#[ooc] !!! thank you so much for sending this in i'm so sorry this has taken an age to reply to

[quantumleapt]

@emcrse dreams: “you’ve been very kind.”

AN AMERICAN IN PARIS SENTENCE STARTERS : PART II. always accepting.

"Ah, you don't have to thank me," Sam shrugs off, throwing a good-natured smile over his shoulder, corners of his eyes crinkling, as he finishes chopping up the vegetables. He tosses them into the waiting pan, giving them a stir. Above the sizzle, he continues, "I'm just bein' neighborly."

Neighborly, he guesses, is one word for it. How anybody could let the young detective get this hungry-- half-starved of a decent meal and any scrap of kindness he can get-- is beyond him. But that's why he's here, isn't it? Sure, he should've leaped out of here weeks ago, but Sam's not going anywhere. Not when Morse is like this.

Putting on the oven gloves, he reaches down, taking the roast chicken and potatoes out and setting them on the countertop to cool, right next to his mom's chocolate chip cookies he'd made earlier (she'd be proud; he knows the recipe by heart now).

Sam tries to tell himself it's just doctor's intuition that makes him turn around again, eyes searching the detective's face for any sign of... well, anything to tell him that the haunted, melancholy look in Morse's eyes is going away. Short of tucking a blanket around his shoulders and staying here with him all night, he's not really sure what else he can do.

(He can think of plenty that he'd like to do, but, now isn't the time.)

"You warm enough? Do you need more, uh, more tea, or anything? Dinner shouldn't be too much longer, I just gotta finish up the carrots and cut up the chicken."

[thegeeksideofsr]

Midnight Snack

Summery: Nate's daughter' period is a pain, literally and figuratively. Sent home to relax, and receives a late night visitor.

A/n: This is entirely self indulgence. I was on my period, had cramps and wanted cuddles. But alas. I am single. So this was made. Eliot might be a little OOC, but whatever. It's fluffy.

The kitchen is a buzz with activity. Kate works with the pastry chef and over sees the line cooks prepping at their stations, the prep cooks prepare ingredients and portioning them out, and the bussers setting tables up.

I sit at the bar talking with the sommelier, Alice, and bartender, Duncan, about the wine list, the drinks available, and the influx of minors trying to buy alcohol.

I try to pay attention to them, but my cramps are taking over, going from my waist to my lower back, I run a hand along my abdomen, trying to soothe the pain.

"Boss, you ok?" Duncan asks.

"I'm fine."

"You don't look fine, hun," Alice pipes in. " You look like you are going to be sick or pass out."

"I am fine," I stress. " It's just cramps. I've had them before and I'll have them again. Now the wine list-"

"Boss!" Yells Kate comes out of the kitchen in a trot. " Do you still want to do the- whoa! You look like shit!"

"Thanks, Kate. Just what every girl want to hear."

"Sorry, but you do." She turns to Duncan and Alice, "What'd you two do to her?"

"Nothing!" They exclaim.

"She has cramps and insists she's fine even though she looks awful." Alice's explains.

Kate turns to me, "You want to go home? I can hold down the fort."

"I can't. It's a Friday night, I can't leave you guys here while I'm at home."

"Ok, but how much help are you going to be of you are in pain all night. Have you taken anything?"

I nod. "Forty minutes ago. They haven't touched it."

"Well then I am pulling Soue Chef rank and sending you home." Kate's hand in her hips and a determined look on her face.

"I don't think that's a thing." Duncan mutters.

She ignores him and squints at me. "I will call your father and tell him you aren't talking care of you self."

I squint back.

"You wouldn't."

She reaches into her pocket, pull her phone out and opens to his contact. Her finger hovers over the call button.

"If you don't agree to go home in the next ten seconds I will call him." She says calmly then begins to count down.

I look to Duncan and Alice.

Duncan raises his hand in defense,"I'm not getting in the middle of Kate and one of her missions. I know better."

Alice shrugs. "While I don't agree with her tactics, you need a break. You have been here almost everyday for the past three months."

I glare at them. "Traitors."

"Five, four, three" Kate's finger hovers closer to the screen.

"Fine! I'll go home!" I relent. " What are you, twelve? Threatening to call my dad."

Kate shrugs as she put her phone away.

"It worked though. What's that say about you?"

I roll my eyes as I slide of the stool. "I hate you."

"I know."

I head to my office to get my phone and some paperwork, then to the wall of lockers in the back for the rest of my stuff.

I explain to the kitchen crew that I'm not feeling well and that Kate is sending me home, they all nod in understanding as they have also experienced her mothering, then stop at the bar again on my way out.

"Call me if you need me," I tell the trio. " I can still -"

"We will survive until Monday," Alice assures.

"Monday?"

"We discussed it," Kate nods, and gestures to the pair next to her. "And decided you need a vacation. You make sure this place runs smoothly and that everyone is ok. It's time you took care of yourself."

The thoughtfulness is touching, and she is right, a break would be nice.

"If you're sure."

"Go!" The three practically yell.

"Ok, ok I'm going."

I head towards the door, wave one last time, then open the door.

"Call the guy you told me about!" Kate yells after me. " The one with blue eyes!"

"What guy?" Duncan asks, a protective tone to his voice.

I roll my eyes and head to my car.

**********************************************"

Once in my apartment I go for a hot shower, hot as I can stand. My cramps are a bit better, but not gone, and the heat of the shower helps.

After the shower come the comfy pants, my favorite sweatshirt, and fuzzy socks.

I make my way to the kitchen and make a cup of tea. I place a bean bag in the microwave and turn it on for a few minutes to heat up.

Once it's done, I grab my mug and bean bag, then head to the couch turning off lights as I go.

Once in the living room I grab the remote and place it on the side table next to my mug, before placing the bean bag on my lower belly then tuck my blanket in around me.

I turn the TV on and pull up my comfort show, volume turned down low.

Cool autumn air flows in from the window, cracked open for fresh air, fairy lights line the ceiling of the living room casting a warm glow.

After half an hour my phone vibrates on the side table, my Dad's name across the screen.

I pick it up to answer.

"Hey, Dad. How are you?"

"Hey, kiddo. I wanted to check in, haven't heard from you in a while. Didn't expect you to pick up. Was gonna leave a message because you were working."

"I'm fine. Just busy with work. I wasn't feeling well so Kate sent me home," I explain.

"Are you okay?" His voice full of concern.

"I'm fine. Nothing a good nights sleep won't fix." I assure him. "I'm sorry I haven't called you or come by, but you and the team seemed busy. The last time I saw you all Eliot looked like he when toe to toe with a moose and lost."

"Yeah, we have been rather busy, but that doesn't excuse us not spending time together."

"I know, but it's not a big deal. We both have been busy. It happens. And what you and the team are doing is good work, I don't want to get in the way. The least I can do is feed you when I have the opportunity."

He goes quiet, neither of us speak for a moment.

"Can you come over tomorrow? Just us. So we can catch up?"

I smile. "Of course! What time do you want me there?"

"Ten?"

"Ten is perfect. I-"

I hear a yell in the background, I think is Eliot . Dad yells back that he's on his way.

"I have to go, kiddo. I'll see you tomorrow. I love you."

"I love you too, Dad. I'll see you tomorrow."

We hang up, I set my phone down again and go back to my show.

I start to dose after a few episodes. My bean bag long since cooled, but the blanket keeps the heat in. Thankfully the cramps have subsided.

A knock on my door breaks through the quiet.

A groan leaves me. I extract myself from my cocoon, keeping my blanket wrapped around me as I trudge to the door.

I look through the peap hole, to find Eliot on the other side.

Confusion floods me as I unlock and open the door.

"Eliot?" I ask him. "What are you doing here this late."

"Nate said you weren't feelin' well." He lift his arm, showing off a fabric bag. "I brought this."

"What is it?"

"Can I come in?"

I nod, stepping out of the way.

He step past me to stand in the entrance awkwardly while I lock the door.

I turn to him. He looks out of place in my cozy apartment. His leather jacket and hoodie over a Henley, work boots and blue jeans.

He in turn looks at me. Reminding me that I'm wearing a blanket as a cape and fuzzy socks.

"Where's your kitchen?" He asks.

"Down on the left." I gesture towards the kitchen.

He nods, goes to take a step but hesitates.

"Should I take my boots off?" He asks.

I look down to his rather dirty boots, then back to his face.

"Would you mind?"

He shakes his head.

"I can take the bag to the kitchen if you'd like."

He hands it to me hesitantly, then bends to unlace his boots.

I head to the kitchen, "Make yourself at home," I call over my shoulder.

I place the bag on the counter, then turn my kettle on for another cup of tea, or hot chocolate. That would be good too.

Foot steps pull me from my thoughts as Eliot comes to the counter and start to pull items from the bag to lay on the counter.

Two tupperware of something, two quart jars of what looked like broth, and a tub of my favorite ice cream.

"Can I borrow your kitchen?" He asks, leaning against the counter next to the items he laid out.

"Depends. What are you making?"

He opens and sets down one of the tupperware to reveal scrambled eggs and small bits of cooked chicken, repeating with the next container to reveal small elbows pasta.

"My mom's chicken noodle soup. Homemade broth is what makes it so good. Fixes any ailment you got."

Oh that sounded good.

"Eliot, as sweet as this is and how good it sounds, I don't think that soup will help me right now."

He shrugs. "Never know till ya try it. How ya feelin' any way?"

I hesitate and look away from him.

He steps closer, his hands rest on my arms, heat radiating through the blanket around my shoulders.

"What is it?" He asks.

"My period. The cramps have been really bad today. Kate made me go home because I looked like I was going pass out. I was fine, but it was nice to relax for a while."

"Have you taken anything for them?"

I nod. " Some meds. And a hot shower and a heated bean bag. It's fine though, you didn't have to come over."

He shakes his head, "I don't mind. Are you cramping now?"

"The meds are wearing off," I check the clock on the stove, "I can take more in half an hour."

"Alright. When's the last time you ate?"

That question makes me pause. Thinking back, I wasn't hungry when I got home, or after my shower, so that ment the last meal would have been lunch with Alice and Kate. Considering it was ten-thirty , it had been about eleven hours. Yikes.

"Lunch time," I mutter.

He sighs and give me a disapproving look.

I roll my eyes, "I know. You can cook if you agree to stay and eat with me and keep me company."

He lets a half smile cross his face. " Deal."

I nod then leave him to fetch my mug for a new cup of tea.

On my return I see he's pulled a medium pot from the cupboard, emptied the two jars into it, the container of eggs and chicken as well, the ice cream no longer on the counter, presumably tucked away safely in the freezer.

"Where'dya keep your herbs?" He asks.

"Left of the stove." I gesture towards the cupboard as I pour hot water into my mug.

He opens the cupboard, reading the hand written labels.

"You dry these yourself?" He turns to me, holding the jar of dill.

I nod.

"The building has a community garden. Some people grow fruits, others grow veggies. I grow the herbs and dry them. The landlord has a chicken coop and those ladies are egg producing machines," I explain with chuckle as I grab my mug and move to the kitchen table, tucking my legs under me.

"We share what we grow, like a family. There's only a six units in the building so it works well. It was nice when Dad was out in LA. And when Sam died. My neighbor's made sure I was ok during that time."

"Nate wasn't there for you?"

"Not as much as I would have hoped. He took it the hardest. He got really angry at the world." I look down to my hands. "I was just starting my restaurant when he got diagnosed. Kate was the only one who knew."

"I'm sorry." He says, looking at me with a sad look. "I met Nate when he was probably at his worst. He was reckless. He never mentioned you before."

I laugh lightly.

"I'm not surprised. He always kept work and family separate as much as he could."

He nods then goes back to cooking.

I watch him cook. His movements smooth and confident, adding herbs and stirring them in, adding the pasta and turning the heat down to simmer.

Watching him slowly gets taken over by pain encircling my hips and lower abdomen.

I lean forward over my lap, squishing my organs to relieve the pain. I must make some kind of noise, because Eliot's feet appear in front of me, then he squats down in front of me.

"You ok, darlin'?"

"I'm fine." I mutter.

"No, you're not. Where are your meds?"

"Bathroom, left middle drawer."

He leaves my view, I hear him rummage through the drawer, then his foot steps back to the kitchen.

He squats back in front of me, opening the jar and pouring out a few pills into his hand.

"How many?"

"Two."

He puts the extras away until two remain in his palm, held out towards me.

I sit up, and take them from him, I wash them down with my tea, now drinking temp.

