#i can't with this- and he said he waits for more snippets i'm gonna go cry/pos

[pixiemage]

So do you ever, like - accidentally get inspired to create a whole AU based on an old Tumblr text post, and you know you can't add it to your actual fic list because your existing WIP's are waiting for you, but you end up writing a snippet of it anyway? Yeah. Yeah, me too.

Jimmy knows he's not fully with it when he walks into the villains’ bar this time. He has a new name on his list from Make-a-Wish - Supreme this time - and he's only halfheartedly searching the by-now-familiar faces for the person he needs to talk to. He's not registering much of anything though, and it becomes apparent when two people step in his path and he doesn't notice until he's almost running into them. It's Joel, and it's Tango - Trickster and Phoenix - and the expressions on their faces are different flavors of the same thing. Anger, maybe, but not at Jimmy, simmering below the surface in Tango's case and being held back by a tense jaw in Joel's. And concern too, he thinks, concern and sympathy and- "Hey Songbird," Tango greets him, sounding just to the left of the normal fond tone he uses when he sees Jimmy. "How're you holding up?" "I...sorry?" Jimmy blinks, not quite understanding, and Joel casts a glance around the bar before settling back on Jimmy. "We heard about Mercy." Mercy - oh. Mercy Children's Hospital. Susie. Jimmy's chest goes tight and he swallows past a lump in his throat. A warm hand settles on his shoulder and he's steered over to a booth in the corner, Tango sandwiching him in on one side and Joel taking a seat across the table. Jimmy sucks down a shuddering breath. "...you heard?"

Joel scoffs. "We've been trying to find that bastard since the news broke this morning," he bites out. "The minute the Count gets back we'll know where he is." "You - what?" Jimmy stares, surprised. "You're trying to find him?" "Absolutely." Tango, this time, his arm around Jimmy's shoulders emanating a warmth that he hadn't realized was helping to calm him down. "We're going after that jerk the second we have the chance. The guy crossed a line, big time." Oh. Oh, gosh. Jimmy's vision just barely begins to blur with tears, and he feels Tango's arm tighten around him. There's quiet murmuring around him but he can't bring himself to listen. They're going after Vortex. Jimmy's biggest mistake in his life, and here Tango and Joel are ready to help fix it the second they have the chance. And Grian always said villains weren't to be trusted... "There's a bunch of others who signed up for the mission," Tango is saying, and Jimmy tunes back in. "Supreme and Iris and  Worm Man and some o' the others. They were pretty pissed when they found out-" "And we'll keep your name out of it, o' course," Joel goes on, and Jimmy blinks away tears to focus on him better. Joel rakes a hand back through his green-streaked hair and shrugs. "You're not involved. Keep your record clean, all that-" "No."#Jimmy is almost surprised to hear himself say it, and Joel looks surprised too, his eyebrows flying high. "What, you want us to leave him alone? Dunno if I can do that, Jim-" "No, I mean I want to be involved," Jimmy insists. "I want in." This time it's Tango who's surprised, ducked forward to catch Jimmy's eye. "You sure, sweetheart?" he murmurs, his hair licking with tiny flames. Concerned, probably. "It's not gonna be pretty." "I'm sure." And he is. He's seen fights before, and he's been in even more. He's fought criminals on the streets who were going to hurt people, and he's not about to balk at going after someone who already has. "I can handle it." "You're gonna need to hide your identity," Joel drawls, his voice low. "Wouldn't want our favorite civilian going to jail on our account." "I know," Jimmy nods. "I've got something I can wear." He's already picturing the yellow-and-black costume currently hanging at the back of his closet, of the feather-trimmed mask in his top dresser drawer. The suit and the mask that even Tango doesn’t know exists, not yet. Jimmy ponders for a moment before making a decision. His eyes catch Joel and Tango's in turn. "Actually...I think there's something I need to show you."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The arrest had gone far smoother than expected, in Grian’s opinion. It’s not often that a high-priority villain is found bruised and bloody and practically gift-wrapped right where an anonymous tipper said he would be. Sure, vigilantes were kind enough to help them take down bad guy when they were able, but this time was different. This time there was no masked wannabe hero trying to take credit for a takedown, no signature calling card or note beyond the unsigned “He’s all yours, boys” that had been scribbled on cardboard hanging around Vortex’s neck. It had felt odd, is all, though Grian had agreed with his partner when Scar had said he was just grateful to have the guy off the streets. As Grian slips into his apartment through the bedroom window and shoulders open the door to grab some food, he has to force himself to brush the buzzing thoughts aside. He can ponder oddities later. It was a long shift, and he’s about ready to crash the second he gets some fuel in him. It's only when Grian is tugging off his mask and setting it on the table by the bedroom door that he realizes he's not alone. Familiar yellow wings catch his eye, and when he turns, he spots Jimmy sitting on the couch in the middle of the room. He looks exhausted, his Canary costume on and his mask hanging around his neck, and his hair is a wreck - like when he's anxious and has been running his hands through it constantly. "...heya Tim," Grian greets him slowly, not sure what his brother's presence here means just yet. He drops his crossbow on the table and crosses the room, sinking onto the coffee table in from of Jimmy so he can see him better. His expression is one of a man worn and run down, something shadowed in his eyes that has a frown tugging at Grian's lips. He almost opens his mouth to ask what he's doing here - but then he spots the dark stains on Jimmy's fingerless gloves, and the patch of red that's barely splattered across the yellow parts of his suit's design.  It clicks, then. The timing of it all, the villain - Vortex - that Grian and Scar had been called in to take care of tonight. The man who Grian also knew had been spotted at the Mercy Children's Hospital a few days ago, where that little girl had- "You were there," Grian says, not a question, just a fact. "Tonight. You went after him." Jimmy sucks down a shaking breath and nods. Grian would almost say he looks guilty, but he doesn't think Jimmy would feel guilty about going after the person who hurt one of his kids. Perhaps he feels guilty that a kid got hurt at all. "They helped," he says shakily. "All of - you know, the ones who said yes to visits with the kids. They've been trying to do better, and when Vortex-" He trails off, and Grian shifts over to the couch, tucking his brother under one of his wings and letting Jimmy slump sideways against him. "He's locked away, Jimmy," Grian tells him. "I promise. You did good."

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

#Pixiemage Writes #Jimmy Solidarity #Joel Smallishbeans #Tangotek #Grian #SolidarityGaming #Smallishbeans #Solidaritek #if you squint #Supervillain Wrangler AU #Superheroes AU

[for-a-longlongtime]

Songs and musings in the Key of Peña-Rockford

(Those gun holsters have me all fucked up. Seriously.)

I warned y'all about how obsessive my hyperfocus can get, right? Damn ADHD. The choke hold (all the puns intended) that this fic idea has on me is unreal, haha. But all of your comments and encouragements about this Rockford Pena WIP are making me so happy and relieving some of the stress I feel about writing it - thank you! I don't have another snippet to share just yet (so I hope this post isn't too much of a cock tease), but since I always love to read about character thots and writing processes (e.g. the extra posts by @mysterious-moonstruck-musings about her Destiny & Deliverance series, and @gracieispunk with her White Lotus posts), I figured I'd post a little update with some musings and songs I'm associating with this fic.

My Spotify currently is curated by @sin-djarin, who somehow knew just the right songs that relate to this WIP. Particularly these three tracks are on constant repeat. Going back and forth with her about little things that come up, or question ‘why this and not’ has been so much fun really. It makes me giddy because it turns the fic into something collaborative rather than just something from the inside of my brain, you know?

Whisper - Morphine

I included this track the other day already with the WIP snippet; it’s sexy and slow and that bass line really gets to me, then the saxophone ups it even more. @sin-djarin sent me several Morphine songs (I have to admit that somehow I wasn’t familiar with them) but this one stands out. The push and pull that’s happening in the lyrics is also delicious, and a lot of it feels like it’s coming from Rockford’s POV about Javi - that’s all I’ll say about it for now.

A Perfect Twist - Mike Patton

This song has an exuberant, rather bombastic vibe to it that I would’ve never associated with anything related to Peña. Although, those lyrics... they are definitely about brat taming.

I'll bend you over my knee Let's see what you can take You're never gonna break

And I'll squeeze that noose a little tighter Breathing like a snake How much can you take? You're never gonna break

And I'll turn those screws a little tighter You can hardly wait You're never gonna break

Just one more twist of the pliers Got you on the brink How much can you take? You're never gonna break

There’s something about the dizzying tune and pace that somehow evokes the noir-like Rockford vibes in the Merge Mansion clips, laced with liquor and cigarette smoke and things spinning kinda out of control.

Wait who said Masquerade Mansion? 🎭

In relation to these two?

Shhhh let’s pretend you didn’t see that. Keep your eyes wide shut. 🎭

Broad Daylight - Gabriel Rios

This is the only song that suddenly came to me re: this fic, and I was all… the fuck is this. I like the song, it's catchy, but it just didn’t make any sense to me with regard to Javi and Tim. The only thing I could think of in relation to the track was maybe a vague reference of Peña getting caught up with Los Pepes, things that were done in the dark and shouldn't come out in the daylight:

Back in the old days, tight like a fight Used to hang with the devil in the broad daylight

But still, it puzzled me. I think something in one of the Morphine songs musically led me to Broad Daylight, weird as that may sound. After way too many replays of that song (and @sin-djarin joking about 'what are those Polaroids Tim has on Javi?', since the song mentions polaroids), the relevance of the song finally clicked with me;

Look at you shaking you can't find his plight Got you scared of ghosts in the dead of night While you're making up stories trying to make it ok He'll be bringing them in to let them out and play In the broad daylight

We'll see how it goes from there.

