#i have so many fics ready to edit and post lol

[navstuffs]

*wipes the dust from my tumblr*

heeeyyy, how are you all? guess who is slowly coming to writing? i took some time off tumblr and honestly, never felt better. i plan on writing for more characters as well, so i will not just write about leon/carlos (i still have fics for them, not leaving my ot3 yet).

also, i must warn my otps are coming back in full force on may and june: loustat, rhaenicent and sydcarmy so i will be posting tons of shit abt them. you're more than welcome to come freak out with me!!

oh also, im seeing hozier thursday (total random fact)

hope you are doing well <3

[janitorhutcherson]

bedtime with mike and abby ( mike schmidt x reader)

hi guys! this is my first ever lil fic/imagine/blurb here!! if y'all like this, I'll keep it up. I'm also new to tumblr, so please please be patient with me. in the future i'd love to do requests.

also if someone wants to help me with formatting/be friends, just shoot me a msg :p

this is just a quick lil imagine/blurb. I've seen so many smutty fics and i wanted to spice it up w/ some fluff. just sleepy time on mike's night off! on w the fic :p

*edit* this isn’t revised!! i threw something together last min and posted cause i felt like writing lol. don’t mind the typos

word count: 1,633

warnings: none! just fluff, angst if u squint!!

summary: nighttime with mike and abby on his day off!

Most of the time, you, your boyfriend Mike, and his little sister Abby were on entirely different schedules. Mike worked nights at a shitty gas station job for the time being after his job at Freddy's was... well.. no more for obvious reasons. Even though he swore off the night shift, this was necessary until he could find something better. Jobs were sparse at the moment, and Mike's history didn't exactly make him a star candidate.

A typical night would consist of you making the three of you dinner, slowly forcing Abby to venture out when it came to her taste buds. Recently, she'd taken a liking to tacos. You and Mike would make a joint effort to get her ready for bed earlier together, as Mike was more particular about being there for her since the incident. She'd get a bath, get into her jammies, and the two of you would tuck her in with a bedtime story. You'd both kiss her little forehead goodnight, then kiss your boyfriend on his lips before sending him off.

Most nights, you tossed and turned in your sleep, unable to rest properly without Mike by your side. A painfully dull feeling would rest in your stomach, the lack of his warmth beside you agonizing. You'd spend all night waiting for 6am to roll around as you felt the bed dip on his side, barely stirring you from your sleep. You'd have thirty minutes until your alarm went off, thirty minutes to wrap yourself up into him before you once again went on your separate ways... living your separate lives until you could have your few hours of union later on.

But tonight, you were lucky. Mike had gotten the next few days off. His job was being extra kind as they actually recognized the hard work Mike put in, something he wasn't used to. They'd told him someone would take over for a bit, to enjoy himself, to rest. It may have been a low-paying, trashy, borderline dangerous job, but his boss was nice, and the customers were certainly safer to deal with than those at the pizzeria.

You called out sick from work, not wanting to miss a single second with your little trio. You'd both even made the decision to pull Abby out of school for the day, spending it building forts, watching movies, and eating ice cream. The three of you even went out rollerskating, Mike awkwardly tumbling every few seconds on the rink as Abby would bust out laughing at him. The three of you were now sat around on the couch, Mike smooshed into the far side of the armrest as your entire body lay on his, Abby's head resting in your lap as she sleepily blinked her eyes. She'd already had her bath, brushed her teeth, and all three of you were in your pajamas.

"So, everyone have a good day?" Mike asked, turning his head to the two of you with a small but sleepy smile.

"Mhm," Abby hummed quietly, slowly nodding her head against your lap. It was clear that she was moments from passing out, and once Abby was out, she was impossible to get up without a fight.

"Okay, I think it's time for bed," you giggled, slowly lifting your own head up from Mike's shoulder. Mike nodded in agreement, a laugh of his own escaping his lips.

You both slowly pulled Abby up, getting her up on her feet, her half asleep state making her delirious as she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, staring back at the two of you in confusion.

"C'mon, Abs, it's time for bed," Mike muttered, standing up. He grabbed your hand, pulling you up with him. You stood as well, following Mike as he led Abby to her room. She crawled up into her bed, her little body tucking under her blankets as the two of you sat on both sides of her.

"Want a bedtime story?" Mike asked, raising his eyebrows as he leaned down to press a small kiss to Abby's forehead. Abby's lips parted to answer, but before she could, her eyes were closed and she was out. A sincere and quiet chuckle escaped underneath Mike's breath, his eyes full of love for his sister as her stared down at her. You couldn't help but stare, the edges of your mouth turning up into a sleepy smile of your own. He was so majestic, his messy but soft brown curls were laying in every which way on his head. Even though he was much more rested than usual, his eyes were still somewhat sunken in, but to you, that just made him more attractive. His scruff was messy, unshaven, but it managed to highlight his jawline. The sparkle that remained in his eyes, even through it all, after everything that he'd been through, warmed you to your core, your love for him overwhelming.

"What?" Mike asked quietly with a smile still plastered on his lips, his eyes now locked on yours. A blush crossed your cheeks as you realize you’d been caught, your eyebrows raising.

“Nothin’,” you hummed, shaking your head. “Just admiring you.” Your hand reached out to his as the two of you went to your own bedroom, the only light now lighting up your house being the moonlight and street lamps peeking through the blinds. You both crawled into bed, pulling the blankets over your bodies.

There was nothing but silence other than the sound of the fan in your room, the hum almost hypnotic as you wrapped yourself up in his arms. Your head rest against his chest as he instantly tugged you closer, his back flat on the bed as his hand cradled your side. His thumb drew small figure eights on your shoulder. Your body felt fuzzy, a type of relaxation you hadn’t felt at night in a while. Mike made you feel safe. On nights where you two were able to just snuggle up, nothing could buzz in your mind. Anxious thoughts disappeared, even the ones that seemed to be a constant in the back of your brain. There was nothing but a warmness in your mind and a beam of love in your heart.

“Hey, baby?” You heard Mike ask softly, his voice cracking from his sleepiness. You were broken from your train of thought by this, looking up at the man with the sleepy eyes. “Hm?” You hummed in response, your eyes fluttering, but he couldn’t see due to the lack of light. Mike sat up, pulling you up with him as he grabbed your hands, both of your faces now lit up by the light peeking through the cracks in your curtain.

“I- I know we don’t get nights like these much, and I’m sorry. I’m sorry I’m never home, I’m sorry you have to do so much for you and Abby alone. I’m sorry I dragged you into that mess with Freddy’s, got you involved in so much of this,” he said, his voice seeping with sadness and regret. His eyes held an even softer emotion than they did earlier, one that felt like a knife to your chest. “Most importantly, I’m sorry I can’t be the boyfriend I should be. I mean, we should be spending our nights out at clubs, going out on special dates and vacations, and I hate that I’m unable to give you that,” he sniffled, a tear now falling down his eye.

You leaned forward, a frown on your lips as your eyebrows furrowed, your eyes locked on his as you placed your hand on his cheek, wiping away the tear with your thumb as you shook your head. Mike’s own two much larger hands were now placed on both of your cheeks as he continued. “But listen, Y/N, I love you, more than I have ever loved anyone, okay? I- I’m not good at this shit, I know I’m not. I’m clumsy and I’m bad at emotions. I don’t always know what I want or what I need, but I know I don’t only want you, but I need you. You came into my life and you brightened it where it was the darkest. You brought happiness back, you made me understand what joy was again, what it was like to feel.. complete. You saved me, but..” he trailed off again, full on tears falling down his cheeks now. “Most importantly, you saved Abby, made her feel whole again too, gave her somethin’ like a mother, something I couldn’t give her,” he said, his voice breaking at the end. Before he could say another word, you wrapped around arms around him, pulling him into a massive bear hug. He buried his head into the crook of your neck, your mind not even focused on the salty tears and the snotty nose that was leaned up against your shoulder. Your hands rubbing his back as you kissed the top of his head.

“Oh, baby..” you whispered softly, squeezing him like if you let go he’d disappear. “You know I love you so much too…” you finished, pulling his face up by his chin, pressing a soft, gentle but electric kiss to his lips. The two of you then settled back into bed, curling up in each other’s arms as he played with your hair, occasionally leaning down to press a gentle kiss to your lips, small sniffles still leaving his nose from the emotional moment. He was right, it was rare you got moments like these together, but when you did, you cherished them. It took about thirty minutes of sweet nothings and cuddles before the two of you drifted off, in your own little dream worlds filled with many nights like these.

[women-are-hot]

INSTAGRAM LIVE • A. PUTELLAS

request: “I can ask that the reader and Alex do a live together and Alexia looks at the reader with loving eyes and answers questions together all with cuteness.”

pairings: alexia putellas x fem!reader.

genre: pure fluff.

word count: 1.3k

warnings: just alexia and you being so in love that it makes fans sick lol.

note: this was in my drafts, so decided to edit it and post it for y’all. hope you like the small surprise fic <3

you were just casually laying with your head on alexia’s lap while she ran her fingers through your hair. it was your favorite thing to do when you had time. laying with your girlfriend and her running her fingers through your hair.

just when you had fallen asleep, alexia decided to wake you up by caressing your cheek. “mi amor” she whispered, but enough for you to hear. you hummed a ‘yes’ into her stomach, wanting her to continue running her fingers through your hair.

“should we go live on my instagram?” alexia asked you, making you rub your eyes and sit up on the couch beside alexia with your head still on her shoulder. “do you even know what you’re talking about la reina?” you teased her which earned you a light flick by her finger on your forehead.

you fake gasped, but the gasp was quickly wiped away when alexia kissed your forehead, then your nose and lastly, a passionate kiss on your lips. “you’re forgiven” you said with a smile.

“yeah, i know” alexia responded with a cheeky smile, making you roll your eyes at her.

“anyway, should we go live on instagram?” alexia asked, repeating her question. “si. it would be fun, but i won’t help you with anything. you have to figure it out yourself” you answered, trying not to laugh as you knew alexia wasn’t the best at instagram yet even if she tried a lot, especially after getting so many followers. 

“mi amor-” alexia started complaining, but you responded with a simple ‘no’. after more complaints from your girlfriend, you two agreed that if she made everything a very big disaster, you would eventually help her.  

alexia also decided that she should do a quick story before going live, so her fans would be ready to watch the two of you and send questions. “i want you to be in it too” alexia said and literally took her arm around your waist, dragging you into her without any warning, but you couldn’t complain as she started the video. 

“hola everyone. y/n and i are going live here on instagram in a few minutes, so we hope y’all will come and ask us questions and hang out. adios, see you soon!” alexia announced while you just stared at her with a big smile. what did you do to deserve her?

“you’re so cute!” you mumbled into her shoulder, still with a big smile on your face. “qué? why?” alexia asked, worried that she said something wrong as english isn’t her first language. 

“calm down babe. you didn’t say anything wrong. you just sounded so cute while talking english in your hot spanish accent” you answered as you tried to cheer up your worried girlfriend. she always get so worried about saying something wrong in english. 

“my hot spanish accent?” alexia mumbled confused at you. you just gave her your usually cute little smile with a simple nod. “you really think my accent is hot?” alexia asked as if she was surprised.

“ale, everything about you is hot” you answered in a low voice, failing to keep a shy smile off your face. alexia’s confused look was now replaced with a smirk, looking you right in the eyes, almost making you weak.

“is that so?” alexia asked while you just nodded as you looked down at your feet, feeling alexia’s eyes burn through you. alexia then took her finger under your chin, making you look back up at her. 

she then smashed her lips into your in a slow and passionate kiss. just as you had started kissing her back, she stopped kissing you and walked away. “what the- ale, where are you going?” you yelled at her. 

“i’m just going to make us some iced coffees before we go live. that is okay right miss y/l?” alexia asked in a teasing tone while you just huffed at her with an annoyed face, sitting down on the couch with your phone, posting alexia’s story on your profile. 

after eight minutes, alexia was back with two iced coffees and ready to go live. she opened her phone and started the live with 35,000 people already watching. alexia just somehow didn’t know that. 

“do i have something in my teeth?” alexia asked, putting her face close to the camera, finally making you crack a big laugh. “why’re you laughing?” she asked and after wiping your tears from your laughs, you answered her. “do you know that 35.000 people just heard and saw that?” 

“huh? are we already live?” alexia asked. you just slightly nodded, before going into another laughing attack full of tears. “why didn’t you tell me, idiota?” she mumbled with a frown.

“i told you that you had to figure all of this out yourself” you said with a big smile. “you’re annoying” she said. “but you love me” you responded with an even bigger smile that even alexia couldn’t resist as she started to smile herself a bit.

“i really don’t know anymore to be honest” alexia mumbled, but you could still hear it, making you hit her shoulder. “woahhh. that hurt so much” alexia said in sarcasm while you just rolled your eyes at her.

“save that for later mi amor” alexia whispered into your ear, making you blush a bit, but enough for the fans to see it.

@ alexia4ever - what did alexia just say to make y/n blush like that?

@ putellasluv11 - you guys are really making me feel so single

@ aleandynschild - cutest couple ever! literally my parents!

“alright, we thought we could answer some questions, so ask a few things and we’ll try to answer as best as we can” alexia explained with a tomato colored head beside her. then questions started flowing in.

“what’s the best thing about living and playing in barca?” alexia readed out loud. “you should answer that, amor” alexia said, putting her arm around your shoulder, pulling you even closer.

“well, there’s quite a few things, but first of all, the sunny weather is amazing, especially when you come from Sweden or the nordic countries in general” you started while alexia chuckled a bit at you and looked at you with what the fans called ‘heart eyes’.

“of course there’s more than amazing weather! barcelona has always been my dream club to play for as my parents always cheered for them, making me a fan automatically. so when i got the offer to play for barca, i was so excited and of course couldn’t say no to such a big offer. the club just means so much to me and i’m so grateful for all of my teammates that i get to call my friends. and of course, there’s la reina de barca, alexia putellas. my best friend and other half” you rambled, leaning into alexia during the last sentence. 

“so yeah, basically everything about living and playing in barca is the best thing” you added, looking up at your girlfriend as she always looked down at you with a big smile. “am i talking too much?” you asked her. 

“no. tu respuesta fue perfecta, mi amor” alexia answered, taking some of your hair behind your hair, giving your head a kiss, making fans feel very single again. after that little sweet moment, the two of you went back to answering questions for about an hour and a half while making fans awe over your relationship.

@ ynputellas0 - the way y/n was talking about barca and alexia was so cute, i can’t

@ alexiabiggestfan - alexia is being a romantic girlfriend ulalalala

@ lareinaaayn - i’m literally so in love with both of them

@ alelovesyn - alexia’s heart eyes for y/n are just so cute. i want what they have!

[javis-burner-phone]

To Writers in the Pedro Pascal Fandom:

This fandom went full Chernobyl this summer. I need a hazmat suit to get through these tags. I recently saw an anon reach out to a fic writer here.

The anon is right that there's a problem in the fandom space, but they're misplacing blame. I'm writing this post for the non-hateful writers that have tried to feel a part of the community, but ended up feeling left out. I'm posting this on a burner account for obvious reasons that you'll see below:

The hateful posts about "big writers" have absolutely disgusted me, but I can relate to the frustration that many fic writers are expressing. We see very fun and active areas of the fandom where writers are communal, hyping each other up, reblogging fics, but only within certain friend groups. Most of us writers don't have that. Instead this fandom sometimes feels like a desolate wasteland for many of us.

Here's where us writers need to place the blame:

Since the introduction of algorithms, there has been a cyclical effect: popular Tumblr posts are boosted due to everyone's default feed settings and posts from new, lesser known blogs are pushed down.

Over years, this has impacted fandom spaces in a sort of feedback loop. We're currently seeing the late stages of this. This effect pushes most fandom activity towards the already popular blogs by default. (Yes, Tumblr has always shown popular posts first, but algorithms, and the feedback loops they create, have made the effect stronger over the years.)

Is that the "big writers" faults? No. Are friend groups to blame? No. In fact, we should have more friend groups in this fandom. That's how fandoms used to be. There were dozens of overlapping friend groups that would have long reblog chains and mainly interact with each other. New people could find other new people pretty easily and make their own groups.

