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falcqns · 5 months

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the weight of the world (atlas has abandoned his post) chapter two

✰ 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: Tim Bradford x Lucy Chen x Tamara Colins

✰ 𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: the aftermath of Tamara’s breakdown.

✰ 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: custody arguments, Tamara is younger in this fic, chenford are still together but arent okay, parental death (not chenford), mention of parental alienation, mention of guns and violence. tagging @natashasera

don’t forget to read and reblog, and i do not give permission for my works to be posted anywhere other than tumblr. thank you.

When Tim opened his eyes the next morning, the first thing he saw was Tamara, curled up beside him. After she had broke down and yelled at him for the first time last night, he had scooped her up, and carried her into his bedroom, where he laid down with her, telling her how much he loves her, and that he was never going to leave as she drifted off to sleep.

He hadn’t even stopped to think about how everything that was happening between him and Lucy was affecting Tamara. He knew the 16 year old saw him as a father figure, but he never knew how deeply those feelings ran until last night. Seeing Tamara, someone who he viewed as his daughter, break down, scream, and yell at him the way she had last night, broke his heart. Seeing her confess the reason her parents had passed away broke him even more. All he wanted was for her life now to be happy and calm, and him not opening up to Lucy and her was clearly bringing up reminders of the pain she felt when she was barely 4 years old. He knew it wasn’t fair to either of them, he just didn’t know how to go about fixing it.

But before he could even ponder it, his phone began to ring. He glanced at the caller ID, and took a deep breath when he read Lucy’s name. He answered the phone, and sat up in bed as soon as he heard Lucy panicking on the other end of the phone.

“Luce, what’s wrong?” He asked, and Lucy took a deep breath before answering between her sobs.

“Tamara’s not here,” She said, her voice growing more and more high-pitched as she began to speak. “Sh-she was here last night but I just went to get her up for school and she wasn’t here. I-I-I tried calling her and I don’t know where she went!”

“Luce, it's okay, she’s with me,” He answered, hoping it would calm Lucy down. To his surprise, however, it had the opposite effect.

“What do you mean, she’s with you?” Lucy demanded. “Why is she with you?!”

Tim sighed. “She had a nightmare after our argument last night but didn’t want to disturb you so she came to me.”

“And you just didn’t think to tell me?” Lucy yelled. “I am her legal guardian, for god's sake! I am her parent, and it never crossed your mind to tell me that the child I have custody of was there with you, someone who does not have custody of her, and you just didn’t let me know? Are you insane?”

Tim sighed angrily, before throwing the blankets off of him, and getting out of bed. He stepped out of the room before he responded, not wanting to wake Tamara.

“Look, I get it, you’re under a ton of stress right now, and I know that I haven’t been the easiest partner, but we both know that I am just as much Tamara’s parent as you are. I know I don’t have custody of her, and no legal right to her, but it's not fair for you to throw that in my face. The only reason I didn’t text you to let you know she was with me was simply because I was focused on making sure she was okay, because she scared the shit out of me, Lucy.” He said, his voice cracking. “She came over, screamed and yelled at me, and then was crying on the ground because she was fucking terrified I was going to leave her.” He yelled, before opening the patio door and letting Kojo out, and stepping out behind him. He took a deep breath and continued, trying his hardest not to yell.

“Lucy, she confessed to me how her parents died. The only thing on my mind was comforting her because she called me her dad and she just,” he sniffled. “She needed me. She was the only thing I could focus on. I'm sorry I didn’t text you to tell you, because legally, yes I should have, but she’s my kid too, Luce. Has been since she stole your car.”

It was silent on the other end of the line for a moment before Lucy spoke again. “I’m coming over.”

“Luce,” Tim tried to cut in, but Lucy didn’t give him a chance.

“Tim, I'm coming over, and we are going to discuss this as adults, and as her parents, okay?”

Tim sighed. He had known for the past 6 years that when she makes a decision, there's no changing Lucy Chen’s mind. “Okay.” He said. “I’ll see you when you get here.”

—-

20 minutes later, the front door to his house was opening, and Lucy came in. “Where is she?” she asked Tim, and Tim pointed down the hallway to his bedroom door.

“She's in there, still sound asleep.”

Lucy nodded in response, and looked around the living room before making eye contact with Tim. “So, uh,” She stuttered. “What did she tell you?”

Tim was unsure if he should tell her. It was Tamara’s story, would she be mad that he told her first? “Luce, I dont think it’s my place to tell you.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, he saw the anger reignite in Lucy’s eyes. “Are you kidding me? You’re going to keep that from me too? I am responsible for her emotional and mental wellbeing as well as physical, I need to know so I know how to help her through this.”

Tim groaned. “I am not trying to keep anything from you, okay? I realized that mistake last night, and I’m sorry that I pushed you two away. I shouldn't have. But this?” He said. “This is something that has to come from her.”

Lucy laughed angrily and threw up her hands, trying to turn away from Tim, but he grabbed her elbow and turned her back.

“I’m saying that because it was awful, Lucy. It was horrible. No child should have gone through what she did, and it breaks my heart to think that our argument caused those memories to come back. I’ve already hurt her enough in the last 24 hours, I can’t hurt her anymore by telling her story.” He explained, and Lucy calmed down, seemingly for the first time since she woke up, if the way her whole body sagged was any indication.

“You’re right,” Lucy said. “I know you’re right, I-” she began, tears returning to her eyes. “I was just terrified when I woke up and she wasn't there. I thought Ray came back and did something to her.” Tim immediately shook his head and pulled her into his arms. She remained stiff, and although it hurt that she didn’t melt into him like she normally did, he accepted it. He had hurt her, she needed time to process it.

“It's okay, she’s safe.” He whispered. “I’m sorry I didn't let you know she was with me, I should have.”

Lucy pulled out of his arms, and stepped away from him. “I’m going to go lay in bed with her.” She said, “And later you and I are going to discuss a custody agreement for her because despite me being angry and frustrated with you right now, she deserves to see you, and I’m not going to alienate her.”

Tim nodded at her. “Thank you. I know I don’t deserve it, but still, thank you.”

Lucy shook her head. “No, you do deserve it. I meant what I said about how you'd be a good dad one of these days. You already are.”

—-

For the next few hours, Tim tried to keep himself busy, and keep himself away from the bedroom where his daughter and Lucy were sleeping, although it was hard. He took Kojo on a long walk, cleaned the garage, and even rearranged the food in the fridge. Eventually though, he had to go into the bedroom after Kojo ate too much grass and threw up on his pants.

He tried to be as quiet as possible as he entered, seeing Lucy passed out asleep with Tamara in her arms. He assumed Tamara was asleep too, until he stepped on a creaky floor board and it caught her attention.

“Dad?” she whispered, and Tim smiled to himself before answering.

“I’m here, bub.” he said, grabbing a pair of pyjama pants from the dresser. “I’m just grabbing a pair of pants, Kojo got sick on my jeans.”

There was rustling behind Tim as he quickly pulled on his pants, and threw his dirty ones in the hamper. When he turned around, Tamara was sitting up in bed, rubbing her puffy eyes.

“I-Is mom mad at me?” she asked quietly, and Tim immediately crossed the room and sat in front of her on the bed.

“Why do you think she’s mad at you?” He asked, reaching out to hold her hand.

She sniffled, blinking away the tears in her eyes. “I heard you guys talking.”

Tim sighed, and moved closer to her. “She’s mad at me, not you. I didn’t text her and tell her that you were with me, and when she went to wake you up for school and saw that you weren't there, she got scared, and then got angry at me for not telling her that you were safe with me. And then she kind of forgave me when I told you why she came, but then got angrier when I told her that you had opened up to me about your birth parents, but then wouldn’t tell her. So basically she’s just really angry at me.” he said, a slight smile on his face.

“But I heard her say something about a custody agreement,” Tamara said, her lower lip wobbling. “D-Does she not want me anymore?”

Tim immediately shook his head and wrapped his arms around her. “Oh bubba, no.” he assured her. “She had brought up the fact that she is the only one with custody of you and how I should have told her that you were with me, and I argued that just because I don't legally have custody of you doesn’t mean that I'm not your parent. The custody arrangement is just so you can still see the both of us even though we’re going through a rough patch, okay?”

Tamara nodded, shakily inhaling. “Okay.” she said quietly, before glancing next to her at Lucy, and then back at him. “Do you think I should tell her?”

Tim shrugged. “It's up to you. I think that it’s important that you tell her, so that she knows how to properly support you through this, but if it's too hard for you to talk about, then, don't put yourself through that.”

Tamara nodded again. “I think I should. She deserves to know.” Tim pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“Okay. I’m going to run out and get groceries, do you want to come?” He asked, but Tamara shook her head.

“Nah, I’m going to wait for Mom to wake up and then I’m going to tell her,” She said, “Just, rip the bandaid off, i guess.”

Tim nodded, a small smile on his face. “Okay.” he said. “Call me if you need anything, okay?”

Tamara nodded as she laid back in Lucy’s arms, her head finding her mom’s heartbeat. “Okay.”

—-

Just after the door closed behind Tim, Lucy stirred, her eyes opening and finding Tamara immediately. “Hey, you.” She said quietly. Tamara looked up from where she was scrolling on ClipTok, and locked her phone.

“M- Lucy!” Tamara said, and smiled when Lucy wrapped her arms around her. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you I was coming here.”

Lucy sat up. “I don’t want you to apologize, okay?” She said, reaching dow and stroking Tamara’s cheek. “I’m just glad you came somewhere safe.”

“So you’re not mad at me?”

Lucy smiled. “No, of course I’m not mad at you. You needed your dad, and you came to him.” Lucy blinked back a tear. “I’m glad that, despite how hard things are between Tim and I right now, that you have him to come to. I could never be mad at you for something like that.”

Tamara nodded, and sat up too. “What did he tell you about last night?” Tamara asked.

“Not much. He just said that you yelled at him, cried, and then told him what happened with your birth parents.” She said, “He didn’t tell me much, even though I pretty much demanded he tell me, but he was insistent that it's up to you whether you tell me or not.”

Tamara nodded, looking down at her hands. “I want to tell you.”

Lucy shook her head and moved closer. “You don't have to. It’s all up to you whether you tell me or not. I don’t want to push you, okay?”

“No, I definitely want to tell you.” Tamara said. “The only people who know are my social worker, and the cops who worked the case. And, Dad, now I guess.” She looked up at Lucy. “I think it’s important that you know, since you’re my mom now.”

A smile broke out on Lucy’s face, and she reached her hands out towards Tamara’s where they were resting in her lap. “Did…did you just call me ‘mom?’” She asked, shakily.

Tamara bit her lip, her chin quivering slightly. “Yeah, is that okay?” She asked, uncertainty in her voice.

Lucy nodded, sniffling. “Okay? It’s more than okay. It’s…the greatest give you could give me. I’m honoured that you chose me to be your mom.” She whispered as she wrapped her arms around Tamara. She pulled Tamara down onto the bed, and the two of them wiggled around as they got comfortable. “Okay, now,” Lucy said, pressing a kiss into Tamara’s hair. “Take your time, and let me know if you need a break.”

Tamara nodded before speaking.

“When I was four, my parents got into a huge fight. I mean they got into fights all the time, but this time was different. My mother had been cheating on my father with their dealer, who was also my fathers best friend. He had come home and found them in bed together, and my father lost his mind. I ended up hiding in the closet because I didn’t want his wrath turned onto me, and as I was trying to block out the noise when I heard my mother scream.”

She paused to take a deep breath in before continuing. “She kept asking him to stop, to calm down, telling him that she was sorry, but he just kept screaming at her, calling her names, and telling her that she was a dirty cheater. She kept screaming, and then he started screaming louder, and then there was a gunshot. It was quickly followed by a second gun shot and then everything went dead silent. I didn't leave that closet until the cops carried me out of it.”

Lucy sniffled and choked back a sob, hugging Tamara tight to her chest. “Oh baby,” she whispered into Tamara’s hair. “I'm so sorry you had to experience something so terrifying. You're safe now. You're with us, and nothing will ever hurt you again."

Tamara sniffled, trying to stop her tears from falling, but when she heard Lucy start to sob, she couldn’t stop them.

“You were just a baby,” She said, her hand running through Tamara's hair. “You deserved to be loved and protected, not hurt like that.” she whispered. “Thank you for telling me that, even though it was probably hard to open up like that.”

Tamara nodded. “The reason I came here last night was because I dreamt that instead of my mother and father, it was you and dad. I knew Dad would never do something like that, and I was scared, even though I knew it was just my mind playing tricks on me. When you went undercover on the Teska operation, I confessed to him that I had had a nightmare and he bought me Godzilla. He said ‘Just imagine Godzilla squashing all the bad guys in your dreams, and if that doesn’t work, you can always call me.’ That’s why I came to him instead of you.” She said, 'And you were exhausted, I didn’t want to wake you up.’

Lucy wiped her eyes. “Thank you for opening up to me, and for trusting me with this. For the record, you can always wake me up, okay? But I am glad that you went to Dad when you needed someone. I’m glad you’re not bottling this up. I know this isn't easy for you, but I promise you, me and Dad are going to do everything in our power to protect you, love you, and support you. We’re going to get through this, okay?”

Tamara just nodded, a small smile on her face. She finally had a family.

