itsoneofthemuses

[itsoneofthemuses]

This isn’t commonly known but one of the rings of hell is actually being in a fandom wherein the popular bloggers have the worst opinions known to man that everyone else parrots

#giiiiiirrrrrrllll #girl you know it's true #won't mention fandoms because of reasons #but woah the accuracy #they've all blocked me even though i rarely post so i'm pretty safe i think #but just in case you think this is about you... #it's definitely not 😶

[itsoneofthemuses]

I did a little fic dump... The whole series (not yet completed, fics are all unrelated) is here (I have included a poll because I hit the button by accident and I can't delete it on mobile)

Individual fics linked below the cut.

title: untangled all the strings round my wings that were tied

rating: gen

warnings: surrogacy and pregnancy

a/n: A friend, hoping to spark some creativity, hosted a mini promptathon and months later, I am slowly getting around to editing and posting the little oneshots and drabbles I managed to come up with.

summary: Lucy is Lucy in any universe. Just so happens, in this one, she's pregnant and alone and ends up with an on-call OB/GYN who is a little grumpy, a little gruff, but the best person for the job.

title: my wish for you is that this life becomes all that you it to

rating: gen

warnings: n/a

a/n: A friend, hoping to spark some creativity, hosted a mini promptathon and months later, I am slowly getting around to editing and posting the little oneshots and drabbles I managed to come up with.

summary: Sometimes, sharing a bed is about sleep. Sometimes, it's about sex (whether it happens or not). Sometimes, it's about dreams that are starting to take shape in your waking life.

title: i'm not worried about where you are or who you will go home to

rating: teen, for some swearsies and mean words

warnings: mentions of unhealthy relationships, vicious personal attacks

a/n: A friend, hoping to spark some creativity, hosted a mini promptathon and months later, I am slowly getting around to editing and posting the little oneshots and drabbles I managed to come up with.

summary: A rewrite (using the exact dialogue from the transcript) of the S5E08 scene outside of the station. Lucy and Tim talk, they fight, they love.

#chenford #lucy chen #the rookie #tim bradford #chenford fic #lucy x tim #chenford fanfic

[itsoneofthemuses]

WIP Wednesday

Share the last line of your WIP, with no context!

I was tagged by the lovely and talented @relentlessescapism!

This is a fic I did for a promptathon but... It feels incomplete so I'm just sort of sitting on it, waiting for more inspiration!

"I wasn't flirting!" He sounds a little angry, but it just reads as defensive to Lucy. She thinks it says something that his immediate go-to response is a denial of responsibility.  She thinks back to her rookie year when he told her he was mad at himself for the way he treated those gardeners and she laments the loss of the man who took accountability, who acknowledged his wrongs and promised to do better.

As usual, anyone who wants to get in on this, please do. And I'll tag some of the people who push, pull, chase, inspite, and help me in the meantime - @goodgirlssayiloveyoutoo, @onlyforchenford, @farfarawaygirl, @detectivechen, and @write-or-wrong88

#chenford #lucy chen #tim bradford #lucy x tim #chenford fic #the rookie

[itsoneofthemuses]

RULES: Post the last sentence you wrote (fanfic / original / anything) and tag as many people as there are words in the sentence.

I don't know what's happening, or why, but I got tagged by two wonderful writers (and people, they're decent people, too, I guess - @rememberthismomentx & @cfr749) for the last sentence tag game. Honest to god, I have no idea what the last sentence I wrote is, so this is actually going to be two random lines from two different fics... Tags at the end.

But right now, all Lucy can manage to dredge up even as the stunting sensation of numbness starts to set in is a mild feeling of stunned resentment. Resentment toward Jerry who should've retired years ago. Resentment toward Ashley who looks perfect and carefree, not weighted down by grief and trauma. Resentment toward Tim who made her hope, who let her dream, only to concede to his fear, or his guilt, or whatever it is and leave her waiting for a love he's not willing to give.

(this was written months ago, set way back in S4, but holy, does it feel... something after that last episode)

And for my second tagger...

"Of course not, it's never about *you*." She croons the words in a cloying, maliciously obsequious tone. "If it was, you'd have to face the truth and grow as a person, and Tim Bradford hates growth." She sees the hit land but he shakes it off because if there's one thing Tim Bradford is good at it, it's taking a hit.

