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odinsblog · 10 months

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i usually use the anon function bc im embarrassed to ask people things sjfjfjhs but I've never sent anything horrible to anyone!! I'm sorry you've had negative experiences with the anon function before, you don't deserve that at all!! sending love!

[re: this post]

Thank you. I genuinely appreciate you rn

People like you are literally the only reason why I don’t completely disable the anon feature, because I understand that sometimes people are shy, or they want to express themselves without taking shit. I actually dO get that

But alas, as with everything, there are those who abuse what really should be thought of as a nicety, or privilege—some people just abuse it

Very long rant, incoming

So here’s the thing, right? Sometimes when people are online, they act and behave in ways they wouldn’t dare to irl

I’m not the government. I don’t have a staff to edit my posts. I’m not anybody special. I’m just some dude on the internet who enjoys sharing my opinions and other things. If YOU don’t like or agree with my opinions or something else that I post, you are completely free to keep scrolling or to block me. That’s fine. But when anons begin demanding that I phrase things the way that they’re more comfortable with, then we got serious issues

And another thing: people need to not be so quick to assume malicious intent where none exists

For example, I have accidentally typed the number 500 in a post when I meant to type 50–now, in the specific post, it truly was a significant error. But an anon immediately jumped into the comments and self righteously accused me of lying to make a point, rather than saying to themselves, “Hm, maybe Odin just made a typo”

And my personal favorites

them: YOU’RE SPREADING MISINFORMATION AND DISINFORMATION !!!!

me: um, it was a fucking joke? do they have jokes where you come from?

Or,

me: posts a video of an alligator and some cranes, and adds a bit of whimsical commentary

them: WELL ACTUALLY, THAT IS PROBABLY PREDATORY BEHAVIOR AND I THINK YOU SHO-

me: no. goddamn, I can’t be fucking whimsical on a social media site? eat shit. stfu

And also,

them: well technically, it’s not really fascism

me: maybe not, but it’s fucking close enough. I’m not gonna wait for people to start getting marched into ovens and say, “now can we call it fascism??”

I have literally had all of these dumb, stupid ass conversations (almost verbatim) here on tumblrdotcom, and lemme tell ya, it’s frustrating af

And other times, when I author a post containing a hyperlink on desktop but then later edit it on mobile, sometimes the hyperlink doesn’t carry over to mobile and you’re left with a post that may say “source,” but is not clickable. It happens sometimes, and it’s not a big deal, right?? WRONG! Instead of sending an ask to ask me what happened to the link, I’ve had anons accuse me of “not crediting” a source

I’ve had people use anon to accuse me of cropping videos so that I could somehow “steal” credit from others, and I’m just like … What??? Who does that? Who has the time for all of that? Are you aware that sometimes people on the internet see something like a video or a photo from somewhere else (also uncredited from twitter, reddit, facebook, etc), and then just post it here on tumblr??

And no, I am not talking about reposting someone’s art or other works

Look, if YOU get your thrills from finding out who/where/when the very first instance of every single cat or dog video came from, that’s great! Do you. Knock yourself out. Have fun. But don’t try to shame others because we aren’t all humorless poindexters like you

If I post something from tiktok, the video generally tells you where to go to see it there. If it’s a tweet or from reddit, again, there are usually twitter or reddit handles in the tweet. And NO, I am not putting a link to every single tweet or reddit thread or facebook post — if that’s that important to you, then figure it out. It’s not hard, and in the year 2023 most adults should have the necessary skills to find an original tweet, if that’s something that’s important to you. I’m not doing it for you, not sorry

(SN: I’ll never forget when I took my first college English literature course, and at the end of the semester I was on the bubble for getting an A or an A+ in the class, and our final exam was a written essay that would decide my final grade. I didn’t quite score the A+ that I wanted, and when I looked over my essay, the professor wrote on it: “Odin, you are the quintessential college freshman, and your inquisitiveness has made this semester one of my most enjoyable.” And after class, I walked up to him and thanked him, and asked him what quintessential meant? He opened his mouth and was about to answer me, but then he smiled, wagged his finger at me and said, “you should learn to look things up.” He was one of my favorite professors (had a British accent, eyeglasses and reminded me of Giles from Buffy), but I’ve never forgotten that lesson. Some of you very obviously need to learn it too)

I’ve also made what are very obviously jokes online, only to have people accuse me of misrepresenting facts—and then I’m like, do I really need to explain the concept of what a joke is to you people??

Like, I could see if it was something racist, trans/homophobic, Islamophobic, antisemitic, etc, BUT I DON’T DO THAT

I think that some people need to be seen as, or have a desire to be known as a gatekeeper, and instead of using just a tiny bit of common sense, they try to make mountains out of molehills to elevate themselves in the eyes of their followers

The people who act this way are truly joyless human beings, and they probably suck all the fun out of parties and other events that people are forced to spend time with them

Maybe try socializing a bit more? Learn to read (online) cues. Don’t be so eager to accuse everyone of doing something wrong just so that YOU get to look like the good guy

And all of that’s without even addressing all of the straight up racist anons that I constantly receive

Like, do people even understand that we aren’t inside of each other’s heads? Sometimes we’re all dealing with life and other stuff. And just maybe people are busy trying to have just a tiny bit of fun, and then the mf fun police come along and try to ruin shit? Because I don’t use a word exactly the same way you do?? Or because of an obvious joke?? You guys who do this kind of shit really SUCK

I feel sorry for you

I almost can’t believe this is the piddling little shit that some people choose to be upset over

Please find some REAL things to be upset over

Try learning to use the feature that lets users (gasp) make a post of their very own! instead of fixating on one goddamn mutha fucking post that wasn’t worded to your liking

I am not here for the discourse with anyone with an internet connection and a keyboard

Please go touch some grass

#anon #ask #answered #odin rants #please grow up #dont be so fast to assume the worst in everyone #stop trying to be a gatekeeper #lighten tf up

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stevensavage · 1 year

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Review: A People's Guide to Publishing

(This column is posted at www.StevenSavage.com, Steve's Tumblr, and Pillowfort. Find out more at my newsletter, and all my social media at my linktr.ee)

I picked up "A People's Guide To Publishing" by Joe Biel to get new ideas for my self-publishing. Biel founded Microcosm Publishing and knows what he’s doing. The book changed my writing agenda for the next two years, and I'm going to recommend it to all writers.

The idea behind PGTP is how to start a publishing company. That may seem to be outside the scope of most indie authors, but a good 80% of the advice applies to them as well. The difference between "publishing company" and "indie author" is more fluid than many realize.

I learned a few things. So let's take a look at the book.

The author, Biel, speaks from direct experience creating Microcosm Publishing and interactions with other writers and publishers. While he acknowledges the world today isn't the world he started in decades ago, the advice stands up because most of it he’s using right now.

Let’s talk about what the book covers (everything, but let’s list the everything).

I was delighted that the book opens about vision. Author or future publisher, vision matters - what do you believe in and who do you serve? Your vision helps you decide on concrete steps, so I was thrilled to see it so well explained (I’ve had to do this before).

After vision, the book covers the real nitty-gritty on publishing and not relying directly on Amazon, Ingrahm, etc. The author believes - and wants you - to engage in actual physical books and control your printing. Biel considers Amazon Kindle or Ingram’s POD services to be glorified vanity presses that can limit you, even if they have their uses. He makes a good case, to be honest.

The advice given here surprised me because it made me think in different ways? Why not make your book a 'zine at first to test it? Could you split distribution between a POD service and a regular printer? Do ebooks really fit your marketing plan? Could you just print 20 copies of your book and test it at a bookstore?

With the printing and stocking out of the way it’s time selling, marketing, and more. This advice isn't particuarly noteworthy, but what stands out is its practicality and explanations of why things work. He's very much of the return-audience, focused-effort, long-term outreach school. This may sound overwhelming, but he even has advice on using limited time and resources.

Finally, the book discusses running your own publishing business. Some of this may not be relevant to a solo author, but don't skip it. You might find out how to budget better, or understand how to protect your IP. Like the rest of the book, right when you think “this doesn’t apply to me” it ends up applying to you.

As you guessed, this is a very complete book. It has exercises, checklists, links, and more. If you need more, Biel and his company have all sorts of books on writing, publishing, and "punkish" entrepreneurship.

I'd like to say more about the book beyond "buy it," but buy it. It's a fantastic guide to self-publishing, even if you don't want a company so much as a profitable hobby.

What did it do for me? It helped me re-look at my back catalog, look into doing less e-book only books and more physical-and-e-books, and look at better ways to do print. My regular readers know I'm planning to shake things up, this book is why.

No more rambling. Go get it now, read it now, and use the information. Maybe we can even learn together.

Steven Savage

www.StevenSavage.com

www.InformoTron.com

#a peoples guide to publishing #microcosm press #indie author #writing #publishing

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isabellehemlock · 2 years

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Thank you TOG fandom for creating content to make 2021 a little more joyful for us - and special shout out to users @magify83 and @beepbeepsan for reblogging several of their suggestions for this little compilation ;) As for my own suggestions below, I went by my bookmarks from this year - though some I’ve already ranted about here, here and here - but there were a few left on my 2021 bookmark list.

In total there are nineteen fics! I divided them by major pairing (the majority are Joe and Nicky - but there’s a few found family, and some Kenzarelli as well), and then listed them by descending order of rating, as well as mentioning the word count, rating, and completed status. For the sake of brevity on an already long post haha, I only included the commentary by myself and Mag and Bee (versus that, and the author’s summary).

Also, for easier future reference, you find the google doc here that has all the links as well :D

If I accidently linked the wrong fic or used the wrong handle, please don't hesitate to let me know in the comments and I can edit it accordingly - sometimes tumblr glitches and I can't tag someone - or the AO3 profile did not have the tumblr handle listed. If you're the author and would like me to edit on the handle, feel free to let me in the comments and happy to do that as well.

Joe and Nicky

moonbeam by ecco_star - 18k - Rated G - Completed - Rec by Bee

Great premise, excellent execution. It’s a very sweet story with humor and love and tenderness - as well as some drama, panic, and minor angst! And a happy ending. Great characterization in this JoeNicky modern AU.

Together Always by AshStoryLover123 - 3.2k - Rated G - Completed - Rec by Mag

could have cried the first time I read this .. it's beautiful.

To Sir, With Love by Wind_Ryder - 7k - Rated Teen - Completed

So, one of my family members is on the spectrum for autism, and because I’m an advocate for him I’m definitely aware of just how misinformed (and sometimes genuinely unintentionally) some representation can be for it. I was thrilled to find this fic in January which featured Autistic!Nicky, and immensely enjoyed the way the past was weaved throughout. It’s just under 7k, but honestly it feels much more dense with the nuggets and insights - it’s not heavy handed, but there’s several “gut punches” in even the shortest sentences, that it doesn’t even have to be longer. It accomplishes so much in what it’s trying to convey in under 10k (teach me lol), that I sat there for a few more minutes after finishing just reflecting on how great it was. Though I obviously can’t speak to the authenticity in the sense that I am not on the spectrum, but from the “outside looking in” of a family member perspective, I had many instances/scenes/descriptions throughout where I related to Joe in this one.

Retrograde by @pinkninjapj - 107k - Rated Teen - Completed

Okay, there’s no one way to sum up this one in less than a paragraph - so feel free to browse for my end of the fic commentary on like page three of the comments back in July lol - but essentially I had saved this fic in February, paused, and finished it in July and really enjoyed the religious perspectives throughout for Nicky’s character - as well as the characterization for both him and Joe . . . but there were also plenty of scenes where the rest of the team carried their own perfectly. As much as this was a Nicky fic - and in turn a couple fic as well - none of the others felt like side characters, just because of that centralization. When they were there in a chapter, or a scene, they felt fully fleshed out, with personalities, and hopes, and dreams and feelings. This whole fic has such an overarching theme of love - but not only self love, and romantic, but beautiful moments of found family as well. It really is a wonderful fic and I’m glad to have had the opportunity to dive into it this year :)

Boiling over by @quietlyapocalyptic - 3.3k - Rated Teen - Rec by Mag

angry Nicky ... I'm sold 😊

Right Here Waiting by Hazel_Athena - 21k - Rated Mature - Completed - Rec by Bee

I love fics that have Joe and Nicky not realizing the other is immortal for a very long time, and this one’s no exception. It’s fun, it has an interesting plot and lovely setting, instant attraction, some pining and angst… Great read.

Live by the Sword by @blueskaerith - 7k - Rated Mature - Completed - Rec by Bee

I love this premise and the way it affects canon. Angsty read because of Merrick’s lab, but also funny and fun, with found family love and new growing love. The characterization was great, and I want to read so much more in this universe!

Missed you by a few minutes (a few centuries) by @just-another-tinker - 115k - Rated Mature - Completed - Rec by Mag

one of the first fics I read and it's just epic. Beautiful, amazing, sad, fantastic.

Young hearts by DarkFairytale - 84k - Rated Mature - WIP - Rec by Mag

amazing idea, wonderful execution

Honey I’m love drunk (it’s what you do to me) by maddielle - 1.8k - Rated Explicit - Completed

This gorgeous writing style - oompf - it’s definitely porn but hear me out - the characterization perfect, and I just adore a patient partner so win win win for this one! I have yet to figure out to write anything remotely like this for under 5k and yet here they are pumping out (no pun intended lol) a fantastic little fic that conveys it all perfectly (again, teach me people).

Take a chance by @mrsimoshen - 5.8k - Rated Explicit - Completed

This isn’t even my usual kind of read (per the tags), but Sin has a way of writing that is just so eloquent, even when it’s something like porn with plot. Is it in an insane scenario of a Modern AU mailbox mix up that leads to love? Sure - does that change the fact that she managed to blend feelings, fluff, and steamy goodness into one fic and add little nuggets of characterization that made me picture these two so perfectly? Absolutely not - because she’s just that kind of phenomenal writer ;)

I didn’t order this by @boutiquetraveltravelboutique - 30k - Rated Explicit - Rec by Bee

Hilarious premise and a very well written story stemming from a crack plot. It’s funny, it’s engaging, it’s witty, and it’s very steamy. Read this if you like modern AUs, Joe and Nicky both being a little bit of an asshole sometimes, and a delicious theme of “oh no, I wasn’t supposed to catch feelings!” (This fic gained me a new friend so I am biased)

Ma se ti svegli e hai ancora paura ridammi la mano by Srin - 30k - Rated Explicit - Completed - Rec by Bee

Who doesn’t love some Trust-inspired Italian kidnapping plus falling in love? A sweet story despite the circumstances, following a developing (forbidden!) relationship between Joe and Nicky, filled with hope and worries.

Endless ocean by me lol (this was a lovely surprise, thank you love!) - 248k - Rated Explicit - Completed - Rec by Mag

I've left you many comments on why ❤️

Group/Found Family

Nice Piece by @tobebbanburg - 1k - Rated Teen - Completed

I have no idea how she does it - trust me, I’ve tried myself and just cannot do it as eloquently as she - but this woman is like a master at blending feelings, with crack. Nice Piece is no exception, and unfortunately I cannot say more than that without giving the ending away - but it’s a funny read, with some wonderful found family vibes as well <3

Even if we win the battle by @glitter-lisp - 2.5k - Rated Mature - Rec by Mag

I love the Nile pov and how soft this is, despite the subject

Hey Falcons series by @morvith - 41k - Rated Mature (and one Teen) - WIP (only the last one in the series) - Rec by Mag

love the whole concept 😊

Kenzarelli Multiverse Pairings

Lucky Birds by @bewires - 2.7k - Rated Explicit - Completed

A lovely one shot featuring Daan and Paolo as the perfect single dads trope, plus a squeaky bed haha. As much as this is definitely an explicit fic of porn lol, it’s porn with feelings! There’s a lot compacted into the short fic, involving little nuggets of reflections from Paolo from first arriving, and the feelings that are only growing between them. It’s steamy, and lovely, and a fantastic short read.

Two Suns by @shadyhideoutreview - 57k - Rated Explicit - WIP

One of my absolute favorites of the year, is this stunning beauty right here! A fantastic blend of multiple Kenzarelli pairings (perfect if you have a preference or not, because they are all there!), plus found family, plus crime?? It’s got the vibes of a case fic, but it’s about the love and relationships in this one! Add in both established relationships that you want to go “aww” at it, and new ones forming that make you want to shout “kiss already!”, and you got a fantastic fic that both keeps you on your toes, trying to solve who’s who in the shady department, and rooting for love. Cannot say enough wonderful things about this one loves, definitely check it out if you’re into omegaverse, a little mystery, multiple pairings, and any of the lovely Kenzarelli pairings this fandom has created and evolved in the last year and a half.

Thank you to all the wonderful writers who created content that brought a smile to our faces this year!!

#the old guard #tog #fic rec #ao3 #tog fic #togthanks2021

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yvesdot · 2 years

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yves.’S 2021 YEAR IN REVIEW

(2018) (2019) (2020)

(view the image in highest quality here!)

A look at something I wrote every month in 2021. All of the above excerpts can be read in order at this link, and I've included a few notes below on the pieces and months in question. It feels as though I spent so much of my time writing for Patreon and editing Forest Castles and so on, but there was still a lot of fresh content every single month!

JANUARY - In Her Arms (unpublished)

COVID's been pretty bad, hasn't it? I think it's been pretty bad. Wrote this piece almost a year ago now to deal with it, and have workshopped it several times since. Eventually I'll get a version I'm happy with, and then you'll see it published!

FEBRUARY - KAY Valentine's Drabble 2 (read online)

I made sure to come up with something to post for Valentine's Day 2021-- a cute little moment between Kay/Atlas, and then Constantine/Julia. Still warms my heart to read over this... that transphobic dad of Kay's isn't always completely useless!

MARCH - mortālēs (unpublished)

I've had a lot of ideas for erotica this year (all excerpts here are SFW!) but haven't managed to post them yet-- I'd probably put them on a separate NSFW writing blog, as I've mentioned before. Well, here's one, inspired by my sudden apparent interest in historical m/f.

APRIL - Silvia (unpublished)

While in the car on the way to a more wintry setting, I listened through the entire Miike Snow self-titled album, and was struck by a sudden intrigue caused by this song. Here was something out of the box, intense, explosive in its unrequited emotion. I could see it all playing out in my head, so clearly I knew I was coming up with a 'true' narrative totally disconnected from the original... but, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't set it to paper. I'm going to let it percolate.

MAY - Forest Castles (first two chapters)

Again, I did edit FC year-round, so I only displayed it here in months where I honestly couldn't find any other new writing (probably hiding in the depths of my Drive.) This was a fun scene to write, though who knows if it'll survive later cuts.

JUNE - THE LOVER RISES FROM THE ABYSS・恋人が黄泉から生えてくる (read online)

I wrote this flash piece in either early June or late May, and then I was stuck revising it for quite a while. You can read about the process of that on Patreon! I worried over it until I felt it couldn't be worried over one second more... and then I edited it as I posted it on Tumblr ^__^

JULY - Something Weird I Heard About Rebecca (available in BLOOD&BREATH zine)

I wrote this so long ago! And, honestly, I expected to spend even longer editing and submitting it, but when the Blood & Breath submission form came around, I knew it was perfect. Preorder the LGBT vampire zine before January 5th to read the story in beautiful, physical form!

