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karahalloway · 3 months

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The Highwayman: Part II - On The Stroke Of Midnight

Fandom: TRR (Historical AU)

Pairing: Drake Walker x F!OC (Harper Gale)

Series Summary: On a dark, moonlit night, a highwayman's luck runs out...

Masterlist: The Highwayman

Chapter Summary: Harper makes a choice...

Word Count: 4,200

Rating/Warnings: M (swearing, betrayal, physical violence, main character death)

Chapter theme song:

A/N1: So... This was obviously not fun to write. Nobody wants to kill off their characters, but the rewrite would've deviated too much from the original if I had tried to change such a key piece of this story. So, it is what it is... *runs and hides to cry in the corner* There are some additional notes at the end.

A/N2: This is my second submission for @choicesprompts January 2024 Song Rewrite Challenge. The song I chose to rewrite is The Highwayman by Loreena McKennit.

Part II - On The Stroke Of Midnight

"Oi, Harper!"

I turn my head absently at the sound of my name. "Huh?"

My father is standing beside me with a stony expression. "The poor boy, Théo's been callin' after ye for donkey's, lass! Now, git over and grab those orders the patrons are waitin' on!"

"Yes, Da," I nod quickly, turning away.

He grabs me by the arm. "An' quit yer calf-eyed moonin'. We're gettin' paid t' serve, not t' stand 'round idling."

"Yes, Da," I nod again, hurrying over to the bar as my father releases me, shaking my head in a bid to clear my senses.

After Drake's departure last night, I had been too overcome with excitement to sleep. I had tossed and turned throughout the hours that remained until cockcrow, when I slipped back into my thankless role as the publican's daughter.

My days have begun at sunrise for as long as I can recall. After dressing, and tying my hair back to keep it from falling into my face, my first task was to empty the chamber pots of the previous night's contents from every room.

Then, it was onto the kitchen for a quick breakfast of ale and gruel, before tackling the litany of chores that awaited me each and every day. Stoking the fireplace in the hall. Collecting eggs from the henhouse. Sweeping. Dusting. Darning. Washing. Gathering the remnants of old candles to make into new ones. Checking the stores and making a list of required items to acquire. Brewing and decanting ale. Not to mention serving patrons at meal times, and cleaning up their mess.

The list was endless. And exhausting.

So, I am nigh on dead on my feet and it is not even sundown.

Only the knowledge that Drake is on his way back to me — for the last and final time — keeps me moving forward, albeit at a fraction of my customary pace.

"My apologies!" I gasp, arriving at the bar. "My head is in a bit of a tizzy tonight!"

"There is a full moon out tonight," my father's aide replies solemnly, pushing the tankards of ale over. "So, I suppose you are not wholly to blame."

"Thanks, Théo," I say with a distracted smile, gathering up the drinks and turning back to the hall.

Théo has had a bit of a soft spot for me ever since he came to us as an inn guard a few years prior. But an unfortunate mishap with a fully loaded cart several moons back had forced my father to pull the lad into an expanded role as partner to help keep the the inn running while he recovered from a broken leg. And thus our encounters had become more frequent.

But a couple of strolls on the moor, and one stolen kiss notwithstanding — both very much encouraged by my father, as he had somehow convinced himself that Théo will one day become my husband, and we'll collectively inherit The Crown & The Flame — I have politely sought to discourage any true advances between us.

As fate had already bound my heart to a dark-haired rogue, who arrived on a dark horse in the depths of an equally dark night, nursing a viscous wound to his side and an even fouler attitude.

Brigands, he'd told me, as I stitched him painstakingly up, his eyes flashing with malice while his hand gripped the neck of the whiskey bottle by the light of the lone candle in my room.

I wanted to ask more. But I could see that he was in pain, so I held my tongue while threading the makings of a new scar into his sweat-soaked skin... the latest addition to the brutal tapestry that already marred his flesh.

Once I completed bloody task, he yielded to sleep right there in my bed, somewhat against his will, I have to admit. But, then again, he had not exactly been in the best shape to contest with me. And I can be very persuasive when I set my mind to it.

Yet, by the time I had awoken the following morning, having spent the night in the floor next to him — not wanting to disturb his rest, but not daring to leave his side either, for fear he'd succumb to fever — he had vanished, like a ghost in the evening mist...

...that is, until he reappeared about a fortnight later, perched on the sill of my open window like an overgrown crow, nearly sending me to my own grave in fright.

He offered me gold for my services, but I had refused. When he had asked me what I desired instead, I told him: a tale. I have never ventured further than the closest town, and he looked to be a man who'd seen his share of the world.

He obliged, weaving for me the story of his misspent youth eking an existence out from the merciless streets of the capital after a tragedy rendered him a homeless and destitute orphan.

But even as a child, when his family had been whole, he had watched the great ships that sailed in and out of the port — envying their mystery and freedom. And so, he bided his time (and stolen coin) until he was able to finally stow away on a corvette, ending up, ultimately, on the distant shores of a country called La Louisiane inthe New World.

I'd become so caught up in his recounting of far-off lands, strange peoples, and even stranger creatures, that the dawn of the new morn snuck upon me unknowingly... predominantly because he had yet to sufficiently explain to me what the devil a 'cocodril' was and how it was not quite akin to a dragon.

"I shall return to finish the tale," he promised, turning back to the window.

"When?" I pleaded, desperate to hear more... and loath to see him to leave again.

"I know not for certain, lass," he admitted, reaching a gloved hand out to brush a wayward lock of hair behind my ear. "But look for me by the moonlight."

And that's how our liaison had started — in a dark room, under the magic of the moon, our hearts filled with secrets.

But tonight, the charade will finally be put to bed. For together with the money, I intend to leave my father a note explaining everything. As that way, he'll at least know that I am safe and well... even if that knowledge will likely be a meagre balm against the pain he'll no doubt feel at my perceived betrayal.

But I cannot continue living in pretence. My nights with Drake have opened my eyes and my heart up to possibilities that I never dared conceive of, let alone believe to be within my grasp... and I am eager to start a new page.

I just have to bide my time 'til my love's return... in spite of the fact that patience is certainly not my strong suit.

A few more hours, I tell myself stoically as I navigate 'round the long trestle tables. And then—

The door of the inn bangs open, sending a torrent of cold air rushing into the warmth of the hall.

My head snaps towards the sound of the intrusion, a fool's hope budding in my breast, in spite of the knowledge that Drake would never risk such a public entrance...

...but what I see sends my heart crashing into the pit of my guts.

"Search every nook and cranny!" bellows a lanky man sporting the guilt buttons and epaulettes of an officer of rank. "Leave no floorboard in this rat's nest unturned!"

"What is t' meaning o' this, sir!" deplores my father as a line of armed Greencoat dragoons stream into the inn. "Ye can'na just—"

"I can — and indeed, am required by the edict of the law!— when I have been given reasonable suspicion that an establishment is harbouring a known and sought-after criminal," retorts the man with thin-lipped sneer, surveying the eaves as if he expects ruffians to pounce onto him at any second.

Da's eyes crackle with indignation. "Harbouring? A criminal! That accusation that is beyond outrageous, sir! This 'ere is a reputable place, I'll have ye know, an'—"

"Not according to the witness who came forward this morning," the man cuts in brusquely over the sound of boots and crashing furniture echoing up from around the building. "By whose own words, this inn is a hotbed of salacious going-ons, not to mention illegal activity. So, I suggest that you—"

"Who!" demands my father, his features contorted in offence and rage. "Who dares speak these scurrilous lies and—?"

The officer thrusts his arm out. "That man over there."

All eyes in the hall shift as one to land bodily on the subject of the disputation.

"Théo?"

The name tumbles from my lips in a hoarse croak of disbelief. My father cannot seem to even manage that, as he stands, staring mutely, hurt and betrayal carving his aghast countenance.

"So, you see, Mr Gale," continues the man unabashedly, seemingly oblivious to the shocked silence that has cloaked the room, "the source of the accusation is more than credible. A man of good and honest standing in this community, who also happens to be an employee of the—"

"Good and honest?" spits Da, rounding on the intruder with barely concealed malice as he finds his voice again. "He fabricates lies for his own gain! Though what that could possible be, I'll—"

"I saw them," says Théo softly, almost as if in apology, coming to stand by my father in front of the bar. "Last night, I—"

Da reaches out to grab his aide by the lapels of his jack, face nigh on puce with gall. "Saw who? Speak, lad, or I swear t' Almighty God, I'll—"

"Midnight Jack..." Théo replies, making no effort to protest the roughness of his treatment. "...and your daughter."

The tankards I am still holding slip from my fingers to crash to the hard-packed earth of the floor in a mess of shards and ale.

"They were talking," Théo continues, eyes meeting mine solemnly as my father's hands slip from his clothes in horrified silence. "They'd left the window of her room open and I could hear—"

"Captain Beaumont!" cries a soldier, rushing down the stairs with a clatter of heels and buckles, carabinier still in hand. "We found something!"

"Report, Lieutenant Besnard!" snaps the captain, rounding on his subordinate with impatience. "You know I detest being held in suspense!"

"I think it best you come and see for yourself, sir," the lieutenant replies, shifting his eyes in my direction.

Dread pools in my veins like lead. Oh, no...

