#this only fuels au shipping LOL

[ultravioart]

THIS WAS NOT A FEVER DREAM IT'S A REAL POST?!?! WHAT DOES THIS EVEN MEAN Bonus

[darlingpoppet]

Fave Fics of 2023!

A list of some of my favorite fics I read in 2023, though note not all of them are from this year. I feel like I didn’t get to do as much reading as I would’ve liked but I guess at least I was still able to put together a decent list! This isn’t a ranking, I listed everything in alphabetical order.

a bit of earth by @elemmacil (patrochilles)

Character study of Hadesgame Achilles & his time in the house of hades, pre-canon. Also, Zagreus takes care of a plant & it’s so wholesome. Lovely, atmospheric, and fueled by vibes, I adore the secret garden inspiration which slots into the hadesgame-verse sooo perfectly. This is great for the sad girlies like me who recently re-watched the movie from the 90s and thought “what if the whole movie was just us watching lord craven being a sad, pining dilf the whole time?” *clicks tongue* noice.

A Reasonable Explanation by stygius (pza)

I already read On The Ropes by red_smear last year so it doesn’t get to be on this list but I did go into 2023 continuing to seek out some of the “old classics” for this ship (yanno how reading fics that were published before joining the fandom sometimes feels like consuming media that existed before you were born? lol) this one is fun for the subversion on the “relaying messages” trope and taking god worshipping to literal (sexyy) extremes… I think if you wanted a good pza introductory fic this would be a good place to start!

Debased by youcouldbeagod (patrochilles)

Found this on a whim one day while clicking through the tags, as it is pretty much the only dedicated Troilus & Cressida Patrochilles fic on AO3 and it is ＢＲＩＬＬＩＡＮＴ！ The story is simply that Thersites stumbles upon Achilles & Patroclus having sex in their tent and he provides his usual witty and scathing commentary throughout. It truly reads like Shakespeare in prose form, I could easily imagine it being staged, it’s like a deleted scene from the play! The ending is also pitch perfect and still lives in my head rent-free. If you’re familiar with Shakespeare’s version of the characters definitely give it a read.

isn’t it romantic by infinitesle (dillydallybutterfly) (pza)

I was going to recommend a patrochilles fic by infinitesle that I love which is you are the currents that are pulling me onward but I’m pretty sure I read it in 2022 so it doesn’t count, sadge. So instead I’ll recommend another lovely morsel, a pza fic set in the jazz age au that a bunch of us in the pza channel of the hades lounge discord collectively came up with. Idk this might be a “you had to be there” kind of story but I think it still paints a pretty picture and if it inspires anyone else to contribute to the AU I wouldn’t complain. I’ll make my own proper contribution eventually, mark my words!

not the desperate type by @baejax-the-great (patrochilles, side hector/patroclus)

Baejax is well-known for their long fics which are all bangers ofc but personally my favorite piece of theirs this year was actually this oneshot in which Patroclus is engaged to Hector and then cheats on him with his ex, Achilles. They get caught in the act and the results are… predictable, lol. I love that it hews close to the tone of the Iliad where it’s no good/bad guys, just flawed humans making flawed choices and the AITA version of this story would totally be given an Everyone Sucks Here verdict, I’m sure. I’m STILL thinking about the ending even months & months later. Oh and of course, the sex is chef’s kiss!

One Night Of Chaos by Luddleston (pza)

This was technically a Dec 2022 read but I’m making an exception for it because I feel like it’s the flavor of pza I had been craving all along when I was reading through some of the older classics for this ship and it was key in helping fuel the inspiration for my own pza fics this year. There’s just something about Zag being invited into Patrochilles’ little world to watch their charming rapport with one another & being disgustingly in love that’s PEAK CONTENT for me and I loved this spin where he gets to meet them while they’re still alive, pre-heartbreak. Basically everything about it is my personal ur-pza text so if you’ve liked any of my own pza I’m sure you would like this one too. The sequel is also fun and was properly a 2023 read for me so I’ll mention it too haha.

Presentation by @sonderlivra (eruri)

Judging by the time stamp of my comment, I started my 2023 off right by reading this fic by one of my all-time favorite eruri authors! This is an omegaverse fic with a twist, it is well-written, hilarious, and had me guessing up until the very end. I would literally recommend anything this author writes (including the asscreed fics she & other beloved friend @zorthania have been writing this year… I don’t go here but these are my blorbo in-laws and I care them uwu)

sacramentum by fresco_k (eruri)

I didn’t take the time to read many other eruri fics this year unfortunately but I did get to beta some fics for this year’s eruri matchmaking event and this was one of them: a gladiator AU set in Ancient Rome and it was so serendipitous that I got to help with something so close to my current hyperfixation! The premise is very intriguing and it’s off to a lovely start… not to mention the author is a sweetie who knows & has a lot of passion for the time period… so check it out!

the slow mending by meikuree (pikuhan)

I finally got to dip my toes into some pikuhan fics this year and luckily my first one was a real banger! This was such a lovely little canon-compliant Hanji character study along with an exploration of their relationship with Pieck representing the two sides coming together and it was so beautifully written. It feels like the perfect introductory fic for the ship just in general because it really highlights everything that’s attractive about it! Love it!

tight fit by naxtique (zagchilles)

naxtique’s fics pretty much all scratch that itch for hadesgame dead dove of the dub/non-con variety, oftentimes laced with angst. Their particular flavor of Zagchilles with slave-to-his-passion, guilt-stricken Achilles is so compelling it always makes me stare at the wall thinking about it. And this is my favorite one, in which Achilles gets sex-pollen’d and ends up in a compromising position with Zagreus. Another one where the ending haunts my dreams (in a good way). Not for everyone obviously but if this sort of thing is up your alley, it’s great.

you’re a walking disaster, and yet— by @johaerys-writes (patrochilles)

Another patrochilles GOAT well-known for their serial longfics, and this year I’ve been enjoying their modern AU Patrochilles where the two of them grow up together in rural Greece. This one has probably my favorite ever synthesis of takes on Achilles’ character I’ve read so far—brilliant, autistic, and gender fluid. It’s definitely an extreme slow burn and gets pretty angsty & messy at times but it’s also devastatingly realistic & relatable and speaks to me a whole lot :> currently ongoing, definitely worth diving into!

[mamamittens]

Oh, Sweet Child of Mine (Pt. 15 END)

Platonic Yandere Whitebeard Crew (Ft. Others) & Reader Insert

Main|First|Previous

Warnings: Yandere behavior. Mild spoilers for Gear 6 iykyk. If yandere content makes you uncomfortable, please do block the tag 'oh sweet child of mine' as well as any variation of 'one piece yandere' that you feel is necessary.

Aside from AU romance endings with characters per request, this is the end! Marco and Luffy confirmed, btw. Now, I'm going to be playing Tears of the Kingdom so my responses will be slow lol

But thanks everyone for being here and enjoying this fic until now, expect it to be on AO3 soon!

Word Count: 2,043

It was a minor miracle that Ace’s little ship made it through the blast that rocked Banaro island. Likely because it was made to handle Ace’s normal fire-shenanigans. It didn’t exactly have room for three on it, but that’s only if you’re of the opinion that people need personal space. Something that, as someone who has been thoroughly grounded, you apparently didn’t need. Marco held you to his chest as he sat in front of the ‘bucket’ where Ace fueled the engine with his fire. You suspect that he was using his phoenix legs to hold into the sides but couldn’t confirm with your poor eyesight.

If he wasn’t partially transformed to hold you both in place it was impressive considering the breakneck speed Ace pushed the Striker at.

You drifted off several times only to find that you three were still traveling. It was only when you woke up starving that you saw Ace lean Striker towards a landmass.

“We’ve made really good time. This island has an optometrist so we can get you new glasses.” Marco spoke into your ear softly despite the wind whipping by you. Not feeling like fighting to be heard, you nodded your head.

Ace expertly pulled the boat up to the docks, tying it off and offering his hand for Marco and yourself. After well over a day at sea, you were a bit shaky but pleased to find you didn’t trip. The docks blurred into what you assumed to be a marketplace, both Marco and Ace finding a reason to keep a hand on you as they guided your path into a shop.

You were utterly relieved when you were handed a new pair of glasses after a few tests. The thick lenses shifting the impressionist blurs into sharp contrasting shapes once again.

Marco gave Ace a sly look.

“You know, I thought I saw the Thousand Sunny on the other side of the docks.” Marco mused, watching Ace’s face abruptly light up.

“We should go see them!” Ace looked at Marco in excitement. When he nodded in acceptance, Ace grabbed your hand and pulled you along eagerly. “You’ll finally get to meet my little brother properly! Lu’s got a great crew you know—his chef is top notch, I’m sure he won’t mind making us something to eat!”

You laughed, using your free hand to make sure your glasses didn’t bounce off your face so soon after getting them.

“Do you even know if they’re on board?!” You asked as Ace tore through the town in his rush.

“Eh, it’s fine! Luffy won’t mind if I drop by!” Ace proclaimed. You looked behind you to find Marco gone. Hopefully he decided to just fly there rather than fight to keep up through the crowds.

The Thousand Sunny was a pretty big ship with a cute lion’s head on the mast with a pointy mane like the sun. The gangplank was out so Ace just steamed up it with you in tow.

“LUFFY!” Ace screamed out, whipping his head around as Marco landed on deck with an indulgent smile. There was a crash somewhere below and thudding steps.

“ACE!” Straw Hat slammed open the door with a wide, excited grin.

“Stop BREAKING SHIT, LUFFY!” A woman screamed from below, quickly following her captain. Straw Hat wasn’t listening as he launched himself at Ace, arms stretching out and wrapping around his brother as he laughed. Ace gripped his brother’s red vest, swaying the two of them in loose circles.

“Did ya get ‘em? Did ya?!” Straw Hat asked childishly as a young woman with orange hair emerged from below, panting for breath from running.

“Sure did, Lu! See, I—We—Even rescued our crewmate.” You raised your hand and smiled.

“Sup.” Straw Hat’s eyes were wide as he finally noticed you were there.

“Eh?!? What happened to you?!” Straw Hat asked, arm stretching out to drag you in close. While you looked way better than before, you were still wrapped with bandages to keep your healing wounds from getting irritated from the high speeds of the Striker. Marco had been strangely dragging out the healing process—or possibly you were just that exhausted that your fruit didn’t properly share the powers just yet.

Straw Hat’s fruit still thrummed against your skin. A calling of the drums that resonated in your chest with that snappy, elastic taste that made you want to smile.

“Well, I got launched out of a sudden volcano and then hitched a ride in Mao’s mouth.” You explained, tolerating the gentle manhandling as Luffy squeezed you into the hug with Ace.

“Mao?” The young lady asked.

“Yeah. Mao. They might be here, actually. Baby~!” You called out shamelessly.

