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spellsword177 · 2 years

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Thoughts on Fence: Rise (Volume Five)

Warning! The following will contain spoilers for Fence: Rise (Volume Five). Please proceed at your own risk. Volume Five is in the bag, and, as usual, I cannot wait to see The Halverton Training Camp story arc concludes in the next issue. Naturally, I had some thoughts in order from least important to most important.

It was great seeing Kally and Tanner again if only for a moment.

So far, I like MacRob the best out of the competing schools, Halverton is okay, but I cannot stand the snobs from Lowther who seem to think their all that and a bag of chips despite placing fourth. I’m very interested to see more of Terrell Holmes, Nate Spencer, Gian Torres, and Marcus Washington who all seem very cool and interesting new additions. I’m also curious to see more of Hector Ramirez and Stefano “Van” Remo as we didn’t see much from either of them.

I adored Dante letting Bobby put pom hair ties in his hair. If that isn’t love, I’ll eat your hat. Unofficial boyfriend anyone? It was also great Bobby getting the role of Team Manager; I’m happy for that little ray of sunshine.

The only reason Aiden isn’t better at fencing has to do with his personal lack of interest and Harvard’s ranking. If Harvard improves his low lines, Aiden would likely move up alongside of him.

I suspect Seiji will at minimum either lose a point or even a practice match in the next volume. The question is will it be Scott Langtree (who will be disappointed not to gain a new teammate), Marcus Washington (who shows the greatest talen), or Saunchul Park (who is clearly out for blood) that lands the blow. Seiji is very disciplined and fast, but he is also arrogant and a bit predictable which is likely a major contributor to how Jesse beat him. He may want to be a bit more dynamic in how he approaches his future matches. As for Jesse and Seiji, I’m not surprised they were more at one time than simply friends as it was heavily hinted at in France. I don’t for a moment believe Seiji ever saw Jesse in that way nor do I think what they had together was in any way healthy. The real villain is Robert Coste.

I’m not surprised, but I am disappointed that once again Nicholas is at the bottom of the fencing order. In all fairness, he is being forced to improve his two weakest areas of technique and defense through these drills. I’m pleased he’s shown improvement, and I look forward to him proving once again to be a fast learner. All he needs is Jesse’s skill to be monster at fencing possibly even the greatest. I suspect the series will end with some combination Nicholas, Seiji, and Jesse on the piste at the state finals.

Previously, I have posted about which person will be the first to realize how Nicholas is related to Jesse. Once again, we have movement in which Bobby Rodriguez noticed similarities in Jesse’s and Nicholas’s respective styles. I suspect Coach Williams may already know, but if she does, she isn’t making it obvious in any way.

Finally, we have the return of Kyle Allen who conveniently didn’t mention how he was Jesse’s cousin, though I suspect his mother is Robert Coste’s sister making him also related to Nicholas. I can say he is clearly overplaying how close he is to Jesse as he had no idea who Nicholas was, or the fact Jesse is eyeing him as threat for Seiji’s attention and a potential threat on the piste. Likewise, he isn't attending Exton with Jesse Coste even though they are "so close." Out of everyone, he would be the last person to recognize and except Nicholas Cox as Jesse Coste’s long lost half-brother. I would love for the rematch where Nicholas wipes the floor with him, but I’ll settle for his shock over Nicholas finally beating Emmet Scott by the end of the training camp.

The next chapter cannot come soon enough. Maybe Nate Spencer’s statement of “It’s the Kind of Place that changes everything” may prove to be prophetic foreshadowing. I will look forward to whatever may transpire. Go King's Row!

#Fence Comic #Book Review #Fence Rise #Volume Five #Seiji Katayama #Nicholas Cox #Kyle Allen

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treesap-blogs · 11 months

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HI GUYS IM POSTING ON SUNDAY INSTEAD OF SATURDAY!! Sorry. Back with a review of “The Sunbearer Trials” by Aiden Thomas

Hello, Tumblrians! It’s been a while since I’ve made a review, I’m sorry about that. Alas, only two weeks after school, my mom took me down to the South to go visit some family 😔it was lowkey miserable! 2/10 don’t recommend I got gaslit so many times lmao

SORRY FOR NOT POSTING ON SATURDAY😭I was very busy! I’m gonna try to stop making self-imposed deadlines, because a) I literally never follow through with them so they read like empty promises, b) I get last-minute anxiety paralysis and never upload.

Anyways! Here’s a review of a queer book, because they probably would’ve been restricted in the state I was in. Maybe not banned per say, but definitely not accepted with open arms. The only open arms we’re getting in South Carolina are guns, and dear old Uncle Dave pretending he’s asking me for a hug and not forcing me to do it out of moral/familial obligation. Sorry.

Not really any Book Discovery Backstory for this one, except for that I wanted to get around to reading every single Aiden Thomas book. And this was originally meant to be for the Trans Rights Readathon, but I got tired and gave up! Oops.

The Sunbearer Trials is the book in question! For once, its advertising is pretty accurate: Think The Hunger Games’ nail-biting (and televised) battle royale, mixed with the demigod folklore and plot aspects of Percy Jackson (but make it gods of Mexican instead of Greek/Roman mythology)! Teo, a Semidiós transgender teen(son of Quetzal, the god of birds), because of his Jade status, doesn’t expect to be chosen as a competitor in The Sunbearer Trials: a group of deathly games played by Semidiós teens, where the lowest-ranking has the “greatest honor” of all—be sacrificed in order to fuel the Sun’s power and keep the Obsidian evil gods at bay. However, that doesn’t mean Teo’s worried about others: his friend Niya, the higher-ranking Gold daughter of Tierra, is one of the strongest heroes of their generation and dangerously likely to be chosen. So he’s in for a nasty surprise when two Jades get selected for the games this year, one being Xio, the thirteen year-old son of Mala Suerte, and Teo. Now the two of them must compete in five mysterious trials, against far more powerful opponents, for glory, pride and their own survival.

For a book with that intense of a summary, I wasn’t expecting for it to be as humorous and fun as it was? But I’m kinda glad for that, because hundreds of pages of just on-page child death will inevitably get emotionally taxing. So, I found this to be a very enjoyable read! I liked the descriptions of food!!(don’t read this on an empty stomach), and our character dynamics, which I was pleasantly surprised by because I usually dislike or outright hate books with large casts! Aiden Thomas definitely had his priorities straight on the characters to center though, and although we got to know a bit about everyone, it didn’t feel like there was too little or too much time spent with anyone. It didn’t feel crowded, basically.

Not to be that book account, but we also got a bit of rivals to lovers, with Aurelio and Teo! I was a little on-the-fence about it at first because, you know, tropes, but I ended up growing to like the genuine bond they developed amidst the trials. Also, Aiden Thomas just has a way with writing gay yearning I think!

With all that said, although this book was a fun read, it felt juvenile at times. If some of the cursing or sexual humor was cut out, it could definitely pass as a middle grade. Personally, I don’t like middle grades, so this was disappointing to me especially considering how dark the summary is? Some of the lines (particularly Niya’s) were so corny or cringey I had to laugh. Add that to this being in a modern world, and I take critical damage from being reminded that memes and vine coexist with demigod death games in this book.

Anyhow! Overall, this was an enjoyable (even if flawed) read. As you guys should know, I love culturally rich stories, and I loved the Mexican parts of the settings and story. And if you read the summary for that and thought to yourself “hey! That sounds right up my alley”, I’m not stopping you from checking it out. I’ll also be reading the sequel, because there was a hell of a cliffhanger.

Book rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️½ stars/5. Finished 04/05/2023.

(Book content/trigger warnings: fire/fire injury, child death(on-page), violence+blood, bullying, gender dysphoria.)

-Paz, signing off!

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heiserosandhesapollo · 1 year

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that blazed post was satire right

REAL fucking suspicious that all these rolled into my inbox in a single night, back to back. Almost like you forgot to turn on anon for half of them 🤔🤔🤔

But let's go ahead and give you the benefit of the doubt.

"How to be a trans man (according to the internet)" was loosely inspired by Sherman Alexie's "How To Write The Great American Indian Novel" in the sense that I wanted to do non-rhyming couplets that directly contradicted each other to point out how people outside of a marginalized group stereotype and fetishize said group. (Alexie's poem is much, much better than mine. He breaks the format pretty quickly and the last two lines are the greatest gut-punch I've ever read in a poem. I am white and did not want to appropriate an indigenous man's pain, so I tried to only take broad inspiration from the opening lines and go in my own direction.)

Now, with that context, let's examine the title.