Welp, I posted a bit more than one sentence for each of those, and I don't know that many people since I'm not super active on here, but I'll give tagging a go (with the usual caveats that anyone who would like to should participate)... @poppypickle, @doomedship, @paperbackribs, @kakejiszkas, @jakelovesamy

#chenford #lucy chen #tim bradford #lucy x tim #the rookie #chenford fic

[itsoneofthemuses]

tagged by the one and only, the inimitable @rememberthismomentx

1. How many works do you have on Ao3?

62

2. What’s your total Ao3 word count?

225 819

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Generally only one at a time, but I've technically published fic in five fandoms: The Rookie, Community, Supernatural, Archer, and Thor.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

if you smile at me again i may do something stupid (The Rookie)

don't wanna stop just because people walking by are watching us (The Rookie)

let me go under your skin, let me find the demons that drive those heavenly limbs (The Rookie)

you be screamin' now they banging on our door (The Rookie)

i've got time, i've got love (The Rookie)

5. Do you respond to comments?

I do! As much as I can! You could probably rope me into a whole ass conversation because I don't know how to end the call and response.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

The as of yet publicly unpublished "random angst prompt" which will breach containment eventually, after I clean it up.

As for published fics, angst is not my forte, so I don't do it often, and it's rarely actually that angsty... But maybe a tie between we drank a toast to innocence (The Rookie) or between the drinks and subtle things, the holes in my apologies (The Rookie)

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Uh... Hmm. 95% of my fics have happy endings so it's hard for me to judge. Maybe my recent one, she's just a girl and she's on fire (The Rookie)?

I also took a few steps past sappy in you're one of the few things that i'm sure of (The Rookie) and Life Lessons in Absurdist Storytelling (Community)

8. Do you get hate on fics?

All my good luck must get used up here, because I really don't.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I do write smut! And I guess it's mostly the cishet kind because those have mostly been my ships (special place in my heart for Troy/Abed).

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

I've dabbled, on occasion, but it's not really my go-to. I have an unfinished Supernatural/Community crossover and that's about it.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Don't think so!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? 

Not that I'm aware of.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I've riffed back and forth in comments and on discord or email, but no, never a properly co-authored fic.

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

Oh gosh, well, I'm still here with chenford but Jeff/Annie will always have my heart even if I'm not involved in the fandom anymore.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

The only WIP is the aforementioned Supernatural/Community crossover and, like, sorry... It's probably never happening. I do have a jucy lay-turned-chenford fic that has been under construction since 2021-ish.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I like to think I'm funnyish and can get some decent banter going. Not totally sure what my writing strengths are... Entertaining myself, most probably.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Ha, well, this I could write an essay on. Occasionally my worst impulses run away with me and I try to be really poetic and it just comes off cloying, I think? Or incoherent, maybe.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I can passably write some French and I might occasionally, if the situation calls for it, use google translate (Community was initially centred around a study group for Spanish, for instance) but I typically stick to English as it's the language I know best and the one, usually, that my characters know best too.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Ha, I don't know if I want to admit this... But X-Men (the comics, not the movie, my fics predated the movies 😅)

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

Ooh, I'm terrible at picking favourites, but I enjoyed both of my vampire slayer AUs: 'cause i know you and you know me (The Rookie) and Special Topics in Demonology (A): Vampire Basics (Community).

And, fine, fine, not popular in a shipping community obviously, but as the founding member of the Let Lucy Get Laid Brigade, I wrote a few fics featuring Lucy with other partners for #30daysoflovingforlucy and cast various Canadians, and it was just fun. All five fics are part of my series but baby it's okay if i am still the best you had

Obviously, anyone who would like to participate should (would love to see gif makers like @detectivechen or @relentlessescapism answer these kinds of questions...), but for the purposes of spreading the joy far and wide (no pressure), @dollsome-does-tumblr, @write-or-wrong88, @doomedship, @jakelovesamy, @universallongings, @farfarawaygirl

#chenford #lucy chen #the rookie #lucy x tim #sixseasonsandamovie #yahoo community #nbc community #jeff x annie

[itsoneofthemuses]

#hahaha #i haven't even updated my little fic in progress spreadsheet #i think i left it at 86 but it's definitely higher now #it's funny because i was just thinking about the ashley taking murderous revenge on tim fic...

[itsoneofthemuses]

Victorian epistolary fic? Apparently I know her!

I’ve gotten very into Miss Scarlet and the Duke and - whoops! - wrote some Eliza/William fic. Flirting and feelings and quarreling as a love language abounds.

#miss scarlet and the duke #miss scarlet pbs #eliza x william #eliza scarlet #william wellington #the duke x miss scarlet #so poppypickle got me into this show #tell me how i've binged two seasons in days??? #i'm an adult with responsibilities #but it drags you in! #they're so pretty and they do an actual slow burn #there's like a touch of will they won't they but i don't think it counts because it will be a right travesty if they don't end up together #solving crimes and you know making out #as one does in ye olde merry england

[itsoneofthemuses]

Good afternoon! Could I please have an active link to the Rookie discord? I need a place to fangirl.