Now new people/smaller blogs are far less exposed to other new people/smaller blogs by default. *That* is the problem.

Eventually, I found my people. I feel a part of the community and you can too.

You just need to make 3 virgin sacrifices and find the lochness monster in order to do so. What I mean is, it takes a lot more effort than it used to. Be ready for that:

1. Sort by "Latest posts" when searching fandom hashtags. Imagine if Ao3 used an algorithm to show popular fics first instead of sorting by most recent fics. New writers would be screwed, right? That's what Tumblr does. Support posts that resonate with you, but have low engagement. Leave likes, comments, reblogs! Guess what happens when someone that feels isolated in this fandom gets a bunch of notes from you? They're gonna check out your blog. They may want to connect!

2. DM people. Is there a lesser known blogger whose posts you like? Ask to be mutuals! Start a conversation! If you can't be social it's gonna be near impossible to build community. Sorry if you have anxiety, but that's the truth. Warning: half the convos will fizzle out. Move on to the next person as soon as you sense this.

3. Don't try to connect with bigger blogs for friendship. I've tried and as long as you gush over them, they respond, but the interaction ends there. DMing them works, but the convos almost always feel one sided and fizzle out. I'm mutuals with some bigger bloggers, but I had to add their usernames to my filtered content list in account settings. This means they can see my stuff, but I can't see theirs. Seeing them have fun in their friend group just reminds me of my failed attempts to connect. Maybe filtering them isn't fair, but that's how I deal with my negative emotions. No, they are not rude for not befriending me. I don't feel entitled to friendship.

(edit: I got a weird anon about this part. It's more difficult to befriend people who already have close-knit connections here. It's not impossible, but I've had much better luck with fellow isolated fandom members. The secret ingredient is our shared desperation lol. Befriend whoever you want ❤️)

4. Join/start a small PPCU discord server. The big servers will just make you feel more isolated, but the intimate ones are way more communal and it's easier to make stronger connections there than on Tumblr. 

These tips are for people that actually want to find solutions instead of spreading hate and complaining.

I'm saying this as someone that averages 50 notes on most of my fics after a year in this fandom(edit: saw this poll and thought I'd clarify. I get 50 notes now, but for 8ish months I got 5 on a lucky day. This post is for people who still feel isolated because I know how it feels.) It takes way more effort than in the early 2010s to feel a part of a fandom, not because of cliques, but because of the feedback loops the algorithm creates. 

I understand the frustration, but I'm not going to spread vitriol just because the fandom ecosystem went to shit. 

[freshbakedbreadstick]

No. 1 Party Anthem - Mikey Berzatto x F!Reader - Chapter Three

Past!Mikey Berzatto x F!Reader

Carmy Berzatto x F!Platonic!Reader

Richie Herimovich x F!Platonic!Reader

Summary: The promise of taking your return “one step at a time” seems appealing until you realize that it comes with being vulnerable. And being vulnerable makes you run. 

Warnings: All my fics are 18+ regardless of the content. Heavy spoilers. Mentions of death, toxic relationships, grief, angst, strained relationships, minor injuries, arguments/yelling matches, details of anxiety/panic attacks, bad coping mechanisms, mental health issues.

Word Count: 4.1k 

A/N: Hi besties ! ! ! Im so sorry this took so so so long for me to update, unfortunately life had other plans for me lol ironic how i'm writing about anxiety attacks while i myself was dealing with having one basically everyday . Don’t worry about me though , worry more about the heavy angst your gonna read lolllll anyways this one was fr a doozy to write and edit so take breaks when you need it but i promise things will get better in the next chappy ! ! Also, i made it extra long to compensate for my late post lolllll I still hope you all enjoy ! <3

Taglist: @marysucks-blog @shinebright2000 (your both sweeties ! ! ty for being on my taglist, extra love 4 u n for everyone who gets on the taglist <3)

Chapter One / Chapter Two / Masterlist

The sky outside your window was a deep shade of blue with black bleeding into its edges. Not a peep of the morning sun had made it into the sky, keeping it a lighter shade of the usual night sky. 

Your hands gripped the edges of the sink as you looked into the mirror, the cold ceramic making goosebumps appear on your skin making you shiver in your pajamas. Your eyes traced your mirrored face, moving from the creases on your skin to the deep, dark bags underneath your eyes. 

You got no sleep last night as you were on the cusp of making a decision you weren’t exactly sure was a good one, but was a decision you wanted to make regardless: you were returning to The Beef and taking it one day at a time, just like how Richie said. 

You didn't even know why you were returning anymore, you just sort of felt a calling when you stepped foot in the kitchen you vowed to never return to.

Your shoulder twitched as you thought about the kitchen of The Beef. You could feel the ghost of Carmy's hand searing into the spot on your shoulder where he rested his hand for a brief second as he passed behind you.

With a shaky breath, you looked down and turned the sink on to splash some lukewarm water on your face. It was time to get ready. 

After quietly moving about mindlessly in your room, you were ready. From one of the many boxes shoved in the back of your closet labeled "The Beef", you pulled out ivory wide leg linen pants, covered in colorful pigments, a cropped sleeveless black top, and an oversized sweatshirt that had a graphic of The Beef on the back. You sighed, looking at your old 'chef' clothes. 

Suddenly, you were pulled into a memory. 

You walked into The Beef, grinning widely as you made eye contact with Richie who was behind the counter. There, he was preoccupied with counting cash from the register but instantly perked up upon seeing you walk through the front door.

You were wearing your ivory linen pants and cropped top as well as the oversized sweatshirt. It was a staple outfit you often wore when helping out at The Beef. 

Richie clapped his hands as you held up and lightly shook the white paper bag in your hand. 

"Hallelujah, my prayers have finally been answered!" he exclaimed, throwing his hands into a prayer formation. 

You snickered and placed the bag on the counter before gently opening it up. Richie then shoved his hand in the bag, making you laugh and scold him. 

As you two playfully bickered, a hulking frame walked over from the kitchen and over to the entryway that led to the front of the restaurant.

"What'd ya get me, baby?" 

You turned to the doorway of the kitchen where Mikey leaned against the frame, his toned body taking up the entire space. One hand rested on his hip while the other stretched up, gripping the top of the door frame. 

Noticing that you were busy ogling at your boyfriend, Richie took the opportunity to quickly grab his dessert from the bag and start eating it feverishly. 

You beamed at him, cheeks rosy, "I got us all our favorite cream puffs from the bakery down the street. The last ones too!!" 

Richie took another bite of his cream puff and groaned, mouth covered in sugar and muffled as we went on and on about how this was exactly what he needed after a long day. Meanwhile, Mikey let go of the frame and slowly made his way to you, eyes locked with yours. 

As he approached you, his gaze never left your own, making you flush. Fuck, his eyes were always so intense. 

You held up his own cream puff, making him lick his lips as he stopped in front of you. 

The world seemingly disappeared around you as he murmured quietly, only loud enough for you to hear, "Feed it to me, baby?" 

The front door slammed behind you, making you jump and grimace. 

"Shit…" you whispered to yourself, not meaning to make so much noise as to avoid waking up your parents.  

After locking it much more quietly, you grabbed your tote bag full of supplies and rushed down the steps to your car. The sky was still dark, but was lighter than before making you anxious about getting to The Beef on time. 

The streets were dead and silent as you passed the green lights. Occasionally, another car would pass by, making your heart race as you feared you would accidentally have your plans exposed early. After all, nobody knew you ended up making this decision to fully return. 

After parking a little down the street to keep your car hidden, you sat in your car, mind replaying the memory of Mikey. You can see the pink flush on his tan skin, making him look so... alive. You can see the way his chest rises as he breathes in, pink lips parting as he breathes out. His hair was well kept despite a long day at The Beef. Before you, he looked well. 

He looked alive. 

But he was dead. 

Your grip on the steering wheel weakened as your arms felt numb. Your hands had even begun to get sweaty, slipping down the steering wheel. 

Your Mikey was dead. 

It has been over half a year now that Mikey died. 

As you continued to sit there, the windows started getting foggy and the interior got stuffier and stuffier, making you feel like you were suffocating.

It's been over half a year since Mikey had died. 

Your right hand had begun to slide its way from where they fell onto your lap and to your tote bag, shaking. Your breathing got faster and faster, your heart racing right until… 

Your fingertips hit cold metal.

Your heaving chest froze, your shaking hands froze, it even felt like your rapid heartbeat froze. 

Slowly, your fingers curled around the keys and pulled them out. They jangled as you pulled them up to view. 

The keychains, all unique and worn down from years of being stuffed into pockets, bags, etc, glistened under the streetlamp. The small square keychain that contained a photo of you and Mikey, squished together but grinning during a trip to Coney Island years ago, seemed to glare at you as it turned in the air to face you.

You threw the car door open and shoved yourself out and onto the street, stumbling as you tried not to fall onto the cold asphalt. Hot tears streamed down cheeks, feeling out of place and unexpected despite your emotions in that moment. You hiccupped to yourself, trying your best to bite down on the sleeves of the sweatshirt to muffle your crying. 

“I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm fine,” you repeat to yourself, trying desperately to stop the tears from continuing.

You dragged your bag from out of the car, yanking it, body flailing forward as the heaviness of what was inside set in. You hurriedly locked your car and crossed the street, steps heavy as you rushed towards the back door of The Beef.

With a pause, you quickly wiped your face with your limp hands and took a shaky breath. The metal back door was slightly rusted around the metal edges, making it look old in a way that made you shiver as you thought of the night you came here and saw it for the first time in months. With your eyes squeezed shut, you twisted the knob of the door, hoping to find it locked.

Lucky for you, it still was.

You let go of the breath you didn’t realize you were holding in and brought your keys up to unlock it. By now, the sky had barely started to get specks of yellow and orange; you knew that any moment now Carmy would probably arrive. After all, you reminded yourself, he would be the kind to aim to arrive before anyone else and start prepping for that day’s meal service.

You quickly shoved the keys into the lock and it clicked open. After accidentally dropping the keys as if it was hot metal, you got back up and swung the door open, pushing forward over the threshold to turn on the lights. 

You blinked as the lights slowly illuminated the steel appliances of the kitchen and the white walls. It was completely silent, aside from the subtle buzzing of the fluorescent lights above you. It was oddly calming too, standing there in a place of chaos where there wasn’t any. It made the knot that had formed in the pit of your stomach slowly unwind. You were terrified that being in here, alone, would cause you to scream, cry, throw things, or just do something, but you were relieved to feel that you just… you felt… fine. 

Your feet shuffled across the kitchen and to the lockers. Instinctually, you went and stood in front of the locker you used to use and reached up to open it before pausing. 

With a quick step back, you hummed to yourself. You haven’t been there in so long and because Carmy has since taken over, there is a good chance that the locker you left abandoned was repurposed for someone else, but something inside you pushed you to unlock it anyway.

The locker clicked and creaked as you opened it, your eyes widening to find it empty. You eyed each corner before looking down to see a clean and neatly folded apron resting there. The sharpie writing underneath the logo of The Beef was smudged after years of washes and rewrites, but you could still make out your name in Mikey’s writing. 

You reached forward, the canvas fabric of the apron feeling soft under your fingertips as you gently traced the curves and corners of your name. 

Your throat tightened, making you pull your hand back fast, as if burned by the touch of the fabric. 

Exhausted at your own reactions, you rolled your eyes, “Fuck, this is so stupid.” 

You grabbed the apron and shoved your tote bag inside. After changing your shoes to some non-slip ones more appropriate for working in the kitchen, you threw the apron on.

The clean scent of fresh laundry invaded your nostrils, making you sniff as you realized that this was very recently laundered. Your eyes closed and your shoulders sagged, it must have been Sugar that found this somewhere in the mess of the office and cleaned it for you.

You wiped down the front counters and restocked the cups, knowing exactly where it was that all these things were kept in the kitchen. You couldn’t help but chuckle to yourself as you noticed the paper sign you laminated and stuck to the wall where the cups, utensils, and plates were kept was still there after years. The paper itself was wrinkled and the writing was blown out, having suffered a water related accident courtesy of Richie before you decided to laminate it and stick it back on. Your writing said ‘Please place all disposables here! Thank you (:’ and underneath it was Richie’s messy, blown out writing saying ‘Don’t tell me what to do!’.

By the time you had finished doing the small tasks you used to do in the front, the backdoor swung open with a loud, "Hello?"

You stood up and whipped your head to the doorway of the kitchen. Carmy's voice echoed out again. 

"Richie? Are you here?" 

You quickly ran around the counter and to the doorway, pausing awkwardly once in view of Carmy, "Uh, hey. It's actually me."

Carmy's eyes widened briefly, surprised to see you, "Oh… hi." 

You shifted your weight from one foot to another. 

His blue eyes looked at you up and down, "You uh, found the… the apron, huh?"

You looked down at your apron and nodded to yourself, "Yea yea I found it in my… in a locker." 

Carmy nodded and moved forward, moving to set his things to his own locker and prepare himself to work, "Richie was the one who, uhm, told me where your locker was and I found your apron in the office so… I cleaned it up for you."

His voice got smaller and smaller at the very end of his sentence, making your chest tighten at the mention of where your apron was found. 

You fiddled with your fingers, "Oh you did?"

Carmy hummed in affirmation, gesturing you to follow him as he moved around the kitchen. He led you to the fridge, showing you to some of the empty labeled bins. 

"Help me with restocking these?" 

Everyone else came in that morning, surprised to see you but trying their best to cover up their curious stares and questioning glances to one another. But you, once again, found yourself standing in the kitchen with a knife and cutting board, chopping the vegetables needed for the day. It wasn’t a menial task, prep was extremely important, but the lack of movement made you feel a bit useless. 

After all, you once helped run this damn place.

But you continued, not saying a word to keep the flow going. The key word was that you ‘once’ helped run the place and you didn’t anymore. 

When Richie came in, he yelled out upon seeing you, "Cousin!!"

You put your knife down turned around just in time for him to hobble towards you and wrap his arms around you. 

"Cousin, what are you doing here?" He said, excited. 

You chuckled softly, "I'm here to help but I'm taking it one step at a time." 

He smiled at your words, reminded of your conversation from yesterday. Then, he stepped back, put his hands on your forearms to get a good look at you, and, in a low voice, said, "Are you okay here?"

Your shoulders sagged as you sighed, "Yea yea, I'm fine… but are you?" 

Richie chuckled and nodded his head, “Ah some stupid little stab isn’t gonna kill me. You would need a boa constructor or something like that to do the job… or whatever the hell Eva mentioned she saw on her field trip to the zoo…”

He muttered the last part under his breath, making you smile and giggle to yourself, forgetting all your worries for a split second, before Sugar’s voice brought you back.

“Oh my gosh you’re here?!” 

At the tone of her voice, you jerked back and away from Richie’s grip. Your smile dropped before you quickly plastered it on again, nodding in her direction. But this action wasn’t kept unnoticed, like how you hoped; Richie’s own smile slowly fell into a frown, eyebrows creasing as he looked across your face, trying to read what was going on and why you stopped smiling when you saw Sugar. 

Sugar raced over, smiling but eyes looking concerned, as she wrapped her cardigan around her body, “Hi sweetie! How are you? It’s been a while and I was going to reach out to you.” 

Her normally comforting and kind demeanor made your eyes narrow. The way she spoke to you… it felt… not good. 

But you shook this feeling away, unsure why exactly you were feeling this way over Natalie, one of your previously closest friends. She cared about you, always checked in with you, and for pete’s sake she was your dead boyfriend’s sister! You were as thick as thieves at one point in life. 

“At one point in life…” you mumbled to yourself.

“What’s that?” Natalie asked, reaching out to gently place a hand on your forearm in concern. 

You jumped slightly, having been lost in thought for a second, “I’m fine, sorry, just lost in thought.”

You looked around the kitchen and felt yourself shrink as you realized that everyone there was stealing glances in your direction, eyes quickly turning away when you glanced at them.

“Can i just…” you began, feeling yourself grow more and more agitated.

