#now I write on Ao3 and haven't posted this anywhere

[thevoidstaredback]

Be Thou For The People

A contradictory void of suffocating black and empty white was the last thing Edward wanted to see at any given time. Sure, there was the exception of when he was going to get his and Al's bodies back, but that wasn't now. He was sure he hadn't done anything against explicitly against any Alchemical Laws, nor had he stumbled into any Human Transmutation arrays, so why was he here?

The familiar not-presence of a not-being filled his mind when it spoke to him. "Using your own soul as a Philosopher's Stone to save your life? What a cheat."

"Hey!" Ed protested, barely keeping himself from moving from his spot. Fighting this not-being would only be a waste of the infinitely miniscule amount of time in the void. "It's not cheating. I didn't break any rules. Besides, Alkahestry works kind of like that."

The Truth laughed heartily. "You must take the time to understand that which you do not. Using Alchemy on yourself is a form of Human Transmutation. You're molding your life to go against the flow, however small the alteration might have been. Unless you are not human?"

"Of course I'm human!" Ed shrunk in on himself slightly. Of course he didn't understand Alkahestry, the research for it hadn't been readily accessible to him like his Alchemy resources! And, yes, maybe he knew, in the back of his mind, that transmuting himself was still technically an Alchemical Taboo, but he had thought The Truth would have let him off because he was using his own life as the price! Evidently, that wasn't the case. In his defense, it was either shave off a few years or die via impalement. Neither was a good case, but he'd rather live to keep his promise to his brother than to die in a mineshaft because of a bastard like Kimblee.

"What am I even doing here?" he asked with a huff. It couldn't be anything good.

The Truth's ever present grin fell ever so slightly. "I'd like to cash in a favor with you."

"Excuse me?" he blinked.

The not-being continued, "A favor. You do something for me, I'll do something for you. That kind of deal."

"Hold on," Ed said, uncrossing his arms, "Why do You want me for this? Why not pull some other poor bastard to do Your dirty work?" For that's what this had to be, dirty work. There was nothing else it could be.

This time, The Truth's smile fell noticeably. "Because very few have survived coming into my realm once, let alone several times thereafter."

Another huff. "What's the parameters of this 'favor'?"

It grinned again. "Someone has decided to go and try to cheat Death. I want you to go get him and bring him to face the Gate."

"What do I get out of this?"

"A free pass. You'll be able to recover your brother's body with no repercussions on your end, though I would still like an answer."

Speechless for a moment, Ed recovered soon enough to ask, "What answer?"

"Nothing you need to worry about right now, little alchemist." The Truth's grin split It's face unnaturally in a smile, "What do you say, poor bastard?"

With a long, drawn out, resigned sigh, Edward sat down in front of his Gate. Honestly, he'd brought that taunt upon himself. Also, could he even refuse this? "Alright, fine. What do I gotta do?" It was too good to be true, but he might as well take the chance.

"That's the spirit, little alchemist!" The Truth relaxed, outstretching the leg It'd stolen from Ed and resting Ed's arm on It's other knee, leaving the hand and wrist limp. "I'll be sending you to the other side of the Gate. A world where technology thrived and alchemy died. A world of hidden societies. It is within one of those hidden societies that I want you to be. The man who has tried to defy Death runs as the 'villain', you could say."

When The Truth paused, Edward took that moment to think before speaking. "So, You want me to find this guy on the other side of the Gate and bring him to You?" It was a miracle he wasn't freaking out. Then again, that wouldn't get him anywhere. There's a time and a place, but this was not it. "How long do I have?"

"As long as it takes you. When you're done, you'll end up right where and when I pulled you from."

'Right where...' The sudden realisation of what had happened before he found himself in The Truth's realm was near painful. Quickly, he placed his flesh hand over where he knew he'd been impaled. The last thing he was doing before coming here was healing the wound and trying to stay alive. Pulling his hand away, he found no blood and only a slight numbness in place of pain. "What?"

"Pain doesn't exist here, little alchemist, I thought you would have remembered this fact?" It was true. When he had committed the Taboo, he'd not felt any pain until he was back in his father's study with one less leg. Though, the screaming was mostly shock and panic.

"If I do this," Ed started, "What rules do I have to follow?"

"I'm not sure I quite know what you mean?" It's grin and tone said otherwise.

"I'm not gonna let you throw me into a world knowing jack shit about it or the Laws in place." He knew all too well that he wouldn't actually be able to stop The Truth from doing anything. It was actually pretty generous of it to ask him instead of just dumping him somewhere in the first place. "Knowing my luck, I'd end up breaking one and end up right back here."

The Truth chuckled. "Knowing your luck, little alchemist, you'd knowingly break them even if you did know them." Ed resisted the urge to launch at the not-being. "However, I will tell you. The world follows the same basic Laws of yours. The society you'll be in have some additional ones. All the information you need will be given to you when you go Through." It put It's chin on Edwards right palm, the elbow resting on Its knee. "I would advise you keep your alchemy hidden from a very specific certain people. I'd also advise you to trust very few."

That's not good. The Truth is actually telling him to avoid people? "I don't suppose You'll tell me who to avoid." The grin he was given was answer enough.

"You will know who you can trust," It said.

After a few more moments, Ed nodded slowly. "Okay. I'll do this stupid favor for You, but You have to hold up Your end!"

The Truth's grin was more frightening than it had been before, matching up perfectly with the one It had showed him when he was a child. "Of course I will, poor bastard." The Gate behind Ed opened swiftly and the black arms of the Gatekeepers pulled him back, "Good luck, little alchemist."

Edward knew better than to struggle. Unlike in The Truth's realm, he could feel pain in here. The pain of the Knowledge of another world was unbearable and certainly would have killed him if he hadn't been Through the Gate before. Though, the Knowledge pouring into him was significantly more than the Knowledge that he had paid for before. He couldn't stop the scream that ripped from his throat.

***

The Truth watched as Edward Elric's Gate closed. It had presented the deal as though it were Equivalent, but It knew that wasn't the case. In order for Its end of this little deal to measure up with what the Little Alchemist was doing for it, The Truth would have to give him more knowledge as well as his little brother's body and his arm and leg. The knowledge and memories Edward would acquire on the other side of the Gate would fill out the rest of the Equivalence. If Edward answered The Truth's question correctly then it might be so inclined to add something to the growing stack of Equivalence.

The Truth smiled again. "I wonder how this will play out."

***

Edward didn't know how to feel when he opened his eyes again. On one hand, he was no longer in pain from the Gate, nor was he bleeding out from his most recent injury. He still felt a small twinge of pain when he moved wrong, though. On the other hand, he wasn't in the mineshaft, so that meant his meeting with The Truth hadn't been a dream and he really did have the complete Knowledge of another world in his head. Of course, now was the time to freak out about the entire situation.

Taking deep breaths, he kept his eyes open and focused on what was in front of him. It was a red cushioned bench. Was he on a train? Maybe. "Hydrogen, Helium, Lithium, Beryllium, Boron," he muttered slowly, "Carbon, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Fluorine," It was slow going, but he was calming down. "Neon, Sodium, Magnesium," He tapped the middle finger and thumb on his right hand together. "Aluminum, Silicon," Breath in through the nose, "Phosphorus," He coughed a bit, "Why the hell does it smell like cider? Better question, why the hell does it taste like cider?"

Now calmer, Edward took a better look around the compartment. And wasn't that weird. Trains didn't usually have compartments unless you got first class seating. And, judging on the muffled noise outside the door, he was in common class seating. Odd, but not overly so. On the rack above his head, he found a trunk with his name on it. Pulling it down, setting it on the seat next to him, and opening it it, he found a note on top of a black cloth.

Little Alchemist, Along with the Knowledge you got when you went Through, I've also given you everything you'll need while there. Money is in the leather pouch, your wand is in your pocket with your watch, and your books and other school supplies are all in your trunk with extra clothes and robes. Anything else, you'll have to buy yourself. Have fun as a third year, poor bastard, you'll be surrounded by thirteen year olds.

"How nice of It." Ed folded the note and tucked it away. Then, he ripped it open to re-read it. "The hell does it mean 'school supplies?!" Ed hadn't been to a proper school since before his mom died, so why the hell did The Truth think it was a good idea to send him to one? On top of that, why is he with the thirteen year olds?! He takes it back. The Truth isn't nice at all. Not in the slightest. "If this is You calling me short..." he threatened loosely.

Unfortunately, Ed knew there wasn't really anything he could do aside from take it in stride. He was good at that. So, putting the note away for good, he searched his pockets for his watch and wand. He didn't get far, though, because he finally realised what he was wearing. He still had on his black leather pants, his black elevator boots, and his cropped black jacket, but he was now wearing a white undershirt, a yellow tie, and black dress thing - a robe, his mind supplied - with gold trimming. What the hell? A look into his trunk confirmed the existence of more of these robes, one of which had been directly under the note. At least they were black. Quickly, Ed took off the robe he was wearing, but left the tie. A glance at the emblem - a UK badger - had his mind telling him that it was for the Hufflepuff House, whatever that was.

In his left pocket, he found his State Alchemist watch and his wand with a leather holster and another note. He fastened the holster under his sleeve and to his left forearm and stowed the wand there. Next, he read the note.

Little Alchemist, Your wand is 13 inches, yew wood, with a core of Thestral Hair. Yew wands are said to give their wielder more power over life and death than other wand woods and is more attracted to the Dark Arts. The Thestral Hair core is unstable at best and will only work for those who have accepted death.

'Great,' he scowled, shoving the note into his trunk with the other one, 'Another constant reminder of my mistakes.' Even in a completely different world, his greatest mistake haunts him.

Accepting it with a huff, he shoved the robes he'd woken up in into the trunk and pulled out a book - quickly checking for his own journal and sighing when he found it in the inner pocket of his cropped jacket - and opened it to read. He stopped short at the new language that was registering in his brain. "What the fuck?" The new language - English - had probably been forced into his mind while coming Through. Making a conscious effort, Edward spoke in Amestiran, "Was soll der Scheiß?" Again, the passing Knowledge that this world's equivalent to his home language was called German jumped to the front of his mind. "That's going to take some getting used to." Pushing everything else aside, he opened the book and began to read Spellman's Syllabary.

***

Three books later, Edward forced himself pulled back into reality. The textbooks he read were strange. The first was a study of this worlds Runes, some of which he had studied as a kid in alchemy books. The next was about Potions, he had a feeling that he was going to like that class; The third was about the Wizarding World's history, it was interesting to compare the Knowledge he'd gotten coming Through to what was being taught; The last was about Transfiguration, and he decided then and there that he would not be attending that class at all, no matter the consequences.

Blinking as he closed the book, he found he was no longer alone in the compartment. "Who the hell are you?" were the first words he said to anyone since his arrival.

The boy across from him shifted nervously in his seat, not meeting Ed's eye as he seemed to shrink in on himself. "I-I'm sorry. It's just, everywhere else was-was full, and-and-" he stopped only to restart a different sentence, "I asked if-if I could sit here- Everywhere else is full and the train started moving and- I'm really sorry!"

"Hold on," Edward cut the kid off from speaking anymore, "It's fine. I get caught up in my own little world when I'm reading."

The brown haired boy took a deep breath, still not looking away from his hands, and pressing himself as far away from Ed as he could. His robes were crimson and ruby red where Ed's were yellow and gold. "I'm sorry." he squeaked again.

"You have nothing to apologise for."

"Yes I do. We-we don't know each other. Why would you ever let me sit here?" He stood and reached for his own trunk, "I-I'll just go sit somewhere else-"

"Stop." Ed ordered, his tone leaving no room for discussion, "Sit your ass back down. I'm fine with you being in here. I really don't care."

"But-but, I'm a Gryffindor and you're a Hufflepuff."

"So?"

"'So'?"

"Yeah, 'So?'. Why should I care about that? You're just sitting here."

"But-!"

"I'm Edward. Call me Ed."

The boy seemed like he wanted to say something, but he allowed the conversation to turn were Ed led it. "Neville Longbottom, though you probably already knew that." He did know that, but not for any reason Neville could come up with. "You're really okay with me staying?"

"Yes."

He slowly sat back down. "I don't remember seeing you around school before. Are you new?"

This question made Ed pause for a second. Nothing was telling him this kid was untrustworthy, but that didn't mean he'd tell him anything. Though, an ally would do him good. "Yeah, I'm new." Now, he was relying on what the Gate had given him. "I was sorted only a bit ago, so I don't really care about the Houses or whatever. I'm thinking about not telling anyone I'm new, though, see if I can trick everyone, y'know?"

Neville gave a small smile. Maybe there was a chance of befriending this kid? "That'd be funny."

Edward smiled, too, "You'll help me?"

"Of course!" He didn't know why, but Neville found this kid - Edward - easy to be around. He hadn't stuttered much this whole conversation and Ed was even asking him to help prank the whole school! But, that wouldn't last long. Once Ed found out how terrible at everything he is, he'll leave like everyone else.

"Hey," Ed asked, "What's wrong?"

"I just don't want to get my hopes up," Neville said shyly, "Once you realise how stupid I am, you'll not want to be around me."

Ed frowned. "Don't talk like that."

"Huh?"

"Self deprecation will get you nowhere. We're friends now, so I'm gonna help you work on that, okay?" Having a friend sounded nice. Besides, this kid is really easy to relax around. He was only ever able to relax like this around Al, but this kid was so similar to his brother that it was honestly a little scary.

"Friends? Are we really..?" A look from the blond made the brunet smile again. He didn't have friends. Acquaintances, sure, but not friends. "What're you reading?"

"The textbooks." Was the answer, "I didn't have time to read them over the summer, so I figured I'd read them now."

Neville nodded, agreeing to the logic, "Have you read the Herbology one yet?"

"No, but I can?" he offered.

A grin. "I want you're thoughts on this year's course when you're done." he sat back, "I'll wait."

Chuckling, Edward muttered, "Yes, sir," with a two fingered salute and a smirk as he began reading. It wasn't going to take him long to finish it, he knew, but his interest in whatever Neville had to say on the subject made him read slightly faster than normal.

***

The discussion on Herbology lasted from the third hour of the train ride - two o'clock in the afternoon - up until an hour before the sunset at seven o'clock. The train had come to a screeching and quick halt, cutting off any and all cheerful conversations and replacing them with collective confusion. The stop had also jolted everyone on the train, throwing most from or against their seats.

"What do you think is going on?" Neville asked his blond friend.

"I don't know," Edward stood from his seat, "But I'm going to-"

A sudden chill made itself known to the two boys. Their warm breaths became visible in the cold air and the glass of the windows quickly frosted over. Edward was thankful that he had winter automail on because he did not want to deal with frostbite, thank you. All sounds, muffled or otherwise, were muted over by a loud silence. Even their own breathing made little to no noise. Then, Neville started to tremble.

"Neville?" The boy in question had his hands loosely covering his ears and his eyes were wide and unfocused, seeing something Ed could not. He fell to his knees as tears started to fall from his eyes "Neville!" Edward recognised a flashback when he saw one. He'd seen some of the older soldiers have flashbacks to the Ishvalan War and was glad the fighting and war efforts hadn't reached Resembol outside of Winry's parents leaving and refugees joining the town.

A boney, charred black hand made itself known on the glass window of the door with a quiet tap, the window around the hand turning white with the cold, but the handprint stayed clear with an illusion of warmth. Slowly, the door opened and the owner of the hand was in full visibility, despite the cold seeming to fog everything else over with a thick mist. It was covered in a black cloak that hung so far and so loose that Ed couldn't tell if the thing was floating or standing. The hood covered where it's face should be and the sleeves seemed to be it's arms, falling over the things hands.

