#Been going through it so I wrote a fic about it. Sorry my first drabble here is hurt comfort

[eclipses-of-the-heart]

A bad night turns into a bad morning turns into a bad day, luckily you have someone to help.

Eclipse centric with sprinkles of sun and moon.

Tags: minimal dialog / non sexual intimacy (they give you a shower and help you get dressed) / romantic connotations / no use of y/n / reader dissociates a little / hurt comfort

It starts with a night of tossing and turning. With too much going on in your head for you to be able to find a comfortable position and shut out the thoughts. When you do finally manage to drift into sleep it transfers to a new mistake. 

Turning your alarm off in your sleep.

You oversleep nearly an hour before a hand, warm and gentle as ever, rouses you with more worry than you can bear. 

You try your hardest not to be cross with him as you scramble out of bed. It's not his fault, never his fault. 

But you can't help the anger that wells up at yourself for being so careless, so stupid. 

You rush through a shower, deny your suns offer of a quick breakfast and brush out the door hoping you haven't been fired. 

Luckily your manager buys your pitiful made up excuse about traffic being terrible and you live to see another day in retail. 

Of course this only makes your day worse. You spend too many hours being overworked and underpaid. Too many hours taking more abuse for people who didn't understand how to treat minimum wage employees. 

You spend your time thinking about how everyone should mandatorily work retail. 

You try not to think about the disappointment on his face when you skipped his breakfast. 

You try not to think about the fact that it had already probably been ready for you and was now rotting cold in the fridge. Or worse, tossed out. 

Your day passes slowly and uneventfully. The yelling and griping from members of the public has long since been droned to background noise in your day. It drags at you sure, but it is typical. 

You're used to it. 

You're used to a lot of things these days. 

You clock out more tired and sore than you were this morning. It's nothing new, but it weighs heavier on you than it used to. 

Everything did these days. 

You stop on your way home to pick up a treat. Some ice cream and a pack of stickers, hoping it would make up for your terrible blunder this morning. 

He won't blame you. 

He never does and something about that hurts you more than if he would be cross with you. 

You pull into your driveway only fifteen minutes past your usual arrival time. You pretend not to notice your blinds shift as he peeks through the curtains to see if you were heading inside already or not. 

You don't. 

You sit for a few minutes slumped forward with your head pressed against your steering wheel, waiting for this wave of guilty nausea to pass so you didn't have to look him in the eyes while it was still fresh. 

It's only the fear of your ice cream melting that finally pushes you from your car into the cold of the evening. 

You hurry through to the warmth inside your house. The lights are still on, a good sign. 

"Sun, I'm home." 

You try so, so hard to keep the exhaustion from your tone. 

He does not reply back, but a noise shifts ahead of you. 

You are not greeted by him. 

You are greeted by them.

Eclipse towers over you on a normal day, but with your slumped posture almost seems that he is touching your ceiling. 

You try to keep yourself from immediately assuming that their combination has happened because you upset your Sun this morning. 

It doesn't work. 

You feel yourself crack just a little more around the edges as the wave of guilt you so successfully shoved down returns on a new tide. 

"I brought ice cream." 

It's all you can muster as you look up at them, lifting the bag in your hands and desperately trying not to let the cracks show through in your voice. 

Too many hands come towards you. 

One snags the bag from your hand, another snakes over your head to close the door and bar the cold back to where it belongs. Two more scoop you from your spot by the door, cradling you in a way that makes you crack in another way. Two more find your coat, peeling it away and letting the warm air of the house hit your goosebumps. 

Six today, you note idley.

One, now free of its duty with the door brushes through your hair, another plucks the bagy of stickers from the grocery bag. 

You barely register the excited exclaim that your sun makes through their voicebox. 

You don't notice the rumble of your moon shushing him. 

You simply float as Eclipse moves you from one room to another. 

The ice cream is carefully shut into the freezer for later. A plate is collected from the kitchen table and then you are moving rooms again. 

The living room blurs around you, try as you might nothing comes into focus except the pinpricks of contact that Eclipse makes with your skin. 

The tv flickering on only adds static to the fog you feel yourself drift to and fro in. 

The scratch of metal against porcelain startles you, brings you back to the present enough to see a fork hovering just in front of your face, a bite of rice balanced carefully on the prongs. 

You do not fight this either. Letting each bite of food and gentle push and pull of warm, warm hands settle you back into yourself. 

By the time the plate is scraped clean your head feels clear once more. You are sore, tired yes, but no longer feel as though you are swimming through television static. 

The hands don't stop. Even after you have relaxed against Eclipse's form they pet at you, drawing gentle touches down your sides, over your arms and through your hair. 

They whisk you away to help you do all the things that feel out of reach. The plate is deposited in the sink while you stay tucked close to them. You rest your chin over their shoulder as they drift to another room. 

The shower is turned on, water adjusted to temperature. There is no asking before they carefully help you shed your clothes. 

The warm water mingles with the warmth of their body as they hold you under the spray. Your eyes drift close as large hands drag through your hair and smooth a rag over your body, soothing away the aches and grime of the day with the scent of fresh linens and sunflowers. Lavender rains down your shoulders as fingers scrub away the itches in your scalp. 

Just as quickly as everything else this evening the warmth of the water cuts and you are whisked from the shower. Never sat down, many hands simply shift your body, drying you and wrapping you in the softest towel you own. 

Extra hands make drying two bodies easy, though silicon does not hold water as tight as skin. Once they are sure their deeds will not be left behind in the hallway, even steps carry you away once again. 

The bedroom it seems has already been prepared. 

Fairy lights keep the room lit but not too bright. The soft hum of a heater buzzes, warming the room comfortably while you stay in nothing but your towel. 

Finally you are set free from their hands. Perched on the edge of the bed where you are left to wait while they move to the dresser, pulling open several drawers at once to retrieve the items they wanted. 

"Hands up~!" 

Their disjointed speech no longer bothers you. In fact it is almost easy for you to tell now which one of them had more control over the words they spoke, or when they connected true and well. 

Your sun spoke to you now, but Eclipses gentle face still smiled back at you. 

You raised your arms for them.

You are dressed with gentle efficiency, hands lingering perhaps a bit more than they needed to as they smoothed your shirt into place and held underwear still for you to push your legs into, but you didn't mind. 

You never minded anymore. 

"Stay," your moons voice grumbles from their shared voice box once you are sufficiently dressed. 

They were gone for only a moment, returning with the carton of ice cream you had purchased and a pair of spoons. You didn't question it. It seemed like a good night forgo bowls to you too. 

The bed creaks in protest at the weight of them settling into the mattress behind you. You had long since forgotten your bed frame. It had snapped in two the first night they had crawled into bed with you, a night much like this, but they had been the ones frightened and seeking comfort. 

They didn't have dreams of the fire much anymore. 

A mattress and box spring on the floor was perfectly fine with you anyways you preferred the closeness to the ground. 

You settled back against them when they were fully situated in bed with a leg tucked around either side of you. 

Hands gently bundled you into the blankets of your bed, tucking you expertly to lock in as much of their warmth as possible. 

Another fished your phone from the bedside table, and a third handed you your spoon. 

The container of ice cream was cracked open as you focused into your phone for a moment, idly pulling up a streaming site and selecting a movie you didn't care too much about. 

You absently noticed Eclipse take a spoonful of ice cream themselves. Listened to the creek of their mouth sliding open and the faint hiss of their internal combustion system destroying their first bite. 

You wondered if ice cream was sugary enough that they wouldn't need to charge tonight. 

You don't ask. 

Instead you took a spoonful of ice cream yourself, and let yourself get lost in their warmth, and the quiet mumble of the movie on your phone. 

Tomorrow was a new day and they would help you weather it, no matter what may come, but for now. This was all you needed. 

[sl-ut]

Wait a sequel to the drunk reader partying fic drabble thing where abbys trying to get you to drink water and you're refusing and arguing with her in your drunk state insisting you're fine LMAOOO (you're not)

party girl

pairing: college!abby anderson x fem!reader

description: the cheer team won nationals, and they’re ready to party. only problem is, there’s a team-only pregame, which means abby can’t keep track of how much her girlfriend has to drink.

warnings: alcohol consumption, reader is VERY drunk in this, some creepy men (ew always), making out, femme reader, cursing, i was sorta rlly high when i wrote this sorry excuse any badness

words: 1.2K

date posted: 06/04/24

more college!abby

it's quite rare for abby to go to a party without her girlfriend. in fact, abby typically only goes as a formality, but she likes when her girl makes an effort to come with her. unfortunately for her, the cheer team decided that they would be having a squad-only pregame, which meant that abby would be wrapped into driving her drunk friends around before (and probably after) the party. at least she was getting a pretty steady stream of snaps from her girl throughout the night, but as soon as she starts getting the ones from nora, she gets worried.

they're all videos of y/n shotgunning, funneling, and demolishing lines of shots in record time. normally, she wasn't very possessive over her girlfriend, but she knew from their very early relationship that y/n could not handle her liquor, so she knew she was in for quite the treat when she got there.

but she could not have imagined what she was about to see the moment she walked into the crowded house. it took her a moment to truly realise what kind of spectacle could have caused every frat guy in a mile radius to flock together so wildly, until she realised that her girlfriend was swaying to the music atop the kitchen table, her skirt hiked up over the meat of her thighs and she didn't even seem to be aware of it.

abby quickly pushed her way through the crowd of boys, roughly shoving one of the ones at the front who had been attempting to angle his phone to get a proper up-skirt shot. y/n's eyes popped open at the sound of her name, an excited grin appearing on her face as she all but leaped off of the table and into her arms (thank god for all those muscles).

she laughed as her girlfriend practically wrapped herself around her, pressing sloppy kisses against the side of her face.

"heyyyy baby," y/n smiled drunkenly up at her, "i've been waiting for you."

"seems like it," abby laughed, "you having fun?"

