#anyhow take my wip I hope you enjoy it

[timbourinedrake]

Finally posting the Talia focused animatic I have been working on, because I don't know when I'll get time to finish it and I like it too much to let it rot in my folder.

This is based on the events of Batman: Son of the Demon and the song is Wife by Mitski

I have a whole lot of thoughts on how this song reflects Talia's treatment as a character both within comics and outside of them, and how she is always treated as the mother/daughter/love interest rather than an individual in her own right. These roles are important to her but she is also more than them, she is her own person. I think it's super interesting to look at how Talia would wrestle with balancing these roles whilst also not letting them be her own defining trait.

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Someone New 1

No tag lists. Do not send asks or DMs about updates. Review my pinned post for guidelines, masterlist, etc.

Warnings: this fic will include angst, pining, romcom tropes, and some darker elements later in the series. Some triggers may not be specifically tagged. My warnings are not exhaustive, enter at your own risk.

This fic will contain explicit content. 18+ only. Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.

Summary: You've had a crush on your best friend for years, but you're slapped in the face with reality when he takes things to the next level with his girlfriend.

Characters: Steve Rogers, Thor

Note: please enjoy the first chapter!

As per usual, I humbly request your thoughts! Reblogs are always appreciated and welcomed, not only do I see them easier but it lets other people see my work. I will do my best to answer all I can. I’m trying to get better at keeping up so thanks everyone for staying with me.

Your feedback will help in this and future works (and WiPs, I haven’t forgotten those!) Please do not just put ‘more’. I will block you.

I love you all immensely. Take care. 💖

“No, no, not the pink, red,” you cup your hand over your ear pod, “exactly what it says on the order sheet.” 

Were anyone to see you, sitting in the dirt, with a brush in hand, all alone, they might think you’re a bit out there. You, talking to the air, dusting off a clump of soil, orchestrating your own voice with the bristles. You dip your head as you focus on what the voice in your ear is saying.��

“I’m not trying to be difficult,” you argue, “I put in the order weeks ago. A red bow. I have the receipt– I mean sure, pink or red doesn’t matter to me but it’s not my birthday.” 

“We’ll see what we can do,” the woman relents. It’s not exactly a triumph but as close to as you can hope. If it’s pink, you’ll just have to take the fall. The damn fondant will be devoured by the night’s end anyhow. 

You hang up with a double tap on the ear pod and your playlist resumes. You go back to trying to uncover the shape caked in layers of muck, turning the brush to chip away the rougher bits with the pointed tip. The work is tedious but it has to be. You can’t risk damaging the relic nestled inside. 

The abrupt chiming of your ringtone once more sounds through the bluetooth earpiece. You huff and hit the pod with the heel of your hand. You greet the call with only your name. 

“Are you still on site?” Your boss, Arturo asks. 

“Yep, still here,” you still your hand and twist your arm, pulling back the end of your glove to see your watch, “just a bit longer. You know I have that thing tonight.” 

“Uh, yes, I recall,” he says dully as you hear paper shuffling, “you got time to chat?” 

“Sure,” you keep the cluster of dirt and the brush in one hand and use your other to push yourself to your feet, “I just gotta catalogue this before I finish the day.” 

“Well, I have good news and bad news,” he begins as you carefully walk between the cordoned off patches. The whole place is a maze of where and where not to step. You go into the tent and put down the half uncovered idol. It’s brittle, made of hide and yew, with a bit of bone. “Lucia is pregnant.” 

“Oh? That’s great,” you furrow your brow, wondering what that has to do with you. 

“Means she can’t travel for a while. She’s adverse to long term commitments at the moment so…” 

“So…” you trail off as you label the mound of dirt and make notes for the next day. 

“So, you want her assignment?” 

“Which one?” You peel off your gloves and shake off the excess filth. 

“Norway. It can be a bit dingy but the landscape is nice.” 

“Norway? For how long?” You close up the ledger and tuck it away on the shelf. You pass between the tables of artifacts as you pull out your phone. 

“Could be a while but I figured you never get to go very far. You’ve been pent up in-state for so long, you could use the vacation.” 

“Oh? Well, I…” you scroll through your phone and see the notifications. Emails confirming delivery, messages asking if everything is sorted. “I’d have to think about it…” 

It’s evasion more than indecision. You know you don’t want to go. You can’t go. Your whole life is here. You have an apartment and friends and… Steve. Your best friend.  

“Make sure you do think about it. It’s a great opportunity. Especially for a junior anthropologist. Lucia won’t be on leave forever.” 

“I know. I’ll think about it.” 

You hang up and pluck the earbud out. Ugh, you’re covered in dirt and dust. You don’t have time to go home and shower. You knew you wouldn’t. You have to be at the venue before everyone else. You can change there and try to wash up in the sink. Whatever, no one’s going to be looking at you anyway. It’s Peggy’s night. Yay. 

You lock the fence and tug one last time to make sure it’s secure. You drag your boots across the thinning grass to your car parked on a stretch of gravel. You drop inside and hit start. You connect to the bluetooth and get some tunes going. You buckle your seat belt as you check the mirrors. You’re probably going to have to speed there. 

You back out as the music blares from the speakers. It’s not loud enough to drown out your thoughts. Why did you agree to this? Peggy doesn’t even like you. Oh, but she likes Steve. She is his girlfriend and you are only his best friend. You’re supportive. You keep your mouth shut and smile. 

Ugh. You squeeze the wheel until your knuckles hurt. You know why you offered to help plan the surprise. You’re pathetic but you’re not delusional. It meant you got more time with him. There hasn’t been much of that since Peggy came along, not just the two of you. 

Classic, isn’t it? In love with your best friend. Friends since college. Friends forever, you vowed naively, thinking that forever would never come. Nothing lasts that long, you can only hope to outlast Peggy. 

And if you don’t, maybe this crush will finally run its course. 

💟

Red and white streamers decorate a long table set with trays. There’s a banner over it that reads ‘Happy Birthday, Peggy’, and a stack of gifts already forming in the corner. Guests drift in with anticipation as you hurry around to check off all the items on your list. 

You fix a small vase of flowers, trying to hide the droopy one in the back, and tug a wrinkle out of a tablecloth. You smile and wave at those who are early as you weave between them. You pull out your phone and lean it on the clipboard angle in the crook of your elbow. They’re on their way, okay. Keep it cool. 

As you come to the kitchen door, you nearly collide with someone else. Sam touches your arm gently as he keeps you from tripping backward. You gasp and hug the clipboard with a wobbly grin. 

“Hey,” you greet breathily, “you’re here.” 

You look down at the guest list and check him off. 

“Ah, figured I’d make an appearance,” he kids, “Rogers would take it pretty rough if his best pal wasn’t here.” 

“Please, don’t start that with Bucky again,” you warn as you point the pen in his direction, “the two of you, in fact, are seated separately.” 

“No fun!” He whines dramatically. 

You scrunch your lips at him and peer around. Yes, none of this has been fun. Caterers, servers, tables, space, food! Yes, you were going to check on the cake. Your sole squeaks as you twist sharply and go to slam your hand into the door. 

“Hey,” Sam blocks your way with his arm, “before you disappear, you’re still wearing your boots.” He points to your feet, “in case you’re wondering about the snail trail.” 

He sweeps his finger up in a gesture alluding to your previous path. You glance over at the dirt littered in your stead then down at your dusty boots. You sigh and hang your head back. 

“Fuck!” You snarl. 

“Don’t worry, I’ll find a broom,” he assures you, “while you take a breath. You need it.” 

“I can’t, Sam, they’re already on their way. I still have to get everyone in their place and… quiet,” you scowl, “ugh, this is gonna be so bad. I don’t know what I’m doing.” 

“So… why’d you do it?” He asks as he drags his hand away from the doorframe. You look at him and blink slowly. You shrug. 

“I’m a good friend,” you insist. 

He gives a skeptical hum and nods, “sure are,” he grumbles, “too good, if you ask me.” 

You throw up your hand before turning into the kitchen. You don’t have time to worry about him. Is he jealous that you’re helping Steve so much? Or does he know something else? You don’t let the seed sprout as you nearly cry out at the sight of the cake. 

A pink bow. Jeez. Of course. You check the cake off your list, nearly tearing through the paper. It’s better than nothing, even if Peggy never settles for less than the best. 

There’s no time to complain or send it back. Your phone vibrates again. Five minutes. Your heart is racing. Why? This isn’t even your party. You just want it to be perfect for Steve. You hate to disappoint him. Ever. 

You really shouldn’t care that much but you do. Like so many other things in your life. 

💟

The crowd can't keep quiet. There's a low buzz that ripples through the guests. A wave of anticipation that's spread like a deadly virus. 

You feel a nudge in your side and peek over as Bucky sends Sam a sneer and wriggles in place. Those two never let up. You hiss at them to quit and they look as guilty as a pair of unruly children. 

"He keeps tickling me," Bucky whispers. 

"No, I'm tryna fix his hair, look at this mess," Sam flicks a strand away from Bucky's cheek, "this is a nice event, Buck, not your living room." 

"Both of you," you warn.  

"You're bitching at me when Indiana Jones here brought the dig with her," Bucky mutters. 

You look down. Dammit. You still didn't change out of your boots. You roll your eyes. It's not about you. It's Steve's night. Er, Peggy's.  

You shake out your nerves and shake your head, "you two," you step behind Bucky and insert yourself between the men, "behave." 

"Yes, mom," Sam snickers as Bucky groans and tries to smooth the few shanks that have slipped free of his low ponytail. 

You exhale and give an exasperated look to the door. You really can't handle them on top of everything else. You just want this night to end already. All your hard work and you won't even get to enjoy any of it. 

"Everybody," Natasha hisses as she runs away from the doorway, "they're coming." 

The group quiets, as much as they can, a collective bated breath as you wait and listen. The lull is unbearable as the heat of the bodies around you pricks sweat down your neck and across your scalp. The door begins to open, almost as if in slow motion, and as the guest of honour is revealed, you cry out. 

"SURPRISE!" The eruption of the chorus has your head spinning as Peggy gives a melodramatic swoon, grabbing at Steve's arm as she leans on him heavily. 

She parts only to fan her eyes and squeal. "Oh my god, you guys!"  

She teeters on her heels as people holler happy birthday and her group of girlfriends flutter over to wrap her up in a cacophony of giggles and preening. You smile, a bittersweet twitch in your cheek as you watch her spin back to Steve and pull him into a kiss.  

You're happy for them really, proud to see all your effort come to fruition, but you just feel so hollow. For an instant, you think it should be you right there, gushing in glee over the celebration of another year, with Steve beside you.  

You gulp down the jealousy and wiggle your nose to ward away the tears. That's a stupid thought. If it hasn't happened in more than a decade, it's not going to happen now. 

💟

As the guests disperse into their own conversations, you finally manage to wade through to the happy couple. You approach with a small wave at Steve. He doesn't see you, he's watching Peggy as she chats with Natasha. 

"Hi," you call above the din, "so, you like it?" 

Steve turns to you, confusion stitching his forehead before he registers your questions. He nods and gives a smile, "it's amazing, you did so good!" 

The sparkle in his eyes, the perfect line of his jaw, the way he's looking at you, it makes your heart rend. You tilt your head and dig your toe into the floor bashfully, "thanks. I'm so happy to see it come together." 

"Um, the cake," he brings his index finger up, "I was hoping to bring it out soon." 

"Er, yeah, it's back in the kitchen. About that–" 

"Great," he claps your shoulder and brushes by you, "just gonna put the finishing touches on it." 

"Hm, what do you–" 

He's gone before you can finish your question. You deflate just a little, setting your feet flat as you sway aimlessly. The motion hooks Peggy's attention. You give a sheepish smile as you wring your hands. 

"Oh, uh, just came over to wish you a happy birthday," you chirp, "are you enjoying it?" 

"Ah, I didn't see you here, I thought maybe you were busy…" she gives a pointed look to your boots, "working." 

"Um, yeah, no," you fidget, "always happy to come support you two." 

"Where is Steve?" She gazes past you, shouldering by dismissively, "he was just…." 

Right. You nod and flit away in embarrassment. You can't say you ever got along with Peggy. Where you're accommodating, she's a bit too demanding. Different people, but you don't dislike her. You just don't mesh. Or perhaps it's just that you don't get what Steve sees in her. Especially when you're right there. 

Enough. This isn't about you or your stupid dumb heart. Just smile and go with it. 

The kitchen door swings open, a noise barely discernible above the hue, and the rattling wheels of a cart underline the steady drone. A lull washes over the crowd as they part. You move with the tide and face the sudden divide. 

A hush falls over the room as Steve pushes the cake across the floor. He stops before Peggy as she faces him, another feigned pout of surprise. He grins proudly at her as you stare curiously at the top of the cake. 

"Oh, pink?" She comments on the fondant bow as her eyes flick over to you. She quickly corrects herself an admires the double tiered dessert, "Steve, it's so pretty." 

You know she hates the colour. You recall the one time you wore a pink bow in your hair and she made a similar comment. Cute, she remarked in her roundabout way in her oh so sophisticated accent. 

You manufacture a smile and step closer as Steve beckons to the guest. Tension stills the air, almost paralyzing the crowd. You squint at the heart shaped box perched atop the bow. 

"Is this for me?" Peggy asks if it's not obvious. 

Steve nods, his cheeks tinting pink, as you notice how he wipes his palms on his pants. Peggy delicately takes the box from the pedestal of fondant and your ribs ache from the pounding of your heart. You curl your fingers until your nails dig into your skin as you watch him kneel beside her. 

She doesn't notice as she opens the box on its hinges. Her lips part and she stares at the contents. She looks over at Steve to find him on his knee and she claps her hand over her mouth. Her eyes gleam as she whimpers his name through her fingers. 

The scene hazes behind your tears as you stare wide eyed. Your ears ring as Steve's voice is dulled by your shock. 

"Margaret Elizabeth Carter," Steve's timbre warble just a bit, "will you make me the happiest man on earth?" 

You don't wait for her answer. You already know it. It's the very same you give in every outlandish dream you've ever had of your happy ending. You spin and storm through the crowd, blind with horror and self-pity. 

Surprise! Your whole world is crashing into pieces. 

[popcornforone]

All Inclusive

A Dave York Fan Fic

Sorry it’s been a while people. Life, the Olympics & lots of WIP trying to work out what to do next has consumed my mind. But here we are, it’s a Dave York Saturday & we are here to get naughty with our favourite Stabby Murder Daddy.

Synopsis:- Dave asks you his nanny to accompany him & his family on holiday in Hawaii, but does the trip have alternative motives.

Word count:- 3500

Warnings:- DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE UNDER 18! DAVE YORK COMES WITH HIS OWN WARNING! Unfaithful, affair. Anal, oral, PIV, consenting adultery, swearing, alcohol, choking, squirting, cum play ,controlling Dom vibes, rough sex, spanking, sex toys. Basically Dave is a menace at home & away.

Thanks as always for the read peoples, I hope you enjoy. All feedback is welcome .

He’s been fucking you for months. Carols job means that often she’s not around when he’s back from a mission. So why not use the nanny. You didn’t protest. You’d fancied Dave for the 8 months before these daliances started. Now on a Tuesday morning after his run, you make sure you’re just in your underwear cleaning the kitchen. He will stroll in, sweating & grab a glass of orange juice from the fridge before bending you over the island in the kitchen & fucking your arse. You’d never done anal before Dave but you now wish you had, knowing how ferocious & good Dave is. He also fucks you after any mission & a Sunday night. In fact Dave fucks you more than your last boyfriend did in total.