'A Dementor.' The Knowledge the Gate had forced into his head supplied, 'You're wand is protecting you.' Yew wood had power over life and death, so it was therefore able to protect against beings such as this one. The thestral hair core only seemed to amplify this. The words Expecto Patronum entered his mind.

Ed hadn't ever seen anything like this before, let alone faced something like it, so he was having a hard time overcoming his shock. When he did, though, he pulled Neville into a hug without turning his back on the creature. His wand fell from it's holster and into his left hand and he whispered the spell he was told. "Expecto Patronum!" His given Knowledge about the spell let him know that it was incredibly difficult to produce. It uses the castor's happiest memory as fuel to fend off Dementors, who feed off of misery. The happier the memory, the stronger the spell. The surprise Ed felt when a fully corporeal Patronus came into existence to push the Dementor out and away was immense. When the dark creature was gone, Ed watched as the glowing tiger made of silvery light approached and laid itself around him and Neville. A sense of calm overtook the train compartment and Ed found he could breathe easier. The room started to warm up with the Dementor now gone.

"Are you alright?" Edward asked Neville quietly once the boy had stopped trembling.

"I-I" he gulped, "I think so." He pulled away from Edward slightly, not noticing the tiger wrapped around him yet. "What was that thing?"

"A Dementor." Ed found a small bit of amusement that his companion hadn't noticed the silver magic yet.

Confused at why the blond was smiling, Neville started to ask why, but stopped short when he noticed the glowing tiger that he was somehow leaning against. It had wrapped itself around the two, it's tail going behind Edward and its head beside Neville. "What-"

"My Patronus, apparently," The tiger acknowledged the two with a nod - as if satisfied that they were now alright - before disappearing.

"You can cast the Patronus Charm?!" Neville had seen it mentioned in passing in a few books he's read, but, as far as he knew, it was a NEWT level spell! They wouldn't be learning that until Sixth Year!

"Apparently. That was my first time doing it." And using magic. Edward patted himself on the back for a job well done on the first try. Neville didn't need to know that part, though.

"You know what the tiger means, right?"

"It means something?"

"Of course it does!" Neville shook Ed by the shoulders, "The tiger means strength and cunning and majesty and independance and immortality. How did you not know that?"

Ed's brain short circuited. There was several things to unpack there, but the one he was focused on was the whole 'immortality' thing. What the fuck?

"You good?" Neville's voice pulled him back from his mind.

"Am I alright? I should be asking you that!" He lowered his voice. "You had a flashback."

Neville shook his head. "I don't really wanna talk about it." That made sense. He wasn't going to push. "Well, should we go see what's going on?" Edward smiled and nodded, helping the brunet up after standing himself.

There was a knock on the door. "Everything okay in here?" a man's voice called from the other side of the door.

Ed opened it, "Yeah, we're good."

"Who're you?" Neville asked from over Ed's shoulder. He was a whole four inches taller than the blond, much to the latter's irritation.

The man pulled chocolate out of his jacket pocket and handed a bar to the boys. "That was a Dementor." Then, he paused for a second and looked around the compartment. "Did either of you cast the Patronus Charm?"

Edward crossed his arms. "Who are you?"

The man seemed to size the two up for a second. "I'm Remus Lupin, your Defense Against the Dark Arts professor this year."

"Cool. Never heard of you." Neville gasped and backed up a few steps, obviously surprised at Ed's gall.

Remus laughed, "No, I suppose you haven't. Now, did you two cast a Patronus?"

"Yeah?" Ed raised an eyebrow, "How did you know?"

"Good job," he sent a quick glance to Ed's tie, "Ten points to Hufflepuff. The Patronus Charm leaves a kind of residue in the air. Lingering happiness, you could say."

"Huh. Cool."

"Anyway, I need to go check on the rest of the students. Be sure to change into your robes before we get to the school." Then, he walked away.

Ed closed the door and snickered.

"What're you laughing at?" Neville asked, a weak glare in his eyes. Edward had some audacity talking to a teacher like that! Though, Neville supposed it was a nice change. He wasn't gonna admit that out loud, though.

"His name." Ed moved away from the door and sat back in his seat.

Neville sat across from him again. "What about his name?"

"It means," he started to laugh again. "It means 'Wolf Wolf'." The Knowledge he'd gotten had included the myths of this world. The one he was thinking of was of Remus and Romulus of Rome. They had been raised by the wolf Lupa. "If that man has nothing to do with wolves, I'll eat my boots."

Neville giggled, "I'd pay ten galleons to see that."

"Oh, you're on!" The two shook hands as the train began moving again.

***

When Edward read 'school' on the note The Truth had left for him, he was expecting something closer to the ones back home, like a building no taller than three floors. Not a whole ass village. When he expressed this to Neville, the boy told him the the village - Hogsmeade - was not the school, before leading him over to the carriages. Most students, Ed noticed, were ignoring the horses altogether. The few that saw them gave them a wide berth. He wasn't about that. He walked right up to one, dragging Neville with him, and patted it's side.

"What is it?" Neville asked.

"A thestral." he answered.

Tentatively, Neville reached out to pet the horse as well. "It's beautiful." The two soon had to leave the thestrals and jumped into the carriage. They didn't say much as they waited to arrive at the school, though they were joined by a blond in royal and sapphire blue robes before they started moving.

Again, Edward's first image of a school was maybe three floors in a very rectangular building. Not a damn castle. He barely refrained from expressing his excitement in front of his extra companion. Though, he did have the information Given to him come to the forefront of his mind for a moment, just long enough to skim through the history of the building. It was a lot and it would be sorted through later.

"You don't have to hold back," the girl said, "I know you're new here."

"Are you sure I'm new?" Edward asked her, "There's a lot of kids here, you could have just overlooked me before."

"Quite sure." she nodded, "The wrackspurts that like to stay at the school haven't gotten to you yet." Her ice blue eyes gleamed for a moment. "My name's Luna Lovegood."

"Edward, but you can call me Ed."

"Nice to meet you, Ed. Neville."

The brunet squeaked. "Um, hi."

Luna giggled, "We haven't met before, but your reputation proceeds you, as does mine."

Neville blink dumbly before saying, "Loony?"

She smiled, "Yes,"

"Oh, my god!" Neville covered his mouth in mild horror, "I'm so sorry!"

"It's okay." She didn't seem to mind.

While the two students who weren't on their first day of school conversed, Edward had let himself openly - but quietly - gawk at the castle that was apparently a school. At first, he had to do a double take. Why would they be going to a bunch old ruins? But then the focus of the world seemed to shift and he couldn't help himself. He'd never seen a castle in person but this was a fantastic first impression on him. Now he could hold bragging rights over Mustang! Though, he wasn't sure if the tingling in his ports was natural. He couldn't very well ask the two because they obviously had all their limbs. The closer he got to the castle, he noticed, the more alarm bells started to go off in his head. Then, the tingling got worse.

"Ed?" Neville called, "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah.." was his distracted answer. He rubbed his right shoulder port with his left hand, "..yeah."

"Are you sure?" Luna asked, her eyes on his right hand.

Before he could answer, his head erupted into a splitting headache and he doubled over, gripping his head in his left hand. 'What the hell is happening?!' He wondered. There was a quiet voice screaming at him to get out and leave, trying to force excuses into his head. The tingling in his ports turned to a stabbing pain, rendering his right arm and left leg useless

"This is a violent reaction to the wards," Luna said, though Ed couldn't be sure he really heard her.

Neville was chewing on his bottom lip, "Why, though? He was perfectly fine on the train."

"Is he a muggle or a squib?"

"No. He performed magic on the train when the Dementor entered the cart."

"Hmm. This is a problem."

Ed came back into focus about then, the pain in his head down to a tolerable hum and his automail ports only feeling slightly heavier than normal. He methodically moved all the joints in his automail that he could, just ot make sure everything was in working order, not that he could actually move them again. "What...the hell was that?"

Luna sat back in her seat, though she was no less concerned than before. "The wards. I don't think the castle likes you very much."

"Why wouldn't the castle like him?" Neville was wondering several things she could have ment, but he was going to try and stay on track for now. He could ask more questions later.

She humed. "Hogwarts doesn't like muggles. Squibs like Mr. Filch are tolerable, though. She must really dislike you for some reason."

"I'm sorry," Ed said, "'She'?"

"The castle."

"Okay. Yeah. Yeah, okay." Maybe he has lost it. He got hit in the head and he's lost his mind. That's the only explanation for whatever was going on. Apparently sentient castles were a thing now? Great. Fantastic.

"Either way," Neville chimed in, leaving the matter of the Hogwarts' apparent sentience for a later date, "Do you think you'll be okay for the Welcome Feast?" Then, he backtracked to when his first conversation with the blond. "Actually, what year are you?"

Ed's eyebrow twitched. He's fifteen years old, damn it, so why is he being but with people two years younger?! He huffed quietly. "Third year."

Neville brightened up. "That's my year!" Then, he deflated, "But we're not in the same House."

"So?" he still couldn't wrap his mind around the whole 'House Rivalry' thing going on despite the reasons having been shoved straight into his head. "What House we're in shouldn't matter."

"You want to make the whole school thing you're on your third year here, yes?" Luna asked, though neither boy was sure how she found out about that little plan, "Then just play into that. Don't go out of your way to interact with each other, and no one will suspect a thing."

"Nah," Ed turned down. He didn't like the idea of shoving Neville aside to keep up appearances. "I'll just play into the Hufflepuff House Traits." Yes, he knew enough about those to recite them in his sleep. "Justice, loyalty, patience, and propensity for hard word. We're friends now. I don't leave people behind."

Luna smiled, "Well, I don't know how much help I'll be, but-"

Ed cut her off. "Hey, as far as I'm concerned, we're friends now, too. Besides, you seem interesting."

"Thank you. You're interesting as well."

Neville was going to stop questioning anything now. Though, he had to admit that they made a pretty fun group, despite only having just met each other. Friends. What a weird concept.

"Now," Ed said as the carriage came to a stop near the castle, "let's go back to the reputation thing. You both have proceeding reputations? I'll have to step up my game. I've been here for two years and people are only just noticing me?" He clicked his tongue and shook his head, "A damn shame."

The two laughed, fully intent on playing along with this endeavor of tricking the whole school. Luna still hadn't told them how she found out about that. "Anther time, Ed. You know which table you're going to?"

"The yellow one, right?"

"That's the one!"

"Okay. I'll see you two later?"

"Of course."

Now alone, Ed took a second to look around at the flood of students heading up to the castle. They'd pretty much all sectioned themselves off into four main groups. Red, yellow, blue, and green. The red and green groups were all sneering at each other and were being separated by the yellow and blue kids. And, based on everything he'd been Given when he came Through the Gate, he was going to have to tread carefully. Politics. Ew. Despite all reservations, he joined the yellow group and followed them into the castle.

The Entry Hall was just has grand as the rest of the castle, and very sparsely decorated. The doors in front of him were tall and opened on their own to let the flood of students into the Grand Hall. It was beautifully decorated, but Ed wasn't quite sure he liked the ceiling. It was amazing, nonetheless. The five tables were arranged in a way that basically promoted against Inter-House relationships. The teacher's table was fine, but the four House Tables were all separated quite obviously, and the banners above them only amplified this. With a huff, Ed sat down at the end of the yellow table. The Hufflepuffs around him didn't seem to take notice of him. Good. All the better for gaslighting the staff and student body.

A few minutes after everyone had sat down, a stool was placed in front of the teacher's table. An old pile of cloth sat on top of it. Then, the doors to the Great Hall opened once again and a stern looking teacher - Professor McGonagall, Ed's mind supplied - walked in, a gaggle of obviously nervous kids following after her. That was how the Sorting Ceremony started.

***

It took an hour, but every single one of the first years had been sorted between the four Houses. It was off-putting for Ed to see the absolute disgust or rage or other negative emotions on the students' faces when someone was sorted into a House that wasn't their own. Seriously, why are they all getting so upset about a kid being placed where they'd fit in best? He didn't outtwordly react, though.

All the House tables had ranging reactions to each placement, but Hufflepuff had the least negative out of all of them. The Slytherins sneered at everyone who wasn't with them, especially if they were sorted into Gryffindor. The Gryffindors returned the favor. The Ravenclaws weren't nearly as bad as the other two, but they did avoid watching anyone walk to their table. They didn't make a sound when anyone was sorted into Hufflepuff, though. The Hufflepuffs, clapped politely for everyone, but there were a few that they didn't clap for. They were mostly Ravenclaws.

According to the Gate, it was Gryffindor versus Slytherin and Hufflepuff versus Ravenclaw. The Gryffindors and Ravenclaws got along, while the Slytherins and Hufflepuffs got along. None of them actually went out of their way to interact, but classes styled like that were normally more productive than a Gryffindor and Slytherin class.

Ed was gonna change that. Maybe. It was on his list now that he'd met Luna and Neville, but it wasn't a priority. More of, if it happens, it happens.

"I welcome you all, whether you are returning for another year or you are only just coming in, to Hogwarts for another year or learning." the old man in the middle of the staff table said. Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, he knew from the Gate, was wearing obnoxious pink robes with his beard tucked into the blue belt. "I only have one thing to say to you all, now that you've been seated: Tuck in!"

Upon his command, dishes and food and drink appeared on all the tables, covering the wood to the point it could hardly be seen. Everyone started to serve themselves as conversation erupted throughout the room, engulfing it into a cacophony of sound and movement that was, in all honesty, overwhelming Ed.

"Hey," someone said from next to him, their voice quiet against everything else, making it stand out ot his ear more, "Are you okay? You look a bit pale."

Ed pushed an answer out of his throat in a voice equally as quiet. "Yeah," he lied, "This is my third year and I'm still not used to this much noise."

The kid, Cedric, he recognised from the Gate, nodded, "Yeah, I get that. When we get back to the dorms, we can put a silencing charm over your bed curtains."

"Isn't there already a silencing charm on them?"

"Yeah, but that's just to muffle the sound going in or out. I'll put one on that'll completely silence the noise going in."

That didn't sound to bad. "Edward Elric," he introduced himself as he finally began to get himself food. Despite what Mustang believed, he did have manners. He just doesn't use them around the bastard because he sees no reason to.

Cedric also began eating. "Cedric Diggory." They let the conversation sit for a second, the fifth year student was making sure to be quiet. It didn't to a lot in the grand scheme of the room, but the sentiment was appreciated. "Forgive me, but I don't recognise you. Are you a visiting student?"

Ed shook his head, the lie coming easy to him, "No, I've been here, since year one. I just don't like to draw attention usually."

Cedric raised an eyebrow. "Really? You don't seem the type."

"Huh?"

"You're," he gestured vaguely at Ed, "vibe, I guess. It basically screams for attention." Ed didn't say anything. Cedric flinched. "Right, sorry, that was rude of me." he cleared his throat, "Are you going to hide yourself in the background again this year, or are you going to try and make friends?"

Ed pretended to think for a moment before answering, "I made some friends on the train earlier."

"Oh? That's good."

"Yeah. If we ever want to spend time outside of classes, though, it's inevitable we'll draw attention to ourselves."

"Oh?" he said again, "And why's that?"

"We're all in different Houses."

"Ah. Yeah, I can see where the problem lies."

Before their conversation could continue, the food and drinks and dishes were taken from the table. "House elves." Ed muttered under his breath.

