#and it's not meant to be a shippy fic either

[a-sociopath-do-your-research]

VOTED O7 (although i would have done it anyway heheheh)

anyways idk what kind of stuff u prefer to write but either some rendoc or something season8!grumbo (yanno when mumbo ate his soul to preserve his humanity. that was fun) would b very cool <333

OK SO YOU ARE IN LUCK! have this little thing taken from one of my fics!!

Some season 8!Grumbo for your… soul :)

(ain't exactly very shippy cause at this point in time in the fic they're not together yet! Sorry! I'll try doing some rendoc too<3)

Remember, reblogs>likes

«"… By signing this you agree to me harvesting your… Soul? In an attempt to become human again,"» Grian read from the small print. «Why aren't you human?»

« Grian. Look at me. » Mumbo said to the other, looking at him through the glass.

He took off his mask, revealing his pig-like face.

« That's weird… » Grian said, as if it wasn't obvious already. « But…? Was that supposed to explain anything?»

Mumbo sighed, « Ok, you can't get there on your own, I overestimated you. » Grian let out an offended gasp as Mumbo smiled a bit.

« I'm a shapeshifter. » Mumbo said, avoiding the other's eyes.

Shapeshifters were usually accepted… but not the ones like him.

« Oh… » Grian said, quietly.

That was it, wasn't it? Grain was gonna be scared or disgusted - he didn't know which he'd prefer.

« Makes sense. You're one of the ones without souls right? » Grian said, calmly, as Mumbo looked up, hearing shuffling.

Grian was sitting on the ground, with his legs crossed.

He didn't seem upset.

Grian motioned for him to sit as well, and after a moment of hesitation, he did.

« So? »

Mumbo gave him a quick nod to answer his question.

« Hm, I wonder how I missed it? » Grain said, with his usual mischievous smile.

Mumbo would usually get out seeing that grin, knowing it meant trouble, but considering what could've been he was overjoyed seeing it.

« I'm good at keeping it a secret. » Mumbo answered, trying to stay positive.

« You can't control your shifting, right? » Grian asked, taking off his Elytra And pulling off his sweater, revealing his wings.

Mumbo hated how thin he was. He wasn't healthy and he hated not being able to help.

« Yes and no, As long as I don't eat too much of the same thing I don't shift… » He trailed off. He had been eating the same thing for the whole season.

« Do you know why you can't control it? » Grian asked, tilting his head.

Mumbo just shrugged « I was just born unlucky, there's no reason. »

« Wrong. » Grian said, humming a bit.

Mumbo tilted his head « What? »

« You're wrong. There is a reason. » Grian said, with a smile, and brought a hand to his chest, and motioned to grab something. He slowly moved it away, and cupped his hands, showing Mumbo whatever appeared in his hand.

It looked like a wisp sphere, glowing with a sky blue light, with small wings and a halo, both glowing with a light purple that melted with the other color.

Mumbo had never seen something so beautiful.

« Do you know what this is? » Grian asked, quietly, looking at the thing in his hand with a soft smile.

Mumbo shook his head.

« It's an old trick someone I once knew taught me, » Grian said, then looked up, holding it out to Mumbo « It's my soul. » he said, and the words echoed through Mumbo's mind.

He clenched his chest.

He knew he'd never have something like that.

« This little thing - or better, the lack of it - is why you can't control when you shift. » Grain explained, holding his soul close to his chest again, he cupped it like you'd do with a flame. « I'm not good at explaining, we both know that. But… I want to help you. » He said, and gripped the soul. His expression shifted,looking a bit pained.

« Grian, what are you doing… » Mumbo whispered, as he started getting up, not liking where this was going.

« I know you didn't really mean it when you said you wanted my soul. You wanted my help to turn you back. » Grian said, smiling wider now « And this is how I'm gonna do it! » He pulled at the wings.

Next thing Mumbo knew, he was thrown against a wall, and there was a blast of light.

When he looked up, Grian was on the other end of the room, leaning against the opposite wall holding…

Two halves of his own soul.

He looked up at Mumbo, with that stupid smile he always had.

Mumbo rushed towards him, breaking the glass that was between them.

Grian had gotten even paler than usual.

His legs gave in, and he sat down. « This should do… » he whispered, holding out one of the two halves « I can shift a little bit. A half should let you keep your powers but let you control them. »

« Grian, what?!- » Mumbo hissed, not accepting it.

« Mumbo, take it. » Grian insisted, yelping when Mumbo pushed his hand back « Don't do that! They'll fuse back together and I don't think I could handle it breaking again! » He said, doing his best to keep the two halves apart.

Mumbo just… stared. « Grian, you know I'm always up for crazy things but… I can't do this… » He murmured.

Grain took his hand, and placed one half in it, « You gotta, cause I'm not taking it back. » Grian said stubbornly, and moved the half he still had next to his chest. It disappeared again.

Mumbo moved the one in his hand closer, just to look at it.

The halo had stayed with Grian's half, but it had one wing.

Grian smiled « Come on, it's yours now. » He murmured.

Mumbo closed his eyes, and pressed it against his chest like he just saw Grian do.

It was a weird feeling. He shifted back to human, as usual, but it was… different, somehow.

A good different, but nothing like it had ever been before.

Grain chirped - as he often did - but he… understood him?

« Change! »

« I'm sorry? » He whispered, confused.

Grian ignored him. « You've changed! You don't look like usual! » He said.

« I- Grain? » Mumbo fiddled with his sleeves, « I think I understood that chirp… »

Grain blinked, then chirped again and tackled him in a hug.

« Yes! »

Grian started purring « Yes! You're flock! You can understand me too now! » He said, squeezing him.

« Geez- for having lost half a soul you're still pretty strong. » Mumbo said, smiling, and pet him on the head.

« Don't you get it?? You understand my flock! »

Mumbo smiled « I'm assuming it's good? »

Grain purred again « It's really good! I never thought it was possible but now- »

He put his forehead against the other, still smiling, and chirped again.

« You're family now! »

[batshieroglyphics]

One-shot Fandom Scene Breaks

These are the scene breaks for fandoms that I've only written one or two fics for, or a single scene break covers multiple fics. (Basically, the fandoms it's not really worth it to make an entire post for.)

A couple of these, actually, I have written a fic in that fandom, but that fic doesn't actually have any scene breaks. I sort of made them as a bit of a just in case, but, also, because I was having fun.

As per previous scene break posts, these were created because I wanted fun scene breaks that were screen reader-friendly at AO3. The images on AO3 are smaller than the versions shared here—I like the larger versions that let you see a bit better the specifics that aren’t always visible in the smaller versions—and due to the coding I use, they only exist when you have creator’s style on, and cannot be viewed as an image.

First up, James Bond. Since my only fic in the fandom is shippy, and I don't see myself doing any non-shippy fics, I just went right for the shippy break, with the text 00Q in a font that's vaguely digital, and them a silhouette of a gun on the left and a silhouette of a Bond next to a vertical 007. All kept black, outlined in grey, with a red shadow, because I just went for it, with this one, lol

BBC Merlin has two. This first one I edited an existing scenebreak (the second image above) of a silhouetted dragon in flight against a moon with calligraphy swirls out to either side for my monster Merlin fic; I edited to add blue to the interior of the calligraphy lines and outline them in red. (There is not a larger version of this break, as it's an older edit, from before I was saving larger sizes.)

Second BBC Merlin break is the Camelot shield of a gold dragon on a red field, with green swirling vines going out to either end, outlined in gold.

For Detective Conan/Magic Kaitou, we have Kid's white top hat with a blue band, above Conan's red bowtie. With swirling vines that are a pale blue outlined in white because, well, magic. If I ever manage to finish my longer DCMK piece, I'll probably create a different scene break for it. Or, at least, an alternate one, which can be used when Conan is Shinichi. Maybe. We'll see.

Neither of the two Yuri!!! On ICE ficlets I've done needed any scene breaks, but I decided to make one anyway, just to pad out this batch a bit. Skates in blue to either side of a figure skater in purple.

Only Star Trek ficlet, again, didn't need any scene breaks, but made this one, anyway. It's a silhouette of the USS Enterprise from TOS, coloured shades of grey, with a blue medical badge and a gold command badge to either side, because you will take McKirk from my cold, dead hands.

The Witcher! Using the wolf's head variant from the games, because that's the version that'll always be the correct one, to me, not the variation they're using in the show. It's grey outlined in red, but the grey was too limited, disappeared at smaller sizes, so it really just looks like it's done red. Swords to either side, with the one on the left notably lighter that the one on the right, to indicate one as being a silver sword, while the other is steel.

