#posts might be a little sporadic this week and next

[lynzishell]

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#posts might be a little sporadic this week and next #slowly getting back into things after being sick #i need to get organized and get back to writing #been enjoying a lot of gameplay with aspen tho #she's so precious I can't take it #she'll dance all day with dawn if I let her lol #gif warning #ts4 #ts4 simblr #ts4 story #sims 4 #sims 4 storytelling #sims 4 challenge #starsignchallenge #starsignlegacychallenge #gen1 aries #aries pt3 #phoenix realta #dawn stephens #aspen realta

[missmonsters2]

Mirror, Mirror | One

Please do not copy, repost, or translate my work anywhere else.

Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x Fem!Reader

Summary: The thought of something more had never really crossed Wanda's mind when it came to you. Best friends for 10 years and there hasn't even been one instance of accidental sexual tension. You're her best friend, that's all—until someone points out that you obviously have a very specific type when it comes to dating.

Warnings: best friends to lovers. shenanigans. jealousy, jealousy. sexual tension. pining. yearning. sexual thoughts. spicy (tumblr's version). stupid steve. neurotic nat. brat & stinky. bug as in shutterbug.

*explicit version will only be available on Ao3 & will be posted there after series is completed*

Note: i'm back!!! Nothing like coming back and posting a mini series. Enjoy this superior trope. Updates will be on Tuesdays! As you can see, we're trying something new with explicit content lol 😬

Reminder there's no taglist but you can follow my library blog for notifications 💘

Series Masterlist || Library Blog || AO3

Count: ~4.1k

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It's strange how sometimes a single sentence can change someone's entire life. 

Wanda's thought about what sentences could change her life—usually, they're morbid and depressing.

'You have cancer.'

'Someone you love has died horrifically in an accident.'

'Your cat actually finds living with you miserable and would prefer the dangers of living in the streets.'

Never in a million years would Wanda ever think it'd be, 'Hey, have you ever noticed how your best friend exclusively only dates girls who look like you?'

And don't get Wanda wrong. It wasn't a morbid or depressing change; it was just...a change. An irrevocable change because now, Wanda couldn't stop thinking about it or noticing it. 

This was all Steve's fault. 

Because if someone like Stupid Steve could notice something like that, it had to mean something, right? But as Wanda remembers about the past girls you've hooked up with and brought around, she doesn't know what to make of it.

A part of Wanda wishes she had never talked to Steve that night at the bar. 

"Where's Vis?" Steve asked, looking around.

"With Tony playing pool, I think," Wanda shrugged. She doesn't particularly keep track of where her on-and-off boyfriend goes. She thinks they might be on an off-period right now, anyway. 

"And where's—oh, nevermind, there she is," Steve started to say but cut off when they both saw you across the bar talking with the bartender, flirting over drinks—which were probably free if Wanda could guess. 

Wanda's slightly annoyed because it's been a long week without seeing you, and Wanda's been used to seeing you almost every day for the past several years of her life. But you've been gone on a work trip this week for a wedding shoot and only came home just a little after lunch and needed an immediate long nap before tonight's get-together. 

That meant Wanda was sorely missing out on best-friend time, and now you were off flirting shamelessly with the hot bartender. Wanda's rooting for you, make no mistake. The bartender is definitely easy on the eyes, luscious hair, and lips—something Wanda knows you're weak for. 

Plus, Wanda's worried you're not anywhere near getting close to settling down. She wants you to be in a happy, fulfilling relationship. But she supposes she's in no position to talk herself. 

Wanda loves Vision without a doubt, but their relationship is definitely chaotic, and Vision keeps pushing for something more serious now that they've been dating (sporadically) for a long time. She's been considering it in her downtime and thinks it might make sense as the next step.

Best friends do everything together, right? So, maybe if Wanda decided to take the next step in a serious relationship, you'd find someone to commit to seriously as well. 

Then, both of you could get married at the same time. Then, they could buy a house in the same neighborhood right next to each other. There'd be endless double dates and vacations together. Wanda wouldn't have to miss you.

But first, Wanda needed to regain lost best-friend time, one-on-one style.  

"Hey, you know what I just noticed?" Steve said, breaking Wanda's drifting thoughts. 

"What?"

"Bug—" 

Wanda makes a face at your nickname. Granted, it was Wanda's fault you ended up with it back in your first year of university. You never let her forget it, especially now that you're a professional photographer.

"—over there has a very specific type she goes after for girls," Steve mused, sipping his whiskey before continuing. "I mean, they always have green eyes and brunette—wait, that's not true. She had two red-headed girlfriends in our last year of university. They still had green eyes, though." 

"Oh," Wanda said, unsure what to say since she's never paid attention to the girls you were dating. On average, they were a brief fling, and only a few lasted longer than half a year. "I guess so?"

Wanda distantly thinks about how she dyed her hair auburn in her last year of university because she was looking for a change that year and Natasha was insistent that she'd look amazing. Wanda recalls you were a fan of the look.

"Yeah," Steve nodded along. "Ironically, they always look like you in some way. Check out that bartender now—long, wavy-haired brunette with green eyes. She's got thick, long lips and even does that dark eye-shadow makeup thingy like you."

Steve just laughed it off, finishing his drink, thinking nothing more of it before he started talking about Bucky.

But it was like something clicked into place in Wanda's brain. A daunting realization that she was wholly unprepared for and not equipped to do anything about. 

Wanda watched as the bartender clocked off for the night and dragged you into a corner booth, drinks in hand. It gave Wanda the perfect view that the bartender wore many rings just like she did. 

In the poor privacy of the dimly lit corner booth, there was a staunch and needy kiss from the two of you, and Wanda swallowed roughly. 

From here, if you were none the wiser, Wanda could be easily mistaken for the girl in the booth with you. 

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Sometimes, Wanda believes she's just being absolutely ridiculous. So what if you go after girls who share the same features as her? That didn't have to mean anything. You've always told Wanda she was beautiful, and it was perfect how you said it. 

It didn't feel insincere or creepy. It felt good to know her best friend thought she was absolutely gorgeous. But just because you thought she was beautiful doesn't mean you harbored secret feelings for her. 

You'd be insulted if you knew Wanda had ever thought that. She'd just be another one of those girls Wanda's seen you humble on multiple occasions when they found out you dated women, and they were worried you might have a crush on them. 

But then, Wanda couldn't stop thinking she actually might be one of those girls because then she'd think about if you didn't consider her like that, it wasn't about her looks but something about her personality that wasn't your type. 

And what could that be?

Wanda thought long and hard, trying to remember the girls you've introduced her to. 

Sometimes they were funny, and Wanda was funny. She made you laugh all the time. She specifically remembered one time in high school when she made you laugh so hard you peed your pants just a little. 

Sometimes they were intellectual, and while Wanda didn't have an IQ of 160, she did fairly well academically and was on the right track in her career. 

Sometimes they were charming, and Wanda was the type where she got more charming the more you got to know her. 

So, Wanda just doesn't understand. She's nowhere further with her thinking ever since this weird information has been bestowed upon her.

Maybe it all just means nothing. You just didn't feel that way about Wanda despite the type of girls you dated suggesting otherwise. You didn't need a reason for it, and maybe the fact you only felt friendship for her was the reason. 

"Wanna order pizza in tonight?"

Wanda turns her head from the tv and notices you've put your book down. "Hm, not really. We had pizza last week," Wanda shakes her head. 

"How about that Greek place that just opened up on Willington Ave?" You suggest. "Pretty sure I heard you grumbling about wanting Greek food earlier this week."

"I was not grumbling!" Wanda scoffs but smiles when you raise your eyebrow at her. "Okay, I was grumbling a little."

You snicker as you pull out your phone to order delivery. "Oh, sweet golden best friend of mine, whatever shall you do when you get married to Vis, who hates Greek food. Do I foresee a life of Greekless cuisine? Oh, the suffering you'll go through!"

"I don't need him to like it," Wanda slaps your arm, sticking her tongue out before she cuddles you. "I have you to eat it with."

You laugh unabashedly, a sound that Wanda's accustomed to hearing the joyful sound. "Better hope the person I marry also hates Greek cuisine. I don't know if I can live a life of eating double the Greek food. I love tzatziki sauce, but if I grow to hate it from eating it too much, I will make you suffer the consequences of that."

Your voice trails off as you focus on ordering food, unable to see the cogs in Wanda's head turning. 

It's all so easy. There's no tension, no electric vibes happening. Just best friends enjoying the banter and making plans to eat. 

It was all in Wanda's head, right? You're her best friend, so of course you'd know everything about her. 

The right type of friendship is fulfilling and soul-connecting, and that's what Wanda has with you. When you have a one-in-a-million connection like that, the line between friendship and romance is thin, isn't it?

Wanda hates Steve. She'd never think about this if it wasn't for Stupid Steve. She can hear his dumb laugh, blissfully ignorant about the observation bomb he dropped upon her. 

"Do you wanna get ice cream after?" You ask, throwing your phone to the side. "I'll even treat you to the gelato despite knowing I'm going to suffer through your crazy farts later."

"Oh my god, I'm going to trap you under the blanket with it just for that!" 

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Within two months, Wanda forgets about it. Forgets, as in that she decides to drop it (let it linger in the deep depths of her brain that she refuses to acknowledge), and resolves that Steve has no brain cells and has no idea what he's saying. 

"Have you seen my strapless black top?" Wanda shouts from her room with the door open. "The one with the v-shaped front!"

"In your closet!" You yelled back from the living room, not taking your eyes off your phone. 

"I can't find it," Wanda whines, and she hears you sigh as you get up. The footsteps approach her room, and she finds you standing at the door with an unimpressed look.

"I don't want to hear it," Wanda sniffs. 

"Hear what, brat?" You say with a brow raised before you start rummaging through her closet. The nickname was a joke you started that Wanda was entirely a spoiled person, exhibiting bratty behavior at times. "That I'm not gonna be your roommate forever, so you need to learn to fold it yourself before putting it away?"

Wanda makes grumbling noises that are mostly nonsensical but smiles when you pull out the top she was looking for. 

"You are the apple of my eye, stinky," Wanda grabs the top from you before she runs into her washroom to briefly change into it. 

"A match made in heaven, yeah, yeah," you roll your eyes with good humor. "Hurry up, Natasha will kill us if we're late for Yelena's birthday. They're on an upwards mend in their relationship, so she's been so unbearably uptight lately to make sure nothing goes wrong."

"I know, I know," Wanda mutters, carefully pulling the top over her head to not ruin her makeup. 

"Alright, I'll hail us a cab, meet me outside."

"Wait, wait!" Wanda calls out. "I need help putting on my necklace."

You chuckle, walking back just as Wanda steps out of the bathroom with the delicate necklace she wants to wear. 

"Alright, alright, relax," you tell her. "Your accent gets really strong when you're stressed."

"You're stressing me out by rushing me," Wanda scrunches her nose even though you can't see it. "I'm also stressed knowing that you have to rush me, or I'll spend the party getting lectured by Natasha."

Wanda's voice comes out husked with the accent, something she's struggled between hating or loving, but mostly loving since you've expressed how lovely it is.

You grab the necklace from her hand, and Wanda moves her hair out of the way. The routine of it all starts to bleed the tension out of her shoulders. 

Then, that horrible Stupid Steve Sentence kicks into her brain. 

 It's only as you put your arms over, placing the necklace against Wanda's chest, and focusing on trying to get the clasp in. Wanda can feel your warm breath against her neck, summoning goosebumps along her arms. You're so close, and she can feel the heat of your body radiating onto her, your fingers just barely brushing against her.

The tension comes suddenly, squeezing inside her chest as her breathing slows and shakes. Her body warms in an unexpected way. 

"Ah, got it," you say, but Wanda can only focus on your voice and breath on the shell of her ear. "Cute necklace but the clasp is so annoying."

You pull away and start walking off. "C'mon, I bet if we tip our taxi driver an extra $20 bucks, they'll speed and we can pray we're on time."

Wanda's left standing there, knowing she probably sounds like she's fresh out of Sokovia with how stressed she is. Her right eye twitches.

Was that...Wanda gulps. Was that sexual tension?

And was she the only one who felt it?

Fuck.

She's going to kill Steve.

⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷⋆⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷ 

Natasha's absolutely neurotic when they arrive. It's just a simple backyard party, but it almost looks like a wedding venue with all the catering and flowers. 

Wanda's pretty sure Natasha's only being like this because she's overthinking about whether to cling to Yelena or give her sister some space to mingle with others. She seems to be sizing up Kate, who Yelena might be seeing, but it hasn't been confirmed. 

Yelena looks between exasperated with Natasha and secretly happy about the entire thing. Wanda can sympathize with her. After all, she's also a little sister, and Pietro can also be way too overprotective. Sometimes she's glad he's abroad in Europe for work while she remains in New York, but she misses him more often than she admits. 

"Alright, alright, Natasha," you groan, and Wanda's mind slips back into the conversation. "We're 3 minutes late, relax, will you? Damn, are you always gonna be like this until you and Yelena get back into whatever sibling bond you had before? Hope you're just like this with us because otherwise, you're gonna scare away all her friends, and she's going to hate you."