So after months of sex, Dave comes home one day looking excited. He bounces towards Carol as you make dinner, the girls are watching cartoons in the other end of the kitchen.

“Ladies, we’re going on holiday”

“Really?” Carol screeches, clapping her hand.

“Yep, 2 weeks in Hawaii in 2 weeks time”

“I’m not sure I can get the annual leave at such short notice” Carol says concerned her husband is being so reckless & spontaneous.

“You don’t like your job anyhow, just quit” Daves blunt in his response. This makes Carol laugh.

“I’m sure work can cover me”

“Exactly” Carol then give Dave a huge kiss on his cheek.

“Hear that girls a nice little family holiday just for 4 of us…”

“5”

“5?” Carol ask & then Dave points at you.

“She’s coming too, I want some alone time with my wife, she can look after Molly & Alice” you turn your head & look at Dave.

“Really? Mr York?”

“Really, & don’t worry you will get some days away from us too & I’ll pay you double for when we aren’t with the kids too.”

“I don’t know what to say, thank you”

“That’s more than generous Dave” Carol raises an eyebrow. “But it does mean I get time with you so, thank you deary” Carol says in a condescending way.

That night Dave fucks you hard & rough. Carol had gone out with friends so Dave made the most of his opportunity once the kids were asleep, & you were bent in half, feet up by your head as he pounded your pussy. He’s very interested in trying out new positions after finding out you were double jointed, especially as he has now been able to make you squirt for him. He also loves to look at you flutter & clamp around him as you take his girthy length.

“Fuck fuck fuck Dave fuck…” his hand goes over your mouth.

“Don’t make me smother you with a pillow again” all this this makes him go faster. His thumb on your clit not missing a beat as you give in & drench him. “Oooh fuck sweetheart” he growls as he then rolls his eyes into the back of his head before he cums. He stays in position catching his breath watching your chest heave, looking at the mess you’ve both made. Enjoying the squelching noise as he withdraws, your cunt leaking. He slides his penis through the mess & you know it’s time to sit up & clean the shaft for your boss. He doesn’t cum again but he lets out several deep moans.

When your done you look at Dave who then grabs his boxers. He never sleep in your room, it’s always just sex.

“Carol was pissed off when you said I was going to be on holiday with you all” you say.

“She’ll get over it, she will read free bar at the resort & forget you’re there” he scoffs & watches your naked body head to your ensuite bathroom. Your bum & boobs both jiggling.

“Well she had better,” you reply. “I’m guessing I’m gonna have a different room to you & Carol & the kids?”

“Yes we are staying in a little hut in the resort where Carol & I have one room & the girls will had another. Unless you want to sleep on the sofa, I’ve organised you to have master suit in the hotel 2mins away.” Your face does drop when you realise you will be a little bit away from Dave, but you also know that he can sneak out & come see you for some time away from the kids.

“Sounds like paradise already”

Hawaii is beautiful. The hotel is fantastic. The food delicious & the beach & pool exquisite. You could be here forever & never feel guilty.

Yes you have had to work. Each morning you take Molly & Alice to the kids club & there have been 2 evenings so far where you’ve had the girls while Dave & Carol have done stuff but Dave has still attended to your needs too. You tried not to laugh one day when Carol said Dave had been for a morning swim, he technically had, he’d just been in your bath tub which was huge in your luxurious hotel room & hed made the water splash over the side of the bath as he held your head under the water & took you. He even at one point put the shower head on jet mode to watch your clit tremble under the water pressure, neither unsure what was soapy residue or cum. He made you orgasm 3 times in 30minutes. But today is a weird one.

“You can have the night off” Carol says as you top up Alice sun lotion tonight “& tomorrow morning until 2pm, go enjoy the bar & go party, you deserve it”

“Really Mrs York” you raise an eyebrow. Dave not told you they are having the kids or that somethings going on, in fact you’ve not seen Dave at all today.

“I want to take the girls to the sleepover movie by the kids club to watch Paddington tonight” she says.

“Well thank you mrs York.” You had met a couple of girls at the resort who are reps & always ask why you aren’t out longer. Tonight you can enjoy being technically single in paradise. Dave hasn’t told you, you can see other people. So after applying lotion of both the kids you then start thinking about where your going to go tonight & what your going to wear.

You have dinner with Carol & the girls, still no sign of Dave & then head back to your hotel room & get ready to go out. You pick out your short silver glittery dress. It’s backless & does just about cover your bum. You straighten your hair & do your best make up. You put on your heels & look in the mirror at your outfit.

“Yea I look sexy” you say to yourself twisting your blonde hair & downing your Prosecco. Everything is on Daves account & he said you could have what you want & you’ve taken advantage of that. Why not pre drink even if you’re alone. You then grab your bag & head out to find a bar full of singles to enjoy yourself tonight.

By the third bar you’ve met a group of girls & are drinking with them, not showing off your unlimited tab too much but you’ve got a round in & some shots. You are coming back from the bathroom to go join them on the dance floor. You are walking past a couple of secluded tables when you see those eyes. The eyes that undress you not matter how they look. Your knickers dampen straight away, as you see Dave sitting in his own, whisky on the rocks in his glass sitting on the far side of the table to not draw attention to him, but much like every man you’ve walked past tonight, he has to look at the girl in the short silver dress, oozing confidence, strutting in heels.

“Dave?” You say as you stand next to the table. You twist that strand of hair & open your body up for a friendly open aproach.

“Evening” he replies coldly. Trying not to be affected by his instantly hardened penis under the table.

“Haven’t seen you all day” you say as you lean on the table perching your bum on the edge. The dress raising a little almost showing your underwear. “Where have you been handsome”

“None of your business” he’s looking stern.

“All right, calm down” you say casually & smile. Your eyes beaming. “So what are you doing here?”

“Drinking”

“Can I join you?” You say & reach for his wrist & he pulls his arm away & doesn’t reply. Your a little to tipsy to care why he’s here at the moment. “A simple no would have been fine” you say.

“How much have you drunk”

“Clearly not enough for me & too much for you”

“I think you should go back to your hotel room” Dave says not looking at you. He’s trying to act angry but he honestly wants you under the table sucking his dick until he can’t cum anymore.

“Only if you’ll join me” you say seductively. Dave has to look up this time, he sees you lick your lips, & then watches your hand go into his glass to get an ice cube out & press it against your lips. “You wanna know how relaxed & good I am tipsy”

“You need to stop”

“Thought you liked me being naughty” you roll the ice cube down your neck. Your hot from the busy bar, alcohol & the fact you’re in a warm place.

“I said stop” Dave slams a hand int he table. You jolt a little, leaping off the table. He notices your knickers are blue. He’s trying to not like them.

“Bloody hell Dave,” you respond “just calm down”

“You need to stop drinking & go back to your room”

“No Carol gave me the night & tomorrow morning off”

“Go back”

“No” you grab his whisky & down it. Leaving lipstick on the glass. Condensation from the glass dripping down your neck to your chest & then down your cleavage. Your nipples harden instantly from the cool touch. He’s trying hard not to get a full erection.

“Don’t make me do something I regret” he snarls.

“I said that the first night I sucked your cock”

“For fuck sake” he pounds the table with a fist & stands up his eyes looking crazed & incensed. He towers over you so broad & big & all you want to do is wrap your arms around his neck & make out with him, but you can see from the way he’s staring at you that he really isn’t teasing. He suddenly realised he’s stood up & raised his voice. He sits back down.”leave me alone,” he mumbles.

“A simple no thanks have a nice evening would have done Dave” you then hear heels approaching behind you & a busty ginger is walking this way & you catch Daves eyes light up. He’s being unfaithful to both Carol & you. You sigh & glance back at Dave.

“Well enjoy your evening Dave, remember to use a condom” you blow him a kiss & walk off not hearing his”wait you don’t understand”. You walk past the ginger & whisper in her ear hoping she hears you say “he’s married” as you go & find that group of girls. You see her sitting next to Dave a few minutes later. As you & the girls head to the next bar, you can see his thumb on her chin & the other hand stroking her arm tenderly. You can’t be shocked Dave would cheat on you too, you are already the affair from his wife.

You eventually get back to your room at about 1:30am, truly loose & relaxed. You lock your door but don’t put the chain across it in a tipsy state, & walk across the room shedding your clothes as you go. You look at your naked body in the mirror & sigh.

“Bet the ginger had fake tits”’you say to yourself before you reach into your mini fridge & get out a cold bottle of water drinking it all the way down, also enjoying the coldness from the fridge feeling on your skin. You then get into bed & put your phone on charge & reach into the bed side table. You packed a couple of toys with you for the holiday & you need to feel the friction. You don’t even use lube, you slowly insert the gspot tickler in & turn it on low.

“Oooh fuck” you grown working up to your favourite setting, which when it pulses on your clit, you call it the Dave setting. It’s the same rhythm he has when he pleasures you. You reach that setting in about 5 minutes as your legs open wide in the moment & you start moaning his name.

“Fuck Dave Dave ooh more stabby more more more” your almost at your high with your eyes shut & your thighs trembling, your wrist working your pleasure, when you hear the latch click on the door. You open your eyes which are met with glare & are shocked in silence. Did you not lock the door? Yes you did. The door is now shut, someone is in your room. You go to shakily scream for help with the vibrator still inside you, but a large hand smothers your mouth. You’d recognise that hand anywhere, & then you feel another hand push the vibrator further in you. You look to the left & see those deep brown eyes, staring at you. They are so wide & dilated & he licks his lips. I’m your drunken state you forgot Dave had a room key.

“Gonna teach you a lesson sweetheart” Dave hits the button to change the vibrator setting & its short & sharp pulses on your clit keep it fluttering, your cunt oozing as you moan into his hand. “You might not have been working for us tonight, but I still fucking control you.”

“Fuck Dave” you moan into his hand & then he squeezes his hand over your mouth more.

“No you showed me up tonight, it’s Mr York, anything else & youll be punished” he then very quickly pulls the vibrator out of you & shoves 3 fingers inside your quivering sex, the movement & friction so quick. The wet sounds filling the room.

“Fuck” you scream is muffled slightly as you squirt drenching his hand. A wave of pleasure making your whole body twitch. He cackles watching you come undone so quickly. The hand covering your mouth leaves & you take a big inhale of air before his other hand drenched in your fluids is shoved in your mouth. You obediently suck, eyes wide getting all of the residue off. He snaps his hand back before he then forcefully turns your over. You hear him unzip before your head is pushed into the pillow.

“You almost fucked tonight up sweetheart” he says & then he moans as he swipes his cock through your slick, so he doesn’t need lube. You then jolt your head up as he fills your arse with one swift thrust.

“Fuck fuck fuck” he raises your head & his hand goes round the back of your neck.

“No you’re being quiet” you head slammed back into the pillow as you moan. His pace relentless. You can feel he’s still fully dressed as he fucks your arse. “Thought you could distract my informant, thought you could fuck up the job I’ve been working on for the last 6 months” your trying to take in what he says but your to busy trying to not scream in pleasure. “No sweetheart, no way” he growls. “God your arse is so good to fuck” he smacks your buttock & lifts your head so he can hear you.

“OOoh fuck” you manage to get out in pure pleasure before he pushes your head into the pillow again. He’s being dominant & forceful & you like it.

“& you had to wear that short, slutty dress” he snarls. “You know I can’t control myslef when you wear that oooh fuck” he can feel you clamp around him, puckering, so he completely withdraws not wanting to cum yet & lifts your head up again.

“Fuck Dave please please” he smack your arse twice.

“Sorry what’s my fucking name sweetheart”

“Mmmrr mmm mr yyy y yo York?” You are overstimulated ready to have your next orgasm, words not forming.

“You’d better fucking believe it” he sharply pushes back in & you try to hold on, knowing he doesn’t want to cum yet. But then that trigger finger that’s not holding your head in the pilliow slips inside your cunt & it’s too late.

“Fuck Dave” you cum again “fuck fuck oooh yes oohhhh ahhh ahhhh fuckkkkk”

“Damn it sweet heart,” he’s jolting. He’s tensing up you can tell he’s about to burst. Usually at this point especially with your arse, he’d ask if you want him to cum inside you or give you a facial. You don’t get that option tonight. You shudder feeing his seed spill inside your arsehole. Oozing out of you, as he screams your name. Completely forfilled & satisfied. “Oooh sweetheart I needed that” he then let’s go if your hair & withdraws. Your body going limp & dropping flat onto the mattress as you pant, trying to regain cognitive function. You try to move but everything aches from his ferocious pounding of your arse for the last 30minutes.

“Dave” you mumble & you suddenly feel a long hand move a stand of hair off your face & he kneels next to the side of the bed.

“That will teach you for disobeying orders & interrupting work” he says, lifting your head by your chin & kissing you passionately with his tongue inspecting every cavity. He bites your bottom lip & is smug as your head drops back to the mattress & you pass out, fast asleep. You don’t know that Dave sits there & watches you to make sure you’re okay for the next 30mins. Before he leaves he makes sure some water & headache tablets are on your bedside table for when you do wake up.

“So how was last night” Carol asks you when you join the Yorks by the pool the next afternoon at 2pm.

“Fantastic” you say as you”drinking dancing bit of flirting, just a really good night off, thank you for letting me have the morning off too” you sit in the Sun lounger & flinch. Daves lasting memory from last night, your arse still feeling sore.

“Hmmm looks like someone over did it” Dave chuckles & peers over the top of his mirrored sunglasses on a sun lounger 2 away from you. He’s more ogling up your bikini & how easy it will be to take off.

“Go hard or go home” you reply in a happy up beat voice trying to not allude to Carol or the kids that you got up to anything naughty with anyone let alone Dave.

“I’m sure you went too hard” Dave says & Carol playfully hits him.

“The girls are right here” she scoffs at him.

“Yes they are” he then smirks. “Girls do you want ice cream?” They shout back enthusiastically. He then looks at you as he stands up in his blue & white swim shorts, his man hood isn’t hard but you can see its outline. “I need an extra pair of hands want to help?”

“Of course mr York” you stand up. “Usual girls? bubble gum & strawberry?” they cheer & you walk to where the ice cream place the girls like with Dave. Carol not suspecting a thing as she opens the next chapter of her book.

“Do you want ice cream?” He ask.

“Yes but…” you raise an eyebrow at him”I’d like something saltier to suck on” you lick your lips.

“Good girl sweetheart” he pulls you behind the shower block which is secluded, just a few meters away from where you were sitting. Your gasp & then his lips crash with yours, his hand caressing your face as the other had squeezes your bum. You wince a little as it’s from where he smaked you the night before.

“Dave were literally meters away from your family”

“So…” he raises his eye brow. “Thought you liked being naughty”

“Only for you Dave” he pushes you to your knees.

“I’m sorry what’s my name?” You pull a face “you still need to understand you place from last night”

“Yes Mr York” your small delicate hands slowly pull on his draw strings in his swim shorts. Your eye beaming.

“That’s my girl”

[rays-of-fire-and-ice]

congratulations on another year of writing :)))) <3

for the fic requests, Hitsuhina first date! (yes I still remember when you teased that one snippet of Toushiro going to meet Momo for dinner and Rangiku finding out haha) it can be awkard it can be spectuacular it can go horribly wrong, i want to see your take on them navigating through a change in relationship :)

What if it Was?

Rating: K/General with mild themes

Setting: sometime after the 10 year timeskip. I personally see this happening when they’re in their early young adult years, but please feel free to imagine this happening whenever you want.

Synopsis: Toshiro and Momo go on their first date, but Toshiro isn’t sure how first dates are supposed to go, or if this even a date at all.

