#like i use it as a bookmark - as a big event - that marks the turning of a chapter or the passage of time

[famewolf]

got back from the lake last night

it was a ton of fun and we spent most of it zooted out of our minds. but it also really hit me how much has changed in the last 8+ years. seeing a bunch of people that I hadnt seen since my teens or early 20s. it strangely put a lot of things into perspective for me, especially considering I feel like I lost time due to the pandemic.

all in all, a lot of relaxing and chatting and eating good food!

[the-broken-truth]

Mafia AU: The Ramshackle Bartender [Male Yuu Variant]

Summary/Inspiration/Credit/Thanks: [Link] by @sweetbunpura [Hope you like it, Boss.]

Male Yuu Variant OC [My Art]: [Link] (I'll draw Human Grim Later)

Word Count: 3,906

[Ramshackle Bar & Kitchen - Tuesday - 7:25 P.M.]

The pale, tanned fingers of a fingerless, gloved hand grasped the bottom of the sign attached to the door by a string woven into two holes at the sign's upper corners. The sign was then flipped around until the words "We're Open - Come On In" were facing the inside, while the "We're Closed - Come Back Later" was facing the outside world. This was to inform passersby that the Ramshackle Bar was closed at that hour and they wouldn't find the liquid courage or buzz to unwind from a stressful day on this day.

The floorboards of the bar were pressed against the soles of black boots that walked along them as those same gloved hands reached to the window blinds drawstrings to lower them to the sills before the rod was turned to close the blinds. This process was repeated 5 more times until all 6 of the bar's windows were closed before an exhausted exhale escaped the scarred lips of the young man as he stuffed his hands into his pockets before turning on the heel of his boot and walking over to the bar where a younger male sat counting from the register tray as well as the tip jar from the day's patrons.

"How are we looking today, Grim?" The Head Bartender asked the younger version of his bloodline who smiled up at him after the last bill was counted.

"We got 53,000 Madols from the register & 17,500 Madols from the Tip Jar. I think this is going to be the best day for this week since we've been getting a whole lot of walking money bags coming in that Phone Addict's Videos." Grim, the younger male, explained that he had placed the Tip Money in a separate stack from the rest of the money. "What's the move, Big Bro?"

"How much do we owe Crewel?" The Elder asked as Grim jumped out of the stool he was sitting on, reaching under the bar for the locked cash box he was looking for, and placed it on the bar's surface before pulling the small silver key from around his neck and opening it revealing stacks of money secured in different colored bands and a small black notebook.

Grim reached into the box and grabbed the notebook, opened it on the bookmarked page, and scanned his blue eyes down the page before he found the information his elder brother asked for.

"We still gotta pay 186,956 Madols before Dad lets us own this place. We already got this month's payment of 20,000 Madols ready to give to him for the Family Dinner this Sunday." Grim explained as he looked into the box to look at the stack of money with the '20,000' Money Mark in a Red Band.

"Take 10,000 from the Tip Money and add it to this month's payment money; it wouldn't hurt to send him another 10,000 Madols with this month's payment since the rest of the bills have been paid and the supplies for the bar and kitchen have been paid for; we're just waiting on delivery at this point." The Elder Brother said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his pocket watch, using his thumb to open it to reveal the watch's face as well as the picture of Crewel, Grim, and himself on the day they were adopted from the orphanage. "It's almost 8. I better get started on the drinks."

"I can start with the food, Yuu." Grim said as he counted out the proper amount of money, placed it in a band with a stamp, and placed it in the box with the other payment money before he returned the notebook to the box, closed & locked it, and returned it to where he got it from before getting a second lock box to place the rest of the money inside.

"Thanks, Grim." Yuu said as he tugged on his fingerless gloves before he gathered the materials for the drinks while his younger brother headed off to the kitchen to start cooking the food for tonight's event.

[Timeskip: 7:55 P.M.]

Yuu placed the final drink on the bar's surface closest to the entrance; knowing who was going to arrive first since he always entered the bar before everyone else, it's just who he was. He then added a metal toothpick, piercing two strawberries on the rim of the glass filled with the creamy pink drink, all while the smell of food flowed from the kitchen through the serving window. Yuu looked over his shoulder to see his younger brother prepping 24 bowls of white rice on the large table in the middle of the kitchen, with steak stripes cooking on the griddle stove at low-medium heat behind him.

Yuu pulled out his pocket watch, opened it with his thumb once again to lift the cover, and checked the time: 7:59 P.M. and the second hand was coming close to the full minute mark.

That's when the sound of tires coming to a stop and multiple car doors opening filled Yuu's ears.

He closed his pocket watch just as the door of the bar flew open and the bell above the door rang as the Former Crimson Tyrant marched into Ramshackle Bar with his gloved hand gripping his scepter while calling to his underlings behind him.

"For the last time, we're not doing that, Cater." Riddle exhaled as he walked over to the bar where the drinks waiting and Yuu placed his fingers along the side of the glass and pushed it over to Riddle as the Leader of Heartslabyul. reached out for his drink as the orange-haired boy with a diamond in his face called out to his leader.

"Come on, Riddle! It's a perfect idea to raise more funds!" Cater called out to his leader from behind Heartslabyul's Vice.

"Not everyone is addicted to MagiCam like you are, Cater!" Riddle exclaimed as one hand grasped his drink and the other held his scepter.

"A majority is, Boss." Cater smiled, but Riddle just exhaled while shaking his head before he lifted the drink to his lips, taking and sip before sighing in relief when the favor hit his tongue, looking at Yuu with a softness in his blue eyes.

"Perfect. Just as it's meant to be. You know exactly what I need when I need it, Yuu. I knew I could count on you." Riddle said with a small smile to the Bartender of Ramshackle, who placed his hand over his heart in a mock bow.

"I am at your service, My Queen. Please, take a load off; dinner shall be served soon." Yuu said.

"Hamburgers?" Riddle asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Never on a Tuesday, My Queen." Yuu clarified with a shake of his head causing Riddle to exhale in relief.

"Greatly appreciated, Yuu." Riddle took another sip of his drink before turning to walk off to his booth, "This day was stressful and the night will be even more so. I shall need more of these."

"I am waiting for your call, My Queen." Yuu's silver eyes looked at the Clover-Faced Vice Leader before sliding his drink to him who smiled at him and took the drink before sliding a Tupperware Container of desserts to Yuu across the bar. "Thanks, Trey."

No, thank you." Trey said as he held up his drink to take a sip, "I needed this." With that, Trey walked off to join Riddle in the booth.

"Hey, Yuu-kun! What kind of magic is Grim-chan making in the kitchen?!" Cater asked with his phone secured in his right hand.

"He's making Beef Steak Stripe & Rice Bowls with Garlic Steak Sauce with Bread Rolls with Honey Butter & Steak Fries on the side." Yuu said as he gently pushed Cater's Drink to the Diamond's open hand.

"Oh! I can't wait!" Cater smiled as he walked off to his favorite selfie spot in Ramshacke's Serving Area.

Yuu watched as the first two people he interacted with in the Heartslabyul Mafia walked over to him with light bruises on their faces, "Let me guess: You both got on Riddle's Nerves?"

"It was Ace's Fault!" Deuce barked out.

"No, it wasn't!" Ace barked back.

"If you had done your part in painting the roses red, then we wouldn't have been punished." Deuce glared at Ace.

"Well, maybe you should have reminded me!" Ace growled at his fellow first year.

"I did! Over 5 Times!!!" Deuce growled as the two of them glared daggers at each other before Yuu snapped his fingers to gain their attention and slid their drinks over to them.

"Stop barking like hounds and drink these; I don't need any rolling heads on my clean wood floors." Yuu said to his friends who huffed, grabbed their drinks, and walked off to their table.

[Timeskip: 8:20 P.M.]

Yuu placed the final drink of the new set of 3, one of them being non-acholic before he leaned against the wall near the serving window with his arms folded as his keen ears picked up on the sound of another car pulling up; 3 doors opened but one door slammed closed before striding steps marched for the door with the sound of angry ranting and amused snickering before the door slammed open and the Leader of Savanaclaw marched in with the heels of his combat boots hammered against the wooden floor before he reached the bar, snatched his drink and took a gulp; shivering in his skin as the burning alcohol burned his throat, sent chills down his spine, and throughout his body.

"Who pissed you off this time, Siree?" Yuu asked as he slid another drink to Leona after he finished off the one in his grip before he placed the empty glass on the bar and grabbed the new one with a growling exhale.

"Something is wrong with that fucking mirror, I swear to the Seven! I got some useless ass members in my crew and it pisses me off to no end, Herbivore!" He growled out as he ran his empty hand through his hair before huffing, "Where's the fucking bottle?"

"Right here, Siree." Yuu said as he placed the bottle on the table which was quickly snatched up by Leona.

"Let me know when that runt is done with dinner." Leona snarled as he slapped 300 Madols on the bar before marching off to the couch and started drinking his frustrations away as he refilled the glass in his possession with the bottle. Yuu exhaled as he placed the money in the secondary lock box before he called out.

"Ruggie, step away from the kitchen door." Yuu's voice caused the stealth hyena to freeze up as he attempted the push open the kitchen door to steal a few bites of dinner from Grim.

"Come on, just a bite!" Ruggie pouted.

"No." Yuu deadpanned.

"But, I'm hungry! I didn't even eat lunch!" Ruggie whined.

"There are donuts in the microwave in the break room. Eat those." Yuu said as he started cleaning the glass in his hand that Leona drank from a while ago.

"I'll marry you one day, Yuu!" Ruggie yelled as he bolted into the break room to scarf down the donuts.

"Can I be your best man?" Jack questioned with a smirk as he grabbed his drink.

"Sorry, that wedding has been canceled." Yuu said with a sideways smirk.

Jack simply chuckled as he walked off, allowing Yuu to finish cleaning the glass before he looked up at the clock on the wall.

'They are also going to be here… Better do my hand exercises."

[Timeskip: 8:30 P.M.]

The bell above the door rings rapidly singaling that someone opened the door rather quickly and rushed footsteps zoomed in on Yuu as he had his back turned to the door while cleaning one of the tables to keep himself busy when the ear-piercing chant of 'SHRIMPY!!!' called out before he shot out his right fist in a backhand motion, it came in contact with someone cheek and sent them crashing to the ground with a grunt; Riddle watching from his booth smirked at the sight before looking over at Yuu.

"I'll give that one an 8.5." Riddle smiled at Yuu.

"Thank you, My Queen." Yuu looked at Riddle before glaring down at the mentally disturbed man on the ground rubbing his cheek. "Did you learn your lesson?"

"You're so mean, Shrimpy! I just wanted a hug!" The sharp-toothed man whined like a child.

"I've warned you on numerous occasions not to try to squeeze me because I hate being touched without permission. It's your fault I knocked the hell out of you, Floyd." Yuu said as he grabbed his rag and walked back behind the bar while looking at the other two men standing by the bar with their drinks in hand.

"The Prefect has warned you multiple times about suddenly touching him, Floyd." Jade Leech smiled before taking a sip from his glass.

"It's not my fault that Shrimpy is so damn huggable!!!" Floyd yelled as he stood up and walked over to his drink, grabbing it, and chugging it down.

"Hello, My Dear Prefect. How are you doing this evening?" The Head of Octavinelle, Azul Ashengrotto, questioned Yuu as the bartender leaned against the wall with his arms folded.

"It would have been better if you didn't send numerous texts to my phone, asking me the same damn question when I have given you the same answer to that question more than 100 times." Yuu huffed out the last part but it only caused Azul to chuckle at his words.

"Come now, Prefect. You would have a less stressful life if you just signed over control of Ramshackle to me and come work under me; you can keep working here and I'll even keep the name the same, it will just be a mere branch to the Mostro Lounge. I'll give you more benefits, days off, higher pay, whatever you want, Yuu; all you have to do is sign the contract and work for me. Join us under Octavinelle's Banner." Azul smiled at Yuu who looked at him with an uninterested look.

"Does a chicken wear underwear?" Yuu asked.

"To the best of my knowledge, no. Chickens do not wear underwear." Azul answered.

"And, there's your answer." Yuu said before he walked off.

"I'll get you one day, Yuu. You'll join Octavinelle." Azul swore before taking a swing of his drink.

[Time: 8:35 P.M.]

"Jewel!!!" The door opened up and rapid footsteps blotted at Yuu before thin arms were wrapped around Yuu's Waist and a face was nuzzling into his chest, causing him to look down at the white-haired Head of the Scarabia Mafia.

"Hello, Kalim." Yuu greeted to smaller male with a smile smile, much to the disdain of a certain twin.

"Hey! What the hell, Shrimpy?! You won't let me get a squeeze, but that Sea Otter gets a squeeze AND a nuzzle?! That's not fair!!!" Floyd called from his place at the table that Octavinelle loved using in Ramshackle's Bar.

"Because I like him more than you, Floyd." Yuu confessed in a deadpanned voice as he lightly patted the back of the Asim Heir as the door opened again and Jamil Viper walked in with a suitcase. "Well met, Jamil."

"Well met, Prefect. How's business?" Jamil asked while claiming his regular drink and taking a good swing out of it before collecting Kalim's Drink (Not a drop of Adult Beverage for the Sunbeam) and walking over to their table. "Kalim, leave the Prefect alone. He is very busy. Come enjoy the drink he made you."

"Coming, Jamil!" Kalim cheered as he gave Yuu one more hug before following Jamil to their table, leaving Yuu to continue what he was doing while Jade was patting his brother's back as Floyd cried about how unfair his shrimpy was.

[Timeskip: 8:40 P.M.]

"Big Brother, the food is ready and I have them in heat shields." Grim stopped for a while before he started sniffing the air with a raised eyebrow, "Why do I smell overly expensive perfume and designer clothes?" Grim questioned as he walked out of the kitchen while taking off his apron as his elder brother was finishing off 3 more drinks, placing them on the bar before reaching into his pocket and pulling out his pocket watch to view the time like some badass who doesn't have time for a lot of shit.

[Newsflash: He doesn't.]

"Considering the time, that must mean that Pomefiore is about to wake in." And the moment he said that, the door opened and an overly enthusiastic called out to him like a lover in one of those love stories.

"MON TRICKSTER! THE BREATH OF MY LIFE! I HAVE COME TO RESCUE YOU FROM THE BORDOM THAT IS YOUR LIFE! SHOULD YOU ACCEPT LOVELY VIL'S INVITATION AFTER THIS NIGHT'S MEETING, EVERYTHING SHALL FIT TOGETHER LIKE PUZZLE PIECES!!!" Rook called out but Yuu just handed him a drink and walked off, "Oh, you are so cold, Mon Trickster! Why must you hide your beautiful heart from us?!"

"Why must you hurt everyone's ears with your loud ass voice, you walking French stick?!" Leona called from the couch.

"I was certain that was Sebek's Job." Yuu said before placing drinks for Vil and Epel on the bar and turned around as the two of them walked over to claim them.

"Dear Potato, I can see that you have made a few changes to your establishment." Vil said as he looked around Ramshackle, noticing the subtle changes that were made since the last time he was here, such as the replaced floor boards & new wallpaper. "It's a shame that you didn't change the color, however…"

"We've been over this, Vil. Gray is Grim's Favorite Color so we went with his choice." Yuu said as he started cleaning another glass.

"Are you sure it ain't because that's the color of his hair?" Epel asked with a raised eyebrow.

"His choice, not my place to ask. It's only fair he got to choose." Yuu said.

"Selfless… That is truly one of the most beautiful traits about you, Sweet Potato. I shall be in my booth. Thank you for the drink, as always." With that, Vil walked away as Epel sat on one of the bar stools and started chatting up the Crewel Brothers.

[Timeskip: 8:50 P.M.]

"Is Idia not going to attend this time?" Yuu asked the Younger of the Shroud Brothers, Ortho as he hovered in front of him.

"Not this time around. Something was wrong with the Hades Tablet and he just wanted me to drop this off for the meeting." Ortho says as he hands Yuu a folder, trusting that he will not open it but hand it to Riddle when it is time for the meeting to start.

"I'll be sure to give it to Riddle when the Housewarden Meeting starts." Yuu said before placing the folder near the lock boxes on the second row of the bar.

"Oh, Big Brother wanted me to ask if you and Grim were going to come over this weekend for the Gaming and Anime Marathon?" Ortho asked with excitement laced in his voice.

"Sorry, Ortho, not this time. Grim and I have a Family Dinner this weekend and we have other business to attend to, but we'll attempt to make it there next week." Yuu explained.

"Oh… That's unfortunate. Well, I'll tell Big Brother; I'm sure he will understand. See you later, Big Brothers!" Ortho said as he hugged Yuu and Grim before hovering out of the door.

Yuu exhaled and looked at the clock.

Just one left.

[Timeskip: 8:58 P.M.]

"It's almost time for the meeting! Where the hell is the Lizard and his Minions?!" Leona growled from his seat at the meeting table as Grim walked over with the food, placing a serving of food in front of everyone before placing the rest of the food before placing 2 more at the empty seats: Only the Housewardens and their Vices were placed at the table while the rest of their members were upstairs in Yuu's Apartment.

"He'll be here, soon." Yuu said as he handed the folder to Riddle, then walked over to the bar to collect the lock boxes and headed to the door leading to his apartment. "We're heading upstairs. Tell Sebek and Silver to head upstairs when Diasomnia gets here." With that, Yuu and Grim disappeared through the door to head upstairs with the others.

Fate must love playing some sick jokes because the moment the door closed, the front door opened and the members of the Diasomnia Mafia entered with the Feared Malleus Draconia leading them.

"About fucking time you got here, Lizard." Leona growled but Malleus was looking around.

"Where is the Child of Man? I see the drinks he prepared but where is he and his brother?" Malleus asked.

"You just missed them. They headed upstairs before the meeting started." Riddle said while looking through the folder Idia supplied.

"THE HUMAN DID NOT WAIT FOR WAKA-SAMA?! WHO DOES HE THINK HE IS?!" Sebek barked as he grabbed his drink from the bar while Silver did the same.

"Oh, shut it, Crocodile! Stop yelling in Shrimpy's Bar!" Floyd barked out.

[Yes, I know that Floyd is not a Vice but he and Jade are twins… and Yuu didn't want him in the apartment after what happened last time.]

"Let's just go upstairs, Sebek. You can yell at Yuu and Grim." Silver yawned before taking a drink.

"I SHALL DO THAT! I MUST PROTECT WAKA-SAMA'S HONOR!!!" With that, Sebek pushed through the door with a very sleepy Silver following behind him and the door closed once again.

Lilia and Malleus grabbed their drinks from the bar before joining the table, looking at the meal that Grim prepared for everyone. The Mafia Sectors decided to eat before they started the meeting; no one liked cold rice or meat.

