#this was fun! can't wait for this to become canon in the future! :)

[rottendollface]

The Horror of Our Love. Chapter 4.

Co-author: @bigtimesalt8196

Character: Childe Tartaglia | Ajax.

Image: Picsart Al.

Warnings: NSFW; Ajax is older than in canon;

broken time line and age line for the sake

of plot; female virgin reader, incestuous

relationship, family abuse, self-harm,

misogyny, mentions of rape, unprotected

sex, black magic, blood and flesh magic,.

body horror, sacrilegious, Foul Legacy

Childe, breeding kink, miscarriage, marriage

grooming, pregnancy, erotic lactation.

murdering, abyssal soulmates, serfdom

system in Snezhnaya; all the characters are

adults; 18+.

Time was running mercilessly and the date of Ajax's departure was getting closer. Your mental state improved and you opened to your family, but the common joy ended quickly, as you hid into your wordless shell again, frustrated with a hollow feeling of upcoming loneliness. 

Ajax was stressed out. It wasn't rare for you to find him talking to himself, discussing plans for the future and even arguing. Ajax's short temper and unreleased anger were showing at these moments: he was gesticulating in an excited manner; if not, he was walking back and forth, and sighing heavily. 

It happened again when you were searching for Ajax to tell him to come and help others on the stable. You heard his heavy footsteps on the second floor. Before you knocked on the door, you overheard him saying something about grandmother. 

“How in the world could an uneducated hard-working woman become a witch? Still can't get it right in my head.”

You shouldn't be heeding to his words – you were taught not to eavesdrop, but something in your mind told you to stay and spy on Ajax. You pressed your ear to the door and leaned on it. It was unusual and exciting for you until you heard someone answering him.

“You don't need to have specific knowledge to become a witch. She was in so much despair and pain it made her prayers especially sweet and strong. We couldn't ignore such a broken soul. After she got the power, she got the education as well – we taught her to read and count in one hour.”

You frowned, trying to understand who Ajax was talking to. You didn't hear that voice before and it sounded strange: loud, deep and hoarse. At first you couldn't even understand what the person was talking about – their speech was gibberish without words. You heeded, then your mind translated it to a normal humanly sounding state.

“Brilliant. And who was she praying to?”

“She was praying to the devils, young master. The disadvantage of her choice is simple – you never know who will answer to your call.” The person chuckled. You frowned. “In her case, it wasn't just a deal. It was a salvation. We saw a potential in her: her hatred and thirst for vengeance were commendable. She wanted someone from her family to inherit the power and continue the legacy. Just like in the prophecy.”

“A prophecy?”

“Not now, young master. You want to ask me about the diary and the missing part of the power, I can feel.”

“Don't you dare tell me what I want to do.” Ajax hissed. “I had enough of this! One more time you and your fucking henchmen show me these lousy dreams I'll send you all to the deepest of the Abyss and let the guards have some fun with you all in the same manner. Speak and then get lost, son of a bitch.”

“So, part of the power was passed to your dearest sister and there is no way for you to get it back from her, but she will share it with you.”

“What?!” Ajax was stunned. 

“Ask her yourself. Not in my duties to explain everything to you. But I must confess she has a rather beautiful birthmark on her pretty back. Such a pleasure to watch her dressing up in the morning.”

You felt that someone pushed the door and jumped back so as not to fall into the room. 

“Ajax! Father needs your help on the stable.” You spoke first and played like you didn't hear anything. Ajax froze with an aggressive expression on his face, but his gaze became softer when he looked at you. 

“'Thanks,” He didn't wait and rushed to the stable. You stood aside to give him enough space, then looked into the room.

You made a step into it. The atmosphere here was different. A cold sweat broke out your body when you realized whom Ajax was talking to. In a second you felt that everything around you was hostile and hurried to get back to your room, but the door closed right in front of you. In fact… you had questions too, but you were afraid to build up communication with those ghoulish creatures. 

“How can I get rid of you?” You asked into the fake emptiness. 

“There is no way.” The answer was given to you immediately. You cried out, regretting your decision. “We serve your brother.”

“What about me? You said I have the same power as him.” Your brain was running fast, as you tried to rate the risk of the situation. You didn't want to repeat your recent journey of escaping demons, so you stayed alerted. Just a reminiscence of it made you weak in your knees.

“You stole a part of it from him. We mean no harm to you because of the master's order, but we have no desire to help you.” A mocking voice said, leaving you angry. 

“You caused me a lot of harm.” You flared up. You realized that you wanted to play dirty on them. “I'll ask your master to execute his threat. You'll get what you deserve.” You grinned, imagining the torture Ajax promised to them. “Open the door.”

The door opened with a creak. You stepped out and the daze fell from your mind. Your heart was beating like crazy and your limbs started shaking from the fact that you commanded those demons. 

“I hope you are suffering in a sulfur flame, grandma!” You couldn't keep the sudden outbreak of anger inside your throat. It all was her fault. Ajax and you were doomed to repeat her miserable fate because of her selfishness. The old fool believed in some prophecy – you were sure it was just a fiction of the demons to trick her into selling her family's souls to the devil as well. “Stupid cunt! Why couldn't you kill your husband without this fucking heresy?!” You screamed and froze. You opened your eyes so wide they hurt and pressed your palms to your mouth, trying to understand what you just said.

You made it to your room, feeling dizzy from the overexcitement. You laid down to rest. You felt so disgusted by your attitude you couldn't even believe that you let these words out of your mouth. Guilt was gnawing at your heart. Your head and your chest were heavy, you were about to doze off to sleep. Recently you got health issues: no matter what, you always were sleepy. With every day it was harder for you to wake up and get out of bed. You slept for ten and more hours, skipped meals and house work, as you felt completely drained out of energy. Even father stopped bothering you: despite his strictness, he was concerned about your health. 

Suddenly you remembered about the diary and your attention focused on it. You got up but sat down on the edge of your bed, because your vision blacked from a sudden move. You took the diary from its secret place and started reading from the very beginning. You didn't know what you hoped to find, and everything you read didn't make any sense. The words were written in a normal human language, but you couldn't understand a thing from it, as if the diary itself didn't want you to know its secrets. 

You stopped in the middle part to examine a magic circle that was drawn on a page. It was a simple circle with two smaller size circles inside of it. The smallest one had inside two triangles merged in the shape of a star, and in the free space in the middle of the triangles there was an eye; outside the smaller circles there were four crescent moons. You looked at it carefully, then read through the text on the next page and managed to understand it. The text was about an astral plane – an experience of lucid dreaming with the astral projection of your soul traveling through the spiritual world. Flashbacks of grandmother's house attacked your mind right after you decided to explain to yourself the definition of the spiritual world. There was no other useful information to gain and nothing was said on how to get into another world. 

You returned the diary to its place, then realized that there was something wrong with it. It seemed like the diary was deciding which information to give to you, and which one to hide – maybe it was some sort of magic. Bewildered, you took a deep breath and laid for a nap. You were in a slumber when Teucer opened the door and came to your room on his tiptoes. He looked around, then stared at your face. 

“Older sister,” he whispered and shook you by your shoulder. You woke up with a scream, making him jump back. “There is a noise inside your room!” By Teucer's tone you could tell he felt as scared as you. 

“What? I heard nothing.” You rubbed your sleepy face, hardly understanding what he was trying to tell you.

“No! I could swear I heard something inside!” In a second Teucer turned into a whiny boy, his voice got crying notes – it was his usual strategy to attract attention to his words. “'Like someone was scratching on the wood!”

“It was mice, probably.” You tried to wave him away. You were too tired to talk: your whole body was heavy and your eyes were clothing on itself. You couldn't sit anymore and laid on your side. Teucer's ginger hair irritated you with its bright color, it made your eyes hurt. You couldn't hear him anymore, simply ignored everything he tried to tell you. Teucer ran away, as he got no response from you.

Just a moment after he came back with Ajax, lamenting on your behavior. Ajax sighed, patted Teucer's head and promised to take a look at the situation. Teucer, who was feeling like a hero, left Ajax and you alone. “What's wrong, dove?” Ajax closed the door and sat on the bed. He brushed away hair that fell on your face. You could feel his peculiar look with your skin.

“Nothing.” You mumbled, hiding your face in a pillow. “I just want to rest.”

“Don't want to seem rude,” Ajax's voice was anxious. “but you are resting too much. Are you okay?”

You didn't answer him, as you fell asleep already. All Ajax could do was to cover you with a blanket and leave, tormented by conjectures. He asked the devils by his side about your health, but their answer was vague – an eclipse was about to happen. Ajax spent the day without you, hoping that you would wake up, but you didn't. 

As usual, he came to your room at night when everyone else was asleep. Ajax found you awake, reading the diary. Two candles were illuminating the room; the wind was howling behind the window, bringing chilly air through the loose shutter. Your room was the coziest in the whole house to Ajax, because it was you to leave here. It was located in the back of the house, poorly furnished and cold, but your presence made it comfortable and welcoming. You closed the diary and put it in the secret spot.

“Do you mind sharing something interesting with me?” Ajax blew out the candles and made himself comfortable in bed. He laid on his side, so he could face you.

“Just a magic book paired with an autobiography.” You did as well, looking at your brother in the dark. “Ajax,” you started, but stumbled, afraid that your question would make him angry. Still, you continued. “Is there any chance for us to return to a normal life?”

“It is our normal life now. You better get used to it.” Ajax sighed. “It is our fate, dove, and we can do nothing about it.”

“I don't want fate like this. I would better die, than…” you bit your tongue, realizing how foul your words were. 

“We were talking about the diary.” Ajax replied with a stern voice that sent shivers down your spine. 

You got nervous and scratched your clavicle. “I don't understand what is happening. Why are we talking so casually about something like this, ignoring all the devilry that is surrounding us?” 

You were the voice of sense, and Ajax lost all his words. You were right – for him it was a usual topic, but for you, who almost lost one's mind contacting the devils and was contaminated with abyssal power against one's will, it was a delirium of polluted brain. 

“That's not something we should discuss for a night. I'll tell you everything later.” Ajax put his pinky finger towards you and you did so, sealing the promise.

In a small talk you were the one to lead the conversation. Ajax kept you in his tight embrace, replying leisurely. His warmth and soft smell of his sweat made you feel relaxed – in this chaos of life Ajax's hands were the only space you felt safe in. It was selfish, it was unfair, but Ajax was the only reason that kept you in this world. His love was your motivation to live and become better. You wanted to protect Ajax in your own way by giving him solace he needed. No one could replace you in his life, no one could love him and comfort him better than you. Was it jealousy? It definitely was. You couldn't even imagine Ajax doing the same things he did for you to another woman. Those fantasies made you feel angry and reckless. 

You turned your head to him, his lips were dangerously close to yours. You looked at him, waiting for something more – out of sudden the desire to be closer awoke in you. Ajax tarried, taken aback by your sudden move, so you pressed your lips to his gently. He slightly opened his mouth, helding your lower lip between his. You felt Ajax fingers brushing over your jawline, that made you hold your breath. An unusual drawing feeling curled in your lower belly; it made you thirsty for more than a kiss – your nipples hardened, full of lustful sensation. 

“This is wrong…” he whispered, pulling away from you. The two extremes were fighting inside his soul – being on the verge of another Fall, Ajax suddenly remembered that he was a virtuous man once. Even his corroded heart contracted nervously. He desired to have you, but you were his sister.

Perhaps, he just needed a little push into this abyss.

