this is a side blog that turned in to my main one
california girl but i'm nonbinary and no longer live in california
18 | they/them | asks are always open!
likes/follows come from @writingdepression
I'm having an idea loudly living in my head rent-free, it's a soft more fluffy (?) one shot for Andrew "Pope" Cody (probably at least 10K words?). While in prison Pope really picks up reading as a way to pass his time and "catching up" on what he feels like he missed out on at school, so he completes his GED and becomes a secret bookworm. After being released from Folsom, he signs up for his library card (we love public libraries 🫶) and starts crushing hard on librarian! reader!
Seeing her is an extra motivation for quickly reading books, he never has an overdue loan. He'll talk to reader about books, ask for recommendations and make notes on what she recommends so he can come back in and have a real conversation about it with her.
For fiction, I feel like Andrew would vibe with writers like Cormac McCarthy? 'Outer Dark' would haunt him in so many ways, he'd read Denis Johnson, maybe Flannery O'Connor, and classics he's heard of but never read in school. And he'd go through David Attenborough's bibliography and the non-fiction shelves so quickly. I'm curious what others would think he'd read or be into? And what you think of this idea? 💚
I could see him enjoying 'The Sixth Extinction' by Elizabeth Kolbert and if he ever dips in to sci-fi I'd bet he'd love Ursula K. Le Guin ('The Left Hand Of Darkness' is my favorite).
'Coyote America' by Dan Flores, there are tons of coyotes in California and maybe that would interest him. It explores the demonization of Coyotes that Andrew could resonate with.
Maybe he'd go back and read all the childhood classics that he didn't read at the time (and to read with Lena). 'A Wrinkle in Time', 'Charlotte's Web', 'The Jungle Book'.
If you want to get introspective 'Animal Farm' and the hierarchy and leadership portrayed in the novel would spark some feelings.
Thank you so much for such a thoughtful reblog with so many great ideas! Appreciate this so, so much! 💚
Yes! I totally agree that if he dipped into the pools of sci-fi, he'd love Ursula K. Le Guin! If he'd grown up in a healthier home environment, I think he would've been a kid/teen that devours sci-fi paperbacks, and the choose your own adventure sci-fi books.
I just looked up Coyote America and that sounds interesting! I'm not American and have never been near Oceanside, so I really appreciate your perspective with being more familiar with the area, especially with what feels like such an apt suggestion!
Yes! I had that noted down as an idea too, funny because A Wrinkle in Time was one of the titles on the list in my notes app 🤣I do think he'd ease up with the classics, including some children's ones to make up for what he missed out on and that it's something he'd do with Lena in S2-S3. I could see him reading Watership Down either on his own with her and thinking surely it'll be fine... kids like rabbits, it can't be that bad... And then they're both traumatised from it. I haven't read it in forever but I think it's one that would stick with him.
I think our brains are somewhat in sync haha, I had Animal Farm listed for a few possible scenes haha! It's one of the first ones that he'd borrow from the prison library, having heard the name and its length making it feel accessible. I do think he'd get introspective about it, he'd really relate to Boxer and have a lot of feelings about him! It would definitely spark some feelings, but I think there would be parts of the allegorical context he wouldn't get/notice while reading because he doesn't have that from his schooling. And then when he's out and is talking about classics with reader, she'll say something about Leon Trotsky and then he's quietly checking out biographies on Trotsky, Stalin and non-fiction books about 20th century Russia. Because he wants to seem smart to reader and thinks being 'well read' will impress her! And if she knows about this then it must be important enough for him to need to know too. (He's down bad...)
Then maybe later on there's a scene of someone (probably Craig) saying something like "it's a political allegory using pigs on a farm to explore communism in Stalin's Russia" and J just nods along thinking it's odd. Similar to when teen Pope answers what a neanderthal is to Julia and Baz, or when Deran asks Pope if he's had a bagel because of that drug test. It's a work in progress!
Speaking of classics, I think Frankenstein is one that would deeply affect him his upbringing and the themes of parental responsibility and styles, battles of free will and fate, intergenerational trauma/abuse, being made the way you are but being rejected and shunned etc. He'd relate to the Creature's journey a lot and I think it would hit him really hard.
I'm hoping this made sense, it is 2am and I can't sleep haha. But I really wanted to respond, thank you so much for your thoughts! They were really good and I appreciate them so much 💚
TW: Smurf and the weird relationship with pope mentioned
Omg I can’t believe Frankenstein didn’t occur to me! It’s one of my favorite novels.
I think the part that is so interesting about Frankenstein is that the scientist, Frankenstein, is inspired by Mary Shelley’s father, but also her husband, Percy Shelley. This reflects the inc3stous relationship Smurf has with her sons, but especially Andrew.
(Also if you read Frankenstein like the sea captain is in the love with Frankenstein, it is very homoerotic and can be funny at times)
Speaking of A Wrinkle in Time, I think Andrew would be able to relate to Meg’s feeling of otherness and isolation.
If you ever do expand on this you can always tap with me in my dms! This is my jam
How different would Animal Kingdom be if Julia had twins instead of just J.
