#and as y'all know i love starting the new year with a reread

[andsjuliet]

2024 books read

2024 goal: 150 books

january: 1 - heartstopper vol. 1 → alice oseman (reread) 2 - heartstopper vol. 2 → alice oseman (reread) 3 - heartstopper vol. 3 → alice oseman (reread) 4 - heartstopper vol. 4 → alice oseman (reread) 5 - heartstopper vol. 5 → alice oseman 6 - a fragile enchantment → allison saft 7 - some shall break → ellie marney (audiobook) 8 - only if you're lucky → stacy willingham (arc) 9 - over my dead body: a witchy graphic novel → sweeney boo 10 - notes on an execution → danya kukafka (physical & audiobook) 11 - murder on the orient express → agatha christie (reread) 12 - our wives under the sea → julia armfield (physical & audiobook) 13 - the invocations → krystal sutherland (arc) 14 - red string theory → lauren kung jessen 15 - the breakup tour → emily wibberley & austin siegemund-broka (arc) 16 - the name drop → susan lee 17 - the secret of the old clock → carolyn keene (reread) 18 - bright young women → jessica knoll (audiobook) 19 - last call at the local → sarah grunder ruiz (audiobook) 20 - no one can know → kate alice marshall

february: 21 - worst wingman ever → abby jimenez 22 - drop, cover, and hold on → jasmine guillory 23 - with any luck → ashley poston 24 - the atlas six → olivie blake (reread, audiobook) 25 - that's not my name → megan lally 26 - not here to stay friends → kaitlyn hill 27 - this golden state → marit weisenberg 28 - today tonight tomorrow → rachel lynn solomon (reread, annotation) 29 - past present future → rachel lynn solomon (arc, annotation) 30 - the atlas paradox → olivie blake (reread, audiobook) 31 - the guest list → lucy foley (audiobook) 32 - in the market for murder → t.e. kinsey (audiobook) 33 - the neighbor favor → kristina forest 34 - in the mix → mandy gonzalez 35 - everyone in my family has killed someone → benjamin stevenson 36 - the seven year slip → ashley poston 37 - veronica ruiz breaks the bank → elle cosimano (audiobook) 38 - finlay donovan rolls the dice → elle cosimano (audiobook) 39 - the simmonds house kills → meaghan dwyer (arc)

march: 40 - the mysterious case of the alperton angels → janice hallett 41 - the book of cold cases → simone st. james 42 - what the river knows → isabel ibañez (audiobook) 43 - cut loose! → ali stroker & stacy davidowitz 44 - how i'll kill you → ren destefano 45 - the reappearance of rachel price → holly jackson (arc) 46 - when no one is watching → alyssa cole (audiobook) 47 - outofshapeworthlessloser: a memoir of figure skating, f*cking up, and figuring it out → gracie gold (audiobook) 48 - julius caesar → william shakespeare (rerad, audiobook) 49 - the family plot → megan collins (audiobook) 50 - if we were villains → m.l. rio (reread) 51 - alone with you in the ether → olivie blake (physical & audiobook) 52 - disappearance at devil's rock → paul tremblay (audiobook)

april: 53 - shakespeare: romeo and juliet graphic novel → martin powell & eva cabrera 54 - shakespeare: macbeth graphic novel → martin powell & f. daniel perez 55 - shakespeare: julius caesar graphic novel → carl bown & eduardo garcia 56 - shakespeare: a midsummer night's dream graphic novel → nel yomtov & berenice muniz 57 - twelfth knight → alexene farol follmuth (arc) 58 - kill for me, kill for you → steve cavanagh 59 - murder road → simone st. james 60 - everyone on this train is a suspect → benjamin stevenson 61 - listen for the lie → amy tintera 62 - king cheer → molly horton booth, stephanie kate strohm, jamie green 63 - twelfth night (musical adaptation) → kwame kwei-armah & shaina taub 64 - in juliet's garden → judy elliot mcdonald 65 - fat ham → james ijames 66 - death by shakespeare → philip l. nicholas, jr 67 - a good girl's guide to murder → holly jackson (reread) 68 - good girl, bad blood → holly jackson (reread) 69 - as good as dead → holly jackson (reread) 70 - dark corners → megan goldin (audiobook) 71 - the one that got away with murder → trish lundy (audiobook) 72 - funny story → emily henry 73 - imogen says nothing → aditi brennan kapil 74 - people we meet on vacation → emily henry (audiobook, reread)

#post: 2024 books read #i always get SO excited to start these threads! #and as y'all know i love starting the new year with a reread #so i figured this year it would be heartstopper and then i'd finally get to read heartstopper vol 5 #i loved it which is no surprise #i just love these characters so much <3

[performativezippers]

fanfic writer habits i've had to unlearn when trying to traditionally publish original work

a list in no particular order in case you're curious

starting sentences with "And"

so. many. one sentence. paragraphs. like, yeah, this is fun for The Drama but also...not how books work

using italics for emphasis--gotta use your WORDS, zippy

head hopping. rereading old fanfics i wrote, i'm like, WHOSE POV IS THIS?? HOW WOULD JANE KNOW MAURA THINKS THIS?? jesus christ keep your pov tight, zipperoni. i had to really learn this when i was revising my first book and my agent pointed it out.

Oh. Oh. some of these are good but too many are oh [failure]

Using scene breaks to skip through transitions instead of actually transitioning. this one i'm working on right now and it's haaaaaaard.

scene choreography. if someone is holding something, do they ever put it down? are they STILL HOLDING IT NOW, FIVE YEARS LATER?

overwriting vs using a lighter touch. "that's normal. that's casual. that's fine." sometimes that's great for emphasis, but if it was always just "that's casual. that's fine." the point comes across the same way, and doesn't hit you over the head with it as much.

introducing new characters and making them memorable, vivid, and not sucking up too much space when the reader doesn't recognize them (it's lena! i love her!)

pacing! things have to happen at specific times, the book needs to end at a specific time, the conflict needs to be sown here and explode there. making that all feel organic and honest for the characters while also conforming to the genre expectations that have very little flexibility (especially for a new author trying to convince publishers I know how to write books)

ending things at the right time. at first i wrote too far beyond the climax (classic fanfic problem) and then now i seem to have swung too far in the other direction and am ending too soon after it. but the good news is that my editor asked for an epilogue. you know what that means?? A WHOLE SHORT CHAPTER OF FLUFF Y'ALL!!!

Does this need to be a curse word or can it be a different word? i mean often it fucking needs to but not always!

Just cut out the word just almost all of the time even if it feels like it's just the right word; it will hurt just a little but you should just do it.

use as much sex as the plot needs. incorporate it into the plot. don't change the tone of the piece. make it stay in character and also be hot and also serve the narrative.

got questions? want examples? have thoughts? what other things have you caught yourself doing, or notice when you read through your old stuff?

#writing advice #writing original fiction #ask zipps

[little-diable]

A word of advice – Professor Aaron Hotchner (Profiling 101 Series, Part 1/?)

Y'all voted for this series, so here we go. I promise there will be lots of smut (you know me), but please show some love to this chapter which has no smut in it just yet. Please like and reblog if you enjoyed reading this, your comments keep us writers motivated. Enjoy my loves. xxx

Summary: The reader enrolls in professor Hotchner's class "Profiling 101", a man she has always looked up to, a man who treats her like an asshole from day one. Will her need for academic validation manage to push the two closer together? Will her bright mind push her into the world of Aaron Hotchner and the BAU team? Will he manage to keep his distance before the world he tries to protect her from can get its grasp on her?

Warnings: eventual smut, eventual CM violence, Aaron is an asshole here, authority kink, university professor x student relationship, each chapter will have its own warnings, for this one no warnings needed tho

Pairing: Professor!Aaron Hotchner x fem!reader (1.6k words)

Profiling 101 Series Masterlist

Chapter Two

With her eyes set on her phone, (y/n) entered the coffee shop. The scent of freshly brewed coffee and baked goods filled her nostrils, a comforting sensation that left her relaxing for a few seconds, though without ever taking her eyes off her phone screen. Her eyes kept following the sentences she had read numerous times in the past week, trying to memorise every single word, forcing the readings into her aching head. 

It was the first week of the new semester, and while she had enrolled in a few classes with professors that were all too familiar with her, she had almost cried in excitement as she had stumbled upon the course “Profiling 101” – with none other than Aaron Hotchner as a professor. Without even thinking twice (y/n) had instantly enrolled in the class, filled with a giddiness she hadn’t felt in months, all too excited about meeting the agent she had been admiring for years. 

(Y/n) could still remember the first talk he had given at her university, accompanied by Spencer Reid and David Rossi, men (y/n) had always looked up to, admiring their knowledge, their work. It still felt too good to be true that she finally got the chance to enrol in Aaron Hotchner’s class, needing to put on her best act, silently hoping that she’d manage to catch his attention. 

She was too deep in thought to spare her surroundings any mind, still focused on her reading, not noticing the tall man standing behind her, impatiently waiting for (y/n) to keep on moving, to finally tell the barista her order. 

“Excuse me?” His raspy, harsh voice shook her from her thoughts, blinking a few times before her eyes found his coffee coloured ones. A silent gasp left (y/n) as she realised that none other than Aaron Hotchner himself was standing behind her, staring her down as if she was a criminal he was about to interrogate. “You’re wasting our time here, could you please move along? And please, try to start your readings for my class earlier and not only an hour before class starts.”

Her mouth was dry, throat tight, unable to speak up, unable to explain to the man she had always looked up to that she was only trying to reread the texts, that it wasn’t the first time she was looking at it. But (y/n) only turned away from him, turning towards the woman behind the counter who shot her a comforting smile, all too aware of the harsh words the tall, brooding man had just spoken. 

