#my writer friends if you're reading this I know you'd make me insane if any of you had written this instead I just know it

[oasatelematics]

the secret actually good "they both die at the end" that lives in my head

#little more than halfway through now #and the writing style is still cringe #like I'm sorry but you can't convince me this is what the internal monologue of a teenager sounds like #the references to pop culture/social media and use of slang feel so forced #and with every page silvera seems to just dump beloved memories of the main characters on us as if to say #look! look how Human they are! they loved their family! feel Connected to them! be Sad that they'll die! #like I love the concept and the idea but the execution is just so mid and lukewarm that it's a miracle I even feel attached #to the characters at all #feel like my writer friends could write this book much better don't @ me im right #my writer friends if you're reading this I know you'd make me insane if any of you had written this instead I just know it #anyway. it's like a generous 6/10 so far. very generous #vegan.txt #this is goodreads for me btw this is where my book reviews will go if I ever write any more #straight into the tumblr post tags

[feelbokkie]

pt 2 your writing????? i like it??? like lets be real this is a batshit insane plot but also you're doing an insanely good job keeping it? believeable? i'm down to clown i'm with it sometimes i read these aus and i'm like okay. we need to take a step back. this is a bit fantasy land right here. but like you've got me HOOKED i gotta know where we're going next, i can see the logical reasoning and the like, the emotions that are getting in the way of sound logical reasoning. and also most importantly it's highly entertaining like we're in the s tier of drama here, you can't really pile any more on top of what we're already unpacking 😂😂😂

If you saw all my old fics that I just orphaned rather than delete for some reason, you'd be like "how did we get here??"

S tier drama is correct. Even the book that inspired DLMLU is way more tame than this, at least I think it is I never finished it. Don't underestimate my ability to make things way worse because I can and will. Like in that book, the cousin stole mc's crush/ childhood friend from mc and then ended up cheating on him and marrying the guy she cheated with and invited her cousin whose she's fat shamed her entire life and said something like "you don't need a plus one because you're single" and she's like "actually, I'm dating your ex and we would love to be at your wedding" And I took that that simple fake dating plot and made it 100 times messier and we still have so much more to unpack!

Not only is DLMLU realistic, the bat shit nature is what's keeping everyone hooked and the fact that they want Bai and Chan to rot in hell while Felix and Y/n dance happily ever after over their graves. And while that's a believe and probable ending that everyone is expecting, it's just as easy for me to make Y/n end up with Chan because we can see how whipped Y/n is for Chan and some people do unfortunately end up with their toxic exes. And the exciting part it, none of you know which one I'm going to pick and you all have this need to see how it's going to end.

Disclaimer for anyone who is going to read below the cut, I'm not shitting on any fic writer at all. I'm just talking from experience as a seasoned fic writer.

But my main thing when writing, and reading, is that I love believability. Realistic fiction is my shit. Like, even when I'm writing fantasy, I need everything to be as realistic as possible. It's why I take so long to write, because I have to sit back and look at the situation and think "I'm not sure this works in this context" or "this doesn't make sense anymore." DLMLU already has a batshit plotline like you said, but readers still needs to be read this and be like, "oh yeah, that could happen." I spend a lot of time thinking about how to make everything connect like a beautiful puzzle.

Yesterday's chapter especially took a lot of planning because I had to do some mental math and realized that I fucked up the timeline a bit before I managed to fix everything. But that meant I had to get rid of some of my fantasyland details like Bai's engagement ring being Y/n's and the fact that Chan and Bai only had a one night stand.

I get the part of writing where you have so many ideas that you need to put them all down in one story, but yeah sometimes it does come out of left field. One thing I've learned in my 10+ years as a writer is that you need to be flexible. I understand being married to an idea but stories change and you have to learn to let go of a plot line or a small detail and go with the flow. Save those ideas for another story even. I'm a firm believer of believability over creativity.

#feelbokkie answers #dlmlu smau spoilers #dlmlu press tour

[novaliae]

sappy appreciation post for @bunfloras 'cause it's his birthday and they are very cool <3

hi bun beloved! happy birthday you are so cool

sappy time now <3 under the cut 'cause i have a feeling this could get long

cool. so! as you know i found you through iwhia in some of the first chapters (mid april 2021? i think? wild to think that's almost two years ago now). my friends had got me into dsmp a bit before and i was reading emduo. that school year was a Time—we were hybrid for most of the year and it meant that i didn't have lunch with any of my friends. so during those periods i ended up at a shitty little desk in my school cafeteria, angling my phone this way and that to try to pick up an extra bar of cell data, and browsing ao3.

i was obsessed with iwhia from the beginning. i gushed about it to a friend. i still smile when i see your name in my ao3 subscription box because it reminds me of the little thrill i would get checking my email to see you'd updated during lunch one day. i would read a chapter and the bell would ring and i'd have to traipse up three flights of stairs with my heavy backpack and i wouldn't even notice because i was so consumed with brainrot over the story you'd created. i've read iwhia more times than i can count, and it will always be very special to me. i remember screaming in my friend's dms when i found out it was ending, followed by more screaming when i realized you were starting bones. i didn't know you at all, but i already looked up to you. i hadn't written anything in years when i clicked on the first chapter of iwhia. i started working on fics again, and it was partially because of how inspired i was by your works.

and then i joined burrow in something like august of that year!! i was so nervous—proximity to cool writing person!! intimidating!! but you were so friendly and welcoming and i started to come out of my shell and it was amazing! i went from losing my shit the first time you Perceived my existence to rambling in the bones channel to you after every chapter, making memes about the iwhia bot and infodumping about boats. i was super insecure and anxious at that point in my life and you treated me very kindly and i appreciate it to this day.

i am very grateful for you, and for the community you built around burrow, and for the incredible people i've been able to meet through you. it has been so fucking nice as a young queer aspec person to be surrounded by other aspec people, to see qprs normalized, and to just get to nerd out over the block guys with people who are just as insane about them as i am. the LL era has so many of my fondest memories; i'm close with so many wonderful friends because we worked together on the iwhia project. and you have been so fucking patient and supportive through it all too—dealing with my random bullshit in your dms, the constant angsting of warrior ocs, and encouraging me when things go well :D

you are genuinely such a bright light, bun. you've brought joy to so many people's lives through your incredible writing and the community brought together by it. you've inspired writers to create beautiful things because they want to mold themselves in your image. you're always looking out for your friends. the ideas you come up with are so fucking creative and brilliant it makes me bounce up and down with glee. you have such a gift for words that i don't know how to express the power of. you people have been so awful to you and you've remained resilient despite it all. you got back up. you kept writing. you're still here. i consider myself ridiculously lucky to know you—the nova of two years ago would never believe that you even know i exist—and you deserve all the good things in life and more.

i hope you have a wonderful birthday bun <3 we're all here for you and we always will be.

#we love you bun #okay to reblog

[unboundwanderers]

♚♚♚♚♚ [ i get a chance to compliment you on main ? LET'S GO. i don't think i say it enough despite how much we've screamed at each other over plots and writing, but i admire you greatly. i know literally nothing about the series and you have pulled ( read : dragged ) me into it blind, making me fall head first with your characters, your writing, your lore. i've never met anyone who's so creative and talented at lore and world building as you are ! i know i scream at you A LOT whenever we talk and whenever you hurt me with our ships ( which is A LOT ) but i have so so much fun fleshing out all our pairings, all our ships, all the ideas and plots, the adventures and the small moments. you make writing with you really easy bc you pour your heart and soul into your characters and plots, it's so easy to get lost and absorbed in them bc you make them feel real. you give them life and you make all my muses a part of your muses' world and that's what make me love all of them all the more.

thank you for blessing me with your characters and writing, and your amazing self ! we've literally written books by this point but i'm looking forward to see more of our characters and ships ! could never get enough of them ! stay amazing fam ! love you lots ! ]

Pictured above: Binary pitching a ship to Hina that will go on to infect her brain.