"Oh my god, do you think she'll really hate me?" Natasha bites her bottom lip in worry while looking around at all the people that they can only assume she's nagged about being late or whatever mishap. 

"Oh, man," you sigh, putting your hand on her shoulders before pushing her towards the bar. "You need some drinks and maybe some desserts in you."

Wanda's about to follow you when you turn around and nod your head in a different direction. She looks over and sees you're nodding toward Vision.

"You should go say hi to him," you tell her. "You've been complaining about not seeing him all last week, even though I don't know why you guys won't just FaceTime, but I digress. Come find me later, or I'll find you after."

You look over at Natasha, who's peering on her tippy toes to see if she can find Yelena.

"And, hopefully, I'll have ditched this nutjob," you whisper conspiratorially and laugh when Natasha turns around to smack your arm. 

"I heard that!"

Wanda chuckles as you walk off with Natasha while she turns and heads toward Vision. Despite how she was complaining about not seeing Vision last week because she did miss him, her expression was sour as she made her way toward him. 

Vision spots her immediately and waves at her with a warm smile. Wanda feels herself somewhat loosened at his expression. They'd also been friends a long time before they started on-and-off dating, so at the very least, she does miss his easy friendship. 

"Hey," Vision hugs her, slightly rubbing her back before he pulls away but keeps his arm around her. "It's been a while; you look lovely."

"Thanks," Wanda smiles with a shrug. She looks around and sees he's standing with Tony and Pepper. "How are you guys?"

"Could be better," Tony sighs dramatically. "Natasha won't let me do any of my cool party tricks as if I'm going to ruin her little sister's party. If anything, I could make it the party of the century!"

Pepper rolls her eyes good-naturedly. "We were just talking about how we're thinking of going to the Bahamas for vacation in December and escaping the cold. We've invited you and Vision along since it's been awhile since we've all gone together. Of course, we can also invite Bug and Natasha."

"Oh," Wanda says for a lack of anything else to say. She doesn't know how to feel about it, but she peers over at Vision, who's just smiling at her and looking eager about it. 

"I need another drink if I'm going to suffer through this party," Tony sighs. "Maybe I can convince Yelena instead!" He grins, dragging Pepper along, and they walk off together. 

"So, what do you think?" Vision asks when they're alone. "I didn't want to reply on your behalf since I wasn't sure, but I think it'd be good for us. I've missed you," Vision pauses as if he's about his next words but then says, "a lot."

"Yeah, me too," Wanda starts to say, but then her brain gets all haywire because it feels like a lie. She did miss him, but did she miss him a lot? "I think."

"You think?"

Wanda wants to smack her forehead because she didn't mean to say that out loud. "I mean, I was complaining a lot that I haven't seen you in a while all last week."

"Yeah, work has just been overwhelming. I get so tired after work, I just can't keep up with the texting or calls."

But you can, Wanda thinks. Granted, you're her roommate, so it's easier. But even when you have to go on work trips, you regularly text her no matter what time and squeeze in a quick call, even if it's just to say goodnight. 

The entire thing makes Wanda bite her tongue because why was she even thinking about that? That was completely irrelevant to Vision. 

Then—because as if just thinking about you wasn't enough—her eyes trail across the room, and the scene before her makes Wanda even more confused about her feelings.

You're standing there with Natasha at the bar, but it looks like Natasha's calling someone over to introduce you to them.

Another brunette with long, wavy hair, like she just had a blowout done. Wanda's not 100% sure from this distance, but she has an inkling that the brunette also has green eyes. She's wearing a white halter top and wide-legged sage green pants. She wears a lot of rings, but her makeup is lighter and more summery compared to Wanda's darker, smokey eye makeup.

In short, this woman was the clean girl aesthetic version of Wanda. 

And you look interested. 

This was ridiculous, Wanda fumes, feeling her stomach sink and cheeks flare hot in anger. As quick as the anger came, it dissipated.

Why was she so angry?

She feels betrayed, and her thoughts are turning very ugly. Wanda is definitely not being a girl's girl right now with how much she's thinking she's better than the girl in front of you. 

But that just makes everything so much more confusing. 

"Wanda?"

Wanda turns her head back to Vision. He looks concerned, and even when his eyes trail toward what Wanda's staring at, there's no additional reaction. He's not upset that she's staring at you, and that has to mean something, right?

It must mean there was never a concern about how Wanda might've felt about you. Sure, there were a few things Wanda couldn't be without, and you were one of them, but nobody can't be without their best friend. 

No one had ever blinked twice about you and Wanda.

Except now.

And that person was Wanda herself. 

The more Wanda thought about the entire thing, the more she became curious. The idea of you dating people who looked like Wanda was intriguing. She wanted to ask questions but didn't know what to ask.

It might mean nothing, but it also might mean something. 

And if it does mean something, Wanda wants to know what exactly it is. 

Therefore, Wanda needs nothing in her way to find out the truth and exactly what she wants, regardless of the answer. 

This was insane, wasn't it? Wanda's always been ambivalent about dating women. She's never gone out of her way to try it since she had Vision. Never mind entertaining thoughts about dating her best (girl)friend. And now, she was giving everything up in the pursuit of finding out what it could mean that her best friend was dating her lookalikes—and why she cared.

Wanda doesn't even know what she'll want to do with that information. 

Wanda looks at Vision, peering at his features she's always found handsome. When she thinks back, she's not even sure why she complained to you about how she hasn't seen or heard from him lately. She hadn't even gone out of her own way to do something about it.

"I'm not going on the trip. I don't think I actually missed you like that."

⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷⋆⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷ 

The girl introduced to you was named Raye, Natasha's coworker that recently moved from Nashville. It was also confirmed she has green eyes, though they had specks of brown in them. She was a southern belle with a bold attitude, witty, and a wicked sense of humor. All in all, undeniably charismatic. 

At least, that's what you told her in private because all Wanda could feel was unrestricted aggravation with the other girl. The southern twang made Wanda's eye twitch, mostly because she knew you were head over heels for accents.  

"And then before I knew it, I was panicked and more lost than a blindfolded turkey on thanksgiving!"

You burst out laughing while Wanda's expression is stony, but when you look at Wanda, she forces a smile on her lips.

"Hahaha," Wanda dryly let out. "So funny."

But it wasn't. What the fuck did that even mean?

Raye continues to talk while you listen with rapt interest, and Wanda takes the time to observe your features in a way she's done many times before but with a different mindset. 

Your lips are curved in a smile, glistening from your chapstick. They're shapely, and they look soft. It rivals her favorite feature of yours, which is your eyes. They've always been so expressive with her, and Wanda's been around long enough that she knows what every expression means. She can tell when they glint with mischievousness or are soft with immense compassion and empathy. 

"So, what did you think of Raye?" You ask Wanda as you leave the party.

"She's cool, I guess," Wanda answers nonchalantly. 

The rest of the party was excruciating between Raye constantly hanging around you and Wanda also being too nervous to be alone with you. 

"Really cool," you sigh with a grin. "Glad I got her number. It's been a while since I've met someone so funny."

Was she funny, though? Wanda wonders.

"Funnier than me?" Wanda finds herself asking.

"No one could be funnier than you, brat," you smirk. "I almost peed myself laughing again when you almost knocked off Yelena's cake. I thought Natasha was about to enter into a coma." You snicker while Wanda rolls her eyes with a smile. 

"Glad I can always give you the biggest laughs, stinky."

Wanda glances over at your face, recognizing the excitement by the brightness in them. It's just another reminder that, as your best friend, she knows you like the back of her hand. 

But lately, when Wanda watches you pick up girls, she can tell when they're heady with desire. That look hasn't been directed at her, and Wanda wants to know what it'd be like if it were.

Wanda recalls the night you kissed the bartender and imagines if it had been her instead. She pictures your hand sliding across her jaw and cheek while your other pulls her closer at the waist. 

It's horrifying when a slow pit of arousal builds in Wanda's gut and...other regions. It feels utterly frightening and wrong like she's betraying the friendship for having and then reacting to such thoughts about you. 

But there's another part—the part that tells Wanda there's nobody in this world that she loves more than you. The mere idea of ever being apart from you was unfathomable. Wanda could and has endured so many things, and it would always be okay as long as she had you. 

So, knowing that Southern Belle Raye has the potential to be more than a one-night stand to you, Wanda realizes that she has a very small window to not only come to terms with her newfound feelings but also act on them as well. 

If this didn't go well, Wanda would definitely murder Steve.

PART TWO

#wanda maximoff x reader #wanda maximoff x you #wanda maximoff imagine #wanda maximoff fluff #wanda maximoff x y/n #avengers imagine #scarlet witch imagine #scarlet witch x reader #wanda maximoff fanfiction #modern avengers au #Elizabeth olsen x reader #mm: my fics

[gaslightgallows]

Please imagine a pithy title about fresh starts here.

(crossposted from Patreon)

Coming into 2024, I had big plans for how I was going to get back on track and get back to posting once a week and yeah, obviously, that hasn’t happened.

But what I have been doing is looking at my Patreon and at my own projects and figuring out some things I need to do differently. Last April, I changed my nom de plume because I wanted a fresh start. Now it’s time to give this entire Patreon project a refresh.

Here’s what’s happened so far:

Deleted my old A.F. Linley website and gave up the domain; the cost for hosting has risen by $200/year and I wasn’t using it as much as I thought I would back in 2018. Also I kept getting spam emails through the contact page.

Took down my Smashwords account; the single title I had managed to self-publish, a short story collection called Creeps, Ghouls and Jewels, had some serious formatting issues that it was not going to be worth the time/money to correct. Plus, I’m not happy with the changes that have come since Smashwords merged with Draft2Digital. (I’m considering moving to Payhip for future self-pubbed titles but that’s a discussion for a different post.)

I’m starting the process of taking down my Redbubble shop and....Okay, actually, I might have done that already? I just went to grab a link to the site in case anyone wanted to order a Moonicorns t-shirt before I deactivated but uh, it looks like it might’ve deactivated itself? Anyway, merch isn’t the right direction for me at this time, but I’ve still got all the actual designs and I really do like the “Finishing Things is Hard” logo, so I’m definitely going to hang onto that and slap that onto some stuff at a different print-on-demand site in the future.

Here’s what’s happening next:

New posting schedule: Starting in April, patrons will receive one short non-fiction post every week (500-1k words) and a piece of fiction every month (2-2.5k words). Oddments posts will continue to be free to read, but these take a decent amount of research and will be sporadic, basically happening around patron-only posts.

Revised patron tier perks: Getting rid of physical rewards and adding more digital ones. More details to come.

Current and long-time patrons: Thank you for sticking around while I get my shit together. I say that frequently. I mean it every single time.

Potential new patrons: Hello. I have just met you, and I love you. My name is Ethan, I live in a 200-year-old house and I’m writing a novel called The Lion’s Paw. It’s set in 1925 and is about an immortal queer disaster woman and what happens when 400+ years of terrible decisions catches up with her.

(I will neither confirm nor deny that she was inspired by H.G. Wells from Warehouse 13.) (Yes I will confirm it, she totally was.)

There are séances and ghostly possession and psychics, there is historical romance, and psychological horror, there are haunted houses and artists behaving badly and a lot of ladies making out.

I post about my writing process and all the weird little historical niches that pop up during my research. Frequent topics include: 

Spiritualism

Cryptids

Historical curiosities

Medical quackery

Weird tech

General oddball occurrences and serendipitous intersections of history, folklore, and culture

And sometimes when I’m really bored I write short fiction via random prompts.

If any of that appeals to you, please consider subscribing! I’d love to have you along for this journey and my caffeine habit needs all the support it can get.

=====

Banner photo by Ryan Snaadt on Unsplash.

#patreon #original writing #the lion's paw #warehouse 13 #pinned post #reblogs welcome!

[turbulentscrawl]

Identity(V) Headcanons: Luca Balsa

Next up!

Again, I am new to the IDV fandom, and I have never played the game, so these headcanons are informed by my ongoing lore dives sourcing the wiki, japanese twitter responses, comics, stageplay, and more! Some of these may relate to or even contradict character backstory, and some of them are just pure vibes for me. If you like it, consider shooting a request ;)

-So to start, I personally headcanon that Luca initiated the fight that led to the electrical accident. He’s always been hot-headed and impulsive, especially in regard to the source of his pride. I don’t think he intended for the confrontation with Alva to end anywhere near the way it did, but I do think he felt a good shove or two were well-warranted when he found out "his" ideas were being stolen. It’s when Alva fought back a little too viciously that the accident happened—and it well and truly was an accident. Not that it matters much when the only survivor doesn’t remember the event at all.

-He has headaches regularly, and terrible migraines at least once a week. He’s yet to find a way to relieve the migraines and, even worse, they are typically followed by an episode of more intense amnesia. Under normal circumstances, Luca’s memory problems are manageable. He doesn’t remember the accident, and there are massive blackouts in the memories beyond it, but on the average day he only struggles with small details of more recent events. During these post-migraine episodes, though, he completely loses all context for where he is, what he is doing, and who the people around him are. Most of the time, the important bits come back…but not always.

