#wip: grave mercy

[suzukiblu]

"understanding" please!

Match knows who Lex Luthor is, obviously. 

He doesn't know why he's here, though. 

"If you don't give me your little side project right now, I'm going to burn you to the ground," Lex Luthor informs the directors pleasantly. Director Beta looks sour. They were married to each other at some point, Match is vaguely aware somewhere in his information uploads. Or might still be? Legally, anyway. 

He really doesn't know. 

Lex Luthor walked into this Agenda lab with just his chauffeur and a single apparent bodyguard who are both wearing miniskirts and high heels and minimally armed at best, but seems absolutely unconcerned about all the guns currently trained on him or the directors' dark expressions. Match expects to be told to kill him shortly, but no one's given any orders yet. 

"And why would we do that?" Director Beta asks dubiously. 

"Really, Erica," Lex Luthor says dryly. "Do you think I'm stupid, or are you just producing any random clone now without so much as glancing at their DNA?" 

"What?" Director Gamma frowns. "What does the project's DNA have to do with anything?" 

"Ironic question to get in a cloning lab," Lex Luthor observes still more dryly. "It's mine. I designed it. You're currently in possession of my intellectual property. So either hand it and all its files over, or I will, again, be burning you to the ground." 

Match has the odd thought that he isn't convinced Lex Luthor won't be burning the Agenda to the ground no matter what they give him. 

Though–he couldn't. Could he? Not even Lex Luthor. 

"Will you now," Director Beta says frostily, and Lex Luthor looks vaguely annoyed and fully exasperated. 

"Hope. Mercy," he says, adjusting the cuffs of his jacket and the knot of his tie. "Keep Project Match from getting himself killed, won't you?" 

"Yes, sir," the chauffeur replies with a smirk as the bodyguard dips her head in a silent nod. They don't seem remotely concerned that Lex Luthor just told them to go take on a half-alien metahuman clone. 

No one tells Match to do anything, so he waits. 

"This really didn't have to be difficult," Lex Luthor says with a put-upon sigh, and four point five seconds later the room is full of robot drones with glowing energy gun barrels and Match is pinned to the floor with the chauffeur and the bodyguard on top of him. They're strong. Stronger than him, he's pretty sure. And definitely better-trained than him too. He can't move his arms or legs or get any leverage, though obviously he could still use his TTK. 

But no one tells him to, so he just keeps waiting. 

"Spence!" Director Alpha shouts, and Director Beta snaps, "Lex–!", and then the shooting starts.

A lot of screaming and chaos happens, but Match still doesn't get given any orders. 

"This brat's concerningly agreeable, actually," the chauffeur muses. 

"Given his genetic profile? Yes," the bodyguard agrees dryly. 

Match could kill them, technically. He's much better with his TTK than his useless "genetic profile" is, and they're both stupid enough to be touching him right now. It wouldn't matter how strong they are if he triggered a stroke or heart attack, after all, and he knows exactly how to. 

But no one tells him to do anything, still, so he doesn't. 

The drones whir and buzz and keep firing. Spence screams. So does Director Gamma, and then a few different guards too. The whole room is all chaos and noise and irritatingly loud. Match wishes everyone would keep it down a little better. 

He doesn't like loud noises. 

He waits with his face pinned to the floor. He can feel most of what's happening in the room with his TTK anyway and hear the rest, so it's not like he actually needs to watch. 

A lot of things happen before the last body hits the floor, but still, no one tells him to do anything. 

And then everything is quiet again, finally, and Match doesn't have to deal with any more loud noises. 

"Anti-climatic, but effective enough," Lex Luthor observes like there wasn't just a screaming firefight in the room. Match feels him adjusting his cuffs again, though he's pretty sure they don't need it. Lex Luthor didn't actually do anything but stand there the whole time his drones were tearing through the guards and the directors were fleeing. Director Gamma didn't make it out; he's dead in his seat. So is Spence, on the floor. 

Match doesn't care about people dying or not, but Spence being dead is . . .

He didn't like Spence. 

Not that he likes anyone, but he didn't like Spence even more than that. 

Lex Luthor turns towards his chauffeur and bodyguard and, incidentally, Match. He tilts his head. 

"You know, I really assumed he'd be more trouble, all things considered," he says as he tucks his hands into his pockets, sounding mildly annoyed about it. Match doesn't understand why he would be. Whatever side project the man's here for, it's all his now. No one's left to stop him. 

Except Match, obviously. 

But no one told him to, so he doesn't. 

He does wonder why Lex Luthor picked him to leave alive for whatever presumable questioning he has in mind, though. A guard would've been less risky, and also easier to threaten. 

They'd care about being tortured or dying, for one thing. 

"Let him up," Lex Luthor says, and the chauffeur and bodyguard get off Match and let him go. He considers just staying on the floor, but the order is implicit, at least. 

And also he doesn't feel like dying on the floor, if he's going to die. He assumes Lex Luthor has questions, and then some sort of kryptonite. It's Lex Luthor, so of course he does.

Match should care about that, probably.

[strong-with-the-sarcasm]

Sarcasm's DPxDC rec list

{I have no else to blame but myself for how long this could have been. I don't discriminate between ships in the fandom. If I'm curious, I'll read it, but I do have a particular love for Hardcover if you haven't somehow guessed. }

Main Masterlist Regent Series Mundane Macabre

[Hardcover/Anger Management ship]

I’m Picking You Up by Clouds

Unfortunately, the Bad Guys Are Human by aggiepuff (With sequel, "Welcome to the Neighborhood" in the same series)

Premeditation by Chromatographic (With its WIP sequel, "The Mercy of the Fallen")

The Wonderous Beauty of the Statuesque Scarlet by Elizabehta_Beilschmidt Unwanted Farewells by TheStarfishAlien (Not sure if this should be in this category or in general)

When All Other Lights Go Out by suzukiblu

Slap-A-Soulmate by Bewitched_Forest

Blood On the Crown by SkylarkSky (WIP)

[Demon Twins/Damian and Danny are Twins] Phantom Assassin by Kanereader765 (WIP) (An incredible view on an assassin trained Phantom who escaped the league)

Cain and Abel Wept by Katlover98 The Fenton Twins by AceFace98 (Twist on the usual demon twin formula) Twin Stars by CrescentCyan

The Bat Trap by Threee (One of the best works I have ever had the pleasure of reading in this fandom. Still reread it every now and then because I love it so much.)

[General Recs]

Ghosts In Gotham by Sivan5733 (Technically two out of the 5 works contain Hardcover content, the fifth work is the longest and its a great series.)

Robin's Egg by Calix (WIP) (Hilarious)

TWINcognito mode by nerdpoe (Double the unasked for gremlin.)

let the mourners come by PorcelanaRota (RIP twitter)

I’m King Boo by TourettesDog

Ghostly Delivery by WeirdNCrazy

The Misadventures of Cosplay Man by Shynnohwen

Midnight Blues and Late Night Tunes by halfagone

Hatred at First Sight by Sagoberattare

If I had a nickel… by bongo_balderdash

Somebody’s Gonna Love You by DisillusionedDanny

Danny Fenton, Hero Helper Extraordinaire by aryelee

You Look Like You’ve Seen A Ghost by ShootingFromAfar

You’re Gonna Be Sooo Haunted by ReverseNecromancer (WIP)

Death In the Hometown by Bad_Wolf_CDS (WIP)

Who Hurt My Baby? By OneDayITooWillChallengeGod (WIP)

Raising Phantom by Imp_y (WIP)

Blood Sons by Katlover98

Bask In Our Cosmic Insignificance by DisillusionedDanny

A King’s Prerogative by SugarPhantom

[Dead Tired]

Still Into You by DisillusionedDanny

The Rebirth of Tim Drake by Bewitched_Forest (WIP)

Family Introductions by Half-dead Ham

[Dead Silent]

Full Time Hero, Full Time Disaster by halfagone

[Dead On Main]

Lightning In A Bottle by DisillusionedDanny (WIP)

Like Betta Fish Do by PaperPuffin (WIP)

Empty Graves by Binaberries (WIP)

I Killed The Who? By Petite_Phthora (WIP)

[ladykailitha]

Well Met By Moonlight Part 13

Hey, guys do you all remember that period of time when I was working on this story but refused to show you snippets of it on WIP Wednesdays? Yeah, this is that chapter. (I'm pretty sure, anyway. Because this shit was super spoilery.)

We finally get what happened to Steve and why he didn't grow up as Pack. This chapter does get a little dark in its themes so be careful when you read and if you need specifics, DM me and I'll fill you in.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12

****

Eddie and Wayne landed in front of their trailer with a deft touch. Eddie still wasn’t over the joy of being able to fucking fly. Like sure when he was younger, Wayne would take him for flights occasionally, but nothing beat banking on a breeze as the wind lifted him higher and higher.

“Your boy’s got a mouth on him,” Wayne said gruffly as he walked up the stairs to their trailer.

Eddie chuckled. “Always had. Even in school.”

Wayne huffed out a laugh. “True enough.”

As soon as they were safe inside, Eddie asked, “Hey, do you remember that couple who took Stevie in when his parents died?”

Wayne frowned. “You mean the Franklins?” he asked, tilting his head to the side.

Eddie snapped his fingers. “Yeah, them. Why was Steve placed with them? And not, I don’t know, the pack?”

“Ah.”

Wayne went to the kitchen and pulled out a six pack of beers. “That’s a bit of story. Drink up, you’ll need it for this.”

Eddie opened up a can of beer and settled in for story time.

Wayne downed an entire beer and wiped his mouth off with his sleeve.

“Hopper had gotten bad,” Wayne began. “Like real bad.”

“You’ve mentioned that before. That was around the time I came to live with you, right?”

Wayne nodded. “It wasn’t just drinking. It was drugs, too. And not just weed, either. I’m talking the heavy stuff.”

Eddie nodded. He had sold said heavy stuff to Hopper just before he cleaned up with El coming into his life. When Wayne asked him why, Eddie told him that he had no idea what he was doing with it and honestly didn’t care.

