#<<< says canon when talking about my very far removed fanfic au

[naffeclipse]

During the brainstorming phase of Cryptid Sightings (so so long ago,) one concept I was fiddling with was demonic cryptids couldn't enter sunlight. They simply can't exist in such brightness due to their nature, except for, of course, Eclipse aka Sun while possessing a vessel. I even had a scene in mind of Moon cornering some poor sucker cryptid at the crack of dawn after said cryptid threatened/harmed Y/N. The cryptid taunted Moon by saying how he couldn't get them now—they were in the sunlight.

And Moon smiled wide, black goo seeping from between the faceplate's teeth as he stepped into the morning brightness, the vessel shifting to bright yellows and reds, and now bearing a terrible grin of ink and teeth.

"Oh, but I can, friend."

[the-martyrfication-of-the-matron]

I am reviewing my first sacrifice for consumption, ‘Woof! Woof! Bork! Nya?’ By our very own, @zane-romeave (I do believe, correct me if I tagged the wrong person lmao)

A warning from the author themselves on discord: ‘I didn’t know how to write romance so this is mostly the setup to a highschool political drama’

And the summary on the website that shan’t be named because ew stinky (/j, it’s Wattpad):

‘Kai and Ein are seniors attending Phoenix Drop High. Although neither wants to admit it, they’ve grown quite partial to each other. But, Kai’s a Meif’wa and Ein’s a werewolf. Cats and dogs should hate eachother, right?’

Kien? Kain? Is that’s the ship name? Idk I’ll shut up now

Now onto the actual review (and further summarising from myself):

It starts in Ein’s perspective, him talking about how much Phoenix Drop sucks in comparison to his old highschool (appropriately named ‘Remus Amademy’), for all the reasons that Ein would of course think something sucks. There’s a lack of paragraphs per speaker but because of the way the dialogue is written it’s easy enough to figure out who it is talking (and by that I mean they literally say it right after the dialogue. Ein begins to complain about having to be shown around by Kai because that’s what Orientation is for (in England we call it something else so sorry if that’s the wrong word). At the end of the day, Kai gives Ein his phone number, and the chapter ends Kai’s perspective, wondering what Ein is hiding.

A good start. Gotta love Kai’s phone number being 987-654-3210. There’s an introduction of two relationships (Aphmau and Kai’s with Ein), a little preview of Ein’s violent tendencies, and some mystery sprinkled in, overall setting up well for a story.

Chapter two starts with Kai looking out for Ein (stalking, but with good intention). And then him explaining some social shit, like werewolves and Meif’wa not typically being seen to hang around each other a lot, to the point where people find it strange when they do. We also meet one of Kai’s friends that I will call Chess because I think it’s funny. Then we find out he has Chemistry with Ein, and Kai wonders why no one seems fond of the guy. We know. He doesn’t.

We appreciate Kai having his own friends here in this house. Because I swear he doesn’t in canon PDH?? Idk. Appreciate the building up of the social dynamic between werewolves and Meif’wa, though, introducing an issue that may come from them being friends. Also, paragraphs for speakers begins. Negatives points for the unironic use of the word bro.

This chapter is Ein’s POV. He meets Leo (otherwise referred to as Lunar) who is kind of an ass. Kai is a sweaty little shrimp, Ein thinks that’s grim. Some dude throws up.

It was a fun chapter, albeit short. Poor Quintara, whoever he may be, and I have known Leo for all of three seconds and I am already expecting to dislike him.

Kai’s POV this time, giving us a little idea for how long he and Ein have known eachother thus far. 2 weeks. Kai is thriving in the makeup remover brand ‘school air’ and his only stress is that Leo wants him to be Saber, though thankfully the only move they’d made regarding this was sending Chess to tell him. We get some saber lore, Ein eats gummy bears in a chem lab, Kai mocks him for fearing the gummy flames as it is dropped into the molten potassium chloride. Someone and their buddy Carlos have a weird plan including pictures. Creeps.

I actually appreciated the saber lore. Idk if it’s included in canon but if it was I didn’t remember it. Thanks. And more drama, we love drama, we want drama, drama was had. Lovely. Also, Ein not obeying lad safety rules makes a lot of sense.

The final chapter, the end to it all, ‘Love, lies and fanfics’. We get Ein’s POV. He thinks he’s being stalked. Chess proves himself not to be a ‘lapdog’ like Kai suggested by saying he calls Leo ‘Lunar’ to piss him off because Leo is a racist cunt. Chess also writes fluff au fics, absolute icon. He especially likes non-violent tsunderes and megane pairings, even going on to explain the two tropes. Ein begins to think he can manipulate Chess, and then we get some more things to do with that person and Carlos. Carlos is airing them. Rude.

A cliffhanger, oh no. And it’s the end of it so far, but it’s been a fun while. We love Chess in this house, chess is an icon, Ein needs to back off. Negative points for getting me hooked on something with only five chapters, asshole /j

[bensonstablers]

author tag

tagged by @mego42​ to talk about my fic Why don’t we go to Venus? (thank you kindly, my dear 🥰)

Oh boy, this got long 😭😭💀 so I’ve put some of what I had to say plus who I’ve tagged and the rules below the cut!

Okay, so, the actual plot/storyline of Why don’t we go to Venus? came about because of The Expanse which I finally got around to watching s1-4 of back in August 2020. Basically, I was either lazing about or drifting off to sleep? I can’t remember for sure but regardless, I started thinking about the idea of Rio killing Beth but getting to reunite with her (in a way in which he doesn’t die to do so) and that was all thanks to the meeting/reunion scene between Miller and Julie in 2x05 (which refused to leave my mind because it’s so beautiful).

Now, at this point, I had already written another fic — Until Long After She Takes Her Final Breath — where I got to break the surface of exploring the ‘what if’ of Rio killing Beth towards the beginning of s3 and it definitely opened the floodgates. Flashforward a little and thanks to The Expanse, I suddenly had an opprortunity to properly explore Rio’s grief and the death of a favourite character in a way I hadn’t before. It also seems in the show (at least to me) that Rio knows what to do get himself through killing someone so I thought it’d be interesting to see him post killing someone like Beth especially when in Why don’t we go to Venus? (as well as in canon) he’s pretty in denial of how much she means to him lol.

So I had the core/main thing but the following bullet points were things I knew I wanted to include in the fic. Things that were pretty much on the table in the very early stages of planning/figuring out how I was going to write the story without it being a) bland and b) too much like the Miller/Julie story in The Expanse, haha. Anyway:

Removing the alien side of things was an instant decision. I’m very picky about AUs and it can take me a while to warm up to certain ones so explicitly bringing aliens into Good Girls was just not my jam at all. I didn’t want to step too far away from those vibes though which is why I had the superantural elements.

I definitely wanted Rhea and her friendship with Beth as well as her history with Rio and how that would kind of put her in the middle of being loyal to him but also greiving over Beth.

Marcus and his friendship with Jane which would be an added factor of the consequences of Rio’s actions.

(Also, Rhea’s thoughts on the Boland kids and what they’re up to since Beth’s death. This is why I had the funeral and also why I mention that Annie is in therapy and Ruby is using Stan’s contact to get info on the investigation in Beth’s death. All to show the full scope and complications of Rio’s decisions).

Outside of them, Mick and Gretchen were really the only characters I was pretty confident would make appearances (if they made any at all).

I wanted to use drinking as a coping method for Rio and increase it as the story went on, going from it being something he can’t help but gravitate towards to something he deliberately seeks out.

Nightmares (and dreams) were always going to be a way to showcase Rio’s greif and build up his guilt and were the first hint (I guess you could say) to the supernatural elements prior to deciding to have Rio see/hear Beth around his apartment.

For the actual writing of it... The nightmare of Rio following Beth down a corridor in chapter 3 and the stuff in her bedroom that follows was orginally going to be the fic in its entirity (a one-shot) but I kept having to put a lot of (terrible) exposistion in to explain how and why we were at that point so that’s when the idea blew up into nearly 40k words and 3 chapters so I could build up to those scenes instead, haha. I also think it works way better and allowed me to fully explore Rio’s emotions and actions in a way that makes those scenes in Beth’s bedroom more satisyfing.

After that, it became basically about keeping things balanced and focused.

Also, Rio hearing Beth’s voice and seeing her around his apartment and stuff was based on Miller seeing/hearing Julie leading up their meeting/reunion in 2x05. And the chapter titles are quotes/a conversation from The Expanse 2x05 that really stuck with me but it also made me decide that I didn’t want Beth and Rio’s version of the story to end with as much finality (or rather the same finality) but I still wanted it to feel like a conclusion to the story nonetheless. 😌

tagging: @xstrawmari​ to talk about ‘lets put on a show’ (or the ‘bucket list’ series as a whole), @medievalraven​ to talk about ‘in the dark’, @sdktrs12​ to talk about ‘Touch (without leaving a trace)’, and @blainesebastian​ to talk about the ‘plans wrapped in rubber bands’ series (or a particular installment if you have a fave!) — also if any of you have been tagged for these stories, feel free to use this as an excuse to talk about another fic you’ve written 👀

questions under the cut!

recently I have become really fascinated with fanfic authors and what exactly was rumbling around in their brain that inspired a fic?

Was it a line of dialogue you couldn’t get out of your head?

A scene you wrote WAY in advance and then crafted the whole story around?

An image in your mind?

Inspiration from another form of media?

Maybe someone suggested something to you and it just TOOK off from there?

What is the root of your fic? The cornerstone -what is it all built around? The idea that started it all?

Tag an author & their fic. Let’s hear about what sparked your story. What exactly got your booty movin’ shakin’ motivated and writin’

[colour-outside-the-liness]

Oh Disneyland Paris sounds fun yeah! Were you and your roommate already close then? I went to Walt Disney's world with my aunt and cousin when I was like 11 but it would've been way more fun if I could've taken my best friend with me for sure. Maybe we can go to the one in Paris now that she lives just 3h away from me! Oh I see, sounds like LA was really fun for you yeah! your roommate didn't mind third wheeling tho? Hahaha

Yeah Canada is beautiful but what I liked about it the most was the massive improvement in quality of life I had compared to where I was living before and just being able to be who I am and people accepting me for it. Not being worried about violence 24/7 felt pretty fucking great too. So yeah I highly recommend living there if you ever get a chance. But I am loving Portugal so far, people are a bit more judgemental here tho but I like that it's easier to travel to a lot of countries I've always wanted to go to. Everywhere you go there are pros and cons tho so sorting out priorities is key. But Toronto is my favourite of all the places I've been, before living there for a year I had already been two times!

Jesus 50 states, sometimes I forget how big the US is. And you can totally do it if you plan it out! After watching Bly Manor tho I really want to go to Vermont especially during autumn season looks really pretty! There's this fic I love (only the sun by prestonarchives) where Dani and Jamie go on a road trip from Vermont to Maine and I did their entire journey on Google maps street view bc I was so obsessed with this one chapter fanfic I had to immerse myself entirety in it hahaha. So now I want to go there irl. Here's the link if you haven't read it before!

https://bit.ly/3BLy4WR

Omg I totally remember reading that on CBML and being a bit confused bc I was like why would she think you can't see the moon from the great wall of China HAHAHA but I thought it was really funny and endearing yeah it's even funnier now that I know you said it irl haha.

Oh so ENFP-T means extraverted, intuitive, feeling and prospecting personality with a bit of turbulence. Which just means you're curious, perceptive, enthusiastic, an excellent communicator, festive and good-natured. On the other hand you can be disorganized, unfucosed, a people pleaser, overcommitted, too optimistic and restless.

I wonder what Jamies and Danis mbti are as well as their zodiac signs 🤔 I think Jamie might be an ISTP-A bc she's definitely an introvert, very practical, stubborn, assertive, layed back and energetic at the same time. And Dani is either an ENFP-T like you or an ESFJ-T with the whole selfless thing going on.

AE already made it canon that Jamie's an aries (and it makes sense) but I can't figure Dani out. I've thought about her being a leo ♌ bc she's generous, passionate, warm-harted and dominant in her own way and THE HAIR haha. But she's got some pisces ♓ vibes going on too...idk. aaand I'm back at it again with the astrology signs haha.

To be fair your recent drunken exp it was dark and at least you didn't think the road sign was a bear or something (don't know what kind of wild animals you've got over there) that you wrestled with and ended up in a ditch and your best friend let you believe that happened for 3 years up until recently haha. 😂 but yeah some things happen for a reason, having life threatening health issues doesn't sound great tho, but I guess it's a good thing it stops you from drinking too much and making dumb decisions. And hey maybe I secretly want that to happen again idk maybe moving countries is not exciting enough, I have to go out and make a complete drunken fool out of myself in a completely foreign place hahaha. I guess that did kinda happen last month when my best friend came to visit me from Spain and we got drunk on wine, I got lost on the way back home and it was way past curfew. 🤔 shit I'm 29 will I ever learn...

Episode 9 is 😢😍🥰😰😭🤬☠️ just the worst roller-coaster I didn't even know I was on. Haha I was more pissed off than heartbroken the first time I watched it ngl.

Well then maybe the way you do accents is friendly and funny so people can't really get mad at you haha. Like Dani! Oh so that's called a Geordie accent! I see, it's really really cool. AE said Jamie is from Lancashire but that's a whole county isn't it? Idk if there's a specific accent to this region. Knowing you speak kinda like Jamie is something else tho, I think if anyone who spoke like her ever talked to me irl I wouldn't be able to pay attention to what they were saying 😂 just the accent haha.

Oh so you already have 4k something words for it nice. I'm kinda starting to feel an obsession with this medieval AU growing in me, I made a Pinterest board just for it ngl hahaha but I'm still resisting creating anything for it, I did a face study yesterday for Dani and Jamie to see if I finally pick up the idea and just do it but my brain was still like "I don't want to do this rn" and was just being a little bitch about it so I'll just let it cook for longer see if we can reach an agreement eventually (if ever) haha.

