#37 god damn pages.

[shhh-secret-time]

Part 2 is 21 pages. Part 1 was 16 pages. Combine that together and that's a 37 page request I pumped out in a day.

oops.

Warning: NSFW, Strong-Language, Dirty Talk, Slight Praise Kink, a bit of jealous behavior, mention of character death, bug violence(?), bit of PTSD

Pairing: Gunslinger!Kyle x Fem!Reader

When you finally woke up, the first thing that came to your mind was just how dry your mouth felt. You swallow roughly and it burns the back of your throat in a different way the alcohol of last night did. It felt like you were trying to swallow steel wool, forcing what little saliva pooled in your mouth down your throat.

The second thing was the fact the horse had gone back to a slow trot. No longer could you hear hooves on cobblestone. The wind was no longer whipping around your head and through your hair. The smell of the city long gone, now replaced with a deep earthy scent.

The third was the feeling of Kyle's arms still wrapped around you, one pulls away from your side for a moment. You feel him move around, trying to rub the sleep out of his eyes. He presses his fingers into his heavy eyelids before returning them to the reigns.

Finally, all three things fall into place as you piece it all together. Kyle feels the way your body bolts up away from his chest and brings his horse to a stop. He pulls her off to the crummy dirt road and off to the side.

"Oh! I apologize! I didn't mean to fall asleep like that! I can't believe I just passed out!" Panic sets into your voice and guilt eats at you when you realize he probably rode all through the night.

"It's fine ma'am. I figured you could use the rest. Please don't take any offense or nothin' but you look like you ain't seen much shut eye." Kyle smiles at you holding his hand up to try and settle you.

"I-.... you’d be right. Still, that's no excuse. You're still a stranger, the fact that I just fell asleep like that..."

"A stranger you shot a man for. A stranger you saved from gettin' strangled to death. I never did get to thank you for that." He pauses for a moment as he gets down from the horse. Kyle takes the reigns with him, choosing to walk along aside the horse now. "I've only had a few people in my time willin' to do somethin' like that for me and I at least know their names."

It hits you like a brick. In less than twenty-four hours you got into your first ever bar fight, shot a shotgun, slugged a man with said shotgun, all but bribed the sheriff, ran off with a man who didn't even know your name, and then fell asleep on said man who didn't even know your name. You catch yourself staring down at the handsome gunslinger, breaking yourself out of the daze trance like stare. It was hard not to admire him; looks aside he's been nothing but a delight to you. It would have been all too easy for him to just dump you off somewhere, leaving you and your problems behind.

Instead, here he was. Walking alongside you and his horse, without even so much as asking you about your business. Why you wanted to go out West, or why you needed to hire him in the first place. You hadn't even told him how much you were paying him for all of this.

"Ma'am?" Oh, right, your name.

"I'm being all types of rude, aren't I? I'm sorry..."

"Ain't nothin' to apologize for. I figured you got a reason for keepin' secrets. If you don't wanna tell me, I ain't gonna make ya." He shrugs.

 It takes you a minute to gather your thoughts, but when you do you finally gain the courage to ask him. "Why are you being so accepting about all of this? Shouldn't you be surprised or at the very least upset?"

"The way I see it, you saved my skin back there twice. Once with Knucklehead and the other with the Sheriff." He says sheriff with a sneer, "I owe you. Besides the way you begged the sheriff to let us go, I could tell you were in some kind of trouble. Wouldn't be right of me to turn my back on someone who needed help."

"So, what, you're just doing this out of obligation and the kindness of your heart?"

That makes him laugh again, but he quickly shakes his head. "Guess you could put it like that. Walk the righteous path and clear all debts sort of ordeal. But I don't think it goes that deep. Like I told the bartender last night, I'm just a simple fella tryin' to make a livin'."

You sit on his horse in awe, if this was an act he was putting on it was a damn fine one. You run your fingers through the horse’s mane, brushing out the sand and dirt on the poor creature who must be so tired. She huffs a little, but she doesn't move her head, so you continue.

After a few moments of walking and silence, you tell him your name. Your full name.

Every time you speak, he gives you his full attention, looking up at you with that gentle smile. You expect his eyes to widen like everyone else's when you drop your last name, your family was famous after all. Instead, he nods along and practices the sound of your name on his tongue.

He says it again and hearing it whispered in that voice of his sounds divine. Once he likes the way it feels and sits, he turns back to the road and keeps walking.

"Pretty name...like the way it sounds. I hate the fact that I ain't gonna get to use it much." His lips purse, talking like he's just mumbling to himself.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it wouldn't be real wise to be usin' your name if you're tryin' to go into hidin'. Even if we are on the road alone, I don't wanna take any chances. If I get in the habit of usin' your name, I ain't gonna wanna stop." He brings the rim of his hat down over his eyes trying to hide the blush on his face. Even though he says it with such confidence it's hard to look you in the eye.

He's not alone, his words have a greater effect on you than he knows. You pull the cloak still wrapped around your body closer to your form, burying your face in the material. Maybe you could just rub your flushed face away or at the very least it would buy you time to slow your heartbeat down.

Kyle was right about one thing. Your last name has brought you nothing but trouble your whole life. So, for now you'd get rid of it, toss it to the side like the various newspapers you saw littering the city streets. Let it drift away and be carried by the Eastern winds. It was time to leave the city girl you were raised to be behind; you were going out West now.

"The only thing I can't seem to wrap my head around." Kyle breaks the silence between you two again. "Is how someone like you learned to shoot like that."

"How do you mean? It doesn't take much to point a gun at someone and pull the trigger, can't really miss with a shotgun when you're that close."

"That's what I'm askin'. It don't take much to pull a trigger, but you knew how to hold it. Held her like you knew her."

"How'd a lawyers boy go from that to being a bounty hunter?" You ask, bringing up the little fact that Sheriff Cartman spat at him last night.

His lips press together in a thin line and for a moment you feel like you might have crossed a line. Said something you shouldn't have, but when his shoulders slump forward you can feel something different. It's not anger in his eyes, maybe regret? Hurt that rests behind those tired green eyes.

"I don't know why I'm tellin' you this. But we're gonna be together for a while, might as well make conversation I suppose." Again, he talks like he's not really talking to you. His inner thoughts spilling from his mouth like brandy in a bottle. "It was bandits."

Your blood runs cold, that could mean anything but, in this context, you had a feeling it wasn't a good one. Your fingers brush down the coat of the horse as he talks, finding comfort in the animal. You can feel the warm and gentle breathing coming from her. If you squint, you could almost swear they had lined up their breathes. She would take in an inhale, and he would let out a puff of air.

"Pa was a lawyer, Ma was a stay-at-home mama. He made enough for all of us and another. I have a baby brother they adopted when I was younger." He goes to tell his story with a little pause in between.

"You said have. He still around?" That question hurts to ask, but curiosity was gnawing at you. You wanted to know more about this gunslinger, that included the bad too.

"Yeah. I think it was when I was fifteen? Pa was puttin' me through school, was studyin' to be like him. I was gonna put away bad people just like him." He takes his hat off with his free hand, he stares down at the inside of the hat. You catch a glimpse of stiches and patchy line work. Past the scuff marks and tears on the old thing it looks like someone tried to patch it back together again. Enough to where it would hold up. But past that there was a little black and white picture tucked in the makeshift pocket of one of the patches.

A skinny man, honestly looked like a strong gust of wind could blow him away, standing next to the most gorgeous looking woman you've ever seen. Her hair was put up in a tight bun, curves on every ounce of her that made her look like something out of those fancy paintings. The dress she wore clung to her body and on her lap was a little boy. Black hair that didn't match the shade of grey on either of the adults behind him. He had a big toothy grin on his face as he held an outstretched hand for the other boy beside him.

It was Kyle. Much younger than he is now, hopeful looking face with his hair cut short and kept clean. The curls sat neatly on the top of his head, and he dressed like some of the men your father did business with. Fine button up grey shirt tucked into a pair of black slacks. A grey tie came down from his collar that disappeared behind a black vest. Still had that soft smile on his face as he looked at the camera.

He quickly puts the hat back on feeling your eyes peering down behind him. Again, you felt like you got a peek into something you shouldn't have seen. If he was bothered you couldn't tell, he just kept talking.

"Pa was always real good at that, puttin' bad people away. Could do it the civilized way, take him down and give 'em a trial. Rely on the system to put 'em behind bars and supposably reform 'em." He scoffs at that statement, "lotta good all that did. Pa put away the wrong man. Some no name bandit leader thinkin' he could take the short way through life and rob some rich folk."

Kyle stops, completely. Stops the horse, stops talking and just stares down at the ground below. You watch a little red scorpion scurry after its dinner. Stinger pulled back and at the ready.

"Men like that got one thing goin' for 'em. They travel in numbers. Numbers that don't like when you mess with their own. Pa wasn't even the man that brought that bandit leader in, but he was the reason why he'd never walk under the sun again. They were gonna keep that no named man locked away in the deepest parts of their holdin' cells. His men didn't like that idea much."

The scorpion chases the target down until they come to a ledge. Something that would be so easy for you to just step over, something that would barely be an obstacle in your way. But for the tiny bug that was fleeing for its life, it was the end of the road. It wasn't dexterous enough to try and make it over the little ledge, the path to freedom taunting it as it falls on its back.

"Don't really know what they were thinkin' or how they came to the conclusion. But they decided in the dead of night they'd...burn down the town? Came in on horseback makin' all types of racket. I remember Ma pushing my brother in my hands an' tellin' me to run out to where we kept the stagecoach. Somethin'-" He chokes and clears his throat to collect himself. "Somethin' about the horses already hitched and ready. To just jump on and wait for her and Pa."

The scorpion closes in on the bug. His stinger blocking the view of the sun, casting the shadow of death over the poor thing.

"I protested, wanted to stay and help her pack bags. Carry somethin' other than my cryin' brother." His hands clutch the sarape around his body, right where his heart would be. "She told me not to argue with her and to get my ass outside. Never heard her curse before..."

The bug kicks its little legs, trying to roll off its back. It squirms, fights, and rocks trying to do anything. Anything but die.

"I did what she told me. Go where she told me. You don't question your mama when she tells you to do somethin' ya know?" He licks his lips, and you wonder if they're as dry as yours are right now. "I put my brother and I in the carriage and I wait for 'em. Then...the house just...erupts. One of those sons of bitches threw somethin' against the side of the house and it catches a blaze."

Kyle closes his eyes, a bead of sweat drips down his face. Like he can still feel the roaring flames against his face. The poor man is standing there reliving it all.

The scorpion finally brings its stinger down. Strikes the pathetic creature in the stomach one good time. The venom does its job, you're sure if the little thing could scream out it would. Instead, it just goes slack, goes limp and dies.

"I... I didn't know what to do. I had just learned to drive the damn thing, so I grabbed the reigns and snapped it. If it wasn't for my brother, I probably would've run into that blazing hell. Probably be a dead man too."

"Probably." Your voice finally pipes up. Kyle looks up at you and you're not giving him the look of pity others have when he tells this tale. Your face is softened sure but there's nothing in those eyes that tell him you're looking down at him.

"That's the last time I saw 'em. Last time I said good night...I only wished I woulda got to say I love you."

The scorpion closes in on its meal. Now that it's not trying to run it figures it can eat in peace. Pinchers at the ready to pick the corpse up.

"I didn't. Spent a lotta time wishin', and a lotta time gettin' good with a gun. Pa taught me there were other ways to take a man down, not everythin' had to be solved with violence. We could do it humane like instead of usin' a gun. Just a shame I turned out to be a damn good shot."

Kyle starts walking again, and as he does, he walks over the scorpion. Crushing the creature under his heel without a second thought. You watch as when he moves his heel the thing lays there with the sand already started to claim it's body. You wonder if it got to at least get a bite of what it worked so hard for.

"So that's how you started bounty hunting?"

"Yep. Started with the assholes that took my parents from me and my brother. Guess they're the only people I never brought in alive."

"Really?!" That was a part of the man you didn't learn from rumors.

"I'm flattered you seem to think I had the ability to bring in fifteen men all by my lonesome, but no. I gave 'em the same treatment they gave my parents." Most men would be proud of that, say it with their chests out. Kyle doesn't, he keeps his eyes on the road and his head down.

"You burned them?"

"Set their whole lil' hideout on fire. Got a bottle of whiskey, drank some of it for courage and then tucked a cloth in the rest of it. Lit the sucker on fire and tossed it."

You try not to imagine the sounds that fifteen men on fire would make, or the fact that not even one of them got away. Kyle was a lucky man that there weren't a few to make it out of that fire that night. Who knows what would have happened if he was caught or worse, they lived to enact revenge like Kyle had.

"Took my brother to an old friend’s ranch and we stayed there for a while. You ever hear of the Marsh family?"

"Sure. They're famous ranchers, good at breakin' in horses and growin' crops."

"Their son is my best friend. I call that man my brother. Call him that until I take my final breath." A smile finally comes back to his face, talking about someone that means so much to him seems to put him at ease.

"Why'd ya leave?" You ask, letting a smile come across your face at the sight of his.

"Didn't feel right just sittin' around. Plus, if word got out that I was stayin' in one place I figured it'd just bring trouble. My brother didn't do nothin' so I asked if I could leave him there. Been out on the road ever since, I send him letters from time to time but it ain't easy gettin' 'em out to me so I just assume he's alright."

"You should visit your brother...I'm sure he misses you." You tell him. It almost breaks your heart the way his smile doesn't reach his eyes.

"With the reputation I built up, I'd only be bringin' danger to his doorstep. I couldn't do that to him or Stan." That must be his friend he mentioned, you note. "I take what I earn from bounty hunting and send it their way. Just because I chose to throw away the life our Pa had set out for me, doesn't mean he's gotta. Every nickel and dime I get goes to keepin' me goin' and buildin' a better life for him."

Your heart swells, swells with admiration and pain. It hurts to see a man who so clearly loves his family have to keep himself away from what little he has left of it. Who has to distance himself from the two people he'd call brother. Neither really blood related to him but they might as well be. You can't help but admire him, how he tries to carry all that responsibility on his back. You thought the tired look in his eye was just from staying up all night and riding into the morning.

"Kyle, that's incredibly brave of you. Putting yourself out there for your brother, if it means anything...I don't think you're throwing your life away." You find that courage you somehow mustered up last night and put your hand over his, the one that still has the reigns. He looks up at you, watching as the sun sits behind your head like a halo. You bend down a bit and get closer to him, whispering as if someone was listening in. "I think what you're doing is the most noble thing I've ever heard. You're the kind of man they talk about in story books...if I didn't believe in you before I do now. Thank you."

"For....for what?" He asks and swallows, his adams apple bobs. For the first time in a long time, he can't seem to find his voice, it drops to a low whisper.

But could anyone blame him? The way you look at him so gently, every little blink of your eyelashes has him sinking deeper and deeper into the color of your eyes. That golden sun behind you makes you look like an angel, and maybe you are one. As far as Kyle is concerned only an angel could look at him like that. Find a way to admire him and sing his praise after being told he set fifteen men to hell in a blaze of hate.

"For being you. I used to not think there were good men out there, but you're changing that." You say it like it's the simplest thing on earth. Like he should have just known the answer to that.

But when you say it, it's like being punched in the chest. You have your hands so tightly wrapped around his heart he's sure if you say anything else he's going to keel over. He lets himself have this moment, lets a breath escape his chest and holds onto each little word you said.