Can I please talk about Hina- I'm going to talk about Hina, now. Sorry, Dash. PLEASE DO NOT SAY YOU ADMIRE ME GREATLY, HINA- BECAUSE I WOULD LITERALLY DIE FOR YOU. Hina is such a good writer, you guys, and I don't think Hina gives herself NEARLY as much Credit as she deserves for simply EXISTING. Hina's WARMTH and Energy are literally something that me and @kemikorosu THRIVE on. We're addicted to Hina, so much so that we literally kick our legs when Hina types in our group chat. We are simply obsessed with her--- BUT WHY IS THAT?? Well, LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT MY FRIEND, HINA!!!!

Hina has CHANGED my FUNDAMENTAL understanding of how Mun perceives their muse. Hina quite literally changed how I see the creative writing process when it comes to forming ships, plotlines, and interactions. She has such a unique take on all of her characters that often it leaves me (and my characters) BREATHLESS. I think Hina attaches herself to a character and gets into their brain, and the way Hina can GUSH about the way a character thinks, how they act, how they FEEL. You'd swear it's because her characters COME ALIVE and TAKE CONTROL of her. She is in tune with her portrayal. I don't think ANY of MY DOCTOR's would be NEARLY as accessible to roleplay with if not for Hina's influence on them.

Hina and I started DMing after I went through her wishlist prompts and harassed her for like two days until we got a thread going. We moved over to discord, made our server- and all of our ships just existed in that isolated space (to the point where we just STRAIGHT UP have a whole fic series we're getting ready to upload--) THE POINT IS IS THAT HINA CAME IN AND STOLE THE BRAINCELL and it was INSANE. I think Hina and I have crafted some of the most engaging takes on the Tropes portrayed in Doctor Who. So much so that sometimes I get sad that Yelan and Goth aren't canon parts of Doctor Who because their TV run would be SIMPLY AMAZING. Never have I met a muse who paired so perfectly then Yelan and Goth.

PLEASE DON'T THANK ME FOR BLESSING YOU HINA, THANK YOU FOR BLESSING ME BECAUSE YOU'RE ONE OF THE MOST TALENTED WRITERS I'VE EVER MADE AND IT HAS BEEN A PRIVILEGE TO WRITE WITH YOU.

Hina literally stormed into my house, knocked me over the head and became one of my Best Friends in the span of a MONTH. We've been writing for four months. I've adored EVERY second.

#long post cw #faulty circuits (out of character / ooc~) #“i would make the same choice every time.” (yelan / goth | lunaetis) #“i'm not an archon i'm a timelord.” (dehya / scarf | lunaetis) #lunaetis

[seasidepierre]

hello! do you have any advice for new writers who are trying to get started in the f1 tumblr fandom ???

Hey Bub!

I'm not sure I'm the one you should seek advice from but here's what I can tell you, if that can help you just a little bit:

Create connections. If you want people to read your stuff, don't hesitate to go read theirs. Leave comments, slide in the DMs, make friends. It'll make your experience infinitely richer and you'll find some amazing people.

Don't hesitate to ask for feedbacks. You'd be surprised by how much feedback I ask for before I post. I rarely post without having sent the fic to a friend (or a couple) first, to see if I missed something, if there's a typo, if it's correct, etc etc

Tag your fics properly. Make sure that your visibility is on too! (in your blog's settings, all the way down, check that you haven't enabled "hide my blog from Google searches" as it hides it from Tumblr searches too). Don't put thousands of tags, it's pointless, but make sure to have the major ones related to the driver you're writing about. You can check my fics for inspo if you want :)

Have fun!! Don't use your Tumblr blog like you'd use Wattpad. If you only post your fics, people won't be able to connect. I regularly post silly things, just because it makes me laugh or because I think people could relate to it. I'm no God, I'm not unattainable, I want to appear as friendly as I can because I love people sliding in my ask box!

Be prepared for the nightmarish ratio you're gonna get. Writing on Tumblr is super nice and you get tons of visibility but it's also super lonely, in a way. If you take my most popular fic right now, it has close to 1.3k notes (which is insane, it still blows my mind, I feel like a complete fraud), but on those, I got only 6 comments and 15 reblogs that somewhat got me a feedback. The rest is likes and reblogs with absolutely nothing except the tags I put on myself. And it's unmotivating to the max. So make sure you do it for fun and not for the reviews, because you most likely won't have them.

Don't hesitate to ask for help! There's a lovely community here, you'll find tons of writers who can help you out.

Don't stop at rude anons. I know coming from me, it's a joke, because I spent three days in the gutter after a negative comment, but I don't want that for you.

Writing is an art. You won't be amazing at it on the first try. My first ever fics (about like 13 years ago- holy shit I am so fucking old) were absolutely fucking horrifying. I like to think that I have MASSIVELY improved lmao. Don't worry too much, it takes practice. Check prompts blogs if you feel stuck.

Remember that you don't gain anything from that. You won't get paid for it. You won't get gifts. You won't get anything but comments in return. Therefore, your writing should never be your top priority. Take your time. Life happens. If people are impatient, that's a they problem, not a you problem, okay?

Have fun, Baby Writer!

#ask #writing tips

[giventakes]

[ UNSENT ]: a letter written for the recipient, but which the writer ultimately never sends for reasons that the writer conceals, or may reveal within the letter itself. (for logan <3)

letter prompts

dear arlo,

let's see if i have the balls to finish this whole thing in one sitting, or throw it out before i even get to the hard part. i'd put my money on the first one, and i have a good feeling you would, too.

anyway, i know this looks fucking ridiculous — i can't remember the last time i wrote a letter besides to send a christmas card to my grandpa — but... i don't think this is the kind of thing i should say out loud, you know? i don't think i'd know how to, even if i wanted to (which i don't). so i've turned into an analog fuck to spare both of us from this conversation. you're welcome.

i actually don't really know where to begin? and it feels a little fucked to just jump right into what i want to say, but at the same time i don't know if i will say it if i don't, so ——

if i'm being honest, arlo, i don't...think we should live together anymore. i haven't been adjusting well to being around you, especially when you're so dead-set on moving on right fucking in front of me. i still have big time fucking feelings for you, and it's driving me insane trying to shove them down in the name of being cordial, or to avoid making you feel weird especially when you haven't done the same for me.

i've lost count of how many times i've locked myself in my room to make things okay for you and your dates, or have had to listen to the conversations that you're having with these people like we didn't used to have them once, too. and i don't mean to attack you for moving on, because you obviously have the right to do that. i just hope you can understand why it's making me uncomfortable. i thought we were closer than putting it in my face like that, arlo — dating, or not. especially after you broke up with me.

i also can't deny that you're starting to drive me a little fucking crazy with how you talk to me. i don't...know if you're trying to keep me on a fucking hook, or whatever, but i wish you'd stop hitting on me. and implying i love you, or whatever, when we both know i do. it's...fucking killing me that you keep bringing it up, like it's my choice that i can't say it. and i know you're only teasing, but i can't keep acting like it doesn't bother me. ...no, bother isn't the right word.

i can't keep acting like you're not getting my hopes up, only to stomp on them every time you go out with someone else.

it was a mistake to sleep in your room that night. but only because i haven't been able to stop thinking about it. about you. you're too hard to forget, arlo. especially when i don't want to forget about you.

