#leif centric

[dragondawdles]

uhh I know your current interests thingy says "man idk" but do u possibly have any bug fables headcanons ??

hihi I do indeed! I’ll stick my thoughts beneath a readmore for ease of skippability and also for spoilers:

leif ≠ leif. like is’s less “leif was resurrected and came back complicatedly different” and more “leif super dies in snakemouth and leif as we know him is the cordyceps”. I mean they aren’t as mutually exclusive as I may be presenting them as but idk! I like leaning into how weird leif’s whole deal is. let him wrestle with legacy let him wrestle with his borrowed yet vividly personal memories and feelings let him grieve leif and muse and elizant I and continue to live. let him be a weird not-quite moth

a bit along the same lines, leif having health issues as consequence of leif stuff. wounds that don’t quite heal right (thinking his injury in ch4 is a big one), some form of vision impairment, and poor dexterity are the main ones I’ve got in mind and that last one is maybe a little bit of projection as a treat

leif being a fantastic actor is already canon but I would like to extend that off stage. I think he’a scarily good at putting on fronts acting however he would like to present himself. I think his facades even fool himself sometimes

vi being raised as a potential successor to the queen when she was young before getting a bit older and being moved to the honey factory and ultimately striking out on her own is maybe not canon compliant but I think it’s potentially very interesting and funny. could’ve been a princess but she chose violence.

vi being wholly able to fly the entire game but not even bothering to until the end when she is directly ordered to do so by the queen is so funny I don’t think there’s some deep rooted psychological reason for that I think she’s just like that. maybe one day down the line she’ll appreciate the oddly elusive gift of flight for what it is but as of now she just walks everywhere since bugaria’s built to be accessible to flightless bugs so why not y’know! she just likes to walk! maybe she has really good lower body strength for a bee as consequence

kabbu’s a theatre enjoyer! he can be too enthusiastic sometimes (he’s not always great at volume control) and he’s seen enough plays that he knows what makes a play good and bad and he’s not a good liar if asked about it, but he’s a well-liked regular at his local theatres. he’s occasionally mistaken for an aspiring actor himself with his passion and his boisterously earnest nature but no, his heart lies elsewhere. he just really likes the theatre

kabbu gets shy about it but he’s a really good singer too. mothiva will never know

chompy’s favorite bug is leif (of course, likewise leif spends the most time with chompy and talks to/about her often, although he kinda spoils her and she usually goes to him for sympathy whether earned or otherwise). she considers vi a playmate/rival much to vi’s chagrin. she sees kabbu as a firmer authority she can’t weasel past, but finds his approval all the more special, and often accompanies him/comforts him on his worse days whatever the reason may be.

chompy thinks todd (leif’s turbo nephew) is another chomper.

postcanon neolith fluent in roach

zasp and mothiva childhood friends mayhaps

more of a worldbuilding headcanon (because bug fables’ worldbuilding is a little bit flimsy for my tastes cough cough) but I think the bugs that exist outside of the strict “species = kingdom” is fun to consider. like moths being more nomadic and individualized, and it’s families and their descendants that align themselves with the kingdoms rather than a whole flutter of them. maybe it’s more common to see lone unassociated beetles than bees, for example. idk if I were braver about bugs I’d be attributing those traits more I like it when creatures are creatures with creature traits :] bug enthusiasts who attribute those traits for me are my heroes

also I know it’s a common headcanon but bug fables and hollow knight existing in the same universe is really fun. I don’t think they’re all that close to each other spacially or tonally but thematically and for the antics!! idk. maybe quirrel shows up on his precanon travels and warns about the folly of eternity and the numerous bugs devoting their lives in some way or form to finding the everlasting sapling just kinda. politely nods along vehemently disagreeing

[hishap]

Hisha’s Bug Fables fics masterpost, SquidgeWorld Edition

Because my fics are now also on SquidgeWorld! They are archive-locked but getting an account is really quick

Series :

Spore Tales

3fics, 2 G-rated + 1 T-rated. Post-canon, heavy Leif’s Request spoilers

Of Gay Bugs

That’s where the shipping fics go! 3 fics, T-rated. Post-canon, Kabbu/Neo and Neo/Kabbu/Leif

Standalone one-shots :

Trust

G-rated. During and post-canon. You can thank @dreamyyartist for this one!

Explorers’ Game Night

G-rated. The active explorer teams play the bug version of Werewolf. I had to modify the rules to make them work with zombiants instead of werewolves. Post-canon, heavily implied spoilers

Insomnia

G-rated. Post-canon, slight spoilers. Vi has been having troubles falling asleep lately and her teammates want to help her out.

OC-centric stuff :

Blue Team Stories

4 fics, G-rated, post-canon, spin-off sequel, follows a brand new team & their friends & family travelling Bugaria & beyond 20 years or so after the events of the game.

[milatheartsy]

A leif centric comic i made a while ago written by @Tbone_Arts on twitter!

[randomnameless]

I hate how the fandom treats relationship between siblings in the Fe games. Sure some of them are brocon but not all, and it kills me that the only pair of siblings that managed to escape those are the one teasing. Like for example, the brocon in Leo for Camillla ok, i believe you. But Chrom and Emmeryn ? really ?! it's also painful that Chrom and Lissa escapes it just because Lissa is mischevious in nature but still while she admire her older brother, she still tease him! That's even worse when the 2 parties aren't related and then it is "emotional incest"... sorry i will never get over people getting mad at Leif/Nanna because of this, this ship among many others, and then says "iNcEsT haS aLwAyS bEeN PaRt of the series". It really is a yeas and nopes to this one remark

Antis will forever find soemthing to bash a ship they see as a rival ship lol

But yeah, as you said, that joke became old quite fast, and while I love a dynamic where siblings get along, let it be teasing or not (the Delbray sibs are fun too!) the recent games (FE16) made me painfully aware of how we were spoiled back then, when siblings had lines for each other and openly worried and talk about each other!