A boy and a girl.
What would this girls name be? An A name like Andrew? Would this girl be autistic the way Pope is? How would the rest of the family treat her (ie Pope)? Would this change the outcome of the story? Would Pope still murder Cath?
If anyone has any thoughts my dm's are alway open!
Pope gets mauled by the devil in the middle of the night. (Your cat likes Pope's big chest almost as much as you do.)
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warnings: established relationship, pure fluff, cats, awkward!pope, sadboy!pope, he doesn't know how to handle softness but he needs it, no use of y/n or any description of reader other being a loud snorer, domestic bliss, mentions of smurf being the worst mother ever.
rating: 18+. (there's nothing explicit in this but i dont want kiddos on my blog sorry!)
word count: 1.1k.
fox says: hi friends, thank you for reading! this is just a short little thing i wrote bc i need andrew to be happy, i wrote this in like forty minutes and i almost didn't post it because of how short it is but i hope you guys still like it! as always pls let me know how we feel!
also available on archiveofourown.
Pope had to learn how to sleep with one eye open a long time before going to prison. His home had never been safe and, even as a child, he was always a light sleeper simply because it was a survival mechanism he developed to survive growing up under Smurf’s thumb. So he wakes instantly to the weight shifting on his chest, entire body locking in place as he tries to figure out what is happening. It’s not you, he can hear you snoring like a truck to the side — Pope would always be surprised that such a delicate woman could make so much noise while unconscious —, and the weight is too light and too concentrated to be a person.
He opens his eyes slowly, just a little, not wanting to let the intruder know he is awake; the element of surprise always does wonders for him— attacking fast and hard before your opponent can understand what is happening is what has saved Pope’s life time and time again. On top of him there is a small pile of black fur. The thing is moving, little arms stretched over Pope’s pecks, tiny claws opening and closing, tugging at the cotton of his shirt. The animal blinks, slowly, and Pope can only tell that its eyes are open when the moonlight coming through the window hits it just right.
The Tasmanian Devil. You told him the cat’s name had been Tweety at first, because he was tiny and seemed kind— He grew up into what you call a ‘terrorist’ with a sweet voice and fond smile, so you renamed him. Tweety to Tasmanian Devil. Sweet to sour.
You did the opposite with him. He was Pope when he first met you— Angry, violent, unstable. You’d taken one look at him and started calling him Andy. A new name, a new identity, a facet of his personality that has always been there but has never been allowed to shine through. Sour to sweet.
The cat never seemed to like Pope very much. And it’s fine, Pope doesn’t like the thing either. He has never owned a pet, Smurf never allowed animals inside the house— Julia had made that mistake once, when they were eleven and an old mutt followed them from school. Pope didn’t see what happened, Smurf had dragged both Julia and the dog outside when she finally came home, but he had held his sister in the aftermath, arms around her shoulders as she cried and cried and cried.
Pope never saw the dog again.
Tec. Tec. Tec. The rhythmic sound of the devil ruining his shirt, its attack slow and coordinated as it keeps digging its claws into his shirt and tugging harshly. It doesn’t hurt— The thing can’t even do that properly, it seems. Pope pokes you on the shoulder twice and is only rewarded with the revving engine sound of your snores. You go quiet by the third poke but you don’t say anything, clearly awake enough to understand something is happening but not enough to realize it is him.
“Honey?” Pope calls out. The devil stops moving on top of him for a moment at the rumbling of his chest before it restarts the assault. “Your devil is trying to kill me.”
You slowly turn around then, hair mussed with sleep and eyes squinting. The cat doesn’t seem bothered by the movement, still clawing at Pope’s chest.
“He likes you.” You say, and Pope frowns at how big you’re smiling. “Just wants to make some biscuits on those big titties of yours.”
You’re making fun of him. Pope is getting attacked and you’re making fun of him.
“Wh—”
“Pet him.” You cut him off. Your own hand comes up to scratch behind the cat’s ear. The thing vibrates, then, a soft crooning noise taking over the silence of the bedroom.
“It’s clawing at me.” Pope says, his hands still firmly by his sides.
“He’s making biscuits.” You say again, just a little more forcefully but he can tell you’re having way too much fun. “Cats only do that when they like you and feel safe. When they’re kittens they do that while they’re nursing to help get the milk out.”
“I don’t have any milk.”
You snort. “Don’t I know it.”
Pope’s face flushes, the reminder of how much attention you’d given his nipples earlier that evening crawling to the forefront of his mind. He raises a hand, carefully, patting his index finger on the top of the devil’s forehead. It keeps crooning, still making biscuits on his chest.
The devil feels safe with him. It’s an odd feeling, but not an uncomfortable one— No one ever feels safe with him. People fear him, and he protects his family with his teeth and bare knuckles, but they don’t feel safe around him. You do, he thinks. He never asked, afraid of the answer, but you shield behind him whenever his brothers get too physical with each other, and you climb on his lap and hide your face on his neck whenever you’re watching a scary movie.