Ajax quickly got on top of you, his trembling hands caught your hips. It was the first time he touched a woman in such a private place, that left him overly excited: the beast he was restraining broke out. His mouth covered yours, he placed heated kisses across your face, got down to your neck, biting soft skin, then traveled lower, until your night dress. Ajax's ardor surprised you, the way he forcefully pushed his tongue inside your mouth and squeezed your breasts with tenacious slender fingers made you squeak. 

Ajax lost his mind: all the moral borders were broken and he was striving to push his erected member into your hot, wet place. Afterall, you were a woman in the first place, so it was nothing wrong in sharing the bed with you and making you bear his children. 

It was hastily and clumsily, as arousal and thrill of being caught took over both of you. Ajax pulled down his pants quickly; you felt the tip of his cock pressing to your entrance. It was more painful than you expected it to be, so you bit on your index finger to ease that stinging feeling.

“Please, relax…” you heard your brother's husky voice. You did as he asked, and Ajax showed more of his member into you. It was hard not to cry, as it felt like you were about to split in half from this burning and stinging ache. Ajax's lips were trembling, as he was close to climax already.

You kept silent when Ajax started bucking his hips into yours. The process wasn't pleasurable at all and left you praying for it to end soon. Ajax, unlike you, couldn't keep his voice inside his throat, and moaned quietly: your quivering wet walls wrapped him around, sucking his cock deeper inside your womanhood. He had never felt more pleasure in his life. It didn't take long for Ajax to cum, staining your walls with his seed.

The following fuss went in a shy and wordless atmosphere. You left to clean yourself up, and Ajax stayed in the room to fix the bed. Intimacy proved to Ajax that you loved him the way he loved you – and your relationship should result in a marriage. He was ready to marry you right now, but it was impossible to his own regret. Demons suggested Ajax take you to another village and introduce you as an orphan to a priest, so the marriage would be possible. His mood lightened – it was the first time those devils recommended something good to him. 

You came back and curled on the bed, as your lower tummy still disturbed you. Ajax hugged you and fell asleep right at the moment, soothed by your warmth. Your brain was restless. For demons it was a triumph, you thought. Despite the fact that this night was calm, you still felt their presence. They were a part of your normality, so you tried to think positively of them. It was very convenient to have servants like them, probably: all the dirty and impossible work was on their shoulders and they couldn't say no. 

You snapped out of your cogitation. You got an awareness that it wasn't your thoughts. They belonged to your head, but were planted in here artificially. You knew yourself well enough (at least you thought you were) and it wasn't in your character to have such destructive ideas. You didn't want to end up like Ajax – losing yourself over uncontrollable animal impulses that were implied to him by demons. They were trying to take control over you, you were sure, and Archons did nothing to protect you, which led you to a painful question – was there any point in praying to someone, who didn't respond to you? Slowly you started to understand your grandmother, and it sent shivers down your spine. 

To calm down you got out of bed and came to the window. Looking out, you saw the Moon. It was unusually bright today, you could see its surface in detail out of your window. It was exciting, for a moment you forgot how to breathe, beholding celestial beauty. Was it possible to reach it? You never heard of experiments of entering outer space, but you were sure it was possible. Why didn't Archons try it? Or, maybe, there were experiments, but in your obscure village no one heard of it. You sighed heavily. You were jealous of Capital citizens, they had everything on their plate by birthright. Ajax promised you that he would find a school for you in the Capital, but you were sure it wouldn't happen. He would be a regular soldier, no one would even think about doing him favors at the beginning of his career. If only you had access to actual knowledge and science… you brushed it away. You had enough disappointments in your life and didn't want to focus on sadness before going to bed.

Unexpectedly, out of nowhere, you saw a green lightning in front of you. It disappeared before you could react, and something fell on the floor, making a sound of fallen glass. You picked up what turned out to be a trinket, something similar to a pendant by its shape and design, but it lacked a chain. 

Shadows in the room started shifting chaotically. 

“What happened?!” Ajax jumped on the bed, aware of a strange sound. He quickly made it to the window and looked out, then he rushed about the room. “I heard something.” Ajax was turning his head, his eyes peering into the darkness. 

“I don't know…” You came to him and showed the find. “It appeared here.”

“A Vision!” Ajax exclaimed and covered your hand with the trinket. “You should hide it, okay? Don't let someone see it.”

“Why? Is it bad?” You got scared and wanted to throw it away, thinking of it as some kind of cursed treasure.

“No. I don't know what you wished for, but Celestia found your desire worthy of attention and granted you Vision. It allows you to manipulate a certain element of nature,” Ajax took his hand off and looked at it. “Dendro, in your case. I have one too. Mine is Hydro.”

“Why didn't you tell me?” You spoke with an offended tone. You thought Ajax would share such a great thing with you, but he chose to conceal it.

“I was told not to. I'm sorry, dove.” He got a guilty face and scratched his head. “But it means we became even closer! You and I both have extraordinary powers. I'll teach you how to use them.”

“I thought we were close enough already. Thanks, I guess.” You looked at the Vision again and decided to hide it in the same spot with the diary. 

You had no idea on how to use it and why you needed it, but at the same time it gave you a hope – if Celestia counted you as worthy, then your future was determined to be interesting and wasn't bonded with this gloomy village.

One day was left until the set date. You thought parents would prepare some kind of celebration or a farewell dinner, but nothing was done. Everyone took it as a natural part of his life, as if nothing had to happen. You were puzzled, until you realized: for them Ajax's enlistment in the Fatui was a shame. Instead of saying proper goodbye to Ajax and spending time with him, father brought his friend, Pavel Korneevich, into the house and introduced him as your groom to everyone.

You could swear: you physically sensed the immediate tension and confusion coming from Ajax. Your opinion wasn't welcomed, so you stayed silent, afraid to stand up for yourself. You weren't just shocked – you were scared to death. All your dreams for a happier life were about to be broken with a marriage.

It was scandalous: Pavel Korneevich was old enough to be your father. You were indecently younger, yet it didn't stop father from bringing this man into his own house. With this gesture he showed how little respect for you he had had, and the scanty amount of good things he had ever done to you was immediately forgotten by you. That grain of love you had for him was destroyed and turned into pure hatred. But Pavel Korneevich… How could he even think about marrying you? He was out of his mind, if he thought of you as a suitable wife for himself. 

“Is this some kind of a cruel joke?” Ajax's aura gave you shivers. His tone was serious, yet soft and sickly sweet, while his slightly narrowed eyes were fixed on the guest and father. “Don't you dare to put a ring on her while I'm out. I want to see my dear sister walking down the aisle with my own eyes.”

Ajax's words didn't make sense and you hoped that he said it only to win time. Ajax stood behind your back and put his heavy hand on your shoulder, that almost broke at the weight and a tight squeeze that he gave you. You portrayed a labored, trembling smile.

“Of course,” Pavel Korneevich nodded. “We need no rush in such things.”

“Sure,” Father grunted, munching on his wrinkled dry lips. “You are free to go. We have business to discuss.” Then he looked at you and, without calling your name, addressed you. “Pasha will talk to you later.”

On numb legs you made it to your room, Ajax following you like a shadow. As soon as you entered the private area, you cried out and fell on your knees, helpless and miserable. All he could do was hold you in his arms and remain silent. 

A familiar shadow appeared in front of Ajax, waiting for instructions. Ugly, ridiculously slim and tall, the demon in the shape of a man with a pig's nose was looking right into Ajax's soul. A second shadow, small and stout, showed up right near the first one: the same pig nose, but also small sly eyes. It was too late to pray, so Ajax made an order – to ruin the wedding and kill Pavel Korneevich, but his death should seem natural. By sinister smiles that bloomed on twisted faces and revealed sharp, abnormal teeth, Ajax figured out that the order was taken. They disappeared to prepare their nasty trap.

“Worry not, dove,” Ajax nuzzled his nose into the crook of your neck. “I'll take care of it. Your brother will never leave you. I'll always be here to help you.”

On the contrary, Ajax's words made you feel even worse than you did before: dragged away from his home, he would think about you without the opportunity to communicate with you properly. You wanted to disappear, to dissolve, to stop existing in a physical way only to escape from this agony. If not Pavel Korneevich, then somebody else would be chosen as your groom. Parents wouldn't miss an opportunity to get rid of you. What could you do? 

“Take me with you!” You clutched at the collar of his shirt, your gaze crazy behind the clumped lashes and redness of the eyes. “Take me with you, or I will run away!”

Ajax hardly endured your emotional breakdown. Your broken voice and hysterical ideas were impossible to listen to; at this point he wished for the night to come sooner and take him from this cursed house – he didn't tell you that Fatui would take him in the night to avoid unwanted attention. Ajax stayed until you cried yourself to sleep. The last day with you was meant to be tragic, for his own regret. When the clock struck midnight, Fatui appeared in the yard, waiting for him. Mother gave Ajax a heartless kiss at his cheek, and father remained uninvolved. Ajax left without looking back not to torture his soul. For the first time of his life he found calmness. 

The gate grated, soldiers in heavy boots left, leaving deep footprints on the snow; a small lamp went out inside the house. The moon was unusually bright, its agily light oozed into the house through every crack. Your room was filled with moonlight, making it as bright as day. In your dreamless sleep you heard someone calling your name, and your body, hit by impulses, stood up on its own, pursuing the voice; step by step you made it to the front door.

The door opened on itself and closed, when you walked out. Your bare feet touched the snow; it melted from your heat. A bigger celestial body closed the Moon, causing the eclipse and hiding all the blissful light that Illuminated you. You felt like falling: the horrifying hungry maw of abyss opened under your feet, swallowing you into the darkness and covering your body with snow. You opened your eyes and saw nothing. You landed on the stone floor, all your body responded with pain. 

It was a big room with just one chair and a burning fireplace. Cold walls of unknown color were hidden in the dark, as well as other spaces of the room. You heard steps and a woman appeared in front of you. She had long white hair and manic crimson eyes. Her expressionless face scared you.

“This must be a joke.” She smiled to herself. “How could a worm like you deserve the Forgotten God's blessing? This is ridiculous.” She turned back on her heels. The cape on her bony shoulders followed her moves, and you noticed dozens of death masks that froze in scream on the hemline. 

“Where am I?!” Your voice broke on scream. It couldn't be that the nightmare from your grandmother's shack found you in Morepesok.

The woman sighed irritably. “He had one job – yet he failed. You are in the Abyss. The power you stole from your brother brought you there.”

“I want to go back.” You stated. Unusual hardness in your voice made the woman laugh. “This ain't funny! I'm tired of these devilish tricks I'm being involved in! I swear this time I'll fight you instead of running away!”

“Then fight.”

At an impossible speed she made an attack that struck you into your shoulder and made you fly to the nearest wall. You couldn't breath at the pain you felt – it seemed like your clavicle, scapula and ribs were crumbled into tiniest pieces. You were opening and closing your mouth with no sound, just like a fish that was taken out of water and left to die on the surface. It was a pure shock that paralyzed you and concentrated your brain on the inhuman pain. 

The woman sat in the chair and looked at the fireplace, as she immediately lost her interest in you. You didn't know how much time had passed since you were left to suffer, but it felt like decades to you before you were able to stand up. 

“You possess great power, yet I bet you know nothing about it. That's why you should think before stealing.” She spoke, watching the fire. “I heard a prophecy about brother and sister, who would free us from the shadows we were trapped in and restore the ancient order. It doesn't matter anymore – deep inside I stayed skeptical, and it proved that all prophecies are lies. Look at your right hand.”