Watch me rant again, but I'll never be ok with FE16 carefully scrubbing Seteth of his interactions with Rhea bar the ones playing with the red herring or the "Billy centric" ones -

Like, can you imagine, one second, Reyson not rushing to Leanne after the Oliver chapters when they are reunited? Or an AU where Rafiel becomes feral, and only Ike chases after him as he runs away wanting to die alone - while Leanne and Reyson are sitting on the bench?

Nopes and FEH added more "dual teasing" context, but damn if FE16 was a slap in the face - and don't even get me started on how we still don't know if they are same gen nabateans (siblings like) or if Seteth isn't Rhea's big bro but only acts as her tired big bro.

[aengelsrud]

Leadership Beyond Ego: The Mission-Centric Approach

Dear Readers, In their transformative book, “Extreme Ownership,” Jocko Willink and Leif Babin share profound insights into leadership and teamwork. One particularly compelling quote underscores the essence of effective leadership: “Remember, it’s not about you,” I continued. “It’s not about the drilling superintendent. It’s about the mission and how best to accomplish it. With that attitude…

[skelezomperman]

Revising A Tale of Star-Crossed Knights - Chapters 15 and 16

Chapter 15: https://archiveofourown.org/works/39015690/chapters/103649820 Chapter 16: https://archiveofourown.org/works/39015690/chapters/104060157

I've grouped these chapters into one post because they are both filler chapters during Part 2.

I think when I was planning out Part 2, I initially wanted it to have 8 chapters just like Part 1. The midpoint would be when the Aed Massacre and Battle of Belhalla happen offscreen and then the climax at the end would be Erinys' death. But there was just so much fluff scenes that I wanted to show of the daily life of the two families before that last point where Part 2 leaves off right before FE5 and FE4 Part 2 begin.

I did cut one scene in the revising, that being a scene at the beginning of Chapter 15 where Ced accidentally injures Hawke while playing with each other. (It's still mentioned in a later section of the chapter). I also significantly cut down on a partially finished scene where Finn was teaching Leif how to read in Tarrah/Tahra. Part of me wanted to cut more scenes, but it was just so hard to choose one. Finn's arrival to Fiana, Erinys finding Arthur, and Lachesis leaving for Diarmuid were essential ones. I couldn't see myself cutting the scene at the beginning of Chapter 16 where Erinys has the vivid dream of Finn either - that one's a gutpunch. Same with the scene in Chapter 15 where Lex's half-brother tries to romance Erinys. I probably could have done it, but I just wasn't feeling for cutting up that large of a piece of the work, especially when it was Part 3 that suffers the most from bloat.

(Oh hey also a scene from Chapter 15 made it into another fanfic. Feel free to read if you like OCs.)

One thing I almost did was cut out the part in Chapter 16 where Finn is feeling hints of attraction towards Lachesis. That part was included because I wanted to show some kind of idea like "hey, this isn't how Jugdral usually turns out." It's similar to the scene in Chapter 10 where Lewyn confesses that he had a crush on Erinys and was jealous when Finn got to her first. In the end I ended up keeping that part. It's smaller than what it could have been, i.e. I thought about having it so that it nearly becomes an actual affair rather than it being a hint of an attraction.

I guess the other big thing in this chapter is that this (specifically Chapter 16) is when Ced and Fee start being introduced as characters of their own in the story. They're old enough to where their perspective can be seen. Their promotions at the end of the chapter is what signifies that are "adults" as far as the story is concerned.

--

Original Author's Notes below for Chapter 15:

This chapter is fluffy-angsty pieces. On the surface they're fluff, but they overlay angsty undercurrents. I didn't really have a big theme for this chapter, but the last scene is the second scene from the "Pining" fic. It got edited though, of course.

Miscellaneous notes: I didn't say this but Blaise gets to tutor both Ced and Hawke in magic. I like to think that Arvis tries to sue for peace against Silesse the same way that he did against Travant, except Erinys says no. Erinys telling Fee bedtime stories about Sigurd is actually something that is referenced in-game. Jeanne is probably older than Nanna, I assume? Yves probably dies during Chapter 3 so if that's the case, Jeanne *has* to be older than Nanna (and even Diarmuid in this timeline). I have thoughts on climate but I'll probably get into them in a future chapter's A/N. I do think Tofa is far enough north to see the midnight sun (and in turn the polar night). Hildebrand in my thoughts is a younger sibling of Lex, but I don't think it really matters that much. Maria gets to be a Heavenly Knight because why not...I don't really have anything about this in the future.

Original Author's Notes for Chapter 16:

Honestly after the first scene this chapter felt like I was just phoning it in. It's very Erinys centric because I couldn't really think of scenes for Finn. I don't want to go through the motions with him and Leif/Nanna and I don't want to repeat the same angsting stuff with him either that I've already had him go through. I wanted to have the scene of Fee's pegasus being named and I also wanted the scene of Arthur joining them. I still haven't decided whether Arthur and Fee will be a pair or not.

But that first scene though. Sometimes dreams can really taunt you.

Next chapter is going to be the end of Part II. Be prepared because it's going to be the emotional nadir of this story.