He likes that. It makes him feel useful in a different way. When he protects his family he feels dirty, like a crazed guard dog that is going to be put down the second he is no longer useful. With you, he feels like he matters, like he belongs in your bed and in your house and in your heart.
The devil headbuts his finger and you giggle, pressing a kiss to Pope’s bicep.
“He likes scritches.”
So Pope follows through, gently scratching behind the cat’s ear like you’d done before. His nails are shorter than yours, always trimmed down to the point where he’s one wrong angle away from bleeding, but the cat doesn’t seem to mind. The cat crawls a little closer to his neck, a loud mrrrp sound escaping it.
“He hates me.” Pope says, heart thundering at the noise but you just snuggle closer, your leg thrown over his thigh.
“He’s happy, Andy.” Your eyes are drooping, sleep is about to drag you back. “He would’ve bitten your finger clean off if he hated you.”
The cat stands, its little paws digging on his chest and the softness of his stomach. It twists twice before it plops back down on his chest, fluffy tail swiping over Pope’s face. It’s uncomfortable and so unsanitary that any other day Pope might’ve jumped out of bed but he remains as still as he can, the cat’s purring being drowned down by your snoring, his fingers running along the cat’s spine.
He doesn’t say it but, with the Tasmanian Devil’s weight on his chest, your leg over his and your cold hands gripping his bicep like a lifeline, Andy feels safe too.
I'm so happy you posted this! I can only imagine reader taking the devil out and about with her and andrew's brother's reaction to him. Lena would be a fan
its probably a normal sign for the economy that all of my adulthood fantasies are like "imagine having your own kitchen living room and bathroom to decorate" "what if i could get on a train" "maybe one day i could purchase a sturdy pair of shoes" "i should save and invest in a single bicycle"
btw it's so fucking stupid you can be anxious physically in your body even after you've decided mentally you don't care. I'm supposed to be in charge here
I'm having an idea loudly living in my head rent-free, it's a soft more fluffy (?) one shot for Andrew "Pope" Cody (probably at least 10K words?). While in prison Pope really picks up reading as a way to pass his time and "catching up" on what he feels like he missed out on at school, so he completes his GED and becomes a secret bookworm. After being released from Folsom, he signs up for his library card (we love public libraries 🫶) and starts crushing hard on librarian! reader!
Seeing her is an extra motivation for quickly reading books, he never has an overdue loan. He'll talk to reader about books, ask for recommendations and make notes on what she recommends so he can come back in and have a real conversation about it with her.
For fiction, I feel like Andrew would vibe with writers like Cormac McCarthy? 'Outer Dark' would haunt him in so many ways, he'd read Denis Johnson, maybe Flannery O'Connor, and classics he's heard of but never read in school. And he'd go through David Attenborough's bibliography and the non-fiction shelves so quickly. I'm curious what others would think he'd read or be into? And what you think of this idea? 💚
I could see him enjoying 'The Sixth Extinction' by Elizabeth Kolbert and if he ever dips in to sci-fi I'd bet he'd love Ursula K. Le Guin ('The Left Hand Of Darkness' is my favorite).
'Coyote America' by Dan Flores, there are tons of coyotes in California and maybe that would interest him. It explores the demonization of Coyotes that Andrew could resonate with.
Maybe he'd go back and read all the childhood classics that he didn't read at the time (and to read with Lena). 'A Wrinkle in Time', 'Charlotte's Web', 'The Jungle Book'.
If you want to get introspective 'Animal Farm' and the hierarchy and leadership portrayed in the novel would spark some feelings.
I feel like on Jack’s days off he’s messaging Shen like “did you do the chant? It’s important for the team”
Shen is like “yes Jack, I did the chant,” and then he has to turn to everyone like “PLEASE say we did the chant, the old man will be so upset with me. Night crawlers Whoo!”
I think a lot of people would benefit from unlearning the idea that casual sex is inherently disgusting, harmful, or immoral just because they personally don’t want to partake in it. You can stand up for sexual safety and consent without acting like people who enjoy fucking strangers are degenerates. I take no issue with anyone asserting boundaries or stating that they’re not interested in certain kinds of sex or even sex as a whole. But when you condemn or express disgust at others for engaging in consensual sex, that’s when you start to sound like a puritan.
Btw, this includes self-proclaimed “feminists” who shame and lecture women for giving men “access” to their bodies. Bodies are not commodities and sex is not inherently transactional. You don’t lose anything by having sex on purpose with a person you find attractive. Sex is not some metaphysically transformative thing that bonds you to the other person forever. It is literally not that deep.
Sex that is transactional is also fine, if you are content with the trade. You don't lose anything of yourself by selling sex, you don't owe anyone sex and you're allowed to make payment a boundary, and your number of sexual partners does not determine your worth.
My throats fucked but I like inhaled toothpaste and my throat seized up and I couldn’t breathe worst part is I spat toothpaste everywhere trying to get it out of my mouth and my throat is like fuzzy now?? Water did not help honey tea might
I have to many WIPS that I probably will never finish, but would anyone be interested in beta’ing my Project Hail Mary fic where Grace’s former students and the public at large watch the little video diaries he made in space
