#pretty sure the first fic i ever read was for taakitz but still

[dip-the-stick]

back on my kiribaku bullshit bc i let myself read a fic of them and now im attached again

[ceilingfan5]

20 Questions for fic writers

Tagged by @holdmecloser-gandydancer

tagging you, the person reading this and wishing someone tagged you, yes you, i mean it

1. How many works do you have on A03?

total? 73. TAZ? 37. oh man. palindrome

2. What's your total A03 word count? 703,033 baby ive been here for Ten Years

3. What fandoms do you write for?

recently taz. before that, aftg, haikyuu!! etc. but man it has been taz for a While

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

OF TAZ WORKS (all my top 5 are old old) 1. Sticker Stars (of course) 2. Run Away With Me 3. Rub This On Your Body 4.Little Shop of Horny and 5. Apply Directly to the Forehead (one of my first taz fics!!) all of those make sense as contenders but i am surprised revenge plus one is #8

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

i................have to be honest..........................................i'm so...sorry............

[id: a screenshot of "Inbox (3402)" indicating no, no I do not]

(please understand this is from years and years and years and years)

i pretty much only reply if i am directly asked a question i have an answer to or it makes me cry in a good way....not because i'm an asshole or because i don't appreciate them!!!! comments mean truly so much to me!! i just don't know what to say besides thank you, so i usually write an emphatic thank you on each chapter and hope people know i mean it.... please don't think i don't care...please............. i care so much

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

we don't do that here

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

“But like,” words fall out of Taako’s mouth before he can stop them. “Live your life, dude, go a little nuts, feel like a whole person, give me $200, participate in the universe, get your back blown out on demand, fucking-” he laughs. “Have a collection, experience joy, buy a cat, get diagnosed with autism, fall in love-”

“What was that last part??” 

if that (from revenge plus one) isn't a happy ending what is (i'm hoping the people who care enough to read a post like this have either read it already or are going to go. oh my god i have to read revenge plus one tonight)

8. Do you get hate on fics?

no and if i did i would block and delete em, there's no time for that. fuck em. this is a joy pursuit (i would cry though. don't. what the hell. just close the tab like a normal person. someone MADE THAT.)

9. Do you write smut?

oh baby DO I

i do intend to write some more publishable stuff soon. most of my personal stuff has gotten Way Too Weird. but look out for some horny supervillain taakitz soon if thats your cup of hot chocolate with too many marshmallows in it 👀👀👀👀

10. Do you write crossovers?

sorry i am obsessed with one thing at a time.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

hope not! if so i cast a billion death spiders on them. smooch. partake in the joyous act of baring your soul via dumbfucks yourself, coward

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

once, i think? im not sure they finished

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

absolutely, some of my best stuff was originally rp!!! i am so sorry @holdmecloser-gandydancer @noodyl-blasstal for not continuing some super exciting projects, my brain is electric soup and my life is a circus. someday. someday we will play again. i must believe

14. What's your all-time favourite ship?

if you did not expect taakitz i have 29+ fics you should read

15. What's the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

everything is possible until you give up. so who knows!!!!!!!!!!! it sure does help to know there are people that will still read things if and when they are ever finished though

16. What are your writing strengths?

VOICE! dialogue. fun

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

planning fucking ahead

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

caution necessary but i mean live your life, just be aware of the err of google translate

19. First fandom you wrote for?

on ao3? wtnv

before that? squints. maybe homestuck or............no it was shakespeare

man. fuck

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

revenge plus one, probably, i miss living in it

nothing says passion like 90k and baby's first adhd medication!!!!!!!!!

really though please go read it. if you have 90k worth of attention and time and interest

also hey? in general? if you read this far? keep writing. and enjoy it. self indulgence isn't just nice, it's what makes life worth living. make for you, and then the comments and appreciation are bonus. snare a few friends in your web and you're living, baby

keep reaching for the stars

[august-anon]

Tickletober Day 11 - Death Spot [LATE]

This one has some allusions to the first TAZ:B tickle fic I wrote, Touch, but you don't HAVE to read that to understand this one!

Fandom: The Adventure Zone: Balance

Ship(s): Taakitz

Characters (lee/ler): Lee!Kravitz/Ler!Taako (v brief ler!Kravitz/Lee!Taako

Word Count: 1095 words

Summary: Kravitz had long know Taako's death spot, having found it far too easily. Taako has to work a bit harder to find Kravitz's.

[ao3 link]

-----------------------------------

It hadn’t taken long after the two became physical for Kravitz to find Taako’s weak points, and for once, he didn’t even mean in the bedroom. Barely ten minutes of cuddling, and Kravitz had zeroed in on the worst tickle spot Taako had on his body like a bloodhound. Taako didn’t necessarily mind this, he and Lup had always played around like that, and they had with the rest of the Starblaster crew when they were close, but it just wasn’t fair.

Because Taako had yet to find a spot that made Kravitz squirm in the same way.

Sure, he had tickled Kravitz plenty, just as Kravitz had tickled him. It’d become a bit of a staple in their relationship, when Kravitz found out just how little Taako actually minded it. Cumulatively, Taako had probably spent hours tickling Kravitz, and he still hadn’t found his worst spot. And Kravitz, as much as he pretended he wasn’t, was unbelievably smug about it.