I set my mug back on the table, Eliot's gaze following my movements, hand on my knees gently rubbing.

"Why are you so calm about this?" I ask. "Most guys are kinda grossed out, or do the bare minimum."

"My mom taught me to take care of people, especially women in pain. Plus I've been workin' with Parker and Sophie for two years, this ain't my first rodeo."

"Parker must be a handful." I joke.

"Yeah she is." He chuckles, the corners of his eyes crinkle. "You need anything else?"

"Not right now." I push my blanket from my shoulders to stand up. "I think I'll go back to my spot on the couch after a quick bathroom stop."

He nods, taking a step back allowing me room to stand.

I head to the bathroom, sounds come from Eliot moving about my apartment through the door.

Once I'm done I head back out towards the kitchen, but the living room catches my eye, the couch specifically.

My blanket it there, not on the kitchen chair, my mug on the side table, and two bowls sit on the coffee table in front of the couch, steam rising from them. The microwave hums is the kitchen.

I stand in the door way of the kitchen, starring at Eliot, leaning against the counter waiting for the microwave to finish.

He looks up at me.

"Go sit down. I'll bring this over when it's done."

"What is it? My bean bag?"

He nods.

"Found it when I brought you blanket over. Thought I'd warm it for you while you were gone."

The thoughtfulness makes my heart flutter.

"Thank you, Eliot."

"You're welcome. Now go sit." He points towards the living room then turns to the microwave as it beeps.

I give a small salute then head to the couch, tucking my self into my blanket like a nest.

Eliot follows a minute later holding the bean bag.

"Over the blanket or under?" He asks.

"Under." I reach for the bag, move the blanket and settle it across my lap and abdomen.

I tuck the blanket back around me, leaning my head down to the back of the couch.

"Better?" He asks.

I hum an confirmation.

The couch dips next to me, he sits close enough to feel his body heat, but not touching.

He leans forward and pick up a bowl, passing it to me, then picking up the next for himself.

I thank him, then take a spoon full of the soup. It smells amazing, and the taste even more so.

"Eliot, this is amazing. Thank you."

"You're welcome. I'm glad you like it."

I watch him as he eats, sitting on the edge of the couch, leaning forward like he's really to go at a moment notice. Not relaxed at all.

"Eliot," I say to him. "Sit back get comfy."

He looks at me, almost like a dear caught in headlights, then shifts back and settles into his spot.

"Happy?" He grumbles.

"Very. Now," I reach for the TV remote and turn it back on. " What do you like to watch?"

"I don't watch TV much, but when I have the opportunity it's sports."

"Of course it is," I whisper under my breath.

"What was that?" He raises any eyebrow at me.

"Nothing! So sports, I think they are running some old baseball games -"

"Not baseball."

"What's wrong with baseball?"

"It's stupid. Can't score off defense."

I roll my eyes.

"Don't say that around my restaurant, you'd never make it out alive."

"I think I'd be fine."

I shake my head, turning back to the TV to find something we agree on, surprisingly it's old reruns of Magnum PI. At least he's got good taste out side of sports.

Soon enough the bowls a empty, ice cream replaces soup and is consumed. Empty bowls are left on the coffee table to be cleaned later.

During the third episode, I lean over to rest against Eliot's side, his arm moving from the back of the couch to around my shoulders, his thumb rubbing against my shoulder.

I feel myself start to doze off. The dimly lit room, the warmth from Eliot around me, and the comfort of his arm around it the perfect recipe for sleep.

I wake up a little bit as I feel myself being being lifted from the couch. I'm carried for a few seconds, then am gently set onto something soft. A hand cradles my head, guiding it until my head hits my pillow.

The blankets are pulled over me, tucking me in. A head brushes some hair from my face, then leaves. I look to catch the hand, I hold tight.

"I gotta go, darlin'. You need sleep." He whispers.

"Stay." I mumble back, eyes falling closed again.

He doesn't move, still holding my hand, he then squeezes it briefly and lets go.

"A'right, I'll stay."

He rounds the bed and climbs in the other side. I shuffle over to his side, his body heat like a magnet. I cuddle into his side, my head on his chest, arm draped across his stomach.

He's stiff, and his heart beats are rapid.

He soon relaxes, heart slowing, one hand resting on my upper back, the other coming to rest on the back of my head, rubbing my scalp, lulling me to sleep.

***********************************************

Sun through shear curtains shines on my face, pulling me from sleep.

I roll away from the window reaching to the side that was occupied the night before, but my hand lands on cool, empty bedsheets.

I sit up and glance around the room. Not a trace of anything out of place. I listen for movement, but the apartment is silent.

I toss the blankets of and slip out of my room.

The blanket on the couch is neatly folded, there are no mugs on the coffee or side tables.

The kitchen is the same. No tupperware or jars, no pots on the stove. The sink is empty, or in the drainer.

The whole house is baren of any sign Eliot was in my apartment, let alone my bed.

Except for the the pot of coffee on my counter, the light still on.

***********************************************

Taglist: @fictional-hooman @skyeofbees @kimberkingrivers @spencereliotwinchester @padawancat97

[ballad-of-birdy-lamb]

hi!! i thought i'd send in a request for lucy gray baird! i was thinking maybe hurt/comfort set in the arena, where reader gets injured and either lucy helps them or has to leave them alone for a bit for whatever reason? gn reader preferred but i don't mind too much!

can't wait to read your writing in the future! no pressure to write this specifically though, of course <3

— @aubeystawby

I'm so excited to write about Lucy Gray, she is such a cool character. And thank you for reposting my requirements list! Also, I'm sorry if she's OOC, I've never written for her and haven't read the book in a couple of months.

Lucy Gray Baird x Gender neutral! Reader (hurt/comfort)

Warning: mention of murder, blood, description of wounds, spoilers for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, and hand-holding!

Keep in mind: the story can be taken in a platonic or romantic way. There are no kissing or romantic gestures but the way it is written can be taken either way.

Gliding one hand along the arena wall, you covered your eyes from the sun. The sun beamed down onto your skin, bathing you in warmth, but it wasn't pleasant. The midsummer heat and the humidity in the arena made it unbearable. It felt disgusting being in the sun from how little you had eaten in the past couple of hours.

When was the last time you had eaten a full meal? Maybe the night before reaping day. You couldn't have eaten anything the actual day from nerves. Your mentor barely gave you food from the days in the monkey house. The closest semblance of food you had received was from Capital citizens, which was minute and didn't help your appetite. You just had to hope your mentor pitied you enough to feed you now.

Hunger pains washed over your body, climbing through your body in waves. You wrapped your arms around your stomach, hoping the pains wouldn't last as long as the last time. Your prayers weren't answered, rather, the pains lasted nearly twice as long. Loud and deep breaths were heard coming from you as you keeled over.

When the hunger pains had left, you glanced around the dirt-covered arena, wanting to find any semblance of food. Perhaps another tribute willing to trade food for something. But what would you give? The only thing you had was a roll of bandages and a small knife. You could always threaten them. But it probably wouldn't have worked, the other tributes presumably had more than you. No point in that option.

You reminded yourself to stay focused, being in your head was not somewhere you wanted to be, especially in this place.

Your eyes glide over the surrounding area. The walls looked the same, a beige and dirty tone, it seemed to suck life from the already lifeless building. But the vibrancy of the six flags of Panem hung on the walls brought it back. Or rather five flags. One was gone and laid over several bodies in a large area of the arena.

Reaper’s graveyard. It brought a sense of disgust to you. The idea that they will always have Panem over them, even in death, made you pity them.

You didn't feel to count the bodies, rather, your eyes were drawn to a body in a small corner of the arena. It was a male tribute's body, several water bottles lay next to his body. You gave up discerning the identity of the tribute at the sight of a handkerchief over its face.

Buzzing sounds filled the silence as you looked up at a drone slowly flying toward you. It held a bread roll in its metal claw. A grin crossed your face as you reached your hand for the drone. At the sight of the bread in its metal hand, your mouth watered. Thank god your mentor had mercy on you. You held your hand out before it dropped the roll into your hand. It left as quickly as it had come but you didn't pay any mind to it.

You were swift as you took large bites out of brown bread. The stale, crumbly bread fell apart in your mouth but you kept eating. It didn't matter that the food wasn't the greatest, it was good you were even given food at all. Your fingers tore the bread apart rapidly. The feeling of hunger made the bread taste twice as good.

You were barely three-quarters through the bread when the small sound of metal hitting concrete filled the air. Your body stiffened. Silence filled the emptiness as you looked around quickly.

Your eyes trailed over the walls of the arena, then to the tunnel entrances. Your grasp on your knife tightened as you listened for anything else.

You were expecting one of the tributes to come running at you with a blade or an axe. Hell, you were expecting Reaper.

But the idea of someone getting their hand on a trident wasn't something that crossed your mind.

Heavy footsteps overtook the quiet and they grew closer. You didn't take a chance to look at who was running after you as you run for the channel entrance. A boy's voice yelled for another tribute, the boy calling for Coral. It must have been Mizzen. He was the only tribute that was allied with the girl tribute. And he was the only other tribute with a trident.

It took barely a second for the trident to be thrown through the air and hit your leg. Your body hit the ground roughly as you cried out. Pain flowed through your body as you reached back for the weapon. You peek at the boy running for you, and you were correct. It was Mizzen. You pull the trident from your leg harshly.

The pain grew worse as the air touched delicately at your bleeding wound. You got up and threw the weapon in another direction. It wouldn't be smart to take the trident with you. The situation was already bad but it would be worse being hunted for taking someone's stuff.

The trident hit the dirt-covered ground loudly. Mizzen was quick to rush for the skewer. It gave you little time to run since it seemed he wasn't willing to leave you alive.

Your footsteps were heavy as you dash through the flickering tunnels. Reaching down to hold your wound, you turned corners swiftly and continued running.

Agony crept up your leg and sprouted in your nerves as you ran from the boy. Mizzen’s shouts filled the flickering channel as you rush past corners. It took everything in you not to scream and wail from pain.

Hot pain wafted through your body as you limped through the tunnels. You took swift turns around the corners, wanting to get rid of your attacker. Heavy gasps left your lungs, not only from running but also from agony in your leg.

The lights shine down onto your blood-covered limb. Your face contorted in agony as you held your leg with one hand. Mizzen’s footsteps slowly quieted as you ran deeper into the dark tunnels.

When you were sure Mizzen and Coral had given up their chase, you finally stop running and slow to a walk, a slow and painful walk. You ground your teeth as you took in deep breaths. Think happy thoughts, think happy thoughts. You reminded yourself.

You ultimately looked down at your wound, taking in the damage done to your limb. It was far more disgusting than you had thought. Blood ran down your leg, soaking your socks in reddish-pink tones. The trident had torn the muscles in your leg and putting any pressure proved painful.

Blood ran down your ankle and gradually covered the dark cement floor. Your breathing was heavy as you tried to unroll the gauze from your pocket. Tears cascade down your face as you hurriedly wipe dust and dirt from your wound, pain welling from the scratchiness of your clothes and the dirt.

You take deep breaths, trying to think happy thoughts so you can continue. You knew you couldn't be in the same spot for long. Another tribute would find you fast, and they wouldn't have mercy on you.

You looked at the remnants of the bread roll in your hand. The deep brown crust had become maroon from the blood it soaked up. Its insides were a pinkish hue. You cursed to yourself and threw the bread angrily at the wall, it hit with a soft ‘splat’.

You rigidly reached back into your pocket, withdrawing a small hunter's knife. Reaching for a piece of clothing, you cut at the fabric quickly. Threads came undone as you slash hastily but it didn't matter. You needed to make a tourniquet.

The soft clicking could barely be made clear. The tapping of shoes. Looking around the dingy hall, you're quick to grab your knife. Your breath is rigid as you give your best effort to stand. The pain in your leg seemed to claw at your body and nerves. You whined in pain but kept standing. Your good leg held most of your balance, while you kept your free hand against the curved wall. Your exhalation came as a pant.

You glared at the figure, guiding your knife to the woman in the dark. “Stay back!” You screeched, jutting the knife at the girl. She held her hands up, as though she was getting caught for something. You were still on guard when you started to piece together who the girl was. Her dress was vibrant, contrasting her tan skin. Oh, you knew who this was.

Lucy Gray.

It was obvious the arena warmth and stress had affected her. Her dark hair was tangled, and her forehead was sweaty, though her dress stayed vivid. You were slightly surprised she hadn't been killed yet, her dress could have given her away. But it must have been her sneakiness that kept her alive.