Captain Beaumont chews on the assessment for a short moment. "Very well, Besnard. Let us assess your findings. And bring these three along — I am certain they too will find the results...captivating."

Gloved hands seize me roughly from behind, and push me towards the stairs. Yet I am too overcome with an ill sense of foreboding to even think to struggle, the cold hand of trepidation binding me more surely than any man could.

The gold... They found the gold...

The dragoons troop us up the stairs in dreadful silence, save for the sound of the creaking floorboards ‘neath our feet.

Marching the our group down the length of the corridor — along the length of which doors stood ajar, revealing the mess of upended contents within — we at last arrive at our destination.

The soldiers shove my father and I unceremoniously through the doorway of my room...

...and I immediately spot the gaping hole where the loose floorboard should have been.

My insides tighten painfully.

"Ah, you were right, Lieutenant," approves Captain Beaumont as he strides towards the foot of my bed. "This certainly is a sight to see!"

My father's eyes widen as he lays eyes on the treasure as well.

I wish I could explain, to help him make sense of it, but fear has lashed my tongue against the wall of my throat.

Kneeling down, the dragoon commander reaches into the small space and lifts out a handful of coin and jewels. "Now, what could an inn-keeper's daughter possibly want with such bounty?"

"It inna hers!" cries Da suddenly. "It's mine! My daughter, she—"

"Clearly is the inhabitant of this room," comes the steely toned rebuttal. "The brush on the dresser, and the ribbons poking from the drawer... These clues make it abundantly evident that it is a woman who sleeps herein. And I see only one woman..."

A chill runs down my spine as the captain lifts his eyes to mine. Brown — like Drake's — but without an ounce of warmth or humour.

"It is her room, aye!" affirms Da desperately. "But she knew nothin' o' the gold! 'Twas an arrangement 'tween myself and—"

The captain scoffs as he straightens back up, letting the booty fall through his fingers to clink back into the recess in the floor. "Noble of you, Mr Gale, to wish to safeguard your daughter. But I think we can all confidently conclude that what you have just uttered is a bare-faced lie..."

Da emits a grunt of agony as one of the soldiers steps forward on silent command to strike him in the back with the butt of his musket.

"...and I do so despise liars," Captain Beaumont declares dispassionately as several more dragoons descend on my father.

"Stop!" I plead, straining against my own captor as hot tears slide down my cheeks at the sight of the brutal retribution. "I beg of you... Please! I confess! The gold is mine! My father is innocent—!"

Captain Beaumont holds up a hand and the beating halts just as abruptly as it began. "There are no innocents in this sordid business. Merely degrees of culpability. Take him away."

"No!" I shriek in desperation as the dragoons lift the prone form my father up and proceed to drag him from the room, specs of rusty blood dripping onto the floorboards in their wake. "Where are you—!"

A gloved hand smacks across the side of my face, sending my vision into a spin as the sharp taste of blood exploding in my own mouth abruptly cuts off my remonstrations.

Through the thick haze of pain and tears, I see the forest green of the captain's coat move past me as the jingle of coins echoes on the edge of my awareness.

"Seems your information was actionable, Mr Mallet," Belvedere Beaumont surmises as he steps over to the dark form of Théo, who has been observing the entirety of the interaction with an ashen face. "And for that you shall be rewarded."

Raising my head, I see Theo stare at the clutch of ducats like they are tainted.

"What..." Our betrayer swallows thickly. "What will you do to them?"

"That is none of your concern, Mr Mallet," replies Captain Beaumont assertively, hefting the leather pouch in his palm. "But you can rest assured that the hand of the law will be swift and decisive."

Théo's eyes widen in sudden panic. "But... But you want The Highwayman..."

"Like I said," intones Captain Beaumont, raising the coin pounce higher. "There are no innocents. Only degrees of culpability. So, unless you desire to share in the fate of your employers, I suggest you take the prize I am offering you, and spend it wisely."

Théo jerks his gaze to mine in anguish. "Harper... I am sorry."

Grabbing the money, he dashes from the room like the naked cur he has revealed himself to be.

Bastard...

"A true blessing, and a curse... money," Captain Beaumont observes, turning back to me. "It changes hands — and loyalties — so readily, does it not? Almost like magic."

"What do you want?" I spit at him, acutely aware of the fact that I am now very much alone with, and at the mercy of, this monster.

"But love...?" the captain continues, as if he hadn't heard me. "Love — or its absence — is far more duplicitous. It crawls into our hearts and twists our minds out of any rational sense of order."

"And what would a man like you possibly know of love?" I demand with more bravado than I feel, in a desperate attempt to mask the fear suffusing my limbs.

"I know it can spark wars and topple empires," he relies coolly, reaching out to pinch the strand of hair that had escaped from my bun between his gloved fingers. "Perhaps even hang a thief."

The air rushes from my lungs in horror. "No..."

"Lieutenant!" Beaumont barks over his shoulder, spinning on his heel away from me. "Rope!"

"Right here, sir!" affirms the subordinate, pulling a length of cordage from his pack.

"Bind this woman," comes the clipped instruction. "And take her to the window."

My struggles are for naught as my wrists are lashed together in front of my body.

"That renegade dog clearly loves you," declaims Captain Beaumont as his goons drag me to the casement. "Or he would not have entrusted you with the safekeeping of his ill-gotten treasure. The question is... Do you love him in turn?"

I raise my chin definitely as I am thrust onto the hard ledge of the window sill. "More than you can comprehend."

He meets my gaze with a serpentine smile. "That was my hope."

I stare at him in bewilderment as he reaches past me to crack the window open. "What are you—?"

"The way I see it," he continues, almost conversationally as the cold night air rushes over my skin, "you have a choice to make. Either you assist me in luring our mutual friend to his untimely, but very much overdue death — thereby potentially absolving you and your father of any involvement in this sorry affair, though that will be for a judge to decide — or I will claim obstruction of justice and hang the lot of you as accomplices. The decision is yours."

"You are vile..." I bite out through clenched teeth as a my mouth is smothered by a kerchief.

"I am a man of the law," he counters dispassionately. "And the law is clear — the penalty for highway robbery is death. Either by action, or association. And the evidence against you is, sadly, rather weighty." He flicks his eyes towards the gaping hole in the floor where two dragoons are busy loading the booty into a sack. "So, do not blame me for the unsavoury consequences of your own foolishness. You set yourself on this path. Knowingly."

I turn away from him, a torrent of guilt streaming down my face.

What have I done...?

The minutes tick slowly past, and the hours crawl by like years as we wait in silence under the silvery light of the moon.

And I have ample time to contemplate both my fate and my doom.

For there is no doubt about it — I am doomed, one way or another. Captain Belvedere Beaumont has made that abundantly clear.

Either I give up the love of my life, or I consign both myself and my father — not to mention my unborn babe — to a shallow, unmarked grave that will be forgotten just as soon as it is dug.

Both options are too horrendous to even contemplate.

Which is why I have very seriously debated throwing myself off the ledge of the window I am sat on. As that way I can at least break the captain's malicious hold on me.

But suicide is an unforgivable sin. Or so I've been taught. And, in any event, my death would be for naught, for I would doom the men I love just the same... Drake would walk unknowingly into the dragoons' ambush and Captain Beaumont would most likely slit my father's neck in spite.

So, I sit. And wait. And curse the fates — and myself — for this unforgivable turn of events. Because if Drake and I had eloped last night, our destinies would've been very different.

"Rider on the knell, sir," advises a soldier with a spyglass trained across the moor.

"I see him," confirms Captain Beaumont, eyes glinting with anticipation.

Raising my head, I spot the lone figure silhouetted against the darkness as he crests the hill, second horse in tow.

My heart jumps into my throat. Drake.

"Not a sound," orders Captain Beaumont as Drake and Drogon disappear from view in the shadow of the hill. "We bide our time and let the fair lady lure the rogue in."

The soldiers nod as they set about priming their weapons.

My mind is racing. I have to warn him... But how?

I feel the point of a blade press against my throat. "Just so you do not get any funny ideas in that pretty little head of yours..." warns Captain Beaumont as he takes up position behind me, the barrel of his pistol coming to rest on my shoulder, my form concealing his in the darkness.

I cast my gaze around the room. But my hands are bound and I have no recourse to even my voice, let alone a weapon.

But then a dragoon kneels down in front of me...

...and the ghost of a plan begins to take shape in my mind.

It is risky... and fraught with danger. Not just for myself, but for Drake as well. But I have been presented with a sliver hope. And though it may be a fool's hope, I must take it. As I cannot, in good conscience, purposely lead the man I love to slaughter.

I will not give Captain Beaumont that particular satisfaction. And — in any event — a life without Drake would not be worth living anyway.

The minutes continue to pass with bated breath as we wait for Drake to reappear.

"Movement on the roof, sir," whispers a dragoon, adjusting the hold on his musket.

Sure enough, a shadow has appeared in the darkness, drifting across the thatch of the barn in stealthy silence.

"Hold your fire," orders Captain Beaumont, pulling the cock of his flintlock back. "We need him in range. And for the love of God, do not fucking miss!"

The soldiers nod tersely as Drake creeps unknowingly closer.

"Five paces..." rasps Captain Beaumont, his hot breath gusting my ear. "Four... Three... Two..."

