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oathkeeper-of-tarth · 1 month

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Here's another long-winded post about me combing through BG3 early access files in search of Aylin and Isobel tidbits - rummaging that already resulted in this post right here. Let me just say I'm pleased to have brought Aylin Silverblood some attention because, again, I think it's a dope name.

Now, obviously, Isobel and Aylin are both Act 2 characters, and early access only covered Act 1. So anything related to them is partial stuff that wasn't scrubbed from the game files for whatever reason, and a lot of placeholders (these are usually indicated by |the text being in vertical lines|). This all means that sometimes (usually!) there are no nice voice lines indexed by UUID and parseable dialogue trees, and you have to trawl through a giant localisation XML of every bit of text in the game instead. An additional complication is all these stories were in flux, but older bits of writing from deprecated iterations didn't get immediately removed from the files, so it's sometimes hard to tell what belongs to which version.

The biggest luck I've had with regards to these two is the 24/11/2021 version of the game - EA Patch #6 Hotfix #19, aka game version v. 4.1.1.1356845, aka the source of Aylin Silverblood (my beloved). Here's a handy list of the patch and hotfix history, if you're like me and interested in this stuff. I'm actually wrangling files from 5 versions of the game right now, ranging from March 2021 to July 2022 - it's been a fun time. This old datamining post on reddit really helped narrow down the timeframe for me to look into.

Why am I doing this? I genuinely find it fun and interesting! There's some neat writing to be found! I crave more Isobel at all times! And I'm always into WIP and "how the sausage is made" type stuff. Also, tons of cool inspo for fics and headcanons.

Note, because I know that's a popular EA tidbit: this is all from after the Halsin killing Isobel variant was scrapped. This is, in fact, the version where she gets killed and soul trapped by Balthazar, and Aylin gets framed for it.

I'm going to start this off with my favourite part, and that is snippets of an early version of the Aylin/Isobel reunion from 2021. I've done my best to put them in order, but be aware a lot of this is still me speculating.

|[CINE: Nightsong teleports the party to the plaza in front of Last Light. As she looks around trying to familiarize herself, Isobel notices your arrival from the balcony. Her reaction is pure shock, followed by an immediate rush down the stairs.]|

|[CINE: Isobel dashes out of the front of the inn, wide-eyed and out of breath. Nightsong stares at her, stunned.]|

Aylin: |(distant, shocked) Isobel.|

Isobel: |Aylin...|

|[CINE: Nightsong takes an instinctive step towards her but stumbles, collapsing to her knees, eyes blown with pain and disbelief. Isobel closes the distance between them in hasty steps, trying to help Nightsong up, but Nightsong tightly grips at her arms - as if the contact makes everything real.]|

|[CINE: Isobel's eyes fill with tears as she drops down to the ground, throwing her arms around Nightsong's shoulders in a tight embrace. Shaking, almost fearful, Nightsong returns the embrace - the first kind touch she's had in a hundred years.]|

|[CINE: Nightsong draws back from the hug, looking Isobel in the eyes. Isobel helps Nightsong to her feet. As the two of them stand, they keep their hands linked.]|

Aylin: |A hundred years. Isobel, light of my heart, where were you? (choking up) I found your body, I....|

Isobel: |I was dead, Aylin. For so long. It was Balthazar - he trapped my soul, he-|

Player: |[Doesn'tKnowRelationship] You were lovers? Did Ketheric know?|

Aylin: |(jaw tightens) We were lovers. Her father was against it. He saw nothing but future misery. I'm immortal. I would never age, but she would.|

Isobel: |He didn't understand. It doesn't matter when... (fearful, as if worried Aylin's feelings might have changed) ... I still love you so much.|

Aylin: |(her first genuine smile) And I, you. No trial or pain could ever change that. (relaxes a touch) It is why I couldn't leave your body, even when they came. Balthazar and that Sharran witch told your father that I was to blame.|

|And he believed them over you?|

Aylin: |(frowns) He believed what he wanted to believe. Ketheric saw his daughter dead, and he saw someone he wanted to hurt. Shar took that cruel thread, that moment of mortal pain, and used it to corrupt him to the core.|

Aylin: |I was put on trial, and I had no defence. The moment it was over, I was taken down to the temple and... well, you saw what they had done.|

|Isobel presses against Nightsong's side, face tight with worry, running her fingers in slow strokes up and down Nightsong's arm.|

|[CINE: Nightsong tilts her head back towards the player.]|

Aylin: |These heroes saved me. Without them, I'd still be trapped in Balthazar's soul cage, with Ketheric gripping my heart like a leech.|

|[CINE: Isobel's face falls at the mention of her father's name.]|

Isobel: |A *soul cage*? Gods.|

Isobel: |I didn't know. Gods, he didn't say a word to me. I ran away because it was Balthazar that brought me back. As I ran, I heard my father shouting... but I'd seen enough. There was no saving him.|

Aylin: |You are not your father, Isobel. (sad, wry smile) You were the only thing that kept me alive in the dark. When hope began to fade, I simply thought of you.|

Isobel: |[To player] Thank you. (smiles wide) I... I can't possibly thank you enough, for bringing Aylin back to me.|

|Nightsong smiles too, but she's lost looking at Isobel, completely tuning out everyone else around them. Isobel leans in, resting her brow against Nightsong's and closing her eyes, Nightsong's hand clutched to her chest.|

Then, there is an option to press Isobel for details:

|You said the necromancer trapped your soul. Why?| |Was Balthazar the one who killed you, Isobel?|

Isobel: |(hesitant, visibly guilty) I think Aylin would know better than I do. The last thing I remember is a blade in the dark. Too fast to feel pain. Then silence.|

Asking Isobel to go with you to Moonrise was possible at various points, leading to different responses:

Will you come with me to Moonrise? I could use your help. If we're going to stop Ketheric, you have to come with me.

Until there is a way to keep Last Light safe, I cannot leave. All I can do is pray. |Not if everyone is killed at Last Light in my absence. I'll do everything I can to help you from here, but I won't go with you.| |Not if everyone is killed at Last Light in my absence. If someone else could take my place, I would go with you. I swear it.|

|Nightsong is here, she will protect Last Light - let's go to Moonrise, like you promised.| |I want to spend the night with Aylin. Meet me at Moonrise tomorrow.| |Nightsong will protect the people while together we can stop Ketheric.|

Isobel: I... we need to get close to him, don't we? And Aylin can protect Last Light in my absence. Aylin: Isobel, I have just gotten you back. To put yourself in his hands again-

Looks like we would've had a flip of the current Act 2 boss fight, and Isobel would be the ally for the confrontation with Ketheric, not Aylin. Also, that one line right there that is our first indication of Succor™, gotta love it. Sadly, post-reunion I only have:

|TBD: Post Nightsong Reunion.| |How are you and Aylin doing?|

To borrow release version Isobel's stock line: KEEPING VERY WELL, I HOPE? In any case, I'm putting the rest under a cut, featuring options for calling Isobel out on her parentage, Aylin being from Mt. Celestia, and Balthazar being gross - among many other things.

At one point quite early on, Isobel's protection from the shadow curse wasn't a spell, but an ointment:

|Ointment of Selûne| |Ointment Container PLACEHOLDER| |Isobel filled this with precious doses of her sacred Ointment of Selûne.| |First get the ointment from Isobel.| Have you received Isobel's ointment yet? What protection can her ointment offer, exactly? You should see Isobel. If Marcus does crop up, I'd sooner you had her ointment to protect you. Can use that cleric's ointment to get you on your way. But I have to move out - now. Can I get some of your ointment? No more theories! It's time for action. Our secret weapon needs to travel to Moonrise Towers, which means they'll need your ointment. You have the ointment. You have the Gate Stone. Moonrise Towers awaits. Are you sure the ointment will last long enough?

What is now Isobel's Ominous Cough was a gradual weakening that was remarked upon and seemed to be there to create more of a sense of urgency:

I won't claim to know Isobel's craft, but Selûne's light is bright in her. Isobel's tough - though she was tougher at the start. I've rarely seen a cleric so in tune with her goddess, but the curse is taking its toll. The light used to be stronger, Isobel. How much more of this curse can you take? You look paler than death, Isobel. How much more of this curse can you take?

We have some nice concise infodumps on Ketheric:

After Ketheric turned to darkness, the Enclave joined with the Harpers to unseat him and his Sharran cohorts. We marched together, fought together, bled together... and in the end we prevailed.

Only it wasn't the end. Nothing seemed to kill Ketheric himself, so the Harpers decided to seal him in his own tomb, alive. They thought that would be enough. But they hadn't counted on Ketheric unleashing the shadow curse. We watched it drain all light and life away from this place, saw it twist people into abominations. The Harpers lost hope.

Ketheric wove the curse on this land. The moment he was sealed in that tomb, Shar's poison devoured everything in its path.

Fallen paladin. Champion of Shar. He was building an army bent on unholy conquest, but we stopped him. Killed him. Buried him.

It was not enough. General Thorm lives again. He's built a new army, and this time he marches under the banner of the Absolute.

November 2021 is the earliest mention of Aylin I found, mostly marked as not finalised and placeholder dialogue (and that reunion up there). The Nightsong as present in that patch is still very different from what we ended up getting - nobody was killing her, in fact people were coming to get her "kiss", and there was a whole thing where it seems like Shar would directly take control of her and you could help her overcome the curse, or abandon her to it - or kill her.

Embrace the Nightsong and be sworn to Eternal Shadow.

Anyway, here are her lines (all of these exist as voice files, which is rare for stuff I put in this post - but they're done by a voice actress who doesn't sound like Helen Keeley, our final Aylin VA, so I don't know what to make of it all tbh):

Shar is the Nightsinger, and I am her Nightsong. I am her instrument, transforming the faithful into shadows. I've been here for centuries. Do you know how many priests of Shar came here, full of faith, seeking my kiss? I've been here for centuries. Thousands of Sharrans came here seeking my kiss. I drink their sorrow, their loss, their grief. Then I vomit it back into the world. All of them are shadows now. That is Shar's only reward. But Ketheric returned for my kiss, over and over. You're the first to survive my kiss intact. You're the only one who can help me. Please, you have to help. No one's ever resisted the kiss before. No one has ever resisted my kiss. But you are not merely *one*, are you? That thing in your head must be incredibly powerful to resist a goddess. Perhaps it's also divine in nature. Because a mind can't survive two masters. It breaks us. Shar's attention must be elsewhere. Speak quickly. She's watching now. She's waiting to steal my voice. But it won't last. Please - listen! I was captured by Ketheric Thorm, Shar's chosen. He turned me into this creature. I'm a slave of Shar. She owns me, just like that thing in your head owns you. I want to sing my own song. Not Shar's. Not *Ketheric's*. Find Ketheric. Kill him so I can be free! Slay Ketheric. His wretched existence binds me to this temple. Oh. That made her angry. The Lady returns! She has me again! *Again!* Stop! You've driven her away!

I am not your *spectacle*. Turn away before I strike you blind. Tell them to come and receive my kiss.

Some possible relevant tags, interactions, and outcomes include:

|The soul cage has greatly weakened Nightsong| |Debug: click to save Nightsong (sets the flag to talk to Isobel)| |We sided with Ketheric and doomed Nightsong.| |Companion comment!||But if his power is linked to this Nightsong, there must be a way to unlink it.| |You have taken control of Ketheric's Soul Cage| |You are bound to Ketheric's soul cage, taking his regenerative powers for yourself| |Bound to Soul Cage| |Soul Cage Key| |Soul Cage Research| |The book details the necromancer's research on the soul cage| |There is a glimpse of Isobel's ghost, as she takes her Father with her to the afterlife.| |There is a glimpse of Isobel's ghost terrified and in agony. Both Isobel and Ketheric will disappear.|

At one point Isobel delivers her own, Ketheric's, and Aylin's backstory as "a story", but sadly I can find very little of it, just disjointed fragments:

You seem to know a lot about Ketheric. He was a devout Selûnite who converted to Shar. They say it was Ketheric's purity that drew an angel down from Celestia. You're Isobel Thorm. The daughter who died in that story.

And there seem to be many options to question Isobel about her hiding the truth about her father:

Why are you lying to me, Isobel? Everyone thinks you're dead, Isobel. Tell me the truth, Isobel. Everything. Still, Isobel might have saved us some time had she been honest from the beginning. |Why didn't you tell me what happened from the start, Isobel?|

Ketheric. Don't you mean your father? Ketheric is your father. I know the truth. Ketheric told me at Moonrise. He wants me to bring you home. I need your father to trust me. He wants you back. You sent me after your father - Ketheric. I think we should discuss Ketheric - your father - first. For all you've said about Ketheric, you left out the part where he's your father.

To which I've found some responses:

And would you have trusted her? Ketheric's daughter? Why didn't I tell you that I was murdered, that my soul was locked away for a hundred years? What would I have told her? That my father murdered her fellow Harpers, but that I can surely be trusted?

[Attempt to read Isobel's thoughts.] *You see Ketheric standing before Isobel, although the memory is hazy. His words are unclear, but his tone is not - he is pleading with her.*

Brought back by the same man that killed me. Balthazar. Standing next to my father with a smile on his face.

But I'm not sure it would have mattered. To stand with that man, my father has surrendered to deepest evil.

I would love to know what the whole pleading thing is about, and what Isobel "didn't know" that she claims didn't matter anyway.

My father. After a century, he somehow brought me back. But I saw the monster he had become. I couldn't bear it... I ran. I ran until I found Last Light. It was like a second home to me, once. I've been studying the curse ever since, searching for answers. Trying to restore the damage my father has wrought upon this land. It's possible I may have to sacrifice myself. But this is my father's crime.

And then, there is this nugget I cannot place but that I like:

|Your father's due will come.|

There is also an option to tell her Nightsong is Aylin (who was, at this point, a full celestial - no mention of being connected to Selûne, though, and in fact, if she was indeed from Mount Celestia as mentioned in the "story", she would not have been):

Isobel: My father's curse still blackens this earth. Have you found anything? Player: A celestial, chained to Ketheric's soul. Player: They called her Nightsong, but she told me her name was Aylin. Isobel: Aylin. She... she's alive. I knew she had to be, I… Player: Ketheric's necromancer took her to Moonrise. Isobel: His necromancer? Gods, you have to free her. Isobel: You have to go to Moonrise and free Aylin. When Ketheric is weak, this can all be over. Isobel: The truth is that I would give anything to see her again, and anything to stop my father. Free her, and you do both. Isobel: At least, the shell of my father. There's nothing left of the man that championed Selûne. Isobel: Find her. Free her. If Ketheric isn't stopped, all of us are doomed.

Player: |[Doesn'tKnowName] Aylin? Care to explain?| Isobel: The angel in my story about Ketheric. That was Aylin.

Speaking of Balthazar. Some lines from him:

[Introductory note: please imagine everything Balthazar says spoken with a wheezy voice, as if he's permanently out of breath.]

[I need to retrieve the Nightsong, but the temple is haunted and my minions cannot make it past the trial grounds. I cannot go there until the ghosts have been dealt with. Now that you are here on behalf of Ketheric, you will do all this for me.]

I, Fodder, am here on behalf of General Ketheric Thorm. Down in the depths of this temple writhes his desire. I am to bring it to him.

I created the Nightsong for General Ketheric, many moons... HEAR THAT SHAR? Many moons ago.

*As you hold the necromancer's mocking gaze, you can tell how it starts to dawn on him you are not the mere minion he thought you were.*

Along the way I found some more recent Patch 8 (2022-ish) gross Balthazar lines, some bits of which have actually survived to release:

She was a unique specimen even before I began my work. Aasimar. A god's blood united with mortal flesh.

Such fine clay she was. We grew quite close as I… remoulded her. Now she is General Thorm's shield. Her strength is his to drink upon. His pains are hers to bear.

If I never exceed her, I will still die happy. If I ever do something as gauche as truly dying, that is.