Even if she was a nice person, you knew not to back down. No matter how nice she was, you knew her survival was always number one for her. No matter how sweetly she spoke, you didn't want to look away from her out of worry she would attack.

Lucy Gray stepped into the light, showing herself fully. There were no noticeable weapons on her. The only thing pointing out that she had something on her would be one side of her rainbow ruffles hanging lower than the other. Something was in her pocket.

“(Y/n), I know how scared you must be. I saw your interaction with Mizzen, it didn't look too pretty,” Lucy Gray spoke, acknowledging the gaping wound on your leg with worry. “Yeah, no shit,” You retort, keeping a hard expression as you exhale through your teeth.

“I can help you, I have water to clean your wound. Plus, I want you to be my ally for the rest of the Games. I lost my District partner and you're just as alone as I am,” Lucy Gray seemed saddened at the mention of her District partner. Wasn't it Jessup? You couldn't remember properly. You stared daggers into her wordlessly. The only sound that could be heard was your loud breathing.

Your brain gradually shifted from her hurting you to the idea of partnering with her. Lucy Gray was popular in the Capital, everyone knew that. Partnering with her would have a lot of benefits since she has a lot of sponsors. Which meant food, lots of it.

Blood dripped onto the floor in large droplets, but you didn't pay attention to it. The only thing you were worried about was Lucy Gray. “(Y/n), if you don't let me help you, you're gonna bleed out,” she muttered and took a step closer. At the small action, you slashed at the air in front of her. You blinked lazily. Your breathing grew staggered as you slowly became lightheaded. You swallow thickly as you fall over onto the hard concrete.

Your body hits the ground with a thud. Silence follows as Lucy Gray peered down at you. She is quick to get closer, reaching into her rainbow ruffles to grab something. As you recover sluggishly, you immediately swing your knife at the closeness between you and the girl. Seeing her reach into her pocket, you sliced at the air near her with more intent.

You pointed the knife at Lucy Gray, giving her an angry yet weak stare. “Get away! Stay back!” You exclaimed as you used your free hand to trudge your body along the dirt floor. The dirt gradually covered your clothes as you tried to move away from the girl. You groan as the skin near your cut got dragged along the cement flooring. Tears ran down your face from the pain but you kept going. Pushing yourself farther from Lucy Gray, even if it was only a couple of inches.

Your body grew weak as the soreness in your body grew. Lucy Gray watched you closely, acting as though you were a hurt animal. You used your free hand to wipe the tears

Yet, she didn't try to hurt you. She simply gave you a saddened look as she tried stepping closer. “I'm not going to hurt you,” Lucy Gray spoke in a soft tone.

“How... How should I know you won't?” You bellow, your words coming out slowly from the pain of your wound.

Lucy Gray expressed her tenderness with a slight smile. She calmly reached into the ruffles of her rainbow dress. Your eyes stay fixed on Lucy Gray, the knife never pointing away from her. She didn't mind the knife and your angry gaze. She must have understood your fear, this was the Hunger Games after all, and you couldn't trust anyone. She finally pulled her hand out of the ruffles, attaining a clear bottle of water and a dark compact. She shook her colorful skirt, hoping to prove she had nothing else.

“I don't have anything else, see?” Lucy Gray smiled graciously, putting the compact back in her pocket. Her movements were slow and steady. She kneeled, laying the clear bottle on its side, and rolled it to you.

You eye the bottle and Lucy Gray, looking between the two swiftly. Your body grew weak as your arm holding the blade faltered. “(Y/n), I don't plan on hurting you. I know you don't trust me and I respect that, this isn't the place to trust anyone,” Lucy Gray took a step closer.

The lights in the tunnels flickered as you gaze up at her. Each second gave the impression of hours. Each time you blinked, it felt like a day. You lowered the blade bit by bit until it rested at your side. You placed yourself against the wall and grabbed the water bottle, acting as though you were reluctant. Lucy Gray looked pleased by you wordlessly accepting her offer, so she sat down next to you.

Some part of you wanted to push her away, maybe even point the knife at her but you were too weak. Instead, you held the bottle to Lucy Gray, letting her take it from you. She took it from you carefully, as though the small action of taking it too fast would hurt you.

You kept your focus on her, even if your vision was dazed and a bit blurry. The girl poured water onto her dirt-covered fingers, washing the soot off before turning the bottle to your wound. You braced yourself as you felt the lukewarm water run against your injury. Waves of discomfort washed through your body but you didn't try to stop Lucy Gray from helping you.

Her touch was gentle, her fingers caressing the skin around the bloody injury. The blood stains on her fingers greatly contrasted with her tan skin.

Every touch on the sensitive skin and flesh was painful. Lucy Gray was careful, her touch was only uncomfortable. She took the knife from your grasp and brought it to finish cutting the clothing you had started. But she didn't use it immediately. She set the cloth onto her vibrantly covered lap, reaching for the roll of bandages.

You were somewhat faster to grab the knife from her, not wanting her to change her mind about helping you. Light glinted off the dirty blade, shining a small light onto the floor. It brought a small ounce of happiness to you. It was childish but it was nonetheless fun to move the reflected light. You twisted the handle and the reflected shine glided over the cement. Even if the blood loss was causing your change in mood, a smile crossed your lips as you moved it again.

Lucy Gray looked between taking care of your injury and at your complexion. The smile brought a small sense of comfort to her. Knowing that you were able to keep your mind off the wound, even if it was childlike, brought Lucy Gray a kind of reassurance. She didn't stress to take the blade from you too.

She instead focused on your leg. She wrapped the bandages tightly around the bloody wound, which caused you to wince. Lucy Gray shushed you calmly. “Take deep breaths, think happy thoughts,” she muttered as she kept up with her care. You nodded. Instead of going back to distracting yourself, you took in the details of her corset.

It was beautiful, the corsets design drew you in. Two snakes tied as a bow, a beautiful primrose in the center, and katniss flowers painted around it. A lovely primrose protected by katniss, ain't that sweet?

When your attention was led back to your leg, Lucy Gray had already finished. Your leg was covered in stained bandages, your thigh tightly wrapped with a tourniquet made from a part of your clothes.

Lucy Gray held the bottle of water to your mouth. You didn't reach for it but accepted her help with drinking from it. There was little left for you but you needed it, your mouth dry from drinking nothing for days.

When the bottle was finished, Lucy Gray smiled and set it to the side. She took your hand and encouraged you to move when she wanted you to. Lucy Gray wanted to move you like a puppet but you obliged. Her hands moved to your shoulder then your back, pulling you gently to face away from her.

The small action made you worry but you were too weak to ask her what she was doing. But your thoughts were answered fast when Lucy Gray pulled your head into her lap. The rainbow ruffles that decorated her skirt tickled the back of your neck.

You could feel Lucy Gray holding you close, yet her arms loose. You watched her as she smiled down at you, your head in her lap. The lively shades of red and purple made you feel as though you were in a flower bed. Lucy Gray’s voice came out quietly, it seemed she still thought you were weak. You were but you wouldn't admit that to her.

“I can get us food when we go into the arena again, but not now. I want you to rest, ok?” Lucy Gray said softly. Her hands were gentle as she touched you, her fingers gliding over your skin.

Your eyes fluttered as you stared up from her lap. The want to show that you didn't want to rest was prevalent in your head, you knew it couldn't be seen on your face. You wanted to grab your knife and force her to take you to get food but you realize it was a bad idea. Lucy Gray has the power in this situation. She could kill you if she wanted.

Your thoughts came to a stop as Lucy Gray started to sing, murmuring the words. The words were difficult for you to hear but it nonetheless brought comfort. She kept your head propped up on her lap. Her fingers traced an indiscernible pattern on the back of your hand. It was calming. And Lucy Gray was so sweet. As you had thought before, she could have murdered you with your weak stare, yet she took care of you.

Lucy Gray kept serenading you in a soft voice. The sound of her voice didn't carry far, it only carried to you and her. Lucy Gray sang for comfort, not only for you but for herself. Lucy Gray’s fear and stress were distinct. Her voice was slightly shaky and so were her hands. They kept grazing your skin, trailing her fingers along your arm. At her evident stress, you shifted your hand to intertwine with hers.

Lucy Gray’s voice somewhat faltered, not expecting your touch. But she didn't pull her hand away. She squeezed your hand and continued to sing. Her voice is stronger now.

Each touch comforted you, it almost made you feel like you were in an entirely different place. You weren't in the arena, you were in her comforting arms. You didn't feel the pain in your legs or the fear of the other tributes. You only felt Lucy Gray’s warmth.

Your eyes fluttered shut as the hymn made your fatigue grow. Your body loosened in Lucy Gray’s arms. She kept you close as the song she sang ended but continued to another. She belted out the tune with sympathy and kindness. Her voice brought so much comfort, the meaning of the song wouldn't have mattered to you. Lucy Gray could have sung about murdering people but it still would have carried a sweetness.

Exhaust filled your body but Lucy Gray spoke again.

“Good night, (Y/n). Sleep well,” Lucy Gray’s voice whispered with the evident sound of a smile. The words conveyed something to your mind, permission to sleep. Her words gave you acceptance to be weak (or weaker than before) with her.

And you finally slept. You slept in her arms, your head against her rainbow ruffles. You imagined you were in a field of beautiful flowers, rainbow flowers. Some part of you hoped that is where you would be when the Games are over.

__

Feel free to request any TBOSAS content if you liked this!

[doomwhore]

Orochimaru gets rawed.

Crack, lemon, age gap, male reader, bottom orochimaru, Boruto era, suigetsu and Karin are ooc, Akamichi reader.

Penetration, corruption(kinda?), humiliation, praise, size difference, MILFs, creampies, long tounge, forbidden relations, bareback, younger man/older enby, shifting dynamics, top reader, dirty talk, penis awe, profanity, (extremely mild)exhibitionism.

Words: alot.

Orochimaru hasn't gotten laid for over a year now, but that all changes when Karin and suigetsu invite a handsome young man to hang out at otokagure.

"Dude! What the fuck!" Y/n yelled as suigetsu knocked into him sending the contents of his water bottle onto y/n's shirt. "Aw man, I'm sorry" suigetsu said apologetically. "You can go use our dryer for your shirt, man" y/n sighed then a soft smile came to his face "its fine, I knew you didn't mean to. This shirts old anyways" y/n said with a soft chuckle. "Where's the laundry room?"

"Down the hall to your left, y/n" Karin piped up from across the room. "Thanks girlie!" y/n said as he walked off to find the laundry room. Y/n walks into the laundry room and takes off his shirt, he isn't exactly chiseled; but he's big, his body type more like those of powerlifters...or the usual akamichi man. "Fuckin suigetsu.." y/n murmurs to himself playfully as he shakes his head with a small smile, he then puts his shirt in the dryer and puts it on the quick dry cycle. 'Damn, I'm gonna have to chill here for 15 minutes' y/n thinks to himself.

Suddenly, orochimaru rounds the corner and their eyes widen at the sight of the stranger in their laundry room. Orochimaru regains his composure, but his eyes can't help but wander up and down y/n's body as they speak. "And who might you be?" Orochimaru said with slight suspicion in their voice, clearly unaware of y/ns visit.

'Holy shit. Its *the* orochimaru, *the* kage killer' y/n thinks to himself before speaking "oh, I'm y/n, I'm a friend of suigetsus" orochimaru pauses for a moment before speaking again "...and *why* are you shirtless in my home?" Orochimaru says as they tilt their to the side curiously. Y/n chuckles to himself "ah, that fucker suigetsu knocked into me and spilled his water on my shirt, I'm just using your dryer for a moment. Hope ya don't mind" orochimaru is slightly taken aback at the use of profanity and casual language, orochimaru is used to being feared and treated with the highest respect by people too afraid to cross him...but this young man is much different it seems.

"Hm." Orochimaru says as his eyes wander down y/n's shirtless body again. "Tell me, boy, are you a shinobi perhaps?...I can tell your quite...*active*" orochimaru's voice seems to change slightly from his usual casual detachment to a more sultry tone. "I'm no shinobi...I just like to keep myself lookin good for the ladies" y/n says with a wink and soft chuckle. Y/n's casual nonchalant attitude begins to stir the pot of desire deep inside orochimaru. "Oh? Well I'm sure a handsome young man like yourself has women flocking to" orochimaru says flirtatiously, then orochimaru speaks again "I'm sure a man such as yourself, y/n, is already taken, no?"

