#Gem The Slayer Au

[jeskerthefool]

Bdubs!!! Had a lot of fun with this one

Check out the comic :D

-yes I changed the colour of the clock from gold to silver. It just looked better.

-don't ask me why he has pointy ears. He just deserves them.

-Heels because he loves horses a lot. (or that's what he says when asked. It's also to be taller. But mostly the horses.)

-No I didn't design the daggers cause he's never going to be shown using them and I am. Lazy. They would match Etho's daggers, and he's not gonna be using them either.

-...you can probably tell who's going to be using their weapons by how much detail I give them... oh well.

-shortest one yet (will probably change once I do chapter two, where Grian appears)

-Cape was also a wedding gift

-Yes, Impulse has a matching clock. Assume what you will.

-the funnest to draw in my opinion. I just really like his cape. He can close it around him and become one with the moss.

[s4ndwitch3s]

Making actual references for the Wildfire AU designs

- Mitsuri -

Mitsuri doesn't have a lot of changes to her look, just the patterning on her haori because I thought it'd look nice and the little gems at the ends of her hair + little heart marking by her eye

I added those last two cause I wanted to tie her to Tengen a lil bit because she would actually be his tsuguko in Au since uhh Demon Kyojuro ain't teaching her nothin' about breathing and swordfighting, she'll still have Love breathing though but it'd be lot more flashier™

- Senjuro -

His design has been shown before, but I've made a full thing for it hooray!! He's got the butterfly clip behind his head there because he lives at the butterfly mansion.

His sword is similar to Kyojuro's one in the og demon slayer because in the AU, thanks to him actually being able to train at the demon slayer corps fully and having access to the flame hashira books he is able to learn flame breathing... But not well, he can use it but he doubts himself whenever he does and the flames get out of control a lot (hehe like- like a wildfir- Shot) (he has probably burnt a least like a little bit of the mansion before on accident)

Also his haori is one he got made to look like the flame hashira cape one that was passed down through the family because that one actually got burnt up :(

This took me awhile to post since my brain has been working by the-

Logic

[needfantasticstories]

Hi again, @twistedstoryteller!

Okay, LU recs off the top-ish of my head in a sort of organized-ish order:

AUTHORS!

Angst, Action, and Mixed:

Faerule and the No Good Very Bad Road Trip by ImperialKatwala, PolynomialPandemic is a great "Chain Meets Hyrule" fic.

@gintrinsic-writing is phenomenal. A gem. I love all of it, but check the tags to find ones you're comfortable with. AO3 Blood Like Yours is my personal favorite, and the sequel Like Fire in Your Veins by @pocketramblr are both about Hyrule's Blood Curse from Adventures of Link. M for Violence for most of them, but check tags to be sure. If you like it, consider also...

Protector of the Golden Power by Sillus Hyrule centric but he has a different secret.

@somer-writes has a lot of great short one shots, some darker than others. My personal favorite is a sort of character study of the boys at their lowest and how they recover called "Depletion"

For a Sliver of Sunlight by tirsynni: Warrior's dedication to his brothers makes him question his title as Hero.

What are You to a God Slayer by Secretlysheikah BAMF Sky

Brethren in a Cradle by Skyward_Arpeggio BABY!!!! It is adorable, if a bit sad at the start.

Always Darkest Before the Dawn (Linked Universe Whumptober 2023) by Skyward_Arpeggio because in general they don't go above T ratings and write excellent fics.

this year it taught me (lost and ambitious) by qar Also EXCELLENT writer. "Sky has a separate moment with each member of the team"

Whumptober 2023 by Arecaceae Great fics! Plus, "Each story will have warnings in the tags and the story notes as well as a 0-5 whump rating. The ratings will be relative to my writing, so my 5 might not be equivalent to someone else's 5. I don't write MCD, extreme gore, non-con, or extreme emotional angst."

Major's Whumptober 2023 by major_de_speed Major's are also quite clean despite the M rating which is more about the violence.

Linkeduniverse Shorts by Skyward_Arpeggio LU Short fics

A Royal Castletown Wedding by Skyward_Arpeggio This story is so good!!!!!!!!!

Whumptober 2022 by Arecaceae more great fics, rated T.

LU Whump Dump by UnexpectedStormy (ArtemiStorm)  need AO3 account to read, but worth it! Linked Universe Whumpy One-Shots, rated T.

There's one I'm missing, and when I find it I'll add it here. It involves a cursed magical artifact that Legend messes with... it's intense.

Fluffier Fics:

Frosty Reception by Skyward_Arpeggio "Four’s glad to finally be home again, and he’s not the only one happy at his return." Cute fic!

S’more Stories by Ginger375 "A collection of drabbles and mini-fics for LUtober! Day 31: Costumes"

Sentiment by Arecaceae

nine heroes, one spirit by Imjustherefortheangst, uncleskyrule (unclemoriarty) tons of great short fics, all with G-T ratings

Finding Family by Tashacee "AU where Wild's scars are a lot worse and he isn't used to interacting with people. The Chain think their new brother is dope af and are determined to make him feel at home."

My Heart's Forsaken Me by sister_dear "Four looses his sword in the heat of battle, and it's picked up by someone else... Time’s aren’t the only secrets coming to light, and the gang discovers they still have a thing or two to learn from each other."

Ambush at the Bridge by JinxedRuby Very action and healing oriented fic, multiple perspectives on one event.

Dark Clouds on the Horizon by CubanCracker62 "he Chain ends up in Wild's era shortly before the events of TotK."

There are worse ways to stay alive by EliotRosewater one shots rated T.

Crack Fics:

Misplaced Heroes by notOK this had me busting out laughing SO MANY TIMES!

Peak Gremlin Energy by defenestration_nation "Fics focusing on various Links being chaotic gremlins"

Not Necessarily LU, but Adjacent or just LoZ:

Blood of the Hero by Skye_the_Lofty_Nutcase: (Wild) Link's parents have to step in to save him when the Shrine of Resurrection gets damaged. His parents are so well written, and Abel makes appearances in LU-related/adjacent fics, The Many Misadventures of Dad Squad and Dad Squad AU by Nancyheart, Silver_Captain82403, Skye_the_Lofty_Nutcase

which is part crack and part angst, mostly lighthearted.

Don't Worry Man, I'm from the Yiga Clan: Link makes a Yiga friend due to being a delightful chaos gremlin.

Feature MCD... but might be worth it:

And Still the Cradle Blooms by Solistrix: GORGEOUS literary masterpiece. The writing is unreal. It's descriptions and emotions are incredible. This is more like finding the meaning in eventual death, so of the three here I suspect you'll like this one best as far as not being too hurt by the character's mentioned end.

This is an Adjuration: I'll be real, this is full of action and excitement but yes, it has MCD and is making me cry, but it's also REEEEAAALLY good!

Blood Drops on Roses by HotCheetohatred Fantastic storytelling! Wild centric, Twi is big brother but from day one of Wild's journey. Unreliable young Wild as narrator is an absolute delight. Unfinished, no MCD yet, but it's in the tags so no promises.

Modern AUs for not-big-on-modern-au fans:

As a fellow not-seeker of modern AUs, I personally have enjoyed the following

@skyward-floored Incredibles AU

Wild’s Wolf by HotCheetoHatred "Modern AU where young Wild is a feral forest child, raised by Wolf Twilight. He is captured, separated from Twilight, and put under observation. Time helps him escape." Unfinished, and I admit personal bias here because HotCheetoHatred is my BETA reader.

ARTISTS!!!

@ovegakart: amazing action, gut-busting humor, and captivating storytelling! Does comics

@la-sera: beautiful, ethereal, and gorgeous illustrations and a great storyteller, loves downfall duo but does every one of the boys justice

@dfanart: HILARIOUS and such heartfelt emotions on them boys.

@kikker-oma great art from fluff to whump to action

@1caru has so many fluffy LU gems!

@linderosse has a Zelda's meet AU, does LU, and much more!

@lele5429 great illustrations and abstract pieces of LU fanart.

@theecholegend hahaha... arson.

@ikaishere has so many cute LU ones.

@thepinklink fabulous LU character sketches

@hiimgin BIAS! I got to work with them and they are FABULOUS!

@pluviatrix has art for their fic And Still the Cradle Blooms

@cherrypaii has fantastic illustrations of these boys!

AND MANY, MANY MORE!

(Commenters, please add artists I forgot. I know there are a ton Im missing!!)

Hope this helps you feel welcome!

[aphrogeneias]

it's been seven hours and fifteen days —

pairing: eddie munson x fem!reader (soulmate!au)

summary: the aftermath of your reunion takes more unexpected turns. you and eddie find a new rhythm.

word count: 2.9k

warnings: angst, fluff, drinking, more backstory, more soulmate lore. reader is referred to by a nickname (joan).

series masterlist

The Deuce was a literal hole in the wall. Just an inconspicuous door and a small neon sign on the outside that blinked a little too much. That door led to a set of stairs that led to the actual bar, right underground. A number of people you’d met over the years called it a hidden gem, an oasis of true hard rock under all the glam that seemed to sweep over Sunset Strip since the last decade. People had a lot of adjectives to describe it, but you just like to call it home.

It wasn’t your actual home, of course. What you really called home was a shitty apartment a few blocks from there you shared with another girl you barely saw given your opposite work schedules. Home was a small house in Hawkins, Indiana, you used to share with your mother, with whom you seldom kept contact. The Deuce was your home the same way anywhere that welcomes you with open arms is, anywhere you feel comfortable to be yourself in. Where your family is, blood or not.

Home was also a person, who seemed to feel quite at home too on his first night there.

You watched Eddie from the bar the whole night, sneaking glances between tables, getting a little too distracted after he got on stage. The bartender, a southern girl named Heather who you were pretty sure had magic potion recipes under all her tattoos, noticed your distraught state and offered you one of her concoctions. 

That night was the first night you'd ever drank on the job, and it didn’t occur to you to care too much. Not when the boy you thought you’d left behind was working that stage like he owned the place. The crowd loved him, flocking to the front of the stage like hearing a siren call, but it was just Eddie and his larger than life persona, too big for this small bar, but yet undiscovered by the rest of the world.

