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my-favourite-zhent · 27 days

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New Tricks - Chapter 22

Status: Work In Progress

Version: 1.01

Pairing: Rugan x AFAB!OC

Rating: NC-17 (This chapter R)

Genre: Adventure/Romance

Summary:

“Who the hells are you?” The elf turned to size up the duo. “Family from out of Baldur's Gate,” Rugan supplied. “Ah, Zarys' crew. She said you were halfway competent.” “Probably the closest thing to a compliment we’ll draw out of her,” muttered Rugan.

Beware of an old man in a profession where men usually die young. Being the Southern Deliveries Manager for the Baldur's Gates Zhentarim is not an easy job. Between mentoring new recruits, juggling vicious coworkers and whip-cracking bosses, bandits are the least of Rugan's troubles. An encounter with a charming stranger on the job serves to only complicate his life all the more.

Notes:

Ok this is finally 4/4 of that original chapter, I really struggled with it even though the ending has been ready since forever ago. I avoided it by going back and editing chapters 1-4. I'm still not happy with it but it was time to let it go.

Thank you to @fistfuloftarenths who read the original scraps of this chapter back in February and is writing the Salazon fic de diversis artibus.

@dustdeepsea who's writing the amazing Rugan x Tav long fic Gods and Monsters.

@captainsigge who cracked the Bellar tag with Auribus Teneo Lupum.

Table of Contents

Read Here on AO3 or below the cut.

New Tricks - Chapter Twenty Two

Izzy had been roused at godswake by the sound of Rugan snoring. His one arm was draped across her waist and the weight of him pressed comfortably into her back.

She squirmed in his embrace so she could turn and regard him. His face was slack with sleep. Two creases sat between his fluffy brows, and thick golden lashes fanned over his cheeks.

Isolde reached out to trace her fingers along the square angles of his jaw, biting her lip when she felt the prickle of stubble beneath her finger tips.

How relieved she had been to see him arrive at the dig sight, how disbelieving she had been in her own good fortune. Even now her heart ached with joy at the sight of him.

“Ought to call the town watch, taking advantage of a man in his sleep.” Rugan opened one eye to observe her reaction, squinting the other shut.

“And just what are you doing in here?”

“It was cold!” Even lying prone, his chin dipped down and his shoulders shrugged to emphasise his statement.

Izzy laughed as she pressed her hand to his cheek. “Oh I'm sure, bet that's why you're following me around from job to job as well.”

“I’ll wager I was on that first job before you, lass.”

“I had that heist planned for months! Dug a damn hole in the wall!”

“So you say. Might've been a dog,” he lilted.

“A dog!” She replied indignantly. “It was stone!”

“I'll have to take your word for it.”

She decided it was time to shut him up. Isolde leaned in close, his lips were rough but pliant when she brushed her own against them. That simple touch was enough to send a frisson down to her core. She found herself pressing her mouth bruisingly hard against his, arms winding round his neck, resting on the firm muscle of his shoulders.

Rugan returned her enthusiasm, hot tongue darting past her lips in search of hers. His strong hands were on her, slipping beneath her blouse to run calloused fingers over her skin before gripping her waist firmly. She was on her back before she knew it, with him kneeling between her legs. A solid thigh pressed her own out wide and then his pelvis was grinding into her so that she could feel his hard length despite all the layers of cloth and leather.

Legs springing to wrap themselves about his back, she ground back eagerly. Isolde was suddenly aware of how hot her thighs had become, how slick her small clothes felt as she squeezed him to her.

Rugan shifted above her to adjust his angle of attack and a ray of light filtered past him through the gap in the tent flaps.

“Damn it.” Isolde hissed, releasing her hold on him as the light hit her eye.

Rugan turned to regard the sunrise and sat up on his haunches, sighing his disappointment. “Our employer will be here soon, no doubt.”

“What did you wear your leathers to sleep for?” She sulked. “Might've had time if you hadn't.”

“Why do you have a knife under your pillow?” He asked with an arched brow.

“It's that bad, isn't it?” She asked softly.

“Aye. Stick close to the lads as much as you can.”

+++++

Grim and company did in fact arrive a short time later.

“Bright and early you lot, how professional,” Rugan commented with faux joviality.

“Friss insisted,” Grim grumbled, as he pinched the bridge of his brow, squinting in the early morning glare. Obviously he had imbibed a little too much the night before.

“Of course,” Rugan agreed.

Friss only grunted his assent to the statement and fixed Rugan with a hard stare. Perhaps Grim wasn't really the brains of the operation after all.

The others were busy packing up their tents and Grim frowned when he spotted Isolde.

“I thought we'd come to an understanding ,” he said meaningfully.

“All in due time, these things take a bit of planning.”

“Before we reach the city, Zhent.”

Rugan offered a tight-lipped smile. “Of course.”

+++++

It was slow going afterwards, what with the poor state of the main road, but there had also been no rain of late and Rugan thanked Tymora for that.

Rugan rode rear-guard with an uncharacteristically silent Grim, while Olly and Soren took point. The lads traded jokes and stories to pass the time.

“– And they keep trying to drag me off to a brothel every city we go to. One time Brem tricked me, said we were going for ‘soup’. We get to the place and he goes: ‘ Oh sorry mate, thought they served broth here. ’”

Soren laughed aloud and the force of it shook the whole of his tiny frame. Rugan was right that they were around the same age, but Soren looked younger on account of being shorter and thinner than Olly. Much thinner. “That's not so bad. Grim's always making me stay behind to watch our gear or something.”

“Think I'd prefer that, honestly.” Olly gave a shake of his head.

They rode in companionable silence a few minutes more when Olly noticed Soren was fidgeting with the cuff of his threadbare shirt. Sensing that Soren was about to ask something difficult, Olly patiently held his tongue.

“Say Olly, what's it like? Being a Zhent, that is.”

“Besides the constant hazing? Like this I suppose. Mostly watching and waiting and then when a bit of trouble happens it seems to be over before you can rightly get your head on straight.”

Soren ducked his head forward, leaning in closer with his voice lowered. “I mean more like the coin. Is it, um, reliable?”

"I mean we get paid so long as the job’s done. Take cuts if there's set-backs and such. Zarys says it: ‘ incentivizes us to apply pressure when necessary ’. Never gone hungry though.” He added the last bit while noting how thin Soren's wrists were. “Why? How do you get paid?”

Soren looked away and gave a bit of a shrug. “Sometimes we get lucky robbing folks on the road, but usually not. People out this far don't have much in the way of gold. To be honest…” Soren trailed off, thinking better of what he was about to admit.

“You can tell me.” Olly smiled congenially, the way he’d seen Rugan smile at travelling merchants with more coin than good sense.

“It's just that… this'll be a big payday right? So long as we can get it to a fence in the city. But I think Grim's exceeded himself, I don't think he can really afford all of you. At least not till we sell the goods. It'll be fine after that though. Maybe you could ask your boss to wait on asking about it? Just so there's no trouble.”

“Rugan's not unreasonable.” This was true. “So long as we're paid in the end it won't much matter to him.” This was less true but Olly tried to sound reassuring all the same.

+++++

“So the real reason the bastard is talking about withholding pay is because he doesn't have it in the first place?!”

The caravan had taken a break in a small glade along the road at highsun to eat. Rugan and Olly had wandered a bit of a ways into the forest to ‘hit the head’ when the latter relayed what Soren had divulged.

“Keep your voice down, Rugan!” Olly hissed.

“That just figures,” Rugan muttered to himself. He was seated atop a knee-high boulder, arms crossed and one leg draped across the opposite knee. His crossed ankle bounced with agitation.

“And what do you mean withholding pay?” Olly continued. “Can he do that?”

Rugan snorted derisively. “Well he can't both do that and live, that's for certain.”

“We're going to fight them, aren't we?” Olly felt a knot rising in his chest. It was his fault for saying anything about the coin.

“Aye. We are.”

“They can still get it together, once we've made the Gate and met their fence.”

“It's not about the coin, Olly, or at least it's not just about that. Grim's been on me to kill Izzy since the first night.”

“Izzy? But she hasn't done anything wrong.”

“Sure she has, she's taken her pay, and worse she's bruised his ego. Likely needs her coin to pay us and doubtless he killed her predecessors for the same reason. Probably would've done the job himself by now if he didn't think she was a wizard.”

“Izzy’s not a wizard.” Olly paused to think. “Is she a wizard?”

Rugan gave a great shrug of his shoulders. As far as he knew wizards didn't usually scale towers with little more than a rope and a ring, but he was certainly no expert.

“Either way, Grim and his company need to be dealt with. That includes your little friend Soren.”

“You're the one who told me to befriend him! And besides we didn't kill those Harpers.” Then realising they had in fact killed one, he added: “Mostly.”

“The Harpers weren't out for blood, just information. Moreover killing them all could've kicked off a gang war. As it stands we’re lucky it didn't.”

“Maybe we could just kill Grim?”

“Maybe. But if someone killed me would you flip allegiances?”

“Of course not!”

“Better hope your friend is smarter than you then.”

Olly fixed Rugan with a glare but had no good rebuttal.

+++++

Grim was unusually reticent today—whether because he was still hung over or angry that Iz hadn't yet been handled , Rugan wasn't sure.

Normally the Zhent would've been grateful for the break from Grim’s constant nattering, but it was a bad sign considering current circumstances.

Grim's crew was similarly quiet and this tense atmosphere was picked up by the others. Izzy, Sal and Olly all seemed tense.

Bellar on the other hand was aware but utterly unphased by the dour mood and had spent the meal humming happily.

“Are you really going to eat all those mushrooms?” He asked, eyeing Sal’s bowl.

“Yes,” Sal narrowed his eyes in suspicion. “Why?”

“Kind of look like tiny dicks, is all.”

