#i love my found family au so much it’s so comforting for some reason <3

[teastarfall]

How did the hunter adopt mono & six?

hmmm the best way i can describe it is that mono and six kinda just showed up in the wilderness,, not at the same time though (id imagine it to be six first, then mono lol) hunter didn’t rlly have any goals to be a parent of sorts, he has barely any experience in parenting and he never even considered the idea of being a parent before so he pretty much took six in at first because he simply just felt rlly bad. so it was definitely a learning experience

six actually settled in quite easily at the cabin which did surprise hunter, he like half expected her to run off as soon as she was healthy enough. obviously there were the trust issues at first and six did keep her distance, but after hunter properly proved that he won’t hurt her she was able to just get comfy and things were pretty good after that yippee

mono was like,, a little less willing to stay at first?? as in he tried to escape once or twice and even after he stopped it took him a bit longer to rlly get used to being taken care of properly. But uhh yknow things worked out in the end and now we have the silly goofy family💥💥💥

can’t forget a small lil doodle of the sillies :D

[gyusimp]

hiii,

first of all I LOVE your work and your writing, it’s incredible how you capture your writing and I find your gyutaro fics to be very spicy yet creative.

I would love if you could make a college fic (or a high school fic, which ever one your comfortable with) where the reader is a shy, nerdy girl who has volunteered to work at the library during summer break at night time. As they’re working they bend over to fix the printer and get stuck or they ask gyutaro to hold some cords so they can reach into the printer to fix something inside the cabinet.

anyways use your imagination I know you wont let me down <3

°•Library nights with Gyutaro•° (Nsfw)

Thank you so much sweet little anon! I'm glad you like my horny nonsense lol. You said you liked spicy so I took the liberty of making your request NSFW since you didn't specify, but if you had something fluff and SFW in mind please don't hesitate to tell me and I'll rewrite a version for everyone, ok? 🍬

⚠️WARNINGS: NSFW content | Smut content | Kimetsu Gakuen AU but both are adults for some reason | MINORS DNI!

Art credits: @ bluethebone on IG

Summer vacation was just around the corner at Kimetsu Gakuen. Some teachers would take turns to rest and to work on planning their classes and some projects for when the students had returned, some students would even take turns to support the teachers in their tasks. It was a task that no one wanted to do, besides you, the only ones who accepted were a red-haired boy with flashy earrings, another with long black hair with mint eyes and a little black-haired girl with blue eyes and a soft voice. It wasn't because your greatest desire in life was to help the teachers, you found out that extra points would be given in some subjects and that would help you maintain a good average in your classes as you did until now, besides, your mother was all day at work just like your dad so being at home all day would be quite boring.

That led you to volunteer as an assistant at the school. Principal Amane introduced you to your classmates and assigned each of them a time and place where they would be collaborating. Tanjiro would help with some repairs inside the cafeteria, Muichiro would be in the playground and gym, Makomo would be in Kimetsu Elementary, and you would be in the library. The others seemed to be very nice and they were, they all ate together with you at lunch time and as the days went by you became very close, Tanjiro even brought you all some cookies from his family's bakery. Today you would be on the afternoon shift, after another boy named Murata joined the volunteering later, you would take turns with him to help in the library. The afternoon shift was very quiet, generally you only had to organize books in their areas, clean and keep everything in its place, you even took the liberty of listening to some music on your airphones and reading a book that was of interest to you .

Today you would continue reading that romantic novel you found yesterday but when you arrived your plans changed. You entered the library with your things, it was always empty but today you found someone inside, a student. And not just any student, it was Gyutaro Shabana.

The guy was known as a delinquent within the school, he always spent time in detention or causing problems for students and teachers, especially the art teacher. Despite that, you embarrassingly had to admit that you found him quite attractive despite his reputation and everyone else thinking otherwise so your heart skipped a beat when you found him here and saw how he examined you from head to toe with one look

"H-hello," You barely said, entering and walking towards your spot at the library reception.

The boy didn't respond, he simply continued doing his thing next to a pile of books and sheets on the table, biting a pencil between his crooked teeth. You couldn't stand it, being so close to Shabana made you nervous. You tried to do anything to keep yourself busy but at the same time admire him from a distance. His hunched posture working in the chair, his blue eyes looking down and his thin fingers writing notes in hasty and poorly legible handwriting. The guy had something that made him uniquely attractive, interesting, sexy in your opinion. Doubt gnawed at you to know what he was doing here on vacation, but it wasn't until the next day that you dared to ask him.

"Summer school and shit" he replied.

Gyutaro was very intelligent but very lazy at times so that led him to get unsatisfactory grades and having to attend remedial classes during the vacations. He thought the same thing happened to you but he didn't hesitate to shamelessly mock you when you told him that you helped the school of your own free will. According to him it was the most pathetic decision he had ever seen someone make in their life. His comments were cruel like a joke but you didn't dislike it at all, you usually joke in a similar way with your closest friends so the time you started spending with Gyutaro wasn't anything new or offensive. You spent this entire week talking to him, he told you that he preferred to go to school in the afternoon since in the morning he was in charge of spending time with his sister and preparing lunch for both of them, then his mother would come home after work and she would take care of Ume while he studied here. Well, in theory, Gyutaro ended up procrastinating most of the time in the library after his math classes with Mr. Shinazugawa, on more than one occasion you found him asleep on the table, playing something on his cell phone or worse, watching videos too spicy even if you were around; you had to call his attention after a woman's moan broke out in the middle of the silence of the library when he thought his airphones were connected to his cell phone.

It was Monday again but this week you wouldn't be seeing Gyutaro because Murata would cover the morning shift, your shift was from 7:00 am - 2:00 Gyutaro's classes started at 3:00 pm then one more hour in the library until he got tired and went home so you could only talk to him via text. Yes, you gave him your contact and he gave you his, which is very unusual for him unless he really likes someone but either way neither of you ended up writing anything to the other. Embarrassment consumed you when you opened his chat so you preferred to talk to him until next week in person. Next monday arrived and you were eager to see him, your heart was beating a mile an hour and as soon as you entered you took care of greeting him and sitting next to him at the usual table, that was the same until Wednesday. On Thursday you were planning to do the same but your plans were affected. Mr. Rengoku needed some printed handouts with readings, exercises and questions for his students in the summer school History class, the man arrived with a smile before going home that day and handed you a USB with the document to to print 20 brochures for tomorrow. Each brochure had approximately 12 pages so your entire afternoon had been taken up next to the printer thanks to the young blond man with the loud voice, you got to work so you wouldn't have to stay late.

From time to time Gyutaro would get up from his chair to hover near you and ask you what the hell you were doing, why you were surrounded by sheets, a whole valley of paper around you. You explained as you organized everything on the computer and programmed the 20 copies on the printer. The device was not very recent and you had to monitor each of the sheets that came out so that it worked correctly until the most feared thing happened. The paper jammed. You tried with your life to move and fix it but the damn thing just didn't obey your orders so you swallowed your shame and went to find Gyutaro to give you a hand.  Both of you examined the machine, checking inputs, cables and so on until it made a very strange robotic noise. 

"Some printers open from the back, have you checked there?" Gyutaro asked while checking some cables.

"You're right, not yet." Gyutaro moved the device to give you access to the back, you leaned over the wooden furniture and began to look for a door or removable piece to unclog the paper.

Gyutaro was trying to help you by checking cables and other things until he finally got grumpy and gave up before smashing the printer against the wall. He took a couple steps back and crossed his arms as he watched you, cursing on the other side. His eyes were on the printer but then they went to your hair, to your arms moving repetitively, to your legs and the pressure that your white stockings caused on your thigh fat and then to your skirt, your butt peeking out shamelessly from under it and it seemed like you didn't know it. The movements you made made Gyutaro's mind fly much further, Shabana is an undoubtedly perverted guy and that was not a secret to anyone. A pressure began to build under his pants, colliding with the beige fabric of his uniform, making him walk towards you and was about to grab your waist with both hands, but he was interrupted by your voice.

"I got it!" You said excitedly, after hearing the printer return to work.

You sorted the paper and made sure to count the pages to resume printing, you were about to return to your chair but Gyutaro cornered you against the desk with both arms next to your hips, it made you very nervous seeing him so close.

"Wow, you have very skillful hands..." he said, smiling at you with many hints.

You didn't know what to do, were you imagining everything? Your cheeks burned in a second and something inside you made you play along.

"I know, I know how to do some things."

Gyutaro smiled mischievously at you, looked at you from head to toe and dared to caress your leg, bringing one hand to your butt under your uniform skirt.

"Really? Why don't you show me instead of bragging, huh?" He said, lifting you onto the desk with both hands, positioning himself between your legs.

Something warmed inside you, the speed in your chest made you smile back at him and grab him by the back of his neck to kiss him on the lips as he approached you. Gyutaro kissed you with desperation and inexperience but that didn't mean it didn't feel fucking good, the blue-eyed boy licked every part of your mouth, kissed your neck and left wet, hungry marks on your collarbones while making you choke on moans when he rubbed his member in the middle of your thighs.

"G-Gyutaro...someone could come." You said, trying to push him away and make him see reason.

"Do you think anyone is still here?" He scoffed. "Don't be stupid, that's why teachers offer high scores if you come to volunteer, everyone is at home while the stupid students do the work they should." He huffed between kisses on your neck.

"B-but, what if a student comes?" Your voice sounded worried despite the desire in it.

"Then they will learn not to mess with my woman."

Hearing him say that turned you on so much, you didn't know if it was because Gyutaro was also aroused that he said that but without a doubt that he claimed you as his without giving a damn about the others turned you to a pulp in his arms. 

Gyutaro's hands went to your shirt to get rid of your green tie and open each of your buttons to leave more desperate, wet kisses on your breasts, leaving red marks on your soft skin and shiny trails of his hot saliva, you grabbed his shoulders and you unbuttoned his shirt too to see his torso. He looked like a very thin boy, actually, his waist was quite small but his chest and arms were very strong. You brought both hands to his chest and caressed him sensually, lightly running your nails over him and playing with his nipples while he devoured you with kisses and nibbled you, with his hands never leaving your butt under your skirt for a second, playing with the lace of your panties. You leaned a little to kiss his neck and trapezius, Gyutaro's collarbones were very pronounced and while you licked his skin in the middle of kisses, you moved your hands towards his back to grab his butt and try to put your hands under his pants but he quickly stopped you. He grabbed both your hands tightly and didn't allow you to move forward.

"I thought you wanted me to show you my skills," you told him, mockingly.

"I changed my mind. I'll show you, okay?" He spoke firmly and authoritatively, making your panties wet.

Gyutaro brushed the hair from your neck and kissed your shoulders roughly until he slowly pushed you to lie down on the desk, leaving your legs dangling. Your hands tangled in his greenish curls, you couldn't help but moan at every touch of his long fingers, he lifted your skirt up to the top of your thighs and began to unbutton his belt and pants until he left his naked member exposed. Looking down and noticing how big he was, the blue eyed boy spit into his palm and began pumping his cock so it dripped more between his fingers, eager to fill you completely. Seeing the "V" shaped lines on Gyutaro's abdomen just above his member made you shiver with pleasure, just below his navel you could see a small trail of black hair. You desperately hoped that Gyutaro would take off your panties or you would do it yourself but when you saw his hand reach towards your core and feel his fingers sliding down your slit it was a much bigger relief. Gyutaro was aware of the risk that someone could get in, so he decided to leave your panties in place and just move them to the side with his index finger, watching with desire how wet you were and how you filled his fingers with small, slippery transparent threads.

"I bet you're really tight." He told you, licking his fingers and pulling your panties aside again.

Gyutaro stimulated your hole with his fingers with a couple of movements but when he felt your soft walls taking him warmly, his ambition made him take his cock and insert it directly into you, making you moan loudly, arching your back, instinctively opening your legs wider to receive him. You could feel Gyutaro stretching you, your moans accompanied his gasps and the sound of the printer doing its job, your uniform was a complete hindrance to both of you until you changed positions and Gyutaro put you face down on the desk. He entered you again and gave you a couple of spanks making you gasp his name.

"I love how you beg for me, you nerdy little bitch." He hissed, drunk with pleasure.

Gyutaro's moans were increasing, he took the audacity to lower his hands to your chest and put both hands inside your bra to massage your breasts while he fucked you. Your legs fought to keep you firm but each thrust weakened you more, you felt your clit throb and your hole get wetter and wetter until a lot of wet sounds filled the library, sweat ran under your knees and you felt drops running between your thighs without stopping, you didn't know if they were your juices. You clenched roughly making Gyutaro moan and curse, picking up speed as you were hit by your orgasm, an electrifying and abundant one that left you trembling beneath him, creating a slippery ring around Gyutaro's cock inside your swollen pussy. You were empty-minded, blinded by lust until you suddenly felt empty all of a sudden. You looked back and realized that Gyutaro had cum all over your thighs and part of the desk. So he pulled out of you before his orgasm.

Gyutaro was agitated just like you, his chest rising and falling and his bangs falling messily over his sweaty forehead, the perfect feeling of your tight pussy still had him seeing stars. You composed yourself and organized your panties and uniform, you noticed that even the 20 pamphlets had finished printing so you reluctantly organized them to finish stapling them tomorrow.

Your face began to burn, becoming aware of what had just happened, you didn't know if Gyutaro had done this because he was simply horny or because he actually liked you. It was something that you would analyze with your pillow tonight so you preferred to say goodbye to him briefly.

"See you tomorrow." You said, grabbing your things.

Gyutaro didn't say anything, he left his backpack where it was and began to walk towards you without taking his eyes off you, for a second you thought he was going to kill you until he took you by the waist and gave you a kiss on the lips, slowly and delicious making you melt again.

"We just fucked and that's all you're saying?" He scoffed, making you blush. "I love you as much as I love your pussy, stupid girl. At least say 'thank you' or some shit."

"I-I... me too- i mean...ok."

Gyutaro couldn't help but laugh at your inability to speak and the deep red painting your face, he finds you very adorable. "Next time we can do it completely naked, okay?" Gyutaro said, giving you a small spank.

That night he offered to take you home on his motorcycle.

[poichanchan]

Hiii, someone relatively new to the phandom having just played through p5r, but can I ask how the swap au premise works? I'm curious what your own takes might be on how the situations for both joker and akechi happened to lead for them to be on opposite sides in comparison to the game! I tried to look it up a bit, but there's a lot of different headcanons, but I love your concepts so much I wanted to see if you had any particular thoughts on the setting :3

Hiiiii welcome to p5 brainrot jail haha! (genuinely though, welcome and im happy you enjoyed p5r!) Everyone has their take on swapAU, I specifically wanted to play with the idea of Goro and Akira swapping their ROLES ONLY.