AN: I’m starting the year off with a VERY overdue request.

 @canariie, you’ve got me! I’ve been dancing around this one for years, but now I have no choice but to release it! XD

I’m joking, but in all seriousness, this one has been collecting dust in my WIP folder for a few years now. I always got stuck on it in one way or another. This fic originally came about as a sequel to In Times of Peace (which I think is the first fic I wrote for you, ironically), but morphed into something else.This one does get angsty and a tad bit melodramatic – it’s me we’re talking about - but I promise it has fluffy moments.

Just three quick notes:

The research I did into this one was based on searching online and remembering old conversation I had with a friend who went to Japan. A shokudo is a casual restaurant that offers a variety of dishes, including curry, rice and noodle dishes, even sushi.

The mural in this piece is inspired by this one.

I wrote this fics with several songs in the background. Feel free to listen to them as you read: going home and compassion by Shiro Sagisu, The Bygone Days by Joe Hisaishi, and State Lines by Novo Amor

Anyhow, enough rambling, hope you enjoy it!

____________________________________

“Hey, Captain, when can I get my magazines back?”

Toshiro neatens the paperwork before putting it on top of the ‘completed’ stack. Without looking Rangiku’s way, he replies, “When you stop relying on those horoscopes to predict the future.”

The lieutenant slams her hands down on her desk, almost shooting up to stand. “But they’re so accurate! Besides, it’s a fun to learn about the World of Living and how they…” She trails off when the captain stands and starts wrapping a scarf around his neck. “Wait, are you going out?”

“Yes.”

“But I was going to go drinking with Kira and Hisagi! Captain, you can’t leave me with all of this!” She thrust one hand out towards the stack of incomplete paperwork, and the other to the much smaller completed pile.

“You went out drinking last night!” he retorts. “You can’t leave this office until you complete all of this, some of it is overdue now.”

Rangiku falls back into her seat with an exasperated sigh. “I know, but it’s no fun.”

“Since when was it supposed to be fun?”

“Well, you seem to like doing it.”

“Where did you get that idea from?!”

The lieutenant pouts and leans forward, resting her elbows along the desk. “Why are you going out? You rarely go out on a work night.”

Toshiro continues to wrap the scarf around his neck, considering his words. He can already predict her reaction if he tells the truth, but telling her a lie feels wrong. “I’m going out to dinner in the Junrinan.”

Rangiku raises a brow. “By yourself?” Then after a beat she smiles. “Or is it with your Granny? Taking her out for a treat?”

“No.” He breathes in deeply as he shrugs off his haori, preparing for her reaction. “It’s with Hinamori.”

And sure enough, the lieutenant gapes at him, hands slamming down on the desk again to push herself up and out of her chair. A vein threatens to throb in his temple when her paperwork stack wobbles, but thankfully doesn’t topple.

This goes completely unnoticed by Rangiku as she rounds the desk, barraging him with questions. “Where? When? How?! How did you ask her out? Or did she ask you out?! Oh my gosh, why didn’t she tell me?! She was updating me two days ago with Women’s Association business, why didn’t she tell me then?! Please don’t tell me you-”

“Enough, Matsumoto!”

She quietens, widened eyes blinking. Toshiro lays his folded up haori on his desk, ready for him tomorrow morning. “She just said she wanted to go eat dinner somewhere in Junrinan,” he clarifies. “This isn’t a…date.” He barely gets the last word out.

Rangiku taps a finger against her chin. “You’re going to a restaurant in the Junrinan for dinner?”

“Yes.”

“Is anyone else going with either of you?”

“No.”

“So, it’s just the two of you then?”

“…Yes.”

She grins. “Sounds like a date to me.”

Faint pink colors Toshiro’s cheeks. “Whatever, I’m going!”

Rangiku scoffs. “You know, if I had my magazine I could use a horoscope to predict how you’re date will go tonight. Last I check for your sign it was-”

“I don’t want to know. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going.” He stabs a finger towards her paperwork as he strides to the office door. “Those had better be done by tomorrow morning.”

“Oh, they will be! You go and enjoy yourself, Captain! Good luck!”

This is one of the few times Rangiku looks happy to be doing paperwork, but Toshiro can’t stay to absorb this strange moment; he’d be two minutes late if he didn’t hurry. He hastily leaves his division, acknowledging but not stopping when any of his subordinates greet him.

Stepping out into the dusk, the cold air picks up, bringing grey clouds over the Seireitei. He adjusts his scarf, bringing it higher over his face as the temperature plunges. Winter had just begun, and he senses the snow is on its way, likely to fall sometime tonight.

Nearing the White Road gate, a sense of unease bubbles up in him. What if this was a date? It couldn’t be. Momo didn’t see him that way, he knows. She sees him as a close friend to him, had told him as such not too long ago.

She just wants to properly catch up. In the years following the Quincy war and reconstruction of the Soul Society, they chatted when they could, even had the occasional lunch breaks together, but work always took precedence in both of their lives; or at least, in his life. Momo has more friendships, more people to spend time with. He’d seen her with the Women’s Association members at various shops and resturants, and Izuru and Renji – who sometimes brought Ichika along when he couldn’t find someone to mind her when she was a baby and child – sharing a tea or meal after a lieutenant’s meeting on a veranda of one of their divisions. She’d also gotten more World of the Living missions, sometimes simply as an excuse to visit the Visoreds with Shinji. They were long overdue to spend time together outside of work.

Coming through the gate, he already gets stares from the small crowds of Souls and off duty Shinigami that crowd the Junrinan. It’s for that reason he chose to leave his haori behind – he already attracts enough attention with his appearance outside of the Seireitei, and he didn’t want preferential treatment based on his rank.

He heads straight for their old meeting place: the alleyway between the stall that sold spinning-tops and a garment shop Momo used to always look into but never buy anything from.

He glances around for Jidanbo, but frowns when he doesn’t see him anywhere. Must be having the night off, he thinks. It’s been a while since he last saw him too. He makes a mental note to visit him sometime this week on his break – maybe he could fit in a visit to Granny too.

“Hitsugaya-kun!”

He swivels his head in the direction of Momo’s voice. She calls out for him again, and he spots her emerging from the alleyway. He weaves his way through the crowds to her, not once losing sight of her.

As he nears, his eyes widen a fraction at the scarf around her neck. It was a birthday present from him and Rangiku, but it’d been over a decade since he last saw her wear it at a formal dinner for then-Captain General Yammato. Made from red and orange silk and patterned with the branches and flowers of peach blossoms, it was one of the most expensive gifts he’d ever gotten her. Why would she wear something like this to a dinner? Where is she taking him? Should he have dressed up more? Maybe he should have worn his haori after all.

“How long have you been waiting for?” he asks, his neutral tone at complete odds with the nervousness thrumming through him.

“Not long.” She points to a large building down the street, bustling with customers inside and outside. “That’s it right there.”

He blinks when he spots one of the red lanterns swaying in a breeze. A shokudo? He calms a fraction; it’s more casual than he thought. “Well, let’s get inside if we can, it’s freezing out.”

Momo lets out an bemused snort. “You’re cold, Hitsugaya-kun?”

He’d normally correct her for not addressing him by his title, but they’re off duty, he’ll let it slide for tonight. “I’m not the one with a fire-type zanpakuto that’s sensitive to the cold.”

She giggles, holding the end of her scarf. “I’m okay, I made sure to wear extra layers.”

As they start towards the restaurant, Toshiro asks, “Why this one?”

“I’ve been meaning come here for a while,” Momo says. “Apparently the owner used to be a Shinigami but after he retired, he decided to open a shokudo inspired by the different types of restaurants in the World of the Living he went to while stationed there. I’m curious about the food, it’s supposed be different in taste and the types of dishes they offer compared to others in the area.”

Toshiro raises a brow. He was actually referring to her scarf, but let's it go. “He had time to go do that while on missions?”

“Well, you apparently have time go for walks when you’re on missions. We all have our ways of winding down or keeping ourselves occupied during missions.”

Fair point, he concedes inwardly. “And how did you find out about this place?”

“It was recommended to me by my third and fourth seats. Apparently a lot of people have already been to it, it’s quite popular.” She gestures to all the patrons, her smile tightening. “Hopefully we can get a table.”

He hums in agreement. If either of them had come dressed in their full uniforms, there would no doubt be a fuss made over them. They’d be offered private tables away from the noise, or ones with the best view if they were outside. Some places even offered discounts or meals on the house. He appreciates the generosity, but he also considered it making a scene. He’s glad Momo is of the same mind, never flaunting her status for benefits.

He receives a few looks as they walk between the outdoor tables. He recognizes some faces from Junrinan, children he had known on his street now grown up. Momo waves to one group of them, and they smile and nod back to both of them in response. The way he is treated now compared to then is almost night and day. Although some continue to stare, there’s a respect from some Souls that wasn’t present when he was a child.

Once inside, they’re shown to a table along the wall, right beneath a painted mural.

“What drinks would you like to start off with?” the waiter asks.

“Water,” Toshiro requests.

“And yuzu juice for me, please.”

After the waiter leaves, Momo glances around the restaurant. “Are you okay with this? It’s not too noisy?”

“It’s fine.” Toshiro peruses the long menu list. “How big is their kitchen? How can they serve so many dishes?”

Momo’s smile relaxes, the nerves seeming to dissipate. “You can see why it’s popular, huh?”

Toshiro lifts his gaze from the menu. There’s only two free tables inside, and the others are mostly occupied by…couples. Couples laughing and giggling and smiling and holding hands and talking like they’re married and one going in for a shy kiss on the cheek.

He quickly darts his head down. Considering or even noticing such things would be the furthest thing from his mind normally, but he’s potentially on a date – with Momo. Maybe he should have gotten Rangiku more involved in this. She’d know what to do and what not to do…or maybe not.

Toshiro snaps out of his thoughts when the waiter comes back with their drinks.

“And are you ready to order?” the waiter asks.

Momo looks questioningly to Toshiro. “I’m ready.”

Toshiro picks the first thing he sees. “I’ll get a the teishoku with yakizakana and tamagoyaki.”

“And can I please have a serving of takoyaki and the katsudon curry dish?” Momo requests.

The waiter nods. “I can bring the takoyaki over in a few minutes. The other dishes will come after.”

Momo thanks him as he leaves.

“I thought we could share some takoyaki, if you want,” she says to Toshiro. “I’m happy to eat them all, though.”

Toshiro shrugs. “I’ll eat a few.”

He’s surprised by the silence that comes. He’s used to having quiet moments with Momo, when neither feels the need to say anything and they just enjoy each other’s company. The awkwardness that settles between them is unexpected, like something from when they were first getting to know each other as children. Was it just him? Was it because this could be a date and he had no clue what to talk about?

“This mural is really nice,” Momo suddenly says.

Toshiro looks at the painting. It’s bold black lines depict a scene of four Souls travelling through a hilly valley. Two of them carry baskets on their backs filled with wood and fruits, while another Soul strolls ahead carrying various kitchenware, and the last Soul is far away and waving back at his companions. The valley’s flora is detailed and elegant, while the Souls are more flat and seem out of place. The only patches of color come from the sakura trees on both side of the valley’s winding path, the petals either swaying on the branches or falling across the scene.

“I wonder what it’s about?” Momo says after a sip of juice. “Maybe it has something to do with the restaurant if one of them is carrying a pot?”

“Could be. You could ask someone who works here.”

Something softens in her gaze as it flickers back down to the table. “I might…”

“You should.” There was his problem. He couldn’t think creatively like her, or find a way to carry this conversation. He’s never been ashamed of this nor has it ever been an issue for him, but somehow he feels inadequate now. He clears his throat. “How has your day been?”

Before she can answer, the takoyaki arrives. After thanking the waiter, Momo pushes the dish towards him. “Have a few.”

“Thank you,” he says while taking two.

She makes a satisfied sound after biting into one. “These are good!”

He only nods as he munches on his. After her second one and taking another sip of juice, her head piques up with a nervous laugh. “You asked me about my day, sorry. It was busy, but productive.”

“No surprise there.”

She frowns and her lips are on verge of a pout. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You’re always busy, and you work hard, so it’s productive.” He’s surprised by his compliment and how easily it fell from his lips. He stops eating, gauging her reaction as she too seems as astonished as him.

A blush colors the tops of her cheeks. “Captain Hirako worked hard too.”

Toshiro bites back on the comment he wants to make about Shinji’s work ethic, afraid he might say something else without realizing.

“We finished up our schedules for the new recruits ahead of time,” she continues, “so we’re prepared for when they start.”

“That won’t be for another two months.”

“It helps to be prepared! With that out of the way, we’re now focusing on setting up training  exercises.” She takes a long sip of her juice, but then hums. “Actually, now that I remember, we were wondering if Tenth Division would like to join in one of those exercises.”

“What would the core lesson be?”

“It’ll be up to you and Captain Hirako to negotiate. I could arrange a meeting with you, me, my Captain, and Rangiku-san if you’re interested.”

“I doubt we’ll have time in the next month.”

“That’s okay. We have three months planned starting tomorrow.”

“In that case, I’ll have Matsumoto tell you our schedules at the next lieutenant’s meeting.”

“Great!” Her smile turns rueful. “Ah, sorry, I feel like I’ve been speaking for too long. What about you? How was your day?”

“The same as any other. We only came back from the mission in the World of the Living two weeks ago.”

“How did it go? It sounded like a difficult.”

“It wasn’t that hard, it went smoothly. The Hollows were eliminated and we reported our findings to Hueco Mundo. They’ll take it from there.”

“It’s incredible that we’re able to work with them this well now.”

He hums in agreement, ignoring the thought of his fight with Hueco Mundo’s queen all those years ago. “The last thing to do is the reports. Matsumoto is finishing them up.”

“I see.” At the quiet that followed, her smile wobbles. “I, uh…I guess we work a lot, huh?”

“Yes, we do. Our duties as Shinigami never end.”

“Mhm.”

Silence falls again. He internally lectures himself, annoyed that he’s gotten so serious in what was supposed to be a light-hearted atmosphere. For a moment, he’d though this like their usual chats, discussing their latest work and setting up training exercises.

He almost lets out a relieved breath when the main dishes arrive. Momo barely draws her gaze away from the food to thank the waiter for the meal along with Toshiro.

“These look amazing!” she half exclaims after the waiter leaves.

The tension dissipates Toshiro’s lips twitch up into a smile at seeing Momo’s glee. He didn’t see what the fuss was about, but he did have to admit they were decorative compared to other dishes in other restaurants. She still hasn’t started after he “Food is meant for eating, Hinamori, not staring at.”

She ignores him as she digs a hand into her sleeves and retrieves her denreishinki. “I have to take a picture.”

He’s lifting his miso soup when she gives him a look. “What?”

“I want to take a picture of yours too.”

He indulges her, putting the soup back down and watches as she leans over the table to snap a photo. Satisfied, she nods at him and he starts gulping down the soup.

After putting her denreishinki away, Momo makes an appreciative sound after eating a katsu cutlet. “This tastes really good!”

“Glad you like it.”

The silence falls between them again. They can use the excuse that they’re busy eating, but it feels wrong to him. Had they gotten more comfortable discussing work than their personal lives? There was a time where it was the opposite, and chatting about everything outside of work took up most of their conversations. When had that changed? Why had it changed?

So, with the nerves threatening to creep in again, he says, “It’s not everything.”

Momo blinks, halfway through eating another cutlet. “Hm?”

“Work, it’s not everything. What books are you reading right now?”

Momo’s brows rise, nearly touching her hairline, and she almost forgets to eat the rest of cutlet.