#chenford #tim bradford #lucy chen #tamara colins #tim bradford x lucy chen #lucy chen x tim bradford #tucy #tucy chenford

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lostelfwriting · 1 year

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I started writing this as an anonymous ask, then I decided it's too long and I'll just make a post and tag you, and then I learned it's your birthday, so apparently, I've written you a birthday fic. XD Hope you enjoy! Happy birthday, @gabessquishytum !

[CW total power exchange relationship]

[Read on AO3]

Hob's body vibrated in excitement, but at the same time, his skin tingled uncomfortably. Today. Dream had promised that he would let Hob cum today, if he was good.

Hob had been good. He was always good. Even when Dream put him through impossible tasks, he did his best to be good. He took his punishments and thanked his master and lovingly kissed every inch of his skin that he was allowed to. He soaked up Dream's love and returned it tenfold, or at least tried to.

But being good was a whole another thing, not just adoration. Being good meant obeying harsh rules and being perfect in a way that not even the dreamkin that Dream had personally created manage. Of course, Hob would never truly disappoint Dream, but he would often meet a sigh and a shake of a head, a frown on a beloved face, when he broke and failed yet again only to receive his punishment with excitement, almost grinning through the sting of a spanking when Dream looked at him like he was something precious.

Today, the stakes were higher than some punishment. Hob could count the number of orgasms that he had in the 4 years he had been Dream's plaything on his fingers, and he would still have a few to spare. Sometimes, Dream would act like he would let him cum only to change his mind at the last moment, giving Hob an unsatisfying, painful ruined orgasm. Those were almost more frustrating than the months and months of denial, which was saying a lot when Hob had to wait for his first orgasm with Dream for 13 months. Yes, for the whole first year of their arrangement he was made to wear a cock cage that was never taken off for anything but cleaning.

Shaking the nostalgia off, Hob walked into the throne room. He had already gotten through the morning routine and breakfast without trouble, but the day was still mostly ahead of them. The tingling of his skin intensified as his mind ran through all the things that he could mess up. It's not like he cared about cumming so much that he would break down if he didn't get to cum tonight – he cared about the submission and serving his master more than his bodily pleasure, and the pleasure that obeying his much more powerful beloved brought him was unlike any other – but he didn't want to disappoint. Dream looked like he had something great planned when he talked to Hob this morning, all casual and regal even as Hob was choking on his cock, taking care of his morning arousal. And Hob didn't want to ruin those plans.

The deep voice of his master reached through the fog of his worry and almost startled him. "Come, pet, kneel beside me. I will be holding audience for the next few hours and I want my treasure displayed."

Hob rushed to obey. But that was a mistake. He only managed to take one step before he tripped over his own foot and planted his face on the stone floor. To his horror, Dream quickly stood from his throne and walked over to him.

"I'm sorry," Hob uttered as he tried to pick himself up from the floor. He didn't even get one arm under himself before Dream's hand wrapped around his upper arm and he was being lifted. Instead of disappointment or anger, there was concern on his master's face. "Are you alright, Hob? Did you injure yourself?"

"I'm fine," he assured, breathing out a sigh of relief when he remembered that tripping and falling weren't a mistake to be punished but a simple human thing that could happen to anyone. He needed to stop letting his anxiety get the better of him.

Dream's face furrowed in deeper concern as he studied his plaything's expression, hand still supporting Hob's weight even though he was fine standing on his own. "Lucienne," he said eventually, addressing the royal librarian and advisor who Hob didn't notice was in the room because he never paid attention to anything but his master, "tell the people that I will not be holding audience today. I will not be disturbed for the rest of the day." With that, he led Hob away, heading to Dream's chambers.

A short but tense walk later, where the only sounds were their steps – Dream's boots and Hob's bare feet – and Hob's nervous swallows, he found himself being pushed gently but insistently on Dream's bed. While that was familiar enough, it didn't make him any less nervous, so he got the courage to speak up. "Master? My lord, did I—?"

"Hush," Dream silenced him. In no time at all, Hob was tied up spread eagle with silk ropes on top of the softest sheets a human mind could comprehend. Dream sat down by his side and placed a cool, gentle hand on Hob's face. "You are not feeling well," he noted knowingly.

"I'm sorry," Hob said, because denying it would be lying. He wondered if he was going through a drop – they had dealt with those in the past, three or four times – but no, this felt different.

"Do not apologize. I will take care of you now," Dream declared, standing up to rifle through the chest where he kept his favourite tools to use on Hob. Hob wasn't sure how any of that would help if he was sick, but he didn't question it.

"Is it worry that is plaguing you?" Dream asked, holding a vial of oil and nothing else in his hands. "Do you still doubt your worth?"

Dream always surprised him when he did that. Hob blinked, nodding dumbly. "I— Yes," he admitted. He often forgot that Dream was as obsessed with him as he was with Dream, and just as much in love. It seemed like an impossible thing, the two of them leagues apart and yet. At Dream's nod, he continued. "I didn't want to disappoint you today."

Dream nodded again and returned to the bed, tightening the ropes so Hob wouldn't be able to move an inch. "You would never disappoint me, my treasure," he said as he worked. "You are good. You are perfect. But…" he admired his work for a minute, eyes tracing Hob's straining muscles hungrily. "I will ease your mind. You will receive your reward early, right now."

Hob's eyes widened. "I will get to cum? It won't be ruined?" he asked, just to be sure nothing changed. Of course, Dream could – and many times in the past did – go back on his word or change his mind, and Hob wouldn't be able to do anything but shake and sob as he was denied physical pleasure yet again while his mind melted in bliss at being so thoroughly owned. But it didn't seem like one of those days, and the image of Dream's genuine concern was still fresh in his mind.

"Yes, Hob," Dream nodded, a small, dangerous smirk spreading on his lips. "You will be allowed to cum. You do not need to hold back or wait for a permission. I will make you cum. As many times as you can."

Hob gulped. As many times as you can rang through his head over and over. He had no doubt that when Dream was done with him deep into the night, many, many hours from now, he would no longer be able to count the number of the orgasms that he had in the past four years on his fingers, even if he used his toes too.

"Yes, please," he whispered, voice rough. Dream was getting ready to ruin him. And he would enjoy every second of it.

#dreamling #nsft #cw tpe relationship #my writing

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moinsbienquekaworu · 1 year

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And now, by popular demand, the latest post in the series of me listing fics I have enjoyed reading: Kylux edition! (dedicated to @romanticvampire and @zeawesomebirdie <3)

Usual disclaimers apply, that is to say I have my own personal tastes & biases, I prefer longer works, I read a lot of smut + people write a lot of smut for this ship, there are very few kinks I won't read, I love omegaverse, and there's lots of fucked up dynamics for these two, so read the tags carefully before reading!

Obviously I'm not saying those are the only good fics ever or the best, just that I had them downloaded to my phone/in my AO3 bookmarks and thought they were at least a fun read. You're free to think I have bad or weird tastes, but keep that to yourself.

All the links work as of late june 2023, so if you can't see one of the fics, it's probably archive locked. Sometimes I add comments but sometimes I don't, and obviously I have stronger opinions about certains works than others, but it also can just be that my memories are vague or that the summary just sells the fic better than any comment I could add. The fics are sorted from longest to shortest.

Onto the list!

First, here are authors whose names I Remember, most likely because I dug through their entire AO3 to find more cool fics back when I was really into Kylux, but also maybe because I realised while making this list that they'd written a few works I like but hadn't connected to them before. It doesn't mean those are the only authors worth reading, they really really aren't, they're just authors whose names I recognise and who wrote multiple fics I liked! They're listed in alphabetic order.

– callmelyss/(a)roseofgalaxies

• From the Last Whelming Sea (42k, 10 chapters)

By now, Kylo might have recited the story himself, how it had been before, how there was once a mighty republic—or an empire—or both?—between the many planets. How it had fallen into war and chaos. How, in insolation, their world had changed, the oceans rising, the cities tumbling. How the people had changed afterward, taken to the life still possible under the waves. – Generations after the Republic, the Empire, the Force, and terrestrial civilization have fallen from memory, Kylo is a prince on the cusp of fulfilling his destiny as leader of his people, who live among the sunken remnants of the world before. That is, until he meets Hux, a cantankerous tinkerer with an affinity for technology and the old relics, who challenges his understanding of everything he thought he knew about the oceans, the galaxy, his family—and himself.

• And All That Road Going (38k, 4 chapters)

Kylo regards the pair of them. Phasma’s pale hair haloes her paler face; Hux’s eyes are dark, unfathomable in the shadows. The city’s lights glitter behind them, beckoning them all back, but neither spares a glance that way, at that luminous oasis. They’re both looking at him, expectant, and at the road ahead. And it would be much easier to do this alone; he didn’t want to involve other people, least of all two strangers he’s just met. – Kylo Ren, AKA Ben Solo, the son of a prominent California Senator and a mechanic, flees his past and the authorities, trying to leave both behind in the Nevada desert. Along the way, he picks up a cynical waitress and a sharp-tongued con artist in need of their own new beginnings. Together, in his father's '77 Plymouth Voyager, they find more than the road between the edge lines.

• My Baby's a Devil in the Bedroom (20k, 6 chapters)

“Oh, obviously.” Kylo let out a shaky laugh and ran both hands through his hair. “Wait, no, you’re serious. You’re a fucking demon.” “Well, yes, not to put too fine a point on it.” Hux smiled, clearly pleased with himself at the joke. “Or more accurately, I’m a succubus. A sex demon.” – Kylo has an unusual squatter. He's pretty fine with it.

• Monster, Lovely (8.9k, 2 chapters)

“Wait, what?” The redhead—previously with his tongue halfway down Kylo's throat and his hand jammed into the front of his jeans—takes a halting step backward. He raises his fingers into the grimy light from the bathroom window. No mistake: they’re glistening with secretion and glowing a faint violet as he turns them this way and that, studying them. “Huh.” – It was supposed to be a casual party hookup. That was before Armitage knew about the tentacles.

• Hesitation Change (8.2k)

“I—" Kylo says. Meaning to explain. Except he doesn’t know that he can. Account for the impulse just now, to go against this precisely coordinated spectacle, to answer an unposed question, what it would feel like to kiss him in front of the entire expanse of known civilization, and, perhaps most pressingly, whether his lips are as soft as they look (softer). – The Supreme Leader marries his Grand Marshal.

-> absolutely insane about this author. Monster, Lovely is always lurking in my brain. From the Last Whelming Sea and And All That Road Going altered my brain chemistry. The author made all the works private while I was finishing up the list and I waited until they made them publicly available again because I could not post a Kylux reclist that didn't link to them. Lyss (if that's still what you go by?) if you're reading this you changed my life a little and I don't know you but I love you.

– Camellia Cook

• Catch and Release, in collaboration with armoredsuperheavy (19k, 4 chapters)

Six months after the death of Supreme Leader Snoke, Hux feels like he’s all that’s holding the First Order together, but he’s barely managing to keep himself together. He’s stressed out and exhausted, unable to step away from his work long enough to truly relax. Kylo Ren is intimately acquainted with the feeling of being overwhelmed by one’s responsibilities. Looking at Hux, he remembers a long-ago encounter that helped him escape that feeling once, for a little while. He’s certain he could do the same thing for Hux, if only Hux would let him.

• Decadence; Or, Five Times Hux Tempted Kylo Ren and One Time Ren Tempted Him (17k, 4/7 chapters)

Hux is horrified to learn the depths of the new Supreme Leader's asceticism, and so he personally sets out to convince him that there's nothing wrong with enjoying yourself from time to time--for the greater good of the First Order, of course. A little pleasure might go some way towards decreasing Ren's famous volatility, after all. Not that kind of pleasure, though. This isn't a seduction. (Yes, it is, but Hux is the one being seduced.)

• Moonlighting (11k)

When Hux decides to visit a famous red-light district in search of a little stress relief, he’s disappointed in the selection until a tall, broad stranger in a skirt and heels catches his eye. When he gets closer, he finds that the stranger isn’t a stranger at all--it’s Kylo Ren, Supreme Leader of the First Order, selling himself on a street corner. It must be some sort of undercover work to track down a resistance operative--surely that’s the only possible explanation. There’s no way Ren could be doing this just because he gets off on it… right?

• masters of the fucking universe (5.8k)

Kylo Ren, CEO of First Order Peacekeeping Solutions, plucks his top engineer, Armitage Hux, out of his lab and brings him along to a high-class fundraiser to help sell their newest innovation. Hux is just trying to keep up, and not give away the enormous crush he has on his boss--which is made much more difficult when Kylo decides he wants some company after the event.

-> I keep thinking about Moonlighting, I would safely put it in the top 10 of the hottest fics I have ever read (hottest to me personally of course). I will forever mourn that Decadence didn't get finished, but the 4 chapters we have are already incredible.

– flyting

• In A Crowd of Thousands (1.2k)

Hux recalls the time he met Ben Solo, unaware that Kylo remembers it too. “It was Endor Day,” Kylo realizes. He remembers those parades, distantly, through the veil of another life. A hot, cloudless summer day and a cheering crowd. “Yes,” Hux says. “I didn’t realize it at the time or I wouldn’t have-” he stops, shutting his mouth. “Wouldn’t what?” “I suppose I got rather into the spirit of things. I was twelve. It was warm and there was music, and everyone was so excited. Someone gave me a free iced chocolate. It was the best thing I’d ever tasted.”

