Mamadoc - Virginia (VTAK)'s Rookie Fan Page - Tumblr Blog

reblog if you believe fanfics are as valid as books that were published and sold by authors who write as their main careers. I'm trying to prove a point

It’s finally here! Tim and Lucy are finally going to see each other for the first time in forever in the next chapter of my story, Worth the Wait.

A few minutes later, as Aly and Lily were explaining every last piece of artwork on that particular segment of the wall with excruciating detail, Tim’s ears heard something that he never thought he’d hear again. Laughter. But not just any laughter. The joyful, melodic, and sometimes even boisterous laughter of Lucy Chen. He immediately recognized it, even though it had been over seven years since he’d heard it in person. He looked to his right and saw just a few feet away from him the woman he never thought he would see again, at least not outside of his dreams.

His hands dropped to his sides as he turned his whole body toward her in complete shock.

“Lucy?” Tim said, his voice an octave higher than normal as his mouth hung open with his eyes as wide as saucers.

“Tim?” Lucy said breathlessly, as though the sight of him had knocked the wind out of her.

They stared at each other for a moment. Tim allowed his eyes to roam down from Lucy’s face to examine the rest of her. He felt like his mind was transported back in time to nine years ago. She was wearing, as far as he could tell, the same gorgeous green dress she had worn to Angela’s almost-wedding, and she didn’t look like she had aged a single day. She still wore her hair long and wavy, just like he remembered it. Time had done nothing to dim her beauty. His breath caught at the sight of her moonstone ring on her right hand that had led him to her in the desert so many years ago. To his surprise, he did not see a wedding ring on her left hand; there was just a stripe of untanned skin there.

Lucy felt her body warm under his intense gaze until her cheeks were a rosy pink color, but she couldn’t deny that she was checking him out in just the same way. The last seven years had surely treated him well. There were little streaks of gray hair around his temples, and his smile lines seemed a little deeper, but being away from the LAPD didn’t seem to alter his exercise routine at all as his muscles still bulged against his shirt the way they always did. Damn. That man could wear a suit better than anyone else she knew. Just like Tim, her eyes also went to his left hand where she noticed he didn’t wear any ring.

As Tim and Lucy were frozen staring at each other, Lily, Aly, and Sam exchanged victorious smiles and all-knowing nods.

“We were right!” Sam said, standing behind Lucy by a step and looking at Aly and Lily triumphantly. “That’s exactly how she says his name in her sleep! Like she just finished exercising, and she’s out of breath.” He paused for half a beat. “Well sometimes she screams it, too…” he continued.

“Sam!” Lucy said, her face quickly flushing to a beet red color. She grabbed him by the shoulder. “How do you know about…”

“You talk in your sleep a lot, Mom. And Tamara says…”

“Okay. Okay. Enough,” she interrupted him. “You’ve said more than enough,” she said patting him on the back as she cleared her throat. Lucy dared to glance over at Tim whose shock had morphed into several different micro-expressions, including confusion, surprise, and smugness, until it settled into a slightly amused expression with his lips pulled in tight, trying not to smile.

“Excuse me. I just… I… I’ll be back in a bit,” Lucy whispered as she glanced back at Sam and then Tim and the two girls that must be his daughters. Then she turned and started walking to escape to the nearest bathroom, planning to text Tamara to find Sam and watch after him. After everything that had happened to her over the last week with memories of Tim surrounding her and then Sam’s confession that she dreamt about Tim… it… it was just too much. She needed to escape for a minute to compose herself.

Read more here:

As I’ve been writing my long-awaited Chenford reunion this week, it occurred to me that some readers who prefer the fluffy Chenford stories might enjoy jumping into Act 3 of my story and bypassing the angst of Act 1 and Act 2.

So, I wrote a quick synopsis of Acts 1 and 2 for those that prefer soft and sweet Chenford reunification stories without the angst.

You can find it here with links for when to join the main story.

This part of the story (Act 3) is inspired in part by Parent Trap with plenty of good Dad! Tim and Mom! Lucy moments.

They broke apart slowly from the kiss, but didn’t go far, resting their cheeks together, arms wrapping around each other. “So, we’re married now, Mr Bradford,” Lucy whispered. “How do you feel?” “I’m so happy, Mrs Bradford,” he whispered back. “Vowing to spend the rest of my life loving you was the easiest decision I’ve ever made.” His wife loosened her grip around his shoulders to lean back. She had never seen such love in his eyes as she did in that moment. She couldn’t believe her luck in marrying this man. “You did it, Lu.” Her husband smiled down at her, confusion flitting across her face. “I said I’d marry you tonight if I could. You made my wish come true.”

