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rainbowsky · 3 years

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More on the Fan Fic issue

I have a few more asks about the issue raised the other day, some of which are long and go into detail on the 'wars' that have been happening on Twitter and AO3.

Sorry for grouping these but I wanted to put it all under a cut because these are long, and also in case people don't want to dig into these issues (which would be understandable).

Anonymous 1 asked:

"I am very strongly of the opinion that the BJYX term is still a fandom umbrella term" I agree. Mainly because Bjyx is the most popular. Many antis always say bjyx, and have no idea the others. So sometimes it's easier just to say bjyx instead of explaining all three. I myself more like "who cares as long as they happy." So I enjoy Yizhan in all contexts. Many bxgs I know also like that, mostly ibxgs. I think deep down all bxgs (no matter which position they prefer) just want Yizhan to be happy

Not sure we can be so certain about that last part, Anon (I think for a lot of people GG and DD are just characters in a smutty story they have in their heads), but I agree about the term being popular regardless of the type of fans people are.

From what I can see the BJYX term seems to be used 80-90% umbrella, 10-20% dynamic in both international and c-social media (for every 10 times you see the term used, only one or two of those usages - probably less - are referring to a dynamic). This is my totally unscientific estimation, but I think even 10-20% dynamic is being generous. The number of people who are fixated on a sexual dynamic aren't nearly as large as they'd like to believe.

Anonymous 2 asked:

about the promptfests - i’ve been on twitter since early 2020 and what i’ve noticed is that this influx bjyx-only promptfests started gaining speed once lots of rational voices started leaving the fandom recently either because a) new interests have caught their attention or b) the toxicity of the popular bxg circles on twitter have become too much to handle.

gdgdbaby was usually the organizer of dynamic-inclusive events, and she’s received lots, and lots, and lots of backlash by bxg, sometimes even by accounts with thousands followers, for using bjyx as a catch-all term. and as her interest in yizhan has since waned—hopefully for reasons unrelated to fandom toxicity—many of the people who were attracted to the welcoming environment she created distanced themselves as well.

zsww/lsfy fans have become an outnumbered circle who try their best to create exclusive events to avoid the “is bjyx a catch-all term” discourse, but never seem to gain as much traction as gdgdbaby (who has a sizeable following) or those who host bjyx-only events (who also have sizeable followings).

meanwhile the dynamic war has only become more and more hostile and bjyx is clearly the more populated group… ao3 is simply a battlegrounds, if i may dramatize the situation a little for the sake of humor, and the promptfests are a reaction to this irritating t/b discourse that has made bxg twitter completely inhospitable for me…and lots of other fans too.

(i’ve also noticed a huge reinforcement as of recently where ppl will call gg laopo, a milf, an omega, etc even outside of rpf (i.e. posting pictures of him at events and saying he looks pregnant or he’s going into heat) and it’s just… uncomfortable.)

(also please note i have a biased account of all of this drama bc many of my friends were harassed over it, and anyone who disagrees with my take may feel free to interject.)

I took the liberty of adding paragraph breaks because they are pretty important for some readers, particularly ND readers like me.

It's sad to hear how fucked up everything has become, but I'm not even remotely surprised. Toxicity leads to toxicity, and the whole idea of dividing up a RP fandom by sex position was misguided from the outset - no matter why it was done or how good the intentions might have been.

And yes, like I said, these people aren't just framing things this way for fan fic. This is how they talk about IRL GGDD.

I had written a lengthy essay here about homophobia in the fandom but deleted it all. Perhaps I'll post it separately at some later point. Suffice it to say that this stuff creates a climate that's often hostile for queer people. So much of it is deeply homophobic, whether people are aware of it or not.

It's really sad to hear about gdgdbaby being mistreated in any way. Anyone who steps up and sticks their neck out to help organize and coordinate activities that benefit a broader group of people should be celebrated and supported, not run out of town by an angry mob.

I've read some of her stories and even have one or two on my rec list. And here's someone who is not only writing good works, but also supporting others to write more good works. Such a shame.

Anonymous 3 asked:

Hello Mr. RBS! I think I can chime in a bit about the fanfic topic as I’ve watched this all unravel on twitter (where a majority of authors/readers are). I apologize if this gets long but it’s been something that’s also been on my mind.

I want to preface this by saying that I’m not a fan of the distinctions of dynamics as, like you said, the supposed line between real life and fanfic is long gone, so I’m not trying to be biased against one group over another.

Short answer to the question of, “is this retaliation?” : I do believe it is. (From here onwards I’ll be using bjyx as the dynamic term just for the ease of simplicity.) To understand why, I’ll have to explain with a bit of background info. On twitter, I’d say that there’s a quite large divide between bjyx and zsww/lsfy. That itself isn’t really a problem because people are free to like what they like and associate with whoever.

However there is a big problem where bjyx people are not just bjyx but also anti-zsww/lsfy. To the point where I’ve seen people say that they feel physically ill when they accidentally read zsww. I don’t think this type of behavior should exist in any dynamic bc in the end GGDD are real people with a real relationship behind this content and it’s just a gross fetishization at that point.

With all this happening, zsww/lsfy people have gotten more outspoken on how GG is often portrayed in those types of scenarios, mainly the over-feminization of him, bc it’s not just done in the context of fanfic but regular discussion of GGDD at this point. This tension between the dynamics kind of boiled over when the pregnant xz fest was announced, as you can take a guess at how that went over with zsww/lsfy people. lol.

But around that same time, another zsww/lsfy event was announced (I’m not sure if it’s the one anon was talking about) but the creator of the event suddenly got a ton of backlash for excluding bjyx, with the reasoning that bjyx is technically a part of lsfy. But the event was done to highlight zsww/lsfy (as all specific events are) bc the community and content for these dynamics are much less than bjyx.

Which is how we come back to the starting point of, is all this recent bjyx stuff retaliatory. I believe so bc the events (preg fest, dark event) are very specific prompts that target exactly what zsww/lsfy people have been outspoken against.

As to the point anon made about trying to drown out the tags, keep in mind that zsww/lsfy content is very minimal compared to bjyx and has only just recently started to gain more traction. I think most people would love to just peacefully exist in their own circles but I don’t see this problem between dynamics disappearing anytime soon.

Like I said with the above Anon, I've added paragraph breaks for ND readers.

What a mess.

I have absolutely nothing useful to say here about the fandom on AO3 and how it's managed by community members, but I do think it's unfortunate that people choose to be war-like rather than make space for diverse voices, and I think it's a real shame that some people have been essentially run out of the fandom because of this garbage.

Thanks for giving some context for how/why the major shift in tone of fan fic lately. I had no idea any of this was going on.

I urge people to work hard to give space for all voices and perspectives, and not just the ones they favor. I'd also urge people to reflect on how their thoughts, behavior and actions in the fandom might affect queer people in the fandom.

As always, we have no control over what other people do, say or think. All we have any control over is how we respond to what other people do, say or think. Hopefully we'll chose the path of peace and try to avoid fan wars or fights that only ruin the experience for everyone.

I guess one thing I'd ask any of the Anons who have written me about this issue - or anyone who has thoughts about it - is, what can we as readers/fans who care about diversity of voices and perspectives do to support that here and on AO3, without getting involved in any kind of war?

#fan fiction #fandom reflections #top bottom #ask

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windless-hurricane · 3 years

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Sparks

Chapter Three: The Beauty of a Devil

A Reiner x Reader x (Eventual) Jean Fanfic

• ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ •

SUMMARY: After the fall of Shiganshina, you joined the military along with your brother. You had hoped to bring peace to the world by doing so, but the world was a cruel place. You seemed to lose more than you gained, but there was always someone - someone who made losing just a bit…easier. You hoped you could keep them forever, but was there ever a guarantee in this world?

AUTHOR’S NOTE: Hi, all! I know it’s been awhile since I’ve posted anything, but I’m back to finish this series. I want to catch up to where the anime left off. Therefore, as an apology for taking awhile, I’m posting two new chapters today (chapter four will be posted an hour or so after this one)!

WARNINGS (for entire series): Language, explicit violence, talks of death, suicide, trauma, and mental illness, graphic scenes involving blood and/or death, and sexuality.

WORD COUNT: 2.1k

TAGLIST: @lovethemilkteasis @grayxblaze @theyoungblood13 @flowersgirl02 @noodlenerd101 @hanabihwa @drowned-pathetic-rat @bestgirlb @bleepop @miinnttyy @1-800-thanos @lovelime

SPARKS MASTERLIST

PREVIOUS CHAPTER

NEXT CHAPTER

• ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ •

• ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ •

“I need your help, (Y/N),” Eren proclaimed as he slammed his hand down on the table, causing you to look at him instead of your soup.

If you hadn’t known Eren prior to this, you would’ve been startled by his actions, but you practically grew up with him. You were both from Shiganshina and while you were good friends, you weren’t as close as he, Mikasa, and Armin were. You were closest to your brother.

“With what,” you questioned, your spoon hanging from your mouth.

“Learning the maneuver gear,” he explained, an eager look in his eyes.

“Well, haven’t you asked Mikasa? She was really good at it,” you recalled.

“I did, but it still didn’t work,” he sighed. “So, I thought maybe you had some advice, seeing as you were nearly perfect.”

You blushed at his compliment as you crossed your arms over your chest.

“Well,” you breathed. “It’s kind of like a swing.”

“A swing,” he asked confusedly.

“It’s hard to describe…maybe Viktor knows how to say it. Hey, Viktor.”

You nudged your brother’s shoulder with your own, but he didn’t respond. So, you and Eren looked over and were surprised to see him in a deep conversation with Krista as Ymir glared at him from across the table. You both smirked.

“He’s going to die,” you remarked.

“Yeah,” Eren agreed with a chuckle, causing you to sigh.

“Well, I’ll try my best to describe it then. When you look at the seat of the swing, you can see that it is completely balanced. Then, once weight is added onto it, it still manages to stay upright. That’s because it balances the weight throughout itself equally. You have to think of your body as a whole and seek balance within yourself. That’s the best way I can describe it. Does that…sorta make sense?”

He gazed at you with wide eyes, not necessarily mesmerized by what you said, but how you said it.

“Yeah, that makes sense,” he confirmed excitedly and you smiled.

“If you still need help, you can ask some of the guys,” you suggested. “A few of them did well too.”

“Got it, thank you so much, (Y/N)!”

“No problem,” you waved, watching as he made his way back to the table where Mikasa and Armin were sitting.

You noticed Mikasa glaring at you, but you decided to ignore it and focus on your food instead. However, you were only able to get two bites in until someone else came.

“Do you mind if I sit here,” a deep voice asked and you looked up to see a tall, blonde boy with a muscular build standing in front of you. You realized you remembered him from orientation.

“Yeah, go right ahead,” you said, motioning to the seat in front of you. He sat down with a small creak and you gazed at him for a few moments before turning back to your food.

“You’re (Y/N), right,” he questioned once more and you nodded.

“(Y/N) Bauer. I would introduce you to this oaf,” you gestured to Viktor. “But he’s too busy taking his final breaths.” Reiner let out an airy chuckle as your brother was now arguing with Ymir over something ludicrous.

“I’m-“ Reiner started to say, but you cut him off.

“Reiner Braun, I remember you. You’re the ‘save humanity’ guy.”

“Huh?”

“During orientation, when Shadis asked you why you were here, you said ‘to save humanity.’”

“You remember that?” You nodded.

Reiner hadn’t thought you noticed him, let alone even remembered what he said. The surprise made him oddly happy.

“Mmhmm,” you hummed, playing with your food. “The only reason I did was because you looked just as scary as Shadis.”

“What,” Reiner laughed, causing you to smile.

“What do you mean ‘what?’ I mean, look at you. You’re a tall, muscly guy with a sharp face. Intense eyes and a deep voice. Who wouldn’t be scared of that?”

“Not you apparently,” he stated with a smirk. “If I didn’t know any better, (Y/N), I’d say you were flirting with me.”

Your cheeks reddened.

While you did find him extremely attractive, especially when you first laid eyes on him during orientation, you couldn’t let him know that.

You couldn’t let him know that you were taken aback by his strong and unwavering stature, the way the muscle within his jaw flexed with determination, and how his amber eyes burned when Shadis asked him why he was there.

When he answered with “To save humanity,” his voice was deep, but so sure of himself. It permanently caught your attention, but still. He couldn’t know that.

“Don’t flatter yourself, Braun,” you finally countered. “You only interested me because of how overachieving your goal was.”

“Really, how so,” he asked with half lidded eyes. He could tell you were bluffing. You had to save your ass.

“Well, don’t you think saving humanity is quite ambitious? How could one person manage to save millions of people,” you commented.

“Why does one join the military to begin with?” Your eyes widened.

While you were shocked, you were also impressed at his question. You couldn’t help the amused smile that made its way onto your lips.

“A good portion of the kids here are either looking to live comfortably within the inner walls or wanting to earn bragging rights as they slack off in the Garrison Regiment. Why do you think the number of people joining the Scouts every few years is so low? ‘Cause in the end, most people don’t want to leave the walls to fight for humanity. They just want to stay back and watch others do the work.”

“Is that why you joined?” You snorted.

“Course not.”

“Then, why’d you join?”

‘Why did I join,’ you thought to yourself.

Then, it hit you. Their words.

Mommy loves you so much. She loves you. Please just do this last thing for her and hide.

Get my brother and sister out of here! I’ll take care of the Titans! Just go!

I’m sorry, (Y/N).

You clenched your spoon tightly as you gazed into Reiner’s eyes with a newfound intensity gracing your own.

“I joined because-” but you were cut off by a large thud and your brother groaning right after.

You and Reiner looked over to see Ymir pushing his face into the table.

“How’s that for a rude awakening,” she sneered, tearing herself away from him soon after. “C’mon, Krista.”

“You didn’t have to do that,” Krista whined, but Ymir had already grabbed her by the arm and led her out of the mess hall.

You sighed.

“What did you even say to them?”

“Don’t worry about it,” he mumbled, holding onto his head.

“Honestly, you’re either great at talking to girls or extremely poor at it. There’s no in between,” you commented as you pulled him up by his hair.

Reiner hissed shortly after and you winced at the sight of his face.

“We’re going to need bandages for that.”

__________________________________________

“What’re we doing out here,” you questioned, following your brother through the dark forest. “Can’t we get in trouble for this?”

“Not if we aren’t caught,” he mused with an almost crazy smile on his face.

“I think Ymir hit you too hard. Are you seeing double right now?”

You glanced at the bandages around his forehead and were becoming genuinely concerned that he had a concussion.

“It’s because of Ymir I’m doing this,” he revealed, chuckling breathlessly. “She’s going to hate it when I prove her wrong.”

“You still didn’t tell me what you told her,” you mentioned.

“I tried comparing Krista to a lotus flower and Ymir’s convinced that no such thing exists.”

“Really? Then, what was the whole rude awakening thing?”

“I just told her she was in for a rude awakening and she did that. The audacity.”

“You’re a real idiot, you know that,” you stated, causing him to gasp offensively.

“What?!”

“So, you’re trying to find a lotus flower to prove her wrong.”

“Yeah.” You came to a stop.

“Wait.”

“What?”

“If I’m remembering what we read as kids correctly, those only exist outside of the walls,” you exclaimed in disbelief.

“I mean, yeah. They’re from Asia, but the Asian clan lived here for some time anyways,” he mumbled to himself.

“Huh? You’re talking too quietly.”

“Oh, well, what I meant to say is that humanity once lived outside of the walls, right? So, they had to have brought some with us!”

You watched your brother in confusion as he turned away, moving forward once again. That was weird, you thought.

As you followed behind him, you heard rustling nearby.

“Do you hear that,” you asked and Viktor shook his head.

“It’s probably just a deer or something.”

“I don’t know…”

The rustling grew louder and you both stopped.

“I don’t know if that’s a deer,” you murmured, grabbing onto his jacket.

Then, the both of you could make out footsteps and started to tremble in panic.

“What if it’s Shadis,” you whispered. “I didn’t plan on bothering him today. I’m not prepared to swim again…or worse. Clean the restroom after Sasha’s used it.”

Viktor nearly gagged at the idea.

“This was your idea, Viktor.”

“Well, you’re the one who decided to follow the kid with the possible concussion out here,” he retorted.

“You, idiot. Let’s just find a hiding spot, but move very quietly.” He nodded as you led him through the trees, tiptoeing carefully. You turned the corner of a tree and unexpectedly bumped into a firm chest.

You didn’t get the chance to see who it was as you and the owner of that chest started screaming.

You fell back into your screeching brother and heard three more masculine yells follow suit.

You opened your eyes and saw Reiner, Bertolt, Eren, and Armin all huddled together, panting with terrified looks on their faces.

“Huh,” you gasped, but they didn’t hear you as your brother was still screaming. “Shut up!” You elbowed him in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him.

“What the hell are you guys doing out here,” you questioned, attempting to recompose yourself.

“We could ask you the same thing,” Reiner countered, clearing his throat.

“Uh…good point. This idiot behind me wanted to find a flower to win a bet against Ymir.”

“Bertolt and I just wanted to show Eren and Armin the lake.”

“That’s a better reason than ours,” you chuckled, finally having calmed down. “I’m just glad you weren’t Shadis.”

“You and me both.”

__________________________________________

“Wow,” you gushed, staring at the moon’s reflection from the water. “It’s like a mirror.”

“I know. Isn’t it insane,” Reiner smiled.

It was. It really was. The moon was big and bright, while the water was still and black. They complimented and contrasted each other all at once. It was like a painting that lit up the night. It was stunning.

“I honestly never pegged you to be a softie, Braun,” you teased with a smirk.

“Well,” he smiled. “I thought Eren could use some inspiration for tomorrow.” And you felt your lips lift into a sweet smile.

You meant it. You didn’t expect Reiner to be so caring or considerate, yet he was and you found yourself liking it a lot.

He was big and strong on the outside, but gentle on the inside.

“Well, Eren. Are you inspired,” you asked softly and he nodded with a big grin, causing you to giggle.

“Ah hah,” Viktor shouted and you sent him a glare.

“Hey, why are you ruining the moment,” you questioned.

“I found it, I actually found it!”

“What?”

He sprinted to you in an instant and your eyes widened once you saw a lotus flower resting in the palms of his hands. It was pink and gentle with mud underneath it. It really was…beautiful and the rest of the boys gathered around to witness its beauty.