(Y/n) didn’t pay any attention to the words leaving her, speaking the same order she always got. Her heart was clenching in her chest, pounding with pain and embarrassment, forcing her blood to rush through her veins even faster than before, ears ringing in annoyance. With her eyes staring stoically ahead, she watched the woman prepare her order, pushing it closer to (y/n) as soon as she was done. 

By the time (y/n) had reached for her order anger had managed to arise in her system, flushing through her body with quick steps, forcing her lips to part before her mind could even catch up with what she was about to say, “A word of advice, professor Hotchner. If you want your students to respect you, you shouldn’t treat them like you’re the biggest asshole they’ll meet on campus.”

Before Aaron could even try to pierce a reply together, staring at her with surprise tugging on his features, (y/n) had turned from him, stepping out of the coffee shop with a deep exhale of the breath she had been holding. The second the cold October air stroked along her frame, teasing her warm cheeks, (y/n) allowed her disappointment to thump through her veins, wondering if he was always this rude to other people or if she had just been the unlucky one to be met with his bad mood today. 

……

If there was one thing (y/n) was known for, it was sitting in the first few rows, scribbling down every word her professors spoke. She was determined, set on her good grades, on the career path she had wanted to follow ever since high school. Not once had she broken her routine, not once had she found herself sitting in the last few rows, but today everything had changed, today (y/n) found herself hiding away from the professor who spoke without any emotions dripping from his words, one with the students that preferred to find shelter in the back of the big room. 

Even though she knew that he couldn’t see her in the darkness filling the room, all light focused on him, it felt as if he was searching for her in the endless rows filled with students, eyes actively searching for the woman that had spoken with anger dripping from her words, fuelling the fire simmering inside of him. Her heart hadn’t stopped pounding, guided by the embarrassment her own action had shot through her system, knowing that she’d think back to this moment for weeks on end – perhaps even months. 

“I need you all to pay attention every week, it’s crucial for your homework, for the things you’ll work on this semester. I’d advise you to show up to every class, you won’t be able to catch up otherwise, especially not since you’ll get the chance to work on active cases.” A few gasps of surprises echoed through the room, and even (y/n) couldn’t stop herself from giving into the excitement once again filling her system. Perhaps she’d still get a chance to make things right with the man she had called an asshole only an hour ago. 

“You’ll turn in your homework every Friday, you have time to upload it till 11:59 pm, you won’t get to hand it in later, once you miss the deadline that’s it. If you miss the deadline more than once, you’ll be kicked out of this class immediately. I need you all to understand that this class requires hard work, and as you hopefully also read in the description before enrolling, I expect you to have some basic knowledge about profiling, if not I’d advise you to quickly catch up, you’ll find a list of recommended readings uploaded to your online folders for this class.” 

(Y/n) couldn’t help but focus on his appearance, on the rolled up sleeves of his black dress shirt that exposed his muscular forearms, on the black trousers that seemed to add to his height, making him appear even taller. He was handsome, a man one could only dream of, and yet (y/n) was no longer sure how to feel about him after their run in this morning, momentarily ripped out of the crush she had fostered on him for years. 

“And one last thing before I’ll let you go, if you have any questions, you can always email me and I’ll try to squeeze you in for my consultation hours, but please don’t waste my time with questions you can find answers to online. I will see you all next week, please remember to do your homework.” 

……

The second (y/n) had entered her apartment, she had opened her laptop, finding her way to the folder for this week's homework. Perhaps she still had some chances to impress the man, turning in the homework as early as possible, instantly getting to work. But while she got to answering the questions that seemed all too easy to her, her mind started to wander, thinking back to her run in with professor Hotchner. 

Even at the first talk he had held all these years ago, he had appeared distant, closed off, though not as cold as today, not as angry and annoyed. He had grown older, and yet (y/n) could only think that he was even more handsome, she’d probably never get over her crush on him, on the man she’d dream of when the nights grew darker and the days blurred by all too quickly. 

She could only guess that something must have happened this morning, something that had pushed him further into the misery he was guided by, foregoing any kindness he’d normally use to approach strangers. And yet (y/n) couldn’t help but wonder if she should email him, to apologise, hoping that she could restore the bad image he now probably had of her. 

Driven by her need to make things right, (y/n) reached for her phone, typing away a kind though distant apology, overthinking every word that could paint her like a desperate student, hungry for the man’s attention. Before her mind could produce any worst case scenarios that would leave her even more embarrassed, she clicked on “Send”, hoping to smooth the waters she was sailing through, hoping that she wouldn’t sink only hours after leaving her safe haven. 

It didn’t take long for his reply to find its way back to her, shaky hands reaching for her buzzing phone, eyes growing wider as she read through the reply that shot heat through her once again. 

“A word of advice, miss (y/n),

 Don’t go around calling your professors assholes. It’d be a shame to kick somebody who has a reputation of being the smartest student in her faculty out of my class. 

Best, A.H.” 

#Aaron Hotchner smut #profiling 101 #Aaron Hotch imagine #professor Aaron Hotch #criminal minds #criminal minds imagine

[eisforeidolon]

Question: So I just rewatched the whole series again with my husband, who's over there. And it's so beloved for us - just like everybody here. And so I was wondering, do you guys have any shows or movies you rewatch or books you reread that are really cherished, and that - why do they mean something to you?

Jared: Awesome. Thank you. And where's your husband?

Question: He's over there.

Jared: [to husband] Hey, hey, thank you, buddy. Yeah, so twice? Y'all have seen it twice? Amazing.

Question: More than that, more than that.

Jared: I wasn't judging!

Jensen: I am.

Jared: Uh, yeah, I have some, like, feel good shows. I try not to reread books, believe it or not? I just feel like there are so many that I would love to read but I try to reread. I have reread Into Thin Air, John Krakauer. Awesome book. Yeah. And then when I find myself rewatching shows, it's from my childhood. I haven't forgotten Garfield, or Simpsons. Don't judge.

Audience member: Turtles!

Jared: Ninja turtles, for sure. That was a a special time -

Jensen: Which one?

Jared: Which turtle am I?

Jensen: Mmm-hmm.

Jared: Who's my favorite? Probably Michelangelo, but my favorite was Donatello. Yeah, and I always regret - I think it was because I could always find a stick and hit people with it? It's hard to find num-chuks, or a scythe, or swords - my parents wouldn't let me have those. I'd find a stick, though. I'd find a stick and pretend I was Donatello. And he was in the purple outfit, which was pretty good - [to someone in audience] No, I - Leonardo was pretty cool.

Jensen: Donatello was blue.

Jared: No, Leonardo was blue! How dare you.

Jensen: Raphael was red.

Jared: Raphael was red, Michelangelo was orange -

Jensen: Why are we talking about this? [to questioner] Thanks a lot, thanks a lot. And I see you, yeah, your wife's still pregnant, you might want to take care of that. She's been pregnant for ten years.

Jared: So when I do rewatch things, it's from my childhood. What about you?

Jensen: I have - this was unintentional, the show is just always on. But my daughter, my ten year old daughter, has found Friends. And I had forgotten how entertaining that show really, really is. So it's been fun to, y'know - and it's just 'cause it's literally, I don't know what station, TBS or whatever - it's just always open. Any time we're in the kitchen, she'll come in and she'll throw it on and sit down and we'll be just doing stuff, but it's on and I'll just hear PIVOT! and I'll just start laughing.

Audience member: We were on a break!

Jensen: Yeah, we were on a break. And that's another thing, I forget how many iconic sayings came from that show. I mean, what a powerhouse of a show that is. But, um, as far as like a genre-type show, I don't know. I'm kinda like Jared, like once I watch it, I've - going back and rewatching it, I feel like I'm missing out on the opportunity of seeing something new? There is - I do have films that I keep on my iPad and whenever I'm travelling or something they're downloaded. And there's one particular movie that - I don't watch it, from beginning to end? I usually will just fast-forward and watch scenes? Of No Country for Old Men. 'Cause I just think it's a master class in filmmaking.

Jared: I'm like that with Inglorious Bastards.

Jensen: Yeah. Oh, anything Tarantino. Like, I got Hateful Eight, I've been rewatching -

Jared: Oh really?

Jensen: rewatching scenes in Hateful Eight. Which, I mean, that could be a stage play. I think it was originally - he wrote it for almost being able to do that, but. Um, it's uh - yeah. So I get the wanting to go back and kinda revisit those things, 'cause it does give you those nostalgic emotions, but also, you know, new experiences, like I'm sharing this with my daughter, so that's kind of a fun new experience.

Jared: Yeah. It's also - So I guess I question my earlier statement about how I want to read new things? 'Cause it's very interesting if you watch the same show or movie or read the same book at different points in your life where you pick up. So maybe I'll just start binging [pause] Supernatural. See where it ends up. I do, I will say, I will say, not a word of a lie, I've probably watched fifteen or twenty reaction videos to the finale. Cry every time. I'm like - I start out like, they don't know what's about to happen, neener neener. And then once Dean meets the post and they go [huge gasp] I'm like, same, same! So I have watched, I think, every single one. But yeah, yeah, that'll be interesting to go back and revisit that show that we worked on that one time.

Jensen: You just talked about a scene from it! [dramatically hangs head, big sigh] We're gonna get cancelled by our own union. Shh.

Jared: I said that show. Super-normal show.

Jensen: No, it's not Supernormal, it's Anything But Normal. It's Unnatural. It's Abby Normal.

#dccon 2023 #j2 main panel #long post

[thatdeadaquarius]

I just reread your Language Barrier AU and the ballpoint where reader was pissed because these fuckers just couldn't help but talk like Zhongli-

MINCE YOUR WORDS.