Natalie nodded, trying to encourage you to say whatever it was that you wanted to say. Richie continued to scan you, head tilting to one side as he tried to piece together what was going on.

All of a sudden, the clanking of pans and the warmth of the flames being turned on started to get louder and hotter. It was like they were right up against your ear, despite being over 5 feet away. Your breath began to irregulate, some deep and heavy and others shallow and fast.

Noticing this, Natalie’s eyes widened, “Oh no, hey uhm, how about we go outside real quick?”

Richie quickly grabbed your shoulders and gently steered you forward and through the kitchen, to the backdoor. 

Carmy, who was in the front at the time of you three talking, came out when he saw you all rushing to the backdoor, “What’s going on?”

“She’s having a panic attack, we are going to get some air!” Natalie said, loud enough for it to echo across the kitchen and over to where Carmy was standing, in order for him to hear over the noise of the prepping.

This seemed to get you out of your stupor. 

You didn’t realize that you were frozen and being led out of the kitchen until in that moment when Natalie seemingly announced to everyone there that you were having a panic attack. In the restaurant that you used to help run. Like it was nothing.

You could feel eyes hitting your back. Although you couldn’t hear it, you just knew that there were whispers either happening or going to happen the second you walked out the door. 

And that made you lose it. 

Whispers that ‘oh, that’s his girlfriend’ and ‘she doesn’t seem to be taking his death well despite trying to move on with someone else’ and even ‘i heard she ran away from his funeral’. Whispers labeling you as so many awful things that you knew you weren’t, but they would never understand why you did it; why you left. No one would understand. No one right now understands.

That made you lose it.

You jerked your shoulders to shake off Richie and Sugar’s hands before pushing forward. You shoved the door, making it swing all the way open with a bang and stomped out. 

Natalie and Richie raced after you, alarmed at your sudden aggression. 

You crossed your arms, a grimace on your face, as you turned to look at them as they stood in front of you.

“What’s going on??” Natalie asked, voice quivering with worry. Her arms winded around her body, hands clammy.

“Cousin, what was that?” 

It made you sick the way Richie’s hardened eyes pleaded for you to tell him what was wrong. But it was Sugar’s careful tone that just made it worse. 

You grit your teeth, rolling your eyes which took Natalie aback.

“Are you… upset?” she said.

You scoffed and threw your arms down to your side, “Are you serious? Actually serious, Natalie?”

Natalie jerked back, making Richie shake his head and speak up, in a calm but agitated tone, “Cousin, what are you going on about-”

But before he could finish, you interrupted him and yelled, “Oh my gosh just… stop!!!”

Your voice echoed in the quiet morning street. The sky was light blue and the sun was still orange as it slowly made its way up the sky. The birds chirped in a harmonious tune that practically said ‘today is a lovely day!’ to those who made their way around town that morning for whatever they had on their to do list. 

But here you were, outside of The Beef again, and this time angry.

“I’m fine!! I don’t know how many times I have to tell you and remind you but I. Am. Fine!” 

The two reeled back for a second, hurt written all over their faces as you yelled at them. 

Richie then straightened up and crossed his arms, his own voice getting louder by the minute “What the hell is wrong with you? Natalie is just trying to help.”

“Oh yea, ‘help’! By treating me like a fragile piece of glass that will break at any second, you're ‘helping me’, right?” with your hands, you quoted each word for help, voice getting louder and louder to combat Richie’s own booming voice.  

“Sweetie, I didn't mean to treat you like that…” Natalie whispered, tears forming in her eyes. 

You groan and turn away, “You talk to me like I'm a child and I'm sick of it!”

“What’s going on?” Carmy said, interrupting you as he walked out the backdoor to join you three, “I can hear you yelling from inside.”

But you ignored him and continued, “Why are you avoiding talking about what happened as if saying the word or his name is going to make me explode? Why?!”

Carmy blinked, “What do you mean why?”

“Stop pretending like everything is fine and normal and that you have to watch me around knives and give me baby tasks to keep me busy as if being around The Beef is going to kill me!” you growled, tears of frustration starting to run down your cheeks. 

Stupid tears. Such traitors. 

Carmy sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, “Nobody is treating you like a child and I'm not giving you ‘baby tasks’, you know this.”

“Really Carmy? You're one to talk, seeing as you don’t even want to acknowledge or talk to me!” 

Carmy cleared his throat, voice low in an effort to control his own growing anger, “I’m not the one who is avoiding you or anything, okay? None of us are.”

Sugar covered her mouth and turned away from you, trying not to let the tears stream down her cheeks. Carmy turned, just in time to see her watery eyes. His jaw clenched as you seethed in front of him. 

“Listen, we all know you're grieving, okay? It fucking sucks that your boyfriend is dead but guess fucking what, my brother is dead and so is Sugar’s brother. Richie’s best friend is dead and everyone in here’s boss and friend is dead too. Your not the only one who is dealing with this so stop fucking acting like everyone here is out to get you for dealing with Mikey’s death!” Carmy blurted out, neck veins bulging as he leaned forward with every sentence. 

Sugar gasped and whipped around, “Carmy!”

“What? It’s fucking true! Everything has gone to shit, yea, but that doesn’t mean you're dealing with it alone! Mikey left a shit ton of people like you, me, and everyone else to pick up the pieces of his fuck ups, so stop acting like a baby and get to work, break is over.”

With that, Carmy turns around and goes back into The Beef, leaving you staring angrily at the ground with tears running down your cheeks and your fists clenched at your side. Richie softened at seeing you cry, but did nothing to prevent Carmy from going on his rant. 

Natalie sniffled quietly, wiping away at her tears as a few rolled down and hit the pavement underneath her. She then turned to you and smiled a watery smile, giving you one last glance of reassurance before turning to go back inside. 

As the door closed behind her, you broke into a sob, your once stiff body crumbling to the floor with a crouch. Your body shook, throwing all the adrenaline you had into each sob that wracked your body. 

With blurry vision, you didn’t see the way Richie sighed before he moved forward, arms wrapping around you with a clenched jaw. His own eyes were beginning to rim with tears as he held you, listening to your cries in agony get muffled into your hands and his chest.

Once your sobs turned into small cries and staggering breaths, Richie helped you get up and lean against the wall. He gently wiped your tears, fingers running the same path that he used to do when he found you upset after a particularly difficult argument with Mikey. 

Then, he left you there. 

He kissed your temple and turned to go back inside, leaving you alone outside with the chirping birds and the warm sun to contemplate what happened. 

“I really fucked up…” you whispered to yourself, sniffling.

And like the way you left from Mikey’s funeral and your exes out west when things got hard, you ran. You took your things silently and without saying a word to anyone about what you were doing and where you were going, you ran. 

[invisiblewille]

Maybe it’s because I’ve only written for young royals so I just never noticed, but I like really don’t remember other fandoms I’ve been in having such an issue with people constantly commenting asking writers to update faster.

Like there’s literally nothing worse than being insanely busy and stressed about irl stuff and then you get an email that you got a comment and get excited only for it to be someone commenting that you’re not uploading fast enough.

And I feel like at this point so many of us have like tweeted about it or posted on other sites like this saying how it makes us feel that it’s just crazy to me that it’s still happening.

Like are we just slower than other fandoms or why do people in this fandom keep expecting us to write things in three seconds and not have jobs/lives 😭 and I know we all mostly assume that they have good intentions but it’s still ridiculous how much it’s an issue. I don’t know any of my writer friends atp who haven’t gotten those comments no matter how fast they’re uploading.

I sometimes go like a month in between bc of how long my editing process takes / the fact I often work 70+ hours a week so like I guess whatever for me maybe I am slow, but I know people who update literally every week or sometimes more frequently and still get those which is crazy

Anyways… I’ll get to my fics some time in late September / early October if you are someone who’s waiting on me but is nice enough not to tell me. Currently juggling more work and exam prep hours than there are in the day so until I have more than 4 hours a day to sleep fanfic isn’t gonna be on my list of things to do lol

But the third chapter of there is no hurry and the 7th(?) chapter of thou wilt whisper (or religion fic if you’re fun) are both like mostly ready and I’ll get to them when I have time again :)

(And thank you to those of you who do leave actual comments on fics. They do make me smile in the midst of trying to not drown in accounting work/textbooks)

Okay rant over sorry

[amrcnnightmre]

Hi I see you take requests. Would you write a CM Punk x wrestler!fm!reader? Maybe one where him and Drew McIntyre are in the height of their feud, and Drew gets the reader hurt during a match. Angst, love, you know lol

I’ve got you - C.M Punk

All fics posted are my original work, feel free to reblog but DO NOT repost thank you!! I haven’t thoroughly edited this so apologies if there’s any errors! All rights are reserved for my writing and any ocs that may be included, please don’t steal and as always.. happy reading!

My Masterlist

CM Punk x wrestler!fm!reader!

( tw: angst, fluff, injury, slight worry & panic )

Word count: 1,9K !

requested.

A feud between Punk and McIntyre had gotten to an all time high, both at each others throats constantly and the person in the middle of it all — y/n. Drew found just about all the ways he could to get under CM Punks skin but dragging y/n into the mix brought a whole other level of anger out of Punk, she was his long time partner after all.

Punk and y/n have been together almost 11 years now, their relationship Is as strong as ever. There is nobody who has supported him more then she has, you see him and you know y/n is never far behind — she always had his back.

The action of Monday night was in full effect— bright lights, loud pumped up crowd members and eager superstars ready to take to the ring for each of their scheduled matches. Y/n stood backstage with a furrowed expression as her gaze remained fixated on one of the many screens showcasing the action currently taking place beyond the curtain. Drew was getting the upper hand on his opponent Jey Uso while Punk sat ringside at the commentary desk, saying just about anything to distract the Scots man — a smug expression laced effortlessly on his face as he spoke to the two men next to him.

Y/n had been warming up for her own match that would take place later that night when her attention was caught by the screen closest to her, she wasn’t suppose to get involved in this match but watching drew get in Punks face and yell all sorts of insults the way he did just set her off. It took her no time at all to reach the gorilla, quickly asking one of the backstage tech crew to hit her music before she slipped out of the curtain towards the ring.

A sly smile graced y/n’s lips as she innocently skipped her way down the isle, her hands interlocked behind her back. Punk’s expression twitching slightly in confusion but he quickly hid it with a smile. “ladies and gentleman that is Cm Punks longtime partner y/n heading towards the ring, what is she doing out here during this match” Michael Cole exclaimed as he looked toward punk who responded almost immediately — “your guess is as good as mine Cole, you can’t tame a woman like her” he chuckled lightly to hide any concern in his tone.

It wasn’t that he didn’t think y/n could handle herself but Drew was on a ruthless streak of aggression lately that Punk just didn’t trust. Y/n’s smile didn’t fade once as she locked eyes with Drew, Anger flashing across his face as he almost became distracted for a moment. She waved at him mischievously from ringside, the match continued until Drew began to get the upper hand, y/n was not going to let that happen on her watch — not after everything he had put her family through. Y/n climbed up on the ring apron with ease, immediately getting the referees attention in order to cause a distraction and as if on cue Punk slipped away from his spot on commentary and into the ring, a steel chair in hand.

Jey Uso was sprawled out on the mat from prior attack curtesy of Drew, Punk smirking at the Scots man across from him as he rose the chair above his head preparing to slam it down on Drews back that was turned away from him. The next few moments were a blur, happening quicker than anyone could even process, Drew turned and grabbed the chair in the process — nailing Punk in the face with a hard blow from his right hand, it caused such an impact that the man tumbled to the mat and it would now be the Scottish warrior holding the chair above his head.

Drew reeled the chair back as if preparing to strike Cm Punk with the cold steel, turning to his left instead and shocking everyone in attendance — he hit Y/n. The chair nailed Y/n right in the head before she had time to process it, the impact so loud you could’ve sworn it cracked her skull. The refs eyes were wide as Y/n tumbled off the apron and hit the floor with a rough thud. “should’ve kept your girlfriend at home where she belongs!” Drew growled at Punk with a sly grin, The rage that surged through Cm punks veins was unlike any other the moment he realised what had just transpired and within seconds he snapped.

An all out brawl ensued between the two men until Adam Pierce the Raw general manager came storming out to the ring, he signalled for back up and before long the ring was filled with superstars and backstage talent prying the two away from one another. The chaos all happening as medics checked on Y/n who was out cold, they worked quickly to get her on a stretcher and brought to the trainers room.

A few minutes later things began to calm down and that was when Punk realised Y/n was nowhere in sight, a panic washing over him immediately — where was she? Was she okay? Why didn’t he check on her first ? The second these thoughts flooded his mind he was out of the ring and sprinting to the back, pushing his way through the curtain yelling at everyone around him as he asked for y/n’s whereabouts. “Where is she?! Where is Y/N?!” He barked at Paul Levesque aka Triple H, “Phil she’s in the trainers office, they’re checking her out to see if she needs to be transported to the local medical facility” he replied in a soft tone, that was all Punk needed to hear before giving the man a nod and heading straight to the office.

The expression on Punks face immediately softening as he opened the door and saw Y/n sitting up slowly with a groan, their eyes immediately meeting as he walked to her side. “Fuck.. I’m so sorry.. I should’ve looked after you and went straight over-” his ramble was cut off by Y/n placing a gentle kiss to his lips as she held his face in her hands. “Hey, hey I’m okay I promise.. just a little sore” she smiled sweetly at him, Punks eyes rapidly scanned over her body checking for any obvious injuries — the bruising already forming only made him seethe with anger. “I’m gonna kill him I swear” he grumbled under his breathe as his eyes met hers again, “mm later” she smiled wrapping her arms around his neck loosely.

“Im going to go get ready for my match” y/n whispered knowing he would be disapproving given her current state, “to hell you are darlin” he shook his head, “hmm too late?” She giggled before getting up off the table and running out the door down the hall. “Hey don’t you dare!” He laughed chasing her, y/n’s loud giggles echoing through the halls as he chased her.

After a few moments she arrived at her locker room and quickly ran in while closing the door behind her, “y/n” Punk laughed, “y/n i know you’re in there, let me in” he spoke softly. “mm only if you don’t get mad that i’m still planning to do my match later tonight” she smiled as if he could see it through the door, “y/n y/m/n y/l/n.. you’ll be the death of me” he sighed with a gentle laugh after speaking her full name. “Okay fine, but you have to get medically cleared by the trainer first.. deal?” he spoke while standing back waiting for the door to open.

After a few seconds the door opened and revealed Y/n with a little grin on her face, “how can I say no to that?” she whispered before pulling him into the room by his shirt and locking the door behind her. “exactly” he replied before picking her up effortlessly and carrying her to the small couch that took up a space in the room. If there was one thing people probably didn’t know about Phil, it’s that behind closed doors he was a big softy, especially to y/n.

“I hope you know I really am sorry, I had no idea that was going to happen” he mumbled as one hand rested on her hip and the other slowly moved to her lower back. “hey it’s okay, it’s part of the job” she smiled softly, her hands roaming his body ever so gently. “I know but you shouldn’t of gotten hit like that, it could of caused serious damage and I just.. I don’t know what i would’ve done-” his voice almost shaking as he thought about what could of happened if things had gone worse. Y/n carefully moved her hands to his face, carefully resting on both his cheeks, “phil.. love.. i’m okay, i’m right here and that’s all that matters” she hummed looking at him solemnly - her heart speeding up just looking at him.

“alright.. I trust you, but i will get drew back for what he did, that’s a promise”. A smile grew on y/ns face hearing his words, she could not get over how much Phil loved her, that he’d do just about anything for her even though he knew damn well she could stand up for herself. “I appreciate that babe, you’re the best” she laughed lightly, “i have no doubt in my mind you’ll get him back and I simply cannot wait to see it”.

The tension in the room slowly rising as y/n moved her hands to Punks Hair, running her fingers through it softly before tightening her grip on it slightly to tug on it. This action earning a slight groan from the heavily tattooed superstar, “However, your pay back can wait.. I think I know what will make us both feel better, hm?” she whispered as she placed gentle kisses to his neck and up towards his jaw.