Done exactly one CBS Elementary fic, which was a yuri hate-sex fic between Joan and Moriarty. Which was fun, but, again, no scene breaks. Not sure I'll ever do any other fic in this fandom, tbh For this one, skyline of New York City, where the show takes place, coloured like a sort of golden sunrise, because I went looking for images of the logo to try to get a reasonable font and realised they were often shades of gold. So, did the background of the skyline in the shades of gold and left the text of ELEMENTARY in black.

This one is meant for Tamora Pierce's Tortall series, because I did a fic in that fandom, uh, gods-awful forever ago, and it did have scene breaks, stumbled over it while I was working on the Marvel set, not sure how. Blue jewel in the centre, for the Dominion Jewel, and swords to either side, slightly different hilts, with the one on the left outlined in blue, for Jon, and the one on the right outlined in purple, for Alanna. I originally thought to have the sword on the left outlined green for George and the Jewel outlined blue for Jon, but then I reread the fic and realised I hadn't included George in it, for whatever reason. (Idk, 2001!me surely had a reason? Assuming George was at Pirate's Swoop, I'd guess.) So I decided to just have Jon and Alanna with swords. Couldn't remember what shade of green George's Gift was, anyway.

And then, since I'd already done a break for one of my very, very old fics, it made sense enough to make a couple of breaks for Yu-Gi-Oh! (Planning to do some for my Digimon fics, too, but that can be a project for later, probably after redoing the SW set.)

First one, the Kaiba Corporation's KC logo, in blue, in the centre, with the duellist field arm things Seto created. Used this one for all of my fics that had the focus on Seto, Mokuba, and/or Noa.

Second one, all of the Millennium Items: left to right: the Key, the Scales, the Eye, the Puzzle, the Ring, the Rod, and the Necklace. Used this one for all my other fics.

[numericalbridge]

001 for Dariraine or 002 for Lilith.

Hi! Thank you for the ask!

Dariraine

when I started shipping it if I did: i can't remember, but probably when the 'Oh, Titan' aired and there was more art of them.

my thoughts: i don't actually actively ship it (even in my dariraine au the focus is not exactly on romance), mostly because i don't usually ship anything in the specific fandom way; but the dynamic of the two rebel leaders who started at the wrong footing via misunderstandings and then became closer is really interesting to me, both platonically and romantically. Plus i usually enjoy good romantic side plots between secondary characters. And as a platonic dynamic, their scene in Oh, Titan was such an unexpected but pleasant surprise. They were so fun! But, as i've mentioned before, the way ER was written and the way their friendship was there just for 1,5 scenes still leaves their canon dynamic in a very weird place for me, so i only see it as a ship in an AU/as somewhat removed from canon.

What makes me happy about them: i like that they had seemingly overcome their differences and reached a certain level of trust between ER and Oh, Titan. Yet at the same time they can and will annoy each other with stupid little things. Like, they sounded very fond of each other when they were explaining things to Luz, then it was immediately followed by Darius teasing Raine over their acting, and Raine tormenting Darius with the team name, only to then switch to the scene where they are holding that scroll together at the rebel table? A+ moments.

What makes me sad about them: in-universe it's that they have lost so much time they could have spend working together, all because of the mistrust/miscommunication/whatever ended their schooltime friendship. And on meta level it's that Darius wanted to protect Raine, as they have said themselves + whether intentionally or not it was implied that he agreed to not involve Eda (even when it would mean going with more dangerous plans), so it seems like he indulged Raine a lot, but we never got a moment of Raine doing the same for him.

things done in fanfic that annoy me: i don't think i've read any fic with them as a ship (sorry if i am forgetting anything) because usually shippy dariraine fics are either smut or they are a side pair in a long story that i am not interested in. But when it's platonic their friendship is often just there for them to give each other relationship advice rather than exploring their own dynamic. Also the way their personalities flip-flop depending on the fic type, when it's clear it is just meant to serve other dynamics rather than an actual attempt at characterization (for example, if it's a Hollow Mind fic and it's dad*rius then Raine would be soo over the top ruthless, but if it is a raed*a fic then it's the opposite and Darius just doesn't care about 'some teenagers')

things I look for in fanfic: at this point just a fic about their own dynamic whether platonic or shippy😭

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: Eda or Camila for Raine (no one understands ramila like i do😐), and Camila or Perry for Darius

My happily ever after for them: they participate in the rebuilding and reforming of the Boiling Isles while annoying each other and at the same time being ready to kill for each other.

who is the big spoon/little spoon: they switch

what is their favorite non-sexual activity: just working on something together like the scene at the end of Oh, Titan. Or scheming.

Lilith

How I feel about this character: i really liked season 1 Lilith as an antagonist and the flashbacks of her dynamic with Eda when they were younger. I never doubted that she would be redeemed, but i don't like how her arc was handled in season 2, especially season 2b, especially Oh Titan.

All the people I ship romantically with this character: no one, obviously

My favourite platonic relationships: her friendships with Hooty and Steve were very cute. Her relationship with Eda was mostly really interesting, and her relationship with their mother - even if not positive - was interesting too.

My unpopular opinion about this character: i think both her and Luz's arcs would have benefitted if their s2 relationship was more complicated; and i don't like how Lilith - especially considering how she behaved in King's episode in s2a - was presented as this good historian who will uncover the truth, while a brown woman was apparently the bad corrupt historian.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: Short answer - i wish her arc and character development were finalized in a serious manner in Oh, Titan episode, and earlier episodes had more focus on the initial awkwardness between her and Luz until it would have been resolved in the time travel episode.

Long answer: I wish her treating Luz as if Luz was a teacher in s2e2 was presented as something Lilith did because she was feeling awkward after what happened between them in s1, with Luz acting awkward in return. Then the tension between them would have been a plot point in the time travel episode, and it would've been resolved by the end of it. As a follow up, in ASiAS instead of the Azura sub-plot, Luz and Amity would have gone to do research with Lilith - resolving Amity and Lilith's mentorship offscreen and freeing time for Willow, Gus and Darius. And in Oh, Titan, Lilith's arc would've ended on a serious note via her travelling with King and Steve and reacting to common people and helping them during the montage, and then a serious conversation regarding King and her worldview.

a headcanon fact: I think she and King would develop a great relationship during the time skip.

for this ask game

[spoofymcgee]

i'm going to caveat this by saying this is me, ranting about a personal preference on my own personal blog, stating an opinion and not a fact.

because. look. twelve is actually probably my favorite doctor. he's such an excellent personality, vivid and bright and he takes himself very seriously while also being a little bit ridiculous with how pompous he is. i love him with my whole heart.

my problem is with any kind of shippy fic about him.

because, and don't get me wrong, i am a world champion sucker for twissy and river/twelve. there are so many incredible fics about them that i absolutely love.

but even in those fics, there's almost invariably a bit, either a one off sentence or a reccuring joke or just a background fact, that twelve doesn't like sex, isn't generally interested in it, is mostly asexual, and his one exception is either missy or river.

which. and i'm speaking as an allosexual person here, which is why this is very much just an opinion about something that rubs me the wrong way, and not like a call out or anything, but i don't. like that?

because the implication there is kind of that even if you aren't interested in sex, you must be interested in it with someone as beautiful or cool or intelligent or badass as river and missy are. even people who don't want sex must want sex with The Sexy Lady. and i don't like that? that makes me really uncomfortable.

because it's pretty clear in, like, their canon interactions that twelve doesn't really have, like, aesthetic appreciation regarding people? like, that scene with river on darilium in the restaurant, which i think is meant to be played as 'oh he's like a man he doesn't get beauty' but really just comes off as he always thinks she looks nice because he loves her but genuinely can't tell the difference between one look and another because his appreciation for her isn't based on her appearance. (and the bits with clara but those get. weird. sometimes.)

which i don't think necessarily means that he doesn't experience sexual attraction, because that is separate from aesthetic attraction. but i just.

i think there are totally valid, text supported interpretations to view twelve as allosexual, asexual, or anywhere along any sort of sliding scale between the two. you can also have a totally valid head canon that isn't text supported, regardless.

but framing it, consciously or unconsciously, as 'he doesn't like sex, except for his one exception, this super sexy lady, who he does like sex with because she's the love of his life/super stunning/some other strange reason' just. really weirds me out.

because old people can like sex! just because twelve is old doesn't mean he doesn't want to fuck! but it feels like so many people who want to fuck that old man don't think that old man should want to fuck. which is strange and uncomfortable.

and this is a problem because the only way i can think of to solve this is to write my own fic but i don't think i'm super good at romance so.

