#i really love royalty aus but i'm not sure if it's really the most fitting au for them

[sillystappen]

HELLO

i was wondering if you can do max as a singer and not a driver

i wonder if he can be MARINA and he interested in f1 and goes there to watch the races

HIHI!!!

Singer!Max huh? Ok I see you.

And mother of god did figuring the logistics of this AU hurt my brain :')

Ofc Max would retain his interest in F1 heck I might even make him kart when he was a kid but drop out for angsty lore reasons. Naturally this would make his relationship with his father very strained and almost nonexistent if it weren't for the fact Max still hasn't blocked his number. He spent most of his kid/teenage life with his mum and sister in belgium and thrived in music classes, having a natural sense of rhythm and being able to hear the layers in a song. He still watches F1 on tv and becomes a Daniel fan after Spain 2014 - Daniel's first podium, though he also is team Rosberg when brocedes happens (no reason other than I like Nico Rosberg)

As for his music type honest to god I can see why you would say MARINA as those lyrics can definitely be Max coded but genre wise and looking at her performing idk if that fits the Max vibes bc I wanna keep him from going too OOC. But not in a total stray from the idea of MARINA, I propose... Conan Gray. Still kinda indie vibes (and I love indie) and there's a lot of desiderium songs as well as full on pop bops and hopeless romantic stuff which give people some good emotional rollercoaster concerts. However these songs and albums release date will be manipulated to it my narrative because trying to align a calendar with an interesting plot and those songs just was too much...

For Daniel and any race settings, I am thinking of using the 2021 season. Which I'm sure you all are thinking: Silly, what would be the 2021 season without Max in it? Wouldn't it just go to Lewis without a fight? And I thought long and hard about it, looking through the grid and reserves to see who if anyone should take the seat that Max originally had and... it's Daniel. You heard it here first folks this baby is a Daniel never left Red Bull fic too. Using this Mr V's Garage's video, I borrowed the simulated 2021 season between Norris and Sainz and made it Lewis and Daniel (who will ofc win) with 3rd place going to Checo (because i like checo) and 4th Bottas. As for Abu Dhabi... there's no way it won't be controversial come on.

I imagine a meeting between Daniel and Max would be him getting paddock passes after saving up and ends up being recognised by Daniel at the Belgian Grand Prix. At this point he has he has had Kid Krow out for nearly 2 years after saving a crap load of money from royalties and a birthday gift from his sister he finally had enough money for a paddock pass over a grandstand ticket (but holy fuck those things are expensive). He meets Daniel who is like "holy shit you're Max Verstappen! Wearing my DR3 hat?" and Max feels like holy shit is very much correct because Daniel knows who he is?!?! Queue both of them having a fanboy moment and Daniel admitting he cried when he heard heather for the first time. But Daniel has to be pulled away so he gives Max his number and invites him to the garage (much to christian's chagrin but hey, number one golden driver championship contender privileges). Max totally nerds and Daniel thinks its cute and the mechanics are surprised by Max's knowledge.

They go on "friend-dates" to get to know each other properly and surprisingly (to them not to us) they click really well. Daniel invites him to GPs and Max invites Daniel to music video sets (they sneak Daniel into an MV and if you look close enough you can see him in the background) and a lot of trips to the recording studio. The internet being the internet picks up on this and are like AIN'T NO WAY OMG WORLDS COLLIDING all dramatic like that. There's even TikTok edits and a small tumblr community (hi) about them.

Then one day Max goes on an interview and is asked about Daniel. "He's probably the best person in my life right now, outside of work and family. Gosh, I've been a fan since 2014, and my sister will tell you I yelled pretty loudly when he won in Canada that year. But the Daniel you guys see in media is only half the story. He's kind and considerate and generous and a really comfortable person to be around and I am glad I bumped into him in Spa. He's been my rock as I work on my newest album."

Hashtag maxiel starts popping off a lot more mainstream and Daniel calls Max after the interview to tell him how sweet and lovely he is and as he gushes Daniel has the 'oh I love him' moment, like actually in love and not just a how a fan would. He doesn't say it, of course, but the penny has dropped.

For Max, the 'oh I love him' would be when they're back in Daniel's hotel room post race (that Daniel won ofc) and they're sat on a sofa in front of a quiet TV playing some sort of movie when Daniel falls asleep on Max's shoulder. Max looks down at him and just knows 'i love him' then and there. It's a quiet realisation, and one he is content with.

As for how they get together, it's one of the times Daniel is in Max's recording studio listening as Max sings, completely entrapped. When Max finishes and sits down next to him, he asks what Daniel thinks Daniel doesn't hesitate to say he thinks Max is amazing and that the song will be a hit, but suggests a few tweaks to the instrumental. Max takes this seriously and appreciates the honesty, kissing Daniel's cheek as thanks. It was the way Max looked at him and gently held his face that has Daniel sitting there for a moment before going fuck it and properly kissing Max.

They don't announce their relationship until Daniel after wins his second championship in 2022 but spend the rest of 2021 and the entirety of 2022 soft launching it and teasing. Daniel posts photos of Max hugging him in Abu Dhabi 2021 and lots of photos of them hanging out in winter and summer break. The F1 media catches Max in the paddock and Red Bull garage a lot and Daniel at the Superache tour in late 2022 (what about the tour? what tour? the early 2022 world tour? yh that didnt happen I'm just adding a couple songs from there into the superache setlist). Max also posts a video of Daniel lipsyncing to Overdrive whilst holding a deodorant can and standing on a bed.

The actual announcement spooks the F1 world more than the music one and at first it's a lot for them, the questions and the prying, the demand to know it all and of course the homophobia but they get through it all fine and dandy.

Oh and Jimmy and Sassy? They give Daniel the seal of approval the moment he shows up offering pets. And that was the only outside opinion that ever mattered.

{I may flesh this into a full on fic, but I also might not but I liked your idea anyway and wanted to put the concept I created into the world! I hope you like it.}

[morpinaround]

saw your au dungeon in dsmp and had to share an idea about it because oh my gods I might MASSIVELY start brainrotting otherwise-

I think it would be funny for kabru + Latios and co to see techno and assume monsters got out or he's a new monster(assuming he looks like a piglin on a massive furry scale of techno designs) only for philza (who looks very beastman-y but definitely is sane and sound in mind- if you ignore how good he might be at fashioning weapons and armor out of things from monsters and from the dungeon for his loved ones including benchtrio and how insanely old he is while still being young-ish) to go "naw he's just a silly shapeshifter"(relatively joking + affectionate)

later on due to some needs, maybe he finally relaxes? or he tires himself out drastically in a battle? he suddenly shifts into a more human and not pig-man form and everyone is "O_O" at him.

OH MY GOD I'VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT THIS ok so for this AU I've been thinking over how the dunmeshi world would try to understand what types of beasts/demihumans each dsmp member is. They're still completely what they were originally, but the dunmeshi characters keep trying to categorize them to fit them into their world (with the exception of Laios because I see him going like "Oh no you guys obviously aren't like anything we've seen. I'm gonna ask you a million questions though because I want to give you a NEW category") But anyway, here's how the dunmeshi characters view each member!! [entire explanation under]

Techno - At first they are just like. 100% sure he's an Orc. Techno doesn't really care at all what they think, but Philza gives off the vibes of "actually doesn't wanna get attacked on the surface" so he DEFINITELY tries to assure people "No he's just like- been cursed!!! To look all monstrous like this lol" (cus he's not sure how well they'll respond to shapeshifters, they might mistake Techno for a doppelgänger!) and Techno is like "What the fuck" for the most part but again. doesn't care enough. Philza - Genuinely they just thought he was an elf or half-elf for the longest period of time because he keeps his wings under his cape. Until he showed his wings and Laios freaked out thinking he was the first male harpy they'd ever recorded. Nope!! After that debacle they think of him like a Beastman like Izutsumi Tommy - Oni, probably an Ogre like Tade, though they are all quite curious on why his horns are "dyed" like that. Also why he's so small. Also why he's not from the east. Actually they don't fully think he's an Ogre at all it's just the first group they could put him with and they rolled with it Tubbo - I think they'd struggle the most with Tubbo. POSSIBLY?? They try to put him down as an Orc as well, but I think they'd just come to understand him like they do Philza, he's just a cursed Beastman. Ranboo - OKAY. So in the manga there's this character whos an elf called Flamela, and on the wiki at least (I can't be bothered to go through the manga for a proper refresher), it specifies that "her obsidian-like skin and silver hair are traits that are considered 'proof of true royalty.'." For this reason, I think it'd be fun if for the most part everybody, and ESPECIALLY the canaries, just think he's a really fucked-up royal Elf. Don't ask me how this makes sense it's just funny. Elves losing their mind over this "obviously lost member of our royalty" and he's just there

[twstjam]

I have some writing juices today but idk if I'll finish something enough to post so here are some "Malleyuu scenes I can see vividly in my head and really want to write but haven't gotten around to yet" because who knows WHEN if ever I'll write these.

(DISCLAIMER: It's not specified but these are all set in aus!! Canon compliance? I'm sure she's lovely but I don't know her)

Scene where Yuu wakes up in the Draconias' castle after being rescued by Prince Malleus (secretly their bestie Tsunotarou) and they get dragged around by the castle staff into a warm bath, fitted into fancy castle clothes, and guided to an extravagant dining table to have a mouth-watering breakfast. Everyone is making a fuss about how Yuu is the prince's special guest so they HAVE to be served flawlessly and have all their needs met, meanwhile Yuu is just. Incredibly confused.

Scene where Yuu gets attacked/kidnapped and the Heartslabyul boys are there to save them, but suddenly a bigass dragon shows up out of nowhere and ofc everyone is scared shitless. The dragon fucks up the attackers/kidnappers so Heartslabyul and Yuu take their chance to flee. Before they can get away though, the dragon swoops down on them. They all drop to the ground, but the dragon manages to snatch up Yuu in its claws (with Grim squished in there too) and flies off with them.

Yuu gets kidnapped part 2: Heartslabyul FREAKS out bcs of course they do their friend just got yoinked by a DRAGON. But when Adeuce go to save them (against Riddle's orders ofc. It's too dangerous and he didn't wanna risk losing them too 🥺) they're unexpectedly welcomed into the Draconias' castle and instead of seeing their friends in peril like they expected, they stumble upon the strange sight of Yuu and Grim living luxuriously; being fed the most delicious foods, sleeping on the silkiest sheets, and being dressed in the finest clothes. Neither Yuu and Grim know wtf is going on either but they're not complaining.

Scene where Yuu gets a message from their friend Tsunotarou to evacuate the people of their town. Tsunotarou doesn't explain why, but Yuu trusts him so they do as he says. After evacuating, Yuu along with the townsfolk watch from afar as an army of fae led by dragons descend upon the kingdom.

Possible part 2 to the previous one? The country's been liberated from the tyrant king or whatever and the fae are helping the humans get back on their feet or smthg. Anyways scene where Yuu is either: a) summoned to stand before the fae royalty (THE DRAGONS) b) VISITED by the fae royalty (still THE DRAGONS) and for both they think they're in big trouble for whatever reason but then PLOT TWIST one of the dragons is TSUNOTAROU!!!! (these two last ones could fit into my one-shot "Break in the Clouds" actually :O)

[koreanbibliophilegirl]

I suppose I should talk about possible/confirmed plan changes to my WIPs?

(Fair warning: I've mostly calmed down, but I don't want to work myself up again, so I'm gonna be writing in a normal tone. I promise I'm not ignoring or trying to make light of the whole thing! I just don't wanna talk too deeply about it. All the love and support to Shelby Shubble & all victims of abuse!!!💖)

First off, I believe characters are separate from their creators- anyone who continues to create content about c!Wilbur has my support and respect!

(I will most probably continue to consume content related to c!Wilbur as well, though I will tag him as "c!Wilbur" now, rather than "Wilbur Soot"- I've been tagging all dsmp characters only as their corresponding CC's names, mostly out of laziness. For instance, c!Tommy wasn't tagged as "c!Tommy", he was tagged as "TommyInnit". I don't want to change my whole tagging system, but c!Wilbur at least will be tagged as "c!Wilbur" from now on!)

None of my writing was RPF in the first place, it was all about the characters- but I'm not sure if I myself am ready to freely write c!Wilbur or fanfiction!Wilbur stuff yet. Maybe I never will be; idk.

So here are the changes I'll be making!

DSMP Superpower AU: c!Wilbur will stay. I was planning to include all the DSMP characters(The 'mains', at least, I'm not sure about secondary characters yet), and the notion of leaving c!Wilbur out doesn't really appeal to me. So c!Wilbur will still appear here!

Temporal Transcendence: Honestly, at first I thought TT!Wilbur would be irreplaceable, but after some thought, I was surprised to find it might just work! Karl and Niki would play bigger roles than I expected, but it could definitely work. Heck, it might even be better than the original plan! So I think Wilbur will likely be cut from TT.

Oshi No Ko but Happier AU: I'm on the fence about this one. Wilbur's character isn't CRUCIAL crucial, but he's still pretty important. The outline of the plot will look much different if he does indeed end up getting cut out. So I'm gonna mark this WIP as a solid "idk" and just work it out as I go.

Rarepair Royalty AU: I've never talked about this AU. This one is a bit funny, cuz cutting Wilbur's character out actually solves some of the problems I had with the outline! The plot will actually work out better if Secondborn Prince Wilbur didn't exist- so he's definitely cut from this one! I just need to find someone new to pair with Karl. (Probably Seapeekay; I have the currently ongoing MCYT crackship brackets to thank for the ship!)

Lucky Star: Another fic that's never been talked about- this one is my newest WIP! :D I wasn't even sure where I was going to fit Wilbur in- a character called Wilbur never even existed here. Well, he did, but I'd deleted him for plot reasons a while ago and was in the middle of trying to find another slot. (Cyberknife is Techno's dead twin in this WIP btw- he's not a replacement character for Wilbur, the twin was always going to be Cyberknife.)

Tome AU: SBI literally only serves as Tommy's rich and powerful family here- at least, up to where I've fleshed out. Wilbur's only moment in the spotlight is when he argues with Tommy over dinner, bc he doesn't like how Tommy "got stuck" raising baby Shroud with Purpled(who found Shroud in a trash can), & is caught glaring at Purpled. I'll edit him out maybe. Or leave him, he's not a major character after all. idk.