In my AU Goro Akechi is still the son of Shido who is largely out of his life. Goro's life is a mess, his moms in rehab, and he is sent to Tokyo on probation (to his mother's friend Muhen the owner of JazzJin). I've adjusted Goro's life just enough to have him keep his childish love for justice. He finds his found family in the PT. Goro is a Snarky, whole, intelligent, a little mean, energetic, gets flustered, but also is passive and observant when he needs to be. HIS ROUGH LIFE MADE HIM GRUFF AND HONEST BUT HE ISNT JADED. Akira hates how shallow and transactional his life is. He has his awakening, ends up on Shido's radar via the research group he has in place to explore and exploit the metaverse. Akira's parents probably work around the research team somewhere and didn't think too hard about what they were getting their son into... a mix of negligence and wanting to get more opportunities as a family/bootlick. From there he has his forced 2nd awakening and gets ensnared in Shido's conspiracy. There is a lot of resentment in his life because of this, and when he is faced with Goro's existence, the literal SON OF SHIDO WHO HAS THE SAME POWERS yet life turned out so different for him because their roles are swapped its terrible. Akira is also very good at adapting to who he talks to like in canon. He is good at socializing and charming, thus the detective prince facade becomes a thing to help him gain access to deeper levels of mementos blah blah blah

Akira is also rationalizing a lot, he is seeing himself weeding corrupt people out, a hero getting hands dirty and sacrificing self for greater good. The metaverse is his stage. And he is THE showman. Detective prince Akira is more sweeping/showy/charismatic/flirty, his joker vibe comes through more normally. APART from the resentment Akira has for seeing Goro live his life the way he does, the resounding ITS NOT FAIR he feels in his heart, he also reeeeeally want the stupid phantom thieves to 'cherish your normalcy. stop messing with my plan. how fucking naive do you have to be to think THIS is justice?' COLD SEETHING FOCUSED FURY FROM AKIRA Its such a mess lol But i think hit Akira in the places that would make him play out the detective prince and Black mask bits without losing too much of his own flavor. His rationalizing is important, otherwise i felt he would feel the moral conflict harder and withdraw instead of being showy and sweeping. Also for their social links i have thoughts, i think detective Akira's special place would not be... jazzjin. I think he would drop by like canon Akechi drops by Leblanc, but nothing more. I have in mind a place up high at a height, something like the Shibuya Sky observation deck as a place he personally visits often to reflect and stare at the massive view of the city from. It felt right to have him up there looking down alone but comforted by it. Plus eventually share the view with Goro who he sees as this actual fated rival for all the reasons above. Their outfits are the way they are because i did not want to change them too severely in colorpallette or essence but wanted to play up some parts of their personality and represent it in the outfits. AND BECAUSE THIS IS A SHUAKESHU BLOG I NEED TO STRESS THAT because they are less jaded, because Akira is bolder and flirtier and Goro is more stubbornly optimistic about this dark world akira sees, they get closer alot faster, which makes the whole black mask and interrogation room bit very messy/

added pix to make post spicier THIS IS A MASSIVE POST BUT IM GLAD YOU ASKED BECAUSE I DUMPED MY THOUGHTS IN ONE PLACE FINALLY. there are some other things ive thought out a tiny bit, like hobbies etc but i put them down later when ive developed it more etc @ anyone reading, thank u for reading and these are my personal thoughts i am thingying to entertain myself!!!!! dont be mean to me thanks ;v;

[the-spaced-out-ace]

🐑 #lautski #lautski au #curses au #fairy tale au #angst with a happy ending #solomon A+parenting #ruth being ruth #ted being a horny b*stard but a good brother #hurt/comfort

(ask game)

I wanna say something about your lautski Howl’s Moving Castle post from earlier but that seems like such a cop out. But. Fairy tale aus are like my bread and butter they are my favorite kind to both read and write in all honesty so. Uh <3

If anything I’m picturing a Swan Lake/Beauty and the Beast type situation? Pete and Steph are childhood friends, though she’s nobility and he’s a commoner. As they become young adults and a proper romance starts blossoming between the two of them, Ted’s probably giving terrible advice but he really is looking out for Pete’s happiness here. (He’s also probably still having his affair with Charlotte, let’s be real, it happens in every universe.) Ruth and Richie are also hyping up the fact that Steph actually wants Pete for some reason (maybe Ruth laments that he gets a beautiful noble girlfriend and she still can’t get anyone to touch her for two seconds) and Pete starts to think that maybe he’s actually got a chance with her.

Steph says she intends on having a small ball to properly ask Pete if they could court, but Solomon is obsessed with family power and keeping it and doesn’t believe his daughter (who he already thinks would be a terrible heir) would be better off without a common boy at her side and makes a deal with the Lords via the Black Book that would get rid of him so Steph can find a proper match. This results in Pete being cursed to take a more beastly form by day but to return to normal by night, only an impossible task and true love could break it permanently, all the fairy tale tropes you’d expect.

Pete tries to hide but Ted’s gonna find out eventually like they live in the same house, it was inevitable. Ted’s doing his best to protect Pete by making sure no one else finds out about the curse, but eventually Steph’s gonna come by and ask where he’s been and why she only ever seems to see him from the shadows at night, finds out what happened and realizes that’s why her dad’s been off (she probably found the book/notices how his demeanor changed/some sort of weird tell, yk?) and tells him she’d still be interested in him in any form.

Something something they’re able to counteract the deal Solomon made, the curse is eventually broken, they all live happily ever after (much more broad strokes because I honestly don’t have every detail figured out since this is a hypothetical fic, but still)

[freyito]

mortal kombat band au… id love to hear everything about it 👀 any solo acts or duos?

sophy raGHhHGGhhg you're my HEROOOO ASKJDGAKJSD ahem. there's a lot. we'll start with the bigger bands and stuff like that and make our way down. some of this is serious some of this is a joke that stuck i prooooomise you its good.

Liu Kang is like. god of music protector of earthrealm. it's mainly stationed in mk1 but oh oh i'll get to past timelines. The Mortal Kombat tournament is still a thing but it's like more about serving cunt then hits yknowwww.

Biggest by far is the Earthrealm Players. I have no idea what to call em. But it's Raiden, who's the vocalist, Kung Lao on bass, Kenshi on drums, and Johnny on guitar. They're a metal band, something kinda like Avenged Sevenfold. They were kinda a shitty garage band but they had fun regardless, Kung Lao was on guitar at the time. Johnny showed up to one of their gigs in a dive and like instantly fell in love and pretty much wormed his way in there. He chose music over acting this time. (unrelated i guess but he has a PhD in astrophysics instead of quantum physics) Johnny gatekeeps the band hardcore cause they're dead set on gaining traction organically.

Kung Lao and Kenshi let their anger lead their music, so they are very aggressive with what they do. Kung Lao specifically is afraid of his name fading to history and refuses to let that happen. He's a little more like forward with his anger, and he kinda abuses the hell out of his bass strings. Has to restring it like after every hardcore jam sesh and gig. Also, because of this, he tends to break his skin a lot and gets blood all over his bass. and bandmates. Kenshi channels all his pent-up anger into his drums cause he was still a Yakuza in this timeline. HE'S actually 3 mil in the hole cause he dropped it on drumsticks. Who restored his sight. Yes, the drumsticks are Sento. But a lot of his performances are kinda dramatic but in the good way, he's often seen kinda looking like he's gonna cry?? but with his eyes gouged out (i mean mileena took EVERYTHING, he doesnt have any tear glads or ducts) he can't cry. Sento also IS their practical effects.... These two specifically I can see doing something like (Anesthesia)-- Pulling Teeth by Metallica.

Raiden grew up with music, and it's been something that's been in his family for quite a while (ahem ahem old timeline raiden was the god of voice too ahem). He sings to mourn those he's lost and remember those he's known, those he will meet, and so on. He's got a voice that can CARRY. All angelic and soft and sweet, but also he can 100% hit a reaaaaaaaal sexy death growl. Johnny initially started playing out of spite because music (and acting) was shunned by his father. And it was the one thing he found a lot of comfort within, something that kinda shoved his depression to the side. Helped distract him. Slowly that became the sole reason he played. He'll definitely like do some sensual things with his guitar too. He's the kinda guy who plays into the fans, and the band has to be like "eyes up here" (AND THEN THEY KISS).

THE LIN KUEI BROS. Forgive me. Are a boyband. Very popular DUUUUH. They end up breaking up cause of conflict of interest. Bi-Han starts a solo career, and Tomas and Kuai Liang start a duo. Guess who's more popular lmfao.

HAVIK AND REIKO HAVE A DEATHMETAL BAND AND I GET IT'S SOOO CLEAR but hear me out hear me out. Havik and Rain also had a like black metal band together called. ahem. "The Flood". Rain lost interest in music and they split up. Havik found his way back to Reiko and they got EVEN BETTER. Havik on vocals of course. He's got an insane growl. And Reiko handles like everything else. They just kinda record stuff and play it during the show depending on what Reiko chooses to play during.

Ashrah and Reptile also have a duo band. To be honest I really see them making stuff like Crane Wives, some real nice sorta adventurous music with their hearts poured into it. Both of them specifically write about their struggles and both actually sing! They don't play live a lot and really just drop their music and like. walk away for several years. But each time it's a beautiful experience. Baraka has actually collabed with them a few times. But he himself walked away from music cause of his affliction, he was shunned by the audience really. THEY HAVE ALL ALSO COLLABED WITH RAIDEN, KUNG LAO, JOHNNY, AND KENSHI. A LOT OF TIMES ACTUALLY. HEAR ME OUT.

Milleena and Tanya oh my GOOOOODS. Girl rock. Like soft, but grungy stuff. Together. A mix of post-rock and soft rock, and it's allllll love songs. And ALL OF THEM ARE ABOUT EACHOTHER. It's all sappy and sweet and all self-indulgent and they do it for eachother.

Li Mei and Sindel also had a little duo back in the day but most of the music faded into obscurity. They broke up after the death of Jerrod, and Sindel continued to create music in memory of him. Li Mei kinda fell off as well, but trust me when I say she SHREDS.

Now. Okay. Stay with me here. please. oh my god please. Kitana. Is a vocaloid producer. She has beautiful vocals. But she was introduced to Vocaloid by Mileena as a kid and it never left her bones. She's like the Giga of the universe. She makes fun upbeat songs and OH ARE THEY BAAAAAANGERS.

It only gets goofier here please HAHAH. okay so basically. Shang Tsung is like Lady Gaga. but like evil a little. LIKE YOU CAN SEE THE VISION. He's sassy. He's a boyloser. He SLAYS. He and Quan Chi have collabed a little but Shang Tsung's a sensation. He's got over-the-top flashy performances, he's killin it on stage. He puts his ASS into his music.

Shao is the Frank Sinatra of Outworld. Guys. Okay. Hear me out please. Give him so water and he's got a voice that's gold. I refuse to elaborate any further.

Nitara's like the Taylor Swift of Vaternia.... singin her world back to life or something guys I dont know. Lowkey struggled with Nitara a lot when I wrote this out OUASGDHASG

BEFORE Baraka was pushed out of music, he was a country artists. DOES IT NOT FIT!?!?!? That's right. IT DOES. He's probably got a single out there that's all about Tarkat LMFAOOO

Lowkey I actually cannot see Quan Chi doing anything aside from riding off of Shang Tsung's career like the leech of a boyfriend he is.... he probably only drops music online and it's like so severely edited it's quite sad (i am a quan chi hater)

and finally. a little bonus. Fujin is like one of those artists that you don't know like at all. Like there's this one song that's a banger BUT YOU CAN'T FIND IT ANYWHERE... like the most mysterious song on the internet. That's Fujin's. But you don't know or something...

anyways. oh. it's in my head. was the au an excuse to emo everyone??? no. (lie)

[kirayukimuraappreciation]

Kira Appreciation Week 2023 Roundup

Thank you so much to everyone who participated in Kira Week 2023! And a very special thank you to @momentofmemory for all of her lovely promo gifs for this event. We loved seeing all of your incredible works celebrating Kira this year! We look forward to future events, and in the meantime we're always on the lookout for new Kira content, so if you missed the week but still want to show her some love, feel free to submit content any time!

All works are compiled below, organized by prompt, and the KiraWeek2023 Ao3 collection can be found here. If you created something for Kira week that we’ve missed, please send us an ask and we’ll add it to the list.

Day 1: You Came Back / Fav Scene / Kira + Kitsune Attributes

Kira 4x04 scene - gif set by @silent-snake7

Favorite Scenes (all of them) - moodboard by @softranswolves

Fav Scene - edit & meta/thoughts by @sammi-phoenix

You Came Back - fic by @nightstar-appreciation

Kira Returns - gifset by @momentofmemory

Home is a person - fic by @invisible-storyteller

Kitsune Attributes - moodboard & fic by @jjsstars

The Calm Before the Storm - edit by @hemlocksandfoxgloves

Day 2: There's a Reason You Kept It / Poetry, Lyrics, Quotes / Significant Objects

Kira's Tail - gifset by @momentofmemory

Kira + Fox Tails 1 - edit by @hemlocksandfoxgloves

Kira + Fox Tails 2 - edit by @hemlocksandfoxgloves

Lyrics + album [1989 (Taylor's Version)] - moodboard by @jjsstars

Kira Yukimura, Killer Vibe (lyrics) - moodboard by @thiamsxbitch

Day 3: They Did Something / Color/B&W / Kira + Villains

Colors - edit by @softranswolves

Color [warm tones] - moodboard by @jjsstars

Kira Yukimura as Everything in its Right Place by Radiohead - edit by @sammi-phoenix

Void!Kira - edit by @hemlocksandfoxgloves

Day 4: Trickster-or-Treat / Trickster!Kira / Nerd!Kira

Nerd!Kira - moodboard & ficlet by @jjsstars

Day 4, Lightning bolt - edit by @hemlocksandfoxgloves

Day 5: What if Wednesday / Dealer's Choice / Lie-Ability

What If Wednesday (AU) - moodboard by @jjsstars

No One Can Steal Your Thunder (Dealer's Choice) - edit by @equallyloyalandlethal

Kira Yukimura: a character study (Dealer's Choice) - edit by @letthestorieslive

Day 6: History Echoes / Back in Style / Something New

Something Old With Something New - edit by @hemlocksandfoxgloves (feat. i want you on top of me like cherry - fic by @thiamsxbitch)

Day 7: It’s Alright to Cry / Hurt & Comfort / Parallels

It's Alright to Cry - moodboard by @jjsstars

Alt 1: Have you ever heard of something called a Kitsune?

I'm a Kitsune (You know...a Japanese foc spirit) - moodboard by @sugareey-makes-stuff

Alt 2: I Printed It Out

The Birth of a Lacrosse Legend - gif set by @letthestorieslive

Alt 3: My Family and I Moved Here Three Weeks Ago

Kitsune Bonding - fic by @softranswolves

Kira's Childhood - moodboard & ficlet by @jjsstars

[moonlitkilljoy]

Lo and behold! i’ve finally finished making it, the promised list of Pacific Rim fic recs for anon :-) everyone thank @ihavenomoralsss for proofreading this for me!

There’s a good chance most people who've read any amount of newmann fanfiction will have read the first two on this list, as they’re found on the first and fifth pages of the newmann ship tag on ao3 when its sorted by most kudos descending– however i’ve included them anyway because they’re there for a very good reason (which is that they’re FANTASTIC). also, i've grouped all of the "pov outsider" fics together at the end of this post, as they pretty much make up one third of the list– which feels like it warrants it's own section. feel free to dm me or send me an ask to let me know of your thoughts about any of these (or just pacific rim in general!!)! without further ado, may i present to thou, 10 fantastic newmann fics

It’s All in the Hands of a Lazy Projector by patster223

“Hermann is cursed as a child so that he may never remember anyone he meets. Theoretically, this should make falling in love impossible, but then he meets (and meets and meets and meets) Newton Geiszler.”

~10k words, 1 chapter, rated T; exactly what the summary says, it’s an au in which hermann is cursed to forget everyone he meets, it centers around newt and hermanns interactions and how they manage to grow close despite this

if i had to choose a single favorite pacific rim fanfic it’d probably have to be this one. it’s gorgeously written and tackles some themes that hit very close to home for me, personally. i’ve struggled with memory loss for a very long time now, and this fic manages to encapsulate that experience through the lens of magical-realism in a way i’ve never seen captured in any context. i left a comment to that effect (under a pseudonym because i rarely log into ao3 on my phone) and the author’s response is something that still makes me emotional pretty much every time i look at it, “I wanted to imagine a world where memory still mattered, even if it wasn’t remembered. And now, years later, I think that it does. You and I and Hermann hold memory in our bodies and our minds, even if what’s being held isn’t an exact picture or description, but rather an emotion or a question. Memory still has to matter to those with memory loss, even if we end up experiencing it differently.” so, this is not only a recommendation for quality, but also from a very personal place— it’s a fic that addresses the concept of memory loss through a lens of comfort and hope, which it is so rarely seen through, and does it phenomenally. if anyone looking at this post were to read one fic and only one fic from this list i’d want it to be this one. it also characterizes newt and hermann very well and i love their dynamic in it, it’s PHENOMENAL

Letters From Berlin by spenshi

“Newton keeps in touch with his family when he's shipped off to the Shatterdome. Jacob and Illia send care packages to the K-Science Lab.”

~12k words, 1 chapter, rated T; once more, exactly what the summary says– newt sends letters to his family and they send him packages. eventually hermann starts sending them letters (+ emails) as well :]

i read this one most recently out of all the others so it’s the freshest in my memory :-) it’s extremely homely and heartwarming!! additionally, it includes some really fun and sweet interactions between newt’s family and hermann. OH! and, of course, some very fun characterization of newt’s family

Plausible Possibility by cissues / @cacaesthesia

“Newt and Hermann experience some odd post-drift effects.”

~1k words, 1 chapter, rated G; a little exploration of ghost-drift

short and sweet! absolutely fucking adorable too. plus, this contains some headcanons/a discussion of sexuality that i was delighted to find very relatable (as an aromantic person)

Red Patent by highseize

“It's been months since the ocean closed up. Nothing will take this from her now.”

~2k words, 1 chapter, rated G; a snapshot of what mako’s life looks like after the events of the movie ^^

a rare non-hermann-and-newt-centered fic on this list!! this one actually centers around mako :D it’s adorable and i love mako with my entire heart, especially this depiction of her

fool by kaijusalad

“Newton is going to die thinking no-one left on this Earth loves him. (Fool.) He can't have that.”

