#Comfort Fic Roulette Challenge | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

sotwk · 2 months ago

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This is so soft and beautiful! It shows a side of Gil-galad that we didn't really get to see in ROP (yet??). Thank you for tagging me. :)

I know many folks are now searching for Gil-galad fics, so please enjoy this one--and reblog so it gets around!

Across the Seas (Ereinion Gil-galad, Rings of Power)

Author's note: My OC, Itarille, is the younger sister of Elrond and Elros. Gil-galad has just asked to court her recently. Takes place way before the events of Rings of Power. Can be read as a reader insert, and either as a standalone or part of my upcoming Tolkien fic series. From @sotwk "Comfort Fic Writing Challenge".

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It was a nice day, Itarille thought to herself. She was sitting on the windowsill in her chambers, overlooking the sea. Her ears picked up the faint sound of the ocean waves crashing against the shores. Her grey eyes, so like those of her older brothers, drifted back down to the book in her lap.

Adûnaic, the language was called. From the land of Númenor, Elros' kingdom. She was reading a book about the island kingdom's history with the sea.

“From the dawn of Númenor, our fate has been intertwined with the sea. It guides, it judges, it endures. The sea is always right.”

It was a longstanding belief of the people. Itarille glanced out of the window once more, her eyes fixed on the blue waves of the ocean. It seemed calm, serene, steadfast. Just like how Númenor should be. How the Eldar should be. How she should be, considering that she would soon marry the High King and become Queen of Lindon.

She flipped the page, deciding to move on from the poetic passage. On the next page, there was a portrait. A man, regal, with high cheekbones, gazed back at her with eyes so familiar. His raven hair was mixed with streaks of white, and age was so visibly shown on his face.

Elros Tar-Minyatur, the description below the portrait read. Founding King of Númenor. Itarille hadn't gazed upon a painting or portrait of her brother in so long. It had been too long since his passing, but for her, it felt like yesterday.

The day Itarille had received word of Elros' passing, it was as if the floor had collapsed from beneath her feet. When she'd heard it, Itarille was at dinner with the High King. The news was delivered to him by a messenger, then him to her. When the last word had left his lips, Itarille stood up abruptly and fled. She remembered the look in Gil-galad's blue eyes. Those blue eyes, blue like the sea.

She and Elrond grieved. He did his best not to show it, maintaining the stern facade of the High King's Herald, but Itarille was different. She had locked herself away in her chambers, sitting on this very windowsill, gazing out at the sea which Elros had sailed away on the day he decided to be counted amongst Men.

She had known that day would come, but it didn't hurt any less.

A knock on the door brought Itarille out of her reverie. Wiping the tears from her face hastily, Itarille spoke softly, "Come in."

The door opened gently, and in stepped Gil-galad. As usual, he was the picture of elegance and serenity, clothed in robes of a deep blue, a departure from his usual gold. His gold crown of leaves was nowhere to be seen, and his deep brown hair tumbled down his back in waves.

"My lady," Gil-galad spoke in that velvety voice of his, bringing Itarille's hand to his lips and pressing a kiss to her fingers, "how I've longed to see you so. This day has been dreadful without your presence at my side."

Itarille didn't respond, her mind still whirling with the memories from Elros, the memories that reading that book had stirred up. Gil-galad noticed her silence, the lingering tears in her grey eyes. He was about to ask if everything was alright, when he saw the Adûnaic book on her lap and he understood.

"You were thinking about him, weren't you?" Gil-galad asked quietly. Itarille gave no verbal answer, only the nod of her head. After a moment of silence, Itarille finally spoke. "O-oh, Ereinion," she sniffled, a fresh wave of tears falling down her face. "I miss Elros."

"My love." Gil-galad pulled her close, pressing a kiss to her forehead. For a moment, they both said nothing, Itarille's sobs speaking for her. She pressed her face into the crook of his neck, her tears staining the fabric of his robes.

"Why does it hurt so much?" She looked up at him, her eyes glimmering with tears.

"You loved Elros deeply. He was your brother, and like Elrond, your protector. Your closest confidante. It's natural to feel this way about him." Gil-galad exhaled. "It's alright to grieve, melda."

"But," he looked down at Itarille, wiping a tear from her cheek, "Elros wouldn't want you to cry for him. He loved you deeply and would wish for you to be happy. He'd want you to live a happy and long life. So, please, do not weep, my love. Live, for Elros, for Elrond. For me."

Outside, the flowers bloomed. The birds chirped. In the distance, the waves lapped against the shores. Somewhere up there, Itarille sensed that Elros was watching. The grief was still fresh, it would always be, but for now, in this moment, Itarille felt at peace. Gil-galad's arms tightened around her, the High King murmuring words of reassurance and love in Quenya, the language she adored.

Everything would be alright.

#Comfort Fic Roulette Challenge #rings of power #gil galad #the rings of power #gil galad x reader #gil galad x oc #lindon #rings of power fanfiction #rings of power x reader #fics of friends

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aventurineswife · 18 days ago

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Can you do an aventurine x disabled!reader that’s in a wheelchair? Just something really fluffy and emotional and all

Under the Stars

Summary: Aventurine takes you to a magical park adorned with lanterns for a cozy picnic under the stars. As you two enjoy each other's company, share laughter and dreams, your bond deepens, celebrating the beauty of life and love despite challenges.

Tags: Aventurine x Reader, Fluff, Emotional, Romance, Wheelchair User Representation (Reader is Disabled in this fic), Picnic, Night, Sky, Lighthearted, Heartwarming.

Warnings: Light emotional themes (mention of personal challenges)

The soft light of the early evening filtered through the curtains of Aventurine's spacious apartment, casting a warm glow across the room. The air was filled with the scent of fresh jasmine tea, which Aventurine had brewed earlier. He had always claimed that the right blend of flavors could lift anyone’s spirits, and tonight, he was determined to create a soothing atmosphere for you.