At some point, there's also going to be a bit of Marcus Pike in the fic (pancakes!). I have to be honest - I don’t really read a lot of Marcus!fic, so I’ve been trying to figure out how he fits in and some of his character traits etc. But the wonderful @secretelephanttattoo was very quick to offer me some insights about Marcus that I needed! Go read it here.

TBH, I had absolutely not planned to write anything about Peña any time soon, because why I love him in canon and in the many fics I've read, I didn't exactly feel like I had a good enough handle on writing something about him that has some plot rather than just fucking. But then this fic idea popped up. If there's anyone who knows him really well, it's @goodwithcheese (you'd better be reading her incredible new story Paranoid Heart about Javi!). So I dropped some questions and fortunately she was totally up for some character chat right here, which is really helping me figure out some things. Thank you babe, and I hope more people will contribute thots to your 1K Celebration Confessional about their sins!

Also, I've been trying to put a time and place to the fic, but I've decided to not get too hung up about that because it's really not literature but Fic/Porn With Plot. It doesn't all have to make sense. But in case you're curious, I'm leaning towards this taking place in the US in recent enough times that smartphones are a thing.

Age wise, I'm seeing Tim Rockford as being 48/50 years old probably. Javier is about 40, 41 years old - just to give you an idea of 'which Javi' I'm looking at, I've got a sense of him as he is in Narcos S2 around episode 4-9, after Carillo is murdered, and Berna takes him to see Judy Moncada.

Reader insert (I know, I haven't spoken a lot about her yet!) is probably about 40 years old too. And finally, Marcus Pike is give r take about 37 years old, which corresponds with his Mentalist appearance.

BTW, I came across an edit that had all of the Tim Rockford bits from the ads without the additional stuff. A whopping total of 48 seconds. Man, I hope that Pedro is aware of how fucked up he has us about Rockford with less than a minute of his acting. Even my wife said 'I would totally watch a show or movie based on this character' when I played the Merge Mansion ads for her.

Finally, here's a video of Pedro talking about "real fantasy fullfillment in terms of getting to immerse yourself in an experience" and how he "loves being a detective, that's fantasy fullfilment for me" re: the Merge Mansion event day.

*hits replay*

Say 'fantasy fullfillment' one more time? Respectfully.

Like I said, I hope he knows how fucked up he has us all about Rockford. I sure am glad he did these ads and whatever he got paid, it sure wasn't enough.

---------------------------------------------------------

Updated tag list (comment if you want to be added, or if I added you by accident!) based on folks who commented/reblogged on the prev posts:

@sin-djarin @legendary-pink-dot @imalrightllama @secretelephanttattoo @rhoorl @mysterious-moonstruck-musings @trulybetty @goodwithcheese @linzels-blog @rifflovesjoey @maggiemayhemnj @magpiepills @youandmeand5bucks @morallyinept @5oh5 @missredherring @avastrasposts @anavatazes @imaswellkid @pedrit0-pascalit0 @angelofsmalldeath-codeine @survivingandenduring @boliv-jenta @prolix-yuy @sheepdogchick3 @inept-the-magnificent @northernwindd @alltheglitterandtheroar @readingiskeepingmegoing @txlady37 @rebel-held @alwaysmicado @heareball @clawdee @covetyou @bellsbluebrd @alltheglitterandtheroar @axshadows @casa-boiardi @bastardmandennis @stealyourblorbos @chronically-ghosted @katw474 @beabliss @nerdieforpedro

I don't know why some usernames don't seem to link when I try to tag them, btw. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to fix this?

#wip #pedro pascal characters #Javier Peña #Tim Rockford #Marcus pike #inspiration #javier pena fanfiction #tim rockford fanfiction #marcus pike fanfiction #reader insert #javier pena x you #javier pena x you x tim rockford #javier pena x reader #narcos #narcos fanfic #narcos fanfiction #tim rockford x you #tim rockford x reader #tim rockford x reader x javier pena #merge mansion #merge mansion smut

[liminalmemories21]

Fuck It Friday

tagged by @paperstorm. Thank you! Cheating a little because this is an outtake, not a snippet.

This is an outtake from Knave 4 that got cut really early when I moved the action in this story from New Orleans to Dallas (mostly for logistical reasons - you can drive between Austin and Dallas fairly easily, but NOLA is an 8 hour drive and that was too far for my purposes. Also, I love NOLA, but I do not know enough about it to make it a character in my story). But, that being said, I really really loved this scene because it was fun and flirty and hinted at TK knowing the Leverage crew (all heist stories exist in this universe). That bit about TK and glasses is going into Knave 4 somewhere though.

"You want to weigh in on this maybe?"  Matt says with mild exasperation.

TK doesn't look up from where he's squinting at his computer and taking rapid notes on a pad of paper.  "Not my turf."

"What does that mean?"

That gets TK to turn away from the screen and look at Matt over the rim of the reading glasses he's started wearing when he needs to work at night.  He's been fretting about it, and Carlos has so far been too amused by his vanity to tell him how unbearably sexy he finds them.  He's saving it for a night when TK needs an ego boost.

"New Orleans has a crew."

Carlos and Matt both look at TK.  Matt's the one who bites the bullet and asks.  "What?"

TK huffs a breath.  "It's rude to poach on someone else's turf.  New Orleans has a crew.  We can't go."

Carlos and Matt exchange a look.  Matt clears his throat.  "Can you say more?"

TK looks baffled.  "How would you feel if someone came into your house and started rummaging around in the drawers uninvited?"

Carlos and Matt exchange another look, and Matt raises his eyebrows like 'do you want to tell him, or should I?'.  TK catches the exchange and flushes.  "Okay, bad example.  But my point stands.  New Orleans has a crew that lives there.  I'm not gonna barge in and start investigating something there."  He waves a hand.  "I'll let them know they've got a fox in their henhouse and they'll take care of it."

Matt opens his mouth, presumably to point out that this is not how investigations work, but Carlos has a more pressing question.  "Wait, does this go both ways?  Like do you get a courtesy phone call if someone's planning a job in Austin?"

TK frowns.  "Huh.  I've never really thought about it.  I mean, I'm out of the game, but technically yeah, probably someone would give me a head's up."  He shrugs.  "Honestly, it hasn't come up so far.  All our thieves have been local home grown idiots."

"Belyaev?"  Matt asks like he can't help himself.

TK makes a face. "The Russian mob does not, generally speaking, do polite.  I'm talking grifters with class."  He points a finger at Matt.  "Cassel definitely doesn't count as classy."

Matt looks like he has so many questions, but Carlos is sidetracked.  "So, you're our what?  Superman?  Protecting the city?"  He gives TK a serious look.  "Baby, do you wear spandex under your work clothes?"

TK gives him a dirty look.  "You know what I wear under my clothes, and some days it doesn't include - "

Matt holds up a hand.  "Nope.  I'm calling TMI.  I don't need to know.  Can we go back to the New Orleans has a crew thing?"

TK slants him a look.  "If you seriously want me to believe that the FBI doesn't know who's working out of Nola, I'm gonna have to tell you to pull the other one, because it's got bells on.  Look, I'll give them a call, let them know and they'll handle it."

"They'll handle it?"  Matt says faintly.  "What does that mean?"

TK shrugs and goes back to his email. "It means they'll take care of it, clean house."  He glances up again at Matt's loud silence and rolls his eyes. "omg, they're not gonna kill the guy, just you know, scam him back a bit, hack his email and sign him up for Cat Fanciers magazine.  I don't know, they're creative."

TK apparently believes that's the end of it, because he turns back to his computer, and studying for the final he's worried about and Carlos isn't at all, and Carlos can tell from the way his eyes narrow and he starts typing that TK has entirely dismissed the conversation from his attention.  Matt gives him a look, and Carlos shrugs helplessly and smiles.  "What do you want?  He said he'll give them a call."

okay, I'm tagging for outtakes - @welcometololaland, you have to have outtakes, and @rmd-writes, and @strandnreyes, and @three-drink-amy

#knave-verse #outtake #AU #tarlos #911 lonestar

[neverevan]

If you’re taking asks for your wips, I’m curious about 4 and 10?? 👀

sure thing, nonnie ✨

no10 has been answered here: X

in no4: Chris gets into a squabble and whacks a kid with one of his crutches, but since the school can't reach Eddie and Carla's not in LA, they go for the next name on the list: Buck.

here's a kinda longish snippet for you:

"Chris? Christopher!" Eddie's frantic voice echoed through the empty parking lot as he rushed towards them. "Buck? I got your text, is he okay?" Not waiting for Buck's answer, he crouched down in front of Christopher, his hands roaming the kid's shoulders, as if checking for broken bones. "Are you okay?"

"Hey, dad."

"Hey, buddy. Is everything alright?" The wrinkle between his eyebrows deepened as his gaze scanned Chris' face.

"Toby pushed me." Chris said simply with a small shrug, like it was an everyday occurrence for him to get into physical fights.

"What?"

"The kid pushed him over, because apparently he was taking too long with the tidying." Buck took over when it became clear that Chris was less than keen on sharing the details of his little adventure. "Chris smacked his arm with his crutch."

At least now he didn't have to hold back his proud smile anymore, and the way Eddie's eyes brightened with a soft chuckle told Buck he wasn't alone in his delight.

"Yeah? You really did that?" Eddie asked as he smoothed a stray lock out of the kid's forehead.

"He deserved it." Chris grumbled with a small shrug.

"Chris—"

"—is right." Buck cut in. "The little shit had it coming."

"Buck." Eddie hissed and Buck couldn't quite decide if Eddie took issue with him agreeing or his choice of language.