[olderthannetfic]

you're probably tired of getting so many asks about this but i genuinely don't understand the / vs & discourse. obviously there's situations where the waters are muddied, but to me, it's always a case of what am I writing it as? if I'm writing it from a shippy standpoint, I'll tag as such. If I'm writing it from a non-shippy standpoint, I'll tag as such. easy as that lol. some people will probably still say "oh but it's ambiguous!!!" no it's not. you know exactly what you wrote it as, stop lying.

--

I mean... you don't think some people don't know what they meant it as?

I have a strong aversion to queerplatonic fic, so I haven't read much and don't know how I would categorize the content, but that's a case where writers do say they find it hard to categorize, either because they have trouble describing the nature of the relationship at all or because they know exactly what they mean, but it doesn't map well onto the / vs. & notation.

There used to be a loathsome trend (and probably still is in places I can't see) for writing fics that could be repurposed to any ship and then crossposting them to multiple mailing lists admitting this. Surely, there are people who intentionally write fic that can be either shippy or not and they genuinely mean it both ways.

It's generally the case that I don't want to read a fic tagged with both, but I don't think it's surprising some people feel they legitimately need both.

[littlewestern]

See what happens

Bingo! Sir topham hatt/ Mr percival

Oh boy, lol.

At the risk of being the boring adult in the room once again, this is another one that just doesn't do anything for me as a romantic relationship. Far be it from me or Sir Topham to get in the way of what is clearly a very loving and robust relationship between Peregrine and his darling wife.

(I mean, goddamn. Look at all those kids.)

That said, I do think their business relationship is one that contains as many weird facets and nuances as a romantic one, and that's why I find it so fascinating. If I thought people would read them, I have more than one fic idea involving these two just sitting down and talking over tea.

See, Hatt's a real hardass, especially in the bad old days. I think part of the reason he ran the NWR the way that he did for so long was because it *was* just him, his five pains in the ass, and the zero dollars he had to split between them. Anyone else might have sought out a business partner early on to help ease the financial and operational strains of running this kind of slapdash outfit. The way Hatt was doing business though, I think he didn't trust anyone else to see his vision and to let him make the decisions he felt needed to be made. Not having to answer to investors or business partners meant he could run his railway however he liked. At a certain point, though, I think this became untenable.

There's some question as to what their business relationship is exactly. I've seen it suggested that the Skarloey Railway is Mr. Percival's and that the NWR and the Skarleoy Railway have nothing to do with each other, but I prefer the idea that Hatt actually bought all the railways on Sodor and then ceded their operation to Mr. Percival (and later Fergus Duncan). Personally, I think it's tidier if Hatt's in charge of everything and is simply delegating power where needed. In either case though, Hatt is clearly the one with the raw captial, and Mr. Percival answers to him if not strictly in chain of command, then at least in spirit, because Hatt's is the biggest and the one setting the tone for how all the other railways on the island should comport themselves in advertising and operation.

For Hatt to go through all the hardship and trouble of bootstrapping his way to that position of power, and then to put that much of it in the hands of some other guy... I think that speaks to how much trust Hatt puts in Mr. Percival, and rightly so in my opinion. Mr. Percival runs a tight ship, has a great deal of faith in his engines, and doesn't take any shit when they start acting up. We can surmise from this that he and Hatt are very much of the same mind on how engines ought to be treated, and I think that was as much a determining factor in Hatt's decision to appoint Mr. Percival as his business acumen or service credentials.

Yeah, I could go insane about these two for a while, but I'll cut it here. This is a dumb shipping bingo, after all.

That said, if you really did want to make it shippy, I will say that Mr. Percival's history is left deliberately vague and there's no reason that he and Hatt couldn't have met while both working for the GWR in some capacity. Probably as young, unmarried men... Just a thought.

[dreastmilk]

akira if you like size difference fic, let me introduce you to one of my favourite dream team authors, peanut! (you might have heard of them before)

@negativepeanuthoarder has written a few fics with the premise of size difference, these are all SFW :P (hence why im such a fan, asexual nation rise up) (mostly dreamnap but i didnt even notice the first few times if thats not ur thing, you can read them either way)

Were woof (sapnap cuddles with werewolf dream)

Snuggle me please? (sapnap steals dreams oversized clothes)

Height Difference (the most shippy but also the longest)

I'm subbed to peanuts ao3 A) because of the sfw size difference that isnt about dick sizes and B) because of the AUs (theres a vampire one!) <3

omg hello again peanut! ironically i think you've misunderstood what i meant by that post but i appreciate the fic recs regardless! thanks jess jess <33

[ut-girl666]

First time ever doing one of these, and I decided to hop on because I got ✨the inspiration✨, and I was immediately hit with an idea!

It’s not colored + shitty lighting, and I know it’s probably not the best, let alone win anything, but it was certainly a fun thing to think about while I drew! Might even follow up with a little fic inspired from it at some point, one day!

The Process (only took two pix, meant to take more, I just forgot- -v-')

Final Product

I hope you like it, @avoidghost! It was fun to draw, and gave me fun ideas!

‘Plot’ under the divider/cut.

What’s intended to be going on, is Drift is playing a Hitman game while the phone is on speaker, Ratchet is looking for Rodimus’s (nonexistent) medical records, and Rodimus is vaguely involved while on the line because he is a sick baby and the most noise from him in this state is his occasional sneeze and the hums of him falling asleep again. So Drift is arranging things for him. :) (and sneakily bringing two of his favorite people together.~ ;) )

It’s not the most shippy, and probably pre-relationship at best, but it’s a start! (Especially considering how firmly I hc Rodimus would have to be dragged into a medbay either half dead or kicking and screaming, if you even get that far. Because he hates doctors with a passion.)

[randomcanbian]

Do you recommend any good Blue Lions fics? I really can't find any good one that catches my interest because most are either just Edelgard bash fics or have the discomfort ship (dmlth)

Anon, you and I are in the same boat 😭 (Also lmfao, D*mileth being a discomfort ship is such a big mood (and thank you for the term ahaha)--love them platonically, but them romantically (if not in a polycule with another girl) makes me break out in hives 🥲)

I tried my best tho! Took me a while to answer this cause I had to take a deep dive into my bookmarks--I tend to gravitate towards Black Eagles / Golden Deer fics because of the risk of Edelgard-bashing from BL fans, so I don't have a lot of AM fics on-hand :(

Disclaimer: I didn't include shippy BL fic one-shots, as I assumed you're looking for recs that would feature more of the crew / things found in AM but not in other routes! But if you're down with those, I do have a bunch of BL/Hegemon!Edelgard x Byleth fics on hand 😂

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

[Post-AM]

1. Our Own Paths by jtav (WIP)

Byleth meant only to rewind time and knock away a dagger. Something goes wrong and Edelgard becomes a half-mad beast. Dimitri begs her to save his sister and Byleth reluctantly agrees. (rcb note: Technically an AU, but eh. Anyway, it's one of my favorites among the fics I've discovered recently. In the author's notes this is what it says: "This is very much AM El with all that implies. But…this is also a story that believes radical reform was necessary by an author whose favorite route is CF" and it's really evident in their fic ehehe. It's an exploration into the trauma and guilt and grief that Edelgard's war sets onto Fodlan--while it may have been ultimately necessary (armed reformation vs "peaceful" reformation which may merely prolong the suffering of the people, if it would even work at all), a righteous cause and the promise of a brighter future still can't wash away the blood that's been shed or the horrors that they've all endured. I also love the conflict that comes up between the Adrestians and El--both parties learning from each other their reasons for the roles in the war...just, really really good stuff :) )

[Alternate Universe Fics]

1. An Eagle Among Lions by AMX004_Qubeley (Completed)

The morning after her and Byleth's wedding, Emperor Edelgard von Hresvelg wakes up in her old bedroom in Garreg Mach to discover that she has brown hair, only one Crest, ten happy and healthy brothers and sisters, and a bad habit of sleeping through her professor's lectures. (rcb note: Let's assume you aren't the same anon as the one who recc'd this to me hehe. Anyway, I gush about this fic here :) )

2. outwit even death by Volossya (WIP)

In which Byleth saves the Edelgards of Silver Snow, Verdant Wind, and Azure Moon by dragging them through time to the beginning of Crimson Flower. Fodlan will never be the same. (rcb note: not really BL, but it has AM!Edelgard at least? Just wanted to recc it, I find it really interesting :) )

3. The Lion and The Lotus by WithPatienceComesPeace (WIP)

The Prince of Faerghus unites with a mysterious Professor from Duscur to uncover the Truth about the Lambert Assassination. (rcb note: The MC is an OC, and the fic follows the Blue Lions, however Byleth is the Black Eagle's Professor. I confess that I've mostly just read the few parts that had Byleth in it, but I did check out some other chapters and they looked quite well-written and interesting! From what I gathered, Duscur is sort of a fantasy!India and that's where the MC is from. The worldbuilding is amazing, altho I don't know what the plot is haha, but I'm certain it's good. I love the MC interacting with Dedue and Dimitri, and the former 2 bonding over the culture and grieving the loss of Duscur together. The MC's interactions with the other BL's great as well, and from what I've read, the author has a great grasp on their characters! Once I'm done with my Byleth-centric binging I actually do plan to go back to this fic and read it in its entirety :) )

[jenni3penny]

Hi

I'm your anonymous HEX gifter and I've come to ask you a few questions :)

Do you want other characters than Andreas, Farah and Saul? Or would you prefer it to be just the three of them? In fact, do you necessarily want all three, even if only two of them are in a relationship?