But Taako was brought out of his pouty musings and back into the moment as Kravitz fingers found their way to exactly the spot he had been thinking about: that little spot just above the middle of his ribcage, slightly towards his back. He shrieked in an incredibly undignified way and shot forward and fell onto the couch, instinctively trying to squirm away.

“Hello, Taako,” Kravitz’s smooth voice purred into his ear. “How are you, dear?”

“Kravitz!” Taako whined, and Kravitz chuckled and pulled away.

“Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.”

Taako huffed, but didn’t complain any further. Instead, he pulled Kravitz down with him, taking a moment to adjust their positions once Kravitz landed in his lap, and planted a kiss on his cheek. He then reclined, pulling Kravitz with him.

“How was work? Take any particularly exciting souls, today?”

Kravitz hummed and pressed his own lips to Taako’s temple. “No, not today. Though there was a necromancer case that we had to deal with, Barry actually--”

Kravitz cut himself off with a strangled breath and a near-squeal and Taako froze.

“Are you hurt?”

Kravitz cleared his throat. “Uh, no. No, I’m not hurt.”

Taako furrowed his brow. “Then what was that.”

“I’m sure I don’t know what you mean.”

“Krav.”

Kravitz sighed. “Your--your leg. I’m a little sensitive.”

Taako’s frown only deepend. He glanced down at where their legs were tangled together. Nothing seemed to be amiss, they were knotted together like they always were when cuddling like this, and Taako had been rubbing his leg and foot soothingly against Kravitz’s calf--

Wait.

Kravitz had said sensitive. That was the exact word Taako used when he was being coy or embarrassed about being ticklish. And that was a very similar reaction to the one Taako would’ve had to someone just brushing or rubbing up against That Spot on his ribs. Had finding Kravitz’s tickle spot really been so easy all along?

Taako’s giddiness must’ve shown on his face, because Kravitz quickly began trying to backtrack.

“I mean-- not like that, I’m just-- It’s just that-- I’m-- sore?”

Taako felt a smirk grow on his face. “Sore, Krav?”

“Yes, sore.”

Taako was fully grinning now. “Well, maybe a massage will help how sore you are.”

Kravitz didn’t even have a moment to protest before Taako had easily squirmed out from under him and launched toward his legs. Kravitz kicked, but it was clear he wasn’t trying very hard -- whether that was because his protests were only a front or because he didn’t want to hurt Taako, Taako wasn’t sure, but either way, it made his job easier.

He wrapped a hand around Kravitz’s ankle, pulling the leg out taut despite Kravitz’s struggles, and shoved his hand up Kravitz’s pant leg. Kravitz was yelling the second Taako’s fingers made contact with the back of his calf. Taako chuckled under his breath as Kravitz pulled a throw pillow into his chest and curled into it, wheezing and laughing the hardest Taako had ever seen him laugh. 

Kravitz had once told Taako that his laugh was the most beautiful music he had ever heard. Taako found himself disbelieving of that, now. Clearly, the most beautiful music in the world was Kravitz’s laugh.

Now he knew why Kravitz aimed for his ribs so often.

Kravitz’s eyes were squeezed shut, crinkling at the corners with smile lines and joy. Every few moments they would open to glance down at Taako, squinting with the force of his smile and shining with joy. His smile was blinding, and Taako was beginning to consider whether or not he needed sunglasses just to look at him.

Taako’s heart pounded in his chest, skipping beats here and there as it melted in his very core. If Taako hadn’t already known he was in love, this would have sealed the deal. No man, in any universe, could ever compare to Kravitz: his beauty, his intelligence, his smile, his laugh.

But eventually Taako had to have mercy, and he backed off as Kravitz’s laugh went silent. There were a few tears streaking down his warm cheeks and Taako crawled back up the couch to wipe them away. He laid back down on his side, facing Kravitz and simply watching as he came down from his giggle-high, brushing dreadlocks out of his face every few moments as they shifted with his panting.

“I absolutely adore you,” Taako murmured, startling even himself. He hadn’t meant to say that out loud.

Kravitz peeled his eyes open and gazing at Taako, letting out a chuckle that was completely separate from his post-tickling giggles. “I love you, too.”

Taako leaned in and kissed Kravitz, keeping it brief as he was still catching his breath, and settled back to continue to watch him. Kravitz wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him closer, snuggling in.

“I believe that you owe me a nap, now,” Kravitz said.

Taako hummed. “Alright, big fella, but when your back is aching from sleeping on the couch, don’t come crying to me.”

Kravitz gave him a wry smile. “I believe I’ll live.”

Taako snorted, but resisted the urge to punch him in the shoulder. That would very likely just end with him falling off the couch, and frankly, Taako had gotten pretty comfortable over the last few minutes.

Kravitz was asleep a few minutes later. As much as he wanted to watch Kravitz some more, see the peace he had in his sleep and hear the adorable little noises he would make, Taako settled down, too. It didn’t take long for his sleep to follow after.

