nothing compared to how advanced Detroit: Become Human androids are. The unemployment rate in this game is 37% -- higher than it was during the Great Depression and C*VID -- and androids are the main cause.

I've seen a lot of ppl ask this question:

Q: Why not just buy an android and have them do your job for you, then? You get the money anyway bc it's your android!

A: Bc, believe it or not, the vast majority of men want to work. This is a strange concept to grasp for a lot of ppl. I admire Gav for being one of those men who wants to do it themselves. Letting someone else do your job is taking the easy way out.

8. He's a hard worker

Gallery: "...Ruthlessly ambitious, Reed will do anything to advance his career, even if it means treading on other peoples’ toes."

9. He's ambitious

See the quote above.

10. He doesn't sleep well

This isn't just a headcanon. He has literal bags under his eyes. Just knowing he doesn't sleep well already has me asking, "why?" It's interesting.

11. He puts his feet on the table

After Connor interacts with him in the break room, Gav will go to his desk and do this. I'll go into detail about why this contributes to my liking his character in the very last point.

12. He calls Hank out on his alcoholism

As much as most of us love Hank, he's not in a good space mentally. Showing up drunk/hungover to work should not be tolerated. It not only puts coworkers, but also civilians, at risk. Hank should be in therapy instead of working at the DPD until he gets his life sorted out.

13. He calls Fowler out for giving Hank special treatment

"You won't get away with it this time." - Gavin Reed, The Interrogation (after Hank pulls a literal gun on a human coworker AKA Gav)

So Gav has brought it up to Fowler before and is about to do it again. Ties into the point above. What Hank does -- like assaulting a literal FBI agent -- shouldn't be tolerated.

14. He's a control freak

I gravitate towards ppl and characters who take charge. Those who like being in control and know what they're doing. I'm a control freak myself, but I'd prefer to let someone else take the reins as long as I agree with their methods. I like it when ppl know what they want and act on it. Gav does both.

15. He's protective of his coworkers

I was unsure whether or not to add this as I guess it can be seen as a subjective theory and not an objective fact.

Gav only ever steps in with the gun in The Interrogation when Con uses aggressive force on Chris Miller by tearing him away from the deviant. Con did this after disobeying Gav 3 times. So yeah. Gav is justified for stepping in. Hank, on the other hand, isn't justified for pulling a gun on a human coworker. I see this scene as Gav protecting Chris from Con who is showing signs of deviancy.

16. He can't wink

Endearing.

17. He pouts a lot

Again, endearing.

18. He swears like a sneezing kitten

Same as the two points above.

19. He doesn't like Connor

I don't like Con, either. Yeah. We exist. Personality types like Con's "let's be friends" attitude and constant positivity pisses me off. Before anyone comments that the player decides Con's personality... no. Only to an extent. There are several instances where the player has no say whatsoever. Some of Con's pre-determined responses annoy me.

20. He has great fashion

Big fan of leather jackets.

21. I like him bc I'm a narcissist at times

He's essentially the male equivalent of me to the T. I'm only an asshole internally, though. We love (or hate) characters we relate to. I relate to every single point except 17 and 18 on this list.

There you go :)

His OOC fanon equivalent has a huge fanbase -- especially on Twitter/X and Tumblr turning him into a blushing teenage girl -- but it seems like I'm the only person who can't stand that OOC portrayal of him. That said, I adore his canon equivalent in all his asshole glory.

#dbh #gavin reed #detroit: become human #dbh gavin #long post #Q&A #anonymous #*aydaptic

[scribbles97]

Left Behind - Where We Left Off

Oh look... after two years I've fixed that big old cliff hanger that I left lying around!

Thank you to those that have missed me and welcomed me back into the fandom after being absent for so long, the biggest of hugs to all of you... I hope I don't end up leaving you all on another cliff hanger!

For those that I haven't met yet, Hi!

I was here in the TAG fandom right at the very beginning and somewhere around the time the series finished I thought it'd be fun to imagine an AU in which Lucy was alive and well... this monstrosity of a fic is the outcome of that.

Looks like I was pretty rubbish at posting the last few chapters on here so check Ao3 for the fic in its entirety.

For those that don't want to re-read the entirety of what's already there... have a little recap under the cut.

Beware, there be spoilers ahead!

So... where were we?

Part One of this fic was basically about losing Jeff. That's right folks we hit off from the day the Zero-X blows up and Jeff vanishes.

This leaves Lucy, her brother Lee, and Val Casey as the main leads of International Rescue as we know it.

In this universe Lucy demanded that IR could not be run by their family alone and spearheaded what we call the IR academny, from where Scott is about to graduate. Kayo and Penelope are also about to graduate, but in a much quieter private ceremony for our two espoinage specialists. Both of these ladies have their fathers present and playing a big part in both International Rescue and Tracy Industries.

