#and finish this post which has been sitting in my drafts for ages | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

exhausted-archivist · 6 months

Text

Thedas: Not a Middle Ages Fantasy But an Ahistorical, Pre-Industrial, Mega Fauna Fantasy

Part 1: Mega Fauna

The long and the short of it? Thedas is an ahistorical world with magic, two moons, giant fauna - giants, dragons, giant bears, giant arachnids, and has some "ancient" and recent technology that would reach as late as the 1800-1900s in our timeline - such as bunsen burners, smokeless coal, table saw, thresher, heliography, and theodolite. Nothing about Thedas is a 1:1 equivalent for Earth and never has been, we know from the devs that it wasn't the intention either. From a fantasy perspective it is a blend of your typical fantasy stories with adventure, dragons, magic, elves and dwarves, varying mythology, and culture ending events; mixed with a venture into a "what if" ahistorical history.

In the case of Dragon Age, Gaider mentions it was a "what if our own history had magic and elves and dwarves?" and "how might Christianity be different if, instead of Jesus, it had been founded by Joan of Ark?" and subverting tropes of fantasy while still being recognizable: elves being brought low vs aloof and immortal; dwarves bring political schemers vs stouthearted Scotsmen; mages who were feared for good reason.

These were the basic foundations going into Dragon Age, and the spirit of those things is evident through out the series. While there are clear moments of parallels, allegories, and themes of the modern world, our world; I think that, for better or worse, the series has kept to the spirit of those foundations. Keeping things recognizable while exploring the world they've crafted, that grows as the team grows.

Its the spirit of that foundation that really lends to the idea of Thedas being a mega flora and fauna world.

Disclaimer and Considerations:

Take all of this with a grain of salt, whether you take it or leave it. Aside from the actual lore mentioned (with sources next to it) all of this is estimations and based off of known art standards or "canon" as the term is called.

Size is a hard thing to nail down in Dragon Age, the scaling and modeling between the games - main and all additional third party installment - are inconsistent at best largely due to limitations and scope of the game. Such limitations we see reflected in Bull not being 8' and instead is 6'9, the fact that the nightmare demon was scaled down because of scope. Then there are the cinematic scenes, they aren't reliable as they often have models float, sunk into the ground, or given camera angles that force perspectives.

ALT Concept art is a touch more reliable in the idea of the intention but isn't any more hard fact due to the question of if the intention was carried through or not due to tech limitations or design choices.

In consideration of concept art I want to clarify a principal used in art that I will be referencing. Traditionally when drawing characters, artists will use proportional canons. Which is when one uses the height of the character’s head as a unit, to have the proportions of the body match natural ratios. A good write up of this concept is linked here and here.

Content warning for everyone, there will be mentions and/or depictions of the following:

Multi-eyed creatures

Scorpions

Spiders

This post also includes images from the following:

The Missing comic

Dragon Age Absolution

Part 1a: Does Thedas Actually Have Mega Fauna?

Yes, they do. Now the first thought might be the obvious dragons, giants, wyverns, titans, and some magical creatures. But there are some creatures of which we have actual measurable sizes for.

I have the more "concrete" fauna separated into two categories: known sizes and comparable sizes. Known is as stated in lore, if we're given fixed numbers at any point, while comparable sizes are for creatures who we either have vague descriptions or equated to something we know the sizes for.

Comparable sizes are also separated from known sizes as they either have variations, or I am unsure of the lore for them still holds; as with anything dao, game guides, and ttrpg on this blog, these are treated and considered as canon unless clear contradictions are available.

Known Sizes

Giant spiders:

Their scale isn't measured by how high they stand on the ground or by body length but from leg to leg. Or rather that is what you would expect for them to be measured by, but it is hard to say for sure. I run with the leg to leg measurement for the provided size in canon; where they are/can be 12' / 3.65m. [Codex]

Looking at extracted game models (which aren't reliable for in-game models) the giant spider stands at 3' 11.28" / 1.2m and measures 5' 4.2" / 1.63m leg to leg.

Griffons:

Their length is 12' / 3.65m or larger with even larger wingspans. Males can weigh over 1,000 lbs / 453.59kg while females are a little less. [Last Flight ch. 2 p. 31]

For context of how big both of these are length wise, on average: Javan rhinos are 12'5 / 3.8m in length, Indian rhinos are between 10.8’-12.5’ / 3.3-3.8m in length, African forest elephants are between 7.22’-12.13’ / 2.2-3.7m in length, African Bush elephants are 10’-16.5’ / 3-5m in length, thresher sharks can be 10.5’-20’ / 3.2-6.1m long, female great white sharks have an overall length of 15’-21’ / 4.57-6.4 m; males 11’-13’ / 3.35-3.96 m. Most crocodiles exceed that with an average of 13-14' / 3.96-4.26m.

If you're like me and that just is a jumble of words, below are the size comparison to a 6' / 1.83m male figure, the scuba diver is roughly the same length as well. I had to edit the horizontal figures to compare lengths but scale wise they are still 6' / 1.83m. I also spliced together multiple images so they would be easier to see (and tumblr has a 30 image limit).

ALT [Image Sources from left to right, top to bottom: Rhinos: Javan Rhino, Indian Rhino Elephants: African Bush Elephant, African Forest Elephant Crocodiles: American Crocodile, Mugger Crocodile Sharks: Thresher Shark, Great White Shark]

Comparable Sizes

Mabari:

Stated as being as tall and as wide as dwarves*; going off the dwarf heights from Inquisition game models would put them at a range of 4'9-5'3 / 144.78-160.02cm.** This is unclear if they mean from the head or shoulder, which typically you would measure quadrupeds from the shoulder. Something to note however, the mabari extracted models from Inquisition measure at 3' 4.6" / 1.03m at the shoulder but 4' 2" / 1.27m at the head.

ALT

This is also roughly echoed in the concept art, where the shoulder height lines up with the shoulder height of the extracted model from Inquisition, however is closer to the dwarf height range when measuring from the top of the head.

Either way mabari are considered giant breeds when looking at dogs. Regardless of if they are the height of a dwarf 4'9-5'3 / 144.78-160.02cm or the height shown in the extracted model or concept art of 3' 4.6" / 1.03m at the shoulder but 4' 2" / 1.27m at the head. The largest dog in the real world was a great dane at 3' 5.18" / 1.046m.***

*[Dragon Age Tabletop (da ttrpg), Blood in Ferelden] **[Source] ***[Source]

Deepstalkers:

There is a bit of a variant with their sizing scale across all entries. From being able to curl up to be the size of boulders or large rocks.* To The Calling describes them as follows

The “stalagmite” unfolded, revealing a serpentine creature with a long and wormlike neck that ended in a maw full of sharp teeth. Its mottled skin was almost perfectly camouflaged to match the stone around it.

He noticed where the creature’s limbs folded up under its carapace, where it tucked its long neck under its body. Hidden in plain sight, the disguise was almost perfect.

Meanwhile the Missing comic shows them as being much larger than Harding, a dwarf. The ttrpg also describes them as "small reptilian creatures". There also seems to be sizes difference noted between each type of deepstalker: deepstalker, leader, and matriarch.

ALT [Image Sources: BioWare Promo Material, Dragon Age Wiki, and The Missing Comic #1]

Additional measurements include the odd 2' 6.3" / .77m from the extracted model from Inquisition which doesn't line up with the in-game sizing as they're proportionally much larger when next to a dwarf. Then when looking at the concept art scaling from the red dev book shared by Mark Darrah, they stand nearly 6' / 1.83m.

ALT

So there is a stark range of size difference as well as really any consistency when it comes to the bipedal, raptor-like, predators.

*Note the range for what is a large rock and what is a boulder is pretty vague. **This is based on various screenshots as pictured above. Comparing them to Shale, a human character, dwarves, and an elf. *** [World of Thedas (WoT) vol. 1 p. 163, Origins game guide, da ttrpg, The Calling novel, and The Missing Comic]

Dragonlings:

Specifically when they are newly hatched are the size of a deer. At the shoulder they'd be 2'8 - 3' / 81 - 91cm. Their length could be from 3'1 - 7'2 / 95 - 220cm. [Dragonling Codex] *Note the ttrpg does denote that they are the size of a young deer, which would be about 1 1/2 years old. This is distinctly different from a fawn and they are the same size height wise as a mature deer. It is simply a difference in muscle mass.

Here is a helpful comparison of a white tail deer, one of the more common deer:

ALT [Image Source]

Below is concept art from Tom Rhodes that I have cropped for a much clearer view. The shoulder height of the dragonling reaches roughly the same height as deer above.

ALT [Image Source]

Part 1b Sizing from Concept art and Development

Here, I want to look at the concept art of creatures, while acknowledging that they don't always end up on the same scale in game - due to a variety of technical reasons. As we see with the fact that spiders are not 12' / 3.65m in game nor are they close to that.

But with that in mind, we can at least glean the intention if not what might be more reflective of the lore. As we know, not all of da lore is game engine/mechanic friendly and thus there is merit in seeing if we can measure through comparison of in dev work. Especially thanks to the human comparison in some of them.

One piece of such concept art that suggests mega fauna is the design guide for da4 that was teased to us by Mark Darrah in 2016 and in the BioWare: Secrets and Stories From 25 Years of Game Development (B25) p. 274.

ALT

Using this, we can tell what might have been the intended -- again if it is not reflected in game -- size for the animals in Thedas. However, I will note for the sake of clarity that this isn't perfect reference; as some of the scaling seems to be questionable/warping. This is after all, an image of a picture in a book. I would be thrilled to see if we ever get to see a flat image of this.

But what we can see when we clean it up, and line up everything while cross referencing other concept art; the scaling seems to work out something like this with the human figure in the center being the "hero" proportions/ideals that would make his height 6'2 / 1.88m.

ALT

Great Bear

Some of the concept art that we can use for comparisons are pieces such as the concept art for the Great Bear and Quillback (development name dragon bear and vulture hyena):

ALT

Going off the stock hero height for female it is 5'6 - 5'7.5 / 1.67 - 1.71m and for males it is 6' - 6'2 / 1.83 - 1.88m. That would make a great bear roughly 10'11 - 11'2 / 3.34 - 3.42m in this concept art. However in the red book, the scaling suggest it is around 14' / 4.26m. Which is an example of how the book as reference might either be unreliable or the new updated intention for the scaling/design.

Regardless of which numbers you favor, when you look at those scales in contrast to our two largest modern bears:

Kodiak Bear: 3'4 - 5' / 1.02 - 1.52m at the shoulder, 6'5 - 9' / 1.96 - 2.74m in length, and 9' - 10' / 2.75 - 3.05m standing upright

Polar Bear: 3'7 - 5'3 / 1.09 - 1.6 m (male) or 2’8 - 3’11 / .81-1.19 m (female) at the shoulder, 7’10 - 9’10 / 2.4-3 m length, and 8’ - 10’ / 2.5 - 3.05 m standing upright Note: I have edited together the sourced images for clearer scaling.

ALT [Image Sources: Bears: Kodiak Bear, Polar Bear]

Additionally when looking at the tarot cards, which also tend to echo concept art more than the final game we see this massive and dramatic height difference for great bears.

ALT

Another varying size reference we have from concept art is this piece by Tom Rhodes comparing the great bear to the normal bear/brown bear. This is in direct conflict with the scale illustrated in the dev book, though this could simply be due to the stage of development this was created in as it looks to be a draw over of a game model when looking at the great bear.

ALT [Image Source]

Nightmare Demon

The Nightmare demon, or "Blinky" as fans call it, or "Smilely" as Varric calls it. This is however a demon so it's appearance and size can change due to influences outside of its control, I want to acknowledge that. This one was something I wasn't expecting to make a comparison with, as we know that not only was the final version of this demon scaled well as it seems that part of it was cut off in the dev book. But I found this concept art from Heroes of Dragon Age (HoDA) and I believe it roughly matches up with the dev book in terms of scale. It might be scaling larger however, I cannot say with any certainty. And when comparing it to the game model in DAI, this is actually a little smaller in comparison. The extracted game model of the Nightmare demon is 93.47' / 28.49m, while in comparison this concept art implies that it is 54.5' / 16.61m when you measure the silhouette which we can estimate to be 6'2.

ALT [Image Source]

ALT You can see how much they sized down the nightmare demon for HoDA (which is understandable given the constraints of a mobile game), especially when you scale them down to show the actual difference. Which is funny considering the nightmare demon is greatly scaled down from the original concept.

Phoenix

Another piece we have, is concept art for the phoenix. Unlike with the hero figure from before, we are estimating Orisino's height based on the height of elven game models. This would put Orisinao at 5'9 - 6' / 1.75 - 1.83m for an elven male.

ALT [Image Source]

This height reference is echoed and reinforced when we look at the dev book from B25 and Mark Darrah. When you bring the phoenix over to line it up with the hero character in the center, it puts the shoulder a phoenix is roughly 6'2. Implying that, at least for this art, Oresino is within that 5'9-6' / 1.75-1.83m range as his height is lower than the shoulder.

ALT

As you can see the extracted game model is not comparable due to the fact it, like the bears are not at all the same size as their in-game models. They are being scaled up a great deal to what we see in game. The extracted model height for the phoenix is 2' 7.4" / 0.8m, which is much shorter than their in-game counter part that shows it to be around the height of the human/elf character if not a little taller.

Quillback

Shown in the concept art with the great bear, we do have scalable concept art with the quillback and we are able to see that it does line up with the scaling for the dev book. It is also roughly the same size as the extracted game model. It's shoulder height being 4' 10.6" / 1.49m. The quillback also seems to be one of the few creatures where their in game counter part matches up with their model and concept art.

ALT

Part 1 Conclusion

As we can see with all the comparable or confirmed sizing of these creatures in Thedas, most are predators and scavengers, fairly large ones at that. So much so, it would dictate a high oxygen content in the atmosphere, plenty of prey to fuel animals of this size, and plenty of land area to allow for the biodiversity that we see. Even down to the subterranean level as well.

We know that gravity also works differently in Thedas, to a degree it is requires as to allow creatures the size of dragons and griffons fly, and giants roam the surface. But also to allow dwarves ranging from 4'9-5'3 / 144.78-160.02 cm to live 2-4 miles / 3.21-6.43 km below sea level + the distance from the actual surface. To give context, the deepest cave we've explored on earth is the Veryovkia cave at 1.37 miles / 2.12 km deep and the entrance to the cave is 1.41 miles / 2.28 km above sea level. Meaning the deepest cave doesn't even go down to sea level.

But with all that said, I'm only wrapping up here as I'm running out of image allowance for this post. I'll continue this in the next part, and if you've read this far, thank you.

Wanna support this blog? You can check out my ko-fi.