~6k words, 1 chapter, rated T; hermann believes that seeking out hannibal chau and drifting with a kaiju brain once more will kill newt, and acts accordingly

i LOVE the way this fic is formatted and written– the word choice and unique use of italics and parentheses is incredible and works so well. it describes every action and scene so gorgeously and it just. man. here’s a small except devoid of context that i think showcases this perfectly: “His words are hollow, anyway. They hang in the air, lies filled with helium, a new year's resolution, an 'I'll quit smoking'. (God is real in belief; maybe if he believes in them hard enough they'll come true, and isn't that something for a man who works in numbers to think?)”

One day from lonely by Raehimura

“Hermann is standing outside Newton Geiszler’s private quarters, bony ankles poking out from under too-short standard-issue sweatpants, his hair a wreck and his red-ringed eye still sore, with a lifetime of stolen memories in his head. What if Newt isn’t there? What if he’s sleeping? Or, worse, what if he is waiting on the other side of the door with his own stolen memories fresh on his mind? Above all he remembers, sudden and frighteningly clear: This is not what they do.”

~2.5k words, 1 chapter, rated G; another very interesting exploration of newt and hermann post-drift

i disagree a little bit with some of the characterization in this fic (particular, newt thinking hermann hates him. i think newt very well knows that hermann’s very fond of him) but it’s a great read nonetheless! the best word to describe it would probably be “cozy”

This is a Totally Normal Thing for Friends to Do by SolarMorrigan / @solarmorrigan

“Hermann and Newt don't talk about it (until they do)”

~21k words, 4 chapters, rated T; a fake dating au in which hermann’s dad nags him about not having found a partner yet and hermann panics, telling him that he actually does have a partner just to get him to asking about it, but it backfires when lars expresses interest in meeting him. newt offers to play the part of partner, hijinks and relationship progression ensue. this fic also has an explicit sequel, if that’s your kind of thing

THIS FIC IS SO FUCKING GOOD. there were multiple times where i reacted out loud to things that happened in the fic– most notably a series of “holy fucking shit”s while eating lunch with some friends. it’s adorable and includes some transmasc newt content :3 this fic also includes hermann snapping and standing up to his shithead dad and its GREAT. one of my absolute favorite pacrim fics ever, i can’t recommend it enough

POV OUTSIDER FICS:

HR Complaints by IDoNotBitMyThumbAtYou / @idonotbitemythumbatyou

“Manny Flores has been with the PPDC for nearly a decade by the time he’s transferred to Hong Kong. He just wants to do his job. And he’s good at it. But when he receives the 15th complaint from one Dr. Hermann Gottlieb in only three days, he finds his patience running thin. He wonders which of the two scientists would be more of a nightmare to cohabitate a working space with: Dr. Gottlieb - sender of endless petty complaints, or Dr. Geiszler, their hapless subject. (...)”

~3k words, 1 chapter, unrated (probably G or T); hermann and newt’s relationship through the eyes of someone reading the (non-serious) complaints that hermann sends to hr

i spent three uninterrupted hours looking for this fic to link it here and it was ABSOLUTELY worth it. this fic is so fun, and it uses my favorite trope of all time!! i’m an absolute sucker for “pov outsider” type fics <3 the characterization is phenomenal, i love the oc from whose pov we view the story, and some of the lines made me actually audibly laugh. definitely another one of my absolute favorites. i think i sent a screenshot of the first sentence from the following lines to virtually everyone i know: “After another few weeks of complaints (“Dr. Geiszler asked me if I have any tattoos.” “Dr. Geiszler made an offensive tweet alluding to my personal style. I have attached a link.” “Dr. Geiszler has named his invention ‘the milking machine.’”) And continued insistence that no disciplinary action be taken, Manny was starting to suspect that the latter was closer to the truth: these were the missives of someone deeply, inconveniently in love. Christ, Manny was half in love with the guy himself at this point.” this fic rocks, do yourself a solid and please read it

On The Outside by combeferrer

“Petra Gottlieb, Hermann's mother, watches the first PPDC press conference after the world is saved and notices her son, particularly his relationship with his fellow scientist.”

~1k words, 1 chapter, rated G; for the third and final time, exactly what the description says! newt and hermanns relationship through the eyes of hermann’s mother, who watches a press conference with her son– who she hasn’t really interacted with lately– in it

ANOTHER GREAT FIC!! I love this characterization of newt and hermann’s relationship, and i find the premise and extremely enticing in and of itself so i won’t be saying anything more here <3

Disconnect, Connect Again by cypress_tree / @cypress-tree

“Raising Newt Geiszler has never been easy. Seeing him fall in love can be harder. The development of Newt and Hermann's relationship, from Jacob Geiszler's point-of-view.”

~13.5k words, 4 chapters, rated T; newt and hermann’s relationship through the eyes of newt’s father, over the course of 12 years

LOVE LOVE LOVE this author’s take on newt’s family. it works so well and is very enjoyable to read about. i wish i could articulate how much and why exactly i love this fic in a better manner, but i can’t quite find the right word’s ^^; i’m just going to leave it at “i love it dearly and i adore it’s depiction/interpretation of newt and hermann’s history (and present + future!)”

thank you for reading!! have a lovely day/night ^^ <3

[chrisevansonly]

Baby Styles Incoming…🦋 (Harry’s Angel au)

pairing: Harry Styles x Female Reader (Angel)

summary: it’s time to tell the families about baby styles, and Harry & Angel both have bets on who’ll cry the most…

warnings: none, very fluffy and very cute <;3

a/n: i’m seriously very excited about about this new chapter of Harry & Angel, I know i’m not the best writer out there but i’ve been having so much fun with this storyline!

word count: 1,159

Considering you’d found out you were expecting at already 6 weeks, you were now at almost 8 getting closer to 9 weeks pregnant, and even though you wanted to get to 12 weeks before telling anyone, you and Harry had settled on telling his family first, yours after 12 weeks. You were more than happy with this situation because it was your family’s reaction you were most worried about. Of course, you were close with them but recently your decision to go off on tour with Harry proved to bring up some feelings of worry in regard to your business, and your life ahead of you. Poppy spoke your parents down, but you weren’t ready to fill them in on the happy news just yet, so you opted to tell Anne and Gemma first.

“You ready m’love? Gem is at mums, so they’re ready to facetime when you are”

You nodded, rubbing your hands together nervously, Harry quick to take a hold of them as you let out an anxious breath

“I’m ready…”

Before saying anything, Harry brought you in for a hug, his hands rubbing soothing circles on your back, he knew you like the back of his hand, and yes this was happy news, but you were anxious about this, everything was going to change, and you still didn’t know if you felt ready enough for it. Harry never failed to show you he was with you every step of the way, only helping to chip away those doubts, slowly but surely, that were running circles in your brain

“I’m right here with you y/n, I promise, every step of the way you’ve got me”

Nodding you pulled back enough for him to press a kiss to your lips, both of you sitting in the living room of the hotel you were in, the soft glow of the wall lights creating somewhat of a relaxing ambience, an additional comfort for you and Harry as well. He was so excited to tell his mom and sister, but he couldn’t help the slight anxious feeling settling in his chest as the facetime dial rung, Anne’s face soon showing

“Hello my sweet babies! How’re you doing!”

You smiled instantly, Anne’s bubbly and open personality never failing to put you at ease 

“Hi mum, we’re doing well thanks, and you?”

She nodded, Gemma moving into frame soon after 

“I’m well, keeping busy you know me”

Harry smiled, she’d been working hard on the upcoming release of her new book, so she’d been running around like crazy 

“Look at my favourite sibling! Not you Harry”

You laughed at Gem’s comment, Harry rolling his eyes in mock annoyance 

“Hiya Gem, how are you? I miss you!”

“I miss you more y/n, you’ve no idea, I can’t wait to see you soon!! I’m well, enjoying life right now” 

The four of you caught up for a while, getting filled in on anything happening back home, Gemma letting you know your shop was doing well and busier than ever which was a such a relief for you knowing you weren’t there to keep it running. Once you had all chatted and reconnected for a while you figured it was probably time to share the next batch of news, Harry had a tiny pair of adidas gazelles to match his stage shoes, as well as the sonogram photos from your appointment in Australia

“So, we actually wanted to call you for a specific reason, we have some news to share”

At the sound of the slight hesitation, they both became serious, honestly what you were telling them could have been a plethora of things 

“Y/N, are you alright love?”

Smiling at her worry, the tears already filling your eyes, Harry resting a hand on your thigh to give you some comfort

“M’alright mum, but um well you’re going to be a grandma…and Gem’s gonna be an aunt”

The moment Harry held up the little shoes and sonogram the two of them lost it, Anne let out a happy scream before hugging Gemma, the two of them in tears 

“Oh my god, oh really!?”

It almost felt like a weight was lifted off your chest at their reactions, the waterworks now heightening with your hormone imbalance as you eaned against Harry’s shoulder, his arm wrapping around you 

“We found out a few weeks ago, so Y/N’s about eight almost nine weeks now” 

“Honey that is so fantastic, this is the best news ever, we’re so so happy for you, you’re going to be the best mumma in the world Y/N”

You sniffled sending her a smile 

“T-Thank you mum”

“Oh!! I get a little bubba to spoil now besides mum’s cat!”

That earned another round of laughs from all of you, the energy light and filled with love now that you’d let them in on your special and exciting news 

“You and Harry will be fighting over the spoiling title m’sure of that” 

“I’ll beat Gem at that every time.” 

“We’ll see about that Harold!”

Before you hung the phone up you all continued to share names, ideas and just the generalized thrilled feeling of having a new little Styles join the family. You were more than thankful to be surrounded by so much love and comfort, you knew this baby would never have a shortage of that same support and love you got to experience every day

“You feeling okay still m’angel?”

You nodded looking up at him 

“Mhm, happy I have such a great support system with your family, not to mention a pretty great husband and baby daddy” 

Harry laughed at that a slight shake of his head 

“Baby daddy huh?”

“I called you my husband and that’s what you took from that?”

“We’re already married in my eyes baby”

You shrugged 

“I mean only fair I give you a nickname since you call me mama all the time now”

Harry leaned down connecting your lips again before settling you back into his side, getting ready to pick a movie for the night 

“Hmm I suppose that’s fair” 

The room was silent for a few moments as you got comfortable, Harry’s hand gravitating to your stomach from its place on your shoulder, something he’s started doing all the time, filling your chest with butterflies 

“I love you H, so much”

Harry was quick to press a kiss to your forehead upon hearing your tired voice, almost muffled by his sweater he had on 

“I love you too angel, so so much”

The thought of telling your family wasn’t on your mind anymore, and you were thankful for that, truth be told you didn’t want to think about it at all until the day came, for now you were more than happy to stay in this little bubble of joy with Harry for as long as you could, and at this rate, it seemed like you’d be in the clear for the next little while. 

[agoodfictitle-shadowban]

The Price You Pay - Part 4

Wanda Maximoff x f!reader

[TPYP Masterlist]

Word Count: 3.9k

Summary: Life as a college student isn’t always easy, so when the opportunity to make some money by pretending to date your best friend’s sister arise, you decide to take it.

Tags: fake dating, paid dating, jealousy, possessiveness, Pietro’s bestie, darkish!wanda, no Avengers, bad life decisions, college!au, angst, hurt/comfort, fluff, divorced!parents, Vision is kind of a dick, other mcu characters apparition, no proofreading (lemme know if im missing something)

Warnings: Bad language, alcohol consumption, some violence, smuttyfruity (so, 18+, minors dni, dom!Wanda, sub!reader, orgasm delay (r receiving), restraints (r receiving), oral (r receiving), fingering (r receiving), fondling (r receiving), making out), pay for sxx

A/n: sorry for the delay, between the surgery and the cat fleeing, i had a hard time getting the energy to write especially with smut. So I'd really like to have feedback and everything, it would really help get me back on the saddle. I love yall friends <3

Tag List: @red1culous  @sayah13  @princess-kennys-rats  @marrymemcgrath

After what had happened, you decided to avoid Wanda for a bit, and it worked. Until it didn't. Your doom came in the form of a text on a beautiful Thursday morning. You just came out of the pool when you checked your phone and saw the light flash a few times, telling you you had a message. You grabbed the device and frowned when you saw who texted you.

[09:43 am - Wanda] I need your services for tonight

The message was simple and direct, and it almost made you forget why you were avoiding Wanda in the first place. But the feeling at your core from simply reading her name was quick to remind you what had happened. This put you in a delicate position. You wanted - needed, even - the money to spare you pride, but you were starting to doubt Wanda's intentions. Did she really need you? And more importantly, could you deal with the consequences of whatever game she seemed to want to play? Because the more you thought about her, and her touch, the more the feelings you used to carry for her showed themselves. And you'd very much like to not end up with your heart broken, thank you.

So now, you had to face a dilemma: what did you put first? Your pride in the face of your family, or your heart?

You found the answer after a few long minutes.

[10:09 am - Y/n (neighbor)] Okay, I'm in. What kind of event is it?

[10:16 am - Wanda] We're going out to a bar with my friends. Vision will be there too

It sounded like a very similar deal than last time, so it should be fine. There was no reason why it would go in weird directions again.

[10:17 am - Y/n (neighbor)] Okay, what time?

[10:37 am - Wanda] I'll get you at 6pm

[10:44 am - Y/n (neighbor)] Okay, cool. See ya

[10:37 am - Wanda] Don't be late

You rolled your eyes, you had no trouble seeing the way she would cock her head to tell you that. Like you'd ever been late before. Maybe you should try to make her wait a bit, just to see what would actually happen. That was a very tempting idea and you played with it a bit, a smile gracing your lips. It would be a good way to get back at her.

So, when the time came and Wanda rang the doorbell, you were still far from ready - or as far as you allowed yourself to be. Which meant that when you opened the door, you were in shorts and a sports bra. She arched an eyebrow when she saw you.

"I thought I told you to be ready."

"I guess you did." You offered her a shrug and walked back inside, leaving the door open for her to follow if she so desired. "The time must have slipped by too fast for me to notice. Guess you'll have to wait a few minutes."

You heard her walk behind you and the door closed right before she pushed you against a wall, not even bothering to turn you around. Your cheek touched the surface as her hands held you there, one against your shoulder and the other on your waist, slowly snaking around you. She was being oddly gentle, even in the way she was keeping you from moving with her strength. It almost drove you crazy, and if she hadn't kept you in place you would have turned around for a needy kiss when her fingers traced around your groin area. She leaned against you, and her lips brushed your ear. 

"When I'm paying you, Y/n, I expect you to do what I tell you, or at least to be polite enough to let me know in advance if you won't be able to respect my demands. Am I making myself clear?"

The thought of pushing her some more, just to see where this would go, went through your mind. You were curious after all, and the feeling of her fingers on your skin was intoxicating. It almost made you forget why you actually tried to put some distance with her. But you weren't ready to assume your desires yet. Instead, you licked your lips before you nodded, your throat very dry. "I– crystal."

A smug, satisfied smile answered you, one you couldn't see as long as she kept you pushed against the wall that way. "Perfect. Now go get ready." Slowly she stepped back and freed you, very careful to keep her eyes on you. You finally turned around and were able to see the hunger in her eyes. Incapable of facing her right now, you did what you were told and went to your room to get ready.

*

A lot of the people you saw at the party were here tonight. Carol and Steve were happy to see you again and welcomed you with open arms, but Vision seemed less than comfortable to have to deal with Wanda and you. You decided to ignore him and just focus on the role you were supposed to play. You realized how easy it was to slip in it, with her possessive arm around your shoulder and her other hand slipping into yours when you weren't drinking. It was different than when she seemed to only want to play with you, almost like she truly cared about you, and it made you feel warm - a very different feeling from the arousal she ignited in you more than once now.

"So, when did you two start dating?" The question brought you back to reality. Natasha looked at the two of you with vested interest, and for a second you started to panic. You were a good liar, but you never got to discuss that with Wanda. But it seemed like she thought about it more than you, since she answered with no troubles.

"Not long after Y/n moved back from her dorm, she had a get together with Pietro and we kept talking into the night long after he fell asleep. And the rest is history."

You remembered spending time with Pietro right after you came back, but the rest was a lie. There never had been any long conversation between the two of you since before this whole fake dating thing you were barely on her radar. The most you got from her were banalities in the form of niceties.

"It's funny, I never imagined you together," Vision chimed in with a wry smile. "You've known each other for years and only now got close? Seems weird to me."

"That's because you never had any imagination, Vis." The blatant barb left a moment of uncomfortable silence in the group. You pinched your lips to hide a snicker and drank some more of your glass.

"I can see it, Wanda had a huge crush on Y/n in high school," Natasha finally said in hope to break the tension, and you choked on your drink, making almost everyone around the table laugh. Wanda sent a murderous glare to her friend who took a very innocent face.