Soft groans continued to leave Punks lips as his eyes remained locked on hers, “oh yeah you want to show me exactly what that is?” he smirked running his hands up her body stopping right under her breasts. “I think that could be arranged” she shifted so she was properly straddling him, “You only get a preview though, and then the full thing comes after i win my match tonight” she grinned running her thumb across his jaw, both their eyes locked on one another full of lust.

“mm I can agree to that, IF you get cleared.. but either way i’m taking good care of you love” he hummed running his hands under her shirt while keeping his gaze fixed on her, “oh yeah? that’s if I don’t care for you first” she challenged with with a bright smile. A few seconds passed and Punk picked the smaller woman up and smoothly flipped her over so he was now hovering over her gently, a loud squeal followed by sweet laughter erupting from her lips at the sudden action. I think we can all guess that probably wasnt the only noise coming from the room that night.

“I’ve got you” he whispered lovingly, “in and outside of the ring.. i’ve got you, nobody gets away with hurting you like that” their foreheads pressed gently against one another.

[inevitably-johnlocked]

Halloween Fics (MFLs) [October 2023 Edition]

See also:

Halloween Fics (Oct 2018)

Halloween and Ghosts (updated Oct 31/21)

Vampires (Dec. 2020)

Ghosts / Figments

Hybrids and Shapeshifters

Hey everyone!! Hope you're having a wonderful day! Today I thought that it's been a long time since I've posted an update to my Halloween fic list, but I haven't read many new fics since, so I though for today's post (because I don't have anything ready anyway) I would go through my MFL List and post up the ones that have been recommended to me throughout the years! Please note I have not read any of these, these are just based on a tag search on my offlline list :)

And because I haven't actually been asked this year for some new fics (I usually do so I am sad lol), I guess I shall make a new list without one!

As usual, please feel free to add your own fics!

========

Mummy by ChrisCalledMeSweetie (T, 901 w., 1 Ch. || UAP Canon Divergence, Halloween, Meeting the Parents) – Meeting your boyfriend’s parents for the first time can be a bit scary. Especially when your boyfriend is Sherlock Holmes. Part 12 of the Spooky Johnlock Stories series

What Didn't Happen by Katzedecimal (T, 1,213 w., 1 Ch. || Costumes, Costume Parties & Masquerades, Halloween, Texting, Case Fic) – There is a very short Conan busying about the flat. He's threatening me with a sword if I don't eat something.

Until the final breath escapes by meet_me_in_samarra (M, 1,875 w., 1 Ch. || Halloween, Domestics, Established Relationship, Mild Gore, Kissing) – In a world turned hostile they hold onto their love until the final breath escapes.

John Watson and the Curse of the Were-Kitten by  ChrisCalledMeSweetie (G, 2,193 w., 2 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Supernatural AU ||  Halloween, Spooky Fluff) – Limping away from the crime scene, John glanced up at a nearby rooftop. His mouth dropped open at what he saw: Sherlock, silhouetted against the rising full moon. Realising that he was gawping like a fool, John looked around to make sure he wasn’t being observed. When he turned back, Sherlock had vanished. All that remained on the rooftop was a small black kitten, padding between the chimney pots. Part 1 of the Spooky Johnlock Stories series, Part 5 of the H.I.A.T.U.S. Prompt Fills

These Hands of Yours by okapi (E, 2,700 w., 1 Ch. || ACD Canon || Supernatural Elements, Horror, Hands, Anal Fisting / Fingering, Halloween) – Holmes has casts made of his hands. Watson falls in love. So do the hands.

His favourite pizza (delivery guy) by thewallflower07 (G, 4,298 w., 1 Ch. || Teenager AU || Flirting John, Annoying Mycroft, Med Student John, Horny Teenagers, Halloween, High School Student Sherlock, Pizza) – Sherlock is staying at a hotel on Halloween with his family and keeps insisting they order pizza because he is infatuated with the very cute, blonde delivery boy.

Wanted: Empath by nutmeag83 (T, 4,886 w., 1 Ch. || Supernatural Elements AU || Empath John, Ghost Hunter Sherlock, Halloween, Haunted Houses, Pining John, Resolved Romantic Tension, Friends to Lovers) – Sherlock is a ghost hunter and John his empath assistant. Near Halloween, they investigate a ghostly sighting at a mansion in the English countryside. The events of their investigation bring their feelings for each other to the fore.

Food goes on the food shelf by avalanching effect (G, 5,283 w., 1 Ch. || Halloween, Pre-Slash, Crack/Humour, Cannibalism, Magical Realism, Witches, Light Gore, POV Sherlock) – John, (without conferring with Sherlock) implements a system of organization in the kitchen. There are areas designated as 'experiment' areas, and others as 'food safe' areas. Crossover, however, is bound to happen.

In a manner of speaking I'm dead by fellshish (T, 6,372 w., 1 Ch. || Halloween, Mystrade, Angst With Happy Ending, PIning, First Kiss, Drunk Idiots, Drinking Games, Humour) – Sherlock and John accidentally dress in matching outfits for Lestrade's Halloween party. Things only get worse: someone pushes them to play 'Never have I ever'.

A Beautifully Frightening Revelation by 221b_careful_what_you_wish_for (M, 6,486 w., 2 Ch. || Supernatural Elements AU|| Ghosts, Haunted House, First Kiss/Times, Frottage, Fluff, Halloween, Mutual Pining, Bed Sharing, Spooky) – John and Sherlock are investigating an isolated country manor haunted by a mischievous ghost. A series of spooky incidents brings them together in a candlelit bedroom, the night ripe for revelations and facing fears.

The Babadook by CatieBrie (T, 6,886 w., 1 Ch. || Babadook Fusion || Post-TRF, Horror, Demonic Possession, Violence, Halloween, Grief, Angst with Happy Ending) – “A children’s book,” John mutters as he flips it open. The pages are scrawled with beautiful charcoal lines and thick black ink. The cover, bright red, edges the open pages and something tugs at the back of John’s brain. It’s a familiar feeling, black and tarrish and thick in his thoughts. He shakes it off and picks the book up off his bed, turning so that he can sit on the edge and spread the book out across his knees. If it’s in a word or it’s in a look, you can’t get rid of the Babadook. He turns the page, ignoring the pressure building beneath his chest. There’s a closet on one page; paper doors meant to be opened by the reader flutter as John reads the text on the other page.

The Spirit Child by VelvetMace (M, 7,287 w., 1 Ch. || Psychological Horror, Disturbing Themes, Horror, Gore) – A small wooden box filled with clay and feotus bones yields more than just clues to a violent murder. A Halloween Story. Read at your own risk -- and I do not say this lightly.

Were it Well by merelypassingtime (G, 7,496 w., 6 Ch. || Shapeshifter AU || Crack, Halloween) – When moving in with the world's only consulting detective John is concerned he won't be able to keep his secret. Turns out he need not have worried.

In the Shadows of 221B by CarmillaCarmine (E, 8,299 w., 5 Ch. || Halloween, Friends to Lovers, Spooky Smut) – On a stormy, Halloween night, Sherlock appears changed, but John isn't about to complain about anything Sherlock wants to do to him. Part 10 of the The Stories of Angst and Heartbreak series

Let's Say I Let You In by kedgeree (E, 9,972 w., 1 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE|| Halloween, Costume Kink, Established Relationship, Humour, Smut, Vampire Sherlock, Bloodplay, Biting, Romance) – It's Halloween and Sherlock's vampire costume is turning John on, but Sherlock doesn't quite get the idea of a sexy vampire. At least…not at first. Part 4 of the Holidays series

The Subtenant by khorazir (T, 12,238 w., 1 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Canon Divergence, Post-TRF, Halloween, Magical Realism, Humour, Ghosts, Banter, Friends to Lovers, First Kiss) – When you have ruled out the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth. Hence, there can be no doubt about it: 221B is haunted. Sherlock and John set out to investigate their new subtenant and find out more than they bargained for.

Hallowe'en Homecoming by earlybloomingparentheses (T, 12,594 w., 1 Ch. || Unconventional Relationship, Halloween, Sherlock’s Childhood, Family Videos) – Sherlock and John are solving a case when Mycroft turns up and persuades Sherlock to return home for his mother's Hallowe'en celebration. John thinks that seeing where Sherlock grew up will help him understand the detective better; instead, he finds himself more confused than ever. But it's John Watson's job to look after Sherlock Holmes, come hell, high water, or Hallowe'en, so that's just what he's going to do.

Looks like something the cat digged out by HOverSeas (T, 12,876 w., 1 Ch || Magical Realism AU || Post-TGG, Canon Divergence, Halloween, Hurt/Comfort, Werecat John, Temporary Character Death) – The bomb at the pool goes off, and takes both Sherlock and Moriarty with it. John doesn't agree with the outcome, so he decides to bring Sherlock back from the dead. But, of course, there is a price.

Zing and You'll Miss It by Raina_at (M, 14,980 w., 2 Ch. || Hotel Transylvania AU || Vampire Sherlock, Crack/Humour, Rom Com, University Student John, Love at First Sight, Magic, Soul Mates, Minor Mollstrade) – Every year, the monster community meets at Halloween for a big party. Sherlock is bored out of his mind as usual, when suddenly a handsome human stumbles into the monster party. Eyes meet, sparks fly, and Sherlock's entire world is turned upside down as he has to decide whether that tingly feeling is lust, love, magic, or a combination of all three.

The Masquerade of the Red Death by okapi (E, 16,800 w., 14 Ch. || Friends to Lovers, For A Case / Case Fic, Kink Exploration, Orgy, Costume Parties & Masquerades, Bum Worship, Shotgunning, Daddy Kink, Corsetry, Cock Worship, Praise Kink, Hand Jobs, Oral Sex, Drugging, Wrestling, Love Confessions, Pet Play, Rimming, Public Sex/Blow Jobs, Shibari, Exhibitionism/Voyeurism) – On the hunt for a serial killer, Sherlock & John attend a masked orgy. Inspired by "The Masque of the Red Death" by Edgar Allan Poe. Part 11 of the Spooky & Kooky (the Halloween fics)

One Good Scare by blueink3 (M, 17,386 w., 1 Ch. || Post S4, Holmes Family, Parentlock, Misunderstandings, Family, Fluff and Angst, Jealousy, Halloween, Happy Ending) – Mummy invites Sherlock, John, and Rosie to the country for her birthday, which just so happens to coincide with the annual Harvest Festival, an event Sherlock loathes. With John seemingly making the wrong move at every turn and with ghosts hiding in each of their closets, what will it take for their (Halloween) masks to finally come off?

The Halloween Party by XistentialAngst (M, 19,044 w., 3 Ch. || Halloween, Sexy Sherlock, Vampires, Costumes/Disguises, Mutual Masturbation, BAMF John, First Time, Humour, Romance, Frottage, Friends to Lovers) – Sherlock and John attend a Halloween party on the trail of a vampire killer -- a man who's been seducing his victims and taking all their blood. Sexy costumes, bad puns, hideous danger, frantic sex in hidden places and some Halloween-flavored fluff are all on hand to "treat" you. Boo.

it's not always black and wight by elldotsee (M, 21,385 w., 7 Ch. || Supernatural Elements AU || Ghosts, Halloween, Case Fic, Victor Trevor) – By the time he turned eight, Sherlock had had more supernatural experiences than he could count or recall. He’d grown used to flickering lights, the whispers in the night, the sudden appearance of apparitions in the corridors. The dead were just as much a part of his life as the living. He went about his business, never disrupting theirs.Sometimes he talked to them, but they never talked back. Sometimes, he heard their stories second-hand, in the snippets of conversation between his parents at the dinner table, but they were never spoken about like real people. They were simply characters that formed the tapestry of the house, bumps and flickers of a life stuck in the in-between. That is, until he met Victor.

Haunted by Vulpesmellifera (E, 22,369 w., 4 Ch. || S4 Fix-It/Post-Canon, POV John, Child Endangerment, Halloween, Nightmares, Bed Sharing) – Plagued by the past, John moves himself and his daughter to a new flat for a fresh start - and it's not 221B Baker Street.While he grapples with new knowledge and old guilt, he's confronted with odd neighbors and strange noises in the night. But is it the new flat, or is John Watson losing his grip on reality?

the napoleon by darcylindbergh (E, 24,823 w., 4 Ch. || 1980′s AU || Halloween, Action & Romance, Costumes, Costume Parties/Masquerades, Mutual Pining, First Kiss / Time) – Halloween, 1989: John and Sherlock both have big plans for the night, but serial killers have the worst possible timing.

From a Well, Dark and Deep by Vulpesmellifera (M, 32,691 w., 18 Ch. || Post S4, Supernatural Elements, Horror / Milld Body Horror, Bed Sharing, Possession, Hand Holding, Whump, Hurt/Comfort, Friends to Lovers, Coming Out, Alternating POV, Nightmares, Caring John, Happy Ending) – Sherlock Holmes is desperately trying to reconcile his newfound memories and feelings within his transport—a transport that won’t quit with the nightmares and the strange, fiddly anxieties that crop up at the most inopportune moments. On the advice of his psychiatrist—not that he’s thrilled to be taking the man’s advice, but needs must—he's going to mark the anniversary of Eurus’ torments. That explains why he visits the well. What he finds at the well, though, is entirely unexpected. Meanwhile, John Watson has finally come to terms with something he’s ignored his entire life. He’s ready to share that something with Sherlock, except Sherlock isn’t acting himself. It's not the time for confessions, and John determines he must get to the bottom of his best friend's affliction before he can reveal anything. Part 3 of Vulpes' Halloween Johnlock

This Is Family by SaraStarchild (T, 39,840 w., 16 Ch. || Hereditary AU || Psychological Horror, Body Horror, Demonic Possession, POV Third Person Limited, Protective Mycroft, Cults, Mycroft Whump, Sherlock Whump, Major Character Death, Graphic Violence, Retelling) – When the Holmes family's secretive mother and matriarch, Ellen Holmes, passes away, the family she leaves behind – father Martin, sons Mycroft and Sherlock, and daughter Eurus – begins to unravel cryptic and increasingly terrifying secrets about their ancestry. The more they discover, the more they find themselves trying to outrun the sinister fate they seem to have inherited. This is, pretty much, a word-for-word retelling of the 2018 Ari Aster film, Hereditary. Part 1 of Sherlock Halloween Stories

A Sharp, Dressed Man Series by sgam76 (T, 50,221+ w. across 6 works || Series WiP || Vampire AU || Halloween Fic, Protective Mycroft, Kidnapping, Injured Sherlock, Psychological Terror) – Every once in a while, Mycroft Holmes is called upon to take matters into his own hands. It doesn't always go exactly as you'd expect. And he enjoys it more than he will ever admit.

FictoberLock 2018 by FinAmour & unicornpoe (M, 60,875 w., 31 Ch. || Halloween, Protective John, Smitten Sherlock, Fluff, First Kiss, Injured Sherlock, Various Prompts) – 31 different prompts, 31 Johnlock fics: one every day for the month of October! Each chapter is a stand-alone story. Some are written by unicornpoe, some by FinAmour, and some are written by us both! They range in length from ~500 words to ~3500 words, and there’s something in here for everyone.

Johnloctober by prettysailorsoldier (E, 169,945 w., 31 Ch. || Assorted AU’s || Alternate First Meetings, Blow Jobs, Hand Jobs, 30 Day OTP Challenge, Prompts, Halloween / Autumn, Assorted Tags) – 31 days of autumnal Johnlock with prompts from all of you! There will be a bit of everything, but you can check the tags for more specifics.

Skeletons Series by flawedamythyst (T, 174,262 w. across 3 works || Nightmare Before Christmas Fusion ||  Implied Character Death) – Sherlock's refusal to talk about his past hides far more skeletons than John could ever have guessed at. Halloween-esque AU.