-Forgotten memories are also sometimes sporadically triggered by something mundane. A word, a texture, a sound, and suddenly he’s frozen stock-still in the face of a one-person cinematic viewing. By the time he turns to tell someone about it, though, the memory is gone again.

-To try to combat these issues, Luca keeps notebooks stashed everywhere. He writes down anything that might be important, as well as anything sentimental. The obvious issue with this, however, is that he doesn’t always remember where he keeps these notebooks.

-Despite his memory problems, his personality is largely in-tact. He maintains a lot of gentlemanly mannerisms and is cordial, if not outright friendly, to just about everyone he meets. Generally, he’s only “rude” in the sense that his attention tends to shift very abruptly.

-He’s the sort of person who appreciates variety. In people, food, scenery, just about everything. Part of why he gets along with so many people is because he can genuinely appreciate all manner of skillsets and hobbies. Likewise, to be a friend to him you only need to show appreciation for his work; understanding is not a requirement.

-It’s canon that he dislikes noise, but enjoys music. These might seem like clashing sentiments, but what it really comes down to is expected noise. Music can be relaxing, inspiring, rush-inducing! It holds your mind’s hand and hurries it along its thoughtful way. JUST noise is…chaotic, distracting, and sometimes startling. Plus, Luca likes being able to hum along while he works.

-It’s common to be static-zapped if you touch him. Long-term contact can even cause your hair to start standing on end. Unfortunately, it isn’t something he can control, so just be prepared to deal with it.

-The best Love Language to give Luca is Quality Time. He can honestly work with pretty much all of them, but Quality Time checks multiple boxes—especially if you’re good with parallel play. For one, he gets so busy with his work that it sometimes makes him feel guilty for neglecting the people he cares about. If you’re comfortable just hanging around his space, doing your own thing while he does his, it’s easier for him to check in with you between the erratic come-and-go of his thoughts. Those small bits of time add up, and he feels much better about his workaholic nature. Second, the more you permeate his memory, the less likely he feels he is to forget you. One of the few things he doesn’t struggle to remember is himself, his own name, and if you’re always there maybe it’ll be the same for you.

-He has trouble balancing his priorities. He often foregoes food, sleep, hygiene, and even his loved ones in favor of working on his invention. Sometimes he’s so absorbed in it that he doesn’t even understand the weight of hurtful decisions, but even when he does, he’d find it difficult to change.

-It’s also never impossible for the emotions that caused the accident to rear their head again. If someone were ever to intentionally sabotage Luca’s work or unapologetically steal his ideas, he may very well lash out with violence. Even if it were an accident, there’s no guarantee he wouldn’t be enraged.

-Luca has no idea what he’d do with himself if he ever did finish his invention. The guilt he feels for what may-have-happened is confused and warped, and he keeps it buried beneath his weighty obsession with the one thing he’s never forgotten…but if it were ever to be out of the way, Luca might be consumed by darkness.

#idv #identity v #luca balsa #idv prisoner #idv x reader #luca balsa x reader #turbulentscrawl #identity v x reader

[bestofhouse]

welcome to the house md tournament

wherein we will collectively decide which house episode is the best, the cream of the vicodin crop. my overriding philosophy for this tournament is to provide entertainment, even where that might conflict with collecting the "most accurate" data. this is tumblr, not a peer-reviewed study. we can't always get what we want, but i try sometimes to get you what you need

tournament status:

preliminary polls and bracket are being designed. keep an eye out for polls that will help me design the brackets and polls in a way that makes most people happy

polls:

polls will last 1 week and the winner will move onto the next round. any poll that registers a 50/50 tie will be broken by me at my own discretion, because i deserve a little treat once in a while

live polls and results will be linked in this post while the tournament is ongoing

propaganda:

submit propaganda for any episode, any time, through this form right here. to keep posts succinct, i may trim or omit submissions at my discretion, especially if many people have submitted propaganda for an episode. depending on the amount of work involved, for episodes with a lot of propaganda, i may rotate out what's included with each poll that episode survives, or omit it altogether in certain polls to keep things as neutral as possible. i'm making this shit up as i go

i will not rb propaganda -- personally when i'm following polls, i don't want to see it. this might change towards the end of the tournament, but for now i don't want to clutter dashes too much.

be civil to the other human beings around you in my notes. criticizing an episode you don't like is fine, but keep it classy

tagging system:

i will do my absolute best to keep non-poll nonsense to a minimum. you're welcome to send in comments, questions, etc, but know that i may not answer them all (if anonymous) to avoid clogging dashboards.

polls will be tagged with:

#poll

#round [x]

the episode in the format of "season.episode - episode title"

i don't want to clog the main house tag so i will not tag every poll with #house md, though i may sporadically main tag one or two polls per round, especially toward the end

#housetournament

i don't see myself creating any posts on this blog that are not strictly related to the running of this poll, but if i do i'll use #not tournament related. every post that isn't specifically a tournament poll will be tagged #admin. i will tag non-anon published asks with the sender's url (dashes converted to spaces).

this post will be updated as i continue to get my shit together. please be patient while i do this

#admin #housetournament #house md

[saxxxology]

In the Barman’s Bed | Oneshot

PAIRING: Cordell Walker x Reader

WORD COUNT: 2,100

WARNINGS: implied future family planning, committed relationship, smut, face riding, fingering, Cordell has a dirty mouth, rough sex, creampie

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I do not consent to minors (17-) reading my work. This story is 18+ only. Do not save, download, or repost my work on any other sites.

Cordell loves good. He’s smart and sweet, a little awkward getting back into the dating game but he’s gotten better, bringing you flowers and taking you to all the local farmers markets and craft festivals. He’s still getting used to loving another woman after Emily, learning all the things you do differently just as much as what the two of you have in common.

Cordell loves steady. It’s hard at first with his kids and working on the family ranch full time, but he’s gotten better at keeping a schedule: dinners with the family on Friday nights, date nights on Saturdays, and sporadic after-school ice creams with his kids. It’s a sweet little rinse-and-repeat that’s made the last six months heaven.

Cordell loves hard, whether it be casual brushes of the back of his work-calloused hand against yours in public or the surge of his body against yours when he’s got you naked and open, on your back with your legs spread for him. He’s sweet and tender when you want him to be, kissing all your sensitive spots until you’re blissed out, and rough when you need him to be, bruising your flesh with his fingers and saying all kinds of filthy things as he fucks you into orgasm after orgasm.

Needless to say, you’re happy with him. And he’s happy with you. Thinking of the post-breakup night you’d decided to head to a bar you’d never heard of before and found yourself in the ex-Ranger-turned-barman’s bed the next morning feels like a fever dream. You’d expected a one night stand, but here you are, six months in, and you haven’t left.

Your six-month anniversary lines up perfectly. You’d planned to go on a road trip to Yosemite anyway, and with the kids being out of school for the summer, it’ll be a good opportunity to get a little more involved with them.

You have to get involved with them — you and Cordell had decided a long time ago that your relationship, albeit relatively fresh, is headed in a strong direction. No summer fling, no on-and-off-again bullshit, no jokes. You’re serious, enough for you to consider the fact that, at some point, Cordell’s kids might just end up being your step-children. Hell, the two of you might just pop out a baby of your own, if you have the opportunity.

You’ve been so busy packing and getting ready for being gone for two weeks that you and Cordell have barely had time to see each other in several days. You decide to stay with him the night before you leave, just to make things a little easier for leaving in the morning. The kids go to bed early, so you decide to head out to your renovated guest house for a couple drinks and an episode of whatever before you hit the hay.

“You know,” Cordell says, watching you toss the spare pillows on your side of the bed to the floor, “we’re not gonna have much alone-time for the next couple weeks.”

“Oh?” You crawl up onto the mattress. “That so?”

He hums, allowing you to crawl on top of him. “Figured we could have one good romp to keep us good and happy.”

You giggle when his hands slide up your sides, teasing your robe off your body until it flutters to the bed behind you. “I think I got enough for a good quickie in me.”

Cordell grins, pulling you down against him until your mouth meets his. He tastes warm and minty-sweet, and when you lick at his lower lip, he lets out a playful moan that makes your cunt throb. His hands dig into the cheeks of your ass, and you arch your back when he moves his hips up, rubbing his growing erection against your belly.

“Gotta get you ready,” he murmurs, “get up here.”

You hold your breath when he tugs you up, scooting down just enough to get far enough away from the headboard and get his head between your legs. He pulls you down when you don’t move fast enough, kissing the inside of your thigh before licking through your folds. A hoarse sigh escapes your throat, and you brace one hand against the top of the headboard to keep yourself steady as his fingers dip into the soft flesh of your hips.

“Y’taste like sugar, baby,” he praises, smirking like the devil himself as he buries his head between your legs. Your hips roll, guided by his hands as you reach for the headboard for support. He hums, kissing the inside of your thigh before returning his attention to your clit. It’s all you can do to keep your composure, gently rocking your hips back and forth as Cordell squeezes handfuls of your flesh, moaning with satisfaction.

“Oh, fuck…” you tilt your head back, one hand sliding down to tangle in his hair, “Cordi… holy shit, please—”

He makes a muffled groan between your legs, lapping quicker and harder until you start to shake. His hand falls on your ass, the sting of it earning him a whimper of pleasure from you. Two fingers curl up between your legs, pressing at your entrance until you rock down and take them in. He’s gotten real good at doing this, massaging the sweet spot deep inside you while he licks your clit in perfect rhythm.

He has you cumming in minutes, eyes sparkling wickedly as he watches your body move under the force of your orgasm. Your mouth opens in a wide O, your breaths getting higher and faster until you pull away, pussy hovering just out of reach as you shudder through the blissful aftershocks.

“That’s m’girl,” he purrs, pressing and squeezing on your thighs. “Get on down there, baby… wanna see you ride me.”

You hum, rubbing your hands over his chest as you settle over him. He reaches down, grabbing himself firmly to guide himself right up where it’s warm and wet, and you let out a high, breathy sigh when he pulls you down on him. His hips press into your inner thighs, warm and firm against soft flesh, and where he’s splitting you open, throbbing deep inside you… it feels so fucking perfect that you can’t even let yourself stretch out to take him properly before you start moving.

“Fuck,” you whisper, “baby…”

Cordell lets out a raspy groan, pusing his pelvis up into yours at the same time you rock down. You take his hands, guiding them up your sides until he takes over. The flesh of your breasts curves soft in his palms, and you arch forward, giving him a show as you start to ride and grind on him.

“Fuck, that feels real nice,” he praises, “c’mon, baby, ride a little harder, this bed ain’t gonna break.”

You let out a breathless moan, digging your nails into his chest until he lets out a soft huff and tips his head back, eyes squeezed shut. You’ve figured out what he likes best, all the little tricks that make him lose every ounce of control, and when you give your hips a little twist and roll, his palms slap down on your hips, fingers digging in hard enough to surely bruise.

“God, you little fuckin’—” his voice cuts off when you do it again, and he cranes his neck, teeth bared up at you. You lean down, arms stretching over his shoulders as you hold your hips down on him, and he claims your mouth in a fierce, heated kiss.

“You love it, don’t pretend you don’t,” you murmur.

Cordell laughs, the sound breathless against your mouth, and his fingers dig into the soft flesh of your hips. “Damn right… go on, baby, grind that pretty little cunt on me.”

You hum, leaning back slowly and pressing your palms against his chest. He tugs you roughly back and forth, eyes unblinking and fixed on the bounce of your breasts. He lifts one hand, sticking his thumb between his lips to wet the pad, and sticks it down between your legs, rubbing firmly on your clit.

“Fuck,” he gasps when you squeeze around him. “That’s it, baby girl, faster… fuck, you look so goddamn pretty…”

You let out a soft whimper at the praise, allowing your lower jaw to go slack as Cordell braces his heels in the mattress, meeting you thrust for thrust. He fucks you into a different rhythm, setting a rough, steady pace that makes the scoop of your hips on his feel even more delicious. His thumb slips back and forth on your clit, earning high-pitched squeaks and moans as the pressure helps your orgasm creep closer and closer.

“Shit, I can feel you,” he mutters, “g’on, baby girl, cum for me. Wanna feel your pussy cummin’ on my dick.”

You don’t need to be told twice. Your head falls back, mouth open wide as your body takes over. The rough movement of your hips coaxes his cock against your sweet spot, and just when you think you can’t take any more, and your thighs are burning with the effort of moving, you shudder through a wave of heat that has you slumping forward, pelvis dragging hard against his as you fuck him through your climax.

“Yeah, that’s m’girl.” Cordell grunts when your movements stutter. “C’mon, ride it outta me, I’m almost there.”

“Can’t,” you gasp, “fuck, Cordi, I can’t…”

He takes over without protest, wrapping one arm around your waist and rolling over to dump you right on your back. He takes advantage of your proximity to the headboard to reach over, wrapping nimble fingers around one of the sturdy rungs for leverage. You have to bite your lip to stifle a cry of overwhelming pleasure as Cordell takes what he wants, fucking into you with long, desperate strokes that have your eyes rolling back into your skull.