"F-fine, alright." He held up his hands defensively. "The nurse checked both of them over; Toby's got a nasty bruise and uh Chris skinned his elbows a little, but they're gonna be fine."

"Good." Eddie finally straightened up, though he let his hand linger on Chris' shoulder just for a moment longer, as he fixed his gaze on Buck's face. "Hey, you two gonna be alright? I want to have a quick talk with the principal."

"Yeah, sure." Buck nodded easily.

"Great. Thanks Buck, I'll see you at home." Eddie leaned in to give a small kiss to Buck's cheek, before disappearing behind the glass doors and leaving him to stand there, awestruck.

After a moment, he shook his head, convinced that it was nothing more than some kind of momentary hallucination and put his hand on the back of Christopher's head, steering him gently towards the Jeep.

"Alright buddy, let's go home."

✨and in the spirit of getting back into working on my wips and since it's gotten kinda long, I'm gonna use this as my Inspiration Saturday 🩼 and I am totally no pressure tagging and tagging back the wonderful @sunshinediaz @spagheddiediaz @goforkinard @honestlydarkprincess @excuseme-greentea @exhuastedpigeon @nmcggg @disasterbuckdiaz @daffi-990 @diazsdimples @watchyourbuck @actualalligator mwuahh 💛

#this fic is actually like 90% drafted and have been sitting in my notes app for months #buddie #911 #ask #fic ask #anon #wip #the crutch fic

[radioactivepeasant]

Fic Prompts: Snippet Thursday

Following up from last week's poll, this week we have Prisoner Exchange AU: Jak gets in trouble (we all knew it had to happen sooner or later)

The second his boots hit the sand, Jak knew he'd screwed up. He could see Damas waiting in the vehicle pit, having what looked to be an extremely intense conversation with Sig. And Jak knew it was his fault. The idea of facing the wrath of the king was far from appealing, but he disliked the idea of Sig taking the blame for his stupidity.

"So do we face the music, or fake our deaths and flee the country?" Daxter asked morosely from behind him.

The question was answered for him when Damas looked over at them. Oh, he looked calm at first glance, but his eyes radiated fury. He pointed at them, and then to the ground beside him, and his meaning was clear:

Get your you-know-what over here. Now.

"Dun-da-dun: we're dead," Daxter announced.

"Extremely dead," Jak agreed.

Nevertheless, he ignored the way his stomach churned and twisted around his ribs, and picked his way across the sand.

Being in trouble was nothing new for Jak. In fact, most of his memories involved getting punished for one escapade or another. But this was the first time in recent memory that he could remember being anxious about getting in trouble. He'd seen Damas angry a few times before, but it had never been directed at him. In spite of everything they'd gone through, and everything they'd worked to build, Jak felt his pulse racing, and the old familiar instinct to fight for his life.

When he'd reached the men, Jak opened his mouth, intending to defend Sig. Damas beat him to it.

"What were you thinking?" he demanded.

Jak had thought that would have been obvious.

"That...I...was gonna clear out the metalpede nest?"

The glare he got in return warned him to try a different tack.

"Look, don't blame Sig. If he hadn't gone with me, I would've gone without him."

Damas did not appear to like that any more than the last statement. A muscle in his jaw twitched, and he narrowed his eyes at Jak.

"I told you not to enter the canyons until you had all three amulets."

"I'm sorry, okay? But we lost seven people to that nest!" Jak defended, flinging out an arm to gesture to the walls. "Egil's goons are already pushing past the river and winter's on the way. We can't afford to lose any more scouts!"

"I cannot afford to lose you!" Damas snapped.

Jak flinched away from his harsh tone. A mixture of confusion, nerves, and wounded pride compelled him to retort, "I'm trying to help! I live here now, remember?"

Damas closed his eyes and took a deliberately slow breath. Sig, Jak, and Daxter exchanged nervous glances. They knew full well this didn't herald anything good.

"Sig," Damas said through gritted teeth, "take the boys to their room, then wait for me in the aviary."

Sig nodded, but didn't verbally respond. He seemed to be feeling much more guilt than Jak did. He stepped to the left and put a hand on Jak’s shoulder. Before they could leave, Damas turned and cleared his throat.

"Wait. Give me your gate passes- both of you. You're all confined to the city until I decide what to do with you."

Privately, Jak thought that being deprived of his gate pass was a heavy punishment already. But Damas seemed mad enough that mentioning it might cause him to prove Jak wrong. He kept his mouth shut -- somewhat belatedly, so much for Damas’s attempts at teaching him negotiation -- and let his father take his gate pass away.

Well, this sucks, he thought, but knew better than to voice it.

When they'd walked far enough to be mostly out of earshot, Daxter remarked, "Well, that could've gone worse."

"Might still get worse," Sig sighed. He ran a hand over his head. "...Damas is right. I almost got us killed out there, cherries. He's got every right to be mad."

Jak tugged at his amulet restlessly. "You didn't want me to go along," he argued, "Doesn't that count for something? He's acting like I didn't take on a Swarm King with just Daxter and a gun!"

Sig ducked into the archway leading to the tower entrance and grimaced.

"No, he's acting like a man who lost his only son for years, and then had to deal with him recklessly risking his life on something that takes an entire team to accomplish. He-"

The big warrior stopped and blew out a frustrated breath. "You scared him, cherry. We scared him. And if anything had happened to you today, it would've been on me."

He shook his head and stomped into the lift.

"Two years I spent tearing Haven apart to find you, and then I let you waltz right back into danger. Unbelievable."

Jak settled into the corner of the lift and waited a few seconds until the silence became uncomfortable.

"Sig," he said, "You knew us before he did. In Haven, I mean. You know what we can do! You wouldn't have been able to stop me from joining the mission."

Guilt plucked at his lungs until he added, "I never meant for you to get in trouble, Sig. Usually we're the only ones who get blamed."

Sig's prosthetic eye whirred as its focus narrowed onto Jak’s face.

"Whatever was "usual" in Haven," he warned, "you're better off forgetting it. Things are different in the Wastelands, you know that!"

"I'm trying to help!" Jak argued. Why didn't anyone get that?! If he was capable of helping, he was obligated to help, wasn't he?

The lift locked into place and Sig pushed him out into the empty throne room. "You want to help?" he muttered, more to himself than to Jak or Daxter, "Maybe quit acting like it doesn't matter what happens to you as long as a job gets done."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Sig shook his head and pointed down the side corridor. "Just...go on back to your room, cherry. Precursors willing, Damas will have calmed down by the time he makes it up here. But I wouldn't be expecting that gate pass back anytime soon."

"You can't be serious," Jak groaned.

He was.

______________________________________

The room had seemed impractically large the first night the boys had been "quarantined" in the tower. Now it felt like the walls were closing in as Jak paced the circumference of the chamber for the fifth time. It had already been an hour, and there had been no sign of Damas. Somehow, that was worse than him being mad. When you knew it was coming, but they made you wait-

That was one of the most terrifying parts of the Baron’s prison.

As Jak started his sixth circuit, tracing his fingers along the wall, he passed Daxter lying on the bed.

"Huh," Daxter said aloud, wrinkling his nose.

"What?" Jak paused mid-step to look down at him.

Daxter sat up suddenly with a furrowed brow. "Say uh...you don't think Spikes was- nah, he doesn't seem that touchy-feely."

Jak thought of Damas holding him, the night he'd finally understood who he was. He thought of fierce embraces and quiet tears and kept them to himself.

"What do you mean, Dax?"

The ottsel fidgeted, and Jak recognized the emotion coloring his eyes as regret.

"It's just..."

Daxter's ears drooped.

"When you go off without me, I know you don't need my help. And I know you can take any monster that comes your way. But I worry anyway -- I can't help it! I lost ya for two years, and sometimes I get scared! Osmo, back in Haven, he called that traumatic stress."

Jak felt a pit in his stomach as he sank back down to sit beside Daxter on the bed.

"Oh," he said quietly.

He'd known, of course. Daxter always wore his heart on his sleeve. But he never talked about it.

"Do- do you think Spike Dad feels like that?" asked Daxter, gnawing on his lip, "cos if he does, I'm gonna feel like a heel."

Jak was silent as he contemplated that. Traumatic stress, huh? What would've set off-

Oh. He'd snuck out. Damas probably found his room empty. Did he have a flashback, like Jak did when doors were locked? Had Jak caused him to panic?

With a groan, Jak put his face in his hands.

"I suck at being a son," he grumbled.

"In our defense, only one of us has been actively parented before this," Daxter suggested, but it was half-hearted.

His ears twitched, first up, then back down again.

"Do...do you think he's gonna yell?"

"If he yells, I'll yell back," Jak answered hesitantly. "But I don't- I don't think he's going to be like Samos. I just...haven't decided if that's a good thing yet."

_________________________________________

Damas entered the chamber well over two hours later to find his son pacing like a caged caracal. By the slightly disturbed furniture, pushed away from walls here and there, it looked as if Jak had been at this for a while now. From all that Sig had told him, he could guess he was in for a fight. Considering what he'd been put through before returning to Spargus, the boy understandably did not take well to any perceived threat to his autonomy. But the moment Jak spotted him, his shoulders slumped.

"So-" Damas began, trying not to read too much into how resigned Jak looked.

"Look-" Jak interrupted, then winced slightly.

"I- We're...sorry," he said haltingly. "I...just wanted- I just wanted to help you."

He looked so earnest. Damas didn’t doubt he and Daxter had managed to talk Sig into letting them turn his scouting mission into a search-and-destroy. It was hard to argue with a face like that. Did the boy even understand what he'd done wrong?