As for the rest of the family, John is working for NASA and about to shoot off into space. Virgil and Gordon are about to join the IR academy (which momma bear Lucy is absolutely having mixed feelings about). And Alan is being the kid that he should rightfully be at such a young age.

Part Two sees us skip forward four years.

We start to see a little more of IR as we know it here, though Virgil and Gordon are very much still learning, and Alan is barely getting away with being allowed to play on the simulators.

Lucy is afraid because of whisperings of Gaat (The Hood) returning and what this might mean for the safety of her family and IR as a world-wide organisation.

What nobody expects is that new camera angle from the Zero-X, leading to the suggestion that Jeff could still be alive.

Gaat tricks Lucy into thinking he has a new ship capable of the same flight, it's aboard this ship where she meets an engineer known as Michael and promises to free him from Gaat's grip. They then discover that Gaat has found his way onto the Island and is threatening the whole family (think Legacy).

Then the ship goes boom.

Part 3 starts out with the aftermath of Lucy being on a ship that exploded. She's in a coma and all of her boys are a little bit lost as to what to do now.

Scott takes over the business and the running of their IR team with John leaving Nasa to take his rightful place aboard TB5. Lee does an excellent vanishing act when it's decided to return Lucy to the island, and we haven't heard from him since.

We also discover that Lucy and Hugh Creighton-Ward might have been more than just friends at some point in the last four years.

Part 4 Lucy wakes up! Then promptly wonders what her place is in the family now that Scott and Hugh have taken so much of her role on for her. Their main concern is seeing her get stronger before they consider letting her take over some of the reins again.

Scott is quite happy to go on regular business meetings as it gives him an excuse to meet up with Tia, his off-island security that may also be turning into something more.

Speaking of which, Virgil and Kayo are also up to something and have a hilariously cute moment in telling Lucy as much.

Alan is also up to something, being the baby of the family and far too young to actually join the academy yet, he's trying hard to find a way to be involved in IR.

More importantly though, thanks to Eos, we find that Jeff is alive!

Part 5 is the most recent part posted... honestly? If you're not going to re-read the whole thing I'd at least read from here as a refresher.

Scott finally talks to people about his hopes and fears, but then his entire world comes crashing down around him is the most summary I can really say without spoiling what happens next. Val starts to question Lucy if they've done the right thing bringing the boys into IR, and Lucy starts to question her own relationships.

But Jeff is alive and there's a whole lot of figuring out how to get him home.

So... that's the fic in summary so far. Honestly, if you have the time and energy please please re-read the whole thing to refresh your memory. I did just that the other week and it opened my eyes as to how much there is that I left myself open to fix so you might find some interesting threads if you look hard enough!

#thunderbirds are go #scott tracy #thunderbirds 2015 #virgil tracy #gordon tracy #john tracy #alan tracy #scribbles writes #jeff tracy #Lucille Tracy #Val Casey #Lee Taylor #Hugh Creighton Ward #Penelope Creighton Ward #Kayo Kyrano #Left Behind #Scribbles writes

[captainjunglegym]

20 questions for fic writers

I was tagged by the big man himself @bigassbowlingballhead

How many works do you have on ao3?

Fifteen wonderful fanfictional works of art (i used to have more for other fandoms but they were culled during the great move to this fandom haha)

What's your total ao3 word count?

102,099 if you can believe. all since the end of january.

What fandoms do you write for?

currently rwrb and rwrb rpf but I've been doing some research into another fandom that i wanna write in soon! watch this space *eyes*

Top five fics by kudos:

No.1 (Royal Red and Blue) Oil on Canvas

Henry Fox is Alive

If You're Not Made For Me (Why Did We Fall in Love?)

Said I'm Sorry But I'm Not To Blame

Drinking light chardonnays and eating tiny finger foods

Do you respond to comments?

uhhhhh yikes. I have adhd i'll blame that. I'm sorry. i dont tend to on my long fics but on my shorter smuts i might if i remember. im sorry. just know that i read every single comment!!!!!! and appreciate them

What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I've written some angsty shit, but i think my fic Someone Loved Me But Not Today. It's an open ended fic where Alex and Henry are exes who reconnect at the funeral of Henry's twin brother George.

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

All my fics bar the above have a happy(ish) ending.

But probably Henry Fox is Alive because it's so healing to both Alex and Henry.

No.1 is a close second. All my smut has a happy ending ifyaknowwhatimean *wink wonk*

Do you get hate on fics?

Hate is a strong word. I've had some slightly nasty comments about characterisation that hurt my feelings lol, but nothing that is intentionally nasty to me or about my writing. Just choices I've made. But it's whatevs innit.

Do you write smut?

Of course!