"How to be a trans man" denotes a set of instructions or rules for behavior. But the poem has a parenthetical, "(according to the internet)", which implies that these are not the author's (my) rules, but rather something that comes *from* the internet. Reading the poem I used as inspiration, and the last two lines, "In the Great American Indian novel, when it is finally written,/ all of the white people will be Indians and all of the Indians will be ghosts," we can infer that this is a poem not about representation, but about cultural appropriation (and, really, genocide). It is not meant to be serious advice, but layers of irony about how colonizers use literature as a tool to erase an entire culture.

When you take irony into consideration, you can then look at the structure of my poem.

Every couplet (except the final one) starts with "You must", with the second line starting with "but". This sets an expectation, then immediately limits or contradicts the expectation. For instance:

"You must have a common, boring name,/ but nothing as common as "Aiden."" If you pay any attention to how trans men's names are treated, you may have heard jokes about trans men having the names of "Drowned Victorian orphans", which is just a way to say that trans men pick old fashioned, pretentious, or "weird" names. A trans man who is not out may see these jokes and therefore try to steer towards really common names, especially ones that are common *right now*. This meant that a few years ago, there was a flood of trans mascs naming themselves "Aiden". But again, if you've paid attention to the treatment of trans men the last few years, you'll know that "Aiden" is used to insult trans men with "basic" names.

Again, look to the title of the poem. This is how *the internet* tells trans men to behave - giving them one set of instructions and then immediately punishing them for following it. The poem uses an ironic structure to show the irony that trans men experience daily.

All of the lines in the poem were either things I have been told to my (digital) face, or seen other trans men on Tumblr, Twitter, Youtube, and Tiktok been told.

Now, not to be mean, but perhaps do some literary analysis when you find a poem that rubs you the wrong way. Look at the title, structure, imagery. Perhaps even look at the rest of the author's work - if you search my blog for "trans", you'll find multiple poems about the trans male experience (my personal favorite is "I relate to werewolves for more than just aesthetic reasons"). These, taken together, paint a pretty straightforward picture of my views on the trans male experience.

I'll admit, had I gotten these asks when I first posted these poems, I would've freaked out, wondering if I was being too subtle. But at this point, with over 4,000 notes on the post and tons of people in the tags telling me that they have felt the exact emotions of the poem... I think you and anon either aren't taking the time or don't care to actually analyze a (pretty straightforward) poem.

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thelibrarysghost · 2 years

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⇢ Book review : The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas

Hello everyone! Here is my review for one of my most anticipated books of the year! My Bookstagram saw it first so make sure yall are following me there for first looks at everything I post here on my blog ♥

- My full review can be read ON MY GOODREADS

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A post shared by » 𝔾𝕙𝕠𝕤𝕥 📚 « (@thelibrarysghost)

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✨ The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas - OUT SEP 6TH!!

✱ I honestly can't recommend this book enough. If you are a fan of the Percy Jackson 'demigod' / quests / trials type fantasy you are going to be in for a MASSIVE treat with this one. Aiden has created an incredible world that blends modern touches with fantasy so seamlessly the world easily feels real. Often times when reading fantasy books I find myself struggling to remember whos-who, what's-what, where's-where but that isn't the case with this one. Not only does the physical book come with a beautifully drawn map (if you need it) but everything is written in a way that it just feels natural to be along for the ride. I was able to easily picture every incredible city and character introduced as the plot progressed.

✱ This book follows our protagonist Teo, a Jade demigod (semidiose) and son of the beautiful Quetzal. Teo is a character you will easily adore; he is strong willed, anti-authority, values his friends and will get back up every time he falls to do the right thing.

✱ My FULL review can be found on my Goodreads profile [linked above], but trust me when I say this book IS WORTH IT. Honestly it's easily one of my favorites of all time now.

"As each new decade begins, the Sun’s power must be replenished so that Sol can keep traveling along the sky and keep the evil Obsidian gods at bay. Ten semidioses between the ages of thirteen and eighteen are selected by Sol himself as the most worthy to compete in The Sunbearer Trials. The winner carries light and life to all the temples of Reino del Sol, but the loser has the greatest honor of all―they will be sacrificed to Sol, their body used to fuel the Sun Stones that will protect the people of Reino del Sol for the next ten years."

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unboxedreflections · 1 year

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IPP ENTRY ONE

“Wow, my final year has arrived!”

That’s exactly what I was thinking as I drove to Holmesglen on Monday, January 30th to commence the first class of 2023 as excited as ever, as I usually am.

I’m now 21 years old and I grew up in Inverloch, a beautiful country town about two hours south of the big smoke, where I’ve played all sorts of sports including footy, cricket, basketball and even the occasional hit of tennis or shred of the waves.

I’m a keen follower and extremely passionate lover of several, well almost every, sport although Formula 1, NFL and AFL are some of my favourites.

I’ve played, volunteered, done work experience or internships and worked in sport and have gained valuable lessons from each and every one.

Since graduating from Newhaven College (high school) in 2019, I’ve worked as a PE and sport and recreation trainee, volunteered for multiple sporting clubs in sporting and coaching roles, completed an internship at Cricket Victoria and worked both freelance and full-time as a sports journalist at the South Gippsland Sentinel-Times.

However, my biggest ambition is in sports broadcasting and reporting, I have a real burning passion to forge a career in that arm of the industry.

In each of my two years at Holmesglen so far, I have been lucky enough to receive ASPIRE awards which I can proudly say have come from nominations by my lecturers and sit proudly amongst my greatest achievements in life.

This shows that my soft skills/non-academic skills or ‘EQ’ are/is very strong and that’s very important.

As Beydler (2017) states “high EQ has been linked to higher performance in the workplace, higher job satisfaction, lower turnover intentions, and less burnout.”

So, as the awards and high EQ show, I’ve been quite a successful student so far, taking every challenge in my stride and making some sensational connections and friendships.

Although I’ve still got some big areas to improve.

I’m hoping this first subject, and semester improves my confidence and technical skills in digital media as I’m still very much a beginner in all those aspects including editing, production and post-production.

I strive to improve these because I’m looking at becoming really acclimatised to the sports industry and having a combination of strong emotional and technical skills is a key cog along the way, as Beydler (2017) found.

I’m looking forward to the new year and the bug challenges that await and am keen to see how they grow me into a new Aiden in 2023!

- Photo celebrating being back in class (and Woodsy’s birthday) at the Matty Flinders (post-class on Wednesday).

(Aiden Box, 2023)

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wren-of-the-woods · 2 years

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Hi! I was wondering if you could make a part two for Kaer Morons fic recs, you don't have to and fell free to ignore this if your busy with other things or just don't wanna do it. Loved the last fic recs for them so much so thank you for that post! I'm happy to just have yoy see this and see my thanks for it :)

Ahh, hello!! I'm so happy you liked my last reclist! I've actually thought about doing a part two of this because I encountered several excellent ones since making that last post, so I spent the morning trawling through my bookmarks and here we go!

A few of these might also be on my other reclists, but they're good and they fit the criteria so I'm mentioning them again! By coincidence, all fics on this list were written before season 2 and thus don't take that canon into account. As always, y'all are more than welcome to chime in with your own recs. I'm always looking for more fics to read!

Without further ado...

Fic Recs: Jaskier and the Kaer Morons (Part 2!)

There Are Other Gifts than Silver by @elder-flower (Rated T, 18k, Geraskier)

Behold the wonderful work of my absolutely amazingly brilliant secret Santa!! Geralt invites Jaskier home to Kaer Morhen for the first time and it’s the sweetest thing ever.

The Path Not Taken by sopses (Rated M, 40k, endgame Geraskier with minor Jaskier/Lambert)

This one was recommended to me in the notes of my last reclist, and it’s really good! After the dragon hunt, Jaskier saves the life of an injured Eskel. It all just sort of escalates from there.

Two wolves, a cat and a bard walk into a tavern by Beginte (Rated T, 6k, Geraskier and Lambden)

Jaskier and Geralt bump into Lambert and Aiden on the way to Kaer Morhen. Awkward meet-the-boyfriend ensues. This one never fails to make me grin — I’ve read it at least twice!

The Witchers’ Bard by operacricket (Rated T, 5k, Geraskier)

While taking care of a group of slavers, Lambert, Eskel, and Vesemir discover a bard in need of rescue. Excellent bard whump and hurt/comfort with a happy ending. Make sure to check the tags!

The Non-Denominational Winter Party by @jackironsidesfic (Rated T, 10k, Geraskier)

Housemates Geralt and Jaskier are hosting their yearly Non-Denominational Winter Party, but somewhere along the way their friends seem to have got the wrong idea. ‘You … know that Jaskier and I are just friends, right?’ A fluffy and hilarious modern AU!

