#when ao3 goes down we wrote tumblr fic!

[teencopandthesourwolf]

“Please.”

Stiles stands there, chewing on his pretty crimson lips, pleading.

Derek isn't fully clued in yet, but honestly, the kid is kind of vaguely breaking his heart.

“Please, Derek, I'm really sorry about this, but please just—just don't say anything, okay? And just—let me?”

Stiles had texted Derek earlier, at 3.17am, presumably just before he’d set off from his house to drive his jeep to the loft.

Derek had been lying awake in bed, unable to sleep.

His messages had read:

> dude, i rlly need to come over. that ok?

And:

> ill let myself in if thats cool?

And after a few moments, in quick succession one after the other and before Derek had a chance to respond:

> and i rlly need u to just like. not get out of bed. presuming yr already in bed

> all shall be revealed

> lol i don't know why i put that

> and obvs tell me if any of this is not ok. ok?

> as if you wouldn't lol

> #sourwolf

> and yeah i know im being a weirdo but thats why you like me

And then, a few seconds later:

> right?

Derek had stared at the flurry of messages for a minute or so, then texted back:

Okay, weirdo <

About ten minutes later, Stiles had let himself into the building. Derek listened to the kid muttering away to himself as he rode the old service elevator—except it wasn't really himself he was talking to.

“God, I hope I'm not wrong about this. Like, I think we're close enough now for it not to be weird. I mean, at least I hope we are. I'm just so fucking tired, man, and have got to get me some sleep. Anyways, just—don't get up, okay? Or, like, can you get into bed if you're not already in bed? Sorry, I know I texted you this already, I just really need you to trust me. You do know you can trust me… Right, big guy?”

Derek's trust of Stiles was implicit.

When the steel door had unlocked and slid open, Derek smelled fresh, mostly unscented shower gel over the base notes of Stiles's own cinnamon scent, mixed with the very definite chemo-signals that indicated fear, restlessness, apprehension—and also, the strongest of them all; hope.

Let me.

Here, now, Derek still doesn't know what the kid needs.

Let him what?

Derek doesn't have any more time to wonder, though, because Stiles is taking off his sneakers and pants and is slowly, very slowly—as if giving Derek the chance to protest—climbing into bed next to him.

Stiles is now in Derek's loft in the small hours, in Derek's bed, fully under Derek's covers, with Derek wearing only his grey tank and black boxer-briefs and a probably terrified look on his face.

He silently thanks the universe for the cover of night.

“Like, you should obviously say something if this is completely heinous or whatever, but otherwise just—let me do this?”

And all Derek can think is shit, he's freezing, at the same time he is going into a some sort of dumbstruck shock because Stiles is now wrapping his entire sinewy, beautiful body around the entirety of Derek's.

“This okay?” Stiles asks, the air around them spiking with the smell of his anxiety as he Big-Spoons Derek like some human-shaped octopus, skinny but strong limbs astonishingly everywhere.

And he sounds so unsure, and so small, and Derek can't bear it.

Not giving the stoic part of his brain any opportunity to talk him out of doing this, Derek takes ahold of Stiles's wrist from where the kid had draped one of his long arms around Derek's midriff, and hangs on as firmly but gently as he can, manoeuvring them both around in the bed so that Stiles is now the Little Spoon.

“This okay?” he asks gingerly, mirroring Stiles because his own words are failing him.

Stiles says, “Yeah. Even better,” and his anxiety is melting away into something much more pleasing; something like relief.

Derek breathes out the word, “Good,” and feels a little dizzy and a lot amazed, and kind of like his heart is beating wildly in his throat.

The only reason he knows it isn't, is because Stiles says, “I can feel your heart thumping away in your chest, man. But, uh, I don't have wolfy senses, so… I can't tell if it's good thumping or bad thumping.”

Then he promptly stops breathing.

Derek resists the desperate, learnt urge to run away from this. He mentally shakes himself and figures: After so many years fighting monsters together, maybe he and Stiles can fight this one together, too?

He gives himself a moment to ride out the panic, then screws his eyes shut and, praying to nobody in particular, whispers, “Good thumping,” into the shell of Stiles's ear.

Stiles shivers and breathes again, but doesn't say anything else. For once, he doesn't need to. He just needs to sleep.

As the kid settles into Derek's bed and Derek's embrace and, hopefully, Derek's life, he smells like a mix of serene and content and promise—and also, wonderfully, of Derek, now.

Derek is a strange combination of relaxed and freaking-the-fuck-out because that's just the way he's made. His brain won't stop whirring at a speed of a million miles an hour, worrying about everything and nothing, all at once, and before he can bite into his lip to stop himself, he blurts out, “Cora says I sometimes dream-talk about Cajun Gumbo recipes.”

Stiles's only sighs, then hums quietly, his breathing already evening out almost to the point of sleep.

Just when Derek thinks he's not going to get any sort of real answer, Stiles mumbles, “Okay, weirdo,” on an exhale, and then he's drifting off into unconsciousness.

Derek settles then, and smiles into the nighttime thinking that maybe, finally, he might get a good night's sleep, too.

.

for @shealynn88, the bestest of friends. i love you and miss you always... <3 (unedited btw—forgive me!)

#when ao3 goes down we wrote tumblr fic! #although it's back now lol #sterek #sterek fic #sterek fanfic #stiles stilinski #derek hale #POV derek #YET ANOTHER GETTING TOGETHER FIC BECAUSE I CAN'T BE STOPPED MWUHAHAHA! #lol #getting together #spooning #post-nogitsune!stiles #teen wolf #teen wolf fic #teen wolf fanfic #fanfiction #m/m #queer fic #queer writer #tcats writes #teencopandthesourwolf

[crushedbyhyperbole]

Flash Bang

Pairing:  Bucky x Reader

Summary:  How to win an argument with Bucky Barnes?  Flash your tits, of course.

Words: 1.2k

A/N:  Just an idea that amused me enough to end up on my fic inspiration list.  I wrote it as part of my Suncatcher set (a series on AO3 but here on Tumblr the fics are not grouped together).  Reader is empowered and part of the Avengers.  All fics in this set are set after CA:CW and I completely ignore the existence of Infinity War and End Game.

Warnings:  Smut, some angst, arguing, moody Bucky

***18+ content - minors do not read or interact***

Bucky is raging.  You can tell by his deep scowl, irritated nasal sighs, and the repeated twitch of the muscles in his cheeks as he grits his teeth repeatedly, clenching and unclenching his jaw.  He won’t even look at you when you try to talk to him – he listens but doesn’t respond.  Even dazzling him with your beautiful light refractions hasn’t worked.

It’s stupid, you think, the argument you had yesterday that saw him sleeping (or not, possibly) on the sofa, and followed you both into today.  You haven’t even gone on the mission yet and he’s already acting like a petulant child.  It’s funny, in a way.  You’re usually the one who flips your shit, and Bucky is the one who calms you down. He’s the big chill to your little chaos, except where your safety is concerned.

“Can we talk about this? Please?”  You stand next to him while he impatiently waits for the coffee to finish pouring from the machine.  You can tell he feels trapped, torn between the coffee he wants and avoiding a discussion with you.  “Bucky?”

He huffs out another nasal sigh.  He heard you but is still not prepared to interact.

“Ok, I’ll just talk.” You say, jumping up to sit on the counter next to the coffee machine.

Bucky drums his fingers on the counter in yet another display of frustration.

“I’m an Avenger, same as you.”  You have said this to him about twenty times since yesterday but you say it again because it’s the truth.  “I get drafted for missions, same as you.  I go on missions with you, I go on missions without you.  This mission is just another mission without you.”  You reach for him, attempting to lay your hand on his shoulder but he flexes away, making it clear that he doesn’t want to be touched.

“Not the same.”  He grunts and you feel like this is a victory. They’re the first words he’s said to you since last night when he actually told you that he forbade you to go on this mission.  Like he fucking owned you or something.  Of course you had seen red and it had turned into an all-out argument.

“How is it not?”

Another nasal huff. “You’ll be alone.”

“And?  You do it all the time.”

“That’s different.”

“How?  Because you’re a man?”

“No!”  He turns to you and fixes you with a withering gaze.  “Romanov goes on solo missions.  It’s not about your sex, it’s about your experience.”

“How am I supposed to get solo mission experience if I don’t go on solo missions?”  All the while you spoke, you tried to keep your tone even. Now that he was communicating, you didn’t want to piss him off again.

“I offered to go with you, and to hang back.  As backup. It was a compromise.  You said no.”

“Do you not trust me?”

“Of course I do.”

“Doesn’t seem like it.”

“What I don’t trust is my luck.”

“What’s your luck go to do with it?”

“Doesn’t matter.”

The machine had finished pouring.  Bucky scooped up his cup and took a sip as he stared you down.

“So you’re going to keep acting like this until I’m back from the mission safe and sound?”

“Not even then.”

“You want me to give in say that I won’t do it?”

“That’s about the size of it, yeah.”  He started to leave the kitchen, announcing the end to the discussion.  But you weren’t done, and you had an idea.

“I love you.”  You grinned, fumbling with your top as he walked away from you

“I love you too, which is why I won’t budge on this.”  In the doorway, he pauses and turns.  “What are you doing? Oh-”

Bucky’s eyes go wide and his mouth falls open as he takes you in.  Your top and bra are pulled under your breasts so you could flash him, nipples peaked and firm.

“Really?  You’re gonna do me like that, huh?”  He can’t hide his smirk.

“Do you like what?” You cup your breasts and jiggle them for him, biting your lip as he moves towards you.  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

When Bucky lunges for you, you shriek with laughter as you try to tuck your breasts away and jump down from the counter, but he catches you by the wrists and spreads your arms, baring your breasts to him fully.

“Don’t try to hide them now.”  He looks hungry, eyes darkening in the best way possible.  “I see what you’re doing.”

“But you’re falling for it.” You grin.

“You’re evil, you know that, right?”  He lifts your wrists and releases them onto his shoulders as he slots himself between your parted knees and fondles your exposed breasts.

“I do.”  You look at him from under your fluttering lashes as he leans in for a kiss.

It starts slow but within seconds he is moaning into your mouth as he tries to devour you.  All of the hurt and frustration pours out of him as passion as he paws at your hips to bring you flush against his arousal.  He doesn’t even try to pull your leggings down, he just tears a hole in them right at the crotch, making your gasp.

He fumbles his fly but frees himself successfully and sinks into you without warning, bottoming out with a groan.  He rests his forehead against yours, cupping your face to keep you with him as he starts thrusting, repeatedly burying himself in you to the hilt.

You both have tears in your eyes as you climb the dizzy heights of pleasure and it’s him who closes his eyes first if only for a moment, blinking the tears away before he grits his teeth and pounds you harder.  When you come he lets himself go, his last few thrusts sloppy and punctuated with soft grunts.

You cling to each other in the aftermath and when he meets your gaze again it’s full of love and sorrow.

“I can’t lose you,” he says.

“You won’t.”

“You can’t guarantee that,” he brushes some stray hairs from your forehead, “it would be just my luck that the best thing to ever happen to me would be taken away because I didn’t fight hard enough to protect it.”

“Bucky…”

He rolls his eyes and steps back, his softening cock slipping from you, leaving you empty. “Go on the mission,” he sniffs, “but if it goes wrong that’s the last solo mission you do, so help me god, I’ll be going with you even if it’s in a fucking convent.”

You don’t say thank you because you don’t need his permission, but it makes things a hell of a lot easier that he’s not going to keep giving you the cold shoulder.  “Will you go over the mission brief with me, just to make sure?” You wanted to reassure him in any way you could that you were prepared.

“Sure.”

You grin and go to tuck your breasts away.

“Leave them,” he says with a cheeky glint in his eye, “I’m not done with you yet.”

You squeal with laughter as he picks you up, wrapping your legs around his waist and carries you to the bedroom.  You’ve got a day’s worth of tension and arguing to fuck out of each other, and Bucky is eager to get down to business.

#bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes smut #bucky barnes fic #bucky barnes angst #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes fan fiction #bucky barnes #cloudy's writing

[theraggedygirl11]

Love’s the death of peace of mind

Kris' POV

Bojan's POV: AO3 - Tumblr

SUMMARY: In a world where Heaven and Hell exist, angels and demons are constantly fighting and killing one another. What if a stoic and cold angel starts questioning his whole existence after he met a demon who he was supposed to kill as Heaven demands?

PAIRING: Bojan Cvjetićanin/Kris Guštin

WARNINGS: swearing, blood, implied violence, hurt/comfort, emotional rollercoaster, enemies to lovers, implied suicide, hint of jance in the background

WORDS COUNT: 5.954

LINK: AO3

NOTES: Hello! I didn't plan this fic, honestly. It all started from this anon ask and now here I am with almost a 6k pov. This was a bit of a challenge, since I never wrote from Kris' pov, but I think it came out quite good.

I was also extremely shocked because I didn't expect Bojan's pov to blow up (and to get also a fanart from @sparkles-oflight), but in a positive way! I loved every comment I received 🥹 thank you so, so much!

As always, thanks to my beta @anxious-witch! And also thanks to @arctixout for her gifs. Without that post this fic wouldn't exist.

“Y-you were right about him. He-he’s a heartless angel, just like anyone else of them.”

“Not every angel is heartless.”

“He is, Nace! He is! I showed him my love and he accused me of trying to corrupt him! I-I gave him my whole heart and he laughed at me, he stabbed it with his ice dagger and killed me- H-He called me a filthy demon, Nace. After all I did for him and showed him, I-I’m still a filthy demon to him.”

Humans always forget that angels are supposed to be warriors of Heaven, not peaceful winged creatures with a harp in their hands.

We do have wings, yes, but we also have great powers, and they get stronger and stronger as the celestial rank goes up. As soon as we are able to walk straight and run, we start our training to become soldiers of Heaven. The training is different for every rank.

I’m a seraph, the highest angelic rank. I was born from two seraphim, thus I can say I’m discreetly powerful. I’m also a general.

One of our tasks is to hunt down demons who run freely on Earth, among humans. It’s our duty to protect human souls from corruption and temptation.

This is how I met a demon, a weird one. I identified him, followed him and attacked him with the intent to kill him, just like I was taught. My dagger was about to sink into his throat, but I stopped when my eyes met his. My whole body froze, I even stopped breathing for a couple of seconds. His eyes were deep, filled with fear and…what seemed to be surprise. His glance was so intense.

We stared at each other for what felt like a very long minute, then I recoiled and disappeared with a quick flutter of my wings, invisible at the time.

