#I haven't yet figured out what their written language looks like. that's for another time

[styllwaters]

do you have any ideas about Knight language(s)? How they sound, work, etc.?

I'm glad you asked! Sorry this took so long; it's a bit of a long one.

For Knight languages, all vocalisations originate from the Host. Spoken language is harsh and guttural, consisting of deep growling, hissing, and ‘rolls of the tongue’. Their growls are quite loud, and accompanying them are low-frequency vibrations which can be felt across the entire body. The closest approximation would be cassowary rumbling. Hosts rely less on their ears (which are small holes hidden under their fur) and more on vibrations to detect sound.

Helmets are incapable of making such complex vocalisations and instead use many forms of sign language to communicate via their manipulators. When a Knight mentally separates their Host and Helmet, the Helmet is no longer able to speak through the Host. As such, there are two main language forms used by Knights of every regional variety; the vocal Host language and the signing Helmet language.

However, typically when Knights are communicating, they may use a mixture of the two, called Speech-sign. Helmet signing accompanied by Host speech aids in conveying proper tone, considering Host articulation tends to be very monotone. It also contains underlying messages; or what we would call subtext. As a result, Knights tend to be highly attentive to body language and focus on hand movements rather than eyes/mouth when in conversation.

[Pictured above: the Plains pike-fort Kryyit-kan conversing with their guard-spire mate, Ynsi-jehwa. Kryyit is apologising for squishing Ynsi's favourite pet bug.]

There are some ‘universal’ signs and gestures which are generally understood by all Knights, no matter the language or region. Many of these signs are also used during hunts to communicate from afar without startling prey. Mountain, Plains, and Polar Knight children are taught these from an early age.

[Pictured above: the eight essential signs used by all Knights. Helmet manipulators are highly dexterous and can move in various directions.]

Knights also have ‘drumming’ languages, which is a method of communicating over long distances. Mainly used in Plains regions, Knights drum on the sand with their back feet in patterns not unlike Morse code. For more reliable and accurate communication they may use a thumping device. Knights are able to detect these seismic disturbances over vast stretches of land.

ADDITIONAL FACTS

Mountain Knight names tend to contain a lot of consonants and are the most hissy/raspy/guttural. The Host name comes before the Helmet name, and they are combined into one. (Eg. Neghasharat-Hksuutaka = Negha-taka)

Plains Knight names have more vowels and are slightly higher pitched. They are similar to the Mountain naming scheme, except the Helmet name comes before the Host name. (Eg. Krryitmana-Kankala = Krryit-kan)

Polar Knight names are not two-part. They do not name their Host or Helmets at all, only naming the Knight infant when they are assimilated. They are generally shorter and are the highest pitched. (Eg. Reio)

Knight 'laughing' sounds exactly like tiger chuffing!

[drabbles-mc]

Invisible Silver Linings (1/7)

Robert 'Bob' Reynolds x F!Reader

Series Warnings: 18+, Thunderbolts* spoilers, language, angst, mentions of scars, mentions of self-harm/suicidal ideations

Summary: You signed on to become part of a study when you realized that you didn't have anything left to lose. What harm could it really do? How much worse could it really get? ... You didn't expect to get answers to those questions. You also didn't expect to meet Bob. You'd end up thankful for at least one of those things.

Chapter Index

Word Count: 1.5k

A/N: i know i haven't written for Marvel in a while, but i started working on this lil series the second i left the theater on Thursday. it's so nice to see Lewis Pullman getting the creds he deserves. 🥰anyway!!!! I've finished this series and will be posting updates on a weekly or twice-weekly basis until it's all up here and good to go. please let me know what you think!

“They've been taking us in batches,” you told him. You hadn't even bothered to introduce yourself to him, but from the moment they brought him into the room with the rest of you, he'd been looking around, a little twitchy and on-edge. You supposed that you couldn't really blame him. It was a strange position that you were all finding yourselves in. Then again, you had all chosen to sign up for it.

He turned and looked at you, eyes wide and worried at the same time. “Wh-what?”

You nodded in the direction of the doors on the opposite end of the room, not the ones that he had just walked through or anyone else either. One set brought you in, another set brought you out. You had yet to see anyone come back into the room after they left, and while there were plenty of things that that could mean, you wondered if it was the worst case scenario that had crossed your mind before. Judging by the look on his face, it wasn't going to take him long to think of that worst case scenario either.