Knowing what Eddie did now, he regretted it, but he was so close to being able to afford his Warlock that that was all he cared about at the time.

“Steve’s dad Clint Harrington was getting ready to challenge Hopper for the position of alpha,” Wayne continued. “He knew that he might kill Hopper, but at that point it probably would have been a mercy.”

Eddie nodded solemnly. Maybe if Clint Harrington had lived, lived to be the alpha, the town wouldn’t be experiencing the troubles it was now.

“So what happened?” he asked gravely.

“Allison’s father died out in New York,” Wayne said. “The timing of it was so suspect, Ed. Like, you know I hate conspiracies with every fiber of my being, because there rarely is one. But this smelled rank from the get go.”

“You think whoever had the Harringtons killed,” Eddie said, “you think also popped off Granpappy, too, don’t you?”

Wayne glared at him, but conceded the point. “Whatever happened to the Harringtons was bad, boy. Like their bodies were savaged–”

He stopped and his eyes went wide. “It was exactly like this morning. I couldn’t tell the scent then, just like I couldn’t now.”

Eddie nodded. “As near as I could tell, there wasn’t a scent to be had. Whatever it was who killed the Harringtons and attacked Patrick, didn’t leave behind a scent.”

“There are very few things in this world that leave a scent so minuscule I could barely detect it,” Wayne said.

Eddie nodded. “So what happened with Steve after they died?” He was interested in the other thing, but he was really worried about his boyfriend.

“The old mayor, Larry Kline and I,” Wayne said amused, “made the decision that the pack wasn’t safe for Steve. But despite what Steve thinks the Franklins weren’t human.”

Eddie frowned. “They weren’t?”

“They were Were too,” he said with wary tilt of his head. “Were-bat. We figured that with them being at least Weres would be able to teach him how to shift and how to shift back comfortably.”

“So what went wrong?” Eddie asked, moving closer to Wayne on the sofa. “Because holy hell, pops, if Steve had been human CPS would have been called and fast.”

Wayne drank more of his beer and then rubbed one eye with the other hand. “I don’t know. I honestly don’t. There were no indications that Steve was anything other than a kid who’s parents died and was adjusting to it. Yeah, he wasn’t exactly happy, but we didn’t expect him to be, you know?”

“So what changed?”

Wayne drank the last of his beer and set it on the coffee table. “They were away on a trip and I don’t know if they forgot, didn’t care, or planned it... but Steve wolfed out for the first in his entire life when he was eighteen.”

“What?!”

Weres were supposed to shift for the first time when they hit puberty. Early teens for most of them. But to not shift until you were eighteen was just begging for the Were to go insane.

“Fucking hell, Uncle Wayne,” Eddie groaned. “Whoever this is is playing a long ass game. Jesus Christ. They were hoping he would go crazy, ending the Harrington line for good. So what happened?”

Wayne licked his lips. “Steve ran to me. He was frightened. Terrified out of his mind. Old Mack nearly shot the poor bastard as he came tearing through the trailer park.”

“Jesus H. Christ...” Eddie whispered.

Wayne chuckled. “It wouldn’ve done shit, it was just a regular bullet, it wouldn’ve even slowed him down.”

Eddie breathed a sigh of relief. “So what stayed Mack’s hand then?”

“You’ve seen your boy in wolf form,” Wayne said, “can you imagine how beautiful he looked then? The cream of his under belly blending with the warm brown of his back and face as he tore down the gravel pavement?”

Eddie could imagine it in fact. Steve was gorgeous as a human, but as a werewolf? He was exquisite. It came from his mixed breeding of being born from another born werewolf and his turned wife. Born werewolves tended to be more timber wolf in their appearance. Almost dire wolf-esque. Big, with course fur and fierce. Bitten werewolves tended toward the smaller red wolves. Quick, slender, and cunning as hell.

Steve was a mix of these two breeds and it made him the most beautiful thing on four legs Eddie have ever scene.

“To fire at something so majestic would have been a travesty,” Wayne was saying when Eddie came back from his revery. “So Mack just stood there, rifle in hand as Steve made straight for my door.”

Eddie frowned. “Where was I? I don’t remember this.”

“You and your friends had gone to Indy for some concert or another,” Wayne said. “I don’t rightly recall.”

Eddie’s frown got deeper, he’d only gone to one concert with his friends in Indy because one of the ‘85 Hellfire Club members had gotten tickets for graduation and had taken all of them.

“Is that why you weren’t home when I got back into Hawkins?” he asked. “You were dealing with Steve?”

Wayne nodded and popped open another bottle of beer. He held one up to Eddie, but he shook his head. Eddie held up his still mostly full can. Wayne licked his lips.

“You’ll want to drink more of that,” he muttered.

Eddie did as he was told and it took the edge off of his anxiety but settled sour in his stomach.

“After I got Steve sedated,” Wayne said, “and yes it was fucked up I even had to in the first place, I went a paid the Franklins a visit.”

“That sounds ominous,” Eddie said flatly.

Wayne grinned. “They tried to tell me that they were frightened of Steve. That as a wolf he was much bigger than they were as bats. That all it would take was one snap of his giant jaw and they would be but a morsel to the boy.”

Eddie blinked at his uncle in confusion. “What now? His first change would have been a literal puppy. He wouldn’t have even been able toddle after them, let alone get within biting distance.”

Wayne huffed. “Right in one, boy. And if they had been teaching him from his first change on, he wouldn’t have thought of them as prey at all. Not even on moon nights.”

Eddie rolled his eyes and shook his head.

“And then they tried to attack me,” Wayne continued.

“They did what?” Eddie squawked.

“They probably would have succeeded, too,” he said, “but apparently Steve is a hard wolf to keep down and followed me like a lost puppy. When he saw Dick Franklin raise a fucking yew stake to stab me in the back, Steve leapt on him.”

“Where the fuck did they get a yew stake?”

Wayne just shook his head. “The hell if I know, kid. But in comes this wolf and just snatches the damn thing out of Dick’s hand. He runs off with it Ella Franklin hot on his heels in bat form. Bats are fast and she catches up quickly. The problem is that in or out of bat form she knows she no match for Steve, so she tries to blind him by going for his eyes.”

Eddie’s hand covered his mouth as he listened to him go on about this horrible night.

“But despite what a lot of people think,” Wayne continued, “your boy ain’t dumb. He keeps his head down and makes right for the Creel House. He tosses the thrall on duty the stake and suddenly a werebat is face to face with Tammy Thompson, now holding a yew stake as Steve just continues running past the Coven.”

Eddie blinked. “I didn’t realize that Tammy’s family were thralls.”

“Just like the Perkins, Buckleys, and Hagans are hereditary keepers,” Wayne said with a nod, “the Thompsons, Carmichaels, and Bensons have always been hereditary thralls.”

Eddie was starting to think that he really should have paid closer attention to the hierarchies in school, they were a lot more important than he knew.

“Anywho,” Wayne said with a shake of his head. “Ella flies back to their house to find me beating the hell out of Dick. She manages to distract me long enough for Dick to get on his feet, but now it’s two against one and they’re still strong in their human forms, but wicked fast. I was able to take out Dick, the coward that he was, but Ella was proving to be too fast. She was going to get away.”

Eddie drank the rest of his beer and popped open another one. He leaned forward so that he was on the edge of the sofa, and his knee began to shake.

Wayne put his hand his knee to settle it, but Eddie stared at him wild eyed.

“I don’t have to finish if this bothering, Ed,” he said warmly. “I can give you the Cliffnotes.”

Eddie shook his head. “What happened next?”

“Just as she took flight, the thing they had always feared happened,” he said softly. “Steve’s jaws came down on her with a sickening crunch. Dick started spewing all sorts of curse words and things I didn’t understand. Something about how werewolves were a plague among the Weres and that they had to be exterminated and how if Steve hadn’t had my protection they would have drowned the bastard in the bathtub.”

“What. The. Fuck?” Eddie asked, can crumpling in his fist as it tightened on it.

“It didn’t mean anything until the events going on now,” Wayne said with a heavy sigh. He crumpled his can one handed and stared at the twisted mass. “But I think whoever it is who is trying to tear this community apart is getting desperate. They’re starting to make mistakes. And I think one day soon, this is all going to blow up in our faces.”

Eddie gulped, but nodded.

****

Tag List:

@mira-jadeamethyst @rozzieroos @itsall-taken @redfreckledwolf @emly03

@spectrum-spectre @estrellami-1 @zerokrox-blog @gregre369 ​@a-little-unsteddie

@chaosgremlinmunson @messrs-weasley @chaoticlovingdreamer @maya-custodios-dionach @danili666

@goodolefashionedloverboi @val-from-lawrence @i-must-potato @carlyv @wonderland-girl143-blog

@justforthedead89 @vecnuthy @irregular-child @bookbinderbitch @bookworm0690

@anne-bennett-cosplayer @yikes-a-bee @awkwardgravity1 @littlewildflowerkitten @genderless-spoon

@cinnamon-mushroomabomination @dragonmama76 @scheodingers-muppet @ellietheasexylibrarian @thedragonsaunt

@useless-nb-bisexual @angels-of-hades @mugloversonly @y4r3luv @greeniebean911

@birbsauce @acingthecounts @cryptid-system @counting-dollars-counting-stars @kultiras

[diazsdimples]

James' Fic Master List

(In order of favourites)

Play me like a fiddle (Explicit, 34k | Buddie)

Eddie plays the French Horn for the Los Angeles Philharmonic and is told about the wonderful new cello soloist playing with them for this concert. He sounds like a pretentious asshole and Eddie vows not to like him. In walks Evan Buckley, cellist from New York and soloist for this concert. Eddie quickly realises he's in trouble as the man immediately casts a spell on him, turning Eddie into a blushing mess. Can he put aside his feelings for Buck long enough to remain a professional and get through this week without making any poor decisions? (Spoiler Alert: he cannot)