"Oh Jak," Damas sighed.

He lowered himself to the small couch by the window and beckoned him over.

"Come. Sit with me."

Jak hesitated, but complied. The couch was small, but he tried to give Damas as much space as possible. He picked at a scar on his thumb and didn't look up.

"Why you?" Damas asked. When Jak didn't immediately answer, he prodded his shoulder. "Hmm? Why did you, specifically, have to go kill those metalpedes?"

Jak shrugged. "Because I could. Because I'm harder to kill than other people. Why risk them if I don't need to?"

From any other Spargan, those words would've been commendable. Coming from his only child, they burned Damas like brands pressed into his skin. Jak should never have been taught to see himself as expendable. He should never have suffered as he had. And yet Damas had failed to protect him.

"And you gave no thought at all to Sig’s warnings that this was a task too dangerous for one person?"

He watched his son's brows quirk as if something about the question puzzled him.

"Wh- when, um, when we were kids," Jak mumbled, "Nobody actually...cared...if we were doing something dangerous. Not unless it inconvenienced them. They expected us to do these things. To...to earn our keep."

When he looked up at last, Damas was frowning thoughtfully.

"Hmm. I...think I understand."

Damas turned that thought over in his mind. It would do no good to get angry now: Jak would just think it was directed at him. Still, it was for the best that the people of that tiny village were far, far beyond his reach.

"My son," he said, gently but firmly, "You must unlearn what your captors drilled into you. You are home now- you are free now. Those expectations do not apply."

For a moment, Jak said nothing. Then he whispered, "I don't know who I am without them."

Daxter peeked over the arm of the couch with an endearingly miserable look.

"Jak didn't mean to scare ya, and- and Sig just came along to watch our backs! Don't be mad at Sig, er, sir."

An honorific out of Daxter? Hell must have frozen over. It was this, more than anything, that told Damas that the boys truly were sorry.

"Sig didn't do wrong by going with you," he allowed, and dropped a hand over the couch arm to rest over Daxter's head. "But he did not inform me of what was happening, or give me time to form a larger team. That is what he did wrong- and what you did wrong. But we are not here to discuss Sig. We are here to decide what consequences I need to set to ensure that this does not happen again."

Both boys winced, and Damas noticed Daxter curl in on himself as though shielding himself before a blow. Jak schooled his face into an emotionless mask.

Damas regretted his promise to spare Haven for Jak's sake.

"You will be confined to the tower for six days," Damas announced, forcing himself to ignore the boys' reactions. "If you want your gate pass back, you'll have to earn it. Show me that I can trust you to make better decisions."

"And...after the week is up?" asked Daxter tentatively.

The king shifted his weight and ran a hand over his face. Alright, Sig. I'm choosing my battles.

"Before I came in here, I was going to ban you from the Arena trials until midwinter," he admitted.

Jak stiffened beside him, the protest already on his lips.

"But," Damas continued, "as you seem to have a better understanding of the gravity of the situation than I had initially thought, I offer a compromise."

Jak flexed his fingers and glanced over nervously. "O...kay?"

Damas offered a small smile in response. "You will only be barred from the Arena until you can escape me in a sparring match. How long that lasts will be up to you."

Jak sagged with relief -- and Daxter suddenly got a lot more anxious. Sure, Jak could fight metalheads the size of buildings and come out on top. But Damas had something the metalheads didn't: opposable thumbs.

This probably wasn't going to be as easy as Jak was thinking.

"Thanks. For...for not yelling," Jak said unexpectedly. "Daxter doesn't like yelling."

Damas dropped his other hand across the back of Jak's neck and squeezed affectionately, just the barest hint of pressure.

"If you have to shout to make your point, you've already lost control of the situation," he advised.

He caught the incredulous expression passing between the two boys and chose to let it go. They were still learning what it was to have a childhood. Lessons in leadership could come later.

"I know you're still getting to know me," he said hesitantly, "Perhaps the restrictions I place do not make sense to you. But they exist because I care about your safety. I fought to make this city one in which you could choose your own path. So you wouldn't have to fight for your life."

Daxter stretched up on tip-paws. "But that's why Jak fights!" he protested, "Cause he can't stand the idea of anybody goin' through what he did!"

Damas flinched, ever so slightly, and Daxter regretted bringing it up. It was fairly obvious that Damas had the same kind of survivor's guilt that he did.

"I...don't know a whole lot about dads, sure, but he's just doin' what you do, doesn't that count for somethin?"

Damas shook his head, but he didn't appear to be disagreeing. He only whispered, "I should have been there."

Daxter knew what he meant.

After a moment's hesitation, he climbed up onto the arm of the couch and tentatively patted Damas’s shoulder.

"Aw, look. Jak, uh...Jak has always been pretty fearless about runnin' into danger. Even before things went sideways! He used to wade out to the sandbar to save stranded Lurker Hounds, even though he knew they were gonna try and bite him! He uh, he had to learn that from somewhere, right?"

Jak raised his head and blinked. He'd sort of figured he'd learned it from his own elder self in an eternal loop. But...could Daxter be right? Was that wild, fearless, reckless little kid simply acting like a normal Wastelander?

"Maybe you fought so he wouldn't have to," Daxter suggested, merely thinking out loud, "But maybe he decided to be just like you? I mean have you met him? The kid's got a head like a rock!"

"Dude, really?" Jak glared at him.

Damas’s smile was bittersweet at best. "It is...a nice thought, Daxter," he admitted, "Admittedly, Jak...was quite stubborn when he was Mar."

Impulsively, he swung his arms close, dragging both boys into an impromptu embrace.

"However, you are still grounded."

"Darnit!" Daxter fumed.

#fic prompts #writing prompts #jak and daxter #Prisoner Exchange AU #dadmas #king damas #jak and daxter au #my aus #jak and daxter sig #jak decided to go clear out metalpedes and he definitely didn't tell his dad he was sneaking out #jak is Grounded #Daxter and Damas have very similar survivor's guilt regarding what happened to Jak #this is what leads to the prologue of the story where Jak is sparring with Damas after they've made up #The boys have a very skewed idea of age appropriate activities #free day Thursday #snippet Thursday

[teriwrites]

about me: a writeblr re-re-re-introduction

Hello! My old pinned post is officially over a year old and makes me cringe whenever I'm on my blog, so it's time to freshen things up again!

me

I'm Teri, I'm smack dab in the middle of my 20s and figuring out life. My writing is pretty exclusively original stuff, a lot of novels and a lot of fantasy, but I play around with various genres in short stories. Sort of a jack-of-all-trades in regards to hobbies - aside from writing, there's anything from baking to drawing with my ancient art tablet to cross-stitch to playing music to rambling around the patch of woods near my house to watching long-form D&D let's plays.

my goals

I recognize that every time I post something like this, it's with the intention of finally becoming as active on writeblr as I was during the pandemic. I also recognize I've never quite managed that.

So here are some more general goals to get me through 2024:

Finish my 2nd draft of Beyond Alder Creek

Write as cringey and brutally honest as I never allowed myself to as a teenager.

Speaking of, a large reading/writing goal of mine is to go back through every NaNo draft I've ever written (I've participated since 2011). So aside from just reading that and likely turning it into a whole spectacle on here for people's amusement, generally just survive reading through the writing from 8th grade. Stay tuned for more on that in the coming weeks lol

Finally, I have a general goal every year of reaching 100K words, between writing and editing and the like, but I'd happily be a little looser with that goal if it meant getting through others.

And now, without further ado:

my writing

Before I get specifically into WIPs, a general overview of the kind of writing you can expect from me:

As I said, I'm a fantasy nerd. I love worldbuilding, both on a large scale (nations and cultures and political relationships) and a small scale (a magic shop in an otherwise contemporary setting).

There's not a lot of romance in my writing, but there Are a lot of transformational relationships and codependency. Friendships, siblings, guardians, general ride-or-dies.

Thought experiments. I've been trying to catch and indulge more in my 'wait, what if?' ideas. Sometimes, that's fun little snippets of silly ideas, sometimes it's a majorly emotionally heavy scene for a story I'll never write. Sometimes, it's coming up with ideas to 'combine genres'. It's all about expanding the range.

wips*

Beyond Alder Creek /// draft 2 /// tag: bac

Winnie Pewitt has never believed in the fae. That is, until her little brother disappears, and she stumbles upon a faerie ring on the edge of town. Inside, a man seemingly carved from gold suggests that he knows who took the boy. With everyone else around their hometown accepting her brother's fate as certainty, Winnie takes it upon herself to craft the perfect deal and enter the realm of the fae with her new companion in tow.

The Lies in the Legend /// draft 1 /// tag: litl

The fictional autobiography of an elven noblewoman who rose rapidly in station and influence from an unremarkable youth to a diplomatic powerhouse. Spanning centuries during the prime of her life, Lady Ghislaine Agassi charts the course of her career and reputation, and highlights the dangers of making myths out of our idols.

*Though these are my primary WIPs, I have a page that covers various other WIPs and projects that I've brought up over the past few years.

I think that about covers everything! As always, I can't make any promises about how the year will wind up and where it takes us. But I will say, I've actually been writing recently, and yk I'm just gonna ride that high.

And for fun, here's some random facts about me:

fun facts

I have degrees in psychology and music!

I've lived across three continents, but currently live in upstate New York for whatever reason lol

The animals I've ridden on the back of include: horse, pony, elephant, and ostrich. The horse was my least favorite. By far.

I got diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes a couple months after Covid landed stateside (in May 2020) and am Always ready to talk someone's ear off about it.

The first story I ever wrote was on PowerPoint and was about war breaking out between humans and aliens that had taken refuge on Earth after their planet was destroyed. I was 8. There was a Lot of Clipart involved.

