#I put in the main question from an assignment I just finished and it's first sentence was completely wrong...

[zepskies]

Oh my God wow, thank you so much, friend!! 🥹 It's amazing to me that you set aside the time not just to listen to this, but to have so much thoughtful feedback to share about it! 💕

This was my very first time hearing your voice, and I feel the need to point out what a pleasant voice you have, Alex! And I do mean this in the most sincere way, coming from someone who can be very very picky about what voices to listen to. I know this wasn't the point of the podcast, but I had to let you know :)

ehehe omg thank you!!! 🥰 I used to hate my own voice in recordings, so that makes me feel better. 😂

That's such an amazing compliment!! 😭 You know I try my best to get the characters' voices and mannerisms right, especially Dean because he's living in my heart for such a long time. I tried really hard in Smoke Eater too because that was my first full AU story ever.

ahhhhhh I loved Yellowstone!! Haha I think the reason I didn't go that route is because I didn't want to outright copy the show, but maybe now that I've finished watching it I'll come back to the idea of a modern cowboy AU for Dean.

Awww I love that, of course you're included!!! 💗💗

First of all, I found it very interesting that despite your own heritage, you grew up with a white reader in mind. Just goes to show how predominantly a white person is and has been the main character in so much of media that that's what your brain defaulted to.

yuuuup, that's what it was. Plus in school I was always the minority, especially because the families that went to my school were much wealthier than mine.

I also thought your discussion about what makes an OC an OC and where a reader insert stops being a reader insert suuuper interesting. Because that's a genuine question! Where does a blank slate stop being a blank slate, and how much character do you have to give to the reader role in a reader insert fic for the story still to work, right? I loved to hear your take on it, especially where you said that writing reader inserts is basically like writing OCs without giving them a name. - I had never thought about it that way! But of course, you're right. Because a reader that is an active participant in a story can't be a completely blank slate. They have to be assigned certain traits, not necessarily body-wise but character wise - if you're doing more than a drabble, imo. For there to be dialogue and a story that feels full, that feels alive, the reader has to have some sort of character to be a character.

Oooh thank you! Exactly! I know people tend to think of "reader" as a blank slate. But that only works for a drabble imo. Even in a longer one-shot, let alone a series, that blank slate is just a flat character with no personality, like in an otome game or something lol. Ultimately I get frustrated reading those characters, so I prefer to write and read reader characters that make active decisions in the story and have a personality, even if it's not "what I would do." Because even when I'm writing a reader character, she might have aspects of "me," but overall she's usually not me. She's a character, whether I give her a name or a physical description or not.

Which brings me to my next point: projectability is always a thing of perspective and the ability to put yourself into someone's shoes. As far as fanfiction goes, the reader insert genre tries to make that as easy as possible by offering a mostly blank slate (that is very often white-coded, unfortunately, but that's not the point I'm trying to make in this paragraph). I have seen people complain more than once about the character!reader being unrelatable because of certain character traits and/or backstories that were assigned to them, and I wonder: people, where has your media literacy gone? Do they not teach to adapt to a person's perspective via literature in schools anymore? Must all media cater exactly to your every taste, down to each very nuance?

Yeah, it's often white-coded because white writers aren't typically thinking of other races/ethnicities, even when they write a "reader" character. 😅 Also why sometimes those reader characters are very not relatable to me on how they speak and act lol. (Though this could also be because there are a lot of younger writers out here now, so that could be more related to age and maturity.)

I've def seen those posts that have readers complaining lol. I also think that's the case of people who are either young or not used to reading normal books, just fanfiction. Because 2nd person in the literary world is actually really rare. I try to make my stories and reader characters compelling, but I wonder if my stuff actually appeals to the younger demo of readers now (early 20s and younger).

I love how you give personality to your reader characters, Alex. Especially when it comes to your own representation. You said in the podcast that you were worried about how the traits you assigned to your reader in the Midnight Espresso-verse would be received by your audience and that you received great feedback. I want to reiterate that by saying how despite myself not having the same background as you, I could absolutely relate to the plus-size aspect of the reader, as well as her love for cooking. You said it so beautifully in the podcast, that this version of the reader is one that came from the intent of Dean having a (Latino) girlfriend that nurtured him in the same way he nurtures the people around him, and I fully 100% could relate to that as well :) Which might be my very complicated and long way of saying: Please do not worry about how much the reader can adapt to the traits you're giving to the character!reader. If most character!readers have been predominantly white for the longest time and so so many people that where not white made it work, then so can we white folks when we are given a reader that does not fit all of "our" typical criteria.

I appreciate you so much for this! 🥹🥹 Yes overall I've gotten way more encouraging and fun feedback than I ever expected for the Midnight Espresso-verse, certainly for that first story. I came at it with the thought that some women would relate to the plus-sized aspects, while other Latinas might enjoy the ethnic representation. And non-Latinos could maybe enjoy exploring a different culture if they wanted to dive in. I'm really grateful that you did!! 💕 And yeah that mutual "nurturing" aspect with her and Dean was 100% my favorite part about creating their relationship. 🥰

Yeah, honestly even if she's more OC than reader at this point, I don't really mind. I've loved writing every story in the ME-verse. Of course I've gotten a lot of wonderful responses from other Latinos on that series, but overall it's been my non-Latino friends who have supported me the most on that series. 💓💓

It made me very happy to hear that you're seeing more and more diversity within the SPN fandom these days. I've spent most of my time in the PPCU fandom this past year and all across it, but specifically in the Joel Miller fandom, there have been too many racist instances. It's great to hear that it's going better in other fandoms!

omg really? How so racist? That's so icky, especially for Pedro and his characters since he's such a sweetheart and very open about the joys and struggles of being a Latino and an immigrant in Hollywood 😭

Which brings me to my next point - the anon request you got that led you to writing Unravel Me 👀 Wow. I haven't read it yet. It was on my TBR list anyway, but hearing you talk about how it came to be and how much thought you put into it (understandably so) it's now an absolute must-read for me. (Sort of unrelated but still related: I've seen your playlist covers for the story, and - wow??? A masterpiece??? Visually, I mean?! The EFFORT. I'll be speaking about this in a second, but I needed to mention it now in case I forget! Gorgeous!)

Aw thank you so much for putting it on your TBR! 🥰 Even though I'm not 100% sure it was ready to be posted, I've done my best, even knowing it was going to be so niche that not a lot of people would likely read it lol. Honestly that's part of why I created those playlist covers -- to try and hook people with the visuals to get them to read the series. 🤣🤣

Though I did do playlist covers for Break Me Down (Soldier Boy x Reader), Lost on You (Soldier Boy x Supe!Reader), and Between the City & the Stars (1940s!Dean x Reader). I just love playing with that template. 😆 But also the music playlist for Unravel Me was so fun to put together, I knew I wanted to create those posters for Side A and B. It's really just a bonus if they manage to hook people and get them excited for the next part of the series. 🥰💜💙❤️

Another point that had me thinking a lot was the question about how much of an immigrant's identity should be kept and how much should be adapted to the country they've moved to also captivated me. I know US politics in regards to immigrants are ""problematic"" atm to say the least, and it's been a widely discussed topic over here in Germany for years now as well, especially with the heavy influx of immigrants over the past years. I can't imagine how complicated it must be, figuring out a sense of self that both fits to where you live and still keeps the core parts of who you are and were before coming to said country.

Oh God, yeah. It's always been a hot-button issue in the U.S., but especially now of course. Interesting that Germany has seen a big influx in immigration too. But yeah, I really dove into studying that aspect of being bicultural when I started reading short stories by Sandra Cisneros in high school and college. She's Mexican American and her works explore, through her characters, the nature of “los intersticios (the cracks)”—those spaces between the different "worlds" she lives in for being bicultural—all in effort to figure out her own inner identity.  

It is complicated. It's affected my own sense of self, my relationships within my own family, let alone friends, etc. And everyone's layers are different, whether they're a first, second, or third generation immigrant family.

I want to wrap this up by saying how incredibly impressed I am every single time I hear/read about how you prep for your stories. I think you are by far the most in-depth fanfiction writer that I know. You put so much research into it, and not just for The Honorable Choice, but everything you put out. I'm struggling to find the correct words to properly express how admiring I find it, especially for a story like The Honorable Choice where you take on the perspective of someone of a different ethnic background than you.

Wow, thank you so much, friend. 🥹🥹 The Honorable Choice was such a fun passion project, and scary too! lol I'm a nerd who genuinely loves the research, especially bc I love history. But it was also because I respect the cultures of Native Americans too much to get it wrong. I did my best to represent the Lakota tribe in the late 1800s to the best of my ability while still giving an entertaining love story, so hopefully it was authentic. 💗

You are an inspiration, Alex. Truly. Thank you for welcoming me into the writing space when I came back. Thank you for answering every question I had, and thank you for the work you put into all of your stories. To you, to your talent, your inspiration and work ethic, and to many more stories to come! 🩵

You've literally made my entire week so much brighter and are making me blush, lovely!! If I could be any small support to you then I'm so glad to hear it. 💕 People did the same for me when I started my blog over here, and I'm actually really excited to share a (hopefully) fun writing event soon with you guys!!

Racial & Ethnic Representation in Fanfiction

[🎙️ Podcast Interview]

Hey, friends! Sandra and Kasey, the lovely hosts of @idlingintheimpalapodcast — the podcast for all things SPN and fanfiction — invited me back on the pod for an interview on a topic that's very close to my heart…

With @rubyvhs, we talked about the fun moments and challenges about reading and writing fanfiction that represents specific racial and ethnic cultures, being bicultural/multicultural, the immigrant experience, and much more.

I offered my own experience as a Latina POC writing in the fandom space, specifically Supernatural and The Boys (and adjacent Jackles fandoms).

Check it out here: ⤵️

Interview Timestamps –

(Plus fic recs, SPN writer/reader shoutouts, and more! Links to all the fics we mentioned are at each time stamp.)

2:54 – When did you start writing fanfiction, and when did you join SPN fandom?

⟡ You can check out my first author interview with Sandra and Kasey over here. We chatted about Dean Winchester and Jensen Ackles’ early roles, the best and worst seasons of SPN, the joys and pains of writing Soldier Boy, and much, much more. For all the timestamps of key moments, fic recs, and SPN writer shoutouts, see this post (you'll find the link to the video there too).

6:18 – What is your ethnic, racial, and cultural background? (And how me and Sandra bond over “food and family” ties between Hispanics/Latinos and Italians.)

13:05 – The immigrant experience in America, what you take with you from the “Motherland,” the struggles of bicultural identity, my personal experience being a second-generation child of an immigrant family, and Sandra’s experience as a first-generation child of Italian immigrants.

16:58 – What do you look for when you’re reading fanfiction? (Canon-compliant, AU, romance, etc.) Does the length of a story matter?

19:52 – Bonus: The merits of drabble writing vs. long-fic writing.

25:54 – Have you ever actively searched for fanfiction that represented your ethnicity? (Whenever I do, it’s like finding gold.) Plus, the challenge of writing reader characters, the “gray area” of writing reader characters like OCs.

32:38 – The inherent “bias” of reading and writing reader characters as White. The concept of diversity being “cool” in popular media, TV shows, and movies is still pretty new.

36:36 – Why I started writing reader characters that might have a specific body type, race, and/or ethnicity.

Examples:

⟡ Midnight Espresso – Dean Winchester x Plus-size Latina!Reader

⟡ If I Stay – Dean Winchester x Plus-size!Reader

⟡ 10 ‘Til Midnight – Professor!Dean Winchester x Plus-size Grad Student!Reader

⟡ Unravel Me – Soldier Boy x Afro-Latina!Reader

⟡ The Honorable Choice & Outlander – Cowboy!Dean Winchester x OFC

40:14 – The fun challenges: like giving Dean a partner who takes care of him as much as he takes care of others in Midnight Espresso.

45:28 – The BIG challenges: like writing Soldier Boy being himself with a “person of color” (POC) in this new series, Unravel Me. What even is a POC? Where do you start with Soldier Boy, the Sandra-proclaimed “bowl of fishhooks?"

51:38 – Is there ever an element of fear when you publicly post a story that represents your culture, which is something very personal to you? What happens when you get haters in the comments?

1:05:33 – When and how did you begin to break out of the “ingrained biases” in your writing? (AKA: Always assuming my own characters are White.)

1:08:04 – When did you decide to explore writing plus-size!readers?

1:13:20 – What has your experience been in writing a race/culture outside of your personal experience? The Honorable Choice and Outlander, a western AU where Dean Winchester falls in love with a Native American Lakota Indian. (Shoutout to @jacklesversebingo!)

Plus, the ethical responsibility to “do no harm” when you represent different cultures, and answering question of not only can I write this, but should I write this?

1:32:42 – What advice would you give a writer interested in writing about a culture outside of their own that they don’t have first-hand knowledge of? How can a writer avoid cultural appropriation if their goal is cultural appreciation? How important is a sensitivity reader/beta reader for this effort?

1:40:35 – Final thoughts on diversity and representation of culture in fanfiction, whether it’s your own or someone else’s:

“Write what you know. Write what you can research. Write what you’re interested in. Remember that words have power, so be careful how you use them.”

1:45:30 – Sandra and Kasey’s outro: The importance of representation and diversity in fandom.