Others(Mostly Bedrock Bros-centric): Honestly, I never could figure out how to write Wilbur's character that well. So 'Wilbur' isn't too big a character in most of these. Will likely cut.

Tom and Bunnypig(Bee and Puppycat AU): You know what, I think I'm going to make this half-baked idea into a proper WIP. Wilbur never existed here either, so yeah.

CONCLUSION: The whole thing is a mess, and I'm sad and mad, as we all are, but I'm gonna stop thinking about how horrible Wilbur Soot is & focus on how brave Shelby Shubble is!

I'm intrigued at what removing a single character did to my plot outlines, and hopefully, this will open a lot of new opportunities in my writing. I'm certainly looking forward to how my writing skills will develop after this.

To everyone who's actually read through this; thank you for reading this whole thing, I know it's kinda long.😅 Have a cookie and a hug, we all need it🍪🫂 Remember to drink water & eat something! All my love💖💖

[echantedtoon]

Demon Bride Ch35 When In Rome- Or A Demon Dimension

(Warnings!!: Mentioning of death, illnesses, suicide, killing and abandonment in Akaza's backstory. ALSO DB Akaza's backstory is changed slightly to fit the au surroundings more.)

"You're really sure you can walk by yourself? You fainted for a few minutes." A blue tipped hand gently held your head, concern in those golden blue eyes. "Are you sure you don't need a doctor? Or want me to carry you? Or some water-"

"Akaza. I'm perfectly fine now. As long as you don't push me into your chest again."

"Is that it? Did I accidentally smother you making you lose air?! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I forget my own strength sometimes."

"You didn't squeeze the air out of me so calm down.. Although you might've smothered me a bit."

You had thankfully survived your 'death by abs' encounter Akaza gave you you, although it did take you a few minutes to recover but now you were here standing with the last remains of red fading away from your face as you dusted yourself off and took a giant breath before turning back to the one green eyed demon who never stopped smiling in that spoiled-suck up smug 'i think I'm better than you' way. His old features made him look much older than Akaza but not as old as Mr. Hantengu. He looked to be maybe in his late forties if you had to go by human years. He bowed to you again never losing that greesy smile.

"I don't believe I had a chance to introduce myself."

"No." You shook your head no. "You haven't. Who are you?"

A proud hand pressed against his chest. "I am Kakski. The head caretaker and supervisor of the Kizuki Dwell and the man who makes sure every inch of this magnificent place is run smoothly. And just let me say that it is so lovely to finally have a proper resident to care for again." He sighed in tired form. "So far our only occupant has been Mr. Hantengu but it can be rather difficult to deal with him."

You gained a surprise look. "Mr. Hantengu is here?"

"He was brought here by Lord Muzan's orders to live out the rest of his days in comfort retirement," Akaza explained making you look at him. "Only the Twelve Kizuki and their immediate family are allowed to stay here. Since there's no one to take care of him at home anymore with all his sons busy, the Master thought it was best to move the old man here for better care." His eyes narrowed. "That being said, I Hope you've been treating your elders with the proper respect."

Kakski made an audible gulp smiling nervously at the frowning Lord before him. "O-O-Of course we have. N-N-Nothing but the best for our Lords' families!"

"I should hope so. I'd hate to see what would happen if his sons or the Master found out any of the former Kizuki weren't getting the proper respect they deserved. Hmm. In fact, while I'm here I might as well see Hantengu and congratulate him on his retirement."

"N-N-Now?! Ah! I mean of course!" He bowed deeply to Akaza. "I would be delighted to escort you inside. P-Please follow me."

You blinked at Kakski turning to gesture you all inside and only started walking after Akaza went in and disappeared through the door with Rui shimmying I'm behind him. You slowly followed inside and paused. Your eyes widened. Your head shook and you blinked again at what you saw. 

Oh my gods...

If Kyogai's mansion was classy and if the sanctuary at the Entertainment District was fancy then this layout beat both of them out of the running by being ABSOLUTELY HIGH CLASS ROYALTY. Everywhere your teeny eyes looked it was like they had been dipped in liquid gold and saw only a king's luxury of a home here. Tall halls polished so much it left literal long reflections of you in every wooden surface. Paintings so big they were at least three humans long and one human tall depicting the most beautiful scenes captured expertly in paint. Random furniture made of the darkest wood carved with patterns into every inch of it. Vases made of procelyn infused with jewelers. Chandeliers of pure gold. Rugs handwoven by weavers with such skill you thought they were paintings laying on the perfectly polished floors.  Your jaw dropped and eyes nearly popped out of your skull at at least ten men and women stood on each side of the hallway before bowing in perfect sink with smiles plastered on all their faces. But what shocked you the most was how beautifully dressed they all were. 

The women (with all different demonic features ranging from horns to wings and everything in-between) were all dressed up in beautifully patterned silk kimonos in every bright color of the rainbow, and hair and make up done up in the skill of an Oiran. The men weren't as dolled up as the ladies but they all looked fairly strong, fit, and all wore matching silk black robes so smooth not even a wrinkle was present. 

''Welcome Lord and Lady," they all spoke at once in that bow and big smiles.

You were astonished to say the least before you slowly looked back to Kakski and noticed a yellow skinned old woman of similar age stood next to him in matching clothing but still filled up like the other women. "Who are these people? Are they related to the Kizuki too?"

Kakski laughed making you frown. "Oh my Lady. You have such a sense of humor. Of course they don't live here. These fine young men and women are just a small handful of the servants who will serve you here."

Your eyes widened looking between this old couple and the other demons. "These people are servants?! ALL OF THEM?!" 

"Of course! But only a handful of our staff is here. There's many others who're busy working right now."

"What exactly do these people do?" Apply make up? Gospel? Oh don't say they were all concubines of some kind!

"Oh the usual. Cook, clean, serve whomever stays here, some even clean the pools of water and feed the koi-"

"They cook and clean while dressed beautifully as if they were attending a ball?"

Kakski paused for a moment before a grateful look passed over him and he pressed a hand to his chest. "You think our staff is beautiful?! Why that's such an honor to hear from the first Lady we've had here in three thousand years!" His one eye closed in pride. "Yes. Our staff takes pride in how EVERYTHING looks perfect here. The floors, the pools, and even including ourselves. Nothing but the best FOR the best. Our looks should match our work."

"But isn't that a little unorthodox? Working in such fancy attire?"

"But of course. All of our staff are from noble family lines, it's a great honor to be able to work here so close to the Kizuki." He proudly held up a hand. "Not only that but they are all highly educated in reading, writing, maths, and human culture! So they should have no problem interacting with you."

What were you? Some kind of alien?! You supposed he meant that as some kind of comfort but it came off as more of a brag. "Who's the woman next to you?"

"This lovely woman is my beautiful wife Yoko~," Kakski purred and just stared in a loving way at the woman next to him, "She's the head maid you know.~ And gets lovelier every single day I bask in her presence.~ My daughter takes after her you know.~"

"Kakski, stop. You're embarrassing the both of us," she chided with a small push to the man's chest but she didn't stop smiling. "You're wasting their time on your rambling as well."

"Forgive me. I couldn't help but introduce them to the most beautiful woman since our first Queen.~" You didn't know whether to feel happy that this skeezy demon had at least one good thing to say about him or feel annoyed at the whole situation. "But you are right. I'm getting too distracted. I'll happily escort Lord Akaza to Former Lord Hantengu's dwelling. In the meantime I'm sure my wife would be happy to show Lady Y/n here to her room." He then bowed. "If you would please follow us."

You glanced in question at Akaza who just nodded back. "Go ahead. I'll be back to check on you in a little while."

With nothing else to do right now you'd follow this Yoko person and see what was in store for you.

"Follow me, My Lady," the older woman spoke with a bow. Her tone was less greasy but it still held that suck up element to it which made you frown as she turned and began stepping down the corridor and with a final look at Akaza you followed.

Rui followed behind toddling along with his arms full of the knick knacks you dropped. It felt very strange to you walking past the rows of men and women that still smiled at you. The strange arrangement of this place was so baffling to you and you just stepped in here. They had noblemen and women as servants to other noblemen and women. It was so strange to you but you supposed this was more of that cultural difference between humans and demons. You only began to see more royal like halls littering  ever direction you took and it ...

You turned your nose up at all of it. 

What was the literal point of all of this? The fancy things that sparkled and shined were only just that, things to be looked at and admired. It held no real value unless you sold it and made money for use. What was wrong with just a small house in the country side, maybe a small garden, with just maybe a few animals to keep you company. Maybe you'd even settle down and have a small family of your own once you're done traveling and seeing everything you wanted too see. Of course you'd have to figure out what to do about this entire demon fiance situation.... You'd ask to talk with that Muzan guy and his wife. If you spoke to him about your feelings he'd have to call the whole thing off, and with his wife there he wouldn't be able to get around the topic. 

...Hmm. You wondered how exactly you could call off all of these engagements? You could probably return these 'gifts' back to everyone and tell them no but there was a few problems with that plan. The first being that even IF you told them you didn't want to be married or courted that might not stop them from trying anyways. You remembered when you were very blunt and honest with Kaigaku and he still insisted on making you wear the magatama charm as a courting gift and still refused to let you go easily. On top of that both Kyogai and Akaza gave you gifts too despite agreeing to not wanting to court you either. Perhaps if you just spoke to Muzan's wife? She seemed like a very sensible person . You were sure she'd be able to straighten things out. The question was how were you going to get her attention?

"Oof!" You bumped right into Yoko when she stopped and Rui bumped right behind you blinking.

She only smiled at you. "We're here, Lady Y/n." She gestured to the shiny polished sliding door. "Won't you please come in? We've been preparing it for days hearing about your arrival days ago."

"Oh, swell," you mumbled deadpanned.

Still Yoko smiled at you grabbing the door. "Don't worry. We've ensured that the room was nothing but comfortable with you in mind. Come." With that she slid the door right open.

You stared. Rui stared peeking around your legs. Yoko smiled proudly at herself.

.....What the hell was THIS?!

You face dropped as the first thing you saw was a giant vanity complete with a giant mirror and stacked with make up and at least eight different perfume bottles. Instantly you felt yourself groan and cringing at just the memory of that stuff caking your face. Next to that was an extremely lacy pink colored futon and surrounding the room around those two things were just..well...Hmm. What was the best way to describe all this??

Overly exaggeratedly girly.

Seriously?! How could one room have ten vases of flowers, such frilly decor, and enough bright colors to outshine a rainbow?! You could only stare at it before furrowing your brow and you couldn't help but think that this room would be better fitted for someone like Mitsuri or that Oiran you saw.

".....You must have the wrong room. There's no way THIS is mine."

"Oh but believe me it is!," Yoko insisted walking inside, "I understand you must not be used to such things. Here you have everything a young lady of your status could ever need! The bathroom is just through that door there." She gestured to a door on the opposite side of the wall. "Ooh. And here we have my favorite part of any ladies room." She excited cooed before just walking over to another door and pulling it back to reveal clothing. LOTS OF CLOTHING. So much it looked like it would spill out of the closet at any moment. "We didn't know your exact size so we just gathered various things but there's so much for you to chose from. So many gorgeous shoes and dresses to chose from."

You stared. War flashbacks of being squeezed into too tight shoes so tight they literally hurt when you even stood and forced into so many layers of clothing you felt like you were inside a volcano and make up so sticky that your face felt like it was clay clung onto your face and your hair pinned up so tight it hurt your scalp passed through your mind.  And your eyes widened. 

"So what do you think? It's absolutely delightful isn't it?"

"........I need a major change in rooms. NOW."

And that's how you were taken to a much LESS eyesore of a room and was fitted with still fancy but less of a nightmarish eyesore. It was about as fancy as the room you stayed in at the red light district  but that was ok. Currently you were quite content with the room which just so happened to have a connecting room for Rui to have his own space. Although right now he chose to lean against your back sitting down and reading a book in his hands.

"I don't understand. I've never seen a woman who turned down every luxury she could ever want so fast." You paid no mind to the demon staring unbelieving at you. "Denying yourself of so much."

"I prefer simple clothes like the one I'm wearing right now. Not to say I don't appreciate all your hard work, but I just prefer things my own style," you explained calmly. The small pile of 'gifts' right beside you. You'd even taken off the sash and necklaces tied around you added to the pile. "Also I don't need or even want servants to dress me up in the morning. Im more than capable of doing that myself."

"But-"

"No butts. Butts are for sitting on." You sent a frown her way. "Do you even know how disturbing it is to sleep and then wake up to a total stranger in your room? Furthermore do you know how much creepier it is for that stranger to try to bath you and dress you up like you're a doll?" You gave a shudder. "Im a grown woman and I can take care of those things myself." Rui tapped you on the back and you gave him a look as well. "..And I didn't want anyone invading Rui's privacy as well. He can look after himself mostly and I'm going to be right here if he needs anything else."

Yoko slapped a hand to her cheek. "You don't want ANY servants?"

"Well.... I'll still need someone to clean our rooms and bring us food but that's all we'll need you all to do." You waved a hand at her. "If I need anything else I'll ask someone for it."

Yoko looked about ready to faint but was stopped when loud footsteps approached the open door and a moment later a large figure appeared. "You've only been here for a few hours and already you're causing such a stir up." Yoko jumped and everyone turned to Akaza standing in the doorway looking amused. "The servants are already in shock at your refusal of so many gifts."

"Akaza!" "Father!"

Rui was first to respond to the tall demon by standing up and running up to the grinning man, grabbing at and tugging his pants leg. "I have an entire room to myself. We can share the space so Mother can have her own courters."

It made Akaza chuckle and pat his head. "That's nice of you to offer but I can't stay for long. I'll have to go take care of some of Kokushibo's duties since he'll be extra busy. That'll be all you can leave us now." Yoko only nodded before walking away.

"How's Mr. Hantengu?"

Akaza nodded. "He's doing just fine. They're treating him well enough, although he keeps asking for his children. *sigh* What a mess everything is. It'll take a while to clean everything up."

"Is it that bad?"

"No. Worse." He counted on his fingers. "There's the rebuilding of the Tsuzumi Mansion, AND we have to clear out all the trees in the Yokai Forest that was destroyed in the fight between those assholes and Kaigaku. And then once all the dead trees ARE cleared we have to replant new ones to replace the damaged ones. Then there's the matter of the responsibilities."

"What responsibilities?"

He groaned allowing his shoulders to drop. "Kokushibo will be too busy with everything else for his regular duties, so until he's able to finish it, I'll be responsible for all of the things he'd usually do. Which means I won't be around to help you for a long while."