"Ma'am, you ain't got a clue as to what you're sayin'. You don't know me well enough to be passin' judgement like that."

"Hm. Good thing I'm a real good judge of character. A man as bad as you claim to be would've robbed me blind especially if he knew for a fact, I was carrying enough money on me to buy your friends ranch."

His eyes widen at that, he stares at you as if you just told him the sky was red and the rapture was coming. Kyle's respone catches in his throat, unable to say anything at that. You can't help but laugh at that, the sweet sound coming from your lips makes his knees weak.

You toss him the stained white bag of cash, the once pure white cloth now soiled by the desert sands. Dirt clings to it but that doesn't stop him from catching it and opening it up. True to your word, there was so much cash in here Kyle could probably beat a man to death with it.

"You walked into that damn saloon with this?!" Kyle yelled quickly, closing the bag.

"I risked a lot on trying to find you." You say with a little shrug. "Sold everything I owned, took what I could carry and set out to hire you."

"You're either crazy or desperate. Please, for the love of God don't take offense to this."

You laugh again and shake your head; you couldn't argue with him. He was right. Maybe you were both, but it was either this or get unlucky one day and go missing. You'd take your chances with the handsome man next to you. At least he wasn't a stranger much anymore.

"I just got tired of the life I was living. Heard there was good opportunity out West. Figured I could settle in Texas or...Colorado?"

"Colorado?! Ma'am if this is some elaborate plot to give me a heart attack just to take me out, you're doin' a damn fine job." He clutches the bag into his chest and takes a deep breath. Quickly he stuffs the bag into the saddle bag on his horse. She stirs a little and shakes her head letting him know that her patience is running thin.

"So, you're suggesting Texas?"

"It's better than fuckin' God damn Colorado!" The way Kyle's cursing picks up when he's stressed is kind of adorable.

Laughter echoes down the road all the way out of the state. You finally find yourself off the East coast for the first time in your life. The company you keep makes it all the better! Eventually you stop at the nearest town and purchase your own horse. You have to slow down a little because Kyle has to all but teach you how to mount her and how to keep her from freaking out. He's calm and patient with you the entire time, only laughing at you a few times when you forget to buckle the saddle completely and almost slide right off. He teaches you how to take care of her and you end up spending most nights swapping stories by campfires.

You're somewhere deep in the state of Missouri, where exactly you're not sure that's Kyle's job. The night sky hangs above your heads with the stars staring down at you. Each little twinkle makes you think they're winking down at you. Kyle's told you that a few of the stars have names and stories behind them, you let him ramble on about it for hours before informing him that you already knew all that. The look on his face alone was enough to make you laugh.

You must have laughed again because Kyle's looking up from the worn-out map up at you now. He has a lazy smirk, the corners of his lips hidden behind the scruff on his face that's starting to grow in. His hair just now starting to go back to when you first met him, he's shaved it off a few times since your journey much to your dismay. You complained for days when he first did it only to be met with an eye roll.

That was something you always noted, that whenever you would complement Kyle's appearance, he'd brush you off or find a way to deflect. Telling you that you were the pretty one or that you were just seeing things because you weren't drinking enough water. The heat was getting to you, and you needed to take some time by the shade.

But he really was a handsome man, the rugged look didn't really line up with his personality but damn if it didn't do something to you. Being next to the man for so long, having made the first real connection with another person for the first time in your life. Well, it was getting harder and harder not to see him in a different light.

Especially since every moment leading up to this point, Kyle would do everything in his power to protect you. Putting himself in harm’s way time and time again just to make sure you'd be safe. Bandits thinking the both of you were easy picking, Kyle's reputation didn't reach every corner of the country. And the few times it did, it only encouraged people like Knucklehead to try and take a shot at bringing him down. There were a few times people recognized you. Someone had put out missing wanted posters with your face plastered all over them.

Of course, when danger came rearing its ugly head, Kyle would be there by your side. At first it was a lot of him taking shots for you, you patching him up. Using those studies your parents provided, removing bullets, and cleaning the wound left behind wasn't exactly what you had studied but eventually you got the hang of it. Each time you'd scold him to be more careful, he'd argue that catching bullets with his body wasn't something he liked doing. And each time just as you'd finish bandaging him back up, he'd give you a look that had your heart fluttering. His eyelids would lower down, and his lips would part in just a way that made them look so kissable. But every time you'd think you got the courage to just do it, he'd pull away and wish you a good night. Disappearing in his tent as if he wasn't just staring at you thinking the same thing.

Little did you know he was thinking the same thing. Countless nights he'd stay awake at night, tossing and turning in his bedroll trying to get the image of you so close out of his head. It had been a long time since Kyle felt this close with anyone, much less got to share the road with another person. Those little moments where you'd brush your fingers over his exposed skin or when you'd wake up nice and early to make sure he got something in his stomach before riding off. It made it harder and harder to want to not make you, his woman. To not take you up in his arms and take you into his tent for the night.

But that's not why you hired him. Once he got you to Colorado, he'd drop you off, probably stick around long enough to make sure you were settled, and then be on his way. Leaving you in that state all by yourself and he'd return to wherever the road took him. That thought filled him with an indescribable loneliness, one he tried to keep out of his head. He tried to focus on how good he felt just being near you, savoring the moments he got with you now.

Like how pretty you looked when you sat next to the fire, back against a log that he dragged over to make it a little more comfortable. A book resting in your lap and a page between your fingers, some novel you both picked up and swapped back and forth. How every time you looked over at him thinking you could steal a few glances without him noticing, only to be caught in the act. Ever since he met you back at the bar you would avert your eyes from him and try to find something else to look at or pretend that you were looking past him. He found it so cute.

"Somethin' funny darlin'?" You don't know when he started calling you that, can't recall but every single time it makes your heart leap.

"Just thinking about that time, you were telling me about the stars. How I'm gonna miss this..."  You say with a little shrug and smile, reaching down next to you to grab the bottle of wine.

"You'll still be able to see 'em in Colorado. In fact, I hear they're mighty pretty over the desert." He says watching you take a drink from the bottle.

"It's not the same." You wipe your mouth with the sleeve of your blouse, the red liquid staining the shirt. "It's not the same if you don't have someone to share it with."

It's Kyle's turn to blush a little, he gives you a little hum and a nod like he understands. There's a moment where he thinks his heart stops, but it thumps against his chest, and he finds it in him to speak up. "You always know just what to say to make a man flustered huh?"

"Since when have I talked to other men like this?" You ask scooting a little closer to him, that night wind pushing you a little closer to his warmth.

"I don't quite recall..." He mumbles meeting you halfway.

Kyle helps close the gap between the both of you until your thighs are touching. The material of his jeans brush against your legs, exposed because of the skirt clips holding your skirt to where they just cover your thighs.

"Think it would work on another man?" Your voice drops to a whisper.

His brows furrow at that and his face twists into a scowl. You watch the way his eyes narrow and darken a little. He huffs and you can smell the scent of coffee on his breath. Kyle doesn't say anything, instead he goes for the wine bottle in your hand. The man takes a swig of it, trying to hide the jealous feeling that's starting to creep up on him.

"Reckon it would... if you had the backbone to be talkin' to other men."

"What's that supposed to mean?" It's your turn to furrow your brows at him, they knit together.

"Just sayin' you ain't exactly a smooth talker with everyone you come across. I seem to remember a certain run in with that snake oil salesman that was tryin' to get you to agree to go on a lil' date with him." He taps the bottle against his lips a few times before taking another drink.

You take the bottle from him, crawling over his lap to reach the darn thing. You press your palm into his thigh and suddenly he's very aware of just how close you are to him. Kyle isn't sure if you're doing on purpose but either way it makes his dick twitch against the fabric of his pants.

He doesn't give you time to protest as he moves the bottle out of reach, holding it back just as you brush your fingertips against the cool glass. "No, I think I remember you fumblin' over your words and I had to come over and tell the fella you weren't interested."

Damn him. Damn that handsome red head for calling you out and looking so cocky while doing it. His smirk returns as he cocks his head down at you, the way his lips glisten against the campfire almost has you distracted. Almost.

But you wanted your wine, so you take another lunge for it. Pressing your body into him to try and climb over and snatch it back. His hand comes down to your waist, keeping you in place.

"Ah! No ma'am, I think someone's had enough. All that talk about flirtin' with other men ain't much like you. Think this is messin' with your head." He tuts and shifts you in his lap. He's hoping you don't feel the effect you're having on him.

"You know what I think Broflovski? I think you're jealous!" You challenge crossing your arms under your chest.

"That so? That what you think darlin'?"

"Why else would you be acting like this? You're acting like a damn child! Now give me my bottle, I'm a grown woman I can drink as much as I wanna!"

He laughs at that. Laughs right at your protests and the way you're pouting in his lap. It makes your face burn up, it makes you wanna hit him, makes you wanna kiss him until he shuts up.

"You're real cute when you get fussy you know that?" Kyle lets the compliment slip out of his mouth before he has time to think about it.

He knows better. He knows he shouldn't be flirting with you, shouldn't get attached. But that ship has long since sailed, he's been infatuated with you since the day you told him he was a good man. But fuck if it isn't getting harder and harder, especially with you sitting so pretty on his lap.

"Kyle Broflovski! If you don't start acting right!" You know the blush on your face doesn't help, the scolding falls on deaf ears.

"I ain't the one crawlin' into a man's lap for a bottle of cheap wine." He sets the bottle down beside him off into the dark where it no longer matters. That hand finds home on your waist, rolling his thumbs over the material of your skirt.

You suck in a breath and sit up on your knees, pushing them to rest on either side of him. "You're not just another man...that what you want me to tell you?"

"Can't say I wouldn't like it." Kyle's voice dips low, gravely and makes a shiver zip down your spine.

"If you don't want me flirting with other men..., why are you waiting so long to kiss me?"

"Oh darlin'," He growls and squeezes the back of your thighs, rough hands sliding up your skirt. "I want nothin' more but...you and I both know I can't."

"No, I don't think I do. Enlighten me." You're not letting him get away this time, there would be no running off to his tent to avoid this. You had him wrapped around your little finger, even if your heart felt like it was about to explode.

" 'Cause if I start kissin' you. I'm gonna keep doin' it..." He gets closer, sitting up to his full height just to graze his lips over yours. "Keep kissin' ya 'til I ain't go breath in my lungs left. Then I'll wanna take you in my arms jus' like this." He gives you a little squeeze pressing his chest further against yours. "I wouldn't be able to stop myself from makin' those sweet lil' noises come out of your mouth. Wouldn't wanna stop either."

Your breath hitches and you let out a soft little moan. You card your fingers through his hair, his hat was put away somewhere in his tent, so it left those gorgeous red curls unguarded. He groans and inadvertently bucks his hips up into you, the rough feeling of his jeans grinding up against your underwear.

"Fuck and if you ain't makin' it difficult. Talkin' like that makes me think you planned to get me all worked up. You ain't stupid, just about the smartest woman I've ever met in my life." He continues grinding his hips into you, rolling you over his growing erection. Kyle groans and doesn't even bother trying to stop the sounds coming out of his mouth.

"K-Kyle just kiss me already!" You whimper in his lap.

And he snaps, whatever wall he built up to resist you comes tumbling down. Just the way you say his name has him tossing all logic out the window. He grabs the back of your neck and pulls your face down towards him, crashing your lips onto his. His teeth almost knock into yours from how desperately he needs this, how much he needs you. It's like being able to stretch your legs after riding for days, or a cool drink of water after being under that blazing sun for too long.

That crackling fire that keeps your little camp sight illuminated doesn't give off nearly the amount of heat Kyle's kiss does. His chapped lips move against yours, somehow despite being on the road for so long they're still so soft. It takes a second for your brain to register that he's finally kissing you, after so long he's finally doing it. Before he can pull back, you press back into the kiss. Hands coming down from his hair to cup his jaw like it'll anchor you from floating away.

He kisses you again and again, each kiss turning more passionate. He goes from a desperate kiss to kissing you like a starved man. His tongue slips out and swipes against your bottom lip, when you don't open your mouth, he growls and pulls you down, so you're now firmly sat in his lap. The action makes you gasp, and he slips his tongue into your mouth, more than excited to explore the inside of your mouth until he finds your tongue. You poke back nervously and chase after the pink muscle. Finally, your tongues twine together, wrapped up in some kind of dance.

He kisses you until your lungs burn, desperate for air. In this silent little battle to see who would break first, it's you. You pull away from him and take in a large gasp. The lack of air and how heated the kiss was makes your head spin. Just as you collect yourself, he's on his feet lifting you up with him. You cling to him and wrap your arms around his neck, even though you know he won't drop you the shock of being moved so quickly like that caught you off guard.

"W-where are we going?"

" 'm takin' you to bed." He walks you over to the tent he's got pitched up, moving to your tent. Kyle bends down and gently lays you down on the bedroll. He sucks in a breath when he sees the way your hair's all laid out and how you've got your thighs pressed together. Lips wet and slightly puffy from the way he kissed you. "Now if you ain't the prettiest thing I've ever seen. Take your blouse off for me."

Kyle looks down at you with darkened eyes, heavy eyes filled with lust. He watches every single little movement you make. They watch as you slip the buttons of your blouse through the little slots holding them together. Watch as you slip the shirt down your arms painfully slow, far too slow for his liking. But ever the gentleman he simply hooks his thumbs in his belt and watches, rewarding you with a low hum.

"That's my girl." His praise all but makes you purr; you like the way he calls you his. "Jus' a lil' more for me. Take that skirt off." His hand slips up your skirt and taps the side of your thigh.

You do it, work the skirt clips off along with the skirt itself until you're left in nothing but your underwear. He tosses them to the side letting them land in your pile of bags. He tugs off his sarape and works his belt, the clinking of his buckle rings out. The only other sound besides your heavy breathing is the bubbling brook next to your camp sight. Occasionally, you can hear the horses stir, but right now all you can focus on is the way Kyle strips down to nothing.

Kyle lays his gun down carefully on top of his clothes before joining you under the furs used to keep you warm. His cock nudges against your thigh, twitching against how soft it feels. You let out a shaky sigh and peer down at it, the angry red tip brushes against your skin.

"I-is that going to fit?" You ask him suddenly a bit worried, but it melts away when he takes your jaw and kisses you again.

"Darlin' we can stop at any moment. But if you'll have me, I'll make you feel real good." His hand snakes down between you two and his fingers go to spread you open.

You let out a little moan and whisper a soft, 'yes' and it's all he needs to continue. His middle finger rolls your bud gently at first until you start to squirm and push against his hand for more. He applies enough pressure to the circular motion that has you seeing stars. He continues rubbing circles on your clit and your hips buck up against his hold. It felt so good.

You moan out in pleasure when he slides two fingers into your hole with ease, your arousal making it so easy for him. He pumps his fingers in you once or twice, pushing into that spot that has your back arching off the bedroll. Kyle keeps his fingers buried in you for a moment, spreading them out and curling them in a come-hither motion. His lips find their way down on your neck, leaving faint love bites. Sucking on the exposed skin with enough force to pull a loud moan out of you.

"Kyle..." A low breathless whimper escapes your lips as he comes off your neck with a pop. "Please, please."

"Sound so pretty when you moan my name like that. Shoulda done this sooner." He works his fingers in you again, thrusting them up into you over and over again. "Fuck you're so fuckin' wet."