I hope you enjoy the ride!~ 💜

💗💗💗 Shoutouts to some of my beautiful friends and lovely readers who've supported my attempts to explore ethnic and cultural diversity in my writing:

@luci-in-trenchcoats @lamentationsofalonelypotato @waynes-multiverse @rizlowwritessortof @roseblue373

@tofics @deanwinchesterswitch @deanbrainrotwritings @deansbbyx @waywardlatina

@supernotnatural2005 @wayward-dreamer @spnwoman @waywardxwords @mostlymarvelgirl

@chevroletdean (shoutout to your 500 follower fic challenge at around 19:52 😘) @siampie @bettystonewell @wvffles

@iprobablyshipit91 @my-stories-vault @littlesoulshine @thatonewriter15 @jessjad

@deans-spinster-witch @winchestergirl2 @kazsrm67 @chernayawidow @jackles010378

@jollyhunter @leigh70 @foxyjwls007 @beakaleak32 @alwaystiredandconfused

[dykegeology]

It's really astonishing how much chatgpt is just bad at providing information. Apparently some people at uni were using it for assignments and it's obvious so I went to check it out to see what the 'chatgpt phrasing' sounded like just in case I cooincidentally also wrote like that for some reason and it's just bad 💀 WHO is using this for assignments you are not going to get good marks

[scarapanna]

New AU just dropped folks!!

First things first, this is a different one compared to what I teased back around september (Wanted to try and finish up the main designs/polish up some of the lore before revealing it). It's nothing that big but I have a few concepts to polish up more back there shsfsjdbj

Putting that stuff aside, here's what I got for y'all today!!

Just as a small rundown as to what's going on here: all the ancients and beasts embody their assigned virtue, not being guided by their corresponding lights but instead being said lights and guiding the cookies of earthbread.

This is a role they were baked for by the Witches, whom initially planned to have one cookie per virtue; after some trial and error, they eventually settled on it being two instead, since otherwhise there was the risk of corruption and/or a balance loss in cookie society.

The initial virtue the witches worked on was Knowledge, with it's corresponding heralds being alongside the first to have been baked.

These two are known by cookie kind as the "Heralds of knowledge", respectively being the "Representative of Truth" and "Representative of Deceit"

Starting off with Deception, and thus Shadow Milk:

Being the "bad" half of Knowledge, his purpose consists into tricking cookies trough manipulating the seemingly endless supply of information he's given trough his core (aka. the souljam), often playing into half-truths and making even the most false facts seem true. He near-constantly bears a mask, under which he's more prone to the latter.

As all heralds do, he leaves his target once the job is done.

This quality of his does not make him any malicious however, being something engrained in his being and nature, but instead an incredibly neutral being.

He decieves anyone he's encountered/consulted by, regarthless of their true intention. Thus meaning that, anyone with ill or genuine intent will be tricked by him.

Outside of his role, he can be a tiny bit mischievious at times and kind of a trouble maker, especially when it comes to cookies who believe they've become "his friend". The guy finds those types to be pretty funny.

These ""pranks"" are, once again, not inherently malicious, instead serving as a slightly annoying form of entertainment for a bored Virtue every once in a while. He views it as nothing more than innocent pestering.

But putting deception aside, it's time to discuss the "good" part of the virtue known as Truth

Unlike the other half of Knowledge, Pure Vanilla is the one (most) cookies aim to consult. As he instead shares the very same information both him and Shadow Milk hold with cookie kind, often finding himself answering questions or un-doing the work of Deceit.

He takes his role to heart, and will resort to fighting against what does not align with Truth if necessary..though he sometimes gets caught up fighting for causes that would otherwhise not involve his duty (A prominent one being the fight for Freedom, after it's herald fell from grace.)

Purpose aside, he's not as "expressive" as his counterpart, instead outwardly appearing rather unphased by most of the things he encounters. With such an exterior, he still deeply cares for those he's consulted by, and overtime grows more and more genuine with those he takes a liking to.

When this is the case, he tends to smile much more often and ask questions himself. All the information he (and Shadow Milk) know about their interlocutors is only at face value, they might know life experience but certainly don't the personality and interests of that cookie.

Deep down truth is endlessly curious, and satisfying those he encounters brings him great joy.

They do actively make eachother's jobs more difficult, but still respect one another. It IS what they were baked to do after all.

[snowthedemonfox]

So what is the Alien AU exactly??? (AKA: The masterpost)

Long story short, in this AU a group of people are sent off on an AI controlled ship by 'the company' to research a newly discovered planet. Nobody in this research team gets along, which only gets worse after they accidentally capture 2 of the aliens that live there. Now they have to deal with not only their problems, but the problems this new planet is already dealing with.

Alien AU tag can be found here

Below are all the finished designs for the characters in this AU! I haven't finished all of these yet, but you're free to ask anything about the missing characters if you want to :3

Questions & Boundries:

Can I ship any of the characters? - Yes! I don't mind shipping at all. I'm a multishipper myself, and while some ships are implied in this AU (Bunnydoll, Abstragedy & Showtime), all are okay with me! - The only exception to this would be ships involving Gummi and Candi. While yes, they're both sentient, capable of understanding speech, and able to communicate to some degree, I do not feel comfortable shipping them with anyone.

Can I write/draw/make something for the AU? - Of course!!! I love seeing what other people do with this AU, it really makes my day. Feel free to tag me in anything you do! I only ask that nothing NSFW is done with this AU. Please respect this choice!

Can I put my OC in your AU? - Yep!! I even made blank versions of the info cards if anyone wanted to do this ^w^ The first one is for alien characters, and the second is for team members!

Are you going to add [character]? - Depends! The entire main cast will be added, along with some side characters and NPCs, but it all comes down to if I have an idea for them in the AU. I am a slow artist sometimes, so I probably won't be rushing to get all the info cards done ASAP. Feel free to ask about any specific characters if you're curious!

How does Abstraction work? - There's two types of 'abstraction' in this AU. If we're talking about a team member, they simply get re-assigned to a different team. This is what happened to Queenie and Kaufmo. They're alive and well, just somewhere else. The company can and will re-assign whoever they want, whenever they want. - When it comes to the aliens on the planet, there is an infection spreading around that has similar effects to abstraction in the show. It's not 100% the same, but causes those infected to become extremely hostile and attack anything around them until the host eventually dies. In this AU, Loolilalu (named Candi) is infected, and is seen as a minor threat by the rest of the team. Right now, there is no known cure.

Does the AU take place in a digital world? - No, everything is real. There's no mysterious VR headsets that are making people disappear in this AU!

Why isn't anyone on the research team human? - Because I suck at drawing humans and wanted to stay close to their canon designs. There's not really a lore-related reason for this.

I'll be putting all the links for the masterpost under the cut!

Outdated/older art: ★Original Jax & Gangle designs [X, X] ★Various sketches of Gangle's original design [X, X, X, X, X] ★When your alien roommates break into the kitchen at 2:34am ★Gummi's first appearance

The more recent art: ★Bnnuy alien Jax [X, X] ★Jax sketches [X, X, X, X] ★Coloured Jax sketches [X, X, X, X, X, X] ★Gangle sketches [X] ★Little guys (baby Jax & Gangle) [X, X, X, X] ★That one time I drew Jax in the maid outfit ★ Abstragedy [X] ★A smoothie ★The consequences of our actions ★Alien AU plushies [X, X] ★Tynie [X] ★Jax's evil little sister (Jaiden) ★More Jaiden + AU Ghostly & Loolilalu ★Jaiden learns bad words ★Christmas aliens ★Casual Pomni ★[NOT CANON] Velvet ★AU crossover episode i guess

More asks about the lore: ★AU recap ★What does Jax have to gain from this? ★Where do Jax & Gangle live? ★Do the aliens have abilities? ★What language do they speak? ★How does Jaiden act around the others? ★Some various fun facts

[problems-exe]

If you were wondering where I've been the past few months, this is one of the things I've been working on.

After being in the UTMV fandom for so long, I decided it was about time I made my own Undertale AU, so here it is!

Introducing UnderCandy!

UnderCandy is my own horror spin on Candytale, taking inspiration from various sources. Each of the main characters have been redesigned to fit the reworked story, which I plan on sharing over the next few months.

With each new post I plan on making, I will reveal two of the character designs as well as give info about them and disclose new lore.

This first post will serve as a way for me to gauge community interest and see if I want to continue putting effort into this project.

To start things off, here are the designs for Sans and Papyrus!

Sprites and designs were made by me, all credit for the art goes to @shynetyme06

Not much has changed about them personality-wise, but as you can tell, their designs certainly have some changes.

With each character I designed, I wanted to apply a dessert to them that I felt fit their concept/personality in some way.

The first brother I designed was Sans, and with his design, I wanted to pay tribute to the original Candytale Sans design, whilst also making it my own thing. I kept the "goop dripping on head" aspect but changed what that looked like into a S'more. The reason I chose a S'more for Sans was because I tried to think of what some of the laziest desserts you could make are, and recalled how I've often microwaved S'mores for myself in the past. It's a dessert that you could put more effort into if you wanted, or you could take the easy way out, and that felt fitting for Sans to me.

Both Sans and S'more, starting with the same letter, was also a bonus, though not intentional.

After designing Sans, I designed Papyrus. For his design, I wanted to make sure I kept something in common between his design and Sans, so I decided on the chocolate aspect. Papyrus is based on chocolate-covered pretzels, as well as peppermint. I'm not sure how to describe this one other than "it just felt fitting."

And again, both words starting with a P was also a nice addition.

I also tried to keep some of the colors consistent between the two skeletons to add more visual relation to each other.

Something important to know is that both Sans and Papyrus are made entirely out of their assigned desserts. Everything you see on them is edible. Keep this in mind for the future.

I'll talk more about their personalities and lore in a separate post, though I will say that you might have to ask some specific questions to get specific answers :]

Lastly, before I close off this post, I want to finish off with a proper introduction to the plot.

꒷꒦︶꒷꒦︶ ๋ ࣭ ⭑꒷꒦

This AU's story begins on The Surface, in a small town nestled at the base of Mount Ebott.

The town serves as a popular destination for tourists, thriving thanks to its numerous renowned small businesses and bustling factories.

Amongst these beloved establishments, a compact candy company stands out, famous for its hard candies, which have become a staple for the town.

Residents and tourists alike often flock to the candy factory to witness the company's next big idea, eager to be among the first to taste their latest product.

It was during one such reveal that everything fell apart.

A young man, weary of his monotonous day-to-day life working at the factory, took it upon himself to “improve” the company's newest candy concoction.

The night before the reveal, he snuck into the factory and poisoned the supply, tainting hundreds of candies in the process.

The next day, as people lined up to sample the new product, many would fall ill, and many more would lose their lives due to the man's actions.

The candy factory was forced to shut down, and all of the candy had to be boxed up and thrown out.

It just so happened that the town's garbage dump linked directly to the garbage dump in The Underground's Waterfall.

All of the contaminated candy ended up there, and it was swiftly discovered by two monsters searching for items to sell.

Catty and Bratty became Patient Zero of the rapidly spreading plague that would soon grip the entire Underground in the months to come.

꒷꒦︶꒷꒦︶ ๋ ࣭ ⭑꒷꒦

And that's everything! Thank you so much to everyone who has read this far; I hope people find interest in this concept so I can continue to post about it!

If you have any questions about the AU at all, please do not hesitate to ask! I'd be more than happy to answer any questions you might have!

That's it for this post, but I have some neat things planned for the future. Make sure to keep an eye out ;]

Credit to NegativeCandy on Twitter for creating OG CandyTale

UnderCandy belongs to me :)

[poolverine-holiday-big-bang]

Poolverine Holiday Big Bang Sign Ups

Hello friends, the interest in this has been off the charts, which makes me unbelievably happy! The fact people are interested in an event I want to run literally is such a good feeling. So, allow me to open sign-ups officially! Keep in mind, this will be my first time running an event, so if you have questions or concerns, message this blog or my main blog. Click the title of this post to sign-up now!

Current Stage: Sign-ups open~

The (tentative) timeline:

Sign-ups begin: June 13th Sign-ups close: July 18th Fic ideas submitted by: August 1st Claims begin: August 5th Claims close: August 20th Teams decided: August 25th Check-ins: September 15th, October 13th, November 10th Posting date range: November 21st through December 31st All pieces should be posted before the start of 2026~!

FAQ, rules, and other info below the cut! It got long, but it should have all the answers you need. If anything isn't answered, once again, message me on this account or on any other social media!

People on this blog are: Noa (event runner): @ufohoaxes Rowan (event helper): @k1ng-r0wan Zai (event helper): @jabberpool Garnish (event helper): @that-final-garnish

FAQ

Q: What is a big bang? A: A big bang is a collaborative event between artists and writers! Wristers submit a fic idea and then artists get the chance to pick ideas they want to work on. See the rules for more specifics on how that works.

Q: Who can partake in this event? A: Anyone! Beginner artists or newbie writers to veteran creators who've done this before. Any and all talents are welcome to join, the more the merrier!

Q: How do I join? A: Once sign-ups officially close, I will reach out to everyone who filled out the form personally with a link to the Discord server created specifically for this event. Be sure you've allowed messages from people who don't follow you when that time comes so you don't miss the invite~!

Q: What happens after I join the server? A: You'll be assigned accordingly, as either a writer, artist, or beta. You'll be free to chat amongst each other in the server until pairings are created! Once you have your partner, you're free to work on your piece. You'll have your own channel in the server to communicate, that only you and your partner will have access to. Please do not discuss your pieces outside of the server!

Q: Is NSFW stuff allowed? A: Yes! You have the choice to draw NSFW pieces or write NSFW fics, there will be a question about if you're 18+ when the sign-ups do open. All ages are allowed, but everyone will be sorted accordingly when we get to that point. If you're worried something you might write might not be allowed, just send me a message!

Q: Can I be both an artist and a writer? A: Truthfully, I wouldn't mind if you were both! But it will depend on the answers in the sign-up form for me to determine this.

Q: What's the theme? A: Of course! The theme! The theme is holidays. Any holiday, any celebration, even the most obscure ones. National donut day? Sure! Talk like a pirate day? Absolutely. Put Barbie in a blender day? If that's what you choose, so be it! Just make it's a concept you're happy with.

Rules

1.) First and foremost, no AI allowed. None. Zip. Zilch. Zero. If you're caught using AI, you will be banned from the event.