IN ONE SENTENCE.

PREFERABLY 5 WORDS OR LESS.

EXPLAIN IT TO ME LIKE I'M RAZOR.

Argh, God. I'm getting mad just thinking about it. 😤 Imagine in a fight and these dudes just sttaight up blurted a fucking 5 book-length, hard bounded soliloquy- I cannot-

No, Venti, Kazuha. You cannot use Haikus-

No, Cyno, you cannot use jokes either- but that is debatable-

And Oh. My. God. I kept thinking about when fighting and y'all kept throwing words (like when using a skill) and I'm just here standing, bracing myself SO HARD trying not to laugh (also irl). And then maybe now and then some mistranslation on Reader's mind since they use JP VA since the start of Genshin (assuming they play?) are new to Teyvat's Language:

'One with the Floor!'

One with the what?

'Shake your ass, sir!'

Cue spitting tea-

(Sorry, that's just me mishearing things 💀) But like at those times, Reader is the one dying of laughter lol. Imagine them explaing to Beidou that they thought she said 'Power of the ending Hotdog' instead of 'Power that ended Haishan'.

Aight, imma just.. go.

*imma send this anonymously because im shy, but do know that I love bread 🥖

Also @2:20

For you 🤲🥨🍩🥧🥐all the bread for the superior ask, anon

I could definitely see myself saying "ONE SENTENCE. U HAVE TO RESPOND IN ONE SENTENCE ONLY." then they manage to still make it a whole 40 word sentence 💀

^^ Confused Bakugou gif is literally u being shocked bc u keep mishearing everyones bursts on the battlefield LMAO SHAKE UR ASS SIR THAT ONE TOOK ME TF OUT ANON

☆

"Speed of Bite!" (Keqing's Speed of Light lol)

"I will have whore her!" (Zhongli's I will have order 😭)

"Time for... Execution!" (Diluc's time for retribution lol)

...

You in the background like: 🧍‍♂️... tfs wrong with yall, u glitched??

◇

They're like, physically incapable of making your kind of simple blunt sentences

Like i think some people would get close: Albedo, Xinyan, Klee, Qiqi, Sayu (rlly likes it bc it lets them be lazier), Cyno (maybe at first but then he would like, explain for 10 min after every simple sentence what he meant like his jokes 😭), Hu Tao, Heizou, Lumine/Aether, Xiao (can kinda get close but he gets frustrated and then rants for 30 minutes lmao), Razor (holds the title for the closest to your simple speech,👏👏LMAO PPL ACCIDENTALLY THINKING HES A GOD)

♤

People who will never get it, not even if ur in battle & ur life depends on it LMAO:

Zhongli (he rlly wants to but habits over thousands of years r hard to break 🙏 rip), Yun Jin, Xingqiu, Kuni/Babygirl, Venti, Kazuha, Sucrose, Shenhe, Kokomi, Ei, Nahida (tho it was a valiant effort), Noelle, Alhaitham, Sara, Ningguang (she doesnt want to even try lol), Mona, Fischl, Jean, Ganyu, Eula, Barbara, Diluc + Kaeya (unsurpringly both of them are tied for being the worst attempts at speaking simply 💀, guess its just that fancy etiquette training, its too hard to break) 😔

♡

Yeah, ur pretty much begging the ppl who can get close to ur speech to constantly translate everyone else

Rest in peace traveler, theyre like the first person u turn to,

(Paimon is also kinda bad at speaking simply, closest shes gotten is when she demands food lol)

☆

Idk how good this was, but THANK U FOR THE ASK AGAIN I AM ALWAYS READY TO HEAR OTHERS MAKE MY BRAINROT WORSE OVER LANGUAGE GENSHIN <3

ALSO I CANT BELIEVE U SENT ME THAT CYNO JOKES VIDEO PLEASE ITS SO LONG IT WAS SO FUNNY I STILL HAVENT WATCHED THE FULL THING

Feel free to send another in whenever i love talking to yall ♡

Cheers,

🌒🌊🌧Aquarius♒️🌌🌘

♡ the beloveds:

@karmawonders

✨️✨️✨️✨️💖✨️✨️✨️✨️

#my head is full of blunt language genshin isekai #i love any and all God!Reader stuff #i have a WHOLE fatass worldbuilding AU abt god reader being from another world #and falling into abyss and getting turned into an abyss god #lmk if thats ever interesting to anyone ever its kinda niche :/ #genshin impact #ask box open #my asks #genshin sagau #sagau #genshin imagines #genshin sagau ideas #gender neutral reader #please send asks #taglist open! #aka the beloveds #dm me if interested #genshin isekai

[exitpursuedbyavulcan]

The Silver Dragon (33/?)

Pairing: Aemond Targaryen x Original Female Character

Word Count: 2845

Story Summary: Lady Arianwyn Targaryen, the Lady of Runestone, was seeded by her father, the Rogue Prince Daemon Targaryen, in an act of unbridled hatred, and borne of her mother, the late Lady Rhea Royce, as a desperate grasp at revenge.

Ignored by her father, and alone following the death of her mother, she is raised in King’s Landing alongside her cousin, Prince Aemond Targaryen. As they grow, the two find themselves indelibly bonded. But their lives are far from the fairy tales they read, and as tensions in the family rise, they find their paths may diverge.

Will they be pulled apart when the dragons dance?

Chapter Summary: Aemond and Arianwyn awake with grand plans of spending another day together. But they are met with the news that the King has died in the night, leaving not only their plans unsure, but the fate of the realm.

Warnings: Adult content, Minors DNI.

Author's Note: Again, sorry this took an extra day. That book series I was telling y'all about? It had the absolute WORST ending I have ever read. I was so mad I couldn't write. And by the time I had calmed down, I had gotten out of the Aemond state of mind and had to reread the whole fic up to this point to get myself back into it.

Oh well, those books are already in the recycle, I'm back to writing, and I promise I will deliver y'all a much, much better ending (eventually)!

Series Masterlist

Taglist: @thelittleswanao3 @trap-house-homiecide @50svibes @literishdegree99 @dc-marvel-girl96 @henriettadreaming @multiple-fandoms-girl @gyuxmilk @somemydayy @kittykylax @whore-of-many-hot-men @slavicvvitch

(Please let me know if your tag isn't working, and I'll do my best to correct it! And if you would like to be added to the list, just shoot me an ask!)

The First Death

The King was dead.

Viserys was dead.

His father was dead.

Aemond felt cold hands closing around his throat, yet he could breathe freely for the first time in his life.

The world was spinning around him, yet he had never felt so steady.

His heart pounded wildly in his chest even as he felt a sense of calm wash over him.

He was relieved.

He was distraught.

He was happy.

He was heartbroken.

He was finally free.

He had never been more trapped.

They were supposed to go to Runestone.

Once Arianwyn had her trousseau and his mother had her feast, they were supposed to leave this all behind. Make their own home – together.

Not as a Targaryen Prince and Princess, the second son and his wife. But as the Lady of Runestone and her Lord Consort.

They were supposed to be alone together, as husband and wife.

For one year, they would spend every moment they could in each other’s arms. They would wake each morning together. Fly across the realm together. Spend each night – or really, any and every moment they could – entwined together.

After a year of marital bliss, they were supposed to start their family.

They had agreed: a whole army of children with Arianwyn’s hair and Aemond’s eyes. Each one with a dragon egg to warm their cradle, as Aemond had been denied.

Aemond already had a list of names in the back of his mind.

Their firstborn – their heir – would need a name befitting a Royce. A name of the First Men.

Yorwyck, perhaps. After the first Bronze King. Yorbert or Robar would also be fitting. Or something less traditional. Throughout his studies, Aemond had found several names that caught his eye. Aneurin. Caradoc. Tarian. Edan. Cadogan. Rhisiart, even. If they were feeling adventurous.

But their heir could be a daughter, according to the laws of the Vale. A son was preferred, but a girl could inherit, just as Arianwyn had.

Rhea was an obvious choice. Though Aemond was still unsure how he felt about Rhea having her daughter as an act of revenge, he knew Arianwyn would love to honor her late mother.

Still, there were other options. Though there were fewer historical names for women, at least as far as Aemond knew. But there were so many beautiful names for women in the Old Tongue. Isolde. Guinevere. Rhiannon. Ceridwen. Nimue. Eluned. Nerys. Briallen.

They would have to have so many daughters.

The more he thought about it, the more he realized that he did not want to give his children a Valyrian name.

A Valyrian name was a burden. A reminder of the legacy that preceded them. A legacy of conquest and glory. Of dragonriding heroes and silver-haired kings. Of cruel fathers and forgotten second sons.

He would not pass that burden on to his children.

“Aemond?” Arianwyn whispered as she stepped in front of him, bringing him back to reality.

The morning came crashing back.

Waking with her in his arms, kissing every inch of her until she had awoken as well. Her sweet, sleepy smile when she finally kissed him back.

Taking his time with her, as he had not had the chance to last night when she climbed on top of him. Worshipping her with his mouth until she screamed with unbridled pleasure. Finally burying himself inside her as he held her close. She had muffled her cries in his neck as she came, driving him to release only a breath later.

Their slowness to emerge from the bedchamber had given Elsie the time she needed to relace all of Arianwyn’s armor. Again, Aemond dressed her himself. But this time, he teased her, punctuating every movement of his fingers with a kiss.

He had lost his composure faster than she had, however. His hands were still tangled in the laces of her cuirass as he fell to his knees and devoured her again, lapping up every drop of her release with his tongue so as not to stain her riding trousers.

They had walked toward the courtyard hand-in-hand when they were intercepted by Orwyle, who nervously redirected them to find the Queen without telling them why.

