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scarrletmoon · 8 months

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okay i know the Discourse™️ has been going on for way too long at this point, but

i think some people outside of the OFMD fandom don’t actually get why we’re particularly annoying about this show

OFMD is not the first queer show to ever exist. if anything, it's a late entry in decades of queer media. over a year and a half since the first few episodes aired, everyone knows that OFMD is queer. that doesn't make it particularly special

but back in March? this is the trailer that dropped in February of 2022, 2 weeks before the premier. if you're used to seeing queer chemistry in shows that aren't intended to be queer, you might see the hints between Ed and Stede here. but to most people? it's just a silly little pirate comedy. just guys being dudes. the trailer doesn't even hint at the other 2 canonical queer relationships in the show -- the closest it gets suggesting romance is the music and the pink in the poster

so when people watched this show in March 2022, they went into it expecting subtext and nothing else. to them, it was like watching Sherlock or Supernatural or Merlin in the 2010s. if you were in any of those fandoms -- especially Sherlock and Supernatural -- you know what it was like; constant jokes at our expense, being mocked for creating explicit fanwork, made fun of by the creators and within the show itself. if we saw queer subtext, that was our problem. this was a time when you pretended NOT to be in fandom, for fear of ridicule. we kept our fanwork to ourselves, we DID NOT share it with the cast, and we accepted that our favourite ships would probably never be canon. maybe one day, if we were lucky, we'd have a show where the subtext wasn't mockery as much as deliberate foreshadowing -- but that had to be YEARS away

right?

OFMD was never billed as a queer show, not in the beginning. there was no LGBTQ+ tag on (HBO) Max, it wasn't on anyone's list of upcoming queer shows in 2022, it flew under the radar through most of its first season. this was a show about pirates, and sure, some of them were queer. but not the LEADS. if you think they're romantically involved, that's must be fandom brain poisoning

except the 9th episode aired, and they kissed. and the show said "you're not crazy for thinking they have chemistry because they really do. it's been a romance this whole time". and in the 10th episode, Stede realizes that he's in love

(not mandating you watch this clip if you don't care for the show, but there's something that feels particularly earth shattering about no one saying the word gay but knowing that Stede's realizing he is, that it's completely unambiguous and explicit in a way that only straight romances are usually allowed to be)

this is why people freaked out about this show. no one knew. even the creator, David Jenkins, was surprised when WE were surprised that it was gay for real -- he set out to write a love story, using all the tried and true beats of a rom com. he'd never even heard of the term queerbaiting. he looked at historical Blackbeard and Stede Bonnet and thought "oh, there's something here" and just...wrote that, with very little fanfare, like it was inevitable. like it was obvious. of course Jim and Pam end up together. of course Buttercup and Westley end up together. what kind of disappointing ending would it be if You've Got Mail ended with the main characters just going their separate ways?

so of course Ed and Stede are in love

look, i get it. we're annoying and won't shut the fuck up about this show that seems mediocre at best. i watched the whole thing back in march, thought "huh, that was cool" and was sure that i'd forget about it in a few days

an hour after looking at fanart on twitter, i was lost in the fucking sauce

there's just so much to unpack from a mere 10 episodes. it covers racism, toxic masculinity, gender expression, sexuality, trauma and abuse. and i don't think we should overlook the fact that the non-white characters in this show get to be fully human in a way i haven't seen in my favourite shows in recent memory

additionally, most OFMD are 25 or older. we're not people who've been spoiled by queer rep, who don't get how hard it used to be, how you'd have to grovel for scraps, how shipping and fanfiction was a way to find queer rep where we thought there never would be. we've been here. we're annoying about this show because for a lot of us, it's the first time we've been treated like our queerness isn't an anomaly that needs to be relegated to its own section, that needs to be praised for the bare minimum of acknowledging that we exist. it's not pulling punches to avoid scaring away a straight audience. it just is.

OFMD for me is like when i watched Black Panther for the first time and realized that this is what white people felt all the time. have there been other black superhero movies? of course! does Disney fucking suck? BOY does it. but that was the first time i got to sit in a movie theater and watch a mainstream film that looked at Africa and said "look at how beautiful you are, exactly as you are"

and idk. i think that's really cool

#scarrlet rambles #ofmd #cant wait for all 5 notes on this post #and dont be fucking mean i'm not trying to start shit #anon is off btw if you want to try that #we're going to have a productive conversation or none at all we're adults here #for some reason tumblr didn't save my links and stuff THANKS TUMBLR #anyway the typo version is floating around now i guess 🥲

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starrystevie · 1 year

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based on this headcanon i posted previously!

"what do you mean you've never had a valentine?"

eddie rolls his eyes and swings his arms across his front as if to gesture to his entire being at steve's question.

"consider me flattered that you think all this," he gestures again, "would land me a date at all, but it's not like i even want a valentine in the first place."

they glare at each other as steve picks at his cold diner fries and eddie finishes off his strawberry milkshake. they've landed at a stand still, steve trying to figure out how eddie can experience a real valentine's day, and eddie trying to figure out how to talk steve out of whatever sympathy thing he's planning. he opens his mouth to say something, and before he can get a word out, eddie cuts him off.

"whatever you've got cookin' up in that pretty little head of yours, i want you to stop. i don't want a bullshit pity date on a fake holiday that only puts more money in the hallmark ceo's pockets. forget it."

eddie watches as a grin spreads across steve's face and he knows then and there that there's no way in hell steve will forget it.

it's four days later that eddie is packing what is bound to be the best bowl of his life, feet up on the coffee table and the wizard of oz playing faintly in the background, when he hears a knock at the trailer door. he ignores it with a huff and shakes his curls out of his face, bringing the bowl up to his lips only to be cut off by the knocking once more.

"what?!" eddie yells out. he doesn't want to get up and see who it is. he wants to wallow in the weird liminal space of self-pity and anger about capitalism and smoke weed until the flying monkeys in the movie seem even scarier than they already are. he doesn't want to deal with someone when he feels so crushingly lonely-

"it's me!" steve's voice is muffled through the door. "let me in, munson!"

something vaguely hope-shaped catches in eddie's chest before he pushes it away with a deep breath and a shake to clear his head. "open the door yourself, lazy. it's unlocked."

he hears something hit the door, a loud thump that he thinks might be steve kicking the door, and then hears the door handle rattle for a few seconds before steve clearly gives up with a groan.

"come on, a little help here?"

"this better be fucking worth it," he grumbles under his breath. eddie rolls his eyes and set the pipe down on the coffee table next to his pbr with a huff. "fine, fine, i'm coming hold your horses."

he doesn't really know what he is expecting, but steve with his arms wrapped around a bouquet of daisies, a too-big heart shaped box of chocolates, a stuffed bear and a card is at the bottom of the list. he's smiling that smile, the one that eddie takes a mental picture of and files into the steve-shaped folder in his memory every time he sees it, and he has on a stupidly charming button up shirt to go along with it all.

"what." eddie says blankly, the cold february air making him shiver as it hits his bare arms. steve thrusts the gifts towards him with an even brighter smile that has his eyes crinkling and eddie's heart thumping painfully in his chest.

"be my valentine?" steve breathes out and eddie has half a mind to pinch himself.

"steve, i don't-"

"nope," steve responds and pushes past eddie to get into the warmth of the trailer. "you don't get to say no or tell me it's stupid or that today's only a money grab for the corporate elite or whatever-"

eddie balks as steve beelines to the kitchenette to pull out a large glass to put the flowers in. "it is, though."

"-we're going to sit and order a pizza and eat these stupid, over-priced chocolates for dessert, and you're going to like it."

there's butterflies and knots and something that's too close to love fluttering around in his stomach, so eddie sits down on the edge of the arm of the couch and watches as steve finishes adjusting the bouquet.

"daisies?" eddie asks after a beat of silence.

steve beams. "they're your birth flower so i thought..."

dorothy's in the background saying something about not being in kansas and eddie feels the same.

this is all as foreign to him as tin men and scarecrows and wicked witches would be. he's never had anyone, let alone someone like steve fucking harrington, barge into his house and demand a date. he's never wanted anyone to demand a date out of him, especially on valentine's day of all days. he sees steve reach for a phone book and start searching for a pizza delivery number to call and it all feels right in a way that it probably shouldn't.

"are you fucking with me?" eddie asks. his voice feels small.

steve looks up, face smoothing out from determination to something softer, and puts the phone back in the cradle. he hesitates before grabbing the card and teddy bear, this fuzzy brown thing that's holding a heart that says 'i love you beary much', and hands them to eddie.

"not in the slightest," he tells eddie. with a wave of his hand, steve motions for eddie to open the card before pulling his hand up to his mouth to bite at his thumbnail.

the front of the card is simple, just some hearts with a 'be mine' in a fancy script, but it has eddie's breath catching anyway. it's a real card with real stupid hearts and real meaning behind it and it forces him to pause before he can open the rest. he's too cowardly to admit that he's afraid of whatever it could say.

"open it," steve says like it's the easiest thing in the world and eddie pulls his eyes away from the front of the card to see how steve is staring at the paper like it's going to burst into flames. "but don't read it out loud. please."

it's an easy request to follow. with the card open, eddie glances down to see only a few short sentences written and yet it still hits him like an arrow through his goddamn heart.

you're going to think this is a joke, the card starts, but i promise it's not. it's not pity, either. it's just some crazy little thing called love. be my valentine? xo, steve.

eddie can feel how big his eyes are, wide as dinner plates, as he looks between the card and steve who probably won't be hungry for pizza after he finishes chewing off his thumb out of nerves. a laugh sneaks out in a gust of wind through his nose and it has steve wincing despite himself, which has eddie rushing into action.

"you mean it?" he asks, wrapping his hands around steve's shoulders. their eyes meet and steve looks as scared as eddie feels as he nods with a watery laugh of his own.

"yeah, i mean it. you haven't had a valentine and what better way to start than with a harrington that is absolutely nutty over you?"

the tin man is the background singing something about having a heart while eddie's beats out of his chest as steve connects their lips in a soft kiss. and eddie might be against valentine's day, against capitalism and the mass-produced niceties that it brings to the everyday consumer, but if steve keeps pressing into him like this, it might just become his favorite holiday yet.

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gentlebeardsbarngrill · 4 months

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01/23/2024 Daily Recap

Hey all! It's been another long day, but we've got lots of new resources on how to help and things have been very busy!

=Renew As A Crew Updates=

Sources: Tumblr / Twitter / Instagram

So it sounds like some of the silence going on is related to RaaC adhering to the Global Strike with Social Media going on for Palestine this week. Please visit the sources above for more information, they also go over how to interact with each platform we're trying to woo (I didn't include that here because it's already in the Daily Renewal List)

=Cast & Crew Sightings=

As every day has been lately, the star of today was chaos dad himself, David Jenkins with that article that was mentioned last night from popverse.

Also for that matter, he's excited about being close to 80K

Dad wasn't the only one trolling max today, the Crew got deep into it to the point that caseybloys blocked quite a few of them and then they got the hashtag "#OhBloysHeMad" trending. Here are some highlights because I feel like all the tumblr folk need to know how hard twitter went today.

=== How to Help ===

As usual, please refer to the Renewal Task List for daily updates, but great news, we now have a Renewal Task List for our friends outside the US as well. Apparently there are different effort in different countries, so we split them up. Please let me know if there's anything additional / more countries you'd like to see!

Renewal Daily Task List - US

Renewal Daily Task List - Outside US

The Crew also got super creative and put up some awesome new resources for folks to use. I've added quite a few to the Renewal Daily Checklists, but if I missed any please let me know! Here's some examples:

UK Our Flag Means Death Updates

News from the UK Thank you to @lamentus1 and @libbyroseitm for the updates!