Do you have a favourite gender among those you've accepted?

Do you have a preference for when it happens? Before Aster Dell, during season 1, during season 2, after season 2?

If it's whump, would you prefer Farah to be the one who gets hurt/sick? Or would you rather she looked after the other(s)?

Is there anything you'd like me to know?

I think I'll come and bug you again when you've answered all these questions.

Your anonymous gifter :)

Hiiiii, hi! I'm thrilled to hear from you!

1. I am not against other characters being in the fic at all! Though, I do usually prefer stories about the adults rather than the teens. And it doesn't matter how many of them are in it! Whatever you're comfortable writing. 

2. I don't prefer one gender over another! Any viewpoint works. Though, I think maybe you meant genre and got autocorrected? I am a shippy gal but I do adore some occasional angst. 

3. I don't have a timing preference but I do, in fact, mentally live in a world wherein Farah Dowling did not die (or did not stay dead). I think one of my favorite time frames is post AD, when Farah takes on the headmistress position. That or right before/during season one. 

4. Ohhhh, that's a good question. I think yes, because Saul gets his ass thrashed in fic a lot. It's Farah's turn. 

5. Hmmm… Just that I'm a whore for symbolism and/or poetry. So if you have either of those going on then I'll be the happiest little fox. 🦊

Thank you for your questions!! ::bounce::

[batshieroglyphics]

AO3 Scene Breaks - Final Fantasy Style!

Following from my set of FMA scene breaks, I've been working my way through my works to add scene breaks that are both screen-reader friendly, and just generally more fun.

This batch is for my Final Fantasy VIII and Final Fantasy X fics (not including the crossovers, those will be a different post). This has been shared previously with my patreons here. (The below is basically copy&pasted from the Patreon post, they just got it a few days sooner.)

Image descriptions are either in the image alt text, or shared below, if tumblr wouldn't let me add alt text. 🙄 Most of these are larger versions of the breaks used on AO3, but I don't have larger saves of the first two, so you're getting the smaller versions.

[Image Description: Final Fantasy 10 logo of Yuna sending bracketing the Zanarkand Abes logo; all are in colours of blue and yellow /end ID]

Final Fantasy X line break, which I actually created...last year? Ish. It's the Zanarkand Abes symbol, the fatter version that Tidus wears on his shorts, between mirrored versions of the Yuna sending logo for the series in the original sunset ombre.

[Image Description: Seymour Guado's chest tattoo bracketing the Zanarkand Abes logo; Seymour's lions are black outlined in purple, the Abes symbol is dark grey outlined in teal]

I also created an alternate, which is the thinner Abes symbol that Tidus wears as a necklace between Seymour's chest tattoos, which I'd halfway through to use for a Tidus/Seymour fic, although I prefer the above for Crooked Wings, and I haven't really done any other FFX fics that require scene breaks and have them as main characters.

Not actually using this one anywhere, yet, but one of the holiday card ficlets for this year is a non-shippy FF8 piece, and I seem to recall it having a scene break, so I decided to make a break that could be used no matter the ship. In this case, the Balamb Garden yin-yang symbol with the white halo. With, I think, light grey outline? So it can be seen against a white background.

Standard Seifer/Squall shippy break of the Balamb Garden yin-yang between Hyperion and Revolver. The Hyperion I ended up using is the 'costume' Squall has in Dissidia, because I'd otherwise have had to use the pixelated version from the base game. And that wouldn't have looked terrible in the small scale, but the pixelated base game version of Revolver doesn't have the Griever keychain and the embossing on the blade is...a disaster, so I ended up going for two higher-def gunblades, even if Hyperion's handle is wrong. Highlights of red around Hyperion and blue around Revolver were mostly because of my long-held headcanon that Seifer leans more towards fire (thanks fireball in the opening scene spar) and Squall leans more towards ice magic. Which meant this scene break worked very, very well for Zyxt, where the two blast Adel's Tomb in space and end up inheriting her magic.

This one is 100% created for my Sorcerer!Squall fic, Silver Wings, because there was no way I wasn't going to find a pair of spread wings and recolour them silver for this fic, come on. And then the Griever necklace in the centre, because of the backstory this fic attaches to it.

For Noblesse Oblige, I wanted Lion Heart as a sort of nod to how advanced Squall is, that he's already done all this before, and the crown for the title's meaning, that Squall (and Seifer, to a large extent) are the nobility of Garden, having been some of the original students and, in this fic, very much paving the way for generations of SeeD.

For Sins of Our Young, I knew I was going to go with the gunblades again—they're really the best way, I think, of implying about Seifer and Squall's relationship without using the character images, which I was sort of half-consciously avoiding—and I crossed them at the handles. But I wasn't certain how to bring in the implication of the title—namely, the 'Sins' bit. I tried finding blood drips or splatters I could add to the gunblades, but I wasn't really coming up with the vague image I had. The bloody hand print wasn't terrible, didn't hate it, fully intended to use it, and then I remembered I had a sort of dripping font and decided to just type 'Sins' and recolour it red. So, the left one is the version you'll actually see used in the fic.

For Kissing It Better, I honestly thought about just using a line of kiss marks, lol, but then I did a quick re-read of the fic and remembered the bit about Seifer giving Squall the Griever necklace, so I decided I'd just use that charm again. And then a calligraphy swirls line break I stumbled across got re-purposed as a sort of necklace chain, because I wasn't having a lot of luck, otherwise.

I actually almost used the gunblades with the Balamb Garden yin-yang for Broken For the Scars I Forgave, except, part of that fic is that Garden isn't really welcoming for them, after canon, so they have to find somewhere else to go. Too, Rinoa's relationship—both the Sorceress/Knight bond with Squall, and the friendship/mutually-hated persons thing she has going with Seifer—is...so important to this fic. And I wanted to recognise that. So, gunblades crossed at the hilt in front of Rinoa's Shooting Star.

[ifeveristoday]

Buffy Summers’s Diary (III)

[insert Dawn’s lament here]

My silly little thing has gotten a bit less sillier in this part. Carry on.

1 Lyft carpool with Anya

3 missing pens

1 maybe date

7 outfit options, all terrible

100 years of rain

 When I was little and it rained, my mom would bring me to the living room and watch the rain splash against our bay windows. Sometimes she would get out her box of cassettes and we’d listen to “It Never Rains in Southern California.” Of course, I would point out that the singer was wrong, because what was happening outside then?

She would just laugh, and shake her head. ‘Baby, it’s not that it doesn’t rain, it’s the feeling that LA is always sunny even when it rains.’

I didn’t understand back then.

Watching the sun stream into the street and shine on perfect rectangles of manicured lawns while I peeked through blinds – I understood a little better. LA carries on even when darkness surrounds you, is in you.

 Anyway, it rained today, a deluge even. Kendra arranged for Lyft carpools for the employees and I shared mine with Anya. She lives only twenty minutes away from my apartment, but she drives while I take the bus. I like Anya, but it’s impossible to make small talk with her. She doesn’t understand the concept and launches into whatever she’s thinking with no segues whatsoever. I need a mental crash helmet whenever I talk to her.

She asked me if I used her gift certificate – ‘It expires soon, Buffy. There’s a special sale going on this weekend, I really think you would find some helpful aids there.’

Before I can even respond, she’s off talking about the new vibrator line that’s come in, and the importance of using essential oils in the bedroom.

The backseat of a car never collapses into a black hole when you want it to.

She managed to ask a question about Xander among all the updates from the Magic Box and I guess my expression tipped her off. Her mouth thinned out and she crossed her arms across her chest.

‘What? I can’t ask about Xander?’

I’m just surprised that she wants to. Their romance was pretty volatile at the end.

‘No, you can. He’s fine – sent me a postcard from Cape Town. He seems happy.’

She slumped a little. ‘Oh. That’s nice.’