[intermundia]

ok idk if anyone's asked this before. but. i've been following your fics for the past while (lovelovelove btw) and realized for the first time yesterday when i perused your masterlist just how many you've published. holy shit dude!! mega kudos. i've been polishing up a couple different wips since new years this year but haven't published any so far, so ig i wanted to ask for advice on getting out there as a fic writer? i've never published before lol. what's ur methods and advice, chef

ahhh thank you :) i am so excited for you!! imho you're standing on the threshold of a beautiful adventure, like you've packed your bags (got some wips) and are ready to head out the door. it's intimidating but in my experience the first comment you get will make all the stress worth it; it will wash away your reservations and give you a hit of affirmation that will only drag you further on into sharing more. it's a virtuous circle that you just have to start.

as trite as it sounds, my biggest piece of advice is to fake it until you make it, like pretend you've published a hundred times before and are perfectly confident and entitled to put your work up in public. that's what i did the first time, i pretended to be someone normal lol. i knew what i expected to see from others and made my story summary and tags look like that to avoid negative ripples (no such ripples really exist in reality, but i know how anxiety whispers lies).

it worked because there's no front door or barrier to entry to posting on ao3, you know? you are exactly as welcome and valid as i am there; we both see the same site back end and the same draft page. you are the same as anybody who has already published. if you have wips and have something that could reasonably be considered finished? pick one, something small even, and just post it. you can edit it once it's live if something dire comes up, i do it all the time.

this is actually something that is causing me a lot of writer's block right now, the fact that i am being far too perfectionist and precious about the next chapter of my main wip. i simply care way too much about the story, so i'm so scared of doing it wrong, so i've been sitting on it. but the way that i've published more 50 stories in the past is trusting my gut about when something is done and pushing it out to the public before i hold myself back.

you have to just keep moving forward, that's the key. tell yourself the next story will be better and remember the last story is better than you think it is. make your chapters as long or as short as you feel is right, post as often or as sparingly as you need. share on other social media once you're done if you want, people want to know there is more of the thing they love in the world, you know? you're offering a gift, and that's kind.

i know that all the advice in the world is basically useless unless you see it at the right moment you need it, and none of my advice is anything that you haven't heard before, but if you need a sign that it's time to pull the trigger, that you are allowed to post things, that people want to see your work, that you're welcome and important to the community by sharing your voice—please take this post as that sign. be confident, because you deserve that confidence, and hit post <3

[cadybear420]

Performance for fluffember🤍

The Voice of an Angel

Fandom: High School Story (Original Trilogy)

Pairings: Aiden Zhou x Evie Ayana (female HSS MC), maybe with a small side of Ajay Bhandari x Cher Lee (female HSS:CA MC)

Characters: Aiden Zhou, Evie Ayana (female HSS MC)

Rating: G

Warnings: None

Additional Tags: Fluff, Singing, Performance, Dancing

Word Count: 2,128

Summary: On Evie’s 18th birthday, Aiden and the jazz band whip up a little surprise for her. Takes place approximately between HSS:CA 2 and HSS:CA 3 (though my memory of the HSS:CA timeline is a little more fuzzy).

A/N: First of all: to the anon who sent the prompt, major apologies for sleeping on it for so long. Coming up with writing ideas is a bitch, but it is something I want to do more often. And there was also that one time when Tumblr turned off editing for answers to asks, which carried over to the draft post for this for a while. Second of all, I’m fucking obsessed with this song from Doctor Who (“My Angel Put the Devil in Me”, from the Series 3 soundtrack) and I think Evie and Aiden would be as well. Third of all, yes this is a belated birthday fic for Evie, but I’m glad to get it out before the end of Evie’s birthday month at least. Also haha both Evie’s birthday this year and in the setting of the fic were on a Friday. Fourth of all, arghrghrargh my first time writing a fic where one character sings to another AND does a choreographed dance to it too. It’s a lot more difficult than I imagined lol. 

(Also, the outfit I imagine for the other jazz band kids)

Prompt: Performance

Source for prompts here. Even though it's long past November, I'll still accept prompt suggestions from this list year-round.

Tags: @inlocusmads @aces-and-angels @aria-ashryver @lover-also-fighter-also @jerzwriter @choicesmc @3rdstreetfrank @dutifullynuttywitch @lovealexhunt @lilyoffandoms @peonierose (as this is the complete version of this WIP and this challenge bit), and @choicesficwriterscreations

Friday, March 8, 2019. The day of Evie’s 18th birthday. She’d been planning to host a birthday party at one of her favorite restaurants in the city, starting in the early evening after school. Almost everyone she knew from school was invited. 

It was late in the afternoon now. Evie took one last look at herself in her new outfit– a navy blue suit with a purple floral necktie– and grinned, before dashing to the living room. There, her dad was checking his phone. 

“Alright, I’m ready to go!” she said. 

He turned to her. “Actually… we can’t leave just yet…”

She pouted. “What??? But Daaaad, the party starts at 5 PM and it’s already 4:45!”

“The people doing the decorations are… taking a bit longer than expected.”

“Oh…”

“It’s a bit awkward to go to a party when they’re still putting decorations up, isn’t it?”

“That’s true,” her face softened. “Do the other guests know?”

“...yep! I’ve just told them, in fact.”

“Okay… but how long do we have to wait?”

“Shouldn’t be more than… ten to twenty minutes?”

Evie pouted again. 

“It’s not that long…”

“Okay, fiiiiine, I’ll be patient…”

“And I’ll be doctor!”

Evie winced. “Dad, NO…”

…

About twenty minutes passed, and then finally, her dad said it was okay to start driving to the restaurant. After a fifteen minute drive, they arrived, and Evie wasted no time going in. 

The room was alive with upbeat music, purple decorative lights and flowers, and many of Evie’s friends. It seemed like just about everyone she’d invited had shown up– her main friend group, her teammates, her friends from the other cliques and Hearst, Cher and her friends from theatre, the seniors from last year who hadn’t gone away for college… 

And all of them greeted her with a big “Happy birthday, Evie!!!”, in unison. 

Evie inhaled, beaming at her friends. Many of them ran over to hug her, a few others cheered for her. 

Then she saw Emma and Cher push their way through the crowd and grab her by her arms. 

“Evie! There’s a special surprise for you, right now!” said Cher. 

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah!” said Emma. “Just come with us…” 

The crowd parted, making way for Emma and Cher to pull Evie to the opposite side of the room. As they did, the party music slowly faded out and the lights began to dim. 

“What the–” Evie started. 

“Shhhh. You’ll see soon enough!” Emma replied. 

When they made it to the opposite end of the room, a warm spotlight turned on over her, and there she saw it. The jazz band, all set up with their instruments and dressed in matching snazzy black-and-red suits and… devil horns? Yes, devil horns. 

And at the front of it all… was none other than her beautiful boyfriend Aiden, all dressed up and holding a microphone. 

Evie just about stopped in her tracks as she took in his outfit– a snug, ivory-colored flapper dress that had silver beads sewn into intricate patterns, and hung just barely above his knees. Along with that, he also wore a couple of matching long pearl necklaces, a fluffy white halo accessory over his head, and winged eyeliner.

“Wow…” Evie felt her breath catch. “Aiden, you look–”

Just then, Aiden signaled to the band… and they started to play. 

Evie grinned broadly, her eyes immediately lighting up at the familiar upbeat jazzy tune, and watched intently as her boyfriend danced towards her, in steps that were careful and rhythmic, yet lively. 

Then the tempo slowed, and he held the microphone to his mouth and began to sing. 

“I'm a country girl, I ain't seen a lot… But you came along, and my heart went pop! You took a little streetcar to my heart… And an apple of love fell off my apple cart~”

Evie’s cheeks flustered at his melodious voice. This wasn’t the first time she’d heard him sing– he’s sung to her plenty of times, and they’d practically been doing Evie-Aiden duets since the day they met. But this… this was different. Aiden had never done a solo singing performance for her before, let alone one that involved a bit of dance as well. 

“You looked at me, my heart began to pound… You weren't the sort of guy I thought would stick around… Hey, but it don't have to be eternally… My bad, bad Angel put the Devil in me~”

And his singing voice was all the more different this time around too. Even later into their relationship, as Aiden had become more confident about his singing, there was always still a hint of nervousness in his voice when they sang their duets. But this time, he sang loud and clear. Like he was owning the stage. 

Aiden performed a small twirl before stopping, his eyes meeting hers as he began slowly walking up to her, making her heart jump a little.

“You lured me in with your cold grey eyes… Your simple smile, your bewitching lies…”

As he sang that verse, he reached out and grabbed onto her bright purple tie, making Evie’s face heat up as he began tugging on it gently and pulling her closer to him. 

“One and one and one is three… My bad, bad Angel… the Devil in me~!”

The tempo picked up again. Aiden let go of her tie and took her hand in his as he broke out into energetic dance movements while still singing the lyrics to the song, the skirt of his dress swishing about as he swayed gracefully to the instrumental music. 

Evie squeezed his hand and matched his movements, her pulse racing now.  All the while, the crowd watched with excitement. When they came face-to-face again, she was giving him an almost drunken smile.

Soon enough, Aiden broke from her hold and turned around, sashaying slightly as he started stepping away from her… before looking over his shoulder, catching her gaze once again. 

“My bad, bad Angel~ you put the Devil in me~”

Aiden shook his butt side-to-side to the beat, giving Evie a knowing look that made her cheeks brighten. The music slowed, and he turned around to face her again. 

“So, now my dear, I ain't the girl you knew… 'Cause the Angel's got Heaven, but I get you…”

He sauntered back up to her.

“And the tree of life grows tall, you see… My bad, bad Angel… you put the Devil in me~!”

The beat slowed to a more gentle, relaxed tune as Aiden placed his arm over Evie’s shoulder. 

“Oh… You put the Devil in me~”

Aiden gestured towards Evie’s arm, and she placed her arms around him, taking hold of his waist as they began to rock together. 

“You put the Devil in me…”

Gently and smoothly, Aiden broke out of her hold and took her hand again. Lifting her hand, he twirled himself under her arm, then placed himself backwards against her body– all without missing a beat. 

As Aiden continued to sing, Evie wrapped both of her arms around his middle, embracing him from behind. Aiden pressed back against her and placed his free arm over hers, almost as if to hold her arms in place, as they began to sway side-to-side together again. Evie practically melted into him, his body warm against hers. 

“You put the Devil in me…”

Then, the song picked up again. 

“You put the Devil in… me~!”

He swiftly yet carefully broke from her hold again, and danced in a circle around her as he sang the last few verses of the song. She turned to follow him, their eyes locked onto each other yet again, as he gave her an almost sultry gaze. 

“My bad, bad Angel, you put the Devil in me!”

At the final note, the lights slowly faded back on. Aiden stood in front of the now cheering crowd and took a huge bow, grinning proudly. 

Once he straightened back up, Evie finally let out a high pitched “EEEEEEEEEEEE!!!”, bouncing up and down before leaping onto Aiden, sweeping him up into her arms, and spinning him around. Aiden gasped, dropping his microphone with a loud *thunk*– but then quickly held her face in his hand and pulled her in for a passionate kiss, prompting the crowd to cheer louder. 

After a moment, Aiden broke the kiss. “Happy eighteenth birthday, Darling~”

Evie squeezed him tighter. “Aiden, that was…” She took a deep breath, a starstruck look in her eyes. “Your singing is amazing… I mean, I’ve heard you sing before, obviously, but…”

A slight but visible rosy tint grew on his cheeks. 

“But I’ve never done a singing performance for you, I know. I figured it was about time I did.”

“And you were fucking amazing. I’ve never heard you sing like that before… like, you were already good, but I didn’t know you were this good…”

“I mean… practice makes perfect, after all…”

“That’s true…”

He planted a small kiss onto her lips, making her whole body warm up. 

“And what made you choose that song from Doctor Who for your first performance? I mean, obviously I love the song–”

“That’s just it. I know how much you love the song, and the episodes it came from.” He chuckled softly. “And, I mean… I don’t blame you. It is a fantastic song.”

Evie’s smile grew wider. “God, Aiden… I fucking love you.”

“I love you too, Evie.” 

They pulled each other in for one more kiss, holding each other tightly, before she set him down. 

“And I love your outfit too… you look absolutely gorgeous, as always~”

Even as Aiden beamed at her so brightly, his cheeks turned as red as the other band members’ devil costumes, prompting Evie to giggle.

“Well… I have been having a lot of fun trying on new outfits…” he said, softly. 

At that moment, Ajay and Cher popped up beside them. 

“Hey… if Aiden likes singing, dancing, and dressing up in fancy outfits now… you think we could convince him to join the upcoming spring musical?” Ajay said. “His talent would just be unmatched…”

Evie and Aiden turned towards them. 

“The next play’s gonna be a musical?” Evie said. “I’ve been wanting to act in a play, but, uh… I don’t think I’m ready for one that involves singing…”

Aiden raised an eyebrow at her. “But we’ve literally been doing duets ever since–”

“That’s different. I can sing alright when it’s more casual, but in a professional musical performance? I’m not that good.”

“You should still consider it!” Cher chirped. “If not an acting role, you can always still be an assistant director or a techie…”

“That sounds much more my speed.”

Cher turned to Aiden. “You should definitely consider trying out for a singing role, though!”

Aiden put his hand on his chin thoughtfully. “It could be fun… I know Evie doesn’t want to sing in a musical, but imagine if we got lead roles together…”

“Oh, perhaps I could be convinced now…” Evie said, before smirking playfully. “But, let’s be real. Put Aiden in the musical, and he’ll probably just upstage all the other singers with how good he is. He’ll make everyone else look like chumps.”

“Hey!” Cher exclaimed, her face scrunching up into a pout. “Are you saying I sing like a chump?”

“What– no, I–” Evie’s face fell. 

Cher dropped her pout and grinned again. “Kidding! You probably have a point… I do sing every now and then, but it could use a little more work. Especially since I’m planning to go for an acting role in the musical, of course.”

“Well, if we can’t get Aiden in a singing role for the musical, perhaps he can be a musical director and help coach the actors who are a little more inexperienced?” Ajay suggested. 

“Actually… that’s a great idea!” Aiden said, his face lighting up. “I’d love to do that!”

Ajay beamed. “Oh, perfect! We’ll talk to Mr. Olson on Monday.”

“I’ll need some time to think about it… but I’ll let you know if I do decide to accept.”

“Sounds good to me!” Ajay reached his hand out, and he and Aiden shook hands. “Anyways, great job on your performance, Aiden! And happy birthday, Evie!”

“Yeah! Happy birthday, Evie!!!” cheered Cher. 

“Aww, thank you both so much!” 

Evie gave each of them a warm hug before they walked off. Aiden placed his arms around her and kissed her on the cheek, and she turned back to him.

“Thank you so much, Aiden. For being the best boyfriend ever, and for giving me this awesome birthday.” 

“It’s my pleasure~” Aiden hugged her tighter. “But… there’s still more, of course. Ready to enjoy the rest of your birthday party?”

“Oh yes!”

[argisthebulwark]

F, I, O, and S for the fanfic asks!! <33

<3<3<3<3<3

F: Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

“Why?” She finally broke the silence, head turning until she looked straight up at him. Her dark eyes glimmered in the low light and chin rested so nicely on his chest. “Why what?” He felt her muscles tighten but she didn’t bolt.  “Why would you do all this for me?” Her voice cracked and he knew it was time. Brynjolf watched her eyes widen when he cupped her cheek in his hand, both of their hearts racing.  “Oh, lass.” He brushed aside a stray lock of hair, intent on meeting her gaze. She looked terrified. “You know, right?” She didn’t say a word but it was there, clear as day. Her fingers tightened in his shirt and she nodded. Everything they’d been through had led them to this moment. “Are you ready to hear it?” “I think so.” 

idk man i never posted this chapter of the brynjolf longfic i was working on... I should get back to that lol. I like to dump my own issues onto my characters and being unable to accept love/affection is a big one so it just hit me right in the feels rereading it. Using my favorite character/oc like an emotional chew toy.

I: Do you have a guilty pleasure in fic (reading or writing)?

Everything I write feels like a guilty pleasure lmao. My google drive holds sooo many fics that will never see the light of day since I never post any non Skyrim works. I've been working on a self indulgent Simon Riley fic for over a year now that makes me giggle and kick my feet when I reread or edit it lol.

O: How do you begin a story–with the plot, or the characters?