Here’s our report from the UK News from the UK As you probably know the second season of OFMD is yet to air in the UK. Today we had an email saying that an announcement about when it will be on TV and iPlayer here will happen “Incredibly soon”. We love the use of the word incredibly! In response to how helpful our contact has been with replies we sent a single email with lots of names on it thanking them. Our best predictions for when OFMD2 might air in the UK is late February or early March. Once Season 2 starts to air in the UK we think we will see a significant increase in interest in Our Flag Means Death. We are currently looking into ways to harness this energy! (Obviously we hope that we’ll be adopted before season 2 aires here, but if not…) One idea is to hold another watch party to coincide with the arrival of season 2 here. Another idea is to hold a flash mob. Possibly at the Cutty Sark in London. TBC. We’re working on ideas and would love to hear people’s thoughts! Please reach out to @lamentus1 with ideas!

= Pirate Omens Watch =

Pirate Omens Watch happened today on Twitter and will continue tomorrow through friday. For more details please reference below - I caught the second half and was a lot of fun! Lot's of parallels and great opportunities to tweet at @pricevideo about them!

== Articles ==

Max Delivered the Final Blow to the Horny, Quirky Comedy

Hungarian News: Ritkán látott összefogás egy elkaszált sorozatért

== COOL ANALYTICS ==

So something else that I found super cool was this post on twitter by @havethisonelife

Anyway, I just love that kinda thing, and seeing that come from articles about OFMD is just super cool.

===================================

Okay I think that's everything. As usual, if I missed anything drastic please let me know! There wasn't a whole lot going on on IG today, seemed like twitter was the show horse.

===================================

Evening Message of LOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE

You thought you were rid of me sending love-- but you were wrong!

Did you know you're fucking phenomenal? Like seriously. I read through all these tumblr threads, twitter, instagram, and all I fucking see is amazing people being fucking awesome to each other (and politely shitty to max which is also amazing).

People are posting in various places and saying they had a rough day, or they're sick (that was me!) and you kind buggers are reaching out and giving support and love and I'm so damn proud to be a part of this amazing crew. You are legit the best people I've ever met! (IRL or Internet).

Everyday you continue to impress me and every one of us with your creativity, kindness, ambition, and wonder. You make me laugh, I've cried a bit from some of the posts too (not a bad thing!) and in general just fucking make the world a better place. I can't wait to see all of you continue to shine, which reminds me of this quote:

"Nothing can dim the light that shines from within" - Maya Angelou

==================================

Alright, enough of the mushy stuff-- onto the Rhys and Taika eye-porn. (Is Rhys getting some head from Taika? Badummmshhhh, ok I'll leave now). Gnight!

#ofmd daily recap #our flag means death #our flag means us #ofmd #save ofmd #hoist the ads #renew as a crew #be a lighthouse #renew our flag means death #save our flag means death #adopt our crew #did you know if you put in too many tags and then you want to search on those tags it wont fuckingwork if they arent in the first couple?#Yeah thats what happened to me yesterday #tumblr wtf #anyway

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ask-serendipity-sky · 9 months

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1108: Facts and observations

•Day 0

1108 started on the 8th of November of 2015.

Jimin uploaded a video of him and Jungkook to twitter:

On the 26th of January 2016, Jk uploaded a small snippet of a song he was covering.

•Day 100

And on the 15th of February of 2016, Jk uploaded the entire song Nothing Like Us and noted to listen to the lyrics as they were expressing what he wanted to say:

In Korean culture, parents celebrate 100 days after a child is born. This is to indicate that the child made it through the first vulnerable phase in their life. In the same manner, the 100 days are celebrated by Korean couples.

And this is what Jk had to say 100 days after the 8th of November of 2015:

There's nothing like us There's nothing like you and me Together through the storm There's nothing like us There's nothing like you and me together, oh

•Day 366 (1 year)

On 08/11/2016, a year later, Jimin posted another video of them:

•Day 732 (2 years)

On Oct. 28, 2017, Jungkook treated Jimin to a trip to Tokyo. It was because of this trip, that Jungkook released gcfTokyo on Nov. 08, 2017.

youtube

A fan used the images in the video and was able to determine the hotel and room jikook stayed at. It was room number 1108.

The video also used the song There For You by Troye Sivan:

Boy, I'm holdin' onto something Won't let go of you for nothing I'm runnin', runnin' just to keep my hands on you There was a time that I was so blue What I got to do to show you? I'm runnin', runnin' just to keep my hands on you

Day 811

On the 26th of January 2018, in a Japanese fancafe, Jimin gifted Jungkook a drawing of a set of champagne glasses and a bottle. Note the details of the glasses.

•Day 900

On the 25th of April 2018, a day before the 900 day milestone, Jimin had a vlive where it was obvious he wasn't alone in the room. He kept looking to the side, laughing shyly and explained:

After he said this, you can hear someone whisper, "Jimin."

Day 1000

On August 3rd 2018, Jk posted a selfie while they were all filming BV3:

During BV3, jikook were able to look around the city alone, and have a boat date under the moonlight.

Day 1013

As you all may know 10:13 is also known as Jimin ssi, or Jimin time. It only makes sense that this day would be special to jikook too.

On the 16th of August 2018, Jimin tweeted a series of 3 tweets:

Jungkook was the only member that appeared in the photos with Jimin. It is also interesting to note the 2 butterfly temporary tattoos he had on his hand.

This is the same time when they had the photoshoot with the inflatable unicorn:

The next day, Jimin uploaded a tweet with the caption "Love Ya", and one of the photos was him and Jk.

•Day 1141

On the 22nd of December 2018, when fans uploaded their selfies on fancafe, the fans let Jk know that Jimin had uploaded his own:

This prompted Jk to type "JIMINNNN" and he signed off. He later uploaded a song that he stopped at 1:18:

You take my mind away When you touch me that way This place, your face It gets hard to breathe I know you're feeling me now You're all I see Almost like we're dreaming

•Day 1394

On the 1st of September 2019, Jk made 2 tweets. One in which uploaded a snippet of Decalcamonia, which he also ended on 1:18:

•Day 1500

On the 16th of Dec 2019, Jimin posted a good night tweet:

The time he uploaded this was at 1:50.

•Day 2300

On Feb 22, 2022, Jk uploaded a story on insta where he is in a car, listening to So Good by Joan. The story was labeled 23:08 even though he uploaded it at 1:24 am.

You and me Got a lotta tension, not even to mention Ooh, that night, just two weeks ago It was half past ten Thinking about living, suddenly when you walked it You took my breath away

•Day 2315

On March 10, 2022, during the Permission to Dance Concert, Jimin used the 2315 numbers and stated the following:

2315 days had passed since November 8, 2015.

•Day 2545

On the 26th of October 2022, Jk uploaded a photo of himself while he was in Qatar. He uploaded the photo at 11:08 Korea time and, 5:08 Qatar time.

•Day 2643

On the 2nd of February 2023, Jimin answered a question on weverse at exactly 23:08. The question is now deleted.

•Day 2684

During Jungkook hosted a series of lives on White Day, 14th of March 2022. His first live was started at 8:11 pm:

During these lives, Jk changed to various outfits and had an extensive playlist. One of the songs that was included was There For You.

•Day 2855

On the 1st of September 2023, Jk hosted a short live to thank the fans for being present with him during so many birthdays. He ended his live quickly and it lasted 8:56 minutes:

My impressions

Based on Korean customs, celebrating different day milestones is typical in a Korean couple.

While some may think that jikook started dating on the 8th of November 2015, I think that's when they decided to be intimate with each other.

I feel like a jikook kiss had already happened since the last time Jimin asked Jk for a kiss publicly was in September 2015 for Jk's birthday. From there, one can only think that things proceeded quite quickly.

I think that in recent years, we have observed less mentions of 1108 because of BTS' popularity and so many fans expecting something from jikook.

It's possible that jikook has decided to not make these milestones known like they did before, but every now and then, they still reference that number. Who knows when they will do it again.

But who is counting, right?

#jikook #jimin #jungkook #1108 #Spotify

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shellybee456 · 4 months

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Fuck It, It's Fine

February 2025, Monaco

1 week to the first 2024 car reveal.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Émilie stared at her phone.

Haven't heard from you in a couple of months

But I'm out right now, and I'm all fucked up

And you're callin' my phone, you're all alone

And I'm sensin' some undertone.

She was at a bar in Monaco with her friends, having stepped over to their reserved table to get a drink when her phone started ringing.

Émilie took another sip of her drink and watched it ring.

She should have him blocked.

Like she'd done with all her other exes.

And I'm right here with all my friends

But you're sendin' me your new address

But he was also her best friend��s teammate.

She continued to stare at the phone even after he stopped calling, watching as a notification popped up.

"Everything alright Ém?" Danny asked, appearing beside her.

Émilie nodded and picked up her phone. "Yeah, just a text. I'll be back out on the floor soon."

Danny nodded and grinned at her before walking away.

She tapped on his text, watching as her phone unlocked with Face ID and opened her messages.

She'd deleted his messages right after their fight, too disgusted and angry with him to continue to see them on her phone.

And I know we're done, I know we're through

But, God, when I look at you

She should have picked a worse photo for his profile picture. But then again, Émilie wasn't the smartest person on the grid.

My brain goes, "Ah"

Can't hear my thoughts (I cannot hear my thoughts)

Like blah-blah-blah (blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah)

Plus they were sort of friends again.

Kinda.

Ish.

The confessions and hurtful words they'd exchanged still hung between them, making the air awkward any time they were left alone.

Then of course there was the night Émilie was refusing to acknowledge.

She hadn't told Elena about that just yet, not quite ready to admit that lapse in judgment out loud.

But she had told her everything else about her and Lando's fallout.

"Who are you texting?" Elena asked, carrying two shots to the table.

"An ex." Émilie copied the address he'd sent her and put it into Uber, out of curiosity.

Seein' you tonight, it's a bad idea, right?

She took another sip of her drink, waiting for the app to load.

Seein' you tonight, it's a bad idea, right?

10 minutes wasn't bad. And the Uber could be at the bar in 5. Her thumb hovered over the confirmation button.

Seein' you tonight, it's a bad idea, right?

Fuck. That night still haunted her in her weaker, lonelier moments.

Seein' you tonight, fuck it, it's fine

"Oh? Are we still pretending you don't like him?"

Émilie glanced up, rolling her eyes at her older sister's suggestive eyebrow wiggle.

"I only see him as a friend," the biggest lie I ever said

Oh, yes, I know that he's my ex, but can't two people reconnect?

"We've talked about this Lena." Emilie huffed in annoyance. "We're just friends, back to what we used to be."

Elena didn't look the least bit convinced but thankfully she didn't press further, instead holding up the shot. "Yeah, like y'all were ever just friends. Shots?"

Émilie nodded, setting her phone face down on the table, Uber temporarily ignored.

Both sisters took the shots and Émilie shook her head at the burn. Drinking Tequila wasn't a problem for Émilie having grown up with a Spanish half-sister, but shots of the alcohol always burned going down.

"I might go home early," Émilie said, raising her voice over the sudden roar of the room. Quickly she added, "I have to be in Switzerland tomorrow for little Emilie's birthday. Seb said he'd disown me if I wasn't there."

Elena nodded, "want Osc to take you home?"

Émilie shook her head and held up her phone, "I'm just gonna Uber."

Thankfully her inebriated sister took the lie at face value and gave Émilie a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"See you on Monday, chaton, okay?"

Émilie nodded and grabbed her purse before making her way outside to wait for Uber.

She looked at her phone and sent a message to Oscar (the only other person who knew about that night.) and asked him to distract Elena and keep her off her phone until she had to fly to Milton Keynes.

She watched his text bubble appear, disappear, and reappear several times before he sent a message.

Aussie buzzkill: Yeah I got you.

Aussie buzzkill: Don't do anything stupid, please.

She hearted his messages but didn't reply since her Uber showed up.

Now I'm gettin' in the car, wreckin' all my plans

I know I should stop-, but I can't

But mostly because she was about to do something stupid.