You felt lucky to be able to witness that, and being honest to yourself, you missed being in his presence. Once upon a time, being close to Eddie made you feel like you could do anything, like anything could happen as long as he was beside you. You were starting to believe that again.

In another moment of your seemingly constant distraction, as you waited for Heather to fill up your tray with your most recent drink orders, Linda leaned up to the counter, catching you by surprise. “What is it between you and Van Halen?”

Caught between a sigh and an eye roll, you knew she was going to give you a hard time after seeing your too emotional reunion earlier. “His name is Eddie, and not that Eddie.” You tried to busy yourself pretending you’re checking what the bartenders were doing. “There’s nothing between us, we just haven’t seen each other in a long time.”

“You haven’t seen any of those boys in a long time and you weren’t holding them like they’re your husband who just came back from war.”

You snort, unable to keep your scowl for too long when she’s here. “The closest to war that boy’s ever seen is a mosh pit at a Slayer concert.”

“Honey, don’t deflect.”

The thing about Linda was that she knew every single one of you like the palm of her hand. It was one of her many gifts, really. She was the one who kept you afloat, who didn't let you keep running, gave you a reason to stay. 

You admired her for a lot of reasons, but maybe the biggest reason was because you saw yourself in her. Linda didn't talk about her past much — used to say lingering in it was not worth it — but what you knew, from what little she would tell, was that her soulmate was taken from her too soon, before she made her way here and took control over her life. 

Maybe, deep down, she knew you knew her pain, and that's why she took you in without hesitation when you came in asking for a job. But, then again, Linda has a thing for strays. You, Heather, Mitch — the practically non-verbal bouncer who liked making bracelets in his down time, the other waitresses, Corroded Coffin. The woman collected strays wherever she went, maybe because she knew what being strayed felt like first hand.

You almost felt bad for omitting the truth from her, but hiding had become second nature at that point. 

"Eddie is… a childhood friend. Our moms were close, his mom died when we were little, we got closer after that, but, um…" You tried to choose your words wisely under the scrutiny of her gaze. "After high school our paths just diverged, I guess. We graduated, had different plans. I left Hawkins, he stayed. That's all."

That was not all. What "all" meant really meant was that you were tired of pining over someone who was never going to accept he was the love of your life and who, during your senior year, went out of his way to deny any chance he had of being tied to his potential soulmate, which he claimed to not believe in, anyway.

"All" was too many years of blows to the bond you shared.

Once again, you busied yourself with the tray in your hands, making sure all the drinks were counted for and stable before lifting It up and starting to make your way to the table you were waiting. Linda reached out, a hand to your arm, making you halt.

"Whatever it is that you're not telling me, because I know you're not telling me everything, he feels it too. He hasn't taken his eyes out of you all night." Before you could open your mouth to argue, she brushed you off with a wave of her hand. "Now go think about it while you serve those hooligans."

More to think about? You thought. Great.

Closing shifts on Saturday nights were not something to be taken lightly.

The floor was a mess — spilled drinks, broken glass, blood and other bodily fluids, lost objects (most likely the patrons' soulmates', not theirs) — and the tables were not looking better. The stage needed to be unset and cleaned, everything needed to be put up for the next day. By the time you were finished, you were craving a shower and your bed, but you knew you owed Eddie a conversation. 

Those drinks you were not so discreetly slipped by your bartender friend were going to come in hand at that moment.

You went outside, going up the stairs to the back door, expecting to find all of Corroded Coffin still setting up the van with their equipment, but instead you found only Eddie, in the middle of finishing a cigarette and lighting a new one.

"Still chain smoking, I see."

He smiled at you with his cigarette between his lips, the cherry making his dark eyes shine, but you could still notice the smirk didn't quite reach them. You were sure you had a similar expression on your face.

"You came." He said, simply.

"I promised."

An uncomfortable silence fell upon you, nothing but the sounds of the night, almost early morning, around you. The weakening yellow light of the lamp post your only witness. Silences never used to be uncomfortable with Eddie, but now they're a testament of the distance that has grown between you.

A single thread of red stretched beyond miles and miles until it grew loose, but never once broke.

"So… how have things been going for you? Apart from the band, of course." It took a lot of effort not to cringe at your own awkwardness. You shuffled on your feet, grazing the concrete with your boots.

"Good. Things have been good." Eddie drew out his words, as he would whenever he was trying to find something to say, but couldn't quite say it. "I think they just got better."

"Who knew, huh?"

You got closer to him, almost unconsciously. He did the same.

"I knew. Didn't know how but I guess I knew we'd see each other again."

There's no doubt Eddie was speaking his mind when he said that. He was nothing if not earnest. The original plan was for you to leave town together, and maybe that plan was never entirely lost to him. You were never entirely lost to him.

What left your lips was almost a whisper. "Yeah?"

"Yeah." He nods, curls bouncing with his head.

Silence befell you again. Eddie kept on smoking, you stayed beside him, thinking about what to say next, but never coming up with something good enough. He breaks first.

"Except that it's different now. In my mind, we'd take it from where we left off, but it's weird, isn't it?"

You swallowed hard. "Weird how?"

"I was gonna say, it's like I don't know you anymore," he took a long exhale before continuing, "but I really don't."

"Don't say that." You don't hide the frown that's taken over your face. "You'll always know me."

"I know the old you, the new you is a stranger to me."

You're a stranger to me. He said with such ease, like it was practiced — and it might have been, maybe he'd thought of this reunion as much as you had. It never occurred to you that, yes, you are strangers now. People change in a year, in two years, they change a lot in five years.

Eddie had become a stranger to you, and the concept was so foreign that you had to take a moment to breathe, lest the reality of it came crashing down too hard on you.

"If we're strangers now, then, we can always meet again."

It was the most sincera you could be at that moment. If you could start over with Eddie, if you had that opportunity, then you would grab it, and you wouldn't let it go a second time.

"I'd really like that."

The following weeks required some adjustment on your part.

You began to understand what Eddie meant with you being a stranger to him now. He was also different, the same person but ultimately changed by life experience, and you were beginning to catch up with each other. Every Friday and Saturday, the days Corroded Coffin were performing their residence at The Deuce, you helped the boys set up and take down their equipment, calling it a bonding experience, but the truth was you felt bad that they couldn’t pay for their own roadies. After closing time, you and Eddie went out to have something to eat at a nearby diner. It nearly felt like old times, except instead of late nights at Benny’s, you were having early mornings at a much less homey diner in L.A.

Eddie still liked his coffee with too much sugar, you still preferred tea. Some things never changed.

He had lost one of his rings, one of those nights. You saw it from away, a big skull ring fell to the floor of the stage as he thrashed around. Jeff accidentally kicked it completely out of view, and as expected, it didn’t take longer than a day for it to appear right beside your feet. Hours later, way into Sunday morning, it was sitting in your pocket as you watched Eddie down a mixture of pancakes, hashbrowns and overly sweet coffee as he filled you in on their latest attempts to record a demo tape.

As you sipped on your tea and pulled apart your blueberry pancakes with your fingers, an old childhood habit you found hard to break — Eddie always made fun of you for eating pancakes with your hands, but you fought back saying that it just made it taste better. He couldn’t argue with you on that since he tried doing the same and thoroughly approved — you listening, making questions from time to time. He was a storyteller, and even a tale of boring recording sessions at a cheap studio they fought hard to pay for was an epic one coming from him.

“Hey,” you interrupted him mid-story, the silver ring weighing in your pocket like it was about to burn a hole through it, “sorry, but I just remembered I found something of yours. Or at least, I think it’s yours?”

“Where did you find that?” He stage-whispered, reaching for it.

Years of lying didn’t make you a good actress, you just didn’t have the talent. However, Eddie never seemed to catch on, and it wasn’t any different at that moment. He watched with naturally wide eyes as you pulled the ring out, and the smile that appeared on his full lips was already enough to make you smile too.

“On the floor at the bar, when we were cleaning. I thought I saw you wear one similar to this, so I thought I would keep it and see if it was yours.” Only a half lie now, but it still made you fidget with your rings in order to keep it together.

“It is! Wayne got me this one. Thank you, sweetheart.”

“Of course.” Those words almost don’t come out, the air stopping midway to your lungs at the sound of that nickname you hadn’t heard in years, heart racing despite your efforts to not let it affect you too much. Eddie didn’t seem to register, and simply went on with his tales and woes of a struggling musician in the search of the perfect demo tracklist.

You lost your wallet on a Thursday night, and it went against every rule you set yourself in order to preserve your peace.

It started early, soon after you realized Eddie wasn’t going to buy the whole soulmate thing, even if it was undeniable. You kept close track of everything you owned, you stopped putting your name on your personal belongings, just in case you’d lose them. You practically glued your documents to yourself, your wallet was always secure in your bag, all of your signature jewelry was carefully counted for. You didn’t mind losing things of little value, like small household items or tubes of lip gloss. Nothing that could be traced back to you.

Your wallet was very much off limits, and it was one of those things.

The lost wallet — you were pretty sure you’d lost in the street, exiting the supermarket in a hurry — ignited a domino effect. You were distressed because of it, losing sleep, overthinking what would happen once Eddie found it. Did it appear to him at the place he was sharing with the boys? Was he going to freak out once he realized the circumstances? Was he going to run from you, or was he going to act like nothing happened? For the second time since his unexpected arrival, you felt like the world was falling under your feet, and you were free falling into the deep and dark unknown.

Friday night, because of your lost wallet induced spiral, you arrived late at work. Hair in disarray, short breath, heart pounding as you made your way down the stairs, the posters on the walls around you, all a blur. 

Heather was the first one that greeted you, waving at you from the bar as she wiped the counter in front of her. “Joanie! Van Halen said he needs to talk to you. They’re about to start the soundcheck.”

You gave her the awkwardest thumbs up, nodding. Taking your time, as if you were walking to your literal death, you put your things in your locker at the staff room, and slowly made your way to the stage, being greeted by the boys’ excited hand waves. Your smile was tight, but managed to wave back. Eddie jumped off the small platform, “Hey!”

“Hey, Eddie. Heather said you wanted to talk.”

“Yeah, wait a sec.” He reached inside one of the hidden pockets of his jean vest, and pulled out your wallet. You couldn’t feel a thing anymore, the only thing you felt was a blackhole threatening to swallow you from right under your feet, and the sweat that was starting to gather on your palms. “Found this at the back, when I parked the van. Were you looking for it?”