Y/n chuckles and puts a hand on the back of his neck. "I'm not actually..." Orochimaru smirks smugly

'oh. This will be good' orochimaru thinks to themselves before speaking "so your a bachelor, hm?...how intriguing.." orochimaru's tounge flicks out in amusement as they scan y/n's body once again. Y/n blushes softly, clearly understanding what orochimaru is starting to get at. "W-whats so interesting about that?" Y/n says, orochimaru ignores that statement and speaks again. "hm...how old are you?" Orochimaru says curiously. "I'm 23...why?" Y/n says, mildly flustered. Orochimaru chuckles seductively then brings a delicate hand to y/n's cheek and whispers in his ear. "Mmm...good, that means your ripe for the taking" orochimaru says with another seductive chuckle. Y/n takes a moment to process this, 'am I about to fuck *the* orochimaru?' He thinks before speaking again.

"Is that so?" Y/n says flirtatiously back at orochimaru, "well perhaps...you should pick the forbidden fruit.." y/n says, matching orochimaru's energy. Orochimaru's face flushes a soft pink as his breathing grows slightly heavier. "Oh my..." Orochimaru murmurs as they run a hand down the chest of y/n, causing y/n's length to twitch ever so slightly. Orochimaru's tounge comes out a licks along y/n's neck, illiciting a small groan of desire from the man.

"Mm..fuck.." y/n says before leaning down and kissing orochimaru. Orochimaru eyes widen slightly in suprise before kissing y/n back. Both parties tounges begin to collide in a lustful dance as orochimarus hands wander to run through y/n's hair. "You taste so damn good.." y/n murmurs breathlessly with a soft chuckle. Orochimaru grins devilishly, revealing his sharp teeth. "Oh y/n...I just love men like you..so strong..I bet you could pick me up and pin me against the wall if you really wanted to, hm?" Orochimaru murmurs. This statement sends a strong spike of desire throughout y/n's body, his eyes glowing with a new, determined lust. 'Oh. I'm gonna fuck the shit out of them' y/n thinks, "...do you want that?" Y/n replies. "Perhaps...but can you keep me down? I am quite the powerful shinobi after all" orochimaru says smugly, their lust growing as they see that fire in your eyes.

Y/n let's out a heavy, shaky breath "how 'bout you take me to your room and we can find out." Orochimaru let's out an amused chuckle "mhm..let's not waste anytime then." Orochimaru takes y/n by the wrist and leads him to their quarters. 'Damn. That's a big ass bed.' Y/n thinks to himself as they enter the room. Orochimaru quickly locks the door behind them before sitting down on the bed and motioning for y/n to sit next to them. "Oh I just love young men like you...so virile..so filled with life..and so easy to take" this earns a soft groan of desire from y/n "fuckkk..." y/n groans as he feels himself getting hard already. Orochimaru chuckles as they spot the buldge forming in y/n's pants. "Well, that certainly proved my point"

Orochimaru takes his hand and runs it up and down y/n's inner thigh "I wonder how worked up you can get..." orochimaru murmurs as they move there hand back and forth. "Hngh.." y/n replies before gently running his hands through orochimarus hair and kissing their neck, the kisses travel from orochimarus neck to his collarbone before trailing up to orochimarus jaw, earning a soft gasp from the snake sannin.

Y/n's hands move to cup orochimarus ass as he leaves small hickeys on orochimarus neck, causing orochimaru to moan Slightly. "Mhm..." orochimaru murmurs before moving to sit on y/n's lap and wrapping their legs around the young man in a snake like manner. Orochimaru then runs his hands up and down y/n's torso slowly and gently, experienced touches knowing just where to glide to earn sweet noises out of y/n. "Orochimaru..." y/n murmurs breathlessly, causing orochimaru to let out one of their trademark devious chuckles.

Orochimaru looks composed on the outside, but his body says otherwise, his cock beginning to ache and push against his pants. Y/n's eyes are locked on orochimarus hard on before quickly snapping to orochimarus hands as they begin undo his belt. "You want to be touched, don't you? Do you want to feel my hands on your cock?" Y/n nods his head in agreement as his dick throbs with desire. Orochimaru deftly finishes undoing y/n's pants, but doesn't remove them. Instead removing. y/n's throbbing dick from the hole in his boxers.

"O-oh my." Orochimaru says breathlessly as they look at, y/n's length. Y/n's cock makes orochimarus hand look small, coming in at a hefty 8 inches.

"Its so heavy....." orochimaru murmurs to himself causing, y/n to grin in self satisfaction. "I'm glad it's too your liking" y/n says playfully. "Indeed it is.." orochimaru murmurs, their eyes still locked on y/n's dick. Orochimaru begins to slowly and gently stroke y/n's cock while cupping y/n's balls with the other hand. Orochimaru's touch is purposefully teasingly slow, trying to draw every little noise from y/n.

Y/n gasps and whimpers softly, knowing very well what orochimaru is trying to pull "oh you bastard..." y/n says with a moan through gritted teeth. "A-ah ah...watch your tounge, boy." Orochimaru says playfully as they tilt y/n's chin to look down at them. "Or I won't let you touch me, and you oh so desperately want to touch me, don't you?" Y/n grunts softly before replying "maybe I'll just take what I want and have my way with you." Y/n says in a firm, seductive voice that makes a shiver run up orochimarus spine. "Oh? I dare you then, see if you can have your way with me" orochimaru says all to smugly, teasing arrogance in every word they speak. Y/n chuckles darkly, a new, dominant glint in his eyes, a desire to prove orochimaru wrong and fuck them good. "Bet." Y/n says before quickly flipping orochimaru over and pinning them under him.

"You wanted this, didn't you? You just wanted to get me worked up so I would take you roughly. You want to be used, I can tell" these teasing words earn a groan of desire from orochimaru before they blush deeply, seemingly embarrassed by this fact. Y/n grins widely as he sees orochimarus flushed face. These words bounce around in orochimarus head, giving them conflicting emotions, on one hand, orochimaru is embarrassed, on the other hand, orochimaru is the most turned on they have ever been for the past 5 years.

"P-perhaps...perhaps I do want to be used" orochimaru says in a small voice. Y/n wastes no time stripping orochimaru of their clothes, tossing all garments to the side haphazardly. Y/n bites his lip and looks down at orochimaru. "Fuck..your such a pretty little twink, your hole is just begging to be filled" y/n takes a firm handful of orochimarus ass. "You have such a thick fuckin ass" y/n growls out. "Your so much smaller than me...I bet I could break you if I really wanted" these words make orochimarus cock twitch with delight. "Gods...just take me already" orochimaru says desperately, causing y/n to chuckle. "Imagine if people saw this...lord orochimaru, desperately needing cock in their hole. Begging for someone so much younger to fuck them good."

These words earn another groan from orochimaru. "Hngh...just put it in already" y/n chuckles before taking some lube off the nearby bedside table and applying it to his cock. "As you wish...I just want to fuck you good" y/n murmurs. Orochimaru grins softly and speaks. "pound me, y/n. Fuck me good."

Orochimaru grabs onto y/n's hair firmly, earning a moan from the other man. "A bit of a masochist, are we?" Orochimaru says teasingly. "I'll keep that in mind" "I'm gonna put it in now" y/n says, after orochimaru gives a nod of confirmation; y/n begins to slip his dick inside orochimaru slowly, earning a groan of delight from both parties. "S-shit! Your so t-tight" y/n says through gritted teeth as he slowly inserts his cock all the way in.

"O-oh yesss..." orochimaru hisses out. "oh you fill me up so good~" orochimaru puts their hand on their cock and begins to stroke themselves slowly as they adjust to y/n's length inside them. After a moment orochimaru speaks in a breathy voice "y-you can start moving now.." y/n moans as he begins to slowly move in and out of orochimaru.

"Oh fuck...fuck your so tight.." y/n murmurs. Orochimaru's hands grip the sheets as they try to keep themselves from being to loud. "Oh..oh yesss...your so big" orochimaru says as claws at the sheets under him. "Shit..oh god.." y/n moans out softly as his body moves. "M-more...harder..." y/n quickly obliges, the sudden movement causing orochimaru to moan loudly "y-yes!" Orochimaru quickly slaps a hand over his mouth, a futile attempt to keep their decorum. This causes a half laugh-half moan from y/n. "o-oh its...a-alright..l-let me..h-hear you.." y/n struggles to speak through gasps and gritted teeth.

Y/n places a firm smack on orochimarus ass as he moves inside them "fuck! Fuck your- ah- g-good!" Y/n exclaims, his actions illiciting a lustful groan from orochimaru. Gripping at the man on top of as he moans "y-y/n...oh god..yes..yes!" Orochimarus eyes begin to roll back into their head as y/n moves. "Oh fuckkk..d-dont..tell me..y-your..close already" y/n struggles to say between gasps and moans. "Hnghhh..y/n..d-dont you dare stop.." orochimaru says with lust and passion dripping from their somewhat slurred words. Y/n picks orochimaru up suddenly, earning a noise of suprise from orochimaru. "W-what are you-" orochimarus words are cut off by a loud moan as y/n begins to carry fuck them. "Yes! Yes! Just like that!" Orochimaru exclaimed, all attempts at keep decorum tossed aside as y/n pounds them vigorously. Y/n can feel his cock throbbing even harder as orochimaru desperately clings onto him.

"F-fuck! Shit! Yes! I'm gonna cUhM" y/n moans out desperately as he thrusts and bucks. Orochimaru moans at these words, "oh yes! Cum for me! Cum inside!" Y/n let's out several deep and loud groans as he shoots ropes of his load inside orochimaru, the sensation of being creampied sending orochimaru into orgasm. "YEs! Y/n! Oh g-GOd!" The two partners moan in tandem as they release.

Several moments of silence pass as both parties cath their breath before kissing eachother deeply. "Mhm...you, my dear, have exceeded my Highest expectations" orochimaru says with satisfied amusement, a soft grin painting their face. Y/n pulls out, earing a soft gasp from orochimaru before flopping back on the bed. "Fuckin hell...I think I just cummed the soul outta me.." y/n says with satisfaction and humor, the words earning a amused chuckle from orochimaru. "Hm..it seems you did..but I think it was worth it" orochimaru says softly, in a almost loving voice as they lay back next to y/n. "Fuck yeah it was!" y/n says with an assured voice, earning another soft laugh from orochimaru.

The following morning...

Orochimaru sets down a plate of eggs in front of y/n before taking their own seat at the table. "You should make sure and eat. I'd like to keep those muscles on you after all~" orochimaru says flirtatiously, earning a chuckle from y/n. Karin walks into the kitchen and immediately notices the tension between y/n and orochimaru. "Oh my..so that's where you went" Karin says cheekily with a knowing grin on her face. Suigetsu follows shortly after, also noticing the tension, "did you fu-" before Suigetsu can finish his sentence he gets a firm hit on the head from Karin, causing water to splash. As Suigetsu and Karin bicker, orochimaru and y/n can't help but look at eachother and chuckle.

[ben-wisehart]

hi! do you ever feel like the bingqiu fandom is binghe biased? like a lot of the time its giving.. “wow binghe is our little precious bun who deserves the world and more! ..oh and stinky neet loser sqq is so blessed to have him lul” it feels unfair towards sqq :( it makes me sad hes no ones fave but thats okay like whatever right? but even when its bingqiu hes treated like an afterthought. like we have binghe fans criticising sqq for not doing more, sj fans are frankly delusional, sqh fans think hes “too mean” to their precious hamster, liushen fans only like him bc hes a good hole/dick for lqg (obligatory “not all men” lol) idk i only follow a handful of svsss twt accs because no one seems to like him, he feels either tolerated or treated as a gag character lol 🥹

i just dislike a lot of fanon bingqiu i think? i read all the books before hopping on twitter and i see some absolute rancid takes on there like the woobification of Shaun(tm) qinghua and jiumei.. which is easy enough to avoid tbf so whatever floats their boat idc. but when i follow bingqiu accs, it feels like OC x OC rather than ~bingqiu~ if that makes sense? like i LOVE the manipulative crybaby domtop x flustered thin face subby pillow princess they have going on!! and fanon bingqiu is just.. not it? and obv id never send hate or anything (i just block and keep it moving) but it makes it kinda sucky when the fandom is already teeny tiny and a large chunk of the fandom isnt what i envisioned/expected i guess which is so odd! when they essentially erase canon!! if it’s like some queerbaity ship or whatever, people can characterise them however they want but its like CANON how they act/are in bed/etc and its all taken away!!! idk im probably just whining sorry 😭

(i included all my thoughts here sorry for the spam!!)

hey, thanks for stopping by!! I definitely know what you mean with regards to SQQ, but I will assure you that there are very much still plenty of dedicated "sqq mains" out there. My sphere of influence on twitter is heavily biased toward people for whom sqq is their favourite character, so maybe I'm not getting a representative sample of the fandom overall, but he's definitely a very well loved character and has more than his fair share of people who do him justice in their writing and for whom he's their primary blorbo!! I remember posting this on reddit a while back and more than half of the responses (though admittedly a small sample size) had him as their fave. So, I don't think he's without appreciation!