[wizard-loving-wizard]

TAZ November Celebration - Day 5 “Rockstar”

@taznovembercelebration​ 

I have a few TAZ fics in progress, so I reeeally wanted to write something for the TAZ November Celebration! Enjoy some Taakitz, some Blupjeans, and some rock ‘n’ roll shenangians. (Rating: M)

Taako was bummed. He hadn't heard from the mysterious Kravitz all day. It wasn't unheard of for Taako to allow one of his fans to enjoy his fleeting company for one night only while he was on tour, but he really liked this Kravitz. He definitely thought he'd get a call back—that's why he’d left his number on the motel nightstand.

It was a shame. Kravitz was cute, in the excessively sexy goth-punk kinda way. He was also a dorky kind of funny, and annoyingly smart. He wrote for a local music magazine (!!!) and seemed to actually love Taako’s band. (“I didn’t come here for work, by the way. Not yet. I just love your music,” He’d said so casually, as if that wasn’t the sexiest thing a goth music writer could ever say.)

Taako had preened across the tall, sticky table, and when he pointed to the motel down the street, Kravitz was surprised but enthusiastic. They spent the night together, and it was very fun.

As his band set up for their next show at the same bar, Taako was losing hope. He hadn’t heard anything from Kravitz all day. This was their last night in Neverwinter, so it was mere hours before he would have to leave Kravitz behind for good. Plus, Taako kept catching the drummer being all romantic with his long-term girlfriend who was on tour with them, and normally that didn’t bother him, but today it made him lonely.

So Taako was already in a shitty mood when Merle marched onto the stage right before soundcheck, clacking his cellphone closed and announcing, “Bad news.”

Taako threw a nervous look over to his sister, who was messing with around with her bass on the other side of the stage. She looked up, equally confused.

“Johann isn’t coming,” Merle said.

Taako’s jaw dropped open.

“What?” Magnus asked, standing up behind his drum kit at the back of the stage.

“Dammit,” Lup muttered.

Taako glanced around at his band mates and his dejected manager. “Are you sure there’s no way he can stay?”

Merle shook his head, saying, “His mom is sick. He’s already in a taxi heading to the airport.”

“Damn.”

Magnus pouted, dropping his drumsticks against the snare sadly. “So, what? We can’t play?”

“No, not without a keyboardist.” Lup delivered the diagnosis with a grim look.

Before Taako could come up with any other ideas, they were resolved to take a break and pack everything back up in an hour. Once the rest of his band had cleared out the stage, Taako dejectedly settled his guitar into its stand. The bar was calling to him, so he hopped off the front of the stage to go get a drink.

In a surprisingly wonderful turn of events, he only made it halfway there before he stopped in his tracks, watching a familiar tall-dark-and-handsome step inside the front door. Could it be?

Taako weaved around to the front, until he made it into the purview of Kravitz’s scanning gaze. Kravitz brightened and said, “Taako!”

“Kravitz!” Taako greeted back, waving, and then remembered that this was the bitch who didn’t call him back. 

Kravitz rushed up to him flustered and said, “I’m so sorry I didn’t call.”

Taako blinked in surprise.

He looked embarrassed. “My cat shredded your note before I could put your number in my phone.”

Taking the blushing as a sign of honesty, Taako threw back his head laughing. “No way!” His stomach warmed as he stared into Kravitz’s sweet eyes and realized why he was here.

“Yes, she’s still just a kitten.”

“Awww.” Taako remembered seeing pictures of the little black kitten last night, he thought, somewhere between his second margarita and third tequila shot. He leaned in a bit closer and resisted the urge to pull on all the things hanging off Kravitz’s stupid chic black clothes. He said, “Well, thanks for coming by. But there’s no show tonight, our keyboardist bailed.”

Kravitz looked around and then pouted. “Oh no! You guys can’t play?”

“Not unless someone in this bar can read sheet music,” Taako said.

But Kravitz had an electric look in his eyes. “Actually, I might know someone who can help.”

+

Lup had drank three beers alone in the closet being passed off as a green room, and she wanted the fourth to be different. She stumbled around backstage with two glass bottles in her hands, humming the Fantasy Costco theme under her breath and searching for her brother.

She found someone else before she found Taako: a human man coming in through the back door, looking like the last person that would ever patron this dive bar. Lup waltzed down the hallway towards him, screaming, “Hey!”

He jumped, staring back at Lup with exactly the amount of fear she wanted everyone to have when they first met her.

She smirked and walked closer. “You lost, thug?”

“Um,” The guy said, giving a cautious eye to the bottles in her hands. “No, actually, my friend told me—are you in the band?”

Lup snorted. “In it? Please, I practically am the band. I’m Lup,” She said, and juggled the beers into one hand so she could extend the other.

He shook it hesitantly. “Barry. I heard you needed a keyboardist?”

“Yes!” Lup jumped in excitement, almost losing both bottles, but managing to cradle them close. “You play piano? Can you read sheet music?” Barry was cute, and he was looking cuter every second.

“Yes, but—”

“Sick! Come with me,” Lup instructed, and grabbed Barry’s arm to pull him towards the green room.

“Have you—”

“Go in here.” Lup pushed him into the closet, following close behind him. She set the beers down and starting rifling through a bag for the folder she needed. When she found it, she slammed it onto the table in front of Barry. “Here’s your music.”

“I…” Barry trailed off, glancing through the folder experimentally. Then he looked at Lup. “Do you know where Kravitz is?”