There was a deep, resonating call from the sea as Mao rose up. You squirmed free and ran to the side of the ship.

“Mmmmaaaoooo~! Maaooo~!” Mao called out, leaning down for gentle pets.

“Baby! Pretty baby, lookachu! Ahah~!” You laughed, stroking their nose as Straw Hat laughed behind you.

“Cool! Ace! You didn’t tell me they were friends with a sea king!” Straw Hat ran up and reached out his hand.

“L-Luffy!? Don’t get close to it! You don’t know if it’ll eat you! Can somebody talk sense into him!?”

You grabbed Straw Hat’s hand and gently placed it under Mao’s jaw.

“Mao’s a baby still, so their scales aren’t completely hardened yet. A little scratching right here feels nice cause that’s usually where they start shedding.” You explained softly, Straw Hat absolutely enraptured with a wide, beaming grin. He looked back at his brother.

“This is a baby?!” Ace shrugged his shoulders helplessly and you grinned.

“Yep! Sea Kings grow a lot before they reach maturity. It’s when they grow whiskers that you know they’re fully grown!” You declared.

“Wow! How do you know that?!” You chuckled, pushing up your glasses.

“My home island was near a sea king nest!” You laughed, “But they didn’t tend to go near the island, so we just knew by proxy.”

“I heard we had guests?” A blond man ducked his head out, catching sight of Ace before sighing. “I’ll fire up the stove. Two Ds… sheesh.”

“Join my crew!” Straw Hat asked with starry eyes. You saw Marco and Ace stiffen with Ace looking conflicted. You couldn’t help but laugh and smile wryly.

“No can do. I’m grounded. Sides, you guys aren’t ready for the Grand Line yet.” You tipped your head to the side, expanding your still sore senses. “You have two other devil fruit users that are pretty strong but it only gets harder from here on out. I can’t be a crutch.” You sighed.

Straw Hat pouted.

“What do you mean?” You looked at him with a bit of an indulgent smile. You get why Straw Hat was viewed as a rising star in piracy. But charisma would only get him so far.

“My devil fruit can influence other devil fruits. Make them stronger—or as I realized recently—negate them completely. You… tell you what, ask me again when you find the drums.” You poked his chest teasingly. Everyone looked confused. “…What is your devil fruit power?”

“I’m a rubber man!” Straw Hat declared.

You gave a soft, mysterious smile, finally giving into the impulse to ruffle his hair through his hat.

“Are you sure about that? Find the drums, Straw Hat, and then maybe I’ll join you.” You said. If he managed to find the limits of his devil fruit all on his own, he would probably not suffer the same hubris as your previous ‘partners’. Ace and Marco hadn’t despite being in close contact with you, after all.

Straw Hat huffed, face twisting with determination.

“Fine! I’ll find those drums, wherever they are, and then you’ll join my crew!”

Marco looked like he ate a lemon with Ace not much better, though oddly a little touched in spite of himself. Like he was proud but not sure of what.

--*--

The Moby Dick came into view rapidly with Ace whooping in joy, firing off sparks to let the crew know of your approach. There was, even over the wind, cheers as Ace pulled up close to the ship.

Ace swept you up into his arms and leapt up, planting his feet firmly on the railing as Marco sighed and followed suit. You laid in his arms awkwardly, thinking that this time was hardly any better than your first time on board.

Whitebeard laughed, grinning as Ace skipped over.

“We’re back, Oyaji!”

“Welcome home, my children.” You sighed, not surprised in the least as Ace sat on Whitebeard’s knee.

Whitebeard looked at you, taking in the mostly superfluous bandages.

“Surprisingly, it’s good to be back.” You grumbled without any heat.

Did it still weird you out? Absolutely. You don’t get what any of them saw in you that inspired such ferocity as to track you down across the Grand Line to get you back.

Whitebeard’s smile softened.

“I’m glad you all returned safely.” He murmured as someone stomped up to the main deck.

“You’re back!” Thatch cried out joyously, his usual chef ensemble swapped for loose pants and a shirt. Clearly, he was still on light duty as the nurses nearby scolded him for running. You elbowed Ace to let go and hopped down to the floor, aware that everyone was watching as you approached the suddenly nervous chef.

He glanced around for a hint of what was going on as you walked up to him. Then while he was still stiff with nerves, you wrapped your arms around his chest, gently patting his back.

“I’m glad you’re alright, Thatch.” You mumbled into his shirt. There was a high pitched cry as his arms locked around you, spinning you in circles.

“AH! AHHHH?! You did it! You used my name~!” Thatch cried out as several nurses protested to the vigorous movement, though on who’s behalf you weren’t sure.

You grinned.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, Twin-Blade.” You said dryly, loud enough to be heard by everyone while hiding your smile. The effect was instant. His arms twitching as he nearly fell to his knees in mock-despair.

“Noooooo! My name! Use my name, damnit!”

You laughed, patting his back consolingly.

“Sure thing, Twin-Blade.”

“No!” Thatch barked, as the crew laughed at his plight.

While not what you imagined, life as a pirate wasn’t so bad if it meant feeling like this.

You considered your now bare wrist, no supportive cloth there to remind you of your past. What you hoped for in your future. Not quite freedom symbolized in marine-standard blue but consistency and a promise to support people. Nor a chain to remind you of your literal, more understandable imprisonment. You were free to put whatever you wanted there once they decided you didn’t need the bandages anymore.

And then? Well, it was a pretty good place for a tattoo… whenever you’re not grounded anymore and can slip away to get it done.

“…Hey, what does being grounded even look like?” You asked Thatch, Marco and Ace having avoided the subject. You assumed it was because they didn’t know either.

Thatch paused, looking over at his brothers and Whitebeard.

“…Nooooo mooooorrreeee… avoiding… parties?” Thatch guessed, receiving cheerful agreements all around. You couldn’t help but snort.

“You know, usually groundings means less of those.” You pointed out but Thatch nodded resolutely.

“Eating every meal!” Thatch added.

“I already did that?”

“More training!” Someone suggested.

“Okay, that makes sense but—”

“Hanging out with Oyaji!”

“Hey now! Don’t get ahead of yourself!” You barked, feeling ganged up on as more suggestions were added, Whitebeard doing nothing but adding to the chaos.

“Given names only.” He nodded and you sputtered.

“I’m not calling you Edward!” You huffed, craning your neck to glare back at him. He paused before smiling.

“That’s alright. Oyaji or Pops is fine with me.” You groaned, burying your face into Thatch chest as you fought the urge to laugh.

“Hey, you have to follow the rules. You’re still grounded.” Thatch teased.

“Does that mean I can stop when I’m not grounded?” You needled. Thatch letting out a bark of laughter.

“Hah! No.”

Why did you decide to stay again?

[earthstellar]

had a wild Insecticons AU dream

the Lost Light was a eusocial colony that branched off from the main colony (Cybertron)

Rodimus was the Queen but with the introduction of Megatron as another Queen (and alongside general dissatisfaction with Rodimus' initial leadership approach), instead of being co-captains, Rodimus is nearly killed in order to depose him -- as there can be only one clearly defined Queen in a given hive

Drift and Ratchet take pity on him and let him build a sort of empty nest in a spare room/small comb cluster across from them within the hive-ship

but Rodimus is really fucked up by the whole thing and isn't doing well

in the meantime, since Megatron's spark is too weak to support any expansion of the hive population (can't produce new sparks), Rodimus makes a brief attempt to make a challenge for leadership again but Megatron makes the point that with limited space and supplies in the hive-ship, the priority for the colony is not reproduction but rather sustaining their current crew for the time being

Magnus backs this up as being a logical choice that works in favour of the colony's wellbeing, so Rodimus withdraws and is extremely depressed until they come across a hot spot full of new sparks

Rodimus sneaks one on board to sustain it within his little comb cluster in his quarters, but any sparks that aren't either from the current Queen or supported by the rest of the hive flicker out, so Rodimus is caught when he realises this and tries to sneak the spark off the ship again to leave it with the others in the hot spot to give it a chance at survival

naturally this causes a shit storm because not only was this a bad thing to do in the first place (but understandably desperate because of course as a Queen he wants to build a thriving hive and it's seen as an instinctual thing, doesn't negate his poor judgement but it does explain it), but it's also seen as attempting to undermine the current Queen

so Rodimus ends up being the one who is exiled and it ends up being Drift and Ratchet who eventually go try to find him -- the alternative was just killing Rodimus and Drift is the one who convinced Magnus to opt for banishment instead of outright evisceration

banishment for a eusocial species is basically a death sentence anyway, though, and it's the guilt that pushes Drift to convince Ratchet to come with him to look for Rodimus

when they find him he's in such a poor state, hiding out in a cave filled with misshapen hive combs and structures, not enough to store fuel properly etc.

but he's alive and Ratchet helps get him physically well at least; there's no way they can bring Rodimus back because You Cannot Have Two Queens but they help build decent structures etc. in Rodimus' sad little empty nest to make it less sad

Drift can't bear to leave his friend alone with no colony because Rodimus is sure to die at some point on his own, so TL;DR their either find another hot spot to transplant new sparks into some of the hive combs/structures or Drift/Ratchet do the dew with Rodimus so that he'll hopefully produce a decent number of warrior sparks and support class sparks to start building and sustaining a new colony

I woke up around this point in the dream but Good End is that Drift and Ratchet make it back to the Lost Light and either way Rodimus ends up with a new hive so he survives and establishes his own colony with a bunch of new sparks who rightfully see him as their Queen

it's 7 AM I'm having a tea now lol

[possiblyk9]

Waiting... (Sonic AU: Bad Future)

(Rushed drawing lol, got lazy)

I decided to draw a lil thing for my sonic Au where i put my own twists on things and add new stories! right now i'm working on the Bad future half where Eggman finally won and Sonic has been robotized, so now that Eggman has the real sonic on his side... what use is Metal? after all Eggman finally has the real deal... I was inspired by the character Spinel from the Steven Universe movie!

basically Eggman now finally having the real sonic as a robot, he has no use for Metal. so Eggman takes him to a lost island in the middle of no where, full of scrap, junk, and thrown out badniks and other old creations of Eggman, but any other robotic inhabitants that might of been alive is gone. Eggman tells him to stay put, and that he'll come back. now why would Metal listen to Eggman and actually stay there? he's been reprogrammed to not go off orders and stay loyal to Robotnik. can't be having another sonic hero's... so he stays... and stays... and stays. until his body has rusted over, having been exposed to the elements and constant rain, he bugs out. finally moving from his spot. he explores the island, curious of what's on it, he finds the remains of an old Death Egg and wanders inside, until he stumbles upon a big rusty computer terminal. using the left over energy in the ship he explores what's on it. until eventually it picks up an old broadcast, it's Eggman and another metal sonic... Metal discovers he had been lied to, replaced. suddenly his programming started to fail, mechanical shrieks out, he forcefully ripped and teared into the terminal pulling out wires and circuit boards, he began harvesting the remaining energy left within the old creations, until a massive BOOM. the explosion caused an earthquake on the entire island and the sheer power caused the debris of the Death Egg to collapse... within the smoke a figure appeared... Neo Metal sonic. fueled by revenge and anger that the doctor had programmed him to not go rouge, he blasted across the sea, and went off to stop the doctor, kill sonic and ultimately takeover the world and be the one true sonic.

i'm no writing master but so far i'm pretty happy with it so far, this only one of the many plot points my sonic Au (Bad Future Arc) will have! if you'd like to learn and see more about fill free to give me a follow (:

[sotwk]

Can I ask what inspired you to write about Legolas having other siblings?