But with that said, I do get where you’re coming from. I’m not gonna talk about readers who take his actions in bad faith and actively dislike him (HOW??), but as you’ve said, even among people who do like him, we don’t always understand him as well as we could. Most fans do get on some level that he’s an unreliable narrator, but it’s still very common for people to take him at face value and completely miss his depth. He’s a funny little guy with amusing narration, but he’s also kind and selfless, and he’s also smart and witty, and obnoxious and annoying, and frankly pretty insensitive, and deeply, deeply traumatised—and a million other things! He has layers.

I think all popular characters in fandom will inevitably start getting boiled down to a few key traits. And as somebody who’s been writing fic for 15 years, it’s really hard not to let your own biases colour your portrayal? I absolutely do it with SQQ!! I focus on his kinder, warmer aspects and downplay his flaws, I’ll readily admit that. We all get drawn to a favourite character for a certain trait, and that trait becomes the grit around which our interpretations form. If you’re somebody that likes silly characters, you’re going to write SQQ and dial his silliness up to eleven. If you like kind characters, you’ll write SQQ with emphasis on his kindness. None of these traits are OOC in and of themselves, but if you start to only read fanfic and don’t revisit the source material, you can get lost in what’s popular and forget all the depth that actually made them interesting in the first place. And once you’ve grown attached to a particular version of the characters in your head, it can be really hard to let go of it. I don’t really know where I’m going with this, but I'll add that I think protagonists are just particularly prone to this happening because they're usually the one the audience relates to most.

Idk if any of that really addresses the stuff you were talking about. You mentioned dom top Binghe/pillow princess sqq and to be honest I’m kind of reluctant to talk about this in depth because I’ve received negative comments in the past for supposedly being anti-bottom Binghe, when all I’ve ever said on this matter is that I think it’s a bit weird to insist that “I’m scared of hurting you so I might as well let you do it” is proof that Binghe is canonically a bottom. The fact that someone found that statement so threatening to their view of the characters that they would go to my ao3 page, click on the first fic they saw that happened to feature bottom SQQ and leave their holier-than-thou anonymous opinion there is just bizarre to me.

To be honest tho, it tends to be Binghe characterisation that puts me off moreso than Shen Qingqiu. The only SQQ characterisation that truly bothers me is when people write him as willing to hurt Binghe, or willing to do anything with underage Binghe, but there is a LOT of Binghe stuff that I’m sensitive too. Idk if you read this thread of mine but like, even my friends whom I love make “Binghe stalking/imprisoning/"atticwifing" SQQ” jokes and these bother me way more than any random stranger saying SQQ would get off on spanking Binghe.

And like, it’s kind of hard because objectively, Binghe is a very dark character, so it doesn't feel particularly OOC to say he would do those things, but it's about framing. It bothers me when the emphasis is on how fucked up he is and not how hard he's trying, because it implies a level of futility that I just don’t think is there in canon. To me the beauty of him is in how much doing right by SQQ doesn't come naturally to him, but he ultimately decides to do it anyway because he wants SQQ to be happy. (I feel it needs to be said that I don't mean this in a judgy "if you write dark Binghe you don't understand him and are a bad person" way. Just that I myself can't handle that, and I strongly disagree if you think it's where Bingqiu's relationship is headed).

but idk, I've found my corner and I'm very happy here. I actually don't read fic as often as you'd think, mostly because I am sooooo picky, so I totally get where you're coming from :) but the fandom is still decently sized and very diverse, so there are always going to be at least a few people who share your feelings, if you can find them!

[mini-games]

...It's so quiet.

[You hear a disembodied voice start speaking upon entering.]

Hello? Do you know where Mini went? They said they were going on a quick walk, but it's been hours and they haven't returned.

...Don't be frightened. I am the old Mini-Game Lobby owner. Though it seems I might have to start working again if I don't find Mini soon... (Below the cut are tags and other extra info!)

tags:

MINI-GAME RELATED TAGS: mini-game (used for posted mini-games)

scavenger hunt mg (used for the scavenger hunt mini-games)

arena games mg (used for arena games mini-games)

hide 'n' go seek mg (used for hide 'n' go seek mini-games)

user-submitted mini-game (used for mini-games made by you)

not a mini-game (non-mini-game posts)

CHARACTER RELATED TAGS: ooc speaking (posts where I speak out of character)

mini speaks (anything where I'm just talking)

mini speaks? (in character text, but I'm not really talking.)

minis art (my art!)

!mini fanart (fanart of mini! thank you so much :D)

!cat shenanigans (interactions with npcat)

!mini lore (mini (character) lore things)

!terro lore (terro lore things)

tag!anon (the anon with a bad connection in which there text seems to be cut out at times. turns out it was just hashbang-mods)

song lyrics anon (the anons that speak in only song lyrics to tell the others what's going on)

LORE SEGMENTS: sun blackout (the predicament where the sun was extinguished and it was definitely not caused by me at all (&lt;- lie)

ice arc (the period of time during the sun blackout/sun saga where the ice people came and infected me. very roleplay.)

interrobang war (the war that was unfairly waged against the interrobangs)

gnome armada (an armada [fleet of warships] of gnomes thats happening. seems the gnomes have beef with mini and nef.)

status god arc (the time status obtained the power of the developers)

minis mourning (mini mourning the loss of terro during status god arc)

status two arc (the aftermath of defeating status with a double kungpowpenis)

leftover ice (arc) (mini's scars from the sun incident are colder and more painful than ever.)

prison break arc (mini breaks out of prison and has nowhere to hide. seems there are people in the library that are fairly friendly.)

carrion arc (other people call it "scream arc." im calling it carrion arc because its mini's first experience of carrion.)

plus-minus-contingency arc (plus minus is trying to "purify" the world except he's really bad at it.)

mini's rage (some anons informed mini that plus minus has severely hurt terro. they are Not Happy.)

the STATUS is DEAD (arc) (kunpowpenis times 10. y. yeah.)

frozen 2 arc (mini gets turned into an ice person again.)

MISCELLANEOUS TAGS: important (important posts. please look through these tags!)

kung pppp (oops.)

moon arc (my silly hermitcraft season 8 reference that got taken seriously and it almost turned into real lore. whoops.)

other info: I have never run a gimmick account before I do not know what I am doing. Making this blog was a very impulsive decision on my end, but I'm willing to see where it goes!

My main is @shiningnightstars

Update: I canNOT keep up with all the lore tags and such. I will miss things I am so sorry. On top of that, if I'm speaking in tags then that is CONFIRMED out of character.

Also, if any post needs to be tagged, PLEASE inform me! I tags things as "tw (subject)" Things I will not tag (and why):

colored text (part of the gimmick is the colored text. sorry, I won't be tagging every single post! your warning is right here.)

swearing/cursing/profanity (I won't be swearing, however the others do swear a lot and I don't feel like tagging every instance of that.)

caps (I use caps a lot and I don't want to tag just my regular speaking habits if im constantly posting with them!)

Have a great day!

Mini design:

(UPDATE - JANUARY 26: This design is slightly outdated due to the latest arc. If you need a more current design, please DM me or send in an ask!)

[ecccentrick]

hi there! first of all, I'd like to sincerely thank you for your hard work on ao3, I'm genuinely in love with your writing; rest assured the hearth universe is always open in a tab on my phone to reread and I can't ever close it 😭❤️ I'm sorry if you've already answered this before, but I've been wanting to ask if you had any plans on expanding on the au any more? namely for wangxian, but also anything you could have had in mind 👀

Thank you so much!!!! This is probably the nicest thing anyone has said about my writing in general. I have fanfics that I always reread and reread and it's just mind blowing to think that my fics are that for someone else. I don't think anyone has sent me an ask specifically for the hearth series, I've had like zero engagement on tumblr T-T

I have plans to continue the series, and I've started no less than 5 new drafts for it, but nothing has stuck. It is alluding me at the moment. I was planning to do a Cloud Recesses arc and still plan to, but I also want to incorporate Hualian in there, too, and I can't quite figure out how I want to do it. Wangxian would also have a somewhat different dynamic due to Wwx's different upbringing, and I'm afraid of erring too close to complete ooc.

I have a lil oneshot unrelated to wangxian somewhat close to being finished, so maybe this ask will give me enough motivation to complete it.

I'd take prompts, but I can't 100% guarantee they'd be completed or become canon to the series. The muse is cruel and fickle.

But thanks again for sending this ask!!! I was so completely taken off guard by it as all I've gotten recently is spam asks lol. The hearth series isn't forgotten, and I've even had ponderings of writing a sequel for do not envy the roots that hold you down.

[despairforme]

Idk why I had not followed you on this blog until now, but holy heck does my brain forget to do even the most important things because it's a literal goldfish TuT)d

Anyway.

I know we have never really talked a lot OOC, let alone interacted IC. But you were one of the people who welcomed me back when I was returning to this fandom. Made me feel accepted. Sent me HC questions that got my mind going (and I very much cherish despite the long-ass time taken for me to respond to them sometimes because that's just the snail that I am, unfortunately hahahah).

And I know many people have said this already but well... It's a bandwagon I wanna jump on to and you can't stop me so :P I just want to tell you that regardless of what happened, you really are a great person, Toby, and definitely a joy to see on my dash. Great artist, great writer—you name it. I honestly learn a lot when it comes to be a kinder, more understanding person from watching you (no no, not with the Overly Attached Girlfriend meme person's kind of glare, don't you worry hahahahahah). I'm sorry it took such an incident for me to eventually muster up the courage to tell you all these, but yeah. I think the Bleach fandom is very much blessed to have you as a part of it :3

You don't have to post or even respond to this. The only thing I had in mind when writing it is just...Idk, for some sort of token you can keep in your inbox or something, as a reminder that no matter what happens/what some random person who doesn't even have the balls to not hide behind a grey face says, there's also this other person who sent you this that will always be grateful she has ever got the chance to meet you <3

[ CHIA !!!!! I literally have kept this message in my draftbox for months! It’s one of the sweetest messages I’ve ever received so I wanted to look at it often t - t !! I hope you please know how much I appreciate it!!

I’m so glad I could be helpful to you when you returned to the fandom, and I really hope we can interact more both IC and OOC ( now that I have more muses it’ll be easier to find someone who can vibe with yours! ). You can always always always take as long as you want to answer any of the asks I send. As you can see I take a long long time as well--- 

T - T !! You’re so kind for supporting me with these words of encouragement. I always try to be kind so I’m super flattered that people see that ( I sometimes worry because of my muse that people will think I’m like him ). I absolutely had to keep this in my inbox as a token and like just ??? Good vibes for me ?? I feel very spoiled !! - holds onto this asks - Please know I’ve looked at this message so many times! You’ve brightened many of my days thanks to this ask T - T !! I’m forever grateful and I wish you alllll the best! - also we really should interact more like please? - sends love - ]

[ash-muses]

(OOC - Update #16)

Just in advance, my replies are coming out slower right now as I've had a really rough week. Please know that I'm not ignoring anyone, I'm just having a hard time right now and I'm sending out replies (DMs & RPs) when I can. ♡

Hi, everyone - I'm back! Thank you so much for your continued patience and support ♡

I'm really glad that I have so many people that enjoy writing with me and my version of Loki (and, hopefully going forward, my other muses as well!). I hope that you're all doing well; I've been trying to get back to the messages I had just before I went on hiatus, so if I missed anyone, I'm really sorry about that. >w<

I'm checking on the threads I have going, so please feel free to let me know if you're no longer interested in our thread or want to start new ones. I'll be going through my thread tracker again soon and posting that back up; the only reason it was taken down was so that I could redo my blog, which means I also have to change the thread links and such for the thread tracker. Hopefully, that will be added again soon and I'll make another update when I've rearranged some other things.