Utterly revolting! Makes my skin crawl! Man deserves a yeeting into the Shadowfell a hundred times over! But in order to not end on a gross note, I leave you with:

Ketheric Thorm. Murderer. Oathbreaker.

Aylin Silverblood. My true name. Nightsong was only ever a curse.

#isobel thorm #dame aylin #baldur's gate 3 #bg3 #aylin x isobel #balthazar #datamine #early access #long post #i have more of this stuff actually but this post is already way too long #so stay tuned i guess

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burntheedges · 7 months

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Over Again - main post & chapter list

note: I'm moving things to a new blog! I set up a full blog instead of a side blog, so please follow me here. The old blog is now @burntheedges-updates.

Joel Miller x f!reader

summary: you fell in love with Joel Miller in Austin, Texas, in 2001, but you thought you lost him and your whole family in 2003 when the world turned upside down. now it's 2024, and you find the surprise of your life waiting for you in Jackson, Wyoming.

or, five times you and Joel fell deeper in love, on both sides of the apocalypse (and one time you did something about it)

18+ minors DNI

key themes: alternating timeline (2000-2003 / 2023-2024), 90s/00s country and latin music and dancing, romance, family vibes series tags/warnings: fluff, flirting, banter, romance, light angst (plus the angst of thinking the other person is dead for 20 years, aka the TLOU norm), pet names (darlin’, baby, honey, pretty girl), small age difference (reader is 26, Joel is 32/almost 33 when they meet in 2000), no use of y/n, teacher!reader (with vague details), smut (I'll update specific warnings for each chapter, but just FYI for later chapters: Joel calls reader a good girl, neck grabbing (no breath play), a bit of manhandling and spitting, a lot of sex) (feel free to dm any specific questions) a/n about reader: I've paid a lot of attention to how the reader is described in this fic. I've avoided skin color, hair type, body shape/size descriptions, and even clothing (except for one or two spots where you are specifically wearing jeans and boots). You are vaguely shorter than Joel. He does not run his fingers through your hair, and you feel the blood rush to your face or your face heat, but you don't turn red or pink. Please tell me if you notice anything I missed - I want this to be as inclusive as possible. a/n: this is the first fic I've written in almost 20 years. this man, I swear. wordcount: 42.6k

This fic is completely finished and posted! Chapter links under the cut.

Read it on ao3

Bonus: Mix CD (plot related) & series playlist, with headcanons: here.

Chapter List

Five times you and Joel fell deeper in love…

Chapter 1 - Meet Cute - Jackson, Early Winter 2023 | Austin, Summer 2000

Chapter 2 - Breaking the Ice - Jackson, Spring 2024 | Austin, Spring 2001

Chapter 3 - Dinner - Jackson, Spring 2024 | Austin, Spring 2001

Chapter 4 - First Date - Jackson, Spring 2024 | Austin, Spring 2001

Chapter 5 - Staying Over - Boston, September 26, 2003 | Jackson, Spring 2024

… and one time you did something about it.

Epilogue: Together - Austin, December 2002 | Jackson, Early Fall 2024

Outtakes and Snippets

Canned Heat (Austin, October, 2001)

Preview/sneak peeks: fic preview | ch 2 | ch 3 | ch 4 | ch 5

#over again fic #joel miller x reader #joel miller x you #joel miller fanfiction #tlou fic #x reader

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chain-link-smut · 21 days

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Hey there demons, it's me 🖤; ya boi back at it again at the Krispy Kreme

I saw your post about doing another smutember so I've spent the last few days brainstorming some prompts for ya ;)

So, personally, I'm a fem!dom type gal and I really don't see enough representation 'round the lu fandom. So, note that the first few prompts are fem!dom related. (If you don't feel comfortable writing them all, just pick and choose at your leisure. Or ignore this idk)

Sub!Time with begging and edging, maybe a bit of bondage. Tie the big man up and make him whimper. (I fully hc that bc he's always in charge, to have his partner take charge in bed would make him explode)

Have you seen that post by @fairly-linked-buffet where its the yan!chain just using reader as a doll all at once? That but role reversal. Reader who has all the boys tied up (w/ consent) along a wall and just goes down the line giving pleasure/pain/edging, while the others are forced to watch n wait their turn.

Brat!Legend need I say more? His sassy mouth can get him in some trouble sometimes...think reader would need to come along and teach him a lesson 😏

Done with the fem!dom so here are some others:

Praise Kink!Warriors. This man has had to deal with Cia and all other kinds of crazy bitches over the years, let's send him a reader who will just love on him/praise him and genuinely mean it. Soft times, y'know?

Reader stuck in a hole in the wall w/ the man of your choice. Like the classic step sis got stuck in the dryer shit but reader is stuck in a wall inside a dungeon.

Fairy!Reader and Fairy!Hyrule inside a flower. Like that old art you did awhile ago.

Four/colours x Reader - let me set the scene: they're in the forge, reader bent over one of his working tables, blue fucking readers throat, green going from behind, red whispering sweet nothings in their ears and caressing/kissing readers body, vio (and maybe shadow) using some still warm coals from the forge and pressing it against readers skin. Kinda like the dripping wax thing, not enough to burn but enough to sting.

Skinny dipping with wild down by the river or him sneaking some pics of reader on that slate of his to use when he's feeling particularly needy.

Sky going godslayer mode to defend reader from monsters and reader repaying him later with some full service.

Sneaking outta camp with Twilight for 'patrol' to have a quickie. Him pushing reader up against a tree and just going bloody feral (the idea of his chest to my back has me drooling)

Might think of some other stuff later, but that's all I got for now.

Take care of yourself beastie 😘

~🖤

Hello-oh sweet Hylia!! BEASTY!!!

Stole the breath right out of my lungs with this! I wasn’t even sure if I was going to do Smut-tember for myself, but after this… how could I not?!

Okay okay… the Fem!doming!! One of the best things in the world is to have a tough, masculine man under your thumb to play with and control.

- Time! Oh my dear beloved… I think my first fic writing post was Malon and Time with all that, but would love to add some of our other lovely men to it. Especially First, Twilight and Fierce! Having them beg is just… satisfying all on its own. 100% agree with the HC!

- OMG!! I haven’t but I will be!! These poor men are going to go insane with Reader just slowly making them watch and wait like good boys. Reader just stops right in the middle of giving pleasure, moves away for several minutes to make the lust grow. The Voyeur in the group (whoever that is) is going to come unglued because Reader knows he likes to watch and makes sure he is last.

- Say no more! Reader would have no issue figuring out how to keep that mouth shut and turn Legend into the proper bedroom gentleman.

- All the hell those obsessed women put Warriors through, he needs to be cared for and doted on with praises and soft touches. Make sure he doesn’t lift a single finger because it will be all about him and Reader won’t be like all the others that leave him in the morning as if he was a piece of meat or a trophy to screw. He deserves the world!

- Reader stuck in the wall?! Oh this will be yummy! Reader tried to get into the next room (the wrong way) by crawling through the too small of a hole in the wall and is now stuck. Good thing one of the Links are there to protect their backside… Reader just turned into the best side quest ever.

- Fairy!Reader and Fairy!Hyrule! Lol! Hyrule just disappears for a whole night and comes back in his normal size, all drunk and covered in pollen. Time and Wars would be the only two who really know what just happened to him.

- FOUR/COLORS!!!! Reader is going to want to work with him/them more from now on. This could also be a really good HC where Four may keep away from sexual activity not because he doesn’t like the acts or physical contact, but because it just turns into a war inside his head since each of the colors like something different and may dislike or not be okay with what another color wants to do. Split though… The Colors are small sex machines!!

- Wild getting secret pics while skinny dipping, ooo better not get caught! Them going to a hot spring in the middle of the night and just stripping and hopping in would quickly turn from lazy relaxation to a game of chase because Wild got caught taking pics, ending with a different type of play. They need a way to release all their worries, what better than the thrill of someone seeing them, steamy hot water and the pleasures that come with Wild between Reader’s legs? Wild still gets to keep the pics and deffo uses them!

- Okay, that's hot… Reader (Fem or male for this one!) is nearly taken out, but Sky gets there just in time as Reader screams/hollers and he goes on a full rampage (white eyes and lightning!). Wide eyed and slightly panicked, Reader won’t hesitate to thank Sky, completely ignoring the fact that they both have blood on them. The fear of what could have happened would make this a very passionate scene as Reader is wanting to give thanks, but Sky wants to feel that Reader is alive (his god-like powers still flowing while doing so).

- Ooh my weakness… feral Twilight being rough and bossy without words… He wouldn’t be able to keep his hands off Reader and finally gives up and bends them over. When Reader can’t keep quiet enough as he savagely takes them, he puts a hand over their mouth (back to chest!) and tells them to be good. When that still doesn’t work, he will need to give them a reason to be quiet.

I seriously can’t decide what is my favorite!! You have done it again and I thank you.

I will be writing these, but for everyone else, I’ll boil down the prompts to fit all fandoms.

Don’t forget to spread the word for Smut-tember 2024 to all other smutty writers/artists and let me know if you are joining in!

Keeping it Naughty!

#18+ only #purely smut #anon ask #shade answers #beasties ask #Smut-tember suggestions #so yummy

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ao3commentoftheday · 4 months

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Long time follower, first time asker. :D

(Thank you for everything you've done on this blog over the years. So excited to see you're back!)

In the last month I've become interested in a new fandom and trying to very slowly dip my toes in. For some years, I barely read any fic in my old one (or at all), mainly focusing on writing, but, maybe because I've taken a longer break from writing/posting consistently this year, I'm now more interested in reading fic again than I have been in such a long time. I'm very new in this space, so I've only clicked on a couple of stories until now, but one of them kind of gave me the writing bug. It's a one-shot, and the author ended the story right as the main pairing gets together, as it were, so there's So Much that is left to the imagination. This author has a blanket permission statement on AO3 re: any type of transformative work based on theirs, but my brain is already coming up with this huge sequel I'd like to write.

I don't know why, but I feel like I should be asking them for permission anyway, even though I've been in this position myself and I've had nothing but warm and positive (and flattering, honestly) feelings about the folks who have written sequels based on my stuff without asking first. I fully believe that permission isn't required. Furthermore, they haven't expressed anywhere that I could find that they intend to write more of this plot. On the other hand, I also would find asking weird, because 1. there is a blanket statement and 2. my enthusiasm might fizzle out and no story might come of it on my end, given that I've barely been writing in the latter half of this year.

I am… possibly overthinking this. Any advice? I'm telling myself it's just nerves, because I haven't been active in fandom for ages and this is all so new, but I just don't know.

If the author has stated their wishes, then I'd personally go with that. Do they have any specifications in their statement? Some authors say things like, "Yes, but please let me know!" or "Yes, but please do/don't use the inspired-by link" etc. If so, make sure you follow those instructions.

Their permission seems to be granted already, and you do seem to be overthinking this, so I guess my question back to you is: why do you think that is?

Are you nervous about writing again? Worried about your reception from a new fandom? Feeling intimidated by the talent of the author whose work so inspired you? Do you just want to make a good impression on a group of people you haven't hung around with much before?

Of course, you don't actually need to think about any of those questions if you don't want to, but it might be worth doing a bit of reflection so you can figure out if this is just a one-time bout of uncertainty or whether there's something else going on.

What do the rest of you think?

#asks and answers

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wangxianficfinder · 1 year

Text

In the mood for a Fic...

~*~

1. Hi! Me again jsjs, for the next ITMF I need fics where people realize how young WWX still is, like not about how young MXY's body is (but if you have of those even better 'cause I love that idea too) but that he wasn't older than 21/22 when he died and for him he's still barely out of adolescence (considering the last of it he spent fighting instead of properly growing out of it). Bonus points if they realize he's closer in age to the juniors than his brother, his husband or the rest of his generation @jiangclaritybell

Help, My Dad Is Fucking Someone My Age!! by sweetlolixo (T, 3k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Humor, Crack, Fluff, Romance)

The Price of Old Wishes by SoManyJacks (E, 67k, WangXian, Minor canon divergence, Angst, POV LWJ, Depression, Suicidal Thoughts, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Smut, Slow Burn, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, semi-verbal!LWJ, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Suicide) (link in #11) has a scene where lwy thinking about how young wwx died when he's talking to a young girl.

All Technicalities by DummyDipl0d0cus (M, 4k, JC & WWX, WangXian, Rated M Just To Be Safe, Overprotective JC, Post-Canon)

~*~

2. Hello beloved mods. I'm in the mood for fics where Lan Sizhui, as the eligible bachelor and Best Boy he is, starts receiving marriage requests, while Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian are very Parental about it.

A Civil Combpaign Series by Ariaste (T/M, 31k, ZhuiLing, WangXian, Arranged Marriage, the difficulty of arranging your own marriage, overly subtle courting or overly oblivious courtee?, awkward teenagers, Teenage Drama, Humor,companion fic, WWX POV, Feelings, Fluff, WangXian's Weird Flirting)

Lan Sizhui's Got a Crush! by Theladyofravenclaw (T, 46k, LSZ/OFC, Junior Quartet, Humor, Fluff and Crack, Case Fic, Gūsū Lán Juniors Dynamics, Junior Quartet Dynamics, Body Horror, Mild Gore, Post-Canon) is more about lsz and his friends but there is a whole chapter of wangxian trying to give relationship advice

~*~

3. I'm itmf some evil jgy fics who gets what he deserves no redemption arc and obv wangxian get their happy ending but way less trauma jc friendly pls :)

i would like to suggest the 'bad person meng yao' and 'meng yao bashing' tags for some (sadly not all) fics that fit the prompt.

The Fire Lapping Up the Creek by notevenyou (E, 66k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Hurt/Comfort, Canon-Typical Violence, Injury, Injury Recovery, Blood, Respiratory Illness, Major Illness, Fever, Grief/Mourning, Burial Mounds, Angst with a Happy Ending, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Hunger and food scarcity, Surgery, Fix-It of Sorts)

To Mourn the Young Man by Iamnotawriter (T, 56k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon-Typical Violence, BAMF WWX, Most people live, but not the bad guys, Burial Mounds Settlement Days, Hurt/Comfort, Golden Core Reveal)

Friends, Sabers, and Other Essentials for Solving a Conspiracy by MeridianGrimm for Lisa_Telramor ( T, 50k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Mystery, Smart NHS, WWX doesn't stay dead, LWJ gets a new friend, Happy Ending, Fix-It, To be clear the WangXian is mostly background, This fic is about friendship) (link in #4) kinda fits?

~*~

4. Hiii!! I'm itmf nhs centric fics I would like it if they are fix it/time travel fix it/fix it of sorts type of fics thank you!!

💖 The Path by Seastar98 (Not rated, 279k, wangxian, JC/WQ, JYL/JZX, fix-it of sorts, CQL verse, golden core reveal, angst w/ happy ending, BAMF NHS)

This Time Around by KouriArashi (T, 83k, JGY & NHS, NHS & WWX, JGY & WWX, Time Travel Fix-It, Kid Fic, Families of Choice, Angst, Grief/Mourning, Politics, Class Issues, Past Child Abuse, Moral Ambiguity, Everybody Lives, Eventual Happy Ending)

Third Sun by PhantomWriter (T, 57k, NHS & NMJ, Canon Divergence, Time Travel Fix-It, Fake Marriage, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Crack Treated Seriously, BAMF NHS, Protective NHS, Protective NMJ, Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, LWJ is a Wēn)

Unexpected Salvation series by clipper782 (M, 162k, NHS/JGY, time travel fix-it of sorts, past incest, murder, psychology, love/hate, friends to enemies to friends to lovers, crack treated seriously, demonic cultivator NHS)

~*~

5. itmf Wei Wuxian being unused to Mo Xuanyu's body: he stumbles, is shorter than he is used to, isn't used to his strength, etc. Bonus points if there is angst where WWX has panic attacks or disgust about being in someone else's skin. Thank you!

the soft animal by cafecliche (T, 5k, WangXian, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Canon, [PODFIC] the soft animal by flamingwell)

your own heart beating by varnes (G, 1k, wangxian, body dysphoria)

mine? by Anonymous (Not rated, <1k, wangxian, body dysphoria, post-canon)

If only we could never think nor feel by Alianita (M, 1k, wangxian, slight angst, body dysphoria, feels)

unsettled by cryptenhope (G, 1k, wangxian, post-canon, established relationship, body dysphoria, hurt/comfort)

~*~

6. hello! do you know of any 'The Wife is First' AUs for wangxian?? that would be lovely!