“Tiny what ? They do not! Besides mushrooms are very useful for lots of—”

“You can have mine then,” Bellar said, hastily scraping the mushrooms from his bowl into Sal’s.

“Hey!”

“Actually,” Olly piped up quietly. “Will you take mine too Sal? Don’t like mushrooms much.”

Sal gave a long drawn out sigh. “Fine, Olly, but you owe me. Things I do for you lot.”

The mage continued to act put upon but went on to attack the food greedily.

+++++

As the party prepared to set out again Rugan spied Friss talking to Grim in hushed whispers down by the rear wagon. If his hackles weren't raised before they surely were now.

“Sal, you stay in the wagon.”

“You sure? Been in here all morning, don't mind swapping if someone's getting sore.”

“Road ahead will be a bit… rough,” he said meaningfully.

“Rough? Oh, right.” Sal nodded as the realisation dawned on him, then looked a little annoyed. “More of heads up next time though yeah? Didn't prepare half the—”

But Rugan was already walking off towards his horse.

Iz gave him a small smile as she passed, but when Rugan frowned in response her brows knit in confusion. She climbed into the wagon beside a slightly sweaty Sal.

“You'll want to sit in the back for this next stretch,” Sal said soberly.

Izzy tensed as she caught his meaning but nodded. “You alright Sal? You look a bit peaky.”

“Me? Oh yeah, sure, just nerves probably.” He gave a weak smile.

“Do you want me in the rear?” Bellar asked as Rugan approached, busy untying his horse.

“No.” Rugan frowned. “I'll take rear, you take Olly's spot on point.”

“That right?” Bellar arched his brow curiously.

“We'll have need of his ranged expertise when we find a good spot on the road.”

“I like the sounds of that.” Bellar grinned wide before adding in a quiet voice. "There's that bit where the path gets tight, innit? We'll have to go one behind the other. Could catch 'em by surprise there, yeah?"

“As good a spot as any.” Rugan agreed, he remembered the place. Would be maybe two hours ride.

“Which horse am I taking?” asked Olly as he bounded over.

“Neither. You're in the wagon, keep your bow at hand.”

Olly nodded hesitantly. “Right.” He didn't sound confident.

“I've faith in you, lad.” Rugan slapped him on the shoulder for emphasis before mounting his horse.

+++++

As it turned out Olly and Soren were paired off once again. This time they sat in the back wagon, a short reprieve from scout duty.

“Listen, Soren,” Olly said softly. “When it starts you need to ride. Get as far as you can.”

“When what starts?”

Olly stared at him meaningfully.

“When what starts, Olly?”

Olly shook his head and sighed. “Never mind, Soren.”

The party set off once more, and to Rugan's discomfort it was the oft mute Friss who rode rear with him.

They weren't even a half hour out when it happened.

He should’ve expected it. Well he had, just not so soon. The sound of Sal retching was what first tipped him off. It made him keenly aware of how quiet their travel companions had been. How tense the air had become.

Rugan was already reaching for his hand crossbow when he looked to the wagon’s driver’s seat. Izzy was leaning over from her spot to tend to a doubled over Sal.

There was a thunder of hooves from behind him and on instinct he ducked just in time, narrowly avoiding the blow from Friss’ club. His horse was not so lucky and she cried out before dropping to her side, and him with her, one leg pinned beneath her mass.

Friss didn't slow, instead racing towards Sal and Iz. From the rear wagon Olly let fly an arrow, the horse swerved, forcing Friss away from his quarry.

‘Good lad.’ Rugan thought both grateful and proud.

Yet even as Friss veered on came Grim. He had swiftly turned from where he had been riding point with Bellar, his club raised high.

There could be no doubt they planned this ahead of time.

Rugan was too full of frenetic energy to register the pain of his fall. Nothing was broken, but he was still stuck in the stirrups of his dead horse. He fired his crossbow at the oncoming Grim but his bolt fell well short. The wagon was too damned far, and Grim was almost upon them.

“Iz!” He shouted and for a heart lurching moment Rugan thought he was about to witness her death. But Izzy gave a shout of her own, hand held high and a blinding light emitted from it.

In the split second he closed his eyes he could hear the whinny of a horse followed by a scream. When the light no longer seared his eyelids Rugan dared to look.

A blinded Grim had been thrown from his horse. He seemed mostly unharmed but was groping around, eyes shut, apparently the effects of the spell were worse up close. The horses were equally afflicted and Grim's took off wildly while Izzy struggled to calm the two hitched to the wagon.

Past Grim and the wagon Rugan could make out Bellar galloping toward them, giving chase to Friss.

Still, Rugan knew their luck wouldn't hold. He began desperately straining to pull free of the dead beast. Behind him came sounds of another struggle.

“Let go of it, Soren!” Olly yelled as the smaller boy continued to try and yank the longbow from his hands.

“Wait, Olly, maybe we can talk some sense into them!”

“Did you know this was going to happen?” Olly snarled outraged as he finally threw Soren off. The boy fell backwards into the vases at the rear of the wagon.

“No! I swear!” He turned away and held up his hands to ward off an expected blow but it never came. When at last Soren dared to look he saw Olly finish unhitching one of the horses before jumping astride it, bow in hand.

“Don't get involved.” Olly glared at him before spurring the horse forward.

+++++

While Bellar had managed to keep Friss away from the fore wagon, he hadn't been able to do much more than that.

Bellar was a natural born scrapper by every measure. He was lean and agile and could strike fast and true as any viper.

But this was not a battlefield well suited to his talents. Astride a horse he was only as fast as his steed, and a usually lumbering giant such as Friss was that much faster mounted.

The Zhent’s every charge was turned aside, Friss’ reach was too great. Friss harried him in kind but with greater success, forcing Bellar to shift and twist in his seat to narrowly avoid being battered again and again.

Bellar gave a shout as a blow glanced off his shoulder. It wasn't broken but the whole of his arm flared in pain.

Olly's approaching figure could've turned the tide but the boy wasn't practised in firing from horseback. His opening volley landed closer to Bellar than Friss, though it did cause the latter to break away.

“Oi, watch it, Olly!”

“Sorry!”

But then Friss was charging back again from the perimeter, back towards Olly's far side. The lad should've had a straight shot but he couldn't quite manoeuvre his long bow over to the other side of his mount. By the time he brought it to bear it was too late.

The club came high and Olly threw himself to the side, but it wasn't enough, shouldn't have been enough. Except that it was. Friss' momentum stuttered and what started as a powerful swing fell limp, reach falling short.

Olly could not make out what had happened from his vantage, only that Friss now toppled off his horse face first into the mud. The boy stared at the limp form disbelieving until he saw the blood begin to pool under him.

Bellar hopped off his horse and approached the body.

“Wait!” Olly cried, but Bellar was already rolling over Friss’ corpse. A throwing dagger was buried deep in the man's throat.

“Boot knife.” Bellar explained with a grin. The smile faded as he watched Soren ride off with the other wagon horse.

“Oi, he’s legging it!”

Olly whipped around in time to spot Soren and urged his horse after him, hoping that if he was fast enough Bellar wouldn't follow.

+++++

“Gods damn it!” Izzy shouted as she tried to get the rearing animals under control.

“Sal, do something!” She pleaded but his only response was to once again retch over the side of the driver's seat. His whimpering moan could scarcely be heard over the horses.

One of the beasts kicked back and that was enough to knock the dashboard free of the wagon. The wooden panel went flying, throwing Izzy back into the cargo and missing the prone Sal by a hair.

By now Rugan had cut away the harness to his mount and hurried to wiggle free from under its heavy corpse. His leg felt numb and stiff when he finally extracted it, numb but usable.

He began hobbling over to the carriage just as it seemed Grim was regaining his sight. The man was making his way towards the wagon, club brandished in hand.

With the dashboard gone the yokes were soon to follow, the leather growing taut as the beasts struggled against their bonds, stretching audibly before finally snapping free. The sound was like the cracking of a whip. It was followed by a clatter of hooves as the horses fled, leaving wagon and riders to fend for themselves.

‘Bet that shattered a vase. ’ Izzy thought from where she lay amongst the crates and straw.

She tried to sit up and groaned at the various aches that made themselves known to her as she did.

Her head rang angrily once upright and she was considering laying back down to make it stop when she saw Grim not ten feet away. His eyes locked on hers.

Cursing she glanced down and saw Sal was still retching over the side, completely vulnerable.

Quickly she fumbled for her ring to blind the man a second time when Rugan slammed into him sidelong.

+++++

Cutting across the open field, Soren had a good lead, and it certainly didn't hurt that he was a good bit lighter than Olly.

Olly dug his legs into his mount, urging it faster. Soren’s lead didn't shrink, but when Olly followed him between a gap in the trees at the field's edge the battleground once again shifted.

Olly crouched low when the low hanging twigs whipped his face, and he was thankful no larger branch had crossed his path. Soren had not been so lucky, and when Olly had rounded the bend he saw the boy had been knocked clear of his horse. He was gripping a bloody arm and it looked as if the horse had carried on without him.

“Soren,” Olly called gently. Soren stared at him with wild panicked eyes as he scooted backwards.

“I'm not going to hurt you, Soren.” Olly slowly dismounted and approached in a crouch, hands held out before him. Soren looked in every way like a frightened animal and Olly did his best to seem non-threatening.

“Listen,” he went on when Soren did not respond. “You can still find your horse and get out of here. I'll tell the others you're dead.”

“Why did you do this?” Soren finally replied, voice shaking, close to tears.

“Grim attacked us first!” Olly replied, a bit of anger creeping in.

“Only because you were up to something, Friss knew it. You even said in the wagon. I didn't want to believe you knew.” He snuffled back some snot as his eyes began to overflow. “But you even said it in the wagon, didn't you? ‘When it starts.’ That's what you said Olly, you did!”