• Breaking Down Like Fractions (6.9k, 2 chapters)

For the TFA-kink prompt: AU where Ben Solo never became Kylo Ren, but he's still the same man who *could* have become Kylo Ren. He's prone to fits of temper, he's very strong in the Force, and... he's a Jedi. He's developed a soft touch on people's minds (because Uncle Luke is so disappointed when he's mean to prisoners, although Uncle Luke is disappointed in him anyway) and he's the Resistance's interrogator of last resort. And then the Resistance captures a prize: General Hux of the First Order. He's building a base somewhere that can destroy an entire star system at once. And Ben is the only one who can find out where it is.

• Reputation (15k, 9 chapters)

Kylo finds out Hux is an omega. Functionally it makes no difference -- everybody in the FO takes hormone control -- but every so often medical deems fit to have someone go through a rut/heat. Alpha/omegas are uncommon enough that it doesn't present real disruptions. Kylo is excited. He's an alpha, and has never experienced being around an available omega. Omegas are supposed submissive, needy things -- according to Han's old romance novels and Snoke's gender essentialism 101, at least. And the glut of porn. Subjugating the general sounds appealing. It turns out heat makes Hux mean. He's aggressive, hostile, and doesn't seem to give a fuck about Kylo or his fancy dick.

-> Reputation has been on my wall list of fanfics I like since July 2021 and the author writes great (that's the end of the sentence, their writing is great)

– imperialhuxness

• Brighter Visions (14k)

Then: Free-wheeling arms runner Kylo Ren sells illicit kyber to a disgraced general with nothing left to lose. Now: The Emperor doesn't cope well with lateness from his best clandestine operative. – "Kylo’s chest clenches, and he pulls Hux closer. The Force is glowing again at the margin of his consciousness, something warm and golden and alive threatening to burst out of it. Thirty years of life, and he’s been three different people: the failed padawan, the misfit criminal, and the Emperor’s one-man death squad. Only the lattermost has been happy."

• Love, Your Crooked Neighbor (11k)

When Snoke assigned Hux to bring in his newest asset, Hux was expecting some everyday Coruscanti underworlder on a low-profile Core World. Predictable. Routine. What he gets is a burning compound on a nameless hunk of rock, a confused young pseudo-Sith, and oh, yeah. Feelings.

• Super Fade (8k)

After Ben returns to his hometown from a disastrous first semester of college, his dad attempts to revive one of their oldest father-son bonding activities: picking out New Year's fireworks. His going-places high school ex is the last person he expects to find on the other side of the counter. – Over a gray v-neck—not a button-down, what the hell— that bares his pale throat and prominent collar bones, the guy’s wearing a leather jacket. An enamel pride flag pin shines on his lapel. “Oh, my god,” Ben breathes. “Armitage?” What has to be Armitage fucking Hux looks him up and down. “How‘s Yale?” he says, and adds belatedly, “You may set your items on the table.”

-> Once again, Super Fade changed my life, it is so very memorable to me for personal reasons. Love, Your Crooked Neighbor is an extremely fun read also, not like funny but very enjoyable to me

– Kyluxtrashpit @kyluxtrashpit (who is still posting about them even though it's been years, thank you for your service, I haven't read for these two in a while but I'll swing by for your last fic)

• Floss Me (2k)

Hux, Kylo's boyfriend, is aghast to find out how rarely Kylo flosses (i.e. never) and he can't take it anymore, so he decides to take matters into his own hands. Kylo's mind, however, takes things in a different direction, and it turns out both of them enjoy the rather unexpected results.

• Aural (2.7k)

Hux fucks Kylo's ear. (Yeah you read that right)

• Monthly Reports (3.1k)

Kylo Ren's tantrums are expensive, and those extra expenses always complicate Hux's paperwork. Rebalancing the budget takes time, time that could be better spent doing something useful. So, of course, he devises a punishment for Ren.

-> Now those may sound a little... strange. Especially Aural. And it would be reasonable of you to think "ew I'm not reading that" but what is life if you never read fics that sound insane and are actually also very good? Huh? You can check out the rest of their works because they're also good, this is just the few I had downloaded on my phone. Floss Me is more normal and I am still a little obsessed with it <3

– notlikelybutpossible (all archive restricted!)

• the Fall Out Kylux series (148k, 3 works of about 50k each)

Inexperienced alpha Kylo Ren gets stranded on Hoth with reluctant omega Armitage Hux. Guess who’s going into heat. Guess who has to help him…

• My lonely heart calls (37k, 3 chapters)

Irreverent werewolf Kylo Ren meets repressed furry Armitage Hux. They're perfect for each other.

• the Dick in a box series (8.7k, 3 works)

In which Kylo Ren presents Hux with his dick. In a box.

• Once A-Pawn A Time (7.2k)

Hux has seen the mysterious man around a fair bit over recent months – he's hard to miss, with his height and build, not to mention the scar that runs all the way down one cheek. Hux is reasonably sure he’s living out of the battered Ford that he often leaves in the Walmart parking lot. But he's never come into the pawn shop before…

• Yours, desperately (6.7k)

Ren discovers Hux has a secret kink. And, being an emotionally fluent, boundary-respecting adult, decides his new purpose in life is to convince Hux to share…

• Holding out for a Hero (3.6k)

When Kylo Ren emerges from the waves before him, Armitage Hux is far more interested in his cock than, y'know, the fact that he's a centaur...

• Tie me down and use me up (2.1k)

"I just think that Kylo's massive cock deserves to be edged or used as a dildo for someone else's pleasure. Preferably with little to no regard for the pleasure or satisfaction of the man it belongs to." (@ProteanKylux, 28 July 2021, Twitter)

• Oil and fire (2k)

Kylo, a friendly liquid blob monster, encounters a human hiking through the forest who entrances him like a flame entrances a moth. He wants to touch.

• Soggy Biscuits (2k)

Kylo Ren was not prepared to deal with a very drunk, very uninhibited Hux bragging about how fast he can masturbate. But... he also wasn't prepared to just let him win.

-> I'm insane about all of those but especially the Fall Out Kylux series, Alpha Dog and Omegalomaniac lives in my brain still. I also remember clicking on the AO3 email for Soggy Biscuits <3 Once A-Pawn A Time is weird to read once Anakin becomes your blorbo as well but the concept charms me so much

– sigo

• Homecoming (13k)

“Ren, it’s midnight,” Hux sighed at his infuriating coworker. “Get to it.” “I may have informed my entire family previously that we were dating.”

• Whitecap Violence (5.2k)

When Kylo had first wanted to bring Hux along, Hux had protested. Bad enough that the Supreme Leader was always off galivanting planetside somewhere. The Chancellor should stay on Coruscant. Kylo would hear none of it, and here Hux was.

• The One with the Eggs (4.9k)

Hux turned on his heel, but hardly made it two steps before running straight into Kylo Ren. He knew his face betrayed his dismay. He didn’t have time for this.

-> Eggs are not everyone's thing but when they're yours it's really hard to find good fics, thankfully this fic exists. Homecoming was a kinda strange but fascinating read, by which I mean I read it once years ago and I still remember it pretty well, and Whitecap Violence is easily one of my fave titles I've ever seen

– solohux

• Screaming Colour (38k)

For as long as Hux can remember, he's been able to see everything in brilliant, vivid colour. His mother tells him that it means that he's got a soulmate somewhere in the galaxy who's waiting for him and little Hux is excited to think that his soulmate can see things in the amazing colours that he can. But one day, the colour begins to drain from Hux's world. (Soulmate AU where you see everything in perfect colour until your soulmate dies)

• What We're Made Of (13k, 3 chapters)

On the morning of your 5th birthday, you'll wake up with a new toy beside you, one that is made in the image of your destined soulmate. Young Ben has a little wooden General with orange hair and a woolly greatcoat that matches his little cap, whilst young Armitage has a soft plush of a Jedi, one with soft dark hair and two brown buttons for eyes. The two boys are happy with their new toys. Their families, however, are not. It shapes them.

• Emergency Consort (7.2k)

Supreme Leader Kylo Ren is close to sealing a deal with a highly influential council that’ll help sway the war in their favour. The only issue is that the council only deal with alphas who are mated as they believe that they’re much tamer and more level-headed this way. All Kylo needs to do is pretend to be mated whilst visiting the planet to sign the agreement. He seizes the opportunity to offer Hux a promotion in return for pretending to be his mate. Hux agrees, and their courting begins.

• Pander To The Prince (4.7)

Armitage Hux is a pillow prince, leaving it up to his Sugar Daddy, Kylo Ren, to do all of the work for him in the bedroom.

• The Sixth Drink Instinct (2.2k)

Drunk student Hux spots his hot professor in a bar and goes over to him.

-> What We're Made Of and Emergency Consort were some of my first Kylux fics I think and I have such a deep fondness for them! Also just the concept of What We're Made Of is incredible.

– sternfleck

• the Arcana Imperii series (56k, 9 works)

Based on the “Duel of the Fates” leaked alternate script for Episode 9.

• Nestful (5.5k)

Out of everyone in the First Order, only Kylo Ren knows the truth about Hux: the General is half alien...and entirely appealing. Or: Hux builds a nest out of pillows and clothes when it’s time for him to lay his eggs. Kylo wins his trust to enter the nest and give Hux the reward he deserves. For Kylux Positivity Week 2.0, Day 8. Prompt: “Wild Card."

• salt & he was still hungry (2.7k)

“I don’t see why it’s so crucial that I share this childhood experience of yours,” Armitage grumbles, cuddling Millicent closer even as he leans back into Ben’s arms. “We’re adults. We’re old enough to have children of our own, if we were so inclined. Surely there are better ways to spend our time than in surrendering to nostalgia.” Ben only hugs him tighter, one big arm around Armitage’s waist, while, with the other hand, he pulls a pillow into Armitage’s lap and rests the open picture book across it. Then, with a last kiss to Armitage’s temple, he begins to read. In the light of the moon, a little egg lay on a leaf. - Soft grown-up boyfriends Ben and Armitage cuddle in a blanket nest and enjoy Ben's favourite picture book together. At least, Ben enjoys it. Armie, on the other hand, has many thoughts about caterpillars, child development, and their romantic future.

-> The whole "salt-verse" thing is fascinating to me tbh. Remember what I said about egg fics being rare? Yeah, this is My Egg Fic™ for Kylux (and one of my egg fics of forever across everything I've ever read). Is it weird that I have one, yes, is the fic deserving of the spot it's been occupying rent-free in my brain for years, also yes. I hate to say this but Arcana Imperii is the vibes I wanted for the end of another Kylux fic lol.

And now, the actual list of fics! Some of those authors also wrote other fics (cough cough hollycomb) but if they're not on the list it's that I just never read them/found it easy to pick a favourite, not that I think they're bad!

• Dollars to Donuts by ktula (183k, 24 chapters)

Kylo just wants to ask Hux out on a date. That's all he wants. Sure, he's been closeted since he figured out he was gay, and he's never gone on a date with anybody before, and also Hux intimidates the hell out of him--but how bad could it possibly be? (It could be 'proposing a celibate fake marriage to the guy you've been in love with for two years so he can get his inheritance' bad, Kylo. That's how bad it could be.

-> Classic, I can't not include it but it's probably super popular and you might have seen it somewhere (I don't know I don't look at stats or talk to people). Personally not only did I like the fake dating (love that stuff) I also appreciated the author including a commentary at the end of chapters, it helped me Get the fic and it was cool.

• Ad Augustana per Sciencia by Star_flaming (157k, 12 chapters)

Hux prided himself on being a man who managed to have interests outside of the military. His newest interest; history so old that many thought it useless in the modern age. And he could have been quite content, reading articles and books on ancient cultures if it wasn't for Kylo Ren, who seemed to have made it his goal to inject himself into Hux's academic pursuits when he wasn't destroying the ship through his apparent self-destructive tendencies. Or: Academia brings two idiots together and builds a new regime

-> I never finished this fic but the worldbuilding is absolutely insane and I say that with all the love in my heart. The concept of space children makes me foam at the mouth it's so cool and I want to see that energy in canon SW so bad. Incredible. Also love when there's Ancient History <3

• In The Days Still Left by carefulben (154k, 23 chapters)

The instructions are clear, but following them will take more strength of nerves and willpower than either General Hux or Kylo Ren could have anticipated. With Starkiller Base destroyed, they are sent on a mission that will test their loyalties and bring things to light that may have been better off kept in the dark.

-> Add it to the pile of never finished fics I should really really finish. I remember it vaguely but I know it was cool and good.

• Reach Out and Touch Faith by for_autumn_i_am and ktula (146k, 10 chapters)

New Contacts (1): General A. Hux [Finalizer] - Kylo blinks. Sits up, and carefully presses the button. It’s—fuck, it’s a professional holo of him. Full colour, instead of the wavering blue of the hologram unit embedded in Snoke’s throne, and General Hux has—General Hux has red hair, and green-grey eyes, and he’s so focused, so settled. Like he knows what he wants. Like he knows how to get it.

-> Okay I'm going to be honest I read that one because of the title haha. It might even have introduced me to the song, but I'm not certain. Almost no memories of it but it absolutely cannot be bad, look at that summary, look at those authors, I just know it's good.