And I told my friends I was asleep

But I never said where or in whose sheets

The shot she'd done with Elena before leaving kept her mind pleasantly quiet, letting Émilie mindlessly browse Instagram on the short drive to his apartment building.

She thanked the driver and collected her purse from the seat beside her and walked into the lobby.

And I pull up to your place, on the second floor

And you're standin', smiling at the door

She buzzed his apartment and was unsurprisingly let in immediately.

She walked down the hall to the elevator and pressed the button, taking her up to his floor.

His place was only a few doors down, the door wide open with him leaning against the doorframe waiting for her.

And I'm sure I've seen much hotter men

But I really can't remember when

Lando’s curly hair was mussed, a few stray curls hanging down against his forehead and the top two buttons of his black button down were open.

He must have been out partying too, but 1 am was an awfully early time to call it quits.

He grinned at her, that stupid, smug grin that infuriated and made her warm in all the right places.

He had a glass of something alcoholic hanging loosely from his hand, which he lifted to his lips.

Seein' you tonight, it's a bad idea, right?

He was really fucking hot.

Seein' you tonight, it's a bad idea, right?

And He knew it.

Seein' you tonight, it's a bad idea, right?

"Hey, Princess. You look flustered."

Seein' you tonight, fuck it, it's fine

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A story I wrote in my best friend @fictional-babes-inc and I's Formula One dr. I might write a part 2 of what happens after.

Émilie and Elena are half-sisters and racers on the grid, Émilie races for Redbull, and Elena raced for Mercedes from 2019 until she became Émilie's race Engineer in 2023. Émilie and Lando are the same age, but Emilie made her F1 debut in 2022. Émilie, Logan, and Oscar are best friends, having grown up karting together.

#lando norris #ln4+ea69 #lando norris x reader #oscar piastri #oscar piastri x reader #daniel ricciardo #formula 1 #formula one #f1 #driver!reader #mutual pining #one night stands

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simpxxstan · 8 months

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perfect complements (ch. 3)

pairing: professor!seungcheol x professor!f.reader

genre: fluff, enemies to lovers, angst, slight smut

series summary: four and a half years of working together breeds familiarity, resentment, and everything in between. it's almost like living together.

series word count (till current chapter): 7.3k

chapter word count: 2.7k

rating: 13+ (for this chapter)

warnings: bickering, alcohol mention (very slight), plot dumps hehe.

a/n: so we're on our way! the plot is getting deeper, so i hope you stay for the ride! and my fav minghao is finally here <3 and i think, just like this time, i'll be updating every weekend. thank you, again, for reading!

taglist for the fic: @minhui896

series masterlist

And that’s how you find yourself walking up the stairs to Seungcheol’s apartment, begrudgingly because all you can feel right now is the sting of the February wind on your body. You know the apartment very well, you’ve been here before. Seungcheol hosted last New Year’s party.

The door is slightly ajar, as if waiting for you. It yields to a slight push, and you can hear mellow music flowing from within. As the door opens up, you can see Seungcheol’s broad frame sitting on the kitchen counter, a sheet of paper in his hand. He notices you almost immediately, as the squeak of the door gives way. “You’re here.”

There’s something about seeing him in casual clothing that never fails to take your breath away. You can count on your fingers the number of times you’ve seen Seungcheol dressed casually- usually an extremely oversized hoodie and sweatpants. But today is slightly different: the sweatpants are still there, but he’s wearing a jacket zipped up halfway, with a black shirt inside, fitting right onto his wide chest. His glasses are, as usual, perched on his nose, and he's looking through them, straight into your eyes.

“And you’re cold,” he continues, before slipping right off the counter and walking towards you. “I underestimated the February winds, and the time it’d take me to walk to your house.” “You walked?” “I am climate conscious, as an economist firmly believing in sustainable development, unlike you, Mr. Let-me-show-you-my-shiny-new-car.” You have your arms against your chest, in a desperate attempt to control the cold waves wracking your body, and he seems to notice it.

“Well, lucky for you, my apartment is heated. And-” he smoothly unzips his jacket and hands it over to you. It’s instinct, you take a step back from his hand offering the jacket. “No, I’m alright. Your apartment is really warm.” “Y/N. I don’t want my favourite professor to fall ill after they visit my apartment. Imagine what my reputation would be. Imagine what Wonwoo would think.” You shiver at the thought, it’s manipulative as fuck, but it’s a very real possibility. You almost want to reject the jacket even further so that Wonwoo can actually get a reason to fire him now- but no, you’re not that low. The evil tangent of your mind coils back before you let it run too far.

You slowly take the jacket from his hand, and slip it around you.

It’s crazy. Seungcheol is suddenly all over you. So this is what it’s like to be hugged by him. You’re again trying to reel in your thoughts, when he interrupts. “Let’s get to it now, shall we?” He walks over to the counter, lifts the sheet of paper, and the colour pencils. “I watched videos on youtube on-”

You burst out laughing, the cold long forgotten, now totally comfortable wrapped with the jacket. “You watched colouring videos on youtube?” He’s a little shocked at your laughter, “Yeah, I mean I-” “Oh you’re so silly. Where do we sit?” “I don’t know, wherever you like.”

You look around his apartment, and you shake your head disapprovingly. The appeal of studio apartments never stood out to you, especially one which is a classic bachelor pad. It’s completely open layout, will be a mess when he finally marries, but you guess it’s economical for a man living alone. There’s no dining space- just the kitchen counter. There’s a small excuse of a coffee table in front of the sofa, but there’s no place to sit around it even on the floor. There’s a huge television, speakers and a few ornamental cabinets. And then, there’s obviously, the bed. It’s the biggest bed you’ve ever seen, and quite remarkable. It’s the most distinct feature of his apartment, and you shudder at the thought of why Choi Seungcheol had to invest in buying such a big, beautiful bed and not even in buying a big enough console table to make the living space look gainly. God knows how many women he brings around.

“The counter looks best. Good lights.” “Coffee or wine? Or whisky? If you’re still cold-” “Wine is fine, thank you.” You gently sit at the stool in front of the counter, and he settles down on a stool next to you, two glasses of red wine in his hands. “Thanks.”

You sip the wine, letting it calm your nerves, while watching Seungcheol fiddle with the colours. He divides them into half, and hands you one set. “You colour everywhere with these colours, and I colour with mine.” “No! That’s now how it works. It’ll ruin the coordination, Seungcheol!” Your voice is drawling, the same way you explain to your neighbour’s five year old daughter when you babysit her sometimes. The way Choi Seungcheol is looking at you, his brown eyes wide, his bangs gently falling below his brows, you don’t see the differences.

“We have to coordinate and colour together. Then the picture will look good! Here. I’ll start with the river. You can start with the trees. All greens, yellows, maybe brown,you know?” He nods, picking up the greens and eyeing them curiously. “It’s been years since I used these.” “They’re just like pencils,” and you swivel around, trying to shift a little to let Seungcheol get more access to the paper, and you end up hitting his knee. Thankfully, he ignores it, as he gets to work, his lips being bitten constantly as he focuses with immense dedication. You almost want to pat his hair.

Hours have passed, the glass of wine is long finished, but the picture is just two-thirds through. Your arms and legs are hurting from sitting in this position, so you step down the stool to stretch your limbs. He’s still colouring, and you’re actually shocked. This is the longest in the last two years that the two of you have spent without even any minute teasing or bickering. It’s a comfortable silence you can enjoy with a few people only, and you’re surprised that Seungcheol is one of them. “If you’re done staring, come and complete this bit of the sky.” His words cut through the soft moment when you were at peace, so you’re quick to quip back. “Your apartment is so boring. There’s nowhere more comfortable to sit.” He now looks up, finally, his fingers rotating the pencil in his hand. “There’s always the bed,” you don’t miss the smirk. “And what makes you think I’d want to sit in your bed? As dirty as it must be.” “To fuel my fantasies, if not for anything else.”

There’s an instant rush of blood to your brain, and yet it short-circuits. He steps off the stool, casually. You’re a little confused but then you realise his feet were already touching the ground, so it’s easier for him. “More wine?” he asks, and you shake your head. “No, thank you. I’ll just finish the sky bit and leave.” The watch on your wrist shows it’s already ten at night. “Stay for dinner.” You scoff, “Jeez Seungcheol. Laying the bribe on heavy?” “I don’t need to bribe you, Professor. You know you like the food I make.” You bite your tongue. It’s true- you’ll never admit it though. He’s an excellent cook, you know this because he often brings lunch for y’all at University. You wonder how it’s possible for someone with so much ego to even cook well.

“I’ve made mac and cheese, the best way to warm you for the February night. It’ll work wonders for you, just like my jacket.”

You gasp, quite audibly, and he chuckles. Instantly, you take the jacket off and throw it on the sofa. “I’m sorry for wearing it-” “Hey, you were shivering. I only saved a life. Say thank you Doctor Choi!” he lulls, stepping closer to you. He picks up the jacket from the sofa, and wears it. You turn away from him, walking to the counter, so you miss the small action of him sniffing the jacket.

You pick up the lightest blue to colour the clouds. He doesn’t step close to you, rather staying at his spot, choosing to watch you. Your strokes are suddenly imprecise: not because he’s staring at you, but because you’re in a rush to finish this and get home before it’s too late.

“This may actually be working, you know.” He says finally, once you’re done with the biggest cloud.

“What?” You ask, downing the last sip of wine, and looking up at him sideways.

“Therapy. I think I already like you more, now that you’re sitting like a kid on my kitchen counter, finishing colouring homework.”

You lick your lips. You would have actually agreed with him, that this session had been a good one, but no. Choi Seungcheol always knew how to spoil it. Just when you were about to reply, his phone rang, and he walked away to answer the call. But you could still hear him say Oppa is busy tonight, sorry Hyerin-ah. Oppa. Jesus, the audacity to call himself Oppa. Oppa will meet you on Sunday? Again, darn it. And he was speaking with an even deeper tone now that he was speaking softly. Was this his seduction voice? Not that you cared-

The pencil from your hand dropped to the floor. You looked up, alarmed. He looked up, alarmed. Aah, no that’s just someone I have over. She dropped something so- no! What? She’s just a colleague from university. Hyerin, don’t tell Eomma about this, hmm? Okay, see you on Sunday!

“You’re hiding me from your Eomma?” You’ve finished colouring the remaining bits, and the picture looks… decent. It has some kind of harmony going throughout- and although you can point out some places when Seungcheol’s brush marks don’t cover the white background well enough, you’re happy to let it pass.

“I’m hiding every woman on this planet from my Eomma. She’s decided to hitch me a wife before I turn thirty-three, and she doesn’t care who they are as long as they are single.” You chuckle, he joins you. It’s weird to think Seungcheol is that scared of his mom. But then, he probably is a mama's boy spoiled to the worst degree- no wonder he is scared of his mom.

“I’m not single. So you don’t have to hide me from your mom.” You say, in between your laughter. He stops laughing slowly, making his way towards you.

You pick up your bag and extend your arm, not expecting him to shake it. But he does, and it makes you shiver harder. “Goodnight, Choi Seungcheol. This was not-the-best-but-not-the-worst way to spend a weekday evening. I’ll see you in Uni tomorrow.” He doesn’t let go of your hand, reminding you only how much you’re going to miss the warmth of his h- apartment, once you leave. “Goodnight, Prof. Y/N. Go home safe.”

And you leave without turning and seeing the smallest of smiles creeping up his face as he stands at the door.

“Aigoo! Our kids are here!”

It must be a coincidence that you and Seungcheol arrive at the same time, greeted by the warm smiles of Minghao and Minhee sitting together, most likely the latter filling up the former on whatever gossip he missed out on these last few days he was away.

