#half heart fanfiction

[courfee]

“Regulus would be proud of us,” James whispered quietly to no one in particular, still gripping onto the painting like a life raft. 

— Tender Curiosities, Baby!  @otrtbs

[babyitsbeautiful]

City Girls and Wind Shear by @corrieander

Will our stars ever align? Will two hearts beat in time? These words you should always remember To you, my heart I surrender Chasing love that can never be mine Maybe one day you'll realize These words you should always remember To you, my heart I surrender

[holleighgram]

Shout out to @my-sanctuary-arts and @transcaptainleviathan for giving me the slightest whiff of interest in this fic! How many fics will I create before I drown myself in writing chapter updates and comics? Who’s to say.

Me.

I’m to say.

And it’s a lot.

Nomura, give me my boys.

[patolemus]

“What are you singing?”

Lucerys stops his gentle humming and turns around. He’d known Aemond has been lurking near, but it is the first time he has approached him while he’s with the dragons.

“It is an old lullaby,” he explains without raising his voice. The dragons are calm now, but Sunfyre especially is quite temperamental with anyone other than his rider. “My parents sang it to me when I was little. It calms the dragons down, too,” he gently pats Dreamfyre’s snout. “Have you never heard it?”

Something dark crosses Aemond’s face, but it is gone too fast for Lucerys to identify it.

“Unlike you, my mother does not know any of these lullabies, and my father was never interested in singing to any child that wasn’t his precious first born,” his voice is eerily neutral, attempting to exude some kind of nonchalance that Lucerys knows is not there. The subject of his mother’s harsh teachings and his father’s lack of them is a sore spot for Aemond, he knows.

Maybe that is what brings him to make the offer. Or maybe it is that Lucerys just feels like it. He finds he doesn’t really care to know.

“I could teach you, if you want,” he turns back to Dreamfyre, unable to look at his uncle for some reason. “I sing them for Jaehaera and Jaehaerys sometimes, too. They seem to like it.”

With his back turned, Lucerys can’t gauge Aemond’s reaction. His uncle keeps quiet for a while, long enough that Lucerys would think him gone if not for the way his precense sticks to him like a ghost.

“I’d… like that,” he finally says, in a tone that’s half vulnerable and half content and maybe a bit shy.

Lucerys doesn’t turn around, but the smile on his face is true.

A glimpse of something far in the future

[sunsetsandsunshine]

~ Just say you’re sorry ~

THIS IS FOR THE AMAZING ANON THAT INSPIRED THIS FIC SO KUDOS TO THEM 💞✨💗💕

Also tagging my fellow moots who love this HC as much as I do:

@someone1348 @tickleebug @prettychillbrainfreeze @ghostlyshylee @itzystopkiddingmenowloco

Lee’s: Leo🐢💙 and Mikey🐢🧡

Ler’s: Raph🐢❤️ and Donnie🐢💜

Summary: Raph and Donnie have been getting pranked by they’re younger brothers all day. So like the good big brothers they are, they hatch a totally not devious plan to teach they’re younger sibs a lesson.  

(A/N: AS ALWAYS- T*EST DNI YOU NASTY CREEPY WEIRDOS)

———————————————————————

“Stupid dumb-dumbs…stupid stupid dumb-dumbs…”

Raph turned around from where he was sitting on the living room couch to see his immediate younger brother- Donnie- pacing back and forth in the kitchen, holding a mug of coffee that spilled a little bit every now and again as he turned around in a pacing circle. 

The young genius was wearing his dark purple sweatshirt with the sleeves pulled up to his elbows, wearing his occasional purple mask and goggles. Raph was wearing his own mask as well, clashing with his grey/gray sweatshirt.

The snapper got up from the couch, putting his phone down and walking to his immediate younger brother. “Hey, bud…you okay?” Raph asked, putting a hand on Donnie’s shoulder as a way to show his comfort. The younger looked up at Raph and started chuckling, even though the eldest turtle was 99.9% sure nothing he just said was funny…

“What’s wrong..? What’s WRONG???” Donnie yelled, going close to Raph’s face so they’re snouts touched before stepping away from him. The softshell put his coffee mug on the counter, pacing back and forth again while his hands were behind his back. 

“Oho, I’ll tell you what’s wrong. What’s wrong my dear older brother, is that those imbeciles that I apparently have to call my younger brothers have been pulling pranks on me left and right ALL DAY. I can’t get any work done without fearing for my life that another water balloon or paint cannon is going to hit me!” Donnie said, throwing his hands up to the air before putting them back down. The purple cladded sibling sighed, rubbing a hand down his face slowly as he tried to calm himself down.

Donnie was frustrated- very very (that’s two very’s) frustrated if you couldn’t tell. The genius wanted to have a productive day; a day where he got almost all of his work done and he had the rest of the evening to spend with his family and friends. Believe it or not, the softshell actaully enjoyed spending time with his family, even if he acts like he dreads every single second of it.

But sadly, the universe didn’t want the day to go the way Donnie had originally planned. The universe had to give him not 1 but 2 younger siblings that were annoying as FU- fudge. Annoying as fudge.

Anyway, the two gremlins have been placing boobytraps and pranks all over the lair, such as sparkle canons, water balloons, whoopie cushions- you name it! And at the end of every single prank there would be this…card that mysteriously came out of nowhere. It was orange and blue and had Mikey and Leo’s faces on it, saying “You just got pranked by the Portal Pals! (P.S. L + Bozo)”

Which was…cute. It was nice that the two were having fun and spending time with each other…but WHY did they’re fun have to torture Donnie in the process?

“You too, huh?” Raph chuckled, reaching into his sweatshirt pocket and taking out a couple of Leo and Mikey’s “You just got pranked!” cards. Donnie couldn’t help but chuckle along with Raph at the sight of the cards, going over to him and resting his head on his plastron, groaning. The snapper just laughed some more, wrapping his immediate younger brother in a hug as he patted his battleshell.

“They’re. so. annoying.” Donnie whined, rubbing his hands along his face as Raph sighed. “I mean, yeah. They’re our little brothers, little bro. It’s kind of they’re job to annoy the living hell out of us, y’know?” The eldest reasoned, patting Donnie’s shoulder as he huffed, his anger starting to slip away. “Yeah…I guess so…” the softshell mumbled, taking his head up from Raph’s plastron and smiling at him.

“But hey! Look on the bright side: that doesn’t mean we can’t get payback~!” Raph exclaimed, winking at Donnie who raised one of his sharpie drawn eyebrows, curiosity and mischievousness written all over his face. “Are you implying what I think you’re implying?” Donnie asked, grinning from ear to ear. 

Raph grinned back, nodding his head in confirmation. The second-oldest turtle  smiled a bit more (this time being a kind of evil smile) as he took out his phone from his pocket, going into they’re family GC. The younger started typing up something on his phone, beginning to walk to his lab.

“Walk and talk with me, Raphie. I’ve got a plan…”

🕺🏾🐢🍕Cool Kids GC 🍕🐢🕺🏾

Today at 2:34 pm 

*🕺🏾👾Bootyyyshaker9000👾🕺🏾 is online*

Hello my fellow fam

*UrfaveChamp😘😘😘✨💙 is online*

*Mystic_Mike🎨🤩 is online*

Yoooo

Hey Don!

How are you 😁🥰?

Good good.

How’s the eyebrows working? Feelin pretty, bro?

Donnie groaned from Leo’s text, about to type “kys” in the GC to his younger twin before Raph cleared his throat, shaking his head in disapproval as they continued to walk. The softshell sighed, deleting the text before he was about to send it in the GC. 

“There. Happy?” Donnie asked as the oldest nodded, walking into the lab and both sitting on the lab’s desk chairs. “Very.”

“Anyway, what’s he even talking about, Don?” Raph asked, confused. Donnie ran a hand down his face, clicking out of messages and showing Raph a picture he took earlier. It was a pic of Donnie’s eyebrows covered in sparkles, glitter and fake gemstones- and it looked completely awful. Let’s just say the eyebrows looked like a second graders art project. 

Uh…no offense to any second grader of course…

“One of they’re sparkle canons got me…” Donnie mumbled. The softshell was so glad he was able to clean that monstrosity off- he would never be able to live that down without anyone making fun of him for it. 

Raph cackled at the picture, putting a hand to his face as he did so. “Stop laughing...” Donnie glared, taking the phone back so Raph couldn’t see the photo anymore. And if the alligator snapping turtle knew any better, he could’ve sworn that he saw a pout on his immediate younger brother's face. 

“It isn’t funny.” The pout caused Raph to giggle a bit more, booping the softshell’s snout as the younger playfully swatted his hand away. “It is a bit funny…” Raph giggled, smirking at Donnie. The second oldest just chuckled as he rolled his eyes, clicking out of his Photos app and right back to the GC.

They’re fine, actually. The sparkles really complimented my eyes.

See! Told you he would like it, Mikey!

A success in my book

Oh whatever 😒😒😒

✨Anywaysssss✨

What is it that u needed, Don?

R u okay?

Oh, yeah. I’m fine.

I just need you both to come to my lab.

I have to make a huge announcement to say to everyone.

It’s extremely important.

Raph’s already with me so I just need you two to come.

Oh! 

Okay! 

Oooh! Must be a pretty important if we’re coming to Dee’s lab…

Yes- it is important. I literally just said that.

See you in like- 15 seconds, Dee!

Wait! Raph’s w/ u right now?

Yes. Raph is with me as of right now.

Ask him for me how he likes his new room setup 😁✨ 

LMFAOAOAOAO

Raph grabbed Donnie’s phone out of his hands, his face red in embarrassment as he typed in the group chat. “What’s he talking about, man?” Donnie chuckled confused, not used to seeing his older brother so flustered. 