111 notes · View notes

joelsgreys · 1 month

Text

baby, i’m yours

Post Outbreak! Joel Miller x Female Reader

summary: You remind Joel that you’re his.

warnings/tags: 18+ ONLY, MINORS DNI. JACKSON ERA. READER HAS NO PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION however she does wear Joel’s t-shirt and he semi lifts her onto a counter? sorta but not really? UNSPECIFIED AGE GAP (Joel is in his 50’s but reader’s specific age is not mentioned). established relationship, sort of. consumption of food (if you are allergic to peanuts, i so sorry). angst, Joel and Ellie’s strained relationship is lightly implied, Joel is insecure, it’s implied reader did some horrible things in her past, reassurance, brief smut, unprotected p in v sex, creampie, consider it a quickie idk. apologies if i missed anything.

word count: 2.6k

a/n: this short lil thing has been sitting in my drafts forever. i finished it while i was in ireland and finally had the chance to sit down and do a quick edit and when i say it was quick, i flew through it so i could hop onto my next wip so please excuse any errors! here’s a spotify link to the song if anyone’s curious, it’s an oldie but a goodie although it may not be everyone’s cup of tea.

main masterlist l fic notifs

Joel rolls over in bed, his arm outstretched and seeking the warmth of your soft, naked body.

“Mmph,” a small, sleepy groan falls from his lips as his long, thick fingers feel around on your side of the bed—of his bed. Of course, you have your very own bedroom in the house you all had been placed in when you first arrived in Jackson. Your very own bed to sleep in is just down the hallway, but lately, you’ve been waking up beside him a lot more often than not, especially now that Ellie’s a bit older and she’s gone and made herself her own space out in the garage behind the house. Being under the same roof as Joel did those two more harm than it did good, and while you missed having her around, it was for the best.

“She’ll come around, Joel,” you’d assured him. “I know she will. She just needs a bit of time is all.”

“Hope you’re right, darlin’,” he had murmured sadly in response.

Still lost somewhere in between sleep and full consciousness, Joel continues feeling around for you, but all he finds are the wrinkled sheets, cold and abandoned. Confused, his eyes finally flutter open and with a painful protest from his sore, stiff back, he sits up, blinking furiously as he looks around the darkness of his bedroom. The door’s been left cracked open ever so slightly, and as his vision adjusts now that he’s fully awake, he notices the dim glow of the hallway light that’s peeking through into the room.

He turns and glances over at the old digital alarm clock perched on his nightstand, the obnoxious, bright red numbers practically screaming at him that it’s a quarter past midnight. With a small, tired grunt, Joel switches on the lamp beside the clock and swings his legs over the side of the mattress, goosebumps erupting across his flesh the instant that his bare feet meet the cold, hardwood floor. He stands and fumbles around for his clothes, which he’d tossed carelessly somewhere over his shoulder hours earlier when he’d been lost in the heat of the moment with you. He finds his faded, navy blue sweatpants strewn across a chair next to the door and pulls them on over his naked lower body before searching for his t-shirt. When he doesn’t immediately see it, he doesn’t bother, figuring that it’s just going to come back off when he climbs back into bed with you.

Padding out of his bedroom, he makes his way down the hallway, heading towards the staircase. As he draws closer, he hears it—the soft music that’s coming from downstairs.

Baby, I'm yours

and I'll be yours until the stars fall from the sky

yours until the rivers all run dry

in other words, until I die

He’s led towards the kitchen and that’s where he finds you.

Joel wants to be annoyed.

Fuck, he tries to be annoyed. But he can’t help the way that the corners of his mouth threaten to turn upwards when his eyes take in the sight before him.

You’re standing at the center island slowly swaying your hips from side to side along to the beat of the song that’s playing from the record player perched next to the instant coffee maker on the counter behind you. He’d nearly wrung your neck when he found out what all you had traded just to get your hands on it, but you loved that thing more than life itself it seemed, so he couldn’t stay mad for very long. You’re making yourself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich—the peanut butter you’d learned how to make yourself with the old food processor he found deep in one of the kitchen cabinets, and the strawberry preserves you had picked up from the market earlier that week. Clad in nothing but his t-shirt, you’re singing along quietly to the lyrics as you finish making your late night snack.

Baby, I’m yours

and I’ll be yours until the sun no longer shines

yours until the poets run out of rhyme

in other words, until the end of time

Joel leans against the doorframe, his arms crossed over his bare chest as he watches you carefully lick the remnants of peanut butter off of the knife you’re using before setting it down on the counter. You then pick up the two pieces of bread and slap them together—you’d also learned how to bake homemade bread using some old nineties cookbook you had found in the commune’s library. Your sourdough is the reason he had to go up a notch in his belt.

Sandwich in hand, you do a little spin, humming happily as you take your first bite.

Joel loudly clears his throat from the doorway.

Startled, you whirl around and freeze, your eyes wide.

“Enjoyin’ yourself there, darlin’?” He asks amusedly as he approaches you.

“Jesus Christ! You scared me, Joel!” You hiss at him. You then realize what time of night it is and a look of guilt crosses your features. “Oh shit. I’m sorry, did I wake you up? I honestly thought that I had the volume down low enough in here—”

Frowning, you turn around and reach towards the record player to turn the music off, but much to your surprise, Joel stops you. “No, s’okay. I woke up on my own,” he assures you. “I reached over for you and you were gone.” The admission slips before he can even think to stop it. He notices how taken aback you are by what he’d just said and quickly asks, “What’cha doin’ up so late, anyway?”

“I was hungry,” you tell him, sheepishly holding up your food. You always have one hell of an appetite after Joel was through fucking you senseless. You take another bite and offer it to him. “Want some?”

“Sure.”

He accepts and takes a corner of the sandwich before handing it back to you. His fingers brush against yours and his face burns at the contact.

Fucking Christ.

You’re standing there in nothing but his fucking t-shirt after he had, yet again, made you his in his own fucking bed, and that’s what gets him?

Truth be told, the only time he holds your hand is when he’s inside of you—his fingers lace with your own as he comforts you and praises you for being such a good girl for taking his cock the way you do.

For being so, so fucking good for him.

He’s thought about taking your hand in front of others. Particularly when he notices the way some of the men in town stare at you. Joel wants to make it known that you’re already spoken for. Only, you’re not spoken for, not really.

You’re his, but you’re not really his. It’s not that he doesn’t want to take the leap and acknowledge the two of you are far more than just patrol partners, far more than just two people who fought like fucking hell to get some smart assed teenager—and the world’s only hope for a cure—across the country.

He feels undeserving of it. Of you and your heart.

Several seasons had come and gone since you’d both arrived in Jackson with Ellie in tow, and somehow, Joel still can’t fathom what you’re doing by his side. She’s out of the house now and there’s nothing tying you to him, so why are you still here?

He’s so much older. Closer and closer to being on his way out, while you still had your entire life left ahead of you. He’s worn down, hardened from the post outbreak world. And you, you hadn’t lost any of your softness, your sweetness. Not even after the things you’d been forced to do to survive because of him.

You could meet someone younger, someone closer to your own age. You could marry, even start a family. You could be with someone who could give you a good life, the life you deserve.

The life that he’s too fucking broken to give you.

“Joel?” Your voice breaks into his thoughts. “Hey. Are you okay?”

“Yeah. M’fine.” He gestures to the record player with a nod of his head. “Y’know, this song’s older than me. By a few years. Came out in the early sixties.”

Joel half expects you to make some wisecrack joke and tease him over his age like you have done in the past—especially when the kid would get you going. Instead, he watches you set what’s left of your sandwich down and brush the crumbs from your hands before holding one of them out to him.

Confused, he stares at it for a moment before his dark eyes meet yours. “What are you doin’?”

“Dance with me,” you say, smiling at him.

“You’re fuckin’ kiddin’ me, right?” When he realizes you’re being serious, he shakes his head. “Y’know I don’t—I can’t dance.”

Dropping your hand back down to your side, you turn around and flip the record, starting the song over again before whirling back around and taking Joel’s hands in yours.

“Just follow my lead,” you tell him as you place them on your waist. Your own hands settle themselves on his broad shoulders, his skin warm beneath your fingertips. “Don’t overthink it.”

“You’re fuckin’ ridiculous,” Joel grumbles underneath his breath, however he finds himself moving along with you without further protest. Subconsciously, he pulls you closer against him as the two of you slowly sway from side to side along to the beat of the music. He chuckles, “Y’know we gotta be up at the asscrack of dawn for patrol, right?”

“And your point is?” You rest your head on his shoulder and exhale a soft, contended sigh.

Joel’s lips threaten to pull down once more.

Could it be that you’re actually content with him?

Head still on his shoulder, you sing along softly with Barbara Lewis.

“I’m gonna stay right here by your side

do my best to keep you satisfied

nothing in this world can drive me away

‘cause every day you'll hear me say…”

It quickly becomes too much for him. Joel’s hands leave your waist. Taking your wrists, he tugs your arms from around his neck and gently pushes you away from him. “Why?” he finally asks the question that’s been hanging off the tip of his tongue for the better part of the last three years. “Why me?”

You stare at him, puzzled. “What?”

“Why me?” he repeats himself. “Why me when you can have anyone else—”

Your reply is prompt and you say it so simply.

“Because I don’t want anyone else.”

“You deserve better.”

You peer at him curiously. “I deserve better?”

“You do. Ain’t got no business being with someone like me. After all the terrible shit I’ve done—”

“I did the same exact shit, Joel. Sometimes I did even fucking worse.” Somehow, softness laces your tone. You have never been angry with him and you weren’t about to start now. “What makes my hands any cleaner than yours?”

Joel begins to sputter. “M’older than you. Much older. Should’a been a lot more careful. Should’a done more so you didn’t have to do those things.”

His hands still curled around your wrists, you reach up and gingerly cradle the sides of his face. He winces, but then quickly melts into your touch, the very same touch that could heal his wounds, if only he would allow it.

“I made my own choices,” you remind him, quietly. Neither of you realize the music has stopped. “Quit acting like blood doesn’t stain my hands too because it does.”

His lips press into a tight line. “Blood stains your hands ‘cause of me. S’my fault. I was responsible for you. I was s’pposed to take care of you. I didn’t protect you the way I should’ve.”

You sigh.

“When are you going to stop blaming yourself, Joel?”

The muscle in his jaw ticks as it clenches. He averts his gaze, his eyes falling to the floor. He doesn’t answer.

You stroke the scruff of his beard lightly with your thumbs. “When are you going to stop thinking you’re not good enough for me? What’s it going to take for me to prove to you that you are all I could ever need and want?”

“You’re just wastin’ your fuckin’ life on me, darlin’. S’the truth and you fuckin’ know it as well as I do.”

Pulling your wrists out of his hands, you pivot on your heel and suck in a sharp breath, stubbornly blinking back the tears stinging your eyes. You’re frustrated.

It cuts you to your very core to know the man you’ve grown to love more than anything and anyone else on what’s left of this fucking planet can’t see that he’s enough. He’s more than enough.

Joel bites back his own frustrated sigh. He knows he can’t rely on you to tell him, rely on the reassurance—he needs to do his part and believe it. If he keeps trying to push you away, he just may very well succeed one day. He will lose you.

After a moment, he walks up behind you and wraps his arms around you, his lips lightly brushing your neck. “M’sorry,” he mumbles, his own voice thickening as a lump forms in the back of his throat. He’s quick to swallow it down. “Jus’ have a hard time believin’ you’re mine. S’almost like my mind is lookin’ to prove me wrong.”

“But I am yours, Joel. I’m yours, I’m fucking yours.”

It’s more than just reassurance. It’s an oath, one you’ll honor for the rest of your life.

He holds you tighter. “Yeah?” He nips at the delicate spot right below your ear, his teeth scraping along tender flesh. “S’that right, baby? You’re all mine?”

“All yours,” you confirm breathlessly as his hands slowly begin trailing down the length of your sides, his fingers skimming the hem of his t-shirt.

Joel swiftly turns you around in his arms and slips his hand between your thighs. The next thing you know, he has you backed up against the counter and he’s shoving his sweatpants down, freeing his hard, thick cock. With one of your legs hooked around his waist, he buries himself into the warmth of your cunt and begins to deliver smooth, languid strokes.

“Say it again, baby,” he rasps into your neck. He coaxes your other leg up and around his waist and his large hands curl securely underneath your thighs as he bucks up into you. He’d deal with the back pain later. He pants, “Need—need to hear you say it, my sweet girl.”

You hold onto the countertop behind you as he fucks you, your fingernails digging into the laminated wood. “Fuck, I’m yours,” you moan into his shoulder. “I’m all yours, Joel. Oh fuck—”

You say it over and over again and he believes it.

He finally fucking believes it.

Sweet nothings fall from his lips with each thrust.

“S’lucky you’re all fuckin’ mine.”

“My beautiful, beautiful girl.”

“Gonna keep you for the rest of my fuckin’ life.”

When he spills into you, there’s no regret on his part nor yours. You’d always wanted to feel him come inside of you—secretly, so did he. Joel’s deep, guttural groans bounce off of the kitchen walls as your pussy fills with him, with all of him, taking as much as it can before he begins leaking out of you and down the insides of your thighs.

“Jesus,” he exhales. He dips his head for a kiss. “You’re all messy now, baby,” he mumbles against your lips. “How’s about we go upstairs and get back into bed so I can clean you up?”

Giggling, you mimic him and remind him of what he’d said earlier. “Y’know we gotta be up at the asscrack of dawn for patrol, right?”

Joel grins. “And your point is?”

You laugh again as he leads you out of the kitchen and back up to his bedroom—to yours and his bedroom.

#joel miller x reader #joel miller x female reader #joel miller smut #joel miller angst #joel miller fluff #joel miller x you #joel miller x f!reader #joel miller x y/n #joel miller drabble #joel miller one shot #joel miller fanfiction #joel miller imagine #the last of us fanfiction #tlou fanfiction #tlou fic #joel fic

2K notes · View notes

vanishingcherry · 8 months

Text

YN YLN and Charles Leclerc Take a Couples Quiz

pairing: charles leclerc x reader

author's note: this has been in my drafts for wayy to long, so ive decided to just finish it off and post it. im sorry lmao but i just couldn't watch this rot away in my wips any longer.

masterlist

๑ ⋆˚₊⋆────ʚ˚ɞ────⋆˚₊⋆ ๑

The video cut to you and Charles, sitting opposite each other in front of a yellow to red gradient, smiling at the camera.

"Hi! I'm YN", you say cheerfully.

"And I'm Charles"

"And we are here to take a couples quiz!"

You are handed a stack of questions from a person off screen, and turn towards Charles.

"Are you ready?"

"Is that the first question?" he retorts.

Your face drops, now showing slight annoyance but there is still a small smile you try to hide. "That's it. Minus 1 points."

"Oh c'mon! That is not fair."

You turn to argue but the video cuts to a different scene in which you ask the actual first question.

"What things do I have, of yours, that are my favourite?

He looks up in thought before chuckling and replying. "Theres a lot, you steal my stuff all the time."

You grin. "Yes, but what's my favourite?"

"My shirts? No wait! My bracelets?" He asks.

"Yeah!" you exclaim. Turning to the camera you add. "He gets so many bracelets from fans and they are all so pretty. We keep them in a bowl on our dresser so I like to take a few whenever I go out."