Glad to hear you had a good weekend! Even if it left you feeling exhausted in the end. And yeah it makes sense for you to say you don't have favourites haha! Have a great week Colour, take care! 👋✨

Yeah me and my roommate have been friends since we were like 14 so when we went to Disney Land we asked if we could be roomed together because we've been best friends for that long now... been best friends since school and now we live together. She's seen me at my best, my worst, has seen me in all my stages in life and has been there for a lot of the rough stuff I've been through and I've been there for all the stuff she's been through!! Nah she didn't mind at all we had some moments where me and my ex would just go and be a couple and have dates but my ex didn't want me travelling that far alone so invited my roommate too because she didn't like the thought of me flying 11hours alone or being in airports alone so my roommate came with me and we had a great time Awwh good I'm glad it was such a nice place and that you didn't worry about violence all the time but I'm so sorry you ever had to worry about that anyway that can't be easy. I would honestly love to live in Canada I really hope I get chance one day... I'm glad you're loving Portugal but sorry people are judgemental there but I am glad it's easy for you to travel around to other places... oh yeah every place has it's pros and cons I mean England has some pros but it sure has a lot of cons too so I know all about that Yeah America is SO big but I do want to get around all 50 states at some point and I am stubborn enough and determined enough to make it happen eventually even if I don't get around them all until I'm like 70 I'll make it happen haha!! No I haven't read that fic but it sounds amazing so I'll definitely check it out thank you for sending me the link Yeah... that really happened to me and it was just a dumb moment where I had this momentary lapse of knowledge in my brain and now I look back at that question and I'm just like... "you idiot" and this is why people are shocked when I get questions in quizzes right because I have said some really dumb stuff but I'm glad people found it funny and endearing... and I'm glad it makes it better to know I really said that haha Oooo I didn't know that, I like that and I think it's definitely fitting for me!! I think from what you've said about what ENFP-T means Dani could easily be that too and I don't know anything about the other one but I will take your word for it matching Dani because you know way more about this stuff than I do. I have no idea for Jamie though. And with zodiac signs I love that Amelia looked at Jamie and thought she was an Aries, as for Dani I have NO idea what her zodiac would be... in CBML she's a Leo but in MoU with what I have planned for her birthday she'd be a virgo but I don't know anything about zodiacs... all I know is all the pieces I've ever met have been the opposite of what Dani is so maybe that has something to do with their whole charts but I know a lot of other people always make her a Pieces and I trust what other people say about zodiacs more than what I know about them because I really know NOTHING about them haha Nah I knew it was a road sign because of how heavy and hard it was- nah we have no bears where I live... I don't think we have many dangerous animals where I live... got a couple of badgers that can be pretty aggressive but that's about it we don't have much that is scary here or at least not in the little part of England I live. Having life threatening health issues has been hard and since having my spleen removed in January (that was the surgery I needed to try and fix the issue I had) things are even harder now because I have to take antibiotics for the rest of my life to stop me getting any infections because if I ever get a chest infection now or a really bad cold it can be really dangerous but I take it all in my stride and not drinking is just a way to make sure the antibiotics actually work properly and to make sure nothing happens to me... and like you said, means I don't do anything dumb too... haha drunken stories are the best I have been lost a few times when I've been drunk... and I don't think you do learn, I have siblings that are

like 40 and still do dumb shit... I know at 27 I am still doing dumb shit too I don't think I'll ever learn haha 😂 Its such an emotional roller coaster and honestly I was just devastated the first time I watched it... no TV show or movie has ever made me cry the way Bly Manor did when I first saw it and it still makes me cry now. I can cry just thinking about that last episode. I definitely mean it in a friendly way so I hope it comes across like that. Yeah the accent in Billy Elliot is a Geordie accent and its my favourite accent there are other accents around the north that are called different things. Yeah Lancashire is a county and again in Lancashire there are loads of different accents I can't really pinpoint Jamie's down to a city I just know it's Northern. I'm from Yorkshire but don't have a strong Yorkshire accent I just have a Northern accent, like people never believe I'm from the place I'm from because I don't sound like I am but you can definitely tell I'm northern... honestly there are so many accents in England... you can drive for two hours in any direction in England and the accent will change like two times at least it's insane... see a lot of people say that but I am not a HUGE fan of the northern accent and I think it's because I grew up there. I much prefer Dani's accent to Jamie's but like I said to me, Jamie just talks normal there is no accent really haha Yeah 4k words for it but it's all jumbled up it's not like a chronological story yet it's just all over the place haha but I hope I can get it all structured properly soon!! Awwh good I'm glad you're already interested in this medieval AU!! That makes sense you're resisting creating for it but I think it's so cool you did a face study for Dani and Jamie even if you didn't wanna finish it I think letting things cook for a while is always a good idea if you're not in the right headspace right away I had such a good weekend but I am so tired and today I had a busy day too celebrating my roommate's boyfriend's birthday so I've had so many days that have been so busy and right now I am just really to sleep haha!! Yeah definitely don't have favourites but I have spent more time with one of my nieces than the others simply because I always look after her if her mum and dad are working and I'm not... like until I start this new job I am looking after her for an hour every day after school while she waits for her mum and dad to finish work but I don't have favourites haha!! Thank you so much I hope you had a great weekend and that you have a great week too!!

[kanamesharisenwrites]

kh’s story snippet celebration sendoff, entry #6

God, what do I even say about this piece? It's so old - the timestamp from my FF.net import says 2012 - and I don't remember much about it. I almost left it out of this collection after cringing my way through a re-read of the first paragraph. Then, I made myself reframe the narrative.

This piece needs to be here; it shows how far I've come as a writer.

Don't let anyone tell you that fanfic is a waste of time. Just look at this piece compared to my recent projects! I'm living proof that fanfic is every bit as valid for honing your craft as traditional written media

Fandom: Naruto Pairing: Sai/Sakura Haruno Word Count: 2931 Genre: canon-divergence!AU Rating: T Warnings: canon-typical violence

... [ hypocritical ]

Pain.

The dull throb of injury greeted Sai as his consciousness reluctantly returned to him. This particular circumstance perplexed him greatly. Had he not been merely put to sleep? Sakura's loyalty was steadfast and her medical skills knew no equal but that of their esteemed Hokage, of this much he was certain. Therefore, the probability that this harm was inflicted by her drug, hastily administered though it was, seemed highly unlikely. No, this feeling was not akin to that of being poisoned. Nor did it seem to come from any external wound; a quick scan of his person negated that possibility. Yet, it was still very clear to him that all was not right or as it should be. His throat felt unbelievably tight, the sensation bringing to mind scenes of Naruto shoving complete bowls of ramen down his throat in a singular motion. Sai's heart raced uncontrollably, palpitating to a foreign rhythm, and his insides quaked. There was something wrong with him internally.

Nearby, his companions began to stir. As they also scanned for injuries, all the while cursing Sakura for her heroic stupidity, it became clear to Sai that he alone suffered from any malady. He rose gingerly, taken aback by how easily he could still function in spite of all his present symptoms, and questioned Kiba for his teammate's last known trajectory. The best course of action, for now, would be to find Sakura before his symptoms got worse. With but a nod, he left his temporary workmates and headed out in search of the pink-haired kunoichi.

Sai dashed through the woodland at breakneck speed, something as of yet unnamed urging him on. Something about the whole situation unsettled him. He should have anticipated Sakura's actions and been ready with a countermeasure. Becoming her victim was irresponsible and now his comrade could be engaged in a treacherous encounter with that traitor, possibly without backup; whether or not Kakashi had caught up to her in time remained to be seen. Her tenacity, even with her insane strength, would be no match for the Uchiha prodigy. It was as clear as needing air to breathe. Surely Sakura herself could see that. She had proven time and time again over that her intelligence was more than adequate. Why then would she willingly engage in actions where death was not only possible but the most probable outcome? The shinobi's stomach lurched, forcing him to stall his forward progress in favor of retching in the forest undergrowth. He had no time to waste now, his symptoms now progressing.

Another half-hour of hurdling over branches did little to ease his discomfort. A cold sweat, unrelated to his current exertions, came over Sai making his hands unnaturally clammy. Barely perceptible, yet uncontrollable shaking started to take a hold of him. His body was starting to go into shock. He would need to find her soon.

Sai lost all track of the distance he had traveled, the trees and thickets becoming but a verdant blur in the peripheral. It was of no consequence anyway. His mind was too clouded to focus on those kinds of details anymore. Instead he focused what was left of his cerebral capacity on what he considered to be his mission objectives: to find and determine the condition of one Sakura Haruno, and to have her administer a thorough health examination on his person. As Sai mentally rallied around these precepts, her chakra signature finally came into range. The worn shinobi redoubled his efforts. His reward finally came into view, accompanied by silver and gold and black, and Sai dropped from the sky with a resounding thud.

"Took you long enough to catch up." A weary, whiskered grin greeted him. "Sakura sure knows how to pack a punch, huh? And not just with her fist."

Sai merely nodded. His exertions had taken a toll on him and for the moment he was finding it hard to catch his breath. Non-verbal means of communication would have to do for the moment. And so his black eyes became intent on catching the attention of a pair of viridian ones. It did not take long.

"Sai? Are you okay?" Sakura gave her blonde teammate her half of their current burden, a half-dead kunoichi, and rushed over to Sai with healing chakra at the ready. "You look awful. My sleeping potion shouldn't have had any adverse effects. Were you attacked?"

The moment she touched his damp forehead, the symptoms began to ease. His heartbeat slowed to a near-normal pace and the tension in his muscles started to give way. "No. I... I don't..."

"I can't find anything wrong with you," the kunoichi replied after letting her chakra probe his entire form, puzzlement showing clearly on her face. "Talk to me, Sai. What's going on?"

"I woke up in pain, but I couldn't locate any wounds. It has to be something internal. I think my body started to go into shock. But..." Though his expression remained stoic, his eyes reflected confusion.

"But what?"

"I do not understand. You haven't treated me, but the symptoms are subsiding."

"Sakura," their tired sensei spoke up. "Check his tongue."

"Okay?" Sakura turned back to her patient. "You heard the man. Open up. Now, what am I looking for?"

"A seal. Danzo placed one on every member of Root. It was supposed to keep them quiet, but I have a feeling it sealed more than just their words."

"Are you sure, Sensei?" The pink head turned towards Kakashi for confirmation. "There's nothing here."

"The seal must have broken when Danzo died." The older man scratched his head. "Normally seals don't work like that. They stay in place even after the one who placed it there gets killed."

"I don't get it." Naruto chimed in. "Then why would Sai's seal be gone?"

"Well, his methods were questionable at best, but he was loyal to the village." Kakashi sighed. "My initial guess is that Sai has some information that Danzo thought may be of use to us in the event of his death. I doubt there's anything wrong with Sai. He's probably just feeling the after-effects of the seal being removed."

"I see. Then it could be possible..." She turned back to Sai, a sudden realization dawning in her eyes. "What were your symptoms? I need all of them in the order in which they appeared."

"Constricted airway, heart palpitations, a dull ache in my abdomen, nausea, shaking and cold sweats."

"Okay. You probably felt your throat, heart, and stomach first, right?" The girl tapped her cheek as she sorted out her theories.

"Yes."

"The nausea came later?" His nod confirmed some suspicions, so she continued with her line of questioning. "What were you doing when it came? Were you thinking about something?"

"I left the others to resume my mission. I..." The words left his mouth slowly, reluctant to be heard. "I was thinking that only a stupid kunoichi would drug her teammates so she could run into a suicide mission alone."

"Sai." His name fell softly from her lips and his eyes became glassy. Her lithe arms lifted to embrace his neck. "I'm sorry I worried you."

The warmth of her body against his was strangely comforting, so Sai chose to mimic her posture. "Did he hurt you?"

"Yes." The word came out as a sob and Sakura squeezed him just a bit tighter. "But I'll be okay."

"Good." Sai closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then detached himself from Sakura. "An injured medic is of no use to her team."

"You stupid..." Sakura paused mid-punch. The faint track of a fallen tear graced his tactless cheek. Breaking his face no longer held any appeal, so she contented herself with a measured thump to his shoulder. "Whatever. Let's just get home."

Chapter 2: reclamation

Running without sparing the slightest moment to turn back, determination and desperation lent their power to her limp limbs. In a maze of ever-growing darkness, she wandered. Alone. The silence filled her soul with dread, its death toll ringing in her ears. How long had she been running, been searching? It felt like countless fathoms of time with the quiet, suffocating loneliness contorting her senses. But onwards she ran just the same, hoping beyond all hope that something, anything would change this state of purgatory in which she found herself. Just what had she been searching for? It had been so long, even she forgot. All that was left was to go on. And though she knew to do so bordered heavily on the side of insanity, on she went. And on. And on. Always running. Always moving forward. She was hurtling herself headlong into her destiny and the outcome, she remembered only as it became too late, was always the same. The electric blade, crackling with some emotion between love and hate, ravaged the recess that once held her heart and ended her struggle. She was caught in the red.

Sakura awoke in a cold sweat, gasping for breath. Her hands came to her chest of their own accord, trying in vain to cover the ache of betrayal that now resided there. It was becoming a morning ritual. It took but a moment to collect her faculties, the shock value of such torturous nightmares dulling with each successive night that they had been endured. It had been ten days since her brush with death at the hands of her most beloved and Sakura was no shrieking violet.

The first night had been the worst. In her panic, she had roused the rest of the team and their prisoner with her struggling. When the spell of the nightmare finally broke, thanks to a sound slap from their venerable sensei, Sakura whispered her fake assurances and rearranged her bedroll. She could feel the knowing eyes of the scarlet prisoner on her for the rest of the night. Contempt for her own weakness, rather than that of his discarded pawn, ran through Sakura's veins under the scrutiny of that gaze. Sleep would continue to elude her.

The next few days were but a blur. Arriving at the village, handing in mission reports, and reporting for duty at the hospital were second nature enough that she could perform these tasks on autopilot. She had joined the ranks of the walking dead. It took a couple of days, but eventually, her friends staged an intervention. It took another bit of friendly violence, this time supplied by an indignant Ino, to set her straight, but it was effective. She went to plotting. After all, one should play to one's strengths and Sakura had always been known to have an intelligent head on her shoulders.

It took a couple more days for her to realize that there were holes, numerous and large ones, in the scheme she was cooking up. Like it or not, Sakura was going to have to call in some back-up. Invitations went out and she lost no time in starting preparations. Time would be of utmost importance; some of the major players could not be counted upon to stay in the village for any length of time.

One by one they arrived, exchanging smiles and civilities before being seated at the kunoichi's small dining table. Sakura did a fair job of hostess duties, pouring tea and filling plates with second and third portions, in between fielding off-color comments between the two younger males attending. When the eating and drinking and carousing seemed to slow, she smiled and began clearing the used dishes.

"It was a pleasant meal, Sakura." The silver-haired shinobi seated at the head of the gathering handed over his empty plate. "But what are we really here for?"

"Observant as always, sensei." The girl added his plate to the pile growing near the sink. "I think it's time we discussed what should be done about Sasuke."

"Sakura." Her name came across Naruto's lips as an impatient growl. "There is nothing to discuss. I already promised you that I would bring him home to you. I don't go back on my promises."

"I'm not asking you to. I'm just asking how we intend on doing it." Sakura spoke carefully, making eye contact with all there as she did so.

"We?" The blonde stood up, knocking the chair out from under him as he did so. "Oh no! I don't think so. You're not going anywhere near him again! It's my responsibility. I'll bring him home."

"We've already discussed this." A sigh came from the direction of their sensei. "Sasuke is my responsibility. He was placed in my care."

"No, sensei. It's me he wants and I'm..."

The table between them splintered, a feminine fist having smashed through it in frustration. "Shut up both of you!" The furious kunoichi bit out. "Have you forgotten what happened the last time one of us tried to take him on by ourselves? Huh?  Huh  ?" Sakura paused to look at them. "Well, I do. I see it every single freakin' night in my nightmares. He was going to kill me. And he was going to enjoy it. Now when I say 'we' that's exactly what I mean. So   we   had better start coming up with a plan so   we  can deal with this once and for all the next time we see that traitorous bastard. Understand?"