In a drought I'll give you water (Explicit, 8.2k | Buddie)

Eddie’s hanging out the washing when he notices it. Just for the record, it’s not like he regularly inspects Buck’s underwear, thank you very much, but he’d felt something tacky on the inside of the flimsy fabric when he’d been about to peg it up, and had investigated like any sane person would do. Eddie’s initial thought is “fucking washing machine, can’t even wash out the laundry powder”, mostly because there’s a white residue under where his thumb was placed moments earlier and there’s been occasions when their black shirts have had clumps of laundry powder still on them despite the tossing about they’ve received in the washer. Or: Eddie finds come on Buck's underwear and panics

You've got me whipped (Explicit, 10k | Buddie)

“Make me,” Buck whispers, and although the words might sound like a challenge, Eddie can so clearly hear what Buck isn’t saying. The implicit make me, because I can’t make myself, and then, Eddie gets it. Buck needs him to be in control right now, to make Buck surrender himself to Eddie’s mercy so Buck doesn’t have to do anything, to feel anything more than he already is. Eddie reaches out a hand and runs it up Buck’s jaw, noting with satisfaction the way Buck shudders and leans into his touch. He traces his fingertips over Buck’s cheekbones, runs the pad of his thumb over Buck’s birthmark, before bringing his hand to rest in Buck’s blond curls. He curls his fist, pulling lightly on the strands of hair that slip between his fingers, then leans forward so his lips are brushing Buck’s ear as he exerts a minute amount of pressure to the top of Buck’s head. “I said,” he whispers into Buck’s ear, “on your knees.” OR Buck has a bad call and acts out afterwards in front of their colleagues, and Eddie punishes him when they get home.

Buck's Baby (By Accident) (General, 119k | Buddie)

Buck's life is turned upside down when a newborn baby is placed on his doorstep, with allegations that it is his child. Buck quickly steps into his new role of "dad", with the help from his family and friends. Follow Buck, Aidan, Eddie and Christopher as they navigate new babies, blossoming relationships, illnesses, injuries and making their own little family.

Kilty Pleasures (Explicit, 8k | Buddie)

“What the hell are these?” Eddie asks with a quirked eyebrow, poking suspiciously at the tartan with his forefinger. Buck flops himself into the chair beside Eddie and steals a sip from his coffee cup. “Kilts!” he says with a grin and he drags one off the table and holds it up to show Eddie. It’s long, and dark, and made out of what looks suspiciously like faux leather, and almost certainly purchased from a sex shop. “I thought we could wear them to the festival tomorrow!” If Buck had a tail, it would be wagging so hard right now. Or, Buck and Eddie discover they have kilt kinks.

With you I'm home (Teen, 20k | Buddie) WIP

Buck and Eddie have settled into their life with 2-year-old Aidan and 13 (nearly 14) year old Christopher. They've been married for a new months and family life is good. Aidan seems determined to send his dads to an early grave, being described by a friend as "Buck on steroids" and Christopher is beginning to display the typical characteristics of a sullen teenager, much to Eddie's distress. Buck and Eddie are starting to think about adding another little member to their family but struggle to think of an appropriate egg donor or surrogate. Trying for a baby always seemed so much easier in theory! This is the sequel to "Buck's Baby (By Accident)"

Fucking Finally (Finally Fucking) (Explicit, 3.9k | Buddie)

“God you look so hot” Eddie growled as he took in Buck’s appearance, his hair messy from Eddie’s hands, his hips swollen from the force of their kiss and the bulge in his pants as plain as day as his erection strained against the fabric. Buck’s eyes raked up and down Eddie, finding his boyfriend in a similar state of arousal. “Not too bad yourself, Mr. Diaz” he smirked, wrapping a hand around Eddie’s waist and pulling them together once again, capturing him in another brain-melting kiss. They were interrupted by the comical “ding” of the elevator as it reached their floor and Eddie wasted no time pulling Buck out, dragging him down the hallway to their room. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Buck and Eddie stay at a hotel after their first date and finally get some time to themselves without crying kids

Burning with Need (Explicit, 3.8k | Buddie)

“Buck, what is going on?” he asked, sitting upright. “You’re fidgeting so much”. Buck looked up quickly, peering at Eddie through one open eye. “Nothing, nothing I’m fine” he replied, his cheeks flushing slightly. “That’s a lie and we both know it” Eddie rolled his eyes and reached over to prod the skin where Buck’s hand had been resting, eliciting a hiss from the younger man. “Okay, fine, I’m busting. I gotta pee so bad”. Buck’s words ignited a fire inside Eddie that he’d almost forgotten about. Or, Eddie remembers he has a piss kink and Buck's desperation on a hike is a test of his control

In sickness and in health (but mostly in sickness) (General, 3.7k | Buddie)

Eddie wakes up with a bad case of the flu and Buck is there to nurse him back to health. Buck realises he might be falling for Eddie.

Your Hands on My Body (Explicit, 1.9k | Evan Buckley)

Buck finds himself jerking off in the shower after having a dream about Eddie. The worst part is, it's Eddie's shower he's jerking off in and Eddie isn't even in it. Or Buck is desperately in love with Eddie and doesn't know how to tell him.

First Words (General, 2k | Buddie)

Buck and Eddie's 10 month old daughter says her first words. Her dads are over the moon. Cue domestic fluff

[inafieldofdaisies]

(WIP) Music Monday Tag | Tagged by @simplegenius042

The rules: Post a song that is relevant to your WIP or inspires it. I’m also including the lyrics.

I can play dirty, I won't have no mercy Drop a match on my white flag, burn it down, lay it on my grave I can be nasty, shoot you down in a backstreet Run the town, favorite blonde vigilante Blood on my guilty hands I'll go pour a drink, man, 'cause it's Friday Done with thinking, just wanna party Bet it sucks to be you, well, go figure You're the sucker who pulled the trigger Go pour a drink, man, 'cause it's Friday Got my best friend parked in my driveway While I sip gin and juice and fuck with ya Just remember who pulled the trigger

I started in a guarded place I was young, full of faith No one even knew my name But still, I chased, ran the race Do you know what I've been through? I've felt forsaken with lost truths Do you know what I've been through? I can taste triumph With the heart of a lion

You could be the endgame Eye of the hurricane Sleet in the pouring rain You would be the checkmate Loving what we became Riding the tidal wave You could the kingpin Changing the world again Sleep when the day is dead You would be my weakness Loving like Venus Rule the apocalypse

And we got caught in the storm At the end was the key to my heart You were my lover for life Oh, there's no time to sleep Oh, living in a dream So take me to the paradise in your eyes Green like American money You taste just right, sweet like Tennessee honey And we can run away, swimming in the sunlight everyday Oh, paradise in your eyes

Tagging, @strafethesesinners @strangefable @direwombat @socially-awkward-skeleton @la-grosse-patate

@rhettsabbott @marivenah @shellibisshe @purplehairsecretlair @cassietrn

@josephslittledeputy @josephseedismyfather @voidika @imogenkol @finding-comfort-in-rain

@gearvmac @trench-rot @thesingularityseries @hookhearted @onehornedbeast

@justasmolbard @simonxriley @aceghosts @theelderhazelnut @kyber-infinitygems

@carlosoliveiraa @wrathfulrook and anyone that would like to share some music <3

[wangxianficfinder]

"Beautiful Writing and Good Plot" Compilation Part 1

"Beautiful Writing and Good Plot" Compilation Part 1 

We got a request at some point for stories with "beautiful writing and good plot" and I missed it back then, but here's my compilation, just from going through my bookmarks and looking for key words like *beautifully written, *lyrical, *epic, etc. So, in absolutely no particular order, please enjoy! [And feel free to list your own, and we'll do a Part 2 Compilation for all of yours as well!] ~ mojo

~*~

take me back to a time by DizziDreams (T, 144k, wangxian, my bookmark, PODFIC) - lwj time travels to modern wwx

❤️Dignity and Animality by Anielka (G, 37k, wangxian, my post) - wwx is reincarnated as a rabbit for the 13-year interval: watership down fusion... not necessary to be familiar with watership down

hills and rivers by LtLJ (T, 70k, wangxian, 4 works, my post) - post canon wwx settling into his new life with appropriate drama and angst

help is on the way by Vamillepudding (M, 15k, wangxian, my post) - dreamy, shadowy fairy tale feel about lwj crumbling/recovery in wake of yiling patriarch's dramatic demise... happy ending!

wide enough and wild by impossibletruths (E, 64k, wangxian, my post) - Noping Out Of Society With Your Boyfriend And Your 50 Wen Refugees: The Novel

❤️We'd roll and fall in green by x_los (E, 27k, wangxian, WIP, my post, 2 works, series in progress) - in which canon wwx was always a girl

Vagabond by xantissa (E, 65k, wangxian, my post) - post canon case fic

❤️The Fire Lapping Up the Creek by notevenyou (E, 66k, wangxian, my post) - seriously injured wwx after Qiongqi Path canon divergence: lwj caretakes

❤️A Burning Cold by MountainRose (G, 29k, child wei wuxian, my bookmark) - child wwx barely survives homelessness, is chronically ill, and all of canon is slightly different

❤️Dream a little dream of me by Moominmammashandbag (M, 60k, wangxian, my bookmark) - fix it where wwx never dies, he was imprisoned by the Jin and now is rescued

other earths and skies by binghecarer (T, 54k, wangxian, my bookmark) - East of the Sun, West of the Moon fairy tale au

mercy, tear it down. by orange_crushed (E, 33k, wangxian, my post) - wangxian find peace during Sunshot with dom/sub

and his wanting grows teeth by yukla (T, 25k, wangxian, my post) - au where wwx grows up outside the cultivation world but lwj finds him anyway, casefic

the red dark shifting by typefortydeductions (E, 16k, wangxian, my post) - Star Trek, Tarsus IV au