I've never been published, but I once secretly planned out, wrote, edited, and self-printed a couple copies of a novel about my best friends and our college apartment. They received it for Christmas last year and loved it (or at least were kind enough to tell me they did)!

#writeblr introduction #writeblr #writeblr intro #writers on tumblr #writing #hello once again friends #here is my annual promise to be different this year and actually talk about writing #we'll see how long it lasts this go round! #teritalks

[nextinline-if]

I'm tired of watching creators get stepped on (with a clarified statement regarding the forum poster)

I don't frequent this forum - I went here to investigate pirating. Several people have insisted that the person going by the COG founder's name is not actually him, so here's my updated post. I retract that it's Dan but not what else I said. I still stand by what I said.

Hi, it's me, your friendly Vi with something on my mind. Unfollow if you will but I gotta speak my mind on behalf of the authors who spend countless hours creating the games that bring you joy. Sure, I've been away from Tumblr so I'm probably late to this but oh well. Still decided to post this.

I moved my game to Twine in August because I don't want to be associated with Choice of Games (COG). Here's a great example of why...

People in a forum asking for and sharing pirated content from indie creators' Patreons.

The author saw it and responded:

[ID: A snippet of what the text reads. Please take this down. This is just...really not cool guys. My hands are trembling as I right this, because I'm both hurt and stunned that someone would take *everything* from my Patreon and post it. If you ever want - redacted game name - to get finished, then try not to do things that will cause me to have a breakdown. Please. /ID]

Here's the response from someone going by COG's founder's name (per screenshots below - apparently it's not him but I do wonder why he lets someone use his name or isn't aware?):

I know this image is small, so here's what it reads:

"Let me tell you something, those who haven't subscribed to your patreon isn't magically gonna subscribe if they don't get stories elsewhere, and those who have already did that means they care about you and I'm pretty damn sure they aren't gonna unsubscribe anytime soon. If something anything changes due to the leaks then it's your popularity, readers are gonna be more interested in your titles and perhaps once they have enough money then they can even subscribe and donate that money to you, right now many members of this forum don't have enough resources to purchase things online such as patreon subscription, hence they had to rely on leaks to sate their excitement of reading the stories. Do think about it, from their perspective and if you can then try to make old stories and demo available for public this way they may not needs to rely on leaks and will read from official source.

Sincerely, Dan Fabulich"

What I said originally when I thought it was Dan: The guy is probably a millionaire (or, at the very least, well off compared to most indie creators) and he has the nerve to create an entitled response like this to an INDIE AUTHOR who uses choicescript.... wow. To an author who yes, has a pretty good following but is spending 1000s of hours creating for the enjoyment of others.

New statement: It's still fucking the way this person is speaking to an indie author. Still seems odd to allow a forum to use your name (and also basically insinuate it is supported by your company)...I would certainly be angry. But then again, I'm not rich and living off indie authors' work.

He (still) has more money than most of us indie authors ever have in his pocket from creating a company that pays pennies to the writers who make it money. People who just rely on passion to create these stories. Even if you make money on Patreon, most people cannot be sustained full-time. Most of the pirated content is not from bigger authors (but some is).

And before anyone says anything, yes, I am aware that many people can't afford Patreon and "don't want to wait." I get it. I promise you, I know the struggle. But like, it's fucking entitled to think you deserve to read someone's work without their permission.

And it's fucking entitled to throw the authors that pay for your lifestyle under the bus. (I still believe the company does this).

I am SO grateful to the majority of you out there who are kind, supportive, and overall amazing. But this is not okay!

Vi, out.

P.S. as an anon suggested, I will try to contact Dan to see if he's aware of this person using his name to make statements like this

#edited statement #stand by what i said but made relevant corrections #still think its fishy #again just my opinion #if you like COG great #i dont and thats my choice #i feel my reasons are valid. this forum is scummy regardless

[whimsicalmeerkat]

WIP Wednesday

I was tagged by @dear-massacre and @definitively-different-drivel. Thank you!

This is a long snippet, but I couldn’t bear to cut it and I decided to be nice and pick up right after last week’s, since everyone was so interested in what idea Stiles had that was gonna make Derek yell.

~

Derek is beginning to worry about just how certain Stiles must be that he's going to yell. He's following his Jeep and they're deep in the preserve. Even a werewolf wouldn't be able to hear them from the outskirts of town.

"Stiles, what are we doing out here," Derek growls when he gets out of his car.

"Well, like I said, you're going to yell and growl. There's also the fact that, if we're seen together in town my dad will find out and use it as an excuse to flip from barely acknowledging I exist to being super strict lest my delinquency damage his image of benevolent widowed sheriff and father."

Stiles' voice is flippant and sarcastic, but it carries a bitter undertone. It sounds like the sheriff's parenting hasn't improved since the days he was leaving Stiles at the hospital. Derek doesn't think Stiles would be happy if he knew Derek could tell he's in pain, so he doesn't mention it.

"OK, what is this idea that makes you so certain I'm going to yell that you brought me all the way out here," Derek asks instead of commenting on what Stiles just revealed about his father.

Stiles gives him a grateful look before taking a deep breath. He looks nervous. Derek is increasingly convinced that he's going to hate whatever is going to come out of the boy's mouth next.

"I need to join your pack," Stiles spits out.

That isn't so bad. Unusual, given how short a time they've known each other, but with extenuating circumstances it might make sense. His wolf definitely likes the idea. Likes it a lot.

"As your mate," Stiles continues, leaving Derek speechless.

"And Peter's, once he's awake," Stiles spits out.

Derek finds his voice. "Absolutely not, are you insane?!"

"Possibly," Stiles answers, "but not about this. You and I both know just adding a human pack member won't be enough of a bond, even if I have been visiting him for years."

"That doesn't mean the solution is for you to become our mate!"

Derek is willing to concede Stiles made the right call in waiting to propose this crazy plan until they were out of earshot of other people.

"It doesn't even work like that," he tells Stiles. "You can't just become someone's mate because it's easy or might solve a problem. There's more to it than that."

Stiles is giving him a very intense look. Derek isn't sure why, but he ends up crossing his arms over his chest to keep from squirming. Hopefully that isn't obvious and he just looks stern. Stiles opens his mouth and Derek just knows he's going to hate what comes out of it next.

"It would work," Stiles says. "I can see your bond with Peter and I know there's the possibility for one with me."

Derek can't stop himself from taking a step back. He fists his hands at his sides. He's never had this conversation with anyone, not even Peter. He doesn't want to have it with a teenager he's known less than a day.

"Peter and and I aren't bonded," he says, hating how small his voice comes out. He's had years to get past this.

He can feel Stiles staring at him, but he can't meet his eyes. He isn't sure what he would see if he did.

"You are," Stiles says. "That's why your rope in Peter's aura is silver, not gold. You have the same ones in your aura."

Stiles' voice is matter of fact, but Derek still gets the sense he's being gentle with him. He both hates the idea and is grateful. Mostly, he's reeling from what Stiles just said.

"We can't be bonded," Derek says. "Peter—he was sleeping with one of the hunters who burned down the house. How could he have done that if we were actually bonded?"

~

No pressure tags: @lalaithquetzallicaresi @lavender-lotion @mswhich @mrpinniped

#wip wednesday #steterek #teen wolf #wip #fanfic #deter role reversal #author:whimsicalmeerkat

[withacapitalp]

WIP Wednesday

oooooo yay I got tagged from @hairstevington and @hbyrde36

I get to play this week it’s WIP Wednesday!! and I'm feeling good so we're reopening anons!

Time for a little accountability, sharing your work, and getting a kick in the pants.

Here’s how it works:

In a reblog of this post (so people can find you in the notes) or new thread (w/ rules attached) if you want to play on your own, post up to five (5) filenames of your WIPs; not titles, file names.

Post a snippet from one of them. Snippet must be words you wrote in the last 7 days. We’re posting progress here. If you haven’t made any, go make some and come back to play!

After you’ve posted, people can send you an ask with one of your file names. You must then write 3 sentences in that file. If the filename is one you can't share from (for example, an event or gift fic), write 3 sentences on it anyway, and then 3 more on another to share.

That’s it! You can invite others to join in, or just post.

If you see someone posting a WIP Wednesday Game snippet, send them an ask! Make them write.

-

My file names:

Valencrimes for Someone pt 4

HTRAJ Elvis Background

Mean Girls Trio

Argyle

Snippet from Valencrimes under the read more!

“Hey! Guess who’s here with me buying weed! Jonathan fucking Byers!” He declared, waiting a second and listening to the birds sing in reply before sighing and dropping his arms to his sides, giving Jonathan a half-hearted glare, “Who the hell do you think is going to hear me? Better yet, who the hell is gonna care?”

“Will would. Jane? My mom?” Jonathan said, listing them all out as he hugged his arms across his middle, his voice lowering to barely a whisper as he curled up on himself, “I mean what do you think would happen if they find out about this?” 

“What do you think would happen?” Eddie asked, confused by the sudden turn from anger to fear. Pretty much every single person in Hawkins knew how overprotective Joyce Byers was, but that was against people outside of the family, not inside. 

Or maybe things weren’t exactly all they seemed to be behind closed doors. 

“...I don’t know,” Jonathan admitted after a beat, three words that felt a lot bigger than just a single little sentence. 