AUGUST - Forest Castles (first two chapters)

Day One Hundred And Seventeen Billion: Eliza Is Still Stuck In White Castle. To be fair, though, I remember when I thought I'd never reach White Castle! I hit quite a block around here, which I am still unsnarling, and I like that I've chosen to lean much harder into Eliza's princess nature.

SEPTEMBER - WTWBingo drabbles (read online)

Oh, God, what a timesuck! In addition to The Death of The Author (more shortly), in joining the WTWBingo event, I found myself tormented by hundreds of ideas for drabbles! Thanks so much to the WTW folks for inspiring me to write 10,000 words of these stories.

OCTOBER - The Death of the Author (read online)

I love Halloween. I love Halloween writing, and I love Halloween Episodes. More than all of that, though, I love murder mysteries, and so I am thrilled to present to you, with no further context whatsoever, The Death of the Author.

NOVEMBER - The Proposal (unpublished)

More erotica, with an eerie amount of people waiting on it. Very, very simple romcom MILF nonsense, which apparently is not only a thing I can write but something other people might want to read. I absolutely loved this piece, and it was responsible for my incredible 8K start on Day One of NaNo.

DECEMBER - Exhaustively (read online)

Exhaustively's had a big edit, and I'm now formatting it to release in limited edition paperbacks, in honor of beloved Archivist Max @goose-books! I highly recommend taking a look at it in this graphic (instead of just in the transcribed version) for full formatting joy. Also, I wrote 10,000 words in a day... but that didn't make it in here.

Man, was I prolific this year! I really enjoyed my writing, and I explored all sorts of artistic nooks and crannies (as Patrons especially will appreciate, what with all the experiments and behind-the-scenes things posted to Patreon this year. Fun Patreon surprise coming for free shortly...)

I also spent a lot of time on non-writing writing things, such Exhaustively's formatting, and, well, this Year in Review! I tried to show myself how much of my work wasn't just sitting and writing but reading and thinking and promoting and posting, and I think it worked... though I do miss just-plain-writing this week, as I wrap up all these New Yearly loose ends.

This upcoming year, I want to work more steadily on Forest Castles. It's hard to fit in with all my other priorities, especially when I don't have too much time to write a day. Do I need to set aside an amount of time daily to get it done, or is it better to dedicate full days? That's something I am still exploring.

Finally, this year I began using 4thewords, and I quite like it! Makes writing addictive and much more naturally fun. If you'd like to join up, feel free to DM me any questions, and my referral code is LOMDY47116.

And please, if you feel inspired by this post, make your own! That links to my template, which shouldn't be too painful to use. Just hop in there and change my name to yours, and tag me when you're done so that I can see it!

As always, you can read all of my posted writing here, and if you’d like to support me, I have both a ko-fi for one-time donations and a Patreon for exclusive monthly content. Thanks for being here this year! It's been a big one for so many reasons, and I'm so grateful to have had you along. Have a wonderful 2022, and I'll see you then.

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happylittletrees3 · 2 years

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NEW FICS FOR THE NEW YEAR

Year three of our recommendation list is here! Last years list can be found here if you're interested. This year I was fueled by nostalgia and the ATLA revival and it really shows.

I did not write any of these stories! As always, I've tagged authors who had Tumblr with their Tumblrs and attached AO3 profiles for those whose Tumblrs I could not find. If I've made a mistake there, please let me know.

If your story is on this list and you would like to removed, reach out and I will not hesitate to fix that. If any links are incorrect it is equally encouraged to reach out! I want everyone to be able to enjoy this.

PLEASE check the tags for all stories. I've not included TW for any stories as its just a small review, so please take care of yourselves with the following content if you need to.

ON WITH THE SHOW!

Appa and Momo Screw the Timeline by @keetajet

This is one of many ATLA fics I read this year because the Capitalism gods blessed me with the show on Netflix and we went down the rabbit hole FAST. Its a bit of a time travel fix it but its handled SO well and Zuko gets his redemption arc early and we just stan all of this. Never thought I would enjoy a story revolving around Appa and Momo being traumatized but it really is just *chefs kiss*

Bury A Friend by @rweoutofthewoods

Along with the ATLA rabbit hole I somehow reverted back to Voltron but in a good way, you know? This, however, made me reconsider how life works. Lance continues to be the self-sacrificing idiot we all love but god if I wasn't on the verge of tears the whole time. If you need a good cry and are feeling nostalgic, this is the fic for you.

Flames Beneath the Earth by @ilya-boltagon

Another ATLA fic and through this I discovered the beauty of Lu Ten. In this story Lu Ten never died and instead becomes some sort of mildly wanted vigilante trying to keep his cousin alive while dealing with his fathers secret group of old men. Would gladly give my life for Lu Ten after this ngl.

Kevlar and Bubblewrap (Series) by @hedgiwithapen

Not going to lie, I definitely didn't start this year planning on reading Big Hero Six fanfiction. This was recommended to me however, and we just kept going uphill from there. Tadashi surviving mixed with heaping angst and Aunt Cass being a badass confirmed for me that I can in fact enjoy fanfiction from almost everywhere given good circumstances (and trust me, everything was just wonderful).

Once Upon a Time AU (Series) by Compass Rose

I would give my soul for this story any day any time. Everything just fit in ways I never thought it could but it was done so well??? Took me by surprise and I will stand by this forever, its just wonderful. I want more OUA crossovers done this well. I can't wait to see where this story goes and I'm thrilled to be along for the ride.

Son of Sea Foam (Series) by @caffeinatedflumadiddlebutpjo

Percy Jackson being a son of Aphrodite was not something I ever though could work but goddamit does it here. Its all a ruse, but MAN is it pulled of spectacularly with even better writing that managed to sell me on ships other than percabeth for Percy. That's a feat right there, it changes so much about Percy but still keeps him Percy, you know? 10/10 recommend, this may have come out of a surge of nostalgia like the Voltron ones but its so worth it.

Spider-Man Klance AU (Series) by @iwriteshipsnotsailthem

Another aid towards by nostalgia induced fervor a few months ago that was just such a fun time. A friend recommended this to me and I'm so glad for them doing that because it just hits all the things you love from Spider-Man with Klance thrown in there and Voltron shenanigans and I want more people to scream about it with, come join me.

Where the Water Meets the Sky by @speakswords

Yes its another Voltron fic and yes its the last one but if this Mermaid AU (yes, bear with me) didn't grab me by the heart and make me feel alive then nothing ever really existed, did it? The shift from childhood innocence to life impacting them in the fullest way possible is just so well done and made me really think about how many fics I've overlooked with similar premises that could have been written by gods on earth as we have here.

Zukos Honor by Cursed Loaf

This may have been the very fic to sell me on Zukka as a ship, I genuinely can't remember, but happy Zukko in Ba Sing Se with Iroh and Sokka just being Sokka was just??? Amazing??? And refreshing, I really did turn into a softie for these two after this. Please read it.

Mother, I Can Hear You by @harringrovecryptid

This year was really the year of me reading stories from fandoms I never thought I would. I just casually had this thrown at me by a friend and like? I desperately want more Stranger Things fanficiton now. This is one of my more recent reads, and I'm trying to catch up on updates or I would have found more by now. The angst of the series as well as developing on characters that really only got named in cannon was so refreshing and the writings style just made me happy. Ironic, given the track record for the series as a whole.

Thats it for our list this year folks! If you have any stories to recommend to me I'd love to hear it! This is all my opinion at the end of the day but I hope you're able to find a good story from this regardless.

And for those following me for my own writing, there will be an update on my (lack of) progress soon, I swear I'm not dead.

Happy New Year everybody!

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imonthinice · 3 years

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The Criminal Psychology Majors, Jason Todd x Fem!Reader Part 8/?

Word Count: 1.6k

Author’s Note: Y/N - Your Name, A/N - Any Name (Your Best Friend’s Name)

This one is shorter because of the last one’s length.

Hi everyone! By the time you see this, I will probably be out and therefore cannot update the other parts with this one’s link, so don’t worry about that if you notice it.

Warnings: Swearing, Mentions of Jason’s Trauma and his Death, Lightning, no beta bitch we die like Jason Todd

(Part 1) (Part 2) (Part 3) (Part 4) (Part 5) (Part 6) (Part 7) (Part 8) (Part 9) (Part 10) (Part 11) (Part 12) (Part 13) (Part 14) (Part 15) (Part 16) (Part 17) (Part 18) (Part 19) (Part 20)

Going on day 5 of knowing each other, Jason and Y/N would spend the day apart. Why? Because they gave each other the chance to have family time, Jason got it by playing around with his baby siblings, playing Assassin.

Fluff Head canon came from frownyalfred on Tumblr, who wrote about Jason playing Assassin with his brothers

He would go running through the halls playing the game that he and Dick knew all too well, it had been the only ‘no contact’ game they were allowed to play at a summer camp Bruce had sent them to all those years ago when they weren’t adults with a bunch of other siblings, and girlfriends. But here they were, explaining the game to their younger siblings while Alfred and Bruce hung out with Barbara, who wished she could play, but was paralyzed.

Everyone missed playing games with her like they used to, but with the video game consoles in the house they did transfer a lot of their gaming to online so they could relive memories with Barbs. It was bittersweet, and everyone remembered when she became paralyzed like it was yesterday, but she always wanted them to play games like they used to, with or without her.

Jason admired his, hopefully, one day older sister for how she treated her disability, like it was a gift, not something that impacted her everyday life and made her have to hang up the cloak of Batgirl.

But running around chasing after Dick, because of course, he got Dick, the universe wanted them to play again, was something he missed so much. They hadn’t had so much of this time, family time, ever since they all became vigilantes, and they never realized how much they missed the thrill of running around with each other.

Jason ended up getting Dick and throwing him out of the game, calling it a ‘selfless act of brotherhood so you can hang out with your girl’ and they both laughed at it. Titus, Damien’s dog, ended up barking up a storm at Jason when he killed Dick, like the big dog was rooting for Dick to win the tournament.

“Down boy! It’s a game!” Jason would whisper-yell at his dog.

“Yeah! Good boy, Titus! Get him!”

“No!” Jason would yell while running throughout the house, Titus on his heels. Passing by Alfred, Bruce and Barbara, where Titus would stop and go lay at Bruce’s feet, but Jason didn’t know that.

Jason would end up coming in just 10 minutes later, with a green slash on his neck. Tim, who had pulled Cass but killed her, Cass, who had pulled Jason. Tim now had two kills in the game and both were to people who could have easily overpowered him.

“Jase! Welcome to the land of the dead,” Dick greeted him.

“God dammnit I’ve already been here,” Jason whined in a joke.

“You and your ‘I died pity me’ jokes,” Barbara said.

“It’s called a coping mechanism, Barbs. And hi dad, Alfred,” Jason said as he waved slightly at both of them, Alfred waved back and Bruce nodded at him.

“You could just to go therapy, Jase,” Barbara said, seeming concerned for someone who she considered her baby brother. She remember when he came into the Manor, she was older than him, sure . But he had nightmares and she and Dick would switch between who would sleep at his door at night, they both had terrible backs until the nightmares calmed down. Jason never knew they did this.

It also happened when he was resurrected, but the nightmares were worse and he’d wake all sweaty and upset. There were too many nights where batkids would be in Jason’s bed with him from 12am to when Alfred would greet them in the morning. The nightmares had slowed down a lot in the past few years with the introduction of his Goddaughter into his life, but they still came by to remind him of what happened.

He didn’t talk about it much. They would always try to edge him on about about really happened, but he was stubborn. It made sense, sure, trauma is trauma. But they all wanted to help him get better. It hurt them all that he was hurting and they didn’t know how to help him get through it.

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Y/N would sit on her bed that morning and finally finished organizing her criminal psychology and regular psychology notes when she came across her printed copy of Dr. Barry Allen’s dissertation she had studied so hard. She found it so weird that she was so close to someone who she looked up to in the field while also being so far in the same breath.

She didn't dote on it for long, she stocked it away with her forensics notes in their place. This, the relationship she had with Jason that intertwined her with so many people, was something she was getting used to by the minute, but it was never something she’d get fully used to as time goes on.

She would put on a JCS - Criminal Psychology video in the background as she worked and tried to make her journal look nicer when Jason texted her,

Good morning. He said.

Good morning :) She said back.

I just lost a game against a 16 year old.

Huh?

My brothers and 2 of my sisters were playing Assassins with me right? Well my 16 year old brother, Tim, he ended up getting the better of me and beat me.

Oh! So you suck!

What!? No, I’m literally so cool what do you mean? He said, it clearly had sarcasm undertones to it, so Y/N wasn’t worried if she offended him with saying he sucked.

Oh yeah? Then why’d you lose?

Well, I killed Dick.

Okay so you didn’t lose, Dick lost.

It started raining a little bit, the sounds of it hitting lightly against her window, and she felt at peace. It was never hard for her to feel peace when she was by herself. She only had one roommate because she liked the silence, to be alone to collect her own thoughts in her head.

Her parents said it was because she probably had underlying mental illness that they never had the money to diagnose. She agreed. But she still didn’t have the chance to do it.

Jason and her deserved so much more than what the world have given them up to this point, so when they found each other it was, in a way, the universe saying ‘I’m sorry, you deserve this’ and with each passing day it made the pain they had both felt in their lives just a little bit more tolerable.

No, I guess Dick sucks at the game more than me.

Where’d you even get the concept for that game?

Dick and I used to play it at a Summer Camp before we got kicked out.

For playing the game?

No, for being unruly children.

You seem like you were a handful back in the day.

I was, I was the worst kid to raise, my dad has a shirt that says ‘Proud parent of a kid who is sometimes an asshole but that’s OK’ and he wears it all the time.

What a dad moment. Don’t tell my father that shirt exists, he’ll get one for my mum and himself to represent my sister and I.

Were you an unruly child as well?

I was a troublemaker. Getting into arguments with my authoritative figures about dress codes, rules, why girls couldn’t carry chairs, literally anything that was unequal, I was at their throats about it.

I mean, as you should. My older sister, Barbara, and my younger sisters, Stephanie and Cassie, they would like that about you.

I feel like in someway I’ve won over every part of your family.

The rain would get more violent as time went on. Strikes and hits of lightning would strike all around the city, hitting those gargoyles on every building, she always figured they were decorative, but A/N explained that their horns were made out of copper so people wouldn’t get struck by lightning. Bruce Wayne actually made that a thing, A/N said.

Y/N got a message from the dance competition that she signed up to, turns out, California was hit with a hurricane and most people evacuated. No one was allowed in or out. She guessed weather was being funky everywhere. It sucked, but she already was wishing she could spend time at home instead of out in the world.

A feeling she hated.

She would spend the rest of the day on and off the phone with Jason while it stormed. She would go to bed early that night.

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Jason slipped on his vigilante uniform, the Red Hood was going to be on patrol over this night, stormy or not, it was his duty and he knew that. Did he want to go? Yes. He was killing for some action and he was going with Dick. They would probably have some ‘Bro Time’ which Jason wanted.

Even if it was silence, having Dick nearby him meant enough and gave him peace of mind.

He grabbed his guns and loaded them while packing a few extra magazines in his belt, when Dick placed a hand on his shoulder, “You have to be careful tonight, Jase,” Dick said as he gulped down tears, “Just come back to me alive if you break off from me, okay?”

“Alive but bruised,” Jason joked.

“I’m serious. I can’t lose you again and tonight is going to be massively dangerous.”

“You won’t.”

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mymelodyheart · 3 years

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Miles Between Us Chapter 14 ~The Element of Surprise ~

WARNING: VERY EXPLICIT SEXUAL CONTENT

Previously in The Reunion

They fitted perfectly, her softness cradling his boneless heap, making him hard as steel again. Some part of his brain must have still been functioning because he jerked and reached out for her bra to cover her when his doorbell rang. Christ! Forcing his body to move with marginal success, he yanked her up and pulled up his jeans.

Claire slid off the table and grabbed her clothes. "Who could that be?"

"That better not be yer uncle or ..." Jamie trailed off, muttering curses under his breath, annoyed at the disturbance as he was just revving up for part two of their lovemaking. When he opened the door, a sense of deja vu hit him when he saw Mrs Fitz standing there with what seemed like a plate of a lemon meringue pie. What the fuck?

"Mrs Fitz!"

The older woman didn't bother to hide her curiosity this time as her eyes tried to peer past his shoulders. "Heard ye have company, lad, and I havenae seen Miss Claire the last couple of days."

If you wish to read this on AO3, here is the link.

If you wish to read this from the beginning:

AO3 link

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Six Days Later

Claire's heavy eyelids fluttered open, her brain still addled by sleep. It took her a while to gather her thoughts and remember how she'd made it to bed last night. She shifted slightly in bed, but there's a two-hundred-fifty pound of hard-muscled, naked male restricting her movement. Jamie's arm was draped across her waist, securing her against his chest, her legs confined under his heavier ones. She could feel his soft, steady breathing blowing warm air on top of her head, reminding her how well he'd been sleeping the last few nights. There had been no night terrors or unpleasant dreams interrupting his sleep, and she put it down to his workload during the day and their physical activities between the sheets at night.

Today was Friday, and the realisation caused a huge smile to spread across her face. Last night she'd worked late until past ten, and Jamie had found her fallen asleep in front of her laptop in her studio shed. He'd scooped her up in his arms and helped her get ready for bed, and just before sleep claimed her, he'd whispered he had a surprise for her today.

She wondered what the surprise was and guess it would probably be a long lie-in for them and breakfast in bed. Looking back, the past few days had flown by in a blur, packed with work and catching up with her uncle Lamb during nights. Ever since her emotional reunion with Jamie, her work-related things had gone from a shamble of mess to running smoothly. It's as if the universe had decided to grant her reprieve as everyone went out their way to appease her. Even her boss John seemed to have given her space and was allowing her to work in peace. Somehow, deep down, she had a sneaking suspicion Jamie had something to do with it.

It had all began at the start of the week when Jamie had been at work. Tom had stopped by the cottage to hand her a signed contract agreeing to his book's publication. By the time she'd told John the good news, he'd been in his element detailing his main point plan for getting the word out and announcing the book deal to Tom's adoring followers. She'd thought her boss would demand to get her and Tom on the next plane to London, but instead, John had told her he'd arranged a team to fly to Inverness for a formal meeting with their new author. As if that wasn't enough, two days later, Mary had produced enough drafts for Claire to work on and promised there would be more on the way. Her uncle, sensing work was piling, would occasionally stop by either to whip up something to eat or bring food while she'd been ensconced in her studio shed. Not that it was unusual for her uncle to perform domesticated pursuits; however, it's still surprising that he was going the extra mile to help around the house when he had the Highlands at disposal for his adventures being an outdoor person that he was.