Craziest crossover:

no crossovers as of yet. I can imagine writting 911/911ls crossovers if that even counts. Maybe alex and henry can get into an accident in either austin or LA and have my fire boys and gyals come rescue them

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Ha! who'd bother

Have you ever had a fic translated?

nope but if ya want to then sure.

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

nope. i'm too shy i'd be all embarrassed haha

All time favorite ship?

oh i've been in fandom for like 13 years now i've got a lot of ships that changed me. Lets say firstprince at the moment though bc it's brought me some wonderful friends

What's a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

i usually finish my wips actually. but my 1850s australian prison au is on the back burner bc i have others i find easier writing haha

What are your writing strengths?

people always say dialogue

What are your writing weaknesses?

editing and streamlining. maybe pacing.

Thoughts on dialogue in another language?

yes love it, but i wouldnt do it bc i only speak english and i dont want to look dumb in front of my international friends. like lots of my blorbos are multilingual!!!!

First fandom you wrote in?

oof. idk. Maybe supernatural as my first posted fic? I wrote a lot of fic for bands that were popular when i was young but they shall not be named and never saw the light of day

Favorite fic you've written?

uhh actually it's probably Henry Fox is Alive. Love that fic and it was my first firstprince fic. Special place in my heart!

Also Drinking light chardonnays and eating tiny finger foods is a fave bc it got a lot of traction for being a piss fic hahahaha

No pressure tags for just a few peeps: @anincompletelist @agostobuwan @nocoastposts @wordsofhoneydew whoever wants to!

[ijustreallylikecaptainamericaok]

How about 1, 15, 23 for the air your grievances ask game?

Hi! :-)

What's your biggest __[insert fandom]__ pet peeve(s)?

Oof, okay... I think my biggest pet peeve with the M/C/U fandom is how greedy certain pockets of it can be. When 80-95% of either the canon or fandom is catered to you, I don't get complaining so hard about the slim percentage that doesn't. It's infuriating. But I've talked about that a bunch in the past.

Something I don't think ever talked about is how this fandom drives me up the damn wall as a music nerd. The biggest example is folks describing the Guardians soundtracks/"Qu*ll's taste in music" as "80s music." No. No, they're not. They're mainly the 70s. I know, I counted, after the fandom nearly gaslit me into doubting my own knowledge. In fact, out of the trilogy, IW, the Gro/ot shorts, and the Holiday special, only Vol 3 and the Holiday special contain any 80s songs. (And for record, this isn't me shitting on the 80s or anything. I'm an 80s baby and love tons of music from that era. This is just me being an insufferable know-it-all, lol.)

Another one is constantly framing Sam's recommendation of Tro/uble Man as some kind of come on. Like, first of all, that album is mainly a score and the few lyrics that do exist on it are not sexy. Second of all, oh my God, there's more to Marvin than just sex jams, holy shit. It's very obvious that some are only familiar with stuff like "Let's get it on" and "Sexual Healing" and that's it and... I can't help it, that makes me so sad.

15. Name an aspect of __[insert character]__ that you think gets frequently overlooked in fanfiction characterizations/deserves more attention/exploration

I think fandom's really dropped the ball with post-EG Steve. We could've had sprawling epics with Steve creating timeline after timeline where he had full lives with every Av*nger and Guardian and whoever else and having D*ctor Who style adventures across space and time. But, noooope. Nada.

I'll also never understand how I've only ever seen one fic where Professor H*lk and Steve raise Baby!Scott. That's comedy gold, right there. And how the hell did Sh*-H*lk not spawn a ton of St*ve/Jen? Not to mention all the cool concepts WI? has given the fandom on a silver platter only for them to be completely ignored.

23. Share an unpopular opinion you have RE: __[insert fandom]__

At the risk of being skinned alive, I know that even people who don't ship St*cky romantically will say that they still love them as friends instead. And I... don't. I can't get into that dynamic, even platonically. Most of their relationship is told rather than shown and what little we are shown doesn't endear it to me at all. Fandom can scream "till the end of the line" until it's blue in the face, but that doesn't make up for its problems in the slightest. (And frankly, I think that was the main purpose of the line to begin with, but that's a whole other rant.) I mean, B*cky spends most of T/F/A coming off (to me) like a condescending prick towards Steve and then spends the rest of Steve's time in the films deliberately staying as far away as humanly possible. It feels very one-sided to me, overall. And why should I revere that period, but especially so when dynamics like the ones Steve has with S*m, N*t, and P*ggy exist? Dynamics where the love and respect is quite clearly mutual and they actively want to be in his life? There's just no contest as far as I'm concerned.

Now, in fairness, theirs isn't the only dynamic in the films that's way more tell than show nor is it the worst offender in terms of the discrepancy between what's told and what's shown, but again, those are other rants.