-Careful what you wish for by @arch78 (submitted by @zadien)

This is a favorite of mine. It’s so well done. I hope @cleromanticon finds time and inspiration to finish it some day. Sooooo good. And a bit scary at the same time.

Tim sat drumming his fingers on his truck’s steering wheel, parked beside his sister’s van in the hospice parking lot, wondering why he was dreading this moment so much. He regretted not telling Lucy where he was going. She would have come with him. This would be easier if she was with him. “Get it together, Bradford,” he said aloud to himself. “Sign a piece of paper, get rid of that damned house, and you never have to come here again. You don’t have to see him. You don’t have to go past the lobby. Win-win-win, so go do it.” He didn’t move. He tried to picture Lucy beside him.The sooner you get this over with, the sooner you get to go back and tell her you just made a million dollars, and you’re taking her out to celebrate. This time Tim opened the truck door, climbed out, and headed towards the front entrance of the hospice. He imagined the actual conversation with Lucy, trying out different ways of asking her. He wondered if he should ask her out on a date. If he should ask her to go out to celebrate with him as friends. He imagined making the invitation ambiguous and Lucy asking him, “Is this a date?” And he’d know by the hope in her eyes that she wanted it to be, so he’d tell her, “You decide.”

- Omne Malum ab Homine by @cleromanticon (submitted by @come-rain-come-shine)

Hello! I’ve finally posted the next chapter of my story.

Here’s a preview of one of the segments.

Friday morning, as the girls were loading themselves into the car to go to camp, Tim rolled the garbage cans out to the curb just like Angela had instructed him to do. However, as he turned to go back into the garage, he noticed something unexpected and strange.

There was a large camper van parked on the street in front of Angela’s house that he had never noticed there before. The door opened right as he turned to go back. Tim took a double take as he saw a man he easily recognized step out of the van with two bags of trash in his hands.

“Smitty?” he asked, his voice much higher than normal. “What in the world are you doing here?’

“Bradford,” he said, not at all surprised to see him there. “I sneak my trash into Lopez’ garbage cans on her garbage day. She always has extra room because that husband of hers loooooves recycling,” he said with a Cheshire grin. “I’ll just save the planet by cleaning up every once in a while,” he said with nod that reiterated to Tim that he should never, ever step foot in that van.

After depositing the trash bags, he winked at Tim. “Hashtag van life, baby,” he said as he crossed two fingers on each hand to make a hashtag symbol.

Tim shook his head. Some things never change, he thought to himself. But there was room for his trash in Angela’s bin, so he decided not to fight it.

As Smitty walked back to his van, he turned to Tim. “Hey, good luck tonight, Bradford. I hope everything works out between the two of you. I lost a lot of money when you two didn’t get together. Well, the whole station did, really. Everyone except for that prick Primm. I don’t know who stuck a stick up his ass, but that guy was the biggest jerk. At least that’s one good thing about finally retiring. I don’t have to see him ever again.”

Smitty shook his head and looked over at Tim who was glaring at him like he was speaking a foreign language. Smitty smiled and waved as he got back into his van. Then he leaned out the window and said, “Don’t stress out too much, sarge. She loves you. She has for years. Just lean into it and go with the flow.” With that he put on his sunglasses and made a motion with his hand that looked like waves on the ocean. “Peace out!” he called. Then his honked his horn three times and drove off.

Tim stood frozen in the driveway. He had had some odd conversations with Smitty over the years, but this one might take the cake. He had no idea what he was talking about or who he was talking about. Good luck tonight? Lost a lot of money on a bet? What bet? Was he really talking about Lucy and him? Or was that just his mind playing tricks on him again? She loves me? Nah…. Smitty was losing it. It was only when he heard his girls hollering at him that he was broken out of his trance.

“Yeah. Coming,” he called back to them. Then he turned and jogged up the driveway to take the girls to camp.

Read more here:

It’s definitely a long chapter, but I hope you enjoy it.

The Rookie intern seemed to have woken up from a long slumber!🤭💖

Tim & Lucy ↳ Their story\ milestones in their relationship [Pt. 1]

Special thank you to @come-rain-come-shine for helping choose moments 💖

Six(ish) Sentence Saturday (or Monday...)

Honestly, I just liked how this segment came together, so I thought I'd share.