2.) Writers have a 5,000 word minimum. Please include the holiday you chose in the fic idea submission! You can go above that, that's just the very least amount of words. If this doesn't work for you, or if your fic is 4,620 words, send me a message and we'll work it out! I'm here to help you out, so don't be afraid to message me on any social media!

3.) Artists have a one fully finished art piece minimum. If you're willing to do more than one piece, you might be tasked with more. Just fill out the form accordingly.

4.) Poolverine is the main focus here, however, Spideypoolverine, Cablepoolverine, etc are allowed! As long as Poolverine is in there somewhere, it's totally good to go!

5.) You will be asked to include tags when your fic submission is, well, submitted! If you're worried something might not be okay to write about (such as a specific kink or theme), the most likely answer is yes. I will let you know if what you submit to write crosses a line, but I sincerely doubt that will happen. Just message me if you're concerned.

6.) For claims, how it will work is artists will be given all the summaries of the fic submissions, they will pick their top 5, and from there, it will be randomized which one you get. This way, it's not first come first serve, and it's fair to people in other timezones.

7.) Platonic works are okay as well, it doesn't have to be romantic if you don't want it to be! Just be sure to have fun.

Miscellaneous Stuff!

This is my first time running an event, and if this goes well, I'm open to running more events. I will listen to all concerns, questions, and comments intently. Please feel free to reach out to me on ANY social media, they're all listed on shinycelebi.carrd.co, I will answer everything accordingly. This event is run with fun as the main goal, and any feelings I have towards things have ZERO impact or influence on how I will run it. Thank you for your interest, and thank you for allowing me to do this

Noa ˗ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ˗

[owliellder]

Two's A Crowd

College Bully! Leon Kennedy x fem! Reader

MDNI 18+

(Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5)

Description: College is proving to be a lot harder than you imagined. You cannot fail this math class. So when you've tried everything else, a well-known student is recommended to you by your professor for tutoring lessons, not really leaving you with much of a choice but to work with him.

Warnings: Not proofread, No Use of Y/N, Dub-Con, Unprotected Sex, Bullying, Yelling, Cursing

Tags: College AU, Bully! Leon, Shy! Reader, both are in their early 20's, Leon is Rude AF in the beginning, Loss of Virginity, Oral Sex, Fingering, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Additional Tags to be Added

Author's Note: Slightly shorter chapter since I got stuck watching the last two episodes of Fionna and Cake, but I hope y'all like where I'm steering this. Pick up what I'm putting down, eh??

Cross-posted onto AO3

Chapter 2:

“This is insane. You’re not even trying.” 

Leon’s cruel comments had been endless since you showed up today. He was already irritated that you even showed to begin with, now he’s just taking all his frustrations out on you. The guy isn’t even passive aggressive, he’s just aggressive. “I showed you the formula like.. five times already.”

“I don’t need you to patronize me, please.” You asked with a meek voice, bringing your hands up to cover your face for a couple seconds before placing them down on either side of the new math assignment sitting in front of you. You understood his impatience though, you were even starting to grow impatient with yourself, having been stuck on the third question for over thirty minutes now. Leon stressed the fact that you got one hour only with him and you’d basically wasted half that time bouncing from the formula he’d written down to the question itself.

The formula was helpful, but this question included more numbers than you knew what to do with. The main issue was knowing which numbers went where in the formula and you wanted to know why they went where they did, but Leon was only giving you the formula and nothing else. One vague explanation and then he was right back on his phone.

You had a glimmer of hope for the frat boy sitting in front of you. Had, being the keyword here. One study session in and you were already starting to accept defeat. “Can you explain it to me again?” You tapped your pencil on the table nervously, keeping your eyes glued to your paper to avoid the obvious glare you’d receive from him.

The sound of his phone slamming down on the table accompanied with a groan made you grip onto your pencil tighter, now holding it still as he pulled the paper away from you. “Do I have to hold your hand, too? What’s so hard to understand about this?” He reached over, yanking your pencil from your hand so he could scribble out the first few steps to the problem. Afterwards, he tossed both the paper and pencil back over to you, tapping his finger down on the work he wrote down before circling it once. “Need anything else? A warm bottle of milk? Want me to read you a bedtime story?”

He leaned back in the chair, crossing his arms with a sigh after picking his phone back up. “You’ve got fifteen more minutes.” The fuck’s his problem? 

Letting out a small sigh of your own, you silently picked up the pencil and looked down at what he’d written. Surprisingly, it did help you make more sense of the rest of the assignment sheet, figuring out the placement of the numbers by using where Leon had put them. Soon, the assignment sheet was finished and you had him look it over.

“Is it-.. Is it good?” You watched Leon carefully, studying his face for any sort of emotion other than annoyance. You unfortunately didn’t find it, but his muttered “good” made you smile, taking your own turn studying your work once he handed it back. Not tossed or thrown, handed back.

He took in a sharp breath through his nose before standing up, focus still trained on his phone. There was only a few minutes left in the hour, so you guess he took your understanding of the material as his leave. “Can we.. uh.. study again on Monday?” His hand paused on the door handle at your question, looking back at you from over his shoulder with his lips pulled tight as he gave you a glare. “You just love taking up my time, don’t you?”

“Wait, is that-” The slam of the door cut you off, leaving you to watch him saunter off through the large window in the door. Your shoulders slumped and you turned back to give your math assignment one last look before stuffing it into your backpack. At least with this new understanding, you’d be able to hopefully do the next few assignments. Mr. Lebovic was kind enough to let you redo your past fails, meaning all you’re doing is slowly climbing your way back up to a better grade with make-up work.

You held out for Leon, constantly giving him the benefit of the doubt with each study session following the first. You did your absolute best to remain passive with him, but each session was filled with crude, nasty, hate-filled comments directed at you, so it was only a matter of time until you started throwing your own comments back at him. By the beginning of November, studying had been put on the back burner whenever you two met up, assignments left abandoned in favor of fleshing out full blown arguments. He always won since you’d never really had a loud voice to defend yourself and his favorite go-to was low blow insults, somehow always managing to sniff out your insecurities.

Leon’s pattern was always one step forward, ten steps back with you. He would help and then spend the rest of your hour together nitpicking your every attempt to learn. He hated you and it was driving you mad. It was impossible to learn anything like this.

You’d grown a sour mood leading up to your trek to the library for one of your regular study sessions, a scowl settling on your face. You decided hours ago that getting dressed wasn’t an option today, you just didn’t weren’t in the mood, so instead you threw on a hoodie and a pair of sweatpants to mind the brisk chill that had rolled in at the end of October. 

The walk to the main building was dull; most of the leaves on the trees around campus had long since browned and fallen off, the grass was dead and crunchy, and it almost felt like it would start snowing anytime now with how quickly the cold had come. The feel in the air made you tired, it made you miss home. The weather made you long for the warmth a home-cooked meal provided, but you had to wait, and that wait was only contributing to your already piss poor mood.

Making your way into the library and into the reserved study room, you didn’t even notice Leon’s smile until he asked you to pull out your most recent assignment. It immediately put you off because it wasn't like his normal cocky smile or smirk, no, this one was oddly genuine. Soft, even.

“Can I see it?” He asked, smile widening slightly as he gestured towards your backpack. Even his tone was softer than usual. “Uh…” You weren’t quite sure how to react, not really processing his words as you tried to figure out whether he’s setting a trap or not.

“Your assignment. Can I see it?” Leon clarified, his arms resting crossed on the table as he glanced down to your bag and then back up at you. That was also weirding you out; the eye contact. Normally he only ever met your gaze when he was intimidating you with a deep glare and it wasn’t ever this long. He was making a point to look at you now.

Without saying a word, you unzipped your bag and pulled out a couple papers, only looking away from him twice to make sure you were getting the right ones. You made sure to hold eye contact with him, eyebrows furrowed as you searched for any insincerity. 

You’d grown rigid with his kind behavior, even more so when he thanked you and took the papers from you. Questioning him was your top priority right now, though your mouth refused to work with your brain, causing you to stutter out a simple “..what?” Leon only hummed, tilting his head a bit as he looked down at your work, following the tip of his pen as it trailed down the paper. 

“What-..” You repeated, swallowing dryly before finally getting the full “What’re you doing?” out. He seemed genuinely confused at your question, looking up to give you a puzzled look. “Hm? Whaddya mean what am I doing? I’m looking over your work.” He looked back down at your paper, clearing his throat quietly.

“No, you’re being nice. Why are you being nice?” You were quick to shoot back to try and draw his attention back to you. “If this is a joke, I’m not gonna fall for it.”

Leon sighed and dropped the pen down onto the paper to rest his crossed arms on the table again. “Why are you asking so many questions? It’s not a big deal.”

Not a big deal?! “Not a big deal?! You’ve argued with me every other day for the past three weeks!” Your hands balled up into fists on your lap, completely baffled by the dismissiveness of his complete 180° in demeanor. “I-” You stopped yourself, taking a moment to breathe. This was.. actually a nice change of pace now that you think about it. Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth?

He gave you his normal annoyed look at your sudden pause, seemingly waiting on you to finish talking. “You..?” Shaking your head a bit, you let out a soft laugh and waved your hand. “Nevermind, uh.. yeah, nevermind…”

“Ooookay, well, you did good on this one so you can turn it in.” Leon held up the first paper before sliding it across the table to you, then picking up the second paper. “But this one needs a bit of work. I circled the questions that need to be redone, not gonna tell you what’s wrong with them, though.” You watched as he slid the other paper to you with your own smile now forming. Pulling out a pencil, you started to relax for the first time around this guy, bringing your attention down to the circled questions.

Your study session has never been more productive. He was being helpful; answering your questions, talking you through each step, giving you smiles and the occasional thumbs up. You’re not sure what changed or why, but you definitely weren’t complaining. When Leon wasn’t acting like someone shoved a stick up his ass, he was actually pretty handsome. You’d mentally recognized his good looks when you first met him, yet his demeanor as a whole masked those good looks entirely.

There was no way he could throw anymore surprises at you, but you stood corrected when he walked over to you at the end of your session, stopping you from walking out. “Listen, I’m sorry for how I’ve been acting. I don’t want to be mean to you, it’s just…” He paused to laugh to himself, looking down at the ground with an almost bashful expression. “I’m only tutoring because it’s a big part of my grade in my class, so..” Not a complete lie on his part.

“Oh. Oh, it's.. it’s fine.” You didn’t want him to revert back to his old style, so you chose to just dismiss it. His attitude did make sense, you wouldn’t want to tutor random people for a grade. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Thanks. Uh.. oh, here-” Leon opened and held the study room door open for you, giving you a small wave as you walked out, which you returned. That was a nice mood booster, not being degraded and demeaned every time you see the one person who’s supposed to help you. 

Your friends had their own opinions about the experience after you described it to them. You’d been relaying every bit of info relating to your study sessions from the past three weeks to them, a second and third opinion was good to have for such an odd trade.

“I don’t trust it. Plain and simple.” Sky placed their hands down on their thighs with an audible slap. They didn’t seem impressed by Leon’s sudden chivalry, and to your disappointment, neither did Ella when you looked over from Sky to her. She just looked back at you with a shrug. “Sorry. I’m gonna have to take Sky’s side on this. There’s just something off about that.”

You sighed in defeat, turning your head around to look out the window in the dorm room. It was nice that Sky and Ella shared a dorm, you can’t discuss stuff like this in your own dorm in case your roommate decided to randomly appear. “Yeah…”

Ella scooted closer to you on the bed and pulled you back so your head was resting in her lap. “I know you got your hopes up, but please be careful. I don’t wanna see you get hurt because some pretty boy decided it would be fun to manipulate you.” You groaned, covering your face with your arms. Nothing even happened and you’re already feeling embarrassed.

“It’s okay if you like him, he is kinda cute.” Ella giggled and moved one of your arms to poke your cheek. “But just remember that the guy’s got a bit of a reputation for being a major douche.”

Sky, sitting over on their bed, pointed at Ella in agreement. “Emphasis on major douche.” They smiled and leaned back, their head plopping onto their pillows. “It was just one instance of him being sweet, after all. Who’s to say he won’t revert back to being an asshole by Wednesday?”

“I know, I get it.” You swatted Ella’s hand away and sat back upright. Even if he was putting up a front, it was still nice to get some real help with your math without being insulted. Everyone deserves a second chance and he seemed honest enough when he told you why he’d been so rude, so why not try again with him? Start fresh, maybe you’ll get to make an unlikely friend out of this popular frat boy.

A bit of a far fetched idea, considering the vast differences between you and Leon, but anything like that is worth another try. Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.

tags:

@kayotee4 @k-fallingstar @bobastayhigh @mi-zer-y @chasingkennedy @l30nva @espressonerd @jjouki @5tarx @bunnybreadloaves @whoisgami @cyanscribe @c4b3r1a @darichvep @mmmangel @kingtacocat @klee-iii @baby--vera @dakiniii @kenma-izhu @aliidarling @leonsmamacita

(a few of your blogs won't show up but i tried)

[obessedwithfictionalmen]

Bastogne

Eugene Roe X Nurse!reader

Summary: When Y/n gets assigned in Bastogne to help Doc Roe, she doesn't expect what's about to happen in that cold forest.

Warning: Swearing/ mention of blood/ people losing legs/ violence (it's WW2)/ use of Y/n/ kissing/ mention of trauma (not the word but like, you get it)/

Word count: 1.5k

A/N: I'm back bitches!!!!! Like I said, I'm rewatching BoB, The pacific and Mota, so inspiration is back!!!!! Here is a Doc Roe fic. Love y'all🤍

When she got assigned to Bastogne, she didn’t know what to expect. She knew it was going to be cold, but nothing could’ve prepared her for what she was facing the second she set foot on the frozen ground. Dick Winters introduced her to the soldiers, and her colleague Eugene Roe, the doctor. She was sent by the army as extra hands for Eugene. She was a trained doctor, but since she’s a woman, they gave her the title of nurse. “I’m Y”n Jones, I studied medicine before the war started. So I'm not just a nurse.” she explained to the doctor. “Alright Y/n, got any morphine?” he asked, his voice was thick and had an accent she found intriguing. “Yeah, they gave me some, I also have-” she didn’t finish the sentence, the second she took the scissors out of her pocket, Eugene grabbed them and ran away.