with all of this, i think it's best that i start considering moving in with one of my brothers. i can help you find a new roommate, or whatever, because i don't want to leave you stranded here with rent and everything. but if you're moving on, i think it's only fair that i start getting the chance, too, you know? it'll probably make all of this easier on you, too, maybe. knowing that i'm not lurking like a damn gremlin in some random corner of the apartment. or at least i hope it'll make it easier on you.

i'm really sorry, for everything. and i'm sorry for not being better for you. i hope we can be friends in the future, maybe. or maybe not — i don't think i'll ever shake these feelings, so. maybe it's for the best i go regardless.

anyway, thank you for letting my stay here past my due. i appreciate it and your patience with me. i hope you find someone that treats you how you deserve.

love, logan

ps. if you mention any of this, i'm going to deny writing it, so. don't try :)

pps. please don't burn my room down after reading this. pls. (pls)

#hypesboy #whistlign.....nothing 2 see here.....SDKFJHSDFKJHDKFJ #SIGHS LOUDLY............ #prob never handed it over bc 1 he doesnt want to move out 2 he wants to live w arlo n 3 hes. selfish KJSDKJSFKSDJHKSJDFH #SOME ARLO IS BETTER THAN NO ARLO EVEN IF IT HURTS </3 #* logan & arlo: all the bad dreams you hide— #li: answered. #answered.

[searaeberry]

After the Revival

Decade long lurker, first-time posting anything ever. Guys I'm losing my mind about this.

Many months ago now someone had posted about there not being any "Modern girl in Faerun" fanfics available. I dusted off my writer's gloves and spat out something that I find to be half decent. I don't have anything that I consider finished, and I don't know if I ever will. However I have put together what I consider to be a complete chapter in what amounts to a retelling of the events in game, and how they could be different if someone were dragged from our world into BG3.

I have fragments of other scenes written out, and if people like what I have maybe I'll post more in the future. For now, please enjoy my self-indulgent filthy fanfic.

After the Revival -

After being overwhelmed by a pack of gnolls, our hero wakes from death and faces the reality of how far from home they really are.

When I next opened my eyes I found Shadowheart sitting beside me, reading one of the many books I looted along our travels. I slowly sat upright in my bedroll.

"Welcome back." She said gently, setting the book aside. "How're you feeling."

I thought a moment, checking in with my body before nodding. "Like I died."

"Makes sense. You seem to be full of all sorts of surprises."

"Surprises are a lot of work... I suppose you'd like to ask me a bunch of questions?"

"You've been respectful of my history. Everyone agrees. We won't push you. Whatever you wish to tell us is up to you."

"Thank you." I sat quietly for a moment. "Honestly, I wasn't really sure if I was in another world, or just crazy. Where I come from, you don't just show up in a different plane of existence. You used to be locked up in a padded room for even suggesting such things."

"Makes sense why you wouldn't bring it up right away then."

I nodded. "I've just been trying to piece enough things together to pass as normal. I've been lucky, by surviving an Illithid kidnapping I've been given leniency." I gave a weak smile.

"A great many things would be forgiven given the circumstances." She returned my smile. "For what it's worth, you feel like the most normal person in this camp."

I laughed at that. "Thanks. I don't know what the social etiquette is, but I hope we can still be friends, despite my... otherworldliness."

"I would like that. Where you come from doesn't change the things you've done since your arrival. You still rescued me from that pod, you still brought all of us together, and you've still been helping everyone on your way. For better or for worse."

"It does seem to drive Astarion insane whenever I agree to help someone."

"I admit, even I would have passed up the tieflings in the grove. But watching you garner their goodwill, and see the smiles on the children's faces... It feels right."

"I'm glad someone said that out loud. I was worried that you hated everything I did for some reason.."

"We just questioned the choices you were making." She smiled, realizing how that sounds out loud. "What I mean to say is, you did a lot of unusual things. If you're not from this world, then a lot of things suddenly make sense."

"Like making friends with a Gith?" I teased.

"Like making friends with a Gith... I still don't like it. But she's proven useful."

"If it makes you feel better, I think she's said the exact same thing about you."

She shook her head. "I would rather not think about it today" She stood and dusted herself off. "Wyll and Gale both made food for the camp tonight. I thought they were going to fight over it, but they worked it out. I'll bring you some broth. Unless you'd like to join everyone by the fire?"

"That sounds lovely, but I really would like to just stay here for a while. Last time I saw everyone I tried to kill the guy that can bring people back from the dead."

"Broth it is. Coming right up." She smiled warmly and left my tent.

I felt incredibly grateful for her and pulled my blankets close. I felt exposed and vulnerable. Emotional too, and I really didn't want to deal with that right now. I felt weak and I felt hopeless. I pulled the blankets in even tighter. I was starting to spiral and I didn't know how to stop myself. My breathing started to hasten. I tried to slow it down, but it just made my chest hurt. Just as I was about to panic, I heard a small whine just outside my tent.

"Scratch?" I turned and caught his warm brown eyes. He gazed back at me with earnest. "I'm sorry boy, my potion has worn off. I can't understand you right now."

He still seemed to understand me however. Striding over, he gave my arm a heavy nudge and snorted. I smiled and started to pet him. Tears fell from my cheeks and eventually I pulled him into my lap and held him close. Running my fingers through his thick fur helped pull me back to reality. "You're a good boy, Scratch." He licked the tears off my face and I pulled away with a laugh.

"Gods, you just let him into your tent?"

My head snapped up to see Shadowheart's disgusted look. "Scratch needed a hug." I gave him a little squeeze and smiled at Shadowheart, aware of how pitiful my lie was.

"Well, I brought you a bowl. There's more than just broth if you're properly hungry. I'll just leave it here if you don't mind."

"Thank you, Shadowheart." I smiled at her, and even Scratch gave a little woof of approval.

She paused, but the corners of her mouth turned up just the slightest bit. "I'll leave you to it."

I ate with Scratch stretched out across my lap. I was overwhelmed and my chest was tight. But so long as I could still fight, I would. Even if that meant being revived by a forgotten god in order to fight some more. I would see this through if for no other reason than because no one else deserved this fate.

I reached for the bowl and gave it a careful sip. It was delicious. I would have to give my thanks to the boys. I rubbed Scratch’s side while I sipped at the broth, feeling the warmth soothe my chest. I could hear the camp speak in hushed tones between bursts of what seemed like them pretending nothing was wrong. Once I finished the broth, I just sat quietly for a moment.

So I would see this through… That’s all well and good, but now I’ve made the choice, I had no idea how to proceed. I gave Scratch a pat and he moved off my lap. Carefully I peeked out of my tent, unsure if I was ready to face anyone yet. The moment I saw someone come into view I flinched. I pulled away feeling a pang of guilt, and looked around my tent. It was cozy enough, but I felt trapped. I rummaged through my pack and found a couple vials of ‘speak with animals’ I brewed myself. I wanted to see how my own skills were compared to the premade stuff I found. I threw a vial of it back and swallowed the grassy liquid. I winked at Scratch as I slipped on a pair of shoes and shimmied my way out from under the rear of my tent.

I wasn’t trying to sneak per se, but I wanted more time by myself. Time that seemed to be increasingly difficult to come by in recent days. So with the greatest amount of stealth my tired body could muster, I meandered down by the river. Many seasonal flowers were in bloom and with the blazing sun overhead, I thought for a moment I was in a painting. I smiled and started to carefully pick a variety of long-stemmed flowers. While I wasn’t in a real painting, I could admit the beauty of the world around me. I pressed a flower to my lips, the velvet petals tickling my skin as I inhaled its scent. It was unlike any flower I knew back at home, but its familiarity was welcome. I brushed my fingers over a fern-like leaf that belonged to a flower that reminded me of Queen Anne’s lace. To my surprise, my hand came back smelling like carrot, like it would from the flower back home. Maybe there was more home around me than I originally thought?