You sat in your wheelchair, a comfortable position by the large window that overlooked the vibrant city skyline. The world outside was alive with the bustling energy of nightlife, but within the confines of Aventurine's home, everything felt safe and serene. You watched as he moved gracefully around the room, adjusting the decorations with a playful finesse that always left you in awe.

“Are you ready for our little surprise?” he called over his shoulder, a hint of mischief lacing his voice.

You couldn’t help but smile at the sound of his playful tone. “Is it another one of your ‘adventures’?” you teased, knowing how he loved to take you on spontaneous outings, no matter the challenges.

He turned, his eyes sparkling with excitement. “Only the best kind!” He leaned against the door frame, his dark blazer catching the light just right, accentuating the roulette wheel detailing that was a signature of his style.

You couldn’t help but admire him. He was everything you had dreamed of—a whirlwind of charm and charisma wrapped in an enigma that made your heart race. Despite his carefully curated exterior, you had glimpsed the layers beneath, the scars he hid from the world. You could sense that he, too, was navigating his own labyrinth of emotions.

“Okay, I’m intrigued,” you replied, your heart fluttering at the thought of what he had planned. “What’s the surprise?”

“First, I need you to trust me,” he said, his tone shifting to a more earnest note. “Can you do that?”

“Always.” you assured him, your heart swelling with warmth.

With a flourish, Aventurine approached you, kneeling down to meet your gaze. “I’ve been wanting to take you somewhere special,” he said, his voice low and sincere. “Somewhere that reminds me of how beautiful the world can be, even if we can’t see all of it.”

Your curiosity piqued. “Where are we going?”

“Just a little place nearby. It’s a secret,” he grinned. “But first, I need your help.”

He helped you navigate to your favorite warm coat, ensuring you were comfortable. With every careful adjustment, you felt the bond between you strengthen. You appreciated how he always made it a point to consider your comfort and needs.

Once you were ready, he gently wheeled you toward the door. The excitement bubbling within you was infectious, and soon, you found yourself grinning ear to ear as you entered the crisp night air.

The city was alive with lights and sounds, the streets adorned with decorations that twinkled like stars. Aventurine led the way, his hand lightly resting on the back of your wheelchair, guiding you forward with a gentle touch.

“Just a little further,” he said, his enthusiasm contagious. The thrill of the unknown ignited a spark of adventure in your chest.

Finally, you arrived at a small park, illuminated by lanterns that danced softly in the breeze. The area was filled with people laughing and enjoying the evening, but it felt like a secret haven just for the two of you.

“What do you think?” he asked, his eyes sparkling with anticipation as he wheeled you to a cozy corner beneath a grand oak tree.

“It’s beautiful,” you replied, your breath hitching at the sight of the twinkling lights. The ambiance was magical, creating a serene cocoon around you both.

As you settled in, Aventurine pulled out a small picnic basket he had prepared. “I thought we could have a little picnic under the stars,” he said, excitement bubbling in his voice.

You chuckled, your heart swelling. “You’re so full of surprises.”

He began to unpack, revealing an array of your favorite snacks, sweet treats, and a thermos of that fragrant jasmine tea. Each item was lovingly chosen, and you felt a rush of affection for the thoughtful man who had gone out of his way to make this night special.

As you both sat together, surrounded by the enchanting glow of the lanterns, you felt at peace. Aventurine poured you a cup of tea, and as you took a sip, you looked at him with warmth in your eyes.

“Thank you for this,” you said sincerely. “It means a lot to me.”

Aventurine smiled, his expression softening. “You deserve all the beauty this world has to offer. I want you to see how wonderful life can be, even when it feels difficult.”

You could see the sincerity in his eyes, and it resonated with your heart. In that moment, you realized that despite the challenges you faced, moments like this—filled with joy, laughter, and love—were what made it all worthwhile.

As the evening progressed, you shared stories, laughter, and dreams, your connection deepening with each passing moment. The world faded away as you were lost in each other, your hearts intertwined in a dance of affection.

Eventually, as the stars began to twinkle brighter above, Aventurine leaned closer, his voice soft. “You know, life is a gamble, and I’m glad I took the risk to be with you.”

Your heart raced at his words, knowing that he had chosen you in this high-stakes game of life. “I wouldn’t want it any other way,” you replied, your voice barely above a whisper.

In the gentle embrace of the night, you both leaned in, sharing a tender kiss beneath the stars—a perfect moment, a reflection of your beautiful bond, filled with warmth, laughter, and love.

As you pulled away, you couldn’t help but smile. “What’s next, my risk-taker?”

“Next?” he said, mischief glinting in his eyes. “How about we try to catch a shooting star together?”

With that, you both turned your eyes skyward, hearts entwined, ready to embrace whatever the universe had in store for you next.

#hsr #honkai star rail #x reader #honkai star rail x reader #hsr x reader #hsr aventurine #aventurine x reader #aventurine x you #hsr aventurine x reader #fluff #Light emotional themes (mention of personal challenges)#wheelchair user representation #emotional #romance #picnic #night sky #lighthearted #heartwarming

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lovebugs-and-snakecharmers · 2 months ago

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LBSC Sprint Challenge October 2024

(Okay, we admit the prompts aren't all that spooky this round but consider that a challenge if you like) The LBSC Sprint Challenge is now open for writers and artists! The prompts are:

1. He might be Jagged’s son, but he would never be a Stone, and that was fine. Luka was Couffaine to the core. 2. Marinette's AC keeps turning 'look' into 'Luka', because she writes Luka so often that obviously that's what she meant 3. "Did you know you can order a cake tasting box even if you're not getting married? They don't check." 4. Roller coaster meet cute - separate line for single riders with a sign saying "Singles will be paired" 5. Movie set, Luka and Marinette shoot a movie and there‘s a kiss scene between them. They have to redo the scene like a billion times bc Mari keeps messing it up by giggling, making weird noises or stuff like that (totally not on purpose why you you think that) 6. Wildcard - pick any previous challenge prompt, or play LBSC Smooch Roulette to generate a prompt!