“What?” he asks.

“Nothing, it’s just you’ve never asked me that before.”

“Well, there’s a first time for everything.” He cringes inwardly at how petulant he sounds.

She giggles, raising a hand to her mouth, and he hates the small, pleasant flutter that goes through his chest.

“Of course,” she says, grinning. “I’ve been reading a drama series called the Crimson Chrysanthemum saga. It’s about three warring clans, and each book is about the generations of families fighting each other.”

“Sounds like something you’d read.”

“How so?”

“You’ve always been into things with high stakes and high emotions.”

“It doesn’t just have that! It has such interesting dynamics between the characters! It’s not just all of them proclaiming their feelings aloud, you can really sense how the history of the previous books has affected these characters. There’s so many moments where things have gone unsaid, but you can just sense how a character feels towards another through their actions! For instance, there’s a character who doesn’t speak, but you know every time he looks at another character or fights that characters brother he’s not just trying to protect his own honor, but the other character’s honor too! Some characters try to make peace with themselves and with their enemies, and others have become so blinded by the codes their families have set them down a path to continue the violence.” At his widened eyes, Momo shrinks back into her seat. “S-Sorry, I got carried away there.”

He lets out an amused huff and smirks. “No, it’s fine.”

“You think I’m silly, don’t you?”

“Not right now.”

She considers arguing back as he eats his miso soup, but settles on an angry pout.

 “You haven’t talked about a book like this in a long time,” he says. “It’s good to see.”

That calms her slightly, but a furrow remains in her brow. “I don’t really get a chance to talk about what I’m reading with a lot of people. It’s mostly with Ise-san and Kira-kun.” She cocks her head to the side. “You know, it’s a little surprising you’re not much a reader.”

He raises a brow. “How so?”

“It feels like something you’d be interested in.” He senses there’s more she wants to say, but she eats another cutlet before continuing. “I know just the sort of books you’d like, too. There’s a few mystery novels, ones that are hard to figure out but make total sense once you’ve finished them.”

“And why would I like those?”

“Because you like solving mysteries. Even when we were children, you’d get suspicious of something that seemed unusual or out of place and want to know everything about it.” Her eyes brighten. “Like that time when you were hearing noises at night time, do you remember?”

He frowns as he tries to recall. It’s vague, but then an image of Granny staring grimly at a turned over basket of spilled out peaches across the ground, muttering that someone had stolen some of the fruit. He’d woken to noises three nights in a row, but it wasn’t until the fourth time when they had been robbed that he decided to take it seriously. “That was when you were applying for Academy.”

“Yes! You went looking around for clues. You even asked me and my friend if we’d heard anything.  At some point, you found the animal tracks near your house. ”

He’s surprised she remembers everything in that much detail. Had she been watching on from the sidelines during that whole ordeal? “It was a stray dog.”

“Haruka-san ended up adopting her, right?”

He nods. “I think she named her Aki --”

“Because spring was a few weeks away,” Momo finishes with a grin. “I’ll never forget the look on her face when you brought the dog back to the Junrinan. You didn’t want to Aki be out in the forest because it was cold.”

He shrugs. “It’s good she found an owner. Besides, she was a good work dog, it would’ve been a shame to let her fend for herself when she could help someone in the Junrinan.”

Momo’s grin softens into a smile, one that makes his heart skip a beat and almost choke on the fillet he chews up. “It was kind of you,” she says. “And it’s not the only time you did something like that. You’ve always been kind. I wish more people saw it back then.”

He’s rendered speechless, only able to watch as Momo continues eating. He tries to do the same, but he eats slower and stares hard into the table. Where was all of this coming from?

“I wasn’t,” he eventually says. “I was a brat, really.”

“Well, yes, but not all the time. You always treated Obaa-san with kindness, at least.”

“I wouldn’t dare treat her any other way.” He eats the last fillet before speaking again. “On the books…If you have recommendations, then I’ll read them.”

“You would?”

“You’re an avid reader, I trust your judgement.”

“I’ll give my copies some time then! We can discuss them after you’re done, I’d be keen to hear what you think of them.” After he nods, she continues, “On the topic of hobbies, have you been doing any ice sculptures lately? I know you usually like to restart your Seireitei Communications column in winter.”

“It’s the best conditions for sculpting.”

“That makes sense.”

He goes on to tell her about the projects he’s working on while she eats the curry and the rest of the cutlets. As always, she’s genuinely interested, and that somehow makes him want to speak more at length about his interests, from the tools he’ll be using to the inspiration behind it. Only she does this for him, and both does and doesn’t want her to know what effect she has on him.

He gets back to eating once he finishes and she explains the new ikebana classes she’s attending. He doesn’t miss the brief sadness in her eyes as she reflects on how hard it was to get the classes up and running again after the loss of Unohana, but she brightens up again when praising Isane for her efforts to find new students and become the class’s new teacher.

Little by little, the awkwardness slipped away, and in it’s place is a bubble that envelopes them. It makes the restaurant blur away in the background, but also enhances the lights and colors that surround them, and his sense of smell is enhances to capture all the delicious scents and aromas coming from the kitchen. It’s like nothing he’s experienced before, and he nearly smiles from how pleasant it is. A world of their own, almost.

It’s only briefly interrupted when the waiter comes by to collect their empty dishes and glasses. Toshiro beats her to the counter to pay, but Momo still insists on a split bill. Not wanting to cause a fuss in front of the other patrons, Toshiro somewhat reluctantly agrees.

They step back out into the streets. It's now night and the snowfall has begun. The Souls who had acknowledged them had either left or are too busy amongst themselves to see the two of them leave.

Wordlessly, they walk through the Junrinan with no destination in particular. Toshiro watches their breaths fog in the air, floating away from each of their lips, carried by the wind, and fading a short distance away. Snow falls gently around them, and save for the shafts of moonlight peaking through the clouds and the soft glow coming from the windows of houses, it’s complete darkness all around them.

He thinks to ask Momo if she had anything else planned for them, but then she may want to part ways and break the invisible bubble around them. He wants to keep walking with her just like this, warmed by her presence and surrounded by his element.

He can make out the pink in her cheeks, it complements the reds and oranges in her scarf. She smiles to herself, content with how this evening has gone. But what was this evening? She invites him out to dinner tonight, yet he can’t tell what the nature of it is.

“Do you remember the day we met?” she suddenly asks without looking at him.

“Of course,” he replies.

“For some reason, the snow is reminding me of when we first met. It's hard to believe that was almost a hundred years year ago.” And she doesn’t have to say the rest, because it’s written all over her face when she glances at him. I’m glad we met back then.

This weather is familiar to him, he knows its rhythms and patterns, even when it was unpredictable to others. He wishes he can say the same for Souls, especially her. He’s known her for most of his life, but she continues to surprise him; just when he thinks he knows her completely, she proves him wrong.

He’s at his limit.

They’ve ended up at the edge of the forest and several meters away from the back of a row of houses. Nerves thrum through him as he comes to a stop after. She makes a quiet, surprised sound and turns to him. “Is something wrong?”

No matter how much he breathes, he can’t calm his racing heart. “Hinamori…”

His tone pops the bubble around them, and the gentle wind that blows through is colder than before. Momo waits, but the longer he remains silently, the more fidgety she becomes. She adjusts her scarf, shifts her weight from one foot to another, and takes in a breath that lifts and lowers her shoulders. Does she know what’s coming? Can she sense his apprehension?

If he says something, what will happen? She might be shocked, caught completely off guard by the very idea this evening was something more than two friends catching up. She may even laugh, wondering how he came such an odd conclusion. Either way, he needs to put his mind at ease.

“This wasn’t a date, was it?”

She frowns, a bemused grin twitching at the corners of her lips. “Shiro…” She trails off when she takes a step closer. She must see his genuine confusion because her expression falls, unsure of herself. She purses her lips, gaze briefly falling to the ground. “What if it was?”

The world stills around him. “…It can’t be.”

She fumbles over words. “I’m sorry, I thought – I assumed you…I was silly, I should have said earlier what I thought this was.”

 “That’s not it. ”

She takes another step. “Then…what do you mean?”

“You…You can’t have…” He doesn’t know if he can continue, hoping but also dreading that the implication will be clear to her.

A part of him is tempted to let out a bitter laugh, but it never reaches his throat. Even after all this time – even after forgiving him for what happened in the Fake Karakura Town, regardless of her belief an apology was never needed – he still thinks he’s unworthy of any feelings from her. He had been prepared when he visited her after her recovery to be told she couldn’t be his friend anymore, but a part of him hoped; and deep down, a part of him knew she would forgive, that’s just the kind of person she was. Her bond mattered as much to her as it did to him, to the point where it had been used against them to irreparably change it forever.

Aizen had intended the change to end in the death of one or both of them, but in the end all it did was make Toshiro realise his feelings had changed for her over the years. They burrowed deeper into his heart, to the point where seeing her in pain brought him to ruin, to the point he was willing to abandon everything he’d built for himself over the years to protect her and her pride.

“Shiro-chan, please. I don’t understand.”

“How can you…f-feel for me that way? After everything that happened, you shouldn’t.”

A pang runs through his chest at the hurt that briefly flashes through her expression. Then, something flickers in her eyes, a realization. She sighs quietly, nearly exasperated. “I’ve said it before, but everything that happened was his fault, not yours. Never yours.”

He knows this to be true deep down, but it feels like a smaller part of him always lie in wait, ready to catch him at his most vulnerable and remind him of what he did, screaming at him that it was his fault.

She takes another step. “I haven’t let it stop me from moving on, f-from…from realizing my feelings. I don’t exactly know what I feel for you, but –” Her gaze is soft and vulnerable and pleading, wanting him to truly understand. “I know it’s something more than I’ve ever felt for you in the past. I know it’s more than as a friend.”

He lets out a shuddering breath. He should be overjoyed. This should be one of the happiest moments of his life. Momo doesn’t see him as a close friend, she feels more for him, just as he feels for her. So why is he confused? Why does his heart tremble with doubt?

No, there’s something more going on here, beyond the few fragments of guilt buried in his mind and if he faces it, he doesn’t know how he’ll react in front of her.

At his lack of a response, a small, sad smile shapes Momo’s lips. She comes closer. “I’m really sorry I didn’t tell you before what this was. Somehow, I thought…” She scoffs at herself. “I thought you would know, but that was presumptuous of me. I don’t know why I…” She shakes her head. “It doesn’t matter now. I-I’ve said what I…” She stops in front of him. “Maybe I’ve said too much. Maybe you can’t see me the same anymore. Even so, only you can choose how you feel, and I’ll accept whatever it is.”

She says it as a reassurance, but there’s also a wobbly undertone, one of putting themself out for potential heartbreak.

“Hinamori, I…” He trails off as his throat constricts.

The snow dances around them, with not a single flake somehow touching her. Was it his own doing without realising? A silly thought, but one that he finds himself latching on to after such a proclamation from her.

If only she knew how wrong she was to think he would reject her. She deserves to know just how much she means to him, how much he come to love her, but he can’t get a single word past his trembling lips.

All this time, he had convinced himself she couldn’t feel the same way as he does. He believed he would harbor unrequited feelings for her, perhaps for as long as he lived, and he’d watch her find someone else. Someone who was as good, extroverted, and normal as she is. Someone who she could always smile and laugh with, who had no ties to the heartache she went through, and who would never let her feel the chill of winter. Someone she could grow old with without the knowledge of his shortened lifespan and maybe even have children with if they so desired.

She can't possibly want to be with him like that.

“Shiro-chan?”

His mouth and throat are dry and Momo is holding his upper arms, alarmed. Had he been hyperventilating or just breathing through his mouth?

“Y-You’ve gone pale," she stammers out.

He can only shake his head, trying to gain his bearings.

Her worry turns to pain. “What have I done?” Her hands fall limply to her sides. A shudder runs through him at seeing her impending heartbreak. “I’m so sorry, if I had known this would distress you, I never would've done this. I should never have said anything. I shouldn’t have --"

“No!” he exclaims as his own hands grab hold of her arms.

It startles her, and a tear slips from one of her widened eyes. “Wha…?”

“It’s not like that, stop.” He relaxes his grip on her, but doesn’t let go. He won’t make her cry, his doubts and fears be damned. Something roars to life within him, like a fire setting wood ablaze. It gives him an ounce of courage to finally speak his mind.

“It’s not what you think. When I wasn’t sure if this was a date or not, it’s only because I didn’t think you could…could --” He swallows thickly and bows his head. “-- that you could feel that way for me. Why do you feel that way towards me? I don’t understand.”

She lets out a quivering breath and sound. They’re both still for a beat, with only the wind tussling their hairs and clothes. Then, her arms jolt with a weak chuckle. He blinks, and raises his gaze, bewildered by the half smile she gives him.

She shakes her head disbelief. “You’ve always been like this.”

“What?”

“I wish you weren’t sometimes,” she continues on as if he hadn’t spoken, her gaze softening. “You see the good in others, but never in yourself.” Her voices wavers, on the verge of crying. “I wish you could see your value to those around you. I know you take a lot of pride in being a captain and in your work, but I wish it were the same in yourself. You’ve meant so much to me and many others, but I know that’s something only you can figure out.”

She raises her hands to claps his arms as another tear falls, this time for a completely different reason. “I don’t know entirely why my feelings for you changed, but I can think of a few reasons. I have always admired your work ethic, even if you work too hard sometimes. I know why you do though, because you deeply care for your division and want the best for everyone there.”

“And you you're kindness is something i have always liked about you. It's not often straight forward, it always takes on different forms, but I've seen it since we were younger. You've always been kind, whether it was finding a home for Aki, or protecting those who can't fight for themselves, or believing in me when I was at my lowest. To be on the receiving end of such kindness is a beautiful thing. You've been hurt so many times, but that kindness has never left you despite it all.

"You're strong, Hitsugaya-kun, you always have been."

Toshiro’s eyes burn with the threat of tears, but he holds them back. Trust her to say such things so openly, to show affection for him he never gave himself. Maybe, if lets her words in, deep enough o reach his core, he can start to believe her. That's for another day.

In the meantime, in a rare moment of physical affection, he gingerly holds the side of her head and brushes the trail of her tear away with his thumb. They can only stare at each other, registering a new emotion racing through them. One much like the bubble that had enveloped them earlier in the evening, warm and making a whole world for them.

He can feel for her without the pain of it. In a way, he's free.

It’s all so much, but also so simple. They feel the same about each other. They liked each other, more than friends.

Eventually, Momo ducks her head with a bemused huff. “This isn’t how I imagined this night going at all.”

Toshiro can’t help but let out a half-hearted snort. “Me neither.”

There’s something about the admission that makes a chuckle bubble up in his throat. He tries to suppress it, but when he senses Momo is trying to do the same, it falls from his lips. It’s a nervous and relieving one. Maybe the emotions had overwhelmed them, made them go mad, or maybe it was from how much both had worried about this night.

Eventually, they calm down. Momo smiles at him, but before he can do the same, she pulls him into a gentle hug. He’s slow to wrap his own arms around her, overwhelmed by how different this gesture now feels.

“Let’s take this slow,” she suggests. “One step at a time.”

“Yes,” he says as he pulls away. “I think that’d be best.”

The blush in her cheeks deepens. “I guess things will be different from now on, huh?”

“They don’t have to be.”

Her smile widens. “No, I guess not, but some things will be.” She looks back to the Junrinan. It's much later, and less lights are on. “We should head back.”

Without a second thought, he takes her hand. “I’ll walk you back.”