Resuming my flower picking, I let the nature around me fill my heart with something important to me: hope. I’ve heard people call hope many things. Dangerous, was the first that came to mind. I longed to ask them, ‘dangerous to whom?’ I slowly made my way closer to the water, sorting through the tangle of feelings in my head and heart. Things were both easier and more difficult now that I’ve died. I hadn’t expected to make it very far in this adventure, so revival means I’ll face greater challenges ahead. But it'll be easier because I already experienced the worst-case scenario. There is no worse consequence than death. That’s it. I’ve done the bad ending. Now to find the good one.

I sat on a rock facing the setting sun, eyes unfocused, ears tuned in to the babbling water and gentle rustling of leaves. I was still tired from my resurrection. I breathed the warm air deeply and wove the wild-flowers together into a small flower crown. It was cathartic to meditate on things while keeping the hands busy. An art that had taken years to learn for myself.

I was pulled from my thoughts when I heard footsteps behind me. I paused my weaving and smiled at the figure that approached me.

"I thought I might find you here." Gale said with some amount of relief in his voice. "Might I join you for a moment?"

I cleared the flowers from the spot beside me and gave it a gentle pat. "By all means."

"Ah. Thank you." He took the space beside me and sat quietly for a moment. He looked like he was still gathering his thoughts, so I gave him a moment. "How are you doing?"

"I am... exhausted." I gave a weak chuckle. "But in time, I'll be better. Just, maybe not today. I need to process a lot of things."

"I can only imagine. Dying is difficult for anyone. Let alone coming back from death when you aren't anticipating it." He inhaled slowly, and looked more hesitant than I had ever previously seen him. "I had been doing some thinking of my own. About my condition-"

"Oh!" I reached into my pocket and held out a necklace I had found before the gnoll attack. "I meant to give this to you earlier for that."

He gripped the hem of his robe and exhaled. "You quite literally died. Experienced your first resurrection. You would be forgiven for forgetting such things. Honestly, the fact that you died and you are still thinking about… not yourself." He eyed the necklace, reluctant to take it.

I placed it on his lap after he didn't grab it. "You need it. It's that simple."

"What I was trying to say... I think I'm a greater liability than I am an asset. You experienced, a frankly gruesome and horrible death, and I can't help but feel responsible for that. If I hadn't faltered in that moment, if you hadn't needed to step in-"

"Gale… first off, look at me."

It took a moment, but he relented. Guilt and strife clear in his brown eyes.

"Speaking as the person who died the very fiery and horrible death, I don't have any regrets. As for you being a liability, that moment could possibly be the worst example you could provide. It was your spell that pushed enough of them away to let everyone get to safety. If it weren't for you, more of us would have fallen. Easily."

He looked away again, unable to hold my gaze anymore. "It is very kind of you to say that." He took the necklace from his lap and held it firmly in his fist.

"I don't say it to be kind. It's the truth. If you're thinking that you need to repent or something, or you think we'd be better off without you- well you'd better just stop. Everyone in this camp would be poorer with your absence. So, suck it up buttercup."

"Buttercup?" He looked incredulous.

I laughed. He smiled. "I don't have a locally equivalent phrase, I'm sorry."

"Well, thank you." He softened his grip on the necklace. "You truly aren't from here then?"

"No. As it happens, I am not." It was my turn to look away. I watched the water flow past rocks and reeds.

"Tell me about it. Where you're from, I mean."

"For starters, death is significantly more permanant than around here."

"I gathered that much from your rather recent reaction."

I looked away sheepishly. "Not my proudest moment. I already had a complicated relationship with death before ressurections were on the table..." I wasn't sure if I was ready to expand on the more personal details of my life just yet. "I could probably tell you about the part that would shock you the most." I offered.

"Try me." He looked so confident. Smug? Probably.

"Well for starters, there is no magic where I'm from."

I watched him pause for a second while he processed what I had just said. "At all?"

"None. Not even a little. Withers and all his grand destiny confirmed it."

"That can't be right. You're sure?"

I pursed my lips and nodded my head solemnly.

"Well, that explains… some things. No offense, mind you but- no magic at all? How does your society function? How do your gods do anything?"

I did this to myself. "You think that's wild? I'm not even certain my world has gods. And if we do, nothing like what you know."

His eyebrows furrowed deeply as he mulled over the information he was given. "I think this will have to be a conversation had over a course of several days. No magic? No gods? Yet you somehow seem perfectly normal-"

"Hey! Don't be rude." I laughed despite myself.

"Apologies." He gave me a sheepish grin.

"You can make it up to me by sticking around, yeah?"

"It's a deal." He looked down at the necklace I gave him, properly looking at it for the first time. "You hid your lack of magical knowledge well. A necklace of keen sight. Might be of more use to an archer than me?"

"It isn't better than what everyone's already using. Go on." I nudged his shoulder gently with mine.

"I really don't think I can thank you enough. You have the patience of a saint as far as I can tell; putting up with my condition, being thrown into an entirely new world, as well as being infected by mind flayers like the rest of us.” He chuckled, really seeing what I had been doing for the first time. "Just back from the dead and here you are, making flower crowns, ostensibly having a regular evening by the water."

"Careful, you inflate my ego anymore, my head will float away."

"Ah, well we can't have that now can we?" He paused for a moment. "You know, if you ever have need of a teacher, I am quite versed in all things arcane. I was never fond of the idea of teaching entry-level magics in the past, but I’ve never had such an unpredictable student before. Though I would probably have to rethink what defines 'entry-level' in your case. How much so called 'common knowledge' would be lost on you that we take for granted here?"

"It sounds like you've already made up your mind." I smiled to myself. Glad that he seems more focused on solving the problems right in front of himself than he is on leaving the camp out of guilt. I caught myself admiring him just a little bit before shaking my head. "Take your necklace already. I don't think Withers would appreciate it if you endangered yourself after just reviving me."

"Of course." He closed his fist around the necklace and a radiant light beamed from between his fingers. He winced and grasped his chest with his other hand. There was a flare of purple as the magic within him devoured the softer light of the necklace. The strain on his face didn’t lessen like it had the first time I watched him absorb a magical item. Even when the necklace crumbled to nothing his expression did not relax. "Something's not right," he muttered almost to himself before looking up at me. "Usually absorbing the weave of an enchanted item acts like a torrential downpour over a forest fire, soothing the discomfort. This is more like a gentle rain." He winced again. "This does not soothe."

I reached a hand to try and comfort him, but stopped short, unsure of how I could even help. "Was the necklace not potent enough?"

"I'm not sure, but I might need another item sooner rather than later."

I nodded my head. "Just let me know. I might have another one ready for the chopping block."

He chuckled despite himself, discomfort still clear on his face, that glimmer of guilt back in his eyes. With hesitance I reached my hand back out to him, and tentatively rested it on his shoulder. He closed his eyes to breathe and slowly, with each breath, his expression relaxed and softened. After a little while, he opened his eyes again.

"Better?" I asked, gently removing my hand from his shoulder.

"For now." He gave a curt nod.

I smiled wryly at him. "At least the vampire just needs a bit of blood every now and then, huh?"

He just shook his head and looked back at me. He looked like he was going to say something.

"Gale, I swear, if you thank me again I will vomit."

"I said nothing."

"You were thinking. Very loudly. It was deafening."

He held his hands up in a mock surrender. "Guilty as charged. Shall we at least return to camp before we lose what little daylight is left?"