You're moaning so loudly you're sure if you weren't alone on the side of the road you would have woken a whole neighborhood. When you try to muffle those moans, he stops moving his fingers leaving you just teetering on the edge. The knot in your stomach starts to tighten, he can feel the way your pussy flutters around his fingers.

"That's it sweetheart, let go for me. Look at me when you cum." He holds your jaw with his free hand making you look up at him.

Your eyes widen and as you finally clench around his fingers giving you that orgasm you desperately begged for. His fingers keep pumping in and out of you until you're whining, and tears are beginning to spill from your eyes.

"Shh, I know, but I gotta make sure you're nice and prepped for me darlin' don't wanna hurt ya too bad." Kyle whispers in your ear until he pulls his fingers out of you finally. You whine at the loss of contact, suddenly feeling so empty. You watch him bring his fingers up to his lips and swirl his tongue around the digit. "Think you're ready for me baby?"

"Kyle, please. I want this, I want you!" You whimper.

"That's a good girl. Roll over on your stomach for me." He leans back up and gestures for you to do as he says.

So, you do, you roll over on your stomach and just as you do, he tucks a pillow under your stomach. His hands glide up and down your legs until they find purchase on your hips. They tighten and squeeze around your waist pulling you back against his cock. Kyle glides you back against his member, grinding your wet pussy up and down his shaft. He lets out a soft moan and lets his head lull to the side.

"Oh," He says quietly as the tip of his cock nudges against your folds, "thaaaaaat's it." Kyle slips every inch of his cock into you slowly, dragging your velvet walls back against him. He pushes and sinks deeper into you until he bottoms out.

"O-Oh god." You bury your face in the bedroll. "Fuck feels so good."

"You have no fuckin' idea..." He grips your hips and begins slowly thrusting in and out of you, "how many times I've thought about fuckin' you senseless. How bad I just wanted to make you fuckin' mine!" His voice comes out in a breathless moan over your desperate cries.

" 'm yours!" You're a mess at this point and he hasn't done much but finger you and start a lazy pace. Each time he drags his cock out he pulls all the way out leaving you empty again. Only to push it right back in at that antagonizing slow pace, like he's trying to get you to remember every little vein on his cock. "Please just go harder, I can take I-I promise!"

"Yeah? Want me to really fuck you baby? I was gonna take my time with ya, show you just how badly I wanted ya." Kyle bucks into you with a sharp thrust making you bounce forward, "but listen to yourself, beggin' for my cock. Beggin' me to go faster. Do it again."

You bite your lip and squeeze your eyes shut; the first time was easy you weren't really thinking about it. Now that he's making demands of you it makes you feel flustered. That embarrassing feeling of having him looking down at your wrecked form washes over you. When his fingers card through your hair and grip the base of your roots, you let out a shocked gasp.

"Darlin' I believe I asked you to do somethin'. I ain't exactly a patient man right now. Not from the way you're squeezin' me soooo tight." He nudges your insides with a lazy little thrust. All it does is make you moan and claw at the bedroll.

"Please Kyle! Please, please, please" You're reduced to nothing but moans and whines. Begging him to do something, anything!

He seems satisfied with that from the way he pulls you back against his chest. Pulling your head out from the bedroll and letting your moans ring out into the night. With a quick slap against your ass, he begins to pick up the pace. The length of his cock claiming you and pounding into you. Your heart rate spikes as he pushes into you deeper than his fingers could reach. He hits that spot in your pussy that his fingers hit earlier, the one that has you seeing stars and drooling. Kyle lets out a moan when your cunt tightens around him again, one that lets you know just how good you make him feel.

"So fuckin' tight. You take me so fuckin' good baby, like you were made for me. Made to take this cock. Fuck gotta feel you cum around my cock this time. That's it, that's it." Kyle grunts and takes his hand out of your hair. Snaking it around your form he grinds his fingers against your clit again.

Your eyes roll up to the back of your head from everything. The way his cock bullies your insides, how his fingers assault the already sensitive bundle of nerves, and the way he spouts filth in your ear. The praise makes you feel so good, puts you in a head space you've never been in before. The only thing you can think about is what he tells you to. Right now, he wants you to cum around his cock, so you do. You don't even register it until it happens. Until his hips begin to lose that rhythm and he stops pulling out as much.

But when your walls clamp down around him like they had done his fingers, milking him for everything he's worth, he lets out a low moan. He calls your name, not a pet name or the fake name that you've been accustomed to. Your name.

"That's it baby. Fuck I love you, fuck I love you." There isn't so much as a second thought as he just repeats how much he loves you. After one final hard thrust he's spilling into you, filling you with his hot cum. He empties until it's dripping down your thighs, creating a white ring around the base of his cock.

Both of your bodies were wet with sweat from being pressed together. What little strength he has keeps him from collapsing on top of you. His chest pressed against your back, your hearts beating in unison. Eventually Kyle sits back up and slips his cock out of you, carefully lowering you down onto your bedroll again.

You look up at him with an exhausted smile, absent mindedly pushing stray curls out of his face. He looks down at you and smiles in return, he takes your hand and kisses the inside of your palm. That afterglow of sex that clings to you and the way you look disheveled has to be his new favorite sight. You guide him down towards your chest and let him rest his head against your heartbeat. He closes his eyes and holds you close.

"I love you too." You say after a while, not sure if he's asleep or not from the way he hasn't stirred.

"Be mighty awkward if ya didn't." Kyle murmurs in between your chest, placing a gentle kiss onto your collarbone.

"Took you long enough to confess." You joke.

"Yeah...don't know what I was thinkin'. Guess I just didn't wanna put them feelin's out there if you weren't inclined to stick around. You got dreams of settlin' down somewhere quiet..."

"Nothing says you can't be there with me when I do."

"I don't know if I could ever go back to a quiet life like that...I don't think I deserve somethin' like that."

"Oh hush." You cup his face and bring it up to yours. "Don't ever wanna hear you talk like that again Broflovski. You're a good man, I told you that before. I don't love bad men."

"You ain't ever been wrong before."

"Wasn't wrong when I went out to find you all of them months ago. I ain't about to start."

"Ain't?"

"Huh?"

"You said ain't. Never heard you talk like that before, usually you talk all proper like. I think you're pickin' up my accent."

"Go back to laying your head down!" You huff and shove his face back down into your chest which only makes him chuckle.

"If I get to wake up to somethin' like this every day.... I reckon I can see myself settlin' down. Maybe we can get a little farm, start our own little ranch."

"I like that...we can send a letter to your brother, and he can join us."

Kyle smiles warmly at that. You remembered his brother, that conversation on the road that started all this. He closes his eyes and begins to picture it all. You and him tucked away in some area in Colorado with his brother who he hasn't seen in years. Maybe down the road you could change your last name to his. His hand finds yours and he rubs his thumb over your ring finger. Imagining a little metal ring, one that matches his.

The road’s starting to look a lot less lonely.

<- Previous Chapter

[truffyfest]

✨ Truffy Fest 2023 Masterlist & Creator Reveals ✨

At long last, the fest has come to an end with 37 works total! Thank you to all the readers, supporters, cheerleaders, fans, and of course creators for bring this fest and our favorite two captains to life!

If you haven't already, check out the Truffy Fest zine compiling many of these amazing works! 🤍✨

This list will reveal the lovely creators in order of weekly roundups.

Week 1:

✨𝐇𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬✨

by @chenziee (Oneshot, 3.8k, rated G)

Onigiri wasn't sure what was worse--Law taking months to realise he was crushing hard on a classmate, his complete inability to do anything about said crush, or his dumb conviction said classmate did not feel the same way about him. Only one thing was for certain. He was not getting paid enough for this.

✨𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐋𝐚𝐰✨

by @von-leg (3 Page Comic, rated G)

Law agrees to finally tell Luffy's brothers about their relationship. (Ace and Sabo don't react quite like he had expected)

✨𝐌𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐜𝐞✨

by @chenziee (3 Chapter Fic, 2.2k, rated T)

After finding out their sweet, innocent little brother is dating the creepy, dark, and mean Surgeon of Death, pure, honest dread descended upon Sabo and Ace. Someone was going to suffer in this relationship. And it sure as hell wasn't going to be Luffy.

✨𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐞✨

by @katia-anyway (Oneshot, 1.6k, lawlu, rated E)

Taking care of Luffy in bed isn't an easy task, he is demanding and always wants more. But it's so rewarding sometimes... Like when he decides that he doesn't care if his top is too tired, he will push him on his back and do the work himself!

✨𝐃𝐞𝐛𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐝✨

by @chenziee (Oneshot, 1.8k, rated M)

It was a day like any other. A quiet little port town on a small spring island, beautiful and peaceful, almost picturesque. The Thousand Sunny and the Polar Tang were bathed in sunlight, the water around them sparkling like a sea of jewels. A perfect day, a perfect setting for the two allied crews to take a much needed break after travelling for weeks. At least... That was how it was supposed to be. Manga spoilers for chapter 1044 onwards

Week 2:

✨𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐄𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐉𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥 - 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐄𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧✨

by @chenziee (6 Chapter Fic, 3.9k, rated T)

Straw Hat Luffy and Trafalgar Law: more than an alliance?! (Read full article on page 56.)

✨𝐒𝐢𝐱𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞'𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐦✨

by @katia-anyway (Oneshot, 5.4k, lulaw, rated E)

Law had never really noticed Luffy as anything more than as Sabo’s younger brother. Until he sees him without his heels for the first time and realize that, damn, this boy sure is cute… Maybe Law could ask him out… or 5 times Law thought he was completely messing up wooing Luffy and 1 time he realized Luffy had been seduced all along!

✨𝐒𝐮𝐧 𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝐍𝐢𝐤𝐚✨

by Krudy7kk (Artwork, rated G)

Prompt 73: Law meets Nika!Luffy. Every single "classic cartoon character in love" reaction ensues as it takes A While for Law's emotional stunted self to understand what's going on and Nika!Luffy is determined to woo him.

✨𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐦𝐧 (𝐬𝐮𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞)✨

by @chenziee (Oneshot, 2.2k, rated T)

A long time ago, Hades, the God of the Underworld fell in love with Persephone--the Goddess of Vegetation. He dragged her down to his land against her will, forcing her to marry him so they could rule afterlife together, side by side. That is what the humans say happened, at least. The truth just might have been a little bit different.

✨𝐌𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐞𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐯𝐚𝐬✨

by Vixent (Oneshot, 9.4k, rated T)

After an accident occurs, leaving Law with blurry memories of his past, he's forced to move away and cope by drawing and painting. One rainy night, Law soon manages to finally draw the man from his faintest memories, and it comes to life.

Week 3:

✨ 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 (𝐏𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐧 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞) ✨

by riverofnara (Oneshot, 4.1k, rated T)

"The Heart Pirates have learned to keep their expectations of anything happening between Captain and Straw Hat…extremely low. Almost nil. Okay, nonexistent. But then this morning happened." The Heart Pirates believe they need to give Luffy a shovel talk. It goes about as well as one would expect.

✨ 𝐓𝐨 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐌𝐲𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 ✨

by @purplehairedwonder (3 Chapter Fic, 13.2k, rated T)

Betrothal Chase: A longstanding courting tradition between pirates in which a pirate who wants to marry another must catch the object of their desire. Now Pirate King, Luffy declares that his next order of business is getting Law to marry him. Law drunkenly snaps that Luffy will need to catch him first, thus unwittingly setting a Betrothal Chase in motion. While Luffy is all-in, Law is, unsurprisingly, a bit of an idiot.

✨ 𝐒𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐌𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐝: 𝐀𝐊𝐀 𝐋𝐚𝐰'𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐋𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐲 ✨

by Straw_Heart3 (Oneshot, 4.9k, rated T)

The scientific method. He could just use that to figure things out. The first thing is to make an observation: Law noticed that he has been getting certain feelings for one Monkey D. Luffy. The second is to ask a question: What kind of feelings did Law have? The third; form a hypothesis or a testable explanation. The fourth: make a prediction based on his hypothesis. Law knows that as soon as he spends more than a minute actually with Luffy, he’ll squash whatever these feelings are. That leaves the fifth: test the prediction. That’s easy enough.

✨ 𝐆𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐌𝐞 𝐀 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 ✨

by @betsib (Oneshot, 6.4k, lulaw vibe, rated M)

Law is the lead vocalist and songwriter for the Heart Pirates, but he have been having trouble coming up with new songs. On a whim, he does a cover of the Straw Hats' new single to clear his mind. He doesn't realise Shachi is filming him. The video goes viral on social media, and the fans are demanding a collaboration between the bands. Law isn't interested, until he meets Luffy.

✨ 𝐇𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐲 𝐃𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐀𝐔 ✨

by @majoranokamen (Artwork, rated G)

Prompt 122: Hungry Days AU

✨ 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐒𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ✨

by @livwritesfics (Oneshot, 1.6k, rated G)

Law is a student. Luffy regularly sneaks into the university to watch him study in the library. He loves it when Law explains complicated facts to his fellow students. He doesn't understand a word of it, but the way Law talks totally turns him on. Until one day Law catches him hanging around the library after closing without permission. This will be written in Luffy's point of view.

Weeks 4 & 5:

✨ 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐭 𝐌𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐒𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞 ✨

by @tunatunatunas (7 Chapter Fic, 42.2k, rated M)

Law yanked the kid out from the back of the truck and thought about killing him right there. He was the boss of a notorious mafia family, he didn't have time for random weirdos to mess up his heists. Especially not when the little maniac kept asking to hold his gun. It only took some time before Law was falling in love with his smile. "Lu" was sweet and loving-nothing like Law had known his entire life. But most of all, he was kind. And now he was missing, all because Law got him involved.

✨ 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐌𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐭 ✨

by riverofnara (5 Chapter Fic, 28.5k, rated T)

“See? I’m perfectly fine. Now can I ask my question?” Law doesn’t even spare Luffy a glance. “You had a question?” “Do you want to be my co-pilot?” Golden eyes flicker up to Luffy’s face in shock. “Excuse me?” --- Luffy knows he’s found his Jaeger co-pilot in Law. If only Law would stop saying no and just agree. A One Piece/Pacific Rim fusion.

Week 6:

✨ 𝐀 𝐁𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐬𝐞 ✨

by @katia-anyway (Oneshot, 2.6k, rated G)

Law is the village witch. She lives alone in the forest, only visited by sick people looking for cures after the village doctors have given up on them. Until a young boy wearing a straw hat comes visit him, having lost his memories to a curse. Why would Nika, the Sun God curse a young boy from nowhere? Law needs to figure it out.

✨ 𝐥𝐚𝐰 𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐥𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐲 ✨

by @nairi-0 (Artwork, rated G)

Prompt 191: Law falling asleep on Luffy.

✨ 𝐊𝐢𝐤𝐨𝐤𝐮, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐭 𝐠𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐲 ✨

by @nimudae (Artwork, rated G — 1st part of 2 fic 2 art collab)

Prompt 204: Kikoku has had a VIP seat to Law's (quiet outside, nonstop inside) pining over Luffy and it's Tired so it whispers (unwanted) unhinged encouragements and scenarios to Law to make his feelings known whenever Luffy is anywhere close. Unbeknownst to them, Luffy's ability to hear the voice of all things means he too gets Kikoku's (hilarious to him) running commentary of their interactions.

✨ 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐬 𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲? ✨

by @katia-anyway (Oneshot, 3.6k, rated M — 2nd part of 2 fic 2 art collab)

Luffy is in love with Torao. And he knows Torao loves him back. So why won't Torao kiss him already!?