Hi! There are a few discords so I think it depends on what your vibe is. I help host a discord that skews a little more critical of the show and characters (and is quiet during hiatuses!) so it's not for everyone, which is A-OK!

If you're still interested, dm me and I'm happy to share an invite. If that doesn't sound like your vibe, no worries. I'll tag this so people can reach out if you're interested in a different discord since I got bounced from the biggest one and don't have an invite link.

#chenford #the rookie #lucy chen #tim bradford #the rookie fandom #lucy x tim

[itsoneofthemuses]

It's so frustrating, maddening even, to see this pattern or Tim deflecting and shifting blame to Lucy when she asks for things or calls him out. It's a big pattern that's been repeating since S4. It's emotionally manipulative bullshit.

I am so glad they're bringing up Isabel and the trauma that caused because god knows Tim hasn't dealt with shit. He's basically hopped from serious monogamous relationship to serious monogamous relationship. Each time, they left him, no matter how seemingly incompatible they were. Let's talk about allllllll of that.

These are supposed to be two people who have worked together closely for years. They've bonded, shared intimacy, seen each other at their worst, and come through. But Tim sat beside her all day and watched her miss things, laughed at her, and couldn't support her out of her spiraling? Okay, cool. Why are they together again? I don't mind their fight, but everything leading up to it was... Not my cup of tea.

It's Tim's damn fault that crime scene was compromised so let's just get that out of the way right now. The only person who should have been laughed at was him.

Wouldn't be The Rookie though if they aren't making Lucy the butt of the joke.

Also, you are telling me that man has sat in that seat beside Lucy for what, 3 or 4 years (who knows, this timeline is crap) and he doesn't know how to help her out of a spiral? You're joking me, right?! These are two people who are supposed to know each other so well.

They want to get into Tim's trauma with Isabel? FINE. That's great actually. But they could have done a better job getting to that story than that. That was just stupid.

#chenford #the rookie #tim bradford #lucy chen #lucy chen is the goddamn best #and yeah i'll say it #she deserves so much better #all those angsty angry fics i've been sitting on... #i think it's time to drop them

[itsoneofthemuses]

Just as a side note to add to this amazing post by @rememberthismomentx, I'm not annoyed or worried that this will make Lucy jealous or insecure. I quite agree that it won't because my girl is a tight ten.

Part of the story is conveyed and communicated through set decoration. Mise en scene and all that. Sometimes things don't matter (like the colour of a wall! Although, colour theory...) but frequently, those "little details" are important.

Maybe Tim thinks of Isabel as a friend, maybe he's just celebrating his rookie graduation, maybe he's lamenting his ended marriage. I don't know. The fact that people are thinking about what that photo means speaks to how and why set decoration is an important and professional task that works in conjunction with all the other moving parts of the show.

Set 👏 details 👏 matter 👏

Do I believe that it was a mistake, albeit a petty careless one? YES, and I am willing to move past it. But stop saying it's just a prop that they thought no one would see. It is directly in the damn shot, at times pretty clear. If props didn't matter, then set decorators would be out of their jobs.

People are allowed to be frustrated especially when this show has consistently shown a lack of effort in storytelling as of late. Set design goes hand in hand with that, and it isn't too much to ask that they care.

K, Thx, Bye.

#chenford #the rookie #it's okay to feel things about the show

[itsoneofthemuses]

fic: she's just a girl and she's on fire

title: 'she's just a girl and she's on fire, here on AO3

rating: gen

warnings: mention of pregnancy

a/n: a friend hosted a mini-promptathon in the hopes of provoking some creativity and, months later, I am finally getting around to editing and posting some of my responses.

Title is from Alicia Key's Girl on Fire

summary: The Mid Wilshire crew discusses who would win the Hunger Games if they were the ones competing against each other. The debate isn't much of a debate at all and, yet, everyone ends the night hugging it out.

#chenford #lucy chen #the rookie #tim bradford #chenford fic #lucy x tim #angela lopez #angela x wesley #nyla harper

[itsoneofthemuses]

#climate crisis #capitalism did not work #hold corporations and rich cronies accountable

[itsoneofthemuses]

Not people saying “Fandom has always been like this” in that vent post I made. No. It hasn’t always been like this. Fandom has NEVER been like this until recently and if you were in fandom pre-tumblr purge, pre-twitter, pre-netflix boom, pre-tiktok….then you would fucking know it was nothing like this.

We still had the drive to create. We still sold prints and charms and made zines…but it was never like this.

The introduction of streaming, binge shows that drop all at once, tiktok and vine RIP i still love u vine but you were the beginning of a particularly ugly era) creating this bite sized, quick paced ‘content’ era of creation and it bled out into fucking everything else.