Sorry about this getting kinda long. I'd been holding that first rant in for a loooong time, lol, so thank you for sending this in and giving me the chance to finally get that off my chest. XD

Air Your Grievances Ask Game

#bulkyphrase #replies #fandom woes #fandom wank #long post cw

[daddy-lucifer-morningstar]

[I've been alive and online long enough to curate my spaces, so in large part I haven't experienced anything toxic, but I'm aware of how certain aspects of the fandom can be like.

So A) Thank you to those who I interact with for being so incredible and filling my dash with amazing content. It's angsty and feelzy but all within character and the stories we want to share with one another.

B) Fanfic and roleplaying are extraordinary! If I had just watched the show I would have pretty set views on certain characters. But through fanfic and roleplaying, I get to see different takes and different perspectives that I didn't get in the show alone! There's just so much more depth and sides to some characters that are meant to make you feel a certain kind of way and without other people thinking more on it...it stays in that one dimension.

All's to say. I'm so proud to be a fanfic writer/reader and roleplayer. The story is just better, the characters are more interesting, and you guys all add in making it better! So thank you!]

#ooc #[for example...my thoughts on Adam were pretty much what the show left with me. But now him and Luce have me thinking and feeling #things I didn't ever expect to feel and here we are!]

[beautifulpersonpeach]

Sorry if you already said something, but do you have any thoughts on sm losing both baekhyun and now taemin as soloists? Is this snowballing likely to continue, and what do you see sm being in five years?

***

Hi Anon,

I've answered the question of where I see SM in 5 years here <- that's from about a month ago.

My view of Baekhyun and Taemin both jumping ship is that they were overdue. It was always a question of when not if. SM has a long, prolific history of bleeding talent and abusing their idols - that company is quite literally the worst offender among the Big3 just going by the number of lawsuits filed every 3 - 5 years from idols under their management. And this is aside the fact that SM is the only major company that compels their artists to sign 10-year contracts using a legal loophole, where the industry standard is 7 years. The reason SM's known practices aren't talked about more in fact, is because SM also has the largest amount of company stans in the wider k-pop fandom who strongly influence where scrutiny is placed.

And that reason is why even if this snowballs, it won't change anything dramatically for the company, because nobody is more committed to keeping illusion of SM's legacy/prestige alive more than fans of SM groups.

That said, based on debut dates, the group next up for contract negotiations is NCT. Because most of the founding members have promoted outside Korea (the legal loophole SM uses), this means they have 10-year contracts and so they'll only begin negotiations from the latter half of this year through 2026. As some of the members are due to enlist starting this year (Taeil, Jaehyun, Doyoung and Taeyong are the four oldest Korean members), it's assumed they are speedrunning negotiations ahead of that deadline, and it could be why we've seen solo and sub-unit projects for Taeil, Taeyong, Jaehyun and Doyoung in the last year. I'm highlighting those four in contrast to a member like Mark, who is easily NCT's most prominent member (alongside Taeyong) who still doesn't have a solo EP, and it's probably just a coincidence that he's Canadian and not up for military service. And so his negotiations can happen much later. Given the state of SM's dwindling idol portfolio and how they've been handling NCT so far, I expect almost all the members to re-sign (WayV is the wild card here), but I expect more bleeding from EXO and other legacy acts.

Anyway, I'm already rambling.

Baekhyun/Taemin have been associated with SM for a decade and that's not going to change even with them leaving the company, for two reasons:

They are still signed under SM for group activities.

SM stans won't relinquish that connection no matter how hard those idols attempt to rebrand their image. Like I've been saying, most fans of SM groups are actually company stans despite what they'll tell you.

So long as the make-up of k-pop fandoms remain dominated by SM stans, nothing is changing significantly for SM in this space in the next 5 years. Their new girl group will debut to much fan fare, Taemin and Baekhyun will continue being included in conversations about SM talent and influence, and SM company norms will continue as they have like every other time a high-profile talent has left their company - just fine.

The one caveat I didn't include in my prior post (linked above) but feel compelled to include now, is that the non-compete HYBE placed on Lee Sooman in 2023, expires in 2026. Given everything I've mentioned about how SM operates and the cult-like following LSM has both with his staff and k-pop stans generally, if he establishes a competing agency in the next 5 years, that could dramatically impact the life of SM Entertainment beyond any of the expected M&A scenarios I mentioned in point 3 of my linked post.

Overall, expect more of the same but there's a chance we get more fun times ahead. :)

#kpop #sm entertainment #hybe #kpop fandoms #sm stans #baekhyun #taemin

[dissociatingdumbass]

Hi! I'm so nervous to send this ask cuz I can't hide behind anon but I'ma be brave for 60 seconds and hopefully this doesn't come off rude& rambling (if so feel free to ignore all this, no pressure to reply!)