Bill Guarnere was the first to really talk to her. The third night, he invited her into his fox-hole. “How d’ya end up in a shithole like this?” he asked, smoking his cigarette. “I joined the army.” she replied, stealing his cigarette. Bill smirked, watching the woman smoke his cigarette. “Got a husband?” he questioned. Even if he saw her ringless finger, he thought it would make conversation. “Nah, don’t have time for that, y’a got a wife?” He shook his head and pouted a little. “Meh, they’re too complicated,” he said, making Y/n chuckle. Eugene Roe got to their fox-hole in silence. But he crouched on top of them, looking at the woman. “Jones, c’mon, we got our own fox-hole.” he mumbled. “Night Bill” Y/n said as she got out. “Night Y/n!” he responded.

When she met Eugene, she didn’t think much of him. Mostly because he was in such a hurry that they barely talked. Apart from medical directions, Y/n and Eugene barely interacted in the first days. But she decided that if they were going to work together, they had to communicate. So that night, she jumped in his fox-hole, determined to have a conversation with him. “Jones, is everything alright?” he asked, confused by the presence of the woman. “Doc, where are you from? I noticed an accent, but I can’t put my finger on where it's from.” she asked. He had a little smile. “Louisiana, I'm half cajun, where y’a from?” “I’ve traveled around the States ever since I was born. Never really had a home. Loved Louisiana when I went there, except for the gators-” she continued to blurt out every thought she had in mind. Eugene listened happily. It was distracting him for the wounded men he had to treat every day.

It’s been 2 weeks since she arrived. She had to heal a couple of men, but it was mostly Eugene running around. Tonight was one of the coldest nights they had. “Y/n, y’a had any soup?” Eugene asked, taking a spoon in his mouth. “A little, gave most of it to-” The sound of planes flying stopped her. The Germans were sending more planes. “TAKE COVER!” they heard Winters yell before the explosion made her ears ring. Soon after, the chaos started. “MEDIC!” Eugene ran. “ARGH! MEDIC UP FRONT!” Y/n ran. “HELP!” They both ran. The only light they had was from the fire and the explosions. When she turned her head, she saw her friend, Guarnere running to help a soldier.

That’s when a bomb dropped near them. She was in shock, did her friend die? “MEDIC!” she heard him yell. Her body was frozen, not from the cold, but from fear. Still, she blinked and ran to help Bill. He was missing a leg, and he was in shock. “Y/n, i’m fine. Go help others.” he grumbled. She couldn't believe he was still alive. The main artery was served, he was losing a lot of blood, but he was talking and responsive. Her instincts took over, she was treating him, but it wasn’t her. Her body was moving alone. “Get him in town! NOW! BRING A TRUCK FORWARD!” she yelled. For what felt like hours, she and Eugene took care of the wounded and tried to save a bunch of them. They lost men. Y/n had a mix of blood all over her.

“You okay?” Eugene asked. They were sitting in their fox-hole. She had teary eyes, but still she was in shock.When she didn’t respond, he asked again. She still didn’t answer. “Y/n” he firmly asked. She got out of the trance she was in and looked at him. A tear falling on her cheek. “What?” she said, barely louder than a whisper. “Are you okay?” she managed to nod. “I think,” she said. He wiped the tear with his thumb, leaving a little bit of heath on her face. Y/n looked at the hand of the man, then looked at his eyes. “You did good out there.” he said. “Thank you, you did too” she leaned her head on his shoulder. He laid his head on top of hers. “We deserve silence,” she whispered. He smiled and looked at the sky. Their breath was heavy, the silence meant a thousand words.

The day of Christmas was hard for Y/n, it was the first time she would spend Christmas alone. Last year, her brother came to visit her on the base she was training on. Now, in the cold night, freezing her tits off, she was alone. “Merry Christmas Y/n!” Winters said as he handed her soup. “Thank you, you too.” She drank the soup, but she also warmed her hands on the cup. “Y/n.” she heard Eugene call her. So she went into their fox-hole, under the cover, to preserve the heath. “Eugene,” she responded. “Merry Christmas, thank you for helping me like you do.” he handed her a present. “Eugene you shouldn't have. I don’t have anything for you.” She felt guilty. He gave her a bar of chocolate. She loved chocolate. “Oh my god! I love it, thank you so much!” she said with a huge smile on her face, she was really excited about a bar of chocolate. Eugene giggled at the excitement of the woman, he found it adorable. She threw herself on him, hugging him tightly. “I could kiss you! Thank you Eugene!” she laughed. “It’s nothing, Renee gave me bars, and I know you love it, so I asked for extra” he explained. She had a big smile and took his face with her hands and kissed his cheek. “I’ll get you something, hold on.” With that, she ran, fox-hole to fox-hole in order to get Eugene the medical supplies he needed. After 10 minutes, she came back, hands full with morphine, plasma, bandages.

“I wish I could get you something more, but that’s what I could find in 10 minutes” she said out of breath. Eugene laughed. “Come back here,” he said, smiling. “Thank you for these, but y’a didn’t have to.” he said, smiling. “I wanted to. Thank you for helping me every day with the stuff I don’t know about. You’re a really good person, Gene.” she said. It was his turn to take her face with his hand, but he did it more romantically than Y/n. “Can I kiss you?” he asked, with a low voice that made her blush. She nodded and leaned closer to Eugene. Her breath was shaky, she was nervous. She'd kissed before, but it was different with him. When their lips touched, she melted into him, his hand holding her in place. She reached the back of his neck, she tried to get a grip of something. The kiss was passionate and romantic. It said so many things without them actually talking. When they pulled away, out of breath, their eyes were filled with lust and love. She blushed so hard, she was red as a tomato. Eugene was smiling ear to ear.

During their time in Bastogne, they grew close to each other. After a day of running around, they would lean their head on one another and just enjoy the silence. After a while they began holding hands. Just the physical contact of the other was enough to reassure the other. Occasionally, they stole a few kisses from each other. When they got to the church, they sat next to each other, holding hands. “Is it over?” she asked. “I don’t know,” he mumbled. That night, they couldn’t sleep, how could they, after what they saw in Bastogne. They sat in the church, talking about their lives. “You got someone back home?” she asked. He shook his head. “Me either, too focused on school.” she explained. “Good, cause you’re coming back home with me,” he said. She looked at him and blushed.”I ain’t letting you go, you’re mine now.” he said, adding to her smile. “Is that a weird way to ask me to be your girlfriend?” she smiled. “Yeah it is.” he took her hand and intertwined their fingers. “Yeah, I'll be your girlfriend.” she leaned to kiss him. At least, someone got something positive in Bastogne.

[valleyof-goldenlilies]

Se Zaldrīzoti' Prūmia - Chapter 2: A Mere Lady (Daemon Targaryen x Tyrell!Reader)

Chapter 2: A Mere Lady

Daemon has returned to King’s Landing. Yet it is not in his nature to sit idle.

Se Zaldrīzoti' Prūmia Masterlist | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | 

HOTD Masterlist | Main Masterlist | 

Warnings: That extreme slow burn once more lmao, Daemon being an idiot, Westerosi sexism, mention of violence, Daemon and Y/N bickering like children again

Word Count: 2.9k words

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the House of The Dragon/Fire and Blood characters, save for Y/N Tyrell, although I did expand on their characterisation, which might deviate from canon. All credit for the characters goes to George RR Martin and the showrunners of HOTD. The GIF above is also not mine, original credit to the creator is stated above. Go check them out!

A/N: Thank you for all the support for the first chapter of Se Zaldrīzoti' Prūmia! It really warms my heart to see all your reblogs and likes 💗 this chapter is a bit of a filler one, but something big will happen next chapter (can you guess what it is? 👀) I hope you enjoy reading!

wonderful dividers courtesy of @firefly-graphics​  !  

The shadows darkened and the bustle of noise in the Red Keep slowly faded into a faint hum as night enveloped the castle. I had just finished drawing up and helping Aemma into a bath when a maid announced the presence of King Viserys. I hurriedly rose from where I was preparing the Queen’s nightclothes and curtsied. “Your Grace.” Viserys merely waved away my greeting, putting a hand on my shoulder. “At ease, Y/N. We are not in the presence of other courtiers, you need not refer to me by my title.” I smiled fondly at Viserys. “Well, if my king commands it. Are you here to see Aemma? She is in the midst of her nightly soak” Viserys’ brows furrowed, “Of course. How has she been? Are the baths of any help?”

“Aemma says it is effective to a degree, but the moment she steps out of the bath, the aches return.” Viserys hummed in acknowledgement; “Looks like our son is taking quite the toll on my beloved. He must be an active lad.” My smile widened at that: Viserys’ pride in his unborn son was clearly strong. But my smile dropped when I heard Viserys’ next words, “Have you had a chance to run into Daemon by any chance, Y/N?” I chewed hard on my lip at his question, making Viserys raise his eyebrows and laugh at my obvious distaste for his younger brother. “I will take that as a yes. Are the both of you still having trouble getting along?”

“We get along about as well as fire and oil, I’m afraid.” Viserys let out a huge belly laugh at that, “And who is the oil in this situation, you or Daemon?” “Daemon,” I answered without hesitation. “Seven hells, I have no doubt his love for provoking me is fueled by the gods themselves.” Viserys looked amused, “Well, as your king, I am pleased to inform you that I have listened to your petitions and assigned him back to his old post at the City’s Watch. Mayhaps he will cease annoying you with this new responsibility.”

“I thank you for your graciousness, Your Grace,” I curtsied slightly. “Your justice is indeed swift and efficient.” “Well, a king must care for his subjects above all else. And you are like a sister to me.” Viserys patted me on the shoulder, “I must go and check on my beloved now. A King must not keep his Queen waiting after all.” I nodded and turned back to my duties as he ambled away.

The morning sun lazily clambered up the sky, causing the Red Keep to begin to bustle about with noise once more. A servant helped me lace up my new Tyrell green gown, with small gold rocaille prints dotting the bodice and gold roses stitched throughout. Autumn had fallen upon King’s Landing, and the air was beginning to fill with a biting chill, hence my father had ordered the dressmakers to design the dress with fitted long sleeves. I was a little uncomfortable, since I was unused to dresses with fitted sleeves, but it did make it easier for me to tend to Aemma.

I cast a glance at the fireplace. The flames had long died out, but in the midst of the charred black wood, I could see the remnants of parchment. The new dress from Father had not arrived without condition. I had not bothered to read the letter - knowing it would be full of eligible lord names and pleading from my father to just pick one and put him out of his misery - instead chucking it into the fire without a second thought.

“My lady?” Blinking, I looked up at the servant girl. “I am finished with your hair. Are you in need of anything else?” I studied my reflection in the vanity, patting a stray strand of hair down gently. “No, everything is fine. You’ve done a wonderful job. Thank you, Rebecca.” She smiled and curtsied before scurrying off. I put on my favourite pair of gold earrings, checking my reflection one last time before striding out of my chambers.

Aemma was never an early riser, and pregnancy fatigue had only served to prolong her hours spent in bed, hence I always took this opportunity to wander around the Red Keep while undertaking any errands assigned to me at the same time. After making an errand run to the washerwomen to pick up Aemma’s clothes, I bustled over to the Grand Maester’s quarters to request for the Queen’s medicinal teas. I also paid a visit to the seamstress to get a few garments of Aemma’s altered, as she had complained about them being too tight around her bump.

With my list of tasks fulfilled, I breathed out a sigh of relief. Aemma had yet to rise, hence I was wandering aimlessly around the hallways. It was then that I heard a few lads whispering as they passed me. “Did you hear about Prince Daemon’s latest exploits?” “Aye, I heard the smallfolk’s cries all the way from Flea Bottom in my quarters last night. The king has summoned him to the Small Council meeting this morning to demand answers, I’ve heard.” “The prince truly cannot go a day without causing trouble…”

Curiosity piqued, I listened thoughtfully to their conversation until their voices faded away. Daemon? Causing trouble? There was nothing novel of the matter. Yet, the lads had whispered about hearing the cries of the smallfolk. And from what I heard, it did not seem like the cries that Daemon was fond of eliciting.

My nosiness getting the better of me, I turned on my heel, my green skirts swishing behind me. Arriving at the base of the White Knights Tower, I slipped inside a room before anyone could notice and question my presence. The room in question was a secondary armoury, but it was rarely used as the weapons stored here were either blunted after years of use or outright broken. I pushed aside a false pillar made of highly porous stone, revealing a narrow gap which I squeezed through with ease.

Pulling back the pillar to cover the gap once more, my eyes trailed around the expanse of the space as I found myself in a familiar winding hallway. Sunlight poured in through numerous crumbling holes in the ceiling, and the air was filled with a dank smell. Sneezing slightly, I gathered my skirts and quickly made my way through the familiar maze of passageways. I nearly forgot to take a left, almost ending up in the secret halls in the Tower of the Hand, but I retraced my paths and breathed a sigh of relief when I heard the Hand’s disdainful voice. Here, the passageways were much more spacious and bright, being situated on the upper floors of Maegor’s Holdfast.

Peeking through one of the spaces in the walls, I caught sight of the Small Council seated around the table. Daemon was sitting near the head of the table still clad in his armour, his face streaked with dirt. Unfortunately, his back was turned to me, so I couldn’t glimpse his expression. However, I noticed most of the lords were looking noticeably on edge, especially the Hand. Otto’s face was even more unpleasant than usual, and that was saying something.

By the Gods, what had Daemon done now?