Headmaster Dumbledore stood from his seat again and cleared his throat, calling everyone's attention to him. Once every student was looking at the old man, he smiled with a twinkle in his eye as his gaze moved from student to student. Ed made sure to not meet the man's eyes. "As always, a wonderful feast." he began, "Before I send you off to your beds, there a a few things to be announced and reminded. The Forbidden Forest is, to those who do not wish to die a most gruesome death, forbidden. Mr. Filch has asked me to remind you all that a list of prohibited objects ha been posted to his office door on the second floor." He turned slightly to the left side of the staff table. "I would like to introduce you all to this year's Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, Professor Remus Lupin." Ed was giggling behind his hand while everyone clapped. The man stood, waved a bit, then sat back down. Dumbledore continued, "Classes begin tomorrow at eight in the morning. I wish you all a good night."

Again, the room became very loud very quickly. Cedric shot Ed an apologizing look. "I'll met you in the common room, okay?" Ed nodded as the brunet stood and called for the first years to follow him.

Ed Knew where he was going, but he didn't really know. So, he followed everyone else as they left the Great Hall. He made sure to make himself seem small - because he was not small - as he walked in the middle of the crowd. Cedric and someone else had taken the first years on a different route, so he resigned himself to being surrounded by people he's never met before in his life. Which ones are his dorm-mates, he wonders. He doesn't really care to know at the moment.

The group of students wearing yellow accented robes wandered down to the basement - a floor above the dungeons - and to the kitchens. At least, near the kitchens. One of the boys at the head of the group tapped the barrel two from the bottom of the stack twice, then thrice, muttering 'Helga Hufflepuff' as he did so. The passage opened up and the Hufflepuffs all filed into the common room.

The room was very cozy and smelled like freshly cut grass and rain and burning firewood and freshly baked bread. Overall, it felt like home did. The earthy tones to the room only amplified this fact. The ceiling was white marble, the floor was off-white tile with a dark green mosaic in the middle, and the walls were off-white and light grey bricks. Wooden supports pillared up in a few places, even scattered about, and were connected at the top by arches. The room itself was round and very big. There were two wooden staircases leading up to the second floor landings, separating the male and female dorms. Alcloves took up the walls of the room, filled with bookshelves and couches and matching chairs and darker area rugs. A large fireplace took up the wall directly opposite the door, the space in front occupied by several more armchairs and couches. There was an area with only bean-bag chairs and Ed decided that he needed to get one of those in his own world. Aside from pictures that had been hung up, the bulletin board by the door, and the furniture, plants took up every available space. Round windows lining the top of the walls and warm lanterns hanging from the rafters completed the room.

Everyone settled into the common room nicely. No one went to their rooms yet, so it was a bit crowded. Not overly so, though. For Hogwarts being the only magic school in Britain, there weren't a lot of students.

About ten minutes later, the two House Prefects for Hufflepuff brought the First Years in. Everyone was very friendly to them, and they all quickly warmed up to each other and their Housemates. Eventually, though, the older years started to taper off into their rooms. Ed followed Cedric into the Third Year boys' dorms.

"So," Cedric said, "I see the common room wasn't too loud for you?"

Ed shook his head "Nope. It was a manageable level. Besides, it feels like I've come home after a long trip." Well, the common room felt like how he imagines it would be like when he and Al went back to Resembool after they get their bodies back.

Cedric frowned slightly, but ultimately didn't say anything. He quickly finished the charms on Ed's bed curtains before turning back to the blond with a smile. "Well, if you need anything, feel free to ask me or your roommates or anyone else in the House. Professor Sprout is also more than happy to talk to her students."

Ed smiled softly at the older boy, "You act like it's my first day," It was, but he wasn't going to tell Cedric that. Not now, at least. Maybe a different time.

"Of course," the brunet smiled back, "Right." he went to the door, "Well, I'll let ya get some sleep. See you in the morning?"

"Yeah," the blond nodded, "See ya then."

The door closed and Ed found himself alone in the room. It was hexagonal in shape, the floor was off-white tile, the walls off-white and light grey bricks, and the ceiling was white brick. The wall trim was carved wood, matching the rafters and corner beams and door, and climbed two feet up the wall. The beds were all four-posted with soft yellow blankets, white sheets and pillowcases, and had black and gold bed curtains. To the right of each bed was a wooden nightstand with three drawers. On the left was a dresser with five drawers. Trunks sat at the end of each bed, and a yellow rug with the Hufflepuff coat of arms on it covered most of the floor.

Ed easily found his trunk and bed, closing the curtains around him before he let himself get comfortable. It was weird, laying in this bed. It seemed to solidify the fact in his mind that this was real. He's in a new world, far away from anything familiar and safe. Magic is everywhere, and all laws of Equivalence are ignored! He didn't think he'd be able to sleep, so he grabbed a book from his trunk and started to read, mumbling to himself the whole while.

***

He must've fallen asleep at some point because his pocket watch was now telling him that it was now five in the morning. Ed sighed and dragged a hand down his face before taking his hair from the braid he'd slept in. It was still early, so he'd have the bathroom to himself for a while. Good, because he hadn't had a shower in days and he was feeling dirty. His hair was also getting oily and it was not a pleasant feeling.

#fma #harry potter #fanfiction #crossover #fma x hp #I started this on WattPad #now I write on Ao3 and haven't posted this anywhere #I'm very proud of this one and it will be going on Ao3 at some point #just not right now #this is all you're getting btw #have fun #hope you like it #There is an audience for this #I swear

[genshinluvr]

Where Are the Updates? (HSR Filler)

Pairings: Somewhat HSR Men x Isekai'd!Reader, but there's no romance in this fic (unless you count the moment with Sampo)

Summary: The person who writes the script for your and the men's future project is visiting the Astral Express. Everyone is wondering what is their future role in the projects (and Sampo is being Sampo)

Note: This is a filler fanfic since I haven't updated in so long and I'm trying to force myself to write something so I can get used to writing fanfics again. I'm not expecting anyone to read this. This is a filler chapter until I can actually write something. Anyway! I don't post anywhere else but on Tumblr (Genshinluvr) and on AO3 (Aaliah_exo).

Warnings: None

Word Count: 1.6k

Caelus walks into the Astral Express, approaching March and Dan Heng. “Hey, does anyone know where [Y/N] is? I’ve been trying to look for them, but they’re not in their room.” Caelus says, crossing his arms over his chest.

March scratches the back of her head. “Uh, I think they’re with the author right now. [Y/N]’s been keeping them company ever since they boarded the Astral Express.”

Caelus does a double take. “Well, this is news to me. How long has she been on the Astral Express?”

Dan Heng looks at his phone. “She’s been here for a few hours now. I don’t think you should disturb the two of them. But if you want to see what they’re up to, they’re in the Parlor Car.”

Caelus quickly thanks Dan Heng before rushing to the Parlor Car. Dan Heng and March watch the silver-haired man leave the Passenger Cabin before turning to look at one another.

“Should we follow him to make sure he doesn’t cause any problems? Who knows what Caelus is going to ask the author to do for him,” March says, propping her hands on her hips.

Dan Heng sighs. “Looks like we have no choice.” Dan Heng mutters before following March to the Parlor Car.

Caelus enters the Parlor Car and freezes. You look away from the woman sitting across from you and wave at Caelus, who presses his lips together while surveying the area. You shrug and turn towards the woman across from you, leaning in your seat. 

“How about a story where you make the main character, aka me, get mad at someone, and they jump universes and get lost for months?” You suggest.

The woman sitting across from you puckers her lips, tapping her chin as she stares at the laptop before her. Hey, you’re merely suggesting ideas for her to write, but the woman seems hesitant about it.

“I like the idea, but I’m not sure. Is it supposed to be another version of the story where these men,” she gestures to the men sitting around you and her, “jumped to another universe in search for you— I mean, the main character from their universe?”

You squint at the woman before you, nodding slowly. “Yes? But that’s up to you! I’m trying to help you come up with ideas to write.”

She nods wordlessly, eyes focusing on the screen before her. Caelus approaches where you and the black-haired woman are sitting. Before Caelus can make it over to the table, someone places a heavy hand on his shoulders, causing him to stop in his tracks. Caelus turns to see Jing Yuan standing beside him while his eyes are elsewhere.

“General, it’s good to see you on the Astral Express! Though, it’s a bit unexpected,” Caelus says, glancing in your direction from the corner of his eyes.

The General of the Xianzhou Luofu chuckles, shaking his head. “I received a message from [Y/N]. They wanted us to come over while someone important was stopping by,” Jing Yuan replies, showing Caelus his phone.

Caelus looks at the screen, and yep, you certainly sent out a message to the General to meet up at the Astral Express. However, Caelus doesn’t know why this “important” person was stopping by the Astral Express. The very same person glued to her laptop, occasionally pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose as it kept slipping down. Caelus has met this woman before, heck, and so has everyone in the Astral Express. The woman with black hair is the one who delivers everyone their “scripts.” And since it’s been a while since there was an update from the author, no one has heard from her since then. Until now, of course.

“Ooh! If you ever write about Penacony, would the others make an appearance?” You ask excitedly, tapping your foot on the ground.

The woman blinks at you cluelessly. “Oh, shit. There’s more?” She mutters, looking around the Astral Express for new faces. Lo and behold, there are certainly new people on the Astral Express. The woman turns toward you, scratching her head, “I haven’t even written anything that debuts Dr. Ratio and Argenti’s appearance— which is long overdue—”

“Very overdue. I understand academics are important, but I don’t see how you can’t write something short and simple for my appearance,” Dr. Ratio comments, crossing his arms over his chest while staring at the woman, displeased. 

The woman gives Dr. Ratio a tight-lipped smile and closes her laptop. “Dr. Ratio, with all due respect, but if you continue to give me that sass, I will continue to delay your appearance in future works.”

Dr. Ratio huffs, looking away with a visible pout on his face, while Adventurine snorts and shakes his head. Adventurine props his arms on Dr. Ratio’s shoulders, only for the man to push him off with a glare.

Adventurine clears his throat. “Dearest author, allow me to pitch my idea for your possible upcoming story~” he strikes a dramatic pose.

The woman nods, “And what is the idea you’ll be pitching?” She asks, waiting for the blond man to say something.

Adventurine clears his throat and jogs over to the woman, sitting beside her before whispering something into her ears. Caelus nearly let out a loud groan. Damn him for making his pitch a secret. Adventurine pulls away and clasps his hands together, placing them on the table while waiting for the woman’s approval or disapproval of his idea.

“I will think about it, and if I’m able to map out how your idea goes, then I will try to make it into a script.” The woman nods.

Adventurine cheers loudly, hopping up from his spot and jumping in the air before looking at Dr. Ratio smugly. Dr. Ratio rolls his eyes with disgust before walking to the other side of the Astral Express while muttering under his breath about how Adventurine is an annoyance. 

“And what about me, Madam Author?” Sunday asks, bowing to the woman before him.

The woman stares at Sunday, pressing her lips into a thin line. “If you’re talking about your appearance in future works, I will include you and new people in future works. The only issue is I’m still unfamiliar with all of you, and your personalities won’t be nearly as accurate as the others.”

Sampo approaches the table where you’re sitting with the woman. You stare at Sampo while he gives you a sheepish smile before looking at the woman. If Sampo had a tail, it would’ve been wagging. Is he excited, or is he nervous? You can’t really tell.

“Ahem, Miss Author, I was wondering why there’s a delay in updates for the script,” Sampo says, poking his index fingers together. “You’re not tired of us, are you?” Cue the puppy dog's eyes.

Welt Yang sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Sampo, I don’t think you should be asking something like that. There could be many factors that play into why she hasn’t been updating us with new scripts.” He mutters, giving Sampo a subtle glare.

The black-haired woman smiles at the older man and gets up from her seat, dusting her pants off. “Sampo, I wasn’t able to update you all on new scripts because I have other priorities, such as my education. I was also behind on your world and wasn’t able to keep up with what was happening in your world.”

Sampo sniffles dramatically, his bottom lips trembling. “But you have time to keep up with the other universe with other people?” Sampo whines, batting his eyelashes at the woman.

“To be fair… I didn’t even update things for them, either.” The woman shrugs.

You got up from your seat and pat Sampo’s shoulders. Sampo dramatically drapes himself over you, burying his face into your neck while dramatically sniffling. You can’t tell if he’s pretending to cry or if he’s trying to inhale you— or both.

Luocha whispers to the woman, “I think he meant being updated with what’s happening in the universe, not your stories and scripts.”

The woman mouths ‘oh’ before nodding slowly. The Parlor Car feels crowded with how many people are present on the Astral Express. All have pressing questions regarding their roles for future projects and what they can expect to happen as the plot (is there even a plot?) progresses. Of course, you and the author reassured everyone that their roles are safe and nothing is going to happen to them. However, even if something were to happen, it would not be permanent. Speaking of something happening and permanent….

You turn to the woman and clear your throat. “You’re not going to kill me in any future projects, are you?”

The woman takes her glasses off and wipes the lenses with her shirt. “That would depend on the plot and the situation. I’ve killed you once, and the other time where you reincarnated, your death was implied and mentioned, but there weren’t scenes, you know?”

You pout, crossing your arms over your chest. “I know, but why do I have to be the one to die? Why can’t it be someone else like, and I mean this as nice as possible, Blade?”

The woman puts her glasses back on and tucks her hair behind her ears. “Because I love making the male love interests suffer.” She replies nonchalantly, brushing her hair off her shoulders.

“I mean, you can still do that without killing me,” You bat your eyelashes at her.

The woman nods. “You’re not wrong about that. I’ll see what I can do, but it will take time, and I probably won’t have the script done before I complete other scripts as well.”

You’re fine with that. As long as you don’t die in future projects (again), then you’re not complaining! Although now that you have (somewhat) given her an idea for future projects, you don’t think you’re going to be prepared for anything gutwrenching. 

Note: I feel bad for not updating in so long 😭 I've been super busy with school and did not have any motivation to write at all, even though that's what I'm required to do for my major. I have finally caught up with Honkai Star Rail— it took me days to catch up because I was also exploring Penacony. I have school in 4 hours, and I still haven't slept. Goodnight! Anyway, to all my new and returning readers, keep in mind that I ONLY post on my Tumblr (Genshinluvr) and my AO3 (Aaliah_exo)! Nowhere else except Tumblr and AO3!

Read more of my works on my Masterlist / Masterlist 2 | Maybe support me by tipping me on Ko-Fi or by reblogging my fanfics! ^^ I will also be posting exclusive fanfics on Ko-Fi as well very soon! I might post all of my stories on there, too, but who knows. You can also tip me on Tumblr if you'd like as a way to show support! ^^

#genshinluvr #Honkai Star Rail imagine #Honkai Star Rail fanfiction #Honkai Star Rail fanfic

[avelera]

Avelera's Dreamling Fic Status Update:

Keeping Sanctuary (subscribe for updates here) - Giving Sanctuary Sequel follows Dream and Hob from the events of the altered meeting in 1689 up to the modern era. (aka, What if they hooked up after the 1689 meeting?) Current word count: ~7,000 words across several chapters. Realistic progress update: 1/10 complete total, Ch. 1 is about 1/5 complete.

(The rest are below the cut!)

Come live with me and be my love - Dream and Hob fall in love during the Regency Era when Dream loses a bet to Desire. Shenanigans ensue. (aka, What if they hooked up after the 1789 meeting?) Ch. 16 is at 2,500 words, probably about 1/3 done. Current plan is to wrap up Part 1 in the next few chapters then create a part 2 which finishes out their "1 year of marriage" on a month by month basis instead of following them day to day like Part 1 done. Probably won't be a separate fic though, just a change of format.