#WIP Wednesday #I'm excited #Love a good moment

[twilightarc-gm]

💥👓💛👻

😍 Specs!! Hi!! I see you with these questions 🕵️‍♂️

From this Ask Game: Here

💥 What is one canon thing that you wish you could change? (MDZS) YOU KNOW ME!!! But instead of the super obvious answer about the romantic subplot or whatever, I gotta say like, I really don't think JYL had to literally die for WWX's man-pain. Would the Present Timeline story be drastically different? Yeah, but I think it would have been better. I think it would have forced WWX to confront and resolve his past in more satisfying ways even if MXTX still makes him break off everything with JC-JYL-YMJ. Hottake, but I think it's spicier if he keeps trying to leave everything in the past but his mistakes are still alive and would like a real apology. With JC there's the whole transfer thing, mucking up who might need to apologize to whom, but with JYL it's very clear and very devastating. Where is all the angst this story could have given me?? No, I'm not going to rewrite MDZS about it 😩 I'm just going to suffer in my Yunmeng Trio feels.

👓 What helps you focus when you write? You're going to use this against me, I know it. I'm gonna be like, "Specs I can't focus." And you're going to go, "Well YOU said this helps you focus so are you doing it???" And I'll be like... "🥺" Not to be all aging-Millennial on main or anything but a shot of hard liquor, wordless music, a clear idea of a scene, and someone waiting to read what I wrote. It's a hard combo to achieve, let's be real. I have written 5k at a time with that combo though, so it's a big winner. @robinade knows nothing motivates me more than someone on discord going 👐🙏. And then I feed them the snippet and then they grade me with emotes. I'm very rewards based, who isn't? They tell you to write for yourself first, but it's always nice if I have an end goal of entertaining someone else as well, otherwise the ideas just stay in my head la-di-da style.

💛 What is the most impactful lesson you’ve learned about writing? I got nothing inspirational to say here. I think a game changer for me was doing this thing with "scenes" but like... as a roadmap. So what I do now that helps me figure out what to write is listing off all the scenes I want to write and a little blurb about those scenes (or a lot of blurb depending on how specific I have it in my mind). It's like an outline, but not very high level. Anyone that reads my stuff lately can see I label my scenes with section titles and that's from this process. It sort of fills in the for the writing advice about how, when you get to the end of one scene, make sure to write the first sentence of the next so you don't get stuck on how to start a scene when you get back to it. This format is really working for me and it's not as cumbersome as an outline (even though for big fics I have those too).

👻 What is your wildest headcanon? HOOOO it's really hard to have a "wild" headcanon in this fandom (MDZS) without someone taking the biggest offense to it. And honestly the word "wild" is doing a lot of work here, it can mean anything. So basically I have a lot headcanons but what's wild enough for this question??? BAM!! JGS uses women as human cauldrons to further his cultivation. And JGY used that knowledge to kill him.

🧡 😎 Alrighty, I think my work here is done. 🌹 🎩

#asks answered #so-relatable #writing #mdzs #jiang yanli #headcanon

[iced-coffee-jesus]

Can't believe I have the audacity to post Buddie smut on main when I don't post fic on my main blog, but here we are.

NSFW Snippet under the cut

Buck ghosted his hand along Eddie's spine as he gripped his bare hip in the other, stifling a moan at the overwhelming heat enveloping him.

“Eddie…”

“Wait, Buck, just-” Eddie inhaled sharply, his hands still latched onto Buck's shoulders, his fingernails making half-moon shapes on his back. He rested his forehead against Eddie's sternum, taking a deep breath as he tried to get his bearings; Eddie and his tangled bodies slick with sweat, naked on his couch like some kind of fever dream.

“Eddie?” He tried again, straining his legs against the cushions in an attempt not to move. He felt more than saw Eddie swallow, before sliding his hands lower on Buck's back.

“I can take it.” Eddie said finally, as if his entire body wasn't tensed like a bow string about to snap in Buck's lap. “Just gimme a minute. I don't wanna-” He fumbled a moment before burying his hair in Buck's hair and mumbling. “I don't want to come yet.”

Buck took one, two, three deep breaths as Eddie moved to peppering soft kisses down the side of his face before placing a wet sucking kiss to Buck's jaw. Buck's fingers flexed against his hips before relaxing and moving to soft circular motions, attempting to sooth Eddie or himself, he wasn't sure.

“Eddie, ’m sorry, I can't- I should've-” He was babbling now, unsure of how to get his point across before it was too late.

Eddie's frustration was clear in his voice. “Don't Buck, it's me, I just wanted this to go right and I'm about to shoot off before you're even three inches inside me-”

“I'mgonnacomeifyoumoveagain” Buck rushed out in one breath.

Eddie paused, meeting Buck's eyes after what felt like eternity. “Really?”

Buck blushed, but nodded, feeling trapped under the weight of not only Eddie's strong body but his gaze that seemed to say so much.

Eddie huffed a laugh, kissing Buck softly before nudging their noses gently. “Made for me, Evan, you were made for me.”

“Even if we're both gonna come before I get the chance to actually fuck you?”

“There's always next time.” He smiled, licking into Buck's mouth as they found home in each other's bodies, a maybe little faster than expected.

#buddie fic #buddie #buck x eddie #I'm having a lot of emotions and I think these two idiots would be so into each other that they come on the spot #your welcome

[kazoosandfannypacks]

5, 7, 8, and 13 for the WIP ask game! 😁

JESSICA!!!!! HIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!

5. What fic surprised you with how much interaction it got this past year?

I know I mentioned Wishing it Wasn't when Hazel asked, but I also want to give honorable mention to This is (Kinda) The Way. I'd hoped it would do well, but was blown away by not only the lovely comments and kudos on ao3, but also all the interaction it got on tumblr. It was at the top of the sabezra and ezrabine tags for a couple days (and if you've blocked as many tags as I have you'd've seen it at the top of the sabine wren tag too,) which was such a huge encouragement to me as I recovered from my unfortunate accident 😅

7. Share a line/paragraph/snippet that you were especially proud of from a work this year!

I'm gonna go with this section from As The Sun Rose and Seasons Changed, because I waited almost a decade to see these two idiots from The Shuttle get engaged and am very glad to have been the one to do it:

 "There's a reason I brought you out here today, Betty," he smiled, "you've always been clever, so I know you know what I'm going to ask you, but I'm going to ask it anyways, and it's going to be the most terrifying moment of my life."  "You've no reason to be afraid, James." She rarely called him by his first name rather than his title, but now it felt proper to do so.  "You've no idea what I fear to lose, Miss Vanderpoel," he said, "I know of your love for Dunstanwolde, and your disdain for its condition– and of my love for it as well. If all I were offering was my land and my title, to watch from the sides as you touch all around me with your life, I'd give even that. But what I ask is something deeper. I do not ask you to love a sullied name or a crumbled ruin. I ask you to love the man who holds nothing besides them," and here he took her hand and said, "I'm asking you to love me."  Still holding her hand, he knelt before her, one knee supporting him on the damp earth his ancestors had killed for and died on. Out of his pocket he pulled a ring, and held it before her.  "Bettina Vanderpoel," he asked, "will you marry me?"  He wasn't the first man who'd proposed to her– but somehow she'd hoped all along that he would be the last.

8. What's your favorite work you posted this past year?

if you think I'm gonna say the same thing I told Hazel and Iris, you are dead wrong.

Even though it's not perfect by any stretch of the word, I'm gonna say How We Rewrote the Stars. I intended it to just be a oneshot and posted it as such for sabezra week, but added more chapters after the fact. It was my first time posting an uncompleted work, which has always worried me because what if I wanted to change something? What if I messed something up in the first chapter? However, I took a leap of faith {which, fun fact, is the name I would've posted it under had I left it as a oneshot} and tried it out like that, and I'm proud of that!

13. What fic are you most excited to post in the upcoming year?

I'm very much hoping to finish the Gamergirl Sabezra AU by the end of the year, and can't wait to share it with you guys. I'm also working on a Captain Swan fic I've lovingly nicknamed the "romeo & juliet & boybands au." I haven't posted anything for Captain Swan since June, and that's the CS fic I have the most motivation to write, so it'll be lovely to post for such a lovely fandom again!

thanks so much for the ask!

📝 send me some asks from my ao3 writers ask game!

#kazzy writes #kazzy writes fanfic #ao3 wrapped #kazzy's kazootuals #kazzy answers asks #gamergirl sabezra au #cs romeo & juliet & boybands #saltinna #the shuttle #sabezra #this is (kinda) the way #captain swan #how we rewrte the stars #otp: im counting on you #otp: try something new darling #otp: a bargain from the ducal remnant counter

[astaraels]

WIP Wednesday! Here's a bit of a longer snippet from an upcoming chapter of the soulmates au, please enjoy~

"Hello? Ian?" Mandy said, bringing him out of his thoughts. "Did you even hear anything I said?"

"Yeah, no—sorry. I was trying to listen-"

She rolled her eyes at him, but didn't stop smiling. "Something sure has gotten into you. You've been distracted all day."

And, well…fuck it. As long as he didn't tell Mandy the name…

"I slept with someone," Ian finally said. "Not Kash."

Mandy's jaw dropped into a wide grin as she laughed. "Fuck! You serious?" She smacked his shoulder playfully, although the blow landed hard. "Good for you! Wait, it's not some other weird old guy, right?"

Ian rolled his eyes. "No, he's like Lip's age. Nice eyes. Nice ass, too." He knew his cheeks were redder than anything saying it to Mickey's own sister, but it was true. He'd jerked off to the thought of it several times already.

"Well?" Mandy demanded. "Who is it? Details, please!"

"I…can't tell you.” 

Mandy scoffed at him. ”I am your girlfriend and your soulmate, Ian Gallagher! If you can't tell me-”

“-look, he's on the down low. But, yeah…like three times now."