She blinks down at their joined hands. “Shiro-chan!”

“What?”

“Since when do you…?” She giggles. “That’s so unlike you.”

Heat rises up in his cheeks; even he can’t believe his own actions. He pulls his hand away. “It’s as you said, some things will be different from now on.”

She gasps and quickly snatches his hand back. “I didn’t realise it would be such a dramatic change!”

He only grumbles and tugs on her hand, signalling for them to get going. He tenses seeing a few souls still wondering the streets of the Junrinan, but relaxes a fraction when neither he or Momo recognise them. It dawns on him then something else they should discuss. “I may have a request.”

“What is it?”

His lips form a tight line before he speaks. “If we do go ahead with… this –” he raises their joined hands “— and we are going to take things slow, I don’t want Matsumoto to know just yet.”

Momo nods. “I was thinking the same.”

That surprises him.

“Why are you so shock?” she says. “I think we should see how this goes first before anyone knows, not just Rangiku-san.”

“Huh…I always thought you couldn’t wait to tell people when you were in a…a…” How can he not say it? He was in a relationship with Momo. The thought only made his blush brighter. Why was this making him even more flustered?

“A relationship?” Momo finishes with a knowing smirk.

He half-heartedly glares at her, which only makes her snort softly. “It’s good we’re going slow, it might take you a while to get used to saying that.”

He’s tempted to call her out at the way her smile wobbles from embarrassment and her blush spreads to the rest of her face.

“A-Anyway, I’m not like that," she continues. "I want to keep this quiet until we’re both ready to tell everyone. I’m glad we’re on the same page.” She shrugs. “How that looks in our day-to-day, I’m not sure.”

“We’ll discuss that tomorrow.”

She blinks at him.

“If you’re free after the day is done, I could come visit you.”

She grins. “Really? You usually work back.”

“Well, as you’ve pointed out, I could probably not stand to do that as much. We can meet at one of the joint training grounds after six pm.”

She bites her lip, clearly trying not to laugh again. “I’ll look forward to it then.”

Her smile in warm and wide, and he can't help but give a small one back in return as they walk back to the Seireitei.

Maybe one day they can look back on this and laugh – though he can only ever see himself cringing at his obliviousness. For now, he basks in the warmth of her hand and her presence, and in the nervous but hopeful jitters that rush through him at the unknown future with her.

[shealynn88]

2023 Writing Wrap Up

Thanks to @citrusses for the tag, it's always fun to reflect on what I've done! Tagging @all-or-nothing-baby, @makeitp1nk, @phdmama and @apricitydays-lazynights

I actually wrote about half of these stories this year, but this is what I posted this year. I spent a good month digging out and wrapping up some WIPs that had been hanging around. They're at the bottom, since most of them are not HP related.

If you are a Drarry fan and want my best of the year, let me suggest my kinktober oviposition offering:

A Charitable Endeavour (Harry Potter|Drarry)(E) (2,322 words)

If you like rarepairs, I would suggest these two, after paying close attention to tags:

Never Too Much (Harry Potter|Harry/Remus)(E) (3,432 words)

A Gift of Forbidden Fruit (Harry Potter|Hermione/Bill,Hermione/Ron)(E) (6,805 words)

For all 29 stories I posted to ao3 this year, keep going!

Beginning of 2023:

For Everything, a Season (Harry Potter|Drarry) (1,342 words)

A Christmas fic for the Drarry Microfic exchange of 2022 which, just like the one for 2023, started out being something very different, and ended up this - a short snippet of an older, married Drarry, reflecting and enjoying their life.

The Old is New Again (Harry Potter|Drarry) (1,471 words)

I wanted to do my own take on trans!Draco, and this became Calla, and honestly? I love her.

Kinktober was so much fun. I really wanted to challenge myself with these, and I continue to be challenged with more of these stories that'll go out in 2024. It's been so much fun, especially writing kinks I don't share, since I have to really dig into characters and why the kinks appeal to them.

dare to dream it, dare to be it (Harry Potter|Harry/Sirius/Remus) (1,886 words)

I loved writing this boot worship kink story, I loved finding the ways that it's important to both Harry and Sirius, and exploring Harry's hopes and insecurities when it came to Remus.

Never Too Much (Harry Potter|Harry/Remus) (3,432 words)

This watersports story is so wholesome, honestly. It's E rated, but it's an established relationship, and it's very much about trust and vulnerability, and I love that aspect of exploring kinks like this, that can involve judgement.

Unlocked (Harry Potter|Drarry; Harry/Sirius) (1,205 words)

This collar kink story was one of the most fun ideas I had. I wasn't able to flesh it out as much as I wanted to, but I'm definitely hoping to revisit this magical collar idea in the future. There's so much potential!

A Charitable Endeavour (Harry Potter|Drarry) (2,322 words)

Ovipostion! And one of the few Drarry fics I wrote for Kinktober. I actually really love these versions of Draco and Harry - Draco, an insatiable Veela, Harry, who is happy to attempt to satiate... and Luna, who needs some help with some dragon eggs. I actually have a few more fics planned in this verse, but we'll see if I get to them. So much filth to write, so little time.

A Gift of Forbidden Fruit (Harry Potter|Hermione/Bill,Hermione/Ron) (6,805 words)

The one I knew wouldn't hit, but I had to write it anyhow. It has infidelity, it has body worship, it has imperfect people trying to do their best for the people they love. It burrowed into my head and wouldn't let go, and I'm proud to have written it.

I started posting microfics to ao3 this year, including some older ones that I'd only posted on tumblr.

Your Spark to My Tinder (Harry Potter|Drarry) (717 words)

This was actually a ficlet I wrote on tumblr for @phdmama, and later posted to ao3. Short and sweet antagonistic Drarry.

The Nature of Kindness (Harry Potter|Drarry) (50 words)

A painful look at how Draco sees himself.

Where the Sea Takes Us (Harry Potter|Drarry) (651 words)

A fun merman!Draco fic.

Magnolia (Harry Potter|Drarry) (127 words)

A Hanahaki ficlet with an ambiguous ending.

A Lesson in Snogging (Harry Potter|Drarry) (129 words)

Smokin' but T rated Drarry.

Keep on Driving (Harry Potter|Drarry) (150 words)

Draco is newly divorced, Harry offers to give him a ride. Possibilities.

Might Seduce Your Dad Type (Harry Potter|Drarry/Sirius) (250 words)

This is 3 microfics, and I'm actually incredibly proud of it. It starts out Drarry, then ends up with them and Sirius. And it's a pretty solid little story in 250 words.

And the Christmas wrap up for the year!

This Time Next Year (Harry Potter|Drarry) (3,574 words)

An incomplete Christmas fic I'd meant to finish before Christmas but got behind on posting. Spoiler alert, it's actually a prequel to last year's microfic exchange, the first fic in this list.

The Heart of Our Home (Harry Potter|Drarry) (2,592 words)

This year's Drarry microfic exchange fic! Cottagecore with a scant spoonful of angst, and a sprinkle of sentient house fun.

Another challenge, which I set for myself, was to post stories that had sat around in my WIPs for a long time. I generally needed to add something, but in most cases I found that, even if I'd meant it to be a lot more, they stood alone as they were, or with some brief connections between scenes. I learned a lot from this effort.

Another Beginning (Teen Wolf (TV)|Deaton/Sheriff Stilinski) (3,168 words)

This was such a healing story for me to write and to put into the world. These two characters don't really get a lot of attention, especially in a romantic way, but I think they both have a really intense loyalty to the pack that makes them uniquely suited to one another, and I was really glad to be able to get this out so other people could enjoy it.

Our Relentless Dreaming (Dragaera - Steven Brust|Vlad/Morrolan) (4,431 words)

I'd had this one partially finished for quite a while, and I'd planned to tailor it for Yuletide and gift it. That...didn't work out very well, since I ended up being on the Yuletide naughty list, but I was still able to tweak it and gift it, and enjoy having it out there and off my WIPs list. It got a hearteningly beautiful reception, and I appreciated that so much.

Picked Clean (Harry Potter|Draco & Harry) (989 words)

I never entirely knew where I wanted this to go, but I wanted it to be a darker look at Draco, especially, after the war. I wanted to take both Harry and Draco in a new direction, to understand them in a different way, and I really enjoyed exploring this take.

The Taste of You Lingers on my Tongue (Hannibal (TV)|Will/Hannibal) (627 words)

A dark but poignant first kiss vignette.

I Know the Pieces Fit (Teen Wolf (TV)|Sterek) (2,700 words)

I held onto this so long. There was one little section that I couldn't get to 'feel' right, but seeing as how this is one of the most popular things I posted this year...I think it's safe to say, it was the right time to release this post-series fic to the world.

Say Anything (Supernatural (TV 2005|Wincest)) (100 words)

A drabble featuring Jess.

Stalemate (Teen Wolf (TV)|pre-Sterek) (395 words)

I started a S1 rewatch, and started doing episode tags and inserts. This was the first one, from ep 1, where Stiles comes across Derek in the grocery store.

Skewed Normal (Teen Wolf (TV)|pre-Sterek) (378 words)

This was from the rewatch, S2, a little snippet exploring Derek's view of the world, and him protecting Stiles.

I Want to Give You the World, I Want to Give You Yourself (Supernatural (TV 2005)|Jody/Donna) (776 words)

I love Jody and Donna, and I loved exploring their relationship, how Jody would navigate it and what she would get out of it.

Between a Wolf and a Full Moon (Teen Wolf (TV)|Sterek) (2,832 words)

Xenophilic E rated fic with a lot of heart. I am a big fan of writing unhinged but wholesome fic.

Dating (Supernatural (TV 2005)|Destiel) (100 words)

A drabble where Sam accuses Dean of dating Cas.

In Grief, We're the Same (Teen Wolf (TV)|Dargent) (2,057 words)

This sat in my drafts because of a transition issue...I added a sentence and let 'er rip, and I like it a lot. It's a story of grief, of similarities, of people coming together in hard times, in hard ways, in the ways that work. It's about the slow process of working through guilt and grief, and how it's just a little easier with someone who understands.

Show Me What You Got (Supernatural (TV 2005)|Wincest) (871 words)

Some short Wincest filth that I wrapped up a year later with one final scene.

[ritadrawsart]

There it is, still on time! Happy Springfest!

💐🐥🐇🧸💐

Check the description if you want to know more about the design process on this one!

🌈Spring blossoms across the world!🌈

(my version of Deep Cut's Springfest outfits redesigned to match the cultures they represent)

💚🌸 Starting with Shiver and her japanese vibes, I gave her the hanami dango 🍡 from Frye's original design (because I found it super cute!) so I placed it on her earrings and folding fan. Adding to her green of this Splatfest and the sakura leitmotiv already present, I added more greenery by making her headpiece more elaborated with a branch sticking out, similar to a kunzashi! That and a short, modern take on a kimono set up her redesign.

🪷🩷 Moving on to Frye... Oh boy did her looks take a lot of effort and research!

So, as starters I wanted to her Indian vibe to shine, and decided to give her a bit of their own Spring celebration known as Holi, the Festival of Color. On the same note I give her a lotus headpiece that along with jewerly, a translucent half saree and her joyful vibes completed her look.

🌼🩵 And out dear Big Man, if course, had to be a Carnaval King! I made his headpiece waaaay more exaggerated and gave him a butterfly bow-tie cuz puns! I also learned that the national brazilian flower is called an "ipê amarelo" so I placed the small yellow flowers in his crown as well. Overall, gave him more color.

Here's a picture if the WIP!

Anyhow, it's my version and a lot of people have done other lovely redesigns, but this is mine and I like it! I hope you guys enjoy it too! 💕

[horns-the-demon]

hiiii bestie hope ure well!!!! out of pure curiosity, when will we get an update on 'use me use me'? no pressure just curious. lots of love <333

Hello!!!

First of all, my bad for being radio silent for so long. I’ve been posting progress updates on my Twitter, but now I’m realizing that mayhaps doing that on a private account is not the move 💀 I might need to cross post that here lol

Anyhow, I’m honestly not sure???? I’m really aiming to get it out in the next week or two, ideally before Ramadan ends because I have a couple of friends that are fasting rn and I’d like them to have a new chapter to come back from. Also because I updated last before Ramadan started and it would be pretty embarrassing for an entire monthlong holy period to go by without me being able to update my damn fan fiction once LMAO

Currently, Chapter Three is at about 12k words. I didn’t mean for it to get so long, but then interactions happened and Mika got screen time, and Lewis and Nico appeared and then Nico wanted a turn at being a POV character and it’s still like six thirty in the morning on the day after Chapter Two takes place. I think if I’m going to get it out in any sort of a reasonable timeframe, I’m going to have to up the chapter count, which I didn’t want to do, but the more I look at the document the more I realize this is the only way I can avoid putting out like a 50k word chapter.

Hopefully the back half of this chapter should be faster, though. There were a couple sections I found tough to write, and I decided to deal with the resultant writers block like a total dumbass (starting another WIP that’s now at 11k words, but that I don’t know if I want to post until the first fic in the free use verse is done). Luckily I have great friends who help me through writers block and also some painkillers because I accidentally bodied my thumbnail a little while ago which send my typing speed to the shadow realm.

Anyways, my bad for the long response as well 🤠 thank you for reading and enjoying the fic, and for reaching out!! Hopefully the update should be out in a week or two, but maybe less if I go sicko mode.

[duskforged]

State of the Author: January 2024

Normally, I wouldn't do a thing like this. However, because I have not actually updated y'all on my WIPs in a while, I thought I might as well!

We'll start with the thing most of you followed me for: long-form fiction. And I call it that since all of these will be over 15k words (hopefully). There are three novels I'm currently focusing on.

LONG-FORM FICTION

Lodestar is currently stuck in a worldbuilding spiral, since it's a near-future humanity in space. While I do love sci-fi, science and math are not especially my forte. I hope to start drafting by the end of the summer, around September.

Vespertine has started on the first draft, though I'm also outlining still - something of a combined process. I am excited to share more of it with you, though it may be tough since most of it still lives in my head. Such is the woe of the artist.

Unto Summer Kings is in the first draft and currently hovering around 15k words! So far it's the longest I've gotten on a novel, and if I stay on track I could start my second draft by May, and begin beta reading by August.

LONG-FORM FANFICTION

I hesitate a little to touch on this one, just because. However, for the pure self indulgence I will. I have three major fanfics currently posted on my AO3, all of them multichaptered.

The Hanged Man is a Naruto SI!OC as Hatake Sakumo, immediately before his death. I currently have 8 chapters out and the main beats of the fic are fully outlined as of this month, which marks a major turning point in the fic's planning.

The Ever-Growing Gloaming is another self insert, this time into the events of Baldur's Gate 3. Vespere, the main character, whose name is subject to change, has been plucked from August 2023 and has not played the game since early access March 2023. Therefore they know less than you might expect.

Finally I have my Supernatural series, For Want of a Broken Nail (Broken Nail Verse). And I know what you're going to say, it's super meta to have a self insert in that fandom, you're writing SPN fanfic in 2024 what is wrong with you, etc etc. But the concept seized me full on by the balls and I already have the first 5 seasons outlined. Sorry, not sorry? No one is obligated to read it anyhow.

I also have a billion ideas on the backburner, ranging from fandoms like Game of Thrones and the MCU (for some reason) to Avatar: the Last Airbender and Star Wars. I'll post 'em when I post 'em!

ART PROJECTS

Wolf in Shepherd's Clothing is a comic of humanity's first lycanthrope, taking place in ancient Mesopotamia, in what is modern day Iran. The main character, Lahar, is gender neutral/ambiguous. So far, I'm stuck in outlining and drafting but hopefully soonTM.