This Rough Magic - My take on "Hob rescues Dream from Burgess" with a twist that Hob ends up on Burgess's radar himself when he picked up some occult magic skills in the hopes of contacting Dream after 1889 and apologizing. Now he has to pretend to be friends with Burgess in order to get them both out of there, because Burgess thinks Hob can help force Dream to give him immortality. (aka, What if they hooked up after the 1889 meeting?) Ch. 9 is about 800 words in. Story is still very much in progress I just have a lot of WIPs, as you can see.

Joke's On You (I'm Into That) - The 1589 meeting goes very different when Hob proposes to Dream, who is so offended that he just can't let the matter go. A very angry, very horny competition kicks off between them. (Aka, what if they hooked up in 1589 when they were both at their absolute worst as people?) I have literally 40,000 words written for the rest of this fic. The problem is, there's big gaps in that first draft I have to fill in and scenes that need to be added. This might be my favorite WIP but it's also the hardest to write with all the smut scenes so it'll arrive whenever I can manage, I'm afraid.

Banana Daiquiris Ch. 2 - Comic-canon compliant (mostly) - Dream fakes his death to go on a vacation with Hob and Destruction. They end up in Tahiti. Destruction plays matchmaker. Hob doesn't know whether to thank Destruction or strangle him. Current word count 6,000 words. I've been playing around with adding on to this fic for ages. One of these days, I'll pull it all together.

And for fics that haven't been posted anywhere yet (you can subscribe on my Ao3 author page for alerts about them):

Hob Amesia Fic - Dream and Hob are dating officially now in the 21st century when Hob gets hit with what seems to be a memory loss curse, shaving off 100 years of his life each day until Dream finds a cure. This effectively grants Dream a walk down memory lane as he is reacquainted with the Hob of each era and, in the process, learns how much longer Hob cared for him than Dream ever realized. Current word count: 35,000 words. Currently writing 1489 (1889-1589 are done) and I might re-write the opening. It genuinely kills me not to have this one posted lol.

"Dream Accidentally Cursed Hob with a Normal Life" Fic - Dream learns that from 1689 on, Hob's life has been safe. Too safe. Improbably safe. Nothing bad or extraordinary or even terribly special has happened to him since Dream began to consider Hob his friend. He knows this because during his imprisonment, Hob's life became exciting again and suddenly went back to normal the day Dream was freed. Hob is not convinced that Dream is the reason for this, Dream disagrees. They talk about it. And fight about it. And some things that they've probably needed to talk about for a long time finally get said. (aka, sometimes the author just needs to write their weird headcanon into a 20,000 word fic that's almost entirely dialogue). Current word count: 16,000 words. This one also kills me that it's not done yet.

You Found Me Ch. 2 - (Comic-inspired) Hob's girlfriend Audrey survives the car crash. They got married. Then, in 2021, they got divorced. The Hob Dream meets at the New Inn when he returns is newly-divorced, bitter, and angry, and not in a good headspace to reunite with the friend who ghosted him over thirty years before. -5,000 words left to post. One of the first one-shots I wrote for this fandom then abandoned. Never could quite find an end for it that didn't become a huge long fic but I think I finally cracked it.

"Fairy God Marlowe" - 1589 fixit fic where Hob and Kit Marlowe strike up a conversation while Dream and Shaxberd are talking. Hob and Marlowe talk about plays, and faith, and salvation, and queer love, and what it means to live forever. Hob gets a second chance at a first impression. Current word count: ~5,000 words. Sadly, it's all dialogue in script format. I'd need to convert it into prose to publish which would be a slog. So it's a bit shelved until I find the energy to do so. No, I will not post it in script format, I'm allergic to the thought.

I've got a few other concepts kicking around, but these are the ones that actually have (*does a quick calculation*) over 100,000 words written that I haven't had the chance to post yet?? And it's driving me insane????

Anyway, I should probably pin this post for those curious lol. Feel free to ask me any follow-up questions, I love talking about WIPs even as they ruin my life!

#dreamling #maggie's writing progress #dreamling fic update #1689 fic #1589 fic #arranged marriage au dreamling

[late-to-the-party-81]

Answer the questions and tag five fanfiction authors you know!

Thank you @metalbvcky. NPT for @mrs-illyrian-baby @doasyoudesireandlive @km-ffluv @labella420

🍓 How did you get into writing fanfiction?

As a teen I was a voracious reader and tried to write my own stuff based on other books I'd read. I also loved ST:TNG and wanted dearly to be in an episode and had lots of the books. I wrote my own ST stories with OC's (gratuitous self inserts), but they never went anywhere. In my late teens I read some Xena fanfic on the internet. But that was it for a great number of years.

At the beginning of 2021 I sat and watched the entirety of the MCU films in chronological order (I'd seen most of them before and was mainly a Thor gal.) I fell down the Stucky rabbithole. Deep. I decided to look up fanfic. AO3 was now a thing! I wrote (a very poor) Stucky fic and here we are, almost 3 years later

🍇How many fandoms have you written in?

As my ST stuff never made it further than my parent's old PC in the days of dial-up, I won't count it.

I've written for MCU, various Chris Evans and Seb Stan Characters and one fic for RWRB. I've been toying with writing a one-off Criminal Minds fic as a gift for a friend.

🍈How many years have you been writing fanfiction?

Three in July since I first published anything on AO3.

🍎Do you read or write more fanfiction?

I try to balance it out. If I have a period of hyperfocus writing I try to then go through a period of reading. I read on both Tumblr and AO3, so try to keep that even as well.

🍌What is one way you've improved as a writer?

Getting betas to pick me up on tense changes, overuse of words and rogue commas. Reading more. Practising. Writing outlines for longer stories so I don't go off-piste.

🍑Do you have any bad habits as a writer?

Getting bored half-way through a long fic, especially if the first few parts haven't had a lot of interaction. Which is why I try to write the whole thing before I start posting.

🍍 What's the weirdest topic you researched for a writing project?

Engineering courses at MIT and, for a separate fic, Violet wands, including the ways to use them and the differnt types of accessories you can use with them. I even watched a Youtube video.

🍉What's your favourite type of comment to receive on your work?

Any comment! Anything that gives me the validation I need!

🍐What's the most fringe trope/topic you write about?

I wrote a transformation into Tsum-tsum fic that was both cracky and smutty. That's pretty niche.

🥭What is the hardest type of story for you to write?

Action scenes. I loathe them. I'm constantly wondering if they are long enough, and make sense.

🍏What is the easiest type?

Short things that are either PWP or fluffy slices of life.

🍑Where do you do your writing? What platform? When?

Mainly on my elderly laptop on G-Docs, and in every moment I can - normally afterwork before dinner and on Mondays when I don't have work.

🍋What is something you've been too nervous/intimidated to write, but would love to write one day?

There are a few characters and ships I haven't written that I'd like to. And I suppose I'd like to write a proper long, over 100k fic at some point.

🍇 what made you choose your username?

When I made my AO3 account I felt as though that at 40, and only really starting in Fandom in this way, I was late to the party, so that is who I became.

#tag games #getting to know you #jen answers

[pop-roxs]

omgg late valentines grelle x reader fic!! :3

this is like my second ever attempt at fic writing and my first time posting my work so please be easy on me 🙏

(this fic is now on ao3! check the rbs if youd like to check it out)

category: hurt/comfort

ship: grelle x reader

word count: 1,206(i wrote more than i thought oh my god)

reader is gn!!!

Valentine's day is a day for couples to express their love for each other through chocolates and cards. It's a day for crushes to be confessed, and for friends to be cared for. This seems like the perfect holiday for Grelle. But she would say the opposite. Especially now.

It had been a long day at the dispatch, and frankly she was tired of seeing all the healthy and happy couples prance about the halls hand-in-hand. Upon arriving home, she threw off her coat and opened a bottle of wine, finishing about half of it in one go. She could cry if she cared. She just wanted the day to end.

William had been insistant on giving her as much overtime as possible. She would've enjoyed it, if it weren't sitting at her desk in her office, filing paperwork for what seemed to be an endless amount of hours.

It was almost midnight now, as she glumly walked over to her couch to sit down. She was exhausted, staring into nothing as her mind drew blanks. She hadn't even gotten chocolate. Not a single card. Not from friends, and she definitely didn't have any secret admirers. Why would she? Nobody at dispatch actually liked her anyways.

And so she sat there. For about a few minutes, until she heard very incessant knocking at her front door. She grumbled and ignored it. But then by the third round they were practically banging at her door, to which she finally decided to answer whoever wanted to visit her.

"...Y/N?" She stared at you, baffled, wondering why the hell you would be here. "Why are you here? Especially at this hour?..."

You tried to give her an answer, but you were panting so hard, your hands at your knees, trying desperately to catch your breath. "I'm sorry, Grelle, just... Give me a moment..."

She nervously stared at you as your breathing slowly calmed down, and this gave her a good minute or two to inspect your appearance. You were still in your uniform, but you were very much not dressed in a way you could present yourself. Your hair wasn't combed, and your laces were almost completely untied. It's almost as if you ran all the way to her apartment.

Once you finally managed to (mostly) calm down, you looked up at her, speaking in an urgent tone. "Grelle, I'm so sorry, I know I haven't seen you all day. I kinda skipped out on work today. Again, I'm sorry."

"Darling, just tell me why you're here. It's almost midnight. You should be asleep."

"And so should you." Grelle stopped talking after you said that. She let you continue. "I was gone all day because I..." You were afraid to say what you were going to say next.

"I was... Shopping. Looking for the right gift. For you." You looked away and held out a box of chocolates shaped in a heart, with a spider lily and letter taped to it. Grelle gasped quietly upon seeing it, staring at you for a minute. She gently took the box from your hands.

"Y/N, dear... Why did you get me this?" She looked up at you, biting her lip. She was afraid you were teasing her. Why in the ever living hell would you get her chocolates, anyways? And go out of your way to give them to her?

"Because."

"...That's it? Just 'because'?"

"Ok, well, I guess it's deeper than that." You stood up straight, fidgeting with your nails. A blush crept onto your cheeks.

"Well then? I'm waiting." Grelle stood leaning on one leg, her hand on her hip, the other holding the chocolates you gave her. She looked at you expectantly, one eyebrow raised.

Your eyes darted around nervously. Her apartment, the floor, the door, the hallway, anywhere but her face. "I... Well, it's not that important, really. I can tell you some other time. It is rather la-"

"Tell me."

When Grelle spoke to you with that stern tone, you shut up and finally looked into her eyes. You stalled for an incredible amount of time. The longer you waited, the more impatient Grelle became.

"Well, if you're not gonna say, I'll just go to bed." She started to close the door, and you panicked.

"W-Wait! I'll tell you." She stopped closing it, giving you one last chance to explain yourself. She kept her hand on the doorknob.

You closed your eyes as you braced yourself for what you were about to confess to her. "I like you."

Grelle's stern expression softened slowly after you said that. She looked at you in disbelief. No, this wasn't true. You were messing with her.

"Is this some kind of joke?"

When she said that, you immediately opened your eyes to return her gaze. You could tell that her eyes were beginning to water, but she was trying to hold it back. That look hurt.

"What? No! No, I'm not. I wouldn't joke about something like that, Grelle." You looked at her sympathetically.

She stared at you in thought. Her cheeks began to burn with a red color. She kept staring at you for what almost felt like forever. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. I'm sure."

Grelle couldn't hold it in anymore, as a few tears streamed down her cheeks. She looked at you silently, biting her lip, her eyebrows upturned. You immediately began to worry when she started crying, fiddling with your hands, not know what to do.

"Oh my god, Grelle, I'm so sorry! Are you ok? Did I say something wrong?"

She then quickly started to wipe her tears away. "Goodness, dear, I didn't mean to cry in front of you... This just isn't really believable right now."

"What do you mean by that?" Your heart ached further with her statement.

It was now Grelle's turn to worry, because when she saw your painful expression, she began to feel guilty. "Well... Nobody likes me. Nobody's ever liked me. You know how people treat me at dispatch. I just thought... I wouldn't guess that someone as pretty as you would bother with a woman like me."

"Grelle..." You took a few steps forwards, before wrapping your arms around her, resting your forehead on hers. "Please, believe me when i say this. I love you. I don't just have a small crush on you, or just think you're cute --although that is still true-- I genuinely love you. I don't think i could ever get over that without telling you."

Grelle continued to cry, as she returned your hug, still holding the chocolates. "Darling.. You will never understand how much this means to me. I've been pining on you for so long, I never expressed it since I never knew someone was capable of loving me."

"Please, never believe that lie again." You moved to press a sweet kiss to her cheek, silencing her worries. She looked at you, and her eyes were so full of emotion, sincere and unadulterated affection.

"Come inside, I have some wine we can drink. I would love to share these chocolates with you.♡" Grelle loosened her embrace as she led you into her apartment, to which she spent her best Valentine's night with you.

bro i wrote this at like 2/4am tf

#YAYAAYYAYAYAAUYA guys please love this please give it attention i worked so hard im so proud of it #grell sutcliff #grelle sutcliff #grell x reader #grelle x reader #grell sutcliff x reader #grelle sutcliff x reader #black butler x reader #black butler x y/n #black butler x you #kuroshitsuji x reader #kuroshitsuji x you #black butler fanfiction #kuroshitsuji fanfiction #black butler #kuroshitsuji #hurt/comfort #fluff #valentines fic #gn!reader #fanfart #water posts #YES i am tagging this a lot so people will see it fuck you

[softlyspector]

please, if you have recommendations for fics with game!Joel, could you put them in a post? I've been looking for a while and it's quite hard to find 🤧

I have a few up my sleeve <3 Here is a list of specifically game!Joel recs!

Cinnamon and Honey and the follow up Salt and Vinegar by @batsingotham which I have read and reread about 500 million times, and which I loved before I ever got to play the game and appreciated even more after I had. When I'm feeling down, this is where I go.

Everything @joels6string writes is perfect but especially More Than My Father's Son which I still need to catch up on and give the attention it properly deserves.

@morning-star-joy's smoochie fic daydreams lives in my head rent free. Mr. hasn't been kissed in soooo long is full of yearning and love and is perfectly Joel. Additionally, I would like to add bloodshed, crimson clover which I don't think is specifically game!Joel but which I read heavily as game!Joel and recommend anyway because it's a masterpiece. AND FINALLY room for three which is a smutty and perfect Arthur Morgan x reader x Joel Miller.

come care about me by @familyvideostevie is a little slice of perfect domestic bliss with Joel. It's such a my cup of tea kinda fic and I'll definitely be revisiting it a lot.

This drabble by @sweetly-yours-and-mine is short but the perfect, perfect lil bite of smut with old man Joel.

Every single Joel fic this person write on ao3 (not sure if they're anywhere here on tumblr and they haven't written anything in awhile so I'm not sure if they're around at all) is perfect. Absolutely no notes. Wonderful characterization and just the perfect little bites.

I think that's all I have for now, and if I missed anyone I'm sorry <3 I would LOVE to know if any of you have any game!Joel recs for me 💕

#bec talks #fic recs #<3333333333333

[forest-hashira]

Noble Blood - Chapter Two

hello everyone! i really didn't think i'd have chapter two of this finished & posted so quickly, but i was feeling motivated, apparently, so here you go! some dragon rider au to start off your new year. if you haven't read chapter one, you can find it right here.

cw: gender neutral reader, more little kid shenanigans (sneaking out of the house), here there be dragons!!! | wc: 2.4k | read on ao3 here

Things were normal at first after Satoru’s birthday celebration. You still spent your mornings in the one-room schoolhouse with Shoko, Utahime, and Kento, learning reading, writing, math, and history from Utahime’s mother, while Satoru attended his own lessons at home with private tutors. You spent your afternoons running around the settlement with your friends, getting into mischief if Satoru was with you, playing games or running errands if he wasn’t. 