Olly cast his gaze downwards shamefully.

“We were gonna get the money!” Soren yelled. “I told you!”

“Jobs are meant to be paid on time.” Olly said firmly.

“So you kill us?”

“It's not just that. Grim wanted us to kill Alyssa.”

“So? That's what you're they're for, that's what you're paid to do! It's your job!”

Olly shook his head, taking a step closer with his hands still out. “Soren, she's Rugan's girl.”

“They've only just met, you'd betray us for a stranger?”

“No, Alyssa isn't even her real name, she's—”

“So it was all a set-up from the start?!” Soren’s face twisted into such a grimace of anguish and Olly wondered how long the trio had worked together, how they had met.

“No, no, Soren of course not, it was just a coincidence.” Olly took another step closer and Soren lunged at him, brandishing a small knife he had hidden in the sleeve of his good arm.

Olly batted Soren aside easily, but though the blade was small and brittle the Zhent felt a warm tingle on his cheek. He touched it with careful fingers and he stared in shock as his hand came away red.

Soren was already scrambling to his feet and fleeing deeper into the woods.

“I’ll never forgive you for this!” He screamed as he ran, scattering birds in his wake.

Olly sat crouched, staring after him and wondering if he'd made a mistake.

+++++

Rugan barreled into Grim with the full force of his weight. They both fell to the ground, there was an all too familiar cracking sound, intermingled with Grim's scream. If Rugan had to guess, he'd broken at least one of the man's bones. Most likely his collarbone.

Between the shock and the pain Grim was not prepared for the ensuing struggle. Rugan easily straddled the man's prone form before punching him in the nose with every ounce of strength his body could muster. Another familiar crunch and Rugan felt the corner of his mouth curl upwards.

He didn't usually revel in the violence. It was just a tool to get the job done. Rugan was proud of his physical prowess, true, but the beatings and killings he had meted out had always been a matter of business. The rod where the carrot had failed.

This though? This was personal.

“Do you know why I'm going to kill you?” He lilted as he tilted his head to get a better look at Grim's now broken nose. Grim had no response but to sob again in pain.

Rugan got the impression that Grim's victims probably ran the gamut of emaciated peasants to plump merchants. Bastard likely had never been in a proper fight in his life.

The Zhent stood, grabbing the sobbing heap of a man, dragging him to his feet.

“You short-changed the lass, which I don't like, but I can understand. Man's gotta take what he can to scrape through after all, that's just business.”

Rugan pulled his hand back to punch the man again, still holding him by the scruff of his jerkin.

“ Please ,” Grim whimpered.

The blow landed squarely in his gut and Rugan let slip his grip as Grim crumpled back down.

“Harassed her too, but she's right tough, can ‘andle herself.”

A swift kick to the prone man’s ribs left him sobbing and rolling on the grass.

“But then, you ask me to do ‘er in? Cheaply at that. Now that. That's just insulting.” Though his voice was steady he could feel the rage pass over him, burning at his flesh.

“I'm sorry. Please,” Grim begged, bleeding openly from his brow and lip.

“No.” He inhaled deeply. “No, I don't leave a job half done.” Rugan hauled the man back to his feet, adrenaline pumping through him, he felt preternaturally strong in this moment. His dagger flashed in the sun and the resulting spray of blood coated Rugan's face. He usually would've taken care to step back out of the jet, but his anger had clouded his thoughts.

He released Grim, letting him fall to the ground. Rugan stood there, watching him intently. Watched the way the man’s hands clutched uselessly at his own throat, wet gargles and blood spilling from his lips. After several long moments he finally stilled, eyes staring blankly ahead, face still frozen in that mask of fear.

When Rugan looked back up he saw Izzy standing there atop the driver's box. She had a strange look in her eye, mouth slack. He felt a knot of unease wind around his chest.

‘Shouldn’t have killed him here, not in front of her.’

Before he could think on it further she was hopping down from the wagon. Izzy was on him in an instant, wiping the blood spray from his cheek and neck.

“You're a mess,” she breathed.

“Your handkerchief, Izzy. It'll stain.” He couldn't think of anything better to say. Now that it was over, the blood lust and the frenetic energy that came with it was fading, the exhaustion hit him and he could hear it in his own voice.

“Too late for that, you'll have to buy me a new one.” She looked up from her handiwork to meet his gaze.

He stared intently, trying to piece together what she was thinking. She kissed him then, hungrily, arms wrapping tight around his neck. Rugan groaned and pulled her tight against him. She had managed to surprise him again.

#rugan #bg3 rugan #rugan bg3 #zhentarim #bg3 #baldur's gate 3 #baldurs gate 3 #baldurs gate 3 rugan #bg3 fanfic #bg3 fanfiction #new tricks #bg3 fanfic: new tricks #bg3 oc: izzy #izzy x rugan #rugan x izzy #my writing #bg3 fic: new tricks

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meetinginsamarra · 2 years

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My Fave Sherlock BBC AUs - Historical Era

Around mid-month I’ll do a fic rec list with my fave AU genres or tropes. Summaries are taken from OP on AO3.

Roman Times

“Infamia” by Mr_CSI, thisisforyou

https://archiveofourown.org/works/485828

Ancient Roman AU. After his wife's brutal murder, John Watson shuns society and becomes a gladiator. He didn't expect to catch the attention of the Emperor, Sherlock Holmes himself...

“Guardian” by PoppyAlexander @fuckyeahfightlock

https://archiveofourown.org/works/2381219

In Ancient Rome, Centurion John is hired to act as personal, round-the-clock bodyguard for the mad emperor's hedonistic, philosopher brother (that would be Sherlock). Sparks fly, John peers through a partly-open door, arrows fly, and Sherlock learns the very apt name given to John's 22-inch sword. No, his *actual* sword. He's a Roman solider, remember. What you were thinking would be. . .just, no.

“Of Chaos and Calculation” by i_ship_an_armada @i-ship-an-armada

https://archiveofourown.org/works/1670600

When John is captured and brought to Rome, he's sold to the most noted ludus in The Eternal City, the emperor's. There, he meets Sherlock, auctorati, enigma, a perfect partner in the arena. And out. Sherlock is investigating the murders of several gladiators, but has secrets of his own that could be more destructive than a defeat on the sands.

----------------------

Regency/Victorian-ish Times

“The frost is all over” by Chryse

https://archiveofourown.org/works/1614890

John was brave and clever and loyal, a commoner who longed for an exciting life. Sherlock was dashing and brilliant and passionate, an Earl’s son who longed to solve crimes. Being a Tale of Glorious Adventures, Love Letters, Treachery, Longing, Secret Identities, Deathbed Confessions, First Kisses, Daring Escapes, and True Love.

“Vows made in wine” by love_in_mind_palace (mysleepyhead)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/11063517

John Watson, a low born young man from the slums of London appears in the farthest corner of country to work as a valet for the young master living in the secluded mansion. Secrets, betrayal, conspiracy. A love blossoming in the most unfortunate circumstances.

“The Courtesan” by delightful_fear @delightful-fear-sherlock

https://archiveofourown.org/works/9195437

Desperate times call for desperate measures. John takes a job as a live-in doctor in the most exclusive brothel in London, never thinking he would fall under the spell of it's most infamous consort, Sherlock Holmes.

An AU set in 1860's Victorian England.

“Human Nature” by delightful_fear

https://archiveofourown.org/works/10907847

Rich and spoiled Sherlock makes a wager with his older brother that he can take a penniless man and make him presentable in high society.

An AU set in Regency London (1819).

------------------------

Wild West Times

“Unbranded Air” by suitesamba

https://archiveofourown.org/works/1804084

John Watson, widower, tried to leave medicine behind when he left England and came to America. Sherlock Holmes, trying to avoid the marriage his family insisted on, was sent to America after embarrassing his mother and damaging his family's social reputation. Hired to help solve a cattle rustling ring with his unbelievable deductive skills and knowledge of soils, Sherlock is injured and taken to John's ranch. He holes up there while his broken leg heals and pulls John into the investigation, and the two find common ground in more ways than either expected. An AU set in the Wyoming Territory in the 1890s, with John as an army doctor/Afghanistan veteran who wants to start over and Sherlock as a detective without a mobile phone and only John to ease his boredom.

“Buckaroo Fringe” -series (9 fics) by ponderinfrustration

https://archiveofourown.org/series/152033

The Varied Western Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson

------------------------

World War I&II Times

“Enigma” by khorazir and “Silent Night” sequel @khorazir

https://archiveofourown.org/works/1991325

It’s the autumn of 1941, war is raging in Europe, German U-boats are raiding Allied convoys in the Atlantic, the Luftwaffe is bombing English cities, and the cryptographers at Bletchley Park are working feverishly to decode their enemies' encrypted communications. One should consider this challenge and distraction enough for capricious codebreaker Sherlock Holmes. But the true enigmas are yet waiting to be deciphered: an unbreakable code, a strange murder, and the arrival of Surgeon Captain John H. Watson of the Royal Navy.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/17313302

It’s Christmas Eve 1944, and Sherlock Holmes has received his most precious gift already: after a long, dangerous deployment, Surgeon Captain John Watson of the Royal Navy has unexpectedly returned from the front. As if this weren’t enough, there’s a case. Both events make for a night full of promise, excitement, and the difficult task of getting reacquainted with the man Sherlock hasn’t seen in three years and feared he’d lost forever.

“The secret patient” by PlainJane

https://archiveofourown.org/works/1953210

WWII, the Italian campaign. Dr. John Watson is left behind at a lonely chapel with a mysterious patient who cannot be evacuated with the rest of the field hospital, due to his injuries. John is fascinated by the man and his tales...or perhaps there is more to it than that.