So, I was reading the tags of a post you reblogged (something about being 34 with an AO3 account being cringe or whatever) and you say you're 48? Like 48 years old? Or I'm misunderstanding? Either way my first thought was, I agree with the comment implying that 30+ adults are a large part of what keeps fandoms alive, and my second thought was holy crap! I didn't know I actually followed someone in fandom who is older than me. Maybe that's silly bc I follow soooo many people, there's no way we're all the same age, right, like duh but I just got really excited about it. It felt like an "ah ha!" moment, like the difference between knowing something like a fact you read in a book yrs ago and knowing something from living through it (if that makes sense 🫠) and I just wanted to say Hi! I'm glad you're here (you and all the older members of fandom, honestly) I'm relieved actually, and maybe that's weird and silly, too, but idk knowing you're here really helped me connect with reality a bit better. Sometimes I feel like everyone in fandom is like 19 and younger and i guess the craziness in the world & fandom combined has made me feel like I'm doing something very strange at my big age enjoying fandom where it seems like only teenagers are. This isn't shade at teenagers though, I was a teen in fandom at some point but I guess I unknowingly was convinced that after 20 these things are like kids toys and sure you can keep them but if you aren't an ~established adult~ you don't have time for fan things or at least should be quiet in those spaces bc it's like creepy otherwise??? Idk idk idk🫣 I'm rambling and this is too long, the point is Hi! If I'm misunderstanding your age, my apologies, honestly; still, this has been a much needed reality check for me and I'm so very glad you're here!! (Also you're blog is like super cool)

Hi!

I am indeed 48 years old!

I haven't been active in fandom for long because in my country (Portugal) Fandoms weren't a thing...

At least not that I was aware growing up.

I've always had my little stories in my head and I had two cousins with which I'd "trade off" daydreams and story ideas... But nothing more.

My actual contact with internet and social media was only after 2003. A whole 7 years after I was married.

By then I had already allowed my dreams to be smothered... By my ex... By society... By myself...

It took me getting a divorce in 2012 to get into Fandom as a way of escaping my own feelings of failure and inadequacy.

And you know who helped me find the courage to write?

My older son. 16 at the time...

Fandom is for everyone.

For the older generation that built it and love it.

For the younger generation being introduced to it, finding community in it, finding themselves in it...

I welcome everyone into this little corner of my world on Tumblr... I'll be here if you need me. I'll be just here, in the background when you don't.

But I'll be here.

And you know what? Don't be ashamed of loving what you love. There's no age in which you should give up on your dreams, passions and hobbies...

.... Not even your plushies and toys!

Live first and foremost for yourself. Find the joy in the little things and never allow others to shame you for your passions.

Don't let anyone kill the Childlike Wonder inside you.

I'm 48...

I write fanfic and I'm a mother.

I have a bedroom filled with Fandom stuff and I have a full time job.

I have multitudes inside my heart and soul. Just like you. Just like everyone out there.

Don't let anyone take that away from you... Ever.

#ageism in social media is a plague... #we all have the ability to dream #fandom is for all of us #fandom is supposed to be a community

[unknownfacelessfanfictions]

Immortalised on skin

Fandom: Star Trek Deep Space Nine Pairing: Julian Bashir x gn!Bajoran!Reader Words: 3.1K Warnings: A bit of blood, I guess? Prompt: Soulmate AU where when you write something on your skin it appears on the skin of your soulmate. And while Partner A is an artist and decorates their arms with beautiful ornaments, Partner B always scribbles down things to not forget them in the most unreadable font A has ever seen. A/N: I wrote most of the chapter while being sick af, so I apologise in case that it's garbage

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!NOT MY GIF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A dreamy smile spread across Julian's face as his gaze fell on his forearm. Apparently they had lain awake late again tonight or were bored, because now his entire arm was decorated with elaborate flower ornaments in ballpoint pen. Slowly he traced the lines, one after the other, and with each curve, with each flourish, his smile grew a little wider. Ever since he had woken up on his sixteenth birthday and caught sight of those elaborate lines for the first time, he had been blown away.

Because, to be honest, Julian had firmly believed that he had no soulmate. The soulmate, in his opinion, would not have been his. This was Jules' soul mate. And Jules was no longer alive. Not since he had been brutally dismembered and murdered and replaced by Julian. Even now, when Julian was sure that he had a soulmate, he was still overcome by doubts from time to time. That morning, however, Julian didn't really have time to worry about it.

Though he continued to gaze at the lines tenderly until his arms disappeared into the sleeves of his uniform and continued to feel a warm tingling throughout, his thoughts quickly turned to his work when he was met by an upset Nurse Kabo. Apparently, a freighter that had arrived the day before had not followed the prescribed hygiene regulations and before Odo could expel the freighter, an Andorian flu had spread. Since people on Earth were vaccinated against it from infancy, the number of humans who came in for treatment could be counted on one hand. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for the rest of the station.