Superficial yet honest answer: Because it means getting more Elves that resemble both Legolas and Thranduil, and that means you get a gorgeous lineup of characters that look like THIS:

(Please click/zoom to enlarge)

L-R: Prince Turhir, Prince Gelir, Crown Prince Mirion, Prince Arvellas, Prince Legolas

Now for a more thorough, meaningful answer...

What inspired the "Sons of the Woodland King" (SotWK) AU, the core premise of which is that Legolas had brothers?

It started as a roleplay concept, back in 2004 (I think? It was so long ago!), when I first started dabbling in LOTR fanfiction not long after the release of RotK.

Because roleplaying games typically encourage the creation of original characters, I suppose it just occurred to me that having multiple Princes of the Woodland Realm would make for an interesting setting and premise centered around the Elves of Mirkwood.

Believe it or not, I had not even read The Hobbit at that point, and it was prior to PJ's film adaptation, so inspiration did not come from Lee Pace's magnificent portrayal of Thranduil--though it certainly turbo-fueled ideas later on!

SotWK back then was quite a silly, shallow game focused primarily on fluffy romance and shipping, without much direction, canon authenticity, or detail. I still have some old copies of the stuff I wrote from that era; they are definitely cringe and I don't care to share them again, ever. LOL.

Fast-forward to 2014, when The Hobbit Trilogy came out. I returned briefly to the Tolkien fandom and the SotWK concept, and dropped a few chapters of "Greenleaf's Day Out", only to pause it halfway, unfinished (because I got distracted when I met the man who would then become my husband...and life happened).

Fast forward again to 2022: A husband and two babies later, in need of a hobby I can squeeze in between the hectic activities of motherhood/adulting, I returned to fanfiction writing and wound up coming to Tumblr to share it. Finally equipped with book knowledge from LOTR, Hobbit, AND the Silmarillion, I completed "Greenleaf's Day Out", my first (and so far only) Thranduilion-focused story, and decided I wanted to keep writing and sharing more.

Why the Thranduilion Princes, brotherhood, and family-centered stories hold such a dear place in my heart:

I grew up as one of three sisters, and just one brother whom I love but never really had a close relationship with. I guess with boys being few in our family (even amongst my cousins), I didn't have a lot of interaction with them growing up, and it led to a fascination and fondness for brotherhood stories.

As most of my followers know by now, I'm a mom with two sons of my own. The birth of my second son coincided with my return to fanfic writing and the Tolkien fandom, so surely life with my young family influenced the decision to focus on the SotWK concept.

I think Thranduil is an AMAZING character with a fascinating yet underdeveloped history. I enjoy creating stories about his background as a king, a lover/husband, and a father, but I love most of all his role as a father both to his biological sons and the citizens/subjects he views as his children.

Thank you for this wonderful Ask @a-world-of-whimsy-5, and giving me the opportunity to share my writing history! <3

[somany-fandoms-solittle-time]

ya know what..... Kalim is one of those sunshine characters that naturally interacts and "befriends" so many characters. It's always the sunshine characters that I'm drawn to put in a giant poly-hole where basically everyone is in love with them. It just makes sense.

Kalim x Silver: He's always waking Silver up in class and tries to help is drowsy spells. They're also just one of the few genuinely sweet guys on campus so it's pure fluff. A bonus advantage is that since Silver is a Trained Knight (or on the road to be) he can protect Kalim from assassination attempts.

Kalim x Ruggie: Eat The Rich w/ a twist. My precious hyena boy DESERVES to get married to a sincere Sugar Daddy (or as my gf and I like to say, Sugar Bestie™). He's worked hard enough and Kalim is one of the few upper class individuals that would NEVER use his money or status to control, manipulate or abuse another. He just wants to help out and the endless positivity would not only bring Rugs outta his comfort zone but would also impact those in his hometown A LOT.

Riddle x Kalim: Not a favorite, but I get it. Two kids from wealthy families (one more wealthy than the other) who were kinda isolated from the "regular" world and gotta figure shit out for themselves away from their former caretakers. Obvi, very different contexts and personality but that's what helps them depend on one another. Even when they can't relate, they can Listen and Grow together.

Floyd x Kalim: ARE YOU KIDDING THEY'RE ADHD BUDDIES?!?!? Not only can they relate with similar neurological issues, but their common interests can be a safe zone for them to bond. On top of that, even with their reckless personalities and their overall lack of forethought, Floyd is STRONG and could protect Kalim from any pushback or consequences. They're also both raised by Extreme Capitalist (even thou we don't exactly know what the Tweels parents DO) so the business sense and exposure to the darker side of things probably wouldn't be too much of an adjustment for either side.

Obvi Jamil x Kalim: I know not everyone likes this ship (and considering the dynamic and difference in power/status I TOTALLY get it). Even if the relationship is seen through platonic soulmates, brother-like, or just a 'we-were-stuck-together-for-years-and-now-we-don't-know-how-to-live-apart' sitcom kinda vibe they'll ALWAYS be linked together. Besides, an angsty, complicated childhood friends to lovers story with repressed mutual pinning is a guilty pleasure of mine lol!

Whoever he gets paired with, regardless of if it's a ship that has an anchor in canon interactions or PURELY fueled by fanon crack, there's a billion tropes to work with before even having to dip into AU or Crossover. Kalim is a COMPLEX CHARACTER with so many random lore drops and info that has so much potential. Even when people are writing or creating fan-produces with a more 2d version of his character, he's still lovable!! He's one of the few reoccurring characters in a cast full of obnoxious, weird, arrogant, awful, annoying, egotistical, pigheaded teenage boys with the power of NUKES.... And isn't completely terrible.

Lemme reiterate, that I LOVE so many characters in Twisted Wonderland but boy do these kids get on my nerves. They're all little assholes in some way or another, but there's a range between "okay, pretty standard high schooler" to "IDC IF YOURE TRAUMATIZED NO AMOUNT OF BACKSTORY CAN EXCUSE YOUR ATTITUDE AND BEHAVIOR!!!!! YOU'RE A FUCKING INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL WTF" and Kalim is a lot chiller. He's irrational sometimes and often does things without thinking it through.... But he's also a kid who's allowed to make mistakes and grow now that he's away from the bubble he grew up in. He can interact with people of all walks of life and get that perspective.

And depending on who he's paired with, romantic or otherwise, it's fascinating and heart wrenching and awe inspiring to watch him grow through the lens and experiences of the other person(s).

.........thank you for coming to my Ted talk 😌

[shadowmaat]

Since no one's sending me prompts I guess I'll do it myself. lol

Endless- Maul, Old Guard AU

Maul is killed on Naboo and wakes up whole and alive. Most of the prequels stuff stays the same, but Maul is, for a while, convinced he's some kind of god. When he meets up with Savage he's convinced his brother is just like him, so when Savage dies and stays dead, it shatters something in him he didn't know he had. He's also captured by Palpatine and tortured/experimented upon because immortality is absolutely something that withered bastard wants.

Maul still isn't able to defeat Palps, which is another big mark against the "I'm a god" theory, but he does finally escape and goes off to lick his wounds and try to recover.

The Jedi are still wiped out, but while at first this seems like a good thing to him, there is an emptiness to existence that wasn't there before. Palpatine being in charge of the galaxy galls, and worse, he's doing a bad job of it, in Maul's opinion. It doesn't help that when Empire troopers see him they assume he's a Jedi and try to kill him. Sometimes succeeding.

One of the reasons Maul never got a chance at bettering himself is because he was too consumed with his own grievances to see past the end of his nose, but now he has an eternity to learn and eventually... he does.

Sure, part of it is still fueled by his anger at the universe, but over time he finds he likes helping others. It's strange and off-putting to encounter people who are kind to him and who don't fear him. Once upon a time he'd have been insulted, but now it's... nice. Ish.

He still backslides a lot because, well, he's Maul, but also backsliding is part of moving forward. He helps the Rebellion here and there because anyone who wants to destroy Palpatine is welcome, as far as he's concerned. If he meets the twins, he definitely favors Leia over Luke.

By the time the Sequels happen, Maul has been on the "good" end of the spectrum for a while. Maybe the lower end of it, but still good. He's absolutely not putting up with this First Order bullshit.

Lots of stuff is still the same, but I'll say Maul was fucking around on the Deth Star X-treme! so the attempt to wipe out Hosnia system partially failed. Still lots of death and destruction, but enough of the central government survives that they're forced to realize they may have made a mistake with all their waffling. Maybe.

Maul kills Snoke and is killed in return. While some underlings drag the bodies off to the incinerators, Kylo and Hux are in a standoff over who's in charge.

Maul wakes up and knocks out the troopers carrying him and Snoke, then stashes them in a room without any means of communication. See? He can learn not to kill everyone. Plus, if Fin could rebel maybe these guys will, too. Snoke burns, and Maul heads off to the reactor thingy in time to see Han talking to Kylo.

It's very important for me to note here that there is absolutely no way to excuse Kylo's choice to kill his father: with Snoke dead it is absolutely his own choice to put a saber through Han's chest. Except thanks to some timely intervention from Maul, Han is only grievously wounded instead because fuck you, Harrison Ford.

Maul taunts Kylo, saying that he's met Anakin Skywalker and can confirm that Kylo is just like him: a sniveling, spoiled brat with more hair than sense. He also says Kylo doesn't deserve the name Ben because Obi-Wan, at least, was a worthy opponent.

They fight, giving our plucky heroes time to drag Han to the safety of the ship. Kylo is all you don't understaaand, but Maul is very been there, done that, don't even have the scars to prove it.

Is there a chance Kylo could someday learn to be a better person? Maybe, but it took Maul seventy-odd years and a lot of deaths to unstubborn himself and he really isn't in the mood to take that chance.

Now. At this point it could go one of two ways: the fast solution is Maul kills Kylo and then it's just a matter of wiping out Hux and Phasma and getting Fin to help "deprogram" the troopers and dismantle the Order. OR Kylo could kill Maul and go off to have the big fight in the snow with Rey and Fin while Maul, who isn't recovering as fast as he used to, struggles to get back to the ship and trusts his apprentice(s) to handle it.