You did as she said and staggered. One of your wrists was abnormal: your fingers, palm and veins got black, traces of the same color ascended until your elbow. 

“I'll teach you the concept of ritual – that's the starting point of your journey. Then, you will be on your own.” She let out a short chuckle, full of sadistic anticipation.

[gabessquishytum]

I am feeling Ace!Dream in this Chili's tonight, so-

Can be human au or canon, but Dream and Hob get talking about sexuality stuff, and Dream mentions he's ace and Hob, in honest curiosity and also so he can avoid making Dream uncomfortable in the future, is like "oh rad, so are you sex averse? neutral? positive?" And Dream sort of narrows his eyes and is like "Why would I have sex if I don't feel sexual attraction?" because Dream has had a million experiences of people trying to convince him that they could "change his mind" or that he hasn't found the right one yet, etc. and he's expecting a similar answer from Hob- to tell him that he should have sex just in case he's not REALLY asexual.

But Hob just shrugs and is like, "For fun I guess."

Dream blinks at him. "For... fun?"

"I mean, yeah? Sex is supposed to be fun! But if you don't like it there's nothing wrong with that, I was just curious. Let me know if talking about it makes you uncomfortable, so sorry if I pushed just now."

And Dream. Isn't sex averse. He was just averse to having sex with people who had messed up motives about it and just wanted to "prove something" to him.

But. If SOMEONE *looks pointedly at Hob* just wanted to have sex to have fun and feel good? And would still fully respect Dream's identity without hesitation afterwards?

Well. Sign Dream up 👀👀👀

🦇

This is so great!!! I'm very much vibing with this ace Dream representation!!!

I feel like the concept of fun is generally a bit of a mystery to Dream. He feels like he can't or shouldn't enjoy himself. He's seen sex as a means of reproduction, a means of expressing sexual attraction, even a means of manipulation. But he's never heard sex described as something that could be fun or... recreational? Just something to enjoy for the sake of enjoyment?

Now, Hob does experience sexual attraction but he also enjoys sex because the endorphins feel great, he likes how it makes his body feel and also he enjoys having a silly goofy time?? And he would like to do those things with Dream!! But only if Dream would also like this.

Dream is hesitant, but it is... fun. And interesting, and generally pleasant. When Dream focuses on what he does feel, instead of all the things that he thinks he SHOULD be feeling, sex becomes something that he can enjoy. He doesn't feel like a bad partner. He feels a connection with Hob that goes beyond attraction. A closeness that he hasn't had the opportunity to feel before.

He can't wait to feel it again.

[imaginejamesandsirius]

Sirius was 16 when Regulus was born, and ran away when Regulus was only a couple of months old. He and James are happily married and have a son together, Harry (who was born 1980, like canon).

One day Sirius is visited by a Wizard Solicitor with a Will telling him that he’s inherited half of the Black fortune, and is now also has custody of his younger brother, who is a about 8 at this point.

Sirius assumed that his brother had been the perfect child for his parents, he expects a blood-purist spoiled brat — instead he’s got a child who’s abuse makes his own (which was already severe) seem like nothing.

Just Sirius feeling guilt for abandoning Regulus, feeling responsible for his abuse, and he and James trying to give him the best life possible — and Harry being adorable, and Regulus and him becoming the best brothers, which makes Sirius feel complicated feelings.

((A/N: Mentions of child abuse))

Anger and discomfort. That's what Sirius felt when his father pushed a week-old baby into his arms and said, "Hold him until your mother gets back."

The new baby, his new brother, sixteen years younger than him, Regulus, whimpers pathetically. He tries to rearrange his arms so the baby won't start screaming, but does he know anything about babies? He's never really been around one before. This is maybe the second time he's held one, and he would've been happier if it had stayed at one.

"Why can't you bloody hold him?" Sirius asks as Orion backs away. "He's your stupid son."

"As are you," Orion replies dryly, a familiar angry glint in his eye. "So do as I say and hold your sodding brother while I get a drink." He leaves, long strides taking him from the room far faster than Sirius can chase after him. He doesn't like the fact that he has a sibling now or that he's supposed to wait here until Walburga gets in-- whenever that's supposed to be-- but he doesn't want to bash the baby's head into the door, so he has to stop following their father and wait in the room as requested.

He sighs, gives the door an impotent kick, then gingerly makes his way to a chair. It's easier to hold a baby while sitting, right? He's heard that somewhere. Maybe, if he's lucky, Regulus will stay asleep. Or is he awake and just not crying? It's hard to tell which when his face is so scrunched up. Sirius isn't sure. As long as he's quiet though, he doesn't care.

He knows what a new sibling means. His parents didn't say it in as many words, but they didn't need to; he knows that he's a disappointment to them. He's said a hundred times (to James), that if they could replace him, they would. And now they have.

His parents don't like each other. They don't have sex for fun. They purposefully conceived Regulus so that, once Sirius is gone, they'll have a new heir. Sirius knows that he won't be here much longer. It's a toss up whether he runs or they throw him out. He thinks he's going to run; he'll be able to pack all of his things that way.

He glances down at the (thankfully) still quiet baby in his arms and hates him, just a little bit. Right now, he's fine. He's a baby. He doesn't have personality, he's trying to figure out going to sleep and eating when he's hungry. But when he grows up? Sirius turned out alright, in spite of their parents. Regulus probably won't turn out the same. Andromeda noted to him once, in the corner of one of their family gatherings, "It's fifty-fifty if one of us isn't utter shite. It's like, you and I turned out good, so Bellatrix and Narcissa have to be piss." Sirius laughed, knowing the truth in her words; Uncle Alphard, present but apart from the others like they were, was a clear sign. They could turn out good, but it wasn't a guarantee.

If Sirius is fine, then what does that mean for the future of this newborn baby? He'll grow up under Walburga and Orion's watchful eyes and the 'benefit' of hindsight that raising Sirius will have given them.

Sirius will grow to hate him. That stir of anger, to that future, to their parents, is still there. "Sorry, mate," he whispers. Angry or not, he pities him.

*

There's a knock on the door, and James answers. "Hullo. Erm, can I help you?"

"I'm a solicitor, my name is Joe Byrne." He holds a business card out. It's a deep green, almost black but its colour is visible from the sunlight shining on the doorstep. "I'm here to speak to Sirius Potter."

James takes the card and glances down at it. The sigil stamped to the background and the skate of magic underlining his information like an errant drop of water mean he's old money-- which means he's likely connected to the Black family. "I don't know what business you could have with him."

"I presume you're his husband, James Potter?"

"That's correct."

"Mr. Potter, are you aware that his mother recently passed?"

"Yes-" it was in The Prophet "-but she disowned him. I know children are usually in the will even if they're estranged, but this isn't a usual situation."

Mr. Byrne doesn't appear bothered by this. "The will has been read. What Walburga Black may or may not have done to disown your husband in a social manner wasn't reflected legally, so I need to speak with him."

James knows he's being overprotective by thinking anyone connected with the Black's-- even professionally-- is bad for Sirius. So he swallows it down, tucks the card in his pocket, and says, "Okay. Please, come in. Would you like a cup of tea?"

"Please. Thank you."

James waves his wand to get things started in the kitchen and leads Mr. Byrne to an armchair. They're both quiet as he sits. Another wave of his wand brings the teapot out, the tray and cups trailing behind it. He can't remember if it's polite to pour for him or not; it's been so long since he tried to be proper, and that was occasionally, not all the time. Bloody hell, he shouldn't care about this, and he doesn't, really, but he's nervous. Sirius's parents are an old scar, but they are a scar. What's the point in putting pressure on that scar again? For a single galleon that his mother left, just to spite him? "Go ahead," he says, motioning to the tea service, "and I'll go get Sirius."

Mr. Byrne thanks him, so even if it was a mistake, it's a small one.

James isn't looking forward to this. To any part of this. He didn't even want to let the solicitor in, but now he has to tell Sirius that he's here, and he likes that less. He heads to the backyard, where they were soaking in the sun for a few hours while Harry's at the Longbottom's.

Sirius glances over when he walks out, then frowns. "You alright?"

"There's a solicitor here for you. From Walburga."

"I don't imagine we'd have anything to discuss."

"I said the same to him, but he claims you're in the will." James holds out a hand to him and tries to smile. "Best to get it over with."

Sirius sighs but agrees, taking his hand and joining him inside.

Mr. Byrne introduces himself to Sirius before opening his briefcase and removing a sizeable folder. "I apologize for coming to your home to discuss this, but my letters didn't receive any response and certain matters need to be taken care of quickly."

"We received quite a bit of post after her death," James says by way of apology. None of the letters were welcome; they'd burned the lot of it without sifting through to check senders.

"I understand," he replies, accepting. Then he looks to Sirius. "In summary, you are now the Head of the Black family. There's quite a bit of details to get through in relation to that, but we can schedule an appointment for that if you prefer. The most urgent matter is that of your younger brother, one Regulus Black. Since your mother's death, he's been staying with a member of S.U.B.S., but the hope is to transfer him into your custody as quickly as possible. There are a few forms I need your signature on, and then you'll be his legal guardians." Mr. Byrne is very efficient about the whole matter. As he's speaking, he retrieves a quill and inkwell from his briefcase. By the time he's done, the inkwell is unstoppered, and the corresponding forms are facing Sirius and James.

Two minutes ago, they had a three year old and struggled with that. Now they're being told they have to raise another kid, one who's older and they've never met.

Sod everything.

*

Sirius and James have a certain idea what Regulus will be like. Sirius was raised in that house, he knows what life was like before he went to Hogwarts, and Regulus is eight. He was snooty and cold and unused to anything like James and Sirius as they are now; Regulus will be the same, possibly worse.

The first glimpse they get of Regulus makes them rethink that assumption.

The first conversation they try to have with him crushes that assumption beneath a harsh hammer and grinds it up afterwards. At first, Regulus is too loud, too aggressive. Then, he's quiet, almost not daring to breathe, and he shrinks away like he expects pain. When none comes, he flees to the loo with a murmured excuse.

"That's not normal," Sirius whispers to James. They need to talk about it, but he doesn't want Regulus to overhear. And, given what just happened, he doesn't want to go too far from him.

"Definitely not," James whispers back. "D'you think they hurt him?"

"That's what it looked like, but it doesn't make any sense. They wanted to make him the perfect son to replace me." He shakes his head. "This doesn't follow."

"Maybe he's skittish from losing his parents and living with strangers," James says, but he doesn't sound like he believes it.

Sirius doesn't believe it either, but he says, "Yeah. Maybe."

*

"Are you going to lock me in the basement?" Regulus asks one day over lunch.

Sirius wishes Harry weren't here for this, and James wishes that there was a warning before someone asked something so horrible like that.

"There's no basement," Harry informs him. "Uncle Peter's house has a basement, but he says I can't go in." He's too young to understand the horrible implications in Regulus’s question. To him, it's a question on the same level as 'can I go in Dad's potion lab' or 'can we have dinner early today'.

James tries to smile. "Right. Like Harry said, no basement. I don't know why we'd do something like that to you anyways."

"The full moon is tomorrow night."

His stomach sinks, because that didn't sound like a different topic, and he doesn't want to ask, but he has to. Sirius braces himself and asks, "Why is that important?"

"They put me in the basement for my transformations."

He blinks. "Transformations?"

"When I become a wolf." Regulus said it as if this was information they already knew.