“I have no idea who that is, buddy,” Lup announced happily. But Barry looked sad, so she revised, “How about you stay here and learn your chords, and I’ll go find him.”

Barry sat in the creaky folding chair and muttered, “Fine.”

Lup started to head out, ready to totally forget who she was looking for, but Barry stopped her.

“Wait, what’s the name of your band?”

Lup furrowed her brow. “It’s in there,” She said, pointing to the music he was looking at. “The Astral Complainers.”

“Huh,” Barry said quietly, and then smiled at Lup. “That’s pretty good.”

Lup smirked. “Thanks.” She almost darted out of the room, but hung off the doorframe to tell him, “If I find everyone, soundcheck starts in 10.”

As she skipped down the hall towards the stage, she heard Barry call after her: “If?”

+

“Fuck…shit,” Taako swore as Kravitz kissed his neck. The tour van was a pretty terrible spot to make out, but as annoying as the limited space was, there was something about being stuck in Kravitz’s lap that Taako definitely liked. As Kravitz ran his hands under Taako’s t-shirt, Taako squeezed his arms tighter around Kravitz’s neck.

Kravitz looked up and licked his lips. Taako couldn’t even take in a breath before he had to kiss him.

And that was when the door swung open.

“Ahh!” Taako shrieked at the sound. He jumped and turned and leaned all at once, sending himself tumbling to the floor, seeing his sister’s angry face on the way down. Shit shit shit shit shit, Taako swore inside his head, enjoying his new view of the dirty van carpet.

He heard Kravitz say, “Taako! Are you okay?”

Taako struggled to untangle his legs from the seat. “Ow. Yes! I’m fine!” He lied.

“You must be Kravitz,” Lup’s voice said, and Taako had no idea how she knew that, but it couldn’t be good that she did. He twisted and turned on the ground, trying to free himself.

“Yes, I’m—yes. Did Taako tell you…?”

“No. Barry’s here.”

“Great!” Taako announced, thought it was mostly muffled by the floor. He finally pulled himself up onto the seat next to Kravitz. “I saved the show!”

But Lup was not impressed. “Nu-uh. No boys in the van, no exceptions. You know that.”

“I mean, Kravitz saved the show!” Taako reached over to grab Kravitz’s arm, smiling sweetly. “I had to thank him.”

The way Kravitz smiled back, Taako couldn’t stop himself from leaning across the aisle, caressing his arm softly, and—

“Hey! Cut it out!” Lup said, and he felt a smack on his shoulder.

Taako’s face warmed as he looked back at his sister. “Sorry.”

“Whatever. Let’s go, we have soundcheck, now.”

Taako was already reaching for Kravitz’s hand when he said, “I should come and thank Barry.”

Taako smiled. “Perfect.”

+

Soundcheck went well. Really well. Afterwards, as Taako ran off to canoodle with the Hot Topic model some more, Lup was thinking that Barry’s skills far surpassed just reading sheet music. She went to corner him at the back of the stage, and got Magnus’s blessing of a wink and a swift exit.

Lup hadn’t realized she was so obvious. She knew she shouldn’t have kept turning around so much while they were playing. Taako probably had no idea anyways; with the handsome silken vampire hanging around, he had the biggest hearts in his eyes she’d ever seen.

“Hey. Barry. Good job.”

He smiled. “Thanks. I hope it sounds okay, let me know if—”

“It sounds great,” Lup promised, leaning gently on the keyboard and giving him a little smile. Water, she remembered, for her tipsy-ness and her voice. She took a drink from her water bottle and then said, “You’re good, do you work in music?”

Barry laughed nervously. “Yes, but, not this kind of music.”

“Aw,” Lup teased, batting her eyelashes at him. “Do you work in pop music, Barry?”

 “No,” Barry said. “I write for the classical music section of the Neverwinter Music Magazine.”

Lup just stared at him for a second, a bit transfixed at his little attitude. She stood up straight, bit back her smirk, and said, “Okay. Classical. That’s fancy.” Then she had a thought. “Is that how you know Kravitz? Through—”

Lup got distracted when she noticed Barry staring at something behind her. She turned to look out to the bar area, where Taako was posing against a wall wearing Kravitz’s black cape, and Kravitz was standing two feet back taking pictures of him on a phone.

Lup looked back at Barry, who was smiling and shaking his head again, and she finished her question, asking, “Work?”

“Look at me,” Barry said, gesturing to his plain t-shirt and jeans. “If he didn’t have to sit next to me for eight hours straight every day, there’s no way he would be friends with me.”

Lup giggled. “He writes about, what, steampunk remixes?”

“Wrong again. Try good ol’ rock ‘n’ roll.”

Lup clicked her tongue. “You boys are something else here in Neverwinter.” She watched Barry give her an awkward look.

He said, “How long are you in town, by the way?”

“Tonight’s our last night,” Lup said. She shrugged, stepping even closer to the keyboard and leaning over it to tell Barry, “Gotta make the most of it while it lasts.” She smirked and backed away.

Turning around to look out at the crowd, Lup set down her water bottle next to her bass. She readjusted her mic stand, watching a group of six more people flood into the bar.

She walked back over to Barry and caught him just before he made it offstage. “Hey,” She said, stopping him. “Have a drink before the show. Just a beer. It’ll help with the nerves.”