“Minghao, you’re back! Uni was unbearable without you!” You engulf him in a warm hug, his chuckles rumbling through your embrace. “What can I say? I had to come back when I heard the news.” You step back, a hand still on Minghao’s arm. “What news?” “That our kids have started taking colouring classes?”

As if on dramatic cue, both you and Seungcheol groan, leaving Minhee and Minghao to burst out laughing.

“Wonwoo really can’t keep anything to himself, can he?”

“Show us the picture!” Minhee whines, and Seungcheol reluctantly takes it out from his bag, keeping it on Minghao’s desk. The two maknaes start cooing at the picture again, floating out praises on how well their “kids” had done while colouring.

“Minghao, man, how was the trip?” Seungcheol asks when the cooing finally stops.

“Same old. No new faces. Except one, but they weren’t interesting at all. An addition that has truly only worsened the pool. We so need fresh ideas and talent. All this math isn’t taking us anywhere at all!”

“Math is the only truth, Minghao.”

“No, there is no truth, Seungcheol. It’s all versions of ideas framed by man. There are phenomena, and then there are explanations. Math is just one of those explanations.”

“I beg to-”

“No, I agree with Minghao on this one,” surprisingly Minhee pipes in. “Just like how Y/N and Hyunsik are dating for four years but there’s absolutely no truth about why she’s still with him. There can only be explanations of it, but no one knows the truth.”

First, there’s a dead silence in the staffroom. You can do nothing but stare at Minhee, who stares right back at you.

“Isn’t your fourth year anniversary coming up? Next month, if I’m not wrong? Is he planning to come and see you, at least?”

You’re suddenly out of breath, our of words, and out of thoughts. The first emotion you feel is fear, and then panic, and finally embarrassment. Even if you’re looking at Minhee, the only eyes you can feel right now are those of Seungcheol, sitting right opposite to you.

“Minhee, what are you saying?” Minghao intervenes, always the peacemaker.

“No, I want to know-”

“Minhee-ah. Noona’s personal life isn’t up for debate here.”

“I know Hao. I just feel that Unnie should have the guts to accept things and not hide her face like a ostrich.”

“Now is not the time to discuss that.”

“Yes! See! That’s why it never gets discussed!”

Your face is turning redder by the minute, but you’re still too shocked to say anything. It’s been months since anyone has asked about your relationship, Minhee has always been nosy, but never before has she called you out so publicly.

Except it’s not even calling you out, you realise. It’s a stupid accusation.

“What Noona and Hyunsik Hyung are going to do for their fourth-year anniversary is really not your business, Minhee. I know we’re best friends but-”

You stand up, and place a hand on Minghao’s shoulder. “No, she’s right. He’s probably not going to come home. But that doesn’t imply any of the connotations you’re trying to draw from it, Minhee. If you’re so desperate for gossip, you should spend more time at the female hostel. I’m sure the kids will have plenty to tell you.”

Minhee looks like she wants to say something, but Seungcheol speaks up.

“Okay Minhee, I think that’s enough. Don’t make her uncomfortable, please.” He stands up, looking right into your eye, and you look back. “I’m not-” “Y/N, please. No one is judging you. Minhee, please take a breath of fresh air from outside and come back in. Cool down, for god’s sake,” and Minhee has no option but to comply (although with a loud huff). Everyone complies when Seungcheol uses that voice.

But you hate it. You think you can double over and die, crumble rather than receive Choi Seungcheol’s pity, protection and pretence of care. Minghao wraps an arm around your shoulder, but you shirk away. You’re stronger than this. They can’t just lash out at your insecurities and break you down. No, Seungcheol shouldn’t know-

“Noona.” Minghao speaks again, and you snap out of your spiral. You realise it’s just the two of you in the room now, no Seungcheol. You’re sighing out of relief.

“Do you want some coffee?”

He’s holding your hand, and you can see the smallest finger on your left hand shaking even in his grip.

“Yes, please. Can’t go to class like this.”

“Don’t mind Minhee. She’s- volatile.”

“I know. It’s not her I mind-”

“I know. But don’t mind him either. He’ll never judge you, you know that right?”

“Minghao, you’re so-”

“No, I’ve been seeing him around you for two years now. And I’m not wrong. He’ll never judge you. Or hurt you. Just like neither will I. Nor Minhee. Nor Wonwoo.”

You sigh again. Your temples are throbbing, and you know it’s going to get worse through the day. You also have a session with Dr. Lee today, surprisingly a solo one. God, it’ll be a long one.

“I know. Now can we please get coffee? And tell me more about your conference. I need some distractions.”

Minghao smiles and hugs you gently, before standing up and walking out of the staffroom, you following right behind him.

#choi seungcheol #s.coups #s.coups x reader #seventeen x reader #seventeen fanfiction #seventeen fluff #seventeen series #s.coups series #s.coups fluff #s.coups fanfiction #seungcheol fanfiction #seungcheol x y/n #seungcheol series #seungcheol fanfic #seungcheol x reader #seventeen fanfic #perfect complements series #simpxxstan

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bylersecretsanta2023 · 5 months

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from @the-bee-graveyard, to @bylerspookie

Just when Joyce thought she couldn't get more excited for her younger son to come home for Christmas, he called her and told her he was bringing home a partner for Christmas.

That was December 3rd, and ever since then Joyce already dropped everything to prepare. Jonathan and Nancy had been together for years, and El brought home a boyfriend or two since she started college. But Will never once even entertained the possibility of being in a relationship, never mind bringing them home.

"You're going crazy," Hopper chuckled as she rearranged the food on the table for the third time Christmas Eve. None of her kids were here yet, Jonathan and Nancy made a stop at the Wheeler's to say hi and help Karen to prepare with whatever she needed for tomorrow. El was catching a ride home with Max and Lucas and called them about forty five minutes ago from a payphone to say she'd be about an hour. They hadn't heard from Will since he left Chicago about an hour and a half ago, but he couldn't be far. "Is this about Will?"

"I just want this to be special for him," Joyce replied. "I want him to know that we love and accept him." Will didn't specifically say the person he'd be bringing home would be a boy, but Joyce knew. She was his mother, she'd known since he was twelve years old. She loved him just the same for it, and she desperately needed him to know it.

"You fought a bunch of creatures from the Upside Down for him, I think he knows you love him," Hopper said, getting off the couch and kissing her on the forehead. "Go get dressed. I can finish up here." Joyce hesitantly got up to go put on the outfit she'd planned two weeks ago for the evening.

When she came back out Jonathan and Nancy were sitting on the couch, laughing with Hopper. Jonathan had his arm around Nancy. The last time he was home he asked the two of them what they thought of him and Nancy getting engaged sometime in the future, planned it for a trip they booked for February. Joyce could barely talk to Nancy without getting so excited she accidentally spilled the secret.

As they exchanged hugs and greetings El walked through the door, dropping the array of multicolored gift bags in her hand to throw herself into her father's arms, pulling Joyce into a hug after a few seconds of Hopper.

"So all we're waiting on is Will?" Jonathan said, picking up some of El's gift bags to put under the tree. There were so many presents at this point under the trees really meant in a ring around the tree.

"And his partner," Joyce replied. Jonathan's face lit up, like it was the first time he'd heard the news. "He didn't tell you? He's bringing someone home with him this year."

"I mean, he mentioned once or twice that he was seeing someone, but the way he talked about it he didn't make it seem like it was all that serious," Jonathan said. The both of them looked at El for confirmation, El lived only twenty minutes outside of Chicago, surely she would know something she didn't. But she just shrugged and sat down at the dining room table, patiently awaiting her brother's arrival.

They didn't have to wait much longer, only about five minutes later did the door click open, revealing Will standing in the doorway. Joyce was so excited to pull him in for a hug, she didn't even comprehend how she knew the person standing behind him until she looked up and saw Michael Wheeler standing there in her doorway in a nice red sweater.

It clicked for Joyce right away, but from the look on both Hopper and Jonathan's faces, it clearly took them a few second, and Will taking Mike's hand, for them to get it.

"You," Hopper said, pointing and Will, his expression unreadable, even to Joyce. "And him?" His finger moved from Will to Mike. Will nodded. "Jesus Christ Will, there aren't any better looking guys in Chicago? You had to settle for Wheeler?" He threw his arm around Will's shoulder and pulled him in for a tight one armed hug, the tension in the room dissolving.

"How long has this been going on?" Joyce asked, gesturing between Will and Mike with her fork as they gathered around the dining room table to dig into the food. She felt almost stupid for not picking up on it sooner. Will had been in love with Mike for as long as she could remember, and of course Mike would love him right back, it was impossible not to.

"A while," Will admitted, blushing. "We've wanted to tell you the while time, but we were just waiting for the right moment. And we never found it, so we just decided screw it- he was coming to Christmas. Took the pressure off."

That was the last Joyce questioned either of them until after dinner, not wanting to disturb the rare peace that had fallen over the Byers household. For the first time in years there wasn't a monster to fight or a battle to win, Joyce could just be happy taking in the sight of the people she loved most in the world.

It wasn't until much later that night she brought it up again. Jonathan and Nancy long since retreated to Jonathan's room, and Hopper, El, and Mike were wrapped up with whatever Christmas movie was playing on the television. When Joyce got up to clear the dishes off the table, Will wordlessly followed.

"Does he really make you happy?" Joyce asked as they scrubbed dishes side by side next to the sink. "Mike?" She mentally cursed herself for throwing in his name. Will knew who she was talking about, she was just making it weird.

"Yes, he really does," Will replied, unable to keep the blush from creeping into his cheeks. He stole a quick glance back at Mike as the darker haired boy leaned over on the couch to take popcorn from the bowl in El's lap. "Is that okay?"

"Don't even ask me that," Joyce said. "Anything that makes my son happy is more then okay. But it has to make you happy, okay? Don't do anything because you think it's what I want, or what Jonathan wants, or what Mike wants. Do what Will wants."

"I will mom, I promised," He chuckled a little bit as he said it, but Joyce knew it came from the heart. Will was incapable of saying things that didn't, it was one of the million things she loved most about him.

"You shouldn't be over here helping me scrub dishes. It's your first Christmas with your boyfriend. Go over there and be with him." Will finished scrubbing the dish in his hands before he even acknowledged what she said.

"Thank you mom."

"You won't be thanking me tomorrow when I stand around and laugh when Hopper gives Mike a nice stern talking to tomorrow morning. Now go." She took the sponge from Will's hands and watched as he walked over and squeezed down between Mike and El on the couch.

Mike almost automatically repositioned himself to have his head resting on Will's shoulder, Will's hands found their way to Mike's hair, winding them into his dark curls mindlessly as they laughed at the movie. When he thought no one was looking Mike pressed a soft kiss to Will's neck, and Will kicked him lightly with his foot.

Joyce smiled to herself and got back to the dishes, letting the boys have their moment.

#mia on the mic #byler secret santa #st #stranger things #byler #byler fanfic #byler fanfiction

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grapenehifics · 4 months

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Making of Monday: Can't Stop the Suns Part 1

(I am thinking SO positively rn that I am calling this part 1, like I will remember to actually write more. YMMV; we'll see how I do.)

I'm hard at work on the concluding chapters of Pick Up the Pieces right now, and working on Pick Up the Pieces means I also need to do a fair bit of rereading An Uncivil War, so it's very much on the forefront of my brain, and also I have yet to participate in a single MoM, so: here's some backstory on An Uncivil War.

Okay I actually need to back up even farther than that, all the way to Solsbury Hill and February 2020. I started Solsbury Hill - it wasn't called that, then; it didn't have a name, just 'weird doc file/outline I'll probably never finish because I don't have a track record of finishing creative writing projects, ever' - and then the very next month I started working from home AND season 7 of Clone Wars premiered.