I opened my mouth to tease him again, but paused in thought. He waited so patiently for me. “Actually. If you don’t mind, I’d like to sit out here for just a moment longer.”

“Whatever you need. Shall I leave you to your solitude or..?”

I felt his unspoken question and I found myself relieved by it. A feeling that admittedly caught me off guard. “I think I’d quite like a little company honestly. If you aren’t busy?”

“Ah, well, I’ve got a parasite nibbling away at my brain, a bottomless magic pit in my chest… But I might be able to squeeze you into my busy schedule.” Our back and forth made me laugh. It made me feel normal.

“Speaking of busy schedules,” he began to add. “I saw a glimpse of your work, connecting Jergal and Withers. Not even in this world a tenday and you have more notes than we have coin. It’s impressive to say the least.”

“Thanks. It started as homework to blend in, not give myself away as not being local. But then something I read kept nagging at my thoughts. I can’t even remember what it was anymore, yet I kept trying to put something together. I don’t think I really learned anything more than when I first woke up here, but I haven’t been able to shake the feeling that there's a bigger picture we're missing.”

“You think this Absolute cult is related.”

It wasn’t a question. “I can’t prove anything. But I learned a long time ago that if something seems convenient there’s usually a reason. In a world where gods are real? You’d have an easier time convincing me that I really did die and this entire world is in my head.”

“Admittedly, seeing everything we’ve come across written down, I find it difficult to argue coincidence. The only thing I would ask is, what is the correlation between the Absolute and Jergal?”

“That’s a puzzle piece I’m firmly missing.” I shook my head in temporary defeat. “Withers has motivation to keep me alive and fighting. The only people we’re actively fighting right now is a goblin hoard who have forsaken their god for the Absolute. That’s as far as I could get before this mess with the gnolls and the druids.”

“I had been so preoccupied with our infection, my affliction… Somehow I’ve missed everything you’ve been putting together all this time.”

“There was no reason to believe they were related. Besides, no conspiracy I might come up with is worth anything if we die from our immediate problems.”

“Let me help you put the rest of these pieces together. Please. You’ve shown yourself to be more than competent, but I would appreciate the honor of lending my own expertise.”

I gave the wizard a gentle smile. “Alright. I look forward to your help. It’ll be nice not having to keep track of everything in my head going forward.”

“Excellent. When would you like to start?”

“Perhaps we should head back to camp first? I feel ready now.”

“That’s probably for the best. You gave Shadowheart a fright when she couldn’t find you in your tent.”

“How did you know where to look for me then?”

“You always face water when you're lost in thought.”

It was so matter-of-fact that I was caught off-guard. Did I always look at the water while thinking? With a blink, I realized that I was in fact looking at the water now. Thinking. I shook my head to clear it while Gale got to his feet.

I gathered up my flowers and finished crowns. I was so preoccupied that I almost didn't see the hand extended out to me. I blinked and looked up at Gale who was already standing. "Thanks." I carefully accepted his hand and he helped me up.

"The absolute least I could do." 

I could feel the looming and overwhelming feeling of awkwardness growing inside of me. I took a relaxing breath. "I was thinking of stopping by the grove tomorrow. I thought some of the girls might like these. Maybe make them feel normal again. I also have a few tools I think will make Dammon feel like a smith again."

"Yes, he was quite floored to be working with wooden tools. The right woods themselves can be as hard as steel, but I'm not too certain that that is the kind of wood the druids have access to in this area."

"I'm also keen on invading some of Kahga's privacy this time around." I could feel his confused gaze boring a hole into my skull as I continued. "She's acting with a little more purpose than just ‘protecting’ the grove. It smells.” 

"Well, druids are known to want to be particularly close to nature..."

"No, different smell. She smells physically different than the others. Nettie, and the woman we spoke to outside. They smell like leaves and rain. Kahga smells more like... Cut mushrooms and prairie swamps."

"You don't trust her because she smells different than the other druids?"

“It's probably nothing, but I'd rather be wrong than proven right. She was willing to kill a scared little girl. She would have too."

"Fair point. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to at least look into the matter. Even I must admit that she is rather... Intense for a druid."

"I'm thinking Astarion will be the best to snoop around while we talk to the other druids in the cove. Shadowheart will have to stay outside of course... But that admittedly works in our favor. Wyll is absolutely against showing his face around anyone from the grove since Mizora's visit and Lae'zel continues to pick fights with anyone who moves. Just letting her speak to that one tiefling I thought he'd die of fright."

"And you called my thinking deafening."

The warming glow of the campfire welcomed us once we made it back to camp. "It isn't my fault everyone has gone along with the random shit I've suggested. Honestly,  I'm surprised any of you considered the things I would say. Now moreso."

"You have the most unbiased opinions here out of all of us. If anything we might be more inclined to heed your thoughts now than when we thought you were from a different region." Gale mused.

"It explains why she's so damn weird compared to the rest of our eclectic group." Astorion chimed in from behind us. "What's this I heard about me snooping around? You know I'm not just some common thief in the night."

I spun to meet his gaze. I didn't even pretend that I heard his approach. "No, you're just some common night stalker." I sing-songed.

His hand moved to his chest dramatically. "Words wound you know."

I rolled my eyes. "As if you're upset about stealing from the druids."

"Oh, I'm not. I just can't believe you'd call me, of all people, common."

"Mm, he's got a point there." Gale acquiesced. "Calling Astarion common is offensive to all the other perfectly normal vampire spawn."

"Now you're just being rude."

"Happy to help." Gale grinned at the elf.

"Alright, boys. Play nice. Astarion, we already know you're fabulous."

"Thank you. It's just nice to be recognized." He snubbed Gale, who just rolled his eyes in response.

I sighed, already feeling my exhaustion returning. "Look... I'm going to eat something and go to bed. We can talk details in the morning."

"A fine idea. You should be focused on your recovery after your resurrection after all."

I smiled softly at Gale. Was that an eye roll from Astarion? I looked at the two of them warily. "Don't make me get Karlach..."

They both took half a step back. I nodded to myself and started to walk away from them, calling Scratch to give him pets. I couldn't help but overhear their bickering.

"Suck up." Said Astarion.

"Charlatan." Gale retorted.

I just smooshed Scratch's face and rubbed his ears while speaking quietly to him. "I think these guys are going to be why I go crazy. You're the only truly reliable one around here." I cooed while he leaned into my hands with a happy groan. I smiled warmly, wondering if the 'speak with animals' potion I tried brewing myself actually worked. I was too busy brooding to talk to any animals.

I paused my pets for Scratch and he gave a mighty shake. "Of course I'm the most reliable one here. I thought that was obvious."

I laughed. "Yes. Yes you are Scratch. I will never doubt you." I kissed his soft little head. "Let's get something to eat."

With a bark of enthusiasm he led the way to the pot of stew that was waiting. If the broth I had earlier was any indication of what was to come, I was more than excited. Wyll handed me a bowl and gave Scratch an affectionate pat. I sat with both Wyll and Karlach, even Lae'zel joined us. When she thought no one was watching, I watched miss grumpy Gith herself sneak Scratch a piece of beef, whispering to him how he has to be strong to protect the weaklings around them. Shadowheart wandered over, complaining about how Scratch was eating with us like he was some kind of person. Lae'zel was about to retort when Karlach spoke up first about how she'll keep him over by her side. Shadowheart huffed taking a seat beside me, accepting her own bowl. Astarion wandered by, with a goblet of what I assumed was actually blood and not wine, complaining about how noisy we were all being. Gale remarked how it wasn't like we were hiding from anything and that some liveliness was a good thing. I hadn't seen when he joined us around the fire. Wyll started to talk about a time when he was adventuring alone and did have to hide from some horrible monster. I heard a few groans. But I smiled, taking a bite of my stew. That's when I realized something for the first time since waking up on that awful ship. This could be home.