"You did?" You looked at her, not believing it. There was no way, she never showed any interest in you, she barely talked to you at the time. You remembered her calling you an idiot on so many occasions, and complaining about you always being at the twins' place, asking you if you didn't have your own house to be at. At best she considered you a nuisance.

She stayed in control when she answered. "What if I did? We're together now." You couldn't help the big smile that took your whole face, and she rolled her eyes. "Don't let it go to your head, detka."

And for a second, it felt real, like you truly were together as you answered her. "I can't promise anything, you're always so good at feeding my ego." You leaned closer to her with a mischievous smile.

"The things I'd do to make you feel good…" she all but purred at you in an ungodly voice that sent shivers through you. There was a feeling at the pit of your stomach, an instinct that wanted to actually see what she'd do, if she'd stay true to her words. You bit your lip, her eyes falling on the movement, and actually had to lean away when you noticed how close you two were. You couldn't deal with that right now, not in front of everyone. Luckily, the conversation around you had turned to something else.

The rest of the night went smoothly, and you were careful with your alcohol consumption this time. Carol tried to egg you on, but was quickly shut down with a stare by Wanda. There was something fascinating in seeing the ginger impose herself like that to the boisterous blonde with a simple gaze, something that made you crave this kind of attention.

You wondered some more about that desire on your way home from the bar, the silence in the car auspicious to those wandering thoughts. They went back to learning about Wanda's past crush, and a question burned your lips. You wanted to ask about it, but lacked the actual courage to do it in the car, so when the ride came to an end and you walked back in the warmth of the night, you still hadn't said anything.

"Alright. I hope you had a good night," you said in a slightly stilted way, trying to sound professional.

"It's not over yet," she said as she cocked her head. "I'll walk you to your door."

"You sure? I mean, I can–" She simply started to walk towards your door before you could finish your sentence, forcing you to follow. "Okay, walking me to my door. Thanks."

"Don't. I simply want to prolong the night a bit."

You frowned at that. What was it supposed to mean? That she wanted five more minutes or was it something else? You didn't have a lot of time to really wonder more, and you stopped at your doorstep with her, getting your keys out. Just as you started to unlock your door, the heavy gaze of Wanda on you, your curiosity finally got the better of you and you turned to her.

"Was it true?" You asked in a rushed manner, and knowing you needed to give more information for your question to make sense. "That you had a crush on me?"

Wanda raised her eyebrows at that question, from the surprise to see you actually go there. She played with her rings briefly, the only sign of nervousness you see her exhibit around you ever, and finally she sighed before she answered with a low shrug. She didn't like that it had been revealed, but now that it was out of the bag, she had no reason to hide it anymore. "Yes, I did."

Your heart skipped a beat. Her honest answer was as surprising as when you heard it earlier, and you had a hard time wrapping your head around the concept.

"How… why did you–" you stuttered some more before your hand drew your hair back. With a sigh, you shook your head. It was in the past, like your own crush (or so you told yourself) and it was best to leave it there. "Nevermind."

But she wouldn't let you off the hood so easily and she stepped closer to you. "I mind. Why don't you finish your sentence?" She nudged you, her words a hand offered to lead you somewhere, but you had no idea where exactly. You still decided to follow along.

"Why didn't you tell me at the time?" You finally found enough bravery in you to ask, still shy, unable to look at her despite wanting to see her reaction. Her closed index lifted your chin up to force you to look at her in her scarily focused eyes.

"Because I wasn't ready. But now…" she breathed you in closer and your eyes fluttered close when you felt her lips brush yours. "Now I am."

She took your lips and you immediately melted against her, fitting perfectly together. She tried to take a step back to say something, but you hungrily brought her back to you. That simple kiss opened the floodgates of everything you had been feeling in the past and present, and you couldn't resist it anymore.

The second you brought her back to you she slammed you against the door and her kiss became hungry. You moaned against her lips and she swiped her tongue in your mouth, invading it like she owned you. And she might at this point, you thought.

When you separated for air, keeping you from following her again, her dark eyes fell on yours, and then your kissed bruised lips.

"Door. Now," she ordered and you nodded. She let you go and you unlocked the door for good. You barely passed it that she was already all over you, slamming the door behind her before she turned you around to kiss you some more. She pushed you towards the stairs and you almost tumbled over the first step, fumbling back in her arms. "You're so clumsy."

Her voice was hoarse from desire, and it made more warmth spread in you. You finally managed to reach upstairs in between kisses and stops where she would pin you against the wall, her fingers digging in your waist deliciously painfully. You pushed past your bedroom door and the back of your knees knocked on the edge of your bed. You tried to resist the fall but Wanda pushed you down.

"Take everything off," she demanded and you were too possessed by lust to disobey. Your shirt was easy to take off, and the rest slightly more difficult due to you sitting. When it came to your underwear, your hand stalled until she kissed you encouragingly. It was more restrained, softer to reassure you, but you could feel she was holding back. "Do what I tell you before I need to punish you."

You looked up at her towering figure, and swallowed hard. She was beautiful in the moonlight, a crown of light around her, and you felt incredibly vulnerable under her hungry gaze. Still, you slowly took off the last of your clothes, now fully naked. She tilted her head as she evaluated you, her hand putting away a strand of your hair.

"You're so pretty, you know that?" She whispered and you looked away shyly. Or you tried. She grabbed your chin to make you look up at her. "Don't look away, detka."

Whatever self-assurance you usually had fizzled at the way she handled you, and so you simply nodded.

"For whatever is going to happen tonight, I'll need you to use your words. Got it?" She wanted to make you hers, but she needed to know you would be good too, no matter how heated it got.

At first you nodded again but when she arched an eyebrow, you spoke up. "Yeah, got it."

"Good girl." Those simple words elicited tingles in your core. She climbed on your legs and kissed you again, pushing you down on the bed under her, hands on your shoulders. When you reached to put your hands around her neck, she prevented you from doing so by grabbing your wrist. The way it brought her body that much closer to you, even if she was still fully clothed, made you whimper. "Not yet," she ordered.

"But I want to touch you," you complained.

"Soon. Now be a good girl, and don't move your hands."

You swallowed hard, your throat and mouth dry at the order. Touching your partner has always been something you'd do. "I'll try."

She hummed against your neck and bit your skin before she sucked on it. You moaned and threw your head against the mattress. You had to fight to leave your hands down.

"If you disobey, I'll just tie you up and make you beg for me to fuck you." Your eyes opened at the declaration, and at the way her accent reappeared after years without it. Your fingers twitched at the idea of being at Wanda's complete mercy. Was it want? The wetness that came to top the one already there would have you believe it. You almost wanted to disobey her just to see how it would feel, but the idea of begging her made you stop for now, your pride still on the way. "Is that clear?"

You nodded before you remembered she wanted you to use your words. "Yes, it's clear," you struggled to let out in between small moans as her teeth pulled your skin along your neck and your collarbone, leaving reminders of her passage along the way.

When her mouth reached the peak of your breast, you gasped. Her tongue rolled around one nipple, then the other, sending jolts of electricity along directly between your legs that you pressed together. You needed her to fuck you so badly.

Your hands reached to her back, and when you touched her skin, her eyes immediately shot up to look at you.

"What did I tell you?"

"But– I–" you were starting to have trouble forming thoughts. "I want you to fuck me. Please," you whined.

She arched an eyebrow. "Do you think that because you beg first I won't tie you up?"

"Wanda…"

She straightened up and took off her belt. "Go to the headboard," she ordered, and you found yourself doing just that. She followed. "Hands up against it."

The way she talked to you, all stern orders, made you want to both fight her and surrender, to ask for more tenderness and more control from her all at the same time. You wanted to play too, no matter how badly you wanted to be fucked, so with a smirk you asked "What if I don't do it?"

She climbed back on top of you. "I'll punish you." It was a simple answer that offered worlds of possibilities. It sounded like rules were being laid down in the lull of your first punishment.

"Will we do that again?" You needed to know before you surrendered yourself. And you wanted her to know you wanted to. For a second, she stopped, like she needed to to be able to process your words.

"We will." This made you want to spur onto her to kiss her, but you understood that you were playing other games right now. So instead you brought your hands up next to the headboard, and she rewarded you with the kiss you wanted. "Good girl."

With expert care, she tied you up with her belt. You never felt so exposed and vulnerable, but still confident. Wanda wanted you. She wanted you and you were ready to give yourself to her.

Your first reflex when she finished tying your up was to test the strength of it, pulling on the knots to try and free yourself. The headboard rattled against your attempt but you were truly tied now. Wanda smirked and her hands trailed your body.

"Tsk, already trying to break away?" She shook her head. "I won't let you, you're all mine now."

You stopped fighting and nodded. "Yeah, all yours."

"That's better." Still straddling you around the waist, she leaned back so her hand could reach behind her, finding your folds with ease. Her fingers slid over it, then as she reached the top went between your folds, brushing against your clit and to your hole, making you moan loudly and try to arch - but she had you pinned. "Oh. You're so wet." She brought her fingers to her mouth and you could see the reflection of your wetness even in the low light. She tasted you with an appreciative hum and closed her eyes. It made you grow more desperate. "I love the way you taste."

"Wands…" you whined, and she opened her eyes to look at you. "Please…"

She smirked some more and leaned close to you. Her lips ghosted over yours. "Please what?"

You tried to move under her, to buck to find any point of friction but you couldn't. "I need you to fuck me. Please. Please Wanda." No matter how much you pulled on the belt, you stayed trapped.

"Such a pretty girl, so polite too." She kissed you hard, her tongue whisking yours away in a deep kiss. "Alright."

She stood up and methodically took off her clothes in turn, and all you could do was watch as she revealed her milty skin, and her beautiful breasts. You were mesmerized by her body, your heart beating wildly at the view. God, you hoped to see it so many more times. Finally, she stepped back on the bed and spread your legs until she could kiss inside your thighs, her teeth grazing your skin. Seeing her face between your legs was a dream come true that ignited passions you thought you got over. Clearly not.

She kissed your fold first before she opened it and licked your juices. You moaned at the sweet release the contact gave you, bucking against her. "My, someone is impatient."

Her arms snaked around your legs and one of her hands fell flat on your stomach, keeping you from moving further. She kept going at you after that, her tongue zeroing in on your clit. She licked and sucked, making you moan louder than before, breathing becoming so hard and fast. She still took her time, slowing down when she felt like you were teetering the edge of an orgasm. It was driving you crazy after all the wait you already went through.

Your legs would start to shake, and you would feel the familiar built up inside of you, ready to release, and she would stop, letting you calm down only to bring you back right where you were.

"Wanda, pl– please, I nee– I– I–" you whined with your eyes shut. "I ca– I can't."

You felt her smile against you, and suddenly there were two fingers entering your cunt with no troubles. You would have came right here and there if not for the surprise, and it actually took very little time when she started to pump in and out. At this point, nothing coherent came out of your mouth anymore.

You could feel the heat build up again, your mind blanking, and you almost expected her to stop here and there, but this time she kept going, and as she did, your orgasm came stronger than it ever did, shattering your mind and body.

She held you as you rode your orgasm, her fingers still in you. She kissed your neck, and once your body unclenched from the pleasure she kissed you deeply. You breathed her in before she let you go, and gasped when she finally vacated your insides. She wanted to make you hers again, the way you looked, dazed, breathless, and a thin layer of sweat on your skin, but you looked already too tired after having spent the night outside. So she undid the belt and your arms fell around her.

She cradled you in her arms and you complied, snuggling against her. God, that felt good. Both the sex and the intimacy right after. But you were so tired… and the way Wanda stroke your hair, and rubbed your arm…

You succumbed to sleep in no time.

*

When you woke up the next morning, Wanda was gone, and next to your bed there was an envelope. You frowned slightly. It had to be what Wanda owed you for last night, but when you opened it, you noticed there was a lot more than you thought. There was enough for the whole night. Including for the sex. You set your jaw.

What the fuck?

[theladyoracle]

✧ Earn Your Keep ✧

The Collective AU

𖦹⭒°｡⋆𖦹 By The Lady Oracle 𖦹⋆°｡⭒𖦹

a/n : Just a post explaining the chores and tasks that residents of the manor are assigned. In my AU, it's not realistic that every single individual who lives in the mansion is out killing all of the time.

"In order to earn your stay here, you'll have to work."

These are the words that Jane says to every new beat up and bloodied resident that washes up on the Slenderman's doorstep. After interrogation and general conditioning, they're brought into the work cycle in which every manor resident must participate in.

It goes without saying that sometimes this 'work' actually means 'murder'. After all, half of the residents wouldn't be in this situation if they hadn't already proved that they could do it. However, some residents aren't as stab-happy as others.

There's not one specific way that tasks are dealt out. Sometimes creeps are allowed to choose their own chores from a task board, other times Jane is forced to curate specialized lists in order to make sure everyone is keeping busy.

Sometimes denizens get specific jobs that never change. For example, Jack in the medical ward makes his stay by providing first aid and medical services to the rest of the residents. Others, however, are assigned chores.

Sometimes this literally means chores; Cleaning projects that no one wants to do, or tasks that the various spirits of the mansion can't handle - like scrubbing bathrooms or doing dishes. Other times it's tasks that help the house function.

One of those tasks includes childcare for some of the younger residents. Although uncommon, it isn't unheard of that children as young as 5 are adopted within the system of the house. Older residents are tasked with babysitting duties - making sure the young ones are entertained and taken care of.

It can also include running out for supplies! Shopping, or stealing, is quite the daunting task in the mansion as everyone is allowed to make requests. Jane is the person who gives the yes or no on certain items, and then a resident is assigned the duty of retrieving those items.

Now you can't just mop the floors of the manor and live there for free....you have to bring blood to the table. Everyone who stays at the manor knows that this is part of the deal, even if they don't fully understand why they have to do it. If a resident of the manor has been taking/assigned non-crime-related duties for a while, they will receive a mission that requires taking someone's life. Honestly this is hardly ever an issue, albeit a little traumatizing to residents who might not necessarily be proud of their violent pasts or monstrous instincts.

That's pretty much all I wanted to write! I love logical little pieces like this in my au, because it breeds so much potential! The reasons I love this is because I think it helps add a much needed fluff/comfort vibe to my au :3 Imagine the possibilities! Like Jeff getting suck on babysitting duty and HATING it hehe, or EJ angst about having to succumb to his demonic and tormented instincts. I absolutely adore the aspects of found family that can be found in this fandom, and I think having this sort of system in place makes it a little more realistic. At least for me! Thanks for reading! And check out my other stuff :)

[eldritch-araneae]

Okay, remeber my post about Earthspark AUs? It was written at 3 am, so I redid the text and made it more clear! Welcome under the cut!

Those AUs splinter after the second batch, tho this still gonna lead to direct confrontation with GHOST. Here's comes several different ideas.

Idea 1. The reason Bee was actively hunted by GHOST is bc Croft knows he's a powerful outliner.

I had different versions of what this power can be, like power to make storms, hydrokinesis (Bee loves water in this AU), or something like bioresonance from Signalis (this one super cool and fun!).

During the war Megatron wanted a bioweapon, so ordered Shockwave to make one. Young Bee was living in the facility and interacted with other young 'cons that were claimed by by Decepticons at birth. That's how Bee know Brackdown.

But he had little freedom, and he was experimented on. Eventually he couldn't take it anymore and snapped really badly, his powers killed anyone in the facility expect Stunticons (they were out at the moment)and Shockwave with Megatron ( who were in the same room with Bee)

Megatron kills him ( or specifically, he thinks he killed Bee) and discared outside, and that's where Optimus finds and rescues him. Bee has little memory of this and his powers were dormant ever since.

Unfortunatly, Croft found some classified decepticon files about Bee. She wants Bee as a weapon, so she can invade other countries on Earth first, and then other worlds, including Cybetron. Tho she would happily control other cybertronians using Mandroid's tech (which she controlled with energon and eventually killed him).

She wanted to use Optimus first, but the found out that's Maltos hide Terrans and Bee, so he decided to use his family to lure him out. And when everyone is gathered in final confrontation, she sticks the mind controlling device on him. Except instead of being controlled, Bee goes berserk bc the device uncovered all his trauma.

Everything descends into chaos. Idea 1a. Bumblebee wasn't artificially created, but he kidnapped from Caminus, a colony that isolated itself off entirely when off started. Camines basically all outliners and Megatron wanted his bioweapon, so Bee was taken. When he lived on Caminus he knew Windblade, another batchmate that was born not long after him and they were besties.

Bc of trauma from experiments, he forgot his previous life entirely, while Windy was looking for him. Eventually she reaches Earth of her own that when they reunite.