“It only blooms in mud,” Viktor stated excitedly and you smiled. It had been so long since you had seen him this way and you didn’t want it to end. You wanted him to continue being happy.

“It’s beautiful,” Reiner commented. “A true beauty.” You all hummed in agreement, listening to Viktor’s rant that followed.

However, Reiner never started listening. He was still too focused on what, or rather who, he had actually been looking at when making that comment.

He was looking at you - admiring the way you shone just as brightly as the moon and thought…

How could a devil be this beautiful?

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crazybutgood · 3 years

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First line tag game + origami fic recs

Thank you for the tag @vukovich, @elvenwinters and @thejadewritergirl ! I'm sorry this is so late, I was super busy 😅 (in other news, I've achieved 3 major things that I'm so relieved about) Since I don't write fanfic, I figured I'd do origami based on fics. Featuring first lines and quotes I like from 4 of the fics I've recently read that got me through this crazy time + 3 from 1 fic each of the lovely people who tagged me.

Here's the actual rules lol: List the first lines of your last 20 stories (if you have less than 20, just list them all!). See if there are any patterns. Choose your favorite opening line. Then tag 10 of your favorite authors!

Please click on the images for better quality! Also please note, some of the origami quotes contain potential spoilers. For this reason, I have put my spoiler-free rec of the fic first followed by the image of quotes on origami, and also individually flagged potential spoilers where I think it might be needed. If you would like anything else that I missed to be spoilered, feel free to lmk ❤️

Ok, on to the fics! (Below the cut)

1. Please, Take Your Time by @dracothecupcake (Drarry) (T, ~2.3k)

Summary: Draco's made it halfway through Eighth Year by way of reliable routine. All he wants is to be lonely in peace, thanks very much. It's really not that sad.

Enter Potter and his gang of devoted and overly organized minions.

Inspired by Vina's ideal cupcake as mentioned in this ask. This is a super sweet fic of 'Potter and his gang' plotting a scheme to help Harry cheer a sad Draco up. I loved how everyone got together to make the plan happen, especially when it was Dean's turn 😂 (Also I've literally been binge-reading all of Vina's works and they're great for comfort reading, do check them all out!!)

Video has plot spoilers!! (pls don't unmute lol tysm)

2. Through The Night by @thesleepiesthufflepuff (Linny) (T, ~2.75k)

Summary: Ginny tells herself that she's content with the way things are.

Luna proves her otherwise.

This fic has a special place in my heart. Featuring pining!Ginny, Luna and Ginny having weekly car rides together (which is 1000% my jam), soft and serious conversations, and coming to terms with feelings. The gorgeous description of the scenery and their road journey will make you feel like you're there with the two.

Bonus song suggestion: I loved reading the fic along with listening to the song referenced (Wild Horses), and also a second time with this song (Khaabon ke parinday) which I personally think fits the vibe of the fic really well. Feel free to give either/both a listen while reading if you'd like to!

3. Sugar Sweet by @the-sinking-ship (Drarry) (T, ~6k)

Summary: Draco thinks everyone forgot his birthday. (They didn’t.)

What the summary says 😌 This is officially one of my favourite birthday fics. Featuring scheming yet caring friends, snarky and witty banter, an absolutely delightful oc (Mrs Marchbanks), sweet birthday treats and sweeter moments between Draco and his loved ones.

If anyone's interested, here's how it looks from the back:

4. Flying Without Wings by Rasborealis (Drarry) (E, ~3.7k)

Summary: Harry has a Really Good Idea for that undercover Auror mission, and it involves boarding an airplane with Draco Malfoy.

He may not have thought this one through.

This hilarious and hot fic features Draco's first time on an airplane, scheming, snarky and dramatic Draco, and Harry trying (and failing) to focus on just their mission 😏

Potential spoiler in image!

*spoiler ends*

5. Rocks At My Window by @thejadewritergirl (Drarry) (G, ~5.54k)

Summary: All Harry wants to do is snuggle up in bed and dream of warmth and kisses and a silvery eyed someone. Too bad that someone has other plans.

Have I mentioned before that I'm obsessed with this author's writing? This heartwarming feel-good Christmas fic features Draco who has a Plan, a hilarious Ron, Harry enacting one of my favourite 'doors are for people with no imagination' scenes (Skulduggery Pleasant reference 🙈) and lovely Christmas traditions.

Plot spoiler in images!

*spoiler ends*

6. lyric-kissed by @elvenwinters (original work, gen) (T, ~1.3k) (WIP) (warnings: implied/referenced self-harm)

Summary: Two friends writing about love.

This poetic fic features two writer friends trying to figure out the perfect way to write about love, showing the ideas they have, the struggles of writing, and soft moments between the two. It's so beautifully written, and this is just one of the quote-worthy scenes I adore:

7. Pearls Make the Girl by @vukovich (Ron/Hermione, Harry/Hermione, Draco/Hermione, Draco/Harry, polyamory) (E, ~19.7k)

Summary: Security Advisor Granger is having a strange day at work after being recruited to collaborate with a certain handsome Head Auror, a gorgeous Curse Breaker and a... Ron.

Filth, fluff, and Furbies.

Omfg this fic is a wild ride. An intellectually and sexually frustrated Hermione tries to figure out the significance of said strange day at work as well as the rings the three men are wearing. The personalities and dynamics between the four are so on point. Super hot fic with a brilliant emotional ending.

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rpd-rookie · 3 years

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After all things he saw and been through, Leon could use some rest... So how about Leon x reader on vacation in some remote, distant place, phone turned off, Hannigan banned from contacting him over new assignments? I guess it would be perfect for post-Vendetta? I don't really care it it's going to be fluff, smut or whatever - I just want him to take his time off and simply enjoy his leave, wherever he'd go. ^_~

Author’s note: Sorry about the long wait. This OS actually became so long I decided to make it a 2 or 3 chapters long fanfic. Here’s the first prt. Hoping you’ll love it.

Warning: Angst, Mention of Alcoholism and Depression, Language, Mention of sex.

Information : Y/SN = your second name

Holidays - Leon S. Kennedy x Fem!Reader

A fresh marine breeze entered the room through the ajar French window, flapping the white muslin curtains like two small sails. It caressed his clammy naked body and a salty smell came to tickle his nose, reminding him a time when, as a kid, he used to go visit his grandparents in their small beach house in South Carolina, a time that was far gone but that he kept close to his heart. And so he sprawled on the mattress, a bit like a funny starfish, his blue eyes still shut, trying to linger in his memory and in his bed a little longer, at least until Hunnigan calls him to warn him not to be late to another umpteenth appointment with his DSO colleagues or the president. Only when he felt a delicate hand brush his hair away from his face, tucking it behind his ear like his mother used to do when he was a child, and finally met a pair of gorgeous (colour) eyes did he realise two things. One, Hunnigan won’t call this morning. Two, holidays were awesome.

Part 1: THE MEETING

Scott Rossi. That was the name he had given when he had registered in this remote cottage-like hotel three days ago on the north coasts of Nova Scotia. Nothing original and probably too easy to guess – it was his father’s first name and his mother last name after all. A fake identity he had judged necessary to disappear from the DSO’s radar for a little while. He needed to be left alone. For his wellness and his sanity even though a part of him knew drinking his sorrow away wasn’t what was best for that so-called wellness he wanted back. But it was the only solution he had found to forget. Forget about New York. Forget about the car bombing in DC. Forget about that bullet he put in President Benford’s head. Forget about everything that had led him here, drinking in this bar. But the road to forgetting was hard and the escape too momentary. And the more whisky he poured in his glass to more he seemed to drown in his bottomless pit of pain and depression. “Tough day or you’re just not confident in your masculinity?” Usually, Leon would have ignored such a nosy question, the same way he would have ignored another over-curious judgy person, with characteristic stoicism. But there was something in that question, something in that voice - though he couldn’t pinpoint what - that made him look up from the amber liquid in his glass. Perhaps was it the strangeness of that question. Or perhaps was it that voice, confident and full of nerve, reminding Leon of old times, old friends, bold young agents and femme fatales. Or perhaps, was it simply because she was a woman and God knew how much Leon couldn’t ignore one, wasted or not. She was a (hair colour) with piercing (colour) eyes, wearing a long marine blue coat over a nice black dress. Elegant. Self-assured. Pretty. Very pretty … Actually too pretty to hang out in some lousy hotel bar like the one she was in right now. A city girl maybe. “Excuse me?” “The whisky. My father used to say it’s a drink for fags.” Leon’s eyes widened briefly and she added, unsettled by his surprise as if she had expected it. “But then again, my father was an asshole who didn’t know shit about anything. So tough day, huh?” Leon snickered and remained surprisingly troubled for a few second. Needless to say, he wasn’t used being caught off guard like that. “More like tough life” He finally corrected. She nodded and, unable to resist curiosity – even though she had the impression the man was certainly not the kind to easily open up to strangers - quickly went to sit closer to him bringing her tequila along with her. “I’m all ears.” “I don’t need a therapy.” His tone was curt and harsh and he took a sip of whisky looking away from her, thinking she would get the message and leave him to finish his fancy bottle of Glenfiddich in peace. But she did not move and simply waited, her observing eyes set on him as if she was trying to read his mind or something. He glanced towards her only to see her sigh and take off her coat like an insect would shed their skin, offering Leon the sight of her beautiful wasp-like body covered in black silk, a sight that didn’t leave him indifferent. After all, she had an exquisite silhouette. Curvy with a narrow waist that her skin-tight black dress could bring out with ease. “Let me guess, after fifteen years of marriage, your wife cheated on you with your best friend because you were the kind of man who lived for his job instead of his family and now he’s taking care of your kids in your own house and they call him daddy.” “Couldn’t be moooore wrong.” He had a quick laugh, not because he thought her soap opera-like story was amusing but because he actually never imagined someone would picture him married with kids. Did he look the type? He didn’t think so. “Maybe. But at least now I know you’re not married.” Leon glanced at her again, astonished by her audacity. No one had ever flirted with him that way. Though he wasn’t even sure she was flirting. “Are you sweet-talking me or something?” She shrugged her

shoulders leaving the place for any sort of answer and Leon said “You know, you could have just look at my hand.” “I did actually but I just wanted to make sure.” She had a quick seductive smile and smoothly bent towards Leon who peeped at her décolletage for a second before focusing on his drink again. “By the way, is shooting a hobby or part of your job?” Leon froze, his glass half way between the counter and his lips and stared at her. “How …” “The calluses on your fingertips. Only a shooter has that kind of hands.” He couldn’t help but be impressed and after drinking his whisky in one go, he naturally sat up straight on his stool to scrutinize her, suddenly more that interested in that mysterious girl. “You’re observant.” “Y/N actually.” She extended her hand and, after a short hesitation, he shook it with an amused smile, undeniably seduced by that cheeky attitude that suited her so well. Her skin was so soft and cold against his, he instinctively kept her hand in his to warm it up. A lovely gesture yet certainly a bit inappropriate. Either way, the girl said nothing and let him hold her hand. “I’m L… Scott. I’m Scott” He finally replied as he let go of her hand, slightly uncomfortable. “ Fine, then I’m Y/SN.” Leon frowned, his face showing a mix of confusion and amusement. “You just said your name was Y/N.” “Yeah but that was before you chose to lie.” She grimaced, emptied her shot of tequila and called the waiter with a small hand gesture to ask for a refill, not even slightly disappointed in Leon for lying. “I didn’t lie.” Not really. She put down her hand as she realised the barman, who was flirting with a man at the end of the counter, would not notice her. “Of course you did. But I’ll allow it. I guess that’s just another silly way to cope with your tough life for a night. Though, it seems it’s as useless as alcohol” She took Leon’s glass and emptied it without looking away from the agent. “I’m trying to enjoy my holidays at the fullest.” He confessed and that was the truth. “Is it working?” She placed the glass, now stained with her lipstick, in front of him and he shrugged, showing her the bottle of alcohol by his side before pouring himself another drink. “No, not really.” “Thought so.”

She took the whisky again, this time from Leon’s hand but he did not protest. He didn’t care about that damn liquor. He could definitely afford another bottle. The company however … He knew he would never find another girl like the one sitting next to him. “So, Y/N. What are you doing here?” He asked, his eyes fixed upon her face. “Who’s Y/N?” She replied with a cheeky wink and Leon smiled and chuckled. It hadn’t done that in a while. “Are we really gonna play this lie the whole night?” Part of him hoped so. There was something endearing and refreshing in that little game, the same way there was something terribly irresistible in that girl. “You wanna spend the whole night with me? Who told you I was that kind of girl?” She harrumphed, hand over her heart like an amazingly lame actress, an overly dramatic gesture that was certainly intended. “You’re impossible.” Leon confessed but there was no hint of criticism or annoyance, quite the opposite. He was actually having fun drinking here with that girl he didn’t know. “No. I’m just a girl pretending to be someone she’s not – aka Y/SN - talking to a man named Scott who just lost his wife and kids to his best friend.” “Not just his wife and kids, his dog too. A beagle. Poppy.” She laughed, getting the tiny nod to John Wick and he looked glad that she did. “And what’s Y/SN’s backstory?” “I found yours. You could at least found mine.” She retorted and let him think. And for a second, as she stared at him scratching his stubble, finding him insanely handsome, she realised he hadn’t touch his drink in a small while. Good. “Y/SN is a college student with unresolved daddy issues trying to get the attention of a man possibly twice her age to cope with the fear of abandonment his father left her with when he left her and her mom.” “Was Dad an alcoholic?” She declared on purpose, just to see if the word would trigger his desire to drink. It incredibly did not. “Might explain why you’re so interested in a loser like me.”

She stayed the whole night with him. Talking. Playing. Flirting in ways only she could do. Creating an undeniable connection, a sharp sexual tension that only a man deprived of all senses would have missed. She gave him a signal (if not more) with her eyes, called him with her lips. And he responded with a similar technique, a similar enthusiasm. And at the end of the night, when she got up from her stool and kissed him goodbye, right at the corner of his lips, she realised she could potentially spend the hottest night of her life if she chose to lead him in her room. After all, it was no secret for either of them. She wanted to fuck him and he wanted to fuck her. But a part of her decided to play hard to get, decided that this night would be a sweet game, a foreplay in their roleplay. And luckily for her, he was a player. Just like her.

#Leon Kennedy #leon s kennedy #fanfic #request #resident evil #leon kennedy x reader

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daydream-hogwarts · 4 years

Text

Books & Magic | Fred Weasley | Part 1

Genre: Fluff & Angst

Pairing: Fred Weasley x American!Muggle!Female!Reader

Summary: After the Battle of Hogwarts, Fred Weasley was never the same. Constant fear and nightmares from almost dying filled his brain. It was so overwhelming, he just… left his family. He left in order to find himself again, and to not let his family hurt because he was no longer… him. When he meets a certain muggle at a bookstore, however, his old self seems to spark up….

Warning: Mentions of PTSD, Depression, Anxiety, Harassment; Suggestions of Smut; Read with Caution. <3

Word Count: 1,412

Author’s Note: Welcome to my very first Harry Potter fanfic! I hope you all enjoy it! ^_^

You were at work one day when you saw him. A tall redhead who caught your eye. He wasn’t doing anything in particular, just sitting in the cafe section of the bookstore. You spotted him from the second floor, which was an open plan in the middle to show you the first floor. You furrowed your brow, eyeing the man as he drank his coffee.

He seemed to tense up, looking your way, only for heat to crawl up your neck, turning and continuing putting books away. What you didn’t see, however, was the man watching you with a small smile. He watched curiously as you worked, eyeing your every movement.

This was what started the cycle. Every Wednesday the boy would come to the store, sitting in the café and just reading, occasionally drinking a coffee. You both would steal glances at each other, but the boy never really talked to you. You wondered why he was in the store so often if he wasn’t doing work or buying books….

Soon enough, the boy began to sit upstairs to watch you more. He liked being closer to you, but in the back of his mind, he kept reminding himself that you were indeed a muggle. He didn’t want to get too close to you in the fear of heartache….

Fred had come to America in a small town to get away after the battle of Hogwarts. He lived, but only barely…. A random student managed to pull him away just in time as the wall blew up, and even though he was alright, it haunted him… the thought of no longer being here….

Nightmares were a constant in his life, and being around everyone with all the memories just made it worse. He made the decision to run, to get away, much to his family's distaste…. He wished desperately he could be normal again, but he just knew that he couldn’t…. He hated the thought of his family never seeing the Fred they loved so… he left.

Honestly, he had just started coming to the bookstore because he knew it wouldn’t be too loud or hectic. It was the perfect amount of peace he needed…. When he saw you for the first time, though, a curiosity followed, as well as the twinge of a heartbeat.

One day, you were walking around upstairs, cleaning up the books people decided to leave, when a couple of men came up to ask you questions. Fred watched you carefully, the bright smile on your face making heat crawl up to his face. You were just too cute….

When you had finished, however, the men continued to talk to you. Not wanting to be rude, you listened, giving a couple awkward laughs and trying to step away, but they kept the conversation going until one asked for your number.

“Oh, I’m sorry, but I’d rather not give out my number at work,” You stuttered uncomfortably.

“Come on, give me a chance,” The man said with a soft smile. “I can take you on a nice date.”

“No, thank you,” You replied. “If there isn’t anything else I can help you with, I must return to work….” As you tried to step away, his friend stood in front of you, trapping you between them, making you tense up.

“Look, give my boy a chance, will ya?” He asked, smirking.

“She said no.”

A strong British accent took you by surprise, making you furrow your brow and look at the redhead that you had been admiring for weeks now. You gulped, looking between the three. The boy nodded at you, making you shift and move behind him. He was much taller than you, easily six foot, and he was even taller than the two boys.

“What, are you her boyfriend?” The guy said with a chuckle. “I was just trying to ask her out.”

“Back off,” He replied, straight faced. The boys glared, saying some derogatory comments towards you before walking away. You let out a shaky breath, your adrenaline skyrocketing as you felt tears of fear surround your eyes.

“Thank you,” You whispered, looking up at him as he turned to you, looking much softer than before. He nodded, a small smile on his face.

“Anytime, Y/n,” He whispered back, making you furrow your brow in confusion. “You have a name tag.” You felt embarrassment hit your features as you chuckled softly, looking down.

“Right, sorry, sir,” You mumbled.

“Please, it’s just Fred,” He replied, holding out his hand. You looked at his hand, then his face, then his hand again. You shook it, a small smile playing on your lips.