With the former the Resistance is going to realize that a First Order without Darksiders mucking things up is actually a lot more dangerous and harder to kill, though it still gets done in the end.

With the latter, the drama lasts longer and it'll be Rey who winds up killing Kylo only to get killed, herself. ...And wake up.

Either way, the trip to Luke's Sooper Seekrit Hideout includes Maul. Because I can play god with this, I'll say that Luke isn't sulking out his entire life on Ahch-To, but rather went there for Important Reasons and got stuck. He and Maul can be bickering co-Masters to Rey's training (and eventually Fin's). Maul teaches her how to create mental shields so Kylo can't intrude on her thoughts (if he's still alive).

The baddies are eventually defeated. Maul & Rey have a lot to talk about re: near-immortality. Han, Leia, Luke, and Chewie are reunited and happy to retire for good, maybe with Lando. Fin & Poe are tasked with trying to return the dozens of children saved from First Order training camps, but it's likely they're going to be raising a lot of them themselves.

Maul is finally comfortable and satisfied with the person he's become. He may not be able to change the past, but he can help shape the future. And he can try to prepare Rey for whatever may be coming next.

(Maul isn't the only immortal, just the only one relevant to this particular story)

[nightimedreamersworld]

20 questions for fic writers

Big thanks @artsyunderstudy and @prettygoododds @confused-bi-queer @bookish-bogwitch tagging me in this! And to everyone else who's tagged me in a tumblr meme recently. It's been a while since I've done one of these.

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

33!

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

Around 370k, but of those about 40k aren't mine. So in reality, something like 330k?

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Only Carry On! I don't have the attention span for more of one at a time lol

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

1. How I wonder what you are aka baby fic

2. Mess is mine aka secret dating fic

3. Every little helps aka snickers fic

4. You and I will not be shaken aka huddling for warmth fic

5. From across the room aka my FIRST fic

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

I don't 😭 which makes me feel guilty and ungrateful, but alas. Every time I've tried to in the past, I'd run out of steam after half a dozen comments or so. Don't get me wrong, I love comments, they fuel me etc etc. Replying just makes me unreasonably anxious

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

Technically it's Love of Fate because it doesn't have an ending. It was supposed to be a prologue to something longer that would eventually have a happy ending, and that I simply never wrote lol

That said, the true angstiest ending is probably my All there's left is a ghost of you series - same moment, one from Simon's pov, the other from Baz's. Set between carry on and wayward son, which tells you everything about why it's here :) (Although arguably, those are hopeful endings. Kinda.)

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

Almost everything I write has a happy-ish ending, but the one indisputable happiest ending is probably How I wonder what you are

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not necessarily hate, but one time I did get someone mocking my fic for a mistake I made. Which, like, I deserved, for straying so far out of my comfort zone lol

Anyway. I have upped my research game since, so. Lesson learned?

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

Yes! The kind I want to read lol

Seriously, though, I tend to write weird stuff I can't find elsewhere. Someone once mentioned there's little mirror sex fic in the fandom, and BAM! I got the itch to write one. I've also tried my hand at web cam sex, body modification, and... [reads smudged handwriting] cemetery sex?

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

I haven't yet, but never say never, right? Although I'm much more likely to just write AUs instead. As in, take the world of the original, chuck the characters and just replace them with snowbaz lol

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Probably not? I mean. I hope so lol

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope. I've thought about doing it myself, but there's roughly any engagement with fics in Portuguese on AO3, so it doesn't feel worth the trouble

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

Birthday man! Though I might be open to it if a) someone with a compatible style is interested, and b) I find some free time to actually write lol

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

Do I even need to say anything? (It's snowbaz)

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

Sigh. It's probably Let your colours bleed, because It's been 3 years, so I've just... sort of grown past the story? Which makes me sad, because I still like the concept, I just can't connect to anymore

There are a handful other WIPs still hanging on my ao3, but I still have hope for them.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I like writing plot! And also actions scenes. And banter, maybe a bit too much lol

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

The beginning of a fic. And also the ending. And also the mid-

Seriously though, I find that I tend to be either too verbose or too succinct when I don't know exactly what I'm trying to say. Like, I either charge through it and the thing falls flat, or I drag it on for several paragraphs that amount to barely anything. Hopefully, I can mitigate that with the power of editing and beta readers

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

I think it's cool depending on context! Like, is this a situation in which this character would simply switch to another language? Also, why?

I haven't done it yet, though.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Take a guess. (It was actually Harry Potter)

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

Dance Like a Flame! My specialest baby. My little darling. My magnum opus.

I'll jump at literally any chance to talk about this fic, so beware.

Phew! Can't believe I actually answered one of these for once... now, I'm pretty sure almost everyone has done this already, but I'm going to tag a few people anyway just so this doesn't get lost in the abyss

@palimpsessed @captain-aralias @cutestkilla @larkral @aristocratic-otter @hushed-chorus @whatevertheweather @ivelovedhimthroughworse @whogaveyoupermission

[callsign-relic]

With what 🪦 anon said about TFP Jackie in your Tasty AU scratched the right spots in my brain! I want to either be teased or comforted by a giant southern speaking robot lolol. Also I oddly want more angst with this au too revolving around the Cybertronians getting translators and finally are able to communicate with their humans. There's a fic with IDW Megatron in this au I saw that love with that idea~!

I'd like to think that maybe on his way back to Earth (whether to fight Megatron and the deceptions, after he got kidnapped and interrogated, who knows) he lazily comes across a translator, just having the simple thought of "why not?" And finally using it on his human curious to see what they're like, only to have the biggest whiplash when he realizes how much he's terrified them. He didn't think he was the scariest bot ever, but I'm sure after hearing what his human had been feeling this whole time would make him feel like that. Or at least feel guilty!

I'd imagine that he both can't and doesn't really know how to apologize verbally about this, because how can you exactly say sorry for eating you a bunch and using you as a sucker? Kinda can't lol. I feel like he'd speak more with his actions than words- being more distant and less touchy if needed to give the human space, becoming more gentle with holding them, trying to comfort and reassure them, etc! And his true apology being him letting them out of his ship and back to Earth. Letting them go basically!

"I didn't mean for all this to happen, sweet peach. Didn't intend on causing this much of a fright for ya."

He'd probably give them one last lil pet or something sweet before leaving again...lol yeah just wanted to ramble. Also YA GOT A NEW ANON!

- ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ

AHHHH welcome new anon!!! Pleased to meet you and I’m happy to hear from you, hope to hear from you more in the future :) I love your little sign off it’s so cute EHDGDHE mice are my favorite animal so it’s a great coincidence heheh

But AAHHHH this is such a great idea!!!! God the scream I screamed when I read “sweet peach” PLEASE JACKIE JUST ONE CHANCE PLEASE AUSGAUS

But man seeing the human be so terrified would be such a shock for him yeah D: he’d try his best to make the human feel comfortable in his presence but tbh yeah, keeping his distance is probably the smartest thing he could do to do that. Whenever human is in his hands though (to get around the ship easier etc) he’s always gentle with them, even if the human is terrified that this newfound remorse is all just an act and they’ll just end up in his intake or his fuel tanks all over again.

He probably did drop them off on earth as he promised, much to the human’s surprise. “I’m awful sorry for all the trouble I caused for ya’. I didn’t think that— I didn’t know that you little guys were… well, either way. ‘m real sorry about all this, sugarbot.”

And if the human does forgive him… I think that’s up to you guys :)

[laikaflash]

im so curious, ive been dying to ask you this:

which soulcalibur ships interest you the most? for the canon ones (lol the few that we have), what about them speak to you? for the noncanon ones, where is the potential for them in your eyes?

Okay, this is probably going to be a bit of a mess, but I'll try to keep it concise. Not jinxing it at all. Going off the top of my head... (drum roll)

Canon

Kilik/Xianghua: It's not for nothing that I summed this one up as "complicated, but dammit if I'm not there for the emotional roller-coaster" in this ask from a while back. I don't want to harp on why the way it ended in the old timeline makes sense to me, but again, I'm a sucker for star-crossed lovers. 'Tis better to have loved than to have lost than to never love at all, and all that... Also, I get the feeling that some overlook the fact that Kilik was raised in a Buddhist monastery as something that plays into his decisions.

Li Long/Chie: The accidental tragicomedy of "My girlfriend's a ninja?!", as I like to call it. Li Long started off as a hotheaded assassin who bit off more than he could chew while deep in enemy territory, and would've bled to death if Chie hadn't found him by chance. I like to imagine them gradually bonding as she nurses him back to health... all while hiding the fact that she and her father are fugitive ninjas, of course. (I've thought about these two a lot because I've had a fic languishing in my drive since 2020. Also, Chie's muteness gives me an excuse to practice describing a range of nonverbal cues for just about anything.) Long story short (pun not not intended), he went through hell and back for her... And it all worked out. Since he ends up in the ranks of the Fu-Ma clan during the pre-SC5 timeskip, I like to think he was a good adoptive dad to Natsu. He probably left the demon stuff to Chie and Taki, though.

Not canon (but I can always dream)

Siegfried/Salia: The Schwarzwind side-missions in Libra of Soul were my fuel, especially with Salia keeping the group together long after Siegfried ran off. ("Because without us, he would have no one to return to...") I think her feelings toward Siegfried were only mentioned in supplementary material before, so I was particularly happy about this part of the "Feelings Shared" side-mission:

Sounds like an open secret to me! (Pardon the uneven cropping.)

To me, Siegfried and Salia have the sort of dynamic that writes itself. Close friends, erstwhile partners-in-crime, leader and tactician... What was that line in Siegfried's SC4 prologue? Something about not letting anyone touch his heart?

(T_T)

To be fair, having a child born with latent Soul Edge energy would be a reasonable worry for him. That might be part of it.

Bonus: according to this relationship chart from New Legends of Projects Soul (page 118), Siegfried's mother sees Salia as "a nice girl, too good for her own son"!

(I'm probably showing more of that section than I need to.)

And now we enter my self-indulgence zone.

I've been playing around with a (very id-driven) Mitsurugi/Taki scenario and went into crackpot mode to flesh it out. It's an AU partly because I think it would take a lot for Mitsurugi to see Taki as something more than She-who-dares-get-in-my-way... Like, oh I don't know, him jumping at the chance to do some mercenary work, even if it means getting caught up in the Fu-Ma clan's business (and Taki watching him like a hawk the entire time). A fair trade for that shard of Soul Edge he picked up long ago? This is all supposed to diverge from some point after Mitsurugi returns to Japan too late for the Battle of Sekigahara (during the pre-SC5 timeskip). For now it's a bunch of notes and scenes clogging my phone's memo app.

There's just... something about a pair of rivals growing to trust each other enough to show their vulnerable sides, I'll say that much for now. Man, that was a lot of words for what started as my brain going NOW KISS.