[Location Change: Yuu's Apartment - Home Office]

"You're both coming to the Family Gathering this weekend, right?"

"Yes, Dad. We've never missed one before." Grim called out to his adopted father speaking to them over the speakerphone.

"It's good to know that my puppies remember their old man even when they are running a business."

"Don't worry, Father; we have everything under control. We're not gonna forget about you, even after we pay off what we owe you." Yuu said.

"I told you pups that you didn't OWE me anything. You were the ones who wanted to pay me back for raising you when I didn't want you to. I adopted you boys because I felt attached to you and I have grown to love you as if you were linked to me by blood."

"We know, Dad. We just wanted to show you that we are going to be responsible for everything." Grim said.

"I know, Grim. Just… Just don't overwork yourselves. I don't want my sons getting sick…or further dragged into Mafia Business."

"We know, Father. We'll see you this weekend." Yuu said while looking at a picture on his desk.

"I'll see you soon. I love you, boys."

"We love you, too, Dad. See ya later." Grim said before Yuu hung up the phone.

[END]

[canmom]

nier automata anime 2-3

 So, I previously found the first episode of NieR Automata v1.1a disappointing. Thankfully, episodes 2 and 3 mark a huge improvement.

episode 2

Episode 2 makes a great decision in focusing most of the action not on 9S and 2B, but fleshing out some of the Machines and Resistance. We have Lily - very bitter after the events of the YoRHa stage play related here - and a machine cultivating flowers which explicitly references the DLC and Plato 1728.

Since this episode was playing pretty hard to the NieR lore nerds, let’s unpack a bit.

After a montage of YoRHa units receiving the good word from the moon, the episode proper opens with one of the picture book sequences from route B of NieR Automata; this one is Spirit of Fire. It relates when the robot P-chan, aka Beepy, which attained sapience and ascended into space, spread the gift to the other machines. This is covered in the story The Fire of Prometheus, and I talk about it in some detail here.

We’re introduced to a nameless Machine Lifeform (a Large Stubby), under orders to ‘Destroy All Dolls’ - relating to the infamous rampage of Plato 1728, which you learn about in the 3C3C1D119440927 DLC - more on that here. The same order to destroy dolls is the subject of the Amazarashi single Deserving of Life:

Here, we immediately see this machine lifeform identifying ‘dolls’ with the androids - but it shakes off this order, and becomes fascinated with a Lunar Tear flower. A montage takes us through the underground machine base from the 3C3C1D... DLC...

In a flashback, we see this machine sitting on the tower of TVs which houses Plato 1728′s records, reading a book with a Lunar Tear bookmark...

The machine finds a Lunar Tear on the battlefield, and although it crushes it, it’s inspired to plant some seeds and grow some flowers. Another picture book sequence - this one I think is new, I don’t recognise it from the game, expands on this to the machines learning. The machine’s eyes turn yellow, which in the game indicates neutral machines which won’t attack unless you attack them.

A long timeskip montage follows in which we see this machine cultivating flowers...

and before long, it starts a movement among the machines to cultivate flowers. At this point we’re ten minutes into the episode and there’s been almost no sound but City Ruins (Rays of Light) with J’nique Nicole’s beautiful voice, and a percussion track I’m having trouble placing. the only lines were the voiceovers in the picture book sequences, and one machine saying ‘Big Brother...’.

I love this sequence, it’s making much better use of the medium and pacing and really playing to the strengths of the soundtrack and the ruined city imagery. Finally, 10 minutes into the episode, we return to the androids. We’re introduced to a group of Resistance fighters, with low morale. Their leader is Lily from the YoRHa stage play. Here’s what she looked like in v1.2 of the play, as played by Kuroki Masako:

In the play, Lily - much like No. 2 - is a very anxious character. She is infected with the Logic Virus early in the play, and cured by No. 21, which earns the YoRHa the trust of the Resistance members. This gives Lily the ability to use the Machines’ power to create a ‘gravity wave’.

Later, Lily is a member of the group who stay above ground to fight off the Machines. She dies in the battle. In this version, Lily seems to have survived, embittered by the long machine war. I assume that means that in this version Anemone didn’t survive.

Amusingly, the Resistance still continue to use AK-family assault rifles even in this animated version. Also the CG is still kinda jank, but there’s less of it...

2B and 9S come back. Compared to the game, there’s a nice contrast between the relaxed body language of 9S and the stiff 2B...

We also see Commander White saying ‘be careful’, continuing her general sense of helplessly sympathising with the units she repeatedly sends to their deaths.

On the ground, the Resistance - accompanied by Devola and Popola - fight a pitched battle against a large group of machines moving in a big group that’s gathered over the course of the episode. (This is a cute touch - underlining that the machine tactics are more stochastic than planned).

At the same time, we get the picture book about the machines’ ‘Treasures’. This is Treasured Items in NieR Automata. The machines, as we have seen, find individual reasons to live in some specific treasured thing they fixate on in the world.

The battle rampages across the field of flowers we’ve seen early on. First, the charging machines trample the flowers - then 2B and 9S arrive at the last minute to rescue the Resistance, obliterating the whole group of machines in a rain of missiles. Lily, the only member of the Resistance to recognise the YoRHa clearly recognises 2B as the familiar model of No. 2, but of course 2B here is not the same No. 2 as the play. More significantly, Lily knows that the last time the Council of Humanity sent YoRHa reinforcements, it was a suicide mission which swept up all the Resistance members, all for the sake of gathering combat data.

Meanwhile, we see our friend machine blasted into the ravine, where it catches sight of another Lunar Tear; its eyes turn green and it falls in pieces into the ravine. The whole arc of this episode seems to be giving us an understanding of what the eye colours of the Machine Lifeforms mean beyond a convenient indicator of ‘hostile/not hostile’.

And of course, Devola and Popola are here, introduced as maintenance units.

And at the end, we see the cocoon that will later spawn Adam and Eve. In this version, rather than playacting sex and tending to imaginary children underneath it, the machines are reading books...

All in all, a nice episode. It’s necessarily firmly within the themes of NieR Automata, but it makes it feel fresh by shifting the focus. It doesn’t try for action scenes it can’t pull off, and it really gives the atmosphere that was missing in the first episode. And I’m intrigued by what they’re doing with Lily.

Visually... there’s much less bad CGI. Overall, the animation has the same issues as a lot of modern anime (douga that can’t quite keep the shapes consistent, struggling with very defined 3D forms). Most of the Machine Lifeforms in this episode are animated with CG, but it works a lot better than the flight suits and Engels in the previous episode. The backgrounds are... all right, they do a reasonable job of capturing the images of the game, lots of digital textures and I’m pretty sure a lot of them are straight up paintovers of screenshots. All in all it’s solid - the imagery of NieR Automata is pretty far from the norm for TV anime, and there are some nice moments of character animation for the MCs.

Onwards to...

episode 3

OK so first up this weapons trader with all the goofy looking fantasy swords from the game is great...

One of Kainé’s swords is tucked away on the left there!

Anyway this episode opens pretty low-key with 2B and 9S introduced to Jackass, who’s endearingly eager to take them apart. Commander White explains to the Operators (and us) that the disorganised Resistance are considered a disposable shield for the YoRHa on their recon mission. She’s tapping the riding crop the whole time she says this, of course.

2B and 9S set out in a truck(!) on a recon mission. There’s a really adorable shot where the Pods are clinging to the back of the truck.

and an even more adorable one later where 2B is petting Pod 042 after he’s thrown off the back by an explosion...

Not long after we get an action scene, which is setup for a fascinating aside where 9S hacks one of the machines that are imitating the Replicants of Facade, and finds his way into a kind of memory representation of the wedding between the King of Facade and Fyra from NieR Gestalt/Replicant.

As in the game, they make their way into a ruined city block, and find the corpses of YoRHa androids. At this point, we start to diverge and expand on the game. First of all, they find Machine Lifeforms that seem to have produced a white amorphous goo...

...which seems like it must be a precursor to the Adam/Eve project, not to mention calling to mind the imagery from the YoRHa Dark Apocalypse raid series in FFXIV!

Not long after, 2B and 9S are pulled into a huge underground chamber made up of the calcified bodies of Small Stubbies...

...and we do get to see them trying to fuck and raise babies...

Then is the incredible ‘This Cannot Continue’ sequence, and props to the animators, we have this incredibly cool sequence where Adam is first disgorged as a metal skeleton...

before white glowing tendrils construct the fleshy twinkbody we know...

2B and 9S stab him almost immediately and they make it nice and gruesome.

and when Eve is born from his corpse, they make sure you can see that it’s a rib which he’s born from...

Eve pops off way harder than he does in the game, with some classic cross-shaped flares a la Eva...

and 2B and 9S beat a fighting retreat. It’s pretty sick 2DFX. I’m surprised I can’t find anything at all from this show on sakugabooru.

The final puppet show has an adorable scene represented by bowling pins.

All in all, this episode had what I really hoped for from this anime: it’s playful with the source, it’s got some cool sequences that take advantage of being an anime rather than a videogame, and I hope it’s a sign of good things to come. Unfortunately it’s currently on COVID hiatus. I hope the team are all right.

All in all: if you drop NieR Automata ver1.1a from the first episode, I get it, but honestly you’re missing some good shit. I’m much more excited to see where they’re taking this version now it isn’t just doing ‘remember this from the game’ but starting to figure out some identity of its own! It’s inevitably going to be limited by both the conditions of modern anime production and the budget for this project - honestly it’s crazy that we’ve got an anime at all - but I’m glad they’re finding creative spins to put on quite a difficult task (adapting a massive JRPG plot into a single cour of anime).

[mureau]

Ok so in past week or whatever.

I got caught with Furitsumore Kodokuna Shi Yo (puts title into jisho so i accidentally know how to pronounce it.) Coincidentally the day I got caught up was the release of new ch, which for now is behind paywall and idk if other sites have reuploaded it yet. So technically im one ch behind but who cares. The last couple chs have been flashbacks of the events in the village/the things described in Haikawa’s journal that Kanon just found. so like pace of the story has kinda slowed down for a bit. but jesus the events b4, with the death of sosuke and saeki resigning from the force to continue his vigilante justice. hoooly shit. i was thinking abt it like the rest of the day. im guessing this will mark the big turning point with this series, like how the focus of shinboku significantly shifted with the death of Eiji’s alter/his arrest.

Also I finished The Mitarai’s House is on Fire, woohoo. I site I was reading on did not have jpv7 for whatever reason, so I used one of the itunes gift cards I got over the holidays to buy it on mangabang. and no regrets here because I ended up loving the series alot. (also v7 has the AnzuxKichi confession and kiss scene which makes me insane and of course I bookmarked that shit……)

MitaraiKe just has like so much stuff to digest/so many diff perspectives you can analyze it from. it was such a delicious text imo. and also made me feel many emotions. im glad I finally decided to read it and I hope the la drama premiering next month (i think) is able to capture the series’ magic…..

[wangxianficrecs]

Follower Recs

Stories I haven’t read yet, but clearly need to put on my ever-expanding List.

~*~

Welcome back queen [Thank you, it’s so lovely to be back!] if ur still doing follower recs I gotta recommend I would wait for a thousand years by bleuett it’s soooooooo good

[This one was actually recced to me by two different people, the other of whom said, “ Maybe I'm crying a little so I feel like a should recommend ‘I would wait for a thousand years’ by bleuett on ao3.”]... it’s def. on my List!

I would wait for a thousand years

by bleuett (T, 10k, wangxian)

Summary:  During the worst of winter, a traveler comes to stay at Lan Wangji's inn. He wears a red ribbon in his hair.

“Do you see the rabbit?” Wei Ying asks and points at the moon. “That’s the moon rabbit, he helps make Chang’e more immortality elixir. He keeps Chang’e company.”

“I do not wish the rabbit for company,” Lan Wangji says tightly. “You are the one I want by my side.”

“And I’m here, Lan Zhan. If you go to the moon, I’ll follow you, I’ll always be here now.”

~*~

I just read a great fic by aisthuu "every love story is a ghost story", didn't see it in your recs so wanted to recommend it! LWJ is a guqin composer and teacher, buys a cheap guqin off eBay which ends up being attached to WWX's spirit from canon era. It's bittersweet, LWJ deals with Lan's homophobia (implicit in a Lan way) and his feelings towards the ghost. This is author's only ao3 fic and honestly I don't remember how I stumbled upon it, but I'm happy I did and hope you will enjoy it too!  [I’ve recently read this one, and loved it!]

every love story is a ghost story

by aisthuu (M, 59k, wangxian, my bookmark)

Summary:  The man is in Lan Zhan’s bed. Did they—he begins to wonder, eyes trailing to where the man’s body lies under the blanket. Had Lan Zhan—?

Then the sleep-fog clears and Lan Zhan realizes that the young man isn’t quite opaque around the edges.

“You’re a spirit.”

The spirit narrows its eyes. “I’m so much more than that.”

(Lan Zhan buys a guqin off eBay for a suspiciously low price, only to find that it’s haunted. And now there’s a ghost in his bed.)

~*~

Ok so I absolutely have to rec "see you yesterday" by glyphic. It's a wip, but it's currently at 101k so there's a whole lot there, and it's terrible and wonderful and beautiful all at once. The way the backstory of canon events is adapted to the modern-with-cultivation setting is brilliant, and then there's the amnesia, and then there's the time loop. This fic lives permanently rent-free in my brain.

see you yesterday

by glyphic (M, 101k, wangxian, WIP)

Summary:  

Wei Ying 21:09 hey lan zhan what’s the weirdest way youve died

Lan Zhan 21:11 Falling encyclopedias.

Wei Ying 21:12 omg no way that’s so rude turning books against you???

Lan Zhan 21:13 A betrayal I will never forget.

On Halloween night, an exiled demonic cultivator and a Lan disciple get stuck in a time-loop, find each other, and try to figure it all out.

~*~

If you are looking for recs for yourself I absolutely love (the complete!) story Just as the Snow Melts by draechali on AO3. It's a canon divergence where everyone lives, even WWX! ~ @airmidcelt

Just as the Snow Melts

by draechaeli (T, 67k, wangxian)

Summary:  Like a snowy mountain top in spring the residents of the Burial Mounds trickled down the mountain and joined the flow of society.

“I went to the Burial Mounds,” Lan WangJi said.

“Ah, yeah… I’m sorry Lan Zhan,” replied Wei WuXian, “I hadn’t thought anyone would come to visit. I am still not sure how it happened; I brought A-Yuan to Yiling to play by the river and then ended up somehow teaching a bunch of children swimming and writing along with him.”

~*~

Hello! It's come to my attention that you have not as yet read Grandmaster of Meme-onic Cultivation! Please do! It's the only thing that gave me joy during 2020 😆 like proper belly laughs and disney villain style cackling. It is a wip, and it is long but so so worth it!! The author has reworked the entire canon through these message crystals and still conveys complex characters despite the tricky format. It's just so good!! Highly highly recommend it! ❤ ~ @theladypeartree  [Oh!  I’ve been subscribed to this one, and know that @swaglexander-the-great is a reliable provider of Hilarity, so I’m excited for it to be finished!]

Grandmaster of Meme-onic Cultivation 

by Hades_the_Blingking (T, 49k, wangxian, WIP)

Summary:  The Untamed universe is exactly the same, except everybody has magical crystals that have a suspiciously familiar messaging system. The story is pretty much the same as the show, except everyone lives!! (so minor changes).

or in which Wei WuXian tries his darndest to date Lan Zhan, Jiang Cheng possibly has a aneurysm, Jin ZiXuan is still the most awkward human alive, and Xue Yang makes me write some VERY cursed things. Written in chatfic format! :3

~*~

Chomrafy on AO3 deserves love and encouragement; she’s written a body of compact, poetic, and eloquent shortfics each of which can stand alone, but that comprise an intricately cross-referential and mostly internally-consistent universe. They’re grouped as chapters in works according to theme; for example, “in cupped hands” focuses upon Jin Ling and his second-generation baggage; “Departure in Autumn” portrays the last years of WWX’s first life. Follow the tag “Chomrafy’s MDZS shortfics.” [I don’t see this tag?]

in cupped hands

by chomrafy (G, 2k, wangxian)

Summary:  Of secrets, of futures, of love. A Jin Ling-centric collection of 200-word fics.

Ch.1: Jin Ling repays a debt (JL, JC, & WWX). Ch.2: Jin Ling and a ghost in the mirror. (JL & JYL) Ch.3: A matter of friends (JL & the other kids) Ch.4: In this house we don't keep dogs (JC & WWX) Ch.5: In the end, he remains silent (JL & uncles) Ch.6: A first night hunt, of sorts (JL & the other kids) Ch.7: Jin Ling, forgiving, forgetting (JL & LXC & JGY) Ch.8: Jiang Cheng and Jin Ling argue (JL, JC, & WWX) Ch.9: Jin Ling and his father (JL & JC) Ch.10: Jin Ling speaks up (JL, JC, & WWX) Ch.11: Jin Ling and a piece of home (JL, JC, & WWX)

Departure in Autumn

by chomrafy (not rated, 6k)

Summary:  Four perspectives. A steady march to the end.

Ch.1: Because if anything happens to them, Wen Qing would never be able to heal with these hands again. Ch.2: As long as this is still home, Jiang Yanli will wait as long as she needs to. Ch.3: Five times Jiang Cheng reaches for Wei Wuxian, one time he turns away. Ch.4: Whether the road is broad or narrow, bright or dark, they would have to keep walking. Wei Wuxian digs Wen Qing's grave.

~*~

Hello, hope all is going well. I don't have an ask, by I do have a recommendation. I read this fic a while ago and found it again. I just wanted to recommend this for everyone. Let me know what you think please. Thank you. [Oh!  This one’s in my To Read list, but  I’d forgotten about it.  Mmmm, fox!wwx and dragon!lwj.]

Ten miles of Lotus Flowers

by Yukirin_Snow

M, 274k, wangxian

Summary:  He was a mischievous fox spirit, wreaking havoc where he went, about to depart on a journey that would span centuries.

He was a heavenly prince, a proud dragon destined to ascend the throne to become emperor.

Neither expected their paths to collide over the span of three lives.

~*~

I forgot if it was your blog 😥 that recommended “Bestseller” (when Wei Wuxian writes the Xianxia cut-sleeve equivalent of Fifty Shades of Grey, based entirely on his experiences with Lan Wangji, he doesn’t expect it to become the next big hit) (https://archiveofourown.org/works/21528316/chapters/51318766)

But OMG IT WAS HILARIOUS!!! I LOVED IT!! And if it wasn’t your blog, I’m so sorry for how weird this sounds 😭😭😭😭 I just loved this fic so much that I have to tell it to someone 😢 [It’s on my List, but I haven’t read it yet!]