“You might not know this unless you left the safety of the Red Keep, but much of the city is seen by the smallfolk as lawless, and terrifying.” Daemon’s smooth voice echoed throughout the room. Otto’s face turned as sour as spoiled milk. I had to restrain a snort, he was not incorrect, the residents of the Red Keep, particularly those of noble blood, were very far removed from the lives of the smallfolk. I had once ridden with Rhaenyra and Alicent to the Dragonpit, passing by the streets of Flea Bottom, and safe to say, I was very glad for my life of luxury in the Red Keep, although I did feel sorry for them.

“...I just hope you don’t have to maim half of my city to achieve this.” “Time will tell,” came Daemon’s response. Even with my view of his facial expressions obstructed, I could nearly picture the smirk on his face, clear as day. I rolled my eyes. It seems that Daemon’s first night returning to his duties as commander of the City Watch had been bloody, to say the least.

“If only the prince would show the same devotion to his lady wife as he does to his work, your Grace.” I snapped to attention once more, eyes keenly observing the proceedings through the space. Gods be good, the Hand cannot give it a rest, can he? I suppose he could not: his distaste for Daemon clouded him from better judgement. But he should know better, I bit my lip to restrain the laugh I know would follow. Daemon always knew how to find someone’s sore spots, and Otto Hightower was as prickly as those strange Dornish desert dwelling plants.

“I’d gladly give Lady Rhea to you, Lord Hightower, if you are in want of a woman to warm your bed,” Otto’s face lost its previous smugness as his eyes grew wide in anger and he stiffened at Daemon’s remarks. “Your own lady wife passed recently-” There was a scraping of a chair on the floor as the Hand towered over the table. I recognised the expression on his face, it was one I had worn many times in my life.

The visceral urge to punch Daemon Targaryen in the face.

I clapped my hand over my mouth, trying to fight the battle to keep my laughter at bay

“Did she not?” I lost the battle as a small wheeze erupted from my covered mouth. My eyes widening, I watched as the men at the Small Council table stiffen, particularly Daemon - his stance suddenly became more pronounced and alert. I know it would be hard to discover me unless the men had knowledge of the secret passages, yet I felt my heart thundering in my chest.

But the gods were good, and the men soon dismissed the sound as Viserys attempted to soothe Otto’s anger. Finally, after Viserys admonished Daemon for his actions- albeit not as fiercely as the Hand would have hoped for, judging by how his sharp glare had not subsided in the least after the king’s judgement - Daemon got up to leave, the doors shutting behind him with a definitive thunk. I dusted off my skirts and readied myself to leave as well. The excitement was over, and I had gotten the information I wanted to know anyway. Walking through the hallways again, I debated on which path I should take to ensure my exit would not be noticed by anyone. The nearest exit I knew was immediately out of the question, and I could not sneak out through the exits in any of the royal apartments, because there was an ever-present risk of being discovered by a nosy servant. Sighing, I continued walking, lost in thought, until a figure pushed me against a wall.

I opened my mouth to scream but a hand that smelt of sweat and something coppery covered my mouth, putting a finger to his lips. My eyes narrowed as he released his hand from my mouth. “What in the Seven Hells do you think you’re doing?” I spouted out angrily as those godsforsaken pair of lilac eyes stared down at me with amusement. “I think I should be asking you that, byka zaldrīzes,” Daemon raised an eyebrow.

“I asked first. How did you even know I was here?” I grumbled, dusting off my dress. The pounding in my chest was so loud I was certain the whole of the Red Keep could hear how much of a terrified wreck I was.

Instead of answering, Daemon reached his hand out to brush at my hair, as I observed him with wary eyes. Then, he flicked my forehead. “Ow! What was that for?” He smirked, “I see you took the armoury entrance, judging from the grime on your face and in your hair.” “And? It was one of the only ways I could get into the passageways without being seen.”

The prince hummed infuriatingly under his breath. “Has anyone ever told you how fond you are of making your life more difficult, byka zaldrīzes?” “Well forgive me, your Grace, but I do not wish to be caught in your apartments trying to sneak into a secret passage. The Red Keep is akin to a vicious beast when it comes to gossip.” The prince let out a triumphant “ha!” as I looked quizzically at him. Had he finally lost his mind?

“Formalities again,” he said, delighted, “I was hoping that yesterday’s episode in the throne room was not the last I would hear of you addressing me formally.” I sighed and rolled my eyes. “My question remains unanswered. How did you know I was in here?” The prince snorted. “I think every one of those lickspittles in the small council heard your laugh. I was the only one to recognise it however.”

I huffed. “Well thank the gods it was just you. Had it been the Hand-”

“That cunt is too busy licking my brother’s boots to seek you out, byka zaldrīzes,” Daemon teased, beginning to walk away. Rolling my eyes once again, I followed closely after. “I’m surprised you still remember the entrances. I was of the impression you would get lost if you ever came here again..” “From how many times you dragged me through these hallways to go catch a peak of King Jaehaerys and Prince Baelon in council sessions, it would take me a century to forget these halls.” I japed, as we rounded a corner that took us straight into an old closet in Daemon’s chambers. As we stumbled out, he settled down on his bed with a sigh of relief, and began to remove his armour. I crossed my arms as I leaned against the window, “There is still a lady here, your Grace.” “I don’t see any ladies, only a nosy bird.” “Hilarious.”

I averted my eyes as Daemon began to remove the gold cloak slung behind his shoulders. “I heard you crippled half the smallfolk.” “An exaggeration,” Daemon waved his hand dismissively. “And if so, they were criminals. Looters. Rapers. Petty thieves.” “And yet, you killed numerous innocents in your path to slaughter those criminals.” I said quietly.

Daemon was silent for a while, and I thought he had left to take a bath. But I was startled yet again when I felt a finger softly tilting my chin upward. Lilac eyes swirling with mild annoyance and mirth met my pensive (Y/E/C) ones. “Spare me the reprimand, Y/N. My brother and Lord Cunttower have already said more than enough.” He handed me a wet cloth, and I sighed before brushing it across his face, getting rid of the grime. Our dynamic has not changed since childhood, I mused internally. I walked away to dump the grime covered cloth in a basket for the servants to collect later.

“Do you not agree with my actions?” He motioned me to sit next to him on his bed. Wordlessly, I sat. Our eyes met, his searching mine for my reaction. “The violence was unwarranted,” I began delicately, watching Daemon’s eyes narrow. “However, I’d like to think the ends justify the means. I share Lord Corlys’ view on this matter.”

Daemon leaned back on his bedpost with a smile. “As I thought, you were more sensible than you looked.” His voice rose in volume as he ran a hand through his white blonde locks in frustration. “Pray tell, I just do not understand why my brother only sees the bad, and not the good. Even a mere lady like you could understand. Has that cunt of a Hand pulled the wool over my brother’s eyes so far that he is blind to the welfare of his city?”

Not receiving a response, he looked over at the Lady Tyrell. She sat there, eyes fixed to the ground, her mouth set in a thin line, her hands clasped in her lap. “Y/N?” “And begging your pardon, what exactly does ‘being a mere lady’ supposed to entail?”

Daemon had a slight hunch he might have made a mistake. “I was not implying anyth-” “Really?” Y/N interrupted sharply. “Or did you just consider my wits inferior to yours simply because I am a woman?”    

She stood abruptly, curtsying as she did. “Forgive me, my prince, I have other matters to attend to. If you have had enough of this mere lady’s presence, I shall be off lest a servant discovers us and sets tongues wagging.” She walked briskly out of the room, before Daemon could even formulate a response. Daemon stared at her retreating figure, and he groaned in frustration as he removed the last of his armour. His words had come out unintentionally, and he had not intended to insult her. Why was she so offended by them?

He huffed as soon as he had the thought. Why was it of any concern? He cared not for what that annoying brat thought of him. Sighing, he got up to ready himself for another visit to Flea’s Bottom. He had not seen Mysaria for a time.

translation: byka zaldrīzes: little dragon 

And that’s chapter 2! Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed it, comments and reblogs are highly appreciated :)) Since chapter 2 was a little bit of a filler chap, chapter 3 should hopefully be released in about three days (as soon as I get that presentation that has been the source of my torment over the past few days on Tuesday done lol)  Let me know if you wish to be added to the taglist in the comments or through this form! 💗

Taglist: @drwho-ess @graniairish​ 

[faerieyoongles]

The Keepers 005

Hello, Keeper #0054. Welcome to your first assignment. Jeon Jungkook is the son of the wealthiest arms dealer in South Korea, and your job is to ensure his safety at all costs except one, he cannot know of your existence. In fact, nobody can know of our Society's existence. We have rules we must follow and a timeline to protect. Do your job and do it well... we're counting on you.

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Chapter Select My Masterlist Questions?

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warning: violence, injuries, family dysfunction, needles

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Chapter 005

Men poured into the room so fast, there wasn’t any time to make an escape plan. ‘No other entrances’ my ass. Secret compartments in the walls opened up to allow men with guns to enter. Bookcases swung open to reveal long halls behind them. How many escape routes were there in this place? I suppose when you live the life Yoongi does, having to constantly deal with people trying to hurt or steal from you, you need ways to slip away discreetly. There was no way a gold-plated elevator was the only entrance to the most important office in the entire building. I made a mental note to never trust Jungkook’s judgement again.

Jungkook and I stood in the center of the room with our hands up. No use in trying to fire our guns, there was an entire squad surrounding us. If one of us took a shot, we’d immediately get impaled from every angle the minute our bullets left the chambers.

“Drop your weapons!” Shouts one of the gunmen in front of me. Jungkook and I do as he says and drop our guns to the floor. “All of them!” Shouts the gunman again. “All that shit strapped to your belt,” he points to me, “put it on the floor. Now!” I unhook my belt from around my waist. My smaller gun, my pocketknife, and anything else hidden within my sack are all stripped from me. I have no weapons left except for myself, but I'm almost certain that my physical combat training wouldn’t help us now. “Search them.” Four gunmen move from their position and walk over to Jungkook and I. Two pat down each of us, one of the gunmen searching me was a little more handsy than I cared for. He lingered specifically around my waist and hips, squeezing my thighs a little longer than probably necessary.

“Hey, you watch it!” Jungkook shouts from beside me. He goes to lunge for the gunman groping me, but is held back by the two other gunmen searching him.

“I’m fine.” I reassure him. I’m just thankful the groping gunman wasn’t more blatant with his hands. Had he gone up a bit further, I probably would’ve had to use my hand to hand training. The groping gunman takes his hands off me and shoots Jungkook a cocky grin. Gross. 

“Remove her mask!” Shouts the same gunman than had been giving orders. Fuck. I can’t just say no this time around. I couldn’t fight off the hand coming towards me to remove my uniform either. If I attacked, there’s a good chance the gunmen surrounding us would open fire. Jungkook had to make it out of this alive, I couldn’t risk his life for the sake of my identity. But I also really couldn’t risk my identity. I’m already doing as such by standing here in the light for everyone in the room to see. The gunman’s hand is half a second away from pulling my mask down, fingers about to graze the fabric on my face. Whatever god there is out there must have me in his favor today, because just as the gunman is about to pull my mask down, he’s interrupted.

“Halt your fire!” Shouts a voice to my right. Behind one of the hidden bookshelf doors is an older man. “What in heaven’s name is going on here?” He looks around the room at all the gunmen surrounding Jungkook and I.

“Sir, we found intruders in your son’s office-” Says the main gunman. He was abruptly cut off by the man I now know is Yoongi’s father.

“Kook, my boy, what the hell have you gotten yourself into?” He says, looking directly at Jungkook.

“Hi, Mr. Min.” He says back.

“And whose-” Mr. Min cuts himself off, never finishing his sentence. His eyes find mine and widen in shock. His face and body freeze, like all his blood just stopped moving at once. I know the black uniform is meant to look a bit intimidating, but I didn’t think I had that much of a horrifying effect. “Leave us.” Mr. Min says to the gunmen. They all just stand there in confusion. “Now!” He shouts, and the gunmen finally move, disappearing into the elevator or down the halls behind the secret doors. Mr. Min moves into the room to stand in front of Jungkook and I. I grab my belt and gun up from off the floor. It’s just the three of us now.

Mr. Min takes a heavy sigh, his eyes still trained on me. There’s sorrow laced in his expression, or at least I think that’s what it is. I’ve never had somebody look at me with so much emotion before. 

I hear it again, that little voice I had heard from my very first memory. Every once in a while, it would pop back up, but it was always easy to drown out. This time, it banged against my head, screaming for something but I don’t know what. Something is wrong. There’s a feeling of dread that seeps into my bones and stings in my eyes. What is going on? I try to push these unprecedented feelings as deep down as I possibly could. I wish Mr. Min would stop looking at me like that, whatever expression it may be.

He finally does, shifting his gaze to Jungkook. “I assume you have a good reason for breaking into my son’s office?”

“Yes.” Jungkook pulls out the papers he stole from Yoongi’s desk and holds them up for Mr. Min to see. “I’m trying to reopen the deal Yoongi proposed a few months back.”

“The one about ceasing business with the Cobras?” Mr. Min asks. Jungkook nods. “From my understanding, Mr. Jeon called the deal a ‘fool’s contract’. He was doubtful the Cobra’s would be so compliant, and unenthusiastic when it came to saving my business.”

“Yes, I remember. And I disagree.” Jungkook holds Mr. Min’s stare as he talks.

“What’s that other paper you’ve got there?” Mr. Min says, pointing to the other document Jungkook stole from Yoongi’s desk. Jungkook takes it out and hands it to him to show him. Mr. Min takes it, and within one glance of the paper he’s shaking his head and sighs. “Do you remember what happened the last time I had tried to reason with your father about this?” His expression is becoming more aggravated. “I lost..” he chokes up for a moment, like he’s about to cry, “everything”.

“I know.” Jungkook says. “But I think it could work this time.”

Mr. Min shakes his head. “You don’t know the things I know. Trust me boy, you need to stay out of this one.”