After the snapper was done with…whatever he was typing, his face relaxed- seeming really calm and content now. Raph cleared his throat, handing the phone back to Donnie. “We don’t talk about it.” 

KSYNDND

*KYS

THIS IS RAPH TYLINGNEN

*TYPING

KANSHSJAKSHS!!!

U KNOW ITS FUNNY BRO-BRO

I HATE YOU 2 SM LITERALLY DIE😡😡😖!!!

BAHAHAHAJSHSBDKDK

We love you tooooo Raphieee~!☺️☺️☺️😘😘💕💖💞💖💖✨✨

Donnie clicked out of the messaging app and glared at Raph. “How come I can’t type ‘kys’ in the group chat but you can!?” He asked, putting his phone on his desk and crossing his arms. “Eldest brother privileges, duh.” Raph said calmly, merely shrugging as Donnie rolled his eyes for probably the millionth time today. 

.

.

.

“What’s with the random call to Dee’s lab? Are we experimenting on something?” Leo asked excitedly, looking around the lab to see if there was anything brand new or important to test on as him and Mikey walked in. “Yeah! What is it? I wanna know!” Mikey asked as well, grinning from ear to ear waiting for either of his older brothers to answer the question.

Leo was wearing his dark blue sweatshirt, with his blue mask. Mikey was also wearing his favorite orange sweatshirt, also wearing his mask. 

Not answering any of the younger two's questions, Donnie tapped a few buttons on his wrist watch, closing the lab door behind them. The two quickly looked behind them at the door and then at each other, nervousness starting to broil up in they’re stomachs. “Don? Raph? You guys okay…?” Leo asked, his head tilting to the side in confusion as his twin and older brother just stood there staring at him and Mikey.

“So…you guys gonna keep staring at us, or are you gonna tell us why we’re here…?” Mikey said as he scratched his head in confusion. 

“Glad you two are so curious to find out why I called you here.” Donnie smiled, him and Raph getting up from they’re chairs, looking at they’re younger brothers with a deadpanned face. There was another awkward silence with all of them just staring at each other. 

The two youngest weren’t sure if they were called in Donnie’s lab for a legitimate reason or if this was some huge staring contest. Leo and Mikey exchanged worried glances, “Soooo…you gonna tell us or what?” Leo chuckled, crossing his arms trying to hide his nervousness at his twins vague answers. 

“Well, you and Mikey have been pranking me and Don a lot.” Raph said stating the obvious, only for Leo and Mikey to chuckle. “Is this what this is about? Are we in trouble or something?” Mikey giggled, nudging Leo in the elbow causing the older to snicker.

“You two aren’t in trouble per say. We just want to join in on the fun too!” Donnie smiled…a bit too sweetly. Leo crossed his arms, squinting suspiciously at his older brothers. “Join in on the fun?” The slider repeated. “Oh, but of course! The fun I’m personally thinking of starts with an r and ends with ‘evenge’. Isn’t that right, Raph?” Donnie grinned as Raph nodded his head.

Mikey gulped, “Wehell…Ihi just remembered I have to goho feed my pehet rock…so, uh…if you’ll excuse me I’ll just be on my way…” Mikey giggly said, nervously walking backwards to the opening door to the lab. Mikey attempted to open the lab door again and again but it just wasn’t budging. He turned around, trying to turn the knob but it wasn’t moving an inch. 

“The lab door is locked my dearest Angelo.” Donnie chuckled as he saw the youngest trying to pry the door open- an evil smile plastered on his face as he leaned against Raph’s side, crossing his arms. 

Well shit.

“You get Mikey, I’ll get Leo.” Raph instructed, walking towards Leo as Donnie walked towards Mikey, both of the older siblings wiggling they’re fingers slightly with huge evil grins on they’re faces. The two youngest looked at each other completely petrified, stepping away from the door and splitting up, going deeper into Donnie’s lab but making sure to keep they’re eyes on they’re “attackers.”

“Wahait! W-We cahan talk abohout thihis!” Leo giggled, putting his hands up as a way to try and stop Raph from…whatever him and Donnie were planning. Well- he did know what they were planning which is why he’s TRYING his very best not to think about it too much…

Now, don’t get Leo wrong, he can be a menace. He’s been called it many many times by different people, which he takes a LOT of pride in. And he can become even MORE a menace when he’s tickling one of his brothers. To funny remarks to rib-counting to teases. Leo was one scary of a Ler and that was just something you just couldn’t deny. 

But sadly, the universe wouldn’t allow Leo to be the only scary Ler in the family. The universe had to give him not 1 but 2 older siblings that were terrifying as FU- fudge when it came to tickling.

When it came to Raph and Donnie, they were just…vile. Finding every single possible way to tickle and fluster they’re Lee until they can’t even think straight. 

Since Raph was, like, a TITAN in turtle form, it’s completely impossible to escape him while he’s wrecking you. And since he’s the eldest he will just go on and on and ON about how he was “The best Tickle Monster.” And that stupid thing he would always do was give “Raph-berries.” Basically raspberries but he’s nibbling you as well and it was TORTUROUS. 

Now Donnie was an evil force to be reckoned with. For one, he would cheat. The softshell would use his spider arms to ping your arms up so you couldn’t squirm. And worst of all he would pretend as if him wrecking you was a whole big science experiment. Testing out his “hypothesis” or whatever other big words Donnie knew. 

So getting that out of the way, Leo knows he’s absolutely dead. Deceased. Expired. 6 feet under…

The red eared slider just knows he’s completely screwed. Based on the facial expressions, body language and overall demeanor of his older brothers, the two were out for revenge. And Leo and Mikey being more sensitive than them, (Leo being a tad bit more ticklish than Mikey), they knew they couldn’t stand a chance. All the two were doing was wiggling their fingers and Leo and Mikey were giggly messes…

“Talk about what, little brother? Talk about how you scared the living heck outta me with all those posters of Mrs. Cuddles that you put all over my room?” Raph taunted, stepping closer and closer to Leo making the younger giggle more frantically.

 “I-Ihit wahas funny though!” The younger one stammered, “Actually, now that you mention it…SHE’S RIGHT THERE, LOOK!” Leo screamed, pulling out a completely terrified look out of nowhere pointing somewhere ahead of him, pretending where he was pointing was Mrs. Cuddles.

Hey, he’s not called the Face-man for nothing! 

“Wait- WHAT? WHERE?!” Raph screamed, frantically looking around Donnie’s lab to try and spot Mrs. Cuddles. But the only thing he saw was a certain red eared slider running away from him.

Well played…

That little shit.

Before Leo could attempt to try to hide somewhere in the lab, Raph came from behind him, picking the younger up and putting him on his shoulder, carrying him to the middle of the lab where Donnie and Mikey were. Donnie already “captured” Mikey, using his spider arms to hold his arms so he couldn’t try and run away again. 

Leo started to hit the back of Raph’s shell, squirming to try and get out of the older’s hold as a bunch of giggly threats flooded out of his mouth. The snapper only rolled his eyes, poking Leo in the side causing the him to let out a surprised shriek followed by frantic laughs. “Don’t forget the position you're in, bud.”

“Yohou guhuys! Plehease dohon’t- noHO Deehee!” Mikey squealed as Donnie released him from his tech arms, sitting down on the carpet floor and pulling him into his lap as Raph did the same thing with Leo, sitting a little bit across from Donnie. Before the young genius could pin Mikey’s hands up- as he originally planned on doing, the youngest retracted into his shell, giggling smugly as Donnie tried to get him out by knocking on his shell repeatedly. 

“Hey! You can’t do that!” Donnie said, crossing his arms and glaring at his younger brother. “Toohoo bad. I juhust did.” Mikey taunted, happy he found a way to escape Donnie’s tickly wrath.

Leo, about to go into his shell too was immediately caught by Raph. The older held up his arms, grinning and raising a brow. “Where do you think you’re going, Lee?” Raph asked, chuckling as Leo plastered a nervous smile on his face. 

“Nohowhere…” The red eared slider giggled, looking around anywhere but Raph’s face before looking towards his younger brother who was soon about to break by the demon you would call Donatello.

“DeEHEE! NahAt the tUHuhUmmY!” Mikey squealed, squirming in his shell trying to get away from Donnie’s tickly fingers that were now dancing across his stomach. The older shook his head, grinning at the sound of the youngers frantic laughter.

“Then get out of your shell and fight like a real man!” Donnie taunted, which only caused Mikey to whine throughout his giggles but not coming out of his shell. Suddenly, Donnie stopped tickling his tummy, poking at the boxer turtle’s lower rib. “Boop.”

The younger's reaction was almost immediate as he came out of his shell completely to grab at Donnie’s wrists. “There we go~! See! Was that so hard?” Donnie smiled innocently, using his spider arms to pin Mikey’s arms up. Donnie just smiled at Mikey as Raph let go of Leo to begin tickling his sides.

“Pfft- nohohoho!” Leo giggled, hugging his middles and squirming a bit as Raph lightly scratched around his sides. The older one laughed in amusement, raising a brow and grinning at his reaction. “No? No, what? You two brought this upon yourselves!”

“Oho screw ohohoff!” Leo retorted, pushing at Raph’s wrists as Donnie just continued to look at the youngest, not doing anything quite yet. 

“Whahat?” Mikey asked, looking at his older brother who’s face looked like he was solving the worlds hardest math problem- but the genius probably did stuff like that for fun anyway.

“Hm? Oh…nothing. Just trying to remember where you’re most ticklish, Angelo…I can’t quite seem to remember…” The softshell muttered, crossing his arms and looking up intensely at his midnight purple ceiling.