#baldur's gate 3 #bg3 #bg3 companions #bg3 tav #bg3 shadowheart #bg3 gale #fanfic

[seyaryminamoto]

I must be the first person who has read two chapters in the wrong order and only realized it after -_-... Anyways, I already kinda know the answer, but after yesterday's chapters the question popped up in my mind again and I had to drop to your askbox. "Hey, now! If I were going all out on you, you'd be toast, Fire Lord!" "Implying you would ever go all out on me…" So they will fight seriously one day right? And there is also that thing with "going for the kill" but there is also a Sokka who will give his everything to save Azula and go back to her, a Sokka who would give her his life and refused to end a fight with her (Ch96) and thought he would rather let her finish the job and would never dare, bring it on him to ever hurt her like that. Are these scenes implictions? Will he like REALLY go for the kill??

Tbh I have no idea if you're the only one who's mixed up chapters that way xD I know that's a risk with double updates, for sure. Might be another compelling argument to switch to weekly ones instead.

Aaanyway, as for the question you ask, ummm...

My typical phrase is in order: it's complicated xD

You're right, the many implications of how insanely powerful Sokka has become aren't there for no reason, let alone this late in the game. Part 2 is indeed coming to a close, and Sokka is by far at the most powerful we've seen him, atm. The final arc of Part 2 will also showcase his strength further, in two fights that I hope will really drive across how incredibly strong he's become. So... when Azula reflects on how strong he is and how he might actually be able to beat her if there were any reasons for him to fight her, well... it does have some bearing on certain events in the future, yeah.

Like I've been saying all along, Part 3 will bring in a lot of game-changing elements, and part of my work as a writer will be holding up the balance between those elements so that the complex storytelling I'm trying to achieve doesn't fall short of the mark. Sokka does have his heart set on fighting for Azula, to the very end... but this is what we'll know through his POV, exclusively. What of Azula? Does she want him to fight for her in this way? Will she want the same things he wants, at this point?

Each character will have their own motivations and driving forces by the time things in Part 3 reach the heights of their complications. I think Azula's position will be the more difficult one to embrace for most readers, rather than Sokka's. She is going to be caught between a rock and a hard place, figuratively, and she has to make a lot of difficult, perhaps even questionable choices, going forward. I've already written a fair share of Part 3 as I am... and while things with Azula did get a lot better over time (like... 7 arcs in xD), she still will hit a kind of rock-bottom that she never has faced before in all of Gladiator... I dare even say a kind of rock-bottom she never faced in canon. It's heartbreaking that she was betrayed by her friends and family, that all her dreams fell apart, in the show... but what if she finds herself being the one who's forced to betray THEM, in order to "keep them safe", to a fault? What if she's the one who has no choice but to relinquish her dreams in the hopes that someone else, someday, will be able to fulfill them in her stead? What if her only available choice is to commit sacrifice upon sacrifice in the hopes that maybe, eventually, things will be better for everyone other than herself?

It's really complicated, as you may be able to tell already. Things are going to be really hard for Azula, and this huge, world-ending confrontation will only happen as the consequences of her many, many hard choices. Sokka has his own share of struggles to deal with, of course, and has to make a few decisions he knows may not be the finest... but compared to Azula, his path is probably much more straightforward, if plagued with a fair share of complications anyway. So it's not that Sokka will WANT to fight Azula... it's that, perhaps, he may not be given any choice on the matter by, uh...

... by Azula herself? :')

... Yep, I think I've said enough @_@

#kigozula #gladiator #I don't know if I have said too much #but welp #you said plenty by asking that so directly in that ask xD #anyway #'it's complicated' is my catchphrase for my future plans apparently #maybe by the time we reach Part 3 I should change my blog name to that #:'D #it's really tricky stuff #and probably the most complicated character work I've ever done #EEEEVER #so #well... #it's complicated :'D

[fanatiquee]

(Hello???? I tell you this all the time but you know my boys are absolutely stricken with Louis;; you write him with such sensitivity, which for a person like him, so full of feeling and emotion and soul, is so vital to draw out these innate traits in him. How vivid he feels, how true to the book down to the dialogue, and his sometimes strange understandings coexisting alongside such a bright and clarified intellect. His playfulness, his sensuality, his learning and his impatience and his pride and his broken self esteem coexist in him so elegantly and so touchingly. It’s not hard to see why Lestat saw him once 200 years ago and couldn’t let him go. You capture that power in him, a power of which he is so often unaware, or fails to believe in, and you know him so utterly and so lovingly, and manage to make such a complicated and often contradictory character so cohesive and real. Your Louis is so consistent but also so vivid and imaginative and surprising, and it’s such a pleasure to get to write against him and learn more from him and of him. And to be self indulgent, I had always thought Louis and Daniel would have had such an interesting history and interplay, but I could never have imagined the immediacy of their chemistry, and the powerful ways that they move each other, absolutely unique to one another and unparalleled in any other experience, across all our verses. I’ve said it to you before, but it takes a character like Louis to reach Daniel like this; and it’s a testament to his indefatigable love and forgiveness, his infinite capacity to endure (until it isn’t) - and yet, he goes on, and through, suffering and hurts and the sheer ache of existence with a resilience that is unparalleled. Loving Louis makes Daniel a better man, because loving Louis the way he should be means that Daniel must 🥺! But again, finally, that’s only for our own verses, and Louis is a joy and a treasure to read in literally every scenario and interaction. It makes my day to follow his relationships with others, and his quips and observations and his anger and his sorrow and the sensitivity in him that makes him so empathetic and so insane. He’s been entrusted, in you, to a writer who has gone through the effort to do him justice, to not shy from any one aspect; his courage and his resolve as well as his passivity, his pride and his lack of ego, and his complicated but consistent internal systems. I have no criticisms, no thoughts to offer but these;;)

how’s my portrayal?

MIRIAM!!!!! Please this message was such a delight and a surprise, you compliment my writing so much that if you'd skipped out on this one, I would have forgiven you, but please that you took the time to send all this in. Thank you for being so indulgent of me, and of Louis, and being so open to hearing me out on things, and for putting up with his many contradictions. I could never have imagined developing Louis' relationship with Daniel to this extent with any other! You're such a fantastic writing partner, and friend.

#✟. ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʀᴏғᴀɴᴇ. 𝑂𝑂𝐶

[topsytervy]

Book Lovers ~ Pope Heyward

Blurb: You have a crush on Pope and Pope has a crush on you. Your love for books brings you together.

Word Count: 3,376

Warnings: swearing, poorly written towards the end cause I'm bad at ending writings, probably spelling/grammar errors, I think thats it.

I started writing this as a whole bond over books thing and then it kind of got away from that a bit but not really I don't think.