You have until Wednesday, October 23 to complete your 3 15-minute sprints/45 minute art sprint and post the results. Once you’ve completed the sprints, you have 24 hours to edit (which can include some new writing to smooth transitions and make it feel complete, and whatever work you feel appropriate to get your art to a state you consider ‘finished’).

Please note you may sprint in the language of your choice, and you can either translate the final fic before posting, post it in the original language, or both as you choose. You can join us on the LBSC discord or sprint on your own! Just be sure to tag @lovebugs-and-snakecharmers in your final post so we will see it and reblog it. The rest of the rules can be found here under the cut.

Rules!

We’ll post a beginning and end date to the challenge, and a prompt.

Writers, If you choose to participate in the event, write for that prompt in up to three 15 minute sprints. No writing outside the sprints until you have completed all three! After the 3 sprints are complete, you have 24 hours to edit (which can include some new writing to smooth transitions, etc). You can also choose to break that 45 minutes up differently if you find a different split works better for you. After those 24 hours, post what you’ve got. Tag your posts with @lovebugs-and-snakecharmers so we can reblog it to the LBSC blog. If you post your work on AO3 or somewhere other than Tumblr, you can leave a link in our ask box or in the appropriate discord channel so we can be sure to promote it. After the designated challenge end date, we’ll compile a listing of the submissions and post it to the LBSC blog.

Feel free to sprint in whatever language is most comfortable to you! You can post it in your own language or translate it before posting, or both!

Artists, you have 45 minutes to sketch and 24 hours to do any cleanup or coloring you’d like to complete. You can split your 45 minutes up however you like, or not at all. There’s no requirements on your finished piece, just aim for whatever goal seems challenging but achievable to you. Tag your posts with @lovebugs-and-snakecharmers so we can reblog it to the LBSC blog. If you post your work on Instagram or somewhere other than Tumblr, you can leave a link in our ask box or in the appropriate discord channel so we can be sure to promote it. After the designated challenge end date, we’ll compile a listing of the submissions and post it to the LBSC blog.

If you’re wavering as to whether or not you think you can accomplish anything in 45 minutes, we really encourage you to give the challenge a try. You may be surprised what you can do! Feel free to join us in the discord linked above so we can encourage and cheer you on.

Obviously, this has to run a bit on the honor system and we won’t be tracking your times, but please do your best to honor the spirit of the challenge! If your sprint fic becomes an Entire Thing (these things happen sometimes) and you want to continue it, feel free! However, please still post whatever you’ve got after your 3 sprints with the tag. No fair busting out a fully polished fic or art without showing us what it looked like at the challenge stage!

We want to keep this a positive space and event! This does NOT mean that you can’t write or draw anything critical of a character or episode, but it isn’t the space for character bashing or hate either. Please keep the characters in character and save the more speculative work for another time. NSFW sprint works are permitted but must be tagged appropriately (please use “NSFW LBSC sprint challenge” for easy filtering on the blog) and with appropriate warnings. (More FAQ about the process here)

This is a Lukanette blog and a Lukanette event, so while Lukanette does not need to be the main ship, it needs to at least be included or referenced and considered endgame (in other words, they don’t have to be together by the end of your work, but the intent is that they’re headed in that direction). The decision about what qualifies for reblog rests solely with the LBSC moderators. If a piece hasn’t been reblogged within a couple of days, either the mods felt the piece didn’t meet the criteria or it was simply missed; you are welcome to reach out in the asks to inquire which. There are plenty of other spaces out there for other ships and OT3s, and people are welcome to use the challenge rules and prompts to write for their own ships! They just won’t be reblogged to the LBSC blog, and we ask that you please not use the event tag (a modified form is fine - “InsertAlternateShipName sprint challenge” instead of “LBSC sprint challenge,” for example).

Happy sprinting!

#lbsc sprint challenge #lukanette #endgame lukanette #lukanette endgame #luka couffaine #marinette dupain cheng #pro lukamari

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inevitably-johnlocked · 4 months ago

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hey my love!

i have somewhat of a reading block

can you suggest one single fic to me? can be a short crack one can be a long slowburn one, dont care at all about genres or warnings

just ONE random fic, and i WILL read it

thanks! remember to have rest for ypur body and soul!

Hi Lovely!!!

Oh gosh, okay hahahha!!

Well, I was going to suggest to you my absolute fave Johnlock fic of all time (A Promise Made to Be Broken by PlantsAreNeat) but I suppose I suggest that one ALL the time for asks like this, so let me just random roulette one fic from my bookmarks, and one from my MFL list, picked by scrolling up and down with my eyes closed and picking the first fic my eyes land on for each:

BOOKMARK: Proving A Point by elldotsee & J_Baillier (E, 186,270 w., 28 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Me Before You Fusion || Medical Realism, Insecure John, Depression, Romance, Angst, POV John, Sherlock Whump, Serious Illness, Doctor John, Injury Recovery, Assisted Suicide, Sherlock’s Violin, Awkward Sexual Situations, Alcoholism, Drugs, Idiots in Love, Slow Burn, Body Image, Friends to Lovers, Hurt / Comfort, Pain, Big Brother Mycroft, Intimacy, Anxiety, PTSD, Family Issues, Psychological Trauma, John Whump, Case Fics, Loneliness, Pain) – Invalided home from Afghanistan, running out of funds and convinced that his surgical career is over, John Watson accepts a mysterious job offer to provide care and companionship for a disabled person. Little does he know how much hangs in the balance of his performance as he settles into his new life at Musgrave Court. Part 1 of the Care And Companionship series

MARKED FOR LATER: What Spring Does With Cherry Trees by tomlinsoul (E, 30,443 w., 3 Ch. || Canon Divergence AU || Post-TRF, Established Relationship, Fibromyalgia, Physical Disability, Mobility Aids, Ableism, Medical Trauma, Medical Procedures, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Fluff, Crying, Hospitals, Protective John, Dom/Sub Undertones, Chronic Pain, Hurt / Vulnerable Sherlock) – 18 months into his new and settled romance with John, Sherlock faces a new challenge when he develops debilitating symptoms that leave him in more than a few tricky situations. Luckily, his doctor happens to be rather devoted to him.