"more now that you're here," she leaned up to kiss her, and abby almost gagged at the taste of every alcohol she could name on her tongue. "we won today."

"i know, i was there. you were so so so good, beautiful."

"mhm," y/n smiled, "i love winning. i feel like such a winner right now."

abby was the first person to understand the feeling, it was the exact same rush of confidence she felt in her own veins after her own games. she had been excited to take to the stands this time around, watching and cheering for her girlfriend in the same way that she had always done for her.

"you are a winner, baby."

she fluttered her eyelashes at her, "and i can't wait for you to give me my reward later."

"reward?" abby asked, feigning innocence.

"oh please, i know you could tell what i was wearing under here," she pursed her lips, fingers tugging at her dark red bra strap, "if you aren't gonna give me my reward, i guess i'll have to take it for myself."

abby shook in head in disbelief, "you're gonna have to sober up some if that's what you were wanting."

y/n leaned in to tug abby's reddening earlobe between her teeth, "no matter how sober i get, i'll still be drunk on you baby."

"oh, that one was bad," abby tilted her head back as she laughed, one hand coming down to grasp at her girlfriend's lower back, "you're cheesy when you're drunk."

"what, are you lactose in tolerant all the sudden? maybe i'll have to find someone who likes my cheese."

abby gripped her hips, "okay, okay, i'm sorry. you know i love your cheese."

"i know," y/n grinned, "you can make it up to me by dancing with me."

abby nodded, "that i can do."

she allowed her girlfriend to lead her into the crowd of sweaty bodies, easily pressing herself into her back and holding her hips as she moved her hips into hers. she was happy enough to just sway side to side, let her girl do all of the heavy work as she ground her ass into her groin with one arm slung back and around abby's neck, holding on for dear life as the blonde began pressing kisses along the side of her throat.

y/n's body tipped to the side the a hard push, both of their attentions being turned to the tall brunette who scowled down at y/n with a mean stare.

"watch it, bitch."

abby doesn't even remember moving, just taking hold of the front of the girl's shirt in her fist, pulling her close and breathing her own warning into her face. y/n watched in amusement as the brunette shrunk at the threat and moved as quickly through the crowd as possible. y/n laughed with glee, hugging her girlfriend tightly.

"you are so so so sexy when you get protective over me."

abby took her by the hand, pushing her ahead and guiding her by her hips to the kitchen, where they were quickly recruited to join nora and manny in a game of beer pong. abby reassured her girlfriend by promising to grab her a new drink (it was just a coke), and snickering behind her hand at how oblivious her girlfriend was to her scheming. once the cup was empty, abby changed her tactic to offering her girlfriend shot after shot of water under the guise of vodka, laughing to herself when her girlfriend commented on how drunk she must be if it wasn't burning her throat so badly.

after winning the game, y/n decided that it was time to sneak away with her girlfriend to the bathroom, where she made quick work of her top as she made a rather sloppy seduction attempt. abby had to use every ounce of her self control to push her hands away as y/n tried to unbuckle her belt.

"c'mon baby," abby groaned as she felt her hot tongue drag across her collar bone, the first few buttons of her shirt having been undone the moment that the door had been shut behind her, "cut that out."

"what? you don't want me?" she whined.

"i do, believe me i do," she groaned, taking her hands in her own and forcing her to look at her, "but not here, and not while you're this drunk."

y/n groaned, "sometimes i hate how good of a person you are."

abby chuckled and kissed her on the cheek, "i know, i know, me too. now let's get some water into you because i do plan on giving you that reward tonight."

[armysantiny]

The Pale Idol – PSH

P: Seonghwa x gender neutral reader | G: fluff, fantasy, drabble | Inc: Baldur's Gate 3 au, vampire elf!Seonghwa, Seonghwa is basically Astarion, tiefling!reader, mentioned Jongho, mentioned Wooyoung, tiefling!Wooyoung, makeup artist!reader, mentioned San, drow!San, implied Hongjoong mention, high half elf!Hongjoong| Wc: 1.1k | W: mentioned blood, old bite marks | R: G

Min's notes: This idea struck and would not leave me until I wrote it out. This fic's quality is questionable lmao, but I like it and that's enough for me. If I like this enough I'll do headcanons abt what the other members are lol. Also fuck tumblr's 5 link/tags per line thing-

Seonghwa lifts his head from his phone when his name is called, abandoning the green room’s sofa in favour of the stool his makeup artist is calling him to. He’s not the last one to have his hair and makeup done, but he has been able to relax while the others get ready. Precious minutes of simply sinking into the sofa and scrolling through the device in his hand.

Once he settles in his chair, his head turns to y/n, politeness melting away into a smile. They’ve got the brightest expression on their face, an eagerness he can feel in abundance. It’s rather charming, and a wonderful start to his day.

Even if he’s feeling a tad bit peckish.

“Morning to you too, y/n,” he chuckles, letting the Tiefling go about putting on his makeup for the group’s upcoming stage. “You seem excited today, something lifting your spirits?”

“Hm? Oh, yes! I have this new palette, you have to see the shades, Seonghwa, it’s going to highlight your eyes perfectly for this stage!” Y/n answers, bringing over the eyeshadow palette in question for Seonghwa to inspect. Much to their luck—and intuition—the makeup gets the idol’s seal of approval, and y/n gets to work right away. And Seonghwa is just the perfect client; holding himself just how y/n needs him to, closing his eyes exactly when needed.

The perfect symbol of grace, Park Seonghwa is.

Just as their close attention comes to an end and y/n goes to put their equipment away, the Tiefling’s gaze catches on something. It’s so small, so inconspicuous, clearly a small miracle they ever notice it at all. Hidden just below Seonghwa’s collar, in the crook of his neck, are two little scars.

And old vampire bite. Pale skin, the red eyes, the bite…

“Am I free to sit back on the sofa..?” Seonghwa’s watching them. Right. He’s caught them staring, surely the elf is uncomfortable.

“Yes! Yes, sorry, of course… you’re free to go.”

“Great. Thank you as always, y/n. Can we talk later?”

Later. The promise of conversation after the day’s recordings is daunting. Why he even suggested it in the first place, Seonghwa can’t recall. Y/n had seen it, his bite marks, and now he owes them an explanation, at the very least. Or a well-meaning half-truth if he has the heart to lie to them. His brow furrows, or well he supposes they do because Seonghwa feels a stare burning into the side of his head, San watching him with all-too-knowing eyes.

Damn the Drow for being so observant and empathetic. But San is a ray of sunshine, warm and loving, so all is forgiven. As it always is.

“Hyung,” San begins, “everything alright? Do you need..?”

“No, no, I’m okay,” and he is, “just a few things on my mind. It’s nothing to worry about, San-ah, promise.” Seonghwa isn’t lying. There isn’t anything—or at very least there shouldn’t be—to worry about. The performance will go well, he’ll smooth things over will y/n and maybe he’ll bother their high half-elf leader for a bite or two once night falls.

The performance ends almost as soon as it begins, adrenaline coursing through Seonghwa’s undead veins as the music comes to an end. Even as the idol works his charms for the close-up camera shot and the audience screams their praises, the prospect of confronting y/n hangs back in the crevices of his mind. Just like that horrifying mindflayer tadpole he once harboured, but that’s neither here nor there. So, after a few minutes of waving to fans onstage, Seonghwa tags along with his members and heads backstage, the green room and a darling Tiefling awaiting him.

What fun.

Y/n can barely look Seonghwa in the eye when he and the others walk back in, hands clamming up while they spend another minute or two or three distracting themselves with mundane tasks. How are they supposed to confess to the vampire that they’ve figured out that Seonghwa isn’t just an elf? It’s a small miracle in of itself that Jongho pulls them aside, needing y/n’s assistance, a clasp stuck on the idol’s mic pack.

“…mind if I interrupt?” y/n nearly jumps out of their own skin as Jongho’s clasp comes unstuck. Hells, was Seonghwa always this good at moving around silently?

“Nothing to interrupt,” they say, composure recovered, “is this going to be a private conversation?”

He nods. Very well, they can give him that much.

Following Seonghwa to a rather unused section of the green room, y/n stays decidedly quiet. Sure, the Tiefling knows, but this is Seonghwa’s secret to sure. It’s not hard to see the nerves play out on his face either, the way the elf’s expression holds itself a little too stiff.

And then y/n blinks when Seonghwa just comes out with it.

“I should have told you sooner, y/n, really,” the elf continues, “but surely, my friend, you understand just how risky it is to admit my nature as a vampire. Especially in this line of work.” They understand. Of course they understand.

“I do, Seonghwa, really. And thank you for telling me, though…” y/n trails off, reaching for Seonghwa’s hands when said elf stares at them with panicked eyes. “It’s nothing bad, I promise! I didn’t want to intrude on your revelation, just now, but I did figure it out. Earlier.”

Never has the Tiefling seen Seonghwa so flustered before. They watch the way he clears his throat, avoids looking at them for all of ten seconds before plastering on a nervous grin.

“How— how did you..?”

Y/n launches into their explanation, suddenly very aware that they probably should have brought up their suspicions ages ago. Like how they hadn’t wanted to point out how rare it is for high elves to have crimson-red eyes, or how the idol is paler than most and spends a little longer just observing his own reflection. Not that y/n always knew, but the old bite mark did play a decently large part in them finally putting two and two together.

“I was that obvious, was I?”

“…a bit?” Seonghwa groans. His hair falling across his face as he hangs his head in defeat. All that effort, all that time spent crafting his illusion and y/n figured it all out. Just like that. Now they’re laughing! All bashful and giggly and—

Hells below he wants to hide.

“My dear, can we please put this conversation to bed? Preferably before I go and ask Wooyoung to smite me?”

Y/n nods, not without stifling the rest of their laughter.

Thank the hells.