"And how about things with Kash…?" Mandy seemed like she was trying not to twist her face up.

He sighed, face burning with embarrassment and guilt at the memory. "Nothing. Linda caught us on the new security cameras. And now she wants another baby. So me and Kash can't do anything until she's pregnant."

Mandy stared at him, then shook her head. "Married men don't seem worth the headache. I'd just get rid of the other woman if it was me. No more competition."

Ian just laughed. "Jesus, Mandy."

“I'm serious! Run her over with a car, you know—just make sure you ditch it or clean it up after. Mickey said he's gonna teach me how to hotwire, so just do something like that.” Mandy shrugged, pulling out a cigarette and her lighter. She held the cigarette between her lips as she lit it, breathing the smoke in and holding it before she slowly exhaled. “Anyway, sounds like a good time to ditch Kash, if you got something good going with this other guy."

He shrugged—honestly, he'd thought the same thing, which felt kind of weird. He and Kash had been hooking up for a while now; hell, at one point Ian thought there might be something more between them, soulmates be damned. But now his thoughts kept turning to Mickey—those bright blue eyes; the grin on his face when they hooked up the second time in the back of the store; the heat of his thigh pressed against Ian as they sat squished in with Mandy on the Milkovich couch. And if his suspicions were correct—if Mickey really might be his soulmate...

"Yeah," he finally said as they turned the corner, both of them bracing against the sudden gust of wind. "I mean, I feel kinda bad about it-"

"Nope! None of that. You deserve better than some old married fucker who smells like goats." She hooked their arms together and they walked further down the busy street.

#I couldn't decide where to cut for the preview because I like the whole thing too much so have fun #shameless soulmates au #gallavich #ian gallagher #mandy milkovich #leinth writes fic #wip wednesday #these two are so much fun to write together y'all #lil pit bull and her orange cat

[ggukkiedae]

my international legality 🦊💜

weverse 221213, 11:20pm

yoonmj goes live real quick for her birthday

italics are spoken in english

not proofread, i'm recovering from finals and those two ot7 photos from today 😭 but just wanted a little birthday snippet for my girl

the live starts with her smiling and checking herself in the camera

"give me a minute, guys, then i'll start"

she hums an unfamiliar tune for a few minutes before she puts on a smile

"hi, guys! long time no see on weverse, huh?"

bestie you've been on here constantly

"i know" she laughs "i meant on live. i know i said i was on hiatus until i graduate, but i thought it would be nice to come on here and celebrate my birthday with you guys, even just for a bit"

she silently reads through the comments, greeting hi to a few different comments in different languages

a small shake of the camera made her let out a small laugh while she hit someone off camera

why are you in a car?

"well, i'm on the way home because i spent the day with the tannies. kookie oppa is driving, and jiminie oppa is holding the camera for me. we're gonna have a midnight dinner at my place. maybe i should play midnight rain"

she turns the camera to the two sides, showing off a driving jungkook and a wrapped up jimin.

"you are not playing a sentimental song when we should be celebrating," jungkook gave her a quick look before turning back to the road

"i believe our aegi deserves a happy greeting song," jimin coos before starting to sing. "even if she is now considered an adult all over the world."

jimin and jungkook started singing happy birthday, both going extra and making riffs while she just laughed and covered her face in amusement. they finished one round of the happy birthday song in korean then one in english then again in korean

jungkook held up a finger in front of her, which she blew. he quickly folded it over, imitating a candle going out

you look tired. are you okay?

"i'm fine," she smiled, "finals just ended, and today was quite emotionally draining. for now, i'm on break and get to watch my friends perform"

she sat back a little, probably remembering the different stages she's watched from home recently rather than from in the venue like she was used to in the past how many years

how was txt in manila?

"how did you guys know i was there?"

jimin laughed off camera. yoonmi looked over at something, probably jimin showing her something on his phone. she chuckled and shook her head while grabbing the phone from him and showing it on camera"

"remind me to put this on my instagram story"

there were four photos. first was a selfie she was taking while seri and beomgyu squished their cheeks to hers. second was one of her laughing at yeonjun who had her in a headlock. third was her doing a "chic model" pose with the soobin and the maknaes. fourth was a decent photo of all seven of them, the last photo being them with the banners from the manila concert. the caption read "happy birthday to the most supportive sunbae who flew to her hometown for our last stop on tour. txt's honorary 7th member, happy birthday!"

"you guys should have tweeted this and tagged the bangtan account," she laughed, "but thank you. i love you guys. as for the concert, it was amazing, of course. txt are amazing performers, and they've grown so much. i honestly can't wait to see the distances they'll reach with how talented they are. and, before you ask, i have an nda that keeps me from spoiling anything about their comeback"

"apparently that doesn't work for bangtan content," jungkook snorted.

she leans back with a sheepish smile on her face "i'm not technically under an nda for bangtan things, they just trust me"

"more like they trust us to keep you from spoiling," jungkook shot back playfully

"yeah, yeah, don't start, it's my birthday"

do you have a birthday wish?

"i got part of what i wanted," she smiled. "i spent the day with the tannies, and i'm about to have a midnight dinner with the oppas, my brother, and his family. i just kinda wish i could see channie oppa and our family. my boyfriend... i really want to see mark oppa, too, but we haven't seen each other recently because we've both been busy"

her fingers lightly tugged at her hair while she spoke

"it's just been kinda... bittersweet? yeah today's been strange, but i'm glad i get to spend time with people i love. you guys included, of course!"

she laughs to herself "gosh, i've gotten so bad at lives"

a hand reaches into frame, stopping her own from tugging her hair. she smiles down and squeezes at it, smiling at the side jimin was sitting on in thanks for comforting her

yoongi marry me

she bursts into giggles while jimin and jungkook are just laughing. it takes a good few minutes for them to calm down before she speaks

"i'll be sure to pass the message on"

the members' greetings for you were so cute!

you really are still bangtan's baby

she looks up at jungkook and jimin "yeah, it was pretty sweet. i just didn't think they were doing anything specific these past few weeks when they kept telling me to pose certain ways with them. how they came up with recreating our first photos together, i don't know. i cried, but when do i not cry?"

jungkook's voice cut in "you should have seen her, it was like someone played the saddest video on earth"

there was a smack and jungkook crying out in pain. yoonmi laughed while some bickering played out in front of her of jimin telling jungkook to stop picking on yoonmi while jungkook justified that that's how their friendship works

"this is what i deal with on a daily basis" she pretended to roll her eyes "this is my reality, guys"

if you had the chance to teleport and pause time today for as long as you want and choose who to unfreeze with you, what would you do?

"i'd visit channie oppa and my family," she smiles to herself, "i'd ask for a lazy day with them because i know channie oppa needs to rest. then probably hang out with mark oppa. finally, i'd have all the tannie oppas with me for a nice meal. all of them. and maybe we could talk about old memories for a bit before we move on with our lives again."

"that actually sounds really nice," jimin noted. jungkook hummed in agreement.

she zoned out for a bit before a notification from her phone popped up. she read it and smiled.

"the bighit 01s are coming over for midnight dinner, too," she smiled before looking up. "we're getting pretty close, i think, so i might have to end this live here. thanks for the birthday greetings, luvs. i appreciate you all! see you when my hiatus is over, i'll be freshly graduated with some new things in store for you"

with that, she began waving at the live, moving the camera forward so if caught jimin in shot as well. he waved, too. "bye, army! take care!"

there was a shout goodbye from jungkook, making jimin and yoonmi laugh. she moves closer to the camera, crossing her eyes slightly before laughing and moving back

"thanks for spending this international legality car party with me. sorry i didn't prepare much. love you, army! see you when i see you!"

-end-

taglist: @sunflower-0180 @seaoffangirling @yourwonderbelle @1-800-enhypennabi @kamiiyou @strwberrydinosaur @uraveragefangirlsposts @caratinylyfe @1-800-minji @one16core @kimhyejin3108 @chansols @akshverse @toriluvsfics @billboard-singer @stopeatread (taglist/s open! just drop an ask or a dm <3)

#yoonmi.vlive #yoonmi.live #bts 8th member #bts female member #bts female addition #miya #yoonmi #kim yoonmi

[wikiangela]

wip wednesday

I wasn't gonna post anything until I get back from my vacation but I'm reading the prequel to "they both die at the end" and it prompted an idea of a little crossover sad fic with a tragic mcd ending and I'm gonna break my own heart with this one for sure 😂 (@thebravebitch said what I have so far is good and I trust her judgment lol ❤️)

so here's a little snippet I wrote on my phone bc I couldn't help myself and wait a few days 😂

______

His phone ringing wakes him up. At first he's confused, not registering it's his phone, since it's not even his ringtone. It takes him a few seconds to recognize it, and when he does, he looks at his phone and freezes, the words "DEATH-CAST" showing up as the caller ID.

He doesn't panic. When he answers the call, they'll tell him he's going to die in the next twenty four hours - or, twenty two hours, since it's after 2am already, they took their time to deliver this news. But he doesn't panic, he doesn't worry, he just freezes, and wonders if he should answer the call at all. After all, he's not even sure he believes in this whole damn thing.

One thing he does know is that no one will even try to convince him that he's going to die soon. They don't know shit.

*

It's not a new information that Eddie Diaz is what can be classified as a skeptic. He's not a believer in supernatural forces, magic, jinxes, ghosts, lately he even struggles with religion, despite his abuela's best efforts. Everyone in his life is aware of that.

So when this dude showed up out of nowhere claiming he can predict when people are gonna die, with no details or explanation, and give them one last day to sort out their affairs and say goodbye - Eddie called bullshit. He wasn't about to spend money on the off chance that they'll let him know when he's about to die. With being in the army, shot at every day, and even now with being a firefighter, he's aware of his own mortality more than your average person, he's already had more brushes with death than most people.