I close my eyes. Forgive me, Da...

"O—"

Kicking my legs out with a roar of determination, I heave myself backwards with all my might. My feet catch the side of the musket balanced on the ledge before me, sending a shot sailing out into the night with a bright flash of gunpowder.

I pray to the moon and the stars that it missed Drake.

Captain Beaumont's pistol discharges next to my ear as the back of my head collides with the bridge of his nose, shattering it with a bony crunch.

The knife he's been holding clatters to the floorboards as he stumbles backwards with a cry of pain. And as the support of his body disappears from behind me, there is nothing to hold me aloft.

I thud bodily to the floor, gasping for breath as the suddenness of the impact knocks the air from my lungs, my ears ringing from the earlier crack of the pistol, the smell of my singed hair burning my nose.

But I only have one aim... One mission... To get ahold of that knife.

Twisting myself around, I spot it — glinting in the moonlight merely a foot away.

Throwing my hands out, I reach for the weapon, the roar of shouts and gunfire breaking above my head...

...but find myself crying out as my hair is grabbed from behind.

"You conniving whore!" hisses Captain Beaumont as he wrenches me backwards, my scalp screaming in protest. "You will rue the day you were born!"

Tears blur my sight as I feel the hair rip from my head.

But still I strain towards the knife, which lies just beyond my fingertips, my teeth gritted against the pain, my heart hammering.

The edge of my nails scrapes the hilt...

A lone shot punctures the maelstrom of the chaos.

Captain Beaumont's grasp falters, and I crash back onto the floorboards.

Grasping for the dirk, I twist back 'round...

...but the sharp movement sends pain shooting through my chest and I am suddenly gasping for breath.

The knife falls from my hands as I clutch at my breast... and my fingers sink into the warmth of the flesh within.

"You cack-handed ingrate!" screams Captain Beaumont from above me. "I'll have you whipped for this!"

"She was trying to kill you, sir!" comes the voice of the lieutenant as the acrid taste of blood blooms in the back of my throat.

"She was our only hope of luring that bastard in!" shrieks Beaumont in rage, the stomp of his boots rattling the floorboards next to me as he advances on his subordinate, causing me to cough. "And you shot her!"

"Sir!" shouts another dragoon. "A horse and rider! Galloping north!"

"After him, you witless buffoons!" orders the captain, his face streaked with crimson and rage. "Do not let him get away!"

The soldiers scramble from the room as my lifeblood seep out of my veins onto the dusty floorboards.

And as the darkness closes in on me, I offer my soul up to the night with one final wish...

Fly, my love... Fly like a witch on the wind.

The story continues in Part III: The Highwayman Comes Riding (coming soon)

A/N: Some notes and comments below:

Cocodril - I appreciate that it's alligators that live in Louisiana, not crocodiles. However, according to a helpful article I found, the correct Louisiana French term for alligator is 'cocodril' or 'cocodrie' (both pronounced the same), or occasionally 'caïman', but never 'alligator' as alligator is considered to be an English word, and therefore not part of the 'correct' French vocabulary. Also the terminology makes sense from a historical, cultural and linguists perspective — Europeans would have been familiar with crocodiles from ancient time (Ancient Egypt, etc.), but not alligators, and would not have originally realised that there was a difference until people like Carl Linnaeus and Charles Darwin started systematically cataloguing species, starting in the late 1700s, so they probably just initially applied the familiar but 'wrong' term and it stuck. That said, French French does differentiate between 'alligator' and 'cocodrie', but that is a more recent linguistic development than the original French Louisiana one. Okay; massive tangent concluded 😆

Musket - If anyone has read the original poem, or listened to the song, you will have probably realised that I made another change to the story, namely the manner in which Harper dies. In the original, Bess is bound to the foot of her bed, her hands tied behind her, and a musket lashed in such a way that it points to her heart. However, she somehow manages to not only free her hand from her bindings without anyone noticing, but she also manages to grasp the trigger of the musket. Now, if anyone has bothered to look at what a musket actually looks like, you will quickly realise that this sequence of events in the original poem/song is a straight up impossibility because muskets of this era are friggin' long (typically around 5ft or 1.6m), so there is no way that I can see that Bess would've been able to reach the trigger if she is stood up, or even sat down. So, the manner of death had to change. That said, I tried to stay as true as possible to the original. But, if anyone disagrees with me, happy to be educated!

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#harper gale #drake walker #the royal romance #the highwayman #trr au #song rewrite #historical au #Spotify #choicesprompts

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hangmanssunnies · 8 months

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I know I missed @lewmagoo 's positivity night cut off. Which first of all, Leah thank you so much for doing one. You are wonderful, and seeing mentions in my activity and all the positivity on the dash made me grin. However, there are so many fantastic wonderful people that I feel compelled to shout out! So I wanted to make quick post about it. This fandom is so great and full of kind souls and talent there really too many to name. Here are a few though ...

@bradshawsbitch Alex, is not only an absolutely lovely human but also a fantastic writer. She also puts up with me and my nonsense at all random hours of the day. Chef Rooster in Mise En Place is a complicated dream and I really wish he was mine. Not to mention her fic songbird which is some of my favorite Rooster smut. I haven’t stopped thinking about riding roosters abs since. She also makes very pretty gifs, which have been known to send me into a tizzy.

@top-hhun They just get Jake, he is always sooo well written and interesting. The way they write him is fantastic, line of sight is a particular fav.

@callsignspark I love Elle's writing and even though I am horribly behind on reading and leaving comments, I know their Mar(r)y Me fic is phenomenal, and loved anything for you.

@theharddeck so so so many fics that I could shout out of theirs but honestly my favorite might be their Coyote series. It drove me insane, and the little details they put in their writing is next level.

@wildbornsiren I have proclaimed shelly a queen of writing threesomes and I will do it again now.

@sushiwriterhere someone else I know has written fantastic threesomes, and I really loved all the content that came out to the threesome writing challenge they did.

@libraryofantiquitea I still think about their Jake fic Tell me my name and the two follow up parts they wrote.

@say-al0e it should be illegal to make me fall more in love with Bradley Bradshaw, and yet... they always seem to manage. I love all their fics though for real.

@sugarcoated-lame I love kricket's fics! Their recent Dilf Bradley story has had me particular enamored.

@myfaveficrecs I love their fics, and I love the positivity they spread in the fandom with confession Wednesdays as well as writer spotlights.

There are so so so many fantastic creators I could go on and on and on. Genuinely I love this fandom it's one of the best I've ever been in. Which is why I still am here over a year later some how. I love you all, and if I didn't shout you out, please know I do adore you too.

#I love so many people 🥺#this is such a wonderful fandom #coley? that's not a person #coley's rambling

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mean-scarlet-deceiver · 1 year

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What kind of dynamic do you think Thomas and Oliver have? Both tank engines are mascots of their respective branchlines, both run a push-pull service, and have coaches with names -- seems ripe for story potential!

I reckon they'd either love each other or hate each other, lol. Usually we as a fandom focus on the antagonism we suppose Thomas and Duck would have. But while I'm sure those two just don't "get" each other and are privately kinda mutually judgmental, I think they also just... stay out of each other's way.

Oliver, though. He made such a big splash when he arrived — the big engines were all fawning over him, a mere tank engine, lolllll — can you imagine what a funhouse-mirror world Thomas would have felt he was in, if he overnighted even once at Tidmouth during this period? — and TVS, reasonably I think, characterizes Thomas as being so suspicious of new tank engines. So I think Oliver really would just drive Thomas bonkers. If Thomas can get into a jealous tizzy over, like, friggin' Stanley, I don't know how Oliver would have failed to made Thomas (Great Western) green with jealousy.

Honestly, in Thomas's frames, I'd feel insecure. Oliver became famous for fleeing the braying diesel hounds of the B.R. all the way across the mainland and making a heroic escape to Sodor. Thomas (who at this point hadn't even left his safe, quaint little island for over 50 years) became famous for... leaving his guard behind and throwing a snowplough tantrum. Like. They are not the same. 😅

But, if Thomas can handle the major mid-life crisis I suspect Oliver's arrival kicked off for him without melting down, then I can also see the two just vibing. They have enough in common to feel competitive or to simply hit it off. They're both sociable and hasty and cheeky. Furthermore, the balance of respect might be restored because, while Oliver is more dashing, Thomas is definitely the leadership-y one and I don't think Oliver poses the slightest threat to that. Oliver just wants to live his life and have fun. He works very happily under Duck (who tbh I can see sometimes being a bit overbearing and fussy), he ain't in no way going to go getting under Thomas's wheels.

It might be fun if stormy weather/collapsed track/line repairs reduced trains on the Little Western for a while so Oliver is sent to the Ffarquhar to spot for one of the other engines. I feel like Oliver might be a bit like a bull in a china shop on that little line... Toby would get tired just watching him zoom around and terrorize the coaches, while all the other engines would feel pleasantly sedate and responsible by comparison. Thomas would develop a Pavlovian cringe every time Terence or Bertie greeted him with a shit-eating grin coz he knows they're about to congratulate him on what a fine job he's doing keeping order on his line (i.e., they're about to tell him the latest disaster Oliver caused). One day for Reasons Oliver has to take some coaches that aren't push-pull fitted and when he runs round the train (how annoying!) he forgets to get coupled and storms off down the line without them. Thomas would be at the junction venting about what a headache and a pest Oliver is. Gordon and Henry are shaking with laughter and with the feeling that this is just Sodor Karma (belatedly) at work. Back at Tidmouth Duck is raising exactly one eyebrow and saying Oliver has only ever had one incident on his line (unsaid: too bad for Thomas but some of us are Built Different). Daisy is confused when she returns from the Works and even Annie and Clarabel join in the loud cheers that greet her arrival.