I’m going to regret this – like in five minutes, I’m sure of it – but I ask her anyway.

‘How are you doing?’

‘I’m fine. I’m the one who broke it off. I’m very happy, I’m busy, my jobs are going great, I found a decent hairstylist in this town – I’m fantastic,’ she babbled.

She straightened up again and looked out the window.

‘I’m happy that he’s happy,’ she said. ‘We’re almost there.’

The driver pulled up to our building five minutes later. He smirked at us as we got out.

 Anya works in a different part of the building than I do and our goodbyes were awkward as I got out of the elevator. ‘Remember the sale, Buffy,’ she said as the doors slid shut.

I’m just not in the mood for that kind of self-care.

 There is an office supply thief on this floor and they are stealing my purple pens. I had four and now I have one. This is ridiculous, we are all adults and surely we can use the office supply cabinet instead of just lifting pens from other people’s desks like thieves in the night.

Why would they even take my pens? Everyone in the office knows I use purple to revise my notes – I know everything is digital but there’s something comforting about the way a pen can glide over the paper. I like the weight of the pen against my palm and it seems more permanent than a blinking cursor on a screen.

  I moved a PR box and found my pens wedged underneath my monitor stand.

Good thing I didn’t write that email to HR complaining about pen theft and being known as the most uptight person on this floor.

I need a cup of coffee but I’m going to make tea instead.

William is lounging in the break room when I come in. He has a rapt audience, the temps and Harmony are there, hanging onto his every word.

I roll my eyes and head for the tea station. Just because a man has good bone structure, an accent, and a leather jacket doesn’t mean he’s the most interesting person in the room.

Okay, maybe in the top five.

 I sit at the lone unoccupied table and hear snatches of the conversation. William is doing research for his next novel. He reached out to several publications and my CEO accepted his request along with the offer of a guest column in the magazine. He’s going to be writing about his travels and whatever else interests him.

It sounds like a dream assignment but I remember my blog is important too. Kendra told me not to read the comments though.

 One by one the admirers flutter out of the break room as editors appear in the doorway, meaningfully clearing their throats. I’m still sipping my tea when William walks over to me and sits down.

 ‘So, Summers. I have a gift for you.’

‘Yeah?’ I say, playing it cool. I am a cool glacial woman of substance.

‘I do,’ he smiles and then reaches into his messenger bag. ‘Freshly autographed.’

He slides Saturday and The Chosen across the table to me. His fingers skim the covers carefully as if he’s touching something precious.

Saturday’s cover shows a picture of a black woman, her gaze defiant and steely. The Chosen has a more generic cover, its title picked out in shades of gold and bronze.

‘Thanks,’ I say as I turn The Chosen over and read the blurb on its dust jacket. ‘Oh. Fantasy’s never really been my thing.’

Except for the period Dawn and I would read Harry Potter to each other under the covers with a flashlight, but he doesn’t need to know that.

He lifts one eyebrow and I notice the thin white scar cutting it into two imperfect halves. ‘Try it, you never know. Or maybe Saturday is more your type.’

‘This the one with your lone female character?’ I lean back and gaze at him over my cup.

He laughs and rubs his chest. ‘Ouch. But fair – I’m going to be writing more female leads in my novels. Nikki won’t be the last.’

‘That’s her name?’ I nod at Saturday’s cover.

‘Yeah. Nikki Danger.’

I choke on my tea. ‘Her name is Nikki Danger? Are you writing the next Bond novel?’

His smile has a hint of teeth. ‘Says the girl named Buffy Summers.’

‘My mom gave me that name, and it’s after a famous singer, you Philistine.’

I heard Will use that once, during debate class in high school. It sounded cool then even though I didn’t know exactly what it meant.

‘I know. And love, I’m in the arts, not exactly a Philistine. Do you want to borrow a dictionary for next time?’

This asshole.

Then I realize what he said. ‘What do you mean next time?’

Full on smile, and is that dimple? ‘How about dinner after work – does tonight sound good?’

He stands up and leaves before I can complete my thought.

I open Saturday. He’s scrawled his phone number on the front page.

  So it’s not a date. It’s a friendly dinner. I’ve done that before. It’ll be like riding a bike.

I have an uncomfortable vision of William riding a motorcycle and I decide that I need some advice.

Willow’s answering machine picks up when I call, so I just tell her I’m looking forward to our weekend brunch.

Andrew screeches when I call him. Literally, I had to hold my phone away from my ears.

‘You’re going on a date with the Spike Pratt?’

‘It’s just dinner,’ I say, fumbling for my apartment keys. ‘I’m going to meet him at some bistro after work.’

‘Are you going home to change?’ Andrew demands.

‘Well, of course.’

‘Then it’s a date,’ Andrew says triumphantly. ‘If you didn’t care, you’d just wear your work clothes.’

‘My hair got wet this morning and it’s sort of frizzy,’ I say. ‘It’s not that big of a deal. And his name is William.’

‘Eh, Spike sounds sexier,’ Andrew says. ‘William sounds like an accountant.’

‘It’s a maybe date,’ I say. ‘I don’t know. I made fun of him this morning, maybe he’s just returning the favor.’

Andrew sighs.

‘Girl, how long has it been since you’ve been on a date?’

‘Not that long,’ I scan my desk to make sure I haven’t left anything important behind. ‘There was Owen and Parker…’ I trail off.

‘Ew, ew and ew,’ Andrew says dismissively. ‘A poet and a day trader? Buffy, Parker was gross, and Owen writes gay erotica on the internet. He hasn’t written a poem since leaving college.’

‘You’ve read some of it,’ I say. ‘And you’ve dated some highly questionable people yourself.’

‘Yes, both the poems and the erotica were terrible. And you can’t hold Warren over my head all the time.’

‘I’m sorry. That wasn’t cool of me. But he really was the worst.’

‘He really was,’ Andrew agrees. ‘Just go on the date. You never know until you try, right? You told me that once.’

‘Okay. Maybe it won’t be completely terrible.’

  It was completely terrible.

All of my clothes weren’t right. I have exactly three types of clothes – athleisure, work clothes, and clothes that are too big for me. I haven’t had the chance to donate them yet or buy clothes that fit properly.

It took me seven tries until I settled on something that wasn’t too much or too little for a casual dinner with a handsome man.

Okay, I admit it. He’s a good looking man.

 I called him on the way to the bistro. He didn’t answer until the third ring. He sounded strange as if he forgot that he asked me out to dinner in the first place.

‘I’m glad you called actually – I was about to call. I’m sorry, Buffy. Something came up and I can’t make it to dinner after all. Can I have a raincheck?’

‘What?’

‘You have every right to be angry at me, but I just can’t get out of this commitment. I’ll call you, love. All right?’

The dial tone rings in my ear.

 I ended up getting takeout from the bistro – it seemed stupid to go all the way there and not get dinner. The ride back to my apartment gave me time to sort out what exactly I was feeling.

It was a tornado of emotions. First, sheer relief. Then, a flush of anger prickling against my skin. Who does he think he is, I muttered to myself. Then seething resentment followed by an aching emptiness. He must have googled me.

 I don’t do that anymore. The last time I checked for myself was right when I got out of the clinic. All the headlines were some variations of ‘Fallen Olympian completes rehab’ or ‘Buffy Summers – where is she now?’

Even the Sunnydale Post had something about me and I only trained there for three summers. ‘Ex-Olympic Gold Medalist in Recovery for Eating Disorder.’

Simple and to the point – though skipping all the reasons why I got there. The byline was a familiar name – Freddie Iverson. He was one of the first people to interview me when I won my medal.

 ‘How does it feel being a champion?’

It feels wonderful. It feels like flying and your feet don’t touch the ground. It feels like nothing can hurt you.

 How does it feel to be washed up at nineteen?

Ten years later and I’m still trying to answer that question.

It starts raining as I clean up the rest of the takeout. I made myself eat every last bite.