Miscellaneous notes: Would Finn actually call Erinys "queen?" Maybe if he actually knew that she was a queen now. But this is a dream so he's not behaving exactly like how he would actually behave. Fee is still a bit younger than I would think a first-time pegasus rider would be, but 10 years old is a good place to set it. I only had Misha be the one to discover Arthur because I was too lazy to make another OC. I think she'll show up in a scene in the next chapter to explain her leaving Silesse. The merchant by the way is Lewyn because it was said in a developer's notes once that Lewyn taught Arthur how to use magic. They don't know it's Lewyn though and he never shows himself to them during Part II. I actually thought about making a scene where Finn feels some sort of physical attraction to Lachesis. It wouldn't be dissimilar from the scene where Lewyn admitted that he used to crush on Erinys, just a way to lampshade on this fic pulling me away from my "natural" pairings. I cut it because I felt it was a distraction. Scene towards the end is foreshadowing on Ced leaving to find Finn.

Take care over the next week.

[glassrain83]

Dear Yuletide Writer 2023

I am GlassRain on AO3, and thank you for writing for my tiny fandom(s)!

I love all these characters and any fic about them will make me happy. If you already have an idea feel free to run with it. If you want extra prompts or ideas, that’s what this is for.

Yes please: gay stuff, outer space, magic. Non-con, dub-con, and mind control. Relationships where there’s a power imbalance but they also truly love each other and do the work to make it good. Relationships with size differences (not as in short human/tall human, as in human/building-sized dragon). Identity porn/any kind of reveal where the audience knows something and gets to enjoy watching the characters figure it out.

No thanks: Gore/body horror/graphic depictions of violence, embarrassment, extreme underage (teen characters having sex is fine), bodily fluids (except the usual ones for sex scenes), non-canon character death, mundane AUs.

Fandoms:

Leif & Thorn (Webcomic)

Characters: Leif, Thorn

Leif is a gardener in thrall to a mysterious debt, serving his native Sønheim at a foreign embassy. Thorn is a Knight of Ceannis who got severely burned while dragonslaying, and was rewarded with a cushy job guarding the embassy gates. Thorn doesn’t speak Leif’s language too well at first — but as they get to know each other, he finds a lot of reasons to learn.

Ongoing fantasy dramedy, with a cross-cultural romance and a great ensemble cast. (Read it here.) Leif/Thorn is canon, over a slow-burn arc that took about 5 years real-world time. They still have ongoing struggles around Leif’s control microchip, and Thorn’s effort to handle the unwanted power it gives him. Leif/Thorn/Kale is not canon yet, but the OT3 shipteasing is strong, so maybe in 5 more years?

The prompts are Leif/Thorn-centric but I will take fic about other characters too. Other ships on the side are fine, canon or non-canon, as long as you don’t break up the main couple.

Prompts:

Canon-divergence AU where Thorn joined the Secret Order of Monster Hunters, successfully assassinated the vampires in that one early storyline, and decided to rescue/steal Leif as a bonus. What? He was in the area anyway, he might as well.

Leif/Thorn where Leif still has the microchip, but Kale has his powers and facilitates a psychic link between them, so Thorn can’t possibly miss if he tries something Leif doesn’t like. Can be established Leif/Thorn/Kale or “whoops this turned into our first threesome.”

Holiday fic where Leif and Thorn share their traditions with each other. Warmth and fluffiness a plus.

Crossover prompt: the Leif & Thorn universe has a Fantasy Eurovision Song Contest..what does Fire Saga’s act look like in a world with widespread/commonplace magic?

Doctrine of Labyrinths - Sarah Monette

Characters: Felix, Mildmay

The Doctrine of Labyrinths is a series of fantasy novels by Sarah Monette. It is set in the secondary world of Meduse and tells the story of the adventures of the wizard Felix Harrowgate and his half-brother, former assassin Mildmay the Fox.

Lush fantasy melodrama full of codependence and great hurt/comfort. I have gotten Felix/Mildmay fic before and will keep prompting more of it until the end of time (or until a TV adaptation turns this into a megafandom, whichever comes first). Gen about them is also welcome.

Prompts:

Sci-fi/cyberpunk AU. Make the hocuses into hackers, the magical curses into corrupted cybernetics, the petty thieves into data pirates. Could be the alternate version of a canon event, or a whole new SF-themed plot twist.

Missing scene from Felix and Mildmay’s journey across the continent in book 1, something where Felix has a bad turn and Mildmay successfully calms him down. Just lean all the way into the h/c in their weird-but-deep sibling bond.

Guilty frantic brothercest. (During a time in canon when they’re both mentally capable of consenting.) Especially if it’s already an ongoing situation when the story starts, so it’s not a story about how they fell into it, but about how they can’t seem to get out.

If you are up for writing crossovers: it’s a crime that there are no Labyrinth crossovers yet. How would Felix and Mildmay face off against the Goblin King?

The Good Place (TV)

Characters: Tahani Al-Jamil

The series focuses on Eleanor Shellstrop, a woman who wakes up in the afterlife and is introduced by Michael to “The Good Place”, a highly selective Heaven-like utopia he designed, as a reward for her righteous life. She realizes that she was sent there by mistake and must hide her morally imperfect behavior and try to become a better, more ethical person.

Complete TV fantasy sitcom. Hard to summarize, because it dumps the whole premise on its head and starts doing something new about twice a season. I don’t ship Tahani with any of the male characters (or Janet), but would love either gen or f/f.

Prompts:

AU where Tahani was the one who was “mixed up” with a different “Tahani Al-Jamil”. Where is she placed instead of a creepy clown house? How does she cope? How does Vicky (or whoever) craft the role of her most torturously-unsuitable soulmate?

Kidfic about the terrible family dynamics in Tahani’s childhood. Especially things that her POV frames as happy, or fine, or at least justified…but the reader can tell how much it’s not.

Friendship fic with Eleanor and Tahani during their time on Earth. They couldn’t possibly know each other for a whole year without bonding.