You could have fainted right then and there. From anxiety or from relief, you didn’t know. 

“Oh, thank you! I was looking everywhere for it. I must have dropped it when I took the trash out last night.” Again, not a good actress. You let out a strangled laugh as you picked the wallet from his hand, visibly cringing at yourself. The next thing you did was more of a distraction than a genuine display of affection. You wrapped your arms around Eddie, clinging to his shoulders, hiding yourself from his gaze.

He chuckled, but wrapped his own arms around you all the same. “What was that for?”

Oh, Eddie. Sweet, oblivious, Eddie. Either because he genuinely didn’t see it, or because he didn’t want to see, it didn’t matter. You shook with relief, and disguised it as a different kind of worry.

“Just, uh… Thank you. I was really worried about it.”

“Oh, it’s okay. You’re welcome, sweetheart.”

You held onto each other for a little longer than comfortable, in the same position you found yourselves that night, almost a whole month ago. You vowed to never lose anything ever again, because you had just been reminded of how dangerous it was.

[missredherring]

Pedro Pascal Masterlist

🌶️= spice

Agent Whiskey (Kingsman: The Golden Circle)

Southern Comfort

He sighed and held you tighter, running his hand up and down your back in soothing strokes.

Take His Gun and Send Him Into Battle (OFC) - Part One

An AU where Whiskey isn’t killed and turned over to Statesman instead. No longer Agent Whiskey, Jack Daniels is going to have to find out who the man beneath the Stetson really is. 

Alejandro Santos (Drive-Away Dolls)

In the Flesh 🌶️ (x Ted Garcia, m/m)

A glory hole in a dive bar at the edge of town truly is a liminal space, and this particular half hard cock straining through the side of a bathroom stall is all the proof he needs of that fact. 

Dieter Bravo (The Bubble)

Dieter Does Dorne

"That is not a great angle for the dangle." You said as you turned your head, trying to better understand what you were seeing. Granted, your phone screen wasn’t the biggest, but you weren’t sure a bigger picture would help untangle the knot of limbs you were looking at.

Feast

Dieter's body stops as if it's come to the end of a tether and he turns his full attention to the section of press you're in. Flashing cameras go off and the yells are deafening once they realize his attention is on them, or so they think. Incubus AU.

Paint Me Like One Of Your French Girls

"Sorry, sorry." He says distractedly while glancing around. Even now that he's in the studio, he's still flitting around to find the right supplies.  "Bravo, I'm freezing my ass off." You say, and it's true: the cold is seeping into your butt from the concrete floor. 

The Roles We Play

While isolated in a manor house with his costars, he roams around in a bathrobe, desperately looking for someone to hook up with. 

Dieter Gets It 🌶️

You didn’t get the appeal of this, but Dieter does.

Someone Who Calls Me Baby (Dieter x Javi G)

He shakes his hands down at his sides, but it does nothing to expel any of the nervous energy running through him: his fingers still tingle as he taps them together and a faint ringing starts in his ears.  When he scoops up his phone to reread the text from his agent the message hasn’t changed. He hasn’t gotten the role in a while.

Touch Me Touch Me Touch Me 🌶️ (Fat Reader)

“How long do you want this?” You adjust his kerchief to indicate your meaning. “All day. We don’t have other plans.” He offers and shudders when you bury your nose in his neck, nuzzling at the skin at the edge of the fabric.  “Good. All you have to do is take it off.” You remind him, as you always do. He nods and you reward him with a bruising suck right over his carotid artery that makes him whimper.

No Solo Riders

The ride operator calls out, the music explodes, and the world falls away around you.

The Ghost and Mrs. Muir AU

30 Minutes or Less

Din Djarin (The Mandalorian)

The Road Ahead

Starting a new journey in life with Din at your side is great. Until he hits a huge pot hole and almost loses the airstream.

Laundry Day

Laundry piles up while no one is looking so you go to the laundromat in town and meet someone new. 

"Then we'll find out together."

Eddie (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

An Act Of Kindness (Fat Reader)

Part Two

"More," he begs, his tongue eager and searching out every drop. "Please."

Ezra (Prospect)

"Are you sure you're ready for this?"

Hidden Treasure

Sometimes it pays to take a detour and give in to curiosity. You and Ezra find a hidden gem on a dusty planet.

Sanctuary

You weren't surprised to find him at the book shop when you went to open that morning.

Frankie Morales (Triple Frontier)

Highway Honey🌶️

“What’s gotten into you today?” “You don’t have fond road trip memories?” “Not really, and I wouldn’t call the trips I do remember ‘road trips’.” He says and you don’t let what he doesn’t say, that most of them were missions or deployments, bring the mood down.

Strawberry Wine

Frankie prefers beer, but he’ll definitely take you to the local winery with live entertainment for a date night.  

When I Watch The World Burn All I Think About Is You

The world is ending and maybe it was sentimentality or fate, but you ended up at the bar where you met. Somehow you could handle the heartbreak in a place like this.  

Cold Ones and Cards

A breeze drifted in through the open windows and the humid air sent goosebumps down your arms. A warm hand, calloused and large, rubbed at the skin there and you leaned back into his chest. Your whole body shook when Frankie laughed, a deep sound that came from his belly. He had to put his head on your shoulder to catch his breath. Whatever the joke was it must’ve been a good one. 

Joel Miller (The Last of Us)

What're We Doing, Joel?

"Tell me what you like."

Develop🌶️

Your fingers freeze on the mouse when you get to the last pictures of the final roll of film. You scroll through, eyes straining to understand what the thumbnail is showing you.  It looks like Joel had an adult sleepover of his own.

I'm The One To Beat 🌶️

Every one of your friend's names had been added to his list of victims, but not yours. For better or worse, you survived. 20 years pass and new victims start showing up with Joel's MO. Now's your chance. Slasher/Final Girl AU.

Let's Twist The Knife Again

When he feels the hard hit to his head, Joel hopes he doesn't wake up. But he does. Time Travel AU.

My Back Is Breaking From This Heavy Heart (Joel x Reader x Tess)

You weren’t home when the music stopped playing on the radio.

Wrong Until You Make It Right

After a long day when his kitchen sink starts leaking, there's only one person he thinks to call. You make a house call and Joel gets a wake up call.

For A Good Time Call... Joel 🌶️ (Fat Reader)

Joel nods like your silence is the answer he expected. “I had plenty of time to think about it last night. All that noise and it still sounded like someone just gettin’ off.” He shakes his head a little. “I’m sure Tommy did good by you, but there was something missing. That desperate edge to your voice, honey. I bet you’ve never not come, always making sure to get yours. But where’s the fun in that?”

Warming Up 🌶️ (Fat Reader)

The impish impulse wins out and you scoot closer to drape yourself over him as much as you can with him sprawling out on his stomach. He yelps and makes to move away, but he’s already at the edge of the mattress.

A Flower in February

When he’s finished cleaning the scrapes on your face his thumb swipes tenderly over the curve of your chin once. “I'll take care of it.”

Little Girl with a Big Mouth 🌶️

"More?" he asks your shoulder. "More." you agree.

Liam (Nikita)

Lap of Luxury🌶️

He’d told himself that you were a distraction, a liability, a weakness he’d be foolish to give in to, but he hadn’t been able to stay away. He hadn’t been able to stop wondering what it would look like to press his fingers into your skin.

Lucien Flores/De Leon (The Uninvited)

Red Light Glow 🌶️

He’d called to wish you a happy birthday before anyone else.

Hungry Eyes 🌶️

Lucien thinks he probably gets to fuck you in that light. The lucky bastard.

Trying Something New 🌶️

“Back in town tonight. Sex? Pls?”

Marcus Pike (The Mentalist)

Hall Pass (Marcus x Reader x Dieter)

"I can't believe you're this innocent."

Kate & Leopold AU

Mr. Marcus "king of consent" Pike would ask if he could kiss you after sex.

Marcus Moreno (We Can Be Heroes)

"Do You Want My Fingers?"🌶️

He pulled back enough to see your face. Studying your expression like he still needed confirmation that your wants matched his own.

The Bad Guy

Cleaning up after an alien invasion isn’t easy, but Marcus helps.

All That Glitters 🌶️

“Fuck. You’re perfect.” Marcus’s lips brushed your ear as he spoke, sending a shiver down your spine. 

Practice 

Marcus gets back into training but the administrative work never ends.

Villainous: Part One - Part Two

Nothing good had come of the Ogima infiltration, so why would working with their leftover alien tech go any better? Sucked into an alternative universe you’re faced with a man who looked exactly like the partner you had kissed goodbye that morning. His touch is impersonal and rough as your wrists are restrained and the look in his eyes is anything but tender.

Snap (Fat Reader)

"I know you're anxious to give anything that might work a try, but I really want to urge you to read the consent form thoroughly." Marcus says. The request is the dying gasp of his conscience that's burned away in the flare of satisfaction he feels when you sign the form after only a moment of hesitation.

Maxwell Lord (WW '84)

Fool's Gold (Fat Reader)

In a world where superheroes and villains need to be taken into consideration when planning your morning commute, crystals rank low on the “things to be concerned about” scale. A genie AU. 

Comfort

A simple touch of comfort in the night.

Give Me Strength

Maxine Lord attends her first Pride parade with her girlfriend.

An Escape Rope Tied Around My Neck

A wish… what is a wish if not a desperate plea for the unobtainable?

Oberyn Martell (Game of Thrones)

Hands Off (Fat Reader)

"Do not think about how you were in the past. That you no longer exists."

Given a Name (Fat Reader)

"This would be your greatest indulgence?" He asks, the edges of his beautiful mouth curling into a pleased grin. How like a man to inflate his importance. It’s a pity that he isn’t wrong. This will be my greatest selfishness.

Pedro from Across the Street (Calls, Apple TV)

Dial Tone 🌶️

It hadn’t been difficult; knowing you as well as he does. Or the other you, the one who wouldn’t break your vows.

Pero Tovar (The Great Wall)

The Rain Still Falls

The rain still falls and his heart still beats.

The Thief (Casillero del Diablo)

What Strange Claws Are These🌶️

"Oh, I'm sorry, does it hurt?"