Why did I stop? Why didn’t I kill him? My heart was racing in my chest and I had no answers to my questions. 

I obviously didn’t mention this event to anyone, not even to my loyal angelic friends. They would mock me for not killing a low rank demon. No, forgetting this event was the best option. 

* * *

I’m an angel, but this doesn’t interdict me from having some “guilty pleasures”. In my case, it’s music. I like playing the guitar with Jan and Martin, two cherubim and friends of mine. Sometimes we also attend concerts in the human world, like tonight.

“Will Jan ever be on time?” I sigh.

I’ve been walking in circles for at least half an hour, but Jan is nowhere to be seen. I’m starting to get a little bit pissed. 

“Calm down, Kris,” Martin says, looking at me. “He’ll arrive. I give him ten minutes. We won’t miss that band, don’t worry.”

I’m about to reply to Martin’s words, when we see an angel running towards us, dressed in black and with long hair.

“Guys! I’m here!”

I take a deep breath, then quickly glance at Martin. “Finally. We can go, then,” I say, giving Jan a displeased look.

We fly to our destination and in a few minutes we are in the middle of the crowd. I start singing and dancing along with the music letting it flow over me, sometimes I even close my eyes. In my opinion, music is the supreme and purest form of art. It doesn’t matter the language you speak or the language the song was written in, if you listen to the melody, you can enjoy every type of music.

When I open my eyes again, I meet a weirdly familiar gaze coming from two deep brown eyes. I pale when I recognise the owner of those eyes.

That demon.

My heart is racing in my chest just like the first time we met, my whole body is frozen. He’s here too. He likes music just like I do. A demon, a creature from Hell, a filthy being appreciates something so celestial like music. I don’t understand. Why? It’s not supposed to be like this. They are…barbaric creatures, dominated by violent emotions.

I see two male figures standing by the demon’s side, a tall guy with a tattooed arm and a slightly shorter one with messy blond hair and thick black make-up around his eyes. The tattooed man places a hand on the demon’s shoulder. They must be his demonic friends. 

Three demons enjoying music.

“Is everything ok?” Jan asks, getting closer to me. He then moves his eyes to find the reason for such a reaction on my part. “Demons,” he hisses.

Martin appears by my side a second after. We are all trained to deal with demons, we are ready to attack them, and maybe even kill them. Jan steps towards them, but my arm moves without my control and stops him. Jan glances at me, confused, but since I’m a higher rank than him, he withdraws, stepping back.

I observe the three demons. The blond one grabs the brown-haired one and pulls him away, meddling with the crowd around us. I try to follow them with my eyes, but there are too many people. I lost my demon.

“Excuse me, Kris, but what was that? What just happened?”

We are back in Heaven, in my quarters. I’m still pale, I saw my face in a mirror next to the entrance door. And I’m unwell too. That meeting messed up my mind in a way I couldn’t believe possible. 

“Kris,” Jan calls me again. “What was that?” He spells word after word, this time his voice is harsher, more like an order than a simple question.

“We saw three demons at that concert,” I reply, taking a deep breath to try to regain some control over my body and my mind.

“No shit, Sherlock. We know they were demons. Why did you freeze like a greenhorn?”

“Jan, calm down,” Martin tries to mediate between me and Jan.

“No, don’t tell me to calm down! Kris, what’s going on? You are one of the best seraphim in Heaven. What happened there?”

I glance at Jan, then divert my eyes from him. “I have already met that demon, but I couldn’t kill him. I don’t know why.”

I feel Jan’s and Martin’s eyes on me. Their confusion is almost tangible. 

“You…couldn’t kill him?” 

“No, Jan, I couldn’t!” I shout back at him, looking him right in the eyes. “Are you happy now? A seraph failed to kill a squalid demon!”

Both Jan and Martin exchange a quick glance. They seem worried in my eyes. Well, they should be. A seraph that isn’t able to kill a demon for whatever reason is concerning.

“How much time ago did this happen?” Asks Martin, his voice is calmer and quieter.

“I don’t remember. Recently, maybe some months.”

“Why didn’t you tell us?”

“Because of Jan’s reaction,” and I point at him with the movement of my head. “Because I’m supposed to be better than letting a demon go,” I sigh and sit down on a couch in the living room. “I have no idea why I haven’t killed him. It just happened. I met his eyes while I was about to stab him and…something in them made me stop,” I run a hand through my hair. “They were different from the demons I killed. I felt like I had a puppy in front of me.”

“A puppy?” Jan asks.

“Yes, a puppy! He looked like a terrified puppy.”

Jan chuckles. “I’m sorry, Kris, but hearing this description of a demon coming from your mouth wasn’t on my celestial bingo card. Maybe he managed to melt your ice cold heart,” he teases me.

I roll my eyes, then shake my head. “Listen, this story ends here, ok? No one needs to know this. No one.”

“Ok, we won’t tell anyone, don’t worry,” Martin nods, followed by Jan.

It’s reassuring on one hand. On the other hand, though, I feel even more confused now. Why is this demon so special? Why does he have such a power over me? What does he hide behind those eyes of his? Did demons develop a new way of corrupting us angels, of getting inside our heads and messing with us?

My head is exploding with all these questions. And the more I think about an answer, the more questions pop up in my mind. Maybe I should follow him to discover what happened to me.

In the next weeks I keep an eye on that demon, when I catch him roaming on Earth from Heaven. I always find him staring at the sky, searching for something, maybe even me.

I don't understand him. Why is he looking for me? We are enemies, I tried to kill him, shouldn't he be scared of me? Is he this dumb?

One night, I decide to follow him not from Heaven, but directly on Earth. I need to understand why he's behaving like this.

I follow his steps until he lays on the ground in the middle of a grass patch in a woodland. He’s staring at the starry sky. I let a few minutes pass, then I slowly approach him. He seems relaxed, his defences are down, I could easily kill him, but…I want to talk to him instead, to understand why he’s like this.

I lean forward, covering his view with my head. 

“What are you doing here all alone?” I ask him.

I observe his reaction: he startles, then stands up and steps back, he seems ready to run away from me. His eyes are wide open, there’s fear in them. Ok, this is a more appropriate reaction from his part. My lips bent in an amused and satisfied smile.

“Angel,” I hear him whisper.

He’s staring at me, I feel the weight of his eyes on me. He doesn’t seem scared anymore, or at least fear is slowly disappearing in him. Yeah, he’s definitely stupid. Why isn’t he scared? His boldness and stupidity confuse me. I must be aware of what he does, I don’t trust him.

I move my hands behind my back, then I adjust my position, sticking my chest out, trying to give myself an intimidating stance.

“I repeat, since you seem to not understand my words, what are you doing here all alone?” I ask again, since I’m not receiving any answer for my previous question.

The demon takes a few seconds before answering. “I was looking for you.”

“For me?” I raise my eyebrows. I wasn’t expecting this, to be honest.

“Yes, for you. I wanted to talk to you, angel.”

I keep staring at him, confused. He must be truly dumb and with zero survival instincts. Well, I guess not every demon gets a bright mind, in the end. I probably should kill him, so he can stop making dumb decisions.

I’m about to unsheathe my dagger, but the demon starts moving towards me in that exact moment. He raises his hands in front of him, showing them to me.

“I’m not armed. You can check on me. This is not a trap.”

I don’t take my eyes off of him. I can feel my powers creeping under my skin, some sparks leave my palms. I’m ready to strike at the mere danger signal from the demon. My whole body is stiff. My jaws are locked. I don’t feel at ease with a demon in front of me, especially this demon, because I’m not able to see through him.

My attention is caught by his hand, which slowly moves towards my face. Suddenly, it stops a few centimetres away from my cheek, hesitant. My eyes run from his hand to his face. He seems blissed by my presence.

“Why do you want to talk to me, exactly?”

“I…I want to know you, angel.”

I’m astonished. It can’t be real. This must be a trap, no demon is so stupid to risk his life to simply talk to an angel.

“I beg your pardon, you want to know…me?”

“Yes,” he nods too. “You are amazingly beautiful, angel.”

Heat reaches my cheeks. Ok, that was smooth, I must admit it. The demon chuckles, I let slip a shy smile. It’s difficult to resist, his small laugh made him look cute-Kris, for god’s sake, you can’t think this of a demon! You are a freaking seraph! But…his eyes are so sweet, he doesn’t look like a cruel being from the depth of Hell. I bet he isn’t even able to corrupt a single human soul. 

“Would you like to…I don’t know, come grab a coffee or anything else to drink?”

“It’s a nice idea,” I reply. “You seem more used to the human world, so show me the way to your favourite place to…drink,” I continue. “Please,” I quickly add. The previous sentence looked too much like an order.

The demon’s smile is even bigger this time, I’m afraid it will break his face. But at the same time it warms my heart too. He seems really happy that I accepted his invitation.

“With pleasure, my lovely angel!”

The demon has a name. It’s Bojan, but he prefers being called Bojči, just because it sounds cuter and sweeter. I concur with him, but I still call him by his full name. Bojči sounds too intimate for me, and I don’t want to get too close to him. He remains a creature from Hell.

After all, spending time with him is pleasant. I’m still confused because he doesn’t follow the classic image of a demon we are taught to fight and despise. First of all, he loves music. We talk a lot about it, sometimes we even attend concerts together during our time together. He’s full of energy, it’s impossible to at least not smile when you see him jumping around because music got to him. Every time I see his eyes and his shining smile, my chest warms so much. 

Bojan always tries his best to make our time spent together the best. He plans trips in various cities around the world, or simple strolls in the middle of nature. These last ones are my favourite because we are alone, far away from mortals, in quiet places.

I feel his eyes on me, but I attempt to ignore them. Sometimes I glance at him, our eyes meet and I see only happiness in him. The fear he felt that night on that field disappeared long ago. This is so wrong. He shouldn’t be this happy to be with me. And I shouldn’t be so excited to see him.

What am I doing? Why am I doing this? Is this…corruption? Is this how Lucifer felt when he fell from the sky? I’m an angel, I shouldn’t behave like this, not with a demon.

I accept to meet him again one more time, only because I want…I want to…what do I want from him? I’m so confused, I don’t know anything anymore. This must be corruption. I can’t think straight, a thick fog prevents my mind from creating consistent thoughts. A general who cannot control his mind is useless.

I still dress and prepare for the “date”, as Bojan likes to call our meetings. I’m wearing clothes with light colours, just to show from which reign I’m from, an attempt to bring distance between me and the demon.

He told me the location where we are supposed to meet. Thus I appear in that place, my wings announcing my arrival to whoever may live in that small apartment.

I barely have the time to look around when Bojan runs in the room. I’m stunned. He’s wearing black skinny clothes that shape his body wonderfully. My eyes land on his broad shoulders, then on his muscular thighs. He’s tempting, he’s for sure playing with me, tricking me.

“You are stunning, ljubavi.”

“You…too, Bojan,” I can barely speak.

My attention gets caught by two other figures entering the room. His demon friends are there too, the blond one and the tattooed one. I stiff my body, pushing out my chest as I try to look taller than I already am.

“Oh, yeah, these are my dearest friends. This is Jure,” he points to the blond demon. “And this is Nace,” and then to the tattooed demon. “They are safe, they won’t hurt you. I ask you to do the same.”

“...fine,” I surrender not so willingly. My eyes go back to Bojan and I notice that there’s something black and with glitter on his face. “You put on makeup.” 

“Yes, just for you. Do you like it?”

“You…look good,” I admit, my voice is trembling a bit. He looks even more beautiful with that dark makeup on his eyes.

He grabs my hand and smiles at me. “I have a surprise for you. Close your eyes and follow me.”

Bojan pulls me and I do as he said, a little bit scared of what kind of surprise he might have for me. He makes me sit on something cold and hard. I touch that surface with one hand, it feels like plastic. 

“What are you trying to do, little demon?”

“I told you, it’s a surprise.”

I hear him handle something, then he sits on my lap, making me stiffen. Something soft touches my eyelid, I immediately feel something on my skin. What is he doing? I could open my eyes, but something inside of me prevents me from doing it. He stands up, then speaks again.

“You are otherworldly, ljubavi. Open your eyes.”

A little bit hesitant, I open my eyes and look at my reflection in the mirror. He put makeup on me too. Golden makeup around my eyes, to be precise. I…I like it. It’s weirdly good on me. I stand up, get closer to the mirror to admire his work. 

“Gold is your colour. It suits you perfectly.”

“I-It does,” I whisper, my voice barely audible.

He always knows exactly what to do to make me feel special, even loved dare I say. It’s surreal. A gentle kiss on the cheek brings me back to reality. I turn and see Bojan's smiling face. He's shining like never before. His eyes are dark and remind me of the black hole at the centre of this galaxy. The glittery makeup represents the stars that move in circles around that core of pure darkness, but his eyes reflect all the light instead of devouring it. 

“We can go, then. I have other surprises for you, my angel.”

Our “date” begins: Bojan takes me to my favourite human restaurant. He lets me order whatever I want, adding that I don’t have to worry about the bill. It’s not the first time that he pays for me, but this time it feels…strange. I’m nervous by all the charm he’s displaying tonight, the elegance in his clothes, the makeup, his smiles bigger than usual. What did he plan to do? Should I be worried? I’m so deep into my own train of thoughts that often I forget to reply to Bojan.

“Is everything ok, ljubavi?” 

I fall back into reality. “Yeah, sure, don't worry. I…had a rough day in Heaven, that's all,” I say the first thing that hits my mind.

Bojan grabs my hand with extreme gentleness, then starts caressing its back. His smile could melt a gigantic iceberg.

“Now it's time for you to relax, then. Enjoy this night out.”

I meet his eyes. I immediately feel more relaxed, more at ease. How…? Is he naturally like this or is he using some kind of dark demonic magic to make me lower my defences? I don’t understand.

We continue our dinner and once it’s finished we go for a walk around the city. Bojan grabs my hand, intertwining our fingers. A shiver runs down my spine, but I decide to ignore it.

We walk and walk until we reach a tall building. Bojan takes me to the top of it. We are alone here. I look around me, there’s nothing strange or even remotely dangerous.

“Why did you bring me here?” I ask.

Suddenly, so many candles appear all around us, following the verge of the roof. A soft melody starts playing out of thin air. I look at my demon, confused. He’s offering me his hand.

“Would you like to dance with me, Kris?”

Ok, he just wants to dance. We did it a couple of times, I guess we can do it again.