“Wha-?! Whahat ahare yohou tahahalking about??? Yohou know my worst spot!” Mikey giggled, rolling his eyes at his brother who only shook his head. “My apologies, Mikey. I sadly do not. But…perhaps you could possibly tell me?” Donnie smiled, a smile which only caused Mikey’s face to go a bright red. “I aham nohot telling! Yohou already know!” 

Donnie laughed at the younger one’s answer, starting to trace his fingers along the place where Mikey’s shell met his neck- a known melt spot spot for the youngest. Mikey giggled slightly at the sensation, squirming a bit under Donnie’s hold. 

"Are you ticklish anywhere else?" Donnie asks, not stopping his tracing, looking down at his younger brother’s face that indeed looked like a tomato- which is really weird because he hasn’t even tickled him for that long!

“Noho! I’m not! Juhuhust lemme gohoho!” Mikey squealed, kicking his legs trying oh so desperately to get off his older brother’s lap. “No? You're lying to me, aren't you?" Donnie chuckles, still not stopping as he continued to trace Mikey’s melt spot. 

“I bet you're super ticklish. I just need to find the right spots! Just tell me where, and I'll be sure to avoid it like the plague." He pauses, giving the younger a chance to tell him where he was ticklish (because Donnie obviously didn’t know!). His voice was low and teasing now, a playful, taunting inflection in his words. "Or should I just start tickling you until I find out myself?"

Mikey just giggled, shaking his head and stomping his feet on the ground- determined to try and escape while he still could. “That's a yes, then?" Donnie chuckles, smiling a little to himself. "Alright, I'm going to take your lack of response as permission to tickle you." The softshell merely said as he now started to tickle the younger’s exposed underarms.

“HeHEY!” The boxer turtle shrieked, trying his best to squirm away from his older brother. “ThaHAT TIHIckles yohoU BiHIHiG jeHerk!” Mikey cried, regretting his words as soon as they came out. 

“Does it?" Donnie chuckles in fake surprise, continuing to tickle Mikey’s underarms, his hands being gentle- not getting to his worst spots…not yet at least. “You really shouldn’t have said that, Mike~!” He remarks, smiling as the younger one only laughed more at the tease. The second oldest soon began to pick up the pace of his tickly fingers, laughing as Mikey tried to hide his face in his elbow- not being able to hide them in his hands since his arms were pinned up.

“What are you squirming around for, hm?” I vividly remember you saying you weren’t ticklish anywhere else…” Donnie stated matter-of-factly. “IHI LIhihiED, AhaLRIGHT? Ihi lihihIED- dOHOn PLEHease! QuiHIT IHIT!” The younger admitted, his laugh muffled from hiding his face away in his arms.

“Do you hear that, Raph? This little shit lied to me! Can you believe that?!” Donnie cried dramatically before lightly scratching his fingers at the sides of Mikey’s neck- making the younger let out a high-pitched squeal; not hiding in his arm anymore as he threw his head back in full blown laughter. 

“I wouldn’t be lying to Donnie if I were in your position, Mike. Just saying.” Raph said casually as if there wasn’t a red eared slider in his lap, laughing his shell off and squirming like he’s being electrocuted. 

“And you. Stop squirming so much! Your making it hard to get your good spots!” Raph playfully scolded down at Leo, tickling at the younger’s ribs, chuckling as Leo grabbed his wrists and uselessly tried to pull them away. 

“Ihi’m gOHOnna gEhet yohOU guhuys baHAHAck soho bahahad yoHOu’ll wiHIsh yohOU neHEver knew meehee!” Leo threatened, lightly punching the air in hopes to hit Raph. Which- none of them did. But hey, A for effort, right?

“Oho I bet you are.” Raph laughed sarcastically as he began to tickle Leo’s stomach. “Someone has a ticklish tum-tum, I see~?” Raph teased as Leo’s face began to go almost as red as the oldest’s bandanna. “DOOHOO *snort* naHAT CAHaLL IhiT THAHAT!” Leo squealed, kicking his legs and throwing his head back in hysterics. 

“RAHAHPHIEEEE! PLEHEASE! STAHAP IHIT!” Leo cried, still trying to grab at Raph’s hands as they were lightly pushed out of the way each time he tried. Raph smirked as the younger pleaded, only making Raph tickle his stomach more lightly- almost feather-like. 

“I will stop as soon as you and Mikey apologize!” Raph smiled. “Agreed. As soon as you two apologize, we’ll stop reminding you two just how ticklish you are.” Donnie exclaimed as he began to knead Mikey’s thighs. The box turtle shrieked, kicking his legs in hopes that the kicking will make it harder for Donnie to tickle him there. 

“NAHAHA! DEEHEE! NAHAT *squeak* THEHEHERE!” Mikey squealed, still kicking his legs but Donnie’s hands stayed firm as he began to knead harder. “IHIT TIHIHICKLES! DAHANNIE *squeak* PLEHEASE *squeak* STAHAP!”

“Hm? What? What’s so funny Angelo?” Donnie asked, looking back at his younger brother who- by the way- looked like a full on turtle tomato. “WEEHEE’RE SORRY!” Mikey cackled. Donnie nodded his head, looking at Raph but not stopping tickling Mikey. 

“Hey, did Leo apologize yet?” Donnie asked. “Nope! Which I think is a bit rude considering your situation don’t you think, Leo?” Raph asked, stopping tickling Leo to let him breathe as Donnie did the same with Mikey. 

“Yohou are thehe woHORST older brohohother eveher…” Leo giggled at Raph, knowing he was absolute dead meat after that comment but couldn’t help himself. Mikey made a teasing ‘ooooh~!’ sound, giggling at Leo’s comment to they’re eldest brother. 

“Personally, I wohohould nohot tahake that amount of disrespect…” Mikey giggled as Raph only sighed, shaking his head before smirking. Raph flipped Leo around so that his shell was facing the ceiling- and as he did so Leo felt as if his soul left his entire body. 

Leo and his big mouth…

“AHAHA! NOHO! NOHO WAHAIT *snort* A SEHEHECOND!” Leo panicky giggled, kicking his legs and lightly punching on Raph’s thighs. “Waitwaitwaitwait- lehet’s tahalk- RahaHAHAPH! RAHAHAPH WAHAHAIT!” Leo giggly panicked, his laughter increasing as Raph slowly lowered his head to the back Leo’s knees, ALMOST touching it with his face. 

“What? Wait for what?” Raph grinned, waiting for Leo to reply but the only response he got from the slider was snorting cackles. Raph took a deep breath before blowing a raspberry on the back of Leo’s knees, causing the younger turtle to go absolutely mad in laughter. Leo covered his face with his hands, muffled cackles bouncing around the walls along with Mikey’s squeaky cackles as Donnie gave raspberries to Mikey’s stomach. 

“Jeeheez…you guys are really ticklish, huh~? I wonder how long they could last…what do you think, Don?” Raph asked before going back to blowing raspberries on the slider’s knees, not showing him any mercy now. 

“I estimate about 3 more minutes or so…but it doesn’t really matter because I don’t plan on stopping until I hear an apology from Leo~!” Donnie tauntingly sang, laughing as Leo and Mikey’s laughs became more louder after that. “Besides, these two had what was coming to them for a while.” 

Mikey absolutely paled at Donnie’s tease. This wasn’t fair! This wasn’t fair one bit! He already apologized! He surrendered!But because of Leo’s stupid comment and the denial that’s he’s the most ticklish out of all 4 of them, they’ll probably be here for an hour! 

“LEEHEEO! LEEHEEON *squeak* PLEHEHEASE! JUHUHUST AHAPOHOL- *squeak*” Mikey cackled as Donnie began to blow raspberries on Mikey’s ribs now, scribbling his fingers along his sides too.

“So? What’s it gonna be, Leo? Have you had enough?” The eldest asked as Leo only glared at him through his laughter, throwing his head back again. Leo shook his head, banging his fists on the carpet. The poor slider was trying to act high and mighty but was still squirming like a fish out of water trying to get back into the ocean…

Or, in this case, trying not to get tickled to pieces.

“Stop squirming, Leo. You aren’t going anywhere. I could do this allllll day.” Raph teased as he blew another raspberry on Leo’s stomach. “Well, scientifically speaking, you can.” Donnie said, stopping giving Mikey raspberries but still tickling his stomach with both hands. 

“I was doing some research for um…scientific purposes and I figured out that alligator snapping turtles and softshell turtles can hold they’re breaths for an hour. So, as long as we take certain breaths now and again we could blow raspberries on Leo and Mikey’s ticklish tummies for as long as we-“

“WEEHEE GEHET IHIT!!!” The two youngest screamed, not wanting to hear anymore of Donnie’s “scientific discoveries” about how him and Raph were the most devious ticklish monsters on the planet.

Donnie and his dumb-dumb research.

“Huh…you don’t say…” Raph smiled, trying to test Donnie’s theory about the whole “not needing to breath thing for an hour” thing. He blew probably like the millionth raspberry on Leo’s stomach. 

 And…Donnie was right! Not that he had one single doubt on his immediate younger brother’s genius of course! It just sounded too good to be true! He will definitely be using this tactic on Leo and Mikey in the future…and maybe April too! He’s definitely not scared of the aftermath of when he does that to her… 

Raph smiled, not being taking a single breath as he continued to give a raspberry to the back of one of Leo’s knees. Raph was enjoying this new skill he could do very well! Leo on the other hand…was going absolutely ballistic.

“NAHAO, *snort* AHANYWHERE *snort* EHELSE! NAHAT *snort* THEHE KNEEHEEHEES!” Leo screamed, punching Raph’s thighs lightly again. “Awh~? Why not~? Is this a bad spot, Lee?” Raph teased into Leo’s knees, finding this whole situation quite amusing indeed. 