To get ready for season 7 - and because I was home a lot more during the day, now, and didn't have to commute to work - we decided to do a rewatch of Clone Wars season 1 through 6. And you know how we joke about plot bunnies, and why they're called that? That the hardest idea is your first one and once you have that the ideas just keep multiplying? So, I'm sitting on an outline for what would become Solsbury Hill, and we're watching Clone Wars, and we get to season 5, and the episode with Ahsoka's trial, and I think to myself, huh. That's weird. Why is Obi-Wan acting like that? Why is he not sticking up for our Padawan? If he had, I bet things would have turned out differently. Ahsoka might not have left the Order. Anakin might not have turned to the Dark Side. Clone Wars is full of all these little things that individually might not be enough to push Anakin over the edge, but they start stacking up, collectively...

From there, it was a pretty easy leap to, 'what if Obi-Wan left the Order instead of Ahsoka', and that created this whole domino effect because Anakin would obviously leave with him, right, and Ahsoka was getting kicked out anyway, and now I've got this scenario with three Jedi on the run in the middle of a war.

And that was fascinating to me. Once I started thinking about it I couldn't stop. But I was also getting really into Solsbury Hill, at that point, so this new story needed to take a backseat. I dumped a bunch of notes into a Word doc and went back to my AU.

It turns out, though - and this was the first time I'd learned this about myself - that I liked having both an AU and a canon project going at the same time. Solsbury Hill and An Uncivil War both used such different parts of my brain and required a different skillset and researching vastly different things, and if I got bogged down in one it was nice to be able to switch to the other one and hack away at that one for a while. So I ended up, from early 2020 until August 2022 when I posted the first chapter of Solsbury Hill on AO3, working on both projects nearly simultaneously, although obviously Solsbury Hill (despite being three times longer) got to the finish line first.

For a long time - almost three years - An Uncivil War was just called, An Uncivil War. And it had this expansive outline that I just kept cracking away at, and whenever I came across something cool in another piece of Star Wars media or another show premiered or I read another book I'd think 'Ooh, that's neat! That's going in the fic!' and I'd add it to my to-do list. And at some point I looked at my word count and realized I was pushing 100k and not anywhere close to the end of the story I wanted to tell.

So, I started thinking about sequels, and series. I had (still have) this outline, fortunately, and there was one pretty obvious stopping point at what was then the mid-point of the plot. (I say, 'then' because it has since, of course, expanded. It turns out I'm very bad at guessing word counts.) So I took half my outline, dumped into a brand-new doc, called that one Pick Up the Pieces, and wrote the 'ending' of An Uncivil War, as much as possible, as if it were the ending, just in case I for some reason never got around to writing Pick Up the Pieces.

Because it was important to me that An Uncivil War be able to stand on its own. It's got a beginning, a middle, and an end, and the end calls back to the beginning, and the main threat to the characters is resolved, and they talk about what they're going to do next but even if that was the only story you had, it should still be a satisfying conclusion (or, at least, I hope it is).

But it isn't the entirety of the story I wanted to tell. Because they originally were one big story, I actually had maybe half of Pick Up the Pieces already written by the time I started posting An Uncivil War, so while the first part took me three years to write, the second has technically only taken me a year, but I was definitely not starting from scratch.

I also - and this should shock absolutely no one - was once again wildly off in my word count estimate. Pick Up the Pieces is, right now, already as long as An Uncivil War (120k), and I've still got three chapters left to go...plus a bunch more things in my outline I haven't gotten to yet.

So, in true Star Wars tradition, I'm now plotting a part three! Pick Up the Pieces, like An Uncivil War before it, has a logical ending point, so it will wrap up there, but the plot will move merrily along to the next thing on my to-do list, which is in fact the same to-do list I've had since March 2020. (It's a good thing I love this story so much or I would have quit long ago.) Part Three, at the moment, is tentatively titled Sometimes Fate Steps In, and I'm really, really sorry to have to admit that that's where all the smut is going to be. (I know. It's Solsbury Hill all over again.)

(I do love it, though. I feel like I should...apologize, to my fics, somehow, for having a favorite? I do have a favorite, though. It's this series. I love it so damn much. This is the one thing I write where, if you told me right now that I would never get a single comment or kudos on it, I would still write it anyway, because I just get so much enjoyment out of researching and writing it and re-reading it.)

(Which is not to say you shouldn't comment on it. Please, please do! You will absolutely make my day, week, month, year! But I love it enough to do it anyway.)

#making of monday #obikin #an uncivil war #pick up the pieces

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xxsycamore · 1 year

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🍕 𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙤𝙤𝙣 𝙃𝙞𝙩𝙨 𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙀𝙮𝙚 𝙇𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝘼 𝘽𝙞𝙜 𝙋𝙞𝙯𝙯𝙖 𝙋𝙞𝙚,

► A story about Italian vampires, secret admirers, and pizza.

Galileo x MC • rating: G • wordcount: 1,863 • characters: mc, galileo, francis, leonardo, napoleon, comte, dazai • tags: Pizza; Secret admirer; Romance; Cliché; Feelings Realization; Crack treated seriously • masterlist

a/n: I don't know. I don't know.

I blame the English Ikesen twitter for informing me it's international pizza day (in a very creative way), which led to me going "haha three italians in ikevamp" which made me remember one very bad movie full of pizza and cliché, which led to me coming up with this. I don't even like pizza that much.

Idk if I should label this as crack, but don't take it seriously either way.

MC and Galileo's first encounter described in this fic is canon and you can read a translation of it here - many thanks to @cirillafionariannon

I wanted to try my hand at writing for our new two vamps, and this could also be an early Valentine's Day fic! Hope you enjoy!

Fun statistics!: the word pizza appears 33 times in this fic.

Leonardo was in Comte's room, lounging around with a drink and listening about his friend's most recent trip to the 21st century. While Leonardo was a man with passion for knowledge, not everything that Comte talked in great detail about was to Leonardo's interest. Mind trailing off in random directions while supposedly continuing to be a good listener, he suddenly feels the need to interrupt his friend.

Waving a hand in the air and looking over the Gucci shades that Comte actually bought for himself, he motions a pause.

"Forget about that, tell me if they made an International Pizza Day in the future yet."

"…Why, there actually is a day like that. It's the 9th of February, if I remember right."

***

With a little over a week remaining until Pizza Day, or Just Another Thursday as 19th century Parisians know it, Leonardo mobilizes the mansion into preparing something grandiose for the occasion.

"We're going to feed the whole of Paris with pizza."

MC blinks in apparent bewilderment. With the amount of crazy stuff happening around the mansion already, one would think that feeding the whole of Paris with pizza would find its place low in her list.

They're all gathered in the kitchen as if it's some kind of conference hall, with Leonardo using a blackboard to illustrate his schemes. So far he's drawn just one giant pizza taking all of the blackboard. He taps the chalk against the board.

"Think of it as a charity. While everyone would be free to help as well as consume, we'll prioritize those who are in need."

Dazai raises a hand. "Let me guess, you always wanted to invent a giant stove and this is your mastermind plan."

Leonardo enthusiastically points at Dazai with the chalk in his hand, "Esatto! But not exactly a stove. While fixing various gadgets for people in town, I had this idea of making a massive hot plate," he draws an oval under the oval supposed to be pizza, "which is a metal plate heated by charcoal underneath. Some of you will help me assemble it, others will get the word around town. And for those who are incompetent with cooking pizza…"

"I can give out a lesson or two." Napoleon says, with a raised hand. "I love the idea. I have volunteered in food banks a couple of times already around town. I'd be glad to help."

"Heh, Napoleon, knew you had that Italian blood still running hot in you. Alright then, it's settled."

***

MC is in her bed, staring a hole through the wall. Eating in bed is something she rarely indulges in, moreso if it's pizza, but she can't help it. As she chews with eyes squinted in deep concentration, she tries and tries to make just any connection between recent events and the possible reason behind all of this.

Just a couple of days ago, some white haired guy with a half-up hairstyle started coming to the mansion.

"Pizza delivery! Miss, that's for you. You don't owe anything. Enjoy! Bye!"

Wait, pizza delivery in the 19th century? It was strange the first time, and it's still strange the tenth time it happened. Some of the residents advised she don't eat it, but in the course of events (and hunger) she found out that's some damn good pizza. The best she had ever since she came here. And it was addressed to her. Is this a secret admirer situation?! Very strange.

Of course she suspected Leonardo. With his pizza hype recently it only made sense, but also that would be too easy. Placing the box on the nightstand, she sighs and goes over the possible leads in her head one more time.

***

The next day she takes Napoleon's pizza cooking class and conveniently stays behind until everyone else leaves the kitchen - namely Vincent, Mozart, and Jean. Napoleon takes the bait and praises her efforts at perfecting her pizza-cooking skills, being more than willing to give her some extra lessons.

Then they have clichéd and intimate dough kneading moment where he stands behind her and guides her hands; she pokes her nose into some private topics as carefully as she could, taking the conversation in the direction of love and cooking a meal full of love. Still, nothing she samples for the sake of learning tastes nearly the same as that same pizza delivered to the mansion's door every night.

***

Looking out of the window up at the moon that is nearly full, MC can't help but remember about a recent encounter with a strange man. It happened when she had to deliver some Blanc to Isaac who was working late at the university. In one classroom there was a white haired man with beautiful purple eyes looking through an old-fashioned telescope. There was something intriguing about him; about the shooting star they saw together, the timing, his comment about "still looking at the stars even in this day and age". The name he introduced himself with. All of it, full of mystery.

And yet the biggest mystery of her life currently revolves around pizza.

***

The man with white half-up hair approaches the merchant brig ship has recently docked at the Seine. Night has long fallen but the light inside is unmistakable; of course it's his friend baking pizza again. On his ship, nonetheless.

"Again, Galileo? That's the sixth time this week. I'm not going out this time. And please be careful not to burn down the ship, okay?"

The other whitehaired man doesn't as much as acknowledge the other's presence, too absorbed in his craft. The parmesan falls from between his fingers like a snowstorm over a tomato-red sea; in the next second he's at the cutting board; going left and right like a madman. Or like someone inlove.

The other sighs.

"I'm hearing something about a pizza charity in town. Basically everyone's gonna cook a giant pizza together and then give pieces away. Sounds like your thing, eh?"

Galileo's eyes dart towards his friend for a mere second, his hands never pausing.

"Where are you taking all my pizzas to, anyway? And I'm not participating."

"As you wish."

He exits the kitchen, opting for the company of the moon outside instead. The gentle lull of the waves make him crave a nap ever if it's technically close to his sleeping time. He notices the telescope nearby, unused by his friend in some time, which is awfully unusual of him.

"Man, this stress-cooking is going to ruin him."

***

The day finally arrives. The masses are buzzing around the square where Leonardo shows his invention that aims to leave everyone with a stomach full of delicious pizza, so long as there are enough hands to help. And they are. Soon the place gets overcrowded, the air smells like heaven, and the chilly February day gets as hot as a midsummer one.

All MC can think about is her secret admirer. With all the pizza being passed around and under her nose, she swears she's not crazy when she claims she didn't catch a whiff of That One Pizza. Will the whitehaired man be here today? Is it him, after all, stating that all he does is deliver it to her door, yet lying? No, there was no trace of such feelings in his demeanor; not the thrill of seeing her, nor the hope of learning something more about her in those short encounters. He was merely a proxy. But whose?

Defeated, the reason why the smile hasn't already left her face is solely the fact that she saw a lot of happy people today. Pizza really does bring people together; Leonardo was right all along. He was excellent at what he did, but he did it only with the people in mind; not a lover, much less her. She liked helping him today. And Napoleon too, who thankfully didn't think anything about her strange behavior the other day.

***

With the sound of street musicians who joined the celebration drifting in the distance, MC walks along the Seine, admiring the moonlight dancing on the surface. The noise and the hustle had gotten to her, so this little walk was welcomed, and it matched the feeling in her heart. The emptiness wasn't only there, though.

"Haha… I made so much pizza yet it seems like I didn't eat anything all day."

"I can see that. The growling of this belly of yours could be heard all the way here."

