Rwrb - Blog Posts

Six-plus-some Sentences Sunday!

As always, thank you for the tag my beloveds @kiwiana-writes, @hgejfmw-hgejhsf, @littlemisskittentoes. 🫶

I was able to add words to the eSports AU WIP, so here's a little Alex and Zahra moment for everyone who celebrates.

Alex looks at Zahra expectantly, still waiting for the reprimanding she’ll send his way, but she only sighs; the look on her face shifting into something softer. “We’re all mad at that manbaby from the other team, but dealing with him like this isn’t the best way to go at it. Just play like you always do, you don’t need to be aggressive to prove he’s dogshit.” And, okay. He can’t really go against that, can he? “Sorry, Z.” “Don’t be.” Zahra reaches over to pat the top of his head, ultimately deciding to completely mess with it at the last second and eliciting a laughter out of them both.

Tagging in return because I love when people bombard my feed with words: @read-and-write- @rockyroadkylers @gayrootvegetable @sallysimpsons @msmarvelouswinchester @inexplicablymine @44whispers @14carrotghoul @matherines @later-2-dae @blairwaldcrf @happiness-of-the-pursuit @firenati0n and everyone else who wants to join in!

RWRB New Year's Gift Exchange!

Had the absolute honor to write for @raysletters' prompts in this event. I hope it's up to par, and a good read. Hehe.

Three prompts were given, but I went with this and put my own twist into it: Henry and Alex don't know each other, except they end up fake-dating for the chance to buy their favorite pastry at their local coffee shop, who is apparently now selling said pastry ONLY on a promo combo for couples.

This guy, Henry, Alex remembers hearing that earlier, was now widening his eyes in bits while his mouth continued saying words Alex isn't quite registering at the moment. Alex is almost convinced he could watch and hear this man talk forever and he’d never get tired of it. “Would you want to be my fake boyfriend then?” Those words register to Alex perfectly. “Do I look gay to you?” Is the first thing Alex ever says back to Henry.

Once again, thanks for setting this up, @rwrbnygiftexchange! Happy new year to you too! 🫶

WIP Wednesday Word Search!

Thanks for the tag in this one, babies. @read-and-write- @firenati0n @songliili @kiwiana-writes @rockyroadkylers @gayrootvegetable and @hgejfmw-hgejhsf! 💗 Also: appreciation post for my friends who endlessly tag me in these games/challenges even though I'm not the most active and consistent person on this platform. I love you all.

RULES: use this generator to generate three random words (or however many you'd like to do!) and share the lines where they show up in your WIPs!

The words I got were acquaintance, monk, and challenge.

acquaintance - Exes to What? AU

There’s a bunch of classmates, celebrities, Nora posting a photo dump about their weekly Austen-binge with June popping in every so often in the slides. Pez in another outfit that never fails to fill Alex with awe; they’re the most stylish person he probably knows, and that’s saying something with his revolving door of acquaintances and friends. Ellen with her recent campaign publicity pictures. His dad doesn’t have instagram, but every now and then Oscar’s face shows up on news outlets as the current-seating senator of California. And then, unmistakably enough to Alex’s eyes, there’s also Henry.

monk - ATLA AU

Alex was already in the Avatar State, and finally looking around the room — littered with Fire Nation army uniforms and the remains of a monk who clearly meant something to Alex and June — it's not hard to understand why.

challenge - fake fratboy!Alex who's actually just an animal shelter volunteer AU

So Henry doesn't ask Alex where he goes or why he has new cuts on his hands or what he gets up to whenever he's not in school — only looks at him as if all the burning questions he wants to send Alex's way was his newfound telepathic skill. Does so in the next few days because he can't just let go of things like that, and ultimately only stops when Alex finally shoots back a quizzical look at him. He doesn't look angry, per se, but the littlest hint of a challenge does start resting on his eyebrows whenever he spares Henry a glance.

I combined both games so I'm not sure who to tag that hasn't done it yet but if you already did, take this as a round two I guess the word search is FUN. @blairwaldcrf @later-2-dae @dragonflylady77 @leojfitz @14carrotghoul @matherines @44whispers @movetoheavens @mudbloodpotter05 @happiness-of-the-pursuit @inexplicablymine @user-anakin @littlemisskittentoes

Hello and welcome!

Replacing my pinned with a list of the stuff I've written for anyone checking my account out. Heh. Everything is sorted by fandom, and then word count! (And if there's something I should add to the tagging, please feel free to send me a message about it so I can make the edits.) Enjoy... hopefully!