“OHOMIGAHAHA-!!! YEHES! IHIT’S *snort* SOHO FREEHEEAKING BAHAHAD!” Leo cackled, not knowing what to do but just laugh and kick his legs. He was absolutely defenseless! There was nothing more he could do but just take it! “So…it tickles? Would you say this tickles too~?” Raph asked as he began to nibble at the back of Leo’s knees along with giving raspberries at the same time. Or, “Raph-berries” if you  will. 

“RAHAHAPH! NAHAH- *snort* IHI HAHATE YOHOHAHAH!” Leo snorted, his hands starting to flap against the carpet floor, making light thumping noises. 

Raph laughed, a smile still plastered on his face- but instead of that eat shit-and-die” expression he had on earlier, this smile was way more fond. 

Fun fact: Anytime Leo was tickled by his siblings, he younger would start happy stimming with his hands. His siblings think it’s the most adorable thing ever- much to Leo’s disagreement.

And it was so funny because he couldn’t even deny that he hated being tickled (even though he did anyway)! The evidence was right there!

“You didn’t answer my question, little bro! Does it tickle?” Raph pressed on, eager to get an answer out of his younger brother. “ *YEHES! MY GAHAHAD! OHOBVIOUSLY!” Leo screamed, still trying to kick Raph off of him.

“Just making sure!” The oldest smiled sweetly, still not stopping his new ability on  the second youngest’s knees. Leo whined throughout his cackles, covering his face once more. “Don’t be like that, little bud! You know you love it!” Raph teased. 

“NAHAO *snort* THE HEHEHELL IHI *snort* DOHOHON’T!” Leo screamed, happy stimming with his hands again.

“Your body language says otherwise, bud.” Raph teased back. 

Back with the PB&J Duo, Donnie an idea sparked in the genius’ head. His eyes sparkled as he grinned at Mikey- causing the youngest to gulp in nervousness. He knew what his older brother was planning…

“Dohonatello- Dohon’t yohou dahahare…” Mikey warned, glaring at Donnie as a warning. But that so-called warning only made Donnie laugh. “Oh I dare. Oh I so, so dare, Angelo.” Donnie taunted before blowing raspberries on Mikey’s plastron where his ribs would be. 

The younger let out a glass shattering squeal, causing Donnie and everyone in the lab to flinch a bit. But like Leo- Mikey can’t really do anything but just laugh at this point. 

“PLEHEHEHEASE! DAHAN- *squeak*! STAHAP!” Mikey cackled, kicking Donnie in the side with his knees which only caused Donnie to chuckle. “I think our little brothers have mutated into a pig and mouse.” Raph laughed, both him and Donnie laughing at the comment- because they couldn’t really deny that fact that. 

“OKAHAY! OKAHAY!” Leo screamed, his hands flapping on Raph’s thighs repeatedly. The older chuckled at the gesture, fighting every ounce of him not to take a picture with Donnie’s phone right now at the younger’s adorableness. “Okay, what Lee~?”

“IHIHI’M SAHAHARRY!!” Leo snorted, his hands still flapping happily and Raph couldn’t help but laugh fondly at it. “Should we let them go, Raphie?” Donnie asked, still nibbling at Mikey’s plastron but eyes on Raph, waiting for his answer. 

“Yeheah, we should. We don’t want to accidentally kill them...” Raph said to his immediate younger brother, chuckling at his own joke. The two oldest stopped tickling the two youngest, letting the two just relax in they’re laps; trying to catch they’re breaths.

“Oho my gohod….” Leo breathed out, turning to his side so he could see both Donnie and Mikey. Raph laughed as he rubbed the younger one’s head; trying to soothe him. The younger teen squirmed, holding Raph’s wrist as the older laughed some more. “I’m not gonna tickle you, bud.” He said, continuing to rub Leo’s head as the red eared slider stopped holding his wrists, excepting the gesture. 

“Thahat was fuhun!” Mikey giggled with Leo, sitting up and leaning on Donnie’s plastron- now being able to use all of his limbs. The softshell then used his spider arms to give the pranking duo two glasses of water- which the two happily accepted. 

“Speak fohor yourself…” Leo giggly grumbled, putting the finished glass of water to the side after drinking it and leaning on Raph’s plastron. 

“So! I guess now you two know not to mess with your older brothers, right?” Donnie asked, wrapping Mikey in a hug before lightly squeezing his sides, causing the younger to let out a screech. “YeHES! We learned our lesson, okahay?! Jeeheez! Couldn’t you have warned us in text or something?” Mikey whined, pushing at Donnie’s face lightly.

“Nah. This was way more fun.” Raph and Donnie both said, smiling as the two youngest groaned fondly at they’re answer to Mikey’s question. 

——————————————————————

This fic has been a WIP for a LONG ASS TIME so I decided to finish as soon as my stupid exams ended and post it lol-

But srsly- I love this HC for Raph and Donnie sm it’s so evil <3 I hope everyone enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it :D

(Also sorry if the phrasing and/or pacing is weird- this is my first time writing with two lees and two lers- I dunno what I’m doing 😭💀😂)

P.S. Since Summer just started for me I will be able to work on more of my WIP’s so keep watch for ‘em :p

[gastricpierrot]

Title: Until forever ends

Series: Honkai Star Rail

Relationship: JingHeng (or mostly JingFeng i guess??)

Rating: T

Warnings: spoilers for the 1.2 story update and also some 1.3 leaks

Summary:

This time for sure, Jing Yuan was determined to properly say his goodbyes.

Also on AO3 

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

Jing Yuan always has, by nature, been an opportunist.

Give him a ten-minute break from his paperwork and he would go missing for the rest of the day. Grant him an opening, be it in a game of starchess or in actual battle, and he will conquer.

Give him a chance to save one person he loves, and he would try to save all of them.

And he would fail, miserably. Inadvertently. Brilliant as he may be, lauded as the best tactical genius in the Xianzhou for the past millennia—he was still all but a singular man. Limited in his capabilities, powerless to bend the world completely to his will.

He was powerless, as he watched the Judges of the Ten Lords Commission subjugate the rampaging Imbibitor Lunae as they would a rabid beast. As the ground shook and the air weighted with sea salt, as Dan Feng roared his haunting cloudhymns towards the heavens with despairing ferocity and summoned the ancient sea to tear the Luofu itself asunder.

Dan Feng, in all his godly regality and his stupid, stubborn pride, was the most beautiful man Jing Yuan had ever seen.

The next time Jing Yuan finally had the chance to meet him, it was within the stifling walls of the Shackling Prison.

Heavy chains bound Dan Feng’s limbs, reinforced by countless talismans to suppress the High Elder’s immense power. His cage was far too small, barely leaving him enough space to stretch his arms and legs if he wanted to. He had lost weight, his cheeks gaunt and his complexion dull. His hair had lost its once healthy sheen, now matted with grime and dirt from many days of skipped washing—and perhaps out of annoyance, he had weaved it into a tight braid over one shoulder.

Despite everything, Dan Feng seemed to remain particular about the most strangely insignificant things.

“I see you’ve finally managed to find your way in here,” he said by way of greeting, in a tone that suggested a lack of concern for his current wellbeing as a prisoner of the Ten Lords Commission. Perhaps he had simply been here long enough to no longer care.

After all, despite his sins, his recklessness and his seething fury, Dan Feng was still a Vidyadhara High Elder, as well as one of the High Cloud Quintet, revered as a legend and a hero for his feats on behalf of the Luofu. His crimes did not erase his legacy, nor did his noble achievements justify the sheer carnage he had left in his wake. The Vidyadhara Preceptors wanted justice on their own terms, claiming rights to adjudicate one of their own. The public were split between wanting to understand and wanting to condemn his actions. The law was set in stone and uncompromising.

The stalemate had gone on for several decades by the time of Jing Yuan’s first visit. That was plenty of time for Dan Feng to steel himself for the inevitable.

“You’ve been thinking too highly of me, Dan Feng,” Jing Yuan laughed sheepishly, though it was taking all he had to hide the tension stringing his shoulders taunt. He'd thought he’d be sufficiently prepared, after all these years—yet seeing Dan Feng in this state was still extremely difficult to bear.

Yinyue-jun, who had always carried himself with the grace of a moving stream, was now weighed down by hideous thick chains, his body confined to an awkward, hunched posture. Large scales covered parts of his skin in patches, results of the exuviation charm forced upon him by the Preceptors before his arrest. Dark, inky inscriptions circled around his neck like a collar, a powerful spell to prevent him from singing his hymns.

His eyes, once ever-burning with defiance and underlying mischief, now looked so, so tired.

“If there’s anyone who could do it, it’s you,” Dan Feng stated as though it was truly merely a fact. Jing Yuan had turned out to be one of the youngest people ever to have shouldered the mantle of an Arbiter-General.

And it was not something he thought was particularly worth bragging about. He was desperate, in truth. That was all there was to it. If it hadn’t come to this, Dan Feng trapped in prison and awaiting retribution for his crimes and Yingxing still unconscious, his body constantly tearing itself apart to adapt to its new constitution even after all these years—he would never have chosen to take this seat.

If he could, Jing Yuan had only wanted to continue going on expeditions to strange, foreign lands with his friends, fighting the Plague Author’s abominations as though they were simply protagonists of a comic book. He had always secretly pretended, deep inside, that they were a squad of Galaxy Rangers on a life mission to defeat cosmic evils. He was the Red Ranger, Dan Feng was Green, Yingxing was Black, Jingliu was Blue, and Baiheng was Purple. Five of them against the world.

It was a delusion he clung to like a lifeline, even after he has long since grown past the appropriate age to have such wistful imagination. Even when he’s witnessing first-hand, how it’s all falling apart.