Witchboy (title wip) is a story I'm working on with my partner @fallenorpheus based on various YA novels we read growing up. So far we aren't super set on the story, but it's definitely about a boy who is (accidentally) a witch, his best friend, his adoring father, and his estranged mother.

Dame-Errant (title wip) is a story that, instead of in comic form, is a story that is illustration snapshots, accompanied by short story prose. It is about a butch knight, Dame Johana Talon, who is tasked by Queen Atossa to find her missing son, Prince Khosrow. Typical 'prince(ss) in the tower shenanigans' but then, politics. And boy does Jo hate politics.

I have other webcomic ideas (mtf vs bbeg accidentally breaking a prophecy, team of bipoc/minority characters getting thrown into a fantasy world for an adventure, etc) so feel free to ask.

PERSONAL

I hesitate to touch on this, really, since it's not something that just anyone needs to know, but I've been struggling to find a good name for myself. Hesperos is a good name, but doesn't necessarily feel like 'me' these days. I do enjoy the h/e sounds... I've considered Ezra, but that's just the name of an OC and I'd rather not get quite that meta.

Ah well, sure it'll sort itself out eventually.

THE END

Anyway, thanks for reading! I know that's quite a lot for this one post to cover, but you stuck til the very end. Not sure when I'll start posting again in earnest but I hope sooner rather than later!

[depressedacadamia]

17 year olds don’t make good decisions

Summary:  it's exactly as the title suggests. On Nico's 17th birthday, he decides to do exactly as the title suggests and ends up visiting his boyfriend at the infirmary.

A/N: THIS WAS INSPIRED BY @rainnows and @daughter-of-sunshine from this post. ALSO SHOUT OUT TO @marbleheavy WHO CHEERED ME UP WHEN I WAS TALKING ABOUT BEING SAD ON BATHROOM FLOORS. Thank you @solangeloweek for this fun challenge! I actually managed to complete it without burning out halfway unlike with writers month which I PROMISE will be finishing. It feels super cool to tag people as if I had a tag list. Anyhow, hope yall enjoy the final day in will solace's bday week and comment! <3 from Persephone.

Read on AO3             Masterlist. 

Perhaps trying to give himself a lip piercing all by himself in the solitude of the Hades Cabin was not the best idea. That said, Nico was trying to celebrate his 17th birthday and he had been looking forward to getting a lip ring that he had seen Thalia wear recently and of course, Nico was impressed.

But Nico was even more impressed when Thalia had told him that she had pierced her lip herself like a badass motherfucker. At the time of course, Nico's first thought was wondering whether the hunters of Artemis had a dress code and if so- were piercings included? (Because he knew that Apollo would definitely want in on that.)

But now, as he held his bleeding lip which dripped over his fingers and pulled out the metal needle which had come in the packaging, he realised that just perhaps this wasn't a great deal. He grabbed some tissues and held them to his lips in the hope that the applied pressure would at least stop the big gush of blood but after several impatient minutes of doing so, he began to slightly panic.

Why hadn’t the bleeding stopped? Did he hit a blood vessel? Obviously he must have since he was bleeding! Was it veins or arteries that were super dangerous? God, why was blood so red? And why did this hurt so damn badly- he’s been stabbed for goodness sake! He was a soldier and it was a boo boo lip that was getting to him?

He rushed to the infirmary in panic- he doubted many people would see him and he deeply cared about his lips; afterall, how else would he kiss Will?

“Why are you holding that to your mouth?” Will asked when he saw his boyfriend walk through the infirmary doors. “ You’re not meant to eat tissues. If you were hungry, you should have bought a happy meal.”

Nico, who was still bleeding profusely into the tissue, turned it around so Will could; see his blood stained face and almost ripped lip.

“It won’t stop bleeding,” Nico managed to whine out in pain.

“What did you do?!” Will shouted in horror.

“I DON’T KNOW, YOU’RE THE DOCTOR!”

“I’M A HEALER, NOT A DOCTOR!” Will, truly panicking, screamed back. The two stared at each other, eyes wide open and finally, Will realised that while Nico was a soldier, he wasn't a healer. Sure- he inflicted injuries but he didn't fix them. In other words, Nico was completely clueless.

Will repeated the question, this time with a calmer tone. “What did you do?”

He changed his gloves and sat Nico down so he could have a look.

“I shwied oo iercee my wip,” Nico tried to speak as Will held his mouth open, taking a glance at the bottom of his lip.

“Sooo?” Nico said once again, over exaggeratedly as his boyfriend prepared to clean the wound.

“There’s a hole in your lip.” Will said, without a fraction of surprise as he began to clean the wound, lightly dabbing the soaked cotton ball at the injury.

“Ouuchh,” Nico tried to move away, but Will - in a very threatening manner- stopped him with a manic gleam in his eye that read No <3.

The two sat there as Will managed to stop the immense bleeding. Quite luckily for Nico’s reputation, there weren’t many people in the infirmary that specific evening and therefore, it was only Will and a couple of other healers- who weren’t scared of Nico but let him think so- who knew of the accident.

“Why did you even want to get your lip pierced in the first place?” Will umbled as he began to clean up.

“Because.”

“Because what?”

Nico replied in innocent honesty. “ It’s cool.”

Will choked at the simplicity of the answer. “Because it’s cool?”

Nico, similar to a puppy, nodded with eager delight. Sure, his lip piercing had not gone the way he had wanted and it was a shame that he’d have to wait for his lip to heal so that could try again but in the end- his lips still seemed to be working.

“Let me get this straight,” Will paused, “ You got a lip piercing, you willingly attempted to put a hole through the flesh of your lip because you thought it looked cool?”

“No,2 Nico huffed slightly. “Also you can’t get anything straight.”

Will sighed, “ And you’re about to make a gay joke to hide your own religious truama, aren’t you.”

“Oi!” Nico cried. “ No fair! You don’t get to ruin the punchline of my joke and expose my psychological trauma!”

Will gave a small chuckle to himself as he finished cleaning up and Nico patiently- which was relatively surprising- waited on the bed. He moved his fingers to gently prod his lip where the injury had occurred a while ago, a bit surprised to feel the flesh there to be swollen and burning hot to the touch.

“Willll,” Nico complained. “ My lip is puffy.”

The blond healer scoffed in response. “ That’s what you get for trying to pierce your lip by yourself.”

“But Thalia did it by herself and it looks so cool!”

“Is that what this is about?” Will turned around suddenly. “ Because Thalia told you about her lip piercing.”

Nico folded his arms looking away slightly. “ She didn’t just tell me, she was wearing her lip piercing and I for one think it looks awesome.”

“Yeah, I can really tell from the state of your lip,” Will laughed dryly.

“You’re being meaner than usual, sun boy.”

“You’re being stupider than usual death boy.”

“See!”

“I think I'm allowed to be a bit annoyed at the stupid attempt you made ot pierce your own lip without the aid of anyone else- or at least your boyfriend-, who, might I add, is a healer!”

“So I’m meant to be running to you every time I might have a problem and supposedly need some help with it?”

“Yes!”

Nico, ready to retort back an ‘I thought so”, paused. “Oh.”

The infirmary fell silent as they both stood staring at each other while the sun set behind=d them in the background. Will’s skin glowed under the light and Nico’s eyes glinted. They stared at each other and suddenly within a beat all the tension in the room rushed out and they both started laughing at one another. Suddenly a tall, black haired boy scrambled into the infirmary with mischief written all over his gleeful face.

“So?” Percy painted. “Did you actually try and do the piercing?”

To say the least, Will demanded an explanation.

[redrose-arrow]

emoji headcannons because y e s . 1. 🗡 - Alyss 2. 📖 - our heron boys 3. 🥖maddie and horace. (i hope i did this correctly <3)

you did and i love these <33

Badass Alyss:

This one’s long because it’s based on a WIP of mine lmao. ANYhow.

Imagine before the events of Scorpion Mountain, someone finds out that there’s another assassination attempt planned. Instead of running from it, Cassandra, Horace, and Duncan decide to set a trap. Cassandra’s upcoming birthday is the perfect event and a last-minute theme switch provides the ideal cover. It’s a masquerade ball. Gilan can blend in perfectly with the knights. Jenny has a great overview from behind the tables, unnoticed but paying attention. Horace and Cassandra are guests of honour, of course. Crowley can’t be missed. But Halt and Pauline, as well as Will and Alyss, do not stand out.

Alyss is dressed in all black, feathers in her hair and lining her mask. She reminds Will of a black swan and in all honesty, he’s having a little trouble keeping his eyes off of her. As the night progresses and the dancing grows less traditional, they manage to locate the suspect. Alyss decides to investigate and manages to be paired up with the man for the next round of dances. When finally - after what seemed like an eternity to Will - she twirls back, something in her strut catches his attention. Her steps - though still elegant - are somewhat clumsy, somewhat uncontrolled. They continue the dance, Halt and Pauline next to them.

“It’s definitely him,” Alyss states confidently. Her eyes are shining and her cheeks are rosy, but somehow Will doesn’t think it’s because she loves dancing so much. Her grip on his left hand grows stronger, more determined.

“I’ll have Crowley arrest him before he finds out we uncovered him,” Halt says. He turns to face his own wife again, but Pauline’s eyes are on Alyss, and on the way she leans on Will.

“Oh he knows, all right.” Alyss smiles widely at Will before she turns, forever playing the innocent young woman enjoying the Crown-Princesses’ party.

“Though if we’re lucky, he doesn’t know that we know that he knows.” Her reference is not as deep as the previous one. Will knows that she isn’t out of breath because of the dancing, but he doesn’t interrupt her. Pauline does.

“Alyss,” she asks sharply, “are you wearing a corset?”

Another wonderful smile, but it falters. Will locks arms with his wife, a pit growing in his stomach. He hasn’t connected the dots yet, but knows they’re there.

“It looks like it, doesn’t it?” Alyss muses. “I’m sure our suspect assumed the same. Assumed I wouldn’t feel the knife.”

It takes all of Will’s combined energy and training not to abandon the dance right there and then. It seems that the older couple next to him is fighting similar urges.

“We have to get you out of here,” Halt states resolutely, but the young Diplomat shakes her head, not missing a simple step as she does.

“The minute I leave, our suspect will know that I felt the knife, and he’ll know that I know that he knows. Our best shot at arresting him is if I continue dancing without a care in the world. And fortunately,” she breathes, “my husband has a steady grasp.” Will’s hands drop to her waist and he lifts her. When her feet meet the ground again he doesn’t let go. The warm blood that’s wetting his hand is the worst feeling in the world, but he doesn’t let go. His hand stays there, on her waist, keeping together a wound that will kill her if they don’t -. The thought is left unfinished.

As the dance goes on, Alyss’s steps grow smaller. Weaker. She no longer leads but follows, depending on her husband to keep her up and together. But she keeps dancing.

AU I’d like to see our Heron boys in:

Call me basic but I want a college/uni AU. They’d study totally different things but know each other via a sailing student association or something. Hal would double-major in engineering and applied astrology (duh), Stefan would be a theatre kid, Edvin studies medicine, Jesper criminology. Everyone thinks Stig is a football scholarship boy (which he is), but he’s actually a surprisingly solid math major. Ulf and Wulf separately major in business and in management, which have overlapping courses, and everyone is going crazy because they never know who is who (it doesn’t help that they take each other’s courses sometimes). Lydia is majoring in business and management, and her minor in gender studies is surprisingly useful for it. Ingvar wants to be a computer science teacher in high schools <3.

Food with Maddie and Horace:

Ah yes, another long one, because I love one (1) hungry father and daughter.

Don’t try to tell me that one of Horace and Maddie’s mutual favourite bonding moments is over food.

Horace has periods where he sleeps through the night, and periods where he’s constantly midnight snacking. Maddie has the exact same tendency. When she was younger, and didn’t yet sleep through the whole night, Horace would sometimes take her to the kitchens with him. They stopped doing that when Maddie grew older.

During her first few weeks back at Castle Araluen after starting her apprenticeship, Maddie is restless and finds herself wandering into the kitchens. Coincidentally, her father is there too.

Since then, when Horace is still up late or has gotten up at night, he checks on Maddie, who, if she’s awake, almost always joins him to the kitchens. And then they make and eat snacks together!!

Bonus: just like when Maddie was a young girl, if the timing is right, they’ll make Cassandra breakfast in bed.

[mojwisungie]

hc | boyfriend ♡

req (from: anon) ➥ : read the mark-jaemin boyfriend, and then then renjun-jisung boyfriend headcanons,,, can you do one for the remaining members? thank you~~

☄︎ with: lee jeno, lee donghyuck, zhong chenle ☄︎ lou.note: this has been in my wips for so long im sorry anonie but here i am to give it you guys as an offering for my birthday (its tomorrow on the 26th but anyway) hehe hope you all enjoy <3

ੈ⋆ mark & jaemin ver. | renjun & jisung ver.

Jeno

the observing, supportive boyfriend

jeno doesnt pay much attention to things that arent important

but YOU are important

you mean so much to him, and thats still an understatement

he often thinks that by paying attention to you and everything you do

he'll know you in a way no one else does

at this point, he knows everything about you

your favorite sweater (which he owns), favorite color, favorite artists, favorite songs, etc.

jeno actually knows your order by heart even if it varies in different restaurants

his mantra is actually happy y/n = happy jeno ^_^

thats also the reason why fights dont usually happen

he knows when its too much for you and so he will do what he thinks is best for the situation

anyways: dates with jeno are either doing physical activities or plain cuddling on the couch

it would mostly be him who initiates dates like hiking, biking, etc.

but, he would also always check with you if youre okay with it or if you want to rest 

one time you asked him for a day in those sport grounds ?? like those places that has random games like wall-climbing, archery, and trampolines

oh this boy has the biggest smile on his face asking you, “hold on love, are you serious ( ◕▿◕ ) ?”

during hectic weeks, he’s definitely up for movie marathons

if he still has some energy, he will make a blanket fort for the both of you

also jeno lee is a cuddle bug (you cannot change my mind, this case is closed)

and so he’ll use these lazy dates to indulge in hugging you for as long as he can 

on the supportive note, he always reassures you with the kindest words

AND hes the type of guy who will ask you if you need comfort or solutions when you rant to him T﹏T

and that is actually proof that he is the best support system

he'd be your hype man when you need a push

thinking of auditioning for a club? go ahead, he'll teach you what he knows

want to try a new hobby and start journaling? he'll help you find cute stickers (and he'll buy them too)

he will always help in whatever way he can, and he will constantly assure you that he’s there for you as you have been for him

he is reserved, quiet, and keep things on the down low, yet with you, he’s entirely different

jeno loves you just as you love him, and he’ll do everything to prove it to the world- you.