Tim Rockford (Merge Mansion AD)

I want to be between this man and the table.

My Best Friend's Wedding (ft Marcus Pike)

Choose your own Pedro Pascal Character

Seven Minutes in Heaven (Fat Reader)

[colourstreakgryffin]

The Six Pillars; Masterlist #3~

Welcome to the third temple~! Here is the rest of the Masterlist I couldn’t fit on my first one~! This is the era of the most of my hardwork on Tumblr

💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓

Pillar #1: Demon Slayer ~❤️

🧡 Kyojuro Rengoku: Troublesome Taps

🧡🩷 Kyojuro and Mitsuri: Child of Flames

💜❤️ Genya and Kaigaku: Body Matters

💙 Muichiro Tokito: Three Little Kittens

❤️ Tanjiro Kamado: Protection Squad

🌈💜🧡 Douma, Kokushibo and Kyojuro: Little Gem

💚 Kanao Kocho: Sunflowers and Roses

💜💜 Obanai and Kokushibo: Snowy Irises

❤️ Muzan Kibutsuji: Ruler of my Heart

💜 Obanai Iguro: Elite Nine, Lord of Poisons

🧡 Kyojuro Rengoku: Fantasy is True

💜 Obanai Iguro: Sombre Joke

💜 Shinobu Kocho: Longterm Infatuation

❤️ Tanjiro Kamado: Golden Child

❤️ Muzan Kibutsuji: New Member

❤️💜 Yoriichi and Michikatsu: Day and Night Chatting

🌈 Douma: Creamy Paint

❤️ Muzan Kibutsuji: Wandering Child

💜🌈❤️ Kokushibo, Douma and Akaza: Nicknaming Game

💜 Shinobu Kocho: Bath of Scolding

💚 Sanemi Shinazugawa: Grandest Reward

🧡❤️ Kyojuro and Akaza: Falling Hopes

🖤 Zohakuten: The Victim

❤️ Tanjiro Kamado: Just So Snuggly

🖤 Zohakuten: Hate and Love, Black and White

💛 Hotaru: I Don’t Like You

💜 Kokushibo: Round and Plump

❤️💛💜 Tanjiro, Zenitsu and Obanai: Grade Falter

❤️ Tanjiro Kamado: Truly Accidental

🌈 Douma: Fascinating Tales

💙 Giyuu Tomioka: All the Respect

💚 Karaku: Temple of Leisure

💚💜 Sanemi and Genya: Internal Guardians

💛💚❤️ Urogi, Karaku and Sekido: Hybrid Fun

💚 Gyutaro: Shared Links

💙💚❤️ Aizetsu, Karaku and Sekido: Multi-Babysitter

💜🩷 Obanai and Mitsuri: Dear Reptile

💙 Giyuu Tomioka: Hopeless Attempts

❤️❤️ Muzan and Akaza: Daddy’s Support

💙 Yuichiro Tokito: A Bad Feeling

❤️❤️ Sekido and Kaigaku: Work Policy

💜💜 Kokushibo and Obanai: Protective Impairment

🧡 Kyojuro Rengoku: Sweet Nightmares

🧡 Senjuro Rengoku: Musical Heartbeat

❤️ Rui: Funnel Blanket

🌈 Douma: Rainbow Bridge

💜 Obanai Iguro: Happy Birthday, King

❤️ Tanjiro Kamado: Bad Habits

❤️ Rui: Spinning Web

💙 Yuichiro Tokito: Foggy Head

💜 Obanai Iguro: Sugar Catches the Fly

💚💜🧡 Sanemi, Shinobu and Senjuro: Pirate Royal

❤️ Akaza: Power Pair

❤️ Yoriichi Tsugikuni: Far Too Attached

💜🌈❤️ Kokushibo, Douma and Akaza: Book By the Cover

❤️ Kamaboko Squad: Merfolk AU

💜 KNY: Hilarity Contest

💜 KNY: Cookie Tray

💛 Hantengu: Embrace Me and Kiss Me

💜 KNY: Crack Mess

💙 Gyokko: Evil Spirit

💜 Kokushibo: Item Mountain

💜 Kokushibo: Faster, Stronger, Smarter

❤️ Yoriichi Tsugikuni: So Mean

🌈 Douma: Grand Party

❤️ Muzan Kibutsuji: Trio of Disaster

❤️💜 Tanjiro and Obanai: Social Aid

❤️ Tengen Uzui: Flashiest Father

❤️ Muzan Kibutsuji: True Angel

💜 Obanai: Springlocked

🖤 Gyomei Himejima: Child of Sunshine

💜 Kokushibo: Amore Shrine

🩷 Kanae Kocho: Loving Spouse

💙 Muichiro Tokito: Entomophobia

💜 Shinobu Kocho: Amblyodipsa

💙🩷❤️ Muichiro, Mitsuri and Tanjiro: Scary Habit

❤️❤️💜 Kaigaku, Tengen and Obanai: Beauty and Grace

💚💙💜 Sanemi, Giyuu and Shinobu: Worse Accident

🧡💛 the Hashira: Playing Favourites

💚 Sanemi Shinazugawa: Little Things

❤️ Sekido: One’s Bewilderment

❤️ Muzan Kibutsuji: Hide and Seek

💙🩷 Muichiro and Mitsuri: Gamble of a Lifetime

🩷 Mitsuri Kanroji: Pink Hognose

🌈 Douma: Rubbing Post

💙💜❤️ Muichiro, Obanai and Tanjiro: Not Your Fault

💙💜💚 Giyuu, Obanai and Sanemi: Lady of my Dreams

🧡💛 the Hashira: Excitement Test

Pillar #2: Jujutsu Kaisen ~💜

🖤 Toji Fushiguro: Little Crybaby

💚 Maki Zenin: Multiple Problems

💙 Satoru Gojo: Daddy’s Little Princess

Pillar #3: JoJo Bizarre Adventure~💚

—

Pillar #4: Death Note ~💙

🖤 Lawliet L: K.I.N.K

🖤 Lawliet L: Kindred Shackle

Pillar #5: Haikyuu ~💛

—

Pillar #6: Record of Ragnarok ~🩷

🧡 Buddha: Enlightenment Gone Corrupted

💞💞💞💞💞💞💞💞💞💞💞💞💞💞💞💞

Pillar #7: Additional ~🖤

💙 Tomura Shigaraki: Cracking Bond

🖤 Tumblr Trend: Five Things

Here is the fourth temple of this blog’s overall Masterlist~ Masterlist #4

[tinapaysmp]

@mcyt-yuri-week day 5: rarepair

I mean, it's already a rarepair to begin with even by s2. But this is like a personal rarepair week for me and my purpose is to try and spread my propaganda.

More ramblings under the cut:

Now, full disclaimer: I don't actually ship their s2 counterparts. Because:

I headcanon s2 e!Kath to be an aroace lesbian who couldn't even tell if someone is flirting with her. And I actually couldn't picture her ending up with anyone weirdly enough. Not even with Shelby.

Gem's canon this season just doesn't make me ship her with anyone. She has another life in Hermitcraft and the empires server is just very different for her.

But, that doesn't mean I don't enjoy the princess alliance. Heck, I jumped on the ship to be romantic the moment I watch them become business partners. Because, come on, they're both princesses. One of them's a monster slayer, the other one's not allowed to fight and couldn't defend herself. Like, hello??? Princess Katherine here to rescue Princess Gem? Hell Yeah!

But, but, but, I couldn't remember when but there was an incident in Joey's Skyblock series where people were discussing the possibilty of Kath being AroAce. I watched the clip and I was on board. I loved the idea of AroAce Katherine. (Other people's reaction to Aro!Kath I wasn't fond of tho but I shouldn't put that here.) And I found the premise of two people being attracted to her (Joey and Shelby) while her not being attracted to either of them funny.

But at the same time, I also like her being a lesbian or bi. So, it ended up with her being AroAce Lesbian.

Now, this was before I started shipping KathGem. So, what's the issue? Kath's an AroAce Lesbian and Gem's Bisexual. Nothing wrong with putting them in a relationship, right? True.

But, here's the thing. Through the duration of the season, I personally can't see them get together.

With Katherine, she was too focused on curing her kingdom's curse to even think about dating. And by the time she got her lands cured, Gem......left. Meanwhile, Gem didn't wanted to get too attached. She knew she was leaving for good ones she's done. Maybe she did had a thing for Katherine but decided not to do anything about it.

Now she's back in Hermitcraft, never to look back in the world where she met the princess who was cursed from the day she was born.

And that too is yuri

So, yeah.

But, maybe one day I could explore different AUs regarding s2. Especially with some KathGem if I could.

[amethystfairy1]

Hi I just read all of traveling thieves and it was so so good! Perfect mix of angst and comfort, it hurts so well :) I'm so excited to see where it goes next

I love how pearl and gem are vibing assassinating people together, they really are just girlbossing their way around

also gems sword is really cool

Gem getting bloodthirsty over the missing payment and then the guy offers pearl and she's like fine. I could use a companion I guess. But I will remember this. And then said companion helps her Kill and she's having fun and they're having a good time scandalizing people about an avian acting like a normal person but they can't do anything about bc that's The Slayer, you can't just FIGHT her about it she's got a broadsword dripping with enchants that she wields like it's nothing, and suddenly, oh, when was the last time gem had a friendship like this?

And tango and zed! Tango my beloved, poor guy he's doing his best, zed is also doing his best, and zed just running up to him and interviewing him excitedly and tango just being like 'uh. this is happening I guess' as their first meeting? Love it

Also zed flexing his master-smith seal to get them places and also just going 'i do what I want, YOU depend on ME' when he confronts heath about the water incident? 10/10

I'm also excited to see how Scott and Jimmy are doing, maybe he wants to be a free bird!!! I also love the narrative of Scott gets captured, he's in this new place and he immediately goes up to sit next to the only guy in the yard sitting alone, and he tries to escape and his new friend with the gold wings helps and then tries to tell him not to do that bc it'll just make it worse on him and Scott goes fine. I'll do it myself. and he DOES it and Jimmy goes well hell. Alright I'm going with him

And everything happening at the swagon? Oh my god?? Love me some misunderstanding hurt/comfort

Like at the beginning, grians still new to this whole situation with people being Nice to him, mumbo and scar are animatedly discussing a plan and grians in the corner just. Stressing. And now he's gotten more used to this and he's laughing (with bird noises!) and flying and quipping and committing petty revenge on mumbo lol and then something happens and he's Stressing again bc it's only been A Month

I was SO SURE I connected some dots bc of the 'between two books, right where he always left it' plus mumbo putting stuff back after grian hits the bookshelf plus how attached grian is to it (I am Looking at how he's described as treating it like glass Twice) that the going flying paper was going to go missing but apparently I have not connected the dots lol

I also love how grians tiny and then scar and mumbo are So Much Taller than him lol

In conclusion: I think I went a bit feral writing this but I really enjoyed the fic 👍 :)

Oh my goodness, thank you thank you!