Sorry this took two weeks. Thanks for asking!

[tranquilpetrichor]

a heart that still beats

— when in the midst of despair, do you lose all hope?

synopsis: the year is 2080. in a world destroyed by climate change, there is only one hope left for safety, and of course it is one exploited by the rich and famous—make it to the airships that are fueled by oxygen on earth. unfortunately, you are neither, but you are a skilled mechanic who is separated from your companion by yet another flood.

lonely, bitter and lost, you eventually find a purpose in being the mechanic for 10 boys that have an ambitious plan to shut off the machines that fuel the cities above the earth, being welcomed as one of their own.

but this mission is their most crucial one, one that could cost them their lives. and as you think about your leader, daeyeol, you're inspired by his courage, but very nervous for the upcoming events to transpire.

cast: gn mechanic!reader x daeyeol ft. golden child members and mentions of sf9's youngbin

genre: sci-fi, dystopian!au, end of the world!au, loosely based on golden child’s ra pam pam mv, angst with comfort if you squint

wc: 6.6k (6,674)

warnings: mentions of death, gunshots, blood, flames, pollution, lots of cursing, reader cracks maybe one dirty joke (which is only dirty if you understand it), we get pretty existential here. lmk if i missed anything

a/n: reader has habit of calling everyone older hyung as that's what they've decided they're comfortable with (just y and daeyeol here), ignore the fact that it’s y on the banner LOL this is for aesthetic purposes. there's a few perspective switches near the end, and of course i always end up making the relationship ambiguous. also why is the plot so messy.. ugh i just want to get this fic out. yes this is the second time sf9 youngbin makes a cameo in my fics. i think daeyeol said he had no same age friends and i’m like oh wait who else is a 93 liner? so yeah, enjoy, because this took way too long to do.

[d-7]

you watched and gave a small nod of approval as your rc car (which jangjun had decided to name damdadi for some reason) wheeled across the tiled floor of the hideout. bomin and sungyoon were examining the oxygen tanks, but your main focus was on your tech.

ah, good. it works. and it's quiet too.

damdadi, like your other projects, was carefully crafted, because god knows you couldn’t afford to make any mistakes with your mechanical work—not that you liked to make mistakes with anything anyways. everything you did got a quality check at least twice.

nevertheless, you were nervous about whether the oddly-named damdadi would be able to complete its task of surveillance or not and with the lives of friends on the line, you certainly had no time to lose.

to the side, you picked up yet another rc car (bomin decided he'd name that one genie) and checked if it was in working order, because as a dear friend named youngbin had reminded you long ago, “it’s best to have backup plans in case any bullshit happens.”

"and bullshit will always happen," you finished the phrase easily.

as the phrase came into your mind, you wondered what had happened to him after a flood separated the both of you about a year ago—the occurrence of natural disasters was not uncommon, but that didn't mean it was any less devastating each time one occurred.

god, you remembered it so well. he had gone on a mission to gather supplies for your camp when the flood occurred. from the wreckage, you had emerged confused, tossed around like a ship lost at sea.

then, it turned into denial that he was gone, anger at circumstances you couldn’t have controlled, and then reluctant acceptance that you couldn’t find him. it wasn't like you couldn't survive on your own, but without someone to ground you, you'd be talking into a void of nothingness. still, you didn’t know if anything could fill the even deeper void in your heart.

youngbin said once to you, “loss is inevitable. remember jaeyoon? you know i would have done anything to save him, but i can’t control the fact that the soldier shot him in the damn chest, but i tried my best, and yet the feeling of not being able to save everyone fucking hurts. losing someone you love… ah, fuck. sorry if this was depressing. but if there’s anything i’d prepare you for, it’s that."

inevitable.

that word alone carried so much weight to it.

and from then on, you reminded yourself that nothing is permanent, not even the companionship of a friend. it’s the only way you got yourself through your separation.

after the flood, you were on your own for a while, trying to find youngbin. however, an annoying little shit named jangjun found you after you stole some supplies from a soldiers’ base. apparently he had the same idea.

after this incident, he took you back to meet the other 9 members of the crew you were part of now. although initially reluctant to trust them, you found their company to be likable enough. you assumed the role you always did, finding spare parts that could be repurposed as you always used to do with youngbin.

you knew youngbin and daeyeol were two separate people, but you couldn’t help but see one in the other and think that they might get along. thinking about the two of them together made things so much harder.

thinking about those days, you sighed. you couldn't believe a trip down memory lane could randomly be triggered by one glance at an rc car, but it would be unwise to stay there for too long. of course, you allowed yourself those brief moments of distraction in your memories, and then focused on the task at hand again. it was a reasonable way to live.

yes, you did miss those you had lost, but now was definitely not the time for that.

don't get too distracted. you have work to do. you have to keep going.

despite the gravity of the situation you were in, you couldn’t help but crack a joke in your mind about being good with your fingers as you fiddled with some more machinery. some things never changed, like your less-than-appropriate humor that either got you lighthearted scolding (from sungyoon and daeyeol, and of course, youngbin) or laughs from people who liked your occasional jokes (mostly jangjun, and surprisingly bomin too).

while examining a control panel, you felt a soft tap on your shoulder, which could only possibly belong to one person out of the group you currently lived with—lee daeyeol. he spoke with a gentle tone but it had a sense of authority. “could i talk to you for a second?”

mentally, you prepared for hell because whenever he used that familiar tone, he was being nice but definitely meant business and may the gods help whoever tried to get in his way. “of course, what did you want?”

he placed folded diagrams on the table. "i just wanted to check on your progress on that rc car, although knowing how fast you work i’m guessing you’re almost done. we've finalized a plan about how to shut off the machines.”

ah yes, he was talking about the machines of project aether, or better yet, a way for those with enough money and power to save themselves and leave the poor and helpless to rot. the act of using the oxygen on earth for airships to create a "paradise in the sky" for some while damaging the atmosphere down below made you scratch your head at the backwards logic.

it was starting to get a little sweaty in the room, and you fanned yourself with an old newspaper. "things are going well, dae. this rover should be ready in a few minutes for jaehyun and jibeom to take when they need it. better early than late. you ready to do this?"

he glanced at you, and let out a deep sigh, one filled with what you interpreted to be as deliberation. "it doesn't matter how i feel. this needs to happen soon."

as the leader of the group, daeyeol was required to handle many burdens and although you and the boys were usually with him, no one could never completely understand what was going through his mind. there was a special spark that was required to lead.

sometimes, you wondered how tired he really was, but he didn't like to show that side of him, always wanting to be the helper instead of the helped.

and of course, that reminded you of youngbin, which wasn't such a great path to take your mind to. so you'd put it upon yourself to move on from him, which you had done semi-successfully.

of course, he still had a designated space in your mind, no matter how hard you tried not to think about him.

you put down what you were working on to focus on daeyeol's words, knowing it wouldn't be good for your mind to go off on more tangents today. "alright then, let's go over the plan once more. i figure you want to run through it again. i just need to hear it too."

he nodded and opened one diagram, which you recognized as it was labeled project : aether (floor plan), with a picture of the air machine itself. you remembered researching machinery for that. he pointed to the spot where it said passcode entry point.

"because of you, seungmin and donghyun, we were able to get the password that controls the fuel source of the cities. as you know, we need to enter the password at that location in order to shut the machine off. but we're unsure of the exact situation with guards and their patrol routes, so we're going to send the rovers with the camera attached in order to assess it. the last thing we need is for there to be surprises we didn’t expect.”

he probably hadn't changed any aspects to the plan, but you asked for confirmation. "it's just you going, right?"

"yes. the rest of the group looked uncomfortable with the idea and as concerning as the idea of going alone is, i can't risk anyone else's life.” his lips set in a thin line. "and there's a limited supply of oxygen tanks, anyways."

you let out a humorless chuckle, knowing just how brutal it was out there. "dae, we're clearly not as selfless as you. no one asks to potentially get shot at by assholes in hazmat suits.”

not being able to hide your true thoughts, you quietly added, “and honestly, i’m probably the most selfish of you guys.”

out of the corner of your eye, you saw him frown. "now don’t say that, you help in your own way. you've been invaluable in developing the technology for this mission. remember, nothing goes unnoticed by me."

you still did get a little flustered whenever people mentioned your skill, and you brushed his words off with the lazy swipe of a hand. "oh, i can't take all the credit for this stuff. seungmin helped me a lot." the mentioned guy was currently fiddling with the screen on the wall to make sure it actually worked.

yeah, you knew you were decent at what you did, but it's not like you wanted the spotlight for it, preferring to remain behind the scenes most of the time. to put it simply, you liked working in the shadows and only showing up when necessary to report something.

"you sell yourself short, y/n," he said with an amused grin on his face.

"do i, dae? if you want, i could just start bragging about myself all the time."

he laughed, and oh, how you took the sound in like nourishment. true laughter was hard to come across nowadays, as a lot of things were. "now let's not jump between extremes, okay?"

you made a salute as if you were on some pirate ship. “aye-aye, captain!” damdadi was still turned on, and you maneuvered it next to daeyeol, just to demonstrate the functionality, before turning the power off.

“god, imagine being pirates. we’d be the worst pirate crew ever. imagine trying to wake up bomin and get him to do anything but sleep prettily!”

daeyeol shrugged. "well, i could probably use captain privileges to boss him around, anyways."

"as if! he listens to no one, especially you."

the two of you grinned, sharing a moment. there were times when you forgot that the air was polluted, the rich were assholes and food was hard to find—now was one of those times. it was nice to not think about that for a bit. you were aware however, that the cold reality waited around the corner like a gunman waiting to fire.

you rested your head on his shoulder, an action you had grown more comfortable with gradually after he told you it was okay to do it. it seemed to say a message without words, i don’t know what the future holds, but at least i’m here with you.

daeyeol closed his eyes and spoke his next sentence quietly. “hey, i know i told you guys i’d be prepared for anything and we're aware of how this might end. it might go badly. if i’m honest, it’s been very nerve-wracking to prepare for this. i just wanted to say that i will protect you guys. whatever it takes. i think we have a chance to end this once and for all.”

won't you protect yourself? won't you be selfish too for once? that's all i need. you thought, but didn't say aloud.

you, who never thought you'd shed a tear since getting separated from youngbin, who didn't like getting very sentimental in front of others, embraced daeyeol. "hyung, sometimes i wonder how people like you can exist, so full of hope and all that optimistic stuff. shit, i promise i don't mean it in a bad way, but...” you trailed off.

"it's hard to have hope, right?"

