#it's a very slow wip that i work on when i get stuck on everything else

[sesshy380]

WIP guess game: "home"

I have just enough time before I leave for the day to answer this.

I know it says 'the sentence' the word appears in, but I'm cheating with the paragraph lol.

I chose from the WiP's that actually have some meat to them (vs the ones that are just basic plot idea thrown into a doc). This particular one comes from the badly described list...specifically 'Running over (Mister Tall, Dark, and Handsome...with your car'.

When he’d first arrived home, he rushed to the bathroom to wash off all the dried salt from the tears he’d shed. Looking in the mirror he fell apart again. Why did he have to wear his face? Why was it only him that Malik wanted? Why couldn’t Malik find it in his heart to want to be with ‘Ryou’, and not ‘Bakura’?

[thelikesofus]

Buddie Fic Recs

AKA Talented Mutuals Tuesday

Except I spent so long making this list that the timezones changed over BUT I wanted to show my mutuals some love and now that we are going into the hiatus I thought you might all like a list of quality fics to keep you occupied while there is no new Weewoo show. 

I don't know if anyone will actually want to join in on this but if you do the rules are simple:

SHOW YOUR MUTUALS SOME LOVE! Share your favourite fics, (or gifs, edits, literally anything that your very talented mutuals have made), as many or as few as you like but let's share the love around <3

Apologises in advance for the long post btw

@speaknowdiaz I would literally read anything that April writes and would probably sell a limb for the incredible WIPs I know she's still cooking up but here are a couple of my faves:

pining and anticipation (I don't want you like a best friend)

Buck challenges Eddie to try to hit on him after teasing Eddie for not having any ‘game’. This fic is very funny and very soft.

believe in one thing (i won't go away)

This fic hit me straight in the feels. Buck and Eddie go to couples therapy even though they aren't a couple and they work through some stuff.

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@thosetwofirefighters Incredible amazing Nat ily xx

Say It All Out Loud

Eddie comes out to Aunt Pepa after his ‘date’ with Vanessa. I am a little bit biased towards this one because she did write it for me but it's honestly just so good!

How to Cure Boredom: Buckley Edition

The 118 are stuck at the firehouse during a slow shift and Buck entertains them all by mattress-surfing the loft stairs. It’s soft and silly and in the same universe as her other fic Safe in His Arms.

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@loveyourownsmiilee The wonderful amazing Juju not only writes incredible meta and keeps us all fed with Oliver content but Juju also writes wonderful buddie fic. 

When Were You Under Me?

Who doesn’t love a Friends AU. This is Buck and Eddie as Ross and Rachel and it is hilarious and so sweet. 

You should also check out her Buddie Language Meta if you have not read it before <3

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@elvensorceress Jenwyn’s work always astounds me so be sure to check these out:

Color Him Father, Color Him Love

I will scream from the rafters how much I adore this fic and yes it did make me cry (happy tears). It’s a look into Buck’s head after his sperm donor kid is born and he realizes what Christopher (and Eddie) truly mean to him. I know I have recced this before but it deserves all the love. 

Unless You Ask Me To

Eddie dates a man for the first time, and Buck is completely 'Fine'. This is a preemptive rec because it is one chapter away from completion and I have been saving it to binge in one sitting but knowing Jenwyn and her incredible talent I guarantee this will be worth the read. 

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@spotsandsocks If anyone’s work is guaranteed to make me sob like a baby (happy, sad, or tears of laughter) it’s Spotty. 

Everything But (temptation)

This is Spotty’s newest fic and it's just brilliant. Buck is practicing extreme self-control whilst Eddie is being an irresistible menace. 

Could Have, Should Have, Would Have

Buck finally tells Eddie he loves him right before Eddie’s new boyfriend is supposed to meet Christopher. Honestly, all I can say about this fic is that it’s a masterpiece and I screamed many times while reading it. 

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@shortsighted-owl Wonderful amazing Owly (Abbi). I appreciate you so and you make my dash so happy xx

Of foam-moustached kisses, and button combinations

For all your sweet domestic buddie needs this is the fic. Eddie is practicing a video game to get better than Chris and Buck makes fun of his ex-technophobe boyfriend. 

Also THIS EDIT SET to the lyrics of You’re All That I Have by Snow Patrol make me assdffgghjjklkll

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@lilbuddie Okay, this one is just a brag because Minja doesn’t actually have any fics published yet (side eye) but I wanna make sure she is on everyone’s radar for when she does because yall are not ready for the incredible amazing talent that is this girl’s writing!! So go check out the snippets on her Tumblr and badger her until she finishes something plssssss

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@wheelsupin-five Hi! <3

Almost Almost Almost

This adorable of Buck who is always cold and Eddie warms him up I– asfffghhjkklllll

Under Kitchen Light

SO SOFT! Buck wakes up and Eddie isn't there, Buck finds him in the kitchen. 

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@rogerzsteven Simi owns my heart and by that I mean my heart is locked in a cage in Simi’s basement where it is occasionally beaten to a pulp by the most incredibly angsty fics you've ever read.

Cleanse

Buck is extremely nauseous and Eddie takes care of him while I sob over them in a corner.

build me a home underground (free from light and sound)

This fic is so brutal in all the best ways, my heart was in my throat the entire read! Buck gets trapped in a sensory deprivation room while the 118 and Athena race to find him. 

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@ashavahishta another incredibly talented mutual of mine

out of ashes

Is it really a Meegs rec list if I don’t rec this fic honestly it's engraved on my soul. This is a criminal minds/greys inspired fic where Buck is kidnapped and tortured until the 118 can find him. This fic is so so well written and means a million things to me I could never explain but pleaseeeee read it!! 

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@jobairdxx hello lovely xx

Oh, We Pray to Make it Through the Night

Highly recommend this fic, I do love a near-death experience fic! Buck gets injured on a call and Eddie falls asleep holding vigil at his bedside. 

Jules also writes beautiful poetry on Tumblr so go read some of that too <3

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@monsterrae1 MISS RAE! YOU INCREDIBLE THING! <3

love is on its way

I know we’re all a little bit in mourning over the couch theory but it lives on in our hearts and in this fic which has six moments between Buck and Eddie on the Diaz couch (and she’s a wee bit spicy too).

Buck's café (take my heart, just not my order)

Coffee Shop AU. Buck runs the shop where the 118 order all their drinks on shift. I absolutely adore this fic! 

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@alyxmastershipper RYAN!! INCREDIBLY TALENTED MUTUAL THAT YOU ARE!! 

there's always been a rainbow hangin' over your head

If “aasdsdfghhjkl” was a person it was me reading this fic. Eddie comes out to Buck, receives a quirky mug, and gets together with the love of his life. In that order.

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@bekkachaos Wonderful, amazing Bekka xxx

lose yourself in the feeling

I am a sucker for ‘accidental kisses’ and this was just wonderful. Buck is so excited about Maddie and Chim getting engaged that he kisses Eddie when he tells him. 

start me up, open my eyes

Okay, the mild sexual content tag is a lie, nothing has ever been closer to smut without actually being smut than this fic, I have never been so wound up reading a fic. Bekka builds the tension so so well. 

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@sibylsleaves honestly I'm still a little in shock that we're mutuals now so please excuse me while I fangirl over your incredible writing!

with a bird at your door

Eddie starts spending all his time with Buck. Which would be fine if it weren't for the fact that Buck is in love with him. This fic is the perfect mixture of pining, angst, and a happy ending. And yes I think about this fic frequently I love it okay. 

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@mysteriouslyyounggalaxy last but certainly not least (for now). hello lovely xx

(tell the gravedigger) better dig two

Missing scenes from while eddie is trapped in the well followed by the most perfect extended reunion scene. We all know I am a sucker for fics based on the well incident, it’s literally how i started writing for buddie but omg this fic!!!! 

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Remember to share the love around and happy hiatus to you all.

Love, Meegs xxxx

[its-time-to-write]

hiya there love

i was wondering, if i could request a lovely jamie tartt fic from you? it would basically revolve around r being increadibly stressed and overworked and, of ypu are comfortable, r gets a panic attack (maybe she works at the dogtrack and then people are confused about what is happening) and then jamie swoops in and saves the day

absolutely love your writing and stories and senig lots of love and creativity your way <3 <3 <3

guys I have like five WIPS and usually I have zero, but here we are. Most of them only need their closing paragraph but I have been BUSY and also very tired. thank you @dark-academia-slut for this request and your recent comments on my posts🩵🩵

for you, there’ll be no more crying

There’s too much to do and only one you, and yet everything needs to be done today and no one seems to realize that they’re assigning you more work on top of what other people have already given you. You didn’t realize everything was so pressing, but here you are with a to do list as long as your arm filled with tasks to be completed ASAP. 

You think that taking a break for lunch is a bad idea, honestly you’d rather sit at your desk and check some more things off your list, but HR insists that you have a thirty-minute break. It’s also shitty because your boyfriend works here too, but you’re not sitting with him today because by the time he got to the cafe, the only available space was all the way across the room. So here you are, tapping your foot as you force down a salad. 

Chewing feels mechanical, each bite heavy in your mouth. You choke down a piece as your index finger taps on your thumb, counting down the minutes until you can rush back to your office. You can feel Helen from HR keeping an eye on you, and you don’t need to add a visit from her to you list. 

“Oi, can you compile that list I emailed you about last week?” Stephanie from the front desk asks from across the table. 

You give her a confused look. “What list?”

She returns your look. “The one I sent last Tuesday?”

You shake your head and say, “I never got that email.”

Stephanie frowns and pulls out her phone. “Oh, whoops, it’s in my drafts still.” She presses a button and says, “There, it’s sent!” with a cheerful grin, like that changes anything. 

Your whole leg is shaking now, not just your foot. “When do you need it?” you ask carefully, willing her to say literally an other day but today. 

“Oh, I need it by the end of the day,” she replies so you nod, all slow and mechanical. 

You ask, “Can I get it to you tomorrow?” and she shakes her head. 

“No, I really needed it done by today. You should have checked with me when you didn’t get my email on Tuesday.”

You don’t point out that it’s impossible to ask about an email you didn’t even know existed, mainly because Stephanie is best friends with Helen and you literally cannot deal with both of them today. 

So instead you nod, fake a smile, and take another bite of salad as Stephanie gets up to leave. 

The moment she’s gone, everything goes slow. And not in a good way. 

You think, oh shit as the food in your mouth becomes tasteless and your gaze becomes fixated on a spot on the table. 

Oh shit. Shit, shit, shit. 

Liam notices and asks, “Are you alright?” in his too-loud voice, so now everyone in the cafe is looking at you as you take stuttered breaths around the salad in your mouth. 

You’re confident that this couldn’t get any worse, but you can’t even answer Liam so he shakes your arm, causing you to jolt. 

You press one hand to your heart as you try to catch a breath with all eyes still on you. 

A hand presses a napkin to your mouth and says, “Spit,” but you don’t look up to see who it is. You’re stuck on that one spot on the table, unable to move anything except your leg. But you don’t need to look up to know who it is. 

“Fuck off, Liam,” says Jamie and Liam does. 

You’re told later that Jamie flips off anyone who’s still staring, but you miss it in the moment because it’s over your head. 

“You alright, babe?” he asks gently, but you don’t respond. He slides into the seat Liam has vacated and grabs your hand. “Oi, look at me.”

His hands are warm in contrast to your cold ones, and the uses his one free hand to tilt your face toward his. You’re having a hard time making eye contact so he bends his head just enough so he’s in your line of sight. 

“There you are,” he smiles, “You want to tell me what’s wrong or do you want me to guess?”

You just look, chest rising and falling way too fast. 

“Right,” he says. “Let’s get your breathing under control. Breathe with me, yeah?”

You see the staff and team at Nelson Road filtering out of the cafe, so you focus on Jamie’s face and follow his breaths. 

“Okay, keep going like that. What else can we talk about? Oi, did you hear what fucking Roy did this morning? The lad’s fucking insane, he is. Strings around dicks? Can’t believe I almost lost mine, and on date night no less.” He winks. “You’d‘ve had his head for sure, love.”

You crack a smile at that. 

“Ey!” he says, “She lives!”

“I love you,” you tell him and he squeezes your hand. 

“She fuckin’ talks, too. What a woman.”

You think of a few snide replies, but you’re not too sold on talking just yet so you settle for silence. 

“Was it fucking Helen?” Jamie asks, “Bird’s more insane than Coach.”

You wiggle your head. Technically, it wasn’t just Helen, but she’s the one who’s been handing you the most assignments while also insisting on the stupidest breaks. 

“Bet it were Stephanie too,” he continues. “Babe, you’ve gotta fucking talk to Higgins or Ms. Welton or some shit. They’re using you like some personal servant and it ain’t right.”

You shrug and Jamie squeezes your hand again. “None of that,” he says. 

He’s not wrong. 

It’s just you two, alone, so he allows himself a moment to cup your face in one hand. “You’re good, yeah?” he asks. 

You take a deep breath and nod. “Yeah, I’m good.”

He grins and leans forward to kiss your forehead. 

“D’you want to ditch the rest of the day?” he asks and you give him a Look. 

You say, “I can’t ditch. I have too much to do and you can’t ditch because you have training.”

Jamie’s still grinning as he says, “Bet I could get out of it ‘cause of me injury and you could get out of it if you talked to Ms. Welton.”

“Absolutely not,” you reply, but he’s already standing up.

“Gonna talk to her about fucking Helen,” he says. “I’d bet my entire house that none of your shit is that big of an emergency.”

“No you won’t,” you call after him, “And anyway, she wouldn’t listen to you about any of it.”

Jamie’s basically already gone so he just shouts, “Ta,” as you sigh and get up to go back to your office. 

An hour later, you’re in the car with Jamie as he laments your lack of faith in him. “Told you Helen’s full of shit,” he says. “You’re going to be way better at her job than she ever was.”

“The fuck, Jamie,” you reply. “I still can’t believe you made me talk to Rebecca.”

He shrugs, one hand on the wheel. “I’m a dead good boyfriend, is what I am.”

You laugh. He certainly is that. 

[liesmyth]

Do you have any tips/resources on writing smut? I've never really written it, but I need to include a little in a fic I'm writing rn and yours is very good.

Anon! Thank you so much, this is Extremely flattering ❤️ Honestly, my #1 rule to Writing Smut is that actually anything can be hot if a scene is written to be arousing. It's all about the setup.

Some things that work for me:

EMOTIONS. ime, smut scenes should cause some level of emotional response in the reader. It can be the POV character experiencing strong feelings and that coming through in the narration; it can be a taboo or hard kink that’s enough to guarantee some kind of reaction; it can be an emotionally cathartic scene or character study through sex. It doesn’t have to be a lot! But there has to be Something that makes the reader invested, a takeaway that you couldn’t get from a purely objective description or looking at a picture.

FLOW. You’re either trying to make the reader horny and/or you’re trying to make them interested in what the characters are doing and feeling. Lean into that when crafting a scene! I find that varying the length of sentences in a paragraph helps (building up to a crescendo) and so does the deliberate use of terminology to set up a specific mood (more descriptive euphemisms vs. crude slang as the POV gets more overwhelmed, alternating lush prose and crass descriptors to create some contrast.)

CHARACTER-APPROPIATE VERBIAGE. This is a big one! There are NO forbidden smut words, actually. I have read super hot smut that hinged on the repeated use of some deeply unsexy terms. It’s ALL about the narrative voice. Try to construct a scene that’s immersive, with a narrative voice that suits the characters and the story, and the type of vocabulary that suits the POV and setting. Ime, anything and everything can be sexy if the mood is right. Yes, even the word “penis.” YES even funky euphemisms.

PURPOSE AND PACING. Why is the scene there? Try to strike a good balance between descriptions, feelings, and words. If the characters stop mid-sex to talk, it’d be harder to get back into a sexy mood (why I’ve been stuck on this one WIP for months. RIP) On the other hand, sometimes it’s fine to skip moments / descriptions, or even end the scene mid-sex.