Imperfect Memory by xantissa (E, 62k, wangxian, my post)​ - war prize lwj au

❤️爱不释手; never let me go by yiqie (E, 69k, wangxian, my post) - post canon case fic

two guys r in love thats literally it by victortor (M, 11k, wangxian, my post) - time travel fix it

seldom all they seem by Fahye (E, 25k, wangxian, my post) - in which wangxian have been betrothed since childhood

come morning light by wolframvonbielefeld (maknaeline) (E, 17k, wangxian, my post) - canon and post-canon, grief, character studies and healing

bring you home by Alasse_Irena (T, 28k, wangxian, my post) - modern au with grief and ptsd and healing

in your skin by darkredloveknot (enheduane) E, 10k, wangxian, my post) - post canon case fic with a little body horror

Grave of a Living God by Gotcocomilk (T, 35k, wangxian, my post) - wwx time travels... but ends up in wen ruohan's clutches

From my heart's ground. by orange_crushed (E, 38k, wangxian, my bookmark) - lwj learns a new cultivation in the 13 years interval

set your old heart free by words-writ-in-starlight (Gunmetal_Crown) (E, 42k, wangxian, my post, 6 works) - canon and post-canon feels and catharsis

❤️As It Should Be by kuro (M, 37k, wangxian, my post) - arranged marriage angst

❤️Ribbons and Heartsongs by jeyhawk (E, 37k, wangxian, my post) - kind of a mesh between space/fantasy/urban fantasy AU

Concerning Rabbits by manta (G, 28k, wangxian, my post) - grief and healing, bunnies and friendships

between the shadow and the soul by cl410 (M, 22k, wangxian, jiang siblings, my post) - post burial mounds wwx is feral and needs help, dreamy fairy tale feel

A Lot of Edges Called Perhaps by hansbekhart (E, 22k, wangxian, my post) post canon getting together

Lost and Found by dea_liberty (M, 36k, wangxian, my post) - post canon healing, but maybe not *plotty*

Yúyīn 餘音 by riotintheheartt (E, 18k, wangxian, my post) - au with god lan wangji and amputee wwx hiding/living in his temple

~*~

Under 10k (so maybe slightly less plotty)

~*~

After by tellthemstories (G, 5k, lan sizhui & lan wangji, my post) - parent-child relationship, grief and healing, 13 years

tonight i can write the saddest lines by sarahyyy (G, 4k, wangxian, my post) - amnesiac lwj learns to love wwx all over again, post canon

the field meets the wood by astronicht (T, 8k, wangxian, my bookmark) - horror with serving of yiling patriarch retribution

you, whose heart would sing of anarchy by doodlebutt (T, 9k, zhuiyi, my bookmark) - #sizhui has full custody of the brain cell; and #rule breaking as a love language

how to tame a dragon by lanwineji  (E, 6k, chengyi, my post) - Spirited Away au where lan jingyi trips into another world and discovers jiang cheng

The Feathers in the Thread by deliciousblizzardshark (M, 4k, wangxian, my bookmark) - The Crane Wife fairy tale au

Buried in the Sky, Hallowed by thy Depths by themunchking (T, 9k, wangxian, my post) - in which the Twin Jades are sirens

the sleeper's gift by iliacquer (T, 6k, wangxian, my post) - fairy tale au inspired by Maleficent

the shadow of a name in skin by iliacquer (E, 9k, wangxian, my post) - amnesiac yiling patriarch, fairy tale feel

❤️tie a knife with a ribbon by iliacquer (E, 5k, wangxian, my post) - war prize lwj au, there is some plot with the pwp

~*~

(Please REBLOG as a signal boost for these hard-working authors if you like – or think others might like – these stories.)

[snootlestheangel]

A Guide to All Things Snootles

Primarily a COD blog but it's just straight brain rot. Lotta reblogs but also some very nifty homemade stuff. I am super friendly, I promise! Feel free to send any kind of ask/dm, I'd love the interaction :D Here's my side blog dedicated to my OG work: @snootlessimperfectworld Snootles-made ask game CEO of the SoapGaz Bromance and GirlDad!Price; President of Sleeptalking!Soap; Advocate for Just A Dude!Ghost Monster AUs; SHould be a case study on how down bad I am for Captain John Price

Shadow Company OCs found under "Snootles's Shadow OCs" Initial Post and Ask Reblog; Ness Dump; Flash Dump; Truck Dump; Woody Dump: Here is Art of Ness and Here is a Comic ft. Ness I FUCKING LOVE THESE ARTISTS

The SoapGaz Bromance Series: 1st Post, 2nd, 3rd

Girl!Dad Price: OG Post; Incorrect Quotes (based on a work, see WIPs further down); Random Thing; Another Girl!Dad thing

Things for To Love, To Let Go: Post One, Some Things, Worldbuilding

Sleeptalking!Soap: The Reblog; The Ask

Gaz Has A Twin SIster: Proof, Further Evidence

Soap is Lightning, change my mind

Random YouTuber AU ft. GazAlex: AO3 Link, OG Post, Next Post, First Drabble;

My WIPs:

Silence is Golden But Consequences are Red ;a SoapGhost fic; alternate universe; angst; slow-burn; features the SoapGaz bromance

Of Earthly Things ; SoapGhost fic, Cryptid!Ghost, Cryptid Hunters 141 AU; Cryptids, monsters, witches, demons: anything you heard fairytales of or anything warned about by the elders are very much real. Very real and very much a part of everyday life.The 141 is a small, private group composed of researchers and other cryptid enthusiasts that specialize in monitoring the inhuman populations around the UK. They offer their knowledge and resources to assist those dealing with issues regarding those that aren’t human. It isn’t uncommon for the 141 to help get rid of a goblin infestation, or relocate a fae circle to one of the designated areas. And life is pretty normal for the small team. At least, it is that way before the new hire. Something about him just doesn’t seem to be quite human…

Guardian of Mercy and Men : A Price x f!OC; Price encounters an old friend of his that he had fallen in love with all those years ago; some angst and fluff as they navigate their feelings for each other when she is assigned to the 141 as a combat medic.

To Love, To Let Go : Self-indulgent fic where, after an apocalyptic event in the US, Price meets a kid named Bailey Gray who has lost everything since The Incident. Together, with the help of Nik and the 141, they learn how to love new and let go of others.

Unending Devotion ; Dad!Price fic; he's a girl dad; NikPrice; Gaz is best big brother; daughter is animal hybrid; some angst, some fluff, and everything in between; about to feature a Graves hero arc

His Wounded Cry ; Wolfshifter!Ghost fic; SoapGhost; technically slow-burn?; Ghost gets a family again; just Ghost being loved like he deserves, okay? Here's the worldbuilding post

Dead City ; Left4Dead AU with Task Force 141 trying to survive the apocalypse. Has SoapGhost, some angst, some fluff, lots of cheesy jokes/references to Left4Dead, and Gaz being the unluckiest mf-er to ever exist

Break For Your Heart ; a GhostSoap Prison Break AU ft. Unhinged!Soap and Is Weird to Cope!Ghost; found under the tag "break for your heart" or "prison break au" or "it's unhinged!soap time"; ao3 link

Cheers to the Unknown ; Monster AU featuring Just A Dude!Ghost; random posts made here; most likely won't be full, coherent story, just ramblings all tagged under "cheers to the unknown" Here is the initial post that started this and here is the follow-up worldbuilding post

Random Short Works

It Means I Love You SoapGhost short; catshifter!Ghost

Artemis to His Apollo Gaz has a twin sister short fic

What Am I? SoapGhost angst short; comfort?

COD Boys Play A Board Game: exactly what it sounds like

Thistle A very painful short fic I did that has MCD but I used it as coping for losing a loved one

Screaming Into The Void A short SoapGhost angst fic set in an apocalyptic world

[novafire-is-thinking]

🗣️Talk about your favourite WIP

At the moment, I have two or three favorites, so I’ll go with the one I’ve added to most recently.

The title is currently Remember Me As You Will, but that may change between now and completion.

It started out as a two-part story, but it’s turned into a multi-chapter fic. lol

Each part is a glimpse into a key point in Shockwave’s life: mostly pre-shadowplay and post-Unicron.

The majority of it is written from Shockwave’s POV, with the occasional glimpse from the perspective of someone else he encounters. The goal is to capture both Shockwave’s self-reflection, and also how he may have been perceived from without.

Two songs for this WIP:

The Lament of Eustace Scrubb by The Oh Hellos (Spotify | YouTube)

Lyrics:

Brother, forgive me / We both know I'm the one to blame / 'Cause when I saw my demons / I knew them well and welcomed them / I knew them well and welcomed them

But I'll come around / I'll come around

Father, have mercy / I know that I have gone astray / 'Cause when I saw my reflection / It was a stranger beneath my face / It was a stranger beneath my face

But I'll come around / I'll come around / Someday

When I touch the water / They tell me I could be set free

Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night from Interstellar (Spotify | YouTube)

Lyrics / Poem:

Do not go gentle into that good night, / Old age should burn and rave at close of day; / Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right, / Because their words had forked no lightning they / Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright / Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay, / Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight, / And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way, / Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight / Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay, / Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height, / Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray. / Do not go gentle into that good night. / Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

For this ask game

[anyablackwood]

Katsuko Gaiden

WIP Intro

Genre: Romance, Fantasy

POV: Third person limited

Warnings: Violence, blood, implied sexual activity (fade to black)

Setting: Heian Period (794-1185) Japanese fantasy, in the underwater palace of the sea god. Queer-accepting setting.

Summary: Inspired by the Japanese folk tale Urashima Taro. When the ship of the nobleman she worked for capsized, Itazaki Katsuko was expected to go down with it. Instead, she's rescued from her watery grave by the eldest daughter of the sea god himself. Tasked with being the princess' personal guard, it isn't long before they find themselves a little too close.

Being mortal, Katsuko's existence is only tolerated in the underwater palace. If anyone were to find out, there was no telling if the sea god would even give her the mercy of a quick death.