• The structural fabrications series by kyluxtrashcompactor (133k & 3 works, 40-50k per work)

Six months ago, Armitage Hux fabricated a fiancé, never expecting to have to drag him to a funeral in Georgia, pretending to be something they weren't. The problem was, Ben Solo was everything Hux had ever wanted. Ben Solo had hidden his love for his roommate for years, thinking that someone as perfect as Hux would never want a broken soldier like him. But he was wrong. Sometimes you have to tell a lie to find the truth.

-> This series was so.... yeah. If you don't want to Feel Things inside your heart right now you should keep it for later but it's great. I read the first fic, knew I couldn't handle the two others right then, and unfortunately didn't come back, but that first work was insane and incredible and a ride.

• Beauty Beneath (Beyond) by dallystrings (104k, 11 chapters)

“You know Ben, he’s a disaster when it comes to planning in advance,” Hux laughed lightly, dropping his hand to entwine his fingers in Ben’s. “I’m Hux, his boyfriend.” or, the one where Ben really doesn't want to go home, and Hux is just trying to be a better friend. or, or, the 2020 newly edited version of Beauty Beneath (2016)

-> I like fake/pretend relationships okay!! It might not be the single best I've ever read but it does the job and it does it well.

• Suit Porn by for_autumn_i_am (77k, 9 chapters)

Armitage Hux has worked tirelessly to become CEO of First Order Corp's UK office, however his counterpart in the States, Kylo Ren, is the most infuriating man with whom to exchange emails. When Hux is called to New York to meet with Ren, he encounters a delicious man in a suit, who wants to do unspeakable things to him. But when Hux walks into his meeting the next morning, he's in for a surprise and the beginning of a relationship that is far more than just business.

-> I had no memories of this one so I went to read it and I don't think it's present-me's jam anymore, but it sure delivers upon its premise if that sounds interesting to you!

• Sweet Home Arkanis by Gefionne and minzimpression (68k, 8 chapters)

Hux is engaged to the man of his dreams. There’s just one catch: he’s already married to his high school sweetheart, Ben Solo. Now he needs a divorce, and he needs it fast.

-> Do you think those cliché hallmark movies are entertaining if not very good? Well. Fanfic version, ie automatically more enjoyable because at least there's no weird sexism. I'm selling it all wrong, don't listen to me, it's just really good, I have great memories of that one.

• There's no escape from my authority by The_Marron (67k, 20 chapters)

Hux refuses to go to Snoke like a schoolboy waiting for punishment he did not deserve. Now he has two weeks until they reach the Supreme Leader's quarters to stage a coup and take Snoke out of the equation. To do that he will not only need his crew, but also the loyalty of his rival. Nobody said becoming an Emperor was easy and pleasant.

-> I only remember the title but it is a really cool title. I think it was good? That summary is certainly making me want to take another look at it

• All Hearts Come Home For Christmas by aaelandair (66k, 8 chapters)

"Do you want to come home with me and pretend to be my boyfriend for a week?" Hux stares at him incredulously. "What the actual fuck, Ren? No." - Kylo desperately needs a fake boyfriend for Christmas, so his family won't be disappointed in him once again. Hux would be the perfect candidate for the job, except for the part where he doesn't want to do it. Convincing him that this is actually a good idea should be easy, though. Right?

-> Aand some more fake/pretend relationship! This one is really good at that trope and a very fun read <3

• Status: It's Complicated by PangolinPirate and sunnywritesstuff (61k, 8 chapters)

Armitage Hux is a graduate student working hard to make ends meet. To ease the financial strain he offers tutoring lessons. Enter one Kylo Ren, an apparently spoiled rich kid whose struggling to pass his law classes and is in danger of loosing his considerable inheritance if he can't improve. Kylo has everything Hux wishes he had when he was an undergraduate: Money, connections, parents who gave a shit about his education. Kylo asks Hux to be his tutor and what started as a side gig for cash turns into feelings. At first, Hux is unimpressed with the spoiled man-child student, but slowly realizes he can’t hide from it anymore— Kylo Ren does something to him that no other person ever has before, and to hell if he won’t indulge in that.

-> Didn't finish that one either, I'm a fanfic magpie and AO3 is full of very shiny jewels, but the beginning was fun

• the Kylux Animal Welfare AU (Madame, That's Not A Hedgehog & co) by GenerallyHuxurious (57k & 11 works for the whole series, 21k & 7 chapters for the main fic)

Armitage Hux is an animal welfare officer with First Order Animal Rescue, one of the biggest animal charities in the world, he spends his days saving animals and his nights home alone with his three-legged rescue cat Millicent. Kylo Ren's mother helped him open a private wildlife clinic in the hope that he'd stop causing international incidents in the name of animal rights. Hux hasn't had a date in six years and Kylo's been trying to work out how to ask him out for the last four. Now he might have spotted his chance…

-> ASPEC HUX!!! This is not a drill!!!!! He's aspec!!!!! He's demi!!!! The plot is also immaculate obviously but aspec Hux!!!! It touches on animal abuse so be careful, I know the last chapter really shook me, but it stands out in my memory and I love it a whole lot. Aspec Hux also once again.

• Dire Oversight by ezlebe (54k, 7 chapters)

“Thvala has a long tradition of binding political alliances with marriage,” Captain Pforn says, looking up from the heretofore agreed contract and folding his hands over the data pad. He has a smile like what he said isn’t absolutely senseless, “It is the will of Sovereign Andeles that you and Prince Gheralt fulfill this aspect of the contract.”

-> Fake marriages my beloveds. I keep reccing fics with that trope but they're all fun!!

• On Bended Knee by rudbeckia (47k, 10 chapters)

Armitage Hux, just out of an unhealthy long term relationship with an older man, is on vacation. On his first night, the complete stranger from the next room proposes. The handsome complete stranger with shoulders that look like he could wrestle a ram and hair that would make a poet weep. Armitage says yes. That’s no basis for a lasting relationship. Is it?

-> Ohoho I am insane about that one. The start of their relationship. The development. Hux's ex. I won't spoil but there is Something in their relationship that is different from what you usually see in romance and it's great.

• Young Couple Arguing in IKEA, 2016 (Mixed Media) & First Love, Late Spring by hollycomb (7k, 38k & 3 chapters)

Ren drags Hux to IKEA and asks him what he thinks about cacti. Hux does his best to avoid a full nervous breakdown.

"Hux felt like he had nothing left to lose and ended up back at the apartment Ren shared with his cousin and her husband, indulging in what he assumed would be a reckless one night stand. It was reckless indeed, but Hux was still there three days and approximately nineteen fucks later." Ren's POV on bringing a lonely ginger criminal home and never wanting to let him go.

-> ALSO obsessed with that one. Obsessed obsessed. It hit me right in the feels and it was absolutely insane and I am in genuine love with it. You can read them in whichever order, I think I read First Love, Late Spring first? It comes first in in-universe chronological order but that doesn't really matter. BTW, if you have not, listen to First Love, Late Spring by Mitski, it is also an insane song that makes me feel shrimp emotions.

• Hotline Bling by minzimpression (37k, 4 chapters)

Hux wants a dick pic from his recent hook-up. Unfortunately, he texts the wrong number.

-> If I was serious-insane about the others I'm silly-insane about that one. It's very very fun to read, at least in my eyes.

• What we want by mssdare (37k, 7 chapters)

Kylo is doing Community Service in a state-run assisted living facility outside NYC. He hates his job, his life, and mostly--himself. One of the patients in the facility is old Colonel Hux. His son, Armitage, is the most infuriating, stuck up man Kylo has ever met in his life.

-> And back to more serious-insane. I think if you read all the fics that Resonate with me you can tell what's wrong with me. ALSO! ASPEC HUX!! Yeah I have to shout it from the rooftops because I love it. More aspec characters everywhere. I love his relationship to sexuality there.

• On the Waves by OneWhoSitsWithTurtles (34k, 7 chapters)

Armitage Hux is forced to join his father and step-mother on a 14 day cruise hosted for high society families to network and debut their children to the world. Now that Armitage is 25 years old he is expected to marry someone whose family will strengthen the Hux business and if by the end of the cruise Armitage isn’t engaged, he’s in trouble. Worse still is the fact that Armitage is gay and his father would disown him if he knew. Resigned to a miserable two weeks, Armitage is caught off guard when he catches the eye of Ben Solo, who is on the cruise with his own family. It doesn’t help that Ben is exactly his type and although Armitage tries, he can’t resist temptation as he and Ben become close. For two weeks their affection grows in secret with one question remaining: what happens when the cruise ends and their time together runs out?

-> The plot is straightforward, the fic is fun, there's some Rey and Phasma in there too if you like them!

• Something About Volcanoes by betts (28k, 5 chapters)

“Think about it.” Hux makes a grandiose, sweeping motion with his arm. “The drama. The chaos. The rumors. The only thing better than a destination wedding is a heartwarming coming-out story to take the spotlight away from your selfish loved ones and their horrid pursuit of emotional fulfillment. Then you wait a few months, and announce it was all just a phase and you’re in fact happily engaged to…I don’t know, one of those body pillow things.”

-> Yet more fake dating. I just love fake dating. They're assholes in this one and I love assholes.

• fingerprints smudging the stars by TheSpaceCoyote (21k, 2 chapters)

For years Hux has carried himself with the poise and power of an alpha, his true endotype hidden with the help of fake scents and powerful suppressants. But on the cusp of Starkiller's completion, something slips through the general's carefully crafted failsafes and threatens to undo everything he's built up over the years. Hux has never been one to accept help, but with an unexpected problem mounting—not to mention the interference of unpredictable alpha Kylo Ren—he might have to.

-> Dope title and I have very few memories of this one but it sounds like a neat omegaverse. I also trust the author to do words good

• The Wildflower Prince by PangolinPirate and solohux (21k, 4 chapters)

Armitage Hux is an omega, locked away in a tower until his alpha father can find use for him. His tower is deep in the enchanted forests and surrounded by an impenetrable circle of magic, so Hux lives a very lonely and quiet life. That is, until gifts begin appearing upon his balcony.

-> I really like omegaverse too! Sue me! This one is neat and simple and a great read, it has Rapunzel vibes and it's fun.

• Caim by Eiramma (20k)

Hux is stolen from his academy bunk late one night and is dumped on the frozen waste land that is Ilum along with a small handful of his other classmates. Despite never having dreamed a night of his life, on his first night on this frozen planet, Hux finds himself in the body of an angry padawan, Ben Solo. As his stay on Ilum continues, it becomes apparent that pair of them share some sort of deep connection forged through mysticism of the Force, that permits them spend their dreams in one another's waking lives, and Hux has no idea why. But with danger lurking around every snow covered tree, Hux begins to wonder if he will be able to live long enough to understand the mystery of their bond, never mind deal with the growing fondness for the other boy that has begun to bloom in his heart.

-> not on AO3 anymore but I have an epub file if someone's interested, just hit me up in private! I love love love this kind of dyad thing, and I have a fondness for teen!Kylux.

• the Galactic La Leche League series by gundamoocow (17k, 2 works)

Kylo Ren’s jaw hangs loosely and his eyes are steadfastly fixed on Hux’s chest. He hasn’t moved an inch since Hux unclasped his tunic hook by hook to reveal a tight, flattening undershirt that leaves little to the imagination. Hux shirks the tunic off and drapes it over a chair before pulling the undershirt over his head. Removing it is always a struggle, but he manages with enough grace for Ren not to notice. He is topless now, wearing only his boots and jodhpurs, standing awkwardly in his room while Ren appears frozen in time with his eyes glued to Hux’s torso, surprise plain on his face. Hux frowns. “Surely you were aware?” Ren shakes his head. “No,” he utters, his voice weak as if winded. “I had no idea.”

-> Now I know what you're thinking, what is this, why are you reccing this, etc. Well the fic is fun to read, and it's hard to find male lactation without mpreg or children in the picture but the idea has potential to be really hot, so. There. Cringe culture is dead, live a little and try a good lactation fic

• Family Values by SpookMouse (16k, 8 chapters)

“Alone on Thanksgiving? Mad at your dad? I am a 28 year old felon with no high school degree, and a dirty old van one year younger than me painted like Eddie Van Halen’s guitar. I can play anywhere between the ages of 20 and 29 depending on if I shave. I’m a line cook and work late nights at a bar. If you’d like to have me as your strictly platonic date for Thanksgiving, but have me pretend to be in a very long or serious relationship with you, to torment your family, I’m game.” Or, Hux brings Kylo home for the holidays.

-> I think the summary just sells that one on its own. Look at this. Incredible Kylo energy.

• Unknown Pleasures by gundamoocow and hexgoldyloins (16k, 7 chapters)

Kylo Ren and Armitage Hux are rival employees at First Order Engineering, a multi-disciplinary engineering company headed by the elusive CEO Snoke. For years, Kylo and Hux have been at each other's throats, vying for power and advancement within the aerospace division. An opportunity to have an audience with Snoke presents itself, but it involves forming an unlikely alliance and going undercover…to a BDSM sex club.

-> Also reread that one for the list and hmmm yeah it's good. The BDSM etiquette could be better but if you compare it to canon they're doing so well <3

• Nothing but a Flickering Flame by leviathanofthesky (14k, 7 chapters)

General Hux’s father visits the Finalizer after Snoke’s death to pay tribute to the newly crowned supreme leader. Unfortunately for Armitage, Kylo’s sudden interest in him and the fact that his shipment of suppressants seems to be lost in stars-know-where doesn’t help the situation at all.