Bestseller

by pupeez4eva

M, 8k, wangxian

Summary:  He had written the book to prove a point. It was never supposed to be a big thing, and he certainly never intended for everyone — Jiang Cheng, Zewu-Jun, the Juniors, literally everyone— to be reading about his sex life.

Oh God, he definitely needed to make sure Lan Zhan didn’t find out about this.

(Or, when Wei Wuxian writes the Xianxia cut-sleeve equivalent of Fifty Shades of Grey, based entirely on his experiences with Lan Wangji, he doesn’t expect it to become the next big hit).

~*~

I’d like to rec On Your Marks, Get Set, Bake! by @blackwiresgrowonherhead

It’s one of my absolute favorites and I laughed out loud so many times when reading it

on your marks, get set, bake!

by BlackWiresOnHerHead

G, 41k, wei wuxian & juniors

Summary:  Jin Ling resumes thumping on the door to room 721, and the small collection of freshmen starts chanting “Senior Wei! Senior Wei! Senior Wei!” with increasing volume until finally Wei Wuxian opens the door.

“Yes?” he says with his widest, most innocent eyes.

“Senior Wei!” demands Lan Jingyi, shoving himself to the front of the group. “Why didn’t you tell us you’re a contestant on this year’s season of The Great Gusu Bake Off?!?”

--

Several months ago, college student Wei Wuxian secretly competed in the most popular reality show in the country. The show starts airing in the fall. The freshmen in his dorm collectively lose their minds.

~*~

If you're in the mood for v. short ridiculous fun fic, may I suggest My chain hits my chest/When I'm bangin' on the radio by x_los It's 2k modern cultivators AU, featuring WWX calling LWJ's sword Bitchin' [omg I’m laughing so hard] and I think it's more fun going in blind?

My chain hits my chest/When I'm bangin' on the radio

by x_los

T, 2k, wangxian

Summary:  Lan Wangji finds he doesn't even need to call for help for Wei Wuxian to come running.

[tsukkismoonlight]

Hi If it isn't to much trouble may I have (male) tokyo revengers matchup please. My pronouns are she/her. Im a Capricorn, my Mbti type is infj-a/infj-t. I tend to be shy around new people but I can be somewhat loud with people who im close to. My height is 5'0. Im not very athletic and im not a big fan of sports but I love to go roller and ice skating. I also love to read books and to also cook and bake food. I also like to garden. I've been playing the violin for 7 years. I love animals and im planing on becoming a wildlife veterinarian. I like to Watch nature/animal documentaries. I also like sweets. Somethings I dislike are people who bend or ruin my books and people who speak over me when im trying to talk.I love music, I can listen to any genre and like it but my favorites are indie,bedroom pop and classic rock. My ideal relationship would be with someone who is loyal and supportive. sorry if i spelt anything wrong. Hope im not bothering you:)

As you sit down at your desk you casually pick up the letter, unfolding it until you can see the slightly messy handwriting inside…

Hello hello!! Don't worry, you're not a bother! I'm glad you were interested in my match up event thingy!! I feel that on the disliking people who bend/ruin my books (i have about an 11ish years grudge on my brother for ruining one of my harry potter books lol)

Anyways! I think I'd match you up with….

Mitsuya Takashi !

"do you have any idea what you're doing?" The words fly out of your mouth faster than you mean, but the sight of Mitsuya about to dog ear half of the page he was reading of your favorite book, makes you want to smack him upside the head

He jumps in response, then turns to face you, giving a lopsided smile, "saving my spot for later?"

You stare at him for a moment, then look at the book, and then back at him. He in return, looks at you, then the book, and then back to you.

"Is something wrong?" He asks, an innocent air to the way he does so.

"I just…you can't just…" you pause, and look at your own book, and sigh quietly.

You reach for it, and pull out what used to be a woven bracelet up until it had broken. You were able to save it by tying on a cute little animal shaped bead at the end, and thus turned it into a bookmark. It was something you've held onto for quite some time, and it had grown to be something you cherished.

Finally, after what feels like an eternity, you pull the bookmark from its place, and hand it over to Takashi, "take care of this for me, okay?"

Your hands touch for a second as he takes it from you, knowing just how much you loved the thing. He had hardly ever seen you without it whenever you were reading, and even the times you would just carry it around for good luck.

He swore his heart grew a pair of wings, because why else would he feel like it was about to beat out of his chest?

"I will, i promise,"

And he does. He takes extreme care of the damn thing, to the point where the others poke fun at him for it. But he doesn't care. To him, its not just a book mark. Its quite literally a token of your affection. It's a reminder that, even if you are too shy or bashful to say it, that you love him.

And that's enough for him.

Song recommendations:

Strawberry Mentos- Leanna Firestone

Sunkissed - Khai Dreams

If We Have Each Other- Alec Benjamin

Thank you so much for joining the event! I really hope you liked your match up! And I hope that some of the songs are new ones that you'll love !! Have a wonderful rest of your day (or night!!)

[ellasadventuresinfandoms]

Okay, back in May @isolatedphenomenon asked me if I had an les mis fic recs and I went "oh boy do I !" and then promptly fucked off and disappeared from tumblr for like 6 months...

Anyway on the off chance people are interested, here is my vastly too long list of  my favourite les mis fanfic (that I'm almost 100% sure I'll have accidentally missed some of my favourites off of...)

The vast majority of these are main pairing Enjolras/Grantaire, so I've put those first, divided into multi-chaptered and then one-shots. Below that will be other pairings!

Multi-chaptered

• Witch Boy Series : magic AU, starting with Grantaire solving Enjolras' curse - this is just Incredible world building which gets better as it goes on - my favourite is the Babet interlude

• World Ain't Ready : you know how fandoms tend to have a fic that is just associated with it ? in my experience, for les mis this is it - and well deserved ! High school, fake dating AU with some of the most engaging writing

• BE : Enjolras is dragged back into theatre production, helping Eponine put on a production of Hamlet - really love the characterisation in this, and this is really one of those modern AUs that actually feels like real life - really good writing

• After the End : the definitive apocalypse AU in my eyes - les amis are an underground resistance to the dystopian government - really wonderful characterisation of Grantaire and the amis

• You never have to wonder; you never have to ask. : I tend to find fic by scrolling through bookmarks of a pairing, which means I often see repeats; this is a fic that if I see I just re-read cause I know I'll enjoy it - the amis sparked a failed rebellion, and now 18 months later Grantaire ends up staying at Enjolras' after returning to Paris for Marius and Cosette's wedding

• Your Heart on Your Skin : Soulmate AU with flower tattoos marking important emotions and events - wonderful concept and world building 

• Impatient to Be Free : Daughters of Bilitis AU - if that doesn't make you excited I don't know what else to say to convince you (aside from saying the author is a simply wonderful writer)

• You Dance Dreams : Okay. Not to be over dramatic, but this fic did genuinely qualitatively change my life, in that it was the first thing that got me looking up contemporary ballet and now that's like one of my favourite things and big hobby So. Also its really great writing; music/creative arts school les amis with Grantaire choreohraphing the ballet for Combeferre's opera, with a heavy emphasis on Grantaire realising he really never actually got over Enjolras

• philia : this one is an absolute classic to me, but not given nearly enough recognition - one of the more realistic college AUs ever written, and the writing of Grantaire is so good because it hits the perfect balance of sympathy and annoyance about his behaviour (that's a genuine compliment) 

• Coffee Hooligans : fucking tragedy this never got properly finished, Enjolras leads the amis as social justice vigilantes and tries to hide the criminal bits of his life from R

• Fighting the Hurricane : Pacific Rim AU that's less an AU and more just placing the les mis characters in the Pacific Rim universe. Really good and riveting read, also super interesting depiction of Grantaire

• Weaving Olden Dances : Fairy AU - Grantaire "claims" Enjolras to prevent his execution - really good writing, love Grantaires characterisation 

• Paris Burning : canon era (sort of) where cities have a physical being - Grantaire is Paris and becomes entangled in Enjolras' revolution - oh the world building is truly *chefs kiss*

• Euphoria is You For Me : Enjolras and Grantaire keep meet cuting in a wonderfully written Brooklyn - feels like a love letter to Brooklyn at times, and I really like the characterisation of Grantaire 

• so please just fall in love with me this christmas : Enjolras works for the environmental company Grantaire volunteers at, and keeps getting secret gifts at Christmas - I sound a little like a broken record but the Grantaire characterisation is very good

• You Are the Moon : Wild West esque Space AU - Grantaire has to call on the amis to help rescue Valjean and Cosette, despite Grantaire leaving the amis 6 months before. On re-reading the Enjolras characterisation feels a little rushed, but overall fantastic story telling and the Grantaire arc is a Delight 

• Pandemos : Enjolras is aphrodite, and seeks peace from all his suitors in R/Hephestus' cave

• Pining for You : Hallmark christmas romance - Grantaire returns home to work on his father's tree farm, and Enjolras is the lawyer helping prevent the farm being sold - cute as shit imo

• Once We're Kings : Fantasy AU - a country hosts a ball to marry Prince Enjolras and the rival country sends Grantaire as a fuck you - one of the best ways of doing Enjolras as a prince in a fantasy and just really nicely written

• Never Bitter and All Delicious : Fairy Godmother AU - yes really, yes its genuinely a very good read

• On One Condition : Fantasy AU - Enjolras is a bored knight who finally goes to check out the local dragon, which turns out to be Grantaire - I really like how they capture Enjolras' stubborn nature and it's such a well written soft growth of love between them

• That's How Easy Love Can Be : Les Amis work at a primary school; and its secret santa time! very fun portrayal of Enjolras

• The Lark and Her Lieutenants : re write of canon where Cosette is the leader of the revolution - just *chefs kiss*

• If You Tickle Us, Do We Not Laugh : Grantaire is Enjolras' secret android - really good at writing a relationship that's incredibly loving but just keeps being antagonistic and coming off wrong 

One Shots

• True Colours : AU where you leave colours on the people important to you - Enjolras and Grantaire falling for each other is so soft and gently written its lovely, this is genuinely one of my favourites

• Keep It Kind, Keep It Good, Keep It Right : this one is so good to me, because it builds off my pet hatred of everyone assuming Enjolras doesn't care about (or at least actively show he cares about) his friends

• blooming : very soft post-dystopian utopia that has just a really wonderful sense of hope and light to me

• and the wall leaned away (or: The Pros and Cons of Tilling) : perfectly realised characterizations of the amis, Grantaire needs a date to her final year art exhibition - deals with anxiety over protest in a way that actually hits for me

• not just one of the crowd : R helps run a leftist bakery and bike repair shop - very cute characterisation, and I think more les mis fanfic should link to anarchist essays

• Lovesickness : Enjolras is an idiot and thinks he's sick rather than having a crush - the writing of Joly and Combeferre in this is some of my favourite depictions of these two

• If there's a rocket, tie me to it : absolutely heartbreaking sci-fi AU about the amis as doomed mecha pilots

• Where I Fall is Where I Land : Enjolras is a Roman commander as Rome's power is leaving England, and then meets the pict Grantaire (+ fun soulmark stuff !)

• You Started Foreign to Me : Enjolras moves to america and R is the overnight grocery clerk who helps her learn Spanish - cute fluffy lesbians with a wonderfully written driven Enjolras

• Love Is Touching Souls : very cute soulmate AU - and one I really love for really truly considering the implications of soul marks and creating historical lore around it

• Ten Years : R is a musician, and it non-linearly charts his relationship to Enj from high school to 10 years later

• put up with me then I'll make you see : Grantaire lives above Enjolras, and its christmas - I find it to have a very fun interpretation of pining Enjolras

• A Cat Called Trash Can : this was one of the first les mis fics I ever read (yes I know it says it was published in 2020, but I think it has to be a re-upload or something?) and it does still have a special place in my heart - Grantaire rescues a cat, but Enjolras is the only one with an apartment free to look after it 

• Still I'm Begging to Be Free : inception AU where les amis have to rescue a sleeping R from his own brain

•I'm in it for You : cw: illness, cancer - R has cancer and is being a martyr about telling his friends so Enjolras drives him back from chemo

• walls come tumbling down : sky high au - a very good high school AU with the perfect level of campy superhero powers

• This brave new world's not like yesterday : Enjolras needs a job, so ends up working in a bowling alley with Grantaire and bonding

Enjolras/Grantaire/Combeferre

• In Defiance of All Geometry : les amis are a student co-op house, Enjolras and Combeferre are pining friends and Grantaire is the newbie

• Still the Same : this is very good writing and very compelling - if you can get over the (imo) plot hole of Enjolras working for the FBI. R was an art thief Enj put away and is briefly helping the FBI out, and Combeferre is Enjolras' husband

• To Kingdom Come : cw: war and PTSD from that, Enjolras and Combeferre are part of a group of refugees that have crossed into a more fantasy land, and Grantaire is a lone traveller from that land that attempts to help - that was a shit summary of this very emotional, wonderfully written fic about war and love in all forms

• Gonna need (a spark to ignite) : I always love a twist on a classic trope, and this is a very fun take on the soulmate AU - Enjolras loses feeling in his soul mark as a child, falls in love with Grantaire and then his soulmate, Combeferre, turns up

Eponine/Cosette

• Pretty Girls Don't Know the Things That I Know : simply stunning writing - perfect example of soft writing about a harsh world

• she knows her way around : Eponine and Cosette bond, ostensibly so Eponine can find out about her for Marius, and their interactions are so playful and realistic, its wonderful

• always find me floating on oceans : Cosette stows away on Eponine's pirate ship - I do always have a soft spot for eposette fics (not just cause I ship it) because they truly characterise Cosette in a really considered and interesting way

• There's No Making Love : I'm putting this under eposette even though there is some significant enjolras/grantaire content, because the Cosette characterisation is so fun and cute

• round and round again : this fic really beautifully translates Cosette's bad childhood and then isolated teenage years, and the impact that would have on her as an adult into a modern AU

• Underwater Thunderheards : this is based off the book The Scorpio Races, and is just a really nice short fic  about longing

• How To Change The World Without Taking Power : Marius has a crush on Cosette and she's tried being polite and subtle in turning him down, so just ends up fake dating Eponine instead

• blood red fruit and poison's kiss : Snow White AU - Cosette as Snow White

• The Winters Cannot Fade Her : Snow White Au 2.0 - Eponine as Snow White - this was written as a pair to the one above which is just so cute to me

• marriage à la mode : Cosette and Eponine run a bridal shop together and it's very cute !

• Temporary Hold : I personally find this a really fun and very unique take on Cosette - with exams coming up she decides she needs to get laid on the reg and so hits up Eponine to act as if they're already long term girlfriends

Combeferre/Courfeyrac

• better than you had it : fake dating but kick it up an emotional notch - Courf and Ferre pretend to still be together after breaking up for a family event

• take flight, come near : nice and cute low fantasy, where Combeferre runs a dragon sanctuary and Courf finds an injured dragon

Rare Pairs

• The Future's Owned by You and Me : cute Enjolras/Feuilly with actual radical politics and real life organising difficulties and wins

• First Dates and Other Dangers : Combeferre and Grantaire agree to go on a blind date and it's awkward until it isn't - just cute !

• after midnight : Combeferre has insomnia and meets Grantaire in various all night fast food chains

• as you are : Bahorel and Jehan getting ready together

• Almost Romantic : Jehan works at a museum, and takes Combeferre on a little tour

• Understudy : Jehan/Combeferre, with Combeferre's insecurities regarding being seen as second best to Enjolras

• Here There Be Dragons : Courf/Enj/Ferre - Courf and Enj are superheroes and Ferre is the doctor that patches them up

• To Let it Occur (Laisser Faire la Nature) : Feuilly has a stupidly long stopover in Paris and meets Enjolras

• rule of three : Courf/Enj/Ferre as spies and loving boyfriends

• Good Rhetoric : snapshots of cute cuddly courf/enj/ferre

• subluxate, dislocate, replace : found family and chronic illness with Joly/Bossuet/Musichetta

• Strike stone, strike home (like lightning) : so this fic took one minor piece of lore about Tolkien's dwarves and made a beautiful j/b/m fic from it

• Almost Inevitable : Bahorel/Feuilly friends-with-benefits

• god only knows (what I'd be without you) : Bahorel/Feuilly with a closeted Feuilly and a beautiful Feuilly and Eponine friendship

[inevitably-johnlocked]

i’ve been kinda in a rut deciding what johnlock fanfics to read, so i came up with a challenge for myself to read as many “A Study In ____” fanfics as possible. do you have any good suggestions?

Hi Lovely!

Ahh, what a fun request and a super easy list for me to curate!! Hee hee! Here’s what I have in my bookmarks AND in my MFL list! As usual, if any of my lovelies have any of their own “A Study in” fics to suggest, please add them below!!

A STUDY IN FANFICS

Peacock by ClassyGirlsWearPearls (T, 1,189 w., 1 Ch. || Romance, Cranky Sherlock, Soft John, Hand Holding, Soft Sherlock) – A study in Sherlock and John.

Study in John by chappysmom (K+, 2,158 w., 1 Ch. || Post-ASiP, POV John, Introspection, Friendship, Nightmares, Caring Sherlock, John’s Limp) – After the events of "A Study in Pink," John lies on the couch in Baker Street and thinks about the whirlwind events of the day. What is he getting himself into?

A Study in Lace by KarlyAnne (E, 2,320 w., 1 Ch. || Est. Rel., Crafty Sherlock, Tiny Lace Panties / Lingerie, Domestics, Experiments, Oral, Masturbation) – “Why do you suppose he was doing that?” “Why do I suppose who was doing what?” “The room. The lace. The secrecy. He was playing with fire in everything he did, and didn’t care one bit. But he had a secret chamber, carefully concealed, solely for the purpose of making lace lingerie. Obviously for personal use. Why?" Part 1 of The Unintentional Crafts of Sherlock Holmes

Study in Sherlock by chappysmom (K+, 3,790 w., 1 Ch. || ASiP, Friendship, Introspection, Anxious Sherlock, POV Sherlock, Caring Sherlock, Stroppy Sherlock) – Sherlock's thoughts and feelings during A Study in Pink. What DID he think of John, and why was he being so NICE?

Study in Mycroft by chappysmom (K+, 4,929 w., 1 Ch. || Character Study, Big Brother Mycroft, Mycroft POV, Nosy Mycroft, Holmes Brothers) – A look at Mycroft's thoughts and actions during a Study in Pink.

A Study in Intimacy by doodle (T, 5,183 w., 1 Ch. || WEBARCHIVE LINK || PODFIC AVAILABLE || First Kiss, Virginity, Romance, Touching) – People don't touch Sherlock Holmes, not like they touch other people. Then he meets John Watson.