~*~

7. Hey! Are there any lwj/wwx/mianmian smut fics? I'm looking for one that i came across but i can't remember any details about it.

Time by WithBroomBefore (M, 30k, WangXianMian, Time Travel, Fix-It, Canonical Character Death - WWX, WWX Lives, JYL Lives, Polyamory, Ghost WWX, for a little bit, Grief/Mourning, Eventual Happy Ending, Trans LWJ, bisexual LWJ, Bisexual WWX, POV Multiple, Memory Loss, Minor Character Death)

winged cupid painted blind by isabilightwood (E, 6k, WangXian, XianMian, Modern AU, and they were ROOMMATES, wwx & lqy are strickly friends with benefits, and lwj & lqy don’t do anything with each other, endgame wangxian, background endgame qingmian, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Accidental Voyeurism, Explicit Consent, Threesome, Fingering, Blow Jobs, Rimming, Getting Together, Light Angst, Fluff, Bottom LWJ)

~*~

8. this is pretty specific but i'm itmf fics that in some way have creative variety in wwx's demonic cultivation powers! i see a lot of standard control-fierce-corpses-and-ghosts type of stuff in fics, but i recently reread the books and there's a moment where wwx gets a skeleton to crawl out of the ground and whisper to him that the juniors were kidnapped (without even using chenqing i think?), and (inspired by that) i'd love to read something where the author just goes ham with the interesting alternative techniques lol.

can be a focus of the fic or just a one-off mention, anything goes! preferably no character bashing or hard nsfw. thank you!

Ad Oblivione by Baph, HikariNoHimeWriter (M, 70k, WangXian, Time Travel Fix-It, Temporary Character Death, POV Multiple, Hurt/Comfort, Grief/Mourning, Identity Reveal, Golden Core Reveal, Cultivation World Critical, Not JC Friendly, Abusive YZY, Angst with a Happy Ending) along with having a ghost companion, there's also a brief scene where WWX is spotted asking directions from a skeleton's hand that came up from the ground.

The envy of the world by vulnerable_bead (E, 48k, WangXian, Case Fic, Fluff and Smut, Post-Canon, Established Relationship, Canon Compliant, WangXian as teacher(s), WangXian as musicians, Spell-weaving) remember the Power Stunt WWX used in the Yueyang Chang graveyard, where he dramatically punched the ground to dynamite-fish for corpses? vulnerable_bead does: “The boys felt the earth under their feet vibrate slightly, painfully, as if some telluric current had radiated from him, sending a message all the way to the bedrock that a man stronger than the mountains had arrived and he would brook no resistance.“

Re #8 note that The envy of the world does contain hard NSFW sex scenes, although not graphic violence.

the field meets the wood by astronicht (T, 7k, WangXian, BAMF WWX, slight whump, Ritualistic Self Harm, Canon Era, Tang Dynasty style, Blood Loss, Blood and Injury, salt economics, Post-Canon, [Podfic] the field meets the wood by semperfiona_podfic (semperfiona), [podfic] the field meets the wood by jellyfishfire) (link in #14) WWX works a *lot* of inventive, sustained, and gruesomely detailed blood magic, including long-distance life support and a chilling application of Painted Eyes—and then there’s the climax, wherein he invokes the terrifying power of Higher Mathematics.

blossoms at the roadside by bleuett (T, 13k, wangxian, alternate universe, different first meeting, getting together, tenderness, gardens & gardening, happy ending, hand feeding) Wei ying uses resentful energy to heal plants 💚

all the bonds of nature by luckymarrow (E, 68k, wangxian, MXY & WWX, LWJ & MXY & WWX, modern w/ magic, romantic comedy, roommates to lovers, pining, necromancy, ethical necromancer WWX, music teacher LWJ, fluff & smut, ghosts, urban fantasy, light angst, kink negotiation, praise kink, BDSM, developing relationship, dom LWJ) Wei ying is an ethical necromancer using resentful energy from dead animals and also putting them to rest.

~*~

9. Hi I love your blog and hope you might help me with finding fic we’re Lan Zhan is the dead one . It can be cannon or non cannon or morden Au just were Wei Ying is the one who has to grieve and care for Lan Yuan . @cfox86

Over the Rotted Bridge by vailkagami (T, 314k, WangXian, Temporary Character Death, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, LWJ dies, Wei Wuxian doesn't die, neither do (most of) the wens, JYL also lives, Original Character(s), outside pov, YLLZ WWX, Canon Divergence, CQL Verse, Illustrated, Grief/Mourning, Non-Consensual Resurrection, mute LWJ, Hurt LWJ, Slow Burn, canonical death of a child (mentioned), Survivor Guilt, PTSD) is very good I highly recommend it

Turnabout and Start Again by runningondreams (T, 34k, WIP, WangXian, Temporary Character Death, Role Reversal, Soulmates, Canon Divergence, Blood and Injury, SuicideI, mprisonment, Violence, Minor Character Death, Mild Gore, Pining, Identity Issues, Getting Together, Happy Ending) I recommend "Turnabout and Start Again" by runningondreams on ao3. unfortunately it hasn't updated since 2020 so I understand if you don't actually recc it. but the 11 chapters is does have are really good!

the passing of seasons by tennssi (G, 12k, WangXian, Character Study, Canon Divergence, Family, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Moving On, Eventual Happy Ending)

~*~

10. Hi! It's me again haha -//- Do you have any recs for long xiyao with a happy ending? I've been reading the top kudos ones on ao3 and consulting Google, but so far not much luck (┬┬﹏┬┬) @thepurplewombat

The Halo You're Wearing, It's Not Yours To Keep by poemwithnorhyme (E, 54k, XiYao, JGY/WX, JGY/WRH, Forced Prostitution, Hurt/Comfort)

An Atypical Courtship by KouriArashi (M, 48k, XiYao, WangXian, Romance, Slow Build, Developing Relationship, Prostitution, Class Issues, Light Angst, Political Shenanigans, Asexual Relationship, Asexual LXC, Canon Divergence, Happy Ending, Sharing a Bed)

Last of Our Kind by Shiome (E, 103k, XiYao, Post-Canon Fix-It, Canon Divergence, Temporary Amnesia, Slow Burn, Hurt/Comfort, Identity Issues, Case Fic, Angst with a Happy Ending, POV Third Person, Pining, Sexual Content, Japanese Mythology & Folklore, Power Bottom MY, Action & Romance)

~*~

11. hello :) thank you for everything you're doing !! for your next im in the mood, i wanted to ask if you know of any canon compliant fic that follows lan wangjis pov throughout all (or even part) of mdzs/cql. thank you so much x

The Hospitality of the Qishan Wen by treemaidengeek (T, 14k, WIP, WangXian, Canon Compliant, POV LWJ, Traumatized LWJ, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Feels, WWX is a chaos gremlin, LWJ Has Feelings, Hurt LWJ)

well-met by warlight by wukuiyuxin (Not rated, 2k, wangxian, WIP, Old English Style Poetry, Epic Poetry, [Podfic] well-met by warlight by Cathalinareads (Cathalinaheart), Tumblr gifset) Lan Wangji’s account of meeting, loving, losing, and mourning Wei Ying and raising A-Yuan—in mock-Norse epic verse / see also #11 on this post.

~*~

12. I need fics in wich Harry Potter somehow ends up in mdzs and with one Character there. Until now Ive only read one with Harry x Sizhui and that one wasn’t updated in a while. Thanks in advance

~*~

13. I‘m in the mood for canon era fics where WangXian are living out some BDSM/BDSM adjacent kinks. Bonus points if there are no lengthy contract discussions or constant asking for safewords. Aftercare highly appreciated.

mercy, tear it down. by orange_crushed (E, 31k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Burial Mounds Settlement Days, Dual Cultivation, Light BDSM, In Which Wangxian Fumble Towards An Understanding of D/S Dynamics, Porn with Feelings, Recovery, Angst with a Happy Ending, Wangxian-Typical CNC Play, Aftercare, Slight Feminization (ie Wei Ying Keeps Saying 'Wife'), True Love, Past LWJ/Other)

old wounds by BloodRedCarnation (E, 23k, LWJ/MXY/WWX, wangxian, PWP, kink negotiation, age difference, powerdynamics, threesome, established wangxian, both top & bottom sub&dom LWJ, post-canon, fix-it of sorts)

at your feet by darkredloveknot (enheduane) (E, 2k, wangxian, post-canon, sub LWJ, sexual tension, explicit sexual content, hairpulling)

the mortifying ordeal of being loved by attackofthezee (noxlunate) (T, 1k, wangxian, post-canon, established relationship, birthday fluff, praise kink, dom/sub undertones)

Closer than my hands have been by Spodumene (E, 5k, wangxian, post-canon, established relationship, rough sex, dom/sub undertones, consensual non-con, hairpulling, facefucking, bondage, spanking, cock slapping, jealousy, top drop)

i'll be your warmth here by mistergoblin (E, 1k, wangxian, canon divergence, PWP, dom/sub elements, sub & bottom LWJ, orgasm delay/denial, bondage, spanking, happy ending)

~*~

14. IITMF: Post-canon case fics my beloved 🥺

love lies beyond words by acrosticacrumpet (G, 4k, JC & WWX, Post-Canon, Whump, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Yunmeng Shuangjie Reconciliation, not a completed reconciliation but the beginning of one, Twin Prides of Yúnmèng Feels, Self-Worth Issues, painful conversations with a tasteful smidgeon of, Cuddling & Snuggling)

just as the stories say by TheDameJudiWench (T, 11k, WangXian, JC & WWX, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Canon, Medical Procedures, some gore, brief mention of a farm animal dying, Yunmeng brothers feelings, Family Dynamics, Attempted Murder, Injury Recovery, Self-Harm, Suicidal Thoughts, Established Relationship, brief mention of vomiting, Happy Ending, Found Family, POV Outsider, Guilt, Revenge, Mention of Suicide (not main character), Grief/Mourning, Forgiveness, Whump, Near Death Experiences)

in your skin by darkredloveknot (enheduane) (E, 10k, WangXian, Post-Canon, Pre-Relationship, Getting Together, Horror, Body Horror, Blood and Gore, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Love Confessions, Non-Consensual Body Modification, kinda?, ?Reflections over death and self-worth, mentions of canon suicide, Near Death Experiences, [Podfic] in your skin by flamingwell)

shadows in the sun rise by Yuu_chi (E, 24k, WangXian, Post-Canon, Night hunts, Curses, Intimacy, Light Angst with a Happy Ending, shadows in the sunrise: podfic by victorianotte)

JC and WWX's Get Along Sweater series by newamsterdam (T, 29k, JC & WWX, bg wangxian, post-canon, trapped in a closet, cultivation as a plot device, JC & WWX reconciliation, miscommunication, hurt/comfort, panic attacks, emotional tension, ghosts, action/adventure, brotherly love, complicated relationships)

🧡 climbing up that coastal shelf by Sour_Idealist (T, 15k, JC & WWX & JL, Post-Canon, Mutually Unrequited Forgiveness, Yunmeng Brothers Reconciliation, Family History, Generational Trauma, Discussion of Canonical Abuse, Awkward Attempts at Communication, [Podfic] climbing up that coastal shelf by RevolutionaryJo)

build me no shrines by occultings (microcomets) (M, 54k, WangXian, Slow Burn, Mutual Pining, First Time, Getting Together, Confessions, Sharing a Bed, Hair Washing, Sentient Burial Mounds, Case Fic, Post-Canon, CQL Compliant, Hurt/Comfort, Whump, Light Angst, Flashbacks, mild body horror, foot washing, Happy Ending, Non-Sexual Intimacy, ...then sexual intimacy, [Podfic] build me no shrines by flamingwell)

With Absolute Splendor by Lise (T, 43k, WangXian, JC & WWX, Post-Canon, Wedding planning, Yunmeng Bros Reconciliation, Complicated Relationships, Angst with a happy ending, [Podfic] With Absolute Splendor by kisahawklin, [PODFIC] With Absolute Splendor by Gwogobo)

some good mistakes by Lise (T, 18k, WangXian, JC & WWX, Post-Canon, Road trips, rescue Missions, Hurt/Comfort, Awkward Conversations, Yunmeng Bros Reconciliation, [Podfic] some good mistakes by kisahawklin)

the soft animal by cafecliche (T, 5k, WangXian, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Canon, [PODFIC] the soft animal by flamingwell) (link in #5)

grow by cafecliche (T, 14k, WangXian, Age Regression/De-Aging, Character Study, Post-Canon, [Podfic] Grow by jellyfishfire)

Wearing Down Every Bone by CSHfic, VSfic (E, 30k, WangXian, Groundhog Day, Time Loop, Temporary Character Death, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Canon, Case Fic, Curses, Pining, Getting Together, Time Travel, Hurt wwx, Mystery, Angst with a Happy Ending, Mutual Pining, Depression and Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, gratuitous use of empathy, Wearing Down Every Bone [Podfic] by Rionaa)

The envy of the world by vulnerable_bead (E, 48k, WangXian, Case Fic, Fluff and Smut, Post-Canon, Established Relationship, Canon Compliant, WangXian as teacher(s), WangXian as musicians, Spell-weaving) (link in #8) LWJ and WWX supervise LSZ, LJY, and OC Lan Juniors on a village investigation; poetic fairytale prose; a casefic of unfurling complexity with an intelligent, subtle, and tragic antagonist; mysterious uncharted musical magic; a climactic confrontation that deserves to be animated. And then there’s the famous Windowsill Papapa Scene.

~*~

15. itmf canon compliant/divergent (not modern) politic heavy fics? Court life, politics and diplomacy, secrets and plot twists as people wait to play their hand, etc.

Between the Candle and the Sun by Legume_Shadow (T, 304k, ZhuiYi, WangXian, LingZhen, XiCheng, XuanLi, Angst, Friendship, Slow Burn, Falling In Love, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, MM is a Badass, WN is a Badass, Protective WQ, Most people live, Ensemble Cast, Action/Adventure) is a Royal AU more focused on plot, including politics, but is primarily a junior-pairings fic (with secondary Wangxian)

~*~

16. In the mood for fics where wangxian adopt another kid(s) post-canon

❤️ Attempting the Impossible by Ariaste for williedustice (T, 36k, WangXian, JC & WWX, Post-Canon, Yunmeng Bros Reconciliation, Adoption, Family Fluff, Kid fic, Family drama, Fluff, [PODFIC] Attempting the Impossible by Ariaste by lunatique)

~*~

17. Fics where WWX is actually respected; as a scholar/genius/cultivator. @utxqia

🧡 Stunted, Starving Juvenility by TomatenMark (E, 528k, WangXian, WIP, Fix-it of sorts, Talisman master WWX, Not JFM Friendly, Study Arc, Getting together, Fluff and Angst, Engagement)

Story-Shaped by lingering_song (T, 13k, WangXian, NHS & WWX, Post-Canon, Chief Cultivator LWJ, Inventor WWX, Found Family, Mentioned Character Death, Alcohol, Protective NHS, WangXian Endgame, Not JC Friendly, Not particularly gentry sects friendly overall tbh)

~*~

If you didn’t get an answer to your ask here, don’t forget to make use of @mdzs-kinkmeme and MDZS KINK MEME on Dreamwidth. Authors actually do use them for ideas. You may get what you order!***Your prompt doesn’t have to be kink! Fluff, crack, whatever - it’s all good!***

#wangxian #mdzs #wangxian fic recs #i'm in the mood for a fic #the untamed #wangxian fic search #wangxianficfinder #long post

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htchnr · 3 months

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let's sit down and talk.

i will be linking this in my nav post that's pinned to my profile so people can easily find this post.

i'm going to fully type this out for the final time, i will not be reuploading my Jeff Sadecki fics or any other Warren Kole character fics that i had written last year.

no i'm not going to 'maybe' reupload them at some point, it's a definitive decision i made when i deleted my blog last summer due to the flood of hate.

i will not be reuploading my old fics, of any kind. not my old MW2 fics, not my old other videogame character fics like Joel Miller or John Seed (i'm however not opposed to writing new stuff for them for them).

i am begging you all to stop asking me to reupload my fics.

the same thing goes for requesting the ideas that my old fics were based on to see if i might rewrite them. i will not. so please reserve your energy and do not bother with it.

i'm sorry that you all loved certain fics and want to reread them, but the fact is that they're not ever going to be posted and people need to come to terms with that.

now i do understand that not everyone who read those fics follows my blog and not everyone gets these memo's where i time and time again explain the same thing, so i am now pinning this somewhere where it's easy to find.

please respect this, and for the love of god stop asking the same things over and over.