✨ 𝐋𝐚𝐰 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐚𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 ✨

by @nimudae (Artwork — 3rd part of 2 fic 2 art collab)

"Being curled around Torao was just so comfy, he was quickly becoming Luffy’s new favorite napping spot."

✨ 𝐃𝐢𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐡𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 ✨

by @goldenandhappy (Oneshot, 4k, rated T — 4th part of 2 fic 2 art collab)

Prompt 204: Kikoku has had a vip seat to Law's (quiet outside, nonstop inside) pining over Luffy and it's Tired so it whispers (unwanted) unhinged encouragements and scenarios to Law to make his feelings known whenever Luffy is anywhere close. Unbeknownst to them, Luffy's ability to hear the voice of all things means he too gets Kikoku's (hilarious to him) running commentary of their interactions

Week 7:

✨ 𝐄𝐦𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞 ✨

by @leeislazy (Artwork, rated G)

Prompt 13: Angel Luffy x Devil Law!!

✨ 𝐁𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐥, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐝! ✨

by Ja-san (Oneshot, 2.1k, lulaw, rated E)

A party turns into a spicy night when Luffy falls into the pool and Law offers some spare clothes.

✨ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐲 𝐃. 𝐋𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐲 ✨

by Lamp (Oneshot, rated T)

Monkey D. Luffy was cute. This much was known—this was an undeniable, immutable fact. It was also largely suspected to be a ruse of some sort. The squishy-cheeked, beaming face on the wanted posters was largely considered by the more discerning members of Law’s profession to be incapable of the infamous, impossible deeds that Straw Hat Luffy has committed. --- Or: Luffy is cute, Law has incorrect assumptions, and then a crisis.

✨ 𝐁𝐢𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 ✨

by @nimudae, @moonelnone (Artwork Collab, rated G)

Prompt 119: Seraphim!Luffy and Seraphim!Law

Week 8:

✨ 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝’𝐯𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐧 𝐚 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧 ✨

by @moustawott (Artwork, rated G)

Prompt 3: DND monk Luffy and cleric Law

✨ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐚𝐛𝐮𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐥𝐲 𝐎𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲 ✨

by RitsukoRyoku (Oneshot & Artwork, 3.2k, rated G)

Torticia Addams must find the perfect flower for the Charity Auction. Only her husband Lumez can help her traverse the wildly fantastical world within their Green house for the perfect one.

✨ 𝐀 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐭 ✨

by Ja-san (Oneshot, 3.9k lawlu, rated E)

Omega Luffy works as a sexworker to survive. And then the sexiest Alpha voice he ever heard calls him to book him not for sex. But for a leather photo shooting during his next heat.

✨ 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐃𝐢𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐌𝐞 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 ✨

by @betsib (Oneshot, 17k, rated T)

Law is reading a romance novel on this way to work when the bus gets into an accident and he loses consciousness. When he wakes up, he finds himself in the world of the novel, in the role of a doctor, with a talking bear as his assistant and the protagonist bleeding out on his doorstep.

✨ 𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐠𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐬 ✨

by @skartlie (Oneshot, rated E)

Prompt 15: Law is a serial killer psychopath and Luffy’s a sweet car mechanic that lives next door. Although complete opposites, they’re drawn to one another like two opposing magnets.

✨ 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐤𝐲 ✨

by Lamp (Oneshot, 4.6k, rated T)

Luffy was the God of the Sun, and the sun was bright. Blindingly so. Luffy could hear the world around him, and he loved his people, but they could not hear him, and they could not see him any more than he could make out the details of their faces through the eternal, blinding sunlight. Luffy could get so close to his people, but he couldn’t interact with them, no matter how much he longed to. Luffy was lonely. Then the Dark Day came, and he wasn't anymore. --- Or: Luffy is the Sun, Law is the Moon, and an eclipse brings them together.

✨ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐡 𝐖𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐎𝐟 𝐄𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐫 𝐍𝐢𝐤𝐚 ✨

by @khepiari (Oneshot, 22.1k, lulaw, rated M)

A.U. DILF Luffy x DILF Law. Emperor x Healer. Slow-burn. Miscommunication. Happy ending. Trafalgar D Water Law was heartbroken. The man he loved, his one true love, his soulmate, was married. Married not once or twice, but married six times. But Law has his reasons, which are nothing but excuses born of his overthinking and fears. So now the task to convince Law into becoming Emperor Nika's seventh wife falls on his six wives? How will they do it? Most probably by telling the truth about their marriage, right?

Last but not least, bonus works:

✨ 𝐈𝐧𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐏𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 ✨

by @sydneyxface (7 Chapter Fic, 81k, lulaw, rated E)

Dr. Trafalgar Law has seen many wild and surprising things come across his table as a pathologist, but nothing compares to one of his decedents waking from the dead - and thirsty for his blood. And so Law befriends (and beds) a vampire named Luffy and is pulled into the chaos that surrounds him - which involves cracking a case of missing people supposedly being used as slave labor for the elites of the world... the Celestial Dragons.

✨ 𝐌𝐞𝐚𝐭, 𝐃𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐬, & 𝐂𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐬 ✨

by @quackquackcey (3 Chapter Fic, 8.1k, lawlu, rated E)

‘Strawhat’ Luffy, infamous throughout the school as chaos personified, had a crush. In other words, it should be to no one’s surprise that it’d result in broken windows, whirlwinds of fists, and untamed romance, right?

I hope you all enjoyed this year's fest & zine - if you did, please scream about it and shower the creators with love! 🤍✨

[Reblogs & 💞 appreciated so more people can enjoy these fantastic Truffy Fest works! Thank you!]

---

(@opfandomnews Thank you! 🤍)

[crackedpumpkin]

|| ʙʟᴀɴᴋ ᴄᴀɴᴠᴀꜱ || ᴘᴀʀᴛ ꜰɪᴠᴇ ||

[ 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 ] | [ 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 ] | [ 𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 ]

The Kidnapper [ 10:00 AM ]: ink or Grey?

The Kidnapper [ 10:00 AM ]: *Pink

The Kidnappee [ 10:30 AM ]: ink is good.

The Kidnapper [ 10:35 AM ]: i despise everything you currently stand for.

“Who’re you texting?”

You subtly place your phone screen-side down, turning to flash Nicole a bright smile. “No one,” You shrug, lying through your teeth. She hums for a moment, thoughtful eyes trained on you before she decides to pass over it. 

“Have you finished your essay yet?” 

“I’m almost offended you asked.” You pull out your essay with a scoff, placing it on your table as your phone buzzes with a new notification. You check it out of curiosity, inhaling sharply.

- [ The Kidnappee ] has changed your name to [ Anti-Hero ] -

Damn. He really got you there. 

Anti-Hero [ 10:37 AM ]: this is a forcibly implemented stereotype.

- [ Anti-Hero ] has changed [ The Kidnappee ] to [ :/ ] -

:/ [ 10:37 AM ]: :/

“Can I have a look?” Nicole takes the completed assignment from your table once you nod, scanning through it. You had barely gotten enough sleep last night, having scrounged up just enough motivation to hand in this assignment early so that you could focus on other things worth your time, and thanking the gods for thesaurus dot com.

For instance, there was a new cafe you’d been wanting to try out lately. You’d heard that they had this new pastry – croffles, as they call it. Fortunately, you happened to have a little spare cash in your rapidly depleting bank account, but as one says, life is only lived when you eat good food. 

Plus, who else to go cafe hopping with than your best friend?

“Oh, I can’t make it today.” You stare at Nicole who cooly informs you of her sudden withdrawal from today’s plans. “My mom asked me to pick something up from her, and it’s pretty much on the other side of town. Plus, don’t you have to babysit tonight?”

“Well, yeah but-”

“I’ll pay for the next cafe.”

“Have fun!” You grin, overjoyed at the prospect of a free meal. One can never turn down food, especially when it’s for free. Nicole rolls her eyes with a slight smile at your response, though you can tell that she’s amused. 

“What about Michael?” 

“He’s got basketball today,” Nicole says, handing you back the essay and sending you an odd look when she notices your raised brows. “What?”

“Looks like someone’s been keeping tabs on him,” You tease lightly, leaning over and nudging her shoulder. She pushes you off with a grunt, lips tugged down into a frown. 

“That’s because he never shuts up.” 

“Sure, sure,” You dismiss with a lighthearted sigh, already starting to text on your phone once more. If Nicole wasn’t free, and Michael was busy…it didn’t leave you with many alternative options. It’s not like you didn’t have many friends per say, it was more of a social network. 

Plus, it never hurts to make connections either. 

Anti-Hero [ 11:00 AM ]: are you busy today?

Anti-Hero [ 11:00 AM ]: or does spiderman have somewhere to be?

:/ [ 11:00 AM ]: i dont think so, dont really have anything on after school. 

:/ [ 11:02 AM ]: why?

:/ [ 11:30 AM ]: ?

You place your phone back into your pocket with a slight grin, paying attention to the teacher who had just started her lesson. The phone continues to buzz, probably more new messages from Miles questioning the sudden enquiry.

Guess you have someone to go with to the cafe after all. 

— — — — — 

“The mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell.”

“This is an English paper,” Nicole points out. You frown at the paper on your desk, your name scrawled at the top left along with today’s date. 

“That’d explain it,” you mutter, going back to your sketchbook where your half-finished artwork remains. The pages are wrinkled with multiple attempts to erase any mistakes, but the familiar sight of Spiderman leaning back against a bench and chilling is the picture of peace. 

On an empty page is where you’d just started doodling, ideas beginning to flow through you from mind to paper. You’d doodled a rough outline of a bouquet, having lightly sketched two hands holding them out. The flowers were a mix of different types, each with a common meaning - peace. The idea had occurred to you during class, the serenity of the first sketching session with Miles ingrained in your mind. 

It was nice. And that made you wonder what other things were nice and peaceful too. Going on walks counted, didn’t they? Granted, you don’t really go on them often but when you did, it always helped clear your mind of whatever thoughts were plaguing you. Usually you’d head to a nearby park to just walk around aimlessly. The trees were nice during autumn, its leaves turning all sorts of colours and curling up as they withered. 

It’s fun to step on them and hear the soft crunch, the sound oddly satisfying. The flowers were nice too, different types blooming in various seasons throughout the year. Flowers were always given during graduations and ceremonies, especially in the form of celebration and congratulations. You’d heard from Michael that each flower had a different meaning. Roses typically signified love, but it could get as specific as white roses meaning purity, while red roses were a profession of love from one person to another.

You wonder which flower signifies peace. Upon a quick google search (away from the laser-like gaze of your teacher of course), you find out that such flowers included lavender, violets, white poppies, and peonies among the many that did. 

You prop the phone up against your pencil case, grateful for the fact that you’re seated in the back with a lower chance of being caught by the teacher. Pencil meets paper, and you soon find yourself with a half completed bouquet, with incredibly detailed petals of each flower.

However, you’re rudely interrupted by the bell, Nicole having set down a new assignment the teacher had handed out at the end of her class. Your next period was art and you bid Nicole with a hasty goodbye before rushing down the crowded hallways to the classroom. 

Once you open the door, you sit down at your usual spot and open your sketchbook in one fluid movement, continuing to draw while you’re still in the zone. You could feel your productivity practically shooting through the roof, knowing that if you stopped here you wouldn’t be able to continue for quite a while and inevitably end up procrastinating.

But not for this piece, no. It’s something solid. You can feel it.

After what feels like an eternity, you finally look up from the sketchbook, wincing when the stiff muscles in your neck protest from the sudden movement. Taking a moment to look around you, you notice that it’s almost the end of class. Miss Dawson is seated at her desk, looking through homework submissions other students had handed in a while ago. 

She senses your gaze, meeting yours with a knowing smile. You shrug simply, holding up your sketchbook with a smug smirk. Her eyes scan the page, acknowledging the work with a single satisfied nod. Delight blooms in your chest at her approval, setting it down and admiring it for yourself. 

To think that your first serious work after your drawing slump is something that you’re more than satisfied with. 

Looks like this muse thing is working out well for you after all. 

— — — — — 

You don’t run into Nicole and Michael until the last period before the bell rings, the both of them leaving as soon as its shrill chime echoes through the school. You wave goodbye, Nicole shoving Michael away as soon as he tries to drape his arm around her shoulders once more. 

You snicker at the sight, shaking your head fondly at his antics. It’s only a matter of time till they finally get together. You’re more than willing to help, only if they’d just voice it out, the idiots. 

You finally open the unread messages from Miles, but don’t reply even as you exit the school and make your way to Brooklyn Visions Academy. A cool breeze greets the exposed skin of your arms, having taken off the thin cardigan you’d worn to school in the chilly morning. 

The familiar building soon comes into view, and you spot Miles exiting the gates. You check the time on your phone. 2.30PM. Perfect.

“Come on loser, we’re going shopping!” You greet him enthusiastically, waving energetically. The bright smile on your lips only grows when you see the pure confusion and panic in his eyes.

“Wh-What’re you doing here?” He asks you as you skip merrily towards him. Sensing a few eyes on him, he gently grabs your wrist and pulls you to one side, away from most of the crowd. 

You spot the beads of sweat forming on his brow, and the visibly distressed frown on his lips. Although you took great pleasure in seeing him become so unnerved by you, now isn’t the time for such pleasantries to be exchanged. You remove your hand from his grasp, lightly patting his back instead with a charming smile. 

“Calm down, I’m just here to pick you up. We’re going to a croffle cafe!” Miles pauses, looking down at you in disbelief. He takes a moment to stare at you, before sliding a hand down his face as his brows furrow, trying to process your words. He exhales, eyes squeezed shut while you wait patiently, utterly amused as you watch him go through the stages of acceptance. 

“Croffle?”

“A cross between croissant and waffle,” You clarify, tugging on his sleeve. “C’mon, we gotta get there before everything’s sold out!”

He starts to walk, allowing you to drag him along to wherever the cafe is located. He falls into step beside you, matching your pace. It’s quiet for a moment before he speaks, breaking the slightly awkward silence.

“So, you didn’t have anyone else to go with?” He questions, still bewildered and slightly taken aback by your sudden appearance at his school. 

You frown, shaking your head. “Nah, my friends were busy so I decided to bring you along since you said you were free today.” The subtle glance you throw his way doesn’t escape his notice, looking down at his uniform you had given a once-over. 

“What’s wrong with my uniform?”

“Nothing, it’s just…Aren’t you hot or something?” You question curiously, surprised by his tolerance to the sudden sweltering sun that decided to make its presence known to everyone under it a short while ago. 

He shrugs, smirking as he secures the blazer around his waist, unbuttoning it and letting it fall to his sides. “It’s a choice.”

“Like your shoes?” You point out, eyeing the way his untied shoelaces land into a small puddle on the pavement. He nods casually, seemingly having accepted that his afternoon was now going to be spent accompanying you.

“I have choices,” He defends with an emotionless smile. You roll your eyes playfully. Thankfully, the apartment buildings around you provide plenty of shade from the heat, though you were still sweating a rather moderate amount. 

An array of buildings and trees pass by in a colourful blur, the cafe finally coming into view. The interior is both modern and sleek, the doorbell attached to the top of the door chiming as you open it. The workers inside greet you with a cheerful hello, and you nod back with a shy smile, flustered by their warm greeting. You make your way to the second floor without hesitation, setting down your bag on the chair that faces the ceiling-to-floor windows, offering a beautiful view of the bustling junction. 

Miles quickly makes himself comfortable in his own seat, curious fingers pulling his phone out and scanning the QR Code that had been laminated onto the table. You do the same, scrolling through the extensive menu the cafe had. 