Sirius and James both force themselves not to react; there's no point in making him think it's a bad reaction. "Right. You don't have to do that anymore, we have something else worked out." They'll have to figure it out tonight. It'll be easy, since they can both transform and keep him company, but finding a suitable location will be a bit of a challenge-- and finding someone to mind Harry while they were both gone, helping Regulus, won't be easy because of the short notice. 

*

"I should've taken Regulus with me when I ran away from my parents," Sirius says, staring up at the ceiling and hating himself for something eight years past. From the corner of his eye, he can see James pause.

"You're not blaming yourself, are you?"

He says nothing.

James sighs, a quiet, sad thing, and pads over to the bed. He sits and places a hand on Sirius's shoulder. "We were sixteen. We couldn't have raised a kid."

"We would've figured it out," Sirius says stubbornly. He's convinced that it's true. They had Harry a little earlier than was wise, but they had each other, so they were able to get through it. It would've been the same with Regulus; they would've been scared and stressed with juggling everything, but they would've managed it.

James lays down. He throws one leg over Sirius's and curves his arm to smush between them so he can hold his hand. He should probably look up at the ceiling with him, but instead he stares at Sirius. His jaw is set, eyes tight, and he's glaring at the red paint like it's done him wrong. "I know you feel bad for him. I do too, but there's nothing we could have done-"

"We could've helped," Sirius cuts in, voice hard.

Mm. He isn't going to make this easy, is he? James keeps himself from sighing again, knowing it'll only make Sirius more defensive. "Okay. Humour me. You're sixteen, and you show up at my house with a baby in your arms. My parents let you and Regulus both live there. We-"

"I know that it wouldn't have been easy with Hogwarts, but-"

James is the one to cut him off this time. "I wasn't talking about Hogwarts, I was talking about Walburga and Orion. If you'd brought him with you, that would be kidnapping. Do you really think they'd let that slide? The law would've been on their side, and they would've wanted him back."

"They treated him like rubbish!" Sirius says, turning his head to glare at James instead of the ceiling. "He's a werewolf; they wouldn't have raised a finger."

"He wasn't a werewolf back then."

A retort is on the tip of his tongue, but he hesitates when that penetrates his fog of guilt and self-recrimination. James is right; Regulus wasn't a werewolf. He doesn't know when he was bitten, but it had to be after he left. "I still think I should've been able to do something," he eventually says, feeling helpless and hating it.

"You didn't know. And it doesn't seem like anyone else knows; they kept it locked down. All we can do is focus on how much better parents we're going to be to him," James says with a grin.

Sirius snickers. "Yeah. Doesn't sound like it'll be hard."

"We'll blow them out of the water."

*

Harry thinks it's fun to have Regulus around. Where James and Sirius are sometimes too busy to play with him exactly the way he wants, Regulus is always free-- and, importantly, always willing. Regulus and Harry both are enjoying the novelty of living with someone close to them in age. Hell, Regulus is enjoying playing. So much of it, he seems to be experiencing for the first time (like he's never had a playmate), but sometimes he does act the five years older than Harry that he is, knowing what Harry wants before he says a word.

It's pretty damn cute no matter which way he's acting. He talks more now, which is a marked improvement on when he first moved in. He doesn't fully trust Sirius and James yet, but they've got plenty of time to build off that, and he does trust them a little. He doesn't expect for them to berate him over nothing; he doesn't expect for them to lock him away on full moons or when he gets 'too annoying'. James gets frustrated with the slow pace sometimes, hating that Sirius has to remind him that baby steps are the only way they'll make progress. Raising Harry is, by comparison, easy. He's known them his whole life, never had reason to doubt that they'll be there for him or keep him safe. Dealing with raising both of them at the same time, with these differing viewpoints, isn't easy, but they're surviving.

Regulus and Harry wore themselves out playing. Sirius, as Padfoot, joined the fun, and he's feeling lethargic as they head inside. When he curls up to take a nap, Harry joins him automatically, pillowing his head on thick fur. When Regulus sees the way Sirius doesn't shake him off, he joins them, arm over Harry and head resting on Padfoot's gently moving chest.

James comes home, takes a photograph before any of them can wake, then tiptoes around the house, wanting them to have as much peace as they can. It's not an easy family, not one he ever thought they'd have, but it's good. Regulus fits in, taking on the role of Harry's brother, with Sirius more like a father.

[no-psi-nan]

[Context] <- still open for these!

2. Favorite canon thing about this character?

I love that she is so comfortable and competent with her powers, especially considering that she's stronger than Saiki in some ways. She's still a cheerful optimist despite literally seeing death marks, she keeps trying to help other people with her powers, and she's committed to being herself no matter what! She's the perfect foil to Saiki and she's also kind of a role model showing that it IS possible to make peace with ESP. I love that she pushes Saiki to be better and doesn't give in on her principles even though he's her soulmate and essentially a god. And I love that she's so friendly and warm, immediately becoming friends with Yumehara and jumping to Kumi's defense <3333

6. What's something you have in common with this character?

We're both terminally online hsfjdlshfks

7. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you like?

Love it when people draw her in fun+ funky new fashion fits!! It's what she deserves <3

21. If you're a fic writer and have written for this character, what's your favorite thing to do when you're writing for this character? What's something you don't like?

I really love writing Aiura's character, she's so much fun! Her dialogue comes naturally to me, being also terminally online lmao. I do like to lean into her witchy competence a lot, it's not explored enough in canon and extremely rare in fanwork from what I've seen. She's literally a professional witch in canon, let's explore her honing and developing her skills and how her powers affect her worldview! There's nothing I don't love about her, she's a perfect character imo <3

24. What other character from another fandom of yours that reminds you of them?

Let's be real.... There's no one out there doing it like Aiura. She's one of a kind!!

Most future-seeing characters are glum and burdened by their powers and/or have developed learned helplessness from it, genuinely can't think of any that are chill about it while still working to help other people.

25. What was your first impression of this character? How about now?

Then -> Omg she's hilarious, I love her!!

Now -> Omg she's hilarious, I love her!! Wait how come she's not in the top 3 popular Saiki characters when she's so damn funny and interesting??

[buf309]

Canon Twiyor: Fake married and constantly aware of that. 101 things, most of them personal hook ups and duties, always getting away of their feelings. 1 child. Trying to parent, accidentally being good at it, but struggling the whole way. Can't even go on a date without some sort of blunder. Fanon Twiyor: Heads over heels in love. Open secrets. Perfectly understand each other. Always supportive. No hooks up or issues getting in the way. So in love that Anya has many siblings. now.

thanks for your patience, I haven't had any free time these past weeks and I really need to think about your question.

I mean... well... I don't quite understand what you want me to answer, so I'll wing it and hope it makes sense.

in my opinion, the Forger family in canon is like a tree, with Loid doing the groundwork, Anya sowing the seed, Yor watering and taking out the pest (I guess not the bugs since she's scared of bugs), and Bond guarding it like the good boy that he is.

at this point, that tree is still a fragile little seedling. it needs a really, really loooooooooooooong time to grow, i.e. all those struggling and fumbling around in their canon shenanigans. however, once its roots had digged in, it has the potential to become one of those big sturdy trees that lives on forever.

let's pray that a certain sadistic MOON won't do anything shady to our little seedling in the near future... and even so, let's hope that the four Forgers will protect it with everything they have.

on the other hand, well, since that tree grows at a snail's pace, no one can stop you from entertaining yourself with those tree growing time-lapses while you wait right? like 🤔 speeding things up, jumping ahead and seeing what route things might take, etc.

this, my friend, is where the fanon shines like a beacon in the midst of a dark storm. who are we if not weary moths, searching for the happy ending in this uncertain world? just be careful, lest that mythical flame could burn and hurt you.

... 😐 you get what i mean right?

TL,DR. canon is slow as heck but it needs time to thrive; fanon is fun but don't let it get to your head and lead you astray.

[erkageka]

Headcanon to Canon✨

Context: IndoIce/ネシアイ/volcano pair actually start off as a crackship during APH 🇮🇩OC era (used to be referred as IceNes + volcanoduo)

➡️Original Post

More context below! Feel free to read/skip. Writing this as a tribute for them, since I never really wrote about this before properly :')

---

(hwsIndoIce/ネシアイ: Story time!)

The oldest fanart I made for them is from 2014, time flew so fast, it's almost 10 years. Even though they start off as a just-for-fun random crackship with no historical background, they become a comfort duo to me, I draw them a lot. The drawings of them were mostly associated with volcanoes and them hiking (an old IceNes AU). These are just some of the drawings of them, I still adore them until now... (If you noticed, the old APH🇮🇩 OC is inspired by that specific old Hima sketch)

And then one day..

???!!!!

To be honest, when the 'second to Iceland' chapter was out, i'm in denial, there's no way Indo actually said that? Wait, it's not mistranslated? I know he must be joking~ But, out of anyone, he said 🇮🇸? Feels surreal to me, even though heart beat really fast lol. But then, Hima actually made them meet and interacted for real?! There's also a chapter with these two interacting on phone, I can't believe it, the random comfort crackship really interacted in the manga. Trying not to be way too excited about this because I don't want to be disappointed from expecting? lol, i'm ok with any future possibilities, but still glad 🇮🇩🇮🇸 actually meet and interacted. It's more than what i expected. (Though, even if they didn't actually meet, that doesn't change the feelings I have from them, and will still making fanarts of them)

(➡️More thoughts)

Still, despite of anything, I will continue to draw and show my love for them^^💖 Thank you if you have read until this part!

[ Note: if seeing the ship bothers you, please ignore it! ]

[owladaptive]

Regarding Della in the Addams AU, would it be correct to assume that her failure to respond to the seances implies that she's still kicking up on the moon? (Also, I can't help but get the impression that this version of Dewey would actually be kinda *disappointed* if/when she shows up alive. "You mean you *didn't* get a cool, horrible death exploding in the vacuum of space?")

Good news!!! Della is alive!!!

Even better news!! She's being kept tightly under shackle and collar deep in the bowels of moon jail!

Della's little foray into space resulted the same way as canon. She would have been pretty alright with dying right there, leg trapped in the wreckage and running out of air (McDucks are as loyal as german shephards, and INCREDIBLY emotional about it. The guilt of leaving her unhatched eggs would have killed her anyway sooner or later, she insists.) But while Della was crossing her arms over her chest, closing her eyes and waiting for the embrace of unending sleep, Lunaris was surveilling her. He needed her to help out with his future invasion plans, so he rushed over to rescue her.

I wouldn't call Della grateful, exactly, but she thanked him anyway. Besides, she LOVES the sharp, unpleasantly strong taste of black licorice!

Well the moon general's plans to trick her into becoming his friend backfired within a few months. Lunaris had been incredibly threatened and terrified of the ghastly antics and behaviour of the infamous McDucks in this AU. After some nights of Della being comfortable enough to stand over his bed with a spear and a dangerous glint in her eyes while waiting for him to wake up (it's so WHOLESOME to traumatize your friends!!) and other such incidents, he eventually lost grip on his (perhaps delusional) sense of control over the situation and tossed her in the moon dungeon to never see the light of the earth again.

Of course Della wasn't going to cave to his demands for information on how to build a rocket (she tore up the blueprints before he could snatch them) once she found out he planned to invade. Not that it wouldn't be SO much fun to wreak mass fear and destruction onto the populace, but Della's family was down there! She wasn't going to give in no matter how much he tried.