 It never rains in California, but girl, don't they warn ya? It pours, man, it pours

 the lyrics are from “It Never Rains in Southern California” by Albert Hammond

and I’m working from the fancanon (in exalted circles) that Buffy is named after Buffy Sainte Marie who would have been very popular during Joyce’s time because you just know Joyce was a hippie.

previous entry | next entry 

[ilkkawhat]

Chapter (1/2) Chapter Word Count: 7,751  Category & Rating: Gen, Teen+ Characters: Nick Stokes, Greg Sanders, David Hodges, Henry Andrews Summary: A road trip takes a deadly turn as Nick, Greg, Hodges and Henry find themselves driven to an abandoned mansion that’s...not so abandoned, and in fact, hosting a masquerade ball! But when the crowd of ghosts fade away, so do Nick’s friends. Chapter notes: A fic that's been in the works for about two years now, and I swear I wanted to have this done last year--and yes, I know, at the time of posting, it's not complete but my goal is to have it finished by the end of the month, because I am about halfway through, and plus, I'm sure it'll be good for both me and you readers to have a bit of a breathing break lol. This fic will be chocked full of references and if you recognize them, I hope you get as much joy as I did in putting them in. (And also based on quite a few of my dreams so take that as you will)

Happy Halloween!

read on ao3

[goblins-riddles-or-frocks]

20

Fanfic WIP Game

20. Hellsing confrontation fic

So basically this one’s kind of like my one shot set after Alucard first meets Anderson, where I try to take a look at what I think might be going through the characters’ minds, and to just like address details I would’ve liked to see come up! This one is after the Valentine brothers’ attack!

One of the biggest ???? aspects of Hellsing is how Alucard just does absolute jackshit in the basement while everyone’s massacred upstairs. He probably could’ve ended the entire thing in five minutes.

It’s especially interesting considering that the deaths are meant to hold weight! (Though the success of that is debatable.) Integra is blamed for them, and we get an entire sequence where, despite Walter attempting to shield her from the task, she ends up putting down all her ghouled soldiers personally. And it’s clearly really difficult for her! She also shoulders the blame for this happening because her soldiers weren’t ready, and idk poor leadership I suppose!

I think? There’s meant to be the implication that the Valentine brothers mowed through them so easily because they’re not used to dealing with armed ghouls on that scale, and also Walter may have leaked info? But either way, it went disastrously! When it seems like it didn’t need to!

So yeah the fic is basically just a one shot about Integra confronting Alucard like what the fuck, why, did you do that?? And he’s kind of like “Oh they were only soldiers, didn’t they enlist in order to fight and die?” And not necessarily comprehending why she’s so bothered. Anyway things also turn to discussions of whether he resents her and is quietly sabotaging her, etc. Surprising no one it is vaguely shippy, but like I wouldn’t say that’s necessarily the point.

Anyway here’s a snippet!

[theentireratchetandclankfandom]

Survive the Night...(Ratchet/Alister Version)

"And I'll be back tomorrow. I promise."

(You've found the Ratchet/Alister version! Or perhaps you haven't seen the gen version of this fic and you have no idea what I'm talking about. Either way, keep on reading and please enjoy! Also I'm so sorry if the editing is weird, this new post editor is kinda confusing.)

Hello hello, I have returned to the RaC tag with more fics for your soul and no one's gonna stop me.

This one is a sick fic that I wrote an au prompt for six (6!) years ago and I've always just wanted to see it become a fanfic. So I did it! And I made two versions of it! A gen one (here!) and a shippy, Ratchet/Alister version (this one!) You're welcome to read one or the other or both! Or you can read it on AO3 here!

Reblogs are appreciated and helps get this fic out there for everyone to enjoy!

(-[-]-  is a page break)

(~~ is the start and finish of a dream sequence)

.

.

“Come on Ratchet, how many times has Alister shown you already? It shouldn’t be this hard to find Lunaris by yourself...” 

Ratchet shifted the star map in his lap once again and sighed in frustration. He was never one for stargazing, he left that behind when he was finally able to leave Veldin. For Ratchet, stargazing was looking to the night sky and dreaming about finally getting off his home planet after eighteen long years and speeding across the Solana Galaxy in his own ship, finally free to do whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted. Not looking at one spot for the past half hour, unblinking, trying desperately to find a constellation Alister Azimuth could point out in his sleep. Which said Lombax was sorely lacking. But here he was, doing just that, hoping to learn a fraction of the celestial mapping the general knew. 

Maybe the stars were just located somewhere else on Lumos. This wasn’t Torren IV after all. Bodies of stars looked different on each planet, their location moving as they moved. Where one constellation could be located ninety degrees left of Torren IV’s moon, on Lumos...well Ratchet didn’t exactly know. Or maybe he was just exhausted and all the tiny little balls of dust and gas just looked like balls of dust and gas and nothing more. It was slightly frustrating. 

But Ratchet couldn’t deny that he was hooked learning about the different constellations in Lombax lore. And Azimuth was all too happy to prattle on to his audience of one of the stories behind each one of them and always put a special emphasis on his favourite, Lunaris. He never left anything out for her story, every detail was important, even the smallest one.  

And Ratchet was all too happy to listen to the same tale every night. Watching Azimuth’s animated movements, the brightest smile on his face that could rival the very stars he talked about, and the way his red eyes shown brighter. 

He just seemed more...alive. Happier. Younger. Breathtaking. And Ratchet wanted to drink in every minute of it. 

Except this night.  

This night, Azimuth was off helping the Vullards with a particularly nasty infestation of Tyhrranoids in one of their factories; only at the behest of Ratchet. And he made sure to let everyone know he was not doing this out of his own good will. 

No Azimuth meant no star mapping tonight. Which meant Ratchet was on his own. It was no problem, Ratchet wanted Azimuth to help with clearing out the infestation. It would tire the older Lombax out and maybe he could finally get some sleep instead of dealing with yet another bought of insomnia. 

Can’t go to sleep without him though. He wouldn’t be able to make his way into Aphelion without Ratchet. And... 

Ratchet blushed. Losing himself in the stars thinking of the rare nights Azimuth sought out affection from Ratchet. Chaste kisses and fingers dancing through pale chest fur... 

He shook his head, trying to clear away the thoughts. Now wasn’t the time for that. 

“Just...a little longer. Let’s try and find Sigma instead.” 

-[-]- 

When Ratchet had landed on Torren IV and made his way through Volgrom Pass, the Vullards felt that the “Dangerous Rebel” of the Molonoth Fields was reigned in and pacified, and so felt it safe to approach the older Lombax with various requests and grievances. At first, Azimuth would frighten off anyone who tried to reach Volgrom Pass to ask anything of him before they could even get the chance to be shot down. And every time Ratchet would ask why the other Lombax didn’t stop to lend an ear. “I don’t owe anyone anything apart from you. I keep Nefarious’ troops away from this planet and that’s enough.” Azimuth would always reply.  

It just never sat right with Ratchet. 

The Vullards had let him stay on their planet after he was exiled and take up a sizable portion of land. It was only right to pay them back in any small way.  

The younger Lombax spent an entire month trying to coax Azimuth into not scaring away those who came to ask for his help. The general had a stubborn streak as wide as mile, but Ratchet had an overabundance of patience (thanks to Qwark.)  

He figured looking a little of his father helped too.  

He rode out the quarrels, aggressive training, and days long silent treatments to Azimuth finally giving in and agreeing to help the Vullards on the condition that Ratchet learned how to read and map out the stars. 

“Every Lombax is taught from a young age, and if you’re making me work for these Vullards, I’m going to make you learn every night to earn your supper.” And that was fine with Ratchet (anything to stop feeling awkward about mooching off the Vullards.) 

And so, every night Ratchet studied. The nights where Azimuth wasn’t busy helping the Vullards, he gleaned every bit of information he could about star mapping and Lombax lore from the other. It was hard work, but the things he learned about Lombax history and Azimuth himself were absolutely worth it.  

Just seeing the man light up. It was so attractive.  

And getting Azimuth to earn his keep was worth the strenuous and extra aggressive training Ratchet was put through during the daylight hours. It ensured the older Lombax was knocked out after a mapping lesson. Too many nights of insomnia made the man cranky, and a cranky Azimuth was not a joy to be around. 

Some days were worth a little bit of a cranky Azimuth. Because when night fell, it was one of those rare nights he wanted attention. 

From Ratchet or from Kaden? The younger Lombax didn’t have an answer to that.  

And he didn’t know if he particularly wanted one. 

-[-]- 

Ratchet gripped the wall behind him and rubbed his aching sternum, victim of a particularly hard jab from the other’s Praetorian wrench. Today was one of the days Azimuth seemed particularly upset. At what? Ratchet couldn’t tell. He couldn’t read the other man’s face at all today, and he was usually an open book (to Ratchet anyway.) He got up anyway, ready to face whatever aggression Azimuth wanted to get out. Imagine his surprise when the other Lombax heaved a heavy sigh, dropping his offensive stance.  

Ratchet took that as his signal to approach Azimuth. He looked hard at the other as he drove his Praetorian wrench into the ground. Now that they weren’t sparing, Ratchet noticed the general’s face looked exhausted, the dark circles under his eyes looked more pronounced, if that was even possible. 

“Azimuth, you okay?” Ratchet was sure the other had been getting sleep these past couple of days. He saw Azimuth fall asleep long before he did most nights. 