-> Hmm, good old Brendol bashing <3

• Reptile Husbandry by koi_boi (13k)

Hux is an accomplished researcher who's having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad time in the field. He stumbles into a cave filled with secrets and one very large, very curious snake. Hux gets fucked in more ways than one.

• There's a Desert in My Blood and a Storm in Your Eyes by frapandfurious (12k, 5 chapters)

Hux and Kylo have been on the road together for over a year. They're free and they're in love. Until a ghost from Hux's past finally catches up with them.

• Give Me a Shot to Remember by decotex (11k, 6 chapters)

Everyone on the Finalizer has at some point had to listen to the General and their resident Dark Lord's flirting. They are not subtle. Someone points out Kylo Ren's soft spot for a certain First Order general. Hux contemplates this over vodka. Feat. heavy drinking, a ship full of gossipers, and no subtlety whatsoever.

-> I found a fave song of mine in this fic. The last chapter was an Experience and I re-live it every time I listen to Goodbye to a World.

• Lapdog by Antique_Mango (11k)

“I’m willing to listen to what the Supreme Council has to say,” Ren continues like they are having a reasonable conversation, and not like Hux is half a moment away from losing every last bit of his hard-earned decorum, “as soon as you sit down.” “On your lap.” – After his fall from grace Hux is barely keeping it together, convinced that everyone wants him dead (himself included.) Kylo tries to change his mind.

-> Oh yeah baby, amplify those emotions! Make them feel things! More!!! I left a loonng comment on that one because it fascinated me so much.

• A Whisper In My Ear by Ellstra (10k)

A minute reaction of Hux’s inspires Ren to suggest adding some spice into their sex life. Hux isn’t entirely certain what to expect but he’s definitely on board.

• Young Men at the End of Everything by partialresonance (9k)

Kylo thinks he can get used to life in exile, so long as Hux is there to live it with him. But a random stroke of fate suddenly throws Hux's life into jeopardy, and Kylo has to turn to an unlikely source for help.

-> The title is great the old lady character is great it's a good read and pretty memorable for a 9k fic

• an insult to basic geometry by brawlite (7.4k)

It's not that Kylo wasn't trying to summon a demon; it's just that he didn't think it would actually work. He also didn't prepare himself for the hypothetical demon that he probably wasn't going to summon to be so damn hot. And now the demon is asking him what he wants -- and the only thing Kylo really seems to want is the demon himself. That's within the terms and conditions, right?

-> Dope title, check, demons, check, I follow the author on here and am slowly getting into other fandoms they've also written for, check. (no but for real when I saw their name looking for Venom fic it felt like seeing an old friend, great surprise)

• Pheromones by EmberSH (6.2k)

After a blind date gone wrong all Hux wants is to have a drink and find a distraction for the evening; Best case scenario someone who'll treat him a little rough. Kylo Ren is so much more than that.

-> This was the hottest fic I'd ever read for a looong time years ago. Genuinely, it completely blew my mind when I was like 14. The follow up was less fun because I am Not a noncon person and I really really wasn't back then but it's also good. The fic has vampires, go read it if you like vampires.

• silk & heat by surrenderer (5.2k)

When Ben gets home, Armitage has some exciting plans for the rest of their day together. For Year of Kylux's "Omegaverse" week!

• A Decent Proposal by PaperPrince (5k, 5 chapters)

Hux is very happy not being in a relationship with his roommate and best friend Kylo Ren. But when Kylo faces deportation, they find themselves re-evaluating their co-dependent lifestyle. What is marriage really? Two people who is on the cruise the rest of their lives together. So what difference does it make if you take sex away from the equation?

-> ASPEC KYLO!!!! Not the best writing in the entire world, but the concept and aspec Kylo got me.

• Botanical Exercises by need_more_meta (3.9k)

Hux finds a flower on his bed. Then another one. And another one. For Kylux Positivity Week 3.0, Prompt: “Flower Language” with a dash of “Oh No He’s Hot.”

-> It reminds me of Dites-le avec des fleurs <3

• When Christmas Comes by Pizzzazlut (3.6k)

"Kylo bit his lip as he tried not to show Hux how much that simple touch was already affecting him. Because an Alpha shouldn’t want this. An Alpha should never crave for his sweet albeit feisty Omega to fuck him into submission like this, to make him beg for more with each delicious thrust." Or the one where Alpha Kylo bottoms for his lovely Omega.

-> People who do fun stuff with A/B/O dynamics are galaxy brained and so very right and I love them.

• What Couples Do by Mesmeret (3.4k)

Kylo likes matching with Hux. At first it’s socks but they gradually figure out ways to share things together that keep them company when the other is away. My contribution for the Soft Issue of the Kylux Zine Project.

• How Not To Train Your Not-Sith Enemy by humane (3.1k)

"Forgive me, master." Hux murmured, head bowed in shame, "I feel it again. The pull from the dark. It tempts me more each time." Luke arched a single bushy eyebrow. You? Tempted? it seemed to say. "It's Kylo Ren." Hux admitted. Sympathy and profound understanding blossomed on Luke's face, the likes of which could only be observed in individuals that had personally experienced the unique brand of disaster that was Kylo Ren. "Are you tempted by his chaos?" he prompted. "His unbridled power? His seeming freedom? None of those are the way of the force." Hux frowned, puzzled. "No." he said, "I'm just tempted to decapitate him." Or: In which Hux is an EXTREMELY uptight jedi knight and Kylo is the not-sith that gives Hux aneurisms with the sheer blazing power of his incompetence.

-> I don't know how well this meshes with prequels lore, I read it back when I didn't care about anything beyond the sequels, but the premise is great

• Blood, Bitemarks, and Stupid, Stupid Love by TheSilentUnderworld (3k)

Being roomates with an annoying Alpha Werewolf was fine. Until he started messing with Hux's mail.

-> Werewolf x vampire <3 <3 <3

• I'll Be the Sun, You Be the Moon by need_more_meta (2.1k)

Chancellor Hux is preparing for a ball. He enlists Ren’s help. For Kylux Positivity Week 3.0, Prompt: “Put It on Hux | Put It on Kylo.” For Year of Kylux, Prompt: “Duel of the Fates Timeline.”

• Sweet Redolence by Jakathine (2k)

What happens when the desire to best your opponent turns into a desire to bed them instead…and then fate pushes you together rather Forcefully.

• Rabid Curs by Potboy (1.9k)

In which Kylo, all alone in the First Order with a master who mistreats him, goes to the wrong man for comfort. Unfortunately Armitage Hux is all he's got, and he's not a very comforting person. They do their best - it's all they can do.

• Dirty White Boots by BlackHellKitty (1.6k)

A Kylux-story based on the song "Dirty White Boots" from Lenny Kravitz. Kylo and Hux do some roleplay sometimes. Just pure PWP without any kind of big story. :3

-> The reasond Dirty White Boots is a Kylux song to me

• Come Morning by elfriniol (1.5k)

True, Kylo liked Hux. A lot. He couldn't imagine his life without talking to him about Star Wars trivia and offering judgmental commentary for shows they occasionally skimmed through on Netflix. Or going out for drinks. But if Hux wanted something else – that proverbial, dreaded more – Kylo wasn't sure of himself.

-> ASPEC KYLO!!! Oh how I love it when they're aspec.

• After by Davechicken (1.1k)

Aftercare, and emotions.

• Living in Close Proximity in Case of Sudden Yet Inevitable Betrayal by 5ofSpades (874 words, 9 chapters, drawings)

In which the Supreme Leader gets himself two ginger roommates.

-> This. Is not a fic. It's drawings and I cried at the end like a BABY. The artist's art style is impeccable, it inspired me a whole lot back when I 'read' it.

And this is IT folks! I didn't @ anyone (except Kyluxtrashpit) because I only know a few authors' tumblrs and I didn't want to discriminate, plus the fandom is pretty old and I would assume most of them have moved on or are inactive. If you know that someone on the list would like to be tagged don't hesitate to do it/tell me though, those fics all mean(t) a lot to me!

Hope the list is good & you, the reader, find something new and interesting to read! I really don't know which fics are considered popular or good or whatever, I don't talk to people usually. Okay bye bye thank you for reading <3

#FINALLY OUT!!!#if you want to be insane about any of the fics in here even in like 5 years feel free to come into my inbox #these two hold a very special place in my heart and they will forever #star wars #kylux #wow i have a ramble tag now #fandom nerdery #ram's fic recs

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pluto-art · 2 years

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Cerebrum - Board Update

Now that I’ve quit my job working at a laboratory I can now, hilariously, get back to my storyboard on... mice in a laboratory. Feels so good to work on my project again and actually have energy for it. (Trust me, I really liked the job, which was basically animal husbandry and caring for lab animals, but the way corporate and management ran things was ATROCIOUS. Most stressful position I’ve ever had. Not just that department either, but the entire medical facility. So many overworked, underpaid, frustrated people there. It was horrible.) I’m now working part-time for a friend doing animation. All my years of saying I’d never animate as a job has come back to bite me in the butt.

Thank you, by the way, for all of your kind tags/comments on the last piece I uploaded. I read them all and they’re much appreciated. Sorry I haven’t responded to each of you individually. It’s not for lack of caring, but because I’m very... hesitant to interact much online or with friends. I honestly don’t know how to reintegrate myself into community at this point in time other than just... posting what I love. I’m scared. I’m sorry.

Below is what I’ve been working on since leaving my last position -- thirteen board pages of “Cerebrum”. The first nine were already done beforehand. Trigger warning for animal testing, needles, near-drowning, and a character in peril. Yes, I’m still very much into the macabre. Nothing has changed there.

You can also view the board here, on the “Cerebrum” website. More information about laboratory life at the very end.

This story is partially based on old lab practices, partially steeped in fiction, and partially referring to actual laboratory practices (still) done today.

Old Practices: - catching mice in the wild; very outdated - forced swim test; technically still used (?), but might be getting phased out

Fiction: - cage structure and placement; may have been more accurate years ago - grabbing a mouse around the middle and the last two holding techniques

Current Practices: - grabbing a mouse by the tail; yes, this is done, but you grab it near the middle or base so as to not cause the animal any harm - shots/injections - ear tagging - scruffing (doesn’t hurt them at all)

Some will complain about animal torture. Let me tell you something: Those animals were treated incredibly well, considering the situation they were in. The air they breath and the water they drink is cleaner than ours. Everything is kept as spotless as possible. There are tight regulations about how suited up you are according to what rooms you are in, how you handle the animals, and making sure all of the little cute fuzzes (and the livestock) have adequate food, water, and soft bedding. The pigs are given toys to play with and nice music to listen to (the pigs seemed legit happy; not a care in the world; they were kinda spoiled, actually), the birds are given a huge cage to fly around in, the rodents and ferrets are given enrichment, and the staff genuinely cares about their animals. No animal is allowed to suffer beyond what is necessary (meaning, what the test requires, and this is under regulation and must be permitted; if there is no other way to avoid pain for a test, it must be approved before being enacted; you can read about this online). As soon as an animal looks to be under the weather, it is reported and the veterinary staff quickly determines whether to administer healing medication or have the animal humanely euthanized. I am saying all of this to dispel any concern that anyone may have about what is conducted behind closed doors. It is unfortunate that animals are still being tested, but I understand why, as do the people conducting said tests. Nobody likes doing it. The folks there legit care about their animals. It was very comforting to see. Also, despite the fact that corporate sucked, the work itself was a mix between very standard and very interesting.

And, yes, there were white mice and they were the friendliest models.

#pinky and the brain #storyboard #fan art #tw:animal testing #tw:needles #tw: peril #tw:lab experiment

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rindecisions · 1 year

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WIP WORD SEARCH

rules: share snippets of your work containing each of the words the previous poster selected for you (optional addition: if you can't find the word in your WIPs, or you simply don't have any WIPs, you can just write a sentence around the word)

Thank you @daysarestranger for the tag!! 🤍

I wanted to use the fic I just posted, but my dumb ass brain didn't see it titled WIP. So I'll tack in on under the 'Read More' line ^-^

My Big Bang would be perfect for this but alas. Here's what I could find amongst my 10+ WIPS

My words are: street, hair, minute, finally, crowd

Street

The Devil of Hawkins - Partially posted

Max’s face fell in annoyance. “The dare was to stay overnight in a haunted house,” she said plainly. “So me and Lucas went to the attic, Erica was looking around the house or playing in the playground across the street. Then out of nowhere Jason and his basketball goonies came in and started attacking us, saying we were doing a ritual to summon the devil or something, blaming us for Chrissy’s death. He even pulled a gun on Lucas.”

🔞Hair

Give Me Fuel, Give Me Fire - Partially posted

When he felt Eddie’s dick growing inside his ass, he gasped and gripped his hair in anticipation. Eddie grunted at his hair being pulled but it was just one more thing that urged him toward a full erection. As he got harder, it started to feel better, and he began to enjoy the sensitivity. He gripped Steve’s shoulders and groaned as he buried his dick inside his ass. Steve’s relieved shout made his skin dance with electricity. At least this time he wasn’t going to get off so quickly.