#chatter #ttte thomas #ttte oliver #ttte duck #ttte toby #ttte terence #ttte bertie #ttte gordon #ttte henry #fun on the ffarquhar #little western shenanigans #i'd be sorry for daisy to be the one who was away for repairs while oliver was there though #i cannot tell you had unprepared i was for her and oliver to hit it off when i was writing them but they bring me such joy #actually yeah it should definitely be toby that oliver is spotting for #that way daisy can stick around for the fun #and oliver can terrorize the everliving hell out of henrietta and victoria #1+11

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destinyc1020 · 5 months

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I'm just gonna say the quiet part out loud. Fans sound like they are in a tizzy because they want Tom away from franchises and more into into prestige/pretentious/award bait projects but like you said he has always done projects like that in between. I personally just hope for good projects from him with replay value whether they are blockbuster or indie because

1. No matter what I as a fan want from him he will do what he wants because it's his career and life he doesn't know us to care about what any of us think (even though some factions of the fandom would like to delude themselves into thinking that he cares)

2. For the love of God this is like the sm4 thing all over again. Insiders were saying for weeks that the movie is confirmed for release in 2025 meanwhile last week he just told us he hasn't signed on yet. Now I know Mark is a more reliable source than "inisiders' but in his latest interviews this year the only future movies he has talked about are sm4 and fa biopic. Mark would want this movie to happen because its probably the only successful thing he's had the last 3 years so duh! Why not incentivise the story in the media to gauge if there's interest or better yet make it seem like there's interest? Like I said idc either way but I would rather hear Tom confirm it himself/or a more reliable outlet rather than get mad before anything is concrete but that's just me.

I totally agree with everything you said Anon.

Maybe some fans are anxious cuz they want Tom to do more award bait projects.... but ummmm.... he HAS??? 🥴 What do fans think TDATT, "Cherry", and the recent TCR are? 😅

Tom has done more than just franchises his entire career.

Anyway, I agree so much with your last sentence. I'm not about to get angry about something that hasn't been formally announced yet. 🤷🏾‍♀️

It's okay if some fans don't like "Uncharted" and don't want him to do another movie, but I would at least WAIT for a formal announcement first before getting my panties in a bunch about it. 🥴

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hellsbellschime · 1 year

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"his is like saying that if the manager that just got hired decided he wants to close the store then the store owners are helpless to stop him." Thats literally what happened with d&d though. HBO wanted to give them more s/eps but they thought they could tell the story in fewer episodes and then we ended up with that mess. People arent gonna keep tuning in to spinoffs when they see the story keeps being rushed through. Hotd is more in line with what people expect from got spinoffs than d&e. 1/2

D&e is gonna have a much harder time because the tone is so different. They hired a writer from the early s of the crown, a succession writer and director and there's a bunch of other positions recently being filled by people working on some of the most acclaimed shows. So it seems like they wanna go all out on Hotd but if you wanna rush through the story it doesnt matter how many talented people you hire. If they want that got acclaim they need to take their time&not rush into the same mistakes

I mean it's not really what happened with D&D though because they dealt directly with GRRM and clearly had a very favorable contract because HBO didn't know that A. GoT would become their biggest show and B. D&D would want out at the end before the show was really ready to go. Obviously they're never going to get themselves in a potential situation like that again, and Ryan Condal wasn't even HotD's first showrunner, I mean the very fact that Miguel left and was replaced rather than the show ending seems to demonstrate that HotD is not in the same position as GoT where a showrunner can decide that the show will end against the desires of the network and author of the original content.

But I think it's very easy to get caught up in fandom and presume what's going to happen/how the audience will react to certain things even though that might be incorrect. Like, I would definitely want HotD to be longer and for the story to be more drawn out, but clearly the first season was a pretty big hit, the story moved very fast, and the general audience didn't seem to have a problem with it, so I don't know that they'll be that perturbed if the show continues at a fast clip. I mean most TV viewers haven't even read these books so they literally do not know that stuff is being skipped, and at least thus far it hasn't had a negative effect on the show. Prior to season 1 if everyone had been told that it would cover a 20 year time span, the fandom would have been in a similar tizzy, but the first season was entertaining enough and clearly went over well with viewers overall. I mean it could go all wrong like GoT did, but to automatically assume that we know it will based on very little information is just a pretty big stretch to me.

#hotd for ts

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castiel-left-his-mark-on-me · 3 years

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Hi, Ary, very inactive ex-mutual(i think???) here. Good to see you thriving! ♥ It's been a while since I've dipped my head into cockles stuff. Could I perchance maybe ask uuuuum tf is going on??? lol I see Mish apparently confirmed he used to stay over at Jensen's in Van, and heard newbs were apparently freaking out about it and getting a bit messy, which I get that, business as usual. But I'm also seeing shit about spin-offs? And Jared getting in a twitter fight with Jensen, causing/resulting in stans to going feral and sending hate?? I know you're not as big a fan of Jar, but that's part of why I figured I'd ask you, you usually have a really level head about this kinda stuff. If you don't wanna answer publically, or at all, that's totally chill!

Hey, Rhi! We're still mutuals! Of course we're still mutuals! When I saw the notification of your ask, I was like "Hey! I haven't seen you in a while!" and my husband was like "???" and I said "Tumblr" and he said "Oh."

It was a wild time haha.

In any case, welcome back to the dumpster fire! We are obviously still a mess. So to catch you up, I guess I will start by summarizing both before and after the finale (not sure where you left off so this might be redundant for you) ... basically, it became obvious as the end of the show neared that Jensen was not on board with the plan for the finale; although Jared never stopped singing its praises.

We got confirmation of this during a zoom interview where Jensen said that he actually went into the writers room as well as called Kripke to basically voice how he didn't agree with the direction the final season was going, but he was shot down on all fronts. In another interview, he was asked "What would you tell your younger self going into this career?" And Jensen responded with: "I would tell myself to just keep your head down and do the work" meaning, "Don't try to change things because you can't." I also think that this whole situation is what he wrote "Let Me Be" about for his first Radio Company album, but that is just my own speculation. All of his reluctance, even though he always followed it up with "But I eventually saw the value in the script" or "I came around in the end" (which never sounded sincere, and I don't think he was really trying to sound sincere) made us all very nervous about what was to come for 15x20; and of course, when the last two episodes aired, we saw just how badly they fucked it up.

After the awful finale, the entire fandom became aware of the CW's heavy handed role in the thing, basically squeezing all the life out of SPN to shape it into a ramp from which Walker could launch itself. They not only erased all the love and joy and representation that Cas's love confession gave us, they also tore apart the things that made sense about the bond between Sam and Dean, making it really just about Sam-- and therefore Jared, which of course, Jared seemed to be fine with ... even though no one else was. Misha barely said anything during the finale, and a few of the other actors talked about the show ending in various posts, but Jared tweeted up a storm ... and Jensen? Jensen just sat in sexy-silent resentment of the whole thing. He didn't tweet, he didn't post, he didn't say a word once he no longer had to, and I think that's because he was already going full-steam-ahead on his plans for redemption.

Which brings us to Chaos Machine-- Jensen and Danneel's new production company that is being run by a queer creative director and has a mantra of inclusivity and representation woven throughout it's fabric; and apparently, the first story that Jensen wanted to tell through this new platform is the origin story of Sam and Dean's parents; so last week (?) he announced the upcoming production of "The Winchesters" -- the untold love story of John and Mary. Obviously, John is not the most likable character from the show, so the idea was met with a lot of resentment when it was first announced, but Jensen has gone on to say that he is excited to take on the task of telling the "true" story behind these characters-- the one that makes sense with the pre-established canon and doesn't reject it. So, given that, the idea is being mulled over with a bit more optimism from the fandom.

Who isn't being optimistic though?

Jared Padalecki.

When Jensen made this announcement on Twitter, many of his friends and coworkers congratulated him, but not Jared. Jared responded with a passive aggressive: "I'm happy for you, man, but I wish I didn't hear about it through Twitter." This of course, sent all the die-hard Jared fans into a tizzy and they immediately began asking him if he was serious (hoping it was just a joke-- we all hoped it was because there would be fallout no matter what one's opinion on Jared is). Instead of leaving it there though or just deleting that tweet, Jared went on to tweet some more, saying that he was being serious that he didn't know about the plans for the prequel, and that he was "gutted" that Sam apparenlty wouldn't be included (mind you, this a prequel to SPN... meaning BEFORE Sam and Dean were even born, so how could Sam be included? But Dean is apparently narrating this story so maybe Jared thought Sam should be helping to narrate it? I don't know). But Jared being Jared couldn't just leave that there, he then went on to tweet at Robbie Thompson who was announced as a writer for "The Winchesters" so then Jared went off on him too, calling him "Brutus" and a "coward" acting like Robbie betrayed him (speculation is-- Robbie refused to write for Walker, so Jared is pissed that he essentially chose Jensen over him). He did fairly quickly, remove that tweet attacking Robbie, but of course the damage was done at that point. And it truly only took his first tweet calling out Jensen for some people to be like "Jared-- that sucks if you didn't know but why are you saying any of this publicly?"