Also, the way i was going back and forth between writing this and something Calum Hood related cause its his birthday and I love him was insane.

~~~~~~

You sat on the beach on a towel, a book in hand as the sounds of screams and waves filled the air.

Not too far away sat Pope, staring at you as JJ, John B and Kie surfed. He watched as you brushed some hair behind your ear before turning the page, completely engrossed by whatever it was you were reading. 

"Are you serious?" Pope jumped as his head swiveled to look at the voice that spoke.

Kie stood there, surfboard under her arm with an eyebrow raised, the two other boys behind her.

"What?" Pope shrugged, acting as casual as he could.

"Really? Playing dumb Pope? Thats JJ's job." She answered, setting down her board and sitting next to him.

"I take some offense to that, Kie." JJ told her which only caused the curly-haired girl to roll her eyes.

"Just go talk to her, Pope."

Pope widened his eyes. "Are you crazy, Kie?"

"If talking to someone you like is crazy then have me committed but last time I checked it was normal." 

"What would I even talk to her about?" 

"Oh, I don't know. She's only reading a book. Gosh if only you read." Kie told him, sarcasm dripping from her voice.

Pope sighed before getting up. 

"Go get 'em, tiger." John B grinned as him and JJ took a seat next to Kie, watching as Pope made his way over.

He was about halfway to you before he turned around and walked back, shaking his head. "I can't do it. It's rude to interrupt someone's reading ya know. That and Toppers walking towards her." 

JJ scoffed. "Really, man. Toppers got nothing on you. Besides, I'm pretty sure they're just friends."

"Oh quite the opposite, JJ. He's got money and a way nicer boat." 

John B shot Pope a look. "How dare you insult the HMS Pogue like that."

"You know what I mean. He can buy her literally anything she asks for." 

"Okay. So he's got money and a nice boat. That means he's trying to compensate for something. Any guesses as to what that is?" Kie stared at Pope.

JJ grinned, deciding to answer for his best friend. "His di-"

"Personality, JJ" Kie cut off the blonde. "What he lacks in personality, he makes up for with money. Topper is boring as hell. He doesn't know the meaning of excitement and adventure. You do. I'm sure you have way more in common with her than Topper does." 

Pope took one last look at you, book open but ignored as Topper chatted with you. You just smiled and nodded before standing up and gathering your things, waving a small goodbye to Topper as you did. 

You glanced over and saw the Pogues watching you so you brought up your hand and sent them a small wave, blushing when Pope smiled and waved back at you.

The next time Pope saw you was at the library. He was getting a couple of books for a paper he had to write and you were there, scanning the shelves, trying to figure out what book you wanted to read next.

Pope had looked over and froze when he saw you just a few feet away from him, fingers ghosting over the spines of books as you read the titles. 

You had agreed to ride with Kelce to the library considering he needed a specific book to read and you needed a new book to read. You chewed on your lip, focusing on each one before pulling one out that caught your eye, reading the blurb before ultimately deciding that you didn’t want to read that one now. 

Pope took a deep breath before scanning the titles himself, attempting to find one that he had already read that he thought you would enjoy. He finally found one and grabbed it, walking over to you.

"Having troubles?" He asked.

You jumped slightly before looking at him. "Little bit. It's hard to find which one to read next, ya know."

Pope nodded before handing you the book. "You might like this one. I read it and could hardly put it down. It's definitely on my list of books to own." 

You took it with a smile. "Thanks."

 "It's no biggie." Pope shrugged. 

You smiled again before walking backwards towards the checkout counter. "I'll see you around, Pope." 

Pope grinned at the fact that you knew his name. "I hope so, Y/N."

You blushed slightly before turning around, meeting up with Kelce who immediately noticed your reddened cheeks.

"What's going on over here, Y/N/N?" He asked, pointing to his own cheeks.

"Nothing." You mumbled, placing your book and library card on the counter. 

Kelce looked around, trying to spot who was making his best friend blush before shrugging.

Later that night, you and Kelce were sitting on his living room floor with Rafe and Topper, a board game set out in front of the boys as you read your book and listened to their conversation. 

"Topper, St.Louis is not the capital of Illinois." Rafe said for what felt like the hundredth time. 

"What are you talking about? Yes it is!" 

Kelce took a deep breath before looking at Topper. "Top, sweetie, if you think St.Louis is the capital of Illinois, then what's the capital of Missouri?"

"Boise?"

You peered over your book with a blank look on your face, Kelce and Rafe having the same look on theirs.

"Come on guys, you know I'm bad at geography." Topper whined.

"I think," Rafe started, looking at Kelce, "We need to bust out that Sequence state capital game from second grade."

"I think I lost a brain cell during this conversation," Kelce rubbed his temples.

"Good thing you're not playing fucking jeopardy or you'd really be screwed, Top." You said.

Topper turned his attention to you. "Not all of us are book smart, Y/L/N." Topper leaned over to look at the page before squinting. "Whatcha reading that's better than playing a game with us, anyway?" 

You held up the book enough so they could read the title and Rafe raised an eyebrow. "Where'd ya find that one?"

"Someone recommended it to me." You blushed a little at the interaction with Pope earlier that day.

"Oh ho ho. That is the same blush you had at the library. You like this person." Kelce pointed.

"Shut up, Kelc."

"Wait. She was blushing? Oh snap."

"Spill the name, Y/N."

You rolled your eyes at your friends before replying. "I don't have to tell you three anything."

"Come on. If you're not gonna tell us then how will we tease you?" Rafe whined.

"That's exactly why I'm not gonna tell you. You'll just tease me and then whenever he's around, you'll act all juvenile."

Topper looked at the two boys before turning towards you. "If we promise that we will keep the teasing to a minimum when he's not around and that we act mature about this, will you tell us?"

You bit your lip before hesitantly nodding. Rafe, Topper and Kelce's eyes widened, eager to hear the name about to come out of your mouth.

You sighed, bookmarking your page. "His name is Marcel. He wears glasses and wears a sweater vest. A bit on the awkward side but very sweet."

Kelce and Topper shot each other confused glances, never having heard that name before. Rafe, on the other hand, cocked his head to the side with an unamused look and a 'really'.

"You know this Marcel, Cameron?" Topper asked.

"Yeah. If you watch the Best Song Ever music video, you'll meet him. I do have two sisters, remember." He answered.

You shrugged. "Worth a shot."

"Come on, Y/L/N. Just give us the name." 

You held up your hands in surrender. "Okay, okay." Your three friends leaned forward, staying quiet with raised eyebrows. "Pope Heyward." 

"Oh my God," Topper breathed.

"Can we not do the usual 'traitor' bullshit please? I feel like my mom is already going to have a fit."

"What makes you think we'd do that?" 

You shot each of them a look before standing up. "I gotta get going. You guys have fun and Topper," you looked at the blonde, "learn your damn capitals."

And then you were out the door.

****

Pope walked into The Wreck a few days later and spotted you in the corner, book in hand while you ate your food. Pope was so focused on you that he didn't even notice Kie appear next to him with a water pitcher in her hand.

"You gonna stand there all day or you gonna sit down with her and start up a conversation."

Pope whipped his head to look at his friend before shrugging. "I guess I could but sh-"

"She's reading and its rude to interrupt someone whos reading. I know." Kie rolled her eyes before walking over to your table.

He saw you smile at Kie and greet her before nodding. You looked past Kie and saw Pope. You grinned and waved him over which Pope happily did, taking a seat across from you.

"Want anything Pope?" Kie asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Just get me the usual." 

Kie smiled before walking away towards the back.

"I finished that book you recommended to me last night and I was speechless. The ending was...wow." You leaned back in your chair, taking a drink of water. 

"I know right. That book made me want to read all his other works and they're all just so amazing." Pope grinned.

"His writing is so poetic that I was surprised I wasn't reading an actual poem."

"Exactly. He's such a good writer."

You two talked for hours about different authors and books you guys liked, eventually both of you started writing down names of books and authors for the other to check out.

"How long have they been like that?" John B asked, JJ sitting beside him along with the kook boys who joined them unexpectedly with no hassle whatsoever. 