It's becoming clear this week was proving to be a period of many turning points. She had no idea what the future had in store for her and Jamie, but she knew something had shifted in their relationship, and it was definitely for the better. Though she's still the same girl who's still trying to find her place in the world and fit in, she knew she'd changed, too. A few months ago, she would have probably backed down from any forms of conflicts, citing life as complicated enough without adding more complications. But she'd learned how to respond, choose fights that are worth fighting for and cast aside that wasn't deserving of her peace of mind. She'd also learned that once in a while, it's good for her sanity to give propriety and rules the middle finger when a situation called for it.

It's hard to believe she's planning her life in the Highlands, the place where her parents had met and found love in each other. In her quest to get to know them more, she'd spent her holidays here to be closer to their memories and live that adventure they'd so craved. Now, she was involved with a man tormented with demons. If her parents were still alive today, she wondered how they would receive Jamie. Would they have been like Jenny or her uncle, suspicious and sceptical of their relationship? Or would they have been happy with her choice just like Willie, Brian, and Ellen have been with Jamie's?

Deep in her heart, she knew that her parents would have taken one look at them and understood that Jamie was special and meant to be her life adventure. From what Claire had surmised from uncle Lamb's stories, her parents have been that kind of people, magnanimous of spirit and always saw the best in others. Jamie was like that too. He'd taken a gamble with her despite their differences and the geographical challenges ahead. Though it seemed she was helping him with his condition, unbeknownst to Jamie, he too was helping her heal the part of her that became an orphan. In some invisible way, he was repairing something in the fabric of her world that had been torn down the middle when her parents passed away. She absorbed that thought and was reminded of what Uncle Lamb once told her, that her father always had a peculiar sense of humour. With that in mind, she'd like to think that just maybe her father had sent Jamie her way on purpose. His way of telling her to let go of the past, not over-think, embrace the Highlands as much as he had and just love.

Lying next to Jamie in bed, she felt totally at peace. They might have had a crisis of faith, but she was confident they'll find their way through whatever path was laid before them. Their love wasn't and probably never going to be easy, given their journey had been emotional, tangled with roadblocks, denials and self-preservation. Still, she wanted to find her way with him. She'd just discovered this strength she didn't realise she had, and Jamie continued to surprise her with his single-mindedness purpose to be cured. Someone once said there's no fulfilment without a bit of struggle. Just like in the stories she hoped to publish one day, the heroes had to break down first and bleed before earning their happy ending. Well, if that's the rule, she couldn't envision facing life's trials and tests with any other person to stand beside her other than Jamie.

Her smile was still in place when her thoughts were suspended by a rush of heat as Jamie's hand coasted over her hip to disappear between her thighs. A sudden thrill shot through her, making her breath catch in her lungs. He shifted the leg holding her thighs down and deftly opened her to his touch, stroking the sensitive flesh in between. She felt his shaft stir against her bottom as she scooted closer to him, eliciting a guttural sound to escape his lips.

"I can practically hear the cogs turning in yer head, Sassenach," he muttered thickly, his breathing turning shallow at the back of her neck. He nipped her earlobe between his teeth and tugged. "What's going on in that mind of yers?"

"Oh, this and that and how you've been sleeping soundly ...these last few nights." She gasped out loud when he rubbed her nub with a calloused thumb. She tilted her head back to look at his face, and her lips were met by a long-drawn, possessive kiss. By the time their mouths parted, she was panting for air and squirming against him mindlessly.

"Christ, ye're ready for me. Why did ye no' wake me up?" He thrust his finger deep inside her, fondling the spot he knew drove her wild and frantic. "Next time ye want me, wake me up."

"I-I couldn't. You were sleeping so peacefully."

He paused his ministrations. "That's no' the answer I was hoping to hear."

Jesus H. Roosevelt Christ! "Y-yes, next time, I'll wake you up!"

"That's my lass." He sank another finger into her entrance. But as she tried to clench around him, his fingers slid out, using her wetness to coat her nub and gently rub her aching flesh. She wanted to scream at him for teasing her, but he only softly chuckled against her neck. At that moment, she needed to come more than she needed air. She hoarsely whispered his name in a plea for release. "Ach, no' yet, Sassenach ... ye listen better when I'm touching ye." She yelped when he suddenly yanked the covers away and flipped her on her stomach, the crisp morning air caressing her heated skin. "Let me see first that beautiful arse of yers." He shoved a pillow beneath her hips, putting her in a highly arousing position, her face mushed against the mattress and her bottom in the air. "Such a beautiful bum."

"Jamie ..."

He kneaded the curves of her buttocks as he let out a frustrated male groan. "Let us talk first. This is the only time I'm pretty sure ye're no' gonnae argue with me with what I'm about to say. Ye listening?"

"Yes, yes ...get on with it, damn it!"

He laughed out loud just before his lips travelled along the path of her spine, kissing and nibbling her flesh. One hand slid around her belly and down the apex of her thighs, slipping blunt fingers into her folds as his mouth moved to her neck. He lingered there, biting hard and then soothing the sting with a lick of his tongue. Anticipation pulsated within her body, and goosebumps erupted on her skin as the weight of his erection slid against her upturned bottom, and Jamie positioned himself behind her. When he hefted her higher with his forearm, she let out a squeak. "Ye'll no' be working this weekend."

"Jamie," she whimpered. "B-but I can't."

"Oh yes, ye can." Skilled fingers stroke her sensitive nub, and with one thrust of his hips, he completely filled her, taking her by surprise. She nearly screamed, pressing her mouth against the mattress, suddenly mindful of nosey neighbours. She remembered what Jamie had told her about Mrs Fitz and muffled her moans on the covers of the bed.

"Oh, God, this is not fair," she breathed on an uneven exhale.

"I told ye last night, I have a wee surprise for ye. Ye've worked long enough this week. Ye're taking a wee break this weekend." When she didn't respond, he stilled his hips and took out his fingers from inside her. "You need a break, Sassenach. Now, for the love of God, just say yes, Jamie."

When Jamie drew out his hardness and plunged deeply back into her, heart-stopping sensations coursed through her whole body. Something about how he positioned her, the fluid, smooth drives of his movement made her mad with need. She wanted to urge him to go faster, but she clamped her mouth shut. He was deliberately torturing her and forcing her to agree with him. So she decided she was going to get her own back. Contracting her inner walls, she clenched around him. From experience, she knew the more he had to work to push into her, the wilder he would become. Just when she thought she finally got the upper hand, he paused and dropped his weight, stopping just short of squashing her. "No, no, no! Please don't stop!" she wailed.

"Oh, aye." He pushed his lower body tight to her bottom, his erection throbbing inside her. When she tried to wriggle her bum to urge him to start moving again, he firmly gripped her hips in place. "Ah, I ken what ye're up to," he whispered hotly in her ears. "I'm no' taking no for an answer. Ye owe this break to yourself."

"You don't play fair."

"Neither do ye."

Thinking she could compromise later after spending the whole morning with him, she finally conceded. "Fine. Just keep moving, for God's sake!" she hissed.

He let out a pained laugh and pressed his lips on the crook of her neck. "Good lass, ye ken it makes sense." Then cursing under his breath, he moved all the way out in one smooth slide before deliciously gliding deep back. "Christ, I can feel ye want to come, but ye're going to stay with me a little longer. Ye fell asleep on me last night, leaving me with a painful cockstand."

"Jesus, Jamie."

"Aye," he rasped hoarsely into her hair. "I said the same thing when ye wriggled that pert arse against me and fell asleep immediately."

The way his thickness was invading her from an angle almost sent her hurtling over the edge. And it gave her a new appreciation for math. The thought almost made her laughed out loud if it wasn't for the pulsing pleasure between her legs.

"Christ ...look at ye," Jamie gritted, his voice sounding raw and almost severe. "So bloody perfect."

He nudged her legs wider and changed his movements to short, strong strokes, increasing his pace with primitive energy that left her gasping for breath. With the sound of their slapping bodies, the earthy scent of arousal, the sweaty slide of skin, her belly began to tighten and coil.

"I just want to make ye happy, Sassenach," he groaned, bearing down his upper body more, his hips relentlessly pounding into hers. "So just say yes to my wee surprise, aye?"

"Yes, yes, yes." Their voices sounded so far away, and her initial hesitation about taking a break from work almost forgotten. Not entirely, though. She tried to grasp that mental note about emails to be sent, but the hand gripping her hips moved, and fingers slid to rub her nub, stroking and pushing her further towards her peak. She gave in and widened her thighs to let him fill her more. But it left her no time to prepare for the release that shattered her apart, her love for him and the physical pleasure fusing to intensify the sensations blasting through her. It threatened to overwhelm her, but Jamie's presence anchored her as he followed her over, groaning her name, gripping her hips with a fierceness as he claimed her for his.

Moments later, he pulled her boneless body in his arms and tucked her into his chest, tugging the covers over them and curving his front to her back. He held her tightly as the morning light streamed through the windows.

Battling to keep her eyes open, thoughts of work slithered in, but it kept flittering away with her consciousness before she could dwell on it. Maybe just for a minute, she thought. But Jamie smelled so good, and his tender strokes enticed a hazy sleep to claim her muscles, dragging her down into the dark. Just one minute.

As she eased into sleep, his whisper drifted toward her unconscious. "It's still early, Sassenach. Sleep a wee bit more. Your wee surprise will come soon enough."

..........

Claire woke for the second time that morning with an unladylike shriek when the mattress dipped and moved. Muddled, she jackknifed into a sitting position, eyes scanning wildly around the curtain-dimmed room for a trespasser. Claire knew someone was there, her gut instinct telling her it wasn't Jamie. Summoning her eyes to refocus, she collapsed with relief when she realised who it was sat at the foot of the bed.

"Surprise!" Annalise squealed, clapping her hands.

"Jesus H. Roosevelt Christ!" She swiped her bedraggled hair out of her face. "You scared me bloody witless."

"Bloody hell, you're jumpy." Annalise shifted a hip on the bed. "Jamie's bad dreams rubbing off on you now, are they?"

"That's not something to joke about," she glowered at her friend, pulling the covers up to her chin.

Annalise' smile waned a bit. "Hey, what's up? I'm not making fun of Jamie's nightmares, and you know that." Her shoulders slumped. "In case you don't know, bad dreams can happen to anyone. In fact, I had a bad dream a few days ago. I was being chased by a pirate."

Suddenly feeling bad for snapping at her friend, she mentally dispersed the sleep fog in her brain and gave Annalise an apologetic smile. So this was her surprise, she thought. Not that Claire wasn't happy to see her friend, but she'd expected Jamie's surprise to be a romantic weekend with him. She let out a sigh. "Chased by a pirate, huh? Let me guess ...sunken chest and no booty?"

Annalise perked up at Claire's feeble attempt to sound less grumpy. "Har de har har! I didn't realise you could be funny before coffee. A total package for a marauding pirate if I may say so."

"Tell that to Captain Beard," she mumbled, getting out of bed.

"Aye, matey!" Annalise mischievously winked. "That's if he happens to be in Isle of Harris this weekend. Which is where, by the way, we're going, as in, now! So get packing!"

Claire stilled and shook her head. "Wot?" She began to shake her head, tugging the covers around her as she made her way to the dresser. "Oh no, no, no! I'm not leaving this place for any man or woman, including you, blondie! I've got a pile of work to do. You know I have deadlines."

"Oh no, you don't. You stop right there, missy! Have you forgotten you agreed with Jamie to take a weekend break?"

Claire's eyes widened. "Oh, did he also tell you how he got me to agree?"

"No. But you can tell me later on the plane."

"Plane?" Claire dropped her face in her hands. "Oh, God, I can't believe I agreed to this. Jamie never told me anything."

Annalise stood up from where she was sitting and crossed her arms across her chest. "Hmmm, you don't look too happy to be spending time with me."

She puffed out a breath. "It's not that ..."

"We haven't had girly time in ages, Claire. Jamie thought it would do you a world of good to have a bit of fun."

"So now what? You and Jamie plotting and ganging up on me behind my back, is that it?" Claire accused. "What about Willie? Surely, you miss him more than me. When was the last time you saw him?"

Annalise grinned. "Don't worry about Willie. We have been doing a lot of catching up all night last night, and you want to know what he did?"

Claire's face crumpled in disgust as she held up a hand. "Oh, gross! Too much information. I don't want to hear about your sex life."

Annalise laughed out loud. "Fine, I won't discuss our sex life if you start packing now. Besides, you wouldn't want to waste the tickets Jamie worked so hard for, now, do you?"

Oh dear Lord, save me from well-meaning friends! She didn't really want to leave, but if Jamie had spent money organising this trip, she wasn't about to let it go to waste. But ... "How about uncle Lamb? He came to see me, and I can't just leave him."

"He knows all about the trip, and I've been told he's got a few excursions planned around the Highlands."

"Oh, well ...if that's the case, I need to call Mary and John and let them know what I'm up to this weekend."

Annalise grinned. "Jamie's sorted it already."

"Wot?" she exclaimed with disbelief, her hands landing onto her hips. "Jamie's been planning this with you all along, hasn't he?" She shook her head. "I-I can't believe it!"

"You better believe it."

Claire blew out a breath of exasperation. "Fine! Grab my suitcase. It's in the airing cupboard."

"Yay!" Annalise whirled on her feet and pumped her fist in the air. Claire couldn't help but smile as enthusiasm began to wiggle its way through her system. Maybe Jamie was right. She owed it to herself to have a break, and probably a change of scenery was what she needed. After Mary had delivered the goods, Claire had worked herself to the bone all week and sometimes into the wee hours of the morning. She was already in her second round of edits on the extensive manuscripts Mary had submitted and must admit they were indeed making progress. As for Tom, her job with him was done, and the team organised by John should be arriving next week. It was definitely time for a bit of fun.

On second thoughts, though it was generous of Jamie to arrange the trip, it would have been nice if he could come along too. But the idea of Jamie's condition worsening with something as simple as weekend trips away brought a feeling of melancholy to descend upon her. She had no doubt Jamie would be cured, and they'd be able to travel together one day, so she forced herself to shake off the momentary bout of wistfulness when Annalise came bounding back with her small suitcase.

"So ...you talked to Jamie. Where is he, by the way?" she asked, grabbing clothes from the dresser and throwing them in the bed. "He left early this morning."

"Oh! Jamie said he needed to be somewhere important, and he'll see you when we return. Willie will be driving us to the airport." When Claire frowned, Annalise came up behind her and laid a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, we'll only be away for two days, and you'll see him again Sunday night."

It was apparent to Claire she'd been at a disadvantage waking up to the news of the weekend trip because if Jamie had suggested it a few days ago, she would have definitely put her foot down and refused. Unfortunately, Annalise and Jamie knew her too well; hence they'd planned this trip in secrecy.

Claire absorbed that for a few heartbeats and felt a tad of guilt. It had been a while she'd spent time with Annalise, and once her job was done in London, she'd be living with Jamie. Plus, who knew when she'd have another chance to hang out with her best friend ...just the two of them and in the Isle of Harris at that. Besides, they always had a great time together. There was no sense in spoiling their spontaneous weekend with her stubbornness. She might as well make the most of it.

Claire turned to face her friend and smiled. "Do I have time to shower?"

"Plenty of time," Annalise beamed. "While you get ready, I'll make some coffee. I know what you're like without your cuppa first thing." And with that, she danced out of the room, whistling, leaving Claire to shake her head in amusement.

Later that morning, as they drove past the motorway exit for the airport, Claire shifted restlessly in the backseat of Willie's car, watching the familiar structure pass by in a blur outside her window. She frowned. Willie must have forgotten to take the turn. Uh oh! But before she could say anything, Willie veered to a different dual-carriageway. She tried to relax back into her seat, thinking there was probably a different route to the airport she didn't know of.

Eventually, they pulled to a stop in front of a building that didn't resemble a terminal, but there was an airfield and a charter plane coming out of the hangar. When Willie stepped out of the car, a man with worn jeans, a black leather jacket and a pair of aviators waved. He looked kind of familiar, but Claire was unsure.

"Who is that?" Claire asked quietly.

Annalise followed her line of vision. "Oh, I thought you knew that guy." She frowned when Claire shook her head and squinted to get a better look. "I was told the guy flying our plane was the soon to be famous Highlands' ultimate guide to Scotland." As if on cue, the man removed his aviators and started walking towards their car, a smile plastered to his unshaven face. When he waved at them, Annalise giggled, and Claire's eyes widened in confusion. "You probably can't recognise him from afar ...it's your author, Tom Christie," Annalise announced with a satisfied smile and to her utmost shock. "He's flying us to Stornoway."

What the bloody hell? Jamie arranged this?

Dear Readers,

Thank you all for your readership and the feedback from the previous chapter. I'm super thrilled a lot of you enjoyed it after what I put you all through with Jamie and Claire's roller-coaster journey. I hope it was worth it all in the end.

Speaking of the end, the next chapter will be the last for this arc, and after taking a break, I will start arc three of the WONDERWALL series. I'll keep you updated here. Meanwhile, feel free to speculate what the next chapter will be. Until my next update, wishing you all good health and vibes. X

#melodyheart #wonderwall #milesbetweenus #claire beauchamp/jamie fraser #jamie fraser #claire beauchamp #outlanderfanfic

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yellow-r-o-s-e · 3 years

Text

it's all unscripted

Word Count: about 2000

Pairing: romantic Lumity, platonic Blight siblings

Characters: Amity Blight, Edric Blight, Emira Blight, also brief Luz Noceda, Eda Clawthorne, and Owlbert

Additional Tags: Canon Compliant, Post Episode, Takes Place Immediately After S02E08 “Knock Knock Knocking On Hooty’s Door”

Warnings: Crying, Anxiety, Bits of Implied Perfectionism, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse

Author’s Note: I literally cannot stop thinking about Amity in this episode. She went through such an emotional rollercoaster, poor girl.

Summary:

Luz was in love with her.

The revelations still sent fireworks through Amity’s heart.

They were even dating now, which was unimaginably cool.

She tried desperately to hold that warmth close to her, fearing it would slip away as she got further from the Owl House.

This—sneaking back home and pretending nothing had happened—was the easy part. It should be, at least.

Read it on ao3 at the link below, or click the Read More button to read on tumblr

https://archiveofourown.org/works/33079672

Amity still felt dazed and jittery when she arrived in front of Blight Manor. Her feet hit the ground with a soft thud, crunching against pink and red pine needles. The concrete steps in front of her house loomed, looking colder and more threatening than she remembered. As she pulled her hood lower over her eyes, her fingers trembled.

It was fine. She could do this.

A headache had snuck up on her. Her forehead and eyes felt like they were burning, and she had a lump in her throat.

Still, she’d had a fantastic night. Nothing could take that away. Luz was in love with her, and they were dating. The memories still sent fireworks through Amity’s heart. She tried desperately to hold that warmth close to her, fearing it would slip away.

This—sneaking back in and pretending nothing had happened—was the easy part.

She turned to the palisman beside her.