“With all due respect, sir, I can’t do that. I’d never forgive myself if I did nothing.” Mr. Min and Jungkook take a few beats just staring at each other. The room is filled with an unsettling quiet.

“Alright then.” Mr. Min says, defeated. “I once felt the same too.” He hands both documents back to Jungkook. “Just be careful, Kook. We’ve already lost too many lives over this debacle.” 

He looks over at me again, eyes still staring straight into my soul, like he himself controlled the screaming voice inside my head.

“A word of advice.” He averts his gaze back to Jungkook. “Don’t let anybody take her mask off.” He points to me. Jungkook looks over at me, like I’d know something. I stare back at him with the same confused look. I know about as much as he does, probably less.

“Okay?” Jungkook questions.

“I mean it.” Mr. Min says sternly. “It’s not only important to her safety, but yours as well. Make sure she’s hidden at all times, whenever possible. The fewer people who know she’s around, the better.” Mr. Min shoots me one last warning glance before he turns away from both of us. “I’ll make sure my son and his men stay out of the way for the time being.”

“Your son tried to kill me.” Jungkook says to Mr. Min’s back. Mr. Min reaches the door he originally came in from. He turns back around to face Jungkook and I. “Along with Namjoon, Jimin, and Seokjin.”

“Seokjin too, huh?” Mr. Min scoffs, almost laughs at the information Jungkook just shared. “I can’t say I blame him. You’re putting everyone at risk by doing this.”

“Not if we do it right.” Jungkook counters.

“I wish it were that simple. I’ll see to it that both of you are escorted out of the building. Do me a favor, and do not come back.” He warns. He glares at me one final time, eyes burning on my skin. It looks like he’s forcing himself to look away. His eyes linger on me for a moment, then he rips them away and strides calmly down the hall.

What the hell was that?

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Mr. Min kept his promise. He not only let Jungkook and I exit, but had a car drive us back to the warehouse where I first saw Jungkook with Number Twelve. I sit awkwardly beside him in the car. It was better than hiding underneath it and holding on to the under mechanics for dear life.

“So,” Jungkook starts awkwardly, “you must do a lot of business around here then?”

“Huh?” I asked.

“Your services must be popular in this area.” He restates.

“Services? Are you calling me a prostitute?”

“What? No.” His eyes widened in embarrassment. I let out a small chuckle. “I mean, Mr. Min seemed to know you pretty well, and you’ve been hired by my father. It seems like you must be good at what you do to be so high in demand.” I still haven’t corrected Jungkook on the idea that I’m working for his father. Honestly, I’d rather he believe that. Once the car drops us off, I’m going to slip back into the shadows and he’ll never see me again. It’s better that way. The Honors never have to know I broke a major rule, and I can get back to completing my mission the right way.

“My clientele isn’t as broad as you would think.” I say back, turning my head away from him to look out the car window. I wonder how long it will be until I can have a normal conversation again? Maybe this is my last.

“A woman of such little words.” He retorts. “I ask the most basic questions and you give the most vague answers.” I don’t look back at him, but I hear him scoff from beside me. “I’m only trying to make conversation.”

For a split moment, I imagine what it would be like to be normal, to be more human than whatever I was. Through the window, I see people out in the city living their lives. It was well into the day by now, and the city bustled with people moving every which way. Mothers with strollers making faces at their babies, friends traveling in groups laughing together, people in business suits sprinting down the sidewalk, couples holding hands smiling at eachother. I envied every single one of those people.

“Can I at least have a name?” Jungkook breaks me out of my thoughts. I look back at him. A name? Is Fifty Four a name or just a badge number? Either way, I can’t give it to him. Maybe I had a name, once, before all of this. Was there even a before all of this? “Hello?” He interrupts again.

Maybe my infusions haven’t been working correctly. This whole day I’ve been off, making decisions I wouldn’t normally make, feeling things I shouldn’t feel. Right now, my eyes stung with the threat of overflowing. I refuse to cry, especially here in front of Jungkook. I hadn’t felt sadness like this since my first day. After the Head Grieve gave me a briefing of the rules the House of Honors enforced, she escorted me to the dorms and I was assigned a room. The first time I was alone in my dorm, I cried for hours. I wasn’t exactly sure why, all I knew was something had been ripped from me. I was mourning. I’m not exactly sure what it was I was mourning, but the tremendous loss left a gaping hole in my chest. Maybe it was my own autonomy, that my body and life would never truly belong to myself again, if it ever had belonged to me. I’d always be at the will of the Honors, and I belonged to whatever assignment I was given. My life would never be mine to live.

Things became a little easier once I started taking the infusions. I didn’t feel as heavy as I did sobbing in my dorm. Even when that little voice would push its way forward, I would shove it down efficiently. That voice had been screaming relentlessly today, with no promise of ever stopping. Maybe I was due for another dose soon and the effects from the last were wearing off. Right, that must be it.

“Are you ok?” Jungkook asks after an even longer pause of silence. “You don’t have to tell me your name if it’s really that personal.”

The car pulls into the gravel driveway in front of the warehouse and comes to a complete stop.

“I’ll let my father know you finished your duties and to not bother you from now on.” He speaks. He opens the car door to get out. Before he steps out of the car, he turns to me. “Though, I will see you around again, yeah?” I don’t respond once again. My breathing is still uneven from trying to gather my emotions. Jungkook looks almost disappointed. “Ok then” is all he says before he’s stepped out of the car. I get out as well.

“Jeon!” I hear a voice shout from the warehouse. I needed to find a place to hide quickly before I’m seen by yet another person. No more exposing myself, I need to go back to the shadows. There was a large tree only a few steps away. If I move quickly, I could make it high enough into the branches and be out of sight.

I do just that. I sprint quickly yet quietly towards the tree, hastily climb my way up, and perch myself upon a sturdy branch. Climbing was my favorite back in training. There was a giant training course we’d practice climbing on, and we had to do such without making a sound. I was the fastest every time.

“Where the hell have you been?” Yells a man storming out of the warehouse. The car Mr. Min sent had driven off by now. “Your father has been looking for you all day.” I recognized the man from earlier this morning, he was sitting next to Mr. Jeon at the table when Jungkook was trying to reason with him.

“I was running errands.” Jungkook replied blatantly.

“Some errands.” The man approaches Jungkook and smacks the back of his head. “What the hell are you wearing?”

“Leave it alone, Damion.” Jungkook pleads. He looks behind him and starts to say something. His face falls quickly. It was as if he was expecting something, or someone, to be there. It must have been me. I guess he expected I’d still be standing behind him. He looks around confused.

“What are you looking for?” Damion asks.

“Nothing.” Jungkook replies, still obviously looking for something. He gives up after a short few seconds and walks into the warehouse with Damion following behind.

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A Keeper can go a week without sleep. The rest of the week, I stayed by Jungkook’s side, never resting even when he did. Of course, he didn’t know I was there. I watched as his father berated him that day we left Yoongi’s. He got scolded for going absent and not letting anybody know of his whereabouts. He got scolded even more when he refused to tell his father where he did go that day.

Jungkook tried to keep his word and tell his father that his 'babysitter' fulfilled her duties. Of course, his father had no idea what he was talking about, which made Jungkook very confused in return. He accused his father of lying about sending spies to check in on him, which made his father even more angry.

Seokjin was alive and recovering in the hospital. Namjoon told the nurses that somebody on the street had attacked and robbed him. They had to file a fake police report about it, but as far as they were concerned nobody found them suspicious.

Jungkook spent a lot of his time alone. He was either running errands around the city for his father, dropping off weapons in exchange for large sums of money, or he was working out. Honestly, it looked more like training to me. He practiced shooting or knife throwing, and sometimes he and Jimin would spar on a mat. His shoulder healed pretty quickly too, though it had only been a week so he was still limited in his movements. 

Other than working out or running errands, he would stay in his room. I’d hang out by the window next to his bed and watch him play video games or clean his guns. On cold nights, when he was asleep, I would sneak inside and sit on the couch in front of his bed. Not in a creepy way… I didn’t particularly enjoy watching him sleep. It was boring to watch his chest rise and fall over and over again. Though, when I was particularly bored I enjoyed going through his room. He kept it pretty neat. He had a few posters of his favorite bands on the wall, but for the most part he didn’t have many decorations. He did have a large comic book collection that I would spend most nights reading. Nights were my favorite, I didn’t have to sneak around him and I could relax for a mere few hours.

On the night at the end of my first week, I received a message on my watch.

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Hello Keeper, #0054 Congratulations on completing the first week of protecting subject #0468. At the end of every week, you are to return to your hub for 24 hours for rest and regeneration. Within the hour, a replacement Keeper will arrive at your location to take over your position in your absence. Do not leave your assignment until the substitute arrives. Do not stay at your hub longer than authorized. Great work, Keeper. Signed,

The Chronological Honor Society

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I returned to my hub about an hour and a half after receiving the message from the CHS. It looked the same as I left it, the same four Keepers I saw my first day were there as well. Twelve was the first my eyes laid on. The darker skinned man sits in the back with the other girl I haven't been acquainted to yet.

“How’d it go?” Twelve asked me upon my entrance.

I was nervous and it definitely showed on my face, thank god for my mask, but I was trying to not make it so obvious. What if the Honors already knew I broke the biggest rule we have? What if another Keeper saw me talking to Jungkook? The anxiety had been gnawing at me all week.

“The assignment,” she restates when I still haven't answered her question for a beat, “how did it go?”

“Oh. It went well.” I say. I wasn’t really lying. He’s alive and that qualifies as ‘well’ for me.

“Good.” She says. “There’s a bathroom just beyond that door.” She points to a grey door just behind the beds. “Take a shower and wash up. Do you have any injuries that need attention?”

“No.” I say. She just nods in response. I look to the left of Twelve and see the sickly-looking boy I remember from my first day, only today he didn’t look as sickly. He gave me a small wave once I met his eyes, and I nodded my head back in response.

I do as Twelve said and go to showers. It was the first time I got to take my suit off in a week. It was also nice to use a toilet. Having to relieve myself outside is just as gross as I’d expected it to be. I stripped myself of my uniform, the fabric feeling as if it was peeling off my skin. The bathroom was lined with showers on one side and toilets on the other. There were sinks by the door. I was the only one inside, but I still didn't want to be naked out in the open. I remove my suit in one of the showers with the curtain closed. Once the suit was removed, I folded it and placed it right in front of the curtain. I placed my mask, belt, and other gear right on top.

I turn the water on and lather my skin in the soap that was left on the small shelf. For once, I got to feel clean again. I relished in it, knowing I’d feel gross once the end of next week came. My muscles were sore from holding positions in high places, and my skin was dry yet sweaty at the same time. We were warned back in training that we'd have to get use to showering less when on missions. Luckily, our suit masked any unpleasant odors that we may produce, but that didn't help to make this experience any more revolting. On cold nights inside Jungkook's room, I longed for a long hot shower.

I dried myself with a towel I found hanging on a hook beside the showers. I searched the floor for my uniform I had neatly folded, but it was gone. I step out of the showers in my towel to find Twelve.

“Have you seen my suit anywhere?” I ask her. I'm holding the towel around my torse. If I moved my hand, I'd be completely naked in front of everyone, and the vulnerable state leaves me embarrassed. I partially hide myself behind the bathroom door. She points to a machine just under some cabinets in the room. Atop the cabinets is the belt and mask.

“Number Forty-Seven is washing it for you.” She answers.

“Oh. Which one is Forty-Seven?” I ask.

“I am.” says the not so sickly boy from beside Twelve.

“Oh.” I say again. “Thank you.” He shoots me a smile back. His lips form the shape of a heart when he smiles, and it makes my lips curve upwards alongside his. With a face so slender and soft, it was hard to believe he was a trained soldier.

“It’s no problem. I got some clothes for you if you want to put these on.” He hands me a shirt and some pants. They almost look like the same white outfit I woke up in that day in the white room, but these were much softer. All the other Keepers were wearing something similar.

“Thank you.” I say awkwardly. He was overly nice, which was abnormal in the Keeper world. I take the clothes from him anyways.

“We received our infusions today.” Twelve says, holding up a box with my badge number on it. “Make sure you take it before you leave.” She walks over to my bed and places it on the nightstand. Thank god, I need this voice in my head to cease its cries. It’s been drumming my temples all week and I’m sick of it.

I put on the clothes Forty-Seven gave me, and I take some food back to my bed. After an hour or two, I was given my suit back from out of the washer. The lights in the room were dimmer now, the rest of the other Keepers had fallen asleep. I almost forgot about my infusion. I pick the box up and open it. Inside was a needle attached to the infusion bottle. All I had to do was stick it in a vein and inject it.

Aiming the tip against the biggest vein I could see on my forearm, I line the needle up. I was about to pierce my skin, when a voice to my side startled me. “Don’t” pleaded a voice in the dim light. I jump and look to my side. It was Number Forty-Seven. He was squatting next to my bed and kept his voice at a whisper. I hadn't even seen him move from his bed.

“Don’t what?” I whispered back

“Don’t take it.” He said, motioning to the needle I held ready in position to stab.

“We have to.” I tell him.

“Something is wrong, and I know you know it.” I can’t see his eyes well in the small light of the room, but I can tell by his voice that he’s desperate. If he took his infusion, he wouldn’t have to feel so desperate.

“What do you mean?” I ask.

“I saw you.” He says. “Earlier this week, you were hiding with your assignment in the bushes. You met him, talked to him.” Oh fuck, oh fuck. This is it for me. I’m going to be eliminated. My eyes feel like they’re going to shoot out of their sockets with how wide I’ve opened them. I can feel my blood running through all my veins. “It’s okay.” Forty-Seven reassures. “I’m not going to say anything.” What, why not?

“You’re not?” I question. He shakes his head.