As you might know, Jared has had issues in the past with posting hurtful things on social media, and has even used it as a tool for attack before-- calling out customer service agents and public workers that he felt have wronged him, which is bad enough ... but for him to then do the same thing to his best friend of well over a decade? Many people who had once liked him or at least gave him the benefit of the doubt (I used to ...) stopped after this latest twitter tantrum.

However, some people have suspected for some time that J2 had a falling out either shortly before the finale or just after. Their public/social media interactions have seemed awkward, stilted or even non-existent in moments that they normally wouldn't be. In the past year, when Walker premiered, Jensen didn't say much about his friend's new venture other than a "Congrats. buddy" here and there. Later, we learned that Jensen refused to work on the show ... Jared said he make him do it, drag Jensen to the set "kicking and screaming" which made many fans quirk up an eyebrow because, why would Jensen put up a fight unless the two weren't as close as they used to be? And then Jensen moved his family to Colorado (either permanently or for an extended period at least) which is notable considering how he moved to Texas seemingly to be closer to Jared, even buying a house that was near his. All this was just speculation though; but it wasn't until Jared's tweet complaining about not knowing about the prequel that the theories behind them falling out, became less theory and more fact.

The day after his twitter tantrum, Jared tweeted again-- not retracting his statements or apologizing, but instead saying that he and Jensen "talked" and were "all good". Jensen then tweeted too, parroting this statement to some degree, which only made the whole thing even more sour in the mouths of the fans. The fact that Jared didn't apologize for his outburst and throwing his friend under the bus, and also the fact that Jensen-- Mr. Sexy Silence, Mr. Never Tweets, Mr. Tech-Ignorant-and-Proud, actually had to POST SOMETHING saying that he and Jared made up, it just screamed OPTICS. It was obviously the work of agents and PR firms and lots of people going "Look, if you two keep beefing, that will mean the death of both of your projects. Even more people will stop watching Walker, and this SPN prequel will never get picked up due to the scandal." So, the two "made nice" publicly to quell the chaos, but in my opinion, it's all too little too late. Jared started a storm that he can't contain now with a little tweet, and it seems like he knows that too because before he talked about him and Jensen making up, he asked that people "not send threats". He could have just as easily said that he shouldn't have made this a public issue and that he's sorry, but instead, he continued to play the victim and stoke the flames by alerting us all to the damage he's done.

Now, like I said before-- I used to give him the benefit of the doubt. I don't think he's an awful human or that he deserves to be attacked or anything, but he is an adult man with very poor judgment and an obvious selfish-streak a mile wide. He should know better, and he should have more respect for his so-called "friends" and "brothers" than to make them targets to public ridicule. I have a hard time believing that Jensen still sees Jared the way he used to, and I wouldn't blame him a bit for wanting to pull away-- especially when he's moving on to so many new and exciting things. Jared certainly deserves happiness just as much as anyone else, but he went on twitter and basically asked for a scandal, and he got one.

The question is now-- was there a motive behind it? Was just looking for a reason to bring his and Jensen's falling out to light-- while making himself looking like the victim in the process? Or did he genuinely not know about the prequel and just decided to go about "not knowing" in the most toxic and hurtful way he could manage?

In any case, that is the drama ... that is the J2 insanity in a rather lengthy nutshell ... that is the tea ... and I hope it all makes sense.

But the good news out of all of this is, Cockles is thriving-- they are happy and in love and Jensen calls Misha "Babe" and Misha misses waking up to see Jensen in the morning, and they are just as cute and wonderful as can be.

So, I will end that there. I am so glad to see you back, and I hope I answered all your questions in a way that made sense ... I tried anyway!

💖💖💖

#omg #I don't even know if this makes sense #this took way too long to write #j2 #cockles #long post #spn family #so glad you see you back again my dear #welcome to hell #it's hotter now

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jaeheewillalwaysbemyfav · 3 years

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helloooooo!! can i request some headcanons for the demon brothers with a MC that is Non Binary but is afab and insecure about being afab and doesnt feel like they are Non Binary. platonic or romantic either one is fine. thank you. also Jaehee is a Queen period.

I haven’t had Mystic Messenger installed on my phone for like a year and this blog is mostly, if not exclusively Obey Me rn, but I refuse to change my url because it remains true. Jaehee is the best and deserves the world <3

Also don’t mind me casually throwing in some Devildom/Celestial Realm gender headcanons as an intro~

Warnings: Mentions of gender dysphoria, internalized transphobia, insecurity gang rise up. I’ll try and keep it more general since this is meant to be a comfort/fluff piece.

The Brothers With an Insecure (AFAB) Nonbinary MC

As a whole, the Devildom doesn’t really do traditional gender. The variety in demons’ and fallen angels’ appearances makes for such a diversity of body types that markers of femininity and masculinity are easier to disregard. It’s commonplace to provide one’s pronouns along with their name when meeting someone new, and any changes in a demon’s presentation are noted with little more fanfare than a new haircut.

Even angels don’t really get preoccupied with gender: in fact, as MC discovered one day while talking with Luke and Simeon, most barely grasp the concept of what a gender is. Simeon had mentioned that this occasionally resulted in him forgetting the genders of his characters, resulting in TSL being extremely popular among transgender and nonbinary fandom communities.

But MC is not from the Devildom, nor are they from the Celestial Realm. They’re from the human world, with its reductive views on bodies, presentation, and identity. A year in the Devildom can’t erase a lifetime of cissexism.

Some days, it wears on them more than others.

Lucifer

Lucifer is always aware when MC’s self image starts wavering

As someone who has fought tooth and nail to remain true to himself, he understands the struggle of facing resistance to this

But the idea of it coming from within is somewhat foreign to him

Nonetheless, he’ll do anything within his power to make MC feel better

Will calmly, but firmly assert that MC is the only one who can determine their identity

It’s not about how they were born or raised, but who they know themself to be deep down

If it’s their gender dysphoria making them feel invalid, he’ll try and minimize it however he can

Need a different RAD uniform? No problem. Worried about being perceived a certain way? Anyone who stares at MC for too long or even dares to make a comment about their presentation is getting the Lucifer Death Glare.

Physical/body dysphoria? The Devildom has tons of temporary and permanent solutions for that, they can try whatever they’d like

It is vital for the success of the exchange program that all the students feel comfortable and well-accommodated

Also MC is very dear to him and he hates to see them suffering

Mammon

As soon as he notices MC is upset, he is READY TO FITE

Who’s been messing with them?!

What? They don’t feel like they’re really nonbinary? Are they questioning again, or—

Oh. Oh…

Well that’s stupid! What do you mean you don’t “look nonbinary”?! What’s there to look like? Humans are so weird about this stuff, look: you want to know what someone’s deal is, you ask! And their answer? That’s it! End of story, there ya go!

It’s not so simple in the human world, MC tries to explain

Mammon huffs and mumbles something about how it should be, but he can see this avenue isn’t making MC feel better

It seems whatever junk ideas the human world has about gender really gets into people’s heads…

Well, whenever Mammon wants to take his mind off of something, he opts for something exciting! Hitting the casino, making new plans that’ll definitely work this time, maybe even try and pull a prank on one of his brothers…?

But if MC just wants to cuddle and watch some mindless TV or play video games he doesn’t mind doing that either…

Leviathan

Levi knows, without fault, every single TSL characters’ pronouns and identities, if and how they change through the series, and between different media adaptations

He can (and will) list all the nonbinary characters like a gender Pokemon Rap, with special attention on those who match MC’s presentation and/or AGAB

(Not that AGAB is essential or even always available information, but dysphoria is not a rational creature, and Levi is very familiar with irrational emotions)

Would MC say that any of these characters aren’t really nonbinary because of how they look or how they started out? Then why are they any different?

But if something about their appearance is really bothering them, he might have a solution

Cosplay

Well, sort of

Crossplayers use all sorts of techniques to masculinize or feminize their appearance when necessary, and Levi’s pretty familiar with most of them

So if MC wants to try some out to see if it makes them feel more comfortable, he wouldn’t mind showing them! You know… if they’re… interested…

Also double-checks to make sure it’s okay that he calls them his “Henry” and assures them that it’s about the character’s role and personality, and not some sort of gender-based comparison

Unless... they like the comparison? andwouldliketocosplayasHenrytohisLordofShadows??

Satan

Who said this to you, MC.

Names. Now.

Boy gets frothing mad when MC explains it’s a societal and cultural problem, not an individual one, that fuels their insecurity.

If they don’t want to hear an hour long rant about the rich history of human gender expression and identity, they need to cut him off fast

If he could maim the concept of transphobia, he would

But alas, this is not a problem that can be solved (entirely) with violence

So he has to find other ways to show his support

Ask him about any notable trans, nonbinary, or otherwise gender nonconforming figures from human or demon history. He’ll happily tell MC all about them.