“Rosethorne” by suitesamba

https://archiveofourown.org/works/7365160

John Watson, WWII army doctor, is injured in the line of duty and can no longer wield a scalpel. Sherlock Holmes, Britain's best code-breaker, is side-lined by his own devastating injury. In a work inspired by Frances Hodgson Burnett's "The Secret Garden," the two men must find meaning and purpose in a world which seems to have taken away all they hold most dear. But of course, it really hasn't.

-----------------------

1950′s Greaser Times

“Still of the Night” by michi_thekiller

https://archiveofourown.org/works/9647849

1.) Curfew must be obeyed. 2.) Streets must be clear by sundown. 3.) If you find yourself out after curfew, seek shelter at the home of a friend, relative, or neighbor whom you know and trust. 4.) Under NO CIRCUMSTANCES should any unknown persons be allowed into the home after curfew.

It's a vampire greaserlock kids!

“You give me fever” by michi_thekiller

https://archiveofourown.org/works/785061

Thou givest fever when we kisseth, fever with thy flaming youth Fever I'm afire; fever, yea, I burn forsooth "He's the kind of boy you want to take apart."

“Go to the Devil” by JeanElizabeth

https://archiveofourown.org/works/4323648

unfinished but still worth a read imo

“I’m going to kiss you. You have the choice to push me away at any moment and I will pursue no further. But I want to kiss you. Ever since you walked into that room with that cocky attitude and charming smile. You are all too perfect John Watson. Just push me away.”

John Watson is an All-American Boy; Star of the football team and straight A student. Sherlock Holmes is a dangerous dropout who gets his kicks from fast cars and cheap cigarettes. John struggles with his attraction to this greased up vagrant, who seems to take no shame in their sinful acts.

#my fanfic recs #Historical Era AUs

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faerieyuri · 5 months

Note

22 - maya. 23

22. Give us a headcanon for [Maya]

My headcanons are fleeting and ever-changing like the wind, but I'll share one that consistently takes up brain space.

I think a lot about trans girl Maya and what implications it would have for the gender politics of Kurain Village. Not that the canon text of AA gives trans people much consideration, or gay people for that matter, but I like to think about it and want to explore it more in fic.

Like, was Maya treated poorly until she came out as a girl? What sort of guilt--or even impostor syndrome ("Am I really a girl or did I just want to keep the support of my family")--would come with knowing she would have been all but exiled if she hadn't come out? Also, what does it imply about the nature of channeling if the power is gender-specific and trans-inclusive?

I have a fic planned but not yet written where transfem Maya kindles a friendship with transfem Miles -- initially over fandom, but also supporting Miles through her own transition, with some shared angst and bonding after Phoenix retreats into his 7YG self-destructive depression hole.

23. Has your favourite character/ship changed over time?

YES OH GOD. I joined the fandom 2 years ago as a Solid Wrightworth Only Girlie....sorry to everyone who subscribed to my ao3 over that, because in the course of hearing from many cool people gush about many other ships, I have become the multishipping joker. It's actually a huge problem for me to find fandom spaces I feel comfortable in, because I can't stand interacting with people who can't see beyond their OTP into other possibilities. I was lucky enough to have the first server I joined be one where people are really supportive of each other's headcanons, so I guess it opened up Pandora's box for me.

Also, I started off a classic Edgeworth fan with a hint of Adrian Andrews, and now I am a stalwart Franziska defender, Maya champion and unhinged Kristoph lover. (Still love Adrian though!) Taken together......I dunno what that says about me.

Source game here!

#ace attorney

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fredficaccount · 6 months

Text

MARCH FIC RECAP

I read 32 fics in march and reread 1.

From several fandoms : larry, rwrb, tarlos, drarry, athelnar, cmbyn, sterek, obikin.

As always, I'm infinitely grateful to all the authors for their gifts and to AO3 for being this space for sharing.

Apart from my re-reading, which I'll talk about at the end of this post, I particularly enjoyed 6 of these fics.

***

2 Larry :

Landslide, by @aimmyarrowshighaes, spibsy (lucy_and_ramona)

Explicit, 143k words, completed 2014-02-19

Historical AU, 70s AU, Strangers to lovers

Summary

The year is 1976. In November, Jimmy Carter will take control of the White House. Americans are meeting Laverne & Shirley at their apartment in Milwaukee. Hotel California diverges from the reign of Kool & the Gang. And the FBI is still reeling from the repercussions of Watergate, the tragedy at Wounded Knee, Operation Family Secrets, and the strategic terrors of the anti-cult movement.

That's what Special Agent Harry Styles has been told is the basis of his mission to an abandoned farmhouse in rural New Hampshire.

With his hair grown out long and his shirt untucked, he's going undercover to do reconnaissance on suspected cult leader Louis Tomlinson, who has led a group of people out into the middle of nowhere, leaving no record of the life he'd had before. All Harry knows is what the agency gave him: Tomlinson's name, and instructions to figure out what he's doing with the eleven people he brought with him.

In the year that Harry spends undercover and under Louis Tomlinson's wing, he learns more than he ever expected.

What I liked :

This story is perfect : masterful scenario, well crafted characters, and a very special and absolutely unique atmosphere, all to achieve about how a remote place can help you find in someone the home you were looking for...

@louisbumpenguin did this superb cover :

With blood and soft stitches, by @bravestyles

Not Rated, 57k words, completed 2020-07-30

Established relationships, suicide attempt, hurt/comfort

Summary :

After a failed suicide attempt and a three month long coma, Harry wakes up.

What I liked :

Suicide, depression… It's not an easy subject… And yet the author comes up with a story that is all sensitivity and emotion. They describe perfectly what it's like to go wrong, even when you love your husband, even when, from the outside, everything seems to be going well. The distress of Louis, the husband who almost lost his love, is also palpable and poignant.

Both characters are amazing, and it's literally impossible not to fall in love with Louis, who reminds me TTS Louis, a marvel of solidity and devotion to his other half.

***

2 Drarry :

Life lessons, by @bixgirl1

Explicit, 68k words, completed 2019-06-04

Enemies to friends to lovers

Fic post

Summary :

On the cusp of a promotion, Harry needs a little help with his image. Enter Draco Malfoy — who doesn't really do that, Potter — to whip him into shape… and make him feel things he hasn't for a very long time.

Featuring: odd jobs, surprising chemistry, lots of accidental kissing, the Prophet living up to type, owls exhausted by the carrying of dirty letters, a secret no one can talk about, a merry band of Slytherins (none of whom really approve), and an enchanted mirror (who really, really does).

What I liked

This is another one of those drarry fics where I fall in love with both characters and their stories, each so different yet so compatible.

The Cabin Trip, by @gallifrey1sburning

Explicit, 23k words, completed 2021-02-22

Friends to lovers, Sharing a bed, Pining

Fic post

Summary :

When Harry decides to swap his house in London for a cabin in the Catskill Mountains for a week, he’s excited for the chance to take a vacation with a group of his closest friends. He’s positive that his long-standing crush on Draco won’t be a problem; he’s been handling it just fine for years, after all. Unfortunately, he wasn’t counting on those tiny swim trunks. Or the way Draco licks melted chocolate off his fingers. Or having to rescue him from a rogue shower. And he definitely wasn’t counting on Draco deciding to sleep in Harry’s bed. But it’s going to be fine. Right?

Featuring: gender fuckery fashion icon Blaise Zabini, Greg Goyle as “the dad friend,” Luna Lovegood petting wild animals that she absolutely should not be petting, and Harry and Draco not being nearly as subtle as they think they are.

What I Liked :

This fic is a sort of grand epilogue, set against the backdrop of a beautiful cabin in the Canadian woods, with a lake, obviously a shared bed, pining and a great bunch of friends. A lovely serotonin moment. I could have gone on for pages and pages.

***

1 Tarlos :

No rules in breakable heaven, by @strandnreyes

Explicit, 75k words, completeted 2023-07-27

Private chef AU, friends with benefits

Fic post

Summary

Carlos doesn't know what to expect when he takes a position as a private chef in the Hamptons for the summer. All he knows is that he needs a job, and one that puts a roof over his head, gives him a chance to practice his craft, and will look great on his CV is more than he could ask for. Turns out he has no idea what he’s in for.

What I liked :

I sincerely hope that the author continues to write for a long time to come, because every time, it's a joy to read. Carlos and TK are beautiful, moving and touching, no matter what reality they find themselves in, and this AU private chef is no exception.

***

1 Athelnar (Vikings) :

Uppsalir, by @gwylliondream

Mature, 66k words, completed 2019-02-01

Strangers (Or Enemies ?) to lovers, slow burn

Fic post (kind of)

Summary :

In the raid at Lindisfarne, Ragnar takes a blow to the head and is knocked unconscious. Thinking Ragnar is dead, his kinsmen leave him behind on the beach. When Ragnar awakens, he suffers from amnesia. He cannot remember why he sailed west, or what transpired at the monastery. Athelstan discovers his bruised body on the shore, and they embark on an adventure that challenges their faiths, their lives, and their love.

What I liked :

Years ago, I was really into the Vikings series. And all my interest collapsed when Athelstan died (I don't suppose I'm spoiling anything for anyone?), because G. Blagden was due to join the Versailles series. Here we are in 2024, I'm discovering Uppsalir on AO3 and omg it's a gem! It's a shame that such perfections don't have more readers, for lack of a more popular fandom…

***

My monthly reread :

We cant take the long road home, by @pinkcords

larry fic

Explicit, 45k words, completed 2020-07-09

Road trip AU, strangers to lovers, pining

Fic post

Summary

Late afternoon seeps into the cab, just shy of too warm, and the breeze that crosses window to window tosses their hair in their eyes, around their faces. They ride in pleasant silence, the radio humming softly in the background as they speed down the coast, and when Louis looks over, Harry’s smiling to himself, a private happiness born from whatever’s going on in his head. Louis likes to think it has something to do with him, or at the very least, this adventure they’ve embarked on together, chosen to see through to San Diego.