- Aurora, htchnr.

#jeff sadecki diet mountain dew fics #jeff sadecki x you #jeff sadecki x reader #warren kole x you #warren kole x reader

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spnfanficpond · 7 months

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Angel Fish Awards and Raffle

Do you love reading great stories? Do you love giving the writers of those stories love and praise? Do you love winning fabulous prizes?

Then you will love participating in our Angel Fish Awards!

Send us the fics that make you wanna bathe in holy water, that make you sob into a pint of ice-cream, that make you squee and giggle like a schoolgirl. This is one of the best ways to shine light on the fics that are near and dear to your heart- the fics that you absolutely love that aren’t talked about enough- the fics that stop you in your tracks- the fics that deserve all the love in the world.

How to nominate a fic: There are a few ways you can nominate a story.

Fill out this Google form here.

Send an ASK to our blog OR

Send a private message to one of our admins (listed below).

Your nomination will need to include the following information:

Your name (Tumblr blog preferred so we can tag you in our post, but we will accept a username from any social media platform.)

The story's title

The writer's name (Again, Tumblr preferred so we can tag them, but we will accept usernames from any social media platform)

A link to the story wherever it's posted

A short blurb about why you're nominating it. Just a sentence or two is all we need!

FAQ:

Do I need to be a member to submit a nomination? Nope! Anyone can submit!

Does the writer of the fic I'm nominating need to be a member? Nope! It just needs to be SPN or Winchesters!

Does the fic have to be from this month? Nope! Any SPN fic, no matter how old, is eligible!

Is there a limit to how many fics I can nominate? The only limit is four fics per writer. You can nominate fics from as many writers as you want, though! Spread the love!

How can I find good fics to nominate? You can peruse our Tumblr blog where we reblog fics of all types, look at previous AFA masterposts, or even find new writers on our New Member Spotlight posts! Lastly, you can find fic recs in our discord server. We have two channels filled with links to great stories! (Note: the discord server is only open to members, but joining is easy. Click the Start Here link on our blog for details!)

How can I get one of my fics nominated? The best way we've found is to nominate fics written by other writers! Writers love to support each other, so when you support them, they'll support you!

I heard something about a raffle? Yes! Every nomination you submit is an entry into our monthly raffle for fabulous prizes! Click here to see the entire list of available prizes.

What is the deadline to submit my nominations? We accept nominations ALL THE TIME, but the deadline to get entries into the current month's raffle is the last day of the month at midnight, California time. After that, you'll be entered into next month's drawing!

Is this a competition? Absolutely not! Every fic nominated wins!!

I have more questions. How do I get answers? You can send us an ASK on the blog, or send a private message to any of our admins listed below.

Have questions about this or anything else? Send us an ASK or send a private message to one of the admins below!

Admins:

Michelle - @mrswhozeewhatsis

Marie - @mariekoukie6661

MJ - @thoughtslikeaminefield

MANA - @manawhaat (Founder and Admin Emeritus)

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ashmouthbooks · 1 year

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2022 in books

inspired by everybody else who is also doing 2022 bookbinding end-of-year reviews, here we go!

I made a total of 38 books, containing 52 stories.

A5 sized books

The Astreiant series by Melissa Scott and Lisa A. Barnett, 5 books and 6 stories. Point of Knives includes Bonfire Night, a short story Melissa posted to her LJ about how Nico and Philip really got together after the events of Point of Hopes.

Astreiant series

besides the Astreiant series, I also bound a copy of Slow Dancing In A Burning Room (one of my fave 00Q fics), mm whatcha say (Sarkan/Solya, Uprooted) and Indiana Lupin (the first volume in my R/S fics series). All four are different types of bindings! Astreiant is squareback bradel, Slow Dancing is rounded and backed bradel, mm watcha say is a sewn board binding, and Indiana Lupin is a plain old hardback binding, but self-ended.

Slow Dancing in a Burning Room | Slow Dancing In a Burning Room | mm watcha say

A6 sized books

from left to right: vol2 in the R/S fics series; Stargazer and Gravity (Fahye); golden hours, slipping by and oceans above & sky below (grandilloquism); Two Make A Pair and Come When Invited (mousapelli).

I collected all of my Remus/Sirius fics into a 6 volume series, one story per volume with the exception of vol3, which is an anthology of my shorter fics and contains a total of 12 stories. I'm really happy with how well matched the books are and how bright and inviting they look!

The other three A6 hardbacks pictured all contain 2 stories each. Stargazer & Gravity has one after the other as Gravity is a sequel, but the other two books are tête-bêche bindings, meaning that the stories are bound in head to tail and when you flip the book over you can start reading the other story from the other direction. And yes, Come When Invited *is* a sequel to Two Make A Pair and I had intended for them to be bound in two different volumes, but then at the last minute I sewed the two blocks together and oops now it's a tête-bêche book.

R/S fics series | Stargazer and Gravity | golden hours, slipping by and oceans above & sky below | Two Make A Pair & Come When Invited

paperbacks! Hood & Glove (Fahye) on the right is the first paperback I made - an experiment really, I made a text block like for HB and then pasted the first and last page down to the cover, like a self-ended HB. the other two are made in the same way, but the cover is cut from a misprinted running sheet, cardstock, that came wrapped around some decorative paper as protective wrapping. I don't like to waste materials and the misprints were so intriguing and beautiful I just had to use them. These two are Destiel fics, There's Only One Sure Thing That I Know (probably the one SPN fic I reread most often) and The Mostly Accidental Courtship of Dean Winchester.

Hood & Glove | 2 x destiel PBs

NO GLUE PAMPHLETS MY BELOVED. listen, there's a lot of glue in bookbinding and sometimes I just get REALLY SICK OF IT and making these pamphlets was like a balm for the soul. as evidenced I remade Dozens of Ships because I wasn't entirely happy with how the first one came out (and also, the first one lived in my purse for so long it's now all tatty. I took it with me on vacation to Oxford so I could just read it whenever I wanted. it was amazing.) Project Bang doesn't have a cover because I wanted to try French link stitching, but I think I will take out the thread sometime and give it a cover and re-sew it like the other three.

Dozens of Ships and Hundreds of Souls | Izzy's Revenge | Project Bang

A7 sized books

1 hardback, 1 no-glue pamphlet, and 8 paperbacks.

the hardback (the birth of comets takes place on the tip of your lashes) is my first attempt at self-ending a HB and I did it because the book was so small I thought structurally it wouldn't be an issue, and it worked so well I did it again for a bunch of books. the pamphlet I made to see if no-glue pamphlet were comfortable on a smaller scale, and while it was fine I think this one I will also take the the thread out eventually and sew a cover on.

and then more paperbacks! fanbinding seems to favour longer fics in general because having a substantial amount of text means you have enough material to comfortably make an A5 or A6 sized hardback. however I like a lot of short fics too and while I like the idea of anthologies, sometimes I also just want little books to carry in my purse and read on the go, you know? and I've found these A7 paperbacks to be perfect for fics in the 1-5k word count weight class. and since I have an entire running sheet to make covers from, I'm not done making A7 paperbacks either!

the birth of comets | 4 x Ocean's 8 fics | 4 x 00Q fics

Gift books

and finally... the three Renegade Exchange Books I made during the October-December radio silence period:

2 x squareback hardbacks and 1 rounded hardback.

Something Dumb to Do | Inside The River | Sha Ka Ree

That's all folks!

#fanbinding #bookbinding #2022 in books

153 notes · View notes

jjkxla · 2 years

Text

Matcha lattes, unfinished letters, velvet cuffs... (18+)

⇻ pairing: Taehyung x FemaleReader. SugarDaddy!Tae. Dom!Tae.

⇻ synopsis: Taehyung and Vogue work abroad for his next photoshoot, but he uses this longtime break he is also in to bring his well known friends on this trip overseas into the French landscapes. The reader, happily taking this chance to spend more time with him, enjoys a well deserved vacations by being tied on Taehyung's bed.

⇻ tags: minors dni. smut, fwb, SugarDaddy!Taehyung, dom!tae, light bondage, weekend getaway, cunnilungus, multiple orgasms (female receiving), vaginal fisting, light BDSM tones, crack!fic tbh there's a few jokes.

⇻ words: 4.3k.

⇻ links: ao3.

⇻ a/n: lmfao hello again. I'm back posting fics, not sure if I'll ever manage to post all my other old fics here on Tumblr but they are all up on ao3 if you guys were ever interested. Anyways, here is my next fic, it's not that long so hopefully you guys enjoy! I enjoy comments and reblogs a lot, my ask box is open :)

Sunlight filtered through the trees above your head, casting shadows around him like the sun took out a brush and carefully flicked its wrists on the fallen leaves around you both. You hated it. How he didn't need to lift a finger and the whole universe would simply arrange itself to flatter him so.. He was a natural type of beauty, an ethereal one at least. Everything seemed to be for the purpose of exalting his beauty; the honey colour of his skin, the dark curls of his permed and dyed again hair, sitting on top of a bench and showing off the toned physicality of his back.

And if thy right eye offends thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for. thee that one of thy members should perish, and. not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. Matthew 5:29.

The devil could take you down to hell himself and hellfire would not be enough to burn out the desire that clawed at your throat. But this was not the time, or the place for any of that. You could keep thirsting for Taehyung somewhere else, where he didn’t catch you with drool dripping down your chin or with a serious case of “fuck me” eyes whilst there were people around.

After all, you were just friends, friends that occasionally fucked in unconventional positions (and spots). His buddies were busy photographing him in all his glory for the millions of followers he had on instagram, each one getting off and lusting over him as much as you did.

Although, unlike those faceless followers, he actually knew you. And you’d know each other whilst he was still training to be the superstar he has become today.

“Has anyone ever told you how easy you are to read?”, you got caught off guard by Wooshik. Grinning cheekily, he raised his iced americano and sipped some from his straw.

“Has anyone ever told you how you can be a dick?”

“Struck a nerve there, huh? Don’t worry you aren’t the only one, I think at least Jennie and Hyungsik seriously reevaluated on staying behind on this overseas trip.”

“Whatever,” you scoffed, “unlike them he actually scheduled it so that we were both free from work to hang out and travel,”

Wooshik laughed, interrupting you, “that’s cause you’re practically his sugar baby.”

“Shut it, I paid for a few things.”

“Like what.”

“Like the clothes I brought here, jackass, mind your own business.”

“Agent Provocateur doesn't count!”

“Jesus, how much does he tell you?”

“Everything.”

“What are you guys arguing over now?” Taehyung walked back up the path, still shirtless but with a brown cardigan offering a slutty view of his chest. You tried not to stare but failed.

“How bad you’re spoiling our shortie here.”

“I’m not spoiled!”

Tae laughed, leaning closer to you and wrapping his arm around your shoulder. He leaned close, his breath ghosting over yours as he cocked and eyebrow up and smirked. “Does my favourite girl need more attention? Should we share the airbnb room tonight?”

Damn him. Your whole face flushed beet red, eyes shooting wide as you tried not to stutter or stumble on your words. “I-I, You- You should s- I don’t–”

“Save it for tonight Romeo, we still have two more hours on the road before we get to the cabin.”

Taehyung smirked, leaning down and kissing your nose quickly before heading back to the car, his security detail still standing a few feet away. “I’m driving,” he announced, “Y/N, take shotgun so you can spot the cows we see on the road.”

Your eyes lit up, pushing past Wooshik and heading straight towards the grey Hyundai, sitting on the front seat and excitedly clicking the seatbelt on. You could hear Taehyung laughing, his loud square smile ever present as he patted Wooshik's back and told his other friends how you’d go ahead from everyone else.

“Marselle is quite pretty this time of the year,” Taehyung started as he moved the side mirrors, starting the engine before driving off.

You reached out for the aux cord, connecting it with your phone and sorting through one of the shared playlists you had with Tae. “It’s not as cold as I thought it would be, actually, oh, do you think we can get some matcha around here?”

“Maybe, there’s quite a few cafés but I don’t think I can order one with my shitty French,” he laughed, punching the airbnb address onto the navigation system.

“Nothing my crummy B1 certificate and google translate can’t fix, it’s been working since we got here.”

Tae laughed, glancing at you quickly before focusing on the road, “the waiter from last night’s restaurant disagrees.”

“Okay, whose fault is it that I was in flip flops and a sundress at a fucking french high cuisine restaurant.”

“You didn’t have to bring the google lady out”

“I can’t even pronounce hor d'oeuvres! How was I expected to successfully communicate!?” you demanded.

Taehyung laughed even more, Michel Buble starting to play in the background as you both bickered. It was fun to spend time with Taehyung like this. Before his group’s hiatus he barely had enough time to go out and meet for coffee. Granted, neither one of you liked coffee, and instead opted for green tea matcha lattes. It was one of your first bonding points, before you both realised how fond you were with jazz and movies. Studying art, living for beauty, that was one of the biggest traits you both shared.

Then, of course, came the sexual chemistry, but that’s for another time. Right now, you were incredibly engrossed with each other, his hand moving from the steering wheel and holding your knee in a caring and reassuring way, pointing out whenever he saw a cow so you could take out your phone and spam your friend’s with pictures of them. It reminded you of your own car trips when you were a child.

“Did your mom text you today?”

You glanced back at him, raising an eyebrow inquisitively, “no… did she text you?”

“Yeah, she said you don’t call her as often lately.”

“God, since when are you friends with my mother?”

He smirked, “since you answered that facetime call and I was shirtless in the background.”

Your face grew hot, you could even feel the tips of your ears get warmer out of embarrassment, “let’s not talk about my mother right now.”

“Well, we can talk about my mother then,” he grinned.

You glanced back at him, his hand squeezing your thigh before leaving to push his sunglasses up the bridge of his nose. “What about your mother?”

“She invited you for Christmas this year, if you aren’t spending it with your family of course-”

“I’d love to come,” you interrupted.

He smiled. “Great.”

The airbnb was better than you expected. But when it came to Taehyung and his taste you could only ever expect decadence. A palazzio; bubbling champagne in small glass flutes; a box of chocolate splayed over a duck feather comforter; rose and sweet scented candles. He was a romance and beauty corporeal.

A thing of beauty is a joy for ever:

Its loveliness increases; it will never

Pass into nothingness; but still will keep

A bower quiet for us, and a sleep

Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing. from Endymion, J. Keats.

It was no time to quote the English poets but Keats had an eye for beauty you couldn’t ignore, and right here, right now, you were drunk off the view of everything around you.

Your balcony overlooked a rose garden, but as it was approaching the colder months of the year, instead of blossoming buds of red and pink you saw the deep green bushes surrounding a pond, the statue of lovely Eros and Psyche embracing each other, his wings like cupid spread out behind him. The bushes rushed around the pond like a labyrinth, twisted and confusing, with the autumn leaves falling in splashes of mahogany and burnt orange.