That had led them to the corridor outside Helaena’s chambers, where they had encountered the Hand with a look of fearsome determination on his gaunt face.

Otto Hightower, perhaps the only man in the Red Keep who could look down upon Aemond, seized his grandson’s arm to bring them to a halt. He looked briefly at Arianwyn before turning back to the Prince.

“Your mother will need you now, Aemond,” he said, his voice that of a commander, not a grandsire. “Do not fail her.”

Aemond did not reply, only held Arianwyn’s hand tighter and nodded before continuing to Helaena’s rooms, faster than he had before. On her little legs, she had to jog to keep up with him.

He had a sinking feeling that he knew what Otto had meant. He didn’t want to believe it to be true.

But then he saw his mother. She sat next on the couch, reaching out to comfort her daughter – she had never gotten used to Helaena’s dislike of being touched. His hurried steps drew her attention, and the moment she looked at him, he knew it to be true.

The everlasting exhaustion in her eyes was sharpened by fear. Fear of what would happen to her, her children, and her grandchildren. That fear now encompassed Arianwyn too.

Her gaze softened at the sight of him, and she whispered an apology. For as soon as he saw her face, he knew that Runestone would have to wait. Arianwyn would have to wait. Their family, their entire life together, would have to wait.

King Viserys was dead. Whether it be to install Aegon on the Iron Throne or defend her from Rhaenyra, Alicent would need Aemond’s sword.

-

Even as Aemond looked down at her, Arianwyn knew he was not truly seeing her. Darkness danced in his eye and the shadows of his face. It was almost as though she could see his anxious thoughts swirling around him.

“Aemond?” she asked again. But he still did not respond. Her only indication that he had heard her was a subtle twitch of the left corner of his lips and the nearly imperceptible reddening of his scar.

Something was very, very wrong.

She turned to Alicent, desperate for an explanation. “What has happened? What is wrong?”

The Queen stood and came to stand by their side, placing a hand on each of their shoulders. Tears shone in her eyes as she spoke. “The King is dead. The Stranger came for him in the night.”

“No,” Arianwyn whispered. Her knees buckled, but Aemond instinctively wrapped an arm around her waist, keeping her steady and standing. She was not sure whether that had been his purpose, or whether he needed to hold her as much as she needed to be held.

“I saw him last night,” she murmured, laying her head against Aemond’s chest. “I talked to him.”

“I know, darling,” Alicent said, lacing her fingers with Aemond’s with one hand while she petted Arianwyn’s hair with the other. “You brought him comfort in his final hours.”

But she had not. She had said many things, but none of them were comforting.

Still, she did not cry. She had already shed enough tears for that man. So instead, she simply pressed further into her husband’s chest, wrapping her arms around his waist to try and return to the comfort she had felt when she woke in his arms.

The Queen looked up at her son as he lowered his chin to rest on Arianwyn’s head. His eye was still distant, and no matter how hard she squeezed his hand, he would not look at her.

“I spoke to him as well,” she said, giving up and releasing his hand. “He changed his mind, Aemond. He wanted Aegon to be King.”

At last, Aemond flicked his good eye, wide with apprehension, to his mother. “He did?”

It took great strength to push back, again, against the doubt that Viserys would trust his eldest son with the throne. “He did,” Alicent insisted. “He told me so, in no uncertain terms.”

Arianwyn could feel his jaw clenching as he pressed his chin further into her hair and wrapped his other arm around her shoulders. Whether he was pleased with the King’s change of heart, she could not tell.

“Where is Aegon?” he asked.

Alicent grimaced. “I do not know. Ser Criston is searching for him now. We are to wait for him here.”

“I can have my men search, as well, my Queen,” Ser Warren Crayne said as he stepped cautiously into the room.

Arianwyn had almost forgotten he was there, that he had followed them from their apartments. She had made a promise last night to never take her guards for granted again, and she meant to keep it. It had been her plan to ask him to sit with her in her carriage on the way to the Dragonpit, to ask him for help in finding a way to show her appreciation for the whole regiment.

She would not be going to the Dragonpit today. She did not know when she would get the chance to thank her guards.

“That is a kind offer, Ser Warren,” the Queen said, moving toward the old knight. “How many of your men are familiar with the Keep?”

Their conversation faded as Arianwyn looked up at Aemond. “Are you alright?”

The haze in his eye finally faded as he looked back down at her, though his face remained stoic. “I don’t know.”

“Is there anything I can say? Anything I can do?”

He shook his head, pushing his forehead against hers. “I wanted to go to Runestone with you.”

Her chest tightened, and she had to blink back tears. “We will go. We will fly there on dragonback and make it our home. I do not know when, but I promise we will.”

She had made so many promises lately. She was starting to wonder if she would be able to keep them all.

-

They stayed in the solar for more than an hour as they waited for the guards to return with Aegon.

Alicent paced throughout the room, picking at her nailbeds or fingering her necklace. Every so often, she would stand by the door, hoping her presence there would somehow summon Aegon.

Aemond had quickly claimed one of the chairs by the empty hearth, staring silently forward and stretching his fingers as his mind raced. Arianwyn sat, at first, on the arm of the chair, playing with his hair and stroking his cheek to try and ease his mind.

Eventually, her position began to make her rear sore, as though she’d been astride a horse for hours. So, she lowered herself to the rug beside the chair, resting her head on Aemond’s crossed legs while he played with her hair. He always needed something to occupy his fingers when he was anxious. Arianwyn was more than happy to be that something.

Helaena did not stay long. After only a few minutes of waiting, she excused herself to go sit with her children, muttering about a “beast beneath the boards” as she left.

The room had fallen into a tense, uncomfortable silence by the time Ser Criston and Ser Warren finally returned.

“Prince Aegon’s not to be found within the castle walls, Your Grace,” Criston said, ensuring the door was shut firmly behind him. “Your father has sent Ser Erryk into the city to find him.”

But Alicent only sighed and dropped her head, looking decidedly downcast.

“Surely, that is a good thing,” Arianwyn said as she stood from the floor. “Ser Erryk is Aegon’s sword shield. He knows him well, and will be able to find him quickly.”

Aemond frowned, letting his hand fall back to the arm of the chair as they both looked at the knights.

“Yes, but he will bring Aegon to my father,” Alicent countered. “We must avoid that at all costs. But Ser Erryk has the advantage.”

Arianwyn was about to ask why when Aemond tugged on her hand in a silent signal to remain quiet. He did not explain further; he was presently trying to avoid Ser Criston’s gaze and the suggestion he knew the Kingsguard would propose. He did not want to leave Arianwyn, not when everything was so unsure. She must be kept safe.

But so must the new King.

The Queen approached the knights at the door. “I trust again to you, Ser Criston, and to your loyalty. Aegon must be found, and he must be brought to me. The very fate of the Seven Kingdoms depends on it…” Her voice faded as she leaned closer to Cole.

But Arianwyn would not have listened to her, anyways. Aemond pulled on her hand, drawing her attention back to him. He looked up at her, his face again wreathed in shadow as he confronted the conflict inside him.

To protect her, or Aegon?

When he took her as his wife, he had sworn before the gods, both old and new, to protect her.

For more than six years, he had honed himself into a deadly weapon for the sole purpose of keeping her safe. So that when the time was right, he could rid her, and the entire world, of the monster that was Daemon Targaryen.

But his duty to Aegon went back to his birth. From his very first breath, he was a second son. The younger Prince. It was his fate to fight for his elder brother.

That was what was written in the history books.

The younger brother went to war to die in the elder’s place.

The younger brother died to defend the elder’s crown.

The young brother always stood behind, putting aside his own desires, ambitions, and happiness to ensure the elder would be remembered in the history books.

Arianwyn was his soulmate. Aegon was his brother – now his King.

Duty had always been everything for Aemond. It had guided every moment of his life. Every action he took. Now that it was pulling him in two directions, how could he ever choose?

But then Ser Warren Crayne spoke, his deep voice carrying across the room. “I am not as familiar with the city as Ser Criston, but it is my duty to protect Princess Arianwyn and all those she loves. So, I will do all I can to return your son to you, my Queen. The remainder of my men from Runestone will stay here, to protect the three of you.”

Aemond’s heart lightened at the old man’s words.

Yes, it was his duty to protect his wife. But happily, he shared that duty with the twelve finest knights of the Vale. Knights who had protected Arianwyn all her life, even when he was half an ocean away.

It was thanks to them that he did not have to choose.

“You will stay here, Ser Warren,” Aemond commanded, squeezing Arianwyn’s hand once more. “With my mother and Arianwyn. I will go with Ser Criston.”

Arianwyn’s brow furrowed with concern. Knowing Aegon, she was all too aware of what part of the city – which street in particular – they would be required to go to search for him. She did not want Aemond to have to return there. Not due to jealousy or mistrust, but because she knew how much his last visit to the pillow houses had wounded him.

But before she could protest, he stood from his chair and embraced her. When he pulled back, he cupped her face in his large hand and kissed her. Gently. Slowly. Saying everything he needed to without making a sound.

Trust me.

I will be fine.

I will return.

It will all be alright.

When he finally pulled away, he looked down at her again with a question in his eye. He would not do this without her approval.

Arianwyn nodded, running her hand from his shoulder to his heart. She listened to it beat once, twice, imagining the Runes she had once traced there shining through his skin.

“Go,” she whispered.

“No,” the Queen called, hurrying across the room to grab his arms. “That would not be my desire, Aemond.”

He held her back, and spoke with quiet confidence. “Cole needs me, mother. I know the city better than Ser Warren. And Ser Erryk isn’t the only one who knows Aegon’s doings.”

Alicent looked to Ser Criston, then to Arianwyn, hoping one of them would support her. But they both remained silent. They knew he could do this – knew he had to do this.