Or, Harry and Louis fall in love down the coast of California.

What I liked :

I finished March by rereading this fic after watching a TV documentary about the Seattle area with my mum (Easter weekend). This is the third time I've reread it, and the third time I've loved it! It's got some of my favourite ingredients: road trip, pining, a lonely character whose heart gradually opens up, beautiful landscapes, pining, emotion… Really, We can take the long road home is one of my all time favourite fics.

What's more, there's a lighthouse and a sea glass found on a beach…

#monthly fic rec #my fics recs #fic rec list #fic rec #fic rec recap #larry fic rec #drarry fic rec #tarlos fic rec #viking fic

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daisychainsandbowties · 6 months

Note

4, 7, 21, 22, 33, and 40 from the writing asks? 🥰

4. do you have any OCs? Do you have a story for them?

i have a lot of OCs actually because i have three novels i’m bouncing between. one is around 110k (almost done) and another is just 40k (almost at the second act) and then the third is like 10k and i’m still feeling out my guys in that one. but all my OCs have pretty solid backstories and i do actually plot out my novels because it’s a different arena than writing fic (no existing characterisation to fall back on, world i have to make myself, expectations about structure are largely different).

the novel i’m working on now is about a space racing polycule that’s like enemies-to-lovers in one direction, friends-to-lovers in another and jealous-to-oh i can be in love with you too l, asshole. in another direction. the OCs in that are pretty fleshed out at this point. one is this ship mechanic who talks as though she only vagely understands how to and also could get a phd in aeronautics if she wanted but she’s like. sorry i’m too busy being in love with my best friend 🥰🫶

i want to talk about my boy levitas again but we’d be here forever

7. your favourite ao3 tag?

i looked through my bookmarks and apparently it’s some variation on characters recovering from Bad Things that Happened. makes sense for me i suppose. i am very drawn to how we can come back from dark places. this is why i write about the mechanics of light so often i think. but yes. it’s cathartic to me in a very special way to see characters survive and get fat and go grey and fall in love again despite despite despite

21. Can you accurately predict how long your fics are going to be? If you can, what is your secret?

only with oneshots. so, for oranges are the only fruit and orbital mechanics and this red rock and pokemon au i knew almost exactly how long they would be. maybe it’s a function of short stories and the technical landscape of them. i’m not certain. i tend to simply feel a sense of inevitability about those ones.

for longer fics absolutely not. demonstrably not as we all probably know i tend to let those get out of my hands. i don’t treat them like novels so they become almost serialised narratives to me. they’re done when they say so and it’s never clear when that will be.

22. What is it about watching the same two idiots fall in love over and over?

oh, um, i think what is appealing to me about this is the certainty of it. i like knowing that they will fall in love, i like knowing that things will be okay. also it’s loving the characters individually and being interested in how and why they fall for each other. how much can i change them until they don’t fall in love anymore? how far can i push them before they are not the same character?

i read fanfiction when i’m unsteady. when i can’t sleep or when i’m sad or when i’m hopeless lonely sore tired trying to do something other than cry. and it’s like. here are dozens of stories to the tune of “well, of course they fall in love. of course they will be happy.” it’s a way to come close to being loved yourself. i have a handful of fics that literally saved my life and i like to examine why. what did i need from them? was it the comfort of something melodiously repetitive? was it hope, the actualising touch of the other who is not other because they love you? i don’t really know why it is so life-reacuing - these stories about love over and over, again and again, but i’m very glad they exist. 💕

33. Give your writing a compliment

😭bdsm torture scene where you force me to internalise a compliment 🥺🥰🫠💕

i suppose i like how i can put a theme inside of a certain um… distance of prose and sort of weave a theme around that and come back to it again and again. like an epiphany in language. i like that. it’s very difficult.

luckily 😌 Amber would NEVER ask me to write a 9-word fic because she knows i would find that terrible. nigh impossible. a biteable offense. unless 🧐😳 that was your plan all along?

#ask meme #ty Amber ily 🥹💕❤️💕

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indeedcaptain · 11 months

Text

Spirktober 2023, day 22: Mind Control

Hello everyone! I hope you're having a lovely day. Here's my entry for day 22 because I'm behind again because I started my absolute DREAM JOB on monday. I'm having a wonderful time but it has cut down significantly on my fan fic writing time lol

Also posted on AO3 here!

Archive Warnings: Nobody makes Spock do anything he doesn't want to - there's one miscommunication about that but it's quickly handled - but if the idea of possession or mind control squicks you, maybe stay away just to be safe.

☆☆☆

The planet’s scans had shown that there were supposedly no carbon-based life forms on the surface and that it should have been safe for Kirk, Spock, and the science team to beam down, take some readings, and go home.

Of course, Kirk thought, as a thick smog descended from nowhere and reduced both his vision and his cardiovascular capacity to near zero, those scans assumed that the life-forms on this planet were carbon-based, or that this was a life-form at all. It could simply have been an unlucky weather occurrence for which they were not prepared. But as his vision swam and oxygen deprivation squeezed his chest, he heard Spock cry out, “Not the humans!”

The smog whirled into a tornado shape and funneled itself into Spock. He collapsed. Kirk, as he caught his breath again in the suddenly clear air, scrambled to him across the grassy clearing as the other scientists scanned him rapidly.

Kirk dropped to his knees next to his first officer, shaking his shoulder. Spock was warm and solid beneath his hand, and his chest rose and fell. He looked up at the scientists he had brought to the planet, who looked just as confused as he was.

“There’s nothing on the scans, sir,” one of them said. “I’m not getting readings on anything that we just saw.” She raised her tricorder again.

Spock opened his eyes, and Kirk’s stomach dropped. Spock’s irises, normally a deep earthy brown, were a pale seafoam color that reminded him of the ocean. He stood immediately, putting distance between himself and those eyes.

“Whoever or whatever you are, remove yourself from my science officer,” he said. “Now.”

Spock’s unsettling, incorrect eyes turned to him, glancing over him, before Spock sat up and observed the rest of their landing party.

“You are… human?” Spock’s voice was wrong. It was light, higher and gentler than Kirk had ever heard it, almost feminine in its cadence and rhythm. “And what is he?” Spock ran a finger over his own ear, following its pointed path.

“Yes, we’re human. He is a Vulcan. And who are you?” Kirk crossed his arms over his chest.

“A Vulcan!” Spock’s voice contained more enthusiasm in two words than Kirk had heard him express in two months. “I see. Yes, I see now.” Spock stood. His movements were clumsy and uncoordinated, arms swinging wildly as he levered himself to his feet. “Oh, he’s tall!”

“Who are you?” Kirk repeated. The scientists watched their department head with mixed expressions of horror and intrigue. Spock turned those strange sea-foam eyes on them in turn.

“I’m the companion,” Spock--- the companion--- said. “I live here. Who are you?”

“I’m Captain James Kirk, of the USS Enterprise. This is my science team. You are currently residing in my first officer, Spock of Vulcan. We didn’t…” He licked his lips and paused. “We did not realize this planet was occupied. If we had, we would have announced our intention before arrival. We were hoping to study the plant life on the surface---.”

“Sure, sure, fine,” the companion in Spock interrupted. “You came here on a starship?”

“Yes,” Kirk said.

“I want to see it.”

He blinked. “You want… to see our starship?”

“Yes!” Could Spock hear his own voice, wherever he was? Kirk hadn’t previously thought that level of enthusiasm was possible from his vocal cords. “Very much so. I have seen you fly through space before and I’ve always wondered what it was like.”

“We have never been out this far before,” one of the scientists said quietly.

The companion waved one of Spock’s hands carelessly. “Not you. Others. The ones who came before.” Ignoring the tittering that comment caused among the scientists, Spock and those strange eyes turned back to Kirk.

“Release our Mr. Spock, and you can see the starship,” Kirk said.

Spock sighed sadly, his eyebrows pulling together in the middle. God, it was so strange to see someone else pilot Spock’s body. It was so incorrect. “I can’t leave the planet unless I accompany someone else. I don’t have form the way you do.”

“Are you harming Mr. Spock?”

“Oh, no,” the companion said, pulling Spock’s mouth into a smile. “But it was fortunate that he realized what I wanted before I did any accidental damage to you. Telepath to telepath is much easier than telepath to not.”

“And when you’ve looked your fill, you’ll leave his body and return him unharmed?”

“Oh, yes,” the companion said. She flexed Spock’s hands. “His mind is accustomed to psychic connection. I’m not hurting him. He is with me now, watching, though I am the navigator.”

“Is there any way for us to remove you from Mr. Spock if you decide not to hold up your end of the bargain?”

Spock bared his teeth, and those seaglass eyes flashed in the light. The planet itself rumbled beneath their feet in an instantaneous earthquake. “If you try to remove me before I get to see your starship, I will wipe him from his own mind and take both his body and your ship by force.”

Kirk felt the blood drain from his face. The affable, easy tone had vanished in the space of a heartbeat, and he had no doubt that the companion could do as she said, given how easily she had taken Spock hostage in the first place.

“There’s no need for that,” he said.

“No,” the companion agreed. “So I can see your ship?”

Kirk looked at the scientists, none of whom gave any indication that they had any other ideas, before pulling out his comm. He flipped it open.

“Six to beam up. Spock is going to act oddly. Do not get security involved.”

“Aye, captain,” Scotty’s voice said. “Odd how?”

“You’ll see,” Kirk said. “Energize.”

☆☆☆

Kirk, the companion in Spock’s body, and the four scientists materialized on the transporter pad. Spock gasped, and shook himself like a wet dog.