(This is especially important in chaptered fics, in my experience. Sometimes there’s a long elaborate build-up to a get together and then all the emotions fizzle out during The Sex Chapter, or a plot-heavy story, and then the story slows down to fit in 3 orgasms per character. It’s fine, often better, to just stick to one orgasm, make it extra hot, and skim over the others)

WRITE DRUNK EDIT SOBER or any variant thereof. Write in comic sans and edit in times new roman. Write horny edits in public. It’s really easy to overthink smut and in my opinion, it Really helps to fully commit to a shitty first draft—no quibbling over word choices or positions; just don’t look at the screen and bang out 500 words. (Ah-ah, bang.) Write on your phone if you want! Put it away for a while then edit.

SMUT IS NOT SEX ED. Realism matters less than feelings do. I don't need to know every detail unless it's relevant to the development of the scene. Unless it’s something glaring like someone is suddenly naked or used soap as lube, no one is going to nitpick how realistic it is to hold X position for Y minutes or how many spankings a human being can endure. The scene works narratively >>> the scene can be recreated by random non-athletes having sex. It’s fic! If someone is taking it as a Guide To Sex that’s not on you.

Other resources: This is a good essay directly from 2005 era livejournal. Some posts about vocabulary: on kissing, smut thesaurus, more words! (use with caution, don't take anything as a hard rule etc.)

Also I just think I'm funny:

GOOD LUCK WRITING IT LMK HOW IT GOES

[myseungsunglove]

Unexpected | Ksm

Pairing: Seungmin x Reader

Warnings: fluffy angst adjacent

Word Count: 1k

𖠫Summary: MC finds herself writing a letter to her boyfriend Kim Seungmin to tell him all of the seemingly small and insightful ways and not so small ways she has felt loved by him when she never expected to feel truly loved by anyone.

Thoughts: This is another odd one. It comes from a very personal place, and it just kind of manifested without me meaning for it to. Hopefully it will reach someone who feels all of these things too.

✎WIP✎: working on a few Han pieces and Seungmin as well that are a bit more fluffy than my most recent pieces.

◠ ◡ ◠᭚ιαᵕ̈

「© July 25, 2023 by mysweethannie」

I’ve never been one to love hard and trust fast. I judge hard and trust slow. It takes a lot for someone to break down my walls, or for me to hand them the key to my seemingly impenetrable heart. I don’t think there’s anyone who really knows me.

Until I met you, Kim Seungmin.

I didn’t expect to fall in love with you, but there is something about you that makes me feel safe. Makes me feel like I don’t have to keep up the walls that I’ve so expertly built around myself. I can be me and you’ll be you and everything‘s okay. Everything is more than okay.

Before you, I had told myself that I was content with the dull loneliness that had become my constant companion in life. I was sure I wasn’t capable of giving love to anyone. This was something I was told each time a relationship inevitably crumbled. And because I loved so differently from other people, it made me unlovable. I somehow convinced myself that I was actually happy with this kind of life, not being loved, and that I couldn’t really find any kind of joy in a relationship because of my inability to love someone like they wanted or deserved. I really believed it to be true.

You changed all of that, Kim Seungmin.

I hate it when people say that love finds you when you least expect it. I hate it so much because that’s exactly what happened with you. I never expected to find you. I certainly wasn’t looking. I guess it was a good thing you were literally right in front of me. Sometimes I swear my life is one big romantic comedy where the writer forgot to give me the script, so I’m not sure when to laugh at how ridiculous my life seems sometimes.

I didn’t expect for you to be the only thing I think about on the dark nights that I don’t see you when our schedules don’t align or I don’t get to fall asleep in your arms. That’s so unlike anything I’ve ever experienced in love before. When I really think about it, I don’t think I’ve ever actually experienced love before you.

I never knew love could be so all consuming, at least not for someone like me. Not for someone who appears physically cold and distant at times and doesn’t know how to connect with people on a physical level. I was certain for a long time that I must be broken because I’ve never felt the things that other people had talked about when they talked about love. I’m still not always sure I convey my love for you adequately but you tell me you love me. Those three words are words you don’t use frequently or utter lightly so I know you must feel some kind of love from me or you wouldn’t risk the vulnerability of telling me you love me. It’s ironic how learning about you and how you love actually helps me learn about myself.

Funnily enough, the love we share, it’s still somehow different from the love I see between other people around me. You love me quietly in your own way yet I’ve never felt more loved, more seen, more known. You don’t have to say those three words every day for me to understand how deeply you feel about me.

I didn’t expect to feel loved when you give me a knowing side eye from the corner of the room when I’m stuck in a conversation with Chan or Changbin.

I didn’t expect to feel loved when you sit down beside me, your thighs pressing close to mine, your hand running soothingly along my back as I work on lyrics for a new song.

I didn’t expect to feel loved, and maybe I should have, when your fingers intertwined with mine, your thumb rubbing gently against my skin the first time I had a panic attack while I’m with you in public.

I didn’t expect to feel loved when you wrote and sang a song just for me. Your voice feels like the safest place on earth, and I know I don’t tell you that enough so this is me telling you.

I didn’t expect to feel loved the first time our lips met. This one may blow people away, but I’d never felt it before so why should I have thought this time would be any different? I guess my first clue should have been that everything was different with you, but somehow I still managed to be surprised.

Finally, and maybe this one is the saddest, but I didn’t expect to feel so loved the first time we made love or even every time after that. My connection with people is always emotional first, and that doesn’t always translate to physical attraction or deep connection. In fact, it very rarely does. Even when it does, my body doesn’t keep up with what my mind wants if that even makes sense. With you, every time you touch me intimately, my body is alight in a way I have never experienced before with anyone and honestly I had no idea it was even possible. No one has ever made me feel every emotion imaginable all at once, but Seungmin when you press closely to me, your long arms wrapping around me safely, my brain fires in a way I’m not sure it even learned to until you. It’s like you were a missing piece my brain needed to finally be whole.

I didn’t expect to fall in love with you, Kim Seungmin, but I'm certain I couldn’t do life without you now.

[imogenleewriter]

What are some of your favorite fics? i feel like i trust your opinion so much since what you write is so amazing u have to read something just as loll

I've given rec's to anons before, not sure if you've checked any of those out. Favourites / Famous/Non-Famous / A/B/O / WIPs (although most are complete now!) / Recent Read Recs Pt 1

But, let's do a new recently read and loved list!

I Don't Wanna Face The Music by hereforh / @hereforh Word count: 95,378 (but there is also a pt 2, still a WIP and up to 80k). Rating: E. Uni AU. Strangers to Lovers.

Louis likes to think he's a pretty normal, typical lad. He likes spending nights at the pub with his mates, he loves football and is very close to his family. So when he moves to London for uni, he doesn’t think much will be different.

Until he makes these new friends who are nothing like his mates back home and change his life for the better - and this one boy who messes with his head from the get go and makes him question everything he has ever thought about himself.

Wind beneath my wings by lunarheslwt / @lunarheslwt Word count: 93,131. Rating: E. A/B/O. Strangers to Lovers.

“You shouldn’t be here,” Harry gritted out, wild-eyed. “You should be scared of me.” Louis opened his mouth to speak, to cut him off, to disagree, but Harry was pushing. “I could hurt you.” “You won’t hurt me,” Louis said, simple and assuredly. Calm. “I’m capable of hurting you.” “But you won’t. That’s not who you are, Harry. I trust you,” Louis whispered.

As an omega carer that works at a rescue and rehabilitation centre for feral alphas and omegas, Louis has experienced all sides of ferality. So Harry- a cold, near-mute, non-receptive alpha- was a challenging case for everyone at Phoenix Rehab Centre. Louis wasn’t expecting to feel drawn towards an aloof Harry, or to form a slow bond with him. He certainly was not expecting for his entire life to change in unforeseen ways.

don't want no other shade of blue by padfootyoudog / @louisisworthit Word count: 43,230. Rating: E. A/B/O. Enemies to lovers.

“I know you’re putting on an act,” says Harry after a moment, and Louis scowls when he realises the prince is actually amused.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” says Louis.

“All I’ve heard over the past couple of years are rumours of Prince Louis’ kindness, and generosity, and oh, he’s so handsome I can barely pour his tea without shaking!” says Harry, putting on a silly, high-pitched voice for the last bit. Louis’ scowl deepens. “I would already know if you were just another selfish, bratty omega prince. You can’t fool me, darling, but I admire your efforts.”

“As you said,” Louis grits out, “those are only rumours. I assure you, I’m a terrible person.”

Harmony by nouies / @nouies Word count: 6,175. Rating: E. A/B/O. Enemies to lovers.

Alpha Harry and Omega Louis don’t have the most amicable relationship at work. When they get stuck together in an elevator, Harry scents Louis after nothing else works to bring him out of his panicked state.

Their time trapped in the elevator together brings to light some misunderstandings, and maybe some feelings for each other, too.

We Both Got Nothing To Hide by lovelarry10 / @chloehl10 Word count: 43,811. Rating: E. A/B/O. Friends to lovers/mutual pining.

“Talk to me, Lou.”

“I can’t,” Louis mumbled, knowing he genuinely couldn’t say it. He couldn’t admit to what he was doing. “Don’t ask me to say it, because I can’t.”

“Then… I’ll try and guess. You’ve… got some stuff of Harry’s. Something of his to make it smell like him?”

Louis just nodded, eyes fixated on the floor. This was humiliating, but he knew Zayn wouldn’t stop until he found out what was going on.

“Okay. Like… a blanket, or a comforter or something?”

“Kind of…”

//

Omega Louis has a secret nest. Alpha Harry keeps losing his clothes.

through the jungle through the dark by YesIsAWorld / @louandhazaf Word count: 12,555. Rating: E. Road Trip, Ex-friends to lovers.

Louis and Harry were best friends, until they weren’t. Five years after they last spoke they’re forced to drive cross-country to visit an injured friend. If they can’t get over the past, it will be a very long week together.

Nailed By Louis by haztobegood / @haztobegood Word count: 6,311 (+part 2: 3,168). Rating: E. Enemies to lovers.

It had started as a joke, just two months earlier. Louis had tried to make recipe from HarrySizzles Instagram account. It looked doable: no strange ingredients, no scary kitchen machinery. Just a simple layered lettuce salad. The result had been catastrophic. His friends had laughed so hard at the disgusting appearance of his salad, and after a few drinks, Louis had been convinced to start his own Instagram to track his food failures.

these bad omens (I look right through them) by likelarry / @likelarryfics Word count: 82,322. Rating: E. Age Difference (all legal). Strangers to lovers.

How on earth does someone his parents' age look so damn hot? All of their other friends look... bland and boring.

But Louis, fucking hell. He's something out of Harry's wettest fucking dreams.

Where Louis is Harry's parents' friend and teaches at Harry's university. Harry can't resist getting a taste.

[jinkookspencil]

unlucky in love

Your best friend Namjoon proposes a surprising, prolonged backup plan for the decades to come……

“Would….Would it be so bad?” 

“You and me. You and me stuck with each other.”

tags/description: ~6k words / namjoon x (f) reader / angst / fluff / friends to lovers(?) / pining / no smut but alludes to sex possibly happening at one point / no triggers or warnings, except swearing / happy ending / slow burn within their timelines since this takes years…. / jane austen references, title is a reference to p&p but fair warning i might just change it to 'unlucky' in the future / three ‘chapters’ / age of namjoon in each chapter: 1: ~27, 2:~32, 3: ~36 / chapters are separated by little ✣ ’s / feedback always welcome!

author’s note: every time i say I’ll upload my jin fics another fic pops into and out of my head - this namjoon fic came out of nowhere and i just thought to upload it to celebrate the release of indigo. the jin ones are coming very soon though. </3 proud of this though, besides the jin wip series, this is my first longer work!

Namjoon was a catch. An ideal man. The perfect man, really. It wasn’t hard for you, one of his best friends, to see why practically every woman on the planet fell for him. It wasn’t just the people who knew him, either. You could see it in the barista’s eyes when you grabbed coffee together. You heard your friends’ countless gushes over him, even the ones that were taken. And you couldn’t blame them…. He was smart, a little goofy, respectful, manly, sometimes endearing, and he was pretty easy on the eyes too. Every woman’s dream. Practically a Jane Austen character come to life. 

You could see it, understand it….you just never…. felt it. Namjoon was a close friend. Nothing more. Nothing less. 

You always had to dismiss people who thought otherwise or thought that that’s how you knew each other. Work had made your paths cross a few years ago when you were both in your early twenties and taking your first steps into the world of art. When he walked into your job at the film institute one morning, he had wanted to find out more about the artistry of film, the one realm of art he didn’t explore as thoroughly as paintings, sculptures, and literature, which you had always thought of studying as well. A quick conversation about film turned into an hour-long discussion on art and passion; the rest was history. Whenever Namjoon came back to learn about film, you took the opportunity to ask him about literature and art, whenever he brought it up, and before you knew it a friendship formed. He was the only one that got you, on your passions, art, and, as you’d later find out, in life. 

Movie nights at his place and your place were common, as were trips to libraries and bookstores to pick out different reads, which you’d begin at coffee shops over cronuts and pies, but you enjoyed your regular late-night therapy sessions just as much, talking about life and its complexities, sharing ideas and personal philosophies…  He was the only one that ever cared about that sort of thing…. And even when it got to discussions on love, everything remained respectful - especially when the other was in a relationship. Boyfriends came and went, with only one ever getting “worried” about Namjoon, whose girlfriends came and went over the years as well. 

You understood art, you understood each other, you just never understood love. 

It was the main topic of conversation on your cold, December walk, trying to figure it out as you always did.  

“Why are we just so unlucky?” you complained. “Do you think there’s something wrong with us? Are we attracting these weirdos?”

He giggles. “I wouldn’t say that. We’re just ourselves, aren’t we? And don’t be mean. People just play a role and live fake lives because they don’t know any better. What did that guy tell you once? Didn’t he say that he was an author but it turns out he paid someone to write some fake short story about a cloud or some shit? Didn’t they even write the good morning texts he sent you?”

“Oh god, don’t remind me of that lazy ass, Joon,” you shake your head. “As if you didn’t date that girl who said she was an art curator but couldn’t pronounce Monet.”

“Ay,” he sighs. “I just wish people were honest to themselves, you know. So what, if you can’t pronounce Monet and didn’t like art? That girl was fine, she was just a compulsive liar. I can’t have that.”

“Sincerity is dying, Kim Namjoon. It lives in you and me only. And in, let’s hope, a lovely man out there who proves me wrong. And in someone for you, too.”

“Let’s hope. Otherwise, we’ll be stuck with each other.”

“Oof, can’t have that,” you laugh, but a couple of steps later you notice that Namjoon had stopped walking, the bite of the hotteok he had taken from the dessert in your hands lingering in his mouth for a moment too long before he swallowed it. 

Eyes squinted in a far off-gaze, with his head tiled, you knew Namjoon was in thought. As always, you stopped and stared at him until he came back to Earth, not to interrupt his train of thought.

“Would….Would it be so bad?” he finally speaks. 

“Would what be so bad?”

“You and me. You and me stuck with each other.”

W- all of a sudden?! 

“Namjoon?!”

“Listen, I know we’re friends. Just friends, right? For all these years? And even right now… like sorry, Y/N, but I don’t know if I feel so attracted to you… I think I know too much and we’re too alike but that’s not the point. Just… Would it be so bad?” he asks, but he goes on. “I guess you’re right, we’ve both just been so…. unlucky. I like to think there’s someone out there for me and for you but… I can’t deny that I’m losing hope, at least for myself. You are, too, you just admitted it. The new year is starting soon and I've been thinking about what I want in life... And… I want a wife. I want kids. And..”

“Namjoon, what the fuck are you saying?!,” you yell in the middle of the snowy park. “Kids?!”