Barry stared at her blankly for a moment, and then claimed, “I’m not nervous.”

“Barry, I have eyes. I can see that you’re about to shit your pants.” Lup pulled a coin out of her pocket and tried to hand it to him. “On me. I can’t have one, I’ve already had three.”

“Oh, no, it’s—”

“Barry,” Lup stopped him. “I’m a famous rockstar. I can afford it.” She pushed the gold into his hand and pushed him offstage.

+

Barry was standing at the back of the stage, hitting chords on someone else’s keyboard, and watching Lup rock out on her bass as she sang for the crowd. Her voice pure and strong, her hands playing deftly, her hair whipping around, she was the most beautiful person Barry had ever seen. He watched her, useless and trapped behind the keyboard, heart jumping around every time she turned around to come play next to him or just to wink at him. Barry liked this band. He liked this crowd more than he thought he would. And he liked Lup.

Maybe not as much as Kravitz liked Taako, Barry considered, watching his coworker jump and scream in front of Taako. Kravitz had been frantic that morning at work, rambling about a bar, an elf, and Coconut Milk (his completely black cat). When Barry had calmed him down enough to explain what happened, Kravitz acted like Taako was his soulmate. Maybe he was right, Barry thought, watching Taako shake and shimmy with his guitar, obviously staring only at Kravitz. Whatever was happening there, he was happy his friend seemed so happy.

Weird that he was then crushing on Taako’s twin sister, but maybe Barry didn’t really care. All he felt like caring about was watching Lup jump around in her fishnets, shorts, and ripped black shirt. He felt the bass deep in his stomach as he played, and tried not to think about how much fun he was having.

+

They played loud and rocked hard. The audience loved it, and Lup ended the show sweaty and high on adrenaline. This was when she felt on top of the world. The crowd roared in her face, still cheering, and she stood to watch it happen, swinging her bass back and forth. She smirked down at the fans right in front of her, and then over at Taako, who was glowing.

Lup remembered herself and turned around, immediately walking to the back of the stage. She stepped around the keyboard and pulled Barry into a one-armed hug. “Good show. You killed it,” She said, giving him a small smile, and she liked the nervous little smile she got from Barry in return.

+

“Great show, you guys,” Merle told them backstage. The five of them were a bit cramped for space in the tiny area, and Lup accidentally jabbed her elbow into Barry’s side.

“Ow!” He said.

“Lup, stop that,” Merle said, and flipped through his pages until he found the right one. “Right. Here’s the schedule for tonight.”

Lup stood up straighter and looked over at Barry to teasingly glare at him. 

“We pack up in an hour, I need you back here, in an hour,” Merle repeated, for their benefit. “Then I’ll let you know what time we’re leaving.”

“Yes, sir,” Magnus said.

Merle looked up at them expectantly and said, “Don’t die, don’t kill anyone else, and don’t get married.” And then he was gone.

“What an inspirational man,” Taako remarked.

Magnus said, “Great show, Barry. Thanks. Gotta go!” and ran towards the bar, presumably to tackle his girlfriend at the merch table. 

The door hadn’t even swung shut when someone else grabbed it and walked through to backstage—Kravitz. “Taako!” He said.

“Kravitz!” Taako shouted.

Kravitz ran down the hall, crying to Taako, “You were so good, it was such a good show,” and then they were kissing, a shiny black cape flying around and jewelry clacking together. 

Lup took a step back to give them a bit more space, and she gave Barry a silly look over her shoulder as she squished closer to him.

Once Kravitz could pull his face away, he rushed over to Barry, saying, “Barry, you were so good, you did amazing.” He wrapped his arms around Barry’s head in an interesting-looking hug, and Lup just stepped back to glance at Taako.

He was also leaning back, and giving her a concerned looking and mouthing, BARRY?

Lup just shrugged, and nodded.

“—you are a rockstar, Barry, I always knew it—”

Then, Lup held up a hand at Taako. Then two fingers. And then mouthed, GOTH. CLOWN.

Taako held up his middle finger, and Lup flipped him off right back, and that was the exact second Kravitz and Barry turned around.

“What—”

“Nothing,” Taako said, and starting pulling Kravitz towards the bar. “Remember, we’re—”

“To, going to the—”

“The place.”

“Yeah. Bye!” Kravitz yelled, and they disappeared through the door.

When the door slammed back shut, Lup looked over at Barry.

He gave her a nervous smile and said, “Thanks for letting me play with you, and thanks for helping me.” He motioned to the back door. “I should get—”

“You can’t leave,” Lup interrupted. “Have a drink with me.”

Barry looked surprised. “It’s pretty late, I—”

“Please?” Lup asked nicely.

+

Forty-five minutes later, Lup and Barry were each on their third cocktails. They were at a low table by the bar, and the music and crowd were defeneningly loud. Lup threw back her drink and stared intently at Barry. “I don’t want to shout!” She shouted.

He blinked. “What?”

“You look like a girl scout!”

“...I can’t hear you!”

Lup rolled her eyes. “Do you want to make out?”

“Yes,” Barry said.

Lup stared at him, wondering if her half-joking question had worked or if he was fucking with her. She stared at his discerning, hesitant face, and couldn’t tell a thing. So she shifted closer to him, leaning in until her face was inches away from his. 