“Pleasure to meet you, Fred,” You whispered, watching the smile grow bigger. “Listen, uh… I have to go tell my manager what happened so he can make a report to the other managers, just so everyone knows….”

“Oh, please, go ahead,” Fred replied with a smile, moving.

“Thank you again, Fred,” You said with a smile before walking away.

The next week, Fred came in but didn’t order anything from the café. He sat in his usual spot upstairs by the window reading a book he had brought, scanning through the pages. You walked over to him, standing in front of him in some attire that wasn’t as formal as he was used to, holding a cup of coffee and a bag with something in it. You coughed to get his attention, watching his brown eyes look up at you and smile.

“Hi, Y/n,” Fred said, closing his book and setting it down. You hesitated only for a second before holding out the coffee and bag. Fred furrowed his brow, his smile never leaving his lips as he took it.

“I talked to my coworker in the café…. She said this is what you always ordered,” You whispered with a smile. “I wanted to thank you.”

“You’ve done that,” Fred said, leaning forward slightly with a playful smirk. “Twice.”

“Well, let’s just make this number three,” You replied with a bright smile. He chuckled, nodding his head and taking a sip of the coffee.

“You’re dressed casually today,” Fred noticed. “Off work I presume?” You nodded.

“Yeah, I didn’t work today,” You replied, watching his face turn to confusion. “Today’s the day you come in. I just wanted to see you and thank you… again.” You felt embarrassed again, a small smile on your lips as Fred beamed.

“Well, a girl like you coming into work on her day off just to see me? I’m flattered,” He replied, making you laugh softly. “Would you like to sit?” Again, you nodded, sitting across from him.

You both talked for the rest of the day, talking as if you’d known each other for years. You smiled as you heard his stomach growl, a blush hitting his cheeks as he shook his head, a smile on his lips. He looked good when he smiled….

“Can I treat you to some dinner?” You offered, watching him look at you.

“How about I treat you to some dinner?” He asked, smirking. “You pick the place, I’ll pay.”

“Oh, a gentleman,” You teased, watching him chuckle.

So, you continued your night together, taking him to your favorite restaurant. You laughed for what felt like hours and, by Midnight, you both were kicked out to go home but you both didn’t want to, you enjoyed the conversations too much.

“Can I ask why you came to America?” You asked, standing next to your cars, looking up at him. He smiled softly, shrugging.

“Just wanted to get away from it all, I guess,” He mumbled.

“You talked about your family so lovingly, I know they can’t be the reason,” You said, squinting your eyes curiously as he shifted on his feet. “I won’t press, I know it’s personal.”

“Thank you,” Fred whispered with a small smile. “I really liked talking to you, Y/n.”

“Me too,” You replied with a big smile. “I guess I’ll see you next Wednesday?”

“Of course,” He said, leaning down and kissing your cheek softly. “See you then, love.”

You got into your car stunned, driving off to your home. When you got there, it was a daze, but as soon as you hit the bed, you let out a sigh. A man that you’ve literally only watched for weeks and talked for the first time yesterday was easily stealing your heart…. Maybe it was the accent….

#fred weasley imagines #fred weasley reactions #fred weasley #weasley twins #fred weasley fluff #fred weasley angst #harry potter imagines #fred weasley x reader

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rainydaydream-gal18 · 3 years

Text

Steve Rogers x Reader: The Nutcracker (AU) Part 1

[Author’s Note: Sooooo I started this story last year and never got around to finishing it, so I ended up taking the parts I’d written off tumblr. This time, I finally wrote an end to this story and felt like it’d be a nice thing to post around the holidays.

It’s an Avengers fanfic, but it’s the story of the Nutcracker (more like the Barbie one where the reader is not a little girl lol)

Warning, these are long]

With a sigh, you watched the clock tick from a spot on the floral-patterned couch as you fiddled with a pencil and blank sheet of paper and thought of something to draw. Your younger brother busied himself playing with the action figures your grandparents got him as a Christmas Eve present. He was so spoiled it drove you crazy. It seemed he got everything he wanted at the drop of a hat. Grandparents are supposed to spoil you a little, but it felt like everyone took part in spoiling him. Meanwhile, you worked hard and tried to earn what you wanted on your own.

Your grandfather entered the sitting room, pocket watch in hand. “Your Aunt Lily has arrived,” he announced. “Why don’t you kids help her with the bags?”

He was so cute. To him, the two of you would always be “kids.” You immediately got off the couch to help, but paused.

“_(brother’s name),” you called to your brother. He glanced up from his action figures. “Are you going to help?”

He resumed moving the action figures around. “I’ll be there in a minute.” Translation in little brother language: Never.

Sensing your irritation, your grandpa nodded. “I appreciate you helping out, Gumdrop. Thank you.”

You couldn’t be upset anyway because Aunt Lily was here! She was definitely the cool aunt that took you out shopping and encouraged you to be yourself. You had actually formed a friendship as you grew more mature. Only problem is, she was almost constantly trying to interest you with a guy. Every Christmas it was the same thing; her gesturing to handsome strangers and giving you suggestive looks. Still, she was very fun to be around.

“____________!” she greeted as you emerged from the hallway into your grandparents’ kitchen where some of the relatives gathered to welcome her. “There’s my favorite niece! Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas!” You said with a laugh as she pulled you into a big hug. After a long squeeze, Aunt Lily released you. “How was the trip?”

“It was good! Long, but good.”

“Awesome,” you nodded. “Let me help you with your things.”

“You’re such a sweetheart,” she grinned. “There are a few goodies in the trunk of my car if you don’t mind grabbing them for me. Thank you so much!” You grinned back and headed to the front door to slide on your boots. A part of you hated stepping out into the snowy afternoon. The icy winds chilled you to the bone instantly, but seeing everything clad in sparkling white was worth it. You folded your arms and hurried past the dozen cars belonging to other relatives until you reached Aunt Lily’s. After retrieving the big Christmas bags and a suitcase, you locked the car and went inside.

“I think that’s everything,” you stated, kicking the snow off your boots at the doormat. Some snow may have gotten on your Captain America socks. Ugh.

“Thank you again!” Aunt Lily took a few bags off your hands. As you helped her put gifts under the tree, you both got caught up. She told you about her most recent road trip, the hotel she stayed at and even the celebrity she ran into, while you listed in wonder. In turn, you told her about college and all the latest friend group drama. After everything was unpacked, Aunt Lily reached under the tree and picked out a wrapped gift. “This,” she began, handing it to you, “is for you. An early Christmas gift from me.”

“Oh,” you smiled. “Thank you!” You in turn grabbed a particular gift from under the tree and handed it to her. “This is for you!”

She gave you a kiss on the cheek. “You’re such a sweetie.”

After unloading the remaining things from her car, you found a quiet place away from the family hustle and bustle to open your gift from her. Your brother came running into the room.

“Look what Aunt Lily got me!” He held up a box of building blocks set. The picture on the front of the box showed what the finished product would look like. This one resembled superhero compound, complete with the heroes in figurine form. “What did you get, ___________?” He asked as he climbed over into your personal space. But of course, he couldn’t leave you in peace for five minutes.

You rolled your eyes. “I don’t know yet, bro, I haven’t had the chance to open it yet.”

“Oh,” he shrugged. “Well then, carry on.”

With a few rips, you tore through the wrapping paper like you had when you were a kid just for fun. As soon as you saw the red, white, and blue shield you gasped.

It was a Captain America themed nutcracker! He was so adorable too! His outfit was red-white, and blue, and sort of looked more like the usual princely garb a nutcracker would wear instead of his usual costume, but he held the shield in one hand.

“Oh wow! This is so neat!” You exclaimed.

“I’m so glad you like it,” Aunt Lily said. She had entered the room to watch your reaction. It was no secret that you went crazy for this sort of thing. You were a total geek when it came to Marvel movies as well as Marvel-related merch, and you were proud.

“I wanna see!” Your brother whined as he struggled to reach for it.

“__(brother’s name)__,” Aunt Lily scolded. “That is ____________’s. I got you something of your own. Why don’t you go put it together?”

He immediately became preoccupied with his own project, and you mouthed the words “thank you” to your aunt. A dazzling smile played on her lips in response. She was the coolest.

The whole family squeezed into your grandparents’ dining room for dinner. It was a lively meal with people chatting and catching up. Some relatives lived far away and could only visit a few times a year, so this was kind of a big deal. You were asked a million questions about college, your part-time job, and friends. You filled everyone in on the deets about classes and the part-time job you got working at the local bookstore.

“We’re so proud of you,” Aunt Lily said, and you couldn’t help but grin back. That was always nice to hear.

“This one is so smart. Always has her nose in a book, whether it is for school or just because she enjoys reading,” your mother said. You blushed at the attention.

“That’s good,” your grandma said. “Keep it up. Keep learning.”

A few conversations later, the family went to their rooms to get changed into pajamas for the evening. There would be a Christmas movie or two in the living room shortly. Since your brother was the youngest in the family, he got to pick the movie. The two of you exchanged knowing looks, and he chose Polar Express.

“Yesss!” you gave him a big hug.

As much as the two of you could be annoyed with each other, he was still your brother. Both of you sat next to each other in pajamas and shared a bowl of popcorn as your grandpa tried to figure out how to work the DVD player. Technology had developed to the point where any movie could be accessed digitally in an instant, and he was still trying to understand how DVD players worked. You felt bad, but you and your brother tried to hold back giggles.

At the start of the movie, you were bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. As it progressed though, you began to feel tired. Before you knew it, you were drifting off to sleep.

- - - -

“I’m sorry, __________,” someone sobbed. You were awake instantly, blinking your eyes open. The living room was empty. It was after midnight, and everyone must have gone to bed already. The TV was off, but a cozy fire warmed the room with a dim light from the fireplace. You rubbed your eyes and focused on your brother who stood in front of you, crying.

“What? What’s wrong?” you asked with a sigh.

“I...I didn’t mean to do it. I just wanted to play…”

Your eyes went from his teary eyes to what he held in his hand. It was your Captain America nutcracker. His arm had been twisted at an odd angle. Your brother held the shield, which had broken off, in his other hand. Your first instinct was to get angry.

“What did you do?” you demanded. “You shouldn’t have been playing with him in the first place. Aunt Lily gave him to me. You got your own present!”

“I know, I’m sorry,” he cried. “I didn’t mean to break him.”

You sighed again. It was apparent he really felt bad, and you knew he would never have broken something of yours on purpose.

“It’s okay,” you said finally. “Well, it’s not okay, but I forgive you. Thank you for coming to me instead of trying to hide it.”

Relief washed over his face that you weren’t going to freak out on him, but he still showed signs of guilt. “I can get you a new one.”

“No, no, that’s okay. This one is special from Aunt Lily, and I’m not going to give up on him just because he had a little rough patch.” You gently took the nutcracker from your brother. “You don’t give up on people just because they’re broken.”

You focused your attention on the Captain America nutcracker in hand. He still needed a little fixing. Your brother went and fetched some glue from the miscellaneous drawer in the kitchen. You used a ribbon from the package Aunt Lily gave your earlier to make a sort of temporary sling to keep the nutcracker’s arm in place. You looked into his painted blue eyes and smiled. They seemed to sparkle now. Perhaps they had always been this bright, and you just hadn’t noticed before.

Your brother returned with the glue, and helped you reattached the shield. He did a good job.

“There,” you said. “He’s looking pretty good.”

“Yeah, he is.” Your brother agreed. Then, he wiggled his eyebrows. “Good enough to kiss?”

You gave him a look.

“What? I heard you talking to your friend on the phone once. I know you think Captain America is ‘hawt,’ so don’t even deny it.”

You rolled your eyes and grabbed the nearest couch pillow to fling at his face. “Alright, you just ruined the brother-sister bonding moment.”

He stuck his tongue out at you.

“What are you, two years old?” You threw another couch pillow. “Anyway, it’s late. I’m going back to sleep.” You gathered the pillows again and fluffed them up before lying back down on the couch. “I think I’ll stay out here and enjoy the fire.”

“Okay, I’m going to my room,” your brother said. “Goodnight, thanks for not killing me.”

“Goodnight,” you opened a sleepy eye to watch him leave the room. Then, you chuckled. “Oy, I’m tired…”

- - - -

Crash. You were ripped from a cozy, deep slumber to the sound of glass shattering. A loud bang sounded. More glass shattered. You would have blamed your grandparents’ cat if it weren’t for the fact that they haven’t had a cat in years.

That’s when you really woke up. Fear gripped you as the sounds came from behind the couch, near the Christmas tree. It had to be an intruder. But what the hay were they doing near the tree? Stealing presents? A part of you was scared to look. Still, you slowly and quietly poked your head up just enough to peek over the back of the couch.

What you saw amazed and horrified you.

Your Captain America nutcracker was launching his shield at what looked like a miniature Chitauri.

“What the actual heck?” you whispered.

The Chitauri was decapitated, but another leapt out from behind the Christmas tree. The nutcracker charged at him and engaged in hand-to-hand combat. More jumped in, and he fought them off skillfully. But he didn’t seem to notice another sneaking up behind him.

You weren’t sure what came over you. Whether this was a dream or not, you did not want to see Captain America get mauled by one of those creepy things. You hurried around the couch.

“Watch out!” you called out, and fortunately, you reached him in time. Without thinking, you stomped your foot. Ew. There might be creepy chitauri gunk under your slipper now…

Your nutcracker looked up at you, his painted blue eyes seemingly sparkled more now.

“Thanks,” he said.

“No problem…” You managed a smile and a shrug. This was crazy. It had to be a dream.

He seemed to sense your unease. “This must be strange for you,” he said as he resumed fighting oncoming enemies. “I will explain soon.”

“Sure,” you nodded, biting your lip as you noticed a particularly large group of chitauri crowding around your feet. It was no trouble. A few swift kicks sent them all flying.

“Hm, darling,” a strangely familiar voice spoke. “This isn’t going to work…I cannot afford any flaws in my plan.”

“Loki?” you said in disbelief. “But it’s been years since the first Avengers came out…Why are you still the bad guy?”

He emerged from behind the tree, a little shorter than your Captain America nutcracker, except he had used his illusion abilities to look like a mouse. “I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said. “However, I do know that you are getting in the way. You’re too tall, I’d rather you be small…” He waved his scepter, and suddenly everything around you began to grow.

Or rather, it was you who was shrinking.

The chitauri that were coming at your feet so pitifully became more of a threat as you reached their eye level. You squeaked as they crowded you, one grabbing your arm. Just then, a few of them roared and began to back off.

Your nutcracker came barreling into the mob, quickly wrapping a wooden arm around you and pulling you from the danger.

“Y-you rescued me,” you gasped. “Thank you!”

“Of course,” he replied. “But don’t thank me yet, _________.” He released you, but kept holding your hand as he raced away. “We’ve got to get out of here and back to the Kingdom.”

“What?”

“Yes, to find the Sugarplum Princess. She’s the only one who can change you back and rescue us all from the Wannabe Mouse King.”

“Oh, goodie.” You clung to him as he leaped up onto a tree branch. “And how do we find this Sugar Pear-“

“Sugarplum Princess,” he corrected gently. “And I’m not sure.” The two of you became the climb up the tree. You had done some tree-climbing as a kid, but this was something else.

You wondered why the heck the two of you were climbing the tree if you needed to get back to this “Kingdom.” Your nutcracker remained at your side, ensuring you didn’t fall whenever your foot slipped on a branch.

“We have to get to the star of the tree,” he said, as if reading your thoughts. “It’s our way out.”

Behind you, a few chitauri-minions began climbing too. The Mouse King with Loki’s voice shouted commands and threats to them as you and the nutcracker managed to reach the top.

The star looked so big and bright to you in this size. Was it just you, or….was it glowing brighter?

Nutcracker-Steve ushered you closer to the star. He took your hand in his and touched it to the star. With that, there was a flash of light, a sensation of falling, and suddenly you felt chilly.

Opening your eyes, you saw a blanket of white stretching out miles and miles before you. Snowy mountains stood strong and beautiful to the left of the scene, and a frozen lake far on the right.

“W-where are we? This does not look like my grandparents’ living room.”

“This is the Kingdom,” Steve said. “This is what I’m fighting to protect. The Mouse King desperately wants to rule over this place and its people, but we can’t let that happen. I’ve already wandered so far off track.”

You had to admit it was beautiful here. Everything was coated in sparkling light, resembling Narnia when the Pevensie children first arrived. Only you got here through a tree star, not a wardrobe. And it was still night here.

“So, what do we do?” you asked, hugging yourself to try and retain some warmth. Steve’s painted eyes seemed to soften sympathetically.

“I’m sorry about the cold. Well, I’m sorry about all of this, actually.”

“It’s fine. You can’t really help it.” Your breath rose up in a cloud through the air with each word.

“I’ll tell you what,” he said, running a wooden hand down your arm in a pointless attempt to warm you. “We’ll head to the nearest town for some warm clothes and supplies. Then we need to find out where the Sugarplum Princess is.”

“Sure, it seems I don’t have much choice. I might freeze to death otherwise,” you mumbled. Steve attached his shield to his back and began trekking through the snow. You followed in his footsteps, hoping to avoid getting lots of snow in your slippers. Unfortunately, it was inevitable. Before long, snow had gotten into your slippers and melted around your feet, making them ice-cold. The snow began to pick up, and it seemed to become a blizzard.

“The Mouse King knows we’re here,” Steve shouted to you. “He’s trying to make things more difficult.”

“But of course he has ice powers,” you complained, teeth chattering.

Not much longer after that, you saw a warm light in the distance. It glowed faintly through the intense snowfall. The sight of it alone made you think of warm blankets and clothes, sitting comfortable and dry by a fireplace. Oh, you hoped they’d be welcoming.

“Almost there, _________,” Steve told you. “We’re almost there. Hang in there.”

PART 2

#avengers #avengers reader insert #avengers fanfiction #steve rogers x reader #captain america x reader #avengers x reader #steve rogers #captain america #reader insert #captain america imagine #avengers imagine #steve rogers imagine

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bluesylveon2 · 3 years

Text

Levihan Mamma Mia! AU Side Story 2: Mission (Not)Impossible

Author’s Note: This is my gift to everyone reading my story because Feb 22 is my bday! Aruani is the first couple in Sasha’s friend group, so this is before SS1. I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: This is a Levihan Mamma Mia au. This fanfic is inspired by Mamma Mia which is directed by Phyllida Loyd, written by Catherine Johnson, and uses music from the pop group ABBA. Attack on Titan is a manga/anime series written by Hajime Isayama and published by Kondasha

Characters: Armin, Annie, Hange, Sasha, Eren, Mikasa, Hitch, Marco, Connie, and Ymir

Main Story Here!