Minute

The Target - A VERY dark Mungrove/Steddie fic

After following the guy for a few weeks, Billy finally felt confident enough to act. He parked about a mile and a half away, keeping his truck out of sight. He, grabbed a small bag of supplies and trekked to the man’s semi isolated house, making sure to stay out of sight as he did. After about a 40 minute walk, he found himself in the man's backyard. There were no lights on, but he didn’t know when the last light went off, so he hung back by the tree line for about an hour.

Finally

Demositter - Steve has to babysit Dustin's secret pet

Carefully, he stepped near the thing and set the candy bar on the ground in front of it’s limp face petals. He jumped when it chittered and scooped the candy into it’s mouth as it scrambled to it’s feet. It playfully tossed it in the air a couple of times before finally eating it and making a sound similar to a purr. Steve gasped and tensed when Bart turned it’s attention to him. It lowered it’s head and chittered as it slowly stepped toward him.

🔞Crowd

Freak Obsession - Steve stalks Eddie

I don’t know why I didn’t expect it, but I hadn’t even considered that Eddie would end up singing. When the first sound to hit the microphone was a well timed shout, I felt dizzy and got a cramp as my dick jumped to full mast in record time. That sound had been locked away for later use. I watched in awe as I vaguely ran my fingers over the bulge in my jeans. His singing voice, while unrefined, was just as nice as speaking voice. I could listen to it for hours. Our eyes met for a second as he scanned the crowd and I thought for sure the zipper on my jeans was about to bust. Those eyes with that makeup, I was only human.

That was fun!

No pressure tags: @xirayn @salamandergoo & @vankaar

Your words: Idea, Delay, People, Average, Eager

Just because I want to!

Here are those same words for my newest fic. Funnily enough it contains all of them.

Street

Hair

Minute

Finally

Crowd

#Tag Game #Stranger Things #Steddie #Fic #Fanfiction #Fanfics

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the-blind-geisha · 2 years

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About Demon King of the Desert

First, let me say it shocks me how swiftly this story got off the ground and gained this crazy following.

It beat Contract out of the water in less than a year and all from people who don't know or care too much I'm using a character from another franchise.

I appreciate that all. Truly.

It's amazing to read comments from folks who said 'they didn't know about Overlord at all but certainly love the character or are tempted to check it out'. Or they just become Demiurge fans in general. ♥ That's amazing. I love it, as I do feel his character gets little to no attention in the source material.

However, problems are arising on and off on my other social media accounts, so I figure I'd address them here.

-- Demiurge is from Overlord. An anime/ Light Novel Isekai series. I know one person said they couldn't get my notes to load well in chapter 1, so they missed that part when they found my art on DA, so I'll post that comment again here. Yes, he is his own entity in that story, and has no relation to the source material. I could change his physical appearance as I have some of his abilities, and he'd be 100% mine. As is in that story, he's only about 50%. So keep that in mind. -- The story took a bit of a backseat lately because of other projects I'm interested in and, also, the end of the year is just all around hectic for me. I barely have the emotional or physical energy to work on stories/art as I'd like and mostly do other things. Is it on hiatus? No. But I can't say I know when I'll pump out another chapter. The last one was horribly rushed, and I didn't like that. I kinda hate how much like 'filler' it reads to be honest. I do have a small memo pad jotted down to explain the easy end to the story. It's there. I have it. But writing the scenes to get there is a challenge. Bear with me. lol I have ADHD and sticking to one project out of many is hard. Very hard. -- Unless you think you can use HTML to downsize a proper gif/image, do NOT submit it into your comments. I just had to block someone who kept putting large images from Overlord into the comments and it was getting annoying. It may look fine on mobile, but I use PC way more than mobile. Call me old-fashioned, but I don't use my phone unless I'm away from the PC. Again, the story is NOT from that universe. At all. Do not make references to it. -- I do not want children near my mature works or my space at ALL. If you cannot handle the themes of this story without writing/thinking goofy things, then it's obviously not for you. I don't want you reading my stuff if it explicitly states 18+ and you're under 18 or just emotionally immature. -- The Alpha/Omega is a theme presented in the story with very little in your face A/B/O dynamics. Sexual themes are not as frequent as I had originally planned. The main reason for this is the story was meant to be 10 chapters at best and come to a swift, and more horny conclusion. I was writing it away from Overlord because I wanted to heal from fandom abuse at the time. It was a cathartic piece that blossomed into it's own world. Like all my stories, however, it grew legs and ran off on its own--giving more story than sexual themes. Odd as it is to say: I love sex to be given at the right time. I love the build up of it. But I put the tags in there to warn there are scenes of it all the same. It might sound like there's sex in every chapter, but I promise, there's not. -- I do not want it posted anywhere other than AO3 or Wattpad! As of current, it's only posted on those two sites. If it ever gets reposted anywhere else, it is not my doing. So please. Notify me and or report it!

I thank you all again for your support. ♥ I will return to it when possible. I promise!

#thanks for the love all the same #i just didn't expect to get so many out of nowhere questions about it today #but i promise. it'll be ended probably next year #and we can all move on to another fantasy. ♥#but thank you so much so far for the love. truly #mod talks #writer woes #the demon king of the desert

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camgoloud · 2 years

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a couple days ago the lovely @nancywheeeler tagged me to do an ao3 wrapped here! i have had a Very busy weekend so i am only now getting to actually posting, but here are my belated responses:

Works published: 5 at the moment (with at least 2 more i’ll be putting up before the end of the year; possibly one or two more than that if i can get my act together and finish up the treat(s) i’ve been chipping away at in exchange to my main assignments in a couple holiday exchanges. busy end of the year for me!)

Words written: 41510 posted this year so far—more than i thought!

Hits: 3647 on my 2022 fics

Bookmarks: 118

Most popular by kudos: Do my friends think I’m dying? (or do I just need to go to sleep?), my singular to-date contribution to the ted lasso/colin hughes fandom and first foray into redditfic (which by the way was SUCH a blast to write that i think i’m going to have to do it again sometime soon. i ought to be more sorry about that than i am)

Most hits: look at the desperate man (omg rip to this fic... worked on it for a little bit this summer when i was feeling particularly angsty about Some Stuff i was dealing with. ran out of angst steam halfway through the final chapter because my life improved lol, got re-possessed by various locked tomb wips around nona release day, and now i kind of just don’t ever want to look at it anymore. maybe i’ll finish it someday?)

Longest: same as previous

Shortest: shovel talk (in f major) (most of which was hurriedly written in one day as a last-hurrah before nona came out to smash my entire life into bits!)

Most comments: inside problems which people have been VERY nice to me about agghhhh

Fic that made me cry: any discussion about the fics that did maximum emotional damage to me MUST mention syntheseas’ INCREDIBLY ambitious and well-written nothing but dark and sound, which i reread following its most recent update. if you’re a locked tomb fan and you’re not already keeping up with this fic... well you need to be. basically. shoutout also to @forjodssake’s feeling good was easy when he sang the blues, which i just read this thursday and have STILL not recovered from—AMAZING character work!!!

Fic that made me smile: so many! but my favorite comfort read for the last year and change has been @nancywheeeler‘s four weddings and no funeral. melts my heart every time! cannot recommend highly enough :)

Gifts: does this mean gifts given or gifts received? unclear. anyway in terms of gifts given—do my friends think i’m dying was my tribute to @nancywheeeler‘s excellent good old-fashioned lover boy, and i’ve got exchange fics i’ll be posting for a few people shortly. for gifts received, there’s whatever comes out of those exchanges!

Collaborations: none this year—or ever before, actually! BUT i am very very interested in the prospect… 👀 friends/mutuals/likeminded individuals active in any of my fandoms, if you’ve ever got an Idea you want to bang on about together or are particularly interested in fleshing out any of the half-formed Concepts i toss out into the void, hit me up and maybe we can make something happen! (well, hit me up whenever my dms are working again, anyway… the shadowban glitch which i’ve been living under for going on a MONTH now is a curse upon this earth)

Events taken part in: yuletide 2022, and the 2022 locked tomb holiday exchange!

thanks again em for the tag! in turn i will tag @aberfaeth, @rnanqo, @palamedes-sextus, and anyone else who’s interested! (and who actually sees this—unsure if any of you will get a notification when i post this, due to the aforementioned shadowban :/)

#tag game #my writing

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switchy-niki · 1 year

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Master post (please read ty)

Last updated - April 20th, 2023

Disclaimers

Hello !!! This is a SFW role play blog that will include tickling (not all the time) if that’s not your thing then please feel free to ignore/block.

I am not Niki (Nihachu) and I am not trying to impersonate her! As stated before this is a SFW role play blog

I am a minor. This is an SFW account ran by a minor.

I live in the PST time zone so be aware of that!

I will also do roleplays that don’t include tickling! Be aware I have my own interpretation of niki and I am not caught up on lore! I also struggle with angst so I apologize if it’s not up to your expectations. When roleplaying I usually don’t roleplay off of lore so please tell me before hand if you want to roleplay off of lore /nf

I struggle with tone and interpreting what people are feeling/trying to tell me, so using tone tags is appreciated. I also use them so I know people know what I mean and how I mean it.

Boundaries

I will not do any sort of shipping.

I will not do tickle tools, if your character has wings or a tail then I will allow it. But that’s it.

It would be much appreciated if you dm’d me about what you want to rp before sending an ask. But you don’t have to. I just like knowing what you expect out of me. (Idk if I phrased that right)

No feet tickling. Absolutely none. I will drop the roleplay if it seems like it’s heading towards that.

Pinning is okay. No bondage, the most I will do is wrists being tied together. That’s it.

I will do OC rps! Just know the interactions might not be what you expect since they aren’t characters that have interacted before! I will try my best, once again if you want the best results dm me! /nf

Please use underarms instead of armpits, the word makes me uncomfortable.

Sometimes tumblr says I’m active but I’m actually not, so be aware of that! I will not always answer right away so do not spam me plz and thank u

Lastly, feel free to send me an ask, dm me, anything! /nf

Under the cut is headcanons and extra notes. It’s a bit long and you do not have to read to roleplay with me!

——Under Construction——

General Headcanons

Niki uses she/her pronouns but does not mind they/them!

She is a very light hearted person, none for her bubbly and sweet personality. But she is known to be a little feral around people she is comfortable with. She’s very clingy but only shows it subtly around people. Example being following someone around, standing close to someone, occasionally holding hands if the person is comfortable with it, hugging people, side hugs. She never lets go first when she’s hugging people. She would be usually be way more clingy but she’s kind of shy to show it.

She is a very sleepy gal she is almost always tired and always taking naps wether they are 10 minutes to hours long and although it might be because she loves to stay up at night and watch the sunrise in the morning she usually gets good sleep she is just a napper

Appearance

Niki has scars, not a lot, but they are there (and they are a little ticklish but shhhh)

Short choppy pink hair, with two braids on the sides. It’s surprisingly really fluffy.

She is usually wearing light makeup because she likes how it makes her feel pretty.

Niki has light eye bags, barely noticeable.

Niki loves cardigans and sweaters, she was one in particular that she loves to wear for all seasons (it’s one that she stole from Wilbur) it’s a nice faded blue with a sun with a smiley face on it. She swears she didn’t steal it. Most of her clothing is faded colors, or whites and beiges. She has one pair of platform shoes, but the rest of her shoes are usually colorful high top converse or boots. She has knitted Shruggies and skirts, usually worn in the winter.

If it’s more of a formal type of thing, she’ll wear a flowy dress made of soft material. She likes the way it swishes when she spins :]

she also loves fuzzy gloves with weird colors washed together like those gloves coralline wanted in the movie

#Masterpost #switchy-niki

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lilacline001 · 2 years

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WIP

tagged by the lovely, the wonderful @bylertruther tagging @booksandpaperss and anyone else who wants to!

Rules: Post the names of all the files in your WIP folder regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them and then post a little snippet of it or tell them something about it! And then tag as many people as you have wips. I have deemed that this isn’t just for writing either. Sketch titles? Comics? Dnd campaigns? If you have an unfinished project, it counts!

Goodness okay... First off, let me say, that I'm looking at this projected two years until S5 as a fun time, where I can play in the Byler/Stranger Things sandbox without canon throwing off my groove. So I'm really excited to write and share some of these stories!

I'm just adding some of the quotes now because I'm modifying the rules okay. I didn't read the rules fully at first.

"Older Relationship" - byler wip, and then under that i have some Will POV angst about growing up queer and some Mike POV about learning how Will likes to be loved. IDK if I'll ever post this. I'm glad I did it though it helped me get in their heads a little. Basically, a character study.

Avatar: The Last Airbender - byler wip. I've actually posted some of this on AO3, and I might return to it one day... "When Will comes back from the dead, his hair is white; his eyes are blue. "

Ripple Effect - byler, the Byer's stay in Hawkins AU, which looking back on, I wished I had titled it something else. I love the story , and I do plan to return to it! I have some working chapters, and plans for character bonding stuff~ I wanted desperately to write a Halloween chapter for Halloween, but I ran out of time. *sobbing* Anyway, here's a working chapter titled "Will Byers vs. a Jealous Mike" "Part of Will's brain is short circuiting because Mike is so close- his dark eyes, his sharp cheeks. Will can feel Mike's breath waft over his face, and Mike's ears are pink. If Will focused on any of those things though, he would quite literally loose his mind. So he forces himself to think. THINK, BYERS."