“Not now!” he explains. “Of course not now. But… look they always say ‘marry your best friend’, right? Well, you’re my only ‘best friend’ that’s a girl. It’s not like I can ask Yoongi to marry me.”

You feel your head spin at the words spewing out of Namjoon’s mouth. 

“Kim Namjoon! A wife, marriage, kids, what the fuck are you saying?”

He takes a deep breath and grabs your elbow, leading you to sit on a nearby park bench. 

“Breathe, Y/N.  I thought this through and we can scrap the idea and pretend like I never said anything, but just hear me out for a moment, with a calm mind.”

Looking at Namjoon, still confused, you take a couple of deep breaths before you nod at him to continue talking. 

“I’m not saying this for right now. What I’m saying is… in years, if we’re still friends, if we’re still single, if we’re still unlucky in love, if we still get each other…. If, and if, and if…. Why don’t we… why don’t we give this a shot? Just as a backup? We can either try a relationship - but that might be too weird because you know,” he tilts his head, “As I said, I think you’re not… and I am not… at least right now, anyway… Anyway! We can do that or we can just… get married regardless. Maybe have kids some way or the other. I know you want that in life but not right now, and I feel the same. And who knows? Our ‘wants’ can easily change…. But if….  It’ll be nice to share my life with my best friend.”

You stare at Namjoon, taking in his… proposal.  “When?”

“When should we do this?” he assumes is your question, staring up at the sky while he figures out an answer. “When I’m around 35, 36, 37? That seems good for both of us. That gives us plenty of time to find someone else, if that happens and…”

“No, I mean… when did you come up with this idea?”, you ask. 

“Oh, just right now when we were walking over there,” he says, pointing to the place he froze. 

“And you’re so ready to make this offer?!”

“You’re my best friend!” he exclaims. “Wasn’t this always a safe space for us to just say what’s on our minds?”

His tone couldn’t be more serious, even with the gentle expression on his face. 

“Look, it’s just an idea. It’s just a backup. And hey if in the future you or I feel like this conversation was a bad idea we can forget it ever happened. Wouldn’t it be nice to spend our nights watching films everyone thinks is too pretentious, talking about life, then in the mornings visiting libraries and galleries, with hotteoks and coffee? And not have to worry about lovers who never gave a shit about all of that? It’s about more than that but…,” he pauses. “We can still do it as friends, but…. just in case we don’t find that with someone else….”

You stare at Namjoon. He was your best friend. He understood you more than any lover, or any friend, ever had. Would it be so bad? To marry your best friend?

“And what about the issue of attraction, Joon? We both think that’s important. I hate to break it to you, bestie, but I’m not attracted to you, either.”

“That’ll resolve itself,” he laughs. “We’ll probably be too old to care. Or.. we’ll see…. There are so many ‘if’s’ for this to happen and I don’t know what future Namjoon will think. It’s just an offer.”

You had plenty of time. Sure, you’d find someone…. Sure, he would too - if given the chance, hundreds of girls would line up just for the chance to date him. OF course, you’ll both find other people…. But for now…. Would it hurt to not completely disregard your best friend? 

“I’m living every girl’s dream… getting proposed to under conditions, with the guy telling her she’s unattractive and saying he’ll be stuck with me.”

“Sorry, just think of yourself as a modern-day Elizabeth Bennett,” he smiles. 

“Oh, don’t flatter yourself by insinuating that you’re a Darcy,” you say, making him laugh. 

“So… when you’re 35?” you ask after a moment of silence, looking at Namjoon through your eyelashes, picking at the paper packaging of your shared dessert in your hands, his twiddling with the strings on his hoodie.

“Around?”, he answers. 

You nod, smiling at your best friend. 

“Okay. That gives me plenty of time to find an actual Mr. Darcy.” 

“I’m sure he’ll bewitch you, you idiot….”

✣ ✣ ✣ ✣ ✣ ✣ ✣ ✣ ✣ ✣ ✣ ✣ ✣ ✣ ✣ ✣ ✣ ✣ ✣ 

“Finally, it’s been too long.”

Those are the words you’d greeted Namjoon with the moment you spotted him waiting for you outside the cafe. It had been too long. Over the years, you kept in touch as best as you could, but with hectic work schedules and different careers, it was hard to see each other as often as you used to in your twenties. 

“It has,” he smiles, wrapping an arm around you in a hug. “What has it been like 5, 6 months? How’ve you been?”

You catch up for the next hour over coffee and pastries, talking about life, the world, and art, as you always had, as if you’d just seen each other the other day. But, as the sun began to set and the cafe got too busy to relax in, you were reminded that your long-anticipated hangout day was slowly coming to an end. 

“I don’t know if it’s our age or if that croissant ruined it, but how is this iced latte so sweet?” he wonders, taking a sip of the extra coffee he ordered to go as you watched the summer sky change colors in the park. 

“Let’s switch,” you offer, handing Namjoon your iced americano. “You never liked coconut milk, anyway, why would you order it with your coffee? Dairy is still bad for you, huh?”

“Yep. I can’t power through the intolerance anymore,” he laughs. “Could it be possible that my girlfriend’s dairy intolerance made me even more intolerant?”

“The model, right?” you ask.

“Yep. She’s…alright. And hey, I’ve been meaning to ask you…. how’s that guy you’ve been seeing? How long has it been now? A year?”

“A year and a half,” you nod. “That’s actually the reason I’ve been rushing to see you…

I…uh.. I’m engaged.”

Namjoon’s pace slows. “Oh.”

Oh?

“Uhm, congratulations,” he says sternly.

“Thanks….” you murmur, side-eyeing Namjoon who just stares at his feet as you both continue to walk.

“Do you like him?”

“….Of course, I like him, Namjoon. Why else would I accept? Why else would I date him for a year and a half of my life?”, you snap.

But Namjoon remains quiet, merely nodding in the silence. 

“I thought you’d be happy for me,” you say.

“I would be…. If you were happy.”

“I am happy,” you say, stopping him and standing your ground.

“Then where the fuck is your ring?”

You quickly hide your hands in your pockets in a feeble attempt at concealing the truth he just spat out. He had given you a ring. A diamond ring with a gold band. One he said reminded him of you. Even though you told him you hated diamonds, and only wore silver. It was the thought that counts, right? The gift…. The proposal. It didn’t matter that he didn’t bother getting one that fit either, it was too big and too…. not you. As he said, you should be grateful that he finally popped the question…..

“It was too big,” you say meekly, and Namjoon scoffs.

“Even so, why didn’t he get it resized? Why isn’t it on a chain around your neck? Is it fucking gold?!”

“I…”

“To this day… even if we don’t see each other as often, I’d still consider you my best friend,” he interrupts you softly. “I know you more than anyone, Y/N. If this is the same guy you talked to me about a year ago….,” he sighs. “I know the movies you find romantic, the books and characters you fawn over, the tropes you like, the art that affected you… and I know he isn’t.. he wouldn’t… He wouldn’t do all the things you wanted, all the things you deserved, Y/N. What happened to that hope you always had, even whenever we called ourselves unlucky? Where is my best friend? The Y/N I knew, who looked for a Darcy or a Knightley or whatever the fuck? That Y/N? She wouldn’t settle for someone like that.”

“I woke up. I was delusional. I realized that I don’t live in a fucking Jane Austen novel, Namjoon. There’s no one else, okay?”

He shakes his head. It stings more than anything, seeing the disappointment and…. hurt…. in his eyes.  “Your reason for marrying a guy is ‘there’s no one else’? Y/N….” 

“Don’t bring up that stupid ass deal now, Namjoon.”

“Did I?!”, he asks, and it’s the first time you sense anger in his voice. You rarely could… even over the years. 

“Fuck the deal. Look at the guy you’re marrying,” he spits the words out, the last word escaping like venom, before rubbing the space between his brows. “How many times did you come to me because he never got you, huh? Because he never made any effort to do so? 

I just want to see you happy, Y/N.”

“Well, open your eyes, Namjoon because that’s what you’ll see.”

But you walk away the moment he looks at you, knowing you’d be unable to hide another lie, nor the tears forming in your eyes. 

He knew you too well.

✣ ✣ ✣ ✣ ✣ ✣ ✣ ✣ ✣ ✣ ✣ ✣ ✣ ✣ ✣ ✣ ✣ ✣ ✣ 

“Did you hear who’s here?”

Looking up from your notebook, you see the excitement in your co-partner’s eyes… under all that blue mascara and funky makeup. 

“Put that thing away! It’s a party. Guess who’s here?”

“Who?” you resign, putting your tiny notepad and pen in your purse. 

“Only your FAVORITE film director, AND he’s looking to fund the film institute, AND he’s newly single.”

You contain your excitement, but she’d never realize it was there. “You talk like a teenager when we need to get down to business, ‘partner’. Is he really here and looking to fund it?”

“And he’s single,” she reiterates. “Oh, and the Kim Namjoon is here.”

…..Oh.

“He's so handsome, isn't he? And on top of all that talent? I think he’s looking to put together some pieces for an upcoming exhibition in his gallery… And word on the street is he's looking to get into film, too. Actually….," she pauses, "you two seem like a good fit. I’m sure you’ll work together one day.”

The thought of seeing Namjoon made your heart race, but really there was no reason for you to be surprised. The both of you had become prominent people in the art industry… It was more surprising that you hadn’t bumped into each other in all these years, dancing within the same circles. And you always promised yourself…

Still, you were there for work, you reminded yourself quickly. Sure, it was a party, but everyone networked at these things. And you had a film institute that needed funding….

-

The night went well, you mixed and mingled with so many people that were interested in film and the institute, and you can’t help but feel a rush when receiving your favorite director’s business card, complete with his personal phone number…. Where that’d go, you couldn’t tell, but his brief mention of funding and a collaboration idea was more than enough. Lost in the adrenaline, you forgot about Namjoon entirely….

“Y/N, there you are!,” you hear from behind you,. It was a partygoer you had just met….a familiar, looming figure was talking to someone else behind her. “We’ve been looking for you everywhere! Have you met Mr. Kim Namjoon?”

Of course. This was it. 

The all-too-familiar figure turns towards you, his glaring eyes fixated on yours for a moment so long you missed the partygoer’s unnecessary introductions. 

“….Miss Y/N here is a leading figure in the world of film,” you hear, “which I know you expressed interest in delving into, Mr. Kim.”

“You don’t need to introduce Miss. Y/N L/N to me. It’s good to see you,” he says with a smile, eyes still locked onto yours, but you don’t miss his fingers twitching around the glass in his hand before he outstretches his other arm.

“It’s good to see you too,” you reply, shaking his hand. Just as soft and big as you remember it to be.  

“Oh! Have you… met?” the elderly lady asks from somewhere in your peripheral vision. 

“We have,” you simply respond with a nod, but Namjoon elaborates.

“We… now.. we now know of each other.”

“Oh…. Well… why haven’t you collaborated yet?! I’ll leave you to it, figure it out and make it happen,” you hear the woman insist and briefly see her figure disappear into the crowd. 

“It really is good to see you, Y/N,” he says, finally breaking the silence between you in the otherwise noise-filled room. 

“Same to you, Namjoon….”

“I’m proud of you and all that you’ve done. I never got the chance to say that.”

“Thanks. I’m proud of you, too… ‘Mr. Kim’,” you laugh.

“Oh,” he winces with a chuckle, “It sounds even weirder coming from you. At this age and I still haven’t gotten used to it, to all of…. this,” he says, waving around to the party behind him and taking a sip of his drink. 

“Don’t pretend like you don’t like a good party, Kim Namjoon, I know you too well.”

“You do, you do…..,” he says, nodding. “And I do, like a good party. But you know just as well as I do that this isn’t a party. This is just… networking and business.”

“Yeah… and you’re interested in film, all of a sudden….”

“Not all of a sudden, Y/N, you know that, but it is time for my foundation to step into film. We've neglected it for far too long, but… fuck I don’t want to talk about that…” he waves off. “You’re the only one here I can have a normal conversation with…”

You had both begun to hear distant calls of ‘Mr. Kim Namjoon!’

“….Can we step out for a while?”

-

Just around the corner from the gallery the event was held at, was a quaint yet artsy bookstore and bakery hybrid that was surprisingly still open at this hour. But at the employees’ silent acknowledgment of Namjoon, you suspected he was a regular… or the more obvious answer, they recognized him as famed writer and art philanthropist, Kim Namjoon. 

“Sit, I’ll get us some stuff,” he says, before returning to you with two coffees and two pastries. “A lemon flavor and a dark chocolate one… Because we’ve gotten so old.”

You chuckle, taking a bite of the bittersweet dark chocolate pastry, the perfect cup of coffee in your hands, the beautiful bookstore you were in and wondering how you never found it, but most of all you were taking in the moment… Taking in the fact that you were sitting opposite Namjoon again. Taking him in. With his eyes wandering around in thought, and a smile on his face. Already, it was as if no time had passed at all. Except, age looked good a bit too good on him. 

“Coffee, desserts, bookstores, and probably late-night conversations with Kim Namjoon… Takes me back.”

“Yeah…..” he thinks aloud, eyes still scanning above and below as he does…. “Yeah, I missed this.”

“…So have I…. I’m sorry I never reached out, Namjoon.”

“Don’t be,” he says, looking at you through his brows and taking a slow sip from his coffee. “I never reached out either.”

And…,” he starts, rubbing his hands together before continuing, “ I don’t know if I can take another year,” he says, breaking the silence.  “Friends again?”

You don’t even have to think about it. “Friends again.”

“Good,” he sighs with a wide smile, his eyes still forming little crescent moons when he did so. “Phew. Finally, I’ll have someone that gets me. Maybe we both changed over the years, but even so, I’m just glad I’ll have someone to talk to about books and art again. Someone that doesn’t want something out of me or isn’t bored out of their mind when I do so like Yoongi. I made the funniest joke the other day and he just ignored me like I hadn’t said anything.”

“What was the joke?”

“What do you get if you cross a painter with a heavyweight boxer? ….Muhammad Dali.”

You scoff. “Seems like Seokjin rubbed off on you. Kim Namjoon, you haven’t changed.”

“Neither have you,” he says. “I saw you with your little notebook. Who brings a notebook to a party?” 

“I was writing down information I knew I’d forget! Do you know how many people introduced themselves? I need to differentiate the flirting guy from the ‘kid faking that he’s in the industry’ from ‘serious collaboration potential’! They’re all in that sacred notebook, with a description of each person!”

“The flirting guy, huh? In addition to that too-good director? I saw him give you his number...” Namjoon chuckles, before going silent. “Whatever happened with… to the engagement?”

Despite having no contact with Namjoon over the past couple of years, there’s no way word wouldn’t have gotten to him. Despite everything, if you had made that mistake, he still would’ve been invited to the wedding. 

“You know, Namjoon.”

He nods. He knows. He probably knows that he’s the one who woke you up from that nightmare too. But nothing needs to be said. 

“Yeah,” you roll your eyes. “Whatever happened to that model by the way?”

“…Which one?” he smirks. 

“Fuck off, Kim Namjoon,” you throw a flimsy napkin in his way, laughing while he explodes into his hearty, hyena laugh - the one he rarely lets out. 

“Oh, it’s been ages since I heard that,” you say, pretending to wince at the noise. 

“It’s been ages since it came out of me.....”

“Why? Seokjin’s not around? Too busy with his wife and kids?”, you ask. 

“He’s around, still as funny, but… I don’t know, you make me laugh…differently…”

“It was your joke! You basically made yourself laugh, Joon,” you giggle. 

“Oh, fuck,” he says. “…'Joon’…”

You search his face, trying to sense what he was feeling but you couldn’t tell what it was…  

“No one called you that? Over the years? It seems like a… common, easy nickname for you….” you say calmly, wondering why no girlfriend or lover ever used the soft as summer nickname for the man who was the same.  

