#mactasha

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Some Sentences Smonday

I wrote words for the first time in a very long while and they just sort of started pouring and god bless MacCready for being a breath of fresh air. I think writing his POV for a while was exactly what I needed 🥲 Tagging @electricshoebox, @theartofblossoming, @atombonniebaby, @totally-not-deacon, @persephotea, @amethystandwine, and @wishing4nuclearwinter if you'd like to share something (on any day that pleases you), no pressure if you'd rather not! Some Mac POV from Chapter 30 of Bring the Gasoline. Tentative chapter title was 'Trust Fall', but I may push that back to Chapter 31.

By now, Nat’s awake. On edge, if she hasn’t already bridged the gap between worry and suspicion. It won’t take her long to connect the dots between absence and abandonment. Even if it’s not true. Even if Deacon doesn’t help her come to that conclusion. She’ll jump there. Even if she reads his note before burning it, or putting it in pieces. It’s a paltry offering. One MacCready knew would never be enough. But it’s only a start. He’ll say the same words when he sees her again. Over and over. Every day, until they sink in deeper than the old wounds he salted, and the fresh ones he's opened. She can do whatever she needs with them in the meantime.

#bring the gasoline #i love Nat but now and then I need a break from her fatalism #mactasha #fallout #maccready #my writing #wip meme

[third-rail-vip]

Happy early birthday @adventuresofmeghatron !  I may have kept hold of a particularly snuggly reference you said you liked, for science...and behold!  Science!  I hope you don’t mind me commandeering Mactasha, but I do love them so.

My thinking is Nat’s snuck out to brood and Mac’s come to find her with a blanket because he knew she’d be cold. 

Megh, I’m so glad to have gotten to know you this last year, you are a ray of sunshine in this dystopian hellscape.  Happy birthday my dear friend, I hope you have a wonderful day 💜

#mactasha #maccready x sole survivor #natasha sokolova #maccready #robert joseph maccready #fallout 4 #my art #adventuresofmeghatron

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🥺❌🤗 for the asks!

Thank you, lovely!! <3 <3 <3

I'm so sorry, I forgot I had this in my drafts for the longest time!!

[Fanfiction Writer Emoji Ask]

🥺 Is there a certain type of moment or common interaction between your characters that never fails to put you in your feels?

Hmm, I'd say, the little unique gestures of comfort and/or protectiveness that started as something else, maybe even something hostile, but over time, without meaning to, become affectionate. And just, familiar in a way that's very cozy and homey.

For MacCready and Natasha, I think about Mac's nicknames for Nat, how "Killer" was meant to be mocking the first time he said it. Now, it's a tease or often a gentle reminder to be careful, because he cares that she's careful. It's also a statement of admiration to some degree. Or, when he says "shoulder" as a trigger for her to roll them back and fix her aim. What once was a critique has become a signal that he's always watching out for her.

There's some similar things starting with Astarion x Naomi that I'm looking forward to playing with more. Astarion, in his own thoughts, has pretty dickishly called her "Little Squirrel". That nickname might (will) take new, softer meaning over time. Naomi might have thoughts on it if he ever says it out loud.

There's also an exchange that came up for the first time in my most recent chapter, where Astarion asks her "Yours or mine?" referring to who gets to kill a guy. It's born out of bloodlust now, but it's something that will recur and become more of a battle couple/camaraderie sort of thing. (It's cropped up again in the evil power couple AU smut fic I'm writing for them, to which Astarion replies "ours.")

❌ What's a trope you will never write?

Probably Omegaverse. No hate/shame, just not my cup of tea!

🤗 What advice would you give to new fanfic writers that are just getting started?

Write what you want. Write with abandon. Write so, so much. Absolutely fuck off with any notion of "is this good" and just let it pour out. You want to be a writer, and all you have to do to be one is write. Being a "good" writer (whatever the hell that means, sounds super subjective) will come later, probably on accident, piece by piece, over time, so long as you keep writing. You got this <3 <3 <3

And at the same time, it's a marathon, not a sprint. You can slow down and take breaks and come back to it. You and the story will often be better for it.

Also, someone somewhere is gonna be down with whatever you're putting on the page. Just 'cause it might not be one person's cup of tea doesn't mean it isn't good tea. It takes time, sometimes, to find your audience. You gotta keep tellin' the story in order for them to find it, but really, you have no control over when or if they do. <3

Also, you fuckin' got this <3 <3

#ask games #my writing #midnight chimes #bring the gasoline #writing #otp: you were doomed but just enough #mactasha

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WIP Wednesday

Tagged for Some Sentences Sunday by @twolargepepperoni-and-a-calzone and @heromaggie, and tagging them back for WIP Wednesday as well as @electricshoebox, @theartofblossoming, @wishing4nuclearwinter, @poetikat, @lookbluesoup, and @kittimau if you feel like it! No worries if not!

If you’d like to be tagged by me for future WIP memes, you can give this post a like. 

I am whittling away on Bring the Gasoline, Chapter 28, which is kicking and fighting me a little bit. It’s a little bit like the last domino that need to be stacked and it sure isn’t settling easy. I feel like I’ve previewed a lot from that one, so here’s another bit of...something else.  👀

“What are you, his fucking lawyer?”