The sun, still, was high upon the sky, its rays peeking through the trees and drawing the earth in lovely shadows. Your luggage was still open, clothes spread out on your twin bed whilst you searched for the cameras you packed the night before. Engrossed with the settings of your latest birthday present you failed to notice Taehyung walking inside the room. The gentle rape of his knuckles agains the doorframe..

So he stayed there, transfixed with your task, a cigarette hanging off his lips. Looking up at him only once the smell of it registered, smiling and leaving the camera on the bed as you walked near.

He sucked on the cigarette, cherry bright red before blowing the smoke behind his shoulder, just in time for you to lean up, arms around his neck.

“You know I don’t like kissing you after you smoke.”

“I’ll brush my teeth,” he grinned, leaning down his lips brushing against your own, the smell of cigarette becoming a turn on whenever he was this close to you, “I’ll floss and everything.”

“You better,” you replied, leaning up on the tip of your toes and capturing his lips with your own as he took the cigarette out of his mouth.

It was like dancing, Tchaikovsky and his No. 14 pas de Deux. At one point he leaned down and scooped you into his arms, your legs fitting perfectly around his waist as he walked both of you back to his room. The taste of tobacco and smoke lingered still in his tongue and muddled all your other senses, only breaking back into clarity when he dropped you back in his bed.

Assaulted by the smell of clean linen and a cold breeze passed through his open window. Your hands reached up, searching for the angle of his jaw and to pull him closer against you, but instead he simply clasped your hands, bringing it to his lips and kissing it sweetly. You leaned up on your elbows, watching him retreat back to where his bags were propped.

Watching him, moved as if at home with the place he rented, the big mirror facing the bed captured the concentrated look of his brown as he looked through his things.

You, impatient as ever, turned around and looked over the mess of his bedsheets, picking up what appeared to be a pair of brown leather shorts.

“Will I get to see you wearing this today?”

Taehyung glanced back, laughing softly and turning back to the task at hand, “I fear you won’t see me in any clothes for the rest of the day.”

“I’m more than fine with that.”

He kept rummaging, and you turned over to look more through the things he had left scattered, picking up what seemed to be a letter. You couldn’t read a word of it, seeing as he had written in hangul, but you looked over the fancy blue ink, and liked how it didn’t look like the chicken scratch that Hoseok’s handwriting tended to be.

Down, at the bottom of said letter, Taehyung had drawn a silly cartoon of a tiger climbing a tree. This fact made you laugh aloud, enough to have your lover turn around and loudly explain that it was private, to give it back.

“I can’t even read it! What does it say?”

“I’m not done with it yet.”

“But what does it say?” you insisted.

“It’s just something I do with my dad, ok? It’s more fun.”

“Oh, so the big celebrity has travelled to ye-old-times?” you tease.

He couldn’t help but laugh, finding whatever it was that he was looking for and turning around holding out the white silk cloth in front of you.

“What’s that?”

“For you.”

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

“Well, actually, it’s more for us,” said Taehyung, walking back to the bed and making you drop the piece of paper in your hand.

“What does it do?”

“You’ll see,” he continued, leaning down and kissing you once more.

You groaned, biting back down on his lip aware that he liked it and just slowly making out with him as he led you back down on the bed.

He laid you gently, comfortably between the pillows, and started to take off your clothes slowly. His mouth follows and kisses every new patch of exposed skin. Down your neck as you let your hair down, shirt off and mouth nipping and licking on the newness of your exposed collarbone. Your shoulders, the hollow of your neck, down your sternum as his hands expertly unhooked your bra and gently dropped it on the bed.

He moved down your body, kissing the moles on your body and only stopping to take off his own white shirt. You grinned, loving the warm honey tone of his skin, hands caressing the side of his arms. But he stopped, glancing at you with a mischievous glint in his eyes and pinning your hands back up above your head.

“What’s the matter?” you asked, breathing already laboured from kissing him, from feeling him, you needed him badly.

“You can’t touch me tonight.”

“Ha ha, very funny.”

He raised an eyebrow, giving you a funny face that only made you start laughing for real. With one hand he easily grasped both of yours, and quickly shifted his weight to reach for the piece of white silk he had gathered from his luggage.

Now that you had a better look of it, you noticed the silver hoop that held both pieces of fabric together. And then it clicked, and you just stared at him as he concentrated and slipped the hoop above you in the headboard, both your wrists being tied neatly in the white silk to keep them high above you.

“You’re getting kinky, honey.”

“It was bound to happen sooner or later.”

“Really? Then what else are we trying today?”

Taehyung hummed, checking your wrists were safely snug and then reaching under your pillow. From there, a big purple dildo.

“Borahae”.

You bursted out laughing, both of you did. His eyes crinkling and reaching to wipe a tear and kissing the side of your face until you thought of a very uncomfortable thing.

“Wait, you aren’t putting that up my ass.”

“And I’m not going to, doubt you prepped for anal.”

“Good… Just checking…”

“I wouldn’t do something like that without talking about it first.”

“Then what are these handcuffs?”

“You said you wanted to try it, and also how you wanted me to fist you and somehow rip your heart out from your pussy.”

Your cheeks grew red, your friends had definitely betrayed you. “Wait, so, I’m getting fisted?”

“I’m thinking about it, the dildo is just to help you stretch a bit while I warm you up.”

“How am I getting warmed up?” you grinned, wanting to know everything before it actually happened as your heart was racing against your chest, aroused but deadly nervous to this entire thing. You were small, and much, much, smaller than Taehyung at that.

He smiled coyly, his voice honey-sweet, “that’s a surprise.”

But you had no second to think about it, with him moving down and crashing his lips on yours. He kissed you hard, drunkenly, biting and nipping on your lips before slipping his tongue inside your mouth.

He muffled out all your moans, eyes screwed shut in pleasure and tugging on the cuffs wanting to touch him as your body leaned up to kiss him back.

You didn’t like being submissive, you tended to like more taking control of the situation, but it was in moments like this, and specifically under Taehyung’s (haha) influence that you melted like butter. He guided and moved you every which way, your mind barely registering how he took off your pants and underwear, not noticing he had grabbed lube until he broke the kiss.

A string of saliva still connected your mouth, your tongue poking out of your mouth and licking it back while looking at him. A true picture of beauty and desire, his hair falling right over his eyes, only the coy smile of his visible as he squirted lube on his fingers and on the purple toy.

You gasped, his fingers cold to the touch and making your toes curl as he pressed his fingers against your clit.

Not being tied at the ankles, you comfortably spread your legs wider, giving him enough space to look at what he was doing, making him chuckle at how eager you were getting. “You’re getting wet,” he said.

You simply moaned, eyes closing in pleasure and sinking down into the bed whilst he touched you, a small gasp leaving your lips as you felt his fingers pressing down against your entrance and pushing in.

Your hips shifted down, making him reach deeper inside you and making you shiver in pleasure.

But just as quickly his fingers left, making you open your eyes to complain and just gasping as he pushed the dildo inside you, back arching and grunting as you accommodate to its size, which was not that far off from Taehyung’s to begin with.

“That’s my good girl.”

Flushing, you peaked an eye at him, “you’re enjoying this.”

“We both are Y/N”

You cursed as he used your name, he knew it made your knees go weak, and currently he was making your entire lower body weak.

Honestly you had no idea what he was planning, which made this all even more unnerving, gasping once you felt his warm mouth on your clit, sucking and flicking it harshly with his tongue before pressing the flat of it against the bundle of nerves. He was giving you head and penetrating you at the same time, go figure. Taehyung managed to do the two things he liked best at the same time somehow.

You gasped, moaned, pulling down harshly on the handcuffs as you felt warmth building in the pit of your stomach, Taehyung slowly moving the toy in and out of you as he concentrated his mouth on making you unravel.

And unravel you do, your lower body tingling and making your breathing more laboured as he elicited the most lewd and wettest sounds from you. The squelches of your arousal and his saliva mixing together and echoing in the empty room as you cursed out his name.

“C-Close,” you gasped out, the silk burning on your wrist as you tugged and squirmed underneath him.

Tae leaned back, his chin shiny with your arousal, the dildo still thrusting in and out of you which had your toes curling, “cum for me,” he said, voice raspy with want.

Your vision blurred, back arching off the bed as you cried out his name, completely forgetting you would be sharing this airbnb with a few other people and screaming as loud as you could.

Taehyung helped you ride it all out, grinning widely as he saw your body jump and twitch from his touch, doing as he wanted whenever he commanded, and slowly slipping out the dildo as you calmed down.

But even whilst you were recollecting yourself, his fingers slipped in and replaced the toy. You grunted, feeling spent but glancing back at him you got only more aroused by the glint in his eyes.

“You’re so wet for me.”

“S-Shit, are you seriously going to-”

“Yes,” he interrupted, fingers curled and pressing against your spot making you moan again. He was slow, careful and methodical with his approach. Reading the way you reacted and sticking to what made you moan the loudest, shift your hips closer to his hand.

He stopped, used more lube, and started again. You came again. And he kept persisting until he was closer. You, on the other hand, were sweaty, weak, and had seen God at least twice already with how violently Taehyung made you cum.

And he felt big, bigger than usual, four of his fingers inside of you and you groaned and complained, with him stopping and checking with you every two seconds.

“How are you holding up, darling?”

“G-Good, fuck, so good Christ you’re big.”

He laughed softly, moving slowly, letting you accommodate, and went down to his forearm, “I’m going to do it now love, that ok?”

“P-Perfect, I won’t last.”

But taehyung stopped for a second, worrying you, “d-did something happened,” you glanced back at him, just to notice him inches away from you, mouth crashing on yours and muffling out any moan.

You melted more against him, complete putty for him to shape and mould out to his heart’s desire. The kiss lasted only a few seconds, felt him with his clean hand brush a few of your hairs away from your face and kiss your temple. Moving back down and counting softly before he slipped his hand out and pushed his fist inside you.

Without a second thought you came, your back arching and groaning at the first discomfort of this position and just screaming at how full you felt. How filled with him. The lines blurring inside your head, no longer sure where he began and you ended, and instead, you simply felt the entirety of him eveloping you whole.

His warmth, the weight of his body over you, the musky clean smell of his sweat, and just how lovely his voice was. Full of praise, encouraging you as you came down from your high, slowly moving and eyes bright and drunk with pleasure.

And just as soon as that, he slipped his hand out, sticky and smelling like you as he cupped your face once more and tilted your head up for another greedy kiss.

Lips smacking, tongue searching inside your mouth, and vibrating with his groan as you lazily responded back. The tips of your fingers tingled before he reaches up and lets your hands free.

They fell down in a thud, with you feeling heavy as lead but light as a feather, only leaning up to pull Taehyung’s body closer and grinding down against the fabric of his pants, leaving a wet streak of your arousal on it.

“Y/N, Love,” he laughed, leaning back, “give a second I should take my pants off-”

“Yes, do that,” but instead of letting him go you pulled him back to you, kissing his mouth, down to his chin and biting on his neck hard enough to make him wince.

But Taehyung moaned, turned on even more by the pain and with a heavy clink of his belt he was pushing his trousers and boxers out of the way. You wanted him, still intoxicated with the feeling of his skin as you made use of having your hands back to yourself to dig your nails on his shoulder blades and drag them down his back.

Taehyung responded just as quickly, head tilting to the side as you marked him yours and reached out for a condom, shifting himself to be perfectly on top as your legs wrapped around his waist.

You were weak, on a cloud, leaving a red bite mark on his perfect chest before he gripped on both your wrists and pinned them once more above your head with a single hand. You groaned, turned on by his show of strength, and whimpered out a pathetic sound that resembled his name as he entered you.

It was hard, tortuous, and you couldn't stop screaming even if they paid you.

Neck exposed he left a constellation of hickeys and kisses on your skin, his hips snapping against yours in a way that was going to definitely cripple you by next morning.

He squeezed your wrists tighter, the sharp sting of it making you tighten around him and made him stutter in his pace. You laughed, leaning up and biting on his lip, dragging it between your teeth and hearing him take a shaky breath before he snapped his hips harder. Effectively shutting you up.

And he continued like that, the old bed starting to shift with you both, headboard hitting the wall and echoing the thumps of his cock inside you as you felt your orgasm coming.

Taehyung’s laboured breath just egged you on, leaning up and kissing his neck and shoulders, biting down on his shoulder and making him moan loudly.

“F-Fuck, please, be close.”

“I-I am,” you gasped.

“Cum, fuck I want to feel you around me,” Taehyung’s voice was breezy, almost whiny, like he couldn’t hold on for longer. And how could you stop yourself when he sounded so desperate while simultaneously destroying you?

Stars was an understatement of what you saw when you finished. Colours and blurs of light mingled together, you might as well have passed out for a second with how violently you came. And he came just as hard, letting out a loud moan mixed in with what seemed to be your name.

He collapsed on top of you, his sweaty chest flush against yours. Neither one of you moved, just feeling him grow soft inside you without any intention of leaving.

You moved your arms around him, hugging him and fingertips slowly brushing over the scratches you had left on his back. You protested when he moved to get up, with you only letting go once he kissed you swiftly.

He walked back up to the bathroom, his cute ass all perky as he discarded the condom and came back with a wet towel, the mess underneath you becoming a problem for another day.

“Remember you have to pee.” Taehyung only wiped you clean, glancing back at you with a princely smile.

“Please, let’s not talk about me getting an UTI, I want to cuddle.”

“I’ll carry you to the toilet and I’ll hug you while you pee.”

“Okay I’ll take that.”

He laughed again, leaning back to you and kissing the tip of your nose before picking you up and cradling you in his arms. “Oh, that reminds me.”

“Hm?”

“We’re still not done here.”

#taehyung #taehyung smut #smutcentralnet #kim taehyung #bts v #bts #bangtan #bangta boys #bangtan writers #btsguild #btssmutclub #fluff #female reader #x fem!reader

250 notes · View notes

fazedlight · 11 days

Text

Fandom creators tag game

Thank you @waytooinvested and @fabulousglitch for the tag!

1. What sort of content do you create, and what is the thing you’ve made that you’re most proud of?

Proudest fic - There are a few I tend to choose from, but right now it's Even Though You're Kryptonian

Fanvid - My Rise vid

2. What fandom(s) do you create for?

Supercorp. (And a very tiny amount of Dansen and soon Rojarias.)

3. What is your current favourite ship (or brotp if you prefer), and how controversial is it?

Supercorp!! I don't think it's a controversial ship, lol.

4. For your answer to question 3, are they canon?

They are to me 😌

5. What was your first fandom, and how old were you?

My first obsession (and still greatest love) was Xena. I started watching the show a few episodes into season 1, when I was 6 years old. It was very formative.

That said, I didn't really get involved in any fandom communities until Supercorp (in early 2022).

6. What is your most unhinged fandom creation to date?

I don't think I get super unhinged, but as a pilot I did like creating this dumb incorrect quote.

7. Do you remember what started you off creating fandom content, and if so, what was it?

I was getting frustrated at not being able to find certain types of fics, and it struck me that... I was allowed to write my own.

8. Do you let people you know in real life see your fandom creations?

Yup! My partner read my first two fics in support, and several of my IRL friends have read at least one of my fics because I didn't have the good sense to keep that information to myself when I was getting started. It's mortifying lol. But my friends are very cool people.

9. How do you feel about fanworks of fanworks? Has anyone ever made something based on a thing you made?

Fanworks of fanworks are amazing!!! I've been incredibly lucky to have that happen three times (post), and gotten asked for permission for a different continuation and a podfic that may eventually happen.

10. What feeling do you most often try to evoke with your creations?

Angst. Longing. Bits of compassion too.

11. Has someone ever paid your work a compliment (in any form) that has stuck with you, and what was it?

I love each and every one of my commenters ❤️

Honestly, the compliments that stick with me most are "I came back to reread this" or "this idea is still living rent-free in my head" type comments. I think that's what all writers and artists want - to feel that their art lasted in someone's mind beyond the first time seeing it.

12. What’s your favourite thing someone else has made that you’ve seen in the last 24 hours (and link it if you can find it again!)