After the night of the fireworks show, you often found yourself sneaking off to the peach orchard to stargaze on the observation deck. Most nights Satoru would be there already, staring up at the stars, acknowledging you only with a smile as you sat with him, pressed up together to share body heat as your breaths puffed out in white clouds before you. 

The two of you spent many nights together like that, at first just silently observing the stars, though eventually he began to point out constellations to you and tell you their names; his favorite was Draco, yours was Hydra. You loved that he decided to share that knowledge with you, but it made you wonder what else his tutors were teaching him that you weren’t learning in your own lessons. 

You quickly grew accustomed to this new routine – even found that you looked forward to the nights where you would be able to slip out of the house unnoticed – but the comfort you’d found in those stolen moments was shattered within a few short weeks. 

Word had begun to spread through the settlement that there was a clutch of dragon eggs on the Gojo estate, and it was expected it was only a matter of days before they hatched. You had heard the rumor from a shopkeeper in town – who no doubt had heard it from someone who worked for the Gojo clan – and decided to ask your friend if it was true. 

“It is,” he told you that night, his eyes sparkling with more than starlight. “It’s only two eggs this time, which is small even for our family’s dragons.” 

“Are your parents going to take you to see them once they hatch?” Children didn’t typically start meeting hatchling dragons until they turned ten, but you thought maybe things were different for prestigious families like Satoru’s. 

“No,” he sighed. “In fact, they’ve told me multiple times that I’m not to go anywhere near the roost.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m not old enough.”

That seemed like a perfectly logical reason to you, but it was clear that Satoru wasn’t satisfied with it, and you knew him well enough to know he was most likely going to ignore his parents’ direct instructions.

“I’m going to sneak in to see them after they hatch.”

You let out a heavy sigh. “Of course you are.”

“You should come with me.”

That caught you off guard, and you stared at him dumbly. “...What?”

“You should come with me to see the hatchlings.” He tilted his head slightly as he looked at you, awaiting an actual response. “Don’t you want to see a baby dragon up close?”

“I-I mean, yeah, but wouldn’t we get in trouble?”

He just shrugged. “I’m not worried about it. They’ve never really punished me before.”

“But they might punish me if we get caught.”

His brows furrowed in confusion, and he frowned slightly. “Why would they do that?”

“Because I’d be breaking into their estate uninvited!”

“But I’m inviting you right now.” 

You stared at each other for a few long moments then, his blue eyes searching your face for something, but you weren’t sure what.

“I don’t think your parents would count this as an actual invitation to the estate,” you said eventually, uncertain how else to get the point across to him. “All they would care about is me being there when I’m not supposed to be.”

“...So you’re not going to come with me?” He looked so disappointed you felt like you might cry, but still you shook your head.

“No,” you agreed. “I’m sorry, Satoru.”

He said nothing in response, just looked away, his focus on the stars again, like it was every night before this one. You shuffled closer, resting your head on his shoulder and closing your eyes; for a moment, you could pretend that this was any other night you’d spent stargazing with him, and that you didn’t feel a little sick knowing you’d upset one of your best friends.

You didn’t see Satoru at all the next day, and he wasn’t on the observation deck that night when you arrived; the idea of staying up there alone after how you’d left things with your friend the night before just made you sad, so you’d gone straight home.

The next day, however, the snowy haired boy was waiting outside the schoolhouse. He called your name as you stepped out of the building, reaching out and grabbing your arm, pulling you aside and looking down at you with wide eyes.

“They hatched,” he said, and you knew exactly what he was talking about. “It was early this morning. I’m going to see them tonight.”

His tone was hushed and secretive, the words tripping over each other as they tumbled past his lips. It was then that you noticed how flushed his face was, his cheeks and nose and even the tips of his ears a bright red, despite the coat and scarf he wore. 

After a moment, you realized he was trying one last time to get you to join him in sneaking off to see the hatchlings, without saying the words out loud. Your throat felt tight, suddenly, and you couldn’t bear the thought of letting him down again, so after a moment of hesitation, you nodded.

“I’ll meet you by the sakura tree in your courtyard,” you told him quietly. “If I’m not there by ten, my parents caught me, so just go without me.”

Satoru’s face lit up at your words, and he nodded, giving your arm a light squeeze. The gesture seemed to lift a weight from your heart, and you smiled at him. Even if this “plan” wasn’t well thought out and would likely spell nothing but trouble for the two of you, you couldn’t ignore the excitement already rushing through your veins; you were going to see hatchlings up close for the first time, and you were thrilled.

Unfortunately, that excitement was rather short-lived. Your parents, who usually turned in early at night, decided to stay up much later than you expected, sitting in the main room by the fireplace, sharing a warm drink and talking quietly to each other. You sat at your door the entire time, gaze flitting between your parents and the clock above the fireplace through the gap between the door and the doorframe, your hopes of sneaking out unnoticed dwindling with every passing minute.

Eventually, the clock struck ten, and you climbed into your bed. The deadline you’d set to meet Satoru had come, and you knew even if your parents went to bed now, there was no chance you’d be able to make it to the sakura tree to meet your friend before he left to see the hatchlings on his own.

Finding sleep was difficult after that, an uneasy feeling having settled in your gut, though you didn’t know why.

There was no sign of Satoru for days after the night he’d snuck in to see the hatchlings, and the uneasy feeling you’d developed grew into something sickening, your stomach churning every time you thought about what might’ve happened to him. Had he gotten caught sneaking out and gotten punished for once in his life? Had the mother dragon deemed him a threat and attacked him when he’d gotten too close to her brood? Had some even worse fate than punishment or injury befallen him?

The worry kept you up at night, tossing and turning, hoping you would see your friend again soon, and that he would complain about being grounded and confined to his chambers before telling you about the hatchlings. But none of that ever happened.

Instead, four days after your failed rendezvous, you received a summons to the Gojo estate.

A messenger from the family arrived at your house one morning, knocking on the door and telling your mother your presence was requested.

“They can go after school,” she said, and made to close the door before she was stopped. 

“I’m sorry, but I’m afraid the young master is insisting on seeing them right away.”

Your mother glanced down at you where you’d begun to hover beside her, and after holding your gaze for a moment, she sighed. “We’ll be ready in a moment, just let us get our coats.”

The messenger looked a bit uncomfortable, a grimace on his face as he spoke. “Only your child has been invited. No one else is to accompany them, I’m afraid. Gojo-sama’s orders,” he rushed to add, when your mother seemed to grow indignant.

“I’ll be okay,” you told her, reaching up to take her hand for a moment. “I’ve been to see him before without anyone else.”

Your mother’s gaze was uncertain as she looked down at you once again, her features pinched together with worry, but eventually she nodded, dropping her shoulders and forcing herself to relax. “You’re right,” she sighed, giving a slight shake of her head as she turned away from the door, taking your coat from the hook it hung on and handing it to you. “Come straight home when you’re finished, alright?” 

You nodded, pulling on your coat and promising to return after your visit with Satoru. You stepped outside then, walking with the messenger as he led the way back to the Gojo estate. The whole time, your mind raced with possibilities about why you’d been summoned to the estate, rather than Satoru just coming to see you himself, which he’d always seemed to prefer in the past. You were so lost in your thoughts, in fact, that you failed to notice you had reached the estate until you were being ushered through the front gates.

“Do you know your way through the house?” the messenger asked.

You looked up at him dumbly for a moment, then nodded, once you’d processed his question.

He nodded back slightly. “Then I will let you continue on your own. The young master is refusing to see anyone but you.”

You nodded again, turning away and walking towards the main house, though all you could think was Why won’t he see anyone else? Removing your shoes in the genkan almost as an afterthought, you stepped fully into the house, heading down the hallway you knew led to Satoru’s chambers.

It didn’t take long to reach his door, and you knocked lightly on the wooden frame. “Satoru?” you called. “It’s me.”

“Come in!” he called back, and after a beat of hesitation, you turned the knob and pushed the door open.

“Close it behind you,” Satoru siad, his voice coming from the other side of the room, behind the privacy screen that separated his bed from the rest of the room. You did as you were asked, pushing the door shut until it clicked before crossing the room to reach your friend. 

“Satoru, I’ve been so worried about you! What happened with the hatch—”

The words died in your throat as you stepped around the privacy screen, only to be greeted by the sight of Satoru perched cross-legged in the middle of his bed, the smallest dragon you’d ever seen curled up in his lap, sound asleep.

A pure white dragon.

All you could do was stare for several long moments, trying to process what you were seeing: Satoru, with a dragon – a single color dragon, at that – but it just didn’t make sense. It was still at least two years before you or any of your friends would be old enough to start visiting hatchlings and eventually meet your destined dragons.

“Is it… is that your dragon?” you eventually managed to ask, tearing your eyes away from the creature to meet your friend’s gaze. 

Satoru nodded, unable to suppress his grin. “Yeah, he is. His name is Kenji.”

“How did this even happen?”

“What do you mean?”

“How did you bond with him? I didn’t even think we were old enough for that to happen.”

Your friend shrugged. “Guess I’m just special.” Though his words were smug, you caught the teasing lilt in his voice, and you laughed softly despite yourself.

“You’re certainly something,” you agreed, teasing him right back. “Is this why you haven’t left the estate in days?”

“Yeah. My parents keep telling me the first week is really important for bonding with him. But he just sleeps all the time.” His bottom lip stuck out slightly in a pout, and you shook your head slightly, stepping closer and settled on the edge of his bed.

“But you have your dragon now, and you might be the youngest person ever to bond with their dragon,” you pointed out. “That’s pretty cool.” 

That seemed to cheer him up some, his pout melting back into a smile.

“Does this mean you’ll start your training soon?”

“I think so,” he said. “But I’m pretty sure my parents are sending for a special trainer, so I don’t know when he’ll get here.”

The two of you sat and talked for a bit longer, and you felt as if a weight had been lifted from your shoulders; the sickening, uneasy feeling disappeared, as well, eased by the knowledge that your friend was alright, just dealing with a big change.

After a while there was a lull in the conversation, and you knew it was probably time for you to return home. You weren’t sure how long you’d sat with Satoru, but you had a feeling it had been longer than you thought. 

“I’ll see you later, Satoru. Don’t stay locked up in here too much longer, okay?”

“As soon as my parents let me out I’ll see you every day,” Satoru promised, and you knew he meant it with his whole heart.

You smiled, feeling light with relief. “I can’t wait,” you said, then dropped your gaze back to the dragon in your friend’s lap; he was still sound asleep. “Bye, Kenji,” you added quietly, standing from the bed and waving to the pair before you left the room. 

Satoru had his dragon now. You weren’t entirely sure what that meant for you or the rest of your friends, but you were sure of one thing: your lives were all about to change.

i hope you guys are enjoying reading this as much as i'm enjoying writing it! as always, reblogs & likes are always appreciated!!! they keep my writer heart full and motivated to keep writing things for people to read 💜 ALSO HAPPY YEAR OF THE DRAGON EVERYBODY!!!

tagging: @ghost-1-y @kentohours @whatthefucksatan @why-the-fuck-am-i-so-tired @mitsuristoleme @lu-dao-writes @peachdues @lik0 @deepestartisanhumanoidshark @here-for-the-tea-baby

if your URL is crossed out, it's because tumblr wouldn't let me tag you, i apologize!

#jjk #jjk fanfic #jjk au #jjk x reader #jjk fanfiction #jjk reader insert #gojo satoru x reader #gojo jjk #jjk gojo #gojo satoru #satoru gojo #gojo x reader #geto x gojo x reader #satoru x reader #geto suguru x reader #geto jjk #suguru geto #jjk geto #geto suguru #geto x reader #fallon's fics #noble blood #dragon rider au #divider credits to cafekitsune & saradika

[echo-bleu]

Re: tumblr selling our data to AI companies.

I don't know if it's overly cynical to say, but it's nothing that all the other social media haven't done already, with more or less publicity. I see people being like, "I'm going away from Tumblr, I'll be on Instagram instead" and. Do you really think Facebook and co aren't selling all of your stuff already. They are.

The AI companies are buying a shitload of data now, I'm guessing mostly so they can say they have "legally acquired" content when the laws and lawsuits start rolling in, but they were scrapping tumblr before that. They were and are scrapping AO3 and whatever other website you use. It's disturbingly easy to get ChatGPT to write shitty omegaverse. If you ask the image AIs to give you Maedhros from the Silmarillion, they'll spit out red-haired guys - that's not because it's canon (it's not even in the Silm) but because it's been trained on our fanart.

This is undoubtedly a shitty move on Tumblr's part, I hate it, etc. This is sure as hell not a defence of them. Do toggle the toggle to "opt-out" for whatever good it's going to do. Do Glaze your art if you can, Nightshade if you can (remember that Nightshade doesn't protect shit though), I don't think either of those are the panacea I've seen them described as but it's better than nothing. But ultimately, all of our stuff online (not just art, and not just public things) has been scrapped and will be scrapped. It doesn't matter if it's on your personal website or on shitty social media.

The internet's core concept is sharing, and that involves a certain amount of goodwill on all sides of the transaction. And that goodwill, when it comes to those big companies, just isn't there. The only way to protect your art from being scrapped is to not share it anywhere.

I don't have a solution. Those models are probably going to burn themselves out eventually, but the next thing will be as bad or worse. The big companies have considered themselves above the law for years and legal frameworks are unlikely to do much. The choice is between not sharing anything and giving up on the communities that bring me joy, or accepting that my art will be stolen whatever I do. Personally I'm going to keep sharing my art on here with the people who enjoy it, and try to remember even in the worst moments of imposter syndrome that it will always be a thousand times better than whatever shitty things the AIs are sprouting by stealing it.

This isn't the solution (or even compromise) I wish I could have. I'm writing this because all the posts I'm seeing are panicking and guilt-tripping, and I've caught myself feeling guilty for still wanting to share my art even though it's going to feed the Machines(TM) and. Can we please stop that. Can we not make the artists somehow responsible for being stolen from.

#echo's ramblings

[ao3commentoftheday]

Long time follower, first time asker. :D

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What do the rest of you think?

#asks and answers

[ripnevillestrevor]

our fortress— chapter six

paring: jake sully × "reader/oc" x neytiri

summary: “…try as she might, ney'ite will never truly become part of the omaticaya clan."

warnings: some crude jokes, norm's sad ass (i kinda feel bad), swearing, no fluff sorry, not proofread, LOWERCASE INTENDED

word count: 1,407

note: just wanna say neytiri sister, sylwanin is not in this story and some of her “parts” are taken over by ney’ite. alright so it’s sorta revealed both ney’ite and neytiri used to go to grace’s school but something obviously made them stop coming so hopefully that’ll be revealed soon enough. (look at me, making assumptions about my own story 🤭🤭) we also have jake inquiring about ney’ite and neytiri a little more and it is also revealed tsu’tey thinks of ney’ite as his sister and that they have a strong bond (referenced in other chapters) so hopefully that’s explored more in later chapters! thanks for all the comments and kudos! -- i write mostly about scenarios going to happen in my dr (haven't shifted yet), if you think it's weird, please either keep it to yourself or message me in private, there are actually people that like this type of content and i'm writing for them. btw comments/requests are open! this is also posted on ao3 under the same name, if you see this anywhere else. please tell me :)

important: i do not allow my work to be copied, republished, translated, or reproduced. please do not use this story on wattpad or on other platforms. respect the author's work <33

"jake! jake!" god, my ears are ringing, eyes blurring, but now clearing up. the last thing i remember slowly falling asleep with the na'vi, in my avatar body. though i was begin to wake up i start to feel i'm back in my human body, fucking bitch. 