A Study in Linguistics by rizandace (T, 12,425 w., 1 Ch. || S1 Canon Compliant/S2 Divergence, Friendship, Slices of Life, Communication, Cranky Sherlock, Hospitals, Sherlock Whump, Pet Cat, Jealous John, Sherlock’s Violin, Anxious Sherlock, John Whump) – Sherlock Holmes and John Watson had their own language. It was a language of few words and minute facial expressions, and John had learned that it was nearly the only way to have an honest conversation with his eccentric flat mate.

A Study In Auto-Signatures, Sniper Dolphins, and Sex Holidays by cwb (E, 32,689 w., 8 Ch. || Case Fic, Post S3, Evil Mary, Dev. Rel., Beach Holidays, Confused Sherlock, Friends to Lovers, Honeymoon, Epistolary, Bottomlock, First Kiss / Time, Fluff, Secret Agents, BAMF!John) – John and Mary go on their sex holiday, and Sherlock is grumpy and pining about it. Part 1 of HOT DOLPHIN SEX

A Study Of Living With Sherlock Holmes by AllesandraQuartermaine (T, 50,234 w., 22 Ch. || Post-ASiP/Pre-TAB, Domestics, Friendship, POV John) – Learn about what happened between John and Sherlock January 31st and March 22. From John's pov on how to survive and learn to live with one eccentric mad genius known as Sherlock Holmes.

A Study in Winning by Jupiter_Ash (E, 106,658 w., 11 Ch. || Tennis AU || John POV, Dirty Talk, Mutual Pining, Misunderstandings, Happy Ending, Sherlock Speaks French, Switchlock, Wimbledon) – John and Sherlock are professional tennis players and it’s Wimbledon. One is a broken almost was at the end of his career, the other an arrogant rising star tipped for greatness. It should have been a straightforward tournament. It really should have been. How were they to know that a chance encounter would change everything? Part 1 of Tennis

MARKED FOR LATER

A Study in Pink Pyjamas by alexxphoenix42 (M, 1,628 w., 1 Ch. || Christmas, Est. Rel., Pink Pyjamas, Fluff, Cross-Dressing) – Sherlock hasn't been a fan of either Christmas or fancy pyjamas for a number of years, but John has a way of changing his mind about things.

A Study in Night Terrors by Dovahlock221 (T, 2,811 w., 1 Ch. || 5 and Ones, Night Terrors, (Emotional) Hurt/Comfort, PTSD Sherlock, Worried John, Hurt John, Angst with Happy Ending) – Five times Sherlock suffered from night terrors and the one time he had the best dream of his life.

A Study in Beard by Loveismyrevolution (T, 3,810 w., 1 Ch. || Established Relationship, Fluff and Humour, Experiments, Beards, Idiots in Love, Quarantine) – Sherlock has to face the consequences of using up all of their shaving foam. Which turns out to be more fun than expected. Boys being boys, nothing can go without a challenge. Although, being isolated presents a problem. How will they determine the winner? Part 2 of the Hairy Situations at 221B series

A Study in Sensuality (or, That Johnlock Gif Story) by MojoFlower (E, 4,693 w., 1 Ch. || Unilock || Porn Gifs, PWP, Pole Dancer Sherlock, Student Sherlock, Student John, Photography, Sensuality, Voyeurism, Masturbation, Rimming, Fingering, Blow Jobs, Anal Sex, Felching, Unsafe Sex) – When John signs up to partner with Sherlock Holmes in photography class, he never guesses it will end up with him balls-deep in his study partner's arse. Easy A?

A Study in Dichotomy by UrbanHymnal (E, 7,439 w., 1 Ch. || First Time, Masturbation, Hand Jobs, Anal Sex, Misunderstandings, Fluff and Humour) – John wants his brilliance and his stupidity; his knowledge of 243 types of ash and his inability to name all the planets in the solar system; his perfectly pressed suits and his wrinkled t-shirts carelessly tossed on inside out. John wants to kiss Sherlock when he is still waking to the world, to press against him when he is still warm from sleep. He wants to grab Sherlock by the scarf and haul him close so he can bury his nose in the sweat that has collected at the base of Sherlock's neck, under his arms, in between his legs.

A Study in Asexuality by ladyxdarcy (M, 8,082 w., 1 Ch. || Asexual Sherlock, Bisexual John, Acephobia, Mentions of Rape/Corrective Rape Therapy, Past Suicidal Ideation, Implied / Referenced Drug Use, Overdose, Past Mary/John, Emotional Sherlock, Insecure Sherlock, Vulnerable Sherlock, Est. Rel., Angst with Happy Ending, Fluff) – When Sherlock, asexual to his core, fears that John may grow bored of a sexless life, he decides to do whatever it takes to make John happy so he stays. Good thing John is already happy.

A Study in Anorexia by madeleinefs (NR, 11,415 +w., 16 Ch. || WIP || Eating Disorders, Anorexia, Bulimia, Starvation, Mental Health Issues, Hospitalization, Sherlock Being Sherlock, Doctor John, Self Harm, Depression, Angst, Hurt Sherlock) – A realistic approach as to what Sherlock would look like suffering from an eating disorder. This will not be a Johnlock, or some sort of sick-and-then-love-heals-all story, because that isn't realistic. I want this to be realistic, and true to the characters, as well as true to the nature of the disease.

A Study in Sex Series by Castiel_For_King (E, 19,939 w. across 4 works || Virgin Sherlock, Bottomlock, Sensitive Sherlock, Hand Jobs, Porn with Plot / Feelings, Praise Kink, Gentle John, Naïve Sherlock, Sexual Exploration, Anal, Frottage, Tender Sex) – Sherlock is new to sex and John is the first person he's ever wanted to touch and be touched by. But wanting it doesn't seem to magically wash away his apprehension like he'd hoped. Luckily, it's John and John is wonderful and kind and patient and maybe has a bit of a thing for teaching Sherlock all about physical intimacy.

The Art Of Seduction: A Study In Pulling by flawedamythyst (M, 25,279 w., 1 Ch. || AU) – Sherlock ran a website called The Science Of Seduction, on which he gave advice on the best ways to get laid, wrote blog entries detailing the results of his various sexual 'experiments' and generally contributed to the stereotype of 'every gay man is a sex-mad playboy'. John avoided the thing like the plague. AU in which Sherlock treats sex like he does crime in canon. Inspired by Queer As Folk UK, but it very quickly went its own way. Part 1 of The Art Of Seduction

A Study in Slavery by sweetinsane (M, 88,538+ w., 12/? Ch. || WIP || Dark / Slavery AU || ASiP, Angst, Domestic Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Slow Build, Dehumanization, Sexual Slavery, Child Abuse, Master/Slave Dynamics, Dark Content) – John has never owned a slave of his own, but after returning from Afghanistan is awarded one with his pension. A disobedient male slave with way too much troubling history, however, is not what he would have chosen himself.

[frauleindermorgen]

Even without reading the bulletin board's notice of events, Pelleas had been counting down the days until today; he's almost glad for the little bit of normalcy his study sessions with Micaiah have given him, otherwise he might've allowed the month to pass him by, days more like a slurry than markers in his life.

He doesn't have much to give however. His continued adamancy to keep away from others meant no opportunity to purchase something, and his own personal belongings are few and far between. He can also no longer rely on treasures from Daein's royal coffers, though from his experience, the silver-haired maiden had never liked those types of gifts when he had given them.

What does one give to a woman who rebuked material possessions? His company? He cringes at the thought— in no way would that be enough. He'd like to get something from the Dawn Brigade since he knows how dear they are to her, but they all probably have already come up with their own gifts for her.

And so the day of Micaiah's birthday rolls up, Pelleas no more confident but with no more time to delay.

“ Um... I apologize if it's not much. I know you haven't liked my gifts very much before, and I didn't really know what to give this year either, but... I still wanted to wish you a happy birthday. ”

Taking use of their promise to meet together to study once more, Pelleas hands her his gift. Wrapped inside the parcel was a hand-sewn sanguine pouch with a drawstring to keep it secure. It was large enough to hold a vulnerary, herbs, an Ashera icon, or anything of the like, though not nearly big enough for a tome.

Secreted away inside said pouch was another gift: a hair ribbon meant to be worn as a bow in the back of her hair— also of the same sanguine color as what contained it. He hadn't the courage to give it openly, not sure if his eye for such things purely aesthetic would be enough, but all the time spent looking forlornly at her retreating figure in lonely days had given him cause to realize how often she wore such hair accessories.

To him, it seemed the obvious choice if he could give nothing more than things made with scraps of fabric and a needle and thread.

“ I-I'll be going now. I know we promised to meet regularly, but I'd rather not get in your way on your special day. Just know that, um... ”

His voice grows quiet, uncertain if it was too much, but after a few moments, he gathers the courage to finish his thought.

“ ...You mean a lot to me, Micaiah. ”

Pelleas had told Micaiah in advance something had come up the day of their next study session so not to wait on him, but Micaiah had come to appreciate the routine especially on hectic days such as this. After dropping off the presents she had already received at her room she went to the library intent to get some studying done with or without her friend.

She’s used to Pelleas near sneaking up on her with his quiet entrances so when she looks up from the page she has bookmarked to see his figure at the door she easily waves him in. He’s holding something close to his chest but she had assumed it was another tome until he hands it over speaking of gifts.

“This is…” Micaiah begins, looking down at the small parcel. She removes the bag from inside it with one hand, appreciating the craftsmanship as she does so. “You made this? For me? Thank you so much!”

Her smile is true but doesn’t seem to hit its mark as Pelleas quickly averts his gaze once more. She notices that the parcel was the only thing he brought, and, apparently does not mean to stay. She’s not quite sure how someone like Pelleas could possibly get in the way, especially considering rest of her plans for the day which were quite simply studying and trying the tea Soren had gifted her before bed.

“Ah,” Micaiah says, hand reaching out and meeting air as Pelleas turns on his heel. A moment passes in silence before Pelleas manages to look back at her and finish his thought. Micaiah lets her hand fall back and curl against her chest.

“And you to me, Pelleas.”

[spookyold-saintjm]

Pieces of You - Part 3

Mayor Damien x reader

| Part One |  | Part Two |

Warnings: alcohol consumption, mentions of death

Word Count: 1,750

Series Summary: Damien is your world, and you are his light. One night, just shy of the long-awaited evening on which he’s planned to ask for your hand in marriage, he goes out for a poker night reunion with old friends at the Markiplier manor. He doesn’t come back.

a/n: Damien isn’t REALLY in this one because...well, you know. But there’s a cute little bit in there to make up for the pain. A couple more parts left to this one so stay tuned! Comment or message me if you’d like to be added to the tag list. x

—

Damien was missing.

The morning following the party, you woke up to find Damien’s half of the bed still cold. You had expected as much, though, knowing that he would wait to sleep off whatever he’d drank that night before attempting to come home. You didn’t think much of it as you went about your day, running a couple errands before coming home to relax and read for the remainder of your day off.

  When the late afternoon rolled around, you began to wonder where he might be. Perhaps the boys had decided on spending the day together at the manor, as well? You looked up Mark’s number in Damien’s contact book, but there was no answer when you called. None the second or third time, either.

You began to get worried. Night had begun to fall, and still no sign of him. You were temped to try to head out to the manor yourself to check in on them, but you didn’t want to pry. That, and a tug somewhere deep in the back of your mind told you that it was the wrong decision to make. You went to bed alone again that night, after another call, but you didn’t fall asleep.

When the light of the next morning disturbed you from the small phase of rest you had finally fallen into, you were alone again. And now, you were concerned. You showed up to work with your eyelids heavy and shoulders tight, almost frantic in your requests for the situation to be addressed immediately.

It turned out, Mark himself had also gone missing, as well as those staffed at the manor. The DA and the detective, too. Even the Colonel. Everyone who had been at the party that night had disappeared without a trace. Everyone went straight to work in the hunt for them, but there wasn’t much to go on.

You weren’t the biggest fan of Damien’s sister, Celine. Your relationship had always been a bit tense, at best. You knew that most of your disagreements stemmed for her deep love for her twin brother, her desire to protect him; nevertheless, despite your hesitancies toward each other, you tolerated one  another for Damien’s sake.

She was perhaps the last hope in finding out what had happened, if her abilities were to be believed, so you gave her a call. When she didn’t answer, you drove out to confront her, face-to-face.

She wasn’t home. And you had the creeping suspicion that she hadn’t been for some time.

Gone. They were all just…gone.

And you were left to pick up the pieces.

—

Your eyelids were heavy as you sifted through ever-growing piles of paperwork at your desk. With the absence of the DA, positions had changed, work had been redistributed, and you were busier than ever. Not that you minded. The extra work was a distraction, a reason to spend a couple extra hours in your office instead of spending yet another long night at home alone.

Friends had reached out, of course; a couple of your closest had let you know there was always an open bed or couch at their place on the nights that sleeping in your house alone was too much. You had yet to take any of them up on their offer.

Coworkers, too, and those who worked with Damien had all tried their best to band together in light of his, as well as the DA’s, absence. You acknowledged that you weren’t the only one hurting by the disappearances, that you couldn’t simply shut down and give up on the responsibilities now on your shoulders, that you needed to be there for others just as much as you needed them…

But Damien was gone. Damien. The man who had somehow wrestled his way into your heart, who had become your absolute everything. And, so far, there wasn’t a sign of him ever coming back.

A light knock at your door finally registered in your mind, and you slowly lifted your head and peered to see one of the young interns standing outside your door. You waved her in with a heavy hand, and the door opened with a soft click.

  “Afternoon.” She nodded her head slightly in greeting, her hands grasping a cream-colored folder. “How are you?”

It was a question you hated more than anything now, but you knew she meant well. “I’m just fine.” You reached a hand out toward her as she neared your desk, and muttered thanks as you took the folder from her.

“That’s good,” the girl answered, her voice slightly higher with the uncertainty peeking through her voice. She gestured toward the file that you now held in your hands. “I hope this is what you were looking for.” 

You flicked through the papers contained inside the file with an affirming nod. “Yes, this will be helpful.” You looked back up to the girl, an intern who had been with the DA’s office for a little over a year now. She was one of the top of her class and in her final year of university, which meant she only had a few more weeks left in the office. You felt a pang of guilt that you had just remembered the fact; these last couple months, you’d hardly spoken to her at all, and you had realized how quiet she’d grown around you.

You nodded with a forced smile. “Thank you.” 

She reached to straighten her glasses on one side, a faint blush creeping across her cheeks and her eyes shifting down toward your desk as she somewhat stuttered through her next words. “I, um…I know there’s really nothing that I can do to help…but I just, wanted you to know—”

“I know.” You politely stopped her, laying down the file and laying a hand flat across your desk. “I appreciate it. Thank you.”

It was always like this. No one quite knew what to say. Your relationship with Damien was no secret; he couldn’t have kept quiet about it if he tried. Your friendships with the DA and the detective were well-known in the office, as well, and to lose them all at once had been more than you’d thought you could handle. 

Somehow, you were still hanging on, taking things a day at a time. Only because you held on to the hope that someday, they would come back. One day Damien would come home. 

He had to.

—

“What do you think of this one?”

Damien stepped out from behind the door of the private fitting room in the back of the shop, revealing the deep blue suit jacket and pants he’d chosen to try on next, his crisp white shirt underneath. He was still straightening the lapels of the jacket as he emerged, eagerly anticipating your thoughts.

You fanned yourself, only half-jokingly. “Why, Mayor. You’re looking exceptionally handsome.” 

Damien couldn’t have hidden the sudden rush of faintest pink to his cheeks even if he’d tried. After all this time, you still made him feel as flushed with overwhelming affection as you had when you’d first, and finally, agreed to date him.

“You said that about the last two,” he replied with a teasing roll of his eyes, an effort to recover himself as he turned toward the mirror that occupied one entire wall in the room. “This dinner is a big deal, you know.” 

You stepped over, throwing your arms around his middle and lightly resting your head on his shoulder as you looked into the mirror with him. “Well, I meant it all three times. But I think this is the one.” 

Damien’s uncertain smile widened to match yours, knowing you were right. “Alright then.” 

He turned to press a light kiss to the top of your head. “But I still won’t come anywhere close to looking as stunning as you, my love.”

You smiled down at the photo you’d used as a bookmark for ages; a Polaroid picture of you and Damien, in the very suit you’d picked out for him, standing at the foot of a spiral staircase at some event you couldn’t even recall the purpose of. But you could remember the Friday night itself as if it were just last week.

And yet another Friday night had come. 

Some others in the office had invited you to come out for some drinks; the week had been long and loaded down with work, and everyone was in need of a much-deserved break. You politely declined, instead insisting you just needed go home and rest your eyes for a while.

Besides, if you were going to drink, you could drink at home just fine.

You were well into a bottle of wine, curled up on your couch in the living room as you blankly stared at the mindless sitcom playing on your tv. It had originally only been background noise for you as you prepared to dive back into a novel you’d been trying to finish for weeks, but it wasn’t lock before your eyes were crossing and the words became hazy, both from the alcohol in your system and the seemingly never-ending weight of exhaustion that pulled you down deeper underneath the bundle of blankets you’d thrown over yourself. 

You had leaned forward to the coffee table in front of you, preparing to pour yourself another glass of the dark liquid you heard the distinct rumble of a car engine just outside the house. You froze as you listened, then quickly sat down the bottle and threw the blankets off of your body when the sound abruptly stopped. Someone was out there.

You didn’t want to get your hopes up, didn’t want to assume, but your heart was regardless beating almost faster than your body could keep up with as you scrambled toward the door, barefoot and hair disheveled with the distinct red eyes of someone who had been crying, looking an absolute mess…

But however you must have appeared, the man at your door looked at least twice as rough. 

You could hardly choke out his name.

“Abe?”

You had a hundred, a thousand questions. But you couldn’t bring yourself to utter a single word further, bile suddenly thick and burning in your throat.

Where’s Damien. Where is he. 

The detective sniffed, his eyes wired and pleading as he took off his hat and slowly wrung it between his hands as you stared numbly back at him. 

“We need to talk.”

-

tag list (open!): @aheistwithyaboi​ @dapper-comedy​ @pandacookieowo​ @jennabonenna​​ @nightfuryobsessed​​ @a-okay-rj​​ @shaydeevee33​​ @bothersome-bitch​

[mercurryblack]

Chapter 10: Hattie

The night is but young.

❃❃❃

“Are you done yet? Are you done yet?” Hattie asked, squirming as she repeated her question for what seemed like the thousandth time.