Natasha’s chest heaves. The venom she spit lingers bitter on her tongue. There’s no pity in the sunglasses staring back at her. Deacon isn’t Nick. Nick isn’t here. Nat’s hands ball to fists.

#megh fights the page #bring the gasoline #fallout #mactasha #sole survivor #natasha sokolova #fallout 4 #wip wednesday

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Six Sentence Sunday

Tagged by @electricshoebox and @heromaggie. Thank you! Tagging in turn: @lookbluesoup, @twosides--samecoin, @twolargepepperoni-and-a-calzone, @nomamonster, and @randomwordsandstormydays if you feel like it! No worries if not!

Still whittling away on Bring the Gasoline, Chapter 28. I think I’m in the woods of two-thirds to three-quarters drafted. Progress! I feel a little bad for previewing this one so much, but it helps me to mile mark progress when chapters are taking me a bit longer.

“You used to climb a two-story just to go to sleep at night,” MacCready reminds her in a whisper. “And you did it drunk.”

“I used to need to drink to go to sleep at night,” Natasha murmurs. “I’ve come a long way.” 

“Yeah,” MacCready breathes, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. “You have.”

Well, now how’s she supposed to climb up there? A fond smile forms on his lips. One that turns her legs to jelly. Useless jelly.

#my writing #bring the gasoline #mactasha #maccready #fallout #six sentence sunday #natasha sokolova #maccready x sole survivor

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I'm running faster than my legs can move

I'm starting fights I know I'm bound to lose

I'm losing sleep trying to wake up someone better, someone new

Saying yes when I know all damn well it's something I can't do

And when they ask me why

I say that I

I do it for you

#one for all of my faves #deacready #mactasha #neacon?? nah #deactasha?? nahh #deacon x natasha #spicy ot3 #deacon x maccready x natasha #Spotify

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Some Sentences Someday

I was tagged in various WIP memes lately by @just-another-wasteland-merc , @opalxempress , @totally-not-deacon , and @heromaggie  Thank you all so much!! It honestly really touches me, because I’ve been struggling to find time to write lately, and to know folks still want to see what I’m up to means a lot <3

I’m gonna call this a tag ahead for WIP Wednesday, but please take full license to share whatever you want whenever you want to, or not at all: @pchberrytea ​, @wishing4nuclearwinter ​, and @chaosintheavenue ​. No pressure if you don’t want to!

And you can give this post a like if you want me to tag you in future WIP Memes.

Chapter 24 of Bring the Gasoline is coming along slowly but surely. I would say it’s about half way done, but I’m hoping to make some serious headway over the next week and be able to share in the not too distant future. Here’s a little piece:

Natasha tilts her head, and her voice drops low. “You want me to do it now?”

MacCready bites his lip. Well, damn. A little bit. Maybe more than a little. 

But then, maybe it might be more fun to earn it. Patience being a virtue and whatnot. A sly smile settles on his lips. He savors the slight flicker of disappointment on her face as he slips on his shirt.

“Nah,” he shrugs. “I’ll be on my best behavior, I swear. I’ll even put clothes on and everything.”

“Hm.”

We’ll see, she says. MacCready tames the wayward twitch of his lips as he brushes gently past her, turns the doorknob, and ushers her through. When she hesitates, he bends with an overdrawn bow. Just like a gentleman.

 I’ll show you, he says with a wink.

#okay well now earned it by the weeknd is on repeat in my head again #there is so much of him on the btg playlist #mactasha #my writing #bring the gasoline #maccready #sole survivor #maccready x sole survivor #natasha sokolova

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Art Parade!!

A while ago, @theartofblossoming had wondered if I might do some sort of compilation of all the amazing art that’s been done of my sole survivor, or otherwise inspired by my MacCready x SoSu longfic (Bring the Gasoline) and my Deacon x MacCready x SoSu OT3 series (Reclamations). I thought it might be fun to queue them all up again and let them trickle out a couple a day. And, holy shit, there’s a ton of it!!  I don’t think I even managed to track down all of the sketchy Saturday pieces, and there’s a few of my own haphazard scribblings in there, too. Not in any particular order.

I’ve been massively privileged to work with some enormously talented people to bring these three to life, and incredibly touched by their efforts, whether they were commissions or gifts or giveaways. I thought about listing/tagging all the artists here that had made these pieces, but I wasn’t sure if that would be disconcerting in any way, so instead, I’ve left the artists tagged/mentioned on each queued post. I can’t say thank you enough to you all <3

The queue should only let out a couple a day, so hopefully it shouldn’t overwhelm anyone’s dash. And I hope you all enjoy walking down memory lane for me, or seeing some of this awesome art for the first time! 