It depends on the format. For my little ficlets I have a long list of prompts I'd like to fill, pick one that sounds fun, and choose characters from there I think would fit the prompt. When I'm writing a longer fic I often get inspiration from imagining cool scenes and building a fic around that, which would lean more toward characters.

S: Any fandom tropes you can’t resist?

I'm such a sucker for enemies to lovers. It's written somewhere deep in my soul, I will happily read it a thousand more times. I love a hurt/comfort fic where the comfort comes waaaay later, when they let the angst really set in. A few years back I got really into forbidden romance stories for a while but I haven't gone for that lately.

thank you thank you for the ask <3 ask game here

[laylajeffany]

How do you usually outline your stories? Do you have a general idea of where you want to start and go with a plot, or do you outline what you want to write per chapter...? I've been curious, lol.

What a fun question that is making me consider how I actually do this, haha. Thanks for asking. Essentially, we consult the holy scriptures.

I brain dump (by hand - I am a 90s kid okay we were only allowed to type final drafts of things in the computer lab). I write an extremely generic list of ‘goals’ for what I want to occur in each fic - VERY general things at the start. Then I will start to figure out more specifics, develop any characters that don’t exist in canon as needed with a few specifics so I know about them before I start writing, work on settings and concepts that don’t exist in canon, etc. I will draw maps and blueprints and course schedules. I probably spend a solid week on this handiwork before I move into writing a big fic like Chaos.

Once there, I will write a few scenes (likely not in order) to get a ‘feel’ for the mood/tone of the fic. I only write in third person passive voice, but I need to get to know the ‘voice’ a little bit. I doubt much of this makes it to the final edit but it’s an important part of setting tone and mood. For a fic like Chaos, I then would outline about 3 chapters in advance of where I was writing, specific events and cliffhangers ;) to make sure we got to those points/would be ready to start off from them on the next chapter. I consult the scriptures as I do this, lol. THEN, I go into very specific outline of the events of each chapter because I do not write scenes in order! If there is anything that has action sequences (fencing, fighting, dancing) I write them last because it involves me physically doing them or watching intense YouTube videos to know the correct diction. In a fic like Chaos where I had a few chunks of original poetry to write, those would also be last scenes as well. Tracey gets about 3-4 versions of each chapter, and as she gets them many have placeholder scenes. BLESS HER SWEET ANGEL SOUL for all the work s he does to understand my process (she’s been doing this since like 2010 or so though so she’s used to it haha). 

I somehow also usually know how long each scene is going to be. I’ll send Tracey a text that says something like, “about 5k more of this scene and I’ll send you a chunk tonight.” What does Tracey do for me? Well, for one - she does a big grammar and spelling sweep. I type so fast that Word doesn’t always catch it. And we’re not perfect at the actual editing process either, but we do our best haha. We ALWAYS find something after posting, but it’s REALLY not that serious. More importantly though, Tracey helps me adjust dialogue, take away innocuous sentences (she probably shaves off close to 500-1k each chapter if you can believe that) and helps things to flow better. She’ll also tell me if something REALLY isn’t working. (I don’t always take this news well and she has very Courageous Conversations with me. She’s always right, of course, and sometimes, I am just stubborn.)

I talk things through with Tracey, too - a lot, on the phone and on FaceTime. She’s always helping me get plots in the right direction and helps me come up with a lot of tiny little details that I just hadn’t considered!

[gurugirl]

I love stepdad Harry! Always brings a smile to my face when i see youve posted (guilty pleasure yum). Thank you for the last one!

but i cannot get enough of stepmom reader. You’ve made that one into something really special. In fact I told someone about it last week and they were like ~ nope. Not into stepmom stuff or older yn. Nope ~

but then guess what? they wound up reading it and binged all three parts and admitted to me that they were wrong 😂 I’m like ‘yeah I know’

just wanted to share that with you! Your stepmom fic is so shockingly good (not shocking bc you’re not a good writer, shocking bc it’s a trope most of us were not interested in) that it’s quickly become my top 5 all time favorite.

i cannot wait for part 4! I adore them and you so much. Do you have any idea when part 4 will come out? Any sneaky???

ps.. sorry for the weird capitalization stuff going on there. My phone decided when to capitalize randomly and I’m too lazy to fix.

A Good Boy sneak peek under the cut below!

🥹 thank you so much, babe. Really glad you liked the stepdad!harry from yesterday! That was a quick little fun thing to write.

As for stepmom!reader - wow! I really love that you're liking it so much and talking about it with other people and that your friend changed their mind 😂 Seems to be the theme for that fic. So many of y'all didn't think you'd like it based on the trope alone but I'm surprised that you guys did enjoy it anyway! Makes me smile.

So, I'm almost done with part 4. I think I can have it out by Thursday? Maybe? I'm super busy today (well, busy for me LOL) and gonna try to write but I've also got something I'm working on that someone paid me to write so I'm prioritizing that. Thursday at the earliest I'll post part 4 but I'll let y'all know.

And the random capitalization? My phone does the same. 😂 The words can't, can, and don't often get capitalized in the middle of sentences and it's a crapshoot on when the beginning of a sentence will be capitalized or not. I need to turn it off so it just leaves everything lowercase. So no judgement from me!

Sneak peek below !! (just remember this is literally copied from the word doc I'm writing in and hasn't been proofread or edited so some changed may be made before I post part 4)

Y/n was wearing her newly altered peach silk dress. The alterations were simple. The straps and hem were adjusted and the back column was dropped down a bit to drape to her low back. Her strappy nude heels were well-worn but comfortable because she was just simply not in the mood to wear the stiff, new heels she’d just bought.

The estate of Rebecca Manera was impressive. Probably equally as impressive as Leonardo Styles’. Most of the guests had already arrived by the time the Styles’ walked through the front door a little late.

Leo scolded Y/n for taking so long to get ready and making them run behind but in all honesty, she didn’t give a fuck. They could be half an hour late. No one would care. Why rush to go to a party? It’s not like they needed to clock in and earn a paycheck.

“It’s rude, Y/n. That’s why it matters. You’re so goddamn rude sometimes. You only think about yourself.”

She turned sharply to look at her husband in shock. That was the first time he’d ever said such a thing to her. Normally he had no opinion on how she conducted herself. She was chronically late. Yes, she could admit that was a flaw in her character but she was on time when it really counted. But to get so worked up over a party? And to insult her on top of it?

That had set the whole mood for the night. And now she was even more suspicious about this Rebecca.

But when Rebecca did make her appearance and introduced herself to Y/n she was taken aback. The woman had to be in her 50s. She was pretty, sure, but not quite Leo’s type. If Y/n were any sort of indicator of a type.

Servers walked around with trays and served the couples in attendance. There were only ten couples there as well as Rebecca’s two daughters, Y/n learned. Quite the intimate affair really.

Leo brought a glass of wine to Y/n as she chatted with Mrs. Topman (she never learned her first name, as the woman literally introduced herself as Mrs. Topman).

“Here you are darling.” His green eyes shined down at her before searching the room casually. She was on to Leo. But she found it odd that the woman he was with in the Hamptons was Rebecca. She was intrigued.

She watched Rebecca mingle and sip wine and laugh and there was nothing there that made Y/n think Leo would be interested in her sexually. But maybe that was it, Y/n thought to herself as she cocked her head to the side watching the woman speak boisterously. Maybe it wasn’t sexual. Maybe it was a woman he felt a deeper connection with than he did with Y/n. Perhaps it hadn’t started sexual but led there.

The snack table was set up with decadent treats. Y/n picked up a toast smeared with something pink, topped with heart-shaped tomatoes on top as she scanned the room for Leo, wondering where he’d gone off to. It hadn’t been that long but knowing about Rebecca being with him made things feel like she was in some kind of true crime detective story and was trying to get to the bottom of a mystery. Though there was no crime being committed, she could entertain herself with that thought.

“Are you enjoying your time tonight?”

Y/n turned her sight to Rebecca who was next to her picking up the same toast with pink schmear.

“It’s amazing. Your home is so lovely, Mrs. Manera,” she smiled and noted the woman’s massive diamond ring in addition to her massive diamond wedding ring.

“Why thank you. Phineas has put in so much work to make this large shell into a lovely cozy home.”

Y/n nearly spat her bite out. The home was anything but cozy.

“It’s incredible. Where is Mr. Manera tonight?”

“Oh, just over there,” she pointed to a man in tweed with thick black-framed glasses, “You haven’t met yet?”

Rebecca led the way as Y/n walked in her wake to meet Mr. Manera. She had still not spotted her own husband.

“Phineas, dear, this is Mrs. Styles. Leonardo’s wife.”

The man held his hand out, “Very nice to meet you, Mrs. Styles.”

“Likewise. You can call me Y/n.”

 “Well, Y/n. We’re happy to have you here. Where’s Leo anyway? Haven’t seen him.”

Turning around quickly to look over her shoulder she shrugged and faced the man and his wife again, “Not sure actually. I haven’t seen him in a bit myself,” she laughed. And before she could even think about what she was implying she spoke to Rebecca, “But I’m sure you’ve seen enough of him since you saw him in the Hampton’s this weekend.”

Rebecca and Phineas’ smiles dropped as they looked at one another and then back to Y/n, “I haven’t been to the Hamptons in over a decade. Are you sure you’re not mistaking me for Parker? Our daughter? She was just there all weekend with her girlfriends.”

A Good Boy Masterlist

A Good Boy tags: @becauseheartsgetbroken-hs @shishcabobsworld @daphnesutton @spinnerswife69 @holy-macncheese-balls @cookielovesbook-akie @lilfreakjez @itsgigikay @amateurduck

[922skz1205txt]

oranges and sailboats (seungmin)

---

information

pov: fem!reader x sailor!seungmin

word count: 6k

genre: romance, fluff, angst, mamma mia au, summery vibes, happy & sad

warnings: reader has bad memories of their home, not described in detail

a/n: I am so excited about this piece! I wanted to post this for Seungmin's birthday, but needed to make a few more edits before I was ready to post it. This fic is inspired by the Mamma Mia universe, specifically Donna and Bill's scene in the second movie. I don't know much about sailing, so the descriptions in the story may not accurately reflect sailing. I definitely cried writing this... so prepare a box of tissues in advance lol. Anyways, sorry for the long note, but I hope you enjoy it! Happy (late) birthday Seungmin!!

images from Pinterest!

---

You weren’t born on this island, but it is the only home you have ever known. Your childhood in that cold, faraway place feels like a long-forgotten memory as you look around at the lush, Mediterranean landscape that surrounds you. Leaves of palm trees sway in the breeze, bright purple flowers open their petals to greet you, and the soft aroma of citrus floats in the air. You take a deep breath, breathing in the lovely, familiar scent. 

You swing open the door to the small cottage you call home. The white, stone structure is carefully situated on a hill in the village that occupies the island, giving you an excellent view of the life bustling downhill. An excited squeal and little arms wrapping around your legs greet you when you enter. You pick up your daughter, her eyes shining with excitement upon the return of her mother.

“Hi darling,” you coo to her. She begs you to come to the porch with her, and you oblige. She grabs your hand and pulls you to the already open doors. The sound of her bare feet tapping against the stone makes you smile fondly. Your daughter proudly shows you a tiny structure she built out of loose leaves, twigs, and rocks, beaming with satisfaction as you nod your head.

“Wow, it’s beautiful,” you praise her, examining the creation closely. Suddenly, a strong gust from the ocean blows and destroys your daughter's creation. Leaves and twigs swirl at your feet, resting once they reach the stone tiles. She bursts into tears at the sight of her ruined creation. You take her into your arms, telling her everything will be alright, reminding her she can always make a new creation tomorrow.

You look out to the shimmering blue ocean that extends endlessly before you. You have to squint; the summer sun makes it hard to keep your eyes fully open. Another playful breeze ruffles your hair and tickles your face, its salty scent stinging your nose. You see a singular sailboat cutting its way through the water, retreating into the vast ocean. Its white sail flaps in the breeze, carrying it past the island.

You continue to look out over the horizon as the sailboat floats away, an old, familiar memory creeping into your mind. Your heart warms as images of a sailboat and a long-lost young man come to the surface. You pull your daughter close to your chest and let the breeze tickle both of your faces. Your daughter quiets her tears, following your gaze and watching the sailboat. 

The ocean breeze sings to you, reeling your mind away from the present and into a time lost to years.

---

The island continued to amaze you with every day that passed. It had only been a few weeks since you arrived, but something deep inside told you that you could stay there forever. A sigh escaped your lips as you looked at the beauty that surrounded you.

You walked to the orchard of orange trees near your home, your skirt flowing around your legs. The hot, morning sun warmed the bare skin on your arms as you swung your bag back and forth. You reached high into the leaves of the tree bearing the most fruit and picked the delicious looking oranges. You shoved them into your mesh bag, attempting to gather as many as you could to sell at the market later that day.

Once your bag was almost too heavy for you to carry down the steep hill to the pier, you stopped picking fruit. With a huff you slung the bag over your back, making sure not to smash the oranges in the process. You began the trek down an ancient stone path littered with weeds and cracks, stopping to wipe the sweat from your brow every-so-often.

You hummed to yourself on the journey, looking out to the ocean with a smile. A few boats glided through the water towards the pier, likely carrying residents from nearby islands wanting to shop at your villages’ market. Your village was, after all, known for its impeccable produce stands. 

Eventually, you arrived at the pier. It was already bustling with shopkeepers setting up their stands and children running freely on the dock. Mothers scolded their children for running too close to the edge, afraid that they might fall into the sea. Happy chatter filled the pier as the shopkeepers brought their goods to the market. The local people waved to you as you passed by, commenting on how many oranges you have slung over your back. You laughed when you replied that you expect today will be a good day for sales.

“Good morning, Eleni,” you said to your friend when you arrived at her stand. She pushed thick, graying hair from her eyes and waved you over to her. You ducked under the canopy that shielded her produce and placed your bag on an old wooden chair. 

“Hello dear,” she greeted you. “I left this crate for your oranges today.” Eleni handed you a crate, its wood cracking with use and age.

“Thank you,” you smiled at the friendly, older woman. Eleni to you was like a ray of sunshine. The first day you arrived on the island, she found you outside of the local hotel, struggling to communicate with the front desk attendant with your limited Greek. She first laughed at you, but then gave you the kindest smile and spoke to you in your native language, inviting you to stay in her home. After spending a few days with her and helping stock the shelves in her shop, she offered you a place to live. Eleni owned a small cottage situated next to the orchard at the edge of the village. She said that you could live there for free, as long as you tended to her family’s orchard and sold the fruit at the market on Saturday’s. You agreed on the spot.

You arranged the oranges in the crate with a careful attention to detail, putting the ones with spots at the bottom and the most vibrant ones on top. You sat the crate on the edge of Eleni’s table and stood proudly behind your oranges. You smoothed out your skirt, a matching color with that of your product, as you waited for customers to arrive. 

People from the village walked down the hill towards the market, excited to see what new products were available. All sorts of people visited your stand. Mothers buying food for their families, small children wanting a treat, and elderly couples who strolled by and stopped to purchase one of Eleni’s famous lemon pastries all stopped by. You greeted each person as they shopped, beginning to recognize the locals. You tried to remember everyone’s names, but failed. You were grateful that the island was full of kind people who reminded you of their names gently when you forgot.

You observed people you did not recognize while they strolled through the market. There was a family who brought seven children with them on a tiny boat barely big enough for a family of four. Another notable visitor was a pair of sisters who looked like identical twins. The sisters walked together side-by-side, moving in unison about the market.

As you packaged two oranges for a little girl with bouncing curls, you locked eyes with someone you did not recognize standing across the pier. The stranger's gaze burned into you, and you looked down, again smiling at the child as she handed you her coins. She ran away excitedly with her oranges. You put the money in your cloth pouch,  grinning at the girls’ reaction. 

You raised your eyes to the next customer. The stranger, his smooth skin tanned from the summer sun, was standing in front of your crate of oranges. He picked through them, gently moving the ones he did not desire to the side of the crate. You watched as he did so, trying not to be obvious with how much you were studying him. This man, with his shining black hair and eyes to match, was the most beautiful man you had ever seen. He smiled at you, creases framing his eyes and lips curling in the corners.