Eyes widening at the sound of that voice, she looks at the direction of a docked ship. The man exiting it seemed familiar, along with the voice, and it took just a couple of seconds to remember.

"Ahh, you're the…"

"The man with the telescope. I didn't think we'd meet again."

Right, this is the man who introduced himself as Galileo. The silence was awkward, his earlier comment not helping much, but she still felt good about seeing a familiar face. Though, they're barely more than strangers. Or maybe after having their second encounter, they're not strangers anymore?

MC stares at the fullmoon high in the sky, and surprisingly, so does Galileo. She giggles and breaks the silence.

"It's like a big pizza pie."

That's the single most absurd thing Galileo Galilei has ever heard in his life, being a person who devoted himself to astrology.

He scuffs at her remark, too taken aback to even say anything that won't ridicule her. He decides to spare her.

"So? Are you hungry? I've got some pizza on the ship."

Ah, pizza again.

"Sounds great."

Hoping for a distraction, she followed him on the ship. If anything, with all the pizza flavors she tasted recently, her palate would hopefully forget about the one that her secret admirer makes for her. What a silly story. She's sure it all ends tonight, the person likely pranking the whole of Comte's mansion in relation to the whole pizza cooking event or something.

"What a yummy smell. I must be really hungry. Did you make this yourself, Galileo?"

The man visibly tenses a little, possibly at the fact that she remembers his name. He should've given her a different one, after all.

"Yes."

MC bites into the piece, mind elsewhere. She wonders if she'll be sick of pizza ever since today.

Wait.

The flavors clash in her receptors and realization hits all at once; she looks at Galileo.

This taste!

"It's you."

The man with the beautiful purple eyes hums at her, without a clue what she is talking about. He hasn't shared his pizza recipe with everyone other than Francis, the look of recognition on MC's face not making sense to him.

He would soon come to know; but not tonight.

With the assurance that she must be mistaking him for someone else; and with the need to help her get home due to the late hour, their second encounter soon comes to an end.

And for Galileo, who barely kept his composure in the face of the one he strangely fell hopelessly inlove with, he swears he'll make sure this time it truly would be their last.

Unless the stars have other plans for him.

Taglist: @arsnovacadenza @ale-teodora @kimi00twin @otomelady @privilegedpancake @g-kleran @pumpumnnnp @thesirenwashere @ravenarld @kimmy-banana @devonares @animeworldsposts @randomanimatedhusbandoseeker @galaxyprison @sadshaxk @starshards26 @pro-cat-stination @acethephoenix256 @ikevamp-shrine-2 @nad-zeta @crystal13unny @keen19thcenturygoatsstudent @lordsister @ikemen-banshou @themysticalbeing @canaria-blackwell @otome-scribbles @rhodolitesrose @coornn @kpop-and-otome @queen-dahlia @kisara-16 @chaosangel767 @ikemenlibrary @queengiuliettafirstlady @aurora-morning @aquagirl1978 @ikemenlover24 @violettduchess @mcofthemansion @tiny-wooden-robot @joy-the-reader @katriniac @ikemen-writer @tele86 Let me know if you want to be tagged/untagged!

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snazzy-suit · 2 months

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LLoG Progress Update!

Oh dang, it's almost April already?! January went on seemingly forever, February passed pretty normally, and March lasted, like, a week. Time is soup.

Anyway, I'm unfortunately a little behind schedule, though not by much! I was hoping to start posting the new chapters by the end of March, but they're not quite ready yet. I still have some editing and continuity checks to do, but the good news is, everything is completely written! 🎉

...and it's even longer than I anticipated 😭 As of now, before editing is complete, the total word count for all the upcoming chapters is 50,700.

50,700!

52,175 if I count the missing scene!

The last arc of what was SUPPOSED to be a short story turned into novel-length madness. Unbelievable! Why am I like this??

Here's where everything stands as of now:

Chapter 5.4 - Complete. Awaiting final continuity check. Word count: 8,220

Chapter 5.5 - Complete. Awaiting final continuity check. Word count: 7,104

Chapter 5.6 - Draft Complete. Undergoing edits. Current word count: 5,580

Chapter 5.7 - Draft Complete. Undergoing edits. Current word count: 8,097

Chapter 5.8 - Draft Complete. Undergoing edits. Current word count: 8,258

Chapter 5.9 - Draft Complete. Awaiting review. Current word count: 6,760

Chapter 5.10 - Draft Complete. Awaiting review. Current word count: 6,681

Some additional notes/tidbits:

Missing Scene - Takes place between the end of chapter 5.6 and about halfway through chapter 5.9. I couldn't figure out a way to include this that didn't feel jarring. If I like it enough, I'll post it separately from the main story. Current word count: 1,475

Chapter 5.7 is a flashback that was originally going to take place about halfway through chapter 5.6, but as you can see based on the word count, it got away from me. ^^' I decided to turn it into a separate chapter as a sort of "breather" between 5.6 and 5.8. I really enjoyed writing it, but there's a chance I may have to cut it from the main story if I feel it's too disrupting. If this is the case, I'll post it separately as another missing scene.

Chapter 5.4 is my white whale. It's undergone the most rewrites and is largely responsible for the long hiatus. I've found it's one of my least favorite chapters in this particular story and at this point I don't know if it's actually bad or if I'm just sick of looking at it 🫠

My disgruntled feelings for chapter 5.6 (the first half, anyway) rival that of chapter 5.4, which is unfortunate, because this chapter is supposed to be "The Big Reveal". Am I over-explaining things? Is this too vague? These are the questions I struggled with in this chapter and I don't know if I'll ever be satisfied with the results.

I never start a chapter knowing how long it's going to be. I just create an outline and go. As long as I check off all the major points in a satisfactory manner, I don't care if the chapter is 1,000 words or 8,000 words. That said, I try to avoid going over 10,000 words for any one chapter so as to not overwhelm readers (and myself) with a bunch of Things in a single sitting. So! When chapter 5.8 started cresting 15,000 words I was like "oh no" and immediately searched for a good spot to split it in two.

That's all I got for now! We're almost there, folks!

Tl;dr - if I don't start posting chapters by the end of April, feel free to shame me with an "L" in my DMs lol 🙈

#LLoG AU #story update #haha wow what a mess #but hopefully it will be worth it!#suit speaks

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stripedscribe · 5 months

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FIC WRITING REVIEW 2023

Thank you @loki-is-my-kink-awakening for coming up with this!

And thank you @42donotpanic for the tag!

Rules: Feel free to show whatever stats you have. Only want to show Ao3 stats? Rock on. Want to include some quantitative info instead of stats? Please do this. Want to change how yours is presented? Absolutely do that. Would rather eat glass than do this? Please don’t eat glass but don’t feel like you have to do this either.

Words and Fics

38,518 words published in 2023

17 completed fics

Top 3 Pairings

Matt Murdock/Foggy Nelson [11]

Matt Murdock&Foggy Nelson [2]

Matt Murdock&Foggy Nelson&Karen Page [2]

Top 5 by Comments

Sticking It To The Man(Round Robin Collab) 15

Of All The Good In The World - 10

ART for Romantic's Pizza Package -

Let me spin myself into yarn - 8

A Vessel- 7

Top 5 by Kudos

Sticking It To The Man - 242

A Cut String Of Fate - 39

ART for Romantic's Pizza Package - 146

A Vessel - 36

Of All The Good In The World - 26

Top 5 by Hits

Sticking It To The Man - 1,235

The Way We Say Goodbye- 559

A Cut String Of Fate - 486

ART for Romantic's Pizza Package - 393

If Forever Leaves Too Soon- 256

Fandom Events in 2023

At the start of the year the Avocados took part in a round robin challenge for Sticking It To The Man, in which 6 of us wrote a fic together! I would love to do this again.

The @daredevilexchange held a prompt fest in February, in which I posted 3 fics/art! One of these also started a collab with @udekai for our BADminton series!

In March the Avocados had our Secret Satan exchange in which I wrote Let me spin myself into yarn for @feenyxblue!

Through the year I wrote a few shorter prompted things - from our no prompt left behind challenge on the server, and also from Tumblr requests!

In October we had the @daredevilexchange where I wrote 2 fics, The City That Never (Always) Sleeps, and You know it breaks my heart in half, in half.

Upcoming Plans

I've just started the @killacharacterbingo, 4 fics in, and I hope to finish that next year! I've got a few longterm wips I want to bring back out and actually get finished, and not burnout with constant event pressures.

Writing Reflection

This year has felt quieter. I wrote about half what I did last year, and nothing can compare to 2021. It's been busy IRL, and I've felt like I've been in and out of burnout, but we're getting there!

Having a community online has been a lifesend, and even if I haven't been posting it, we've had plenty of brainrot opportunities, which I'm glad for! I also started to dabble in original fic, and that's slow going, but I'm also writing a bit more through starting DnD, and having text-based rp sessions in between, which are amazing!

Community is everything, and I'm so glad to have met everyone I did, you all hold a special place in my heart. Where else are you going to be able to cry about Matt and Foggy at 2 in the morning and there be someone to listen?

Tagging: @udekai, @blissful-thinker, @feenyxblue, @missmoochy and the rest of the Avocados discord, you know who you are!

#writers review #ao3 wrapped #stripeyspeaks #askgame #taggame

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sharperthewriter · 18 days

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Chapter 27 of Roneo and Kimliet

Chapter 27

(Feb. 14, 2006, 8:11pm)

Back at the Possible house, Kim and Monique were finishing up the lines from Scene 5.

"So I have to kiss Ron pretty much twice in a span of two minutes in that scene of the masked ball..." Kim said sighing.

"Yep...that's what it says on the play, girl." Monique replied.

"Too bad the censors didn't cut it out." Kim muttered, "But still, it's only a play...only a play!"

Then, the Kimmunicator on Kim's bed, beeped the familiar four-beep tune.

Beep-beep-be-beep

"I'll get that." Kim insisted as she grabbed the Kimmunicator.

"Hey Wade, what's the sitch?"

"Hey Kim, how's the Romeo and Juliet thing going?" Wade asked.

"Okay so far, we got through the first three scenes of Act I and we're going to finish the rest of it tomorrow." Kim didn't want to mention anything between her and Ron to Wade as of yet.

Then she added, "Is there anything else more than the Bard's works on this call?"

"Oh yes, I was about to get to you on the IRCH. It took me about 14 hours, but I managed to scan the extensive employee database of the entire Space Center." Wade said, "I found one discrepancy."

"You wonder who could it be?" Kim wondered.

"According to my findings, the fake Middleton Space Center employee is actually a con-woman named Grace Larceny." Wade said as he brought a mugshot of the woman to Kim's attention. She was in her mid-20s and stood 5'7. "She is an expert in the art of theft ranging from rare jewelry to scientific devices for money. She is also an expert at 15 styles of kung-fu and is a master of creating fake identities to fool even the toughest security systems."

"So where is she now?" Kim asked.

"As it stands, she could be anywhere in the world!" Wade exclaimed, "She's really good at the fake identity thing! But I can try and track her credit card use and let you know where she is!"

"Please and thank you, Wade!" Kim said as the two of them ended the communication on the Kimmunicator.

(February 15, 2006, 7:30am)

Kim entered Middleton High wearing a long-sleeved button-down croptop, Club Banana khaki baggy overalls with both straps hooked and high-heeled brown boots. Giant gold hoop earrings and a couple of gold CB bracelets completed the outfit.

She met up with Ron at her locker. Ron was in his normal outfit, holding the Romeo and Juliet script.

"Hey, Ron!" Kim exclaimed, waving to him.

"Hey, KP! How did practice with Monique go last night?" Ron asked, waving back.

"It was no big, really. We managed to get through Scenes Four and Five alright." Kim replied. "Wade did beep in on the Kimmunicator last night. He may have found who stole that insect helmet thing."