“Thank you....” What was his name again? Edalyn had mentioned it, as she was insisting that he should fly Amity home to make sure she was safe, but then Luz’s hand had lightly brushed against Amity’s shoulder, and Luz’s gorgeous face had been right there, so close, and all of Amity’s thoughts had fizzled out to make room for sparkly giddiness.

“Thanks, little friend,” Amity whispered. The wooden owl seemed satisfied and flapped his wings. Then he took off, headed back to the Owl House, where his family was waiting for him. Luz was probably, hopefully, still thinking about her, and she’d be happy to see her little owl friend return safe, and...

A few pangs of inexplicable jealousy surged through her before she wrestled them away. She grit her teeth. This wasn’t how she was supposed to feel. She had been so happy a few minutes ago, it shouldn’t have evaporated this fast.

She closed her eyes and counted down from ten, bracing herself to move forward through the clearing. When she reached ‘one,’ she held her breath and sprinted until she made it inside. She shut the front door as quietly as possible and leaned against the wall.

Then, with no warning or reason, the electric glee came back full force, making her feel unsteady on her feet. She blushed, biting her cheeks to stop herself from smiling, or worse, squealing with joy. That wouldn’t end well for her. Luz’s words echoed in her mind. As much as her instincts tried to dissect the events of the night, as hard as she searched for any downsides or sources of negativity, she still felt like she was floating.

The good feeling lasted a few seconds before it was replaced by guilt, which didn’t even make sense.

“I need to get back home. My mom is going to kill me,” she had said, out loud, like a complete idiot. She had meant to say it to herself, but then Luz was alert and looking at her seriously and oh… oh no. She’d ruined the moment.

“Not…” Amity swallowed. “Not literally. I’ll be fine.” Needing to do something with her hands, she gave Luz a thumbs up.

“Are you going to be…” Luz’s voice was so soft, Amity felt like her heart was cracking.

“It’s totally fine…” Amity laughed, but it sounded hollow, even to her own ears.

“Because, earlier, she did try to kill me, literally, and I don’t want you to be in danger because of me, and-”

Amity groaned, trying to shift her focus to current issues, like getting up the stairs without being caught.

It would be so much easier if she could just feel all of her emotions at once, Amity thought, making her way down the empty hallway. If it was all at once, she knew she’d be feeling overwhelming happiness twinged with only tiny amounts of negativity. Unfortunately, the sheer amount of emotions were too much for her to handle, so they took turns crashing over her in waves.

She managed to slip upstairs unnoticed, and her hands were shaking when she silently opened her bedroom door, but she was pretty sure it was more from the leftover thrill of the night than fear of being caught by her parents.

She closed the door behind her and saw herself sitting at her desk, scribbling at a homework problem.

“What?” She blinked, confused.

The illusion of her dissolved into mist, and she suddenly realized that her brother was sitting next to her desk, looking directly at her. She froze, unable to speak.

This wasn’t part of the plan.

“We didn’t know where you went, but mom came to check on you, and I figured you didn’t want to be caught,” he said in explanation. “You’re welcome.” He smiled.

That made sense. Amity was pretty sure she should feel grateful for the save. Unfortunately, any gratitude she felt was more than cancelled out by the fury that he was in her room, perceiving her, drawing out the already too long night. Ideally the night should have ended twenty minutes ago, when she had still been with Luz.

“Hey, Em, she’s not dead,” Edric spoke into a shimmering circle, no doubt sending some sort of illusion to carry the message to their sister.

In a matter of seconds, Emira burst through the door, out of breath.

No no no no no, she hadn’t planned for this. She didn’t know what to say to them, hadn’t even figured out how she was feeling. She just wanted it to be tomorrow already, so she could be standing next to Luz at school, and everything could be bright and shiny and wonderful again.

“Oh, hey there Mittens,” Emira said, making finger guns. “Glad to see you here. Not that we were worried or anything-“

“Where were you?” Edric interrupted. “You freaked us out. Em was on the verge of telling mom-“

“No, I wasn’t.” Emira leaned against the wall, faking nonchalance. “I’m not a snitch. It was all under control, and I trust you.”

Edric stuck his tongue out at her.

“I’m sorry,” Emira said, “which of us said they thought they saw her get eaten by a worm demon?”

“Oh.” Amity finally found her voice, and their gazes snapped toward her. She slid down to the floor, trying to escape their gazes. “No, he’s right, that did happen.”

“What?!”

“Are you okay?”

And then the twins were talking over each other, pressing for more details, and Amity couldn’t quite breathe, and-

“You’re overwhelming her!” Emira chided. “Look at her face.”

“Like you weren’t also-“

“Shush.” Emira gently nudged her brother aside, sitting down in front of Amity. “Mittens, baby, can you tell us what happened?”

“I’m not a baby,” Amity grumbled. Why wouldn’t they leave? She just wanted to be alone, for Titan’s sake.

Emira rolled her eyes, and Edric shoved her gently.

“Mittens, teenager who is very wise,” Edric said. “Can you tell us what happened?”

“Yeah, um…” Amity tried to think back through the night, searching for an understandable place to start. “Well… you see…” she swallowed. “I…”

And then, she broke down sobbing.

Edric reached out a hand toward her, waiting until she nodded to pull her into a tight hug. She buried her face in his shoulder.

“It’s okay,” he said.

“I know! That’s the problem! It’s not…” Amity hiccoughed, frantically rubbing at her face. “It was good. I’m just stupid. I don’t know why-“

She let out another sob. She was pretty sure she was getting snot all over Edric’s shirt. Good. That’s what he got for annoying her when she wanted to be left alone.

She made several attempts at speech that all came out garbled.

“Take your time,” Emira said.

“Luz-” Amity sniffled again. “Luz thinks I’m cool.”

Edric laughed at that. Amity tried to glare at him but still couldn’t stop crying.

“She’s so cute.” Amity sniffled, out of breath. “I’m gonna throw up.”

“That,” Edric cleared his throat, trying not to laugh again. “That sounds very difficult. How will you ever survive?”

“Shut up,” Amity grumbled, pushing him away from her. She stood up and flopped face-first onto her bed.

“We’re…” she had meant to get it over with, to say “we’re dating” and let the twins react over enthusiastically, but anxiety overtook her and her throat dried up.

"I'm sorry," Emira said, not sounding sorry, "but what does that have to do with being eaten by a worm demon?"

"Luz's dumb bird-worm thing kidnapped me," Amity said with a small laugh, grateful for the subject change. Then, she felt her face go bright red. She couldn't very well tell her siblings about the Tunnel of Love, or she'd be teased for the rest of her life.

"Okay..." Emira sat down next to her, and she fought not to hiss at the intrusion of her personal space. Emira must have sensed her discomfort, though, because she stood back up immediately. "And then?"

"Things... happened. And then Luz asked me hnnmnnmnm," she buried her face in her pillow.

"I didn’t quite get that." Emira said. Even without looking up, Amity could hear the smirk in her voice.

"Luz..." Amity took a deep breath. It was fine. She was okay. It wasn't going to become any less special if she said it out loud.

"Luz asked me to go out with her." It was silent for a second, and she savored the words.

"Woo!" Edric held out a hand to high-five her, and she tapped it lightly.

"Congrats!" Emira said. “No wonder you’re such a mess.”

“You did say yes, right?” Edric asked.

“I’m not stupid,” she said, throwing a pillow at him.

“Someone’s avoiding the question…”

“Yes!” she said. “I said yes, okay. Can I go to sleep now?”

“Hmmm,” Emira tapped her finger against her chin, and Amity groaned.

“Fine,” Emira said, “because we love you so much, and we’re so proud of you, we’ll let you sleep. Just this once.”

Emira grabbed her brother by the elbow and dragged him out of the room, shooting Amity one last smile before closing the door. Finally, she was blissfully alone.

Memories swirled through her brain again. Luz’s hand squeezing hers. Luz’s horrified expression when Amity had tried to fake a smile but couldn’t stop the tears from streaming down her face. Luz’s nervous laughter as she told Amity how much she liked her. Luz’s knee bumping against hers as they sat face to face, theoretically trying to decide what being girlfriends meant, but getting too distracted staring at each other to finish the conversation. Luz kissing her cheek and looking at her so sincerely as she told her “fly home safe.”

Amity’s heart thudded in her ribcage. She might combust if her siblings found out about how stupid in love she’d acted tonight, but she was going to explode anyway if she didn’t tell all the details to someone immediately.

Resigned, she sat up, and crept out of her room. Her siblings were still standing in the hallway, whispering excitedly. Edric noticed her first, tapping Emira’s hand to get her to look.

“Mittens?” she asked.

“I’m feeling every emotion,” she admitted, “and I can’t sleep, and I need you to come back actually,” she mumbled, not meeting their eyes.

“Sweet,” Edric said.

It wasn’t even a teasing remark, but Amity still blushed. She was screwed, she knew. Still, with their eyes on her, the hurricane of emotions that was tugging at her felt a little less heavy and a little more manageable. She was lucky to have them as her siblings, not that she’d ever tell them that.

“Aww, is she too in love to sleep?” Emira asked.

“Shut up,” Amity said, blushing even harder.

“Okay, okay, I’m shutting up. It’s your turn to talk,” Emira said. “Tell us everything.”

#lumity #the owl house #toh #toh spoilers #knock knock knocking on hooty's door #fic tag #my fic #amity blight #edric blight #emira blight #blight siblings

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eigwayne · 3 years

Text

A Little Spoiled (CQL canon ChengQing, ch. 4/4)

Chenqing Ling/The Untamed Jiang Cheng/Wen Qing Rating: E

AO3 link: Chapter 1 | Chapter 4 Tumblr link: Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3

I wrote so many versions of this author's note for chapter 4, with so many thoughts about the writing process and apologies for not adding more internal dialog and all that. I do want to note/admit, I was a little free with the theories about spiritual energy and especially yin-yang energy in this chapter. Wen Qing is being playful at the time (yes really. It will make sense in context, if I did my job right) so don't take it as gospel.

But really, the most important thing to know is this:

Jiang Cheng is the little spoon.

Oh, and also there’s a bit of golden core angst but on Wen Qing’s part.

---

It was strange and a bit uncomfortable, to sleep next to someone for the first time. Wen Qing was currently tucked up against Jiang Wanyin’s back, one arm draped over him, pretending to be fully asleep.

Oh, she had been asleep at one point, exhausted by his earlier attentions and an extremely relaxing hot bath. But she woke several times, no longer used to a bed that wasn’t lumpy and chilled, never used to cuddling in the first place. She wasn’t the only one; Jiang Wanyin had shifted several times as well, which is how he’d ended up in her arms instead of the other way around.

‘But this is actually a good chance,’ she thought. Her hand rested close to his lower dantian, after all, and she wouldn’t have to explain why she was feeling his spiritual pathways if he was asleep. She pressed against his back and slid her hand below his belly button.

His spiritual pathways were clearer than she’d expect, with his rather surly nature. Holding grudges, acting out of anger, and negative emotions could all warp or block the paths of spiritual energy, so of course she worried about Jiang Wanyin. But his energy moved freely and Wei Wuxian’s golden core was strong as ever.

‘It really worked,’ she sighed, relieved. There were any number of things that could have gone wrong, after all. ‘I should find a way to tell Wei Wuxian. He’ll be happy.’ She pressed her cheek to Jiang Wanyin’s shoulder. ‘You are so very loved, Jiang Wanyin, and the proof is spinning inside you. I wish I could tell you that.’

She lay like that, pressed against his warmth, arm around him with her hand resting on his stomach, and dozed fitfully until the first weak glimmers of dawn brightened the sky outside their window. As the sun rose higher, he shifted and made a soft noise, protesting the change in light, and it startled her awake. She started to draw her hand away.

He murmured, “A-Qing,” with the hushed and jumbled tone of one still dreaming. She froze, her heart pounding to hear such an intimate name from his lips.

What could she call him in return? She was more awake, more aware, and wasn’t much of an endearment type. A-Yuan and A-Ning were exceptions; she couldn’t make herself say ‘A-Cheng,’ not yet.

He started to roll toward her and she shifted to give him space, but he fumbled about with one hand to keep her close. His grip was loose and he didn’t open his eyes at all. He didn’t say anything, just made a demanding noise, and pulled her back into his arms as he settled onto his back.

Wen Qing rested her head on his chest, the fine fabric of his sleeping clothes beneath her cheek. Her hand was still on his stomach and she idly ran her fingers over him, from lower dantian to above his navel. She could feel the silky texture of cloth, the heat of his body, and when she pressed her senses further, the thrum of his golden core.

His shirt hitched up, not entirely by accident, and she thought, ‘I shouldn’t let this go any further.’ But “shouldn’t” wasn’t the same as “won’t” and she let her fingers touch his skin. He breathed a small sigh that cut right through her.

“What are you dreaming of now?” she whispered, unable to hold back.

“You.” He opened one eye, just a little. She started at his sudden response. Not asleep at all, then!

He put his own hand over hers, trapping her against his body. It was the hand with Zidian on it, and the metal was warm on her skin. She pressed a kiss to his chest.

“It’s early,” she said. “You should keep dreaming a while longer.”

He grunted in protest and pulled her closer, half on top of him. He seemed tense beneath her. “As if I could sleep through this.”

Wen Qing shift against him, sliding her thigh between his to confirm her suspicions. She hid a smile against his shoulder.

“What am I going to do with you, Jiang Wanyin?” she teased as she rubbed her leg against his growing erection. “Becoming like this so easily.”

“Only for you,” he said.

She didn’t quite believe him, but it was a pretty sentiment. She kissed his neck and ran a hand over his chest. “You’ve been very good for me, haven’t you?”

The moan he let out at that was deep and rumbling. His erection throbbed, straining against his pants. The thought of feeling him get harder because of her? It was alluring. She shifted again.

This was probably not what Granny and Aunty had meant when they told her to be a bit spoiled.

“So good to me,” he moaned, and something in the way he said it made her- or at least the part of her that played at being Baoshan Sanren- ashamed.

‘He trusts me,’ she thought, and it made tears well in her eyes. Someday, he would find out about his core and that trust would be ruined, because she held no illusions about that. Secrets were almost always found out. The thought of losing his trust, losing this, was like a pang in her heart.

‘Will I let this go on? Will I touch him like this, knowing what I did to him? To Wei Wuxian?’ He made a soft sound of protest when she stopped moving, and he moaned her name.

‘I will,’ she realized. ‘I’m already in this deep. And I want him again.’

She surged up to kiss him, wanting to hide her secrets, forget them, and drown in Jiang Wanyin’s trust while she could. He returned the kiss with fervor.

This kiss was long and lingering, and later on, it was the one that Wen Qing remembered most clearly and most often when she stole a few moments to herself. His touch was firm and hot. She couldn’t feel his teeth at all for a change and she thought, ‘This is the type of kiss in stories. This type of kiss could go on forever.’

(Oh, she liked her nippy young man just fine, but there was a time for that and it was not every single kiss. She was thrilled he realized it without prompting from her.)

When they broke apart, for all kisses must end at some point, he held her close. “I want you,” he said.

“I’m aware,” she told him. His arousal was hot against her thigh, after all.

“Can I?” he asked, his voice dropping to a near-whisper.

“You can.” She could guess what he wanted, even though he didn’t say. But she would give him anything. For the secrets she kept. For her family that he was feeding through his gifts. For the young man who could have loved her.

She sat up and let him pull her sleep shirt over her head. It ended up on the floor as she wriggled out of her pants. Jiang Wanyin shoved his own pants down and nearly off, and Wen Qing graciously didn’t mention he looked ridiculous, with them bunched around one ankle and his shirt still on. He was eager and she appreciated that.

She straddled his thigh again, grinding against him as she ran her hands over his stomach. He clasped her wrists and pulled her close to kiss him, and she was back where she started, half draped over him with Zidian warm against her skin. He kissed her, long and passionate, one hand holding her close and the other stroking her shoulder.

Wen Qing ran her fingers down his torso, gliding over the silk of his shirt until she reached skin. He shivered, and she was close enough to feel his erection jump.

It was too tempting not to touch. Her fingers ghosted over him, up and down his length. His breath hitched and his hips bucked in a way that was tremendously gratifying. She smirked against his lips and did it again.

He squeezed her tightly and called her “A-Qing” again. He shifted like he wanted to roll them over but Wen Qing was comfortable where she was. She rocked her hips against his thigh and closed her hand around his erection. That was enough to convince him to stay on his back.

It wasn’t long before her desire made his leg slick where she ground against him. His hands played along her back. She worked his erection in one hand, but as she leaned over to kiss her way down his body, the head brushed against her chest. His hips jerked at the contact, straining for more. She brushed him against her breast again as an experiment. It was rather nice, the hotness of him against her nipple, and although he didn’t jolt like before, he did make a pleased little hum.

‘That will be worth exploring, someday. But for now…’ She straddled his leg, bracing herself on her hands and rocking her hips into him. His right hand fell to her thigh. His left hand went to his erection and he looked at her.

“Wen Qing,” he said, his tone demanding.

Well. If he was going to be that way, she would be demanding right back. “Keep your hands on me.”

“Come closer, then. I’m waiting for you.” He held his erection upright as he stroked himself.

She paused a moment, grinding her wet sex against his thigh, just to make him wait. She inched forward until the knee between his legs was so close to his scrotum, she could feel the warmth of his skin. He held his breath the whole time.

“Jiang-zongzhu,” she said, teasing him with his title. She leaned up to press her breasts against him and whisper against his lips. “Sometimes you have to ask for things you want.”

He swallowed roughly. His erection jolted between their stomachs. “Will you touch me, Wen-guniang?”

“Good.” She sat up and shifted so his hips were between her legs, his erection trapped beneath her lower lips but not inside, not yet. He put his hands on her thighs and she rolled her hips again, this time against his straining erection.

“Thank you,” he moaned.

“Your hands,” she said. “Higher.”

He started to slide his palms up her thighs but stopped himself short. “I thought we had to ask before we touched.”

He meant it teasingly, but so soon after feeling his golden core- Wei Wuxian’s golden core, inside him without his knowledge- it hit Wen Qing more like an accusation. She leaned down, close enough to kiss his cheek, to hide her face before guilt touched her expression. “Yes, we should ask,” she choked out. “May I kiss you, Jiang-zongzhu?”

“Always,” he said. “For that, you don’t need to ask.”

She started lightly, touching her lips to his. He opened up for her immediately and deepened the kiss, his arms enfolding her. His embrace was fevered and it chased any other thought out of her mind.

“Will you…” he said between kisses, “Wen-guniang, Wen Qing, will you let me inside you? Can’t you feel-“

“I can.” She rocked into him again so he could feel her, how ready she was for him. Then she reached down to steady him and pushed against him. It was just as awkward as the first time, but also just as nice, with his soft, encouraging gasps in her ear and the stretch as he filled her. She moved, up and down, letting him deeper inside.

“Will you touch me, too, Jiang Wanyin?” She guided his hand between her legs. “Here. Like you did last night.”