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[sunshinereddie]

so lots of people seemed to enjoy my firefighter eddie/paramedic richie au which is super fun for me, because it's also a fav of mine hehe...... and i just couldn't help but write a little something something about it.

this is not going to turn into a full fic, i see yall asking and i hear ya, however unfortunately i do not have the time or energy to start a whole new actual fic (sorry....), but i just couldn't stop thinking about these losers so i had to write a little thing for them<3 if anyone enjoys this maybe i'll use this au as writing practice/warmup and just make little ficlets about it lol.

anyways, firefighter eddie/paramedic richie drabble under the cut! (also it's been a long time since i last wrote reddie, and really have done any writing in general, so pls excuse & forgive me if my writing is a little rusty T^T)

Not to brag or anything, but Richie was a superhero.

Well, at least... that's what he told the kid in the ambulance.

The kid couldn't have been older than seven, crying so hard that his Spiderman pyjamas were wet with tears and snot from using his shirt to wipe his face. He was screaming so loud that Richie couldn't get a word in sideways, and even when he did speak, he doubted the kid could hear him.

Not that Richie could blame him, of course. After all, the kid had been woken up to his bedroom in flames, the sound of screaming in his house, and a stranger climbing in through his window to pull him out. Not to mention... he was still the only one who had gotten out so far. Hell, if Richie was in his shoes, he'd be screaming as well.

But Richie wasn't in his shoes. Richie was a paramedic, he was here to save lives- he had to be the strong one, and he was going to do everything in his power to help this kid. And judging by the Spiderman pyjamas the kid was wearing and the Batman plushie he'd been holding tightly onto when he was rescued, Richie had a pretty good idea of something that might help.

"Hey, kid, no need to cry!" he said, putting on a brave, confident voice. "I'm... Super Richie, and I'm here to save you!"

Just as Richie had hoped, his words caught the kid's attention just enough to stop the screaming, enough for him to look up at Richie through watery eyes. "You... are you a su-superhero?"

Richie nodded, placing his fists on his hips and puffing his chest out. "You bet I am! And guess what?" He turned slightly, stretching his arm out to gesture at the rest of the paramedics and the firefighters rushing around the scene. "They're all superheroes too!"

The kid sniffed, bringing a hand up to wipe his nose. "Really?"

Richie nodded. "Yup! We're all here to help you and your family, okay? But right now, I'm going to need you to help me as well, do you think you can do that?"

The kid was silent for a moment, thinking, before he sat up a little straighter, and Richie couldn't help but think that he was trying to mimic the superhero stance that Richie had taken. The kid nodded, and Richie smiled wider. "Awesome," he said. "Now, I'm going to ask you to take some big deep breaths for me, okay? Slow breath in, slow breath out- that's it! Okay, you keep doing that, and I'm just going to take a look at you and make sure that none of that nasty fire got to you, alright?"

With the kid having calmed down significantly, Richie got to work. He checked for burns or any other wounds, and thankfully found none. The kid had been extremely lucky to have gotten rescued quite early on, but Richie still thoroughly made sure that he hadn't suffered any injuries. As he was checking the kid's breathing, listening for any signs of difficulty due to smoke inhalation, the kid spoke up for the first time since he'd stopped crying.

"Are my mommy and daddy okay?"

Richie's heart sunk. The firefighter who had pulled the kid out had brought him to the ambulance furthest away from the fire- so he wouldn't be able to see his house going up in flames... or anybody getting pulled out. It had been a while since emergency services had arrived on the scene, and Richie didn't want to make any assumptions... but he'd been to his fair share of fires to know that there was a time limit to getting people out.

He was lost for words, not knowing how to respond to the kid without lying, without breaking his heart... but thankfully, he didn't have to. Because right then, a loud cry cut through the night, and Richie turned to see a man and a woman running and full speed towards them. Both of them were disheveled, their faces and clothes dark with ash and grime, the man's shirt practically burned off, but they were alive. They were being followed by Mike, one of Richie's fellow paramedics, who was politely urging them not to run, to please return to the ambulance, but neither the man nor woman seemed to be listening- they had their sights set on the kid in the ambulance, and they didn't slow until they had pushed past Richie and were holding their little boy in their arms.

Richie had basically been finished with his checkup, so he took a step back and allowed the family reunion. When Mike caught up to them, Richie gave him a look that said Give them a minute, and Mike nodded, standing by Richie has he caught his breath.

Richie was watching the woman check her son all over for any injuries, as if he wasn't currently sitting in an ambulance with a paramedic right there, when he heard footsteps approaching, and then the sound of someone clearing their throat. Then, there came a polite "Excuse me", and Richie's heart skipped a beat as he recognized the voice.

Everyone- the family, Richie, and Mike- turned around at the voice, to see one of the firefighters approaching them. He must have been on the crew that had gone into the house for the rescue, for his uniform was darkened from the fire, and he still wore the protective mask and helmet that covered his face. Richie was confused for a moment as to why he was here when, you know, there was a fire to be put out... until he held his arms out, and cradled in them was a small, ash-covered kitten- trembling, but meowing fiercely.

The little boy gasped and jumped out of the ambulance, running over to the firefighter and taking the cat from him. "You saved Mittens!" he exclaimed, as the cat immediately became more comfortable in his owner's arms, curling up and nuzzling its face against the boy's. The kid looked up at the firefighter, his eyes once again filled with tears, but this time, with a big smile on his face. "Thank you, superhero!"

The firefighter reached out and gave the kid a gentle clap on the shoulder, then stepped out of the way as Mike began to guide the family back to the other ambulance- leaving Richie and the firefighter standing there together.

Richie barely had the chance to open his mouth before the firefighter was ripping his helmet off and turning on Richie, sending him a glare so cold it could have single-handedly put out the fire.

"Not. A. Word," Eddie Kaspbrak snapped.

Richie raised an eyebrow, bringing his hand up to place it on his chest. "What ever do you mean?" he asked innocently.

"Don't play dumb, Tozier," Eddie replied.

"I'm not! I was just going to congratulate you on another life saved- I mean, just think about it- how many cats is that you've rescued throughout your career now? Ten? And this one you saved from an actual fire, not just from a tree or a rooftop! My, my, the city should give you an award for this."

Eddie glared at him, and Richie's grin grew larger. "I also pulled that kid from the house," he said, matter-of-factly.

"Isn't that your whole job, Mr. Fireman?"

"I swear, one day I'm going to-"

"Kaspbrak!" The booming voice came so quickly, so loudly, that it made both Richie and Eddie flinch, turning simultaneously to see the Fire Captain walking past a few feet behind them. "I sent you over here to get checked out, not to chat!" he barked. "Get to it!"

Eddie nodded as the Fire Captain walked past, all while mumbling something under his breath that Richie couldn't quite catch, but was sure wasn't anything nice. He crossed his arms over his chest, tilting his head in question as he looked back at Eddie. "What was that about?" he asked.

Eddie refused to meet his eyes as he let out an irritated sigh. "Captain noticed that my... my air tank was broken when I came out of the fire," he said, his voice softer, though still distinctly annoyed. "Broken latch, or something- it wasn't secured. There's a good chance I was breathing in smoke the entire time I was in there."

At no point did Eddie ask for Richie's help, but Richie knew that Eddie would rather run back into a burning building than ask Richie for help, so Richie didn't wait. His smile remained on his face, though most of the smugness was replaced with the care he showed to all his patients, as he removed his plastic gloves to switch them out for a clean pair.

"Come on," he said, nodding towards the open ambulance doors. "Take a seat. Go on, Eds, doctor's orders."

"Don't call me that. And you're not a doctor."

"Ouch- spitting fire there, Eds. Not very heroic of you."

"Bite me."

[ihavethedreamies]

First Kisses | WayV

WayV - All Members

Rating: E for Everyone

Word Count: About 300 for each, so about 1.8k total

Pairing: WayV x GN!Reader (Separate)

Genre: Reader-Insert, Drabble, Fluff

Summary: Your first kiss with each member of WayV!

Author's Note: I have never wrote drabble-length things before, so I am proud of myself I kept these so short.

I tried to keep these gender-neutral, so let me know if I didn't, but it might still be slightly implied in these the reader is AFAB, I don't think so though…

PS. Kun is not only my WayV bias, but my NCT bias, and even past that, he is my ultimate bias.

PSS. I used Google Translate for Yangyang's part, so if its wrong, sorry~

-> NCT 127 <-

-> NCT Dream <-

I am cross-posting this on Archive and Wattpad. Please reblog! If you know anyone that would like this or future fics but they aren't on here my name and icon are exactly the same on the other sites. Happy reading!

Kun

"Can you stop eating my ingredients, you're almost as bad as Chenle." Kun sighed, lightly smacking your hand as it went to the bowl of carrots he had cut up. You pouted with a huff but pulled your hand back. You loved watching him cook… Honestly, you loved watching him do everything and anything. Your eyes travelled over him once again, lingering on his handsome face. "Take a picture, it'll last longer." He teased, that trademark smirk of his spreading across his face. Kun fully smiled when you scoffed, trying to play it off, looking away. "I don't need to take a picture; I can see you whenever I want." You rested your chin on your palm, trying to sound dismissive. Your best friend hummed, dropping the issue, continuing to cook as you continued to watch him. Your night continued as normal leading up to you sitting on the counter next to him as he did the dishes. "Are you sure you don't want help?" "Nope, stay there." He didn't even look your way. From your elevated position, you were eye-level with him, and close. The proximity never used to mean anything, but now you had the biggest crush on him, unlike any before. You had been lost in thought, staring at his hands, only snapping out of it when he moved to stand in front of you. Kun stood between your legs, bringing him even closer; your face grew warm. "You can see me best like this, but you're only looking at my lips." He had that stupid smirk again, so you leaned in to cover it with your own lips. Kun sighed, deepening your somewhat bashful kiss, hands resting on the counter at your sides. "You can do that anytime you want too."