He was the second son. It was his duty.

With one last glance and a hint of a smile to his wife, Aemond left the room with Criston Cole by his side. They walked out of the castle and into the city with a singular mission: to find the new King.

Next Chapter

#aemond fanfic #aemond targaryen imagine #aemond targaryen fanfic #aemond targaryen #aemond #aemond fluff #aemond imagine #aemond one eye #aemond smut #aemond the kinslayer #aemond x reader #aemond x you #hotd aemond #prince aemond #prince aemond targaryen #aemond x oc #aemond x fem!reader #aemond x y/n #house of the dragon imagine #house of the dragon fanfic #house of the dragon aemond #house of the dragon #hotd smut #hotd x reader #hotd #hotd fanfic #ewan mitchell

[mdr-reikas]

Hello there! You've been tagged! You don't have to do anything if you don't want to, but if you'd like, list 5 things that make you happy, then put this in the askbox for the last 10 people who reblogged something from you! Learn to know your mutuals and followers! 💖💖💖

omg hi! Thank you for the tag!!!

So the first thing I like is baking. I haven't been doing it a lot lately, but I really like baking, especially like decorating and shit (just not with fondant bc that's gross). Made a nice strawberry biscuit roll a few days back, 10/10 highly recommend.

Secondly I like reading. I'm currently rereading frankenstein and I'm having so much fun with it tbh. I also have a bunch of other books I'm currently reading, but if anyone here like thriller/horror I really recommend Sebastian Fitzek! He's German author whose works I've been really enjoying lately. If you need a starting point, I'm currently reading "Der Inasse" (no idea what the english title is, im sure y'all can find it), it's pretty neat so far.

Third thing is video games in general. I have many games that I have made amazing memories with, that I replay atleast once a year. I started playing Ghost of Tsushima recently, and it's pretty good so far, feels a lot like an assassins creed game. I'm also a big fan of animal crossing (new leaf ONLY), until dawn (choice based horror game), Final Fantasy, Persona 5, Farcry (3,4,5 specifically) and also a few call of duty games.

fourth I like sea creatures. I really fucking love sea creatures. I always have on day of the week booked for watching some random shit quality sea documentary, they're really interesting. Same goes for spiders, I really love spider. I've actually been taking care of this cute house spider in my room, like I'll just catch flies sometimes and give them to the little spidey.

fifth, I'm kinda running out of ideas here, but naruto tbh? I don't like the show as much as I when I was younger, but I do still watch it when i'm in a bad mood. It's like to a point where I know most of the episodes and can just start whereever, it doesn't require my attention for me to understand what's happening. It's definitely my main comfort shot (with Marble Hornets as a close second), and I also really enjoy buying bootleg naruto merch. Found this low quality shit naruto calender for 2024, I've already started noting appointments in there.

Once again, thank you sooo much for the ask and thanks for giving me an excuse to ramble! I love talking about random crap as y'all know :)

#asks #thank youuuu :) #and to any other asks currently waiting HOLD ON #I'LL GET TO YOU SOON I SWEAR #I'M ON IT RIGHT NOW

[intrepidacious]

time after time: reread edition [3]

series summary: After what starts out as a fairly normal mission, you find yourself stuck in a time loop. Which would already be bad enough in itself if it didn’t also mean having to watch Bucky die over and over again.

pairing: bucky barnes x f!reader

word count: 10.1k 💀

chapter warnings: one last reminder to internalize the premise of the fic, i will just assume you know what’s up from this point on; canon-typical violence; mention of alcohol; some more permanent damage; even more banter. please note that my blog is rated 18+. minors dni. ageless/empty blogs will be blocked without warning.

read the full chapter here | series masterlist | reread masterlist

after an unexptected second week off (i got sick after going on vacation, yay summer!) we return for the third part of the reread event!! as always, if you're new, this is a reread commentary on already published chapters—an extended a/n, if you will. by clicking on the read more you're going to see spoilers up to and including chapter three 💚

every day's a holiday – tl;dr:

in the flashbacks, the reader officially meets sam and bucky for the first time. after hearing rumors about ULTIMATUM, a newly formed group taking after the flag smashers, sam wants reinforcements to find out more. he knows about twelve's time powers from steve, and cashes in an old favor she owes to steve to get her help. bucky, not knowing anything about her yet, is sceptical.

in the loop, twelve is getting nervous about being unable to stop the loop from repeating. experimenting with the timing of the mission doesn't help; neither does entering the downstairs labs through the tunnels as bucky investigates on his own and lands in an explosion. after more than a week on her own, twelve tells sam about her time loop situation. he insists that bucky be told as well. while going to get coffee, bucky writes a note to himself on twelve's arm and asks her to tell only him about the loop during its next iteration. she does, and they attempt to figure it out together—to no avail, as bucky gets shot through twelve and her wounds stay through the next loop. she decides that they're both going to involve sam again and that she will try to contact strange for help.

behind the loop

i'm not gonna lie to y'all, these chapters are getting harder and harder to summarize. there's a lot going on and i have work tomorrow, so let's just crack on.

believe it or not, when i started writing this fic, no way home wasn’t even out yet and i was absolutely convinced that my whole thing with the tower would be canonically impossible. and then we just never found out who bought avengers tower. so that was that.

Like a pesky little voice of conscience. And on your day off, no less.

the chapters i’ve recently been writing have been more serious as the loop continues, and i kind of miss this really fun narrative side remarks that tell so much about twelve as a character. i really love writing her and her concerning habits.

this flashback is the closest i come in the actual fic in tying the whole thing into canon chronologically, i think. the mcu timeline is an absolute mess, but since tfatws takes place in early 2024-ish and the time loop happens in 2025, that gives us about a year or so that the characters have known each other by the time the main plot starts. that is, in normal human time. at least that’s my headcanon.

“Ah-ah-ah.” You wrangled the mug out of his hands before he had the chance to move, barely resisting the urge to kick his shin for good measure.

even though they’re happening in consecutive chapters, a bit of time passed between me writing the nat flashback and this one. i thought it was very funny that my instinct clearly was that everyone would just start trying to break stuff around her to see if her powers were legit. and isn’t that poetic in a way? (there were no deeper thoughts behind this but wouldn’t it be fun if there were?)

despite me sending all of my characters to therapy in this fic (because let’s face it, they all need it desperately), they’re all so bad at expressing their emotions, honestly. then again, what kind of therapist would actually be able to really help you if you’re a super-powered person who loves going into emotional shut-down and guarding themselves with sarcasm? whoever they are, they’re not getting paid enough.

An entire conversation seemed to pass between the two of them without either saying a single word. Sam held up three fingers with a sly smirk; Bucky ended up rolling his eyes.

i loved that little subtle reference to the big three. i was so proud of that one. also continuing to develop sam and bucky’s friendship partnership next to the actual plot is always fun.

He ignored the question, but the way he looked at you and then crossed his arms made you decide to put salt in his coffee.

yay, another little callback to chapter one!! all these months later and sam still won’t let that one go.

“I’d like to see you try.” […] You’re trying. You really are.

this parallel i actually got complimented on in the past and that made me very happy. i’m always trying to make the shift from the flashback to the main plot the least jarring it can possibly be, and this transition just worked so well. also, bucky’s "oddly bright blue" eyes are a little nod to a wrinkle in time, so there’s another little chapter one parallel for you.

this is the first chapter where the first communication blocks are really starting to kick in. the fact that twelve won’t talk to anyone about what’s actually going on with her despite being stuck in a literal nightmare is so integral to her character. not to get to deep but that whole refusing to get help when you should theoretically be able to do something on your own is something we have in common <3 i’m also sending her through the rest of the stages of grief in this chapter, which was very much on purpose. unsurprisingly, anger was the most fun to write.

It’s not like you can google something like “time loop problem” and come up with a list of practical steps to follow. You know this because you did google, and if you have to read the name Phil Connors one more time you are going to scream.

the different approaches to trying to get bucky through the mission alive were also really interesting to come up with. i made a really bad drawing of how i imagine the setup of the whole facility, but i won’t show that to you because it’s embarrassing. anything you can come up with in your heads probably looks better anyway.

this is also the part where twelve officially gets her nickname!! finally!! why only now, you ask? well, on the one hand, bucky really does only use it in specific situations. on the other hand, i literally only came up with it by the time the first two chapters were already posted and i didn’t want to go back. i remember col was posting in the embers at the time and i loved her reader having a nickname so much i wanted to give mine a special little nickname too. i also had to text two friends to confirm it wasn’t stupid as hell. me? insecure? never.

you know when you’re doing a group project and you’re feeling really good about the work you put in and the direction it’s all going and then someone comes in and completely derails the whole thing? that’s bucky in this loop. i love him, but jfc.

"What the hell did you do, rob an ambulance and take a bath?" […] "I don’t know what your problem with them is, and I don’t need to know. But is it worth more than Bucky’s life?"

i love sam. i love him not taking things seriously until he realizes that they’re serious as hell, and then switching to compassionate and level-headed. i know this is a bucky fic but sam deserves all the appreciation and i truly hope i’m able to show that.

i also like the contrast between his reaction and bucky’s to twelve telling them about the loop. we don’t see the first time bucky gets told, but her incoherent rambling at him while he’s just trying to take it in means so much to me. but we’re not there yet. we’re getting coffee first.

holy shit, i just had to double check but i’m pretty positive that this is our first lucy scene. she was never supposed to be in the fic much, but i’m not gonna lie, she grew on me. she’s based on several of my favourite former colleagues of mine, and this is not the only fic of mine she’s infiltrated. we are all but living in the lucy cinematic universe. on a side note, she got her name because i like the name and also because i’m relatively sure there’s no super relevant lucy in a marvel … thing. i often like to include characters from different marvel properties in my fics (like ULTIMATUM themselves), but i just wanted someone without any obvious ties to anything.