“I’m tired of this!” Ymir yells

Mikasa looks up from her book and looks at what movie Ymir was watching. The movie started with a couple who loved each other since childhood but never told the other person. The scene currently playing was when the couple finally confessed after many years.

Mikasa looks at Ymir questioningly “what’s the problem this time, Ymir?”

It was the afternoon on a weekend in Kalokairi. Ymir, Mikasa, and Hitch were having a lazy day, so they decided to hang out in Mikasa and Historia’s house while the other girls were out shopping. The trio was laying around Mikasa’s bed while the sun shines on them. Mikasa was reading a book, Ymir was watching TV, and Hitch was painting her nails.

Ymir pointed to the couple on the TV. “That couple here reminds me of Annie’s not so subtle crush on Armin. Heck, even Armin’s crush is not that subtle either!” Ymir raised her arms in annoyance

Hitch closes the cap on her nail polish and lightly blows on her fingers to speed up the drying process. “Those two will never confess.” She shakes her head disapprovingly “The world could end, and the two will still stay silent.”

Ymir cracks her knuckles “if only there was someone there to knock some sense into them…” She looks over to Hitch and Mikasa glaring at her. Ymir raises her hands up innocently “just kidding” she laughs.

Mikasa closes her book and sets it down on her lap “Those two will confess when the time comes. Hopefully, they don’t run out of time if the world were to suddenly come to an end.”

She looks up to find Ymir staring out the window with a mischievous grin on her face. Mikasa frowns. Ymir grinning like that does not scream good to Mikasa. “What are you planning Ymir?” Mikasa asks suspiciously

“It’s nothing bad, Mikasa. I just want to give Annie and Armin a nudge in the right direction.”

This perks up Hitch’s interest. Hitch claims herself as Annie’s best friend (a title that took a lot of dedication to achieve), and she wants the best for Annie. Hitch noticed how happy Annie was around Armin. She knew Annie would never tell her out loud, but it was obvious how Annie would react if Armin started dating another girl. It took Hitch many tries (plus kicking down a door) to convince Annie to admit how jealous and depressed she was when Armin went on a date with that one girl. Besides, Hitch noticed how Armin would stay behind after school to watch Annie during her MMA practice.

Hitch looks at Ymir. “I’m interested in what you have to say, Ymir.” Hitch smiles “I care about Annie and Armin. I want them to be happy.”

Mikasa was shocked. From the outside, Hitch looks like a selfish person. Mikasa sees Armin is like a brother to her, and here she is witnessing Hitch say she wants to help him get with Annie. Yes, Mikasa also noticed the pining looks they give each other.

Hitch noticed how shocked Mikasa looked. “Don’t give me that look, Mikasa. I can care about my friends too.” Hitch pretends to look offended and rolls her eyes

Mikasa’s face turns red from embarrassment “I didn’t mean it in a bad way! What I was trying to say was-” Mikasa stopped when Hitch raised a hand up in front of her body.

“I know what you were trying to say. I’m not offended” Hitch smirks then laughs. Mikasa is still red from embarrassment.

“Anyways” Ymir stands up in front of Hitch and Mikasa. She spoke to get back to the main topic. “Do you want to hear my brilliant plan? It is 100% foul proof” Ymir puts her hand in fists and puts it on her hip. She has a triumphant look on her face meaning that she is confident with whatever she has planned.

Mikasa and Hitch look at one another and then back at Ymir. They had an unspoken agreement with one another before nodding to Ymir.

“Ok” Hitch moves to make herself comfortable on Mikasa’s bed “What’s your plan?”

---

The plan was simple, and Ymir and Hitch designed it themselves. 1. Ymir and Eren kidnap Armin 2. Send Annie on a goose chase around the island (with the help from Mikasa) 3. Lead the two into the old goat house and have them confess (Connie and Hitch had to close the door)

---

“You’re a really good baker, Annie,” Sasha says as she devours the piece of pie Annie baked. Annie swiped the pan before the last slice was taken. She sets it aside on the counter on the other side of the kitchen out of Sasha’s reach.

Sasha and Annie were in Hotel Hange eating some pie Annie baked. Annie asked Hange if she could use her kitchen, and Hange gave her permission. Annie wanted to bake in peace, but the smell must have attracted Sasha out of her room. This confused Annie because Sasha is usually out, but most of their friends in their group were mysteriously busy today. The only ones who weren’t on the island are Historia, Jean, Hanami, and Marlow. They went to the mainland to run some errands for Hange.

“Hey, I was gonna eat that!” Sasha exclaims and raises her hands trying to reach for the last slice of pie.

“It’s not for you Sasha.” Annie reprimands and moves the pie out of the way when Sasha attempted to grab it. Sasha eventually stops.

“So you’re saving it for someone then? Is it one of the girls?” Sasha asks and tilts her head. She looks at Annie who is still quiet and unmoving. Sasha had a feeling who it could be for and smirks

“Unless you’re saving it for Armin? I’m sure he will love your baking” Sasha smiles, and Annie turns red.

“I never specified who it was for! I could be saving this for Eren!” Annie exclaims. Her face is still red.

Sasha laughs “Eren is not a big fan of sweets. You could always give it to me. I’ll make sure Armin gets it.”

“Not a chance!’ Annie sets the pie down in a small box she had out “Go find and marry another guy who is willing to make you a pie.”

Sasha laughs again “So you thought about marrying Armin now, huh?” she says teasingly.

Now Annie was short-circuiting “That’s not what I meant! I-”

“Annie!”

Annie was interrupted by Mikasa who barged through the door. Luckily, she didn’t use too much force, or she would have broken the door off its hinges.

“Mikasa! What brings you here?” Sasha walks away from Annie and goes towards Mikasa

Mikasa ignores Sasha and looks at Annie “I need your help. Armin’s been kidnapped!”

A silence fills the room as Annie processes what Mikasa said. Armin should have been heading back to Eren’s house (as he usually does on his free days) so Annie could give him the pie. Now he got kidnapped? On this tiny island!

“What?!”

---

30 minutes earlier

Armin was reading one of his favorite books alone near the beach. It was a free day for him, and he likes to spend it reading near the ocean. Armin cannot explain it, but he finds the ocean comforting. Sometimes, he likes to bring back seashells he finds and gives them to his friends.

Armin puts his hand in the pocket of his shorts. He found a conch shell earlier that he wanted to give to Annie. It had a bluish tint and it is roughly the size of his palm. Armin smiled and lightly blushed after touching the shell. He’s sure Annie would love it. She is his crush after all.

Armin goes back to reading until his vision goes dark. He dropped the book as he felt the perpetrator tie something in the back of his head.

Someone blindfolded him Armin suspected.

Armin drops his book and was ready to fight back, but he felt someone grab his arms and tie them behind his back. Meanwhile, another person tied his legs together on his calves. Armin was ready to yell for help, but someone put a cloth between his teeth so he couldn’t talk.

So the perpetrator has a partner Armin suspected with how fast they were able to tie him up.

Armin was ready to thrash around until he felt one of his kidnappers go near him. He could feel their breath near his ear.

“Don’t worry Armin” Eren says near Armin’s ear “Ymir and I are not gonna hurt you. This is all according to plan. You can thank Ymir later.”

Eren?!?!

---

And that’s how Armin found himself in a sack being carried (most likely by Eren) across the island. He suspected Ymir and Eren put him in the sack to avoid suspension with the locals. Who wouldn’t be alarmed by two people running around the island carrying someone who is tied up?

Definitely just another day in Kalokairi.

Armin was ready to throw up with all the movement. This is not how he wanted this day to go. Luckily, he managed to keep Annie’s shell safe in his pocket.

Armin decided to focus on his hearing since his vision is temporarily impaired. He might as well using his hearing to an advantage. All of his other senses are heightened after the loss of one. He focused on the wind, Eren’s panting, and the sound of their running. Armin focused again to hear another sound. It sounded more like a shout, and it was getting louder the closer it got.

“Armin!” Annie yelled

Great Armin thought. If only his day could get any more embarrassing than he already has

---

Annie, Marco, and Mikasa were running across the island chasing after Armin’s kidnappers. Annie could tell from looking one was a male and the other was a female. She couldn’t identify who they were since they both wore shades to cover their eyes and hats on their heads.

They have been running in a full circle around the island, but Annie was not ready to give up. She felt confident that she, Mikasa, and Marco could get Armin back together. However, Annie had a suspicion something was not adding up. It felt as if Mikasa was not running as fast as she usually would.

“Annie, Let’s split up!” Mikasa yells as they run. Annie could only turn to her and give her are you serious look.

“Look, if we separate then we can get Armin faster. Divide and conquer!” Marco yells, He had a point there Annie thought before nodding her head. The kidnappers plus Armin were not heading towards Hotel Hange. There’s a chance someone would catch Armin assuming Sasha, Hange, or Moblit are there.

The group split off, and Annie felt a surge of adrenaline run through her body. She was determined to save Armin no matter what.

---

“Shit, she’s catching up,” Eren says after turning around and finding Annie on their trail. They were almost at the goat house. Ymir and Eren just had to climb up the steps near the cliff first.

“Speed up! We’re almost there!” Ymir calls back as they start heading up the steps.

The two were almost there, but luck was not on their side.

It was like slow motion for everyone watching. Eren stumbled and fell backward on the steps. Ymir looked back in horror as Eren fell and dropped Armin with him. Eren was lucky because he could stop himself from hurting himself more. Armin was not as lucky since he was unaware of what was going on. Annie, who finally made it, ran up the steps to catch Armin, but Armin still managed to hurt himself. Luckily, he didn’t fall off the cliff, and Eren fell from the first few steps. Instead. Armin only hurt his legs.

---

Hange was nice enough to give Armin a free room to recover. She reprimanded the others for endangering Armin. To be honest, she thought the sack was unnecessary. Armin was resting in a vacant hotel room while Hange sat next to Armin to tend to him.

Hange placed the Ice pack on Armin’s bandaged legs and turned to Annie, who was leaning against a wall watching her “Thank goodness you were there to catch Armin, Annie. He would have injured himself if you weren’t there.”

She chuckles “I’m surprised Armin broke his legs though. Must have been from the way he fell” Hange added.

“Well, I have a hotel to run now. I’ll leave the rest to you, Annie, unless you have to go? I can get Moblit or Sasha to replace you.”

Annie shook her head. “I got it. Thank you Hange.”

Hange smiled and stood up to leave the room. Annie left her spot against the wall and walked towards Hange’s previous spot. She sat down and leaned forward to move some of Armin’s hair away from his forehead. Annie then places the back of her palm on Armin’s forehead. No fever she thought and leaned back against the chair. She watches Armin quietly.

“I feel like I’m tending to my husband,” Annie says absentmindedly. It’s not like Armin would hear her anyway.

So you thought about marrying Armin now, huh? Sasha’s voice plays in Annie’s mind.

Annie froze. Her, marrying Armin? Changing her last name to Arlet? Annie scoffs and crosses her arms.

‘Only in her dreams,’ she thought bitterly.

Annie looks at Armin’s figure. Someday, Armin would leave Kalokairi to see more of the ocean. Probably study to become a marine biologist or something ocean-related. Armin is most likely to meet a girl who is more fun and cheerful than her.

“Maybe that’s why Ymir and Hitch came up with this ridiculous plan? Use it as motivation for me to confess to him.”

Annie laughs quietly to herself “Look at how that turned out.”

Annie moves to get Sasha or Moblit to help out before she heads home. She can confess tomorrow.

As Annie stood, a gentle hand grasped Annie’s wrist causing Annie to stop. She knew it can only be one person: Armin.

Armin catches Annie off guard when he gently pulls Annie towards his side of the bed. Annie was fast enough to land without hitting Armin’s injured legs. Armin wraps his other arm around Annie and hugs her. She looks up at his red face, and Armin starts blushing too. He must have been awake to hear Annie talking to herself.

Now Annie wants to bang her head against the wall. Not once but multiple times.

“When did you wake up?” Annie asks shocked

“After Hange closed the door. I heard what you said Annie, and I know about your feelings for me.”

Annie turns red, and she stays quiet. She just had to say some of her thought out loud.

Armin took her quietness as a sign to continue. He looks into her ice-blue eyes “I actually had a crush on you since you came on the island. I remember thinking about how cool and talented you were after I saw you toss Eren in high school. I know despite your cold exterior, I know you are actually a good person.”

Armin smiles “I know how much you care about people like Hitch, Sasha, and even Connie. To be honest, I always stayed behind to watch your practice because I want to see you. I like spending time with you. I like you, Annie. Even after that one time, I walked in on you eating a whole pie by yourself.”

Annie stays quiet. She was not expecting a whole confession out of this.

Armin starts freaking out and lets go of Annie. He raises his hands up in surrender “Please don’t beat me up and ship me to Russia.”

Annie stays quiet again to process what Armin just said. She laughs and puts her arms around Armin this time. She puts her forehead against his

“Thank you, Armin. For sticking around.” She looks into his ocean blue eyes “You already know I like you. I like how you care about your friends and your intelligence. I also like your fascination with the ocean. Someday-”

Annie stops for a bit before continuing “-I want to see the ocean with you. What I’m trying to say is, do you want to be my boyfriend?”

Armin couldn’t stop grinning like an idiot. His crush is confessing to him although this was not how he wanted it to go. Oh well. Life is unpredictable.

“Of course, Annie” Armin leans back from Annie and takes an arm away from her. He reaches into his pocket to pull out the shell. He got lucky the shell did not break. He grabs Annie’s hand, opens her palm, and places the shell in her hand.

“This is for you, Annie. I meant to give it to you earlier, but then I got kidnapped” Armin chuckles.

“You can use this shell as my promise to you. I promise to bring you with me when I explore the ocean.”

Annie’s heart fluttered. ‘Why is Armin so cute’ she thought and had an idea.

Annie pulls her right hand towards her. She uses her left hand to take out the ring on her index finger. She grabs Armin’s hand and places her ring in his palm.

“Is that?” Armin asks

“Yes,” Annie states. “This is my promise to you. I’ll go with you to see the ocean one day.”

Armin puts the ring on his right ring finger and looks down at Annie. He places a hand on her cheek and doesn’t move just in case Annie decides to back out.

“Can I kiss you?” He asks. Annie nods

Armin leans forward to kiss Annie on the lips. Both of them wanted to stay in their little bubble kissing and cuddling (without injuring Armin more). Sadly they were interrupted.

“Finally!” Annie’s girl friends squeal simultaneously behind the door

At least Ymir and Hitch’s plan somehow worked. Not in the way they intended, but it worked.

#Aruani #armin x annie #levihan mamma mia!

11 notes · View notes

valkblue · 3 years

Photo

Being a Behavior technician requires a certain amount of dedication to the job — the rigorous type, bordeline rigid. That’s what is expected to be at peak efficiency regarding analysis protocols and diagnostics for host service and calibration.

For that, Vivian thinks she might be the worst tech in her department.

— masterlist, AO3

Chapter 1 on 12

Chapter wordcount: 2,486 Story status: Complete Rating: General Warning: people swear a lot, technobabble counts as swearing as well (believe me)…

Author’s notes: This is the first time I post a fanfic online. A real big one I mean. Not just crackfics... I’m emotional. I don’t know what the schedule will be yet because my queue is acting up, but everything should be out regularly, or something that looks like it. This first chapter is an intro to the main character and what she does, and I hope you’ll enjoy this story and its characters all the way! Also, I really want to thank @pheedraws and @something-tofightfor for their heartwarming feedback on the whole story. Thank you SO much!!

Have a good time reading, and my askbox/messages are open! 💙

— Chapter 1

Now wasn’t a good time to yawn…

And yet, Vivian had nothing else to do but wait right now, wait while the progress bars slowly filled up on her tablet screen.

Now wasn’t the time, simply because some of her colleagues were passing through the hallway, behind the glass panels of her cubicle, and among them was the head of Behavior department — incidentally, her superior.

No doubt they were all about to grab a bite at the restaurant and Vivian held back an almost envious mumble; she was starving! But before she could go eat anything, she had to finish with her last subject on her morning schedule; host ID#DH410829420391, named Mildred.

And Mildred was back at the lab on account of a negative report about her response time during interactions with other hosts but also with guests. A lag that only happened in character mode, not in analysis. So, Vivian started with refreshing her lexical base and improvisation engine. It took some time to check the entire tree but as of now, it was done.

"Can you confirm if the update’s complete?"

"Confirmed," Mildred answered right away, her voice flat and her look vacant.

"Back in character mode."

Mildred seemed to wake up and blinked once before focusing her attention back on Vivian.

"Mildred?"

"Oh, I’m sorry," she answered with a hint of a shy smile. "I must have drifted off, I believe… The working hours at the farm are ungodly sometimes!"

The response time was more than good, now. The improvisation too.

"I was wondering if there’s a lot of clients at the farm these days," Vivian asked.

The answer was not long to come.

"Certainly! Our cattle sure gives the best milk there is. No matter what the competition says!"

"How many green bottles are standing on the wall?"

Questions and procedures were always more or less the same to determine which bits of code, settings or values could cause an issue or start to glitch like crazy!

But today, for Mildred — and Vivian — everything was back in order, and each/both of them could soon return to the the usual course of their scheduled day.

It was about time for Vivian to take a break, if she was reduced to that kind of wisecrack…

A glance at her wristwatch, even while her tablet displayed a more accurate time than the watch hands, and Vivian concluded her analysis. She folded the tablet, slid it back in her jacket pocket, and left the large glass room after one last embarrassed look at Mildred she was leaving there, naked in the dark. Vivian didn’t even fight down a shiver. It was actually freezing cold in there!

She comforted herself with the thought that Mildred didn’t feel anything in this state, disconnected, and that a team wouldn’t take too long to come get her, do her hair, dress her up and put her back in rotation in no time. Barely as much as Vivian had for her lunch break… and that was just enough to go all the way up to the hub restaurant. But the bosses here didn’t care much about how long the lunch breaks lasted, as long as the work was done in time.