Julian did not have a quiet minute until lunch. Again and again a new patient came in, to whom he could give nothing more than a hypospray and a prescription for a few days of bed rest. He should not be misunderstood, he loved his job. This was exactly what he had longed for after leaving the academy. However, after he and Nurse Kabo had treated one patient after the other with the same illness for five hours without stopping, he was about to ask Captain Sisko for permission to simply supply the entire station with the medicine through the air supply. At least this would be a lot quicker. And even if he surpassed "normal" humans in some things due to his genetic enhancement, he was still exhausted as he dropped into the chair with Garak.

"You look quite exhausted Doctor," Garak smiled, tilting his head slightly. "I take it that it has been a busy day?" Julian snorted and stabbed his fork into the piece of meat on his plate. "The day is only half over and I'd love to strangle the captain of this freighter right now." "Now, now Doctor," Garak returned indignantly, but Julian could see his amusement in his eyes. "As Doctor, aren't you supposed to make sure the patients are all right." "He's not a patient yet," Julian retorted grimly. Apparently Garak thought it best to change the subject, for he pointed to the Doctor's forearm, which had become visible through his rolled-up sleeves. "I see you have discovered your artistic streak Doctor."

Instantly Julian's temper calmed. "No, not me." "Ah." Garak's face reflected his manner of understanding. "Then I can assume this is the work of your soul mate." Julian nodded. "I have no idea who they are, but since I was sixteen I've been receiving these little works of art every day. I'll be honest, over time they've started to have a calming effect on me." Garak's eyes sparkled. "Then I really really hope you're receiving new drawings right now when you get in touch with the freighter captain." Julian smiled grimly. "It would be better for him."

Garak started to say something further, but he was interrupted by the beeping of Julian's badge. "Sickbay to Doctor Bashir." Julian closed his eyes for a brief moment before replying. "Bashir here." "Sir, a Bajoran transporter has just docked. It was attacked by Dominion ships and there were several wounded." "I'm on my way." Julian gave Garak an apologetic look, but he waved it off. "Oh, don't worry about me. I quite understand that your job takes priority." Julian nodded his thanks before rising and making his way towards sickbay.

~**~

Y/N hissed briefly as Captain Anyon's fingers dug into their forearm and thus into their open wound. However, they gritted their teeth and lifted the unconscious woman onto the table that the nurse had indicated to them. The nurse, however, seemed to have noticed their grimace, because she turned to them and eyed them with a raised eyebrow. "Are you all right?" Y/N nodded curtly, then gestured with their unwounded arm towards the sickbay door that led out onto the promenade deck. "I'll get the others." The nurse only nodded absently, having already attended to Captain Anyon. Y/N used this brief moment to take one deep breath. The pain was getting hotter and their arm was beginning to throb. Despite this, they turned around but bumped into a young man in the doorway outside.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't see you. I was in such a hurry that-" "It's all right," they choked him off quickly, giving him a pained smile. "No harm done." "Are you sure? After all, I-" "Doctor," they interrupted again. At least they assumed from his uniform that he was a doctor, even though he seemed quite young. "I'm sorry to interrupt you again, but I have to get the other injured people out of the transporter. And from the looks of it, you have work to do." The young man stared at her from widened eyes. "Of course. I forgot. Excuse me." He rushed into sickbay and Y/N, shaking their head, made their way back to their transporter to get more patients out.

On their way to the docking bay, other crew members and security officers met them carrying wounded people in their arms to sickbay and they felt sick. However, when they arrived at their transporter, they found that all the wounded had already been carried out. Y/N asked if they could go on board to secure some things, but the security officer refused access. Apparently it was too dangerous to board at the moment and they would have to wait until the Chief gave his okay.

Frustrated, they turned around only to come face to face with the security chief. "Odo." A wide smile spread across their face as they saw their old friend. They had met him a few years ago when he had saved them from execution on the station under occupation. Odo nodded at her and the corners of his mouth twitched slightly what with him was like a bright smile with a welcoming hug. "Y/N." He lowered his voice slightly and leaned forward slightly. "Are you alright? Were you hurt?" They had to suppress a smirk. It was so typical of Odo not to let on his concern for the feelings or needs of others.

"Everything's great. A few minor scratches, but I' ll be fine." "You're bleeding." He pointed to their arm. Y/N stifled a grimace. Apparently the cut had been a little bigger than she'd thought after all. "That's Anyon's blood," they lied. They could see from Odo's face that he didn't believe them. "Is it?" Odo straightened up. "Then you won't have a problem with it." Before they could ask what exactly he meant, his hand shot forward and squeezed their forearm, eliciting a low whimper and a string of Bajoran swear words that their mother would have washed their mouths out with soap for. " Bloody hell, Odo!"

