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lu-vin-it · 1 year

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I've never requested before so idk if I'm doing it right and also idk if this is what u meant by soulmate au so feel free to just ignore it if it isnt- but maybe something where soulmates have the same mark or symbol as each other, and daryl and reader's is the little skull tattoo that he has on his hand?

Group of Outcasts

── ⋅⋅⋅ ────꒰ ୨ ♡ ୧ ꒱───────

Pairings: Daryl Dixon x Reader

Pronouns Used: None Mentioned

Word Count: 1,552

Warnings: None

A/N: Tysm to @stqrluvr for proofreading!!! Also one of the characters may or may not be named after @lov9r 🤫🤫

The day you got your soulmate mark was supposed to be the best day of your life, and for most, it was. However, when you get a skull on your hand, a lot of small minded— small town people, kinda go crazy. Plus, it didn’t help that you already had a bad rep around town due to your Mama leaving and your Daddy being a drunk. You were seen as trailer trash and nothing more.

It didn’t bother you all that much, it was a small small town and people were going to judge. You got used to the glares from Mrs. Thompson when you passed her house, the way the sea of students would part when you came down the hall, and the way police officers’ would pay extra close attention to you when you were around.

So even after you became an adult and your Daddy died, you stayed in that town, it was all you knew, after all. You kept dealing with the glares, the parting, and the spying.

Then people started getting sick. And people who were sick became these monsters. So you packed up your shit and went off. You lived alone in the woods for a while before coming across a group of 7 people. There was Timmy, a nice man in his fifties who was accompanied by his wife, Mia, a woman in her thirties, and their 8 year old daughter, Charlotte. There was also Cece, a seventeen year old girl who was desperate to prove herself to the group. And Grace, a twenty-something year old who reminded you a lot of Annie from Annie Get Your Gun. And last but not least, Johnny, a 16 year old boy, and his Dad, Sydney.

You very quickly became the leader of the group. You led them around Georgia for a while before you ended up being caught by some walkers and lost everyone but Charlotte, Sydney, and Grace. So now here you are with 3 people to look after, despite being barely able to look out for yourself, stranded in the middle of Georgia with nothing.

You were fucked.

“Y/N.. when are we gonna be where we’re tryna be?” You let out a frustrated sigh.

“Grace, I dunno how many times I can tell you. We aren’t going anywhere specifically. We’ll just find somewhere dry to camp for a bit. I don’t know how long it'll take for us to find somewhere like that so please have a little patience.” She glares at you in response. You return your eyes to the road ahead of you. You’d been through these parts many times searching for other signs of life but.. there was nothing. You often found yourself wondering if you four were the last humans alive.

“Take a left up here. Should be a neighborhood right down the road.” Sydney says, pointing at an intersection. You do so.

A few hours later you were slowly making your way through the neighborhood when you realized that Charlotte was missing.

“Sydney, where the hell is Charlotte!?”

“I.. I dunno she was just here..” Your heart drops.

“When was she just here? You were the one in charge of her, where the hell is she?”

“I—“

“Sydney.”

“I helped her get out of the truck and.. and I thought she was behind me.” You let out a chuckle. And then another one, and another. Soon you were hysterically laughing. “Grace, go look for Charlotte around the truck.” The girl nods and runs off. “You and me,” You poke him in the chest. “Are gonna talk. What in the hell were you thinking?”

“I was thinking; she ain’t my kid. She won’t ever be Johnny. You keep putting us together as if we’re gonna click just cause I’m a— I was a Dad. That’s unfair.” You scoff.

“Unfair? What’s unfair is that Charlotte lost her Mom and her Dad within ten minutes and now the man she looked up to left her for dead. That’s unfair. How about this? How about I leave you here.” His eyes widened.

“You wouldn’t.”

“I would.”

“Uh.. Y/N?” You hear Grace yell. Your neck snaps to her direction where a man with an eyepatch is holding a gun to her temple.

“Don’t take another step.” He says, his voice is coarse.

“Let go of her.” You spit back, pulling your gun out.

“I don’t think you want to do that.”

“I think I do. Let her go.”

“Why should I?”

“Because if you don’t, I’m not afraid to blow your fucking brains out.” He laughs.

“You couldn’t get me from this distance.” You see Grace slowly reach into her pocket and grab a knife.

“Couldn’t I?” You tilt your head to the side.

“N—“ Suddenly, the man starts screaming in agony. Grace had stabbed him in the neck. He fell to the ground, his gun going off a few times in the process. Grace grabbed the gun and shot him in the head. You run up to her.

“Are you okay?” You put your hands on her shoulders. She was shaking.

“Did I just.. I just killed him, didn’t I?” You sigh.

“It was you or him, Grace.” She nods slowly. “Now let’s find Charlotte.”

Thankfully, you did find Charlotte pretty quickly. She was hiding out in the truck after she realized she had forgotten her knife.

Two days later, You, Grace, and Charlotte were getting some much needed sleep inside of a shed while Sydney kept watch. It wasn’t too long before the shed door burst open, waking all of you. Sydney slowly walked in, a man following him with a crossbow raised.

“Who the hell are you?” You jump to your feet and stand in front of Charlotte.

“Names Daryl.”

“Okay, Daryl. What do you want?”

“How many people are in your group?” You furrow your brows.

“Syd, Grace, and Charlotte.” You pause. “What do you want?”

“How many walkers have you killed?” You squint your eyes.

“Man what are tou talking about? Why would I keep track?”

“How many people have you killed?”

“What? None! What the hell is wrong with you?”

“One.” Grace whispered.

“There’s a community, ain’t too far. If we leave now, we can make it by dawn.” You glance at Sydney and Grace.

“You’re just gonna barge in here, pointing a crossbow at Syd, ask me these unsettling questions and then invite us to move in with you?” You shake your head. “Go to hell.” The man stares into your eyes for a moment before removing the glove from his right hand. You look at him with confusion before finally realizing what he was showing you. He had a skull tattoo on his hand identical to the one on yours. He was your soulmate. “Oh.”

“So you comin’?” You nod slowly.

“Yeah, we’re comin’.”

The drive to the community, Alexandria, was quiet. Daryl barely spoke and you had the feeling that it was an all the time thing, not just because he didn’t know you. When you arrived at Alexandria, the gate opened almost immediately. You were welcomed in by a man named Rick Grimes. He asked you guys some questions before showing you to a house.

It seemed too good to be true. There had to be some sort of catch.

“Y/N! They’re having a little shin-dig tonight to welcome us into the community, you coming?” Grace asked as she walked into the house. You had been reading a book on the couch for the past day.

“No.. you gonna take Charlotte?”

“Yeah... That book good?” You nod mindlessly. “Must be.. ain’t seen you interactin’ with anyone at all. Not even your soulmate.” You glance at her. “Well.. if you change your mind.. I’ll see you there.”

That night, you could hear the party happening all the way from your house. It was disrupting your book. Okay, and maybe you felt a little guilty about being so curt with Grace.. So you got up and walked to the party. You stood on the sidewalk staring at the house for a bit, wondering if you should go in. Parties were never your thing. People were never your thing. Was this even a good idea?

“Hey..” You turn around, startled by the sudden voice. You’re relieved to see Daryl with two men behind him.

“Oh, Hi.”

“Er.. This is Aaron and Eric, guys this is Y/N.” You muster up a small smile for the men.

“It’s nice to meet you both.”

“Likewise! Are you heading in?” You glance at the house again and shrug.

“Not sure if I’d be welcome.”

“You can join us if you’d like? We always have dinner together when they throw parties. You can be a part of our little group of outcasts.” Aaron offers. You look at Daryl who raises his eyebrows. You nod.

“Yeah, okay.”

Dinner was lovely, although you didn’t talk much, you found yourself enjoying the company of the three men very much.

“Maybe you can join in next time too!” Aaron said as he waved to you.

“Absolutely. Thanks for having me.” You waved back and started walking to your house.

“Y/N, wait!” You turn around to see Daryl running towards you.

“Yeah?”

“Mind if I walk you home?” You smile.

“Not at all.”

#daryl dixon imagine #daryl dixon x you #daryl dixon x reader #soulmate au

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ireneaesthetic · 1 year

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• young royals : wilmon fanfic rec •

I've been reading a lot of yr fics lately and it's a daily habit of mine at this point, so i'll recommend some of my fav ones (i'm so bad at choosing and idk if i'll make this a part 1/2/3 thing or update it from time to time - let's see!!)

Completed : multi-chaptered

Summer of love • by @ungaroyals

summary: Through flashes to the past, follow the story of simon and wilhelm's summer of love as they reconnect years later, having moved on with their lives despite always wondering what could have been.

rating (plot, writing, characters): ☆☆☆☆☆/5

We left footprints when we passed by • by This_time_its_just_me

summary: It has been eight years since the video. Five years since hillerska. Three years since wilhelm disappeared from his life as quickly and as intensely as he had returned. Simon has done his best to move on from his past, but old ghosts are the hardest ones to exorcise.

rating (plot, writing, characters): ☆☆☆☆☆/5

The most beautiful boy • by lovelysarcastic

summary: When wilhelm first meets simon, he thinks he is the most beautiful boy he has ever seen. But simon is already in a relationship, so he does what anyone in his situation would do: try to get over his crush. What could possibly go wrong?

rating (plot, writing, characters): ☆☆☆☆/5

Right where you left me • by YourDemiurge | check the tags

summary: When crown prince wilhelm died at the early age of 18, he left three legacies behind: a video that he'd denied being in, a precautionary tale of young love and a statue outside an otherwise unknown public school.

rating (plot, writing, characters): ☆☆☆☆/5

Not if it's you • by @prince-simon

summary: A hallmark-esque christmas au in which simon is a nanny for the crown prince's son.

rating (plot, writing, characters): ☆☆☆☆/5

Letters to Romeo • by willeseas

summary: Wilhelm is romeo, a secretive entity that helps lovesick people in his hometown by answering their letters. Wille keeps himself at an arm-length distance from involving personally in the stories he's confided to, until a curly-haired boy crosses his way, and turns his world upside down from the very beginning.

rating (plot, writing, characters): ☆☆☆/5

In progress : multi-chaptered

This is everything • by paspeurpasseul | check the tags

summary: A childhood friends au where simon makes wille question everything. But their love is just as strong.

(special mention to Dark come soon also - and literally everything they write)

Obviously • by @grapehyasynth | check the tags

summary: Normal people au. In their final year of secondary school, simon and wille find themselves entering a potent, secret relationship that threatens to upend both their lives. It can't last, but neither can they stop being a part of each other's lives.

Heavy is the head • by @prncewilhelm

summary: At 8 years old, wilhelm and simon are inseparable. When simon abruptly stops showing up to play, wilhelm just wants his best friend back. At 16, wilhelm is sent to hillerska to find himself and instead finds simon—but simon wants nothing to do with him.

Doesn’t everyone belong in the arms of the sacred • by @alltoowille

summary: He painted and painted and painted and wille held him and watched, shared simon’s perspective, watched the whole thing happen, and simon felt like a fucking miracle worker, creating a world in front of both of their eyes, a world of color and light, saturated with gratitude and love and affection, a documentation of simon’s search for joy, his desire to grasp onto it, cling onto it, make it permanent.

Monotony blues • by @stardiveatnight | check the tags

summary: Over the years simon has learned that the best way to cope with the trauma that was his seventeenth year of life was telling himself two things over and over again: he was always meant to be miserable and wilhelm didn’t love him.

Get in loser, we’re going camping • by @piebingo

summary: Simon and wille go camping together, except they don’t know a thing about camping and Wille is madly in love with his best friend.

#hope you like them as much as i do <3 #young royals #wilhelm x simon #wilmon #young royals fanfic #yr fanfiction #wilmon fanfiction #fanfic rec list

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bratshaws · 2 years

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goodness gracious 40. brb x oc

a/n: we reached 40 chapters guys.....................and boy we arent even half done. idk if that's good or bad

check out the fic's playlist made by the sweet @wiipes !!

pairing: plus size!oc x rooster

warnings: fluff, mildly suggestive content, these two idiots love each other and i love them AAAAAAAA

chapters:

1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10/11/12/13/14/15/16/17/18/19/20/21/22/23/24/25/26/27/28/29/30/31/32/33/34/35/36/37/38/39

(pls let me know if you want to be added to the taglist!!)

taglist: @mirandastuckinthe80s @roosterschanelslut @wiipes @lcahwriter @shrimping-for-all @gretagerwigsmuse @frenchtoastix

@lizzie-rdj @fanboyluvr @atarmychick007 @comebacktoearthpls

@peachiicherries @mak-32 @lizziespidiepridie @roosterswifey @ollyoxenfrees @piceous21 @sqrlgrl22 @hofficoffi @lexhalstead3

@lorilane33 @legendarydreamersharkparty @luckyladycreator2 @emilybradshaw @j-6o @louisahale @leobabbyyy

“Roos.”

“Yeah,baby?”

She got closer to him on the couch, pressing her chin to his shoulder as he moved the analog on the controller, leading Arthur out of a cave where he found a large amount of gold. After breakfast they decided they could play a few games - with Beatrice winning in MK again, unsurprisingly - before he decided he’d play Red Dead Redemption 2 again, continuing Arthur’s adventure through the wild west. She hummed, parting her lips to speak, “If this sounds…weird you don’t have to answer it…but did you have a lot of girlfriends before me?”

Well, he wasn’t expecting that question but considering she told him about…Eric…he thought it was only fair if she knew about some of his exes too. Which wasn't many if he was honest, “I had two short lived relationships, one during high school with a girl named Emma and another one named Lisa after I joined the Navy…everyone else after that was a hookup.”

Beatrice blinked, supporting her face on the palm of her hand, “You know, Nat and Halo told me that…you always wanted something serious but never found the um…right person.” her cheeks heat up when she says, “Then you met me.”