Ten

"If you don't want to go so bad, why are you?" Ten glanced up from his phone to look at your reflection in the mirror. You were finishing up your hair and touching up your appearance. He was glad at least he was going to the work even with you, which should prevent any of your coworkers from asking you out. You weren't officially together, but that didn't mean he would let anyone approach you. "My boss heavily implied its mandatory." You sighed, messing with the various implements on your vanity to get the next one. You looked at him sitting behind you on your bed through the mirror. He looked stunning as usual, and you felt bad that, technically, your third date was going to be some company dinner party. After you were ready, you both headed off, and were immediately ambushed upon arrival. Your mostly female coworkers were all over Ten, no surprise. Eventually you stepped out onto one of the ballroom's balconies for some fresh air. "You okay?" Ten joined you, leaning on the railing next to you. You hummed, rubbing your temple and he huffed a laugh. Putting his hand on your shoulder, he turned you toward him, hand sliding down your arm to hold your own. You avoided his gaze, looking at your hands. His other one went to your chin to lift your head. He kissed you, not caring that anyone looking out could see. You whined when he pulled away, wanting it to continue despite the public setting. Ten winked, chuckling, "more later."

Winwin

It's not easy being desperately in love with your best friend of nearly twenty years. It's also not easy to not see your precious Sicheng as the cutest thing ever. You were in an odd predicament, not sure how to act with or toward him. You decided to go with the status quo, but apparently that was the wrong choice. "Why can't you treat me like a man?" He shouted as you got into the apartment, it took you aback. He never yelled. You could tell earlier he was upset, but you were not sure why. Was it that you wiped sauce off his face? You did that a lot though… "I-I didn't mean to treat you like a child-" "What?" "With the…" You motioned around your face. "Not that! The…" He licked his lips then pressed them together, the act drawing your gaze. "The, 'that's just Sicheng,' comment. Like I'm just another one of your siblings, or something." He sighed at your confused expression. "I want you to treat me like a man, like as a boyfriend. Not like a man as in an adult." He finally got out, not used to having to spell things out for you. "Like a boyfriend?" You repeated back, more to yourself, trying to process the information. Sicheng huffed in exasperation, stomping forward. His hands cupped your jaw, pulling you closer. Instead of the soft, gentle first kiss you had fantasized, it was intense. His little nibble on your bottom lip granted him further access, his tongue tasting yours. When you both pulled back for air, your face flushed a deep red. "Oh…"

Xiaojun

"Bella, wait!" You heard them before you could see them. You were taking your shoes off in the entry way and you heard claws scrambling on the floor, then the beagle dashed down the hall to you. "Hi, girl!" You beamed, kneeling to pet the excited pup. You heard Dejun's feet following and he stopped at the end of the hall, slightly out of breath. "Sorry, (Y/N)." He joined his pup, motioning for you to hand him the convenience store bag and you did so. Trying not to trip on the dog, you followed him into the apartment, joining him at the table to eat your snacks. "She loves you; you know." He nodded at the dog who was happily gnawing on the treat you got her. "I love her too. She's such a sweet dog…when she listens." You giggled and he rolled his eyes, groaning in agreement. Later you were sitting on the floor with her while he played some game on his Xbox. His eyes flitted down to watch his dog kiss you, licking all over your face and you sputtered where her tongue ran over your lips. He was feeling ridiculous, getting jealous over his dog licking you. "Bella, down!" He scolded and the dog sat down, both of you surprised by his sudden scolding. Getting off the floor, you sat next to him on the sofa, and he exhaled hard through his nose. "You okay?" "Why do you just let her kiss you like that?" He grumbled and you rose a brow in question. He huffed, pausing his game, and leaning over, pressing a quick kiss to your mouth. He smirked at your gaping face, continuing his game like nothing had just happened.

Hendery

Watching him dance really made you wonder what he was made of. It was like his joints were jelly, or he had no bones. How did he move like that? "Guanheng, what are you made of?" You asked from the couch. You two were the only ones in the dance studio. He stopped his wiggling in the mirror, and he laughed, coming to sit with you. "What do you mean?" "How are you so…loose." You flopped your wrist, letting your hand be limp. "Oh! Uh…" He chuckled, looking deep in thought. "I just always have been." He shrugged and you hummed, looking him over. He was so weird that you sometimes forgot how handsome he was. But just sitting there with you, he really was so gorgeous. "What? Is there something on my face." His fingers came to his cheek, rubbing at the skin and you shook your head. "No. You're just…" You blushed a bit, shy to finish your sentence, "really handsome." You couldn’t meet his gaze, but you felt him shift closer to you. His fingers gently rested on your chin, making you turn to look at him again. A small smile rested on his face, not a goofy or playful one. "You're gorgeous, too." He smirked, pulling you a bit closer so he could seal the compliment with a short kiss. Your eyes were still wide when he pulled back and he huffed in amusement at your reaction. "One day I'll show you how loose I can be~"

Yangyang

You wanted to give up. German just wasn't a language you could learn. There were too many similarities to English, just enough that it confused you. Yangyang sighed, trying again to get you to repeat after him. It wasn't like he was trying to get you fluent, not even conversational; he was just teaching you basic phrases. "If you ever go to Germany with me, you'll have to stay with me to communicate!" He insisted and you huffed. "Why can't I use English there, huh? It’s the international language!" "Yes, but people will like you more if you speak like them. Come on, at least try and learn how to order food." He tapped on the paper he had printed out again and you leaned forward to look closer at the black print. Sneering he rolled his eyes. "You're lucky you're so cute." He grumbled, taking the paper, and flipping it over so could try the words on the other side. Your reaction to his comment was delayed, and you finally snapped your head to look at him. "I'm what?" "Cute. Now try this one, it’s easy." Yangyang tried to brush off what he said, but you couldn't. "I'm cute?" "Yes." "Look in a mirror, Yang." You huffed, embarrassed, but looked over the prompts on the page. "I'm cute?" He grinned playfully and sent him an exaggerated glare. "Adorable." Your tone was aggressive, making the response hilarious, so he burst out laughing. You had a hard time not giggling along with him. "Kann ich dich küssen?" He spoke but you had no idea what he said. "Yes?" You replied, not knowing what you just responded to. Yangyang then hauled you closer, kissing you for one, two, three seconds, then pulled away. You blinked. "Niedlich~"

-> NCT 127 <-

-> NCT Dream <-

Master-Master List

NCT Master List

[unanswered-stars]

Thank you so much for tagging me @jules-writes-stories @highlordofkrypton @achaotichuman

1. How many works do you have on AO3? I'm a but a wee babe in the ao3 world so just 7 but I have several WIP's that are on pause currently. I had originally had a fic planned for each day of Eris week but haven't been able to write in awhile so might be some time before those are published but once I start posting again you can expect Eris chaos to reign.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count? 36,487 I struggle to write long chapters and most of my works end up being around 2,500.

3. What fandoms do you write for? A Court of Thorns and Roses

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Shadows of Regret and Redemption| Azris - My first published work. A oneshot that grew legs and started to run. I am not completely happy with it thus far but I have the end plotted and I'm excited to eventually bring that to life.

Daughter of Autumn | Azris - Now this one absolutely shocked me with its popularity. Started as a fun little drabble for Gwyn Week 2024 and of course turned into Azris central.

The Beginning and End of Friendship | Azris - So many people screaming in the comments at me on this one. More screaming to come when I post part two I’m sure.

Two Souls Entangled| Azris - A tiny part of my soul via a short poem for Azris Week 2024.

Heaven Help the Fool Who Falls In Love: The End | Azris - This is the first piece I wrote for fanfiction and it is my precious baby. Only one chapter posted but I have several in need of editing before I publish the remainder. It's very heavy and I haven't had the mental space to read through it again.

5. Do you respond to comments? Every single one! They bring me so much joy. I have currently stayed away from my comment section for my own mental health but when I start posting again I will get back to everyone's comments, promise.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? All of my works are fairly heavy on the angst. TBaEoF comes to mind but I think for published works I’ll go with The Ending of Darkness which is a short little piece about @jules-writes-stories OC Mithras x Sylvan which I have a part 2 almost completed which is equally as angsty (sorry). Unpublished works definitely The Burning of Leaves and The Death of Shadows which are two fics I had planned for Eris week but are currently on pause (poor Eris I was really putting him through the wringer for Eris Week).

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Daughter of Autumn. Mostly because Cassian has the closing line and he just always says the darndest things.

8. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? I have not, nor do I plan on it. Please don’t hate me 😅 Just not my writing jam. I love finding unique ways to explore a relationship and conveying those same emotions and feelings without the smut. That being said some of my favourite stories and authors use smut as such a wonderful exploratory storytelling device and it is delightful. I love reading others contributions to the smutsphere. So so many talented writers out there giving us all our smuttiest dreams. I truly do not think that my smut contribution is even necessary when you have things like To Become a Vanssera by @acourtofladydeath and Why Not Me by @thomasisaslut both absolutely rife with smut and use it beautifully to convey their story (albiet in very different ways).

9. Do you write crossovers? Not yet, and probably not ever because I can hardly keep up with writing ideas I have for one fandom.

10. Have you ever had a fic translated? No.

11. Have you ever co-written a fic before? No, but it sounds delightful.

12. What is your all-time favorite ship? Azris most definitely for writing. I definitely have a big soft spot for Samwise and Rosie from LOTR (my husband is Samwise reincarnated and I am irrevocably in love with him). I have a WIP for Thesan and his lover and that dynamic and storyline has been so incredibly fun to explore as well.

13. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? I started writing a Tarquin UTM oneshot that is incomplete and while I am still in love with the story I really struggled with writing the voice of Tarquin. This one will only ever get finished if I can finally figure out the right tone for this man’s internal dialogues.

14. What are your writing strengths? I have been told my writing reads like poetry which is one of the biggest compliments you could ever give me. I also love writing parallels but there’s definitely a lot of room for improvement there.