Your face dropped at this and so did Rui's. "What? That's not fair!" 

He shrugged. "It's the way of the Kizuki, but that's not the reason why I'm here. May I come in and talk to you?" Oh right. Akaza wouldn't come into any women's room without direct permission. That's why he still stood outside the doorway. So you nodded and he stepped in, tail sliding the door behind him. "Thank you. I understand if this is very sudden. B-But I wanted to make my intentions clear." You only watched as he kneeled to sit on his knees in front of you. Rui patted along, looked over Akaza.... before sitting in the same position Akaza did. He noticed the pile of 'gifts' right next to him, plucking out the pink beaded anklet of his he gifted you as a necklace. "I see you've seen my gift.  ...What do you think of it?"

You blinked glancing at his legs to notice the missing anklet from his right leg. "...I think it's very beautiful and very nice of you to give to me, but I thought we agreed that I didn't really ask you to marry me and it was all a misunderstanding.''

"We did agree on that, and I know you really didn't ask me to marry you at all."

"Then why did you give me your anklet? Was it just to make the others back away?"

"Well...I did do that as a way to protect Rui and yourself, but there's another reason for it." You jumped  and your eyes widened as his hand gently grabbed one of yours and a sheen of pink spread across his face. "The second reason is because....I-I love you, Y/n. I love you, and I've never felt this way since Koyuki."

"Koyuki?" What was 'Koyuki'? Was that a name? Who's name was that? "Who's Koyuki?"

"She is my ex fiance." Your eyes widened and blinked surprised at him. "There's no need to worry. She's....been deceased for quite some time now." Golden blue eyes looked towards the side and his ears dropped at the mention of her and the increased squeeze of your hand had you knowing he tensed up some. "... That's..what I wanted you to know."

"Akaza...I'm so sorry." Your hand squeezed his back and you leaned your head to the right to try to look at his face but that only resulted in him squeezing his eyes shut. "What happened?' He was eerily quiet and didn't move to which you grew more concerned. Perhaps it was too touchy a subject. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked. You don't have to tell me anything."

He still remained quiet but slowly spoke. "If...I tell you-" he still didn't look up or open his eyes, but gave a shaky exhale that shook his entire body. "... I'll have to reveal a part of myself to you that would scare you away...and...I don't want to lose someone else important to me."

"I can handle it,  and I promise I won't judge you for anything, Akaza. I always keep my promises but that choice is completely up to you. I won't force you to tell me anything unless you want to."

He still remained silent and just sat there for a moment. "....I wasn't meant to be a demon."

You blinked. "What?"

"I wasn't meant to be human. My mother was demon, but my father...was a human." He finally opened his eyes and looked at your confused eyes. "Heh..Of course you would be confused. Let me explain. Demons and humans are never meant to have children together. Whenever they do have a child together it always results in human children. Only one percent of those children are actually born demon....I guess I'm a part of that percent."

Well you were surprised by that biology lesson. Did Akaza feel guilty about being born the way he was?

"My mother passed away long before I could even walk as an infant," he continued making you jump back to  him, "But...I don't really remember my father taking care of me." His brows furrowed in a way that made him look like he tried to remember something that wasn't there. "For as long as I could remember it had always been me taking care of him. ...Maybe that's why I can't remember any childhood."

"Was he very old?"

He jolted blinking at what you said. "Huh? Oh..N-No. It was actually the opposite of that. He was...always very sick. I couldn't always afford the medicine he desperately needed. Too many people and not enough money to go around... That's how I got myself in so much trouble. In order to get any medicine for him I had resorted myself to stealing. Which ... wasn't a good idea in hindsight." A free hand rubbed his neck ashamed. "A demon child stealing didn't really help with my reputation of looking monstrous...I must've shamed my father so much thinking back on it."

"Oh, Akaza. I don't think he would've. I can't say that what you did was a good thing, but it was the only way you could get what your father needed. I don't think any father would be ashamed of their son trying to help him."

"Maybe. Maybe not. I don't know... Maybe it was too much stress for him. Maybe he couldn't take being sick anymore. Maybe I did shame him too much. But, for whatever reason, he took his own life." You leaned back a bit wide eyed as Akaza once again looked down at his lap guiltily. "I'm... ashamed of what I became after that. You see..If they didn't think I was monster before,  they sure did after. In my rage and grief my stupid younger self picked many fights, I nearly killed many people, it was only when Koyuki's father stopped me did my senseless rage end."

Rui felt himself getting tired and his eyes closing. It's been a long day for him and it was getting harder and harder for him to stay awake.

"Is that...how you met her?"

He slowly nodded before giving a sad chuckle. "It's really funny now looking back on that moment. I must've looked absolutely scary to everyone being a demon and fighting everyone left and right. Then this cheery man comes along all smiles and takes me down in under ten minutes. I'd give anything to see my younger me's dumb face in that moment. He's... actually the one who took me in and gave me a job, and a home, and what purpose I could have. And..." You watched him immediately blush and look away embarrassed. "Gods...I wished you could've met her. She was so .. beautiful. She was the kindest, softest woman I've ever met. She didn't even seem to mind my appearance...AH!! STUPID!!" He slapped himself making you blink and Rui sit up again blinking sleepily. "Here I am wanting to court you and I speak of another woman! How shameful of me."

You blinked...then you giggled at his obvious blushing face making him flush a deeper pink. "Not at all. I think you're really cute when you talk about your family. I really like Koyuki already." You smiled wider. "She sounds like such a beautiful woman. No wonder you fell in love with her."

Your words only turned the deeper pink to a shade of red before he swallowed and frowned again. "Yes...From there he trained me as his own and, for a while, life was...better. Not perfect but better. You see...Koyuki much like my father was very sick for most of her life, but I never once complained. She was worth the effort I soon found out. I had everything a man could want. It was actually Koyuki's father who had the idea of engaging us and passing on his dojo to me once he retired.....I never should've left them alone."

That grim look of his was back and your smile slowly faded. "...Akaza?"

"...They were poisoned. Murdered." His free hand cracked the bones inside as a fist formed and veins popped up all along his arms. A hiss escaped his throat as his his fangs grit together. "I HATE them. I still hate every single one of them. They took them both away from me." 

"Them? Them who?"

"A rival dojo at the time. They were the ones who poisoned the water supply. T-That's how they took her from me." The grip tightened up as he tensed up more. The chest rising up and down faster with slightly heavier breaths. "Everything I ever had...all of it was just...gone."  Don't cry don't cry don't cry. "And I killed them. One by one. They dropped like flies. All of them. I made them suffer for everything they did. If the innocent couldn't have life then neither could they. I killed them!....I-I....killed them..." Fluffy pink lashes welding up with tears looked at your stunned face. "....I killed them...Y/n... I'm a murderer and I..I don't think I could hide that from you." His chest heaved. A small little figure snored happily away pressed into his soft side. It's his fault that the kid was here. "...It's my fault. All of it..and it's my fault he's here. It's my fault he's fatherless." A free hand reached up to cover his eyes. "I killed him."

"Who?"

He choked. "Rui's Father. Im responsible for his death." A sob finally choked from his throat. "I-....I have nothing to say that would make that fact ok."

Purple eyes widened. "Akaza."

"I know..I shouldn't cry-"

"What? No!" He was surprised by the strength that freed your hand from his but .ore shocked at the hands that grabbed his cheeks. You had to stand in order to look him in the eyes with a stern look. "You should be able to cry. You went through so much heartbreak and got so much stress built up on your shoulders already. Who wouldn't cry if they lost so many people you loved? I would be concerned if you didn't cry."

Shiny tears clung to that pretty pale skin as he stared at you. Fluffy eyelashes almost losing  their fluffiness from the water. "I'm a..man... we're not supposed to-"

"Bullshit! Crying doesn't make you less of a man. People cry for all kinds of reasons. Some people get so stressed out or frustrated they cry. Some people cry because they're so scared they can't help it. Others cry in anger or when they get something in their eyes. Some people can cry crocodile tears even." He nearly sobbed as a thumb wiped away one tear coming from his eyes. "But a lot of times... People cry when they're sad or heartbroken. And why shouldn't they? It's healthy and good to cry every so often. For men and women. And you know what...I like you when you cry." He blinked as another hand wiped as his cheek. "I like you when you smile too. Or when you get angry. Or flustered. Or when you're sad. Showing so much makes you so strong. So don't be afraid to cry, especially for someone you loved to much. I would NEVER think of you as anything less than who you really are for that." You made to clarify firmly. "I love that about you. I love you for you. So go ahead and cry."

At first he didn't react...just sat there on his knees looking up at you for a moment before his lips quivered and eyes crinkled up. Leaning forward, the Upper Moon Three pushed his face into the green cloth of a kimono, two arms wrapped around the torso of the woman in front of him. And the muffled sobs of the demon echoed throughout the room from Akaza's heaving lungs. Two smaller hands soothed the crying running  along his hair and upper back. It could be a small gesture but to him..it meant so much. Slowly minute after minute passed and slowly, slowly things calmed down. The heaving stopped. The sobs stopped. The tears even stopped. But the grip on her like a lifeline remained. Until the head looked back up as two soft hands placed themselves back on those cheeks. 

"Y/n.."

A face closed in. Purple eyes widened in shock. And a small seal of love was proven. And a promise was mumbled from his  kiss.

"I promise you I will protect you. I will be the best father I can be for Rui." Golden blue eyes narrowed. His hug increasing slightly. "And I promise you...I don't plan on losing more people I love so easily.''

[ficharsimp]

atsushi and kaeya for the character ask game!!

hell yeah thank you!

Atsushi:

Favourite thing about them: he's so strong and remains kind despite everything he's been through

Least favourite thing about them: HE GETS OVERSHADOWED BY OTHERS SO MUCH That's not even his fault but still who is the mc here hello

Favourite line: uhhhhhhhh i don't remember i'm sorry :')

brOTP: He and Dazai they're very important to me

OTP: sskk of course, also atsulucy and kuniatsu

nOTP: he and chuuya not a fan of that one

Random headcanon: The white hair and dual colored eyes are caused by the tiger within him. The one black streak of hair is his natural color bleeding through. But in Modern or generally noncanon AUs I hc he has albinism so he still looks like that!

Unpopular opinion: I sure hope this has gotten more popular but he's not an uwu soft bean

Song I associate with them: Rise by Katy Perry off the top of my head... that one fits a lot of my faves actually

Favourite picture of them:

just one of the many his eyes here are so. aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Kaeya

Favourite thing about them: his lore and his personality like at first you think he's your average token hot guy you meet in the start but then he's form a long fallen nation? the kids in mondstadt love him? he gets shy and flustered so easily? he's so loyal and protective? so good

Least favourite thing about them: don't get me wrong I love his EN voice but the sultry tone is too much sometimes

Favourite line: "I didn't realize we've known each other for so long now. Time flies! You know, following you on your journey might just be the most fun I've had in my whole life. I hope it stays that way." this animation might be the reason ngl

brOTP: does he and his brother count? if not then he and Jean

OTP: rosakae meaning he and rosaria I love them

nOTP: aside from the obvious one (he is unfortunately often shipped with his literal brother fml), he and albedo or he and childe I don't really like those

Random headcanon: he loves reading romance novels

Unpopular opinion: once again I hope this is more popular now that we're four years into the game but he's not a hoe dammit. god forbid a man has a boob window

Song I associate with them: Royalty by Neoni

Favourite picture of them:

idk how i could ever choose just one but I love this one so much

and this one for good measure bc it's actual art and not just a screenshot

[jackwolfes]

if you still wanna talk about all your other wips i’m interested!!😌

oh love i always want to talk about my WIPs 😅

to be perfectly honest i've got writer's block BAD at the minute so i'm sort of not working on much of anything atm! january 2022 i took a big month-long break from posting and am probably going to do the same again this year (save for AM AU because that's already finalised)

the ones i've been particularly focused on lately are:

a very big very dark febuwhump fic that ties together all the prompts into a big long horrible narrative (which will be posted anon to a) avoid spamming folks with daily updates and b) to avoid getting fucking murdered in case people can't read tags)

comparatively a much nicer "there was only one bed" fic set in the immediate post-canon because shockingly, i have never written a take on the "i charge a steep fee/i'd like to make a downpayment" scene

the full list of them (+ some commentary) as they currently stand is under the cut if you're curious though:

soc:

a mystery valentines day fic for my GF which is a fudge shop au

dead jesper fic, which is fully written and just needs to be edited

wylan gets amnesia au, again fully written, just needs editing

the ever persistent sugar baby au which is ticking along

mini edits to arranged marriage au, plus a fair few pre- mid- and post-fic scenes (incl

kuwesper friends with benefits fic

kylan fucking in a private theatre box

the kylan/kawesper royalty au

the wynejesper fic aka wylan's sexuality exploration time

horny rockstar au

a very soft inesper first time fic that i've been playing around with

a few character studies about houses and homes

wedding florist wylan, most of which is him being stupid

a soft fluff fic where wylan gets high and makes a mess of himself

the cowritten "jesper can't read?" fic

a christmassy fic i'm cowriting with a friend wherein jesper gets catfished

the kazper fake married/"jesper gets left at the altar" fic

a wee lil nonbinary wylan fic/study that i think would really fit a big bang if the soc bb runs again this year 👀

a kazpernej pining fic that i'm in the plotting stages for because again, writer's block

similarly i've been thinking about my summery seaside au that i want to write but don't want to start when i have so many other long AUs i haven't touched

supermodel au which, annoyingly, i'm not sure works anymore as i've set it up

cowboy au, el dorado au, summertime cabin au and domx for hire wylan, all of which i'll definitely one day return to

trc:

the year of the otp challenge which i'm going to TRY and do for pynch, although i might need to backdate the first one because writer's block

what may end up being a full length bridgerton au but is currently just titled "bees?"

the jordeclan kink fic

the adam parrish kink character study

once for a tumblr ask i wrote a short snippet for a resurrection roadtrip au that i'm holding onto to see if i might want to carry on with it, but unsure

check please:

i'm still very very very very very fond of my zimbits superhero au so that's perpetually sticking around

i also really want to write a "bitty definitely has adhd" fic that ive outlined but not done much on

i'm also very nerve wrackingly looking at writing an original work!! which is scary and big! but i'm excited about it!

[nerdwhoauthorinserts]

coffee shop, fake dating, and hanahaki! :3

Coffee Shop:

Starting with a hard question!