I cannot tell you how happy receiving something like this makes me! All the details and thoughts! I love seeing someones thoughts about my AU like this for all the different groups going around! I'm glad the angst and comfort balance out for you, I know it's a dark fantasy AU but I also want it to have that sort of warm fuzzy edge to it, like everyone is being taken care of now, even if things were bad in the past.

Zed is 100% the BEST he knows what he is WORTH my boy look at him go I love him. Tiny tiny birb Grian! He's so sweet and traumatized poor lil guy 😭

Pearl and Gem are MENANCES they are TERRORS and I love them! Yes, yes, Pearl has had a bit more time to get more comfortable with Gem, and her experience navigating the system has also left her less shattered than Jimmy or Grian, for reasons that have been mentioned and will also later be explored in more detail.

Thank you so much for your wonderful words and for sharing them!!! 💖

[broomsticks]

fic rec list: 15 het Remus rare ships

aka not remadora, not gay remus, but a secret third (fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh) option

okay so i totally played myself here: this started out as a cracky spite reclist, but i should have known better… i may now have fifteen new ships.

seriously, they’re legitimately good. SO many good reads.

the list: remus/hermione, remus/lily, remus/minerva, remus/trelawney, remus/poppy, remus/petunia, remus/narcissa, remus/bellatrix, remus/fleur, remus/pansy, remus/cho, remus/luna, remus/ginny, remus/lavender, remus/andromeda.

bonus: several remus HP poly ships, and several excellent buffy the vampire slayer crossovers: remus/jenny calendar and remus/faith lehane.

---

1. remus/hermione

look. i don’t just have a fic rec for this. i have a rec for a ship manifesto (original link | wayback machine) and rec list (LJ comm het-reccers | wayback machine)

Because of the slim canon interaction and the many obstacles to writing the pairing, it’s often done badly. But I think when it’s done well, it’s done very well; a writer who can keep the two characters true to the Remus and Hermione that we know and still write a convincing relationship between them tends to be a good writer. Consequently, there are some real gems among the fandom. In conclusion, yes, this is difficult to write and indeed to get your head around. But done well, it can be challenging, thought-provoking, fluffy, angsty, dark and hot. Often all at the same time. And in a fandom that ships cephalopods, this can only be a good thing.

first entry on that reclist is a ~10k E-rated fic titled after a shakespeare sonnet, and the rec begins:

This is by far my favorite fic in any fandom or ship. It's a beautiful story that depicts how these two characters slowly weave into each other.

the second entry has implied past wolfstar, and there’s fic by both setissma and musesfool on the list.

2. remus/lily

holy fuck this ship blindsided me with the angst and tragedy!! mwpp era writers, why are you Like This.

The Day After by violet_quill (1k, E). canon compliant, november the first, 1981, adultery. the repeating motif of street trash hurts me.

He doesn't think about how he doesn't like coffins anymore than he likes bars; he doesn't wonder who has the worse fate. He tries not to remember that he will be the only one left to put flowers on the graves. He doesn't think about James either.

bonus shoutouts to:

No Harm, But No Certain Good by victoria_p (musesfool) (1k, M), hogwarts era secret relationship, uhea as fuck

The Bowl Of Lilacs by copperbadge (12k, M), first war to eventual remus raises harry au, more plotty/remus-centric than shippy, but the remus/lily is both on page and significant

3. remus/minerva mcgonagall

two excellent poa fics:

The Ten Month Career of Professor R. J. Lupin by pauraque (3k, T):

He raised his hand to knock, but stopped halfway, caught in the shadow of decision. All during the long, hazy summer he'd thought of this, of what he should say, of how he should act.

god, i love this remus. the reminerva and sevinerva (yes, i did just invent these) love triangle is so beautifully woven!

A Year In The Life by copperbadge (41k, T): what a love affair! loved exploring a faculty romance through the eyes of these two, and the ending was so painfully drawn out! the Rent lyrics!!!

4. remus/sybil trelawney

two more POA with perfectly characterized dramatic trelawney, who Sees and is completely, hilariously wrong with her interpretation -- i adore this trope sm.

The Baby in the Pumpkin Patch & Other Stories by @evesaintyves: Chapter 3: The Seer, the Bell Jar, and the Packet of Crisps (~2k, G)

Black With a Tail by @paulamcg (500, G)

5. remus/poppy pomfrey

Take Care of Yourself by @patriceavril (8k, M), a lost years/pre-POA remus/poppy. so soft and tender, the little peter HC and the briefcase HC :') never gets old!

6. remus/petunia

A Different Fate by lordhellebore (6.5k, T): remus and petunia raise dudley and a disabled harry au, in 65 x 100-word drabbles. fluffy, angsty, a surprisingly wholesome take on this pairing!

7. remus/narcissa

Disparities by @puuvillaa (2.5k, M). first war fic, yummy hatesex, who is using who?

Fallen Stars by @siriusly-sapphic (4k, T): hogwarts-era alternative sorting slytherin remus au is such a good setup for this pairing!

8. remus/bellatrix

lots of intriguing takes on this pairing!

Bellatricked by Ellen Smithee (ellensmithee) (800, E): dark remus lupin, er, snuff.

What the Moon Revealed by Maria_de_Salinas (2k, E): can’t go wrong with a good first war hatesex!

Before the Veil by Donna_Immaculata (4k, E): more snuff fic hahaha. implied wolfstar, established snupin

worth mentioning that this pairing is not ALL snuff fic -- there’s a surprising amount of soft!bellatrix -- but tbh i liked these better.

9. remus/fleur

before marrying bill, fleur wants to make sure she is… Riding The Real Thing by snapealina (2k, E).

there’s also an interesting muggle art camp counselor/camper au (5k, M)!

10. remus/pansy

Pruddy's Inn by littlealex (2k, E): post-canon au, ahhh gorgeous '00s era fic.

Pansy's legs disentangle themselves from around Remus' shoulder and arm, and Remus collapses on top of her, unable to support his own weight. She sighs contentedly and threads her fingers through his hair, her eyes still shut firmly against reality. What good is reality, she muses, if I can just pretend to get what I want?

11. remus/cho

The Heart by bloodsugarlove (7k, T). teacher/student told from teacher pov is always fascinating and the prose in this one is unique and lovely! note: doesn’t warrant the underage warning, no whiff of underage sex anywhere.

It's something of a scandal that Cho is seeker for Ravenclaw; many girls appear threatened by this, though they can't deny that is is rather decent at the position. Boys think it is fascinating, and Chang herself is arrogant in the most charming way. Not that Mr. Lupin really thinks so, mind you; it's a collective opinion, and anyway he has had quite his fill of arrogance. He has had quite his fill of a lot of things. He would really rather think of something else.

12. remus/luna

Stubby Boardman and the Cacao Bean by kestrelsan (2k, G), a remix fic!!! loved the original drabble and it was so cool to see it expanded into this oneshot.

honestly this is a real quality ship! in addition to all the delicious smutty kink fic that’s all over the ship tag, there’s also:

this postwar perfection -- he was learning what was real: like Heliopaths and Snorcacks and love! -- Bearing Fruit by @paulamcg (2k, M),

this creaturehunting mission fic, with multiple pieces of fanart, created for @hpdrizzle fest 2017: The Naturists by hikorichan (9k, T)

and this lovely post-canon get-together -- Anytime by @nanneramma (1k, T) -- the seasonal pacing works so well for this nature-connected pairing!

13. remus/ginny

The Meaning of Restraint by Darsynia (4k, M): caught in a club and i’m not even underage! stellar vibes and dynamic here.

open my heart (let it bleed onto yours) by @lunapwrites (~20k (wip), E) -- a fascinatingly, wonderfully explored postwar marriage law au!

14. remus/lavender

Big Teeth/Little Red by PacificRimbaud (5k, M): oh my god this was utterly delightful. it’s a library meet-cute and a halloween party and the age differences, hahaha. a ton of age gap pairings here -- harry/pansy is the only one that is not, iirc.

While he tugs at the cap, he wonders at the audacity of living one’s life as Sirius Black. What must it be like: to understand the line between being a man who has bad ideas, and being a bad man? To gleefully ride along the edge of it, to toss away all but your own discernment, to simply do what you would like to do so long as no one’s being harmed, to not worry about what your desires say about you, to call your godson’s half-dressed former girlfriend a bad idea to her waggishly smiling face at your kitchen table and to let yourself bask in the fallout, sated like a wolf that's helped itself to a lamb. A— …big bad wolf…

15. remus/andromeda

Shelter at Your Door by starfishstar (13k, T): an andromeda doesn’t elope, marries and later leaves lucius au. the r/a relationship in this au is so well-written, their compatibility is so lovely, and although tonks is never born in this au, the r/t echoes are deliciously haunting!

"So," she said softly, pressing down against him, and Remus, following instinct at last, arched to meet her. "Are we doing this?" "Yes," Remus agreed, a whisper in her ear. "We're doing this." Careful not to sound judgemental about it, Andromeda asked, "Have you done this before?" With Remus and his insistence that everything about himself was dangerous and not to be allowed, it was difficult to know. He gave a self-deprecating laugh. "Yeah. Couple of times." "Oh?" she teased, still gentle. "What happened to being too dangerous for anything beyond friendship?" Remus' mouth made a wry twist. "It found itself on a collision course with being nineteen years old and horny, that's what happened to it."