His attempts at torture over time were paltry and uninspired. But it's still entertaining enough for Della, even if she longs in her heart to be lionfighting with Donald or teaching the kids she's never met how to gut and skin said lion.

McDucks are like cockroaches, and can survive through anything nigh unscathed. Lunaris is losing his damn mind. Penny is convinced that she's a demon or something and fully backs Lunaris on this one.

Until, of course, eventually, Della starts wearing Penny down with genuine kindness, acceptance and badassery. Penny isn't immune to simping for a potential goth gf.

And yes, when Della does eventually return to earth after many trials, trevails and revolutions, Dewey is kinda disappointed that she didn't die in a super cool way. So she promises that she'll die in a super cool way next time, and the little devil plans to hold her to that. He adores her.

[mamamittens]

Dumb thoughts before bed.

Canon!X meets yandere!X

Who'd catch on if they met their yandere!version in canon through vague, don't think about it, shenanigans?

Thatch

I feel like it would take a bit to catch onto his yandere self. He's generally pretty easy going in canon and used to weird characters, so any differences just seem fun at first! Makes him a bit curious how his alternate self could think like that, such as tampering with food to ensure Marco sleeps or getting payback for an insult one of their brothers made. He sees how ruthless in a fight his alt self is and just thinks it's a bit rough where his other self is from. Thinks it's a bit tragic that something so bad occured his other version is so overprotective in such an unhealthy way.

And who knows, maybe the yandere version is a bit charmed that his other self is so naive at what it takes to ensure the safety of their family. So... Sheltered. Off hand, but I do think yandere!Thatch clocks Teach at being opportunistic and ready to turn traitor but takes a wait and see approach. If he's present when the fruit thing happens, he definitely steps in, possibly drugging his OG self to face Teach and make the perfect excuse to kill him himself since he knows this version of Whitebeard would be much more reluctant to kill a 'son'. But obviously Teach can't be allowed to survive.

Marco

I feel like Marco knows something is off immediately with his alternate self. It's something in the eyes. In the way his other version holds himself, that narrow smile and watching gaze. Practically can smell the crazy a mile away. But... He does understand the reflexive violence. The involved need to ensure every one of his family is safe. He may not agree with his yandere self, but Marco understands him. It frightens him a little, how quickly he can see himself going along with a plan his brutal self comes up with if it meant protecting his family. And keeping it a secret as well. He knows Whitebeard wouldn't agree with some of the more... Extreme measures his other self would gladly enact.

Yandere!Marco is a little envious of how relaxed OG!Marco is. How little his fruit sings in his heart of violence to carve a way to a better future. But he can see how easy it would be to push OG!Marco into one of his plans. He's a man of reason, after all. He understands not every enemy will just back off after being beaten to an inch of their life. A little too soft, relaxed, and comfortable... But still not too far off from himself.

Whitebeard

Another one that would take... A bit to realize how twisted inside his other version is. They're both willing to go to extremes to recruit lonely souls, eager to add to their own family, and very attached to those that they have made to stay. But Whitebeard yearns for free spirits to allow them space to roam. Yandere!Whitebeard barely tolerates the necessity of fleets of his children. Constantly checking in with those that have managed to slip a little further from his reach. OG!Whitebeard thinks, at first, that his other self is just really paranoid. And he's not wrong. His yandere self can even be persuaded to relax and trust his children will come back because of the bond they share. But in times of stress, it becomes clear just how far yandere!Whitebeard is willing to go for his family.

Yandere!Whitebeard for his own part, thinks OG!Whitebeard is more than a little naive at the dangers the sea holds. Sneers a little at how easily he seems to let his precious, hard won children slip away. But he does envy the free, wild sparks OG!WBP have that his own lacks. Not afraid of wandering a bit far afield and return anytime there is a need of them by their father's side. Will take notes, in fact, because that ingrained loyalty is something he admires, even if he doesn't especially wish for any of his own children to indulge in such behaviors often.

Ace

He clocks his alt self as having some serious issues quickly but understands the likely roots very well. It's not hard to connect the dots he nearly took during their shared, tragic backstory. Having lost so much from such a young age, Ace understands the need to cling onto those he loves even if he's found enough internal balance to step back. A little amused that he's found a version of himself with more issues than him, in fact. Often tries to talk his other self down and to find a more balanced view than the rabid need to bite deep into whatever he can and not let go. To find it in himself to trust a little more in those he loves and watch them grow. Speaking often of how well Luffy learns first hand in a way that he couldn't if Ace had loomed over him for every encounter and how ill-prepared he'd be for his journey to become Pirate King if Ace fought all his battles. His angst, yandere self can concede that (at least when it comes to Luffy) it's far easier to take a step back and be ready than to try and hold the young man back. It's... A work in progress.

Yandere!Ace marvels a bit at how balanced his other self is. How is he not foaming at the mouth with every mile of sea between himself and their little brother without regular communication? Snapping at anyone that looks their way wrong? So... Confident? That no one is making moves to steal away his family? It seems impossible and he silently wonders if Gramp's 'fist of love' did more damage to this version's head. If trouble occured, yandere!Ace would gladly step in and berate OG!Ace for not being more aware (accidentally stepping into a big brother role for himself lol). If he could just get OG!Ace to be a little more self conscious of how fragile the people around him really are, he'd consider it a win.

[relaxxattack]

how come twitter hates knifetrick? i havent read it nor have i ever been involved in any mcyt or adjacent stuff btw

oh man. ok let me explain the story. it was around exactly a year ago the main bit of this shit happened actually

in 2020 minecraft roleplaying (mcrp) becomes super mainstream with the rise of dream smp. in these series, stories are scripted and then acted out live with some improv stuff

in the fandoms there is a LOT of drama over whether it's okay to ship the roleplay characters. there's lots of stances on this. in the beginning, most people say it's not okay to ever ship rp characters, because the youtubers usually just use their own persona as a base for an oc, so it's basically the same thing as shipping the youtubers together. shipping irl people is weird and gross, so nobody wants to do that.

in 2021 a couple of ships start getting confirmed as canon in the rp. characters date or get together or canonically have romantic scenes. this makes the fandom hurt itself in its confusion, because it doesnt understand if it's allowed to ship those characters together.

two guys have their characters literally get married and have a child. the fandom LOVED these characters, they were well written and cute and had a great dynamic. the fandom wanted to ship them and support their marriage so bad. BUT. they were played by real people. those real people (tubbo and ranboolive) were also minors at the time, who nobody wants to risk being weird about obviously.

the mainstream fandom decides that to solve this problem, they will pretend that the marriage is platonic, and ostracize and witch hunt anyone who claims it's not. they draw tons and tons of ship fanart of the two characters, all helpfully tagged as "platonic", sometimes tagging every single use of the word "husband" as platonic.

EVENTUALLY, people start realizing, hey wait, this is roleplay. it's fictional. the streamers are not actually traumatized war veterans who invented nukes, have amnesia, raised a child, are half hybrid alien etc etc etc.

in fact... it's actually really weird to try and make their roleplay relationship the same as their real life one. in the roleplay, they are married and have a kid and act lovey-dovey... why would you claim that's their real relationship? why would you conflate the two? can't we just understand that it's fictional?

most of the tumblr fandom, eventually, realizes that fictional characters and real human actors are not actually the same person. (it helps that the actors themselves state the same thing.)

the twitter fandom however... does not eventually realize this. they stay in their "platonic husband" hell, simultaneously being really weird about shipping and outwardly hating all shippers.

fastforward a bit, there's another mc roleplay series. it's a spinoff series of that first one we were talking about, and it's an athology series-- a whole bunch of oneshots with new characters each time. keep in mind, these characters are NOT EVEN RELATED TO THE STREAMER'S PERSONAS... they make up new ones each time!!

anyway they do one of the oneshots in a cool futuristic city and i was like "man it would be cool to write about this." one of the characters (ran) acts very weird and suspicious for the 5 lines he has total, which leads to a lot of silly theories about what he might be up to in this future city. i think, "man it would be fun to write about him." a different character (jackie) remarks on that character as well; jackie is also one of the only characters to live to the end of the oneshot.

ages after this oneshot was actually aired i thought to myself, what the hell, i'll write a story about ran and jackie. they have literally no existing personality and the futuristic city is not even remotely expanded on- i get to do all that myself!

so i write a comedy mystery action romance novel about an alien assassin (ran) assigned to kill the general of the city's army (jackie) while they try to find some kidnapped kids. keep in mind, i had basically nothing to work with for these characters-- they were side characters for a single episode from a spin-off series, they had around ten lines total. i got to make up basically everything about who they were and where they came from and what they would do myself. the story is also chock full of OCs, and all of the mechanics for the city itself were original and invented by me-- it was a huge labor of love and invention and original work.

the romance wasn't intended to be a whole thing, but honestly it felt very natural (and all the story's fans definitely wanted it), so it eventually happened.

surprising no one, the same twitter fans who believe that fictional characters are somehow LITERALLY the same as their actors started trying to tell me i was shipping real life people. (what? gross?). they told me i was being a bad fan by going against the wishes of irl people who didn't want to be shipped. they accused me of so much, of just trying to "hide" that i really shipped irl people, tons of things. but my story was not about irl people. the characters literally have different fucking names, appearances, personalities, dynamics... EVERYTHING.

twitter users eventually started a "cancellation" of me. i don't even use twitter. but anyway they dug up a bunch of weird innocuous comments or fanarts i had done before, and then pointed to knifetrick, and said i was secretly a gross person, that i was a guy who shipped gaming youtubers, etc. there was a thread about it, idk.

eventually the harassment in my inbox caused me to take a break from tumblr for several weeks. i actually wasn't sure if i would come back. HUNDREDS of people were talking about how terrible i was; people on twitter literally have me and my works in their goddamn dnis. it was such a surreal experience and it caused me so much anxiety.

eventually, several of my friends convinced me to finish the story, because really there was nothing all that wrong with it in the first place. i came back to tumblr.

i added the banner that is currently in my pinned to discourage gross shippers, or people who think *i* am a gross shipper, from coming near me anymore.

as far as i'm concerned, ran and jackie are my OCs. they were from a oneshot-- a oneshot that has not been MENTIONED by its creators for years now-- who i gave an entire story to. i don't want to associate with that fandom anymore, so i don't want the characters i worked so hard on associated either.

they still talk about me on twitter sometimes, kind of as an urban legend of drama. "holy shit you guys remember the knifetrick stuff? that was so gross, how did we let any of that happen. people kept defending it too 🤢". it doesn't bother me as much anymore, because i'm surrounded by people with the critical thinking skills to tell the difference between tom hanks and woody, but it's still sometimes surreal and hurtful.

don't take this as just me complaining though- making knifetrick was incredibly fun, and i still adore all the fans and memes and fanart to this day. you all were incredible and pretty much make those awful episodes worth it <3

in case you're wondering, the steamiest thing those characters did, that people were so upset about?

they shared a chaste peck of the lips for .2 seconds before one of them tried to kill the other.

[desultory-novice]

Another Lightning Round!

This time, we're answering:

-Borb Feet -Shadow Dedede and The Mirror World's Dream Fountain -Kirby Royalty -Soul of Kirby?! -Forgiving the "unforgivable" Dream Friends (a lo~ng post for an old ask!)

Hee hee! I'll tell you what, anon, at first, I wasn't sure how to take this comment (something I mentioned on stream) because getting good at drawing feet on the internet is... well...you know!

