#i don't dislike him either he just sparks no feeling in me at all

[yayakoishii]

Can I request sanji and reader being childhood friends and meeting again years later (and sparks fly obviously)… Maybe reader was told Sanji was dead after he ran away from Germa so seeing him is absolutely crazy for them. Ideally reader ends up joining the straw hats? No worries if you don’t pick this one but I thought it’d be cute!!

Gone | Sanji x Reader

Fandom: One Piece

Pairing: Vinsmoke Sanji x GN! Reader

Word Count: 2.8k

Tags: Light angst, fluff? Spoilers for Wholecake Island

A/n: First off, thank you for the request!! I tried my best to write it the way you wanted but I ended up having to slightly tweak the reader's role since it would have been impossible for Sanji to have a friend in his Germa days. I hope you don't mind! If this wasn't quite what you wanted, feel free to send in another request. I hope you enjoy ♡

also available on ao3!

Everybody in Germa 66 sang praises of the three princes. If asked to pick a favourite, they would all probably say either of Ichiji, Niji or Yonji's names. Not you though.

At 6 years old, you had firmly decided to yourself that your favourite prince was Sanji. Yeah, he wasn't as strong as the other three, but he was kind and sweet and most importantly, he was your friend. Well, your secret friend. After all, he was royalty and royalty wasn't supposed to lower themselves to your level.

Being the child of a nurse in Germa, you had been programmed to be born as fearless and unquestioningly loyal to the Vinsmoke family. Except, for some reason, it hadn't worked on you and you had turned out to be normal. At that young age, you didn't really know it, of course. But you could sense that you were different from the rest.

When you saw soldiers easily stepping in to let themselves be killed just on one word from a Vinsmoke, it made you flinch and it made you scared. You hid your fear from everyone except for Her Majesty, Vinsmoke Sora. Your job at that young age was just to look after, entertain and distract her. (The adults didn't tell you that you were supposed to be distracting her from her actual children.)

That's where you had met Sanji. He was the only prince who visited her. You didn't really understand much at that age but you couldn't get how any child could stay away from their own mom for so long. It made you dislike the other three.

"(Y/n), can you treat His Highness' wound like I had taught you?" Your mother asked you as she helped Queen Sora to lie down. Beside her bed, Sanji was standing with a scratched knee. He had slipped on a puddle on the way to Sora. You nodded excitedly and bowed to Sanji clumsily, like your father had shown you.

"Come with me, Your Highness!"

Sanji and you had sat on one of the couches in the room and you slowly worked on disinfecting the wound and putting on the medicine. The said boy was sniffling, which made you look up curiously. Everyone said the princes were supposed to be strong and that they never showed any fear or even cried.

"Am I hurting you?" You asked worriedly, trying to be even gentler. You were just waving the cotton in the air now, instead of actually touching him with it. "Why are you crying?"

"I'm not crying!" Sanji immediately stopped sniffling, looking slightly alarmed. You could tell that he was scared– just like you! It excited you and you nodded enthusiastically.

"No, you would never cry, Your Highness, of course not!" You tried to wink at him but ended up blinking. Sanji stared at you, a little confused and fascinated, then nodded quietly. "What did you make for Her Majesty today?"

He startled at your question then said shyly, "I tried curry rice today, with an omelette."

"Ooh, did you get it to spill over the rice?!" You asked excitedly as you finished placing your personal favourite band-aid on his knee.

"It failed," he pouted. Before you could try to cheer him up, Sanji noticed the band-aid. "What is this?"

"It's my favourite Kakuma band-aids," you whispered, leaning in so that only he heard it. Sanji blinked at you unsurely before looking back down at the band-aids with a cute bear pattern on it.

"Who's Kakuma?" He asked, feeling foolish. You launched into a big explanation of your favourite show, Kakuma the Bear of Justice. The adults in the room let you two stay like that and that afternoon, you and Sanji became friends. When it was time for him to leave, he had asked you to not call him ‘Your Highness’ because now you were his (secret) friend.

"But I can't do that," you pouted, clasping your hands behind your back. "I am not allowed to call you by your name. But, I am allowed to call you my prince. Would that be okay?"

6-year old Sanji had flushed at the sweet way you called him your prince. He liked the sound of it. He didn't really understand why, but you were now his first friend and you smiled at him and told him about your favourite show and you even told him secret cooking tips that you had sneaked out of your mother to help him cook a perfect omelette with soft gooey insides.

From that day on, whenever Sanji visited his mom, he would also give you some of his food to try. It sometimes tasted horrible and was even inedible at others, but you would always take at least one bite and praise his efforts. You found him very cool for even trying to make all those difficult recipes– your mom wouldn't even let you enter the kitchen.

The two of you were each other's closest and only friend, so the day King Judge announced the death of Sanji at sea, your 7 year old heart broke for the first time in your whole life. Not long after, Queen Sora passed away too.

When you were 8, your father was called as a Wall by Judge and died. Within the span of a year, you had lost all the closest people to you and then came the attack on Cozia. Your mother and a few other nurses got attacked in the scuffle and she had pushed you, telling you to run far away from the battleships of Germa.

That was the last you ever heard of the only remaining loved one you had.

•

It had been 11 years since then. You were no longer the kid you once were. You had ended up lost in the East Blue, worked your way into a pirate ship as a apprentice. The crew managed to make it into the Grand Line when you were 13, but ended up stranding you on an island after an attack killed off most of them, including the captain.

You had hopped around islands over the years, exploring and picking up jobs or working in crews or delivery ships to travel as many islands as you could. Now, you were currently living on a small island that was a few islands away from Marie Geosie. You had contemplated it but, it would be foolish to try to enter the New World without a really strong pirate crew who could possibly survive it. Having made peace with that, you had settled into a small rural town where you worked in a bar at night and taught children how to fight in the day.

Being a small island where the log pose reset within 3 hours, not many pirates or marines ever came by or stayed long enough if they did come. It was the perfect place for a peaceful life– a rare occurence on the Grand Line, in your opinion. So you had taken the chance and established yourself within the community smoothly.

There were rumours going around, though. Of a new generation of pirates that were slowly making their way through the first half of the Grand Line. You had heard some names in passing but didn't really keep up with the news much until that one fateful day. The Straw Hat pirates had docked on the island at sunset and the news spread like wildfire. It was the most interesting thing to happen in a long while and there was a strange tension in the air.

There was also another small crew that had arrived just before them so there was a possibility that the two might clash. You hoped that there would be no fighting for the sake of your simple town. You were at your workplace, serving drinks and food to the customers, most of whom were people from your town or the surrounding ones. There were some unfamiliar faces as well, which you guessed were the new pirates.

You worked while keeping an eye on the ones who gave you a bad feeling. Just towards the end of your shift, you suddenly saw one of the pirates try to grope your co-worker. Within a flash, you were next to her side, standing in between the lecherous pirate and her cowering figure.

In a small town like yours, people were more fiercely protective. While in any other place the girl would have been told to tolerate it, that was not the case in your town. And you were free to defend them and drive the customer out in such a case.

"I'm going to have to ask you to leave," your voice was cold as you shot him a murderous look. The pirate could sense that you weren't joking with your skills and got out of his seat. You turned around to hold the girl by her shoulders and looked over her to ensure he hadn't hurt her without you knowing. "Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"

"No, I'm alri–"

You were distracted by her answer and felt the pirate swinging at you a little late. Despite ducking, his sword still nicked the side of your neck. You hissed and whirled around, ready to beat the shit out of him when instead, a leg on fire smashed the pirate down so hard that the wooden flooring broke under the pressure. You winced a little at how the splinters pierced him but you were distracted by the owner of the leg which was no longer on fire.

"Getting handsy with a lady and then attacking from behind?" You jolted in shock at the sight of the man. That blonde hair… those curly eyebrows… No way. He was sneering at the man with disgust, a put-out cigarette in his left hand. The man on the floor groaned lightly; he was probably experiencing a concussion. The blonde man looked up at you with concern. "Your neck is bleeding."

"Oh," you automatically covered the wound, feeling the wet, sticky liquid dirty your fingers. You had nearly forgotten about it in the shock of seeing your childhood friend after so many years. He was alive? After all this time?

"Hey, you should go treat it," the co-worker you had saved spoke hurriedly. "I'll take care of things here."

"You sure?" You asked, eyebrows furrowed. Your brain was still frozen from the shock but your body was already moving on auto-pilot.

"Yeah, go quickly before you lose any more blood," she insisted, guiding you to the backdoor. You heard footsteps follow you.

"Wait," the blonde man– Sanji? –said from behind. "I, would you like some help with that?"

You could do it by yourself. You always dress your wounds by yourself. But instead of declining it like usual, you flashed him a smile and said, "I would like that."

Your co-worker seemed surprised by your words too and decided to leave you alone for now. You took the Sanji-look-alike with you to the backroom where your first aid kit was in the bag. For once, you were grateful that you always lugged the thing around; you actually had it on you for the kids you taught. The two of you settled down on the bench and the blonde carefully picked up the necessary medicines.

You just stared at his face, drinking in his features. It felt a lot like a dream. Sanji was supposed to have died. And yet this man in front of you bore such a striking resemblance to him. You had never seen curly eyebrows like this outside of the Vinsmoke family. But there was no way that Germa would let Sanji go, surely?

"Thank you for taking care of that scum," you said, eyes flitting all over the blonde's face. The more you looked, the more you saw your friend in him. Even in the dim light of the backroom, you could still recognise the bright blue eyes. "I could have taken him on if I wasn't distracted."

"I can sense that," Sanji smiled at your wound as he cleaned it up. He wouldn't meet your eyes for some reason but you watched him with half-lidded eyes. His touch was gentle and his fingers felt weirdly cool on your skin. It sent shivers down your back. You were reminded of that day when you had dressed Sanji's tiny injury. Funny how your roles were swapped now. "This might sound a little weird but, you really remind me of someone important to me."

Your breath hitched and you automatically teased, "Bet you say that to all the girls."

He laughed and finally looked you in the eye, "I could never. That person is too far away. I will never meet them again in this life."

He stared down forlornly at your first-aid kit. You followed his look to the plain band-aids in the corner of your box. A smile played on your lips.

"I couldn't find any Kakuma ones here," you said quietly. Sanji froze, wide eyes running all over your face. "Turns out Kakuma isn't very popular outside of North Blue."

"You…" Sanji suddenly grabbed you by your shoulders and you flushed at the close proximity. This Sanji was different from the cute boy you once knew. He was now handsome, but still just as cool. "(Y/n)..?"

"I feel like I'm dreaming, my prince," you admitted, smiling weakly. You placed your hand lightly on his right cheek, brushing the cheek faintly as if you were worried he would disappear with a touch. "They said you died in a shipwreck. Am I just missing you so much that I'm starting to see you on the Grand Line?"