“Was that good?” he asked, sliding his fingers against her.

“Very.” She sat up a little, to give him better access and so she could see his face. The change in angle let him deeper inside her. She saw every little reaction- the way his eyes fluttered close, his lips parted in another moan. “So loud, Jiang Wanyin! Do I feel that good?”

“So good,” he said, his hands falling to her hips. “So good to me.”

His words brought the golden core and her guilt about the secret rushing back again. She closed her eyes so she wouldn’t see the adoration in his face. ‘How did I ignore this earlier? Make me forget, dammit!’ She leaned back down to capture him in a searing kiss.

She didn’t forget, but she certainly pretended. She pretended there was nothing between them but the burn of desire. She pretended her hands on his body were only those of a lover, and never a doctor, even though she ached to feel how his golden core spun during their passion. She pretended they would be together after the morning faded to noon, that she wouldn’t be going back into hiding, that the silver hairpiece he’d put in her hair the day before was a real courting gift and not a trinket to be sold for clothes money. She pretended her eyes didn’t burn with unshed tears, and there was no desperation in her kisses.

(How easily he let himself cry earlier, even if it was quickly hidden! She wasn’t sure she could let go of her pride long enough, not in front of him.)

Oblivious to any of those thoughts, Jiang Wanyin reached for her, one hand between them as he tried to tease pleasure out of her, his other hand roaming over her as if memorizing her body. His sounds were soft and restrained, like he was holding himself back. Wen Qing didn’t dare open her eyes, too nervous about breaking the illusion she built in her head, too afraid of meeting his gaze and finding tenderness again.

But she didn’t stop. Her mind may have been spinning in all directions, but her body still ached for release.

“Please,” she sighed into his lips. His fingers were clumsy, the angle awkward with their bodies so close together, but he tried obliged her. Soon, she sat up, bracing herself above him. She grabbed his wrist and held his hand in place as she rode him, her whole body trembling as she neared her climax. Jiang Wanyin’s other hand went to her hip, Zidian pressing a mark into her skin.

He bucked up into her, and she bit back the keening cry building inside her. She put one of her hands on top of his and rocked her hips, careful to move with him this time.

“A-Qing,” he groaned, like that soft touch was more than he could stand.

She opened her eyes, unwilling to hide any longer, not when his voice sounded so awestruck. His lips were parted though his eyes were closed. His shirt had gotten hiked up when her hands were roaming and his scars were on full display but he was too focused on her to care. ‘That is the most ridiculous face I’ve ever seen him make,’ she thought, ‘and it’s beautiful.’

She worked her hips, hands on his chest, and smiled down at him fondly. “Jiang Wanyin,” she said in a low, breathy voice.

His eyes flicked open when he heard his name, and the sight must have been something because he cried out, “A-Qing!” as he tensed. He pressed down with his hands, burying himself in her with a choked moan. Wen Qing rode out his orgasm, eyes squeezed shut from the sheer pleasure of feeling him lose himself, his fingers firmly against her clit, until she came, thankfully only moments later. She collapsed on top of him, spent, and they lay entwined while they caught their breath.

“Wen Qing,” he said, his voice low and a bit hoarse and full of wonder. “Thank you.”

She hummed her own gratitude and stroked his arm before she slid off him. She decided she hated the moment when he left her body, and the cold of their mess on her thighs, but she liked the lethargic warmth of afterglow. She liked the feel of his skin under her hand, even the ridges of his scars. She would do this in the future, if she could get him alone.

Once she could stand on her blissfully weakened knees, she fetched a basin and cloth to clean them up before the sun rose too much higher. He watched her, eyes hooded and a tiny smile on his lips.

“You are lazy this morning, Jiang-zongzhu,” she said as she set the items down.

“Nonsense. I’m just enjoying the moment properly.”

“Excuses,” she teased (She was glad they both relaxed enough for teasing. It wasn’t their natural state, after all). She wet the cloth and patted his leg. She really should have washed up herself first, but her instincts were to care for someone else.

Jiang Wanyin interrupted her ministrations, coaxing her down for a surprisingly gentle kiss. She started to straighten and froze. A glint of silver called to her on the floor.

“Oh!” She knelt down and crawled a step to retrieve it. “The hairpin I dropped. I’ve found it for you,” she said, sitting back on her calves, but Jiang Wanyin wasn’t looking at the pin in her hand. He had rolled over and half sat up to stare at her, eyes hungry, with his bottom lip between his teeth. “Jiang Wanyin?” she prompted.

“You’re so beautiful,” he said. “From every angle.” And Wen Qing flushed to think about how lewd she must have looked from where he sat, on her hands and knees with his spend dripping between her lower lips, like she had no shame at all.

“Take the pin,” she demanded, looking away from him. He obliged her, setting the pin aside. Then he pulled her up into his arms.

“I mean it. You’re beautiful, and if I could spend the whole day fucking you, I would.”

“Don’t be silly.” She ignored his rude phrasing in favor of practical considerations. “We’d need to eat at some point, for one, and you’d be expending far too much of your yang energy. As it is, when you get back to Lotus Pier, you should meditate for a while. I wouldn’t recommend another sexual encounter for at least…” He was young and his energy surprisingly well-aligned considering his difficult disposition. His qi would be perfectly rebalanced in a few hours. But the thought that he might go out and find himself another partner perturbed her.

“A month,” she told him. “No sexual activity, no other bed companions for a month.”

“Is that your diagnosis, Doctor Wen?” There was something in his voice, something rough. Had he caught on to her? But when she looked in his eye, there was no censure there. Just a lack of the usual tension creases and a sparkle.

‘He’s teasing me back!’ she realized. So Wei Wuxian wasn’t the only brother with a sense of humor! She played along, holding herself with a professional air despite her nudity. She put two fingers on his wrist and felt his spiritual pathways (still in good order, thankfully).

“One month,” she ‘confirmed.’ “You’re in good health but you’ve expended quite a bit of energy.”

“And what about the one who received that energy? Will she be well?” He looked at her with real concern then, taking her hand in his.

“She’ll be fine,” Wen Qing said, her voice catching. “She happily received everything you gave her.”

He let out a small moan and yanked her into his arms again, and just sat there with his cheek against her hair. She rested a hand on his chest.

“I would give her everything if I could,” he said. “If I find a way-“

“Don’t make promises the world won’t let you keep,” Wen Qing scolded, slipping out of his grasp and getting to her feet. “Now let’s finish getting ready. We have people waiting for us.”

---

Wen Qing arrived at the foot of the Burial Mounds shortly after noon, alone, dressed in her sedate grey and brown robes. The flowy peach dress she wore the day before was hidden at the bottom of her qiankun pouch, which was so stuffed that she almost couldn’t close it.

“Leave a message at the tree where we first kissed,” Jiang Wanyin had said as he dropped her off, after flying her close as he dared on his sword. “If you need anything I can provide…”

“Anything he could provide” was less than what she needed, and they both knew it. He never finished the sentence.

“You may leave messages if you pass by again,” she said, pressing a kiss to his bottom lip, hand on his cheek. “But be circumspect. That tree is near the main path and Wei Wuxian goes to town far more than I.”

“Do you think I’m stupid?” he snapped. But he pulled her into another one of those crushing hugs, and she melted against him.

‘I shouldn’t have encouraged him. But how will I live without this again?’

Reluctantly, she left the warm circle of his arms and made her way up the path. She glanced behind her only once.

Jiang Wanyin was still standing where she left him, watching her walk away. Like he had after Dafan Mountain, or after she returned that comb. She wanted to run back into his arms. She wanted to yell and chase him away.

She wanted him to follow her, for a change.

‘We are both fools,’ she thought. ‘Fools with too much pride.’

She smiled, closed-lipped and sweet, and once she was certain he was not moving, was letting her go, she turned back to her own path.

----

“Thank you for waiting for me,” she said as her family gathered around to greet her. “I had something to take care of. But my patient was grateful and sent back some gifts.” She opened her qiankun pouch gave the first bolt of linen to Aunty.

A short time later, Wei Wuxian emerged from his cave, summoned by the smell of lunch. A-Yuan clung to Wen Qing’s leg, chewing messily on treat he had badgered her into giving him before the meal, and A-Ning smiled as best he could, obviously glad everyone was home. Wen Qing’s heart nearly burst to see them all.

“You… didn’t run into Jiang Cheng again, did you?” Wei Wuxian asked her, cautiously hopeful.

She looked down at A-Yuan so she wouldn’t have to meet his eyes. “I’m sorry,” she said.

“It’s fine, it’s fine. He has things to do, and it would be quite a coincidence to keep seeing him, wouldn’t it? I don’t know why I asked.” Wei Wuxian laughed, brittle and sickly.

‘He needs to go home to his real family,’ Wen Qing thought, not for the first time and certainly not for the last. ‘Someday. Someday, I won’t have to keep those brothers’ secrets.’

But for now, she had more gifts to give out, and a family to spoil, just a little.

-------

Ending Notes: Originally, this was a mere interlude, and canon continues uninterrupted, barreling along toward tragedy despite a few stolen moments of happiness. But! I got several different ideas for how canon could diverge from this point, and I'm pretty excited to work on at least one of them (which is why I decided to finish editing this chapter and post it). I don't know when it will be finished or even which idea will get worked on when, but I don't intend to give up on it until at least one is posted. Wish me luck on that!

Thank you for reading!

#the untamed #cql #chen qing ling #chengqing #jiang cheng/wen qing #jiang cheng #wen qing #my writing #completed fic

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ynscrazylife · 2 years

Note

Hiiiiii, I was wondering if you could do a ‘how characters that blipped would react to coming back and seeing youve like grown up’? I know there was a lot of characters that blipped so it could be tricky to do all of them, but my fav characters that blipped are Wanda, Yelena, Hill, and Peter (we could’ve like just grown up to be the same age as him like 10-15 during the blip ahahah) sorry that this is so long,,, I appreciate all your fics always! Hope you’re doing good!

How Marvel Characters Would React to Seeing You After the Blip

Authors Note: Thank you for requesting! I hope that you are doing well, too!

Request to be on a taglist (or multiple) here! (Taglists are at the end of the fic)

Main Masterlist | MCU Masterlist #1 | MCU Masterlist #2

PSA: Do NOT copy, steal, translate, plagiarize, republish, etc any of my works on Tumblr or any other platform. Also, do NOT claim any of my works as your own. All of these works are either requests I’ve gotten that people have wanted me to write or original ideas I’ve had for works. If you happen to take inspiration from anything I’ve written and want to write something inspired by that, please a) ask me first and b) IF I say yes, credit me as inspo in your post by tagging me and link whatever work of mine that inspired you. Thanks.

header c @/theidolstuff

WANDA MAXIMOFF

At first, she wouldn’t even recognize that it was you, until she saw you use your powers/fighting skills (whichever you prefer).

She was pretty shocked, to say the least.

1. You had grown 5 years

2. YOU HAD GROWN 5 YEARS!!!!

Everyone else looked pretty much the same, but you were the youngest Avenger

That was now around Wanda’s age, instead of younger

Once the shock wore off, the happiness set in.

Even though it didn’t feel like it to her, it had been 5 years, and she was very happy to see you again

Even if it was across the battlefield

You two first made contact when Wanda used her powers to save you from a member of Thanos’ army

She barely contained her laugh at seeing your gobsmacked face

Aside from being very grateful for her saving you, you were thrilled to see her again, because you had missed her a lot

Your arms were instantly around her, and Wanda flew you two into the air to get away from the danger

You clung tightly to her, missing her flying you around

The two of you fought together for the rest of the battle, reuniting with the other Avengers at the end

Wanda was happy to see everyone again, but was most happy to see you

YELENA BELOVA

Yelena was overwhelmed, to say the least

She had just been told that five years had passed and that her sister was dead

It was, as you can imagine, a lot to take in

After grieving for Natasha, you instantly popped into Yelena’s mind, as you were her younger sister

“Where is Y/N?! Is she—?”

Her friend’s grin calmed her down, and she said she would call Y/N

While waiting for you to arrive, Yelena’s mind was racing

It all seemed to be okay, the word stopped spinning, when you burst into the house and bounded straight into Yelena’s arms

“You’re alive! Oh my god,” was what you whispered, out of breath

Yelena held onto you tightly, content with staying like that forever. Her mind instantly went into protective sister mode.

“You had Natasha when you lost me, right?” Yelena asked, to which you said yes

“And now I have you when we lost Natasha,” you responded, tearing up

The two of you grieved and healed together and you updated Yelena on the five years of yours and Natasha’s lives that she missed

MARIA HILL

“Oh my fucking god,” was the first thing Maria said when she saw you

The two of you had been best friends, seeing as you were two of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s best agents, and before the Blip you had been a couple of years younger than Maria

You just laughed happily, blissfully relieved that your practical-sister was back. It was like a dream, except it was real.

“What have you been doing for the past 5 years?” Maria asked after you two hugged

“I went back and forth with helping Natasha with the Avengers team and helping Daisy with S.H.I.E.L.D.,” you said

Maria was in awe (a rare emotion for her) of all that you had accomplished

She pulled you into another tight hug and demanded to know everything about everyday of your life, sad that she had missed five years with you

PETER PARKER

Peter was very confused when he saw a teenager his age hugging the Avengers after the battle

“Who’s this? Where’s Y/N?” He asked

You barely refrained from laughing, answering with “I’m Y/N.”

His jaw practically dropped to the floor

“HOLY SHI—” “Language!” “That’s unnecessary, Steve! I’m Peter’s age.”

“No, no, that’s impossible. You’ll always be a kid to me,” he mumbled as he pulled you into a hug

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ourloveisforthelovely · 3 years

Text

On making you happy Part 5

Harry Potter AU Marauders Era

Link to Part 4

Pairings: Regulus Black x Reader

Rating: M - adult themes

Author note: i somehow forgot to post updates on this story. Tumblr is now up to date with AO3. This is what happens when you have multiple stories going. :)

__________

Christmas...it's going to be a lonely holiday…

You should have taken Narcissa Malfoy’s advice a lot more seriously. It had been six months since your wedding and you were alone for the 12th time. You were still not in Paris and Regulus was still working for Voldemort.

So far none of Regulus’ promises were being fulfilled. It seemed like every time that he left he would always talk about how this would be the last time but it never was. You had come to the realization that Regulus probably had no intention of leaving the death eaters nor did he plan on taking you to Paris.

You sat in your mother’s living room as she eagerly decorated the Christmas tree. Her eyes flickered to you every few moments.

“Come now, Y/n, Regulus will be home to you soon.”

“I want him home now. We’ve been married six months and he’s been gone more than I have seen him. I just expected our first Christmas to be different.”

Your mother nodded before kneeling down beside you.

“Your husband has an honorable job. We have to make sacrifices for the greater good. How do you think that I feel, sweetie? I haven’t seen your brother in many many months.”

You only nodded as your mother went back to what she was doing. How were you supposed to convince your mother that you didn’t agree with your family’s pureblood ideals? Your mother would have a hissy fit if you told them that you had begged Regulus to stop being a death eater? They would probably be so proud of Regulus for not breaking away. It wouldn’t matter how it made you feel.

“It will be okay, sissy.”

Your attention turned to your sister Margaret. She had been laying on the sofa watching your mother decorate. Over the past few weeks Margaret’s condition had deteriorated. The doctor had told your parents to be ready for the inevitable.

Margaret was part of the reason that your parents supported Voldemort so much. He promised that he would find a way to make the poor little girl whole.

“He’s not done jack shit.”

You thought angrily before smiling sweetly at your sister. Her tired eyes were on you as she smiled lazily.

“Thank you, Maggie.”

You said before pressing a kiss to her forehead.

That night you went to bed after sending Regulus another letter. You could only hope that your husband would see the letter sooner rather than later.

“It will be okay.”

You said, yawning. Maybe if you told yourself that would be okay it would be. Regulus would come home soon and sweep you off to Paris. The two of you could find a posh little flat where you could live in peace.

A few hours later you were awoken by someone pounding on your door. You slowly got out of bed and struggled to the door. Your mother stood on the other side in tears.

“Margaret’s dead.”

You felt your mouth drop. The world seemed to stop spinning and drop into the abyss of nothingness. You had to meet your mother’s tear filled eyes a few times to make sure that what she was telling you was right. When she finally nodded for the fifth time you too began to cry.

“When?”

You managed to say before bursting into tears. Your mother pulled you into a tight hug.

“About fifteen minutes ago. She isn’t suffering anymore, Y/n.”

Later that morning you sat in the living room looking out the window. You had sent a letter to Regulus hoping that news of Margaret’s death would warrant some kind of reply from your husband.

“My darling Reggie, Margaret died today, Her condition went downhill. I know that you are busy but I need you. I haven’t heard from you in two weeks. Christmas won’t be Christmas without you or Maggie. I send you all of my love. -Your wife.”

You wanted to add “your wife that you have seemed to have forgotten” but decided not to. The last thing that you wanted was for Regulus to come home to fuss at you. Your mind couldn’t even contemplate that right now. The last time that Regulus was home he didn’t seem to be home at all. His mind was so preoccupied with other things.

Around 9 am, you had finally got your mother calmed down enough to go to sleep. Your father had politely ducked out of the house for some alone time. You didn’t even feel like arguing with him to stay with his family. At the moment, all that you wanted to do was fall asleep. Maybe if you could get some sleep, you would feel better.

The door opening and closing didn’t make you flinch. You figured that it was your father returning from his drunk trip to town. It wasn’t until a finger stroked over your lip did you wake up. Your eyes snapped open to see Regulus knelt down beside you.

“Regulus!”

You squealed his name before diving into his arms. Both of you fell backward. Regulus’ arms were wrapped around you as he took the brunt of the fall. Neither of you said anything for a few moments. You were busy enjoying the feeling of his arm around you.

“I couldn’t let you sit here alone.”

He finally said tenderly. You put your hand to his cheek and took in the sight of the concern in his grey eyes. Instead of the cold indifference that he showed most people; Regulus was warm and alive to you.

“I’m glad you came.”

Regulus looked around the room for any signs of your parents.

“Where’s your mum and dad?”

“Dad is out getting wasted and mum took a sleeping potion.”

Regulus gently pulled the two of you into a standing position. His mouth was on yours kissing you as if it had been twenty years since the two of you had seen each other last.

“I want to be with you.”

Regulus said, quietly. The last thing that he wanted was for your mother overhearing him saying how much he wanted to get laid. You, meanwhile, were thrilled with the thought of having Regulus’ hands on you. Physical love was more than welcome at this particular moment.

“Take me to your room.”

He said, softly.

Regulus kicked the door to the bedroom shut as he chased into the room after you. His arms were around your waist as he held you from behind.

“What’s this?”

Regulus froze the moment that his hands grazed over a hard place between your hip bones. You turned in his arms.

“That’s your son in there.”

You had forgotten all about the “big secret” that you were keeping from everyone. Regulus’ face went pale.

“You’re pregnant?”