“What’s a cherry-ade?” 

“It’s kinda like a lemonade, just cherry flavoured and usually more fizzy. I heard this cafe is known for their savoury croffles, but I really wanna try their croffle and ice cream combination. Plus, I saw that they sell plum-ade here too.” You explain, already placing an order on your phone and setting it down on the table after.

“Chicken and croffles,” Miles hums thoughtfully, glancing back down at a menu option. You lean over the table between you both, peeking at his phone. He instinctively moves it away, but your inquisitive gaze makes him relent, showing you the screen where an order for the chicken croffle and plum-ade is placed. 

“So you’re a savoury person? I bet you like mint chocolate chip ice cream too,” You remark, shifting in your seat and getting comfortable. 

“What’s so bad about mint chocolate chip ice cream?” Miles takes offence to that statement, narrowing his eyes at you. You squint back at him, already gearing yourself up to put forth your stance.

“You’re basically biting into toothpaste,” you state with complete and utter certainty, undeterred by the shock in his eyes when he hears your words. 

“Biting??”

“Okay, I mean it’s not any of my business as to what you get up to in the mornings but if getting little gunky bits stuck in your teeth is your idea of a wonderful start to the day, be my guest.”

“Wait, no. Biting? You bite your ice cream?” He repeats, completely baffled by this discovery and forgoing everything else you’ve said. 

“Yeah, and it’s seriously like biting into chocolate toothpaste bro,” You answer coolly with a disapproving shake of your head.  

“Do your teeth not hurt?” He asks curiously. 

You pause for a moment, looking down at the folded hands on your lap before answering. “Not really, but I’ve never really thought about it before. Also, it’s just way more convenient all ‘round.”

“But you wouldn’t get to savour it!”

“And you’d rather have it drip onto your hands and let them become sticky?”

“Use tissues then?”

“God, you’re so weird,” You grunt out through an annoyed huff, though the smile on your face suggests otherwise. Before he can retort however, a sweet voice interrupts you both. The waitress arrives with the tray of food, setting it down on your table and leaving after you both give her your thanks.

“So, this is a croffle.” 

You look down at the freshly made croffle on the plate, the vanilla ice cream on top already beginning to melt as steam wafts from the hot pastry. You shut your eyes and inhale deeply, warmth blooming in your chest from the prospect of a delicious lunch.w

You’re already starting to salivate. 

“Wait.” 

Your fork and knife are inches away from cutting into the croffle, looking up at him with a frown. Who is he to stop you from digging into your well-deserved sweet treat? 

“Bite into it,” Miles smirks, using his own fork to gesture to the ice cream that was surprisingly maintaining its shape after being scooped. 

“Whatever you say, bug boy,” You shrug, using your fork to scoop a huge portion of the ice cream and instantly bite down, chewing calmly. The vanilla is just as sweet and as velvety smooth as you’d expected, eliciting a blissful hum from your throat.

“Guess you weren’t lying,” Miles purses his lips, taking a sip of the plum-ade. You copy him, the refreshing tang of the plum extract only making you want more whilst the fizziness of the soda water cools you from the earlier heat. The air conditioning helps too, you suppose. 

“This…isn’t half bad,” He muses with an approving hum, taking another look at the glass with an impressed gaze. 

“Love me a good plum-ade.” You nod in utter seriousness, unable to hold back a smile from his short laugh. He looks away and takes another sip, relaxing against the chair and watching people pass by below them.

“So, you found out who I was after you saw me climb up the window? Are you really sure about that?”

“You’re kidding.” You say incredulously, shooting him a dubious look and gesturing to the opposite building. “Like, I almost did a double take just seeing you crawl up the wall and into your dorm. It was as obvious as if you did it right in front of us, right now.”

“Seriously?” 

You almost laugh at his flushed cheeks, spotting the tips of his ears slowly turning a light red. “You really gotta get better at this, Morales.”

“Says you, Ray Paynt,” He shoots back instantly, and you avoid his knowing stare by looking down at your glass, taking another sip. You can feel his eyes on you, taking your time to drink your beverage.

There’s no way he knows that your name is fake…right?

“Anyway,” You clear your throat, nodding at his chicken and croffle drenched in maple syrup though one third of it is already gone. “Is it good?” 

He nods,, taking another bite. “It’s decent.”

It grows quiet for a while, the both of you taking your time to eat and relax. There’s not much to say either. You anticipated that Miles might have some burning questions for you, but he doesn’t voice them out at all. 

Besides, it’s not like you’d answer all of them even if he asked.

The sun starts to set, golden rays peeking through the small alleyways of redbrick buildings. You check your phone, surprised when it shows that it’s 7PM. You pick up your backpack and clear the trays, getting ready to leave.

“This wasn’t half bad,” He acknowledges, shrugging on his backpack. You grin, crossing your arms smugly. 

“Told you being my muse would be a good thing.”

“You never said that.”

“Well, now I did.”

— — — — — 

- [ Anti-Hero ] has changed [ :/ ] to [ Bug Boy ] -

Bug-Boy [ 10:00 PM ]: you owe me $7.50

Anti-Hero [ 10:00 PM ]: ???? for what?

Bug-Boy [ 10:00 PM ]: my time is expensive

Anti-Hero [ 10:02 PM ]: says who

Anti-Hero [ 10:02 PM ]: ?

Anti-Hero [ 10:02 PM ]: ??

— — — — — — — — —

taglist:

@oh-kurva @brunnettiwik @queerponcho @sleepingnova @1theestallionyas @horologiumwise @ken-zah @sockgoblin @itstooearly-its3am @anuncalledbridge @ditto737 @sophipet @mirophobic @dilucpegg3r @urmotherswhor3 @arraxthatsonjah @ameliabs-world @superiorbyfar @swaqlover @janyiahsucks-blog @choco-malk-blog @akemiixx01 @a-cult-leader @berryunderscore @scarletrosesposts @stargirlhayven @bellstwd @edgyficuselastica @psyche404 @sukisprettyface

[callsign-bunnie]

Some Gaz and Alex fluff. They meet as teenagers at a beach and Gaz watches Alex surfing/playing beach volleyball and they have a cute summer romance.

I'm not really good at writing teen romances. However, I thought this was a funnier idea.

--

Gaz was having a conundrum. Of course, between falling out of two helicopters, having just gotten rid of a corrupted American General, and then constantly having to deal with a cartel leader who couldn’t quite decide if she was the group Vodka Aunt or their worst nightmare…

When was Gaz not having a conundrum?

Whatever, Gaz was having a massive conundrum. The biggest conundrum. The worst conundrum. What was the origin of the word conundrum, anyway?

Focus, Gaz. The conundrum. 

(The origin is unknown, but it was recorded as early as the 1600s so it’s an old word. It sounds like something that Shakespeare would make up.)

He and Alex had been dating for a while and the fact that he had only just put the pieces together, now, was honestly embarrassing. So embarrassing, in fact, that he just had to tell Price about it. Price was close enough to his dad and Laswell was currently with the aforementioned CIA agent on a mission for Farah. And, seeing as it was almost Christmas…

Well, it was November, but who fucking cares?

Anyway.

Gaz had waited until it was just him and Price at the ranch house before plopping down on the emerald green couch beside Price. He paused, touching over the material. He knew Rudy had picked all of the furniture and… damn. He had taste. It felt expensive. Fuck, it looked expensive.

Focus, Gaz! The conundrum!

“Sir, I need to talk to you about something.”

Price paused where he’d been reading a book, his reading glasses on, and he looked up at the wall. “Can it wait, Garrick?”

“No it cannot. It is fairly important. I am having a conundrum.” Gaz looked at Price, who didn’t move. He narrowed his eyes at the cover of the book. “The Twin Flames of Desire?” He raised an eyebrow, watching his Captain turn a deep dark shade of red. “Isn’t that- Isn’t that a firefighter erotica? That one that Soap was gushing over about the two firefighters who meet and charm that librarian? It turns out they’re both fucking and they want the librarian to join them as their third?” It was an MLM erotica. Gaz didn’t read many eroticas and, in fact, Soap had mentioned listening to the audiobook.

But, Soap had went over the plot in excruciating detail to Rudy and Gaz and Gaz remembered Price had been in the room, too. He hadn’t thought he was listening, though. 

“Alright, alright!” Price dog-eared the page and put the book down. “You have my attention, Garrick.”

“Nah, nah, the conundrum can wait a minute.” Gaz shook his head. “I didn’t know you had such… proclivities, captain.” He chuckled, leaning back against the couch. “I thought you and Nik were rather… uh…”

“Oh, can it!” Price huffed. “I’m a 37 year old man, of course I have.. proclivities. Don’t be juvenile, sergeant.”

“My apologies, Captain, I’m just taking the piss a little.” Gaz laughed, finding how flustered Price seemed to be getting to be a little amusing. 

Price rolled his eyes. “Don’t get cheeky. Just tell me the damn conundrum.”

“Right,” Gaz nodded and straightened back up. “But first… I have to tell you a story.”

Price groaned. “Gaz, can you just tell me the problem? I don’t have time for a story.”

“My apologies, I’ll just leave you with… what was his name? Damian Flame?” Gaz joked, making a motion as if he was about to stand.

“God, fine, you can tell me whatever story as long as you promise to never bring this up again.” Price rolled his eyes. “I found it in Rodolfo’s library, can’t you go tease him about it?”

“No, because that tracks for Rodolfo.” Gaz shook his head. “I doubt he’d even be ashamed over it. You, on the other hand….”

“The story, Garrick.”

Gaz laughed. “Right.” He nodded and sighed, trying to figure out where to start. “So… when I was 14, my foster family and I went to the states on vacation.”

-

Kyle looked around as his foster family went down to the beach. There were a decent amount of them, but most of them were teenagers at that rate. Well… Kyle was the youngest, so all of them were teenagers. He was 15, in fact, though he was pretty tall for being 15.

“Kyle!” His foster mother called and Kyle quickly jogged over, frowning. 

“Yes?” He asked when he got close, watching her spread out a blanket. Already, his mind was counting his foster siblings nearby, seeing who all had already ditched them for the water.

There were 10 of them, total, but he could only count four, not including himself. Then he could spot the others scattered around the beach, already taking part in activities. It made sense, most of his foster siblings were more social than he was. Kyle was… well, a bit of an introvert. He didn’t mind it, but he definitely wasn’t going to find himself participating in volleyball or anything like that.

Definitely going to swim, though. 

He turned to his foster mother before helping her use the cooler to weigh down the blanket, accepting a popsicle when she offered it. “Did you need anything else?” He asked, assuming she’d just wanted help.

“Yes,” she nodded. “You know how your sister is, I need to talk to the lifeguards about her accommodations.”

Kyle resisted rolling his eyes. One, because he did not think she had to do that, and two because of course she was getting him to do it. She knew he didn’t really like talking to new people, which was probably why she was asking him. He knew it wasn’t out of malicious intent, she just felt it was her duty to prepare him for the real world.

The real world… the mysterious other world that everyone kept telling him to get ready for. As if he was being sent on a rocketship to a mysterious other planet. 

Kyle still nodded and said he would do it, turning and looking around for the little building the lifeguard resided in. Well, he spotted the tower first, before seeing that the building was built into it, and then he spotted the lifeguard.

His mind stuttered as his eyes caught on him. He was tall, quite a bit taller than Kyle, but seeing as he was clearly an adult and Kyle was only 15, that made sense. Blonde and toned and… bloody gorgeous. Oh no. Oh no no no.

Kyle knew he was gay. That… was fairly obvious. His foster family knew, too, and they had stated many times that they didn’t care. He didn’t necessarily just randomly tell other people, but he had the feeling it was fairly obvious. 

He took a deep breath. “Mum, are you sure you can’t get David to do it?”

“Kyle, I asked you to. Just go talk to them and tell them I need to talk to them.”

Kyle did stop to question why she wasn’t just going to the tower and talking to them, herself, but he shrugged that off and took a deep breath. “Alright… I will.” He more mumbled it, doubting she even heard, and he finally took the first step.

His heart quickened as he approached the lifeguard’s tower and he glanced in the building, praying there was another lifeguard who was closer to his age or… not completely gorgeous in the building but… it was empty.

It made sense. He glanced around, noticing that the beach didn’t appear super busy, and so it made sense that they’d only have one Lifeguard. It was also Wednesday… He finally allowed himself to look up, glad to see the Lifeguard was not looking at him.

Instead, he was looking out at the beach through sunglasses. Aviators, he was pretty sure they were called. 

“Um…” Kyle winced at how weak his voice was. “E-Excuse me!” He finally managed, turning dark red at how almost squeaky his voice was. God, this was mortifying.

However, it had worked because then the lifeguard was looking down at him and he was half grinning, dropping down in front of Kyle. Kyle quickly stumbled back, putting some distance between them and trying so very hard not to let his eyes wonder. “You need something?” The lifeguard asked.

Kyle clenched his hands into fists, forcing his eyes to look anywhere else, settling on an umbrella in the distance. “My um… My mum needs to talk to you. My sister, she has these accommodations-”

“Oh, cool.” The lifeguard nodded and then ducked into the building. Kyle leaned into the building, confused.

Kyle frowned and watched him as he sat down at the chair in there, noticing a computer. And that the building had a floor. Huh, he didn’t know they had like… things in them. He just thought they were little buildings for shade. He ducked back as the lifeguard looked at him, blushing dark.

“You can come in, kid.” The lifeguard laughed. “I don’t bite.”

Oh, that statement did embarrassing things to Kyle’s brain. His brother, David, would have likely responded with “not even if I ask nicely?” But Kyle absolutely was not saying that. This was embarrassing. He peeked back in before shaking his head, deciding to go with the safe option and just not. 

The Lifeguard frowned before shrugging and then he was grabbing a clipboard, sticking a paper in it, and coming back out. “Can you take this to your mom and then tell her I’ll come talk to her in like thirty minutes when my shift ends? Braeden should be here to relieve me and I’ll go over details so I can tell everyone else. Cool?”

Kyle blinked, staring at the clipboard. “Yeah, I can.” He took the clipboard, trying not to blush again. God, get it together, Kyle. He hugged the clipboard and backed up, watching the lifeguard go back up the stairs to the top of the tower. “Oh, wait!” He called before he could stop himself. “My mum will want to know your name!”

“Alex!” The lifeguard called back down, leaning against the rail of the tower, again. “I’m the only one on staff with that name!”

“Awesome.” Kyle mumbled and finally ran off to go talk to his mom again. He held out the clipboard when he got close to her, relaxing when she took it. “He’s the only lifeguard, so he’ll come talk to you when his shift ends in thirty minutes.”

His mom looked down at the clipboard and then shrugged. “What’s his name?” She asked as she got out a pen, starting to fill out the paperwork.

Kyle blushed. “Alex.” He liked having the lifeguard’s name. He knew there was no chance in hell but… At least he had a name. Alex. It was simple, likely something he’d find in his sister’s romance books. 

He glanced back over at the lifeguard, seeing he was now talking to another lifeguard who had likely just arrived. Huh, he hadn’t thought it’d been thirty minutes, yet. But, as he watched Alex move, hating that he was able to pick up how his swim shorts hung off his hips a little, revealing a v-line that Kyle had to fight his mind not to take interest in.

God, the fucking sunshine was reflecting off his fucking abs… 

Yeah, Alex was definitely the guy on the cover, too. He hoped Alex wouldn’t have too many shifts or else this summer would be torturous… He quickly looked away, turning dark red as Alex glanced at him. Fuck. Don’t be fucking obvious, you idiot.