[eve6262]

Long Gone | Bug Fables fic pt. 2

    It chimes- and it sounds heavenly, like fairy bells on the wind- and calms.

    Leif sees himself, reflecting in those eyes. Perhaps it’s the confusion, being so lost in a place so familiar, the fear wrapping around him like spider silk. Or maybe it’s the ever-so-slightly reflective surface of the crystal.

    He reaches out a hand nonetheless. There are people speaking in the background- someone yelling?- but he’s stopped paying attention.

    “Hrej? Ovriek v’rei hrej?”

    Kin? You are kin?

    Again it chimes. A memory pops up unbidden- Zommoth, looking down at the poor child kindly, as a brother to her. She has no mouth but he distinctly sees her smile.

    Leif has no siblings. The cordyceps has a sibling- a sister. These two are incompatible.

    The little crystal spider chimes again, and Leif isn’t sure what to think anymore.

    It nudges his hand, like it knows he’s ignoring it. Chompy has always been good at that- seen through his hollow gazes, known when he was simply going through the motions and when he was actually doting on her. Like Chompy, not like Zommoth.

    Chompy did not hiss at his friends. Zommoth hissed at his friends- and what did this one do? Like Zommoth, not like Chompy.

    The two are incompatible. Leif and “I” are incompatible. They are one and the same. This problem has no solution.

    Without hesitation, it bites down on his arm. Not roughly, like wild spiders, but softly, like Chompy asking for pets. And then it tries to drag, like it wants to show him something.

    He can’t refuse his kin. But is it kin with the cordyceps or Leif?

    Again, vaguely, he can hear people talking. He can also hear the constant chimes of the crystal spider, and he wonders where they are going. And he hears the patter of Chompy’s footsteps- and he wonders, will she be safe? Will she be alright?

    She’s a smart little thing. She’ll go back to Kabbu and Vi if it’s too dangerous, won’t she? The old Mother Chomp surrounded herself in thorns, hid in a cave far away so she wouldn’t die. Surely Chompy will have the same instincts.

    The crystal spider comes across a door and easily hops up to a control panel. Its body is dimly lit, like a piece of glass over a light bulb. It knows how to operate this place, despite just waking.

    Just like him. When did he learn Roach, anyway?

    No. Don’t think of that. He can’t. The cordyceps has known it since birth, and Leif has memories of learning the language. The same dialect, too. These facts are incompatible- he must be using one of their repositories, but which one?

    Oh, being a parasitic lifeform has its positives. Always nice and cool, even in the desert. But there are so many downsides he can’t even look too far up lest he snap his own neck with the pressure.

    Finally, the crystal spider stops, snapping him out of his stupor. He feels Chompy cuddle up to his leg- too warm here? She stays away from him in cold places, but according to Vi the Snakemouth lab was cold.

    Gently, his hand is let go of. The slight pressure was comforting, he realizes now. He misses it the moment it is gone. Nonetheless, he watches as the spider climbs something.

    A crystal web. Of course.

    He wants to cry. He wants to break down and tear the place to shreds. He wants to hug that spider. He wants to collapse in someone’s arms. His wife is dead- that’s not his wife he’s a lie what. is. he?

    It chimes again, but Leif and the cordyceps are gone and replaced with a dead-eyed zombified moth with no brain nor inclination to act. If he were to speak it would be in slurred Roach; if he were to move he would collapse with the effort.

    Chompy knows. The spider has realized.

    It tries to apologize, but all it knows is chimes. Chompy tries to interpret, but all it knows is gentle hand bites and bumping against his leg. The latter gets him to sit, but then his hands go to his head and the two creatures panic.

    Then the door opens, and vaguely he can hear the panicked shouting of Kabbu. (which is a testament to his mental state, because that man is loud.) He feels a hand on his arm, and it feels like fire, and he immediately jerks away at the thought. Fire. Fire, wasn’t there something with fire?

    The place in flames. The roaches left behind. Him, him and- and-

    And Kabbu and Vi. That’s right. The Everlasting King and his madness and his death.

    The crystal spider chimes from its place on his lap. His lap. When did he end up on the floor? He reaches down and pets the thing, as he would any other cute thing. It chimes and nuzzles his hand.

    Cute thing.

    Chompy, satisfied with her owner’s mental state, gives the crystal spider a chomp on the leg. It cries out- and the sound is like angels having their wings ripped off- and again becomes agitated.

    “Tr’vrek tajh vrie! Viatiev kr’aivret traj kret obivrat.”

    Both of you calm down! The fault lies with no one- a bit awkward. It’s not anyone’s fault.

    Chompy does not like hearing her owner speak Roach, because she knows it is usually a sign of a mental breakdown. The crystal spider has only heard him speak Roach, so it enjoys this. The two are at odds.

    Just like his mind. The same. Incompatible. What?

    “My apologies for whatever I may have caused, but we must work on separating the two immediately.”

    The crystal spider, evidently, has a mild understanding of Bugnish. It chimes angrily at that. Chompy, apparently, also sees that this is not the solution, and hisses at the Queen. Leif rushes to stop them.

    “Krei jhai, kuvrait. Ovioljret traj...Queen, veriait.”

    Be nice, cordial. She is the Queen, after all.

    “The word for Queen…”

    He doesn’t often speak out loud, save for explanatory purposes, but the phrase slips out as his mind slowly but surely returns to its usual half-Roach, half-Bugnish state. Vi takes that as a sign of recovery.

    “Leif!”

    She practically shouts it in his ear, startling him, but his eyes are back to normal and his brain is occupied with now and not who. He looks around for a moment before realizing what happened.

    “Ah. Our apologies. We…”

    “No explanations yet. You okay?”