Uhm... I'm not sure. I guess it depends on whether you count 'alternate canons' as AUs or not. (For example: Early MCU and Earth's Mightiest heroes are two different continuities. That's not even mentioning canon AUs like DC's Elseworlds comics.) But if we aren't talking about that?

...I have to be at over fifty by now. I really like AUs. Centaur!AU, Backstoryswap!AUs, Pokemon!AU, Fusion!AU, Animal!AU, Crossover!AUs, Genreswap!AUs, Villain(Or Hero)!AUs, Monster!AUs, Comfort condo, Fairytale!AUs, Zombie!AUs, Modern(Or time period)!AUs, Kin!AUs (Dragonkin, for instance.), Celebrity/Royalty!AUs, etc.

And that's not even mentioning the AUs for my OC f/os, I have too many of those-

Fake Dating:

I'll use Loki again for this question, since they didn't specify (and adding all of my F/O's here would make me lag like crazy.)

The things that would change would be very major. I, for instance, am not the type of person to keep my emotions hidden and suffer in silence most of the time, especially when I'm angry or upset. I also like to do my own thing and be a 'free bird'.

So in this AU, Loki's family would know about how they feel about the family's 'dynamic' far, far before the events of Thor. This Loki would also likely not be too attached to the idea of 'fitting in on Asgard and in their family', and would likely have left to find their own 'found family' a long time ago.

Loki is a bit more reserved and eloquent, but I'm... not. I'm finger guns, bad puns, and 'that's what she said' jokes. So... Loki, with my personality, would likely not have seemed as 'suave' to people as they normally are.

On my end of things, being not as emotionally outspoken and all? I feel like I'd definitely be in a different spot. Honestly, I probably would've pursued law and become a lawyer like my dad wanted.

Hanahaki:

Fusion AUs. I love those so much. Just- AUs where characters can fuse together are underrated, tbh. Fusions between F/O and S/I, too. Especially if it's similar to how Steven Universe does it? Like, please-

[andorerso]

secret love song

Princess of Lah'mu, Jyn Erso, is sick of pining after her royal bodyguard. So there's only one solution, really. Thrust into him into the arms of another.

(Certainly, she's had better ideas.)

“You should dance with her,” Jyn says when Cassian approaches her for the first time that evening. No doubt hoping to ask her for a dance instead.

Jyn knows that he doesn’t care much for this sort of dancing – he’s always preferred the lethal sort of two steel swords clashing together. But he’s polite enough to ask anyway, at every ball, without fail, for one dance. Only one because Cassian never wants more than what he can have and because Jyn always has someone else to dance with, some other aristocrat to entertain.

But it doesn’t matter; to Jyn, her one dance with Cassian is always the highlight of her night.

Now, she’s too frustrated—upset to dance with him. It’s better if she puts some distance between them. She thinks she’s going to embarrass herself if he comes too close.

“With who?” Cassian inquires, confusion written across his handsome face.

Jyn nods towards the lady, dressed in wine purple, brown hair elegantly twisted up in a bun, not unlike her own. She stands next to the grandiose fountain in the middle of the room, pretending to gossip and giggle with her friends, but Jyn sees her glancing at Cassian every couple of minutes like a moth drawn to a flame.

Helena Krennic is the daughter of Orson Krennic, who is co-owner of the Lah’mu Railways Company and founder of Krennic Bank, therefore a very important individual that she must impress – according to her royal advisor, at least. Helena herself is an accomplished pianist, an esteemed painter, an occasional poet, and an admirer of Cassian Andor, apparently.

Cassian swivels in the direction Jyn gestured towards, his frown deepening.

“Why?”

“Because she’s been looking at you all night,” Jyn answers, relieved to hear that her voice is not quite as bitter as she feared it would be. Yet, she can’t completely hide the contempt either.

“I haven’t noticed,” he says, and she knows he’s being honest. When it comes to battle, nothing escapes his attention, but with the ladies, he’s hopeless.

(Has he noticed that Jyn, too, has been looking at him since she was fifteen? No, he has not. Or perhaps he’d thought her crush childish. Perhaps he hadn’t realized that as she grew up, so did her feelings for him. She’s no longer a young girl admiring her older, braver, skillful royal bodyguard. She’s a woman who’s fallen in love with the forbidden fruit.)

She knows Helena isn’t to blame – Jyn has no claim on Cassian, who is a handsome young man, and whose noble job of protecting the princess made him even more appealing to certain people. Ladies have noticed him before. And while some find his background and lowborn status disagreeable, others deem it a testament of talent and ambition that he could rise as far as to be Jyn Erso’s royal bodyguard at such a young age. Rags to riches is an appealing fairytale. And Helena appears to be a fan of fairytales.

Jyn hates Helena for that. She hates herself for wanting Cassian, and she hates Cassian for being so damn wantable and for not wanting her back. Or if he does, for not showing it. Most of all, she hates the world they live in, and she hates the universe for making her a princess but making Cassian a nobody. It would be an impossible love affair.

“She’s the daughter of Orson Krennic,” Jyn pushes, metaphorically thrusting him into Helena’s arms because she finds it the most reasonable option – letting go of Cassian so he can belong to somebody else. Perhaps then she could learn to let go of her feelings as well.

There, have him, she imagines saying to Helena. The princess gives you her blessing. Have him, just don’t let me have him.

“You’re being impolite,” Jyn continues, throwing him a stern look. “Go and dance with her before she takes offense and tells her father that the princess employs a royal bodyguard with no manners. Queen’s orders.”

There’s a laugh in Cassian’s voice, only because he doesn’t quite realize the extent of her turmoil.

“You’re not queen yet,” he reminds her.

“But I am your boss,” she answers, leaving no room for argument. Cassian seems amused, not subdued, but he leaves as requested and asks Helena Krennic for a dance.

xxx

Jyn expected Cassian would dance with Helena once, maybe twice if she’s pushy, and then make his way back to her or blend into the background as he usually does at these gatherings. But he’s danced with her four times before retreating to a secluded corner, next to a painting of Jyn’s grandmother, where they stand even now. Conversing intimately with each other. Intimately, on Helena’s end, at least. Cassian’s expression is smooth, a mask, but Jyn has known him long enough to recognize that he is less than thrilled with the situation.

She’s watched them as she twirled on the dance floor, making polite conversation with men of power and great importance. She’s seen the way Helena pressed herself tightly against Cassian as they danced, and the way she played with her hair and leaned closer to whisper something to him as they talked. Jyn has sent him into the lion’s den, it seems, and Cassian could not find his way out.

So maybe she feels a bit guilty. Or angry. Or regretful, even. Whatever it is, between two dances with insufferable statesmen, Jyn makes her way over to the not so lovely couple and politely requests Cassian’s presence for a dance. Helena can’t say no even if she wants to. (And, no doubt, she wants to.)

Jyn knows it’s not exactly traditional for a woman to ask a man to dance, and she knows it will fuel gossip and scandalize the aristocracy, but she doesn’t care. She owes it Cassian to rescue him from Helena, and –

She changed her mind. She can’t let the other woman have him after all.

She pushed him towards Helena but she did it in anger, in desperation, in hopelessness. Seeing them together cleared up her mind. If she thought it would help her move on, she was sorely mistaken.

Cassian is relieved as he leads her to the dance floor but only Jyn sees the way his expression loosens. He doesn’t question her erratic behavior. Seconds pass in silence, Jyn trying to ignore how warm his hands are on her waist. How nice he smells. How right it feels to be held by him. How, if she squints, he almost looks like he wants her too.

She breaks the quiet when the song is nearing its end, knowing she’ll be soon swept away by someone else.

“Did you enjoy conversing with Lady Helena?”

There’s not much bite in her words anymore – Cassian’s embrace has mellowed her anger – but he still raises his eyebrows at her.

“I’d rather have conversed with two rabid dogs.”

Jyn’s snort is positively unladylike but his lips quirk at the sound. Her mood brightens.

“But you know this,” Cassian adds, dark eyes searching hers.

“Well, I just thought...” She shakes her head. The song comes to a halt but neither of them lets go. “I don’t know what I thought. But she’s very pretty, wouldn’t you say?”

“Jyn –”

Cassian is interrupted before he could say more and Jyn turns with a fake smile towards the newcomer – no other than Lord Krennic himself. Cassian bows, excusing himself, but Jyn feels his eyes lingering on her as he retreats into the shadows.

xxx

She doesn’t see him again until she’s back in her suite. Cassian waits for her in her sitting room, his cravat gone, his vest unbuttoned. Jyn felt dreadfully tired as she made her way up the stairs, her eyelids heavy, her feet aching – but now, seeing Cassian in front of her, she perks up. She could spare him another hour of conversation before retiring for the day. Especially since she’s barely seen him today at all.

“You’re in luck,” Jyn remarks as she plops down on a recliner opposite of him, hiking up her dress to remove her shoes. She massages her sore feet, wondering what it would take to convince Cassian to do it for her. Dancing all night really takes its toll on one’s legs – by the end of the night, she could barely stand.

“Lord Krennic doesn’t want a ‘strange figure like you’ around her only daughter. He’s tried to subtly persuade me to call you off, I think. As if you were my dog or something, can you believe it?” Jyn huffs, even though, yes, she can believe it, and so can Cassian. “In any case, I doubt Helena could pursue a relationship with you now. Even she has to realize that.”

Cassian scowls. He looks good like this, still in his fancy attire but comfortably messy instead of exceptionally neat. Jyn likes the way his shirt crumples up and the way his hair falls into his eyes. The way he leans back against the couch with leisure. He looks like Cassian now, not like one of the detestable dukes she’s had to endure this evening.

“Oh, don’t take offense,” she adds at his frown. “Krennic is a hateful man, he’s always been.”

Her blood had boiled at the way Krennic had spoken of Cassian – but she doesn’t want him to be upset now. Krennic doesn’t matter. Even the royal advisor doesn’t matter. She would always, always pick Cassian. (And if that makes her a terrible future queen… well. An issue for a different day.)

“I don’t care what Orson Krennic, or her daughter thinks of me,” Cassian says, his voice low. “I just don’t understand why we are talking about her again.”

She shrugs. “I thought you might want to know that she won’t be bothering you anymore.”

“I wasn’t very afraid of that.”

“Good then.” She nods, and they fall into a silence less comfortable than it usually is with Cassian. He seems calm as he observes her but Jyn feels her skin itch under his gaze. Does he see that when he looks at her? Can he sense her heart beating faster every time he’s in her vicinity? How much does he, her formidable royal bodyguard, truly notice?

“Jyn,” he drawls her name, a question in his voice. She looks up at him instinctively. “You’ve been acting strange.”

She swallows, trying to evade the question. “Have I?”

He nods. “Positively.”

“Strange how?”

“Strange about this Lady Helena business,” he says. He’s so calm, so in contrast with Jyn’s growing nerves. He’s figured her out. Hasn’t he? Of course he has. Cassian knows her too well. “If I had to take a guess, I’d say you were jealous of her.”

“I wasn’t,” she says – too fast. An amateur move. Is she trying to be caught? Part of her wouldn’t even be surprised. “Why would I be?”

A smile plays on his lips. Small but genuine. A far cry from his other smiles; polite, disarming, reassuring – all fake. She’s one of the few people who get to see his real smiles. She always feels pity for the rest of the world who will never know how beautiful it can truly be.

“I don’t understand why you should be either,” he says, rising from his place. Jyn remains seated, staring up at him as he walks closer. “You know I only have eyes for you.”

It’s not true, she’s never known – but he says it like a confession that she can’t misinterpret. It’s not a platonic statement, it’s not even because of his job as her royal bodyguard. It’s too… intimate for that. He means it the same way she only has eyes for him – exclusively, faithfully, admiringly.

Jyn’s heart stops for what feels like too long before it begins pounding in her chest. The shaky breath she lets out is audible in the quiet room, full of tenderness, longing and hope. She finally stands too, her aching feet forgotten.

“Do I?” she counters quietly, her eyes trained on his.

In a rare moment of vulnerability, Cassian allows his feelings to show on his face, allows her to read him like a book. What stands out most is devotion – so strong and absolute, it nearly knocks her off her feet.

“I hoped you did,” he says, his voice honest and gentle.

“I didn’t,” she answers but her lips curve up.

“My mistake. I shall make it clear from now.”

Cassian reaches up, so slow like he expects her to object, fingering the golden barrette in her hair. He hesitates for a moment before removing it, his thumb catching on her cheek. Her hair cascades down her shoulders, brown locks framing her face, Cassian combing through them with his fingers.

“I like your hair down,” he tells her. Such a simple thing to say, but Jyn can’t hold herself back anymore. She reaches up to kiss him, gasping into his mouth as his hand wraps around her waist. It’s a quick but intense thing, stealing the breath from her lungs, making her tremble in his arms.

She pulls away to look him in the eye, voice low and insistent.

“Tell me again that you want me. And don’t ever let me forget.”

[llamaoftheinternet]

We really heard the phrase "opposites attract" and ran with it.

Hear me out, there are so many trope ship dynamics that, at the end of the day, can be boiled down to "opposites attract" and I'm going to name just couple to prove it.

Enemies to lovers

On the opposite side of some kind of conflict, from different backgrounds and life experiences, might even have opposite moral compasses.

The red and blue ships

I may be slightly presuming you know what I mean by this but let's just say it's a very common character aesthetic because of prime colours.

One of them is normally more introverted while the other is extraverted. Or they butt heads a lot.

Jock and nerd

The Jock/popular girl is ever seen as well loved by everyone or a bit of an ass, and the nerd is seen as quiet, keeping to themselves.

They normally end up together via tutoring sessions given by the nerd.

Royalty and commoner

Royalty from a high class background where they are not given that much freedom and either don't realise it or are fed up of it and want to be free. In most of the things I've read they meet the commoner because they've snuck out of the castle/estate or the 'commoner' works in the grounds, therefore seen as lower/working class.

I'm not actually sure if this is a well-known one or just one that I've seen a couple of fic use but it fits.

Beauty and the beast

If you use the Disney film as an example. Belle is perceived as beautiful and smart but from a simple village and the beast/Adam is perceived for most of the film as as ferocious and a little feral from a formally grand castle.

The whole film was based around the concept of opposites attract and looks don't matter, you can't convince me otherwise. I've seen a very similar concept be used in other fics that don't directly linked to beauty and the beast but it's the most well-known case.