---

a bonus: if anyone's taking notes, i couldn’t find fic for:

remus/olympe maxime,

remus/myrtle warren,

remus/the grey lady

remus/parvati or remus/padma patil,

remus/rita skeeter in english,

remus/angelina aside from the remus x gryffindor chaser sandwich,

remus/millicent bulstrode that was not a crossover,

remus/rose weasley or remus/victoire (there's a bunch of remus/lily luna all written by one author)

not to mention literally any creaturefic at all -- remus/basilisk? remus/nagini? remus/mrs norris? remus/hedwig? y’all, i’m disappointed. there was one remus/crookshanks [chapter 21].

---

bonus recs:

remus/hermione/ginny/luna, a nice lovely fluffy fun (E-rated) romp

remus/pomona/hagrid: "You see, I was thinking if you fucked this plant in werewolf form, we could get a beautiful crossbreed for dear Ru's birthday next month."

bonus bonus recs:

+1. remus/jenny calendar from buffy the vampire slayer

Weighed Down With Good Intentions by Thistlerose (8k, M):

"And your friends? Come on, Remus. You had to have had some. Outgoing, personable guy like you." Her tone was light, the kiss she pressed against the corner of his mouth playful. "They're dead too," he said, his smile fading. "All of them. There were never many," he added when she looked at him, her eyebrows raised. "Three. Four. One turned out not to be a friend after all." "And he – or she – " "He." "Is he dead too?" "Prison," Remus said. He closed his eyes and saw Sirius's face instead of Jenny's. Rough black hair, storm-colored eyes, lightning smile. Grease under fingernails. How many different kinds of lightning had he discovered that summer?

jfc this is GENIUS. the references to both BTVS and HP, the intertwining of both stories — it’s canon compliant to both, afaik, except for the bit where remus survives the second war to have that very last conversation — and holy shit that very last cameo!!!

+2. remus/faith lehane from btvs/ats

The Intent To Be Lost by voleuse (1.5k, T), post-Chosen, an encounter with a stranger.

"You could meet me again." She raises her eyebrows, leers a little. He rises from the floor, his body casting a lean shadow on the carpet. "Perhaps," he murmurs, idly running his fingers around his wrist. Faith shrugs again, but pauses before she exits. "You should," she hesitates. "You should be careful out there. At night." He's strong, but she's not sure if he's that strong, and he's starting to look a little pale. "It can get rough after dark." "Indeed," Remus says, but he smiles almost politely. "See you," Faith replies, and she tries to shut the door quietly behind her.

impeccable characterization sells a good crossover every damn time.

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Tuesday, June 25

Willow: You dreamed about Angel again? Buffy: Third night in a row. Willow: What did he do in the dream? Buffy: Stuff. Willow: Oh! Stuff! Was it one of those vivid dreams where you could feel his lips and smell his hair? Buffy: It had surroundsound. I'm just thinking about him so much lately. Willow: You two are so right for each other. Except for the, uh... Buffy: Vampire thing.

~~Buffy Episode #17: "Reptile Boy" ~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Spuffy Coffee Shop Date (Buffy/Spike, G) by heyh0wdyhey

His Heartstrings (Are So Thin) (Buffy/Spike, E) by MadeInGold

Hate Me (Buffy/Spike, M) by violettathepiratequeen

[Chaptered Fiction]

it takes a village Ch. 1 (Ensemble, Unrated) by WillowBee326

The Watching of Watchers Ch. 2 (Buffy/Faith, T) by Scar_Eve

In Case You Haven't Noticed... Ch. 35 (Buffy/Giles, E) by Sdhuskerfan

Vampyr Chronicles: A Crack In The Sky Ch. 4 (Buffy/Spike, M) by MrPerfectCell

In the Company of Witches and Slayers: Ch. 78 (Willow/Tara, E) by VladimirHarkonnen (TheLightdancer)

Rewind Ch. 7 (Angel/Cordelia/Wesley, unrated) by Enigmatist

Casts Shadows Ch. 3 (Ensemble, T) by arcanedreamer

Blasphemy Ch. 17 (Buffy/Spike, M) by wickedrum

bloodclaim Ch. 1-2/2 COMPLETE (Angel/Spike, G) by tigriswolf

Devil Inside Ch. 3 (Buffy/Willow, M) by Xyex

The Degradation of Duality [Series Part 2], Chapter 12 (Buffy/Spike, E) by Ragini

Spiked, Chapter 4 (Buffy/Spike, E) by Maxine Eden

Boyfrenemy, Chapter 18-20 (Buffy/Spike, E) by Lady Emma

Ever After, Chapter 9 (Buffy/Spike, T) by Desicat

Revelations, Chapter 2 (Buffy/Spike, E) by Niamh

[Images, Audio & Video]

Artwork:Buffy the vampire slayer human au () by jeskerthefool

Manip:Episodic art for BtVS 01.09. “The Puppetshow”. () by revello-drive-1630

Video: Tara + Willow - Love was out to get me () by Faith Victoria

[Reviews & Recaps]

Mothman's Buffy Rewatch: Season 3, episodes 11 and 12, "Gingerbread" and "Helpless" by mothmans-wedding-photographer

ReWatch: Angel - S3, E 21 - 22 by kimannebb

ReWatch: Angel - S3, E19 - 20 by kimannebb

ReWatch: Angel - S3, E17 - 18 by kimannebb

[Fandom Discussions]

the mystery of why angel was Like That as a vampire by moistvonlipwig

your fav hcs of buffy & angel by bangelism

Spike being the first to realize that Tara's family were manipulating her by tara-fantastico

this plot of willow and xander having a forbidden affair by lesbianmarrow

I don't care for Andrew by isagrimorie

willow/cordelia but while cordelia and xander are dating. by lesbianmarrow

They orginally cast a chubby girl to play Willow by lesbianmarrow

i need a buffy episode like the lower decks episode of star trek next generation where it follows a group of random normie students at sunnydale high by lesbianmarrow

by lesbianmarrow

I know a lot of people aren't fans of season 7 of Buffy, but there truly are some hidden gems among the mess. by buffysummers

i might be nearing the breaking point again though where the character writing is getting too bad for me to care. by transmutationisms

willow being so excited to tell everyone she's dating a guy in a band is so funny by lesbianmarrow

the "never be friends" quote by greensaplinggrace

You guys talked so much shit about season 4 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, when season 6 literally exists. by madisonwasmurdered

Dawn Summers (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) by

rating the (canon) buffyverse ships based on how much i like them by anthonysalazar

I feel like when Angel went evil, Buffy closed herself up, not just to romantic relationships but to friendships as well. by there-are-many-ways-to-smile

Does a good young Giles fanfic exist? by whersmacheese

Tara is so gorgeous by rosehathaway13

Why Hate Buffy? by Organic_Individual52

Should there be more active slayers? by Careful_Persimmon_61

Is there anything about the founders of Sunnydale? by OppositeTooth290

Buffy's gratitude kiss to Spike in Intervention by debujandobirds

If there was a OMWF episode in Angel, what would the songs be for each character? by Kat-Attack-52

We were robbed of Willow/Faith in S7 by maybebitterxox

Submit a link to be included in the newsletter!

Join the editor team :)

[jeskerthefool]

This started as me trying to figure out some choreography for a fight in idk which chapter yet, but somehow devolved into this.

[technomanticlover]

♡ F/Os by Series

•Obey Me - Lucifer

•Hazbin Hotel/Helluva Boss - Lucifer Morningstar, Angel Dust, Alastor, Lilith (Situational), Stolas Ars Goetia

•Twisted Wonderland - Idia Shroud, Ortho Shroud, Malleus Draconia, Trey Clover, Riddle Rosehearts, Vil Schoenheit, Neige LeBlanche, Divus Crewel

•Black Butler - Sebastian Michaelis, Vincent Phantomhive, O!Ciel Phantomhive, Gregory Violet, Alois Trancy, Claude Faustus

•Genshin Impact - Venti, Scaramouche/Wanderer

•My Hero Academia - Hawks, Toshinori Yagi, Dabi, Izuku Midoriya, Katsuki Bakugou, Shoto Todoroki

•Disney - Hades

•Lore Olympus -Hades

•Toilet Bound Hanako-kun - Tsukasa Yugi, Amane Yugi/Hanako-kun

•Call of Duty - Simon "Ghost" Riley

•Durarara!! - Izaya Orihara

•Cult of the Lamb - The One Who Waits

•Boyfriend to Death/The Price Of Flesh - Lawrence Oleander, Sano Kojima, Ren Hana/Fox

•Ao no Exorcist - Rin Okumura

•Tokyo Ghoul - Hideyoshi Nagachika

•I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream - AM

•Heart No Kuni no Alice - Peter White

•Monogatari - Koiyomi Araragi

•Brothers Conflict - Tsubaki Asahina, Azusa Asahina

•Bungo Stray Dogs - Osamu Dazai, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Edogawa Ranpo, Chuuya Nakahara, Nikolai Gogol

•D. Gray-Man - Allen Walker, Yu Kanda, Nea/Thirteenth

•Danganronpa - Komaeda Nagito, Kokichi Ouma, Junko Enoshima, Toko Fukawa

•Demon Slayer - Tanjiro Kamado, Zenitsu Agatsuma

•Ensemble Stars - Mayoi Ayase

•Fruits Basket - Kyou Sohma, Yuki Sohma, Hatori Sohma, Hatsuharu Sohma

•Fullmetal Alchemist - Edward Elric, Alphonse Elric, Roy Mustang

•Haikyuu!! - Hinata Shoyo, Oikawa Tooru, Kageyama Tobio

•Higurashi no Naku no Koro Ni - Rena Ryuugu

•Osomatsu-san - Ichimatsu, Todomatsu, Karamatsu

•Ouran High School Host Club - Tamki Suoh, Kyoya Ohtori, Hikaru Hitachiin, Kaoru Hitachiin

•Persona 4 - Naoto Shirogane, Yu Narukami

•Persona 3 - Akihiko Sanada, Shinjiro Aragaki, Ken Amada, Aigis

•Persona 5 - Akira Kurusu, Futaba Sakura, Ann Takamaki, Haru Oukumura, Yusuke Kitagawa