He stared into her eyes.

“Sure about that, Mozart?”

Barry didn’t say anything, and he didn’t move.

So Lup kissed him, squishing their noses together and holding him still in the bouncing bar. Barry pushed forwards and reached for her shoulder, so she held his face and kissed him deeper. 

“Barry,” She whispered contentedly when they readjusted and broke apart for half a second. She kissed him, pulling him as close as possible. Barry kissed her back steady and gentle, seeming fairly sure of himself for a man who tried to escape out the back door an hour ago.

+

Lup arrived backstage exactly when Merle expected her, towing Barry behind her, holding her hand. They joined Magnus and Julia, who were closely intertwined, and Kravitz and Taako, looking a bit too pleased with themselves.

Merle looked at Lup’s hand hanging tightly onto Barry and said, “Oh, jeez.”

Kravitz held up a little thumbs-up to Barry.

“Okay, look,” Merle explained, “The owner had some cancellations and now she has a few more open spots this week. She wants us to stay ‘til Thursday.”

Taako gasped in delight, but Magnus said, “But we don’t have Johann!”

Everyone looked over at Barry, so Lup turned to him, and smiled. “Whaddya say, will you play with us?” She asked.

“Um, yeah—yes,” Barry said.

Lup laughed and hugged him. She heard Taako and Magnus cheering. She gave Barry one last squeeze around the shoulders and let him go, turning back to face Merle. “Yeah, I think we should stay here a bit longer.”

“Let’s do it!” Magnus yelled.

“The ayes have it,” Merle declared. “Forget tear-down, you are officially free to par-tay.”

They all whooped and cheered, and it felt like New Year’s Eve when Lup pulled Barry in to kiss his cheek under a karaoke night poster.

-

Thank you so much for reading! If you’d like to see more of my writing, all my info is here.

[mortaki]

Fic Recs For Famished Readers #2

Haha, it’s been awhile since I did this. But I decided that since I haven’t posted anything to my fic blog yet, I’d make another one to fill the gap. There’s still only going to be 5 recs because this is surprisingly hard lol.

Here’s some stuff for:

TAZ (The Adventure Zone)

All the Things You Prayed For by @anonymousalchemist and @marywhal Muiti-Chapter; Completed; 296K; Taakitz, Blupjeans(background)

Taako's been dead for two years. Taako's been dead for seven decades. Depends how you count it.

Her brother is dead and Lup’s a whole lifetime into the future. It’s a brave new world out there and she’s trying not to think about it too hard. She gets the feeling that if she starts thinking, she won’t ever stop, and she can’t afford to be out of commission. She's the only Captain America the new century’s got.

Lup is Cap, Taako fell from a train, and eventually all ghosts come in from the cold.  You guessed it—it's a TAZ/Marvel shakeup baby. We're bringing the party to you.

This one is pretty popular, but I include it because I really hesitated on reading it. Don’t make the same mistake I made. It’s a wonderful story by wonderful people and it has everything you could ask for. Angst that makes you want to rip your heart out and never feel again? Check. Epic assassin spy romance? Check. Pet Roomba? Also check.

Hot Single Dads in Your Area by Weevilo707(@kravkalackin) Multi-Chapter; Completed; 94K; Taakitz

Taako needed some extra cash, and tutoring was a pretty low stress job that fit his schedule. It wasn't even hard, he just met with a kid a couple times a week and helped with their homework and whatever. It was a pretty good job, and the kid he landed with wasn't half bad. Taako didn't like kids, but he guessed Agnes or Angus or whatever was alright.

He didn't plan on getting attached to the job though. Or to Angus.

Or to Angus's really hot single dad.

This was one of the first fics I read by Weev and I haven’t looked back since. This fic is funny and has great character interactions and ANGO. Overall, pretty great, and if you like this, you’ll like a lot of Weevilo’s other stuff too. Check them out!

Marywhale’s Sleeping Beauty AU by @marywhal Series; Completed; 2 works; 26K; Taakitz

In which Taako breaks into the abandoned royal palace, kisses a dead body, and discovers true love.

Alternatively: In which Kravitz is cursed, takes a really long nap, and wakes up to find his true love burgling his house.

Haha, so this is technically cheating because it’s a series, but I had to include it. Another work by @marywhal and ironically, much shorter than some of these other recs. I don’t even know what to say about this one. It’s funny and cute with a little serious. Plus you can never get enough of Taako trying on outfits.

The (College) Adventures of Angus McDonald by @marywhal  Multi-Chapter; Ongoing (Kinda); 13K; Gen

At age eleven, Angus McDonald helped save the world. Now he's thirteen and it's time to get back to basics—rounding out his education with a degree from the newly opened Academy of Arcane Sciences.

I swear I read more than just marywhal, they just happened to make a lot of my favorites. And this one has Angus in college! Can you really blame me? I go back to read this one all the time because it is hilarious and the characters feel so alive I can almost taste the Fantasy Soylent. Angus’ friends feel like canon and I always forget they aren’t. A great read, and if you pick only one on this list, this is the one to go for.