Tumblr Greatest Hits by ohnoesidontknow (Rated M, 9k total, Geraskier and Jaskier/Vesemir)

A group of seven wonderful ficlets collected into one work. Including but not limited to: Eskel and Lambert thinking Jaskier is imaginary, Jaskier knighting Geralt, and Vesemir stealing Geralt’s bard in about five seconds.

Eskel is a Fanboy by @pillage-and-lute (Rated T, 3k, Geralt/Jaskier/Eskel)

In which Jaskier is a famous bard, Eskel is his biggest fan, and Geralt loves them both very much.

Stories on a Page (series) by @jaskiersvalley (Two works - Rated T, 1k, and 2, Geraskier)

An adorable series in which Jaskier discovers the witchers can’t read and decides to teach them. The first work is Geralt, and the second is everyone else.

My Name is Hidden On Your Tongue by anarchycox (Rated T, 10k, Geraskier)

Jaskier’s family is cursed — every male-born child cannot be named, and anyone who tries to refer to them by the names they are given will have an allergic reaction. Only a soulmate speaking your true name aloud will break the curse. Jaskier is determined to break the curse, and what better way to do that than traveling with a witcher?

I Was Pledged to You, To You I Pledge Myself by anarchycox (Rated T, 9k, Geraskier)

When Jaskier is four, his daring escape from a family dinner and subsequent rescue by a witcher results in him becoming betrothed to someone called Geralt of Rivia. The plan is for them to marry when he’s twenty. Scenes from Jaskier's life of meeting every witcher but his betrothed, until one day in a shitty tavern, he finally meets Geralt.

the shape of a pear by @julek (Rated T, 2k, Geraskier with minor Jaskier/Lambert)

Geralt doesn't call Jaskier pet names, so Lambert starts doing it for him. Hilarious!

Sing Me a Song by Arvari (Rated T, 2k, Geraskier and Lambden)

Aiden isn’t dead, but Lambert doesn’t know that. To remedy this, Aiden seeks out Jaskier (who is away from Geralt after the Mountain) to sing a song and let Lambert know he’s alive. Technically, Aiden isn’t a Kaer Moron, but this is just too hilarious not to mention!

Jaskier and Mountains Just Don't Mix by C4t1l1n4 (Rated G, 4k, Geraskier)

Despite the other Witchers' positive reaction to Geralt's bard, Vesemir is reluctant to have a human stay with them at Kaer Morhen so Jaskier attempts to leave and ends up almost freezing to death on the side of the mountain. Excellent hurt/comfort with a happy ending!

Return to Cidaris by pinksugartales (Rated M, 34k, Jaskier/Valdo Marx transitioning into Geraskier)

A modern AU. Valdo returns to his hometown for the first time in years, inadvertently reconnecting with his first love. Jaskier follows his fiancé a week later and finds himself the obstacle to their Christmas love story. At least the man he meets in the little town’s bakery is there to offer him support. Wonderfully depicted relationships. The Kaer Morons aren’t the focus, but their presence is absolutely wonderful!

Bonus:

Hibernating with Ghosts by Fayet (Rated M, 183k, Geraskier)

Another one from the notes of my previous reclist! I haven’t read this one, but have been assured that it’s very good. Jaskier goes to Kaer Morhen and there is both fluff and angst.

Part one can be found here! I also have lists of Geraskier feel-better fics and soft Geralt fics.

#geralt #jaskier #the witcher #geraskier #lambden #eskel #lambert #aiden #vesemir #fic recs #reclist #kaer morons #wren talks #asks #hope you like it!#let me know if there're any problems with the links

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saltytransidiot · 2 years

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Looking for a Beta

Hi folks!

I don’t post much here, but you might know me from my witcher fics like Ode to Fury, Sweet Sorrows, or Sweet Nothings!

I’ve been taking parts in quite a few witcher-related (mostly geraskier tbh) bangs in the last two years, and while until now everything worked out perfectly, the latest one I took part in kind of fell apart for me. Despite having a finished fic, I have no beta, and I know myself: there is most likely a lot of mistakes in there and some things probably don’t make sense :’) However, I really love this fic, and after having worked on it for nearly all of 2021, I would really love to publish it! So I’m looking for someone to help with that. Since it’s a long fic, I’ll say it’s a pretty big time investment, so I wouldn’t expect it to be done quickly.

Here are the details of the fic, if anyone is interested:

Title: Wolf Coven Ratings: M (mostly for violence, and a few sexual implications, but nothing really explicit) Tags: Fae AU, King Geralt, Fae witchers, + more but i don’t want to give away all the spoilers Characters: Geralt of Rivia, Jaskier, Cirilla, Yennefer, Renfri, Lambert, Eskel, Aiden Relationships: Renfri & Jaskier, Jaskier/Geralt, Yennefer/Renfri Wordcount: 37.5k Summary: After yet another poor decision made by wayward heir Julian Pankratz, the traveling musician finds himself stepping into the court of the Fae King. If he had simply left, the faes might have left him with only a hole in his memories. But Julian Pankratz is not a smart man. Going by the name Jaskier, he asks for shelter in the court, only to be faced with tasks by the King. King Geralt demands that the strange man accomplishes seven tasks, if he is to stay in his kingdom. What Geralt isn’t expecting is the headache that follows every moment spent with Jaskier — or the fact that he is actually starting to like the man. Amidst taming of magical beasts, songs sang and magic undiscovered, Julian Pankratz stops being an heir and starts becoming Jaskier, the persona he created to not feel trapped in the fae court. Moreover, he finds himself actually liking himself better in this court. His mistaken stumble might yet be his greatest success.

If anyone is interested, shoot me a message here !

#the witcher #geraskier #yennfri #the witcher netflix #Jaskier #geralt x jaskier #the witcher fic #geralt of rivia #geralt/jaskier #Yennefer of Vengerberg #yennefer x renfri #beta

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lifeintheworldtocome · 2 years

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i think trans women and aroace people are the backbone of this fucking website

#rattles the bars of my cage #aiden greatest posts of all time

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a-storm-of-roses · 2 years

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An end of year, writing reflection post!

My writing has probably been my greatest accomplishment of 2021. I started off in January thinking I'd like to get back into writing fic, and tooled around a bit for fun. I set myself an ambitious goal - I wanted to write 100,000 words in 2021. They didn't need to be good and I didn't need to share them.

And here we are at the end of the year - I've blown past this goal and I am so so chuffed!

Some 2021 stats:

Total words: 193,993 (160,104 published, 33,889 tbp)

Total fics: 47

Fandoms: ALL Stargate Atlantis, except for one Green Creek fic, which was my first of the year

Longest fic: In Sickness and in Health (31,252, written for the McShep Big Bang)

Shortest fic: Cardinal Points (674)

Most popular fic (by kudos): Corresponding (My first McShep piece and also the second I published, so makes sense that it's had a lot of time to be read!)

Least popular fic: Leaf Peeping (actually my top three least popular fics were femslash 😭)

My favorite fic: I've loved almost everything I wrote this year, but I especially feel tender towards my rare pairing fics: Pegasus Miracles (Aiden/Ronon) and Fruited and Sweet (Katie Brown/Laura Cadman). They actually both have a similar writing style to them as well, which probably says something!

Some other highlights: I wrote a fic every day in October for my own autumn writing challenge, and I did Romancing McShep, the McShep BigBang, and SGA Secret Santa!

It was a great year for creativity and I had such fun getting back to writing. Massive thanks to the extremely welcoming and supportive SGA/McShep community - such a talented, inspiring, and kind group of people. I've loved reading and writing with you this year!

If anyone wants to share some of their 2021 writing highlights, would love to see it!

#If I wasn't visiting in-laws right now I'd hit the 200000 mark #but alas #fanfic writing #2021 reflection #honestly this has brought me so much joy this year #Seriously a highlight of an otherwise not totally great year

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starlight-vixen-emiko · 3 years

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Team Miraculous Introduction

Hey all! This is coming out of nowhere.

Basically I had this fanfic chapter about the Lukanette and Adrigami fankids I created becoming the new wielders of the miraculous...And Marinette and Luka’s oldest son becoming the new Ladybug.

I am posting this because @lenoraishere said she wanted to write about him so I felt I may as well post this introduction chapter.

The reason why Halloween is mentioned is because this is an introduction chapter to a Halloween fanfic I wrote last year...Speaking of which that fanfic is still in my files and I do intend to finish it and publish it once Halloween rolls around. Soon my darlings!

So anyways I hope you guys enjoy...This was my first time writing fankids and I will be humble and say this may not be the best introduction.