“What do you want?” you turn to Bucky. “Coffee.” “What kind?” “Just … coffee.”

any ordinary days fans in the house tonight?

the coffee quest was another side plot i didn’t expect when setting out to write this fic, but it’s served me so well in establishing their dynamic a little bit more. also, the writing thing!! i’m so fond of twelve not being able to decipher bucky’s handwriting at first. and i like that he just comes up with something so practical on day one of the whole thing.

“Crazy?” His expression hardens somewhat, and an irritated flush appears on his cheeks. “Why is it crazy?”

is it just me or do these two seem to be having two entirely different conversations? :)

You don’t think, moving purely out of instinct.

ah, i do enjoy upping the stakes near the end of the chapter. as if twelve’s whole situation hadn’t sucked enough already. but don’t we all love a good 'patching each other up' scene? i’d say it was worth it but then again i know how it ends. also shout-out to sam once again for being a great friend and a good brother. sarah i love you i hope you’re having a great, calm july 4th. sadly, we have a wizard to seek out.

“What do you say, Barnes? Think you can trust me?”

and isn’t that the whole thesis of the story, really?

how it's going

well. not gonna lie but things are not going according to plan!! after my holiday (which was great by the way, thanks for asking) i went back to work for the two days i was scheduled that week, went home and immediately got sick for eight days. i've only been feeling significantly better yesterday, and so writing hasn't exactly been a priority. regrettably.

but fear not, because today i'm pretty sure i had a breakthrough with the thing i've been struggling with in chapter seven. i'm optimistic i'll be able to write the rest of it over the course of the weekend and then finally move on to chapter eight. which is hopefully gonna be a little shorter for a change. oh, i also wrote a bit of an unexpected bonus chapter today so look forward to that at some point.

i'm still not sure if i want to move my schedule backwards or if i'll try to squeeze in another reread chapter next week. i guess we'll all find out together.

until then, take care of yourselves and i'm always here if you're lonely and stuck in a time loop and just need someone to listen 💚

#bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes fic #bucky barnes x you #bucky x reader #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes series #marvel fanfic #mcu fanfic #time after time

[burins]

more JLI post dump! this'll be issues 6-10

6:

i know this reads different in 1987 but also i DO like it for dinah. also like of course she's friends with bruce

the rest of 6 is a lot of big-scale dr fate stuff which i know is DeMatteis' wheelhouse but which i also don't particularly care about.

7! we are now officially justice league international because the united nations choose to ratify the league. reagan is here! i warned you!

the fact that clark has to talk to reagan regularly, in the course of superhero comics, is so much for me to contemplate.

A) i think it's SO funny that bruce has a special earless cowl for going to space and wearing headphones. i realize this may just be an artistic mistake but i'm choosing to believe it's a deliberate costume choice

B) cold-war era comics!!!!!! really truly the geopolitics of superhero comics are fascinating to me. i have to do some digging to see what's been written on them

i capped this whole panel but i really just want everyone to focus on beetle. this is how you know he's queer is that in each issue he invents a new, gayer way to sit

LIKE

ok in issue 8 the league are moving into their NY and Paris embassies. as you might expect. shenanigans ensue!!

j'onn. ilu

J'ONN!!! ILU!!!!!

unfortunately for the next few issues the scans they put into hoopla are preeeetty rough in terms of quality (and so are the scans on the other website i sometimes use) so some of the dialogue is a little hard to read.

batman seems to have punched guy into a personality transplant. instead of a miserable he-man reaganite he's become like, pollyanna. it's extremely funny and frankly, as much as i enjoy him being a heel, nice to read him not sounding like clint eastwood.

booster and beetle (at the paris embassy) go out to hit on women. #justbrothings. booster strikes out very very badly with a woman he later learns is their local liaison. whoops!!

mister miracle crashes a helicopter through the NY building. also once again i love j'onn!!!!

we also learn about the (actually international) superteam the JLI are supplanting. sorry y'all. also very funny that we have this international superteam and then one year later we're going to get the wildly ill-fated new guardians. sometime i'll do a whole separate post on the new guardians except i don't really want to bc it would require me to reread that series,

9:

everyone is being mindcontrolled by the manhunters! i will admit that i do NOT know the difference between these manhunters and j'onn's manhunter situation. i will presumably learn this at some point.

guy is having a great time being personality-swapped and so am i

it is also time for feminism jokes. alas.

i DO love an ear joke though. more people should make fun of batman's ears they are objectively so so silly

we're also starting to get some good and ominous setup of a maxwell lord subplot. jli! it's not just jokes!

10: we're chasing the manhunters to space!

i'm learning so much about hawkman, a character i know nothing about. for instance. he is a cop???

also arisia is here. i have heard of her and her plotline. 😬 this issue comes out also several months before the writers finally let her and hal break up, but it's not a big plot point in the issue aside from one panel. uhhh csa/grooming cw if you go digging into that plotline? idk it's bad

cut to the manhunters BIRTHING CHAMBER?? this is explicitly how it's described. clark burns up the baby manhunters with his heat rays (fine! normal!) and the parent gets pissed and leaves.

i forgot to mention that this is the intro of gnort, who is a green lantern nepo baby.

i love him.

cut back to earth, where scott and ted are having shenanigans!

even editorial is bullying ted for his japes and jokes... he's my special little clown

#jli #comics not even once #comics #dc comics

[jittyjames]

so late to this, but! for the ask game!! 5, 13 (bc i need to read more fics in both hamilton and jcs lmao), and 16!

5. i think my writing has improved a lot since i first posted mine to subdue. i think i've grown more confident with knowing what i want to say and how i want to say it. i might be wrong, but i think i've developed a style that is consistent which i'm very proud of. i basically improved on the smoothness of writing, too, i think (i could be so wrong). i basically improved all of this just by working nonstop, and writing every chance i get. i do want to write different things every now and again. i feel like my works can get repetitive very quickly, and often that's what stops me from posting if i think a fic is too similar to something i've already done, or someone else has written something under the same premise. so that's kind of what i'm working on. i want to be able to bring something fresh and unique, so i'm trying to work on expanding my vocabulary a bit more and think of new ideas.

13. oooo this is so good. first and foremost i will say, i believe fic writers (And fan artists naturally) are what keep fandoms and my fixations on them alive, so these fics have greatly impacted me in that way, and the excellence of them inspires me to keep writing and keep going. for hamilton, i have read the fics for years. i've been on ao3, fanfiction.net, and wattpad since practically the beginning. i remember when there was <100 posted on ao3. like it goes so far back. sons of libertea by fihli was my favorite fic when i was thirteen and what really got me into reading hardcore for hamilton. i haven't read it in a long time so i don't know if it holds up, but i'm sure it does. so that one is really iconic for me, and i know it was really popular at the time. i've talked about it before but the monticello furlough was a game changer for me. anything by holograms is brilliant and i die every time. and it's not just bc y'all are my pallys and kiddos, but @youreverydaydemikid @cecescomposition @fireballdance, the fics y'all write literally have me dropping whatever i'm doing to read what you post. it's so so good. like it's genuinely consistently good work that i squeal over every time. also @binch-i-might-be is an absolute icon that has kept the fandom fed for a good few years. there have also been numerous fanfics that have been deleted over the years that i adored, so we will have a moment of silence for them, but alas, it's the price i have to pay for being in a fandom that became "cringe culture" and made everyone delete their work even if it was really good.

NOW FOR JCS. it is such a small fandom, but that does not mean there is any lack of wonderful content. OBVIOUSLY, i will start by recommending anything by @solarflicker. their work is genuinely jaw dropping and i die every time. their characterizations are so good, and their stories are so well written. i could not recommend them enough. if i had to choose one, though, it would have to be judecca. like that one is one i reread practically every week. but as i said, all of them are so good. you would be doing yourself a disfavor by skipping any of them. @ohsoldier is so so good too. their good omens au is chef's kiss. picking up the palm fronds by @hobgoblinns is also very very good. beserk's jcs fics are also golden little au's that are so so good!! they have like a reincarnation au that i adore. another good reincarnation au that i love is that's what you had (but you don't have it anymore) by zartbitterpoetin. this one is so unique and well written. like it's so creativeeee. those are all a bit angsty BUT there's a really cute coffee shop fic (i think it has smut in it so be careful youngins) but it's the fic that all the people not in the fandom find and it blows their minds that people ship jesus/judas lmaooo. but it's called i'm falling for brew by framblebee. NOW I'VE RAMBLED ON THIS QUESTION FOR FAR TOO LONG SO I'LL LEAVE YOU WITH ONE MORE. you have to have an account to view it, but it is the 2012 revival fic (once again i think it had a tad bit of smut so watch for that) but so tonight that i might see by altzfic is amazing. like honestly there are so many good fics out there. it's crazy how talented people are in both of these fandoms. i could go on for ages, but i will end the rant here.

(i could genuinely make a long post of just fic recommendations for both fandoms and it would be longer that this. it's just so good.) (lemme know if y'all want that. it would take a while to collect all the links, but i would gladly boost the fics i love)

16. the worst writing advice i've ever been given was to delete everything and start over if you get stuck. my storage might hate me, but i've learned i regret very much if i delete my work. even if i don't use something in the fic i originally wrote it for, i could always use it somewhere else or expand on it and make it it's own thing. another bad piece of advice i got was never use flowery language. i resent that. i loathe that. i am a writing maximalist, my dears. i will make my writing as longwinded and drawn out as possible.