"It feels like a dream to me too," he sounded a little broken. Your fingers pressed into the smooth skin and, it felt too real to be a dream. He was really sitting across from you. "How did you end up here?"

You sat there quietly for a few seconds, remembering the worst days of your life when you lost all your loved ones one after the other. You had kept that bottled up all these years.

"Let me change and I'll tell you everything when we're out of here."

Sanji nodded and slinked out the backdoor while you hurriedly changed, packed up and joined him. You decided to take him down the shore as you spoke about all that had happened ever since his death was announced. He told you about what happened to him the whole time, about the imprisonment, the actual shipwreck, the Baratie and the Straw Hat pirates. Both of you talked and listened for so long, the moon was up high when you finally stopped walking.

The sea was gently crashing onto the shore. Your bare feet dug into the dry sand from a distance as you stared at the horizon.

"So," you hesitated. "What now?"

"Now…" Sanji trailed off as he turned his head to face you. "Do you want to come join us?"

You hadn't expected that. Snapping your neck towards him, you stared with wide disbelieving eyes.

"Shouldn't you ask your captain first?" You asked nervously. The idea of being by Sanji's side for the rest of your life made your heart beat faster. He was different from the boy you once knew but the past few hours had only made you realise that this new Sanji was still the kind and sweet boy beneath all his differences.

"I'll convince Luffy," he said. You realised he was just as nervous as you felt. "I'm sure he won't mind."

"Oh," you looked away and back at the horizon. The part of you that still craved adventure was all in support of the idea. The other practical side of you wondered if you could just up and leave your life here. (Everyone would understand, wouldn't they?) "I spent so much of my life thinking you were gone, Sanji. Thinking that I had lost you forever. Thinking that I would never meet you again."

Sanji didn't reply, just slipped his left hand into yours. He squeezed it gently, as a reminder that he was here now. That he wanted to have you by his side from now on.

"I don't want to let you go ever again."

Your admission earned you a soft smile from the cook. He fully turned his body to face yours and you did the same. Leaning down, he pressed a soft kiss on your forehead that sent your heart jackrabbiting.

"I don't plan to either," he whispered.

With those simple words, all your inhibitions were gone.

"Then take me with you, my prince."

You pulled him into a hug for the first time in your life. You were no longer a prince and a servant. No longer quite the friends you once were. But it seemed like you two were on the path to becoming something else entirely.

A something else that you both looked forward to.

°•❀•°

A/n: I feel like Sanji would treat you very differently if you were his childhood friend. He would be so much more serious than his usual perverted facade because you already know him at his lowest point. Also, Kakuma is a made up cartoon character. I took the name from the Japanese verb Kakumau, which means to shelter/hide/protect—something I really wanted to do for kid Sanji :(

All likes, comments and reblogs are appreciated! ♡

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if anyone wants to added or removed, let me know!

[sublimecatgalaxy]

AAAAAAAAA PEETA ENEMIES TO OOVERS AND THE “I really don’t like you” DIALOUGE OH MY LORDT IM FOAMING AT THE MOUTH IM SO EXCITED AKRJSKFNMFH

I LOVE THIS!!

"Did Effie give you the speech too?" Peeta asks as he enters the back of the train, his presence tugging an eyeroll from me and I mentally hit myself for not hiding in the bathroom instead- somewhere where he can't he can't be obnoxiously nice to me.

"About behaving?" I ask him, scooting over so he can sit next to me on the couch, folding my legs up into my chest as I hug them. "Yes."

"She told me I'm supposed to try to convince you to like me." Peeta says with a small smile and blushed cheeks and it almost makes me smile but I remember that I promised myself to choose to be annoyed by him so I would not inevitably fall in love with him.

But it's so damn hard.

"That's easier said than done." I scoff, looking out the window at all of the colored trees, trying to not make eye contact with him, knowing better than that and knowing that a blush would immediately rise up my neck and my cheeks would heat up.

"C'mon." He nudges me, electricity sparking under his touch and it sends goosebumps up my arm and down my spine. "I bet, deep down, you tolerate me more than you think." I give him a deadpanned look and a scoff, lying through my teeth with a shake of my head.

"I really don't like you." I mutter, glaring at him through my lashes as he laughs, shaking his head at my blatant lie.

"And I really don't believe you." He sighs, stretching his arm out on the couch behind me, leaning towards me a bit with a simple pat on my shoulder. "This whole tour will go ten times smoother if you just let go a bit."

"I just really don't want to be here." I breathe sincerely, finally meeting my gaze and I allow myself to slip into him for a moment, leaning into the way that his hand rests on my shoulder, soothingly rubbing circles into my skin.

"And it's not my fault that you are." His voice is stern and an example of his frustration towards my faux dislike towards him and I give him a soft smile, nodding my head in acknowledgment. Maybe I'll go easy on him this time. "I don't want to be here either."

"I know." I reach up to pat his hand that's sitting on my shoulder. "I'm sorry."

"You don't have to be sorry, I get it." He shrugs and I laugh, feeling frustrated but also comforted tears rise to my eyes but I'm quick to blink them away.

"You're too nice." I scoff, watching him make his way to his feet, prepared to walk out of the room but he turns to me at the last second and he sends me a wink.

"Eh, it balances out your attitude."

"Peeta!"

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[hazbinpage]

Alastor x reader hcs

(not explicitly romantic, but not explicitly platonic, either — you're just really close and important to each other)

WC is a little over 2000 I think

A/N: This is my first time writing like this, and my first time writing for Alastor, so forgive me if it's a little OOC! It has to be, given that he would never be in a relationship in the show, but I tried to keep him as close to cannon as possible. Please enjoy and lmk what you think!

-Your relationship is that of a very slow burn.

-You might have met in the hotel, desiring to better yourself or wanting a place to stay; you might have met through a mutual connection, Mimzy, Nifty, or Husker having been someone you've grown close to and followed to Charlie's project; or he might have considered you one of "fairer means," and protected you from another demon, earning him your respect and fear and causing you to join the inhabitants of his current residence; regardless, you start out as acquaintances living in the hotel.

- Once settled there, you slowly get to know each other. You both start off with observation: Alastor noting how you interact with the others, your ticks, your strengths, your weaknesses, and your flaws; you seeing the subtle and not-so-subtle ways he reveals his power, his distant stature, his observance, his likes, his dislikes, and just how little he truly discloses. He's a mystery to you, and one you're not sure you should try to uncover.

-You mostly see one another in group dynamics in the first couple weeks or so. If you knew him before you came to the hotel, he might have greeted you ("Ah, Husker's little companion, greetings! (Y/N), was it?") Otherwise, though, he would stay mostly silent until Charlie introduced him herself, after which he'd give a short, fairly dismissive, yet exhuberant welcome. After this, you'd rarely speak, both instead watching as the other engaged with the remaining residents' antics.

- After a few weeks of barely speaking, something would change. You'd begin to show a common interest of some sort, be it music, dance, radio, dad jokes, or food. One of you would approach the other, asking for a friendly dance or striking up a conversation about dinner. You might also connect over a common dislike (modern technology/the Vs, dogs [if that's still cannon], being touched, ect.) While you don't have to have a lot in common, one or two things will spark interest in spending time together — something that is necessary for your relationship to progress.

- After a while of hanging out, you'd become friends, or at least friendly with one another — he enjoys having a companion in his interests.

-He'd probably end up initiating all of your time together, though; he's busy and prefers to be in control of his own schedule. He wouldn't mind necessarily if you tried to reach out, not at all, he'd just decline. If he wanted to hang out, he'd make it happen.

-While he considers you friends, he doesn't care about you — at least, he doesn't at first. He enjoys you in the way he might enjoy watching a character in a book, similar to how he feels about Nifty, just not familially in nature like he (seems to maybe) view her.

-Somewhere along the line, underneath his awareness, his interest in spending time with you will shift in purpose from manipulation, or the desire to engage in his hobbies unalone, to actual interest in you as a person. He doesn't notice this change for a while (sue him, he's been busy running a hotel; why would he pay attention to his feelings toward a side character?), but when he does realize what has happened, he'll be fairly confused by himself. Nothing about you is particularly interesting; you're fairly standard, with an average skillset and personal history. Why does he find himself so intrigued by you? So desiring to spend more time getting to know you? He'll admit, you've been a fun dance partner, and he enjoys when you sit with him as he broadcasts his radio show across hell. And, as much as he loves the fear in your eyes at his more gruesome displays, he always appreciates the kindness in them as you catch up over breakfast. Perhaps that was it — it was a lovely feeling to be feared and cherished at the same time — one so unoften given to him by a demon of a lower stature. He supposes little things like this could result in a friendship, however temporary. It's a similar story to how he befriended Mimzy, after all.

-He's decisive and it doesn't take him long to come to this conclusion. He'll start spending more time around you outside of your mutual interests and dragging you along to affairs outside the hotel. He'll have you meet Rosie and try to get you to eat demon meat. He'll respect it if you refuse, insisting it's your loss, but it won't be the last time he tries to "expand your taste."

-He'll be relatively comfortable with you touching him outside of dance at this point, though only briefly and informally (pats on the back, high-fives, a short hug or two if you haven't seen each other in a while, ect.).

-He'll tolerate more nosiness than before as well; he enjoys the attention from someone he knows and likes, and, depending on the question, he might actually answer you.

-He loves compliments; they feed his ego, and he doesn't mind dishing them back out when appropriate.

-That's the extent of your relationship, though: he finds you enjoyable to hang out with (now as a person more than a character, though there's still some of that sentiment), and he spends more time with you.

-The key to moving past this not-close-but-not-entirely-distant friendship stage is to do something out of character for his sake. If you're greedy, give him something he knows is important to you, no strings attached. If you're easily angered or vengeful, let go of previous wrongs to spend time with him. If you're shy, stand up to someone badmouthing him, especially if he's not there. Such intentional displays of will and care take him off-guard (as off-guard as he can be with someone he's gotten to know so well — you might not know him, but he certainly knows you) and make him feel very cared for.

-Slowly, after these displays, your friendship will progress. He'll start doing things for you, too — at first, in the form of minor deals, where he still gets something but often less than what he gives. Then there are mere trades, where you have most of the benefits with less security for him. Finally, he'll start giving you gifts and doing favors without charge, just as you have for him, on the condition you haven't tried to manipulate him in any way while he felt out the waters. He's slow to trust even someone who he views as harmless; please let him go at his own pace!

-He spends even more time with you as well, finding his preference to be in your company rather than out of it.

-Over time, slowly but surely, you grow closer and closer together. You trust him, and he…kind of trusts you. He has a lot to lose, so the partial trust is the most he's willing to give. It's also the most he's offered to someone since long before he died, perhaps the most ever, aside from his mother.