“What’s wrong? You don’t look so good suddenly.”

There was a shimmering barrier between them, as if a dragon robbed of his claws and fangs and devoid of the will to fight warranted such extra measures. How Jing Yuan wished he could simply shatter it with his fists, just so Dan Feng could be closer within reach and he could ease himself into his arms and believe that at least, despite all the odds stacked against them, he was still there. Dan Feng was imprisoned deep underground beyond the reach of any semblance of sunlight, in a cell that was far too small for his insatiable longing for freedom—but if nothing else, at least he was still there. Still alive. Still can be rescued, as long as Jing Yuan played all his cards right.

“I’m just—” Jing Yuan tries, taking a quick breath to pull himself together— “a little worn out, I suppose. There’s been a lot going on lately.”

He hadn’t meant to imply that the “going on’s” had much to do with Dan Feng—at least not consciously. There were plenty of other matters piled endlessly onto his plate as the General, all that required far too much of his time and consideration. Too many difficult decisions, too many sacrifices he’s never ready to make.

Jing Yuan was exhausted beyond comprehension. He simply did not have the privilege to admit it out loud.

“A-Yuan,” Dan Feng called, his voice soft and gentle and safe. He had always been Jing Yuan’s safe place. Despite all the spells casted upon him to seal the High Elder’s power, Jing Yuan felt a familiar brush of a phantom tail against his cheek. “You need to remember to take care of yourself, too.”

Jing Yuan allowed himself a single heavy sigh, his body deflating with the breath. “I’m trying.”

“The hardest you’ve ever had,” Dan Feng agreed, exchanging a wry smile with him. Jing Yuan saw how quickly it faded, how he then averted his gaze and furrowed his brow—and he just knew, what he was about to say next.

“Listen, A-Yuan, I—”

“Feng-ge.”

Jing Yuan held his gaze when their eyes met once more, willing Dan Feng not to continue. He refused to let him continue. They had both made their choices, and they were to bear the consequences for them in whatever way they can. Jing Yuan felt that any apologies now would only undermine his efforts thus far, all these blood, sweat and tears for someone who lacked the resolve to face the people he knew he’d hurt with his actions. No, Dan Feng was not allowed to say sorry.

But Jing Yuan was also knew, more than anyone, how selfish Yinyue-jun could be. And how much his friends meant to him, and how he never could bear to see Jing Yuan especially, in any sort of pain or anguish. Though it was precisely this kindness of his that had eaten away at him and left his heart a raw, bleeding mess for as long as he could remember.

Jing Yuan had never been ashamed of his love for Dan Feng. He never stopped wearing his heart on his sleeve, never stopped longing for Dan Feng’s affection, Dan Feng’s attention, despite being well aware that none of it was going to be reciprocated in the way he yearned for it to be.

Dan Feng had chosen Yingxing, that was a fact. But it was also a fact that Dan Feng still adored Jing Yuan with the same capacity he’d always had, and he’d never tried to push Jing Yuan away even after he’d made his feelings known to him. He’d still indulge him with his gentle smiles and warm touches, still let him into his space and into his heart. Still patiently listen to his recounts of his favourite scenes in the latest novel he'd procured whenever they were out on expeditions together, still had a fondness for combing his fingers through his hair and calling him A-Yuan as though his name alone carried all the tenderness in the world.

Jing Yuan loved Dan Feng. He loved him with a force that knocked the air out of his lungs, a serenity that rivaled the waters of Scalegorge on a clear day. He loved him, and how he wished that that was all it took to fix things.

“...How is Yingxing?”

But it was not. He refused to stop trying, nonetheless.

“Still asleep.” Jing Yuan smiled somberly and, unable to bear the stifling silence that followed, added, “but at least his body seems to have stabilized. He might just wake up one of these days.”

And then what? The question hangs in the air, unvoiced, unanswered. There was no guarantee that Yingxing would rise the same person as he died, even after all they had sacrificed to bring him back. Such was the cruel reality surrounding their circumstances. Dan Feng was slowly molting in a prison cell. Baiheng had fallen in battle and Jingliu had succumbed to the mara and disappeared.

And all that’s left is Jing Yuan, alone against the world.

Yet he still refused to stop trying to fix things, because that was the only thing left that he could do.

xXx

After countless debates and appeals that spanned for nearly a century, it was decided that the Imbibitor Lunae would be spared from death, and instead be granted a molting rebirth.

The Vidyadhara firmly believed that reincarnation begins with a clean slate, that everything from one lifetime will be washed away by the primordial sea upon hatching once more. Dan Feng will no longer be Dan Feng but a whole other person altogether, one who will not share his name, his memories, his legacies nor his crimes.

In a some sense of the word, it was the “death” of the High Elder that the Ten Lords Commission demanded.

The next time Dan Feng reemerges from his egg, he will set out into the world and collect his own experiences to form who he will be. He will meet new people and find new friends and family. He will no longer remember any traces of his past life; not his friends, his family, his joys, nor his sorrows and sins.

But before all that, he will have to bear the punishment of his selfish, prideful predecessor. He will be shackled within the confines of darkness for a long, long time, harshly scrutinized for simply existing, for simply having been who he was. He will know no warmth, have no companionship, and will not receive any form of mercy. He will not understand, but he will have no choice.

And Jing Yuan’s heart broke for him. It shattered to pieces and crumbled to dust, and he had not even the time to bend down and haphazardly put it back together. There were simply too many battles to fight, too many futures he had to foresee and avoid and he was spread far too thin. Sometimes it felt as if he could hardly even breathe.

Yet Dan Feng always remained at the back of his mind, the mental image of him chained up within that isolated prison cell a driving force that kept propelling Jing Yuan forward. One, just one. If he could save just one of them. All he had before was reputation, praises for his excellence and achievements. Now, as the Divine Foresight, he had authority—and he was not above using it to his personal advantage.

By his mandate, the reincarnated Yinyue-jun's imprisonment shall last no more than a hundred years, after which he shall face banishment from the Xianzhou for eternity.

It was the only way Jing Yuan knew, to safely set him free from the clutches of his past. Even if it meant never seeing him again, never being able to meet the next person he was going to become.

Jing Yuan had not been able to send Dan Feng off the first time. His molting had accelerated at an abnormal rate during his final days, and by the time Jing Yuan was made aware of it and hurried to see him, it had been too late. In the too-small cell deep within the Shackling Prison, a giant, pearly white egg lay in the place of the Imbibitor Lunae Dan Feng.

Far from the embrace of the primordial sea where it should’ve been, and unresponsive to his touch.

(Jing Yuan could not move the sea as the ancient High Elders once did, but he could at least keep him company with his warmth for as long as he was allowed, no matter how scarce his subsequent visits remained.)

A heart heavy with grief had hardly made his second chance much better. Dan Feng...no, this person was no longer Dan Feng, no matter the uncanny degree of resemblance. Perhaps he had even yet to choose a new name for himself, with all those years spent alone in a cell with nothing but the companionship of the books Jing Yuan was allowed to send him. The youth’s legs trembled slightly from disuse as he shuffled into the world for the first time in nearly three hundred years, and even the carefully controlled brightness of the Luofu sky seemed to hurt his eyes.

Jing Yuan wished he could’ve at least said a proper goodbye this time, even if he was all but a stranger to him now. He wished he could’ve held him in one last embrace, sent him off with well wishes and a perhaps a token to remember him by.

He did not. His farewell was merely a single squeeze on the man’s shoulder, and then he was urging him forward, away from him. Forever.

xXx

With the sheer number of years Jing Yuan has lived, he supposes he should be used to the whimsicalities of fate by now. In fact, perhaps the Aeon Aha themselves has made it a personal mission to make his life as unfunny as cosmically possible, constantly cursing him with a million twists and turns that leave him scrambling for stable ground. It’s impressive that he has lived up to his age without being mara-stricken, and sometimes it feels as if the universe is trying its damn best to change that.

Like now, as he stands at the shores of Scalegorge Waterscape, gaze locked with that belonging to the one man who shares his beloved’s visage.

Jing Yuan almost forgets how to breathe.

He'd known he was back in the Luofu—of course he would, his intelligence network would never have failed to alert him this much. He was there to chase after his friends from the Express, hellbent on making sure they are safe from…well, there are many things they need to be safe from on the Luofu at the moment. The revived Ambrosial Arbor, the Stellaron, Phantylia.

Yingxing, who had stopped being Yingxing centuries ago.  

And even though they were all of Jing Yuan’s concern, too, he does not want them to matter. For just a moment, he does not want to be in the shoes of the General.

“It’s been a long time,” he greets, searching his face for even the smallest hints of recognition, baseless hope swelling in his chest despite himself. “Old friend.”

The exuviation charm should’ve left him fragments of memories from his past life, that had been the whole point of its flaws. That had been part of the Preceptors’ plot, Jing Yuan had later discovered, to artificially trigger Dan Feng’s molting and fake his death, hoping that it would preserve his identity as the High Elder even after rebirth.

But Jing Yuan had been there on the day of his banishment. He’d seen how genuinely confused and terrified he was while being loaded onto the Starskiff that would take him to some unknown point within the incomprehensively vast universe. And he was sure then; whatever flaw the spell was meant to have, it did not preserve Dan Feng’s memories as well as they had wanted.

“I’m not him.”

Thus comes the inadvertent reply, factual and cold and leaving no room for debate.

Waves crash against the shore in a hypnotic, unceasing rhythm; back and forth, back and forth. It fills Jing Yuan’s ears in a cacophony, clashing with the static in his head and his drumming heartbeat. Far in the distance, a sea-faring bird lets out a pitiful wail.

Dan Feng was gone. He had been gone since long ago, carried home by the currents of the ancient sea.