Idea 2. Bee doesn't have any powers and GHOST were more interested in Terrans and kid's cybersleeves. They invaded Maltos, took everyone hostage, and she mortally wounds Bee before GHOST leaves with Maltos captured.

Slowly dying he finds strength to go back to the cave, squeeze really hard into the hole to reach the Embersone and begs it for help. In return the stone gets absorbed into his spark, transforming him into powerful creature ( in my case of course, a dragon! But I was thinking of eastern dragon this time, or even Bakunawa - a serpent dragon from Philippine mythology).

Of course it comes with the price and the stone is gradually killing him bc no mortal can hold that much power inside their body, but he willing to pay.

Also, his gets added to the Terran collective, so kids suddenly can feel emotions.

Idea 2a. That Alex was also left behind with dying Bee ( Croft thought the historian is weak and wont interfere, while Dot presents a threat). Alex is the one run to the cave and bring the stone to Bee. But Bee is very disheartened, beating himself up bc he failed to protect anyone, so Alex to comfort him tells him a story from mythology (idk which one, maybes something with a dragon again if there are fitting stories?) which helps Bee to focus and regain resolve and take the stone's power.

Ending In all cases, Bumblebee is dying after the main fight, so Terrans with kids use the power of Emberstone to save him. They get into his mind a seem glimpses of his trauma and how he often feels powerless and he desire to be a hero and being self-sacrificing to combat this.

He's like okay with dying, but Twitch protests, repeating his own words back to him ( "I wont leave you until you're save, that what family means!") and tells him that he can't die right after he begin to actually live. For idea 1 he can die before he finds his alt-mode, for idea 2 he can't just die without enjoying his chosen altmode first.

They remind him that he has home and family to return too, and it was enough for to stabilize and survive. Good ending!~

[crimeronan]

Would Empress Luz (once things are cleared up with Raine and Darius via mindscape trauma adventures) want to try reuniting with Camila via portal? I can see things re her and Vee and everything else coming to light (if Vee could even keep up the illusion that long) being very interesting/traumatising. Both for Luz, Vee and Camila and for Hunter and the rest of her newer adoptive family (Raine, Darius and Eda. I'd hope there'd eventually be a happy ending to it, but it would take some work.

ooh i actually do have an answer for this one!

in this AU, luz has been in the isles since she was about four, so her memories of the human world are vague and dreamy. she remembers having had human parents who loved her, but she wouldn't be able to pick them out of a lineup. (this also led to some upsetting discussions in my writing group chat about the consequences of her being raised by a colonizer - she's lost her spanish, is slightly more anxious about gender roles, etc, it's...... deeply sad and shitty)

the idea of returning to the human realm honestly scares the crap out of luz.

for one, she's much more comfortable around magic than she would be in a magic-less world; even though she KNOWS that she wouldn't be physically disabled in the human world like she is in the isles, and that she'd have an easier time finding food that doesn't make her sick, etc. she has some anxieties about how maybe she ~*~belongs~*~ there, because belos coming to the isles was clearly Not Fucking Good For Anyone. and on a more pointed note, belos used the human world to threaten her when they were fighting about hunter. so she has Very Few positive associations with the place

i'm FASCINATED by the concept of vee managing to escape and switch places with her around that time, i hadn't considered that before and it's. harrowing. it becomes kind of a changeling fairytale, right, except the changeling Knows she isn't human and remembers just enough to be TERRIFIED of being found out and sent back to the fae world.... GOD. poor vee. this is DELICIOUS.

the version of the story i've been working with so far, though, is one with this idea from my friend mock, because it fucking Haunts Me:

vee ends up escaping at around the same time as canon (well -- two years later, since luz is sixteen when the major events of the story play out). and when vee sees camila coming in the house, she takes the shape of the first person she sees in photos.

toddler luz.

aka. the daughter that camila is reasonably certain has been dead for over a decade.

i'm just imagining camila like. having a shaky near-sobbing breakdown and scooping vee-luz up and calling a friend like, i need you to come over and tell me if i'm hallucinating or if i'm seeing a real ghost. because camila KNOWS that if her daughter was alive, she'd be sixteen now.

i THINK vee would fess up pretty fast after that. because she feels Horrifically Guilty, AND because she can't play a Miracle Baby without inviting questions from much scarier humans, And because camila seems both so kind and so upset that vee is hoping she can make a break for it if she has to.

it's common knowledge in the isles that the princess is human, even though belos isn't out as human himself. because belos has been using luz as an excuse to do some human-supremacist white-savior-trope "the titan brought her from Real civilization to save you from yourselves <3" bullshit

and i think that vee would probably tell camila that. i'm 50/50 on whether vee knows luz's name or not (she certainly wouldn't know the name 'noceda,' at least). but either way, i think that camila would be like. okay. i have to be practical. i can't get my hopes up like this. my daughter is dead and it would be insane of me to chase this fantasy.

.....but i Have to know.

and like. she ESPECIALLY fucking has to know if she's heard even a Fraction of what vee has been through. vee has probably characterized the princess as just as evil as the rest of the royal family. but camila knows that even IF that's true, upbringing has a big impact on someone's character, and if her daughter was raised by an evil fascist then..... someone has to help her. no matter how terrible she is.

so i just imagine like. camila managing to find her way into the boiling isles (how this happens is up in the air. i haven't figured out exact portal logistics), IMMEDIATELY outing herself as a human, and demanding to see the emperor. and being told that the emperor died very recently, but she can meet the empress instead.

and it's luz. and luz's public-facing persona is made of steel (albeit friendly and kind steel), but her private self is transparently fragile in ways that are Extremely Alarming, and camila is like.

okay.

what. the fuck. did that man do to you.

(there's a background fic here. for anyone looking for expansion on uh. what exactly that man did to her. yikes!)

[wangxianficfinder]

In the mood for a Fic...

~*~

1. hey any recs for a fic that has wwx screaming "I'VE BEEN IN LOVE WITH HIM SINCE I WAS 15"

Rotten Work by ShanaStoryteller (Not Rated, 63k, WangXian, WWX & JL, Post-Canon, Protective WWX, Protective JL, Yunmeng Bros Reconciliation, Reluctant Matchmaker JL)

~*~

2. hello!! do you have any fics that acknowledge how wangxian are basically a power couple thanks!! <3

built by the fires of volcanoes by isabilightwood (T, 25k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Time Travel, Established Relationship, Crack Treated Seriously, But Not Too Seriously, Fluff, Humor)

pitfalls of greed by glitteringmoonlight (T, 3k, wangxian, post-canon, outsider pov, BAMF WWX, kidnapping, violence)

~*~

3. hi!! do you have any fix-it fics where the wen remnants end up going to the lan sect for sanctuary (for whatever reason) thank you <3

these colours fade for you only by doodlebutt (T, 36k, wangxian, fix-it, fluff & angst, happy ending, WWX gets a new core, hurt/comfort, slow burn, pining, canon-typical violence & gore) and its sequel your love is sunlight have the wen remnants going to the lan sect!

❤️the kite string and the anchor rope by fleurdeliser (M, 39k, wangxian, Mojo’s post)

Good Guy Lan Qiren Series by thunderwear (G/T, 28k, LQR & WWX, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Fix-It, no one dies, Lqr finds out about wwx's core, Fluff, WWX goes to Gusu, Mutual Pining, Golden Core Reveal)

❤️ a stone to break your soul, a song to save it by rikke (M, 180k, wangxian, Mojo’s post here, arranged marriage)

Lotus Flower Series by Mydla (T, 38k, LQR & WWX, wangxian, fix-it, angst w/ happy ending, canon divergence, trust issues, everyone lives au, major character injury)

bleed by justdoityoufucker (T, 5k, wangxian, time travel, sunshot campaign and post-ssc, families of choice)

~*~

4. Two asks combined for better dublicate checking ^^

 A) hihi! for the next iitmf, could we get lxc treating wwx like a little brother? or any fics where the two share a close, friendly/brotherly relationship :-) thanks so much!!

A War Of Brothers series by MusicPlotter (T, 38k, wangxian, LXC & WWX, canonical character death, canon divergence, fluff, angst, asexual character, post-canon)

Sail Away Sweet Sister by sami (M, 73k, WangXian, MingLi, YZY/Mdm Lan/CS, Time Travel, EXTREME Canon Divergence, Family, Wide Focus Narrative, Some People Live/Not Everyone Dies, Most Named/Canon Characters Lives, Childhood Friends to Lovers, Families of Choice, Parenthood, Fluff, Angst, Underage Sex, PTSD, Unforeseeable consequences, The butterfly effect, Slightly Dark JYL)

Unstoppable by Netrixie (T, 149k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Eventual Happy Ending, Unreliable Narrator, Slow Burn, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Wolf-shifter WWX, Resolved Sexual Tension, Resolved Romantic Tension, Fix-It, Werewolf, Shapeshifters)

--

B) Hi! I hope you’re still accepting these? but I’m on the mood for any fics where Wei Ying and Lan Xichen are friends or become close before Wei Ying and Lan Zhan do, please

elusive by bosbie (T, 1k, wangxian, LXC & WWX, canon divergence, pre-relationship, unresolved sexual tension)

This Tumblr Fic by ShanaStoryteller

~*~

5. Thank you for all your hard work. This page is my go to place for fics. For the next ITMF I would really love to see Wei Ying bromance stories. With either A) Wen Ning being Wei Ying's best friend and/or B) Nei Huaisang as his best friend.

5A)

This One Shadow by LtLJ (G, 3k, WN & WWX, wangxian, missing scene, CQL canon, domestic fluff, character study)

5B)

Friends, Sabers, and Other Essentials for Solving a Conspiracy by MeridianGrimm (T, 50k, WWX & NHS, LWJ & NHS, WangXian, Humor, Friendship, Love, Mystery, Canon Divergence, Smart NHS, WWX doesn't stay dead, LWJ gets a new friend, Happy Ending, Fix-It)

Story-Shaped by lingering_song (T, 13k, WangXian, NHS & WWX, Post-Canon, Chief Cultivator LWJ, Inventor WWX, Found Family, Mentioned Character Death, Alcohol, Protective NHS, WangXian Endgame, Not JC Friendly, Not particularly gentry sects friendly overall tbh)

Come From My Inkstone by magicgenetek (M, 150k, NHS & WWX, NHS & NMJ, eventual NHS/LWJ/WWX/WN, canon divergence, burial mounds settlement days, crack treated seriously, NHS character study, alcohol abuse, unrequited crush, polyamory, slow burn, WIP) fits 5A also

~*~

6. Hi! I've been working my way through your 'In the Mood For...' requests but I haven't found any asks for the plots I REALLY crave. So please please PLEASE help me out! I'm looking for A) Cannon Divergent fics set after WWX's resurrection - maybe someone else summoned him, or he reacted differently -or - B) fics where WWX leaves or dies to protect the Wens but lingers and keeps an eye on everything. THANKS!! <3 @alllicceon

6A)

By Any Other Name by ShanaStoryteller (Not Rated, 31k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Crossdressing, Identity reveal, Misunderstandings, Identity Porn)

returning to the old homestead by cosmicfuss (M, 30k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Post-Canon, JYL Lives, Slow Burn, idiots to lovers, suicidal idealization, wwx travels and has some self-discovery, dubiously consensual intoxicated sex, Body Dysphoria, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, yunmeng bros reconcilliation)

the problem with authority by isabilightwood (M, 139k, WangXian, QingLi, Canon Divergence, Sacrifice Summon, only the summoner sticks around, slightly dark!JYL, WQ lives, Slow Burn for yanqing, Angst with a Happy Ending, Chronic Pain, Mild Sexual Content, Top/Bottom Versatile | Switch WangXian) this one picks up before WWX is back but he's not in MXY's body

The Tales of Despereaux by stiltonbasket (T, 21k, WIP, WangXian, Prompt collection, oneshot collection, Canon Divergence, Additional Warnings In Author's Note, (when applicable) ) chapters 1-23

Sunless Dry Geraniums by ghostybreads, Skyeline (T, 131k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Unholy combination of canons, Amnesia, Misunderstandings, Loss of Identity, Idiots in Love, WWX POV, Unreliable Narrator, Wangxian-centric, Case Fic, Junior Quartet, Attempt at Humor, Yunmeng brothers, Some original lore, Illustrated Fic, Mystery, Emotional Hurt/Comfort)

Love Song In Reverse by timetoboldlygo (T, 237k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Falling In Love, Slow Burn, the parent trap, but there’s only one kid and the divorce was death, agressively mixing and matching novel and cql canon, No Homophobia, Nightmares, Mentions of Starvation, Parental WWX)  

focal, filler, and line by bosbie ( T, 26k, WIP, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Flower shop AU, Hurt/Comfort, Pining,. Falling in love, Slice of Life)

A Storm of Laughter in the Stillness of the Jingshi by OnlyMeAndMyBones (T, 73k, WangXian, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, Recovery, Pain, Mental Illness, Depression, PTSD, Rehabilitation, slow burn but significantly less so than canon, miscommunication is still a thing tho, Empathy, Guilt, Forgiveness, it's not THAT dark actually)

So You Want to Start a War by JaenysBloodcourt (T, 35k, MY/QS, MengXian, WangXian, Reincarnation, WWX as a woman, Impersonation, QS brings back WWX)  

~*~

7. I’m in the mood for fics where WWX forgets his memories, gets together with LWJ, and then thinks LWJ only likes him because he reminds him of his past lover. Like, “It Has Always Been You” by GusuBunnie. Thank you.

Love Song In Reverse by timetoboldlygo (T, 237k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Falling In Love, Slow Burn, the parent trap, but there's only one kid and the divorce was death, agressively mixing and matching novel and cql canon, No Homophobia, Nightmares, Mentions of Starvation, Parental WWX)

~*~

8. I'm sorry beforehand, but can you please find me some WangXian story which WWX reincarnated or got his old body back after finishing MXY wishes? @ardhyan

~*~

9. hi ❤️ i would love some fics where jiang yanli is referred as wwx's mother 🥺❤️

So You Accidentally Kidnapped A Qilin by Mikkeneko (T, 83k, WangXian, Juuni Kokki | Twelve Kingdoms Fusion, mdm yu's a+ parenting, Identity Issues, Cultivator Politics, Yin Iron Poisoning, Twin Prides of Yúnmèng Feels, Yunmeng Bros Reconciliation, WWX Needs a Hug, Mutual Pining, Miscommunication, Getting Together, Temporary Character Death, Happy Ending, Pacifist WWX, MXTX Big Bang 2021) I don't think I've seen this a lot... but it you get no other hits at all, chapter 3 of So You Accidentally Kidnapped A Qilin by Mikkeneko has WWX explicitly say that JYL is the closest thing he has to a mother.

🧡 rain falls and soaks into the earth series by RoseThorne (T, 40k, WangXian, WIP, Near Death Experience, Attempt Drowning, Madam Yu Bashing, Recovery, No war AU)

Fatherhood's Calling by Fortune_Maiden (G, 1k, JYL/JZX, JZX & WWX, post-sunshot, crack, humor)

The Teapot Plot by ToxicAngel13 (M, 52k, wangxian, NMJ/LXC, misunderstandings, plots, protective Jiang sibs, golden core reveal, golden core transfer fix-it, post-sunshot, fix-it, hurt/comfort, happy ending)

~*~

10. um.. could i ask you for fics where wei ying deals with the trauma of what he had to do in the burial mounds to survive? like people affirming to him that he's not a monster, even if it's hard for him to believe? thank you v v much!!

💖 the absence of hunger by parsnipit (M, 27k, wangxian, angst w/ happy ending, eating disorder, PTSD, food as a metaphor for love) absolutely does not pull any punches about the hardest times of wwx's life, and the second chapter has the kind of dealing with/catharsis/support from loved ones that I think the asker is looking for!

they who refuse to be blessed by sysrae (E, 7k, WangXian, JC & WWX, Canon Divergence, Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Whump, Golden Core Reveal, Developing Relationship, Bathing/Washing, Confessions, Sharing a Bed)

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11. Hi, I wanted to know if there is any fic which has the untamed or mdzs story told from LA wangji s pov. Does not have to be all the chapter just certain key wang xian moments and maybe what LWJ was feeling then. Thanks in advance!!!

The Price of Old Wishes by SoManyJacks (E, 67k, WangXian, Minor canon divergence, Angst, POV LWJ, Depression, Suicidal Thoughts, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Smut, Slow Burn, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, semi-verbal!LWJ, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Mojo’s Post )

Song of Clarity by vicchan (T, 59k, wangxian, LWJ pov, major character death, slow burn, canon retelling, missing scenes, pining, WIP, maybe abandoned?)