    “Yes. We saw the web and memories…”

    “That makes sense. We did find you in a spiderweb.”

    “What about the spider, though? You kinda just followed it when it started leading you.”

    “It reminded us of ourselves.”

    “I wish I knew more,” Queen Vanessa interjects, “But for now, my priority is the creature.”

    “The creature is calm.”

    As if to support his claim, it chimes happily, finally leaving Leif’s lap so he can get up. Chompy, however, complains and jumps up at his legs a few times. No longer worried about the mental breakdown, she demands pets.

    He picks her up and holds her like a small child while the others continue. Kabbu and Vi barely notice, but the others seem worried.

    “Wait a minute. Please don’t tell me you think that thing is cute.”

    “Think? It is cute.”

    “Alright, pack it up, people. He’s found another one. He’s not letting go of it.”

    “It is like us. And look at it. It means no harm.”

    “You just had a mental breakdown over it.”

    “Our weak mental fortitude is not the fault of the creature.”

    “Weak? Leif, I can’t begin to talk about how much you’ve gone through! That’s not weakness, that’s simply natural.”

    Vi growls and turns around, hands at her head. Much more common for her. “I can’t believe we’re keeping that.”

    “Think of it this way. Easier battles.”

    “I’m not objecting, I’m just annoyed that I was worried about you for nothing.”

    “Vi!”

    “Not your fault.”

    Kabbu’s shoulders slump. Neo looks a little scared, Queen Vanessa looks apprehensive, and Maki looks almost...scared.

    “By the way, Leif, it’s not...normal, for you to pick up that creature, is it?”

    “Why wouldn’t it be?”

    “It could bite your hand off.”

    “Chompy is a nice girl. She only bites people that we fight.”

    “It is a baby Chomper.”

    “Chompy.”

    “If I may ask, you three… would you be willing to-”

    “If you’re gonna say take care of the crystal thing, yes. Leif is going to take that thing from you regardless of whether you want us to or not, and good luck fighting him.”

    “...Very well then. As far as the records go, it requires no food to survive, as it is technically not alive.”

    “See? Like us.”

    And the little beast chimes, happy to have found a friend.

[rsbry-beret]

Trying to Smile with Your Heart

Find it on Ao3 here:

Leif Donnelly was not the type of person who believed in magic.

He was raised Catholic, which was awful because of the whole liking guys thing, and when you grow up around a God that you’re told hates you, it’s hard to want Him to exist.

Of course, his therapist and his friends keep telling him that there are plenty of churches that support lgbtq+ people, but… Leif wasn’t sure if he could make himself go back, if he was honest, or if he even wanted to.

Tobin believed in magic, though.

Not God, or Gods plural, but magic. Healing crystals, burning incense, casting circles— whole-ass-in witchcraft.

Which was weird, at least for Leif.

In highschool, Leif and Tobin were the type of friends who shared everything, even beliefs. Tobin was the only person Leif talked to about his doubts in the church, Leif always listened when Tobin laughed about how confused he was the first time he visited the Donnelly household, and he had to say grace before dinner. It was… nice, to have someone he could trust with that.

Then Leif went to college and Tobin went to jail, and Leif walked away with a degree and semi-confidence in his atheism, and Tobin walked away saying how he felt ‘grounded’ and ‘connected to the earth’.

They’ve been sharing an apartment for almost five years, now, so Leif is used to the candles and the smell of sage and cinnamon, and Tobin was his best friend so of course Leif supported him. But sometimes it was still weird.

Like now, for instance.

Leif and Tobin were sitting on the floor, legs crossed underneath them. Tobin shuffled the cards in his hands, whispering something under his breath, and Leif tried to focus on the fast shuffles and not the way Tobin’s hands moved around the cards.

“Tobin, I appreciate you doing this for me and all, but you know I don’t exactly believe in it, right?”

Tobin nodded and looked up to meet Leif’s eyes, still mixing the cards. “I know, man. But you looked stressed. Even if you don’t actually care about this stuff, it can still help to see it layed out in front of you.” His hands faltered, and a card fell out of the deck and landed face up- two figures stood on it, with an angel between them. Along the bottom were the words ‘The Lovers’. Tobin picked it up and frowned at it before putting it back in the deck. “Of course, if you don’t want to do this, we don’t have to. It’s up to you, man.”

And the thing was, Leif did want to do it. He didn’t put weight on it, didn’t think that energies or whatever existed, put Tobin did, and this was how Tobin wanted to help. And Leif wanted Tobin to be happy.

And maybe he was a little bit curious, too.

“No, it’s fine,” he said belatedly.

Tobin nodded once and shuffled the cards one more time before laying them between them, to Leif’s left. “Cool. So first, think of a question.”

Well, that was vague as fuck. Leif squinted at him for a second and Tobin turned red.

“I mean, like, ‘what can I do to get a promotion’ or ‘how do I welcome love into my life’, etcetera. Try to make the question active, not passive- it’s about guiding you, giving advice, not about telling the future.”

Leif’s mind flashed back to Joan, the fight they had had two days ago and the way they had stormed away from each other. Leif liked Joan, and Joan at the very least liked sex with him, but it seemed like every conversation ended with an argument now. He wasn’t sure how to fix it, or if he even wanted to.

“Do I have to say it out loud?”

Tobin cocked his head to the side. “No, I guess not. It might make it a little easier, but…” He shrugged.

Leif stared down at the deck, face down. “Okay. I’m ready.”

Tobin smiled at him, then gestured at the cards. “So, first you need to cut the deck, and then draw three cards and put them in a row, face-down.”