Jing Yuan closes his eyes, takes a breath. He must not falter. A general must never falter. He offers Dan Heng a sheepish smile.

“Mm. I’m sorry.”

Dan Heng scowls, as though he doubted the sincerity of his apology. And he’s right, Jing Yuan can’t seem to bring himself to be fully sorry. His heart aches almost to the point of suffocation and his years upon years of practice when it comes to reigning in his emotions are lost to the void the moment he came face to face with Dan Heng. It isn’t really all that fair, is it? That he looks identical to his predecessor, from the elegant curve of his horns to his glower of displeasure. He had even chosen a name that sounds so similar, almost as if it was a taunt personally aimed at Jing Yuan. As if his Feng-ge had returned to him against all odds, except that he hasn't.

Dan Heng makes it a point to make his boundaries crystal clear, snapping at him whenever he even makes the insinuation that there’s still a connection between himself and his past life. Maybe Jing Yuan is just a mess and an asshole, but he does end up teasing him a little longer just to get a reaction out of him. He’s lucky that unlike Dan Feng, Dan Heng does not seem to have an awful temper, and instead settles for the fiercest frown Jing Yuan has ever had the pleasure to see on those features.

He could love him in this life too, he thinks. Helplessly, wistfully. Foolishly. If given the chance, he could. He would. Without a shred of hesitation.

But one must wonder if such opportunity would ever arise. A familiar feeling bubbles up in his chest as he watches Dan Heng reunite with his friends from the Express from a little distance away. They gravitate towards each other the moment they are within range, all excited exclamations and loud sighs of relief. Jing Yuan notes the way the other Trailblazers surround Dan Heng as though subconsciously forming a protective wall around him, as though they knew of the scars the Xianzhou had left on him from birth and are doing all they can to keep him safe. He notes the tenderness in his gaze as he brings them up to date about his side of the latest events.

Without a doubt, Dan Heng has found people who care very much about him. He's found his own family on the Astral Express, and the train never stops in one place longer than it has to.

It’s almost twistedly entertaining, how this aspect of Jing Yuan’s life never seems to change.

He turns towards the imposing draconic figure looming in the distance, and settles back into the shoes of the General once more.

Truth to be told, Jing Yuan does not end up remembering much about the battle with Phantylia. It's a habit he’s since made a point to practice, mentally filing away only the important details of a fight for future reference and letting everything else flow through and past him. He can say with confidence that it has worked wonders to preserve his literal sanity.

The pain, though, is usually another story. Jing Yuan’s told that he had been unconscious for two whole weeks with the best medical experts tending to his wounds and still, he wakes up feeling like he’s been skewered and slow-cooked over a barbeque pit. Aeons help this poor old man and his disintegrating body and maybe, he can’t help but ponder in earnest, this is finally a sign for him to retire soon. The exhaustion is deep, settling into his bones like cement. Sharp pain shoots through his body like bolts of electricity each time he tries to move.

But he forces himself up from bed as soon as he’s able to anyway, even if it’s only for a few hours at a time each day—because he worries he’d never be able to get up again if he doesn’t start working on it quickly enough.

To his luck—or perhaps by the sheer power of his will and stubbornness, he manages to recover enough strength to return to going out and about just in time for him to catch the Astral Express crew before they leave. It is only right that he sends them off as the leader of the Xianzhou Luofu, after all the assistance they had offered throughout the Stellaron crisis. He presents them gifts that can hardly repay the generosity they’ve shown, swears alliance with the Nameless should they encounter any trouble in the future, and extends an offer for them to visit whenever they wish. And if they do decide to visit, just remember to get in touch, so that he can set some time aside and invite them for a meal and a long chat to hear about their latest adventures.

Some part of him deep down wishes he too could be part of those adventures, some day.

But for now, he must say his goodbyes. Finally, properly.

Jing Yuan is giving directions to the Cloud Knights escorting his guests back to the Express, delaying the inevitable, when he notices movement from the corner of his eye. He turns to find Dan Heng breaking away from his group and heading towards him, his features set in a complicated expression. Behind him, his friends observe in what seems to be a state of excited tension.

Jing Yuan stiffens when Dan Heng steps close, biting back the instinctive urge to maintain a respectable distance between them after all the boundaries Dan Heng had painstakingly set. He stays very still, confusion growing as Dan Heng lifts his hand to touch his own forehead, then reaching up and touching Jing Yuan’s with the same two fingers.

“My name is Dan Heng and I am one of the Nameless aboard the Astral Express,” he says, and it abruptly dawns on Jing Yuan that this is Dan Heng’s own version of the traditional Vidyadhara greeting. “It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

For a moment, Jing Yuan is genuinely stunned into stupidity. Why was Dan Heng introducing himself all of the sudden? Did he lose some of his memories again after he severed his connection with the High Elder Statue?

And then it hit him. Dan Heng… is opening a door for him. It’s roundabout and awkward and unfairly endearing—but he is. Jing Yuan’s breath catches in his throat and he struggles for a proper way to respond. After every comparison Jing Yuan had cruelly made, after every calculated remark, every admission that he was only using Dan Heng for the power of the Imbibitor Lunae—he’s still willing to give him a chance…?

Jing Yuan stares at him, really stares at him while his mind clambers to process the situation. Dan Heng is wearing his signature frown, though this time there’s a slight furrow on his brow as well, like he’s wondering if he'd somehow broken one of the highest ranking officials of the Xianzhou Luofu and the concern is slowly setting in.

Jing Yuan’s gaze flickers to the people behind him in hopes of getting some clues, some sort of affirmation—and, upon eye contact, is then flashed an enthusiastic thumbs up and a wild grin by a certain golden-eyed Trailblazer.

An amused laugh almost escapes him at the sight, all his tension miraculously disappearing with a whoosh. Surely he hasn’t made it that obvious while in front of other people?

And the fact that they were able to convince Dan Heng to do this…Jing Yuan once again finds the audacity to hope.

“Likewise. I’m Jing Yuan, Arbiter-General of the Xianzhou Luofu.” He returns Dan Heng’s gesture, prolonging his touch for just an extra second before withdrawing. An opportunist, as always. “May I have your number, Dan Heng?”

[the-cat-at-the-theatre-door]

"You're so pretty."

Victoria's movements are soft, half formed, as though she'd not quite thought the action out before it started. She feels her ears heat up with embarrassment. It had been happening more often lately - moving before she can think clearly, as though dealing with two separate entities within herself, brain and heart. Perhaps Jennyanydots' amused diagnosis of "twitterpated" was not too far off the mark; there had certainly been enough reasoning to back it up.

Plato blinks, slow and confused, as though being pulled from a dream. And perhaps he was; he'd been staring at Victoria for the better part of an eternity, focused, but very clearly somewhere else. He did that sometimes - disappear somewhere she couldn't quite follow him, eyes hollow and dark. Victoria wishes she knew where he went; perhaps one day he'd tell her.

The staring, she couldn't fault, however; she'd been staring at him right back.

"What?" he asks, furrowing his brow.

"Pretty," Victoria signs again, submitting to having been caught, exaggerating the movement so he'd get it. Perhaps he'd been half paying attention, and only seen the tail end. "You're very pretty."

Plato wasn't much for laughing, Victoria had come to know - smiling, yes; Plato had developed such an easy smile over the year spent with them when they could coax it out of him. Laughing, on the other paw, not particularly, though he was never able to put quite into words why that was. Perhaps he was self conscious of the way it sounded; perhaps he hadn't much in regards to a sense of humour.

Be that as it may, for some reason, that affirmation plasters bewildered scrunches between his brows and his eyes practically disappear under his eyelashes. It even gets that odd, wheezing noise he'd make when particularly amused.

The queen could only be partially annoyed and a teeny bit embarassed - he was very handsome when he smiled, afterall, one fang hanging slightly lower than the other. An in consequential flaw that did nothing, Victoria thinks, flustered, than make him even prettier.

Victoria huffs. "What's funny?"

Plato tosses the motion back haphhazardly, as though brushing the thought aside. "You're funny."

"Not funny." Victoria frowns. "I'm serious."

Plato sobers immediately, smile gone as quickly as it came - it's like a candle being blown out; a night and day difference. The temperature in the clearing seems to cool as he continues to study her. There is an undeniable feeling creeping at the back of Victoria's neck that she may have mis-stepped somewhere, but all she'd said was...

She presses on, feeling an ache begin deep in her chest. She repeats herself, motions firm. "You're very pretty."

"I am not," he says after a long moment. There is an expression on his face that is difficult to read - he does not look embarrassed or pleased, even humbly so; he almost looks as though he is about to cry.

"Yes you ar-"

"You-" he points at her firmly, cutting her off, jaw set. The motion towards her is quick and harsh as a result, unsheathing his claws in the process. He startles as she does, horrified, staring at the space that has swelled between them; he is a breath away from scratching her.

"You," He points to her again after a moment, claw carefully pulled back this time. "Are very pretty. Not me. Look." He motions to the whole of himself, as though that were enough to dissuade her feelings. It only steels her resolve further.

"You look-" she insists, touching her paw pads to the delicate skin of his cheek to demonstrate. Plato flinches as though she'd hit him in retaliation; it looks to have been a struggle for him to resist moving away, but the desire is clearly there. There is fear burning in his eyes -anger and remorse and upset - like a bird trapped in a cage of teeth, waiting for its bones to snap in on themselves after the hunter had toyed with its prey.

Victoria pulls back, tangling her paws in her lap. The ache becomes a gnawing hurt. The fear in Plato's eyes burns hotter, guilt shining just beneath the surface.

"Please." Plato sets his jaw, and the fear fizzles slowly - forcibly - last of the flame suffocated. But he does not get near her again. He is gone to that place she cannot follow. "I cannot...do not lie to me."