Rooster knew Nat liked sharing things with people, because she was like that and would do it just for the hell of it, but he never expected her to repeat his very own words to Beatrice. Maybe he should’ve just told his girlfriend instead of Nat, not that what Phoenix did was bad per se, but he’d like those words to come out of his mouth.

He paused the game, setting the controller aside and patted his lap, “C’mere.” she does, settling herself on his lap as he hugs her waist, “Well, Nat can’t keep her mouth shut, much like Hangman, when it comes to you.” Beatrice looks up at him in surprise, “But you know, she isn’t wrong…I mean I didn’t want a relationship, Bea. With what I do? There’s always the chance of–” he hesitates, clearing his throat to gain enough courage, “--of something going wrong.”

Beatrice lowered her eyes, she obviously understood what he meant but didn’t voice it. She meant what she said when she knew what she was getting into when she started crushing on him, she balanced every possibility and even talked to her therapist about the consequences that it could bring even before the two got together. Back then she thought if she thought hard enough about it, her crush on him would disappear which obviously didn’t happen.

“And then I go to the Hard Deck one night and I see the prettiest woman working there.” he says softly, meeting her eyes, “She made me question everything, she made me wonder if I should really not be open to a relationship. All she had to do was look at me with those big green eyes and I was a goner.”

Her face heated up with a blush, smiling sweetly up at him. It was one thing to hear from his friends about his attraction to her, but with him saying that…it just made her whole body feel like there were butterflies inside her veins and her heart.

“But she kept running away from me and I thought maybe I should tread carefully around her,” he gently touches the side of her face, “I really wanted her to look at me and then maybe we could have a chat, maybe I could ask her out… eventually I helped her move an armoire up to her loft, then we talked about Lord of the Rings, she went to a barbecue dressed like a fucking fairy and fell asleep against me when I was asking if she wanted to go out with me.” he frowns a bit, recalling the memory, “Then I found her crying outside the bar and I decided I’d never want to see that again…then I asked her out for real and guess what?”

Beatrice smiles more, going along, “What?”

“She said yes and now I’m dating her.”

Her cheeks hurt from smiling so much, but she wasn’t complaining at all. She wasn’t used to being flirted with so much while in a relationship, usually a few compliments were to be expected but Rooster always made sure to go all out. That was how he was, he was always so open with his feelings and sometimes her brain couldn’t process it yet.

But she was happy, the happiest she’s been in a long while. “Well, I can say she’s very happy you two are dating.” she giggles, cupping his face in her hands, his cheeks smooth and free of the growing stubble from early morning, “And she’s never felt better.”

“I’m glad to hear that.” he whispers, pressing his lips to hers in a sweet kiss, humming into her mouth when she adjusted herself on his lap in a way that definitely made him more alert in the best way possible.

Bea pulls back with a soft smack, laughing softly when he tries to follow her mouth and she couldn’t help but peck his lips one last time. Her eyes lose a bit of it’s shine for a second and her smile falters, “Can I tell you something?”

Her quiet tone makes him open his eyes to meet her own, “Anything, gorgeous.”

Beatrice chews her lower lip, running her fingers on the collar of his sleeping shirt before she sighs, “...After I broke up with Eric, I had a breakdown. I…never told anyone, not even Shells about it because I didn’t want to be a bother. I considered calling him and asking if we could go back together because I didn’t think–” she clenched her jaw, narrowing her eyes at her own hands, “I didn’t think…I’d be able to find anyone else. I was happy to be done with him…but I was so scared of opening up again. You know? Why would I do that if the outcome would be the same?”

She was trying so hard not to cry, trying to ignore the burning behind her eyes and the subtle headache she’d always get from holding back tears, “When I figured out my crush on you…I…I didn’t know what to do. I remember going home and having to sit in the corner of my room dialing my therapist in the middle of the night because I was terrified…add that to my own demons and thoughts and I couldn’t really focus for too long.”

“Baby…”

“I know, Roos.” she says softly, “And then I just… I told you how nervous I got and my own overthinking got the best of me… I guess it’s–I guess now I finally understand that we are together. Like, together together. And you want to be with me and you think I’m pretty and-.” she sniffles a bit, quickly wiping below her eyes before the tear makes its way down her face, “And you love me and-and you aren’t ashamed of me.”

When her voice cracks when she says he’s not ashamed of her, Rooster frowns and hugs her tightly, bringing her to his chest and touching the back of her head. She’s still sniffling and he feels something wet seeping through his shirt, his heart clenches just like the time he saw her crying outside the Hard Deck.

There’s also a new level of fury coming to the surface. He hated Eric before but now he absolutely loathed the guy for putting shit into her head like that. He couldn’t understand how someone, how a human being, could look at Beatrice and see her as less than nothing , that’d put her so low and would make her doubt herself so much she’d have breakdowns while thinking about meeting someone else.

She didn’t deserve what she went through but no one went into details of how bad it was because, honestly, that’s something she’d have to share with others herself. Beatrice went through so much for such a good chunk of her life and she never wanted to share with anyone in fear she’d be a burden to others. She always kept it in, put it on a mask and hoped hard it wouldn’t crack so people wouldn’t question her about it.

Bradley buries his nose in her lavender scented hair, closing his eyes as he breathes in while keeping her against his chest. She wasn’t crying, but she hasn’t moved much since he brought her close, her back rising and falling with calming breaths. He presses a kiss to her scalp, “Baby.” he calls against the skin, feeling her head move then look up at him.

While her eyes were shining with tears and there was a bit of redness around her eyes and upper cheeks, she wasn’t crying anymore. She wipes her eyes one more time with the sleeve of the hoodie, clearing her throat “I’m okay.” she says quietly, giving him a small smile, “I’m okay.”

He removed the hand that was holding her thigh close so he could rub the side of her face, swiping his thumb under her eye to wipe any moisture that was left. “Are you sure?” she nods, still smiling, “I’m sorry you had to go through that, Bea. I really am.” her eyes drop to her hands and she shrugs, playing with a loose string that was coming out of the cuff. He knew she was trying to hide her emotions with a smile, so he cupped her chin to make her turn to him, “Bea. Don’t hide it anymore, you don’t have to. Okay? You always tell me to not keep stuff in if it bothers me. Don’t do the same.”

Beatrice’s lips part in a silent gasp, looking at him with her green irises shimmering with more tears that dared to fall. But she closed her eyes, swallowed harshly and nodded, “Okay. I won’t.”

“Promise?”

“I promise.” she replies quietly, this time her smile reaches her eyes when she opens them, shining with everything but tears. Bradley smiles back, pressing his lips to the top of her head before patting his chest and telling her to be comfortable. She laughs softly, curling her body a bit more on his lap so she’d be partially facing the tv while he grabbed the controller that he had dropped to the side.

Hearing Bradley’s heart thumping repeatedly made her relax more than before, her eyes slipping shut with a smile on her face, her cheeks heating up pleasantly as she thought about everything that happened in these past months.

She didn’t have to hide anymore, she didn’t have to fear anymore.

For the first time in her life she felt truly free.

Beatrice watched him move Arthur around New Hanover, muttering a quiet ‘sorry’ to whatever animal he had to kill and bring to camp - which she found adorable -, then hunting down people for money before he decided to take pictures around since that game was so pretty. It was then that she noticed something.

“Brad.” he hums in question, turning Arthur towards the camera and giving her a clear view of his face, “You made Arthur look like you. Did you notice that?”

Bradley stops moving the analog, he too was looking right back at the virtual cowboy. He turns Arthur this way and that, even the hairstyle was similar, faded at the sides, “...I mean, he looks great.” he says with emphasis, making Beatrice laugh softly against his chest “Don’t he? Gonna get all the ladies around these parts.”

Beatrice snorts gently as Bradley moves Arthur back to the Clydesdale, taking him away from the area he was exploring. She crosses her arms over her bust while watching him play, enjoying this time together before she moves her eyes to her abandoned phone on the coffee table.

She reaches for it, feeling one of his hands holding her waist in case she nears a fall, grabs it, then leans back on his chest. She doesn’t see Rooster flitting his eyes down to the screen, his lips quirking up when he sees her background is also a picture of them together before she checks her messages.

He trails his gaze away once she opens the app, choosing to give her some privacy even if he did worry about certain things that were happening. Beatrice hums a little song, typing back a message to her mother and to the girls’ group chat, they all think it’s just spam accounts trying to gain followers back, but Evelyn says it’s still suspicious. She tells Beatrice that if it happens again for her to send them the actual account before blocking it because Carmen could check it out since she was so good with computers.

Bea asked if she thought there was something off about it and Evelyn just replied with a ‘maybe’, but they had to check a bit more. That made Beatrice furrow her eyebrows, asking Evelyn what she meant. Her friend took a few minutes to reply but when she did she just said ‘It’s just a feeling’.

She couldn’t say exactly what it was that Evelyn was talking about but she couldn’t get it out of her head how she said it was a feeling. A feeling of what? Maybe she just said that so they could figure out who it is and then block the main account itself? That sort of feeling? Beatrice thanked them all again, then asked Evelyn if she went out with Jake again since she didn’t reply the first time…the moment she did ask her icon disappeared from the group chat.

Maybe she should just ask Shells about it since Evelyn is just refusing to say if it happened or not.

“Roos.”

“Yeah?”

Beatrice chuckles softly as his tone, looking back at him as he squirts a good amount of shampoo in his hand, “You know I think I can bathe by myself now. I’ve washed my hair before.” she smiles, biting her lower lip when he just sends her a look and sets the lavender shampoo aside. Since her hair was already wet, he just had to smear the pearlescent lilac liquid on her head.

He purses his lips, bringing her closer in between his legs, “Well, I mean we both have to take baths and since I’m here.” he rubs the shampoo on her hair, chuckling at her surprised yelp when the cold viscous liquid touched her scalp, the purplish white foam taking over as he moves his fingers through her tresses “I don’t see why not.”

Beatrice just hums happily, Bradley truly had magic fingers, she didn’t know how but it was like she was getting a full blown scalp massage. And he was so careful too, making sure the foam doesn’t reach her eyes, gently untangling her hair with his fingers while squeezing the moisture out. “You are not bad at this.” she comments, tilting her head to the side so he can reach the hair on her nape.

“I am pretty good with my fingers.” he smirks, “As you recall.” her cheeks and upper body turned red, her lip rolling into her mouth to bite it gently as she did remember how good he was with his fingers indeed. He pours clean water over her hair using the shower head, squeezing the shampoo out, then repeating a few more times until it’s squeaky clean.

She moves her gaze over her shoulder to where her wet hair was plastered against her back, picking some of the wet strands in between her fingers so she could have a closer look. She looks back at him, seeing his pleased little smile and grinning herself, “You did great.” she says, moving backwards to lean against his chest, his arms wrapping around her shoulders, “Thank you.”

“Anytime, pretty girl.” he replies, kissing her temple, then her cheek, then smiling against her mouth when she tilts her head up towards him. He was getting so used to the smell of lavender he didn’t even mind having it all over himself after showering or after bathing. It smelled like her and it’d be like that for a while.

Having her in his apartment, well her and Jolene, was probably one of the best ideas he’s had in a long time. He spent fourteen days with her and he loved every second of it, so asking her to stay with him after she hurt herself seemed a good thing to do. She’s been healing, they’ve been spending time together and he was proud at how he was able to control himself. It’s been hard, but cold showers are good for that reason. He just wants her to heal, that’s all.

He pulls back from the kiss to prop his chin on the curve of her shoulder, his hands rubbing up and down her arms and looking at the small yet colorful tattoos on them. “What was the first tatoo you had done?”

Beatrice blinks, looking back at him then at her arms, holding the one with the Hobbit quote for him to see, “This one.” she says, twisting her arm so he could see it better “I did this arm first then the other one, I wanted small tattoos first. And I still want more, I want to talk to Taboo and check if she has the time for me.”

“Taboo?”

“She’s my tattoo artist.” she grins, “She used to date one of our classmates in college, we met at graduation. She’s the one who’s been doing my tattoos.”

“Any idea which one will be the next one?” he asks, following the thin lines of the little snake by her wrist.

“...I think I’ll do the Litany Against Fear, but just the first lines. It’s a long quote.” she looks back at him who just looks confused, “ ‘I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer.Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.I will face my fear.I will permit it to pass over me and through me.And when it has gone past, I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.’ It’s from Dune. "

He arches his eyebrows while blinking his eyes, “The fact you said all that without even pausing to think is amazing to me.” She laughs softly, rubbing his hand, “But it’s an amazing quote.” he noticed how some of the quotes and things she liked were about facing fear or facing the darkness to step into the light. Considering everything she’s been through, he wondered if she noticed how that applied to her life.

“If you want,” she tilts her head back to look up at him, “I can talk to her about your tattoo too?”

“I don’t even know what I’d tattoo.”

“Well, she can help you.” Bea smiles, “You did mention you wanted one inside your arm.” she turns around to fold her arms over his chest and press her chin on top, narrowing her eyes, “Unless you were just showing off and you didn’t want a tattoo at all.” Rooster looked down at her, his smirk slowly widening and she playfully splashed him with bath water, “You were showing off!”

Sputtering out the water that got into his mouth, he laughed quietly like a boy who just got caught in a prank, wiping his face with the back of his arm. “Maybe I was a little.” she splashes him again, her face red as a ripe tomato and he coughs up another laugh, squeezing her cheeks with his hand when she jutted out her lower lip, “Okay, no pouting,” he presses his lips to hers, pressing quick pecks to her mouth “No pouting, I was showing off just a bit but I still want a tattoo.”

Bea just narrowed her eyes even more, not believing him. “I swear,” he says, holding up his hand with three fingers close together “Scout’s Honor.”

“You were a scout?”