Ron shuddered, "Again, KP, insects really bring up those bad Wannaweep memories..."

Kim then thought, "The only problem is where the thief will strike next. From what Wade said, she blends well in the shadows. We would have to find her first..."

However, her train of thought was interrupted by Tara. The blonde was in a CB long denim dress and black high heel boots with a long gold necklace.

"Ummm...Kim, don't look at Bonnie and her girls now..." Tara groaned.

"Step aside, losers

"Oh, great..." Kim muttered, "...what is Bonnie...?"

She turned around and found her answer as to what Tara was talking about.

"O...M...G..."

Kim's jaw dropped at the outfits Bonnie, as well as Hope, Ashley A, Ashley B, Ashley T, Amanda and Sarah all wore.

Bonnie led the way, as usual. She was wearing a pink tube top and baggy oversize dark denim Club Banana overalls with both straps undone and a belt to hold them up. Normally, this wouldn't be an issue for Kim since she had seen Bonnie style them in that manner, as much as it annoys the redhead since the brunette cannot utilize the basic need of the straps and that it was a blatant violation of the MHS dress code. What was different this time was that Bonnie was showing off half her pink Club Banana boxers.

As for the three Ashleys that were there, Ashley A and Ashley B were also in the dark denim CB overalls with the bib down, only that both straps were hooked to the bib. Ashley T was in the CB carpenter jeans. They were all in croptops with Ashley A and Ashley T sporting pink while Ashley B was sporting teal. All three of the Ashleys went with the purple CB boxers to show off. While Ashley A and Ashley T were wearing pink sneakers to complete the outfit, Ashley B went for beige boots.

Hope, Sarah and Amanda, were wearing yellow, lavender, and blue croptops, respectively and, like Bonnie, Ashley A and B , were in the CB dark denim overalls with both straps undone and showing off the CB boxers, like the other Mean Cheers. Those three girls also coordinated their sneakers to match their croptops.

They also wore varying amounts of heavy gold and silver jewelry that were extremely shiny.

"What's the matter, K? Jelly over our fetch outfits?" Bonnie grinned.

"B, can't you or your girls EVER hook up overalls properly like I do?" Kim muttered. "Monique would declare this a fashion disaster area!"

"And look like a farmer? So no way!" Bonnie countered, "Unlike you, in which your wardrobe is always the same, me and the girls stayed up at midnight to watch the new Britina-MC Honey duet!"

"Lemme guess, the outfits you and the Mean Cheers are wearing match the ones in the video?" Kim guessed.

"They are so ab-fab!" Bonnie exclaimed while flipping her hair, "Elsa Cleeg said so!"

"I don't care what she says, Rockwaller!" Kim exclaimed, "You know, you're going to be the reason why this district is going to force us to wear school uniforms!"

"Not going to happen, Possible! Not as long as my mom is the head!" Bonnie countered, "You should know this already!"

"Whatever, don't blame me if you do indeed suffer a Ron moment." Kim muttered. "And I gotta get to my first class any ways!"

"Kthanksbye, loser!" Bonnie smirked "See you at cheer practice!"

And so, the two rivals parted ways for their separate classes. The rest of the Mean Cheers also went their separate ways for their first classes.

Bonnie walked with Amanda, for they had US History as their first period class.

"Amanda, I want you to record Scenes 4 and 5 for me for today's practice." she insisted, "But keep the camera hidden from Possible. We still do not want her to notice anything!"

#kim possible #ron stoppable #fanfiction #roneo and kimliet #chapter 27 #rufus #bonnie rockwaller #monique

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nausikaaa · 1 year

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Books I Read In 2023, Part One

In January I decided I wanted to track my reading, as I usually don't really have a sense of how much I read per month or year. I don't like things like Goodreads, so I just jotted down the books I read and what I thought of them in my notes app. Now that we're halfway through the year, I thought I might share what I've read, and then in December I can add part 2. So, without further ado,

January

The Girl From The Sea by Molly Knox Ostertag. 3 stars, a bit slow but generally sweet and fun.

Jackalope Wives And Other Stories by T Kingfisher. 5 stars, every story slapped. would highly recommend if you like dark fairytales with a sense of humour.

February

started Helen Of Troy by Margaret George. I still haven't finished it (she is LONG) but i'm really enjoying it!

I Was Born For This by Alice Oseman. 4.5 stars, it was entertaining and emotional like all of Alice Oseman's books but i have to deduct a half a star for the main character (who is from the south) briefly assuming with no basis that being from north = transphobic and the narrative treating this as a rational assumption and not super bigoted and classist, like what the hell was that about? also via this interaction Alice Oseman managed to find yet another way to mention Durham in her books but this time i couldn't even go "yay i'm from there!" because now have this sense that she thinks i'm predisposed to transphobia because of where i'm from. i cannot stress this enough: what the fuck.

The Prince And The Dressmaker by Jen Wang. 5 stars, so heartwarming and i loved the art! I'm trying to get one of my friends to read it because I just know he'll relate.

March

The Lives Of The Saints by Leigh Bardugo. 3 stars, not really my jam but it adds another layer to her other books, which I really enjoy.

Fun Home by Alison Bechdel. 3 stars, made my head hurt at times because it's kinda convoluted, but still super interesting. the musical is great too. and before you mention it, yes, i am reading Dykes To Watch Out For, but it's not on the list because I just started it, and I will probably read the bulk of it and finish it in July so it will fall under there.

April

Lies We Sing To The Sea by Sarah Underwood. 3.5 stars, i'll be honest, i read this out of morbid curiosity and spite. it was a pretty average for a YA book really, not worth all the drama it stirred up in the classics community, but the end surprised me so it gets an extra half star.

A Fatal Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum: Murder In Ancient Rome by Emma Southon. 4 stars, really interesting and quite funny at times but i just don't really like the author's vibe. she's weirdly defensive of Caligula, just as she was in her book on Agrippina that i read last year. like yeah people make fun of him and exaggerate stories about him but he literally killed people, maybe he deserves it.

May

Messalina: A Story Of Empire, Slander And Adultery by Honor Cargill-Martin. 5 stars, super interesting and engaging, i never wanted to put it down! Messalina really did just girlboss too close to the sun.

I travelled this month so didn't have time for any other books, but I bought my own weight in them and will try to work through them.

June

Rain Hare by Anna Barker. 4 stars, a collection of short stories so a mixed bag. I really liked most of them, some even made me cry (to be precise, How Do I Feel About Lentils?, which does an excellent job of blending past and present to help the reader get into the confused mind of the narrator, who has Alzheimer's, and Tunny, wherein the twist hit me like a sack of bricks and all I could do was break down) but there was just one i didn't really like (Sea Glass, i just don't really vibe with the mentally ill narrator dying at the end and this being presented as what she wanted.)

Through The Woods by Emily Carroll. 3.5 stars, good horror, the art was great and the stories interesting, but they all felt like they ended just a bit too soon and therefore lost some of their impact.

Our Wives Under The Sea by Julia Armfield. 6 stars, yes, i'm straight up giving this 6 out of 5 stars because it was so so good! i devoured it in one day flat and loved it. the horror was atmospheric and gripping, the romance made my chest ache, and the ending absolutely devastated me, but in a good way.

so yeah, hopefully i can continue to get through my massive TBR pile in the coming months! and if you've read any of these books, please let me know what you think, I would love to talk about them!!

#the girl from the sea #jackalope wives #helen of troy #i was born for this #the prince and the dressmaker #the lives of the saints #fun home #lies we sing to the sea #a fatal thing happened on the way to the forum #messalina #rain hare #through the woods #our wives under the sea #2023 reads #2023 reading list

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myonmukyuu · 1 year

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Art Summary: 2022

It's that time of year again! This makes my 9th year of art summaries... Kind of insane to think about.

It's been a very eventful year and I have a lot to say. Extended art performance review under the cut 👌 (3k words lmao)

Previous: 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021

ABOUT THE COMIC:

So! What happened this year? Well, my book happened. I'm not sure if anything else happened ahfhasjkdkasf

See, I actually cheated this art summary a tiny bit. Usually I use the upload date of the art to place it in the summary. But if I did that for this year, there would be at least 4 blank spots. That's why February, April and May all feature different pages of the same comic (CH 9).

I really did spend the first half of the year finishing my comic. I only released 2 chapters too (the finale and the epilogue). In March I took a week and a half off to work on a short for Ayumu's birthday, but otherwise slaved all the way until June for the webcomic.

Then I spent July and August doing all of the redrawing and edits required for a physical release. Those who have a copy of my book might already know but the first two chapters have been redrawn. I also had to go through the entire comic, fixing it so that it could actually be printed (because the webcomic version definitely can't be printed as it is.) It was super time-consuming. Like, I can't even begin to describe. Moving forward I'll try to draw every comic so that it's printable from the beginning so I don't have to deal with reformatting ever again...

I'm pretty sure it was in August that I had the first copy of the book done. Then the preordering period opened in Septemeber... and now we're here! People are just now starting to receive their books. Sorry it took so long guys ;w;

I'm very happy though... Depending on who you ask, 100 sales might not be a lot, but it's a lot to me. To think that so many people would spend the money to buy this kind of product is just so surprising to me... It's expensive and all of the content is already available to read for free!!! So it's really surprising and I'm so incredibly grateful. That's why I went through the trouble of creating that golden special print for everyone! It was quite a bit of money out of my pocket, but I really wanted to show my appreciation.

As a side note, the 100 sales were really exhausting to pack. My body was sore in November because of it LMAO

So I'd say this year was great for my comic! Both its webcomic finale and its physical release. But this summary isn't meant to be about my comic, it's supposed to be about my art and me as an artist.

ABOUT MY ART:

So how did my art go this year?

Looking back I feel nothing but exhaustion. I know I'm happy to have my comic released but, my body and mind is still very very tired. I feel like I took at least 2-3 weeks off or more from work throughout the year to keep the comic on track. It's just a huge undertaking.

What I'm getting at is I feel a tired and... a little disappointed. But don't get me wrong, I don't feel regret! It's just that... well every artist draws for their own reasons. For me, I love getting my ideas and stories out there. So I guess I felt creatively-starved spending about half a year polishing and releasing an already-complete product. Also technically starved - you don't really see much improvement if all you're doing is cleaning up art. I didn't really have a lot of time to draw because of the physical release so I often felt like I wasn't doing enough.

And honestly that's my main sentiment. While I feel happy and satisfied with releasing the book, another part of me feels like she didn't do enough.

In terms of technical skill, I definitely saw improvement this year. It's like something clicked in me and I had a better understanding of atmospheric lighting. CH 9 and the epilogue are probably some of my favourite bits of colouring I've ever done. I just love how it turned out. In CH 9, the gradual setting of the sun to create this orange/pink/purple colour palette was so fun to implement. And in the Epilogue, this blue/green/yellow rainy day came out perfectly. It was a rainy day, but unlike CH 7, it wasn't a dreary downpour but something more hopeful instead. I have a love for creating atmosphere and especially through colour. And I think I did well there.

In the realm of black/white, I also feel lots of improvement! I'm becoming more confident with monochrome and am starting to push it further. I'm not satisfied with my skill level, but I think it's promising. I may be more confident with creating tone through colour, but I'm sure I can do the same without it!

This year I also did quite a bit of painting. I really love how the October and November artworks came out. Honestly it was around this point in the year, I had the most time to output works as the only comic work I had to do was purely admin (until I started packaging things in November). I could go into technical depth, but this post is long enough. Just know that I'm happy with the little leaps my colouring skills made.

GOALS FOR 2022:

For my art summaries, I've been doing a performance review styled thing where I create goals for the upcoming year. Let's take a look at what goals I wrote for 2022 and how I went with them.

“I want to finish my comic series”

Passed with flying colours! I think the comic release was a success. This goal is a little cheap of a goal though, since I don't think I'd let myself live it down if I gave up.