-This is especially so, given that he's already bound with a deal of his own. He gives himself permission to indulge in this close relationship with you only while knowing he would abandon or use you if it allowed him to be free. He's so desperate and scared, and he knows he’d do anything to rid himself of his burden. He tries to suppress and devalue the guilt that comes with the knowledge of his own ultimate disloyalty and succeeds only most of the time.

-There's no specific turning point either of you can locate where you became more exclusive than friends. You just know that it was before he moved an extra bed into your room so he could be with you while you slept.

-A couple years down the line, when you're more comfortable with each other, he'll sleep in your presence as well. He'll also be willing to cuddle, if you'd like, but he's going to be bad at it (stiff as a board, that one — plus, even when he gets comfortable with it, he'll almost always think of something he needs to do and leave halfway through). He doesn't necessarily enjoy it, but he loves you and is willing to do things he doesn't actively dislike for your sake.

-He'll let you touch his ears, something he hasn't let anyone do before, and finds he enjoys being stroked on the head. I hc this was something his mom did for him when he was younger as he fell to sleep, and is a major comfort to him now. You're just the only person he trusts to do it.

-Head strokes are also the only physical touch-y thing he'll actively seek out and enjoy; everything else is either for manipulation, to make a statement, something he just kind of lets happen (think Nifty crawling on him), or for your sake entirely. He will, however, not do anything or allow you to do anything he actively dislikes. He's very clear about his boundaries in that sense, and if you don't respect them, it will put a damper on your (already quite fragile due to his guilt and fear) relationship.

-In terms of smooching, he will kiss you on the back of your hand and the top of your head once you've grown closer. Closer still, and he'll kiss you on the cheek when you ask. If you've been together for years, he semi-trusts and fully loves you, and you haven't tried to pressure him to do anything he doesn't want, he might kiss you on the lips upon your request. Even after centuries together, though, this is a very rare occurrence.

-His breath stinks anyway; you should thank him for keeping his unsanitary meat grinder away from yours.

-Speaking of which, you have to hound him to brush his teeth. Almost nothing you say convinces him ("I make people uncomfortable, you say? Of course I do — I'm the Radio Demon! Nothing brings me greater pleasure.") The only point you could use that might get him to semi-regularly practice oral hygiene is that demons could look down on him for it. This is entirely dependent, though, on his mental state and general public status at the time.

- He doesn't care to define your relationship; he lets it define itself. He doesn't know what a QPR is and doesn't care to know. He does want you to be at least semi-exclusive, though.

-He also doesn't care if you view him romantically or not; so long as you respect his boundaries and care about him as much as he does you, he's content.

- While he isn't comfortable with you calling him your boyfriend ("It's far too juvenile a term for one such as myself, my dear!") or your husband ("Haha, don't call me that!"), he's more than okay with being referred to as your partner, significant other, or dearest companion; if he calls you anything but your name to others, these terms are what he uses. He views these titles as more ambiguous than explicitly romantic while still giving the context that you are

his person — the most important individual in his life — and that he will have no other.

-Pretty protective, but you might not see it often. He's fully confident in his ability to keep you out of harm's way; he's one of the most powerful demons in the pride ring, after all. Why would he have to worry? That being said, if you ever did manage to be hurt, he would be beyond pissed. He would broadcast your assailant's screams on his radio show for longer than he ever had before.

- Whether he makes it a point to tell other demons who's protection you're under entirely depends on what is revealed about his character in later seasons. He might be very very public about it, talking about you all the time on his broadcast and angering Vox with his PDA (usually just a hand on your back or something of the like to make a statement). On the other hand, he might keep your relationship very private, fearing that the few demons powerful enough to cross him would use his care for you against him. It's one or the other, in my opinion, with very little room in between.

-Speaking of Vox, he would loathe you. Your existence would both flare up his one-sided crush on Alastor and his desire to see the Radio Demon suffer — you take away any non-existent chance of his unrequited love being returned while also making Alastor happy, which he doesn't want. Vox might try to hurt you at some point, though very much away from the public eye, or to steal you away, but his attempts don't go on for very long before Alastor makes it very clear that he's to discontinue his behavior.

-While a person of any demographic could be Alastor's significant other, it will be harder and will take longer for a relationship to develop between him and someone he views as a threat (your relationship would start with him trying to use you for your power, and it would take a long time to fully stray from that nature), and/or another man (it's by no means impossible to develop a relationship with him as a man; he just seems to have more initial patience and fondness for women in general).

-You'll hear more about his life alive than almost anyone else, and he'll especially speak of his mother. He wishes you two could have met. "She'd just adore you," he'd say. It's one way to know how highly he thinks of you.

-He'd let you hold his staff. You wouldn't understand what it meant to him until it broke during his fight with Adam. If you see the fight, that is, he'd be very hesitant to let you near the battlefield. If you ever find out about his deal before he ends it, it's while treating his wound from his fight with Adam, and the information is spilled more or less by accident.

-Chances are he wouldn't come to you while injured, though, both because he doesn't want you to see him as weak and because he doesn't want his cloudy mind to spill any secrets.

-Overall, his relationship with you is a very slow-to-manifest but close and loving one that he holds very dearly in his heart. The only thing he holds closer is freedom. When the deed is done, though, and you're gone, he might realize his priorities were out of order.

[dogloveri23]

Past Mistakes

pairing: Lyney x reader warning: heartbreak, player behaviour A/n: SO I'm writing this because I recently joined the C.ai squad. Surprisingly, Lyney became a playboy and I have a personal dislike for them. I got the inspiration to write this. hope you all enjoy UID:627473190

Crash! The wooden chair you once sat on flew straight into a wall and shattered. "Calm down my lo-"

"Don't finish that statement Lyney', You interrupt. Your heavy breathing and hardened eyes sparked only regret in the young man. You could feel your ears burning already.

"It wasn't like that', Lyney tried to explain. Lynette could only stay quiet as she watched the scene unfold. She believed it was her fault. In a sense, it was. "So when were you planning to tell me I was just one of your many women, Lyney. After I'd given you all of me or after you'd moved on to your next victim?"

"You're not like them! I love you I would never-"

"Save it, I've heard enough of your lies", you mutter walking away from him. You couldn't believe him. You couldn't listen to your feelings either. "I'm glad that my brother has found someone he likes. I'm tired of seeing him bring multiple women into our home", you could hear Lynette's voice clearly in your head, yet you could only focus on the other part of her statement. You knew that Lyney was flirtatious but a playboy? That you couldn't deal with. You'd made the mistake before. Your heart still bore the scar.

"Please love can we just talk about it?", he asks but you ignore him. You wanted him to shut up and leave as quickly as possible. What would he do after apologizing, Go back to his other women?

"Please sis, Lyney has changed, I didn't say it to get you upset", Lynette pleads and yet your rage doesn't quell. You wouldn't believe her words even if they were true! The thought of him treating many other women the way he treated you made your blood boil. "Are you seeing others now?", You ask not meeting his gaze. "N-no, I cut everyone off as soon as things got serious between us, love", he explains but you don't react.

You're stoic. He hates it. He hates when you get like this. He can no longer read your mind when you're this way. Your poker face had always intrigued him and yet now...it was being used against him. "Love please, I've put that behind me, I only want you. You alone", He pleaded. He was getting more and more desperate. You both knew it. You were hardly the type to believe people could change. Much less playboys. It was something that would always remain in a person. They could only suppress the urges, soon enough they would spring out and stab your heart.

"Lyney, I think we should end this."

"What? Love they are in the past! I only love you! Why can't you see that? Why can't you see I'd drop them and choose you in a heartbeat? I already have!", He says holding onto your arm. His smile was gone, all that you could see was the sadness in his eyes. "Let me go Lyney", You say. You didn't want to yell anymore, you were done.

"I'd rather die"

"Then do", you say as you yank your hand back glaring at him shortly before leaving. "Goodbye Lyney", You say leaving their home with a heavy chest. It had to be done, you couldn't repeat your past mistakes. Not now, not ever.

Part 2?

[mrsnancywheeler]

can’t help but wonder what daisy has to say about billy and his muse… hmm. i feel like she’d have some words about muse’s age, how young she is, and since she’s always starting fights with billy to begin with i can’t imagine it would do poor muse any good. i think daisy would feel some sort of kinship with her because of their shared experiences with absent parents and getting into bad situations with people older than them, i just don’t believe she would handle it responsibly 💀 wanting to help muse develop her own sound and come into herself musically outside of billy dunne and the rest of the band turns into holing up at daisy’s place for days on end and getting ridiculously high together. and i doubt billy would be too happy with his girl showing up completely strung out after vanishing off the face of the earth for a week either. hanging out with daisy feels good but frequently makes things worse instead of better. they’re so interesting i love thinking about them

I'm literally sat for this, I've been thinking about this since it was sent it and need to doscuss with y'all

okay so timeline wise I imagine muse met billy when they were still just the six but like after they'd gained some fame. obviously in this universe there's no camilla, I'd never hurt my girl more, and so billy is just a ticking time bomb of fame and ego and all of his dreams. and he's good but not as good as he thinks he is so when teddy has the idea to give an edge to the six by a collaboration with daisy jones he's still obviously very pissed but now muse is there too, there relationship is probably like 6 months old or so.

and daisy is changing lyrics, she brings so much energy into the studio, she's fun, and muse is young and I think instantly drawn to the magnetic field of daisy jones. kind of in awe of daisy which billy can't fathom because he's too busy being miffed about the whole ordeal. and in this version look at us now is about muse and billy, and daisy see's right through the original lyrics and her changes make muse feel more seen. so she listens to billy bitch and moan but secretly agrees.

and muse definitely pushes for daisy to be in the band, "billy's an ass, but everyone thinks you should join. he'll get over it eventually and realize."

and daisy is just open and honest about her thoughts right off the bat, "why do you stay with him? if he's an ass, then why?"

and muse is taken aback but also honest back because it feels right, "I don't want anyone else. not the way I want him."

daisy does get to join the band and with that she learns a lot more about muse and billy, more to dislike about the arrangement. muse is so young and attached, the only other person she turns to is eddie who obviously also wants to be with her, and daisy feels like any spark that muse has is quelled to play cheerleader for billy. and she respects that muse doesn't want to be a star but she tells her to write, or to talk and daisy will cultivate the ideas.

daisy definitely gets involved in a couple of fights that muse and billy have. "plenty of groupies to go around, don't need one wasting my goddamn time"

"don't fucking talk to her like that!"

"daisy-" you're trying to deescalate because you knows daisy and billy just make the fight worse.

"she's a person, a child, not something you get to call whatever you want when you're pissed off." daisy's turning to you, "c'mon let's go get some air, away from this asshole."