But, at the end of the day? In his opinion, there’s one person that shines above the rest

Someone who braved the longest odds, who persisted against the fiercest enemies and even turned them into their closest friends

Who saw others at their worst and sought to bring out the best in them…

*stage whispers* He’s talking about you

If there’s anyone who’s going to believe in the right to self determination and the irrelevance of your origins to your present identity, it’s Satan

And if anyone ever does try to tell MC that their doubts about themself are true?

Just give him their name and don’t ask questions

Asmodeus

So they’re worried about being too feminine? Is there such a thing?

If that’s the case, they can be “too feminine” together

Asmo’s gender nonconformity has earned him praise all throughout his life, so the idea of being ashamed of such a thing is alien to him

But he does know what it’s like to have an audience who expects a specific image from you

And the fear of disappointing them

But gender isn’t a performance

Well, it is, sometimes, poor choice of words: but it’s a performance for you

Asmo presents the way he does because it’s what makes him happy, same with the rest of the brothers

MC shouldn’t be any different

If they’re looking for a more masculine wardrobe or just want a change of pace, he’ll happily help them find clothes that make them feel more comfortable, but his main concern is that they know they’re free to wear what they’d like, act how they’d like, and it doesn’t change who they are

Whatever image they want to make of themself, he can get them there, but only if it’s because they want it, not because it’s what they think they’re supposed to be like, okay?

Beelzebub

When MC first confesses to Beel that they feel like they’re not really nonbinary because of their body, he kinda looks around and gestures as if to say “really? Down here?”

Has MC ever noticed that RAD doesn’t have gendered sports teams?

Yeah, if they separated people by something as irrelevant as gender or Diavolo forbid, sex, people would get seriously injured or worse

There are so many ways to be a man or a woman or a nonbinary person, and they’re not always what you’d expect

Some of Beel’s best teammates and scariest opponents look and act nothing like you’d expect them to

If they’re feeling disconnected from their body, Beel is totally down to work out with them, keep them grounded in all the good their body does for them and that they can do for it

And yes, also the good food their body lets them experience

He also definitely reaches out and gives their hand a lil squeeze if he ever notices them feeling down while they’re out together

He cares for them a lot and just wants them to be happy at the end of the day

Belphegor

Oh yeah, that’s one of the stupidest things about the human world

Belphie remembers being mistaken for a woman a lot when he used to visit the human world, and how confused he was when people got into such a tizzy over his gender

Why waste all that energy on something that doesn’t matter? If you must know, just ask the person and be done with it

It doesn’t matter what they look like

MC is MC

If they say they’re nonbinary, that’s good enough for him

If they don’t want to be touched, especially in certain places tiddy pillow naps, he might get pouty, but he’s all bark and no bite, he’ll respect their wishes

His approach to making MC feel better is more geared towards normalizing their identity

If he accepts it as a fact, then maybe they’ll catch on that people will respect them if they know what’s good for them?

Also, if they hear him mumbling about correct pronouns and punching transphobes in his sleep… No they didn’t. He’s not dreaming about them, he swears...

#obey me #obey me imagines #obey me headcanons #obey me shall we date #om:swd #mine #my writing #lucifer #mammon #leviathan #satan #asmodeus #beelzebub #belphegor #tldr; they all love and support you!!!

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summerofspock · 3 years

Text

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

135 which is frankly an embarrasingly high number. I GOT a BIT carried away there for a second.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

1,504,440. See note above.

3. How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

Good omens primarily over the last two years. Then Star Trek before that. I’ve had a Game of Thrones interlude and a quick dash of Avatar the Last Airbender.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

Just One More (It Couldn’t Hurt) - Porny vulcan hand kisses fic of MANY YEARS AGO

Car Trouble - Good Omens Mechanic/Professor Human Au

Under Construction - Good Omens Lumberjack PNW Hallmark AU

Ideal Partner - Good Omens canonverse getting together fic

Green Things Are Flowers Too - Good Omens Angsty Dowling Era fake relationship fic

5. Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

I used to be super consistent and then fell off when Car Trouble got popular and that coincided with my migraine flares and I just couldn’t keep up. It was either write fic or respond to comments and I chose to keep writing.

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

HAHAHAHAHA WELL I’ve got a few series I never fleshed out including of joints and of marrow and devil like me that basically are just angst fests and may never get resolved.

7. Do you write crossovers? If so what is the craziest one you’ve written?

I wrote ONE. Star Trek/Good Omens of course. Small Miracles.

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Lol yes. Let’s run it down. Car Trouble for not depicting safe sex correctly. The follow up to car trouble for not depicting addiction correctly. Angel’s Temptation for writing het. And in general people are dick’s sometimes if they dont like the way your story goes and think they could do better. I used to get in a tizzy over it. I ignore it now.

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

Every single fic i linked up there is rated E. So yes.

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Nope!

11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yeah a couple! It was so cool and I felt really honored!

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

Yeah! I finally co-wrote with @naromoreau recently and it was one of the most fun fandom experiences I’ve had. I’ve also collabed with some artists to the point I feel like it was almost co-writing.

13. What’s your all time favorite ship?

Probably spirk. If my fascination with good omens dies down, that’s where I’ll return.

14. What’s a WIP you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

Those series I mentioned unforch. I just don’t have those angst levels in me!

15. What are your writing strengths?

SPEED. Lol no um I’m good at smut and uhhhhhh putting in just enough detail to get the point across without bogging it down. I think i can write a oneshot like a boss.

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

Sometimes I think my angst is too angsty. I don’t know how to do medium angst lmao

17. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

Go ahead? I guess I don’t know! It makes sense imo

18. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Star Trek! My first love!

19. What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

Grossly Undeserved. A Star Trek fic where Kirk is the professor instead of Spock

Thank you to indieninja and ashfae for the tags <3

#summer chats and gazes at her navel

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beccathebiscuitbaker · 3 years

Text

✨DEH Fic Recommendation Time✨

I haven't ever done this before, but there's a first time for everything! All of these stories have made me feel more connected to the fandom and I have enjoyed each of these!

🌻 remember be by @vividxpages 🌻

After a car accident, Connor lost his memory of the most important person in his life. Evan and him were supposed to get married, but since Evan is practically a stranger again, both of them have to figure out how to move on together. - Will Connor give Evan a chance and fall in love with him all over again? Or is there too much hurt and loss to rebuild their relationship again?

Read it at: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30056553/chapters/74017983

🌻Wherever You Stray I'll Follow by ZoeWithNoY on ao3 🌻

But wondering wasn’t going to do her any good, so Zoe takes a deep breath and forces herself to get up from the edge of the tub and walk to the counter. On the count of three she would look.

One. It was going to be nothing, she had nothing to be freaked out about. Two. She was being crazy, working herself up into a tizzy for no reason. She was just stressed. Three.

And Zoe can’t believe it when she sees two lines on the test and the dark circle around pregnant.

She reads it over and over again, her hand covering her mouth stifling any sound that might escape even though no one was home to hear it. How was this test positive? How was this even possible?

Read it at: https://archiveofourown.org/works/31239377/chapters/77217626#workskin

(Also someone please let me know if they have a Tumblr I didn't find any links)

🌻So if you're lonely, Darling you're glowing (If you're lonely come be lonely with me) by @maybe-i-should-try-harder 🌻

"The dude's in love with you, you know that, right?" Connor said, with this- smirk, weird smirk. a hurt smirk? plastered on his face.

Evan gapes at him like a fish "Um- Jared? N-, No, No! He's just my- family friend."

Connor barks a laugh at that, Either that or Evan's red face.

"Are you serious? Oh my god. Try kissing him, See how he'll react then."

And that's how our dear Evan Hansen, Kisses Jared. That's his impulse. A terrible one, really.

Read it at: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28793862/chapters/70612806

🌻The Pact by @clytemenestras 🌻

“I wish that anything I said mattered to anyone. Let’s face it, would anyone notice if I disappeared tomorrow? You, you wrote that. You meant that.”

Evan swallows, the motion getting caught in his throat. He lifts one pathetic shoulder in a half-hearted shrug. “I mean,” he says softly. “Yeah.”

“So why haven’t you done it yet?”

[Complete.]

Read it at: https://archiveofourown.org/works/32930518/chapters/81727933

🌻omissions by @kachinnate 🌻

He lifts his good hand, pressing his fingers against his cheek, trying to retether himself to the ground in literally any way he could. He’s fine. He’s fine.

He was fine.

Even if Jared hadn’t been at his locker this morning.

(Or: Jared is dead, and Evan isn't sure how he's allowed to feel.)

Read it at: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25029880/chapters/60614626

🌻The Sudden Obliteration of Expectation by JuietRose on ao3 🌻

The majority of Evan’s thoughts after falling were not very coherent. Most of it was fairly obvious and to be expected after failing to kill yourself: there was the realization of what happened, the crushing sense of failure, and the pain. The pain was blinding. His head spun and it felt like gravity was working in reverse. But all of that was still preferable to what came after he went numb.

Read it at: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24356497/chapters/58735132

Okay, I know this was a lot, but I can get behind damn near every ship in this fandom and wanted to provide a variety. Love to all the writers and everyone who actually looked at this!

#dear evan hansen #connor murphy #evan hansen #treebros #jared kleinman #kleinsen #zoe murphy #bandtrees #deh #fic recommendation #broadway #dear evan hansen movie

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shimmershae · 3 years

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My thoughts on Caryl canon--as if you lovelies actually asked, lol, go a little something like this.