Flower shop and tattoo shop AUs

The florist is most likely seen as bright and chipper, while the tattoo artist may be seen as edgy and intimidating.

These are just a couple but feel free to add to it because I find it interesting that despite it being a very simple concept we've found so many ways of exploring it.

[shinidamachu]

I recently watched Don Bluth’s ‘Anastasia’ and while I know it’s not historically accurate or anything, the movie in itself is beautiful, and Ana x Dimitri somehow gave me a similar vibe to InuKag, only in reversed roles; because Ana is the one who’s looking for her place to belong and she so happens to be lost royalty too, enemies to friends to lovers, bickering a lot, etc lol just thought I’d share!

Oh, anon, I don't know if you noticed that from the everything about me, but I love musicals, animated movies, Fairy Tales... and Anastasia just happens to be one of my all time favorites.

It's not only a beautiful movie, aesthetically speaking, but the plot is compelling, the characters are relatable, likeable and very well written, the romance makes you swoon.

Anya and Dimitri definitely give me Inukag vibes. In fact... I wanted it to be a surprise, but fuck it: for years now I've been wanting to write an Inukag Anastasia AU. It's an idea I'm very passionate about, so maybe one day I'll pull it off.

I totally see where you're coming from with the reversed roles concept and I totally agree. I'd just add that it works both ways: Inuyasha and Anya are both long lost nobles looking for a place to belong, but personality wise, I think he resembles Dimitri more, while Kagome and Anya share more similarities.

Either way you interpret the characters, it doesn't change the fact that both relationships have the exact same pleasant dynamic. And that's the most important thing. Now, can I interest you in the Broadway adaptation if you haven't watched it yet?

Lately I've been adopting quite the "anti live actions, sequels, spin-offs and other adaptations in general" instance, so for me to go out of my way to recommend one it means I really, really think it's worth it. If you're looking for something remotely (emphasis on remotely) more historically accurate than the original, you're probably gonna like it.

The new characters fit perfectly well, the extra songs were as iconic as the original ones, the acting was on point, the performances were mind blowing. I don't think they could have come up with a better, brighter, more talented cast if they tried. The costumes were out of this world gorgeous. And sure, there were changes here and there, but the heart of the story was beating just as strong. You can tell they really put effort on making it justice.

And it felt magical.

[mindninjax]

Iron and Wine (4)

Chapter 4- Two Blue Eyes

Previous Chapter | Masterlist | Next Chapter

Erwin Smith x fem!reader (Royalty AU)

Warnings: They/them pronouns used for Hange, Miche literally almost charming the panties off of you, some minor character death, I'm not gonna ruin the surprise just know some of you will be disgusted with me and others will be thrilled lololol

WC: 5.1K

a/n: I'm sorry this took so long to get out. I changed so much shit around in this chapter because this is where it gets REAL. I think I've finally got what I want to happen from this point on locked and loaded though. Writing it may be a different story because this month is gonna get a lil busy for me. s/o to @lazyezstudy and @charlotteplsdosth for being sweet little darlings. 💖I'll dedicate this chapter to you.😘

Erwin’s eyes scan the horizon once more as the fluttering wings of the raven in the rookery rustles his hair. It’s been two weeks and there’s been no word from Abel or Keiji. They’ve never gone this long without sending word back which can only mean trouble. Erwin chews his lip nervously, creasing his brow as he racks his brain. What should he do? Send more men to find the two he lost? That would be a wise decision, if he had men to send. A raven flutters down next to him and he pets the head with one finger, gently.

What could have hindered Abel and Keiji from checking in? A tingle in his gut hints at the answer, but he doesn’t dare give voice to it. It’s a bad omen and he’d rather spend energy preparing than worrying. He continues scribbling the messages onto the slip of parchment and ties it to the raven sitting next to him before releasing it toward the North. He lifts a finger to beckon two more birds down to him, attaches the other messages, and lets one free toward the South and the other toward the West.

There’s still the issue of the agreement or lack thereof with you. Perhaps he shouldn’t have pushed you last night. Though he will admit it was entertaining.

The sound of shuffling feet breaks him from his concentrated stupor and he turns to see Miche and Hange approaching. Miche’s large broad shoulders block the doorway to the stairwell as he fills the entryway and blocks Hange from sight. He bows respectfully before reporting.

“Sire, the war council has gathered in the war room. They are awaiting your presence.” Erwin watches the flapping wings of the raven he just released silently. He doesn’t turn around when he speaks.

“Miche, you’ve been in the presence of my special guest. How do you like her?” he asks as if asking about the clouds donning the skies. Miche gulps and blinks quickly in confusion.

“You’re asking me if I like her?” he repeats, trying to be sure.

“Yes. It’s no secret she is a beauty. Even Levi seems to have noticed. So tell me, what has your nose told you about her?” Erwin says simply. He turns to look into his comrade’s large honest eyes.

“Erm, well she smells of fresh grass and wood, moss and clear spring water with a hint of some sweet flower I’ve been having trouble identifying. I’ve only smelled it once or twice in my life, but it was so lovely I never forgot it. But…” Miche trails off as he watches Erwin raise an eyebrow at him.

“What is it?”

“It’s fading… that scent is fading from her the longer she’s here,” Miche finishes quickly. He sets his face in a confident smooth expression and looks into the king’s eyes.

Erwin matches his serious and confident expression, “Are you suggesting I let her go?” he asks slowly, enunciating each word.

“No, your majesty,” he drops his eyes, regretful. Erwin sighs and places a hand on his shoulder.

“Don’t. Forgive me, I am just at a loss of what to do. It’s obvious the lioness doesn’t trust me and no matter what I give her she won’t change her mind. There is still no word from Abel and Keiji. I've sent ravens to Pixis in the North and Shadis in the South. War will be on our shores in months and I don’t have the support of my people, and decreasing numbers of soldiers thanks to famine and this petty war with the forest savages my father started,” he cards his fingers through his hair and runs a hand over his face. Miche can tell the stress of the situation is getting to him. A

“Erwin, perhaps you’re going about this agreement with the woman in the wrong way,” Hange speaks up then, pushing past Miche and clapping Erwin on the shoulder.

“Well you’re part of my damn counsel, so counsel me,” Erwin replies, giving a tired chuckle.

“You plucked a wild woman who’s people you just referred to as ‘forest savages’—it’s probably wise not to say that in front of her— from her home in the forest and put her in a castle expecting her to be enthralled with all the riches,” Hange explains holding out their hands in an animated expression as if the rest of the point is clear before them. When Erwin stares blankly at them and they sigh as if he’s hopeless and continues.

“It’s clear she’s not impressed by it, so why not show her something she will be impressed with? Something she’ll actually enjoy but can’t find in her forest village. If you can show her that you’re actually paying attention, she may be more inclined to join us. Moblit mentioned she was quite pleasant to him and she seems to have taken to Historia quickly.”

Erwin ponders their words for a moment and Hange knocks a fist against their own head as they try to think of something here in the castle that might impress you. Miche’s green eyes look between the two of them before he sighs deeply and grunts in a deep voice, “The private gardens.”

“Great idea big guy!” Hange says, clapping their hands together.

Erwin smiles at both of them, then takes a deep breath. He turns to look out at the horizon again, hoping to catch a glance of a raven. When he doesn't, he turns back to Miche and says, “OK then, I’m entrusting the lioness to you, Miche. Show her the gardens, make sure she actually enjoys it. Hange, you’ll join me in the war room. It seems we’ll have some things to discuss.”

“I’ve been sent to escort you to the king’s private gardens, my lady.”

A large blonde man whom Historia whispers and informs you is named Miche Zachariaus, bows before you as you swing open the door. You recognize him instantly. He’s the strong one who carried you away after your first talk with Erwin. You take a moment to scrutinize him before responding. Everything about him is large. His chest is broad, his shoulders wide and strong, he could probably fit 10 bundles of wood on his back and carry them with ease. He is handsome as well, no doubt part of Erwin’s plan. As if you’d be swayed by a man’s looks, though you do quietly and begrudgingly thank him for the nice view. He’s not wearing his armor which you find alarming. He either doesn’t see you as a threat or his skills are far beyond any you’ve known or witnessed and that also puts you on edge. You decide to be polite.

“I humbly decline,” you say in a small voice. As you’re about to close the door, his large hand stops it and pushes it back open. He looks almost desperate and you furrow your brows in confusion as you look back up to him.

“Please, my lady. I implore you to reconsider. I’m aware most of the luxuries have not been to your liking but this I'm sure you will enjoy,” Miche says, holding out a hand for you to grab. Your eyes shift back and forth from his outstretched hand and up to his gentle green eyes. He looks hopeful, like he really hopes you’ll take his hand. You hear Historia’s soft footsteps behind you.

“I’ve never seen the king’s personal garden. You should go, it’ll be beautiful. Ser Miche won’t hurt you. He’s very gentle and kind,” she whispers to you.

You give her a teasing smirk as you whisper over your shoulder back to her, “You’ve said that about everyone here.”

“Well I haven’t been wrong, have I?” she huffs and pokes out her lip in a cute pout.

“Only once,” you say, remembering the night Erwin came to your room. Miche clears his throat to remind you of his presence and you smile back up at him. “Would she be permitted to come with me?” you ask, nodding your head in Historia’s direction.

“You can invite anyone you’d like, my lady,” Miche responds and Historia’s eyes light up in excitement. You try to hide the smile tickling the edges of your lips and swallow the excitement at the thought of seeing the gardens.

“Very well then,” you say, grasping his hand.

The garden is breathtakingly beautiful. It’s as if it’s located in another world. It smells wonderful, not at all like the moldy castle corridors or the stench of burning fire and metal that drifts in your window from the castle town below. The sun rays kiss the green leaves of each plant and the array of colors each flower offers is more beautiful than any you've ever witnessed in your village.

When Miche opens the heavy iron gates, you’re at a loss for words. There’s a cobblestone path that leads to a grand white marble fountain in the middle of the garden. Multiple paths break off in different directions showcasing different plants. Vines climb up the walls and cover the stone, butterflies and bees frequent the flowers, and it surprises you how much this one little place reminds you of home.

There’s no stopping the bright smile that bursts onto your face and stays there while you gaze around in fascination. Historia is next to you, matching your bewildered expression and when the two of you meet each other's eyes you both laugh in amusement and happiness. Your laughter echoes through the garden and mixes with the babbling water of the fountain, a glorious little melody. Miche is watching you with a warm-hearted smile and you catch him ogling you from the entrance. You try to pull yourself together as you watch HIstoria wander off and Miche closes the gate behind him and comes to stand next to you.

“I’m glad you’re enjoying it. Would you like a tour?” he suggests and you look at him in shock.

“There’s more?” you breathe and he chuckles a deep rumbling noise before holding out his arm. You hesitate again looking at his outstretched hand with suspicion. He doesn’t take it personally, a man as large and strong as him doesn’t have much to worry about, but he does give you a reassuring smile.

“Yes, my lady there is more. I thought you’d like to see all the gardens have to offer,” he replies, gesturing to the entirety of the courtyard. You blink in astonishment.

“This was your idea? How did you know I’d-”

“Your scent is strong. You smell like the trees and a sweet flower. I've been trying to figure out the name since you’ve arrived,” he says matter of factly. He turns to you then and reaches out slowly to grab the braid sitting on your shoulder. You surprise yourself when you don’t move away from him, but the fact that this was his idea, that he mentioned your scent, makes you feel more at ease around him.

“May I?” he says, green eyes drifting to yours. His long lashes brush against his cheeks and his deep voice rumbles through his body when he speaks.

“You wish to...smell my hair?”

“Yes, if you would permit me to do so,” he says politely. Again you look at him with suspicion, but nod to let him know it is ok to move closer to you.

Your eyes stay glued to him as he crouches and brings the long braid up to his nose and inhales deeply. He drags it up and down your hair, inhaling and exhaling with a deep pleasurable sigh after each breath. His eyes are closed as he focuses on the scent, mumbling words to himself.

“Pine...a hint of lemongrass...cedar wood...ugh the perfume overpowers the natural scent… and there that flower again...what is it?” He switches back and forth from sniffing your hair and sniffing the sweet air of the gardens. He’s quite amusing to watch and you smile to yourself as his shaggy hair falls over his eyes when he bends down to sniff you again.

Suddenly his eyes shoot open and he turns to face a path leading away from the fountain. He grabs your hand slowly, his large fingers wrapping around yours and swallowing it completely and strolls down the path looking back and forth between the colorful petals. He momentarily stops to sniff the air again before taking turns in the maze of plants until he comes across a hedge of thick green bushes and vines.

“Is this what you’re looking for?” You ask him, gesturing to the huge hedge in front of you sarcastically. He doesn’t respond, only bends down on one knee and reaches into the hedge. You try to pull him back, the hedge houses many thorns definitely as a means to keep people out of that area.

“No, don't! You’ll hurt your–“

He pulls his hand from the wall of thorns, bloody and pin pricked but holding the loveliest flower you’ve ever seen in your life. It’s pure white and unphased by the thorns or by Miche pulling it from its hiding place. You’re stunned by its beauty and it’s perfect white petals. He hands it to you and smiles a big joyous grin.

“How did you–“

“I’ve always had a good nose. I knew I’d smelled this plant before. Once near the edges of the forest. And then again when you were brought before Erwin. There were hints of it here, but it doesn’t seem to belong here. I figure it’s only natural to give it to you considering…” He doesn’t finish this sentence, not wanting to rub dirt in the wound of you being forced from your home. The flower make tears well in your eyes and you quickly swipe them away before he can see them.

You take the flower from him and bring it to your nose, the scent immediately reminding you of home and the huge field that has many of these swaying in the breeze. “It’s a moon blossom. They bloom at night or in dark places under the moon. It’s a symbol of growth in dark times,” you explain to him.

He nods in understanding. “I’d like to think…” he starts grabbing the flower from you again and moving to place it gently into your hair, “that it represents you, thriving and standing beautifully despite being so far from home.” His finger skims across your cheek as he fixes your hair. He’s definitely a charmer and he flashes you a cute boyish grin that you can’t help but return. His charm is genuine and you snicker as he steps back to look you over.

“Are you attempting to woo me?” you ask playfully.

“No. If I were, my lady, I’d tell you that there’s not a flower in this garden that compares to the beauty you possess. And that the dullest of days would shine brighter, for the sun would be envious of your presence and beauty.”