"I am not lying," she manages, tears at the precipice of her eyelashes. The silence grows even heavier between them

"Then," he continues at last, breath hitching eyes wide and astonished, and Victoria feels ice settle at the base of her spine. After a moment, his expression dulls again. The smile on his face returns in a flash, a plaster over a wound, but it is bitter, cool. Empty. "You are being cruel? I did not think you had it in you."

[gwuncan-exhibit]

Hi everyone! ✨🌸 I have finally made my grand return and with me I bring forth Chapter Five to Our Hearts Unveiled! And this one’s a big one because it’s the big climax to this whole love story! 🤩💖

I’m so sorry I’m finally now just posting this, but a lot of life problems started to really come at me lately and it slowed my writing speed down quite a bit. I’m just really glad I was finally able to finish this though, a personal goal of mine was to try really hard and finish this story. There are so many fanfics I’ve written in the past that I just left incomplete and that wasn’t what I wanted to see happen to this special one. 💓

Oh! And also, I wasn’t exactly able to find the right title for this chapter just yet, so for right now, this one will just temporarily not have one, but that will, of course, be fixed when the day does come shortly. (:

Well, without further ado, here’s Chapter Five ya’ll!!! 🌙

[jessicanjpa]

glimpse

(A sad little snippet from 1950 in which Edward sheepishly asks Alice if she's seen anyone special in his future. In this scene, he's taking her ring shopping since she and Jasper just got married. Feeling unusually wistful in this chapter, he's even dug the heart-shaped diamond out of his mother's jewelry box and brought it along.)

"This one for me, and this one for J—for my fiancée," Alice announced, handing two rings to the jeweler. He went into the back to resize them.

"It's all right to say his name," I said in amusement.

I didn't want you to get crabby again.

"I'm sorry," I sighed. "I didn't mean it."

"I know," she said lightly. "But I really am trying to learn. I just never spent much time interacting with humans, that's all."

"Why not? You seem to like being around them, even more than the rest of us do."

She shrugged. "I didn't want to miss anything, you know? Between Jasper and the rest of you, my visions kept me pretty busy most of the time. Especially when you were all in different places, or traveling. I just sort of lived through all of you. And besides, I look too young to sign up for anything by myself, like school or an apartment or a job."

I nodded, my hand slipping into my pocket. I took out the diamond heart, rubbing my thumb over it thoughtfully. All those years alone with her visions… surely she had seen something, if there was anything to see. I opened my mouth to ask, but shut it again. It felt I was intruding on something. What if Alice could literally find her and see what she was doing right now, like she had been able to find the rest of us before? Would that be wrong, or would it be wonderful? Even if I wasn't destined to meet up with her soon, as it had been with Alice and Jasper, maybe I could at least hear her voice, catch a glimpse of her profile. How would she feel, someday, if she found out that I had been… watching her?

Alice gently took the diamond out of my hand, turning it around and around in her own. "Well?"

"Well, what?"

Are you going to ask me or not? You've been changing your mind back and forth all day.

I looked down at the diamond, grateful she had taken the decision from me… and disappointed, because I already had my answer. I finally lifted my eyes, watching her face carefully. "I'm guessing from your lack of enthusiasm that you don't have much to tell me."

"Nothing. I'm sorry."

I sighed, leaning my elbows back against the glass counter. It was a harder blow than I had expected. I hadn't even thought to hope for this twenty-four hours ago, but now it felt like a part of me was being taken away. "Have you…" I began, feeling suddenly very foolish. "Have you tried? I mean, I know there wasn't anyone with me in the Family Portrait, but have you looked, you know, on purpose?"

"What would I look for? I can't tell my visions to skip ahead to Edward's Wedding Day. It doesn't work like that."

"I know that," I said quietly. "But what if you just looked into my future, as far as you could? Just to see?"

"It doesn't work like that," she repeated, her eyes softening with pity. "You don't have a future. You have hundreds, and at the same time you have none. Almost nothing solid is there to see, yet, and at the same time, there are so many possibilities it all blurs together. A vision gets formed as decisions are made, both by you and by the people that affect your future—all the way from Carlisle, whose job decides where we'll live next, to the person who's going to invent whatever gadget you'll be fiddling with in twenty years."

"It's not always like that," I said impatiently. "You saw Esme, and Emmett and Rosalie, long before Carlisle decided to turn them. You saw yourself with Jasper long before either of you made any decisions that would bring you together."

"That's different. Being with Jasper was always my destiny. And being in the family was always our destiny."

"How is this any different? If she…" My throat tightened, and the ache in my chest deepened as I felt my hope begin to die. "If she was destined to be your sister, just like Rosalie was, wouldn't there be a way for you to see her? Through your own future, if not mine?"

"It doesn't—"

"Stop saying that!" I hissed, my chest aching harder. "Could you just try, please?" I ran my fingers through my hair. "I'm sorry. I know it's not as cut and dried as all that. I'm just… I have to know, if I can. So… please, just try, all right?"

Alice sighed, closing her eyes. I latched fully onto her mind and we flew forward in time together. Almost immediately the pictures began to blur, to dance around wildly until there were so many colors that everything faded to white. Sorry, that's not going to work. She backed up, going more slowly. We saw picture after picture of me, doing the things I always did: playing the piano, hunting, studying, walking in the streets of nameless towns, driving a car. Then I was driving a different car. I was studying in a classroom with an unknown mountain range visible out the window, though the mountain range blinked and changed shape three times. I was in another car now, inserting some kind of gray rectangle into the radio. I was playing another piano. I was reading a book. I was sitting at a desk, typing on what looked like a television and a typewriter glued together. I was wrestling with Emmett. I was sitting in class, and everyone's clothes looked wrong. I was playing yet another piano. Alice seemed to be focusing on my left hand, especially in the piano visions. It was always empty.

It ended the same way as before. No matter how hard Alice tried to keep a grip on the visions, they eventually swirled together in a bland mush of possible futures. She started over again, but our eyes opened when we heard the clerk's footsteps coming toward us.

"There we are," he said cheerfully, brandishing the rings. Alice tried hers on and declared it a perfect fit. I tried on Jasper's, which was just a bit loose, as it should be. I frowned down at the sight; I had never worn any kind of ring before. And just now, I had distinctly seen my hand continue to be ringless for any number of decades. I jerked the ring back off, giving it to Alice with a curt nod of approval. It was silly to think that the ring was mocking me, but that was what it felt like.

Alice held the diamond heart out to the clerk. "And we'd like to see about getting this set in a necklace," she told him. His eyes were just beginning to widen when I snatched the diamond out of her hand, shoving it back into my pocket.

Alice frowned. "I thought you—"

"Forget it."

.

.

"It doesn't mean anything," Alice insisted as we drove home. She played with her new rings, fascinated by the light reflecting off the diamond. "Maybe she wasn't in the Portrait because she wasn't born yet. The others already were. It doesn't mean she won't come."

"I know," I said stiffly, staring out at the road ahead. "I know that."

"And besides," she added, "most people don't have visions. They just have hope, you know? You just have to believe it'll happen. Of course it'll happen. Someday." Someone as wonderful as you… it has to happen. I know it will.

I nodded, refusing to turn and look at the pity in her eyes. Someday. It was no more than I had had before.

Why, then, did it suddenly feel like less?

---------

[friendshapedcas]

Just finished Demonology and the Tri-Phasic Model of Trauma and—

[deepbutdazzlingdarkness]

i want your honest heart (38303 words) by deepbutdazzlingdarkness Chapters: 5/5 Fandom: SHINee, EXO (Band), SuperM (Korea Band) Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Kim Jongin | Kai/Lee Taemin Characters: Lee Taemin, Kim Jongin | Kai, Kim Kibum | Key, Choi Minho, Byun Baekhyun, SM Entertainment Artist(s) Additional Tags: Forced Outing, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Canon Compliant, Future Fic, Friends to Lovers, Friends With Benefits, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Alcohol, Explicit Sexual Content, First Time Bottoming, Dirty Talk, Mirror Sex, Exhibitionism, Sharing a Bed, Mentions of Anxiety, Minor Choi Minho/Kim Kibum | Key

Summary: Post-enlistment, pictures of Jongin making out with Taemin at a club surface on Twitter, causing an obvious uproar in the media and among fans. Only one problem - the guy with Jongin isn’t actually Taemin. SM’s solution to this? Time to fake-date.

[candyriku]

Chapter 15 of Just to See Your Smile is (finally) out now!

First Chapter | Latest Chapter

In this chapter, we face more fallout from Sora's rage/anti-form transformation and the return of his memories, and Naminé gets us a little more up to date with what's been going on while Sora and Riku have been gone.

Thanks for reading!! :)

[yourgoodfriendjh]

Love is stored in the hockey bleachers

Leningrad, 1956

Despite what one might have assumed about a hardened military officer, Svetlana kept her mostly empty flat very warm, and Valery loved her a lot for that. The first night he had come to her, ten years ago, she had piled his bed with spare blankets and gave him the iron glare she usually saved for her younger siblings or the underling soldiers in her unit when he said she made him look like a baby. On the nights when she was home, they sat together at the tiny dining room table by the window that looked out over the street, watching the snow fall or listening to the radio. Every spring Svetlana would complain about how all the new recruits were wimps-- she would have to work twice as hard to pound some common sense into them, she swore they’re even more pansies than last year-- while Valery laughed and poured some more vodka because by the fall, she would say what good officers she had, always bringing her little gifts and handsome bottles of Stolichnaya. 