Nocturne - my bat/vampire AU that has me by the throat rn. I'm so serious. I love this AU! I'm excited with the direction its going. It keeps growing and growing, and if I stay focused I have a feeling this thing might be massive. Like Mike has a lot of stuff to work through, and I have a major plot line and then smaller plot lines keep popping up. For example, the whole Max and Mike relationship exhibition wasn't originally planned, but now I'm committed to it. Anyway, the next chapter should be up soonish.

#byler #nocturne #working on nocturne #giving myself 30 more hours for chapter 6 #working on ripple effect #byler au #my writing #my wip #atla au #vampire au

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terrapwaters · 8 months

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Check out my newsletter at the above link, or under the read more!

Newsletter #5

January 24, 2024

Welcome to my newsletter! You signed up to be on my mailing list, so first I want to thank you for taking an interest in my work! Thank you!

What have I been up to lately?

Aether Beyond the Binary

24 hours left to back our Kickstarter! Don’t miss your chance to grab this anthology before it’s too late!

As I mentioned in my last newsletter, my short story Ancient Hearts Unearthed, will be included in Aether Beyond the Binary, an anthology from Duck Prints Press. Above is the awesome cover art by non-binary artist Mar Spragge. It’s all about characters outside the binary (nonbinary, agender, genderqueer, etc.) in an aetherpunk setting! Our Kickstarter runs through tomorrow, January 25th!

Here’s an excerpt from my story about a pair of archeologists exploring a newly uncovered cave:

Sasha almost ran into Victoria, stopping short. Over her shoulder, they saw the cavern wall. The appearance of the rock was unusual enough to draw Sasha’s attention to the fact that they’d come to a dead end. “Those markings are too regular to be natural.” They stepped around Victoria and reached out to run their fingers over the rock, feeling the way shapes had been carved into it. “They’re pictographs. Or runes, perhaps?” They turned to Victoria. ��What does the ancient rune expert have to say about them?” “I’m…” She took a long, silent moment to look at the wall, moving her light around and tracing the shapes with her fingers. “I can’t see them well enough. We need the supplies to make rubbings. And more light.” “Where can we get anything other than aetherwork light sources?” “Candles, I suppose.” Victoria looked down at her hand, pressing the red light on and off. “Or some sort of electricity lamp.” She snickered. “Whale oil?” Then Victoria turned and ran a hand over the runes again. “What bothers me is that these are early Age of Aether markings. You see the way they’re using archaic forms of our letters?” Sasha leaned closer. “I’ll be damned. This doesn’t match the bronze era artifacts in the rest of the cave, either.” They made a tiny humming noise. “Who else would have this much knowledge of ancient runes?” As Victoria leaned as close as she could to the wall, she asked distractedly, “What do you mean?” “Obviously, it’s a fake,” they said, mulling over the problem in their head. “Sanderson has wanted my place on the admissions committee since he joined the department.” “What if it’s not a fake?” Victoria made a tiny, excited noise. “What if this is early Aether Age work? What if this is a secret that’s been buried for almost a thousand years?” Sasha’s heart swooped at the thought. “We have to find out what that inscription says.”

If you want to find out what happens next, please back our kickstarter campaign!

Nyctophobia Series (and more) under the read more!

For those of you who read my long Stranger Things Stoncy series, Mr. Sandman, Nyctophobia is the original sci-fi series based on elements of that story. Phase Shift is the first book in the series. I’m now posting it to my Patreon and Ream sites.

Details

Rating: Teen and up

Tags: science fiction, alternate dimensions, teen characters, friendship, bisexual main character (minor references), lesbian character, nonbinary character, aliens

Summary: Despite being a self-professed science geek, high school freshman Camilla Mitchell has had a secret imaginary friend for years. It comes as quite a shock when said friend, Emma, accidentally drags her into a dimension full of hostile telepathic creatures. Cam’s friends, her brother, Oliver, and her mother, Kathryn, work furiously to solve her disappearance and bring her home. Other members of their small Minnesota town disappear, one after the other, including Lizzy Becker’s best friend, who is ripped from her arms. Lizzy badgers loner Oliver into working with her to rescue their missing loved ones. They discover a bridge between the two worlds—a bridge that allows the hostile creatures from Cam’s newly-discovered dimension into ours. If there’s a bridge, there’s a way to rescue the people taken. Right?

Content warnings: disordered eating, emetophobia, child abuse mention, homophobic bullying, teen characters in danger, gun violence, physical violence, abduction

The prologue and first chapter are now available for free on both Patreon and Ream! Chapters 2 through 4 are available to the $4/mo subscribers on either platform. New chapters drop weekly, on Wednesdays!

If you can’t subscribe now, backing during any month at the $4 level will get you access to all the members-only chapters posted up to that date while you’re subscribed. I’ll let you guys know when it’s getting close to fully posted, if you want to pay just for that month.

I finished adding all the Phase Shift details to the new series bible, which will help me as I finish the rewrite of the second book in the series, Inertia. This sequel is where the OT3 relationship takes off and I start incorporating elements of Mr. Sandman into the original series. Currently, Inertia is 80k words and about 4 chapters short of the end. I could use some help from an alpha reader to iron out the rest of the plot. If you’re interested, please let me know by emailing [email protected]. I’m more than willing to trade alpha reads/critiques for a similarly sized project (or projects.)

Magnolia Way Series

This series is my take on a “Friends”-like sit-com in novella form. It’s centered on a four-person polycule living together in Chicago, 1999. They move into an apartment building full of colorful characters, and meet the cute girl who lives across the hall.

Moving Day (Book 1)

I finished a rewrite of the first version (that version is still available on Amazon). The rewrite needs to be beta read and edited, and I’ll likely start publishing to Patreon and Ream once Phase Shift is completely posted. It’s 18k, rated Teen on the AO3 scale. If you’d like to beta read the book, please let me know by emailing [email protected]. I’m more than willing to trade beta reads/critiques for a similarly sized project (or projects.)

Spilled Coffee (Book 2)

This book is available now on Amazon. I’ll probably make some significant rewrites before this one goes to Patreon/Ream as well.

Overnight (Book 3)

This one has been beta read and is waiting for my edits!

Besides the above-mentioned editing, the next step for this series is to start writing book 4, which takes place during a Halloween party!

The Deity Tetrarchy

A.K.A Four Gods. This is a fantasy world I’ve been really inspired to write in recently. There are four gods and their domains are Time, Force, Life, and Death. The God of Time, Tempus, rules the Underrealm (where souls are eternal), while the God of Death, Tenemor, rules the Overrealm (where all living things must die). The Goddess of Life, Anivita, spends summer in the Overrealm and winter in the Underrealm. It’s vice versa for the Goddess of Force, Potentia, also known as the Winter Queen. The children of Life and Death are immortals known as clerics, responsible for shepherding the mortal souls in their care through their lives in the Overrealm. The children of Time and Power are immortals known as timekeepers, who care for souls in the Underrealm, where they rest and heal from the rigors of the Overrealm.

I have a few stories I’ve written or that I’m working on in this context.

The Wayward Timekeeper - An immortal cleric must go on a quest through the Underrealm to save his mother, the Goddess of Life. You can read this rated-Teen 9k word fantasy adventure story by backing the Duck Prints Press Patreon at the $10 level. Backing gets you access to a ton of awesome stories by fantastic authors. You can also buy this story as part of the author bundle add-on for the Aether Beyond the Binary Kickstarter!

Dancing for the King (working title) - Andelion has practiced for years to be allowed to dance for the god king of the Overrealm on the summer solstice. It’s the one day of the year his marriage vows lapse and the king can take a lover. This is going to be my contribution to this April’s DPP Patreon. It’ll be explicit, around 7k, m/m, with some delicious size difference content.

Laurel (working title) - When the impossible happens and an immortal cleric is murdered, Laurel must find out how. If someone has figured out how to kill the children of the gods, she and her siblings are all in danger. This is the novel I worked on drafting during Nanowrimo 2023. I’m expecting it to sit at a T rating, mostly a mystery/thriller in this fantasy setting. The main relationship will probably be f/f and maybe an f/f/f V-shaped triad. I’ve got some good content (about 30k), but I decided I needed to start the story further back in the timeline than I initially planned. I’ve also rethought a few of the characters and their roles, but I think a rough draft should be doable. I’ve done a lot more worldbuilding and identified a few characters who were missing from the story structure, so it’s coming along!

Here’s a snippet of Laurel:

Laurel ignored the screeching shouts of the band of children running through the monastery halls, until the door to her workroom opened and closed. A child wearing a hat with cat-shaped ears pressed his back to the door, panting with his eyes closed. Sweat shined on his freckled face, but when he opened his dark eyes and they twinkled, Laurel couldn’t help but smile. She raised one eyebrow at her little brother. “Who did you piss off this time, Teddy?” “Editha,” he said with a cringe. As he left the door and joined her at the worktable, he held up a curled lock of inky black hair. Laurel gasped and grabbed it out of his hand. “What did you do?” He grinned. “She said she wanted me to cut it. I decided she’d look best with short hair.” “Katysha is going to kill you.” Teddy tilted his head for a second, then asked, “Does it hurt? Dying?” “We can’t die.” Laurel set the lock of hair aside. “Yeah, but do you think it does?” As a cleric, Laurel had attended the deaths of several Houndsborough residents. She could lie to Teddy, but he’d be ill prepared for when it was his turn to start attending the dead and dying. Nodding, she said, “Yeah. It does.”

Marina (working title) - Marina only meant to go to the autumn equinox festivities in the capital city with her brother. She didn’t expect to be recognized as the reincarnated soul of the god-king’s former lover. I’ve got about 10k of explicit material, and I’m envisioning this as a series of short stories/novelettes as Marina gets pulled into the politics and intrigue of the palace and its harem.

Others—I’ve got a few ideas around how the Goddess of Life, Anivita, would use her powers to experiment, and I’ve written a few snippets, but they’re still really rough.

Get Your Words Out

This year, I decided to focus on editing and planning. I’ve committed to work on writing for 20 minutes a day, for 350 days of the year. So far, I’ve done writing tasks on 22 of 23 days this month! I took the day off when I had a major dental procedure, but I’m still on track!

What am I reading?

I’ve been keeping track of my reading over on storygraph. Feel free to follow me there, and I’d love to follow you back!

Jay’s Gay Agenda by Jason June—I read this for book club. It was a little uneven with the characterization, but I can see why people found it cute.

Sordidez by E.G. Conte—this was an interesting novella about future decolonization of the Caribbean and the Yucatan. I feel like a lot of it went over my head, but I found it an interesting mix of viewpoints and unlike everything else I normally read. I’m glad I picked it up off the library’s choice reads shelf!

Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir—I’m not quite halfway done with this one, and still very confused, but I’m enjoying the ride!

Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé—This one is my current audiobook. It’s about lies and intrigue in a fancy private school, and I’m eagerly listening on to find out what happens!

Thanks for reading this far!

As you can see, I have a bunch of projects in the works. I’d love some feedback on which of these you’re most interested in. You can reply to this email, or find me on one of my socials.

Bluesky | Instagram | Cohost | Pillowfort | Tumblr

And that’s it for now! Thanks so much for your support!

#queer fiction #duck prints press #terra writes things #aether beyond the binary #writers of tumblr #terra p. waters

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iasconsumesmedia · 9 months

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20 questions for fic writers!

I got tagged by @crestfallercanyon, thank you!

How many works do you have on AO3? - 68 apparently.

What’s your total A03 word count? - 219K words. Wow. Considering most of my fics are under 10K that's a lot of words. More than I thought.

What fandoms do you write for? - the Maze Runner and Teen Wolf mainly, but I've also written, or intended to write for a few others, like recently Avatar The Last Airbender

What are your top five fics by kudos? - All of them are Teen wolf fics, and essentially all Sterek: Mother's Day, It's only words except it's not, Thanks Dad, Provider, New Years Eve. I'm too lazy to link all of these. I've written most fics for Maze runner though, but the fandom is so small there and I don't write Newtmas, so none of those fics have any impressive kudos count.

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? - Look, I try. And I almost always do. But if all my comment would say is Thank You, then sometimes I don't. I am very appreciative of every single one of them.

What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? - Without You, I'm Nothing A Thominho fic where the Main Character Death is very very real.

What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? - Tricky to respond to, honestly, because what does happy ending mean? Most my fics include characters ending up together and in a happier life than before, but I think the happiest ending I've ever written was The Name simply because so many people were made happy in the end.

Do you get hate on your fic? - Not to my face, no. I'm sure I've pissed people off, or rather I hope I have, but if so they haven't told me so.

Do you write smut? - Occasionally, but I'm not very good at it and it often turns out a little too dry.

Do you write crossovers? - No, and I will not, and I also avoid them like the plague and frankly, if there's a hidden crossover in a fic I will stop reading and never forgive that fic writer.

Have you ever had a fic stolen? - As far as I know, no.

Have you ever had a fic translated? - Yes! For the translation event @its-tea-time-darling ran, don'tbeshy translated my fic Calm into French. That's one of my favourite fics I've ever written and also I think, one of my most appreciated ones.

Have you ever co-written a fic? - I have not, but I would consider it if someone felt we had similar vibes about relationships.