The latter, however, only pulled his arm back enough to grab them by the elbow. "Hey!" Odo just sighed out grumbling. "Come on now. You need to be treated."

"There are dozens of other people in sickbay who need treatment more urgently than I do." Odo pulled them behind him into the lift. "Promenade deck." He turned to them. "That doesn't mean you have to suffer. Knowing our Chief Medical Officer Doctor Bashir, I'm sure he's finished with half of them by now. If need be, you just wait there." Y/N frowned. "Who is Doctor Bashir?"

Before Odo could answer, however, they knew. Before the Federation had come, there had been no Chief Medical Officer. And Y/N had frequently been in sickbay after the occupation and had met all the staff, apart from the Chief Medical Officer. Therefore, this Bashir had to be the young man she had run over and snapped at this morning.

"He's from the Federation. Young, lanky, quite tall, dark hair and a grin on his face forever," Odo grumbled. "You don't seem to like him." "I respect his work," he returned. "However, he is a little too motivated and optimistic for me sometimes." They shrugged and something occurred to them. "You distracted me!" Odo chuckled softly. "I don't know what you're talking about." The lift stopped, the doors slid aside and Odo pulled them with him.

"I hate you," they muttered. They might try to break free and escape, however, they knew that would do no good. Odo would have them back within a few seconds and would then carry them to sickbay. They would not give themselves up to that embarrassment. So they followed him sullenly. "Of course you do." "Now don't get snarky!"

Outside the infirmary they stopped. Surprisingly, Odo seemed to have been right. It seemed a lot quieter and emptier than before. Maybe Doctor Bashir really was good and fast. Or maybe they had just talked to this security officer for longer than they had thought. Odo stepped forward and the doors slid aside. Astonished, they looked at him. "What? Did you think I was just going to leave you here alone so you could get the hell out of here?" He laughed softly. "Forget it."

Resigned, Y/N gave up and followed him inside. There was no one in the infirmary itself. However, when Y/N brought this up and wanted to take the opportunity to escape, but Odo held them back and retorted that they would just have to wait. So they reluctantly settled back in a chair. When Odo pointed out that this was Doctor Bashir's chair, they only crossed their arms and immediately had to stop themselves from wincing. The pain in her wound became more unbearable with each passing minute and by now she was grateful to Odo for bringing her here. Even though she still cursed him for fiddling with her wound.

After twenty minutes of waiting, they slowly lost patience and were about to get up and flee this sickbay when footsteps sounded. Odo straightened up and they also rose. Doctor Bashir came sauntering around the corner, clearly exhausted and they instantly felt a little bad for robbing the poor man of his free time. When he caught sight of Odo, he stopped with a puzzled look on his face and tilted his head. This caused his gaze to fall on them and his eyes widened. Out of understanding or because he recognised them, they didn't know. "Constable. To what do I owe the honour?"

Odo jutted his chin. "Lieutenant Y/l/n was injured during the attack on the transporter, which is why I escorted them here, to make sure they didn't get into any trouble or make a run for it." He gave them one last warning look before nodding in Bashir's direction and leaving the infirmary. As soon as he was out of sight, Bashir turned to them and smiled brightly at them.

" Hello, I guess we've met before, Lieutenant." They nodded curtly. "Seems so Doctor." They paused for a moment. "By the way, I wanted to apologise for being so harsh earlier." Bashir waved it off good-naturedly. "Don't be. I can imagine all too well the pressure they were under. I don't think the last few hours had been particularly easy." They shook their head. "No. They really weren't easy."

"Now then." Bashir gestured to the biobed that made up the centre of the room. "Sit down, please." They complied with his request and settled on the bed while Bashir gathered his medical instruments. "So," he smiled broadly. " What's the trouble?" Slowly they could understand Odo. Nothing and no one seemed to be able to shake Bashir out of his optimism, not even a transporter full of wounded people. Hesitantly they held out their left arm to him. The sleeve was already bleeding through and Bashir paused for a moment. "How did this happen?" "Console exploded and I got hit by one of the pieces." He raised his eyebrow. "And why didn't you come straight to me?" They bit their lower lip. "You had enough on your plate already, and these people needed the treatment more than I did." "Maybe," he admitted, turning to reach for the scissors. "However, that doesn't mean your injury is unimportant. You don't have to suffer." "You and Odo have more in common than you'd like to admit," they murmured quietly. "What was that?" "Nothing."