"you could say that."

from the moment you had met him, he had struck you as someone who wouldn’t give up. all of the group did, but especially him. to keep fighting, one had to think that things would get better someday. one needed hope.

he rested one hand on your shoulder, as if he were transferring his wisdom over to you merely by touch. “until the moment i die, i won’t stop having it. it’s the only way we’ll be able to keep pushing through. call me optimistic, but if there seems to be no hope, we have to create it for ourselves. i don't want live hopelessly knowing that i could have tried to make a better future."

you played with a screw in your jacket pocket. "hope's short in supply sometimes, i admit.”

“it is. but all you need is a bit of it to survive.”

you felt your chest rise and fall, acutely aware of your breath. if you really thought about it, it was dangerous to risk it all on one mission, a singular chance to get this right before the soldiers could wipe you all out.

but you thought of the boys you had come to know over months of time, and everything became clearer.

joochan deserved a chance to sing in air that was truly clean. donghyun would get to dance outside without fear of being shot. jibeom and jaehyun could simply mess around with the rc cars you and seungmin made instead of just sending them out into the dangerous world outside their base. most of all, daeyeol would be able to breathe easily (quite literally and metaphorically), after the mission was over.

and of course, you wanted to take that first breath of air with each and every one of them.

hope brought a world of possibilities to think about, so close and yet so far away. it would fuel you, so long as you believed it still existed—and although you didn't really consider yourself as much of an idealist as daeyeol, you needed to be, especially now.

you brought up your hands to your head, which happened to hurt a little, and his voice brought you back to the present.

“hey, y/n, you seem like you’re lost in thought. all good?”

as expected, he can tell what goes on with you.

“just thinking about our upcoming mission. can't help but stay awake...”

he frowned. “it's late, take a rest too. i can't let everyone else in the team deprive themselves of sleep. don't overwork yourself, y/n.”

and before you had known it, he left and came back with a bit of water he had saved. water was difficult to come across but the group was fortunate to have some, so you savored every drop you got to taste. “thank you, daeyeol.”

“always.”

although you continued working, you knew these coming days would be difficult, and later you finally decided to take daeyeol’s advice, eventually letting yourself slip into a dreamlike state on the smooth metal beds.

(you wouldn't have known anyways, but daeyeol glanced at you several times while you were asleep.

you'd be alright, he knew. still, it was nice for him to make sure. he smiled, and got back to work.)

[d-3]

the main room, with all 11 of the crew, wasn’t outwardly panicking, but it contained a nervous energy that simmered and quietly stirred everyone's feelings of anxiety. the crew always worked hard, but this particular week needed everyone's dedication, whether it was finding spare parts, to looking over diagrams, to last minute research.

despite these demands, you were impressed with everyone's resilience.

youngtaek shrugged his shoulders in an attempt to relieve tension. he turned on the medium-sized screen that was inside the hideout, which currently was connected to a phone you and seungmin had built together. "the camera works fine, i see the footage from it showing up.”

you sighed in relief. it was good to know that something worked.

"ow, my feet," jibeom interjected, as damdadi rolled over them.

"alright, thanks youngtaek!" jaehyun grabbed the phone from him and affixed it onto damdadi. he then gestured to jibeom. “come on, let’s go send the rc car to survey the terrain, before y/n does that annoying thing where they yell at us for using their tech all wrong.”

“okay well, you can't just use damdadi to run over jibeom's feet, we got a mission!” you yelled from across the room, where you were working on a drone.

jaehyun smiled innocently at you. "yeah, well it'll be fine and we'll get it done. i think we're very capable. or at least, i am—"

"hey, take that back!" jibeom glared at jaehyun. “i hate you."

the two continued to bicker like children. "okay. jibeom, just so you know, if the guards come and you run too slow, i will be leaving your ass behind!"

these two argue so much, it's almost as if i'm watching a tv sitcom.

"just go already, guys," you said, amused by their antics. "and don't die, of course."

“have a little faith,” jibeom whined. jaehyun laughed at him again, and with the turn of a knob, damdadi rolled to the door with them.

after they left, you went to talk to daeyeol, showing him a few of the drones you had made with seungmin. “i was thinking that i can use these to divert the soldiers' attention so that they're less likely to shoot at you. couldn't hurt, right?”

"hm, good idea, just make sure your drones take a different route to the location. you thought of me that much?" he added, lightly teasing you.

your cheeks warmed slightly, but you kept your face impassive. "well, precautions are necessary, are they not?"

he was serious, but you could sense a bit of amusement coming from him. "they are. you always think ahead, don't you?" and with that, he approved of your addition to the plan.

you let out a sigh of partial relief, and continued to test out another drone.

"just say you love him or something, because even i can tell." seungmin, who had been working next to you muttered this after daeyeol left to wake up bomin. he screwed in another bolt. "you might as well remind him before...."

he doesn't finish the sentence, but he didn't need to. the two of you looked at each other in understanding. survival was never guaranteed in a world as wrecked as this one. he looked away for a second and closed his eyes briefly before continuing to talk.

"never mind. anyways, let's just keep working—we're making good progress. after this, we'll have 4 drones to use. it’s always useful to have something that flies, i suppose."

you obliged, figuring it would be better to shut up and just continue doing what you were always good at—attempting to ignore anything not related to your job. but seungmin's words still lingered and you would do anything to get them out.

later, seeing a frightened jibeom and a tired jaehyun return with news that a soldier had captured the rc car was enough to make you quietly simmer with rage (it was precious technology, after all), but you were almost thankful for the feeling.

at least you still felt something.

[d-day]

this was going to be rather interesting.

lee daeyeol was not supposed to be scared—or at least, he was not supposed to show it. in fact, he was the one whom people looked to for comfort, strength, guidance, and sacrifice (even if no one would say it aloud). if he looked scared, it would set the tone for this mission. who would believe in them? in their cause?

so he shouldered his burden of shutting off the machines of project: aether with calm determination, trying to steady himself despite his accelerating heart rate and the vague feeling of the world swaying beneath his feet. “i’m going out the route we discussed. send the drones out a different exit and wait for the radio signal from me to go up. if something unexpected happens, only one of you should check first."

"got it. stay safe, hyung." sungyoon checked daeyeol's oxygen's tank one last time, sighing to himself.

daeyeol looked to you, a hint of sadness in his eyes. "do you have the ring?"

you wordlessly got up to grab daeyeol's ring from the table, and watched as he slipped it on carefully. the piece of jewelry was special for him, as it was a gift from a childhood friend he had kept for his whole life.

to him, it signified many things, but he could never deny the fact seeing the ring gave him hope.

your voice was soft yet full of conviction as you gave him words of reassurance. "stay strong. we'll be waiting. but even if you don't return, i want to thank you, for everything. i love you, in every sense of the word."

daeyeol closed his eyes. you weren't usually the sentimental type.

it was times like this where he found it hard to walk away. if he let his heart take over, he would stay safe with you against the harsh reality of the world. but he knew that first, he had to carry out his plan.

he extended his arms towards you, pulling you into a tight hug. "you as well, y/n. remember, i'll be with you, always."

he double-checked the levels in his oxygen tank, affirming that they were alright. now, it really was time to go.

"if you don't stay safe, hyung, i'll kick your ass all the way to the sky," jangjun yelled.

"got it," he said, a small grin on his face. of course jangjun would be the one to joke around.

and with that, he turned away, walking towards the entrance of your hideout with conviction. the doors opened, and he stepped out, leaving behind the people he loved most. it would be painful for him to turn around now, and so he chose not to.

at least, if he thought of his team, full of people he wanted to give the world to, he had something tangible to fight for.

as daeyeol left, the 10 of you stared at the door and no one dared say a thing, for fear of it being wrong, but a distinct sigh came from bomin, who could not hide his frustration as the youngest. that's when you knew it was time to do your part, just as daeyeol would do his.

slightly trembling, you got into position and used the camera on the one of the drones to help examine its surroundings and navigate it through the twists and turns of the hide out.

sungyoon, much to everyone’s surprise, stood up a minute later. “i'm not letting him do this alone. lee daeyeol, i swear if you go alone at this point.."

"take care, hyung," bomin said.

he nodded in response.

you buried your head in your hands. it's not like you needed his life at risk too. but sungyoon could be rather stubborn at times, and you weren't trying to argue with him at a time like this.

besides, it's not like he couldn't handle himself out there.

he went to grab an oxygen tank, put its heavy weight on his back, and exited the hideout. but with his running skills, the team knew he would catch up to daeyeol soon enough.

outside, the chemicals in the air gave the impression that everything was a fatal orange, the orange that burned from that pillar of fire daeyeol saw in the distance. it seemed like it would burn straight to his soul and consume him.

but daeyeol found he could run faster than even he anticipated, fueled by a fire of his own.

above the flames, the floating paradise of the rich taunted him, as if they were situated in the heavens and looking down upon people like him, those who couldn't make it up there with what they had in their pockets.

those who were left to perish amongst the ashes.

daeyeol kept going.

unbeknownst to him, sungyoon was making his way over, navigating past abandoned trailers and trying not to alert the presence of any guards—he was quite aware of their patrol routes now.

after a few minutes, he found daeyeol, whispering, “hyung. i’m here."

the older boy looked over in surprise. "now that i think about it, i'm not surprised."

sungyoon's presence had revitalized him completely, a blessing that he wasn't to take lightly. daeyeol gave sungyoon a nod of acknowledgment, and they headed for the passcode entry point together.

as they did, a group of 3 soldiers ran across an elevated ledge.

"we gotta go!" dayeol exclaimed, pointing upwards. they sprinted towards the tower that felt so close, and yet, was still feet away.

a bullet punctured sungyoon's oxygen tank, and the hiss of air leaking out could be heard.

shit, daeyeol thought. he needed to do something, and quick.

they took cover some medium-sized storage crates as he removed his oxygen mask and put it over sungyoon's face, transferring the tank as well.

then, covering his mouth, he ran as fast as he could towards the tower. only a few feet away the tower, the soldiers shot him in the back. and yet he ran, bleeding through his denim jacket.

he inputted the correct code into the security screen.

3-2-6-4.

as sungyoon rushed over to him, daeyeol pushed the lever to shut off the tower off with all of his remaining strength. the pillar of fire emerging from the tower's base shut off, and the smoke in the area began to dissipate.

"you really did it, hyung." sungyoon said, looking around in awe. he sat beside daeyeol. the older boy smiled back.

i can rest, at least sungyoon is fine. no one else had to suffer.

he blinked several times to try and stay awake as sungyoon took off his vest, pressing lightly against one of daeyeol's wounds.

a few minutes earlier...

back at the base, your body felt frozen, except for your fingers, which were the only thing moving. it was quite difficult to steer a drone with the intense weather conditions outside and turmoil within you. but this was your responsibility, and you had to carry it out to the end.

"maybe a little higher," you muttered to yourself as the drone continued to fly. there was a smaller phone next to you, which allowed you to see out of the tiny camera on the drone. seungmin, tag and bomin had drones too.