Looking back at Charles, you add. "You didn't know the answer, but you still got it right so I think you deserve half a point." The staff behind the camera gives you a thumbs up, noting it down for when they would edit the video.

"Ok! Next question- which song of yours is my favourite?"

He looks at you, his eyes widening with a confused expression on his face. He looks at the camera crew and then back at you.

"C'mon, I only have 2 it's not a very hard question."

"Then answer it." you reply, looking at him with a small smirk.

"Fine. Uh, AUS23."

"Wrong!" you exclaim, laughing at the way his jaw drops in surprise.

"Then what? I know its not Miami."

"Its the one you wrote for Baku." you slyly say, knowing fully well that he hadn't released it and you were possibly the only one other than him to have heard it.

You look down at the cards you had been given, reading off the next question. "What is the first thing I eat in the morning?"

You see his smirk growing in your peripheral vision and cut in before he answers. "If you dare make a joke, I will murder you."

He laughs at that, chuckling as he looks up to think. "Um. Breakfast? It's different things every morning, but if I wake up before her then I make cereal."

Noticing the evident confusion on the faces of the cameramen, you elaborate. "It's the only thing he's allowed to make without me present. The last time I let him cook alone, he burned the pancakes and half our kitchen."

Turning red at the story, he interrupts. "Okayy, next question amore."

"Which side of the bed do I sleep on?"

"Left."

"If I could get a tattoo of something, what would it be?"

"A bouquet of flowers. The flowers would be your favourite and my favourite together."

You are shocked at his response. "How did you remember that? I told you that ages ago!"

He smiles slyly to the camera. "That is why I am the best boyfriend, there is no need for these silly questions I am already the best. She told me so in be-"

"Right. Next question." You cut him off, eyes widening as you figure out where he was going with the statement. "This is the last one. If I could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?"

"Oh this is easy. Italy. You are always talking about how much you love it. But you also love Monaco and France so depending on how you feel, one of those three."

"Well.", you look at the camera, "I think that answer deserves 2 points." Handing your questions off to the side, you turn to Charles who has started reading the first of his questions.

"If I had a ticket to anywhere in the world, where would I go?" he reads. "This is similar to yours", he mutters.

"Home", you say confidently. "He's a mama's boy, tries to go back home as much as possible."

He blushes slightly before nodding to the camera. "Yup, 1 point."

"What was I wearing on our first date?"

You reply quick as lightening. "A shirt and pants. Very gentlemanly, I remember thinking, probably the best first impression I've had of a guy."

His eyebrows raise at the confession, cockily tilting his head in the direction of the camera. "You heard her! Next, what is something I hate?"

"A lot of things, Char."

"Is that your final answer, cherie?"

"Um." you pause. "Oh I know! When manipulate stuff that you say. It makes me really mad too. It gets really tiresome when they take stuff that Charles has said that turn into into a different story altogether."

"Thats true, I do hate that." He smiles at you, reaching over to squeeze your hand once to say thank you.

"How many kids do I want?"

"3, because you have 2 siblings. But, you said you want as many as I am comfortable with!"

"Of course, amour. You're the one whose going to be carrying them, your choice is more important here. What is something I get annoyed about?"

"Oh, when Seb and Carlos beat you at those Ferrari games you play."

His jaw drops in faux offence, shaking his head as he reads out the last question on his cue card.

"What is one my hidden talents?"

You look straight at the camera, not dissimilar to The Office. A smirk grows on your face and the lens zooms in. In the background Charles can be heard complaining.

"Oh I see! You can make these jokes, but I cant?"

The video cuts to the wider angle once again, you and Charles wave at the camera.

"Thanks for watching our couples quiz! I think it's clear that I've won."

Charles rolls his eyes, eyes shining with admiration and love for you. "Bye everybody."

Comments:

charleslover: OH MY GOD!! THEY ARE SO IN LOVE IT KILLS ME

ynandcharles: their facial expressions always kill me

username89: where do i get a charles leclerc bcs i will willingly offer all the money i have

doratheexplorer16: their love for each other hurts

2K notes · View notes

thevestigeofvanillaan · 1 year

Text

Daddy's Girl.

"i wouldn't say i called it if i hadn't. but i called it when i said it was a sick joke"

karma akabane x spoiled!reader.

content: smut, mention of weed, smoking, getting high, innocent reader, corruption, "daddy", bully!karma, enemies to lovers ig, belly bulge.

hey guys!! first karma post. also first post on the new "EARTH'S GRIMEY CRIES" page!! i lately have taken interest in the color palette for cyan, blue, dark blue, and darker shades of red. "The Delicate Sound Of Thunder" live concert by pink floyd was an influence on this particular page design, and i love it. it's always nice that i can create a whole new page when i get out of room on my navigation centers, or when i want to. hopefully my sp fans aren't too upset that i want to write about other shows/people!! i'll be posting drafts and finishing requests soon.

karma is such an asshole.

to everyone, not even just you.

having not known him pained you as you thought he'd hated you for no reason other than you're a "taut daddy's girl who gets daddy's money". which was unreliable truth that nobody except select few in the entire school system knew. karma was one of those people.

he knows everything about everyone, it's terrifying, honestly.

"talk of that brat" karma scoffs as you walk over to talk to your tutor, nagisa, who'd oddly enough been on speaking terms with karma regardless of their differences and past experiences.

"nagisa, i got a b on our recent test, can you help me more in the future?"

"i don't see why no—"

"maybe if instead of buying you ponies, your daddy bought you an education; you wouldn't be in such a pickle, darling."

you sigh and walk away, assuming the help is useless anyway, and karma was right. you were just not bright when it came to academics because you were raised with everything a kid dreams of.

but he catches up to you.

"no hard feelings, princess?"

"no hard feelings? asshole. what is with you? can't you leave me alone?" you scoff and continue to walk, not bothering to eye him.

he sighs and jogs slightly to catch up with you. "alright– listen, i got an a+ on the recent test.. alright? let me help you."

"you? offering to help me? what kind of sick joke?"

"it's not a joke. come to mine at.. say seven." karma stops walking beside you to go find someone else to bother.

i wouldn't say i called it if i hadn't. but i called it when i said it was a sick joke.

you showed up at karma's doorstep at 7:00 PM, like he'd told you to. alarming detail being no cars in the driveway, where his parents cars are usually parked.

he'd opened the door. "hey princess. make yourself at home, you might be here a while." he invites you in with his usual sarcastic tone you hated.

"want like.. water? sorry it's not sparkly or whatever i don't drink that weird shit." he says as he grabs a glass and fills it with water, handing it to you.

karma starts to head upstairs and so you follow him into his room that's weirdly tidy and large.

karma was not poor, in fact his parents made the same money your dad did. just, karma took individuality when it came to money. decided to get a job at a young age and has been making his own money ever since and even bought his own car.

you didn't do that. you were always handed everything, so you grew up differently than karma. or at least with a different mindset.

"your room is nice." you compliment awkwardly to fill the silence as you just stand in the middle of the clean wooden floors.

"uh, are you gonna sit down or just stand there?" he tilts his head and chuckles, patting the spot right next to him on his bed.

you place your cup down on a table and cough softly even though you didn't need to, heading over slowly and sitting down fairly far from him.

but that distance didn't stay when he scooted closer anyway. "so! what's the score ya got on the test?"

"hey wait. why do you make fun of me all the time? for.. being fortunate i guess."

karma stays in silence for a moment before laughing. "you.." he pokes your chest and doesn't look into your eyes as he talks. "you aren't the fortunate one. your daddy is, and you take advantage of it.. that's what i make fun of."

you look down at his hand that lay still in your lap and grab it with your own hand. "i never got to know what it was like to be a teenager because my dad was strict. he used money to keep me away from the public, sex, drugs, parties, everything. that's not my fault."

he doesn't say anything for a couple seconds before he looks into your eyes. "huh. so you have never done any of that?"

you nod 'no'.

"hah! baby do you have a lot i need to teach you. to hell with the stupid test that we already did." karma laughs. "you've never even gone to a party?"

"nope."

"shit. you're such a virgin." he laughs and you look down in embarrassment. but he brings a hand to your chin and makes you look back up at him. "hey, no need to be embarrassed. hey let me help you."

"help me with what?"

"you ever wanted to get high?" karma asks, opening a drawer before taking out a pen. "this makes you tired, jus'so you know. your daddy cool if you stay the night? because baby you'll be out."

"mhm." you nod and bite your lip, shifting the way you're sitting in excitement. you always wanted to get high but never had the chance.

"you're ampy. guess my little innocent girl's not gonna be so innocent anymore, huh?"

my? you'd wonder about what he'd meant. but you didn't care because it made you feel good; at least in the way you took it.

he holds the pen up to your mouth. "breathe in.. then.. breathe in again. that's the only way i can really explain it to you."

and with that you took it to your mouth and did as he told you. "take another hit. but that's it, this can be strong and i don't know your tolerance, baby."

after you take another, you watch as he takes his and after that, it starts to hit you. the room starts moving into .5 and it's all zoomed out. it's cool, nothing like you'd ever experienced before.

you start to giggle.

"mhmm. you okay, baby?" karma asks and you nod, moving closer to him.

"uhuh. hey. what's next?" you ask, crawling into his lap and laying on him in tiredness.

"what do you mean, what's next?" he asks, rubbing my arm and conforting me. this was the sweetest karma had ever been.

"well you said— you said you were gon' teach me stuff. can teach me bout sex. take it from me?" you didn't even know what you were saying, or that it would affect you tomorrow. and you didn't care.

karma chuckles lowly and lays me down. "you're tired, can see it in your eyes."

"fuck me to sleep." you sit up and grab at the hair at the base of his neck, pulling on it before pulling his face into yours, kissing him softly. "please— all i wan' right now is you."

he takes his hands and parts your legs and rests himself between them, laying you back down to lean over you as he kisses down your neck, playing with the hem of your shirt.

through your shorts you felt the bulge inside his jeans pressing against your clothed core. you wanted it so bad. you take your hands to his face and pull him back up to kiss your lips.

whispering into his mouth "please, need you so bad.. karma."

now that he knew you knew what you were doing and with who, he went feral. he took off your shirt and unzipped your jean shorts.

you trace his jawline with your fingers and admire his pretty face as he removes his own clothes.

not long later his tip is pressed against your entrance. "are you sure you want this, baby?"

with one nod he thrusts into you painfully and your back arches as you moan loudly. he doesn't give you time to adjust as he starts thrusting at a quick paste.

your moans are loud and you scratch at his biceps and his back as tears prick your lash line.

"fuck karma— please.." you moan as he uses his thumb to play with your clit as the rest of his fingers press down on your lower abdomin, creating intense pleasure. the bulge in your belly was felt on his finger tips.

"oh, baby moan louder.. let my neighbors hear who fucking owns you.."

"fuck!! ugh—karma please please please please fuck harder." you moan out loudly, pushing him down into your chest and locking your legs around his waist so he can't pull out.

"baby don't do that.. im gonna cum soon." both hands go to your thighs so even if you tried to take them off you couldn't because he holds your legs firmly there, against his own command. "you're— real tense!" he squeezes his abs in a groan from the throat. "you're gonna cum?"

"mmmmhmm." you whine and nod, tears streaming down your face with all the pleasure.

"fuck im gonna breed you all good.. fill ya full with daddy's cum, yeah? you're mine, you know that? huh? tell me you're all mine." he groans and whines at you in a needy voice that makes your orgasm peak.

"all yours–! 'm cummin'!"

"god yes, cum with me baby." he groans and you release together, heavy breathing and leftover moans fill the room as they echo against the walls.

karma pulls out and falls beside you, who's about to be sleeping mind you.

"hey wait, don't you fall asleep. knew indica would get ya like this.. it always does with first timers." he sighs and gets up, grabbing a towel and walking back over to you, half lidded and looking up at him with dried mascara tear stained cheeks.

karma smiles softly at your expression once he knows you can't see him, rubbing the towel on your thighs and everywhere between your legs. he grabs a shirt and helps you sit up, putting it on you and grabbing your panties, that he also puts on you before laying you back down.

he lays beside you and you drag heavy limbs to snuggle into his chest and side. "thanks.. for all this. guess im not your little innocent girl no more."

"you're still my girl.. told ya that, didn't i?" he says and you giggle softly, nodding into his chest. "good, so.. you're my not-so-innocent little girl now, huh?"

#vanillaan #karma akabane #karma x reader #karma akabane x reader #assassination classroom #karma x y/n #assclass #assclass x reader

235 notes · View notes

callmelinamfsnow · 2 years

Text

“How Old Are You?”

Ch. 2: Four Days Later Ch. 3: The Beginning of The Date

Warnings: Spoilers for TUA S3

Five Hargreeves x Reader

Word Count: 1,243 (give or take)

a/n: This is a rough draft of a fic I thought of the other day. I wanted to post it and get some hype for when I fully finish it. Also the ending of S3 was bullshit.

“Hey”

Five looked up from his coffee to the girl who had just slid her upper body to rest onto the counter, hair falling as she looked up at him. “Hello” was all Five said but straightened his composure and gave her a smile.

The universe has just been reset. His problems had been solved. He wasn’t about to start off one of his first interactions by being an asshole.

“How old are you?” She asked, squinting her eyes at him a bit as if she could figure it out if she scanned his face more.

Here we go.

“Why do you care?” He replied after a sigh.

“Kind of need to know your age before I can tell you” she continued, sitting up a bit. “Are you at least over 18?”

He paused for a second and thought, while taking her appearance in. She was wearing a simple ripped black jeans, white tank top, and jeans jacket but he was intrigued.

He’d noticed his body had seemed to start aging a bit more over the past three weeks. One of the only positive things to keep him going. It seemed he was at about 18 and he wasn’t about to claim to be younger.

“Yes. I am”

“Great.” She smiled and pushed some of her hair behind her ear. “Well now I won’t be embarrassed that I tried to flirt with an underaged kid”

He perked up at that.

“Go on” he smiled and turned himself in the stool to face her. A small smile trying to spill out as he took another sip of coffee. “Not sure what more I have to say. I notice you in your cute suit when you came in and thought you were interesting, but couldn’t figure out if you were of age.” She explained after giving a shrug. Then leaned in closer to him and continued in a low voice, “my friend bet me $10 and the bill if you were older so I’m feeling pretty lucky”

He chuckled at that which caused her to smile a bit. “Well congratulations” he smiled and patted her hand, leaving his nearby when he placed it back on the counter. He was enjoying his first somewhat romantic interaction with a real woman in a while, and he wasn’t going to let her think otherwise. “Does your friend know about your flirtatious plans with me?” Five asked, quickly noticing the simple hoops and necklace she wore.

“Well me saying you seemed cute was what struck up the conversation, and while they did tease me about doing it they aren’t fully aware of it, no” she answered, keeping eye contact that made something in the pit of his stomach churn. She was very attractive, and admittedly looked nothing like Dolores which was new. “Is that because you were afraid of the possibility you’d be flirting with a high schooler?” Five asked as he finished his coffee. She laughed at that and shook her head a bit before replying, “Yes. Would not like to have that moment drawn out anymore that needed to”

“(Y/N) we need to go soon. Who’s paying?” Someone called over from a table causing the woman infront of Five to look over. He couldn’t help but look her over a bit better before he looked at the table. “You are” she smiled back, watching the friend roll their eyes and groan in defeat as the waitress approached with the bill. “Well, looks like I’m going to have to be going soon” she said as she turned to Five, “are you seeing anyone?”