(Pictures aren't mine)

[ladytanithia]

WIP Wednesday

Toying with an idea for Miranja's future... not sure if I want to go this route, and not sure whether Faendal would react this way after a long friendship, lots of adventures together, and serving as her steward for a few years, but my mind likes to fixate on horribly sad things sometimes. Working title is Losing Faendal.

@dirty-bosmer @thequeenofthewinter @thechaosdragoness @gwilin-stay-winnin @skyrim-forever @mareenavee

The sight that met Miranja's eyes was distressing. Camilla lay in a heap on the floor, and Faendal hung by his wrists, locked in shackles on the wall, dull-eyed and despondent.

Pulling out the key she'd taken from the bandit chief, she rushed to Faendal. "I came as fast as I could, as soon as I got Endur's message." She unlocked the shackles and let him down, then she turned to Camilla to check her.

"Don't bother; she's dead," Faendal spat bitterly, sitting on his knees, rubbing life back into his arms. "She's been lying there for hours."

An invisible fist clenched around Miranja's heart. "Oh, Faendal... I'm so sorry. I'm sorry I was too late to save both of you." Her throat clenched up along with her heart, and she fell to her knees next to him, sobbing, reaching for his arm to help him massage the blood back into the numb limb.

But Faendal pulled away with a hateful grimace, and Miranja retracted her hand as if he'd slapped it, her mouth an O of surprise. Her heart stopped altogether for a moment in her bewilderment. She took a breath to ask him why, but he spoke before she could, his tone venomous.

"Don't touch me. You want to do something for me? Then go to the nearest town and send a cart for Camilla. And don't come back. I don't want to see you again. I'm going back to Riverwood, and you can find yourself another steward."

"Faendal..." she squeaked out weakly, choking on her sobs.

"I'm sorry I ever got involved with you. This only happened because some sick Blood Horker bastards wanted revenge against you. My wife is a casualty because of what you've done. My son is motherless." His voice cracked on the last word, and he crawled over to Camilla's body, bending over her with his back to Miranja and sobbing.

All Miranja wanted to do was throw herself on the floor and weep and beg Faendal to have mercy, but she knew all that would do was antagonize him. She got to her feet and ran, blind with tears, back to the cave entrance. Back outside, she screamed her despair to the heavens until her voice was ragged.

She staggered, exhausted, into Rorikstead, heading straight to Sissel's farm, where she pressed a coin purse into Sissel's hand without counting the gold, begging her to take a produce cart to Orotheim as soon as possible, telling her that a woman had been killed and needed the appropriate preparation for burial. She knew that under Bosmer beliefs, Faendal was supposed to consume his dead wife, take her essence into himself, but Camilla's brother was still nearby and would want to inter her in Imperial fashion. Faendal would be sick with the thought of Camilla's body rotting in a grave, but they weren't in Valenwood, and he had to abide by the law of the land.

Throughout everything, she'd never stopped loving him. She had been both happy for him and sick for herself when he and Camilla had married, when they had announced Camilla's pregnancy, when they had announced the birth of their son. She had showered them with gifts, made sure they had everything they needed. They had all loved each other, and Miranja had loved Faendal's son as if he was her own. She was beside herself with disbelief that it could have all gone up in smoke with one horrific event.

Faendal had married Camilla because she was "safe" and he'd never have to worry about her - yet because they were associated with Miranja, neither he nor Camilla had ever really been safe. It was her fault. Never before had she so resented being the "heroine" everyone had made her out to be.

[suzukiblu]

Heyyyyy, who wants the expanded excerpt of that one WIP of mine with transfemme!Kon, two glorious and terrible Amazons, and familial soulmates that's behind this here read-more?? (( tw: internalized misgendering, unintentional misgendering ))

Kon just saved Lex Luthor's life, so that's kind of weird and unfortunate. Like, he's perfectly aware that Kal would've wanted him to do that and would've done it himself if he hadn't been too busy bashing on the robot minions of the latest morally dubious AI to need dropkicked out of Metropolis, but also now the whole stupid world is gonna know he's the kind of dumbass who wastes time saving Lex Luthor. 

Specifically, wastes time saving Lex Luthor in the middle of a situation that has at least an eighty-five percent chance of being Lex Luthor's own goddamn fault, just to really rub it in.  

Look, somebody had to have programmed that morally dubious AI. 

Kon can't even enjoy the fact that Luthor's currently knocked out on the ground and both of the dude's super-hot and allegedly Amazonian bodyguards are on top of him. And considering that the one's all buttoned up in a sexy chauffeur uniform with semi-sheer stockings and the other's wearing a black minidress and strappy gold stilettos under a trenchcoat, and that they're both at least six feet tall and built like, again, actual Amazons, that is a lot to not be enjoying. 

. . . although actually, he can't help but notice, they're weirdly not his type despite the fact that they're both absolutely gorgeous and also the fact that he pretty much just described the stars of at least the last three pornos he watched. 

Very weird, Kon thinks, then attempts to get out from underneath said porn star bodyguards. The chauffeur-looking one–Mercy, he thinks her name is–cuffs him upside the head, then pulls out a gun that he cannot even imagine where she was hiding and takes aim at the nearest robot. 

"Quit wriggling, brat, you'll throw off my aim," she orders, and then starts firing. 

"Aren't you supposed to be a fucking Amazon?" Kon demands incredulously. Since when the fuck do Amazons use guns? Since when is that a thing? 

"I am also not too stupid to see the benefits of high-velocity rounds," Mercy replies dryly without missing a shot. Every robot she hits immediately explodes. There is literally no reason a normal handgun should be causing that reaction, so Kon's just gonna assume that's not actually a normal handgun. 

"Always with the high-velocity rounds," the other bodyguard–Hope, Kon's pretty sure?–snorts as she strips off her trenchcoat and reveals a truly improbable amount of absolutely flawless muscle packed into that skintight minidress that Kon, again, finds bizarrely just . . . not hot, somehow? And neither is Mercy's narrow-eyed look of concentration or the fact that they're both still on top of him. 

Maybe he's coming down with something. 

Admittedly, he's pretty sure they're only on top of him to keep him pinned down to be a useful meat-shield for their currently unconscious boss's much less invulnerable body, but Kon has found people who were repeatedly bashing him in the face with an I-beam or just straight-up about to murder him hot, so . . . yeah, definitely coming down with something. There's really no other explanation. 

"Hmmm," Mercy says, eyeing the swarming robots that are very aggressively beelining for their position. Like, these robots are way too interested in their position for this whole stupid situation to not in some way be Luthor's fault, in Kon's opinion. "We need to clear some space." 

"Then you should've packed a bigger gun," Hope says dubiously, dropping her trenchcoat on Kon's head. 

"Fuck's sake," Kon mutters, then flattens his hands against the pavement, grabs every robot he can reach at once with his TTK, and rips them all to pieces in one burst. 

It's not easy, but he at least nails a pretty respectable amount of them, so he's got that much. And also, like, about a hundred-yard radius without anything that's trying to murder them in it. So that's nice. 

". . . huh," Hope says, tilting her head. 

"You're welcome," Kon snipes. "Can I get up now?" 

"No," Hope says as a fresh wave of robots rushes them. "Do it again." 

"Whatever," Kon mutters, but he does. He's got better shit to do right now than argue with alleged Amazons of unexplained origins. Taking out as many damn robots as possible, specifically. 

"That's convenient," Hope observes, inexplicably dropping a hand onto the back of Kon's neck and squeezing . . . approvingly, actually? "Good job, kid." 

And that, bafflingly, still doesn't do anything to his dick. 

Okay, so he's probably actively dying of radiation poisoning from, like, some kind of new stealth kryptonite that Luthor has in his pocket or whatever. Luthor would absolutely be the asshole to have stealth kryptonite in his pocket right now, ungrateful prick that he is. 

Kon really doesn't have time to be worrying about that right now, though, so he just grabs another group of robots with his TTK and does what comes naturally as Mercy keeps firing at the ones in the air overhead and Hope keeps her hand on the back of his neck. It . . . still isn't doing anything to him? 

Except it sort of is, just . . . not in a way that makes sense. 

Kon really doesn't have time for this. 

Mercy reloads her handgun. Hope squeezes the back of Kon's neck again. Rubs the pad of her thumb across his pulse, the gesture more absentminded than anything else. 

Kon feels weird. 

Then he rips apart every single fucking robot left on the ground. 

Which is . . . a lot of robots. 

Like. Way, way more robots than he actually should've been able to get a grip on. Or even reach. 

"Uh," Kon says, blinking stupidly. 

"Damn convenient," Hope says, then gives his neck a neat little pat of appreciation before dropping her hand away. Kon does not examine the part of himself that misses it, mostly because said part has literally nothing to do with his libido and he just can't make that fact make sense. "Mr. Luthor? You with us?" 

"Not at the moment, no," Luthor mutters from the pavement, pushing himself up carefully and dusting his suit off with a mildly annoyed expression, like they're not currently in the middle of a half-destroyed city block while innumerable robot minions and Kal and Kara are all throwing down in the sky overhead. "Hn. Is there a reason the two of you are perched on one of Superman's pet teenagers? The more annoying one, even?" 

"Convenient bullet-catcher," Mercy replies dismissively, shooting down a couple more of the aerial robots. 

"Also surprisingly obedient," Hope muses. 

"Asshole, I literally just saved your life and fucked up half an army of shitty robots to keep it saved, and as for you two, I did your fucking jobs for you, and all three of you are all gonna be shitheads to me about it?" Kon demands in exasperation. "Seriously?" 

"Seems like a reasonable source of entertainment for the afternoon," Luthor says, idly watching Mercy shoot down a few more of the airborne robots. "Given that Superman's being inconsiderately dull and not getting himself punched nearly hard enough." 

"Let me the fuck up already," Kon says flatly. 

"Oh, that hit was a slight improvement," Luthor says musingly as he gets to his own feet and finishes dusting himself off, clearly far more interested in watching Kal get knocked around by the aerial robots than anything else. Kon flips him off on principle. Mercy pistol-whips him for it. It doesn't really hurt, which bemuses him enough to lay off the rude hand gestures. She's an Amazon, probably. Almost definitely. Either way, she definitely could've made that actually hurt. 