You nodded. Before Margaret’s death, this had been the main thing that was on your mind. You had been trying to think of ways to tell Regulus. There was also the worry that Regulus wouldn’t be there when you needed him to be. The last thing that you wanted was to be giving birth in a room with only Walburga and your mother to keep you company.

“Looks like it.”

Regulus ran a hand through his hair as he sat down putting a hand over his mouth.

“How far?”

You shrugged.

“My period is three weeks late. I haven’t been to a doctor yet.”

Regulus sighed. This was the last thing that he needed at the moment. He didn’t have time to be worrying over you when he was “working.”

“Have you told either of our parents?”

You shook your head.

“I wanted to tell the father first. I’ve been begging to see you for weeks.”

Regulus’ eyes rolled up to you.

“I’ve been working.”

You felt every hopeful feeling leave your body.

“That’s what it's always going to be, isn't it?

Regulus stood up. He was trying to keep his temper in check. You didn’t deserve for him to take his frustrations out on you.

“I’m trying to find a way to get us to Paris.”

You snorted, rolling your eyes.

“Yeah, right. Forget Paris and stop trying to charm me with bullshit. You’re going to tell your mother that I am pregnant and she is going to haunt both of us for the rest of forever. Paris is never going to happen.”

Regulus was beginning to become annoyed.

“You don't know what I have been doing for us. I have been risking my life every day to try to find a way to make you happy. What do I get in return? A nagging wife that is never happy…”

Regulus felt guilty when your eyes filled with tears. He never meant to make you cry.

“That’s how you feel? That I’m nagging you...because I miss you. Well, fine.”

“Y/n, I’m sorry...I wasn’t thinking.”

You shook your head before pulling your sweater back on.

“Just leave me alone. Go away, Regulus.”

You stormed into the on-suite bathroom leaving Regulus looking at the place where you stood. He waited a moment longer before leaving the room without another word.

_____

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nyroom · 4 years

Text

The Ghosts of Childhood - Chapter 1

After a fight with his brother, Stan heads out and is consequentially de-aged back into a child. Now Ford is going to have to confront the emotional baggage he's been avoiding, all while trying to manage three children and a business. What could go wrong?

This fic is based on the One And A Half Stans AU from disappearedsock and thesnadger over on Tumblr. I stumbled across it and the idea was too cute to leave alone.

This is my first Gravity Falls fic so, if characters are ooc, that's why.

[AO3 Link] [Part 2]

The days since the Author had come out of the portal were almost suffocatingly tense. Don’t get him wrong - Dipper was positively thrilled to be meeting the object of his obsession fascination - but after the initial high wore off, the tension was starting to bother even him.

It was clear that Grunkle Stan and Great Uncle Ford still had some animosity towards each other, soured even more over the 30-year absence. They didn’t appear to be in any rush to start making amends either. It was as if they were pretending the other didn’t exist, that if they ignored the problem strongly enough, it would eventually go away. Luckily, they mostly avoided each other, so the tension was at least bearable. It was a different story when they were both in the same room together, which was usually around dinner time.

A selfish part of Dipper resented Grunkle Stan, just a little. The Author LITERALLY lived in their basement, yet Dipper couldn’t even talk to him! He still had so many questions to ask him, but Grunkle Stan was firm in Dipper steering clear of him. “My brother’s a dangerous know-it-all, and the stuff he’s messing with is even worse.” He had said, brown eyes dark. “Do yourself a favour and stay away from him.”

Mabel didn’t seem to be handling the tension very well, though she was doing her best to be her usual peppy self. It just didn’t compute to her that siblings could hate each other so much. Why couldn’t they hug and just say sorry? Why wasn’t that good enough? Dipper had caught her shooting him sad looks when she thought he wasn’t looking, as if she were afraid they’d end up that way too. Dipper did his best to assure her otherwise.

Tonight had been a particularly bad one. Dipper and Mabel had huddled in their shared room, listening to the faint sounds of shouting coming from somewhere downstairs. It looked like the elder twins had finally stopped tip-toeing around each other. Dipper couldn’t make out exactly what was being said, but the venom in each of their voices was practically palpable.

Thankfully, as if a trade-off for its intensity, the fight had been over as quickly as it started, ending with a slammed door and the sound of tires screeching in the dirt. Most likely Grunkle Stan; Great Uncle Ford didn’t seem much for driving. Dipper had just winced and put the incident out of his mind. There wasn’t much he could do for them, and Mabel hadn’t exactly taken the fight well. He had more important things to worry about right now.

Now five hours later, the sun was starting to set and there was still no sign of Stan. That couldn’t be good.

“Maybe he just got caught up in a really good game of bingo?” Mabel suggested, ever the optimist. “You know, old people things.”

Dipper frowned, considering the thought. “There’s no way Grunkle Stan would have lasted this long without getting thrown out for cheating.”

Try as Dipper may, he couldn’t exactly think of anything that could occupy their Grunkle for this long. The townspeople weren’t exactly his greatest fans, and Stan had always seemed more content to sit in his armchair and watch television than go out anywhere. So what could it be? What could possibly be taking him so long? Had the fight really been that bad?

… Well, their last big fight had landed Great Uncle Ford on the other side of an interdimensional portal so, yeah, maybe. But Grunkle Stan wouldn’t just leave them, would he?

“Maybe we should go out and find him,” Mabel piped up, interrupting Dipper’s train of thought. “He might just have fallen asleep somewhere! It’s getting close to his bedtime.”

Dipper knew that she was just trying to lighten the mood, but it did nothing to soothe the sinking feeling he was starting to get.

No big deal. You just have to find Stan and bring him back. Piece of cake.

Minds made up, they grabbed their bags and headed down to the door, swiping the keys to the golf cart from the tray in the Gift Shop. While they could easily walk to town, they decided that it would be quicker to take the cart. Gravity Falls covered a pretty expansive area, and Stan could be anywhere.

They briefly hesitated by the vending machine, exchanging an uneasy glance. Did they tell Great Uncle Ford where they were going? Did they invite him along? … No, he likely wouldn’t come anyways. Besides, maybe he needed some time alone too, and it’d likely not be a good idea to drag him along on a trip to find the person he was fighting in the first place.

It was decided that they head into town first. Though it was no longer a secret that Grunkle Stan believed in and had experience with the supernatural, it seemed unlikely for him to journey into the woods. At best, he was disinterested in that whole business. Besides, he was driving, and the woods weren’t very car-friendly.

“We should have made posters before we left.” Mabel thought aloud as they parked the cart, tapping her chin. “How can you hunt for someone if you don’t even have a picture of them?”

Dipper rolled his eyes fondly, knowing she just wanted to stretch her creativity - and maybe put a dent in her glitter stockpile. “This town is pretty small, Mabel, and Grunkle Stan isn’t exactly a shut-in. I’m pretty sure everyone has at least heard of him.”

Mabel blew a raspberry, clearly disliking his answer, but not having a good enough rebuttal.

Though Dipper had felt pretty positive they would find Stan somewhere in town, his confidence began to wane with each area searched. Every street and building they checked turned up no trace of him and the townspeople seemed too disinterested to provide anything useful. It was starting to make that sinking feeling intensify, twisting in Dipper’s gut. If Grunkle Stan wasn’t in town, where was he?

A familiar red car caught Dipper’s attention as they rounded a corner, parked in the parking lot of the grocery store. Hope blossomed in his chest as he grabbed his sister’s arm, pointing over to it. “Mabel, look! It’s Grunkle Stan’s car!”

The two rushed over to it, but their faces fell when they discovered it empty. The only thing inside was a bag of groceries, sitting innocently in the passenger seat. Dipper frowned, mindlessly putting a hand on the door handle and pulling, though he knew very well Stan would never leave his precious car unloc--

It was unlocked.

That didn’t make sense. Grunkle Stan’s pastime was stealing and scamming, so he always made sure to keep careful track of his possessions; his car especially. Anytime they went out anywhere, he’d always triple check to make sure the doors were locked and the windows were rolled up. “A beauty like this, anyone’d steal her if they got the chance!” He had explained once. Dipper hadn’t had the heart to tell him he really didn’t think anyone would care enough to steal an old, beat-up car like this.

Mabel reached into the bag of groceries, taking out a carton of milk. “It’s warm.” She murmured, eyes taking on a fearful and distant quality. If the milk was warm, that meant Grunkle Stan hadn’t been here in some time, but where could he have gone without his car?

Dipper looked up towards the forest, looming a few feet away from the edge of the parking lot. Maybe he had…? No, why would Grunkle Stan head into the woods, especially when he had groceries? Something wasn’t adding up here, and that sinking feeling returned with a vengeance.

They decided to do one last sweep of the town, just in case. It couldn’t hurt, could it? They made sure to check in with the store as well, just in case he had gone back for something. As expected, the cashier merely shook her head and said he had only been there the one time, and that was hours ago to boot.

Eventually, the two decided to take a break on a bench, wearing identical frowns as they tried to think of their next move. If he wasn’t in town, then that meant he had most likely gone into the forest. The question still remained: why? Had something lured him in?

...Maybe Great Uncle Ford had something that could help. Surely he didn’t hate Stan that much that he would refuse to help if he had gone missing, right? They should go and talk to him.

“Hey Dipper, do you hear that?” Mabel piped up, straightening from her slouched posture, squinting into the distance.

Dipper blinked out of his thoughts and focused. Sure enough, he could faintly hear something coming from somewhere nearby. It almost sounded like… Crying? He straightened too now, probing his surroundings for the source. The few townspeople he saw milling about all seemed fine.

Then he spied a bundle of brown, white and red, tucked in an alleyway behind some garbage bins. As Dipper looked closer, he realized that it wasn’t just any bundle: it was a boy, roughly around their age. He had his knees drawn up to his chest and his face hidden, shoulders silently trembling. Dipper winced in sympathy. He must be lost.

Mabel followed his gaze, silently gasping at the sight. Without bothering to wait for Dipper’s input, she hopped over the back of the bench and carefully approached the boy. Dipper scrambled a little less gracefully, but nonetheless fell into step beside her.

As they got closer to the boy, Dipper noticed the twigs in his hair and the dirt on his clothes. They looked a little torn too, ripped at the edges. Had he run into one of the supernatural creatures in the woods? Dipper thought the townspeople usually avoided venturing too far from civilization, but that was usually the adults.

He had been trying to think of a good opener so they didn’t needlessly scare him more, but it seemed like the boy was more perceptive than Dipper thought. As soon as they got closer, his head shot up, bloodshot eyes darting around wildly. When he saw them, he hastily scrubbed at his face with the heel of his hand, trying to hide the tears.

“Are you lost?” Mabel asked, stooping down to be level with the boy. Her expression was soft and open, trying to make herself as non-threatening as possible. Really, she didn’t need to try. Though Mabel was certainly no pushover, she looked about as threatening as a puppy. The puppy knitted into her sweater didn’t help that, either.

“I’m fine!” The boy said almost immediately, his accent immediately sticking out as something not local. He must be touring with his family and had gotten lost; now his possible forest excursion made a lot more sense. The boy sniffed again, hunching his shoulders as if he wanted to appear bigger, but made no move to get off the pavement. “I’m just… Taking a detour.”

“Detour?” Mabel asked conversationally, her head tilting. “Where are you going? Maybe we can help!”

The boy squinted at Mabel reproachfully, sizing her up. “...The beach.” He eventually said, huffing out a sigh. At least the tears had dried up, though he still looked uneasy in their presence. “I was s’posed to meet my brother there after I got us some candy, but…” He trailed off, squinting. “...I think I fell asleep.”

Mabel and Dipper exchanged a look. There were no beaches anywhere near Gravity Falls, unless you counted the vaguely sandy shores of the lake. Maybe it was something in the forest? Though it definitely felt like he and Mabel had been over every inch of those woods, they had never come out the other side. But what were the chances of a child - possibly two children - braving the woods and finding something Dipper and Mabel hadn’t yet?

The boy continued on unperturbed by the exchange, seeming to gain enough confidence to show vulnerability in front of the twins. “An’ I don’t really know where I am! One minute I’m walkin’ the boardwalk, then pow! I’m on the ground eatin’ grass! It took me forever to get back here, but I’ve never been in this part of town before!” He took a deep, shuddering breath, fingers tightening in the fabric of his pants. “I’ve been gone for a real long time, he’s probably worried sick now. An’ if Pa finds out…”

Okay. Something supernatural was at foot here, no question about it. Had it wiped the boy’s memories, maybe? That would explain the sudden shift in location, but not where he had been originally. There were no beaches or boardwalks anywhere in Gravity Falls, and the accent was a sticking point. It sounded like he came from a whole other state. So had he been teleported?

And then, of course, there was still the mystery of their missing Grunkle. As alluring as this particular mystery was, Dipper kept thinking back to the abandoned car and the warm groceries. If something had happened to Stan, especially so soon after those agents had been by… He didn’t want to think about that.

The boy suddenly jumped to his feet, startling Dipper out of his thoughts as the boy’s eyes darted wildly around the alley. “Oh no, my brother’s alone! What if Crampelter gets him? I need to be there!”

Crampelter sounded… Familiar, but Dipper couldn’t place where. Still, speculations could wait. For now, they needed to keep him calm. If he really had been teleported from another state, the explanation that something supernatural had done this to him would likely freak him out more.

“Whoa there, calm down. We’ll help you find him.” Dipper said without thinking, raising his hands placatingly. Of course, he didn’t know how they were going to do that, but he felt like the boy would just rush off no matter what they said. At least this way, they could keep an eye on him and make sure he didn’t get more lost.

“Yeah!” Mabel chimed in, luckily following his lead without argument. That didn’t surprise him; she was always trying to keep spirits up, no matter whose they were. “We’re missing someone too, so maybe we can all help each other!”

The boy hesitated, clearly not completely trusting them just yet, but there was a flicker of something hopeful in his eyes. Eventually, he nodded, sticking out his hand. “Okay, you guys got a deal. But we need to find my brother first, okay? Trust me, if anyone can find your guys’ missing guy, it’s him. He’s got like…” He paused, counting on his fingers. “A billion smarts in his head!”

Dipper wanted to argue with that. Stan could be in serious danger, maybe hurt somewhere. Why else would he take so long getting back? Yet Mabel cut him off, taking the boy’s hand and shaking it. “Deal!”

Seeming to ignore Dipper’s hissed ‘Mabel’, Mabel threw her arm around her brother and pulled him into a side-hug. “I’m Mabel, and this is my twin brother Dipper! What’s your name?”

That seemed to get the boy’s attention, his eyes widening as he looked a little in awe at the two. “You’re twins? Me an’ my brother are twins too!” Whatever misgivings the boy had left seemed to vanish and he fully grinned this time. Dipper could see that one of his teeth was missing. “My name’s Stan!”

“That’s the same name as our Grunkle!” Mabel chimed, eyes widening. She quickly dug into her bag, taking out a photo from their Summerween that she hadn’t found a place for in her scrapbook just yet. She pointed to him in the picture. “You see someone like that before?”

Stan squinted at the picture, thinking carefully. “Hmmm. I dunno what a “grunkle” is, but I’ve never seen him before.” He paused, tilting his head. “He kinda looks like my Pa, but… Really really old.”

Dipper was starting to get a sense of deja vu. The chances that this boy had the same name as Stan and had a twin brother had already seemed a little too convenient in Dipper’s mind, but now Grunkle Stan looked like this boy’s dad? Something was weird here. Was he some kind of distant relative? A cousin, maybe?

Mabel, meanwhile, looked a little dejected as she put the photo back into her bag, but was still smiling through it. “That’s okay. At least you know what he looks like now! Maybe we’ll run into him while we search for your bro, or maybe they’re even together!”

As the trio journeyed out of the alleyway into the dying sunlight, Stan began to look around at their surroundings. That same uneasy expression flickered across his face before he schooled it into one of determination, hitting his fist into his open palm as he spoke. “Alright. We need to get to the beach first and make sure he isn’t still there. If he’s not, then we’ll go to my Pa’s pawnshop next.”

Pawnshop? Grunkle Stan’s life story came to mind once again, specifically his childhood. Hadn’t he said his family lived above their own pawn shop? These similarities were starting to get creepy, and Dipper found his mind beginning to wander.

Was it really possible that Grunkle Stan was…?

“Hey, uh… What did you say your last name was?” He asked hesitantly, stopping to turn and face Stan again. It probably came across as a silly question, but Dipper needed to know for sure. Stan blinked at him, looking confused now.

“Um, Pines? But my last name isn’t gonna help us find Ford!” Stan made to move past the twins, only faltering when he must have realized he didn’t exactly know where to go. He turned back to them, impatient. “C’mon, we’re wasting time!”

Darn. Looks like Dipper’s hunch had been right.

The twins exchanged an alarmed glance, Mabel sputtering in her surprise. “W-Wait, Grunkle Stan? Is that you?”

Stan blinked once again, caught off guard by the sudden question. “What? I’m not that old! I’m ten and that guy looked like… 100.” He reached up to squish his own cheeks, digging his fingers into the flesh. “I don’t even have wrinkles.”

So not only had their Grunkle been turned back into a 10-year-old, but he hadn’t retained any memories of his older self. Dipper awkwardly tugged at the collar of his shirt at the revelation, going quiet. How were they supposed to explain this to him? He wouldn’t understand. Not to mention, Stan was starting to get that cagey look in his eye as the moment dragged. They didn’t need Stan running off on them.

But that left them with an uncomfortable problem. Sure, Dipper felt pretty confident in his own skills with the weird and paranormal creatures and items in the forest - the answer to turning Grunkle Stan back to his proper age likely lurked there - but what were they supposed to do with Stan in the meantime? Dipper doubted he’d be up for a forest trek.

...Nevermind that, what were they going to tell Great Uncle Ford? After that fight, how would he react to his brother like this? They couldn’t exactly hide Stan from him.

Well, Great Uncle Ford or not, they needed the journal to begin trying to straighten out this mess. That was back in their room, which meant they needed to convince Stan to come back with them. How were they going to manage that?

“Yeah, you’re definitely not our Stan,” Dipper cut in quickly as Stan opened his mouth, likely to protest some more. “That’s okay, we can worry about that later. You said your brother was your twin, right? So that means you look like each other?”

Stan squinted suspiciously at Dipper, but nodded all the same. “Yeah, but he has big glasses.” He held his hands up, cupping his fingers around his eyes. “And he don’t got as many band-aids as me. Oh, and he wears this nerdy jacket.”

Dipper nodded along with the description, conspiratorially rubbing his chin in thought. “Yeah, I think I’ve actually seen someone like that today. He wasn’t at the beach, though.”

Mabel seemed to be clueing in to Dipper’s ploy now and she gasped, putting her hands to her face. “Hey, yeah! I remember that now. He was back at... the Mystery Shack, wasn’t he?”

The suspicion melted off Stan’s face all too easily. Grunkle Stan would be disappointed in himself. “Really? Did he look okay?”

“Uhhh… Yeah!” Mabel answered, having to think. “He looked kind of worried though, I think he was looking for you.”

Apparently, that was all the convincing Stan needed. “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go!”