What‘s your all-time favourite ship? - Well. Hard to say, but I think it's Thominho and a big part of that is how well it works in canon. Even Trashner himself said it's the strongest relationship, even if he meant it as only platonic. But that's what I want to see to really ship two characters, that I don't have to add too much to canon to get them together. I also very much enjoy Thominho and of course Sterek, for probably very similar reasons.

What’s the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? - I have a WIP where the gladers are all Sorcerers and there's a thing about reincarnation and it's a Thominewt fic and I love it very much but hand over heart - unlikely it will ever be finished. It also isn't posted, so that only affects me.

What’s your writing strengths? - As a fic writer, I think I can take very small traits or lines and turn them into key features for a character and expand on them into some good fics.

What’s your writing weaknesses? - I think a lot about mental health and healthy relationships, and as a result, most of my characters know what advice to give each other and they don't get themselves into too bad situations. This can sometimes lead to more dull stories than if I enjoyed fucking them up. When I do fuck them up they usually make the right decision in the end.

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic? - See this? This entire message? And also every single fic I have on Ao3 except one? Yeah it's written in another language already. I'm Swedish. This question is weird.

First fandom you wrote for? - Harry Potter. First I published for: Maze Runner

Favourite fic you’ve ever written? - Oh dear.

Hm.

You're just like magic, a Thominho fic, is one of them. But I tihnk other than that, all the ones I've already mentioned. But Also Hey there little red riding hood with Thomas in a Red hoodie and Teresa as a werewolf, which I still like very much and which has received very little love (but Thomesa fics aren't that popular at all in an already small fandom so)

I think everyone I would tag have already been tagged, but if you want to do this, do it and say I tagged you!

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frighteneddraz · 1 year

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Anthology of Arik 5

Triggers: Human Trafficking, Amputation, Character Death, Abuse

This is the first of the stories I wrote, and it's also the one I had the most help with, which means it's... probably the most polished and I think is one of the ones that best gets into the mind of Arik as a character of the 15 or so I've written so far. It's also one of the few I've had input on the triggers for because, again, I still don't know what I'm doing on that front. Also, I normally schedule these to post the night before and I completely forgot last night so... here we are. Anyways, a thank you to my friend Q for taking the time to read through and help edit this one, and for helping with trigger tags. ----------------

The road, if you could really even call it that-truthfully, it barely qualified as a path, covered in snow and winding through the woods that had seemed to stretch on infinitely for the past few days- had finally terminated. Arik had walked for… was it a week since the last town he’d seen? Arik ran the last couple hundred hours in his mind and guessed that was probably about right. It was, however, nearly impossible to tell, this far north and this close to the solstice, day was more or less a permanent fixture. He had stopped to sleep every roughly 20 hours, wanting to get to his destination far more than he wanted to dwell within his own feverish nightmares. Arik was exhausted, but he had finally arrived at his destination: Home.

Well, bluntly, calling it home was pushing it. A lot. Arik hated the place and everyone in it with a passion. Admittedly, Arik hated most people, but he had a special place in the spite-filled cavern that once may have held a heart for this miserable place. There were a handful of exceptions of course, and to amend the previous statement, there had been one person that Arik loved in this cesspit of human waste: His sister, Mist. And it was Mist who he sought, traveling hundreds of miles on foot, and countless more on sea and steed to reach her.

The village was just as he remembered it, albeit seemingly somewhat smaller. The houses, resembling cabins pushed halfway into the ground, would probably be described as quaint by most, bearing steep thatched roofs covered by a thick blanket of snow, with a hole in the middle of each of those roofs from which smoke poured out. To Arik’s eye though they were a ramshackle series of mud and wood huts with roofs that seemed to slouch under the weight of the weather and time.

Scanning the village, he was unsurprised to see that no one was outside; were it not for his healing, he had no doubt he’d have lost several fingers, toes and much of his face within the first hour of having been out in this cold. That said, it made the village seem desolate, were it not for the smoke steadily being exhaled from the mouths at the top of each cabin, Arik may well have thought that this place had met its fate. His scarred face, covered by a scarf, wore his typical scowl as he marched the last hundred meters to the door of his childhood home. As he reached the door, Arik’s eyes drifted briefly to where the cellar door would be, buried under almost 2 feet of snow, even in early summer, before he took a final, steeling breath… and knocked.

Arik could hear footsteps and his step-father swearing before, likely only a handful of seconds later, though to Arik it seemed a lifetime, the door opened. His step-father stood there, wearing a stupid look and what Arik swore were the same underclothes he had worn the last time he’d seen him, over 20 years hence. Leif, his step father, looked to be 40 years older and 40 pounds lighter than last Arik had seen him. Once tall and proud, years of backbreaking work had taken their toll, he stood slightly hunched, with his shoulders pinched forward painfully. His once golden-blonde hair had faded almost entirely to a dull grey, while his skin seemed to have been salted and cured like jerky by his many years in the fields, though it was remarkably pale now. Even his eyes, which once shone with a sapphire blue that belied the cruelty behind them, seemed to have dulled to a bluish-grey.

“Who are ye?” Lief finally spat, licking his few remaining teeth before continuing “And what do ye want?”

Arik suppressed the dark and ever present desire to kill the scumbag where he stood, he hadn’t seen his mother, Brynhild, or his sister yet and despite the terrible, urging voice in the back of his mind, he didn’t get any pleasure from killing. Instead, Arik just removed the winter wolfskin hat and scarf from his face, hoping he could answer both questions without having to talk to the creature before him.

Lief studied Arik for a long moment before saying “Expect you’ll be wantin’ to come inside, you ingrateful bastard'.

Turning around and slowly walking to the log pile, he added another one on the pile before sitting where he had presumably been before Arik’s arrival.

“That answers one, now what d’ye want?” Lief asked

Arik, having followed Lief inside, finished removing his coat and boots before sitting next to the fire. At well over 6 feet tall, Arik found himself stooping to fit under the low ceilings of the cabin he’d grown up in. A face bearing a number of scars that spoke to his years of battle experience, dark green eyes and shaggy short black hair, Arik looked to be about 22 despite being in his late 30s. One of the perks of his supernatural healing, which, to this day, he didn’t really understand much to his own frustration. Arik reflected with a degree of detachment that at least I understand why my step-father insists we aren’t related. Indeed, the contrast between the two men had never been clearer, with Arik standing now a head taller and being now far broader and more muscular than his step-father had ever been.

As Arik sat down he noticed that most of his toes had, indeed, turned black despite his musings from earlier. Pulling a dagger from his waist, he cut the top half of his feet off in much the same way one might cut their toenails. Arik was so used to physical pain that it had stopped really registering the way most would. Similarly unlike most would, his toes and the removed chunks of his feet simply grew back as he knew they would. As they had countless times now. His step-father watched with a look of disgust and likely horror, though Arik wasn’t sure and largely didn’t care. Arik sat in silence as he waited for his feet to heal, a process which took only a handful of seconds, much to Arik’s displeasure.

Finally, recognizing that he’d have to answer the question his step-father posed but dreading the response, Arik, tentatively and with much trepidation at first, made his query: “Where’s my mother?” Arik’s face slowly hardened, before he continued with a threatening edge to his tone, “And where the hell is Mist?”

Arik’s words didn’t seem to surprise Lief, though his facial expression had changed to one that almost resembled… sadness? Grief? Maybe even… regret? Again, it was difficult to tell, and even if Arik could have, he didn’t care to figure it out. It was easier that way after all. Lief seemed to chew on Arik’s question, both figuratively and literally, his handful of remaining teeth gnashing as he sat, the question hanging with the smoke in the air.

Arik took the time to look around the room. Much like the village before it, it was much as he had remembered, though, unlike the village, it had actually changed in one notable way. Before, there had been a second bed made of furs, upon which Arik and his kid sister had always slept, but now that bed was gone. Otherwise, the pans and pots which hung from the ceiling were the same. The bow and arrow that Lief had used to obtain meat during the early Autumn, before the snows but after the animals had fattened up in preparation for winter hung on one wall of the room, same as it always had. A pot of stew seemed to be cooking over the fire, making the room even smokier than it tended to be in the fall and winter months. It was spartan, but in comparison to sleeping outside, it may as well have been a 5 star hotel. Arik’s thoughts were brought back to the moment when Lief sighed, and Arik might have sworn he saw him age a decade in the span of but a moment.

“Brynhild died some 12 years back, and as for Mist… well”, Arik’s step-father prodded at the fire, his eyes seeming unusually wet before his face set and he looked Arik in the eyes saying “I sold that little bitch too.”

Faster than Lief had thought possible and with more strength than any man Lief had ever met, Arik pinned Lief to the wall by the throat. Looking into his eyes, Lief saw only rage and bloodlust and hate, and for the first time he saw the man, no… the Beast he had helped to make. Lief had thought he was ready to die, but in front of this creature of rage he could do little other than soil himself in fear of the Beast who held him by the throat.

“Where… is… she?” the Beast asked, seeming to struggle to hold itself back even long enough to ask the question. Lief struggled to get a word out, but under the weight of the Beast's inhuman strength all he could manage was a strangled gasp. Then he was on the ground, the weight from his throat gone, but he had no time to appreciate his newfound ability to breathe. No sooner had he taken a breath in than a scream escaped his lips as pain exploded from his right hand. Looking at it, he found that his index finger was bent at a wrong, impossible angle, and once again, a scream escaped his lips as he scrambled away from the Beast who had broken it.

“WHERE IS SHE?” the Beast roared, “WHO DID YOU SELL MY SISTER TO, YOU DISGUSTING CARRION FEEDER?”

“A… a warlord, he… he was going to kill me” Lief sobbed out his response, “Please,” Lief once more let out a fearful sob as he began to beg the Beast to spare him “I’ll tell… you what you want… just… just let me live”

The Beast let out another roar of rage and Lief a scream of pain as a crunch filled the house, the Beast breaking Lief’s right leg before once more roaring out his question. Lief sobbed in pain and fear as he realized that this was where he died. He had prepared himself, or so he thought, for the day that Arik would knock on that door and kill him, but nothing could have prepared him for the rage of the Beast that tortured him now.

“GIVE ME A NAME!” The Beast ordered, towering above Lief’s broken, sobbing form.

“Valentine! He called himself Valentine, please, let me go!”

Arik regarded the cowering wretch in the corner of the room, his rage burning through him as that familiar voice in the back of his mind called for him to put this creature out of his misery. He stood there considering what he had been told, and fighting within himself.

Kill this miserable creature, pin him to the floor with his arrows until he begs for the release of death, the Beast’s voice cooed. Make him suffer as he has made you suffer. As he made your mother suffer. As he made your sister suffer.

No. Arik, look at him. Actually look at him. See him for what he is. Recognize him for the man he is, cried another voice, a voice that Arik knew belonged to his sister. To the one person who had truly loved him and who had seen him as he had wanted to be seen. Killing him now will bring you nothing but misery, he is a broken man Arik. You have the name, you can leave and never give this place another thought. You could be who I know you are. You can be better.

Kill

Be better

KILL

Be Better

KILL HIM

BE BETTER

KILL HIM

BE BETTER

On and on the voices raged until Arik screamed in fury and grief and looked at the wretch before him. Broken, in mind and body, just as Arik himself had been countless times. Arik wanted to be better, wanted so desperately to be able to see the man. To see Lief in his entirety.

But Arik couldn’t do it. This creature had sold him and his sister both to save his own hide. I am sorry Mist, but I cannot let this vermin live. Not when he sold you to save himself.

The Beast had stood there in silence for several minutes as Lief whimpered in pain and fear. Lief had begun to find a spark of hope in his breast that maybe the Beast would be merciful, a spark that was snuffed out in the same moment as the spark of life in his eyes.

Arik drew from underneath his cloak a greatsword which he plunged into his step-father faster than most men could see, pinning him to the ground. Arik collapsed, both voices had grown silent in his mind, the Beast sated and Mist left disappointed once again. Arik sat in that cabin and wept, he wept for his mother, and his sister. He wept for himself. And to Arik’s surprise, he wept for the scum, nay, the man who had raised him. He was terrible. The worst kind of man imaginable, but now that he was dead, Arik could see he was a man, still. However, Arik feared he would never see him in his entirety, never be able to recognize all of him.

Arik would set up a funeral pyre for the scumbag who had raised him. The other villagers unwilling to confront the stranger who they had long forgotten about and who terrified them more than any beast of the forest. He would see to it that his father, or the closest thing he had to one, was laid to rest. Looking through Lief’s things, he was surprised to find a series of journals. Arik didn’t know Lief could write at all let alone that he did so regularly. Remembering Mist’s words, he began to read. The first journal entry was dated 44 years ago and detailed Lief’s meeting with Brynhild. How she wanted a man who knew his letters. A “Sophersticated tipe”. Arik poured through the first journal, every entry becoming a little better. A little more legible and a little closer to sophistication. Arik poured over journal after journal until the last entry he read: dated 10 years ago, when Mist was 17. When Lief had sold her to save himself. Arik had seen the man his father had been, Arik still hated him of course, but he saw him now. All of him. Arik looked once more at the spot where Lief had been pinned down under Arik’s blade. Even now, Arik thought, I would have made the same choice. Pushing that from his mind he focused on a different thought as he began to pack for the next long hike: I saw you Lief, and now it's time to go see my sister.

#whumptober2023 #no.5 #pinned down #oc #oc fic #amputation #human trafficking #character death #abuse

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