“For two months, then I got bored and my mom took me out, but that’s not my point.” he laughs, “I do want one, but I’m not sure what it could be. I want the first one to be special, like yours was.” he nods to her arm to where the Hobbit tattoo was, “I’d hate to regret it later in life.”

Beatrice stares at him, a flicker of an idea in the back of her mind, dropping her gaze to the side where a group of bubbles slowly drifted by her arm as she thought. Her mouth opened, then closed, then opened again only to clack shut one more time. She shouldn’t…say it, maybe it was a bad idea? What if it was? “...well…” she chews the corner of her mouth, “Why don’t you…get one done to represent your parents?”

She feels the silence like it’s a thick blanket surrounding them, immediately regretting her words and trying feebly to reel them back in, but Bradley just stared at her. His eyes unreadable and his lips closed, face completely neutral of anything that could give her a sign of any emotion. She thought he’d get out of the bath, probably needed some time alone…but then his shoulders relaxed and his jaw clenched as he looked to the side, “...I like that idea.”

Beatrice blinked in surprise, “You…you do?” he nods silently, “Oh. I thought…well,I’m glad you like it.”

“Yeah,I think I can…figure something out. Maybe I could look at the photo albums and see if I can come up with something.'' After his mother passed and he transferred to California post TOPGUN, he brought a lot of things he had saved up in his old place. Including some old albums his mother would keep in her dresser. He looks down for a bit longer, then meets her eyes, “Can you help me?” his voice was so quiet when he asked, a complete contrast to his usual tone.

Beatrice could feel how hard it’d be for him, so she nodded, “Of course, Brad.” she moves closer, wrapping her arms around his neck and smiling when he hugs her waist, their wet chests touching and the smell of lavender gets even stronger, “You can count on me.”

#bradley rooster bradshaw #rooster bradshaw #bradley bradshaw x oc #top gun maverick #bradley bradshaw x reader

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risingsoleil · 4 months

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Fic Writer Interview

My lovely friend @sheepwithspecs tagged me here, and I will spread this by tagging @yellowsalt3 @linnorabeifong @vr-tb @chiefbeifongcanrailme

1. How many works do you have on ao3? 14!

2. What's your total ao3 word count? 414,633

3. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Choices, Chances, Changes

You Are My Life

Talking to the Moon

The Other Side of Heaven

Lay All Your Love on Me

4. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I definitely try to respond to comments! The fact that someone spent time and energy to comment means so much to me, and I want to acknowledge that. I'm not the best at leaving comments, but I'm trying to do it more often as a reader bc I, too, am often dying at how awesome fics are

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

It's probably Meant To Be. Now that I think about it, I might write an extra piece for this fic just bc I feel like being salty lol

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

The Only Light We'll See - The whole fic was just an excuse to write steamy, smutty Linzin and let them have a happy life together. I guess you could argue that the main Linzin and family AU I write could also be one of them, but I haven't completed their story yet in this universe. Tbf, I don't think my Linzin AU has an "ending" but whatever happens, Linzin gets their happy ever after

7. Do you write crossovers?

Right now, I don't. But I was more open to writing crossovers when I was a kid.

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

I haven't thankfully, I have really awesome and sweet and kind-hearted readers in my circle 💞

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

Hell yeah, I fucking do! It's prob one of my fav things to write 😂 Idk what they mean by "what kind" but I've written possessive, romantic and loving, quickies, foreplay, first times, and spontaneous stuff. It's fun and my otps tend to be...super horny vibes

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Nope.

11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I haven't, but I would be interested in seeing one of my fics translated!

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

Yes! It's Come As You Are with picajc and @alemanriq, and this holds a special place in my heart

13. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

404 error. I have too many, but for now it's Lin/Tenzin

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

Probably Olvídame y Pega La Vuelta just bc I lost the vision for it

15. What are your writing strengths?

I think emotions are a big part of my writing process and it comes through in my fics. I channel my own emotions into my writing and it does leave a more profound impression.

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

Sometimes I want my writing perfect in the first draft, and it stops me from just enjoying the process. Recently, I've been wanting to write and that has manifested into writing for "results" rather than quality. I mean, I still try to write my best and for the fun of it. It's just that work sucks my energy and the time I have left for myself is recharging 😭

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

I need more context with this question. Does this mean if I do something like this:

Lin and Tenzin raised their brows at the girl with the electronic device.

"어머, 죽겠다! 린베이퐁과 텐진 진짜 앞에 있다," she said aloud, though the language is not her mother tongue. "어떡해...인스타로 올리겠지"

In general, I would be open to it because it can open up new pathways for writing

18. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Meet The Robinsons

19. What’s a fandom/ship you haven’t written for yet but want to?

I don't think I have one. For the most part, if I want to write for a fandom, I just do it lol

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

Choices, Chances, Changes. I swear a divine force guided me into writing this bc I was so compelled to bring it to life. The updates were posted every few days, and the story was completely written in 6 months.

There were 21 chapters.

Also, it was the first fic I completed in like 14 years (omg I sound old now 💀)

Thanks @sheepwithspecs for tagging me! 💜

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magpiefngrl · 8 months

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20 questions for fic writers

Thanks for tagging me @alleycat0306!

1.How many works do you have on ao3?

53 revealed and 4 hidden fics. (I've also deleted several.)

2. What's your total ao3 word count?

387,408 words. Most of my works are fairly short.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

I've written for a few. I was active in drarry for years. My most recent non-drarry ones were wangxian (MDZS/CQL).

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

(all drarry)

dirtynumbangelboy

The Miseducation of Draco Malfoy

The Full Monty

Through the Looking Glass and What Draco Found There

Kiss on cheek: one galleon

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

I do, except that on multichapter fics I only respond to the final chapter comments. I love and cherish each comment, though, and they make me more happy than I can express.

6. What is a fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

The Death You Carry. It's an MCD terminal illness fic.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Most of my fics end happily. The most happy... Well, DNAB I've mentioned above, I think that ends pretty happily, but I'd add The Unquiet Grave too, because the drarry relationship in it is very joyful (imo).

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I've never got hate. The worst has been some entitled comments, or a bit rude and thoughtless. A recent one was like that. Occasionally, one or two people mentioned something they didn't like or understand in my story and that led to interesting discussions.

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

I do! Idk what kind, the er...normal one?

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

No crossovers, no, though I've written a fic with a strong Captive Prince vibe (and some Easter eggs for CaPri readers) and a fic inspired by wangxian. So, MDZS Easter eggs there too.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Once someone screenshot dirtynumbangelboy and posted it on instagram, in groups of 10 pics. Does that count?

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

A few.

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

No. Me and @bixgirl1 sort of talked about it back in the day, but I'm so idiosyncratic I'd be a terrible co-writer. I can't imagine doing it with anyone other than Bix, tbh.

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

All time favourite is wangxian. I know it's a fairly recent ship for me, but they've hooked me deep.

15. What's a wip you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

I started a post-Hogwarts/kinda Eighth Year drarry fic a few years ago. I still have a vivid impression of the fic's world and the intensity I was going for, but no idea of the plot (typical) and, for a few other reasons, I'll never finish it. It's a shame because I meant it as a gift to a very dear fandom pal.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Mood, atmosphere, my prose and my turns of phrase tend to be what readers comment on. I've written a few fics people thought were funny. I like my dialogue a lot.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Plot usually. I think, the end result perhaps doesn't read as bad as I make it, but plot can stall me for AGES. It doesn't come naturally to me, at all.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

Love it.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Pynch from The Raven Cycle.

20. Favourite fic you've written?

Probably 9 ½ Days (drarry)) ; it starts like this (pynch) ; and the unfinished secret desires (wangxian). Oh and the HP but non-drarry Black sisters fairytale The Glass Hearts. really love this last one.

Tagging everyone who wants to do this! <33

#tagged #fanfic life #drarry #wangxian

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bangtansmauyeondan · 2 years

Text

Changing Seasons (a KNJ oneshot)

Based on the song Is It Still Beautiful (Hospital Playlist 2 OST) by Seungkwan, Woozi and DK of Seventeen

Pairing: Arts and Travel Blogger!Namjoon x Restaurateur!Fem Reader

Genre: Angst, Exes AU

Rating: 16+

Word Count: 2.3K

Warnings: None

Summary: After three years of traveling in and around Europe to feed his hunger and passion for travel and the arts, Namjoon returned home to his first love.

PERMANENT TAGLIST: @highly-functioning-mitochondria @persphonesorchid @thatbangtanjagiya @jjwamaisvu @taestefully-in-luv @btsstan12 @bts-reveries @blog-name-idk @madbutgloriouspond @pamzn @wrmnssoul @ygbubs @halesandy

••••

“Namjoon, are you ready?” Hoseok stuck his head through the door of his hotel room, suitcase lagging behind, ready to leave.

“Yep!” Namjoon patted the pockets of his jeans. “Just making sure I have everything with me before I leave.”

“Passport?”

“Here,” Namjoon took a peek inside the fanny pack across his chest for good measure.

“Come on, let’s go. Yoongi hyung is already at the airport,” Hoseok pushed the door wide open to assist his friend with his suitcase. “He’s gonna start whining again if we’re late.”

“Our flight is in three hours!” Namjoon looked at his friend incredulously.

“Tell him then!” Hoseok challenged.

“Yeah, no. Nevermind.”

*********

The usually bustling Incheon International Airport wasn’t that crowded when they landed, and so the three of them have decided to stop by the cafe for something to nibble on before they go their separate ways.

“Ah, it feels good to be back home,” Hoseok sighed leaning back on his chair as he chewed on his bagel. “I swear, I can’t wait to speak in my jeolla dialect 24/7.”

Namjoon and Yoongi chuckled at their friend’s statement. The three of them have been friends since high school and equally have big dreams. They were away for three years collectively, with Yoongi and Hoseok working together in the international music scene, hopping between the US and the UK, and Namjoon exploring arts in and around Europe. Finally being able to take a three-month break at the same time, the three friends have decided that it’s a no-brainer– they have to fly back home to their motherland.

“Planning anything exciting while we’re home?” Hosek asked them. “My sister is getting married in Jeju Island, but I don’t have any other plans during my stay.” He continued.

“I’m gonna head straight home and probably hug Holly for hours,” Yoongi smiled at the thought of his pooch. “Heading straight to Ilsan, Joon?”

Namjoon hesitated, nibbling on his lower lip. A beat of silence passed until he realized that his friends were waiting for his answer. “I’m checking in at a hotel for the night and then I'll head to Ilsan tomorrow.” He didn’t miss the way his friends exchanged glances between each other. “I’m visiting ______ at her restaurant today.”

“Yah, Namjoon-ah…” Worry flooded Hoseok’s face. He was about to say something when Yoongi waved his hand dismissively at him.

“Let him. He needs it.” Yoongi turned to Namjoon, giving him a tight-lipped smile and an encouraging nod.

He’s right. He needed it. He needed to see how things have turned out himself.

THREE YEARS AGO

The cozy atmosphere in the quaint little cafe did nothing to calm the cold and the storm raging inside Namjoon’s chest as he clutched your hands on top of the table.

“It’s not fair to either of us…” You looked up at him, almond-shaped eyes gazing into his sharp dragon eye-shaped ones. The soft glow from the fairy lights hanging by the window reflecting against your glassy eyes made your chocolate-colored orbs a little bit more sparkly. “I don’t want to do this anymore.”

Namjoon nodded, albeit holding back his own tears. He wouldn’t let you see him break. Hell, he’s not even sure if you really meant that much to him… what did you really mean to him? You were like a moth drawn to a flame. He’s the flame whose warmth radiates so brightly, you have mistaken it for something more. He had big dreams, bigger than anything else, bigger than what he felt for you. As much as he could see how supportive you were on his travels, and how you listened to him as he constantly rambled about arts every night while tangled up in his sheets, he still felt like you were pulling him back. He felt constrained, like a balloon tied up to a boulder, he couldn’t soar up high. You’re a simple girl– you're passionate about food, produce, and farming. You grew up on a farm and your dream has always revolved around bringing the freshest ingredients from the ground to the consumer’s table. He, on the other hand, wanted to see what the world has to offer. He once asked you to travel with him during his internship in Paris, and although you didn’t say much, he knew your heart wasn’t in it.

You’re right. It’s not fair to either of you. Asking you to uproot yourself and travel with him was not the risk he would want to take, for fear that in the end, you might loathe him. For fear that in the end, he would realize that what he felt for you isn’t love. After all, that is the territory neither of you have tried dipping your toes into.

“I get where you’re coming from, ______.” Namjoon gave you a reassuring smile before bringing your hands to his lips, giving your knuckles a gentle kiss. “Thank you,” another kiss. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t be that person for you.”

“You don’t need to apologize,” you returned his reassuring smile. “Go follow your dreams, Namjoon. I won’t be able to forgive myself if you don’t.”

“Do you promise to keep in touch?”

“I promise.”

“Go accept your dad’s proposal, ______.” He reached out and tucked the loose strand of hair hovering in front of your face behind your ear. “Take over the family business. I’m rooting for you.”

You nodded.

The night ended with you in his tight embrace in front of your apartment, promising each other to stay friends, no matter what.

*********

At first, I was comfortable being alone

I had freedom with my decisions and my time

It was like I had erased the memory of you

I really believed I did

But, you see, when I open my eyes early in the morning, alone

And I learn that you are not by my side

Tears start flowing without me realizing

*********

From: [email protected]

Date: May 25, 2017 at 12:24:55 PM

To: [email protected]

Subject: Finally!

Hi Yn,

I just checked into my accommodation in Paris. My agent said the renovations aren’t done at the new apartment complex so I have to stay here for another week. Bummer, eh?

By the way, I have taken a lot of photos during my layover and will be posting them on the blog tonight. Can’t wait for you to see them!

How are things over there?