“People tried to,” he shakes his head. “I never let them.”

“Why?” you ask, eyes narrowing. “Why, Namjoon?”

“Y/N…. I know I don’t have to explain sentimentality to you.” His gaze shifts from the paper cup he toyed with to your eyes, and again, you just sit in silence. 

It was time. 

“You know, Namjoon, I did a lot of thinking…. over the years… About myself, the world…. You know, we called ourselves unlucky but we’re really quite stupid.”

“I know,” he nods. “We are, but… go on.“

“It was stupid of us to attribute it all to luck and the world. Especially because… all these years, I don’t think either of us really knew what we were searching for. We chased the empty label of ‘love’ without defining how that’d look like to us. And that’s what I’ve been working on.”

“And?” 

“And…. After countless movies, books, art, and a lot of self-reflection….. I finally have an idea.” Your eyes wandered as you talked, but you were determined to keep them on him, who listened intently, as you continued.

“I have an idea… of what love looks like to me. Whenever I thought about what I wanted, what I had and experienced… I realized that what I wanted was what we had. That friendship, that support, that empathy, respect, trust, honesty, and understanding… that… love.

I loved you, Namjoon. I love you.”

“And I loved you…and love you. I always did and always will,” he says immediately, calmly. “But…. what exactly are you saying?”

You knew he meant it as you did. You didn't need to define what type or over-analyze it and sub-categorize it as you would have when you were younger. It was love. Deep, true love. And it’s now or never...

“Is that offer still on the table?”

A chuckle escapes him, as well as the smile he tried so hard to contain.

“You needed to rewatch all those movies and reread all those books to figure it out? I could’ve painted you a picture years ago. But… you never even asked if I was single.”

“Are you?” you ask, hoping the quiet chuckle you let out concealed the bubbling feeling of regret in your chest. “Or is there another model? Some artistic muse? What did you call that one from years ago? ‘Alright’? ”

“The model, the curator, the.. whatever, they were all… alright but… wrong. No one ever… got me,” he admits, raising his eyebrows when he sees you nodding at his use of your words. You were on the same page. “I stopped searching for someone who did…. and then I went to that party.

I always wanted that for you, Y/N, but I never realized I needed it too…”

Namjoon was at his most vulnerable, and so were you, laying your honest truth out to the person who knew you best…. But it was easier to see it in his eyes. It’s something you hadn’t seen in him since your twenties, but he seemed more sure of himself than ever. So ready to be vulnerable, so ready to be honest, so…

“So…." you say, partly thinking aloud, partly hoping Namjoon could continue the conversation. 

“So, you finally get why I made that offer, way back when?” he asks.

“How did you know? We were in our twenties… Wait… did you come up with this because you had feelings for me all along?!”, you say, mouth agape in shock and amusement. You’d never doubt your friendship was a sham, but what if…

“Don’t flatter yourself. I’m not the Knightley to your Emma, idiot, I wasn’t attracted to you then. It was just…. something that felt right. It still does. I didn’t know… much.”

“So, the offer is still on the table?”, you ask after a moment of silence.

“Of course it is.”

“Are you 35?”

“A little older,” he winces. "All this time and you're still bad at math, huh?"

You roll your eyes. “Well, you said ‘around 35’.... so, we’re right on schedule. And I still need to be wooed, Kim Namjoon. I know you have it in you,” you smile, feeling confidence return to your bloodstream like a rush of adrenaline after years without it. 

“You finally know what you deserve,” he says softly. “You are getting bewitched, Y/N, whether you like it or not.”

“Bewitched and hitched?” you laugh.

“Hey, don’t come for my job. Or actually, a joint poetry book or short film shit would be nice, we should do that,” he thinks, “but yes…. bewitched and hitched.”

Staring at the man you knew so well sitting opposite you, you couldn’t wait.

“‘When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible,’” you quote quietly.

“When Harry Met Sally…,” Namjoon nods. “You loved that film.”

“I do…” you nod. “so with that in mind, how soon can we make the wedding?”

He laughs, his hand reaching for yours across the table before he stands up and envelops you in a warm, soft embrace. Taking in his familiar scent of coffee and cologne, you don’t want to let go. In any way. But he does, only to kiss you on the cheek and giggle when you tip-toe to reciprocate.

“And if we fight?”, you suddenly ask Namjoon, your demons briefly popping in to ruin the moment.

“We used to. As couples do,” he shrugs, taking your hands in his. “All those ‘if’s’ worked out in our favor, didn’t they? It didn’t seem like they did….until today.” 

He brushes a hair away from your face, fingers grazing your jawline. Amidst all the familiarity of the night, this was new…. His lips slowly meet yours in a kiss as soft as summer and sweeter than the chocolate you could taste on him.

Breaking away, his hand instantly finds his stomach. You don’t need to theorize what it means, but you can’t hide the shock you’re feeling. He could be so innocent at times, you remember thinking, whenever you saw him rub his belly button every time he got butterflies from a girl. 

“Wow, do people our age still get butterflies in their stomachs?” You giggle, placing your hand on his. This was definitely new ground. “And to think I caused this.” 

“I hate how I could never control it, it feels like a tickle," he smiles. "Doesn’t help that I haven’t felt this in a while, though... I wish my 'tell' was as subtle as yours.”

“I have a tell?!!,” you yell, immediately wondering if anything gave away that you were feeling the same way. 

“You do. Not to bring him up but I never saw it with what’s-his-face and that's when I knew… But anyways, I think I’ll keep it a secret. So you don’t make a note of it,” he says while you roll your eyes, but in doing so a book behind Namjoon catches your eye and suddenly, you remembered your surroundings. 

“Anyways, is this beautiful place magically open for us to have this moment?”

“Well, if you’d say that, then I’m the wizard.”

“What?” you laugh. 

“Sweetie, I own this place.”

You momentarily ignore another ‘first’ in your life, Namjoon calling you a pet name, to take in the fact that he owned the most beautiful place you’d ever seen in your life.

“You OWN this place?! And you never told me about it? This is what I feel most betrayed about, Joon,” you huff, looking around. Of course it was his. Every inch of this placed screamed his name. No wonder you loved it so much.

“I guess I have to explain this one to you, don’t I? I saved this place from going bankrupt and completely revamped it. I thought of you every step of the way and… you know, I’m a romantic. I liked to believe one day you’d find this place by chance and just get that it was mine…. And that that’s how we’d meet. There’s even a screening room upstairs, beside the mini gallery, so I’m surprised you hadn’t found this place yet. There’s even a DVD section because you went on about the importance of physical media, which I now get. You didn’t even notice the name, huh?”

You look around, finding the minimalistic lettering and logo of the place on the far wall. “Unlucky - Art. Books. Coffee.”

“I love it, Namjoon,” you say, looking around in wonder… “And let me guess, you called it ‘Unlucky’ to defy the word itself?”

He nods, smiling as he walks over to you. “We were never unlucky. We were lucky… because we had each other.”

“‘Had’… I hate that we wasted those years in between,” you whisper. 

“Don’t be. The years got us here. To when we could finally have each other… again. It’s not too late if it’s the right way, the right time....”

“Let’s go back to that party,, hmm?” he says after another hug, “I’m already excited to introduce you as my fiancé.”

“And then we'll leave and talk some more. I’m not wasting a single moment of my life from now on, Kim Namjoon.”

“Of course…,” he smiles. “We’ll leave and… talk. The talking that results in the other thing we said would come with this deal.”

You pinch Namjoon’s still squishy yet firm arm before taking it in your hands as you walked back to the party, anticipating what came next.

Whether it was talking, Namjoon’s new definition of talking, hearing him introduce you as his fiancé, working with him, or even just the next minute by his side. It was the rest of your life. He was the rest of your life.

And neither of you could ever let this go. This was the love you’d both been searching for. 

[aliasknives]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Spread the self-love ❤️

omg this is so kind!! I only started posting my writing in like, march, so I only actually have four fics out there right now (and so many wips sitting in my drafts), but I’ll still join as best as I can! everything I mention here is a part of my durgetash collection, all we ever wanted. I’m also working on some dragon age stuff but nothing is anywhere near done yet

I’m probably most proud of sacrament (3.7k), and it’s also the second shortest I’ve written. I truly can’t explain this one better than I did in my endnotes: sometimes you have feelings for your evil coworker and you decide to eat a human heart about it. I’m really proud of it and slowly in the process of writing what I think is basically its sequel.

the first I ever posted was my angsty hurt/comfort (but they’re evil) one-shot, slow hands (6.1k). I named it after the interpol song that is still somehow stuck in my head months later. it’s currently the only from Isoldt’s point of view (although the aforementioned wip is as well). I was so nervous when I posted it but I’m very happy with it!

hunter’s mark (2k) is the shortest, and is my guess as to how on earth bhaalists and banites would make first contact with each other and how that would go. I’m a big fan of the idea of durge having a little bit of an uncanny valley effect on people, so I emphasized that a lot in this one.

and finally, king’s gambit (4.3k) is the one I was posting about under the pseudonym “unethical science fic”. Honestly one of the comments explains it best: it’s two people who both they’re in total control of a situation, and they’re both wrong.

thank you for the ask :) <3

[uhbasicallyjustmilex]

Do you read milex fanfics? If so what's your favorite ones?

DO I (yes, i do)

there are SO many incredible ones out there, most of which i've probably not even read yet because my to-read list is so long rn! here are a few of my all-time favourites though (plus a handful at the end of current wips i am loving too!)

LONGER FICS

Joie de Vivre by @gasdancer

summary: "Two young men decamp to rural France to make an album together. It ~is like love."

tags: angst, fluff, smut, bed-sharing, first time, friends to lovers

notes: THIS FUCKING FIC OH LORD. i just finished reading it recently and i had to sit down and reevaluate my whole existence for like a day afterwards. it PERFECTLY captures the dynamic of taotu milex - the playfulness, the intensity, the heart-wrenching love they have for each other that underlines everything. it's beautifully written with some *very* hot smut scenes and honestly it's amazing and if you haven't read it already then what are you waiting for?? (there are also two sequels, the first of which i am currently halfway through and it is just as incredible oh my god)

Been Away Too Long To Be Afraid by @stereobone

summary: Miles goes to visit Alex in Los Angeles to get his mind off his recent breakup. It works far better than expected.

tags: friends to lovers, miscommunication, pining, first time

notes: THIS FIC oh my goodness. it is in no small way responsible for how deep into this fandom i have sunk, as it was one of the first milex fics i ever remember reading and it's just so stupidly good. their characterisation is ON POINT and it's just the perfect balance of yearning/miscommunication/slow build. oh, any absolutely beautiful writing style too. my only complaint is that it went by WAY too fast when i was reading it lol.

Shy Of A Spark by @elorianna

summary: The Arctic Monkeys are about to play Glastonbury, their biggest gig yet, and Alex is struggling with stage fright. Fortunately for him, he has Miles to help him feel braver, and with his best friend by his side, surely nothing can go wrong.

Except that now it's the day of the show, Miles is acting strange, and the gig is no longer the only thing giving Alex stage fright. With the hours racing past, will he get his head in the game in time for their headline performance? And will he find a way to be brave, in more ways than one?

tags: friends to lovers, pining, first time, bed sharing

notes: this fic has such a special place in my heart, and i've lost count of how many times i've re-read it. it totally captures the fear of falling for someone who already means so much to you, and is just BEAUTIFULLY written with gorgeous characterisation and layers of theme and subtext on bravery and performance throughout. i literally cannot recommend it enough!! i am such a massive fan of all of elorianna's works, but i'm limiting myself to reccing one long and one short one here so this list doesn't become endless lol.

Terra Incognita by @yellowloid

summary: His fear of thunderstorms is something Alex has managed to keep a secret for most of his life. Nobody knows except his parents, and he’s determined to keep it that way. Except now he’s stuck in his apartment with Miles, the world outside is being shaken by a raging downpour, and maybe his fear isn’t the only thing that’s becoming difficult to hide. Or: they comfort each other in unconventional ways.

tags: hurt/comfort, pining, handjobs, friends to lovers

notes: i love the whole theme of unexplored lands that runs through this fic, it's gorgeously written and it feels like it touches on something so fitting for miles and alex's dynamic (also alex's thoughts about words in it feel SO in character). also i am such a sucker for a good hurt/comfort, and this ABSOLUTELY delivers the goods. god, the build up? the smut? the everything??? it's amazing, and full of so many stunning little details and nuances.

The Galaxy's Edge by @richiebrook

summary: Alex hasn’t been feeling like himself. He's used to it – tour life usually makes him feel a bit out of it, as if he were drifting in space - but it does put a strain on his relationship with the rest of the band and his girlfriend Taylor. Miles, his best friend turned lover, calls him up twice a week to make sure he doesn't drift too far. Their biweekly ritual helps Alex. The same can't be said for Taylor, who is perfectly aware of what Miles really is to her boyfriend. And so the Monkeys tour continues, Alex drifts and Miles anchors. But is it really drifting if you know exactly where you need to be?

tags: angst, long distance relationship, cheating, hurt/comfort

notes: okay, so there are a whole bunch of tags for this fic that would usually make it not my thing, BUT the writing is just so incredibly skilled and the characterisation of alex is so multi-layered and interesting that it i found myself getting completely sucked in. i have to say, it definitely is quite angst heavy so it's not a fic for if you're in a mood for some feelgood fluff - but it's beautifully written and a super thought-provoking and nuanced character study.

SHORTER FICS

On the Cusp by @elorianna

summary: On a hot summer day during their EYCTE Puppets tour, Miles and Alex find themselves stuck on a tour bus without any air conditioning. As they try to find ways to distract themselves from the heat, the boys end up struggling to maintain their cool in more ways than one…

tags: friends to lovers, first time

notes: i mean... this fic is just... *fans self* so hot. the way elorianna writes the build up of sexual tension is MASTERFUL.

Christmas Eve Will Find Me Where The Love Light Gleams by literevie

summary: Alex caught covid just before he was about to head home for Christmas. Now he's stuck alone in London, pretending to be brave about it all. But Miles finds out and decides to visit him to drop by some of his mums' famous christmas cooking to help him feel less lonely. Plot twists occur of course.

tags: friends to lovers, pining, sickfic, slow burn, first kiss

notes: this is such a special fic... i've rarely read one that feels like it has such a profound understanding of the dynamic between miles and alex, and it deals with the joy and the complexity of all that entails with just so much skill and poignancy. it's in the shorter fics category, but the PACE of this whole fic is just perfect and unrushed. it also features one of the best ever love confession scenes i've read. honestly it's just magic. the whole fic is.

The 36 Questions that Lead to Love by @fiireside

summary: To fall in love with anyone, answer these questions.

tags: fluff, pining

notes: THIS FIC IS SO ADORABLE omg. if you're ever having a bad day or feeling disillusioned with the world, just read this and i swear it will restore you.

Amsterdam by @richiebrook

summary: This one is set during the first night of Miles’ European tour, after Miles overhears a group of people in the audience singing “Where the fuck is Alex Turner?” as soon as he leaves the stage. Needless to say, it’s not the big opening night Miles had hoped for. Feeling like he's lost control of his own tour, he calls Alex up, fully intending to blame him for everything. Luckily, Alex knows just how to prove to him that he's still very much in control after all.

tags: angst, phone sex

notes: god, this is so beautifully written. the characterisation and the dynamic between them is just MASTERFUL. it honestly took my breath away the first time i read it for how real the way they interact feels. so many layers to this despite it being such a short fic (and the smut is really hot too).