He looked at his mum, who was continuing to fill out paperwork. Then he was being shoved, lightly, almost losing his balance. He huffed and turned to look at David, who was laughing. “Kyle’s got a crush.”

“I do not!” Kyle immediately defended.

David just laughed harder. “Yes you do! It’s so obvious! Anyway, I was coming over to ask if you wanted to come with me and these girls I just met to the surf beach tomorrow.”

“You don’t surf.” Kyle made a face. Neither did he, for that matter. They were both on the swim team, but… Kyle was planning to quit and David sucked at it. He narrowed his eyes. “And I’m guessing these are pretty girls?”

“They’re total fucking babes.”

“You’re british!” Kyle exclaimed. “You don’t even use that lingo!” He crossed his arms and then groaned as David put his hands together and made a pleading face. “Prick. Fine. We can go to the surf beach. But I’m not saving your ass if you fall off your board. What did you tell them?”

David winced, looking sheepish. “I may have told them… that I was a surf champion in England…”

“You. Don’t. Surf.” Kyle slapped his forehead, groaning. 

“Well, I don’t plan on getting on a surfboard.” David shrugged. “I’ll charm them with my wit, and then they’ll never even notice that I’m not on a board. Besides, I just want to get with the main one. Look at her.” 

Kyle looked to where David gestured, seeing a girl around their age. Well, David’s age, since he was 16, and seeing a blonde girl. She had obviously permed hair and she was… wearing hoops at the beach. Clearly, she didn’t plan on swimming, regardless, and her swimsuit was rather showy… Of course David went for that one. “You think you have a chance with her?” Well, he looked at David.

David had been adopted from Korea. However, he was as tall as Kyle, and he had a considerable amount of charisma. And a stupid amount of confidence. A dangerous amount of confidence. Kyle had watched him manage to get with girls way out of his league… 

David grinned and puffed out his chest. “No. But I’m gonna try, anyway.”

“Great.” Kyle rolled his eyes. He yelped as he was suddenly shoved over, watching David laugh and run off. “Prick!” He called and brushed sand off himself, groaning. Falling in sand fucking hurt. 

“Hey, you okay?”

Oh no… Fucking David! Kyle winced and looked up at Alex, who was offering his hand to help Kyle up. Kyle blushed dark, knowing David had to have done this on purpose. He hesitantly accepted the hand, letting Alex help him up and then quickly letting go and pulling away. 

Alex smiled at him. “You good?” 

He had his sunglasses off, now, and they were folded on the lanyard which had his whistle on it. Kyle blushed darker and quickly pulled his eyes up before he started to look at the skin around it. Alex looked concerned. “Did you hit your head?”

Kyle quickly shook his head. “No. Just fell on my back. Yeah, I’m fine.” He was not fine, this was embarrassing and he was going to kill David. 

“Hello, you must be Alex.” His mum finally came over, catching Alex’s attention. She offered a hand, which Alex shook, and Kyle glanced around for David, seeing he was over by the girls again.

David grinned when he saw him and waved him over, so Kyle rolled his eyes and went over. “I’m going to kill you.” He muttered when he got close.

David laughed. “The girls,” he gestured around the group of four girls, and Kyle just sort of nodded at them, “said that that lifeguard that’s talking to Mom is a surfer, too.”

Oh no. 

“Oh?” Kyle pinned David with a glare, getting an idea where this was going. “And what about it?”

“They said he should be at the surf beach tomorrow.” David grinned. “Apparently lots of the girls fawn over him, but he’s… you know…” He gestured.

“He’s gay!” One of the girls spoke up. Kyle noticed she looked a lot like Tiffany. Like… uncannily like Tiffany, who was standing right next to her. But, her hair was straight. “It’s horrible.”

Kyle knew they likely weren’t being homophobic, probably just lamenting that this meant he wouldn’t be interested in them, but he still had to fight hard not to say something. He looked at the sky for a moment before taking a deep breath. “Interesting.” He mumbled. “David, can I talk to you?”

“Yeah, sure.” David answered, so Kyle grabbed his arm and yanked him away from the group. “Ouch.”

“I’m going to kill you.” Kyle glared at him. “I need you to know that. Watch your fucking back this entire vacation because when you least expect it, I will be there.”

“Christ, okay, Batman.” David pulled his arm away and rubbed it. “Bloody hell. I was doing you a favor. Clearly you like him.”

“He’s an adult.”

“Ah! He’s just turned 18. Like a week ago.” David defended. “You’re 15 and a half! That’s only like… a two and a half year age difference!”

This was not helping Kyle’s resolve to kill David. “It’s weird.”

“Nah…” David grinned. “I’m just trying to be your wingman. Come on, mate, live a little.” He punched Kyle’s shoulder and Kyle resisted punching him. In fact, he had a very vivid image of it flashing through his head. 

Kyle looked away, seeing Alex was now joking with his mom. Well… maybe it’d be nice to watch him surf. If he was with that group of girls, he’d likely just be able to pass it off as watching because they were. “Fine, fine.” He muttered. “But, on one condition.”

“Oh no.” David winced. “What is it?”

“You have to try to surf in front of everyone.” Kyle grinned, crossing his arms. “Then, I’ll come.”

David groaned. “You’re fucking evil. Fine. Bloody hell… Pure evil, Kyle.”

Kyle stuck his tongue out before shaking his head. God, he was not looking forward to the next day…

-

Gaz jumped as the front door opened and he saw Rudy and Soap were coming back in. They’d been apparently hanging out. They’d invited Gaz along, but he hadn’t wanted to go.

“I’ll tell you the rest, later.” Gaz told Price, who had his head leaned back against the couch, his hat over his face.

“Sure, kid.” Price answered and Gaz got up to go ask Rudy and Soap what they’d done that day.

--

Ask me for PT2 and this is Grape Crush on the Taglist Form

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@the_pluto_828

[veloxiraptors]

Vic's Midpollo/The Authority Rec List

Core Content:

- Stormwatch Vol 2. (issues #4-6) contains Midnighter & Apollo's origin story. It's written by Warren Ellis, and anything written by him is guaranteed to be good. The team they’re part of is blatantly a satirical take on the Justice League and it’s hilarious. While these are the only issues that include Midnighter & Apollo, I definitely recommend Ellis’ entire Stormwatch run (Vol.1 #37-50 & Vol.2 #1-11)–it made me fall in love with Shen & Jenny Sparks more than I already was. 

- The Authority Vol.1 (issues #1-12) was also written by Warren Ellis; this is truly one of my favourite comic books of all time. The character interactions, plot, and art are all fantastic. I started reading this run for Midnighter & Apollo, and by the end I had fallen in love with the entire team; they’re rough-edged and violent without being gratuitous, witty without being corny, and it was fun as hell to read through them slaughtering both interdimensional colonialists and also god. There is unfortunately a villain who is an Evil Chinese Stereotype in the first arc though.

- The Authority Vol.1 (issues #13 & #29) the first & last issue of The Authority written by Mark Millar. It sucks ass but these two issues explain Midnighter & Apollo's adopted daughter (#13) and show them getting married (#29) which is the only reason I'm reccing them in the first place. It’s gratuitously violent without reason, and hurls slurs, homophobia, racism, sexism, and addiction at its readers for no reason other than shock value. 

- The Authority Vol.2 (issues #0-9, #11-13) Issues 0-9 are an absolute blast, both the art style & tone were more in line with Ellis' run than Milars, and we get a call-back to the first arc of The Authority Vol.1 which I thought was pretty cool. Issues 10-13 take place after a 4-issue mini-series (Coup d'État) that culminates in The Authority ousting the president of the US, which I didn't read bc I had no desire to. Issue 10 is a direct follow-up to that arc, but it's rarely mentioned throughout issues 11-13 which is why I kept them. There were definitely parts of Vol.2 that I wasn't fond of, but the good far outweighs the bad in my opinion.

- The Authority: Revolution (issues #1-12) starts with The Authority dealing with the consequences of taking over the USA in Coup d'État, and it still made sense despite the fact I never read that arc. I was slow to get into it, but by the end I was flipping pages as fast as I could read them. The first few issues set up some interesting ideas and it follows through in knocking them down in a satisfying way. Their fight against the Big Bad felt a little too clean-cut in my opinion, but issue #11 has some amazingly angsty midpollo content.

- The Authority Vol.4 (issues #1-17) takes place after a crossover event spanning 3 mini-series between the biggest Wildstorm properties, but all you need to know is this: it's the apocalypse. While Midnighter and Apollo are separated by circumstance, it makes the issues where they appear together all the more impactful in my opinion. The original Authority run by Ellis will always be my favourite, but this run is definitely second place. The series wraps up nicely on a beautiful and hopeful note, and while there were still a few loose threads, this is definitely one of the better comic series ends I've read.

One-Shots & Miniseries:

- Planetary/The Authority: Ruling the World is a one-shot crossover event. It’s a pretty fun read, minus the fact that H.P. Lovecraft makes an appearance.

- Wildstorm Winter Special 2005: Two Dangerous Ideas is a funny little one-shot where Midnighter and Apollo meet their alternate-reality counterparts: Daylighter and Pluto. Hilarity ensues. 

- The Authority: Human on the Inside (miniseries) the plot makes no damn sense but Midnighter & Apollo have some really cute interactions in this and the art is soooo pretty.

- Lobo/The Authority: Jingle Hell the art is an... interesting choice and the writing is a rude, crude riot. I found this in my local comic shop's dollar bin and while it definitely belongs there, I do not regret buying it.

For the love of all that is good and gay please do not read Stormwatch Vol.3 it was part of the New 52 relaunch and reading it caused me psychic damage. 

And feel free to drop me a message if you have any questions!

[timandlucy]

Everything with a 3. Which means you need to answer 33 twice. I don't make the rules. 😉😂💖

3. How would you describe your writing style?

I have no idea. You do it for me.

13. Rate your worldbuilding skills from 1 to 10.

I'd say I'm better at emotions and moments than I am at actual world building, because that's so much work. So I'll say... 4.

23. Dialogue or description? Why is the other one so hard?

Dialogue! I don't know! I mean it helps when setting the mood, but sometimes I'm just like... who's gonna read two pages of some purple prose. But then, as a reader, I do. So. Go figure.

30. Describe a fic that almost happened, but then it didn't.

I had this amazing Chenford AU planned, with Lucy inheriting a ranch in Montana and Tim being a caretaker for the horses and they've had like a whole thing going from when they were young, but I just lost motivation for it.

31. What was the most difficult fic for you to write (but in the end you made it)?

Most difficult was Gone that I wrote for Linstead, because it dealt with such heavy topics, and I was dealing with some pretty raw emotions of my own, so yeah. But I finished it!

32. Do you have a word/expression that you always use in your writing?

Murmur is one I use a lot. I just love how soft it is.

33. Give your writing a compliment.

I HATE YOU SARAH MIDDLE NAME LAST NAME

My writing is fantastic, it's like so amazing it attracted some weird woman on the internet, who started talking to me about it and we've been friends ever since, so, I'd say it's pretty damn awesome (does it count if I don't actually mean it?). 😅

And since you wanted it twice, I like my dialogue okay, I feel it often feels very in character, and I am often proud of how it comes out. That's two for two. Thank you so much for this insightful question I totally didn't have any problems answering.

34. Do you write to improve? Or is that not a concern for you?

I do! I love learning new things. Sadly I often get stuck on like repetitive words and so on, and that makes me feel like I haven't advanced at all. Thank god for my trusty beta.

35. Thoughts on writing challenges/contests.

I think in a right environment they can be very motivating!

36. How do you come up with fic titles? What's the one you're most proud of?

Haha Taylor Swift songs. I love the 'i hate accidents (except when we went from friends to this)' for the fic where Lucy accidentally sends Tim her erotic photoshoot results. I think it's so fun and fits the story well.

37. Do you research before writing or while you write? Is it fun or boring for you?

I usually do it while I write. And it's so fun, I sometimes forget to get back to writing. I'm a researcher at heart.

38. "This never happened" fix-it fics or "this happened but" fix-it fics?

Both. I am a fixer. I will fix whatever needs to be fixed, and I will fix things that maybe don't even need to be fixed.

39. Wildest AU scenario you have written?

I'll go with my Linstead professor/student AU. Hehe.

Thank you! But I'm getting you back for that 33. question. 🙄

[cycle-hit]

why am i looking at a 37 page pdf about disbarment in japan. god fucking damn it kotoko

[oceansrose2002]

*casually sees that Percy Jackson finally got a tv series* oh that’s cute I’ll watch it sometime this week. Hopefully.

*me seeing bits and pieces of the episodes*

If anything fucking happens to these kids I will fucking lose my god damn mind and I will fist fight someone I do not care if their gods. They are my children.

Granted I was into the Percy jackson series back when I was their age…still…still feel like I would’ve beat the shit out of someone with the head of Medusa. Lil ocean wasn’t having it because of also having a deadbeat dad and then yelling at the book itself because the gods were all deadbeat parents.

Welp time to go and finish reading the ballad of songbirds and snakes. Had to stop at page 37 because snow is kinda freaking me tf out and I’m not even that far into the story.

[thehoneyknight]

Memoria, sketch pages 33-48

(Radiant Arc 10, 3.35)

Page 33

Argent- Who could follow a King like him into a memory none would wish to share.

Luma- …

Argent- Let’s keep moving. There must be a kingdom somewhere in this Wasteland. They can’t have all faded to memory…

(Honey- Hallownest is fading. Forgetting. What can we truly call our own? Beyond memoria.)

-

Page 34

(Honey- The Hollow Call)

-

Page 35

(Honey- Forgotten. They reach out for us. Help. For how long must we fight the future?)

Luma- (Tip Tap)

((Ch1.13))

Argent- We have two options, really. I’ll go with whatever you choose. Either we keep going, continue finding ourselves and try to find some other kingdom to call our new home… Or we heed our sibling’s call and return to Hallownest.

-

Page 36

Luma- (Tip Tap Tap Tip Tap)

Argent- I know. It’s just hard not to think about that. It’s hard… to not think at all…

Luma- (Tap Tap Tap Tip)

Argent- Okay then! If we’re going to do this we need supplies. I know you want a new nail. Maybe we could find a way to repair… And we can stop by Morléna too for a resistance of lifeblood for me! If you want to power up your spell we could gather some of their lumaflies in those glass containers we found--

-

Page 37

(Honey- We never left The Abyss. Left in the dark. Forgotten.

It was time to stop waiting for the future to shine down on us. Time to stop seeking futures preordained.

It is time to change the future ourselves. Time to fix what was undone. Remember.)

-

Page 38

Argent- Is Infection the loss of a god? Or loss of mind in absence of a higher light… Can kingdoms survive without their creators? Or is it that kingdoms cannot survive without… light.

The Radiance is so far away. This plague cannot be her. Yet this is so familiar. These bugs, left behind by their kingdom, subject to the absence of nature. It is the same.

-

Page 39

Argent- Hallownest. The Radiance is there, but gone also. Her control over the Infected… What could be done to stop that, but to set her free?

Or eclipse the idea of light entirely?

Hallownest was made to forget her. That is the Infection we know.

(Honey- What would happen if we remembered?)

((Ch3.19))

Argent- The Hollow Call. It doesn’t stop. I’m going to miss you, lifeblood tree- whoever you are, god or not.