I hope you enjoy it Lenora...Believe me this doesn’t count as your birthday gift I have something better planned. Then again I realize your birthday is fast approaching and I have lost track of time! Eep!

~~~~~

My name is Leon Couffaine-Cheng. If you haven't heard of me, I am the son of Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Luka Couffaine, otherwise known as Ladybug and Viperion, the protectors of Paris.

The best protectors in the world. But shortly after I turned 15, my mom told me she felt a "sign from the Miraculous box" or something. I still remember it. It seemed like a typical day with my parents and little sisters. Then my mom gave me a devious smile and showered me with compliments when I just wanted to go to school early.

She told me that the box chose me to be the newer holder of the Ladybug Miraculous.

I just didn't get it. I mean, being a superhero sounds cool and all. Still, I don't know why I, in particular, was chosen to be the Ladybug. Or, as much as Tikki disagrees, I call myself Luckybug.

I figured my 13-year-old sister Marina was more suited. She is a fiery tomboy with electric blue hair and long pigtails, and she can skate and bike through anything. But my dad smiled at her and said she was chosen to carry the snake miraculous, Sass. Which she happily accepted.

Then there is my youngest sister Melanie. A beautiful little 9-year-old girl, kind-hearted, mature, helps around the house, and likes to bake sweets.

I figured Melanie would be the new Ladybug since she is Ladybug's biggest fan. She was super close to her Ladybug dolls when she was younger.

But recently, Melanie discovered a connection to the mouse miraculous.

I figured if this whole Ladybug thing did not work out for me, my little sister could take her place. But my parents are already protective of her and would prefer she not be a superhero until she is older.

It was too much for me to take, and I just wanted to go to school and have a typical day with my friends.

I met up with my best friend Masamori first.

Masamori Tsurugi-Agreste. Son of Adrien Agreste and Kagami Tsurugi. Also known as Chat Noir and Ryuuko.

They are the second greatest heroes of Paris, as much as Uncle Adrien and Aunt Kagami hate it when I say that.

Masamori lit up as usual when he saw me and said. "You'll never guess Leon! My mother told me that I was called by the dragon kwami Long!"

Long floated out of Masa's necklace and greeted me with a bow.

I looked at Masa straight in the eye with a sullen face.

"Leon, what's wrong?" Masa yelped.

I was about to open my mouth, and then Tikki appeared in front of me.

"I have been chosen to be Leon's partner!" Tikki said.

Masamori was overjoyed, but I couldn't help but vent to him about how this was a lot to take in. I question why I was chosen instead of Melanie.

We sat on a bench, and Masa gave me a pep talk. "This is a huge responsibility Leon, but I believe you can take it. There is a bigger reason for this, and weirder things have happened!"

As we walked through the crowd of students, I suddenly became self-conscious about the earrings I had to wear.

I covered my ears and said, "My dad can make earrings work, but I can't."

"You never looked better, Leon!" Masamori said.

I groaned under my breath and continued walking.

And then, just when I thought I could catch my breath.

"Leon! Take a look!" Masa said.

Up ahead was the recent transfer student Jinfeng. A beautiful Chinese girl with shiny long hair.

Now I felt even more self-conscious. I just wanted to hide my ears and run away. But I dropped my bag mid-escape and had no choice but to grab it. I had no idea Jinfeng was behind me.

"Leon," she said in a voice that made my heart skip a beat. "I love those earrings. They really suit you."

I turned out of politeness and tried to keep a benign expression, but I felt a big drop of sweat on my forehead and the back of my neck.

"Thank you for saying that!" I blurted out.

I realized it was a bit more frantic than I expected since she stepped back, looking a bit concerned.

Masamori gave me a bit of a push to get away.

"Come on, Leon, we have to head back to class!" Masamori cried.

After school, we met up with my sister Marina and Masamori's 13-year-old younger sister Erina. She is a blonde-haired Japanese-French girl, like someone out of an anime.

She spent nearly an entire summer in Japan and was lucky Marina was still best friends with her. She became the holder of the black cat miraculous. Sometimes we would team up, like my mom and Uncle Adrien teaming up back in the day, and I would joke about her being a cute kitty. Which she replied with, "Shut up, Bug Boy!"

"You're really good at scaring off girls with your cold demeanor, Lee-Kun!" Erina said.

Marina and Erina playfully laughed at my romance issues. Marina and Erina always caused mischief together. At least I had Masamori to get me out of mischief.

"Well, Erina and I are going to hang out tonight," Marina said.

Marina walked away with a skateboard in hand, and Erina had her kendo sword.

"I am not covering for you tonight!" I said.

Marina groaned and shrugged. "Fine!" She spat.

Masamori joined me in walking back to my house, where, as expected, my sister Melanie was watching movies with Masamori's youngest brother, Aiden Tsurugi-Agreste.

A boy mature for his age despite being only 9. Since Agreste-san and Tsurugi-san are usually busy with work, Aiden usually spends time here with Melanie. The two are inseparable friends watching movies here and making baked goods.

Melanie and Aiden looked at us as we came in.

"Hi Mel Mel," I said. "Hi, Aiden."

Melanie lit up. "Big brother!" She held her adorable little hands up. "I am so happy you're home safe. I hope nothing dangerous happened."

I sighed. "Nothing happened today, Mels." Just the way I like it.

"Luckybug is the great new hero of Paris!" Melanie said triumphantly. "Just like Mama was!" Melanie looked so incredibly starstruck.

Aiden smiled. "Yeah, it was great how you saved our school from The Food Fighter."

All I remember from that is bananas in my hair and stepping in gross puddles of spinach.

"I can take you home now, Aiden," Masamori said.

Aiden crossed his arms. "Five more minutes!"

Surprisingly Aiden hasn't felt a connection to a kwami. Which I guess isn't a terrible thing since Aiden is such a good boy, and I can't imagine him fighting anyone. But he is still an honorary member of Team Miraculous, so he deserves mention. That and he has been so good to my beloved younger sister.

Why am I bringing this up, you may ask? Because this Halloween is our first Halloween being miraculous holders. I just hope no weird Halloween akumatization happens that night. I just want to spend Halloween with my friends and my family. That isn't too much to ask for, right?!

"Mel-Chan!" Aiden cried. "I wonder what Halloween is going to be like for Team Miraculous."

Melanie smiled at Aiden as if she was just as excited over the idea. "Maybe the streets will be filled with walking skeletons, talking pumpkins, and ghosts Ai-Kun!"

I was flabbergasted! Melanie and Aiden treated this like this was a fun Halloween episode of a cartoon.

Akumas can make any event weird and freaky, and I am nervous just thinking about what could happen on Halloween night. It could be a scarier Halloween night than we could ever imagine.

Author’s Note: I apologize if this isn’t perfect. Honestly I didn’t care as much about making this pitch perfect because I wasn’t planning on publishing it on my ao3.

But yes I was considering writing a next generation fanfic.....Of course that sounds a bit nervewracking to me.

Yes there is a bit of a history repeats itself thing going on with Leon having a highschool crush...Granted recently I decided to make Leon bi and give him a male love rival as well but in this fanfic I couldn’t find a way to put the male love rival in just yet so I left that part out.

#pro lukamari #lukanette #adrigami #well ok adrien and kagami aren't present here sorry!#they will be present in the halloween fanfic though #endgame lukanette #endgame adrigami #lukanette fankids #adrigami fankids #my writing #my fanfiction

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bard-llama · 2 years

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AO3 Fic Data

I am a data analyst at heart, so why not play around with the data that AO3 gives us??? Is this just one more way to procrastinate on writing? Yes, probably, but it’s still interesting!

Totals: Total Published Fics: 380 Total Published Witcher Fics: 274 Total Witcher Video Games: 159 Total TWN: 93 Total Thronebreaker: 41

Total Completed Witcher Fics: 166 Total Witcher Works in Progress: 110

Most common romantic pairings: Iorveth/Vernon Roche: 114 Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion: 54 Gascon Brossard/Meve/Reynard Odo: 27 Gascon Brossard/Reynard Odo: 19 Geralt of Rivia/Yennefer of Vengerberg: 17 Aiden/Lambert: 14 Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion/Yennefer of Vengerberg: 14

Most common gen pairings: Blue Stripes & Vernon Roche: 11 Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon & Geralt of Rivia: 7 Iorveth & Vernon Roche: 6 Iorveth & Scoia’tael: 6 Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon & Emhyr var Emreis: 5

Ratings Spread: Teen: 138 Explicit: 96 Gen: 26 Mature: 16

Categories Spread: M/M: 162 Gen: 85 Multi: 55 F/M: 48 F/F: 2 Other: 1

Most Common Additional Tags: Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot: 32 Episode Related: 23 Politics: 22 Getting Together: 22 Non-Human Genitalia: 22 Magic: 16 Pre-Relationship: 16 Secret Relationship: 15 Post-Canon: 14 Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence: 14

Word Count: Total (All Years): 1,323,599 😱 Total (2020-2022, Witcher Years): 1,257,009 holy shit Longest Fics: 1. (Im)Perfect Strangers (2020; 135,117) 2. Between Two Fools (2020; 34,052) 3. The Greatest Form of Love (2022; 30,158) 4. A Question of Sovereign-Tea (2022; 27,139) 5. Bleeding Red (Lobinden) (2022; 23,938)

Longest completed fic: Red is the Rose (21,211)