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Enjoy!

#steph replies #johnlock fic recs #anything goes fics #random roulette fics #my fic recs

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theclaravoyant · 6 months ago

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Clara's 911 Kiss Roulette Masterpost! Prompts Welcome <3

based on this 'kiss roulette' prompt meme - i have decided to challenge myself! i'm well on my way to writing a little something for each of the following so enjoy, and feel free to prompt if something strikes you! so far in this fandom i've written for bucktommy, buddie, henren, madney, bathena and various platonic combos. show me what you've got! check out 'clara's fic tag' for all my writing

A kiss on the cheek - buck & hen at pride <3

A kiss on the nose

A kiss on the forehead - may & bobby angst, 7x10 UA insert/missing scene

A kiss to the top of the head - Take Me By The Tongue - bucktommy kinky fluffy smut - this one got away from me too whoops

A firm kiss - eddie & chris, angst

A gentle peck

A romantic kiss - buddie first kiss

A platonic kiss - a buckley han family (!!) 7x10 hurt/comfort insert/missing scene

A kiss to the eyelid - *NEW* Rotten Work bucktommy sick!fic hurt/comfort, fluff

A kiss along the jawline

A kiss to the neck

A kiss along the collar bone

A kiss on the chest

A kiss to the stomach - *NEW* bathena fluff

A kiss along the hips

A kiss in the rain

An upside-down “Spider-Man” kiss - bucktommy rescue boyfriends fluff

A kiss while laughing

A kiss underwater

A rough kiss

A kiss other than to a person

A french kiss/kiss with tongue

A kiss influenced by alcohol/other substances

A sleepy kiss

A kiss that’s an accident

A kiss while one or both parties are crying - henren 7x09 hurt comfort coda

A kiss in greeting

A kiss in parting

A kiss to the back of the hand - bucktommy hurt/comfort

A kiss to the palm of the hand

A kiss to the inner thigh - Seeing Stars ; this one made it into a proper >1000wd fic! Henren happy fluffy smut.

A kiss while someone watches

A kiss to a scar, birthmark, injury, or other marking - Madney comfort sick!fic

A kiss after a bite

A kiss against a wall - henren flirty fluff

A kiss to the shoulder

A kiss to the back of the neck - domestic buddie fluffy future fic

A kiss while one party is carried

A tentative kiss

An impulsive kiss

A kiss out of spite - buddie, pining eddie / feelings realisation. humour!

A clumsy kiss

A bloody kiss - buddie angst

#tv: 911 #911 fic #911fic #911 on fox #911 on abc #prompt me stuff #clara's fic tag

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nilesdaughter · 6 months ago

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Masterpost of Writing Prompts

This list isn't different from the one I use for DADWC; I've just erased the Dragon Age specific language to make this seem a bit more generalized.

I can't promise I'll get to prompts quickly--especially with how much I've been struggling to write lately--but I always welcome them!

Hamilton Lyrics - Act One and Act Two

Random Sentence Starters

Drabble Challenge

Fic Meme

54 Writing Prompts

Pairing Drabbles

[Blank] Me Prompts

Romantic Royalty Starters

Another Kiss Meme

Fluffy Prompts

“I Found You” Prompts

The way you said, “I love you.”

64 Sensory Prompts

One Line Prompts

Domesticity and Intimacy

Dramatic & Protective

Kiss Roulette

Hurt & Comfort (D&D Subclasses)

Gentle Care

#writing prompts #masterpost

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astriiformes · 1 year ago

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I saw the AU Roulette list and am very interested in joining. But my email address... do you see that and email directly or do you just see my username and the email gets sent to that without you seeing that?

My email has my real name and I am not comfortable sharing that with anyone, so I don't want to sign up unless I know it will be kept private.

Unfortunately I do get the list of emails. Obviously I promise to only use them for the purposes of the challenge, but I understand if it's still a dealbreaker. I did make including your tumblr or Ao3 optional, but email is the best and quickest way for me to get assignments to writers, especially since I know several people who are participating that do not have tumblr accounts.

I know that I and many other people have emails we've made to use for fandom purposes like exchanges or fic challenges. Not sure if that's the sort of solution you're looking for, but it is a common one for preserving privacy, since even challenges coordinated through a site like Ao3 will often still give the organizer access to emails for contacting people. Something to consider, maybe!

#alas i don't think there are many like. automated systems that allow organizers to send personalized prompts without seeing emails #doing it through tumblr's messaging system would have been cumbersome-verging-on-impossible #working with what i can here! sorry it's not ideal #AUroulette2023

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emmanuellececchi · 1 month ago

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For the Comfort fic Roulette challenge

So, after a week, here are the results :

soup/betrayal/take heart 50%

slow dance/poison/if only 22.2%

windowsill/theft/your love 27.8%

The "Soup" win! I was surprised to see the "Windowsill" arrive in second place as it was in last position for a long time.

@from-the-coffee-shop-in-edoras suggestd either Farawyn or Theoden/Ioreth for "Slow dance". I didn't get any other pairing suggestions for the other prompts.

Guess I'll go with whatever I feel inspired...

#Comfort fic roulette #the soup has won

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notdoneintentionally-blog · 2 years ago

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Conversations in the dissection room.

Rating: 18+ Explicit

Relationship: Ann/Aguni (yes, as weird as it seems, THERE’S A POINT TO IT OKAY)

Tags: explicit description of corpses, gore, body horror, angst

Notes: THIS WAS DONE FOR A CHALLENGE. my friends and I decided it’d be funny to put all the AiB characters’ names in a roulette, spin it twice and write a fic shipping those two characters AND I GOT AGUNI AND ANN. I DO NOT ship them personally but the winner of the challenge got a free meal and as a college student that sounded like heaven to me so enjoy (or don’t) this monstrosity.