We’re getting a spin-off.

I know the antis and the haters are doing whatever is in their limited, petty ass power to sink said spin-off and who knows? Maybe they will somehow succeed (highly doubtful). But they can piss and moan about it all they want and they still will not be able to change the fact that a spin-off is and has been planned.

To hear Kang and Norman and Melissa talk, it’s been in the planning stages for quite awhile.

Coincidentally (I think not), Carol’s story (Daryl’s too but I’m going to focus more on Carol here) started to become a little more defined around the time that this spin-off idea was born. It might not have been obvious at the time, maybe it still isn’t quite yet--we’ve been burned so much over the years--but Kang pumped the brakes and reversed course on a storyline that has seen Carol sentenced to continually rolling a stone up a steep hill for what has felt like all eternity. She started dismantling the relationship between Carol and EZ really before it found its feet and not only that? She cut the anchor of Henry from around Carol’s ankle.

Now at first, the deconstruction of the Kingdom family unit seemed like more of the same, essentially another misery arc for Carol, and to a certain extent it was. But the thing is?

Kang might have shoved Carol harshly to the ground and given her a kick for good measure, several in fact, but something that might be lost a bit in the shuffle of everybody crying this is nothing but rinse and repeat of the same old, same old, is the fact that Carol has clawed her way out of yet another abyss and whether she’s wanted to or not, she’s starting to feel it. All the losses she’s endured along the way, and she’s learning how to stand on her feet and rise in spite of them.

All those little boxes she’s shoved her past traumas into are popping open one by one and the ghosts are spilling out and she’s having to face them head on and that’s just as much thanks to Daryl as anything else because he’s been right there with her.

Daryl, who she sees. Daryl, who she can’t lose.

The above statements have always been true, but Kang’s added another little wrinkle to this relationship.

Daryl, who Carol dreams about a life of domestic peace with.

It’s a shift in Carol’s perception of Daryl’s role/potential role in her life that’s perhaps too subtle for some. Or maybe, just maybe, it was the first warning shot to them. The one that made them sit up and take notice.

I know which one I think it was. Do you?

Remember. The spin-off had already been conceived at this point. The groundwork to lead these two out of their status quo had already been started. That’s important. That nugget informs everything that’s unfolded onscreen since.

Leadership was thrust upon Daryl in the latter part of Season 9 and the whole of Season 10 and he rose to meet that mantle, but through all of that? Carol and her mental, emotional, and physical well-being remained a priority to him.

What’s more, Daryl Dixon ‘manned up’ and stepped outside of his comfort zone. He found his words and used them to tell Carol all the different ways that he could without shoving them both off of a precipice they weren’t completely ready for how he felt.

Seriously. How much more explicit can you get than “we have a future?” Than offering multiple times to run away together?

Those weren’t just aimless shots in the dark, although many took them to be. We all know who they are.

Again, we’re getting a spin-off. It’s in the planning stages at least. Kang might not have all the pit stops mapped out but I do think she’s got a general destination in mind. She’s just making a few stops to fuel up and get supplies first.

Let me ask ya’ll something. To any outsider, anybody that might live underneath a rock and might not have seen an actual episode of TWD, how do you think this plot might read to them? Without any physical descriptors, without knowing these two characters’ history as longtime friends and even with knowing it, what do you think they might glean from the fact that Kang has chosen to lead them back to each other? That she has chosen to emphasize the strength of their bond before pushing at its limits until it is so strained it has no choice but to either break permanently or weave itself tighter together with a new type of thread?

Once again, I am going to remind anybody reading this that there is a spin-off in the works. A spin-off featuring Carol AND Daryl.

Carol and Daryl’s relationship over the years and seasons has evolved from strangers to friends to best friends and now? Now they seem to be standing at the edge of a cliff staring into the unknown because seemingly Kang has decided to deconstruct their relationship. She’s in the process of breaking it down into its base parts right now and causing Carol in particular to really examine what it is that she wants.

She’s already given us all, Carol included, hints along the way.

She’s paralleled these two characters’ separate journeys to each others’ sides.

We’re ten years in. With a spin-off impending and a bit of a been there, done that aspect hovering over the whole Carol and Daryl friendship, does anybody other than the antis and haters really and truly believe that Kang is deconstructing Carol and Daryl’s relationship only to return it to its original state?

Does anybody really believe that there aren’t various romantic tropes being employed here? That this story is being framed in anything other than an unabashedly shippy way? Seriously. How many fucking times has the sheer LONGING between these two jumped literally out of the screen and attacked us with its intensity?

Pining has taken on a whole new meaning and yet, there are so many still (willfully) blind.

Or maybe they’re not as blind as they claim. Maybe they see the writing on the wall that so many that have actually longed for Carol and Daryl to take this step are afraid to really hope for and that’s why they are big time mad and ramping up their efforts to delegitimize romantic Carol and Daryl before it can be an undeniable reality. Maybe that’s why so many of them are having hissy tizzy fits over a spin-off that was born in spite of what they claim is their majority.

My personal opinion is too many exposed nerves are being hit and hit rather forcefully with a narrative that is becoming more overtly romantic all the time.

Kang is bright-lighting us all with Caryl canon and because of past events some of fandom is still too stunned to see it coming.

The rest sees it but some of them are still in big time denial. They think they can keep speeding ahead and force it to swerve completely off the road.

I don’t know about ya’ll but I’m going to respectfully pull over to the side of the road, do a U-turn, and follow these two to New Mexico and beyond.

#The Walking Dead #Caryl #Carol x Daryl #Carol Peletier #Daryl Dixon #Melissa McBride #Norman Reedus #gorgeous people #my precious babies in love #things that make me smile

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snowdice · 3 years

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Little Kestrel (Part 28)[Birds of Different Feathers Series]

Fandom: Sanders Sides

Relationships: Logan & Patton & Virgil (future Virgil/Patton but not in this story)

Characters:

Main: Logan, Patton, Virgil

Appear: Thomas

Mentioned: Janus

Summary:

It was supposed to be a quick job either way. Either Virgil would assassinate King Thomas of Prijaznia or he’d be caught and get executed. Yet, when Virgil gets the wrong bedroom and gets caught by Prince Logan and his future royal advisor, Patton, the job ends up getting way more complicated for the 14-year-old. He also ends up sleeping in a (actually pretty comfortable) closet for a few weeks…

Notes: Implied/referenced child abuse, assassination attempt, knives, torture mentioned, captivity, teenagers being really dumb, sexual coercion of minors implied, a minor offering sexual favors

This is a prequel to Kill Dear. I wrote it 100 words at a time on my blog, but this is the edited version. If you want to see how it was crafted (and possibly some future content), look at the tag proofread stories.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17 Part 18 Part 19 Part 20 Part 21 Part 22 Part 23 Part 24 Part 25 Part 26 Part 27

Thomas did not have to be told that something had gotten Helen Heart in a tizzy. He could tell just by the amount of food she had sent up on his dinner tray. She always made and pushed more food when she was stressed, and he couldn’t help but chuckle when he found both a hearty serving of roast beef and a mini chicken pot pie on his plate along with three vegetable side dishes and a side of macaroni and cheese.

He could also guess what had happened to illicit such a response. Thomas had caught up to Jeffers Deknis in his garden and they’d spoken at length about Logan and Patton’s new friend, Virgil. Considering the fact that Helen and Jeff had scheduled gossip hours daily, there was no way that after said discussion, Jeff had not mentioned Virgil (and more importantly his friendship with Patton) to Helen. There was also no way that Helen had heard the words “child” and “too small” in a sentence and had not had an entire conniption. From there the inevitable sequence of events was clear: Patton went home, Helen talked his ear off until he agreed to bring Virgil to meet her, Helen met him and immediately committed herself to making sure he ate three square meals as well as multiple snacks a day.

Thomas had sussed all of that out before the kitchen worker bringing him his dinner had confirmed his thoughts about what must have happened earlier in the day. He decided to wait until after dinner should have been cleaned up before walking his own dinner leftovers down to the kitchens.

Thomas was unsurprised to see Jeff already there when he arrived. He was seated at a small table off to the side where kitchen workers usually took their breaks. The only person other than Jeff and Helen left in the kitchen was a dishwasher who was finishing up. Helen usually spent a couple of hours after dinner in her kitchen or her office organizing for the next day and in case anyone needed food on an off hour, and then there was a night cook who would take over so she could go back to her set of rooms later.

Helen took the tray of leftovers from Thomas herself and shooed the dishwasher out of the way. “I’ll handle the rest myself,” she told the girl. “You can leave.”

She nodded and started to take her apron off. Helen dumped the tray on the counter without care and turned back around to usher Thomas into one of the kitchen chairs. Thomas went willingly and she turned to fill the tea kettle with water and set it on the stove.

“I take it she met Virgil,” Thomas said to Jeff.

“She’s adopted Virgil,” Jeff replied, taking a bite out of a cookie.

“And what of it?” she asked. “Someone obviously needs to feed the boy. Speaking of, you’re grounding your son by the way.”

Thomas took one of the cookies for himself. “Of course. Why am I grounding him and for how long?” he asked.

“He was worried enough about his health to make him a nutrition potion, but still did not bring him to me,” she harrumphed. “So, forever.”