  "come on back kid. come on," it's a very feminine but harsh voice, grace, i figure quietly, shes slapping and wiggling face around. i harshly gasp, finally coming back into it. 

  "there you go. there you go, there you go," she assures, i gasp and cough as grace continues to stand over me, "you're okay. you're okay."

  i laugh throatily, already feeling the sweat beginning to form on my lethargic-ridden body. i feel hands start to pull me up out of the link pod, grace, max, and norm all have to pull my body to sit up, "damn! you were dug in like a tick."

  i gasp, trying to catch my breath, stretching my neck and attempting to stretch out all of my non-paralyzed joints. 

  "is the avatar safe?" grace asks, looking to jake with serious eyes.

  "yeah, doc," i pant, "and you're not gonna believe where i am," i smile and laugh unbelievably. 

  grace smiles, satisfied, and takes a step back, allowing me to breath. i take a deep breath, my chest expanding to its full capacity, my heart pounding from within it. i take a moment to remember the beauty of the pandora's moon, its many stars and orange sky, completely mesmerizing me.

  max and norm look at me with an expectant look, and grace looks at me with one eyebrow raised, "three words, big. ass. tree." i finish with a grin. the three laugh in amazement and disbelief, and a wide smile spreads over grace's face. 

  "you're kidding!" they all look at me with wonder and awe.

"the last thing we see is this marine's ass disappearing into the bush with this angry thanator coming after him," grace excitedly describes, elbows on the table, leaning forward. many of the soldiers at the table laugh haughtily. 

  "hey it's not something you can teach," i smile with my mouth full, holding a spoon and a bowl of lucky charms cereal, still in the midst of chewing.

  "that is awesome!" one of them says.

  "you know, for reasons i cannot fathom, the omaticaya have chosen you. god help us all," grace jokingly says laughing, others at the table joining her.

with an indicator of bewilderment, general quaritch inquires, "jarhead clan?"

  he snickers before asking, "and it worked?"

  "hey, I'm practically family," i exclaimed, my arms raised in amazement before i leaned my elbows on the large table that was situated in the center of the room.

  "they're gonna study me. i have to learn to be one of them," i say in an flip-off kind of tone.

  "that's called taking the initiative, son," quaritch points to me while starting to turn from the table, "i wish i had 10 more like you."

  "look sully. sully," parker calls my attention back to him from across the table, "just find out what the blue monkeys want." 

  with my hands on the wheels of my wheelchair, they then going back to stretching over the rails of the table, parker begins speaking, "you know, i mean, we try to give them medicine, education, roads."

  "but no no no, they like mud," parker deadpans, holding his hand to his hip, "and and, that wouldn't bother me, it's just that they're uh..." 

  parker motions his hands over the holographic images sitting above the large table, urging one of the men next to him to move the images, showing pictures of the omaticaya forest, "hey, can you... can somebody just.. sector twelve."

  "okay.. go, go, go, stop. stop..." the map scans right over the forest until it passes upon something i can't quite make out, "rich stop! that's... jesus."

  "their damn village happens to be resting on the richest unobtanium deposit," my eyes settle on the big tree visually showing in front of me as parker continues to speak, "...within 200 klicks in any direction. i mean, look at all that cheddar!"

  parker laughs obnoxiously and quite weirdly might i add, smiling crazily, "so who gets them to move?" i ask generally wanting to know.

  quaritch pipes up from behind me, "guess," i laugh while staring intently on my hands sitting in front on me, "what if they won't go?"

  "i'm betting that they will," 

  "okay, okay, okay, okay, hey. look. look," parker comes to stand beside me, looking down to meet my eye level, my eyes watching him in a hard manner, "killing the indigenous looks bad, but there's one thing that shareholders hate more than bad press, and that's a bad quarterly statement. i didn't make up the rules. so just find me a carrot that'll get them to move, otherwise it's gonna have be all stick, okay?"

  "you got three months," quardich interjects, "that's when the 'dozers get there."

  "well we're wasting time," i look up to parker as he hits my shoulder, starting to walk to the other end of the table, "i like this guy."

"okay, lets run through them again," grace holds a semi see-through tablet up to my face while i myself am rolling into the link lab, norm following behind us.

  "mo'at. dragon lady."

  "eytucan."

  "eytukan," grace corrects me, "he's the clan leader."

  i roll up to my link pod as grace continues to explain, "but she's the spiritual leader. like a shaman."

  "got it," i turn to face the tablet as norm leans his arm on the top of my link machine, "t'su'tey," i ready myself before pushing up into the machine. 

  "tsu'tey," grace corrects again before i correctly say again, "tsu'tey."

  "he'll be the next clan leader," grace clicks the next button, turning to the next slide, i take the tablet into my hands before correctly saying, "ney'ite."

  "you're catching up, great. you lay a hand on her, he'll fuck you up. super protective," grace clicks to the next slide before leaning back and putting a hand on her hip.

  "neytiri," i say confidently, "she'll be the next tsahik," grace explains, "listen, a clan always has to have a tsahik and a olo'eyktan. as much as neytiri will try to fight for ney'ite to be up there with her, they never will truly trust an outsider."

  "but i thought she was still..?" i question.

  "that's true, she's still na'vi, but she is from the metkayina, the sea clan. all clans of na'vi have their own unique cultures and traditions. try as she might, ney'ite will never truly become part of the omaticaya clan."

  "anyway, ney'ite and neytiri are a mated pair, you touch one, the other ones gonna rip your throat out."

  i chuckle softly, "wow, you have such faith."

  grace smiles sarcastically, before i once again draw my thoughts back to a certain topic, "so who's this ewya?"

  "who's ewya?" norm pipes up, exclaiming unbelievable, i turn my head as he starts to speak to me.

  "only their deity. their goddess, made up of all living things. everything they know!" he makes a rather snarky comment, i had a feeling he felt a little jealous of how i was getting all the attention, he was the scientist after all, and i was just a paraplegic taking his spotlight, it reminded me of tommy and i. 

  "you'd know this if you had any training whatsoever," i decided to mess with him by making a joke, i lift the screen to show neytiri then pressing the back button to the slide that shows ney'ite, "who's got a date with the chief's daughters?" i smirk.

  "come on. that's..." norm pathetically tries to defend himself, but his arguments fall on deaf ears as grace takes the tablet from my hands. 

  "knock it off. it's like kindergarten around here," i smile at norm who’s across the room as i pull my frozen-in-time legs up into the machine.

  "ney'ite was my best student, her and neytiri. just amazing girls," grace reminisces, staring at the screen of the tablet before moving her eyes to the panel controlling the link pod.

  "let's go! village life starts early," grace averts the conversation quickly, pushing the inner layer to cover my chest, leaning over me, "don't do anything unusually stupid."

  smiling, i close the external casing of the pod, inhaling and exhaling slowly. here we go.

─────────────────────────

return to my avatar masterlist

return to the main masterlist

#jake sully x reader x neytiri #avatar cameron movies #avatar the way of water fanfic #jake sully #jake sully x oc #jake sully x oc x neytiri #jake sully x reader #neytiri #neytiri x jake #ripnevillestrevor

[peach-and-bugs]

I'm so glad someone's taking requests for YJ! But I'd like to ask for adult Misty x reader with dialogue 3 please!

💗Confessional - Misty Quigley (2021) x fem!Reader💗

Fanfiction master list

disclaimer: don't repost my work. I only post on Tumblr and on Ao3. anything else is stolen and should be removed immediately

Summary: Misty doesn't know the difference between a crush and a squish (the want to be close to someone in a friend way) and is quite surprised when she realizes the difference!

Warnings: mention of cannon death and body disposal (Adam) and alcohol consumption

Word Count: 2,385

A/N: Hello Loves! It's Misty's turn! I absolutely love Misty and she's definitely in my top three favorite characters. But honestly, she's kind of hard to write for, so I don't know how much I like this one. Fortunately, I do have more requests for her, so she isn't going away anywhere and I've got time to work more with her. This was another Yellowjackets dialogue request, so feel free to send in anything you'd like with Misty or another one of the girls with one of the prompts! but as always, feel free to leave questions or comments in my comments or ask box, and happy reading 💗

Misty Quigley Tag List:

General Tag List: @summergeezburr

-💗-

Misty entered her house with a rather loud sigh and a crash from the slamming of her backdoor. She practically threw her groceries on the counter, mumbling under her breath as she left them be to get something to drink from her fridge. She said fuck it and cracked open a coke, taking one long swig before setting it back on the counter and returning to the grocery bags. However, she was interrupted once again by a knock at her front door that had Caligula squawking. He must have been frustrated by all the interruptions as well. She grumbled again and maneuvered through her house to the door, opening it with far more vigor than she’d intended to. She was startled to find you at her door at this hour and she seemed to have startled you as well.

“y/n! I wasn’t expecting you,” she forced with a shiny smile. You chuckled, relaxed, and smiled as well. Misty had known you for quite some time now, however, most of that time had been spent over online citizen detective forums and eventually texting and phone calls before you finally met up in a local coffee shop a month or so ago. After that, you’d kept in pretty regular contact. Shed decided recently that she liked you. And considering that Caligila had gotten comfortable with you holding and petting him quite quickly you must be a good pick after all. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to drop in so suddenly but you'd been so quiet lately and I dunno, I got worried,” you grew shy as you gave her your reasoning, absently brushing loose hair behind your ear. “Oh! And I brought cookies,” you added, wrinkling your nose as you smiles. Misty grinned, enjoying the concern, and shrugged.

“It’s alright, I’ve been helping my friends with something is all. Do you want to come in? I was just putting groceries away before prepping dinner,”

“I wouldn’t want to be a bother-”

“Nonsense!” she chirped, reaching out her hand to take yours and tug you inside. She managed to take your purse from your shoulder and hang it on one of the free hooks by her door. “I’ll cook for us and we can catch up. What have the forums been talking about? I haven't had the time to read any of them,” she fibbed as she made her way into the kitchen with you trailing behind. She flicked on the small radio on her kitchen windowsill to whatever random radio station she'd been listening to previously. 

“Oh! Did you hear about that Adam guy on the news? Some people online have been looking into that. It looks like someone could have been behind him going missing,” Misty had to refrain from physically cringing at that comment, seeing as how she’d just come home from the dead man’s apartment and the funeral in which she eliminated the crucial parts of his identification. 

“Pfft, that case? That’s going nowhere. He probably just hopped on a boat and is across the world by now. I bet something will come out about money laundering or something eventually,” she flat-out fibbed as she pulled carrots and celery out of her grocery bags to put them into her fridge while you stood awkwardly holding your plate of cookies in hand.

“Um ok,” you mumbled “Well, is there anything I can do to help you? I wouldn’t want to just stand in the way,” you chuckled nervously. Why you found so nervous Misty couldn’t tell, but there seemed to be a strange feeling in the kitchen's air, one she couldn’t quite put her finger on. But she smiled again and looked down at her grocery bags, holding her hands in the air and wiggling her fingers as she contemplated what she could have you do. 

“Ah! Why don’t you give those to me and start boiling some water while I finish unpacking this, hm,” she suggested as she began digging through one of the paper bags, to pull out a newly bought bag of spaghetti noodles which she offered to you in exchange for the plate in your hands. After a second you initiated the exchange and made your way to the stove as Misty pulled out a pot for you to boil. 

You scooted around each other in the small space as you filled the pot and she continued organizing her groceries. Every few seconds your hand would brush against the small of her back so naturally that she might not have noticed, so when she needed to move past you she’d gently cup your hip, though it was more like her hand hovering over you. Even so, she still thought she could feel the prickling of your skin under her touch. It was endearing, she realized, to have that sort of effect on someone, though that's how friends were supposed to make each other feel. So, you were her friend now. That was nice. 

“How much of this do you want me to make?” you asked her as you opened the bag. 

“Just dump it all in there. I can eat the rest over the week for my lunches at work,” she decided as she pulled the ingredients she wanted to use for her sauce and meatballs. She had leftover sauce from when she’d made it before at a far larger portion size than she had intended to that was still good and she pulled out some of the new ground beef she’d bought along with bread crumbs, eggs, garlic, and an assortment of other spices. 

She began organizing her ingredients before rolling out her meatballs, but before any of that, she got her sauce back on the stove to warm up next to you in a large saucepan. She casually checked on the noodled, which you were salting and they seemed to be coming along quite nicely. She moved back to her meatballs as her sauce was going by you with a lid on, but as she made the last part of the meal she couldn’t notice that strange feeling again. 

She wasn’t sure who it could be coming from, if not from the both of you, but something other than the smell of dinner was in the air. The strangest part was how it was such a comforting feeling to Misty. There was something so natural about having you in her kitchen with her. Maybe it was because she hadn’t seemed to make many friends into her adulthood, besides her high school friends, of course, though they didn’t seem to talk much anymore. Could it just be that you were here and interested in being with her? You had come to check on her when she’d been quiet after all. That had to be it then. 

She tossed the meatballs into the now boiling sauce to cook. She stood next to you awkwardly for a moment before reaching over you for a ladle to scoop some of your pasta water to add to her sauce, which she stirred around. You unexpectedly moved to take the ladle from her, accidentally taking hold of her hand in the process. She noticed the way your eyes widened eyes dilating for a moment or so, which she found quite curious. She tuned in long enough to realize what song was now playing. It was one her mother used to play when she was a child. 

But if you feel like I feel

Please let me know that it's real

You're just too good to be true

Can't take my eyes off you

Her eyes scanned over your face. You bit your bottom lip, taking it into your mouth

I love you, baby, and if it's quite alright

I need you, baby, to warm the lonely night

I love you, baby, trust in me when I say:

She let go of the ladle and smiled. 

“I need to go feed Caligula and get the table ready,” she said quickly, taking a step back from you. She turned on her heels and rushed far faster than she had intended out of the kitchen and into her lounge and to her bird’s cage. He squealed quietly and Misty smiled, opening the door to the cage and petting the bird’s head. He cooed, shitting his eyes as he nuzzled into the palm of her hand. 

“Caligula, do you have any idea what’s going on with me?” she murmured as the bird climbed on her hand, up her arm, and onto her shoulder as she went to throw away the uneaten food in his dish and refill it for dinner. He began messing with her hair, preening her as he always did at dinnertime. Misty craned her neck to peek into the kitchen, quietly watching as you walked across the room to find plates and utensils and a strainer for the noodles. 

Misty finished refreshing Caligula’s dinner, coaxing the bird back into his cage to eat and she shut the door behind him. She moved on into the dining room, still keeping an eye on you. As she did, she opened a drawer and found an old candle setting along with a lighter she’d never gotten around to using. She figured out why not and arranged the setting, as well as two table placements on the table, dimming the overhead lighting as you walked in with two full plates. 

You paused at the dining room’s entryway, staring at the candles and the table settings placed one at the head of the table and the other directly diagonal to it on the long end of the table. When you didn’t move Misty took the plaits from you and set them both down before trotting off into the kitchen. 

“Now, I have a pinot noir, but I’ve also got a cabernet sauvignon that is just divine!” she allied from the kitchen. You didn’t reply as she rummaged through her cabinets for two glasses. You hadn’t moved from where you stood just yet and noticed after looking back. “y/n, you alright?” she asked, tilting her head with curiosity. You perked up at the sound of your name and skirted to take your seat at the table. 

“Oh! Um, you made the cabernet sauvignon sound very good,” you answered in a rushed attempt at sounding normal that Misty didn’t quite pick up on. She grabbed what she was told, along with a wine opener, and made her way back to the table. She stood as she opened the bottle with a satisfying pop and poured each a glass, which you tentatively grabbed, and took a few confident sips as Misty took her seat and her fork to dig in. You paused for a moment, messing with your hands in your lap before eating. 