Logically, it was just a deck of cards with cool pictures on them. Leif knew that, knew that they didn’t mean anything, not really. Knew that it was a way to help people cope with the universe screwing them over, and yet- when he reached out to split the deck, his hands were slow, careful, shaking a little bit. Pushing forward, Leif cut the deck as close to the middle as he could, then picked three cards off the top and lay them down in front of him, a line between him and Tobin. He leaned back, and Tobin was smiling at him, soft and tilted at the edge, like he knew something Leif didn’t.

Just as gently, Tobin reached and flipped over the first card.

“This is the tower, reversed.” The picture was upside-down, a stone tower being struck by lightning and two people falling from it, faces scared. “Upright, the tower means sudden, unexpected change. That’s the lighting, here.” Tobin’s pointer finger brushed the card. “Usually it’s associated with negative change, but I consider this a good card. Sometimes, you need something to break apart so you can have a break through.

“Reversed, this card symbolizes a fear of change. The people are afraid as they fall, but we can’t see where they’re going to land, if it will be safe or not. Usually it signifies that you, the querent, are avoiding a change because you’re scared of the outcome.”

Leif realized he was holding his breath, and let it out. It was just make-believe, he reminded himself, and tried to steady the tremor in his hands.

Tobin moved on, flipping over the next card. It showed two kids in a town, one giving the other a goblet filled with white flowers. “This is the six of cups, also reversed. It’s associated with nostalgia, see, with the little kids playing?

“Reversed, it means you might be idealizing the past. The flowers everywhere, right, and how bright the picture is? It could also mean that there’s… something in your past you want to return to.”

For a second, Leif was worried that Tobin was trying to convince him to go back to church, before he realized that he didn’t even know his question, his question had nothing to do with that, and anyway, they didn’t mean anything in the first place.

Leif followed Tobin’s hands as they glided to the last card and and thought, maybe, the thing from his past that he wanted wasn’t religion at all. Maybe it was a person.

“Oh, wow. Your last card is the moon, upright.” Tobin pauses for a moment, examining the card, before his eyes flickered up to meet Leif’s and he smiled awkwardly, sitting back. “It’s probably the hardest card in the deck to figure out.

“The crawfish coming out of the pond, that represents fear again. The wolves howling at the moon signify transformations and anxieties. The towers in the background are a metaphorical threshold, and the sea at the back is eventual peace of mind.”

Tobin traced the card for a second before pointing to a yellow trail, leading from the bottom of the card to the horizon. “But there is a clear path. Usually this means that you already know where you want to go, or what you want to do. You just have to face your fears if you want to make it.”

Tobin withdrew his hands, setting them in his lap and looking up at Leif again. Leif blinked at him, looked at his eyes for longer than was normal, probably.

Face your fears, he thought. Avoiding a change because you’re afraid of an outcome. Idealizing the past.

He leaned in.

[flecks-of-stardust]

[image description: a four panel comic about Team Snakemouth and the Wasp King. They are facing off, Team Snakemouth on the right and the Wasp King on the left. All three Team Snakemouth members are battle ready and triumphant. Leif is saying, “Give it up, you’re outmatched.” The Wasp King is panting slightly. In the background, slugcat is running from right to left while frowning.

The second panel shifts to a close up shot of the Wasp King, showing him scowling at Team Snakemouth. Slugcat’s face is peeking out from the bottom right corner, and it is glaring at the Wasp King. The Wasp King is saying, “I… I didn’t come THIS far… to lose to ple—“

His dialogue is cut off by the word ‘crunch’ in all caps, a sound effect to slugcat snapping its mouth shut around his head. His cloak is drawn with an upward streaking effect to indicate his alarm, and there is muffled screaming coming from him.

The last panel shows a close up shot of Team Snakemouth as they watch slugcat eat the Wasp King with gusto. Vi, standing on the right, is watching it with abject horror, her eyes screwed up and her mouth twisted in shock, disgust, and a pinch of fear. Her antennae are sticking straight up, and her neck fluff is slightly fluffed up in alarm. Leif, on the left, has an expression of vague disgust and exhaustion, represented by his squinty eyes and the lines underneath them. Kabbu, in the middle, is scowling at the scene in front of him, his eyes almost closed in his disgust and discomfort. His posture is considerably defeated. He is saying, “… I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that.” end image description]

dare i make this an actual crack au

[rotten-dan]

made a few Leif-centric little comics, not gonna post em all at the same time, too much.

So have the first pair. A dad one and a sleepy one

[thylacid]

YOU HAVE A FEAR STREET AU??? TELL ME EVERYTHING!!!!!!!

OH BOY GET READY FOR A LONG ONE

While the au isn't close to being finished, the basic concept is this. Anne, Sasha, and Marcy are childhood friends who live in Shadyside. Sasha and Marcy dated for a bit in secret, but when Sasha's parents got divorced and he moved to Sunnyvale, he broke up w Marcy to try to pursue a normal life. Kinda like Sam and Deena in 1994.

I'm still figuring out the whole middle part but I think Marcy's gonna be the one who bleeds on Sarah Fier's bones, so Anne, Sasha, and some others basically go thru the plot of the first movie. Also, Andrias is a Goode because yeah!

In the end, they kill Marcy n bring it back, and everything is fine! Until Andrias puts Marcy's name on the wall and Marcy gets possessed, because of course it does.

I've been thinking about making Leif kind of being like ziggy, which would also fit with Andrias being the current Goode and essentially a parallel to Nick Goode.