Below is a to-do list and changes that were already made (in case anyone is interested).

To-Do List, Daily:

* = main priority

* Respond to Tumblr messages (in progress; slow due to getting RP replies out & personal life at the moment)

To-Do List, General:

* Set up reminders for replies (in progress; looking for a good system that works for me)

* Redo tag directory, including new tags & hopefully reducing some of the tags I use (not started)

* Add muse info to Carrd (in progress, but slow; already completed Loki & my OC Adrian, and Tony Stark needs a few more adjustments before he's added; the goal is to add at least one muse for each fandom, that way I have a playable character in each one until I can finish all of their files)

Add FAQ to Carrd (not started; hopefully easy to do)

Create graphics for muses, including icon borders for replies, starter calls, etc. (in progress, but slow)

Create separate header promo (not started)

Work on GIFs project (in progress, but slow; need to rework some of the GIFs I posted using my previous watermark)

Already Done:

Checked in on old threads with partners

New promo has been added to my pinned posted

New reply icon borders for Loki & Adrian (OC)

Pinned post has been revamped (new information, cut and re-organized info, etc.)

Navigation has been fixed (links were still set for my previous blog name)

Carrd was designed & published

Pulled old threads from Drafts to get replies out

Scheduled out several responses to starters/asks || update was posted after they were already published

[ashthemadwriter-archived]

Let's tease the BSD boys!

Fandom: Bungou stray dogs

Pairings: Dazai, Fyodor, Nikolai, Ranpo, Chuuya X Fem!Reader

Genre: Crack, Humor, Fluff

Format: Drabble

Warnings: Maybe a bit ooc? That's it ig

Word Count: 1.8K

A/n: Some of them deserve it and some of them don't but what can we do &lt;3

↳Osamu Dazai

"Osamu! I got you a present!"

Your Boyfriend looked up at you from his book, face brightening up as he saw the big red box in your hands. You were clearly struggling to hold it up, so he assumed there was something big and heavy inside. Not that he cared about that though; he was always delighted by the gesture, then the present itself.

"Awww baby! You didn't have t- What the hell?!!"

You let out an innocent chuckle, raising the small puppy you took out of the box as you took a step closer to Dazai who was staring at the poor animal with pure disgust and panic in his widened eyes.

"Oh c'mon 'Samu! Look at him! Isn't he the cutest? Look at how fluffy he is! Wanna give this little guy a hug?" "No! I want you to get this- this evil beast out of here!"

"Beast? Oh c'mon don't be like that big guy! You've always wanted a dog haven't you? Isn't that why you always refer to Chuuya as your dog?" "No? I call him that because I hate dogs and I hate him!"

The sight of Dazai actually being terrified was something so rare and oh, so satisfying. You wish you were recording this and you knew that Kunikida would thank you later on for it.

The dog took his tongue out, causing the bandaged man to let out a snort out of nausea, taking steps rearward to be as distant as he could be with his eternal enemy. What he didn't expect was feeling the wall behind him as his back stuck to it, letting him know he had nowhere else to run to.

"Osamu? Don't you wanna hug him? I went all the way to the pet store to get him for you! You're breaking my heart acting like this! If you don't hug him yourself, then I guess I'll have no choice but to throw him on you" You shrugged your shoulders, trying to hide the smug look on your face; but it was hard because of your huge evil smile.

"Y/n?" "Yes?" "If you do that I'll scream"

Well, who wouldn't want to hear the great Osamu Dazai screaming?

↳Fyodor Dostoevsky

"Dos-kun Dos-kun! Look at what I found at the store!" Nikolai smiled as he placed the small toy mouse on the floor, pointing at it with both of his hands.

"Ta da! See? It's you! Even his skin has the same color as your hair!"

"Is that so?" Fyodor stared at the toy with a blank expression, then looked back to his co-worker with his eyebrows raised. "And how much did this thing cost you?"

"Doesn't matter! Was worse every penny! Look! It can move around too!"

Nikolai bent to wind the toy up, clapping his hands together with joy as it started roving around on the floor, making annoying noises.

"Look! Dos-kun is running away! Dos-kun is speeding up! Awww Dos-kun is moving toward Y/n-"

Bam!

A big hammer landed on the toy mouse, causing it to break apart, pieces scattering on the floor in front of your feet. Both men gasped at your sudden arrival, taken aback by what you just did.

"Wha-" "Oh I'm sorry! Was it yours Nikolai?" You smiled with fake shame as you placed a hand on your mouth. "Oops! Sorry! It's just that... I hate rats! I loath them so much! I can't stand any form of them, not even the artificial ones! I-"

Wizzzzz!

Bam! Bam!

You chuckled while pressing the hammer in your hand, making a gesture to look like a pro. "That should be enough to devastate it. Anyway~ Sorry for that Nikolai. I'll pay you its price though! Just send me the number!"

The men watched you walking away with widened eyes, and one of them put his hand on the other one's shoulder. "Dos-kun?" "...Yes?" "You should sleep with your eyes open at night"

↳Nikolai Gogol

"Kolya~? Where are you~?"

Nikolai's heart was filled with happiness when he heard your voice coming from behind. He turned around and opened his arms to greet you by giving you a tight hug, but immediately withdrew because it was dangerous, due to the scissor you were holding in your hand.

"Dove...? What is that thing doing in your hand?"

"Oh, this?" The innocent smile on your face was hard not to fall for, but somehow it made him feel terror instead of adoration. "I'm going to cut your hair for you! I just saw a video on youtube about haircuts, and one of them looked very nice in the end. I wish I could do it on my own hair, but I cant do it properly even with a mirror, and you have the nicest hair, So here I am!" You winked at him while moving the scissor in the air. "C'mon Kolya! Let's go to the bath room! Promise I'll be gentle~ Promise I'll make you look good in the end~ So, let me cut that pretty hair of yours!"

"Like... How long?" His expression had changed from cheerful to reserved, with hints of fear in his eyes; and this made you feel like you were on cloud nine, since you were the one who always got teased by him. "I'll cut it short baby, very short! Like any other guy's hair style these days! And I wanna keep your beautiful braid too! Maybe we can even sell it! I heard they pay well for fluffy long hair and make wigs out of them!"

"Is that so?" "Yes. That is it"

Nikolai smiled, took one last look at your hand holding the scissor, and then ran for his life.

"Hey- Nikolai where are you going! Come back! I wanna cut your hair!" "Get away from me you crazy woman! I won't ever let you touch my precious hair again!"

Of course he was, since he couldn't get a day without you running your fingers through his hair, but you didn't need to know that for now.

↳Ranpo Adogawa

You smiled at the sight of your boyfriend enjoying himself, tasting the tray full of macaroons you made for him. It made your heart drop at how he closed his eyes every time he took a bite from the pastry, licking his lips afterwards as he stuffed his hand with another one. You hadn't even tasted them, brought them to him to brighten his mood which was ruined due to not having any interesting cases to solve today. You knew he had a sweet tooth, and you knew just the perfect way to cheer him up.

"Do you like them?" You placed a hand under your chin and watched him picking another one, leaving just one last heart shaped macaroon on the tray.

"Mhm! They taste really good! Almost as good as the one I bought from the bakery last week!" "I'm glad you like them then"

He smiled endearingly back at you, which made you feel butterflies in your stomach. You were overwhelmed with how cute he looked at the moment, and how proud he was at his talented girlfriend. Maybe it was the reason why you became stupid enough to think you can have the last macaroon, as you reached to grab it.

Smash!

Suddenly both of you froze, him looking at his hand, and you looking at your hand which was decorated with his fingerprints, with your eyes widened.

He... just slapped your hand away?

After all you've done for him? Really? So he can't even give up on one stupid macaroon either?

Ungrateful little shit.

Looking around while sulking, you're eyes was suddenly met with the perfect person, and the perfect idea popped into your head.

"Fukuzawa-san! Please come here for a bit!"

Ranpo immediately saw through your evil plan and tried to snatch the macaroon from the tray, but it was too late; Fukuzawa was walking toward you, with his eyes fixated on the pastry.

Ranpo felt like he wanted to die.

"I made these macaroons and Ranpo enjoyed them so much! He was so impressed with my cooking skills that he suggested I should bring some to you! As you can see, he couldn't hold himself back from eating them, so there's just one left. But he really wants you to enjoy it as well because you were having a really busy schedule these days!"

Fukuzawa observed the macaroon before looking at the detective. "Is that true Ranpo?"

Well, how could he say no? When he looked so delighted by the lie fact that he cared about him?

"Yes... I... Yes..."

"Well then, I won't turn your offer down."

When he put the macaroon in his mouth, you could clearly see Ranpo's hands shaking. You watched the president going to his office after thanking you, and chuckled evilly.

"Yeah, that's what you get for treasuring sweets more than m- Oh my god Ranpo are you actually crying?"

Well he was going to, until you make him dozens of macaroons to make up for your evil doings.

↳Chuuya Nakahara

You stood in front of your boyfriend as you proudly presented the little wine bottles filled with roses. He knew that he was supposed to praise you, call you a genius with so much passion about art and shit, but he just couldn't. All he could care about was how the bottles were not carrying wine instead of those stupid flowers.

"Babe...?" "Yes honey?" "They look... really nice... but-" "I know right? We can put them in the balcony! I'm sure it would look amazing!" "Right... but... What happened to the wine?"

"What?" You looked at him pretending to be dumbfounded, feeling a teeny tiny bit guilty from how you were messing with him. The wine was all in a barrel hidden in the closet, and you could cheer him up by showing it to him afterwards; so why not have a little fun now?

"The wine, babe" He was trying hard, Really hard to keep his cool; and it was hard, Really hard. "The bottles were filled with wine before I head off to work. They- They were really old- they were expensive- They were- I- Where is the wine Y/n?"

"Oh the wine you mean? Well I had to empty the bottles to be able to use them, so..." "You threw them away?" He cut you off as he prayed to god the answer won't be yes, but...

"Yes baby. I threw them away to fill them with red roses. Intelligent, right?"

Yes. You were very intelligent, since you found the perfect way to give the strongest ability user a heart attack.

"I- You- What the- Why- I need a dri- No, I need a smoke" He gripped his cheek as he tried not to snap out, going to the bloody balcony as he left you with the satisfaction of being able to successfully prank him.

Reblogs are wildly appreciated! :)))

[tears0fsatan]

hi there!! if im not mistaken, i think you can write for zhongli?? so may i request zhongli comforting the reader (gn or male, i dont really mind) who's feeling really anxious and dreading a future event?

𖥻 characters... zhongli x gn!reader

𖥻 genre... comfort + fluff !!!!

𖥻 warnings... relationship between zhongli and reader isn't specified, but zhongli calls u endearments such as 'dearest' and 'my dear' hope that doesn't bother yall, a little ooc zhongli im sorry its been so long since i've seen his ancient ass

𖥻 a.n... AAAA thank you sm for sending this req !!!! my inbox has been filled with two people telling me to kay why es n its really nice to see such a wholesome request ૮  ˶ˆ꒳ˆ˵ ა !!! i hope im not the only one who calls my friends 'my love', 'darling', etc etc .... anw i hope you like this n im wishin the best comes ur way anon <33 !! ヽ(。˃ ᵕ ˂ )ﾉ

you sighed for the umpteenth time today, as much as you had tried to distract yourself from your anxiety, it always managed to worm it's way back into your current train of thought.

zhongli paused in recounting one of his many sentimental memories, he had sensed something was off the moment you arrived at third round knockout but chose to stay quiet and observe your reactions as the night went on.

"[name], are you alright?" zhongli asked, worried about what you could be fretting over.

you looked up at him in shock, you had completely forgotten about him. you had been so lost in your thoughts you forgot zhongli was talking to you.

"oh-oh! yeah yeah, i'm sorry," you laughed lightly, waving your hand dismissively, "what were you saying?" you smiled at him, taking a bite from your dinner and focusing your attention onto him.

the geo archon reached over the table, gently clasping your hands in his with a worried expression adorning his features.

"what's troubling you, my dear?" his tone alone nearly made you burst into tears, but you held yourself back, opting to distract yourself with the feeling of zhongli's thumb rhythmically stroking your knuckles.

"it's- everything's fine." you winced upon hearing your voice crack, completely giving you away.

zhongli shot you an encouraging smile, in hopes of coaxing the truth out of you.

you groaned, unable to hide your feelings from the man. zhongli's chuckle indicated that he knew he had won too.