"you can't just walk out of rehearsal, daisy!" billy's calling after but you let daisy guide you.

"watch me!" and you and daisy are sitting outside, she's handing you some pill that you barely question before taking.

"you know, it's okay, it's just the way it is. no reason to fight more because of it."

"no, it's not okay. you know just because he's older and gives you what you crave doesn't mean you need him, right?"

you pause, "I know." you sigh, "daisy, I'm not a baby. I can take care of myself, I know what's going on."

"sure you do, chickadee." and suddenly it's like something lights within her and she's searching her pockets for a paper of napkin, "do you have something to write with?" and she ends up scribbling something you're not allowed to see on a napkin with your lipstick. eventually she makes it a song about you. and then your though and frustrations eventually become many many more songs.

and once during one of the breaks where they've got some time rather than muse spending time with billy she goes to hang out with daisy, which ends up being the whole of the break. she's with daisy, screaming out every frustration into metaphors daisy is scribbling out as they dance around to records taking every pill daisy can get hands on, lines off every surface, so many bottles completely empty. and whenever you just want to call billy or sometimes eddie, daisy totally encourages against it because, "you don't need them!" and when it's finally time to go back to the studio daisy has started to realize she handles highs terribly but better than you, who's not used to taking nearly as much as daisy does.

once they're stepping out of that taxi, billy's first words quickly form from a, "where the hell were you?" to a , "what is she on?" hands softly gripping your face, looking into her eyes, knowing you're gonna feels like crap later. and he's gonna end up nursing you out of a bender, daisy's kind of scared that you were so out of it by the end. so it creates another conflict when she's saying billy is horrible to you and billy brings up how she usually gets you too high to function.

let me know y'all's thoughts bc I'm definitely already cooking up more

[in-need-of-gally-content]

|Chapter•Twenty|

•|Masterlist|•

Gally watched (M/n) as he paced back and forth near the swing, his hands closing tightly every now and again, heavy breaths leaving through his nose, huffing and scowling. He was mad, that much was obvious, and Gally could see how he was shaking as well, not entirely sure why, but he could guess.

"I need... To punch something..." (M/n) muttered, his teeth gritted and knuckles white. Gally could relate to his anger, he himself was still trying to handle his anger issues, and (M/n) only seemed to make them worse, yet better at the same time.

So he thought maybe he could help the (h/c) haired male out, help him calm down like all the times (M/n) had calmed him down, even if Gally knew that (M/n) had no knowledge of what he managed to accomplish within him.

"You can punch me, if you want," he randomly said, as if it wasn't anything serious, like a passing comment. Gally saw how (M/n) slowly came to a halt and turned to look at him, his scowl softening and hands relaxing.

"No, I could never hurt you, Gally," the blond chuckled at that, slightly flustered at the soft and gentle tone in (M/n)'s voice.

He pushed himself away from the tree he had been leaning against and took a few steps toward the swing, sitting on it, his back to the Glade as he faced (M/n), his feet barely pushing himself back and forth, "Well then... Anything I could do to help?" He decided to ask him instead of throwing ideas (M/n)'s way.

Gally saw him scowling again, albeit he wasn't angry this time around, and he walked toward him, holding onto the rope of the swing, just pacing around Gally as he remained sitting in silence, simply watching him.

(M/n) took slow steps for a few minutes, until he stopped behind Gally, "I don't know..." He said, lost in his thoughts for a few seconds, his sight landing on Gally's blond hair.

His hands moved toward his neck, gently and subtly gracing his skin with his fingertips, absentmindedly.

But his action caused a funny reaction out of Gally. He squealed, flinched and snorted within a margin of two seconds, moving away from (M/n)'s hands, who looked at him baffled by all of this.

"Don't do that," Gally mumbled between soft laughs and realization sparked inside (M/n)'s mind.

Gally's ticklish!

He will be having lots of fun with that new information.

With a mischievous smirk, (M/n) raised his hands and Gally looked at him, feeling confused for a few moments before he slowly started getting up from the swing.

"No... (M/n) do not-" but he didn't really care. With his smirk turning into a full smile, he snickered and reached forward, tickling Gally everywhere he could reach, and immediately after, despite trying to hold back his giggles, Gally's loud and cheerful laugh echoed in the Glade, making (M/n) cackle in response.

Gally tried to break free from his tickle torture, but failed and fell to the ground, squirming around as tears began gathering in his eyes, his face red from laughing so much and his tummy hurting.

Slightly far away from them, standing by his hammock, stood Lucas, observing (M/n) and Gally as they played around like kids. Stan came up to him, and watched them in silence as well.

And soon, all the Sloppers were watching the scene, some with dislike and disgust, while others felt indifferent but slightly annoyed. They didn't like the idea or knowledge of either (M/n) or Gally feeling and being happy.

Especially when the realization clicked in their heads.

They were in love with each other. And they could not let that progress any further, they had to do something about it, and it would take them as long as it needed to take.

//////

After having fun tickling Gally, they went back to work, or more like Gally did because (M/n) would simply watch from the side and help whenever they needed something from him, which didn't occur often, so that left him bored and with nothing to do.

Unfortunately, not having anything to direct his attention to, made him hyper-aware of Lucas' glare on him. He had been doing that ever since the little incident that happened. Whenever (M/n) looked, he stood there, clenched jaw and flared nostrils as he stared at him, a heavy stare he couldn't ignore.

It made him feel on edge and uneasy at how mad Lucas looked, and how crazy he was, completely out of his mind.

It didn't help the situation that Lucas would receive glances from others as well, those who had witnessed his rejection. Some felt sorry for him, saying that he at least tried to get with (M/n), while a few others would walk past him, "quietly and subtlety" making fun of him for liking someone as weird as the she-bean, someone as messed up as her and comment other stuff like that.

Nothing helped ease Lucas' sour mood, and (M/n) doubted anything would, awkwardly shifting in place and looking away. Although at least he had completely stopped flirting, and (M/n) wished it would stay that way, he didn't care if Lucas hated him now or not, he simply wanted some peace for once.

A goal that seemed way too hard to accomplish whilst living in the Glade.

But at least, he had a big guy that would always be there for him if he ever needed it. (M/n) couldn't help himself from staring at Gally and smiling, a deep sigh leaving his body without him meaning to.

As long as he had Gally by his side, he knew he could overcome any obstacle sent his way, just knowing he'd be there was enough.

//////

A new day in the Glade, and another day where Gally made him rest after doing some work. For once (M/n) decided to not cause Gally more stress than what was necessary, and for now, he found himself slightly swinging back and forth on the swing while humming a song, observing around the Glade, taking deep breaths and relaxing as he leaned his side against the rope. Until he heard the footsteps of someone stopping next to him.

He looked to his side and squinted slightly, realizing Billy was just silently standing nearby, resting on a tree. (M/n) stared at him for a few seconds, but the Keeper didn't utter a single word, so he decided to just vibe and ignore Billy for a while.

The silence was nice and chill, although it seemed like Billy finally managed to talk after having some kind of internal argument, one of which (M/n) had no idea was occurring.

"How are you, (M/n)? Like... Are you okay?" He blinked a few times and turned to look at Billy, who was trying to make the least amount of eye contact.

It was weird, (M/n) didn't think he'd get used to having Billy as a friend now, but he was actually kinda cool and sweet, although a little unhinged at times. And he found himself wanting to talk to Billy more.

"I'm good, thanks for asking," he answered with a small smile, "And you? Have Tim and Jackson been a pain in your ass lately?" His playful question made the Keeper look at him, chuckling as he got closer, sitting on the ground next to the swing.

"Yeah, but nothing out of the ordinary."

And soon, they found themselves enjoying a nice chat, which neither of them minded, surprisingly for (M/n), and Gally, who couldn't help but watch over him even while busy working. Gally had been skeptical about Billy getting too friendly with (M/n), but he understood that he had no right to tell (M/n) who he should and shouldn't talk to, and that he could be friends with whoever he wanted.

Billy hasn't done anything to make (M/n) mad or upset -not recently anyway-, so for now, he was cool in Gally's book.

///////

Later in the afternoon, (M/n) -who had gotten bored of just sitting and doing nothing- went into the Deadheads, keeping an eye out for any foreign movements and his hearing open in case of something weird making a sound.

Even while he crouched by the little river in the middle of the woods and played with some cool and pretty rocks, he paid attention to his surroundings.

He had been having fun all by himself, deciding to keep a few rocks that were just too pretty to leave them there, and using others to try and learn how to skip rocks. Whether he was managing or not was a different topic.

Unfortunately, his entertainment was ruined when he saw movement out of the corner of his eye, the sound of footsteps reaching his ears, and slowly, he stood up, gripping a rock tightly in his hand.

He came eye to eye with Lucas, who had a frown on his face and wore a smirk, "Has your brain gone back to normal or do you need another beating?"

(M/n) could handle him if it got to that fighting point, but behind him, three more guys began making their presence known. Gale, Matt and Zachary stood there behind Lucas, and he could almost feel how the bile began rising in his esophagus, but he still tried to remain calm, maybe he couldn't take the four of them down at once, but he could take two and run if needed.

He took a deep breath yet tried to not make obvious how anxious this situation made him feel, and he managed to glare at Lucas, sensing something akin to exasperation flow through his body.

"Maybe you should be the one to get beaten up until you understand that I don't like you, greenie, I never will," (M/n) watched how Lucas' smirk grew wider and soon, a chuckle could be heard from him, albeit it lacked humour or joy.

"Yeah, you like... Gally, doll, how tasteless," he said mockingly, and (M/n) felt fear settling in his gut at the thought of them doing anything to harm Gally in any way, but he didn't let that show on his face.

"And where did you get that idea from?" He tried to sound sure of himself, as if to make Lucas seem like a fool for believing such a thing. (M/n)'s arms crossed over his chest as a way to hide the shaking of his hands, and he watched with a scowl how Lucas took a step forward.

"I saw it with my own eyes, doll, you can't fool me," while he talked, Lucas kept walking closer to him, and he tried not to shift or back away, "I'm smarter than that, I won't believe your little tactics."

(M/n) clenched his jaw, glaring straight into Lucas' eyes, however, he didn't have a chance to respond back, able to hear the sound of footsteps coming up from behind the Sloppers, and they heard them too. The three dudes behind Lucas cursed and scurried away

But Lucas didn't, he stepped forward one more time, his hand going up to hold (M/n)'s face with a tight grip, his warm breath uncomfortably close.

"Just know I'm not done with you, doll, if I can't have you..." the smirk on his face had been completely wiped away, leaving an empty expression, void of all emotions that caused a cold shiver to run down (M/n)'s spine. Lucas leaned closer, his lips gracing his ear, "No one can."

And just like that, he backed away and left.