“Oh, I did not enjoy that sensation! Every atom of this body feels shaken!” The companion’s voice was sweetly indignant, still high and feminine, and Scotty’s eyes nearly bulged out of his head at the sound. The companion turned Spock’s newly green eyes on Scotty, who blanched at the sight.

“Who are you?” the companion asked.

“Montgomery Scott, at your service,” the engineer said nervously. “And who might you be?”

“I am the companion,” Spock’s mouth said. He cocked his head, as if he were listening to something. “Oh,” he said. He approached Scotty where he stood behind the transporter controls and loomed over him, entirely ignoring the boundaries of personal space. Scotty, to his credit, only quavered a little bit.

“I feel… admiration? Is that what this is? Mr. Spock thinks you’re very smart,” the companion said with Spock’s mouth, not a trace of Spock’s stoicism present. His whole body seemed to have been loosened, like an untuned guitar string. With a quick half-smile, the companion turned back to Kirk, arms swinging with the motion. Scotty stared after him, flabbergasted.

The companion clapped Spock’s hands in delight. “Show me everything!”

☆☆☆

The turbolift opened, and Sulu called, “Captain on the bridge.” Kirk and the companion stepped out.

“We have a guest,” Kirk said. “Mr. Spock is… not present. This is the companion.” He gestured to Spock, who stared curiously at each of the bridge crew in turn. Uhura covered her mouth with her hand when he turned his seafoam eyes on her. The companion approached her first, again standing entirely too close. Uhura had to tilt her head back to see his face, and the companion peered back at her.

“Are you all human?” the companion asked.

“Everyone except Mr. Spock,” Uhura said softly.

“You’re all such different colors and sizes. I never would have guessed you were all the same species,” the companion said in delight. “Are you and Spock of Vulcan friends?”

“Yes,” Uhura said. She leaned back against her console to allow the companion to continue her investigation of the bridge, but the companion stepped further into her space and ran one of Spock’s hands affectionately over Uhura’s hair. Spock’s eyes were wide as he beheld her.

“I feel his affection when I look at you,” the companion said. “But it feels… oh, it tingles in the brain. He thinks of you in his native tongue, not this language.”

“I’m the communications officer,” Uhura said faintly. “We speak Vulcan together.”

“Wonderful,” the companion breathed. “Just wonderful.” The companion wandered to the science station before hovering behind Sulu and Chekov, staring over their shoulders at their panels.

“Does Spock of Vulcan know very many things?” The companion turned Spock’s body to look back at Kirk. He nodded.

“Spock is our science officer. He is knowledgeable about a great many things.”

“I’m so glad to share his mind. He shares his context with me as I see things,” the companion said. “Though I am surprised that he is your science person. The last Vulcans I met were warriors first and everything else second.”

Kirk frowned. “You’ve met Vulcans before? And they were warriors?”

“Oh, yes,” the companion said. She ran Spock’s hand over Sulu’s hair, twisting a few of the silky black strands between two fingers. “When I was very young, I was carried by my parents through space. We encountered a ferocious and warlike people on a desert planet very far away, and discovered that they had the capacity to commune with us through their telepathy.”

“Pre-Surakian Vulcan, captain,” Uhura murmured, and he nodded.

“Does your Vulcan still fight? He feels strong.”

“Yes,” Kirk said, and watched as the companion stepped away from the navigation console and experimentally bent Spock’s knees and elbows.

“I would like to see the rest of your spaceship now, captain,” the companion said. Kirk gestured Spock’s body into the turbolift ahead of him.

“Sulu, you have the conn until further notice. I’ll be… well, I suppose we’ll be wherever the companion wants to see next.”

☆☆☆

The companion, for whatever reason, adored Scotty, and he was happy enough to lead her through the engine room. Kirk trailed after them, watching Scotty gesture to each part of the engine, and Spock pointed to different parts like a child and asked questions. The companion seemed to be keeping her word: Spock’s body did not seem to be under duress. If it weren’t for the uncanny eyes and the distinctly un-Spock-like body language, he would almost think that nothing was wrong.

“What is this?” Spock asked, sticking his head into a Jeffries tube. “Oh, can I climb it?”

“If you like,” Scotty said. “They just go to the different levels of the ship. Climb away.” Spock jumped and grabbed the overhead rung leading up, ignoring the ladder below.

“Oh,” the companion said, her tone full of wonder. “He’s so strong!” Spock did a chin-up to the bar, and the companion’s laughter burbled out of his throat. Spock vanished up into the tube, climbing higher until the laughter had died away and Kirk and Scotty could just hear the clang of clumsy footsteps against the rungs.

“What the devil, captain?” Scotty said, leaning closer to him.

“I have no idea. She promised not to harm him, and he seems… fine. She also said if we tried to force her out she would destroy him. So I figure that she could see the ship and then we’ll send her home.”

“Aye, captain,” Scotty said, peering up into the tube. “I would say that I think we had broken the prime directive on that planet if I weren’t harboring the suspicion that her people invented space travel.”

“She’s over two thousand years old, Scotty,” Kirk murmured back. “She remembers pre-Surak Vulcan.”

“Aye?” Scotty looked at him in surprise. “She moves great for her age.” The footsteps and clanging grew louder until Spock dropped back out of the Jeffries tube, face flushed.

“You can climb everywhere!”

“Aye,” Scotty said. “Useful for my engineers, needing to get to different points on the ship.”

“I see,” the companion said. “I can feel in this body that he is not so different from the Vulcans that I remember. A warrior-scholar, I think.” She stepped towards Kirk, circling him. He allowed the companion to prowl around him, feeling the brush of Spock’s shoulder against his back.

“Do we fight, captain?” Spock’s breath ghosted over his ear. He fought to keep himself from flinching.

“Yes,” Kirk said, keeping his chin high. “We spar frequently, to stay in shape.”

“I would like to spar with you,” the companion said. “Please?”

Kirk ignored the shiver from hearing Spock’s voice, even high and unfamiliar, say ‘please’ to him. “Sure thing,” he said. “I promised a full tour, didn’t I?”

☆☆☆

Kirk stood across from Spock and the companion on a sparring mat in the gym. Unsure of what to expect and trying to protect Spock’s privacy, he had cleared everyone else out of the room. Spock bounced on the balls of his feet and rolled his neck, pulling his tendons taut against his skin. He never moved like that. It was uncanny. At least from this distance the color of his eyes was less prominent.

“How does this work?”

“Spock is teaching me Suus Mahna,” Kirk said. “It’s a Vulcan martial art.” He bent his knees, trying to place his arms correctly. The companion copied him, and in the movement he saw Spock’s muscle memory take over.

“Yes,” the companion breathed. “I feel it now.” For the first time since the companion had taken possession, Spock’s body moved like it was supposed to. He struck forward, no warning, and Kirk dodged out of the way. They circled each other. As Spock’s body moved in a way that was finally, finally familiar, Kirk felt the tension he’d been carrying since that morning leak out of his shoulders. Spock was still in there, and he would be returned to them soon. Spock struck again, and they grappled, shoulders locked against each other. Kirk hooked a leg behind Spock’s knee, trying to topple him. Spock dropped and rolled, flipping Kirk over his shoulder, using his momentum against him.

In a flash Spock was on top of him, pinning his shoulders to the ground, the length of his body pressed against Kirk’s. Kirk squirmed, fighting to displace him, but he was so damn heavy. All he managed to do was get his shirt rucked up, stuck under his back, and he could feel the rough weave of Spock’s uniform against his stomach.

The companion’s curious green eyes watched his face, slowly releasing the hold on his shoulder. Kirk lay flat on the ground, breathing hard.

“Spock usually wins,” he said eventually. The companion still gazed at him, the weight of Spock’s body pressed against him. He said, “This is the part where you get off of me.”

“It is?” The companion looked confused, and brought one of Spock’s hands to Kirk’s stomach. She trailed Spock’s long fingers against his exposed hip. “I thought that---”

“Nope,” Kirk said, and squirmed harder. God, Spock’s hands on his skin felt good, just like he had imagined, but he didn’t want it like this. He didn’t want the body with the mind not present. “I don’t know what you thought, but he wouldn’t want this. You’re still a guest in his body. Please respect that.” The companion levered Spock up in a pushup, and Kirk scrambled backwards. He yanked his shirt back down and sat with his legs crossed at a safe distance.

“I am sorry, captain,” the companion said, and Spock’s face was contrite. “I am only able to follow his existing neural pathways. The line between fantasy and memory is slender.”

“Oh,” Kirk said, and his breath left him in a rush.

“He thinks of you often, captain. You are his favorite. He wants---”

Kirk held up a hand, stopping whatever words would come next. “Please don’t,” he said.

Spock’s brow furrowed. “You do not want him? But I felt it,” the companion said, and she lifted Spock’s hands. Damn telepaths.

“It’s not that,” Kirk said. “If there’s something that he wants to tell me, he can tell me. I don’t want to know if he’s not willing to share that.”

“And you have not told him how you feel either.”

“No,” Kirk said. “I haven’t.” The companion watched him for a moment longer before clambering to Spock’s feet. Kirk stood and readjusted his uniform, trying to straighten his mind back out, trying to ignore the idea that Spock might harbor the same unprofessional desires he did.

“What would you like to see next?” Kirk asked.

The companion turned to look back over Spock’s shoulder. “I would like to see ko-kai again. The communications officer.”

“Ko-kai? What is that?” Kirk led the companion back to the turbolift to return them to the bridge. The companion shrugged. The informal gesture was unnatural on Spock.

“It is how Spock of Vulcan thinks of her. Is that not her name?” The turbolift carried them back to the bridge, and as the door opened, Kirk said, “No, her name is Uhura.”