“I’m Yoongi’s Keeper. He and I have had quite a few conversations ourselves.” Another Keeper going against the biggest rule in our society, and the Honors have no indication of it. How many other Keepers were out there breaking rules? How many more people knew about their Keepers existence? “Trust me, don’t take your infusion.”

“Why not? If anything, I've found that the small emotions I had been feeling this past week only impaired my abilities. Do you not struggle protecting your assignment when all your emotions are in the way?” I ask. He shakes his head.

“I’ve found I prefer it.” He takes the infusion needle from my hand. “I’ll dump it for you. Nobody will know, I've never taken mine.”

"Never?" He’s been out here this whole time defying the Honors and he’s received no punishment?

"Never." He confirms. "Well, I guess that's a bit of a lie. I did take it when I was in training. Once I got out, I vowed to never inject that shit in my arm again. You’ll understand later, just know that the infusion won’t help you. It only makes you more obedient to the Honors.”

“What’s wrong with being obedient?” Obedience is the key to order, and without order there is only chaos.

Forty-Seven looks me in the eyes. “I know you feel it, that person trying to claw their way out, scraping against your skull.” He tucks my needle into his pocket. “Haven’t you ever wondered where you came from, who you were before you were a Keeper?” It’s been a hot topic of debate in my head this past week. “The first step to knowing who you are is feeling your emotions.” He stands up, moving towards the bathroom. “Sleep now. You won’t get to again until next week.” He goes into the bathroom, and I lay down in my bed. 

This was a horrible idea. My emotions only negatively affected my aid to Jungkook. They impaired my thinking and made me sloppy. How was I supposed to do my job efficiently if I was freaking out all the time? There’s no going back now though, Forty-Seven returns back with the empty infusion bottle. He places it on my nightstand, so it looks like I injected myself with the medicine.

I guess this means I’m going the next sixty days feeling every single one of my emotions.

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tag list: @beaniepeaches @darklove2020

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[luminouslywriting]

Chapter 12: It's Just A Simulation—The Prophecy (BoB Fanfiction)

A/N: Just a little revenge for Winnie haha! I hope you enjoy this as much as I am! So let me know what you think! Also....hypothetically...if I was thinking about a MOTA/BoB crossover fic that had 2 main OC's and the love interests were Dick Winters and Ken Lemmons, AND one of the OC's would be hard of hearing....thoughts?? Let me know haha!

Winnie stared at the hat full of names on her desk in the medical hut.  She was supposed to draw random names from Easy Company to designate as ‘dead’ and then the Medics were supposed to diagnose and triage.  They were supposed to present their findings and if needed, give medical attention. 

The normal thing would have been to just randomly draw the names, as she was supposed to.  But the thought of forcing Sobel to bend to her whims in this moment was an overpowering thought process.  

It was true, she was a doctor and putting people’s health first was supposed to be important to her.  And it was.  But Winnie had always been a vengeful creature, ever since she was a child.  She knew it was a vice of hers and every Sunday, she said prayers of apologies to the Good Lord.  But that didn’t stop her mind from working overtime. 

When she was a girl and one of the neighbor boys had been picking on Charlie, who was a literal toddler, Winnie had stopped her brothers from piling on the boy and beating him up. She had cited that he wasn’t worth their time—and she had meant that genuinely, at least in her brothers’ cases.  But when it came to her?  He was absolutely worth the time and effort. For her part in things, Winnie had snuck over to their kitchen window and she had dropped some of the home remedies that another neighbor had lent her for when her brothers were sick. 

The rest of the boy’s family had only had a slice, so their stomachaches were not quite as severe.  But the boy?  He had eaten three whole slices.  He had been sick all night, shitting his bed and throwing up.  A cruel practice perhaps, but Winnie had smiled when she had heard the news. 

That sort of behavior had carried well into her teen years and adulthood—and though she had done her best to be on her best behavior while at Camp Toccoa, Winnie felt a little stir for trouble.  She had exactly the sort of plan that would get Sobel to leave her alone for a long while, perhaps even the rest of the miserable time that they were forced to work together. 

It was labeled under A—Appendectomy. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hours later, the medics all had a group of men designated as dead or injured.  Some of them had been assigned sicknesses like malaria or pneumonia, and others had been designated to show lacerations or burns.  And in the midst of them all, Herbert Sobel had been assigned for appendicitis.  

Winnie couldn’t deny the fact that she was watching the medics carefully and she herself was under watch from one of Sink’s men—the fact of the matter was that they wanted each of the medics to perform to the best of their abilities here. 

Her gaze drifted over to where Roe was just finishing up his second to last designation.  She crossed the floor briskly, reaching him just as he was standing up.  “Yes, ma’am?” Roe questioned, gaze falling on her curiously.  Winnie’s features betrayed nothing as she stood there, glancing at him and the other medics. 

“I have something I want you and the other medics to try.  It’s absolutely imperative that if this comes up in the field, you know how to handle it,” Winnie said evenly. 

“What is it?” Roe asked curiously. 

Winnie just gestured to Sobel, who was laying down across the room.  “I’ve marked him down for appendicitis.  I’d like to see how you and your fellow medics, Mampre and Spina—how you’d handle that.  Feel free to knock him out, of course.” 

“Of course,” Roe got a funny little grin on his face at the words. 

“And if you require any help or assistance, I’ll have Reba Garrett at your disposal,” Winnie added.  

At that, Roe glanced over to where Reba was instructing another medic on the proper sewing technique for finishing a stitch.  In the few months since coming to Camp Toccoa, Reba had always had a kind smile or word for anyone who came into contact with her.  And she was no flirt like Eileen—it made Reba somewhat endearing, at least in his opinion. 

“That would be much appreciated.” 

Winnie brightened at his words.  “In that case, I’ll leave Sobel in your capable hands.  And should he find himself knocked out—an actual incision in his stomach—and should you hypothetically state that he was, in fact, suffering from appendicitis, who am I to argue with your diagnosis?” 

Roe just stared wearily at his superior officer for a moment.  Doctor Winnie Allen was many things—a hardass who played by the rules, a no-nonsense sort of woman, well-known for her cold demeanor and usual heartless tact.  But never once did troublemaker or mischief indulging occur to him.  

He hesitated for a moment.  “Ma’am?” 

“Yes?” 

“Payback for the showers?” 

“The Bible says an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, but seeing as how Jesus said not to do that—I wouldn’t call it payback, per say.  More like….” Winnie paused for a moment, searching for the correct term.  “Helping him fall into a better routine with the women here.  Wouldn’t you agree?” 

“I’m not at liberty to say.” 

“In that case, it’s an order not to say anything otherwise.” 

At that, he did give a small smirk.  “Yes, ma’am.” 

With that, Winnie watched as Roe gathered Spina and Mampre and Reba together—and then they headed over to Sobel, quickly administering the gas they needed to get him fully asleep.  Winnie couldn’t keep the smirk off of her features.  The simple fact of the matter was that she was going to fully claim that they had saved his life here today.  

He would be so indebted to them—he’d feel awful about the way that he had treated them, and Eileen.  Winnie wasn’t so foolish as to think that it would be enough for him to actually apologize. 

She had found that most men who had been in the wrong tended not to apologize for much, if anything.  Daniel Perry had been the exact type of ex-husband to do that sort of thing.  There had been plenty wrong with their marriage.  From the fact that he was older than her and knew that it was grooming all the same, to the fact that it was so clearly based on transaction than anything else—to the fact that he took more than he ever gave and never once apologized for how that left her burned. 

And he had never once apologized for the wrong he had done, for raising a hand to her that last time they had seen one another—the way he had gotten physical before she had taken a bat to his damn car. 

So no, Winnie was not expecting any sort of apology.  What she was, in full, expecting, was a change in how things operated around here.  And if that meant her harassment would end, she would take it.  And there had been plenty of harassment; rain runs so he could see her legs and so her white shirt would be soaked and he could see every plane that was part of her chest; scrubbing toilets and bathrooms on her hands and knees to satisfy a very particular image in his own mind—

Yes, Winnie was over it all.  And though she could not fight back in an overt way, she had her way of handling things.  If this solved that particular problem, there would be no reason to cause a fuss and go to Sink about anything.  So in her professional opinion, a win should be considered a win. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By the time that dinner had come around by the end of the day, rumors had spread like wildfire through the camp.  Winnie could not deny that she felt a slight sense of satisfaction as Sobel recounted the heroic tales of Roe, Spina, Mampre, and Reba—and though he did not mention her name at all, he had confronted her almost immediately and she had bolstered the fact that they had saved his life. 

Screw the Hippocratic Oath for just a moment. 

Sobel had not apologized, true to her very accurate prediction.  But what he had done was give her a grateful nod and then moved on with his life.  So here she was, sitting at the dinner table across from Reba and Eileen. 

“You know, you look entirely too satisfied,” Eileen observed, glancing between her and Reba with a frown.  “And I know you’re not getting laid, so what—” 

Winnie kicked her shin lightly.  “I can be in a good mood.” 

“You did something,” Eileen deadpanned. 

“Maybe,” Reba said with a slight smirk.  “Maybe she’s just reveling in her peace finally being achieved via one appendectomy.” 

Eileen’s eyes nearly widened.  “Oh Win, you didn’t!” 

“I very much did.  Let’s be grateful I don’t have access to the kitchen because I do have access to laxatives,” Winnie deadpanned.  

“Oh God,” Eileen mumbled out. 

Before Reba or Winnie could reply, Winters and Nixon had arrived at the table, both practically bursting with energy.  Nixon slid into the seat beside Winnie, slinging an arm around her shoulders.  “You’re a beautiful, cold, evil genius, you know that?” He exclaimed with a knowing grin. 

“I’m sure I don’t know what you mean,” Winnie replied evenly, taking a bite of her food. 

“Ah huh,” Dick said in an unconvinced tone, crossing his arms as he looked at her through a narrowed gaze. 

“Word is you authorized a life-saving surgery,” Nixon said, ignoring Dick’s unamused behavior. 

“True, I’m afraid.  Reba was there, she assisted.  You can always ask her,” Winnie replied, eyes finally glittering with a hint of life in them. 

At that, everyone’s gaze moved onto Reba—who was sitting there unassuming.  “Oh yes!” Reba exclaimed firmly.  “He was in desperate need of the appendectomy.” 

Dick just let out a deep sigh.  “Sometimes, I think you’re a bad influence,” he said, gaze falling back on Winnie. 

“I blame the lack of a good parental figure,” Winnie retorted without hesitation. 

Nixon, Reba, and Eileen all chuckled at the words and Dick just let out another sigh.  He had thought that Winnie was a perfectly reasonable human being and someone who followed things to the letter of the law.  This mischief was not something he could have foreseen in any sort of future. 

“If I had thought you could get into this sort of trouble, I don’t think I would’ve wanted you and Nix to be friends in the first place,” Dick finally stated. 

Nixon and Winnie just gave matching smiles of innocence.  “I’m sure we don’t know what you mean,” Winnie replied. 

“We make your life so much more entertaining, after all,” Nixon added. 

[spopbigbang]

Questions and Clarifications

We're thrilled with how many people have expressed interest in this already and are gearing up for an amazing event!

Here's a quick round up of some of the questions we've gotten so far....

(that's how you should picture me answering all these questions)

Does it have to be a new fic or can you participate with an existing fic / new chapter of an old fic?

Must be a new fic written specifically for the bang.

Can it be an AU?

AUs are completely welcome. So long as the focus is on the SPOP characters, you can put them in whatever situations you wish!

Can it be a crossover?

While characters from other properties can cameo, the main focus of the story should be on the SPOP characters.

Can you post something from an existing AU of yours?

A new standalone fic in an existing AU of yours is fine! In other words, if someone could hop into your Bang fic without having read anything else of your AU and still follow it, that would work.

Can I write my own fic, but also sign up to illustrate someone else's?

Sure! Just let us know on your sign up form so we know what is going on.

What kind of draft is due on March 31st?

The objective of that check in is to show to the mods that your fic is close enough to finished that you are on track to post it on time. There may still be typos, it might still need a lot of editing, but it should be at least 75% complete.

This step is to ensure we're assigning artists to the fics that are nearly ready for the event and not giving someone a writing partner that has barely started.

What happens if I don't get my draft in on time?

While only writers who get their first draft in by the March 31st deadline are eligible for an artist partner, writers who complete their draft after that are still welcome to post their fic as part of the event and will still be listed alongside the other content. They just will not have the chance to be paired with an artist.

Are there any limitations on what fics can be about? i.e. does it have to center around certain ships or characters or prompts?

As long as the focus is on the SPOP characters, anything goes! The only thing to keep in mind is that artists get to choose with fics they illustrate. So the more appealing or interesting to draw your idea is, the more likely you are to attract an amazing artist.

Any restrictions on mature content?

Generally, it's open to whatever, but, for the comfort of everyone involved, we'd appreciate if it was nothing too... let's say controversial. If you're not sure, feel free to ask. Keep in mind, the previous answer about artists getting to choose applies here too.

Will you be sharing the Big Bang content on this Tumblr blog?

Yes! We plan to share links to all the fics as they are posted.

Can I participate without joining the Discord?

Unfortunately, no. This event is hosted by the SPOP Creative Flex and as such is run under the guidelines of that community. While Tippen is the head mod of this event, she is not on the mod team for the server itself so if you have questions or issues about the SPOP Creative Flex server specifically (including appealing a prior ban or other issue), you can contact the server mods through the email listed here.

What should I write? I can't pick!

That, I can't help you with. But I would say pick the idea that is begging to be written, particularly if it's large scale and exciting. It is called a BIG Bang after all! Think epically!

Any other questions? Our askbox is open!

[agentoli]

I love the flip-flop AU! I have some notes and questions, if you don't mind:

Interesting move putting Tex in red team

Maybe Maine could have Lopez's role of being misunderstood in conversation and one person (probably Wyoming, the bastard) keeps badly translating? Just a thought

Do Alpha, Bravo, and Charlie teams have armor abilities? I might have some ideas if you're interested

Where are other state name people? Florida, Georgia, Utah, the triplets, Illinois.