He wasn’t lying about being close — he only makes it a minute or so, and you cling to him when he shoves forward, looking down between your legs so you can watch his cock throb and pulse. He loves cumming inside you, especially when you squeeze him extra tight and get his orgasm to last a little longer.

He pulls out with a hiss, sweeping his fingers through his hair as he stares down at you. “You’re fuckin’ perfect,” he whispers, “I’m gonna miss fuckin’ you, you know that.”

“It’s only two weeks,” you reply, grinning up at him as you press your thighs together. “We should clean up ‘fore I wreck your bed.”

“Wouldn’t be mad if this is the reason.” He kisses you, deep and hard, and kneels back to help you off the bed.

The shower is quick, just enough for you to scrub away sweat and slick and as much of his cum as you can. Cordell leaves you to wash up a little longer, and when you pad back into the bedroom you find him dressed in a tee shirt and a pair of ratty sweats, arranging the little fan on his dresser turned towards the bed. The room smells like sweat and sex, and you giggle when he reaches for the lavender and vanilla room spray you’d bought him a while back.

“Stella’s on the couch,” he whispers, “she came in while we were in the shower. Don’t want the whole house smellin’ like this.”

You offer him a soft smile. “Is she okay?”

“Yeah, she’s good.” Cordell sprays a few pumps of mist into the air. “Sometimes she can’t sleep in her own room, she sneaks in here and camps out on the couch. Besides, it’ll be easier getting her up earlier.”

“Mmm.” You reach for a nightshirt and drop it over your head before climbing underneath the covers. “Get in here, don’t let me get cold.”

He chuckles, turning off the bedside lamp and snuggling in beside you. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

You stretch out when he slings an arm over your waist, his head resting on the large pillow you’ve figured out how to share. “I’m excited.”

“Well, hold on now, missy, we just—”

“Not like that,” you reply, “I mean about going on this trip. August and I are kinda on the same track, but I think Stella’s a little more anxious about it. It’ll be good.”

Cordell hums in agreement. “Can’t argue with that. Get some rest, we got a long day tomorrow.”

You can’t help but smile when he leans in, kissing underneath your jaw. “I’m trying to, go to sleep.”

He chuckles. “All right. Night, darlin’.”

“Night, Cordi.”

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#cordell walker #cordell walker x reader #walker texas ranger #jared padalecki

[ru1-png]

Then How About I Place This Kiss On Your Lips~?

. . . Content Desc (ↄ〃∇〃)ↄ

∘ I AM ONCE AGAIN BACK PROJECTING MY FIXATIONS ONTO THIS SILLY ASS APP!!! (me trying to rack my brain doing my very best to post more often) . . . LOADING . . . ₓ Vanitas x Reader \\ vanitas being the flirt he is & flirting with reader ~ ˙ᵕ꒳ᵕ this is a . . . FLUFF !!! ༄ؘ ˑ TW + info : no trigger warnings again this time! though i had this idea in mind for quite a while and my fixation for csov has died down a bit over the past few weeks, i still intend on hoping i can do this to the best of my ability! since ofc this takes place in paris i tried my best to actually correlate locations that are actually in paris yet trying to stay time accurate too!! WORD COUNT : 1915

The moment your head hits the soft cotton pillow placed neatly on your bed, it can take all of mere seconds for you to drift off into your bittersweet sleep. The lovely feeling of being able to finally rest after going through the many experiences that come with each passing day. Yet, the aching feeling of what the world might bring you the next day, what if you simply aren't ready to face it? The moment you finally begin to drift into slumber, you can't help but consider that as the ambiance outside lulls you to sleep. Just as every night, you were once again drifted away into your slumber, unaware of how much time has passed.

"Morning sleepyhead~"

You are suddenly broken away from your sleep, being the light sleeper you are, the voice speaking suddenly makes your eyes shoot open. Quite shocked, you shoot up and look towards your windowsill which you tend you leave open at night. Other than maybe a bird or two sitting on it, you lived a fair distance away from the ground so it wouldn't be like someone could get in. Unless well, it was the person that you realized was the one that had startled you awake, Vanitas. Still groggy, you seem to give yourself a second before saying anything to let your body adjust to being awake.

"Vanitas? What are you doing here at this hour... it's quite early in the morning" You don't seem upset or annoyed but sure as hell not very pleased to be woken up so suddenly. Vanitas proceeds to give you one of his signature smirks which would only be followed by a tease.

"Well well, isn't someone fiesty this morning~ it's not even that early. Get ready y/n, cause I've decided we are going out on an adventure today! Your's truly thought that taking you around to places would be quite fun, so go ahead and get ready! And make it fast~" Without even waiting for your response, he then shuts your window and proceeds to sit on your roof, knowing you probably couldn't say no and would proceed to reluctantly follow along with his plans.

That you did. Unable to have much of a say to your close friend that had a habit of sporadically asking you to go out and do things. You did love doing it though so I guess it's a good trade for not being able to decline the request. After finally clothing and grooming yourself, you opened up your window motioning for Vanitas, who was still sitting quite comfortably on your roof to enter. As he begins to make his way into your small apartment, you fetch a satchel of yours before turning back to face him.

"My my my well isn't someone dressing to impress today! I wouldn't say this is all that special of an occasion but do you look quite divine." You hide your face slightly to avoid Vanitas' striking blue eyes from seeing your slightly reddened cheeks. He can't help but let out a tiny chuckle. "Ready to leave y/n?"

"Well we can't just stand around here, so I suppose so!" You both make your way for the rooms exit, you then realized you can't just set foot outside without any clear direction as of where to go you'd think to yourself. "Where are we even heading to first Vanitas?"

"Well, I'm glad you asked! I suppose on our little expedition, a nice refreshing drink or something to snack on wouldn't hurt..." He then hesitates, probably thinking of where to go for those desired items is what you assume. "Perfect! Y/n, we're off to Le Procope, I've been meaning to stop by there and try something nice." Vanitas of course as always giving you a split second to even register what you said grabs your hand to turn you in the correct direction.

As strange as it would seem to go to such a fine dining place especially at this time of day, it would certainly not be a plan you had expected. But, you choose to trust Vanitas here and just follow his lead. "He seems quite happy to be doing this", you think to yourself subconsciously smiling at the thought that Vanitas could already be enjoying this though this outing just began. The chatter of everyone surrounding you, the clacking sounds of horses towing people around on their daily commutes, all the sounds around you had left you so entranced that the sudden voice of Vanitas caught you off guard.

"Earth to Y/n! We're almost there, it would be pretty annoying if I lost you out here so you better pay attention to where you're going, we're here anyway."

You are snapped back to reality and realize that you are now in front of the quite famous historical cafe, Le Procope. Though you've lived in Paris for a few years now, you often just choose to stay in the comfort of your own home either researching or you'd go out occasionally just to see nice views to sketch in your notebook. Keeping that in mind, you let your eyes drag their view across the look of the place. "This place is beautiful!" You look quite excited, which can't help but make Vanitas smile a bit.

"Well yes of course, I'm still shocked you haven't even been here before y/n. It's like you live under a rock or something! Now then, let's head inside." He leads you inside as he opens the door for you, you are both greeted by the staff and given a table to sit at. It just happens that you are both placed right next to a window, which gives a nice scenic view of the busy street outside.

You turn to your friend, "Hey Vanitas, why did you take me here anyway? Usually when you "whisk me away" on another outing like this we usually go somewhere less fancy. Is this a special occasion?"

Vanitas let's out a slight laugh in response, "Well y/n a nice trip to a cafe every once in a while wouldn't hurt! I've been meaning to come here again, and well.." You notice that same smirk again, what is he going to say now... "You actually look quite splendid today y/n, so I thought it would be fitting to take you somewhere nice too."

"That little bastard." You think to yourself as you literally can't hide how flustered that got you. Even if you may have the slightest; well slightest is what you like to tell yourself bit of romantic attraction for him, you can't help but fall to shambles at times even if Vanitas were to give you the simplest compliment. Your flustered train of thought is suddenly caught off by that little tease across the table from you,

"What's the matter y/n, cat got your tongue~?" You look at him taken aback slightly.

"What- no?! I just didn't know what to say. Thank you- I appreciate the compliment." You say whatever words you can muster up. You are simply left defenseless to Vanitas's playful flirting.

To avoid a potential awkward silence, you bring up a topic which then turns into a whole discussion. You tend to often notice that any discussions or debates that you have with Vanitas seem to be quite eventful, seeing as both have quit the different outlooks on things you may both be interested in. Whether it would be Vanitas insisting whatever he says is correct or questioning your viewings on the many affairs the world currently has to offer. Your exceeding interests in Vanitas's thought process even became overwhelming at times, and you couldn't help but ask him for more information. Some things he'd choose to then elaborate on, others not so much.

Through all of your chatter, which included you two eating as well, a few hours had managed to pass by. It was finally going into mid afternoon, so you and Vanitas decided to take your leave and venture to the next spot. Once again, Vanitas chooses to use his "special" set of words simply meant to poke fun at you some more.

"Well then my belladonna, a trip to Parc Montsouris would be nice. I think seeing the fireworks this evening would be a lovely pass time. What do you think?" He suggests, expecting you to give it some thought.

Knowing such a situation would only play at your heartstrings more and more by the second, you begin to hesitate thinking that might not be the best idea. But then again... this could be the next idea for a new sketch of yours. "Who's to say that Vanitas would even reciprocate such feelings towards me? I suppose it wouldn't hurt just going anyway. His same old flirty self may be hard to see through, but seeing what could happen would be quite nice." After collecting your thoughts, you simply nod in response which prompts Vanitas to bring forth the journey. Though of course, a slight complaint of course as the journey continued ensued. It being a simple "If I had realized how much walking this was going to take I would have just gone back to your apartment!" You simply laugh it off though as you both arrive, the sun now beginning to set. The colorful hues would hit Vanitas face, which you couldn't help but simply smile seeing how pretty it looked. That smile Vanitas happened to be noticed by Vanitas,

"Is something the matter y/n?"

Caught off guard you quickly shake your head and just respond with a flustered "Nothing! I must have gotten lost in thought again." You laugh it off as you both reach the location. As the love sights of nature surround you both, Vanitas proceeds to grab you and rush you over to a spot a bit far back in the park, completely empty as opposed to the main areas filled with people with the same intention to watch the firework show.

"This is a little place I like to call 'The Secret Garden'. People tend to be so annoying at times when I'm down there, so I like to come here when I need to relax. Come on y/n, I think the show is about to start! I'd probably end up blaming you if we missed it~"

You quickly walk up to Vanitas to reach the perfect position to watch the fireworks, confused why he would go to such lengths for you to see some fireworks, you can't help but ponder why. You then decide to ask.

"Vanitas, why are you doing all this for me? I do appreciate this incredibly yes, but it seems so different of you to do something like this with me this time, it feels different..."

That damn smirk again.

"Well when someone has feelings for you and you reciprocate them you obviously do something nice, duh!"

"What." That's all that can possibly run through your head. Did you make it that obvious? You are frozen in place, unaware that he would confront you so suddenly.

Vanitas lets out a short chuckle, "Aw, out of things to say y/n~? Let's see... then how about I place a kiss on your lips~"

In the blink of an eye, the shorter man's tender lips met your own, as the crackling sound of a pulsing light reaches the air, exploding into different arrays of colors. In your shocked state, you can only compose the thought, "I suppose, this is perfect"

#case study of vanitas #vanitas no carte #the case study of vanitas #vanitas #vanitas x reader #vanitas x y/n #vnc fanfic #vnc vanitas #vnc x reader #vnc x you #vnc x y/n #idk if this is ooc

[xalygatorx]

Worthy (2015) | Chapter 3, "Chosen"

Disappearing sporadically in public spaces quickly becomes Cora Dempsey's least concerning problem when suddenly she captures the attention of the forming Avengers Initiative, the World Security Council, and Asgard's fallen prince all in one week. And the universe is only just getting started with her.

Worthy is a slow-burn SFW Marvelverse (films) romance between Loki and a female OC. For additional details on what canon is used, see the Prologue post.

Summary: Cora disappears again, this time with some help. The Initiative operatives are at a loose end again, but Clint’s perceptiveness has gained them some extra information. Cora confronts her captor and learns a few things about the hammer.

Pairing: Loki x Fem!OC

Warnings: Superhero movie levels of action; kidnapping; Loki chokes Cora to render her unconscious just prior to the kidnapping bit

Word Count: 2.4k

Cora panted from her run, but didn't back down from the men who had pursued her, and who were now regarding her with more than just uncertainty. At least, the bowman was; she couldn't see Tony Stark's expression behind the iconic mask and Steve was too deeply plastered behind him in the rock at the moment for her to even guess at what he might be thinking.

She watched Tony peel himself from his imprint before stumbling forward, sparking a bit at the joints. "Is… Ugh," he clutched his head before shaking it quickly. "Is she allowed to do that?"