Lucy’s eyes widened, and she gasped as she looked at her oval moonstone ring. That was another item that she could neither wear nor discard. There were too many memories tied to that ring. It was her favorite ring long before she ever met Caleb Wright. Then, after the ring was instrumental in her discovery and rescue, it was a reminder that she was a survivor. But she hadn’t been able to wear it ever since Tim left because the ring was also a reminder of who saved her and helped her recover from her trauma and always had her back.

Until he didn’t.

Until he couldn’t.

Until he was gone.

I hope to finish up this chapter tonight. Maybe I'll even have time to get it edited and posted. It's another long one. Sorry if that doesn't appeal to you. It's how I roll lately.

Also, as an FYI, after receiving a decent amount of hateful/rude comments and asks, I've turned off my asks. I'm still happy to get prompts and other various asks if you can be kind - just send them as a message instead of an ask. Thanks.

Thanks for the tag, @imperiumwifestrikesagain !

<<< Reblog what you did/will do today, and what you are looking forward to tomorrow!! >>>

I started the day by going to church with my family. It was a great meeting. I particularly love singing and playing the piano at church.

Then I made lunch for the family and left everyone else home to play while I went back to the hospital. I haven’t had any deliveries today, but I had to check on the mamas I delivered yesterday.

Once I got back home, I took a walk for 30 minutes around my neighborhood while I talked to my sister on the phone.

Then the kids and I tidied up the house and played several rounds of Racko.

Since the weather is nice, I shooed the kids outside after that while I made dinner.

Now that the kitchen is clean (post dinner), I’m taking an hour break to get some writing and editing done.

Then we’ll have a double chocolate cake I made earlier for dessert.

Then I’ll put the kids to bed and write some more as long as I don’t get called back to the hospital again.

That’s a pretty standard Sunday at our house.

Tomorrow the kids all go to school, and I have the day off. So I’ll be doing 7-10 loads of laundry, gardening, shopping, meal prepping, and homework helping, which is a standard Monday at our house. Plus I’m going to be attending an online workshop on parenting kids with ADHD. If I’m lucky I’ll find some time to write, too.

I don’t know if anyone finds this interesting, but if you want to share, please do!

Tagging @makeitastrength , @mostowa , @come-rain-come-shine, @diamondtookoflongcleeve , @fuzzywuzzywuzzawriter @girlintotv , @my-shields-are-down @northern-neighbor , @queseraone , @rookieoneil , @silverskull , @zippeylay

**Edited to add. I jinxed myself! Within an hour of posting this I got called in to deliver a baby. Haha.**

I am so incredibly pleased to officially announce the much anticipated return of Chenford Week!

This annual fandom celebration for Tim and Lucy will begin on Thursday, October 3rd and run through Sunday, October 6th! And while the 2024 event may not run as long as the event has in years past, there is something for everyone!

Using the tag #chenfordweek24 you can share all of your creations for the fandom to enjoy! From fanfics and edits, to mood boards and playlists, the fandom would love to see it all! Just don't forget to add your fics to the Chenford Week 2024 collection on AO3 which will open the first day!

Please reblog to help spread the word. Also, keep an eye out, for in 2025 the celebration will return to its original week in July! If you have any questions, please don't hesitate in sending me an ask!

October 3rd: break-ups & make-ups, show (not tell), angst, favorite season 6 scene

October 4th: tropes, personal headcannon, domestic bliss, outsider POV

October 5th: new beginnings, physical touch, comfort, alternate universe

October 6th: callbacks, missed moments, found family, lyrics/poems/quotes

Ego trip much?????

Wow. Really?

I thought about not answering this at all because anonymous comments like this are cowardly, rude, and amount to social media bullying.

But just in case this anon bothers to look at my answer and decides to reconsider commenting like this in the future, I thought I’d take a minute to respond.

Nope. No ego trip here. But I am a hard-working full-time doctor and mom of four young kids who, after homework help, teaching my youngest to read and write, making meals, managing my house and gardens, studying new parenting/therapy techniques for my kids with ADHD, and trying to find time to exercise, will spend my precious spare minutes writing fanfiction.

Fanfiction writers spend hours crafting their stories that they post on a website where anyone can read them free of cost. Our only payment comes in the form of kudos and comments. We owe our readers nothing. Writing is a creative outlet, and posting our stories is a service, an act of love.

But thanks to you, anon, I may not be writing this weekend. Was that your goal, anon? Insult me and convince me of my worthlessness? Stop me from writing?

On second thought, maybe I WILL write because perhaps my decision not to write MIGHT actually be your sad, twisted goal.