Thus, I take his hand, a little bit hesitant, then we begin dancing along with the music. I’m a terrible dancer, Bojan is far better than me, so I focus on his steps and movements and try to repeat them, following him.

“Just let the music flow over you. Hear it inside of you and allow it to take control over your body,” he suggests to me, whispering with an extremely tender voice, which makes me shiver.

I take a deep breath, then follow Bojan’s suggestion. The music is slow and sweet, it allows us, and especially me, to dance quite well, even if we both aren’t expert dancers. The demon’s movements are more fluid, he’s more used to letting himself go, my posture is more rigid, it’s the one of a soldier. We stare into each other’s eyes the whole time. 

What am I doing here? Why am I here? Why am I with a demon? I am not this. I’m a fucking seraph! I should kill demons, not frolic with one of them! I keep asking myself these questions, but I’m never able to find an answer.

I leave his hands and step back. I notice concern and confusion in the demon’s eyes.

“We can’t go on doing this, Bojan.”

“Why not? I don’t understand.”

“Because we can’t! You are a demon, and I’m an angel. We are not supposed to…mingle.”

“We are not mingling, ljubavi. This is a romantic date between two creatures who have feelings for each other.”

He gets closer and tales my hands kindly. Our eyes meet again. The confusion in them became something else, but I can’t name it. I’m not good with feelings. Does it seem like betrayal?

“Kris, I'm not the monster Heaven teaches you to despise. You saw me, you got to know me.”

“You are still a demon, Bojan, no matter how you behave or what you do.”

“And so? What does it change between us?”

“I'm a freaking angel! We are supposed to fight each other, not…doing this, dancing alone like two teenagers in love!”

“Only because we are not human teenagers? Because we come from two different places? Because others tell us that we should hate each other?” He clutches my hands between his,a spark of fear appears in my chest. “You know me,” Bojan brings one of my hands right to his chest.. “This heart is yours, ljubavi, and no one else’s.”

“Bojan, this is wrong.”

“Kris, I love you. What's wrong with that?” He stops talking for a few seconds. “You…don't love me?”

“No, Bojan. I don’t love you. Let’s stop pretending.”

I won’t admit it, but seeing Bojan’s reaction made me feel bad. Extremely bad. He’s visibly devastated by what I just said. I’m clearly influenced by his demonic magic, I can’t feel this bad for a demon.

“I-I’m not pretending.”

“Don’t lie, Bojan. You are a demon, all demons do is lie. You know who and what I am, you saw weakness in me because I didn’t kill you that day. You are corrupting me because you want me to lose my wings!”

My voice is harsh while I spit out those words. I want them to hit him like whips. He needs to understand who I am, what I am.

“I know you are an angel and nothing else! I-I don't want you to lose your wings!” His voice trembles, he tries to articulate his words, but he has problems in doing so. “I’m not lying!”

“You want to bring me to the path of perdition! You want me to fall, just like Lucifer.”

He lets my hands go. I follow him with my eyes while he recoils. Now even his body is affected by all those feelings, he’s staggering and shaking. It’s just evidence of how emotions are just a liability and how much demons can’t control themselves when those same emotions are involved. They are inferior creatures, in the end.

“I-I’m not, Kris. I-I don’t want to-”

“Stop lying!” I shout at him, powers exploding from me, I can barely hold my wings hidden. “You are a filthy demon. You don’t change, you just want to destroy us.”

This is the final strike. The demon is defeated. I won. Heaven won. I’m finally free from him, from his influence, from his corruption.

I stay on that rooftop observing Bojan running away from me, then I turn to glance at all those candles. I should feel better now that I cut every tie I had with that impure being, instead there’s a strange feeling in my chest, like an emptiness. 

I shake my head. It will go away, eventually, when his power will fade and he will no longer have some kind of control over me. I won’t fall, I won’t be the next Lucifer.

Life in Heaven continues as always. I help the other seraphim training the new angels, teaching them how to use their powers and how to not fall in demons’ traps. In my mind I have me as an example.

Who knows what he’s doing right now. Did he move on? Did some other angel killehim? Or maybe one of his overlords took care of him and killed him because he didn’t manage to corrupt an angel.

One day I’m tempted to go looking for him from my quarters, but I stop my hand in mid air over the mirror we angels use to watch Earth and humans from Heaven. And demons too, sometimes.

“Is everything ok, Kris?”

I turn. Martin’s there, he just entered the room.

“Yes,” I nod. “Why are you asking?”

“Because you are not our usual Kris since the last time you went on Earth.”

“I’m still me, nothing has changed.”

“Are you sure?” Martin looks me in the eyes.

“Yes, I am sure,” I reply, my voice almost growling.

“How is your little demon?”

“How am I supposed to know?” I blurt.

“You summoned his image in the mirror.”

I turn again. My eyes are wide open and my face is pale when I see him in my mirror. I didn’t touch it to activate it. Bojan is in a park, with one of his demonic friends, the blond one, Jure should be his name. They are talking about something written on that notebook. 

He…looks fine. No, he’s pretending. His eyes are sad, the light in them is muffled. Is he really sad…? 

“Apparently, your desire to know how he is doing is really strong,” notices Martin, now he’s next to me.

“It’s just a coincidence, Martin,” I say while staring at Bojan. “It’s a mere coincidence because we were talking about him.”

I don’t understand my mind and my body anymore. His simple image in my mirror made unknown feelings explode in me, even if on the outside I’m apparently calm. But they say that the calmest waters are the most dangerous and unpredictable ones, no? The turmoil inside of me looks like a tornado. I want to go to him, hug him, and make him smile again. Because his smile is everything to me.

A voice is calling me. I don’t even realise I’m marching towards the room where my mirror is. Bojan’s there, singing, looking up at the sky.

“Stolicu primakni, ruku mi dotakni, noćas ti si moja muza, ja u ritmu tvoga bluza ću da plešem bez prestanka.”

“You should talk to him,” says Jan, while approaching me, I’m watching that damn demon in my mirror. I forgot he was with me.

“Why? He's a demon. He's impure, a damned soul,” I reply. In the meantime Bojan’s voice is spreading in the room where I’m observing him from the sky. His voice is broken, filled with emotions, and despair. My heart is breaking, but my face shows no emotion, just like I was taught.

“Soba nam je mala. Ja ko pijana budala, a ni čaše nisam popio. Ja mislim da sam se zaljubio u tebe. Baš ja, koji nisam verovao da za nekim biću lud. Za tebe, kao u pesmama i filmovima ljubavnim, staviću zvuk.”

“And you love him.”

“Angels can't love. He started corrupting me,” I turn towards Jan.

“Angels can love and they must love. It's not corruption.”

“How can you tell it's not his corruption, Jan?!” I hiss at him, a shade of rage and maybe panic evident from my voice.

“Because I fell in love with a demon too. And I accepted it. Go to him, speak to him. He’s singing for you.”

“Samo se okreni, baci pogled prema meni. Preći će tišina sama kilometre među nama dok jednom srce otkuca.”

“With…a demon?”

“Yes, Kris. Like you, I didn’t think it was possible, but it happened. And he’s the most amazing creature I’ve ever had the chance to talk to. He’s sweet, he’s lovely, he’s…I love him. Now, please, go to him. You can hear his voice, he’s offering you his heart.”

“Soba nam je mala. Ja ko pijana budala, a ni čaše nisam popio. Ja mislim da sam se zaljubio u tebe. Baš ja, koji nisam verovao da za nekim biću lud. Za tebe, kao u pesmama i filmovima ljubavnim, staviću zvuk.”

I sigh. I don’t want to see him because I know I won’t be able to resist him. However, I find myself flying to the Earth, where Bojan is singing. His voice becomes more desperate the more the song goes on. When his eyes land on me, he falls on his knees. In my hand I have my sword. I’m trying to be intimidating, to behave like the seraph I am.

“Ne palite još svetla, još samo jedan tren da se nagledam lepote te. Ne palite još svetla. Ne prizivajte dan. Spasite me, smislite neki plan. Ako svane sunce, ostaću sam.”

Silence falls between us. We stare at each other. The demon looks even smaller now that he is on his knees, on the ground. And he’s also the one who breaks the silence.

“You came.”

“You called,” I reply. It was hard not to hear his cry for help.

No one speaks, so I decide to get closer to Bojan, slowly. His eyes on me make me feel uncomfortable, it’s so difficult to not divert my attention from him.

“You know I should kill you right now because you are on Earth and not in Hell, right?”

“Then do it. I won’t fight, I won’t run away. If I can’t be with you, I’d rather be dead.”

I finally divert my eyes from him. Those words hit me right in the chest. How dare he be this dramatic and romantic at the same time? 

“You are an idiot, Bojan.”

“Yeah, I know, ljubavi. Love made me lose my mind in a way I didn’t think possible.”

“You said that in the song.”

“Maybe it’s just one of the many flaws that make us demons so imperfect in front of you angels. I was so unlucky to fall in love with you, but I don’t consider myself unlucky. I had the best moments of my life with you, I don’t want to change this for anything else in this world, not even a place in Heaven, if this means that I will lose my ability to love so strongly.”

I wince at those words, shivers run down my whole body. He has always been good with words, my complete opposite. I never admitted it, but I love how he plays with words.

I let my guard down, and in that moment he grabs my sword to sticks his point on his chest, where the heart is.

“You are here for this, no? Killing another impure soul that doesn’t follow the rules.”

I lay my eyes on him again. His only answer is a big smile, almost relieved. What is he doing? What is he trying to achieve?

“Don’t make me do this, Bojan.”

“It’s ok, ljubavi. It’s ok. It’s…it’s your nature, you have been trained to do this your whole life.”

My eyes hurt, tears are threatening to come out. No! He can’t really be like this! He wants to die? He wants me to kill him?

My first thought is to pull away my sword, and throw it as far away as possible, so Bojan can’t hurt himself, but my whole body petrifies. He’s crying in front of me. My inability to read emotions is hitting me hard, because I want to know what he’s feeling right now so I can make him feel better, but I can’t recognise anything on his face. Is he…relieved? Happy? Terrified?

He closes his eyes, and waits for me to strike. I’m still petrified. My mind stops working for a few seconds that seem to last centuries.

When I can finally control my body again, I’m able to throw away my sword. Bojan won’t die today, not thanks to me. He doesn’t deserve to die, he’s an amazing being, and a stunningly gorgeous one too. I can’t take him away from this world, and from mine too.

I fall on my knees too, I grab his face and kiss him. My lips move against his motionless ones, but he kisses me back a few seconds later. I can taste him, and his emotions too. These kisses are just showing us how much we need each other. I, a seraph, need my little demon by my side.

When we stop, Bojan lays his forehead on mine.

“Please, let it be real,” He’s whispering. “Please, please, let it be real.”

I chuckle. “It’s real, Bojan.”

He looks me in the eyes. “Real-real kind of way or…real-I’m-in-some-sort-of-Heaven-for-demons-because-I’m-dead kind of way?” 

I gently caress his cheeks, then lean forwards just to kiss him again. This is my answer, at least my first one.  

“This kind of way, my little demon,” I add immediately after.

“I’m your little demon, then?”

I nod. I really enjoy calling him that. And he likes it too. I keep stroking his cheeks.

“What made you change your mind?”

“Your song,” my answer arrives instantly, he is still talking. “I had feelings for you, they developed pretty early, but I…wasn’t acknowledging their existence because I never had the chance to fall in love with someone,” I confess, feeling a little bit of embarrassment. Being a high ranking angel and having problems with your feelings isn’t the best thing, to be honest.

Bojan brings me back from my thoughts while he just slams on me, pushing me on the ground. He’s now on top of me, I feel my cheeks getting redder. 

“Well, now you have someone right here.”

I notice his cute little tail on his back, moving in the air. I smile. 

* * *

Since my first kiss with Bojan the weight I had on me immediately disappeared. My whole life I’ve been trained to despise, fight and kill demons. But Bojan, one of those same creatures, opened my eyes and changed my world. He made me discover that angels can love too, even beings they were taught to hate, and that maybe demons are not so bad as we are told.

Now we are inseparable and I can’t picture myself without my little demon by my side.

#kris' pov #bokris #bojan cvjetićanin #kris guštin #annies writes #my writing #joker out #joker out fanfic #baš ja koji nisam verovao da za nekim biću lud #love’s the death of peace of mind

[thesullengrrrl]

We'll Meet Again

When retired time traveler Elaine Byrne accidentally goes back to 1941, she meets Robert Rosenthal on the eve of his enlistment.

Author's note: I wrote this fic few weeks ago and I only now had the guts to post it here in Tumblr. Thank you to the lovely people who read and commented my work in AO3. If you prefer to read there, I got you...here's the link. I've not written for a long time, so I hope you will enjoy this. Thank you! ❤️

Chapter 1

For the past three years, Elaine Byrne avoided being alone in dark enclosed spaces or visualizing vivid sceneries with her eyes closed. Whenever she feels bad about life, she smokes in the nearest smoking area or writes it down in her journal.

However, this time it was different. 

This time she forgot that she’s not supposed to go inside the restaurant’s cold room on her own. It was Friday and the chef was chewing her ear off over a wrong order. Her energy was already depleted and all she wants to do is go home. Almost instinctively, she went straight to the cold room to shed some tears. 

As she walked back to the dining area, faint jazz music could be heard. It grew louder as she continued on, and Elaine does not remember a band being hired that night. A male waiter almost bumped into her, half-shouting, “Hey! You can’t be here!” She took note of his uniform. It was a shirt with a bow tie, black pants and a white apron covering half his pants. 

The sight of her destination surprised her. 

It was the same dining area, with stage and piano in it, except that the people now are wearing clothing from a bygone time. Men were in suits, women in knee length dresses with slightly defined shoulders. The upholstery and furniture are no longer the same color. The air was filled with smoke and the smell of alcohol and sweat made her gag a little. 

She has done it again. The very activity she avoided for the past three years. With this realization, she went to the bathroom and luckily, it’s still in the same place where she remembered it.

Picking the last sink in a row, she opened the faucet, and splashed some water on her face. When she finally faced the mirror, her mouth fell open. Besides from the water droplets falling from her face, her makeup is not her usual. She now has a redder lip and defined eyebrows. Her brown hair is now curled and pinned in ways she would never do. 

She took some paper towels on the side and dabbed her face in it. This time, Elaine took a longer moment to observe the image in the mirror. Aside from the makeup, she finally noticed her change of clothing. No longer in her trusty vested white polo and black slacks, but now she’s donning a dark red dress with slightly puffed sleeves and triangular cut outs on the collar. It was slightly figure hugging, which highlighted her curves that were often lost in her waitress uniform. Elaine held up her hand and touched the mirror’s surface. It’s me. This makes me feel like Peggy Carter minus the combat skills.