RWRB

some part of me came alive - 10,979 words [college-ish AU, 5+1]

"Bye David." David's head snaps back to Alex's direction, eyebrows furrowed ever so slightly you'd think it wasn't even there. Alex, having just removed his glasses again as he yawns once more, doesn't see it. David takes a couple seconds before slightly shaking his head, like he's just imagining something and is now actively wiping the thought away. He opens the door before he responds. "Bye Alex."

(Or: The five times Alex unintentionally calls Henry by his dog’s name, and the one time he does it on purpose.)

Francesca - 10,189 words [graphic depictions and references of violence/abuse/injuries]

Once, in a much worse place before all of this; Alex had worked for someone with one side of his office overflowing with books. He'd read all sorts of things there: Anatomy, selected works in philosophy, Oliver Twist, war hero accounts, law. Anything he could get a hold of in the dark, really. Among those books were a bible. There's a passage there that stuck— something he'd only read past but had barraged into the walls of Alex's mind three years ago, Book of Jeremiah, chapter 17, verse 9: The heart is more deceitful than anything else and is desperate. Who can know it?

Love Songs in the Key of Liam - 8,152 words [Liam POV/centric, 5+1]

It's fucked. He's fucked — Liam, that is. There was no way this was going to work. Ever. What's the next worst thing to growing up closeted in a typically close-minded neighbourhood? Probably developing a crush on your best friend who lives in said neighbourhood. (Or: The five times love songs reminded Liam of his now estranged best friend, and the one time it reminded him of someone else.)

Terrible Things - 4,038 words [Hanahaki AU, hurt/no comfort]

"How long?" That, he can answer. "A year or so." He croaks out, not really wanting to strain himself any further.

water in my hands - 3,521 words [sickfic(?), has references to illness, hurt/no comfort]

It takes Alex a good amount of time to realise; sometimes love just isn't enough to keep the world going, even if he desperately wanted it to.

no question (he'll hold your heart if you let him) - 2,837 words [June POV/outsider POV, post-canon]

June doesn't think much about it at first, putting the box along the pile, but she belatedly realises what it is and gets an idea. A satisfied grin makes its way onto her lips when she finally finds it, an edition of Astrotalk that detailed star sign compatibilities. June doesn't open the magazine all the way to the Libra section, stopping short at someone else's instead. (Or: June finds a box that contained one of her teenage fixations and goes through it for old time's sake.)

Smoke Slow - 2,026 words [shotgun kissing oneshot basically]

“Hey.” Alex says, just for the sake of saying something, the silence between them wasn’t stifling but he didn’t want to risk their interaction coming to an end just because he’s not engaging enough. Henry gives him a sideways glance. “Teach me how to do that.”

“Do what?”

“That. The shotgun.” For a moment, Alex briefly considers how idiotic that probably sounded to Henry. It wasn’t a hard task to mimic, but Alex had long thrown out his composure out the fences of Pez’s house when Henry put the goddamn stick into his mouth. 

i'll be happy (just to have known you) - 1,855 words [hurt/no comfort]

Henry resigns himself to the reality that Alex—albeit distant and unattainable—still managed to break through his dismal world and grant him a light he never imagined was still possible to exist. This was enough. This was more than he'd ever expected for himself. It was the universe's way of extending an olive branch in response to the cards he'd been dealt with. He'd be stupid not to take it.

dreamy little you - 1,666 words [crack-ish AU, post-canon]

"Of course, love, but would you love yourself if you were a worm?" This visibly stumps Alex. If the way his mouth just opened for a rebuttal and coming up empty is anything to go by.

only got a hundred - currently at 4,008 words

An ongoing collection of 100-word drabbles written according to the Brownstone server's prompts.

Haikyuu

Ceilings (he thinks it's not real, it is) - 6,009 words [light angst and pining with a happy? ending]

“Yo, you sleepy?” Takahiro meant to say that no, he isn't. That Issei looks stupid with his hair messed up like that. That he should be asking Issei that, with the bags under his eyes speaking for themselves. Instead, what comes out is, “I miss you.” It would be so easy to take the opportunity now. But still, Takahiro is terrified of ruining things. Or: Takahiro has graduation blues, and Issei makes him feel better, but things don't just end there.

Bloom - 1,444 words [two-dialogue challenge oneshot, retrospective? angst/no comfort]

Matsukawa Issei is not much of a sentimental person, save for special occasions where he has no choice but to reminisce.

Cruel (what your mind can do for no reason) - 1,012 words [light angst/comfort, implications of dissociation]

Issei struggles through a bad mental health night, Takahiro breezes him through the tail end of it.