"Fine. I get it." Naruto gave his sulky consent.

"You know he's not going to come quietly." The reminder came from Kakashi. "It will be easier to kill him than to capture him."

"But Kakashi-sensei!"

"I know, Naruto, but he might not give us a choice."

"It's fine," Sakura spoke up. "If we have to kill him, it's fine. There's nothing left of our Sasuke in there anyway."

"Sakura?"

"Come on, Naruto. We're deluding ourselves if we think that we'll bring him back and everything will be just fine. He wants to destroy the village and everyone it! If we don't do it, the powers that be will just execute him. If he has to die, I'd rather it be by our hands in the manner we think is best. I only see three choices. We kill him, they kill him or he kills all of us. And if I have to pick one, I pick the one where we get to have the most say." For the first time in days, Sakura gave in to the desire to break down.

"No." A soft, monotone voice cut through the discussion. Three sets of eyes turned his direction in wonder. "You are wrong, hag. There are four choices."

Sakura wiped her wet face with the back of her hands. "Sai, I don't understand. What other choice? Do you actually want to try to save him? Is that the choice you're talking about? Why would you? He's nothing to you."

"Please do not misunderstand me. This is not out of compassion. It is just the opposite actually."

"Yeah, I don't get it either." Naruto scratched his cheek in puzzlement.

"He has rejected the bonds he created with all of you. He has caused you pain. Even now, he makes the hag cry." Sai paused to rub his chest. "He does not deserve death. That is too light a punishment for his transgressions."

"What do you suggest?" Kakashi leaned forward, resting his elbows on what was left of Sakura's table.

"There are things worse than death and we will give those things to Sasuke." The smirk he gave them instead of his usual smile seemed genuine, laced with just a bit of malice. "I have a plan."

The rest of Team Kakashi eyed each other, looking for the unspoken cues as to what each was thinking. Each saw what they felt mirrored back at them, but no one wanted to speak up. No one wanted to be the one to confirm their resolve to do whatever it takes. They were about to change the rules. Sakura would regain her heart by first breaking it. Naruto would leave his childhood behind once and for all. Kakashi would learn to put the needs of the many above his own selfish wishes. They would do what their mentors could not. They would be the ones to break the cycle. They would rain retribution upon one of their own.

"Fine. But if we're going to talk nefarious plans, let's take it to the sofa. I'd rather not get splinters." The kunoichi glanced back at the other half of her team. "Oh, and you two owe me a new table."

"But Sakura..."

"Of course. It's no problem." Kakashi covered the blonde's mouth with a firm hand until the girl turned away. "Don't worry, Naruto. Yamato owes me."

"I can hear you guys, you know."

Darkness invaded her dreams once again. She was running, always running. Desperate and determined. Always moving on. Always moving forward. Again, not a person was in sight, but she did not feel alone. The inky air that enveloped her did not frighten her anymore. It felt... alive. She felt the familiar burn of her overexerted muscles. She knew where she was going. She was meeting her destiny. It was unavoidable. She could hear the lightning closing in, causing the hair on her neck to stand on end. But this time as her destiny hit critical mass, the collision with her heart imminent, the crackle of the electric blade was drowned out by a soft trickling of black liquid. The sound grew and grew until it became palpable, swallowing the chidori in its entirety. The red receded and refused to return.

[captain-of-the-historicfuture]

~hello~ !! For the meta asks!: 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, and 25 :))

Hello!! Thank you for sending these; I was really excited to see that ask game and I was hoping somebody would send some in. It still took me a while to actually answer them though, and for that I apologise. But without further ado! Some meta answers (under the cut because they ended up being fairly long, whoops):

3. What is that one scene that you’ve always wanted to write but can’t be arsed to write all of the set-up and context it would need? (Consider this permission to write it and/or share it anyway.)

I thought of a few examples, but they could basically be grouped together under a common theme: whumpy/angsty scenes that were self-indulgent as all heck. The whole self-indulgent aspect often required the characters to be just the teeniest, tiniest bit OOC and/or necessitated rather unrealistic plot circumstances. So it was simply easier to keep such scenes as maladaptive daydreams, rather than trying to think of explanations for the character/plot issues…or exposing myself to judgement for them LOL.

Receiving permission to write/share one such scene anyway is an opportunity I can’t let slip by though. It might be because I’m writing this while running on zero (0) hours of sleep—let’s hear it for insomnia, y’all!—but I suddenly couldn’t remember any of my newer ideas under this category. However, I did recall a one-shot I had started writing a couple of months ago that sort of counts? “Sort of” because I could actually be arsed to write it since I was, ya know, writing it. Only got about six hundred words down though.

…should I share those six hundred words…?

………nahhh. I don’t think I’m quite ready for that yet.

But here’s the gist of it: Coulson and May (because of course it’s Philinda) were married for quite some time before the Attack on New York. But then Coulson DiedTM and then got ResurrectedTM. But gasp of horror, he had to lose his memories of his romantic relationship with May because reasons. (I actually did have some ideas for those reasons but sshhhh this is about me yeeting context and setup.)

The first half of S1 still happens as normal (except MayWard doesn’t happen because??? Vows) and it’s now post-E20 “Nothing Personal”. The morning after (or a morning soon after, whatever) the T.A.H.I.T.I. reveal! May’s mom—who doesn’t know about GH.325 and whom May fed a cover story about Coulson divorcing her or something equally as oof, IDK—shows up at the hotel and starts ripping into Coulson for breaking her daughter’s heart, then dragging her back into the field with her ex-husband (him), then accusing her of terrible things and forcing her away again.

Poor guy’s confused as heck, and so is the team, and soon enough so is Lian. The only one who understands what’s going on is May, and she’s freaking dying off to the side like why is this happening to me and eventually everybody’s like! Explain??? (Was thinking about including something from Coulson like, “Are you still keeping things from me?” Just for that extra smidge of angst, yay!)

So yeah then May gives a, like, two-sentence debriefing that elicits more questions than answers. Coulson decides to take May aside and they have a heart-to-heart. Lots of feelings and angst and hurt/comfort and at some point plenty of kissing too. Just! May hiding her feelings for Coulson’s sake but really magnified, plus some actual apologies and consideration of the grief May’s been through on Coulson’s part.

And uhh yeah that’s basically it I dunno hdsjncjshd. I warned y’all it’s OOC, plot-bendy, and very self-indulgent!

6. What character do you have the most fun writing?

I don’t think I could name a single character for this. I get different things out of taking on different voices, you know? I guess recently I’ve found myself gravitating towards more taciturn and introspective points of view, like JQ from my original novel Rosewood or M. Yisbon from my…other original novel Temple.

Generally, however, I like tackling stories from an outsider’s perspective. That’s why I so rarely write my more “substantial” (serious? demanding? for lack of better words?) projects from the PoV of my “preferred” character. This usually means writing from their love interest’s perspective, but not always. With shorter fanfic, using a more removed/unconventional/niche PoV can be really fun. Like, I once wrote a canon compliant ficlet purely(-ish) about Philinda from Tony Stark’s perspective. That isn’t always sustainable with stories that demand more character development or closer character studies, however, which is why it’s a good thing I like writing drabbles!

9. Are you more of a drabble or a longfic kind of writer? Pantser or plotter? Do you wish you were the other?

My word counts tend to run long, but I usually only write one-shots for fanfic. If I’m even inspired with a novella- or novel-length story idea for a fandom, you already know I’m in deep with them. And if I actually find the motivation to plan and execute that idea? Dangg. That’s only ever happened…twice, maybe thrice, and I’m in a lot of fandoms.

At times, I wish I could go for more of a middle ground ’cause, like, you know what I love to see? An AO3 dashboard with several completed novellas for my ship/character of choice. I mean yes, I hecking love >90k fics, but sometimes I’m in the mood for quick reads…and what am I supposed to do when I burn through all the drabbles and 2k one-shots? (Besides despair and/or reread my faves desperately.) Novellas are basically always safe for me LOL, and I’d hope to be able to give as much as I take.

Ultimately though, I think I’m okay with where I am with regards to that. I wish I could write more in general, but I’d be okay with “writing more” just meaning “writing more one-shots”, ya know? More than okay, really. I have mad respect for fic writers who have, like, a hundred or more one-shots under their belt for this one ship. The fandom ecosystem would be incomplete without them (as well as every other type of writer, but sshhh that’s the type of writer I’m closest to being right now).

I’m definitely a plotter, and I definitely prefer it that way. It’s cool having such a detailed record of my process. I like feeling like a frazzled genius on the brink of a major discovery with all of my different outlines and colour coding and many drafts and various websites.

12. Do you want your writing to be famous?

Not exactly. It might be cool if my original works were recognisable in the world, but I don’t think I’d want to be recognisable. As for fanfic, I’d low-key enjoy gaining a place in that fandom’s community as a fic writer. Like someone who gave and got fic gifts from fic writer friends, who participated in challenges and GCs, who received writing prompts on Tumblr, whose name was known for doing a certain trope/genre a bunch of times… Ya know what I mean?

Unlikely to happen when I’m so hecking hesitant to publicly (i.e., outside of AO3) claim credit for my writing, but fjnskfsjhfjs. A writer can dream, right?

15. Which is harder: titles or summaries (or tags)?

Of those three, tags are the easiest for me, for I have a reliable system for figuring out those.

Next easiest would probably be titles. For fanfiction, I like to use titles that are a quote from the source material. You should have seen all of my old Hamilton fanfic… I was really proud of some of those titles. And I don’t mean, like, whole lines—usually only two to five words. It’s a unique type of wordplay that I just love dabbling in.

And lastly, summaries. Sometimes inspiration strikes me and a snappy and intriguing synopsis just jumps out—one that I’m quietly pleased with—but most of the time I’ll spend way too long trying to think of such a synopsis and eventually just go with whatever I’d come up with so far. And live with my quiet dissatisfaction for the rest of time.

18. Do any of your stories have alternative versions? (Plotlines that you abandoned, AUs of your own work, different characterisations...?) Tell us about them!

Typically, no. If I have deleted scenes, I save and publish them separately, but that’s about it. I sometimes think of AUs for my own work and might talk about them in my author’s notes—might even talk about writing them—but I never really do anything with them.

Although…

It’s not uncommon for me to decide a plotline isn’t working for a certain story or to think of an interesting but undoable arc for a certain character, but what I’ll do is make a whole new story for those ideas. Once I’m done developing the original idea and the branched-off one, you probably wouldn’t be able to tell they grew from the same roots. Does that count?

21. What other medium do you think your story would work well as (film, webcomic, animated series, etc.)?

That depends on the story. I’ve actually written stories in other mediums—movie screenplay, musical stageplay, poetry, TV show scripts, play scripts, roleplay—but the novel does tend to be my comfort zone. Sometimes, if I have an idea that I think could work, or would even work better, as another medium, I’ll label it as such in my folder of ideas and decide not to write it as a novel.

Most of the time, my non-book projects are collaborations. I’m working with five different people on six different story ideas: two webcomics, one stage musical, one anime, and two animated TV shows. Little concrete progress has been made in any of those, mind you, but they’re still fun to discuss!

24. Would you say your writing has changed over time?

Absolutely. But I’ve been writing stories since I was five years old, so we would hope so, huh?

I wouldn’t say my writing’s changed completely, though maybe that’s just my insider’s perspective.

25. What part of writing is the most fun?

Oh gosh, I can’t believe you’d make me choose. Writing is just such a wonderful experience for me; I love just about everything to do with it. Admittedly, not all the time, but. Since that barely qualifies as an answer, however, I’ll give you this—

The endings. Not only that intense feeling of rightness when you wrap up that last sentence, but also the moments before. The adrenaline of knowing you’re almost there but you gotta push just a bit more to actually get there. And also the part right after—the real wrap-up, honestly: the revision and the editing. Heavens, I love revising and editing my work.

Which is not to say I don’t like writing it out for the first time, too—there’s nothing quite like seeing your cursor scroll to the next page, like going from a blank expanse to a Oh man, how many more lines are even going to fit on this page?, like watching that page counter tick up another number. However, there’s something cathartic about finally ironing out those problems I had to force myself to stop worrying about earlier because “just finish the first draft dangit”.

I guess that’s not really the end of the writing process, but whatever. Close enough (as fic writers are wont to say).

Another thank-you for these asks, and feel free to come back with more at any time! ;P

Send in fun meta asks for your friendly neighbourhood writer!

[kinetic-elaboration]

March 15: Thoughts on Fandom

Not feeling too well this evening but hopefully a good night's sleep will make me feel better and tomorrow will be low key and chill. And my hot water will be fixed successfully.

I was thinking today about how I've felt for a long time that I'm 'between fandoms' even though technically, literally, I'm not. I continue to write and read for The 100 but I don't entirely feel like I'm in the fandom. Sometimes I think I should just leave officially, but then I think--but to go where? And "Star Trek" seems both an obvious and an incorrect answer. It's like I'm not truly invested anywhere, but in a sort of limbo-like space.

Anyway, so I broke it down like this.

I want 3 three things from "fandom," broadly speaking:

1. To engage with media that I really love.

Examples: waiting for new installments (for ongoing media); rewatching or rereading; obsessing over how great the characters or stories are, dissecting plot lines and themes.

2. To engage with a fan community that also loves the media I love.

Examples: reading fanfiction; reading meta; engaging in online discussions; reading other people's excited posts; following blogs relating to the media in question; reblogging gifsets/graphics/fan art

3. To engage creatively with the source material through transformative works.

Example: writing fanfiction.

Ideally, I'd have one piece of media that fulfills all of these purposes. That was T100 for me for a while. But then I stopped watching the show in late S4, and got farther and farther away from the 'current' fandom. And then the show ended, and on such a sour note, so that the fandom itself, the fan community, started changing. And at the same time, I started getting seriously back into Star Trek again.

So now I'm in this place, where I'm still at least kind of engaged in all three aspects of the fandom experience, but not in a unified way.

Star Trek is fulfilling the first purpose of fandom for me, right now. I'm loving rewatching TOS, and the AOS movies too, and I just have a lot of Emotions about the characters and universe. It's that good kinda excitement that a show (or book or movie or whatever) that you really love always gives. Like--ahh!!! I cannot feel anything else but just happiness because I love this so much!

BUT I'm not engaging with ST in either the second or third sense of fandom. I follow a couple ST blogs but there aren't many truly active TOS/AOS centric blogs out there right now. I don't read any ST fanfic because, well, first of all I never really did, and second, I'm far enough behind on my T100 fic! And I have rl people like my mom and B to talk about it with, but not really anyone on tumblr or wherever who's into it like I am.

And though I've vaguely plotted and poked at some fic ideas, I haven't done any real ST writing in a long time--again because I have ideas for T100 that I need/want to get to first, and I'm not writing so much anyway now in general.