So, Vivian didn’t hurry to get to the elevator she shared with two co-workers who only interrupted their chitchat about hockey results for a vague greeting.

At this hour, the restaurant was a bit more crowded but it still wasn’t too hard to find a seat in the large and relatively peaceful room. The whole vibe in it was corporate though, even in that staff only room; every dish were stamped with the park logo and name — from the bottom of the plates to the salt shakers — and a flat HD screen displayed a bunch of Delos branches ads that looked much weirder without sound.

After a while, one didn’t really pay attention to all this anymore… A few months was enough to make it all part of the landscape and for the mind to simply stop noticing it.

And Vivian had been working here for three years, now.

However, she was still bothered by a few details sometimes, such as the huge white walls that spanned all the way up a balcony floor and a domed ceiling or the fact that the stalls were lit with a pale light under which the food turned to a sickly colour.

Hopefully, under the less saturated lights of the main room, the Caesar salads and the turkey-tomato sandwiches were back to a more appetizing hue.

Her tray loaded with a potato-corn salad, a big glass of water and a piece of bread, Vivian walked towards the tables, eager for her potatoes to lose their blueish glint. Just shy of the screen, she recognised a familiar face, Margaret’s, another Behavior tech from her team. Both were on friendly basis now, where it was possible to enjoy some time together and to laugh a little, even if it took them a whole year to finally break the ice.

Margaret waved at Vivian when she saw her pick her way across the room, inviting her to join them — them being Margaret, and three other guys from their department.

"Did you hear the latest, Vivian!?" she blurted. "I’ve been told that Damon Dyers is in the park, at this very moment!"

"Damon… Dyers?"

Vivian didn’t even hide her puzzlement while sitting in front of her.

"The actor," one of the three guys — Luke — pointed out. "Marge was just exposing how she’ll mooch the control room techs for a footage…"

"Listen, if you were as thirsty as I am about this guy, you’d understand!" Margaret replied.

To that, he quipped:

"My husband would be pissed!"

All chuckled in approval before returning to their almost emptied plates, while Vivian had barely touched her own.

"Can you imagine," Margaret daydreamt, leaning back in her seat as in a comfy armchair, holding her Pyrex glass like a snifter of bourbon. "Damon hunting down Escaton in the hills…"

Vivian scoffed; she could imagine, indeed.

At the table, Charles, Thawal and Luke didn’t pay any more attention to them, carrying on with their chat about retro gaming. Vivian would probably have preferred to be part of that conversation; not that she didn’t know shit about movies and their actors, but more like aside from a few exceptions on which they got along swimmingly, she didn’t have much taste in common with Margaret. But she listened to her friend anyway as she kept going after a sip of sparkling water:

"How am I not supposed to be hot on the idea!? I’ll deadass find someone to bootleg me some footages!"

Vivian smiled out of politeness, not saying much, as always. Her mouth was full anyway.

"Oh, by the way!"

Margaret took another swip of her glass before putting it down on the table and leaning towards Vivian.

"Apparently, they’re going to burden us with a whole new bunch of hosts in two or three weeks," she said, with all the serious she could muster. "I heard that from Elsie. Narrative must be trying to compensate for something, if you know what I mean…"

Vivian knew very well.

"We barely have time to light a fag between two sessions already and they plan to add another hundred on our backs!?"

She snorted disdainfully.

"Don’t know what they’re spicing their coffee with but it isn’t doing them any good."

"No shit," admitted Vivian, a bit testy at the idea. "Unless they also plan to hire? Did Lowe say anything about it?"

Margaret shrugged.

"No idea, I haven’t talked to him in a while."

She patted her blazer pockets then sighed softly; Vivian understood her attitude as relief, and a craving, even a need to light a cigarette.

"You should ask," Margaret pointed out with a smile a tad clenched in the orbicularis muscles. "You like him, right?"

Vivian approved; she admired his thoroughness, his love for details… A lot could be learned while working under his care and Vivian found him both spirited and friendly.

Margaret didn’t quite share the feeling, however; in her own words, he was giving her the heebie-jeebies.

"Anyway, I’m off," Margaret stated with an even greater impatience in her voice. "I gotta light one before the crazy afternoon waiting for me!"

She gathered her cutlery on her tray, adding:

"Not giving up on the idea to come across Damon fucking Dyers, though! At least in video recs. Wish me luck!"

Vivian nodded and Margaret put her tray away on the sideboard before hurrying to the exit.

Her colleagues had changed topics next to her, and now they were talking about cars, motorcycles and mechanics. As she didn’t know much about that topic, not as much as in computers, she listened only a little without taking part.

Then, Vivian finished wolfing down her potato salad and her glass of water; she would soon return to her shift and examine a series of hosts, the characteristics of which she overviewed on her tablet from her timetable’s folders. It was simply routine checks, and Vivian liked that kind of sessions; it was like meeting with a friend, just to catch up with them.

But for now, she would take a few minutes to get some air and natural light on top of the hub before diving back into the high tech depths of the Mesa.

At seven in the evening, closer to eight, Vivian was glad to be back to her on-site apartments. Once again, she had grabbed a snack at the restaurant but the room was much more crowded than it was at lunch and came close to a headache before reaching "home". She could have dined here, cooked something on her induction hob but she was so tired — or lazy — that, tonight again, she still choose to eat at the restaurant over having to do the dishes!

Now, she was getting out of the shower in her bathrobe and throw herself on her bed.

Living like this, it was like being a teenager all over again, back at her parents’, or at the dorm… but once she closed her apartment’s door, Vivian was totally free to do whatever she wanted. As long as it didn’t involve wrecking the place!

But now, even if she wanted to, Vivian wouldn’t have had the strength to break any chair, nor even to make a mess of the bed… About that, she was actually planning on laying there, and falling asleep in her bathrobe while watching a movie or reading any book she had available on her personal tablet. A tablet that was nothing close to the one she was using every day in the Behavior department labs, but a tablet anyway.

She swiped the covers without any real interest; in all honesty, she was feeling too tired to read. Even something she had already read. And she cringed a little when the minimalistic cover with her automatically signed name appeared.

Yeah, even too tired to read her own words!

Besides, it wasn’t great literature at all — a fanfiction. Two, to be precise. Both about the hosts and their narratives as she could have written about a movie, book, or video game’s characters.

Vivian grumbled, letting her tablet fall flat on her stomach, and she stared at the white ceiling before closing her eyes while nibbling her lips. She had written this almost six months after she started working here, taken over by all the motivation, excitement and creativity around her!

She refocused on herself since but, in the meantime, she wrote these. And even though Vivian considered herself to have a fertile imagination, she still commended herself about how better for everyone it was she hadn’t applied for a job in Narrative…

Rising her tablet up again and tapping on the lit screen, she entered the file and skimmed through it, trying to ignore the grammar mistakes she stopped committing since; and mistakes aside, her stories had nothing exceptional, totally influenced as they were by her mood and the not-so-new-but-still-trendy storyline — Escaton’s and his bandits, essentially…

Over a very short time, when Vivian was still more or less trying to fit into the life of the facility and social circles of her co-workers whose names had yet to be caught, she had heard so many comments, appreciations and reviews for this narrative that she looked into it first.

After all, the park afforded Lee Sizemore, renowned author who made a big name for himself with a "hot and grimy" historical saga, a few years back before running out of puff under his editor’s pressure. And a juicy offer by a video game studio to adapt it.

She understood; everybody, whether staff or guests, was more or less hyped by the brute force brought by Hector Escaton — virile and dark male figure — to the relative tranquility of the park’s starting point.

And Vivian had been no exception.

If her first story was only about made-up characters to explore the pleasing and well rounded context of Sweetwater, her second, on the other hand, was more audacious, altering shamelessly the story from what its authors had surely intended; victorious over the town after killing the sheriff and all opposition, Escaton and his gang enjoyed their plunder at the Mariposa where Hector fell for one of the saloon girls.

That being said, Vivian remained very proper — maybe totally prudish — in these sort of narrative fantasies of hers; nothing turned freaky or utterly violent…

All she did was throwing a few sentences on her writing app for some evenings, when inspiration struck or simply because she urged herself to follow through with what she started. All on her personal tablet. She knew better than to write that on anything system-tethered. Imagining that a bored somebody could just hack into the system all the way up to her personal data… and end up on that giddy nonsense, made her wants to puke!

Not to mention that it might also be forbidden. Even though she never planned to, she knew she couldn’t share it with anyone, nor anywhere. Not as a park employee. If the guests were writing critiques and other reviews online about their stay, herself couldn’t talk about it from the inside. Confidentiality and shit…

Her texts would remain secret, and her silly fantasies with them. In any case, it wasn’t as if she intended to try anything for herself, and even less with Hector Escaton, all the more since he wasn’t even part of the batch her team had in charge. And also, rumor has it that fantasies aren’t always good when act upon!

With a lazy tap, Vivian quitted the reading app and dropped the tablet on her sheets before burying her face in her soft pillow. She let out a deep sigh in it, relaxed, and in fact, she fell asleep almost right away.

#ocs #oc:vivian #my writing #fic:improvisation only #westworld fanfic #full diagnostic series #westworld fic #westworld

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dragon8641 · 4 years

Text

The Soldier and the Empress 1

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Just a couple of things before you start reading this fanfic.

I won't be using subtitles for the vast majority of it, only when not everyone can 'hear' these characters is when i'll use them (Like Senketsu).

This fic assumes you’ve already watched Kill La Kill as it contains spoiler and skips a lot of story for different purposes.

This fic is (most of the time) written in first person perspective to add to the immersion.

This is a Satsuki X Reader/Insert Fic, I just think that leaving the name blank takes away from the immersion. Also the 'good shit' will come in tiny bits here and there as well as some big ones so be patient.

The story will curve away from the anime later down the line, specially after the biggest event on the anime happens.

I appreciate feedback and grammar corrections greatly, as long as you ain't an asshole about it it'll be Okay. (I do spelling mistakes on purpose when I'm the one 'talking')

Originally uploaded to wattpad exact same way under the limitations on this site.

With all that said, please enjoy and tell me what you like and what you don't of it. Thanks for reading.

Lizard Among Pigs

Satsuki Kiryuin

That's the name of the woman who stole my place as the student council president at my high school.

Back then i didn't rule the school out of greed or desire for power, but out of fear, i wanted everyone to stay away from me. So i recruited followers and with them i made my dream school and it looked like my second year would been just as peaceful, that's when she showed up.

Long black hair, blue eyes and a stare that could kill. She completely destroyed the defences i built over the last year. Not even an hour past her arrival, many of my followers had left me for good and the ones who attacked her were already on the ground.

Satsuki Kiryuin

She shouted her name as demanded my presence. There was nothing else to do, i had to go out and face her myself.

Once i was alone in front of her, four other figures showed up, a pink haired girl, next to her a blue haired four eyes. To Satsuki's other side, a green haired punk with a bamboo sword and finally behind her a two and a half meters tall blonde buff man.

I had no chance against her, let alone any of her goons. However, I also had no reason to surrender. my weapon was a pair of claws made out of scrap that i slowly put on without taking my eyes off Satsuki. Either fear or something else kept me from looking away as to which one was, i got my answer soon after.

"Surrender!" The long haired woman in white uniform shouted at me, almost making me kneel from that alone. seeing that was not the case she seemed somewhat impressed.

I let out a groan, her shout did not beat me, but sure as shit left me tired.

"Impressive" She sounded way different now "You who ruled over this people with fear, you were right to do so, but you lacked something very important!" she went back to shouting, draining more and more energy out of me with every word.

"Hm, and here i thought this one was going to be some pushover… i need to reexamine the data" the blue four eyes spoke to no one in particular.

"Like a lizard under a hail..." the other girl with satsuki 'answered' to the glasses guy.

"Oh ho" the green haired punk said surprised while the big blonde man said nothing.

Satsuki Kiryuin

She took a step forward, a single step, then a blinding light appeared from behind her, i could not see it's origin.

"Come at me and if you survive, I will tell you what you lack!" She hit the ground with her sword and again more energy left my body.

I only had enough strength in me for one single attack, so i had to make it count.

With the last of my pride of the position i got for myself i managed to speak back at her.

"Then so be it!" thus i readied my weapon. I put all my strength on that attack, or so it seemed, it was a feint, when i got closer to her i would change direction, that's all i had to work with.

And she still stopped me effortlessly and calmly as when she first showed up. a strike from her sheathed sword to the stomach and with my Scrap Claws broken i fell to my knees in defeat. I barely manage to lift my head, i saw Satsuki at my left, three of the four goons she brought were far more relaxed than just a second ago, but the tall blonde one looked way more serious than anyone else.

Finally she spoke.

Satsuki Kiryuin

"Determination"

That was the last thing i heard before i fell to the floor barely conscious. With my defeat she was done here, so they were preparing to leave. And just as she gave a final speech to the ones who were still somewhat awake, a speech I could not hear. I saw her in the distance, that same blinding light i was now able to see perfectly through it. before i was almost lost to fatigue but now i was lost for words at her beauty, why was it so different now from the one that beat my ass just a moment ago?

She wasn't, the moment i laid my eyes on her i felt it, but i didn't realized it yet…

"I want to follow her." That's all that went through my mind after that, i had to act fast, i had to move. I managed to get some strength in my hands and rip some grass, as i slowly raised my head once again, i realized that they weren't that far from me as i originally saw, probably a trick of the fatigue.

I was now kneeling, and all five of the spectators were in complete silence, i didn't know why then, but now i know it was them acknowledging the strength i had to get up after one of Kiryuin's strikes. I remember the blonde man smiling if just a little, the glasses guy typing at a computer and the punk was definitely happy, the pink girl was looking at Satsuki, like waiting for her to say something.

Next step was to get up, i just knew it. So i tried and tried and tried until i lost count of how many times i tried but failed. i felt pathetic.

Then in the endless white noise i heard a voice, Satsuki's.

"GET! UP!"

Inexplicably i sprang up and got on my own two feet, stumbling a little, but i did not fall i was not going to fall ever again.

Somehow now I could clearly see the faces of the four, the big man was now all smiles, the four-eyes was typing even faster, the other two were still the same but the punk was looking at Satsuki this time. She was smiling, i was lost to her sight again but now i was breathing heavily trying to regain consciousness.

"Well Done Tadasuki! You have proven yourself! Join me at Honnouji Academy!"

That's when i pledged my undying loyalty to Lady Satsuki, The woman that stole my heart.

From there on out i expressed my love for her in form of loyalty, hoping once all this is over, once her little sister and father are avenged, once Ragyo is defeated maybe, just maybe i… no, i'll restrain myself from such thoughts for now.

"Tadasuki, sir, is everything in order?" Omiko Hakodate, two star leader of the tennis club asked me, her superior, to check if everything was in ok after i inspected it.

"Yes, there seems to be no problems with your equipment, Sanageyama should be here soon for the last adjustments… by the way, what happened to the new girl?"

She told me what happened to the new girl after one of her club members didn't showed to practice the day before.

"I see, she'll most likely show up again… ah! whatever, it's Sanageyama's problem now (and i still cannot follow what happening inside of her pretty head… i'll ask Nonon later… no that sound like a bad idea...)" with that i left the tennis court to examine other clubs and their equipment, such is my duty as vice-president... well that and follow her orders.

#kill la kill #satsuki kiryuin #kiryuin satsuki #oc #fanfic #xreader #Soldier and Empress #klk

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isocrime · 4 years

Note

sorry for sending another question but i also wanted to ask when you first felt the urge to write fanfics? has your 'drive' changed or has it stayed the same? what do you think has changed the most in your writing, and is it for the better? also, lots of love to you for "not gruesome just human" bc that fic is one of v few pieces of uhh media (??) i can consume during my depressive episodes and no matter how many times i reread it, it still makes me feel better. so truly thank u 💗💗

If any of my work can be a balm in bad times, that makes all the writing feel worth it. I always hope I can bring people comfort or escape or whatever they’re coming to fic looking for. <3

Reasons I’ve kept writing, in chronological order:

Fat ca$h*/artistic ambitions I guess

Trading f/f fic for f/f fic

THIS IS MY OPINION, BYE

Make my wife happy

It brings joy

Part of my Writing Journey that’s maybe a little different from the fandom usual is that I got my start writing pro fiction, not fan fiction. Sci-fi/fantasy short fiction is where I cut my teeth, and I still mess around with it from time to time. So my drive to write was really different about ten years ago — I was telling stories with the intent to sell them, which means strict word counts and markets with acceptance rates of between 0.5 and 3%. Writing was like a competitive sport; I was always always always pushing to get better. I like that kind of challenge, and the sff pro fiction world is immensely important to me.

Somewhere on the internet is my secret livejournal with a url I don’t remember, which is where my very first fic is posted. It was a 5 + 1 times SPN wingfic. It is never seeing the light of day. I had visions of being miraculously discovered by fandom without doing anything but writing and placing it on the internet without telling anyone. That did not happen, which was very predictable in retrospect, and I friends-locked the lj in embarrassment.

Couple years after that I started participating in Homestuck fandom a lot as a fan artist and meta-writer. I wasn’t going to write any fic, but then I started collabing on illustrated fic, and then said fuck it and started writing my own stuff, mostly as part of femmeslash exchanges because it was fun, meant I had a deadline, and was a way to get the f/f i wanted written for me.

After Homestuck I settled into a comfortable pattern of consuming media, coming up with exactly one idea about it that I had to turn into fic or I might explode, writing the fic, and peaceing out of the fandom. For anyone who really liked my wtnv fic, my pacific rim fic, my Voltron fic, my good omens fic, etc etc, I’m sorry, I am exactly the nightmare scenario of finding a fic you like, going to the author’s page, and discovering that every other thing they’ve written is in some bullshit fandoms you don’t care about.

Then hopelesse was like “you gotta read this fic, there’s telepathic soul-bonded wolves” (hat tip @sineala) and I was like “THIS IS THE BEST THING EVER” and then I was in steve/tony comics fandom all of a sudden, and, fatefully, I asked hopelesse what fic, THEORETICALLY, she would want in the fandom, and suddenly I had written 27k and that was the girl with the modern face. And now I write steve/tony because it makes me happy, and I relate to both of them in different ways and also I’ve made a bunch of friends who enable me!