The Lone Jade of Gusu Lan by NoThanksSuddenDeathItIs (M, 24k, wangxian/OMC, major character death, LWJ pov, fluff & angst, hurt/comfort, humor, missing scenes, WIP, maybe abandoned?)

And He Knew Those Silver Eyes Were Trouble by PieceofLove (M, 311k, WangXian, Action/Adventure, Pining, Canon Compliant, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Jealousy, Possessive Behavior, Love at First Sight, Unrequited Love, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Introspection, CQL-Verse, Reincarnation, Chronic pain, Slow Burn, Humor, PTSD, Heavy Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Love Confessions)

well-met by warlight by wukuiyuxin (Not rated, 2k, wangxian, WIP, Old English Style Poetry, Epic Poetry, podfic available) Lan Wangji’s account of meeting, loving, losing, and mourning Wei Ying and raising A-Yuan—in mock-Norse epic verse.

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12. Do you know any good fics where WWX finds out the real truth behind JC losing his core? @youkaimeimi

Lynchpin by ShanaStoryteller (Not Rated, 103k, WangXian, ChengQing, Time Travel, Fix-It, jc fixes everything through the power of brotherly love, knowing everyone's secrets helps too)

Take Care by Cerusee (G, 4k, JC & JL & WWX, uncle-son bonding time)

the thread may stretch or tangle but it will never break by RoseThorne (E, 77k, WIP, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Soulmates, Self-Esteem Issues, Fix-It, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Nightmares, PTSD, Panic Attacks, Love Confessions, Getting Together, Family, Bathing/Washing, Hair Braiding, Sex Education, Aftercare, Morning After, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Torture, Scars, Chronic Pain, Adoption, Golden Core Reveal, First Time, Blow Jobs, Multiple Orgasms, Switching, sex-related injury, LWJ Stays at the Burial Mounds, LSZ is a Wèi, Good Sibling JC, Dissociation, Burial Mounds Settlement Day, Disability)

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13. im neutral about jiggy, but im curious about canon-divergence fics where wwx is the one to finish wrh, and so he's the undisputed war hero and people can't turn on him that easily. do you know fics like that? much thanks!

wwx time travels and accidentally creates a platonic harem Series by moeblobmegane (T, 223k, WIP, WangXian, Time Travel Fix-It, Conspiracy, Spies & Secret Agents, Team as Family, Found Family, Burial Mounds, Temporary Character Death, Pining, Morally Ambiguous Character, Rumors, Politics, Background XuanLi, Developing Friendships, Good Uncle LQR, Fluff, Angst, POV Outsider, POV Multiple)

Here With Me by iamwish (T, 42k, WIP, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Time travel Fix-It, No war AU, Not YZY Friendly, Somebody Lives/Not everyone dies, Established Relationship)

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14. hello!! for the next im in the mood for, do you know any commander wwx fics?? ive been thinking about a sunshot campaign were wwx was the commander of the war? thank you!

The River Runs Forever by Cerusee (T, 118k, wangxian, JYL & WWX & JC, NHS/JYL, WWX & NHS, character death, BAMF WWX, inventor WWX, sect leader WWX, WIP)

I Will Not Go Gentle into the Quiet Night by TriviasFolly (M, 89k, wangxian, rape/non-con, ABO, no cultivation au, alpha LWJ, omega WWX, royal au, slow burn, BAMF WWX, attempted rape, implied/referenced rape/non-con, murder)

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15. hi there! thank you for all of your hard work in running this blog 💕 for the next mood fic recs, do you have any recommendations for yu ziyuan (and ideally also jiang fengmian) bashing fics (or at least critical of them) that don't involve jiang cheng or jyl bashing? itll be great if they have yunmeng trio feels as well, but not necessary 🥰 thanks again! @bi-bi-bitteraf

🧡Stunted, Starving Juvenility by TomatenMark (E, 394k, WangXian, WIP, Fix-it of sorts, Talisman master WWX, Not JFM Friendly, Study Arc, Getting together, Fluff and Angst, Engagement)

🧡 Company by WithBroomBefore (T, 29k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Pre-Relationship, Getting Together, POV LWJ, Fix-It, Pre-Canon, at least to start, WWX goes to Cloud Recesses, But Not In The Usual Way, fear of character death, Everybody Lives Hurt/Comfort, Happy Ending, Light Angst, good teacher LQR, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, brief discussion of past minor character suicide, Kitten)

Til Death Do Us Part by Thyone14 (Not Rated, 58k, WangXian, Time Travel, Fix-It of Sorts, Fluff, Angst with a Happy Ending, Implied/Referenced Character Death, WWX Needs a Hug, Protective LWJ, Soft WangXian, POV LWJ, mostly, POV Alternating)

crying like a fire in the sun by cl410 (T, 10k, WangXian, SongXiao, BSSR/LY, Runaway WWX, Canon Divergence, Everyone Lives/Nobody Die, srogue cultivator WWX, Angst, Post Cloud Recesses, Not YZY Friendly, Happy Ending, BSSR is WWX's grandmother instead of grandmaster)

🧡 rain falls and soaks into the earth series by RoseThorne (T, 40k, WangXian, WIP, Near Death Experience, Attempt Drowning, Madam Yu Bashing, Recovery, No war AU) (Link in #9 - Mod C)

I'd also recommend taking a look at moominmammashandbag's works - there are quite a few that are anti-YZY but not anti-JYL or JC!

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16. Hello mods!!! Do you have any recs for fics where wwx does not end up meeting lwj and jwy after his fall to the burial mounds and they think him dead???

my life’s journey is far from over by thelastdboy (E, 143k, wangxian, modern au, canon divergence, PTSD, post-sunshot, everyone lives au, depression, suicidal thoughts, unhealthy coping mechanisms, slow burn, case fic, recorvery, healing is a slow process, kink negotiation) in this one wwx disappears after his time in the burial mounds and is declared dead, but he didn't know lwj beforehand and they only met after that.

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If you didn’t get an answer to your ask here, don’t forget to make use of @mdzs-kinkmeme and MDZS KINK MEME on Dreamwidth. Authors actually do use them for ideas. You may get what you order!***Your prompt doesn’t have to be kink! Fluff, crack, whatever - it’s all good!***

[foundtherightwords]

Sunlight Through the Mist - Chapter 9

Pairing: Hellcheer (Eddie Munson x Chrissy Cunningham) Regency AU

Summary: Having witnessed the broken marriage of his parents, Edward Munson, Baron Hurstfield, always regards love with a cynical eye. When circumstances compel him to marry and produce an heir, he quickly proposes to Christine Conyngham, a debutante whose reputation is hanging by a threat after an ill-fated affair. All Edward wants is to save his family estate, but as beautiful, fragile Christine finds her way into his wary heart, their marriage of convenience may become something neither of them ever expects - a union of love.  

Warnings: angst, past domestic violence, suicide attempt, smut (non-explicit)

Chapter warnings: angst, some brief smut (non-explicit)

Chapter word count: 4.1k

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 7 - Chapter 8

Chapter 9

On a frosty day in December, Edward and Christine were in the parlor discussing their Christmas plans when a letter from Mrs. Conyngham arrived, claiming that she was very ill and summoning them to London. Edward groaned inwardly. He knew there was no love lost between Christine and her mother, and this illness was more likely Mrs. Conyngham's histrionics rather than anything serious. Christine's conflicted face as she looked up from the letter told him that although she shared his sentiments, this was also her mother, the only family she had. When his father was dying, he'd never sent for Edward, and the bastard could rot in Hell for all Edward cared, while Christine clearly felt differently. So Edward swallowed his annoyance and prepared for their trip.

As the carriage rolled southward, snow started to fall, dusting the ground and the skeletal trees in a white blanket, turning everything pristine and bringing a stark beauty to an otherwise unremarkable scene. Edward knew the snow would not last, and he tried to enjoy it when he could. He didn't want to go to London. For some reason, he couldn't shake a strange sense of foreboding that grew the closer they were to London. Selfishly, he was afraid that all the glamor of London would remind Christine of how drab and lonely Yorkshire was, and she would want to stay. She may even run into Joshua Craven, who had recently become the Duke of Hauxwell following his father's death. Edward trusted Christine with all his heart, but an encounter with Hauxwell would doubtless be painful to her, and that, in turn, would pain him, and he would like to avoid it if possible.

"What are you thinking about?" Christine asked, leaning against his shoulder as she noticed he'd gone quiet and was neglecting his book. It had been three months now since they consummated their marriage, yet Edward had never ceased to delight in her casual affectionate gestures, proof of how comfortable she felt around him and how much she'd come to trust him.

"You wouldn't want to stay in London for Christmas, would you?"

"Oh, no," she said firmly. "As soon as I make certain my mother is not seriously ill, we can leave. I'm looking forward to spending Christmas in Yorkshire." She kissed him to show that she really meant it.

The coaching inn just outside of Peterborough, where they stopped for the night, was the same one they had stayed at when they made the trip from London to Yorkshire nine months ago. Edward felt absurdly smug when he told the landlord they only required a single room, and caught Christine's amused smile behind her gloves.

Still, the ominous feeling refused to go away. The next morning, when he woke and found her side of the bed empty, he bolted up in fear that Christine might have left. But she was there, sitting at the dressing table, brushing her hair and looking back at him with a soft "Good morning."

Edward went over to her and buried his face in her neck, breathing in her scent. "You've promised not to get out of bed before I wake," he said petulantly.

"I'm sorry, but I was afraid we would be late."

"Late for what? We're not catching a coach. London is not going anywhere. Let Wheeler and the horses rest for a while longer." He spun her around. "We could rest a while longer as well. Think of it as our wedding journey."

She laughed. "And what would we be doing for our wedding journey in Peterborough, pray?"

"I can think of plenty of things we can do," he said, seeking her lips.

She returned his kiss but broke away all too soon for his liking. "I already wrote to my mother to say that we were arriving today," she said, sobering up. "If we were late, we would never hear the end of it."

Edward sighed. He certainly didn't want to make this visit more uncomfortable than necessary. As Christine reached for the bell rope, however, he involuntarily stayed her hand.

"But I was going to ask if they have a maid that can help me dress," she protested. Since they did not plan to stay in London for long, Christine had decided not to bring her lady's maid with her, and the only servant accompanying them was young Will, recently elevated to the position of a footman.

"You don't need a maid for that," Edward said, taking up the brush. "I can be your maid." Anything to prolong their departure.

Christine grinned. "How would you even know what to do?"

"I think you'll find that I'm a fast learner."

The grin lingered on her face, but she sat still while he brushed out her hair until it crackled. She then let him pass her the hairpins and directed him to hold a little hand mirror behind her, while she braided and twisted her hair up into a simple knot. Edward gazed at her slender fingers deftly moving in and out of the golden strands, at her nape reflected in the big mirror of the dressing table, the different angles showing him her beauty in ways he hadn't noticed before. Christine looked up and caught his eyes staring at her in the mirror. Both blushed, like those early days when they were still tiptoeing around each other, but this time, they held their gazes.

This was followed by the lacing of her stays, then he snatched the stockings out of her hands and knelt down in front of her.

"What?" he asked, catching her little smile as she watched him draw a stocking over her toes and calf and wrap the garter around her thigh, slowly and carefully, almost reverently. "Am I not doing this right?"

"No, nothing of the sort. I was simply thinking of the last time we were here."

"Oh God." He remembered it all too well, how tense, how distant they had been with each other, and how much had changed. He finished putting the other stocking on but remained knelt between her legs. "Can you ever forgive me for all those horrible months?"

She glanced down at his hands caressing her thighs. "Keep doing that, and we shall see."

His heart beating faster, he leaned down to place a kiss on the bit of skin between the top of her stocking and her chemise, skin softer and silkier than the silk stocking itself. He heard her breath hitch, but she said nothing, only lifted the hem of her chemise a little higher.

It was some time before Lord and Lady Hurstfield emerged from their room.

***

As predicted, not only Mrs. Conyngham's illness was not serious—Edward doubted if she had really been ill at all—but she even had time to plan a reception for that evening as well. Christine gave Edward a rather dismayed look when her mother announced it. Mrs. Conyngham said it was to celebrate their marriage, as they had left for Yorkshire in such a hurry that there had been no time for it after the wedding, but Edward suspected that she was only looking to brag to her friends. Still, now that they were in her house, it would be the height of discourtesy for them to immediately turn around and leave, so they begrudgingly stayed for the reception.

Edward's horrible childhood memories came back more strongly than ever as Mrs. Conyngham displayed him to her guests like some exotic animal, simpering about his ancient family name and his estate, all the things she'd criticized before. He endured it all with a smile and even managed to keep a civil tongue in his head. For Christine, he was willing to endure anything.

But as it turned out, there was something he couldn't endure.

The reception was in full swing when the butler, a horrible snob by the name of Owens, announced, "The Duke of Hauxwell, ma'am." A hush fell on the drawing room at the arrival of such an illustrious guest, and Mrs. Conyngham's bosom puffed up in a way to show this was whom she'd really planned the reception for.

Edward's sense of foreboding finally made sense. He looked to Christine, seeking her reaction. She had gone deathly pale the moment Hauxwell's name was announced, but her eyes were fixed on the door with the same hard, blazing fire she'd had the night she ran away, the fire that had given her such a fierce, almost frightening beauty. That eager, almost hungry stare pierced Edward's heart, sharp as a pin. She had never looked at him like that.

As Hauxwell stepped into the room, looking just as refined and charming and handsome as he had been a year ago, Christine went still, like a rabbit transfixed by the hypnotizing stare of a serpent. Edward was filled with a jealousy so burning and violent that it shocked even himself. He had always thought himself a peaceful man, but at that moment, he was happy to introduce his fist to Hauxwell's conceited face and ruin that perfect Grecian profile.

Christine didn't notice anything. She had eyes for no one else but Hauxwell.

Unable to look at her any longer, afraid he was going to disgrace himself if he stayed, Edward stormed off into the little boudoir next to the drawing room. The servants, all focusing on the reception, had neglected to light a fire there, and a single, untrimmed candle stood on the mantelpiece, but Edward didn't mind. The freezing air cooled his head; the dark cleared his thoughts. He collapsed into an armchair in the corner of the room and tried to remember their wonderful morning together—had it only been that morning?—but even that memory failed to brighten up his spirit in the face of the looming darkness that was the Duke of Hauxwell. He told himself that Christine was his wife; nothing Hauxwell did could ever change that in the eye of the law and the Church. That thought didn't make him feel any better. If anything, it made him feel worse, the notion that Christine was only forced to stay with him. He didn't want to force her into anything.

Edward didn't know how long he'd sat in that dark room, brooding, when he heard the door open with a swishing of fabric and the familiar scent of lavender. So Christine had come to look for him. His heart rejoicing, he was about to get to his feet and call out to her, when the door opened again and Hauxwell walked in behind her. Edward sank back down into the depth of the chair, careful not to make a sound. From his position, he couldn't see them, but he could hear everything. Clearly, they didn't know he was in the room.

"My darling, my love," he heard Hauxwell murmur. "Have you missed me?"

There was a series of soft thumps, like Christine was hitting or slapping Hauxwell. "Missed you! Is that all you could think to ask?" she said, and the pain in her voice could break Edward's heart. "Have you any idea how miserable I've been? Did you know I almost died because of you?"

The sound of kissing made Edward ball his hands into fists, but with an enormous effort, he stayed in the chair. "Oh my love, if I could have done things differently, don't you think I would? I had no choice. You know that. But I'm here now, and I can make it up to you."

"How?"

"I love you, and will always love you. Our parting was just temporary. Now our love can resume."

Christine was quiet for a while. Edward fervently hoped that she would be offended and say that she was a married woman now, but when she next spoke, her words rent his heart in two. "An affair, you mean? Am I to be your mistress?" She didn't sound particularly eager, but she didn't sound offended either. She sounded almost... dazed.

"Well, yes, if you must put a label on it," Hauxwell answered with such indifference that Edward felt indignant on Christine's behalf. Why, the bastard had no care that he would ruin her!

"What about your wife?"

"You don't have to concern yourself with her."

"What about my husband?" Edward tried to slow his breathing, almost certain that they could hear him, but his heart was beating so heavily that he couldn't draw a deep breath. Christine didn't seem at all perturbed when she mentioned him. "He knows about us," she added. Edward had never spoken of Hauxwell to her, but she must have known he had seen the letter in her room.

"That makes it more convenient, doesn't it?" Edward could hear the self-satisfied smile in Hauxwell's voice.

"He won't leave Yorkshire." For some reason, that simple statement cut him to the quick. So she knew him well enough to correctly guess his action, yet not enough to know that he loved her, not enough to turn down Hauxwell's insulting offer.