And also beyond that, when it comes to parallels, Anne's gonna be the one who gets the Sarah Fier lore + she's gonna get her arm cut off as a sort of parallel to Sarah Fier because thats fun

Its basically a very sasharcy-centric au with a bunch of silly things and definitely not a lot of murder /s

[vivizcroissant]

A bunch of theories and speculations I've compiled this week about the Amphibia final episodes

(Maybe with spoilers below the cut)

Polly and Micro Angelo but bigger

Sasha in a suit

Calamity Sasha

Timeskip to the future

Anne's 13th birthday: Sasha POV

Calamity Marcy

The Wus are in denial

The Waybrights moved on

Sasharcy dynamic

Sashannarcy flashbacks

Leif, Barrel and Andrias flashbacks

An honest talk between the girls

Sasha stays in Amphibia

Marcy stays in Amphibia

"I love you, girls"

Anne celebrates her birthday

A new polaroid with Marcy in the middle

Yunan and Olivia canon

Post Amphibia montage

Sasha vs Darcy

Sasha says something nice about Marcy

"Hey girlfriend, good to see you"

Mr Boonchuy gets a win

Mr and Mrs Boonchuy first names

Jenny says something

Sasha and Anne mentions Marcy in The Three Armies / The Beginning of the End

The Grubhog appears

The girls go their separate ways TEMPORARILY

"I know you are still there, Marcy"

Sashannarcy sleepover

A tender moment between Sasha and Marcy

Anne says "I forgive you"

A little bit of conflict between Anne and Marcy

Sasha tame/ride a heron

King Andrias betray The Core

Marcy's mindscape

Parallels with Anne's story in The Shut In

The Core is destroyed

The girls help Amphibia to recover

Someone dies

Sasha uses Barrel's Warhammer

Marcy uses a long bow

Marcy breaking free from the core by herself

Percy and Braddock return

Leif's letter is for Andrias

Jeremy is free

Sasha and Marcy are happy

Sashannarcy open to interpretation

Anne let the Plantars behind

Anne destroy Darcy's robot

New armor for Marcy

Pictures of the trio being kids

Birthdays and middle names of the girls

Sprig's telescope is important

Sprig discover something bad about the moon

The toads from the South Tower return

Hop Pop's past

Final battle like Avengers: Endgame

Mr X being fabulous

Domino and Domino 2 meet each other

Sasha active her powers when she saw the things King Andrias did to Marcy

How the music box came to Earth

The thrift store is important

Valeriana returns

Marcy's polaroid appears

Why Anne has Marcy's diary

Sasharcy flashback

Marcy complimenting Sasha again

How Anne and Marcy met

Marcy vs The Core from inside

Darcy is a badass

Sasha mock The Core

Something bad happen to Anne

"We are family and family always find each other"

The queer couple kiss on screen

Sashanne fusion

The robot mimic Darcy's moves

Marcy gets a song

Sasha and Anne's worst fears

Darcy roast Andrias again

Sasha is the one who help Marcy free herself from The Core

Super emotional Sasharcy reunion

Sasha's pink heron sword breaks

"Everyone deserves a second chance"

Prom poster lore

Sashanne vs Darcy in the mindscape

Sasharcy interactions

Sasha and Anne dance together

Darcy reveal at least one of Marcy's secrets

Leif's letter is about her vision

Leif's letter mentions the prophecy and the girls

The girls talk about True Colors

Sasha calls Marcy "Nerd" with fondness

Sasha saves Sprig

An honest and Real apology

"I don't want to lose you again"

Sasha with the green and pink gem

New Sashannarcy dynamic

Two queens

The girls sleep near each other

The girls are safe and sound

The series ends with another Anne birthday

Original polaroid lore

Sashannarcy hug and cry together

Marcy wears Sasha's fur cape

Sasha has a slavic/german middle name

Marcy centric episode

Sylvia Sundew return

Someone makes an heroic sacrifice

Sasha blushes

Sasha and Marcy switch gems

Captain Bufo return

Leif's backstory

Reunion/Marcy at the gates parallels

Marcy blushes

The girls heal their trauma

Sasha is queer

Grime become a farmer

Wally is Ivy's father

Something happen to Anne's arm

Something happen to Sasha's eye

Darcy's cape catch in fire

"We love Marcy more than we fear you"

"Together we are going to save Marcy and find the way home"

The Intro change

The outro change

Sasha says nice things about/to Wartwood

Anne gives a motivational speech to the armies

The Plantars eat a pizza

Grime's backstory

Sasha is worried about Marcy

"We don't need her, we want her"

Sasha says something nice to Sprig

A wedding

Marcy and Sasha's backstory

Marcy says "Sashy, Anne?"

The girls say that they want to fix their problems and friendship

Anne's future job

Anne can't get back to Amphibia

The moth kittens as adults

Monsters Inc. or Pepper Ann ending

Anne uses her blue sword

Sasha and Micro Angelo are buddies

Tritonio gives Marcy a bow

Grime saves Hop Pop

Darcy betrays Andrias

More anime references

Sasha has a vision like Leif

Sprig touch the Calamity Box

Mother Olm says something important to the trio or Sasha and Anne

[hishap]

Hisha’s Bug Fables fics masterpost

Series :

Spore Tales

3 fics, 2 G-rated + 1 T-rated. Post-canon, heavy Leif’s Request spoilers

Of Gay Bugs

That’s where the shipping fics go! 3 fics, T-rated. Post-canon, Kabbu/Neo and Neo/Kabbu/Leif

Standalone one-shots :

Trust

G-rated. During and post-canon. You can thank @dreamyyartist for this one!

Explorers’ Game Night

G-rated. The active explorer teams play the bug version of Werewolf. I had to modify the rules to make them work with zombiants instead of werewolves. Post-canon, heavily implied spoilers

Insomnia

G-rated. Post-canon, slight spoilers. Vi has been having troubles falling asleep lately and her teammates want to help her out.