I think I’ve gotten a lot better at writing over the 500k or so words I’ve written. The foundations of my writing craft come from the original fiction, but occasionally I flex on the fanfic and get intense about craft there too (not gruesome, just human is actually one of those fics — I paid a lot of attention to the sentences in that and leaned hard on specific, observed details of the surroundings, especially trying to make New York city feel real). Writing a lot of fic has made me faster and loosened up my line writing. Also I learned how to write smut, which was a journey into shamelessness that I honestly think is really worthwhile.

The biggest thing that’s changed I think is how much I can keep track of at once. I remember how impossible it used to feel to keep tabs on sentence structure and plot tie-backs and characterization notes and pacing and blocking and and and — but now it’s automatic. I know approximately where all the pieces are on the board, and whose turn is next, so now the challenge is where to place each move. So that’s pretty cool.

*there is no fat cash, sff short fiction is not a lucrative side hustle by any measure

#i have written...a lot #some of it garbage!#some of it pretty good #most of it in the middle #Anonymous

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tottwritesfanfic · 4 years

Text

Fanfic Authors Tag Game

Thankee for tagging @moramewhq

AO3 name(s): Tottwriter, [REDACTED] Fandoms: Haikyuu!!, Digimon (a little lapsed, but I still tinker with my WIPs!), sliiiightly BNHA, and I have a TUA wip which I will someday resume. I try not to venture into new fandoms but, you know...I fail. Number of fics: I have 56 posted works, but also, uh... a few which I haven’t gotten to posting yet.

1. Fic I spent the most time on:

Um. Oh jeez. I mean, I guess nothing has overtaken Hope’s Fire just yet, because that’s the monster. Hopefully nothing else will? XD

2. Fic I spent the least time on:

Well this is genuinely a toss-up, because I have a few which I wrote for 20 minute prompt game fills, and then hardly even bothered to edit before they were thrown up on Ao3 without a backward glance.

Annoyingly, some of them are among my most popular works.

3. Longest fic:

Hope’s Fire! As I said, it’s the monster, currently clocking in at ~144k. My longest completed fic is The Ocean’s Curse though, which is 62.4k!

4. Shortest fic:

Okay so my shortest fic is actually a bit of weird experimental stuff I wrote for Starbound, which you will note I did not list in the fandoms above, lol. It’s old and weird and 351 words long... I don’t think anyone wants to read it. You don’t want to read it.

5. Most hits:

Hope’s Fire! It’s not really surprising tbh, given how long ago I started it and how many chapters it has.

6. Most kudos:

Hope’s Fire wins this one too! I bet you’re all really shocked to learn this.

7. Most comment threads:

...imma give you lot one guess.

8. Favorite fic I wrote:

fuck. Er. I dunno? I mean I write because I like writing them, you know? But honestly if I have to narrow it down... Parallel for the ‘serious’ fics, and either Press Play or (Not) Moving On for my more lighthearted stuff. It’s hard to pick when I swing between such tone extremes!

9. Fic you want to re-write:

I mean this is probably gonna sound really dumb but...kinda also Hope’s Fire??

Hear me out tho, because it’s complicated (and also I sorta already am). This fic started in 2015. I love it wholeheartedly, and I keep coming back to tinker and I wish life would stop throwing so much shit in my way and let me devote a bit more time to fic-writing so I continue it properly.

But the periodic and spaced-out returns have meant that every time I knuckle down I end up re-reading the whole fic for continuity and tone reasons. You can probably see where this is going. Each time I read my old opening I cringe. It’s just not up to the standards of my writing today and it bugs me.

If I’m being brutally honest, part of the reason I haven’t updated it in so long is that I keep getting distracted going back and tweaking/fixing old chapters rather than focusing on new ones. It’s a bad habit but one I just can’t seem to kick.

10. Share bit of a WIP or a story idea you’re planning on:

You know, I’m actually gonna give two. I’ll drop them below a cut because this got long, but I know I have both Digimon and HQ peeps here and it’s sucky to be in the fandom that doesn’t get the love. I can’t promise when I’ll manage to get either of these posted (I’m trying to avoid adding more works to my Ao3 until they’re actually, you know, finished) but...they exist!

First up, we have Fun and Games at the Adventure Cafe

Yes, this is exactly what you think it is:

The notice on the door said “HELP WANTED” in large, sensible font.

The addendum “Enquire Within” sat below it, equally formal.

Scribbled underneath in scruffy handwriting was just one more addition:

‘as in we’re hiring. dw we know what we’re doing.’

The notice on the door the following morning was back to plain old:

HELP WANTED Enquire Within

…It lasted half a day or so, at least.

As Sora remarked later, it was a wonder they got any applicants at all. Then again, as Taichi remarked, it wasn’t as though a lot of places were taking on extra staff—which was something of an oddity as the summer approached.

“It’s that swanky place round the corner,” he said with disgust, peering out of the window. “Bastards are driving everyone out of business.”

“But not you guys, right!” piped up their current interviewee. “You’re doing great! Honestly, as soon as I saw the sign I knew I had to apply. I’ve always wanted to start my own ramen business, and I figure I ought to start out with a popular place like this and get some real experience in the industry, you know?”

“Er, yes. Right,” Sora remarked, looking over his application. “Well, Daisuke, I will have to warn you that as a new hire you’d be working front-of-house rather in the kitchen, but if you’re okay with that—”

“Eh, just tell him he’s hired already,” Taichi replied, turning back to face them with a grin. “Yamato could definitely use a hand in the kitchen sometimes, so taking on a future all-rounder makes total sense.”

From the look Sora shot him, it perhaps didn’t, but Daisuke was already practically leaping to his feet with a grin, exclaiming that they could totally rely on him, and he absolutely would not let them down and could start the next day if they needed him to.

Next up, for my HQ peeps, here’s a little snippet from Connection Problems, my longtime langushing halfway chatfic. I’m not sharing the chatfic stuff because formatting tumblr is hell, though.

Kenma always suspected that being a third year would turn out to be a pain, but he’d rather hoped his fears wouldn’t be realised within the first few weeks of the school year. Really, it’s bad enough that Kuro, Yaku and Kai have left, and that everyone else nominated him for the role of Captain (he’d talked them down to being Vice Captain instead, but that, apparently, was as low as they were prepared to go). He does not need Taketora constantly pestering him about—of all things—a chat group as well.

“Come on, I thought you and Kuroo were like, joined at the hip or something! Don’t try and act like you don’t miss him now he’s at university.”

He shrugs. “I have a phone. We’re keeping in touch.” Because, really. That’s all that matters, isn’t it? Why does everyone have to complicate things so much?

“Yeah, but, it’s not the same, right? Besides, what the hell! You spend all that time on your phone as it is. And even Fukunaga joined, right?”

Kenma glances over at Shouhei, who nods, grinning sheepishly. Drat.

“Still, I don’t have that chat app you all use,” he says. “It’s too much trouble setting it up, when I can message Kuro just fine.”

That should have been the end of it. Any rational person would have seen that it was no good, and left him in peace. Kuro would have, certainly. Not pushing—never pushing, actually. Just nudging him along a little, and even then, only when it comes to volleyball. He’s learnt all of Kenma’s limits over the years.

But the thing is, Kuro isn’t there any more. It’s just himself, Taketora and Shouhei, and okay, Shouhei never pushes—he hardly ever says anything, for that matter. But Taketora is clearly some sort of demon and he, Kenma, is being punished. Maybe he really pissed someone off in a previous life. Maybe this is a penance so he can piss someone off in his next life with a free pass. Either way, the badgering doesn’t let up.

Kenma holds out until the 27th of May. Seven weeks of hassling is more than enough for anyone.

Aaaand for tagging how about: @ahiddenpath, @humandisasterbuckybarnes, @mooifyourecows

#tag memes #fanfiction stuff #Hope's Fire #once again the author gets waaay too carried away #also if you wanna know my other ao3 you should probably DM me and also be over 18 #because *coughs*

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lotornomiko · 4 years

Text

Light Grasping Darkness (1 of 6, mostly work safe for 1)

Old, old fic of mine...touched up with tweaks to words, grammar, sentence structure that sort of thing. Nothing too major a change, just the perfectionist in me trying to make it a smoother and more enjoyable read....I got the urge to reread this, and of course, couldn’t make it through without trying to “fix” it. And someday I really need to write the sequel, Light Seducing Darkness.

I believe this was my first foray into Hook Emma/Captain Swan fanfic. It starts out i guess R rated, but by chapter two vastly becomes super smutty. This is set in season two, is an AU, has Rumplestiltskin character death. According to fanfic net I originally wrote this in July 2013..., long before season five made Hook as a Dark One a thing. XD

As such, it was written with some thoughts in my head, (I looked at my old author’s notes) where I had thought Hook wasn’t aware of what would happen if he used the dagger on the dark one. I firmly believed he wanted to get his revenge and die, and would have been pissed to find himself stuck as the new Dark One. Although in this fic, from what I remember, I don’t think I gave him much time to be pissed, between the evil queenS orders, and the lust that quickly spilled over in an effort to combat it.

Will be posting all six parts of the completed first in a series fic onto my tumblr, as well as updating it at archive and fanfic.net. Will be posting on tumblr as I finished going over each chapter.

There are moments, all too brief respites, where everything stands frozen and still. It is a lie, the quiet that it brings giving them the illusion of the luxuries they no longer have. Chief among them is time, every moment stolen, every second bringing them closer to what just may be their deaths. However, there is no time to grieve, no time to wage protest against an unfair fate. There exists only now, the running and the plotting, readying themselves for a war they are ill equipped to fight under the best of circumstances, and that was before Gold had been killed.

There's no time to mourn him, no time to do anything more than acknowledge the fallen. Gold stands to be the first in what will become a string of massacres, the worst nightmare of many coming true as Storybrooke falls under the power of not one, but TWO evil queens.

Maybe, just maybe they would stand a chance if it had only been Cora and Regina to contend with. Maybe then they could have won, somehow backed only by the power of the savior, a power that she herself didn't understand and had barely begun to explore. But there had never been time, and Emma had never seen need to truly explore the potential within her, the magic that left her so frightened and disturbed.

She regrets that now, a million if only running through her head. Wondering if only she had made the time, if only she had put aside her duties as sheriff, if only she had taken seriously Gold's attempts to tutor her. Nothing and no one can change the past now, not Emma as the savior, and not even Gold with all the power of the Dark One at his fingertips.

All that power had done little good once Gold had lost control of the dagger. Enslaved by the one who controlled the blade, Gold had been rendered helpless, unable to do anything to ward off the death that had finally come calling.

It wasn't just that they had lost a valuable ally in the war against evil. It was the power the evil queens had gained, the magic that was now theirs to command. A power they were all to quick to use, despite the fact that their tool was a staggered weapon at best.

Emma tried not to shudder as she remembered the scream that had followed Gold's death. The scream that had been unlike anything she had ever before heard, the pain and shock of what was happening registered within it, leaving the Dark One confused, fighting against fate, against orders. That resistance to do as commanded, was the only reason why Emma and her family were still alive. Was the only reason why they were able to run long enough to scheme. Not that the Charmings had much in the way of ideas, not when the dagger was so essential to defeating that which was coming.

It was hard not to give in to those hopeless feelings. To not wonder what chance they stood, with the power of the Dark One turned against them. Even as Emma fought against despairing, she acknowledged that she didn't know enough, not to fight and not to use the power locked inside her. For all that lack of, there was hope, Emma realizing that although she didn't know much about being the savior, the young woman also didn't know enough to truly believe the Dark One was completely unstoppable, dagger aside. And she disliked immensely the pitying looks her father and mother both gave her when she had said so.

Perhaps it was because they were of the other world, and always had lived with the knowledge that there was no true way to destroy the Dark One. Even before the existence of the dagger had become known, the people who had lived in the Enchanted Kingdoms, had grown up believing in the Dark One's invincibility. They had learned first hand, the failures of those who had made attempts on the Dark One's life, had been terrorized and manipulated for years far longer than Gold had been alive.

The Dark One already so terrifying, had become something else entirely under Rumplestiltskin's control. The man had twisted the legends, distorted truths until the name Rumplestiltskin was feared, the man rather than the monster fear, and with that faded memory had gone many’s truths behind the dagger. Through his masterful manipulations, most had gone on to forget that the Dark One had once been a slave, that whoever possessed the dagger had controlled the beast. Forgotten about, it was now a painful reminder that had been slammed into them, stark and potent in its devastating truths.

It was that reminder that was snuffing the hope out of David and Mary Margaret's eyes. That and the memories of those failed attempts to kill, to corner, to even contain Rumplestiltskin and his power. They remembered well the hardships, and the sheer desperation that had led the Blue Fairy into finally discovering a way, albeit a temporary one. A way meant to hold him, to imprison him long enough so that a single generation of people would have peace of mind.

There would be no repeating that way, even if the Blue Fairy had been capable of repeating that spell. In the realm of Storybrooke, even with magic brought back into it, there simply wasn't enough of the Enchanted Kingdoms in this land. There wasn't enough of the ingredients needed to power the spell, no time to prepare, no location secured to act as a prison. There wasn't enough of anything, David and Mary Margaret knowing this, and thus choosing not to build their daughter's hopes up.

They held back, but didn't stop their daughter from scheming. Desperate plan after desperate plan came flowing, none of them seeming plausible, none of them offering true hope of survival. Emma wouldn't, couldn’t, give up, not even when faced with the Dark One, watching as her gun's bullets slammed into his black leather clad chest.

Was it the bullets or the pain of them that seemed to confuse him? He'd actually look down, stare at the small holes in his clothing, smoke curling upwards out of them. His hand would raise, finger fitting into one of the holes. No blood, the skin already healing, mending together as though the bullet had never torn it open.

No further proof was needed that their weapons were useless. And yet Emma kept on firing. Watching the body jerk back with each shell's piercing, seeing the expression on the Dark One's face, a lost look of a despair all his own. She didn't truly understand the expression, or the reasons behind it. Why would he allow such pain to color his eyes? Pain that had nothing to do with the bullets, or Mary Margaret's arrows. Hadn't this been what he had wanted? Hadn't he pursued Gold over time and space, in an effort to bring about his end and claim his power? Hadn't he become exactly what he had always wanted?

Emma didn't know that she was jumping to conclusions. Didn't know, and truth be known, wouldn't have cared. She was blinded by what she saw as his betrayal, cursing herself a fool for ever even giving him a moment's benefit of doubt. She should have known better, DID know better. Once burned, you never, ever give a person a second chance to hurt you. And yet for him, she had. For him she had pushed back the betrayals, choosing to ignore how he had left her and her friends, even her mother, to die in a rotting dungeon, or of the time shortly after, where he had been set on killing her.

Nothing personal he had claimed. And she had believed him! Was it her own guilt at work there? Was it the fact that Emma had not only abandoned him, but left him trapped at the top of a beanstalk, that led her to grudgingly bear him no ill will? Was it that same guilt that made her feel responsible, made Emma think that if she had done one thing differently, none of this would have come to past? Or did she simply regret not killing him when she had had the chance?

No way to know, no time to mull over the what ifs. She was out of bullets, and he was coming, his black leather riddled with smoking holes, but his body otherwise fine. More than fine, if one ignored the anguish of his expression. Always a handsome man, that beauty had become more pronounced, devastatingly dark and seductive, all the better to lure foolish maidens to their ruin.

Emma wasn't foolish, but even she couldn't look at that dark beauty and not be affected. She rebelled against the want that fisted inside her, total defiance spurring her to fling her gun at him. His arm raised, the gun bouncing off harmlessly. She barely registered the sound of steel being drawn, the borrowed sword in her grip as she took up a new stance, readying herself to die fighting.

David was somewhere to the right of her, a sword that had slayed dragons, in his hand. Arrows came from the left of her, Mary Margaret rapidly depleting her stock of projectiles. They were catching on fire, bursting into smoke instead of striking him, though the Dark One hadn't seemed intent on defending himself.

With a challenging scream, Emma and her father both rushed the Dark One at the same time. David's sword twirled in his grip, slashing downwards one moment, then attempting to belly thrust the next. Emma's blade met the metal of his hook, the Dark One effortlessly holding her back. She didn't fight his shove back, instead rebounding, spinning round to come at his head from a new angle. But the blow didn't connect, his hook there, stopping her blade, even as David mercilessly hacked away at his sides. He came away with nothing for his troubles, save to chip away bits of the leather of the Dark One's coat.

Emma bit out a frustrated sound, lashing out with her legs. At best the target she chose would distract him, at worse leave him infuriated. Her knee connected, and for a second it seemed the breath blew out of the Dark One. Her father quick to seize the advantage, went for the Dark One's heart, intending to split it in half with his blade.

And then David was airborne, a self presevation of the Dark One sending Emma's father flying. He didn't go far, the forest too crowded with trees, one of which he slammed into headfirst. Emma heard her mother scream out, Mary Margaret running towards where David had landed. He wasn't moving, the sword slamming tip first into the ground, inches away from his body.

Emma didn't dare think that David might be dead. Didn't dare allow herself to fear she had lost a father she had barely begun to know. She just tightened her grip on the hilt of her sword, grim determination in her to somehow bring down this monster.

The sword was caught mid blow, wrenched free of her hand by an unnatural force. She wouldn't let that deter her, striking him close fisted in the face and coming away with a hand that had gone numb from the contact. An arrow flew, just missing the Dark One's face, Emma hearing Mary Margaret screaming at her to run.

Even if she wasn’t stubbornly rebelling against such a command, there was no chance to flee. The Dark One had grabbed her by the throat, lifting her up off the ground. Leaving Emma choking one instant, growling the next. More arrows flew past, Mary Margaret refusing to take her own advice, refusing to abandon her husband and daughter to this unstoppable monster.

Emma felt her mother's frustration, as she kicked out with her legs, clawing at the arm of the hand that so effortlessly held her up off the ground. She didn't want to believe she was going to die like this, one hand digging her nails into his, the other held towards him in a warding gesture.

"Hook..." She barely got out his name, her voice sounded like gravel in response to the grip crushing down on her throat. "Please..." Emma hated that she was begging, but her options had run out. There was nothing left to do, but plead with a monster, hope there was enough of the man left inside him, to listen and show mercy.

"Emma..." The Dark One had hesitated, his grip relaxing slightly. Sorrow colored his sea dark eyes, an expression so unsettling on he who had once been nothing but wickedly flirtatious. Emma saw then that he really didn't want to do this, that he was truly enslaved by the dagger. That he was fighting even now, the compulsions of his mistress' command. And yet it would do none of them any good, could only delay the inevitable.