No Illusions by @herbgerblin One-Shot; 1.8K; Gen

“Entertainment!” Someone shouted from the crowd. One by one, more and more voices demanded some form of entertainment. And the caravan members did their best, though there wasn’t much beyond well-worn ballads or sonnets. There followed much shouting and booing. For a while it appeared that the entertainment would come more from the hecklers than the actual performers. Davenport felt like this experience had put a damper on his peaceful evening, and he nearly resigned himself to tuck in early.

Finally someone shouted, “All right, enough of this dribble. We got respectable people in our midst. Don’t want them to think we’re a bunch of back-valley goobers. Taako! Lup! Give em a show!”

Ah, I love this one. I don’t normally go for one-shots (as you can probably tell by this point), but this one is special. You don’t often see glimpses of Taako and Lup’s lives before the IPRE like this and this story makes me wish you did. I think it’s best if you read it yourself to understand. Herbgerb also made some art for this and it’s wonderful and really sets the tone. Make sure to check that out too.

[castcharmperson]

Taakitz: Fashion Disaster

My first published taz fic and I’m so excited it’s for @taakitzweek​! Here’s day one, a rather loose interpretation of the prompt, featuring Fantasy Halloween, cats, and the crime of eating frozen pizza. No content warning for this one.

The autumn festivals were hard to describe. Well, describing them was easy- harvest festivals early in the season, several days dedicated to Pan and other deities, and everything concluded with The Haunting of the Last Leaves. It would be more accurate to say it was hard for Kravitz to determine how he felt about the autumn festivals. They were usually beautifully, with most of Faerun turning various shades of orange and red. The wind was crisp and refreshing but not biting; not that temperature really mattered to Kravitz, but it was nice to go home and not wait thirty minutes in front of the fire before Taako would come within five feet of him. The harvests were wonderful family events, even Merle’s Pan-preaching felt a little more tolerable this time of year.

It was The Haunting that Kravitz mostly took trouble with. Taako said there had been something on his home plane that was similar - All Hallow’s Eve.

“Going door to door for treats, throwing eggs at the wagons of people you hate, bats, ghosts, black cats,” Taako had been holding Poe, their cat, as he spoke, lifting the small bundle of black fur as he talked. “Yeah, it’s like Lup and Barry’s favorite festival.”

Taako was hard to read, even after five years of living together after The Day of Story and Song (which now had a festival of its own during the early days of summer), but it was clear to see that The Haunting, or All Hallow’s Eve, was one of his favorite festivals too.

Kravitz tried to get into the spirit, he really did, but in the weeks leading up to The Haunting of the Last Leaves, his job always kept him busier than usual. Necromancers loved the early twilight, loved donning masks and taking whatever they needed to perform their crimes. After he and Taako had talked, he already worked out with the Raven Queen to make sure Barry and Lup had the day off, but that meant Kravitz would be pulling double shifts. Which he didn’t mind, but the closer they got to the date of the festival, the more Kravitz found himself wanting to celebrate with Taako.

Every doorway, arch, and awning of their home was lined with orange glowing charms. Several illusion spells had been set up around the lawn and there was a permanent state of fog. Taako had already crafted a perfect Caleb Cleveland costume for Angus, had taken to wearing sweaters and skirts with skulls on them. The smell of spiced apple cider was a new constant that Kravitz had grown fond of.

They still had a week before The Haunting, but Kravitz figured it wasn’t too late to contribute to the festivities.

“No. Oh my gods, no. Absolutely unacceptable.”

“Bluebelle, sweetie, just stay still.”

“Kravitz Queen, our daughter is named Blueberry Scone and you know that.”

Kravitz let go of the kitten with a sigh. She shook off the flower crown he’d placed around her ears and ran off. “You know the Raven Queen isn’t actually my mother, right?”

“One, yes she is, you take a Candlenights card photo with her and Istus literally every year. And two, what exactly are you doing to our cats?” Taako’s hands were on his hips. He’d maybe be a little less intimidating if Kravitz wasn’t sitting on the floor, but right now, the usually slight elf seemed rather imposing.

“Cats? Plural? Babe, I’m pretty sure I only had Blueberry with me.”

Taako laughed, loud and dangerous, tilting backwards slightly before the motion rebounded him forward and he was right in Kravitz’s face. “You’re shit at accents and you’re shit at lying.”

“I know at least five thousand former necromancers who would disagree.” Through the faux anger, Taako was still adorable. His nose scrunched up and his eyes were alight, and Kravitz found himself smiling.

Then he had a lap full of Taako and that smile became a grin.

“Ugh,” Taako sprawled himself out, lamenting against whatever strive Kravitz had apparently put them through. “I found tiny costumes all over the house. And Half Baked was crying at me because you put socks on him.”

“Sergeant Pepper liked the socks when I first put them on.”

“No!” Taako whacked Kravitz’s shoulder with the back of his palm. Even if Kravitz wasn’t a construct, it would hardly feel like anything. “You named Poe and Tchaikovsky after your favorite nerd shit and I respect that. You will call Half Baked and Blueberry Scone by their actual names.”

Kravitz was tempted to point out that Taako frequently referred to their skeletal cat as Baby Bones, Deluxe Gay, and Xylophone. “Okay, you caught me,” he said instead. “I wanted to get into the festival spirit.”

He dissipated his skin for a second, showing his skull, and Taako whacked his shoulder again as he laughed. “That is your worst joke. That joke is illegal.”