Uhura turned at the sound of her name as Sulu called, “Captain on the bridge!”

“Hello again,” Uhura said to the companion, and the companion crouched in Spock’s body next to her station.

“I think I will go back to my planet soon,” the companion said. “I have seen many things, and I will have to think on what I have observed for a time.”

“Did you have a nice time?”

“I did,” the companion said. “I wanted to see a starship, and I saw it. I don’t think I understand the people on it, though.”

“People are difficult,” Uhura agreed. “I have lived a long time, and witnessed many things. And so much of what I have seen could be avoided if people merely said what they meant, or thought, or felt.” Uhura turned to look at the companion, who petted her shoulder with Spock’s hand. “It was nice to meet you, ko-kai.”

“Oh!” Uhura stared at the companion, but Spock had already turned away.

“Take me back, captain,” the companion said, and he took them back to the turbolift.

☆☆☆

Scotty met them in the transporter room. “Leaving so soon?”

“Thank you for showing me the ship,” the companion said. “Spock of Vulcan is correct in his assessment of your intelligence.”

“Well, tha’s very kind of ye,” he said. “And of Mr. Spock, though I’ll never tell him ye said that.”

“That’s a shame,” the companion said, and stood on a transporter pad.

Kirk said, “Energize.”

The grassy planet materialized around him, and Spock at his side. His eyes were still green.

“Thank you, Captain Kirk,” the companion said. “I’m sorry for the distress I caused you. I meant no harm.”

“It’s alright,” Kirk said. “As long as you return Mr. Spock to us, we’ll call it even.” Spock cocked his head to the side.

“He’ll be with you momentarily. I think you have a lot to talk about.” Spock closed his eyes, and from his mouth gushed a font of black gas. It whirled upwards, hovering for a moment over their heads, before dissipating into the air around them.

Bye! A disembodied voice echoed in his ears before fading away, and when Spock opened his eyes they were the warm brown that Kirk had missed all day.

“Captain,” he said, and his voice was deep and inflectionless. Kirk smiled.

“Welcome back, Mr. Spock,” he said. He put his hands on his hips and took a steadying breath. “I think we should talk.”

#spock #spirk #kirk #tos #my writing #spirktober2023 #spirktober #k/s #kirk/spock #k/s fan fic #kirk/spock fan fic #mind control

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liminalmemories21 · 9 months

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Lim-my! How abotu 13, 15 and 22? 💝

Thank you!

13. What story haunts you when you try to sleep at night?

Until I posted it definitely Knave 3 which kind of made me want to cry a little.

Currently, probably the baby fic WIP, because I want to make it work and I cannot figure out either what is wrong with it, or how to fix that.

15. Are there are other writers or artists who have inspired you?

I mean, realistically everyone I've ever read published or fanfic. But recently, the way @indomitable-love writes such nuanced emotion, the way @welcometololaland builds a mystery and a plot over a long form story, the way AO3 author Hatteress writes sex (I've been rereading Teen Wolf lately).

22. Will you change anything about how you plan or post fics next year?

Probably not? I know @rmd-writes is putting in a solid plug for me to use chapters on Knave-verse (although @freneticfloetry is putting in a solid counterpoint for not using chapters, so we'll see).

I don't write or edit particularly fast in comparison to some people, but it works for me, so I don't see it changing. I am fundamentally in awe of anyone who can post as they write, because I am still changing things at the beginning of the story right up until I hit post. Which is to say, you're never going to get a fic that updates week by week from me, because my brain just does not work that way.

#asked and answered #writing meta

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thechaoscryptid · 5 months

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Meme for fic writers questions! ^.^ I picked 2 and 12 and then I figured I might as well pick the other x2 questions. Feel free to pick and choose, though!

2. Is there a trope you’ve yet to try your hand at, but really want to?

12. Is there an episode above all others that inspires you just a little bit more?

22. Choose a passage from one of your earlier fics and edit it into your current writing style. (Person sending the ask is free to make suggestions).

32. How do you feel about smut?

Is there a particular question from the meme you'd love to tackle?

(ask me writer questions!)

2. Is there a trope you've yet to try your hand at, but really want to?

Man, I actually had to think quite hard about this one and I still don't have a solid answer. I tend to write what I want and that spans a decent range of tropes.

HOWEVER, there are definitely tropes I've written that I'm 0% confident I've actually done justice to. These include, but are not limited to: mermaids, mafia, body swap (that one's on ao3 but it's ooooold), enemies to lovers

12. Is there an episode above all others that inspires you just a little bit more?

Trigun Stampede's Wolfwood gets me REAL good and fired up to write every time.

Alternately (and not an episode), Gortash's coronation scene from BG3 but SPECIFICALLY when playing Dark Urge.

22. Choose a passage from one of your earlier fics and edit it into your current writing style.

Sas I'll be real I've been trying to do some rewrites for this question for an hour now and can't find any that are working so I will use my skip ability on this question 😭

32. How do you feel about smut?

Excellent, 10/10, no notes, put that guy in the other guy

(aaaaaaand there is actually another question I wanted to talk about so consider this swapped for 22 I suppose!)

Describe your comfort zone - a typical you fic

Okay I wanted to talk about this one because I was thought dumping on a specific fic the other day and accidentally summed up both that specific fic AND my fic preferences in one line:

Your hands are bloodied, but his favorite color has always been red.

That's it that's my favorite kind of fic and the one I write most often. Bonus points if the fic includes extended seasonal imagery (usually winter), moral conflict, and emotional hurt/comfort

#alex answers #thegraysquirrel

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number1villainstan · 3 months

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19, 22, 34

19. Tell me a story about your writing journey. When did you start? Why did you start? Were there bumps along the way? Where are you now and where are you going?

My writing journey? I'm not sure if it can be called that, but if it can be then it started young. Very young. I've always been an imaginative child, and I believe the story I have of mine is from third grade. My writing journey is my entire life, really, jumping from fandom to fandom, daydreaming and writing and daydreaming and stopping and starting in fits and bursts in a chaotic waveform with no overarching pattern except for forward and getting better. "When" and "why" I started are useless questions--I've been a writer since I learned enough language to be a writer. There have always been stories living inside my head. I am a writer because I am a writer. I was born that way. It is a core part of me.

That being said, there are certain specific milestones to remark on:

When I was 11 or so, I often had the constant urge to write down the stories that were in my head, but I ignored this urge too often. I don't remember why. ADHD task initiation struggles? Lack of access to a computer? An unclear path to accomplish the task? This isn't to say that I ignored that urge 100% of the time--this was around the age when I started making Google Docs with story names, or perhaps I did that earlier. I can't quite remember. But the fact of the matter is--I ignored that urge too often, and now it's gone and I do not know how to get that fire back. It would help greatly with my own productivity now.

When I was 12, I found FF.net and subsequently made an account. A lot of old, terrible fic is still on that old account.

When I was 14, in August of 2016, I decided to do a little writing challenge for myself--or rather, "so that my readers know I'm not dead" (even if I didn't really have any readers): I wanted to write a short piece every month. And I am still writing a 'short piece' every month. The earliest of those tend to be 300-500 words; nowadays they're upwards of 1000 words, and I believe the longest out of all of them is a solid 3k words. And while I've skipped a few months by accident here and there, I'm proud to say I've been quite consistent with this series.

When I was around 16 or so, two things happened: number 1, I decided to switch from FF.net to Ao3, and number 2, I got a cellphone. When I switched to Ao3 I decided to port only my monthlies, because I had a lot of basically-abandoned multichapter fics on there that I had no idea how to finish, and I made switching to Ao3 a new start--I was a chronic pantser at that point, and still am in many ways, but that was the point when I started actually writing out notes and small outlines and doing prep work for my stories. Getting a phone was also a notable moment because it enabled me to work on my stories away from a computer, and because of a little journal app called Day One, in which I began to do daily writing practice that wasn't working on a specific WIP.

As I started to close out high school, I wrote and published on Ao3 my very first finished (and currently only) multichapter fic: start living when your heart stops, which was originally supposed to be 5 chapters and ended up 9 chapters. It was my first proper exercise in plotting out a story, and it was made possible in large part by an enforced and regular routine that I lost when COVID hit and when I went to college.

(There were probably certain milestones that I hit while in college--such as participating in my first (and currently only) bang/fic-and-art exchange event, or switching from Google Docs to LibreOffice--but none are jumping out at me as important.)

As for where I am now? I'm still working on prep work, and I still don't have a good routine for writing. But the ideas that I have are evolving. I've entered an experimental era of sorts, dipping my toes into things I'm not practiced at writing, even with my extensive history of wild AUs, such as symbolism, real-world critiques, longer narratives and more complex narrative structures. I am also attempting to (at least sometimes) force myself to write more than one draft, because I know full well that my writing improves dramatically with more than one draft, but without a solid routine for writing (and with ADHD on top of that) it's difficult to make myself do so. Still, I'm hopeful.

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 incredibly. I use mostly my computer and LibreOffice to write my stories, and my usual method of organization is to have an Outline/Notes section at the top of the document (or Brainstorming, if it's an MSP) and an Actual Writing section below that, with subheaders for different chapters or scenes. It allows me to make notes of things that may not be said outright in the story but would still inform character's decisions or plot events and to jump around and write scenes out of order without messing things up or losing track of the story.

I also have Day One, a journal app, which I use for daily writing practice--a lot of random ideas and snippets get written down and stored there, and the consistency of writing in it has (I believe) greatly improved my writing-related microskills, like sentence structure and word choice.

34. Thoughts on the Oxford comma, Go:

I love it. Can't get enough of it. It adds so much clarity and conciseness--why isn't it mandatory?