On the other hand, T100 is definitely NOT fulfilling function (1) for me and hasn't in a long time. When I stopped watching the show, I still engaged with the canon a little. I watched other people get excited or debate or discuss. I noticed the patterns of fandom as the show went into and out of hiatus. Plus, I still enjoyed the early seasons and liked early-canon and canon-divergent fics (reading and planning/writing). But even that is largely fading for me. I've been trying to rewatch the show but it's not really doing anything for me... I have a hard time getting into it. The canon-divergent fics I'm writing for the collab are not interesting me in the least, either.

I realized today that most of my fic ideas, or at least most of the fic ideas I really care about in any way, are so far removed from the canon they might as well be original fiction with some familiar names thrown in. The one exception is the Ark AU, but everything else is some form of extreme AU, modern or otherwise. I don't even know that the characters make me feel much of anything anymore. I've been toying with how to explain this for a while but... I feel like both for me personally and the fandom as I perceive it, the characters are more like a shared vocabulary, rather than actual characters from a source material we all love. I think this is partially because the fandom is old enough now to have some very long standing shared headcanons, and either small enough or bifurcated enough for fanwork creators to influence each other more than the canon influences them, and partly because the show ending on a sour note for most viewers has left the people who remain in the fandom with a sense that these characters are OURS and that the value of them is in how we collectively decide to use them now, rather than in how they are tied to the universally derided source material.

I'm not saying any of this is BAD, I'm just saying, that's how it is now, from my perspective.

I'm sort of engaging with the fan community (2) through T100, but... it's a little weird. I have people I legitimately like and enjoy talking to on tumblr who I know through T100 and of course there are events like Troped that I really love. I have a ton of cool fic bookmarked too and I'm getting back into reading it. But my dash has a lot less T100 content than it used to and sometimes I'll find myself j-ing very fast through it because I'm just not in the mood. I know a lot of people are either semi-disengaging, like I am, or wholesale moving on to other things. So it's like... the community straggles on, but it's uncertain at best.

And as far as engaging creatively (3)--to the extent that I write or plan fic it's almost all T100. But I haven't... I haven't been finding it easy to write. In general. This is a little hard to explain but.. when I think "I need to leave T100 fandom and really force myself to go somewhere else" it's usually because I feel like I'm not really getting what I need creatively out of the fandom. I like a lot of my wips and unstarted ideas, in theory at least, but the closer I look at some of them the more... herculean the task of actually writing them starts to seem. And tbh I rarely just... tell myself little stories about these characters or within these potential-fic scenarios. Like in all my idle, free thought time--when I'm washing dishes or taking a walk or a shower or going to sleep, when I want to think about something nice and fictional and not let the worries in... when I'm really engaged with a fandom, I'll imagine little scenes and tell myself little stories during these times. Sometimes they're scenes I want to eventually make into or include in a fic. Other times they're not. But they're still an extension of my creative life.

And I haven't really done that for T100 in a while. Sometimes I imagine Star Trek scenarios. Sometimes I retreat into highly silly comfort scenarios with original characters. But I only think about T100 when I specifically need to brainstorm for a fic. And that makes the fic feel more like work. And that makes me want to do it less.

So... I'm not sure what that will mean for me getting back into my projects when I finally (FINALLY) finish the last of my obligations. Maybe when I feel like I can actually make progress on old wips or ideas I care about, I'll get more invested in them. I was pretty damn invested in Mountain Lion Mean and that wasn't that long ago, so it is still possible. But overall, T100 definitely doesn't have, and probably never will have again, a total monopoly on my brain the way it did c.2016.

Which is fine. Like... it's more than fine. I've been here a while. What I'm trying to articulate to myself with all this is that the dissatisfaction I feel with my fandom life is probably stemming from the lack of one, coherent obsession. I have stuff to read, stuff to write, stuff to think about, stuff to talk about, and even a small fandom community of people I like--so what's the problem, right?? It's because it's not all coming from the same piece of media and that's not as clear and coherent and nice for me.

Plus, it makes writing more difficult when I do want to write these particular ideas, but I'm only motivated by own desire to see the ideas realized, not my genuine love for the characters and the material from which they derive. There's a certain energy that fannish activity has... but T100 fic barely feels like a fannish activity to me rn. Just another type of work. It's a work I'm invested in...but I just so often don't have it in me to WORK at all, is the thing.

So that's the biggest annoyance about it. I haven't really experienced this before so even though this situation has been forming for a while, I still don't really know what to do with it.

[kryptored]

Finally get to watch Reflekdoll 2.0, here are my thoughts so far:

Juleka and Luka are siblings goals. Luka is best big brother, and Juleka is best little sister.

All those fanfics, head canons, and AUs of Marinette having a website for her designs is now officially canon.

I never realized that Juleka was so tall.

That is the face of someone who is afraid and should not be pushed into something they're not ready for. Adorable, but still uncomfortable. 

Hey Alya, take notes on ‘How to be a Good Friend.’

Alya, NO. Look at how Juleka’s looking at you. Look how sad she is, for fuck’s sake.

So, we know that kwamis won’t actually disappear when their chosen remove the miraculous from their person, unless they’re actually saying or implying that they don't want to be the holder or rejecting them at some point. This is seen during ‘Origins’ when Marinette first met Tikki, but we never actually knew if the swamis’ presence depends entirely on whether or not their miraculous holders are wearing their miraculous.

“I hope you’re kidding?” - Plagg sounds like a mood.

Oh, geez. Look how red she is. I feel for her, honestly.

I also feel for Juleka. You know, being overlooked for someone’s wants just because you hesitate when you show how uncomfortable you are at first, not even given the chance to explain yourself? smh

Thank you, Mylène, for asking if Marinette is alright.  

Oh, she’s definitely giving Rose the googly smitten eyes.

“Spread my feathers”? Spread my fucking feathers? they should've just stuck with “Transformez-moi!” 

The Gorilla is a big softie, but you don’t need me to state the obvious.

I’m guessing when Luka gets akumatized again, he’ll also have a sentimonster that can be controlled by a ship’s wheel? 

Juleka’s VA is really selling this episode.

I would never forget you, Juleka!

Juleka, I love you, but Marinette didn’t steal the limelight from you. Sure, she ended up modelling in your place at first, but I think we all know who decided to interrupt a very important conversation between friends and chose to overlook your nervousness in exchange for her chance to make her ship happen. Marinette was more than willing to listen to you, yet Alya was rude enough to cut you off. 

Girl, Marinette knows EXACTLY what it’s like to be forgotten. Remember Chameleon? You know, the same episode where everyone forgot everything she’s done for you guys and how she has Jagged’s contact information since she designed his glasses?

Marinette still has no pockets. Petition to get Marinette a suit with pockets. Those in agreement, say “Aye.”

Woah, Marinette hits hard. Lots of pent up frustration, I presume?

Adrien the Kick-boxer AU.

Lady Noire with her kitty eyes. 

Okay, that’s not fair. How come Mister Bug gets his Lucky Charm in a specific way? Then again, does that mean it shows how they think of executing their plans? As seen from Gigantitan, Marinette has a very ‘busy’ mind that has a lot of things going on. Lots of complex plans, so many intricacies. And maybe Adrien, seeing as he’s originally Chat Noir, prefers a more direct approach at things?

Oh, how the tables have turned.

“Now that you've used up your lucky charm, you've only got a few minutes left before you transform back, Bugaboy!” Lady Noire in her big dick energy voice.

Does Lady Noire even realize that her name is technically their ship name when in their original suits?

THIS. IS. SPARTA!

“I’ve always wanted to do this.” Adrien/Mister Bug has confirmed that he practices capturing an akuma with a yoyo. Now we just need him to confirm that he has a Ladybug onesie, and we’re all good.

“MIRACULOUS MISTER BUG!” Adrien the Dork, AKA Mister Bug.

Am I seeing things, or does Papa Dupain’s hair look lighter in colour?

Duusu is crazy... just like the rest of us. But why is she so agreeable with Hawkmoth’s plans? Could it be the damage of her miraculous, or was she manipulated into thinking that it’s for the greater good?

I need more Marinette and Plagg moments. We’re lacking in content with these two together. Also, Adrien and Tikki are so sweet together.

When they finally reunited with their original kwamis, it was like meeting their pets (specifically dogs, or cats in Adrien and Plagg’s case) again after they got lost.

Why does Marinette have to apologize for something that’s not her fault? Again?! Why?! The more she does this, the more chances that those people who are actually making those mistakes will get used to thinking that, “Oh, it’s okay to be wrong and not apologize. I can just have Marinette do it for me!” NO. just, no. Own up to your mistakes, people. And yes, that means you Alya.

We need more episodes with the Gorilla interacting with the kids.

Overall, episode was good. We finally got to see Luka and Juleka talking to each other (about time). We also got to see Adrien and Marinette in matching clothes. Juleka is going to be a supermodel and no one can change my mind. She and Adrien will be her top models once she gets big in the Fashion Industry. Episode finished - POUND IT.

[ograndebatata]

Silver Linings

So... I’ve actually had this fic pretty much complete for weeks now, but I recently got motivated to polish it up and share it here, for... well... I’m not sure why, and honestly there may be many motivating factors, but... anyway, here it is. 

I hope you enjoy it. 

Note: Like pretty much every Elena of Avalor fanfic by me, this one takes place in my Tales of the Ever Realm AU. To give a bit of context on what it is, it’s basically an AU where all of Sofia the First is canon, and all of Elena of Avalor episodes until Snow Place Like Home (in terms of ‘timeline order’) are canon. Details and characters from later episodes will sometimes be used, but there are many important differences between my fic AU and canon.

One of those, as will be clear from reading this fic, is that in this AU, Ash Delgado has a genuinely and healthily loving relationship with both her husband and daughter (although we really only get to see the former in this one) and also is just a much better person in general, though still with a few traits of her canon self. I hope you will enjoy it for what it is, and I apologize in advance to those who happen to prefer the canon versions of her character and her relationships.

Also, I tried my best to make this fic strong enough to stand on its own, but I realize a few details may still come across as confusing. I apologize for that in advance as well. If you’d like any sort of clarification, please feel free to ask.

///

Note #2: There is some stuff in this fic that can be seen as slightly suggestive. Nothing full-blown NSFW, but still, there is a bit of steaminess. Those who aren’t particularly fond of such content want to tread carefully. I may be worrying too much over nothing, but... I feel it’s better to be safe than sorry.

///

Note #3: Although I tried my best to make it strong enough to be read on its own, this fic works better read as a sequel to @lostbutterflyutau‘s fic The Second Navidad, which she wrote for me as a Christmas gift last Christmas, and which I liked so much that I decided to make it canon to my fic universe. If you’d like to read it, I strongly recommend it.

And on that note, I say the same thing regarding all of her Elena of Avalor fics. They're full of well-written characters, great portrayals of feelings of all kinds, and wonderfully fluffy moments of the romantic, the friendship, and the familial kinds. I strongly recommend them all. Also, if you read them and like them, please take the time to leave her some feedback, even if it's only a few words. Remember that taking even only a few seconds to give feedback leads to better environments for fanworks of all kinds. 

With that said... let us begin.

///    

Silver Linings

The Kingdom of Norberg, February 14th, Year 9222 of the Ever Realm Calendar…

A series of sharp knocks cut through the cabin’s main room, making Ash Delgado jump in her chair as the sound brought her struggle with her focus to an abrupt end, ruining her already feeble efforts at forcing herself to study the weathered yellow page she held, trying beyond her best to find a solution to the dilemma she’d been struggling with for over a year.

One of her hands slammed the page against the table as her other one reflexively curled around her tamborita; the next instant, her ears picked up the last few knocks that rapped against the wooden boards. Her heart settled down as the force and rhythm behind the sounds told her who had arrived, drawing a relieved sigh from her as she released the drum wand’s handle. Ash looked up at the closed door on cue with its lock clicking as a key was turned inside it. The next moment, the door drew inwards, making her grimace at the chilly air that entered the cabin, followed soon after by her husband.  

“I’m home!” Victor announced as he closed the door behind him, before wiping a few fresh snowflakes off his shoulders and setting down a bag of canvas he’d been carrying. 

Then, as his eyes fell on her, still by the table she’d been sitting at since he left - though now with layers of pages scattered over its surface - a sheepish smile uneasily crawled across his features.

“Did I interrupt anything?”

A mock-annoyed smirk curling her lips, Ash teased, “Not this time.”

Besides, even if he had, his loud arrival was one of the safety norms that they and their daughter had established for whenever they stayed anywhere: to always make their presence known when arriving, to ensure they conveyed they weren’t any unexpected visitor. 

Still, the sheepish look remaned on Victor’s features as he unclasped his cloak and hung it on a hook beside the door, before walking over towards her. Smiling at him, Ash reached up to his face and settled her hand on his jawline as he rested his’ between her shoulder blades, closing her eyes as the two of them leaned towards each other and put their lips together. Cold seeped into her fingers as the mixed smell of salty air, tobacco smoke, cooked bacon and burned wood floated into her nostrils, but Ash kept her fingers on his face and pressed her lips further into his’, holding both her touch and her kiss for a few more seconds. 

Then, as she and Victor both pulled away and she opened her eyes, a faint chuckle bubbled up her throat at the sight she beheld. 

Victor blinked in puzzlement. “What?”

Suppressing another chuckle, Ash explained, “Your mouth is full of lipstick.”

Again. She inwardly added, as pointless as it was. Victor’s mouth or face ending up full of lipstick when they kissed was as big a given as water being wet or as the sun rising everyday. But Ash liked her makeup in the style she wore it, and she knew that for all his playful grumbling, Victor also did.

Giving an easygoing chuckle himself, Victor reached up with his free hand and rubbed it across his mouth, the faint dark-blue sparks she saw flying from his fingertips telling her what he was trying to do. Alas, the final results were different from the intended, the smear on his lips only spreading further across his face, bringing a stronger chuckle out of her.

“Here,” she said, removing her own hand from his jawline, silvery-grey sparks swarming around her fingers. “I’ll do it for you.”

Saying so, she swept her magic-filled hand over his face, the smudges of lipstick vanishing in her fingers’ wake.

“I guess this just shows I still need more practice,” he said good-naturedly as he straightened himself, caressing her ponytail along the way. 

He glanced around the room as he righted himself, then turned back to her and asked, “Did Carla leave already?”

“Princess Chloe asked her to go early,” Ash explained. “Apparently so the two of them can properly help Queen Abigail get ready for her date with King Hector. And Carla said that because she was spending the night at the palace anyway, she might as well stay over already.”

Nodding in acknowledgment, Victor walked over to her right and pulled up the chair beside her, sinking onto it with a pensive look on his face, the expression looking more pronounced thanks to his placement against the lit fireplace that burned a few feet away. Ash knew without having to ask that he was having a bout of the same struggle they had both endured since Carla had unintentionally struck up a friendship with the princess of Norberg. On one hand, it was good that Carla had made a friend, at least for the duration of their stay here. On the other, Norberg was a close ally to Avalor, and even if wanted posters of him and Carla hadn’t made it here yet (and weren’t likely to be sent now that neither of them had been to Avalor for over a year), it could still happen, especially given that Princess Chloe was at least a friendly acquaintance of Princess Elena. Or then, the Crown Princess of Avalor or someone closely associated with her could unexpectedly drop by and recognize him or Carla, which would at best mean they’d have to leave, and at worst might literally spell their dooms. And that was assuming none of their more dangerous enemies was lurking in the shadows, planning something that Ash could easily conceive as far more horrible than anything Princess Elena would ever do to them if she caught them.