She was about to go when she heard heels clicking towards her direction. For some reason, she locked herself in one of the stalls and someone started sniffing and a vague ‘There, There’ could be heard. 

“Oh Mabel,” a high pitched voice said. “At least he let you down gently and did not lead you on. You know Beth in Accounting? Her man just left her without a word!” 

“That’s because he’s just feeling sorry for me!” Mabel cried. “I already thought about the wedding we could’ve had, Jo.” 

Jo audibly sighed. “Mabel, you know you were only seeing him for three weeks, right?” 

“He’s dreamy and nice! A lawyer! And my cat even likes him!” 

Mabel’s own statement made her cry even more. 

“I know, but at least he let you down gently. He has a point. You don’t have to wait around for him anymore,” Jo comforted. 

The two women she was eavesdropping kept quiet for a little after that. Then she heard the faucet running and paper towels being ripped off. A few clinking more and she heard someone exhale loudly. 

“Are you ready to say goodbye?” Jo asked. 

A sniff. “Okay, let’s go, Jo.” 

“That’s more like it,” Jo replied. Their heels started clicking away from the bathroom. Elaine waited for a minute or two just to make sure they weren’t coming back and she emerged from her stall. 

She gazed at the mirror one last time and exited. Inhaling the strong scents of tobacco and alcohol, she scouted for a place to sit in. It was hard to see who’s sitting alone or not at first glance, so she slowly dragged her feet, hoping for the one.  

Instinctively, she touched her side and thanked the heavens for its pockets. She reached in and instead of a phone, she felt a small notepad, a pencil and coins. Helpful .

Finally, she saw her target.

The one was a lone, mustachioed man with a half-empty glass of beverage in front of him. He seemed to be in deep thought while his fingers were tapping the table in tune with what was being played on stage. He looks nice. Taking a deep breath, Elaine strode towards his table and pulled a chair beside him. He was startled with the sound of chair legs against the floor.  

“What–” 

“Hi there,” Elaine greeted, flashing her best smile. “Great night?”

“It was until I heard the news,” the man replied. She was about to ask what was the news but he beat her to it. 

“The Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor.” 

“Oh, that’s what it is,” Elaine realized. “A woman in the bathroom was crying because her boyfriend was enlisting.” 

The information made the man perk up and turned to her. “Was she blonde? In a purple dress?”

“I don’t know. I was hiding in one of the stalls.”

This amused the man beside her. “What? Why were you hiding?” 

“I was having a moment, then I heard them come in. They were coming in fast, click click click, so I hid. Then someone started crying and I didn't want to intrude, so I stayed there.” Elaine explained.

“‘They’?” he asked. 

“Yeah. Two women. Jo and Mabel,” she shared. 

“Ah, yes. They were with me earlier. Mabel wanted to go home, so I guess it’s official now.” 

Elaine scrunched up her nose. “Ah, that sucks, man. Too bad her cat loves you.” 

“Hmmm. Yeah, Mr. Giggles.” 

“Although,” she started. “You do know you could be in a relationship while overseas, right?”

He shook his head. “I can’t afford to have any distractions. And I don’t want life to pass her by because she was waiting for me. What if I never return?” 

“What if you do?” she countered. “Have a little faith.”

“How do you know that?” 

She kept quiet, feeling like his question was rhetorical. He has a point. When he’s on the battlefield, the chances of him coming back are slim to none. 

As the band played another tune, the upcoming war entered her mind. This man is enlisting in the army tomorrow to fight Nazis. Jesus Christ, what was the closest thing she could experience to that? The thing that came to her mind was nothing compared to going to war on the other side of the world.

“Oh well. You’ll meet other women,” she assured him. Then she proceeded to scan his appearance. “You’re tall, handsome, and that pornstache would definitely rake in the girls.”

“Porn-what?” he asked, eyeing her suspiciously.

Elaine closed her eyes at her words. Her hand went to her head, scrunching her eyes to think of what to say. Of course, the day she dreaded finally came. The day where her weird attraction to 70s mustaches will be her downfall. 

“Never mind. It’s your mustache,” she corrected, motioning his face. “And those baby blue eyes? Ridiculous.”

Her companion was about to answer when a blond man came to their table. 

“Good evening, Miss.” 

It took her a moment to realize that a man standing on their table was referring to her. She smiled at him. The man she was with eyed the stranger with suspicion. “Hello there.” 

“The tune’s pretty swell, can I dance with you? Miss…?” 

Elaine scanned the man’s appearance. He was tall and thin with wide shoulders and almost white hair. He seemed to be in his mid-twenties. Who are you supposed to be, Draco Malfoy?

“I’m Elaine,” she introduced. You are?”

“Albert.” 

For a moment, her mission of attempting to know which year she was in felt futile. What’s a little dancing when you’re time traveling? Without taking a second look to her companion, she nodded and took the man’s hand and made their way to the dance floor. With their hands on their proper positions, they started swaying to the music. 

They were having a nice conversation until the guy started to lean in for a kiss. She managed to avoid this and his lips landed on her cheek. The reek of alcohol from his mouth made her wince. She gave him a fake smile, hoping that all of this will be over soon. They swayed once again, but this time she felt his hand moving from the small of her back to her butt and grabbed it. 

Her eyes widened and pushed him away. This made a mini domino effect on the other couples on the dance floor, earning them weird looks and glares.

“Back off,” Elaine warned. 

This did not deter him and took it as a challenge instead. 

“Aww, baby, you’re feisty. I like that,” Albert taunted, cornering her like a prey. 

Elaine took short breaths to calm herself, her right hand slowly turning into a fist.

Suddenly, a loud thud of falling tables was heard. The music stopped. 

“Fight! Fight!”

He rushed where the scream was. He was observing her in a distance to somewhat guard her, as if she was someone he needed to look after. The man she was dancing with did not seem trustworthy enough for him, especially when he saw his companions laugh at them for some reason. 

The blond man was bleeding out of his nose while she was grunting in pain.

“Fuck you!” Elaine yelled.

He went to her and took her hand. “What happened?” 

“That asshole,” Elaine growled, pointing to the man on the floor, “was feeling me up!”

A small crowd gathered where they were. One older man lunged at Elaine’s curly haired companion and started throwing punches. He missed and continued pursuing. Elaine jumped into the brawl, attempting to break them apart. Few patrons, probably thrilled with this sudden turn, dove in as well, unknown whether to pull her out of the commotion or punch the other guy.

It continued on for a few minutes until someone blew a whistle.

The crowd departed and it revealed a portly, semi-bald man with a whistle hanging on his neck. 

“WHAT ON EARTH IS HAPPENING HERE?” he roared. Those in the brawl slowly detached themselves from each other. Everyone was in varying degrees of bleeding and pain, most especially that man who felt up Elaine. 

The portly manager glared at all of them then his eyes filled with recognition. “Robert? Is that you, boy?” 

Elaine looked at who he was referring to. 

It was the lonely, mustachioed man who broke up with Mabel. His name is Robert.

He does look like a Robert, Elaine thought. The carefully gelled curly hair, neat mustache, smell of manly perfume with hints of tobacco and alcohol…It’s like she was transported to a 1940s movie with Cary Grant as the lead star and she’s the fast-talking femme fatale. 

“Minty!" Robert smiled and shook hands with the man as if there were no two slightly injured persons in front of them. The manager pulled him from the floor and when they stood up, he towered over Minty.

“Minty, I’m so sorry about the mess. This guy made moves on my friend and she just defended herself. I had to jump in,” he explained.

“Picking fights already? Save some for those Nazis!” Minty exclaimed. He snapped his fingers and two broad men appeared. He ordered the troublemakers to be taken outside the club.

Robert only smiled sheepishly. Minty seemed charmed by this and asked both of them to follow him. Elaine looked at him suspiciously. “Where are we going?”

“I know him, don’t worry,” he assured her. 

The trio entered a small office. The walls were painted red and there was a sturdy table that is the main piece of the room. It has a matching leather chair behind it and several crates of alcohol stacked up to the ceiling. Papers are haphazardly piled up and a clothes rack near the window. It felt like a claustrophobic’s nightmare. 

“Sit down, sit down, kids,” Minty motioned to the two leather chairs in front of the table. The two sat and Elaine’s eyes laid at the calendar hanging behind Minty. 

DECEMBER 1941

Ah, fuck. Wrong guess! All of the numbers on the first row were crossed except for number seven. They watched Minty pour three glasses of whiskey (or scotch?) and gave them one each. 

“What’s your name, doll?” 

“I’m Elaine. Elaine Byrne.”

“So, how did the two of you meet?” Minty asked, eyeing the two of them. 

“Um–” Elaine started. Robert covered her hand and started talking. 

“We only met tonight. Mabel stormed out when she found out I was enlisting. Told her I don’t want her waiting for me while I fight.” 

Minty nodded in understanding. “I wouldn’t take it away from Rosie to meet a girl after breaking up with one!” 

Elaine glanced at the two men curiously. 

“Why is that, Minty?” she questioned. “Is Rosie here a player?” 

This made Rosie blush a little. Minty shook his head. 

“No, doll, he’s a lawyer! He sweet talks for a living!” 

Elaine turned to her companion. “A lawyer, huh? Interesting.” 

“Yes, ma’am,” Rosie confirmed. “Although, I don’t sweet talk anyone, Minty.” 

“Tell that to anyone who would listen, Rosie.”

“Why is he called Rosie?” Elaine wondered, looking at Minty. “Is it the rosy cheeks?” 

“Ah, it’s because of his surname. Rosenthal. Only friends and family are allowed. That’s why I only called him that in here,” Minty informed her. 

Elaine listened to the two men catch up with their lives. Rosie confirmed his enlistment tomorrow, and Minty seemed to be worried about his young friend. Rosie is a strapping young man of twenty-four and Minty said that America joining the war will be a bloodbath. 

“I will be fighting for my people and country, Minty,” Rosie solemnly reasoned. “These people we will be protecting, they can’t fight for themselves, can they?”

“You seem like you made up your mind quite fast,” Minty observed. Rosie only nodded. 

The three of them sat in silence. Elaine was feeling a bit uncomfortable with it, so she downed the glass of amber liquid given to her. She coughed a little, for she rarely drinks this type of liquor. Call her childish, but she would rather sit happily with her colorful drinks with an umbrella in it than pretend to be like Don Draper. “What is it, whiskey?”

“Scotch,” the older man confirmed. “Too strong for you?” 

Elaine agreed. “Yeah.”

When she finished the drink, Rosie stood up. “We better be going now, Mint.”

“Say hi to your mother for me,” Minty told Rosie. He nodded. 

“Thank you for the scotch,” Elaine said, waving Minty goodbye. The two made their way back to the dining hall. They did not see Minty smiling at the sight of them.

The band was playing something more slow, and the atmosphere felt like no brawl happened. However, it felt more somber. Maybe it’s the music that the band was playing. The dance floor seemed shinier, the lights dimmer, and couples are dancing closer than ever. It was probably the news of the Pearl Harbor attack that made them rethink the time they have. 

For them, it’s only the beginning. 

For Elaine, it’s only looking at the past at a closer look. Beyond the bigger picture that history books offer. She is no longer reading these big events in a book, but the individuals that will soon be affected by this attack. 

For a night, she’s one of them. 

Rosie was observing her as she watched the dance floor. Her hair is still quite a mess after the brawl and yet, the out-of-place hair strands seemed to be framing her face instead. She seemed oblivious to any of the music being played, but then maybe she’s not a fan of jazz and prefers something else. 

This strange, pretty woman felt like trouble. Minutes within meeting her, and he was already fighting in a brawl for her. He never did that to any girl he went out with. He felt guilty about what happened between him and Mabel and maybe he’ll think about it tomorrow still. 

But he cannot deny wanting to get to know Elaine more after tonight. 

“Let’s dance, Rosie,” Elaine invited, extending her hand to him. Rosie gazed at her hand, thought about it, and took it. She pulled him into the dance floor, slightly squeezing in among the sea of couples. He placed his hands on its proper positions and she did the same. Slowly, they swayed along, closer than ever.

“Is it okay if I call you Rosie? Minty said only friends and family are allowed to call you that,” she wondered aloud. 

“You’re already calling me Rosie anyway, so go ahead.” 

“What were you thinking about earlier?” 

“When?” 

“When I asked you to dance, you’re deep in thought. Any thoughts you want to share?” 

He sighed. “You won’t let this go, won’t you?” 

“Nope,” she smiled. “I want to hear it.” 

“I was thinking about what you said. That maybe I’ll come back from the war alive? Have a little faith?” 

Elaine glanced at her side, suddenly feeling shy. She was only trying to encourage him to take a chance on romance during the war. She did not realize he would pick on it and discuss it further. 

“Well, going to war alone seemed like a sad thing to do. Sure, it might be invigorating for you as a man, getting in combat and all, but what happens when you’re all alone in some trench?” Elaine explained. 

“I can write letters home,” he reasoned. 

“But can you share what you’ll see in the field with them?” 

“I can’t share it with my imaginary girlfriend either, Elaine.”

With no answer to give him anymore, she rolled her eyes. Rosie caught it and found it endearing.

“Speechless? No rebuttal?” Rosie challenged.

“Shut up, Robert.”

“So it’s Robert now when I annoy you?” he teased.

“Yes, Robert,” she pointed out, trying to hide a grin. 

Rosie pulled her a little closer and she felt his hands get a little sweaty. She tried not to chuckle, but her body reacted before it was too late. The band played another new song, and when she glanced at him, she watched him mouth the words.

“Do you know this song?” she asked. 

“We’ll Meet Again,” he replied, looking down at her.

“I doubt that, Rosie.” 

Rosie chuckled at her. “Silly. I mean, it’s the title. We’ll Meet Again.” 

She rested her head at his chest, once again embarrassed by her blunder. “Oh god. I’ve been just an embarrassing person all night, am I?” 

“This is the most interesting night I’ve had for a while. Don’t worry about it,” he assured her.

She only nodded. She took in his scent, and wondered if he noticed it. I hope he didn’t. But maybe he did. My inhale was pretty obvious. As the song went on, Elaine thought of why she is here at this very moment. She could’ve been back in Minton’s by now by going back where she came from—in the cold room. 

Instead, she stayed and now slow dancing with a man she just met. 