---

Though it had been a few days since he had returned to his home dimension, Ford still found himself struggling to adjust to this new modern era. In the 30 years since Ford had gone through the portal, the world had moved on without him, oblivious that he was even missing in the first place. Of course, part of that had been Stan’s fault, but Stan hadn’t brought about 30 years of technological development on his own.

Nonetheless, if Stan had just listened to him for once in his godforsaken life, Ford wouldn’t have missed those developments in the first place. Now he was practically a prisoner in his own home, forced to hide out in the basement while his brother masqueraded as him. It was an affront to Ford’s pride and life’s work, having his identity stolen and turned around like that. Really, what had Stan been thinking?

The rational part of Ford reminded him that his precious “life’s work” had nearly brought about the end of the universe. If he hadn’t trusted Bill in the first place, been as smart as he liked to believe he was, then there wouldn’t have been a portal to go through. Fiddleford would certainly be the better for it - God, was he still alive? Ford needed to check on him.

Yet the stubborn part of Ford wanted to hold tight to his anger. It was easier to just blame Stan for everything. Stan was the one who broke his project, crushed his dreams, and pushed him through an interdimensional portal. Perhaps it was irrational, but Ford felt comfortable with this anger. These weren’t petty incidents: they were life-altering. He was completely justified in feeling the way he felt right now.

That had partially been what their fight earlier in the day had been about. After he had sealed the Rift and dismantled the portal, Ford had decided to do a basic search on his name to see if he could track down his brother’s movements. It was then that he discovered the rather extensive criminal record now attached to his name. Ford hadn’t realized there were even official names for half of these crimes.

So angry, he had promptly gone upstairs to find his brother and give him a piece of his mind. Hadn’t he realized what a mess this would be to sort out when he was able to exist under his own name again? Had he thought through anything in the time Ford had been gone?

“Why do you always have to ruin my life?!”

Ford remembered the momentary look of hurt in his brother’s eyes as he hurled that accusation at him and, briefly, felt bad. Stan had shored up that vulnerability pretty fast, spouting the same excuse he had stuck by ever since Ford got back: “I was doing it for you!” His sympathy dried up almost immediately.

For Ford. As if making Ford a criminal would do him ANY good. Stan hadn’t bothered to stick around to hear Ford’s rebuttal, saying something about how he didn’t need to take this kind of shit before storming off outside. A snide voice in Ford’s head pointed out that Stan was just running away from the consequences of his own actions, just as he had done for the entirety of his life. Nothing was ever his fault.

That had been hours ago now. When he checked his watch, he could see that it was well past the time Stan normally cooked dinner for them. Usually, he would call Ford up to join them (most likely out of obligation, or maybe for the kids’ sakes), but he hadn’t heard anything yet.

Ford couldn’t say he was surprised. After that fight, it wasn’t a stretch to assume Stan decided he didn’t want to see his brother so soon. Ford couldn’t say he wanted to see Stan so soon either, so he didn’t really begrudge being left out. If he was quiet enough, he might be able to sneak some food for himself without alerting the family.

As he did his best to close the vending machine as silently as he could and entered the house portion of the Mystery Shack (Moses, what a terrible name), he noticed just how quiet everything was. Ford even stood still and listened, trying to pick up any sounds that could be coming from upstairs. There was nothing.

Odd, but hardly Ford’s concern. All three of the house residents were plenty capable of handling themselves from what he could tell, and it wasn’t exactly his job to babysit them. Well, babysit Stan, at least.

So he shrugged the oddity off and continued to the kitchen, rooting around for something to eat. Since he had the house to himself, perhaps he would actually cook himself something for once. Sure, when he was last in this dimension, he typically subsisted off ready-made food, but having something warm and fresh was a luxury he hadn’t been able to afford in the multiverse.

Soon enough, he had two eggs simmering happily in the pan. The mundaneness was a nice break from the 30 years of hell he had been through, and Ford relished in it. For once, everything was fine.

His thoughts were interrupted by the distant sound of a door opening. Ford assumed it to be the front door at first, but soon realized it had come from the wrong end of the house. The only other door that lead outside was the Gift Shop door, but that was supposed to be closed for the public. Perhaps one of the family had decided to use that door out of convenience?

It could also be someone - or something - breaking in. The vending machine was in the Gift Shop. Bill was still at large. The Rift was in his lab. That wasn’t good.

Shutting the stove off, Ford quickly but quietly sprinted towards the Gift Shop. The chances of Bill retaliating were slim, but slim wasn’t nothing. Ford couldn’t afford to be lenient, not when the universe was at stake.

Once he got to the door that separated the shop from the house, he could pick up on three voices. Two he recognized as Dipper and Mabel, but the third was unfamiliar. While the presence of the youngest twins was a mild relief, the unfamiliar voice did nothing to tamp down his panic. What if Bill had possessed someone and had tricked the children? It wouldn’t be beneath him.

Ford considered opening the door a crack to see if he could catch sight of the stranger’s eyes, but thought better of it. If anyone saw him, it’d be over. Bill was all too familiar with him and had two easy bargaining chips should Ford try and block their path. Instead, he pressed his ear to the door and tried to listen to their conversation.

“... And you’re totally sure he was still here when you guys left?” The unfamiliar voice said. Now what he was thinking of it, Ford couldn’t shake the feeling that he had heard that voice somewhere before. At least it wasn’t Bill’s voice, though that didn’t eliminate the possibility of the demon’s involvement.

“Sure was!” That was Mabel, that much was obvious. “He was showing off this picture he had to everyone.”

“A picture?” The unfamiliar voice echoed. “Huh. I wonder why.”

“While we’re here, we need to pick something up.” And there was Dipper. “Can you wait here? We won’t be long.”

What? They were leaving a stranger alone near the vending machine? Even if they weren’t a stranger to them, that was still dangerous! Ford was going to need to sit them down and have a word with them about how important it was to keep the vending machine away from prying eyes.

No time for that now as he heard footsteps start approaching the door Ford had pressed himself against. Thinking quickly, he ducked into hiding right as the twins came into the house. He held his breath as they passed him by, heading upstairs to their shared room. It didn’t seem like they had seen him.

With them gone, he could now check on this stranger without any collateral.

Not bothering to be subtle, Ford pushed the Gift Shop’s door open. Playing cat and mouse with Bill was a pointless endeavor; it was best to face him head-on. However, what he saw inside made his blood run cold.

There in the Gift Shop stood a child that looked strikingly similar to Stan when he was a child, right down to the face, hair, and clothes. He was holding a Stan bobblehead in his hands, turning it over and over, watching the head jiggle with a fascinated stare. His eyes, Ford noted dimly, were brown.

The child looked up at Ford’s entrance, tilting his head curiously at him. He only looked at him a moment before he cupped his free hand around his mouth, shouting: “Dipper! Mabel! I found your missing Grunkle!”

With a face to put to the voice, the realization of why he sounded so familiar hit him like a truck. This wasn’t just someone who looked like Stanley, this was Stanley.

The shock must have shown on his face as Stan was looking at him again, this time with a little concern and a bit of apprehension. “You okay there mister? You look kinda sick.”

Ford took a deep breath, forcing his thoughts to the back of his head. Obviously something supernatural had gotten to him, though he couldn’t remember encountering anything that could do this. That wasn’t a good sign, he was going to need to refresh himself with his journals to double-check.

“Yes, I’m… I’m fine.” He finally said, pushing a hand through his hair. Stan’s gaze was immediately drawn to the motion, and Ford realized his mistake as soon as he saw those eyes widen.

“Whoa, you got six fingers! My brother’s got six fingers too!” He exclaimed, reaching out to grab Ford’s free hand. Ford had to resist the instinct to yank his hand back and shove it out of sight. Stan continued, “People are always sayin’ he’s a freak, but wait till I show him this! He can’t be a freak if there’s other people like him! He’s gonna be so happy!”

Ford felt himself wince. Back then, there were no shortage of people who were uncomfortable with his extra fingers. Abnormalities weren’t (aren’t?) something the public took kindly too and chose to distance themselves from Ford accordingly. Others had mocked him for it, helpfully reminding him that there was nowhere freaks like him would belong.

Stan had been the only one to tell him that his extra fingers made him special, not a freak, and that they were just jealous. If Stan was there, which was common back then, he had always stood up for Ford and told the bullies straight to their face how wrong they were. Seeing Stan so awed now and immediately thinking of how Ford would feel made his heart clench uncomfortably.

Stan’s loyalty had always been unwavering, his conscience reminded him. No matter how stupid and reckless it was, Stan was always there. It was why Ford was standing here in the first place.

Luckily, Ford didn’t need to think of a comeback as he heard the door open behind him. He turned to see the twins had returned, Dipper holding one of his journals. They were staring at him with shock.

“See? I found your Grunkle!” Stan piped up, letting go of Ford’s hand to gesture dramatically at him. “Now we can go back to finding Ford! Oh, wait-” He turned back to face Ford, looking serious now. “Have you seen him? He looks like me, but with glasses.”

Ah. He was looking for Ford. That caused another uncomfortable heart clench.

“Um… Gr-- I mean, Stan…” Mabel started, helplessly trailing off. It was then that Ford knew what he needed to do.

He crouched down so he was eye level with Stan, gently placing his hands on his shoulders. “I’m right here, Stanley.”

Stan stiffened under his hands, looking up at Ford with a mixture of confusion and apprehension. Even in their youth, Stan hadn’t been the type to easily buy into what people told him. While Ford admittedly found himself falling for the lies his classmates would tell, desperate for admiration and acceptance, Stan was always the first to call a bluff. He had written it off as mere gut instinct - Ford was the one with the smarts to see through the lies later in life, after all.

Oh, how wrong Stan had been.

“Last I checked, my brother wasn’t a dinosaur.” Stan shot back, though his tone lacked conviction. His brows were furrowed as he stubbornly looked down at his shoe, refusing to meet Ford’s gaze. It was an expression of Stan’s that Ford could still read even after all these years: fear.

“If I wasn’t your brother, I wouldn’t know about that time you and I thought we killed the Sibling Brothers and stole their clothes,” Ford said gently, watching Stan’s eyes snap up to meet his own. “I wouldn’t know that the real reason you lost that tooth there is because you fell out of a tree, not because you were fighting bullies. I wouldn’t know that you’re afraid of heights, or that you once called Mr. Kord ‘Pa’ in 3rd grade, or that you lost a fight to a crab in 4th.”

He punctuated his explanation with a squeeze of his brother’s shoulders, hoping to be reassuring. “I promise you, Stanley. It’s really me.”

Stan was now staring at him with open shock, eyes blown wide. When he finally spoke, his voice was small and hesitant. “S-Sixer? But… What?”

For the first time in 40 years, Ford gave his brother a bittersweet smile.

“I’ll explain in the house.”

#nyroom writes #gravity falls #stanley pines #stanford pines #stan pines #ford pines #dipper pines #mabel pines #one and a half stans #first gravity falls fic whoot #who knows if i'll finish it #the ghosts of childhood

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exhaustedfander · 4 years

Note

moxiety with fake dating? mayhaps with some gay panicking because ahhh cute stranger hold hngg hand??

I was having such stupid technical difficulties ith Word, but here it is, sorry it’s been like three weeks, lol. I’d love to hear what you think!

a03 link

word count: 3,008

Fake it Till You Make it

Virgil’s always careful whilst staking out a seat in the coffee shop he frequents. He makes sure not to sit in an area that’s too crowded, as to bypass unnecessary human-contact, while simultaneously avoiding the table too close to the door that lets a draft in. He’s been coming here a long time now, as it’s the closest place to his College, as well as the fact that the coffee is reasonably priced, and the atmosphere is pretty damn cozy. Also… there’s a barista that happens to be the cutest man Virgil’s ever laid his eyes on, but that’s beside the point!

By now, all of the staff know his order – a cinnamon Cappuccino with enough whipped cream to drown in – like the back of their hands, so he has to worry about social interaction a lot less than usual. The adorable barista in question, Patton, has only ever taken his order, sweet as can be while doing so, but Virgil’s never really talked to the guy. Not that he plans on it! That is waaay too nerve-racking to so much as think about, thank you very much. Sure, he can get lost in those ocean-blue eyes and often fantasizes about running his hand through those strawberry-blonde curls but talking to him is strictly out of the question. He likes this coffee spot and would really hate to have to find a new shop all because he’s made a fool of himself.

So, it’s not hard to imagine Virgil’s utter shock when he finds that very same barista standing beside him, a dazzling smile on his face.

“Is this seat taken?” He asks, in reference to the chair beside him, and Virgil’s fairly sure he forgets how to breathe for a moment.

“Uh – no,” he manages to stutter, “It’s all yours, man.” The barista grins, sitting beside him.

“Thanks… Virgil, right?” Virgil blinks surprised he’d remember something as inconsequence as his name.

“Yeah,” Virgil says, “My, uh, friends call me Virge. You can, too, if you wanted to.” Virgil despises the way his voice is trembling; why is he so fucking nervous? It’s just basic, human, social interaction (with the most beautiful man to grace this Earth, but basic, human social interaction nonetheless)

“Sure, thing, Virge. I’m Patton,” he says, as though Virgil hadn’t memorized the name on his nametag the moment, he saw him. “I like your pin, by the way.”

Virgil glances down at the Bisexual pin on his backpack, feeling heat rise to his cheeks. It’s not like he’s missed the rainbow shirt he’s seen peeking out from behind Patton’s apron sometimes – an apron he doesn’t currently have on, meaning he’s off the clock, also meaning instead of going home, he’s sitting here, talking to him. So, yeah, Patton’s probably gay, and he’s talking to him, but that doesn’t actually mean anything. It doesn’t stop Virgil from panicking quite a bit, though.

“Thanks,” Virgil says, trying his absolute hardest to keep his cool. He’s wanted to talk to Patton for so long, but he hadn’t imagined it would ever actually happen.

“You come here a lot, huh?” Patton asks. Virgil rubs at the back of his neck, struggling to maintain eye-contact.

“Uh- yeah. This is a cool place, and it’s not too far from my school.” Virgil fails to mention the fact that Patton’s a big reason he comes in nearly daily, thinking such a detail might come off as super creepy.

As awkward as Virgil is, a conversation is struck up. He learns that Patton is a student at his college, too (How the fuck did he manage to miss a face like that??) and that he’s studying to be a Veterinarian, which Virgil finds a little funny, considering he’s terribly allergic to cats. Patton’s a big fan of dad-jokes and puns, and while he can try and groan, it just manages to make Patton all the more adorable. He also discovers that yes, Patton is gay and that he first came about a year ago.

“Yeah, my parents weren’t too thrilled,” Patton says in a voice that’s desperately trying to stay chipper, but the sorrow creeps in all the same, “They still aren’t.”

“Mine either,” Virgil says before he really knows what he’s saying, “I haven’t, uh, talked to them in a long time. I might never again, honestly.” A look of sympathy crosses Patton’s face, though it’s clear that he relates, maybe more than he wants to admit to himself.

“I’m so sorry to hear that, Virge.”

Virgil shrugs. It’s nothing new. He came out to his parents at seventeen, a choice that was quite the feat considering the level of anxiety he suffers from, and it hadn’t gone well at all. His folks hadn’t kicked him out, but they’d insisted that he was never to take a boy home. At first, Virgil had tried to get on their good side, they were his parents, after all. But it didn’t take long for him to realize what a fruitless venture that was. They weren’t going to change, regardless of how much he wanted them to.

Once he got to college, he had an opportunity to meet a few really great people, despite his social-anxiety, individuals who had shown him how important it is to have positive relationships in life. At this point, it could undo a few years of positive change to let his parents back into his life, and Virgil wasn’t about to go and do a thing like that.

“It’s alright,” he says, “They’re assholes, anyway. I got some pretty cool relatives though, and some really good friends, so that helps.” Patton frowns, and suddenly Virgil decides he despises the sad expression on him, wondering what the hell he could do to make it go away.

“My parents are assholes too,” Patton murmurs, as though saying such a word is incomprehensively bad, and as if Virgil hadn’t said it too about three seconds ago. “They really are. I’ve been trying. Trying so hard to be patient with them and allow them time to adjust but… it just isn’t happening. They’re still talking about when I end up with “some lucky lady.” I don’t know…” Patton pauses, his eyes widening, “Oh my goodness, I’m sorry.” Virgil tilts his head.

“What for?”

“For dumping all that on you. I mean, we hardly know each other. It was rude of me.”

“Nah, man, you’re good. I was just talking about my parents, there’s no reason to apologize. And I should know, I’m kind of the king of apologizing for shit I didn’t do.” Patton cracks a small smile at that, and Virgil swells with a pit too much pride. “My point is, you didn’t overshare, or anything. We’re just having a conversation, you’re good, I promise.” Patton looks relieved.

“Thanks, Virgil. You’re really nice.” Virgil’s heart can’t help but soar a little bit at that. Sometimes, he’s convinced he’s a massive asshole, despite his friends insisting that it isn’t. but it’s really nice to know that Patton thinks he’s nice.

“No prob, Pat. You’re nice too.”

“Well then, I’m glad we were able to break the nice,” Patton says, earning a half-hearted groan. “I’ve kinda wanted to talk to you for a while, actually.” Virgil’s heart skips a beat.

“R-really? Why?”

“Because,” Patton says with a smile, “You always seemed so interesting. Mentioning your Pin was, uh, kind of just an excuse to talk to you,” Patton admits and, holy shit, is he flirting?! Virgil can’t tell, but sirens are going off in his head regardless.

“I – uh,” Virgil bites his tongue, trying to come up with a dignified response of some kind, but failing to do so. “Thanks?” Despite Virgil’s criminal lack of tact, Patton just smiles, a look that quickly disappears when he gets a notification and checks his phone.

“What’s up?” Virgil asks, before realizing it’s hardly his business. He’s known Patton for what? An hour or so now – oh my god, Patton’s been talking to him for over an hour – and that doesn’t give Virgil the authority to inquire upon the barista’s personal life beyond what he’s already been told. Patton shakes his head.

“My cousin Dalilah getting married next week,” Patton explains, despite Virgil’s hesitation, “She’s one of the only family members who I’m really close to; she’s such a sweetheart.”

“Then what’s wrong?”

“My mom and dad are going to be at the wedding,” Patton sighs, “And I don’t have a date. If I show up without some guy on my arm, I know they’re just gonna assume that the crisis is over, and they can set me up with the next available girl. They already think me being gay is a phase, this is all the reason they need to think the phase is over.” A sad look flickers in Patton’s eyes and instantly, all logic or uncertainty that Virgil’s clinging to goes out the window.

“What if I was your date?” Patton’s eyes go as wide as saucers and, oh shit, he really just said that aloud.

“W-what?”

“L-like a fake date,” Virgil backpedals, his heart rate spiking in a matter of seconds, “So t-that your parents aren’t dicks to you. Or at least, are less of dicks.”

For a moment, Virgil almost dares to think that the explanation made Patton look kinda… disappointed? Not that it would make much sense, it’s not like he’d actually want Virgil to be his date.