But Carla knew she needed to be careful, and the three of them were making sure to keep an eye on anyone who seemed suspicious, just like their jaquin allies were doing. With luck, Carla’s friendship with Princess Chloe would just keep going without incident during their final two weeks or so in Norberg.

“How did things go at the harbor?” Ash brought up, out of genuine interest as much as out of a wish to change subjects. 

The deepening of Victor’s frown answered her question well enough, but still, he replied, “Not very well. There weren’t many sailors there, it being the day it is and all, and most of those I found were more interested in drowning their sorrows or seeking other forms of consolation than in talking about some mysterious kingdom.” As he caught sight of Ash’s own frown, he added, “No thanks to it being the day it is, I guess. After all, it was the same thing during Sweetheart’s Day in Avalor.”

Though that didn’t make her feel any better, Ash gave him a reassuring smile. After all, it wasn’t his fault that today was Valentine’s Day - or Dia del Amor y la Amistad, as her parents had called it, due to it being the holiday’s name in both Paraiso and Cordoba. Most sailors who’d ordinarily be in taverns or at the harbor were likely to be with their girlfriends or wives or families, and those that weren’t would either be too busy with work or too sullen at their lack of companionship to be in a chatty mood. 

“Was any sailor at all willing to talk?” she probed.

Victor shrugged. 

“Some were. But most of those couldn’t tell me anything about that place, and the only two that could didn’t tell me anything we don’t already know.” He stopped, his eyes clouding over as he mentally sorted out his words. “They said that that kingdom looks clean and calm enough from a distance, and the rulers seem friendly enough, but there’s just something under its surface that doesn’t quite make it an inviting place, and anyone going farther than the harbor automatically needs a full guard unit escorting them because of the land’s perils.” His frown deepened even further, his eyes narrowing to the point they seemed to turn into two black holes thanks to the shadows from the fireplace. “In a sense, it’s like a more extreme version of what I heard Avalor was like under Shuriki’s rule.”

Ash pursed her lips, the mere reference to that woman’s name making her temper flare. She might have come to terms with her husband having fallen for Shuriki’s lie that she could make him and Carla malvagos, but having that daemonfirma brought up in conversation still made her blood boil. Good for her that she was dead, because if Ash had gotten to fight her for a third time, she would have done everything she could to ensure their fight would end with Shuriki having a departure far more painful than the one Princess Elena had given her. 

Forcing herself to push aside the hatred that still burned at her, Ash said, “Well, at least we have more evidence that that kingdom is not a place where we want to stay any longer than absolutely necessary.” Her heart growing heavier, she added, “Unfortunately, we still need to go there.”

His forehead creasing, Victor gave her a sympathetic look. 

“Things also didn’t go well over here then?”

The tiredness and frustration from her mostly wasted afternoon rearing up like a striking snake, Ash let out a long sigh. 

“Yes and no,” she settled on.

Victor didn’t even blink at her response, his sympathetic look staying the same as before. 

Taking a deep breath to gather herself, she explained, “On the good side, I went over my improved potion recipes again just to be safe, and it held up again. The improvements I made will be enough so that neither of the potions will take quite as many moon cycles to achieve its purpose.” Her heart again grew heavier as she once more realized what it implied, but she forced herself to add, “On the bad side, there still are a few ingredients for both potions that just can’t be replaced with anything found somewhere else.”

Victor’s mouth again started to curl into a frown.

“So… that means…”

Ash nodded.

“There’s no way around a trip to that kingdom that seems out of a mix between a crime novel and a horror story. It’s still the only place where some of the ingredients we need exist, and God knows how long we’ll take to find them all.” 

Again, Victor narrowed his eyes so much that the fireplace made it seem like he had two black holes in his eye sockets. Ash narrowed her eyes as well, the weight of the implication hanging over her like a boulder sustained by the finest thread that was about to break. The idea of spending any amount of time in that kingdom was anything but pleasant. And having to stay there for who knew how long (at least a year, to give an optimistic estimate) only made it worse.

“And that’s not all,” Ash forced herself to go on. “It’s not even the worst part.” 

Victor sat the tiniest bit straighter, his eyes opening ever so slightly.

“What’s the rest?”

Her answer seemed to swirl around in her throat, as if trying to come out, but unable to find its way to her mouth for some reason. Though she knew Victor wouldn’t judge her or think less of her, and she had never lied to him, admitting to her failures or inabilities was not something she had ever or would ever like. After all, they were failures or inabilities, which Ash had always loathed, even back when she had just been Seentahna.

But despite being a dark wizard, Ash knew how wrong it was to be dishonest, especially to the man she loved, and she knew he felt the same towards her. Neither had ever lied to each other, and she wouldn’t be the one starting now. 

“I think we may be doing all of this for nothing,” she at last managed to say. 

Reading Victor’s question in the way his eyebrow moved up his forehead, Ash reached towards one of the papers on the table and lifted it aside, exposing a round purple orb around the size of an orange, the orb somehow feeling as heavy in her hand as if it was made of cast iron. 

“I can’t know for sure without looking at the Codex Maru, but the more I study this blasted thing, the more unlikely it seems that we will be able to channel its power as we want to, if we manage to fix it in the first place,” she explained as she raised the jewel. 

The words forced its way out of her like thick mud mixed with sharp knives. Just having to utter them made her heart sink almost as much as them being true. Another smile dawned on Victor’s lips, his hands moving over and curling around her right hand like a comforting blanket, his thumbs ghosting over her knuckles in a tender caress. 

“It’s alright, Pluma,” he whispered. “We can get through this.”

Despite the warmth in both his gaze and voice, the weight in her chest didn’t fade. She wouldn’t give up his support for anything, but what she really needed was a miraculous breakthrough on how to use the Jewel of Night, or on another way to recharge it. Ideally, both. Because as things stood now, achieving even one of her goals seemed borderline impossible. All means to recharge the Jewel of Night that she knew were difficult to put in practice, and many of the ingredients they would need to make both the potion that would repair it and the one that would recharge it (assuming they would manage to find a certain key ingredient for that one) came from plants and animals that had already been rare when she was a child. If even one of those had already gone extinct, they’d be right back where they started, and the Jewel of Night would be good for little more than to place on a shelf as decoration.

And even if they managed to fix it and recharge it, the only thing that might have anything on how to properly siphon its power into them was the Codex Maru, assuming that could be done in the first place. And to get the Codex Maru, they’d need to face Princess Elena, who could wield the Scepter of Light, and her Royal Wizard, who was Alacazar’s grandson and was all but certain to take after his grandfather if he’d managed to defeat a malvago powerful and skilled enough to cast the malvago-making spell on Victor and Carla at the same time and successfully pull it off. 

Whoever said malvago was, defeating him would have been an impressive feat for any wizard, but it was all the more so coming from a boy who hadn’t even been eighteen when he did so. And the boy would only have grown more powerful since then. Even now that Victor and Carla had grown much more powerful themselves, Ash knew the three of them would need a good plan and a very healthy amount of luck to get the Codex on their own. And if she had to guess, they would only have one try, because if they got caught, Princess Elena was bound to execute them all.

The thought hitting her like a blasting spell, Ash’s gaze snapped away from Victor, the fear that too often lingered at the bottom of her heart suddenly shooting up to the surface, her eyes wide as if to let it fly out. The next moment, twin caresses ran over the back of her hand, soft despite the roughness of the skin giving them. Though she knew where they came from without needing to look, Ash turned to meet Victor’s eyes, which still glowed with the same warmth.

“Let’s not think about that now,” he said. “Let’s think about something else.” 

An empty smile flitted across her face, her gaze turning away from his’. As if drawn to it, her eyes fell on the Jewel of Night, stared into its opaque depths, the emptiness within it seeming to remind her of how difficult their mission was, and yet how they needed to accomplish it if they were to ever be truly at peace. To think Victor made it sound so easy. To put aside something that their lives in a sense literally depended on, as easily as if it was a matter of deciding not to wear clothes they didn’t particularly like. 

“I’ve had practice,” he replied as if he had read her mind, a playful smirk on his lips. 

Against her wishes, Ash allowed herself a small smile. Quips aside, she knew that must be true. After all, he had managed to keep himself and their daughter alive and safe, despite having very few magical skills before he was made a malvago. More than that, he had managed to raise Carla as happy and well-adjusted as their circumstances allowed, and done a better job of it than she imagined most men and some women would. 

But that still didn’t change the main point.

“If we don’t think about it now, we’ll have to think about it later,” she insisted, even as she lowered the hand holding the Jewel of Night.

Her words came out tense, almost solid, but Victor simply kept giving her the same warm smile from before, rubbed his thumbs across the back of her hand again. Then, he rose from his chair and moved to stand behind her, taking his hands to her hair and releasing the knot in her hair tie, the tiniest sense of relief washing over her as a slight pressure left her head, her hair spreading out from its ponytail and cascading free to below the middle of her back. Though she couldn’t see him, she felt Victor smiling as he curled a hand around her hair, his other one gently scratching her scalp. A wider smile breaking through her lips, Ash hummed in delight, leaning back into her chair, guessing what he intended to do. As she expected, Victor lifted her hair so it wouldn’t be stuck between her and the back of the chair, his hands then settling on her head and running over her white locks like a hairbrush, spreading the strands apart and gently easing tangles and knots. 

A louder hum flowing through her, Ash tilted her head back as Victor pressed the tips of his fingers to her hairline, before gently but firmly running them back, tension falling apart in their wake as he caressed her scalp. 

“I know it’s difficult, Pluma,” he whispered. “Believe me, I had more than enough time to learn it on my own.” His voice shivered the slightest bit at those words, and Ash knew he was remembering his and Carla’s many close escapes over the almost fifteen years she hadn’t been with them. “But we’ll figure out how to use the Jewel of Night.” He ran his fingers over her scalp again. “And even if we don’t, we’ll find some other way to get rid of the Evergrowing Forest.”

Ash chuckled mirthlessly. 

“You talk as if the odds are on our side.” 

Running his fingers over her scalp once more, he replied, “I’d rather think I talk as someone who chooses to keep on believing things will get better. And as someone who was lucky despite the odds.” He reached downwards and slid his  thumbs in a half-circle behind her ears, bringing them forward rubbing them over her cheeks. “And more than once at that.”  

Frowning at the second sentence, Ash knitted her eyebrows as he moved his fingers back up to her scalp, rubbing continuous circular motions from her hairline to her nape. 

“I was lucky enough to meet you in the first place,” he went on. “I was lucky enough to run into you again and start to know you better. I was lucky enough to reunite with you more than twelve years after losing track of you. And I was lucky enough to reunite with you a second time almost fifteen years after we got separated again. And I could make a longer list.” 

Unable to help herself, Ash turned her head even farther upwards, literally smiling up at him as he looked down and gave her a smile of his own.

“I don’t suppose I could argue against that,” she replied.

His hands rubbed just a bit harder across her scalp, a sigh rolling out of her lips as relief surged from his fingertips and rushed through her. 

“I was lucky as well,” she added. “On all those accounts, and more.” 

Yes. Ash thought, sighing once more as he massaged her scalp again and relief rushed through her being once more.

Despite everything, she had been lucky. Probably luckier than she deserved after everything she had done. Not only for getting to meet Victor and getting to reunite with him a grand total of three times - or two, if she only counted those after they had actually started their relationship - but also for having a wonderful daughter who she loved and who loved her back, and for getting to be with them both and just be able to be a family despite the threats hanging over their heads. 

Victor must have read something on her face again, for he said, “So... back to not thinking of unpleasant matters for now… why don’t you put these things away, and I can tell you an idea I’ve had?”

A deep groan rolling from her lips as Victor’s motions suddenly reversed, she fake-glared at him.

“You should know by now that I don’t take orders from anyone.” 

She felt his hands temporarily stop their movements as he shrugged. 

“I prefer to look at it as an invitation.” His massage still halted, he crouched to whisper in her ear. “Though it’s one I confess I would very much like you to accept, mi amor.”

“You would, wouldn’t you?” she breathed as he straightened himself up, a deep sigh flowing out of her. “Very well. What is it?” 

“Uh-uh-uh!” he tut-tutted. “I’m not seeing anything put away...” 

Her eyes narrowed at his response, a low mock-grumble joining her change in expression. He really knew her a bit too well. 

“Watch out, Victor,” she teased. “You don’t want to fall prey to the stereotype that men can’t keep a house.” 

He again ran his fingers through her hair, the white locks parting in their wake. “It’s more like I don’t want to go against how you like to be the one putting your own things away, especially when it comes to magical studies.”

Another affected grumble rippled out of her mouth. Again, he knew her too well. 

“Very well then,” she conceded, her fingers curling around her tamborita’s handle.

On cue once more, Victor withdrew his hands from her hair and curled them over the sides of her chair, pulling it back exactly as she stood up and drew her drum wand, then aimed it at the table’s surface. 

“Llévaluq!” she chanted as she smacked the drum.

Identical silvery-grey glows bloomed around each page spread over the table, as well as around the purple gem she’d been studying for hours. Ash fiddled her fingers as if she was playing a harp; the papers bent and swerved and turned over the table like flying carpets before settling into a neat stack, the gathered pile of pages then flying into the shelf behind her with a beckoning motion from her hand. The Jewel of Night followed in their wake with the same gesture, but swerved slightly to the right and upwards, stopping its course once it hovered above a small, seemingly ordinary light yellow jar with rectangular Maruvian patterns of a darker shade over its surface.

She directed a look at Victor as she held the jewel in place. The next instant, he drew his own tamborita and aimed it at the jar. 

“Piikrete tarruyniu waaygico!” he chanted, punctuating each word with a smack on the tamborita.

After the last smack resounded through the cabin, a dark-blue glow bloomed around the drum as Victor raised his hand, the jar’s lid floating about a foot off and allowing Ash to slide the Jewel of Night in. Hearing the low clatter of it landing, she holstered her tamborita as Victor lowered his hand, setting the lid on its place.

Sliding his tamborita into its own holster, Victor turned to her with a smile, reaching out with his left hand. “Now, where were we?”

Taking his hand, Ash replied. “You were about to make an invitation.”

He raised his arm in response, in time with Ash twirling in place, her hair fanning out as she completed her spin and then stepped towards Victor’s chest as he drew her to him, wrapping both arms around her as he settled his lips on her neck. 

“I was thinking…” he halted his words to kiss her neck “...that you could wait here while I run you a nice warm bath…” he kissed a slightly higher spot “... and then you take the time to enjoy it while I cook a special dinner with what I brought…” So that’s what’s in the bag! Ash thought as he kissed below her ear “... and then we could have our second celebration of Dia del Amor y la Amistad.” he finished, tenderly kissing her cheek.