Clint could hear Coulson asking questions in his ear and then Fury loudly demanding what the hell was going on, but he ignored it, simply in a state of shock. "This isn't possible…"

He had a feeling Steve was unconscious from the hit he'd taken and now with the mythological hammer no longer on their side, they were severely outnumbered. Clint was well aware that if it had knocked Captain America out cold, it'd render him comatose at best.

Cora was shaking slightly, afraid the nicer agent, Steve, might've been severely injured or even killed from impact. Sick to her stomach, she started to step forward, but froze when she felt a change in the air; the temperature had dropped by a few degrees and an unearthly stillness swept over the immediate area. The bowman seemed to notice it, too; he looked around warily and reached back for one of his arrows. Or maybe he'd just opted to kill her.

Before either of them could figure out what exactly the next course of action would be, Cora sensed someone nearby, the strange presence ambiguous and diffused around the crater before it suddenly concentrated behind her and she felt a pair of steely arms haul her back against an equally hard body, the both of them fading out into limbo before she could muster an open reaction.

A large hand moved up to press to her mouth before she could loose the yelp of distress that hitched in her throat. She heard a small "hm" of contemplation above her head before she was simply tugged off her feet despite her struggling, waltzed out of the crater, and successfully separated from the SHIELD operatives. But at what cost?

She growled testily and tried to swing the hammer back at him, but he kept her arms held tightly down. "Sleep," he muttered frustratedly when she didn't stop making things just a little more difficult for him, and he cut off her airways just enough that she passed out in his hold. "So fragile," he noted with open disgust before tying the leather loop at the base of the hammer around her wrist and tossing her over his shoulder.

Back at the crater, Clint blinked in disbelief. Had she done her trick again? No, there had been someone else there. Very briefly. She'd looked too shocked to have done it herself and she'd skidded backward just before disappearing.

Somewhere through the nearly closed portal in the clouds, Thor watched Clint approach the spot where Cora had been just a moment before, a look of shock on his own face; not because she'd been able to lift the hammer only he, his father, and the blacksmiths who had forged it had ever been able to move, but because of the aura that had flooded the area just before she'd vanished.

"I know that magic," he murmured under his breath, still shreds of equal parts hope and dread on his face as he turned away from the opening that finally snapped shut behind him, striding past Heimdall's knowing gaze and back toward the palace.

Clint frowned faintly, but shook his head, putting the arrow he'd extracted back in his quiver before tapping the bud in his ear. "Still there, Phil?"

"Yes, but could you not smack the earpiece? Sends a lot of feedback my way."

Clint stopped, glancing toward the sky to see that the wormhole had closed. Before Coulson could ask, Clint murmured honestly, "I don't know what the hell is going on, all I can report is that we lost her again."

"What happened?" he asked and it sounded as if Fury had asked the same question in unison, which drew a sigh from Agent Barton's lungs.

"I think… I think that would be best explained once we get back to headquarters, sir." Hearing a groan from the indent in the rock, Clint walked over and peered in. "Agent Rogers, report?"

"I'm fine," Steve replied with a small wince as he started to make his way out of the dry ground. "I would've been fine anyway, but this took most of the impact." He tapped his shield, which was still positioned across his back before he took a look around. "So, she's gone?"

"Yeah," Clint said, frowning as he heard Fury now demanding how in the world Steve had even possibly been less than all right, only with a much more colorful variation of word choice. He wasn't surprised; the iconic hero was amped up with all the strength, agility, and endurance a non-mutated human body could muster; he wasn't someone who could be taken down by just anybody. "As I said, we'll explain everything once we're back."

He started to ask Tony if he was good to go, but realized he'd already shot off, going high into the air and glancing down at the surrounding area before coming back down outside the crater and murmuring, "Take back the suit, JARVIS." The suit started to shift away from his form before clustering and hurtling upward, then backtracking to where it'd come from earlier. Tony looked a bit shaken up, a bit pissed, too, but no worse for wear. He started walking back toward town, leaving Steve and Clint to follow.

Once the two had gotten out of the crater and glanced back over the sheer size of it a moment, Steve looked at Tony, who was about ten yards ahead of them. "So we ended up with a lot of hurt pride and no girl. What even happened back there?"

"Know much about Norse mythology?"

Steve looked thoroughly perplexed by that as he and Clint continued walking back toward Clarkdale's outskirts. "Um… No, I guess I don't."

Clint gave a very half-hearted smirk before noting, "Well, you will."

When Cora slowly resurfaced into consciousness, she felt strangely airborne with a solid pressure against her belly, soon realizing the heat in her head was because she was hanging upside down. She gave a small grunt and weakly brought her untethered fist down on his back just before she felt his hold shift, which was the only warning she got before she was spilled to the ground, wincing as already-sore limbs were bruised. The hammer tied to her arm hit the floor with a metallic thud and she looked at it with wide, startled eyes, the ancient etchings across the head glinting in the sparse sunlight.

Swallowing against a dry throat, Cora glanced up, only half expecting to see the desert crater around her again. She wondered if maybe they'd had some covert operative sneak up on her and get her when she wasn't looking or something, but she hadn't seen anyone else with them and she certainly wasn't where she'd been before. Her eyes fell upon concrete walls and floors, along with shelves of boxes and assorted baubles. They appeared to be in some kind of warehouse and—by the amount of dust littering the contents—she doubted anyone had been there in a long time.

"What are you?"

She tensed, her jaw taut with apprehension as she slowly turned to look at who had spoken: a man of great height with black hair barely touching his broad shoulders and uniquely chiseled features housing eyes the color of vivid pines. He wore strange clothes of emerald and black with what looked like an armored exterior, but that was the least of her concern. Cora's brow creased a little in regard to his offhand question. "Excuse me?"

"I said," the man murmured with his nonexistent patience swiftly decreasing as he looked down his nose at her. "What. Are. You."

"I'm tired. And hungry. And all kinds of things, all leaning toward pissed," she noted with impatience of her own as she glared up at him, her anger renewing her bravery.

"'Pissed'?"

"Mad."

A fissure formed between his own brows at what he saw as impertinence, but he did look down at her with slightly altered consideration. "And which one of those has made it possible for you to wield that hammer?"

"I'd place my bets on the anger," she noted and he seemed to find that amusing in a way not hedged in any way toward humor; he was sardonic with every move and every quirk of his smirking mouth.

"Think you that you have a god's wrath?" he whispered daringly and for the first time she noticed that his crossed arms bore hands clenched into fists. She took that into account as she remained silent. "For that equivalent alone could only reach this weapon's worth, now I will ask one last time: what are you?"

"A… A Californian?"

He frowned, not having expected that. "There is no such realm."

"It's a state. In the US. Here."

He paused heavily, his eyes narrowing before he murmured, "You…are mortal."

"Uhm, yes?"

There was a pause before he scoffed softly and shook his head. "A mortal using… There must be a mistake." The man leaned forward and reached a pale hand toward Cora's, which rested on the hammer.

"No way," Cora muttered and she tugged it away from his reach, turning around and scrambling back a few paces now that her instincts had overridden the shock. "How did I get here and who are you?"

"Stay still or let go of the relic," he growled quietly as he advanced on her.

"Answer my damn questions!" she retorted, getting up and positioning the weapon, ready to swing it if she had to.

He paused and seemed to weigh his options with narrowed eyes holding glimmers of hurt pride and aggravation as the looked between her and the hammer in question. "I will make you a deal. I will answer the questions you've already presented… And you let me see that. Agreed?" Cora considered this very uncertainly, but before she could agree or attempt to disagree, he added, "I do not intend to use it on you. It is a simple test."

Cora pursed her lips and muttered, "Start talking."

He could do little to hide the fury that seemed to roil in him, but made good on his word. "You are here," he gritted softly, "because I brought you here."

"Where is 'here'?"

"That is not of importance and not something you asked."

Cora squinted suspiciously and, after a moment, murmured, "You don't even know where we are, do you?"

He glared at her before admitting, "I have not been to this realm more than a couple of times before."

"Why is everything a 'realm' with you?" Cora asked, slightly relaxing her stance as she realized he didn't seem to be threatening her. At least, not at the moment. His height was a bit intimidating for her though; she was used to being amongst the tallest in the room.

"Everything is a realm, mortal," he pointed out as if she were stupid before presenting his hand for the hammer.

Cora looked at it before asking warily, "What exactly is your test…?"

"We shall both find out once you hold up your end of the bargain," he noted, not looking terribly excited over what might follow. It seemed to be more of a confirmation of something he already knew.

Against her much better judgment, Cora loosed the knot of the cord around her wrist and angled the handle toward him, releasing her hold upon the hammer once he had a grip on it. To her utter shock, the muscular man in front of her plummeted to bend toward the ground, the hammer digging into the dirt with his fingers still latched around it.

"As I said," he gritted, giving it a good pull before giving up. It hadn't even twitched, even with as much force as he'd put upon it just then.

"What…," Cora murmured with wide eyes. "What did you do?"

"It is nothing I did," he snapped as he straightened back up and rubbed a tiny amount of dust off his hands, which had risen up with the hammer's rejection. "Now pick it up."

"If you can't even manage it, how do you—"

"You could before," he interrupted. "So do it again."

Cora gave the hammer a doubtful glance before bending down and taking the handle, pulling up with all her might only to nearly fall on her ass when it came up as reasonably as the first time she'd lifted it. She caught herself on the wall behind her, but barely, and looked down at the hammer with a bewildered expression. "But…"

"Just as I expected," he murmured more to himself than to her with a look of pure exasperation and jealousy, as if whatever was going on was extremely ironic.

"Why is… I sound crazy, but why is it doing that?"

The man looked at her fleetingly, seeming to measure her up again before he turned his back to her. "Stay here."

"Hey, wait! I don't even know where 'here' is and you want me to just—"

He didn't look back at her, just kept moving, his cloak fluttering faintly. "You will stay here, as I said. Stray and I will only bring you back."

"Why?" Cora demanded.

"Because, mortal, as trifling as it is, I can use this oddity of yours to my advantage," he told her. "And in turn, those agents will have lost your scent. Doesn't that sound preferable?"

Cora said nothing for a moment until she saw him start to fade out. She'd not been sure earlier if it had been her power that had pulled them from visual existence, but now she was certain that he'd been the one to make them disappear, which caused even more questions to rise up to her lips. Maybe he knew a way she could manage her power, if that's what it was. "My name isn't 'mortal,' it's Cora. And you never answered my other question."

Once more, his bored, condescending eyes slanted down to her, and he only said, "I am Loki, of Asgard," before disappearing into thin air.

Next chapter: Chapter 4, "The Lightning & the Storm"

#loki laufeyson #loki x fem!oc #loki x oc #loki fanfic #loki fanfiction #loki fluff #thor odinson #thor movies #thor the dark world #avengers #marvel cinematic universe #angst with a happy ending #slow burn

[light-lanterne]

hello ! it is i, angel (he/him)~ welcome to my halloween pinned post !! it will only be here for a few days —until the end of day of the dead—, but i felt it important to change my layout for the spooky season so here we are 👻

beneath the cut you can find a list of the regular tags i use in this blog, but before you proceed, there are a couple important things i should inform you about:

first, i will be partaking in @bylerween2023! this is a terrific event organised by some lovely bylers whom i adore, and it means i will be posting a few little creepy stories i've been preparing for a short while over the next couple weeks. some of them will be short fluffy prompts (tagged under 🪄 or "samhain alms"), which i shall post daily and should be enjoyable for anyone who reads them. some others, however, will be ficlets cemented in horror and gnarly themes (tagged under 🪦 or "walpurgis hexes"), so it is in your best interest to pay attention to the tags before reading. ...which brings me to my next point, which is that if you don't want to see any of my mature, chilling fics, you might want to filter out the tag "dark byler agenda". i use this tag regularly when delving into dark themes such as cannibalism, gore, murder, possessive love, murky morals and so on, so it serves as a blanket tag to block if you want to avoid such topics with ease. (the appropriate warnings will be provided in each pertinent post, too, so again, mind the tags and be safe, okei ?)

and that's it !! please help yourself to some freshly baked pan de muerto, take a gander at my general halloween tag (🎃), and let the frightful season begin !!

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for the most part, i tend to reblog things i enjoy. most of them are st adjacent, but sometimes you might see stuff from other fandoms ~

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[ravenromanova]

Hi my loves! I just wanted to make a quick post and tell yall that my story posting might me a little inconsistent until the new year. I literally only have like one day off next week off work so i’ll try and post something next week. If i’m lucky i’ll be able to post something this weekend! But for the rest of the year my posts might be a little sporadic :( thank you all sm for being so understanding and supportive! I’m still doing requests i just have a lot i haven’t written yet but still as always feel free to send me whatever ones you have! ALSO come back to me pt.3 will be out soon!!! I love you 💋

#ravenromanova #kinkmas 2023 #work is kicking my ass #im going to kms

[blog-name-idk]

The Benefit of the Doubt | 01

Beautiful banner by @persphonesorchid

Pairing: fuckboy!Taehyung x Fem musician!Reader (eventual x dancer!Jimin)

Genre: College!AU, Friends with Benefits, Fluff, Humor, Smut

Summary: It's your senior year, and you're too busy with auditions and recordings for relationships. You're certainly too busy to get your heart broken, whether by your charming fuck buddy or the sweet, beautiful boy who is slowly dancing his way into your heart.