I don’t know on what you decided to base your accusation. Perhaps on my post earlier about the strange comment I got? If so, please know that I take the time to respond to EVERY comment I get. But I’m not going to answer every question about my plot. I don’t give spoilers. And reading the story IS how you learn what happens next, not asking the writer.

So, anon, I wish you the best and hope that you will think twice before posting spineless criticisms to random people who you know next to nothing about.

Farewell.

I had the weirdest comment thread on a story of mine last night.

At the end of a 3k first chapter of a 150k, 18 chapter story that’s ongoing, they left a comment about how much they loved the story.

Great. Welcome to my story. I hope you enjoy it.

Then they proceeded to ask several questions about the plot and characters in the story.

I replied to each question, but each answer was basically ‘you’ll have to read the story to find out.’

Then they responded back that my story is too long, so they probably won’t read all of it.

Ooooookkkkay. So you just want me to write a cliff notes version of my story for you? Umm. No. Skim if yourself if the length of my story burdens you. Why did you start reading in the first place? It’s not like the length of the story is some hidden mystery.

Weird, right? I mean, I LOVE getting comments. But I really didn’t know what to make of that.

Anyway, moving on. I hope to finish the next chapter (of a different story) and get it posted soon (today maybe?).

| We’re one big happy family (Patrick Keleher via instagram) |

First Sentence Game

Rules: share the first lines of ten of your most recent fanfics and tag ten people. If you have written less than ten, don’t be shy and share anyway.

Thank you for the tag, @chenfordspiral !

I feel like this was a very nostalgic exercise for me. Hopefully a few people enjoy skimming through these and maybe even decide to read one or two of my stories. They vary in length from 4k to 150k (yikes!). Many of them are complete, but a couple of them are still works in progress.

1 - *Sense* You Know Me So Well (chapter 2) - complete

Less than ten minutes later Tim’s truck pulls up into the parking lot across the street. Tim jumps out quickly. He is wearing gray dress pants and a black button-up shirt. He is followed, reluctantly, by Ashley wearing a short black skirt and a revealing hot pink blouse. She moves slowly after Tim on her high heels. It was obviously date night for them, too.

“Lucy.” Tim’s voice is strained with concern as he approaches her.

At the sound of Tim’s voice, Lucy lifts her head and flutters open her eyes. “Tim.”

“It’s okay, Luce. I’m here now.” Tim moves past Chris, barely acknowledging his presence. He sits down next to Lucy. “Breathe with me.”

She closes her eyes again and tries, but her breaths are still shallow, her face is ghostly pale, and her hands are shaking.

Tim reaches slowly for her right hand and pulls it gently to his chest. Lucy looks up at him with worry in her eyes, but she accepts his hand and the movement. Even a little touch of his hand helps to calm her shaking a little bit.

“Just match my breathing, Luce.”

She tries. She does. But the panic attack still holds her in a tight vice. As she takes her next breath in she can smell the mintiness of Tim’s breath. It helps to calm and soothe her.  It is the same scent she was accustomed to smelling on him for years.  She can almost taste it. The mintiness carries with it a familiarity and comfort.  She grips his shirt a little tighter and leans into him a bit. Now she can smell just Tim – his cologne, the aftershave he uses, and just…him. Her next breath is slower and steadier.

“That’s it.  Good job.  I’m here now.  You’re going to be okay,” Tim mutters as the spell seems to be breaking. He has moved his hand to her back and rubs it in little soothing circles.

The sound of his voice in her ear, the smell of him, the sight of him here with her, and the feel of his touch prompts Lucy to lean in further and rest her head on his chest. All of her senses now are filled with Tim, and the rest of the world and her worries start to fade away.

Chris stands back watching this all happen.  He doesn’t understand why Bradford could say the same things he did and touch her the same way he did and get a completely different reaction.

2 - *Sense* You Know Me So Well, Too - The Sequel (chapter 2) - complete

As the other officers were collecting photos and evidence from the home, Tim’s eyes wandered to a line of photographs on their mantel.  They looked all too familiar – pictures with a new baby, Christmas photos, the oldest kid in a baseball uniform… Tim felt his blood pressure rise again, and he balled his hands into fists. 

Aaron glanced over when he returned to the house and sensed that something else had happened to make Tim even more angry than before.  Now his facial expression was so tense he had veins visibly pulsing on temples.

He leaned over toward Nolan and whispered, “Have you ever seen Bradford go super nova? I think he’s headed that way.”

“What? Tim? No, he’s been so much better over these last couple years. You should have seen him when we started. He was always so angry and so…mean.  You should hear the stories Chen could tell you.”