OC-centric stuff :

Blue Team Stories

4 fics, G-rated, post-canon, spin-off sequel, follows a brand new team & their friends & family travelling Bugaria & beyond 20 years or so after the events of the game.

[harseik]

Was waiting for Halloween to pass before I uploaded this. Didn't want to hurt its feelings. Upon learning more about CinnaMonroe's character, Leif Hjoreth, and watching her construct a character sheet for the guy, I jumped at the chance to draw a pic of our deer sons hanging out. Fjorgus is friggin giant and Leif is such a sweet, gentle little thing, and I'm a sucker for brotherly dynamics, eeeee~ I don't have a sheet for Fjorgus, so here's an info dump: Full name is Fjorgus of Clan Urdr, but he's commonly referred to as "Gus". Or Goose. Or Moose, which he hates. He and his species (known as the "Julbock", a subtype of faun) work for a guy who is essentially Santa, traveling from town to town installing anti-troll runes and charms as well as beating up said trolls. The Julbock are also couriers, healers, restoration workers, and errand-runners. And of course, they help deliver presents during Christmas~ The world this character hails from is modern fantasy with a Fae-centric world hiding within it, similar to Dresden Files, Hellboy or Harry Potter. Hails from the magically-hidden region of Hartingland (which is nestled somewhere in Lapland, Finland), but he's always satisfying his racially-instilled wanderlust by traveling about and keeping up with friends and fam all over the world. One can summarize Gus as: big friendly hardheaded deer. He loooves interacting with the people in his life and thinks he knows what's best for everybody, and he will prefer to take the initiative in virtually everything. Being slightly behavior-blind of "smaller creatures", he is in the habit of voluntelling agreeable characters. Like Leif. "Leif and I are going to the next town over to deliver packages." *Is the first time Leif is hearing about this.* "What? No, we don't need a vehicle. We'll carry it all, the traditional way!" *Triumphant smile.* The sheer arrogance. The bird is technically a piece of gear! His European Robin is named "Nana" and she acts like a supernatural walkie-talkie/party line between other Julbocks' shoulder birds. She is temperamental and will peck his head and get real puffy whenever Gus acts like the doofy buck that he is and puts her in danger. Silver bells keep pesky trolls away. >:'O

[shipppphappens]

Zoey's extraordinary Session

This episode was so amazing. Best of the season, maybe of the whole show. There were so many things I loved and so less I don't. To write this episode you need to know that show so well and they did a very good job, with just a few little false.

First of all it was such a beautiful Clarkeman centric episode und they were so cute. I love that their start wasn't friendship of first sight.

It was so nice to see Mitch real alive and interacting with all of his loved ones. He and Zoey are so cute. He and Maggie just heartwarming and when he starts singing "Dream a little dream of me" - oh my heart.

And he gave Zoey his approvel for Max, "I like him." That we get that first meeting was such a fan service. It wasn't love at first sight for Max and Zoey, but for Max and Mitch. I let out a little squee when he called Maggie "Mags". Like a forshaddowing for the love of his daughters life.

It was also nice to close the  circle to the start of the season when Maggie speaks to Zoey at her first day back a SPARQ Point and now it was Mitch who speaks to Zoey.

So glad David picked Emily to be his wife and not Kersten. When Mitch died he wanted Emily to be with him and Mitch. His girlfriend shouldn't be with Maggie at the hospital. - Nice work writers, nice work.

Maybe a bit to much to put the thing with Emily also in that episode, but ok.

I little bit too much had also been the meeting between Zoey and Mo, but it brought the great "Mo's explicite Playlist" line. So I take it cause it makes me laugh. It also reminds us at Zora and Mo's Jeanscompany. And when we first met Mo in the very first episode, Zoey complains about his loud music, like she did it here.

So and now one thing who is wrong. In season 1 we learn Leif is at SPRQPoint for 7 years. Technicly he can't be at this day as a new guy. But I am happy he didn't has that hair anymore. Same with Tobin. And again Spellaversary - great.

The music hints were all so great and funny. The guy who is singing loud his feelings and Zoey's anger about it. 😂 "Keep it together!". Max's disbelieve in her lack of musicknowledge and his idea to get her a spotify account cause she needs more music in her life. But best of all her face when he started to sing and how distracted she was.

And it had been hate in first sight between Max and Leif. The battle was so funny.

And Zoeys excitement about DMD's show. Later she will be not always so happy when people do this. 🤣

DMD driving that scooter gave me so much feelings. Maybe the best easter egg that episode had.

And I know that character is kind of weird, maybe a bit annoying, but he is growing at me and he could never replace Joan, but it could be so much worse.

And hey, Max isn't a hobo. He has a home. Imagine that!

And know the Clarkeman stuff

I am so happy to see Max back at SPRQPoint.

I can't tell what I like most about the story. Maybe Max's face when Zoey realized he is his partner. Maybe their talk on the stairs. Maybe Max told Zoey to go to Maggie and still fight for the job. Maybe the fact that he went to the hospital to tell Zoey she got the job. Maybe the fact she only got the job cause Max gave his spot to her and she still didn't know that. Maybe the fact she called her Zo for the first time and she liked it. It was so great to have all that moments and the banter. They had that bond from the start and there is no doubt they are endgame cause it is their story. Like the therapist said "It's as much a lovestory as it is a losestory."

It is not because Zoey doesn't love him she is just to affraid of loosing the important people in her life. And that is the difference to Simon. It seems she isn't that affraid to loose him cause she never said something like that about him.

And then there was that scene where Zoey and Max met in front of Zoey's appartement and you could see that she loves him and that they mean a lot to each other. Max's still hat that robot in his closet, could cry. And it seems he isn't 100% sure to leave SF or Zoey for NY and Rose.

I loved, love and will always love that episode.