Word Count: 4,872

AN: Well I prematurely drunk posted this to AO3 earlier this week so I might as well post it here too lol. Updates for this will be sporadic bc I have so many WIPs and I know I should focus on the ones I already started.

~~~~~

"Hey [y/n]! I missed you!"

You grinned at the tall, handsome violinist frantically jogging towards where you were sitting at the bar. He grabbed you off the stool and into his arms, twirling you around as if you were a little kid.

"Eunbae, put me down you animal!" you scolded, laughing as he gave you one final spin then set you on your feet.

"I can't help it, the boot camp I went to over the summer had no good cellists and it was horrible."

You snorted, knowing your best friend was just being overdramatic. The program he had gone to over the summer was one of the best in the country. You had actually been accepted, but opted to go to a more traditional orchestral academy instead. It had been a blast, but you were glad to be back on campus and listening to Eunbae's dramatics.

"Well you have me now. Have you seen Ellie and Marco yet?" you asked, also missing the other two members of your string quartet. Eunjae sighed sadly, giving you your answer.

He and Ellie had been orbiting each other like stars for a while, both oblivious to the others' feelings. It was probably that very denseness that gave their relationship enough mass for them to gravitate towards each other. With a sympathetic smile to your friend, you pushed over the beer you had already ordered for him.

"Ugh yes, this is really why I missed you," Eunjae said gratefully, taking a large gulp. Then he made a face.

"You know I hate IPAs!" He whined. He still drank it though. Free beer was free beer.

"Well be on time next time and then you can pick," you responded with a snort, drinking your own hoppy beverage. Your phone buzzed, and you looked down to see that it was from your roommate.

Hyein Heyo, my friend Meekyoung's having a party! You should stop by, we can have some shots to celebrate our successful return

"Do you want to go out tonight?" You asked Eunbae, showing him your phone.

You had met your Hyein in a Gen Ed course sophomore year, and the two of you had clicked and ended up living together. It was honestly a huge breath of fresh air not to live with another musician. There was also the added benefit of being invited to parties that weren't a drunken, incestuous hodgepodge of only classical music majors. Because as much as you loved performing and hanging out with your classmates, there was only so much anyone could take.

Another text appeared, and Eunbae suddenly nodded, eyes brightening.

Ellie Hiiiiii I miss you! Anything good tonight?

~~~~~

"Girrrrrrlllllllllllllllll you're here!"

You had to laugh at your roommate, who was clearly three sheets to the wind and excitedly waving. She was in full "WOOO! girl" mode, and as soon as she spotted the three of you entering the apartment, you and your friends were dragged into the kitchen for a celebratory shot before you could do anything other than wave half-heartedly to Meekyoung, the host of the party.

"Thanks, Hyein," said Ellie, her bubbly laughter matched only by the cute sparkle of her eyes and the bounce of her hair. She was as beautiful as Eunbae was handsome, and your only missing quartet member was just as good-looking. The four of you sometimes joked that the reason for most of your gigs was because everyone was hot, not because you were actually any good. It was probably a mixture of both. Even Marco was a great musician, despite playing viola.

"To senior year!" Hyein cheered, and the rest of you clinked your shot glasses before downing them. Eunbae choked on his because he was a little bitch, and you passed him some chaser while Ellie rubbed his back. Her hand lingered, and you resisted the urge to snicker at their PG-13 flirting. At this rate it would be another few years until they held hands.

"To the dread of realizing we have to make money in the real world with fine arts degrees," you deadpanned, refilling your shot glass. Hyein refrained, which was probably for the best - she was at a respectable level of turnt and you needed to get there too.

"I'll drink to that," said Eunbae mournfully, holding out his own for you to fill. Ellie rolled her eyes good-naturedly but did the same and Hyein cheered.

"[Y/n]! Let's go play beer pong after this!" your roommate urged, making you wince. You tended to get a little… competitive when it came to beer pong. And your roommate wasn't exactly the best player, especially when she was already sloshed. Then again, nothing felt better than single-handedly dismantling the opposition, especially if it consisted of cocky college fuckboys.

"Ah fuck it," you decided, downing the cheap alcohol swiftly and chugging your soda. "Let's do it."

Your quartet-mates made resigned eye contact at your statement, but followed you to the living room anyway. The current reigning champions were two of the most beautiful guys you had ever seen. They carried themselves like they knew it though, which made them marginally less attractive. The younger-looking one had large doe eyes that would have made him look cute and innocent had he not currently been shit-talking his opponent.

The other seemed more relaxed than his counterpart, and had dark eyes that looked like they held galaxies in their depths. His unblemished skin was an appealing bronze, and his hair was a little wavy and begging to be played with. You immediately decided you'd let Hyein deal with the energetic one - he seemed more her speed anyway.

"Hah! Drink, motherfucker!" the oh-so-charming younger boy crowed as he sank the last cup. Yes, you would definitely enjoy wiping that smug expression off his face. Eunbae groaned as he saw the predatory gleam enter your eye while Ellie clapped her hands and laughed, eager to watch the carnage.

"Does anyone have next?" you asked loudly enough to be heard by everyone immediately surrounding the table. That caught the winners' attention, and you saw twin sparks of interest enter their eyes when they spotted you and Hyein.

"I think you've called it, gorgeous," said the older boy, flashing a lethal grin your way. The pet name, however, made what could have been a fatal blow a mere paper cut.

"We'll take it easy on you, since you're both so cute," added the other cheekily, making you resist the urge to roll your eyes. You subtly stepped on Hyein's foot when she snorted, and smiled at them prettily.

"That's so sweet of you guys," you gushed, before dragging your roommate to the other side to set up before she could give you away.

"How about we make a bet?" the younger, who you began to call bunny boy in your head, called over the table. You poked Hyein to indicate for her to let you take the lead, which she gladly did. In her sloshed state her giggles were poorly hidden, but the guys probably thought it was because they were hot and not because they were about to get smoked.

"Oh, I'm not sure," you said hesitantly, cocking your head at them like you were worried. "What for? You guys are really good."

"Come on, we'll give you a handicap," said the older one with the stars in his eyes. Hyein giggled harder and you resisted the urge to glare at her. "If we win, you can give us your numbers."

"I gueeesssss," you said, drawing out the last word as if still uncertain. "If we win, we want-"

"Cold hard cash," your roommate cut in, and you grinned at her approvingly. The opposition seemed a little confused and surprised by the response, and you gave them an apologetic shrug. "Money never disappointed us," you teased.

"We'll do our best not to disappoint you, either," said star boy, his plush lips curving into a smirk. You smiled back at him.

"I'm sure you won't."

~~~~~

"W-what the fuck just happened?" spluttered Bunny Boy, his wide eyes darting between you and the last cup, which you had just sunk a ping pong ball into. You smiled sweetly at him.

"Beginner's luck?" You asked as innocently as you could as Hyein chortled in glee. The younger boy glared, all flirting forgotten in the wake of his humiliation. Star Boy looked more impressed and amused by his friend's antics.

"Rematch," the petulant woodland critter demanded. "Double or nothing."

"I'm not giving you an extra phone number," you deadpanned with a laugh. Then you shot a sly smile at the older boy, since the younger was still staring at his beer in frustration. You were beginning to feel the effects of those shots, which was only making you want to rile them up even more. "But sure. We'll take it easy on you guys, since you're both so cute."

Of course, despite the newfound concentration of your opponents, the next game ended the same way. Though you had definitely been distracted by Star Boy's habit of sticking his tongue out a tad when he was aiming. Humans really had no right being that attractive. The younger had gotten comically competitive, reminding you of yourself, and the way he was currently losing his mind was honestly adorable.

"Fuck, I need a drink," he grumbled, stomping away like a child throwing a tantrum. You broke away from Hyein to saunter up to the other boy.

"Is the baby bunny gonna be okay?" you asked, making him laugh and shoot you another breathtaking smile.

"Jungkook? He always gets riled up. He probably went to get some banana milk."

"I… what? Is that a euphemism for something?" you asked, unsure if you had heard correctly.

"No, legitimately banana milk," he replied with a grin. Then his gaze went a little sharper and the grin turned into a smirk. "If you wanted a different kind of milk, I'd be more than happy to help you out."

"Does that seriously work on people?" you asked, mildly amused but mostly grossed out by the terrible line. He stepped further into your space, resting his large, warm hand lightly on your hip and sending tingles through your body. You couldn't tell whether the heat that bloomed in your abdomen was from him, or just more of the alcohol catching up to you.

"You tell me," he said cockily, eyes flickering to your lips before gazing into your own. You had no doubt it did work on most people, not because of his words but because of that hypnotic gaze. And because he smelled amazing despite the haze of beer in the air. Luckily, you had priorities.

"Maybe it would if you gave me my money," you said lightly, stepping out of his range and holding your hand out expectantly. He cocked his head, momentarily taken aback by getting swerved, but he recovered quickly.

"I'm sure a girl as cute as you has higher rates than that." Huh, that had actually been almost clever.

"I would slap you for what you're implying, but you probably couldn't afford it."

His delighted giggle was way too adorable for the fuckboy vibes he was putting out, and you hardened your heart (and your… other things) against the sparkle in his eyes. He grabbed a twenty dollar bill from his wallet and set it in your open palm, though he let his hand linger on yours. You tried to ignore the heat emanating from it.

"I could pay you back another way."

That helped clear your head, actually. He really wasn't giving up, and part of you wondered why he hadn't already moved on to someone else. With a face like that, there were definitely easier targets for him. Of course, with a face like that you knew he'd probably be a disappointment in bed since it was doubtful anyone made him work for it. Then again, he was so beautiful that maybe the mediocre sex would be worth it for bragging rights.

"Once again, money is the only thing that has never disappointed me," you retorted, pulling away from him and shoving the bill in your pocket.

"I can promise I won't disappoint you." His dark eyes were intent on your gaze and you resisted the urge to lick your lips, feeling naked under his smoldering gaze. You wondered how many girls had faked orgasms just to make this Adonis happy.

"I make it a habit never to believe promises from pretty boys at parties," you said with a shrug, deciding to end this little exchange even if it was actually somewhat entertaining. His grin brightened when you called him pretty, and you ignored it as you began walking back to your side of the table. "Now excuse me, it's time for my next victim-I mean, opponent."

"Well since I couldn't get your number, can I at least have your name?"

You paused, considering. The night was young, and he was undeniably gorgeous despite the less-than-impressive attempts to hit on you. It couldn't hurt. You glanced back at him with a toss of your hair.

"[Y/n]."

~~~~~

Taehyung hadn't really been expecting much out of the ordinary when he accompanied Jungkook to his friend's party. The school year hadn't started so there was no stress to blow off - tonight was just to have fun. They'd drink some alcohol, play some beer pong, and take a couple girls home. A typical Friday night.

The two girls who had challenged them had seemed promising. They were both hot, and Taehyung always found it cute when girls tried to flirt with them by jumping into beer pong. Even if the game got boring playing against mediocre opponents, nice tits usually made up for it. With the bet, they had all but guaranteed the boys their numbers, though that was probably why they wanted to play anyway.

Except one of them (the cuter one, in his opinion) had proceeded to completely demolish both he and his roommate despite the fact that the other had missed almost every single shot. Twice. To a thirsty young college boy, it was unbelievably hot. He couldn't wait to get you out of your clothes.

You seemed strangely uninterested, though. Taehyung wasn't exactly one to brag, but he and Jungkook were generally able to land any girl they looked at. So the way you bantered back without any intention of following through was more of a turn on than it should have been. As he stared at your ass in your tight jeans, he wondered when was the last time he had a good chase.