He had wondered about asking her to marry him before, for the sake of convenience, after a decade of occasionally confusedly kissing behind closet doors in primary school and then deciding neither of them were meant for that. Now she took his hand in hers, very gently, and put one of her rings on his left hand, though he could tell every fiber of her stalwart self hated this plan, even hated him. Part of him didn’t believe for a second she would ever report him, but the bigger part knew she was too noble to go back on her word. She was still holding his hand.

He pulled away, wanting to go to bed and pretend he didn’t notice her studying him with that terrible look in her eyes. 

The man with the cigarette was still there. The snow on the windowpane caught and magnified the orange ashes falling from the tip, gray specks by the time they blew away. 

She caught him again. “Valery.”

He went still. “Svetla.” 

She just put her arms around him, too tight, and pulled him to the couch. Valery melted into her, grateful down to his bones that she would do this for him, and buried his face in her neck. She laughed a little and rested her head on his. 

At some point they fell asleep, still in their dayclothes but wrapped up in each other, and all was quiet. 

Durham, 1965

Shenkov didn’t think he would ever understand English weather, how it could be so miserably chilly and wet but never achieve any substantial amount of snow. Last night it had flurried, and he and Valery had stayed up listening to the radio with mugs of coffee to watch. He had never done that before, but snow was starting to feel like an anomaly. He missed it. Now, at midmorning, it was warm enough for the rain to turn the snow into gray slush that mingled with the crusty salt on the roads. 

 It was Saturday, but Valery had gone into the lab early to finish something up, and Shenkov was on his way out for his English class at the local university. There was never anything in the mailbox but spam advertisements and bills, but today a yellowed envelope fell out when he opened the latch. He caught it before it could spiral down into a puddle- it was light as a feather, Shenkov almost thought it was empty. It was addressed to Valery--not really Valery but his new name--written in shaky, almost childlike handwriting. Like someone who couldn’t write English, just copied foreign symbols. There was no return address, and the stamp was Soviet. His heart thrashed in his chest before he realized that there was no way any mail from the Soviet Union could get through to them without someone in the program that had placed them here approving it. Before he could think more about it, (was it Anna? A researcher at the lighthouse? One of the villagers?) he shoved the envelope in his coat pocket and pulled the collar up high, hoping the rain would stop soon. 

The English teacher thought his accent was endlessly fascinating and always gave him lists of words to just pronounce so she could hear more of it. He thought it was funny at first. Trying to politely fend off her flirting--which Valery had witnessed once when they ran into each other at the grocers and found actually hilarious, saying Shenkov was simply irresistible to any human--made him forget the letter until he was at home hanging up his wet coat. He loved Saturdays because he and Valery got to the street corner at nearly the exact same time and they could walk in together. Valery noticed when the envelope fell out of his pocket and held it up for Shenkov. He must have actually looked at it then, because his whole face closed down. 

“What’s this?”

“I have no idea. It’s addressed to you, you should open it.” He swallowed and dared to ask, “Who in the Soviet Union would be sending you mail?”

Valery didn’t say anything, just read and reread the label. He slid his thumbnail under the flap. “I hope it’s who I think it is.”

His held his face very still but his eyes changed when he took the contents out. Terribly, Shenkov remembered the night in Moscow and the matching look in Valery’s eyes when he said he was married. 

It was a narrow photograph, one of the polaroids that teenagers stick with tacks onto their bedroom walls. Valery tilted an inch closer so Shenkov could see. There were two people in the frame, arms around each other and faces smashed together in a sloppy hug. For a second, Shenkov’s brain short-circuited and he thought one of them was Anna, but the blonde woman in the photograph looked nothing like her. This one had an infectiously wide gap-toothed smile and dark eyes that caught the light sparkled. She was wearing full military uniform, elegant from head to toe, the medals pinned to her chest and the hammer and sickle insignia on her beret gleaming. 

And the other was Valery, twenty-five years younger, but so clearly him Shenkov’s heart clenched. His cheeks were rosy and he was smiling so hard his eyes crinkled, the left one smushed shut against the woman’s face. His mussed hair was even curlier than now, plastered to his forehead. There was a helmet and half a hockey stick at his feet. He looked broader than he really was with the long jersey and padding, the skates made him only a hair shorter than the woman. Svetlana. 

Valery was laughing, so softly it sounded like crying. His hands shook and Shenkov saw he was crying, but the smile didn’t disappear. 

“Jesus Christ. She’s a force of nature,” he pushed a hand over his eyes, laughing again. 

“Svetlana?”

“It was some championship game, for my university. She showed up in the stands in full uniform to intimidate the other team. I said she’s why we won and she said we needed a picture,” he explained. “One of my teammates brought his camera. I didn’t know she still had the picture after so long. I don’t know how she sent it here-- the all-powerful nameless stamp of approval,” he said with the air of quoting someone. 

Shenkov couldn’t stand it anymore and pulled Valery into his chest. He tilted his head back and kissed Shenkov’s mouth, his cheek, his forehead, his collarbone. Shenkov wanted desperately to never let him go. 

Shenkov had hazy memories of going to church, once, when he was maybe ten. By the time his family had moved to Moscow most of the churches had already been shut down, and he wasn’t Christian before. It was the only time he could remember praying. He wasn’t sure he knew how anymore, but it couldn’t have been too complicated. He didn’t clasp his hands or bow his head, but thought very hard about the smiling young woman in the photographed and desperately wished that she was alright, that one day Valery would see her again and smile. 

[mauvaisefoy]

It is amazing about how I kind of distracted from Hetalia fandom in 2019 and then suddenly most of the fans that I see are like 20+. This fandom sure do grow up well and mature up /wipes tears/ we need veteran discount.

Arthur and Francis are as silly as they used to be though

Oh yeah lol, i'm 26, got into hetalia when i was 13 and been running this blog since i was 16/17. It was quite rate to find someone over 18 in the fandom back then but now it's the opposite. Like People who found out about hetalia when they were 13/14 are just sticking to it forever

[the-apology-dance]

My life is now going to become a hurt/no comfort fic after Season 2 of Good Omens. The only fix-it there is is the small amount of love and hope I have towards getting another season of Good Omens.

[uncleasad]

Sunday night status update

As Rod Stewart was fond of saying, “It’s late September and I really should be back at school…”

Here at Uncle Asad in Fandomland, that means it’s time for the annual “some night status update” checking in on all the unpublished words and works. (OK, the 2022 update was in May, dunno why, that was…18 months ago, and you expect me to remember? 😂 Oh! It was because of the announcement of the cancellation of Legacies, which felt to me a little bit like a non-event in the wake of Kaylee’s departure the previous fall/winter.)

Back in 2021, nearing the end of my summer writing hiatus, I tallied up all the words in my unpublished, in-progress fics—7 works and nearly 107K words then; in 2022, it was 10 works and nearly 135K words.

Sad to say that although I’ve published 8 new stories since then, all 10 of the in-progress works are still unfinished (8 with no new words), and I’ve added 6 more in-progress stories, too!

The list, with word-counts and estimates of percent complete:

Josie returns to a derelict and overgrown Salvatore School after 10 years away (aka After Ten Long Years) (25,213 words in 5 distinct sections, +60 words, ~75% complete)

Hope meets the Saltzmans in the post-Civil War upper midwest (aka Old West Hosie) (11,340 words, ~25% complete)

Alternate realities bleed over into the lives of Hope and Josie (21,040 words, ~50% complete)

Part 3 of The Model and the Painter (1,265 words)

Hope investigates the disappearance of crime boss Josie (2,778 words, 1+ chapters complete)

Crime heiress Hope meets an enchanting woman who may be her moll (aka runaway Josie) (36,053 words, ~25% complete)

Newly-divorced Hope takes a job teaching art at Whitmore College (aka divorcée Hope) (14,376 words, 8+ chapters complete)

Hope, Josie, Lizzie, and others struggle with their lot in life in the brutal Geminid Empire (aka Hosie dystopia) (16,313 words, ~10% complete???)

A sequel to the surprisingly-popular You Couldn’t Even Bother To Check On Me? (3,140 words)

No-Humanity Hope goes on a rampage across North America, hunting her enemies and extracting revenge (aka Dark Hope on a rampage) (4,708 words, +358 words, ~60% complete)

In the olden days, Alaric sells Josie (aka Selling Josie) (608 words, ~10% complete???)

Ten years after leaving Mystic Falls to try to save Hope, Josie is summoned home by a mysterious letter from her father (aka Stepmother Alyssa Chang) (11,328 words plus an 831-word excerpt scene; ~60% complete)

A disaster of a fic I shouldn’t write and which may never see the light of day (aka The best ones always break my heart twice) (16,260 words, ~75% complete)

Hope Mikaelson is sitting at the bar when Josie Saltzman walks in (aka Josie walks into a bar) (2,211 words, ~50% complete)

Something something Hosie Santa Claus (aka Hosie Santa Claus) (962 words, ~10% complete???)

An intersection of the lives of Hope and Josie just before the fire (aka Hosie half-shot) (1,239 words, ~50% complete)

That’s now almost 170K words of unfinished stories! 😳🤯 (Across 16 works; 32,608 words in 6 new in-progress fics.)

I did finish/publish more works than I added new unfinished ones since the last check-in, however; thank goodness for small favors, however minuscule! 😂

I don’t have a great strategy for whittling this down; as many of you may have noticed, I’ve been in a bit of a slump since spring—and I haven’t written a word since July 1 😢 I feel like, aside from the late summer writing sabbatical of 2021, the summer writing decline usually happens to some degree, and with the coming of fall and winter, I have more time, but that may all be wishful thinking. Still, fingers crossed. At some point, though, I’ll find an hour or so to finish writing the Hosie half-shot and go from there….

Thanks to everyone who’s stuck with me this long and read my fics along the way, and I’m sorry I don’t have a more upbeat outlook right now.