Elaine stopped time traveling on purpose three years ago. It was once an exciting thing to discover at eighteen, but now at twenty-six, it felt like an unhealthy coping mechanism. She made mistakes on those travels and made her run away from her life. She stayed far too long in some places and saw the consequences blow right up to her face. 

However, tonight, she did not time travel on purpose. 

And there must be a reason why it happened.

The song finished and everyone clapped. Rosie and Elaine removed their hands from each other and joined the crowd. Backing away from the dance floor, they sat in an empty booth.

As she stared at Rosie, she knew she had to go home. Rosie felt her eyes at him and they spent a good few seconds memorizing each other’s details, like taking a photograph. Elaine took in his blue eyes and the styled curly mop of hair, while Rosie gazed at her hazel green eyes and a small scar on her forehead. She wondered how it would appear if not styled with sticky gel. Rosie blushed a little at the intensity of her gaze, smiling shyly at her. Elaine chuckled at how ridiculous and romantic it all must have looked like. 

A gentleman with a big camera managed to capture this romantic scene. The blinding flash  surprised the two, making them jump in their seats. The bulb was still smoking.

“I’ll send it to Minty once it’s developed!” the man with a camera said. “You’re one good looking couple!”

“That’s one big camera,” Elaine observed. “That flash almost blinded me!”

He laughed at her observation. “Will they ever make a flash bulb less blinding?”

“I don’t think so,” she answered, smiling.

They settled for a moment and Rosie waved at a waiter. The waiter was quick at his feet and reached them. However, Elaine grabbed his arm to stop him. “I need to go home now.”

“Oh, is that so?” he asked, a slight disappointment in his tone. The waiter seemed to sense this and looked at Elaine. She lifted her head to dismiss him, which the waiter did.

“Yeah, it’s quite late and I’m on opening shift,” she reasoned. It was true though. 

“If that’s the case, I’ll take you home,” he declared. “Where do you live?” 

He can’t take you home! You don’t live in 1941, girl!

“Just a few blocks away, but I’ll be fine. I’ll walk.” 

He looked at her with disbelief. “Elaine, I’ll walk you home. Or at least call you a cab. You can’t walk by yourself at this hour after what happened.” 

“I can. I can throw in a punch, you know.” 

“Elaine, no.” 

The way Rosie said her name made her melt a little. That deep dulcet tone with a hint of concern (or was it disappointment with hardheadedness) made her rethink about her decision to leave. One more drink can’t hurt, right?

“Fine. But first, I need to go to the ladies’ room,” she said. 

“All right. I’ll wait here.” 

Elaine made her way to the ladies’ room, her heart beating so fast it’s the only thing she could hear. This is the moment she leaves him. It has to be. Damn that dulcet voice for making her doubt. When she reached the ladies’ room, she took the notepad and pencil inside her pocket and quickly scribbled. After that, she folded it neatly and got out. She waved to the same passing waiter who almost took their order earlier.

“Yes, ma’am?” the waiter said. 

“Can you pass this to the gentleman with the mustache?” she requested, pointing him to Rosie who was chatting with an elderly man.

“You mean Rosie? No problem, ma’am.”

“Thank you,” she whispered. When the waiter was out of sight, she made her way to the turn. She wondered if she would take one last look at Rosie. But she decided against it. 

The storage room was there, waiting for her. Sighing, she took one last look at her surroundings, checking if she was being watched. Then she slid the door and entered. 

She murmured and closed her eyes.

Moments later, there’s knocking at the door. “Elaine! Get out! I need some supplies!” 

Maybe we’ll meet again, Rosie.

“Coming, Bunny!” 

—

When Elaine left to go home, the new busboys were left after they cleaned up the place. They sat to rest before actually going home. One of them, Jerry, was looking at the wall filled with pictures and memorabilia from old patrons and past owners from different decades. Their jazz club had been open since the late 1930s and it could feel like a museum sometimes. 

While he was scanning the frames, one picture stood out to him. It was a photo of a couple in a booth, staring at each other adoringly. The picture seemed like straight from a movie scene, which made Jerry think if it was a screenshot from an unknown movie of the time. 

He leaned in closer and noticed the woman in the photo. She looked like one of their waitresses. Elaine! But the woman in the photo was with better hair and of course, wearing vintage clothing. She was gazing at the mustachioed man as if studying him, and the man was doing the same to her. They looked cozy and adorable.

“Hey Bunny, look at this,” Jerry called. The woman he was calling came to him almost immediately.

“What is it, Jer?” she asked. 

“She looks a lot like Elaine, no?” 

Bunny leaned in as well to check the photo. “Oh yeah, she does. Maybe her grandma or something?”

“Maybe,” Jerry replied. 

“We’ll tell Elaine tomorrow,” Bunny said.

What the two failed to notice was the small inscription at the lower right edge of the photo. It said:

Rosie & Elaine, 1941

#masters of the air #we'll meet again #mota #mota fic #masters of the air fic #rosie rosenthal #time travel #oc: elaine byrne #time travel au #rosie rosenthal x oc

[nimata-beroya]

🥤🐇🍄🌿 for the truth or dare writing ask game!

Thank you @kanerallels!!

🥤 ⇢ recommend an author or fanfic you love

Oof! This is tough and I'm sure I'm going to leave many talented people out bc I can never remember their Tumblr url even though I'm their avid reader on ao3 (I'm sorry!)

@seleneisrising @photogirl894 @airlockfailure @yukipri @takadasaiko @genericficerblog @mxtr3ssquickly @insertmeaningfulusername @fanfictasia @nobody-expects-the-inquisitorius @annwayne and of course, you!

🐇 ⇢ do you prefer writing original characters, reader inserts, or a mix of both? 

Original characters, for sure. I'm not fond of reader inserts, nothing against who write/read them, but it's not for me because they feel a bit gaslighting. The few occasions I dare to read them I always say "I wouldn't f*ing say/do that!", and I feel I have no right to force the reader to feel/say/do things they normally wouldn't. I know it's fiction, but I cannot connect with reader inserts, neither in reading nor writing.

But unlike insert readers, the possibilities with original characters is infinite and there's no one that can say that the OC wouldn't react this or that way except me! (When I'm writing them ofc) And I accept whatever the OC's reaction is when I'm reading it bc it is what it is. I have no base to refute it.

🍄 ⇢ share a head canon for one of your favourite ships or pairings

Kalluzeb when they get hurt: two sides of the same coin

Zeb goes berserk when Kallus is in danger. Any imperial in a mile radius of them will have a gruesome demise. It's a little scary to witness. But later, he calms down once they're safe and patches Kallus up with utmost care. Kallus gets often hurt, so Zeb is an expert by now.

On the other hand, if it Zeb who gets hurt during a mission, Kallus keeps his head cold and do what he needs to do to get Zeb out of there. He's methodical and pragmatic about it. But once they're safe, Kallus crumbles. He can't deal with Zeb hurt. It messes with his head.

🌿 ⇢ give some advice on writer's block and low creativity

I struggle with this myself, but sometimes I do things that help me

Take a break from writing (sometimes even a short break is enough, sometimes you need days or weeks. It's okay)

But during the before mentioned break (especially the long ones) you can do other things, get out of your comfort zone. Read something (your favorite book or something new), watch tv shows/movies in a different genre/fandom you're writing for. Do another type of art, listen to music, etc.

Brainstorm with someone else (or several others). This is VERY IMPORTANT. Sometimes what we need to get unstuck is voicing the problem. I'd say that 7 out of 10 times, you'll find the solution by yourself while explaining the other person. If not, then your friend(s) will give you one, or at least, spark your imagination by telling you the detail you were missing.

Remember that even just a sentence written is progress.

And, even if it's often discouraged by many writing advice lists, edit that last portion of what you wrote and don't be afraid to discard what doesn't work (but don't delete it. You can save that for another story or later on in the same fic you're working on.). Doing this, you can make the story flow easily again.

Send me one (or more) of these Writers Truth & Dare Asks!!

#mare replies #writers truth & dare ask game

[esta-elavaris]

Hi!

Sooooo, I was wallowing in self pity because there was no HWFG (no pressure to write or update! I just can’t be normal about that story) so I went to check your ao3 and was surprised to see that you’re a fellow James Norrington truther! It inspired me to rewatch the first two pirates of the Caribbean movies and I kinda fell into the norrington rabbit hole again.

That made me read fallen through time and I honestly became OBSESSED so when I was done with the chapters you posted for that story I immediately turned to catch the wind and,,,,,,, [insert unhinged meme about ripping out guts]. I started reading it on Saturday and I couldn’t put it down so I read through two nights and am now tired as fuck, sitting at work, trying to appear busy while still reading your story. What have you done to me!!! I just read the wedding night chapter (I’m going insane, that had no business being so hot???) and honestly, that was so rewarding? Very well written smut aside, the slow burn was soooo good and there were moments where I had actual tears in my eyes??? Theo’s pain when she overheard Elizabeth accepting James‘ proposal? AH!!!! I adore their relationship. The banter, the soft moments, their conflict, their quiet conversations (though I must say I maybe even like it more in fallen through time? He’s just so mean, suspicious and stupid at times in that one, I live for that). I feel like theyre the definition of „she fell first, he fell harder“ and at one point i was really reminded of something I’ve read elsewhere… it was something like „you’re looking at me with purpose“ and that’s just so spot on for James? He’s so devoted to her it makes my heart melt.

On that note, it’s so impressive how much research you’ve done?! And how much thought you’ve put into everything? It’s not easy to write for that time period (I say as a person with two degrees in history lol), especially when it comes to balancing the cultural differences between norrington and Theo? That made everything even more fun to read.

And it’s so impressive how you manage to have this story follow the events of the movies but for it to never become boring or repetitive? You manage to capture the characters we all know and love so well while also making them your own. Your James, of course, is spot on, but also Elizabeth and will? And in all honesty, I maybe like your jack sparrow more than the canon one. He serves as comic relief so much that you sometimes forget he’s a seasoned pirate and much more intelligent, provident and even dangerous than one might think. He feels much more human in your story in my opinion. And that moment where he returns to Tortuga and confronts Theo about the cannibals? I laughed so loud that my bf woke up lol

Okay so I’ll stop rambling now, I just wanted to drop by to tell you how much I love your work and how glad I am that I checked out your norrington/theo stuff. Theo is amazing and I love them both so much. My boss just left the building and I sure will spend the rest of my time at work today reading, they don’t pay me enough anyway. I so hope that her attempt at changing James’ fate will work out and I’m very anxious but also excited to find out where this all goes!

Sending love and appreciation from Germany!

I know I'm on a tumblr break but this is too nice and it has me crying too much to leave it to gather dust in my inbox 🫠🫠🫠

Thank you so so so so SO much!!!

Honestly Catch the Wind will always have a special place in my heart (the people who have sat and watched me continue to talk about it ~14 months after it was finished are like "we know, babe") because I wrote it like, being somewhat fond of Norrington but mostly to get the idea for a Boromir fic out of my system, and instead I ended up sick over Norrington and still writing the Boromir fic anyway. Buuut I mean I got my favourite project so far out of it so I can't complain, I just laugh at how I played myself. Tbf tho, it was a great thing because POTC was a great stepping stone towards even more intimidating LOTR territory!

I'm so glad the smut was decent, too! That was the first story I've ever written it for and I was so nervous about it 💀 I do completely agree with your view on Theo and James as a couple though - the falling first/harder, and the "you're looking at me with purpose" both. I just don't think he'd ever be the type to get complacent. He's not a man who lays on the charm to win the girl, before thinking "what's the point in continuing to try?" once he "has" her. I see him as being such a ride or die, insanely loyal, "that is my WIFE", Gomez Addams coded guy, I love him for it. Those sitcom coded jokes where a guy hates his wife the second he marries her would be the very opposite of his kind of thing. That's why I had so much fun giving him that back in Theo, considering Elizabeth doesn't return his feelings in the movies.

And I mean, I don't think he's owed that from her and I don't think less of her for not returning those feelings, she can't help it (although I do raise my eyebrows at anybody who'd choose Will over The Noz, but people are allowed to be wrong ig), and I think if anything it'd be worse if she did marry him in the end without having that same level of feeling, but it was just so nice to give him someone as dedicated to him as he was to her in Theodora 🥹 I also think Boromir has a lot of that in him, so I'm very excited about his future with Sybil.

I'm also so thrilled to hear the research went appreciated - a lot of it was very fun, like if I hadn't done an Eng Lit/Creative Writing degree, I would've gone into history (I actually almost did do a second degree in history but the funding didn't work out, so I stick to just reading a lot, which I'm cool with), and like most of it was fun, but there were times when I was googling a) the origin of the coffee table, and b) 18th century equivalents of a coffee table/accent table at 4am for the sake of one throwaway line where I did wonder about my path in life. I swear, I deep-dived into it in the notes usually because I at least wanted to make it clear when I had done my research vs when I was knowingly deviating (a few unknowing mistakes did slip through but I think how much research otherwise went into it kind of makes people more willing to overlook a mistake here and there?) but also because it meant I could get more out of said research binges than just one unnoticeable line in a random paragraph 🤡

And JACK. God. I could write a dissertation on Jack. What they do to his character in movies 4/5 are 90% of the reason I don't like them and have only seen them once each. The other 10% is that uhhh they're just crap. Like it's so, so clear in the first three - mainly because of JD's fab acting - that the eccentric thing masks a lot of intelligence and cunning. He'll do his whole "weirdo" shtick, and I don't even think it's entirely an act, I think he is truly eccentric to an extent, but there'll just be these really brief moments where there's just a gleam in his eye, or he'll be suddenly serious for 0.5 seconds and you see what's going on behind the mask, and you realise it is a mask. Whereas in 4/5 it turns into a thing of "idiot who bumbles around and finds his way by sheer luck", which was never what he was in the trilogy.

I also think his crew's reaction to him shows that he is more than willing to be a hardass captain when it comes to it - the moment off of the top of my head is when Cotton's parrot goes "walk the plank" in movie two and his gun is immediately out and he's not happy and they all kinda startle a bit. But even without glimpses like that, like, they're pirates. If he was weak, and he wasn't willing to be stern and not take shit, they wouldn't follow him, and he wouldn't be half as infamous as he is. They know he's odd, but it's clear they respect him, so he must have earned that respect.

He was the one I was most scared of having to write going into this thing (along with Barbossa and Beckett), because he's so easy to get wrong. I'm always so, so thrilled when I hear I did him justice!