When you looked back at him with those gorgeous, glittering eyes and told him your name, that was it. His new mission for the night was getting into the pants of this mysterious, beautiful beer pong ace.

~~~~~

"He's staring at you again," Eunbae whispered as you annihilated another set of challengers. He had switched out with Hyein, who had decided she needed to pee and towed Ellie to the bathroom with her as per party girl code. Your quartet mate was a much more skilled partner, and you were honestly starting to get so bored it felt like you were sobering up. You kind of wished those boys from earlier would challenge you because they had at least been pretty good. And nice to look at. "Three o-clock."

You took a peek out of the corner of your eye in the direction he had indicated, to where the flirty beer pong boy was currently talking to his friend but also watching you over his shoulder. Who actually was drinking banana milk from a straw that had to have been magically conjured out of thin air. Where did one even find banana milk at a college party?

"I don't get it," you told your friend, raising your arms in a long stretch that lifted your shirt past your hips. Just because you were on the fence about him, didn't mean you couldn't enjoy the admiration of such a fine male specimen, right? "He could literally point to anyone here and they'd be down. Even the straight guys."

"Not me," said Eunbae wistfully. "I only have eyes for one girl."

"Ugh I know you're in love with me but sorry, not interested," you joked boredly, glancing at your cuticles.

"Shut the fuck up," he protested, making a revolted face. "You're hot, but we've been through way too much for me to ever be able to get a boner thinking of you."

"Fair," you agreed with a shudder, remembering the unfortunate event that had cemented your friendship. It had been your freshman year, in the beginning stages of your current quartet. You actually had been attracted to Eunbae at first, but binge drinking at a party - you had been sheltered in high school, it wasn't your fault! - had led to you projectile vomiting all over him, which grossed him out enough to throw up on you, and that had pretty much killed any potential hookup or relationship. It did somehow lead to him becoming your best friend though - probably because there wasn't much more either of you could do to disgust the other anymore.

"So are you gonna hit it?" he asked, waggling his eyebrows at you suggestively. "You need a rebound, right?"

You elbowed your friend, jostling him and making him miss his next shot. He scowled at you and you smiled back

"He's going to have to do better than offering me his 'milk'," you said, laughing at the mildly repulsed expression on Eunbae's face. "I haven't decided if I'm in the mood for subpar sex tonight, even if the face attached is gorgeous."

"Fair enough," Eunbae acquiesced with a chuckle. "Can you get us refills while I rerack?"

"Your wish is my command, bestie," you said with a dramatic bow, grabbing his and your empty solo cups. Out of the corner of your eye you saw the boy detach himself from his friend to follow you, and you couldn't decide whether you were annoyed or pleased.

"Fancy seeing you here," said mystery boy somewhat unoriginally, walking into the kitchen as you were pouring cheap liquor and soda into the cups. You were again struck by how insane it was that he was so beautiful it somehow put an Instagram filter on his words and made them seem less douchey.

"Not so surprising considering you followed me, pretty boy," you responded wryly. "Need a refill?"

"As much as I love hearing you say I'm pretty, you can call me Taehyung," he said with a grin, leaning on the counter in a way that flexed his bicep. You were torn between peeking and rolling your eyes, and settled for taking a swig of your drink instead.

"And why would I need to remember that?" you teased, more amused than annoyed by this boy's attention. His expression turned cocky again, and when he opened his mouth you cut him off. "Please do not say something like 'because you'll be screaming it later.'"

He visibly deflated, and you found yourself laughing in spite of yourself. Taehyung's expression looked comically dejected, and it was cute enough to keep you from getting overly annoyed. That coupled with the fact that after the first time he had touched your waist, he hadn't encroached in your personal space again.

"So why are you still here talking to me when you could probably get anyone else here?" you asked, genuinely curious. It just seemed like a lot of effort.

"You're not anyone else," he said simply, and the sincerity in his tone made you flush. It was clear he hadn't intended that to be a line, and that fact did more for you than any of his earlier flirtation.

"You should've led with that," you said before you could stop yourself, and covered your slip by taking a long draught that would probably lead to more questionable decisions. When you lowered your cup, he had inched a tiny bit closer. You pretended not to notice.

"With what?" he asked innocently, tilting his head as if he had no idea he was exposing the very attractive line of his neck. You took another sip to have a reason to swallow, wondering if someone had turned on the heat in the house.

"I don't know," you said, glad your tone was still as blase as you wanted it to be. "Sincerity? Generally not being a douchebag?"

His rich laugh made goosebumps rise on your skin. As did his appreciative grin.

"Well I could tell you you're beautiful, but you probably already know that." He took a tiny step closer, dark eyes trained on your face as you battled to keep your relaxed expression.

"I could also say it's because I've never been so completely stepped on during beer pong." Another step. There was a tiny mole on the tip of his nose you hadn't noticed before.

"But I think I like your snark the most." He was now close enough for a blind man to feel his presence, and yet you remained rooted to the spot. Your eyes flickered to another cute mole on his lip, and you saw it twitch into a smirk.

"Do you know what that makes me want to do?" You could feel the warmth emanating from his body, and you found yourself staring up into hypnotic dark eyes.

"What?" You asked, some of your breathlessness finally creeping into your tone and unable to look away.

"It makes me want to shut you up." His last words were said in a growl that sent tingles running down your spine and straight between your legs. You licked your lips, and his eyes gleamed like a predator locking into their prey.

"Well that is incredibly intriguing," you murmured, stepping a little closer and running your fingers down his chest. He leaned forward, eyes locked on yours and hands skimming your sides, and you smiled sweetly at him. "But I have to get Eunbae his refill, so maybe next time!"

You stepped back, grabbing your cups and weaving past him with a cheeky wave before he could react further. There was no need for him to know that your heart was pounding and that his warmth had burrowed its way into your skin. If he was really that interested, he could work for it a little harder.

~~~~~

Taehyung watched you leave feeling stunned, frustrated, and more than a little aroused. You were just being so slippery, and he wasn't really used to being teased like this. You didn't seem completely opposed to his advances, and yet it was also clear you didn't care about losing his interest either. Which inadvertently did even more to pique it.

He stalked out of the kitchen to find Jungkook still in the corner finishing his banana milk and staring at you with less irritation and much more interest than earlier. That wasn't good - you were being difficult enough to bag without having to compete with his friend.

"I don't understand, I've never met a hot girl that much better than me at anything," Jungkook said, and his tone had also lost its whiny quality and taken on an almost dreamy cast. It was time to distract him so Taehyung could get you alone again. He glanced at a duo of giggling girls who were making eyes at the two of them and gave them his signature smirk, motioning for them to come over. They did, immediately, and his friend's attention was momentarily captured by the appearance of breasts in immediate proximity.

"Hi, I'm - "

"Oh, I'm sorry, I'm getting a call - I'll be right back," Taehyung lied smoothly, grabbing his phone from his pocket. "Kook, can you entertain these lovely ladies for a moment while I step out?"

With that, he quickly strode over to where you had rejoined your friend at the pong table. Your friend was definitely a good-looking guy, but it was clear from your dynamic that there was nothing going on between you - Taehyung's most dangerous threat was Jungkook. Between the two of them, he wasn't really worried about anyone else at the party.

"[Y/n], could I borrow you for a moment?" he asked, right as you sunk another ball into your queasy looking opponent's cup.

"Fire," you called in a disinterested voice, and easily caught the ball the guy whipped back at you. You looked at Taehyung dead in the eye as you tossed the ball again, and gave him a condescending smile he wanted to fuck off your face.

"Wow, I didn't expect you to remember my name," you cooed patronizingly, just as he heard the light splash of you hitting yet another cup. Shit, that shouldn't have been as hot as it was. "Shouldn't you get back to your friends?"

At that, Taehyung glanced back to see Jungkook, cornered by the two girls and glaring at him. Oops, so he had noticed. It was time to pull out the big guns.

"You're special," he said with a grin, looking at you intently in a way he knew should make you melt. Except you just turned away to catch the ball your groaning opponent threw back at you.

"I know," you deadpanned, flicking your wrist forward. The ping pong ball arced elegantly through the air, and to no one's surprise there was another wet "plunk" as it hit the penultimate cup dead center. Before he could respond, he was being elbowed out of the way.

"Hi, great game earlier," said Jungkook with a bright smile, ignoring his hyung's scowl. For the first time, you looked surprised, and your eyes flicked between Taehyung and the maknae. Your lips began to twitch into what looked suspiciously like an amused grin.

"Jungkook, right?" you asked, making the younger boy perk up and puff out his chest a little.

Your eyes slid back to Taehyung, and that smile widened further. Taehyung suddenly realized he was pouting - but that seemed to have thawed you more than anything he had done previously, so he decided to play into it and gave you his best puppy dog eyes. Your own widened and you blushed before turning back to the table to snag the ping pong ball out of the air again. Huh. Maybe he was closer to his goal than he thought.

"How about you let one of them do a celeb shot?" suggested your friend with a mischievous grin. You narrowed your eyes at him suspiciously. "You can give whoever sinks it a reward."

"Oh my god Eunbae, no one's going to want-"

"I'll do it!"

You whipped your head around to stare at both Taehyung and Jungkook, who weren't quite glaring at each other but were definitely facing down.

"Please, noona, let me?" asked Jungkook, looking at you with large, pleading eyes. Damn if him ditching the hot fuckboy vibes for this cute woodland critter wasn't effective, but you kept your face impassive.

"I don't know, implying I'm older without even knowing is kind of unflattering," you said idly, though when his face fell you almost wanted to pat his head and coo at him. Okay, maybe he really was younger. He was just as ridiculously gorgeous as Taehyung, but you were feeling more pesky little brother vibes towards him than anything else.

Still, you weren't about to outright give Taehyung the ball - he would (correctly) assume that meant it was also metaphorically in his court. Though the haze of alcohol had settled comfortably in your veins, you weren't quite gone enough to just throw yourself at him.

"Plus why should I trust either of you?" you asked innocently, enjoying the flash in both of their eyes. It was frankly unprecedented for two guys this attractive to be interested in you, and despite the fact that you were a strong confident blablabla, it was quite the ego boost.

"You know we're good," stated Taehyung plainly as his eyes bored into your own, snaring your attention. "You're just better."

That startled another laugh out of you, and he was momentarily stunned by the light that shone out of your eyes. Your snappy attitude was hot, sure, but that genuine smile was something else entirely.

"You guys don't even know what this 'reward' is gonna be," you added, using exaggerated air quotes as you squinted your eyes at them in confusion.

"How about a kiss?" suggested Taehyung's new best friend from behind you, and you rolled your eyes at him.

"Who's side are you on, Eunbae?" you complained, turning around to scowl at at this Eunbae as he gave you a shit-eating grin. Taehyung and Jungkook took the opportunity to check out your ass.

"Your dusty-ass vagina's," he responded easily, making you groan in annoyance and shove him roughly. Eunbae just snickered and pushed you back, and in your buzzed state you wobbled before righting yourself and turning back to the two boys.

"Fucking whatever, play rock paper scissors or something," you grumbled, crossing your arms. Your pout was cute, too, and Taehyung wondered what those pretty lips would look like wrapped around his cock.