“I see,” Thomas replied. “Perhaps a week then.”

“In Logan’s defense,” Jeff interrupted. “the boy seems rather timid. He may have worried about you scaring him off.”

Helen slapped him with a dishtowel.

“Two days would be better,” Jeff concluded, then frowned. “From what I’ve gathered he didn’t have contact with anyone baring the one time I saw him until now.”

“Any adults,” Thomas corrected with a frown. “I’m pretty sure he, Patton, and Logan must have been around each other considering how close they already seem to be.” He paused, “Logan implied he wasn’t particularly… comfortable around adults.”

“I did get that impression, yes,” Helen said, pouring the hot water from the kettle into a tea pot and carrying it and some cups over to the table.

“He was incredibly jumpy,” Jeff confirmed. “I imagine he does not have good experiences with many people, but he seems to have grown attached to Logan and Patton. He defers to them in most things and seemed a bit protective.

“Where did he come from?” Thomas asked.

“I’m not sure,” Jeff said. “I found him hiding in the garden shed a couple of weeks ago.”

“Did he sneak in?” Thomas asked.

“That’s what I would have thought,” Jeff replied, “but when I asked, he said he wasn’t trying to steal anything and that he was supposed to be in the castle. So, I’d assumed that meant he was the child of someone living here.”

“But neither of us could find anyone who knew him,” Helen said. “Of course, we didn’t even know his name until now.” She seemed to decide the tea leaves had sat long enough because she started to pour them each a cup of tea.

Thomas took a sip. “Earl Grey,” he commented. “I guess I’m not sleeping much tonight.” It was her ‘planning tea.’

“We need a plan,” she said, “but we’re going to have to be gentle.” She paused.

“At least with Virgil,” Jeff said.

Thomas laughed lightly, “and what do you plan to do with the other two?”

“I have my ways.”

Helen rolled her eyes. “You say that,” she said, “but you’re too soft. You don’t even want us to ground them half the time. The two of them learned to run circles around you and your powers years ago.”

“We should talk to them though,” Thomas said. “Separately from Virgil.”

“We should,” Helen agreed. “I already spoke to Patton a bit yesterday, but I will again. We should see if we can ask around and find out why he’s in the castle. We don’t even know how long he’s lived here. Or who brought him here.” The look on her face told Thomas she wanted to have a talk with his guardians whoever and wherever they were. She took a drink of tea, seemingly to calm herself. “We need to make sure whatever has been happening to him is not happening in these walls,” she said.

Thomas had honestly… not thought about that. He’d assumed whatever made Virgil so skittish was in the past, but it was possible that it was ongoing. The thought made him sick.

“Perhaps you should try to talk to him, Thomas,” Helen suggested.

Thomas winced. “I am not sure that is a good idea...”

“Why not?”

“We don’t have the best track record… I don’t think me being around him would be a good idea.”

“Oh, please, Thomas,” Helen said disbelievingly.

“No, you don’t understand,” Thomas said. “He seems disproportionately afraid of me. I think it’s a mix of me being king and how we met.”

“How did you meet?” Helen asked.

“I… gave him a bit of a fright,” Thomas admitted. “Logan and Patton weren’t in the room and I didn’t know who he was. He… ended up under the bed. Then… the second time I saw him he accidently ran into me. He freaked out again.” The memory still made Thomas feel gross. It also made him think there was a lot more to his backstory than the three of them understood.

“Perhaps Jeff can try to talk to him then,” Helen said. “It sounds like he was calmest around you. I’ll push Patton towards taking him to the garden more often. I bet fresh air would do him some good anyway.”

Jeff nodded. “I’ll try to talk to him whenever I can.”

“Great,” Helen said, but Thomas already knew the conversation wasn’t over. “Now we need to talk about strategic events to throw over the next few months that Patton and Logan will invite Virgil to. We’ll start slow, but we need to make sure he feels welcome in the castle.”

Thomas met Jeff’s eyes. Yeah, it was going to be a long night.

Want to read more? Click below!

Part 29 Part 30 Part 31 Part 32 Part 33 Part 34 Part 35 Part 36 Part 37 Part 38 Part 39 Part 40 Part 41

#sanders sides #logan sanders #patton sanders #virgil sanders #character thomas sanders #adriana writes #little kestrel #birds of different feathers #not pieces fic #implied/referenced child abuse #assassination attempt #past torture #captivity

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bigskydreaming · 3 years

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Thinking about Kings of the Sky and Jason's titans. Kid Devil, Beast Boy, and Danny Chase are shoo ins. Who else? Arisia Rrab would fit. Sprout? (Damn a lot of options are sexually controversial.)

LOL actually I do have the full, extended lineup of Jason's Titans in that AU all figured out:

Here's the initial post explaining the background of my fave Jason ship, JasonTom, and possible choices for Jason's teammates and my reasons for each.

And here's the post laying out the finalized list of Jason's lineup of Titans and who each one's respective mentor from Dick's lineup is.

Beast Boy is solidly a member of Dick's lineup because this AU only diverges from canon around the point where the Garzonas case happened, and despite being younger than a lot of the others, Gar was still well established as one of Dick's Titans by then. And tbh, Vic and Gar are one of my fave dynamics and I can't imagine not writing them as BFFs forever, which just works better with them in the same age range. One of my biggest RAGE, I RAGE, DC! changes to the New 52 was them aging down Gar and Raven, because I just love their friendships among the NTT so much and just look at that choice and get stuck on a loop of going yup, that was a choice that happened alright, but WHY was it a choice and does it HAVE to be a choice? Let's make it not a choice that happened.

Danny Chase floats in a kinda in between state between Dick and Jason's lineups, due to his age and established dynamics with the characters present here. This goes AU well before Titans Hunt so Danny, Joey, Arella et al don't die as they did there, so he never becomes Phantasm, so he's kinda the slightly older, more experienced confidante to Jason's generation of Titans and is like lol yeah fuck the older Titans, I heavily endorse you doing anything and everything that will make them groan in exasperation, particularly Dick.

Kid Devil I didn't make part of the lineup because I most primarily associate him with being part of Tim's lineup of Titans during the year of Countdown/52, and okay that's also clearly a total cop out since I made Amy one of Jason's lineup and she was literally a traitor on that same lineup of Tim's so what is the truth, me, hmm??

Okay, lol lbr, the reason I didn't include Eddie was total pettiness/personal reasons. I just kinda have a.....grudge, I guess you could say, against his character for the way his 100% offscreen friendship with Jason is hyped by a lot of Jason's fans while they actively ignore the ON the page moments we got between Dick and Jason back then, where Dick actively tried to build a relationship with Jason, and they just default to being like "no. Dick hated Jason. Is canon. No shut up it totally is."

And then two seconds later its like okay and now let's talk about Jason and Eddie's epic friendship which consists of two whole pages referencing them being pen pals and teaming up one time pre-Crisis (which again, was where Dick and Jason's brotherly relationship truly lived and we saw tons of at the exact same time, so its like okay so Eddie and Jason, still BFFs forever because of a couple pages, but Dick and Jason, mortal enemies because Dickhead was an asswipe to Jason all those times we didn't actually see because he wasn't actually an asswipe. Got it!)

LOL so the point is, that discrepancy, let's call it, just annoys me on principle. When its like, painfully obvious that almost an entire fandom's view of Dick and Jason's dynamic is contrived and literally just a choice Big Name Fans with a large influence over what new fans do and don't know, like, made a long time ago, and people just decided that oh okay, we can hype the hell out of two pages of bonding with a character most people don't even know exists while ignoring multiple repeated displays of genuine sibling affection between brothers just because we don't like that narrative and prefer Jason be misunderstood and resented by his brother for Reasons, I'm just like.....mmm, don't love that.

As you can see, it gets me easily worked up into a tizzy, lmao, and while I don't MIND being in a tizzy while posting meta thoughts all tizzily, I prefer not to WRITE write while in a state of being tizzified, and so I just decided to swerve around making Eddie a Titan here and putting a lot of focus on his and Jason's friendship, since I don't trust myself to be objective and nonpetty about writing it. I'm just like...eh, I don't want to write them, and I know and understand why I'm making that choice, so I'm fine with it. *Shrugs*

(Which is basically what I actually always argue for people to do more of so I try to take my own advice. Like, I truly don't think anyone should HAVE to write characters they aren't thrilled about, lol, like why would they, but I just believe its better to just be fucking honest about the why of it and own it, even if just to yourself, so that it doesn't leak into the actual writing in the form of like, resentment that you feel you HAVE to write someone you don't actually want to invest page time and effort into.)

So for the record, Eddie and Jason ARE still friends in this, they do still have that penpal relationship, just modernized, and I didn't do away with that or anything, I just keep it mostly just referenced and happening off the page while on page I focus on the lineup I outlined above and the friendships I develop there.

Arisia and Sprout just didn't come up when picking my lineup because I'm not as familiar with their characters and at this point there's already so many characters even peripherally in the mix that its unlikely I'll throw them in, but eh, you never know. Most of the people I did pick though are like, C and D list faves that I always thought had mega untapped potential DC remains committed to untapping, because I can delve the hell into characters like that, with all the gusto.

So yeah. That's the What and the Why of all that story direction!

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