Most ‘Successful’ Fics, by Fandom: This is super subjective because what makes for a successful fic? Everyone uses different metrics, so I’m listing a number, but really, all this means is that I find numbers interesting. It’s also weird because a lotta my fics are multi-fandom within the witcher, so I did my best to categorize them, but sometimes it’s a little iffy.

TWN: 1. Five Times Geralt Frotted Against Jaskier's Ass and One Time He Fucked It (Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion) Bookmarks: 140; Comments: 85; Kudos: 1255; Hits: 10748 2. 5 Dinners with the Lioness (Plus 1 with the Lion Cub) (Gen, Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion, Calanthe/Eist) Bookmarks: 96; Comments: 114; Kudos: 925; Hits: 7121 3. Howling Swirling Storm (Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion, Geralt of Rivia/Yennefer of Vengerberg) Bookmarks: 84; Comments: 46; Kudos: 794; Hits: 2706 4. With Knot But a Look (Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion) Bookmarks: 81; Comments: 19; Kudos: 826; Hits: 10641 5. Pamper Your Witcher (Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion) Bookmarks: 72; Comments: 21; Kudos: 608; Hits: 6261

The Witcher Games: 1. Ensnared (Eskel/Geralt of Rivia/Lambert, Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion, Lambert/Aiden) Bookmarks: 39; Comments: 28; Kudos: 305; Hits: 2475 2. Devour What’s Truly Yours (Iorveth/Vernon Roche) Bookmarks: 27; Comments: 28; Kudos: 250; Hits: 2600 3. (Im)Perfect Strangers (Iorveth/Vernon Roche, Geralt of Rivia/Triss Merigold) Bookmarks: 23; Comments: 315; Kudos: 190; Hits: 6251 4. Red is the Rose (Iorveth/Vernon Roche) Bookmarks: 20; Comments: 74; Kudos: 209; Hits: 2150 5. These Boots (are gonna walk all over you) (Iorveth/Vernon Roche) Bookmarks: 19; Comments: 16; Kudos: 170; Hits: 2668

Thronebreaker: 1. To Claim You As My Own (Iorveth/Vernon Roche, Isengrim/Eldain, Vernon Roche/Everyone) *Mind the warnings Bookmarks: 6; Comments: 6; Kudos: 58; Hits: 1019 2. Between a Wall and a Hard Thigh (Gascon Brossard/Reynard Odo, Gascon Brossard/Meve/Reynard Odo, Meve/Reynard Odo) Bookmarks: 4; Comments: 23; Kudos: 27; Hits: 736 3. I'm not trapped with you, you see (You're the one who's trapped with me) (Iorveth/Vernon Roche, Isengrim/Sigismund Dijkstra, Emhyr var Emreis & Gascon Brossard & Priscilla) Bookmarks: 2; Comments: 2; Kudos: 15; Hits: 114 4. Conflict by (K)night (Meve/Reynard Odo, Gascon Brossard/Meve/Reynard Odo) Bookmarks: 2; Comments: 2; Kudos: 7; Hits: 66 5. Triptych (Gascon Brossard/Meve/Reynard Odo) Bookmarks: 2; Comments: 3; Kudos: 21; Hits: 145

Anyway, not sure any of this tells me anything, but I find it interesting, and hey, I’ve wasted a good hour not-writing, so... XD

#ao3 #stats #my fics #data #the witcher

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writerfae · 2 years

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Hi! I haven't been active here for a while so I'm a bit behind on your current projects. Please, feel free to gush about your AUs and OCs!

Hi!! It’s good to see you are back :) sorry for the sorta late reply, this week was busy, haha.

Ohhhh a free pass to ramble 🙈 thank you!

The past months I wasn’t that successful when it comes to writing and word counts, but I did manage to write and work on my projects once in a while! My main focus still lies on The Knights of the Alder (and probably always will cause I am, as the kids say, attached) and its AUs, though I made a short foray to my other project A Summer at Cotton Bay (I actually managed to write something for my summer related story DURING summer can you believe?).

What else is new?

My main characters each got a new intro post a good while ago, I don’t know if you saw. I remade them because - and I’m proud to say that - every of my babies ocs have developed a lot since the original intros were posted. Especially in the last months!

I think who got most attention from me when it comes to fleshing out the character is Talon! That’s mostly the fault of me shipping him and Aiden so much that I easily let that distract me from writing the actual thing but hey, that is nothing new right? xD

Anyways, I don’t know how that happened but Talon got issues with his dad now? Like, I planned to have a bit of family conflict all along, to be fair, but I’ve gone a lot more in depth with it now? Talon’s father is having high expectations for Talon because he’s the family heir and Talon struggles with it because he always has to be perfect and somehow his best never seems to be enough. Idk I liked exploring this situation and what it means for Talon and his character. So yeah, that’s a new development, one I might make a post about some day!

Also, ever since I revealed that Henry is a fae and is actually dating Callan (i don’t know if you know that already? I revealed it some months ago I think, but I’m not exactly sure) I had lots of fun playing around with it, haha. I’m still waaaay too obsessed with the two, that’s why they’re in focus of many AUs I came up with recently. So are Talon and Aiden, but that is no surprise xD

And God knows I suffer from „too many AUs“ disease (ask @deadlycupid she has to suffer the consequences most of the time) so I have lots of them. I don’t have too much content about most of them but they live in my head rent free.

I gotta name some of the more recent ones I have (and love)! In case you want to know more about one of them, you can always ask (if I talk about all of them in this ask we’ll still be here tomorrow) ^^

They are the spy au, dance au (sort of the origin of my ocs btw, because they started out as sims who were sort of a dance crew), The Greatest Showman au (it’s just so good okay? 😩), as well as a heist au (because who doesn’t love a good heist? especially criminal power couple Aiden and Talon?) and single dad! Callan x teacher Henry au (the cutest thing ever. It even features Celene, who in canon is Callan and Henry’s daughter!)

And then there’s my newest au and I’m so into it I just have to tell! It’s an au based on the book/movie Krabat! Which is btw a really good story. I mean, it has black magic and ravens so yay! Anyway, let me tell you about the plot (it’s not too worked out cause the au is from this week xD) cause I might be obsessed. Hear me out:

Henry, an orphan, got separated from his younger brother. He ends up at a mill and the miller offers him an apprenticeship. Glad to have found a place to stay, he accepts. He is one of several apprentices and first he struggles to fit in with them, but soon he finds his place among them. Several months into his stay he learns that the miller doesn’t only teach the boys to care for the mill, but also how to work black magic and soon he too gets trained in that subject. He’s really good and over time gains everyone’s respect. He likes his new life, especially when destiny reunites him with his brother, but still something seems off about the place he now calls home. Every year the eldest of the apprentices dies under mysterious circumstances and every year the miller, who’s been aging rapidly in the days before that, suddenly returns as young as ever. When Henry learns the truth and also falls in love with a boy from the near village, all he wants to do is to find a way to get out. But his time is running out, because this year, he is the eldest apprentice…

I’ve been brainstorming about this au a lot lately and let me tell you, it got me really excited! In this au one of the things Henry learns to do is to turn into a crow, which is pretty cool (and fits his theme). Also Aiden plays a little role in it as well, and so does Callan. And no need to worry, it’s an au with a happy ending!

Lastly, I also had the idea for an au that could technically also work as a sequel for the knights of the alder. It’s a bitter sweet au, but I can’t talk about it on here because it’s too spoiler-y ;)

So yeah that’s what I’ve been up to these couple weeks. You see, a lot was going on :D

Sorry that this is so all over the place, but I was pretty excited to talk about all this so yeah 😅 thank you for this opportunity ^^

Have a wonderful weekend! 😌

#I’m sorry that this is long and messy #i hope you like it still #oh btw fun fact #I bought a hunter outfit and can cosplay Aiden now! Sorta. I even bought a wooden bow which is neat!#writer speaks #writeblr #wip: the knights of the alder

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allfandomxreader · 4 years

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Before // Till Death Do Us Part

Paring: Tom Holland x Reader

Summary: You always knew marriage was never easy, you’ve heard that all your life. But this doesn’t feel like a marriage anymore, and hasn’t for a long time.

Words: 2.7k

Part: 2/5

Main Masterlist // Series Masterlist

not my gif!

It was a dreary day to say the least, it rained that morning and the humidity was still thick in the air. His shirt clung to his skin and his hand grew clammy in yours as the two of you walked under the brewing storm. He didn’t know where you were taking him, but that didn’t matter. Tom would follow you anywhere without batting an eye, without thinking twice.

You smiled at him when you caught him staring, and even though dark clouds hovered just above the city, threatening to cover the streets with rain at any given moment, Tom saw sunshine just by looking at you.

The two of you find your way into a garden, you pretended that was your plan all along. You didn’t want to admit you were lost, that you missed your destination a few streets back and if Tom knew that, he didn’t mention it. This was just another adventure the two of you would laugh about later, one that you’d remember for years to come.

You talk absentmindedly as you pass flowers, stopping to smell some, but Tom’s mind was elsewhere. He could only think about the small velvet box hidden in his pocket. Tom’s held onto it for so long he’s surprised it hasn’t imprinted his jeans yet.