Yours,

KNJ

From: [email protected]

Date: May 26, 2017 at 03:26:15 PM

To: [email protected]

Subject: RE: Finally!

Hey Joon!

Glad you made it to your accommodation safely. :) As long as the museum would shoulder the extra expenses for your accommodation, I guess it’s alright? Hope you’re eating well.

My parents were over the moon when I told them that I’m ready to take the business off of their plate. I’m a bit scared! But my dad said his business partner would help me. Apparently, their eldest child took over their farm about a year ago too. So I guess I would be okay!

Can’t wait to read your blog tonight!

<3,

___________

From: [email protected]

Date: December 25, 2017 at 12:24:55 PM

To: [email protected]

Subject: Merry Christmas!

Christmas in Amsterdam is something else. I love it here!

Hope you and your family are doing well.

Yours,

KNJ

From: [email protected]

Date: December 25, 2017 at 07:24:45 PM

To: [email protected]

Subject: RE: Merry Christmas!

Hey Joon!

Merry Christmas! I saw your Amsterdam photos on Instagram and it is indeed beautiful! We’re having so much fun on this side of the world too. We made little Christmas trees and decorated them with real strawberries (baubles) and spun sugar (tinsel).

<3,

___________

******

It’s one of those nights again… streaks of colors decorated his blank canvas, creating an abstract in a rough floral pattern, depicting you… your softness, your femininity; depicting his longing. He didn’t know how to overcome those nights over the years, so he indulged them. He owed it to himself. It’s one of those nights again when he found himself running to the nearest payphone booth to call you from across the globe. It was secured, untraceable, and the minutes were limited. It would restrict him from pouring his heart out to you over the phone. He just wanted to hear your voice. He just wanted to hear your smile, as he closed his eyes, imagining you’re standing in front of him. He just wanted to numb his pain. He missed you… and the realization hit him like a tonne of bricks. He loved you. He was in love with you.

*******

Have any of the things that used to make me smile changed?

Is the way in which you talk still the same?

I have changed, I don't smile like I used to

I'm a little thinner than when I was with you

On the last days you comprehended me

I mistook it and believed you were imprisoning me

Saying that I was too manly for it, I didn't even say I love you

But my blank sheet of paper is now filled with your name

And when I call you while writing down and I hear your voice

Tears start flowing without me realizing

*******

True to your words, you both kept in touch over the years. Each major life event, each milestone; every occasion, every celebration, documented electronically via e-mails and social media posts and comments.

You cried over the phone to him when you opened your own farm-to-table restaurant. Solidifying and finding comfort for himself that your mutual decision of breaking up all those years ago was all worth it.

He couldn’t not tell you when his boss allowed him to go on a three-month long vacation, and like the kind-hearted person that you are, you invited him over to your restaurant insisting that you would be making him the best ‘welcome home’ meal that anyone would be jealous of.

The night before his flight back home, he rummaged through his inbox and reread your emails in the last few months. He mulled over your words and the photos you have attached. You looked the happiest– your eyes lighting up, forming into crescents, with every smile. It tugged on his heartstrings a little bit, wishing he was the person who could make you smile like that. But there are things that he couldn’t just bring back. The best he could do is to hold onto those memories… and maybe one day, forgive himself, too.

*******

Have any of the things that used to make me smile changed?

Is the way in which you talk still the same?

I have changed, I don't smile like I used to

I'm a little thinner than when I was with you

*******

PRESENT DAY

You ran up to him the moment he opened the door to the empty restaurant and gave him the warmest hug anyone could ever ask for. He couldn’t help but close his eyes as he rested his chin on your shoulder while hugging you back. You said you closed it down for the day because you wanted to focus on filling his tummy and not worry about the other customers.

“Joonie!!!” You giggled. “Oh my god, it’s been so long!”

“Ahh, it has indeed!” Namjoon straightened up and scrunched up his nose at you. “I smell something delicious!”

“Come in!! Come sit at your table!” You ushered him at one of the tables, a tall glass of iced americano and a selection of tea, already waiting. “Do you wanna know what we have on the menu for you today?”

“Pray tell!”

“Well, okay, I don’t want to tell you everything,” you rolled your eyes and he hated that he still found it cute. “But I harvested a bunch of greens from the back and made you a salad, with strawberries and feta! I’m pretty sure you’re gonna love the sweet and savory combination.” You proudly said, talking animatedly.

Namjoon couldn’t help but smile up at you. You’re like sunshine personified.

“And for the main course, it’s– oh gosh,” you caught yourself. “Just… surprise!”

Namjoon took a moment to take in his surroundings. Everything screamed you. The restaurant interior was cozy and rustic, and just gave off the farm-slash-barn vibe that you have always dreamed of. Just one look outside of the massive windows, and one would know that the restaurant served only the freshest ingredients, harvested and prepared in-house.

The door of the kitchen swung open and a brooding tall handsome man stepped out, approaching the two of you with a warm smile. He’s dressed in a chef’s jacket and Namjoon recognized him from the photos you sent him over the months. He knew who he is.

“Oh finally!” You acknowledged the man. “All good back there?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Namjoon watched as you stepped away to meet the man’s strides halfway. You snaked your arm around his waist and rested your other hand on his chest. Namjoon stood up with a smile and bowed to him politely in greeting, which he immediately returned.

“I can’t wait to finally introduce you two!” You said, eyes fleeting between the two of them.

“Hi!” the tall handsome man extended his hand to him for a handshake and Namjoon accepted it with both hands.

“Namjoon, meet our Executive Chef!” You smiled proudly. “This is my husband, Seokjin.”

*******

How is he?

Is he good enough to you to make you forget the days we spent together?

Please be happy, because you met a person good enough to fill the places in which I lacked

*******

#bangtansmauyeondan #namjoon x reader #namjoon fic #rm x reader #bts imagines #bts fanfic #bts angst #SoundCloud

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stellewriites · 4 days

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twenty questions for fic writers 🫡

thanks for the tag @syoddeye!

1. how many works do you have on ao3?

2. what's your total ao3 word count?

699,806

3. what fandoms do you write for?

oh god, ongoing or previous too?? uhm currently batfam, star wars, cod, st - but i’ve had a few extra that i used to write for too

4. top five fics by kudos

i’m not linking them all bc some are,,,, far from my best work. also can u tell i love a long lyric title?

if you can’t give me all, give me nothing ; memorise the way you make me feel ; the way you move like you do ; i’m addicted to the way i feel when i think of you ; took the words right out of my mouth

5. do you respond to comments?

literally every single one,, before getting this account back a few months ago it was the only way i interacted w people in the fandoms so 🤷‍♀️ sometimes it might take a week tho but i try to be quick

6. what is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

i don’t tend to do angst endings? like even in darker angsty fics i usually twist it so it’s like dubcon happy at the end 🥴🥴 sooo maybe either no grave can hold my body down or can i steal a kiss or two? or even choices made in anger

7. what's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

liiiiiterally any other fic i’ve ever written lmao

8. do you get hate on fics?

not often? BUT i usually do fluff fics and when i started dabbling in darker stuff that’s when i got more hate - specifically on one fic in particular

9. do you write smut?

yeah! not all the time but maybe 65%

10. craziest crossover:

i dont really do crossovers but my last mando fic was inspired by justified if that counts?

11. have you ever had a fic stolen?

not that i know of,, again im not very online to be able to know :/

12. have you ever had a fic translated?

yeah! just one but now i dont do it,, learning curve for me

13. have you ever co-written a fic before?

almost when i was first starting out writing 6 years back but it fell through - katy if ur still out there i hope ur enjoying life <3

14. all time favorite ship?

ffffuckkkkkk i don’t think i can choose bc i dip in and out so often but i do tend to always come back to jaytim? they’re my for lifers i think but soap x reader is a close second atm

15. what's a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

i’ll always finish my wips bc i can’t stand to see them unfinished,, but it’s been like three years since i first said i was going to write my sci-fi dystopian jaytim fic and im still not past the first paragraph :/

16. what are your writing strengths?

i think i’m good at dialogue and catching accents and nailing personalities pretty quick,,

17. what are your writing weaknesses?

i’m so fucking slow. if nothing else, watching people write for cod on here has shown me how quick everyone else seems to be able to write :’)

and also with longer fics i’ve gotten into the (bad) habit of leaving out like integral details that i assume the reader will just know bc ive been too in my own head about it all and ive forgotten what i’ve established already; leads to decisions looking like they’ve come out of nowhere or random personality changes

18. thoughts on dialogue in another language?

i’ve attempted it but i have to google translate it so i try to keep it to a minimum and ask for correction in the comments. sometimes i do it italicised but written in english so readers can understand that it’s meant to be another language but dont have to skip to the bottom notes or another tab to understand what’s being said

19. first fandom you wrote in?

teen wolf 🥴

20. favorite fic you've written?

idk if i’ve got a favourite,, in hindsight a lot of the ones i think about most fondly are the ones that absolutely killed me off when writing so i’ve got real rose tinted glasses about them all. however these are few that should get honourable mentions just because i like them and they didn’t pop up earlier

whew this was long i think i yapped ontoo much lmao but it was so fun!!

no pressure tags: @glossysoap @mikichko @kyletogaz @femalefemur @sentientcave @gemmahale @madstronaut and anyone else who wants to give it a go!!

#loved doing this thanks for tagging me sy!!!#very interesting looking back at some of my older fics and old fandoms 🫣🥲 like some of my concepts were p cool like what was i on a few #years ago?? i was bashing out so many fics at one point lmao #like one a month??? who is she??#tag game

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silverjojo08 · 1 year

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On video games and writing and Fire Emblem Engage

Mainly just me musing about how I don't think the story is bad. Sorry for being annoying tbh. This is meant for my personal circle of mutuals, but maybe other people can get something out of it. Please be nice to me; I am not a professional reviewer and don't claim to be writing anything objective or anything lol. I'm also not really editing heavily for grammar or anything (if anything I try to keep a bit of order structurally but I love a comma splice idk lol).

This piece has gone through many versions in my head as I try to nail down exactly what puzzles me about the perception of the writing as being "bad".

Initially I think I was going to do a full plot breakdown and point out how logically every moment fits together and how foreshadowing + late reveals enhances certain previous moments. As I write this down, I don't think that I'll be doing that here. I almost considered a deep dive into the themes of motherhood and found family presented in the game. Not sure I'm going to do that either. At one point I also considered fully getting into common complaints (particularly some brought up from one of my folks who I deeply respect, Mr. Forte himself), but also I don't think I'll really do that.

So, what am I writing here? Maybe it's a mix of all of the above. Maybe it is none of the above. I don't really know. But I do want to talk about how this game just really vibes for me; and while I don't intend on necessarily changing anyone's mind, I want to at least provide some perspective on why I personally enjoy it so that others can understand my perspective at the very least.

Perhaps I will succeed in that. Perhaps I will fail. Let's find out together. (Again I'm doing like very minimal editing. Please excuse grammatical errors/typos. If anything is unclear, ask and I'll try to clarify. But I'm bad at tumblr so either tweet at me or send it through an ask please.)

Prologue: Who? What? Why?

To start, I'm in my early 30s. The video game that made me love video games was Super Mario RPG, and my earliest gaming memories include me watching my dad beat up the robot evil Santa at the end (also him playing some NBA game on SNES). FE games I have played start to finish: 8 (Ephraim), 11, 12, 13, 14 (all 3), 15, 16 (all routes), and 17. FE games I have played a bit of but didn't finish for various reasons (mainly I got distracted and forgor 💀): 1, 4, 5, 7, and 9. None of this actually matters that much, but maybe there's a generational and/or fandom divide of some sort and this provides useful context.

I am not a writer by trade nor hobby. Writing is actually one of my least favorite things to do (this is potentially related to OCD brain "just right" stuff), to the point where I chose my college major specifically based on which had the least amount of classes that I could actually complete without having to write essays. I am a math person. I do like consuming and dissecting written fiction though.

This piece is meant to be mostly explanatory. I want to give my perspective as best I can. I decided other writing styles would be too combative for what amounts to something we're consume for enjoyment. I just want to pass on some understanding of how I feel.

I think the best way to do this is generally avoid spoilers, but I will include a specifically marked section where I discuss all spoilery things that come to mind (anything that I intend to come back to in this spoiler section will be marked with a *). Any non-FE games mentioned will not be spoiled beyond kind of a general "a reveal happened in a way that bugged me" type of stuff, if even that is a concern here's a list of the games vaguely mentioned so you can crtl+f: Tales of Zestiria, AI The Somnium Files: Nirvana Initiative, Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies. It all happens within two paragraphs, so you can just skip them if needed.

(Also I may accidentally use he/him pronouns for Alear because M Alear was the one I played with first, but I do generally think of FE avatars as the same being regardless of gender and try to use they/them when speaking to things both versions experience, which is like everything besides the hair colors being flipped and class options?)

Chapter I: What Is "Bad Writing" To Me?

Ok if you're reading this I assume you are at least in high school, and for that reason I'm not going to walk anyone through that level of analysis. In no way is this meant to be a lecture and I'm not trying to give any particularly deep literary analysis. That feels kind of like a pretentious thing to do in this situation.

So, bad writing? To me the biggest thing I consider bad writing is when an idea is not communicated well. This could be contradictory messaging, poor delivery, puzzling execution, etc. Obviously this can happen to various degrees of "bad", but I will not consider a story to have bad writing unless the writing breaks the experience in some way.

A broken experience is not the same to me as a negative one. To me a negative experience is just a matter of taste in the end and not a matter of "bad writing". Boring writing is not the same as bad writing even if it makes the experience painful. A broken experience has to be bad to the point where you just do not understand what they were attempting at all.