Magic From Your Fingers Tingles Down My Spine by @alexturne

summary: "Wanna make out?" Alex coughed out a cloud of thick smoke. He blinked and looked at Miles next to him. Miles was making quite the sight, sprawled out across Alex's sheets with a dirty smirk plastered on his face. He looked nice, spread out like that. All relaxed and comfortable, as if he'd always been destined to end up right there in Alex's bed.Or: Whilst writing their first album together, Alex and Miles get high, and Miles has a great idea about how they could be spending their time.

tags: fluff and smut, friends to lovers

notes: this was one of the first milex fics i ever read and ahhhhhh. i still reread it often bc i just adore it! the tension and the tenderness in it is just 10/10 and i love how much they were both totally, helplessly into each other throughout it. wonderful writing.

the italian job by @stereobone

summary: Miles buys a house in Italy. Alex moves in.

tags: developing relationship, fluff, smut, feelgood

notes: this fic is just ART. god. the writing is absolutely stunning and it's full of beautiful subtext and metaphor but is also just so grounded in their relationship. i actually had to close my laptop for a few moments after finishing it because it just filled my heart up so much i didn't even know what to do with myself. the conversation between alex and miles in it is so insanely in character and ugh i just love everything about it okay??

WIPS/FICS I'M READING

Inhaler by @perfectly-clear-from-here

summary: A fast forming friendship between Alex and Miles takes a turn after a range of sleepless nights, shared cigarettes, loud music and a bar fight.

tags: friends to lovers, pre-taotu, slow burn, angst, fluff

notes: god, this fic just has it all for me. the characterisation of miles and alex's dynamic is just SPOT ON and right from the beginning has this wonderful sense of innate connection in a way that feels so authentic. i can already tell that the slow burn is going to destroy me (in the best possible way). it's also BEAUTIFULLY written with evocative descriptions that draw you straight into the story, super relatable themes, and wonderful snort-out-loud-at-your-computer-screen arctic monkeys boys banter.

Switchblades and Motorbikes by @thranduil-aran-edhil

summary: London. 1950’s. The Arctic Monkeys and the Diamond Dogs have never seen eye to eye. The two gangs are notoriously at odds with each other, constantly getting in fights around town. Alex Turner, leader of the Monkeys, is a sly thief and bike enthusiast that refuses to humble himself just because he’s sorta new in town. Miles Kane, leader of the Dogs, is a rebel with a cause and nothing will stop him defending his community and values. Not even a pretentious bastard like Turner. But a common adversary threatens to change this status quo. Will they find a way to team up? Or will both gangs fall under this much more powerful foe?

tags: 1950s au, violence, enemies to lovers, fluff and angst

notes: oooooh the ANIMOSITY and the tension between miles and alex sets up such an addictive dynamic in this, and the au vibes are just IMMACULATE. i have to admit, i'm only one chapter in but i'm already so hooked i couldn't not add it to the list. the dialogue in it is beautifully done and so full of character, and the whole thing just feels like watching a really cool movie play out onscreen.

I'll Pretend (Or Not) by @28-destiel-505

summary: Everyone knew Miles Kane and Alex Turner hated each other. But when it goes too far, their teams force them to do a collab to save their public images. Nobody understands when their relationship seems to have changed, not the fans, not their friends and not even themselves. Telling people it's just for the public might work for a little while but at some point, their friends question it. Maybe it's because of the time spending together or maybe it's because of the things happening when they're on stage but people start wondering what is really going on between the two.

tags: slow burn, enemies to friends to lovers, secret relationship

notes: okay i'm also in the early stages of this fic, but it's been on my to read list FOREVER and i am so excited to get further into it because i am a sucker for enemies to friends to lovers and i enjoyed the first two chapters so much!

under these lights you look beautiful by @alexturne

summary: Miles got completely lost in his voice. There was a faraway quality to it, like he belonged somewhere else entirely, but somehow had decided to grace them with his presence and Miles felt blessed to be near him if even for a short while. The subtle elegance hidden in his slender figure, the mannerisms of his fingers wrapped around the corners of his notebook. His words were spoken softly, quietly, but without any hesitation or faltering. Alex is an elusive poet, who has a way with words and Miles is a bartender, who is completely mesmerized.

tags: bartender au, slow burn, falling in love

notes: i've literally only read the first chapter of this but it already has me HOOKED - it's so cosy and atmospheric and i can already tell it's going to tug on my heartstrings so much in the best way. and omg poet alex with humbug hair?? i am in love as miles is oh lord.

that's it for now! if anyone has any fic recs (your own you want to promote or anyone else's that you've read and loved!), please feel free to send them my way - i feel like i'm probably missing some major ones from this list and am always looking for more good milex fics!

[jaimebluesq]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Spread the self-love ❤(if you want to!)

Thank you sweetie!! Am always happy to help with some positivity and horn-tooting ;)

He's No Bully, He's My Friend - Urban fantasy where the main character (Nie Huaisang) is homeless and comes across a pit bull that he befriends, and it turns out the dog is a cursed human (Jiang Cheng) with connections to MC's dead brother. It was a very emotional experience getting into the mindset and experiences of the character and their circumstances, and it's writing I'm very proud of.

Reality is Overrated - A "stuck in a dream world" fic inspired by the Superman plot "For the man who has everything" - Nie Huaisang wakes up in a world where he has his father, mothers, his brother and his brother's wife and children (all of whom are either supposed to be dead or never existed), and is told he has some memory issues because of an accident. His life seems perfect and happy, except for a single annoying man (Jin Zixun) who insists that none of it is real. This was such a fun story to think through and came together eerily well, and I'm very proud of it.

A Night at the Purple Peony - Nie Huaisang goes to an underground place geared toward those who enjoy the 'company of their own kind', disguised complete with mask so he can't be recognized. He meets someone and seduces them, then has some fun before they part - and finds out some time later that it's someone he knows. I enjoyed writing it SO MUCH even though it's mostly smut, and it launched me on a new ship that's become my happy little pool noodle (NHS/JZXun)

Mercy - I broke my own heart writing things istg. Nie Huaisang is given a 'gift' from Jin Guangyao that has him reevaluating his plans for vengeance against him for kiling his brother - so instead of continuing his plan to destroy the man and everything he holds dear, he gives him a quick death with his reputation intact. I delved into some heavy topics in this one (e.g. past child sexual abuse), but I think I did so well and respectfully, and got to do one of the things I enjoy doing most - exploring the relationship between Nie Huaisang and Jin Guangyao/Meng Yao.

A Knight in Shining Shop-Vac - A middle-aged man (Jiang Cheng) has been re-evaluating his romantic life and takes a chance on Grindr and he gets his first match - and the guy (Nie Huaisang) immediately asks if he knows a good plumber because his pipes are busted. The original premise was supposed to b more humourous, and though I have some humour in there, it's more about JC's confusion about himself, his longing for connection to another person, and how he and Nie Huaisang connect. It's a middle-aged baby-gay thing, and it's very dear to me - and I was honestly surprised at how many people enjoyed it too!

*** Honourary Mention to: The Catalyst - I decided to leave it out of the top 5 because it's still a WIP, but it's one I've been working on for almost as long as I've been in the Untamed/MDZS fandom and has been a true passion project of mine. Nie Huaisang accidentally comes across someone who gives him information that can change his world, and he ends up going on a quest to discover the truth - and learns many other things along the way. It's endgame romance/slow burn, but the focus is very plot-heavy and I'm really proud of so much of the writing and plotting in it :D

Thank you again for the ask!

[abronzeagegod]

ETS WIP Chapter 4: The Problem with Dreams

<first>|<more>

The drive back to the office was quiet and slow.

After turning in the company van and clocking out, Aeth went and found a small room set aside for rituals. There they participated in a deep cleansing ritual and even a protection spell to keep the bad dreams at bay. They knew that this case would be haunting them for days and weeks.

Just as the magic faded and the incense started to dissipate away to just smoke, Lyta stuck her head into the room.

"Hey, I saw you're back. How was it?"

Aeth shrugged, not really up for vocalization.

"I'm about to finish up my shift, you want to go get something to eat? It's my turn to buy."

Aeth nodded. Lyta was a good friend, a great friend, their best friend. She could read their mood and their whole demeanor with a glance.

"Great, I'll order us something to pick up and we can go to my place and eat and watch some TV. You feeling And the Fifth Rose was Black or do you want some truly silly nonsense like Real Monsters of the Sea?"

"Sea," they mutter.

"Great! I need something mindless tonight. Let me get my desk together and I'll meet you in the break room?"

"Yeah."

Before she left, Lyta entered the room and gave Aeth a quick hug.

The day was deeply draining. Aeth felt so very tired, but Lyta had a way of making them feel better about everything. They hope that she doesn't mind.

Even though they know if they asked, she would say that she doesn't mind if it is for them.

Aeth didn't have to wait for Lyta for very long, she just had to grab her stuff out of her locker and then their friend drove to her apartment.

They often worked the same shift, so Lyta almost always drove the both of them to and from work.

Lyta's apartment was small, full, and deeply comforting to Aeth, who made a beeline for the couch, where they plopped down and snuggled up to the plush bat named Bat-tholemew. Lyta had gone into her room to change out of work clothes and put in food order. She knew their likes well enough by this point that she didn't even bother to ask what Aeth wanted.

Eventually, she returned and went to the couch, gently picking up Aeth's feet, sitting down, and letting Aeth lay across her lap.

It was right about twenty minutes into Real Monsters of the Sea (when Urrephetilgoth the Emissary of the Dark Tide was calling out Herominish Lor'gillth as a horror, as if Herominish would be offended by being called a horror) when the food arrived.

By the time the food was consumed and the fight between the two ancient sea creatures had resolved, or at least come to a truce so they could fight with a third friend/enemy/fellow-horror-form-100-fathoms-below-the-sea, Aeth was feeling much better.

It was around the time that they had finished food and the second episode of Monsters was wrapping up that Aeth finally felt good enough to talk to Lyta.

“It was the last job,” they said. “It was a typical family that had their computer for too long and it was starting to give up.”

Lyta didn’t interrupt. She never interrupted when Aeth spoke especially about things that were bothering them.

“But the kid, about seven or eight, believed in the computer enough to create a small god that lives in it and kept it working long past it’s lifespan.”

Lyta reached over and grabbed Aeth’s hand, just held on to it. She knew what was coming next, where it was going, but sometimes it was necessary for the person to say it out loud. After a moment she pulled their hand into her lap.

“She believed in her computer so much. She named it, had a bunch of plastic dinosaurs she named and gave permanent make overs to. She reminded me of me, but, you know, with a better home life.”

Lyta rubbed her thumb across Aeth’s knuckles. A soothing, repetitive gesture.

“Got me thinking about… you know,” Aeth said with significant pauses. “I called the Bureau, and they assured me it’s still in lock up under constant surveillance.”

“It hasn’t tried to get out?” Lyta asked. She was the only person that knew of 3812-B. But even she didn’t know the whole story, not the whole truth of it. That was something too much even for Aeth, something they didn’t even believe or want to share ever again.

“No,” Aeth responded. “They would have told me if it did.”

There was a long silence between the two of them. “How are you doing?” Lyta asked.

“Better now, but tonight is going to be rough dreaming.”

“You can stay here,” she said. Please stay, is what she meant.

Lyta always said stuff like that. Aeth wanted to stay, they really did, but they also needed the comfort and privacy of their own place.

They thanked Lyta for everything and called themselves a car to take them home. Lyta kept Aeth's hand in hers for as long as she could, kissing the back of their hand as they finally had to pull away.

They don't dream that night. At first.

When they did dream it is intense and violent and full of spiders.

Well, maybe it wasn't supposed to be violent.

But all the spells they did to keep from dreaming also kept the underearth spider aspect from sending them their thanks so they increased the power of their dreams until they broke through their thorough magic and it was basically a nightmare.

A nightmare built on the strength of the generosity of a spider aspect, a being from the inner earth, so far below the surface that things are naturally dark and twisted. A nightmare built from their everyday experiences strong enough to pierce through the wards and defenses carefully crafted by a hurt mind.

The thing with gods and their gifts is that one can't refuse them. Not really. Refusing a god outright is a terrible idea, and being coy about it is simply a worse one. Because nothing is more horrifying than a god who has been thwarted in their attempts to thank you.

They had honestly forgotten about it. Especially after the small god.

The corridors Aeth was lost in were twisting, dark, made of stone that was hot to the touch and rough and coarse. They twisted in and back on themselves like the paths of stone were moving, living things. Like a spiderweb turned stone.

Aeth knew something was in the tunnels with them and was chasing them, pursuing them, just like before.

They weren't strong enough to fight them the first time and had only survive through sheer luck.

To fight a second time was something that was just beyond their capabilities.

So they ran as far and as fast as they could, but their legs were loose, and numb. They couldn't move fast or far. They were trapped and this was the end for them they knew.

It was coming.

It was coming for them.

And they were caught in this web and labyrinth.

Suddenly the nightmare tilted on it's side, everything slid to one angle and Aeth found themself face-to-face with a spider aspect.

"Thank you," the spider said enigmatically. They were already big, bigger than Aeth was in the physical world but now they were massive, gargantuan even.

All of their many arms reach out and hand Aeth a thing made of the darkness around them. It is small and soft as they reach out and touch it.

It is unwise to refuse the gift of something that wants to give you a gift, especially one even so tangentially related to divinity.

Aeth took the gift, with only a little hesitation.

They knew that they were still being pursued, it was still coming after them.

"Thank you," Aeth responded, looking over their shoulder.

"It is authentic spider-silk. Very soft. Amazing to sleep upon."

Oh, it was a pillowcase. That made more sense.

Suddenly, the spider tilts it's massive head. They just noticed the thing that was persuing Aeth throughout the nightmare.

"Something is stalking you," the spider pointed out unhelpfully.

There went any hope Aeth had that it was part of the nightmare the spider aspect crafted.

"Yeah," Aeth said. "It's something from a long time ago and it won't ever stop."

"I shall delay them, and you should wake up," the spider said before moving deeper into their nightmare of their own creation.

Aeth wanted to wake so badly. They wanted to free themselves from nightmares and sleep without fear, and they wanted to free themselves from this specific nightmare immediately.

The spider had gone and Aeth could feel wakefulness just beyond the skein.

They rose and tried to break through, they tried to move through the dream, the nightmare, to the waking world where their pursuer was locked away safe, they tried to rise but it was like surfacing through the water, the light was distorted and made the surface seem so much closer than it truly was, the tension of the water holding strong even as they rose fighting against breaking, not letting Aeth leave the nightmare and the thing that wanted to chase them and consume them, even though they had risen seemingly past the surface the water refused to break the skein refused to tear and Aeth then feared truly drowning of facing the thing they had spent so long running from of the thing that had tried to engulf them and would try time and time and time and time again until Aeth awoke, breathing hard, unable to move, unable to do anything besides breathe heavily as they rose out of their nightmare, in their bed, safe and sound.

Their heartbeat was loud, intense, and the only thing they could focus on.

Eventually the cobwebs of the dream left them, and Aeth climbed out of bed.

It was still dark outside, and they turned on lights as they walked through their small apartment to find water. It was something for their shaking and anxious hands to do.

With the lights on and their heart racing, Aeth knew that sleep was basically a lost cause.

They sat in their bed and scrolled on their phone looking at pictures of couatl and memes. They even sent a few to Lyta, knowing that she had her phone muted and wouldn't respond until she woke up.

Despite the distractions, the fading adrenaline, and the threat of terrible nightmares, Aeth's body demanded sleep and rest, so they found themselves slipping into sleep once again.

Mercifully they didn't dream any further.

When they awoke again, they found the lights still on and redundant.

Not feeling particularly rested but awake, Aeth moved through their apartment.

After only being awake for a few minutes, their phone lit up with a notification.

It was from Lyta.

"i'm coming over with coffee and snacks! [kissing emoji]"

Sure enough a few minutes later Lyta had let herself in with her spare key. She had a pair of coffee cups, a bag presumably filled with some kind of pastry, and a giant bag filled with all sorts of things.

"Hey," she said softly when she spotted the tired looking Aeth, "how are you feeling?"

"Tired, and annoyed, but you come with coffee and breakfast so less annoyed."