“For the thousandth time, no, I’m not done yet. Stupid three thousand word count.” Cait groaned, slouched over their desk. “I swear, the day I graduate, I’m gonna kick Professor Rook square in the junk… boring old bastard… ”

“Sorry, time’s getting away from me.” Hattie apologized. “You’re still using that trick I told you about?”

Cait shrugged. “Even if I don’t count it as I go, it still feels like I’m never gonna finish it.”

The two had been spending the entire evening in their dorm room; Cait had been working on their assignment since the moment the Armilde sisters had left, and Hattie had been trying to keep herself busy by dusting, staring outside, dusting again, and even going as far as to read a lesson they hadn’t yet covered in class.

Tossing the Modern Remnant History textbook to her side, Hattie fell back on her bed spread-eagled, disappointed at the evening so far. She regretted how she had never really fostered a social life outside of Haven Academy— or much less her team, for that matter.

She had grown up as a ward of the underground Sisterhood, mostly keeping to herself and her small collection of fairytale books back then. Having dwelled for so long down in the habitable mine tunnels that the Sisterhood called home, she had recently found herself wanting to explore the world outside more often, if only to make up for lost time.

Those extracurricular lessons with Professor Gormlaith don’t count, she mentally noted.

Hattie didn’t have many friends, either— ironically, the happy-go-lucky girl could be a lot more introverted than extroverted at times. She knew a few students in their year by name, but not enough to warrant anything closer than a “hello” in the hallways. Plus, she didn’t find it to be much fun going out without her friends, which essentially consisted of LLAC and pretty much nobody else.

Well, there is CMYK, she thought to herself, remembering the team of now-second-years that they had tutored in the previous semester. I bet ol’ Mallow or Kara would have been free at this hour… but they’re all over in Vale helping with the set-up for the Vytal Festival, lucky dogs.

And since Lillian and Amaryllis were out doing their own things, she was left cooped up with Cait, who had been taking their time in writing an essay she had already finished.

“…Don’t you have anywhere else to go, Hattie?” Cait asked, glancing over their shoulder.

Hattie turned, wilting slightly as she did. “Should I leave you alone?”

“Nah, it’s not that.” Cait replied. “I just don’t want you to feel stuck here with me, y’know? You could go if you wanted to.”

Hattie shrugged. “Yeah, but I don’t really wanna. I’d prefer to wait for you rather than leave by myself.”

“Fair. Are we going somewhere after I’m done, anyways?” Cait said, turning back to their writing.

“I don’t know. I mean, Ammy said we can come down to her boyfriend’s family’s charity event, but it sounds kinda formal.” Hattie said, then shook her head. “I’m not in the mood for formal tonight.”

“So you don’t have a plan for this evening?” Cait inquired.

“I was kinda hoping you had that part sorted out,” she said with a lopsided smile. Having hung out with them the most, Hattie had always left the ideas up to Cait— they did always know where to go for a fun time. Also, she tended to worry that she’d make a big plan and it would turn out to be a flop.

Lost for any follow-up, she wondered aloud, “What do you think Detective Yuen and the old guys are up to now?”

“Probably living their nice and worry-free adult life.” Cait said sarcastically.

“Do you think we should give them a call? You know, check up on them?”

“Nah. I’m sure they’re doing fine on their own for one night.”

Hattie grabbed her Scroll from the far edge of her bed and waved at Cait, sticking out her tongue. “I’m gonna do it anyways! What if they’ve finally found the bad guys or something?”

Cait rolled their eyes. “Whatever you say…”

***

Sardion paced back and forth in Yuen’s office, his gaze fixed on the vinyl floor. The day had been yet another bust— Rudyard had hung back at Yaara’s house, while Sardion and Yuen, with little else to do, had returned to the precinct.

“I’m just saying, don’t you think we should give LLAC a call?” Yuen suggested. “They’re part of this investigation too, and we could really use some help right now. Plus, they might see something we’ve overlooked.”

“They’re having a night off, Yuen. I’m sure they have better things to do.” Sardion replied. “You don’t want to tire the young’uns out before they even graduate, right?”

“Maybe.” Yuen sighed. “Hear anything from Rudyard?” 

“Not yet, but he said he’d call if he found anything to go on.”

***

Rudyard stared up to the inky heavens, taking in the starry night sky from Yaara’s old lawn chair, a half-empty bottle of beer loosely grasped in his fingertips.

In the backyard of her humble home, the Huntress had cultivated a small flower garden. In the back of his mind, Rudyard reflected on the visits he had paid her, how she had meticulously tended to them every day; thoroughly watering them, rooting out any weeds, gently humming while she kept her garden impeccable.

Now, seeing as their owner had been dead for a week, the garden had slowly begun to die as well. The bright petals and leaves of the flowers had begun to fade and wilt from a lack of water, and weeds had taken over a small patch of dandelions.

Rudyard rose to pick up a rusty old watering can on the back veranda, then filled it up with a nearby hose. As he let the water trickle down onto the garden’s parched soil, he let out a long sigh— after all she had done for him, it was the least he could do. Eventually emptying the can, he opted to go back inside, as the night air started to grow colder.

Searching for a spot where the police hadn’t tagged or taped anything of interest, he made himself comfortable in a reclining chair in her personal study. Looking around, a single book lying on her desk caught his eye, the tip of a torn sheaf of paper stuck in the pages halfway through. The title on the cover read Eternal Blue Sky, luminescent gold font on a pastel blue background.

“Of course.” Rudyard chuckled to himself. “You would have hated this, Yaara, leaving a book unfinished.” Absentmindedly, he picked up the book and opened it up to the bookmarked page.

He paused.

Written on the scrap of paper in what was unmistakably Yaara’s handwriting was a short message; 1100 apr 23 for further details - stored on hosaki comm log 1138.

“April…?” Rudyard muttered, squinting at the writing. He remembered that April 21st had been the starting date of the last mission on her and Berilo’s record, and it had been marked as remaining within city limits.

He had never heard of a place called “Hosaki” anywhere in Mistral City.

Frowning, he tucked the sheaf of paper into his pocket and rose from the chair, reaching into his pocket. “Wonder what Yuen’ll make of this.”

He paused, fingers fumbling inside an empty pocket.

“…Where’d I put my Scroll?”

***

“Do you know of any other places they might have escaped to?” Sardion asked as he took a closer look at the map of Mistral spread over Yuen’s desk, doing his best to focus despite his inner restlessness slowly clouding his mind.

“Besides the forest, nothing, and if that’s the case then they’re likely long gone by now.” Yuen said, leaning back in her chair. “Maybe the Manju-Shage District, but I doubt it. The whole thing’s cordoned off by a tripwired security fence. There’s no way someone could’ve broken in without us knowing about it.” She continued, tapping her fingers against the armrests in mild frustration.

“Well, maybe they could’ve snuck in, if they had the right Semblance for the job. At this point, I’m ready to try anything if it means we might find a lead,” Sardion paused, sharply exhaling, “Any step we take, no matter how small, is at least a bit closer to the whoever’s behind this.”

“True.” Yuen said, glancing up at him. “After all, there’ve been times that thugs occasionally get the great idea to break in and squat there, to lay low or whatever… you want to check it out, just in case?”

“Might as well. I’ve already got my weapon on me.” Sardion shrugged. “I’ll call up Rudyard first, see if he’s up for it.” He pulled out his Scroll and sent a call to Rudyard’s contact.

Bzzzzz. Bzzzzz. A small buzzing hum came from beneath a stack of papers on the right of Yuen’s desk. The Huntsman and the detective exchanged confused looks, before realizing what was making the noise.

“Oh, for the love of…” Sardion muttered, sticking his hand underneath the stack and pulling out a Scroll— Rudyard’s own. “Perfect time to forget this, you freakin’ cueball…” He stuck his Scroll back in his jacket and tossed Rudyard’s onto Yuen’s desk.

“Okay, well, that’s a bust… like I said before, we could call up LLAC.” Yuen suggested.

Sardion was inclined to disagree with her, given that it had been the students’ night off— calling them in for duty at such an hour wouldn’t be the most gracious move. However, he figured that they’d best bring some backup, if only to cover more ground if nothing else.

“Alright, go for it.” he said.

Yuen took out her Scroll and pulled up Lillian’s contact. “Here goes. Hope for the best.”

***

“Why do I always have to be the one to make the food?” Rosario asked, swinging her now-empty basket from one hand as she walked alongside Lillian down the cliffside path.

“You’re a great cook, and I can’t even season my food correctly.” Lillian replied. “Do you remember the last time when I tried to make instant ramen unsupervised?”

“Point.” Rosario said. “You did literally set a pot of water on fire. I’m no scientist, but I’m pretty certain that violates every law of thermodynamics that there is.”

Lillian nodded. “See?”

“Riiiight.” Rosario drawled. “Imagine what adult life would be like. Every night, it’ll just be me greeting you, ‘Welcome home, mi amor! What do you want first? Dinner? A bath? Me?’ And then you’ll go, ‘I’ll have you for dinner in the bath!’”

“I know you’re trying to make fun of me, but you’re drooling, Rosario.” Lillian said, giving her girlfriend a flat stare.

Rosario flushed red, wiping the corner of her mouth. “I am not.”

Lillian snorted.

***

“Damnit, her Scroll’s turned off.” Yuen groaned. “Her sister’s offline as well.”

“Thought so. They have private lives too, you know.” Sardion shrugged, slinging his coat over his shoulders. “C’mon, might as well see if any airships are available and just get this over with.”

Yuen rose from her chair. “Fine. I’ll leave them a message if we do find anything.” Just as she was about to follow Sardion out, her Scroll suddenly vibrated in her coat.

The profile picture that displayed the caller wasn’t Lillian— rather, it was the Lazuli kid calling her.

It’s something, I guess. Yuen thought to herself, swiping to accept the call.

“…Hey, Detective Yuen.” Hattie chirped up on the other end.” How’s it going? It’s Hattie from, uh, Team LLAC. Uhm, we just wanted to check in, and—” She continued, stumbling slightly over her words.

“As a matter of fact, I’m glad you called.” Yuen replied. “Listen, Sardion and I are going to investigate a possible lead down in the old Manju-Shage District, and your help would be very much appreciated.” She hesitated before continuing. “That is, if you’re not already preoccupied.”

***

On the other end of the line, Hattie’s face lit up as she heard Yuen’s invitation. For the moment, she managed to suppress the urge to whoop and cheer out of deference to the still-working Cait. “Nononono, no problem. We’ll be there right away, Detective,” she said, struggling to contain her excitement as she ended the call.

It took her a few seconds before she was able to produce words, since all that was coming out of her mouth were muffled joyful squeaks. “…Cait?”

“Gimme a sec.” Cait replied, holding up a finger.

Hattie paused, her smile falling slightly.

“Cait.” she repeated, her tone becoming  normal.

“Wait, I’m almost done.” Cait said, focused on their computer’s monitor.

“Cait!” Hattie repeated for a third time, her voice rising slightly as she grew irked by their dismissal.

“I said wait, Hattie.” Cait said, still not turning around. “…’Make sure to provide footnotes along with citations’? Aw, what the hell’s the point of that?” they muttered to themself as they reviewed their essay.

Hattie scowled darkly, thoroughly annoyed at the brush-off. After a moment, she tiptoed up next to her teammate’s shoulder and leaned in towards their ear as close as possible.

“CAAAAAAAAAAAIT!” she screamed.

“AUUUUUUUGH!” Cait screeched, jumping up from their seat in shock as they spun around to face her. Their brow contorted, startled and frustrated at the girl’s outburst.

“WHAT?!” they snapped.

Hattie’s expression morphed into a tooth-bared cheshire grin, her attempt at emulating Cait’s own habit.

“I know what we’re gonna do tonight~♪.”

[monsieur-hadrien]

Harry Potter Fanfic Recommendations continued...

I did one of these lists back in June, and y’all KNOW! that I have even more to share with the world.

This list is a mix between crossovers and single-fandom fics, and are drarry or rarepair-centric, but either way I’ll mark which are which when I get to it.

If you want to see what I’ve been enjoying lately, check out my bookmarks on the Archive

Man of Iron, Child of Magic by zathara001

Harry Potter and MCU, no slash, 107k word count, 32 chapters, completed, teen

In the aftermath of the Chitauri invasion, Tony Stark sorts out his priorities - including one he didn't think he had.

Okay I followed this one from the beginning as a WIP because this is exactly the fic that I was looking for. Tony being Irondad for Harry is the most wholesome thing ever, and Uncle Steve is also 20/10. I will say, this fic is not as dark as a lot of this hp/mcu fics of this trope because it happens in Harry’s younger Hogwarts years and his childhood isn’t too ruined just yet. It focuses a lot on Tony’s growth as a father rather than working through Harry’s trauma (which, don’t get me wrong, that happens as well). Harry still has the naive outlook on life that a child should have and it just makes my heart swell.

Although this fic is done, the sequel has not been uploaded yet, as this fic was just completed late August, but don’t let that deter you. The author is a sweetheart to interact with on new updates (which were quite frequent).

Golden Boy’s Dance by Madriddler

Harry Potter, Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy/Blaise Zabini, 57k word count, 13 chapters, completed, explicit

Two years after the defeat of Voldemort and Harry is feeling useless. Jobless and suffering from PTSD, Harry spent his days going from horrible interview to horrible interview hopelessly looking for a job. Feeling completely useless, Harry, with the help of George, turns to a new profession that Harry never even thought of : being a camboy. Pleasuring himself for money and people's entertainment, Harry hopes to find a use for the Savior of the Wizarding World in this Peaceful Era.

Yeah so uh,,, this is a total guilty pleasure kink fic and I’m not at all ashamed for putting this fic on here. I won’t even lie, sometimes it felt a bit cheesey, but the porn was so well written it didn’t even matter. I swear to you this is porn with plot and lots of it. Harry works through his post traumatic stress disorder in ways that may or may not be slightly unhealthy, but beyond the porn, it’s really about Harry being okay in his own skin, as someone with mental health issues and as a sex worker. It was a hell of a good time to read and I definitely cried for Harry a time or two.

A Dented Old Street Sign by orphanghost

Harry Potter, Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy, 27k word count, one-shot, completed, mature

Draco knows they aren't the only students who will be completing their NEWTs this year, but they are the only ones whose home fireplaces were disconnected from the floo network by the ministry.

At least, Draco assumes as much until he sees the light falling out from the front door of one of the other rickety old houses in front of them and the three figures cast in its warm glow. For a moment they look like some sort of strange, many legged creature. An acromantula, or a particularly massive Blast-Ended Skrewt. Then Draco hears Pansy make a disgusted sound beside him and the light falls in a less blinding way, and Draco can see that it is actually Potter and the Weasel carrying a large couch between them, and Granger fluttering around them with her wand out, seeming concerned.

I don’t think I’ve laughed this much reading a fic in a long time. The golden trio and the Slytherin gang live in the same neighborhood while attending their 8th year at Hogwarts and i swear to fucking god, the amount of mutual pining and angst between Harry and Draco is fucking ridiculous, but you can’t help but love them anyway. Sometimes I wanted to throttle them and then shove them into a closet together so they would just t a l k but like in a good way. also the Christmastime atmosphere is something I just live for.

Words Unread, Things Unsaid by PinkCrupps

Harry Potter, no slash Harry & Snape, 18k word count, 7 chapters, completed, teen

What if the Dursley’s were a little crueler, and a little smarter? What if they didn’t want Harry going to school because they didn’t want anyone to see the bruises?

What if Harry had to leave for Hogwarts, carrying a shameful secret? One that Severus Snape is determined to discover.

When I say this one hurt, I mean it h u r t. I feel so bad because when I first read the tags I laughed when I saw the illiterate tag because I make the “I can’t read” jokes often but then I read the fic and i felt SO BAD OMG.

I am no fan of Snape, let it be known, but this fic, I think made me feel like he actually deserved a bit of a redemption arc (even if it’s fanon). This whole time, all I could think of is giving harry a big hug and never letting him go.

I said this in the notes of my bookmark, and I stand by it: “

I feel like the hurt/comfort tag on this one is also meant for the reader”

What Happens to the Heart by Mossycoat

Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, 33k word count, 18 chapters, completed, mature

With no girlfriend, no job, and no idea what he wants, Harry has decided to let life go on without him. If only prophetic dreams, demanding ghosts, and Draco Malfoy would let him.

If you need a pick-me-up after the sadness for the prior fic, may i recommend this one. Seer!Harry is a headcanon that I had never seen before this fic, and I was not let down whatsoever. We love a fic where the OCs are wonderful and the writing style is immaculate. The incorporation of tarot and divination into the chapter names and plot also makes my babywitch heart s i n g!!

Wrong Place, Wrong Time by Relevant_Peach

Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, 70k word count, 15 chapters, completed, no rating specified, but probably teen/ mature for mental health tingz

Draco Malfoy would do anything to find a cure for his son's life-threatening disease. When he crosses paths with an old acquaintance, it unleashes a string of events that will uncover secrets and deceptions. Will Draco be able to look past the misdeeds of his old lover's past? Will Harry ever find the family he longs for?

Ah yes, who knew that pain could feel so good. Everything seems to be fine until it isn’t with this one.

Turn by Saras_Girl

Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, 306k word count, 14  chapters, completed, explicit

One good turn always deserves another. Apparently.

oh my goD yes a classic we love to see it. This is one of those fics that is long but doesn’t reallly feel like it is? This is definitely another feel-good fic, even if it doesn’t seem that way in the beginning. Not only does it focus on Harry and Draco’s relationship, but also their relationships with their family, specifically their children. It’s just really heartwarming whenever Harry get’s all fatherly with his kids. ugh I swear I don’t want any but this is just SO ADORABLE! Plus Blaise Zabini rights thank you very much.

Also Boris can suck my left toe.

There’s a Pureblood Custom For That by Lomonaaeren

Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, 105k word count, 36 chapters, completed, mature

The day that Harry stops Draco Malfoy and his son from being bothered in the middle of Diagon Alley starts a strange series of interactions between him and Malfoy. Who knew there was a pure-blood custom for every situation?

This is another fluffier one, and I have absolutely no shame. Draco is just trying so hard to get through Harry’s thick, clueless skull and Harry is just trying to understand. They’re just so adorable I can’t. And Harry defending Draco’s and his relationship after people are like fuck naw just warms my heart. Like yes Harry, protect ur mans you adorable himbo you.

Our Own Demons by Emmalie22

Harry Potter, MCU, Harry Potter & Tony Stark, Harry Potter/Peter Parker, 119k word count, 24 chapters, WIP, teen/mature

Tony Stark. Genius. Billionaire. Philanthropist. Ironman. (Reckless. Lonely. Father.)

Harry Potter. The Boy Who Lived. The Chosen One. Wizard. (The Master of Death. Survivor. Breaking.)