Shameless (US)

big guns out, shoot now - 3,257 words [first kiss oneshot]

It's kind of out of character for Ian, really, he's always careful about not blurting out or doing shit that tapped into his feelings on the brunette, around the very subject of his affections. Has been, in fact, for the last two years and counting. Not that it got any easier to maintain, there are always slip ups (Exhibit A: right here, right now), but that's solely his problem.

On the Off Chance - 5,780 words [soulmate AU, ongoing]

To say Ian was relieved when he hears Mickey confirm how he did not, in fact, get his soulmate mark just a couple days after coming of age would be a huge understatement. (Or: Soulmate marks only show up when the younger of the pair turns nineteen– which isn’t uncommon, to say the least.)

Six Sentences Sunday!

Tagged by @kiwiana-writes, @happiness-of-the-pursuit, and everyone else with the tag-back from my tag-then. (LOL.)

Here are six sentences (lines?) from my ongoing Exes to What? fic that I have already shared in the server, but wanted to put it here as well anyway.

henryfox: I’m sorry, I can't tell whether I've made you up or if this is actually real. Letting out a snort, Alex sits up against the headboard and briefly ruffles his hair before he opens his phone to the camera. Giving it a grin and sending it over to Henry before he can stare at it long enough and decide to start a whole photoshoot. theagcd: [photo] theagcd: ill let u be the judge of that henryfox: Real, then.

Tagging back MJ and Rhys above, but also @read-and-write-, @littlemisskittentoes, @14carrotghoul, @44whispers, @blairwaldcrf, @clottedcreamfudge, @inexplicablymine, @affectionatelyrs, @rockyroadkylers, @later-2-dae, @matherines, @hgejfmw-hgejhsf! (open tag to everyone too!) Because this is where I'm reading my share of fanfic for now, while I haven't gotten the time to go binge read again.

"What about me?" Henry says. "Christ, Alex. The whole bloody time."

Last Line Tag!

Thank you my beloved people for the tag, as always. @littlemisskittentoes @read-and-write- @hgejfmw-hgejhsf @happiness-of-the-pursuit @rockyroadkylers 🫶

Here's the last line I've written in my Exes to What? fic (gave it a working title and all). Hehe. Cheating a bit with the enclosed line but pls don't perceive me.

Karaokes were always the easiest way to loosen up a Henry Fox, even his favourite drink could never give him enough liquid courage to do so, but give him a mic and a dream and you'll have Henry in his element. (Alex is not entirely sure why he knows that, or still knows that; it's been over a year since they broke up.)

Tagging @blairwaldcrf @affectionatelyrs @later-2-dae @user-anakin @inexplicablymine @clottedcreamfudge @movetoheavens @mudbloodpotter05 and every who hasn't done it yet! Open tag!

20 Questions Game for Fic Writers!

Tagged by @blairwaldcrf (I haven't done this yet to tag you so I'll take it as you tagging me.)

1. How many works do you have on ao3?

It's only 14 right now but including the 4 I've orphaned so far, 18!

2. What’s your total ao3 word count?

It says 60,364! (not including the orphaned works)

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Haikyuu, BNHA, RWRB, and Shameless!

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

some part of me came alive | rwrb | 10,979 words

Smoke Slow | rwrb | 2,026 words

On the Off Chance | shameless | 5,780 words

Terrible Things | rwrb | 4,038 words

dreamy little you | rwrb | 1,666 words

5. Do you respond to comments?

I dooo I always dooo.

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

The one I repurposed for FP because that plot went down the worst way.

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

To date it's probably some part of me came alive or Love Songs in the Key of Liam. (I'm realizing yet again that most of the shit I write have no comfort.)

8. Do you get hate on fics?

No one's directly spoken about it to me yet so no.

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

I don't know what kind I write LMFAO. Mostly fade to black beginnings of a hook up but full on smut I've not exactly tried yet.

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

Haven't yet but I've been wanting to!

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

No.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes but it's a very old oneshot someone requested me to translate in Tagalog.

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

Yes.

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

Yes.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

I had an elaborate outline and draft for a Matsuhana college AU once but... creative juices no worky.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Inner monologue probably.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Dialogue ALWAYS.

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

This depends. Is the entire fic in a other language? Yes, bet. Is it not? Still interesting I would eat it up. (forever just happy to be here)

19. First fandom you ever wrote for?

Please don't perceive me.

20. Favorite fic you’ve ever written?

Bloom. I'm plugging it because it's the first Matsuhana retrospective no comfort piece I wrote (that comforted me as I wrote it tbh), it's basically my firstborn on ao3 as well. I feel about it deeply simply because I also wrote this at a very memorable time in my life. I channeled a lot of shit into that thing, hence my unlimited overprotectiveness and fondness for it.