"Lets see. You five have been here for 45 minutes to an hour, Pope showed up a couple of hours before you. So...almost four." Kie smiled before scurrying off to wait on another table.

"Four what? Hours?" JJ asked. 

"Yes, dumbass." Rafe rolled his eyes before turning his attention back to the table where you sat with Pope.

"They both look so happy." Topper commented.

"Because they are. They're in love." Kelce sighed with a dopey smile on his face, resting his head against his hand.

"Aren't they a little young for love?" John B raised an eyebrow.

Kelce shot him a look which caused John B to raise his hand in surrender. 

"What do you think they're talking about?"

"They're both nerds. Take a guess."

JJ opened his mouth to object, offended on behalf of his best friend but John B stopped him. "No, no. He has a point."

You glanced at your watch before standing up, saying something to Pope who nodded, handing each other your phones. 

JJ smirked. "My boy is getting some." Rafe, Kelce, and Topper all turned to look at JJ, unamused with his words. "Or not."

*****

Pope shook his head. "No way. That is one of the dumbest and most cliche tropes ever." 

It was a week later and you and Pope sat at The Wreck again, having a conversation about whatever you recently read and now, apparently, your favorite and least favorite tropes.

"I have to disagree. Enemies to lovers has my heart." You responded, taking a bite out of your burger after you spoke.

"One bed and they have to share reigns supreme." Pope popped a fry into his mouth like that was the end of discussion. 

You held up your finger as you finished chewing before swallowing. "You have to have some love for the enemies to lovers trope then because a lot of enemies to lovers involve sharing a bed." You pointed out.

"What about friends to lovers? Hmm? Hmmm? That right there is practically gold and bed sharing comes into play." 

You rolled your eyes. "At some point, a friend likes another. I can tell you in confidence that I had a crush on Topper, Kelce, and Rafe at some point in our friendship. It was bound to happen because we hang out so much. Enemies to lovers though? Who willingly hangs out with their enemy? No one." 

Pope laughed. "Alright. Sure. Whatever." 

"Don't whatever me Pope. I'm right and you know I am." You laughed. 

Pope held his hands up in surrender.  "Sure. Whatever helps you sleep at night."

Kiara walked over to your table and you smiled. "Lets ask Kie."

"Ask me what?" Her eyes darted between you and Pope.

Pope turned to Kie. "I want you to be honest with me, Kie. Which trope is better? Best friends to lovers or enemies to lovers."

Kie blinked slowly as she spoke. "I was just coming here to ask if you need refills or anything else."

"This is more important. Best friends to lovers or enemies to lovers?" 

You both looked at the girl expectedly and she shrugged. "I'm more of a fake dating girl myself so neither."

"Or both." You raised your eyebrows.

"True. Enemies could fake date or friends could. Sounds like a both thing for me."

Kie just turned and walked away, shaking her head with a small smile. 

Your phone dinged and you looked down, seeing a text from your mom. "Thats my mother paging me." You sighed as you stood up. "This has been a fun date, Pope." 

"Date?" 

You felt your face heat up from embarrassment."Oh, was this...not- I shouldn't have assumed. I'm sorry."  

"No, it was. I just didn't think you'd think of it as one." Pope quickly said.

You smiled before kissing his cheek. "I'll talk to you later then.'

Pope blushed as he watched you walk away, paying for your half of the meal before exiting the building.

****

It's been a month since you and Pope became official. A lot of your dates were either study dates, beach dates, or dates that consisted of you two eating at The Wreck while discussing anything under the sun.

Pope was kind of scared when you asked him what he wanted to do for a living, considering everyone else thought it was weird but you were supportive.

"That's cool." 

Popes eyes widened in shock at your words. "Really? No 'why would you choose a coroner' or 'why the hell would you wanna work with dead bodies'?"

You shrugged as you stole one of the fries from his plate. "I think it's cool. It's a job not many people want but it's an important one." 

That was probably when Pope knew that he was in deep with you. The fact that you didn't judge the things he was passionate about and what he wanted to do. That just made him fall for you more and let him know that you were the perfect girl for him.

Now here you were, spending the weekend together in the best way.

You sat in Pope's living room, okay laid in Pope's living room, watching Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Pope had the house all to himself for the weekend and invited you over for a Harry Potter movie marathon since you two just finished rereading the entire series. 

So here you were, curled into your boyfriend's side with his arm draped over your shoulders, holding you closer if that was even possible. 

You sighed as Alan Rickman appeared on the screen. "I miss him."

Pope kissed the top of your head as he rubbed your arm. "I know, sweetheart. You say that everytime he pops up on screen."

"I can't help it. He was just such a good soul." 

Pope smiled, twirling some of your hair around his finger. He loved listening to you talk about things and people you were passionate about. The smile on your face whenever someone, usually him, brought up one of those topics was worth it and he could listen to your voice for hours on end, which usually happened when a topic of interest was brought up. 

"Are you even listening to me?" You'd ask, tapping his wrist.

"Every word."

You'd lean back and cross your arms, a smirk on your face as you raised one of your eyebrows. "Oh really?"

He'd nod before speaking. "You were saying how you think iced coffee is better than regular hot coffee."

You'd make an impressed face. "Are you going to say anything at any point in this conversation."

He'd pretend to think about it before shaking his head. "I'm good." 

You'd roll your eyes before purposely bringing up a topic that would cause him to talk some because just like him, you were obsessed with seeing his smile when he was interested in a topic and hearing his voice.

"Pope, did you hear me?" 

Pope blinked before shaking his head. "No. Sorry. I was spacing this time."

"I asked if you wanted to make stir fry tonight?" You laughed lightly at the space cadet you called a boyfriend.

Pope smiled and nodded. "Sounds great. I'll ask dad if we can raid the store for whatever we don't have." 

You both pulled out your phones, you to get the recipe and Pope to ask his dad if it was okay to take whatever was needed for dinner. 

You walked into the kitchen and started pulling out whatever you could find that was needed for the stir fry before writing down on a notepad what was left.

"We got the go ahead." Pope told you and you held up the notepad.

"Then let's go on an adventure." 

You two paused the movie and made your way down the street towards Heywards hand in hand.

"Have you ever seen the Percy Jackson movies?" You asked, genuinely curious if Pope had or not. Pope shook his head and you let out a laugh. "Oh boy. We might have to take a break from good ol' HP so you can watch them." 

"Why?" Pope swung your arms as looked at you.

"You might find them...interesting. That's all." You shrugged.

"Are they good?" 

You smiled up at him as you leaned your head on his arm. "You'll have to see."

Normally, you wouldn't recommend watching the movies to anyone but when it came to Pope, you wanted him to see it. You wanted to see him rant about all the differences and how bad this adaptation was. You wanted to see him get all flustered at the smallest details that the movies got wrong and complain about how this doesn't do the books any justice. 

"Are you setting me up?" A small smile sat on Pope's lips.

You placed a hand to your heart.  "Ouch Pope. That stings."

He just laughed before kissing your temple as you approached Heywards. Pope unlocked the door and you followed him inside, picking up the rest of your ingredients before walking over to the counter and pulling a 20 out of your pocket, sliding it under one of the boxes for Mr.Heyward to find.

"Really? You know my dad loves you right? Like you don't have to pay him for this stuff. He gave us the okay." Pope said.

You shrugged. "It's fine and it's only right. I mean, I'm taking things from his store. The least I can do is pay him." You turned to the security camera and waved before pointing to the box the cash was under and doing the hand signal for money.

"You do know he cant check the system from his phone right?" 

"Yeah but if he plays it back, he'll know and no one else will see the footage." You smiled before turning back to your boyfriend. "Ready?" You asked as you placed your things in a bag. 

Pope grabbed your hand and the bag as he nodded. "Lets get cooking." 

You laughed as you followed him back outside, waiting for him to lock the door before beginning the short journey back to his, the pair of you thinking about how lucky you were to have someone like the other.

~~~~~~

#pope obx #pope heyward #pope outer banks #pope x reader