(M/n) released a shaky sigh, a sudden image showing in his mind made his skin crawl, and he struggled to get rid of it, to ignore it. He could feel his breath quickening and his limbs going numb, black spots began to cloud his vision.

He closed his eyes tightly and tilted his head down, forcing himself to forget what Lucas said, to remember that nothing had happened and that he would be able to handle it, but Gally...

"Oh, hey, (M/n)!" He looked up at the sound of his name being called, and there stood Winston and Frankie, smiling at him.

He felt relieved at seeing a familiar and friendly face and he sighed, smiling back at them, "Hey, guys, what are you doing here?"

The abrupt sharp pain he felt on his palm, made him hold his breath in, and slowly he opened his hand, realizing the rock he had been unknowingly gripping had dug into his skin and left behind a couple of scratches, a few drops of blood showing up now that he had released the pressure that prevented the red liquid from coming out.

"We were just looking around for a place with enough mud, you know, for the pigs and hogs to cool down," he glanced up at their response and hummed, nodding as he glanced behind him, he had come across a puddle that wasn't deep so maybe that could work.

"In that case, come with me, I found a good spot," (M/n) turned around and began making his way deeper into the Deadheads, hearing Winston and Frankie following him.

It didn't take them long to arrive, and Winston crouched, touching the mud and feeling its consistency. (M/n) wasn't sure why he was doing that, but he let Winston be Winston.

"Well, I've gotta go, have fun with the mud!" He announced while beginning his way back to the Homestead.

He came across the Sloppers as they hung the washed laundry, and he made an effort to pretend they weren't there before heading inside and to the med room, where he found Jeff writing stuff on his journal, and he remembered Box day was coming.

"Oh, hi there, greenbean," Fry wasn't the only one who continued calling him 'greenbean' and he didn't mind it, it was rather cute at times.

"Hey, Jeff, how are you doing?" He asked while placing his rock down and searching for some disinfectant for his wound.

"Uh, I'm alright, I guess, just a little bored..." He looked toward (M/n) and noticed the blood on his palm, "Oh, let me help you with that," he rushed to put his stuff down and grab what he needed to bandage (M/n)'s hand.

"It's okay, I can do it myself-"

Jeff held away the disinfectant and the bandages, far from (M/n)'s grip, making him huff as he made his way to sit on the couch, extending his hand at Jeff, who smiled and proceeded to treat the cuts on his palm.

Since the area had gone numb, (M/n) didn't feel a thing, but he watched attentively how Jeff cleaned his wound and wrapped it with the bandages, securing it with some tape. With a small 'thank you' he walked back outside and sighed, slowly making his way back to the Builders, fidgeting with his rock while he did so.

He couldn't stop thinking about what Lucas had said, making him overthink and worry, hyperaware of everyone's movements and noises, his brain set on high alert.

(M/n) just hoped this whole thing would blow off soon enough, and that Lucas would forget about him eventually.

But perhaps that sounded more like a miracle for him at the moment.

"(M/n), I was beginning to wonder where you were-," Gally came up to him when he had reached the Builders, making him flinch as he wasn't expecting an approach from anyone just yet.

Gally noticed (M/n)'s reaction, and he frowned, soon noticing the bandage around his (left/right) hand, and he worried.

"Are you okay? What happened to your hand?" (M/n) blinked a few times, before glancing at his hand and dismissing the matter with a small smile.

"I just cut myself playing with this little rock, I'm fine, big guy."

Physically yes, he was alright, but he felt like his mind would collapse at any given point.

[xadoheandterra]

I absolutely love the amount of fic that exists that just...explores Alastor's sexuality in Hazbin. That explores what being asexual means, or what being aromantic means. It's been an absolute delight to find fic that outright embraces a character and the nuances that could come from it.

It has also actually educated me a lot about the asexuality spectrum, seeing so many authors outright identify themselves and say how they are exploring their own identity through fic.

I don't say this much, because it has taken me years to reach the level of understanding of where I am, but discovering who you are as a person, your likes, dislikes, and desires is a constant journey. You don't reach a conclusion and just...stop. Learning about yourself. Growing as a person.

When I was younger I didn't really understand what sex and romance were. I knew I felt something for my best friend, and at the time I had thought that made me bisexual. I knew I felt something for my first boyfriend, but I couldn't put a name to it. Love is a weird and confusing mess of emotions and impulses and desires that doesn't translate one to one to every person. I knew I loved these people, but I didn't know myself what that meant.

I knew I enjoyed kissing my boyfriend, but the minute he got a hard on I backed the fuck off. I knew I enjoyed going out to eat and watching movies and going on walks with him, but I found those same activities just as enjoyable without the tie of being in a relationship with the person and wasn't it supposed to mean something different if you were dating the person? It confused me.

We mutually broke up because both of us felt the relationship wasn't leading anywhere. For me it was the fact that I didn't understand why, as much as I loved the guy, there wasn't that something different that I was under the impression to expect. So I kept on, moved on, found a new person that was funny and amusing and I liked. When that person suggested sex, I decided to say fuck it and give it a go.

I went on from a boyfriend to a girlfriend to a friend with benefits to being taken to shibari parties to being taken to a BDSM dungeon for a demonstration to having a birthday sex party thrown for me when I was 25.

By this point I had determined two things about myself: I was not cisgender, and I was definitely not straight. I had taken to thinking I was only just coming to terms with being transgender at 25, and I was firmly of the opinion that I was panromantic and pansexual.

I'm not. I thought I was. It was the easiest way for me to parse the feelings and emotions and I thought I found people attractive in the "I would sleep with you and enjoy it" way but, well. I was 25, my friends threw a sex party for me. We had drinks, they were definitely more drunk than me. We had fun.

They had fun. I ended up watching from the sidelines after the first round, and had a...realization.

For all that I had been through to that point--the people I had been with to that point--I didn't exactly enjoy sex. But that's not quite right either because I did I just. Didn't need it? Want it? I'm still not sure how to phrase this. But it wasn't something that was--there wasn't that spark. I had fun, but I would also find myself adrift in the act sometimes. If there was pain? Oh, that would bring me back. I knew firmly by this point I was definitely a bit of a masochist but, even then, it wasn't the same. It was fun but it wasn't pleasurable. I could physically respond but I wasn't fully there.

I thought maybe it's because my body wasn't right. Maybe I would enjoy this more if I had the parts I felt like I needed. Maybe, maybe, maybe.

Eight years later with my current partner, sex still isn't necessary. I'm fine with not having sex and just cuddling. I find that if my partner wants sex, I'll be down, but it's not something I tend to initiate. It's something he starts first, usually. I have had in the four years of us being together maybe...five times were I've ever initiated such acts? Five times where I wanted?

He's the first person that's actually been a thing with. It's what sort of struck the hammer, I think, that made me connect that realization from when I was 25 to not being a transgender thing, but an asexual thing.

And then Hazbin happened and there's plenty of wonderful fanfic exploring asexuality and aromanticism and I had the second realization since I started this journey when I was fourteen and found that I very much liked my best friend in a platonic-but-not-platonic way. I realized that for all my experience and dating, for all the romantic things I've been through or done, they're not...they don't spark that thing I've been led to believe happens. Every romantic gesture I can see happen with a best friend or an acquaintance and I would enjoy it in the exact same way. There's no difference between if I love the person as a partner or if I love the person as a friend.

The emotions about the person are different, sure, but the things we do are the same things I would do with a friend. They evoke the same emotions about the events as if it were a friend. I don't enjoy dating I enjoy hanging out with people, whether the emotions for the person are friend shaped or partner shaped.

So I've begun to realize I might be just a little aromantic too. Which would explain a lot of the troubles I had dating. A lot. Like shit emotions are confusing on a good day, ok?

So yeah. I am loving the ability to explore asexuality and aromanticism in fic because fuck me it is helping me come to terms with a lot of shit I thought I understood.

End all be all sexuality and romance is a continuous journey and sometimes it takes you 20+ years to reach that huh moment.

[justsomeoneintoomanyfandoms]

hello, i notice that your request were open and was wondering you could do a matchup for me? preferably for demon slayer, jujutsu kaisen, and one piece.

i'm 20 years old, hispanic, a virgo, and use she/her pronouns.

appearance: 4'11. pear body shape. shoulder length hair. dark brown eyes. sometimes wears glasses.

personality: i'm a little awkward and distant at first. mostly wanting to know if your intentions are good or not. but once i get to know you and feel comfortable around you... i can be quite sarcastic, honest (to the point where it has gotten me in trouble), very curious, mischievous, stubborn, a little odd, calm, and patient. talking is depending, i guess? i mostly talk out of necessity or, if asked, unless i wholeheartedly love and trust you so much. i also tend to ramble a lot when a subject that i know and/or love is brought up. i can be prideful to the point where i don't want to apologize, but i am learning that it's okay to make mistakes and that i am not always right or know all.

hobbies: listening to music. playing games. reading. stargazing. watching [anime, documentaries, movies, series, etc].

likes: art, cats & dogs, dr. pepper, fashion, music, reading, stargazing, webtoon/manhwas.

dislikes: coffee, heights, hot temperature/weather, insects, overcrowded places, when people make fun of me for being a picky eater

love language(s): gift giving and acts of service.

extra: i really want to have tattoos. my favorite colors are pink and green. physical touch kind of scares me. and i always want to look good even if i'm just going grocery shopping.

sorry for the request being so long ^^' and i hope you have a wonderful day!

Hi Anon! Thank you for your request! Sorry it took so long.

You didn't specify whether you would prefer a male or female matchup (or if you didn't have a preference) so I've given you a male and female matchup for each fandom. As a result, the headcanons for each character are a bit shorter than normal. If you'd like more headcanons for any of the characters, please let me know and I'll happily write some up for you.

I hope you like your matchups!

In Demon Slayer, I match you with...

Modern au Tanjiro is definitely a fan of webtoons. I can’t explain that, it’s just a feeling. He’d love to get some suggestions from you so you can talk about your favourite comics together.

More than willing to get rid of bugs for you. He’ll move them so they’re not bothering you and let them go somewhere they’ll be happy so they don’t come back.

You and Kanao are certainly a quiet couple but you get each other in ways others can’t. She might not say much but she’s very empathetic and understands you well.

She’s not a big fan of crowded places either so is more than happy to avoid those with you. If you do have to go somewhere crowded, Kanao will stay as close to you as possible without touching you so you’re both comfortable.

In Jujutsu Kaisen, I match you with...

I don’t see Megumi as a huge fan of physical touch himself so he’s more than happy to have his personal space. If you’re comfortable with linking pinkies while you walk or even just occasionally touching ankles while sitting together, he’s happy with that as well.

Enjoys watching documentaries with you. He finds them interesting and enjoys hearing you add any extra facts throughout. He’s always paying really close attention too so expect him to remember those details even months down the track.