“I also want to continue to try things that are outside of my comfort zone. I want to see myself try things like different angles/perspectives and more complex backgrounds.”

Now this goal... I think I made progress here. I'm not sure if people noticed but I did definitely try to slip in different angles here and there. I'm particularly good at them... but I'm trying! And I think that's the least I can do. You won't get good at something if you don't try after all. That being said, I should push backgrounds more... I rarely do them 😅

"I want to do more illustrations/quick drawings on top of my comic work."

My comic work was suffocating a lot of the time. But I did try to draw on top of it. I haven't really talked about it, nor shown anyone, but I started learning copic markers this year (borrowed my friend's set!). So in the background I've been doing 30-60 minute traditional art exercises. I'm not terribly diligent, but diligent enough that I already think it's made an impact on my art. See, I'm only doing monochrome copic markers (I'm not confident enough to do colour just yet). I'm pretty sure doing monochrome markers has helped me with my manga skills 😂. I have a better understanding of tones and values because of it! Isn't that kind of amazing? Come to think of it, it's linked to the next goals.

"I want to learn to paint."

"I want to learn to draw faster."

While I still have a long way to go, somehow my marker exercises have helped me with these too. The understanding of tones/values has made an impact on coloured work and painting as well. And because I'm doing shorter pieces, my speed has increased a tiny bit. I'm sure if I keep at it, I can continue to develop better habits!

"I want to draft more quickly and be smarter about it."

Now this goal is something I have just been trying to mentally direct myself to. It's working... a little bit. I still need to try harder.

See, I think my drafting process is really slow and inefficient. This results in me spending too much time drawing a comic because I've drafted like 5 extraneous pages. If I wanna increase my output and lower my workload, I have to learn to be more clever with how I compose each page. I think I got a tiny bit better. Need to work harder on that for sure (it's quite hard to just "learn" though...)

MOVING FORWARD:

With the past year in mind, how do I want 2023 to go? To be honest, I still feel so exhausted because of 2022, I definitely need some time to recover, so let's not go too crazy next year.

But before I create my next goals, I wanted to talk about where I want to go in general - the grand scheme of things. Like I mentioned, I feel a lot of disappointment, like I wasn't doing enough. Which is contradictory because I also feel like I did too much with how exhausted I am... But the source of that disappointment is really tied in with how I feel about my art skill on a technical level.

I'm nearing a whole decade of hobby artist experience. And I don't feel like my art shows it. While there are things that I am better at, there's so much that I struggle with.

I want to become better. I want to improve.

It's hard to explain but I feel like I'm not doing the best I can for the stories I want to tell if I don't keep pushing and learning. And I love what I make, so I want to do those stories justice.

So it's really important to me that I keep trying to improve.

In the long term, I think my dream is to be like a pro-manga artist. Please don't make fun of me LMFAO. But there's more to it. See, I don't actually want to be a pro artist. I never want to compromise my creative vision for the sake of pandering to an audience. I sincerely think I wouldn't be able to succeed without doing that so I'm content with drawing as a hobby. A programmer as my day job and a manga artist by night...

I want to be as skilled as a pro some day though.

To be honest, I think the distance is so great that it's basically impossible. So my true goal is a little lower than that.

My true long-term goal is to be... a little comparable to a pro.

And I don't think I'm at that point. And I don't want to use "being a hobbyist" as an excuse to allow myself to remain like this.

I think it's terrifying actually. Where I'm at with my art.

I'm really happy people enjoy it, and don't get me wrong - I love my own work. I love drawing. But I think it's important to be critical of it - if I want to be able to reach my goals.

I think if people read this far, they might be thinking something like "but you're already so good!" or something to that effect. But I don't think it's true.

I think it's terrifying because there's so much I'm not good at. Comics are scary because they're an amalgamation of so many different skillsets. I possess some of these skills but there's just so many different ways that I feel that I'm lacking.

For instance, my art itself has such stiff lines. I'm not great at perspective. My art isn't dynamic. And this is just a few examples of stuff related to my illustration skills.

But comics are more than that.

There's the individual panel compositions that come together to create a unifying page composition. The visual flow - controlling how the reader scans the page. The storytelling skills - pacing, dialogue, story beats. The dialogue writing skills. The typesetting.

I think there's so many places I'm weak with and it's scary because it's difficult to just pick something to improve at when it feels like everything is wrong at once. It's so easy for me to pick up some manga from a shelf, flick through and think "this artist does x better than me, how can I learn from them?" but learning is hard and I'm not good at it so I'm just stuck with this awareness that I could be better.

But at the end of the day, I just have to pick a direction and go, right? I think that's all I can do and that's okay. It's just hard to shake the feeling of drowning in my own mediocrity.

Sorry I didn't mean to bring down the mood of this art summary.

I promise that at the end of the day that I love drawing. This is just my overly-critical side shining through. I don't have too much natural talent, just a very stubborn mind. I kind of need to be critical so I can push myself in the right direction. And I'm fairly happy with the way I've been pushing myself through these past years.

I'm not particularly fussed if my works receive a lot of traction or not because what's most important to me is the way I see my own work. My personal satisfaction.

And that's just tied with doing the best I can!

So with that in mind...

GOALS FOR 2023:

"Improve at atmospheric lighting"

This isn't particularly ambitious because it's something I'm already working on, but I know I can push lighting even further. So expect to see me experimenting more and more!

"Participate in a paid online course"

Now this is linked to my wall of text just now. I feel very overwhelmed so I think having an unbiased and experienced teacher's guidance could be valuable. I'm eyeing ones that include personalised feedback. The only concern is that it's hard to find the time for things like this when I work full-time.

Also it's a bit scary having a professional roast me, but I think it'd be good for me.

"Continue to practise traditionally"

This is linked to all of my technical art gripes. I think continuing to do traditional art exercises will help me with a lot of my weak points.

"Continue to be ambitious with art"

I don't mean ambition on a work-load level, but I want to continue to push out of my comfort-zone. Keep trying those weird angles and backgrounds, be more experimental!

"Start planning that next story"

I always have a billion different story ideas in my back pocket that I am itching to tell. I also don't wanna die of overwork though. So lets keep the bar low.

I have many great ideas, so I want to start outlining the next one! This is just a vague goal to remind myself to keep thinking ahead.

"Rest up."

I think this is the most important goal. Like I said I feel completely and utterly exhausted this year.

So I want Myon in 2023 to have more time for herself. Improve her health, catch up with her relationships, spend more time watching movies and playing video games.

Don't work too hard next year.

EXTRA REFLECTION:

I seriously don't know if anyone actually reads these reflections. I wonder what kind of person I come off across... (probably a try-hard 😂)

I wanted to talk about one more thing. It's not really linked to goals, just the future in general.

So I've been drawing for Nijigasaki for 2 years now. I think a lot of people are moving on from it though.

To be honest, I think that's okay. I'm kind of used to the people around me shifting into new interests. I think I'll still be with Niji for a long time to come. I just have a lot of large scale ideas and will probably stick with them unless something sweeps me off my feet.

I mean, even if my ideas take too long to actualise while I'm interested in Niji, I'm also open to converting things into original content. There are just so many stories to tell...

It makes me wonder why my readers enjoy my work and how they interact with it? Are people a fan of me? The ship/characters/fandom? Or the stories?

Probably some mix of the above. It's not terribly important why though.

I'm sorry that I'm not very good at keeping up with everyone's interests. I think the world moves too quickly and I draw too slow and I can barely keep up. But I'm a bit too stubborn with my own desires so I keep working on my own things without another thought. So maybe that apology is a bit empty eheh

But I hope people will continue to enjoy the stories that I make.

I should be less harsh on myself though. 9 years of art isn't something to just shrug off.

Anyways, before I keep rambling. Happy new year everyone. Let's keep working hard in 2023!

#ive been using the same art summary template for the last 9 years #it doesnt even have the year displayed in the image but im committing anyways LMAO #art summary #i drew setsupomu for an entire year #i talk a lot in the readmore; no pressure to read it though #it's more for me than for anyone else #also its 3k

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shoami323 · 11 months

Text

YEAR 1301

Matilda's pregnancy progressed rather normally and steady after she found out about it. She even made friends with some other girls her age, who were also freshly married and pregnant. They often talked about their husbands, their pregnancies and just how life was. Matilda found the topics a little odd at first, but she soon got used to it. The only thing she still found unusual was that, even though she was younger than most of the girls, her belly was almost twice as big as the regular one... But she brushed it off, thinking that maybe it was just her imagination.

One warm, February evening in 1301, while she was caring for the garden, a sudden pain hit her. It was so strong that she couldn't breath for a moment, almost falling to her knees. She didn't need much thought to know what was happening with her. She was going into labor.

She didn't waste any time, instantly going to her husband and telling him what was going on. Gilbert stayed calm, though it was very hard to do so, comforting his wife in any way that he could.

It wasn't until late at night when the pain was unbearable to the young girl and the contractions were more frequent. Breathing slowly, she changed into her nightgown and awaited the birth.

"Gilbert" - she said, looking straight in her husband's green eyes. "Gilbert, I'm scared. What if something goes wrong?"

The boy only smiled and put a loving kiss on his wife's soft, red cheek.

"My love, you're a strong girl. You'll survive, I just know it. I'm aware of the fact that you're scared - and it's nothing new or weird, as it's your first pregnancy. But believe me when I say that everything will be alright, okay? We're in this together. We'll always be."

Matilda smiled, visibly happier. This guy.... He really could make her calmer in just a few seconds.

The labor progressed through the night, and after a few hours, a sweet little girl was delivered. Matilda was tired, exhausted even, but the sight of a crying newborn made her forget about all the pain she went through. The girl was given was named Eleanor, and she seemed perfectly healthy.

But Matilda still felt an urge to push. And something she had to push out was much bigger than just a placenta. Suddenly, her bigger belly started to make sense.

"Gilbert, wait" - she said, getting stressed again. "I... I think there's more than just one baby in here."

A wave of worry rushed over the teenage boy, but he knew that he couldn't seem like he's freaking out. That wouldn't be good for Matilda and an unborn baby.

"Okay" - he said. "Let's get this baby out of here."

The second baby took a lot less time to get out, and after about half an hour, a second baby girl was delivered. This one was named Lucia Bennett and was just as healthy as her older twin sister.

"I'm so insanely proud of you, songbird" - Gilbert exclaimed, tears forming in his eyes. "We have two baby girls, thanks to you and your strenght. Thank you, thank you so much for this."

"I'm happy, too" - said Matilda. She was too tired to say anything else, but she looked at her newborn daughters with an unconditional love in her warm, brown eyes.

But life is never truly perfect.

TW: DEATH

A few days after giving birth, Matilda started feeling worse and worse. She had a high fever, so high that she often seemed like she was just a wrack of a human - only laying in bed, doing nothing else. Gilbert tried to do what he could, cooking meals, doing gardening and fishing to earn some money. They both hoped that it was just a temporary thing that will soon pass. Unfortunately, when they finally got enough money for a doctor visit, he didn't have good news. Matilda was diagnosed with a childbed fever that was already killing her.

Knowing that there wasn't any cure, Gilbert and Matilda tried to spend as many time as they could with eachother and their newborn children. It was ironic - they were freshly married, only 13 and 15 years old, and yet one of them was going to pass away not even a year after their wedding. But still, they were there for eachother. Until one day, when Gilbert returned from his fishing trip to the nearby sea shore, he found his young wife laying on the floor, lifeless

Matilda Bennett, wife of Gilbert and mother of Eleanor and Lucia Bennett, died of childbed fever in February, 1301. She was only 13 years old. After her death, her husband was left alone with two newborns to care for.

#tw: death #ultimate decades challenge #decades challenge #udc #ts4 historical #ts4 medieval #ts4 gameplay #ts4 decades challenge #ts4 #Gilbert Bennett #Matilda Bennett #Eleanor Bennett #Lucia Bennett

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