Haechan

the enthusiastic, soft boyfriend

he is!! literally!! the sun!!

he often calls you often in the morning to wake you up, greeting you with the loveliest voice saying, “good morning darling, how was your sleep?” SADKJASD

if he’s free, he’ll actually drop by yours to bring breakfast and eat with you

and if ever you still live with your family, you bet that once you slip into the kitchen he’s chatting up with your parents like he’s their son

actually... he technically is

he loves going out with you and your family as much as he loves going out with his

hyuck is very family-oriented, you really dont have to plead to him if you want him to come to a gathering

as long as you say yes to him inviting you to their family activities too 😌

he once asked you to go with him to this intimate family dinner his relatives organized

and you ask him, “are you sure im allowed to go? the invitation in the email complete says Lee Family and clearly.. im not-”

this man didnt even let you finish and says, “BUT YOU WILL BE!! SOON!! I WILL MARRY YOU!! baby come on just please come with me!!!”

he means it though

you dont know it, but the thought of spending the rest of his life with you often comes into his mind

and so dates with him can be both ends of the spectrum

you guys could go for fancy restaurants, amusement parks, and even late night computer games (if you dont play, he’ll teach you dont worry <3)

but there are also domestic dates such as grocery shopping, helping each other babysit nephews/nieces, and the such

its obvious to every one that haechan is so soft for you

and he doesnt care what other people say

one time, mark heard him talk to you in the cutest, softest voice and laughed... and regretted it bc haechan turned to him in the most serious face and the deepest tone saying, “and so?” 

as much as possible, he wants you to feel loved bc thats what you make him feel

despite this, arguments are still there, but it doesnt go on for long

fights dont escalate as you both work together against the problem

so at the end of the day, no feelings are hurt or turned a blind eye to

disagreements are often rooted from the nature of work though, thats why every time things arent so fine, he’ll do his best to fix it

because he treasures his time with you and the love you both invest in

he didnt value time that much before, bc he’s so used to putting up with whatever that comes his way

but when you came into his life, he realized it is indeed precious

haechan spends every second loving you beyond infinity

Chenle

the parental, sincere, affectionate boyfriend

you’ve seen him rant, right?

he’ll do that often, but only when its about you not getting what you need

others may not see it, but he’s really concerned when its about you so he’ll do anything to make sure youre well taken care of

if you havent eaten yet bc youre too busy going over your notes for your exams, he’ll buy you your favorite food and feed it to you

all the while talking about how you shouldnt put aside eating bc its important to eat meals at the right time

this guy solves old math problems when he has time to spare, so he’ll be okay with you coming to for help whenever you struggle with your lessons

as cliché as it may be, he will also get you the stuff you need- whether it may be for school or for your personal shenanigans 

you complained about your laptop once, saying it keeps on lagging

he deadass goes, “do you wanna go and buy a new one now?” 💀

he just wants you to do well in the stuff you do, okay ??

chenle is blunt about pretty much everything in your relationship too

he tells you all the stuff he knows he should tell you

including embarrassing moments of his members

the dreamies cant joke around with you too much,, bc they know you know everything (⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄)

but jokes aside, sometimes his honesty can be cause of some arguments

bc he gets too straight-forward at times and ends up unintentionally hurting you :((

and when you explain why it made you feel that way, he’s lost bc he thinks he was just saying the truth

but as time passes, he will learn how to be upfront with you without having to sadden you

please be patient with him as he is with you 👉🏼👈🏼

anyhow, dates with him would always be one for the books

if you ever think that he probably doesnt remember the dates you wanna go on to, youre wrong

bc its all listed in his mind and he’s determined to tick every single one from the list

when he’s busy or away on tour, facetimes would be a regular thing

he’s prepared with the timezones and he will remind you to sleep when you should, no buts y/n

if you tell him you cant just drift off, he’ll always offer to sing you to sleep

and when you do, he’ll take lots of pictures to treasure the little moments he has with you

some people tell him he looks too deeply in love

but he doesnt really see anything wrong with it because it was with you

chenle completely knows that he loves you so much, and he’s willing to love you until forever

[runicmagitek]

tagged by the lovely @wingsyouburn - thanks bb! 💕

How many works do you have on AO3? 209?? I'm sorry what????

What’s your total AO3 word count? 958,942??? HOW????????????

How many fandoms have you written for and what are they? *cackles* Oh sweetheart, sit down. We're gonna be here for a while.

According to my AO3 account, I have 54 different fandoms tagged. Most of them are for video games, but the occasional anime sneaks in now and then. I also have a few MCU fics, one book fic, and a podcast fic. My most prolific fandom is Final Fantasy VI with 50 fics.

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Wings of Valor and Compassion (Pharah/Mercy - Overwatch)

No Safety in Desire (Urbosa/Zelda - Legend of Zelda)

Give Them Something to Talk About (Dina/Ellie - The Last of Us)

Finally, Beautiful Stranger (Aeris/Tifa - Final Fantasy VII)

Don't Bring Your Black Heart to Bed (Thanatos/Zagreus - Hades)

Glad to see everyone enjoying my quality gay shit. Also very amused that out of these five, three of them were from last year.

Do you respond to comments, why or why not? I do! Or I at least make a solid effort to do so! I usually can't really sit down to properly reply until the weekend, unless it's something super quick I can shoot off on my phone, so I hope people don't mind the wait.

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending? Depends on the flavor? For straight-up Bad Ending vibes, absolutely Limbo (I really need to crack out another horror fic, because I love those, even if the majority of fandom doesn't). For right-in-the-feels vibes, Waiting for the Dust to Settle was a recent one I did that just sucker punches you with bittersweet Oh No goodness. It also reminds me of In Another Perfect Life, which ends on a similar note. *squints* actually, these are all for Final Fantasy VIII, which is saying a lot about... something lol

Do you write crossovers? If so what is the craziest one you’ve written? Um... not really? I don't think I have? At least not in the traditional sense where characters from Fandom A interact with characters from Fandom B. I have written some fusion crossover stuff. If You Had Life Eternal comes to mind, where I took Jaina and Kael from WoW and plopped them in Diablo's setting, because reasons.

Have you ever received hate on a fic? I had someone leave a super homophobic comment on one of my Pharmercy fics back in the day, which like... dude, are you lost?? I've also gotten some general weird comments that have little to nothing to do with the fic. I do remember someone on FFN commented saying that I needed Jesus on one of my witch-y fics. Sigh.

Do you write smut? If so what kind? Yes. The delicious kind (I hope).

Have you ever had a fic translated? Probably?? I've had a handful of people over the years ask to translate my stuff, but I haven't seen anything pop up on AO3.

Have you ever co-written a fic before? Nope.

What’s your all-time favorite ship? LIKE JUST ONE???? My brain fluctuates when it comes to this, but I definitely have a type or two I always gravitate towards. The most recent addition is Keitaro/Natsuno (13 Sentinels), which lives in my head rent-free from now until I die. I also always find myself coming back to Celes/Setzer (FFVI) and Aeris/Tifa (FFVII).

What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will? A bunch of 2016 drafts I started and then dropped when my life imploded. I've yet to revisit any of them and I'm not sure if I ever will at this point :\

What are your writing strengths? Apparently sneezing out 7k words without breaking a sweat.

What are your writing weaknesses? Sneezing out 7k words without breaking a sweat *sobs in a corner* ALSO TITLES I HATE TITLES

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic? I'm... not sure I fully understand what this means? Like having characters speak in another language randomly? I did this sparingly in Darkness/Starlight, where I had Jidoor be a blend of French and Italian, thus giving Setzer an appropriate accent and the occasional French comment. I didn't translate those into English, because the POV character (Celes) wouldn't have understood what was being said. Plus any time Setzer did dip into it, he was speaking from the heart, but was too afraid to actually TELL her. So if anyone had half the mind to translate those bits, they'd find out Setzer said the most touching things to her in French.

ANYHOW. I honestly don't really do this much, especially when a handful of my fandoms are Japanese and I'm writing in English and we're just assuming everyone's talking in Japanese so... yeah. Take it or leave it, I guess.

What was the first fandom you wrote for? Like when I was 10??? A crossover between Sailor Moon and Final Fantasy VII because FUCK YOU I DO WHAT I WANT.

What’s your favorite fic you’ve written? You're killing me, smalls, and I ain't picking just one.

Darkness/Starlight is forever near and dear to my heart for being a labor of love for such a small, old fandom and my beloved rarepair.

Learn to Fly is one I love for the amount of research I put in (I replayed Pyre and took so many notes on both Ti'zo's and Rhae's speech patterns to get them just right) and the delightful, yet bittersweet messages it exudes.

Long Journey Home is another favorite, because I poured my heart into it and it's got one of my favorite lines and ending.

Of What's Left of Us and Who We Used to Be was my attempt at evoking the surreal, yet heartwrenching vibes from the series and again, I also poured my heart into it.

Before We Have Another Chance to Go Loving was me cramming a massive longfic idea I had in my head forever into a small triple drabble series and it's forever canon in my heart.

The Lies We Tell Ourselves is my most recent fic I've published, which I wrote/edited/polished in four days, but I'm tickled pink with how it turned out.

tagging: @dvske @deemoyza @rosemochi @fury-brand @aliatori and any other writers who feel like swiping this! No pressure, as always 💕

[verfound]

WIPWed: Festering Folder Edition: Legally Blonde AU

@mintaka14 asked about the Legally Blonde AU, which the Disco witnessed the birth of and was briefly mentioned in the notes for "Move Like Jagged". So. Yeah. This is the latest crack AU I've been working on. 😂

See, for my last project for those unit classes I had to take for work, I was talking about different reasons conflict can pop up in your kitchen and how to deal with them. And one of the ways to deal with conflict is by staying positive - you can't control what other people do/what happens, but you can control how you react to it. And that got "Positive" from the Legally Blonde musical in my head, which got me thinking who would be who in a LB AU, and...it all just ran away from me so hard. We have a Plunny Adoption channel in the Disco, and I dropped it there because I did not want another WIP, and the next thing I knew I was 1700 words into the Bend & Snap scene and no one else had adopted the plunny come on guys. 😂

So. Yeah. This is happening. I'm maybe a third of the way through the outline with about three scenes fully written out. 😂

The setup: Marinette is an aspiring fashion designer in her senior year at UCLA. Her life is all set up: she's going to graduate and marry her perfect boyfriend Adrien Agreste, who's on his way to becoming a lawyer and future president of the United States. Everything's perfect until he suddenly dumps her, claiming he needs someone more serious. He moves back out East to start at Harvard in the fall, where he's now dating childhood friend and fellow Snobby Harvard Girl Kagami Tsurugi. Marinette realizes that if she's gonna get her man back, she's got to be someone serious, too - someone lawerly! Someone who wears black when nobody's dead! So Marinette follows him out to Harvard, where she's...let's face it. The laughing stock of the school. But with a little determination (and the help of her super sweet TA Luka Couffaine, who's convinced she's not as Dumb as the others paint her) she's going to show everyone she belongs there - and win her Adrien back in the process!

So Marinette's Elle, Adrien is Warner, Kagami is Vivian, and Luka is Emmett. I'm putting Gabriel as Callahan, with the idea that part of the pressure on Adrien is that his father is this super successful lawyer & professor at Harvard who's expecting him to follow in his footsteps. (Also there's a line in the finale of the musical that says "Warner quit / Says he makes more modeling anyhow!", so while he's at UCLA I have Adrien modeling on the side and he totally goes back to it. 😂) Mylène is Paulette and Ivan is Kyle (the UPS guy). Rose and Alya are Marinette's Delta Nu sisters/best friends, and Juleka is still Luka's sister; Rose and Alya come out and the end to cheer Marinette on at the final trial, where Rose and Juleka meet.

Jagged is Brooke. He's being accused of murdering Bob Roth, his former label owner. He's innocent, but he refuses to give Gabriel his alibi (he was...getting...botox). He was Marinette's neighbor back in LA, and she designed his favorite leather jacket - so he freaks when Marinette walks in with his Estranged Son as part of his legal team. Luka and Jagged have a...tenuous relationship. Jagged is Luka's father, and Luka used to love music/want to be a rocker. He toured with Jagged for a year or two when he was younger as his opening act, but it really disillusioned Luka to the Music Scene. So he ended up pursuing law (thinking he could get into the legal side of things, and Anarka's always in and out of jail anyway so she'll need a good lawyer?), and finds out he's good at it & really enjoys it? It wasn't the career he thought he'd have, but he's happy.

I'm still kicking stuff around & writing the outline, but that's the bare-bones. 😂 And as much as I love the LB movie, the musical is one of my favorites. There's...guh ok I'm not gonna start gushing on how perfect the musical is bc we'll be here all day. 😂 But it is absolutely perfect, and this AU is going to be a blend of the movie and the musical.

Case in point: the song "Take It Like A Man", where Elle repays Emmett by giving him a makeover. It's the scene where Emmett realizes he's fallen in love with Elle and absolutely adorable ("God, I love shopping for guys - watching them change right before my eyes!" "...stop watching me change.").

As for a scene y'all haven't seen yet...I think you've seen a handful of sentences from this one? It's all new for Tumblr, but I think I shared a few sentences on the Disco. 😂

“Hey, Luka, what are you doing tonight?”

Luka looked up, his eyebrows lifting at the smile Marinette was giving him. Her chin was propped in her hand, her eyes looking over him like…well, a little like she was undressing him, if he was honest, and he wasn’t entirely sure how he felt about that.

“Er…prepping for tomorrow?” he hazarded. “Big day in court? Opening statements? Have to make sure we’re ready so my dad doesn’t swing.”

She rolled her eyes, and then she rolled her chair over to his. He jumped when she laid her hands over his.

“You’re ready,” she said. She squeezed his hand, and he swallowed thickly as she continued to look at him like that. Why did his throat suddenly feel so dry? “Can we go somewhere? I…I want to do something. To thank you. For…everything, really. Please?”

“You don’t need to thank me, Marinette,” he said, wondering what exactly she had in mind. Maybe dinner? He was getting kind of hungry, and he’d be lying if he said he wouldn’t mind spending more time with her away from the law books…

“I do, though, Luka,” she said earnestly, squeezing his hand again. “You…you’re the only one who’s believed in me this entire time. You’ve done so much to help me, and…I just wanted to do something for you, too.” She took his hand and held it to her chest, pouting her lips and batting her eyes at him, and when had the heat kicked in? It was almost May – it shouldn’t be so hot in the old, draft library! “Please?”

“I…um…ok?” he finally squawked out. He cleared his throat when she hit him full-force with her mega-watt smile, hoping his face wasn’t as red as it felt as she squeezed his hand tighter. She gave an excited little squeal-giggle-bounce that had him smiling fondly. “What…what did you have in mind?”

“Well,” she said, releasing his hand and turning towards the table. She began gathering the files they’d scattered over the surface, tidying up. “You know I used to want to be a designer – you’ve heard Jagged go off about that coat.”

“His little frock star,” Luka snickered, and she gave him an exasperated little smile.

“If I had the time, I’d love to design you something,” she said, tapping the folders against the table to straighten them, She turned to him, hands on her hips. “But given we need you ready by tomorrow, that’s not possible. So, Luka Couffaine, I am going to give you…a makeover.”

That…was definitely not what he’d been expecting.

“Er…thanks?” he asked, because by the little hitch in his voice he was definitely asking, because he was definitely confused. A…makeover? But…why? Her expression fell a little, and he coughed as he reached up to loosen his tie. “I mean…it’s just…I didn’t think I needed one?”

And I was kind of hoping you’d suggest dinner?

“Luka,” she sighed, still exasperated. She grabbed his hands and hauled him to his feet before dragging him over to the fireplace. She gestured to the mirror sitting above the mantle, where he could clearly see his…ok, yeah, he looked a little disheveled, but they’d been in the library all day! He was expected to look rumpled! “Look at yourself.”

“I am,” he said, trying not to sound offended. She smoothed her hands over his shoulders, trying (unsuccessfully) to even out the wrinkles in his shirt. He tried to ignore the shiver that wanted to race up his spine at her touch. Focus, Couffaine, he thought. She sighed, turning him towards her, eyeing his clothes rather critically.

“Luka, you know I adore you,” she said, and he tried to ignore the way that made his stomach flutter, “but look at you. This is a high-profile, celebrity case. It’s going to be televised, and you’re going to show up looking like your only suit came from a Goodwill?”