“Not at all” he smiled

“Mind if I give you my number?”

“I’d love nothing more”

“Great” she bit her lip and grabbed a piece of paper and pen from her pocket. Five watched her write her number and what looked like a small note on it, chuckling when he leaned over to get a look and she moved her body to cover it up.

“Is that going to be it for you?” The waitress asked, pointing to Fives coffee. “Oh, uh, yes thank you” he nodded and pushed it closer to her. It then hit Five that he had no way of paying for it, and the waitress seemed to know it as she walked off eyeing him.

“What’s wrong?” (Y/N) asked, folding up the paper. “Just realized I have no money to pay for this” he sighed quietly, watching out for an employee. “How much is your tab?” “Just this coffee. Probably five dollars with a little tip. Maybe I can find some…” he mumbled the end to himself as he looked around. The sound of (Y/N) rummaging through her pockets followed by her smacking something onto the counter rang through his ears, the latter startling him a bit. “Here. On me” she smiled and slid a $5 bill to him. “You just helped me win a free meal and $10 so I guess it’s the least I could do” she teased at the end, rolling her eyes playfully.

“Thank you (Y/N)” Five hummed, his eyes focusing on her smile for a second until he noticed her bite her lip. He felt another churn in his stomach and met her eyes again, receiving a cocked eyebrow from her. “I’ll pay you back” he added and before she could say it was fine he continued “on our first date”. He let out a cocky smile when she notice her blush lightly and bite her lip again as a small smile spilled from them. “Well alright then…” she trailed off, suddenly realizing she hadn’t gotten his name yet and Five froze for a second. This was a new universe apparently and he could start over. Maybe a new name that drew less questions, but he hadn’t exactly had time to think of a new one.

“I’m Five” he said holding his hand out for her to shake. Her eyebrows creased in confusion and her head tilted to the side a bit as her hand went to shake his. “That’s a cool and different name” she nodded, going silent when Five took her hand and kissed her knuckles gently. “Well aren’t you cute” she hummed teasingly causing Five to chuckle. “Why thank you, you’re quite beautiful yourself” he offered back and gently let her hand go.

“(Y/N)! We got to go” her friend called from the table again. “Okay I’m coming” she said slightly annoyed as she glanced back at them. “Guess I should let you go before your friends get upset with you” Five took the piece of paper and put it in his pocket for when he’s be able to get a phone to call her with. “Yeah” (Y/N) sighed, tucking some of her hair behind her ear. Five took the $5 bill and slid it to her waitress, mumbling a “keep the change”. “Well good bye (Y/N).” He smiled, taking her hand and kissing it again. “Bye Five. Looking forward to hearing from you” she smiled.

Giving each other a quick nod she turned and walked back to her friends. Five watching her the whole time, catching her every time she would glance over. Then right before the group exited she gave him a wave which he returned and then watched her disappear into the night.

Fuck he needed to get a phone, and fast.

#five hargreeves imagine #five hargreeves imagines #five hargeeves x you #five hargreeves x plus size reader #five hargreeves #five Hargreeves x reader #five Hargreeves x f!reader #five Hargreeves fluff #tua x you #tua imagine #tua blurb #tua fic #tua five hargreeves #tua spoilers #tua s3 spoilers #lina once wrote

1K notes · View notes

dduane · 1 year

Note

Hi there! I'm not sure if this is something you've talked about before in another post, but I just finished the first draft of my first novel, and I was wondering if you could talk about what your experience was like getting your first novel edited and published. I have this story that I'm excited about but no idea what to do with it now that I've reached "The End," do you have any advice on what my next step ought to be towards eventually getting it published? Thanks in advance!

First of all: thanks for asking. ...And now I have to warn you that I am possibly one of the worst possible people to ask about what their first novel's publication looked like... as it was completely atypical.

Not that that's going to stop me, mind you. (And you know what? I'm inserting a cut here, because this goes on a bit. Warning: contains [calculated] dissing by old friends, pulp non-fiction, unexpurgated language, unexpected awards nominations, and advice that's worth just what you're paying for it.)

What happened with me and my first book goes like this:...

In the late 1970s I was starting to burn out on psychiatric nursing, and was offered a job as assistant to the novelist and Star Trek ["The Trouble with Tribbles"] writer David Gerrold. I took it happily, as I was in a place in my life where I really needed some kind of change. The work with David was part-time; I also occasionally did special duty nursing shifts to help make ends meet.

Now during this period, I was writing for my own amusement (as I'd been doing all my life from about age eight onward). Right then I was working on a project I'd been tinkering with from my late high school years right through college, nursing school, and my first couple/few years of practice as an RN. This was the background worldbuilding for a vaguely Tolkienesque, somewhere-between-late-Medieval-and-early Renaissance fantasy scenario featuring a couple of moderately unusual magic systems, a sexually diverse culture, and a pair of "These Two Idiots"-style protagonists with complex interleaving problems.

While I was working for David, I had a lot of opportunity to observe, close up, what the life and workflow of a career writer looked like. Slowly, over a year or so, the realization crept up on me that what David was doing, I could do too. And it was at this point that I finally admitted to him that I thought I might want to write as well.

David's (as I later discovered, extremely calculated) eyeroll could probably have been seen from space. "Oy, not another one," he moaned. After which I went away from the abortive conversation pretty much resolved never to speak to him about this again... but also with a single thought filling my brain: You fucking supercilious sonofabitch, I'm going to show you that I'm not just another one.

...I'll never be able to thank him enough for that. Fury can be so motivating. :)

In the aftermath I got busy pulling together my background material with much more focused intent, and beating the most significant parts of it into something that started looking like a plot. It came together with surprising speed and unnerving insistence—one of the very few times in my career when a project, once begun, has simply flung me into the writing chair and insisted that it was the most important thing in my life and needed handling now. And when in the fullness of time David went on vacation, leaving me to house-sit at his place in LA, I immediately started using his very early computer to transcribe my novel's so-far-only-handwritten draft material.

I took what I thought was considerable care to cover my tracks... but not quite enough. On his return from vacation, when he was putting out the trash, David found some of my discarded draft pages, read them, and confronted me (with a certain amount of friendly teasing) about what had been going on. Then he said to me, "What I've seen of this thing doesn't look too bad. Let me see it when you're finished, and if it looks good enough, I'll ask one of my publishers if they want to take a look at it."

So that's what happened. I finished my first draft and a polish of it in about six weeks, and passed it to David. He read it and immediately handed it on to his editors at Dell, who were just starting a fantasy line for which they needed product. Two weeks later, they said they liked the novel and made an offer, which I accepted. Not a vast amount, but respectable enough. So there it was, my first sale: this book. Which then got me nominated two years running for the Astounding Award, and opened the door for the sale and publication of So You Want To Be A Wizard, as well as my earliest Star Trek work and my entry into the animation world.

I remember very little about the editing process, except that it was painless. What was not exactly painless was the book's cover, about which...well, the less said here the better. But the book came out to generally good reviews. So, with this series of events behind it, you can see why as regards first-publication stories, I'm a first-class outlier and should definitely not be counted. (Also to be avoided by new writers if at all possible: the experience of having half their strongly-selling first novel's initial print run pulped in the warehouse* because it was taking up room needed by a new book by a world-famous novelist.) (Whom I have long since forgiven, since it wasn't his fault, and...well, what can you do? Shit happens.)

...Anyway, that's more than enough about me. Now let's talk about you.

My first advice about what to do with the novel you've just finished? Stick it in a drawer (literally or figuratively speaking, whichever suits your case better) and don't look at it for at least a month. Two would be better. You can spend those two months thinking about your next moves... because you need to give those some consideration before you do anything else.

The question that you first need to answer is going to at least partially shape what you do next. And it's this:

Are you seriously considering making a career out of writing?

It's not that it can't be done! Of course it can. But it won't be easy... not at all. Anyone who tells you it will is either just outright lying through their teeth, or trying to sell you something. ...Or both.

Be honest with yourself as you consider this. If you aren't, you may be letting yourself in for considerable pain over a prolonged period... and I'd sooner you were spared that, if you can be. In particular, be clear about the difference between the statements "I want to write" and "I want to be a writer." Often enough people like the sound of the lifestyle and what they see as going with it—the signings, the book tours (physical or virtual), the interviews, the best-seller lists—without any real concept of the grueling, day-to-day, weekends-are-for-other-people, why-am-I-making-less-than-minimum-wage-most-of-the-time labor that underpins it.

If you simply want to write and be published—without the concept of a career necessarily being involved, or the lovely shimmering dreamlike vision of Giving Up The Day Job—you now have work pathways available to you that would've been unimaginable in the previous century. Self-publishing makes it possible for you to get your work in front of many, many eyes without necessarily having to submit yourself to the specific set of trials that go with achieving the initial stages of an intended career. Selfpubbing still has significant unique challenges of its own, of course, which have to be evaluated so that you can tell (as the commercials say) if they're right for you.

But if you're thinking of a career in what's usually being referred to these days as "traditional publishing", then you face a number of challenges that don't necessarily come with the self-publishing end of things. In particular: many publishing houses no longer consider manuscripts that come to them un-agented. So you're going to need to find an agent who's willing to represent your work... and this is a task that no longer looks anything like what it did when I found mine. (Or rather, when he found me, having been recommended to me by one of my editors. I've been with him for even longer than I've been with @petermorwood... and that's saying something. But this is yet another way in which my career's been wildly atypical.)

There is so much that could be said about this subject alone—the business of researching agencies to see which one seems like a good fit for you, the art of writing the perfect query letter to get their attention focused on a given book, and so much more—that I could hardly begin to even skim the surface of it here. There are whole websites devoted to shopping for agents, not to mention how to pitch yourself and your work to a given literary agency.

Let me leave this whole subject here for the moment. We can come back to it another time, because right now you need to be thinking this through. ...This I'll say, however. For the past six to nine months I've been pulling together links to various online resources that can be beneficial to new writers just getting started. These will be available as posts over at the FicFoundry.com site that I'm going to be bringing online before summer. I'm hoping to build that into kind of a compendium site or clearing house for online resources on this subject. We'll see how it goes.

Meanwhile, thanks for inquiring about this. You're standing at the first branching of what I'm hoping will be, for you at least, a fascinating variant of the Choose Your Own Adventure genre. :)

More on this later.

("Wait. Did she just call us idiots??")

*Now that we live in the era of just-in-time warehousing, this is something that fortunately doesn't happen much any more... as far as I know. But once upon a time, if somebody's new best-seller was going to the warehouse in its many thousands of copies, and your relatively-less-well-selling book was taking up space that could be used by the other author's "more valuable"/higher-priced titles, your books (5-10K of them, in my case) were simply thrown into a machine and turned into papery mush. And these go on your sales record as "unsold copies". (sigh) Some discussion of this phenomenon can be found over here.

#advice #writing advice #career stories

166 notes · View notes

danihow · 1 year

Text

Maternity aisle

Lee Know x Fem!Reader Stray Kids

Word count: 0.85k

Summary: The one where Lee Know ends up visiting you in the maternity aisle after you had the miscarriaged of the baby none of you knew you were having.

Warning:MISCARRIAGE, unknown pregnancy, angst, hurt/comfort, established relationship, mentions of bleeding, anxious thoughts, breakdown.

A/N: I can't believe this has been on drafts for 9 months and it was basically finished?? I just hadn'y posted it???

When Minho received the call from their manager that you got admitted to the ER, he left any promotions they were having without a care and basically flew to the hospital.

He arrived panting to the front desk, immediately asking for you and saying you were now in rest, now fleeting to where you were settled at.

Maternity.

When he entered through that doors his eyes were greeted by multiple women of multiple ages, most if not all of them with some companion, multiple holding babies in their arms. His eyes scanned the whole room, ears unable to pick on whatever the nurse was asking him, you were his only priority or worry.

"Y/N." He breathed, spotting you at the end of the room in your own medical bed and in hospital clothes, head low, not having realized he was there.

"Sir, you need help?" The nurse asked to what Minho denied, walking over to you.

"Y/N..." He said, stopping his tracks at the end of the bed, the ring of his voice making you look up, the deep sadness and worry in your eyes sent his heart sinking to his belly, stomach feeling suddenly empty. "What... what happened?"

You couldn't mutter anything, you felt the worry, the sadness and the worry so deep rooted in you that you couldn't. You patted your side, telling him to silently sit beside you, to which he unhesitant obliged while your mind tried to put a monologue together.

"You are worrying me honey, what happened? Why are we in the maternity ais-"

"I suffered an abortion, Minho." You spit, tongue almost tripping over the words that left you, fingers fiddling together. "I... was pregnant, but I lost it."

"You... were pregnant?" He can't help but reiterate your words, nothing making sense in his brain.

"I didn't know I swear, I had a horrible pain during lunch and then I bled, and my friend brought me here, I- we lost a child." You mutter, the whole situation weighting too much upon you. "I'm sorry."

"What are you apologizing for?" He asks as sweetly as he can, one hand coming up to grab both of yours as the other went to your chin, making you look up to him, honest careful eyes falling upon yours, not a single drop of pity in him, just worry. "This isn't something you could control... or even were aware of." He says, all the words flying out his mind, he didn't even know certainly what was happening. "I... I'm not so sure what happened, but don't be sorry about it."

"I-... I don't even know how to feel, Minho." You whisper, a knot in your throat and tears swelling up on your eyes. You felt frustrated, lightless, some sort of sadness of losing something- someone you didn't even knew flowing through your veins and making you shrink in place.

"Stop trying to know everything, y/n, just feel what your heart wants to feel, it's okay, I- we can think this through back home but now just let it out, I'm here with you, I'm always going to be here with you." He says, engulfing you deeply between his arms, in his embrace trying hard to sweep all your worries away and help you, totally clueless about what to do.

You silently let your tears out, damping his grey t-shirt, his hand caressing your back and his lips leaving ghostly kisses on your temples, letting you know wordlessly that he was there, that it was all going to be ok. His mind going a hundred miles per hour, eyes picking up on the sad and pitiful glances other mothers, new fathers and nurses gave the two of you, a lady a bit older than him smiling sadly at him, knowingly.

What was that feeling inside of him? That feeling that made his throat itch, constricting his airway and pulling his guts to the floor? Was it sadness? Stress? Confusion?

No... no it wasn't that, after thinking a bit Minho defined it was the feeling of what if.

You were pregnant yesterday, he wasn't going to ask how, oh, he knew it well. You two were going to be parents until today, he... he was going to be a father, his heart dropping to his stomach at the thought. Was he scared? Hell yes. But he felt deeply sad too, he felt lost, confused, unresponsive as to what to feel upon the news.