How much does Tucker complain about being Cyan when his armor is Aqua?

Why are Team Bravo all birds except Lopez? Maybe his could be a bird in spanish. Aquila is already taken though with Sarge being eagle

Again, love this AU! The only time I've seen something like this is a fanfic (Quantity Over Quality) where the Reds and Blues (just Sarge, Simmons, Grif, Donut, Tucker, and Caboose) were AI assigned to different agents (Florida, York, North, South, Wash, and Carolina respectively)

Ahh! Tysm for the ask!! I'll try my best to adress all of your notes/questions!!!

Tex being a Red

->Tex being a Red was pretty much the first thing I made concrete. Mostly because I knew having her on a separate team from Carolina would create an interesting telephone dynamic. Carolina keeps asking York about the woman who looks scarily like her late mother, and York is just confused because Tex is one of the most competent soldiers he's ever been in charge of.

Maine Translation hijinks

->Oh definitely. Wyoming would absolutely give shitty translations both ways, though never maliciously. Mostly just to mess with the big guy. I mean, what else is there to do in a box canyon in the middle of nowhere? Though Carolina often corrects him when she can.

Suit Units?

->I actually haven't thought about armor abilities/units because I'm playing musical chairs with some AIs and the og sim troopers (mostly red team because honestly they would have fun dynamics regardless of pairings). Suggestions for that stuff are always welcome!

The other state names

->As for the other state name people, Florida already has a spot in the story. Everyone else is kind of floating around. Though I have been playing with the idea of replacing the Flag Zealots with the rest of the state names.

Tucker hates the name Cyan

->All. The. Time. The way codenames/callsigns are given out is up to the team leader, and Church, being the insufferable little bastard he is, took the opportunity to mess with Tucker. However, he often shortans Cyan to just Cy, which sounds cooler and leads to less rage fueled distraction in the field. (Cobalt is shortaned to Coby, and Royal gets Roy. Poor Caboose can't keep up with all of these funny nicknames :[ )

Agent Lopez / Uno

On a related note, Lopez was built after codenames were assigned. Unfortunately, after one of the Freelancer game nights held every week, Lopez was unceremoniously branded with the name of the gang's favorite card game. And it just stuck. Yes, he hates it. Lopez 2.0 was given Dos to continue the trend.

QoQ

->This AU was largely inspired by QoQ! I haven't gotten around to actually finishing it, but I am already in love with the writing and dynamics.

Thanks for the ask!!!

[surnumanaja]

Sneakily starting to post my processes of my exhange works, while the ao3 exhange is still on anon but not for long (in 5 or so hours until the authors are revealed) 🤫 it 's been fun one until i stepped into a bucket and had to walk to the finish with it (and even then it was fun, i just had to pretend i stuck my foot in the bucket purposely)

Sorry it's very long and might need several reblogs for the pictures 😅

And to be fair, i have posted wips here when it was all very vague (the vernicular typographic stuff that didn't make the cut, how i was designed building for the main fight to take place in). I also made my close friends bear through exchange work progress on ig stories because i couldn't be shut about it 😅

Before the exhange i was exploring ideas how enviroments affect characters and vice versa. I have my slight grievances with how cities are depicted in Veilguard. Both Minrathous and Treviso make sense as playable jungle-gym (which makes fun gameplay) but little sense as a livable city. Being most familiar with Tallinn's architecture and how the city as developed into being, there's no denying that my designs are heavily inspired by Tallinn seaside districts (Kalamaja being an old fisher village that grew into factory workers living district in 19th century and Rotermann salt storage that served the port)

After getting my assignment it was soooo clear for me that three of the four prompts i got would work really well as one story. To bad that I only write fics in Estonian. Thus it had to be some sort of visual story, like a comics. And how long could it possible be? Surely not over 20 panels? 🤡 Right?

So being very normal person who thinks about surroundings normal amount, I started with designing the Shadow Dragons Obstacle Course for themain action to take place in. Here the main inspiration were Rotermann salt storage and Linnahall docks in Tallinn.

At some point i started asking myself why am i drawing a port (actually, no im lying, i know exactly what i wanted the obstacle course to result 😈) , and answers and follow up questions to that started to become into the back story (why and how Tarquin and Ashur end up in the salt storage? And is it a salt storage?) which trickled surely only few more panels to the storyboard that I just had started to draw.

Finished the storyboard about a week and a half after the exhange had begun. Counted my frames (which was my first error, because my numbers memory has been extremely shit for past year), got about 50. Bit more than I had planned, but doable.

So I very confidently started to draw first panels. To be honest I had over rendered few very storywise not so necessary scenes, just because they were too fun do draw. 😅

I also wanted to play around with typography/calligraphy and character voices and onomatopoeia.

By the time I had drawn what I thought was 20% of the comics, it seemed to put all the panels, finished or just sketches from the storyboard, to google docs, so i could start to write and spell-check the dialogue. Generally, one page consisted two single-image frames. Big was my surprise when reached page 25 in google doc (what should've marked the end of my 50 panel comics) I was no where near the end.

I still had time to switch gears – focus only of the prompts and maybe switch medium. Single scene felt still too lacking. So it either had to be animation (i had caught cold and was feverish) or a short comics.

[merlyn-bane]

okay I need to know everything about the backstory for Tren’s Xenoanatomy

AHHHHH i would love to talk about one of my trek fics!! especially my very first foray into mckirk :D

im gonna put this under a readmore bc i feel like giving myself permission to ramble today lmao

so tren's xenoanatomy specifically came about because we were watching one of those doctors-react videos about gray's anatomy and it occurred to me how much more hilariously off the wall medical shows would be in universes like star trek where there are nonhuman species around as well, and jim and bones just felt like the perfect couple to play with that idea with.

tren's xenoanatomy is also technically a companion piece for a larger spock x oc fic that will admittedly almost certainly never be finished or posted, but where basically after all of the bullfuckery the enterprise crew had been put through, they're made a part of the pilot program where starfleet starts assigning therapists to starships--particularly those on more extended missions. i do very much love nel, tho. i think he's one of my oldest ocs and he amuses me greatly because when high school merlyn first created him, he was norah. but then you grow up and you look at spock and you realize how incredibly homosexual he is. and so you simply trans your oc. and now his name is nel and he's still a therapist but he's also a hotter-than-thou top with a dildo collection worthy of a museum.

excuse the old art, we stay improving lmao.

anyway, back to the actual subject characters of the fic you asked for 😂😂 mckirk sort of continues to happen in the background of the main fic, and they've been in this same refusing-to-put-a-label-on-it holding pattern pretty much since the academy and the events of tren's xenoanatomy. are they friends? lovers? boyfriends? married? divorced? who's to say. neither of them. they of course get their shit together eventually, though. and also end up in an even stranger poly situation with a romulan woman named verelan that defects to starfleet after Events™️. it starts off very jim, jim's boyfriend, and jim's boyfriend's girlfriend, but jim grows on her eventually. like mold.

here's a nice little morning snippet of the three of them, as a treat since i went off on a wild tangent here and im not even sure if ive managed to answer the question 😂😂 don't let her softness with leonard here fool you, this is immediately followed by her declaring that the solution to his custody issues with his ex-wife is that she enter ritual combat with said ex-wife on his behalf.

“Dammit, Jim, what have I told you about fryin’ bacon without a damn shirt on?” “That you’re not fixing it if I burn a nipple off,” Jim prattles off. He tilts his head to the side in a clear demand for a kiss on the cheek. Leonard rolls his eyes but indulges him anyway. “Which we both know is bullshit, by the way. You love me too much to let me walk around with just one nipple.” “Try me, kid,” he grumbles, shuffling over to the stools lining the opposite side of the kitchen counter and settling into one. Jim sets a mug of coffee in front of him a moment later and Leonard tilts his chin up for a real kiss before Jim pads back over to the stove. “Thanks, Jim.” Jim just kind of grunts in answer, and Leonard snorts a little. Both of them glance up at the sound of feet on the stairs, and Leonard smiles softly when Verelan comes into sight. “Mornin’, darlin’.” He gets a small, fond smile in return, and she ducks down to kiss the top of his head once she’s close enough, resting a hand on his back as she does so. “Good morning, Leonard.” “Hey, where’s my kiss good morning?” complains Jim from the stove, letting his voice go all high and reedy in the way he knows annoys her the most. Leonard feels Verelan straighten behind him, and a glance up confirms that her eyes have narrowed at the blond. He doesn’t feel the need to intervene quite yet; this sort of interplay is fairly standard. Jim can’t breathe unless he’s winding someone up, and unfortunately for the Romulan, she tends to make it easy for him. “You do not get one, James,” Verelan drawls. “I do not like you.” “No, no,” says Jim, grinning now, unabashedly. “Pancake tax.”  They stare at each other, Jim continuing to grin while Verelan visibly sizes him up, trying to determine how serious he is. Leonard snorts again and is ignored wholesale. He sort of can’t believe she’s considering it this far; she must really want those damn pancakes. She hasn’t figured out yet that Jim would go hungry himself long before he denied food to anyone else.  Verelan finally folds first around the time that the standoff starts to remind Leonard of a pair of feral barn cats, her eyes narrowing a millimeter further before she gives a frustrated growl and all but stomps over to bestow a begrudging kiss to Jim’s cheek. Shit that he is, Jim just beams and leans into it.

[jalo-parker]

I would like to hear your species assignment for xisuma and ex ^-^

Going to put a cut in this one cause omg it's going to be a lot.. so be prepared to read I suppose 😁😁 (came back to add after I finished writing that yes, this is pretty long..) (if you don't want to read the species info, xisuma is a voidwalker and ex is part voidwalker part Estrial)

Ok so ex and xisuma are both voidwalkers. Well ex is a little more than just a voidwalker but we'll get to that.

First up: voidwalkers + xisuma

So voidwalkers are a thing that I somewhat made up by myself (combination of me making things up and taking bits and pieces from media and other people's ideas). Basically to sum it up; there are 3 species of voidwalker end, overworld, and nether (cause yes all of the lore in my head is based on Minecraft to some degree). There are two types of end voidwalker though! Royals are one kind and the others are just called voidwalkers cause yeah idk. The main difference between royals and the others are the horns. Royals have horns and others don't (with a few exceptions but again we'll get there) so this does mean that x does not have horns. Another reason is x is actually an overworld voidwalker! So no overworld or nether voidwalkers have horns, though I'm thinking of giving nether ones like spikes or something cause nether = more dangerous in my brain (also yeah this species is slightly a wip.. oopsies).

The difference between the 3 different void walker species would be; overworld voidwalkers are a bit smaller in their void forms (most voidwalkers can shift between void forms and more human looking ones) something like a bit taller than your average human (think kinda like endermen) and have a bit more speckly star bits. They all have like average length fur here, though it's said that some of them can grow longer or shorter fur depending on their environments!

Nether voidwalkers are a bit taller, are typically more warm toned, most have spikes (yeah I'm giving them spikes actually), and have much shorter or no fur at all, some even have scales!

End voidwalkers are the biggest of the bunch, most of them towering over your average human. Royals are even bigger! My sona (weird case of both technically being a voidwalker and also not being one) is a royal and his void form is 9ft tall! These guys look the most like endermen, some of them even have purple speckles instead of white ones. Though most end voidwalkers barely even have speckles. Royals also have distinct markings and some have a weird little halo thingy in their void forms so there's no chance for anyone to confuse a royal for any other voidwalker. End voidwalkers probably have the longest fur of the bunch, it's pretty cold in the void here.

Void forms would be ones like this where the entire body is just a void (sometimes including their clothes sometimes not idk) (also impulse is here, he's not a voidwalker though)

And the more human looking ones would be like these where their tails and some extremities are voids. Each voidwalker has differing levels of void bits in this form. So some of them could only have void tails or maybe they have a lot more void, like their hair, their arms and legs, pretty much everything like their void form but theres now a bit that isn't void.

Also here's the royal markings (ft a couple other examples of voidwalkers and my sonas cat friend)

Voidwalkers live in the voids of their respective dimensions btw! Though now in the age of technology and exploration some voidwalkers live in other voids (like a nether voidwalker in the end or the overworld) and some of them don't live in the void at all! Hence the ones in the overworld getting different fur lengths based on their environments as the void stays around the same temperature everywhere (like one temperature for each dimension) so they wouldn't have changed there.

Ok I think that's all on voidwalkers.. uh if you have questions feel free to ask away I might be able to answer (if the question is "can I make my own voidwalker" the answer is always yes)

So now: evil xisuma + voidwalker hybrids

Now that voidwalkers live everywhere, there are more beings who are part voidwalker and part some other thing (maybe even multiple other things)! This is where you start getting voidwalkers with extra limbs, voidwalkers that aren't royals but they have horns, voidwalkers with slightly different features than normal, and voidwalkers who have next to no voidwalker features (a bit more rare as voidwalker genes tend to make themselves known one way or another).

Ex is not just a voidwalker, he's also an Estrial (another species I made up, they require their own post though.. too much info for just one post..)!

Ex happens to have tiny little horns (they would have a bigger pair but the voidwalker genes make them a bit smaller), fluffy ears that somewhat resemble cat ears, and a tail that's extra fluffy. It also has a pair of wings and an elemental power (provided by the Estrial genes) though most winged beings can magic their wings away for convenience (they can bring them back whenever) and ex very much does this. His elemental power is fire btw, though ex only really knows the lightning wielding aspect of this (cause lightning powers = cool and ex is cool).

Ok that should be everything.. again if you have questions do ask I will gladly answer, I like letting the thoughts out. If anyone wants to know about Estrials.. ask and you shall receive, but be prepared for another very long text post with a few images.. I'll make a species sheet for both voidwalkers and Estrials eventually (emphasis on eventually..)