Technically it was more than 24hrs ago but this art by @awaitingrain is so fucking cute!!

13. Give a small sneak preview of something you’re working on right now (eg a couple of sentences of fic from a WIP, a gif set theme, a small piece of a larger picture, whatever you feel happy to share)

I have a ficlet (that's getting out of control), here's a snippet:

Lena was cozying into the warmth of Kara’s body, when Lena spoke. “I’m thinking of visiting my mother’s house soon,” she said shyly. “I want to find out more about her. Where I came from.”

“That sounds lovely,” Kara said softly.

“Do you want to come with me?” Lena asked.

Kara hesitated.

14. Have you ever seen/read anything made by the person who tagged you? If so, what was it and what was your favourite thing about it? (pick a favourite if there are several)

Both of them are on my reading list 👀

15. Do you leave comments on fandom works, and if so how would you describe your comment style?

Some of my comments are very simple, some of my comments are very long. I've tried to get more consistent about commenting ever since starting to write, because I know how important it is. Unfortunately, I also read a lot less now that I'm writing more.

16. How many works in progress do you currently have? Will you finish them all?

I have 5 WIPs! I'm very confident I'll finish them all.

17. what’s the longest it’s ever taken you to finish a fandom project?

I guess my worldkiller Kara fic took a bit over 3 months, though part of that was spacing with the Supercorp Big Bang.

I tend to write fast. One of the things I'm actually trying to do is slow down to fill out the story a bit more.

18. Describe the thing you made most recently in a way that is technically true, but also completely misleading. Link the thing if it’s published!

Lena has a bad day in the lab (Clockwork).

19. Do you ever engage with fanworks for a fandom you’re not in? Which one(s) and how did you get into it?

I totally engage in fanart from other fandoms that cross my dashboard, particularly korrasami. I don't tend to read fanfic of stuff I haven't engaged in, though.

20. Recommend a fan work from your fandom to your followers

This fanvid is probably my favorite in the entire fandom.

Suggested tag list, but there are no rules here, follow your heart.

A mutual you have never actually spoken to but think seems cool - oh there are so many of these!! I am tagging @mssirey who I don't think I've had a proper convo with yet

The most recent person whose content you engaged with (eg read a fic, reblogged art, whatever form you feel best fits) - @thealieninhiding (though by the time I finish this very long post it might be someone else lol)

Someone whose content you saw via tags/reblogs and you followed them because of it - @jadedloverart!

Someone in your fandom that you think makes cool things - @ekingston

Someone in a different fandom that you think makes cool things - tagging @thatonebirdwrites who makes korrasami stuff too

Someone you always tag on things like this - I'm not sure there's someone I always tag but I'll pick @nottawriter as one of the people I frequently tag when I do these things

Someone you have never tagged before - @rebellionbear have I tagged you before?? you are cool so I am tagging you!

Someone you would like to get to know better - @femslashhistorian

Someone who makes art you like - @awaitingrain along with others above!

Someone who writes fics you like - @luthordamnvers along with others above!

#ask game #mel stuff

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redrydersrequiem · 1 year

Text

Reunited ch 5

*had to sit in a room all morning and just twiddle my thumbs so got some writing down. So here we are chapter 5 again im a baby writer none of this is profed i just write and post. Everyone be kind. In my fic neytiri and jake actually took care of spider, like reader asked them to and the colored text is them speaking in Navi.

Previous chapter. Next chapter

Y/n pov

My mind is slightly eased after speaking with Norm. While he didn’t promise anything he also didn’t flat out refuse us, even so miles has continued to fine tune his own escape plan for us just in case Jake refuses to help. Right now however the biggest hurdle in his plan is Spider. Making sure we can fully take care of him, which evolves a mask that couldn't be tracked and a reliable source of oxygen for him. But after looking into some of the tech the new rda developers have been messing with I found a new type of mask for spider. It was more portable and no longer required to be charged; it would create its own oxygen so I keep my eye out and wait to swipe one when the time comes.While we all continue to follow any leads on finding Jake none of us are truly hunting him just doing the bare minimum to look as though we are all still loyal. It's not till a week later that something big happens. Ardmore has one of her goons call on us to meet Ardmore on the bridge.

Miles pov

I walk into the bride wainfleet and z-dog behind me. Y/n wanted to come but i wanted to keep her as far away from the general as i possibly could.

You called for us general”

“Ah yes colonel follow me, she leads us over to the hollow map now showing a large area of water instead of its usual mountain and tree landscapes.

We believe we’ve found a lead on sully's wearabouts

Really

Yes Mathewson pull up the data

Yes general

The map moves going back to the tree line just outside the rdas search circle. A red dot now displayed

We’ve been sweeping for old equipment from the war making sure everything was together and accounted for. In doing so we came across and active signal from an old fighter helios, it entered the edge of the tree line here and went west, until disappearing somewhere in this small grouping of islands

Thank you Mathewson. Colonel your team will leave at the end of the week, to start searching every one of these islands until Jake sully is found.

Of course General we'd be more than happy to.

Good answer: you'll be meeting up with a vessel we have out there already and they will assist you in your mission. Now go get me some results colonel

Yes ma’am”

Y/n pov

“So what did the wicked witch want?” I ask miles as he Lyle and z come back from their meeting with Ardmore

“There's been a signal from some old pre war equipment, its flown out towards the ocean region, ardmore wants us to follow up on it. She has reason to believe it sully or at least some of his followers.

“Well if it is Jake what are we going to do?

“I dont know darlin, try and contact norm again see whats taking them so damn long and if they dont answer well have to go with plan b.

“Ok ill go out today, and try again. “

“Good take Mansks and prager with you, but yall be quick about you hear i don't need this woman trying to find something to bitch at us about. Espesiclly when she holds your life in her hands ok love.”

“I will love take care of spider for me tonight.”

“I will darlin”

“Yeah no need to worry y/n hell be with his favorite uncle.

“Who says you're the favorite I hear Lopez call out as he approaches us.

“I say i'm the favorite and since i have seniority you can suck it lopez”

The two start going at it like toddlers me, miles and Z all just watching them.

“Don’t worry y/n me and Quartich will actually take care of shit.”

“Thanks z, ok boys let's go. “

We successfully made it to the clearing, ringing the com link non stop, when it was finally answered i could hear an odd sound in the background. It almost sounded like water or something, just reconfirming that whoever it is that answered was probably near the ocean

“Hello?”

“Jake?”

“Y/N?”

“Wow Jake, is it really you?

“Yeah dove it's me.”

“Ha dove I haven’t heard that call sign in years… oh jake i can’t even tell you how happy i am to hear your voice.”

“And I you y/n, now let me ask what's going on.”

“Have you spoken to Norm?”

“Yes I have, I was actually trying to get back to you but some stuff has happened with my family and I got side tracked.”

“Oh Jake, I'm sorry, I'm sorry for everything but I have to ask for my family and for yours.”

“What is it y/n”

“Jake shits is about to hit the fan here, Ardmore is determined to bring you in and make an example out of you. In her eyes, if she gets rid of you and your family then the RDA no longer has any issues with taking over Pandora like they plan.”

“And”

“And I'm guessing by the sounds of the ocean behind you that she's found where you’ve gone.”

“How”

“They got a signal from some old equipment that disappeared in a grouping of islands. They don't know which island so she wants to send us out to search, and if we don't do what they say they will get rid of us jake.”

I hear jake get further away from the com probably pacing, As i hear muffled cuss words

“Jake she wants to send us after you, but we're stuck if we don't do what they want they will get rid of us. We need to work together and come up with some way to delay Ardmore and get us out, so we can help you.

“Y/n its not going to be that easy.

“Well then tell me what we need to do to make it easy jake cause the rda isn't going to go away again without fully crippling what they’ve got going here. And no offenses but we’ve all been gone for 15 years the rda has stepped its game up. You’ll need our help”

Jake is silent again before letting out a long sigh. “I'll have to talk to some people, Dove. They’ll be the ones that will have to decide if we can do anything”

“Ok jake, we’ll continue to lay our part here but we're running out of time

“I understand here in the meantime is spider still with you. “

“Of course he is jake you should see him interact with everyone and”

“I can only imagine y/n but since he's still with you i'll send out a message to the clan to keep an eye out for him. Ok if they see a human kid with a bunch of Navi in army garb they’ll know who you all are. I'll tell them not to put up a fight that you aren't there to hurt them but you have to act until we are ready to strike. You just can’t hurt anyone

“We wont jake i'll personally make sure of it.

“Good till then keep in touch with me and ill try and come up with a plan to get yall off the radar. If your her only hunting party then getting rid of you will delay them till we can strike”

“Good point.” Mansks says next to me “if we somehow all died or got lost the rda wouldn’t be able to send someone after us right away without occurring more losses.”

“Yeah that would definitely upset the people over the general but it would also piss her off.” Prager chimes in

‘But y/n.”

“Yeah.”

“Be honest with me, I know you will.”

“Ok i promise.”

“Is he the same?”

“No Jake, none of us are the same. They’ve all changed and as the days move they grow more and more used to pandora and want to be a part of it. We’re different Jake, they could be different just like you where they’re on that cusp of not being human anymore but not fully being Navi. We just need help, so I ask you again as your friend. Please help me protect my family.”

“You always saw the best in me y/n, so I'll try and do the same with them. We'll have to meet somewhere neutral though, I'm not going to go through all this for quartich to betray me and hurt my family.”

“I completely understand Jake.”

“Ill be in touch dove, ill get and answer to you by tomrrow at the latest ok i have to talk to some people first so we can start making preparations. Keep this. Link open and let me or norm know if anything happens ok

“Ok jake i will

“Goodbye y/n and may eywa be with you.

“You as well jake. “

The call ends and i stare at the ground thoughts running through my head

I know in my heart that everyone’s changed and I know Jake would also help us, it's everyone else I worry about. While I don't want my family torn apart and used, I also don't want the people and the clans of Pandora to be hurt in the process either.

Jakes pov

“You did what now

“Im sorry tonowari but we have to help them”

“And why should we help these demons?”

“Ronal please”

“They’re are agitated and i can understand”

“Im sorry ok, i'm sorry that i brought this battle here when i told you i was done with war but its not going to go away. Look what's happening the rda hut tulkun, just as you’ve told me, they will not stop until they strip this planet of everything they want and then leave it in the dust to rot.

“If we help y/n and her team they can help us permanently alter the rda, possibly crippling them. We could cut this off at the source once again they have insisted that I don't have any longer.”

“What is it you expect from us jake sully”

“I expect nothing. I ask desperately for help to integrate and teach the sky people new ways, show them that our way of life is fully worth fighting for and then let them help us protect it.” Ronal and tonowari are silent. Exchanging looks with one another. Until Tonowari straightens up once more

“We will help you toruk makto, but know this will all fall on you and your family if it goes wrong.”

“I understand that and I will not endanger these people I refuse. We will set them up somewhere outside of the village until they are accepted and then we can go from there. Does that sound alright?

“Yes, on the grounds that I and my mate meet them as well since it is our clan they must conform to.”

“Of course.”

“Good then see to it Jake sully and keep us updated.”

“I will thank you tonowari, thank you.”

It takes until the end of the week to set up a meeting, being in constant interaction with jake we learn that we need to first meet with the clans leader tonowari since they are the ones that must teach, home and aid us

We take the ikran out and stop in our clearing to dump everything with a semblance of a tracker and leave it there. Spider rides with me today instead of miles. I like holding him close, it makes me breathe easier and Miles wants to make sure we're protected. We told the general we would take a quick trip to gather some more supplies for us since we found the food of pandora worked better for our growing Navi bodies than human food did. It takes a couple hours to get away from the base and towards the designated meeting spot it's an area just breaking into the ocean filled with overgrown roots of trees and moss. We land in a forested jungle esc area. A small stream and pond stints on a cliff face if you follow the stream and go further out into the trees you’ll come across the ocean. It’s truly beautiful though. Spider and I were so excited honestly to see the ocean and its beautiful turquoise blue water. I wish there was a beach to plan on and not just tree roots but hopefully spider will have the opportunity to have an actual beach day sometime in the future, all the ikrans are chirping with glee as we let them rest and drink some water. Everyone else though, were very rigged, ears pinned back and twitching at every sound. Hands twitching towards their weapons but making an effort not to grab them, tails swishing steadily back and forth. All on high alert, because even though we're here to make allies, training can not be easily forgotten.

“Ok darlin you ready” miles asks coming over to me and spider. I try and put a brave face on but my insides are twisted. Im affraid. If this doesn’t go well then well be essentially on the run from the rda and well be all by ourselves. I mean i have faith in my team but we can’t do it all alone and… i brought out of my thoughts by miles pulling me into his chest whispering to breath in my ear.

A few deep breaths and i shake my head he loosens his hold and looks at me

“Are you ready my love”

“It’s just sully i can handle him “

“Miles you I both know it's bigger than that. “ Hes silent

“Miles just promise be to try ok, we all need to reconcile and move forward before none of us can”

“Your right darlin your right”

“COLONEL”. Lyle yells out getting all of our attention. He's looking at the sky. Seeing a group of other ikran flying towards us. Everyone gets in formation, grouping into a somewhat defensive stance but still trying to look open since they all know what's at stake here.

Six people land and depart. Three of them are darker blue like us but there are two others. They look different from the Navi I'm used to, they're a lighter more turquoise blue, they have bigger arms and tails. They also wear shells and netting rather than the braided garments of the forest people.

As they get closer the dark blue male leads, his dreaded hair hangs behind him as he walks with purpose towards us.

Jake?” I ask the male as he comes to a stop a quarter of the way from us.

“Jake, neytiri i hear spider shout out as he goes bounding over to the group.

“Spider!” i hear miles call out to the teen who stops before completely running over to them

“It’s ok,” Jake calls out. Gesturing a hello to Spider. The atmosphere is definetly tense on all sides so i decide to try and break it

“It’s good to see you again jake and you neytiri

Jake smiles and neytiri finally comes out from behind him, no longer able to contain her happiness at seeing the person she used to know in a body gifted by eywa. I meet her half way between the two groups as she holds me at arm's length, looking me up and down. Before gently smiling.

“I see you my friend”

“I see you neytiri” She smiles and hugs me, I feel miles and the other scoot up slightly, miles in spider coming up behind me as Jake and Norm follow behind neytiri

“Tiri, can I cut in” Jake asks coming to stand beside her before also, quickly, hugging me and looking me over as well

“Wow dove, it's actually you, I honestly say I never thought I’d see you again, any of you” Jake says stepping back towards me as he eyes the man behind me

“Quartich”

“Sully, mrs. Sully”.

Tiri softly hisses at miles anger evident on her face, but she says nothing, she's not the only one though, i can tell miles is nervous even though he's trying real hard not to show it.

“Care to get this thing started sully we can’t be here all day.

“Right grab Wainfleet and come meet your new allies.” Miles Lyle and i walk with jake and neytiri over to the unknown Navi

“Ill translate for you jake tells us quickly

“We know how to talk sully miles replies snippaly to jake with wainfleet smirking next to him

“Miles please just relax, go ahead jake.

All right, then Tonowari, Ronal. This is y/n l/n, miles Quaritch and Lyle Wainfleet. They are the heads of their clan with Quartich being their olo’eyktan

“Guys this is the metkayina clans olo’eyktan tonowari and his mate and tsahik of his clan Ronal. They’ve been helping my family and i and have agreed to help you all as well”

Tonowari and Ronal i see you: doing the gesture much to their surprise “And i thank you for helping in our time of need”

Tonowari and Ronal look at each other having a silent conversation before returning my greeting, Miles does a simple nod/bow to show respect which Tonowari reciprocates.

“Jake sully has told us of your life’s, and i refuse to bring trouble to my clan without just cause. In fact we were prepared to refuse jake sully until eywa sent us a sign.”