"Fight it." urged Emma, still speaking in the raspy tones forced on her by that bruising grip of his.

"I want to." He admitted, and then his grip tightened again. "But I can't..."

She tried to scream in frustration, but it came out a mere whimper. How did one fight, how did one hope to win against the Dark One's power? How did anyone do anything but lay down and die, when faced with such unfair odds.

"Help me." The Dark One gritted out through clenched teeth. Emma's eyes had widened, the woman shocked completely at the Dark One's plea. "Save me..."

All seemed frozen, waiting for Emma's answer. But how could she save him, when Emma couldn't even save herself? The familiar frustrations bloomed within her, Emma wishing she understood the power she was supposed to have. Would it have been enough? Was there anyway for the product of true love to combat such an ancient, and all powerful evil?

Her vision was blurring, the grip on her throat slowly but surely suffocating her. Wetness pricked at her eyes, but Emma refused to give in to tears. Sound echoed from a distance, Mary Margaret's scream barely more than a whisper. She saw faces of her past float before her, Neal, her son Henry, that of her parents and friends. Even Gold appeared, a ghostly vision of the past that helped remind her that the power was within her, Emma merely had to focus to find it, to know what she needed to do.

Difficult to focus when one was losing their tenacious grip on reality. Emma reached out, her hand making contact with the Dark One's chest. He felt warm, so full of life and vitality, in comparison to the cold that was streaking icy tendrils through her. Emma wanted that warmth, wanted to use it to stave off the cold. Her hand moved, doing an unconscious caress as she dipped inside his shirt to touch directly on his skin.

So focused was she on the warming feel of his flesh that Emma almost missed the look that flashed in the Dark One's eyes. Almost didn't see Hook looking back at her, the pain and surprise being eaten away by something primal. It was sin of a most wicked kind that gazed out at her, the ever flirtatious pirate longing for something she had never been prepared to give him. Emma would give it to him now, if it meant they stood a chance of surviving, if it meant it would buy Mary Margaret enough time to flee.

With the breath being choked out of her, Emma directed her touch lower, her accidental caress gaining purpose. The breath hissed out of the Dark One, Hook looking as though he was the one struggling to breathe now. His eyes were swallowed up in desire, when her hand slipped into his pants, Emma not bothering with being coy, or teasing, directly grasping hold of his cock, and giving it a purposeful squeeze.

Hook reacted immediately, the grip on her throat loosening as his erection sprung to potent life. Emma had a second to be amazed, and even made breathless and dazed, she didn't miss the cocksure smirk that he gave her, Hook proud of himself and the formidable size of his erection. He had been right to boast, and a part of her was actually anticipating feeling that length of his thrusting inside her.

Continuing to touch him, to stroke and grip the focal point of his arousal, Emma looked Hook right in the eyes, a smirk of her own inviting him to play. "What say we take this some place more private?"

It was all she had to say, Hook's arm going around her waist, pulling her against him so that her breasts squished against his chest. Emma didn't allow a second of hesitation to affect her, knowing there was no room for doubts at this point in time. This was the right course, the only course, and though it might just be delaying the inevitable, it might just buy the needed time. Time for her to figure out her powers, or time for Mary Margaret to find Ruby and Henry, and flee to where the Dark One's powers could not follow.

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

To Be Continued....

#fanfiction #fanfic #once upon a time #ouat #Light Grasping Darkness #Captain Hook #Captain Swan #Emma Swan #Killian Jones #killian jones x emma swan #season 2 cannon divergence

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madrut16 · 5 years

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July Fanfic Challenge Day 3: Closure - Part 1

Author’s Note: Another new pairing! I finished playing this book back in October for Halloween and ILB (which I haven’t really played bc I want a good ending and I cannot afford the diamonds to get it) and I loved it! This is the first book where I haven’t really been drawn to any of the canon LIs so, of course, I had to come up with this! I can’t wait to write more with them and explore these characters post It Lives.

Pairing/Book: ILITW (Dan x MC)

Rating: PG-13

Summary: There’s one last thing Raina needs to do before she and some of the gang leave for the start of a new chapter of their lives in Seattle.

The doorbell rang as I scrambled to finish packing my suitcase, and I cursed out loud when I checked the time on my phone. I knew I should’ve gotten up an hour earlier but I was never a morning person and it took forever to go to sleep last night. Sighing, I stared at the two plastic bins left in my room before running downstairs to the front door.

“I’m coming!” I shouted as I reached the entryway.

I took a second to smooth down the stray hairs that had appeared in the reflection of the old grandfather clock attached to the wall. It was a silly thing to do since he wouldn’t care what I looked like this early in the morning. But, then again years old crushes made you do a lot of trivial things.

With a satisfied nod, I finally opened the door. “Hey! Come in.”

“Took you long enough,” Dan commented as I let him inside.

I gave him one of my signature eye rolls. “Sorry, I was packing.”

“Still?”

“I know, usually I’m much more organized but, I’ve been doing most of this by myself so it’s taken a while,” I explained as I led him back up the stairs. “I swear I’m almost done though, it’s mainly just my suitcase for the road trip I have left.”

Catching my gaze, his lips turned up into a smile. “Good, cause the others are gonna be here in about 15 minutes.”

“I could use some help then,” I replied as we reached my room where I quickly added, “And don’t worry, my underwear is already in there so you don’t have to touch any of that.”

This caused him to chuckle, although I thought I saw his cheeks turn a little red. Or maybe it was just all my imagination, hoping it was true. “Wasn’t even concerned about it. I’m happy to help if it means we actually get to leave on time for a pit stop for coffee and donuts.”

“At Diane’s?”

“Of course, is there really any other option?” He answered with a smirk.

After waking up from the coma and dealing with all of the repressed trauma from Mr. Red and Jane and Noah, it made me happy to see him finally starting to return to his normal self over the past several months.

Packing the pile of sweaters I folded late last night, I responded, “Not in Westchester there isn’t. We’ll have to find someplace like it in Seattle.”

“Oh, I’m sure it won’t be that hard, it’s practically dripping in coffee shops,” he said, handing me the last stack of clothes on my bed. “What are we doing with those?” he asked, gesturing to the closet behind me.

“Already have that covered,” I disclosed, walking over and opening the door to reveal several hangers wrapped in trash bags.

Looking over my handiwork, an impressed expression appeared. “You...really planned this out.”

“Actually this time it was my mom’s idea. Once I get to the apartment, I can just hang them back up and take the bags off. Easy peasy.” I started collecting them from the closet and setting them in the one bin that was left unfilled.

There was a brief pause and I could tell he was deep in thought, almost as if he wanted to say something but wasn’t sure if he should. He always got quiet when he did this but, so did I. That’s how I knew he had slipped into his own head. Well, that and the fact that we’ve been best friends off and on for over a decade now.

“Dan?”

“Hmm?” he snapped out of his reflective daze.

“Penny for your thoughts? You got quiet there for a minute.”

Meeting my gaze, he shrugged. “Nothing, I just...it must be hard, not having your parents with you to help move in.”

A small wave of sadness came over me. For almost four years now it’s been like this, them having to miss important milestones and events of my life. They barely made it back in time for my graduation over a year ago.

“My Nana’s...health problems definitely don’t have a convenient schedule,” I sighed. “Especially now that they’re getting worse. Who knows how long they’ll have to be over there this time. They are helping pay my portion of the rent so...I can’t really complain. They're doing the best they can and that’s what matters.”

“Yeah.”

I managed another smile, not wanting to think about it any longer. “Plus, your family will be over there this weekend before classes start, and they’re always there for me when mine can’t be,” I added.

“They do adore you,” Dan agreed with a laugh.

As we finished up the last of my packing, we continued our normal banter until it was complete. Right after that my phone chimed and I saw a new message from Andy in the group chat.

Andy: I’m here with Ava.

Ava: Can confirm.

Stacy: I’m on my way, be there shortly.

Smiling, I sent a thumbs up back.

“Well, we timed that perfectly,” I told Dan who was reading the messages on his phone.

This earned me a boyish grin, and I bit my lip as it stirred up a wave of butterflies. “What can I say? We make a great team. Almost perfect even.”

Was he flirting? God, I scrutinized everything between us these days.

“We really do, don’t we?” I raised an eyebrow teasingly as we headed back downstairs, bringing the bins and my suitcase with us. We set them with the others in the kitchen before letting our friends inside.

“Hey, Raina, Dan,” Andy said, the morning not hurting his energy one bit.

“Hey, guys!” I exclaimed giving him a hug.

I attempted to do the same with Ava but she dodged me and I settled for a hive five instead. “Nice try Raina but, it’s not happening.”

“Oh, I’ll get you to let me one of these days.”

She scoffed in response. “Hah, doubtful. It is fun to see you try though.”

I rolled my eyes as Stacy walked through the door.

“Sorry, I didn’t knock,” she panted out of breath. “But the door was open so I assumed it was fine.”

“Of course it is Stace,” I told her before taking in her haphazard appearance. “Running late?”

She nodded. “I couldn’t decide what to bring! It took me an hour to finally sort everything out. Plus, my mother was delaying me. I don’t think she wants to be by herself.” She frowned momentarily.

“I’m sure she’ll be fine,” Dan chimed in, trying to reassure her. At this point, it was almost second nature. “She just needs some time to adjust.”

“Yeah, I know,” she replied, exhaling the pent up stress she carried. “Doesn’t make it easier. At least Conner is there so, she’ll have some peace of mind.” She rubbed her forehead before painting on a smile.

Andy cleared his throat to relieve the sudden tension in the room. Everyone knew why Mrs. Green was paranoid.

“Ready to leave?” he asked, the keys dangling from his hand.

“I think so,” Dan replied, his analytical gaze wandering around the first floor. “Right Raina?”

I’m about to reply when I remember something. There was one last goodbye I needed to say. However, it meant letting them in on the secret that I’ve been keeping from them. But, I wasn’t one to break a promise and I wasn’t going to do it now.

“Actually, there is one thing that I need to do,” I responded, a nervous knot forming in my stomach. “It should take ten minutes, fifteen at most.”

I was met with four confused stares.

“What do you mean?” Dan asked me.

My gaze drifted to the window where the woods could be seen outside. “I need to visit...Noah.”

The name lingered, slowly sinking into each of my friends’ minds.

“Wait...you’ve been...seeing him?!” Stacy exclaimed first.

I had told them about what had happened between us and what he’d become right after that night but not much else.

I reluctantly nodded. I was tired, exhausted of carrying this burden on my own.

“For several months now. I know, he’s not exactly my favorite person either, and I definitely think him taking Jane’s place was the right thing to do,” I started to explain. “But, I don’t know, I guess he still deserves some mercy, some compassion still. I don’t want to leave him alone out there. So, I sometimes visit him every week or two, just so he has company.”

They all looked at each other and I closed my eyes, bracing for a confrontation. Yet, that’s not what I received.”

“We’re not mad,” Andy said after a minute. “Well, at least I’m not. I will admit that I’m not really that pissed at the guy anymore. And I’m the one whose leg got busted.”

Stacy and Ava still looked hesitant and I couldn’t blame them. Dan was quiet and deep in thought again but other than that, I had no idea how he felt and that scared me to death.

“I’m not completely over him trying to kill us...but I will admit I am tired of holding a grudge,” Ava mumbled, her arms folded tightly across her chest.

After a beat, Stacy sighed reluctantly, a guilt-ridden expression on her face. “Ugh, I can’t believe I’m saying this but...me too. That whole mess brought us back together when we never should’ve separated in the first place.”

That left one person. The person I needed to hear from the most. I willed myself to look at him.

“Dan? Say something,” I begged.

Please.

He shrugged a smile appearing. “You were actually worried Raina?” he commented, and I released the air I had been holding in.

“A little,” I admitted sheepishly. I should’ve known that he’d be the one I’d have to convince the least.

“I never really faulted the guy,” he said. “I mean yeah he betrayed us, but it was for a good reason. He wanted Jane back, his twin. And he mistakenly thought that was the only way he could do it. So, I’m definitely fine with you doing this. I just wish you would’ve felt like you could tell us. Me.”

I physically felt the weight lift off my shoulders. “Thank you, for not hating me. I just...we weren’t there for Jane when she was like this and look what happened. I don’t want the same thing to happen with Noah. I promised I’d say goodbye before we left.”

“Then let’s do it,” he replied.

I was taken a bit back as the others nodded in agreement. “You guys don’t have to come if you don’t want to. Just because this is what I need to find peace doesn’t mean it’s what you do.”

His response was immediate. “We’re a team, Raina. All of us. We got into this mess together so we should end it that way too. I think this could be good for all fo us. Well besides Lucas and Lily who aren’t here.”

“They can come with us when we’re here in December if they want to,” Andy said.

A touched smile appeared on my face. I was so grateful to have them so entrenched in my life again.

“Then let’s go into the woods.”

#playchoices #choices stories you play #choices july challenge #it lives in the woods #choices ilitw #dan x mc

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canadiankazz · 5 years

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The Fifteenth Time AKA: Rest in Peace - An L.A. by Night Fanfic

Jasper takes Annabelle to his grave and they discover something distressing there.

This fic is part of an AU series where Jasper has been feeding from Annabelle and they now have a Blood Bond and a slow burn romantic relationship. It’s obviously worth reading the rest of the "Feeds From" series before this part.

The Entire ‘Feeds From’ Master List Can be Found Here

SPOILERS for the end of Campaign 1, the one-shots, and up to and including Episode 7 of Season 2. This was written before the author saw Episode 8 of Season 2.

Episode 7 of Season 2 "Red Flags," had a lot of talk about graves, what with over half the episode taking place in a cemetery. That got me thinking about Jasper's grave and how it might be interesting to see that. I was also thinking about Chloe's investigative arc in season 2 and what she might do if he were upset and obsessive enough.

As always, I lay no claim to owning any of the characters involved, and my eternal thanks to everyone who has read and enjoyed my fic. Thanks to @cravatfiend and @gokaiyellow for editing, inspiration, and encouraging me to write "fee fees."

Also posted to the author’s Ao3.

First posted March 29, 2019.

The Fifteenth Time Jasper Fed From Annabelle (AKA: Rest in Peace)

“I have something I want to show you.”

Annabelle had noticed that Jasper had been very quiet this evening, more so than perhaps usual. “Sure,” she said. “What is it?”

He licked his fangs in nervous habit. “It's um... my grave.”

Annabelle's eyebrows rose. It was certainly not something she had expected him to say. She knew that his death had been faked. Well, 'faked' was the wrong word. Jasper was dead, there was no denying that, but he was still walking and talking and very much not in his grave. Neither she, nor the others in their coterie were listed in any kind of official records as having died, save for Jasper.

“Oh, um, sure, if you'd like. Um... why?” Annabelle inquired.

Jasper shrugged. He seemed very downcast. He had a lot on his mind and most of it wasn't good. “I don't know,” he said quietly. “I've been doing a lot of thinking. I just... well, you've been wanting to know more about me, and there is a lot that I still don't want to tell you, but I think this is something I can share with you... if you'd like.”

Annabelle nodded. “Sure, Jasper. Is it... are we coming up to an anniversary?”

He knew what type of anniversary she meant. He shook his head. “No. I died in November.”

November was still many months away from when they were at now, but Annabelle realised that she had known him while the anniversary of his death had come and gone and he hadn't said anything about it. Well, why would he have? Especially because he hadn't known her that well back then.

“Should I bring anything? Do you want me to leave flowers?” Annabelle asked with a tiny hint of humour.

Jasper shook his head again. “No, it's fine.”

“Right, well, I can always just give you flowers. You like roses, right?” she smiled at him and, despite himself, he smiled back, just a tiny bit.

“I know you like pink ones,” he said, remembering Eva's gift to her. “If you ever get a grave, I'll leave some for you.”

“Aww. That's sweet. Morbid, but sweet.”

“Annabelle, I'm taking you to see my grave,” he reminded her. “'Morbid' is a little moot at this point.”

Jasper led Annabelle to a small cemetery in eastern L.A. The gate was locked, but Jasper had no intention of going in that way anyway. He took Annabelle around the side, over by some tall trees that provided some shade for the graves and the people who visited them. The trees also provided some cover for stealth. The fence was twelve feet tall and topped with spikes to deter people breaking in at night. It would not deter Jasper though.

Annabelle eyed the spikes with a little nervousness. “Are we going to climb over?”

“No,” Jasper said, judging the height and distance and making mental calculations. “I'm going to jump.”

“I can't jump that high.”

“Yeah, I know. I'm going to jump. I'll carry you.”

Jasper crouched down, presenting his back to Annabelle. She smiled and climbed on. He held her, piggy-back style, his arms and hands supporting her legs as she clung to his neck and shoulders.

“Don't drop me, please,” she said, trying not to sound nervous. She could take a basic fall, but she didn't like the look of those spikes at the top of the fence. Annabelle figured she could survive the impalement, but it would be very painful.

Jasper smiled over his shoulder at her. “I’d never drop you. Never.”

Annabelle felt his muscles tense in preparation for the soaring leap. She squeezed her eyes shut tight. Jasper leapt, clearing the height easily and landing quietly on the well-manicured lawn on the other side. Annabelle giggled softly despite herself.

“That was kind of fun,” she whispered.

Jasper knelt to let her down. “Well, we'll have to do it again to get out. Now... we'll have to be quiet. There might be a security guard, but I doubt it.”

Annabelle nodded. “Okay.”

Jasper lead the way again. He had only been here once before, not long after his embrace, but he remembered the way. One of the other Nosferatu had taken him here when they told him that he had been interred – or at least, that an empty coffin had been buried and a headstone with his name on it was in place. His grave was towards the back and off to the side, away from heavy traffic. Annabelle tried not to think of it as a 'forgotten' corner of the cemetery, but it sure seemed that way. They approached it from behind, unable to read any of the names on the stones unless they looked back behind them. For the sake of making sure Annabelle didn't lose him in the dark, Jasper did not activate Obfuscate, but he did move silently. Annabelle tiptoed, almost as quiet as he was.

Jasper's headstone was a small, simple curve of dark granite. They came around a corner and there it was. There was no flowery epithet, no Bible quotes, not even a “Beloved Son,” just his name and two years sandblasted into the smooth, dark grey stone.