#ask games #these are such good questionss ahhhhhh #sorry didn't mean to namedrop all of y'all feel free to disregard this #i just wanted to make sure people were able to find your accounts and fics bc y'all deserve it :))))

[forabeatofadrum]

It's been two months! I have been in a reading slump and around 2 weeks ago I slowly got back to book-reading, and I am rereading Check, Please! (I am wearing my Samwell Hockey hoodie as I type this), but now I am also back for some fic reading!

I finally read Restoration Ecology - The Remix (Baz's version) by @royalasstronaut. If that sounds familiar, it's because it's, as the title says, a remix of Restoration Ecology by @captain-aralias and y'all know I fucking love that fic. Like RoyalAsstronaut, I was also super interested in what went on in Baz's mind and they delivered. I held off reading this fic for *cha cha real smooth* smutty reasons, but God I love Restoration Ecology (my beloved)!!! I loved reading Baz's side and I also love how things were added, like Baz's relationship with Mordelia and his friendship with Dev and Niall. Is Baz going to bring a plus-one, and how will they react?

(also, yes, Aralias, I did see your reply to that long ass essay about smut and I will reply to it one day!) (hopefully it will not take another year)

I also have been keeping an eye on Lavender hearts by @aroace-genderfluid-sheep. I know I told Ace in a tag that I would probably not read the fic "on release" because I needed to be emotionally prepared for it, and yet, the moment it dropped I read it cause I needed to. I am depressed now. In a good way? Basically, it was harrowing and painful and desolate, but that was how it was, and it was a good fucking fic.

In other COTTA news, I have also been keeping an eye on @wellbelesbian's Shoulder To Shoulder, Hand To Hand. As I said in the comments, I am so ready for it. I am a bit nervous cause ya know AIDS crisis and all that jazz, but I am so excited.

On a more fun note, @caramelcoffeeaddict started posting Avoiding My Secret Admirer and I absolutely love the premise. You know what they say right? Miscommunication as a plot device can be so fucking stupid BUT if it's a comedic plot device, then it's the best thing ever.

So that is it. Like I said, I am slowly getting back to fic, but I got a lot of books that I have to read first, since I borrowed them. I do want to give a shout out to Small Beauty by jiao qing wilson-yang, which is a book about a trans woman named Mei who moves into the house of her recently deceased cousin and by doing so, she learns about herself and her family's queer history. I just finished it and it's really good.

#tagged in #fic rec friday

[anneimaginesundertale]

The Best of All Timelines Timeline

The Best of All Timelines is the ongoing saga that's the "canon" story on this blog. Unless something is set in an AU, this is the timeline where stuff happens in my drabbles. (I will also try to start tagging stuff that might not be "canon"--for example, if I write a hurt/comfort fic about somebody getting shot, that probably didn't happen.)

Here's how events shook out so far. Kind of a floating timeline, so I'm not putting dates in here, but I hope it makes sense. Some of this is linked to old roleplay parties, which should be available to reread HERE.

Monsters are freed. Sans and Papyrus make a home on the surface along with the other Undertale monsters in Ebott City and the surrounding area.

Sans messes with a certain machine in the basement and accidentally brings several other pairs of skeletons into this world. After comparing worlds, they name the other timelines Underswap, Underfell, Swapfell, Horrortale, and Mobtale. The boys try living together, but numerous arguments and awkward encounters send them scattering across the country.

No one thinks to check if the machine is still summoning skeletons from other worlds. Sans knows that more have come through, but hides it. The new skeletons are sent off to live their own lives.

Anne (that's me, y'all; we're all about self-indulgence here) meets Sans and Papyrus when they move to Littleton (a quiet village about half an hour from the city). They become friends and one summer the boys invite her to go and visit their other cousins. Anne loves all the boys so much that she tells them they're always welcome in her home. The boys become regular visitors.

Anne hosts a Halloween party with some of her new human friends and invites all the skeletons. The boys all like her new house so much that they gradually all move in. The house has more than enough room for everybody, which is good, because more cousins show up! The Mobtale brothers make an appearance around this time.

Anne hosts a Gyftmas party where the Mafiafell bros show up.

After a mysterious noise starts coming from the basement, the G!bros are discovered! They finally found a way out of the void through the machine. Although not everybody trusts them, they join the family.

A spring cleaning party uncovers strange magic items in the shed and the attic. The items are sent away to Alphys to study at her lab, but eventually are stolen by...somebody. This is an ongoing mystery.

More mysterious noises and then the basement explodes! The Outertale brothers crashland their spaceship through the machine, effectively destroying it. No more skeletons can come through that way, but there are more in the world than initially thought.

Gradually, we meet the Dancetale brothers, the Oceantale brothers, and the Farmtale brothers.

Somewhere in here, an old friend of the blog (@kezi-likes-undertale) invented a dream game machine that allows people to go into various AUs and play out stories. This has worked out really well (other than one hiccup with G! and Jess, but that was a one time thing...probably...)

Several of Anne's human friends have fallen in love with skeletons. Anne herself has fallen for Sweets (HT Papyrus). There are three weddings (Blue and Ray, Anne and Sweets, and Boss and Trashy). Other skeletons make relationships official. Lots of cuteness ensues.

Blue and Ray (@pureangleda) have a baby! Randy Bistroke Gaster is the first babybones born into the big family and everybody absolutely adores him!

TIME SKIP -- 5 years later!

Some of the skeletons moved out of Anne's house and into their own homes, either in the neighborhood (Skeleton Acres) or in the wider world (Littleton, Ebott City). The OT bros live in Ebott City and work at the botanical gardens/aquarium. A few moved further away or went on long trips. The MF bros are at their casino in Las Vegas. The DT bros are on a world dance tour. The UO bros live in the ocean near a vacation town called Sweet Sands, about an hour from Littleton. The farm bros have their farm about half an hour west of Littleton, near a town called Pinewood.

There are now six babybones in the family, with another one on the way! Ray and Blue have Randy (5) and Cherry (2). Anne and Sweets have Someday (4) and twins Grace and Gideon (2). Boss and Trashy have Poppy (2) and another baby on the way.

Randy had his fifth birthday party just before Gyftmas. It was Pokemon themed, as that is the lad's current obsession.

In January 2024, we pick up with the family one month after that party. From here on out, we'll have to figure out what happens next!

#best of all timelines #the best of all timelines #friends of the blog please let me know if I forgot anything important!

[bellaxgiornata]

I was having the worst day ever yesterday and I absolutely started rereading Falling For The Devil! It made me feel so much better! I can’t wait to read the mittens update! 🥹 Thank you for such an awesome series!! 🥰

Oh no, I'm so sorry to hear that you were having such a terrible day yesterday! I truly hope today has been better a day for you, friend ❤️

Honestly y'all have no idea how much it means to me to hear that not only do y'all love this series so much that many of you have read it more than once (because my God, it is LONG), but that some of you have even told me that this series has made your day better or brought comfort while you were going through something difficult. And I honestly love that. I can't even put into words how that makes me feel knowing that this little fic has not only brought me so much comfort to work on during one of my most difficult years, but it has also been able to provide that for others. In whatever capacity it has. Like that's just incredible and it warms my heart to know that this story has meant so much to so many of you.

I'm going to start getting super sappy if I continue, but THANK YOU for reading and taking the time to drop some love! I've been having an incredibly tough week myself and this brightened my day to read ❤️ I hope you enjoy the new update with Mittens though!! It's definitely a sweet and fluffy update! And Matt is super sweet in it 🥺🙌🏻

#Bella answers #Bella gets a little sappy #i love y'all ❤️ #fftd has brought me so much comfort to work on this year too #so i love to hear that its brought comfort to some of you

[not-poignant]

August 2023 Writing Round-Up

Here's the monthly round-up of everything written and posted in August 2023!

Underline the Black 56 

Underline the Black 57 

Underline the Black 58 

Underline the Black 59 

Underline the Gold 03 

The Nascent Diplomat 35 

The Nascent Diplomat 36 (Patreon early access $5+)

Underline the Red 05 (Patreon early access $5+)

Chapter Commentary - Underline the Black 23 (Patreon reward $3+)

Chapter Commentary - Underline the Black 24 (Patreon reward $3+)

Game Theory 02 (the Edits) ($10+)

FANFICTION

A Stain that Won't Dissolve 18 

A Stain that Won't Dissolve 19 

A Game We Can Try 01 

A Game We Can Try 02 

--

The following stories are ongoing at my Wattpad account. For those who prefer to read on the Wattpad app, or who prefer shorter chapters, or just want to reread the stories somewhere different (or want to give me some love!), you can currently find these stories ongoing there:

A Stain that Won't Dissolve

Falling Falling Stars

Once the scheduled chapters for these come to an end, I will no longer be writing at Wattpad! And will just leave a note to anyone who finds me there that I'm on AO3 instead. It's been an interesting experiment, and a pretty spectacular failure, lol. 

*

Thanks for everyone's patience while Patreon has been a bit fucky with payments and declining payments, I've experienced this myself too as a patron. The short version of the story is that Patreon started doing more of their payments through Ireland instead of the USA and didn't tell anyone, and a lot of banks freaked out because it was unexpected. As far as I know, that's the main reason this has been happening! 

*

August (I always spell Augus first and have to remind myself to add the T, just little Fae Tales things) was a good month with a decent 14 chapters written across four stories, Underline the Black, A Stain that Won't Dissolve, Underline the Gold and Underline the Blue - Black got a whopping 6 chapters to itself! 

And that was a total of 50,909 words. :D

My September writing is actually going to have a really heavy focus on A Stain that Won't Dissolve, other than that, I'll be diligently writing ahead because in October I'll be taking a month off from writing!!! I'll still be posting chapters as usual - more than in July and August, I was preparing for October :D - but my monthly wordcount will be set to 0 and if I want to write, I can work on anything I like, which I'm looking forward to. 