Okay, I have written you an entire dissertation here, so I'll stop now and just say again THANK YOU SO SO SO MUCH!!!! 💜💜💜 I've read this like ten times since I first received it, it had me grinning like an idiot every single time, I'm so grateful -- and I hope you like what I have in store for HWFG! The wait shouldn't be tooo long, I'm taking April off of posting but not writing, so ideally I'll have something to post in the very beginning of May!

(and I'll reply to your other ask in a bit, I just wanted to make it clear I wasn't ignoring this!!)

#asks #CTW #james/theodora #dissertation!lucy strikes again

[zepskies]

Hey Zep!

I love your writing, especially been enjoying the Soldier Boy series stuff and the latest with Smoke Eater!

(Btw are you taking inspiration from One Chicago (Fire, PD, Med) with it? If so kudos and I love it, big fans of those series myself 😊)

Anyway! I’ve really been enjoying your works, been pouring through them and the stuff you have on AO3. I also thought your tips for writing were super helpful!

I’m back to writing myself after a long ass break, but always struggle keeping inspiration so a lot of my work sometimes goes unfinished. I’d like to ask how you keep motivated and continue a fic even if sometimes you’re not into it? Do you have any tips or tricks?

Thank you and again, love your work!

Hey there, lovely!! ❤️

Thank you so much! I'm so glad you liked Break Me Down and are enjoying Smoke Eater too! ❤️‍🔥

(Oh yes, indeed I am! 😊 I love all things Law & Order and One Chicago. I based firefighter!Dean on Lt. Matt Casey in Chicago Fire, with a little Severide flair lol.)

Thank you again for reading my work, both here and on Ao3!! I'm also glad that my writing tips have been helpful to you in any way. I came back to Tumblr and writing in general after about a year break myself, so I feel you there.

I absolutely LOVE your question though...

Because it's something I still battle with myself. I think all of us writers and artists struggle to stay motivated, no matter how much we love our craft. I do, however, have a few tips that help me immensely.

5 Tips to Stay Motivated to Write:

Be organized. Create a realistic, attainable schedule. ✍️

My brain works in checklists, bullet points, very methodical. I can't write chapter five before chapter 1. I can't write a series (even a mini series or a long one-shot) without outlining first.

So my first step is creating a schedule for myself: from sketching the premise, to bullet points/outlining, to actually sitting down to draft, to then editing. When I'm working on a series, I write the first 3 to 5 chapters before starting post it.

This means I have a head start. I commit to writing a chapter per week after that until the series is done. This give me lots of time and wiggle room for editing before posting each chapter afterwards. For example, I wrote the first 5 chapters of Smoke Eater before I started to post. I'm now in the middle of drafting Part 19 out of 20 even though I just posted Part 11.

Now, this doesn't mean I don't slack off lol. If I don't follow these steps I lose my discipline. I can get lazy. (We won't talk about And So It Goes. 😅 I've been sitting on writing the last 5 chapters for a painfully long time.)

But I have other tips that help me get my head back into the game.

2. Revisit the thing that gave you inspiration in the first place! 🍿

Rewatch, reread, revisit the episode, movie, book, story, artwork that stroked your muse and had you daydreaming and brainstorming about the WIP you're working on. That can be a good way to revitalize you when you feel your motivation lacking.

3. Create a music playlist. 🎶

I love doing this, especially for a series. I often create a playlist of songs that remind me of the setting, the characters, the romance I'm trying to create. Whether it's the words or the tone/rhythm that get me going, music inspires me greatly.

(For Break Me Down, for example, I listened to songs like "All My Living Time" by Radio Company for the vibe of the plot, and oldies like "If I Didn't Care" and "You're Getting to Be a Habit With Me" by Mel Torme for nostalgic 40s vibes/the romance.)

4. Go for a walk. ☀️

I walk for exercise, but it also gives me time to daydream and run scenes in my head while vibing to my music (sometimes looking like a crazy person as I nod and make hand motions lmao). This helps me clear my head, get some fresh air, then come back to my laptop with a little more pep in my brain, ready to write.

5. Encouragement and feedback from others. 💞

This really helps, of course. Whether it's someone you trust to read over your work, or seeing how people react to your initial chapters after you post them. Both can be very motivating to keep going, at least for me!

And I'll be transparent, I've gotten a bit fatigued while writing the back half of Smoke Eater. I have a lot going on at work and my personal life at the moment. But seeing how people have been commenting and giving feedback on each chapter -- the mystery, the connection between Dean and the reader, the various storylines happening -- it's been incredibly motivating for me to read those back and remember that people are enjoying what I'm coming up with. It helps give me the push I need to get the rough draft out.

And a rough draft doesn't have to be perfect on the first try. That's why it's rough. I call it the "throw up draft." Just get it on the page. The editing process is where I truly find the nuance in the dialogue, refine the plot, exposition, etc.

Anyway. I'm long-winded again, as usual. 😂

I hope this helps you! If you have any other writing questions just let me know. I love talking about this stuff! 💕

#ask me stuff #reader appreciation #writing is hard #writing tips #staying motivated #tips for writers #support writers #support artists #smoke eater #break me down #dean winchester #soldier boy #spn #the boys #zepskies answers

[koskela-knights]

My fic collection

Straight up taken from my page, but now as a post.

I write a whole bunch lmao so here some of them are, all in 1 place. Might update this post too. Always read the tags on ao3 for possible CW & TWs!

No matter how stupid

Ilmo deals with the aftermath of his brother’s death.

Without Wake

Alice is depressed since the supposed passing of her husband. Barry comes over, trying to help in ways he can.

Knitting is good for the soul

Jaakko takes up knitting as a hobby.

Off trail

Self-indulgent Ilmo x Reader. You are taken on an adventure in the National Park.

Altered World Event

Maybe down the loop, it wasn’t Jaakko who paid the price for taunting Scratch.

Grave

Ilmo and the kids visit Jaakko’s grave. As simple and sad as that.

Jacket

Alan wants to do something right to the remaining Koskela brother.

Bleeding Hearts

Wake tries to make sense of the world, what happened and how to rewrite it to fix it. Ilmo is there to help along the way.

The Body Swap Accident

Somehow, the writer switches body with an unusual suspect which could turn this case upside down.

Koskela Home-Knit Sweaters for the Holidays

I wrote an ad for the Koskela sweaters, created by yours truly :P

Hot showers and the things that follow after

Ilmo and Alan return back home. Messy, tired but still kind of high on the adrenaline of escaping a deadly situation, they need to unwind and also take a shower. It’s NSFW!

Daddy Issues

Jaakko learns he’s become a father.

Again

A drabble where Jaakko wakes up one day, realizing he’s trapped in the spiral.

Curious Case(y)

NSFW fic revolving about Detective Casey being possessed by Scratch who is very curious about the Detective.

Will it ever be okay?

Reader insert who comforts Ilmo post Jaakko’s demise.

Bear Season

The Cult of the Tree encounters a new terrifying enemy.

She’s one of us

In this reality, Saga’s daughter drowned.

The Grandmaster Returns

Ilmari/Zane if you squint hard enough.

Again and Again

A drabble where it’s Ilmo who wakes up, now aware of the loop.

Stab me again, please

Based off a Tumblr post where you see during Deerfest Ilmo yells this specific line at Alan.

Just a normal day at the Valhalla Nursing Home

A silly fic where we follow a trio of elderly ladies at the VNH. The Koskela ads are their highlight of the day and they are also very interested in a certain brother.

Mirror Mirror

Slightly experimental fic with switching POVs about Ilmo resisting the Dark Presence.

Rose’s Secret Side Business

A fic about Rose’s side business of taking care of the Taken outside.

Blood Brothers

A vampire AU about the Huotari brothers, their early life in Watery and the undoing of their lives when Ilmari accidentally kills detective Kesä in self-defence.

Reunions

A collection of drabbles about reunions between brothers.

Different Ritual

Explicit spin-off/sequel to the Blood Brothers fic. Ilmari/Seine PWP.

Hug

Ilmo finally gets a hug after his brother’s death.

Private Invitation

Explicit Jaakko x m! Reader

Flesh of a Fallen Angel

Explicit Ilmari x transmasc! Reader (dub-con)

Ahma Beer!

Jaakko gifts Ilmo something once the beer deal is sealed.

Friends with Benefits and Beer

Explicit Jaakko x transmasc! Reader x Ilmo

Wolfish hunger

A werewolf AU with werewolf Koskela brothers & Rose Marigold.

Kaleidoscope

Angsty drabble about Ilmo trying to fix his broken heart after Jaakko's death.

Minds Collide

Explicit Zaneling (Zane x Darling) drabble about their collaboration.

Dance with me?

My first Ilmo/Rose fic about them dancing together.

Kalevala Knight

Explicit Ilmo/Alan drabble. Something about a knight and a writer.

Smalltown Boy

A coming of age, slice of life AU where Ilmo's a closeted gay kid.

Smalltown Boy at Prom

Sequel to Smalltown Boy where Ilmo has his first prom.

Unmasked

Rose finds a familiar Cultist after he gets unmasked. My first Rose/Jaakko, Rose & Jaakko focused fic.

Ghost Towns

AU where Alan is a sentient doll who goes on an unexpected journey.

Underneath the skin there's a Human

An angsty CultCase fic about different POVs on echo! Cultist Ilmo.

Cigarettes x Rain

A CultCase drabble about smoking with your enemy.

Firsts

Trans! Ilmo x Rose and their firsts. No Dark Presence AU

Ink

CultCase angst about tattoos and remembering loved ones.

He created me in his image

A transmasc! Reader x Ilmari, arranged wedding AU.

#my fic #when u have no job but aw2 motivates your creativity relentlessly <3 #alan wake 2 #koskela brothers #huotari brothers #rose marigold #alex casey #saga anderson #alice wake #barry wheeler #90% is koskela content tho but yeah i did write for some other characters in some stories :) #mr scratch #ilmo koskela #jaakko koskela #ilmari huotari #jaakoppi huotari

[andypantsx3]

Hi Andie! I was wondering what inspired you to start writing and if you had any trouble/ doubt about posting it?

I think I've answered this before so apologies to anyone who is sick of my origin story lmao!!

I started writing simply because I had a bunch of new time on my hands after the pandemic started, and I was not seeing enough of the kinds of stories I wanted to read in the ao3 tags yet!! I started writing in April 2020 (actually the same day I wrote the first chapter of savvy was the day I posted it lol) so there were way fewer BNHA fics back then, and I also didn't even think of looking around on tumblr until more towards the end of 2020.

Basically I wanted to read longer, multi-chapter fics with quirkless weenie girl MCs instead of the cool, collected, sexy, and/or powerful MCs that are typical of x Reader fics!! (To be clear, I do love a powerful sexy Reader and I love that women especially are feeling empowered to write more of this kind of character now. I just personally am a weenie girl and crave representation too lol.) Anyway, there were not enough of that type of MC or story in my opinion, so I decided to try making one!!

I did, and still to this day, have so many doubts about posting. I think self-doubt is something that never goes away, and actually for me has only deepened as I've grown as a writer and come to understand more about the technical aspects of writing that I'm not yet delivering on!!

But more than wanting to be seen as perfect or skillful, I want to have fun and connect to people, and I think that's made the difference. Wanting to connect with the fandom in some way at a time when we were all locked down in our houses and couldn't see our friends/family was the initial push I needed to take that first step and publish my first chapter!! And since then I've realized that people are kinder than you think, and I feel accomplished even when delivering something that I know could have used several more rounds of improvements.

Ultimately, I think if I try my best and make things I love, I can live with how imperfect they are, and I don't mind people seeing them!!

Anyway that's the origin story lmao. I hope this is helpful in some way!!

#ask andie

[ladyvader23]

20 questions for fic writers

I was tagged by the lovely @fanfictasia and @the-real-azalea-scroggs and this seems fun, so here we go!

1. How many works do you have on A03?

24, though I have some on ff.net that aren't posted on AO3 from the very early days

2. What's your total A03 word count?

850,878 words

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Mainly Star Wars, though I've dabbled in FFXIV recently.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

Missing and Presumed Dead

Darth Vader Goes to Therapy

Just One Wish

Darth Vader Goes to School

Unexpected Truths (just like the title, I did not expect this one to be in the top 5 and I have questions)

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I used to. I read and love every single comment I get, please don't get me wrong, comments absolutely FUEL me, but responding?? I have so much anxiety, it used to take me HOURS to respond to them all. Eventually it got to be so much on my emotional health that I decided it would be better to channel that into writing more for people to enjoy, so...that's what I do now. Again, comments fuel me, and I love you all, and I read every single comment and even have a lil' scrapbook of comments that I go back to whenever I'm feeling down about my writing, so I hope this doesn't give off the wrong impression...

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Easily Fracture. If you've read it, there's no explanation needed here. If you haven't...let's just say someone gets turned into a rug, among many other horrible things...

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

Uh...most of my fics have a happy ending of some sort. Some you just have to wade through more angst and whump to get to the happy ending than others. I think Missing and Presumed Dead had an ending I thought was perfect for it, as did Darth Vader Goes to Therapy. Both were happy endings AND endings that I thought were perfect for the story that was told.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I write for Star Wars. Yeah, I've gotten hate XD. Thankfully, it's rare. Usually people get upset with my interpretations because "iTs NoT cAnOn!" I really just don't care, so I just laugh and move on. Like if you wanted canon, why are you reading fanfic?? Probably the craziest though was when someone went on one of the biggest Tumblr blogs in the SW fandom and used my Darth Vader Goes to Therapy fic to support their argument that the Jedi were evil or whatever (idk, I wasn't part of the argument) and beyond the fact that it's wild to go into a fandom canon-based argument with super out of context quotes from a fanfiction to support your argument, but to do it with a fic that I 100% wrote as a COMEDY is just. Wow. I was suddenly flooded with so much hate from a bunch of people who had never read my fic, thought it was a seriously written piece of literature, and assumed I agreed with everything the person said and I didn't even know until I went to the post and had to defend myself...every once in a while someone will not see that defense and will message me more hate. Like it's a crack fic. Granted, I DID do research on real therapy practices because I didn't want to make a joke out of therapy, but everything else was 100% a joke. I'm really glad people love it (so do I!) and resonate with it, but it's not canon. I don't think the person intended for me to get so much hate, so I definitely don't blame them, but it was a lot.