15. What are your writing weaknesses?  Editing haha. But actually, I find that my characters voices don’t feel very distinct and that there is a lot of overlap in the way they speak and think and it can be hard to distinguish who’s talking/thinking. I feel like my characters resemble a cookie cutter suburban neighborhood where the walls and trim might be a different colour but they’re all built exactly the same. If anyone has some tips please feel free to comment or message me!

16. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? I absolutely love reading it but unfortunately the only other language I know isn’t really a language at all. Pidgin, which is basically just native slang. I was playing around with it in my Tarquin fic a bit but seemed a tad too niche.

17. First fandom you wrote for? LOTR in middle school. I have a printed multi chapter booklet that is a rewrite of Sam and Frodo’s journey through Mordor that I made for my English class one year.

18. Favorite fic you’ve written? My favourite multi chapter by another author is undoubtedly A Court of Shadows and Ashes by @futurehunt Mother Save Us From Your Twisted fate by @chunkypossum which got a stunning part 2 for Eris Week this year! My favorite of my own published works is either HHtFWFiL:TE or The Ending of Darkness. Of my unpublished works honesty The Burning of Leave or The Death of Shadows are both strong contenders. For non Azris I have a Beron fic WIP for @sjmvillainweek day 1 that will probably get prioritized over the other two.

No pressure tags (and sorry if you've already been tagged): @the-darkestminds @born-to-riot @chairofchaos @thomasisaslut @chunkypossum @acourtofladydeath @shadowsandlint

[blacklegsanjiii]

hello!! I have a small request if you don't mind!

I've come up with a rareship, which is now all I think about: Sanji x Penguin. The ship was created thanks to a video from a cosplayer and a few conversations with a friend, and ever since then they're all I've been thinking about. I would love for you to write a small drabble about them, if you have the time!! I love your fics, and that would absolutely make my day!

Thank you sm!! Keep up the good work<3

Thank you sm,

I do mind because my immediate thought was 'oh this would be good for Trafalgar!Sanji.' because Law is looking at one of his closest friends and seeing how he acts with his little brother when they meet again as adults and uhhhhhhhhh.... I love pissing Law off? Also here's the first Trafalgar!Sanji I made for more context if needed! Also, don't ask me for drabbles, I can't do those. This is long. (I'm so fucking sorry to everyone I am trying)

Like on Zou before Sanji gets taken in that small moment of reprieve they have they meet with the heart pirates and the way Shachi, Bepo, Penguin, and some other Heart Pirates are combing over the boy. They're all excited because they haven't really talked to him since before he set off from Baratie and they didn't get to talk on Sabaody. Nami is asking what's going on and Shachi slings an arm around Sanji's shoulders and Penguin around his waist and he blue screens as Shachi explains Sanji is Law's little brother and was on their crew first before they lost their first ship.

Ikkaku is asking Penguin if he's okay and Penguin can't help himself when he grabs the cook's waist and asks him how the fuck is waist is like that. Sanji is flustered and trying to get Penguin to let go when Shachi also grabs his waist. Bepo grabs Sanji and lifts him from them and Brook is yohohoing specifically at Penguin and says that is a very similar reaction most people have to their dear cook. All eyes are suddenly on Penguin who bolts and Sanji is confused.

Then Sanji leaves for WCI and Chopper is running to let them know. They're running to look and possibly help but Sanji is gone and it feels like when the storm hit again. The Heart Pirates upon reunitng with their captain let him know what's going on, and then Shachi and Ikkaku absolutely tell Law right in front of Penguin that Penguin is crushing on Sanji so hard. Law is looking at Penguin who is covering his face with his hat and grumbling about hurting them later and then he's explaining that Sanji has been taken and they went to help but it was too late. According to the deer Sanji is headed to a wedding for the Vinsmokes, like from Germa, and Big Mom. Law sighs and asks what the fuck could he have to do with them and Penguin argues back he has beef with Doflamingo because of his youth, maybe Sanji knew them somehow. Law growls but relents. Sanji kept everything from before Law tight lipped.

When they all depart Luffy is promises to Sanji back and the Tang is fuller than it's ever been and Penguin is looking through old recipes, things he wrote down over the years from their phone calls. Law and Zoro are there with him and Law asks him what he's doing and Penguin says Sanji's crew is used to his level of service so he might as well try. Law then presses that this has nothing to do with the crush he has on his little brother, just caring for the crew right? Penguin is looking at his captain with utter betrayal as Zoro starts asking questions, because what the fuck does Law mean the cook is his brother? Law and Penguin immediately focus on that because did he not listen to his crew? Zoro admits he zoned out for a bit because he wasn't worried about the cook, he disappears all the time and might come back a little scraped up but he always comes back. Law stiffens but doesn't disagree, he does however say that they've already lost Sanji twice so to forgive them if they are weary about his reassurances but they'll explain more to everyone over dinner and then Law wishes Penguin luck in feeding everyone and dips. The look of betrayal deepens as Penguin forces himself to not pay attention to the swordsman sitting at the table. Nope, he'll deal with that shovel talk later.

Over dinner, which is later than normal because of all the new mouths to feed, the Heart Pirates-or some of them at least- are asking questions about Sanji to Law and the Strawhats because of how recently they saw him. The Strawhats and Law answer what they can, Law tells his crew about Sanji fighting Doflamingo and Vergo, mentions Sanji's cooking has greatly improved in the years he's been away. The Heart Pirates go silent as they all stare at their captain and the visiting crew watch Law shambles himself out of the room as his some of his crew follow with shouts of capturing the man. Ikkaku, Penguin, and Jean stay in the cafeteria, the woman has a soft smile and the giant is confused, having been on the crew only for a couple of years, and Penguin is rubbing his eyes with the heels of his palms so hard he feels like he could squish them.

"You know he was trying to rile up everyone." Ikkaku laughs at him.

"Yeah, I know. It's just with everything that's happened it kind of sucks we haven't gotten to really see him for more than a few hours in the last tennish years." Penguin says.

"Yet one hand on his waist and you were completely smitten." Jean smirks at him as Ikkaku laughs a little louder.

"Oh, sure, I get a crush on Sanji and I'm going to get the worst of the worst shovel talks from the world. You heard the skeleton, he said a lot of people react like that to Sanji!" Penguin defends himself.

"Mm, but you're on his brother's crew, not to mention our guests." Ikkaku smriks at him. "Alas, he's not eleven anymore, he did get hot. You think Captain is still going to bend to his every whim still?"

"If only because this would be the third time he didn't die." Penguin frowns.

"I'm sorry, third? Third time Sanji didn't die?" Usopp asks with worry and Jean doesn't look worried but curious as Robin and Zoro's eyes look at them sharply.

"The first would have been the storm that took him to the East Blue, he got washed away and Bepo was focused on saving Captain and the rest of us weren't strong enough to get him. The second would be Sabaody." Ikkaku said with a shrug making everyone go quiet.

"Wow, that sounds super rough." Franky said after a few moments.

"You said you've all only seen Sanji for a few hours over the last years, is it because you only found out he was alive from his bounty?" Robin asked.

"Nah, we got a call a few years after the wreck, we're still not entirely sure who got the number for our denden or what strings were pulled for Zeff to get it, but everyone who knew Sanji at that point had basically came running when we heard Law yell at the poor snail. As for Sabaody we just found out when he got to Zou." Ikkaku answered.

"I've only ever heard about him in passing, I never imagined Captain's Sanji to be Black Leg." Jean said as Law shambled in halfway through the giant's thought.

"'Course, he is, I found him." Law smirked at them. Robin simply smiled at the captain as Usopp and Franky started saying he couldn't take Sanji back. Law says they shouldn't worry about him as he flicks his eyes to Penguin and Ikkaku fully loses it fully as Robin turns to Penguin with a slightly sadistic smile of her own.

They make their way to Wano with strict orders to lay low and gather information until they're ready to start their attack. Penguin is relentlessly teased the entire time and Law is sending him endless pointed looks that could be threats or pained reminiscing slightly. The crew and Sanji had never met Cora or Lami but to Law his little brother was the worst(best) of them both and made him deal with his past apparently by the fact Law would smoke a cigarette every so often now, Penguin joining in once in a while. They make landfall and set their parameters and their plan in place and wait for the rest of the Strawhats to arrive and ruin everything. Law has given up planning beyond that really which makes his crew laugh at him but he only retaliates to Penguin for crushing on his little brother which makes the crew turn on him.

Sadistic fuck.

When the rest do arrive and the crews begin to hang out again, Penguin and Sanji are definitely spending more time together and Law keeps a very close eye on them, as does Robin and Zoro for other reasons seeing as they just got their cook back to the crew. Penguin definitely keeps a hand on Sanji's waist when they're together and Brook's soft 'yohoho~'s make Sanji roll his eyes. Luffy still rubber bands to him and asks for food which Sanji obliges and feeds everyone. Before the raid Penguin has a nosebleed looking at Sanji in his suit and Usopp and Franky absolutely lose it, because yeah. It's usually not as visceral but people do like the look of the cook, Luffy lets out his frantic giggles as he wraps his hands on Sanji's waist and makes him promise to cook the biggest feast ever when the raid is done and he agrees easily, but Luffy is giggling something menacing and looking at Penguin before he lets go and runs off.

After the raid, after Law is done holding his baby brother and only overhearing a few words between them Penguin gets his chance to curl up with Sanji and run his hands over the too many bandages on the blond boy's body, they're exhausted and Penguin won't let him up to cook because Luffy's not awake but Law is so he doesn't need to cook, he needs to rest. Penguin just holds him and won't let him get up. Then after Luffy wakes up he follows the cook around to make sure he's not overdoing it and everything. Luffy keeps giggling and Law rolls his eyes until Robin mentions the G5 marines on Punk Hazard and how much they adored the cook making them both look at each other and then at Sanji and Penguin and both realizing this means their alliance hasn't ended but changed drastically. Because now everyone knows Sanji is Law's little brother and is dating Penguin and Luffy is laughing saying they get to see each other more often now! Look Traffy, thanks to Sanji and Penguin they can hang out all the time now!