"it's nothing really, just a bit of anxiety but that never killed anyone." you laughed, with the aim to change the subject. however, the geo archon knew better than you and looked at you expectantly.

you sighed once more, "i'm feeling a bit anxious about an event coming up is all, nothing to worry about."

zhongli closed his eyes and hummed in apprehension, knowing full well where you were coming from. after all, he's been around for six thousand years, he's had his fair share of nerves.

abruptly, zhongli pushed his chair back and got up, your hands still in his.

"there's a place i visit when i feel troubled, would you accompany me there?" with such sweet words, how could you not agree?

"but- zhongli- we're in the middle of dinner?" you asked, taken aback and confounded by his sudden spontaneity, yet stood up nonetheless.

as soon as you were on your feet, zhongli was tugging you towards the exit.

the walk to this mystery place the geo archon wanted to show you was tranquil, the two of you didn't utter a word but it didn't bother you, in fact, you rather enjoyed the silence.

the night was chilly, gentle wind blowing from the ocean filled the night air with the scent of the sea breeze. zhongli's hand in yours contrasted to cool night, which helped soothe your annoyingly increasing anxiety.

admittedly, you were once more overtaken by your thoughts. you took a sharp inhale as the thoughts began crowding your mind, so many swarming your head at once that you couldn't make out one coherent thought.

thoughts ranging from "what do i wear?" to "how will i get there?" to "who'll be there?" and more pounded into your head causing you to lose your footing and slip. luckily, before you could be seriously injured, zhongli caught you.

"be careful now dearest, that could've dangerous." you blinked a few times, confused as to what just happened. you looked away from zhongli's warm, prying eyes, in hopes of willing away the embarrassed blush that had worked it's way onto your face.

"we've arrived, why don't you take a seat?" you looked around, noticing the geo archon had dragged you to the valley of nantianmen, underneath the great tree that served as a tomb for zhongli's old friend. you noticed zhongli had pointed to a spot near the foot of the tree and sat down, the archon following suit.

you two sat there in silence, basking in the peaceful atmosphere that surrounded the two of you.

"i don't know why i'm so nervous, i guess i'm just worrying about everything." zhongli hummed in acknowledgement, showing you that his focus was on you despite his eyes being glued to the blanket of stars that had seen everything.

"it's not that i don't want to go- i do! but i'm also just.. so scared. i don't know what to expect and i think that's what scares me the most. i've been trying to tell myself it won't be as bad as i've made it out to be but my mind keeps coming up with more things i need to worry about." you let out all your pent up thoughts, coming undone under the moonlit sky. it felt nice, archons it felt so nice to talk about how you actually felt.

"i see.." zhongli stayed quiet for a few beats, assumingly trying to find the right words to respond with, "there are still a few days until this event takes place, are there not? you could use the upcoming days to prepare yourself. if you would allow, i am more than willing to be of help."

you felt tears welling up in your eyes and you let your head rest on his shoulder, eyes still trained on the vast expanse of twinkling lights.

"though the days awaiting an event are unfavourable, i believe you are more than capable of overcoming such a feat. you have faced far worse, you may even be the most ardent person i have had the honour of knowing in all my years living in teyvat."

the tears you had tried so hard to keep inside began to fall down your face and you let them.

"your patience is commendable, if you can sit through one of my many ramblings of the past, you will be able to sit through the event." the two of you let out a small laugh, the cool night air making the tear tracks feel sticky on your warm skin.

you took a deep breath and closed your eyes, holding it for a while before releasing it. you could take things step by step and zhongli would stand beside you every step of the way.

© 2022 TEARS0FSATAN. please don’t repost, modify or translate my works anywhere!

[equizona]

Hello there, hope you're having a good day! I didn't know if I should send this in 'message' since I saw that the ask box wasn't open in the other account, so I decided to send it through here, hope that's alright :'))

I would like to request a scenario/headcanon, whichever you'd like, it's up to u, on One Piece with the character Trafalgar Law! His reaction and later developing romantic relationship with the male!reader who has the Nagi Nagi no Mi/Silent Silent fruit of the passed Rosinante, who asked to be on his crew after the Heart Pirates saved him from whatever trouble he gets himself to. The reader has a really relax/lazy personality but is quite reactive when concerning the safety of the crews etc.,!

Please feel free to reject this ask if you're not up for it! Hope you have a good day and thank you in advance!!!

Fandom(s): One Piece

Format: Headcanons

Character(s): Trafalgar D Water Law

Scenario: Reader who has the Nagi Nagi no mi/Silent Silent fruit.

Extra: Male

Warning(s): Angst? OOC Law–

Note: I'm so, so sorry that it's taken me this long to get around to this. I hope you enjoy it though! Wasn't really sure how I should end this? Well, I hope this is what you wanted. :>

TRAFALGAR LAW

Law doesn't tend to get involved with matters that aren't involved with him or his crew, so he wasn't quite sure as to why he felt he had to help you when he saw you in trouble with a bunch of marines.

Still, he trusted his gut feeling and helped you out. He couldn't shake the feeling that he knew you from somewhere though.

When you asked to join his crew with a lazy grin, he wasn't sure if he should agree or not. He barely knew you, and what was he meant to do if you decided to try and kill someone in the crew?

Still, he agreed reluctantly, bringing you over to the rest of the crew.

Sachi and Penguin recognized you immediately. You were a known assassin and theif, and nobody managed to catch you because you never made any sound.

No sound?

That's when you tell them about your devil fruit ability, one you got about ten years ago, and suddenly he regrets bringing you.

He doesn't talk much with you, he doesn't want to see your ability in action ever. He's so afraid it'll cause more restless nights for him.

You don't seem to care much either, thinking that's just how he is.

You change your mind when the other crew members show concern about him, and suddenly you are constantly trying to talk to him, asking what's wrong.

It's such a sudden change from what he's seen before, so he's a bit confused, but it doesn't matter, because your concern reminds him so much of Cora-san and how he was the only one who cared and now he can't breathe–

He doesn't tell you until you come by in the mornings once, when everyone else is asleep, asking him what's wrong with a cup of coffee when you noticed he's awake.

Did you always wake up so early? He can't really remember.

He doesn't tell you everything, just that the devil fruit ability you hold is one someone very close to him once had.

The fact you have it now tells you everything you need to know.

Maybe you'll try to leave the crew, maybe you'll talk with him, or maybe you'll just do your best to stay out of the way.

But whatever it is, something draws him to you, and he can't stop watching you.

You have Cora-san's ability, so he has to make sure you don't die. He has something so precious right there and he can't let it go.

Somewhere down the road you become precious to him too, though a part of him is so scared that if he admits he loves you then you'll get taken from him just like everyone else in his life.

He won't ever enter a relationship with you before the Dressrosa arc happens, but after that there's some sort of closure to everything that happened.

So he tells you. Tells you every horrible little detail that ever happened to him.

He tries to get you to tell him anything that happened with you, even if you didn't have much of a horrible life. A part of him wants to learn more about him after all, but he won't pressure you.

He'll spend more time with you, trying to get you to feel some sort of affection back.

He probably won't confess, ever. After all, he's more than happy to just bask in your presence. If you confess it's a different story.

He'll be all too happy to accept.

After that it's hard. He tries, but those issues won't ever really go away.

There's a strict rule that you can never use your ability on him. He has so much anxiety that you'll end up like Cora-san, telling him you love him but he can't ever say it back because no matter how much sound he makes me can't–

He likes bubbles though. The ones Cora-san would make sometimes, and he enjoys just sitting there with you, maybe reading a book.

[aelaer]

Thanks for answering that last ask, lol. I half-expected you were going to ignore it tbh. I was hesitating when I wanted to send the ask, bcs, well, duh. It's controversial af lol. Just wanted to let ya know that you're not the only one with that view. (Great minds alike, am I right?) So please don't stop. Really.

This is gonna be a bit of a rant, and if you feel the need not to answer this ask, due to the fear of causing controversy in your blog, I 100% understand. Dunno if tumblr will cut off my ask so i'm hoping this is sent in its full-form.

I honestly agree that Tony gets maybe a *bit* too much spotlight (especially after the CACW shit and fans picking team tony/steve), and I hate that Stephen is just used as a plot device. I don't get why exaggerating a char's innocence is a good thing. Especially if they put other characters *too* antagonised and spiteful. It's petty. And putting another character in it (refer this as Stephen) as a plot device to make the main char more angelic is just.... idk. I'm only using rather insensitive words bcs I'm on anon ngl hahahahah.

Which is why, when I found your ao3 profile, I felt like you saved my life. Cus like. Idk. It's rare to find fics alike. Not really good with words so yeah.

Also thanks sm for tagging your fics properly, lest I wouldn't have found your works.

Ik some authors who share the same idea with the matter, but either they wanted to reach a wider fanbase by venturing into ships and fulfilling people's cravings (that require an ooc stephen, wince), or they simply don't have the writing capabilities to match their intentions -- like you do -- yet, I'm not so sure.

So basically yeah. Binge read your works this week. You're doing super great. Please keep going or else I would've probably never been here in the first place.

Fucking love your works. Don't hate on me for this if you happen to find it irrational ;-; Though if you do, I'm honestly interested with what you think. Sorry for sending a long ass ask.

Hey it's all chill, my anon friend. I really try not to hate on folks, even when I don't agree with everything they say or do. The world needs more empathy after all. And you've done nothing wrong in this ask here.

I personally don't ignore asks. It may take a month or two to get to some as it has in the past during busy or bad seasons, but I get to them. (I also don't get a ton so they're easy to answer haha.) The only ones not answered are short fic prompts that have taken me over 2 years to get to, which I'd like to finish eventually... some day.

I expanded on the topic about other characters in the last ask so I won't get into it again here, but I will say that unfortunately Stephen is not a terribly popular character compared to many other MCU characters like Tony, Bucky, and Loki. It makes finding fic starring him very challenging. He's also a difficult character to write well, though I applaud folks for trying, truly. It's great when people challenge themselves and don't let the fear of failure or judgement keep them from trying.

Anyone who hasn't written Stephen because they're not sure how to write him, or have written him but aren't confident with their writing of him, I recommend rewatching his origin film in particular as that's often forgotten for what we saw in IW and Endgame. There's also some good video essays about the character on YouTube. Some fanfic of him is good, while others are very bad, so it's a hit or miss there. One shot character pieces that are not concentrating on a ship tend to be more reliable, in my experience, for a better character analysis because the goal of the piece as a one shot is more a character study, and without the romance you aren't looking at the character as part of a unit. You need to know the character before you study how he works as a romantic partner, IMO.

I'm hoping his film helps his popularity, but I do have some fears that it will be drowned out a bit by Wanda. We'll have to see what happens on AO3 in particular, which is where my primary fandom interest lies in this case. I really, really want to see fic that isn't just reader inserts. Totally legit fanfic, but romance is already not my cup of tea and, if they aren't just smut pieces, those tend to be caretaker-Stephen fics which are a dime a dozen with his fics with Tony and Peter. So yeah, hopefully there will be more variety in the coming weeks. Of the action/adventure/drama type. A girl can dream.

I'm thrilled you like my writing. And also my tagging, some of the tagging is very hard to complete with some of the one shots xD but seriously, you're sweet. And you're good. Don't sweat it ❤️

[0dirty-deals0]

Made with Love: Brothers x GN!MC (Hinted Crush)

Warning: None, Mc is gender neutral. Chat spoilers because a chat inspired this

Others: The Hell Coffee chat heavily inspired this fic but I'm sorry if it's OOC! I also apologize for all the mistakes you may find! It's another past 10pm fic.

It was your turn to make dinner today, and you were excited to serve them a super simple tiramisu recipe you learned a while back. You were incredibly thankful that Lucifer had time to get the ingredients you requested back in the human realm, though he did leave out one of the most important ingredient which was coffee. Determined to make the cake, you managed to find the devildom version of it. They didn't look very different to the ones back home and they had a rather nice mild flavour. You thought they would work perfectly with the cake and they did!

"The cake looks lovely, Mc."

"I can't wait to eat it."

"Hold on! I have to take a picture!"

Your feel a little flustered by all the compliments but you can't deny how happy you feel and let out a giggle. "Thank you! It's really just a simple treat, but I hope you guys still enjoy it."

"If you guys aren't gonna dig in then I'm going to finish mine and steal all your slieces," Mammon announces out loud. With that, they all took a bite, including you, and while you enjoyed how it tasted, the brothers looked at it confused after a few bites of it. While you enjoyed the silence from their usual bickering, you did grow concerned by the look on their faces.