But he bought the subscription anyway, for his whole family. He had his parents, his abuela, his tía, and his wife trying to convince him, and they didn't succeed - he still thinks it's bullshit - but at least that got them to shut up about it. So, since then they spent thousands every year on subscribtions to this dumb service for himself, Shannon, and Christopher, and it was a waste of money, in Eddie's opinion.

And then, shortly after he moved to LA with his son, when he reconnected with his estranged wife, trying to see where this would go, but no matter what, his son was getting his mom back, and things were starting to look up again - Shannon got the call.

Eddie didn't belive it, but she did, and she decided to live this day like it's her last - which it ended up being, after all, but Eddie's still not sure if it wasn't some freak coincident.

That's what he's trying to tell her, when she's asking for a divorce that they don't have time to get finalized before he becomes a widower. She looks at him over the table in the little café they met, and there's nothing but peaceful acceptance, mixed with a bit of sorrowful regret for what she'll miss, in her eyes.

"Please make sure Christopher remembers I love him. I loved him, and I'll continue to love him from wherever we go after." she says with feeling, but at the same time she's almost casual about it. As if the prospect of dying within who knows how many hours wasn't a big deal. As if the only big deal is leaving her child once again, this time permanently.

Eddie can't take this. He won't believe this.

He still has trouble believing when he arrives on a call to a car accident later, and sees Shannon lying there on the street. Logically, he knows it makes sense, there's been a lot of people he's heard about who got the call and died, there's no reason not to believe it. But there's also not a lot of reasons to believe it, it might all just be a coincidence. Eddie's not about lose Shannon. Chris is not about to lose his mom. It's not fair. And he can't help blaming the stupid Death-Cast program.

____

No pressure tags (I'm on vacation and I'm barely on here so I really have no idea who already did it lmao) @panbuckley @honestlydarkprincess @jamietarts @shortsighted-owl @elvensorceress @translasso @alyxmastershipper @silentxxsoul @mrevanbuckley @buck-tartt

#wip wednesday #buddie #buddie fic #fic excerpt #fic sneak peek #wikiangela writes #my writing #upcoming fic #new oneshot #death cast #death cast buddie au

[newtonsheffield]

PLEASE MOLLY I NEED MORE COUNTRY ROADS ILL TAKE ANY SCRAPS YOU GOT JUST PLEASE

Anonymous asked:

Could we maybe get a little snippet of Anthony just being so shameless when Kates pregnant. Just being like “yeah she’s pregnant. I’ve had sex with her” and everyone just sighs as they say “We didn’t ask”

Gonna just combine these two because it feels like the vibe.

Anthony had a possessive streak, Kate had known that from the very first trip they'd taken into town, when his hand had settled possessively on her hip when she'd tugged him into the one tiny cafe, smiling at the woman behind the counter.

"Still here?"

Kate had nodded, leaning back against Anthony, "Yeah, I'm staying for the season, I'm sure I said."

The woman had looked surprised, "Well, still. We all wondered. It can be hard out there. And Anthony! A surprise to see you in here this week."

"I'm with Kate." His voice had been a grunt, his lips brushing her cheek.

"Anthony needs some lumber, and I convinced him to make a day of it." Kate hummed, bending down to look in the pastry case. "He's sweet for humouring me."

He'd squeezed her hand, shifting uncomfortably behind her before he mumbled, "We're going to the bookstore together too."

"Yeah we're going to the bookstore. You want a cherry bakewell, Bear?"

But that hadn't been her first clue. It had been when they had gotten to the lumberyard that she'd noticed what he really meant.

She'd nudged Anthony off in the direction of the maple he'd been after, watching with an odd flutter in her chest as Anthony's eyes lit up.

She'd meandered around, peering carefully around a little curious when she heard a voice call out.

"Can I help you?" The was a man making his way towards her, his smile bright, friendly as he made his way over.

Kate shook her head, "Oh! No thanks! I'm just waiting for someone."

The man raised his eyebrows, looking around. "There's no-one hear but Bridgerton, and you can't be waiting for him."

Kate's brow had furrowed. "Why-?"

"There you are, Muffin." Anthony's arm had snaked around her waist, spinning her quickly, his lips claiming hers roughly for a long moment, his hand tilting her chin up to deepen it, staling the breath from her chest.

Anthony pulled back, nuzzling against her neck for a moment, almost as though he was scenting her from a moment before he turned towards the other man. "Tom, you've met my girl, Kate."

"Your girl?" He sounded a little perplexed, as though he couldn't make them fit together in his head.

"Yeah. My girl, Kate." His arm was slung over her shoulder, something burning in her chest at the clear possession in his voice, something the proud feminist in her wanted to reject. She should have hated it but everything about him made her want to pull Anthony closer.

"I was waiting on Bridgerton actually." Kate hummed, kissing his cheek. "I'll wait in the truck, babe."

And it had only gotten worse in the months since she'd sat on the floor of their bathroom her heart pounding in her chest as she stared down at the smiley face on a pregnancy test.

Anthony had been so happy, his eyes filling with tears as he pressed his fingers against her stomach. "We're having a baby? I was- I was going to ask you to marry me, I- Kate I love you so much."

Kate had shaken her head, tears trailing down her own face, mingling with his. "Ask me some other time Papa Bear. I promise you I'll say yes."

Every time she looked at him these days she saw it. The glint of pride in his eyes when he looked at her, his fingers curling over her stomach.

And he just couldn't help himself apparently, when Mary and Edwina visited them the next moth. Anthony's voice had been gentle in her ear, the night before,

"We don't have to tell them about Cub if you aren't ready."

She'd rolled her eyes, "I'm excited about Cub. And I want my Mum and sister to know."

His smile had been so beautiful, with his forehead pressed against hers, breathing deeply. "I love you so fucking much."

"Still not as much as I love you, bear."

Even so, anxiety had built in her stomach as Mary had settled on the sofa, humming as she looked around.

"I can see why you left London, it's beautiful out here."

Even Edwina had nodded, "It is the little like the beginning of a horror movie, or Pete's Dragon, I'm not sure."

Kate had rolled her eyes, looking around at the home Anthony had said he'd built for her, for them: he just hadn't known it at the time. "Anthony built a beautiful home."

"Very." Mary agreed, smiling Gently as Anthony darted inside, finally home for the day his coat hung nervously in the coatrack.

"Mary, Eddie, I hope- I hope the drive wasn't too hard."

Mary shook her head gently, "It was beautiful, we were just admiring your home."

Anthony's cheeks flushed, "I've- I've really tried to make it nice for Kate."

Her hand shot out, tugging him down for a quick kiss, "You make everything nice."

"You two make everything foul." Edwina rolled her eyes, thought she was smiling, "I'm not sure I could stand much more of this."

"Not even if more was your nephew or niece?"

Mary and Edwina both froze for a long moment before Edwina's mouth fell open and Mary gasped, "Katie."

"They're due in February." Kate couldn't keep the smile off her face as her mother rushed forward, wrapping her arms tightly around her, holding her close, Edwina piling on.

"I'm- I'm the Dad." Anthony said quietly, his chest swelling with pride. "It's- I'm the Dad."

Mary shot him an incredulous look for a moment before she saw how proud he was, how his hand had darted out to press against the spot where their child was growing before she smiled gently. "I thought as much. You get in here too Papa."

And he just couldn't help it it seemed.

"Mum, Kate and I are having a baby." He announced when Violet next visited, practically vibrating with excitement.

The people in town, "We're having a baby!" he practically crowed as he passed.

Even the doctor who'd said "And Dad do you have any illnesses in your family we should-?"

"I'm Dad! That's me!"

And it made Kate's heart stutter in her chest every time.

"You're really excited aren't you?" Kate asked one day as they sat together, the fire crackling in front of them, curled up under the blanket embroidered with his name. "To be a Dad?"

Anthony took a shuddering breath, his fingers drumming in the swell of her stomach for a moment before he nodded against her. "I always-I always wanted to be a Dad. My Dad was so kind, and full of love, and he taught me... he taught me everything, and I wanted to be just like him. A Dad who loved his wife, and his kids. But I never thought that I'd find someone who'd love me like that."

It would be the most beautiful thing Kate had ever seen, she was sure of it. Anthony as a father to their child. Proud, and strong and nurturing. A true protector. Tears stung at Kate's eyes, as she tilted his chin up so his met hers. Pressing her words against his skin. "Anthony I love you enough to give you 15 little cubs if that's what you want."

He took another deep breath, shaking his head, "Can we have this one and see how we go?"

And the minute their son's cried pierced the night for the very first time, Kate knew she'd been right.

"Dad, do you want to cut the cord?" The doctor asked, "Then you and Mum can hold him."

Anthony swiped at his tears roughly with the hand not clenching hers, his lips pressed against her forehead as he stumbled forwards, his voice shaking with emotion. "That's me. I'm Dad. I'm his Dad."

"You're his Dad."

And of course, when she found Anthony in the living room a few weeks later, Edmund tucked neatly into his arms, dressed i his little bear onesie, and Anthony cleared his throat and said, "Neddy Bear has a question for you."

Before he thrust a tiny wooden bear cub at her, the tiny writing reading Will you marry, Papa?

Kate couldn't help but tease him. Even though the answer had sprung to her lips immediately along with the tears.

"You'll have to remind me who your papa is first Edmund. He hasn't told me all day."

#take me home country roads #kathony #anthony x kate #kate sharma #kate sheffield #anthony bridgerton #molly’s asks and answers