Her eyes widened at the words, her heart leaping slightly in her chest. Their second celebration! Amidst her frayed nerves after repeated failures with the Jewel of Night, she had completely forgotten about that! Not about the celebration they and Carla had had that morning - after all, it had been the first time the three of them properly celebrated Dia del Amor y la Amistad since her return - but about the second celebration that was meant to be just for her and Victor, which they had even talked about more than once over the previous days. 

I really need to stop thinking about that jewel if it can make me forget something like that. 

Victor chuckled as if she had spoken her words rather than thinking them, the curling of his lips telling her that he was cooking up a joke. 

“You know, as far as stereotypes go, it’s men who are said to forget romantic celebrations…” he brought up. 

Despite the laugh at his quip, Ash reached back and nudged Victor’s nose with her index finger. 

“Watch your tongue, Mister. If I get annoyed, you’re going straight to the couch tonight.”

He gave her a melodramatic gape, put a hand to his chest. “Oh, the horror!...”

Taking her chance, Ash twisted out of his embrace and then pressed herself flush to him, wrapping one arm around his shoulder and sinking her other hand into his hair as her lips leapt upwards to claim his. He engulfed her in another embrace, resting his hands on her back as their mouths met. For a heartbeat, their lips started to glide over each other’s, both reading the other’s intention to take things slowly. But then, like alcohol meeting a cinder, their passion seemed to explode through their bodies, leaping the frustrations this day had brought them both as their lips devoured each other time and time again, each trying to both drain their pent up tension and help the other with their own, somehow wanting to put out and build the fire flowing between them at the same time. Awareness of everything faded into the background as they devoted every bit of their focus to the flutter of each other’s hands and mouths, to the feeling of each other’s touch, to the warmth of their kisses. 

It seemed to last an eternity before they drew apart, looking into each other’s eyes like hypnotized, as if they were floating. 

Then, despite herself, Ash burst into chuckles, taking her hand to her lips in a token attempt at suppressing them.

Amusement twinkling in his own eyes, Victor curled an eyebrow and blew through his pursed lips.

“I’m full of lipstick again, right?” 

Her suppressed laughter slowly fading, Ash summoned magic into her other hand and waved it over Victor’s face, the lipstick smudges dispelling under the sparks swarming around her fingers. 

Lowering her hand as she let the magic fade, Ash drawled, “So… that warm bath?”

“Coming right up,” he replied with a mock-casual tone and a warm smile as he lowered his arms. 

Realizing she would need to let him go for him to run her bath, Ash pulled away, following him with her eyes as he headed to their cabin’s small bathroom. 

A warm bath sounded nice indeed. While cleansing charms could do the job just as well, and far more quickly, they couldn’t equal the peaceful feeling of sinking into the warm water and feeling it melting the tension from within her, making her stop thinking about the day’s concerns better than the best mind control spell. 

It wouldn’t really make them go away, she knew. However good this night was, their concerns wouldn’t become any less real, and the Evergrowing Forest would remain a threat to their lives until they managed to destroy it.

But at least tonight, Ash would enjoy what she had to be thankful for.

[theeeveetamer]

What’s your opinion on Byleth? Do you just ignore whenever you’re thinking of an AU?

AWESOME I’ve been waiting for an excuse to talk (complain) about this actually!

Long story short I’m not a huge fan of Byleth. I’ve never really been a huge fan of these weird self-insert-power-fantasy type main characters (Like is this a guy thing? Is this why it’s so prevalent in video games? Idk). I think, and this is just my opinion, that more often than not they end up taking more away from a story than they offer. Byleth is that cranked up to 11 because s/he is surrounded by so many interesting characters that have to make way so the player can be super-awesome-strong-unique-god-sensei. When I first played the game I found them slightly less offensive than Corrin, but I think that’s just because I played Blue Lions first (Byleth definitely takes the most backseat in that route. And by that I mean she’s in the passenger seat, as opposed to other routes where she’s sitting on the driver’s lap).

Now they piss me off more than Corrin and it’s PURELY because of the fanfiction potential. Fates, for all of it’s faults, had genuinely interesting shit happening that was not related to Corrin in any way. I mean you’ve got the Concubine wars, Garon going crazy, the Nohr-Hoshido conflict, regicide, the sibling dynamics between the two sets of royal sibs, the political strife in Nohr, Hoshido being kind of dicks about their bountiful harvests and shit, etc. Because of this it’s stupidly easy to write Corrin out of AUs. Just pick your focus (say, the Nohr-Hoshido war), remove Corrin, and things go on relatively unchanged. Those are my favorite types of AUs to read/write, the kind where you change one detail and watch the dominoes fall (think, like, those cliche Hermione/Harry/Ron-is-a-Slytherin-not-a-Gryffindor fanfics)

The question is... WTF happens in Three Houses without Byleth? Stuff that’s interesting I mean. Corrin feels like he/she has their own story that’s just part of this larger world. Byleth feels like he/she is the story. How do you write a character out when they are the story you’re trying to write them out of? AND they’re an absolutely nothing character so they aren’t even fun to mess around with (it’s like manipulating wet cardboard).

So it’s bad enough that you have to include her, but now you have the caveat that Byleth is impossible to write anyways. No matter what you do to him/her no one is going to be happy with it. Everyone projects their own very specific Byleth onto the world and if you don’t do it exactly right it’s off-putting. It starts to feel like a self-insert with an extra layer over top and, frankly, I grew out of my self-insert phase like ten years ago because I’d rather have a good story than get my rocks off pretending to wield some god powers.

I mean maybe I’m just in a creative slump but I can’t think of interesting enough AUs in my usual preferred vein. What do you change? The church doesn’t exist? There goes the entire basis for the world. Edelgard isn’t evil? Well now you have no conflict (I don’t count TWSITD because they’re little bitches if you so much as look at them). TWSITD don’t exist at all? Well, the game treats them like they don’t exist for 90% so it wouldn’t change that much. Dimitri’s dad doesn’t die? There goes Dimitri’s entire character arc. ETC. Long story short, so far writing for this fandom has been SUCH an exercise in frustration for me. I mean if y’all have/have seen some good ideas out there let me know but just personally I’m struggling.

I actually have been planning on continuing that Dimidue fanfic I wrote one chapter for, but it’s going to follow canon and I’m trying to find a way to write the story without actually having to write Byleth because, as stated, what a nightmare.

BUT if I’m throwing caution to the wind and throwing everything out anyways (say, for a modern AU)... Yeah sure get rid of Byleth. Again, I don’t really like writing a wet paper towel of a character.

Wow this got rant-y.

[rahirah]

14, 24, 31? :)

 14 What’s the worst writing advice you’ve ever come across?

That would be difficult to say, because there’s a heck of a lot of bad writing advice floating around the web.  But I think the worst advice I ever got wasn’t even really advice; it was attitude.  Back in college, I took a creative writing course -- I bet you know exactly what’s coming, don’t you?  The teacher took one look at the first story I submitted, rolled his eyes, and said in the most condescending tone possible, “If you MUST write genre fiction...”  

Make no mistake, the story was terrible, and I had a lot to learn about writing.  But that teacher’s attitude immediately made me see him as an enemy, not an ally, and guaranteed that I would ignore everything he had to say for the rest of the semester.  

24 Have you ever deleted one of your published fics?

I wouldn’t want to swear to it, but I don’t remember ever doing so.  I’m sympathetic to writers who do so, for whatever reason they may have, but I don’t ever plan to go pro (I want writing to remain fun -- wrastling writer’s block is hard enough as a fan writer!) and my truly embarrassing juvenalia is moldering in the pages of ancient Elfquest fanzines that had a readership of, like, six people.  Looking back, about the only ones I would be tempted to delete if they WERE on the web are a series of short stories I wrote about my and my future wife’s self-insert elf characters falling in luuuurve, because they’re just flat out boring and annoying to anyone who isn’t me or my wife. :D  

31 Do you take liberties with canon or are you very strict about your fic being canon compliant?

I suppose that depends upon how you define canon compliant.  My stories are set in a what-if AU which breaks off from canon after “The Gift,”  and they take the characters in very different directions than canon did.  So in that sense, they’re very far from canon compliant.  I have nothing but respect for the craft of writers who create fill-in-the-blank stories that fit seamlessly into canon, but that’s not what drives me to write fanfic.  I want to take the characters places that Joss couldn’t or wouldn’t take them, but I also want readers to be able to believe that the canon characters would choose go there.  So I’m a stickler for characterization.  Obviously, there is no way I’ll be able to sell every single reader on my versions of the characters.  But my goal is to write in such as way that most readers, even if they aren’t necessarily a fan of my favorite ship or character, will be able to read my stuff and say, “OK, in this story, I can buy it.”

When it comes to worldbuilding, on the other hand, I try to hew as closely as canon as possible.  Where canon contradicts itself, I try to come up with logical fanwanks to explain the discrepancies.  Where canon flat-out makes no sense, I try to fill in the blanks till it does, without contradicting existing canon.  (The backstory I gave to the Guardians and the Scythe in To Grandmother’s House, for example.) There have been occasions when I’ve gotten Jossed.  Mostly they’ve been small things.  For example, I started writing Necessary Evils before S7 started, and at that point, we didn’t know that the First Evil could only manifest as dead people.  So in NE, I had it manifest a couple of times as someone living.  When the “only dead people” restriction came up in S7, I debated going back and changing the scenes in question, but in the end, I decided that they were minor enough that I could let it slide, and/or come up with some reason why that particular character was an exception. 

If it’s something bigger and more important, I will go back and re-write published fic, if necessary.  I did that after LMPTM aired; I’d written a scene in NE where Spike talked to Buffy about what had become of his family after Drusilla sired him, and LMPTM completely jossed that.  I thought that it held huge emotional weight for Spike’s character, and I just couldn’t let it go; I had to go back and re-write the scene and re-publish that chapter.

The comics have been an interesting challenge, worldbuilding-wise.  My AU is so far removed from comics canon that a lot of it simply doesn’t apply, but there are a number of elements from the comics that I’ve ended up using.  Like, the Seed of Wonder appears in my ‘verse, but completely different things happen around it, and I have the skeleton of an idea for Archaeous making an appearance, but for very different reasons than it did in the comics...

[nosleepuntilvacation]

3, 7, 22, 23, 48, 50!

This post ended up being really long, so… answers below the cut!

3. In your opinion, what’s your best fic? 

So far, I’m really proud of how The Most Glamorous Puzzle of All is turning out; it’s giving me exercises in character development, and I can write in a lot of different styles depending on the prompts and what I choose to do with them. As the summary for that fic mentions, chapters can be anywhere between silly, angsty, and fluffy. Also, I’m having fun seeing how these two work together, both as friends and as a couple - and hey, it’s Papyton fluff, and it’s really hard to go wrong with that, in my opinion!

As for my oneshots, I really like a lot of them, but I can’t help but feel proud of With You in My Sights for condensing the development of the relationship into six brief scenes and still having it come out with nice pacing (at least in my opinion).

(I’m also quite proud of some of my NSFW fics, but given that they’re… well, NSFW, I’d rather not discuss them on this blog, since I’m trying to keep it family-friendly over here. I do have a NSFW sideblog, but so far, all I’ve done over there is publish links to my fics with the occasional text post about one of them.)

7. What’s the fic you most want to continue (unfinished or no)? 

I know I want to see Glamorous Puzzle completed with all 100 chapters, but I also really want to publish more chapters for my pro wrestling AU Contendertale; I have lots of worldbuilding planned for that fic, and it’s gonna be really cool! (At least, I hope…) Also, I hope to publish more chapters to my Undertale/Mother 1 crossover Sing a Melody of Determination someday, though I think I may need to rewrite that one a little; back when I wrote it, I was still open to referring to Frisk and Chara with non-canon pronouns, but now that I’ve changed my mind about that and started referring to them exclusively with their canonical they/them pronouns, I think I should edit the story accordingly before I continue. I do have lots of cool plans for that fic, too…

(Also, I should get off my lazy behind and finally finish the final chapter of Frisk and Asriel’s Special Day; I’ve already written most of it, but I just have a little more that I need to finish.)

Heck, maybe someday, if I ever return to the Digimon fandom, I could finally finish my fic Heroes Wear Green; I may need to do a little tweaking here and there, but I had so many awesome plans for that story, and I don’t want them to go to waste (but at the same time, I’m reluctant to hand any of my stories off to anyone else). That being said, given that I’m not anywhere near as much into Digimon as I used to be, it might not happen anytime soon; besides, I still have all those cool Undertale stories to finish.

22. Has there ever been anyone who’s made you freak out because they read your work and followed/favorited/reviewed? 

Well, for starters, several months ago when I published a little story about Mettaton going stargazing with Papyrus and asking him a certain question, the very same person who sent this ask left a nice review for that fic; given that I’d read a number of his fluff pieces and liked them (though I was kinda shy about leaving kudos or reviews at the time), as well as him being a popular Papyton writer, my thought process was pretty much “wait, you think my stories are good? Wowie!” In general, whenever a popular Papyton author leaves a nice review on my work, it gives me a “whoa!” feeling because their work probably inspired mine, even if only in the slightest of ways.

23. What’s the nicest review you’ve ever gotten? 

It’s hard for me to pick just one, so here are just a few of my favorites (note: some of these are just excerpts from longer reviews):

you had me at “tooth-rotting fluff” in the tags. I love this stuff, it feels utterly soul-cleansing. -review for The Joys of Sleeping In (look familiar?)

[…]And I always look forward to reading this book, every time I see there’s a new chapter, I must admit, I squeal a bit xD-review for chapter 42 of Glamorous Puzzle

[…]“Who the hell am I?

I AM hell” I swear to God that was the greatest thing I’ve ever read! -review for chapter 43 of Glamorous Puzzle, from the same reviewer directly above, referring to a quote in that chapter that I was hoping people would like, since I’m proud of that quote as well.

[…]I can’t believe I missed so many good NoSleepUntilVacation stories!  I need to catch up![…] -review for A Cool Day for a Cool Dude; this one made me feel like “whoa, my work is that good?”

There were a couple of other ones for one of my NSFW stories, and while both are too long to be posted here, they both warmed my heart to a huge degree (hint: one of them should look quite familiar to the person who sent this ask!)

48. Does anyone you know from outside of fandom know you write fanfic? Are they involved in the same fandom too?

I prefer to keep my fanfic life and my IRL life separate, since there are people in my life who I would prefer didn’t know about this hobby of mine, for various reasons. Since a lot of what I write involves a slightly niche pairing, and some of it is NSFW, and the vast majority of my writings are Undertale (a controversial topic in several circles), I’m kinda nervous about bringing it up. I have met some Undertale fans in real life, though, but given that they were my classmates in team projects, we didn’t really talk about Undertale as much as we talked about the assignments we were doing.