So that's weird. 

Actually a lot of weird has been happening in this whole stupid interaction, really, which is what Kon gets for saving fucking Lex Luthor's life. 

Something explodes really loudly in the distance, which is probably the command center that Steel was supposed to be dealing with because all the remaining robots jerk violently and then drop out of the sky like rocks all at once and crash into the ground. Which–thank fuck. 

"Hm," Mercy says, holstering her gun as she glances around the smashed-up street and finally gets off Kon. "We might actually make your three o'clock, Mr. Luthor." 

"Unfortunate, given that I'm fairly certain my three o'clock is good ol' Brucie Wayne," Luthor says dryly. Hope gets up too and, absolutely inexplicably, offers Kon a hand up. He's so fucking bemused that he actually takes it, and she pulls him to his feet. "That man is absolutely unbearable." 

"Mmm, I don't know, Hope and I usually find Mr. Wayne good for a bit of afternoon delight," Mercy drawls, sounding amused. 

"Ew," Kon mutters reflexively as he lets go of Hope's hand and makes a face. Then he wonders what the fuck kind of kryptonite that stealth kryptonite is, because picturing two dangerous and gorgeous Amazons making a sandwich out of a slutty Gothamite playboy shouldn't be making him say "ew". Like, that is very literally the last thing that should ever be making him say "ew". Ever. 

Seriously, what the fuck. 

Luthor looks back over at them. 

And then he frowns. 

"Hope," he says. "Mercy." 

"Yes, sir?" Hope asks. 

"What the hell are those?" Luthor says. 

Hope and Mercy frown too. Then they look at each other. Look each other over. And . . . pause. 

"Oh," Hope says. 

"What the fuck," Mercy says. 

Kon has no idea what they're all frowning about, but whatever. An annoyed supervillain and his annoyed bodyguards are not his also-annoyed problem, at least not as long as they're not actively trying to murder Kal or blow up Metropolis or whatever. He's just gonna go make sure everybody he actually gives a shit about is okay, and then get back to–

Hope and Mercy's frowns deepen, and then they both flick their eyes towards him. 

"Bullshit," Mercy says, her eyes narrowing. 

"What, do you think it was one of the drones?" Hope asks dubiously, raising an eyebrow. 

"He's a damn man," Mercy says accusingly. "Worse, a damn boy!" 

"Excuse you?" Kon says, bristling reflexively. He's technically eighteen, okay? Or at least the rough equivalent of eighteen, whatever. 

"I will say, not quite what I pictured for either of your types," Luthor says, looking Kon over with an unimpressed expression. 

Oh, gross. 

"Annnnnd I'm out," Kon says firmly as he lifts off the ground, because Lex Luthor just checked him out and he needs to go gag now. And like, scrub the entire memory from his brain. 

Hope grabs his shoulder and shoves him back down onto his feet. 

"You're our soulmate, kid," she says matter-of-factly. Kon . . . blinks. 

"The fuck?" he says, and Hope points down at herself. He looks. There's a soulmark wrapped halfway around her right thigh, which is . . . weird, actually, because he doesn't remember her having a soulmark there earlier, especially not such a big and flashy one, and . . . 

What the fuck, Kon thinks. He looks over at Mercy and sees the exact same soulmark showing through her stockings in the exact same place on her own thigh. He doesn't remember seeing it there before either. 

It's . . . well, it's a soulmark, he guesses. It's gold–like, several different shades of gold, but all of them metallic and gleaming. He can see the shine of the mark even through Mercy's stockings. It looks like a mosaic of a stylized sun, all intricate rays and bright circles and interlocking shapes, and it takes up a hell of a lot of real estate, going all the way from just above their knees to who knows how high up under their skirts. It's . . . well, it's pretty. 

Actually, it's beautiful, and Kon kind of wants to touch it. To touch both of them, more specifically, ideally at the same time. 

And still not in the pervy way. 

So that's a bad sign, definitely. 

"Take your pants off," Mercy orders impatiently. 

"How about 'hell no'?" Kon says, because yeah he has literally no sense of shame or self-consciousness but Luthor was just eyeballing him like a weirdo and he very much does still want to go make sure nobody he gives a shit about got fucked up by a morally dubious robot or anything. And like–okay, fine, apparently he has soulmates and apparently those soulmates are both drop-dead gorgeous Amazons, but like . . . he doesn't actually give a fuck right now, and also they both work for Lex Luthor, so that kinda doesn't bode well for any kind of long-term relationship or whatever anyway? Like, this is very much about to be another Knockout scenario. Knockout in stereo, even. 

Ugh.

"I said take your pants off," Mercy repeats in annoyance. 

"Again, hell no," Kon tells her. 

Mercy grabs for his belts. Kon dodges her. 

"Hey!" he says. Mercy glowers at him. Hope folds her arms. 

"It's obviously him, Mercy," she says with a sigh. "We haven't touched anyone else but each other and Lex in at least an hour, and any of us would've triggered a mark long before now." 

"He's a child," Mercy bites off. 

"I'm eighteen, kind of!" Kon protests indignantly. If he had to forcibly lose sixteen-odd years of his natural lifespan, at least people could fucking acknowledge him as a fucking adult. Like, is that too much to ask?

"You're two," Luthor says dryly. "'Kind of'." 

"Oh, fuck you," Kon snaps, scowling at him and also not sure how he feels about the fact that the fucking weirdo actually knows how old he is. Like, why the fuck does he know that? 

"A literal child," Mercy says witheringly. "A literal child is our literal soulmate. In a V-shaped triad, of all things!" 

Honestly, if somebody'd told Kon half an hour ago that he had two soulmates and said soulmates were a pair of smoking hot older women dressed like professional escorts who could both kick his ass due to being unconfirmed Amazons, and he was the focal point of their V-shaped triad? He would have very literally needed to go have a lie-down until he recovered enough to get some bloodflow back to his brain. And it would've had to be a very, very long lie-down. 

Right now, though, it's just like . . . a thing, he guesses. A very weird thing that makes absolutely no sense whatsoever, as far as he's concerned. 

"Well, he'll mature," Hope says resignedly. "Theoretically." 

"Oh, that's a turn-on," Mercy snorts. 

"Look, whatever, I'm not into you two either but I'm not being a prick about it, am I?" Kon says in exasperation, folding his arms. 

The other three all pause. Then they all turn their heads to look at him. 

"You're not?" Luthor says, sounding mystified. "What, neither of them?" 

"Not that it's any of your damn business, but no," Kon says, wondering what his life has come to that he's actually answering the asshole supervillain right now. 

". . . you know, you could just come out to Superman, it's not actually necessary to so aggressively pretend to be straight," Luthor says dryly, raising an eyebrow at him. Kon, again, wonders how and why this weirdo knows anything about him, much less enough to have an opinion about his sexual orientation and the way he expresses it. "I mean, you'll have to put up with him 'validating your identity' every five minutes, I'm sure, but he isn't going to disown you or whatever nonsense you're expecting." 

"I'm bi, asshole, and I am out to Superman," Kon says in exasperation. Who, admittedly, did kind of spend a couple months validating his identity every five minutes after he came out to him, but that's neither here nor there. "It's possible to just not be into someone." 

"But you're not into either of them," Luthor says, eyes narrowing in consideration. "And they're your soulmates." 

". . . oh gods," Mercy says in horrified realization, putting her hands over her face and staring at Kon through her splayed fingers. "Hope. Hope, are we fucking parents?!" 

". . . huh," Hope says, tilting her head. 

Kon blinks at both of them. Then stares at both of them. 

"Are you high?" he says incredulously. "There is literally no damn way!" 

"Really? Because it'd be one thing if you weren't sexually attractive to either of them yet," Luthor says, still eyeing him assessingly. "You're barely past jailbait, physiologically speaking, and that's frankly being generous. But neither of them is sexually attractive to you?" 

"It's possible to just not be into someone!" Kon protests again. "That doesn't mean they're my moms, for fuck's sake! It could just be, I don't know, platonic or something! Or a sibling bond!" 

Not that those options aren't just as weird and doomed as a romantic bond would be, obviously, but at least they'd make more sense than a parental one would. 

"Amazons only get sister bonds, brat," Mercy says dubiously, which Kon guesses makes sense but also makes him feel a little–never mind. Never mind how it makes him feel. 

He doesn't like how it makes him feel, though. For reasons that he's just . . . not ever gonna examine. 

Ever. 

"Yeah, well, last I heard nobody ever proved you two were real Amazons anyway," he snaps back defensively, clenching his fists at his sides. 

"It's adorable that you think we care what anyone else thinks," Mercy snorts, rolling her eyes. 

Kon very literally cannot imagine just not caring what anyone else thinks to that degree. Like–not ever. 

Must be nice, though.

[carlatsukinamistolemyhamsandwich]

Abandoned WIP Soulmate AU Ruki Mukami x Reader

I found this in my drafts and thought I might as well post it for anyone who’s curious as to what I had planned for it. I’m afraid it’s a bit of a mess as I wrote it completely out of order. What I’ve done is separate out the written sections and the bullet point bits I hadn’t finished with asterisks so the full plot is here, it’s just not all in nice prose.

Connection with soulmate: you heal more quickly when in close proximity to your soulmate.

-Ruki was not born with an obvious soulmate connection. And even though most tended to show themselves with time, it seemed of little consequence. 

While the majority of humanity embraced the idea of having a predetermined partner, there were certain circles in the aristocracy who disregarded the idea, only interested in matches that would have some monetary or political benefit. 

Ruki’s family was in one of those such circles, but they did not seem to suffer for it. No, and as a child, their place above the common folk had indeed seemed more important than some mystical connection to another person. 

- And then came the bankruptcy.

His mother fled, and not with just anyone, but her soulmate, who she had met only days before their family officially fell into ruin, like some sort of omen. 