“i see guards.” seungmin said sharply. “oh wait, i think daeyeol and sungyoon are in the distance too.”

jangjun spoke up. "okay, i'm going up to the warehouse building. i just need to safely observe what's happening outside in case your drones go down."

"someone, hand him a radio! i only have mine." seungmin yelled. "and remember, keep yourself hidden."

donghyun gave the remote to jangjun, who thanked him and left the base quickly.

amidst the chaos, you continued to maneuver the drone, trying to stay in control. the guards appeared to aim their guns in the general direction of the tower, which was where daeyeol and sungyoon were headed to.

you knew the guards were mostly there to prevent people like you guys from shutting off all the technology rich people had paid for. disgusting and vile.

“ah, shit, gotta steer away from there,” you muttered, your hand grasping the right controller stick. the drone flew slightly off to the side, and from what you could make out, the direction some of the guns were firing in changed.

oh god. there's a ton of soldiers. damn.

in all honesty, what happened next was chaos. a few of the screens lost connection. on a screen that was still intact, you saw blood, or at least, you thought you did.

the world blurred around you, but then came into focus again, but you knew that you couldn't collapse, not now. thankfully, your bottle had some water left.

"something's wrong," you say, fidgeting with your hands.

"of course something is wrong!" seungmin said, groaning. "what the hell is happening?"

youngtaek observed the surrounding area through his drone, but soon he had to find somewhere to land it, making sure it was well out of view before doing so.

he groaned shortly after. "great, the camera on the drone is almost dead. but from what i was able to see outside, i can tell someone shot sungyoon and daeyeol as they were headed over. i don't think they'll be coming back soon," he remarked. "so, maybe three to five of us should go out and help. we'll need to treat any wounds."

"do we even have enough medical supplies for this?" you asked, your mind racing. you began to sort through the stuff in the emergency backpack, making sure you could pack as much as possible.

shit. are daeyeol and sungyoon going to die? damn it, those two—

your thoughts were interrupted because over the radio, jangjun’s voice resounded, loud, clear and... somewhat excited? “come. look outside. i can't fucking believe it! we’ll finally be able to breathe the fucking air! you gotta see for yourselves! oh my god... is this real?”

his voice got faint, so you assumed he was busy staring at the sky, and how could you blame him?

everyone looked at each other with shock and disbelief. it's been a while since you've stared out the windows of the warehouse, but whenever you did, it was always the same—a sea of orange and the menacing presence of security drones. seeing something different would be a relief, a sign that daeyeol had gotten the job done after all.

still, you didn't want to be get too excited.

seungmin spoke into the radio. "alright, be there soon, hyung, but we have to go check on daeyeol and sungyoon afterwards. by the way, stop cursing so much, you potty-mouth.”

you heard a crackling sound before he responded, “fuck no.”

ha, he certainly is something.

afterwards, you took the radio, greeting jangjun with a laugh.

"hey, jangjun! is the air really as clear as you say it is?" you said, rolling your eyes. "you get fired up so easily and exaggerate. how do we tell you're not just messing with us?"

jangjun sighed once, one of those sassy why-don't-you-listen-because-i'm-right type of sighs. "just look at the damn sky before you come out, okay? i took off my mask and it felt okay, but don't take my word for it. bring the surgical masks if you're really worried."

you shrugged. "we'll be there. but let's be careful."

then, talking to the rest of the team, you said, "help me grab medical supplies and weapons. once we meet jangjun and get outside, we have to make sure there are no soldiers or drones."

"alright, i'll go ahead with jaehyun to go check on daeyeol and sungyoon and give them necessary medical attention," youngtaek said.

you found a pistol and picked it up. "got it."

"found the surgical masks!" jaehyun exclaimed.

everyone headed out, feeling mixed emotions of fear and anticipation. bomin was by your side. “y/n, will it be okay?”

to be honest, you weren’t the greatest at comforting people, but you tried your best. he was the youngest, and although you knew he was an adult and could handle himself, you still had a bit of a parental instinct.

“i don’t know. i trust that they did their job. we can have a bit of hope, can’t we?”

“yeah. i guess we can.” his breathing became steadier, and you were grateful.

soon enough, you were ascending the steps of what used to be functional escalators. light shone through the tinted glass ceiling, so oddly colored and dirtied that it was difficult to tell what life was like on the outside.

jangjun was leaning against a column, his gaze turned towards a sky that was finally more blue than orange for the first time, devoid of the flame tower in the air that everyone had grown so accustomed to.

you walked beside him, quietly waiting for him to acknowledge your presence. while continuing to stare, he shook his head rapidly, as if trying to wake up from a dream. "i still can't believe it. damn. it seemed like yesterday that there were drones swarming outside the window."

you laughed. "believe what? that we're alive? that this stupid machine is off? that the sky is blue?"

"all of it."

it was rare to see jangjun's contemplative side, but it was certainly present right now. you weren't sure that you believed it either. maybe you dreamt this entire incident up too. unless anyone said otherwise, though, this was real.

you shrugged. "well, there's been crazier things in this world."

"you're damn right about that."

the crew talked quietly amongst themselves, not wanting to ruin the atmosphere that was established by the strange stillness outside the window.

"i think we should go out now." seungmin said to the group, still in a state of shock.

everyone walked out towards an outside balcony where people probably used to hang out long before you were alive. apparently there was a time when the outside air wasn't so dangerous.

as you stepped out of the building, you found a place to stand. after a few minutes, you felt comfortable removing your mask.

you took a breath in, slowly. then, you exhaled. surprised at how easy and yet difficult it was, you repeated the action. it wasn't perfect air—the atmosphere would probably never return to 100% normal—but it was certainly something.

you tried to spot the telltale red lights of enemy drones, but you couldn't find any, to your shock.

there'd be no point in sending them anyways, you surmised. the job's been done.

of course, your heart felt conflicted with the absence of sungyoon and daeyeol, especially the latter. you'd need to check on them soon, just to see how they were doing in person.

you leaned against a white ledge, alone with your thoughts for just a second.

it'll be okay. surely, they'll be okay, you thought, trying to be optimistic.

and yet, there was still a part of you that wondered if you would find their lifeless bodies. but even that would be better than not finding them at all.

that's highely unlikely, of course you'll find them.

you looked at joochan, who had found a place beside you. he was humming softly. the two of you weren't as close (hey, it was hard to get to know the ten others in your crew equally), but you knew he loved music and saw it as his life. through song, you felt as though you understood whatever emotions he wanted to convey.

"wow, i think i'm dreaming," he says, his words riding softly on the breeze. "i never really understood why people sang songs about blue skies until now."

you laughed, despite yourself. "you're not the first to think that we're dreaming. maybe we'll wake up in a few minutes. but for now, this is our reality."

you heard youngtaek's voice over the walkie talkie in your hand. "daeyeol was shot in the back, so he's our priority right now. sungyoon's not in critical condition, but he does have a few bruises and needs to rest as well. make sure you secure the area you're in—we'll let you know when we're done here."

conversation broke out amongst the group.

"why did he do this by himself again?"

"i can't believe it..."

"hyung, you really are crazy for doing this."

meanwhile, you tried to process the news yourself. you weren't doubtful of youngtaek and jaehyun's medical capabilities, but after hearing about this, you knew that it would take a while for him to heal.

you told the group that you were going to go check how sungyoon and daeyeol were faring while they finished scanning the area.

after crossing between a maze of storage crates and covering a long stretch of flat land, you finally made it to the base of the tall tower.

despite all of the hardships you had been through, the sight of the tower without a flame made you smile, even if just for a second.

you spotted daeyeol sitting on the stone floor, his back against the control panel and sungyoon beside him. jaehyun and youngtaek were busy giving them medical treatment. they were obscured on two sides by large crates, which was good.

you were glad sungyoon and daeyeol had survived, but you couldn’t stand to see them in pain, especially your leader.

it only made you feel like you had failed as a companion in protecting him.

first, you talked to sungyoon, who seemed to have a few bruises and was panting heavily, but otherwise, seemed to be alright. he stood up

"i'm glad the two of you weren't alone," you said to him.

sungyoon nods. "he says he can do things alone, and although it's probably true, i wanted to be by his side."

you think of youngbin, and how you lost him. the feeling of deep loyalty isn't unfamiilar to you.

"i... understand."

you wish you were still by youngbin's side.

"here's some water," jaehyun said to sungyoon. luckily, he was able to drink on his own.

next, you looked over at daeyeol, whose eyes were set in a solemn gaze.

on closer inspection, you examined blood trickling from several places in his body. you hated seeing him like this, wanting to give him whatever strength you had.

you approached him slowly, not wanting to overwhelm him. “hi, daeyeol. how are you holding up?”

his response came in slow, short sentences. “i'm fine, for now. need… water. it’s good... to see you, y/n.”

you pulled an extra bottle of water out of your bag and slowly poured it in his mouth. you weren't the medical authority amongst your team, but you knew it wouldn't be good if he was required to move, considering the fact that he had been shot.

“it's good to see you too.” you laid a hand on his shoulder and continued speaking softly. you wanted to envelop him in a bone-crushing hug, but you were sure there'd be time for that when he was fully healed.

when, not if, right?

“i know you're probably thinking about the next step in all this, but.." you hesitated. "let us take care of you a while longer. you've already done so much for us."

he laughed, the sound strained. "i won't do anything drastic, don't worry."

you sat down in front of him, fingertips inches away from his. suddenly, you were a little tired as well. "please, let me know if there's anything that you need.

daeyeol took your hand. "you're here... for me, that's enough."

the golden ring on his hand glimmered in the sunlight. he said it reminded him of many things—your team, as his duty as a leader, the memories you've all shared.

you had always been more of a realist. youngbin was too, accepting that things were the way they were, and taught you that there wasn't much you could do except try to survive another day and solve things practically.

but daeyeol taught you something too, that hope was something that could be cultivated, even in the face of struggle. you took a glance at your friends, feeling a weight lift off of your shoulders.

no, problems weren't going to magically disappear. wounds took time to heal. work still needed to be done. you could lose it all at any moment. it was scary, to not know what came after this moment.

but as long as you had a heartbeat, as long as you were alive, you could have hope, even if it was faint.

"yes," you said, gazing at the endless sky above you. "it's enough."

taglist: @restlessmaknae

[nik-barinova]

And like that, I finally have together my OC’s Star Wars AU (and her reprogrammed magnaguard droid companion Cedric that I edited because I didn’t feel like drawing him out lol)

Bio underneath the cut

Name: Val Solovyo

Age: 29

YOB: 48 BBY

Pronouns: She/Her (GNC)

Sexuality: Bisexual

Height: 5’4”

Species: Human

Occupation(s): Medic, Bounty Hunter

Bio:

Daughter of an ex-soldier father and a hunter mother, Val was no stranger to the ways of combat and hunting, yet she was also drawn to the healing practices of medics. She is the eldest of six other siblings, all of whom were also trained to fight and hunt as a means of survival.