One game that comes to mind on this is Tales of Zestiria. I loved the characters in that game, and the main story itself is largely logical. But it was written so messily that there's a point where it becomes truly incoherent. To this day I have no idea what was going on with Dezel and Rose's personal histories despite a major climax of that game being built around the moment things get revealed for them. Again, it was overall a fun game, but it was definitely one I would claim had some bad writing.

Another situation that comes to mind that can be a spark for bad writing is when a reveal sours previous experiences. Misleading an audience can work really well in some ways. Ace Attorney 5 (Dual Destinies) has a reveal that has made me not want to replay it at all, but I don't believe the reveal is poorly done. Conversely, Somnium Files 2 (Nirvana Initiative) had one reveal that invalidates a significant part of the playing experience in a way that's hard to describe without going any further, but I think playing with audience expectations can only go so far until you make the audience feel like you've stolen part of the joy of the playing experience by severing an emotional connection.

I've been trying to describe this all in objective terms, but obviously it is very subjective. It's totally a "I know it when I see it" thing in the end. This section might be pointless. I don't know.

(There were too many blocks of text so look at Alfred; he's so nice and funny and good. I will give him the pact ring every time I play as M Alear lol.)

Chapter II: What about Fire Emblem Engage?

I guess this is kind of my point. I don't understand how any of this is applicable to it. The plot is fairly simple especially to start. You go from point A to point B with plenty of easy to follow narrative. Characters behave in logical and understandable ways. There's nothing functionally "wrong" with the story.

I think there are some pacing issues with the last stretch of chapters in that things happen too quickly for the player to properly respond even though the concepts are cool*. There's a lot of infodumps in these last chapters too that feel a little misplaced*. I agree that the tea supports (and shared gimmicks in general among certain groups of characters) are a bit overwhelming to unlock in succession. The DLC sucks* and only small parts of it truly add to the main story's narrative. There's the usual Fire Emblem incest and pedophilia grossness trying to peek its head through*. It's not a perfect game by any means.

I think I need to break up overall story discussion and character usage discussion, so I'm going to do that right now. If you've read to this point you generally get my point maybe on why the writing works fine for me and can stop here if you don't want a full peek into the deepest and most illogical recesses of my mind?

If you're not stopping here, together we ride or something idk did the title for this song come from Smash? Whatever.

Chapter III: The Story

***SPOILER WARNING, SKIP TO THE NEXT PART IF YOU WANT TO AVOID SPOILERS***

Alright so I lied when I said I wouldn't go into this fully dissecting the plot or other people's criticisms. I'll do that a little bit here.

The biggest moment of "controversy" I think that happens early on is the loss of Lumera. What I've seen is that many people feel it didn't land well with them due to the game having not built up the relationship all that well. And I intellectually get that perspective. If a story beat doesn't land well to you then I can't tell anyone they're wrong for feeling a particular way about things. But while I understand people may feel this way, I truly do not understand that viewpoint. That we don't know Lumera is kind of the point. Alear also doesn't know her well at that moment. You're supposed to feel like it came too suddenly and is weird for it. The full gravity of the moment is not clear until later on in the game, and I think it was executed very well because the entire game revolves around this specific concept of chosen motherhood and family.

But maybe I'm moving too quickly. Backing up a bit, another criticism of this early game situation is I've seen people say they don't "have reason to care" how Alear is feeling this early on. And like, I truly don't know how to help you with that. When I start a game I generally don't start at 0 waiting for the game to make me care about the main character. I am already on their side and hoping for the best for them? I went in mainly thinking Alear looked goofy but like a nice kid who deserved nice things and the game did build well on it for me.

I think there are some questions on the nature of the emblems and the rings that go somewhat unanswered. There's a lack of clarity on how the rings function, and how stealing the rings after winning a battle works. Given that we see them levitate at numerous times, I suspect that is mostly the answer. But I do understand if that's a point of contention for some since it's not directly clarified.

The emblems are similarly somewhat explained as kind of heroic essence put to form, which genuinely is enough of an answer to me. But I do understand some may find that lacking. There are also many issues with the writing of the emblems which I sympathize with especially as a comic book fan who hates it when my faves are misrepresented in other titles. That's a genuine flaw that could have been corrected by having people working on the script who cared more about accuracy.

The pacing absolutely becomes an issue in the later chapters of the game. The Zephia and Griss death scene is extremely touching and well-written, but to have a scene that long and that complex in that moment of the game is very awkward. It would have been better suited as a Memory Prism type of bonus scene like FE15 had (for several characters there were scenes that added context but did not exactly fit in the main story such as a flashback discussion with Emperor Rudolf). It is necessary to understand the characters, but there's not a truly comfortable place to put it that doesn't seem insane especially given the length. This deeply ties into how I feel about the DLC as well, which is that Good!Zephia/Zelestia gives crucial insight to the effects of positive nurturing and actively choosing to build bonds, which is perhaps the strongest and most important theme of the game. Every instance of chosen family in this game is framed and shown to be a truly critical event for the individuals, as are the instances of chosen neglect. The usage and execution of this theme to me was extremely powerful in execution and just worked without feeling too cringe or forced. It's good stuff. I love love love what they did here, and I say this as a person who has never wanted to be a mother of any sort.

To go on a bit more about this: Griss (and by extension Gregory, but focusing on Griss here for simplicity) and Alear are such strong reflections of one another. There's some obvious aspects like how Griss is visually edgy and Alear is visually bright, Griss is rude and confident while Alear is kind and doubtful, etc. But the strongest comparisons and contrasts between them involve their mothers, and I think it's just incredibly well done. Comparisons include both of them get their sense of fashion from their moms, get their unit classing from their moms, somewhat blindly follow the words of their moms, had terrible upbringings and cling to their moms as their first emotional support, etc. But the contrasts? Oh baby. Zephia adopts Griss because he's a standout while Lumera adopts Alear because they're a failure (by Sombron's measure, not literally). Griss spends years by Zephia's side learning from her while Alear has to mostly guess at what Lumera had planned for them. And perhaps most starkingly: Griss gets to die alongside Zephia while Alear and Lumera are always mourning one another. Griss is such an incredibly well done rival character. It's no wonder he's the one who gets the special cutscene where he reveals the truth to Alear. Forever my GOAT!

Sadly though it's time to switch gears and talk about the DLC: it truly sucks. I said it on twitter after beating it, but I really think that they messed up on anticipating what would be a compelling scenario for the players to play through while also coaxing themselves into a snafu regarding spoilers. There's some good stuff there, but it's almost directly undercut by necessitating that it can be played early in a playthrough before the player has gotten to the revelations about Alear's biological parentage.

The DLC does attempt to carry over the themes of the main game, but without being able to openly acknowledge that these are some of the last of Alear's siblings (even if not by blood exactly) it becomes hollow. The only real payoff on the theming is the Nel and Veyle support chain where even if they aren't sisters in the traditional sense, Veyle is desperate for that kinship as she is so young and has spent so much time alone. It's very touching and something that could have been touched on with Alear as well if only the writers weren't forced to write a detached arc to avoid spoilers.

Yes this is probably where I should get into the alt Alear being the "twin" of the main one. They needed to either go all in with that and have Alear confirmed as sort of a multiversal set of twins or back up off it and confirm that they're only narrative parallels because doing literally all of this and then having Nel have feelings for the other Alear is gross. They did so well avoiding weirdness with Veyle in the main game, and then completely blew it in regards to Nel. It makes no sense you can romantically S support her and invalidates all the themes about family presented to that point if characters who literally share a father and share similar traumas don't find healthy kinship with one another.

But beyond all that, we don't really get to see enough of Nel and "Nil" to be convinced by their dedication to one another especially in comparison to other familial relationships like between the recruitable royals, Four Hounds, and Four Winds. It feels like things are just happening to happen without feeling the gravity of terror that we are told Sombron caused them. Again, the obvious parallel to Alear being forced to fight Veyle purely due to their father's machinations isn't allowed to be explored due to the spoilers thing. Subtlety can be a structurally clever thing, but this doesn't even feel like the DLC writers were aware of that basic fact. This is the only aspect of the whole game that I feel truly misses the mark for me. It feels like a bland copycat of the main game written by someone who only skimmed a wiki article of the main story. I truly really believe they would have been better served making it a proper postgame arc because then maybe the emotional connections could have been fully explored.

I also almost feel as though they'd have been better served writing a story set in the past around red Alear. I understand that would have made it difficult to have playable units from the DLC in the main campaign, but I would have gladly missed out on them if that meant adding to the main universe instead of mostly meaning nothing in the end besides an edgy boy (and I genuinely like Rafal, he's funny) realizing he isn't as edgy as he thought he was.

Back to the main game though. Alear becoming Corrupted and begging their sister to not give up was extremely cool and dangerous and insane in a GOOD way (though again, the cutscenes were somewhat long but long for the sake of the main characters is different than long for side villains). Then you play the actual chapter and nothing truly significant is happening that makes the experience feel noteworthy. I think the design and gameplay are more of a problem with this than the specifics of the writing itself, but both of those generally work to the benefit of storytelling in this game so to have an obviously contradictory moment like that undercuts the drama of the scenario. It's a great idea done in kind of a "just ok" way. Would have been better off omitting that chapter entirely and just jumping to the emblem-izing of Alear immediately. Maybe the writers were just too ambitious with the idea of using the Corrupted for a good reason, and couldn't bear to cut it out? I don't dislike indulgent writing, but I dislike when I can tell the writers are just doing something because they thought it was cool and no one felt like being the one to say "ok this doesn't quite fit".

Another gameplay and storytelling problem is the final boss fight. Bringing back the other final bosses as evil emblems was brilliant, but to not bring them back as recognizable models, not give them their portraits, and not give them their voice lines (and correct me if I'm wrong, but they all have voice actors from their own games or Heroes) made it difficult to identify who was who without looking up their classes online. That really undercut most of the drama in them being used in that battle. I understand this may have all added costs to the game that they maybe didn't want to pay, but that lack of detail made a very cool inclusion feel kind of middling.

And the boss himself? Sombron is actually an interesting dude to me. But again, all his backstory and evil plans probably should have been dumped in a monologue separate from the final battle. I think this is yet another case, similar to the Zephia and Griss scene, that would have worked better as a memory prism than as just a character telling the audience directly in what sort of feels like an inappropriately detailed explanation. I appreciate that they did not force this into being another story centered around multiversal crossovers in a media landscape that is currently overwhelmed by such stories, especially if the "Zero Emblem" hook has no intention of being followed up on. Though arguably that's yet another thing the DLC needlessly complicated. Is there just an infinite number of Sombrons looking for an infinite number of Zero Emblems? Even more proof that the DLC should not have happened as it did.

Last thing worth addressing in detail is the pedophilia that has been sadly very prevalent in the series and arguably emboldened by the introduction of the S support system. Even if one wants to disregard the internal age data, characters like Anna, Jean, and Hortensia should not have been romanceable in any language. I thank the English localization team for scrubbing out most of this and making them as platonic as possible.

Ok I think that's basically everything about the plot I can think of right now to address directly. Solm royals could have gotten more, but whatever. I thought they were fine as the hyper-competent Batman-like country that's like 5 steps ahead of everyone. I don't have any other things to speak about on the main story events.

*** THE SPOILERS ARE DONE, CONTINUE READING HERE ***

(Your reward for reading all those paragraphs is a nice picture of my daughter Veyle, who is precious and good. I was so worried they would be weird about her and barefeet aside they thankfully were not.)

Chapter IV: The Other Characters

There's a couple of obvious social groups of characters who have largely overlapping gimmicks. Tea time enthusiasts (Celine, Louis, Jean), aesthetic obsessives (Goldmary, Rosado, Hortensia), gym rats (Alfred, Etie, Boucheron sort of). Firene has perhaps the biggest problem of having so many gimmicks done so close together. There is still a lot of depth in those supports still (notably in the A levels after many might have given up, such as Alfred-Etie, Alfred-Celine, Celine-Alear, etc). I don't really have a defense for this, but I do understand why especially early on it would cause people to write off the cast of the game. It didn't bother me much maybe because I benched everyone but Alfred and Louis right away (I needed to keep Clanne and Framme around, they're really funny lol).

But overall I didn't mind any of the characters for their gimmicks besides Seadall (his disordered eating being treated as a joke was just extremely offputting and it was really 50/50 on whether a support might focus on it) and Goldmary (she is just an asshole and to me it wasn't funny, not every joke will land for everyone I suppose).

The cast felt extremely likeable and well-rounded. I will sound like a broken record here, but again they really reminded me of what I enjoyed about the FE8 cast. Just pretty much all likeable and good characters.

Chapter V: Everything Else

Here's like everything else that comes to mind but I don't have enough in my brain to properly write sentences on them and I kind of want to be done with this lmao:

Yes, I think it's a little silly how some characters manage to get away without the game directly stating how. Alear and co are nice and not brutal so you can assume they allowed the escape, but it's still weird at times. Poorly choreographed.

I will never unironically use the term "ludonarrative" (no shade if you do, but it's not me). However the introduction of the Lucina ring bringing back hope to the crew while being a supportive ring for gameplay purposes and all is just really special stuff. It's good. Similarly, the ring you get at the end of chapter 17 is an amazing moment.

I'm not particularly bothered by the rings being former characters. I don't feel they were used poorly or anything. They're wise old heroes helping the new gen, and they serve that purpose well. Only Marth has a bit more to him than that due to his history with Alear, and I think it plays out well without being reliant on prior knowledge. Again very sorry to Eirika fans, I've seen the essays there on the inaccuracies and you're all valid.

The time travel is very clean and properly defined imo. Much more limited than in Three Houses in-universe which is good, however the best explanation for the rewinds will continue to be Mila's Turnwheel (in that there is no time travel, just some premonitions that allow the characters to evade danger).

I love Pandreo and Zelkov so much. Oh my god. They're so funny and just good men. Excellent dudes. Amber, Rosado, YUNAKA. The cast is just lovely. I love them.