“Nolan,” he hissed. “I’m serious.  Look at him.”

“Aaron,” he chided.  “He’s fi….” Nolan was going to say that he was fine, but then he looked up at Tim and saw that he was definitely NOT fine. “Okay,” he conceded. “I see your point.  He’s not fine.”

3 - The Heimlich - complete

It was another beautiful day in LA. Lucy and Chris were chatting while sipping their morning coffees at the Mid-Wilshire station. Lucy was already in uniform ready to go to roll call.

“Hey. What time do you think you’ll be able to take lunch today?” Chris asked, seeing more and more officers gathering for roll call and knowing Lucy had to join them.

“Uuuuuh. I don’t know. The day can be so unpredictable. I think I’m riding by myself today, so…”

Their conversation paused as Aaron and Tim walked up to them.

“Good morning,” said a confident and enthusiastic Thorsen. “I’ll see you in there,” he said pointing to the gathering officers as he continued to walk by them.

“Sanford. Chen,” came a gruff voice as Tim nodded at each of them. He obviously wasn’t in the mood to talk. He looked at them standing close together, smiling, and sipping their coffee, and he wanted none of that. He had plenty on his mind already. He didn’t need to have images of them being so chummy and close haunting his mind today, too.

Tim walked past them to roll call, nearly bumping into Chris’ shoulder as he strode by them.

4 - Catch of a Lifetime - (chapter 1) - Working on chapter 19 now

The next batter was new to the Dodgers.  He had come up from the Atlanta Braves organization. He was a super star there and had led his team to a World Series win. When he became a free agent after the World Series, everyone expected him to stay with the Braves.   But the Dodgers had made him an offer he couldn’t refuse, and he signed with them instead. LA had welcomed him with open arms as he started the season with a .320 batting average, 4 stolen bases, 25 RBIs, and a whopping 10 homeruns.  Everyone knew that Tim Bradford was good, but this was hall of fame good! He was trying his best to live up to that reputation and show his new fans that he was worth the $160 million 5 year contract.

The crowd was still on their feet when he came up to bat, and now it was stomping and cheering. Bradford stood at the plate and kicked the dirt a couple times.  The pitcher wound up and threw the ball.  It was a slider that hit the catcher’s mitt in the outside corner.  Strike!  The noise level rose even higher. The second pitch was a ball in the dirt.  The third pitch caught everyone by surprise as it came right at Bradford’s hands.  He was able to step back just in time to avoid being hit by a pitch.  Although it didn’t seem possible, the noise level grew even more with calls and shouting at the pitcher from around the stadium.

Lucy and Jackson stood wide eyed, their attention rapt in the action of the game.  It was impossible to ignore the palpable excitement.   Lucy turned to Jackson and grabbed his shoulders in excitement and then turned back to the game.

The pitcher wound up a fourth time.  Despite the immense noise level at the stadium, the crack of the bat echoed through the air.  Bradford had hit the ball high and far.  The right fielder was running back to the wall.

Everyone in their section was already on their feet eager to catch a homerun hit by Tim Bradford. As the ball soared closer, Lucy recognized it was coming right toward them.  Well, almost at them, but a little bit more toward Doug Stanton.  Stanton also saw it coming and was standing ready with his glove. Time seemed to slow down for a few seconds.  Lucy smiled, squatted down slightly, pushed off of Jackson, and flew through the air in a perfect flying tackle, crushing Doug Stanton and catching the homerun. The whole stadium erupted in cheers, but the LAPD section outcheered them all. Jackson and several other cops from Mid-Wilshire ran to Lucy and hoisted her up in the air.  Doug Stanton was left crumpled on the floor, half-stuck under the bleacher. Lucy held up her glove with the homerun ball and yelled at the top of her lungs, “I GOT IT!!!”

5 - Snowed In - complete

“Hey! Just wanted to call and tell you that I got through security just fine.  The flight is listed as on time, and I can just now see the plane.  So, I think you should drive back to the cabin before the storm starts.”

“Are you sure?  It’s not a big deal to wait until you are actually in the air,” Rachel said.

Lucy Chen sighed.  She loved her friend, and she’d had a great four days with her.  They skied and snowboarded.  They made a fire in their cabin’s fireplace each night and caught up with some of their closest college friends while sipping on hot chocolate or wine.  They shopped at all the cute shops in town.  But Lucy was ready to return to her regular life and not be surrounded by so much drama – or maybe just the type of drama she was accustomed to.