•Soul Eater - Death the Kid, Stien

•Spy x Family - Loid Forger, Yor Forger

•Sword Art Online - Kazuto Kirigaya, Asuna Yuuki

•The Case Study of Vanitas - Vanitas

•The Devil is a Part-Timer - Satan

•Mirai Nikki - Yuno Gasai, Amano Yukiteru, Akise Aru

•Tokyo Revengers - Kazutora Hanemiya, Manjiro Sano/Mikey, Ken Ryuguji/Draken, Chifuyu Matsuno

•xxxHolic - Kimihiro Watanuki

•Yuri!!! On Ice - Viktor Nikiforov, Yuri Katsuki

•Angel's of Death - Danny Dickens

•Baldur's Gate - Astarion

•Coffin of Andy and Leyley - Andrew

•Final Fantasy VII - Cloud Strife

•Yugioh- Yugi Mutou, Atem, Yami Bakura

•Avatar the Last Airbender - Zuko

•Blood + - Charles

•Borderlands - Handsome Jack

•Castlevania - Alucard

•Deltora Quest - Lief

•Gangsta - Nicholas Brown

•Killing Stalking - Oh Sangwoo, Yoon Bum

•The Mortal Instruments- Jace, Sebastian Morgenstern, Simon Lovelace, Gem Carstairs, Will Herondale

•Aggretsuko - Haida, Retsuko

•Gravity Falls - Mason "Dipper" Pines, Bill Cipher, Alcor (Transcendence AU)

[giggly-squiggily]

Iʼm reading through all of your posts that you made with myreygn about this Modern AU for Kimetsu No Yaiba, itʼs absolutely brilliant 🩷 Do you tag all of them with #demon slayer modern au? Or is there some kind of masterlist? I looked at myreygn's blog, I didnʼt find anything. (And I never interacted with her and Iʼm shy, so Iʼm coming here 😶‍🌫️) Also, if I may ask, how did this madness start? 😂

JKREKJRKJE Thank you! Rey's absolutely brilliant in her modern!AU creation! I believe I do? I try to anyway- some might slip through the cracks from time to time but usually I try to tag them as "modern!AU" within the Demon Slayer tags! :3 As for masterlist- I have no idea; you'd have to ask Rey herself for that :3 (I highly recommend talking to her though she's a literal gem of a human and so lovely! Top tier person all around!)

As for how this started- again you'll have to ask @myreygn herself for that one; my earliest memory was about SaneKanae I think? I can't recall how it all started but I do know I love and appreciate each installment Rey shares with me and everyone! It's so fun watching the world expand, and I feel really honored to throw in my own thoughts and ideas into the mix from time to time! :3 Thank you friend for sharing this lovely creation with all of us and bringing much joy to our lives with your Modern!AU!

[geekinclara]

I have thought of another question

Nature wives?

I notice they are on opposite teams?

Or is it not a thing in this au?

Oh yeah!

So, fun story, when I started to plan out this story, back then in october last year, Katherine was going to be a secondary character without too much relevance. But, after a while, I decided to make her a villain, I thought it would be an interesting dynamic to explore.

This is a long one btw

So, when they were 17, one evening, during a date in the city's carnival, they got in the middle of the fight of two heroes, one of them gone rogue. Shelby almost got hurt, but she fainted. And Katherine developed hate against the heroes.

So, a few days after, Katherine went to Xornoth (who is a mob boss, and also has demon powers, and is known to make deals), so she could get power to protect Shubble, in exchange to becoming a lackey of them. So, Xornoth corrupted her, exploiting also her hatred of heroes, to influence her. She got, superhuman enhancement abilities, and she began training under them.

Shubble went to Xornoth too, the day after Katherine, looking for power to protect her, since she felt useless after fainting in the carnival. Xornoth agreed to give her power, in exchange of a favour that they could use at any point in the future, and not interefering with any direct business of them. (She can still fight against their lackeys, just not interfere in stuff like merch movement, or direct deals with other gangs)

Neither Katherine, nor Shrub knows that the other went also.

So, Xornoth starts providing to Katherine, money that she uses to buy a coffee shop that she runs together with Shrub. Katherine tells her that she got the money from the inheritance of an old uncle. They also move in together after graduating high school.

So, Katherine became Slayer, the fist of Xornoth. And Shrub became Wolf Spectre. They both fight in the regular, and hate each other. Then, they go home, and are the sweetest couple ever.

Xornoth tells Katherine about Pearl and Grian's story with the Watchers, and how they knew that this was dangerous, that they were keep looking for them, and that the watchers would hurt everyone they had become friends with when they find them. This feed a hatred towards the skyblings, as she began thinking that they didn't care about it, and that they would've let them suffer to escape again. And she keeps acting friendly towards them, as Xornoth tells her that they have a plan to make them pay, but in any case, she can discharge her anger thanks that she knows that it's them when Rifter and Gilded Warrior appear.

Also, she trains with Gem in the regular, and have some sort of friendly rivalry going on, while Gem keeps training, and hiding in Xornoth's base and Katherine also gets into missions.

[genavere]

February Whump Prompts – 2023, DAY 1: Touch Starved

Content Warnings: Mass Murder, Abuse, Death, Blood, False Imprisonment

Fandom: Fairy Tail - Natsu x Lucy - AU 

Kingdom Falls

The clack of her heels on the stone steps echoed around her. Immersed her in the darkness that resembled the moonless sky and the loneliness that seeped from her heart.

It was over.

None could control her now. None could use her for their own devices. For the better of the kingdom or their own greed. What they wanted mattered little now with their blood spilling over the grand feasting table.

Fists tightened their hold, in one hand a soiled dagger, and the other a ring of keys that jingled together with each loud step. The guard who kept them from her for so long shared the same fate as the rest. Unfortunately for him, she had not offered him an easy death with the dagger.

When the prospect of marriage had been brought up, the argument it provoked between her father and herself had been on a scale none of the castle had seen before. For five years, she had been on her absolute best behavior under the false hope that he would allow her lover to be freed from the dungeons.

In their kingdom, dragons were revered as mighty and wise. They could grant boons, or cause destruction depending on their temperament and how the humans worshipped them. Each year, a great number of carts were filled with the best foods, gifts, and gems, along with a large amount of gold coins for the hoard of the dragons.

Ask any number of people in all walks of life and positions how many dragons they had watch over them and each would give a different number. Most had never even seen a living dragon. But when a rogue dragon would attack, it would be taken down quickly and shown to the country why they made such offerings. None would argue.

At one point, she had known how many there were. But that had been five years past. Even if dragons were known to live outrageously long lives, they did tend to travel and move as they saw fit. That had meant she had no one to go to that night so long ago.

Where dragons were revered, demons were scorned.

The sighting of a dragon could cause a panic and those specially trained to take them out would be called upon. Knights and mages, demon slayers, and even their beloved dragons were beseeched to help.

War had been raging between the humans and demons for more generations than she had been able to trace back in the history books. No one knew the exact reason why they hated each other, but, in her own life, she knew it took little for humans to hate anything different from themselves.

So when the king, her father, found her in the arms of a demon-dragon hybrid, none knew how to treat the situation. If they killed him, they risked falling from favor with their beloved dragons and having hell-fire rain upon their cities.

If they let him go, what information could he give the other demons? What risks would they bring to the kingdom? The council, advisors, and the king had argued for a month straight. She had been locked in her room with only meals brought to her. Guards had been ordered at all entrances and exits of her room, from the main door, the balcony, and even the windows.

From a faithful servant, she had learned her love had been put into the deepest point of the dungeon. The furthest they could away from her to help cleanse her mind of his corruption. It was not until later she found they had ensured any other corruption he may have laid within her had been cleansed by medication in her food.

Soon, those who had been loyal to her and kept her affairs with her love disappeared from the castle. Their names passed no lips, nor tale of their whereabouts. After that, she stopped taking certain routes on the daily walk her father ordered her to be escorted for.

With them gone, no one dared to tend to her. Everything from bathes and getting ready for approved social events had to be done by her alone. The guards who followed and guarded her at all hours were frequently rotated out. They neither talked to her nor offered help if she fell or needed a hand. Their only duty to her was to keep her legs closed and bed cold.

But a carrot had been dangled before her, to keep her acting on her best behavior. After a hunger strike, her father gave her the ultimatum: behave and do as I say, and the demon lives. Disobey and his head would grace her hands once more.

So she behaved. Kept silent, stood in the background, felt herself wither. Without those she could trust, she heard no information of him, could pass no message of hope. The night before he had been taken, he said his family would be traveling and he debated going with. If he had not come that night, he would be free.

But now, if he still lingered in that cell deep below, he would be free again.

It had been nearly a fortnight since the argument had erupted. The first touch she had experienced since the day her beloved maid disappeared had been a harsh blow from her father.

“A whore was not what I raised you to be!” He roared above, fist clenched still from hitting her. She curled up on the ground, prepared for another hit, while craving some form of contact at the same time. “If you do not agree to this marriage, I will bring that demon here for you to watch his neck be severed!”

So she agreed. Like before, she did as asked, stood in the background, and prepared for her engagement feast. To keep her shape, she continued the walks her father demanded she do. Into the gardens she walked, then went to a small patch she had been tending to for the last five years.

“Dragon’s Bane,” she told the silent guard, the barest smile on her lips as she inhaled the scent of the leaves. “So strange that these leaves are the only protection we have against such large beasts.”

In her basket, she gathered the leaves and other flowers, dedicated to creating a floral piece for the feast to show that she accepted this future. As she practiced in the garden, by the well that supplied the castle water, she would gather buckets of water to wash her hands and drink from as the heat grew.

As the guards paid little attention to her, none saw the broken leaves that went with the bucket back into the water below.

Sitting on the grand table, her masterpiece in the crowning glory next to large animals of cooked meat, the rivers of blood dribbling off the heavy cherry wood, and bodies that collapsed forward from their bodies giving out to the slow poison of Dragon’s Bane. For it was the very dragons who named the leafy plant to give their enemies hope. Those without dragon’s blood or a dragon’s bond would always fall if they consumed just enough of the juices inside.

Those who had not consumed enough tasted the steel of her blade.

With the keys, she opened the door to the prison cells. More bodies laid sprawled out in cells and along the hallway. Prisoners and guards alike dead. And not a glance was spared to them.