“Virgil you… you can’t be serious.”

“Well, why not?” Virgil asks, knowing he’s most probably going to regret this later, “You’re a cool guy who’s in a shitty situation. Your parents are going to be relentless to you, and I don’t like the idea of that, so… why don’t I make things a little easier for you?” Virgil says, impressed he gets through it without feeling as anxious as he had a few moments ago.

“I couldn’t ask you to do that,” Patton mumbles guiltily, his eyes cast on the table, “I wouldn’t want you to sacrifice your weekend just for me.”

“Pat, I was just gonna aimlessly scroll through Tumblr till two in the morning and watch shitty TV. And– erm– being your fake date sounds a lot more interesting to me.” (Not to mention nerve-racking!) Patton meets Virgil’s gaze once more, relief etched into his features.

“You’d really be willing to do this?” Patton asks, “You don’t need to, you know.”

“I want to,” Virgil assures. “So, what do you say?” Patton thinks for a moment before that beautiful smile spreads across his face anew.

“That sounds perfect! Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!” Patton says, standing up from his chair and throwing his arms around the emo, “You’re a lifesaver, Virgil!” Virgil stiffens in the awkward embrace, before accepting it to the best of his ability, trying not to freak out because Patton fucking Hart is hugging him!

“Sure thing, Pat.”

After that, arrangements are made. As it turns out, Patton isn’t the biggest fan of lying, hates it, honestly, which makes things a little trickier. But a compromise is come to that they met each other in the Coffee shop, which was true and had been on a few dates prior to the wedding. While that wasn’t technically true (God does Virgil wish it was) they do spend several days throughout the week hanging out and getting to know one another. And within those few days, Virgil’s infatuation with Patton inflames to a full-on crush which is just great.

Getting better acquainted with him, Virgil finds himself quickly getting used to Patton’s bubbly personality. He’s eager to pet every dog he comes into contact with, he enjoys baking quite a bit, though he’s not great at it, he’s adorably awkward in the best ways and he’s one of the kindest, most genuine people Virgil’s ever met.

Usually, Virgil’s so well-guarded, but with Patton, he’s opening up quicker and more willingly than he has in such a long time. Patton listens with such compassion, and while Virgil’s really happy to have the other friends that he does, he’s never met someone as sweet as Patton is. It’s almost a little overwhelming at times, how caring he is.

Before they know it, the day is upon them. Virgil gets a rental suite while trying not to swoon at Patton in his sky-blue tux, because really, how is it legal for him to look that cute?

Patton grabs his hand the moment they walk into the venue, sending Virgil a careful glance and squeezing his hand just slightly.

“This okay?” He whispers, ever the compassionate one, and Virgil nods.

“Yeah, ‘s okay.” Virgil can’t recall the last time someone held his hand, and he certainly can’t remember the number of times he’s imagined Patton holding his hand, prior to them even being friends.

They take their seats, and the ceremony proceeds as usual. It’s beautiful, not that Virgil is paying too much attention, distracted by Patton’s nervous glances toward an older couple that must be his folks.

“Hey, are you alright?” Virgil asks quietly. Patton forces a smile, his eyes trained on his cousin and her fiancé.

“Yeah, I’m – I’m fine,” – he doesn’t sound fine –, “It’s just…” Patton trails off, his gaze flickering back to his parents for a moment. Virgil places his hand over Patton’s, who’s trembling is noticeable immediately. Carefully, Virgil runs his thumb over Patton’s knuckles in an even, circular motion. Luckily, it seems to calm Patton down to a degree, and he doesn’t take his eyes off of Dalilah for the rest of the ceremony.

However, almost immediately upon the afterparty starting, they’re cornered by Mr. and Mrs. Hart.

“Patton, you didn’t come and say hello,” his mother scolds.

“Well, there were a lot of people,” Patton says nervously, “I figured we’d –.”

“Who’s this?” Patton’s father interrupts, gesturing to Virgil standing beside him.

“Virgil Storme,” Virgil says as calmly as he’s able, extending a hand for the father to shake. Mr. Hart’s hand remains rigid at his side. “I’m Patton’s boyfriend. It’s nice to meet you.”

Virgil can’t help but notice as anxiety wells up inside of him because, fuck, they’d never said they were going to call each other boyfriend’s, just that they’d been on a few dates, but Mr. Hart had such a smug look and he couldn’t help it. Despite his raging internal monologue, Patton plants a hand onto the small of his back, lips curling into a smile.

“That’s right,” Patton says, “Mom, Dad, this is my boyfriend.”

The look of slackened shock on their faces would be priceless, weren’t it for the fact that these are still Patton’s parents, individuals who’ve had a direct influence on him throughout the entirety of his life.

“You’ve never – you’ve never mentioned a boyfriend before,” Patton’s mother says, glaring at her son.

“And certainly not one who looks like some kind of a hooligan,” Mr. Hart grits, gesturing to Virgil’s dyed purple hair and pierced ears. Virgil intends to let the insult go, as it would only cause more trouble to confront it, but Patton has other ideas.

“Hey, you have no right to talk like that about Virgil,” Patton says, an edge to his voice that Virgil had yet to hear until now. Virgil grips for Patton’s hand, lacing their fingers together and giving him a reassuring squeeze.

“How long has this been going on, sweetie?” Mrs. Hart chimes in, though it’s unclear if she’s referring to Virgil himself, or Patton’s sexuality as a whole. Either way, it’s a poor choice of words.

“My whole life, mom,” Patton spits, a venomous tone that would surely be louder if they weren’t at a wedding, “I’ve been gay my whole life, and nothing is going to change that.”

“But –.”

“But, nothing,” Patton interrupts boldly, “I’m not having this conversation, not again. If you can’t accept the fact that I’m never going to end up with ‘some nice girl,’ and that Virgil is absolutely wonderful, then we haven’t got anything to talk about.”

The words are a slap across Mr. and Mrs. Hart's face, who reel back in shock.

“Patton, son –.”

“Goodbye,” Patton says, realizing it might very well be the last time he says it. He begins walking out of the reception and Virgil follows close behind. They make it outside, and luckily there’s no one else around.

“Pat… are you okay?” Virgil asks, reaching out to touch Patton’s shoulder.

“I’m done, Virgil. I’m done being gentle for them, I’m done pretending. It’s not worth it.” Pride wells in Virgil, even though he’s known Patton a little less than a week.

“Well, then, I can tell you that was amazing! You kicked ass, Patton! Did you see the stupid look on their faces? They were so –.” Virgil is quickly interrupted when Patton’s lips collide against his, fingers gripping his lapels. Virgil needs a second to adjust and realize this is actually happening before he kisses back just as fervidly, his hands threading in Patton’s curls that are soft to the touch, just as he’d always imagined.

“We’re – we’re not still pretending, right?” Virgil asks dumbly, and Patton shakes his head with a laugh, light, and airy.

“No, no of course not. Unless… you want it to be pretend?”

“No! God, n-no! You’re amazing, Pat, you’re so kind, and soft and good and cute and… oh god, I’m rambling.” Patton giggles again, and Virgil decides it’s one of the best sounds he’s had the pleasure of hearing.

“It’s cute.”

“You’re cuter.”

“No, you are.”

The never-ending debacle of who is cuter is decidedly ended when their lips meet again, and Virgil’s positive this outweighs anything fantasy had to offer.

In the end, Patton hasn’t told a lie. Virgil is his boyfriend, even if they didn’t start the day out that way. The two walk back into the venue, hand-in-hand, watching as the Hart’s avert their eyes and Patton happily introduces Virgil to the family and friends who matter.

Virgil’s never been so glad he walked into that coffee shop.

=+=

Taglist:

@nadiestar

@unoriginalgayboyalex

@maryann-draws

Please let me know if you wanna be added to my general taglist! I’d be happy to add folks!

#moxiety #romantic moxiety #human au #Virgil Sanders #Patton Sanders #fake dating #technically coffee shop au #I mean Pat's a barista #TW homophobia #TW homophobic parents #fluff #lotsa fluff #angst/fluff #Virgil's got it baaad #this was a fun one #request #exhaustedfander writes #exhaustedfander

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red-winters · 4 years

Text

*Batfam fic-recs

*Some are Tim Drake Centric

**Some links are not working in mobile (and ONLY mobile) for some reason? And some titles that were bolded in the original post are ALSO not displaying on mobile correctly. Idk what to do about that, but you can still look up the fic, I guess.

The Bat’s Crest - livierambles

Note: I will always keep recommending this fic. It’s epic, thrilling, and hilarious and sometimes angsty. Also, everyone is confused, including the ones doing the confusing. Maybe especially the ones doing the confusing. Also, some Tim and Damian bonding, which is always nice.

Summary: Tragedy strikes the hero community when Bruce Wayne commits a crime so heinous even the best start asking for blood. However, as the heroes try to recover from the hit and carry out justice for their friends, a random assortment of people start acting oddly, including the current Speedy Tim Drake, a child hostage in Gotham, and a young man from an unremarkable circus amongst others. All of them seem intent on saving Bruce Wayne from the grasp of the Justice League for no apparent reason, going as far as betraying their previous allegiances.

Unknown to the Justice League, these people are equally confused. Clearly they're stuck in another dimension, but how do they get back? How did they even get here? Who else is stuck in this world? And how long will Tim's patience last? Back home, the Bat was a planetary symbol that struck fear in the hearts of criminals. In this new world, it has no meaning, save for the handful of stranded souls.

In the Shadows - Kieron_ODuibhir

(shortened) Summary:

“I’m not like you.”

The cowl still looked like something he was wearing, but Clark knew it was not. It flexed like skin when Batman narrowed his blank white eyes and said, “I can see you know that.”

Chirp - AmariT

Summary: Every piece of the signal Tim unlocked revealed more locks, and by the time he broke through the last one, he was already mentally rehearsing his many upcoming talk show appearances. 'Yes,' he told the interviewer, 'it was difficult for me, a ten-year-old genius, to break open the worldwide alien conspiracy. That's why it took a whole hour.'

When the crackling audio started, he expected some weird alien language. Maybe squawks and high-pitched squeals mixed with musical woofs. Maybe they wouldn't talk at all, and images would beam directly into his mind. Maybe they'd talk in practiced English with a Midwestern drawl like their other resident alien.

Instead he heard a low, guttural voice growling out of his computer speakers. "Robin," it said. "Are you in position?"

A Better Cage - Mangaluva

Note: I was absolutely DELIGHTED to see a Young Justice Crossover with the Justice Lords (Earth-50) from the animated Justice League series, which is near and dear to my heart. I admit I haven’t really had much time to hunker down and read this, but even skimming, it’s an intriguing piece of work. Also, Justice Lords.

Summary: Wally's grateful to have woken up at all, really. He just doesn't know what to make of the world he's woken up in. At least they want to find a way to his world as much as he does, if not exactly for the same reasons...

Common People - AmariT

Note: The Bat boys are all Bruce’s blood sons, but it still feels very much like a found family. I haven’t really read everything in this series, but I feel the author has an amazing grip on all the characters. Lovely and heartwarming.

Summary: His whole life, Jason’s mom had told him his dad was Bruce Wayne, but he’d never been dumb enough to actually believe it. They lived in a rundown, one-room apartment in the worst part of town, and in every single picture he’d ever seen of that rich bastard he was wearing a suit or sipping champagne worth more than everything they’d ever owned.

But if he wasn’t Bruce Wayne’s kid, then what the hell was he doing sitting outside the man’s office in Wayne Towers?

Red Robin and the Hood - momoejaku

Note: Haven’t read this in a while, but it made an impression. Though it’s a fic set during the Red Robin arc, it very much is about both Tim and Jason. Plus, it fleshes out the Pru and Z a bit more, too.

Summary: Bruce Wayne is dead. Superman brought back his body, and the family mourned him, holding a quiet funeral in secret so that the legacy of Batman could live on. But not everyone has been able to put him to rest.

Reeling from the loss of Bruce, his identity as Robin and his trust in his family, Tim Drake sets out on a personal quest that will take him across the world to prove what he knows in his heart: that Bruce Wayne is alive.

Though intending to make his way alone, Tim reluctantly accepts help from his predecessor, Jason Todd, who knows from personal experience that death is not always as final as it seems.

Together, they are Red Robin and the Hood.

Liminal Spaces - Calamityjim

Note: Skimmed this only since I’ve been busy, BUT it does look well-written, and I’m always a sucker for alternate dimension/dimension travel intervention-type of fix-its. It’s a very specific trope.

Summary:

Bruce's habit of collecting strays is not limited by dimension.

When Young Justice Batman comes across an angsty, seemingly abandoned by his Batman Tim Drake, he decides to step up to the plate and parent the crap out of him.

Little Bird’s Vengeance - KatHarkness-Katara

Note: Crossover with Avengers. Awesome fic with Tim and Jason and some Outsider POV (via the Avengers) of these dimensional stragglers. I think Tim’s team shows up in the later chapters, too. If you’re reading on mobile, it’s still very much worth reading despite FF.net’s horrible format and abundance of advertisements in the mobile version.

Summary: Why is life never simple? Red Robin's ended up worlds away from home once again, and now what's he to do? What do the Avengers want from him; do SHIELD have another agenda; and is there any way back? Pre-New 52. No slash. Rated for inevitable language/violent themes.

A Displaced Red Robin - dragonprincess1988

Note: Worth reading despite FF.net’s horrible format and abundance of advertisements in the mobile version. Well-written fic! EMOTIONS! I love them. Younger Dick Grayson is adorable, Tim is a competent fixer-upper for other people but not so much himself. He’s kind of angsty and making YJ Dick want to keep him (and YJ Bruce, too, if you read between the lines). On the plus side, seems like he’s making good friends with Young Justice Roy. This fic was written before certain episodes of YJ came out, though, and the fic reflects/will continue to reflect that. Still, I give it five stars.

Author’s Summary: Tim gets transported to the cartoon Young Justice world, and he's not sure he knows how to deal with it. Attention: If you want to know about Artemis or people from Tim's world the final note on my profile is for you. Also, a special thank you to angel-gidget over at Tumblr, who made the wonderful cover art for this story.

The Till-then From the Ever Since - Keiron O_Duibhir

Note: Fandom classic. Definitely a must-read for Batfam fans, in my humble opinion.

Summary: It began, or seemed to begin, with Jason.

Usually that would have meant something in the order of fire and explosion and probably at least one gunshot wound, but for once (as Tim said, sourly), it wasn't actually Jason's fault.

The Wayne Family Ghost - pupeez4eva

Note: Please read this. Especially if you’re sad or anxious or just have time. I couldn’t stop laughing. It’s my go-to cheer-up fic. Absolutely hysterical.

Summary: In which Bruce realizes that having a legally dead son, who regularly hangs around the family, might be slightly problematic.

Bloodline - chibi_nightowl

Note: Complicated family dynamics, this time centering around Tim, Selina, Bruce and, surprisingly, Damian. Jason and Dick make an appearance as supportive big bros, too. It works. Take a read, it isn’t that long.

Summary:

“Mr. Drake, I can’t think of a better way to say this, so I’ll just be blunt. This file is for your first adoption. By the Drakes.”

Tim blinked. “My what?”

“You were adopted as a newborn by Jack and Janet Drake.”

“Excuse me, but what the fuck are you talking about?”

Talon!Tim AU Series by keeptogethernow

Note: Found family, from a different angle. Cool fic and well-written.

Summary of Tso’ape Mumbichi, first in the series: Ten years ago, two people made a deal with the devil--unlimited funds in exchange for their child. And now it's time to pay up. But there's no way to ensure that the child will cooperate.

Shutterbug Series by goldkirk

Note: Exactly what it says on the tin! Found family.

Summary:

Tim Drake is thirteen, runs the famous BatWatch blog that has spiraled hilariously out of control, has absentee parents that suit his purposes just fine, is training himself to run the streets at night, and is doing absolutely peachy, thank you.

Alfred and Jason disagree, and get Dick and Bruce involved in figuring out their weird next door neighbor kid’s life. Everything goes uphill from there.

Thursday’s Child - anthalogia

Note: Well-written and has found family and Tiny!Tim? Automatic win.

Summary:

He’s not the first child with nowhere else to go that Bruce Wayne has taken in. Dick Grayson was the first and the most high-profile – because no one would have thought Bruce Wayne was interested in ever raising a child, let alone the orphaned son of circus performers – but Jason was maybe just as much of a shock to society for being a street kid who came out of seemingly nowhere. Tim Drake is ordinary by comparison – his parents died in a plane accident. He can’t think of anything very special about him except that he met Bruce a few times when his parents hosted parties to keep in touch with Gotham society.

Or, tiny Tim Drake is adopted by the Waynes a little earlier than scheduled.

We’re Not Driving (How did we get here?) - TimTheToaster

Note: Short and sweet, a little angsty, and then very sweet.

Summary:

Tim stared at his phone, as if that would change what was on the screen.

Dick Grayson @FlyingDGrayson

It took some doing, and in some cases a little blackmail, but we've finally got the whole family together for a movie night! #WayneManor #movienight #familytime #schedulingisanightmare

15 minutes ago

Take It Back Now Y’all - TimTheToaster

Note: And Tiny!Jason has made his appearance. Also, Tim, I am begging you to please take care of yourself—ah, Bruce has made his appearance. Interesting. Also, I gotta say this author is good.

Summary:

There was absolutely no way this sunshine was from Gotham in April.

Not possible.

Which meant, Tim was no longer in Gotham, in April.

(In which Tim finds himself in the past, and tries to do the right thing. It's more complicated than he'd like.)

Takes a Little Time, Takes a Lotta Twine (To Get Us Back Together) - TimTheToaster

Note: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, beginning of reconciliation, and brotherhood. A satisfying, cathartic moment during the Red Robin arc to soothe your heart.

Summary:

Tim was in Gotham.

Tim had pretty specifically been avoiding thinking about Dick as much as possible for the last few weeks.

For the last year, really. No need to open that can of carnivorous worms.

Dick had other plans.

Everybody’s Heard (Bird is the Word) - TimTheToaster

Red Robin Era ANGST, but like, deliciously well-written. Also, protective Dad Bruce is always epic. Light bashing of Green Arrow and BC, though. But considering the situation (in this fic), kind of warranted.

Summary:

5 times Batman heard other heroes talking about his wayward brother,

And 1 time they were talking about his son.

A Choice to Make - scorbusfics

Note: fresh and interesting premise! Cool world building, too.

Summary: They have to choose. Dick and Bruce have to choose one person each to save, and one to disappear through the door.

“Send one of us,” Dick says fiercely, not for the first time. His face is dark and angry and desperate, eyes flicking from brother to brother. “Send one of us instead. I won’t choose.”

“Neither will I,” Bruce says.

But Tim knows.

Secret Places - RenaRoo

It’s ANGST, but the author knows how to use it well. Also, Jason’s line at the end killed me. Damn.

Summary: Tim Drake goes missing. The search to find him begins.

#fic recs #batfam #tim drake fic rec #batfam fic rec

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