But given I myself started this by pointing out how bad I was at it with Galacta Knight, I really do appreciate the compliment! Next on my list.... borb hands. I've seen so many people draw Kirby's n-nubs (?) in ways that really make them look so marshmallow-y and fun!

-

Hello?! That idea of the Star Rod never getting repaired after Shadow Dedede broke it?! Fantastic! Imagine it drying up, and of course, the effects something like that would have on the mirror world!

(Has anyone else stumbled across that gorgeous but haunting series of "bad end" pictures a certain Kirby fan artist did on Twitter? I remember one had Dedede with a dried up Dream Fountain. That's very much what I'm visualizing here!)

Now, I vague~ly recall that there's some debate about the "darkness in his heart" part of the Shadow Dedede pause screen?  That the English version says it is Shadow Dedede who has to overcome his darkness whereas in the original, it is OUR Dedede who has to overcome his "shadow" that being Shadow Dedede.

...But just because it isn't saying that Shadow Dedede is trying to overcome something doesn't mean he doesn't represent a painful mark in both Dedede's histories. And such a "mistake" (unknown at the time) is an excellent possibility!

Lastly, thank you! The steady influx of lore and theories everyone drops into my inbox reminds me of my favorite parts of fandom in the old days and is a major treat!

-

This is NEAT! While they may not have known about each other in the past, you bring up a great point that after so many games, these various planets (dimensions? in the case of Fluff) are forging bonds with each other. Everyone likes the Galactic Star Alliance from the anime, right? What's interesting is that we kind of have a basis for such an "alliance" forming in our current Kirby-game verse!

Kirby has helped these monarchs get in contact with each other, becoming a link across multiple planets. So I think the idea of them getting together and talking now, in the present~post-game of Forgotten Land is a possibility! Let each other know if any suspicious activity is happening or if everyone is still doing all right.

Although that reminds me of something that came up in the stream... Since King Dedede is the "self-proclaimed" ruler of Dream Land... is there an ACTUAL ruler of Dream Land/Popstar waiting in the wings? Waiting for their return? Or sealed away even? (D-Dark Nebula, is that you?)

Either way, a meeting between those 5 sounds both intense and fun! I would love to come back to this idea with a sketch or illustration of some kind!

-

I'm digging into the backlog for some of these. Also, I can't believe I never answered this one?! Sorry if this ask is too old even for you, @emeraldcoloredwinter

(I'm also sorry in case I did in fact answer it in the past and can't find it - because Tumblr's search is really unreliable. If I repeat myself here, I'm sorry. If not and this turns out to be relevant...great!)

Frankly, I would love to see all kinds of soul lore expanded upon in future games. Partly because I have my headcanons as to why Sectonia/Pres. Haltmann died for realz versus why Marx and Magolor came back and if we get more tidbits, I can come closer to completing my conspiracy corkboard!!

(As well as figure out just where Drawcia lays in the current state of "canon." And maybe figure out some stuff about Zero, Zero 2 and the Dark Matters and what happened to them!)

On the one hand, I feel like Void did a rea~lly bang up job at feeling like you were battling the soul of Kirby. Or at least "a Kirby." I mean, seeing Kirby's face appear on Void, with all those childish movement patterns and that smile before defeat?

But Void was also composed of a variety of thoughts and feelings, so it wasn't exactly our Kirby. Then we've got the Shadow Kirby battles in Kirby Fighters 2, which also come somewhat close in concept, as you're fighting someone with the same ability set as you. That would be another good way to do it, I think.

But it still doesn't quite scratch that itch, does it? ... Now, I feel silly that I can't remember if this is a real thing or I'm just combining a bunch of games in my head (I-I may be old but I'm decades away from the point where I should have to fear being senile!!) but watching some Castlevania longplays... there was a part of one of the games where you go through one of the old castles, right? Maybe it wasn't in black and white, but it is in my memories.

And Kirby had a part like that too, in one of the games! At least, I think it did...? (Okay, maybe I AM going senile...)

:cough: That aside, something like those visuals above when combined with the feelings evoked by the 8-bit nostalgia portion of Void Termina's The Star Conquering Traveler Suite...

I can only imagine it would be sad. Maybe it would involve some kind of sacrifice or some kind of origin story. A time-travel game even? Something that takes us back to our favorite hero's beginnings. Despite it inevitably being THE penultimate fight, I can't picture it being a big dramatic battle so much as one of those interactive cutscenes, or something with never-seen-before-now gameplay elements. But it would feel like a true goodbye to the Kirby series. Oh, it might be able to continue on past that, just like things didn't end after the Star Allies completion picture either.

...But expect a lot of fears (and tears!) of something happening when it finally did.

Personally, I can't help but think Kirby's Soul would look like Retro Kirby or Popopo from Twinkle Popo. It might not even be called "Kirby's Soul" but have a more archetypical name like "Soul of a Traveler" or "Soul of Youth." 

...Soul of the Spring Breeze.

-

Another super old one. Gah, me and my slowness... The sad thing is, I had nine~ty percent of this written out a while ago but just didn't know how to finish it. I'm so sorry about that, @vexx-ation !

It was a really good ask though and I'm glad I gave it another shot. Now then, I think that in large part, this would boil down to who was most harmed by those characters and in what ways!

-

[Dark Meta Knight]

Dark Meta Knight is the biggest mystery because... DMK refuses (or can't) talk to anyone so we know nothing about his feelings. And we don't even know how he returned the first time after death (?)

Meta Knight is the one DMK has arguably hurt the most (excluding maybe Kirby) but I feel like Meta Knight is also the one who needs nothing from DMK to understand forgive them. It really all depends on where Dark Meta Knight is coming from. Was DMK a willing agent in Dark Mind's takeover? Then Meta Knight would be more hard on/untrusting of his shadow for certain. But being his mirror counterpart, I think he would take it as a sign of something lacking in himself. That he is only one step away from making such a turn. But if you, like me, think that the placement of certain objects and events in Amazing Mirror (Radish Ruins as DMK's "stage" and Shadow Kirby showing up one last time before you face off against DMK) are indicative that something more subtle is going on, Meta Knight may not even require an apology from DMK at all. Either DMK was manipulated or was attempting to manipulate the situation in the Mirror World's favor. In which case Meta would just silently nod and go on with his day.

Then there's King Dedede, who, at least in his own parallel mode, was seemingly attacked at random by DMK. That certainly puts them off on a wrong start, but I also think that Dedede would be able to eventually laugh it off and compare it some of his Meta Knight's more belligerent actions in the past (something that would probably fluster Meta Knight, as he wouldn't expect that comparison, mirror counterpart or no.) IE: I find it hard to believe the guy with a wrestling ring in his castle would hold an ambush against somebody for long, especially as he won.

It would take Bandee probably a bit to come to terms with the scary version of someone he most likely respects, but DMK has his cute (?) side too (like in his idle animation) so I think Bandee could come to accept DMK, especially after both Meta Knight and Dedede express that they no longer hold any hard feelings toward the dark knight.

Kirby would probably be the closest thing to a "holdout" here, only because Dark Meta DID ambush two of his friends (depending on the timelines) and he'd want to know that's not going to happen again. Afterwards though? DMK's right to be a part of the group is never questioned again!

-

[Susie]

Susie... ahhh, Susie. Let's just note that all the classic Susie discourse disclaimers go here and remind everyone once more that they're on a Susie-friendly blog and to some of you, what I am going to say may come off as being exceptionally "light" on Susie's crimes. It is what it is, however. If you want a brutal takedown of Susie, there are dozens of other blogs who will give it, I am certain. I can only go in-depth on things from my view of my Kirby-verse.

In random order: Bandee was the only one to not be incapacitated for large chunks of Planet Robobot's story and I believe that were the game to be remade in the modern style (or even had it been released on more powerful hardware than the 3DS) Bandee would have been a second player character just like in Forgotten Land. And if we assume that of him, then we can assume Bandee would have been exposed to Susie's entire plotline same as Kirby.

Bandee is, at least in the novel-verse (and it's not a bad HC in general) the most empathetic member of the Dream Team. Bandee can sympathize with and care about just about anyone. And Bandee might have been wondering if there was something going on with Susie before even Kirby started to see the cracks in the secretary's facade of corporate perfection.

While Bandee wouldn't like the things she, her father, and the HWC have done to Popstar, I think that once he sees where she's come from, his own anger would be tempered down. That everything reverts at the end (ironic (?) that everything is almost "magically healed" except the Haltmann's shattered family bonds) would be enough of a relief for Bandee that I think he could move on to looking at Susie as just a person. (And isn't he the one in the novel who gives her the pocketwatch back or am I mis-remembering that?)

I actually think Susie "as a friend" could be more intimidating to Bandee that Susie as an enemy. She's a sympathetic enemy. As a friend, she might be a considered too "extra" for the small warrior Dee! XD

On that note...I don't know why, but in most cases, I just see King Dedede as being very forgiving toward people in trouble. Oh, he will grumble about it to no end! But I don't see him EVER hurting anyone while they're down.

Of course, Dedede was also unconscious for 99% of Planet Robobot. Was he even awake when his DNA was stolen? Does he know? I mean, not knowing wouldn't be great at all, but I can't help but think that more than being harvested and bottled, his biggest concern, just based on his priorities, would be that his castle got destroyed AGAIN. Why can't the poor man keep a castle?! He didn't even do anything this time!! (Even the Halberd made it!) So, yeah, imagine a confrontation with Susie and Dedede and Susie tries to imagine all the things Dedede is going to call her out for and no, he's just upset about his castle getting wrecked. Susie is surprised he even cares about that "dinky, dusty old thing" and thus, a shouting match begins.

But again, I don't think it would last for too long. I think the things Dedede and Susie would clash on would be petty things. Dedede is pretty manly in his interests and Susie is very girly. They're blue and pink, even. I think Dedede would forget or just plain ol' not care about Susie's more "human rights" crimes and make MOUNTAINS out of the little things. Although they do share a love of machinery, and that might be something that would bring peace to the VERY petty disagreements. At least until Susie chastises Dedede for using "old parts" while Dedede goes on an old man rant about how those old parts are three times as reliable as all this easy to break new stuff! (Dedede is the equivalent of the guy who put his first car together by hand. Susie is the "born plugged in" type.) So, yes, they fight, but not for the reasons you think. ^^;

...As for Meta Knight, I think countless paragraphs have already been written on these two and most people know where I fall about now. Meta Knight, whether we saw it happen on screen or not, was able to figure out what Susie's deal was faster than anyone else, and while he didn't care for having his autonomy stolen (not to mention, I can't imagine he liked all the bulk of his un-asked for cybernetic upgrades. Mecha Knight is a tank. A stark contrast to Meta Knight's fast "here and away" style.) But if anyone in the entire FRANCHISE understands that sometimes your morals take a backseat for your goals, it would be him and now that the dust has cleared and the HWC was on the losing side with Susie as it's sole survivor (speaking brutally) there's no reason to be angry with her anymore. That said, I believe that, much like happens in the fandom, Meta Knight probably gets questioned fairly often (by people who know) if he's upset at Susie, with some not believing its possible he wouldn't be. But I really think to him, it's just something that happens when you're pushed into a corner.

What Meta Knight would care about is not what Susie has done in her past (to him) but what she does now.

...That said, I think he will find an "excuse" to be somewhere else when she looks at him with stars in her eyes and a wrench in her hand. (I am a firm believer that the Star Allies scene is meant to be taken comically, not seriously. I have nothing against Mecha Knight unwanted modification angst but that scene should not be your sole "proof" such a thing exists.)