Lyta smiled as brightly as her yellow sundress.

"You seemed like you were having a bad day."

"How could you tell?"

"You sent me three cute couatl memes at 4am. You only do that when you can't sleep," Lyta responded, the concern in her voice obvious and unmissable. Aeth's heart swelled a little. Lyta knew them so well, and cared for them so much that she dropped everything on her day off to bring coffee and pastry.

"Yeah, the spider aspect from earlier yesterday really wanted to thank me."

Lyta's eyes went wide and she made an "oof!" sound. "And the underearth things always wanna communicate via dreams."

"But I had blocked my dreams since the encounter with the small god."

"Oh no."

"But the spider wouldn't be denied."

"How bad?" Lyta asked.

Aeth didn't speak, just opened an email on their phone and pushed it across the kitchen island.

Displayed was an email from the Catalog and Archive Bureau about Aeth's subject. There was a vicious escape attempt that was thwarted at approximately 3:49 AM. The subject did not manage to escape, and only caused damage to it's holding prison, but as per regulations, the Bureau was required to inform Aeth of the activity.

"Well, I'm really glad I brought this," Lyta said as she indicated the large bag she brought with her.

"What's that?"

"Unless you very explicitly tell me no, we're going to the beach. Leaving you here, inside, alone, seems real bad. So you can come with me to the beach, we can watch the people, look at the creatures in the bay, and play in the sand."

Lyta knew that the temptation hook was landed, Aeth loved to try and build elaborate sandcastles, and Aeth is very susceptible to Lyta in a sundress.

"You don't have to even do anything if you don't want," Lyta said to further sweeten the pot. "I just don't want you sitting in your place moping the whole time, thinking about your dreams. We'll stop and get snacks."

Aeth knew, objectively, that they should say yes, but they were still tired and reluctant.

"I got a new bikini and everything, it would be shame to show it off to no one."

Once again, they knew, objectively, that they shouldn't be so excited to see their best friend in whatever new swimsuit she got, but Aeth was only human and particularly weak for Lyta.

"Sure, I guess."

Lyta smiled brightly (almost as bright as her sundress). "Yay! Drink your coffee and eat your breakfast and then get ready. We'll head over and spend the day in the sun and the sand together."

Together.

Aeth wouldn't admit, ever, how nice that word was.

my kofi where you can read these early

[babiebom]

Accidental Prey (II)

A/N: hehhhhh this is not going to be posted until I'm maybe done with two more chapters? Idk bc i have so many other wips and I cannot finish them all at once pls. Also the time in which this is all happening is kept vague. So it's not canon time, but it's also not recent? I would like to think its like 70s- early 2000s? I obviously wasn't around for all of that so hopefully keeping it vague will work in my favor

tw:kidnapping, assault, cursing, cannibalism, talks of murder, blood, gore, self harm, pregnancy racism/racial slurs, physical and verbal abuse.

Wc:5.3k

Previous Next Masterlist

The Texas sun shines high above, casting the heat down onto everyone and everything that exists below it. In the middle of summer, the sun was more like a death ray instead of a warming beam, burning everything that is so unfortunate to be caught under its rays. Now, basking in her freedom, Fawn couldn't care less about her skin burning. She only had a few more weeks to go until she starts showing and her parents lock her away until the baby arrives.

Her parents had graciously allowed her to go on a drive, stating that there was no way she could get herself into any more trouble than she already had. With the sun kissing her skin, and the sun whipping her hair around, she had no worries in her mind.

Okay maybe one worry.

A lone man walked down the long, empty expanse that was the road she happened to be taking. He looked as if he was suffering, panting and dragging his feet. Frowning, Fawn slows down her car, coming to a crawl next to the man. His green shirt stuck to his body, damp with sweat, the same as his long stringy black hair that was plastered to his forehead. Grimacing, she rolled down the window, leaning over so he would be able to hear her.

"Sir?"

His head whipped around quickly, his eyes squinting at her from how bright the sun was. She offered a smile when he didn't say anything, waiting for him to step closer to the car before she said anything else.

"Want a ride?" The man smiled widely, opening the car door quickly, getting into the vehicle in the most awkward way she's ever seen. As soon as he slams the door shut, she begins driving again.

The ride is silent for a second, nothing but the road in front of them. The man was giggling to himself, rummaging around in the little bag made of fur hanging around his neck. Glancing at him, she frowns and hopes that the grease in his hair doesn't stain her seats. "So where to?"

"Can ya drop me off at the gas station? My brothers work there! It won't take long."

"Sure…" the man was still poking around in his bag, and it made Fawn very uncomfortable. Maybe she shouldn't have picked up this hitchhiker, girls have been going missing lately. "Say, what's that you got there?" She hoped making conversation would ease the fear and anxiety brewing in her belly.

"Pictures! Wanna see?"

"Not right now, I'm driving. Maybe later when I drop you off?" She looks over at him and flashes a smile, hoping that she hadn't pissed him off or something. He seemed not all sane, constantly squirming and giggling to himself.

"Yeah! I like to take pictures! My sister got me a camera, she says the pictures I take are pretty. I got a red room in my bedroom!" He laughs at his own words and keeps talking about all his pictures. Fawn tunes him out, his rambling reminding her of the woman she had met in the store a few weeks prior. At least she was going to be able to get out of the conversation when she drops him off. People in the countryside sure are weird.

After a while, she realizes he didn't tell her which gas station, and the sun was on its way towards setting. The second she opens her mouth to speak to him, she glances over and screams in shock. The man had whipped out a straight razor, and was laughing while pressing it into the hand of his skin. "Oh my-" her voice waivers as she contemplates pulling over. But still there was nothing really in front of them, and she didn't want to abandon him on the side of the road. No matter how insane he had to be, she would still feel bad.

So with the fear growing and clawing its way up her throat she begins to drive faster, ignoring the speed limit in order to limit her time left with the man. Looking over again for a second, she sees him smear the blood on the inside of her car door. She gags, swallowing repeatedly as a lone building on the side of the road comes into view. "I-is this the gas station?"

The man looked up from his mess and nodded quickly. Fawn lets out a shaky breath, thankful that the man would be away from her as soon as she could get him out. In the silence, and in her focus she doesn't even see him shuffling. As the car gets nearer to the gas station, which was looking more and more run down now that she gets closer to it, her focus only allows her to see the distance between her and the building.

A couple feet away the man lunges at her, causing her to jerk the wheel and send the car spinning. No one stood outside of the building, and thankfully there were no other cars on the road. The world spins around her, making her nauseous as she attempts to get the car under control. With the added stress of her screaming and his taunting laughs, Fawn wants to give up on getting the car under control and instead tear her hair out. What the fuck was wrong with this dude?

A couple feet away from the building, she gets the car to stop spinning, immediately putting it in park so she can properly kick the guy out. Regrettably, it seems the man has other plans, he slashes at her arm making a shallow wound that bleeds more than she thought it would. Screaming, she swings at the man who swings with his razor at her. Feeling trapped she frantically gets out of the car, ripping her seatbelt off as she attempts to escape. She's now angry at herself for taking pity on the man.

Running around to the other side, she rips the door open, grabbing the man by his hair and yanking him out of the seat, grateful that the prick hadn't bothered to put his own seat belt on. His knees scrape against the ground as he swings at her, but she keeps dragging until he's in the middle of the road, delivering a swift kick to his side as she sprints back towards her car.

Not noticing the people coming out to see the commotion at the gas station, she opens the driver's seat door, falling into the car, trying unsuccessfully to put it into drive. The blood everywhere made everything slippery, and now with the adrenaline rushing through her veins, her hands were too shaky to grab ahold of anything. She begged herself to get it together as she fumbled with the stick, crying. It never occurred to her that she needed to press on the break to get the stick to move. The man was up now, and racing towards her. She closed the passenger side door quickly, stretching her body to the limit to reach the door before him.

Thankfully she was somewhat safe, being able to lock all of the doors, keeping the man and his violence out in the street. Of course he could break the windows, but she doubted he would after seeing him stand dumbly outside the passenger side door after being unable to open it. He kicked at the car for a second before taking off towards the gas station, where another man waited for him.

Fawn wondered just how much the man had seen of that little fight. Putting the car into drive, now calmer than she was now that she was safe, she speeds off away from the gas station and away from the man, she was never going to pick up a random again that was for sure.

"What in the hell was that?"

Drayton was pissed.

He had seen that little negro girl drag Nubbins out into the middle of the street. Was he dumb or something? Well, Drayton already knew the answer to that, knew it from the moment the stupid boy was born, he just couldn't believe he would be this dumb. The second Nubbins stepped under the roof of the gas station, Drayton took his broom stick handle to his head. The boy had to learn somehow.

"Are you trying to get us caught, you idiot?"

Nubbins tried to shield himself with his scraped up arms. This only served to make Drayton angrier, the boy deserved to be punished for his absolute stupidity. His actions would only get them caught, especially bringing people back to the gas station. He was trying to run a business, not be caught by police. It was enough that Johnny was going around and killing people left and right, now he had one more person to watch, their every move now a point of his growing concern.

Sighing, Drayton goes back into the gas station, still a couple of hours until he could close for the night and head back home. On the way they had to look for the girl, luckily for them she had gone in the direction of their homes, and past that was absolutely nothing for miles. Hoping that God would be on his side, he prays that she doesn't get too far, his back hurts and he's getting too old to drag people back to have for dinner.

Out of nowhere Nubbins starts mumbling, glaring at Drayton so obviously that it makes the older man's blood boil; why did he have to be stuck taking care of the mistakes his parents left behind? He didn't even want siblings, he was fully content being the youngest and then his parents had to go popping out disappointment after disappointment. Then they die. Drayton did miss his momma, but he still hated her for cursing him with the burden of taking care of his younger siblings. Because of that (and grandpa's hatred of outside relations) he had never had kids himself, a decision that was only supported day by day living with the fools he calls a family.

"Oh what do you know? You're nothing but a cook!"

Spinning around on his heel, Drayton glares at his younger brother, wishing that he would go up in flames. He just had to make a dig at him and make things worse. With a frown, Drayton swings at him, beating him over the head with his fists. Though the old man wasn't as strong as he used to be, his 50s not really being all that kind to him, he still knew how to make his hits hurt. Nubbins doesn't stand a chance against his older brother, so he takes off and runs away, taking a shortcut home to avoid getting beaten anymore.

With a sigh, Drayton re-enters the building, having chased Nubbins down the road. His back ached even more now, and glancing at the clock he had exactly 3 more hours to go, though he doubted anyone would come by during that time. Hell, Nubbins could've at least let the girl buy something before he attacked her. With a grunt he returns to his spot behind the counter, sitting in the uncomfortable folding chair, hoping the time goes by faster.

God he hopes they find that girl.

It has been weeks since Johnny had last seen the girl, but he couldn’t really get her out of his mind. Sissy was sort of annoyed with him, for allowing the girl to get away. They had to get a whole new person for dinner when in her words they had the perfect person right there. Though, she changed her tune after a minute saying she thought the girl was sweet so maybe it was a good thing they didn't kill her.

Now, working on the farm, he still thought about her. It wasn't love in any way, shape, or form; it was more like an obsession. Johnny wasn't sitting there, daydreaming about the girl and their future together, no. He was dragging around craps while silently fuming that she didn't recognize him one bit. Of course he didn't really want her to stand there and declare him the man that took her virginity, but in his mind it would be nice to be recognized. He deserved to be recognized. Because he recognized her, immediately knew her voice and face even if it wasn't blurred by being tipsy, even if her speech wasn't slurred by her drunkenness. He knew. He would recognize his little mouse anywhere.

That's right, his little mouse. He had her first, claimed her before anyone else could. Even if she didn't remember it, he practically owned her, painted her insides with his own seed just to prove it. And she didn't even know it, she was just going to go about life not even realizing that he is the reason she is still alive, him alone.

Slamming the barrel down, he forces the thought of her out of his head, he wouldn't see her again, he knew that much. So he didn't need to be thinking about her as much as he is.

The arrival of his older brothers quickly makes his thoughts disappear, the men dragging a woman from the truck with two different emotions, that Johnny just knew meant that Nubbins had almost gotten the family into trouble…again.

The woman they dragged was small, her head bobbing with their movement, her eyes closed. The sun was already low over the horizon, which meant he couldn't see well from how far away the lights were from them. The closer they got, the more annoyed he grew when he realized this meant that he would have to carry the body downstairs, Bubba was already busy down there cutting up the latest victim they had. Which meant that they had more meat than they needed. Meat spoiled quickly, even in the freezers because the Texas heat meant that sometimes the power went out for random amounts of time. He frowned thinking about the smell of rotting flesh. It was not one that he was fond of.

"What the fuck?" Johnny questions his older brothers as the girl they were bringing inside was the very one he had thought he would never see again, the very girl he wanted to get out of his head. He was almost mad that she had managed to get caught by these two, all she had to do was stay away. And he was mad at the fact that they had killed her, or knocked her out rather seeing as she was still breathing.

"What?" Drayton asked, allowing the girl to drop onto the porch, not wanting to carry her any longer.

"What's she doin' here?" It was bad to get upset about a girl that he isn't even supposed to know, he knows, but he felt like his territory was being invaded by how they were treating her. If she was being manhandled and knocked out he would be the one to do it. No one else.

"This idiot had to go and attack her. And the broad luckily got stuck on the side of the road-wait what do you mean she?"

Johnny sucked in a breath, glaring at Drayton in annoyance. Of course he didn't miss how he asked, anyone with half a brain wouldn't miss how he asked. Nubbins looked pleased with himself, and it only made Johnny angrier. He tried so hard, well not that hard because how hard could staying away from this place be? But he tried to keep her away from his home, his family, and refused to even bring her near. He didn't care about the girl, not really. She just was too pathetic to be seen as proper prey, and he had taken away her virginity in a drunken one night stand. He felt like he owed her. Yes he killed people, but he wasn't disrespectful…okay he is but sometimes he isn't and that counts for something. "Well, we're not killing her."

The old man in front of him glared right back, Johnny immediately knew there was going to be a problem. There were a lot of things his older brother was, but someone that backs down isn't one of them. "And why the hell not?"

For a second Johnny couldn't think of any real answer. He couldn't just tell the truth, it wouldn't be a good enough reason, and the girl would be killed on the spot. Drayton hated relationships, the man hated love, and making it, and having babies; it was so bad that sometimes Johnny thought that Drayton wanted to end their side of the Sawyer line with them. Saying he spared her after fucking her in a motel room because of how he viewed her would just put her in the same place Maria ended up, and he never even got that far with her.

"I wanna keep 'er as a pet."

"What?"

"Ha ha! Johnny has a little girlfriend!"

Johnny punched Nubbins hard in the gut, glaring at him as he now stood over the doubled over man. "Shut your mouth you idiot," moving back he looks back up at Drayton who was staring at him with that same suspicious look in his eyes, "and yeah. I wanna keep 'er as a pet. Been stalking 'er since we met at…a bar somewhere in town."

"You wanna keep her as a pet?" Drayton lets out a laugh, his head falling back as he opens his mouth wide. "Just like you wanted to keep that Mexican girl? Now you wanna keep this coon?"

Blinking twice Johnny had to keep his temper under control. He wanted to convince, and manipulate if he had to. He was used to the constant racism, Drayton was always cursing and using slurs when he got particularly worked up, he just hated being questioned. "Man, I didn't know you had a fetish for colored girls!" Drayton continued to laugh, copied by Nubbins who had recovered from his gut punch.

Rolling his eyes, Johnny steps closer towards the girl. "Whatever, I'm gonna-"

The girl moved, causing everyone to look down at her. She mumbled something as she attempted to sit up, looking at them with the most fearful look in her eyes. At this point most people would start screaming for help, fighting, or running. Survival responses and all that. The girl just sat there, looking between the men standing above her, her eyes filling up with tears.