And then he found his father hanging at the bottom of the garden.

After he was changed, Ruki gave little thought to the idea of soulmate’s at all. The connection never showed itself anyway. That was fine though, if that was the price he had to pay for becoming more than just livestock, then so be it.

Years passed, most spent in the demon world under Karlheinz’s tutelage and Ruki never once paid the idea of his soulmate any mind.

That was at least until the vampire king brought up his plan involving the latest sacrificial bride; you.

- You weren’t sure what grave sin you’d committed to end up living in a house with the Sakamaki brothers. You hadn’t known they were vampires when you first learned you were being sent away to live with the sons of some high-up politician, however it had become painfully apparent what they were the moment  Ayato had sunk his fangs into your neck.

It hadn’t taken long for you to realise that your chances of escape were slim at best, leaving you had the mercy of the brothers.

As if to rub salt in the wound, the only friend you’d managed to make in your time at Ryoutei Academy continuously needled you as to why you were staying with the Sakamakis. Her favourite theory was that one of them was your soulmate and you just didn’t want to admit to it out of fear of the brothers popularity with the girls at school.

It served as a painful reminder that, given your current circumstances, it was unlikely you’d get to meet your own intended before one of the vampires grew tired of you and one of them finally put you out of your misery.

- Ruki wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting of his saviour’s chosen Eve. There didn’t seem to be anything particularly remarkable about you, the scent of your blood aside. 

He and his brothers had been ordered to observe you from a distance at first, to establish whether any of the Sakamakis had already been chosen as Adam or, if there were any signs that one of them might be your soulmate.

It was unlikely, Karlheinz had told him, but it wasn’t unheard of for vampires to have a human soulmate and it would certainly prove to be interesting. 

As far as Ruki could tell however, you had no bond to any of the purebloods in the slightest. They preyed on you at random and the misery in your eyes was uncomfortably familiar.

It seemed they would have to intervene, to either force you to select one of them as Adam or at least force some sense of connection between you and on of the Sakamaki brothers.

Ruki was determined not to let Karlheinz down, and the idea of one of the Sakamakis being a suitable candidate was almost laughable. No, he would find a way to make you choose him, by whatever means.

***

- Ruki and Muakami bros kidnapping reader

- Some commentary from reader. Make sure the other Mukami bros suck her blood before 

- Some commentary from Ruki

- Maybe something else from the reader idk

-Ruki awoke one day to the sensation of itching concentrated over his upper back. It’s not the same that the phantom burning that sometimes followed him from his nightmares into the waking world, or the dull ache he occasionally got on rainy days when he was left alone with his thoughts. No, this felt like tiny insects were scuttling over his skin, irritating the scar tissue.

He rolled over, trying squash the temptation to start scratching when he caught sight of your face, only faintly visible thanks to the thin tendrils of sunlight leaking through the curtains. You looked peaceful, expression devoid of any worry or fear, hair splayed out over your pillow. You were defenceless. Vulnerable.

Even with whatever healing ability you possessed, he could still make out traces of his bite wounds on your neck. For some reason the sight of it was comforting. Whatever traces the Sakamaki brothers left on you had disappeared, leaving only the marks from him. He would become Adam.

He couldn’t afford not to. And with that the sensation on his back was forgotten.

- Add in some sort of realisation about Ruki’s scars. Maybe Reader catches sight of his back, Ruki expects them to ask about it but they don’t so he looks at it himself.

- Scene with him and other Mukami bros where he asks them about unless effects of your blood. This leads him to think it may be sign that he’s going to awaken as Adam.

 ***

-The air felt thick and heavy as Ruki waited for the reaction of his mentor and father figure to his recount of the events of the past few months to him, after making the crossing to the demon world.  Surely this was good news, a way of finally repaying his debt, and yet the Vampire King’s expression remained neutral, mired in thought.

Eventually he spoke, his voice deep and smooth. “This is an interesting turn of events, however what you have experienced is not a sign that you are becoming Adam.”

Ruki felt his throat tighten but refused to show anything in his expression. “Then what- is this simply an effect of drinking Eve’s blood?”

“From what you have described, no. While it’s  true that Eve’s blood possesses special properties, even it should not be able to heal old scar tissue.” Ancient golden eyes met his and even before Karlheinz uttered his next words, Ruki felt something seize in his chest. “It’s most likely this is the work of a soulmate connection between yourself and Eve,” he huffed something close to a laugh, “a strange twist of fate, I had hoped the chosen Eve might share a connection with one of my sons, but I did not anticipate this. I will need you to return her to them.”

Ruki wasn’t sure he was breathing, he could barely hear anything above the noise in his head. “But surely if there is a connection, then there’s still a chance I could become Adam. I can do more-“

“If there have been no symptoms of the awakening by now, even with your connection to Eve then it’s unlikely you can become Adam. It seems it truly must be a pureblood vampire, although I appreciate your efforts thus far.”

Some of his emotions must have slipped through the cracks in whatever part of himself he kept them walled off in and shown on his face, for the Vampire King’s expression shifted into one of perhaps the closest thing he could come to pity.

“I understand this is likely disappointing but the plan must come before all else. You understand that, don’t you Ruki?” And although it remained unspoken, the underlying meaning in the words is clear, to do another other than what is being asked of him, anything to disrupt his mentor’s plan, would be an act of betrayal.

“Of course, sir,” he replied, standing. “If that will be all, I’ll return to the human world and deliver Eve to your sons at once.”

Karlheinz waved his hand in a polite dismissal. “Of course, although, it believe it may be best if you made preparations to return to the demon world permanently. It will not do to have Eve potentially distracted by her connection to you.”

“Understood,” Ruki walked out of the room, determinedly ignoring the thing crumpling in his chest.

***

“Ruki, please tell me what’s going on,” you said, turning to look at the boy from where he walked beside you.

You’d been awoken by the oldest Mukami brother in the early afternoon, several hours before you had to wake up for school. Any questions as to what was going on had been ignored as you were ordered to get dressed and met him by the entrance to the manor. Once you’d done so, you’d been all but dragged from the house, which to lead to where you were now, being lead along the road with no idea as to why or where you were going. Ruki’s expression yielded nothing either, whatever glimpses of humour and traces of humanity you’d seen in him wiped clean.

After several more minutes of walking in tense silence, you finally start to recognise the scenery and your blood run cold in your vein as you come to a stop.

“What-“

With barely a glance in your direction, Ruki grabbed your upper arm, his grip hard enough to bruise as he proceeded to tug you along. “Keep moving.”

“Please, Ruki, I don’t want to go back.” You say, unable to keep your hands from shaking as you take in the scenery leading up to the Sakamaki mansion, the same you’d seen all those months ago, back when you had no idea of the horrors the world contained. The Mukami brothers were far from perfect but anything was better than going back to that house. Back to the room filled with Kanato’s wax dolls or the bathroom where Laito had nearly drowned you in the bathtub after you’d struggled too much for his liking.

You’d miss the slight warmth you felt as you watched the Mukami brothers argue over an evening meal. The way that for a moment, they could almost be normal boys as Kou whined over not having Vongole Bianco while Yuma told him to shut his trap and Azusa watched them with fondness in his eyes.

***

-Ruki dumps the reader at the Sakamakis, Reader is distressed, as is Ruki but he refuses to show it

- Something about Ruki being sad.

- Ruki is on rooftop when reader runs up there and gets cornered by Ayato. Reader struggles, falls off of the rooftop. Cue Ruki finally getting his damn act together.

[augment-techs]

For the sending lyrics and you’ll make a fake wip summary;

If I could only get back to yesterday,

Today would be a perfect day

If I could only get back to yesterday,

Oh, the different things I'd do and say

I'd be so good to you

If I had a second chance

Yes, I would (Yes, I would)

Yes, I would

Drakkon and Eugene

Title: all that has been, all that will be (has no meaning anymore) Rating: T Warnings: Attempted Infanticide, Violence. Relationships: World of the Coinless Eugene Skullovitch/World of the Coinless Adam Park; World of the Coinless Eugene Skullovitch ^ Lord Drakkon | Tommy Oliver; World of the Coinless Kimberly Hart/World of the Coinless Farkas Bulkmeir; Coinless Trini/Scorpina; Coinless Zack Taylor/Coinless Jason Scott; Ninjor & Dulcea. Characters: Coinless Eugene Skullovitch; Coinless Adam Park; Lord Drakkon | Tommy Oliver; Prime Tommy Oliver; Prime Billy Cranston; The Blue Emissary; The Omega Rangers; Ninjor; Dulcea; The Green Dragon; The Orange Power Coin; The White Tiger. Additional Tags: Emotional Hurt/Comfort; Found Family; Families of Choice; Aftermath of Violence; Unresolved Grief; PTSD; Literal Infantilization; Planet Hopping; Good Parent Eugene Skullovitch; Good Parent Adam Park; Eugene Skullovitch is Not Having a Good Time; Redeemed Lord Drakkon; Verbal Abuse; Past/Implied Child Abuse; Hijinks. Summary:

The Emissaries realized their mistake, just before Kiya had slaughtered Blue and set forth the Orange Empyreal on the Prime universe. Drakkon deserved a punishment for all his misdeeds, but perpetual solitary confinement wasn't the way to do it. They could shift the balance of Power throughout the cosmos if the Grid deems it necessary, why not shift other things? So it went like this: The Red Emissary removed the toxic will of the Green Dragon from Drakkon, the Yellow Emissary removed his memories, and the Blue Emissary removed everything that made him a threat by turning back the clock and arranging a meeting with the World of the Coinless; an infant Tommy Oliver in hand, naked and confused and not quite a week old. They gathered the surviving Rangers--including the ones Zordon made a grave error in excluding--in the throne room and set the child on a table with the proclamation that it was them that would decide on what constituted justice. When they vanished, leaving the child behind, there was the mounting horror that came with it; showcasing that there was little left of what one would call mercy, with suggestions such as doing as mankind did centuries ago in leaving the infant in a vase out in the elements, or sending it away to the courts of the united planetary systems that also wanted a crack at Drakkon. Or simply setting the newborn on its stomach to let it stop breathing.