Tagging you guys if you haven't done it yet! @littlemisskittentoes @kiwiana-writes @later-2-dae @read-and-write- @happiness-of-the-pursuit @inexplicablymine @movetoheavens @rockyroadkylers @user-anakin @affectionatelyrs @hgejfmw-hgejhsf @heartitinthesilence @14carrotghoul @44whispers @arand0mdutchgirl

MOTHERRRHRUHHHHRRRRR.

Hi y'all! I'm commandeering today's weekly roundup, for some important reminders:

Drink water and wear sunscreen! Your skin will thank you in the future if you can make it through our monster-fighting years.

If you're like Alex and could kill a cactus, give your plants a water. Most of them like that. Even succulents need it every once in a while.

Listen to your older siblings, they generally have good advice. Yes Alex, I'm talking to you. You can give your opinions on it when Pez lets you take over.

Make good choices,

June

For Super Six and the Siren's Call, co-written by @read-and-write- @inexplicablymine and @happiness-of-the-pursuit. Credit for the amazing picrew maker to @elena-illustration!!!

WIP Wednesday!

Finaaally I get to post for this LMAO. It's Wednesday somewhere but for me today, too. Thanks for the tags @read-and-write-, @littlemisskittentoes, @happiness-of-the-pursuit, and @kiwiana-writes!

Sharing the longer version here because it's the most recent one I've added words onto the doc. An ongoing second part to my fic shameless plug Smoke Slow AKA my Firstprince shotgunning fic (to give everyone an immediate summary).

Alex doesn't start a counter for the days he doesn't see Henry, but he does keep a list of numbers in his mind; things he could remember on the night of Pez's party. You know, for research. The list starts with the resulting count for all the times he's kissed Henry, and had Henry kiss him back, 27. Next, the total number for every pet name that came out of Henry's pretty mouth, his tongue curling around his vowels and voice dropping in the face of pleasure, echoing repeatedly within Alex's ear tunnels, 13. Then, there's the number of times Henry clutched at his skin, held onto him, unknowingly burning Alex with every touch—pressing down the lightest of lights and the heaviest of weights Alex had engraved onto his flesh—that had ??? for it only because Alex lost count when it hit the first 50. Lastly, the accumulated amount for all the ways Henry's usually schooled expression lost its composure; twisting and painting variations of emotions on his face that had nearly caused Alex's pursuit to detach Henry's schoolboy image from the host a success; Alex had tied them into the veins that pop beneath his eyelids when he closed his eyes, a sweet 16. Suffice to say, Alex can't get Henry out of his mind.

Time to see what everyone's WIPs look like since I will always eat everything up. Tagging back everyone who's tagged me already, but also @user-anakin @affectionatelyrs @inexplicablymine @blairwaldcrf @arand0mdutchgirl @hgejfmw-hgejhsf @44whispers @14carrotghoul @rockyroadkylers @movetoheavens @treluna4 @hypnostheory @cricketnationrise. This is an open tag too so feel free to tag me back if you take it hehe.

Seven Sentence Sunday!

Happy Sunday everyone! And thank you for the tags @happiness-of-the-pursuit, @littlemisskittentoes, and @blairwaldcrf! 💙

Here's a snippet from my eSports AU I'm working on that I really need to get back to, one of these days. The game is Valorant (because I'm a degenerate, stay with me here) and Alex and Henry play on opposing pro teams. 😁

Having your team's marketing and PR manager be your sister is a funny concept to Alex. On one hand, he's able to talk shit with her about the games and not have to explain the context, but he also feels weird having her go through his accounts during social media checkups every other month on the other. He'd feel a lot better about it if it were someone he didn't grow up with. “Nice try, but you’re dreaming big if you think you can draft statements for me lil bit.” “I can make a mean notes app apology, you know,” Alex proudly states, pointedly ignoring the disagreement that immediately comes. June scrunches her nose at him, “A point in time I hope we never reach.” There’s laughter from his team, who all receive Raf's embrace with delight.

I shall now be tagging you people in return (with absolutely no pressure, as always): @read-and-write-, @inexplicablymine, @kiwiana-writes, @44whispers, @14carrotghoul, @affectionatelyrs, @rockyroadkylers, @treluna4, @user-anakin, @movetoheavens, @hypnostheory, and anyone else who comes across this post! (Am I allowed to re-tag those who tagged me? Because if yes, all three of you too.)