"Minho?" You asked, voice a bit strained. Pulling him out of his mind.

"Yeah?" He asked back, in a whisper.

"What are you thinking about?" You asked back, eyes glancing up to his blank expression.

"Not even I know, love." He chuckled, thought so confusing he just let them be. "Are you okay now?" He asked, looking back at her.

"A bit better, I just want to go home."

"We'll go home, let's just stay like this a bit while, please." He whispered, heart not ready to face all his thoughts and talk about whatever happened, heart still shook.

#lee know x reader #lee know fanfic #lee know angst #lee know fluff #hurt/comfort #stray kids #stray kids fanfic #stray kids fan fic #stray kids x reader #stray kids lee know #lee minho #lee know x y/n #stray kids x y/n #stray kids angst #stray kids fluff #stray kids ff #kpop fluff #kpop angst

420 notes · View notes

nicoline1998enilocin · 4 months

Text

Endless love

Pairing -> Husband!Robert Downey Jr. x Wife!Fem!Reader

Word count -> 1.4K

Summary -> Your husband, Robert, has taken you on a surprise trip to Italy after seeing how stressed you've been lately. The two of you take it easy for a day as you stroll around the city during the afternoon before dinner in an authentic Italian restaurant and finish the night off in each other's arms.

Rating -> Explicit (E)

Warnings -> RPF, established relationship (Husband/Wife), use of pet name (Gorgeous), large age gap (~ 10-15 years), there is some Italian spoken in this fic, and the translations will be at the bottom of the story

Smut -> Dirty talk, unprotected sex (wrap it before you tap it!), creampie, cockwarming

Request -> Anon Can I request for you a one-shot with robert downey jr and female reader on a romantic trip to Italy, they spend the day visiting some nice places, at night they go out to dinner in a very romantic restaurant and finish the night making sweet vanilla love ❤️

A/n -> Thank you so much for this sweet request, Nonnie! It's such a sweet idea, and I know he would make it the most special trip of our lives! At the same time, I also want to apologize for how long this has been sitting in my drafts, but I still hope you will love it, and thank you for your patience! A special thank you to @ccbsrmsf1 for proofreading and drooling, I hope you all enjoy what I did with this one 🩵

A/n 2.0 -> My requests are open again! Please consider that I only have 24 hours in my day, so it might take a while to get the new requests posted, but I expect to post them around February/March. I'll be looking forward to what you will all come up with, and I can't wait to start writing requests again 🩵

Banners: @vase-of-lilies | Divider: @firefly-graphics | GIF-credit: @ccbsrmsf1

Main Masterlist | Robert Downey Jr. Masterlist | Read on AO3

It has been almost a week since your husband, Robert, flew both of you to Italy as a treat to get out of the stress you've been wrapped up in for almost three months now. He could tell you were nearing your breaking point, and to avoid that, he arranged for you to have two weeks off work so you could enjoy being with him and see some beautiful parts of the country.

Italy has extraordinary memories for you both since it's where you got married a little over ten years ago. Because of that, Robert wanted to bring you back to where your love for each other reached another high, and you couldn't be more thankful for it. For him.

You're currently staying in Venice for a few days, and tomorrow will be your last day here before moving to Florence, where you'll stay for the rest of your trip. Now, you've been strolling through Venice almost the entire afternoon, and Robert has just arranged to take you on a boat ride through the Venician canals in a gondola.

''It'll be perfect, Gorgeous; I can't imagine doing this with anyone other than my beautiful wife,'' he tells you as he carefully helps you into the gondola, ensuring your dress won't get caught in anything, or you won't trip and fall.

''Thank you, Robert, for everything. I can't believe you did all this for me, but I'm so grateful, and I love you,'' you tell him before leaning in for a soft kiss on his lips, and that's when the gondola ride begins. The two of you can't get enough of every sight you see, drinking it all in eagerly while taking photos with your camera, making sure no memory will be forgotten.

The man operating your boat is singing beautiful songs in Italian, and for the entire duration, it feels like you're transported back to your wedding day. Surrounded by the people you love most, and together with the man you've vowed to treasure forever. Your heart is swelling from all the love, and you never want this beautiful moment to end.

When the boat suddenly comes to a stop, you look a little confused at Robert, but he gestures for you to follow him, which you do without a second thought. After a 10-minute walk, you arrive at a small, romantic-looking Italian restaurant. Soft music spilled out of the building and onto the terrace, a welcoming warmth encasing you as you grabbed your husband's hand before walking into the restaurant.

''Abbiamo una prenotazione per due,'' Robert says without hesitation, taking you by surprise. The hostess guides you to a beautiful table with a view over the water, and you can see the sun setting as well, adding to the romantic atmosphere of the evening.

''Robert, I didn't know you spoke Italian,'' you say with a slight giggle because the thought of him speaking a foreign language like this makes you feel warm and tingly inside, as well as in your panties.

''I've been learning it as a surprise, but I have some phrases that'll be much more fitting for later in the evening,'' he tells you with a wink, and suddenly you can't wait to be back in the hotel, seeing what else he has to say to you.

You decide to go for a beautiful-looking lasagna, and Robert gets a delicious-looking seafood pasta that has you salivating when they put it in front of him. He can see your eyes growing wide at the sight of his food, and that's precisely why he lets you have the first bite, just like he does each time you're looking at his food like you want to make love to it.

''Hmm...'' you moan softly as you let the noodles find their way into your mouth, the taste invading your senses as it coats your taste buds. Robert can feel himself twitch in his pants as the sound reaches his ears, and he can't wait to have you back in the hotel room, stripped entirely bare, before he makes love to you.

The pasta is gone quickly, and the dessert - a tiramisu made by the restaurant owner's mother - follows soon after. After all the food, all Robert wants to do now is have you fall apart in as many ways as possible, and he's almost getting impatient on his way back to the hotel.

''Sei bellissima stasera, amore mio,'' Robert whispers in your ear as the dress slips off your shoulders, revealing the white lingerie you've put on, reminding him of your wedding night all those years ago. His long, gentle fingers undo every last hook of your corset before bending down to let the silky lace of your panties glide over your legs.

Soft kisses are littered over your thighs as he's on his way up, his hands gliding over the backs as they leave a trail of goosebumps. A gasp leaves your lips as he reaches your dripping pussy, placing a soft kiss on your mound before fully getting up and letting you take your place on the bed.

Your nipples pebble from his undivided attention, and a shy smile creeps onto your lips as he takes in your bare form on the bed, your hair splayed out around your head like a halo. Your hands grip the sheets in anticipation as you watch Robert taking off his clothing, salivating at the sight as his cock springs free.

Robert can't keep his excitement hidden as he climbs over you, and tiny beads of precum gather at his tip before he leans over you and takes one of your nipples into his mouth. He nibbles on it gently before laving over it with his tongue to soothe the sting and repeating it on the other nipple as well.

''Ti amo, bellezza, e non vedo l'ora di fare l'amore con te. Sei bellissima quando sei completamente nuda per me,'' Robert tells you in a low voice, and even though you don't understand what he says, it still arouses you to no end.

''Let me see how wet you are for me, Gorgeous. Spread these luscious thighs for me,'' he orders gently, and you do, letting them fall to the sides so he can slot perfectly between them as he admires your dripping pussy. With a low groan, he adjusts how he's situated, soon lining up with your entrance before slowly pushing in. He plans to take his time with you, wanting to extend your pleasure for as long as possible.

Your warmth has him quickly throwing that idea out of the window; he wants to be buried inside you as soon as possible. Soft moans tumble from your lips as you can feel him sliding in, every vein on his cock only seeming to build your pleasure higher. Once he is entirely in, you can feel his tip hitting your cervix, earning him a loud moan in response.

''Good girl,'' he growls before setting a torturously slow pace as he leans on his elbows, tipping his head down to capture your lips in a soft kiss, your hands gliding into his hair. Your body rocks with every thrust he gives you, and as he pulls away, he can't help but look at the way your breasts sway up and down with every movement.

''La mia ragazza perfetta, I'm gonna cum for you, Gorgeous,'' he says before leaning on one elbow and moving his hand to where you're connected, looking for your clit to ensure you'll both fall over the edge at the same time. He picks up the pace slightly, and before you know it, you're gripping him like a vice as the orgasm washes over you, Robert letting his seed spill inside you as he nuzzles into your neck with his nose.

''Ti amo, Bellissima,'' Robert whispers in your ear before he turns over, letting you lay on top of him as he's still buried inside you. This is the perfect ending to a fantastic day, and you can't wait to spend the rest of your life with him by your side, knowing many more perfect days like these will follow.

''Ti amo, Robert,'' you whisper before letting sleep take over, and you feel him wrap his arms around you to protect you. And with one more soft kiss on your scalp, Robert falls asleep with you, his beautiful wife, buried under the comforter and into his arms.

Abbiamo una prenotazione per due -> We have a reservation for two

Sei bellissima stasera, amore mio -> You look beautiful tonight, my love

Ti amo, bellezza, e non vedo l'ora di fare l'amore con te. Sei bellissima quando sei completamente nuda per me -> I love you, Gorgeous, and I can't wait to make sweet love to you. You're looking beautiful when you're completely bare for me

La mia ragazza perfetta -> My perfect girl

Ti amo, bellissima -> I love you, Gorgeous

#rpf #robert downey jr #robert downey jr request #robert downey jr one shot #robert downey jr fanfiction #robert downey jr fanfic #robert downey jr x female reader #robert downey jr x reader #robert downey jr fluff #robert downey jr smut #rdj #rdj request #rdj one shot #rdj fanfiction #rdj fanfic #rdj x female reader #rdj x reader #rdj fluff #rdj smut

51 notes · View notes

josiesullysblog · 1 year

Text

Pandora

~AGED UP Neteyam x Avatar reader

~Angst, fluff

~Proofread?-no

~Summary-okay this might be long, but the reader is very into science. She dreams of being become a scientist, but her dreams are quickly denounced when her mother wants her to marry. In a pit of rage, she runs off and ends up somewhere new.

~Note-I’m SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SORRY! My real life has been catching up to me, and I have finals coming up! Outcast should be posted by Sunday since I’ll be unable to write any other day :( but until I can write I’ll be posting drafts.

***

For as long as you can remember, you’ve always been connected to the forest. Your mother says if at any point she cannot find you, she knows you were somewhere in the forest.

It was like your scared place, nobody could mess with you there. You blame this connection on your father, he was a scientist, and when you were one year old, he surrounded you with his work. You don't remember everything, obviously, but you remember people.

A woman, she was nice but spent much time in her studies. And a man in a wheelchair, he was fun he always played with you. Although he always seemed to be going somewhere else.

Your father rarely let you out of his grasp, but when he did you explored everything in the forest. Your mind and body were one and you could truly be free, but at some point, we all have to grow up.

You can't remember much else about your father, but he died trying to protect you. Your mother never talks about it, and you don't bring it up. But you still feel connected to your father, like you know he is watching over you.

It's the main reason you wanted to become a scientist, to finish what he began. Your mother was very against this, she said it was far too dangerous and you should stick with a job like a teacher. You never listened to her, your mind was set on being a scientist.

“Come on, [Y/n] we can't keep them waiting!” your mother knocked on your door again. You sighed as you looked at yourself in the mirror, you wore a dress you’d never choose and had your hair in a style that didn't suit your face.

“Mother, why are you doing this again?” you opened the door and your mother quickly dragged you down the stairs. “It is always nice to meet with the Smiths! They invited us so we will go,” you got in the car and sighed. You were meant to be researching more into your father's study.

He wrote of a place far from here, one that took six years to get to but somehow only took him a few seconds. The rest of the work is torn up as if someone hadn't wanted anyone to know the rest.

You studied his work every day since you found it. You wish you got to meet the man everybody spoke of, but you sadly don't carry many memories with the man.

“Please do not talk anyone's ears off with nonsense talking,” you weren't even paying attention to a word coming from her mouth. Your eyes raced with the trees, “the smiths have a lovely back garden, maybe if you behave they’ll let you in it,” you lit up at the idea, “okay!”

When you both pulled up, you noticed how everyone dressed nicely, “what are we celebrating here?” your mother checked your outfit once more, “we don't need to celebrate something to dress nicely, [Y/n],” you sighed and walked inside.

Everyone waved at you, which was weird since they never spoke with you. You sat on the couch, closest to the sliding door. “Penny for your thought?” you turned and noticed, James, the oldest Smith child, “just thinking.”

He smiled sitting down next to you, “you're rather an odd one,” you gave him a face, “i’m not odd, I just do things differently.” He laughed, “there is nothing interesting in the garden, yet your eyes cling to it,” you looked at him.

“I was just imaging what it be like to live in the woods,” it was his turn to make a face, “probably terrible, such thoughts are better left in the mind.”

You looked away, you weren't in the mood to cause trouble so you chose to be nice, “I guess.”

He stood up quickly clearing his throat. “Meet me in the garden, I have a little surprise waiting for you,” you nodded before walking off. You would rather be anywhere but here, you rather be studying, playing in the forest, or just staring at a wall.

You thought you became a little dumber every time you hung out with your mother's “friends.” They were no fun at all, and their children were annoying to be around.

“You should head to the garden,” a little boy came up to you, “don't listen to him, he has nothing important to say,” a girl his same age came talking next. “At least people listen when I speak,” the boy hit the girl causing a mini fight.

“Let go of me, penis face!” the girl yelled causing a laugh to fall from your lips, “how about we head there together,” they stopped and you three headed in the back.

It was breathtaking, you couldn't help but walk a little faster then the two children. “Gorgeous,” you whispered under your breath.

You let the sun kiss your face, you let the wind pick your hair, and you listened to the songs of the birds. You sat down on the grass, till a voice could be heard, “there you are we’ve been looking for you,” James looked at you funny while you stood up.

He led you to the gazebo under a big oak tree, “stay here,” everyone seemed to pour in as he turned around. Your mother smiled big at you, “smile,” she mouthed at you. You smiled at her request confused as to why everyone was watching, James fell to one knee and grabbed your hands, “[Y/n] [L/n], will you be my wife?”

So, this is what everything is about? The reason everyone is all dressed up and watching you? To see you become engaged? You took your hands back, flashing an awkward smile, “where is this coming from?” James laughed, “this has been in the plans for months,” you couldn't believe your mother would do this to you.

You touched your forehead, “I need a moment.” You ran in the opposite direction, they were the last people you wanted to see.

How could your mother throw something like this on you? She didn't even ask if you wanted to marry, and she knew you were planning on being a scientist. That's when it hit you, she wanted to marry you off so wouldn't end up like your father.

You walked deeper, letting mad mumbles leave your mouth, “I decide who I marry, and it will certainly not be that boy!” As you walked, your dress became stuck on a branch, “and this excuse of a dress,” you tugged hard on the dress.

“I’ll be dammed if i’m forced to marry that man, I’ll run away!” anger engulfed your body. You tugged harder the dress finally letting loose, but not without a rip. “[Y/n]!” you heard your name and began running. You didn't know where you were headed but getting caught was the last thing you needed.