The light is buzzing in the dissection room; the skin on his chest splits easily under her scalpel, allowing the two necessary cuts for the T-shaped incision. He’s still beneath her touch, as any dead person should be, though she believes that even if he were alive he’d be equally unresponsive.

She’s told Hatter she’d be embalming his body, but that’s not something taught in med school and Hatter won’t care as long as she disposes of him afterwards, so she’s doing the only thing she knows and dissecting him like any other person who’s had the misfortune of arriving to her dissection room. It’s the only way she knows how to say goodbye, too.

Ann had never been bothered by working with corpses, but she’d never been able to get used to watching the disrespect they were treated with. Med students throwing small balls of fat at each other and laughing. Forensic doctors commenting on how ‘she had such an ass’ or how ‘he was fat as hell’. Beach members looking as though they’re about to be sick every time they have to fetch her from the dissection room and they catch a glimpse, just a glimpse, of a corpse.

She’s taking him apart now. Her fingers twitch slightly as she separates the flaps of skin to expose the layer underneath, feeling how malleable he is under her touch, how in death he’s softer than he ever was when he was alive. It’s more ironic that she might be gentler with him now than she ever was when he was alive.

‘I hope you’re still here’ she thinks. ‘Looking at me and waiting for me to treat your body before you move on’.

“I’m going to take care of you,” she whispers, her voice camouflaged amidst the buzzing noise. “You deserve someone taking care of you even if it’s too late now, Aguni.”

The blade digs into his chest.

—----

“Aguni,” she whispers, breaking the silence of the room. They’d been pretending to sleep for a while now, an arm was draped around Ann’s body more out of habit than comfort, as if by following familiar patterns they could be convinced everything was alright. “There has to be something we can do.”

The sheets shuffle, and the hand on her waist stiffens. “Sleep. Just sleep.”

“You’re the leader of the militants and they respect you, maybe—”

“Ann, just go to sleep,” he says, voice gruff. ‘Let this go,’ she hears. “This doesn’t concern us.”

“If not us, then who?”

There’s a sigh coming from the other side of the bed, just a second before he stands up to raise the blinds. Aguni knows she isn’t one to drop a subject. Neither like talking at night with the ceiling lights on, and there’s enough illumination coming from the window; the moonlight and the spotlights from the nearest games mixing to create a silver-bluish glow on Aguni’s skin, accentuating the lines of his muscles and reflecting on his eyes. They’re usually so dark and stoic but now that a sliver of light crosses them, almost coinciding with the line of his scar, they seem more candid, more innocent. The look he might have had during the early Beach days, if only she’d been paying attention at the time to notice.

She would’ve liked to see him like that. Less guarded. More careless. Hopeful. It was nice to imagine him like that, though he seemed the kind of person that had the weight of the world thrust upon him from an early age and he refused to put it down. As if by letting it go he’d collapse too.

Until now. She could hear the pleading in his voice. ‘Let this go. We’ve done enough.’

“The militants are getting harder and harder to control each day,” says Aguni. “Niragi and Last Boss are psychopaths, pure psychopaths, and they’re starting to get away with everything. You saw what happened with the climber girl down at the pool—”

“And it was resolved immediately.”

“Because she was lucky,” he snaps. “The runt of her boyfriend stepped in to protect her and before Niragi could shoot the idiot, Takeru appeared to save them both. They were lucky, Ann. If it had been anyone else you’d have two more corpses in your room.”

“Have there been any more incidents?” she asks, and he scoffs.

“Do you think Niragi’s going to tell me how many girls he’s tried to rape this week? Or do you think I talk with Last Boss about what he does with the.. the livers or whatever the fuck that freak likes to eat from dead bodies?”

Ann looks away. “Aguni, you’ve worked in the yakuza. You’ve been around men who hold a disregard for rules and work in an environment where this is rewarded rather than punished. You can imagine the kinds of things these men would do to people if they were in the borderlands, what they’d do to women, especially. Morality only exists in masses. That’s why we need the Beach, why we made it in the first place, and why we can't abandon it now.”

Suddenly, the chair creaks from the force he uses to stand up. “Are you hearing yourself?” asks Aguni, incredulous. “Takeru’s killing everyone he thinks is a traitor. The militants do whatever the fuck they want to. None of the other executives gives two fucks about anything. The Beach’s gone to shit.”

—---

Ann pauses, taking a second to admire her handiwork. She’s removed all the layers of adipose tissue from the anterior side of his torso and now she’s met with the sight of his exposed muscles, his pectorals and the external oblique of the abdomen.

The corpse is fresh, so when she presses a finger to his left pectoralis major it squelches, oozing liquid that trickles across the union of both pectorals and slides down to the fascia. His muscles are hard, yet pliant under her touch. In a few days they’ll start to dry and lose mass, until someone like Aguni, who once punched a tiger, will have muscles no thicker than a piece of paper. For now she can place both of her palms against them and feel how full they are, how there’s parts of him clinging to remnants of life. It’s exhilarating.

There’s a certain intimacy in being able to see facets of him that will remain exclusive to her. Not even Aguni will hold the knowledge of how he looks from inside. She’ll be able to reach beneath the abdominal aponeurosis and find out if he has a pyramidal muscle, lacking in about 20% of the population. She’ll be able to finally find out whether his frequent complaints about his feet aching are caused by plantar fasciitis or overpronation.

The best part, though, will be his arms. Ann can barely contain her excitement when she thinks about getting to his forearms and pulling at the tendons in them, making this lifeless body move for her, his fingers flexing under her control. It’s a good thing she’s leaving them for last, because that way, there’s no risk that in her frenzy she’ll skip over other parts. Aguni wouldn’t deserve that.

It’s a two-way deal, an equivalent exchange. Ann gets to know him like no one ever will, gets to handle him however she pleases, and in return, Aguni is cared for. There’s someone waiting with him until he crosses the border that separates limbo from death, taking their time to honour him. His body is safe, respected. He can let go. She’s got him.

This does not quell the feeling of guilt curling insidiously in her stomach.