-

Page 40

Argent- We are headed back. Back to that place we swore to never look back on for anyone, anything. Hallownest never let go when we left. Neither of us… let go. Do we even know what’s waiting for us back there- that place of light and void, radiant and eternal.

You call us back from across the Wastelands, Pure Sibling. But to have that voice is to lie. You were not hollow. Did you always have that voice? Did you have it before, when you returned to us below?

(Honey- Who’s voice would it have?)

-

Page 41

Argent- That voice is not your own. Changed. I should know. A Vessel with a voice of blue. You are a danger. You are in danger. You always were. You broke me once, in the name of your King.

(Honey- The King was gone)

Argent- You showed mercy when you should have not. You were never Hollow. We were both bound, Pure Sibling, to mask our broken souls, hearts. And now. We remain broken.

-

Page 42

(Honey- We never had a choice)

Argent- I trust Luma with my everything. So much so that we must leave. Back there. To them. And you.

We will remember you. Morléna.

-

Page 43

Argent- How can I trust myself in the light that shines radiant ahead? To not give in. I entrust my everything with Luma. My life, my soul, my blood. The bonds that bind me are the only way I’m making it through this. I’d focus if I could, unshackle my soul, but all I need to do now is focus on Luma.

The Hollow Knight is waiting for us, and Luma for me. It’s best not to keep them waiting.

(Honey- The light of the King is bright, brighter than the Hollow Call. It is the light of purpose. Nothing more. But it is what we need. Free the dark. To end the light.)

((Ch3.25))

Argent- There’s too many of them! Damned things!

-

Page 44

Argent- You’re going to do the thing, Luma? Go ahead. I’ll protect you!

(Honey- Kingdom’s cannot be without light.)

-

Page 45

(Honey- The nature of Infection is the perpetuation of light unwound. Stasis.

Until the higher light is returned. Until all higher light is snuffed out. Until a new light takes it’s place.)

Argent- You ready? Tear!

(Honey- The gods of Hallownest could never outshine Radiance. Infection filled in the shadows untouched by the pale light. Reclaiming Radiance lost. Until Radiance was the only light left shining in the dreams of the forgotten.)

-

Page 46

Argent- I’ve got you. You’re hurt- (!) Here. Focus this. We are one step closer. But it’s still a long way back… Onward we go! To Hallownest!

When I focus / all I see is light.

-

Page 47

Argent- Light… I can’t do this. The closer we get the more we find. Siblings that didn’t make it back. Why do they die on the return?! Or did they only ever make it this far?!?!

Everything is broken! Our siblings, my spear, everyone’s future! It’s all broken!

-

Page 48

Argent- I’m broken.

Let’s set up a base to rest and… think. To think while I can. I don’t know if I can resist her light, Luma. I don’t know who I am, even after all this time. It makes me weak. We set out to make our own futures, to find ourselves, but I don’t know who or what I am.

I’m Argent, but who is that? I cannot let myself be forgotten, but what is there to remember me by. All I know is you, Luma, and I don’t want to let you go.

You are my friend.

[clay-cuttlefish]

Infinite Crisis is here. I'm over 75% of the way to Flashpoint now, which is good, because I gotta get as much of this out of the way as possible before I start my first school projects or else it'll kill me.

Infinite Crisis #1

Renee gets actual lines during a Crisis, which is wild.

Crispus is still hung up on Corrigan. Haha don't worry about it.

Sunday, Bloody Sunday (Gotham Central #37)

"Or else you find yourself asking questions that have no answer." Oh god damn it.

IC is a lot, and the street-level view doesn't make it any better. The world's ending and it takes a damn long time to happen.

Corrigan II (GC #38-40)

AAAAAA

CRISPUSSSS

The fact this is happening mid-Crisis. Jesus fuck does Renee not have enough going on already???

I'm gonna explode.

Even here, so much lower than she was back in Officer Down, she doesn't have it in her to execute someone.

Agony.

IC #2

Renee's gutwrenching emotional journey is on hold while I try to locate Vic in a bunch of group shot splash pages.

Vic's in a Charlton group photo.

Wonder Woman #226

On a magazine cover. He's a mystery!

IC Special: Villains United

Fighting alongside Nightshade and Judomaster, since his usual MO of standing next to Ted in Charlton references is. Uh. Not an option anymore. :(

Also in the big hero lineup.

IC #7

Judomaster gets his back broken. RIP or whatever.

Crispus is having just the worst time.

This was all very affecting the first time I read it but right now I'm just skimming for Vic in the group shots so I can get to 52.

[addisonryder]

was it just me

spotify wrapped series, part I. bakukami. 1.3k.

tags: fluff, crack, copious amounts of beth crowley worship, mild vulgar language because I can't help but swear like a sailor

written based off song 37 from my Spotify Wrapped, with the pairing bakukami. song is here if you're interested

written for bee. thanks for the prompt 💙

I became a footnote in your life, but you were in the final draft of mine. As I watch the ink bleed off the page, I’m wondering how I was so easily erased.

“Denks. Please. You know I love Beth Crowley as much as the next girl, but this?”

Denki glared at Jirou from his upside-down position on his bed, his bloodshot eyes narrowing as she searched his battered wit for some sort of retort. The day had been too damn long. 

“You do have your own room, you know,” he muttered, devoid of any real heat. 

When did you become this cruel? We were really something, weren’t we?

Jirou arched an eyebrow at him. “What, and let you cry yourself to sleep listening to a heartbreak playlist over a boy who has the emotional range of an inverted blood blister? A boy who fucks your brains out and then treats you like shit? This is the boy you’re crying over?”

“You don’t understand,” Denki pushed himself into a seated position, scrubbing at his eyes. 

“I will never understand men,” Jirou sighed, her tone fond as she tossed him a hairtie to get his bangs out of his face. 

“Yeah well, I’ll never understand women. Are you and Momo still planning on living together over the summer?”

“She has an internship close by and it just makes sense to - no!” Jirou pointed an accusatory finger at him. “You’re not distracting me! We’re taking about you and our resident angry pomeranian.”

Denki chuckled, the shadow of a smile on his lips that faded instantly with his next words. “There’s nothing to talk about. He made that clear.”

How do I remember us so differently? We were really something, weren’t we? Or was it just me?

“Nope! We’re done with this.” 

Jirou stood swiftly, crossing over and slamming Denki’s laptop closed, silencing Beth Crowley’s beautiful, plaintive voice before the song could repeat again. Denki glared at her, twisting his bangs up away from his forehead and securing them with the tie. 

“I’m not letting you cry for one more minute over Katsuki fucking Bakugou -”

A knock sounded at the door and Denki flinched, shrinking deeper into his blanket pile on his bed. Jirou watched him for a moment, until she realized he wasn’t planning on answering the door at all. She patted his head before she moved to pull the door open.

“What are you doing here, earphones?”

Denki peeked up, his stomach twisting when he saw Bakugou, his hand still raised as if he meant to knock again. Jirou let out a long sigh of relief.

“Thank god. I don’t know what you did, but fix this before he plays this song again and ruins any chance I have at a hero career.” Jirou rubbed at one earphone jack, glancing over her shoulder at Denki sympathetically. “Love you.”

“Love you too,” Denki muttered before Jirou ducked out of the room. 

She shoved Bakugou in behind her and slammed the door, leaving them alone. Denki had half a mind to turn the music back on, but not even Beth Crowley could fix this now. Katsuki stood in the middle of the room, taking in the sight of Denki on the bed, of the smudges of eyeliner under his eyes, and even the damn ponytail his bangs made over his forehead. Katsuki’s eyebrows knit together with concern before his eyes darted around the room again.

“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

That was his Kacchan. Always on alert for any potential threat, and missing the true issue right in front of him. Denki huffed, tugging the hairtie out and trying to hide behind his bangs once more. 

“Nothing’s wrong. Don’t worry about it.”

“When the hell did you start lying to me, Sparky?” 

“You were mean to me, Kacchan,” Denki huffed, wrapping one of his many blankets around himself like that could hide him from how pathetic his words were. “And not just mean to me. You were mean to me on the same day that I failed our history exam and had to make up this week’s practical in place of lunch, and really it’s my fault. It’s my fault for thinking that just because you had your dick in my ass, you might stop hating me for maybe even two seconds. I should have known better.”

For once, he’d actually managed to silence the explosive Kacchan. Denki sighed, crawling out of his blanket fort and moving over to his dresser, staunchly avoiding his reflection in favor of dabbing makeup remover over the eyeliner smudges. He didn’t know why he bothered; it wasn’t like Bakugou was going to be impressed no matter what he did. Today had made that perfectly clear.

“I don’t.”

Denki paused, eyes darting to the mirror where he could see that Bakugou had turned to face him, even if he kept his eyes on the floor. 

“Don’t what?”

“Hate you.”

Denki let out a long breath through his nose, shaking his head slowly, and when he spoke, his voice came out darker, more bitter than he’d allowed himself to feel in years. 

“Yeah. Sure. I can definitely tell, especially when you call me dunce-face and volts for brains.”

And there was the real hurt, under the layers of Beth Crowley’s gorgeous vocals - because yes, Katsuki had listened to the songs Denki had sent him, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to admit that out loud any time soon. He had to keep some secrets.

But the hurt was real. Denki had taken his words to heart. Every venom-laced barb that Katsuki wished he could take back two seconds after he said them, Denki had taken to heart. Denki thought he didn’t believe in him? He thought he didn’t see?

“Fuck, Denki.”

A thrill ran up Denki’s spine at the sound of his name on Bakugou’s lips, giving him a shadow of hope. But he’d learned - he’d learned where he stood to Bakugou. He was a convenient fuck, but - 

“Denki, I like you. Fuck. Fuck, I like you. And I respect you. I’m damn glad you’ve got my back in a fight, you hit like a - a fucking power station. You’re an asset, Denki. You’re an asset, and you’re gonna be a great hero, and fuck. I like your eyes. I like your eyes, and your laugh, and I know I can be a bitch. I know I’m gonna stay stupid shit and you’re going to end up hating me in the end, because I am incapable of not pushing people away when I start to care about them. But I’m trying. I’m sorry.”

Denki turned, and horror twisted Katsuki’s stomach when he saw the tears in Denki’s eyes once more. How had he fucked up that badly? 

“Shit. Shit, Denki, I - fuck, what did I say? I’ve been practicing that speech, dammit. Yeah, I didn’t expect this to be the way I said it, but I’ve been trying for fucking weeks, and I’m - fuck, Denki, that’s about the best words I’ve got, and I don’t -”

Denki shut him up before he could ramble any longer, throwing his arms around Katsuki’s neck and kissing him hungrily. Katsuki was frozen for all of two seconds before he lifted the smaller boy off the ground, coming alive under his touch. 

“You could have told me -” Denki panted out in between kisses. “-that you liked me before you fucked me, you know.”

Katsuki snorted. “Oh yeah? When? Before or after you slipped your hand down my shorts during movie night? If I remember right, you didn’t give me much of a chance to talk…”

Denki let out a strangled moan, wrapping his legs around Katsuki’s hips. “Even then?”

“Even then, Sparky.”

They’d work on his terrible communication skills later. Right now, Denki had those calloused hands gripping his ass to hold him up, and nothing could possibly have been wrong in the world.

[scummy-writes]

Oh god I'm doing it. I'm putting it under a cut for everyone's sake.

I posted 766 times in 2022

255 posts created (33%)

511 posts reblogged (67%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@scummy-writes (lmao)

@kissmetwicekissmedeadly

@alby-rei

@loptyrs

@shookspearewrites

I tagged 480 of my posts in 2022

Only 37% of my posts had no tags

#ikemen vampire - 202 posts

#ikevamp - 201 posts

#q - 87 posts

#smut - 74 posts

#ikevamp isaac - 66 posts

#ikevamp arthur - 59 posts

#ikemen vampire isaac - 57 posts

#ikemen vampire arthur - 54 posts

#replies - 40 posts

#ikevamp theo - 36 posts

Longest Tag: 133 characters

#vincent is wanting to set up painting outside somewhere and isaac runs into him trying to lug a bunch of stuff out and offers to help

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Musings

Pairing: Isaac/Mc(Reader)

Rating: Mature (there is not explicit sex, but still references/light discussion of sex)

Words: 889

Note: A short, unbeta'd and spur of the moment piece about 'Mc' asking a burning question or two after Isaac thoroughly spoiled them in bed.

-----

The night air was a relief as you rested on your bed, thankful the cool breeze coming from the window Isaac opened reached your burning cheeks. His usual shyness at your naked body was long discarded, his mind too busy with making sure you were comfortable as he came back to the bed, settling in beside you to kiss your temple.

See the full post

100 notes - Posted August 25, 2022

#4

Rating: Explicit

Words: 1,226

Tags: Masturbation, guilty pleasures, Isaac is a bit hard on himself

Full fic under the cut!

-----------

It wasn’t often that Isaac was unable to sleep due to a certain flavor of… excitement. Though he had climbed into bed a couple of hours ago, he found himself with a peculiar itch nagging at him, causing him to uncomfortably toss and turn as he tried to calm his racing mind in any way that wasn’t what his body craved. 

He pinched the bridge of his nose as a heavy sigh escaped, eyes slowly blinking open to stare at the ceiling. The earlier talks with Jean and Napoleon, while the three of them bathed, were circling his restless thoughts still. They left him plagued, nearly wanting to beg with his mind for entertaining the heated thoughts that lingered.

Why, oh why, were the others so intent on bringing you up in the baths?

See the full post

134 notes - Posted April 21, 2022

#3

I've been doin some...Journaling? To destress and try not to get anxious so much, but it is Simp Journaling. Thought I'd share because I think it looks Neat but messy

Isaac's spread:

Arthur's spread:

See the full post

138 notes - Posted April 8, 2022

#2

This request is...old. like. Embarrassingly old to the point where I don't think the requester is even into ikevamp anymore- that old.

But. I wanted a small writing warm up while on my lunch break, so I whipped this up and the context of the ask is needed- so I took a screenshot so I wouldn't bother the person who asked, haha...

Short, unbeta'd since it's a request I'm using as a warm up, gets a little heated because while Mc might be innocent, Arthur is a pervert at heart (even if he's a sweetheart).

-----

This… was torture. Divine torture; pain that was worth bearing just to have you so close to him, but Gods, Arthur was suffering so.

You wiggled your hips as you settled in his lap, ignoring the wooden chair creaking as you leafed through the pages on his desk, "hm, you've written a lot today! Are you sure you're hitting writer's block, Arthur?"

See the full post

156 notes - Posted July 23, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Suitors reacting to Mc riding their thigh

Rating: explicit, minors dni

Suitors: Isaac, Arthur, Vincent

Prolouge: It happens as the two of you paw at the other's clothes, stumbing onto the bed between biting kisses. The lust is swirling through your mind, taking most reason away until you're whining, worked up to the point of throwing your leg over his thigh and seeking relief for the burning arousal coursing through you…

See the full post

185 notes - Posted August 22, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

Damn, I'm surprised over a lot of this LMAO. I'm surprised my #1 post was something random I just wrote super spur of the moment, *almost* didn't post since I wanted to add Theo and Comte but couldn't think of what to write, and finally said 'fuck it' and posted. Wow.

I am also surprised about my lil journal pages being popular too. I really want to do another one when I have the mental and physical energy to, haha.

I am happy that Isaac jacking off made it to the top five. It's as nature intended.