Law groans as Penguin and Sanji sneak off from the party to be alone.

They deserve it.

[bunnyreaper]

hey bunny! been a min since i last sent you an ask 💜

i wanted to share that my bf just told me yesterday he wanted some space, to take a little break to figure things out. we did not break up, he told me that's not what he wanted us to do. i'm still really heartbroken about it bc i have bad separation anxiety and it's taking over my brain rn.

i was hoping for a drabble about soap comforting a reader who's dealing with that kind of situation, i was leaning towards the best friend au.

thank you so much for bringing me joy with your fics and headcanons 💜

- 🔪💕

hello my love, im sorry for being late to this ask but im sending all my best wishes your way ♥ wrote a silly little thing for you and hope it helps, if you need to talk, im here !!

johnny is the first one to notice something is amiss with you, your usually bright smile absent when he tries to make you laugh as he always does. 

a nudge to the shoulder, a retelling of one of simon's jokes that you've always loved, and nothing--just that same forced smile that doesn't bare your teeth or reach your eyes. his heart sinks every time he sees it, and every time he resolves within himself to try harder, to find something to make you smile properly again. 

as your best mate in the whole world, johnny supposed that you were just waiting for the right moment to talk about whatever it is that's clearly bothering you, but after days of nothing, he grows restless. 

it's one night in the rec room that he finally gets his answers. 

you're sandwiched between simon and johnny on the lumpy couch--despite johnny campaigning for it being his turn to pick the film for the night (where he secretly resolves to pick your favourite movie), simon is having none of it, and shoves on whatever he likes while johnny whines. 

"guess we're struggling tonight, lass." johnny jokes, playfully elbowing you as he tries to make you smile. 

you manage to roll your eyes in return, the slightest of smiles on your lips. "i'm sure we'll live." 

usually, you spend your nights texting your boyfriend, almost always in constant contact, as johnny fights for a scrap of attention. 

it doesn't escape your best friends attention that tonight, despite unlocking and locking your phone constantly, no notifications come. it doesn't escape his attention that your lockscreen is no longer two grinning embracing faces, but something aesthetic, impersonal. 

johnny can't hold himself back any longer. perhaps if you can't talk about it, you can find another way to tell him what's going on. 

your phone pings with a notification, your body going stiff and rigid, only relaxing when you see that it isn't your now ex, but johnny. you rush to open the text, casting a questioning look at the man next to you whose eyes are glued to his screen that is just tilted out of your view. 

> came up on my memories today :) 

attached is a picture of the two of you, from a year ago today, johnny's arm slung around your shoulders as you both smile so sweetly at the camera. you're both a little on the tipsy side, but were having the absolute best night by each other's side, forgetting about everything but enjoying your time together.

even the sight of the photo sparks a joy within you that you haven't felt since you got the news. you've not been blind to the way johnny's constant warmth has surrounded you, but only now can you feel it begin to seep into your weary soul. a reminder of better times, and hope that one day you'll smile like that again--it's a balm to your battered heart.

you double tap the message, adding a little floating heart in response as another of johnny's messages comes through.

> thought you needed a smile, bonnie girl.

and smile now you do, a lightness filling you, with your best friend at your side. the one man you can truly count on.

< i did, thanks johnny <3

his bubble appears, typing before it disappears--over and over again until a message finally pops through.

> wanna talk about it? 

somehow, the words feel easier to type than to speak--so much simpler without the fear that you won't be able to get through your words for fear of crying.

< we're on a break. i wasn't expecting it. just came out of nowhere. 

you expect johnny to send warm words of encouragement, but instead he's pulling you into his arms, completely disregarding simon's presence, ignoring anything else besides the overwhelming need to comfort you. 

"'m sorry, lass. doesnae know what he's missing out on. nae need to say anything, i've got ye now."

he says nothing more, as if he can sense that words aren't not what you need right now. instead, he lets you find home in his arms and starts his mission of holding you until all the pain goes away.

[wormlette]

Your fic "a good dog" lives rent free in my brain and I'm so glad bc the characterization and the introspection and LAIOS SERVICING CHILCHUCK just make me go feral, can't wait to read what comes next ❤️

(and the noises I made while reading "fervent, writhing" could only be heard by shrimps).

PS: Y'all at the chilaios council are tempting me so hard to create a Chilaios sideblog bc all your brains are so HUGE

OK FIRST OF ALL sorry for hanging onto this ask for so long, I have been cradling it in my hands like a good luck charm while I write ❤️ I appreciate you so much. ALSO "noises that could only be heard by shrimps" is part of my lexicon now lmao.

I've been trying to get a good dog arranged into some sort of satisfying narrative -- I don't know how obvious it is, but even when I was writing more regularly, I still mostly only ever wrote drabble type things that are unconnected. Writing an actual story is my bane in life, but I've been very inspired to try because of all of you.

Here is a good dog snippet I'm particularly proud of!! It's a flashback!!!

“If I can ask…” Laios held up a finger, like a kid raising their hand. Chil raised a brow, and he and Falin watched curiously to see what would come next.

“…why did I upset you?”

Chilchuck sighed and ran his hand through his hair, messing it up further. He resisted the urge to grab it and tug. This guy really needed that said?

“Okay, but I want you to think for a minute, first. Have you ever seen a party lead by a half-foot, Laios? Have you ever even heard of one?”

Laios looked at the ceiling, hmm-ing. “…I guess not?”

“Right. That’s because the things a party leader needs, half-foots don’t have. That’s what people think. Long-legs think anyone who can’t fight can’t be in charge.” He shrugged. “They don’t say it, but it’s like that.”

Laios frowned and started to open his mouth. Chil waved his hand to cut him off. “The way people perceive you is everything in an adventurer’s party. ‘S just how it is.”

The siblings stayed silent. Were they twins? He realized he didn’t know. He’d been a bit incurious about them as well, truthfully. Assuming he’d work for them a little while before they parted ways, probably from pissing each other off. That hadn’t happened yet, so…

“Well. And that's exactly why YOU-“ he swung his empty mug at Laios - “have got to start taking this more seriously! This exact kind of thing is what I’m talking about!” They let him rant on. Having both of their attention on him was not a new feeling, but he ignored it. “The reactions people will have to you are exactly what a leader needs to be aware of! You can’t just say whatever you want!” He was ranting. “You’ll damage their trust in you if you’re careless. Think about how they’ll think, Laios.” It was so obvious, but Laios’ eyes were alight. Had nobody ever had talks like this with him? “And if you can’t figure *that* out, then at least listen to the people around you.” They were listening like he was bestowing crucial information on them. Chilchuck suddenly felt like laughing. There was something funny about these two overgrown dummies, so eerily at home in the dungeon but so in need of caretaking outside of that. They’d followed him around like puppies on errands across town to the bank and the slums, and now they were hanging on his every word. Eventually, he paused, raising his mug and drinking deeply until only foam was left. A warm feeling was in his gut.

“So it’s ok if I ask you, next time?” Laios looked at him with glimmering eyes. “If it’s an imposition, we could renegotiate…”

The idea of Laios renegotiating was laughable enough to make Chilchuck reach for the pitcher, but Laios beat him to it and leaned over to give him a refill. Ha! Maybe he wasn’t completely helpless. He was thinking now, wanting not to offend, wanting to be helpful. This was the kind of thing a party leader needed to practice, so it suddenly seemed very appropriate to reinforce him. “Yes! Like that! Good boy!”

If not for his keen senses, he would’ve never noticed. As it was, most of the time Chilchuck convinced himself he’d imagined it. The look in Laios’ eyes, in that instant, was feral.

[llondonfog]

Hello, I would like to make a request if possible. I'm translating through a translator, so I'm sorry if something is not too clear. I hope that the request meets your criteria and does not cross the line. You can change it as you feel more comfortable or completely ignore it. So the essence of the request is that Silver dies in childhood because of Mellius. Perhaps he will find out about the origin of the child or just an accident. But Silver is dead and Lilia is going crazy. Mellius himself is plunged into a sense of guilt. And in their grief, they decide to bring him back to life. Whether it's an attempt to revive it or replace it. It doesn't really matter. Just distraught from the loss, they begin to live in the illusion that Silver is alive. But Silver himself is just an empty shell acting on orders and possibly imitating the behavior of the original. Most of all, I am interested in the reaction of the other characters to this. Sorry, it's a little hard for me to put the whole idea together. I would like to see how they live after the tragedy in complete denial and reassurance that everything is fine, continuing to live as before. But perhaps it breaks down when they try to destroy this illusion. As I wrote earlier, you have every right to ignore my request or change it as you wish. The main thing is that the essence of the idea remains. I also wanted to ask if it is possible to make multiple requests? Of course, taking into account not to spam and not to burden you. Anyway, I'm glad I was able to get this idea out of my head. Thanks for attention.

drabble fic posted here! <3

first, thank you so much for taking the time to share this incredible request, i absolutely LOVED writing it and i hope the spirit of what you wished to see was conveyed!! <3 please don't hesitate to ever jump into my inbox with ideas or twst thoughts that you'd like to share! it may take me some time to get to it, and i'll make it known if it just isn't something i can't get to at this time :)

as far as the direction i went with for your request, i was fully OBSESSED thinking about the mundane, agonizing horror of silver dying by a simple and natural accident— a slip on the wet rocks of the creek in front of their cottage home, losing his grip on a mountainside during a bout of rock-climbing, etc. something so blameless that it would RUIN lilia because it was such an ordinary accident that he couldn't prevent.

i really wanted mal to be the one to bring silver back to life out of a desperate bid to heal lilia's near overblot levels of grief, but also out of this childish way (because he's still a child himself!!) to save lilia's wish to so desperately know if he could love a human— plus of course, mal is obviously fond of silver at this point too and is similarly grief-stricken and absolutely NOT thinking clearly when he tries to resurrect the child.

something that i wanted to be key is that whatever mal brought back, it is NOT silver. silver is permanently dead, and whatever spirit is inhabiting his body is one that mal sees as a complete abomination. lilia, too deep in his grief, latches onto the child regardless even if he has moments of clarity when he can't look at the new 'silver' or be around him for some time. so both mal and lilia know the truth, but nine year old sebek has been pretty much kept in the dark so far with only a few play dates to start seeing a weird behavioral difference in silver and the others.