“The doctors. Scientists. Whatever you wanna call them,” you gave up on titles with a shrug, “have been taking people in batches.”

His mouth dipped into a frown as he took in what you said. He looked around the room that the two of you were in, looked at all of the other people who were in there with you. No one looked very happy to be there even though, if their situations were anything like yours, they had signed off on being here. Not that you looked ecstatic either, so maybe you shouldn't judge. You were just tired. And uncomfortable. All these people stuffed into this room and they couldn't find better seating arrangements? At least the clothes they were forcing you all to wear were comfortable, even if they weren't exactly fashionable. Sure, they kind of made you feel like you were in an asylum of some kind, but they were baggy and soft so it could’ve been worse. The new guy looked like he was close to swimming in his.

He looked around long enough to realize that most people were sitting. There were limited chairs and tables, but you clearly hadn't let that deter you as you found a pocket of space on the floor to sit on. Not quite in the corner but you were far enough off to keep an eye on most of the people in the room with you. The entry door was also close by, and while you didn't have any plans or desire to make a break for it just yet, you figured that it might end up being your best bet if it came down to it. Staring down at you, he watched as you rested your head back against the wall behind you. Your legs were bent at the knee, and your arms were draped over the top of them. Whatever it was that he saw in your facial expression must've been just safe and inviting enough for him to decide to sit down next to you.

It wasn’t a graceful descent on his part, but he didn't fall on top of you. He was closer to you than maybe a stranger should've been in a place like this, but he didn’t seem like he even noticed. He crossed his legs, hands resting in his lap as he looked back and forth between you and the room around you. Something about the way he was sitting, the look on his face, he looked a little bit like a boy stuck in a man's body. He didn’t seem like the kind of person who should be signing up for sketchy medical trials that bring you to undisclosed places.

You would've been content to sit there in silence until it was your turn to get called, but apparently you were alone in that sentiment. “I'm Bob, by the way,” he said, sounding more sure of himself than he had the first time he spoke to you.

When you turned to look him in the eye, you found him already waiting and watching, an expectant look on his face that only added to the little aura of innocence around him. You figured one good turn deserved another if the two of you were going to be stuck together for now, so you gave him your name in return. He smiled at the sound of it, giving a tiny nod of acknowledgment.

“I think you're the first person I've talked to since I got here,” you told him.

He tilted his head, brows furrowing in thought. “When did you get here?”

Looking up at the ceiling, you thought about it for a moment. Being in this strange, mostly empty room that had no windows for natural light had already messed up your sense of time even though you hadn't been there that long yet. “Day before last.”

His eyes widened again. “And they still haven't taken you?”

You chuckled. “You should've seen how many people were in here. I think that's why they're doing…whatever they're doing, in batches.”

“How are they choosing people?” he asked, looking now at the small clusters of people who were still waiting. Some people were keeping to themselves, much like you had been before Bob showed up and decided to switch things up on you.

Letting your eyes close while your head was rested back, you shook your head. “No clue. I don't work here.”

He let out a quiet laugh at that. “Right. Sorry.”

Even though you weren't looking at him, choosing instead to stare at the backs of your eyelids, you could still feel the nervous energy that was radiating off him. If he kept this up, he was going to tire himself out before he even got to the hard part. If he couldn’t handle waiting, there was no way that he was going to be cut out for whatever was waiting on the other side of the exit doors. You didn’t have any words of comfort to offer him, mostly because you had no idea what the hell was really going on yourself. Something told you, though, that it wouldn’t take very long for him to pick up another topic of conversation. Wouldn’t take long for him to start asking more questions that you wouldn’t have any answers to.

As if he could hear your thoughts, he said, “Anyone say what exactly it is that they're doing?”

You didn’t open your eyes. “Nope.”

When he spoke up again, his voice was softer, almost like he was afraid for anyone to hear what he was saying. “I hope it works.”

That got you to crack one eye open so you could give him a bit of a sideways glance. He wasn’t looking at you anymore, instead his stare was fixed on the hem of his pants. He'd found a loose thread and was starting to pick at it.

“What'd they tell you?” you asked.

You wondered briefly if his eyes would ever end up getting stuck wide like that. “What?”

Turning your head to face him in earnest once more, you elaborated. “What'd they tell you they were doing? What'd they offer you to do this?”