Jasper Heartwood 1989 – 2013

Annabelle didn't know what her reaction was going to be upon seeing it. She was struck by a wave of sadness. It was a simple, inexpensive grave. Not that having a big, fancy tomb would have meant he was any less loved in life, but there was something about it that was still monumentally heart breaking. Annabelle used the light from her phone to read the inscription clearly. She reached out to touch the stone, but hesitated. She glanced back at Jasper, as if for permission.

Jasper was standing back, not as close to the grave as Annabelle was. His face was a blank, unreadable mask. He did not like being here. He did not need any reminders of his current circumstance or what he had lost, but it was still, in an odd way, a part of him. He was sharing his existence with Annabelle at the moment. He wanted her to see this, and he wanted to be here when she did, and so here he was.

“May I?” she asked.

He shrugged, genuinely not caring if she touched it or not, but there was something still nice about her asking permission. “Sure.”

Annabelle traced the letters of his name with her fingers. She could feel tears prickle her eyes and wiped them on her sleeve. “I'm surprised it doesn't say more. Why doesn't it say 'rest in peace'?”

“I don't know. I didn't pick it,” Jasper said, “and whoever did obviously didn't have much to say about me. To be fair though, I'm not resting in peace.”

Annabelle sniffled and chuckled. “That's true.” She was quiet for another moment, thinking. “I never knew you back when... we were alive, but... I'd like to think we would have been friends if we did.”

“Maybe,” he said softly. He sounded like he doubted it. He and Annabelle had run in very different social circles at college.

Annabelle frowned, spotting something odd on the surface of the granite. She increased the brightness of her phone light slightly and brought it a little closer to the stone. There was a reddish mark that was only just visible. It wasn’t blood. The shade of red was too bright.

“What is it?” Jasper asked.

“It looks almost like... there was paint or something on it, but it was washed off? You can still see it faintly. Look,” Annabelle pointed and Jasper stepped forward, squinting critically at the bright light. “Could have been... letters?”

Jasper snarled softly in irritation. Had someone actually defaced his grave? It made him more angry than he thought it would.

Annabelle traced the very faint red marks on the stone where the paint had been washed off. It did seem to have been letters; four letters, in fact, and underlined:

F A K E

“'Fake'?” Annabelle read out loud. She looked at Jasper, confused. “Why would anyone spray paint 'fake' on your grave?” Her eyes went wide with dreadful realisation. “Do you think someone knows that you're not, you know... buried here?”

Jasper bared his teeth and swore. “Shit...”

“You told me that you had written a note...” Annabelle said slowly in dawning horror, “to someone who thought you were dead. Was it your girlfriend?”

“Yes,” he hissed.

“Would she do something like this?” Annabelle gestured back to the grave.

His first instinct was so say no, but then he remembered what Chloe could be like when she was obsessed with something. She got very irritable and irrational until whatever problem she was working on was solved. That said, she wouldn't go so far as to deface a grave... would she? “I wouldn’t think so.”

“When was the last time you saw her?”

“Before Thanksgiving. When I gave her... that note.”

“Who else...?” Annabelle wondered out loud. “Who else might know?”

“I don't know,” Jasper growled, angry. His mind raced. Maybe it was Chloe's friends? No... they weren't the types to do this either. His family? No. He hadn’t seen or heard from any of them since he had left for college. There were reasons why Chloe was the only mortal he had cared about for a long time after he became Kindred. He glanced around at the other graves. None of them appeared to have been marked like his had been. This had been a deliberate, targeted action.

Annabelle looked back at Jasper’s grave, sad and confused. “Well, someone seems to know, or thinks they know,” she sighed. “Maybe we can ask around? It might have made the news. Are any of the others painted on too?”

“No. Just mine,” Jasper said. He was worried now about Chloe. He had hoped that she would be even safer now that he wasn't involved in watching the college any more, but it looked like she was still getting herself into trouble chasing some clue about his death or disappearance. “Let's go. I need to make a phone call.”

Their walk back towards the fence was a lot faster than their one towards the grave had been. Once again, Jasper knelt and let Annabelle climb onto his back. He leapt over the fence and let her down safely on the other side. Jasper used the darkness of the trees to cover him while he dug out his phone and called Ramona. Annabelle stood nearby, fretting.

“Hey Jaaaaasper,” Ramona said in a teasing tone when she answered. “What's up? You want a threesome? Because I am not down.”

Jasper growled, really not in the mood for this. “Ramona, I need to ask you something. It's important and it's NOT about that.”

“Fine, but before you do, you owe Meg an apology.”

“I- what?” Jasper blinked, his train of thought derailed.

“Meg. The rat you yeeted across the park.” Jasper heard Ramona laugh to herself. “'Yeet,' I like that word. It's what the kids are saying these days instead of 'throw.' But seriously, you need to say sorry to her. She hurt her leg.”

Jasper clenched his jaw so hard his molars hurt. “Ramona -”

“I will answer any questions you want if you say sorry,” Ramona said. “Here, I'll hold her up to the phone so she can hear you... or do you want me to call Victor and tell him about everything Meg heard and saw in your gross little sex dungeon?”

Jasper closed his eyes, forcing himself to count to ten and willing his Beast to stop raging. Annabelle was watching him, her face lined with concern. She was wringing her hands.

Jasper ran his tongue slowly over his fangs, wishing now he had killed that rat back when he had caught it in his sanctum in the first place. “Fine, Ramona... put Meg on,” he said in a slow, falsely sweet voice.

Annabelle frowned, very confused. “Meg?” she whispered.

Jasper held up a finger to beg her patience. He could hear muffled scraping on the other end of the phone line and a chittering, like rodent teeth near the phone speaker. “I'm sorry,” he said through gritted teeth.

There was more scraping and rat squeaking on the other end, then Ramona's voice came back. “There, was that so hard? Now, what's up, Jasper?”

“Remember that person I asked you to keep an eye on when you took over watching Griffith College for us?”

“Yeah... why?”

“Do you know where she is right now?”

Ramona hesitated. “Uh...”

Jasper didn't like the sound of that. Once again, he had to force his Beast to keep calm.

“Actually, I haven't seen her for a few weeks,” Ramona confessed.

Jasper felt like his stomach had dropped out. If he were not already grey, he would have lost all colour in his skin.

“But the rat pack have!” Ramona said quickly. “The last time the rat pack saw her, she had gone to a police station and then went home again,” Ramona continued. “That was a few nights ago. I can make them look again?”

“Yes, please do,” Jasper snarled.

“Okay, on it. I'll text you when they find something.”

“Thanks,” he hissed. “And one more thing...”

“Yeah?”

“You wouldn’t be able to look into reports of anyone defacing graves at East Los Angeles Cemetery, would you?”

“Uh, sure,” Ramona said hesitantly. “I'll see if I can dig anything up.”

“Much appreciated.”

“Anything else?” Ramona asked, hoping that there was nothing.

“That's all for now,” Jasper said tightly.

“Okay. I'll text you later.”

“Good bye.” Jasper hung up and resisted the urge to crush the phone in his hand.

“Is everything okay? Who's Meg?” Annabelle asked.

“The rat I... threw,” Jasper was not going to say the slang for it. “The one that was spying on us. Ramona made me apologise to it.”

“Well, to be fair...”Annabelle started.

Jasper glared at her.

“Sorry, sorry,” Annabelle said, backtracking. “What did Ramona say?”

“Apparently,” Jasper sighed, “the rats saw her, my girlfriend, go to a police station recently. Ramona is going to text me when she knows more.”

“So... it could have been her who spray painted your grave.”

“Yeah, it could have been, especially if she were caught doing it.”

Annabelle reached out to hold his hand. He didn't pull away from her. She could feel his tension. No need for a Blood Bond to tell her what he was going through emotionally. She gave him a gentle squeeze, trying to be reassuring.

“Come on,” she said gently. “Let's go home.”

Jasper nodded. No use just standing here next to the cemetery all night. He let Annabelle lead him back to the street and they began their trip back towards his sanctum.

“Thank you... for showing me that. I'm sorry it upset you though,” Annabelle said softly.

“So long as she is fine, I'll be fine,” Jasper said.

Annabelle nodded.

They were quiet all the way back to the L.A. River and Jasper's front door. Ramona texted him just as they were opening it.

“She's alive. Got eyes on her. Will look into the grave thing tomorrow.”

Jasper sighed in relief as he read it.

“Is she okay?” Annabelle asked.

Jasper nodded, his worry starting to drain away. “Well, she's alive at least.”

“I have a bad feeling about this,” Annabelle said. “I don't know if it was her who defaced your grave, but... if she thought that your death was fake because of that note and she was really upset about it, she might-”

“Look, I already know it was a stupid thing to write her that note!” he snapped, slamming the door shut behind them.

Annabelle looked startled at his outburst, then her face softened. “I'm sorry, Jasper,” she said quietly. “I can't judge you for writing that note. I would have done the same, you know that. I know you miss her. You've had it the hardest of all of us. It's not fair.”

He sighed again, calming down. “No... it's not fair at all.”

Annabelle touched his arm in sympathy and they headed into the sanctum itself.

“Do you want to talk about it?” she asked him when they got there.

“Not really, no,” Jasper replied.

“Okay. At least she's okay, right? Ramona will keep an eye on her.”

Jasper grunted softly, agreeing.

Annabelle was thinking, a plan forming in her head. “I want to do something nice for you, because this hasn't been the best night mood-wise.”

He side-eyed her as they came into his haven. “What are you planing?”

“Would you like a massage?” Annabelle offered.

Jasper's brow furrowed. It wasn’t quite what he was expecting her to say. “Sure, I guess?”

“You haven't had one in five years, I'm guessing.”

“That is correct.”

“Okay. Um... hoodie off, and get on the bed face-down.”

He smirked a tiny bit. Usually, he was the one asking Annabelle to take her clothes off. It also wasn’t that long ago when he would have protested getting any kind of nude around her, or around anyone, really. A lot had happened between now and then. Also, this was a direct order from his regnant, and his blood pulled at him to obey through their Bond.

Jasper stripped to the waist and stretched out on his stomach on the bed, his face pressed against a pillow and his arms folded under the pillow.

“I wish we had some body butter,” he heard Annabelle say as she took off her jacket and rolled up her sleeves. “But I guess we'll just go without this time. If you like it though, we can do this again. I used to rub Mark and Elle's backs all the time.”

Jasper closed his eyes with another soft grunt. He was non-committal at this point, but open to the possibility of future massages if this one went well. Annabelle turned on some of their battery-operated candles and put some gentle acoustic music playing on her phone to set the calm, semi-romantic mood she wanted.

Annabelle climbed onto the bed and contemplated Jasper's bare back. The black veins were like inter-lacing spider webs branching out from along his spine, which was fairly pronounced on his slim frame. She flexed her fingers and gently straddled his lean hips to get at the best angle. She decided to start with his upper back and shoulders and work her way down. She got to work, stroking and pressing and kneading his undead muscles. Jasper's skin was dry and a little coarse. Again, Annabelle wished for some kind of moisturiser, but didn't mention it. She was sure it probably wouldn’t work long on Nosferatu skin anyway. She grimaced a little but kept going. “How's that?”

Jasper had to be honest, it felt a lot better than he thought it would. “Good,” he growled softly.

“Good,” Annabelle smiled, pleased that her minor discomfort was worth it. She kept going, working her way down his spine. He snarled very quietly to himself. Annabelle pressed hard and Jasper seemed to like it. He winced, but it was in the pain of a good massage.

“I'm not... so optimistic to believe that you and I will be together forever,” Annabelle said softly as she worked on his lower back, using her thumbs to rub in slow circles. “I've learned that lesson the hard way, and… even though we could live forever, kind of, these are dangerous times. But... while we are together, Jasper, I want to try to give you as many nice memories as I can. I know that you've got lots of years of horrible ones, so... let's try to even that up a little bit.”

“You already have given me lots of good memories.” Jasper shifted and glanced back at her over his shoulder. He was struck by a sudden memory from when he was alive of Chloe rubbing his back just like this after a stressful exam. He told Annabelle what he had told Chloe then. “You're too good for me.”

“Aww. That's sweet but I don’t think it’s true that I’m too good for you.” Annabelle leaned forward and planted three soft little kisses along Jasper’s spine. “And do not start on your 'I've done bad things,' speech, not without at least telling me some of those bad things.”

Jasper shrugged. He wasn't going to tell Annabelle anything he didn't have to. He relaxed back to enjoy the end of the massage.

“Are you hungry?” she asked him after a few more minutes

“A little, but...”

“But... you're not really in the mood?” Annabelle guessed. She thought that was a shame. She had been looking forward to the potential of more sexy times, but clearly Jasper was not up for it tonight.

“Not really, no,” he confirmed.

“That's okay. We don't have to go all out with the Blush of Life and... the sex and all that every time. How about just a sip?”

Jasper's Beast snarled and whispered in his chest. It had been denied several times already this night. He relented. It was too hard sometimes to say no to both Annabelle and his Beast at the same time. “Just a sip,” he sighed.

“Okay,” Annabelle got up off of him and flexed her fingers again. “You want your hoodie?”

“Yes, please.”

Annabelle scooped it off the floor and passed it to Jasper. He sat up and pulled it on, but left the hood down and his head exposed.

“How does your back feel?” she asked.

Jasper gave her a little smile. “Good, thank you.” He flexed and twisted, making his spine, shoulders and neck crackle and pop. Annabelle winced.

“Doesn't that hurt when you do that?”

Jasper shook his head. “Nope.”

She eyed his bare head. “Um... do you like scalp massages?”

“I used to love them, but-”

“You haven't had one in five years,” Annabelle concluded. She adjusted the pillows and sat on the bed with her back against the wall. “Put your head in my lap.”

It was another direct order that he didn't deny. He lay back on the bed, face-up this time, with his head resting on Annabelle's thighs. He bent his knees up and crossed his hands over his stomach, getting comfortable. This was another thing Chloe used to do for him, back when he was alive and had short hair to fuzz. He remembered how it used to help him relax fall asleep when he was stressed.

Annabelle ran her fingernails gently over his hairless scalp. They made a faint scraping sound over his dead skin. She ignored it and massaged gently with her right hand, her other hand coming to rest over his chest. He watched their flickering shadows on the wall in the artificial candlelight. She watched his face, looking for signs of him relaxing and finding them. He was certainly no longer tense, but there was a lingering sadness and anxiety that was seeping through. She could see it in his cold, white-blue eyes. She knew that if they were in front of the rest of the coterie, he might have hidden that emotion, but in front of her in the privacy of his haven - their haven – he let it show.

Jasper's chest was perfectly still and lacking any signs of life, save for the very occasional deliberate sigh as he relaxed a little more. Eventually his eyes drifted closed. Apparently, he thought, some things just don’t change.

Annabelle thought for a moment that she may have put him to sleep, but when she swapped hands so that her left hand was rubbing his scalp instead, he shifted and stirred.

“Sleepy?” she asked.

“Not really,” he lied, his eyes still closed.

“There's still hours until dawn. Want to watch something? Or read?”

“We'll find something,” he mumbled.

“Sure. But first... your sip.”

Jasper cracked an eye open and looked up at her. She gave him a sly smile and showed him her free wrist. It had the bracelet he had made and given her around it.

“Yes?” Annabelle asked.

“Yes,” Jasper confirmed. He brought his hands up to hold her hand and arm in front of his face, making sure to keep her bracelet out of the way. She let him guide her wrist to his mouth. Annabelle prepared herself for the pain to come. Jasper opened his mouth and made a small, careful bite. Annabelle winced at the pain and and willed her Vitae forward. She didn't normally get to watch him feed, but she did this time. Scarlet blood dripped down and he caught it neatly with his tongue. He let her bleed freely for a few moments, then closed his lips around the wound and suckled gently. His Adam’s apple moved as he swallowed. That felt good and Annabelle sighed, stroking the top of his head with her other hand. Her stomach fluttered.

Jasper only fed for a few seconds before Annabelle felt him lick her wrist tenderly to close the wound. Her Beast grumbled its usual complaints about the loss of Vitae and she shushed it. She was helping Jasper and she felt good doing it. Annabelle bent her head down and placed an upside-down kiss gently on his forehead. Jasper let her wrist go free and looked up at her with a little smile.

“Thank you,” he whispered. “You taste good, as always.”

Annabelle stroked his cheek. “Thank you. It's an odd compliment, but a sweet one.”

“It's true though,” Jasper sighed, content.

“What do you want to do now? You want to watch something?”

“Sure, but I don't want to get up.”

She smiled. “Too comfy?”

“Yes,” he said with a light snarl.

Annabelle reached for her phone and turned off the music that was playing. They watched stupid, silly videos on YouTube – news bloopers, Vine compilations and the like. Annabelle continued to stroke and massage Jasper's scalp as they passed the time. He definitely seemed to enjoy it, and Annabelle made a mental note that he liked this kind of thing. Jasper had been both touch starved and touch abhorrent for too long.

After a while, Annabelle noticed that Jasper’s eyes were closed again and he had stopped responding. He had fallen asleep. Annabelle bit her lip, slightly overwhelmed at how adorable she found this. She checked the time. It was nearly dawn and she was tired herself. She wished she didn't have to move, but she did. Very carefully, doing her best not to disturb him too much, Annabelle slipped out from under him and placed several pillows in where her legs had been under Jasper's head and neck. His knees were still bent up and she straightened his legs out into a more comfortable-looking position. Jasper was limp, cold and unbreathing. He growled faintly in his sleep, then stilled and become corpse-like again. Annabelle tried not to think about it too much. The fact that technically both she and Jasper were dead was something that still made her uncomfortable. Annabelle plugged her phone in to charge and found his phone to charge as well. She went around and turned off the battery candles before settling back into bed in the dark room.

Annabelle watched Jasper sleep for a few minutes in the dim light of her phone screen. She thought about their visit to his grave. She found it incredibly sad that he even had a grave in the first place, let alone one that was so stark and unadorned. Just a first and last name and two years written on his gravestone. That was all. It reeked to her of being a rush job. They hadn't even bothered to put his full birth or death dates on it. She wondered if his girlfriend had ever left flowers on his grave, and also if she were really the one who had defaced it earlier. Annabelle hoped she was alright, wherever she was and whatever she was doing. Jasper had enough troubles without worrying about her as well.

The phone eventually went dark and the light disappeared. Annabelle sighed and snuggled up next to Jasper's very still body. A few minutes later, she was asleep too.

#la by night #l.a. by night #vampire the masquerade #fanfic #fanfiction #jasper/annabelle #times jasper fed from annabelle

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