(but the illusion can't last— this silver can never grow past the age in which the body died, and the spell has to be reapplied after so many weeks or else the corpse starts, well . . . becoming a rotting corpse again. also i'm kind of insane over the idea that the spirit inside silver is malicious and has bewitched lilia into trying to kill himself to reunite with his dead son so that it can take his magic and now mal has to figure out how to undo the awful that he did BUT I MIGHT BE GOING TOO FAR DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE NOW LOL)

[quordleona03]

Sorry if youve answered this before but ive seen you around and im curious, how long have you been writing for mash? Ive seen some fics on ao3 with old dates, but then I realized the dates on ao3 go back before the website was even founded so I thought I ought to just ask you directly

I first started writing M*A*S*H fanfic in 2003, inspired by Iolanthe.

I wrote two big sagas - Sins and Virtues, and the MirrorMASH sequence - and a bunch of shorter stories and a lot of drabbles for the old MASH100 community on livejournal. Then I ran out of steam - Iolanthe had died: I was losing interest in M*A*S*H and was entering a dry period for writing fiction, due to various reasons in my personal life. The very last story I wrote about any of the M*A*S*H characters was about Father Francis Mulcahy, who had a small part in a completely different series of stories. About 2021 I started reading MASH fanfic again: in 2022, I got the idea of moving Iolanthe's stories to AO3 - and then I thought, if hers, why not mine? Plus, I was getting a new big idea for a Ten Years Later story that would become All We Know. While I was thinking this through, I even added a few more chapters to MirrorMASH, and planned out the ending.

So in 2022, while I was finding out how to archive Iolanthe's stories, I also archived mine, and just for the sake of it, I archived them all with their "date posted" the date I wrote them, or finished them anyway. Sometimes for the old print stories this was kind of guesswork, but I'm pretty sure I got the year right.

I've been writing fanfic for 40 years now, so a lot of my stories go back to before AO3 existed - before the WorldWideWeb existed! but AO3 lets you change the date posted to any year in the 20th or 21st century.

[cassiaratheslytherpuff]

🍓 🔪 🌿 for the ask game, please :)

Thank you so much for asking! <3

🍓 ⇢ how did you get into writing fanfiction? 

I feel like this is an unnecessarily long reply, sorry 😅 I came into writing fic slowly. I started reading fanfic a year or two after the final HP book was published and I realised it was a thing that existed. I started out reading gen fics that aimed to fill in the blanks of canon. Then I discovered slash fics and it was just so life-changing and refreshing to see queer people written and represented as complex human beings who got to get through the angst to something happy. I was a (closeted) queer teen with mental health issues who was secretly in love with my best friend, and I got to see Harry and Ron struggle with their mental health and anxiety over being in love with their friend post war, and then I got to see them being happy. And for the first time something made me believe maybe I could get there too.

I wrote my first fic in 2012, and it was very much a way to externalise my own issues. It was 24k long and took me 2 years of infrequent updates. I didn't write anything for a couple of years after that, but then I picked it back up again in 2016. At first it was (again) purely me needing an outlet for feelings I didn't know what to do with, but I slowly fell in love with writing and I've been doing it ever since.

🔪 ⇢ what's the weirdest topic you researched for a writing project?

Oh this is a fun question! I tend to research things and then promptly forget I did though, because it's usually for random background information. One of the things I remember I really enjoyed researching was the language of flowers, most recently I remember falling down a rabbit hole of reddit posts on prostate-orgasms.

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

Not sure that I'm the right person for advice here, because a lot of the time if I'm low on creativity or motivation to write I just - don't. I try to always keep writing fun, so if I don't want to do it I let myself have a break. When I do want to write, but can't quite manage though there are a couple of things I do:

Set a goal to write badly. If I'm not trying to write something good then the pressure is off.

Write my way into writing. An empty document is my biggest enemy so I will literally start off like "Alright, I want to write a story. Maybe it'll be about Harry. Oh! He could be working as a lifeguard in Australia. But how did he get there? Maybe he..."

Write the fun bits first. For me that's usually dialogue, angst or smut. Then I go back and build the story around it

Join a fest (it's motivating to be working with a deadline and fulfilling a prompt. And there's a community aspect to it that I enjoy)

Discuss headcanons and fic ideas with people. I like letting creativity feed creativity.

Get momentum going by writing drabbles or ficlets, or working on something else if I'm stuck on a fic.

Truth or Dare Ask Game

[melodygatesauthor]

Big Announcement Regarding Requests

——

Hey guys. As I’ve been working more and more on fulfilling regular requests (this is in no way related to the 1k follower celebration drabbles, and I’ll address that further down) I’ve come to the difficult decision that I won’t be opening my requests again after I finish the ones that have piled up in my inbox.

Explanation below the cut if you care as to why:

For starters, let me say this: this doesn’t mean that my inbox will be closed. I’m still around if you wanna scream at me about a thot you had or say something about a fic I wrote or whatever! - I just won’t be taking requests for regular fics.

When I first started this blog I was trying really hard to get more involved with the community and I was THRILLED to have my inbox open to any and all requests that came my way. I had less projects I was working on and a LOT more time to work on fics.

As I gained popularity (which like thank you so much to everyone who is following me you have no idea how much all this means to me) I got so many requests that I had to shut down my requests temporarily. When I shut them down temporarily, my intention was to open them back up again at some point, and I thought it would only take me a month or so to do that.

It’s been almost 3 months that some have been waiting.

I know a lot of you (and oh my god do I appreciate you) are willing to wait ages for me to get my act together, but the amount of stress it gives me is making it less fun. I know it shouldn’t, but it does. I am going to reiterate here - I’M GOING TO FINISH ALL THE REQUESTS I CURRENTLY HAVE IN MY INBOX - (excluding Anonymous requests. I will be removing those just to cut down on the long list I have. I'm sorry, I just need to. This does not include ones I asked for like the 1k drabble requests and the nonnie who requested Nathan Bateman after I specifically asked for NB requests.)

This benefits both of us in the long run

It’s obviously going to help me feel less stressed which is good. But when I’m tied up with requests, you’re missing out on the original ideas I’ve got stashed away for when I have more time to work on them. Less requests means more time to work on those ideas.

I’m a fast writer, we all know this, but I still haven’t figured out how to write two fics at once lol. There are so many ideas that I’ve had to put on the back burner to get through requests and I don’t want us to have to wait even longer.

This doesn’t mean “requests” are done permanently.

One of my favorite things to is set up events where I write drabbles for the community. I’m going to still have events here and there for different milestones (follower celebrations), life events (birthdays, etc), holidays and more!

When those are happening, just check the rules and submit one if you want!

——

This was tough because I really do enjoy serving the community, but I have to worry about myself too. This is something I do for free and it’s supposed to be fun. If I’m not having fun, and my hobby is causing me stress, then I know I’ll start to suffer from burnout and none of us want that.

Who knows, I might change my mind and re-open them at some point, but as of right now that is not my intention.

Thank you all for understanding ❤️

P.S. If you're a writer with open requests, please feel free to mention it in the comments so readers looking for open request writers can find you!

[skzms]

hi my darling may <333

how are you bb?

i’m sorry to have been away for so long (i h8 it, i wish i could b here all day </3) and that you’ve been having a hard time lately :((( . you don’t deserve the things that you’ve been going through here. my semester is packed af and my professors really don’t give af about my personal life. aaaaaand i’ve had a writing itch so i’ve been ✨cooking✨. i’ll probs never post anything but i couldn’t get it out of my head.

so, i read the lover, you should’ve come over drabble and it was sooooo sad and soooo good. that’s my absolute favorite song and jeff buckley is my absolute favorite artist of all time (yknow aside from skz). btw you posted that on the day of it’s 30th anniversary so that was a cool as hell coincidence. ily. and i love minho so much.

and talking about minho, perv!bestie minho fic was 🔥🔥🔥 my god, the things that i would do to be worshipped like that by minho. i’ve been so busy that i hadn’t been able to enjoy reading lately and that fic got me back into my groove. so thank you. and as always, you’re an impeccable writer.

and i just had to slide this here for a sec bc oh my god. https://x.com/bbok_otter/status/1832410576661709285?s=46&t=-PVQ6sHI18cunHWQ1pCVbw

idk if you’ve seen this but it made me weak. body hair kink is kinking. and nobody can ever again say that felix is perfectly hairless bc you can also see his shaved chest hair (stop making him shave jyp, it’s so hot. i promise)

anyways bb, you’re so lovely and so great. and i love seeing your notifs!!! i just don’t have time to send you messages (the life of a grad student ~despised~)😪. but i’m always here in heart & spirit🫡 i send you a huuuuge hug back!

-🐈‍⬛

hi hi hi my baby!!!

thank you thank you thank you for all the love!!! and I hope things will get a little less stressful for you soon, too! school can be so tough, but I'm sure you're absolutely killing it. you never have to be around, but I'm so glad to know you're lurking <33 makes me feel like you're there 🥰

btw you posted that on the day of it’s 30th anniversary so that was a cool as hell coincidence

I had no idea!!! that is actually so cool!!! what a fun coincidence! I'm still thinking about making a poll with all the song drabbles I wrote and if one of them gets a lot of votes, writing it into a full fic ... but I'll first have to get through the rest of the asks, preferably when I don't have covid or I'm not being evicted for the second time in a year. you know, normal life things 😵‍💫

i’ve been so busy that i hadn’t been able to enjoy reading lately and that fic got me back into my groove. so thank you. and as always, you’re an impeccable writer.

eeeek that is honestly a huge honor, I can't even explain it. all i ever want is for people to enjoy reading and I love being a part of that <3 I'm soooo glad you like it ksdjahakshj

and the link oh my god those pics hit different in black & white holy shit!!!!! he's sooo fucking hot, and his body hair makes him even hotter imo I'm so in love

sending you a huuuuuuuge hug and I hope you're well!!!!