Tom knew you were the one for a while. He told Harrison he wanted to marry you only a few months into dating. Of course, Harrison laughed at the time saying, “Oh, you’re whipped, mate.” but the second he saw the two of you together, he understood. And everyone saw it, not just Harrison, from friends and family to strangers on the street. It was undeniable that you and Tom were made for one another.

It wasn’t the way you always laughed even when his joke wasn’t funny, or how you always held his hand in the car no matter how short the drive may be. It wasn’t even how you’d fly for hours just to see him for a few days at a time. Of course, he appreciated all this, but it was something more.

It was the way you could see him, how you could truly understand him. How you didn’t need to ask to know what he needed. How you always had the right words to say when he was on top of the world or when it was falling apart. It’s the way you said you loved him, time and time again no matter how hard things got. The list could go on and on. Tom could never run out of words to explain why he wanted to spend the rest of his life with you.

You stopped walking when you couldn’t hear his footsteps anymore. You figured he probably got distracted by the clouds again or for whatever reason wanted to take a picture of the nearby rose bush. But when you turned, you saw he was down on one knee. For a moment, you thought he was just tying his shoes, but the box he held towards you confirmed otherwise.

You never really thought about marriage, even when all your friends from college started posting their engagement photos and sending their save the dates. And of all the conversations you’ve had, the two of you never even talked about marriage, you never alluded to the future or even glanced at the ring displays when passing the jewelers.

But it was the way he looked up at you. He looked at you like you were a masterpiece in the middle of a gallery and he could stare for hours. And in that moment, all you wanted to do was say yes.

“Y/N—”

“Yes!” You beamed taking two strides to meet him, ignoring the tears that pricked your eyes as you kneeled to his level.

“You’re not even going to listen to what I have to say?” He laughed.

“Oh, right, sorry.” You pushed away tears with your fingertips as he took your hand into his.

“Y/N, I can’t go another day without knowing you’ll be mine forever,” He cleared his throat, his own tears threatened to spill. “Will you make me the happiest man alive and marry me?”

You only nodded, unable to form words as he slipped the ring onto your finger. The two of you kissed, smiling into one another like there was no other place in the world you’d rather be.

The wedding was quick to follow, the two of you eager to start the rest of your lives together. In all honesty, Tom could’ve married you that very same day. He could’ve married you after the rain started to pour, in your soaked clothes and running mascara, in his sloshy shoes and wet hair. He would’ve done it in a heartbeat. But the two of you wanted to celebrate surrounded by friends and family. He wanted to see you in a dress, he wanted to stand beside Harrison, and you wanted to stand beside Z.

Luckily, it was a beautiful day for a wedding, unlike the day of your engagement. The sun was shining and the air was warm as Tom stood at the altar. He scanned the faces of his loved ones, trying his best to ease the nerves. Everyone was smiling, there were a few cameras flashing and chatter amongst the guests. But it all quieted once the music started playing and you stepped out.

Time stopped all together when you made eye contact. You didn’t focus on everyone when they stood from their seats, you couldn’t hear the camera clicks anymore, or the quiet sniffles. You could only focus on Tom.

Tom knew he’d be a puddle of tears as soon as he saw you, and he was right. You looked breathtaking in the dress he begged to get a glimpse of. He wanted to run to you right then and there, to meet you halfway and marry you in the middle of the aisle, he didn’t want to wait a second longer.

It felt like an eternity as you made your way down. He kept wiping away his tears to make sure he could look at you fully, to try his best to savor the moment. When you finally reached him, he took your hand into yours the second Zendaya took your bouquet. He mouthed I love you, and you mouthed it back.

You couldn’t follow a single word as the officiant talked. You spent the time trying your best to not ruin your pristine makeup while wiping away tears. You never stopped smiling at the man in front of you, too absorbed your own thoughts that consisted of him, dreaming of the life you’d have together.

The two of you somehow managed to get through your vows. Your voices were shaky and you both hiccupped through phrases but you wished it could’ve lasted forever. You mimicked the speech of the officiant, word for word, not once looking away from each other’s eyes.

“Till death do us part.” You say in unison, waiting for the cue to kiss your groom, and to officially become Mr. and Mrs. Holland.

Life kept moving when you returned from the honeymoon. Tom had another movie to film and you went along with him, neither one of you ready to be apart quite yet. You went to premiers and sat through interviews, you wore fancy dresses to red carpets, and spent most of the time either on planes or in hotel rooms. You traveled the world, tried new foods, and took too many pictures at the world’s greatest landmarks. You did it all beside the love of your life.

And that’s how life was for the first two years. But the constant travel came to a halt when you waved a positive pregnancy test in the air. Tom was over the moon. He picked you up and spun you around the hotel room as you both laughed and cried. “We’re going to be parents, Y/N!” Was all he could say for the next hour.

He told stories to the baby every night before bed, always made sure you took your vitamins at the correct time and not a minute later. He sat through every doctor’s appointment, holding your hand and crying alongside you while hearing the heartbeat for the very first time.

The two of you bought a house far too big for just the both of you but a perfect size for a growing family. You wasted no time decorating the nursery for a baby girl. He packed the hospital bag a month in advance, sitting it by the door and another in the trunk of the car. “Just in case. I want to be prepared.” He’d say when you laughed and asked if he was going overboard.

He held your hand in the delivery room for hours on end, not even flinching when he most definitely thought you broke his. But it was all worth it once the bundle was placed in your arms. He cooed at the baby who slept peacefully, he cried all over again when her hand squeezed his finger, he swore he was the happiest man alive.

“Charlotte,” He said abruptly, eyes never leaving her face, “I think we should name her Charlotte.” You smiled at him, it wasn’t your first pick, it wasn’t even on the list you’ve discussed time and time again. But it sounded beautiful when he said it.

It was all the same two years later upon the arrival of your son.

Tom was the world’s best dad to your children, there was no question about it. He read them stories when he could, he’d play princess and have tea parties when Charlie asked. He wrestled with Aiden and even coached the toddler’s baseball team a few summers. Those kids had him wrapped around their finger.

And that was the most painful part of it all. The way you can visibly see their hearts break when Tom has to leave for filming or the way that Tom would promise to be home by Wednesday and wouldn’t arrive until Friday.

By now, they understand that Tom’s career takes him all over the globe and why he wouldn’t be back for a few months. That was the norm of the household, it always has been. What they don’t understand is why he stopped coming up to dance recitals or why he stopped coaching the little league baseball team when it was never a problem before. You’d be fooling yourself if you weren’t wondering the same thing.

Of course, you understand it more. Tom’s schedule has always been changing, never set in stone. But when Tom promises something to them –a pinky promise at that— and doesn’t show, to an eight and six-year-old, it’s the end of the world. Charlie cried for hours when Tom wasn’t at her last recital. Aiden cries when he’s been looking forward to calling his dad at night only for him to not answer.

You sigh, watching them stare out the window, their movie long forgotten and nothing but background noise by now. “Come on you two,” You say standing from the couch when you see the clock strike eleven. Tom should’ve been here hours ago. “Let’s get you to bed.”

“But Daddy’s not here yet,” Charlie pouts, but reluctantly stands from her spot.

“I think his flight got delayed,” You lie effortlessly, something you’ve been doing a lot more than you’d like to admit lately.

You carry Aiden to his bed while Charlie settles into her own across the hall, their nightly routine already done for the evening. Aiden’s already sound asleep by the time you tuck the spaceship blanket under his chin. Charlie’s eyes are heavy by the time you kiss her goodnight and flick off the light to her bedroom.

Downstairs, you walk through the hall on the way into the kitchen. You stop as you pass the photos hung on the wall. In one, each of you are smiling, your happiness frozen in a frame. Aiden sticks his tongue towards the camera, you couldn’t ever get an actual smile out of him. Tom holds Charlie on his hip and she’s smiling at him like he puts the stars in the sky. It was the last family photo you’ve ever taken, almost a year ago.

The door doesn’t open until around midnight, Tom follows the light from the hallway and into the kitchen where you sit at the table, back facing him.

“Where have you been?” Your voice is calm as you ask the question. You aren’t looking for a fight, nor do you want to have one. Fighting these days seems pointless, it never gets you anywhere.