He finishes his sentence with a bow and a soft but pointed kiss on the palm of your hand. You can feel the prickle of his moustache in your hand and paired with his soft lips and warm breath, it sends a shiver up your spine.

The moment his lips leave your palm, your heart is thumping. You can still feel the warmth of the kiss on your skin and it radiates all over your body, culminating at the apples of your cheeks. You watch as his smile turns smug much to your chagrin, you turn away to hide the smile creeping at the edges of your lips.

“Alright then, I see now why the king sent you to escort me,” you say, clearing your throat. He chuckles in a deep baritone and holds his arm out to continue escorting you through the gardens.

“He’s very interested in you,” Miche replies, looking down at you as the two of you stroll.

You roll your eyes, “I bet he is,” you say remembering the way Erwin pinned you to the wall, his lips on your neck and jaw.

“Truly my lady, In all the years of knowing him, I’ve never seen him so entranced before,” he replies, watching as you let go of his arm to sniff a large drooping pink flower. Entranced, a pretty way of saying “kidnapping”, but something else he says catches your attention.

“How long have you known him?” you ask, curiosity painting your features.

“Since we were boys. I was a stablehand in the town right outside the castle walls. Erwin wasn’t king then but he snuck out of the castle to spend time with me. He taught me to read, taught me how to use a sword, and helped me become a knight under his father’s rule. He took care of my family when the food supply started running out, gave them jobs in the castle when he became King.”

He looks ahead as if he’s picturing all the events unfolding in front of him. You shrug your shoulders. Of course his best man would speak great things about him. Erwin is the King, it’s treason to speak ill about him. Though you will admit, this isn’t the first time you’ve heard of him helping out one of the people in the castle. You remember Historia telling you he found her in her village.

“What about Historia? She mentioned he found her in her village. Did he steal her too? She is a beauty,” you challenge, raising your eyebrow.

“Ahh the little lady, very sad story. The King happened upon her village after it had been raided by barbarians. There didn’t seem to be any survivors, the houses were burnt down, blood and carnage all over. He was returning from battle and stopped the entire army to search for survivors. She was the only one. Erwin brought her back to the castle, dressed her wounds and let her stay,” he explains.

You’re shocked but try to keep it hidden. You don’t think Miche is lying to you, it would be foolish. You could just ask Historia and if the story matched you’d know it was true. But there’s something about the way Miche speaks with admiration, loyalty, and genuine respect for Erwin when he tells the story that cements the truth.

It confuses you, the wolf king’s actions. The battles between your people and his to keep him out of the forest and away from the precious metals you know he’s after, the way he neglected his people despite them dying in the streets from famine while he sits in his castle and gorges himself on delicacies, it makes no sense. If he were as compassionate as Miche is suggesting he would never do these things. But there must be some truth to it, the Mother protects him. What does she see?

You're left to the many questions in your head as another guard approaches you and Miche and whispers something quickly in his ear. He nods once then turns to you and bows.

“My apologies my lady, but I’m needed elsewhere. Gelgar will escort you and Historia back to your chambers,” he says, grasping your hand and giving it a final kiss before departing.

You thank him and watch him turn a corner out of the garden maze as Gelgar gestures to have you walk in front of him and inform you that Historia is waiting back at the fountain. You nod and walk past him.

You suppose it’s time to stop being stubborn and finally read the documents Erwin left for you. If it means you’ll get out of here sooner, you’ll oblige. Perhaps more answers about the type of man Erwin truly is will be shown to you after you’ve read them.

The ravens reach Shadis and Pyxis in a matter of days and when they return it is not with good news. The number of men is less than what he expected to hear and more continue to drop from starvation as they speak. It has become increasingly more difficult to keep control over the North and South as the people grow weary and delirious with starvation. Pyxis and Shadis both report the same instances, talk of the lioness coming to bring them food and prosperity and good fortune as she did in Castle Town.

Lord Pyxis, ever the wise and kind old man and one of Erwin’s father's old friends, writes of the hope it instills in the people. He hopes that someone will come soon to help with this famine and the people are greatly appreciative of his faith. Shadis on the other hand is cold and views the whispers in the streets as a betrayal, a rise of another rebellion. He forbids any talk of you or the “nonsense” you would inflict upon his people.

Erwin scans the words on the notes from the two lords as Hange sits next to him, hands intertwined underneath their chin.

“Well it’s nice to know the people are of one mind. But Erwin, if we can’t get the lioness to agree we have no hope in helping anyone,” they say in a slurry of words. Erwin can tell their mind is working, filtering through the different possibilities.

“I have faith in Miche. She wants to help the people in this kingdom and she wants to keep her home safe and from invaders,” Erwin says, shuffling through many pieces of parchment on the table. He picks up a stained crumpled piece and glares at it. “And this will surely be a driving factor in her decis--”

The door to the war room bursts open as you stomp into the room, parchment gripped tightly in your hand. The lavender dress flows dramatically behind you as you drift into the room, drawing the attention of everyone present. Miche is behind you, desperately trying to keep up with your quickened pace as he flashes an apologetic frown and slight bow of the head to Erwin. You’re shaking with rage, head held high as you walk into the room with purpose. Your eyes are fixed on Erwin at the head of the table and you can hear the commanders whisper to themselves about your disrespect.

Erwin does not look bothered, rather amused as you come to stand before him and slam the parchment down on the big table in front of him. The goblets and war figurines tremble and topple over.

“What is the meaning of this?” You scream.

“Ahh my lady, I see you’ve read the document sent to the Beast across the sea.”

“This spews lies and deceit, we are not one kingdom, we do not fight as one. And I am not going to negotiate to share any of the fruits of my labor with you or this beast from the west!”

Erwin stands wordlessly and the others in the room immediately stand with him. He walks slowly around the table to grab pieces of parchment that sit in front of Hange. His face is no longer pleasant, but serious with a dark glint behind his glare. The pieces of parchment are wrinkled and stained with what you assume is blood. He holds them in his fist and hands them to you, nodding his head to encourage you to take them from him.

You do so, snatching them in a huff and uncrinkling them to read the neat scrawled handwriting. Your eyes scan through the first few words before Erwin’s voice rings out into the war room and demands “Read it aloud.”

You glare again at him before clearing your throat and reading the message aloud:

Greetings King Erwin, Wolf of the East. I am sure you and your war counsel have heard of me as they are tasked with keeping tabs on your enemies. I am not sure how much information your comrades Abel and Keiji gave you before I captured them but I can only assume they’ve completed their tasks remarkably. I can only imagine how thorough and intelligent you are King Erwin, as I've done my research on you as well.

I’ve received your letter, your partner sounds lovely but I have no interest in arrangements or agreements. I will simply take what I want: your lands, your resources, your people as that is what a conqueror would do. As I’m sure you already know, it is well within my power to do so. We will meet you in battle and crush you. I hope you will not take offense as you must be familiar with the rules of war. How many kingdoms have you crushed under your golden boot?

You drop the parchment, thinking it silly to continue with the self assured words of this foreign enemy. “You’re afraid of a cocky self assured bastard from across the sea? And I thought you to be a King.”

“Keep reading.”

“Why? It’s just nonse-”

“I said, keep reading.” Erwin’s voice is dangerous now, anger swelling inside him and you'd never admit aloud but it kind of frightens you.

You are probably wondering what has become of your loyal men, why they haven’t reported back in weeks? You're probably wondering what to tell their families, their wives and children if they have them. Well you’ll be happy to know I am a gracious war chief. I’d want to know what happened to my men as well. So I will tell you every detail of how your men suffered, until they took their last breath so you may explain to their wives and children as they wail in sorrow. And you may have what’s left of them, to bury or burn or whatever it is you do with your unfortunate dead. Their heads will stay here with me though, as my trophies. The details of their deaths are included in the lovely gifts I’ve sent you.

Best regards your majesty, and I look forward to seeing you when I land upon your shores.”

The note is signed with one name, “Zeke” in neat penmanship. Below that is what looks like a recipe, numbered steps and as you scan through them quietly you realize it is a step-by-step process of how the two men were killed. It is gruesome, horrific, unnecessarily cruel and you don’t have the stomach to finish reading it to yourself let alone aloud. You slam the parchment down on the table and look away. The other pages scatter and Erwin glowers at them.

“Did you see the diagrams, my lady? The diagrams of how he butchered my men? Or was the step by step process too much for you?”

“I don’t underst-”

“This letter came back attached to a bloody sack that held the maniac slaughtered remains of my men. This was a message my lady, a show of power. This… was Zeke’s way of telling me he will slaughter all who are in his path and he will not lose sleep over it,” his voice grows in volume and anger and soon it’s booming and echoing through the entire room.

“So you see, my lady I am no longer interested in the petty qualms of the past between our people. I no longer care about the hate your parents held for my father or the hate you have for me. What I care about is making sure this beast pays for what he’s done. And that he will never get his hands on any of the precious resources this land has to offer. So correct me if I'm wrong in assuming that we have the same goal.”

There is silence as Erwin stands before you now, scowling at you. He’s so close that your heaving breasts hit his chiseled abs as you stand there challenging him with your shoulders squared and your chin held high.

The silence stretches out into an awkward staring competition that you refuse to lose. The tension in the room could be sliced with a knife but your eyes never leave his crystal glare. For the first time, you can see past his brave mask. He’s confused, hurt, frustrated, and vulnerable and your hard icy stare warms the longer you look at him. You almost forget who he is and reach out to caress and comfort him but you lock your jaw and keep your hands clasped in a fist at your side.

“It’s different when it’s your men being slaughtered by a foreign enemy, isn't it?”

That catches him off guard and the anger slowly releases from him as you look around the room, looking at each of the advisors standing slack jawed at the exchange between the two of you. You look back to Erwin, determination on your face now.

“Seems we have a lot to discuss. When will the beast be here?”

Erwin sighs in relief, loud enough for everyone to hear and Levi scoffs under his breath and rolls his eyes at the show of weakness. “Nanaba estimates three months.”

“Perfect, that will be plenty of time.”

“Plenty of time for what? I need your decision, we need to start preparing,” Erwin says watching you look at the little figurines on the war table. You scan the map past the forest to the west where the blue coloring indicates the sea.

“This isn’t a decision for me to make alone.”

“What are you talking about? You’re their leader, are you not?” Erwin looks confused and slightly annoyed but no one in the room dares to speak up while the two of you converse.

You turn to look at him now, head held high. Your voice is strong and serious, like you’re stating the law of the land for all to hear. “Everyone has a voice and it should be heard. If you wish to have a decision, we will take this before my people and they will decide. Before you do, you will partake in living with us, learn our ways, drink with us, eat with us, celebrate and worship with us. And should they decide to accept your request, we shall solidify the deal underneath the full moon. It is in three days.”

You chuckle to yourself and though Erwin is still frustrated he can feel it slowly leaving him with every soft sound escaping you.

“What is it?” he asks, moving closer and looking into your eyes again.

“I suppose now you’ll be my house guest and I promise to be a better host than you.”

--

Tagging: @forlancasterrr @starstruckkittensweets @lazyezstudy @neptvnia @laceylaceyy @unadulteratedtreecrusade @gixxie @jeanbeaux @throughthethorns @casspea @charlotteplsdosth @melyannathemaia @saturnalya @ixwrites @mythical-goth

[behindthekitty]

Apple Juice Royalty au!

Some of you might have seen my posts about it but basically i have created an au in which Epel is a prince and Deuce is a knight. I will talk more about them with their chatacter sheets ♡♡

First up our new prince Epel! If you cant read my handwriting I'll type it all out here

☆ Generally pretty emo

☆ Hates the cape and crown, but secretly likes the rest of the outfit

☆ likes horses and swordfighting and sports

☆ Was a boy in the village doin alright then he became a prince overnight now hes gotta figure out how to do it right so much to learn and see up in the c-

Epel is new prince adopted by the king. Under what circumstances, I'm not sure. Its possible his parents died and he was left all alone before Vil scooped him up. Despite what hes been given he's really miserable having to stay in the castle and learn a totally new dialect and manners and study all the time. He hates it. He wants to leave, and so he does. Epel escapes his home often. Also he's basically a disney princess at this point lol

About the outfit: Its based off of epel's dorm uniform and i also used some references from pinterest and Halloween costumes lol

Next is King Vil!

☆ In his 20's or so

☆ sighs a lot

☆ Having ro lead a country + lowkey raising a teen + looking good all the time is stressful

☆ But he manages

☆ Help

Vil became king, most likely when his father died. He decided to adopt an heir early on to save himself the trouble, but it really caused more trouble than it prevented. Epel's a handful and also really angsty. Dealing with him is bothersome, especially when he somehow keeps escaping even when Vil posts more and more guards around the castle, he always gets out somehow. It used to make him angry but he decided it wasn't worth the stress after a little while. Now he just sends people to go look for him whenever he escapes.

About the outfit: I used the same combination of references as I did for Epel, but i was also able to take influence from the evil queen.

Knight Deuce Spade!

☆ Takes his job seriously!

☆ a little too seriously!

☆ Obviously in love with Epel but will deny it to hell.

☆ Can't tall to Epel without blushing and sputtering

☆ Has a weakness for pretty boys

Deuce is a new knight trying to do everything right and make his mother proud. His backstory is the same as it is in canon. Wanting to do right by everyone ends up with him taking his job a little too seriously but he's also terrible at the job he tries so hard at. He's not a good fighter and also dumb. But lucky for him, nothing truly dangerous ever happens in their country.

His conflict is wanting to do his job right and also being head over heels for epel and wanting to see him happy.

About the outfit: I didnt design it, i stole it from some kid. But it fits him doesnt it? source

Chief Riddle Rosehearts!!

☆ Bite-sized knight

☆ Will actually destroy you

☆ Also tired of Epel's BS

☆ I wanted to draw him holding a sword :(

Riddle is another who takes his job very seriously. And he has to. He's the Chief knight and is thus the leader. Everyone has to follow his lead, no ifs ands or buts about it. If you argue, he'll yell at you and thats never fun.

Riddle is the guy Vil calls on whenever Epel escapes. At this point whenever Riddle is called in, this is what he expects the reason is. Riddle puts his all into finding Epel everytime and honestly cares more about it than everyone else does.

I wanted to draw him holdinga sword but couldn't figure it out

About the outfit: I couldn't find many refs of the kind of armor i was going for but it was fine. I took a lot of inspiration from his overblot form. Ignore the fact that he's on a tilt.

Other less important characters!

Trey!

☆ follows Riddle around

☆ Help

Cater!