As you ran you kept turning around trying to see who was behind you, but you saw nothing. You were running so fast, you hadn't noticed the big tree in front of you.

You collided with it, blacking out at impact. The voice that called for you stopped, and the footsteps stopped it became very peaceful.

Jake watched as his children played. He never dreamed of having children, his mind was moving too fast for that. Until he met you, barely even a baby a fresh toddler with so much energy.

Everyone was a bit weary of him at first, they wanted his brother. The one who trained his whole life to see this planet, yet they ended up stuck with Jake.

But you wanted to play with him the moment you met him. You played with him, made him laugh, and always treated him with kindness. It was like you didn't even realize he was in a wheelchair, you just wanted a friend.

That's the good thing about children, they always see the good in you before judging.

Grace played with you sometimes, although she was more busy working you could tell she held a soft spot for you.

You were a human child, he wondered how you even got there. Your father was the smartest man alive, he figured out a way to travel from earth to Pandora in six minutes.

Your father was absolutely smitten with you. Showing you what he was working on, always finding something to keep you busy. He loved you even in his last moments, he loved you.

Jake regrets letting you go back to earth, it was selfish of him but he just had a feeling this is where you belong. Especially after knowing you can breathe pandora air without a mask.

It was actually the first time you met Neytiri, your father had been distracted for a few seconds, and you wandered off.

Now any other human would immediately start gasping for air, but you were different it didn't affect you at all. You were perfectly fine and played with flowers, till you heard Jake and Neytiri laughing.

They had been sitting by the river, letting the sun hit them when you walked over. You giggled loudly running right into Jake’s arms.

“Jake!” you grabbed hold of his ears playing with them. “I thought humans couldn't breathe without those masks,” Neytiri looked at you weirdly. She hated humans and couldn't believe the fact she was looking at one so small.

“Let's go back to daddy, [Y/n],” he grabbed you and walked you towards your father's study. “Stay right here,” he couldn't open the front door and left you there as he tried to find an alternative.

Your eyes landed back on the other lady, and your legs carried you back to where she was. She was watching the river as it sang a song you giggled a little walking slowly, “hello.”

The woman turned and looked at you funny, “where is Jake? How’d you get here?” you laughed as you didn't understand what she had said.

She stood up and started motioning for you to leave, “go away! Go back to Jake, human child,” you smiled and grabbed her hand hugging it, “[Y/n]!” you said your name.

“And i’m Neytiri,” she felt her heart soften as you laughed, “up, up!” you started jumping for her to pick you up. She pretended to not care, but she still picked you up.

Your hands immediately touched her ears, she watched as your eyes lit up, and your fingers then traced her freckles and you let out a happy laugh, “pretty!”

“[Y/n]!” Jake ran back for you, he stopped as he watched the scene. Neytiri became absolutely smitten with you, laughing as you tried playing with her tail. “She is very cute,” Neytiri said acknowledging Jake’s presence.

You played with the two of them for a few minutes, but they were enough to have Jake wondering what it would be like to start a family with Neytiri.

She was so gentle with you, he didn't know if it was because she didn't want to hurt you, or because you were so small. He looked back on these memories with fondness.

“What are you thinking about,” Neytiri wrapped an arm around his waist bringing him back to reality.

“Her,” he wished you were able to grow up with his kids. Neytiri never liked humans, but for you, she held a special spot in her heart.

“Daddy, watch me!” Tuk jumped from a high rock landing on her feet. Tuk reminded Jake of your spirit always eager to learn.

“Good job!” Tuk ran into his arms, laughing. Neytiri also found herself thinking about you, “you guys seem lost in thought today,” Kiri said she noticed how absent-minded the both of them were acting. “We are thinking of the past,” Neytiri smiled bittersweet at the memories.

Neteyam's parents, of course, told them what happened before they were born, but he knew they didn't tell the whole story.

“She was only a year older than Neteyam,” Jake started, “she was a very energetic child, for a human child,” Tuk eyes widen, “there was another human baby here before Spider!”

Neytiri nodded, “she was different from him, she could breathe the air here,” the children's eyes widen at the thought of their mother liking a human. “She was very brave, even for being so small.”

“She saved me and your father, children,” Neytiri would never forget the bravery you showed even though you were still small.

Neteyam’s interest grew as his parents spoke of you. He wanted to meet the brave human child, “what happened to her?”

Neytiri's eyes fell, “well, her father passed so they sent her to live with her mother back on earth.” Lo’ak thought for a minute, “but I thought babies couldn't go back?” Jake nodded, “they can't but her father-.”

“AHHHHHHH,” a scream was heard through the forest. Tuk clung to her father quickly, “what was that?” Jake handed Tuk to Kiri as he placed a hovering hand over his knife.

“Stay behind me,” Neytiri stood closely as they came closer, a Na’vi sat on the floor looking at her hands. When Tuk noticed it wasn't a threat she ran toward her, “are you okay?”

A blood-curdling scream came out of the girl as she pushed herself away, “STAY AWAY.”

Your eyes landed on Jake, and his heart stopped beating. Neytiri came closer, trying to grab Tuk when she stopped as well. They’d recognize those big eyes anywhere, “[Y/n].”

When you had awoken, you didn't remember anything. Well, you remembered why you ran off, but you didn't remember tripping or falling.

You attempted to stand up but fell quickly. It was like you were in a new body, so when you looked down at your hands and saw blue you couldn't help but scream. Had you fallen in paint? You felt your body and realized you were no longer human at all. You took a deep breath in, “must be a dream.”

That was the only logical way to explain how this could happen. You examined your hand, you must've been starting for a long period of time you hadn't noticed the little Na’vi girl come in front of you.

“Are you okay?” you let a scream out, covering your mouth afterward to stop yourself. You heard bushes move and noticed another blue Na’vi come out, “[Y/n],” you couldn't believe he said your name.

“I thought she was human,” the girl in front of you spoke as another one came out the pushes, “I don't think this is her,” someone spoke from behind the large man. “Maybe she is,” a tall boy spoke. He immediately went quiet when you made eye contact, looking anywhere but at you.

Neteyam felt like he was going to vomit just looking at you. You were absolutely stunning, although you looked lost. Your eyes traveled to everyone, “she’d be human if she were [Y/n],” you stood up stabilizing yourself with a sigh, “how could I be the wrong [Y/n]” if this is my dream?”

You rubbed your arm, which had a nasty cut from falling earlier, “who are all of you anyway?” You assumed you’d be waking up from this lucid dream soon enough, so why not talk to the people.

“I’m Tuk! That’s my sister Kiri!” the little girl pointed at a girl who waved at you. You gave a smile back, “that's my brother Lo’ak, and that's my other brother, Neteyam.”

You nodded at Lo’ak and went to do the same to Neteyam, but his eyes were stuck on you. “Hello,” you spoke to him breaking him from his trance. “Hi,” he spoke shyly.

“And these are our parents-,” Neytiri cut the girl off, “Neytiri and Jake,” she assumed their name would jog your memory but you didn't say anything, “cool names, and you guys already know mine.”

“Let us bring you to Mo’at, she can heal your arm,” Kiri came forward and began dragging you. “I’ll be alright when I wake up, no need!”

Everyone looked at you funny but kept walking, “how come she hasn't remembered?” Neytiri whispered to Jake who shrugged, “give her time it's been a while.”

Your eyes lit up as you watched the scenery around you, “this place is amazing!” you faced Neteyam, “my father was a scientist!”

Neteyam watched as you stopped every five seconds to look at something, “my mother said he was crazy smart,” Neteyam smiled, “you must be then.”

“Oh, i’m not up to his level yet, but hopefully by next year I’ll be sure to be even smarter!” Jake smiled he knew you’d probably outgrow your father's smartness.

“Who is this Mo’at person?” you looked at Neteyam to answer but he said nothing so Kiri spoke up, “she is our tribe Tsahik,” you nodded as you all walked closer, “Tsahik,” you muttered the word under your breath.

“We're here!” Kiri brought you to sit down as an older woman walked in. She smiled big at you, “who are you?” the woman grabbed your arm examining the cut, “Mo’at?” the woman made eye contact with you, “no, i’m Mo’at the question is who are you.”

“[Y/n],” you winced as she began fixing the cut, “the [Y/n]?” you shrugged, “is there another one of me walking around here?” the woman gave you a smile, “last time we spoke you could barely walk, let alone speak.”

You looked at her funny, “we’ve met before?” she laughed as Jake walked in, “I think she might have hit her head on her way here!” Jake gave a sad smile, “you are to be a Tsahik in training very soon, we can't have one with memory loss.”

Your eyes widen as the woman finally finished your arm, “Tsahik in training? What is she talking about?” you stood up facing them, “you’re [Y/n] are you not?” Jake questioned you, “Mo’at you remember her, you'd know if she was her.”

“Not hardly,” Neteyam walked in as Jake sighed, “you looked so much like her,” Even though you were blue now, Jake swore he’d be able to recognize your smile and your eyes. You backed up walking into Neteyam, “this is just a dream.”

Neteyam looked at you weirdly, “i’m going to wake up and be back in my room,” you pinched yourself yet nothing changed. You pinched yourself harder, and this time Neteyam put a hand over yours stopping you. “Okay, maybe this isn't a dream.”

“Maybe if I brought you by the waterfall it help jog your memory,” Neteyam smiled at you. You nodded as he led you out of the room, “there is no memory to come back, you guys have the wrong girl!” Jake watched as you left the room.

“She was picked by Eywa,” Mo’at said, “she will sooner or later learn her fate,” Jake nodded, “I just wish things didn't go down the way they did.” Mo’at nodded, “we all wish things were different.”

You sat by the peaceful waterfall in silence. Unbeknownst to you, this was the very one you met Neytiri at, “remember yet?” you shook your head. “You said your father was a scientist, what was he like?”

You shrugged looking at him, “wouldn't know he died when I was younger. But I still feel connected to him, I have all his old diaries.”

You smiled at Neteyam which made his heart flutter, “he spoke of me in them, he said he loved me more than anything. Can you imagine loving someone is much, you’d die for them?”

Neteyam nodded, “yea, I understand,” you blushed looking away, “I wish I could stay here,” you knew whenever you found your way home, you’d be forced back to reality which was marrying that boy.

“Then stay, we could explore the forest every day together!” he grabbed your hands looking into your eyes. “I wish but my mom would hate it,” you felt so comfortable opening up to Neteyam it was like you’d known him your whole life.

“She’s forcing me to marry someone,” Tears welled up in your eyes thinking about it. “I’m my own person and it feels like she just wants to get rid of me.” Neteyam kissed your knuckles, “it's going to be okay.”

Neteyam let you rant, he listened only speaking to calm you, he hugged you and you felt so safe. You both were put till late, talking about different things.

“Sky people have been terrorizing us for a long time,” you listened as he explained how his father used to be one of them, but Eywa chose him, “Eywa saw him and let him become one of the people.”

“What do you mean she saw him?” Neteyam smiled, “when someone says they see you, they don't mean literally they mean they see into you.”

You still looked a little confused so he did a hand gesture, “I see you, [Y/n], I see into you, I see the raw version, not just the one you put up for others,” you smiled big, “I see you Neteyam.”

He smiled, “do you still not remember?” you sighed, “I don't remember anything Neteyam, I wish I could!” A sudden movement in the bushes caused Neteyam to jump in front of you, “let's head back.”

As you both moved quickly, a hand grabbed you by the hair pulling you away from Neteyam, “Neteyam!” you reached out for him but he was grabbed by his queue.

He yelled out in pain, and a memory came back to mind. A man screamed as he was being held by his hair, “look at this pretty little thing,” the man behind you held you firmly as he sniffed you. “Let go of her,” he said through gritted teeth.

“Please let him go,” you tried moving but it was futile, a larger man came out smiling, and Neteyam's eyes widen at the man. “Surprised?” tears rolled down your cheeks as he came closer to you, “don't cry, pretty girl but it seems your boyfriend might've forgotten to tell you who I am.”

“They call me Quaritch, but you can call me Miles.” He flashed you a smile as the man behind you laughed. “DON’T TOUCH HER!” Neteyam screamed causing the man to look at him.

“Good catch, you caught his oldest son,” the man grabbed Neteyam, “here's what's going to happen, little lady here is going to tell Jake Sully we have his son,” he shook Neteyam a bit, “or else i’m going to kill him.”

The man let go of you and you tried running to get to Neteyam, “Stop, please!” Neteyam was dragged away but not before you heard him yelling, “it's going to be okay, my love.”

They left as soon as they came, leaving you to your tears. You wiped your tears and stood up quickly, heading back to Jake. You were going to get Neteyam back.

***

I’m excited to see if you guys like this one! Hopefully, I really liked this idea! Hope you enjoy it!

120 notes · View notes

jayteacups · 1 year

Note

Got me thinking of Levi going to get his wisdom teeth removed. Everyone is suuuper excited with phones at the ready because he’s no doubt going to say some weird ass shit. They gotta record him. 📸

Instead he’s super super normal and straight faced. Super tired 😪 It’s only once they put their phones away that he starts mumbling nonsense.

TAY i’m so sorry this has taken so long. I’m FINALLY clearing out my inbox and drafts folder and completely forgot that this has been sitting here for like... months. It’s been finished for ages, I just forgot to queue it up to post 😭😭 pls forgive me

Anyways enjoy these hcs. hope this isn’t too cringe

Levi getting his wisdom teeth removed

Now, he obviously did not want anybody other than you to know he was getting his wisdom teeth removed, clearly because he a) actually gets pretty nervous for any medical procedure, and b) does not want people to record him high on pain meds

Somehow, though, Hange finds out (because they always find out)

And they set up camp at your and Levi’s shared apartment to surprise you two when you drive him home from the appointment

You groan and sigh upon unlocking the door and just hearing many footsteps pattering towards the front door, and you instantly raise your eyebrows at the culprit. Hange just shrugs and says they had to be there

Connie’s struggling to contain his laughter as he and Sasha not-so-discreetly take their phones out and start recording him. You try and whack the phones away but Mikasa, with a straight face, pulls up her hand-held DS camera saying something about this going in the family home-made videos (because the Ackerman family--and by that I mean Kuchel because she’s alive and well in this universe--always makes home-made video compilations of the year), Historia high-fives Mikasa, and you sigh. To his credit Eren looks terrified that he even got roped into this at all, the poor boy is sweating like CRAZY. Jean’s not faring much better to be completely honest. Weirdly enough, Armin looks mildly entertained.

They’re expecting Levi to be super loopy and out of it, but other than feeling a little woozy and needing to put an arm around you so that he can stumble into the house without the risk of tripping, he seems perfectly lucid. More like he has a bad headache than being on pain meds.

Immediately upon seeing the audience, he gives them his trademark glare, swipes for Connie’s phone and successfully snatches it out of the boy’s hand, and gives it to you for safekeeping. He’s cussing them out as normal, telling them to ‘get out of [his] hair and leave him be’ without any actual bite to it, and even though there’s gauze in his mouth and his jaw is swollen he sounds relatively normal.