“Hello,” he said, his voice as smooth as carmel. His accent wasn’t like that of the people on the island, but it also wasn’t like the one of the people where you came from, either. “How much are these oranges?” He moved his hand around the crate, selecting two oranges.

“A dollar each,” you said, your voice coming out with a squeak. You cleared your throat, heat rising to your cheeks. 

“Perfect. I will take these two,” he said, extending the oranges to you. You took them from him, your hands brushing his calloused ones. You packaged his oranges with extra care.

“Two dollars, please,” you reply, holding his eye contact for the first time. He handed you the money, and you put it into your coin purse. “Thank you,” you smiled at him, nodding in appreciation of his business. He smiled at you again…that smile… and bid you goodbye. The handsome stranger continued on to the next stand, walking slowly as if to take in the scenery around him. You found yourself watching him closely as he purchased a loaf of bread from the next stand.

“Now who was that?” Eleni asked, sneaking up behind you. You startle at her sudden presence, jumping backwards and hitting your foot on the chair.

“I don’t know,” you say, turning away from Eleni and back towards the handsome stranger, ignoring the pain in your foot. To your embarrassment, he was already looking at you. He gave you a friendly grin, to which you replied with a shy wave. Eleni clicked her tongue in satisfaction.

“Whoever he is, I think he is more interested in you than your oranges, y/n,” she said, smiling to herself as she rearranged her pastries. “Or, perhaps it is just your oranges,” she chuckled.

You both laugh, a lovely, musical sound. You shook your head and grinned. Through the corner of your eye, you could see the handsome stranger looking your way from a stand just a few away from yours.

The summer sun beat down on you as you began to help Eleni pack up her unsold goods. You had sold every orange but two, both with a brown spot on the peel that you had not noticed that morning when you picked them.

You turned back to the orange crate to grab your unsold fruit after helping Eleni package a few lemons in a paper bag. To your surprise, the man is standing at your crate, holding the two oranges in one of his hands.

“I’ll take these last two,” he beamed at you. Eleni chuckled behind you, no doubt laughing at her own joke from earlier in the day. 

“You can have them for free,” you replied, not wanting to sell damaged goods. “They have spots, see?” you tell him, turning the oranges around in his hand to reveal the brown spots.

“Are you certain?” he asked. “I wouldn’t want to just take these from you without paying...”

“It’s alright,” you reassured him, feeling Eleni’s eyes on you as she watched from behind. “It’s not a problem at all,” you said with a wave of your hand.

“Well,” he replied, putting the oranges in the bag with the ones he had bought earlier in the day. “At least let me repay you with my time. I’m Seungmin,” he said, extending his hand out to you. Seungmin. You shook his hand, his hand firmly holding on to yours. “I can help you both carry your goods back to the village,” he offered, again with that contagious smile of his. You open your mouth to reply, but Eleni beats you to it.

“Absolutely. You can start with this crate,” she said, pointing a wrinkled finger at the largest crate she had brought. You gave Eleni a warning look, to which she replied with a smug grin and a flick of her hand. Seungmin reached for the crate, putting his bag of oranges and other goods inside of it. He lifted it with no effort, no doubt being stronger than he looked. 

“This way.” She beckoned for him to follow. He obeyed. You trailed behind the two of them, wondering just what Eleni had up her sleeve.

Eleni, being the extroverted chatter-box she was, instantly struck up a conversation with Seungmin. You wanted to listen in to their conversation, but were sidetracked when a neighbor of Eleni’s came to ask you how your sales were that day. You followed behind them with the older man, bidding him farewell when he reached the front door of his home. You hurried to catch up with Eleni and Seungmin once he left.

“Finally caught up, y/n?” Eleni joked. You saw Seungmin’s eyes light up at the sound of your name, not knowing it before Eleni had said something to you. You chuckled and shrugged, blaming your slow pace on the gentleman you had been walking with. After a few more trips up and down the hill, the only things left were two crates, one of them being your orange crate.

“I can take these back up,” Eleni offered. She grunted as she picked up the crate.

“Are you sure?” you and Seungmin asked simultaneously, exchanging a look after doing so. Eleni laughed at both of you, adjusting what she was carrying so it rested on her hips.

“I’m not completely helpless. Thank you for your help, Seungmin. And y/n, I’ll see you later,” she said with a nod, unable to wave while carrying the two crates. You watched her walk up the hill, surprised by her sudden exit. Eleni always stayed after the market to talk with anyone who would allow it, especially those who came to the island’s market from other places. And those with handsome faces, no less. 

You were left standing next to Seungmin, who awkwardly shuffled his feet.

“Y/n,” he asked, saying your name for the first time. Your timid gaze moved from the cobblestone street to his eyes. “Would you like to take a walk on the pier?”

Your heart leapt, not expecting him to want to spend more time with you. 

“Absolutely,” you replied, only realizing the eagerness of your reply after you said it. Seungmin slung the shopping bags over his back. “Here, let me carry something for you,” you offered, reaching out your hand to one of his shopping bags dangling awkwardly around his shoulders.

“If you insist,” he chuckled, handing you a mesh sack filled with food. You and Seungmin walked along the pier towards the docked boats. A cool breeze sprayed mist on both of you as you wandered along the ocean. Most of the boats had departed from the pier that you watched arrive earlier in the day.

“Ah! Here we are,” Seungmin exclaimed, pausing in front of a white sailboat.

“Is this yours?” you asked, impressed by the finely crafted boat. It was obvious that the boat was of high quality, and it was also impeccably clean.

“Yep,” he grinned, squinting from the bright sun reflecting off the water. Seungmin hopped onto the boat and set his bag on the deck. He reached toward you for the other bag. “Isn’t she beautiful?” He patted the mast lovingly, making you giggle.

“She is,” you replied. Seungmin leaned against the mast and smiled at you. The rush of heat returned to your cheeks. You looked off into the distance, swaying on your feet while attempting to hide your blushing. The sharp sound of the wind whistling through the sail filled the pause in your conversation.

“Would you like to sail with me?” he asked suddenly. Your gaze instantly fixated on him, slightly jarred by his request. You stand on the pier for a moment, contemplating your answer. “I mean, if not, that’s okay. I get it…” Seungmin rambled, moving away from the mast and busying himself with something to avoid your gaze. 

“Yeah. I’ll sail with you,” you replied, interrupting him. You knew you didn't have anything to lose by sailing with this handsome stranger. Deep down, something was urging you to get on the boat with him. You chose to listen, ready for an adventure. He immediately stopped his rambling and smiled widely.

“Great! Hop on,” he breathed, acting cutely relieved. He ran across the boat to you and held out his hand. You took his hand, and he gripped strongly onto yours. He pulled you onto the sailboat easily. You hopped over the small, exposed section of the ocean and onto the deck of Seungmin’s sailboat. 

You hadn’t been on a boat since you arrived on the island, and your feet wobbled on the unsteady rocking caused by the waves. Seungmin gripped onto both of your hands as you stumbled forward. 

“It takes a minute to get used to,” he chuckled. You didn’t reply for a moment, only focused on his hands tightly holding yours.

“Okay, okay, I think I’m balanced,” you breathed with relief. Neither of you let go of each other's hands for a moment, and instead, you looked up and met his gaze. You laughed awkwardly and released his hands, secretly wishing you could stay holding them for longer. “See? I got it!” you exclaimed, holding out your arms slightly for even more balance.

“You’ll need that balance once we get out to sea,” he laughed, walking toward the mast. His shoes tapped against the deck as he walked. Seungmin began untying intricate knots that held the sail to the wooden mast. His hands worked quickly and with precision.

“Would you like any help?” you asked, though you knew you wouldn’t be much help to someone who was a professional sailor. His eyes, trained on the knots, moved to you and softened.

“Sure,” he replied, waving you over. You were not expecting him to accept your offer, and your surprise must have shown on your face from the amused look that appeared on his. “Okay, maybe not with the knots,” he grinned, swiftly untying the last knot holding the sail onto the mast. “Can you help me pull up the anchor?” Seungmin jumped off an elevated deck and nodded toward where the anchor was cast over the side of the boat.

“Alright,” you nodded, wondering how you weren’t going to make yourself look like a fool. You walked to Seungmin and peered over the edge of the boat. A fraying rope holding a heavy anchor sunk into the water. You could make out the shape of the metal anchor through the crystal-clear water.

“Okay y/n, grab the rope here,” Seungmin instructed you. You turned to him and did as you were told. You placed your hands on the rope, the fibers scratching your palms. Seungmin stood behind you, placing his hands on the rope near yours. His fingers wrapped around the rope slowly, and he held it with all of his might. You tightened your own grip on the rope, your knuckles turning white.

“Ready?” he asked. You felt his breath on your ear when he spoke, and your skin prickled. “Pull!”

You mustered up all of your strength and pulled the rope backwards. Your breath hitched in your throat and you gritted your teeth. Seungmin did the same, clenching his jaw. You and Seungmin pulled on the rope, feeling the anchor lift from the ocean floor.

“Relax for a second,” Seungmin breathed. Your hands relaxed on the rope and you took a deep breath. You both paused, regripping the rope after letting the muscles in your arms relax. Seungmin asked you to pull again, and you tighten your grip on the rope.

You inhaled and pulled on the rope once more, confident that you could pull the anchor onto the boat this time. You planted your feet into the deck and leaned backwards. A strong wave from a boat passing nearby rocked Seungmin’s sailboat, making you lose your balance. With a yelp you fell backwards, crashing into Seungmin then onto the planks of the boat. The anchor dropped back to the ocean floor as you both lost your grip on the rope.

Realizing what you had done, you scrambled off of him, profusely apologizing. “I am so, so sorry, Seungmin. Oh my gosh…” you sputtered, putting a hand on your forehead. You cursed yourself for your clumsiness that always made you embarrass yourself.

“Are you alright?” he asked you, propping himself up with his elbows. Seungmin pushed his dark hair from his eyes, and you could tell he was trying not to laugh. Your mood lightened instantly.

“I think I should be asking you that question,” you said, raising your eyebrows curiously at him. He grinned and shook his head.

“This wouldn’t be the first time I’ve fallen while trying to pull this stupid thing up,” he replied with a shrug. You felt a wave of relief wash over you, the embarrassment you felt a second earlier completely diminishing. You and Seungmin shared a laugh, then you apologized to him again.

“Want to try once more?” he asked, eyeing the rope that had fallen back into the water with a slight look of defeat.

“Yes,” you said, giving him a proud grin. You were never one to back down from a challenge. He raised his brows at you, amused by your attitude. You wiped your sweaty palms on your orange skirt. You gripped the rope tighter and scrunched your nose, focused on the task at hand. Seungmin moved to the same place behind you, though standing a few inches closer to you this time.

“One, two, three,” he counted. You both simultaneously pulled as hard as you could. The rough rope was uncomfortable against your smooth palms, but you put more effort into the task than before. You planted your feet on the planks and used all of your strength to pull the anchor up from the watery depths. Suddenly, the anchor appeared above the water. You and Seungmin tugged on the rope one final time, and the anchor plopped onto the deck of the boat. You laughed in delight.

“Finally!” he said excitedly. You turned to find his face just inches away from yours. Unable to look away from his soft brown eyes, your lips curled into a proud grin. You wondered if you should back away and put more distance between yourselves, but you became too distracted by his simple beauty up close.

“This way,” Seungmin said, beckoning you to the mast. He touched your arm lightly, leading the way. He instructed you to stay to the side of the boat as he lowered the sail, not wanting you to get hit when it fell. You didn’t mind staying off to the side and watching him work. Seungmin lowered the sail, pulling it tightly into place. The breeze caught the fabric and pulled the boat away from the dock with a leap.

Water lapped at its sides as Seungmin steered the sailboat further out into the ocean. You sat at the back of the boat, watching your new home become smaller and smaller. Old feelings of excitement that you felt when you first saw this view came to the surface of your mind, making you smile. You rested your head in your hands, admiring the scene.

“What are you thinking about?” Seungmin asked, sitting next to you and offering you one of the oranges you picked that morning. You took the piece of fruit from him, too famished to refuse his kind offer. He rolled up the sleeves of his cream, linen shirt and began peeling his orange. You tried not to stare at his exposed skin as you peeled your own fruit. He peeled the orange in one try, showing off his fully connected peel. You smirked and rolled your eyes, looking down at your own horribly picked off pieces of orange skin littering your lap.

“I just moved here a few weeks ago,” you told him, popping a piece of the orange into your mouth. The sweet but tart citrus juice greeted your tastebuds. You smiled internally, proud that your product was as delicious as it looked.

“Oh, really?” he asked curiously.

“Mhm,” you mumbled, chewing on a piece of the orange. You swallowed and continued, your voice quieting. “I was…I was ready for a change.” Seungmin nodded slowly and looked out to the darkening sky.

You hadn’t told many people why you left the dreary-weathered place you grew up for the sunny Mediterranean island. You couldn’t take living a rigid, strict life defined by the rules of society for any longer than you had. You were searching for something simpler. Your entire soul was searching for this simplicity that seemed lost to the people back where you were from. 

You looked at Seungmin, and he nodded in understanding. You didn’t know why, but something about Seungmin made you feel like you could trust him with anything. You could sense that maybe he was the same; someone looking for a simple life.

“What about you? What brings you to the island?” you asked, gazing at his handsome profile fondly.

“I’m like you,” he replied, setting the peel of his orange aside. “I was also ready for a change. I needed something new. Something I couldn’t find at home.” He looked at you, his gaze filled with emotions that you knew all too well.

“Where is home?” you asked. Seungmin told you about a small peninsula across the sea, known as Korea, where his family lived along the rocky seaside. He explained that his family had been fishing for years, but he was the only one who knew how to properly operate a sailboat rather than the small fishing boats most of his family used. Seungmin told you that their business was starting to slow as many people in his village were moving to larger, more modern cities. He smiled sadly at the ocean as he spoke to you. You could see the emotions of the memories etched on his face.

You rested your hand onto his. He looked down at your hands, then back to you. He laced his fingers through yours, slowly taking your hand in his. He then looked back at the vast ocean surrounding the boat. The sun was beginning to dip lower toward the horizon.

“I’m glad I was able to get away. I needed to see the world before I took over the family business,” he explained, hints of defeat in his soft voice. You inched closer to him on the seat, feeling a pull you hadn’t felt in a long time.

Fortunately, the pull you felt between the two of you was mutual. Seungmin wrapped his arm around you, and you leaned your head onto his shoulder. The soft linen of his shirt warmed your bare arms.

“When do you have to go home?” you whispered, matching the calm energy of the evening surrounding you.

“Soon,” he replied, his voice as soft as yours. “What about you?”

“I have nothing left for me there,” you exhaled, watching the sky turn from pink to black. Your chest tightened up with the hurt. “The island is my home now.”

“I see,” he replied, stroking your arm gently with his thumb. His touch left a burning, but soothing, sensation on your skin. You turned your face up to his, unable to help the strong desire you had to be closer to him. 

In the same moment, you both leaned in closer to each other, your lips touching. His lips felt soft, effortlessly meeting yours. He tasted like the salty ocean air, with the hints of orange on both of your lips greeting the other.

Your mind raced as you kissed him, telling yourself you should stop while it’s good for you. Since when do you kiss strangers? But, your heart was telling you a different story. Something about Seungmin felt so familiar to you, almost like you had known him your entire life. Telling him about your struggles and putting your lips onto his felt completely safe.

You were the first to pull away from the kiss. You opened your eyes to find him giving you a look of longing and knowing. You figured you must have looked ridiculous to him, heat rising to your cheeks and hands shaking with nerves. You laughed nervously, shifting your gaze away from his lips.

“I’m not usually so…” Seungmin interrupted your tense chatter with another gentle kiss. He wrapped his hand around your neck with care, holding your face close to his. In your second kiss, you melted into the moment completely. You let your negative thoughts drift away on the misty breeze that tousled your hair. There was no other place you would have rather been than on that sailboat in the middle of the ocean with him.

“So… what?” he asked, pulling away from your kiss only when both of you were out of breath. His eyes sparkled like the stars above you.