Sommie is so cute for real. Just brilliant idea to include a nice pet for your home base. If anything, they should have given it more wigs for the main royals or some of the emblems. Also Sommie is totally the Zero Emblem.

Chapter VI: Conclusion

Let me get TMI here. I do understand that personally I experience and perceive emotions in an unusual way compared to most people. I've not been diagnosed with anything specific to that level of wiring (just OCD and anxiety), and as far as I feel it doesn't seem necessary. But it is what it is, and I am who I am. Maybe all of this is pointless to write and it truly is just a matter of taste and personal emotional expectations. I don't know. I just know I liked the game, and what worked on me really worked. Hope this was fun to read even if it doesn't give any particular insight.

I did not intend to compare any other FEs in this piece mainly because it's not about them. Legit sorry if I inadvertently cause some sort of discourse.

tl;dr It's Peak Fiction™

#fe17 #fe engage #fire emblem #essay

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dynamic-power · 5 months

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Evie @energievie tagged me in an end of year writer interview! This is such a cool idea.

-----

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

15! I plan to increase that by a lot next year!

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

Just shy of 62k.

3. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Since Prom - Steddie, E

An Offer - Kanej, T

back to the past - Steddie, T WIP

Coach H - Steddie, T

Kinktober Drabbles - various, E WIP (it's finished on tumbr. I just need to move the last few to AO3 lmao)

4. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Ngl, I struggle with this. I want to. I see and cherish every single one! But I forget to reply, or I don't know what to say, or I don't check for comments for a month and when I finally see them, I feel like it's too late. 😅

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

That would be A Coat Or A Blanket. Angst is not my forte. I want happy endings for everyone.

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

Probably Since Prom? Or Arrivals. Just because there's an actual plot and a real ending lol.

7. Do you write crossovers?

Not yet. But maybe in the future? 🤷

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Yes lol. It was on a kinktober fic. Ao3 rule number 1: don't like, don't read. Apparently they didn't get the memo. 🤣

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

Most of my fics are kinktober! So kinky, gay sex. 😏 That'll change next year. I mean that I plan to write a lot of non-kinktober stuff, not that I won't be writing kikny, gay sex.

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I don't think so 👀

11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope, but I wouldn't be opposed

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

Nope, but I wouldn't be opposed. Seriously, if you ever want to collab, lmk! 😄

13. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

Currently, it's Gallavich. But my favorite of all time is Drarry.

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

It's one I haven't even started posting yet. It's a Gallavich soul mate AU where the pair have special gifts centered around eye contact. Mickey can see soul mates and Ian severs soul mate connections. I'm absolutely in love with it but I'm also kinda struggling to get through it. 😭😭😭

15. What are your writing strengths?

Word limits. I love the challenge of trying to portray certain emotions or situations in a limited amount of time, and I feel like I'm really good at it. I don't have to get caught up in details, I can just make my readers feel in just a few sentences.

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

Pacing lol. I don't have patience, I always end up rushing my ending.

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

2 situations. If the POV character doesn't speak the language, I try to limit it to things that can be easily assumed without need for translation. Expletives, nicknames, or recognizable phrases. Unless, of course, the POV character is meant to not understand what is being said. And 2, if the POV character speaks the language, I'll usually have them translate in their thoughts. I just want the reader to be on the same level of understanding as the POV character.

18. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Harry Potter. That was way back in the day. I posted my first fic in 2010. 🤣 On my current account, it was Six of Crows.

19. What’s a fandom/ship you haven’t written for yet but want to?

Hooo boy. Doctor Who comes to mind. I'm obsessed with the idea of Fourteen and Jack Harkness meeting again. I've always wanted to do something for Criminal Minds. I'll probably dip my toe into Supernatural, too. I've done drabbles for Mungrove, Harringrove, and Harringroveson, but i'd also like to do full fics for them. Idk, I've always got too many ideas.

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

Either Since Prom or Coming Soon To Home Video. I can't pick.

If you write fanfiction, you should totally do this! Consider this me, tagging you.

Our just giving you cake. 🍰

#ask dyno #tag games

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xilianx · 4 months

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AO3 ASK GAME DO THEM ALL DO THEM ALL NEOW ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥 (pls)

I AM...SO LATE AHHHH IM FINALLY GETTING THROUGH THESE I'M SO SORRY!!!

Just saw these 20 Questions for Fic Writers and decided I wanted to do it so ....... here it is! Lmao.

How many works do you have on AO3?

20!

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

513,741 words…oh lawd

3. What fandoms do you write for?

I’ve written for Godzilla in the past but now I write just for Bayonetta! More will come eventually…if my hyperfixation can be dethroned lol

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

The Witch of Causality (Bayonetta 3 reimaging/re-work)

Some Words Left Unsaid (AncientBayonetta AU where shit almost went reaaaaally bad for BayoJeanne)

Down By The Red Poppies (Sequel fic to “Where the Lobelia Would Grow, more Bayonetta AU)

Where The Lobelia Would Grow (First ever fic I wrote for the Bayonetta fandom!)

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

Yes! I try to at least. I love getting comments on my fics (i mean, what fic author doesn’t???) And I love all the support that’s given and the fact someone takes time to leave me a comment, long or short, just makes my day 😭😭 I’m sorry to those who comment that I hadn’t replied too or haven’t too yet. I promise you I appreciate them so much ❤️

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Ooooooo….I wanna say either ‘Vessel’ or ‘Forgotten Visage’. Both have pretty harsh endings that only insulate that it leads to more pain later. ‘Vessel’ is just straight up a Soulsbourne boss style fight with all the tragedy of a Soulsbourne boss fight tied in, and ‘Forgotten Visage’ is just sad AU of what evil Balder was doing right after Rosa died…so yay, they don’t go anywhere sad. BUT IF I HAD TO CHOOSE….I’m gonna throw it at Vessel lol

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Idk if I’m gonna get some hate from certain oomfs from this, but I’m gonna say ‘Down By The Red Poppies’ has one of the happiest BECAUSE of everything that had happened to all the characters throughout the fic (And even the first fic!) and making it in the end. There was def a lot of hurt and pain and angst throughout Lobelia and Poppies, but I think the ending the fic made it all the worthwhile and despite the pain/tragedy, it’s gonna be okay 🥲

8. Do you get hate on fics?

No, not really. Not that I’ve ever seen!

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

I have written smut ONCE!...It was the last half of one chapter out of a 117,000 word fic…HAVE I ATTEMPTED TO WRITE MORE SMUT SINCE, YES AND I AM NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO FINISH IT YET!! The smut in Red Poppies was my first ever smut and it was, like, tender and sweet?? But the Balrosa smut that I have a low simmer is def meant to embarrass that fucking twink lol

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

I haven’t, and don’t plan to!! Not my thing, to read or write.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I don’t think so, not that I am aware of…

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Another one that’s; if any of them are, I’m not aware of it!

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

No, I haven’t done anything like that yet! Would be cool to do it, if given he chance!!

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

YOU ALREADY KNOW!!! BRING EM OUT, TOMMY:

15. What's the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Ohhhhhh hohohho hahaahah AHAHAHAHAAHAHAA!!! There’s so many lmao I have so many that are stuffed in folders and forgotten about. There’s a few multi-chapter ideas I wanted to try and do, but with Witch of Causality going on rn (and going on for awhile now) I doubt I’ll ever start them for long long time… (Chinese BayoJeanne AU fic based off of Causality, etc).

But if there is a KING of unfinished WIPS…it’s my now long forgotten Godzilla Final Wars fics from years prior. Sucks because I got to fic 3 out of the trilogy, but I’m just not in it anymore…wish I had the willpower to finish it, but alas, never will.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Lots of my oomfs say all my fight scenes actually ‘feel’ like what Bayonetta fights, so I wanna say I write fight scenes pretty well!! I would say characterization, but I’m only comfortable with a few, not all…

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

looks at long list of comments and notes from my beta reader for the the insane amount of grammatical errors, structure errors, and sentences that just make no sense uhhh….so yeah, I kinda fuck up the actual writing aspect a lot asdjkasdsda

But seriously, I think sometimes (at least for recent, larger fics), I’ve had to pull back on the amount of filler that’s not necessary or structure of a chapter to make it actually make sense…(THANK YOU KELS FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT, YOU KEEP SAVING MY ASS!!)

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I think if you’re not super well-versed in the language, definitely consult or check with someone who knows!! Or do a bit of digging, especially if you plan on using quite a bit of it!

19. First fandom you wrote for?

GODZILLA!!! Funny enough, I have literally only ever written fics for the Godzilla fandom and Bayonetta fandom. I have read quite a bit for other fandoms, but Godzilla is my dear yee ol faithful!! (Funny enough, it’s specifically only for Godzilla Final Wars as well lol)

20. Favorite fic you've ever written?

This one is actually hard…hmmm…It would have to be a tie between Lobelia/Red Poppies. I kinda put them in the same box, even tho they are 2 different fics. Honestly, it was just so fun coming in blind to a new fandom and just slapping together whatever I wanted to do because I really wanted to tell the story and had fun with it. I don’t even think it’s my best stuff, but damn nothing beats crashing into the Bayo fic community with a fic that just (spoilers) kills little Cereza in her own story and I have no regrets ASKJDSADHASDHA

THANK YOU FOR TAGGING ME IN THIS KELS!! I'm so late with this, and I feel like this has been tagged to other oomfs, so I will just leave this open to anyone who wants to do it!!

#ask #ask game #bayonetta #fic ask

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oh-cramity-its-amity · 5 months

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1, 7, 19, 20 for the TOH ask game!!

Hi!!! Thank you for the ask!!

(Here's the ask game if anyone wants to see the list)

I have already answered questions: 2, 5, 8, 11, and 16

1.) What episode got you invested in the show? Why?

So I think I briefly touched on this before on a different question but the episode that got me into the show was Enchanting Grom Fright back during 2020 and season 1. Previous to TOH I was hyperfixated on a movie in that time (Booksmart) and used Instagram to talk to some people who from said community wrote fanfic for on ao3.

Anyway, during scrolling through the front my feed at like September or so of 2020 was FLOODED with edits of that episode. Like everyone was making edits to the clip of Amity throwing that note behind herself "So... Who did you wanna ask out??" that whole thing. Everyone was doing it from what I saw. People were FREAKING out.

And at first, I was like almost mad at it kinda. Like "why tf is this show all over here!!" like not hate but why was everyone so obsessed with it. I couldn't escape (still haven't but thats another story later on haha). But basically, as I dove deeper and understood it's context on why people were so into it, I realized "Hey!! This show is gay- or on the verge of hinting so strongly of WLW representation!!" and because of that fact, I was hooked in a sense. I was there when Lumity was a crackship and everyone were still speculating and theorizing. I never knew it'd get this big but I'm happy that it's cannon.

7,) Has the show ever made you cry? What scene(s)?

Yes!!! Dude the timeskip scene made me start bawling my eyes out. The soundtrack just- and the "BYEEEEEEE" dude. Man, like the sentimental aspect of TOH and how much it meant to me- seeing it and understanding that the show was finished- I was crying because I didn't want to loose it. It was a comfort to me-- But hey! That's what fanfic and fandom is for, huh?

19.) Least favorite episode?

It's not an unpopular take but Once Upon a Swap. I know people are growing to appreciate it nowdays but it just doesn't hit the same as s2 does in comparison. I know like its not good to compare them because during s1- It's clear that Dana was getting that footing then, but dude-- That ep was kinda.... Idk. Not it. I did like the Lilith moments in it though!!

20.) Which character do you relate to most?

That's tough. Definitely Amity. Just her entire character and growth of both learning how to be herself and show her true self while also battleing her insecure nature toward not feeling "good enough" for Luz because of Luz seeing her as she truly is and through the guard she forced up due to her parents.

I mean I do kin Luz because I do like the nerdy part of her too. I'm just one big nerd who writes fanfiction so. Yk ehhh. I can't decide between them both!!

Thank you sm for the ask!!

#thank you for the ask!!#ask game #billys replying to asks

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livvyofthelake · 5 months

Text

and the question on everyone’s mind is. did you give up on rewatching the sitcom. and well. yes sort of. i didn’t mean to. basically when i started rewatching it i started on season 7. and then i watched 8. and then naturally i didn’t want to watch 9 right away so i went back to 1-6. and then i decided i’d skim through the better episodes of 7 and 8 again just to refresh before the final season. and well we kind of got lost there. i’ve had better things to watch to be honest i had movie november and then i was busy and then i forgot. and now i’m pretty committed to watching lost all the time. and now i have to share a wall with my sister so i can’t play anything out loud at 1am while folding laundry. miss those days. anyway. so that’s the update on the sitcom. as for the football show. idk what happened there i just forgot to keep watching. i’ll figure it out. as for izombie. i’m at a loss for how to watch izombie now. in the beginning it was a show for laundry. and then it was a show for mondays while i ate lunch and got ready to drive back to my college town for the week. and then i spent a whole summer not watching it. and then it was a show i watched once a week on nights when i’d eat dinner on campus to get away from my roommates. what’s it meant to be now. liv can’t go back to laundry she’s evolved past that. what am i meant to watch it while sitting on my couch? that’s been done like. once in four seasons and 16 months. not an exaggeration.

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lavender-phannie · 5 months

Note

Hi hello I wanted to share my story of how I started watching dnp bc everyone’s stories are so fun! Sorry if this doesn’t make sense, I tend to overthink and write every little detail and it’s a lot lmao.

So it was January 2016 and I had recently got a Wii U (I only had a Wii for a while lmfao) and I was super into Mario kart 8. I got super hyperfixated on like Mario game soundtracks out of nowhere and idk how I remember this but it was specifically the super Mario world overworld theme that I watched when an ad started playing. It was Dan and Phil promoting TABINOF going to Barnes and Noble in the us and for some reason I was interested and didn’t skip. I don’t remember who I looked up first but I watched a ton of videos right away.