The real horror came from only Skull stepping forward when the child--he was an infant, like so many that he'd pulled out of the rubble and spirited to the others in the Coinless--mewled pitifully with the chill of the air and the man wrapped him up in his sentry's cape. (Skull was always meant to be a parent. And Orange is always benevolent in its choices. Even in enraged and in want of vengeance.)

*

(Just for fun; a little theoretical excerpt below the cut)

He was thirty-eight, worn down to a thread, and feeling a little disgusted and fed up with just about everyone. Why bother defending choices that were going to be torn to shreds because nobody was willing to look beyond their own feelings of revenge and the unfairness of it all? Why bother looking for help even in the face of a bestfriend that had been so far away for two decades? (It probably wouldn't have hurt as much if he was as heartless and disgusting as everyone seemed to think he was. There was something akin to despairing familiarity in that.) Continuing his tramp along train tracks that had not been used since before The Final Battle, the long stretch of them familiar even after years, Skull tried to ignore how heavy the bag he'd brought along was, how his eyes were starting to become sore from the receding sun--as well as his trying not to embarrass himself with tears--and made sure his grip along wrap sling he'd had to fashion out of curtains was secure. Taking his eyes off of the horizon and tracks, just for a moment, Skull looked down again at the little bundle that had caused such a hubbub and breaking of any sort of civility. The barest traces of brown hair soft to the touch, skin much darker than it had been over the last few years, tiny little hands curling into Skull's shirt as the little hazel eyes twitch under petal soft lids in sleep. Tommy Oliver, reduced to a foundling that couldn't have been more than a week old; not even five pounds and completely helpless at at the mercy of every other being on the planet. For some reason the unfairness that everyone else seemed to feel didn't come to Skull. Not even the feeling of being cheated. He wouldn't pretend he understood it. Like he wouldn't pretend he couldn't hear the slightest steps of someone that had been trailing behind him for a good hours. "You really shouldn't be following me, Adam. What would Rocky and Aisha say?" He turned gently, not swaying and careful not to suggest vertigo in his own exhaustion, and looked over to the trees along the tracks that came part and parcel with the wilderness taking back the earth far faster than anyone would have guessed so long ago. It took a moment, not even three seconds, but exactly where his eyes were trained, grey and piercing as any wild animal, the tree branches in full green parted, the tall grass parting against knees as Adam Park loped out of his carefully hidden place and tried very hard not to look...embarrassed? ...And also like he wasn't obviously carrying a much bigger pack along his shoulders that was at least twice the size of the one his former captain carried.

[tsainami]

⤑ @tsainami's writeblr re-introduction.

hello everyone! it's been... a while. my name is sai, i'm mixed asian, am on the aroace spectrum, and i write sff. i've been offline due to... being in my 20s... but here's an announcement to say i'm back! soft-back, but back. stay tuned for posts. (and reblogs. lots of reblogs.)

below is a list of the wips i'll be posting about.

hundred year dawn (hyd) ya fantasy about a girl cursed to care for a greenhouse in the underworld. features a form of hanahaki, goblins, gods and a ghibli-esque world.

practice wip (speaker) upper ya/adult fantasy. i'm half discovery writing this one so all i can say is the sandman meets inkheart. has a fang runin in tpw & tdr type protagonist but if she had a sister she's obsessed with. (also if you know the webtoon the great mage returns after 4000 years, the demigods are similar to the ones there.)

to any friends who follow older wips: i no longer post about them. they've either been shelved (vampire sword wip, formerly known as grave mercy) or discarded (wicked, the 91 days greek mythology thing) to form newer versions. voidwalker (formerly known as a bazaar for magic) is alive and well though and the page is still up and will be receiving updates.

TAGLISTS [send an ask to be added/removed] —voidwalker taglist: @apollchiles @ahowlinwolfl @alternativeforensicscientist @bebewrites @erinnharper @feralsong @junekinn @kayasthoughts @maskedlady  @nistrada @procrastinatorkimberlygrey @reeseweston @rkmoriyama @sourrcandy @somethingreallydeepandprofound @the-procrastinating-writers @wordelixir

—general taglist: @adaparkwrites @ahusaka @astorsa @godswar @pperegrines @solariswrites @sprigofbasil @the-saints-asylum @vandorens-archive @zielenheil

[inafieldofdaisies]

(WIP) Music Monday Tag | Tagged by @adelaidedrubman <3 | Tagging @thesingularityseries @cassietrn @socially-awkward-skeleton @direwombat @strafethesesinners @madparadoxum @poisonedtruth @detectivelokis @shegetsburned @nightbloodbix @aceghosts @jacobsneed @josephslittledeputy @theelderhazelnut @josephseedismyfather @trench-rot @g0dspeeed @wrathfulrook @clicheantagonist @euryalex @vampireninjabunnies-blog @strangefable @purplehairsecretlair @voidika and anyone that would like to do the tag <3

The rules: Post a song that is relevant to your WIP or inspires it. I’m also including the lyrics.

Two songs, folks, because I've been working on Mercedes' chapter recently, so naturally she has to be mentioned :D (we finally have an official faceclaim for her and a ship header, and I'm so happy <3)

The song totally feels like Mercedes' anthem, even the cover art: she keeps calling herself a wolf in sheep's clothing :D

Hell Hell won't give me- Mercy, mercy, knock down my door Told me you were here to replace my scorn Not so fast with your stick back face I dare you to run when they get there Dirty mercy, excuses to please All your hollow words will get me on my knees Head still hurts from the poison you spit Even life's stink gotta do your bit Feel my wicked ways running through my veins Take a bitter taste of a shallow grave I watched you burn, burn, burn Till the many breaks, and you wash away Gonna turn, turn, turn To a ghost of awe, that you left on me

An old favorite, absolutely describes John's struggle to a T, I would say (esp if you've read the most recent WIP snippet) <3

Come to me In the night hours I will wait for you And I can't sleep 'Cause thoughts devour Thoughts of you consume Stay with me A little longer I will wait for you Shadows creep And want grows stronger Deeper than the truth I can't help but be wrong in the dark 'Cause I'm overcome in this war of hearts I can't help but want oceans to part 'Cause I'm overcome in this war of hearts

[direwombat]

wip it's still wednesday for me so here's to posting!

tagged by @inafieldofdaisies

and tagging: @socially-awkward-skeleton, @adelaidedrubman, @detectivelokis, @sstewyhosseini, @baldurrs, @strafethesesinners, @strangefable, @fourlittleseedlings, @purplehairsecretlair, @schoute, @gaeadene, @g0dspeeed, @sukoshimikan, @poetikat, @wrathfulrook, @josephslittledeputy, @madparadoxum, @euryalex, @clonesupport, @ivymarquis, @voidika, @jacobseed, @jacobsneed, @confidentandgood, @vampireninjabunnies-blog, @nightwingshero, @trench-rot, @roofgeese, @deputyash, @harmonyowl, @inquisitors-grave, @cassietrn, and anyone else who has something they want to share!

still working on chapter 2 of kneeling at the crossroads so here's some syb starting the liberation of falls end. (for context this starts with her and grace scouting the town from the water tower)

Grace hums, peering through her scope and turning her gun to a better look at Sybille’s suggested path. “I’m gonna lose sight of you once you cross over Third and Grand. You sure that’s how you want to play it?”

Sybille loads another clip into her assault rifle and gives it a once over. “The only way you won’t lose visual on me is if I go guns blazin’,” and she doesn’t need to elaborate why that’s a particularly bad idea. She pulls her gear together. Slinging her pack over her shoulder, she crawls back towards the ladder. “You stay here.”

“Woah, woah, woah,” Grace starts. She pulls herself from her scope to level Sybille with an incredulous look. “And what happens when I can’t see shit and they start shootin’ at you?”

Sybille’s gaze flicks from Grace, to her rifle, and then back to her face. “Reposition or start shootin’ back. Preferably both. It ain’t that hard,” she says simply, giving her shoulder a small shrug. “You hear gunfire, that means the stealthy approach ain’t workin’ no more.”

Grace shakes her head, but the faint smile on her lips betrays her. “You’re a crazy bitch, you know that right?”

Sybille flashes her a toothy grin. “Yeah, but you like it.”

Grace rolls her eyes and scoffs, but that smile lingers. “Don’t get shot,” she says, turning back to peer down her scope.

Sybille gives her a mock salute and with a small, “Yessir,” she slides down the ladder. The last thing she hears from Grace is the quiet muttering of crazy motherfucker under her breath.

The second her boots touch solid ground Boomer is at her side. She looks down at him and presses her finger to her lips, and like the good boy he is, his ears flatten against his skull and he crouches low to the ground. Every muscle in his body is tense and his nostrils flare — the keenest of his senses sharpening. “Good boy,” she whispers, and the two of them stalk off towards the south end of town.

It’s laughably easy, picking off the Peggies patrolling the edges of town. So many peel off on their own and she makes damn sure they never make it back to rejoin their buddies. She hides in the bushes, slowly pushing her way towards the church.

Every time a Peggie approaches, Boomer warns her by letting out a low growl. An upward twist to the head and she’s snapping spine after spine, carefully hiding each corpse she makes. She falls back into that cold, calculated numbness as she does. Them or me, them or me, them or me, repeats through her mind with every kill.

There’s no room for emotion; this is survival, pure and simple.

Her progress is slow but methodical. She tracks the movements of each patrol and waits for the perfect moment to strike. She creeps through the bushes and tall grass like she belongs there.

One by one, the Pegggies fall. The lights in their eyes are quickly and quietly snuffed out. Nothing more than a soft exhalation of breath before she’s catching dead weight and carefully laying them on the ground.

Merciful, she tells herself, and she ignores the harsh whisper of honorless that hisses on the wind.