—----

“You were fully aware managing the Beach wasn’t going to be easy,” she replies, accusation evident in her voice. “We both knew, that’s why we started this whole ordeal. The first time we met to talk about the Beach’s internal affairs, do you remember?”

He shakes his head and looks away, his shoulders stiffening. “Vaguely.”

She doesn’t remember all the details either. There had probably been a meeting, one she’d exited feeling exasperated and frustrated, at Niragi’s malice, or Chishiya’s apathy, or Kuzuryuu’s detachment, or at the fact that every single one of the executives clearly had their own agenda and Hatter either didn’t notice or pretended not to. She just remembers the subtle gesture of Aguni’s head after the meeting had finished, his eyes fixed on her with an expression she couldn’t quite place before he disappeared into the hallways of the annex, only to find him later in the dissection room, his dark clothes and tan complexion a startling contrast to the brightness of the ceiling lights.

“You came to see me and told me I was right about how lacking our health system was. I offered you a plan, and you offered me resources. I asked—”

“Ann…”

“I asked,” she carries on, impatiently, “why you cared about the Beach’s health system, and you told me—”

“You don’t have to remind me, I was th—”

“You told me ‘someone has to run the Beach, because Hatter isn’t going to do it’. Isn’t that still true? Aren’t we still allies?”

“Allies,” he spits out the word like it’s an insult. But that’s what they were.

No one had known about them. She wasn’t even sure there was something to know, since they weren’t actively hiding anything. There wasn’t a secret code they used, they didn’t communicate outside their visits and if Aguni ever took precautions to come down to the dissection room when the rest of the executives wouldn’t notice, he never told her. Were they subtle? They must have been, for Mira or Chishiya not to pick up on what was happening behind the scenes. They exchanged looks during meetings, Ann ran her finger across the rim of her sunglasses and Aguni crossed his arms over his chest whenever there was something they didn’t agree with, but neither said anything until they arrived at the dissection room, where a light was cast over their true intentions.

She’d never expected to have Aguni as an ally, of all people. She’d seen how, eventually, the rest of the executives found a companion to serve their purposes, but she couldn’t see how any of them truly considered each other allies. Niragi and Last Boss’ relationship was tenuous at best, two people with shared sadistic tendencies who found safety in numbers away from the judging eyes of the rest; Kuzuryuu and Mira seemed to share an unspoken tolerance to each other — better together than alone — but still lacking something to even be called companionship, and Chishiya’s bond to Kuina ran deeper than whatever he had fooled himself into believing. She wasn’t interested in all the added complications of these not-quite-allyships, and even if she found someone who did interest her enough, she knew herself enough to know she’d never be able to trust them fully, especially in such a place as the borderlands were. Her wary nature would always cause her to look behind her shoulder, defeating the singular purpose of having an ally.

But there was no other way to define them. Allies. Not in the games, they’d never met at one, but in the far more challenging hotel resort. Sometimes it felt like they were continually living in a hearts game, balancing how their plans could be viewed by each executive and figuring out ways of getting past the scrutiny of their leader while still reaching decisions that could benefit the lower-ranking Beach members.

However, it wouldn’t be accurate to say it hadn’t gone beyond that at times. There were nights when Ann returned from an especially hard game and her fingers dug like claws into his body, nails hooking into the spaces between his ribs and lips attaching themselves to the pulse point on his neck. His heart hammered against her tongue and every feeling she kept locked inside her welded into a jumbled mess she couldn’t make sense of until she released them with a cry and Aguni’s name. But those things happened at night, when everything was blurry and choppy and the rush of adrenaline made it easy to forget any specific details, so they treated them as nothing more than dreams and went on about their day normally.

“Allies,” she repeats, mouth suddenly dry.

Aguni steps forwards and kneels in front of her, taking her hands in his, gripping them tightly in his thick fingers. There’s shadows underneath his eyes and his shoulders are sagging; something inside him is beginning to crumble.

“Then let’s leave. You and I. As allies, as whatever you want, we could leave this godforsaken place behind and focus on the games. It’d be easy for us. We’re used to dealing with so much shit.”

Ann looks away. She feels dizzy just by looking at him, unstable from the desperation that rolls in waves from him and tries to pull her in. She can’t give in to it, can't take this hand that reaches out for her for fear of what it might entail. Allies, not-quite-allies, whatever she wanted; it’s impossible to think about.

“You can leave if you want, Aguni, I won’t stop you. If you want to leave, I’ll respect that”.

—--

Had she known he wouldn’t leave? The question runs itself on a loop through her head as she traces the blood vessels on his legs. They had no commitment to each other. They hadn’t even agreed in the first place that they were allies, the word flew out of her mouth one day and before she could take it back or dilute it with meaningless verbiage, he’d simply nodded and kept talking. But there hadn’t been a moment where they’d laid down rules or boundaries. He wasn’t obligated to stay with her. Even if they had agreed on it, she’d been abundantly clear. ‘If you want to leave, I’ll respect that.’

Her thoughts were distracting her. She shouldn’t be thinking about herself. Exhaustion must be sinking upon her, she’s been here for hours and she’s mistaken a few arteries with nerves, but she can’t stop until she’s done. It’s important that she check for any blood clots on his legs; he’d once had a mild episode of thrombophlebitis and it could’ve been caused by that. Her exploration, her hunt for knowledge, must be rigorous.

Perhaps she’ll leave his nerves be. It’s amusing to think that they had a purely decorative function on him; never would he admit to being in any pain or make any gesture that gave him away. She’d once treated a wound on his arm that required stitches, and since neither Chishiya nor her knew much about anaesthesia, she’d warned him he’d have to push through without anything to palliate the pain. Besides, she was used to working with people who were already dead, it’d been a long time since she had to check how gently she treated a patient, and, as she explained this, he’d laughed. ‘Don’t worry,’ he said. ‘I’ve probably had worse.’