The second she moves, all three men flinch, getting ready to catch her if she tries to take off. Instead she moves to sit on her knees, hands wrapping around herself.

"Please!" She trembled as she sat there. "Don't kill me!"

The road in front of her was deserted, and while Fawn was grateful that she had gotten away from that creep, but now as the sun set in front of her, she was terrified at what was to come. She only had so much gas, and though turning around was the best option, she didn't even know if she would actually make it anywhere. And turning around meant that she could run out of gas at that station, and she really didn't want to risk that.

It took all of five more minutes. Before the loud chugging filled her ears, she could feel her car basically crawling along. Groaning, she pulls the car over to the side of the road, wanting to at least be safe until she could get some help. Maybe by the morning a trucker or something would see that she needs help.

Annoyed, she gets out of her car for a second, staring down the empty road. What were the chances of that? Her heart raced with the fear that she was possibly stuck here with no way to contact anyone let alone her parents. Walking the whole way back to find any sort of civilization would take days and as a black person stuck in the country it would probably just get her killed.

Kicking the wheel in a fit of anger, she gets back in the car, slamming the door hard; any type of game plan at this point meant absolutely nothing, doing anything especially now that she was nauseous was impossible.

After sitting still for an hour, and by sitting still Fawn actually was very antsy and considered sleeping, but ended up being too worked up ; she could see the bright lights of a vehicle coming towards her. But all she could feel in her gut was dread. It was almost night time, as a lone car was dangerous, she didn't even know if they would help, but even if they wanted to, she wasn't so sure she would take it. Unless they offered to get gas.

The car slowed as it neared her, and as the lights passed her eyes she could see that it was a truck instead, the bed covered with a tarp. She couldn't see who was inside, and as they pulled over in front of her, she felt as if she was going to be harassed by a weirdo.

The door to the truck opened and shut, and in response she closed her eyes, trying to stay calm. It was hard to be sure if it was instincts telling her that danger was near or if it was her pregnancy hormones making her paranoid. Either way, she would need to be calm in order to make it out safely.

With her eyes closed it was like her other senses heightened. Or maybe it was the paranoia. Either way she could hear each crunch of the dirt and gravel under the shoes of what she assumed to be a man, men always walked much heavier than women. Like they wanted to be seen and heard no matter what; like each step was purposeful even if they were unsure and without direction. The only reason she opened her eyes to look was because of the knock at the window.

Turning her head, she locks eyes with an older man through the glass. A chill runs down her spine, but looking at his age, she takes a chance and rolls down the window a bit; believing that if he got too worked up she would be able to overpower him. At least long enough to take his truck and book it towards the nearest police station.

"Yes?"

The man gave her a smile, looking behind her into her car for a second before speaking. She immediately felt uncomfortable, the man was old and that didn't take away from his creep factor. "Having car troubles?"

"Uhh, yeah. I ran out of gas…" Fawn laughs awkwardly, averting her eyes to where his truck sat feet in front of her.

"Oh! That's not good," the man looks up and down the road before looking back at Fawn, "do you need a ride?"

"Um…not a ride, but I can spare some money if you can get me gas?"

The man shook his head, letting out a little chuckle that has the hair on her arms standing up. "I don't think any gas stations would be open right now…at least none close by. I can give you a ride to somewhere safe, like the police station until you can get someone to get it in the morning."

"Um, no thanks. I'll just wait here until morning. Thanks though."

In a second, everything changed. Fawn didn't even realize where everything was headed, and if she did her brain just didn't work fast enough for her to process. His arm forced itself through the window, and for a quick second she let him before letting out a scream.

Obviously there was no one around, no one that could save her, and still she screamed helplessly, frantically trying to roll the window back up, her arms burning from how quickly she was moving them. The man screamed out as she squished his arm in the window, calling out for someone to help him as she scrambled through the passenger side door.

Falling out of the car and onto her butt, Fawn cried as she struggled to stand, her mind moving too fast for her body to keep up with, even with all the adrenaline coursing through her veins. Slipping, she takes off the way she came, away from the man and his helper and back towards the gas station. There had to be a payphone somewhere around it, gas stations almost always had them.

She could hear the man screaming behind her. His pain increased for just a moment before she heard "just go get the girl". Her feet moved faster even though she knew eventually she would be caught. The footsteps behind her sends her into a panic, her legs begging her to give up so they could give out. It sounded like a dog was chasing after her, a clumsy dog that is. She could hear the way the gravel slid under his shoes and looking back she was horrified to see that the very man that she was running for hours earlier was once again chasing her. The man in the green shirt was gaining on her, his longer limbs able to shorten the distance between them easily. Letting out a sob she turned forward again, running with a new burst of energy at least to save the child within her.

There was a sort of burst of rage as well, she deeply disliked the man that got her into this situation, and she wondered while she ran why he had something against her. She wanted to beat him into a bloody pulp but knew that she didn’t have the confidence nor the strength to. His laughter behind her made her want to vomit from how close it was, but she didn’t want to turn around and look to see just how much distance he had managed to close. What was wrong with these people?

Fawn cried out in pain as the man tackled her to the ground, both of them falling hard. The gravel dug into her skin, the man slicing her again with his razor. Terrified she swung and scratched at him as if she were a cat trying to not be caught by animal control. The man cried out as her nails made contact with his skin, screaming in pain from how much the scratches burned. She hoped that even if she died she made at least a little scar on him as payback. The two rolled around on the ground, hitting each other and screaming, it would’ve been comical if the situation was anything other than life or death.

Fawn was so focused on causing as much damage as she could on the green shirt man that she didn’t notice the sound of rapid footsteps approaching. Yelping, her scalp burns as she is pulled by her hair, causing her hands to stop hitting and instead grab at her hair to lessen the pain. She still kicked at the man that was now trying to stand, she was still angry at him, but now she had the old man to worry about. She struggled against him as he forced a cloth to her face, whatever it was drenched in made her lungs burn as if she were set on fire, frantically she tried to turn her face any way she could get her neck to bend, not wanting anymore of whatever it was to go into her body. If she lives it could not be good for the baby.

Unfortunately luck refused to be on her side and the man got a good grip on her, trying to soothe her into passing out, the green shirt man moved around in front of her laughing and babbling in a way that made her want to kick him in the jaw. The fire within her was extinguished however, as her vision became blurry and faded.

The girl was silent except for her sniffling as they led her down into the basement, covering her eyes with an old potato bag they had lying around and holding her arms as if she were a prisoner and they were the police taking her into jail. Walking her down into the basement, Johnny couldn’t help but sigh at the sight of her. Was she incapable of not getting herself into less than ideal situations? This is exactly why she couldn’t be prey in the first place, there was no fun in it, the girl was weak and even weaker minded, at least in his opinion.

The girl stumbled over her feet, basically being dragged instead of actually walking. She seemed even smaller, frailer than she looked before, than how she looked the last time he had seen her at the grocery store. Forcing her down, she didn’t fight at all against him or Nubbins, allowing the two men to manhandle her down into a sitting position on a dirty old mattress. It wasn’t hard at all to tie her up, even when they snatched the potato bag off of her head, she didn’t move other than to glare at Nubbins and to wipe her nose and eyes.

Kneeling down, Johnny forces the girl to look into his eyes. She stared at him for a second, fear taking over every feature in her face, she looked like a wounded animal, her eyes watery and big staring at him with no other emotion other than terror. It made his heart beat a little faster, he was amused with how terrified she was, with how easily she was at his mercy. Yet again, killing her or scaring her more didn’t seem like it was going to give him any pleasure, she wouldn’t react in any way that would make it fun, judging by how she sat in front of him now she would just cry and scream no matter what he does. Every person they kill screams and cries, most try to beg at least, some try to fight back, even less give them much of a fight that is fun or even challenging. She wouldn’t do anything at all, and he wondered how difficult it had to be for them to even get her here.

Her eyes flickered for a second, making his heart race again, and instead of fear she sat up straighter, her eyes widening the longer she was forced to stare at him. ‘Oh…’ he thought for a second, feeling giddy at the thought of her recognizing him. “It’s you…” her voice was hoarse, shaky as she spoke. Johnny shuffled around, moving his face closer to hers causing her to move back, he could almost hear how quickly her heart was beating, and he could hear how quickly she was breathing. He couldn’t stop himself from quirking up an eyebrow, intimidating her without even meaning or thinking to. “From the store…I remember!”

And just like that his amusement dies. For a second he thought she remembered him from the first time they met, from when he had claimed her as his. But unfortunately she didn't. She thought the first time they met was at the store, when Sissy talked her ear off about absolute nonsense, when they hadn’t really interacted or anything. It annoyed him a bit, he wanted her to remember, he wanted her to realize that she had somehow come back to him. Frowning he moves back away from her, not letting her break eye contact. Standing, he follows Nubbins out of the metal door that trapped her in the basement, making a show of locking it and staring at her through the gate. She whimpers for a second, moving around, eyes locking onto everything within eyesight. Johnny stared at her, watching as the panic started taking over her. Smirking he slowly walks up the stairs, listening as she shouts after him to wait and not leave.

He would get her to need him, he had to. Otherwise she would be dinner.

[reyesstrand]

I might just ask everyone #30 on this list.

thank you!!!

30. describe a fic that almost happened, but then it didn't.

all of my current wips ummm i was messing around with a valentines fic but it just never came together tbh!!!! it was just going to be a very introspective, sappy kind of first-valentines as husbands ficlet that really just considered the atmosphere of their relationship and how things had been going for them since getting married. something very mundane but gentle.

here’s everything i had written for it:

In the confines of the creaky elevator in their building, the forty-eight second trip up to the loft is a perfect place to daydream.

There are memories, here, like there are memories all over this building; all over this city, really. In that corner, he remembers nearly nudging into one of the emergency call buttons with his elbow, when Carlos pressed him back against the wall and kissed him slow and deep after a night of checking out local live bands. In the other, he remembers showing off Lou through the front of his travel carrier as he and Carlos arrived home from the vet at the same time the kids the floor below them finished soccer practice. Grass-stained and intrigued, the kids were entertained by TK’s stories about their bearded dragon, while Carlos stood pointedly in the far corner and spoke to their mother, who was equally reptile-averse—even if Carlos has come around to the little guy.

TK smiles, a bit, and spins his ring around his finger as the elevator comes to a stop. There’s a few heart-shaped pieces of confetti stuck to the floor, reminding him instantly of kindergarten art projects and the homemade valentines he’d make out of pink and red construction paper for his parents. He’s careful to avoid stepping in any when the doors open, hoisting his work bag higher on his shoulder as the packaging around the bouquet he’d picked up on his way home crinkles in his grip.

The soft glow of the lamplight shines just barely under the door, because TK knows to look for it, and he’s nearly tripping over himself to work his key into the lock. Twelve hours apart on a normal day is tough, but it was even harder when TK spent the entire shift tending to Valentine’s mishaps with his partners who were equally eager to get home. The lock gives and the door groans as it opens, and he’s opening his mouth to announce his arrival when a soft smile takes over instead.

send a writing ask <3

[wangxianficfinder]

Fic Finder

~*~

1. Hello, I was hoping that you lovely people can help me find an ao3 fic that I’ve been searching for. WWX is brought back the same way as canon but it wasn’t MXY who summoned him but an original character. WWX ends up in Cloud Recesses because he interacts with LXC AND LWJ a lot in the story. The twist is that the person who brought WWX back hated him so much that he wanted WWX to suffer really badly. WWX figures it out/knows. It does end up with a happy ending. Thank you!~

Hello, beautiful people. Im the anon who submitted #1 from the latest fic finder post. Unfortunately the fic I’m looking for is not Beauty and the Boot. The original character who summoned WWX was male and hated the Yiling Patriarch. The fic had a lot of angst as well if that helps🥲

NOT FOUND! ❤️Beauty and the Boot by PTchan (T, 44k, wangxian, summoned by f!oc, Canon Divergence, Romantic Comedy, Genderbending, Denial, Fem!WWX, WangXian kids, Crack-ish, WIP)

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

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2. Hey. I've been looking for a fic that I read I while ago for so long. WWX accidentally sets off a talisman and gets deaged.? I remember that he is stuck in that form for a while and takes zidian from JC. Later when he finds out about LWJs scars on his back he threatens the lan elders with it and says something like this isn't even hia weapon and imagine if he dad one of his own.. thanks bye 

FOUND? Silver & Gold by beeswaxing  (E, 162k, wangxian, Mojo’s post)

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3. Hi! I'm trying to find a wangxian fanfic I read long ago. It's where LWJ is engaged to JYL and WWX is engaged to JZX. I remember a specific part where JZX got jealous when he saw WWX and LWJ hanging out a lot and told WWX that he is his and not LWJs. WWX took offense to this and punched JZX telling him he cant control him. Endgame is ofc wangxian but yeah. I cant find it 😭 @journalsofagoddess

FOUND? Neatly Arranged by thunderwear (T, 45k, WangXian, Arranged Marriage, Angst with a Happy Ending, lwj’s mother is here but only briefly, RIP, Shenanigans, Fix-It, of sorts, Canonical Character Death, but not all, did i forget to tag pining, because this fic is like 90 percent pining, Hurt/Comfort)

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4. Hello! Thank you for your hard work! I'm trying to find a fic there LWJ is a youtuber, and he does these 'day in the life of a college student' where he's just perfect at everything- meticulous, on top of his life and studies, and ultra competent. WWX, at the same college, then posts a response video where he shows what's it really like as a student and its just a troll/spoof of LWJ's vids where he cries like three times a day and eats junk food, etc. This goes on for months, with many videos and WWX accidentally becomes popular. Then wangxian meet and fall in love about it. NHS and JC help WWX with the vids, and i think the summary said something like 'three idiots make a youtube channel'. Anyway, hope someone can put together better search parameters than me. Thank you! @somevariationofgay

FOUND! like, comment, share & subscribe by detectorist (T, 22k, WangXian, Modern AU, College/University, YouTube, Social Media, Flirting, Humour, Banter, Getting Together, First Kiss, Texting, so much texting, Youtubers For Social Justice, The Gang Gets Political, Competitive Flirting Via The Medium Of Youtube, it's about the yearning, YouTube Rivals To Lovers)

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5. Hi! I recently found this page and it looks amazing. I’ve been looking for the AO3 au fic. The premise is that in this world, people are able to essentially enter their minds kind of like a vr situation and create worlds. This has become a very lucrative business. Wei ying entered a simulation that was MDZS and as a result he entered a 13 month coma. Everyone thought he was dead. But he retired from the business. But then the juniors call him in for “one last mission” which is basically the yi city arc. and he and lan zhan work through some unspoken tension and then they get together. @awkwardly-cry-ing-in-the-corner

FOUND! some lovely, perilous thing by varnes (E, 24k, WangXian, Inception Fusion, Criminal Associates To Lovers, Heist Case Fic)

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6. Hey, it's me again haha so I read this ff long time ago and it was soo good unfortunately i cant remember the title

So like, the cultivation world needs yiling laozu's help and they tried to summon him using mo xuanyu but they failed since yl lz appeared in his own original body and not in mxy. Anyway so history repeats itself, wwx knows everybody especially lan zhan cuz he his "friend" that time. They became curious about wwx, they found his journal and he kept talking about this certain friend eventually they found out the friend's name is lan zhan lan wangji. Time skip they found out that lwj reincarnated, he looks exactly the same as wwx's friend. Lxc said it was impossible cuz all their ancestors died because of an explosion that was caused by wwx bavk in the day.

There is this spefic scene, wwx kept blaming himself because he was the reasom why lz died, ok so lz married a woman (arranged marriage) and had child with her, wy was heartbroken and told lz that he has feelings for him, lz also has feelings for him, so when lz heard that the sects will have a siege in burial mounds he went there and protected wy then something happened and the surroundings explode.