“Hey,” he protested, weakly. He could feel the heat rising on his cheeks again. He looked at the floor and rubbed the back of his neck. “I have two suits, thank you very much, and only one came from Goodwill.”

He glanced up at her to find she had lifted one of those perfectly sculpted brows at him, and he grinned sheepishly before adding: “…the other came from Salvation Army.”

“Luka!” she laughed, squeezing his arms, and his grin warmed into a smile. He liked making her laugh like that. He… “That’s my point, you dork!”

Her laughter petered off, and she started fiddling with his tie. He glanced down at his outfit and tried to see her point, but he honestly thought he looked fine? Rumpled, sure, but that wasn’t anything a good tumble in the dryer or some ironing couldn’t fix. The gray slacks weren’t bad, and the white dress shirt with the thin, dark blue check matched his dark blue tie. Sure, his shoes were a little scuffed, but no one was going to be looking at his shoes. Marinette sighed again, and he looked back up at her.

“Luka, do you remember what I told you I did? Back at UCLA?” she asked. He nodded.

“You had a 4.0 in fashion merchandising,” he said, making her smile. “You wanted to design clothes.”

“So let’s just say this is something I’m actually good at,” she teased, and he frowned as he reached up to lay a hand over one of hers. He squeezed, making her look up at him.

“Hey…you’re good at this, Marinette,” he said. Her smile said she didn’t believe him, so he squeezed her hand tighter. “I mean it, Marinette. I may have helped you study, but all of this was you. You got Agreste’s internship all on your own. You went from the bottom to top of your class on your own. You put the work in, Marinette. You’re so incredibly smart, and you’ve got this…this…gift. You see things others don’t. You aregood at this.”

He wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting, but it certainly wasn’t for Marinette to throw herself at him in a bone-crushing hug. He stood there for a moment, dazed, but before he could move or think or respond she was already pulling away and wiping at misty eyes. She smiled up at him, and he wondered if it would be ok if he hugged her again. He kind of felt cheated out of the last one.

“Thank you, Luka,” she said, shaking her head to clear it. “Ugh, ok, but seriously! This is what I was originally good at – so let me shine, ok? Look. You’re good at this, too. You’re such a talented lawyer, and if Agreste gives you half the chance you’re going to blow them away in court – but no one’s going to be thinking about how brilliant you are if you show up looking like a bum. Luka, it’s…it’s me showing up to a costume party dressed like a bunny!”

He blinked at her, remembering all too well that night he’d bumped into her at the bookstore and she was dressed in nothing more than a one piece, bunny ears, and tail.

“The look is half the fight,” she said, taking his hands in her own. “Don’t give them a reason to judge you just because your shoes are old. Please? Let me buy you a suit. Let me do this for you, Luka.”

He still didn’t get it – not really, if he was perfectly honest – but when she looked at him like that…

“…ok,” he said, and the smile and second hug she gave him made it all worth it.

[t-lostinworlds]

helloooo T <333 i wanna make a series and am wondering if you have any tips?? I have like a vague idea of what I'm doing and have the title and a synopsis but not... much. secondly, (😭) I also wanna do what you've done where you write all of it down? like all the chapters? then post ! or maybe write half, then post probably weekly whilst I'm writing the rest kinda thing. much love if you help <333 wondering how you've gone about with your series too 💞💕💗

hello love! <3 and gosh i'll try to be as thorough as possible but my goodness series are a curse of mine bc 98% of the series i've done is either collecting dust in the my WIPs (ahem mob!tom i'm sorry i'll get back to you soon bby i promise laklkas) unfinished, not updated in years, or full stop discontinued so asdfghjkl anyhow i'm gonna put a cut bc i talk a lot and also! i'm gonna put Revenge Is Sweet as an example even though technically that was a bit easier bc its an smau but i basically planned them the same way so spoilers ahead if you haven't read the series asdfghjkl:

so first off, when it comes to series each writer is definitely different but me, i heavily. plan. everything. so i say get a scope of where you want the characters to go and what journey you want to take them. whether it's a start and a very rough middle and end. so long as you know where you're going even if it's not final yet. it's a rough draft. changes will be made in the process but at least you have an idea of the direction you're going so you don't get lost down the line.

most of the time i try and see roughly how many parts i want to make it into. and then as you go through and write, if you feel like you need more parts or need to add something in between some parts then add more parts. that's why for me, i can not do the write as we go thing where i post the first part here and then see where it will take me. bc i want to make each part as cohesive as possible so i need to have at least the basics written down, places, dates, years, events and i can only do that if i have most of the series already planned out from prologue to epilogue.

here's an example on how i basically roughly planned Revenge Is Sweet--

i'll start with the characters where i basically wrote down some personalities to make them different from each other:

p.s. i didn't include oliver bc it basicaly says *asshole* alskaslk i'm kidding but not really. also ignore the asher name lmao that was suppose to be ashton's name but

and as for the parts, when i say vaguely write stuff down, i really mean vaguely write stuff down:

so that's basically what i mean when i say at least get a scope of where you want to go. doesn’t matter if it’s vague, simple or not groundbreaking at all. because then you can come back to it later and tweak some stuff, change some scenes, add more scenes and even some dialogue and such. 

as for posting, that really depend on what you’re most comfortable with. if you’re comfortable with posting one part and then writing the next one after then go for it. bc at least now you have an idea on where you’re going so it wouldn’t be too hard as you write.

but for me personally:

i’d rather have at least 80% or like you said, half of the series written down. and by written down i really mean like it needs at least one or two more proof reads simply to polish things up. like Prologue to Part 6 of my mob!tom series are each at least 10k words already and ready to go. because sometimes when i write a series, some parts inspire ideas that are great for another part. for example, i’ll be well underway writing Part 6 but then i get an idea that would improve Part 2 or i’ll add a certain character tick which wouldn’t make sense if they only did it on one part but not at the start. but when i have that part already up and posted then...i can’t do anything to change it anymore. 

me as a writer, i am constantly changing and improving and tweaking so if i can hold onto all the parts to improve them as much as i can until i’m happy with it then i will. and i also want to add hints and foreshadowing and all little easter eggs may it be a little dialogue etc.

but also, as i’ve said at the beginning i haven’t finished a series ever. from way back when i was writing for one direction. yes, i’m that much of a fossil with writing alskalk. so for me, having at least most of the series done would guarantee that i have a consistent posting schedule. and i do agree with what you said, posting weekly while you write the other parts so the pressure wouldn’t be too hard on missing updates.

but gosh, i just gave you a full blown essay anon lakslaks but yeah! that’s much of all the tips i can give to you. but also, enjoy it really as cheesy as the sounds. write the series because you want to get lost in it first and foremost. like be in your own world and don’t think about outer circumstances. and then once you’ve had that journey relieve it again when you start posting.

and please! ask any questions you want, my inbox is always open. and i’ll answer them to the best of my abilities.

hope this helped!! <3

[oneinist]

Recap #3: The month of the BLOCK/SLUMP/RUT 🤣

It’s the time of the month where I look back and ramble, give some shoutouts, ramble some more... Reflecting is such a big word but I suppose it fits. Or maybe this is more like my journal 📗

Ao3/Fanfiction

Soooo, August has been a bit of a peculiar month for me. I miraculousy managed to post one drabble, at least, but my writer’s block is still very present and fucking with me... My head used to overflow with all kinds of smutty ideas and now it is close to blank apart from this one idea (which is a Kaka/Iru/Yama doing the naughty in Iruka’s headmaster’s office with Kakashi and Yamato in Anbu gear - not a word written though, just lives in my head).

So instead I have been indulging in reading fanfiction and it has been wonderful! I am in love with @pinkcatharsis Ever after Tenzou/Iruka, @vulcan-highblood Will You Stay The Night (or will you stay forever)?, A Match Made in... and You Feel Like Home (and i don't know why) - all three are Kakashi/Iruka, as well as @cyhyr Branding Kakashi/Iruka. I didn’t know Ao3 History kept track of how many times I’ve accessed a fic and it looks like I have stalked you cause all of these have about 30 visits each from me. What can I say, I reread XD Anyhow, thank you so so much for sharing your wonderful work~~~ 🍠 🐬 🍆

I’ve also been reading @ao3commentoftheday blog whenever they post and I am rethinking and relearning so much about fandom still. I’d like to think I am opened minded and supportive, but I realized that I am very much influenced by the performance and production oriented society that I live in - especially from my work place... It’s all very well summarized in @mysticmilks post. I think the analogy is spot on 🍪🍪🍪 I know I’ll never get it 100% right all the time myself either, I am just committed to trying and doing what I can.

And another completely random realization I’ve had is that I am going to switch my multi-chapter drabble fic into a series where the drabbles are stand alone. When I started writing just three months ago I felt very insecure about my low word counts and felt as if it would be misleading to treat each drabble as a single piece of work. Now, I would never think like this about another author so I realized I was giving myself a hard time. 

Micro fiction, flash fiction, drabbles are just as much fanfiction as anything else. From a practical stand point too, I realized that the tags would make more sense if the drabbles are separated. Most drabbles are Explicit but some are Teen and Up, again, most are smutty but a few fluffy too - now everything is just blanket explicit and smutty which doesn’t really tell the whole story. 

Tumblr/Fanart

For I while there I could still draw but sadly for my block spread and took that away from me too... ... ... It got so bad that at a point in August I would feel dead inside when I looked at a canvas ☠️ I decided to take a step back from creating all together. 

So I have just gone crazy on the like and reblog train! You all put so much wonderful content out there be it fics or fanart, headcanons, meta discussions or just your personal thoughts on random stuff, and memes - never forget the memes. 

Also I am low key happy panicking over the surge of followers. Like THANK YOU but also all I do is reblog at the moment so even more THANK YOU. I wanted to draw something naughty to celebrate my 69th follower and maybe I still will, just very much after the fact 😅 Currently closing in on a 100 and I am just flabbergasted. 

In August I was thinking that this would be my last monthly recap and I would switch to quarterly ones after this, but now that I am writing it, I am enjoying it, so we’ll just have to see, I’ll leave my options open for October~~~

Events

This is where I feel a tad bit sad again. I have a wonderful maze for the KakaIru Maze Challenge and I have WIPs for all my prompts but I am not making any progress due to my block. I am still hoping for this block to just GO AWAY and that I will complete the challenge now that the deadline has been extended, but I also know that I need to be kind to myself and not force anything.

KakaIru.rocks

So there’s this wonderful forum kakairu.rocks I have been apart of since I stopped lurking and became active in my fandom - I reblog their stuff quite often 😄 There are polls, quizzes and headcanon discussions, Fic recs and a bunch of amazing events run by the awesome @kakairu-shrine. We recently launched a more extensive prompt section to the forum too. I say we, because I was asked to join as moderator about a week back together with the lovely @kaoruhana08. I am honored and stoked. It is semi-official since already mentioned on the forum tumblr. Why don’t you come join the forum if you are into KakaIru ❤️❤️❤️

Closing notes-ish

I miss drawing and writing, and I’ve probably made it sound much worse than it is and I am sure that it will pass eventually and I will be back to my usual brain rot XDDDD 

Last a shout out to everyone in Umino hours and KakaIru discord servers for being so supportive - YOU ALL ARE SO AMAZING!! 

Also I understand it might seem weird for me to say I am in a block when I managed to whip up this here WALL OF TEXT. As always, if you read this far, why thank you~~~ 👀

[musicprincess1990]

Fate for Sherlolly one word prompt

I am SO SORRY this took so long!  Ugh, blame the three spiders that frightened me out of my room last weekend… I blame spiders for everything, why not this?

Anyhow... damnit, you’ve gone and given me another WIP!!  This probably won’t be a particularly long fic, but the plot I have swimming around in my head deserves at least three chapters.  And I have a few other neglected prompts, so... patience.  And I hope you enjoy this little snippet!

*

It happened on a rainy Tuesday in April.  At least, that was what Molly would consider the beginning of all this.  She’d gotten a text from Sherlock an hour into her shift, saying he had a request for her, but would need to make it in person.  Confused, but intrigued, Molly sent a reply, stating she had a slow day ahead of her, he could come by the lab any time.

His response only served to confuse her more.

NOT AT BART’S. AT YOUR FLAT. 8:00?

Molly frowned, wondering what on earth this was about.

She made it home with a few minutes to spare, and took that time to put the kettle on and munch on the strawberries she’d bought the night before.  The knock sounded just as the kettle started to whistle, and she shouted, “Come in, Sherlock!”  Molly heard the door open and close, and familiar footsteps making their way toward the kitchen.  She took two cups out of the cupboard, and set about making tea for both of them.

“Earl grey alright with you?” she asked as he appeared in her peripheral.

“That’s fine,” he said. “Oh, and would you happen to have any milk?”

She lifted her head, intending to point out that he rarely took milk with his tea, but her words were cut short as she saw him... or rather, what he was carrying.

“Oh!” she gasped.

Nestled in Sherlock’s arms was a small, black kitten, ears perked and green eyes dilated as it took in its surroundings.  Molly put a hand over her heart, smiling widely as she moved closer.  “Sherlock, what on earth...?”

“Found her in a murder victim’s home,” he explained. “Can’t be more than four months old.”

Molly reached out and presented her index finger, watching as the kitten first shied away, then sniffed curiously.  “Oh, the poor little love,” she cooed, her heart breaking.  A newly-adopted kitten, still getting used to her new home, only to have her human suddenly taken away from her.

“Indeed,” Sherlock agreed, his voice low and gentle, gentler than she had ever heard from him... except...

Well, now wasn’t really the time to think about that, was it?  They’d formed an unspoken agreement not to discuss the phone call.  After he’d explained the horrid events leading up to it, Molly refused to make him relive the experience.  He had seemed surprised, but thanked her, and somehow, life returned to normal.

Until now.  There was nothing normal about Sherlock taking pity on a small, defenceless animal, and bringing it to her door.  She honestly wasn’t sure what he thought of animals; he’d been on less-than-friendly terms with Toby, but he never seemed to genuinely dislike him.  Thinking of Toby caused a twinge of pain in her stomach.  She’d had to put him down, the same day as the phone call, in fact.

Blinking away tears, Molly lifted her eyes to meet his.  “What made you decide to bring her here?”

“I may not be overly fond of cats, but even I shudder to think of what she would face were she left alone on the streets.”  He looked down at the cat, but she sensed it was more to break eye contact with her.  “And... I know you lost Toby... so I thought...” he trailed off, shrugging one shoulder.

Touched (and surprised) beyond words by his thoughtfulness, Molly felt a few tears escape.  “Oh, Sherlock,” she breathed.

He glanced at her, and she saw the brief flash of fear in his eyes, but he seemed to relax once he saw her smiling.  Sherlock gently held out the precious little bundle, and Molly cradled the sweet kitten in her arms.  She trembled a bit, but calmed as Molly pulled out a tin of cat food, which she’d been unable to toss out after Toby passed.  Now, it seemed she wouldn’t have to.

“What a lovely twist of fate,” she quietly mused, setting the kitten on the counter, petting her back as she ate eagerly.  Her smile broadened.  “Hmm, I think that’s what I’ll call you. Fate.”

Sherlock hummed in approval.  “Bit more creative than most names.”

“High praise,” she teased with a wry smile.

He grinned back, then sat on one of the stools and helped himself to his tea.  Molly asked him the particulars of the murder case, and he was happy to regale her.  Nothing of great consequence was said, but silently, secretly, Molly couldn’t help but feel this was the start of something... something beautiful.