50. Has writing fanfic had a significant impact on your life? Would you say it’s entirely positive?

The thing about writing fanfic (for me at least) was that I had to write quite a few duds before I struck gold. And back in my earliest days, I wrote a lot of duds; it’s for this reason that I often feel unsure about ever returning to the Digimon fandom, since a lot of what I wrote was mediocre at best and disgraceful at worst (characters in-name-only, lots of lolrandom humor, the heroes looking like total dorks because I was in a phase of liking the villains the best - all while removing the traits that made them villains, etc.) and it was only around the time shortly before I left the fandom that I really started to take my writing seriously. It may be hard for me to think of some of the characters (both heroes and villains) without thinking of how I horribly mangled everything about them for some cheap attempts at “comedy”.

So that’s the negative side of my fanfic writing; now onto the positive! Since starting this hobby, I’ve slowly become more confident in expressing myself, and I’m believing in my own writing skills more and more. Also, knowing that a story of mine could be the thing to brighten someone’s day (as shown in some of the reviews I quoted above) is always a good motivator. Especially since a lot of what I write is close to my heart; it’s stuff that I would like to read myself. Another big thing is that, when I was younger, I was hoping to become a good artist so I could animate cartoons; I never quite got the hang of the intricacies of drawing, but I’ve noticed that my writing has definitely gotten better, so I’ve realized that maybe, just maybe, this is where my true talent lies.

And, of course, I’ve made a lot of friends (and, at one point, even found love) through both reading and writing fanfiction, and while not all of those friendships have lasted (sadly, the romantic relationship didn’t last, either), the people I’ve met because of this hobby are still very special to my heart. I think it’s safe to say that I owe a lot of my friendships, directly or indirectly, to my fanfic writing; given that, when I first started out, I was - in real life - the shy, easily-startled girl who got bullied a lot, it was much easier for me to let my guard down around people who didn’t know my IRL identity. Even though my situation has gotten better since then, I still find it easier to make friends online than in real life, since I’m more likely to find people who share common interests, like Undertale or favorite bands… or fanfiction!

[tenspontaneite]

Paper Cranes Q&A 3

Topics covered: ‘disease’ progression, lots of things related to Sai and metaphysics, spiritually sensitive canon characters, What’s Up With Touya’s Weird Soul, technicalities and things and stuff. 20 questions covered in total.

Spoilers for: Up to end of chapter 22. Maybe some very slight hints of things to come.

When exactly will Hikaru begin feeling effects of his Problem?

Well. Uh. Spoilers? But like I said in the notes, it’s not going to get Very Bad during the timeframe of the story. The reincarnation-AU I’ve been planning is another matter entirely though since it’s set at least 15 years later Also while dysautonomia can lead to tremors, which would make it difficult to play Go, different patients may experience very different symptoms based on which parts of the nervous system are damaged first. So…it’s not guaranteed he wouldn’t be able to play Go. It’s just possible that at some point he’d have bad enough tremors to possibly launch Go stones across the room by accident instead of placing them. Or accidentally majorly mess up the stones surrounding where he placed his. Etc.

 If Sai came back, would be be able to fill up Hikaru’s soul and stop the degeneration?

Well, hypothetically, any possessing spirit could do this. Not just Sai. But it works best between physically similar souls – the more similar they are, the easier they mesh. That’s another reason why Sai’s soul-bits stick around like they do. The lingering emotion and intent isn’t the only thing there. Very dissimilar souls would passively damage each other in such a possession, so even a benevolent possessing spirit would have a hard time not hurting its host.

 Are there other spiritually sensitive canon characters?

Kuwabara is the only one I’d class as actually sensitive enough to be aware, so to speak. But there are others who are….predisposed, let’s say, to being sensitive, and becoming more sensitive. That should be talked about relatively soon in the story. Next few chapters maybe.

 What’s up with Touya’s unusual looking soul?

See the above question. It’s highly relevant. The Touya males certainly aren’t the only ones, either.

 Will Touya find out?

Spoilers!

 Will Yashiro find out?

…Spoilers!

 Why was Nurse Furutani so suspicious?

She is good at noticing Obvious Things, like the tension between Hikaru and Touya, and is watchful for any hint that Touya might commit the cardinal sin of Upsetting A Patient or even Causing A Ruckus. After a while she determines that their discussion is probably okay and leaves.

 Is there a way to heal soul damage in a living human?

Absolutely not. It’s a fundamental property of souls anchored in a true physical body that the soul can’t significantly change in form whilst anchored. This includes growing, healing, or changing ‘shape’. Embodied spirits work differently. Reincarnated major spirits and kami work slightly differently.

 Wouldn’t calling out the grid position only work if Touya was on Hikaru’s side of the board?

Now, I’m no experienced Go player, but considering how frequently people might be required to place moves recited by a speaker (e.g. one person reads from kifu, other person places) I always assumed they defaulted to Black’s side of the board, because that would make sense. If anyone more familiar with this stuff than me knows otherwise, do let me know, and I’ll add it to the minor-edits-list.

 Can humans make donations to Hikaru?

I….well…uh….they could??? If you got someone (Hikaru or a spirit) to rip out a chunk of their soul, yes, yes they could. But 1) human souls are far more viscerally entrenched than disembodied souls and it’s far, far more traumatic to remove parts of them than it is for disembodied spirits, 2) the damage to them would never heal until they were dead, and they’d become a possession target without the advantage of Huge Leftover Energy that Hikaru has, and 3) most human souls are like…small. Bits of them are even smaller. They wouldn’t be very useful donations. They’d last like, a few days. Certainly no longer than a week.

 Is Hikaru going to feel better about the early expiration date when he thinks about how Shuusaku died at 33?

Well…no. No? I mean, in general, ‘x person I never knew had it worse’ is not really consolation for ‘my own situation is downright shitty’. And really, while Torajirou would have been Extremely Screwed if Sai ever left him (over ten years of possession, yikes) his death from disease was unpleasant but relatively quick in comparison. I mean. Degenerative diseases are awful, okay.

Also I’m very fond of the way you worded that. ‘Expiration date’. Hah.

 Is it weird that I want to write fanfic of your fanfic?

You know what, no, I don’t think it is. I’m definitely not biased on the matter, nope. Also at some point I’m going to be writing fanfic of my fanfic, so.

 Is Sai aware, wherever he is?

SPOILERS.

 What does Utagawashi’s usual outfit look like?

Like this. https://media.gettyimages.com/photos/shinto-priests-at-meiji-shrine-during-ceremony-picture-id597589563

Basically very similar to what Sai wears. Also that picture contains the priestly baton things that I’ve mentioned in the story a couple of times.

 Does Hikaru get any foxy qualities from the bits of fox soul he’s using as adhesive?

As Hikaru is a Live Human, his soul cannot undergo any significant form changes. The soul bits are extremely personal but can’t influence the nature of Hikaru’s soul.

 Could it be argued that Hikaru’s aptitude for Go comes from Sai’s soul/energy?

No. I would like to outright, unequivocally word-of-author this: Hikaru’s talent is his own. He is good at Go, and has a talent for it. The end.

What could have plausibly been influenced by Sai is his enthusiasm and enjoyment of Go, but only via the same sort of cross-contamination as seeing a friend of yours be really enthusiastic about something. More intense, because he can directly feel the emotions of Sai on the matter, but same concept. As mentioned before, live human souls are highly resistant to forcible form changes. Modification of interests and talents certainly falls under that.

Also plausible: Sai’s instincts and impulses with regard to the game might have carried over during the active possession, which would have helped him learn faster. It would have been very subtle, though. And the traces remaining now are not nearly cohesive and sapient enough to have that sort of effect.

 Would the Gigantic Spirit Boom Pillar be detectable to exorcists/priests outside of the city?

As a rule, no. Hikaru would feel something like that. Probably Kaminaga too, at this point. Anyone else would have to be very close, as very few living humans are that sensitive to the currents in the spirit layer.

Spirits, though? They live in the spirit layer. I’d say every spirit in Japan and many others further out would have felt the ripples. Any particularly powerful spirit would have felt it on the other side of the globe. Suffice to say, every spirit in Japan knows that Something Big went down, and gossip and word-of-mouth is sufficient for them to know that it was Ancient Demon specifically who went down. There’s...so, so many rumours among spirits, right now.

 Would foxes enjoy soap operas?

Well. Based on individual tastes, I guess? They are generally all quite mischievous by nature and will be far more interested in what they can witness personally or perpetrate personally than in the antics of fictional characters. But that’s subject to individual differences as it is in humans. Some will prefer some types of media to others.

 What will happen to Utagawashi’s shrine now that its aspect of Inari has died? Will a new aspect replace it?

To make a new aspect for that shrine, they’d need to do a ceremony to imbue the shrine with Inari’s essence. So, pretty much, make a new shintai. I think Utagawashi’s chances of making this happen are pretty high, but if he can’t get it done through official channels he’ll probably just team up with an Inari fox to do it himself.

 Do you know that Paper Cranes is the most kudosed Hikago thing on ao3 aside from esama’s multifandom thing?

I check my stats every single day, anon. I am most definitely aware of that. And it’s glorious. You know my thing has approaching twice as many bookmarks as the next closest competitor, right? Like, dude, it’s amazing. You would not believe how often I sit around preening about my story’s stats. And...well, idk, I might be running out of hikago fic readers who haven’t got to my story yet, but if I can get another 1k kudos by the time the story ends I could get genuine first place there. I’m not bothered if not, but it’s definitely something I think about.

[percontaion-points]

Daredevil/Punisher Fanfics (10/30/21)

Only Daredevil/Punisher fanfics. New stuff is marked with a [NEW] before it.

Daredevil

Better Natures by etirabys Description: “Work with me here, Frank,” Karen snapped. “Make some sense here. Talk to me. We can’t figure out what our next move is until you explain why you’re so disgusted at the thought of my being attracted to you — an attraction which, by the way, I’ve never let interfere with our work or our friendship —“ “I’m not disgusted,” Frank said in a strained, calm voice. “You have ghastly taste, but I’m not disgusted. No. It’s just the feeling of having carried a torch for miles and miles in the dark and... having the sun come up.” Words: 37,579 Timeline: Post season 2, but it gets pretty AU-y with the zombies and shit... Pairing: Karen/Frank Minor Matt/Elecktra at the end Rating: Explicit Warnings: Graphic violence and depictions of gore, but I find that it's pretty standard zombie stuff... Frank kills some people, and so does Karen, but it's all in line with the show Graphic sex Mentions of rape

United We Purge by Jenye Description: "Just remember all the good the purge does." -- Evil runs Hell's Kitchen, but one night out of the year that evil is legal. || Kastle Purge!AU Words: 4926 Timeline: It's a Purge AU Pairing: Karen/Frank Rating: Mature Warnings: It's violent and bloody, but I wouldn't say that the violence level is any different than it is on the show. (And if I'd seen the Purge movie, I'd guess that it was the same level of violence, too.)

Songs About Daughters by homesickblues and StellarRequiem Description: She has two entirely different minds about this. Before, she hadn’t even given any thought to having a baby. Maybe when she was younger – dreamier – but when her life picked up in the city, she barely had time to spare a thought towards any of that. Her compass never really pointed in one direction. Not even when Frank, quite literally, bulldozed his way into her life. But now the concept of “future” and “family” glares back at her from the tiny piece of plastic she just peed on, and she can’t help but bury her head in her hands. Because the other mind she has about the scenario is Frank. __ Karen discovers she's pregnant, and it changes nothing, and everything. Words: 18,064 Timeline: Post season 2 Pairing: Karen/Frank Rating: Teen Warnings: There's some violence, but it's pretty tame in comparison to the show. You'll probably cry a bit, but in like... a good way

Fire Meet Gasoline by xenowhore Description: And then, insanely, it was nearing midnight and Karen was standing in Frank Castle’s bathroom looking at herself in the chipped mirror. She was wearing one of his old t-shirts and nothing else (it nearly came down to her knees) her blouse and pantyhose folded neatly on the counter, hair undone and falling in thick waves around her shoulders. She’d have raccoon eyes in the morning, no makeup remover here - soap was too harsh for her sensitive skin - but somehow she didn’t care. She didn’t care that her legs were so startlingly pale, that she didn’t have a toothbrush. These things seemed trivial when she considered that in moments, she’d be sliding between sheets that cradled a killer every night. Words: 9415 Timeline: Post season 2 Pairing: Karen/Frank Rating: Mature Warnings: Graphic sex

you're like a commotion, all because of me by whenzombiesattack Description: (You’re dead to me. You’re dead to me. You’re dead to me.) He finally fucked up. Words: 3160 Timeline: Post season 2 Pairing: Frank/Karen Rating: Teen Warnings: Mild violence

It's All Over but the Crying by angel_deux Description: Frank Castle went to sleep in 2077, the day the bombs fell. When he wakes up, his family is gone, and he has to learn to survive in the world that evolved from the ashes. Words: 14,507 Timeline: It's a Fallout AU Pairing: Frank/Karen, minor Frank/Maria Rating: Teen Warnings: There's a lot of violence, and we're with Frank as he watches as some guys kill Maria. Karen also kills some guy, too.