The first Phil video I watched was of him watching his old home videos of his childhood, and I think the first Dan video was the one where he looked at his 12 year old website and I thought the do not click section was super funny. I think the first gaming video was Mario kart 8, and I found out about undertale bc of their playthrough lmao. I know the exact date (January 16 2016) bc I wrote a little journal entry about it for some reason lmao.

Anyways time went on, I kept watching them throughout all of middle school, I went to tatinof in Vegas when I was literally 12 years old despite being from the east coast and having to fly there?? I went to II in a state that was closer to me in 2018 lmao, and I just kept watching them even throughout the gaming channel hiatus bc despite not being as hyperfixated they still meant a lot to me and I loved seeing what they had to say whenever they uploaded on their main channels.

The gaming channel revival has made my hyperfixation stronger and I’m excited for what’s next :)

Oooh anon you and I joined the fandom at a very similar time! (I joined December 2015) and they also introduced me to undertale!

Anyway wow!!! Their ads actually worked that’s wild??? I was about to say I can’t imagine getting a fandom related ad but then I suddenly had this memory come back to me where I got an ad for a song called “thank you dan and phil” when I was like 14 and honestly it was a banger I listened to it a lot after that!! (Sorry random tangent 😅)

And same all through the hiatus I stuck by them (mostly, I think I had a brief dip in interest at one point) cause they impacted me so much as a young teen!

#dan and phil #asks

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bratshaws · 2 years

Text

goodness gracious 55. brb x oc

a/n: so the smut was supposed to be here but I lost connection and somehow?? lost a good chunk of this chapter h a h idk how it happened but im VERY upset. ..well I guess that means I'll have to rewrite the smut chapter again but its okay. it'll be worth it!!! IM UPSET BUT IM OKAY ( also some of the Italian stuff here I based off my own childhood with my loud as fuck Italian family members LOL )

check out the fic's playlist made by the sweet @wiipes !!

pairing: plus size!oc x rooster

warnings: fluff, Rooster is now an honorary Schiavoni

chapters:

1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10/11/12/13/14/15/16/17/18/19/20/21/22/23/24/25/26/27/28/29/30/31/32/33/34/35/36/37/38/39/40/41/42/43/44

45/46/47/48/49/50/51/52/53/54

(pls let me know if you want to be added to the taglist!!)

taglist: @mirandastuckinthe80s @roosterschanelslut @wiipes @lcahwriter @shrimping-for-all @gretagerwigsmuse @frenchtoastix

@lizzie-rdj @fanboyluvr @atarmychick007 @comebacktoearthpls

@peachiicherries @mak-32 @lizziespidiepridie @roosterswifey @ollyoxenfrees @piceous21 @sqrlgrl22 @hofficoffi @lexhalstead3

@lorilane33 @legendarydreamersharkparty @luckyladycreator2 @emilybradshaw @j-6o @louisahale @leobabbyyy @kulicny @winter-run @ktjmac

He wakes up first when the sunlight is barely up in the sky, Beatrice’s body still glued to him except now they were both chest to chest. He blinks his bleary eyes until he can figure out what to do first, his eyes then moving to where Bianca was, she was no longer hugging Jolene but now was on top of the dog. Chuckling tiredly, looks down from Bianca to Beatrice before slowly getting out of the mattress.

Beatrice moaned out a complaint but remained asleep, which he was thankful for. It was Christmas Eve, he could give them a gift early in the morning right? Fixing his sleeping shirt and sweatpants, Rooster made his way to the kitchen, the sound of his bare feet touching the floor made Jolene blink her eyes open and lift her head in his direction. The pittie waking up meant that Bianca woke up just as quickly, blinking her eyes open and rubbing her tiny hands over her eyes.

Pushing herself to sit on her knees to look over the back of the couch, Bianca could see Prince Rooster moving about her auntie’s kitchen, grabbing things from cabinets while trying to keep himself as quiet as he could. Bianca slid down the couch with Jolene close behind, her aunt still fast asleep and unaware of what was happening around her. Her tiny padded feet took her to stand right next to Bradley, who hadn't noticed her yet until she grabbed the back of his shirt and gave it a tug.

He just turned his head down, biting his lips when he saw the blue dinosaur onesie’s eyes staring up at him until Bianca tilted her head up, “What are you doing?” she asks, already approaching the sink, standing on her tiptoes to have a better look.

“I’m making some pancakes.” Bianca’s eyes shine when he says it, her mouth parting in a soft gasp, “Do you want to help me?”

“Yeah!”

Beatrice hums in her sleep, the conversation happening in the kitchen stirring her from her slumber. She groans a bit, rubbing her hands over her face as she pushes herself up on her elbows, looking around confusedly until she hears their voices get clearer in the kitchen.

She sat up on her knees, rubbing her face again before combing through her tangled tresses, hissing every time her fingers got snagged before she walked out of the mattress towards the kitchen. Beatrice’s breath hitched when she saw Bianca sitting on the kitchen counter, holding a bag of chocolate chips open as Rooster mixed something in a bowl then moved it closer to her niece so she could pour the said sweets inside.

It was the sweetest thing she had ever seen. She even wondered if she was dreaming about it. But when the little blonde girl noticed her still bleary eyed aunt approaching the kitchen, her sweet “Hi auntie!” woke her up, “We’re making pancakes!”

Beatrice smiles gently, crossing her arms over her bust as she gets closer, “Pancakes, huh?” she repeats, seeing how his eyes moved to her the second she stepped in, “Hi, good morning.” she coos, leaning her lips closer to kiss him.

“Morning, how did you sleep?” he asks, folding the pancake mix so the chocolate chips are embedded into it.

“Mmm,” she stepped between him and her curious niece who was now grabbing some chocolate chips from the bag, “I slept really nice.” she whispers, lifting her hand to run through the messy sandy strands, combing them back to what he was used to. She noticed how his breathing hitched and he gave her a look but didn’t do anything beyond that, “Bibi, you need to go potty, remember?”

Bianca slows her chewing to furrow her eyebrows, “I don’t wanna! I wanna make pancakes with Prince Rooster!” but her aunt countered that the pancakes would still be there and it’d be really quick if she went now. Bianca whined but agreed, placing the bag to the side and allowing her aunt to pick her up and take her to the bathroom.

He could hear Bianca trying to hurry it up and Beatrice telling her she still had to wash her hands, much to his amusement. Soon after he heard the quick footsteps of a child rushing down the stairs, Jolene looked back to where Bianca was coming and stepped away so the little girl returned to peek over the counter, “I’m back! Did you make them yet?”

“I didn’t, I was waiting for you.” he says, picking Bianca under the armpits to place her once again on the counter top. Beatrice’s footsteps showed up soon after, with a soft sigh making its way out of her mouth. She watches with a fond gaze as Bradley picks Bianca up, holding her in his arms and tells her how she should pour the mix on the pan. Her niece is so focused on pouring it perfectly she doesn’t move her eyes away.

Bea has to place a hand in front of her mouth in hopes it hides her smile, without success of course, but she can’t help it. Rooster held Bianca securely and wanted her to enjoy making pancakes for all of them, it was literally the cutest thing she had ever seen in her whole life. He was so attentive and so gentle with her niece, complimenting her whenever she did anything right and celebrating with her if she flipped a pancake without issues.

If he’s like that with kids that aren’t even his, imagine how he is with the ones that are.

Woah.

That thought came out of nowhere and immediately freaked her out, even more than the marriage talk she had with Bibi the night before. She was way over her head, yes it was cute it did not mean…anything else. “Auntie!” Beatrice’s eyes drop to where her niece is currently holding one of her colorful plates above her head, showing the perfect round chocolate chips pancakes, “Look!”

“Oh Bibi! It’s amazing you did an incredible job!!” she smiles, grabbing the plate from her hands to place it on the table, watching her boyfriend carry another one with a lot more pancakes than the ones Bibi’s had. He smiles sweetly at her, kissing her cheek before placing it down on the table alongside the others.

Beatrice smiles back, placing Bianca on the chair before she walks closer to him to grab the mugs from his hand, “You don’t have to do everything.” she whispers, “It’s Christmas Eve, I can do something too.”

“You already are here, looking pretty.” he murmurs, leaning closer to press their lips together in a sweet kiss, smiling against her mouth when she giggles, “Plus, I felt like it’d be a great Christmas’ Eve surprise, don’t you think?” Beatrice laughs, tilting her head to the side as she agrees, but telling him she could at least grab everything else for breakfast while he enjoys the pancakes with Bibi. He agrees only because he was starving and Beatrice promised to join them soon, placing some fresh strawberries on the table next to the pancakes.

She watches as Bibi grabs the maple syrup dispenser and moves her arm in a circle so the sugary concoction lands on a spiral on top of her pancakes. Beatrice only smiles when Bianca jabs the side of her fork onto the pancakes to cut them, then stabs it - just like her father does, figures - to bring it to her mouth. She is dancing from side to side, humming happily while chewing, “I think they were approved, Roos.”

The pilot chuckles as he sips his coffee, clearly happy to see the five years old enjoying herself, “They aren’t called the best pancakes ever for nothing.” he shrugs casually, giving Beatrice a look from across the table, “As you well know.” his girlfriend’s eyes widened, moving from him to Bianca in a ‘do not start this’ expression, but he just shrugged again, too busy drinking his coffee to reply to her.

Beatrice chuckles in disbelief, shaking her head at him before she too has her own pancakes and coffee, while she unlocks her phone to send Leo a message that everything was fine and that Bianca had a great night. She knew her brother wouldn’t reply in…a few hours, no doubt he and Cyn decided to oversleep since Bianca was out of the house.

After breakfast she thanks Rooster again by kissing him, cupping his face in her hands before she pulls back, “That was a great way to start the morning, right Bibi?” her niece was still licking her lips clean of maple syrup as she handed the dirty plate up to her aunt so she could place it in the sink.

“You are both welcome. I’ll wash the dishes.” he says, then turns to Beatrice, dropping his eyes down her curves, “You can pay me back later.`` The subtle flick of his brow going up followed by the smirk on his lips was enough to make Beatrice feel feverish. Again she feared he knew something was going to happen, maybe he found where she hid everything and was now teasing her about it.

“Oh…I…will.” she wished her voice didn’t come out so nervous, so she played it off by kissing him again before telling Bibi they needed to brush their teeth since Rooster was going to be busy. So taking care of her niece was a great distraction. While Bianca was busy she tried to be careful and check the armoire to see if her duffel bag was still in the same spot as before, untouched and still zipped the way she left, with the two zippers facing the armoire’s doors.

She breathed out a sigh of relief, “Thank God.” she mutters, rushing back inside the bathroom so she could wash Bianca and then take a shower herself once she got busy downstairs watching her favorite morning cartoons. Beatrice walked back down with a clean and no longer dinosaur Bianca in her arms to see that the air mattress was now back to it’s thin folded form and Bradley looked up with his hands on her hips. “Hey, you didn’t have to do that.”

“I figured it’d be easier.” he smiles, shoving the empty mattress inside its bag as Bianca settles onto the couch with her aunt turning the tv for her. He’s still holding the bag in his hands as he walks past the coffee table close to the stairs, “Are you going to put it back?”

She drops her eyes towards it, “Oh, not yet. I don’t want to disturb Bianca and her morning show.” she wouldn’t move it back, she needed the space for later that night. Honestly the more she thought about it the anxious she got, what if it didn’t work? What if it was too much? What if she just freaked out before doing anything? No, she couldn’t think about it, not like that, “I’m going to change so we can take Jojo on a walk with Bibi, is that okay?”

“Yeah, of course babe.” Rooster replies, following Beatrice up to the loft and looking back to where Bianca was focused on watching tv, petting Jolene who lied next to her on the couch. With the coast clear, so to speak, he drops the bag to the floor and wraps his arms around Beatrice’s waist, immediately surprising her. The brunette then chuckles when he lowers his face to her neck, pressing a series of tiny kisses on the slowly flushing skin until they reach the curve of her jaw, “Mmm,sorry, couldn’t help myself.”

“As long as Bibi doesn’t see it we’re fine.” she whispers back, turning around to hug his neck and kiss him fully, moaning sweetly against his mouth, “Mm, Brad,” she gasps out when his mouth goes back to kiss her jawline, “I have to change, I can’t go out like this.”

“I know, just give me a few more seconds.” he murmurs, his teeth and tongue pressing against a part of her jaw that her brown hair covered and there he marked her skin. The hickey slowly bloomed to a bright red ,”There, now you can change.” Beatrice slapped his arm in retaliation but smiled nonetheless, blushing a fierce shade of crimson before she disappeared in her bathroom and he goes back downstairs to keep Bianca company, the little girl explaining to him that her favorite show was ‘Dr.Chimp and the Zoo Crew’, which consists of a chimpanzee doctor,an elephant secretary and a giraffe nurse who helped him cure the other animals in the zoo while the humans are away.

It was weirdly endearing. And had catchy songs. Not to mention Bianca explained every episode to him in detail. When he saw Bea coming back down with her usual jeans, white top and flannel, he stood to his feet and switched places with his girlfriend. But before he did, just as he passed by her, he leaned closer and asked, “Why did you let your hair down?” he teases, earning a glare from Beatrice to move even more hair to cover her neck,”Are you hiding something?”

“Bradley,” she warns, holding back a yelp when he taps her butt before going up the stairs. She hears his quiet chuckling get fainter until the bathroom’s door clicks shut and she sits next to her niece. Thankfully Bianca was too concentrated on her show to notice anything else, singing along with the songs as her aunt crossed her legs by the knee waiting for Bradley’s return.