"Well then," Bashir raised the scissors. "I'm afraid I'll have to cut your sleeve to get at the wound." They just nodded. They were quite convinced that the doctor wouldn't remotely care about their little scribbles. "Get on with it, Doctor." Bashir nodded again before carefully beginning to unravel and remove the fabric. In a few places the fabric had entered the wound and each time Bashir removed them they hissed out in pain. And each time Bashir gave them a look that was both compassionate and apologetic, which they acknowledged every time with a pained smile. As soon as he had removed the last pieces of the fabric, he put the scissors aside and picked up a medical device that resembled a regenerator. "Ready?" They nodded and slowly Bashir ran the device over their arm. Fascinated, they watched him do this and watched as their skin rejoined and closed. Once the process was complete, Bashir put that device aside as well and beamed at them. "See? Good as new." He turned and picked up some cloths. "Just clean the arm and we're done." Only then did they notice that their entire arm was caked with blood and filthy. Their stomach turned at the sight. Bashir didn't seem to mind, however, as he carefully ran his hand over their skin, cleaning off the blood one bit at a time. For whatever reason, his warm hands gave them goosebumps and they had to shake their head to get rid of them.

Bashir looked up. "Are you all right? Did I hurt you?" Hastily they shook their head. "No, no, I'm fine." Bashir eyed them for a moment longer before turning back to his work. Y/N regarded him. Odo had been right. He was tall, lanky and had dark hair. However, he had not mentioned how attractive and downright cute he could be. All at once he faltered, his gaze fixed on her arm. They frowned. "Doctor Bashir? Are you all right?" He didn't answer. His hands began to tremble until he suddenly continued his work faster than before. In no time at all, all the blood had been removed from her arm and the small scribbles were visible again, but interrupted in the place where her wound had been until a moment ago. Y/N looked concernedly over at the doctor. Bashir looked shocked, his eyes were dilated and his mouth hung wide open. "Doctor Bashir?" Slowly they were really starting to worry. They were about to ask a third time when he suddenly whispered softly," I found you." Y/N paused. " I beg your pardon?" He paid no attention to them, but jumped up, spun in a circle and ran his hands through his hair. "I found you!" This time he was louder and even laughed. Slowly they were getting not only worried but scared. "Okay, I have no idea what's going on right now, but maybe I should go-"

"No," Bashir almost shouted, hurrying over to them. "No, please. I can explain, I promise." They hesitated briefly, but then nodded in agreement. Bashir smiled gratefully before he began to roll up the sleeves of his uniform jacket. At first they were confused, but after Bashir silently asked them to look, their breath caught. On his forearm were the same scribbles as on their arm. They were even interrupted in the same place as on theirs. Shocked, they looked up, straight into the doctor's honest, chocolate-brown teddy bear eyes. "You!" was all they could get out. He nodded. "Me." "You're my soulmate?" "Looks like it." His smile was quirky and nervous and it warmed their heart. "So you're the person who's been scrawling something on my arm that no one can read since I was sixteen?" Bashir blushed and nodded sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck. "Doctor. Not very nice handwriting. And certainly not as beautiful as your drawings." Embarrassed, they looked to the side. "Oh come on, they're just old scribbles I drew when I was bored." Carefully, as if afraid of hurting them, he took their hands in his. "And yet they made my day and sometimes even saved it, Lieutenant." They laughed shakily. "Y/N. Just Y/N please. I think formalities are overrated now." He smiled even wider. "Then please call me Julian." "I'd love to."

Slowly Bashir, no, Julian straightened up and held out his hand to them. "I'm done. Would you be up for dinner on the promenade deck, perhaps? Provided I don't bore you." Again he smiled shyly. Laughing, they took his hand and squeezed it perhaps a tiny bit tighter than was necessary. " There' s nothing I'd like better than that." Julian's face brightened, but faltered as they added a small but. Smiling, they pointed down at themselves. "I'd like to change first. My clothes are still filthy and bloody from the 'accident' this morning." Julian immediately nodded overzealously. "But of course, right away. How could I have forgotten, I'm so inattentive today, it's not really like me you know. Normally I'm-" He continued his rambling and Y/N looked at him with a small smile. In the past, they had always imagined what their soulmate might look like. But no matter what their little brain and childish imagination had come up with, it would never come close to reality. Their eyes fell on the security office. Odo stood in front of the door with a furrowed brow, watching Julian drag them behind him. However, when they pointed first to their arm, mimed a pencil , then to their heart and finally to Julian, he seemed to understand. He smiled a fine smile, cast one last stern look in Julian's direction, indicating a later conversation ( which the latter did not notice as he was still busy talking ) and turned to enter his office. Y/N smiled to themselves. They owed their friend a big favour for dragging them into this infirmary.

#doctor julian bashir #doctor bashir #julian bashir #bashir x reader #julian bashir x reader #doctor bashir x reader #oneshot #soulmate au #my works