Ann couldn’t ignore the question any longer. She’d known. Aguni would’ve never abandoned her. She’d known in the way his arm wrapped around her every time she spent the night, holding her even after she’d given his back to him; in the way she’d always find him in the hall of the annex, observing the people who’d just returned from games and leaving after he saw her. In the way his eyes stared at hers that day, resignation and acceptance and something soft in them.

It was easier for him to endure than to give up. She should’ve known that. She should’ve stopped pushing.

And she didn’t.

—--

“I’ll talk to him,” says Aguni, with resignation and acceptance and something soft in his eyes. “Takeru will listen to reason.”

“Do you think it’ll work?”

“It’s the only thing I can think of trying,” he says, sighing and leaning back on his heels.

Ann nods. Not exactly a meticulously thought-out plan, but it’s a start. If there’s anyone Hatter might be willing to listen to, it’s him, his oldest friend, someone he knows would never betray him. Aguni had obeyed every order since the beginning, perfectly managed the militants, and he’d never once complained. Though Kuzuryuu was listed as number two, he’d been the one Hatter went to first every time there was a change in the way the Beach had managed. Hatter trusted him, and they could only hope he’d trust his judgement too. “We can try that. And if that doesn’t work, we’ll think of something else.”

Aguni nods too, looking at her wordlessly. She doesn’t know if she’s imagining it or not, but she’s become aware of how he’s gripping her hands and it feels firmer, even though his thumbs are gently running circles along the back of hers. Maybe not firmer; steadier, like he’s anchoring them to one another, bonding them in ways words never have. She can’t figure out what he’s planning, but whatever it is, he doesn’t seem in a hurry.

He bends his head to kiss her hands, not exactly a swift gesture but brief enough for her to realise it’s happening after he’s already standing up and staring at the door. The imprint of his lips burns against her skin and makes her heart race and her muscles tense. ‘Do something,’ they’re screaming at her, her heart, her muscles, her whole body, pushing her to the edge of the bed until there’s only a few centimetres left until it ends and she’d be standing up.

Aguni’s reached the door by now, but just as he’s about to cross the threshold he stops, placing a hand on the doorway. It’s the only time she’s seen him hesitate. For a moment, it looks like he’s about to tell her something he’s forgotten as a mixture of expressions take turns showing on his face; earnestness, contrition, regret, until they finally settle again on resignation and acceptance and something soft, and the next second he’s disappeared into the hallway. Leaving Ann a few centimetres off the edge of the bed, almost standing, almost going after him, but ultimately, she stays rooted to the spot.

—-

She’s down to his viscera, almost done. There’s little left to do; aspire the contents of his stomach and intestines to remove all traces of uncleanliness, check his coronary arteries for any anomalies in their disposition which might have caused sudden death after intense exercise (there are none), and his liver for any inflammation or fibrosis (also none).

Cutting open his lungs isn’t a big effort so she does it anyway, even though she knows she’ll find nothing because he wasn’t a smoker nor ill when he died, but maybe it’ll be interesting to see the mottled black pattern on them, the result of living in a city for years. And it’s justified, too, to check his ribs one by one because given his line of work she might be able to spot a badly healed fracture. However, by the time she finds herself with the scalpel against his pancreas, where she knows she’s not going to find anything, she comes to terms with what she’s doing.

She’s stalling. For all her big speech on waiting with him until he was ready to pass on, she’s the one keeping him there. She’s not ready for him to leave.

But there’s nothing she can do now.

—---

“It’s really a pity,” says Hatter. Eight people are huddled around the table in the conference room, all focused on the person lying on it. Hatter’s at the head of the table, the position fit for their leader, Niragi and Last Boss (surprisingly, he’s left his usual place by the door and he’s the closest one to the table) are on its right side, both looking equally perplexed and both doing a really bad job at attempting to hide it. Kuzuryuu and Mira are at a prudent distance, cautiously sneaking looks at Hatter when they think he won’t notice, and Chishiya is behind them, ignoring Arisu’s gawking.

Ann can’t really say where she is. She could see Kuzuryuu’s back at one point, yet the next she was staring right at Aguni’s lifeless eyes and at some point she swears she might have had her hand on his chest, right beside the bullet wound. No one is looking at her, so it’s possible the ataxia is only in her head and if she’d walked over to gape at his corpse she'd have written it as examining the wound. She’s lucky she decided on wearing her sunglasses this morning, because if she barely feels in control of her body, she can’t imagine what her eyes show.

“There’s no one more affected by this than me, but I have to be fair,” continues Hatter, in his grating voice. He’s apparently talking like a politician now, and it’s intriguing to say the least how he’s chosen his supposed best friend’s death to enact this little change in speech. “‘Death to the traitors.’ He was there the day this rule was created, and Aguni knew no one is exempt from it, or from any of the rules of the Beach. It’s sad to see someone so close to us betray us—”

Ann stops listening. Bullshit, she wanted to yell. This man did more for the Beach than you ever will. He died for the fucking Beach and you’re calling him a traitor. And Niragi and Last Boss look more confused than distraught, Kuzuryuu has the same expression he has when it’s raining outside or when he sees there’s beans for lunch, which is the same fucking expression he was born in and will die in, Mira’s smiling and she isn’t even going to turn around to look at Chishiya because she can already picture the apathy painted on his face.

“Ann?” Hatter calls. “You’ll take care of the body, yes?”

She nods, wordlessly.

“Good. You’ll need someone to take it to your room then,” says Hatter, turning around and raising an arm. “Aguni! Take the body to— oh.” He seems disconcerted for a moment, as if he’s forgotten the literal reason they’re all standing there, and he takes a quick glimpse at the corpse on the table before composing himself, all in the span of a single second. “Not anymore, I guess,” he corrects himself, ending the sentence with a laugh that feels more like a shriek. “You two then, Niragi and the other one. Take the body to wherever Ann tells you to.”

—---

His body is stitched back up and there’s nothing more she can do now. It’s done, he can move on now. She can, too.

However, she stays rooted to the spot.