"Is everything alright?"

"Yes, it's fine. Just-"

"Mc, the cake is super bitter. It's like eating a pill," it was your turn to stare at them confused.

"That's strange, it tastes fine to me," then you think about what could have possibly changed the way it tasted. "...Could it be the coffee I used?"

"What do you mean?"

"Lucifer forgot to get me coffee from the human world so I substituted it with the coffee found in the pantry."

Another few moments of silence washed over once again.

"Do you remember what coffee it was?"

"Yeah, the lable read hell coffee, I think," you can see some of the brothers jump in their seats and their faces were tinted with various shades of red. "Wait, oh no, did I just poison you guys!?" Or did you get poisoned? You drank the coffee earlier though, and you're still alive.

"Calm down, Mc. You didn't poison us, Lucifer drinks that stuff like it's water every single day," Belphie doesn't even flinch when Lucifer sends a glare his way. "Hell coffee just has a certain thing to it that makes it special from human coffee."

"Oh."

Once that's out of the way, the brother's resume eating the cake, now with no problem at all. You're a little taken aback by their action and very concerned at the same time.

"You guys don't have to force yourself to eat it, y'know? I won't be hurt since I did mess it up."

"No, I like the cake you made," Beel says as he begins to take another slice. He never minded the taste to begin with but after knowing just how special it was made him just want as much of it as he can get.

"So do I, I'd love to get the recipe so I could make it for you in return, Mc," Satan takes another bite before reconsidering something for a moment. "Though for you, we'd definitely have to get human coffee."

"But isn't the cake awfully bitter-?"

"Mc, I can say with absolute confidence that your cake is divine," Asmo reassures you. "Trust me, we wouldn't be eating it if we didn't enjoy it."

"Mc, can I get another slice?"

"Me first!"

"Mammon, wait your turn!"

You can't help but oblige their demand. They look rather happy while eating your cake despite how it tasted. While you were a bit weirded out, you were glad that they seemed to like it. You happily continued to eat your cake along with them.

While the amount you made wasn't much, it still surprised you that the whole cake was finished in a few hours. It was funny to witness Mammon, Levi and Beel fight over the last slice only to have it taken by Lucifer himself.

"That's not fair!" Whined Levi, but Lucifer paid him no mind as he slowly and agonizingly enjoyed the cake with a smug look on his face.

After dinner was done, all of them thanked you for the treat, with some offering to give you something just as lovely in return. Lucifer offered to help with the dishes as he was free for the rest of the night and you accepted his offer. You enjoyed small moments with him when you got the chance.

While drying off the plates, Lucifer lets out a small chuckle beside you. Even though he seems to be looking at the plate he's washing, there's a kind of fondness in his eyes.

"What're you thinking about, Lucifer?" You decide to take a chance to see if he would let you take a peek at his thoughts.

"Oh, I was just thinking how brave it was of you to serve us a cake made with hell coffee."

Curiousity urged you to ask more about it. "What's so special about hell coffee? Why did it suddenly turn bitter for all of you? More importantly, what possessed you guys to finish eating it?"

He gives you a side glance and his tone has changed to an amused one as he explains. "Hell coffee has a certain special property where it changes flavour when served to a person," he hands you the final plate which you take and begin to dry. "The coffee changes to an awfully bitter taste when given to the person that the maker is fond of."

You choke on your spit and almost drop the plate your holding after hearing those words leave his lips. You feel your face beginning to grow rather warm as you turn just as red as Levi did during dinner. The coffee did WHAT now!?

Lucifer leans in close to you, whispering right by your ear. "We can't wait to taste more of your feelings, Mc." Lucifer runs his fingers across your shoulder blades before exiting the kitchen to continue on with his night, leaving you clutching the plate tight as you wonder what you've now gotten yourself into.

[olderthannetfic]

Hey. I have a bit of an in-depth fannish issue to ask you and no worries at all if you don't have the time, or the inclination, to answer. I'm coming to you because I'm not really part of a fandom community at the moment and didn't know where to direct this question! I love your blog and check it frequently for general fannish discourse, especially regarding transformative works . I hope you don't mind me sending you an ask! The issue is – I realised last night that an author on Wattpad (1/3)

whose fics I LOVE has actually copied these fics word-for-word from stories on AO3 and FFN (in different fandoms to the one she's writing in). She's changed character names, plus removed a few lines that don't make sense. Also, her fics are kind of 'cobbled together' from these stories. E.g., one of the AO3 originals is 250k words long, and she has taken bits from the different chapters and put them together to make something shorter. In case you're interested, the fandom she's writing in (2/3)

is RPF (bandom), while the AO3/FFN fics are not RPF (they're anime and video games). My question is, what the heck should I do, if anything? I completely appreciate that you might not have a direct imperative to offer, but equally, I thought you might – I simply don't know what either the etiquette is here, or the 'moral' right thing to do, if describing it in this way isn't overkill. I feel bad for the author who's being plagiarised (?). Equally, the Wattpad author's works are (3/4 – sorry!!)

kind of... transformative – fitting the characters she's writing about SO well, despite having been written in the first place about completely different characters and bringing a lot of new insight. Then again, she doesn't credit the original author anywhere; she accepts praise for this writing. That doesn't matter that much to me, but it might to others, e.g. the original author. Help! Have you ever come across sth. similar? All caveats at the beginning withstanding – thank you.

This is what standard fandom plagiarism looks like, actually. (And Wattpad is particularly rife with it from what I hear, though it has been a constant for the whole time I’ve been in fandom.) Cassie Claire didn’t take stories and find and replace the names: she put some great lines or some paragraphs or a few pages into a longer, cobbled together piece.

Historically, the reaction has generally been to treat it as 100% plagiarism that is not at all transformative, freak the fuck out, and try to drive the offending party from fandom forever. Whether that’s the correct approach is another question, but that’s how fandom communities typically respond. I know of people who are basically blacklisted forever for having pulled something similar a decade or two ago. Others, like CC, retain staunch defenders. It’s mostly down to how popular the person was when they got found out, not the character and frequency of their plagiarism.

We excuse people we like. We relish having ammo against people we don’t.

My personal feeling is that this isn’t meaningfully transformative. It’s more an illustration of how fortune cookies and horoscopes work, if anything. In other words, it’s the Forer/Barnum Effect.

I could take almost anything, including my real life, put bandom names on it, tweak it a little, and have a fic that would read as an interesting--but not completely OOC--AU to people. Hell, my college roommate did this with our actual lives and Harry Potter. It wasn’t plagiarism, obviously, but my dumb college behavior wasn’t specifically IC for Ron Weasley. It was just plausible for a person (sadly) and my roommate is a good writer, so people liked it.

Basically, I’m saying you shouldn’t offer the author a get out of jail free card just because you like the finished product. I don’t think they’ve done much to earn that love. They’re just a garden variety plagiarist.

You could tell the author you think it’s wrong, if you do indeed think it’s wrong. You could report them to Wattpad. You could inform the authors they’re plagiarizing. Ultimately, there’s no particularly good answer because the plagiarizer probably doesn’t think what they’re doing is wrong or doesn’t care. You can possibly get their fans to turn on them or get their account deleted.

But what’s fundamentally going on here is that someone wants attention, and they want it badly enough to take a shortcut by stealing someone else’s work. That’s not something you’re going to be able to address as a rando who reads their Wattpad stories.

[zevlors-tail]

Well, I guess I'll try the game. Cause, what I'm actually doing is no way near as fun as this.

I.... would cheat on Deku with Tanjiro (KNY), Tokoyami and Mirio (BNHA). *Runs and hides.*

Noooo wait! Come back! We’re the same! ;w; Hi love! I hope you’re doing good! And thanks for sending one in! xD I have noooo idea how this is going to turn out so ah. I picked Tanjiro for this one bc I’m still on KNY brainrot.

CRACKFIC ENDING, you’ve been warned. Probably poorly written as well, apologies. It’s been a really hot minute. This turned out less funny than I intended it to be, my bad! I was having trouble thinking up silly scenarios, urgh.

All characters including the reader are aged 18+ for obvious reasons.

TW/CW: OOC/flirty Tanjiro, cheating reader.

You weren’t even sure how it first started or why. It’s not like you weren’t happy with your boyfriend or your relationship; you went on plenty of dates, you cared deeply for one another, and fights were rare between the two of you. Izuku always remembered your birthday and anniversaries. He constantly showered you in gifts and listened to you vent on stressful days. You always did the same for him. You and Midoriya had always been two peas in a pod, and that’s the way it had always been. Two thoughts on the same wavelength.

That is, until Tanjiro Kamado drove a wedge between you and the supposed love of your life.

You couldn’t put your finger on it. From the moment you happened to bump into him, you were smitten with each other. Somehow, the giant stain on his shirt from where you spilled your drink all over him just made him even more attractive, as did the way he apologized like it was his fault your drink tumbled out of your hand. As if. Maybe it was the way his hair fell at the side of his face, or his glittering ruby eyes, but you just couldn’t get enough. So of course when he offered to buy you another drink, you found yourself saying yes even though you knew in the back of your mind that this was the start of something you weren’t sure you would be able to get out of.

Things only got more complicated from there. You exchanged phone numbers with each other after your little coffee date so that you could keep in touch- and you did. Often. Way more often than you would have liked to admit. Often enough for Izuku to notice how much time you were spending with your new “friend” and how much time he was missing out on with you. He didn’t miss the way your eyes lit up when you heard the one specific text tone you’d set for the other boy followed by your asking him if you could go out for the night. And he sure as hell didn’t miss the fact that you always put a little extra effort into your appearance before you left to go visit with him. But he held off from his worries, trusted you, and put his faith into your relationship. He knew you would never do anything to betray his trust...right?

While Izuku was at home trying to settle his anxious thoughts about your relationship, you were cuddling up to Tanjiro in his bed, eagerly eating up any and all praise and attention he gave you. You were enamored with him.

Suddenly his eyes lit up. “Hey, have I ever shown you my katana?” he asked.

“You have a fucking katana?”

“Yeah. Do you want to see it?”

***

“I’m home...” you mumbled out, unsure of the response you would get. You could already hear Izuku’s footsteps heavy on the carpet of your floors by the time your front door was shut.

“Y/N? I called you like twenty times! I had no idea you were going to be out all night-” Izuku stopped dead in his tracks, his nose wrinkling and face scrunching up in disgust. “Is that your perfume? It’s so strong...why-?”

“I just- uh, didn’t have any deodorant, and I didn’t want to smell, so I doused myself in perfume, and...” 

That was a lie. You just didn’t want Izuku to smell Tanjiro on you.

“Is that...?” He quirked a brow and stared at you intensely, giving you a good look over and inhaling another breath of your perfume. “That smells like...cologne. Cologne that doesn’t belong to me.”

His suspicions hung in the air for a moment before the both of you just stared each other in the eyes, a silent understanding forming. After all...you’d always been able to tell what the other was thinking, and this time was no different. He knew.

“Izuku-”

“I left you so many text messages and you just ignored them. Is it because you were sleeping with him?”

“Izu.”

“Don’t call me that. Did you cheat on me? Y/N? Really?” 

The hurt in his voice was evident. He was trembling, eyes watering and breath hitching as you tried to explain yourself.

“I...” You hesitated a bit before deciding to just come clean. “Yeah. I cheated on you with Tanjiro.”

More silence.

“Why? Was it something I did? Something I said? Did I hurt you in any way? Was I not enough for you?” 

He spat out questions faster than you could answer them, and you wracked your brain for the honest reason you’d decided to sleep with Tanjiro last night. It wasn’t that Izuku wasn’t good enough for you. He was a great partner, and you’d definitely taken advantage of that. You shared the same interests, he was practically your best friend, and you couldn’t have asked for a more loving partner. But...there was one thing above all all else that had contributed to your decision to cheat last night, and you knew exactly what it was now.

“No, it wasn’t any of that.”

“Then what!?” he prodded.

“He...”

“He what, Y/N?”

“He had a katana.”

Izuku stared at you as if you’d grown two heads. You couldn’t believe yourself either, to be fair...but it was the truth.

“A sword,” he reiterated. “A sword. Unbelievable. You slept with him because he had a fucking sword!?”

"He has a technique! It even has a name, I think it was water something or another? I don't know, he made it look hot!"

"Y/N!"

"I'm so sorry!"