“Misty, I have a confession,” you started, not looking up from your hands. 

“Well, it better not be to a murder because I can’t deal with that right now,” she answered back without the skip of a beat. You looked up, quite puzzled, and scrunched your brow.

“Um, I’m sorry, what?” you asked, nose wrinkling. Misty fully looked up and finished what she was chewing, covering her mouth with her hand as she realized your reaction. 

“Oh! No, I just mean I’ve been a little stressed lately is all, but I'm only joking, I promise!” she could tell she hadn’t recovered well at all as she could practically feel the way you cringed and clenched your teeth, pulling back from her, eyes refusing to meet hers. Had you always been this shy with her? You sighed, pulling her from her thoughts.

“You know what, this was a bad idea. I need to go,” you said rather rushed as she had moments prior. Before she had time to react you'd left your seat and headed back to the front door. Misty heard the jingle of your keys and the click of her front door before she got up, frantically wiping her mouth with her napkin. 

“y/n?” she called, watching you slip out the door before she began to sprint in its direction. By the time she made it to the door, you’d made your way down her front steps and were headed to her car. “y/n!” she yelled fully now, a strained crack in her voice. You stopped in your tracks, fearing the attention she might bring but it gave her enough time to grab onto your hand tight and stop you. Adrenaline had started pumping in a way that felt like fear, but of what she couldn’t pinpoint. 

“y/n, did I do something,” she asked quickly, her eyes frantically searching her face. You seemed startled by the sudden desperation in her grasp and her voice and you bit your lip, your brown scrunching as you frowned but shook your head. 

“No, it’s just stupid,” Misty squeezed your hand and reached up to turn your cheek to look at her. 

“No it’s not, tell me. I promise whatever it is it's not stupid. I’d never find anything you say stupid,” she insisted. You met her eyes finally and sighed with defeat. 

“I was going to ask you on a date,” you said in what could only be described as a whisper. Misty perked up, confused. 

“A date?” she questioned. She felt your cheek burn under her fingertips. 

“Yes! A date! I know it's silly, and I’m acting like a child but,” Misty grinned, vibrating with excitement. 

“I’d love a date with you!” she exclaimed. 

“What?” you were the confused one now.

“I didn’t know you liked me,” Misty mused, practically purring.

“Well, yes I’ve always liked you-” you started. 

“But I mean I didn’t know you liked me,” she reiterated, accentuating what she meant. You grew shy again. 

“Well, I didn’t know either but I got so nervous with the cooking and the candles,” 

“Then this can be our date!” Misty decided. 

“Really?” you chuckled under your breath. She’d gotten you to laugh and that was even more exciting than getting asked on a date. 

“Yes! I’d love to take you back in and on our date,” you chuckled again (she got you to laugh again!) and nodded. Misty eagerly led you back inside and realized just what she must have been feeling before after all. 

#fanfiction requests #fic request #◛⑅·˚ ༘ ♡ kay's at it again♡ #yellowjackets requests #yellowjackets x reader #yellowjackets fanfic #misty quigley #misty quigley x reader #misty quigey x y/n

[doraambrose]

saw ur batfam fanon takes - and question: can you even find fanfic that doesn’t have any of that?

i agree with 95% of ur post, but just on a personal level, I love a good dad bruce fic. bc i grew up reading comics and the good dad bruce panels were few and far between, I love fanon content of him fixing his relationship with his kids, it heals my inner child lol

anyways, back to my qs, do u have and strictly canon fic recs then?

Hello! This is my first ask ever so excuse my excitement lol. In terms of fics that are strictly Canon, I have not found one yet. There are some fics that have some of those elements, but theyre slight enough that it doesnt ruin the whole story. But to be fair, I haven't been reading a whole lot lately as I am very busy with work and school. I will admit that I do have some guilty pleasure fics that are definitely not Canon. @lightwing-s is writing a series called "baby steps" that I have been loving as a guilty pleasure. I'm also on this forum on the DC universe infinite website and a friend of mine who lives near my dad writes REALLY GOOD redhood stories and her dream is to write for him as a DC writer. That's invite only but maybe one day, I'll ask her if I can share some of her writing. I also dont read a whole lot of fics that don't center around Jason Todd. I'm also into sickfics and hurt fics, mental health, that kind of stuff (unfortunately thats where most of the bruce calling jason sweetheart comes from 🤢) There are some fics that I do like :

Pinstripedjackalope on AO3 has a couple good jason sickfics that show jason and Roy in a platonic friendship as well. The Curse of a Turkey Sandwich and Stick the Landing are really good

I just recently read this fic with jason and rose wilson that I kind of enjoyed, but I'll admit it's a little offbrand for Rose. It's also on AO3, it's Respite by Creatchure

There's a fic I have wanted to read but haven't gotten a chance yet called Nyx the destroyer from the shadows by killkid001

There's also this fic on AO3 that I loved a lot about Jason and Tyler and their first night together after jason adopted him. It was really great but I just can't find it anywhere now.

That's all off the top of my head because I have the memory of a goldfish but I'll post some fic recs as I find them :)

Thanks!

#jason todd #batfam #batman #bruce wayne #red hood #dc comics #dc universe

[totaldramafan-lauri]

Make Use Of Me (chapter 1, preview)

Dec. 7 EDIT: ONCE MORE, WITH BRAVERY THIS TIME. No more chickening out. You can read this thing FOR REAL now. Sorry for being weird, and now....sorry if this wasn't worth it. XD

O-OK...here goes....

First thing's first: I am not expecting a lotta people to read this. I'm not asking people to read this. At this point, I'm making this mostly as a passion project, and if anyone enjoys it, it'll be a really cool bonus. My writing style isn't gonna be for everyone, and the characters I write aren't the most....popular characters in the CRK X Reader community, and I imagine this isn't really something a lotta fans'll be demanding more of.

This is LONG. This one chapter is 56 pages long. I am a VERY wordy writer,

So......why'm I posting this preview? Well....partially as an interest gauge for people who WOULD wanna read it, but...mostly as a motivator. As something to remind myself of whenever I get lazy. After all....I can't quit after I made the first chapter public, right? By doing that, I put myself out there...And, hey, I even tagged it, so, if by the off chance, someone did read it, I'm basically promising them more eventually.....

But, again, I'm not forcing anyone to read this.

Not only is it long, but.....This first chapter is probably my least-favorite thing I've ever written. By posting this chapter by itself, I'm testing to see if it does its job of making people wanna read the rest, cuz....right now, I'm not so sure how well it succeeds at that.....

This is the boring part of the story. It's a bunch of setup, and me jumping through hoop after hoop after hoop to just get everything started. I know setup is important and all, but....I'm already a very wordy writer, so....oof....There is some interesting stuff that happens, but it takes a while to get there.

I-I....kinda hate it, actually. The only reason I didn't scrap it is that I didn't realize I hated it until I was about halfway through it and the "good part" hadn't started yet. And I still spent a month writing the thing, so....I finished it.

I'm tagging this...as an experiment. If you wanna read this, go ahead. W-well, read my tags first, THEN go ahead. XD

All I can really say in this chapter's defense is that....I do try my best to salvage it. It's just setup, but I TRIED to make it interesting. And everything that seems like it didn't go anywhere, will later. This isn't the whole story, it's just the beginning of what's gonna be a BIG story. Anything that seems weird in this chapter, gets explored in the other chapters. This does set up a bunch of stuff that becomes important later (The friend character shows up later, the Colosseum becomes relevant later). This chapter is boring, but I tried not to make any of it pointless.

For the future: I'm aiming for five chapters. Chapters 2 and 3 will be a series of smaller vignettes that take place over the course of a few years, chapter 4 will be the climax, and chapter 5 will be something of an epilogue. After that, there will be two endings to choose from (which will make sense when we get there).

This probably won't be my favorite thing I've ever written, but it will be the most ambitious thing I've ever, and probably will ever, write. I haven't written something like this before, and it's all to flesh out this story and make it believable.

Right now, I.....I want to finish this. I'll probably still be writing this in February at the rate I'm going, but...at this point, I've put too much into it to give up on it. However, I'm STILL not completely ruling out the idea of my motivation dying before then. It COULD happen. So, what I'm planning to do is...setting a short-term goal of finishing chapter 3. After I do that, I'll post the first three chapters on AO3 together, and work on the rest. That way, even if I don't finish it, I'll at least have it over half done, and chapter 3 will end on a somewhat high note.

So, yyyyeah....Not a lotta people will read this preview. Overly wordy writing style + boring setup part of story + 56 pages long + assumed lack of interest for X Readers of this character (At least, I haven't SEEN many simps for her, m-maybe I'm wrong, I might be, I-I haven't checked any tags cuz I've been nervous, b-but it doesn't make my writing any better. In that case, this is my first time writing her so I'm trying super hard to do her justice >//////<)

I-if you wanna read this, and see if this first chapter does a good job of making you wanna read the better chapters, then...Go ahead.....

Some notes:

-This is still not the final draft. It's finalized enough for me to share, but I'm still not considering it finished. Even tho I'm working on chapter 3 right now, I STILL go back and edit this, even very recently. So, chances are, even if the story is finalized, small details and sentences are still subject to change. I know for a fact that there are still SOME placeholder bits in here that will change after I get some stuff cleared up. Recently, I even considered chopping off an entire section to make it shorter. I decided not to, but hey, it could still happen. I don't wanna waste anyone's time. The first chapter of a story, even if it's boring, is still very important, and I wanna make sure it's the best version of itself.

(A-and yes, this means that I've finished chapter 2 as well. The reason I'm not sharing it is that, unlike chapter 1, it was finished VERY recently, so I might still need to give myself time to edit it. From what I have, tho, I do like it a LOT more than chapter 1. There are some parts of chapter 2 that I'm legit proud of.)

-Even tho this first chapter is completely clean, I-I should mention that....this fic is for adults. The full version, at least. Chapters 3 and 4 are gonna contain some light N/S/F/W moments (the "fade to black" variety, so nothing explicit) and there'll be other slightly racey comments here and there. Just a heads-up. I'm gonna be uncomfy with minors reading this.

Th-that's all? I-I think that's all.......O-OK, so......h-here goes..... E-enjoy....

#fics by lauri #fanfic preview #WARNING: UNFINISHED #THIS IS JUST THE FIRST CHAPTER #......AND ITS STILL A LONG READ #cookie run x reader #crk x reader #golden cheese cookie x reader #gender neutral reader #also contains a gender neutral 'friend' character you can do what you want with #basically i got inspired by that part in her bio that mentions how... #....shes always looking to add more loyal subjects #and it made me imagine the story of an outsider who gradually integrates into the kingdom and earns her approval #so its an underdog story basically #and there a LOT that the reader gets put through #reader is shy and socially awkward but can also be a bit more sarcastic than the other reader characters ive written #im aiming for a BIT more comedy than usual since its my first crk fic that doesnt take place in the humorless dark cacao kingdom XD #but yeah reader is a ball of anxiety #they get panic attacks later on #pre canon #VERY VERY VERY pre canon #takes place DECADES before canon #before um....the lost city became lost #its not virtual #no errors no avatars #just a technologically advanced city #power imbalance and god complex stuff all over the place cuz fghdhgfhdhfgh im weak for that part of her #also contains some themes of verbal abuse (from nameless characters toward reader) #and like i said it has some adult moments later on #contains a lot of time skips

[izukuwus]

winding back and unlearning - nishinoya yuu/reader (NSFW)

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A/N: I've had this written since February 29th I just didn't feel like editing it. so I didn't. I still haven't REALLY edited but it's fine just tell me it's good even if it isn't. writing smut is 50% me going "wow I'm the greatest writer ever" and 50% me going "maybe I should stop writing forever". this time for real I have another two oneshots coming - another noya/reader smutshot which is already written and just pending a rest for editing purposes and a karasuno team gangbang which will need a bit more work before it's ready to post but it's already drafted so we'll see! ANYWAYS. nishinoya. you agree. reblog.

Summary: Noya shows you how to let go.

Warnings: smut, reader is referred to as a girl multiple times/is afab, biting (I mean come on you know me by now). this is a deleted scene from the previous work linked above but you don't need to read that to understand that they fuckin'.

Word count: 2100+

“Let me show you how to let go, then.”

There’s no illusions about what he means. Not this time, not with his lips dancing down your neck to your exposed shoulder. Not with his hips pressing into yours, not with his fingertips toying with the edge of his shirt you’re wearing, and not with his fingertips brushing the bare skin at your waist.

You nod and hope you won’t regret it.

Noya’s hands dance underneath your shirt, push it up and out of the way but not off. At the sight of you, he lets out a sharp little intake of breath. He sighs down into you, stops you when you move to take the shirt all the way off. “As hot as you are, I kinda wanna fuck you wearing my clothes.”

You huff a laugh. “You’re ridiculous.”

Still, the words flutter down to your core. His hands roam your chest, never able to settle anywhere, until he can’t take it anymore and leans in to kiss your neck. “God, you’re hot.”

“How many times are you going to—mm—“

He snickers against your throat. “Oh, we’re still sensitive here, huh?”

“Oh, fuck you.”

“Trying,” he mumbles.

Oh, fine. You’re supposed to be trying this “letting go” thing, anyway. You tug at his shirt, let him ravish your neck. “Noya,” you breathe as he finds just the right spot. He responds with a sharp bite. “Careful—mark,” you gasp.

“That doesn’t sound like a complaint to me.” Bastard. You can feel him grinning.

“I have to go back to work at some point after this,” you whine. “Do you want me to walk into the office covered in hickeys or something?”

A muffled laugh. “Well—“

“Do not answer that.”

“Fine, fine.”

He returns to his mission—apparently, to get his mouth on every bit of your skin he possibly can. He’s eager and skilled with his mouth, goes out of his way to mark you places you can’t complain about. (He may or may not get away with marking you in one or two places you should be complaining about.) When he seems satisfied with having made a new tapestry on your neck and shoulders, he returns his attention to your tits, slides your bra off and out from under the shirt with little difficulty.

“That’s better,” he whispers before leaning down to capture a nipple in his mouth.

He’s attentive, or perhaps fixated—one hand on your waist, one on the other breast, both determined to map out the extent of your body however they can as you gasp into the room. When he seems satisfied, he switches, laughing around your flesh as you whine and arch your back into him. He nips at the underside of your breast before moving downward, his hips grinding against your leg just so you know he’s hard.

Not to be outdone, you, too, take the time to map out his body, find places to taste his skin, feel his muscles where he’s retained gorgeous toning from when you were younger. “Okay, I know you want to fuck me wearing your clothes, but I’d like to see you, so will you please—“

“Fine, fine.” He pulls back, whips his shirt off to let you see him. Yeah, he’s still well-toned, still got the hint of abs and the nice arms that used to have your mind wandering back in the day. They feel nice underneath your palms as you sit up to kiss him, his stomach twitching as you lightly drag your nails on the way down.

“God, you’re still so hot,” you groan as your hand meets his mark. He’s hard in your hand as you palm him through his shorts, lets out a low groan of his own as he drops his head onto your shoulder.

“I can’t keep waiting like this.” He grabs your wrist, pushes you down. “Give me a sec.”

You lean back, watch with lidded eyes as he scrambles a little overexcitedly out of his pants. His cock springs free and heavy against his stomach, and before he crawls back on top on you, he finds a condom in his side table and drops it beside you. You laugh. “You really are excitable.”

“Oh, hush,” he says, rolling his eyes. He grabs at your shorts—his, really—and tugs, pulling you towards him with them.

“I thought you didn’t want me taking your clothes off?”

He raises an eyebrow, glaring playfully. “How am I going to eat you out with the shorts on?”