#megh speaks #I should've tagged them all with something #most are tagged with either #mactasha #natasha sokolova #spicy ot3 #or #deacon x maccready x natasha #I think I also put queued for joy on them all #but that tag might include other things too

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I had the privilege of commissioning the wonderful @kalidels to make this soft and sweet piece of Natasha and MacCready during their first visit to the hilltop that later became their home. Kali was so so lovely to work with 💜 I can't say that you enough for melting my heart like this, they look absolutely precious 💜

I haven't gotten to rewrite this scene yet, but it was based around one of my first WIP Wednesdays for Bring the Gasoline. I put a snippet below the cut in case anyone's interested in a walk down memory lane, or a glimpse into the future for these two. 😊

“Okay,” MacCready shrugs. “Where do you want to live?”

“I don’t know,” she sighs, eyes downcast. “I...really haven’t thought about it.”

I have. Mac bites back the words before they can betray him. As if the heat on his cheeks hadn't already. “Could be right here, if you want.”

“Here?” She sweeps a skeptical gaze across their surroundings. Outside of the small cloud of color, only rolling brown meadows fill their view.

With a lopsided grin, Mac snatches her hand and drags her forward with him into the flowers. She half-trips forward, colliding into his chest with surprised laughter. “Yeah, right here. See, the porch could open up over there, just outside the living room.” He frames the scene with one hand while the other curls around her waist.

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah. I’m thinking...navy blue walls, tiger-print rug. Could throw in a nice lime trim. Along the back here is where you can put your Grognak display. Gotta get some nice locks for that. Protectron couldn’t hurt. And over here,” his free hand grips hers, waltzing them to the left, “is the bedroom.” Leaning into the quiet laughter that plays beneath her breath, their foreheads gently come to rest against each other. The sound fades out as his lips brush the barest of touches against her own.

Natasha looks at him with eyes aglow, cheeks flushed with life. Like all she could be was mesmerized. Like the only thing they could feel was each other. And it would be just fine if it stayed that way.

#kalidels #other's art #just absolutely gorgeous and so soft 💜 #fallout #maccready #natasha sokolova #mactasha #robert joseph maccready #rj maccready #maccready x sole survivor #sole survivor

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Breathe in for luck Breathe in so deep This air is blessed You share with me This night is wild So calm and dull These hearts they race From self control

Your legs are smooth As they graze mine We're doing fine We're doing nothing at all

My hopes are so high That your kiss might kill me So won't you kill me So I die happy

#here have some shamelessly shippy music because I'm so in my feelings #doing final edits for chapter 18 tonight #then tomorrow we break into 19 and aaahhhh #I can't do previews really so I'm gonna vague through songs instead #mactasha #bring the gasoline #Spotify

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Wordplay, turns into gun play And gun play turns into pillow talk And pillow talk turns into sweet dreams Sweet dreams turns into coffee in the morning

Coffee in the morning I don't wanna wake you I just wanna watch you sleep It's the smell of your hair And it's the way that we feel I've never felt comfortable like this

#mactasha #deacready #deacon x maccready x natasha #listen I found a real thirsty spotify playlist yesterday and the shippy thoughts are going wild #music #bring the gasoline #reclamations

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I'm not likely to have any WIP stuff to share today because I'm forcing myself to do some outlining things that I very much need to do and very much tend to procrastinate doing. Right now it's going back over past chapters and specifically bulleting out Mac and Nat's relationship progression.

Made me smile to read this from Chapter 4:

The sound of her book folding shut cuts him short. Scowling, Daisy sets it aside to rummage through a stack of envelopes in the cabinet behind her. Beneath her breath, Daisy mutters sternly, “I sure hope she’s something special.”

MacCready shuffles his feet. Natasha’s out of earshot, but only just.  “She’s...something.”

Something sarcastic, and a little hair-brained. But relentless. Immovable.

Versus a more recent chapter:

Heat flushes down his neck. MacCready averts his eyes, out of instinct, and then forces them back. Can’t be much help to her if he’s not watching what he’s doing. It’s not a problem anymore. When he looks again, he swallows the truth that it would be something of an uphill battle to tear his gaze away.

She’s... something . Something of a sight to behold. Something of a miracle. Something bruised and raked over in scars he doesn’t have the stories for.

Oh, buddy.

#I always put off doing these outlining things and then they always make me feel just loads better once I do them #bring the gasoline #megh fights the page #mactasha #maccready #natasha sokolova #my writing

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"I lost more than a heart could take, but I found you on the way " 💜 [x]

I am endlessly obsessed with this piece of Mac and Natasha by @quibbs. I cannot stop staring. My heart is so full. This piece was the sun peeking through the clouds today, thank you so much!!

Also, swiggity swooty Mac is goin for the booty 👀

#the prompt for this was something cute and kissy and maybe a little steamy and quibbs just made my dreams come true here #mactasha #natasha sokolova #MacCready #robert joseph maccready #rj maccready #my oc #sole survivor #fallout #other's art

[bardic-inspo]

Bring me to your house and tell me Sorry for the mess, "Hey I don't mind" You're talking in your sleep, out of time Well you still make sense to me, your mess is mine

#god I'm so in my feelings again #mactasha #deacon x maccready x natasha #music #bring the gasoline #reclamations #Spotify #Okay I've listened to it like five more times since posting and I'm gonna tag deacready too #all the feels