Tony Stark never thought he would be a father. But when a lawyer comes knocking and truths become evident, he realizes that he can’t let his son walk out of his life. For Harry, acknowledging his relationship with Tony is a last-ditch effort to gain freedom and control over his life. Although the journey might not be easy, Tony and Harry learn to heal and become a family, facing trials and tribulations on the way such as a scheming Death, a Mad Titian, Dark Wizards, dangerous Doctors, and living Wards.

I’m so sorry to give you a WIP that hasn’t been updated in 10 months, but I couldn’t let this one slide. I’m so attached to these characters it’s unhealthy. I’m not gonna lie, this fic was the product of a very hyperspecific filtered search on AO3 but I’m not even mad at it. Tony is Harry’s father but unlike the other fic on this rec list, Harry is a bit more grown up and bears a lot of the scars of 5th year (y’all don’t need me to specify with that one). It’s a lovely family dynamic and super fluffy Peter and Harry wow we love to see it. Harry is also super fucking smart AS HE IS! I will never get over people calling him stupid ugh Harry rights. But yes, author friend, if you see this, update when you can I’m so in love with this.

If anybody wants me to do more specific lists, I will totally do so. Just reblog or private message me. And if you have any other fic recs, please do so too because I’m always looking for something else to read.

[austennerdita2533]

A/N: Just a Literati trifle in celebration of GG’s 20th Anniversary Week. I still have another chapter or two to write but I wanted to get this out before the event officially ended. (Canon compliant + OS + divergences)

Also here: (AO3)

Enjoy! 

xx Ashlee Bree

An Archive of Words Between Us

One day, many weeks into it but still no closer to clarity about what it is between them, Rory does what she does best: she makes a list.

Marked at the beginning, from when she and Jess first met, she soon starts to add to it with frightening regularity. A new entry comes any time there’s news, insight, questions, or growing confusion to report. She writes it all down. Out. She compiles everything in a beat-up old notebook she’s taken to carrying around.

Over the years that follow it becomes a confessional of sorts for her, a still developing story. She reaches for a pen whenever the mood strikes, and writes…then writes some more…

Committing to paper all the things they’ve said to each other over the course of their history, as well as many of the things they didn’t.

- i. things we said when we were strangers -

“Hey, Dodger, wait a minute,” she calls out before he disappears behind the gazebo. “Is this a gimmick of yours? Do you always write margin notes in the books you steal from strangers?”

Jess stops. Casts a cursory glance over his shoulder before turning back around with hands in his hoodie pocket.

“Depends, I guess.”

“On?”

“Does it matter?”

Rory shrugs.“You could be a literature-defacing miscreant on the lam for all I know. Your face might be tacked to Wanted posters all over New York City. I’ve got to edge my bets, protect my assets.”

“What,” he says, “you aiming to sentence me without a trial or something?”

“Thinking about it.”

“Wow. I can’t believe you’re going to bust out the cuffs already, Judge Judy,” he chuckles, raising his hands in supplication before rocking backwards on his heels like he’s been shot. “That’s not very neighborly.”

“Sounds like there’s evidence to be had if I dig a bit.” A pause. A teasing quirk of an eyebrow. “Is there?” she asks.

Though he stays silent at this, a spark of something catches deep in his dark eyes as their gazes meet, and Rory's stomach flips.

“Well?”

“You tell me,” he says, all smooth and inscrutable and James Dean cool as hell.

“I’m no Agent Scully at the FBI, but the truth is out there. Don’t think I won’t uncover it,” Rory replies, her wit flowing strong and sure. “If I think it’s warranted I could hire Kirk to lay chase for a while…he likes detecting. Takes payment in Skittles, too. Boxes of which I will have no trouble acquiring, I assure you.”

“Who the hell’s Kirk?”

“Let me worry about that,” she beams back at him coyly, bouncing the book he’d pilfered earlier against her hip.

“Save your Skittles, concerned citizen. I’m clean.”

“Oh, yeah? And why should I believe you when I hold proof to the contrary?”

“Because—” Ambling backwards in the middle of the street, a crooked smirk forms along the corner of Jess’s mouth as he gives her one last idle loll of his shoulder. “I only leave notes for people who might appreciate them. Start with the one on page three, by the way,” he adds with a farewell salute. “It’s a doozy.”

Curiosity piqued, Rory ignores the warmth in her chest as she watches him turn to leave a second time. Instead, she buries her nose in the margins of Howl and peruses. Losing herself in his tiny blocked script the whole walk home.

- ii. things we said because we were lying to ourselves -

Pacifying the town's fears about their friendship isn’t easy.

Especially not after Jess outbids her boyfriend at the basket-bidding festival to win an afternoon of her company. Or the night he shows up on her doorstep unannounced, bearing food and intellectual discussion after she swears to everybody else she wanted to spend the evening alone. Or when he wrecks her car on their way back from a spontaneous hunt for ice cream cones.

Then there’s the time she misses Lorelai’s graduation because she’s stuck on a bus next to some scruffy-looking creep who spits chew into a soda can while he mumbles the names of state capitals under his breath in an Appalachian-sounding litany, Rory having skipped town impulsively to visit Jess in the Big Apple after Luke had sent him packing because of an accident that had no real bearing or blame. At least not unless it was half hers to share in, too, in any case.

She expends a lot of energy defending what they are to people. Clarifying what they’re not.

Pretty soon a truncated version of the truth skips from her mouth like a message she’s spent months concocting, memorizing, and then recording, with her smart enough not to speak it aloud until it sounds convincing. And it does. She makes sure of it.

Tensions abate after that, for a time. Mostly because of the distance.

Mom and Dean, in particular, seem to breathe easier with so much of it stretched between them. They’re much happier once Jess is no longer there to lurk around Luke’s, or clog the aisles of Doose’s, or stake out chalkperson outlines on the sidewalks of town where he can draw her closer to him. Too close for comfort, as far as anyone else is concerned. Even if his only aim in doing so had been to imbibe her in intellectual conversation.

Rory finds it funny how his absence from Stars Hollow makes it both easier and harder for her to placate everyone’s misgivings. The words may be simple to say, but the meaning behind them feels deflated. Half-bodied at best.

Like calculus, it causes her headaches. Forces her to work twice as hard to make everyone believe she doesn’t care that he’s gone and likely never coming back again. That the vacant space he’s left behind doesn’t sting whenever her gaze passes over it, remembering.

Exhausting though it is, however, she does her best. She makes the effort.

She starts by dolling out extra attention and assurances to Dean about her commitment to him. To their relationship. Then she pivots around mention of Jess’s existence to her mom because she knows she doesn’t approve of him let alone agree about any of his good qualities. With Lane, she focuses on school and Mrs. Kim and music they can add to her floorboard collection. And in front of Luke, so as not to burden him with more disappointment, she acts as if nothing is different. Pretends that nothing much has changed.

Omission quickly becomes a habit for Rory. A way of life.

Only once does exposure threaten to spoil everything when her mom confronts her openly one afternoon about a placeholder that’s slipped out of her copy of For Whom The Bell Tolls.

“It’s nothing,” Rory says as she makes a quick grab for it in the kitchen and blushes.

“Really? Because nothing to me looks a hell of lot like a paper plate fragment. One that’s smudged in pizza grease and blue scribbles.” Laughing, completely unaware of her daughter’s wide-eyed discomfort and humiliation, Lorelai hands it back to her without inspecting it closely. “I’m surprised by your choice is all. Messy and makeshift isn’t your typical bookmark M.O., hun.”

“Yeah, well, that’s what happens when Paris accosts you at the break bell. You drop things. People jump, drinks spill. Beloved bookmarks go soaring…”

“Ah. I take it she was yelling in dog decibels again?”

“More like she put out an APB on all aliens living a few hundred million lightyears away and then gave them exact shouting coordinates for where to find her. So same difference, really.”

Her mom snorts. Passes over the ranch dressing.

“She’s a pill, that one. I’m telling you Pink wrote that song with her in mind.” Shaking her head, Lorelai closes the fridge behind her as she bites into another French fry. “So how’d you come by the plate?” she asks, her mouth full.

“It was spontaneous. I was running late so I nicked it from the cafeteria on my way out,” Rory lies, knowing full well Chilton never dispenses paper or plastic dishes for dining.

“Oh.” Her mom considers this. “Well, I suppose there were times even Madeleine Albright couldn’t find anything better to use in a pinch. That was very…replateful of you.”

“What can I say,” she exhales with relief, feigning amusement as her fib is accepted with alacrity, “the Forks was with me.”

“Only the Forks? Don’t tell me you’re leaving out the spoons and the knives. How could you?” says Lorelai, aghast, as she scoops stray kitchen utensils to press them against her chest in a bodily cuddle. “It’s cutlery discrimination!”

“No, it’s punning.”

“Says who?”

“Me.” A pause. A nibble of pizza. “Also, Shakespeare would agree.”

“Psssh, Shakespeare! That old killjoy,” her mom says dismissively, rolling her eyes in good humor as she tucks a box of strawberry Pop Tarts under her armpit and motions toward the living room. “What’s that you have written on the inside there, anyway? French? Calculus? Rolling Stone lyrics? A blueprint for the evil plan you’ve hatched to shoot Grandma to the moon? I’m dying to know.”

Waving her off, Rory tucks the shard back into the spine of her book where it belongs. Hiding it from view. “It’s for school,” she assures her as they settle onto the sofa.

“So tell me about it. I don’t care if it’s boring.”

“Pass.”

“Come on! I could use a good Chilton-instigated snooze.”

“Too bad. No beauty naps for you.”

Lorelai pouts, fake affronted. “Rude!”

(Turns out that ‘shard,’ that ‘thing for school’ which is stuck between the pages of Rory’s Hemingway, isn’t boring at all. In fact, it has a history. A story. The truth is it’s a souvenir she’s saved ever since she and Jess talked books over pizza at Antonioli’s on basket-bidding day.

Toward the end of the meal he’d ripped off a piece of plate so he could jot down his phone number and a quote. Only sliding it into her hand, folded in half, crinkled up like a note passed between desks at school, in the moments before they parted ways and headed home.

It’s stupid she’s kept it. She realizes that now. Stupider still to slip it between the pages of each new book she reads or unfurl it in the privacy of her bedroom to puzzle out if the line he’d included from A Moveable Feast is meant to have double meaning:

“We ate well and cheaply and drank well and cheaply and slept well and warm together and [liked] each other,” it reads.

Stupidest of all, she can’t seem to bring herself to stop looking at it. To throw the darn thing away. A note…a number…a greasy sliver of paper plate!)

“Like I said, Mom,” Rory swallows before smiling over at her convincingly, “it’s nothing. Really.”

- iii. things we said on the verge (of something) -

In early June, Sookie’s wedding day arrives.

Things are static again. Serene. Normal.

Granted, slight changes do sprinkle into the mix here and there because of her dad’s presence, because Dean holds her a little tighter around the waist now than he once did, but mostly it’s the same here as it’s always been. Pleasant people fade into gossip and nonsense while fun blurs into peculiarity.

Life feels simple once more. A tad plain and colorless, maybe, but simple.

Then Jess returns to town on a whim or a fluke or a who the devil knows what he’s thinking and everything goes sideways, pear-shaped, belly-up-and-down in seconds because this is the last thing she’d been been expecting and suddenly the only thing that registers is the length of the grass plus the number of steps it will take to close the distance between them. All that matters is he’s here, he’s back, he’s near enough to touch, and she’s smiling so hard she can hardly breathe as she drinks him in from head to foot like a glutton: her pulse leaping, her heart lurching free from the cage of her chest.

The whole world tilts. Collapses. The pale yellow of the sun shines down like a spotlight so it’s only a rippling alcove she sees. Just him, just her. Just them canopied beneath these flittering fronds of green.

Any rational thought Rory possesses scatters across the wind with the pollen. And then before she knows it, the ground tilts out like a ramp underfoot.

It pushes her forward. Outward. Sliding her toward him until she’s thrust and tangled in his arms with no memory at all of how she got there, or why their mouths feel so hot and wanton like this, so damn unsatisfied. It all seems impossible considering they’re still pressed together in a kiss that can only be described in one way: illicit.

“Not a word,” Rory pants when they stop and Jess pulls back, his jaw taut, his expression shuttered, to nod once understanding.

“Okay,” he says.

“Promise me.” The huskiness of her voice feels at odds with this demand, with the trembling fist she still has curled in the lapel of his jacket, but she cannot think about her stinging mouth or his tongue right now so she clings to desperation instead. “Can you do that?”

“Okay,” he repeats, all eyes, eyes, eyes. And with that single look, she forgets to breathe let alone digest anything he’s promised.

In the end, it’s an impulse that overtakes them not a decision. It’s a moment of clandestine passion they share, not a confession that will alter the circumstances any.

And yet it’s guilt, not regret, that begins to pull like an anchor in her belly until she’s running in shoes that chafe the back of her heels. It’s terror and confusion, not apology, that ripples along her nerve endings until she’s dashing through the trees like a coward or a swindler because she needs to believe behind her there’s still a haven of black and white she can cross with both feet.

Only when Rory stops does she feel the change. Does she discern the difference. It takes one sting, one breathless stitch in her side, for her to know she’s tumbled forward into color without noticing.

Looking down, and there it is. His name already singed across her chest in scarlet letters.

- iv. things we whispered on the hood of your car -

“Tell me something no else knows.”

“About what?” he asks around midnight the following April, the two of them sprawled on the hood of his car at a deserted rest stop off the I-95 on their way back from a concert in the city.

“You, silly.”

“Funny you’re thinking about penning my biography already, Churchill. I’m honored, truly, but aren’t I too young for that sort of enumeration?”

With a roll of her eyes plus a protracted har-har, Rory lifts their intertwined hands, watching, mesmerized, as their fingers thread then unthread as they lay side-by-side parked beneath the Big Dipper in this forsaken parking lot. Though they’ve been together about six months now, prying Jess open has been slow work. It’s like taking a crowbar to cement: one chip, one crack, one crumble at a time.

“Stop deflecting, Mariano,” she warns. “Evasion’s for chumps.”

“Fine,” he sighs. She presses a kiss of reward against his knuckles before curling tighter into his side. “How about this: every year roughly sixteen hundred people in New York City are bitten by other humans.”

“Bitten?”

“Yep.”

“Why?”

“That’s just it,” he says in his best horror story voice, “could be vampires, could be cranky commuters, could be urban mania or road rage…nobody knows.”

“Oh, please. As if I’d let you off the hook with that obvious dodge. You’re killin’ me here, Smalls!” Rory says with an elbow rib and tsk. “Second of all, you so made that biting thing up.”

When she edges her head back onto his shoulder to look at him, Jess drags his pointer finger down her forehead before bopping her affectionately on the nose, his expression neutral.

“Didn’t you?” He shrugs in that cute off-the-cuff way of his then smirks into her hairline. “That’s unbelievable!”

“It is what it is.”

“So, what,” she says as she throws her leg over his hip to lug him closer, her arm already stretched out across his middle, “is there a case of zombiepox going around that the CDC has neglected to inform us about? Because I’ve got to tell you if that’s so then I’ll need an inoculation ASAP, mister! Frazzled, bloodshot, and half-rotted is not a good look for me. It just isn’t.”

“Oh, I know.”

“Hey!” she exclaims.

“No offense, critter of Frankenstein,” he chuckles, absorbing her retaliatory swat with a grunt and rolling her further on top of him, “but I’ve seen you pre-coffee. It isn’t pretty. We’re talkin’ bolts out your neck, monster glares, frothing purple mouth and everything.”

“Yeah, yeah. Keep up your running tally and you might find I bite you next. Rory the Ripper does have a nice alliterative ring to it—you best remember that,” she warns all narrowed eyes and silky breath and arms folded under her chin.

Jess cocks his left eyebrow, brushes his thumb over her bottom lip. “Idle threats don’t scare me, Gilmore.”

“They should.”

“Maybe.” A lazy grin forms at the edges of his mouth. “But yours don’t.”

“Fine,” she blows out a breath. With her head resting in the center of his chest, Rory fixes him with one long steady look, her voice dropping an octave lower as it drains free of sarcasm to assume a more serious edge. “Name one thing that does then. That scares you, I mean,” she says.

He doesn’t answer right away. In fact, he fidgets so long beneath her that by the time he settles with his hands clasped behind his head, lost in thought and translation, peering up at the sky, she’s half convinced that silence or deflection is the best she can hope to expect from him in reply.

Reticence is a quality she’s come to recognize in Jess. It’s one she can reflect back at him in part because they’re both cut from the same quiet, introspective cloth. However, it’s also one that restricts her access to his thoughts and feelings when she most wants it, and that can take a toll. Makes her wonder if they’re parked at different weigh stations in this relationship or not.

It’s bizarre to reconcile how she can understand him so well in some contexts, to the point where she can predict his next reaction or sense a good joke hanging in the periphery that's about to descend; while in others, he’s a total head-scratcher. Like a Sudoku puzzle with numbers that don’t add up to anything.

The silence between them continues to stretch. It becomes an awkward, formless wall.

The stillness, too, which is illuminated only by the light of the moon and the faint din of the car radio, hangs between them until he draws her up his body and folds her over him with a green plaid blanket. His fingers tracing languid strokes up and down her spine.

“Swans,” he says at last, his tone subdued. Scratchy. “Swans scare me.”

“What else?”

“Tennis balls. They’re too small and fast as they zip past. I hate how they can leave imprints on your face like ugly yellow snitches.”

“Okay then. Weird but fair. What else?” Rory asks all warmth and eagerness, her eyes searching his for something he wouldn’t want to slip free.

“Pennywise.” Though she snickers at that, it’s a valid fear. Clowns unsettle her, too. Evil ones especially. She’d had nightmares for eight months after she’d read Stephen King’s It for the first time, and had taken to sleeping with the bedside lamp on for years.

“Anything more?” she asks.

“Cricket bats.”

“Ooh-ho!” Poking him, “So Mrs. Kim got to you, did she?”

“Listen, I tried to be cool and unaffected but who knows what would’ve become of my head if she’d taken a swing with that thing?” Jess shudders at the same time she imagines Humpty Dumpty and laughs. “Jeez.”

“Things would’ve gotten messy,” she adds honestly.

He stalls a moment, then blinks back at her all wariness to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “How messy are we talking here?”

Rory cocks her head and bites the corner of her mouth, musing. “Think pumpkins.”

“Smashed ones?”

“Yep.”

“Figures,” he mutters miserably.

With an encouraging pat, “Don’t worry, I would’ve stepped in before Mrs. Kim buried your handsome yet indignant face beneath the floorboards or behind a brick wall in the catacombs with Fortunato. It’s the least I could do since I sort of like you and all.”

“Sort of?” Jess asks.