Five years she had waited. Had given them all a chance to free her love and herself from their hell. It was time she took control.

At the end of the hallway, several guards were laid about on the ground where they fell. Weapons at hand. The door looked reinforced and battered at the same time. Hope flickered in her chest. A selection of keys made their rounds until she found the correct one.

Up at the feast, she had held her father’s head up as he choked. Made him watch the chaos and destruction he brought upon his kingdom.

“Don’t you see, father?” She had asked, touching the steel to his neck, warmed by the blood that pooled against the pressure. “When you took my dragon away from me, you created a demon you should have feared.”

Staring down at her bloodied hand as it pulled the handle, she hoped her father’s blood did not smell like her own.

Hinges cracked as rust crumbled away to the floor. Dust pulled away with the door as she used what strength she had to pull it open. Only the bottom latch where food would be slid in looked used at all.

That flicker of hope fluttered. Was he even alive after all these years?

Her skin tingled, a yearning to be held built up inside. Even a flick of his gaze would be enough. Just an acknowledgement, even!

Standing before the darkness, flames spread inside the cell and the hybrid who had stolen her heart so many years ago stepped before her. Not as muscular as he once was, she could tell the Dragon’s Bane had an effect on him. The aura he gave overwhelmed her and made her knees quiver.

Towering over her by a few inches, his once cheerful eyes held a hollowness in them. Yet, the moment he inhaled her scent, everything changed. His chapped lips cracked in a brilliant smile, his voice deep from disuse. “Luce.”

“Natsu,” she breathed. Together, they collapsed against each other, both gasping as flesh touched flesh and arms encircled each other. Emotions spilled over as they touched and caressed each other, foreheads pressed together. Just a touch…the connection. They both craved and needed it so badly from years of nothing.

He said nothing of the blood, the Dragon’s Bane, or the carnage. He looked hardly anywhere by at her, even as he held her and prepared to take from far away from this place and her ruined kingdom.

“Anywhere you wanna go?”

She shook her head, gazing up at him softly. “Anywhere is fine, as long as we are together.”

“Aye, sir.” He kissed her as his wings stretched out and prepared to carry them off. “We’ll be together forever.”

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Another month, another writing challenge I am proposing to myself! I saw this a couple weeks ago and have been contemplating if I should do it. Then I decided, nothing was stopping me from doing it, so why not?

My hard goal? Get into the hall of fame for this.

Soft goal? To at least do half of these.

Some of these will be fanfictions, others will be OC, so it will be a good mix. All of these will be put on AO3 and FF.net, as well.

Hope you enjoy!

@febuwhump @millennial-star-gazer

[lodessa]

✨ 2022 Writing Year In Review ✨

Thanks to @feeisamarshmallow​ for tagging me! Sorry it took me a while to get to it!

1. Number of stories posted to AO3: 10

2. Word count posted for the year: 37,228

3. Fandoms I wrote for: Stranger Things, Star Trek: Voyager ( and a hint of Prodigy), Revolution, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Battlestar Galactica.

4. Pairings: Chrissy Cunningham/Eddie Munson, Kathryn Janeway/Chakotay Charlie Matheson/Miles Matheson, Faith Lehane/Buffy Summers, Lee "Apollo" Adama/Kara "Starbuck" Thrace"

5. Story with the most:

Kudos: Five Times No One Saw Eddie and Chrissy Together (No Make That Four) 303 Kudos on my entry into a new fandom.

Bookmarks: (See most kudos above) 47 Bookmarks

Comments: (Same) 20 Comment Threads.

6. Work I’m most proud of (and why):

"Don't Leave Me Dry" I think. There's something about writing a fic you know is going "bomb" but you just want to write it so much you do it anyway. I knew going into it that once again I was writing a problematic ship in a dead fandom, that would probably be commented on by @romeorevoarchive and one other person, but I was struck with one little moment, that kind of inspiration that usually gets trapped in the shower or car, and I went for it anyway and do you know what: I love the immediacy, the way I ended up using music to frame it, the characterization, the physicality, the rawness and tenderness that feels so quintessentially Miles and Charlie.

7. Work I’m least proud of (and why):. . .

This is maybe going to sound weird (or entitled and bratty) and also sound contradictory to what I said in the prior response, but. . . 23K of the 37k words I wrote were my three part More Normal Things series and part of me wishes I had just left that whole thing with the first part. While the hit count didn't drop that much between them, every other metric (kudos, comments, bookmarks) took a nose and it just makes me feel like I should have quit while I was ahead. Maybe I should have written the more flashy concept Hellcheer AUs I had instead of continuing to just explore their dynamic. Maybe I should have just been pleased with the amazing welcome to the fandom I got on that first fic and moved on after that positive little moment. There are things I really liked about those second two parts, but it is obvious that readers felt diminishing returns, and that makes me wish I had updated any of my other series or WIPs instead.

8. Share or describe a favorite review you received:

Is it cheating to choose a whole series of comments I received / comment conversation I had in response to Salvation and Rapture For the Lonely? They started with this gem

and only got better from there. When I finally posted my Martha/Nine epic in 2018, I knew that it was ten years late and a super niche pairing to begin with, but it was my hope that at least one person out there would stumble upon it and be really excited for the same reasons that most people would not be interested at all, and in the last four years that is exactly what has happened a handful of times. This wonderful human left effusive, detailed, comments on every chapter and then responded to my rambling replies in a way that gave me that high of finding someone who just GETS IT.

9. A time when writing was really, really hard:

Most of the year, honestly. I really struggled to write anything most of the time (pretty much the only time writing was really flowing was August).

10. A scene or character you wrote that surprised you: 

I definitely didn't see Hellcheer as a ship (or writing anything for Stranger Things) coming. If you had told me that my new ship in 2022 would be some freshly introduced high school kids from a single episode of the show, I would have been skeptical.

11. A favorite excerpt of your writing:

From "Whispered" :

“Going to take more than that to get rid of me, Summers.” Faith feels herself smile, mostly because it hurts to move her face that much.

“Good,” Buffy smiles back, doing that lip biting thing that is a suggestion and a protestation of innocence at the same time. Perfect. Humanizing. Prudish. Primal. The reluctant hero. The girl who knows or doesn’t know she’s hot. “We still have a First Evil to defeat.”

We. When was the last time either of them actually believed that even existed? Had Buffy ever? Or was it only Faith who even wanted that to be true? No. Buffy just wanted everyone to play by her rules, not the other way around. Sometimes, Faith even wished she could do that, be relegated to a sidekick instead of a problem. If there’s one constant in the world it is me being a disruption, a wrinkle in someone’s perfect life… No. She reminds herself. I don’t have to be. I can be different.

Buffy is looking at her, really looking at her, and Faith wonders what she sees. She must look like shit. Feeling superior as usual, B? she thinks, but that’s not really what she sees in her expression. If I’m vulnerable, so are you. That it? She’s not sure that’s quite right either, but no more comforting thought is coming to mind, so she looks away.

12. How did you grow as a writer this year: 

Honestly 2022 was pretty much a fallow year for me as a writer. I suspect I won't see what changed in my writing until I am looking back on it from the perspective of what I write in 2023.

13. How do you hope to grow next year:

I would really like to get better at being able to push through and get words typed more consistently even when they are not flowing.

14. Who was your greatest positive influence this year as a writer (could be another writer or beta or cheerleader or muse etc etc): 

@romeorevoarchive who held my hand through everything I wrote or didn't write this year and even read some fic for a fandom she doesn't care about. Also special shout out to @anverli for the visual inspiration for (Don't Leave Me Dry) and many people but especially @phoenixwrites for the enthusiastic welcome to Hellcheer.

15. Anything from your real life show up in your writing this year:

Probably the most personal work I wrote this year was Exhausted Midas. I've been feeling really overwhelmed and burnt out, both like I need and want to do more and like I need to cut back on my commitments. I've been dropping a lot of balls. It is hard not to feel like this is who I am now, and I feel like that's a lot of what I was exploring with this character study of Janeway, pre-Prodigy.

16. Any new wisdom you can share with other writers:

This isn't new but here are a few reminders for myself and others:

Just because you are struggling to write right now doesn't mean you will never write again. Try to relax. Read. Trust that inspiration and focus will come together again someday.

Learn to scale down the scope of a writing project, just because "what happens" is big, doesn't mean you need to show it all: skip to the most interesting part, do abrupt transitions if you need to, add flashbacks if you need context instead of writing thousands of words to get to that critical detail

Find a buddy you can talk through the process with while writing, someone who you can send snippets to, someone you can bounce ideas off of, someone to make you feel less alone and in your own head.

Sit down and do flash fiction based on any prompt. There's something about just finding a way to make some constraint work and typing out whatever you can in what sitting before setting it loose on the world.

17. Any projects you’re looking forward to starting (or finishing) in the new year:

Last week, I came across a list from two years ago with 20 things on it. I had actually written and posted 1, which means who knows what will happen but right now:

I would really like to update (and possibly even finish) one of my major partly posted WIPS: k'war'ma'khon (my Georgiou!lives Discovery AU) and Dragon Marked (my soulmarks, reincarnation, modern with some magic Dany/Jorah epic).

I would like to complete my long planned sequels for The Smallest Twine (my Janeway and Chakotay meet before the end of the Cardassian War and that changes EVERYTHING AU . . . though it makes me sad to think about how Laura inspired it all and she's not here to enjoy the rest of it now) and the next installment of Balancing Act (my Logan/Veronica/Weevil threesome + series)

I would like to finally finish and post some of the in progress fics that have been languishing in my Google Drive for years, including but not limited to: the Veronica Mars Season 3 AU I started in 2014, the Greek Myth AU Janeway/Chakotay fic, my Jaime/Brienne, Sansa/Aegon, Davos/Jon Connington ASOIAF solution.

Some fic ideas I have not actually written, including but not limited to: Miles gets swapped with an alternate timeline version of himself Revo fic, Hellcheer Room With a View AU, that BtVS/Punisher crossover fic with Faith/Billy Russo (okay that pairing actually the whole idea), my inevitable Elendil/Mirael fic.

18. Tag some writers whose answers you’d like to read.

Let's go with: @clarasimone, @liminal-zone, @janiedean, and @lilalbatross but anyone who wants to do this, should