☆ literally only became a knight to get closer to Vil (simp)

☆ commissions many paintings of himself

Ace!

☆ Messes around, isn't taking this seriously

☆ bad influence

Rook!

☆ Royal advisor

☆ What does he do? Vil doesnt even know.

Everyone else in hearstlabyul is a knight and so please imagine them in the same outfit as Deuce but with their respective symbols.

A lil plot i guess

Epel started sneaking out not too long after he became a prince. As soon as he had settled in he got tired of it. So he'd just leave. These early escapades happened at night whenever Epel was feeling especially emo. He'd normally go to the horse stables and take a ride to clear his mind, or climb a tree and stargaze, something like that. Stuff princes shouldn't do. He'd never leave the castle grounds, though. His secret was only exposed when Deuce found him. He should have reported Epel but that weakness for pretty boys and the empathy he's known for prevented him. It was basically love at first sight when Deuce saw Epel up close for the first time, not that Epel could tell.

After that, Deuce and the other knights (besides riddle) who gradually found out began helping Epel truly escape, like out into the real world. With their help, He could be out for a few days, or weeks even. And as Epel and Deuce start spending more time together, they get closer and closer 👀

My other ships might be here too but I don't really want to design an outfit for Rook lol so mostly just TreyRid on the sidelines maybe.

I do want to make a comic but uhhghnbchg i always quit those lmao I get so unmotivated.

Anyway thank you 4 reading! If you have any suggestions for this au, lmk. If you're wondering, I probably won't add any more characters to this au, since i see no reason to. this is it 4 now

[sonthesheep]

Satisfied

felix Escellun X GN! Reader

pronouns used:They/them

Hamilton AU

THIS IS ANGST!!!!!! Jdjsjdhwjdh plus word vomit i just wanna get this out of my system

Gold trim, Fancy wine and the smell of arrogance in the air floated onto a big room of elite people whom had their heels on the dance floor sweeping themselves to the music of violin.

It's the winter ball for the finest people, in a manor the known escell mirun and florian aguis lived.

Felix as the only son of the hosts, weren't as delighted to attend such lavish events but he stood in the ballroom full of unfamiliar faces feeling yet kinda out of place.

women and men from high born families are offering him a dance, trying to win him as if it was a competition on who's going to take him by the hands.

"Good grief, this is the last straw I'm getting out of here" The lad said to himself, feeling the presence of the nobles highly overwhelming

He took a deep breath as he strides out of the venue to take a fresh breath of air, away from the these people whom named elite but never even once he saw someone who caught his eyes.

as he walks away from the loud music, he helped himself by having him welcomed to florian's garden, it was the place which he always saw intriguing and looking at the plants his father took care of will always be enough to take him out of the royalty chaos.

the moon beams down strongly this night, and as he moves forward he caught his gaze onto you, who slightly jumped due to his presence.

"HI!"

the moment then suddenly turned magical for his sight, he thought he never saw you around nor have been familiar by your presence but one thing was for sure you had him captivated.

he admired you in which seemed to me a split second but in his eyes everything went in slow motion.

'I'll never forget the first time I saw your face I have never been the same, Intelligent eyes in a hunger-pang frame and when you said "Hi", I forgot my dang name set my heart aflame, every part aflame'

This is not a game'

"weren't you supposed in the ballroom?" despite being stunned intimidating words came out of his mouth 'fuck' he muttered to himself as he slightly bit his bottom lip in unreadable embarrassment

"Sorry i really don't know if i wasn't supposed to be here but these nerium oleander caught my attention" You said with the most apologetic voice ever but keeping yourself away from the flower

"You know about them?" he asked very surprised, it was a flower which can only be identified for those who knew what it is capable of.

"Oh i do!! I'm just surprised to find them here

they are very rare and is one of the most poisonous flowers found existing i just never knew I'd found them in this place" You gave him a gentle smile as you fixed your posture, offering him a handshake

he took you by your hands, he was as breath taking as he looked he gently shook your palm as he introduced himself

"My name is felix escellun"

"Y/n" you replied

"I never really saw you around here, where's your family from?" He asked as he wondered from what royal's you belonged to.

"I'm just a messenger from one of those families in the ballroom, i never really seemed fit to be there but they still took me here. But that's unimportant when i become one of the greatest warriors in this place, I'll make a name for myself!" You said with a glistening sparkle on your eyes, and hunger ready to take on everything

'So this is what it feels like to match wits with someone at your level, What the hell is the catch?

It's the feeling of freedom, of seein' the light It's Ben Franklin with a key and a kite You see it, right? '

your conversations lasted in long minutes, both fascinated by the things you shared to each other the way you were both unsatisfied and wanted more in life, more than what everyone tell you to be.

you have the same outlook in life, the same want for change everything was said equal agreement as if harmony existed when both of you met.

the conversations went sweeter as the moments pass by, you were subtly flirting and though he pretends not be affected his cheeks say otherwise. The comfort is amazing, it was like everything is meant to be there.

felix observers your features attentively, how you thumb away your hair carefully and way your voice change as you speak of the things you love truly.

if only he could take you away from the place you're in, far away from everyone to protect you just because you deserve it and he'll be happy to see you fluttering your wings and fly.

"You really have a wonderful home! I felt like romeo and juliet somehow met here as their love story was told" You said all, cheery with your cheeks touching your eyes as you smiled.

"Maybe ours could start here too"

you said with a slight blush on your face, you knew it was an embarrassing line but you took your shot anyways.

"Page one opened" Felix replied with a smile ghosting his lips, he felt like it was too good to be true but his feelings lingered, it was his first time meeting you but you took him places he's never been before through all the things you've made him feel in one night.

He decided to take you inside of the hall, hands intertwined together as he offered you a dance it you were both having a great time, and familiar figure walked by the two of you and greeted

"Who is this person felix? they're ethereal"

Scylla, His sister said, her stance was elegant and everything about her is of finest goods.

Felix saw a different glow onto his sister's face, something he never saw before.

"This Y/N, Y/N this Scylla my sister"

"Sister? You're just as majestic scylla! if It takes being in a war for us to meet then it would've been worth it" You complimented.

"I don't wanna be rude to my brother here, but would you mind if i take them for a small dance!?" Scylla smiled with a sly smile on her face

'this one's mine' she whispers, but felix gave an annoyed snort in disbelief

'you wish scylla'

Despite the small banter, felix lets you dance with her sister who took a liking to you

it was a wonderful night but he realizes the most important things throughout the night.

it was already time for you to go, He kissed you knuckles goodbye as he looked at you

"We'll meet again that's for sure" felix smiled as you wave him goodbye

"I'll be back here again!"

A year has passed and crowds cheered onto the moonlight, fancy decorations painted same the tall walls where the ball once happened, golden trims of fabric greeted the newly weded couple whomst hold the most genuine smiles on their face.

familiar faces flooded the ball room, eyes all fixated to the stars of the night, it's finally time to reminisce how sweet their first meet was, and as the visitors applauded sage lesath stirred up the crowd to welcome another important guest

"Alright, alright

That's what I'm talkin' about

Now, everyone give it up for the maid of honor

Felix Escellun"

The crowd shouted louder through his presence, hands clapping and glasses clinking in celebration, Felix smiled as he raised a wine glass on his left hand.

"A toast to the newly wedded partners from a brother who's happy for the union and hope you provide!"

he smiles yet the hint of bitterness tickled his cheeks, he looked onto your eyes with regrets but it was masked up with his facade

"I've never seen scylla with such passion in her eyes before you, you bring the best of my sister i knew she'd be right for you. Writing the first letter for both of you to bond deeper is something i never regret doing"

"May you two always be satisfied"

His gray eyes then sparkled with tears ready to gush down any moment from now, not because of joy but for the choice he made, To let his sisyer be happy, and let you go onto her arms now as her wedded partner.

It was the hard choice to make, the jealousy in his heart tugs as he fantasize how would it have been if he just didn't give you up, but he knew scylla has never been this genuinely happy even once in her life before you.

everything flashes on the back of his mind, his responsibilities as the heir, and everything in his shoulders he wanted you, he really did

and this is the only way he could have you in his sight.

'and i will never be satisfied'

THIS IS THE MOST PAINFUL SHIT I'VE WRITTEN I'M- KSHSISHDUW I CANNOT THIS WILL HAVE A PART TWO FOR REDEMPTION!!! I'M CRYING

[thnxforknowingme]

3, 9, 22 (with In Orbit), 27

Ooh these are good choices, thank you!!

3. Do you read your own fics?

1000% yes, I go back and reread my fics all the time. Usually not all the way through for multichaps, but I'll read a certain chapter or section or arc. I am my own target audience.

9. Have you ever made yourself laugh with something you’ve written?

Definitely! The other day I was thinking about this line in Courting Royalty, and many parts of these bodies (from now on I'm truncating that title because why did I make it so damn long) were very amusing to me, like this passage here. I'm sure there are many examples from In Orbit, but the first I can think of is these lines:

He could get back out there and move on, because he was Blaine Anderson and he was amazing, and everything was great. 

When Blaine woke up the next morning, everything was terrible. 

22. If you had to assign a theme song to [fic title], what would it be?

This is tough! I did make a playlist for In Orbit, but a lot of the songs really capture a certain stage of their relationship instead of the whole fic. Overall I think Sidekick by Walk the Moon is the most fitting, but at various points I also love It's Too Late by Carole King or The Less I Know The Better by Tame Impala as a theme.

27. Are there certain types of writing you won’t do? (style, pov, genre, tropes, etc)

I mean there's plenty of stuff I won't write just because it's not my thing. I can't really imagine writing a soulmate au, for example. I'm also very attached to my close third person POV when writing fic - it would be a challenge to switch to first person or third omniscient. Also tbh I don't think I'll ever write something that's just super angsty. Even when I do write sad stories or deal with heavy themes, I want to balance it with happiness and hope.

send me writer asks!

[daisylincs]

Today is, officially, the last day of 2020 - so it's literally just in time that I'm getting to @aosrecweek's amazing challenge. But that does go to show the nature of this crazy year a little bit, right? Time has just been INSANE, and I honestly cannot believe it's so close to over.

That said, I want to put it out there that everyone - absolutely everyone - who created something in this mad year, is a SUPERHERO. Like. We could have hidden away in dark corners, curled into little balls, and lost touch with our creativity entirely - but instead, we made some of the most fantastic content I have ever seen. And, excuse the language, but that is fucking amazing, of each and every single one of us. We're bloody INCREDIBLE, you guys. We really are.

Now, the rules of this challenge dictate that I've got to start with some of my own things, then repeat with the same number of creations by other people. So I'm going to do that, and I apologise for the sheer length (and self-plug-iness) of what is about to follow - but, bloody incredible, remember? I really mean that. 💜💜💜

My Own:

you could call me babe for the weekend - 19k of Spideychelle being oblivious, mutually pining IDIOTS while being snowed in. And, you know, fake dating. (This thing was SO MUCH FUN to write and though, yeah, it got completely out of control, as evidenced by the 19k, I still really love it.)

'tis the damn season - my first attempt at writing a multi-chap, and, yeah, it only has one chapter as of now, but I really love said chapter. Basically, it's Daisy and Mackelena being friends, and honestly just the BEST friends - I adore the style I managed to achieve in this thing. Plus, the Skimmons I have planned up next is going to be da bomb.

the closest thing - Philindaisy plus fake family. Also; amusement parks. And for a fangirl like me - well, it was pretty much a dream come true to write!

oh valley of plenty - in this fic, I basically told myself, so AoS won't give us Huntingbird in the finale? Fine. I'll just do it myself then - in the fluffiest way possible. And that's exactly what I did - making them, and their kids, be best friends in Perthshire.

maybe life should be about more - a very angsty Skimmons and Daisy-centric AU, focusing on the internalised homophobia Daisy has experienced through her life, and shaking it off (and eventually, y'know, getting together with Jemma.)

and it's dark in a cold december (but i've got you to keep me warm) - Fitzsimmons just make such a supreme pairing for hurt/comfort, what with how insanely well they understand each other and care about each other, so I'm really glad for the Fitzsimmons Secret Santa giving me the chance to write this! Basically, this follows our science duo through a stressful mission on Christmas Eve (so yes, it's a mission fic!!) and realising that the two of them can do anything together.

july second - ahhh, one of my personal favourites to write! Daisy birthday surprise fluff will always be top-notch for me, especially for all the team-as-family fluff you can add in, especially especially that this is set in Staticquake times! Also, it's from Hunter's point of view, which will forever be the most insanely fun thing to write, I do think.

i just wanna be with you - man, I'm such a big royal fan, so getting the chance to write a modern royalty AU for my OTP was nothing short of amazing!! This is Princess Daisy and her fiancée Lincoln Campbell at their official engagement interview

see the line where the skye meets the sea - shameless season 1 bby Bus Kids fluff, featuring movie nights, singalongs and... so much fluff your teeth will rot. Also I'm really freaking proud of the pun in the title okay

'cause all that you are is all that i'll ever need - Huntingbird waking up together fluff (because, fight me, Huntingbird in their sweet moments is one of the sweetest things you will ever get to read or write.) This is also my, fluffy, take on the origin of the Franny's Saloon keychain.

we love you, we love you (and we hope you love we too) - aha, my first polyship fic! Also my first try at some actually fancy HTML formatting (forever thanks to Kat for explaining.) Both of these things combined to form a fic that even I think is ridiculously fluffy and funny, and kinda amazing, at that.

and man I don't know where the time goes (but it sure goes fast like that) - Another Bus Kids movie night fic, but this one set post-season 7, and reflecting on how far they've come. A little bit more hurt/comfort-y than it's pure fluff prequel, but still super fluffy and soft. And, of course, with a happy ending.

she shares my dreams, i hope that someday, i'll share her home - snowy Fitzsimmons fluff, complete with them falling in love at the Winter Olympics, as you do.

then you walked in and my heart went boom - 16k of Dekesy for the wife, and remarkable for that, because literally a month ago from this, I hated Dekesy with my entire soul. Then I started reading Kat's fics, and, well, fell in love with them... so much so that I wrote sixteen thousand words of enemies-to-friends-to-lovers, bed sharing holiday fluff for them.

a love like that - a Fitzsimmons Cinderella AU, featuring my two favourite science babies, in true science bby style, falling in love over science and how stupid the whole courting thing is. Also, Daisy makes a brief appearance, and she's the freaking best.

ever after - ah, probably the one single fic I'm proudest of. A post-season 7 Daisy character study focusing on her emotional rollercoaster re: losing her family/things never being the same again, which just achieves... an emotional level that I have never managed to replicate again. I was full-on sobbing while writing it, and, guys, it also part-holds the Closest To Making Kat Cry prize.

blue - Daisy character study spanning snapshots of seven seasons, and before - but tied together by something blue in every moment. Researching for this, and finding all the blue moments, was very interesting, and immensely satisfying, especially since all the moments where a little bit of blue was present actually combine to chronicle Daisy's journey on the show remarkably well.

who is that girl I see - the one time I decided to write straight angst, and straight angst with no happy ending. Melinda May post-Bahrain, folks.

take my hand, take my whole life too - aww, the first thing I wrote that I really and truly loved. A Staticquake and Fitzsimmons Actors AU, featuring a proposal on set and INCREDIBLE amounts of fluff and softness.

hold out your hand, 'cause friends will be friends - the wife's favourite, and, as second fics go, pretty damn good, if I do say so myself. It's a Soulmates AU for Staticquake and Mackelena, with the focus being on DaisyMack friendship, and lots of denial, angst, and guilt about finding their soulmates. (They figure it out eventually, don't worry - it's me, of course I made them happy.)