His expression dampened, and suddenly it was like he couldn’t meet your eyes. His focus shifted back to the thread. He was shaking his head, and something told you the action wasn't directed at you, but rather at himself. “They said that they could make me great. They…they could make me better.” He found it in himself to look at you, and it was then that you could see how glassy his eyes had gotten. “I really wanna be better.” He sniffed, blinking a few times to beat his tears back into submission. Giving his head and shoulders a small shake, he tried to get himself sounding normal again as he asked, “Wh-what'd they tell you?”

“Something similar.” The point of your elbows dug into the tops of your knees as you dropped your head into your hands. Raking your fingers back along your scalp, you rested with your head down for a moment before looking at Bob again. “I'm not really looking to be great. I just,” you shrugged, “it can't get much worse for me so I figured why not?”

The genuine sadness on his face shocked you. All those feelings for someone who was a complete stranger to him. “Oh. I'm sor—”

You waved him off before he could finish the apology. “Don't be. Not like any of it was your fault. Besides, we both still ended up here regardless,” you made a brief gesture to the room, “so what the fuck does it really matter?”

There was a thoughtful frown on his face as he considered your words. “Right.” Quiet filled the space between you again. You could only try to venture a guess at what Bob was thinking about. Probably everything that led him here—that's what you'd spent most of your time thinking about, anyway. Wondering if this was the right choice or not, not that there were many other choices at your disposal anyway. No use in regretting it. You were here in your pajama uniform with Bob and dozens of other people whose names you hadn't bothered to try and learn. This was what you had now. There was nothing more to it than that.

Marvel Taglist (please let me know if you'd like to be added!): @garbinge @artemiseamoon @late-to-the-party-81 @blackhawkfanatic

[the-s1lly-corner]

Hanging out in the Mansion

Another one!!! Growls@@ im halfway tempted to go look for the old fics and quizzes I used to adore on quotev in middle school

Notes: gn reader, you're a crp, written as non romantic since youre new to the mansion, long post, there will be some character overlap due to "OH x and y hang out together too", very self indulgent, technical part two to the breakfast post

CWs: canon typical violence and death mentions

Characters: slenderman, splendorman, jeff, nina, Jane, masky, hoodie, Toby, Ben, Sally, Eyeless jack, laughing jack

SLENDERMAN

He doesn't really... do much... sure he doesn't outwardly stop you from tagging along with him, but... it kind of feels like a vague tolerance of your existence there in the moment

The only time he really shuts you down and makes you leave is when he goes out into the woods to feed... or when he shuts himself inside his.. office.. space.. at least it looked like an office from the fleeting glimpse you caught through the door before he shut it in your face

But outside of that he tends to... observe the others... sticking to the walls, near the corners

He is... a good listener. At least you think he is. You could tell him anything and he'd cast you no judgement... you wouldn't get any confirmation he was actually paying attention to you until he brings up something you said or liked weeks later

SPLENDORMAN

You can usually find him either keeping Sally entertained or chatting with someone, at least when he's in the mansion! He... actually leaves fairly often for a few hours.. no clue what he does- you haven't quite figured it out or worked up the nerve to ask

But whatever he's doing he's more than happy to let you join him! All you have to do is ask! As far as he's concerned you're already a friend

Though get ready for him to gently and not so subtly pry- asking all sorts of questions to get to know you. Absolute sweetheart even if a little intrusive, if his questions ever tread to more... personal subjects... let him know and he'll drop it in an instant

Always makes sure you're included in any group activities he's in

MASKY

Odds are he's with hoodie, so the three of you are going to be a trio for the day.. you kind of just follow their lead once they're back from doing... whatever it was they were sent out into the woods to do

He doesn't talk much- at most he might respond to you verbally once or twice. It's not that he doesn't like you- he doesn't have any strong feelings for you yet. It's just that he's not very... talky

If you ask bluntly enough he'll show you around the mansion. You already know where the rooms and kitchen are. As well as the living room.. he shows you where other non-bedroom rooms are, as well as the immediate forested area around the mansion

It's... actually a little nice once the quiet tension passes

HOODIE

Great listener, you can talk to him about just about anything. He kind of... nods.. when you trail off and go quiet. You can keep going, he doesn't mind