The distance between you and Tom started slowly. The cracks in the foundation you both tried so hard to build only grew over time. They went unnoticed at first. Fights used to be solved with a sincere apology and a kiss goodnight. And now, arguments are left unfinished and you almost always find yourself sleeping alone. You once believed that the two of you could get through anything, now that seems so naïve, almost like childish thinking.

“Harrison and I grabbed a drink when our flight landed,” He explained, “Sorry, I meant to call you.” He takes the chair opposite from you, rubbing his face with palms when he’s seated.

“You went out with Harrison? Your best friend who you’ve been with almost every day for the past six months?” It’s more accusatory than you wanted it to sound, you didn’t mean for it to come out as harsh as it did.

“Yeah,” Tom’s brows knit into something like annoyance, maybe confusion. You can’t tell, you can’t read him like the way you used to. “I didn’t know it’d be a problem.”

“It’s a problem when you’ve been gone for so long, Tom.” You snap, your sudden outburst gaining his full attention, “It’s a problem when my kids were up waiting three hours past their bedtime because they wanted to welcome you home. It’s a problem when you decided to not be a husband but to be a best friend.” You try your hardest to keep your voice down, to make sure not to disrupt the sleeping bodies upstairs. This isn’t how you’d want them to be reunited with their dad.

“I’m sorry, your kids?” He shakes his head, as if to understand if he heard you correctly.

“You don’t get to do that,” You say firmly, an edge creeping into your voice, “You don’t get to come home after months of being gone, after months of disappointing them, after months of not picking up your phone and taking just an hour of your day to talk to them. And then to sit there and be offended when they’re suddenly my kids? Yes, they’re my kids. And if you were around enough –if you even bothered to be a father to them these days, they could be yours too.”

Tom only stares at you, mouth unmoving, eyes staring straight into yours.

“Nothing? You have nothing to say?” You scoff, rolling your eyes. You place your elbows onto the table, taking your head into your hands for a moment. You wipe away the anger, you wipe away any sign of your heart breaking with a single swipe of your hands. “You’re exhausting,” You say shaking your head and leaning back into your seat. “I’m done, I can’t do this anymore.”

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying I want a divorce.” The words escape your lips all too quickly. You don’t even realize that’s what you wanted to say, that that’s how you were feeling. But it’s too late and you can’t take them back as much as you desperately want to.

His body wilts, his mouth hangs open to speak but no words follow. He looks to the kitchen tile, unable to hold your unwavering gaze any longer. You want him to fight for you, to string together any form of words as an apology, to give any sort of explanation.

You want him to get up, to hold you the way he used to so many years before, to say he’ll try better this time, that he can’t lose you. Tom Holland always knew what to say, but now, sitting across from you he’s at a loss.

And finally, when looks at you in the eye once more, when he’s found enough courage to speak, he can only say, “If that’s what you want.”

Feedback always loved and appreciated!!

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Till Death Do Us Part taglist: @hollandinq // @drishtisikarwar // @captainchrisstan // @chloecreatesfictions

#tom holland #tom holland x reader #tom holland x you #tom holland fanfiction #tom holland angst #tom holland au #tom x reader #tom x you #tom holland imagine #tom holland x y/n #tom holland fic #tom holland series #till death do us part

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yourdeepestfathoms · 3 years

Text

The Grey Palace

So this a book I’m really hoping to actually finish! It’s a horror slasher story, but it’s set on a cruise ship. I’m posting the first chapter for my followers to read if they’re interested in following along with the creation and storyline! Feedback is greatly appreciated!

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A sleek grey seagull was perched on the wooden guard rail around the churning green ocean. It shifted from foot to pink foot, ruffling unruly feathers, and squinted beady black eyes up at the giant ship looming above it. It looked suspicious of the vessel, and even more suspicious of the people boarding its mass.

The Grey Palace was the greatest cruise ship to ever exist--or so all the Yelp reviews claimed. It included casinos and spas and waterparks and food! But only if you pay for it, because it’s not like you already paid $425 for a single ticket for your four person family.

It was a colossal sea beast, made out of the finest and toughest extra-strength steel plates and boasting the largest size of a cruise ship in the whole world at a staggering 1,854.25 feet in length and 265.74 feet in height. It had a tonnage of 230,000 gross tons, outweighing every other ship in the business. Its hull could shatter icebergs, its bow could split the sea in two, its propellers were more powerful than any jet or rocket in the entire world. Luxurious lounges and steamy spas promised the best relaxation, the waterpark and Kid’s Club proclaimed full entertainment for children, and the restaurants provided the best food on the seven seas. It got its name from the lustrous grey color it was painted, reflecting rainbows all across the body of the ship.

Everybody wanted to board the floating Palace, and only a select few got the invitation into the Aquatic Kingdom.

But in this case, a “select few” meant 8,700 people.

The boarding dock was clamored with passengers. Families that made the mistake of keeping their luggage on them instead of turning it in to the porters, families that trying to keep all their kids from running off, families already bickering over what they were going to do first, all packed into one area that was treacherously close to the ocean and a giant ship that would easily be able to sweep a fallen victim underneath its mass. One woman had her toddler on a child leash like it was a dog, tugging on the rope every once and awhile when the kid tried to run off. Another mom was herding her family in close to take a selfie, earning disgruntled noises from the children when they had to squint and smile up into the sun. A man was loudly talking to a video camera he was holding, most likely making a vlog for YouTube that would only probably get 67,000 views and 1,230 likes. Worryingly close to the edge of the dock was a pair of kids, pointing into the water and calling out what they saw while their parents obliviously chatted with some other people. Several porters were furiously helping everyone board, sweat beading their brows as they worked diligently.

The seagull watched them all, raising its beak in a haughty manner. It seemed miffed by the intrusion of so many humans in its territory, but didn’t have the strength or size to do anything about it, so it just gazed judgmentally from a distance. Its dark eyes shifted over to the girl looking back at it, then screeched in surprise when she was shoved, jerking open its narrow wings and leaping away into the air.

“Come ON, Violet!!” Ethan shrieked.

Violet staggered to the side, nearly tottering into someone behind her while she attempted to regain her balance. She clenched her fists, growling softly in her throat for a moment before letting her anger dissolve away.

“I’m coming,” She said.

“You’re being SLOWWWW!!” Aiden yelled, earning a few glances from other people because of his volume.

“Sorry,” Violet muttered, hunching her shoulders in.

Her family bustled across the port, getting closer and closer to the gangway with each, but before they could cross the threshold, a ship photographer jumped into their path, wearing a painfully cheery grin and brandishing a bulky camera.

“Would you like to take a family photo before boarding?” She asked, waving an arm to a photobooth set up. The backdrop was of The Grey Palace sailing.

“Can we, Mama?” Felicity asked Deandra eagerly, tugging at her arm.

Deandra smiled down at her. “Of course, dear!”

They hustled over to the backdrop. Violet attempted to follow, but Tobias stood in her path and firmly said, “Not you.”

Violet backed away obediently, not bothering to argue.

She watched as the seven of them posed for a photo, the epitome of a white, rich family. Deandra was fifty-four, but she was constantly being praised for how good she looked for her age. Unblemished, glowing ivory skin, clear of any wrinkles, and dyed champagne blonde hair. Her neck and wrists were loaded with jewelry, but her hawk-like amber eyes were sharper and brighter than the diamonds she wore, always locating every one of Violet’s flaws.

Tobias was like her toy, even though he was older, bigger, and burlier than she was. He was as nicely dressed as his wife, clad in a tweed jacket despite the summer Whittier heat and expensive jeans and a gold watch that cost more than all their tickets combined, but he still had the face of a lizard, dull blue eyes, and brittle, greying hair that he would slather with enough gel to start a fire. But he was rich, being one of the top congressmen in the state, and had a sharp-tongue that pleased Mother, both audibly and physically, and was very easy to walk all over. Violet guessed that was why Mother even kept him around.

Carly was their pride and joy. She had a supermodel body, thin and tan, with long, luscious blonde hair and the bright blue eyes of Father. She was pretty, but cruel, like a diamond wrapped in barbed wire. Her words were always loaded with venom, manipulative and cunning and bearing no mercy or guilt over what she said. She was harsh and cold, which was probably why she still wasn’t married at twenty-seven, and when Violet told her this after her favorite paints were stolen, she beat her into unconsciousness. Violet still had the long, winding scar across her left side from when she had been lashed with the sharp edge of a broken flower vase.