[amtrak12]

I left 300+ comments on fics in 3 days

So the Seasons of Drabbles fic exchange just wrapped up its summer round, and I had a blast with it! I plan on making a wrap-up post about my experience as both a writer and a reader, but first I want to talk about how I read and commented on 338 drabbles (aka everything posted as of the day authors were revealed) in one weekend. 👀

Why

First of all, why the fuck did I read and comment on sooooo many drabbles? For multiple reasons:

I haven't received many comments on my most recent fic updates which has left me pretty bummed out

If I'm going to claim "Even a simple heart emoji goes a long way!" then I should practice what I preach

I was so excited/impatient for fic reveals that I skimmed through past rounds for fandoms I like and found a fic that didn't have any comments even 5 months later, not even from the giftee :(

So yeah, I was determined that every single fic posted to the summer round was getting a heart emoji and a kudos from me BARE MINIMUM! And if I'm kudos-ing and commenting, then I might as well read the fic too. What if it's really good? What if it's really sad and a heart emoji doesn't fit the tone? I need to know these things!

Methodology

I made a game plan. My baseline comment was a purple heart 💜 because that's my go to color. If I found something to quote, I quoted it. If it was angsty (or seemed angsty), I might do an 'Ooph!' before the heart, or even a broken heart emoji paired with a 'Good job!'. If someone did a series of drabbles and split the drabbles up into their own chapters, I switched up the color of the hearts for each chapter -- and yes I did comment on each chapter! As an author, I LOVE when I get comments along the way and not just at the end. And as a reader, it gave me extra space to quote or add commentary, if I had it (and sometimes I did!). Commenting on every chapter is 👍👍👍 Do recommend.

But did I actually READ every single one of these fics, you ask? Yes. Like 99% of them. There were a couple where I knew enough about the fandom to know I wanted nothing to do with that or where the series of drabbles was so long, that I was like "oh bestie, I can't do it. I'm so sorry :(" But I still skimmed those enough to grasp the tone of the fic so I could modify my heart emoji comment as needed.

Results

OMG it was so frickin fun! I mean, did my eyes start to bleed? Did I have to take breaks from reading because I caught myself skimming too much? Yes, of course. IT WAS 338 DRABBLES IN THREE DAYS! And not all of them were 100-300 words long. Some of those were 1-2k words! I should've taken more breaks than I did, but I really wanted to get all/the majority done before author reveals for arbitrary reasons only my brain knows (it won't even tell me you guys 😜) But even still, it was super super fun to see the huge variety of fics out there!

It's also been a blast to see the author replies roll in. Some replied before author reveals so they still showed anonymous. Most waited until after the reveals and I got to learn that WHOA, so-and-so wrote like 7 of those drabbles! *applauds* Sometimes they replied with a thank you, sometimes it was their own preferred heart emoji. It's so cute seeing how other people like to say thank you, because I know I've definitely settled into a 'style' when I reply to comments on my fics. 💜

Would I do it again?

I honestly don't know. It was exhausting burning through all those fics in such a short amount of time. Now this particular fic exchange is smaller and only runs four times a year, so give me three months and I can probably do it again no problem. But right now, I definitely need a break lol No regrets though!!

Highlights of my reading:

I learned Object and Concept Anthropomorphism is a category on AO3. 😲 Which on the one hand, shouldn't surprise me because I KNOW I read crack fic with anthropomorphism back on LiveJournal. But it still delighted me to see it pop up in this fic exchange. XD

On that note Chess Pieces (Anthropomorphic) is apparently popular enough to warrant it's own, individual, fandom tag. Incredible information to know!! I love that!

There's a user named DanceWithOrangutans and they seem to only request or write orangutan fiction or maybe Planet of the Apes fic if they feel like branching out. Truly an icon to end all icons! 🌟 They're my new favorite person and I look forward to reading lots of orangutan flash fiction in future rounds 💜

I have absolutely no idea what was going on in any of the anime fics but some of them were super adorable and fluffy 🥰

My absolute favorite thing was when people who actually know that fandom commented before me, so when I left my little heart, I would get to read them squeeing and crying and freaking out over how good the drabble was. :') They'd be like 'IT WAS SO IN CHARACTER!!! 😭' and I'd be like 'oh cool, the author nailed it! 😄' 10/10 experience

And to wrap things up...

Seasons of Drabbles: Summer Round Superlatives

Best Author's Note:

satisfy the desire of the afflicted by yesthisisnarumi (Dungeon Meshi, M, 300 words)

Hysterical author's note. Absolutely loved it. 😂

Most Baller Line:

birds of a feather by embraidery (Stardew Valley, T, 1100 words)

CAN IMAGINE WHERE A SMILE MIGHT GO???????? Are you fucking kidding me right now???????????? Brilliant work! A++ I'm still losing my mind about it!

I Don't Go Here But Holy Shit That's Good Writing:

recoil by Fleetling (The Man From U.N.C.L.E, T, 300 words)

The use of gun imagery to describe their relationship -- which from the one viewing of the trailer I saw years ago, seems pretty fitting for the movie -- just blew my mind. "voice cracking like gunfire" in the next paragraph? -- GOOD GOD! Again, don't even remotely go here, but damn this fic was really well written!

Best Username:

ECwrotethisforyou

You know what, yeah. You did write that, buddy! And you should remind everyone reading your fics that these are gifts! In or outside of a fic exchange. I approve! 👏

Best Story Structure:

If Comfy, Warm, and My Size, Why No Sit: A Meta-analysis of Research into the Warm Flat Rectangle by Dr Fluffy Jones by finerandbonnier (Original Work, G, 300 words)

YOU GUYS!!!!!!! If you have ever read a scientific paper for school or for funsies, you need to read this fic! It has FOOTNOTES! It has a BIBLIOGRAPHY in the end author's note! IT'S A FUCKING WORK OF GENIUS!!!!!!!!!!! 12/10 All the applause 🎉����👏👏🌟

[andromeda3116]

Hi! Sorry to bother you, but I recently discovered you on A03 through your Zutara fics and I must admit that I'm mesmerized by your stories. They are so wonderfully written—the structure, the development, the characters, the dialogues and the political aspects are so beautiful. Everything about them makes me want to dive in and read and explore the worlds you have created.

I'm writing this in the hope that you might be able to provide me with a little guidance. I really admire your work, and I wanted to know if you had any tips on how to develop characters, dialogues and conflicts, for every scene you've written contributes to the story in some way (it's really engaging and thrilling as a reader).

Without further ado, I hope this finds you well. Thank you :)

First of all, thank you for your kind words! And I'm flattered that you wanted my advice!

The only "trick" I can actually impart is: I've gotten a lot of mileage out of just reading my story out loud to myself, and seeing if it sounds good. And from there is a lot of "oooh, that sounds wrong, how about..." until you get something that works, or -- quite often, in my experience -- you just highlight the sentence to come back to later when you're less frustrated. And try again. (This is particularly useful with dialogue.)

But for the rest... I know this is going to sound trite, but the answer is to just write a lot. And read a lot.

Everyone has their lists of writing advice, how to structure stories and make them pop -- but ultimately, everyone has a different way of doing those things, and mostly, there isn't actually a correct answer. Finding your voice just takes practice.

Reading a lot -- and watching a lot of movies and shows! -- can teach you a lot of the wrong ways to do it, either because you cringe away from the screen/page for reasons you can't put into words, or because it all comes together so well that you try to mimic it in your own writing and you have to figure out why you couldn't do it like they did. Trust me, I wrote a lot of derivative shit while trying to capture someone else's lightning in my own bottle. I honestly don't think that's a bad thing -- everyone learns from someone else, and everyone starts off by mimicry. If anyone claims to have had their own unique voice from the start, they're full of shit.

Redwall taught me how to craft imagery, I can point you back to the FFX oneshot that taught me how to use single-sentence punches to gut the reader, Terry Pratchett taught me how to incorporate politics into a story in such a way that it doesn't feel dry, there was a brief period back on fictionpress.net (s/o to my other fandom olds) where weird single-sentence poetry (?) things? were super-cool to me and they taught me how to build emotion using syntax, Lord of the Rings taught me how build an engaging plot, the drabble and one-sentence challenges taught me how to use conservation of words to make what I did have count -- and so on and so forth.

I've been writing stories since I could hold a pencil, and sharing them, getting feedback on them, and actively engaging with them since I was 13 (I'm 33). It sounds like weak advice, but it really legitimately just does come down to "read something that sets your brain on fire, try to do something like it, inevitably fuck it up, try it again until you figure out why it didn't work, fix that, read something else that sets your brain on fire, try to do it, inevitably fuck it up --" ad nauseum, until you've figured out enough "yikes"-es that you know how to craft a story on your own that hits all the notes you want it to hit. Kinda like sculpting, you start with a shapeless rock and chip away at all the parts that don't work until you learn what does. And the statues you make get better and better the more of them you sculpt. They don't have to be good. A lot of them won't be. And that's a good thing! It's the process of learning how not to do it that teaches you how to get it right.

But other than that, I unfortunately can't give you a lot of advice. It honestly does just take a lot of practice, consuming stories and digesting them and pulling their pieces out to try and make something out of it all yourself. And accepting that you're gonna fail a lot. I failed a lot. I still fail a lot. There's never a point where you're done learning how not to do it.

Wanting to write well is the first step. Writing badly is the second.