“Yeah. I’m no unreliable narrator girlfriend who'd escort you to your doom, you see. I’d much prefer to keep you,” she says with an adoring grasp and swivel of his chin, which he deflects by tickling her breathless as she bends down over him.

“Gee thanks, Casper. Nice to know you care about me.”

“Not about you exactly,” she teases, her flip-floppy giggles still piercing the air. “Just your head.”

That stops him. “My head, huh?”

“Sure.” Still a little breathless, she reaches toward him to fist her fingers through thick black tendrils along his nape. “It’s pretty.” She gives the strands a little tug. “Full of thoughts I’m hoping to pilfer for further study.”

“You know, I always thought there was some hoodlum in your DNA. Now I’m convinced,” he says as he leans over to commence the tickling again. “And you will pay."

The two of them continue to roll then thump against his windshield all elbows and knees until the levity starts to leaden and transform. As Jess reaches over to cup her cheek, their gazes meet in the silvery darkness and hold, kindling like flint.

Quiet washes over them again for a moment. Only this time, it’s bloated; it’s heavy. It’s a mess of a hundred thousand decipherable something’s teetering on the precipice of expression.

A flicker of alarm passes over his features as he frames her face with his hands, palms flat against the car. He hovers aloft, unsure. Indecision mixes with fear to tangle with retreat even as gravity beckons him nearer, his head dropping low enough for their foreheads to touch.

“I sort of like you, too, you know,” Jess breathes softly, his lips lowering to press against her mouth in a quick but lingering kiss. “A lot.” His jaw clenches. “Maybe too much.”

Suddenly there’s a tightrope pulled taut and vibrating in every direction because there’s no shrinking back from the dense electricity pulsating between them. There’s no more room to dance around unnamed emotion whenever it identifies itself in blown pupils, in a bobbing Adam’s apple, in hands that slip and slide until they fit together like aligning planets.

In that instant Rory knows. She knows right then and there she’s falling in love with him, that she’s half fallen already. And it’s both a revelation and a fact so natural she can feel the truth of it whistling from deep in her bones.

Looking nervous, vulnerable, more fragile than she’s ever seen him, he swallows hard then shifts to squint out at the shadowy tree line while scratching at his nape. “It’s just…so many people have treated me like garbage that all I know how to do is spoil things. I destroy, Rory—ruin what’s good. It’s what I do best. It’s all I know. I’m trying here and all, but I…don’t know how to do this,” he says, gesturing lamely between them. “How to do us right.”

“Hey now,” she thumbs his cheek, tries to turn his head back toward her but it won’t budge, and neither will he. “That’s my boyfriend you’re talking about. Go easy on him, will you?” He nods into her palm, softening a little. The tension leaves his body as he gathers her in his arms again, her head conforming to the crook of his neck, but she’s not convinced all is well yet.

“There’s no rulebook or anything,” Rory says placatingly. “We’ll figure it out together, okay? You and me.”

“Yeah.”

“We will,” she says with an emphatic, assuring squeeze. “I know we will.”

With a caustic laugh, a heavy sigh, he runs his teeth over his lip, “I’m a screw up, Rory.”

“Hey. Not true.”

“I am.” Jess sounds so resigned, so convinced, it ties her into knots thinking he sees himself that way.

“Not to me, you’re not.”

“No,” he says with a deadened inflection, with a sad downturn of his mouth. “Not to you.”

Frowning, she feels his cynicism, his self-deprecation, descend like a slash across the gut. Helpless to do anything but try to be a soft place for him and his insecurities to land, she pulls him toward her, embracing him, quieting him, caring for him more with each passing second even though a warning gong goes off in her heart when she leans in to steal another kiss.

“Maybe I’m not a screw up to you yet,” he whispers, “but I could be at another time. On another day.”

“Stop,” Rory declares forcefully, holding her finger against his lips so he knows she means it.

Jess relents. “Okay,” he sighs. “Just know I’ll get it if you change your mind.”

- v. things we cried out at a crossroads -

Strained.

Silent.

Distant.

Those are the best adjectives to describe the status of her and Jess’s relationship as the bus pulls away from the curb a couple weeks later. After the party from hell. From her place on the sidewalk, her chest full of a heaviness she can’t name, Rory stares after it - after him - with little to no regard for the hour’s lateness or for the morning bell which signals the start of homeroom.

It’s the middle of May. That means finals, graduation, and summer loom on the periphery but she doesn’t care. None of it resonates. In the background she can hear Paris barking orders at a few trembling freshman and minted sophomores, but she does nothing to intervene. She makes no move to prevent her frenemy’s yellow journalistic splatter from crushing the innocents to smithereens.

Instead, she watches the hum and bump of the vehicle’s dusty rubber wheels as they roll down the street. She tracks the plume of smoke swirling from the exhaust pipe into the sky, which clouds over with blacks and grays instead of with clearing blues and radiant yellows. She waits until the bus turns left, its engine loud, roaring, to putt around the corner. Disappearing from view.

I hope he calls later, she thinks with a pang, with an iota of hope. We need to talk soon.

Rory’s eyes want to keep traveling with him long after he’s gone. So do her feet. They seek to follow along wherever Jess has gone, to ride beside him until they’re able to make sense of this mess between them and fix it. Fix them again.

Unfortunately for them both, they don’t. And it’ll be some time before they can, let alone before they do.

[jellybeanforest-a-go-go]

Cap-Ironman Rec Week 2020 (Friday)

First Five Friday, June 19th: Share your firsts with us! The first 5 fanworks that made you fall in love with Steve/Tony, the first 5 people you subscribed to, the first 5 works that you created, the first 5 anything! for @cap-ironman Rec Week.

The first 5 Steve/Tony fics I bookmarked:

1) Confession by @baneme-art

Civil War: The Confession AU.

Recommendation Notes: Beautiful Comic that is one of the reasons I really fell into Stony. I didn’t even realize the Confession was a canon event in comics because it didn’t seem real, and I love the set up with Steve watching Tony’s reaction to his death.

2) The Twice-Told Tale by @arysteia 

For someone he'd hero-worshipped for so long, Steve Rogers in the flesh is a pretty big disappointment. For one thing, he keeps looking at Tony as though he reminds him of someone else, and even if he never says anything, Tony's pretty sure it's his father. A lifetime of not measuring up to Howard's expectations is more than enough, thank you very much, and he's certainly not going to make an effort to live up to any of Steve's. Steve's pretty clearly failed to live up to his expectations, in any case, and that's not hypocritical at all.

Recommendation Notes: I really like this time-travel AU. It gave me a really good feel for the characters and was overall a great introduction to Stony. It’s a classic, so... can’t really go wrong.

3) (First Impressions Are) A Work in Progress by ras-elased

Tony has a point system for the times he can get Steve to be less than perfect.

Recommendation Notes: Tony is such a little shit :)

4) Follow in Your Footsteps by @sineala

When Tony is twelve, his soulmate's name appears on his wrist. Unfortunately, it's hard to find out anything at all about Steve Rogers.

It turns out there's a reason for that.

Recommendation Notes: This was the first thing I read by sineala, and honestly, everything they’ve written is a treasure, and there’s so much of it.

5) The Most Amazing Things (Some Terrible Lie) by @copperbadge

Tony's decision not to reveal his identity as Iron Man to the world was shrewd and calculated. Too bad it's about to backfire on him like a Jericho missile.

Recommendation Notes: This was the first Identity Porn I’d read. It’s from Tony’s POV but I love Steve’s reaction upon finding out Iron Man is Tony Stark and how he felt presumptuous with his crush.

First five accounts I followed for Stony content:

@orientalld

@000momo000

@sabrecmc

@tunastorks

@tonysiron

First five Stony fics I wrote:

1) Much Ado About Hazelnuts

Domestic Stony, No Warnings, 1,861 Words

“I can explain,” Steve says, caught red-lipped and red-handed, spoon already hitting bottom on the last pint of Raspberry Thorbert. It had been the only flavor left besides Tony’s.

Betrayed, Tony stares through the porthole window at the stack of unopened cartons of Stark Roast Coffee still sitting untouched and unwanted in the freezer. “Steve… how could you? Captain Ameri(cone) Dream, sure. Apple Pie of My Hawkeye… very on-brand for you with the patriotism and all so I get the appeal. But Raspberry Thorbert isn’t even ice cream!”

In which pints of Ben & Jerry’s Avengers-themed ice cream are sold in variety packs, and someone (Steve) keeps eating everything but Tony’s flavor. Of course, Tony takes his boyfriend’s ice cream preferences as the personal affront it definitely is (not).

2) Side Effects May Include

Omegaverse, Mildly Dubious Consent, 14,464 Words

Alphas claim an omega for the duration of a single heat using bond bites, which usually fade within a couple weeks, allowing both parties to go their separate ways and move on if they so choose. That’s the usual way of things, anyway. However, Project Rebirth comes with a few unforeseen side effects on omega Steve Rogers. He can’t get drunk; he can’t be properly anesthetized; and his heats are fewer and far between. All of these are manageable, if occasionally annoying, but the largest, most-glaringly inconvenient one doesn’t come up until his first supercharged heat spent with alpha Tony Stark: permanent bond bites.

What was supposed to be a one-time thing turns into a permanent arrangement when Steve can only respond sexually to Tony, and Tony feels obligated to the omega who bears his mark.

3) Mission Impossible: Kitchen Edition

Domestic Stony, No Warnings, 2,069 Words

Steve has always been the type of guy to jump out of an airplane without a parachute and with only the vaguest idea of what awaited him on the ground. He never let the little things like inexperience and a complete lack of skill derail him before. Why should this endeavor be any different?

Or: Steve insists Tony and he cook together on one of their stay-at-home date nights. Tony remains dubious but humors him. It goes about as well as one would expect.

4) Punch-Drunk Lust

Omegaverse, Extremely Dubious Consent, 10,530 Words

The interpersonal chemistry between Steve Rogers and Tony Stark is undeniable, but both being alphas, they are not sexually compatible in the slightest. So, they come up with a method to determine who tops: a no-holds-barred wrestling match for dominance with Tony in his suit to even the odds.

5) Veto

Domestic Stony, No Warnings, Comedy, 281 Words

Iron Man and Captain America rarely see eye-to-eye, and this time, the stakes have never been higher.

[chonkychornes]

Open Arms Part 2

Synopsis: You come back broken from a mission, and the one person who could barely put himself back together is the one who is trying to help you.

Bucky Barnes x Reader

Warnings: Language? Angst. Smut…eventually. 2 of ? parts. How’s this as a warning: this is my first reader insert fic and it was a challenge, y’all. So, as long as it isn’t the worst thing anyone has ever read, I’m still doing okay! I hope you enjoy it!

Also, this is really for @quant-um-fizzx​ I couldn’t have/wouldn’t have done any of this without her help and guidance.

Three months later, your physical strength is back but your mind still wanders and you often feel lost. You go to the mandated therapy sessions and they’re helping, you know they are. 

The nightmares still come, and then you don’t sleep for days. You slip out of Steve’s bed and wander the corridors for hours. You take it upon yourself to check on everyone and everything and make sure things are safe and secure. 

Just before dawn breaks, you sneak back into bed and Steve wraps a heavy arm around you and after these nightly sweeps, he always asks if all your chickens are in the coop.

After the third month, you tell Steve you want to move out of the shared quarters. The disappointment is written all over his face. He tells you that he doesn’t understand and that he worries that you’ll dive deeper into this self-imposed isolation. 

You tell him that you can’t pretend to get any better than you already are. 

You tell him that you can’t pretend to be the same person with him. 

You tell him that you don’t want to be with him the way you were before all of this. 

He tells you he’ll get started on packing up your books and movies. He makes you agree to a weekly dinner. You cup his cheek and give him the strongest smile you’ve been able to manage since you got back. 

“I couldn’t do any of this without you.” He wraps you in a hug and sways you for a few minutes. 

“You could,” he whispers in your ear. “You don’t believe it yet.”

Later that day you find James, “For Chrissakes, call me Bucky!” Barnes, outside underneath a maple tree, reading. He’s sitting on a plaid blanket that you know for a fact is cashmere and if Tony found out he’d have his ass about it. 

You open the door and lean against the jamb with crossed arms. It’s a cool day and you can smell the rain that’s coming. 

“Hey!” He looks up from his book, shoots you a grin, and pats the space next to him on the blanket. 

“There’s plenty of space for you out here, doll face.” He doesn’t shout or raise his voice, but it’s clear and strong from about 50 feet away. You can’t help the recoil. It’s not him, but it’s the outside; being exposed in the open. 

“Can you … can you just come inside?” You try to keep the pleading tone out of your voice, but it’s so difficult. “Please?”

“Look, I’m planning on reading this whole damned book today, right here under this tree.” He turns ever so slightly to look at you, “You wanna talk? You better get out here.”

That’s when it hits you; he’s testing you. He knows, everyone knows, that you haven’t been outside on the grounds since the night you got back. The rooms you share with Steve have a small terrace and sure, you’ve been out there, but that’s safe and protected. 

“Keep your eyes on me and walk out.” His voice is firm but he’s smiling. You push off from the door and all but bolt to his position under the tree. Once again, he pats the space next to him, “Have a seat, sweetheart.”

When you plop down you roll your eyes at him and then scan the area. Logically, you know how safe you are here. Logically, you know Hydra won’t show up here to take you; but you haven’t been very logical as of late. 

“You know, I really hate the nicknames,” the whisper escapes your throat and when you realize what you’ve said he’s laughing. 

“Don’t I know it,” he actually wipes a tear away and grins so broadly. “So, how does it feel to be outside? Steve said you used to spend all your free time out and about?”

Of course, he’d know, because of course, Steve would have told him. 

“I used to garden. Vegetables, some fruit, but mostly herbs. I liked to cook.” 

“You had a victory garden,” you watch as he places the bookmark into the book with care and sets it aside. “You don’t like to cook anymore?”

“I haven’t done it in over a year. I guess I don’t know.” Lifting your face to a breeze that flies by, you can smell the trimmings from the grass that had been cut just yesterday and you close your eyes. 

“So, you wanted to talk to me about something?” You look at the man next to you and notice the little things. The blinding almost baby blue of his eyes, the cleft in his chin, his stupid little half man bun. You notice how he doesn’t wear a glove over his left hand here, never here. 

The two of you are dressed alike and it isn’t the first time you’ve noticed this. You both prefer long sleeve shirts, henleys. Assuming he wears long sleeves for the same reason you do, unconsciously or not, you tug on the cuff of your own sleeves t hide the markings that no one, not even you, needs to see.

“I want to swap quarters with you.” You’ve always been blunt. There’s no beating around the bush for you, not even now. 

“I like living alone,” James leans back against the bark and you follow suit. You can act casual, even if your skin is crawling with the anxiety of being out in the open. 

“No, you don’t. Nobody really likes to be alone, and Steve needs someone.” Leaning your head all the way back you swivel it towards him. “Before you ask, I want yours because it’s just down the hall. It’s the closest … in case I need him.”

His eyes sear into yours and you can’t tell if he’s buying the bullshit or you are. 

“Steve’s just going along with this, huh?” 

You chuckle and this time it isn’t forced or fake. 

“He has his conditions.” 

“Which are?” 

Sighing, “I continue therapy sessions and after therapy, he and I work out when he’s available.” 

James cuts you off, “He won’t always be available, so you can work out with me. The endorphins help with the recovery. Trust me on that.”

He holds your gaze a little too long and asks what else?

“Dinner and time together once a week.” In all actuality, this is something you’re looking forward to. 

“Are you guys still fucking around?”

That’s a slap in the face you weren’t expecting and it causes you to whip your head around to look at him dead on again. 

“What Steve and I used to do was never a secret. I’m not the most delicate of creatures, but you could be polite.”

“Hey, I’m just trying to figure out if spending time together means you guys are still hooking up, that’s all.” He throws his hands up in surrender. He smiles impishly, “That kind of response tells me you are.”

“Well, we’re not. We haven’t since … since before.” 

Silence hangs between you and the awkwardness is so palpable that you can’t even hear the birds chirping anymore. 

“I’ll do this for you, but I have my own conditions.” You had been about to open your mouth and tell him to forget it. That you could figure it out without help. “You’re asking for help, even if you didn’t say please.”

“Did you want me to say please? Did you want me to beg?” You move to stand and when he reaches out with his left arm, you’re so surprised to find it warm that your shock keeps you on your ass. 

“So, you’ll work out with me when Steve isn’t around or someone else capable. Dinner once a week with me, too.” 

“Fine, you can join me and Steve.” 

“Nope, just us,” he grins and stands, pulling you with him. “Grab that blanket for me, would ya, honey?”

Reaching for the blanket you notice the book he was reading. 

“The Joy of Cooking by Julia Child?”

“Yeah, you can cook for me once a week. I can watch and learn.” He starts back inside and you scurry after him. 

“Wait, what?”

Later that night, in the privacy and silence of the single quarters, you sigh and wonder if and when you’ll fall asleep. Between Steve, James, and yourself, everything was swapped between the two apartments in record time. Your former bedfellow had made a big deal about keeping the key codes for the common room and his personal room unchanged, in the event you needed to come in sometime in the middle of the night. 

You were surprised to find the James was just as contrite about it as you were. 

“You’re babying her, bud,” James had pointed out and Steve’s face had paled slightly. “You can’t let her run to you every time she’s struggling. I won’t help her.”

James stood up then and moved to his new bedroom doorway. He looked to you first.

“You wanted out of here so you could deal with this your own way, right? You didn’t want to be under yet another person’s scrutiny?” He was confirming with you your thoughts that you hadn’t been able to put it into words. 

You confirm with a meek ‘yes’ and look everywhere but directly at Steve. 

“For the record, you put me back on the ice,” he holds up that gleaming metal appendage when Steve starts to speak. “For my own good, but Shuri and her team got me back to some semblance of normal. Then it just took time and a lot of that time was spent in solitude. Get over it, man.”

He steps into the bedroom and softly shuts the door. You desperately want to bust down the door and thank him, tell him that you understand him, that you see him; he’s still broken and bruised from his past.

“Steve?” 

He looks at you and you see the confusion clouding his features. You start to realize that this was a part of James’ reluctance. Sharing this much space with a person means things come to light; sooner or later. 

“I get it, at least I think I do,” he sighs and slouches down in his favorite armchair. “I don’t want to be a hindrance, but I understand.” You offer him a weak smile and he winks. “I’m still not changing the codes.” 

[sortaotaku]

I did it! Sort of?

I’ve completed part 1/3 of Edgar’s event story from The Miracle that was Meeting You story event! It’s a full translation including every single frame. I’ve included visuals too. Only the best for the squad!