And of course, as for Kirby, Kirby has already accepted Susie. He ran to her side when she was injured. He agreed with her request to stop Star Dream, and he accepted her invader armor. There's nothing else to forgive. Acceptance is freely given.

Lastly...

-

[Marx]

Marx is the silly one. Very silly. I think, on my first draft of this post (I made the choice to write it again from scratch rather than base it on my previous version, so that it was up to date with my current feelings) I took the concept of Marx and forgiveness very seriously, but then I booted up Star Stacker (SNES) again and remembered that the story began because one day, Dedede saw a sparkling star flying through the sky and decided, "I'm gonna shoot it with a cannon!" So, in case this needs to be restated...

The people of Dream Land are absolutely buck wild.

Probably, due to the comparisons with his spiritual successor Magolor, there's been a casual attempt to try and make a bigger deal out of the "ship in a bottle" events of Milky Way Wishes.

I don't want to be a hypocrite here. I'm a huge fan of "Let's try to expand on Marx's backstory, personality, and motivations using every tiny scrap we've got" and I do so relatively shamelessly. I love the idea that there might have been buckets and buckets of angst and pathos behind his decision to trick Kirby into bringing Galactic Nova into Popstar's orbit so he could kick our beloved puffball into the darkness of space and wish to make the planet his own...

...but do I think that those acts in a vacuum are on the same scale as what all the other big, bad, last bosses have done?

Not really.

Well, not like the modern villains. Marx is a bit more like Dark Meta Knight or Daroach in the breadth of his bad guy-ness. His act harmed very few people in practice. It could have gone on to harm more eventually, had it succeeded. It might have even been devastating! Similar to if Dark Mind's reach was allowed to expand into the peaceful non-Mirror Popstar. Or if Dark Daroach went on to rule as the second coming of the Lord of the Netherworld!

But... it wasn't. The clown's dreams lasted only a few brief minutes. To the people on the surface, Nova exploding probably looked like no more than a shooting star. ("Everyone make a wish!")

...The only person Marx needs forgiveness from, then, is Kirby. And that is the story of several hundred different fanfics and fan theories and frankly, I enjoy all of them because the ~potential~ dynamic these two characters share is one of my favorite things in the series.

And, leaving the "middle" of that journey for we, the fan creators to come up with, I believe we can at least say that, in the end, the two seem to have made up successfully.

...Now, there's still the question of would the rest of the Dream Team LIKE Marx or forgive him upon hearing what he did! I think Meta Knight would be wary of him for a lot of reasons. He's unexpected and uncontrollable. He hopped in to attack the group during the Star Allies credit sequence. But Meta Knight also (in an alternate timeline) thought wishing on Galactic Nova for a ridiculously selfish wish was a perfectly sane thing to do so I gather he would have little issue with Marx's ambitions, if not his actions. And as for his attempted murder of Kirby, Meta Knight is :cough: also guilty of that so yeahhhh. Maybe he doesn't LOVE the jester's antics or even tolerate them, but he wouldn't decry them from a moral high ground...?

I personally love the idea that King Dedede is headache-inducingly familiar with Marx. I like the idea that Marx might have even gotten his title of "jester" thanks to King Dedede. According to the Dedede Encyclopedia entries on twitter, Dedede had no idea about Marx's attempted takeover of Popstar nor did he know about Marx's "true form." Thus, it's easy to imagine that to Dedede, Marx is nothing more than another cute, silly resident of Dream Land, like the Waddle Dees. He may even treat Marx with the same paternal kindness he gives the Waddle Dees. At least until Marx goes a step too far!

TLDR, I love the version of their relationship as implied in the Kirby Storybooks, where Marx is one of "those troublesome kids" who teams up with Kirby to play harmless pranks on Dedede. It's so crazy wholesome, something that you can't always say about Marx!

...Lastly, Bandee... Oh, empathetic little Bandee. I feel like Bandee would probably be the one to eye Marx the most critically. Because Bandee has eyes on the ground level to NOT be fooled like Dedede nor so extreme that he can't hold Marx accountable like Meta Knight. I think Bandee is probably the closest to Kirby in seeing Marx for who Marx really is, but doesn't have the "complex" relationship Kirby and Marx does that inspires Kirby to forgive him no matter what he does.

Not that I think they fight or don't get along, necessarily. (In fact, the sudden spike (?) in MarDee - am I spelling that right? - shippers has rekindled my interesting in their dynamic) But I do think that while Marx is giving everyone his "Who? Meeee?" eyes, Bandee is off on the side giving Marx a narrow-eyed look of "You don't fool me."

But again, I think that honesty may be something that could turn into a kind of closeness they don't have with others! Plus, biased, but I also completely love, love, love the idea that the one Waddle Dee who is tired of being "just a Waddle Dee" and the one Noddy who is tired of being "just a Noddy" have an understanding that none of the naturally over-powered residents of Popstar can ever understand.

It's possible to write them as rivals or enemies. These two, quite frankly, could be very cool together in a variety of ways!

[parvuls]

I saw several people wondering how to participate in this bingo event. so this is how it goes: you look through your recs, you fill out the card, and... you post it 😉

to make this even more interesting, every author that gets tagged in a bingo card is now challenged to fill their own. I said what I said.

---

main character is a side character to fail better by orphan this is an unusual rec for me since the main character is camilla collins, and the main relationship explored here is jack/camilla. but really, I adore it because it's a rare example of an outsider pov on jack through the eyes of someone who likes him, and maybe sees more of him than he know. there's something very sad about jack at this point of his story, but his and canilla's awkward attempts to make something real of what they almost have are really endearing. plus: even if jack didn't fall in love with camilla, I definitely did.

still a WIP Increasing Engagement by always1895 I have a problem of hoarding WIPs and occasionally checking on them like I'm waiting for them to return from the war. this is one of those WIPs. there are two things I can never turn down, and those are social media fics and an enemies to lovers arc. just know my ass is sat down for whenever this fic is finished, and yours should be too. (*) if anyone knows the author's tumblr handle, please tag them!

short fic Patient as Pie by @edgarallanrose no fluff hits quite as hard as zimbits fluff. this short fic has jack being needy and affectionate and domestic, and it just makes me warm and gooey inside whenever I read it. which, you know, is often.

inspired you to write Two Things Only by @thewesternredcedar I'm going old school with this one, because whenever I think of a fic that inspires me I think of the summer I read this fic six times to get through my own fic. this may be in my top ten favorite fics of all time. it has endless amounts of pining, hilarity, silliness, and to top it all off, it's set during my favorite time to read about: right after graduation and before Y3. it does such a good job of nailing that jack and bitty essence that I just can't help coming back to it for inspiration.

bookmarked recently (...ish) say my name (and call me a liar) by @weneedtotalkaboutfic it may be cheating to rec a fic that was written for you, but uh, I don't care. this fic just hits all the right spots. it's smart, it's funny, it's mysterious, it's sexy, it's emotional. it has both super slow-burn and whatever the opposite of that is, thanks to a wonderful two-person-love-triangle. and if that's not enough, the real star of this fic is jack zimmermann and the journey of his sexuality and his happiness, which just blew me away.

BONUS: canon divergence But this place still stands, this place remains unchanged by @doggernaut I already have my bingo but I have more to rec, so. this fic is a really fun glimpse into a future that could've been, and it's supported by a wonderful ensemble cast (of both canon characters and realistic-feeling OCs). this fic made me laugh out loud and clutch my chest, and even though I knew where the story is headed, I couldn't wait to arrive there with it.

BONUS: isn't on AO3 lighthouse au by @appalamutte this is one of those tumblr snippets I wish I could will into becoming a full fic. just that one scene, along with the bonus background, made me fall instantly in love. historical au's can be hit or miss for me, but this was so unique and so intriguing, and (as already established) I can't resist a good enemies to lovers action.

BONUS: FREE here you come again by @ivecarvedawoodenheart honestly, no one rips my heart out of my chest quite like syd does. the first time I read this I was too emotional to think thoughts, but the second (and third, and fourth) I was just like: tell me everything about this. immediately. the phrasing lives in my head rent free? this short fic literally does.

[thegirlwhorideslikeasamurai]

This is a bit of an awkward writing update, but I can't change that right now and I don't feel like holding back just because.

Since I've been upset about too many things over the past week, I fled into the only one of my two current wips, I can write comfortably even when I can't write continuously. And that's where things become awkward because I'm talking about no other project than my Young Vitya coming-of-age/coming-out story (working title: The Sorrows of Young Vitya) that suddenly got the taste of a movie substitute.

Back in January, when I had the idea, I didn't think of movies at all. I just suddenly had this story in mind that connected all the backstory I made up for Vitya in my YOI novelisation, one-and-a-half draft of sequels, and my Viktor-POV prequel Thousand Spotlights. That my ideas might collide with a possible future canon was an afterthought that only occurred to me when I started writing the story during my Easter holiday. Although that had been a possibility I've been dealing since I started writing YOI fanfiction, it was still awkward. And I decided that I could impossibly wait for a movie that had the vibes of a Schrödinger's movie, especially when there's a real chance that I end up disliking the canon extension (been there, done that, wrote fix-it fix countless times and all this happened often enough to be wary of these things, no offence against the creators, I'm a burnt child).

This weekend, I've finished another chapter in which I made up a hilarious explanation for the bondage Lilac Fairy costume, which is total nuts because 14-year-old Vitya is total nuts. He's constantly pushing boundaries of what can do with his skating (both in technicality and expression), he has very distinct ideas how he wants his programmes to be like, he's gay as fuck but hilariously oblivious to it, he wants to overthrow the system, and he's constantly picking fights with Yakov. And this will continue throughout puberty at least. It's such a fun story to write, but I have absolutely no idea what to do with it. I had resorted to very likely not posting it once it's done, given my experience with Thousand Spotlights so far. But I've never made a secret out of writing it because the idea thrilled me so much and I can do so much terrific research on a culture and an era I know very little of and bend it towards the utopia that is YOI. And I don't really like the idea of people putting any expectations in this project even if that will only concern a small number of fans since my writing updates tend to reach only so many people.

I will finish the draft and I will revise it properly before I make a decision. My plan is to finish the first draft during my next holiday. I love my annoying pubescent Vitya too much to not finish this story and it's too important as a backstory for the Viktor of my "A dream too large to bear alone"-verse. So please bear with me and more updates of this kind.

[khaleesiofalicante]

I don’t hate you,” Max said because he didn’t. “Bapak. Everyone…Everyone looks at you like you are some sort of God. But you are just a person. People fuck up. I know that better than anyone. So, I won’t hold it against you. I promise.”

“I’ve seen immortals who love each other grow to resent each other,” bapak said quietly. “I’ve been through it myself. I know it’s an inevitability in some relationships. But I don’t want that for us. I don’t want a future where there is hatred between us.”

“I won’t hate you,” Max whispered. “But what if you end up hating me?”

“Why would I hate you?” bapak raised an eyebrow.

“I like loving you too,” Max whispered, his eyes tearing up.

“So, don’t ever think I will hate you,” the man said seriously. “Because I don’t know how to do that. I don’t know how to look at you with anything but love.”

This is Magnus and Max LBAF 3. And until we get to LBAF 7, this is the only Magnus/Max relationship I will accept, thank you very much🙃

I mean, don't get me wrong, I love dark Magnus as much as anyone. But Magnus being corrupt to the point where he would hurt anyone? Tessa? Max? Hurting his Blueberry? Saying that everything Alec did for him was a mistake? That's a magically corrupted Magnus, and I don't like him. It is indeed against his nature.