Azimuth looked up at the younger Lombax as he ungracefully sat himself on the ground. “Just a little tired my boy. Come, take a break and sit.” He patted the grass next to him. Ratchet walked over, taking a chance to quickly caress the other’s face, knowing the other wasn’t a fan of physical affection outside of Aphelion. But he felt like Azimuth needed this. He smiled when the Lombax automatically leaned into the touch before batting Ratchet’s hand away. 

“I apologize for hitting so hard,” Azimuth sighed, wrapping an arm around Ratchet’s shoulder as soon as the other sat down. “It’s unfortunately a bit too easy to forget myself during these sparring sessions.” 

This was a surprise, having the older Lombax initiate affection first. The younger Lombax hummed, feeling the other sag against him, and using the opportunity to peek up at Azimuth’s face.  

He had his eyes closed; cheek pressed up against Ratchet’s temple and Ratchet could see the weariness in the other’s face, the shadows under his eyes. The general was decidedly not getting any sleep. Ratchet pulled away from the Lombax peacefully snoozing away on top of him, ignoring the frustrated grunt, and dug in the satchel they brought for some water. 

“Here,” Ratchet forced the water bottle into the other’s hand. Azimuth gladly took it, chugging it like it was made of raritanium. “So...what kept you up this time?” He felt Azimuth slowly take his arm from around Ratchet’s shoulder and Ratchet fixed him with a pointed look.  

“Ah it's just the usual bought of restlessness.” Ratchet crossed his arms. “How could you even tell?” 

“You’re never this...I don’t know what to call it, but I can’t even touch you unless we’re in Aphelion. You only get like this when you’re running on an hour, at most, of sleep. What’s the deal Azimuth? I thought helping out the Vullards was wearing you out?” 

“And they are! Gods are they wearing me out...” Azimuth growled. He let out a weary sigh, frustratingly running a hand through the fur on top of his head. “But a restless mind barely knows any sleep...” 

Ratchet stared off into the deep blue sky of Lumos as Azimuth continued to drink; the general did have a mind that ran a mile a minute, but he wasn’t aware it was interfering with his sleep so badly. Was it always like this, before Ratchet found him? He was sure he saw the other Lombax sleeping so peacefully the first few days after their encounter.  

Maybe the stress of what he wanted and what Ratchet was asking of him was taking its toll. 

He looked back at Azimuth. He had sat back, face towards the sun and eyes closed. The soft rise and fall of his shoulders..was he sleeping? Ratchet inched closer to him; Azimuth was definitely sleeping. Finally.  

Did Kaden have this much trouble getting Azimuth to relax? What else could he do for the Lombax that his father couldn’t? Or didn’t do already? 

He sighed. Getting the other Lombax to just rest was harder than saving the galaxy at this point. It was heartbreaking.  

But this moment was a great opportunity to grab lunch at Galaxy Burger. And Azimuth would appreciate a greasy lunch once in a blue moon...right? Well, Ratchet thought he did. And that Betelgeuse Slushie was calling his name. 

“Get some rest Alister, I’ll be back before you even know it.” 

He scrambled up and grabbed the empty water bottle, making his way to the planet’s landing pad and Aphelion. A quick trip to the Phylax Sector and he’d be back before he was missed. 

~~ 

 “You STILL haven’t fixed it Al?! The competition is in two hours!” 

“Well, this would certainly go a lot faster if SOMEONE would lend a hand!” 

“But you’re better with those tiny little wires than I am! That’s why I left it to you!” 

Alister gave his friend a withering look as the other lay there with a self-satisfied grin. They were currently in the Solana galaxy, trying to prepare for the hoverboard races. During one particularly intense training run, Kaden’s board suddenly malfunctioned, throwing the Lombax off a steep incline and into the murky waters of Rilgar. Everyone was thankful the Lurker Sharks swimming along the track were fished out the week before or Alister would’ve had to go back to Fastoon with a damn good explanation as to why his partner was bleeding all over his ship and missing his left leg. 

Kaden was currently still wet and laughing about the entire thing, while Alister was stuck fixing his board. Lombax technology was unique, so not a lot of people knew the ins and outs of fixing it, so the Lombaxes were on their own trying to get it up and running again. He just wished Kaden was as good at fixing these little things as he was. This would go so much faster and they’d have more time to get in more practice. 

“Hey, Al?” 

“What NOW Kaden? Every time you try and start a conversation, we waste time. Do you want this board fixed or not?” 

“Sorry sorry! It’s just...don’t you think it's time to wake up?” Kaden asked, starting to rap his fingers on the ground. 

The question took Alister by surprise. What in the world was that supposed to mean? 

“Kaden what-are you high? I told you that you can’t get into the Praetorian Guard taking those damn poyoball pills. And WHY are you tapping the ground like that its IRRITATING!” Alister growled. Was his friend just determined to piss him off before this race? He had no problem leaving him to flounder in this race if that was the way he was choosing to behave just an hour before they had to work together. 

“But Alister...don’t you think it's time to wake up?” Kaden asked again, still tapping the ground. Alister felt a shiver run down his spine as the other Lombax stared at him, but also not? It looked like Kaden was staring straight into his soul. This was getting weird. 

“Azimuth. Wake up.” 

Still tapping. 

“Wha-Kaden what..? Wake up?” 

Stop tapping. 

“Wake up! It’s time to wake up!”  

Stop. Tapping. 

“Wake up!” 

Alister growled and snatched Kaden off the floor by his shirt. His ears twitched at tapping that STILL continued. This was creepy and irritating. 

“Kaden, I have had ENOUGH. KNOCK IT OFF!” He yelled. That infernal tapping! “Why are you trying to drive me up a damn wall?! I thought you loved me?!” 

Kaden just smiled, still tapping the floor. “Cause I miss you! It’s time to wake up!” 

‘Cause I miss you.’  

Wait- 

~~ 

Blue skies. The humidity...it was just a dream. 

He took in a shaky breath, felt the grass underneath him, the breeze. Was it a dream? 

A shadow loomed over him. Everything in him tensed. Was that...? 

“Alister, you’re awake! Do you know how hard it is to wake you up? Your communicator has been going off since I got back.” 

‘Got back..’ Azimuth mouthed. He felt something tapping against his side..”K-Ratchet?” What was that tapping? His communicator. That was the infernal tapping that was echoing in his dream. It was vibrating with a message. 

“In the flesh! I got us some lunch; I don’t know if you like Galaxy Burger...” Ratchet left Azimuth’s small field of view, shuffling around in what he assumed were bags of food. His tensed muscles slowly relaxed, letting out a breath he didn’t know he was holding in. It was a dream, or maybe it was a nightmare. 

He sat up, wresting his communicator from his side and silencing it without looking. Whatever it was could wait. His mouth felt drier than the grass he was sat upon. Where was that- 

“Water?” Ratchet. The real Ratchet. Not a phantom in a dream. Offering him what he clearly needed right now. Azimuth took it gratefully, giving the other a searching glance. 

“Didn’t tell me you could read minds.” Azimuth joked. 

Ratchet laughed. It was so light and airy. So unlike Kaden’s deep one. It was nice. 

“You just looked like you needed it.” Ratchet answered around a mouth full of fries. “Was it a nightmare?” 

Azimuth forgot Ratchet was aware that nightmares plagued him sometimes; one of the causes of his insomnia, robbing him of sleep and disturbing what should be a peaceful night. But.. 

“Just an old memory. Nothing to worry yourself over.” 

Ratchet didn’t need to know it was a memory twisted into a nightmare. The younger Lombax already worried so much about him, adding more to his plate just seemed cruel. 

Azimuth dug into Ratchet’s fries, laughing as he tried to swat the elder away and to his own food. 

“So, who was trying to contact you?”  

Azimuth huffed, angrily tearing into his burger and instantly regretting it. The thing was a greasy disaster. He wouldn’t be surprised if this gave him heartburn in an hour. The general was hoping Ratchet would forget about that. 

“No one, just spam calls.” 

Ratchet shot Azimuth a look, while the elder made it a point to stare into the blackest soda he’d ever seen. 

“Really?” Ratchet drawled, chuckling as a shiver ran up Azimuth’s spine as he tried to drink the sugary sweet drink. “I could’ve sworn you told me people thought you were dead, so you don’t get those kinds of calls.” 

“Ugh,” Azimuth sneered at Ratchet’s grin, he could never hide anything from that boy. But he admired that about him. Quick-witted and just as sharp as his wrench.  

And that damnable bright smile. Kaden’s couldn’t even compare.  

He pulled his communicator back out, checked the message that was left and rolled his eyes. “It was just the Vullards with yet ANOTHER request. They can deal with it themselves.” 