9. Do you write smut?

Um. Ahem. I may or may not have a private stash from like. Deleted scenes in fics that had romance in them back when I wrote those. That I will. Definitely. Never publish. Don't worry about it. >>

10. Do you write crossovers?

Yes! Though I've only done a few. I think the only one on AO3 was the crossover with The Last of Us, done before the TV adaption.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Sort of. There was that scare a few years ago when everyone thought a random website had stolen everyone's fics, but it turned out it wasn't that exactly. AO3 isn't available everywhere, so there are sites that are just set up to mirror whatever is on AO3 so that people can read fics on that site, and it happened to be one of those sites. Oh boy, though, did they get a lot of hate mail before it got clarified. Then there was that time I had someone write a fanfic that they said they wrote with a similar concept to my ff.net story Second Chances, but then one of their friends was like "this is a rip off" so they asked me to read it before they posted it to make sure they hadn't ripped it off. Except...it was almost 90% word for word....so uh. I didn't give my blessing and I don't think it ever got posted lol.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes! I've had fics translated into Russian, Chinese, Korean and French. My most common requests for translation are Russian and Chinese. I've never actively tried to get something translated, it's just whoever asks me for permission.

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

Yes! (I'm keeping Aza's answer for this part since it's true) There's the memorable Great April Flood, which was basically a dozen of Star Wars writers gathering together to do a massive round robin with tumblr asks prompt fills (those three sentence fics, if anyone remembers) in order to flood our side of tumblr on April Fools in 2020.

I also did an Inuyasha fanfic with my cousin when I was a teenager, and I didn't technically co-write it, but I did heavily work with a specific character for my Fushigi Yugi Genbu Kaiden series with my best friend in high school as well.

14. What's your all-time favourite ship?

I mean, I'm pretty open to whatever. I think I've written Luke with like....5 or 6 different people depending on the story?? But if I had to choose, I guess I'm pretty consistently Percybeth, so I guess them???

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

The Assassins Blade. Like it was a great story....but omg. I got so much harassment about the most random things, sometimes on every. single. chapter. it just wore me down and I just don't write romance-centric fics anymore, which is sad because I DO like writing romance.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Finding the comedy in even the darkest moment. Taking a horrific situation and really just letting the characters feel the emotions of the moment, letting them bask in the consequences of either their actions or the actions of others.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Well, anyone who has ever edited my stuff will probably say "too many redundant sentences" and you know what? They're right. Fluff-centric scenes are difficult, as well. I also will disappear for months on end when I'm just. In a weird funk. Which I still kind of am in at the moment, but I'm actively trying to break through it.

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

I don't really have an opinion on this one.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

First one I wrote for: Final Fantasy X, but my mom wouldn't let me publish because it was the days of the internet when all parents thought their child was going to be kidnapped if they did anything other than look at the internet. It was bad though, so I'm not sad I didn't publish.

First one I published: Inuyasha. I published behind my mom's back, and got in trouble when she found out, but then she looked at everyone's comments and figured out that I was not, in fact, overly in danger of being kidnapped, so she let it go.

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

Darth Vader Goes to Therapy. I will never be that funny ever again. I achieved my peak comedy with that fic. But a very close second is Missing and Presumed Dead, and sometimes, depending on the day, that one is my favorite and DVGTT is a close second.

This was fun! Tagging @sunshinechildskywalker @25centsoda and @zoryany but definitely don't feel like you have to!

#fanfic #writing game #ask me #my writing

[random-mailbox]

Random-Mailbox's Favorite Sailor Moon Fics - Week 24 - Do a Grouch a Flavor Day

This week we are covering a fun topic - Do A Grouch A Favour Day (link to the page explaining more about it and giving some fun facts) - thanks @caelenath for introducing me to it! It is a mix of stories that cheer ME up and stories where the characters do that to each other (even if we are a couple of days late - it was celebrated on February 16th this year)!

As always, my apologies in advance for spoiling some of these for you (Fic Titles are linked to either FFN or AO3 entries).

Following stories cheer me up when I am feeling grumpy or need a palate cleanser after reading a darker story:

Trapped! - For Eden

So right off the bat I want to say - keep an open mind! In this story Mamoru has parents, with his mom getting obsessed with getting him married off and actually proceeds to go to an agency to find him a wife. Interactions between Usagi and Kunzite in this are hilarious, keeping the story lighter. And Mamoru realizing he won't cut it as a secret agent was *chef’s kiss* 

Swipe Right: A Tinder Tale - @daikon1

Mamoru is told he needs a date for Motoki's wedding, and Minako decides that Usagi should get Mamoru out of her head and sets up a Tinder profile for her. As our protagonists sit down to swipe away, they come across each other in the first 30 minutes on the app. After freaking out about swiping right, both proceed and get to have a conversation that was years in the making. This one is a bit of a 🍋

A Nice, Relaxing, Normal...Date? - @wishwars

Usagi has a date, based on a suggestion from Motoki, and is super excited to tell him about her experience. Except Mamoru is sitting RIGHT there and getting more jealous by the second. 

Drink Me - @queenrisa14

Cute one-shot of Usagi picking up a very drunk Mamoru from a night out with Motoki. He proceeds to make out with her purse and tell her how much he needs to not lose her again, being an adorable emotional mess. 

A Christmas Story - @caelenath @goddessalthena @linlamont @reispinkoveralls @riverlethe

The love I have for this poem knows no bounds. I might have even gotten a few people to do dramatic readings of it to their significant others when I first came across it (because it is THAT amazing), and so completely in character for our favorite duo. Usagi and Mamoru take a bath together, doing some experimentation. 

---

The following one-shots are the flip side, where characters cheer up each other:

Bad Day Blues - @kaleidodreams

Makoto has an absolutely awful day at work, only to come home to pass out on the couch instead of making dinner. Nephrite inadvertently cheers her up, showing up with flowers just because he thought of her.

Rainbow - @kasienda

Usagi drags a semi-unwilling Mamoru outside in the rain so he can truly appreciate the beauty of a rainbow.

These Games We Play: Chapter 12: Put the Laptop Down  - @allyunabridged

Mamoru gets too caught up in doing his work on his laptop to notice that Usagi has been trying to get him to go get dinner for over an hour.

Desperate Measures - @idesofnovember

King Endymion has to win back Neo-Queen Serenity, who has been giving him the cold shoulder, as the freshly developed memories of the split in R arc have begun to flood in.

Stuff Tippy Wrote -- Sailor Moon edition: Chapter 17: Usagi's bad day - @tiptoe39

Usagi is having one of THOSE days, where nothing goes right no matter how much she tries. When she eventually makes her way to the arcade to try and cheer herself up, Mamoru sits down next to her. Except this time, instead of continuing their verbal sparring, he offers to buy her some ice cream to make her day a little better. 

---

Next week we will cover Soulmate AU trope! I know @sinjazz has been looking forward to that one :)

Here are the links to the previous Tumblr posts in these series to explore more amazing works based on different themes - make sure to check them out if you haven't had a chance! (Click on title name to go to the post) - I will keep updating the list every week as new posts come up:

Week 1 - Groundhog Day

Week 2 - Established Relationships

Week 3 - Sex Positivity

Week 4 - Unfinished Stories

Week 5 - Darker Stories

Week 6 - Potions 🧪

Week 7 - Reveals

Week 8 - 👻Halloween🎃

Week 9 - Wrong Perceptions

Week 10 - Non-Senshi AU

Week 11 - In-Progress Fics

Week 12 - Mutual Pining

Week 13 - Enemies to Lovers

Week 14 - Slow Burn

Week 15 - Christmas Part 1 - Ugly Christmas Sweaters and Santa!

Week 16 - Christmas Part 2

Week 17 - New Years

Week 18 - High School AU

Week 19 - Slice of Life

Week 20 - Coffee shop AU

Week 21 - Huddle for Warmth

Week 22 - Friends to Lovers

Week 23 - Valentines Day

#fic rec #fic list #sailor moon #usagi x mamoru #makoto x nephrite #Do a Grouch a Favor Day #cheer me up

[arzuera]

Challenge! 20 Questions for Writers

Thanks for the tag @tathartiel!

1. How many works do you have on Ao3?

22. Though It would be 38 if you included all the individual one-shots in the two one-shot booklets.

2. What's your total A03 word count?

729,435 words. Which is a lot more than I was expecting! I never looked that up before.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

At the moment, DPxDC mainly. I used to write for Undertale and I have written for the Rune Factory series.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Robin's Egg with 14,291 kudos. It's, by far, my most popular on AO3. Though if we bring other Fanfic websites then The Call of a Mute Heart will be the top.

Summary: While out on nightly patrol, Robin finds a very injured Danny Phantom who is about to be forced back into his core. Now that the ghost boy is entirely defenseless, how is Damien going to protect the core from others? And even harder… how is going to keep Phantom's existence unknown to his family?

"Safe" House with 4767 kudos. This is surprising to me because this is just a 2 shot that I wrote on a whim. I didn't realize it was so popular.

Summary: Tim and Damian help Jason move safe houses. What was that in the backroom?

Rehoming with 2,607 kudos. Again, this is surprising. This is basically a one shot since I haven't finished part 2 yet.

Summary: Justice League cherry picks the Fenton research on ghosts and treats them like semi-'sentient' beings.

So Many Stars with 1,626 kudos. This one is my one shot booklet so this isn't so surprising.

An Envoy for a Night with 1,570 kudos. This is also a one shot and the first time I wrote an anger management fic.

Summary: Jazz attends a Justice League party as Danny's envoy. Chaos ensues.

5. Do you respond to comments!

I do try but it's hard. Robin's Egg gets a lot of comments and I love every single one! I'm constantly refreshing to see anything new in my inbox! But considering it can get a few hundred every chapter, it's hard to respond to every single one individually. But I do read them all and I appreciate all the love you give the fics I write.

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

Hmmm.... I guess, since it is currently on hiatus, Stay. It's literally about a suicidal main character who is trying to find themself in a new world with humans and monsters.

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

That has to be either "Safe" House or That's How the Story Goes. Most of the stories I write end happy. So I'm rating on HOW happy.

8. Do You Get Hate on Fics?

Yes, I do! For a while, there was an anon that was trolling the dpxdc fics that a lot of my fellow authors deemed the 'fetish' Anon. They would go to dpxdc fics and write a hate comment about how the author was fetishizing something or other in the fic when, if they read the fic, it never happened. This was the one I received on Robin's Egg:

Of course, none of this actually happened in the fic but it was just general trolling hate. Then there were the 4-5 anons who trolled me on AO3 AND Tumblr by demanding I write something the way they wanted too. Then the classic, YOU DIDNT WRITE THAT CHARACTER WELL!

It's been pretty calm for a while (knocks on wood. throws salt over her shoulder) but I have certainly seen my fair share of hate.

9. Do You Write Smut? If So, What Kind?

I do but none of you will see it~

I do not have that kind of courage.

10. Do You Write Crossovers? If So, What's The Craziest One You've Written?

The only crossover is DPxDC for me. I read a lot of crossovers, at least when I was more active in the Undertale fandom. Writing? DPXDC is the only one.

11. Have You Ever Had A Fic Stolen?

I have actually. My fic The Call of A Mute Heart, when it was still in the process of being written, was stolen a total of 5 times across various fanfic websites. Lemme tell you, it was hard trying to get it taken down on the websites I didn't have accounts on. I had to prove that I had the older files and everything x.x

12. Have You Ever Co-Written A Fic Before?

Yes! It's called Contractual Obligations and I was teamed up with @tathartiel for Invisobang. It was a lot of fun! Despite our different writing styles, we were really in sync in what we wanted to do and how we wanted to write it. Its a DPxDC fic where Ghost King Danny finds out he is the son of John Constantine by a demon trying to claim his soul via a soul contract. So now Danny has to make this thing void or else the Infinite Realms is in danger.

I will co-author with Tathy as many times as she wishes because it was so much fun working with her and we are already joined up to write a fic for another event.

13. What's Your All-Time Favorite Ship?

I don't really have a favorite but I do like a good Anger Management fic. I like to read lots of different ships though because its all in how its written, for me, if i will like it or not.

14. What's A Wip You Want to Finish But Doubt You Ever Will?

Anything on my Undertale list that's unfinished. I've tried going back to them. I really have but the spark isn't there anymore, unfortunately.

15. What Are Your Writing Strengths?

Mmmmm I guess my ability to make a conversation last for an entire chapter without it getting boring or repetitive. At least, from what I have been told. Sometimes exposition needs to happen but if done wrong it can bore or turn off a reader. Yet, I've only ever heard good things for the chapters that involve them.

16. What Are Your Writing Weaknesses?

Smut. No further elaborations~

17. First Fandom You Wrote For?

Technically, it was FairyTail but my true immersion into fandom was Undertale. I'd never been actively apart of a fandom until then and I still have fond memories of writing The Call of a Mute Heart every week, waiting for people to read it.

18. Favorite Fic You've Written?

You would think I would say my two biggest fics Robin's Egg or The Call of a Mute Heart but my favorite fic is It's a Case! for Rune Factory 4. I had so much fun writing it and tried my hardest to make it feel like a cutscene from the game and from the people who read it, I think I succeeded.

Now who should I tag... hmmmmmmmm.... @gilbirda and @susiron i would love to learn about you two :3

#fanfiction #dpxdc #fanfic #tag game

[whump-side]

Whump Challenge

I got tagged by @whump-captain to participate in the challenge. If you see this and want to participate, feel free! Don't by shy~ 1. Favorite whump trope(s)? Anything that'll make a whumpee bleed from the side. Shot, stabbed, you name it !

2. Least favorite whump trope(s)? I'm really not into whump with a whumper or pet whump. 

3. Top 3 whump scenes and why? No.6 episode 11. Oh man, this whole episode goes so hard, if you know, you know Detective Conan Chapter 251-254. I remember obsessively rereading these chapters as a 8yo kid No third place because there are 100 scenes fighting for the 3rd place in my head so I'll leave this empty

4. Top 3 characters to whump and why? Lance from Voltron. I love goofballs getting whumped. The switch between their goofy personalities to just pain, yes. Kaeya from Genshin. If anyone has good whump fanfics, please send them this way. This man is a walking whumpee Can't think of a 3rd character so I'll say my OC Birb 

5. Favorite fandom for whump (show, series, etc)? Anime/manga, animated show (Voltron, Avatar, in these kind of styles where adults look like adults) or Webtoons 

6. Do you prefer written or watchable whump? Watchable but I also enjoy written 

7. Do you also like hurt/comfort? Hell yes ! 

8. What do you think the difference between hurt/comfort and whump is? Hurt/comfort : gentle pat pat to soothe the pain Whump : stab stab to do the pain 

9. How would you explain whump to someone who’s not familiar with it? Angst but add pain, blood and injuries to it. 

10. Is there any old whump you particularly enjoy? (say, pre 2000?) It's gonna be 2000 exactly : Mulan. The moment when she realised she got hurt by Shan Yu. 