“She sent me a vision”, Ronal starts “she told me to help you, and i will not refuse Eywas word not matter how much i disagree with so you sky demons will be helped”

“Um thank you”. I say nudging miles beside me to say something

“Yes thank you chief we just ask for somewhere to lay low. Miles spits out

“We just got our family back and we would like to protect it sir. Lyle adds to miles speech

Understandable, as ive said once we get you away from the sky people we will start teaching you the ways of water till you become a part of the clan.

Thank you thank you we will work hard i promise we are all very capable and will earn our place i swear.

“Very well, jake sully?”

“Oh yeah ok well first things first before all of that we have to figure out how to get you away from the rda

I've actually had an idea about that, Lyle states quickly.

Y/n pov

For the next hour we dish out a plan, our team would follow our orders and start searching the islands and the villages, once we get to the preordained village, the ocean clans would unite and apprehend the sky people that have been scouring the ocean nearby. They would capture all of us and fake kill/capture us in their attempts to rescue the toruk makto adopted human son. Hopefully there would be no casualties but the human soldiers that Ardmore sends to monitor us will probably put up a fight. Hopefully we can talk them into staying on the boat. Either way it was surprising how well all the boys got along. Working well to hash out this plan to where everyone was taken care off. It brought a smile to my face till i saw neytiri side eyeing miles, she was till stiff as a board so i decided to try and talk to her.

“Hey tiri can i speak with you for a moment?”.. she agrees and walks over with me to sit on some tree roots near by

“How are you Tiri?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean your stiff as a board and i know your not exactly thrilled with Miles”

“That de… Quartich has done much to me and my family, and i hold much anger toward him, but eywa has spoken and i am trying to listen to her.

“That doesn’t mean you can’t be angry with him, neytiri. You know i don't think I ever got to apologize to you.

“For what?”

“For everything for not doing more to stop the attack on hometree, even though I didn’t know they were doing that. Or for stopping miles and the other from joining the war for everything the humans have done to you I apologize.”

Tiri hugs me, both us having tears in our eyes

“I do not blame you y/n for i must also apologize, for taking your mate away from you”

“No tiri neither of us blame you in fact we don't even really remember it. What matters now is that we're here together in these bodies and are able to do better this time”

“Yes.”

“I must also thank you and Jake for what you’ve done with Spider. You out of everyone had every right to never even acknowledge Spider but he tells me he's close with all your kids and that you helped him so much growing up.

“Yes i must admit at first i was apprehensive but as he learned more about pandora the more i saw you in him, i knew you would want him to live a life not in a lab”

“You are correct. I wanted him to be able to experience the things around him so again from mother to mother I thank you neytiri.”

“Of course y/n of course”

Miles pov

“Ok that should be good for now, it’s getting late and your team will need to start heading back Quartich.” Jake says quickly motioning to how dark the sky has started to get the sun beginning to set in the sky

“Agreed, ok y’all pack it up.” I yell to my team all swiftly moving into action

“Sully i would like a word, privately” i say looking over at spellman as he quickly lifted his head from talking to Tonowari as soon as he heard me speak

“Fine, I have something to say to you as well”

Jakes pov

Quartich and i walk over away from everyone else

“Ok sully get this out of the way yeah”. Quartich says bracing himself like i'm going to slug him in the face. Part of me wants to but the more mature part has realized I had wronged this man as much as he had me.

“Im sorry colonel”

“Wait What!”

“Yeah, I'm sorry……. I've had a lot to think about colonel, and ive realized, you guys took me in when i got to pandora, despite my disability you all treated me like a normal soldier. Made me part of your team despite me being assigned to grace, didn’t let me feel like I was just some experiment, and what did i do, I betrayed you all. I immediately made you the enemy when in reality it was the rda that where the enemy we were all just caught in their net, just like now. Which is why I apologize for that but you have to see now why I did what I did don't you?

“I do sully i do, he turns to look at spider and y/n quickly.

“I forgot when i was human that i made a promise to myself that they would come before everything else. I wanted a good home for my family and thought the only way to get it was to follow orders.

“I understand that, which is why i propose a new start”

“What do you have in mind?”

“I say we let the past stay in the past. No longer opposite sides of the board but comrades in arms once again. That we help one another to realize our dreams for our families. What do you say?” I ask holding my hand out to shake and sign the pact.Quartich looks at my hand for a moment for grasping my arm and shaking it a nod in my direction

“Agreed sully, let's take these bastards out, but first lets get us away from them deal

“Yes sir.”’ I say a slight grin in my tone.

“Dad, we're ready!” I hear spider yell out, quickly turning Quaritch's head. We both look over to the boy with a goofy smile pressed on his face.

Hey thanks for taking care of my boy, jake

“Of course, colonel, I promised y/n I would..

“Yeah now let's get the job done.”

Tag list

@dyingofcookies @ratchetprime211 @myh3artttt @ducks118 @navs-bhat

#avatar fanfiction #avatar oc #avatar way of water #jake sully x reader #miles quaritch x reader #spider x reader #deja blue team x reader

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the-orange-tabby-cat · 7 months

Text

Wings Of The Dawn | Chapter 2

AO3 link 🐾 | read chapter 1

GIF by loregifs

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pairing: joel miller x fem!reader Rating: 18+ eventually | first chapters free of smut Tags: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Slow Burn, Slow Build, Friends to Lovers, Age Difference, Small Town Dynamics, No use of y/n Word count of the chapter: 6k Next chapter will be posted: September 27th

Summary of the fic: You are Jackson's librarian, a doll with a good heart, that has your life changed when a handsome man decides to take his kid and start again in your small town after completing their cross country journey. Having a hard time ignoring Joel's dark brown eyes, you find yourself wishing to have him close as you both navigate through love triangles, teenage drama, city gossip, and ghosts from both of your pasts. This is a comfort fic filled with slow burn and small town dynamics. Chapter summary: Time for a lights out one on one session with your favorite Texan. And no, I'm not talking about smut... Yet.

｡˚🐾₊˚

CHAPTER 2

If you stare into the darkness for too long, you will notice that you can differentiate the shapes near you. For the first seconds, as your eyes get used to the lack of light, everything appears darker than it is, but as you keep them open, you see the details around you. After 21 years of living in the outbreak, being in the darkness from time to time isn't as challenging as it used to be, even for someone like you who wanted to run into the light as fast as you could.

"How many candles exactly do we need?" You asked Nath as she melted the beeswax little by little. There would be a programmed energy rationing for the following days as the dam got its amends done, making the demands for other sources of light higher.

It was a scorching day, much hotter than average for this time of the year. The heat in the candle-making process was hard to deal with, forcing both women to wear summer clothes and accept sweating as a regular reaction. You felt somewhat dizzy with the heat coming from the stove.

"We have 300 residents, I'm considering maybe 2 per person." She opened her mouth slightly, with her dark blue eyes looking above her, "600 up to 700 candles, maybe?"

"With just me and you making all of them? This is impossible." You looked at her, putting one of your hands behind your neck, scratching a little. From time to time, she would get a new plan that involved you both making something daring. Still, today, you were feeling tired from the start and decided to sabotage it before even beginning.

"Yeah, no shit, Sherlock. We will have helpers, they’ll be here any minute, so you better behave and help me get the rest of the wax." Next to her, there were some trays with leftover candles. Everybody donated what they had on their shelf for the initiative.

Accepting defeat, you look at her, thinking about having more hands on. "Wait, what kind of help? You never involve anyone else in your plans," you inquired while separating the donated wax by color. Nath was very social and had most of the city in a chokehold, but she wasn't the type to keep too many people in her private life.

"First of all, ouch, I have more friends other than you," you glared at her, which she promptly ignored, "second, I convinced your favorite teenagers to join us. What could go wrong? Am I right?"

Without asking, you already knew the teens she was referring to.

In the weeks after the dinner at Alfie's house, Cat spent at least one hour per day at the library, close to you. She made herself useful with the book system you created, helping to put the books back on the shelves before you asked for it. Other times, she would read to the little kids in a group that came with the people from the small daycare near the corner by the afternoon.

Cat was reading Dr. Seuss, a very old copy of Oh, the Places You'll Go!, with a few yellow spots at page corners due to time, one of the residents found under a bed when they first moved into a house and decided to donate it. The infants reacted with smiles and giggles when you heard the characteristic bell sound of the front door.

Ellie stepped in with two books under her arm. You recognized her plaid shirt from the day at the meadow, trembling a bit with the memory. "I presume you devoured both of those?" You said, nodding at the books. She laughed.

"Yeah, came to deliver these and get new ones," she replied, putting them on the counter. As you went to put them on the right shelf, you noticed her brown eyes lingering on the kids listening to Cat's reading.

"Why don't you sit with them for a bit as I get you something new?" She looked at you and nodded slowly, finding her a cushion on the floor behind the kids. You smiled and thought she probably hadn't experienced the childhood pleasure of someone reading for her. A quick image of your brother reading out loud came into your mind, and you buried it as you searched for your recommendation books' shelves.

Cat didn't mind Ellie listening to her as she flipped the pages and showed the images to the kids. Ellie was blinking slowly, following Cat's hand in front of the pages, no longer a teen but instead a child. You started to get her two books since only taking one per visit was no longer enough.

She came every day to the library. At first, she came and left in a few minutes, just wanting a book to take home, but slowly she started to stay longer. Sometimes, she came just to check the available titles, walking between the shelves; others to get new books to take with her, and at times just to go somewhere. She was lingering for something you didn't recognize but tried to provide to her. Comfort seems to be a word that came close to what you felt she needed. You separated a table for her, near the window, a little far from the main door, when you saw she only read at her house. It has been two weeks since she started to read by her chair.

Finishing the story, the kids got up, and the teacher thanked you and Cat, who was already on her feet and coming closer to Ellie. You noticed a little red on her pale cheeks, perhaps from not being around other teens that much.

"So, what do you think?" Cat asked with a smile similar to the one that Alfie gave.

"Kinda cool, but not much for me," Ellie answered, a little snarky but playful. You wondered if Joel had a similar approach to humor.

"Okay, what do you like then?" Walking through the shelves, Cat put a copy of The Princess Diaries at the table nearby. As Ellie rolled her eyes, Cat got a clue and flickered around the shelf a little longer until she found something. “Maybe this? It looks like a you type of book.”

Ellie read the Murder on the Orient Express engraved on the cover and gave a quick look at Cat, "Now we’re talking, what is it about?" and with that they kept talking until after the sunset. Your recommendations for Ellie that day were discharged as she took Agatha Christie home, following Cat's tip.

They became a buy-one-get-two kind of deal. Cat helped you around as Ellie sat and read whatever the girl chose for her. If Cat wasn't there, no problem, she would wait for her with you, doing whatever her mind wanted. This was one of those days when Cat wasn't supposed to be at the library for a while, and without someone of her age, Ellie swallowed up her shyness and started to talk with you at the back house.

The back house was mainly bureau style, with just the machine that once belonged to a printing place, primarily focused on invitations and small printing, you believed. Now, they were filling a different purpose, restoring books and helping to preserve memory a title per time. You were taking leather and measuring for a book spine near the table, Ellie watching it closely.

“Where did you learn to do this?” She quietly asked, absorbed in the process, her eyes watching every small move you made.

"My dad was an archivist for a church. Do you know what are those?" Putting the book spine right in the middle, you started to glue the leather at the cover and back cover. Ellie shook her head, confused.

"Books are more than just stories, they also hold details about the world around us. Or used to, at least. My dad's life purpose was to ensure that every document, book, or piece of paper that held the church's history, part of us, was in good condition. He took care of it to be preserved for the next generations. I used to watch him do this at our house, in his studio. I like to think he would like me to continue doing this."

“What kind of books a church needs?” Ellie was seated next to you, her arms crossed a little on the table with her chin resting above them. You glanced at her and saw that she was honest with her question.

"Do you know what a Bible is?" You asked, stopping all your actions. She shook her head once more. "Well, you don't need to know about it, anyway. Churches' books are mostly their origin history or a collection of stories about what they believe." Forcing your hands to work with the leather again, you reflected on how different your life would have been without religious symbols shoved down your throat.

"Sounds kinda lame if you need a book to tell you what to believe," she replied, twisting her mouth slightly as if she thought it was absurd. You smiled at her, thinking about how much she looked like your brother at the moment.

Cat came not much after that, together with Nath, who was wearing a t-shirt written: "turtley awesome." She saw you by the counter and grinned immediately, making you sigh.

"You have a new plan," you said, annoyed.

"Yes, I have a new plan." She announced at the same time. "Our favorite Mexican will be starting to work on the dam soon, so I thought my favorite doll could do this city a favor and deliver candles with me."

"That's it? Deliver candles from house to house?" Squinting your eyes at her, you felt it was too good to be true. She squinted back at you for a few seconds, making Cat laugh.

"She forgot to say that we don't have any candles left in storage. You'll need to make new ones," Cat said, and you mouthed an "oh" to Nath. Of course, her plan had a catch.

"Just like I said, our favorite Mexican will be working on the dam soon, and they need a shit ton of candles in, like, two days," Nath said, pointing to Cat, eyebrows raised. As Ellie left your work table and came closer to the counter, Nath looked at her.

"Nice shirt," Ellie observed, followed by Nath humming something and entering a staring contest with the girl. You looked at both of them, confused about what was happening.

"How old are you? 12?" Nath questioned. Ellie shortly replied, saying 14. "Do you have a curfew?"

"Okay, no more interrogation. Let the poor girl be. When do you want to start this candle mission?" Before Ellie opened her mouth, you moved your hands in a motion to stop, gaining a short laugh from both girls.

"You see, Cat I get it, but how did you convince Ellie to make candles with us? This is new. I only see her at the library," the gears inside your head running with you, wondering when they met beside the library a few days back.

"A lady never tells, Doll," she said, melting more wax, "but apparently, having a collection of t-shirts with puns did the trick."

From the Tipsy Bison, Nath had a good view of the main street. She was quick to observe who and what, and even faster to understand their motivations. She noticed that Tommy's niece was going every day to the library, and on the days it was closed, she would stay put at home.

Joel appeared here and there, mainly with Tommy by his side, she crossed paths with them a few times and could check Joel's address. With the house street in her mind, she made a connection: Ellie was going to the library straight from her house, not from the school building, and as Maria reported earlier, she was supposed to already have started.

Nath and Seth cooked the patrol's food daily, with the patrollers coming to the counter to collect it before going to the city gate. In one of the deliveries, she heard Joel would come with the day's patrol to inspect the dam before working on it. It was Sunday, the library was closed, Nath made up her mind to let Seth take care of the Bison for the day and started walking to Ellie's house.

"Hum, yeah?" The girl opened the door, confused. Nath and she had seen each other just once, at the library, a couple days ago. Ellie's eyes lingered a bit too much on Nath's chest area, probably reading the t-shirt with a mouse drawing and the phrase "smartest rat at the sewer."

"What color is your room's ceiling?" Nath asked, snooping with her eyes inside the house. Old American regular, not yet different from the previous decoration there before being occupied by J0el and his kid. Impersonal, just a place to sleep, not a home.

She needed to find a way to get Ellie outside fast since Maria lived on the other side of the street and could easily question her motives for being there.

“Dirty white, why?” Ellie crossed her arms and raised one of her brows.

"Congratulations, you are a bored teen. Let me tell you what’ll happen now: you’ll come with me and have an amazing city tour, or you can stay here and your best choice is to sleep." Nath started walking down the pavement, shouting, "You have a minute to grab your keys and follow me."

Ellie rushed behind her, eager to have any excuse to leave her house. Nath had two main focuses during the tour: to present her with the basics of how the city worked and to gain a new alliance. She tried to make sure the kid understood the main buildings.

"Okay, let's get to the basics: buildings. The city has some structures inside our walls, but we also have some land a few miles from here to get some specifics. The food you eat is a mix of everything, Chad," she pointed at the man working on the garden as they passed by it, "is our gardner. Vegetables, fruis — you name it, are harvest inside the city and the animals come from the land outside. Try to get close to Chad, when you crave something sweet, compliment him, and he will give you a few berries. Works like a charm."