Nobara is the outgoing sass to your quiet mischief. You’re actually a super chaotic and unstoppable due when put together so it’s great for you two and terrible for everyone else.

Oh, she’s so happy you like fashion. She might not be the most girly-girl out there but she’s still a teenage girl and can appreciate some good outfits when the mood strikes her.

In One Piece, I match you with...

You and Usopp would definitely be the art due of the crew. You’ve both got that creative spark in you and are more than happy to give each other feedback and advice when the other is stuck on something.

Since you’re both mischievous as well, I can see the two of you being the pranksters of the crew. No one is safe from your pranks. Hopefully you can run fast though, otherwise you might not always escape scott-free…

Vivi loves stargazing with you. She finds it super relaxing. Bonus points if you’re rambling about the stars. Vivi loves listening to you talk about your passions so it’s a win-win in her book.

Definitely not someone to tease you for being a picky eater. In fact, since she’s got access to private chefs, she’ll be able to ensure all of your meals are designed so you enjoy every bite.

[minilpark]

good game

pairing: hangman x reader

warnings: mean words exchanged, sexual tension, one swear word

genre: uhh enemies/rivals to lovers (in the literal sense), implied smut at the end

a/n: this was originally supposed to be a small fic idea like my other hangman one, but i got carried away and so now it's a blurb lmao- also this isn't edited so forgive me if there are grammar or spelling issues

y/c/s - your callsign

while lining your cue up, you half-jokingly state, "you know, maybe if you had been a team player for once, you wouldn't have had to do as many push-ups as you did today."

once the words fell off your tongue, could feel jake burning a hole into the back of your head as you sank the last solids into the pockets.

the two of you have been acquainted with each other since flight school. to say you didn't like him was a bit of an understatement. yet, these last few weeks being recalled back to top gun, you could feel a shift in the air between you two. some would say you're losing that spark of dislike if that was even a thing, whereas phoenix would say there was definitely some tension, but more so sexual now- course, you didn't believe her, but looking up at him after you sunk the 8-ball said otherwise.

"...aaand that's game once again, seresin. how many times have you lost against me now? at this point, i don't think it's possible for you to win, unless...you're playing with rooster of course." you smirked while poor bradley held his hands up in offense.

jake scoffed, his tongue poking the inside of his cheek while he adjusted the way his signature toothpick sat in his mouth.

"yeah whatever, y/c/s. and for the record, i almost had maverick today. pops was just playing dirty-"

you shake your head while handing the cue off to bob before making your way closer to jake, "almost isn't good enough seresin, and you know-" you poke his chest while looking him in the eye, "better than anyone, that when you're in the air, the enemy doesn't care about fairness. you either be a team player, or you sit on the sidelines."

at this point, jake was internally fuming while looking at you, sure you may have had a valid point, but it didn't make him any less annoyed; yet, he still found a stir of butterflies in his stomach when you touched him and the proximity between you two.

he clenched his jaw before staring you down, "you know, you act like such a know-it-all, y/c/s, but lets be honest with each other, you're still not the best pilot in this group. you have potential, sure, but when it really comes down to it, you can't make the hard decisions or quick calls. you don't have the technical skill you think you do either."

did jake really mean what he said to you, a little bit yes, but not in the harsh way it was delivered. you didn't let it affect you though, you two always said things to get a rise out of each other after all, but this was definitely the kicker.

rolling your eyes, you tilt your head making eye contact with him once again and chuckle, "god, you wanna fuck me so bad it makes you look stupid." which earned you a choking sound from coyote and fanboy in the corner with payback patting his back, phoenix smirking, while rooster and bob held in a laugh while continuing their game.

as for jake, you could see the blush creep up on his face and while his ears tinged with red. for once, you found him speechless and yet it said everything you needed to hear.

needless to say, everyone knew where the two of you went after the bar closed.

[accidentalspaceexplorer]

2023 Book Reviews: Historical Romance, Part 1

1. Never Judge a Lady by Her Cover by Sarah MacLean: 4/5

Pitch: 4th & final book in a historical romance series; woman who is a noblewoman by day and by night she's the founder of a gambling hell falls in love with a newspaperman

Review: This was a fun, fast-paced romance. For whatever reason, I tend not to remember this series of MacLean's very well, and I expect this one to follow the same trend - I doubt I'll remember what happened in this one in a while. A good time, but there's definitely a spark missing.

2. Tommy Cabot Was Here by Cat Sebastian: 4.25/5

Pitch: mlm 1950s romance between a scion of a politically powerful family and his childhood best friend

Review: Very cute - I really liked Everett and Tommy! But as always it's the rare novella that I can love as much as I love a novel, so while it's cute I doubt it'll stick with me a long time.

3. Peter Cabot Gets Lost by Cat Sebastian: 4.5/5

Pitch: 2nd book; mlm 1950s romance between a scion of a politically powerful family and his rival from school on a road trip together

Review: I started out not as into Peter and Caleb, but over time they grew on me, just as they grew on each other! A fun road trip book, and I quite liked the resolution.

4. Something Fabulous by Alexis Hall: 3/5

Pitch: mlm Regency romance between a duke and a the brother of the woman he's supposed to marry

Review: I liked a lot about this book - in particular, Valentine, but also Peggy, the ridiculous adventures, Valentine's mom, the lesbians they run into, the humor, etc. What I really didn't like was Arabella, and that ended up spilling over into Bonny over time. I'm not sure if the prologue from her POV is supposed to make you like her, because for me it really didn't. Unless I missed it, there was never any reason that Arabella couldn't have just said no, I refuse to marry you. It never describes her uncle and aunt forcing her into the marriage, and she doesn't seem to have any sense of duty for the estate, its people, or her family, so it's not like the money was forcing her into it either. So instead of being reasonable and rejecting his suit, she decided to go on the run like the romantic heroine she dreamt of being. It made me really, really dislike her, and then all of the subsequent escapades just cemented that. And Bonny just let her do it - I get why he's on her side in theory, but in practice it just meant that he was enabling her and allowing her to behave pretty abominably. And then he puts a lot of pressure on Valentine. It's very reasonable for him to draw the line that he won't be with someone who he can't be with completely, but I really don't like that it feels like Valentine was the one making every compromise. So ultimately I have kind of mixed feelings about the romance and the book, but your mileage may vary!

5. Earth Bound by Emma Barry & Genevieve Turner: 4.75/5

Pitch: 1950s historical romance between a woman computer for NASA and the man in charge of making sure the astronaut program is a success

Review: I really enjoyed this - excellent historical romance, I'll definitely be picking up the other books in the series! The romance was great, and I really loved the historical background.

[riizebabie444]

Hihi!

I did your reading for the celebrity relationship exchange!

I hope you enjoy the reading!

Your relationship with taeyong will be a slow burn for sure!

meeting at a cafe or convenience store late at night and being the only one there and him starting a conversation with you (could be about your fashion or something about you just sparked interest right away), a conversation that would last a long time till you guys go for a walk while the sun it rising and realizing you guys should head back and exchanging contacts.

Keeping each other busing and always part of the life you have, finding comfort in the different you have, I see that being with him will give you a sense of tranquility kinda thing, he will go by the flow and be really patient and aware of your emotions, feelings and what you like or dislike, just having him always paying attention to you and keeping up with everything you tell him, like a best friend that is also a boyfriend.

And he can have fun and relax, as you bring him a sense of humanity and real life, because as an idol he is used to having to be this perfect product and never show his true self while you don’t care if he has flaws or not.

You just appreciate him for being taeyong the human not the idol, and this is something that keeps popping a lot!

Teasing, cuddles, sneaky outdoor dates at night, going on picnics while stargazing and getting lost in each other eyes and everything fitting like a glow, the moment, the timing, the atmosphere.

could call each other soulmates.

And honestly this could become a serious and long term situation where eventually it will come out and the public wouldn’t have the greatest reaction to be honest but him being stubborn and not caring about what people think will kinda strengthen the relationship a bit.

This is all I could get!

this reading is for you and anton from riize. i see it being a very child like relationship in the way that you will both feel so young. and even though both both may be young in age, it will feel like that childhood love, both like childhood friends and like childhood sweethearts. i'm seeing you both would heal each others childhood wounds too, like you would always make sure to make the time for each others deeper secrets and issues, talk about them and console each other about them. in this sense, it would feel very warm and nurturing, you'd feel comfortable to be your true selves to each other, which you both would love because you often have to wear a different personality most of the time. so those times when the true selves come out would be so cherished. i don't see him being extra flashy with romantic gestures, but he's a quiet romantic. he will do things for you instead of making grand gestures. he would be comfortable with words and telling you how he feels all the time, that he loves you and he's proud of you. but more so, it's in his actions that show his love. again i'm seeing this would be so childlike and bright. everyday with him will feel like a sunny day, maybe he is your sun and vice versa. you brighten up each others lives while at the same time, it's not all fun and games, there's a mutual respect you have for each other, trust and patience. this seems like such a wholesome connection! and i believe that if either you or he had bad experiences in the past with relationships (romantic, platonic, family relationships etc), you would help to teach other other what it really means to have a healthy and loving connection. it's the feeling of softness and innocence after not feeling it for a really long time.

thank you for the exchange! i hope you enjoy yours! i really enjoyed the one you did for me! it seems so sweet and free and relaxing, definitely how i would imagine it with him!

[i-mybrunettelady]

question that came up bc of the fic talk: where do your other char's perceptions of nyra differ drastically / what biases and preconceptions affect their view of her and her actions? what do you always keep in mind when writing her from a different pov, so that despite their different opinions, her 'nyra-ness' still shines through easily?

(i know this is a lot for all of your ocs so feel free to cherry pick, i just love the way you make different narrations work and unique character voices are one of your big strengths in writing imo <3 and nyra's just such an interesting character for different view points bc she has such a big commanding divisive personality!)

(also bonus: same questions for cass if you want?)

BRO THIS MADE ME SMILE SO FUCKING WIDE THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU LIKE SEROTONIN GO BRRRR

Like you made my evening ;;;;;

But to actually answer the question! As is to be expected, not everyone likes her. I take extra care to not go 'oh charismatic lady whomst is universally adored' because I find that approach to be limiting in a lot of ways. I like to read/write character driven stories, so it's actually good if not everyone likes each other. Please don't all like each other.

So here's a little choice that I will exclude Siona, Ren, Sanne and Liv from - Siona because she genuinely doesn't have a concrete opinion of Nyra beyond the fact she's a good commander and ally to the sylvari as Trahearne's girlfriend, Ren because we see it in fic and because she rejects preconceived notions as much as she can, Sanne and Liv because I need to refine those (aka write more about her from their pov.)