“I’m sure. My weather app says that there’s a storm coming in the next hour or so.  You should get going before you get caught in it.”

“Okay.  It was so fun to see you. We should do this more often.”

6 - After the Snow Melts - a series of one-shots in the Snowed In universe

It had been three days since Tim had seen her.  Three days since he talked to her. Three mornings of waking up without her. She had said it would just be a day, maybe two.  But undercover work can be unpredictable; they both knew that.

She had promised she’d be home by Valentine’s Day.  She told him she had a surprise for him, a surprise he was going to love. He reminded her that he hated surprises, and then she recalled several surprises she had had for him in the past that he loved.   He had smiled into defeat; she was right, of course. They had reservations at 71Above, where they had their first botched date and a redo date back in their first week of dating.

But here it was Wednesday, February 14th, and Lucy was still gone.

7 - Worth the Wait (part of chapter 3) - Working on chapter 11 now

“I know you have a strong moral compass.  You always try to do the right thing and protect the people in your life. I’m glad I got to be one of those people.” Her voice cracked a bit as she said that, so she took another breath and tried to finish her thoughts. “I will miss you, but I… I will respect the situation you are in and keep my distance.”  She sat up a little straighter and pressed down on her blouse to straighten out the folds in it. Then she stood and took her pile of tissues to the trash.  She bent down to grab her purse and took a few steps toward the door.

Tim watched her in silence.  She walked closer to him and looked up into his eyes. She smiled at him a very sad smile. Tim couldn’t help what he did next.  It was like a magnetic force pulling them together.  He closed the gap between them and pulled Lucy into his arms. She immediately tucked her head into his chest and turned her head to hear his heartbeat and breathe him in.  One of her arms wrapped around his lower back while the other clutched at the hospital gown over his chest.

Tim cradled her head with one hand and put the other hand firmly between her shoulder blades, keeping her pressed against him. He leaned his head down on top of hers. “Lucy,” he whispered, his own voice cracking with emotion. “I’m so sorry.”

Lucy broke down again. Her tears that had started to moisten his hospital gown soon seeped through the thin fabric, and he could feel them on his chest. The salty water seemed to burn directly into his heart as he felt this emblem of their shared pain make a mark on his soul. They rocked together to the rhythm of her cries for several minutes.

8 - Kintsugi - The Golden Repair - complete

“But this time it’s going to take more effort.”

He nodded, even though she couldn’t see him. “Yeah. I know. I ruined things. Everything.”

“Everything isn’t totally ruined, but it is shattered into enough pieces that it’s going to take time and effort and care to rebuild it,” she said gently. “I need to know that I can trust you with my heart again.”

“Mmm.”

“Did you know that in Japan when a precious piece of pottery is broken that they glue it back together with a special lacquer and then paint the lacquer with gold or silver powder? It’s called Kintsugi, which means golden repair. Once the piece is finished, it’s considered more valuable and beautiful than before it was broken.” She paused for a moment to let what she said settle in. “Do you see what I’m talking about?”

“I broke our pretty pot, and you want to put it back together with gold glue?” he said with a note of curiosity and some hesitancy.

“Yeah.  That’s the gist of it, I guess,” she said as she blew out her breath. “I don’t know if it’ll work. Even the best artisans can fail at kintsugi. Not all pieces are suitable for repair, and not all artisans are skilled enough to do it. So, I can’t promise this is going to work. I don’t know if we can repair what we had.  But I’m willing to try if you are.”

9 - A Different Kind of Mother’s Day - complete

It started off as little things that Lucy saw on her social media – birthstone jewelry, mother/daughter matching outfits, Etsy shop specials on personalized mom shirts, mugs, and picture frames.  All of them crept into the ads on her phone in April to allow plenty of shopping time.  At first it didn’t bother her; she just kept scrolling.  But as May drew closer, the ads and the chatter about Mother’s Day started to accumulate.

She never used to mind Mother's Day.  She would get her mother some flowers and call or visit her, ready for the sound of disappointment in her voice or the click of her tongue as she shook her head in shame. It had been that way ever since she had started at the police academy seven years ago. Lucy usually volunteered to work that day so that her colleagues that were mothers could celebrate with their families.  It was easier to stay focused on work that day than to have to deal with her mother.  This way she didn’t have to trudge through guilt trips from her mother or be surrounded by families out celebrating their wonderful mothers. It was just simpler not to have to think about it. In fact, she was proud to work that day and looked forward to seeing her colleagues’ posts and shared pictures of what their children did for them. She hoped that one day the tables would turn, and she would be the one staying home with her little children.

