merydian: (femgiftboxes)
[personal profile] merydian posting in [community profile] femgiftboxes
Username: TeaOtter
AO3 username, if you have one: Teaotter

DNWs or "I have no DNWs": non-con, graphic violence or body fluids
Mediums that are OK: fanfic, fanart, podfic, source(s) for HQ screencaps so I can make icons, recs (for Original Work only)
Mediums I don't want: unasked for mediums
General likes in fanworks: Prefer no Explicit-rated works (other ratings are fine), unusual perspectives, surprise twists or re-contextualization, experts who are actually good at their field, villains who want to recruit the hero, intimacy (whether good or bad), people who know each other too well, non-sexual kink (especially caretaking, h/c, overwhelming people with gifts, etc), trapped in a small space, there was only one bed, fake dating, cozy surrealism, magical realism, complicated friendships or sibling relationships, pining, wearing each other’s clothes, unspoken undercurrents (“we both know that we know, but we’re pretending not to know”), grief and mourning, difficult conversations, knitting

Fandom:
墨雨云间 | The Double (TV 2024)
Characters and/or Pairings: Xue Fangfei | Jiang Li, Tong’er, Princess Wanning | Zhao Jing, Jiang Ruoyao, Ye Jia’er
Prompts/additional information: see General Likes

Fandom:
星汉灿烂 | Love Like the Galaxy (TV)
Characters and/or Pairings: Cheng Shaoshang, Xiao Yuanyi, Yue Heng, Xuan Shen'an, Yue Heng/Xuan Shen'an
Prompts/additional information: see General Likes

Fandom:
流光之城 | City of Streamer (2022)
Characters and/or Pairings: Feng Shizhen, Sun Shaoqing, Baoqi (City of Streamer)
Prompts/additional information: see General Likes

Fandom:
너의 노래를 들려줘 | I Wanna Hear Your Song (TV)
Characters and/or Pairings: Ha Eun-joo and Hong Yi-Young, Ha Eun-joo/Hong Yi-Young
Prompts/additional information: see General Likes

Fandom:
X-Men (all media types)
Characters and/or Pairings: Storm
Prompts/additional information: see General Likes

Fandom:
Original Work
Characters and/or Pairings: Dutiful Daughter Fallen On Hard Times/The Demon She Summons, Female Monster/The Barista At Her Favorite Coffee Shop, Woman Who Reads In Public &/ The Monster Who Keeps Men From Interrupting Her Reading
Prompts/additional information: see General Likes
anagrrl: (bird on a fence)
From: [personal profile] anagrrl
(I hope you enjoy this!)

Shared Time

The time approaches.

She slithers out from her haven, out of the darkness, and into the shadow of the tree. Even in the shadow, it is too bright and too warm, but she accepts this as a small price to pay.

She waits, the humans unaware of her, even as the birds, and insects, and small, furry things keep watch on her movements. She means them no harm, and though they know this, they are nevertheless cautious.

It is a sensible caution.

She waits, and she keeps herself to herself, tightly contained, as the time draws nearer.

And then she arrives.

The Reader.

Humming quietly to herself, the Reader settles onto the wooden bench closest to the tree, not quite in shadow, but not in the sun either. She pulls a small book out of her bag - ah, it is the same as yesterday, the cover hard, but adorned with soft, bright colours - and sighs with contentment, her body relaxing slightly as she settles back against the bench and kicks her feet out, crossing them at the ankle.

And then, the Reader opens the book.

That is the signal. Quietly, carefully, She stretches out one part of herself, a dark tendril that She makes look almost like a shadowed vine, moving closer and closer, and up along the back of the bench until finally she reaches through one of the bench's slats to touch the tip of her tendril to the Reader's back.

It's a light touch.

It has, as far as She's aware, never been noticed.

But it is enough.

She herself cannot read the scratchings that humans make on their flimsy soft materials. But She can experience the story through the Reader. She can almost see the images that come from the words, as though she's watching it happen in front of her. She can feel the way the words bring lightness, or wonder, or longing.

This current book is complex. Tales are intertwined over time and spaces, with a glowing thread between them. There are humans, but also not-humans, and there are tragedies among pinpricks of joy and kindnesses. It is fascinating, and surprising, and strange.

The story in this book is glorious.

She is enjoying it very much, perhaps even more than the Reader does.

Today, She quickly becomes so engrossed in the words, and the way the Reader experiences them, that she almost forgets her duty, the silent promise she has made to the Reader.

It is enough that She is distracted as a human male approaches the Reader, his mouth already half-open with what is sure to be some inanity. She has seen and heard it all before: condescending tones, and questions about why a "pretty thing like you," would be sitting alone on a summer's day; attempts to distract the Reader from her book, or to tell her that she looks too serious for someone so young, and that she should smile more.

These incursions are unacceptable, She has learned.

The Reader does not appreciate them.

The Reader is there to read.

So She has also learned to deter the human males in the way she knows best - to slither more of her tendrils out of the shadows, touching their legs in order to invade their minds with nightmarish doubts. Sometimes she will show herself in her ancient incarnation that haunts nightmares and half-memories of times long ago, when humans were fewer and far between, and there were no lights that sparkled in the darkness. She will show herself, briefly, in all of her true glory, as they quail, and step back, words dying on their lips.

And they will walk away, unsettled, disbelieving of what they saw, questioning why they were there and what they were doing. Even better, later, at night, when they wake, sweating and pale from a sleep that is not restful, they will be reminded of all the things that thrive in the darkness and which they can never truly understand.

Now, She shows herself just in time. The male stops, shaking his head as though trying to shake what he sees away, hands trembling briefly, before he turns and walks in the opposite direction.

He moves quickly.

He does not look back.

She and the Reader are left together, free to turn back to the lushness of the book and the quiet of their time together.

But, as always, eventually the Reader sighs, closes the book's covers, and stretches lightly. Their time today is over. Still, She is left with the images, and the thoughts the story brought, and these will sustain her until tomorrow, when the Reader is sure to come again.

"Goodbye," the Reader murmurs, as she stands, one hand brushing along the bench's back, shockingly close to the tendril that She has not yet withdrawn. "Until tomorrow, then," she adds, a faint smile on her face, before she turns and walks away.

Perhaps the Reader was speaking to the bench, or the tree. Perhaps she merely speaks to the experience of quiet reading amid the birds, and the insects, and the small, furry things.

But perhaps, She allows herself to acknowledge for the first time, it is more than that.
teaotter: (Default)
From: [personal profile] teaotter
This is so wonderful! I love how careful She is with her Reader, and Her joy in the story. I love the sense of alienness and the gentle bridge there through the books. Thank you for writing this for me!
anagrrl: (Sam Carter)
From: [personal profile] anagrrl
Yay! I'm so glad you enjoyed this :) It was a lot of fun to write, so thank you for the prompt that made me think about the idea.
anagrrl: (bird on a fence)
From: [personal profile] anagrrl
Thank you so much! It was a lot of fun to think about that POV, and I'm so happy you liked it!

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