Fitzsimmons + Fake Dating moodboard - Fake dating will always be FAB, and picturing it out in a moodboard - especially for my clueless bby best friends in love - was the best, and super satisfying.

Staticquake + Orange moodboard - One of the cooler ideas I had for Trick or Treat (which I still have not finished, heaven help me) was to make a series of moodboards for my OTP plus different colours. This orange one is just so light, and cheerful, and happy, and honestly I kinda adore it.

This Philindaisy + Family Moodboard - making moodboards can be insanely frustrating when you just can't find the photo that fits exactly right. With this one, however, I found all the pics I needed pretty insanely fast, and, better, the whole thing just worked, and really nicely so, too.

This Bus Kids + Baking Cookies moodboard - there's absolutely NO faults to be found with tiny, adorable Skye, Fitz and Jemma concocting choc chip cookies - but I'm actually doing a tiny cheat here, because, cute as my moodboard here is, the accompanying fic by my love @eowima is the SWEETEST and best thing you could ever wish for!!!

This Daisy Johnson Appreciation Week Photoset - Day 3 of Daisy Johnson Appreciation Week focused on an emotion, and I picked confidence and power, because honestly, it's nothing short of amazing how confident and powerful our gorgeous girl has become.

This Daisy Johnson Appreciation Week Photoset - One of the times I wish I could gif, because this quote about struggling though never giving up just suits Daisy perfectly. The photos I found are cool, though, and I mean, it's Daisy, so that's already absolutely fabulous.

Other People's:

I managed to find twenty-six of my own things that I liked enough to put up there (because, yes, I'm that big a dork, 26 things for me being 26 is the way to go :D) Anyway, now that gives me the amazing chance to spotlight twenty-six of my favourite creations by my FANTASTIC mutuals! 😍

To start, my wife - Kat said I couldn't put everything she's ever written on here, so, ugh, I guess I'll just do my top five then. *grumbling* Everything by Kat is on here in spirit, though!!

Chasing Cars (even after the story ends) by @aleksandrachaev - the epic Dekesy roadtrip AU and incredible Daisy character study itself, which, I do believe, finishes today!! Words aren't enough to describe how freaking AMAZING this thing is, or how spectacularly well characterised. Just: if you haven't read this yet, you are missing out. You will laugh, you will groan, you will want to wrap Daisy in a very tight hug, and you will probably cry, too. This fic just has it all, really!

there goes the maddest man this town has ever seen by @aleksandrachaev - the post-season 7 Deke-crashes-the-Framework-Zoom-call fic I didn't know I needed (but spent the next two weeks rereading every single night.) It is absolutely INCREDIBLE, with all the Deke & Team feels we missed in the final outro scene, and honestly just the most fantastic writing. I cannot recommend it enough!

To Box It Up And Start Again (everything must go) by @aleksandrachaev - bloody hell, this BROKE me. Deke never really got to say goodbye in canon, but Kat gave him the chance to do it here. And, my freaking GOODNESS, she made it so incredibly bittersweet and heart-shattering. 10/10

i am a leaf on the wind by @aleksandrachaev - a little bit of a stretched-out, reflective moment in the season 7 finale. As Daisy lingers on the edge of death, she reflects on all the lives she could have had - and, man, what a study in bittersweetness!! This entire fic is utterly incredible, and something I think all Daisy fans should read.

Falling Into Place by @aleksandrachaev - here's a tiny cheat from me (sorry, babes, lmao) because technically this isn't one fic, but a series of three. Way too amazing to miss out on, though!! Set mid-season 7, this has the Chronicoms go after a young Mary Sue Poots to kill Quake before she can become a problem for them. They stop the Chronicoms, yes, but not without a TREMENDOUS dose of feels and hurt/comfort. There's also a wonderful little dose of Dekesy friendship, and then an adult adoption (!!) that honestly made my entire day to read. Actually, that's true for the entire series - I really canNOT yell about it enough!!

destroyer of worlds by @bobbimorseisbisexual - a study in incredible parallels between Jiaying's daughters. Utterly breathtakingly done, this will give you ALL the feels for this small and complex Inhuman family.

Muscle Memory by @robotgort and @bobbimorseisbisexual - a Huntingbird!! Bones!! AU!! And also a collaboration between two of the most fabulous Huntingbird authors in the fandom - honestly, what more can you ask for?! This will make you laugh, and gasp, and wince, and keep you guessing at each new plot twist (and also screaming at your screen for Hunter and Bobbi to get their acts together and TALK ABOUT IT.) In short: it's completely and utterly amazing, and I cannot, cannot recommend it enough!!

You Belong Among the Wildflowers by @libbyweasley - a freaking incredible Scis & Spies Regency AU! I only just started reading, but I was hooked all the way through, especially on the way Libby writes all four characters' complex relationships (and their attraction, and their history!) Everything about it is just completely stunning, and I for one cannot WAIT for these beautiful idiots to figure out they all belong together.

Family Snapshot by @tomatobookworm - if it's family fluff you're after, especially Staticquake family fluff, look no further! This tremendously soft and utterly amazing fic follows a day in the lives of a pregnant Daisy and her husband Lincoln, and their not-so-little family of Inhumans, both adopted and biological. There's also shopping with Grandma May, lots of feels, lots of shippiness, and just AMAZINGNESS all the way through!!

Best Day Ever by @loved-the-stars-too-fondly - Jemma and Daisy want to adopt a pet, and make a very special trip to Wisconsin to do it. Also, whether he knows who he is or not, Jemma has an important question to ask Cal - and just, AHHHH, everything about this is utterly stunning! For starters, Aubrey's writing is FANTASTIC, and the scene she sets is absolutely beautiful, and so very bittersweet. I was actually misting up a little with happy tears towards the end of this - really, I cannot recommend this enough, to any Skimmons fan.

so why don't we go somewhere only we know by @loved-the-stars-too-fondly - more Skimmons (platonic this time, though), more hurt/comfort, and, yes, again, more absolutely INCREDIBLE writing. This one is canon compliant, following a shaken Jemma struggling to sleep after Maveth, and how Daisy finds a way to help her out. Incredibly sweet, tender and BEAUTIFULLY written, this one was an instant favourite the moment I read it!

Unspoken by @anxiouslynumbme - a birthday fic for yours truly, and, honestly, one of the most STUNNING Staticquake introspectives I've read. It follows Daisy and Lincoln in a beautifully tender missing moment in season 3, with them both realising their feelings, and just... AHHHHHHHH, everything about it is utterly incredible!! I cannot, cannot recommend this gem of a fic enough

the thing about water droplets and ruffled hair by @que-mint-tea - here's another fic that proves, once and for all, how good Kat's Dekesy is, because it managed to convert T to write some Dekesy smut. And, oh my GOSH, what Dekesy smut - so goshdarn angsty, but so FANTASTICALLY characterised and written that it leaves you more than a little breathless, and gaping at your screen. The first chapter initially left us on the most HORRIFIC cliffhanger, but then T fixed it, and it's just... this thing is really a whole new level of emotional writing, raw and gripping and intensely perfect for both of these characters. My haw still drops whenever I think of this thing, and how utterly AMAZING it was, so yeah. Fic rec!!!

beautiful stranger, there you are by @justanalto - I do believe I still owe Serena a long and very gushy comment on this thing, because, MAN, does it ever deserve that!! Pipsy and fake dating, with the most HILARIOUSLY incredible writing, plot and characterisation, and honestly just a giddy "askhdfkhsfh" whenever I think back to how much I enjoyed it. Yup, it was that good.

Jumping to conclusions by @eowima - a very special one, because it marks my love Océane's first venture into writing AoS fic! It's an AU of 1x06 (the Fitzsimmons episode of s1) where Fitz does actually jump out of the plane to save Jemma. Realisations of feelings, and some of the most genuinely FANTASTIC Fitz characterisation I've read in a while, follow - and, yup, I was shouting at my screen for them just to get together already. Amazing stuff, really!!

Look into your eyes and the sky's the limit by @eowima - okay, this. This. Another gift for me, and one that I will probably treasure forEVER, because it is just?? so?? utterly?? perfect?? Just for starters, the title is a Hamilton reference - and then the theme of Hamilton references continues into the fic itself, I'm delighted to say. There's also the most BEAUTIFUL, playful Skimmons friendship, and teasing, and then of course the bet about who can make out with their crush first... Staticquake & Fitzsimmons perfection. And all rendered in Océane's delightful, best-thing-ever-to-read writing!! I'm going into a giddy keyboard smash just THINKING about this, so yeah, cannot recommend it enough.

lullabies and clear blue skies by @springmagpies and @bobbimorseisbisexual - okay, I never thought I'd catch myself shipping FitzBobbi, let alone shipping it this hard, but... wow. Maggie and Al teamed up to completely blow me away, and MELT MY WHOLE ENTIRE HEART with the sheer cuteness of this!! It features Fitz, Bobbi and adopting two daughters, and it's just the most tender, beautiful development through that little family - I love it so, so much.

We made all the wrong choices by @browneyedgenius - the winner of the AoS Angst War 2020, how could I not include this one? It is such a well-deserved win, though, whoa - I was sobbing, full-on sobbing, at least twice while reading. It follows the season 5 team through the events of the time-loop, after they failed to save the world - and, oh my gosh, it ripped my heart right out of my chest, but beautifully so. Everything about this fic just hits so hard, and it's written so well - yeah, really a most AMAZINGLY deserved win, for an utterly SHATTERINGLY incredible fic.

I threw stones at the stars (but the whole sky fell) by @nazezdha321 - this is Z showing us all how to write a backstory for a minor character, and write it so well that everyone's hearts break all over again when she dies. This one is about Victoria Hand, and it builds a stirring and profound childhood for her, also making her rise through the ranks of SHIELD and just her entire character mean so much more. Really, fic-wise, this is goals, and I take my hat off to you, Z, 1000%, for writing it.

in which the universe is put together by @besidemethewholedamntime - Rebecca's emotional writing, particularly Fitzsimmons' emotions, is incomparable, and she proves it all over again in this fic. If follows Fitz and Jemma before, after and during the bloodwork, and I just... wow, honestly. The emotion!! And the characterisation!! Absolutely stunning, and honestly all I could wish for in a we-had-time fic.

Agents of SHIELD Season 8 by @egumal - THIS. This, this, this, oh my gosh - as fix-it fics go, this has to be the most spectacular one I have ever read. What it does is find a way - a potentially canon compliant way, too - to bring back Lincoln Campbell, and reunite Staticquake. Basically: just about as season 7 finishes, the Astro Ambassadors get an unexpected visitor from another timeline, who asks them to come help out against Hive. Case in point, Daisy meets her lost love again (... but he has no idea who she is) and also has to relive the Fallen Agent drama. It all gets even more complicated when Kora restores Lincoln's memories, and Daisy meets the full team Deke has assembled around him in the 33 years (for him) that they've been apart... in short, this is one of the most thorough, well-written and downright SHOCKING plot-twist-wise fics that you will ever read, and honestly, saying "I can't recommend it enough" is an understatement. This thing is thd BEST, plain and simple!

Black Roses aren't real (but you and I are) by @ohwriteiforgot - ahhhh, a fic that will always have an incredibly special place in my heart, because it introduced me to one of my best fandom friends. The main focus is on Clintasha, it's true, but it's also a crossover with AoS in the sense that Clint was adopted by Coulson and May. Also, Daisy is his little sister, and their bond is gold. Also - there's Staticquake!! And flower shops!! And rivals to friends to lovers!! All I'm going to say is, what more can you ask for?!

A book to shield my story by @maybebrilliant - Staticquake High School AU, ahhhhhhhh!! There are only two chapters out so far, but the way this is shaping up is making my DAY - with Daisy as the new girl who meets Lincoln and his group of friends, and, though her foster parents are absolutely shit, starts to find actual happiness in a school for the first time in her life. Also - THE REFERENCES. Guys. I'm crazy for those, and in this book, so are my favourite dorks, Daisy and Lincoln - and let me tell you, it's nothing short of the best thing ever.

This AoS Finale Gif Edit by @heysteverogers - AoS really has been the most INCREDIBLE journey through the years, but what's really made it special is the company - and that's summed up perfectly in this gorgeous gifset. Also, the graphics on this are just, ahhhh, stunning - I'm in awe, and I've spent very long periods of time just looking at this thing in a state of heart-eyes.

This AoS Finale Gif Edit by @jemannesimms - combining Auld Lang Syne and the final scenes of my favourite show was a raw emotional - but utterly brilliant experience - for me. It's just so absolutely beautiful, and perfectly suited to the team, and their goodbyes!! Breathtaking editing work here, too.

This Daisy as Peter Parker and May as Tony Stark moodboard by @agentsofcomedyandchaos - ahhhh, a crossover of two of my favourite fandoms!! And what a lovely one, too - the colour scheme, quotes, and just the whole FEEL of this is absolutely genius, and I am guilty of being inspired by way too many fic ideas by it. Stunning stuff!!

And... whoa, that was long, but I really do feel that we deserve a bit of a proper pat on the back after creating such magical content in such a messed up year. So that's the note I'm going to leave you with for 2020, my friends: hell-year or no, look at the absolute beauty we were still able to create!! We really are freaking amazing, guys.