Tagging anyone else that wants to join the fun @silverskull, @thisnightissparkling089, @arch78, @sijetaismoi, @mostowa, @theawkwardanglophile, @rookieoneil, @centralperkchenford, @girlintotv, @imperiumwifestrikesagain and @fuzzywuzzywuzzawriter

20 Low effort meaningful comments to leave on fics when you can’t think of anything to say that most authors love and appreciate (and you will too).

1.) Thank you for writing this!

2.) This really helped distract me from the horrors of reality, thank you for writing it!

3.) I really really really loved this.

4.) <3

5.) Literal keyboard mash q3kjt2uh0erjiurjfnejkrgnkejoiiueirnf!!!!

6.) My favorite part was when they ____.

7.) I laughed at ____.

8.) How dare you! /affectionate.

9.) I am very excited to read this story in its entirety!

10.) I really enjoyed the first __ chapters, I cannot wait for more!

11.) This gave me everything I was hoping for!

12.) 10/10 fic, thanks for writing!

13.) I am going to be thinking about this fic for a long time, thank you for writing!

14.) This made me feel a lot of emotions and I cannot describe them, so thank you for that. I really enjoyed this.

15.) This was the best ride I haven taken in a long time, wow! Thank you for writing this.

16.) If I had the ability to bind this as a real book I would, I loved it so much.

17.) I'm not good with words but I just loved this so much.

18.) This is complete perfection.

19.) I am in awe of how you described ____.

20.) This means so much to me that you wrote this. Thank you.

The more you comment, the better you will get at it and the more enjoyment and fulfillment you will received out of saying thank you.

Fandom Etiquette

Over the last several months, bad behavior has been on the rise. I’m going to mostly chalk it up to an influx of younger fans, or people that are new to fandom in general, but as a creator it can be incredibly frustrating when these types of behaviors persist. So as a general reminder:

Posting to Ao3

Ao3 is an archive. It was essentially created as an immense library of people’s fanworks. It is not a social media site. There is also no algorithm that curates which posts are shown to people. Any post created on Ao3 that is not a fanwork (or original work) that is posted is actually in direct violation of AO3’s terms of service. Your post will get reported and eventually your account may be suspended or terminated. These posts include:

Lists of prompts that you’d like to see written

A post asking for people to send you prompts or to tell you which prompt to write next

Posts asking for help looking for a specific fic or fic recommendations.

All of these posts belong on social media sites like tumblr or twitter. Both sites have strong fandom presences and you’re more likely to be helped. You can also try a dedicated discord.

Why does it matter? As mentioned, there’s no algorithm on Ao3. It’s equal opportunity in that the most recent posts appear at the top of the page. Inappropriate posts bury actual creator content and this frustrates writers. You may think it’s not a big deal because ‘it’s just one post’, but think about what would happen if everyone did it. There are more readers than there are writers on Ao3. If everyone made posts like this, the actual works that people devoted hours into creating would get lost, driving down engagement which also drives down motivation. Your flaunting the rules encourages others to do the same. And no, it doesn’t matter if you intend to ‘delete it later’.

Commenting on works

As creators, we all love receiving comments. For most people it’s the single biggest motivator to create more. But please think about the way your comments can come across before you post them.

The main type of comment that I’m talking about is the demand for more

Update please

This needs another chapter

I need an update

Etc.

You may think these comments come across as complimentary but unless you’ve added something else substantial (like an explanation of what you’ve enjoyed so far, or even just a real indication of your enjoyment), they don’t. Most people I know would much rather receive a single emoji (send me a heart! That’s great! I appreciate it!) than one of these comments.

What I think a lot of people tend to forget is that no one is getting paid to write these fics. A lot of your favorite creators are adults with careers and families that write as their hobby. These comments make everything feel transactional. They suck the joy out of creating. They make working on a fic feel like a chore. For a lot of people, receiving an ‘Update’ comment will actually have the opposite effect, causing them to avoid working on that fic for a period of time.

We are not your favorite TikToker or YouTuber. We do not owe you anything, Please act like it.

Getting called out on your behavior

Please. If someone calls you out, telling you that your behavior is inappropriate or upsetting, learn from it. Don’t get defensive. Don’t double down. You can absolutely curate your space— mute or block the person that you’re having a disagreement with. It won’t hurt anyone and honestly everyone will probably come out with a more comfortable experience for it.

But at the end of the day, fandom is an adult space. Younger people are still welcome, but a certain level of maturity is expected. When spaces become hostile, creators leave, and we’re all left poorer for it

insp.