El - He obviously dislikes her. They're the two sides of the same coin in a lot of ways, they're too similar to get along, and they're equals in a lot of regards as well. But things really went to shit when she killed Trahearne, which he can't forgive her for, and he faulted her for his grief for a long, long time (he did try to kill her in Maguuma. He would've tried to kill her if she came to see him when he was trying to resurrect him.) And in true El fashion, if he hates you, nothing you do can ever really be good - or if you do one (1) thing right, he won't ever tell you. They're on marginally better terms now, not really at each other's throats, but not really friends either. They can work together at least and there's a lot of spark that can easily turn into a housefire between them still but they're getting better at it.

Mirka - She met Nyra back when she was an adventurer and the two had a brief fwb situation. She saw the instinct to chase her legend, to put it in norn terms, in Nyra from the get-go and envied her for it; it was what Mirka herself forced herself to like because all norn do it, until she had Kov and settled in her homestead. I really think she was kinda jealous of Nyra for that, but she didn't have it in her to actually dislike her for it. No, she fell for the charisma, but wasn't as easily swayed because she too is a strong presence, only less explosive and more stable. It was this understanding that makes her have a hella lot of respect for Nyra; she's successful at something Mirka herself tried to do and failed and she doesn't have an ego to be butthurt over it. She's gotta respect that.

But what I always keep in mind when writing about her from another beeb's pov - Nyra will always, always take center stage. You can't miss her; she will try, by virtue of being herself, to dominate the scene. Some kids match/fight her on it - Ceasefire comes to mind for it, as we're talking Nyra and El there; some go take it in stride - this Mirka and Nyra fic comes to mind (which is funny bc this is not a fic centered on her, she just opened her mouth and took up the first portion of the thing.) That's her ego working, for better or for worse.

And she absolutely is a divisive figure. She's the type of person you are most likely to have strong opinions on. Ruby and I recently theorised she has Leo somewhere in her chart.

But also. Nyra, Cass and El make up my 'big personality' triumvirate so here is....

Cassposting on main

I'll be more vague here than I was with Nyra as my extended verse is still a WIP. But I have written a few fics where he is perceived. Firstly, my joke that he's every rare gene in one man absolutely stays. He's someone you can't really miss in a crowd. But what surprised me was how a lot of the time, he doesn't strike you visually first; he's loud, and you first hear him then you see him, if that makes sense?

He spent a lot of his childhood and teen years hiding so now he takes up space, a lot of it, even if his self-esteem doesn't let him see it for what it is a lot of the time. There's a certain discord between how he perceives himself and how he's seen by other people. He has deep insecurities, sure, but I wouldn't say he's faking confidence to cover them up either? His cover is sarcasm, refusing to take things seriously and verbal aggression/conflict, not confidence, which is genuine.

(You could say he's his mother's son there in a way as well.)

As to preconceptions, it's a bit of a complicated issue given the reputation Wayfarers have, and he's a proud Wayfarer. He's also generally a bastard, so that gives people an idea of him that negates his gentler, kinder side. Because he is capable of great kindness and loves deeply, he loves taking care of people, he's very protective over them, very affectionate and considerate, and a lot of people don't get to see this bc he has a hard time trusting people and because he behaves like an absolute asshole 80% of the time.

I have spoken a bit about the Red Wayfarer persona before, but this is exactly what this is. A persona, part of him but not the entirety of him, something he constructed to as a defense mechanism, even if it can be harmful to himself.

He's genuinely funny and entertaining, though, so that one stays.

As to what I keep in mind when writing him from others' pov, one thing I always keep in mind is that 1) he will talk, and 2) that he will say random shit. I mean talk a lot. He likes the sound of his voice too much. And the randomness of what he says is just you not expecting him to say it in this particular moment.

It's things like this:

“Turns out he also hates Wayfarers on principle so he got cursed water from a Wayfarer’s gods-damned hair fall down from the sky right on his small fucking head. Woooosh. He’s angry about it, of course, but he can choke on a crab for all I care. I’m having fun.”

I swear that line took me out when I was writing it. Writing him is a lot of fun actually. He also tends to speak in hyperbole a lot, so that's part of the fun.

[chandeliermichel]

hello ! first of all congratulations on 800 followers 💛 that is a big milestone, and i’m sure you worked v hard for it <3 i was wondering if i could participate in the event? i’m a new follower, so it’s alright if you’d rather not write my matchup ! 🙈 no pressure at all /gen ! if i can join, i’d like to ask for a genshin impact matchup, preferably w a male character (adult), thank you <3

— about me: ppl describe me as sweet/sunshine, but i don’t see myself like that at all… imo i’m more like a raging storm haha. i’m shy + awkward, creative and a daydreamer who escapes reality. i’m a hopeless romantic too, introverted and i deal w anxiety.

— likes: cute things ! plushies, cats, cute decorations and sanrio, pastel colors, poetry, autumn/winter, writing, spending time w my friends, peaceful scenery, pretty landscapes.

— dislikes: extreme heat, neon hyper saturated colors, my parents, waking up early, crowds, loud noises.

— my type: someone gentle, not afraid to show their soft side or feelings and who is affectionate. a little artistic, with a rich inner world, someone comforting who i can lean on and they’re not afraid to lean on me either. (if possible i’d rather not be shipped w diluc or dottore… i’m just not much of a fan…)

i hope this is not too long, i apologize if that is the case. thank you so much whether you decide to write this or not ! and pls have a nice day/night 🩷

ink's note. Haiiii tysm for waiting <33 I hope you like this matchup!

I match you with...

Why i ship this ship:

I can see Thoma and you becoming good friends vv quickly :) and that would lead to one of u to catch feelings for the other heh (the kamisatos saw it coming honestly.)

Thoughts about u would keep him up at night and with u around, NO day would be a bad day! He just loves your sweet smile and pretty laughter so much <3 he's a simp, don't tease him too much

Picnic dates? Hell yeah! In places where there aren't many people around. He's very extroverted but he loves and respects u so whatever you prefer, he respects that!! Caring bf 10/10

"Your smile is cute."

"Thoma...?"

"What... ? Just saying the truth!"

"Heh, jeez."

100/10 couple. I can see the entirety of inazuma shipping u both 😳

Your song: sparks fly

[shortkingshapeshiftr]

Ok, So I Rewatched Brother Bear II - Let's Talk About It!

Alrighty, so I just finished re-watching Brother Bear II. I recall viewing it almost a year ago, but I didn't have many positive things to say about it. But what do I think about it now that seen both the first and second movies recently? Well, let's get into it! It's gonna be a long one, lol.

Starting off simple, I'd say the animation is decent enough. The backgrounds are, arguably, the closest to the original movie. There are some moments where the character models do look off, giving that sense of "direct-to-VHS Disney movie vibe." When comparing it to other low budget Disney animated sequels of the 90's to 2000's, it doesn't look half bad. Not as pretty as the original, but still good-looking!

Music-wise, I found the discography to be rather forgettable and disappointing. Perhaps this is a hot take, but I wasn't entirely a fan of the soundtrack in the original, either. Now, that isn't to say that the first didn't have fantastic songs! The song "Transformation" is easily one of my favorites, and I find it to be emotionally very moving. It just feels like some of the songs, even if they mean something to me, are under-cooked. And maybe this is another hot take, but I'm not big on Phil Collins music, either. No hate to Phil! Getting back to the soundtrack of the second movie, I can't really say that much about it. It's rather boring in my opinion, and I find myself not resonating with it. The first movie had songs that meant something to me, but I do acknowledge could've been tweaked more sonically or lyrically, "Welcome" being an example of this. Brother Bear II's lacks any bite. So in short, the OST for the sequel is pretty mediocre and didn't spark much in me. Definitely a downgrade compared to the original.

Next up is the story/plot elements. Maybe this is just bias, but I personally didn't find the story or plot to be that interesting. It is a rather generic love story; one about two long-lost lovers who start off disliking each other, only to get together in the end. Many of the plot elements felt more like mindless filler than intentional story/character development. The scene with the raccoons being the prime example of this. In general, I would say this is much more of a "silly" movie compared to the original. This film is definitely marketing towards a younger audience, but in a rather cheap, half-baked kind of way. Now I do understand why scenes like the raccoon scene exist, it gives a reason for Kenai and Nita to bond with each other and eventually fall in love. My issue is just how it's handled, that's all. It feels... disingenuous? Forced? I'm not sure how to describe it, but Kenai and Nita's relationship and how it's handled leaves me feeling... odd. I don't know, just in general I feel like it could've been fleshed out more and, again, have a little bit more bite like the original.

Onto the character stuff! Again, similar to my previous talking points, the characters just didn't live up to the original. Throughout the movie, I just kept yelling in my head: "JUST TALK TO EACH OTHER ALREADY, COMMUNICATE!" That happened a lot in this movie, moments that easily could've been solved if you just... talked honestly for like two seconds. It was a smidge frustrating, given how easy some of the tension could've been lifted. I also feel like Kenai's constant flip-flopping between Nita and Koda to be a bit off as well. In the beginning, Kenai is clearly jealous that Koda is getting along with Nita (Nita isn't romantically interested in Kenai, which Kenai is upset about.) Later on in the film, this is flipped, so now Koda is jealous/upset that Kenai is hanging out with Nita. My issue is how quickly Kenai forgets about Koda, given what happened in the first movie. Kenai is responsible for the death of Koda's mom, Kenai knows that Koda looks up to parental/familial figures in his life. Kenai understands that he owes Koda so much and has to look out for him, but in a short span of time practically ditches him. It just felt kinda of off, given that the end of the movie was literally about Kenai becoming the titular "brother bear" to Koda and being responsible for him, loving him. That massive element of Koda's character, his emotional attachment to a parental figure, really only comes up later in the movie. I felt like this could've been expanded upon a smidge more, perhaps through... communicating with the other characters. As a side note, I also find the moose characters to be kind of unnecessary. To me, the comic-relief moose in the first movie were one of the weaker parts, so considering they got significantly more screen-time in the sequel just made it a bit more annoying. In the end, they get the girls who magically lose their self-awareness, regardless of how manipulative they were. It's ok, the story and plot is ok. Nothing to ride home about.

It's all just middle of the road, that's the best way I could describe Brother Bear II. It's not as good as the original, and I feel like it has many pitfalls. It doesn't really expand much on the world of Brother Bear, and it is rather generic. Again, it's just an inoffensive, mid movie that I can't bring myself to get that mad about. Not much else to say about it.

That's all I got for now. Thank you for toiling through my long-ass, late-night post. There will be more bear stuff to come! 🐻

[masterwords]

✨ 2022 Writing Year In Review ✨

Many thanks to @spencer-reids-adventures and @domestikhighway58 for tagging me here. <3 Pretend I'm doing this on time...I spent ALL DAY yesterday at a children's wrestling tournament (seriously, 10 hours in a high school gym with hundreds of people...I can feel all the germs invading my body as we speak) so I didn't have the lifeforce remaining to use my brain. (This got long so I put most of it under a cut.)