Fandoms didn’t die down when the show ended or the season was over. You didn’t mass unfollow artist, writers or moots just because they changed fandoms. There wasn’t this need to please the algorithm in order for your posts to get seen by people and enjoyed.

Fandoms used to last YEARS. Star Trek is literally the oldest running fandom out there and you got people in there that could care less about the new stuff and still have been happily prancing through their fucking fifty year old fandom today. Hell, even SPN after all it’s fuckups and shitshows has a dedicated fanbase STILL creating tons of art and fic.

There is no patience anymore. No calm feeling of taking in fandom and friends at a pace that which doesn’t make you stressed and is still fun.

Do I blame fandom for this? Of course not, but people are complacent with it and start changing their vocab to accommodate and end up making the situation so deep it cant be fixed.

We call Art & Fic Content now, completely stripping the value of what it is to a level of consumerism instead of personal entertainment & community bonding.

#fandom #fandom history #this is true #fandom so often feels like work #like just another stressor #my half written fics taunt me #fandom metrics mock me #fandom analysis and criticism don't exist #and fandom interactions are fraught

[itsoneofthemuses]

“I thought Nevin’s was our thing.” His tone is casual, yet there's a subtle, almost endearing whine that Lucy has never heard from him before.

In an instant, flashbacks of warm nights, meaningful glances, and Tim giving up a sergeant's position for her flood Lucy's mind. The memories make her flush all the way down to her toes, leaving her momentarily struck dumb. All she manages is an uncertain, “Oh.”

“Whatever, just don’t let your boyfriend tell all the other lawyers about Nevin’s. It’s a cop spot. The last thing we need is a bunch of suits going there and turning it all hipster with laptops and cell phone talkers.” Tim scoffs, his attempt at grumpiness falling a bit flat.

Feeling defensive, awkward, and a bit bewildered, Lucy responds, "You brought Ashley there. Not worried about the sand the lifeguards will bring in?"

Tim rolls his eyes at her feeble joke, but the tips of his ears turn a subtle shade of red. Lucy finds herself both transfixed and emboldened by his fluster. It's a rare sight, and the warmth it brings to her cheeks only intensifies her stupid crush on him.

Fun GIFS under Read More for you entertainment xx

#letlucygetlaidbrigade #oh i fondly remember those days #chenford #chenford fanfic #lucy chen #the rookie #tim bradford

[itsoneofthemuses]

Because I’m bored and I keep seeing Discourse™️ about Tim and Lucy potentially breaking up this season, let’s do a little poll:

#chenford #the rookie #tim bradford #lucy x tim #lucy chen #so like... i did not enjoy how they got together at all #if they could break up and have a bit of a do over #i might enjoy that #but i have minimal confidence that they will write it #a SECOND time #in a way that i would enjoy seeing #so i guess in the end what i'm saying is... #i don't care if they break up or stay together unless it's well written and plotted

[itsoneofthemuses]

“But the 8-hour workday is too profitable for big business, not because of the amount of work people get done in eight hours (the average office worker gets less than three hours of actual work done in 8 hours) but because it makes for such a purchase-happy public. Keeping free time scarce means people pay a lot more for convenience, gratification, and any other relief they can buy. It keeps them watching television, and its commercials. It keeps them unambitious outside of work. We’ve been led into a culture that has been engineered to leave us tired, hungry for indulgence, willing to pay a lot for convenience and entertainment, and most importantly, vaguely dissatisfied with our lives so that we continue wanting things we don’t have. We buy so much because it always seems like something is still missing.”

— Your Lifestyle Has Already Been Designed  (via becoming-vverevvolf)

#jesus the way i feel called out #this feels like the painful honest truth none of us wants #black friday #cyber monday

[itsoneofthemuses]

Tim Bradford, 7:06pm 

Can we talk?

Lucy doesn’t respond, because truly hadn’t they argued enough already? Tim is one of the most stubborn people she’s ever met, if she couldn’t convince him earlier than what's the point in hashing it out all over again to only end up with the same devastating conclusion. Decision made, she throws her phone down on the couch to prevent herself from being tempted to respond and continues to putter around the kitchen.

A knock at the door interrupts her from dealing with the last of the dishes and Lucy knows who it is even before she looks through the peephole, heart in her throat she opens the door to find Tim standing on the other side, his hands in his pockets looking appropriately sheepish. He takes one look at her tear-stained face and his expression falls. Lucy is sure she must be a sight, she's never been a pretty crier.  

Lucy sighs, leaning heavily against the door jam, her tone devoid of any bite, just exhaustion, “I don’t want to talk.” 

#chenford #chenford fanfic #lucy chen #the rookie #tim bradford #chenford fic #chenford fanfiction #because mir is amazing #you should go read this asap