Blood and Bone by Skasis Description: Frank Castle is a boxer at the top of his game. Laconic and anti-social, he has a reputation for being an incredibly-tough interview. Karen Page is a sports reporter trying to prove herself in a male-dominated field. She's done playing games--trying to be the "Cool Girl" who caters to the male fantasy--and now she's on a mission to take no shit. "For a while, the fact that an interview with Castle lasting longer than 5 minutes even existed was big news. Splashed all over the message boards—circulated among boxing and Castle fans alike. The very concept that someone actually got the man to sit down for more than a breath of time and give multiple-sentence answers to a question—it was huge. Massive. It was the only thing Castle fans could talk about. Until three months later, when Frank Castle disappeared. Then that was the news. It was the only news." Words: 96,872 Timeline: Boxer/Sports reporter AU Paring: Frank/Karen Rating: Explicit Warnings: Graphic sex, it's a little bloody with the boxing and everything, Karen's dad is an a-hole This is really really long

Into the Woods by Skasis Description: Frank is a logger living a life of isolation up in the mountains of Seward, Alaska. Running from his grief, he has retreated so far into himself that he couldn't find his way out if he tried. Karen is an author who has rented the cabin down the way from Frank’s in order to get away and write her next novel in solitude. Having suffered severe writer's block, she's hoping that the quietude of Alaska will help her find her muse. After years of falling apart, the universe has decided that it's time for these two to fall together. "Frank watched her, with her head thrown back, fascinated. It had been a minute since he’d made anyone other than Curtis and David laugh. He was surprised at how easily it was coming to him—how relatively effortless it was to talk to Karen. He supposed, in part, it was because of her profession; he was sure that someone who spent most of their time studying people and writing dialogue would be a great conversationalist. But it also felt like he was dusting off the parts of him that used to be really good at this—the parts of him that were capable of making Maria laugh; were comfortable joking around. The parts that, while creaky and unused, were still there." Words: 84333 Timeline: It's a writer/mountain man AU Pairing: Frank/Karen Rating: Explicit Warnings: Sex, the constant talk of Frank's dead family made me cry

Office Space by Skasis Description: Dr. Frank Castle is a notoriously misanthropic physics professor, and he has the Rate My Professor reviews to prove it. Dr. Karen Page is a young, idealistic journalism professor who sees the humanity in everyone. When the Liberal Arts building floods, they are forced to share an office. He's all order and precision and logic. She’s all chaos and curiosity and emotion. But eventually, that line they drew right down the middle of the office starts to blur. Words: 48845 Timeline: University professors AU Pairing: Karen/Frank Rating: Explicit Warnings: Graphic Sex

I'm in the Ruins Too, I know the Wreckage So Well by theshipsfirstmate Description: A Kastle fic that weaves through the events of Daredevil season 3. Because of COURSE he was there. "Maybe it’s insane, that she thinks of Frank as the angel on her shoulder; but there was already a devil on her other one when they met. " Words: 7806 Timeline: It's season 3 of Daredevil, but where Frank is there the entire time Pairing: Frank/Karen Rating: Mature Warnings: Mild sex, violence but it's mostly just a recap of what happened on the show

breath of ash, bone of dust by qqueenofhades Description: Frank shrugs, almost diffidently, as if to say he’s glad to hear it, and he still isn’t used to anyone welcoming the sight. Maybe there are some, people who are old and ready to rest and who have lived a good life, who sit up and wait for him, on the nights he chooses to venture out of the underworld and take them personally in hand. But as they stand there face to face, him dark and rugged and grim and Karen pink-cheeked, flushed, blossoms trailing from a frozen tree and grass rising from the barren ground, the contrast could not be more striking. Winter and spring, death and life, hell and heaven. Then leaf subsides to leaf, and so Eden sank to grief. Kastle Hades/Persephone AU. Words: 25683 Timeline: It's a Hades/Persephone AU that's semi canon compliant Pairing: Frank/Karen Rating: Mature Warnings: Mild sex, there's two very intense death scenes that might be difficult to read (one is the death of a young pre-teen)

Seasons by CharmingProcrastinator Description: Karen had come back after a week away for a Women in Media conference in Chicago to find that Mrs. Sterner’s name on the mailbox next to hers had been replaced by an “F. Castle”, who evidently moved in while she was away. To her, he was only disembodied grunts and moans. They were bound to bump into each other, eventually. She had no idea how she was gonna manage to act like a normal human being when they did and not make a quip about maybe considering gagging his gaggle of girls, or make some passive aggressive request that he keep it down a bit when others were trying to sleep. Words: 21029 Timeline: It's kind of an AU, I guess? Almost the same but without the superhero nonsense Pairing: Karen/Frank, minor mentions of Elektra/Matt, and Marci/Foggy Rating: Mature Warnings: Talk of sex, but the actual act is glossed over (boo)

carrying by the restlessbrook Description: “Did you know that you’re pregnant?” Or, Karen will go to any lengths to protect her small family. Words: 69,676 Timeline: Post Punisher 2 and Daredevil 3 Pairing: Frank/Karen, minor Foggy/Marci Rating: Mature Warnings: There's the heavy implicaton of sex, but never actually on the page. There's a lot of violence, but it's like on both shows.

The Reporter by Underneath Description: Force Recon missions keep Marines isolated, entrenched for long periods in covert locations. They rarely received visitors, and in Frank’s long experience, the visitors were almost never civilians, let alone gorgeous blondes with mile long legs and sky blue eyes. Frank was trying not to stare. They all were. Well, everyone except Bill, who’s face had just split into a shit-eating grin. Words: 42645 Timeline: Slightly AU Pairing: Frank/Karen Rating: Explicit Warnings: Graphic sex, violence like on the show

a crooked love in a straight line down by HeartonFire Description: Frank Castle is a newly-divorced History teacher at the local high school. Karen Page is the single mom of a seventeen-year-old honor student on his debate team. Their paths cross too many times for it to be coincidence, and neither of them can deny the attraction they feel. But things can never be that simple, especially when Karen's ex comes back into the picture and threatens to upend the life she's built for herself. Words: 22908 Timeline: Teacher/student's mother AU (lol did you think that I was going to say student/teacher?) Pairing: Frank/Karen Rating: Explicit Warnings: Sex, mentions of Karen's rough background

you were a fire caught by therestlessbrook Description: They’re both hunters - but of a different sort. (Or that daemon AU no one asked for.) Words: 26110 Timeline: Everything is exactly the same, but everybody in this has a sort of soul-bound animal called a daemon Pairing: Frank/Karen Rating: Explicit Warnings: The story goes over things that happened in the show so it's quite violent and bloody. There's also some sex, but it seemed kind of... skimmed over.

1NEW1 Those Who Mourn by UnkindOfRavens Description: He wanted to live in her, bask in her goodness every second of every day, and then maybe he wouldn’t forget what it was to be part of the world. Maybe then he could cobble together enough of himself to feel solid. Maybe he’d remember how to live, then. Words: 2252 Timeline: The tags call it "canon-adjacent" Pairing: Frank/Karen Rating: Explicit Warnings: Graphic Sex

[littlemissmeggie]

Fic questions; 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12, 13, 15, 17, 20, 21, 22, 23, 25, 26, 28, 30, 31, 36, 37, 40, 43 (least fav story), 46, 47, 48, 49

sorry this took so long! some most of these were really difficult and took a lot of consideration! thank you for sending this, whoever this mouse is. it was challenging and fun.

1. things that inspire you: music. personal experiences. music.2. things that motivate you: music. the @1dbackforyoucollab writing challenge i’ve been participating in the last couple months. reviews and asks and messages and kudos!!! asks like this that show some people are interested in my writing and fics!3. name three favorite writers: i’m not sure if this means, like, published authors or fellow fanfic writers. i’ll go with three published authors—mario puzo, j.k. rowling, and agatha christie—and one fic writer—nautibitz, who most likely none of you will have heard of because she was a spuffy fic writer in the buffy the vampire slayer fandom back in the early/mid 2000s and wrote fics that could have been missing episodes from the show and AUs that were perfect. (her fics were the first fanfictions i ever read in any fandom ever.)5. since how long do you write? i started writing fanfiction almost three years ago. i think i posted my first fic in april of 2016. i’ve always loved to write though. it was usually just fiction that i wrote for myself and never showed to anybody else (or to my old friend tasha).

7.early influences on your writing: mario puzo. a lot of the old spuffy fanfic writers. 8. what time are you most productive? probably in the morning after i wake up and am sitting drinking my morning cup of tea. second most productive time would probably be mid-afternoon on days off.10. how do you do your researches? i mostly google things and make notes in my writing notebooks. i also always have google maps open in a tab so i can find my way around wherever i’m writing. 

12. favorite place to write: sitting in my bed. i can occasionally get a bit done on the sofa. i used to write a bit in the cafe at barnes & noble when i went to take breaks at work but now i’m lucky if i get a proper half hour break so that doesn’t happen anymore.

13. hardest character to write: maybe zayn? probably just because i didn’t get into the fandom until after he left so the only reference i have for him regarding pleasant interactions with the rest of 1d is old interviews and such. but i still don’t think i have a hard time writing him.

15. hardest verse to write: i’d have to say anything canon-compliant. i wasn’t in the fandom until right before made in the a.m. was released so, because i wanted to be as accurate as i could be when writing canon-compliant, i spent a lot of time researching everything 1d and narry that i could. i also didn’t want to seem like a l*rrie so it was always a bit like walking a tightrope to get the right balance of canon-compliant without seeming like a tinhat.17. favorite AU to write: i really loved writing my mermaid!harry AU but i’m also loving this model AU. i don’t think i can choose between them, honestly.20. favorite character to write: i love writing harry but louis may be my favourite. 21. least favorite character to write: probably nick in all the time before i knew you but more because i feel badly making nick grimshaw an abusive, manipulative dickhead than that i dislike the character.22. favorite story you’ve ever written: i can’t pick one so i’ll give my top three in no particular order: a little drop for me, that’s the day i knew you were my pet, and all the time before i knew you. honorable mention to i think i know he don’t love me because it was my first fic and holds a special place in my heart.23. least favorite story you’ve ever written: i’m really having a hard time choosing a least favourite. i really do like every fic i’ve written. i wouldn’t post them if i didn’t. if forced to choose though, i’d say i like tonight you’re mine the least. 25. favorite line you’ve ever written: “Please don’t,” groaned Conor from where he sat beside Bird. “We can choose more than one song on the jukebox, ya know.” (i love the whole scene at the beginning of chapter 3 of all the time before i knew you because harry and bird’s discussion about the superior supergroup is so very much a music nerd conversation i would have with two of my uncles.) if asked again in a few days, i may choose a different one.26. story you’re most proud of: so far, before i knew you. i really am proud of all of my stories—i wouldn’t post them for everyone to read if i weren’t at least mostly pleased with them—but with this fic, i feel my technical skill is at the best it’s been. i also set out to write in the third-person omniscient as well as i could; i think i’ve been fairly successful and have managed to avoid too much head-hopping while still showing the points of view of multiple characters. (i’m sure an expert of any kind would find fault but i think i’ve done it fairly successfully.) i’ve also managed to write my transitions without my least favourite transition tool ******* between sections, which is something i’ve wanted to get out of my writing for the last couple years. i wanted it to flow a bit more like scenes in a movie rather than harsh breaks.28. worst review you ever got: someone commented on an early chapter of my mermaid AU (a little drop for me) saying the story was boring and asking when the narry was going to start. not really a bad review but just an unnecessary comment to leave. i also got a comment on the first chapter of all the time before i knew you that i really didn’t know how to take; i wasn’t sure if they liked the story or not. (i’m not sure if they knew if they liked it or not, actually.) they ended by saying they guessed they would have to wait for another update though so i guess not a bad review, just a weird one.30. hardest part of writing: sometimes it’s really just finding the focus to write that trips me up. other times i get stuck on one scene and because i don’t have the mental ability to skip a scene and go back to it, i get frustrated and can’t write the scene and move on. another thing that makes writing difficult for me sometimes is my obsessive research that occasionally trips me up and makes what should be a short, easy scene to write take hours because i’m researching the menus at restaurants in the area of wherever the scene is taking place and trying to figure out which restaurant harry would choose and then finding out the walking directions to that restaurant from wherever he’s starting.31. easiest part of writing: dialogue. i almost always find that dialogue just flows really easily for me. 36. one-shot or multi-chaptered story? i really love how in-depth i can get with a chaptered story. one-shots are nicer for stories that aren’t spanning a great length of time or don’t require as much background as i like to put into most of my stories. so probably chaptered.37. canon or AU? i preferred writing canon or canon-compliant fics when i first started but i now prefer AUs.40. which one of your stories would you most like to see as a movie/series: a little drop for me as a movie or all the time before i knew you as a series. every few chapters of a little drop and each chapter of before i knew you could be a season of the show. that’s the day i knew you were my pet would be a cute romcom-type movie. (fun fact: i studied screenwriting for a while before going to culinary school.)43. would you ever write a sequel for (insert fic title here): the fic asked was my least favourite, which is (i say hesitantly) tonight you’re mine. and i won’t ever do it but i could see a sequel in which their relationship has changed and niall is the dominant one in the relationship and he isn’t just domming for the night. 

46. share a scene of a story that you haven’t published yet: i posted it here.47. how many unfinished ideas/stories are you working on at the same time? i usually can only manage one fic at a time but i’ve currently got my rarepair fic and before i knew you going (almost) simultaneously. my guardian angel!niall fic has been in the back of my mind constantly for about two and a half years now, though.48. three spoilers for (insert story title): i wasn’t given a fic so i’m going to choose one but i’m not going to say which fic. 😈 1. harry wears only one ring to work and lou notices. 2. niall writes since we’re alone about harry. 3. harry gets a bit wrapped up in himself and doesn’t realise he’s emotionally neglecting niall.49. writing advice: write. read. write even if you’re not happy with it because you can always go back and edit, revise, add, remove but write just to keep up your flow. that said, don’t push yourself to write if you’re really struggling. take a break for a few days, a week, however long you need to reset yourself. read something or watch a television series. do something to get your mind off your story. find blogs and websites about writing to improve your grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, all the technical stuff. set a challenge for yourself for each fic—my current is to write in a (reasonably) successful third-person omniscient point of view—and try to achieve it. then push yourself to do it even better in your next fic. talk to other writers and ask for advice. if outlining works for you, write a good outline. 

[onotherflights]

Maybe don’t read this? Spoilers for Almaty’s fire / Lucky Seven below but I’m having #feels and i couldn’t hold it in any longer.

So, i have mixed feelings. I’ve been really upset/salty lately because I’ve felt that one of my fics wasn’t getting the attention it deserved. But as i’m writing this scene i’m currently one, i’m in tears. literal tears. and i realized something. This fic is probably, most likely triggering for some people. 

I mean, i didn’t start writing Almaty’s fire / Lucky seven thinking it would be a story about drug addiction, i really didn’t. It’s hard to explain, but i’m pretty sure other writers go through the same thing. You start writing a story, you plan out generally how you expect it to go. Then you write more, and things just come up and the path changes. I didn’t plan on getting this dedicated, this attached to the story. I mean, it’s just a fanfic. But it’s very much an AU. It’s very far removed from the canon. And like I said, it could be triggering. 

So i understand if people don’t read it because of that. I really can’t be upset if that is the reason it’s not getting the attention I think it deserves. I also think another part is, Im getting caught up in it. I have easily 15k+ in notes and beginnings of chapters that my readers have not seen, and more importantly i already know how it’s going to end, the “light at the end of the tunnel” so to speak.

With what’s coming up in lucky seven, there’s no room denying he’s a drug addict. He doesn’t think he is, as addicts often deny they have a problem. So i get it if that’s not something people are prepared to read. But it’s also a story about love, and family, and music. A study in what drives people, at certain points in life. Growing up. 

I’m also realizing, with how developed my OC’s are in my head, and the stories i’ve built for them, that maybe this means more to me than a fanfic. The idea that I could take AF/LS when it’s complete, change it, edit it, work on it away from the fandom. . .and potentially turn it into a book series? It’s possible. It’s terrifying and exciting to say that’s how much I am invested into this, but I can see it. I’m scared to even say that because i’ve heard horror stories of fanfics being stolen and turned into books without the original writer’s permission. I think if I were to make it into a book though, it would go a different direction and be quite different from the version i’m finishing for you all. I don’t even want to say what i’ve already started thinking of. But i’ve wanted to write a book since I was eight years old so. . . we’ll see. I’ve written countless stories since my first one, but I can honestly say AF/LS is the one i’ve cared the most about, so that’s why i’ve been feeling so defensive of it.

This is turning into another “Marie talks for too fucking long” post but basically, if AF/LS triggers you and you can’t read it, I understand. I can accept that. 

If you are waiting for more, chapter 4 of LS will be up tonight, soon. If you read it, please comment. I’m an emotional mess, not only because of writing it, but also i just had a life changing surgery so really this is just a very cathartic experience all in all. If you’re reading it, I would really be thankful for your love and support at this time, I really, really need it ♥