Val entered the Mandalorian Medical Guild at 12 years of age after passing a series of tests to qualify as a medic in-training. While qualifying was not as difficult, it was the studying, field and hands-on training that required more effort from her and her fellow Mandalorian colleagues. At 19, the final test that would determine only 5% of the candidates to obtain the title of “Doctor”, was enough to make Val nervous yet determined to pass.

In her small group of 10, Val was the only one to pass by one point.

Being a medic was no easy paying job when you travel throughout the galaxy, and despite taking a vow to never harm or take a life, Val found a new means of collecting bounties to pay for necessities, fuel, and ship repairs: putting bounty patients under anesthesia.

But what put Val on the edge of breaking away from her healer vows was the accidental overdosing of a bounty instead of sedating him, yet was paid more for his death. Val took a bit of time to eventually come to terms with what she was capable of doing and began more rigorous studies of different species to concoct certain medical poisons to essentially euthanize bounties.

Val continued this practice for nearly a decade until she had found a bounty worth millions, if not billions of credits: a yellow Zabrakian male with brown tattoos from Dathomir by the name of Savage Opress.

She accepted the bounty and while she did locate the planet he most likely was last scene in, she took a side step to explore an abandoned temple, obviously in awe at the beauty of the place. She made up for her small error when she heard someone approach her from behind.

Val and Savage had a brief quarrel before Val eventually had the upper hand due to her size compared to him and disarmed him. However, she felt something in her that told her not to kill him or turn him in, and offered to allow herself to provide medical care for both him, and his brother Darth Maul.

Val stayed with the Zabrakian brothers up until the very end of Savage’s life; and she was never able to tell Savage she was carrying his child. She was left as a heart broken single mother of their beautiful daughter Mara living on Koboh as the Rambler’s Reach Outpost’s newly appointed sheriff, working with Doma to keep the peace.

[fridayyy-13th]

20 questions for fic writers

tysm @three-magpies-in-a-trenchcoat for the tag!!

How many works do you have on Ao3? 4

What's your total Ao3 word count? 13,296

What fandoms do you write for? i used to write for the Hermitcraft fandom, but i've discontinued the one fic i started for it and moved on to The Magnus Archives. i've got a couple story ideas for other fandoms, but idk if they'll go anywhere.

What are your top five fics by kudos? well, i've only got four! but from most- to least-kudosed, there's: - Double Trouble (Hermitcraft, rated G, incomplete multichapter) - Know What Can't Be Shown, Feel What Can't Be Known (TMA, rated T, oneshot) - Time Enough to Spend Some Time Alone (TMA, rated T, oneshot) - Here, Nowhere, Somewhere With You (TMA, rated G, oneshot) and i'm totally not salty my two most kudosed fics are an incomplete work and something i posted at 3am, respectively.

Do you respond to comments? hell yeah! i love answering comments <3

What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? gotta say Time Enough, bc it's more refined than its predecessor, Know What Can't Be Shown (man i really need to stop giving my fics such long titles, i always end up shortening them when referring to them). but for reference, both are pre-Unknowing jmart kiss fics; it's a favored headcanon of mine. Time Enough also spends more time musing on how Jon and Martin are feeling—that is, they feel Bad. Absolutely Terrible. sad and scared, both for the Unknowing and for each other.

What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Here, Nowhere, Somewhere, absolutely. the ending itself is pretty open, but Jon and Martin have reunited post-MAG 200, admitted they still love each other after its events, and found themselves Somewhere Else. it's the most hopeful.

Do you get hate on fics? not yet, thankfully. i'm not a well-known enough author for that lol.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind? i do not! and i doubt i ever will. props to everyone who does, though.

Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written? i don't really write crossovers, at least none i ever planned to publish, but i do have a couple fusion AUs in the works (that is, taking one story's premise and combining it w/the characters of another). and funnily enough, both are based on songs.

Have you ever had a fic stolen? i sure hope not.

Have you ever had a fic translated? no. though if someone offered to, i'd be honored!

Have you ever co-written a fic before? technically? a friend of mine and i made a couple AUs for a few different MCYT fandoms that never really went anywhere, but i've never co-authored something that's made it to publishing.

What's your all time favorite ship? probably jonmartin. i've read a ridiculous amount of fanfic for them, and i think pretty much all my WIPs feature it if both Jon and Martin are there (sometimes i'll make them queerplatonic, and sometimes they'll be part of a poly ship like jongerrymartin, but jmart tends to be pretty Do Not Separate in my mind lmao).

What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? ages ago i was reading this one rom-com webcomic where two people wound up as roommates bc the landlord accidentally rented the single apartment to both of them, which i thought was a really cute premise, but then BAM there was some really awful transphobia in it. when called out in the comments, the author doubled down, so i snatched up the concept and decided "i'm gonna make this t4t out of SPITE." but uh i've found spite doesn't work very well as a fuel source for my work, and i can get the same awkward domesticity/mutual pining out of a safehouse fic, so it'll probably just stay buried in the WIPs folder.

What are your writing strengths? dialogue. or at least, making a character's dialogue sound like their voice. vocabulary, things like stammering or using filler words, cutting oneself off or pausing a bunch, that sort of thing. though sometimes the dialogue itself feels a little clunky. i also think i'm rather good at writing emotional scenes, especially once i'm in the editing stage of things.

What are your writing weaknesses? over-editing. my utter beloathed. i sometimes get really caught up in trying to make everything as clear as possible, when that just makes the work 5,000 words too long and takes way more time to do. i'm trying to be better about it.

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? i think it's neat! but if you're monolingual you should read up on writing bilingual/multilingual characters beforehand, don't just wing it.

First fandom you wrote for? probably Pokémon? i'm not entirely sure.

Favorite fic you've written? Time Enough, hands-down. (though uh, hypothetically, if i wanted to make some small edits to it, would it be weird to do so? especially seven months after posting? there's a handful of lines i wish i'd phrased a bit differently.)

tags (no pressure!!): @radical-dadical-rafael @dramaticdads @winterswrandomness @ollieofthebeholder @ladydragonkiller @incandescentis @cornmazehater @jewishjon

[thebahwrites]

OOOO OOO OOOO tell me your thoughts about that silly rabbit hangman

i love u sm thank u for validating me and my need to rant 🤝❤️

an ask game ft niche questions i don’t see v often (send me a character)

Jake 'Hangman' Seresin (More under the cut so I don't bother anyone <3)

a song that reminds me of them Gonna pick one that isn't on Powell's list cause come on: Bad Guy - Billie Eilish I'm that bad type Make your mama sad type Make your girlfriend mad tight Might seduce your dad type I'm the bad guy, duh I just think it's funny to think about how both fanon/canon makes Hangman the main antag/the "villain" and he kinda does it himself as a character but mostly cause he's an asshole.

what they smell like Expensive. My mans be using Dior's Sauvage body wash and cologne (kinda pine-y/fresh) and/or Tom Ford's Tobacco Vanille, also of cigarettes, bourbon & jet fuel. Do you know how much jet fuel STICKS to things? Hangman strikes me as the kind of bitch who has a couple scents he sticks by, they're good and expensive and also signature for him. Also yes I am very, very anal about scents so have this.

an otp If I answer Hangster is anyone gonna be surprised? No? Good. I just think it's the same appeal as Iceman/Maverick, okay, they're rivals, they're enemies, they're bitter but still in love exes, don't come for meeeee.

a notp Hannix, look, I don't ship-shame or anything, it just reads comphet to me, doesn't do it for me, I'm SORRY. I think they'd be great frenemies tho.

favorite platonic/familial relationships Coyote/Hangman is also one of my ships so this is hard because they can also be the best bros ever and it's #1 in my heart but also even though we have a total of zero (0) canon interactions I know in my heart of hearts Ice and Jake would've been great together in this essay--

a headcanon that is popular in the fandom but that i disagree with (concern emoji.jpg) Please no one come at me for this but the general fanon that Hangman is actually uhhhhh 'soft' inside? How do I explain this but basically this notion that whatever traumas/hidden reasonings he has needs to be broken down and he's actually, like, nice? I don't vibe with it. And that's coming from the author of give your heart a break lol I just think there's space to 'there can be real depth to this character' to coexist with 'he's also a huge bitch'. 'Bitch™️ as a personality trait' if you get what I mean? I say this with the utmost love, I am a huge bitch and I don't think I am a bad person, an asshole at times but not a bad person and that's how I personally see the character. ANYWAYS, THAT'S MY PERSONAL TAKE, NO ONE @ ME. (another smaller one is that he's not a good/decent team player because canonically that's disproven he has a point in the things he's done BUT I DIGRESS I'll ramble if I start, goodbye!)

the position they sleep in Weird ones, you know when you look at someone and goes 'that can't possibly be comfortable?', those. And he drools.

a crossover au i’d love to see them in PACIFIC RIM WHEN. MY PACIFIC RIM AU WITH MY SPECIFIC HEADCANONS WHEN-- I'm kidding... mostly. But also 'In The Flesh' which is probably something only I wanna see.

my favorite outfit they’ve ever worn Listen, he looks good in the flight suit, what can I say, I like a man in uniform. I'm not immune to [Hangman] in his [flight suit].

[ossifer-bones]

ambermarsh for the ship asks

always love a good rarepair. i ship it! (i better had, i'm working on a fic for these two at the moment lol)

What made you ship it? my first time reading A Different Way To Be, an excellent ambermarsh fic and the first one ever posted(?), stuck with me for a while afterwards. it utterly captivated me with the portrayal of rachel and kate's relationship. ever since reading it the ship has kinda just been in my mind

What are your favorite things about the ship? on the surface rachel and kate are diametric opposites but in actuality they have a lot of common ground: both are subjects of victoria's ire, face bullying at blackwell (all the slanderous graffiti pertaining to rachel/everything we see of the bullying campaign against kate in canon), are under pressure to conform to the expectations of others (kate facing persecution by her mother and aunt for engaging in 'unchristian' behaviour versus the common interpretation of rachel having people-pleaser tendencies and everything we see of her home life in before the storm), both bear the weight of familial expectations (rachel's dad versus kate's mom), and both go through all the horror of the dark room in canon. despite the fact they have that aforementioned common ground, they are also two very different people and that's some really good shipping material because it raises the question of how that contrast plays into things — would it balance them out, would it drive them apart, would their contrasts bring them together only to be ultimately be their undoing, et cetera. it also naturally begs the question of why these two different people are hanging together, which is potent fuel for AU ideas!

Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship? i don't think this ship is really popular enough for there to be any unpopular opinions on it... the closest thing i can think of is how i think this ship would require them to be either forced together by circumstance or rachel to have undergone some degree of character development already, because i can't see her being around kate otherwise? but as i've said, that's also part of what makes this one interesting to think about.

ship ask game