She tries to not get too nervous, nor bounce her leg the more she thinks about her plan for later tonight, worrying that maybe he’d be too tired after spending a long time at her parents’ house or…something. She was worrying a lot already and part of her brain was telling her to back out before it was too late, before she made a fool of herself.

But no, she had to fight back. She could do it. She could and she would. And she’d be great while doing it too.

Beatrice’s eyes travel back to Rooster walking down the stairs, fixing his tight long sleeved white v neck top and Hawaiian shirt once he reaches the bottom. He gives her a smile, “Ready?” she nods and turns to Bianca who immediately lets out a squeal of joy, sliding out of the couch with Jolene close to her as they rush to the front door. Beatrice grabs Jolene’s leash and her house keys, turning off the tv and walking towards her niece and dog.

It was a really good morning, a bit chilly, but overall clear. She slid Bianca’s cow patterned fluffy jacket on her niece’s arms,zipping it halfway so the little girl could remove it if she so wanted. Bianca asked to lead Jolene, which Beatrice said yes of course and even if Jolene didn’t need her leash, she knew that her niece would still like to do that. Jolene was very patient with Bianca as well, sometimes stopping so the little girl could catch up or holding her back if she thought that she was in danger.

Beatrice and Rooster watched from a short distance as the two walked, Bianca chatting with Jolene about whatever came into her mind and the pitbull would sometimes ‘boof’ out in response. “She’s so cute,” he says, looking down at the brunette who was hugging her arms around herself, “Are you cold?”

“Aren’t you?” she asks, taking note of his outfit and wondering how was it that he could handle the weather like that, the wind was freezing “I don’t know how you do that, it’s so thin Roos.” she says as she pinches the sleeve of his undertop, feeling her fingers rub against the fabric.

“This is actually pretty warm…also I’m from Virginia, baby. It’s a lot colder there.” he adds with a sweet smile, wrapping his arm around her waist to bring her closer, “But I can warm you up if you want me to, we just have to wait a little bit.”

Beatrice almost choked on her spit, covering the cough with a nervous laugh. He doesn’t know anything, she said to herself, there’s no way he knows, “Oh,I’ll hold you up on that.” she says, trying to appear confident and hoping she was doing a good job. “Oh, I almost forgot,” she pulls out her phone. “I need to call my mom. See if she needs help.” which honestly, if she knew her mother which she did, she’d say no and to not worry.

Beatrice waits until they reach a park to call her mother.Bianca sits down on the grass with Jolene next to her while her aunt and Bradley sit on a bench right behind the two. Beatrice crossed her legs by the ankles as she waits for her mother to pick up, “Hi mamma-”

“Hi nonna!” Bianca shouts once she hears who Bea is talking to, then turns back to placing pieces of grass on top of Jolene’s head as if it was a crown.

“I just called to see if you needed help?” Bradley could hear her mother’s tone go from caring to questioning then to worried, “No, no! I just wanted to know if you needed help, I know there’s a lot of things you are doing– yes, I know mamma. I know you’ve been doing this for a while.” Beatrice sighs, rolling her eyes as she leans back on the bench, Bradley’s arm draped around her shoulders makes it easier for her to hold his hand, “Hmhm, yes I know. I know. No, Brad isn’t allergic to fish of any sort, nor seafood or nuts. I told you that already, mamma.”

He chuckles softly as she talks to her over worried mother, feeling warm inside just that her family wanted to make sure he could enjoy the feast with them without issues. It was really nice and he was glad they approved of him. Honestly, he had no idea what to expect. His knowledge of Italian food comes from Beatrice and some of the stuff he had as a child, he had no idea what to expect but he had a feeling he’d like it a lot. Beatrice finishes the call with a sigh, “Does she need help?”

“No, she does not.” She laughs gently, “She hates when we call to ask if she needs help but…she’s not as young as she used to be even if she looks nothing like it…but she said everything is great and all we have to do is get there safely.” she goes back to holding his hand, caressing the sides and back of it, touching each knuckle with the pad of her thumb, “I think you’ll like it…it’s going to get very loud.”

“Louder than the Hard Deck?” she nods immediately, giving him an apologetic smile, “...well, I can handle it.”

Beatrice was quick to travel to her parents house to drop the gifts, from both her and Bradley, before Bianca noticed anything since she was napping back at her house with her lovely boyfriend telling her he’d keep an eye. With that out of the way, the two showered and changed to their outfits for that night, Bradley was still wearing a long sleeved top but this time he had a light army green jacket on after Beatrice told him to ‘put on something heavier’ since the temperature dropped a lot more, jeans and boots.

As for Beatrice, she was wearing high waisted black and white plaid pants, a white turtle neck top, black boots with just enough heel to announce her way when she walked and a black windbreaker. Her hair was down, falling over her shoulders with her lips painted that red he liked so much and a neutral colored eyeshadow, “You look stunning.” were his first words when she showed up, his girlfriend laughing before grabbing her purse, “Doesn’t she, Bibi?”

Bianca, who was wearing a gray knit dress with cow printed pants underneath, smiled in agreement, holding Rooster’s hand “Yeah, auntie! You look stunnin’!!”

“Thank you, you two,” she taps her thigh twice so Jolene leaps out of the couch - the pitbull was also wearing a colorful Christmas sweater with Rudolph on the back- to go to the front door, “You two look great as well.” they all walk out so Beatrice can lock the door, Bianca’s seat was still inside the Bronco thankfully so all she had to do was put her in there.

Jolene sits next to Bianca once she’s buckled onto the seat and Beatrice turns to walk to the passenger side, Bradley doing the same on the driver’s. She asks Bianca one more time if she’s okay, she gives her aunt a thumbs up before she goes back to petting Jolene, “Alright, we can go.” Beatrice grins, “I can tell you the way.”

“I’d appreciate that a lot.” he smiles, giving her another look, “You really look amazing.” his girlfriend smiles shyly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear with her eyes turning to him, “You always do.” Her cheeks immediately turned red after he said it and he smirked in triumph at her reaction.

The drive to Beatrice parent’s home was at least a twenty minutes ride, thankfully the amount of cars outside was minimal since it was Christmas’ Eve. She forgot how beautiful Little Italy was during Christmas time, the colorful lights that adorned the buildings and the constant Christmas songs being played around them brought back so many memories, memories that got stronger when she they got closer to her parents’ house, her siblings cars already parked in front and on the opposite street and she could hear Rita Pavone’s Viva La Pappa col Pomodoro being played from the inside.

Bradley parks the Bronco right behind Guillermo’s SUV, turning his eyes to the colorful Christmas lights climbing up the walls and railing of the Schiavoni’s house, a snowman wearing sunglasses and with a ‘suntan’ decorated the front yard, holding up a bottle of sunscreen in his hand. He chuckles as he walks out, waiting for Beatrice to pick up Bianca and pull her out, Jolene’s body vibrating with excitement as she notices where they were. Beatrice offers him her free hand since the other arm is busy holding Bianca close to her chest, “You know,” he says, looking around the neighborhood and hearing the song coming from the inside, “I think I guess where your decoration needs come from.”

Bea laughs, walking him up the front steps of the Schiavoni’s house - where Jolene was patiently waiting with her tail swiping back and forth rapidly. He could hear the voices from her family members inside, the sound of family was loud and clear…emphasis on loud. There was beautiful garland that surrounded the front door with red and silver balls, tiny angels and even tiny bells, while the wreath right on top of the stained glass followed the same red and silver palette, it also had a large red bow at the bottom.

His girlfriend leaned Bianca closer to the doorbell, the conversation inside didn’t stop when the little blonde girl pressed the button, but they could hear and see someone approaching. There was the sound of the door unlocking before Beatrice’s mother appeared, gasping in surprise, “Oh! You two came!”

“Nonna!” Bianca was almost climbing out of her aunt’s arms to hug her grandmother, who immediately picked her up and kissed her cheeks, complimenting her outfit before telling her her parents were already outside. She also greeted Jolene, scratching the pitbull’s behind before she scampered inside following Bianca.

Claudia then looks up at the two with her hands clasped in pure happiness “Oh I’m so glad you two came, come on in, come on in.” she stepped aside to let the young couple enter, Bradley’s eyes immediately darting to the other decorations around them. Yeah, he could see where Beatrice got it from, “Here, take off your coats.” Claudia was quick to remove them before they could stop her, pausing as she tried to find space in the coat hanger - that already seemed full- but somehow managed to squeeze them in there. When she turned back around she engulfed her daughter in a hug, kissing both of her cheeks then her forehead, “Oh, I’m so happy you two finally came.” She turns to Bradley, who just leans closer so the older woman pecks his cheeks as well, cupping his face so she could kiss his forehead just like she did with Beatrice “Come, come, everyone is already waiting.”

Bradley felt so warm just by that greeting. It was…so motherly and he hadn’t felt something like that in so long.

He thanked Claudia, who ushered them further inside the house, Beatrice grabbing his hand to lead them to where the others were. The walls were adorned with so many pictures, weddings, birthdays, Celebrations he couldn’t name it and obviously, Christmases. He couldn’t pay a lot of attention because Beatrice tugged him down a hallway where the voices were getting louder and louder, the music - an Italian song he couldn’t recognize - being sung along. They walked past an office where he could see the glimpse of a piano that shone with the colorful lights outside the window it stood in front of.

With the voices and music getting louder, he felt a bit of unease the closer they got. It wasn’t until Beatrice opens the double doors that separate the house from the outside that he finally lets out a quiet breath of surprise. The backyard was large, very large and surrounded with plants, they stepped out right on the patio with large gray stone floors and a wooden cover that had garlands surrounding the pillars that held it up.

The said patio had a small bar on the left where a few bottles rested alongside shot glasses and a speaker that was responsible for the music being played right now. In the middle of the patio was a large ,already made and decorated,dark brown table and surrounding it was Beatrice’s family, with her father at the head.

There were other seats around the table itself where he assumed her nephews and nieces were seated, alongside two pitbulls who were now playing with Jolene on the grassy part of the backyard. The conversation stopped for a second before a wave of greetings reached them, with her siblings standing up to hug them, Guillermo’s massive estature made Bradley a bit uneasy when he leaned down to give him a friendly hug and a pat on the back. He met their spouses back at the wedding so it took a while for them to finally sit down and join the others.

“Finally.” it was Michael who announced once they sat down, “Thought you two were going to take the scenic route.” he pushed himself to his feet, “You want a drink, Brad?”

Rooster looks around to check if anyone else was -they were, all of them - and nods, ‘Yeah, sure, I wouldn’t mind it.”

“My man. Gonna get you some whisky.” Michael however sends a look to his father, who nods as he too lifts the brandy glass to his lips to take a sip. Bradley met Beatrice’s nephews and nieces, with the boys being very curious about him when Bianca told them that he was a pilot! Bradley thanks Michael when he places the glass in front of him Beatrice lifting a glass of red wine to sip slowly as her boyfriend savored the bourbon.

Oh, that was good whisky. And it tasted amazing too? He felt Beatrice’s hand interlacing his from under the table as the conversation returned, Guillermo lowering the volume once Dean Martin started playing so they could talk without screaming at each other. It was really nice, they were all very inclusive to him, asking his opinion and sharing information Bea hadn’t before.

It was… really good. He hasn’t felt like this during Christmas time in a long while. He felt very welcome by everyone. Even Beatrice’s father, whose role was to be the main host alongside his wife, would ask if Bradley needed anything. Honestly he was just happy to be drinking high quality whisky with his girlfriend and her family who genuinely seemed glad to have him there. Her mother calls for her and her sisters to help inside, “Be right back.” she whispers, kissing his cheek and standing up, disappearing into the house with her sisters in tow.

He looks back at her father who is giving him a little smile, one he knows isn’t malicious but instead he looks proud. Very proud. “Be prepared, ragazzo,” he says in his thick Italian accent, “I hope you left your stomach empty enough.”

He knows from Beatrice that there will be a lot of food, he’s ready for that…what he wasn’t ready for was that the amount of food was even more than he imagined. The talking coming from Beatrice’s mother and sisters surrounded them, each woman had a dish in hand, setting it on the table, pushing some of the red burning candles away to give it space. Bradley tried to cover his surprise the best he could, but try as he might he wasn’t able to.

There was so much food.

Rafael chuckled watching the pilot’s wonder at the variation of dishes set in front of him, his sons were too busy arguing amongst themselves about a game of scopa they had to play before the night was over to help him, so he took it on himself, “Ragazzo,” he calls quietly, making Bradley turn his head to him, “This here, is linguini with clams and mussels.” he points to the large wooden bowl, “The one next to it is baked swordfish with lemon, then we have calamari and olive salad.”

“We used to have the antipasti.” comes Beatrice’s voice from his left, sitting down next to him once the table is set, “But over time we found out that we could skip this part, sorry to my ancestors.” She giggles, pushing herself forward with her chair as her mother gives one last look to make sure everything was just right then sits down next to her husband.

“It’s so much. And it smells so good.” he comments, still looking at everything with boyish wonder. Beatrice smiles, squeezing his hand a bit as her father cleared his throat. He was the patriarch, so he was the one who should be served first but as much as her mother liked to do so, he wanted to get the food himself. There was a short timed bickering between the two before Rafael grabbed a bit of everything and sat down.

With a wave of his hand, he signaled they could finally eat. Bradley’s plate disappeared before he could stop it, with Claudia scooping a nice amount of the pasta and a thick chunk of swordfish to put in his plate, “There you go, Bradley.” she smiles, placing two lemon wedges to the side before sitting down.

“Thank you.” he says sweetly, while his girlfriend just smiles at his surprised face when he turns to look at her. Bea nods to where her mother was, her expectant expression waiting for Bradley to take a bite wasn’t subtle at all “She’s waiting for me to eat it.”

“She is, and she’ll ask you if you need more even if you weren’t even half done.” she says, twirling her pasta on a fork, “So, I wouldn’t keep her waiting.”

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