@kouei116 Tumblr flubbed like 5 times while I tried to post this. Ughh

@myotomespace @edgarbright @belovedofthekingofhearts @littlelady-blackwell and everyone who waited patiently for this.

Ed’s room

在舉辦和平紀念派對前幾日的一天夜晚~

A night before the peace commemoration party

從走廊上傳來了熟悉的輕快腳步聲，愛德華從正在閲讀的書本中抬起頭來。

Edgar lifted his gaze from the book he was reading as he heard some familiar footsteps in the hall.

(和約定的時間絲毫不差呢。)

(Yeah its about the time we agreed on)

腳步聲主人的規矩老實，讓愛德華微微露出了笑容。

The owner of the footsteps put a bright smile on Edgar’s face.

(機會難得…）

(Such an opportunity is hard to come by)

將書籤放入閲讀的書本之後，悄悄走向房門。

After putting down his book Edgar quietly made his way to the door.

伴隨敲門聲同時打開房門後…

He opened the door just as a fist began to knock on the door

E：「我等妳很久了。」

E: “I have been waiting for you a while.”

MC: 「哇！愛德華?」

MC: “Woah! Edgar?”

MC瞪大眼睛站在走廊上。（惡作劇成功了呢，看到了一張可愛的表情。）「㬨我一跳，你在房門前啊？」

MC stood there with big shocked eyes. (Ed’s thoughts: Hah! Success. I got to see her cute expression) “So I jump and you appear in front of the door?”

E: 「不，我的MC感應器發動，告訴我妳差不多該到了。」

E: “No, my MC senses were telling me that you were just about to show up.”

MC:「什麼嘛，有這樣的感應器嗎？」看到MC露出綿笑意，愛德華也柔和地瞇起眼睛。

MC: “Wow, is there such a thing?” Watching MC grin, Edgar narrowed his eyes playfully.

E：「是啊。多虧了這個感應器，無論妳在哪𥚃我都能找到妳。」「畗然在妳感到困擾的時候，我會比任何人都更早地趕到妳身旁。」(我一定，會隨時都趕去的。）

E: “Of course. Thanks to this sense I can always find you wherever you may be. If you were ever to be in a pinch I will be faster than anyone to be there to help.” (I will definitely always rush to you)

MC：「那真是太可靠了。」讓請進房問的MC坐在沙發上，愛德華走向工作桌。

MC: “That’s so handy.” MC took a seat on the sofa while Edgar walked towards the work desk.

E：「那麼，就趕快開始製作魔術秀的宣傳單吧。」「我去拿紙和筆，妳稍梢等我一會。」

E: So, shall we start work on the flyers? I’ll go fetch the art supplies, just wait for me okay?”

MC:「嗯，拜託你了！」(她比平時更加龫勁十足呢。)(但是，説起來我也是⋯）一邊準備，一邊回想起和幹部們説起派對事宜時候的情況。  

MC: “Okay then I’ll leave you to it” (She’s even more fired up than usual)

Flashback

(E): 「由我和MC準備活動，是嗎？」

E: “So you guys want myself and MC to organize an event huh?”

(L):「沒錯。紅與黑兩軍團都決定準備幾個適合領民的活動。」

L: “Correct, both the red and black armies have agreed to organize some events.”

(J):「紅之軍團決定招攬魔術師，免費進行魔術的公開表演。」「你們直到當天都要負責行行程安排，以及準備必要的物品。一定要盡量辦得熱鬧」

J: “The red army has agreed to bring on a magician to do a magic demonstration/performance for free.  You guys have to give it your all in the coming days and gather all the necessary supplies. This event must be entertaining/excellent.”

Flashback end

(行程安排和準備任務都和平時的工作沒什麼區別，可或許是因為和MC一起的關係吧。）（這種在心中擴散開的雀躍心情，是怎麼回事呢？）MC接過紙和筆，目光閃耀地注視著愛德華。

(The preparation duties are not so different from regular work but perhaps it is because I’m working with MC... This fluttering feeling of excitement in my heart...) MC gazed into Edgar’s eyes as she accepted the art supplies.

MC：「那麼，宣傳單上要寫什麼才好呢？」 「魔術秀的話，也就是魔術師和動物們一起表演戲法的演出吧？」

MC: “So what should be writing on these flyers?” “In the magic show it would be the magician preforming with animals right?”

E:「是的。前些日子商量時，魔術師確實説那是『動物魔術表演秀』。」

E: “Yep. When we were discussing things it was decided that it would be a ‘magical animal show’ being done.”

MC:「只是聽著就覺得很興奮呢！」

MC: “Just hearing about it has me pumped!”

E:「為了達到這個效果，我們就鼓足幹勁來製作宣單吧。」

E: “To achieve this effect lets work hard to make great flyers.”

MC:(啊，這本書還放在這裡昵。）把紙張平鋪在桌面上的時候，注意到閲讀的書仍然放在一旁。畗用單手拿起它時… 「啊…對了，愛德華。那本書裡面夾著的書籤是…」

MC: “Ah, his book is still sitting here.” Alice noticed the book he had been holding when laying the paper down. “Ah Edgar... That bookmark in the book is?”

E:「嗯，這是我們相遇時妳送給我的四葉幸運草的乾懆花，我把它做成書籤。」打開書本，把夾在書頁間的書籤拿給MC看。

E: “Oh, I made a bookmark out of the lucky four leaf clover you gave me” Edgar opened the book to show MC the bookmark.

MC：「果然！紙張似乎有些破舊了…你用得佷頻繁啊。」

MC: “Ahh okay! It seems worn, you must use it a lot.”

E:「是的，因為我很喜歡它。」

E: Yes I do, because I treasure it a lot.

MC:「你能這麼珍惜它我很開心，把它送給你真是太好了。」

MC: “I’m so happy that you like it so much, I’m so glad I gave it to you now.”

MC報以開心的微笑之後，開始拿起筆集中精力製作宣傳單。

With a smile on her face MC continued on with her flyer making.

(...從收到這朵四葉幸運草那天算起，已經快有一年了。) 

(It has almost been a year since the four leaf clover was given)

返回工桌將書本放下，把視線投向窗外。

Putting the work down Edgar gazed out the window.

(真漂亮啊。那天她從庭園落下時的天空，是否也是這樣的感覺呢？）

(So lovely, is this not like the feeling that was there the night she fell from the sky?)

明知要將她送回科學之國，卻也同樣垉著相反的心情，並為止數次感到糾結。 

Though knowing she would be sent back to the world of reason, contradictory feelings emerged (lit. World of science) and there were many difficult feelings.

珼在想來那一切就彷佛謊言一般，共同工作、一同入夢，

Thinking about the past this feels like a dream, working together, dreaming together.

MC陪在目己身邊已經變成理所當然的事情了。

MC staying by Edgar’s side already feels like it is meant to be.

（坦是…）

(Or...)

Flashback to garden when they first met

J: 「沒有我的允許不要動，不然妳這纖細的手腕會變成什麼樣我可就不敢保證了。」

J: “You shall not move without my authority, otherwise I can’t guarantee what will happen to you.”

E:「Jonah先生，抓得太緊會讓她感到恐懼的。」

E: “Mr Jonah, you’ll scare her if you grip her this tightly.”

MC: 「請問，你們是…」

MC: “And you guys are...?”

Flashback end

(如果是用那樣的方式相遇，一開始接住MC就是我的話，會變成什麼樣呢？）

(What would it have been like if my approach was like that? How would things have turned out?)

一邊想著這些事，一邊撫漠視線前方，夾在書本的書籤。

Part of Edgar focused on these thoughts, another part on the work in front of him and the clover bookmark.

(在把這朵四葉幸運草贈送給我的時侯，MC祈願我的幸福。）

(When she gave the clover to me, MC was wishing happiness upon me)

但是從相遇時開始，給我幸福的一直是MC自身。

(But the one that was making me happy in the first place was MC)

(…派對的當天，應該就是和MC相遇一年的日子吧。)

(The day of the party should be our anniversary I guess)

愛德華想送些東西作為回禮給MC，並感謝她一年來的陪伴。

Edgar decides that he must give something to MC to thank her for accompanying him for the past year.

(送什麼東西給她才會瀼她感到開心泥？)

(What can I give her that would make her happy?)

(~對了。)

(Oh yeahhh)

心懷考慮到的計劃坐到了MC身邊後，突然感受到了一道視線。

Thinking about this and sitting by MC Edgar experienced an epiphany. However, he felt a pair of eyes on him.

Ｅ: 「？我的臉上黏了什麼東西都嗎？」

E: “Is there something stuck to my face?”

MC:「沒有。只是你露出了有點惡作劇般的表情，所我在想怎麼回事。」

MC: “Nope. But from your facial expression I figured something was up.”

(為什麼會被發現呢？我沒打算展現在瞼上的。)

(How’d she notice? I wasn’t planning to out myself via expressions)

越是在一起共處，MC便越容易發珼愛德華的微小變化。

After their time together MC has become very perceptive about subtle changes in Edgar.

(還是説，我變得易懂了呢？)

(Have I become easy to read?)

(但是，還不能把計劃坦白地告訴她。)

(Nevertheless I cannot let her know yet)

將真正的話放在內心深處，像是要説悄悄話般壓低了聲音。

Tucking away true thoughts. In a whisper...

E：「妳真敏銳啊。我對妳坦白，能把耳朵湊過來嗎？」

E: “You’re sharp. I’ll confess, would you lend me your ear?”

MC：「嗯」(還是老樣子，坦率得讓人無可奈何。)

MC: “Oh” (He’s as cool and suave as always, it renders me helpless against him)

面對MC一臉雀躍地靠近過來，愛德華輕輕將嘴唇湊了過去~

With MC approaching Edgar softly pursed his lips.

MC:「誒…」在臉頰上輕輕一沕後，MC的臉泛起了紅暈。「明明説要要坦白的…你不是打算告訴我的嗎？」

MC: “Ah.” MC was bright red after the kiss. “Didn’t you say you were going to fess up?”

E: 「是啊。所以，我用行動來坦白了。」「認真工作的妳的臉實在太過可愛，我想親吻妳。」

E: “Yeah I decided to convey my feelings through my actions.” “Your determined, hard working expression is so cute, it makes me wanna kiss you.”

MC: 「真是的…別戲弄我麻。」

MC: “Geez... Don’t tease me like that.” 

MC用手捂住淡淡發紅的臉頰，有些困擾地微笑起來。

MC held her bright red face compelled to make a big goofy smile.

(明明是毫無深意的動作，但到底是為什麼呢…？) 

(It’s just an ordinary action but why...) 愛德華覺得這些舉動能輕易地逗弄內心，讓人發出甜蜜的嘆息。

Edgar felt that these actions were special and moved his heart, evoking sweet fluttering sensations.

E：「妳露出這樣的表情，會讓我想侍寸進尺呢。」

E: “When you make a face like that it makes me want to do certain things.”

MC: 「不、不行啦，請認真工作。」

MC: “N-No you can’t do that, please just focus on the task.”

E: 「好，我會的。」

E: “Okay I’ll do that then.”

MC為了遮羞而豎起眉毛，卻讓人覺得無比可愛。

Embarrassed, MC furrowed her brows which made her more adorable.

(到底什麼時候才能適應這樣幸福的時光呢？)

(When will I adjust to this brilliance?)

(不然的适就麻煩了，我的心臟會壞掉的。)

(It’ll be inconvenient otherwise because I think my heart might just burst.)

Time jump

派對前日~

The day before the party

愛德華和Jonah並肩從庭院向著軍營的入口走去。

Edgar and Jonah are wandering around the entrance or the barracks.

E：「Jonah先生，謝謝你的幫忙。多虧這樣，我順利地準備好了給她的禮物。」

E: “Mr Jonah I thank you for your help. It is thanks to you I have my gift to her ready.”

聽到愛德華的話，Jonah一向冷漠的嘴角微微起。

After hearing Edgar Jonah appears somewhat indifferent.

J：「這倒是沒關係。但畢竟我可是幫忙了，要給我很順利的報告才行啊。」

J: “It was no problem really, but as I did play a role in helping just keep in mind I expect a detailed report of what happens.”

E: 「富然，我會的。」

E: “Sure thing.”

(Jonah先生真的是個雖然不坦率卻很菩良的人。) 

(Though he’s not super honest with himself, Jonah sure is a great person)

在內心對上司深表感謝之時，Jonah的視線投向了軍營的方向。

Jonah looked in the direction of the barracks.

Ｊ：「在那裡的人，不是MC嗎？」

J: “Hey isn’t that MC?”

(啊，真的呢。) 

(Huh, it really is.)

把視線轉向入口前的MC，只見她向著愛德華的方向輕輕揮了揮手。

He looked at MC who was gently waving at him from the entrance.

E: 「我們預定接下來去對活動的表演秀進行最後一次商議呢。」

E: “We’re planning one last inspection on the show.”

J: 「那倒是無所謂，但MC那張笑臉，看上去就像是在搖著尾巴的架勢呢。」

J: “That stuff. Yeah. The smile on MC’s face makes her looks like a puppy wagging its tail.“

E:「不愧是Jonah先生，真是一針見血。」

E: “You hit the mark with that. As expected from Mr Jonah.”

J:「你稍微否定一下如何。」

Jonah: “Could you not?”

在Jonah無可奈何地目送下，愛德華向MC身邊趕去。

(Jonah is so done with this but helplessly looks on), meanwhile Edgar heads towards MC.

E: 「讓妳久等了。」

E: “I’ve kept you waiting right?”

MC: 「沒事的，我也剛剛才來。」「我把之前做的宣傳單也拿來了哦，雖有然有點早，但我們出門吧？」

MC: “It’s no problem, I just got here. I’ve brought the flyers we made, it’s a bit early but shall we head out?”

E: 「説的也是。」

E: “Alright, that sounds good.”

在他握著那纖細的小手打算邁出腳歩時，MC像是掹地想起什麼轉頭看向Jonah所在的方向。

They linked hands but then remembered that Jonah was there and looked over.

MC: 「我隱約聽到見了一點，你讓Jonah幫忙做什麼呢？」

MC: “I heard a little. What are you having Jonah do?”

看到那閃耀著好奇心的光輝，有種現在就想告訴她的感覺。

Seeing the sparkle of curiosity, he was tempted to tell her.

(嗯，但是還有點早啊。)

(But it’s still a bit soon.)

壓抑著揭露謎底的衝動，對MC露出笑容。

He suppressed his urges and sent MC a smile.

E: 「現在還要保密。」

E: “I’m still going to keep my secret for now.”

MC: 「為什麼？」

MC: “Why?”

E: 「這樣一來，才能夠讓妳大吃一驚。」

E: “So I can give you a surprise.”

難得的驚喜。既然要做，那就要朝著最有效的方式努力。 (傳達時機，一定要選在MC朂高興的時候才行。) 

Since this is rarely done it should be done right. (It should be done when MC is really happy)

愛德華就這樣拉著MC的手，朝著魔術師等的地方走去。

Edgar took MC’s hand and they headed to where they were to meet the magician.

在那之後，愛德華和MC渡過紅之橋進入中央地區，來到了魔術師搭起帳篷的花園。

Edgar and MC crossed the red bridge and entered the central quarter. They reached the flower garden where the magician’s tent was.

(嗯？出什麼事了，好像異常吵鬧啊。)

(What’s happened? There seems to be a commotion) 

帳篷周圍有數名工作人員，前前後後奔走著。

Around the tent there were staff members running around

MC: 「出什麼事了嗎?」

MC: “Has something happened?”

E: 「是啊…」(看情況，似乎發生了不太樂觀的事態呢。) 

E: “I guess so...” (Based on how it looks something not so good must’ve happened)

梢梢走向前後，發現了魔術師的身影。

As they approached they heard the voice of the magician.

E: 「你好。」

Magician: 「啊，兩位…！真抱歉，明明是討論時間了卻還這麼亂。」

Magician: “Ah, it’s you two! I’m so sorry it’s a;ready our meeting time and it’s still such a mess.”

魔術師一邊這麼説著，一邊皺著眉頭左右打量四下環顧。

The magician spoke, as he did he frowned while looking around.

E: 「發生什麼令你困擾的事情了嗎？」

E: “What has happened?”

Magician: 「誒…」

Magician: “Huh?..”

MC: 「如果不介意，我們也可以幫忙哦？」

MC: “If you don’t mind can we help?”

魔術師來回看看愛德華和MC兩人，有些躊躇地開口説道。

The magician examined Edgar and MC and spoke somewhat slyly, 

Magician: 「其實是新加入我們的猴子不聽話，逃走了。」

Magician: “The truth is one of our new monkeys are disobedient and has fled.”

MC: 「猴子是嗎？」

MC: “So a monkey?”

Magician: 「是的，牠的手很靈巧，還打開了好幾個其也動物們的籠子…」

Magician: “Yes, it’s very dexterous and has unlocked the cages of many other animals.”

似乎是由於猴子的惡作劇，導致明天要參加演出的馬和兔子都逃跑了，所以他們感到很為難。

Because of the mischievous monkey the rabbits and horses that would be in the show ran off causing everyone to be stressed out.

E: 「所以大家才慌慌張張啊。」

E: “So that’s why everyone is so flustered.”

Magician: 「是的。為了不加重被害情況，我們打算先抓住猴子。」

Magician: “Yes, to try and keep things from getting worse we plan on capturing the monkeys first.”

(喔…這麼多人竟然都沒能抓到牠，真是一隻聰明的猴子呢。) 在產生異常讚美的時候，愛德華等人的腳邊跑過一個小小的影子。

(What a clever monkey. So many people and nobody can get a hold of it) A small shadow hurried past their feet.

(誒…)

(Huh?)

眼見著猴子把MC手中的提包奪過去，從中間取出了被精心包裝的某樣東西。

The monkey swiped a carefully wrapped parcel from MC’s bag.

MC: 「啊，那是…！」

MC: “Ah thats...!”

Monkey: 「吱吱！」

Monkey: “ ZHI ZHI ! “

絲毫不在意慌張的MC，猴子轉過身向著市場的方向跑去。

Ignoring MC, the monkey headed towards the marketplace.

(剛才那樣東西像是禮物一樣。)

(It seems the parcel was a gift.)

E: 「是要送給誰的禮物嗎？」

E: “Who’s the gift for?”

MC: 「誒？嗯，嗯？」

MC splutters in response

MC的聲音有些嘶啞，並為難地點了點頭。

Flustered, MC nods.

(竟然這樣慌張…真在意那是送給誰的禮物啊。) 但是，他不想讓MC露出悲傷的表情。

(I’m flustered, really interested about who it’s for.) But Edgar did not want to show MC a unsightly expression and concern her.

E:「立刻追過去吧。」

E: “Let’s hurry over.”