"I can offer him a position in court or in parliament. He'd be a fool to turn it down. That way he shall have to come down to London more regularly, and we can see each other."

Another pause. Then Christine's voice came up, "You have thought everything through, haven't you?" There was a hint of acerbity in that question, and it gave Edward a wild hope.

"I know this is too sudden," Hauxwell said. "You don't have to give me an answer now. Take some time to think about it." By some ironic coincidence, he was saying the same thing Edward had said to Christine when he proposed to her. "But know that I love you, and will always love you." Then there was the sound of another kiss, and the door was closed.

Edward waited until he was sure Hauxwell was gone. He would have waited for Christine to leave as well, but it seemed she insisted on staying. Well, if they must talk it out, then better to do it sooner than later.

"That was quite a touching reunion," he said, rising from the chair. He didn't mean to be so theatrical about it or for his words to come out so roughly, but he was still reeling so much from the scene he'd just witnessed that he couldn't quite control his voice.

Christine's face reddened, then paled, then reddened again.

"It's not what you think," she said quickly. Her trite response disappointed him. He was expecting something more genuine from her.  

"I don't know what to think."

"I was caught by surprise when he arrived, that was all. This was my mother's doing. She never thinks you are good enough for me..."

"She didn't push you into his arms, did she?"

Christine came over and squeezed his cold, limp hand in her equally cold fingers. "Edward, please. Let us go home. We were so happy there..."

Edward couldn't imagine going back to Hurstfield and pretending none of this had happened. "All right, let's say we go home," he said. "Then what? What would you do if he arrived at Hurstfield and asked you to run away with him? Would you have the strength to say no?"

Christine flinched at his unrelenting questions. "I..." she began, but could say no more.

"I saw your face when he walked in. I saw you with him. I'd seen what happened the last time he wrote to you. The power he has over you." He paused, trying to calm himself. He would not let her know how hurt he was. He would not have her pity him. Then, suddenly, what he must do became clear to him, frightfully, heartbreakingly clear. "I can't compete with that," he concluded. "I shan't."

"What... what are you saying?"

"If you want him, you're welcome to him," he said.

Christine's face went pale again and became harsh, marble-like, making her look as she had during the early days of their marriage. "Are you asking me for a formal separation then?" she asked, lifting her chin up. "Like the Prince and Princess of Wales?"

"Plenty of people have affairs without bothering with a separation," Edward said, gritting his teeth to keep himself from shouting.

"Oh yes, I forgot, you will lose your inheritance if we separate."

He hadn't thought she would be capable of such a cruel jab, but it hurt a lot less compared to her calm contemplation to begin an affair with Hauxwell. He'd rather have her hate him than betray him. "If you're worried about scandals, then rest assured, I shall behave impeccably," he said.

"So you're willing to let me cuckold you?"

Yes, let others laugh at him for being a cuckold. He would not be cruel to his wife and trap her in a loveless marriage. Loveless... on her side, at least. He had thought his love alone would be enough. He'd thought wrong. A coldness descended upon him, quite different from the cold air of the room, and froze him to his core. He wondered if he would ever feel anything warm again.

"I'm not letting you do anything. I am not your master."

"But you are my husband, and I need you to act like it!" she said, tears running down her face.

Why was she crying? Why couldn't she see that he was letting her take matters into her own hands, decide her own life?

"By doing what?" he snapped. "Challenge Hauxwell to a duel? What would that achieve? Would that convince you to stay?" She said nothing. Her silence exasperated him. "Fine, this is me acting as your husband then: I only want the truth from you, Christine. Do you still love him?"

Please, say no, he silently begged. Or even yes. I don't care. Say anything true, anything that comes from your mind and your heart, not because your mother or Hauxwell or society or even I wish it. But she remained silent, her tear-filled eyes fixed on him with a questioning, beseeching look that tore at his heart yet bewildered him at the same time, for he could not understand what she wanted from him, and didn't want to humble himself by asking.

Turning away, Edward got to his feet. "I told you, I can't make you do anything. The choice is yours." With those parting words, he left the room.

***

He went into the dressing room by Christine's bed-chamber. The sofa that had been put there for his use on their wedding night still remained, yet so much had changed. This time, he was not reeling from shame and guilt, but anger. Despite his attempt to be calm and cool to Christine, anger was threatening to consume him in its white heat.

The most distressing realization for him was that Christine was not only blind to Hauxwell's dishonor, but apparently complicit in it as well. How could she not see how detestable Hauxwell's actions were, discarding her in favor of a rich wife and only now coming back to her for whatever reason? How could she sit there and calmly discuss the terms of an affair with him? And worst still, she refused to choose between him and Hauxwell. He would rather that she had chosen Hauxwell than having to live with this tormenting uncertainty. Yes, it would have broken him, but at least then he would know and could move on. But to Hauxwell's advances and his own pleas, Christine had only responded with the same confused, almost frightened look. How could she not know her own mind? Did she need more time? Did she want to choose Hauxwell but was afraid of the consequences? Edward tried putting himself in her place, but, having loved no one before her and unable to imagine loving anyone else but her, he could not understand the agony of a heart torn between two loves. He only saw her lack of response as evidence of hypocrisy, and was devastated by it. He thought he knew her better than that.

As the hours went slowly by, Edward's rage was gradually replaced by heartbreaking acceptance. He loved Christine too much to condemn her. If she truly loved Hauxwell, then there must be something worth loving in the man. And—here Edward's ever-present honesty forced him to admit it—there may be some truth in Hauxwell's feelings as well; Christine couldn't have been so deeply in love with him if they had been false.

He could no longer be angry at Hauxwell. Edward himself had married Christine for money—though it hadn't been her money—so he could hardly censure Hauxwell for doing something similar. Besides, with the Prince of Wales setting an example, men like Hauxwell saw nothing immoral in straying from their marital vows and may even think that the cuckolded husbands ought to be flattered that their wives received such attention. And Christine, who had been brought up in that world, wouldn't see anything wrong in it either.

He couldn't even be angry at Christine for letting Hauxwell seduce her. Of course she would, when Hauxwell was all debonair and extravagant in his declarations of love, while Edward couldn't even tell her that he loved her.

What was it that Christine had said? She'd needed him to act like a husband. But how should a husband act? His only model was his father, and that had been such a bad example that all Edward knew was to act the complete opposite of how he thought his father would act. He could only imagine what his father would have done if he'd caught his mother in a similar situation...

Very well. If Christine couldn't choose, then he would choose for her. He would return to Hurstfield Hall, leaving her free to go to Hauxwell if she so wished.

At the thought of Hurstfield Hall, however, Edward's heart broke all over again. He couldn't picture the familiar hall without Christine in it. Every room in the house, every path in the garden, even every corner of the village and the surrounding hills had been filled with memories of her, of all the things they'd done together. It would hurt terribly to return, knowing that she was not there and was likely never to be there again. No, he couldn't go home, not when it had lost its sanctuary and comfort.

Where could he go? He had to leave, to put her out of his mind for a while, or he would go mad. But where?

Then he remembered—his friends, Walton and Beaumont, had successfully secured funding for their trip to Eastern Europe and had written to him about their plan to spend the winter in Hungary. He could join them. He could go to France and travel overland from there, or take a river boat down the Danube to reach Budapest, weather permitting, of course. It would be a long and arduous journey, but that was exactly what he wanted.

He went to the servants' quarter—the reception was over, but the servants were still busy cleaning up—and found Will. "We're leaving early tomorrow," he told the boy. "Tell Wheeler to get the carriage ready."

"Sir?" Will asked, confused.

"And pack my things." Edward turned to go, but stopped. "On second thoughts, I can do that myself. Find me a list of packet boats leaving Dover."

"I—I don't—"

"Ask one of the servants, for God's sake! Must I tell you everything?"

Seeing an unaccustomed scowl of anger on Edward's face, Will ducked his head, mumbled, "Yes, sir," and ran off.

Edward returned to the dressing room, and for a few minutes, busied himself with preparing for the journey—he briefly wondered if it would be better to delay for a few days until he could send for his things from Hurstfield, but decided that it would make little difference. He just wanted to get away as soon as possible. At least he'd had the foresight to bring some banknotes and checks with him. He could always write to his bank for more, once he arrived in France.

Some noises from the bedroom made him pause, afraid that Christine may wish to come in and talk, but the door remained shut. He spent the rest of the night listening to the sound of her pacing on the other side of the door, while at the same time trying not to think of her.

Chapter 10 (last chapter)

A/N: This chapter is the second hardest for me to write (after Chapter 4). I didn't want Christine to appear too bad, but at the same time, I wanted Edward's doubts to be at least justified. Hopefully, it worked. And we're on the home stretch now! Only one chapter to go!

[chill-vibes-but-rainbow-panic]

7, 8, and 11 from the thingy that you rb earlier

:))

OG List

(I apologize in advance for the long answers, I just love answering stuff like that and I have a lot to say :] )

7. Your favourite tropes to read/write/draw

(I love them all the same, but it is slightly different for each, so I'm making a destinction)

Read: Honestly, kidnapping. I love characters getting kidnapped, and their loved ones worrying/rescuing them. This also includes more-or-less any type of 'going missing'-plot (incl. Char A just running away themselves). Just the feeling of "I have no idea where or how they are, and if they're even still alive", and then the relief when they meet again. Hmmm

Write: 'The world has been cruel and hard to you - therefore I won't be. I want to show you the beauty it has to offer, too <3' This is the best way I can describe it. Characters who've just had a rough time/life being unconditionally cared for and supported. Getting everything their heart has desired for so long. Short: Hurt/Comfort

Draw: While I have yet to draw this myself, actually (because humanoids are hard), any drawing of one character being hurt or scared, while another stands over them caringly and protectively - obviously willing to kick some ass if needed - has me go wild.

8. You hope more people will come to appreciate ___ (a ship, a trope, an episode, etc)

I understand that some people find the market oversaturated by now - that's valid - but still: Redemption

I love redemption so much. I want the story to gently cup a character's face and say "You are broken, but not beyond repair. You can get better, and be happy, and be surrounded by people you love and that love you back." They don't even necessarily need trauma or have gone down a super dark path, I also enjoy: "Character is a massive jerk, and we follow them down the road of being less of a jerk". These are honestly the main reasons both the 'Good Uncle Sly' and 'Apple Cousins' AUs exist.

There are few exceptions I can think of, of villains I'm personally obsessed with, and have not made a version of, where they are redeemed. I look at Reginald Bushroot, and Camille Chameleon, and the Dark Curse - and while for some more than others - there will usually be something at the back of my mind asking: "What if you didn't have to? What if you found love? What if you got to live a quiet, gentle life? What if one day you realized you live in a reality you would never have imagined come true? In a good way? What if everyone could be okay?"

Just

Redemption

11. If you're a writer or artist, what fic or piece of art are you proud of making?

Fic: Family Discount

I was honestly surprised how many people liked that fic. Between 11 fics in total, this one definitely has some of my favourite comments (and it also has a surprsing amount of comments, I didn't expect that tbh). I was a little worried about posting a fanfic chapter-by-chapter, because the last time I tried that I basically (though not officially yet) stopped after one, because I can't write slice of life, it seems.

But so many people got emotionally invested in my writing, and I honestly didn't expect that? But even though I'm forced to take a semi-long break (for exam reasons), it is extremely motivating, and makes me feel that (as vague as it sounds), my stories do do something. How much joy the stuff you make can bring other people, is honestly so cool. Even if it's just a little fanart, or an ask, or a slightly-self-indulgent fanfic :)

I'm proud of having actually got this far, and also having written something me and other people love to read

Art:

I'm actually a little embarassed of this drawing, which I know sounds counter-intuitive to the prompt, but I swear, there is a reason it's here!

This is my first, and currently only drawing of the Flim-Flam-Brothers

I had basically no idea what I was going to do with their designs, and I also only had 60min, with limited tools (because Colormari)

But the thing about this drawing, was that our prompt was basically just "New Years Resolutions". And mine was that I wanted to create more art, without getting bossed around by my inner sense of cringe. Because, while I have absolutely no problem with ranting and rambling and talking about my favourite characters all over the place; as soon as I want to put them into any form of art, my organs feel like they'll turn me inside out. It's the reason this blog has dozens of rambles about how much I love Darkwing Duck, and yet zero art of any of its characters (made by me).

But I made this - and kept it around - even though I knew the characters wouldn't look the best.

So this is the drawing I'm most proud of, because it actually exists :)

[crushedbyhyperbole]

Rockets of Love (Bucky x Plus!Reader)

Chapter One

Summary:  You are MoonDragon, a sassy gamer girl with a reputation for badassery.  Your game of choice?  Orion Protocol.

Bucky is a retired Army veteran who plays for The Avengers clan.

What happens when you two meet?  Well... that’s what you’re here to find out!

Words:  

A/N:  This is a Gaming AU with long-distance logistics.  This is written as a plus size cis female reader.  I started writing this a while ago and it’s still a WIP but I wanted to start getting it out there.  I update AO3 more than my tumblr so there will be extra chapters there before they hit here.  There is gaming speak and are some acronyms may be used but I’ll post those for each chapter.  Game descriptions heavily based on Unreal Tournament 3 which i used to play s hit-tonne of. I hope you enjoy.

Acronym/term glossary for Ch1: DM - Deathmatch TDM - Team Deathmatch HP - hit points or damage points Frag - kill KDR - Kill/Death Ratio

Warnings:  Gaming-typical violence and death, self-esteem issues, language/profanity, morbid humour.  This will become explicit 18+ at some point in the story, so fair warning.

***18+ content - for whatever reason I label this for adults only - minors do not read/interact***

Rockets of Love Master List

It’s true what they say; the anonymity of the internet breeds confidence.  At least that’s how it was for you.

In real life you were diffident.  Not debilitatingly so, but enough to for you not to put yourself out there when it came to relationships.  You were single, by a combination of choice and circumstance; self-esteem issues lead you to see traps and tricks in even the most sincere of compliments, no one got through your defences.  At least no one you met face to face.  Not anymore.

Your outward displays of confidence were defence mechanisms.  Offensive humour, self-deprecating humour, and sarcasm were well used antics in your arsenal of tricks to hide how insecure you were about your body.  Now so much a part of who you were that you couldn’t remember a time when you weren’t that girl who made obscene comments just to keep people at arm’s length.

There’s nothing better than offending people to keep them away.

You were employed (semi-happily) in a job that paid well and gave you everything you needed to pay bills, keep your family home, run your car, and have holidays; top tier client support for Pulse, a multi-national tech solutions company.  You’d been there almost eight years and you had no desire to move on or up – you were comfortable.

If you had the choice to do anything you wanted, you weren’t sure what you would to do instead.  That would involve thinking about yourself on a deeper level, which wasn’t something you liked to do.

Anyway, that was you in the real world.

 Digitally you were MoonDragon.  A sassy and confident girl gamer.  Skilled and formidable, with a reputation for badassery that preceded you into every game you played.  Your current game of choice – Orion Protocol; a fantasy first person shooter with an arena style multiplayer.  Never had a game hooked you quite as badly as this.  You’d been playing for almost two years now, and had been recruited into a clan six months ago.

The Avengers were a well-known clan.  Only elite players were asked to join, but more than that, it was like a family.  Good team dynamics, good sense of humour, lots of respect and support.  Team members were recruited after being vetted by one of the founding members, Steve Rogers aka Captain America, Bucky Barnes aka The Winter Soldier or Natasha Romanov aka Black Widow.  That’s how you were picked up.

+Flashback – six months earlier+

You’d just saved Cap’s ass in a public team deathmatch when he was on the ropes with no ammo and only a basic issue pistol to defend himself.  Jumping into the fray on some temporary perk rocket boots, you’d sniped the heads off three jerks who were ganging up on poor old [AVG]Captain_America.

“Thanks for the save, MoonDragon.”  He said, picking himself up and running for a nearby weapon spawn.

You rarely talked in game with randoms unless coordination was needed (and rarer still for banter) but when he spoke his voice was that of someone older, not some annoying kid, so you decided to reply.

“No sweat, dude.”  You said stiffly.  “Three on one is a shitty deal, unless it’s a porno.”  You muttered, probably too quietly to be picked up on the mic.

Captain America laughed hard.  “They didn’t seem to cause you any problems.”  He said finally.

“I had the element of surprise.”  You couldn’t help a small smile that tugged your lips upward.  “It’s easy to get the drop when they’re all trying to teabag the infamous Captain America.”

“I’m infamous now, am I?”  The amusement in his voice was clear.

“I’d say so.”

“Good to know.”  He sounded like he was smirking.

“Everyone knows who you are.”

“Is that so?”

“Pretty much.”

“Is that how you’ve got such a high KDR?  You’re following me around picking off my would-be killers?”