“Aguni,” she whispers, just because she wants to say his name while looking at him one last time, but she can’t bring herself to raise her voice above a whisper in case someone could hear her. It’s maddening that in the quiet and the solitude of the dissection room, she’s still afraid someone might see them, find out about their allyship and use it against them, even though the responsible for Aguni’s death had been her. Not Chishiya or Mira, blackmailing or puppeteering them for their plans, not Niragi or Last Boss overthrowing their superior so they could run without a leash, not even Hatter, because she couldn’t blame a madman for his actions when it had been her who’d pushed him to the guillotine.

He wanted to leave, he was begging her to, and she refused because she was too determined to protect the Beach from the rot that grew within. It was ironic how, after he’d died, she wished the rot would overtake the Beach, making everyone realise what a grave mistake they’d made when they killed this man, the only barrier of protection between them and a room full of psychopaths and lunatics.

She’ll stay, she thinks, running her hand across the stitches holding Aguni’s chest together, just to fuel this fire until it consumes the entire hotel, decimating the executives and everyone else inside. Burning her alive, preserving her nerve endings until the last possible moment so she’ll feel every second of the excruciating pain. She deserves nothing less. She killed Aguni for this place, it only makes sense she’ll die by its hand too.

A knock on the door distracts her from her thoughts, a good thing too, because one of her nails is digging dangerously close to a stitch and might ruin it. “Am I interrupting anything?” asks a feathery voice, light and flimsy despite being in a dissection room with a corpse inside it and the stench of formaldehyde impregnating it. “Oh, you’ve finished already, good,” says Mira, without waiting for Ann to reply.

“Actually—”

“Yes, yes, I’m sure you’d rather be alone,” she interrupts, waving dismissively as she finds a stool to sit on. “But there’s something I wanted to talk to you about, and it’s terribly time-sensitive, I’m afraid”.

She reaches inside her pocket and takes out a card, showing her its back first so she can see it follows the same design as borderland cards do. Then, with the same enthusiasm as if she’s performing a magic trick, she flips it with a giggle, revealing the suit and number.

The ten of hearts.

Mira smiles maliciously. “See, I have an offer I think you’re going to be interested in.”

Notes: if you’ve made it to the end I am so sorry for what your eyes have seen. Shoutout and huge thanks to @hatterstan-shameblog for putting up with me and my 3AM crisis, for writing fics that inspired me for Aguni’s character and for reviewing and annotating my work. Here’s to hoping one day we might talk about something other than the most aberrant AiB couple ever written about. You’re awesome man.

#tw: body horror #tw: gore #tw: corpse #tw: ann/aguni (feels like it should be one)#I DO NOT SHIP THESE CHARACTERS #but free food is free food you have to understand #aib #also if it interests you I won the challenge but at what cost

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wormsmith · 10 days ago

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#pitting them against each other lol

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atleastpleasetelephone · 2 months ago

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Comfort fic roulette challenge

I span the wheels for prompts on this one (see the post here) and these are my results. Any help greatly appreciated! I won't be writing until kinktober is over and done with, so plenty of time.

Comfort element:

Hurt element:

Angsty phrase:

#elvis #elvis presley #elvis fanfiction #elvis presley fanfiction #elvis fic #elvis presley fic #elvis fanfic #elvis presley fanfic

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lovebugs-and-snakecharmers · 10 months ago

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LBSC Sprint Challenge February 2024

The LBSC Sprint Challenge is now open for writers and artists!

We did things a little differently this month and asked our discord members for Valentine's related prompts, so you get a few extra prompts this month! If you're not feeling the Valentine's vibe, the Wildcard option is always available.

The prompts are:

1. Flower Delivery boy Luka getting an address wrong. Which means the girl who answered the door might just be available. 2. Tom decides to drop some hints to Luka that Marinette is single and Valentine’s Day is coming up. And everyone knows that the best way to a man’s brain is through pastries decorated with not so subtle hints. 3. Florist!Mari- the heat in her shop has gone out, and it's Soo cold. Luka makes a delivery of something that has to be refrigerated. 4. Sabine, seeing Luka and Mari dancing around each other (and maybe seeing Tom fail to get the two together) decides to take matters into her own hands and what better excuse to have Luka around than needing an extra pair of hands at the bakery with the valentines rush coming up? 5. The people of Paris are shocked to discover Ladybug doesn’t like Valentine’s Day. People have plenty of theories, but Luka’s pretty sure he knows the reason why. 6. There's ALWAYS an akuma on Valentine's Day. 7. Conversation Hearts 8. Marinette makes an apron with a conversation heart pattern. Luka takes the 'kiss me' heart very seriously. 9. After all the roses from Chat Noir, Marinette's a little...indifferent to the traditional Valentine's flower. Luka has to get inventive. 10. Kwamis give dating advice with… mixed results 11. Marinette loves soulmate stories and believes in true love. Lately, she's feeling down and starts to give up on the whole idea. Luka tries to put together or act out a Soulmate story/AU in real life to help her feel better/special. 12. Luka trying to work up the nerve to smooch Marinette. Attempts to ask by giving her the "KISS ME" conversation heart. Marinette, distracted by something else: "Ewwwwwww." 13. Luka and Marinette are both doing valentines deliveries and get trapped/stuck in an elevator together 14. Wildcard - pick any previous challenge prompt, or play LBSC Smooch Roulette to generate a prompt!

You have until Wednesday, February 28 to complete your 3 15-minute sprints/45 minute art sprint and post the results. Once you’ve completed the sprints, you have 24 hours to edit (which can include some new writing to smooth transitions and make it feel complete, and whatever work you feel appropriate to get your art to a state you consider ‘finished’).

Rules!

We’ll post a beginning and end date to the challenge, and a prompt.

Feel free to sprint in whatever language is most comfortable to you! You can post it in your own language or translate it before posting, or both!

Happy sprinting!

#lbsc sprint challenge #lukanette #endgame lukanette #lukanette endgame #luka couffaine #marinette dupain cheng #pro lukamari #lukanette event

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