And you are an evil genius. Older Max trying to fool time by time traveling, so the runes are killing him, "stealing" his time. Magnus changed the course of nature by changing a canon event, so the runes are changing his nature, turning him into something he'd never become. And the universe restores its balance. Even justice in a twisted turn of events. The time traveler that is running out of time (Max) and the hero that saved everyone but couldn't save himself (Magnus) .Girl, you are crazy and that's why we love you. (But these are tragic ends for Older Max and Other Magnus, they deserve better please give them better🥺)

That epilogue was insane and it reminds me of the Umbrella Academy. They kept trying to save the world but they only ended up making it worse every single time. They ended up saying they'll just let the universe get destroyed or reset it. I'm curious to see how they'll solve everything here.

This story was insane and you kept us on the edge of our sits until the last second, I can't wait to see how everything will come together! You are crazy and talented and crazy talented, never change!💛

Some questions for you: How was the process of writing this story for you? I kept thinking how everyone was at the start, LBAF 2 and 3, even LBAF 4. Did you make that comparison while you were writing? Were there some things you had to change from the initial draft? Were there some gaps in the plot that gave you trouble? Which ones were the first plots that came to your mind? What scenes were you most excited to write about?🌼

Every time one of you reminds me of baby lbaf gang and these precious scenes, I scream into a void in despair.

I am warning y'all now. Dark Magnus/Other Magnus is going to be more traumatizing than sexy. Don't come crying when it actually happens!

And thank you! I'm glad you caught it. Both Other Max and Other Magnus are suffering consequences very close to the dark magic they used. It also reminds me of Malcolm who used necromancy to bring back his girlfriend and then was killed by his girlfriend.

I love the Umbrella Academy! And that's exactly the vibe. Honestly, I agree with Hermes. They never should've invented Time Travel. Because now every action they do to fix it (whatever it is) will only make it worse.

Thank you for sticking with me and the story to the very end. I'm very grateful for your love and support 💛💛💛

This was definitely much different from the previous LBAFs for several reasons. Firstly, it's a new gang. So, I was learning more about these characters as I wrote them. Secondly, the plot was so much more complex. I love complex plots so it was fun to write - but also super stressful too hehe. Thirdly, this is the first time where I changed SO MUCH as I wrote. SO MUCH. The first draft I wrote was so different.

Some things that happened there (only sharing a few because so much changed lol):

Kyle and Madeleine were supposed to have an affair. I think I already spoke of why this plotline existed somewhere else.

Victoria was a bad mother. I'm glad this didn't stick because her relationship with Kincaid is one of my favourites in lbaf.

In the scene where Victoria/Kyle find out about Arcaid, they force Kincaid to break up with Arthur (And ask Kincaid to ask AJ to come to Idris and break up - and that's how AJ gets arrested) and this breakup scene is BRUTUAL. I'm glad it didn't make it either.

I originally wanted George Lovelace to be one of the Ressurected and then realized he is not a shadowhunter LMAO. (rip)

In the first draft, the dead people who came back were random (like I didn't have the whole canon death thing sorted out then) so like I was hoping to break back many people but then realized it would make no sense to do that and it will unnecessarily complicate the story.

Some of the main plots in the next season were originally part of LBAF 7 - but I decided to push it back because it felt too soon and too rushed.

Hermes didn't even exist in the first draft lmao. I only came up with that entire plotline when I wrote Iris' short story in LBAF 5 (you'll notice that we hardly see him before that)

All the bits in the Other Timeline? Like the characters? Literally made it up before I wrote the Interlude. I did not have it all figured out. I keep telling you guys, but writing is really about acting like you know what you're doing and making sense as you go.

There is so much more but this is all for now. I didn't particularly struggle with gaps in the plot (because there is still more to explore later) but I did feel that we didn't get to see a lot of characters like Atlas in this season (that's because a lot of his storyline got pushed to the next season). But then again LBAF is mainly about the LB family so I will not feel guilty!!

The first plots that came to mind include the conflict between Arthur/Kincaid/Lance. This is only the base that created this entire story so I assure you it will not resolved easily. The story about Other Max being a 'liar' was also one of the first ones. I laughed when everyone was like 'aw he waited for 700 years to see David again' and I was like 'sjdnjcnsdlk'. Cami rebelling against the Clave and 'betraying' Rafael was also one of the first ones. I struggled with her characterization, but once it clicked, she seemed so clear to me.

I was really really excited to write the scene where Other Max gets exposed. I was also excited to write about y'all discovering Arthur's powers. Also, the scene where Mavid fam finds out about Arcaid.

Once again, thank you for all the love you've shown this fic. It's truly been one hell of a ride 😎

PS - This season was originally not called Love Beckons All Fallen (I've shifted that name to the next one) because switching these two seemed more appropriate hehe.

[clawbehavior]

Rules: List the first line of your last 10 (posted) fics and see if there's a pattern!

@killerandhealerqueen @fourth-quartet @technitango, thanks for the tags kings!

1. enantiomers (modern au where a younger yohan meets isaac's long-lost twin, kim gaon)

enantiomers are molecules that are chemically identical in every respect except that they are mirror images.

2. even gods can't change the past (modern au where yohan and gaon work together)

'you know,’ says kang yohan, ‘you and i met a long time ago.’

3. what we do in the shadows (canon divergent serial killer au)

gaon rolls his shoulders, rearranges his expression to one of cool neutrality, and knocks twice. 

4. my heart is going back to you, i just don't know (canon compliant ficlet for now. to become a fucked up canon divergent fic later)

gaon goes to work as normal in the days following the reveal of his parents' suicides in live court.

5. i hope you are lonely (post canon, yohan comes back for gaon under less than ideal circumstances)

‘you’re remarkably calm about all this,’ says yohan once he’s finished drying his hands. 

6. everything everywhere all at once (modern au where yohan is a private lender who loaned money to gaon's parents)

the car explosion sends gaon tumbling to the ground.

7. elevator troubles (canon divergent fic with gahan shenanigans & seriousness)

'have you made any progress on infiltrating kang yohan's inner circle?' min jung ho asks while they're waiting for the elevator.

8. skin deep (the compulsory ABO fic that i still can't believe i thought up)

‘it’s interesting,’ says kang yohan.

9. til kingdom come (canon-divergent reincarnation au where gaon was a crown prince and yohan was topmost advisor)

‘you planned for this,’ the crown prince hisses as he imprisons the commander-in-chief inside him.

10. final coda (post canon, yohan returns for gaon)

in music, a coda is a passage that brings a piece to an end.

^^this is the opening i am most proud of. simple but lyrical.

i'm seeing a pattern of starting the story in the middle of a scene, pfft. this was loads of fun! thanks to everyone who tagged me!! tagging @briwates @thedeviljudges @tenderlywicked @rocknghorss @mid-n0vember + if you are a moot or creator who would like to play these games, reblog to lmk so i can tag you in the future!

[rustychainsnorter]

I don't know what all the hate is for I liked the premiere😭 The voices were only slightly off, I barely noticed it (And so what? It could've been way worse) Sure the plot wasn't mind blowing but I didn't expect much tbh. HUGH JACKMAN THO pffft.

Loved the first bit with Morty checking on Rick. Would love to see my precious best boy more<33

I KNOW! I LOVE THE NEW EPISODE! Was it the greatest? No. Was it the worst? Definitely no. It was just fun and relaxing. We got to see the goofy boys hanging out together with a famous actor. And while it wasn't the most exciting thing, it was a lot sweeter than most content we've gotten before.

I hope you don't mind, but I wanna list things I loved about the episode.

- Morty being used to Rick's sh*t. I just LOVED him pretending that he had coffee. And I love that he checked on him.

- I for one don't care about the change in voices. I appreciate the voice actors, of course, but mostly I'm just grateful that they're still making the show.

- Bird Person is back and his daughter is fire! I would LOVE an episode where bird daughter and Morty go on an adventure!!! *hulk roar*

- Rick was definitely still canon because he tried to avoid primary responsibilities and he forgot Wayne's birthday. Oh, and he started drinking and causing trouble! Very canon.

- This episode reminded me of Analyze Piss because Rick really did try to do the right thing by encouraging Wayne not to visit his x-wife, and everyone started calling him out for being "an a**". Just like in Analyze Piss he said something like "I'm either an a**hole for helping or an a**hole for not helping". Just little similarities.

- Rick genuinely tried to be a good friend. He wanted to go on an adventure with all his friends- THE FACT THAT HE EVEN CALLED THEM HIS FRIENDS THOUGH!!- and he wanted to cheer Wayne up. They got drunk, had fun, caused trouble and went home somewhat content. Rick learned something.

- Hugh Jackman was funny. Why is he playing in so many goofy adult shows? I thought he was hilarious in Big Mouth, but this definitely takes the cake, lol!

- And, last but not least, my favorite part......... RICK IS DEVELOPING! Don't you see it? Rick is becoming a better person! He is growing. He is becoming happier, more considerate, caring and nice! That's literally all I've ever wanted and it's happening! And it makes me SO HAPPY!

I don't care what people say, I loved the new episode and I'm going to keep having faith in the future ones. Like you said, I can't wait to see my precious little bro Morty in the future :'D It's gonna happen. Just one more week!

[candyheartedchy]

re: falling out of self-shipping cause of a canon x canon ship becoming canon: yeah, kinda!! at the very least, i understand.

like. i ship romantically with Mollymauk, from Critical Role, and Critical Role has these origins comic books that describe the origins of the main characters. and in Molly's comic book, it apparently (i haven't read it yet) hinted that Molly held romantic feelings for another canon character, Caleb, or at the very least those feelings were starting to bloom. and i got very attached to Molly very quickly, so i understand a lot. especially with keeping canon x insert/oc ships close to the canon material.

if it helps, what i did was i made a scenario where Molly had a choice between Caleb (who had several love interests at this point, the man has been described as a Bisexual Maelstrom) and Ari (my oc whom i love very much). and i made so that even though Molly might have had romantic feelings for Caleb at some point, his romantic feelings for Ari were stronger. so he chose her, in a way that still feels close to the source material and true to the narrative, at least to me.

idk if it'll help, but i thought if i told you what i did, it might give you inspiration!

it's really hard going through that kind of thing. especially if you're attached to the f/o. but you are creative, and you are lovable, so if you decide to work something out, then it'll be something wonderful, and if you decide to share it, i can't wait to see it!

you got this Chy!! we're here if you need us <33333

-@selinas-ships

That’s the thing because I try to keep my self ships close to canon as possible, which I know I don’t have to but I just do. Like I have one f/o that has a canon ship already and I still self shipped with the character anyway with no problem. And then there’s other f/o(s) that I have that got fan favorites canon x canon ships that aren’t official or anything, but they don’t really bother me and I even enjoy some of them. But this one f/o is a big comfort character of mine and I even sometimes ship them with other canon characters for fun. But the one ship of that f/o that started out as a crackship in the fandom seems to look as if it’s inching more and more closer as a canon ship in the future. And it just stings. Like I’m almost afraid to watch new episodes of the show because of it.

And I do appreciate the scenario you gave, it could help with the whole staying close to the source material thing. But I can’t keep thinking that if the ship becomes canon, then why bother? But I will keep what you wrote in mind, so thank you.