#ask #writing #my writing #writblr #jajalala #ask game

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rainypebble07 · 1 year

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My (byler) fics- should or shouldn't you read them? -UPDATED as of 7/11-

This is me trying to be as brutally honest as I can about my fics on Ao3 as a guide so I can hopefully introduce you to something you're interested in! (And help you to stay away from something you aren't)

1.It Wasn't a Bad Thing--- NO. This was my first fic and I have it on Ao3 for historical reasons, but I did make a rewrite, which is also on this list!

2. How To Handle Your Love Life and the Apocalypse at the Same Time--- I think my writing wasn't at its best yet, but this one is sweet. It focuses a lot on Mike and Nancy as siblings, which I really liked (they have a girls' night and it's just adorable!) and the plot's actually decent. It's actually got some pretty good chapters, so you know. My biggest critique is it can feel sorta sudden at times, but if you can look past that, it's one of my favorites that I've written. This one is always fun to go back and read for me. (26 chapters)

3. Much Ado About... Something? -- This is a high school theatre AU, so if that's your thing then YES! I adore this story and it's got the most kudos out of all my fics. It gets a little sad and there's a solid amount of angst, but it's got a happy ending, so don't worry. It's also fun and happy sometimes, so good balance. This one's got really positive feedback and I just think it's neat. (28 chapters)

4. The Unwanted Return of Everything (and How it Finally Ends)-- It Depends. This one is definitely longer than my others and it's got a really long plot with, like, three different conflicts one after another.It takes place a few years after everyone defeats the Upside Down and they have to come back together because it's back and at first Will's got this new boyfriend and Mike's jealous and yadda yadda, the Mind Flayer shows up, big finale and everything. It's got some of my better-written moments, (I was actually rereading it the other day I very much enjoyed it) but also a couple eh ones, so it's really up to your preferences for this one. I always give it more crap than it deserves. If you're looking for a long read, go for it! (36 chapters)

5. Shady Business-- Superspy Byler. If you like crazy AUs, 100000000000000 TIMES YES! If I had to marry one of my fics, I'd marry this one immediately. It's Superspy Byler and I love it and I think you should read it. Rarely does it get slow because I plotted it out pretty thoroughly and it's just super fun and silly and kinda sad, but it's one of my favorites ever, so you know. (22 chapters)

6. Mike Wheeler's Ultimate Guide to the Undead-- YEAH! I think you should check it out because it's super cute!! It focuses on Mike and Will after season one in an alternate timeline where Will died in the Upside Down and came back as a zombie. It's super fun and cute (and sometimes sad) but seriously! You should read it! (7 chapters)

7. It Wasn't A Bad Thing (REWRITTEN)-- This is another AU, but this time it's kinda crazy bc it's a flower shop/tattoo parlor AU and Mike owns a flower shop and Will owns a tattoo parlor. It's a rewrite (duh) of my first fic ever and it's A LOT better than the original with a lot of new content and everything, but you should check it out! There's a lot of really fun scenes and I had fun writing it. (12 chapters)

8. currently writing a pirate AU as well and you should definitely check it out bc I love it. If Time Runs Out

THE END (for now?)

Hopefully, this will help you out if you ever find yourself looking through my profile on Ao3 or if you just needed something new to read right now (I understand, we all do). If you've got any questions about my fics, my asks are always open!

Alright, have fun!

#ao3 fanfic #byler fanfic #stranger things #byler #fanfic #ao3 author #I can't believe I'm up to seven #that's crazy to me #like when did I find the time to do that?#Never in my life did I plan on becoming a fanfic author

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raybyanothername · 1 year

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Tagged by the awesome @mostannoyingbillioner for this and I absolutely love these!

Rules: post the first lines of your last 10 fics posted to Ao3. (Sort by date posted.) If you have less than 10 fics posted, post what you have.

-.-.-

1. The Omega Prince - House of the Dragon - Modern Royalty Omegaverse - Unrated (affectionally referred to as The Beast fic)

(currently on Chapter 12)

It was tradition for family to gather at the end of winter. Nominally, it was to commemorate the end of the Long Night centuries earlier, when Queen Daenerys I Targaryen and her nephews had defeated an army of the dead and re-established Targaryen rule in Westeros after the War of Five Kings. In reality, it was an excuse for family to gather and snipe at each other over food of questionable edibility prepared by an overworked and exhausted host.

This year, that host was Rhaenys.

2. The Snarky One - Teen Wolf - Theo-centric Post-Canon - Rated E

(currently on Chapter 21)

The graveyard shift at the hospital was bad enough, agreeing to check in at the Animal Clinic on her way home just made the night seem even longer. Hell, the sun would be up before she got to bed at this rate.

3. A Targaryen Solution - House of the Dragon - Canon Divergent Arranged Marriage AU - Rated T

(currently on Chapter 19)

It was a not-so-open secret that Targaryens could all carry children. The Faith of the Seven weren't fans of it, of course, but Targaryens were the blood of the dragon, and dragons don't care for the human concept of gender. The only thing that mattered to a dragon was blood, and fire.

That's what Viserys reminded himself of as he stood before the court and announced the betrothal. Rhaenyra had suggested Helaena, but that would not solve the issue of succession.

4. Concubine Beats King - House of the Dragon - Jace/Aegon Canon Divergent Elopement - Rated E

(currently on Chapter 22)

Dragonstone was old and her walls were filled with secrets. Helaena walked the walls of an old library. She trailed one finger over the spines.

Her mother's words echoed in her head.

*The Targaryens keep their blood pure.*

5. Quantum Quirks - Star Trek (mostly Voyager) - Post Canon Icheb/Q Slowburn - Rated T

(currently on Chapter 13)

Captain Janeway would love to say she was surprised by this turn of events. Really, she'd have even given up a coffee ration for an iota or two of shock if they were still in the Delta Quadrant (just the one ration though).

Reality as it was, when she opened the door to her quarters to find Q Junior sitting on her couch, eyes already wide and ready to pout, Kathryn just sighed. She plopped herself beside her godson and rubbed her fingers into the sides of her forehead. A headache formed anyway.

6. Sloan's Rosary - Original Fiction - Modern Ghost Story - Rated T

(Completed)

We called the intersection ‘Doom and Gloom.” The streets were always busy, what with the highway being just a few blocks down. Every single building was the same shade of grey, made out of cinder block and concrete from a 90s rebuild.

A bunch of college apartment complexes lined Doom St and a bunch of fast food joints and expensive clothing boutiques ran along Gloom Ave. Perfect for your average college undergrads! We lived a few blocks away, in a two bedrooms house we’d started renting three years ago when we stopped being undergrads.

I was sitting in the passenger seat. We’d bought the old Cadillac our freshman year with money we’d been saving since before either of us got a license. Whatever color it had been before, it wasn’t anymore. The outside was a solid shade of rust that clashed horrendously with the worn blue interior. Sloan loved that. Me? All I cared about was that the radio worked. Most of the time.

7. Following the Contract - Dead Boy Detectives (DCU) - Edwin/Charles Arranged Marriage Omegaverse AU - Rated E

(One-Shot)

Charles arrives at the Paine Estate with some degree of trepidation. He's not nervous. Not afraid. That would be silly.

He's getting married, not going off to war. There's nothing to be afraid of. Nothing at all. It's not as if he's marrying someone he's never met... oh wait!

8. Not a Nebula - Star Trek - Riker Meets Q2 - Rated G

(One-Shot)

A beep from the science console is almost immediately followed by a quiet hum from the ensign. The vulcan turned his head, brow almost furrowed, "Captain. A nebula has appeared on our latest scan."

"The Archnid Nebula? I thought we had another day before it would be in scanner range?" Riker rose from his seat, glancing briefly at the conn to check their speed and current position. They were exactly where he thought they'd be.

"No, captain, it's a different one. I am not familiar with it's composition." The ensign stepped back from their console as Riker approached, giving him a chance to see the data himself.

"This is an established nebula," Riker'a forehead wrinkled. He tapped at the console. "And we have no records of it before this scan." No wonder the ensign was so effected - their lips were pursed tightly as they squinted at the console.

9. The Curse of the Welshman - Merlin - Modern AU Merlin/Arthur Slowburn - Rated T

(currently on Chapter 4)

Morgana was always late – twenty minutes, almost to the second. Arthur was well-versed in Morgana Standard Time though, so he compensated. He arrived fifteen minutes late to the restaurant so as to keep the alone time with his father as short as possible. Uther was already there, of course, his strong jaw and wrinkled brow schooled into his polite face - reserved for the House of Lords and his son.

After fifteen more minutes Arthur started to consider drowning himself in the soup the server had brought for the table. Uther had spent most of the time ranting about Arthur’s grades, because taking a double course load wasn’t enough; he also had to ace everything. How dare he get a B in the Chaucer class Uther hadn’t wanted him to take in the first place?! The nerve!

10. A Legendary Experiment - Teen Wolf - Season 5 PWP AU - Rated E

(Completed)

His vision was blurry as he blinked his eyes open again. Hayden was gone. Blinking slowly, Liam turned on his side, gasping as his arm throbbed and his head swam.

Guess that answered the question of whether he was still hooked up to the machine pumping wolfsbane directly into his bloodstream. He groaned, head lulling to the side. There were shapes, people, a few yards away, where Hayden had been strapped to a table.

Someone was shouting. Yelling. He heard his name and Liam tried to focus, tried to clear the fog. Slowly, the figures sharpened. The Dread Doctors. The metal table.

Theo.

The one who was shouting was Theo.

No pressure tags! @thiamsxbitch @mega-ringsandthings-world @moonbeeorangeheart @aadmelioraa

#ray rambles #fanfiction #house of the dragon #ray writes #hotd #teen wolf #fandom #merlin #thiam #merthur #tag game #star trek #icheb/q2 #dead boy detectives #edwin payne/charles rowland #aegon ii targaryen/jacaerys velaryon #original fiction

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