When the laughter died down, Kravitz spoke again. “You know The Haunting isn’t my favorite festival, but you seemed excited about it and now I… well I’m a bit disappointed I won't be here to celebrate with you. I thought getting costumes for the cats would be a nice surprise.”

“Sap,” Taako was still smiling and Kravitz would tell all the illegal jokes in the world in order to keep seeing that smile. “But okay, nice surprise except for you picked the worst costumes for our children.”

“That’s what you’re upset about?”

“Of course that’s what I’m upset about! Was Blueberry going to be a druid?”

“Yes, I thought the crowns they sold a Fantasy Petco matched her fur nicely.” Kravitz picked up the fallen string of flowers, toying with it.

Taako snatched it out of his hands and tossed it down the hall. “No! Who does she hate more than anyone in the world? Merle. And she is a smart girl, she knows what Merle does with plants. No way, not for my Blueberry.”

Kravitz sighed. “Okay, then Blueberry can go as a mummy and Sarg- Half Baked can go as a druid.”

“You were going to dress Half Baked as a mummy?? Kravitz! You work with the dead, you have to know that insensitive.”

“He’s a cat. And he’s not even undead - he’s just hairless.”

“Ugh!” Taako rolled out of his lap, crossing his legs to sit across from Kravitz. “What other horrors did you inflict on my babies?”

“Oh, so they’re your babies now, but they’re mine when they want to be fed at three in the morning?”

“Kravitz,” but even his sharp tone was softened as he tried and failed to hold back a grin.

“Okay, Blueberry was going as a druid, Half Baked as a mummy. I was going to give Poe little raven wings and Tchaikovsky was going to get a wizard hat.”

“Oh hun.” Taako rolled to his feet and offered a hand to Kravitz. “You are so lucky you have me. Leave you alone for five minutes and you are a complete fashion disaster.”

Kravitz took the hand, letting Taako pull him up and take them both into the kitchen. He started on dinner, pulling out different pots and pans and grabbing a thawed ham from the fantasy refrigerator. Kravitz found counter space that was far enough out of Taako’s wide work range and hopped up to sit on it.

“Okay, here’s why all those ideas are terrible. Blueberry Scone, nothing plant related. Half Baked will probably overheat if you put too much on him, which is probably why he was crying. More importantly, he cuddles with Baby Bones more than anyone else and Baby Bones will be sad if Half Baked isn’t all fleshy. The two of them hate blankets, so fabric that’s attached to Half Baked will make both of them cry. And for a cat without lungs, Baby Bones is loud.”

“His name is Tchaikovsky,” Kravitz pouted, not ready to surrender that Taako had a good point.

“Summon a book because you better take notes.” He started whisking something, bowl on his hip. Kravitz actually did summon a notebook and a quill as Taako continued. “Let Blueberry be a mummy, the socks will keep her from slipping into her ghost form. Half Baked should be painted with some hypoallergenic makeup to look like a pumpkin.

“Now Poe as a raven is clever but it’s boring. Black cat, black bird. Come on, babe, you’re better than that. Plus, the little gremlin will wriggle out of whatever you put him in. Drop him in some flour, I’ll transmute it blue, and stick a single Pom Pom on his head. Then Poe is a blueberry and it’s funny because we have a different cat named Blueberry.”

Kravitz laughed softly at that and Taako beamed. “And of course Tch’gay-sky should be illusioned with a black cloak and scythe and go as you for All Hallow’s.”

“Me?”

“Well yeah, he’s not a wizard. He’s clearly a baby reaper. Plus, if his costume is an illusion, he can’t accidentally eat it and have it fall through his bones.” Whatever Taako was whisking was poured into a pan and put in the oven. He was starting on the ham when Kravitz hopped off the counter and wrapped his arms around Taako’s waist.

“You’re so smart.”

“I know.”

Kravitz grinned, pressing his lips against Taako’s neck before taking a step back. “Alright, I guess I better return some things to Fantasy Petco.”

“You do that. Dinner will be ready in an hour.”

“And actually, now that I think about it, I’ve got so much reaper work. You know how this season is.” Kravitz started inching out of the kitchen. And Taako froze.

“What did you do.”

“Did I mention you’re the smartest, most incredible man I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet, in life and undeath?”

“Yes, and you can say it a million more times to make up for whatever other crime you’ve committed.” Taako narrowed his eyes, trying to piece together what Kravitz could have possibly done that he needed to skip out on dinner. It wasn’t really a big deal, Kravitz did usually work through dinner. But he wasn’t usually so skittish about it. Acting on a hunch, Taako opened the fantasy refrigerator again.

“Kravitz Queen, you did not!”

“I did.” At least he had the decency to look sheepish.

“That was for Angus. You know, a child, who won't eat anything other than trash food if he’s in a particular mood.”

“Maybe I was in a particular mood?”

“At least tell me you burned a spellslot on reheating it. Kravitz, I swear to Istus…”

“It was cold pizza and it was delicious. Iloveyousomuchbye!” There was a rip in the fabric of reality and Kravitz made his escape.

“No! Oh my gods, no, absolutely unacceptable! Kravitz!!”

Thanks for reading! Check out my charmedwords tag for more taz fics!