Sighing in disappointment everyone puts away their phones, which makes you sigh with relief as everybody skirts around you, letting you help Levi get settled on the sofa, even as he continues to protest that he can sit down and get cozy by his damn self, thank you very much.

Though they did initially show up in the hopes they’d catch him saying something stupid, the group is willing to help you take care of him (to which he protests that he doesn’t need half a dozen mother hens) so they stick around, make soup, clean up after the mess they made (because Sasha broke into the biscuit tins whilst they were waiting for you and Levi to come home)

All the while, you’re preparing an ice pack for his swollen face and constantly reciting to yourself the exact words the doctors told you about how long the bandages and gauze need to stay on etc. etc., and everybody is now so hyperfocused on making sure he’s comfortable that they almost miss it when Levi slowly shuffles up to you on the couch, swaddled in blankets, and mumbles ‘if i was a coffee order at starbucks, what would i be?’

Everyone who’s in earshot freezes. You stifle a laugh. ‘you don’t even drink coffee let alone like it, why’d you wanna know? besides, i’m sure there’s a buzzfeed quiz for that if you’re really curious.’

He’s shaking his head, mumbling something incoherently, and when you ask him to speak up, he says ‘I don’t trust buzzfeed’.

‘Why not?’

It goes onto a very strange tangent about a conspiracy theory that buzzfeed is one huge social experiment by some shady private corporation that keeps their identity a secret, then he talks a bunch about how he can hear the voices of all the flies and bugs he’s squished over his lifetime.

you usher everybody out before they can begin recording or witness him tearing up over all the bugs he’s killed, but then he turns around and says ‘but if I were a coffee i’d be black coffee. black like my soul’

This is the breaking point for you and you cackle. ‘sure,’ you’re getting out inbetween wheezes, ‘sure you are’. He’s immediately falling asleep afterwards leaving you to just sit there on the couch giggling.

You tell Levi everything he says when he’s lucid again and he vehemently denies everything. especially the part where he felt sorry about all the creepy crawlies he’d killed.

Levi x Reader Masterlist | AOT Masterlist

#levi x reader #levi ackerman x reader #levi hcs #levi x you #levi x y/n #levi ackerman hcs #levi headcanons

203 notes · View notes

imminentinertia · 8 months

Text

In which I keep a promise to a bunch of people who read a fic five years ago and try to explain why I'm doing that now

In 2018, @vesperthine and I collaborated on run down till the rain delights you and when some people asked for more, we promised a sequel. That didn't happen.

Until now.

Now it's snaking its way to AO3 like an aging Toyota on cold Tromsø roads (I'm really sorry for this silliness but one of the inspo photos we used did this to me).

There's a bit of a backstory:

First of all, you have @nofeartina to blame for run down in the first place and @peacestew to blame for me sliding into the SKAM fandom in 2023 going "hiiii I haven't been in this fandom for years but here's a fic".

In 2018, Tina wanted fisherman!Isak in a knit woolen jumper* and somehow roped V into writing it, and then V somehow roped me into a collab (I'm still entirely unsure how I ended up saying yes), we brainstormed and looked for inspo and wrote some scenes** to see how it went. Fisherman!Isak turned into marine!biologist!Isak with an old fishing boat and a cabin, Even pretended to be suave, the Tromsø area piped up about wanting to be more of a character than a location and there we were:

Gif by @peacestew

It was so much fun writing with V, and we got along so well, so we wrote a short sequel quite soon after. It just needed a few final tweaks.

Then life happened.

Long story short, I haven't heard from Vesperthine since summer 2019. I hope she's happy and well, and I hope she's writing original fiction because she's seriously gifted, and I miss her because she's a very sweet and smart and lovely person. I was left with a nearly finished draft and a hope she'd turn up again. Since then I've turned down requests to translate and podfic run down, and disappointed a few people asking about the promised sequel, because it didn't feel at all right to make those decisions without V's input.

But it's been five years (!!!), I doubt I'll ever hear from her again, that draft is sitting there on my drive, and... so earlier this year I started thinking about just going ahead and posting it. I went through all our notes and figured out what remained to be done (not much, we even had the title ready), and decided to do those tweaks at some point.

Then Peace slid into my notes a while ago (it had been a few years since we were in touch, I love it when old mates show up), we chatted quite a bit and somehow mentioned run down, and I'm entirely unsure how this snowball started rolling but now we're doing an art + fic collab with that sequel. She's been terribly enabling, and dangling pretty gifs in front of me, how could I resist? She even made a gorgeous title gif for run down. V would have been just as happy with this, I'm sure.

Considering that the sequel was just about finished, and V and I never had any actual disagreements while writing (one tiny scuffle about adjectives, we compromised), I think she'd be okay having her name put on the sequel. And I am okay with making that decision, since it's been so long. I've done the final editing, Peace has added her lovely gifs and now I'm just going to work up the courage to post it.

As stupid as I feel giving directions for fic reading I recommend you read (or re-read, bless everyone who has read it) run down till the rain delights you first, I'm not sure the sequel will make much sense otherwise.

the roll of the harbour wake is coming soon to a fic archive near you. Peace and I hope you will enjoy it.

Gif by @peacestew

*the fic was almost immediately nicknamed The sweater fetish fic. Drooling over the guys in knit woolen jumpers kept happening for ages.

**the first scene we wrote didn't actually make it to run down, but we put it in harbour wake, and it goes to show that sometimes a fic takes a very different direction from where you start it.

#skam #evak fic #skam fic #run down till the rain delights you #the roll of the harbour wake #peacestew #vesperthine #sea dreams

41 notes · View notes

claudiajcregg · 2 months

Text

Tell Other People About Your WIPs

make a list of all your WIPs with a brief description of each and then people can ask you questions about them and then tag other people.

Tagged by both @onekisstotakewithme and @miabicicletta 💜💜💜 Thank you, guys <3 I don't know who to tag that hasn't been tagged already. Interested? Tag, you're it! :) (Please do know that there are no set sections. Pick whatever you want. I went the deranged route.)

I have an outdated WIP list, and many others unaccounted for. This is just a selection of stuff I could see myself posting or editing/retooling to write something new. I love talking about my WIPs, about as much as I hate being perceived because they are not remotely interesting. (I also love knowing which ones people are interested in! I have an incentive to work on them!) (Instead of snippets, part of my feedback loop is sending actual rough drafts to get a sense of whether it's worth working on more.)

Multichapters, different levels of completion.

S5 Pregnancy AU. My main WIP. Can you believe I’ve had this idea for a year… almost to the day? I’ve been stuck since November bc I don’t know how I want this one to end, beyond a birth. (As I’ve mentioned in the past, I feel like this has legs to become a fluffy universe. I have ideas! Timelines!) Gist of it: CJ gets pregnant circa Zooey's kidnapping. How does it change S5? It's less angsty than you think.

Campaign bars, aka campaign conversations sometimes happened at bars in the 1998 campaign. Fun stuff. I need to pick it right back.

What Once Was Ours or the IM AU (2021), aka IM ends with a breakup. Not a WIP. Not a UFO. A secret third thing. (“Finished” but not edited, and I’m doubtful people would be interested. Probably bc of some bittersweet ~memories~ attached to it. I mean, I shared a third of it to discord and people couldn’t care less, at least after a while. Now, better IM AUs are being posted these days; I'm not in a rush.) 33 chapters. 150k words. I do reread it every once in a while, and I cannot put it down. But its 'age' takes me aback. If things had been different, I'd have posted this in H2 2021/Q1 2022 (or even the planned Q2-3 2021). But alas.

The “Almost Ready, question mark” Category

Another SVD prompt meme claim: what if CJ has the crush first. The thing is, I tend to write her as having a relatively obvious crush on him at first until something makes her wise up. So this is just some ridiculous, post-first-meeting thoughts. Most of it was written in one sitting! It kinda fits with something in the campaign bars fic, too.

Post birth, hospital story: A couple of hours after their bb girl is born. Pure fluff. Recently reworked it to make it less wordy. Still failed, but it’s better focused now.

Many ficlets – the few I did post on Tumblr that haven’t been posted to the story I’m collecting them in, plus a couple more. I'm thinking the ice skating one, Jan 22, a few post-eps I wrote last year, etc.

Ambitious Projects I don't think are happening right away (or ever), but probably have a detailed outline somewhere

(I put this up instead of last, because the next category has faves, but it's also a long one.)

Danny is back a bit earlier on s7. Toby leaks (or tries to leak? I always wavered) the shuttle to him, as he and CJ are getting closer.

Simon lives. How does his relationship with CJ evolve post-honeymoon phase? What is it like when Danny returns?

You’ve got mail AU. This outline had two ways the climax could go. I had fun.

Epistolary collab (?) fic. Probably an X + 1 fic. The only one with nothing written; don’t rule out writing it individually at some point.

And because this is so long already (but not as long as it could be)… A few more under the cut – more "I just want to make sure I like them" and "this meme reminded me I meant to pick those back up." And they are still not all. (How do you summarize seven years of writing?? I've only posted 20-something of them, lol.)

“Almost Ready (but I feel like I want to make changes to them) (might just redo them altogether)”

Haunted by the Notion, 2007 edition. My beta Ruth suggested this when she edited the other story, and I wrote it around then. It’s another Christmas dinner at Filomena, and, eight years later, things are different. I feel like it hits expected beats, and is just missing some oomph. Maybe. (As much as I do like it, half tempted to make it 2009. Or later.)

Heaven’s here…: A interrupted proposal. I’ve written many proposals over the years, and I love toying with different ideas and setups. Danny takes the lead here, but I’ve been intrigued by the idea of having CJ do the final twist.

5 to 6 am 'me' time. Another story inspired by last year’s rewatch that I wrote right at the start of it (so Jan 2023?). It has five short parts with five different years of what CJ describes in the pilot as her “me time.” This is one when I think one per year would be fun, but I don’t want to repeat myself.

One bed, “sexy” edition. An AU to a sort of AU (one of the drabbles from this summer) and… it's what it says on the tin. The world does not need to read my attempts at smut. If I didn’t put it in the previous category, it’s because I am not sure that I want to post it. (All the previous attempts are locked somewhere; unfortunately, someone loves this one and noticed when I tried to do that, lol.)

First baby kick: I remember writing this while in grad school (so, late 2017? First half of 2018) but I lost it, along other fic, when my laptop had to be reset because I used Bear to write back then, but didn’t have sync across devices. I rewrote it, and I feel like it's not the same, but still. It's sweet! Includes: Danny talking to the baby, domestic fluff, and… baby kicks!

“This meme reminded me they exist and I love them, so don't be surprised if they are posted before anything in a previous category”

(Lbr, if I added something about them in this post at all, it’s because they sparked some memory.)

Mosaic broken hearts: CJ, circa S4, jealousy. Prompted by a former fandom friend, back in my productive era (first half of 2021; before that friend just ghosted me.)

I can’t believe I captured your heart (pancake breakfast, three words and eight letters). For a while there, I edited it so much but then I fell off. iirc, it was part of some morning-related prompts I saw around that I tried to fulfill in 2018? 2019? And they had like internal progression. But this one was the best of the 3-4, and I kept tweaking it.

Green light of forgiveness (IM-ish) — there are many other IM/IM-Tomorrow snippets I’ve written over the years. I’m not sure if this one makes much sense, but I liked it enough.

Distance — I recall liking this one! Might have to bump it up. CJ is in Africa, Danny is at the Farm and sulking because they left off on some sort of argument. There is some Danny-Abbey friendship goodness here. I even have a second file that is “Distance - shorter version (it’s not)”

Danny writes fiction, shows it to CJ during her pregnancy and she’s into it. Technically written. I would probably try to take another stab at it. Third time might be the charm?

San Andreo phone call/fallout from ID. I just had the idea of CJ reaching out once things calm down. This is one of those fics I’ve written a version of every year or so, but I think there was one I liked quite a bit.

Terrible taste in men — a run-in with an OC ex of CJ. It was so dumb.

Fka Impatience - actually beta’d three years ago (by that fandom friend I've mentioned twice before… actually, three times) and “done”. I just think I’d change so much about it these days. It started being something else but ended up being a CJ-Toby friendship story in which they have lunch and catch up. But I would want to rewrite most of it now, and not just because it’s from like… 2019 (but finished in 2021).

I forgot this one initially! he's passing by, rare as the comet in my sky - 2? 3? times CJ thinks she sees Danny somewhere, and one time she does. (Which tried to work in the 'I remember shunning you' line.) I even wrote some sort of sequel later! Probably useless.

I said I would post a lightning round with fics that are either also done but not ready for me to mention them, or just… not done at all. The length of this post and how much I've spent on it is embarrassing. To give a general overview: in line with the nonsense I've been mentioning, includes phone calls at the end of S7, also a few friendship-focused fics around that time, too; present-day stuff; anniversaries; Hollis fundraisers; weddings; many ficlets, introspective thoughts, a “yes day” fic that's super sweet but needs better dares, the third memoir idea (the original one!!!!) that I had three years ago… And those are mostly the ones I had preselected, lol.

If you're interested, I can screenshoot this part in the notes app if you message me!

Anyway, this is embarrassing, and the worst part is that it's not all. fml.

#tell other people about your wips #wip memes #my writing #should I even tag this with the show or the pairing?????#long post

11 notes · View notes

midwinterrmemento · 2 months

Text

Hi everyone!!

After being quite inactive recently, I am hoping to get back into the habit of writing more regularly, and currently I'm turning my attention back to some old half-written fics that have been sitting in my drafts for ages. If you happen to be scrolling by this post, it would really help me to know which of these stories (if any) you might like to see first!

Because of the word-count limit, I can't explain all the details in the poll, so I'll write them out here:

(IkeVamp) Napoleon hurt/comfort, wherein Napo is the one being hurt/comforted, as he is still struggling to come to terms with his vampirism but constantly reminded of his lost humanity

(IkeRev) Blanc fluff, wherein Oliver is his begrudging wingman, trying to get him and Alice to just confess to each other already because he's annoyed with the mutual pining

(IkePri) Gilbert x Reader who is his knight/attendant, essentially what Cyran is to Clavis (commiserating with Cyran from afar lol)

There are also a couple of AUs I had been putting some thought into:

(IkeRev) AU where Zero was never allowed to join the Red Army, but the Black Army took him in instead, and exploring what that would look like for him

(IkeVamp) AU where the Duke of Wellington is the one who lives in the mansion with MC and the others, and Napoleon is the one who is revived by Vlad and has his mind twisted (very angsty, but Wellington gets to experience peace for a minute)

I am hoping (~hoping~) to get around to all of them eventually, but I would love to know if there is an interest in any of these ideas! I could also post the little pieces of these fics I have already written to test the waters :)

#in other words please help me commit to a project #I always have ideas but rarely see them through :')#ikemen vampire #ikemen prince #ikemen revolution #ikevamp #ikepri #ikerev

7 notes · View notes

ostrichmonkey-games · 1 year

Text

DEATHGRIND!!MEGASTRUCTURE Design Dive

Wow this has been sitting in my drafts, mostly finished for ages now. Anyways, time to release it to the wilds.