LOVED this story. Read it. You won’t regret it

lovely to sit between comfort and chaos

They turn in perfect synchrony, instinct and muscle memory kicking in as two sets of eyes scan the parking garage, taking in their surroundings like it’s second nature.

It’s blissfully empty. Not that that should even matter. After all, there’s nothing particularly scandalous about Tim walking her to her car after shift. They’ve done it about a million times before without so much as a second thought.

But it’s different now, intimate in a way it never was before.

(or, Lucy and Tim go on their first date. And their second. And then, finally, their third.)

Read on AO3.

(Happy Birthday @sisterofficerlucychen!)

Six Sentence (Paragraph?) Saturday

Haha. 😬🫣🤦🏻‍♀️ I couldn’t cut it short.

This is a throw back to a favorite scene of mine that I wrote back in February in the last chapter of Snowed In. Tim and Lucy meet after he’s in Metro (Ashley is gone), and she’s a detective at North Hollywood (Chris is gone). In this scene, Tim has to take care of some paperwork, and he brings her to his office for the first time. The link to the story is below. Enjoy!

Tim opened the door and squeezed through the narrow space to his desk. There was a small stack of papers waiting for him there. “Have a seat,” he said. “This shouldn’t take too long.” He picked up a pen and started writing at a frantic pace.

Lucy looked around the office and walked from one end to the other, which only took about seven steps to do. She went to the window and pulled the cord to bring the blinds down. Then she pulled the cord on the opposite side to see how well they closed. “Hmm,” she observed. That’ll work, she thought to herself, opening the blinds again. Then she took two steps back to look at the door. “Does this lock?” she asked in an innocent voice.

“Of course,” he said quickly. The moment the words left his lips though, he realized what she was really asking. He raised his head to look at her more closely. She had a mischievous glint in her eye. “Later. Soon,” he said, repeating her words back to her with a smile.

Lucy smiled back at him and tucked that little tidbit of information away for another day. Then she moved over to examine the small couch. She pushed on it a couple of times to see how springy it was. Then she laid down on it. Lucy was disappointed that she barely fit, so Tim would definitely not be able to lay down comfortably on it. “Too bad,” she muttered to herself.

Tim looked up when he heard her voice, but he couldn’t tell what she was saying. “I can see the wheels in your head spinning.”

She turned and walked back to his desk in response. Lucy grabbed the edge of the desk with both hands and gave it a little shake. She made a high pitched ‘hmph,’ and said quietly “That should work out well.”

“Lucy,” he warned but with a laugh he was trying to stifle. “I’ve got to finish this paperwork. If I speed through it, we can be done in 15 minutes. But if all I do is envision… utilizing this space with you in the future, then it’s going to take much longer.”

“Fine. I’ll be good,” she promised. “Maybe I’ll wander around the station for a few minutes.”

I love these two in love.

Read more here.

ScreenRant

The Rookie: Most Upsetting Character Deaths, Ranked

Some deaths on The Rookie were crushing.

I got sucked into another article about The Rookie. So I’m going to share it with all of you if you want to get sucked in. LOL.

tim + praising lucy requested by anonymous

This is the response I got about what exactly this Author Recognition is.

I don’t know a lot of details right now, but if you’re a Rookie writer you may want to sign up. I saw this on Twitter/X.

Tagging some people to get the word out. @makeitastrength @arch78 @centralperkchenford @chenfordspiral @fuzzywuzzywuzzawriter @imperiumwifestrikesagain @intelligentfan @jennahbennah @my-shields-are-down @mostowa @poppypickle @queseraone @randomlittleimp @rookieoneil @silverskull @thesassywitchofthenortheast @wanna-be-bold @westwingwolf

Google Docs

Author Recognition

We want to celebrate our Chenford authors! If you would like to be recognized or would like to nominate someone else, please fill out the fo

I don’t know a lot of details right now, but if you’re a Rookie writer you may want to sign up. I saw this on Twitter/X.

Tagging some people to get the word out. @makeitastrength @arch78 @centralperkchenford @chenfordspiral @fuzzywuzzywuzzawriter @imperiumwifestrikesagain @intelligentfan @jennahbennah @my-shields-are-down @mostowa @poppypickle @queseraone @randomlittleimp @rookieoneil @silverskull @thesassywitchofthenortheast @wanna-be-bold @westwingwolf

Google Docs

Author Recognition

We want to celebrate our Chenford authors! If you would like to be recognized or would like to nominate someone else, please fill out the fo