I'm excited to take a full month off before NaNoWriMo, because I tend to burn out pretty badly towards the end of the year, and this is the first year of my writing life where I've managed to plan things enough that I can take a kind of holiday from writing, and while I'll still be doing other aspects of this job, writing and editing 10+ new chapters will not be a part of it. Or at least, if it is, it'll be on literally anything I want lol.

If you're particularly excited to see me work on anything in particular, including stories not listed here, please let me know!

This year I've written y'all 358,000 words, which is the equivalent of about 4 standard novels. :D

*

If you want to get updates or links to my fanfic, or hear about ongoing writing things, and read excerpts from future chapters, please find me on Twitter or Tumblr, and subscribe to my fanfiction account over at thespectaclesofthor.

If you want to keep seeing my writing and support it, come join a tier at Patreon - it's my income and it lets me share this writing with you! Alternatively, I have a Ko-Fi account for anyone who wants to support that one. :D

Sending love to all of you, from the lurkers, to the folks who just like that one story, to the peeps who aren't here for the writing and are somehow here for all my ask responses I love you all

#housekeeping #monthly round up #underline the black #game theory edits #underline the gold #underline the red #a stain that won't dissolve #basically ALL THE THINGS #a lot of fanfiction this month! #a little less original stuff #because i plan on slamming a bunch of chapters down next month instead

[gintokiu]

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

love love love getting Tumblr messages, especially if they come from Rena! thank you so much for thinking to tag me and get me back on this ye olde blog. I will do my best to answer since most of my favorites are unfinished and waiting for me to have time to complete them asdfgh anyway, starting from the bottom:

5. Unfinished, unposted work: Worth the Wait

This one is fun because it's something I'm currently working on and I am soo obsessed with it; it's an AU of a fantasy game that I've put way too many hours into recently. I think that the overall premise of the story is something akin to finding things in places that you wouldn't expect them to be, which I always love when it comes to Gintoki and Hijikata, because that's kind of like, their thing? It's set right now to be three or four chapters long and ahh I can't wait for it to be done. I hope, like usual, that the AU doesn't shy people away because they might not know about it/played the game. :') I can't help I only like writing AUs I'm sorry adsfgh

4. Fahrenheit

This story has such humble beginnings and such a warm place in my heart. It was actually the first ginhiji fic I ever wrote and oh god, it was fucking horrible. Rewrote it when I matured more as a writer and am hoping that I figure out where exactly I want this one to end because it's a bit of a toss-up. Right now, I am simply enjoying writing all the modern-day fluff and antics (and sex) until the plot decides to cement itself properly in my brain.

3. Hirudinea

The big one, the one that my brain refuses to write even though I have the plot all there waiting for me to write it. The powerpoint for this story is crazy. I'm looking forward to one day getting to tie this one up with a nice little bow and give it the proper love it deserves, but I want to finish other things first. Forcing myself to write things only ever ends in me hating them and I refuse for that to be the case with this story because there is so much love for it in me and seemingly in the community <3

2. Ninety-Nine and The Flight, the Fall, and the Forsaking of a Crow

There are two for this spot because I can't make up my mind. The Flight is another one with very humble beginnings. I wrote this, god, six or so years ago originally? Rewrote it when I started posting my work and fell in love with the new rendition of it so much. I'm such a sucker for transformations and gaining new understandings of the world, which is exactly what Gintoki gets to go through, which is why it means so much to me. The pacing is there, the emotion is there. Truly one of my favorites of mine that remind myself that I can write sometimes, LOL.

Ninety-nine I love because it is so easy to write. It's the child that never backtalks, never gets in trouble-- it's just golden. The plot for this is fleshed out all the way to the end and the powerpoint is thirty slides longer than Hirudinea's at a whopping 91 slides. It's a beast. I have end chapters completely written, just waiting for the rest of it to catch up. While definitely not my most popular piece, it's the one that I love to work on the most and I hope I can give it the ending that it deserves :') ahhh there's so much I want to say but can't so I'll just leave it here and talk about it later when it gets closer to being complete.

Things That Happen During the In-Between

Certainly did not expect this work to get the recognition that it did when it was posted. When I tell y'all that I hated this story for the longest time because I reread the same scenes fifteen, twenty times over, edited each one at least three or four times super in-depth to the point where it became beyond predictable in my mind. So then I post this, and people are all like "I cried!" I'm like HUH what do you mean you cried? this work sucks?? So then I waited like a month, reread it, and understood that yeah, okay, I actually didn't do that bad of a job with this one. My personal favorite aspect of this story is the characterization, because there are so many parts where I can read through it and say with confidence that that's a very "them" thing to say/do. (I also just love and adore the second movie, it's such a good film and I'm glad that I was able to do it some justice with this story.)

this was such a treat to do, once more thank you @renamusing for tagging me <3 I'll send a few out to some authors who I think are active on my tumblr so if you get one then consider it a little forehead kiss mwha

#ginhijigin #ginhiji #alex talks #im going to be more active on here hopefully #my works

[aelaer]

“Nobody asked about my writing” meme

Thanks for the tag, @tea-understands :) Thankfully I have a small handful of folks who ask me about such things but I do love these memes.

 1: what are you currently working on? 

The Big Boy Fic! The finale of Earth-197320, which I'm 99% certain I am calling Above the Shadows. And I'll have a fun update on Write Every Day June in a couple days.

2: summarize your current project 

It's the fifth and final fic in a series that I started 4 years ago from an anonymous prompt sent to @amethyst-noir. I really clicked with it and she gave me her blessing to pursue it as a full-fledged fic, and here we are today.

Here's my first stab at a proper summary that I wrote for this questionnaire (tell me what you think y'all??):

2019 starts off in crisis-mode as rifts within the borders of reality begin spiraling out of control, drawing the resources of the Masters of the Mystic Arts thin. Tony now juggles the problems of a suddenly-absent Stephen, keeping his work with the sorcerers a secret, and Pepper's uncertain future. Stephen does what he can to maintain the stability of reality while keeping the promises he made. And somewhere out there, the other Stephen Strange is still hiding, putting his own plans into play.

3: summarize your current project poorly 

An author split up what should have been a single work into five separate stories because she wanted to fulfill Bingo cards in 2019, leading to a series that the readers are probably going to need to reread because there's so much detail in Fic 5 that calls back to stuff that happened in Fics 1-4. Fics 1-3 match the length of Fic 4, and Fic 5 is well over the length of Fics 1-4 combined, making for even poorer fic splitting choices. Whoops.

4: describe your favorite character or characters

I mean. Do I really need to? If you're on my blog you know who my faves are.

I guess quick summary as they are in the series in particular:

Stephen Strange: Has an enormous guilt complex that he's been working through a lot. He got better with the help of new friends. His work has endeared them to him quite a bit.

Wong: Has taken a leadership role, but not the title of Sorcerer Supreme for reasons not yet established to the readers. Carries his own secrets. Excellent poker face, but not emotionless.

Tony Stark: Has been blatantly ignoring the Accords ever since he went against Ross's back to find Steve in Siberia and has been continuing that trend since. Seeing the feds turn their eyes on Peter changed his opinion quite strongly. The Steve Issue is still difficult.

Other Strange: He thinks the Avengers and Masters of the Mystic Arts have failed their duties and that he can protect all of reality by himself. He just needs more power.

5: post a line from your current project without any context 

Closed my eyes and scrolled and went to a random page. This is what came up.

Oh, Jesus Christ. This explained so much about the man.

6: how do you get through writers block?

If it's not something health-related which just makes it physically very hard to work on items, I'll switch projects with my shorter fics. For a long fic like this, I'll put on a sprint and just power through 15 minutes at a time to get the harder bits out.

For health-related stuff (including mental), you sometimes just need to work on that first before you can be in the right space to write.

7: would you want to live in the world of your current work? 

Hell no. Superhero worlds are terrible for normal people.

8: briefly discuss your outlining process, if you outline 

I write an outline with the main beats of what I want in that chapter. Then when I get to the actual chapter, I'll sometimes expand the outline with more detail in that chapter section itself. I often go back to the main outline and add new things as I come up with them, or switch around elements in the story to a new chapter. This is how the planned outline has grown from around 12 normal chapters and 1 interlude chapter to 18 normal chapters and 2 interlude chapters (with potential for more growth seeing as I'm getting into some areas that have original outlining that I no longer am certain I want to use as they were ideas from over 2 years ago and the story's evolved a lot since then).

9: what is the aesthetic of your current project?

So much plot. Rewriting a lot of the end of phase 3 to push my Found Family agenda. Fix it vibes, but I think it's a natural fix it arc from the canon drama that could have happened in canon if the Russos gave a damn. A lot of character exploration into their own separate journeys and growth arcs. Pretty accurate on Marvel tones with action, drama, a bit of snark and humor. An itty bitty dash of canon romance but we all know I'm including it only because it needs to be there due to the plot and character arc reasons and not because I'm all googly-eyed for the genre.

10: what song sums up your current work the best?

Each chapter in the series takes a song lyric from a specific song and I identify that song with the story pretty heavily. For instance, Illuminating the Shadows took "The Light" from Disturbed.

For Above the Shadows, it's "Phoenix" by Fall Out Boy (who I'm seeing live in concert in a couple days, yay).

Tagging those who I know are writing/trying to write: @mckiwi, @sobeautifullyobsessed, @burglarhobbit, @amethyst-noir. No obligation either way. Also if I didn't tag you please feel free to take this (and you can poke me here if you'd like as a reminder that you're still actively writing fic regardless of the fandom and I'll try to remember for these sorts of things).

#my writing #tag game #tony stark #stephen strange #fanfic