Anyway, they have come to a conclusion that wy is an immortal, he took care of lz's child, lz reincarnated he fought really hard to keep his body and appearance the same

Thank you thank youuuuuuuu for all your hard work @hellothere9597

FOUND? Old Foreshadows by protos_metazu_ison (M, 15k, WangXian, YL WWX, BAMF WWX, War, Universe Alteration, Sunshot Campaign, Rated For Violence, Timeline What Timeline)

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7. Hi hi, I hope y'all are doing well ^^ Ive recently been thinking about a fic i read in late 2019/early 2020 and I was hoping to get some help finding it? What I remember about it is that after Mo Manor, wwx doesnt go to Dafan mountain and instead travels until he finds a village and starts working there as a farmer. wn is also there after a while and he helps wwx. lwj visits the village but doesnt recognize wwx at first. If anyone knows what fic this is id be vv grateful! @storming-raumo

FOUND? focal, filler, and line by bosbie (T, 26k, wangxian, canon divergence, flower shop au, fluff, hurt/comfort, pining, falling in love, WWX is not recognized in Dafan mountain, slice of life, WIP) wwx is not a farmer but the rest checks out

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8. Fic finder! I binged All Of The Yiling Wei Sect AUs recently and they all kind of blurred together in my brain, so I THINK all of this happens in the same fic but I could be wrong and if I am I'm so, so sorry. In the fic Wei Wuxian very briefly worked with the talisman scammer to sell actual Yiling Laozu talismans for a decent penny, then one of the Wen uncles convinced him they should set up their own stall. They made talisman paper out of the burial mounds bamboo and it was red. There was a scene when the Wen went on trial and Wen Ning was able to speak to the people in the room, proving that he's cognizant and not a mindless puppet. The Jiang ended up taking the Wei as a subordinate sect I believe? And WWX started to make friends with Jin Guangyao. @lewiscarrolatemybrain

FOUND! Grave dirt by esama (T, 92k, wangxian, canon divergence, necromancy, demonic cultivation, farming, found family, pre-slash, politics, Fix-it of sorts, yilingwei sect au)

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9. I am looking for a fic, maybe it is part of the Amnesia rec list, or if not it should be! Wwx has lost about 2 months of memory. Turns out that in that time he and LZ got engaged. He tries to work out if this is a real engagement or not. There is also a discussion conference at CR and Jiang Cheng is there. I particularly remember the scene where Wwx finds out the engagement wasn't real, goes to JC and cries about it. Then JC storms to the Jingshi to shout at LZ for making WY cry. I love that scene, but who wrote it again? Thanks for helping me out! @kesterling

FOUND! put your heart where your mouth is by protos_metazu_ison (T, 20k, wangxian, JC & WWX, post-canon, misunderstanding, memory loss, pining & insecure WWX, happy ending, twin prides of yunmeng feels, fluff & angst, protective JC)

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10. Hi, I'm looking for a fic where the sword goes through both JYL and JC at Nightless City. WWX takes them both back to Lotus Pier and essentially locks the place behind a barrier, but the sect itself doesn't really mind. I think it was one chapter in a collection but I can't be sure.

FOUND? Chapter 2 of Cosmic by apathyinreverie (T, 10k, wangxian, JC & WWX & JYL, everyone lives au, yunmeng sibling dynamics, protective yunmeng Jiang sect, romance, smitten LWJ, oblivious WWX, powerful WWX, possessive LWJ, soft WWX, streetkid WWX, time travel fix-it, modern setting)

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11. Hi! Love the work you all do. Keep the good work. So for a fic finder... I've been looking for this fic I started reading a while ago but then had to stop. I'm pretty sure I bookmarked it but alas I haven't had any luck finding it. That's why I'm putting my faith in you guys and the readers. So this is what I remember: it was a WIP, it was post canon, wangxian, JC and JL are in CR, JC want a fight, WWX said a few truth and JL goes to WWX, it is said that JYL went to the battle to die on purpose. @multitudeofmes

FOUND! What Happens When The Self-Sacrifing Idiot Snaps by WiFi_Stalker (Not rated, 1k, wangxian, post-canon, not Jiang friendly, not YZY friendly, not JC friendly, not JYL friendly, WWX snaps, WIP)

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12. I'm looking for a fic from 1-2 years ago, in English, was a WIP, where LWJ is Chief Cultivator and WWX is wandering on his own. WWX meets a nobleman who invites WWX to stay with him and encourages him to use his cultivation, to the benefit of the common people. The fic was from LWJ's perspective (I think?) and mostly took place in letters exchanged, with some exposition before or after a letter. Wangxian implied, not confirmed; fic author debating confirmation. Does the fic still exist? @acasualgeek

FOUND? To Start A Bridge From A Single Log by ChilianXianzi (T, 4k, wangxian, WWX & OMC, post-canon, chief cultivator LWJ, inventor WWX, politics, epistolary, pining, jealous LWJ, sugar baby WWX, WIP)

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13. Hi! I need help finding this fic. It's a special agent (James bond style) Lan Wangji and Q Wei Wuxian. I tried looking everywhere and with every tag I could think of on AO3 but I could only find the one where Wei Wuxian is a 007. I remember it starts out with Lan Wangji in the car watching a house or something and then Wei Wuxian talks to him over an ear com. He had to take MianMian's place as she was busy/ on pregnancy leave? I can't remember. Also, Wei Wuxian gets shocked when he realizes Lan Wangji always brings back his kit in perfect condition. Thank you!!

FOUND? 💖 some life yet unspent by Fahye (E, 28k, wangxian, spies & secret agents au)

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14. Is the one fic, where Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji dual cultivate a Yin core in Wei Wuxian still up on AO3? Wei Wuxian, before he knows he’s going to dual cultivate with Lan Wangji, has nightmares that he’s going to have to dial cultivate with Wen Qing. Lan Wangji has to rail him five times in a night.

FOUND! i had to abandon myself (you took all of me) by justdoityoufucker (E, 27k, WIP, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Burial Mounds Settlement Days, Novel Characterizations, Philosophy, Illnesses, Chronic Pain, Cultivation Sect Politics, Dual Cultivation, LWJ fucks a core into WWX, On Hiatus) might be this? Unfortunately it's on hiatus right now :[

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15. Hello! I don’t know if this fic is still up. I couldn’t find it so… I can remember some details of this fic, but it’s basically a shameless Lan Wangji time-travel fanfic where he changes the whole story by saving Wei Wuxian from the beginning in Cloud Recesses. I forgot the name… I remember that part of the summary was the line; “If you give me a kiss, I’ll let you go.” Or something like that…

FOUND! could be the deleted "OOC!" by A_flower_in_the_snow. It was reuploaded on Wattpad

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16. i read a fic a while ago where WWX survived the seige but lost most of his memory and ended up finding a shrine and moving in there. He stayed there with a-yuan for years taking care of the shrine. Eventually LWJ found him. thats really all i remember but if you could help me find it that would be amazing!! thank you!!! :)

FOUND? #16 was This House is Loved by Ribena but has been deleted

SIMILAR! And They Have Escaped The Weight of Darkness by cosmicmilktea (T, 10k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Amnesia, Memory Loss, Grief/Mourning, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Screw the Cultivation world tbh, The Lan precepts deserves better, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Falling In Love, domestic life, Social justice boyfriends wangxian, Happy Ending) is a deleted fic, however this fic is similar to it (no ayuan tho)

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17. Hi first of all thank you for your womderful work i always find good fics to read because of this blog next please help me find this fic ive been serching all over. This fic is a role reversal instead of wwx its lwj who died. I remember that he died before the 33rd whip and a lan member got guilty and brought him back. His ribbon was also missing in the beginning of the story. wwx is a sec leader now yiling wei sect at wei sizhui brought lwj to get help because lwj is looking for something and he hides is face. Thank you for the help and good job @ladyxyraine

FOUND? Restart from the End by EmBlu (IcyDeath) (G, 71k, wangxian, resurrection, canon divergence, temporary major character death (LWJ), JYL & JZX & NMJ live, yilingwei sect au, sect leader WWX, angst, hurt/comfort, angry WWX, grief, slow burn, wei sizhui, WIP)

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18. i'm sure i'll find it before this is answered, but just in case, i remembered a line from a fic but i don't remember what it's called. it's something like "wwx imagined sizhui's face on a series of progressively younger children. this is what he may have looked like at 13; at 9; at 6. this is how your child grew without you." thank you!!!!! @kisskissgotohell

FOUND! your name, safe in their mouth by astrolesbian (G, 10k, LSZ & WWX & LWJ, WangXian, Father-Son Relationship, Injury, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Canon, More aligned with CQL than novel canon, Miscommunication, Eventual Positive Communication, Trying to be a family, how to tell your dad you want him to be your dad in 6 easy steps!)

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19. Hello! Thank you so much to all of the mods for what you do! I’m hoping to find this post-canon mpreg fic that I read from a while back. WWX didn’t immediately tell LWJ about the pregnancy out of fear that it won’t push through or something. Some people were alive (like Wen Qing who secretly did WWX’s checkup and told him about the pregnancy) but not JYL. WWX also stopped drinking wine and started eating healthier to ensure the baby’s growth? Which kinda made LWJ suspicious? There was also a part where WWX visited JC in Lotus Pier, and JC was able to guess at WWX’s pregnancy and they had a really nice conversation and reconciliation. I’m sorry if some of these details might have been from other mpreg fics that I unknowingly confused with the one I’m looking for, but I hope the others are accurate enough to help! Thank you so much again! Y’all are a blessing!

FOUND? Unexpected Lullaby by SilverStark (T, 30k, WangXian, JC & WWX, Minor Original Character(s), Unplanned Pregnancy, Post-Canon, Mpreg, Non-ABO, Fluff, Established Relationship, Reconciliation, Family, Dual Cultivation Baby)

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20. I'm looking for a fanfic that the modern Wei Wuxian ends up traveling to the past because of a book he found. I also remember that it turns out that all the characters that are dead come back to life

FOUND? Could be the deleted series by yareyarejojosan. Someone uploaded the author's works to Google Drive

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[rhapsodyred-writes]

Thanks for tagging me @rhodophoria! I hope you're okay if I answer this on my writing blog!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

Currently, ten.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

115,657 and good lord that's so much higher than I thought it would be.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Right now, just Undertale. It's been a long time since the hyperfixation has grabbed me hard enough to inspire me to write fic for anything but Undertale.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Across Enemy Lines (256)

When corporate doesn't understand family (35)

this is personal (23)

the Joy in the Slow (21)

Stars and Scars (15)

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Not really? I probably should, for more interaction. I just get a little hidey sometimes, and I never really know what to say back.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Probably When corporate doesn't understand family, but since it's a collaborative work, I can't really take credit for the ending. I don't even think I was expecting it.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Hmm, hard to say. Tempted to say Neutral Evil with a Protective Streak.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Nope.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

On occasion. I have a strange relationship with writing my own smut, so most of what I write will never be posted for others to read. For those following AEL, though... >:3c

If I'm writing smut solo I try to keep it short and sweet. I have a tendency to gloss over details because I get very embarrassed writing intimate details. With a good writing partner I can be a bit braver though!

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

In high school I started (and never finished) a crossover-self-insert fic of myself and some friends, with all the fictional boys we were collectively hyperfixating on. If I finished it, it would have been a disorganized mess. /lh

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not that I'm aware of, but I don't think I'd be against it.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes! I'm co-writing a fic currently! Also, everything on my AO3 is co-written lol. A lot of my solo writing is here on this blog! (Most of it doesn't count as fic though, because it circles mainly around my OCs.)

14. What’s your all time favourite ship?

These days, it's almost all character x self. I don't ship characters together as much as I used to, and have been finding much more satisfaction in selfshipping lately!

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

There are any number of abandoned WIPs I'd like to pick back up, but know I won't or can't, for any number of reasons. Sometimes it's hard to do collaborative work on something when the hyperfixation yanks your writing partner in a different direction.

16. What are your writing strengths?

When I get in the groove, the words flow like spilled ink. Sometimes that translates to beautiful flowery prose, or contemplative introspection. I can write paragraphs of introspection and observation and not realize how much I've written where nothing has actually happened.

Also dialogue! I once had a school teacher tell me I was really good at dialogue, and that has stuck with me since.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Most of it boils down to making myself sit down and actually write. If I look at writing as a chore, my brain will refuse to do it, and while this isn't technically a writing weakness, it is something that very often keeps me from writing.

Timing is another thing. Remembering how much time has passed in universe, or what is a reasonable amount of Things to do in one in-universe day.

Also commas. I tend to write like an 18th century poet in that I use way more commas than are strictly necessary.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I have conflicting feelings on this. On one hand, I love for people to be able to showcase that a fic is taking place in a certain part of the world based on language. On the other hand it reminds me a little of flipping to the back of a classic novel for end notes that give historical context to what I'm reading. It's good to have that context, but flipping to the back of the book to understand something takes me out of the experience.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

The very first? That would probably have been Harry Potter, and I would have been about 12.

But the first fanfic I wrote was about my kindergarten best friend's imaginary friend, who was an anthropomorphic cat who wore his hat backwards, and I thought he was sooooo cool. (Technically I dictated it to my mom, who then wrote it, but it still counts.)

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

Across Enemy Lines, and not only because I'm dating my co-writer. Our writing styles flow together so well, and it's been so much fun to work on!

Tagging @lady-of-disdain and @feral-fantic, but no pressure! Only if you want to do it!

[soot-and-salt]

Wanted to jump on here and say I adore your writing! You've got such an excellent narrative voice and your characters come across as multifaceted and a true delight to read.

I saw you were answering asks so I wanted to throw one your way as well! At one time, how many fics do you think you're working on? Are you an all in one go writer and focus in on one chapter/ addition to a series at a time or do you bounce around?

Why hello there, Cryptidbytes! Always good to see you!

First of all, you are exceedingly kind to me. I'm blushing. Thank you so much for your incredibly lovely compliments. I swear, I am trying my best. Me and my imposter syndrome are locked in a fight to the death and that bitch got hands.

I'm (unsurprisingly) kind of a chaotic mess when it comes to writing. I'm trying to get better. I've had a lot of great success with, you know, THINKING before I write something and making outlines, etc. Usually I have a few irons in the fire because my brain worms are truly a fright to behold.

I try to be an all in one writer. A lot of my one shots are very much written in one day and thrown on AO3 and may god have mercy on my soul. I don't have a lot of writing time in my week. I have a stressful day job that sucks the life out of me and personal stuff I deal with that leaves me with little free time. Some weeks I only get one or two nights to write so shorter one shots tend to go faster.

Lately, though, I'm trying to not be so focused on outside validation and to take my time, even if it means that something takes longer to come out. That's why the word count on We Shoud've Been Enemies installments have gotten so much bigger. Instead of trying to write everything in one night in 3k words, taking two weeks and letting in breath in 6k words have made for MUCH better stories, I think. But it does slow me down, and I'm still working through how I feel about that.

I always have multiple WIPs, even if it's just a file with a title and a scene or some notes or something. Right now I'm currently mulling over:

-the rest of WSBE

-a crack comedy fic involving Alastor and a very unlikely partner in crime

-a QPR with Rosie/Vox/Alastor

-and starting to outline for an Alastor human AU series

So yeah, I do bounce around. Sometimes an idea grabs me and won't let me go and I have to drop EVERYTHING to write it (like I Shine Only With The Light You Gave Me, for example). Usually that happens when I see fan art or get a song lyric stuck in my head and I have to do something with it before I implode.

Right now it's a toss up between WSBE #7 (which I want to finish so fucking bad) and the Alastor crack fic because it's been in my drafts since April and I am dying to let it see the light of day.

There are not enough hours in the day, honestly. We're in the "dead season" at my job right now and I have literally thought of taking a day or two off just to write, which is kind of insane. It's fanfiction, soot, not the next great American novel. But having this many incomplete ideas held in your head can drive you a little crazy.

I gotta stop writing essays to these questions. Sorry about that. Fantastic question!