Guys I am in a reading stump. I just can’t find a fic to stick to. Can someone please recommend me a fic? I love reading drarry, sterek, merthur, and firstprince. I am especially addicted to drarry ones where Draco is cute and innocent and harry just can’t take it. If anyone can please recommend me a fic it will be very much appreciated.

but leo is ellen’s husband??? i don get it ;(

also oliver westbrook exists, i totally love hc where oliver is rafael’s love interest

I just decided that Rafael Luna is actually dating Leo

i don't think that hearstopper or red white and royal blue are not made for queer people. it is just that they are about being queer rather than directly for queer people.

hearstopper, especially, is about teenage queer experiences (first love, coming out, discovering your identities...). while dead boy detectives plot doesn't revolve around the queerness of the characters, since its a detective show.

and rwrb is something else, even. I would say it represent an in-between: although important part of the plot focuses on alex's sexuality crisis, the subplot revolve around politics and international relationship.

rwrb represents the middle ground of the queer media venn diagram. It panders to straight people by offering a clear and distinct representation with some explanation of queer identities while having queer characters whose identities don't solely revolve around being queer.

i say that we need all of those kind of stories, some like hearstopper, some like dead boy detectives and some like red and white and royal blue, because they serve different purposes.

while stories like hearstopper help straight audiences or young queer people to understand queerness and its diversity and struggles, shows like dead boy detectives further humanizes LGBTQ+people by representing them in casual yet meaningful ways with all of the nuances that come with being queer.

as someone who is a huge fan of other queer content (like heartstopper and red, white and royal blue), dead boy detectives feels so incredibly different.

despite how much i love those two, they don’t feel like they’re made for queer people.

in a lot of ways, they feel like media made for cishet people about queer and trans people which is fine and doesn’t make it unenjoyable, but dbda has a totally different feel to it.

it feels like queer media made FOR queer people.

they have so much nuance to their characters and don’t shy away from it. charles openly flirts with both edwin and crystal despite the fact that he never says anything about his sexuality and edwin’s backstory doesn’t try to hide the horrifying way that queer people were treated historically and i think that’s really important.

though he is very clearly repressed, he is still unapologetically queer. he showcases his jealousy loudly and there is no doubt in the viewer’s mind that he is queer even for a moment.

same with monty and the cat king. they’re so vibrantly and boldly queer. monty begins flirting with edwin nearly the moment we see him and as does tck. what i really appreciate about tck is his gender nonconformity. i think that’s so important and i honestly really appreciate that they don’t even mention it.

with tck in particular, his actions can be considered rather predatory, but we never really feel like that’s due to his queerness which is FASCINATING because that is a really harmful stereotype of queer people, but it never feels like that’s what they’re going for or like they’re using it to demonize queerness.

with jenny, she says so casually that she’s attracted to women and it’s not even something that they have to discuss again. it’s such an unimportant aspect of her character, but it’s still so unabashedly there. i love that niko doesn’t even say anything about it when she learns, she just accepts her, no questions asked.

even with simon, he very clearly discusses his sexuality in E7 when he tells edwin that he liked him, but he never has to say the words. we just KNOW contextually because he talks around it. he i would argue that he is the only instance of a character discussing shame in their identity and it immediately results in one of the loveliest quotes in the show.

“if you punish yourself, everywhere becomes hell.”

he has spent over a century repressing himself and when he finally tells edwin, the boy he liked and treated terribly because of it, he is immediately told that it is not torture to be queer. he is immediately told that there is nothing wrong with his sexuality.

the confession scene btwn edwin and charles in E7 and the scene in E6 where edwin is TRYING to confess are so fucking important to me. nearly immediately, charles tells edwin that it doesn’t make any difference that he’s queer and that he accepts him. when he does confess, he doesn’t make him feel bad for it. he tells him that he loves him too, but that he can’t say he does in that way right now, but that he’s the most important person in his life and that that will never change.

the scene in E7 where they’re on the roof and edwin tries to apologize for potentially having made things awkward, charles shuts it down immediately. he says “it doesn’t.” and that’s the end of it.

this show exemplifies queerness through a queer light and it’s very clear who the intended audience is for dbda not to sound like i’m hating on the first two pieces of media (rwrb is literally one of my special interests, trust me, i adore them both), but maybe that’s why hs was given a third season and dbda was cancelled within five months of airing. i feel that these two pander to straight people in a lot of ways, but dbda doesn’t. it’s something that is incredibly important to me and i’m really happy about it.

Does this mean that Shane is Henry?

Because i'm down for that

i’ve connected the dots

I went to buy pajamas and found this. My first thought was "This is what Alex and Henry would wear to a sleepover"