[plotting-against-you]

Ellie's Instagram Page 3

Liked by upton_hailey, thatsDr2u, and 1,303,411 others

elle.belle.13 When you text your brother that he's needed at the studio ASAP, and he brings his whole unit like it's going to be a crime scene or something... jaybird a-DAMN-ruz revupkev #overprotectivebrother

View all 700,131 comments

jaybird next time don't just text '911 at studio'

elle.belle.13 my bad...

mouseinthehouse oh i can't wait to hear this story

elle.belle.13 my version or Jay's?

mouseinthehouse both.

Liked by elle.belle.13, jaybird, revupkev, and 40 others

mouseinthehouse when you bring your wife to work and she gets a candid shot of you looking awesome (photo cred: elle.belle.13)

View all 37 comments

sargeincharge Taking pictures in my precinct while you're supposed to be working? What do I pay you for?

burgess.16 that's a good color on him. elle.belle.13 did you buy him that?

elle.belle.13 yep! 'twas a christmas gift

stellaride you guys are so cute.

Liked by trudyplatt, cruz_control, chiefofthehouse, and 5,990,655 others

elle.belle.13 Shout out to all the fans who voted for this. This moment is dedicated to you. I couldn't have done it without you.

View all 4,331,212 comments

jaybird YEAH BABY. You deserve this win!

elle.belle.13 lol how drunk are you?

sylvie.brett Herrmann gave shots on the house for your win.

kellys3 congrats! a drink on me when you get home!

mouseinthehouse that's my girl!

Liked by burgess.16, upton_hailey, MamaDrManning, and 4,667,819 others

elle.belle.13 Can't believe we get to meet you soon baby. Thank God for your uncles being here. Hopefully, you'll get to meet your daddy soon. #itstime #babytime

View all 3,999,890 comments

upton_hailey I hate how amazing you look while in labor. It should be unlawful.

jaybird we're right here for you. we got you.

trudyplatt Halstead get off your phone and help your sister.

jaybird she told me i could look at it!

thatsdr2u you're doing amazing. now let's welcome Baby Gerwitz so I know if I have a niece or nephew!

mouseinthehouse you're amazing. you're the best person in the world. I'll be home soon to see our little one and you.

Liked by stellaride, mouch, not_march_or_may, and 3,245,671 others

elle.belle.13 TBT to my Lover photoshoot #loverera #pinkorblue

View all 1,220,433 comments

m.lockwood Love this look for you, Ellie!

sweetlil123 loved this shoot. so glad I was able to be a part of it!

mouseinthehouse so.much.glitter.

elle.belle.13 we're still finding glitter, huh? #oops

Liked by upton_hailey, sweetlil123, jaxx.maxx, mandapanda, and 5,790,800 others

elle.belle.13 for those of you who didn't see my tiktok videos, here is the list of songs for my upcoming album! #meetmeatmidnight #midnights

View all 4,900,999 comments

upton_hailey I CANNOT WAIT

elle.belle.13 as if you haven't heard the songs already...

upton_hailey I'm just excited for everyone else to hear them!

burgess.16 will be exclusively playing this in my car at work and at home for the foreseeable future so beware a-DAMN-ruz

a-DAMN-ruz noted.

Liked by thatsDr2u, choi33, mouseinthehouse, and 2,344,712 others

elle.belle.13 I can't even go jogging without my brother following me... #getalife #overprotectivebrother

View all 1,122,634 comments

jaybird if you didn't ditch your security we wouldn't have to do this every time

thatsDr2u i'm with Jay. stop ditching your security.

upton_hailey please listen to them so I don't have to follow you again while listening to him complain the whole time

[f4liveblogarchives]

Fantastic Four Vol 1 #304

Sun Feb 6 2022 [11:33 PM] Wack'd: The title page declares this the beginning of a dynamite new era so someone--maybe Englehart himself--expected him to be the next Bryne [11:34 PM] Wack'd: Aaaaaaaand I just noticed when I updated my credits page on the blog I did so from an old copy and now a chunk of 1989 writers are just. Gone. So maybe Englehart lasts through 89. I'll figure it out. Two and a half years is slightly better than one and a half [11:36 PM] Wack'd: Reed and Sue are lavishing attention on Franklin, complimenting him on how big a help he's been against the Wizard and Mephisto and also apparently in a Power Pack issue [11:37 PM] Wack'd: What?! He's still here?!

[11:37 PM] Wack'd: They got permission to stick an eight-year-old in a rubber room indefinitely [11:37 PM] Wack'd: What the shit [11:38 PM] Umbramatic: the fuck [11:39 PM] Wack'd: I kind of assumed this got either cleaned up or forgotten about considering Kristoff hasn't been mentioned in a while [11:39 PM] Wack'd: Have they just been leaving him here while having adventures the past, like, year's worth of issues [11:39 PM] maxwellelvis: They left him a HERBIE [11:40 PM] Aleph Null: see? it’s not like it’s solitary confinement [11:40 PM] Aleph Null: perfectly ethical [11:40 PM] Wack'd: Actually a narrative caption reminds us that whole business with Kristoff being reprogrammed to be Doom and launching the Baxter into space was twenty-five issues ago [11:41 PM] Umbramatic: haha oh wow [11:42 PM] Wack'd: Johnny and Alicia get back from the honeymoon. Things are still. Very awkward with Ben [11:42 PM] Umbramatic: oof [11:42 PM] Wack'd: Johnny and Alicia have decided to get their own apartment. I guess Johnny broke the lease on the literal rats’ nest he had during the Bryne era [11:43 PM] Wack'd: And once Johnny, Alicia, and Franklin have cleared out, Reed and Sue drop a bombshell on Ben [11:43 PM] Wack'd: See, they want to be parents full-time for once, and have decided to offer Ben the chance to be the new leader of the Fantastic Four [11:44 PM] Umbramatic: well [11:44 PM] Wack'd: He decides they're just pitying him and storms off [11:44 PM] Umbramatic: aw [11:45 PM] Bocaj: "We're taking half the team, the rest is all yours bud, byyyye" [11:45 PM] Wack'd: They're not quitting, just shaking up the command structure [11:46 PM] Wack'd: Ben would make all the big decisions. Which. I'm not sure what those are? The Four tend to be fairly reactive when they're not jaunting through space. Not much to do as leader besides just fire the flare gun when something happens [11:46 PM] Wack'd: Like, these guys are less an organization and more a flat share that punches people [11:46 PM] Bocaj: Flat Share With Punching [11:47 PM] Umbramatic: living ideals [11:47 PM] Wack'd: So. Quicksilver kidnaps Alicia. For. Some reason [11:47 PM] Bocaj: HAHAHAHAHA [11:47 PM] Wack'd: Apparently Pietro's been going through some shit in other books [11:47 PM] Umbramatic: god damn it pietro [11:48 PM] Bocaj: This is the period of time where they flirted with turning Quicksilver into a villain, because of him learning his dad's Magneto [11:48 PM] Bocaj: And I think because Crystal cheated on him with a realtor? [11:48 PM] maxwellelvis: "flirted"? [11:48 PM] Bocaj: They never fully pull the trigger [11:48 PM] maxwellelvis: "Never" he says [11:48 PM] maxwellelvis: They just delayed it. [11:48 PM] Wack'd: Do they have realtors on the moon [11:49 PM] Bocaj: It was Wanda and Vision's realtor [11:49 PM] Wack'd: Sick burn on the south Bronx outta nowhere

[11:50 PM] Bocaj: You look really reasonable right now, Pietro [11:51 PM] Wack'd: Oh boy, uh [11:51 PM] Wack'd: So Pietro has decided that since Johnny Storm didn't fight for Crystal when she cheated on him, the subsequent relationship and therefore Pietro getting cheated on is Johnny's fault [11:52 PM] Wack'd: And his revenge is, uh [11:52 PM] Wack'd: To leave Alicia tied up in the south Bronx [11:52 PM] Umbramatic: oh [11:52 PM] Wack'd: Where she is sure to be accosted by "rats" and "roving street gangs" [11:53 PM] Bocaj: That's dumb, Pietro [11:53 PM] Bocaj: This is why nobody likes you [11:53 PM] Bocaj: Not even me [11:53 PM] Wack'd: It's also, uh [11:53 PM] Wack'd: "I'm gonna tie this defenseless white woman up and leave her in the slums to be accosted by gangs" [11:53 PM] maxwellelvis: Racist [11:53 PM] Wack'd: Yes [11:53 PM] Wack'd: That [11:53 PM] Bocaj: That's dumb, racist, and heinous, Pietro [11:53 PM] Umbramatic: yeeeeeeeeeeah [11:53 PM] Bocaj: This is why nobody likes you, not even Magneto [11:54 PM] Wack'd: Fortunately Reed has tracked Pietro by, uh [11:55 PM] Wack'd: Apparently in normal people, poison builds up in the body when they're fatigued, and Pietro, as a speedster, exhales great amounts of that poison to keep himself going [11:55 PM] Wack'd: So Reed tracked that [11:55 PM] maxwellelvis: I don't think that's what lactic acid is, guys. [11:55 PM] Wack'd: I do not know if this has any basis in biology and I'm only moderately curious to find out [11:56 PM] Bocaj: Reminds me of the metal gear geckos that spray lactic acid out of their muscular cow legs [11:56 PM] Bocaj: Somehow. [11:58 PM] Wack'd: Reed and Sue can't do much against a speedster so Ben taunts him, and then pulls up a ramp of asphalt in front of him so when Pietro rushes in to attack him he gets mad air instead [11:58 PM] Wack'd: And then once he's in the air Johnny socks him [11:58 PM] Umbramatic: radical [11:58 PM] Wack'd: ...you could probably have gotten here with Reed and Sue but Alicia's not been a romantic partner to them so it's not as narratively satisfying [11:59 PM] Wack'd: Honestly the ramp thing makes more sense if it's an invisible force field I feel like? Whatever [11:59 PM] Bocaj: Making Pietro run into an invisible wall would be great [12:00 AM] Bocaj: Deeply satisfying [12:00 AM] Bocaj: And running into a wall and breaking every bone in his body is how he met Crystal so like. Thematic? [12:01 AM] Wack'd: In a perfect world Ben and Johnny both getting the win would turn to mutual respect and maybe, like, hey, you both love her so maybe both date her [12:01 AM] Wack'd: That is not what happens

[12:02 AM] Wack'd: Stan and Jack also had a workplace power imbalance and lowkey one-sided loathing so this is as good an issue as ever to dedicate to them [12:02 AM] Bocaj: To the best of my knowing, this makes Johnny the only person never to 'lead' the FF [12:02 AM] maxwellelvis: Next month: SONGS THAT MADE THE HIT PARAAAAAAAAADE! [12:02 AM] Wack'd: Also I guess Reed and Sue are leaving? Even though they said they weren't earlier [12:03 AM] Wack'd: I guess when Ben asked if they were breaking up the team and they said "no" they thought since they'd be replaced it's technically not breaking up the team? [12:03 AM] Wack'd: Anyway, I hope 305 has a wacky rejected applications montage [12:04 AM] Bocaj: So they DID take half the team and leave Ben holding the bag [12:04 AM] Bocaj: It goes right back to being funny [12:19 AM] Wack'd: Oh right there's letters [12:21 AM] Wack'd: All the letters are about how a previous issue reprinted a previous previous issue's letter page [12:21 AM] Wack'd: So moving on

[dirty-bosmer]

So… I tried not to ask too many, but I couldn’t contain myself, so 3, 13, 19, 22, 25, 37 for the weird writer questions if you want to 😁

Eeeee, I will answer them all haha (or at least the ones that I have not already 🥰)

so 3 and 19 I answered already, but here are the rest! Thank you!!

13. What is a subject matter that is incredibly difficult for you write about? What is easy?

Right now, Lucien being "in love." So god damn gross, I can't with myself. It's strange cause the thoughts come to me easily, but I am just too hesitant to write them down. There is some sort of system of checks and balances in my head that is preventing me from making him worse 😂 Things that come easy? Angst and sadness and thoughts of dissolution lol. I actually need to remove some of it from the Illusionist cause I realize I went overboard.

22. How organized are you with your writing? Describe to me your organization method, if it exists. What tools do you use? Notebooks? Binders? Apps? The Cloud?

Not very 😩 I use microsoft word and I have one working document for all my chapters, and one for random scraps that I might use in future chapters. But what ends up happening is I write one chapter and then re-read, make edits, write more and realize it really should be two chapters rather than one. Then I have "chapter 21 a" and "chapter 21 b" and sometimes that process will happen again and now I have "chapter 21 the REAL one" and "chapter 22" and "maybe chapter 23 or maybe garbage." I also have some random thoughts on the Notes app in my phone.

25. What is a weird, hyper-specific detail you know about one of your characters that is completely irrelevant to the story?

I think I previously answered this one for Raminus and said that he likes to read smut lol. But I will give one more. Lucien is a baby when he is sick. Outwardly, he will play it tough and act like he is fine. He will refuse help from anyone else, but when he is back in Fort Farragut he will sniffle and whine and moan. He will wrap himself in his blankets and slurp his tea really loudly, then sit still and be like "I am dying." Dramatic 🙄

37. If you were to be remembered only by the words you’ve put on the page, what would future historians think of you?

I would like to think that they could tell I don't actually approve of people acting this way haha. Honestly, I don't know 😬 that is kind of a scary thought. Hopefully that I value the complexities of human nature and realize that with topics or morality and good vs. evil, things are seldom cut and dry.

[vergess]

36-40, the poem is wild geese by mary oliver (which isnt exactly obscure but its gotten me through a lot so)

36. they say to write what you know. setting aside, for a moment, the fact that this is terrible advice…what do you know?

Not much LMAO

I know more queer theory than is strictly reasonable or at all useful, and that is about the end of that.

Well, no, I suppose I also know how to do research, which is a skill that is not nearly as common as people insist on claiming. But it's not as if writing about "doing research" is terribly fun. I mean, I tried it once, and it went pretty poorly honestly.

37. if you were to be remembered only by the words you’ve put on the page, what would future historians think of you?

God help me. Nothing good, I'm sure. That I was an intensely angry person who was weirdly obsessed with abusive romance?

38. what is something about your writing process YOU think is really weird? if you are comfortable, please share. if you’re not comfortable, what do you think cats say about us?

The number 1 first step in the writing process is to lay down and go to sleep, and as you are falling asleep, tell yourself what you want to happen as if it were a bedtime story, and then when you wake up, try to remember whatever details you can, and use them to draft your outline.

Also cats say that we're massive and made of spiders, which stands in contrast to dogs who say that we're loud and made of mouths.

39. what keeps you writing when you feel like giving up?

Literally nothing. When I feel like giving up, I give up.

It's okay to stop doing things.

As the meme goes: Just Walk Out!! Real Winner Quit!!

I can always come back to it if I want to, later. There's no point in making myself sick over it.

40. please share a poem with me, i need it.

Wild Geese, by Mary Oliver.

That's a much nicer and more artistically engaging way of saying "real winners quit," TBQH.

In exchange, I will admit to having written terrible poetry in middle school, including a 7-part series of "themed" poems centered formatted as "[color]-tainted [positive emotion]." Including but not limited to the truly outstandingly cringey titles "Green-tainted Love" and "Crimson-tainted Innocence."

They are exactly as clumsy as you might be thinking. In fact, they're worse. Most of them don't even have a consistent meter, let alone something as advanced as rhyming, or imagery.

But damned if they weren't valuable stepping stones to creating things I actually enjoy reading nowadays, lol

[40 Writer Questions meme]