11. Why do you think you like whump? Good question it's always been there since I was really young. 

12. When did you realize you liked whump? Never, as mentioned before, it kinda was there all the time. 

13. Favorite posts with whump (gifsets, picspams, etc) ✨Art✨ 

14. Are you “out” to people in real life? My bff know that I love "angst" especially when it's bloody. I think I told them once that I found the whump community, but I'm sure I didn't say the word whump specifically 

15. How did you find the whump community? I was probably looking at "injured" or similar tags until I think I found an anime whump gifset and connected the dots when I saw the tag "whump" 

16. Any unusual mediums you like for whump (plays, music, vlogs, etc)? Stock photos. With enough imaginations, lots of things can be whumpy. It's like using a filter but with your brain. 

17. Any meta about whump you’ve been dying to share? None that I think of at the moment. 

18. Whump fic(s) you’d love to see? I'd love to read some Thoma whump from Genshin Impact. Haven't check now if there's something new with him 

19. Whump you’re looking forward to? (Maybe something teased or something you haven’t seen yet?) I am well fed with whump at the moment 👌 

20. Top 3 favorite whump fics? Oh god. I never save fics and then regret it when I want to read them again. The Purity of Sin by IcyPanther. I red it in one sitting before going to bed and then I realized it's 4am when I was finished There was a fanfic with Lance getting pneumonia while being stranded with Shiro and I can't find it ;-; A fic with my fem!Hawkle and Fenris my bff wrote me a few years ago 👌

21. Tropes you think are overdone? Whumper/Whumpee and captive whump. Let whumpees be hurt by nature in the wild far from any humans for a change. 

22. Tropes you think we could use more of? Environmental whump or whump without a whumper. 

23. Favorite sites/archives for consuming whump? Tumblr, AO3, Pinterest, Youtube 

24. Have your whump preferences changed recently? If so, why? Recently nothing has changed, but I'm always down to explore new tropes. Like I did with a tiny whumpee some times ago

#whumpchallenge #whump challenge #whump game #sorry for the long post I can't make the read more thingie work for some reasons

[amyisherenowitsokay]

Hey mutual *wink*

Anywho so I’m a little hermit and I only read the same like 9 fics over and over again and I was re-reading What We Become and I was like what the hell happened to the Professor? Like did he try to figure out how to fix himself or did he embrace it? Like what happened to my boy Professor Membrane and also their MOM?!

(If you’d prefer to leave this to the audiences imagination and not answer then it’s chill)

Also I ADORED how you wrote that fic with vignettes :0

Have the bestest day, thank youuu!!

What We Become (link for reference; warning for new readers that it's a doozy). I gotta put that on ao3 eventually, huh? I think if I do though I'll split it into quarters. Thoughts for another time.

B r u h because tell me why I wasn’t already following you??? I was so confused when tumblr recommended me your blog and I was like, uh, yeah, I know, I follow them already??? But apparently not. I have rectified this crime post-haste.

Lmao because what a vibe, I do the exact same shit. I love burning through new stories but I also my precious handful. It’s such a comfort to have a story in your back pocket that you already know you like, ready and waiting for you whenever.

SO, Professor Membrane eventually learned to live and adapt. I think I touched on it briefly but he eventually is into the changes that the serum cause in his body. Not sleeping or eating as much is great, because it leaves more room for SCIENCE!™️ to happen.

I don’t think his relationship with Zim could ever return to what it was pre-serum. Membrane facing the reality that his own neglect led to a literal sci-fi monster creeping into his life—and that of his kids—long enough to for him to trust him so blindly is understandably traumatic. Zim could’ve killed him on purpose, on accident, on a whim, etc. A boy he treated like a son was actually a creature who deeply betrayed all of them, even if he didn’t mean to. That’s something you can maybe forgive, but never forget. So Membrane gets to live forever, yayay, and learns to adapt to his new body. But there’s a boundary between he and Zim that never really goes away completely.

There is however also a new bond, eventually, much longer down the line. As ill-executed as it was, Membrane would also eventually recognize that Zim acted out of love, not cruelty. He wanted his loved ones to live forever, and THEIR loved ones to live forever. Zim also does everything in his power to make the transition as comfortable for them as possible. Check-ups, vitals, the occasional medicinal or technological remedy to any and all hiccups that have or might happen. The effort is recognized.

Mama Membrane is actually not someone I thought about in the “yay everyone gets to live forever” category, but oooh what an interesting question.

If we recall, Zim traded the Tallest for a limited amount of serum. Three precious vials. But he bartered the serum, not the recipe. Three was all he got.

I like to think he considered Mama Membrane, but only got so much leeway with the Tallest. He was already asking for a lot. Something had to give. He had to prioritize.

It would be a hard pill for all of the Membranes to swallow that she wasn’t included in the bargain. It'd also be further complicated by the fact that even if they did have extra serums, they wouldn't be able to ask her consent. Given how disastrously sudden-immortality had on a mentally stable, highly rational man like Membrane, the reality of the situation would be simply that, vial or no vial, Dr. Mrs. Membrane wouldn't have been able to join them in immortality. It'd probably be incredibly painful, even with the rationalization that, immortality or no, they would've one day had to face her eventual passing anyways. It'd just emphasized how unfair her sickness was, and how much it'd robbed from all of them. Just super unfun and really shitty in general.

I think it might motivate them to start seeing her more, if and when she could tolerate it. Check in on her more frequently, and deal with their own traumas about what seeing her awoke inside them. Maybe everyone gets the therapy they need to face the living ghost they let the very real, unwell person their mother/wife was. Maybe immortality might make them better appreciate the finite, and be more willing to face hard things when they knew they only had so long to do so.

#invader zim #gaz #zim #zagr #ravenfollower13 #iz #amyisherenowansweringyou #fanfiction #ao3 #what we become

[anonnie-in-wonderland]

hi! i recently came across the Home Calls the Heart series and i really love it! but i wanted to know when would you be posting the remaining chapters. i mean to not pressure you but i just noticed that you stopped the series in december 2022 and i have really gotten hooked on the series so i just wanted to know.

thank you! <3

Hello

Since you took the time to send an ask I want to be sure I’m answering as well as I can. I do understand being really excited to know when more of a story is coming, as I’m a reader as well as a writer. I do understand it’s been a while, and honestly I never expected Home Calls the Heart to get the feedback and attention that it did, it was kind of written out of whimsy because of a prompt I couldn’t get out of my head.

But…I do want to say kindly that while it might not be your intention, there is pressure associated with asking someone when they will post the rest of their work. These chapters sort of require me to get in a writing mood, to sit down and type out each scene according to my outlines, to edit the finished product, post on tumblr, etc…well, you get the gist. They require a commitment. It would require me giving a timeframe, and that’s something I’ve always been upfront in saying I just don’t feel comfortable doing.

Too many things fluctuate for me in real life, and it would put me in a position to either let down readers, or stress myself out by rushing to meet a deadline even when that’s not feasible for me. I am a full time college student and I also work and also write and maintain an AO3 account with non k-pop stories so for all those reasons I can’t give you any answers other than saying assume everything is going to be continued in time, whenever it can be, unless explicitly stated otherwise.

Also, I am happy you like my story, and a humble suggestion to show support and keep me motivated would be reblogging from time to time as it could help the story reach others. Also, chatting about what you enjoyed about the story either in the comments of the post or in an ask (such as this one!) is always welcomed! I get so very few asks and comments related to the contents of my fics as 98% of them are about wanting to be put on a tag list or wanting to know when and if updates are coming.

And this is not me scolding you or angry in anyway, just offering up suggestions about how we can sort of help each other out. 😊 This goes for all my readers and anyone who enjoys my blog, because you are not the first person whose asked me and likely won’t be the last so I’m just addressing everyone via your ask here but you are not being singled out.

So, yes…engagement is really motivating for me personally! There’s nothing like the rush of motivation I get when someone tells me specifically what they liked about what I wrote, what they expect will happen next, things like that.

Anyway, I probably didn’t give the answers you were looking for, but I do hope you continue to enjoy my writing~

#answered asks #long post

[randomfoggytiger]

😎

Thanks for dropping in! :DDDDD

The below might seem like I'm gassing you up or being overly sugary and sweet; but I cannot underestimate how much I mean every single word. Your fics were in my first round of xfiles fics ever; and they were cemented into my cracks before I ever got adventurous enough to feed the addiction and read 800+ authors.

This'll be long, so I included a cut.

(**Note**:Editing and proofreading my paragraphs? What is that?)

I begin, again, after 20 minutes of thorough combing

I spent 15-20 minutes grabbing link after link after link because... quite simply, your fics are grafted into my brain because of how many rereads I've done-- I can't separate them from each other, I can't pick favorites, I can't. I had to go by my tip top, cannot-pass-by-without-reading fics:

Whispered Words (Tumblr): Everything about this is perfection. Every time I read someone else's cancer fic, I immediately think of this one (and hunt it down for a reread.) Scully's symptoms, how and when Mulder notices; the blend of sickfic and angst and fluff together, no parts outrivaling the other... it's, again, perfection.

A New Day Has Come: It's such a cornerstone of my earliest cancer fics that this is how I always expect Mulder to react in other fics I read-- it's automatic programming at this point.

Every. Single. IVF fic you've written. I kid you not. To name a few (because it's not fun to just read "I liked it, lol" without some examples):  Name Calling/Archive is the pinnacle post IVF failure: the best, ohmyword. Unnamed post IVF treatment fic and Five Minutes - Chapter 1 are seared into my brain as a part one and two; but if it's a sheer numbers game? Five Minutes - Chapter 2 wins out. It's just... how do you hold a moonbeam in your hand, y'know? How can I describe something that IS me? I refer you to Scully's Memento Mori speech-- she says it more eloquently than I do. ;))))

Every. Single. AU Requiem fic and S8 fic and S9 fic and S11 fam fic. You do loving relationships so well: they talk, they breathe, they exist like real people. I treasure the S8 fics you wrote from my prompts and reread them frequently--though I forgot to label the second and need to find that link hmmmmmm. This is exactly how it appears in my docs: Here's a prompt (if you want): Scully goes into... (tumblr.com) THIS WAS MY PROMPT Ao3 By Your Side Is Where I Belong - Baroness_Blixen - The X-Files [Archive of Our Own] LOVE THIS

And for nonspecific genre fics that I adore and cannot live without:

#58 Mulder to Scully thanks! Ao3 Prompts & Drabbles - Chapter 3 - [Archive of Our Own] Scully gets hit in the head with a baseball bat and you nailed every. single. aspect of this fic and I can't read it enough (going to read it again right after this.)

Since you were looking for an angsty prompt for... (tumblr.com) Ao3 We Will Find Our Way Home - [Archive] Scully and Mulder on the ice and Scully makes Mulder go alone to the Snocat? YES PLEASE.

 I hope your muse comes back. I know she will soon!... Ao3 Things You Forget - Chapter 1  Mulder has amnesia and he and Scully have dinner with her mother and Bill while he remembers-- iconic.

A realization

...I'm staring at 20+ pages of your fic links (and 84 specifically marked ones that have LOVE THIS in bold and caps) and thinking that there is no way I can fit all of this into this ask. XDDDD

I'll close this by thinking of random moments in your fics that twirl around and around in my brain and put them down here:

Mulder waking Scully up by sneezing in her hair in Rain King.

Mulder and Scully crying after her recovery in Redux II.

Scully's annoyance and Mulder's complete stillness in the airport while waiting for their luggage in Five Minutes Chapter 2.

The hilarious way you wrote Mulder and Scully and Krycek and Doggett and Reyes in an Essence AU (Will is born in the car while they drive away from the FBI.)

Scully's head being squeezed like an orange in the baseball bat attack fic, and Mulder's irate panic from afar ("HE HIT HER")

Mulder's tie got stuck in a copier and Scully has to help him out (and Skinner doesn't even want to know.)

Maggie's not a fool when she catches Mulder and Scully a day or two after Chimera.

Scully gasses in the car and Mulder evens the playing field.

Mulder having amnesia after Millennium and only remembering his partnership with Diana (for a couple hours.)

Mulder delicately taking and holding and smiling over his scratchy list of baby names.

Scully feeling woozy in Three Words and Mulder helping her sit down.

Mulder panicking after Lamaze in Alone.

S8 Scully including Mulder in her late night snack and waltz session, as they discuss her neighbor's recently deceased husband.

Mulder swallowing the suddenly-too-sweet cake at Scully's baby shower (AU Essence~)

Mulder swapping places with Reyes in Essence-- it's he and Scully on the road, just like always.

Post Existence Mulder papa bear with little Will.

Revival baby girl being born on Mulder or Scully's birthdays (and the unique ways you changed the details of both versions.)

Mulder and baby Will showing up for Scully's "take your kid to work day" (and him rubbing Will in Colton's face, my word.)

(I'm not kidding when I mean every. single. one. of your IVF and S8 and family fics, so I'm not even going to BEGIN.)

All of your Millennium fics. All. But particularly the one where Scully is woken up by a grumpy Mulder who felt betrayed that she'd left and drove over, despite his injured arm, before calling her and asking for permission.

Mulder sobbing and holding Scully after the other agents tricked him into thinking she'd died in a car accident.

Diana locks Mulder and Scully up in the One Son fort for the night; and Scully's hurt and Mulder's hurt and their reconciliation and re-understanding is one of the fics I turn to when I need to sleep but also need a story to focus on. Makes my brain go wild.

TFWID Mulder having nightmares of his past lives with Scully. Another one of those stories that sets my brain on fire.

Revival Mulder's psychic powers comes back and he tells Scully in the restaurant (part I) and later senses their daughter's heartbeat (part II.)

An ending

And while I could go on and on and on, there's already a lot I put down. XDDDD Maybe I'll make a fic list with my top 85? fics that cannot be passed up-- although, I don't know if Tumblr will allow me that enough word space to fit them all in. Hmmmm.

Anyway, thanks for dropping in! :DDDDD And hope this was a good enough answer~. ;))))

#asks #baronessblixen #txf #fic #as the saying goes: these have my whole heart #I am a rereader more than a new reader #I live in the comfort of my “already read” collections #and these are absolute musts #couldn't find one of the links for a hot second and literally almost panicked XDDDD #xf fanfic #x-files #the x files