It was a little flirty how he was talking to you and to be honest, you kind of liked it.

A new player joined the room but didn’t spawn onto a team yet.

“You caught me.”  You chuckled.  “I’m sneaking up behind them and pegging them with my plasma strap-on while they’re distracted.”

Captain America was howling with laughter so much he got himself killed.

“Wait!  Did I just hear strap-on and pegging?”  Another smooth deep voice spoke up.

[AVG]The_Winter_Soldier had spawned onto your team, evening-up the teams up at six a piece.

“Hey man!”  Captain America greeted his clan mate.

“What’s going on, Cap?  Those asshats on the other team are talking so much shit about the two of you, I just had to listen in to see what the fuss was about.”

You knew that when someone joined mid-game but didn’t spawn in that they were privy to the conversations from both teams.  It was a bit of a glitch with the game but wasn’t really an issue unless people were bitching about members of the other team and thought no one could hear them.  Which happened.  A lot.

“Well, MoonDragon here saved my ass a couple’a times but other than that I’m just messin’ around until the wife gets home from Pilates class.”

It was unusual for people to talk about their personal shit this openly but you supposed that these two clan guys knew each other pretty well and there wasn’t really anything too revealing in the information, no names or addresses etc.

“MoonDragon, huh?”  The Winter Soldier said.  “How about you, me and Cap here go give team blue a run for their money?”

“Oh lord.”  Cap chuckled.  “I feel some rage quits coming on.”

“Alright, Winter.”  You said, accepting the callenge.  “I’ll do my best to keep up.”

“Keep up?  You’re already owning the match.”  Winter said incredulously.  “Tell you what, next match we’ll start?  Give me a fighting chance at a score that good.”  He seemed friendly, like his Clan mate.

“You got it.”

“Awesomeness!”  Winter said, and you could almost hear the smile in his voice.  It gave you a smile of your own.

 It felt good to have a bit of banter with a couple of players who weren’t arseholes or annoying prepubescent kids.

Orion Protocol was an R-rated (for violence) game, yet kids as young as 12 were playing the damn thing.  You weren’t a fan of kids at the best of times, and although you didn’t want to traumatize them, you also didn’t want to have to censor yourself because they were playing a game they weren’t old enough to play.  Let’s say you didn’t go out of your way to be overly obnoxious but when some asswipe came for you, you pushed back no matter how old they were.

 The game ended with a red team victory and the blue team were very vocal in the post-game chat.  Five of the six were members of a clan tagged [KTA] and the sixth player left once the game was over.  You didn’t blame them, all that squawking of young teens was unbearable. 

“You guys are going down.”  [KTA]69er said.

“How appropriately inappropriate of you to say so.”  You said with a chuckle.

Winter and Cap got it, they laughed too.

“We’re gonna fuck you up so bad even your mom’s not gonna recognise you.”  [KTA]Assassin piped up, brashly.

“Don’t start, kid.”  Cap warned.

Two of your own team dropped out, probably not looking forward to getting killed by a bunch of trolling kids.

“What does [KTA] even stand for?”  You asked, dryly.

“Kiss the anus.”  Winter threw it out there.

You snorted but stifled your laugh.  “Kinky toe appreciators?”

Cap almost choked.

“Kill Them All, you fucking morons.”  [KTA]Assassin said bitterly.

“Oh, we’re morons, are we?”  You said sardonically.  “Judged by a twelve-year-old whose balls haven’t dropped yet.  Peachy.”

“Oh, I like this one.”  Winter said with a short sharp laugh.  “Can we keep her?”

“I’m not twelve, I’m fifteen.  And your mom wasn’t complaining about my balls last night when she was sucking them.”  [KTA]Assassin was clearly the mouthiest.  The other five were barely audible mutterings compared to this little shit’s ranting.  “She’s gonna let me fuck her in the ass tonight too.”

“Well this is awkward.”  You said, faking sincerity.

“What’s wrong with this kid?”  Cap was almost offended.

“Yeah we know where she lives and we’re going round to fuck your mom in the ass tonight.”  [KTA]69er piped up.

At least they didn’t assume you still lived in your parent’s basement.

“Good luck with that kiddos, I think she might be a little indisposed.”  You sighed, knowing exactly where this was going.

“She’ll be more than that when I’m done with her.” [KTA]Assassin laughed shrilly.

“Shame the next map is Nexus instead of Proxima Centauri.”  Winter said softly.  “I fucking love that map.”

Proxima Centauri was one of your favourite maps too.  You knew it like the back of your hand.  But Nexus was a good map too, with its compass point warp gates high-up in the main room of the map, and its winding corridors around the outside.  It would prove to be a very fun match if you, Winter and Cap played well together.

“Well, kid, I’ll leave you a shovel by the gate but you better clean up after yourself.”  You said in a cautioning tone.  “Bring your own lube though.”

“You’re stupid, what do I want a shovel for?”

“If you really want to fuck my mother you’re gonna have to dig her up first.  It’s been a while so she might be a bit dry for ya.”  You got the words in before the countdown ended.

“Oh shit!”  Winter was guffawing.

“Decomposed.  Indisposed.  I might get those two mixed up occasionally.”  You knew just how to aim for shock value.

“Goddamn girl, you are bru-tal!”  Winter was still laughing.

“Sorry.”  You said the word but you weren’t sorry.  “Kids and assholes piss me off.”

 In real life you wouldn’t dream of letting all of the words that formed in your head actually come out of your mouth, some of them -yes, but not all; they were so much more offensive and pretty damn harsh.  But online, with your identity hidden, anything was possible.  That’s why these kids and assholes found it easy to talk smack and threaten people, because they were untouchable.  Well, so were you.

“Don’t apologise.  Christ!  That was hilarious.”  Winter shut his mic off for a moment as the game was loading.  A phone rang over Cap’s mic before he shut his off too.

The game started and you didn’t wait for your cue.  You ran to the nearest weapon spawn, bumping right into [KTA]Assassin who had already picked up a scatter gun.  You knifed him in the throat and, jumping up and back, you shot him repeatedly in the face with your default pistol before he could shred you to pieces.

“FIRST BLOOD!”  The game announcer called.

With the scatter gun that had been dropped by your victim you picked up more ammo from the weapon spawn and cut a path through the map to collect your favourite things:  Sniper rifle, singularity grenades and rocket boots.

“Good start!”  Cap came back on audio first.

The teams were uneven, five to four.  Your team had a randomer who kept getting killed.  You felt sorry for them because with you and the two [AVG] guys, all of the blue team’s points were from your fourth man getting fragged.

“Hey, I’m gonna run with, um, CHUCKNORRISCAT.”  You read his name carefully.  “See if I can’t make his life a bit easier.”

“And she’s a team player!”  Winter said appraisingly, as if making a point.

“Sounds good.”  Cap said approvingly.  “We can split it, pick him up when we see him spawn.”

 The [KTA] kids came for CHUCKNORRISCAT like the hordes of hell.  Each time you took them down they would come running at you again, practically throwing themselves on your bullets like lemmings.  There was no logic to their plan, giving out free points on the off chance that they might get one for themselves.  Dumb kids.

“This guy is sticking to the corridors.”  You informed them.  “But he’s bound to catch a rocket or a grenade sooner or later.  Can one of you come pick him up for me, I need to resupply?”

“Sure.”  Winter said, and you could hear a fire fight on his audio.  He obviously played with his TV on loud whereas you played with a top-quality headset.  “Where you at?”

“By the scatter gun again, headed towards the triple health.”

“Assassin has the double damage perk.”  Cap said.  “Almost got me.”

“Where’s he at?”  Winter groaned.  “I hate these kids and their damn powerups.”

“In the main room.”  Cap said.

“If it’s there they’ll use it.”  You chuckled.  “I like me a shiny pair of rocket boots.”

“That’s different.  Boots take skill.”  Winter grumbled and you almost giggled.

You’d laughed more times these last two games than you had all week.

 Winter joined you, dropping down from the upper level to shadow CHUCKNORRISCAT.

“This pussy better be worth it.”  He teased.

“Who turns down pussy?”  You teased back.

All three of you laughed.  It felt good to let loose a little where it was safe and no one had a right to judge you.

“Cap might.  He’s a good boy.”  Winter said playfully.

 Cap scoffed.  “Tell my wife that.”

 You slipped away into the main room so you could use one of the warp gates to pick up a stash of singularity grenades which were on a long spawn timer that you mentally kept track of.

“Hey, don’t go through there.”  Winter sounded concerned.  “Double damage, remember?”

“There’s about twenty-five seconds left on it by my count.”  Cap informed you.

You didn’t respond, using your rocket boots to boost into the air as soon as you cleared the doorway.  Rockets started flying and some of them were targeted.  Three of the five [KTA] team were in there waiting, guarding the warp gate that lead to the double damage power up.  It was pretty futile because the power-up was already in play and with a five minute countdown on the respawn it wouldn’t be ready again for some time.

“Three of them in here.”  You said.

“I’m on my way.”  Winter huffed.

You dodged a homing rocket with a nimble wall jump and pinged a no-scope sniper shot at the kid who was camping on the west warp gate platform.

“HEADSHOT!”  The deep voice of the announcer called out.

“No, stay with Chuck’s pussy.”  You said, switching weapons.  “Two left now.”

Switching weapons quickly, you let out a stream of rockets to herd the empowered and glowing form of [KTA] Assassin towards a wall and behind some crates.  The kid moved to the corner where you herded him and you switched to the scatter gun, filling that whole corner with pellets that rebounded around behind the crates, shredding him to pieces.

“DOUBLE KILL!”

“Last one is running for the south corridor.”  You informed.  “I have the DP.”

“DP?”  Cap asked.

“Double Penetration.” 

“Never heard it called that before.”  Winter snorted.  “That’s gonna stick.”

You threw a couple of scatter shots against the door frame hoping they’d rebound after the escaping [KTA] kid.

“TRIPPLE KILL.”

“Did you just spam that shit off a goddamn door frame?”  Cap laughed.

“It worked didn’t it?”  You smirked.  “DP’s done.  Five minute countdown.”

Communicating with others like this felt weird but right.  You had a feeling that you were even good at it.

“Would you look at that?”  Winter said in awe.  “Chuck’s pussy just got a double kill!”

“Don’t mess with Chuck, or his cat.”  Cap praised.

 The rest of the match continued to be all jokes and fun.  Cap and Winter died once a piece, much to their chagrin, but all in all it was a complete clusterfuck for the [KTA] kids.

With three minutes to go or five kills left to get for a red team win. the whole blue team were camping out in the main room, waiting for the DP to spawn again.

“As much as I want to go in there and kill them, I’m feeling a bit patient.”  Winter said.

“That’s not like you.”  Cap teased.  “You afraid of a couple’a kids?”

“Nah, I’m just tryin’ to maintain my KDR prowess in front of the lady, man.”  Winter joked.

“I’m no lady.”

“That’s true.  You’ve got a mouth like a sailor.”  He laughed.

You couldn’t help but smile at his teasing.

“Well she’s doing better than both of us so I’d say she’s not impressed by your KDR, Buck.”  Cap sounded like maybe he was rolling his eyes.

Buck?  Weird.

“I totally am!”  You said playfully.  “I’m so impressed.”

They both laughed as they threw grenades into the room, aiming high up for the jump gate platforms.  One was off target.  It clinked against the wall and bounced down towards where you were behind cover.  The five [KTA] kids were spamming shots all over, it was only a matter of time before one of them caught you if you stayed put.  That grenade was headed your way too, and own-team grenades meant friendly fire.

Leaning out, you snapped your sniper sight, quick-scoping.  You plugged a shot into the grenade, exploding it early before it had the time to reach you.

That gave you an idea.  You had one singularity grenade left and one jump left on your rocket boots.

“I’m gonna hail Mary this shit.”  You said.  “If I die it’ll make you two look better, if not it’ll be the best play I’ve ever made.”

“Well, we’re so far ahead there’s not enough time left for them to get even three kills on us so knock yourself out.”  Cap said.  “Is there anything you need?”

“Couple of rockets to push them together and away from the warp gate would be nice.”

“You got it.”  Winter said.

 The play went down like this:  Cap and Winter spammed a few rockets at the gate end of the platform to push the group to one side, you shot a few at the far end to keep the group together.  You caught a few rogue bullets but still had enough health to make it.  You engaged your boots, tossing your last singularity grenade up to the roof where it ricocheted down and slightly behind the group.  At the end of your jump you hit a wall, rebounding at an angle you quick-scoped and expertly sniped the grenade just as one of the kids realised there was a grenade dropping on his head.  He threw himself off the platform but it was too late.  The sniper shot exploded the grenade and the resulting singularity expanded in a glowing wave before sucking everything back on itself, including all five [KTA] players.

“VICTORY!”  The announcer called with fourty-five seconds left on the clock

“No fuckin’ way!”  Winter said in a strong New York accent that was more noticeable than before.  “All five?”

“Best.  Play.  Evaarrrr!”  You were pretty proud of that one.

“So, why haven’t we seen you around before?”  Cap asked sceptically.

“You have.”  You said.  “We’ve played together a few times actually, but I usually keep my mic off.”

“I think I’d remember a style like yours.”  Cap didn’t seem to believe you.

“When you’re kicking ass you don’t always see what the rest of us are doing.”

“But still…”

You received a friend request from Winter.  Not the default message begging ‘please be my friend’, and not the creepy kind that guys sent gamer girls when they want to flirt for nudes.

 FROM:  [AVG]The_Winter_Soldier – Re: Join us?

 “You got my message?”  He asked.

“I got it.”  You said with a sigh.

“Well?”

“I dunno, man.  It’s a commitment I’m not sure I’m ready for.”

“You got down on one knee already, didn’t you, Buck?”  Cap mocked him.

“What can I say?  I’m a sucker for a jumping headshot on a moving target that’s not a head but a fucking tiny grenade instead.”  Winter chuckled.

“That’s high accolade coming from you guys, thanks.”  You really did feel good about yourself.  These [AVG] guys were awesome players.  Cap and Winter were two of the best you’d seen in the public circuit.  You’d never played clan but you’d seen videos on youtube – clan play was rough.

“The offer’s there.”  Winter said.  “Think about it.”

 You’d been too caught up in your discussion to realise that the next match was loading.  There had been no chatter from the blue team once the mics were open but then again you hadn’t realised that they’d all left as soon as the match was over.

“Looks like we’ll have to find another game or wait for this to even the teams automatically.”  Cap said.  “Probably means it’ll be us against her.”

“Yeah I’m not taking that matchup.”  You laughed.  “You guys will pulverise me.”

“Yeah ok, you and your 68:0 ratio says otherwise.”  Winter grumbled.  He sounded cute.

“One more kill and you’d have made it into his score card hall of fame.”  Cap teased.

“Hey, I’m gonna hit the hay, but it was cool to meet you guys.”  You had work early and really couldn’t be arsed to hear your boss, Angela, bitching about how you looked tired, again.

“Aww, well alright little lady.”  Winter put on a terrible southern accent.  “It was a pleasure.”

“We’ll see you around sometime.  Now I’m going to be looking out for your name.”  Cap said.  “What do you normally play?”

“Um, deathmatch, team deathmatch and singles.”  You said.

“One-on-one?”  Winter perked up.  “That’s cool, I love a good duel.  Hit us up sometime.”

“He’s the dueller, not me, but I’ll play.”

“Thanks guys.  Good games and g’night.”

You quit the game but before you were shut out of the chat channel you heard Winter say to Cap.

“She’s crazy good!  And soooo fucking cool.”

 You blushed as you packed up your gaming gear, stowing it tidily away in the drawers of your desk.  You’d had immense amounts of fun with those two but getting to know people wasn’t something you did well.  Online was different though, there was this buffer between you and the real world, a veil that kept you hidden and allowed you to only show the parts of yourself that you wanted others to see, even if those parts weren’t wholly you but something completely fabricated.  Kind of like that theory that every hot chick online was an obese sweaty mummy’s boy still living in mummy and daddy’s basement.

You laughed out loud, a little jubilant that the [AVG] guys had been so stoked with how you played.  Winter’s friend request still lay unopened in your inbox.  You’d really need to think about it before you decided to join them.  You supposed that you could accept the friend request but hold off on joining their team, assuming they wouldn’t be offended if you turned them down.  Honestly you never thought you’d be good enough for a clan but that just goes to show that you weren’t the best judge of your own talents.

 It was a couple of days before you accepted Winter’s friend request, and then Cap’s.  You learned that their names were Bucky and Steve.  You met Black Widow and learned that her name was Natasha.  After 1 month of playing with at least one of the three founding members every night, you finally agreed to join The Avengers and hadn’t looked back since.

Rockets of Love Master List