Tobias Jr., or just Toby, was the exact opposite of the man he was named after. Out of all her siblings, he was Violet’s favorite. He was a coward and a boot-licker, but he was genuine and had a good heart. He got Violet into The Walking Dead and once cleaned off her back when Father whipped her with his belt after she talked back over something controversial, but provided little help against her mistreatment, being just as scared to stand up to their parents. Still, it was a step up over everyone else. His dark amber eyes were doe-like and his brown hair was always unruly no matter how much he brushed it. In a way, he almost reminded Violet of the seagull, watchful and cautious.

Felicity was Mother’s mini me and Father’s little princess. Her wavy hair showed the natural hue of Mother’s, honey blonde, but her eyes were the deep blue of Father’s. She was incredibly slick and deceptive, as well as exceptionally greedy, always able to get whatever she wants whenever she wants it. She was dripping with as much jewelry as Mother was, maybe even more, and looked at everyone else with great disdain, disgusted at how ugly they were compared to her. Her voice was like the squeal of a pig, and she often preened herself in any reflective surface that could serve as a mirror. At age eleven, she already thought she was the queen of the world.

Aiden and Ethan were nothing but imps. Violet didn’t even know why Mother and Father had them; there was no point in their existence. They just lived to take up space and time and money, but their parents treated them like they were heirs to the throne. They were near identical, with dirty blonde hair in a mushroom-like shape around their heads and eyes so dark they looked brown instead of amber. All they seemed to know how to do was eat food and cause chaos, often forcing themselves into Violet’s personal space just to annoy her.

That was the Nicotero family. The rich, flawless Nicotero family, perfectly happy without the illegitimate child chained to them by blood.

Violet, the kid who the congressman cheated on his wife to have on accident, named after a flower because her father couldn’t think of anything better than the plant he saw squashed on the side of the sidewalk when he was fleeing the scene after stealing her from her mother’s breast mere days after being born.

Violet, the girl with weirdly pale grey eyes that no one else in her family had and hands that never seemed to stop fidgeting with things and an overly anxious mind that contrasted with a bursting internal temper.

Violet, the library for all the should have’s-could have’s-would have’s, an encyclopedia of everything that shouldn’t have happened, an example of what her siblings were not supposed to be.

Violet, the fifteen-year-old with vibrant petals curled towards her family, but poisonous roots lying beneath, just like her name’s sake.

“Say ‘cruise ship’!”

“CRUISE SHIP!!!”

The camera flashed and the photo was taken.

Violet blinked her eyes; they were sore in the sunlight. She shifted from foot to foot as she waited for her family to finish up at the photobooth. She wondered if they would put it on the fridge like all the other photographs she wasn’t a part of. They never put up the things she was in.

“Come on! Come on! Come on!” Felicity yipped, pulling on Father’s arm. “I wanna get on already!!!”

“We’re coming, we’re coming,” Father chuckled. He somehow had all the patience in the world when dealing with the squealing Felicity, but once yelled at Violet for taking too long to tie her shoes.

The Nicotero family pushed their way through the crowd to the closest gangway, shoulder checking other people and trodding over feet without pity in the process. Violet did her best to apologize to anyone they disturbed, seeing as no one else was, so she walked down the walkway and glass doors slightly turned around, and when she faced forward again, she got her first glimpse of the place where she would be spending the next one hundred days.

The main atrium was a giant room with a high-vaulted ceiling and looked like it had been carved out of glass; every surface was shiny and spotless. There were spiral staircases and grand steps and visible catwalks coiled around the walls, all bursting with activity. A marble fountain with intricately designed leaping dolphins was burbling softly in the center of the room, and King the Silver Polar Bear, the mascot of The Grey Palace, was standing in front of it, waving to passengers as they came in and occasionally taking photos with kids who came up to him. Violet must have been staring for a bit too long because he spotted her and pointed, then waved her over. Violet shook her head and said, “No thanks” but Felicity shoved her over with a shrill, “Go say hi, Violet! Someone actually wants to see you!”

Violet staggered forward, feeling that sensation of rage bubble up inside of her again, but, like before, it dissipated rather quickly, as there was nothing she could do. She merely sighed and looked up at the large grey bear now looming over her.

“Umm… Hi.” Violet said awkwardly. What were you even supposed to say to the mascots? Especially when you have to talk to them against your will?

King waved cheerfully. The head of the suit was set in a petrified, open-mouth smile and the eyes were permanently wide and glowing with glee. It was almost unnerving in a way. Was the person underneath the mass of grey fur as happy as the skin it was wearing?

“Uhh… Sorry, I don’t really know what to say.” Violet said, cringing internally. Her cheeks felt like they were on fire.

King made a dismissive hand gesture, then pat her head. The action felt profoundly awkward, but Violet was polite and said goodbye before shuffling back over to her family with her head ducked. Felicity and the twins exploded into high-pitched giggles.

“Violet. Don’t run off.” Mother said sharply, staring down her nose as Violet.

“Yes, Mother,” Violet muttered.

Carly suddenly looked up from her phone. “We should go get drinks. The rooms probably aren’t ready yet.”

Mother nodded. “Good idea.”

She led the pack through a wide hallway, whisking by other passengers like she was the queen of the Aquatic Kingdom. On the way, Toby shuffled over to Violet.

“I don’t like those people in costumes,” He said. “Gives me the creeps.”

Violet peered up at him. “How old are you?”

“Oi! Rude!” Toby elbowed her gently. He never tried to purposely hurt her. “So… What do you think?”

Violet gazed around the hallway. It was lit up brightly, casting colorful shadows across the painted walls.

“It’s nice,” Violet said. “Nicer than any place I’ve been to. Aside from the house, of course.”

She had been shocked when Mother told her about the cruise a week before her freshman year ended. It was going to be a big family trip, and she was actually invited. Usually she was left out of these things. Being alone at their mansion for a week or so at a time while the rest of her family was out travelling or on vacation had been a normal affair ever since she was eleven.

Toby frowned for a moment at that, then quickly said, “It’s gonna be fun.”

They passed through a set of glass doors and entered onto one of the many decks. Surprisingly, there weren’t too many people out yet, as everyone was probably still getting checked in or exploring. Mother glided over to a canopy bar and began ordering.

They probably spent an hour at that bar, sipping brightly colored cocktails and chatting avidly over their plans for the trip. Violet stayed out of it, of course. She sat at the smooth wooden counter, twirling a pink drink umbrella and scrawling mindless thoughts in a small purple notebook to pass the time.

An elbow as pointy as a dagger jabbed into her back at one point, making her pen streak across her page, leaving a permanent black like through the written words. She clenched her jaw and turned around.

“Yes?”

“Come ON!” Felicity said. “We’re going to go eat!”

“Didn’t you hear us talking?” Father squinted at her.

“Sorry. I must have dozed off.” Violet said.

Carly scoffed. “You shouldn’t even be here.”

Nobody said anything against this. Violet didn’t, either.

They went to the buffet where lunch was waiting, and Mother grumbled about how many people there were, but they eventually sat down to eat, their plates piled with food. Violet got more than she intended, but ate everything, just now realizing how hungry she was. She got judgemental looks from her family, but she did her best to just ignore them.

After lunch, they finally checked into their cabins. They got the suites, of course.

Mother, Father, and the twins got the largest room, one with a queen bed and bunk beds for Aiden and Ethan. Carly and Felicity room together, while Violet stayed with Toby. It was fine with her, really. She rather be with her older brother than any of the others.

The rest of the day was spent preparing for the trip. Toby took the twins and Felicity to get signed up for the Kid’s Club, while Carly hooked up with some friends also on the cruise, Mother went to make reservations for the spa, and Father already began drinking.

Violet stayed in her cabin, writing away in her notepad while listening to the TV drone on. She finally got up and went out when the sun began to set, unknowingly stumbling right into a departure party on the main deck.

Music blasted as thousands of bodies writhed around together. Several people were in the pool, splashing around loudly, while others were watching the entertainment shows with great interest. Violet couldn’t stand all the noise, so she ventured to the back of the ship and watched as the land slowly disappeared on the horizon.

A man leaned against the railing a few feet away from her as the golden-orange sunset was starting to turn a bright red color. After he blew out a wisp of smoke from the lit cigarette he had, he said, “This is gonna be one hell of a trip.”

As the first firework was set off at the deck, Violet replied, “You can say that again.”

#the grey palace #lizzie’s dumb book #my writing #horror #horror story

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