A few weeks ago I released a new game (editor's note: it has now been more than a few weeks), DEATHGRIND!!MEGASTRUCTURE for the Together We Go Jam over on itch. Together We Go is a design guide/SRD based on Down We Go, which itself is under the often nebulous umbrella of "OSR" gaming. In this case, it's the snappy mechanics, emphasis on anti-canon, relatively high lethality, and emphasis on the table's creativity is what puts it under that umbrella, imo. I'd consider it part of the maybe post-osr or N(ew)SR but that's a discussion for another time and for people who understand that scene better than me. I was drawn to TWG b/c it's a pretty simple framework with a cool twist on the typical OSR style of classes.

Rather than picking a class, you invest levels into multiple classes as you progress, with each class having its own set of cool abilities and more importantly, bonuses. One class might give you a bonus to hit things, another increases your defense. Stuff like that. It's pretty fun! A full breakdown on DWG/TWG could be fun sometime.

Now, time for the DEATHGRIND!!MEGASTRUCTURE stuff beneath the cut! It's long!

WRITING AND DESIGN

Anyway, DGMS. Originally I had the brain-blast of a title for the eventual game; Hyperpop Megastructure. Which honestly, could be very fun to revisit, but I scrapped that angle because I didn't want to do too much on the layout/graphic design side of things (editor's note; he did in fact do too much on the layout/graphic design side of things) and a hyperpop inspired game should have a wild layout. Also I'm just not familiar enough with the genre to really do it service -lmao.

I stuck with the Megastructure part for the time being and started brainstorming the potential classes (since those make the mechanical core of the game). Below are the early versions straight from my notes;

These were the initial outlines for the classes (a 4th was added later) and really set the tone for the rest of the game (and it marks the first appearance of the FRACTALDEATHMACHINE). By that point, I knew I wanted to do something inspired by BLAME! by Tsutomu Nihei. Its the first thing I always think of when the word "megastructure" comes up. Honestly, it's a very formative piece of sci-fi for me.

I wanted to push DGMS weirder. Just go all out on the nonsense. Together We Go games don't rely on a lot of setting exposition. The information of the world is found within the mechanics, random tables, gear, and factions that are presented.

This is what forms the central idea of an "anti-canon". You (the writer) give just enough info on the world and setting for the table to get started, but the details, the lore and truths about that world emerge at the table as the Referee/GM and players explore and interact with what is on the paper.

The FRACTALDEATHMACHINE is the biggest example of this anti-canon in practice. All the table gets is a brief description of a few general things. The FDM is hungry, it is ancient, and it is always pursuing the TOWER. A few other places in the text provide more spaces for the table to explore by prompting the players and GM to come up with "terrible truths" about the nature of the FDM.

What is this insight? Why is it considered terrible? Go find out!

For DGMS I wrote a relatively short bit relaying the premise of the game to readers; you play as POST_human remnants within the ancient megastructure the TOWER which is constantly under threat by the ravenous FRACTALDEATHMACHINE.

Side note, I absolutely went bananas with funky proper nouns and formatting. Small things like that can really help convey the tone of the game!

And that's really about it for the setting assumptions. More details are tucked into descriptions of the factions, gear, classes, and locations you get to explore, but there aren't any answers out there. Its all up to the table to find those answers for themselves! What is the FRACTALDEATHMACHINE, why is it devouring the TOWER, can you stop it? Who knows!

Go find out!

MECHANICS

The core game mechanics fit onto a single page, and aren't really changed too much from the base TWG system. In general, its a straightforward "roll over a difficulty value" using a d20.

Three of the four classes give a special bonus either to hit things, defense, or "hacking" - the undefined "magic" of the game. The fourth class, the DLVR, gets a special situational bonus that implies something about their place in the world - a special bonus against ARCHITECT relics - something which furthers the potential for the table to explore the anti-canon. What exactly is their link to the ARCHITECTS?

Outside of the core mechanics and classes, there are two major parts of the game (and two slightly more minor-ish parts). The LAYERS of the TOWER and the CTY_enclave. LAYERS are effectively unmapped "dungeons". They are dangerous sections of the world where the "outside" adventures happen.

DWG uses mapped dungeons as its, well, dungeons. I've never been hugely into running or playing through mapped dungeons (though I appreciate a well thought out dungeon!) And also I'm lazy. So unmapped it is. LAYERS are essentially a compact list of hazards, hostiles, and interesting tid-bits for the referee to use to whip up something fun and dangerous.

TWG games have a punchy, fast-paced, high-lethality action, so in DGMS, I was far more concerned with providing refs a general template and list of Interesting Things, than complex maps or complicated enemies. The ref does far more responding to player actions than they do planning out complicated encounters. It is perfectly easy, in this sort of game, to just toss something at the players and see what happens!

Couple that with mechanics such as "reaction rolls" (randomly determining how NPCs react to players) and the ref's job starts to become plugging a few random variables into a mechanical procedure, seeing what gets spit out, and then asking players what they do next, and then continuing the whole loop! I love procedural gameplay, and could, and probably will, write more on that another time.

Aside from being the places where most of the adventures happen, LAYERS are also another way to package Interesting World bits. One of my favorite parts about writing for/designing this style of game, is that you rarely need justification for putting something in. I can say that in one LAYER, players will face a "MACHINE!!GOD blastula". And that's it! Everything about the nature of that thing is going to emerge at the table, and will almost always be way cooler than whatever deep lore I could have written for it! (Now, this doesn't mean that I don't enjoy writing some Dense Exposition, but time and place and all that).

The other half to the LAYERS is the CTY_enclave; the players homebase and secondary adventure site. I whipped up a quick mapping procedure for creating your CTY_enclave, and it shifts every time the players return to it from their adventures. There are different modules within the CTY. In some you can buy stuff, others you can get information and recover health. Some hide valuable resources but also equally hidden danger.

Just like LAYERS, I wanted to embed story-potential, that delicious anti-canon, into the CTY. Little nuggets of Ideas like, Conduit Riders in the middle of a death race, machine monks transporting a metal sarcophagus (that has a small chance of containing a copy of one player!), or gaining the ability to commune with the FRACTALDEATHMACHINE itself, are breadcrumbs that could turn into larger story beats and adventures if the players and table invest their own interpretation and meaning into them!

Aside from that, the main Design Bit I did for the CTY is the mapping method. A hub location is part of the TWG vibe, but I felt that one, mapping using dice is fun, and two, a constantly, randomly shifting hub really suited the tone and setting of the game.

The last two main parts of the game are the gear and hostile lists. Again, they have surface purposes - cool stuff to Get, cool stuff to Fight (and get killed by) - but also help provide more of that anti-canon scaffolding (I am really going to need to do a whole thing on anti-canon at some point).

LAYOUT AND GRAPHIC DESIGN

And here's where my hubris caught up with me. What initially was going to be a nice, simple, streamlined layout, ended up being over the top. But it was super fun to make, so no need for me to learn any lessons here.

When designing layout, I tend to start with some cover ideas and mockups. Since BLAME! was such a large thematic inspiration, I also looked at its covers (specifically the Master Edition versions). I love the brutalist inspired graphic design, and wanted to carry that into DGMS, and then add a layer of grunge and wear and tear to it as well.

I played around a lot with masks and textures (there's literally a picture of concrete that I turned into a texture) before eventually landing on the looks you can see on the cover. Then it was also a matter of perusing fonts for text, headers, etc, etc.

For the interior, I made heavy use of Lone Archivist's Graphic Archive asset packs. They rule. Buy them here.

I made my life infinitely more difficult by making every single page different and unique, but it was also a fun art project, so I don't regret that. I didn't spend too much time on typesetting, because this was technically a game jam entry (though I did clean it up later when the game ended up getting printed).

And honestly, that takes us to the end. My process was kind of all over the place for making the final version, a lot of jumping between the text and layout. But it ended up being a very fun project with one of my favorite final results.

If you're interested in picking up the game yourself, you can snag the digital version off my itch page HERE (there's currently a handful of free community copies if you wanna try before you buy) and if you're interested in print copies, Plus One EXP has you covered over HERE.

Spencer of Gila RPGs also made a fantastic 5-minute overview of the game you can watch;

youtube

And! Tony hosted a stream that I GMed if you want to see how the game is in action;

youtube

But yeah, DEATHGRIND!!MEGASTRUCTURE. It's one of my favorite games I've made!

#ttrpg #indie ttrpg #indie ttrpgs #osr #DGMS #design dive

90 notes · View notes

tearingskies · 11 months

Text

some things you just can’t speak about

Read on AO3 or below the cut.

Ginny in the aftermath of the War.

TW: mentions of death & implied torture

Note: This is my first (finished) fic! It was written over the course of one year and sat in my drafts for ages before I finally got the sudden urge to just post it and be done with it. Hope you enjoy!

Ginny sits in the crowded Great Hall and feels utterly alone.

There’s a dull hum that hangs in the air, a combination of melancholic murmurs and quiet, tear-streaked condolences. Ginny’s numb, sitting on a bench with a half-empty tea mug going cold in her hands. Her clothes are covered in blood, ash and Merlin knows what else and she thinks her arm might be bleeding. But none of that matters, because she’s still sitting there.

Her mind is struggling to make sense of her surroundings. Of the pale hand peeping from beneath a sheet nearby, the red splashes that dot the dated stones, and the muted cries echoing in the vast empty spaces left by those who have moved beyond this world. Everything feels hollow and out of place.

There are some things in life that can’t be comprehended before they have happened. And even when they do, they are senseless and wrong.

Death is one of those things.

Someone speaks up near Ginny in a hushed tone. She grips the cold mug in her hand and keeps staring at the pale brown hand that can’t touch anything anymore. It’s stained pink by dried blood.

Ginny wonders who it is – if she’s passed them by in the hallways, what kind of a life they lived. The hand looks too delicate, too young to be so still. They were once someone’s child, someone’s everything. Now there’s just cold flesh and a still heart.

A gentle pressure on her shoulder breaks Ginny’s thoughts right as someone pulls the sheet down to cover the lifeless arm. Her eyes stray towards the grieving face of her mother, who clutches her shoulder tightly, as if to make sure she’s still there, breathing.

“Let’s go get some sleep, Ginny, dear.”

Ginny blinks up at her.

Her name sounds strange, like a foreign word spoken for the first time. She feels like an outsider in her own body.

“I’m not tired.” Even though she is. She’s so tired she doesn’t know how she managed to say those three words. But the thought of closing her eyes makes her feel sick. She doesn’t want to face the imagery her cruel mind will create from heartache and fear. Being awake in this reality is already a nightmare.

Her mother’s lips purse and tears start glistening in her red-rimmed eyes. “We’re all going to go together—“

“I’d like to stay for a bit,” Ginny says because she doesn’t know if she’d even be able to move. She doesn’t want anyone to know how broken she feels, doesn’t want them to see the constellations of scars stitched on her skin. Doesn’t have the strength for the questions and tears they’ll inflict. There's already enough pain without hers added to it.

“No, we have to—“

This time it’s not her that interrupts the sharpening tone. “I’ll stay with her.”

Ginny doesn’t have the energy to look at him, which is a small mercy since she thinks she might truly break if she did.

He sounds as exhausted as she feels. Ginny wonders when was the last time he felt safe enough to sleep through the night. It’s been ten months since she did.

Distantly she can hear her mother attending to him, hugging him tight in sobs of relief. She feels so far away.

“-and you’ll come with us, of course! Minerva has arranged a chamber for the family,” Molly goes on. Ginny can feel the emotion radiating from him at the inclusion, and she wonders if he’ll ever feel like he’s a member of the Weasley clan. He’s been her parents' seventh son since the moment he stepped foot in the Burrow that very first time. He’s been her…something for a long time now.

“Thank you, Mrs. Weasley, really, but I’ll stay with Ginny for a while.” His voice is firmer, more insistent this time and she thinks he might fight her mother for it. But there’s no need because he’s Harry. She envies him for that sometimes.

Molly is quiet for a breath, and there’s a low murmur that might’ve been Ron. He’d understand, Ginny thinks. Out of everyone in her family, Ron might get it – her pure exhaustion and the importance of this moment between her and him.

“Alright, then,” her mother says, and that’s that. Her brothers file out, Percy walking an ash-drawn and glass-eyed George towards the doors of the Great Hall. He’s clutching a watch in his hands, knuckles white and face empty, like he’s withdrawn from this world that couldn’t possibly keep on going without his other half.

Bill’s hand squeezes Ginny’s arm as he and Fleur pass her, their hands entangled tightly together. Her father leads her mother out after them, calming down her protests with whispered words and a gentle arm around her.

Ginny watches them go, wondering if they’ll ever be the same again. She knows the answer, but it hurts to even think of it. They’re all broken, and they’ll all heal differently. But they will never be the same as before, nothing will. And that’s how it’s supposed to be.

Through her peripheral vision, she sees Ron pat Harry’s shoulder and throw a concerned look toward her as he and Hermione follow the family out, fingers interlocked in quiet comfort.

Then it’s just them in a hall full of people mourning. Ginny feels his gaze on her. It’s raw, the way he looks at her like there’s nothing he expects from her but herself. She wants to look at him more than anything in the world.

He walks forward, evading the white sheets that cover patches of the floor. She keeps looking at nothing. He sits down next to her, an arm’s width away but closer than ever.

Harry moves his hand and envelopes her free one with it, lodging their fingers together. Ginny stops breathing because his skin feels warm and real, and maybe this isn’t just a fever dream after all. Her heart cracks, the pieces correcting themselves to fit together again, like breaking a bone that’s healed incorrectly. She releases a shaky breath and clenches her hand, getting a press of his thumb against her skin in return.

They sit like that, side to side with their hands interlocked. Ginny doesn’t know if it’s minutes or hours or days that go by in the comfort of his presence, the utter lack of expectations that hangs between them. He doesn’t try to talk, neither does she, and perhaps he’s just as exhausted as she is. But they’re just there, quietly existing in each other’s space. They don’t need words in this moment. The silence is enough.

Ginny thinks of the things she wants to say, can’t say, and needs to say. I’m not okay. I’m broken and I don’t know how to stitch myself back together. I love you. She squeezes her eyes shut.

They have days, months, years to talk.

Or maybe they never will. Maybe there will never be a time for them. She doesn’t know, but she hopes they’ll get there. Someday, somehow, when everything doesn’t hurt as much as it does in this moment.

For now, Harry’s thumb smooths over the jagged scar on the back of her hand that wasn’t there all those months ago. Ginny leans against his shoulder and listens to the beat of his heart.

Harry's alive, and Tom is not.

And she’s breathing, too, even if it takes everything to do so.

There are just some things she can’t say yet, if ever. War rattles people, and even if she’ll never be fine, she will still live for the ones who can’t, no matter what it takes.

I’m glad you’re here, she thinks because his presence speaks multitudes.

#hinny #hinny fanfic #ginny weasley #harry potter #tea writes #missing moment #first finished fic #i hope it's not bad lol #also still don't know how to work tags

19 notes · View notes