All he needed to do was win this little game to find out.

~~~~~

Next | Masterlist

#kim taehyung x reader #bts x reader #bts x you #bts fanfic #bts smut #the benefit of the doubt

[motownfiction]

ok. hi!

i feel like i have to be transparent about the reasons i haven't been writing as much lately, especially now that i have answers.

in late 2023, i wrote sporadically because i was struggling with my physical health in ways i wasn't really aware of. i'm very happy to report that my reasons this month have nothing to do with that.

as some of you beyond my circle of friends might know, this year was the last of my phd program. i defend my dissertation in a week and a half, which is wild. but since the school year began, i've been applying for all kinds of academic jobs. i applied for some within my field and some outside of it (i.e. english composition, something i have lots of experience in but don't always love!). in early february, i found the perfect job posting in my field, one day after interviewing for another decently fitting job. never one to count myself out, i applied for it and got an interview about four weeks later.

after one conversation with some of the faculty, i knew in my bones that this was the place i wanted to be, and i hoped they felt the same way. it was a strong feeling -- one i haven't really had about other jobs and schools in the same way. it gave me the same feeling as my undergraduate institution, and if you know me, you know how much i loved my undergraduate institution/how much i've wanted to work at a school just like it. i always said, "i would go back there and teach if i could." and even though i couldn't go back home, this school felt like a similar answer to what i wanted.

yesterday, after visiting the campus, meeting the faculty and some students, and teaching an example lesson about my passions, they offered me the position. this morning, i accepted.

i am so incredibly grateful that i get to live my dream. and i get to do it at a school where everyone is in love with what they do, from faculty to students. there is nothing better than loving your job and learning how to be really good at it, and that's where i get to be. there were a few minutes there, early in the school year, where i was so panicked that i wouldn't be able to teach, that it would all stop when i defended. but it won't. i don't have to be heartsick thinking i'll never talk to students about pasquale and giuseppe's horse in shoeshine again; that i'll never get to give my spiel about the "R" rating keeping teens from seeing the movies that will most speak to their struggles. because i get to do that and so much MORE! and hopefully for a very long time!

so, this is why i haven't been writing. because i've been doing that thing that lucy did, just off the page, just in the margins where you couldn't see. i don't plan on stopping -- never! it's just that things might get a little slower as i venture into the next (ultra exciting) phase of my career.

and now i can write more accurately about lucy's own job search process!

#text

[caeli0306]

Hello! Welcome to the unhinged record of my writing and other obsessions

Hello! I'm Caeli. I'm 23 and a journalist by day, rabid Fourth Wing/Empyrean and Star Wars fan by night. FW got me back in to reading fantasy, and then IF left me with a crippling book hangover. I turned to writing fanfiction for the first time to try to get my mind off of it, and now I spend my days writing... and then go home at night and write some more.

My fics (all posted on AO3):

Completed:

Tales from the Airport Bathroom - Xaden/Violet spy/soldier AU almost entirely from Xaden's POV where Violet is Stab Happy and Xaden is a Simp, the meet cute is on an airplane, and Xaden gives wife guy vibes as Violet destroys her enemies. Completed, four chapters, 19.5k words. (1)(2)(3)(4)

the present, the past, and you in between - VERY angsty one shot from Xaden's POV where he reflects on his lifelong love for Violet. Completed, 1k words. (1)

Did Someone Say Shots? - One-shot College AU where Xaden thinks his feelings are unrequited but has to look out for Violet on an evening where she goes a little crazy with the Fireball shots. Completed, 10k words. (1)

In-progress:

castles crumbling - Xaden/Violet assassin-spy/soldier AU, aka the extended version of Tales from the Airport Bathroom. In-progress, chapter 5 posted 4/29, 31.5k words and counting. (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)

On hiatus:

Swan Song - 2nd gen fic following Xaden and Violet's second daughter, Fen, as she tries to figure out who - or what - killed her sister Nora in a world where Tyrrendor is independent and the venin have been defeated for 25 years. Featuring the fan favorite Aidan Matthias, Rhiannon's adopted son with Tara, a brand new squad, and a squad leader with a very familiar name. Chapter 13 posted 4/14, 72k words and counting, on hiatus until after my move. (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)

Addendum - Companion piece for Swan Song. A series of one-shots expanding on the background of my Swan Song fic and giving perspective from different characters' POV's, especially Nora's. Chapter 3 posted 3/5, 4.6k words and counting, updated sporadically depending on story needs. (1)(2)(3)

Things to know:

Update Schedule:

I don't have one! Like I mentioned in my intro, I am a journalist by day, which means I already do a lot of writing on a daily basis. I love it, but that also means that during busy news cycles I might not have the time or the desire to write. I do this for fun and because I love sharing the worlds in my head with other people, but my first priority will always be myself. If I haven't updated in a week or two, that doesn't mean they'll never be updated! I will always put a note on my Tumblr if I'm putting something on hiatus, along with an estimate for when I plan to start updating again.

What I post about

In order to keep myself accountable, I post frequent updates on my writing progress here. As I said above, I write these stories because I love them, but also because I love sharing them. This helps me stay on track, while also letting people know the general progress of the next chapter.

How long will castles crumbling be?

TBD! Tales from the Airport Bathroom was no plan, just vibes. castles crumbling is the extended version, so it will obviously be longer. While I do have a general plan for this here extended version, I don't have a chapter-by-chapter outline the same way I do with Swan Song. This is partially because I'm still going back and forth on how parts of this story will go, but also because I want to try writing in a bit of a less structured way than I have been doing. I can't imagine it will be shorter than 25 chapters, but honestly, who knows? I'll update this when I have a better idea.

When will you update Addendum again? When should I read the different Addendum chapters?

I created Addendum because I wanted to give people insight into Nora without interrupting the flow of Swan Song. I expanded this concept by adding in a Violet POV chapter as well. These provide context to certain interactions, foreshadow future events, or otherwise flesh out the world in which Fen and the other characters inhabit. In short, it will be updated as needed.

Nora's First Addendum - Read after Chapter 4 of Swan Song

Nora's Second Addendum - Read after Chapter 7 of Swan Song

Violet's First Addendum - Read after Chapter 9 of Swan Song

Lastly, I love hearing from people who read my fics. Feel free to message me whenever, whether its to provide constructive criticism, ask a question, offer up a writing prompt, or just to say hi!

[chattercap]

Future Plans for Actala

Sorry for the kind of sporadic updates, I do need to be better about posting here! I post devlogs on my itch page monthly, and I've decided to crosspost the latest one here since it has some important info about Actala's future development! A copy of my latest itch devlog is under the cut!

Hello, happy June!

It's been another month (time really does fly)! 

No Actala updates this time, as I ended up increasing the scope a bit on my Otome Jam project so I had to divert my attention to that (please look forward to some EXCELLENT voice acting)! Karamu will release sometime in the next couple of weeks!

But although I don't have any updates for Actala, I do have a bit of an announcement. As you might know if you played through the demo, I originally planned to illustrate the story 100% with CGs and mini-CGs. This was...unrealistic (as basically anyone with half a brain could have told you, I imagine). 

This was something that became EXTREMELY apparent as I worked on Karamu. I thought I scoped very realistically (a simple scene with 2 characters and only 10k words), and I hoped to finish the game within a month. However, while I finished the script in a week, I've spent almost 2 months on the illustrations. (If I extrapolate that out for Actala, where the current script is 250,000 words...I won't finish the thing for another 4-5 years...)

Part of that is that I've been experimenting with more complex/highly rendered CGs, and taking more care with the color and compositions (you can see a sample below). For Actala, I adopted a more simple coloring style because of the high volume of illustrations, but I was never really happy with them. Rather than putting out a ton of illustrations that I'm not happy with, I'd prefer to put out a smaller number that I'm more satisfied with.

If I'm being honest, I didn't adopt the "CG only" strategy for any deep reason in particular. It was mainly a snap decision based on insecurities with my own art, as I felt like my art couldn't really stand on par with other VNs (so I decided to create value with quantity over quality). However, ultimately I think it's detrimental to the project. The amount of work required for the art just dwarfs everything else, to the point where I put off the other tasks to make a SMALL dent in the art (for instance, I really want to improve the GUI, which looks a bit clunky and not super elegant...) 

So from now on, I will most likely adopt the sprite format for Actala, instead of utilizing exclusively CGs. Those sprites may or may not be animated; I'll try it out and see how I feel about them. You can still expect a lot of CGs from me, but not exclusive! Interestingly, I actually planned to do sprites in the early stages of development, and I finished almost all of them. These are over a year old at this point, so they will be completely redone, though! 

I hope that this isn't disappointing to anyone (it probably isn't; I'm just stubborn as an ox when it comes to my impulse decisions...) But from a projection perspective, it's just 100% impossible to get Actala out on any reasonable timeline with the approach that I was taking. This way, I'll be able to get the game out a bit faster (with nicer illustrations, just fewer of them)! And it will give me a little more time to polish other aspects of the game, and perhaps work on a few more side projects ;)

For the rest of this month, I'll be finishing out Karamu. Then at the start of July, I'll take a bit of a game dev break before tackling the sprites! Expect to see some sketches in the next devlog~

If you read this far, thank you! See you next month :)

Chattercap

#actala #actala-news #actala-dev

[queenofbaws]

these weeks just...just keep comin, huh??? like they don't stop or something ;P

another quick update from queenie hq: things are going to c o n t i n u e to be sporadic and strange on my end for the next couple weeks. i'm going to be hosting family, again, until roughly the end of the month, so alas, i'm not anticipating a ton of writing time. or relaxing time. or time where i'm not gritting my jaw and screaming internally. SUCH IS LIFE!

however, i'm totally psyched to report i fiiinally got to cross one long-running wip off my list (the tale(s) of the champion), and oooh the feeling of seeing a complete checkmark for that baby over on ao3 is fueling the fire for me to wrap some others up too ;P my plan for the time being is still to try and get out a chapter or two of like wringing blood in the near future, but i'm also going to be working on finally wrapping of mummy men & bathtub soup so i can open the door for other CREEPs projects. we shall see.

as always, i've thrown some snippets under the cut - strictly supermassive projects this time, hehe - and i hope you're all doing well <3

of mummy men & bathtub soup

“Uh huh. Look. I’m sure you guys have something hilarious planned for me tonight. Another A+ jumpscare courtesy of Washington Pictures, Inc. And I’m also sure that the more of this crap you get me to gobble up, the antsier all your cloak and daggers bullshit makes me, the funnier it’ll be when I fall into a swoon or whatever, but it’s not happening. Am I the brightest bulb in the lamp? No! I’m not! Am I the sort of moron who gets bit by a dog and tries to pet it a second time? Also no!”

Sam had barely started shaking her head when Fliss joined them, an unspoken question in her eyes. She latched onto her instead. “People keep talking about last night. I've heard someone mention weird stuff happening on at least three separate occasions already, so if anyone could give me just a little context, that would be so great.”

“Weird is…one way to put it,” Fliss said. “It’s not the word I would’ve picked. Freakish, maybe. Terrifying, definitely. It must’ve taken you guys forever to set that up! It was—”

“Oh no,” she breathed, dropping her head into her hands. Conrad almost expected her to sink into a nearby chair or go full-on crisscross-applesauce on the floor, so intense was her reaction. She didn’t: If anything, she set her shoulders and squared herself off, assuming the air of a battle-hardened soldier. “Okay. Okay. Okay. Listen to me. I know you think this is about you because you think everything’s about you, but I am telling you, it's not."

upcoming CREEPs project with a title that 100% spoils ALL the surprise of it and thus will not yet be included asdlkfjalskjfklsjdf

“Any word from our housetergeist?”

“Uh, not unless they suddenly share yours and Josh’s love of absolutely inscrutable inside jokes,” Ashley called back, equal measures relieved and disappointed to see the fridge decorated with the same message the guys had put up before their trip: DO THE BARTMAN. Rolling her eyes, she pulled the door open and rummaged around, making a happy little sound when she spotted what she’d wanted. “Hey,” she called again, “are you gonna be upset with me if I drink the last cream soda?”

“Josh might be!”

“I wasn’t asking about Josh, you dip! I was asking about you!”

“Oh. Then, yeah, heartbroken. I-I-I don’t know how I’ll survive! I might have to reassess this whole relationship thing. Honestly, I can’t believe you’d do something as heinous as drink the last cream soda! I thought I meant something to you!”

She grabbed the can and shut the door, groaning, “Ha ha,” before stopping cold.

The fridge magnets had moved.

a fic that started as a joke post but now has almost 40k words written for it

“Hey,” he said, giving the grate a hard shake. They all winced, pulling even farther away until they pretty much fell on top of each other. “Chill. They’re fuckin’ dead. Shit’s fine. Don’t be weird about it.”

Good deed done, he turned back around to rejoin the guys, and—fuck.

Right away, Bobby knew he didn’t like the way Chris was sizing them up. He didn’t know why he didn’t like it, he just knew it spelled trouble, one way or another.

Jack seemed to agree with him. “No,” he said long before Chris even opened his mouth. “Whatever it is you’re brewing in that snowglobe you call a skull, quit while you’re ahead. Or while you still have a head.”

“Your plan didn’t work.” For someone who usually stayed at base during their hunts on account of ‘not wanting to die the world’s stupidest death,’ Chris sure was sticking his finger awfully close to Jack’s face. That was biting range. And Jack could move quick when he wanted to. “Your plan worked even less,” he continued, moving that finger to Travis’s face instead, and Jesus Christ, that was worse!

Travis didn’t answer him. Not at first. He sucked his teeth, though. Stared at Chris’s finger. Probably thought about breaking it off if he didn’t get it out of his face. “If you don’t get that outta my face, I will break it off, so help me God.”

Yeah. Checked out.

#queenie writes supermassive #ya gurl is already exhausted and the fam hasn't even gotten here yet x_x #the past two weeks have been. so much funeral planning and let me tell you. i am not. looking forward. to the day itself lmfao #it's been. such a time over here y'all. #let me go back to sitting at the kids table i fucking hate being one of the grownups in charge of shit lmaoooooooooooooo

[android-and-ale]

🍹How do you decide a story is ready to post?

That’s an excellent question! 

It really depends on how much time I have and how much editing I need to do.

IN AN IDEAL WORLD

After I finish the first draft of a story or chapter I’ll let it rest for at least 2 days (but no more than 5, or else all the details will fall out of my brain). That gives me enough distance to see it through somewhat fresh eyes. 

If it’s a humor piece, now the long process of editing begins. Humor takes me about 3x longer than any other genre. The first pass is for clarity, content, and commas. My god I use too many of those. The second pass is for jokes. A lot of the best jokes happen during that edit, when humor is the only thing I need to focus on. If I have ample time, I’ll let it rest for another night, do one more light read to tighten it up, then off it goes to AO3. 

MEANWHILE, IN REALITY

When I’m trying to keep to a tighter schedule (like posting weekly-ish chapters) all of that gets condensed. Instead of resting two days, I might finish the story/chapter one night then do one content/humor edit the next day after work, or even later that night, if it’s the weekend. The last read to tighten it up often doesn’t happen. 

You can really tell the difference. Replicator Roulette is TIGHT because I took a whole week to edit it. It’s full of jokes because I had a whole editing session where that was the only focus of the process. Some chapters of One Daily Shoulder Pat, on the other hand, have been pretty rushed. 

This is why I’m not shy about going back days or weeks later to tighten things up a little. I don’t make major plot or character changes to published stories, but I’m entirely comfortable rearranging words and punctuation for clarity.

I find that the more I write, the easier the editing process becomes. When I’m cranking out a 5000 word chapter every week, the editing process is just part of the routine. When I’m writing more sporadically, the difference between the rush of getting words out and the slog of making them behave is rough. 

KNOW WHAT YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE, THEN CAP YOUR EDITS

It’s so easy to go full e e cummings. I cap my edits at 5 passes. The maximum I allow myself is:

Initial read through with full freedom to do whatever

Clarity, content, and commas

Humor

Another read through to make sure I didn’t bungle things when adding jokes

Final quick pass before posting

After that it is DONE. Each edit has a purpose. I know what I want to get out of the session. If you’re that thorough (which, as I said before, I often am not) then it’s time to set it free and move on to your next story/chapter. 

I’d love to see other writer’s answers to this ask. How do you decide when you’re ready to post?

#ask game #writing advice #my fanfic #editing #writing process