“I’m sure you could find a way.”

“Too much work.” He climbs back on top of you, hands finding your ass and pulling you in close to his mouth. The flat of his tongue drags across your sex, and you drop your head back with a sigh.

He moans again you. “Delicious,” he murmurs, pausing to bite at your inner thigh. He loses himself there, taking the time to leave yet another mark on your skin. You whine, rolling your hips up against nothing.

“Quit marking me and just—“

He moves up, bites harder at your hip. “Hmm?”

“Ugh, Noyaaa, you know what I want.”

He chuckles. “I wanna hear you say it.”

“Touch me,” you whine.

“Touch you…?”

“Touch me please. Asshole.”

“Mm. I wanna mark you a bit more.”

“I am going to kick your ass—“

“Hot.” Nevertheless, his fingers find your pussy and press in gently. “You’re so wet, you know that? You didn’t have to tell me a thing.”

You roll your hips up at the contact, only for him to pull his hand away. He clicks his tongue.

“[name],” he practically sings. “You’re going to have to be patient.”

“Pleaseee.”

Again he nips at your hip. Holds your hands down while he sucks a new mark there. When at last he’s satisfied, he repositions himself, slips one finger inside you, two as you finally keen in relief.

He works you up easily, moreso due to his teasing, pumping his fingers into you with an expert curl as his tongue works your clit. As he fingers you, his hips grind against the bed. What, is he so excited he can't help it?

That's... kinda hot.

A third finger joins the fray, and you sigh at the stretch, hips rolling against his face. He continues working you, removing his fingers only to press his whole face into your cunt until you cum on his tongue.

"Fuck, Noya. Where on Earth did you learn that?" you ask as you recover.

He presses his whole body up against yours, face glistening with your slick as he leans in close. "I'm a natural, you know. I've always been good at making pretty girls cum."

"Right, right, how could I forget?"

He laughs softly, leans in to kiss you. You can taste yourself on his lips, but it doesn't bother you—you kiss right back, running a hand through his hair. Maybe tugging a bit when he nibbles at your lip. He returns the favor, once again groping at you. He just can't keep his hands to himself.

When he's satisfied himself, the hand that had been kneading your hip leaves you, searching blindly in the sheets.

You pull away with a snort. "You lost the condom."

"I-I didn't lose it!" he protests.

You roll your eyes, untangle from him as he searches. Your hand finds it quickly enough, but you let him search a little bit longer just to make him sweat. When you've had your fun, you hold it up in two fingers. "I've got it."

He smiles, drops his head against your shoulder. "There it is."

"At least one of us has our head on straight, here," you tease.

"See, I need you! I'll never make it in Italy alone without your beautiful brain by my side."

"I think you just want to bring along a chew toy."

"That's not true!"

You shove his shoulder lightly. "Besides, you always made it through fine. Although I do make things much easier, thank you."

He growls playfully, tackles you down to wrestle the condom from you. "You're sassy after you cum, huh?"

"Am I?"

He nips lightly at your throat, separates just long enough to roll the condom onto his throbbing length.

You hum. "So how are you wanting me?"

"Are you giving me the option?"

"You're the one who was pulling me around all day. Might as well fuck me how you want, too."

A low groan. He grabs at your hips, flips you onto your stomach with ease. "Hands and knees. Please."

He doesn’t have to tell you twice, not that he had to tell you at all from the way his hands grip your hips to position you for him. It’s been a little while—a lot a while, actually—and when he finally, finally presses into you, the stretch burns pleasantly. You sign in unison as he rolls his hips forward, as he pushes until he bottoms out inside your pussy. “You’re so tight,” he sighs. “Take me so well.”

Your stomach flutters at the praise. It does not go unnoticed.

He snakes a hand around to rub at your clit lazily. “How you feeling, pretty girl?”

“Good,” you moan out. “Real good.”

“That’s good. Are you gonna keep being good for me?”

“Mhmm.”

He pulls out a bit, thrusts back in—shallow first, slow and loving to allow you to get used to the stretch. It’s a good stretch, real good. You don’t know how else to describe it, other than you want it—more, harder, faster.

“Noyaaa,” you whine out.

“Mm?” His voice has grown husky, barely exerted as he stretches your walls.

You look back at him as best you can, eyes pathetic when you meet his. “Harder, please.”

You’re not really expecting the growl that leaves his throat. “You know exactly what you’re doing.”

“Pleaseee?”

“Fuck.”

He pulls all the way out, flips you again so you’re dizzy, nearly slams his cock back into you once he gets your legs pushed up and out of the way. Now, he’s not holding back—his hands find yours, fingers intertwined as he pins you down. It’s almost affectionate, if not for the pure lust radiating off of him.

There’s the strength and stamina you were hoping for—he fucks you into the mattress, angles his hips just right that you writhe underneath him. He drinks in the sight of you—moaning on his cock, wearing his shirt, marks all over you from his mouth—and fights not to so much as blink.

“Are you gonna cum for me, pretty girl? Won’t you cum for me?” he croons as he pistons his hips.

“Ah—wanna cum—“

He leans down, mouth latching onto your neck and biting down as he feels you start to get close. When you cum, it’s blinding just a moment, whining into his ear, thrashing beneath him. You nearly cry at the release—it’s too good, too much, and he’s still fucking you.

It doesn’t take long to drag him over the edge with you—your walls are still pulsing around him when at last his hips stutter and still inside you.

“Fuck, that’s it,” he groans. “Did so well for me.”

You simply whine. Words aren’t gonna happen right now.

He chuckles, pulls out of you in a motion that has you both hissing. You let out a small noise of complaint as his weight leaves the bed.

“I’ve gotta take care of you. I’ll be right back, okay?” He leans over, kisses you on the forehead as you pout.

He disappears despite your childish protesting, returns with no condom on and a damp rag that has you jolting and yelping when he presses it between your legs.

“Sorry. I was only kind of trying to startle you.”

“Ass.”

“I have a nice one, thanks for noticing.”

You snort and reach up for him, making grabby hands in an attempt to get him to come cuddle you. You always have been extra affectionate after the fact.

“I’m just going to put this rag in the bathroom, and then I’ll be back, okay?”

Another whine. He laughs as he leaves the room.

But, well, he makes good on his promise—after a few moments, as your eyelids are already growing heavy, he returns, flopping down on top of you unceremoniously.

“There we go. All yours, pretty girl.”

If there’s regret to be had, you’re sure it’ll hit by morning. For now, his arm winds around you, and your hand comes up to intertwine fingers with his, and you rest, feeling lighter than you have in years.

Tags: @deeplightgarden @idonthaveanameideayet @dusstory

If you’d like to be tagged, shoot me a message or an ask, or ask here in the replies, tags, or reblogs and let me know what you’d like to be tagged in (all works, all works specific to a character, all smut works, etc.). If your name appears on this list but is not underlined and you didn’t get a notification, please check to make sure that your blog is NOT set to not appear in search results in your blog settings! If you’ve got that set that way for a particular reason, consider subscribing to the fic on ao3 for an equivalent update notification, as I always crosspost simultaneously! After three unsuccessful tagging attempts, you will be removed from the list.

As always, thanks for reading! <3

#my fics #nishinoya yuu x reader #yuu nishinoya x reader #not sfw

[tamaruaart]

Hi :)

₊✩‧₊˚౨ৎ˚₊✩‧₊

Questions:

About me:

I mostly go by Rua or Tam but I'm also 100% okay with any nicknames! (Tamarua, Tamari, Tama, Tamachi, Ruma, Ru etc.) I'm a digital & traditional artist and I mostly draw my OCs or characters I like. I'm in A LOT of fandoms (lmk, jttw, jjk, kny, greek myth, Hamilton...). This blog respects and supports the LGBTQ+ community :> (WHERE ALL MY ARO/ACE BUDDIES AT??-). I'm catholic but I prefer not to talk about religion a lot, I just like it that way. My preferred pronouns are She/her but I don't mind if you refer to me as a they/them or he/him. I don't usually get mad, and my humor is very... Uh, what's the word? Stupid? Yea, very stupid. I speak English, Croatian and I know a tincy-tiny bit of Italian.

What art program do I use?:

I use Clip Studio Paint and Ibis Paint, in Ibis I mostly use the default brushes and in Clip studio I use the defaults as well as Artemus pencil pack and Artemus chalk pack (both of the packs are free btw)

Where else can you find me?:

I'm on Twitter (@TamaRuaArt), Pixiv (@Tamachi), Reddit (@TamaRuaArt "Tam & Rua✩") and tiktok! (@tamaruaart "Tam✩") (but I don't post anywhere else soo)

What are the rules for my blog?:

-No offensive/hurtful comments on sertant groups of people

-No nsfw topics

-No politics

-Please keep your comments relative to the post

-Please no heavy-religion based topics

-No racism

-No sexism (idc if towards men, women or ANY gender identity)

-No homophobia or transphobia (nor to any other sexuality)

What do I mostly use this blog for?:

Well, I mostly use it to talk about my jttw/lmk OC Zhaoyan (or just Zhao is fine). Zhao is a sorceress who was brought to the journey as a healer for Tripitaka. Basically, she has the power to heal any wound, illness, disease etc.

Where can I find out more about your oc?:

For now my tumblr blog is the only place. I do 100% plan to write an AO3 fanfic regards her one day (because she honestly has so much lore that isn't even jttw/lmk related). But not any time soon, I'm very busy with school and I still have to work her whole character out before I start writing. When I do publish the story I'll announce it here :D

What sort of art do I do?:

I do character art/character design, backgrounds, cartoony styles, semi-realism, rendered pieces, short comics, templates, coloring pages, buildings, creature designs and plants (I suck ass at animals tho >:'( )

Is this blog R18?:

Not really, I do swear quite a bit and I do bring up a bit more serious topics from time to time. But besides that I don't deal with any nsfw things and I don't really talk about any drama going on in the world rn. At the end of the day this is just a silly little blog for me to talk about my interests :)

Do I do suggestions/requests?:

Yeh, just don't expect a masterpiece. I'll probably draw your suggestion as long as it's a character, also just a heads up but if I don't feel like it I can always decline. (you can suggest someone threw my in-box)

Do I do coms?:

No

wewooweoweewowweee

yes

My Playlists:

Zhaoyan but as a ✨Playlist✨:

An introduction to my characters and some extras:

Free chibi OC commission (closed):

And that's basically all you need to know about me

ba-bye 👋

#monkie kid #lmk oc #lego monkie kid #jttw #journey to the west #jttw oc #lmk #lego monkie kid oc #monkie kid oc #oc #lmk oc; zhao #jttw oc; zhao #blog info #oc playlist #Spotify #lmk oc; yueliang #lmk oc; quanshuǐ

[waytooinvested]

fanfic writer questions

Thanks for the tag @sssammich! I haven't done one of these in years, I'm excited :D

1- How many works do you have on AO3?

Only 11, but a couple are long ones (100,000+ words)

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

406,700 and counting - one of those is a WIP that will have a lot more to add so I MAY make it to 500,000 in the coming months, if I write another couple of short ones on top.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Right now I'm just writing for Supergirl (and supercorp specifically). In the past I wrote a lot for Call the Midwife (Patsy x Delia, my beloveds), and I have written one small one for Strange the Dreamer, just because I had an idea that wouldn't leave me alone until I got it out.

I tend to be a bit all or nothing with fandom, so I am usually only in one at a time.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

The Hands I Used to Touch (Patsy/Delia - Call the Midwife) by a landslide. It also (briefly) had the most comments of any fic in the fandom which was very cool (it was the one I was writing for longest during the peak engagement era for the pairing, but still it is my crowning achievement as a fic writer haha)

After that Vengeance, Victory and Undying Love (Supercorp), Little Things Mean A Lot tied with A Paper Bag of Pick n Mix (both Patsy/Delia), and Storybooks and Siren Suits (also Patsy & Delia, but as children so not a romantic pairing)

5. Do you respond to comments?

Definitely! I try to respond to every comment, because they mean so much to get and I want the people taking the time to write them to know they are extremely appreciated. Also I have made some wonderful friends that way!

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

I am allergic to angsty endings! Angsty beginnings? Almost inevitable. Angsty middles, sure. Angsty ENDINGS? Never. So angstiest: maybe "The Static of Distance" from my Paper Bag of Pick n Mix, because they are still half a world away from each other during a threat of nuclear war. But even so it's only an angsty ending if you squint really hard.

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

They all have pretty unambiguously happy endings honestly, I'm not sure I could pick between them!

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I don't think I've ever had hate as such. Some maybe less than whole heartedly positive responses, though most of that was when I was teasing an apparently dark character arc before a twist and making people worried about what I was up to. But see above re: all of my fics having absolutely unambiguously happy endings, so we got there eventually.

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

Not so far - I think the closest I have come was my wife and I writing a silly crack fic together that involved smut, but it was not at all meant to be actually sexy and we never posted it anywhere, sooo...

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

Not typically, but there was A Misplaced Midwife, in which Barbara from Call the Midwife (a fairly sheltered young 1960s midwife played by Charlotte Ritchie) traded places with Hannah from Siblings (a modern day selfish, chaotic disaster human also played by Charlotte Ritchie) and how they got along in each other's lives. It was silly and crack-y but a lot of fun to write.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge, thankfully!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Alas, no

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

The aforementioned crack fic with @cynicalrainbows but that was just for our own entertainment. She also contributed several lines/ideas to A Misplaced Midwife. I don't think I have apart from that.

14. What's your all time favorite ship?

I only really have two that I've been invested enough to fic about it, and while my current all consuming obsession is Supercorp, I have only been in it for a couple of months compared to the years long love affair with Patsy/Delia that also led to me meeting my wife and many good friends. So for now, Patsy/Delia still reign supreme. We'll see if that is still the case in a few more months!

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

I try to always finish my fics, but I do have one unfinished wip on my conscience, and that's Storybooks and Siren Suits. I still open it and do battle with progress now and again just in the hopes that I will manage to drag it across the finish line and put it to bed once and for all, but so far nothing doing. It remains stuck on the same chapter it has been stuck on since 2021.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Oh no don't make me pay myself compliments... Angst with happy endings? That is not really so much a writing strength as just a description of the type of story I write, but shh. I guess I got a lot of compliments on characterization back in my Call the Midwife days. Whether that follows through to Supercorp remains to be seen. I like how I'm writing them, at least!

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

My dialogue transitions tend to be clunky, at least so I'm finding lately. Also I am a total feast or famine writer, so any kind of sensible process or schedule discipline is completely non existent.

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

I avoid it for the most part because I would certainly make a mess of it, though I have one or two very very brief bits here and there. I think the longest piece was a character recalling their own long distant school french, which contained deliberate mistakes the character was making that acted as excellent cover for the genuine mistakes I no doubt also made.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

I'm trying to recall if I ever wrote anything as a young teenager for Buffy The Vampire Slayer (Willow/Tara, naturally), but I don't think I did, and if so it definitely stayed as tucked away in an old notebook never to see the light of day. The first proper/definite one was Call the Midwife, just after they decided it would be a good idea to hit Delia with a car and give her amnesia right at the moment she and Patsy were about to move in together.

20. Favorite fic you've written?

Well right now it's Forgotten Not Forgiven for sure, because that's where my obsession is currently living.

Of all time though? Probably still The Hands I Used to Touch, because I poured everything into it at the time and it played such a big part in me finding my feet in the fandom world. No pressure to do this at all of course but tagging @cynicalrainbows @fabulousglitch, @shut-up-heather-d and @fazedlight as people I know write fic and may enjoy this if you haven't done it already. Anyone else interested feel free to claim me as your tagger, I would love to see your responses!

#writer questions game