The other Lombax rounded his shoulders and Ratchet could tell he was done with the conversation. But Ratchet wasn’t. Azimuth declined many requests for help over the month, and Ratchet had let it slide, enjoying the small reprise with the elder Lombax.  

He felt bad for ignoring the responsibilities the two of them had. But the opportunity to get to know another Lombax, learn from him, everything he yearned for...the pull was too great. But while they waited for leads and for armies to get off their backs, they grew too complacent in each other’s company and too comfortable in each other’s arms. 

He knew he couldn’t stay in the little world they built forever. Especially Alister.  

“I think you should go.” 

Azimuth froze mid-bite of his burger and frowned. “No.” 

“Why not? We’ve been stuck here for weeks and I can tell you’re getting anxious.” And in danger of going stir-crazy. “Maybe it would do you some good to get off planet and talk to people who aren’t me!” ‘And the ghosts haunting your dreams whenever you manage to get some sleep.’ Some things were better left unsaid. 

“No, I do not! I don’t need other people!” Azimuth scoffed. “I have you, and you are enough!” He got up, tossing his burger to the side.  

“We are DONE with this conversation, Ratchet. I don’t want to hear-” 

“NO, WE’RE NOT.” Ratchet scrambled up too, quickly placing himself in front of the other Lombax. He glared up at Azimuth, throwing the elder off and making him step back. 

“It is not enough Azimuth! Before me you had no one and you even told me that wasn’t okay and unhealthy-” 

“But that was-” 

“But nothing! Alister, you need to go. Now.” 

Ratchet didn’t realize what he said until it was too late, but he stood his ground. Azimuth NEEDED this, no matter how much he fought back against it. Ratchet barely registered the other Lombax suddenly growling and baring his fangs. He yelped when Azimuth grabbed him by his collar and pulled him closer. This...was the closet Ratchet had ever been to the older Lombax while they were both awake. For the second time today. 

His eyes. They were still so exhausted. 

It looked like the bags under his eyes had bags. Frown lines and old battle scars marred his rugged face but the shadows that always seemed to linger under his eyes looked a lot lighter this close up. He was still handsome, despite all of his flaws. He shouldn’t be so attracted to this man, especially with his temper. But yet... 

“How dare you? I-” 

Well, there was no time like the present to get even closer. “Please...” Ratchet took a chance, reaching out and gently grabbing Azimuth’s face. The most intimate physical contact they’d ever had outside of Aphelion for the third time today. A record. “...Alister...” He didn’t miss the Lombax’s eyes widening at the use of his first name. 

Ratchet wasn’t sure Azimuth was aware of how close they were earlier in the day. The man struggled with physical contact on any level other than a friendly spar. Seeing him flinch as if he was struck, it was abnormal. 

Ratchet held Azimuth’s gaze. It was a sea of emotion behind his eyes and it looked a little duller. “Just do it for me, okay?” Ratchet wondered if those blood red eyes saw Ratchet or Kaden.  

Was it okay, manipulating the other like this, just because Ratchet knew Azimuth would do anything for Kaden?  

He felt his hand being squeezed back and his feet touch the earth again. Ratchet stumbled a bit, feeling himself being tugged forward. More physical contact? Ratchet saw the other hesitate, Azimuth’s sleep deprived mind going into overdrive.  

Taking advantage of that should be fine. Just this once. Ratchet reached up and caressed the other’s face. He smiled hearing a raspy purr coming from Azimuth. Just this once, he’d use his proximity to a person he didn’t know to get what he wanted. 

It felt strange. He’d have to find some way to make that up to him.  

“F-fine. I’ll help them. Only because you asked...Ratchet.” Azimuth blushed at the beaming smile the younger Lombax threw his way. He suddenly let go of Ratchet’s hand and backed out of his grasp, swiftly grabbing his wrench and starting up his hover boots. 

“But this means we’re up extra early tomorrow morning for training!” 

“Yes sir!” 

Azimuth nodded, pleased with the response he received and boosted off towards his ship. The smile slipped away from Ratchet’s face once the Lombax was gone. 

It felt...surreal, using his uncanny resemblance to his father to manipulate Azimuth. It worked, but Ratchet didn’t like it. He wasn’t sure if Azimuth was doing this for him or Kaden, despite what the other said earlier.  

He sighed, going back to his now cold food. 

There was no need to dwell on such vexing thoughts. 

It was heartbreaking. 

[the-tickly-faerie]

Maybe for a prompt/ idea soft t- words with karlnapity ? Idk man do with is what you will. Sleep well! :) (also this is my first time sending an ask non-anoumously so dkskjddnndjdidjdjd)

Sleepy time Tickles

a/n thank you for the prompt I love it! Sorry, it took me so long to get it out. I hit writer’s block. I hope you like this. This is my first like shippy tickle fic. Warning this fic has sappy idiots in love like really sappy and contains like pet names like honey, sweetie, etc. Btw quackity is a duck hybrid and screw canon this is my fic and my fics

It was a normal day for the fiances. Getting materials, spending time with each other, sapnap and Karl trying to stop Quackity from messing with bad, you know a normal day. It had started getting late and they walked back to their house, hand in hand. They were laughing and joking around as they walk, it was amazing. As they came up to the door, sapnap ran ahead to open it, in a joking flirty manner.

“Here you go you, fine gentlemen,” sapnap said opening the door with a wink. “Mi Amor, you're to sweet,” Quackity replied in the same overdramatic flirty tone. Of course, he was blushing a bit but they didn’t acknowledge it. Now Karl on the other hand was as red as a tomato. You see out the trio Karl was the one to get flustered the easiest. They could say something simple like,” you look beautiful today” and he would be a blushing mess.

“Shuhut up sahapnap,” Karl giggled while hiding his face in his hands. Quackity and Sapnap found this to be so gosh darn adorable. It felt like they fell in love again.

The trio walked through the door, took off their shoes, and went to the kitchen to make dinner. They always cooked together when they could. After an eventful dinner, there had been plenty of playful banter, they went upstairs to retreat for the night, they were all pretty tired.

They had gotten dressed in PJs and laid down in their bed. Karl was in the middle, Sapnap and Quackity on the other sides of him. They were just talking in hushed voices, then Quackity gave SapNap the look that meant,” lets tickle this cutie(referring to Karl)”.

They slowly moved their hands closer to Karl. Quacity’s hand moved toward Karl’s ear, a known melting spot. And Sapnap’s hand moved to Karl’s tummy. Of course, Karl didn’t notice this because he and the other two were still conversating. Then before he knew it he felt hands on his ear and tummy. Both of them we just tracing the spots but that was enough to coax out Karl’s sweet giggles.

“Whahat are you guhuhys dohoing,” He asked, obviously knowing the answer. “We are tickling you, you ticklish cutie,” Quackity said with an adoring smile on his face. “Yup, we could handle not hearing you adorable giggles,” Sapnap also said. With the compliments Karl blushed, of course, he did.

They continued softly tickling him for a bit before Karl decided he was going to attack. Quickly squeezing his side to throw him off guard then tracing his hip before the other two could react. As Karl did this Sapnap let out a loud laugh at the quick squeeze before falling right into giggles. Quackity just shrugged his shoulder and just started tickling Sapnap. Quackity was fluttering his fingers in Sapnaps neck, while Karl was tracing his sides.

“Whahat thehe heck quhuhacks youhuhr’e supposed to hehelp me,” Sapnap said with a protest. “Sorry man Karl had other plans and you know not to go against karl’s plans. Plus now I get to hear your giggles too, Mi Amor,” Quackity replied with a shit-eating grin. They continued to tickle Sapnap for a bit before they saw him get tired. Then they stopped. Quackity thought it was over so he laid back down. Oh, but one thing, he should have known is that you can’t get away with tickling two people and getting away with it. As he closed his eyes. He felt hands go to his wings. More specifically the base of his wings. Now the thing is depending on how you tickle his wings you can either get soft giggles and small quacks or loud belly laughter. Both of which are amazing but the two boys were looking for the soft giggles, so they went with lighting tracing and scratching the wings.

“Whahat ihih thohuhght weheh were done,” Quackity asked through his giggles. “Did you really think you could tickle us without getting tickled in return,” Sapnap said with sass. “We are only returning the favor ducky,” Karl said in a very cheery tone. Quackity couldn’t argue with that logic. “Yeheheah you rihight,” Quackity admits. “We know”, The other two say in unison.

After Quackity gets the same treatment as the other two, they all lay down cuddled next to each other, and fell into a peaceful sleep. Yep, nothing could get better than this and they would change this for the world.