1. Number of stories posted to AO3: 85! Holy moly.

2. Word count posted for the year: 470,122

3. Fandoms I wrote for: Criminal Minds, The Punisher (sort of...I shipped Frank Castle with Hotch so...) & Fargo

4. Pairings: AHAHAAA! Oh. Okay. Hotch/Morgan. .... ......... I did write a small amount of Hotch/Blackwolf, Hotch/Will and Hotch/Reid. But let's be real here. I am an OTP girl and Hotch & Morgan are married in my mind.

5. Story with the most:

Kudos: Catching Sparks

Bookmarks: missing pieces of sleep, but a close second and non-collab was Catching Sparks.

Comments: missing pieces of sleep, but a close second and non-collab was Running Toward Nothing.

6. Work I’m most proud of (and why):

Probably Running Toward Nothing, because it was hard for me to finish. It took so many twists and turns, and I didn't plan it out well enough (story of my life)...it was written for a challenge, and it was not at all what I imagined it would be when I started. But I also wound up really loving it by the end.

7. Work I’m least proud of (and why):

Cold Hands. Hotch/Reid isn't my ship already and I just felt very...like I could have done better. I don't dislike the story but I don't feel very proud of it either.

8. Share or describe a favorite review you received:

By far, my favorite was @olivinesea putting me in jail repeatedly for The Silence Drowns (a different take on the Foyet arc).

9. A time when writing was really, really hard:

May/June/July. Something about that 3 month span, my kids in baseball, I don't know. I couldn't write shit and it was stressing me out. Thankfully it came back to me eventually.

10. A scene or character you wrote that surprised you: 

Writing Foyet the way I did in The Silence Drowns was really an experience, focusing so hard on his POV, devoting entire chapters to how he did what he did and what he did when we didn't see him...that was really fun. And flipping the switch on Reid and turning him into the antagonist while also royally fucking up his life in Running Toward Nothing was interesting too.

11. A favorite excerpt of your writing:

He moved slow, still half-asleep. One rrrrrrip and he tore into the tissue to reveal a soft blanket. Too soft. Velvety, thick, plush. He couldn't make out the strange array of colors and buried his fist inside of it in order to pull it out. The bag and tissue paper were quickly discarded, and Derek reached out to grab the bottom two corners, helping move this along faster. He really had to go. Quickly, he splayed the blanket out over the bed. It was huge and almost impossible in the dark and from Hotch's angle to make out the pattern at first.

Derek grinned proudly the moment he caught the realization on Hotch's stiff features. “Is that...your face?”

“Sure is,” Derek announced, pushing the tissue paper back into the bag and tossing it aside. “So you won't forget me while I'm gone.”

Hotch raised an eyebrow. “Do you think that's likely to happen?” He had abdominal surgery, not brain surgery. He'd been trying to be gentle with Derek since it happened, the man was pulling double duty as Unit Chief and primary caregiver, burning the candle at both ends. In some ways, Hotch was glad they had a case that would take him out of town, maybe he'd get a break. He could focus entirely on the job and not worry about how Hotch was going to get from the bed to the toilet and back at 3am. Having the catheter had removed the need for that step but it was fleeting. He was on his own now. He was also doing just fine, he thought. No falls, a couple of near misses but he'd caught himself each time.

“Do you like it?”

“I love it,” Hotch replied quietly, smoothing it beneath slow hands. He was losing the battle with his tired body. “It's beautiful.” It was. In that way that heartfelt things often were, their beauty didn't lie in aesthetics. He wouldn't put this blanket on display in the front room, perhaps, but he adored it nonetheless. "It'll keep me warm as I convalesce." He'd been using that word a lot in the last few days, Derek noted. It was his boredom talking, finding ways to make light of his situation in order to soften the blow that he could barely manage a walk from his bed to the kitchen without being significantly winded and ready for a nap. He'd been refining new jokes, mostly biting sarcasm that came out a little slow but didn't sting any less. Jess was the recipient more often than Derek, being around more. He'd dare her to steal the blanket, just to see, but he was pretty sure she wasn't going to try it. Not with Derek's enormous face right there. Derek managed to create the one thing she'd stay far away from. She was probably going to call it creepy.

“As you convalesce, huh?"

Hotch nodded and smiled, smoothing his hands over the soft fabric. He was so out of it. Derek didn't mind. He was struggling with this slower lifestyle, something he'd be at for the next few weeks. A few more days and the staples could come out, after that he thought things would get better. Maybe speed up a bit. Slowing down wasn't in the Hotch playbook of life, but he was dealing.

From Convalesce

12. How did you grow as a writer this year: 

I'm not sure I did until the end when I realized I didn't need to over-think editing quite so much, and I should really just have fun. I spent most of the year stressing out over it and not enjoying it as much as usual. No more of that. I also decided that I don't mind so much being a one trick pony. I want to write about Hotch/Morgan more than anything else and I gave myself permission to just indulge it as often as I felt like it.

13. How do you hope to grow next year:

I hope to detach my worth as a writer from the interaction I receive. I do my best to maintain that mindset, and I hope to settle in better with it.

14. Who was your greatest positive influence this year as a writer (could be another writer or beta or cheerleader or muse etc etc): 

I mean, I probably should just simplify this and say it was Hotch & Morgan, really. Nearly everything I wrote this year centered around those two so I think I would be remiss not to acknowledge them as the muses they are. All of my friends, all of you incredible amazing writers I am fortunate enough to consider my friends...you have all influenced me positively. I can never thank you enough.

15. Anything from your real life show up in your writing this year:

Uh..hahaha! Yeah. I included lots of sports dad/coach moments, a lot of Jack because of my kids, you know...that kind of thing. Nothing huge...but this? Yeah. My life.

16. Any new wisdom you can share with other writers:

You can focus less on editing. Don't edit at the expense of posting your stories, yo. Don't overthink it.

17. Any projects you’re looking forward to starting (or finishing) in the new year:

I'm looking forward to actually finishing a bunch of these multi-chapter stories that I've been dragging out forever. Writing more with @domestikhighway58 on our Hotch/Reid story, diving in to the SWAT and retired in Chicago series more...so much.

18. Tag some writers whose answers you’d like to read.

@eldrai @olivinesea and anyone else who really wants to fill this out!

[briarrosescurse]

i play the xiang route bc i can’t resist long hair male wench but specifically projecting onto mc as depression hole cope wife and the only thing that happens is my brain turned into gelatinous goo and i was never able to open the game again without punching drywall and then punching drywall again in an unending cycle of playboy route agony

and also chanyu or briar route bc ive always wanted 2 had my asscheeks impersonally delivered to me in a cardboard box by a dark haired baddy that wants nuthing to do with me (still wants nothing 2 do with me by the end)

vy i love u so much do u know that, my wonderful angelcake and love of my life. also im putting this under the cut bc i like to talk

xiang route

general outlook: as people may not have assumed so ! xiang's route is a tough cookie and def not one of the easier ones. not harder than briar's route but absolutely up there under "stop giving the players a headache". but i'm taking what you said and imagining xiang taking an interest in you, the mc, because of your depression cope wife holexistence rather apparently disinterested behavior. he likes it when they play the cold shoulder, after all! though i feel that his route would be a very exciting one that makes u look forward to what happens next; it's never not lively without him and he just makes the dialogue so awfully funny and witty, you could make whole ass compilations out of just "things that xiang says in his route that i cannot get out of my mind".

it's not that hard to get the right answers with him, at the start, but the more it follows down the road of coming to a deciding point of what ending ur getting, it def gets harder. he either shuns you out like many others, because he just. might end up treating u like any other fling. or he'll want you to stay with him, but of course, getting to that point where he even considers that possibly is almost. painstakingly hard.

surprisingly though, i don't think the answers that indicate the most obvious interest in him would instantly lead to a good ending. i think it actually requires a balance...? of not. coming on too strongly and not vanishing from the face of earth. he is a bit of a tough cookie because he isn't always easy to read, but i feel that it'll pay off.

good ending: copium good ending is xiang is ur malewife and he loves u and cherishes u and shows u that every day somehow a good ending with xiang makes me picture a very toothy grin on his face, nearly smug, but genuine enough in itself, very telling of how happy it seems to make him that ur here with him. of course, nothing's ever perfect, but it seems that saying 'i love you' isn't anymore an intimidating feat as it was before, for him.

bad ending: of course, for that there are a multitude of options LMAO but it would def fall in the line of. xiang ending up just shoving u into a corner of 'like anyone else' and not heeding u any mind anymore. kinda just. lost his interest. he felt no spark. and he doesn't intend to linger around with u any longer. so he just kinda fucks off and moves on with his life - even if you express a strong dislike for that. but really? not his problem anymore. he can find someone else who would love to have fun with him <3

chanyu route

general outlook: if i had to give his route a difficulty rating, it would be an intermediate one? LIKE. he is not. as horribly emotionally messed up. but at the same time, he isn't someone who is impressed easily either. he is just. kinda there. but his route is fun. its interesting. i feel like u get a lot of entertaining moments with him and it hardly feels like it gets dragged out too long or is too bland. I DONT KNOW i just think his route is fun to play <3 go ham and entertain the buff man <3

i just think that in order to get the most out of the route, you just kinda have to keep his interest...? sort of show him that you're worth investing in, in a sense. if that makes any sense? like at the start, he def has hardly any interest in you, no signs of favoritism, no nothing. it's really You who has to get the ball rolling or nothing. is gonna roll at all here.

i think the tone of the route would have an interesting balance between being very entertaining but also exploring some rather. grim, darker sides. (think of how the og movie and its shift tone.) i just feel like that would be very interesting to see and feel out hehe.

good ending: what's a good ending with chanyu...? i feel that there isn't much to be said or done, in that case, since his. priorities do not lie with romance. i dont think there is rlly much happening, but i would like to imagine that the emphasis lies with how your relationship changed with him in the course of the route...? from someone for whom he didn't spare a second glance for to someone for whom he holds in high regard... i want that there is. a genuine sense of having build a bond... camaraderie except ur smooching ur fellow bro on occasion.

bad ending: u get murked by him, a classic <3 LMAO IM KIDDING BUT BUT. i think a bad ending with chanyu is one where. anything of the above mention just doesn't happen or dissolves...? perhaps even goes entirely south and you're left with an enemy made. i feel like his route in general is a lot more plot action, so i'd argue that there is a very. climatic moment in this ending, where ur on opposing sides with him. i have no idea, frankly, but. huh. looks like the u get murked by him ending rlly isnt that far off then.

briar route is here!