"The stable's horses are for the whole community, but if you start to patrol, you can choose one to be your main one." Nath continued as Ellie looked back at her in wonder.

“Which one is yours?” Nath laughed at the absurdity of the question.

“I don’t patrol, kid. Do you really think that I’d go around the runners and lunatics outside these walls risking my life? Hell no! My contribution is good alcohol and movie nights orchestrated by yours truly at the mess hall. Do you like horror movies?" Ellie didn't answer immediately, almost as if she had never seen one. "Well, you can try and see if it fits. The next one will be in a few weeks, you should come."

They walked through the main avenue and the main buildings. Nath showed her where they produced paper, how they got new fabric to make more clothes and not rely only on "treasure hunting." Little by little, Ellie understood the whole system of the city, including the government model. They were walking back on the main avenue as Nath continued the final part of the tour.

"If you ever get fucked up pretty bad and need a doctor, you go there and ask for Edwin. He looks a thousand years old, but pretty cool dude in case of an emergency," she spoke, nodding at the clinic on the other side of the street.

About four houses down the street, she started to speak again. "The little kids stay at the daycare until late during weekdays – make sure to do not cross their paths, or you will smell a diaper from a mile away," she twisted her nose and pointed at the said building. Ellie laughed, eyes bright as if she was taking notes of everything.

"And this is the best place in this city," Nath said as they entered the Tipsy Bison as the city tour ended, "it also opens every day of the week but for adults, not pests. You can't drink anything I have behind this counter, but you can eat a mean grilled cheese. Hungry?"

Turned out it was Ellie’s first time in a bar, exactly what you would hope for a 14year old, anyway. She was seated at a stool in front of the counter, watching from the kitchen’s door Nath make her a sandwich. Above the door, there was a black plaque with white letters:

NO SWEARING

NO FIGHTS

NO CORDYCEPS DISCUSSIONS

NO END OF THE WORLD TALK

"Why the hell do you have these rules for?" Ellie asked out loud, making Nath look at the plaque as she passed the door with the grilled cheese plate. "What happens if someone breaks it?"

“Pawpaw’s rules, not mine, but I still follow them. Don’t test them and you will be fine. Eat your damn sandwich,” she replied, Ellie was already taking a bite. “You like to read, huh? I watch you walk to the library every day. Dolly may be somewhat innocent, but I’m not. You are running from something.”

"What do you mean?" Ellie replied, getting tense at her shoulders, her small mouth a little more rigid. "I have no clue what you’re talking about."

"I get it, pal. A new kid that crossed the country with a grumpy man and ended up in a small town? Not the smoothest life," the girl looked down and took another bite. Nath continued, "My grandpa and I had our share of adventures before coming to this place, just me and him. If anyone understands you, this person is me. You skip school to go to the library. Dolly hasn't realized it yet, but I do."

"What the fuck do you want from me?" Ellie replied using her meanest tone. Nath pointed at the plaque with the rules. The girl looked up. "Not saying sorry for your stupid rules."

“Didn’t ask you to. Listen, I’ll keep your secret for now if you do me a favor.” Getting herself a little closer to the kid, Nath whispered, “I need to deliver some things around town and can’t be seen while at it, but you, nobody knows you yet. Simple and easy.”

"What kind of things?" She questioned in the same breathy tone, trying to keep her posture. "What can you give me in exchange? I won't do it for a secret. It’s too little."

“Basic shit, I can give you more details later,” Nath replied and waited for Ellie’s reaction, that just nodded her head once, “here’s the deal: you make me one deliver to check the quality of your work and come to my house next Sunday afternoon with Cat, I get you something from a smuggler outside Jackson. You name it.”

"Really, man? You want me to help with your stupid candles?" Ellie rolled her eyes, and Nath maintained her neutral expression, trying her best to get the kid afraid of her. It worked.

Ellie took her last bite and shook her head, "Fine, but no, something smuggled is too little. I want your shirt. The turtley awesome one." They sealed the deal with a handshake. One week later, Ellie and Cat were helping to make candles, to your utter confusion.

"Are you sure that this is your preferred weekend activity?" You asked as you finished making the second batch of candles. Looking at Cat, you continued, "Aren't we too old to be your pals for the day?"

"Old? Yeah, lame? No, also, I'm hoping to be paid with another apple pie," Cat said, and you smiled at her, putting the topic to rest.

Turned out that 600 candles were indeed impossible with the amount of time you had. You were tired of making them until way after the sunlight went away. Cat had gone home already, Ellie stayed to help clean everything and you realized it was probably too late for her to walk back alone, Joel was most likely worried.

Despite the kid saying to you that it was alright, you insisted on chaperoning her, carrying with you some candles, hoping that Joel would be less angry by it. As you walked the few blocks to their house, you came to the conclusion that you had no indication, clue, or even context for what Joel was like. Ellie spent most of the days at the library, but you never spoke about her relationship with him. He was a book waiting to be opened, one that you wanted to read every page and write small comments at the margins.

“I’m home!” Ellie shouted downstairs, as she entered the main door, Joel came from the kitchen. “Oh no”, you thought.

With a cloth rag on his shoulder, he stopped near Ellie, both hands on his hips and a knee popped. She opened her mouth, he quickly dismissed, "Don't. I told you, this is a safe place, safe as it gets, but you need to give a heads up before disappearing like that."

"I lost track of time, sorry. Nothing bad happened. Tell him, Dolly," she replied quickly, looking at you behind her shoulder. You were still at the front door, feeling awkward to enter the house. Joel furrowed his brows and looked at you up and down.

It had been a hot day, summer was not far away anymore. A tank top with shorts made sense for a day with your best friend, but in front of Joel, you felt naked. More naked than the day at the meadow. You jumped a bit, put on your best polite voice, and announced, "Sorry for showing up late, we did lose track of time. Ellie stayed with us all day. I can assure you she was fine under my eye."

Joel gave you a look, almost as if he didn't believe you. Remembering your first proper encounter at the Bison, he knew immediately you hated your nickname. Now he knows you were being just polite, not yourself, real. He looked through the doll in you, putting some weight on how his dark brown eyes gazed at yours.

"I mean it, she showed up by noon at Nath's door and stayed a little later to help us clean the mess. We made candles for the nights without energy. No more than that. I brought you some." You said in your own voice, no more the doll one.

"Right," he replied, looking down and then to Ellie, "Go to bed, you have school tomorrow. It's okay. I'm not mad at you." Ellie nodded, her face tensed still, and left without making any comments, leaving you alone with Joel.

For a few seconds, staring at each other, you both seemed to forget what you were doing. He spoke first, "So, the candles, thank you for them. They’ll be useful."

“Yeah, they will.” Putting the candles in his hands, you looked away when your fingers touched his. Not giving in to the feeling, you continued, “Have you seen the dam yet?”

"Hum, no, I’ll see the dam structure tomorrow." Joel quickly replied, short answer.

“Maria told the council that you used to work as a contractor, are you happy to do it again?” You tried once more, hoping to get more words out of him.

"I think so, it’s been so long that it feels like another lifetime," Joel replied, putting the candles away and taking the rag from his shoulder, not daring to look at you. Another lifetime, another Joel.

A younger Joel would have already asked for you to join him in the kitchen for a drink, maybe to walk you home, not this version with old bones and fear of everything. This one was too busy trying to keep what he already had near him, avoiding at all costs to be greedy.

To say that his first day back at a construction site was a dog day would be to lighten it up. He lied to you. Joel met Tommy a week ago to understand better the dam plan, the needs, and all by visiting it.

"Alfie is a good fella, not like some of the people we used to work with back at Austin," Tommy said as they walked down the main avenue toward the city gate. Joel allowed himself to see his baby brother as the 50 year old man he was, putting some trust in Tommy's words despite his history of having too much faith in everyone that sold him a good story.

Over the prior weeks, he tried to get some ground for him and Ellie. He would make her breakfast early in the morning, just like when they were traveling. Leave a lampshade lighted all night near her bedroom door to avoid bad dreams. Meet her at the mess hall every night to have dinner with Tommy and Maria. Walk her to school every morning. However, no matter what he tried, he could still notice the weight on her stare from when she asked if he was being honest with her.

Biting down the corner of his mouth, Tommy introduced him to Alfie at the city entrance. The man was accompanied by a young girl who looked similar to him. "Alfie, this is my brother, Joel. He will be joining us today at the dam."

"I heard good things about your abilities. Nice to meet you," Alfie started with a smile and shook his hand, "this is Catarina, my daughter. I will be home before the sunset, mija."

Joel controlled the impulse to sigh. Alfie was too smiley, too happy, too endearing, too young. Probably had an effect on women because of his thick accent, and being in his late thirties, early forties maximum helped as well. He had a happy look in his eye as if he hadn't lived on the same Earth as Joel for the last 21 years.

Cat gave her father a long hug and started to walk, leaving Alfie to talk with Joel and Tommy. The scene felt like a slap on his face, a reminder of what he one day had and now was shaking on his boots to keep. He assumed that Cat and Alfie had a similar age difference as Sarah and he had. Alfie was a natural, appeared to get along with his daughter, could smile easily, and had been a good friend to his brother over time. Envy wasn't a natural feeling for Joel, but he was sure he was jealous of the young man's destiny over his own.

He could sense there was conversation near him but only paid attention when Alfie said his name back at him. "Cat and Ellie are getting closer. Perhaps you both could join us for a backyard barbecue," he invited, smiling.

"Yeah, we’ll be there. Thank you," Joel agreed, looking in front of him, despite having not heard a single time Ellie mention Cat. He didn't know when, but he got so lost in his thoughts as they followed the trail that he lost his sense of reality a little. They were no longer at Jackson but on the back of horses following for the dam. He had no idea of how much time had passed.

“Hey man, I forgot to ask you. We saw you at Dolly’s door the other night, all good?” Tommy started as he got closer to Alfie, Joel behind them at the back of the trail. “All this cat and mouse must be tiring.”

“Oh, Dolly,” Alfie looked down a little, peaking Joel’s interest. “It is not, like, she is avoiding me, you know? But she hasn’t searched for me yet, I don’t know what to do.”

Alfie's smile was no longer decorating his face. Joel felt slightly guilty when he found out he felt better seeing the man's sadness. He had crossed paths with you a couple of times, but you looked at him straight in the eyes instead of running away. He saw how you dropped your shoulders as Alfie left your doorway, almost as if you were annoyed by the idea of being close to the man.

For a second, Joel allowed himself to believe you would have put your arms around his neck if he was the one kissing your cheek instead.

"She is a little difficult, but hey, progress is progress! Have you tried to ask Nath about it?" Tommy put a hand on his tight and looked at Alfie, a little lost in his thoughts.

"Not directly, she scares me a little," both men laugh as Joel didn't get the joke.

“Well, you should get a beer and try to get some alliances if you really want the doll,” Tommy advised and went straight to the front of the trail.

A well-known face waited for them at the dam. Joel glared at Tommy, who didn't look back at his brother's face. "Can't believe you didn't tell me this shit," Joel hissed low in his brother's direction.

Eugene and Tommy were fireflies together. Joel heard about the man over radio conversations over the years, listening to Tommy's enthusiasm as he spoke of his people skills and electricity expertise. Tommy searched for an older figure in Eugene because he no longer trusted Joel, simple as that. When Joel and Ellie showed up last winter, Tommy kept Eugene's presence a secret. Coming back during spring, he told Joel right away.

"Okay, you gotta check this out. I found the old floor plant of the dam in one of the office's rooms near the entrance. It will be a good rainy season, baby!" Eugene shouted hoarsely as the trio stopped their horses, Tommy and Alfie already walking behind him. Joel, however, stood back, taking a good look at the former firefly.

A slender man with long limbs, round glasses cracked in one of the lenses, and shaggy gray hair. His front teeth were slightly separated inside of a large mouth. It burned Joel's blood seeing Eugene so carefree, living a good life after years of Firefly actions and filling his brother's mind with ideas. Joel saw in him an old man who hadn't allowed himself to get old and hoped he didn't appear like this to the others, a joke of a man.

You were looking at Joel like he wasn't a joke to you, at least not a big one. His mind returning to the house with you, he waved the cloth a little on the air as if thinking and speaking at the same speed. "Why was Ellie with you?" He questioned a little for himself and a lot for you. He put some weight on the remembrance of that day at the dam, deciding to deal with it later.

"My friend, the bar owner - Nath, invited her to the activity." You replied with a lower voice as you shoved your hands in the back pockets of your shorts. "I can tell her to no longer invite Ellie if you feel uncomfortable."

"No, it's fine. Just took me by surprise, I guess," he quickly replied, pouting a little.

As you opened your mouth to say goodbye, a sizzling sound filled the room, and the lights flickered, followed by silence and total darkness. "Goddammit, fucking Eugene," Joel said out loud, leaving an intense sigh out of his body.

In the total darkness, you saw his silhouette against the moonlight that filtered from the kitchen's windows, a little far from where you stood in the living room. You could only hear you and Joel breathing.

"Guess we will have to use the candles before we imagined," he dared to speak, walking backwards into his kitchen. You were unsure of what to do, start to walk home? Wait until he came back with a candle lit up?

You waited, not by choice, but because you couldn't decide in time. You saw Joel protecting the candle's flame as he got close to you, his face lines soft from the orange light. His dark brown eyes were even stronger as the flame danced, reflecting on them.

"Come, I’ll get you something to eat," he spoke gently, and you followed his steps to the kitchen table despite the fact you were talking back.

“No, I will walk home, it’s already late,” you said without any intention to leave.

“Nonsense, it’s too dark for you without the lamppost. Stay a bit,” he replied gentler.

There was something sweet about how Joel moved around when his guard was low. It was the third time you met the man, but you noticed his shoulder line relaxed and his hands precise in their movements. In the dark of his kitchen, you wondered if he would appear the same with the lights on.

Joel heated for you some leftover tomato soup he made earlier when he waited for Ellie to show up. With a hint of embarrassment, you accepted the dish, lowering a spoon and tasting it.

"I'm not a huge fan of winter food during hot weather, but this is very good." He smiled, and a dimple appeared on his cheek. "Do you like to cook?"

"Not really, but I had to learn it due to necessity," he shrugged, frowning down a bit with his mouth. You laughed, and he smiled again.

"I learned due to necessity, and my soups don't taste like this," you teased, having another full spoon.

Time passed with the candle melting, and the only sound on the first floor was both your voices. Without noticing, you were almost whispering. You weren't sure if it was to avoid waking up Ellie or because it felt like a secret to be there alone with him.

“Can I get a little nosy?” You chewed your lower lip after speaking, Joel nodded. “Ellie comes to the library all the time. I think she is avoiding something.”

Joel's eyes got harder. "What do you mean?" He questioned, putting his back against the chair, getting some space from you.

“She reads a lot, which is amazing, but she reads to forget reality, not to her entertainment.” You lowered your eyes at your almost empty plate. Silence filled the room again. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything.”

"You are right," Joel affirmed, crossing his arms at his chest. His eyes were lost on the wooden table in front of him. "The way to Jackson wasn't easy, I can tell you this much. She came from a FEDRA school, it takes time to learn how to be a kid when you were raised to be a soldier."

Finishing your soup and resting the spoon on the plate, you looked at Joel. The lines between his brows were stronger now, his hands around his biceps holding tight his body closed. His plush lips were tensed as he stayed quiet, immersed in his thoughts.

"Time heals most things," you started, earning a quick glance from him, "she will open her shell. I will keep an eye on her, pinky promise."

His eyes went back and forth between yours. You felt a little awkward after saying such a childish phrase in front of a man older than you, forgetting for a second you weren't speaking with Nath or your brother but with someone you were spending more than 5 minutes together for the first time. Despite that, he put one arm on the table, close to your hand, and lifted his pinky finger.

Smiling with your mouth closed, you enlaced your finger with his. He slowly looked from your finger to your eyes and smiled back. In the low and trembling light from the only candle in the whole room, with his dark eyes boring into yours, you never felt more seen.

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