“It doesn’t matter,” you chuckled, once again leaning your head onto his shoulder. The light of the sun had dimmed entirely; the round light only a sliver above the water. You tilted your head upwards and stared at the clear night sky. Billions of stars winked down at the two of you.

“I’ve never seen a sky this clear,” Seungmin said, his voice quiet. You barely heard him whisper above the steady sound of the waves.

“It’s gorgeous, isn’t it?” you added, a smile creeping to your lips. He pulled you closer to him, allowing you to feel his warmth entirely.

“Stunning,” Seungmin said, looking down at you. You felt his gaze land on you and moved yours to his, leaning in for yet another magical kiss.

The rest of the evening was spent in the blissful company of each other, watching the moon rise above you in the eastern sky. You found out that Seungmin loved music and sang in his free time. You begged him to sing for you, and after much pleading, he obliged. He sang you a beautiful folk song from his home country. His singing was incredible, making you feel joyful and sad all at once. You were mesmerized by the way he conveyed his emotions through his voice. 

You clapped your hands furiously at the end of his song, your hands creating the only sound besides the waves at your secluded place in the middle of the ocean. You swore you could see a tear glimmering in his eyes, but he wiped it away before you could say anything. Seungmin hopped off of the staircase he was using as a stage and grabbed your hands lovingly.

“What are you doing?” you laughed, not resisting his touch.

“Dancing with you,” he replied, twirling you around in a circle. The layers of your orange skirt flowed around you, brushing against Seungmin’s jeans. He hummed the song he sang for you as you held each other in the moonlight.

You laughed gleefully, swaying along to the rhythm of the waves. His hands eventually found your waist, inviting you to come closer to him. You rested your head on his chest, feeling the vibrations of his voice as he hummed. You soaked in every moment you spent with him, knowing this night would not last forever.

“Can you stay?” you whispered after he had gone quiet, the only sound between the two of you that of steady breaths. Even though you already knew the answer, you asked this question anyway.

“I would if I could, y/n. I would if I could,” he replied, resting his head against yours with a gentle sigh.

“I… I don’t know what it is, but, but…” you stumbled on your words, a habit you possessed when your thoughts became jumbled with emotions.

“You can tell me,” he breathed. He ran his hand gently along your arm, his touch soothing you.

“I feel like I can trust you,” you began. “With anything. I feel like I’ve known you my entire life.” You admit these thoughts, not holding back any of your emotions. Hot tears stung your eyes, and you will yourself not to let them fall. Seungmin sensed your sadness, and he lifted your face to his.

“I feel the same way, y/n. I wish things were different,” he said, blinking regretfully. A tear fell from your eye, splashing onto the front of your navy blue shirt. Seungmin gently brushed it away. “I’m sorry.”

“No,” you said, wiping your eyes. “There’s no need for you to be. I mean, we only just met,” you tried to laugh. “Let’s be happy in this time we have together.” You smiled, swallowing your tears and putting a block on your aching heart. Seungmin sighed and ran his hands down your arms, stopping at your hands and holding them in his. He kissed the tops of your fingers.

“I agree. Let’s live in the moment.” He suddenly spun you around, hair whipping your face and your skirt twirling. You laughed joyfully, losing yourself in the unforgiving emotions that plagued you. You couldn’t help yourself when you leaned in to kiss him again, not ever wanting to return to shore. 

You and Seungmin spent the night in pure bliss. The emotional connection between the two of you was astonishing. You and Seungmin told each other about your childhood, not leaving out the embarrassing stories that made the other smile. Both of you told each other everything about your journey to the island. You found out that Seungmin had been sailing for months and was on his way home. You learned more about his family’s business and why he had mixed feelings about returning home. You learned of his deep devotion for his family that kept him sailing homeward, despite his wary feelings.

You told Seungmin about your troubled childhood and how you felt trapped in your home country. You explained how you journeyed across the continent without a destination in mind, wandering until you found the little Greek island that felt like home. 

He listened intently, nodding along as you poured your heart out to him. He never interrupted you, fully absorbed in what you had to say. Seungmin had a million questions for you, and he asked you all of them. You gave him honest answers, knowing he was also telling you his deepest truths. As your conversation continued, you felt more seen and heard than you had ever felt in your entire life. 

You knew this man was more than just a stranger you met on the pier. You felt connected to him, a red string of fate bringing you two together just when you needed each other. You were going to remember Seungmin this way for the rest of your life. These thoughts only made you sadder as the night turned into morning. The brightening sky reminded the both of you that your lovely moments together were coming to a close. With a sad smile, Seungmin stood and returned to the sail to steer the sailboat back to the island.

You watched as Seungmin stood surely at the mast of his sailboat, navigating the dawn currents with expertise. You sat at the front of the boat, watching your colorful island come into view. You closed your eyes and soaked in the ocean mist falling onto your face from the morning breeze. You took deep breaths of salty air, feeling faint tinges of it in your throat. You saw Seungmin doing the same, his chest rising and falling with each deep breath he took.

“Wait right there, y/n,” he said all of a sudden, rummaging through a backpack resting near the steering wheel. You turned back to him and saw that he was holding a film camera. “Smile!” he exclaimed, holding the camera up to his eyes to look through the tiny lens. You smiled brightly, your facial expression genuine. You didn’t bother primping your hair or fixing your clothes for the photo. Seungmin brought the camera down after taking your photo with the island in the background. “Beautiful,” he said, looking at you with awe.

You tried not to cry as the sailboat pulled up to the dock at the break of sunrise. You had to will yourself to stand as Seungmin tied the boat to the pier. Your hands were shaking as you approached him.

“I’ll never forget you, Seungmin,” you said, your voice cracking. You felt your chest begin to tighten. He wrapped his arms around you and pulled you close to him. You breathed in his scent, memorizing the feeling of him wrapped around you. You leaned your head up to kiss him, and found him already waiting for you. You memorized the taste of his lips, knowing deep down that you will never see him again.

“And I’ll never forget you, y/n. Thank you for giving me a beautiful memory,” he said. Seungmin reached his hand out to you, helping you step onto the pier. He began untying the sailboat, a tear falling from his eyes. 

Your knees trembled as you stood on the pier. Tears streamed down your face, not wanting to leave the only person in the world who you had felt such a deep connection with behind. The pain etched on his face showed you that he felt as connected to you as you felt to him.

Seungmin reached for your hands one last time. You took them, holding on tightly. You looked him in the eyes as the boat began to float away from the pier. You both stretched your arms as far as they could go, until you felt the tips of his fingers slip through yours, the phantom of his hands remaining in yours.

“Goodbye, y/n,” Seungmin said, waving to you with one hand and keeping the other on the ropes of the sail. The sailboat floated further away from you and your island with each passing moment.

“Goodbye, Seungmin,” you said, holding trembling hands to your chest. He waved to you for as long as he could before he had to untie the sail completely. You watched him lower the white sail, seeing it catch on a morning breeze and pull him eastward even further away from you. With a heavy heart and vision blurring with tears, you stood on the pier watching Seungmin disappear over the horizon. You watched until you could no longer see his white sails on the blue water. A sob escaped your lips, watching the only person who knew almost everything about you vanish forever.

“I love you,” you whispered, your words floating away on the cool ocean breeze.

---

[nottawriter]

20 Questions More

This is a deeper and more detailed version of the 20 questions for AO3 fanfic writers. Thanks to @casualsavant for the tag.

1) How do you keep getting ideas for your ship / fandom? Supercorp brainrot… I see a picture or meme or video, I watch a movie or read a synopsis, I hear a song and it reminds me of them. They are ever present in my mind. I cannot escape (nor do I want to) and therefore, you cannot escape :chaos laugh:

2) Which authors inspire you in your fandom, and why are they so freakishly good? There are sooo many super talented people in the Supercorp fandom. I’m constantly impressed and overwhelmed with the volume of amazing content. There are the fandom favs: @lostariels, @jazzfordshire, @searidings, @lynnearlington, @coffeeshib, @mycatismyeditor, @lgbtimelords and @melui-the-bookworm, and there are personal favs: @snowydragonscave, @fazedlight, @casualsavant, @luthordamnvers, @gveret-fic, @briefunknowntrash, @cantdrawshaw, @karalovesallthegirls, @vox-ex, Veritas33 (AO3), @writershapeholeonthedoor… Sooo much talent. I just want to read all the time!

3) Aside from the characters of your main ship, who are the characters you love to write? I love all the side characters. I think the relationships in Supergirl are what make Kara and Lena so great and relatable. After Kara and Lena, I think I’m most comfortable writing Alex, but I enjoy writing almost everyone. My WHBL series is an ensemble-cast style story that is primarily Lena pov, but has other povs throughout.

4) Are there pairings or tropes you know for sure you’d never write about? Which ones? I’m not a fan of writing Kara or Lena outside of Supercorp unless in reference to their past relationships. I’m not sure if I would rule any specific trope out completely

5) What is your writing process and why is it cursed? Sav’s answer for this one is pretty relatable lol but uh… I typically put notes in my phone if I don’t have paper/pen handy. I use Excel to plot out timelines and chapters. I like to use color to show what I still need to write versus what’s done or what’s uncertain. I use a simple Word doc and typically write in story order, though if I write a scene I like, but don’t like it’s placement, I’ll cut it out and save it separately for potentially using later or in a different fic. I struggle with writer’s block, anxiety, guilty, sooo much uncertainty. It’s stressful and sometimes overwhelming… But I’m still here, so I suppose getting the story out into the world is all worth it in the end.

6) What is your favorite part of your writing process? I enjoy the research, having something completed and ready to post (if not the anxiety of actually posting), and I enjoy reading the comments

7) What’s the weirdest thing you’ve had to research for a fic? Um, probably sniper rifle stuff

8) Is there a particular writing rule you struggle with (grammar, spelling, tense, reality in general)? I catch myself switching tense all the time. I try to catch it all in editing, but don’t always succeed.

9) What was your hardest scene to write so far and why? Pretty much all of Evermore because it’s Kara’s dreamscape with mixed references to Wizard of Oz and Edgar Allen Poe’s The Raven combined with The Adjudicator’s last scene. I think it actually came out well, but it’s really different and specific, so it’s gotten low interaction.

10) Have your characters ever done something you didn’t expect, changing your plot completely? 100%

11) If you could converse with any of the characters, who would it be and why? I would be in awe to meet Kara or Lena. They’re iconic and these huge symbols for so many feelings and thoughts I’ve tried to convey, but they’re also very relatable characters who’ve suffered through much. I hope I do them justice with my writing. I know others do it so much better... I would also love to meet Melissa or Katie. I hope they know how many lives they've impacted for the better.

12) What are some of the tropes or themes that you find yourself returning to in your writing? Originally, I wrote a lot of mental health themes and hurt/comfort, currently it’s fluff and smut or rom-com. I guess it depends a lot on what emotional headspace I’m in and capable of conveying. Almost always there’s some angst, but I gotta have a happy ending. Whether I’m reading or writing. A happy ending always.

13) What’s your most important resource as a writer? Talking with other writers! I’ve been so thankful to meet so many great ones this year <3

14) Can you share some of your strategies for editing and revising your work? I do many rereads, before and after I post. I will go back and reread before I add more to a story as well, esp if it’s been a while since I wrote for it. I’ve also gotten someone else to read over fics from time to time.

15) Which is worse: making the summary, picking the tags, or the anxiety when you post your fic? All of that gives me anxiety lol

16) How do you define success for your fanfic - hits? Kudos? Comments? Bookmarks? Or just if you like it? I try really hard not to define “success” when it comes to my writing. You never know what other people are going to like or connect with. First and foremost, I write for me. Secondly, I write for the enjoyment of others. I like to see kudos, but ultimately it’s the comments that are most encouraging. Seeing even just 1 person connect with a story that I wrote… there’s no feeling like that.

17) Do you have a playlist for your favorite character / ship? I don’t, but there are songs or artists I associate with the characters, esp Supercorp- Taylor Swift, Hozier, Lord Huron… Not the question, but there’s a video edit by @talconnect with Running with the Wolves that fits perfectly for Kara. https://twitter.com/TalArtM/status/1658567350046674967 I love it.

18) If fan art was going to be made from your work, which fic would you pick and which fan artist would you like to create it? I recently commissioned a piece for one scene in I Believe in a Thing Called Love and there are a couple of other scenes in that one that I would have done. Really, I would appreciate any scene though. It would be an honor to have someone chose one of my works for something like that and I would be stoked to see any of it.

19) How many WIPs do you currently have? Active WIPs: 4 (What Has Been Lost, Wouldn’t It Be Nice, I Believe in a Thing Called Love, and Tis the Damn Season); Mayhem WIP idea to be started soon. A few others always percolating

20) What’s your advice to new fanfic writers? I had no idea what I was doing or that I even wanted to write when I started. You can’t improve until you try. You can’t learn until you make mistakes. Just try. I’ll keep Sav’s advice as well: Write for yourself. Write what you’d want to see. You’ll get better at it over time.

My fics: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Notta_Writer/works Tagging but no pressure: @itsalliebitheway @jetgirl1832 @flyingpotstickers @sneezewizard

[nobigsecrets]

🖊️♻️🤡

🖍 Post any sentence from your wip

Okay. So. This is a chunk of what I wrote pretty recently. It's a piece of my transmasc!Steve headcanon, which I'm not sure is ready to be called a wip yet. But I'm gonna grab the chance to talk about it with both hands. :) Plus, I figure it might be of more interest to you and probably most of my followers on here than my Ted Lasso wip. Please be kind, it's not edited!

--

[Steve is not a SEAL in this. He figured out that he is trans somewhat recently when he returns to Hawaii after his father's death.]

The cab driver calls her Lieutenant and she pissily corrects him that she’s a Lieutenant Commander and wishes to be addressed accordingly, thank you very much.

Civilians, really.

The Governor is still busy when she arrives at her office. She’s told to wait in the sitting room and the governor’s secretary calls her Mrs McGarrett of all things. She's as stunned as she is annoyed by it and has to bite her tongue. Instead of correcting her and pointing out her rank for the second time within an hour, she asks as politely as possible if it would be alright if she returned in 30 minutes.

To her relief it is and she heads out of the governor’s mansion and towards the coffee place across the street that she spotted earlier. She figures a coffee to go and some fresh air on a walk towards the docks might help her to cool off.

She enters the small café and she hasn’t planned to, has never thought about it before but now an idea pops up in her mind unbidden. She orders her coffee and she can't shake the thought, it has grabbed her mind and her heart and when the barista asks for a name what she says is--Steve.

Not Steph. Not Stephanie. She said Steve--

Wait.

He said Steve.

He's Steve. He's--

He hasn’t thought this through. He suddenly feels week in the knees at his own courage. He takes a careful look around, holding his breath but the place isn’t very busy. It's very likely that no one will notice.

Still, he’s busy keeping a bout of panic at bay, when out of the corner of his eyes, he notices someone walking in his direction. It's a cop in full uniform walking towards him. Strangely, the guy is smiling when instead of a greeting he says “I know you!”

He is confused for a short moment, he hadn't expected to run into any familiar face so quickly after arriving but he he recognizes the man instantly.

“Chin Ho Kelly! Kukui High School,” he says and he can’t help but relax slightly at Chin’s friendly smile.

Before either of them can say anything more, the barista calls “Grande Caffe Latte for Steve” and puts the coffee cup on the counter directly in front of him. There’s no mistaking for whom it’s meant, so he takes the cup and chances a wary look at Chin.

While Chin looks surprised, slightly raised eyebrow and all, he doesn’t comment and just picks up where they left off: “Steve McGarrett! Good to see you back home!”

He's Steve.

♻️ A scrapped idea for your current WIP

I scrapped a smut scene out of my Roy x Jamie fic twice now. It's not that the boys don't want to have fun, it just doesn't fit into the narrative the way I want it to.

🤡 How many Wips are you actively working on?

We should define what 'actively working on' actually means lol. I have anything from 'has been open in the background for months' (10) to 'adding a couple of sentences when I find the time' (3).

Ask me: An ask game for writers to procrastinate working on you WIP(s)