You're free to tag along behind him as he walks around doing some smaller stuff around the woods. He may not have any assigned work from slenderman at the moment... but sometimes he can't stand just doing nothing

Plus your voice is a nice change from the silence of the woods... also it's a good opportunity for you to get to know the general layout. Landmarks to mentally jot down so you don't get lost

Even if you know sign language he doesn't communicate that much- not much for conversing from his side of things

TICCI TOBY

He mostly hangs out in the living room so going up to him is fairly easy! He's not going to be totally buddy buddy with you off the bat but he's not shut off

If he's in the living room, jeff is there too. And that gets him talking- you're free to hop into the conversation whenever you'd like if you've got something worth while to say

Actually if it goes well you're free to join the two of them just about whenever! He plans on going around the woods tonight to do.. fuck all.. collect rocks, run around, things like that. Maybe the three of you can go out to town and nab some snacks

Only if you're not gonna get them caught of course

JEFF

It's too light outside to go out and do some slashing so in order to kill the time Jeff lounges about the mansion. You're free to join... you seemed cool at breakfast so try not to make yourself look like a total dork

Knife throwing is one of his favorite hobbies when Slenderman isn't breathing down his neck. Throwing the blade decently is a quick way to foster a friendship with him! Though if you suck... maybe he'll be nice enough to give you some tips

He's... a little hot headed... easily agitated. So keep that in mind when interacting with him pre solidified friendship- he's got a shorter fuse for people he doesn't really have a connection to

But other than that he's... oddly chill enough to hang out with. If you impress him he might ask you to come to town with him tonight to pick out some late night stragglers

JANE

She doesn't really spend time around in the common areas or with others. Nina's too much. Jeff is.. Jeff.. She does sometimes play with sally.. lj is too loud and ej returns her blunt and somewhat cold attitude... so she spends a lot of her time either in her room, outside, or in the library

She doesn't own the woods or the mansions library so you're free to join her. Just don't get all up in her business

She at least gives you some attention if you ask something or need something. She won't go out of her way to get you something but she at least gives you instructions

Low social battery, it's best not to pester her too much all at once... slow burn friendship...

More or less instantly shuts you out if she finds out you're also getting buddy buddy with jeff

NINA

Drags you around the mansion- basically pulling you by the arm the entire time. While masky shows you around in silence she's going to be telling you every little detail... even if a lot of the stuff serves no purpose to you

But once that's done and squared away she actually.. just outright asks if you want to go hang out in her room. Maybe listen to music.. watch a movie.. make something-

At least that's assuming she doesn't plant herself in the living room to chat up Jeff and catch up with Toby... or assuming she doesn't get snatched up by Sally to go play some games

Really she kind of drifts around the mansion doing whatever...! Like laughing jack there's a chance you'll be hanging out with someone else if you stick with her!

BEN DROWNED

Odds are he's with Jeff. Sure maybe not physically, but when you're a spirit tied to technology there aren't many windows to step out into the physical world

Oh he WILL make fun of you for throwing up your throws during the knife throwing thing. He will never let you live down a particularly bad throw. Months can pass and he will still bring it up

He doesn't really ask you questions about yourself- at least not the "OH where are you from?" "What do you like?" Ect ect ect ice breaker questions to get to know people... nah... he's more likely to ask if you wanna get your ass handed to you in a game

It's been so long since he's had a new gaming buddy- sometimes having the same shit talk with the same people gets old

SALLY

Well obviously she's going to drag you off to play some games! Odds are she's managed to snag a few others to join you!

It's actually.. really fun... sure it's little kids games- board games, tea parties, pretend. Things like that but who doesn't like innocent fun every now and then?

It also gives you a chance to just.. have a moment of peace. No doubt the transition of moving into the mansion has been hectic

...good luck trying to leave, she's going to get for at least one more game.. and another... and another... playing with splendor and Jane and on occasion ben and nina is fun- but you're fun too it seems!

LAUGHING JACK

Always on his feet- he seems almost incapable of keeping still for very long. Sticking with him leads to you scurrying across nearly the entire mansion and learning just about every inch of it save for any rooms that are off limits

Hes.. open. Chatty and willing to pick you apart to figure out what makes you tick- not in a malicious way to keep you in line... no no no, it's all mostly innocent for him...

He can be a little overstimulating sometimes, though, he talks a lot and he talks loud. Not quite shouting but his talking voice is definitely louder than most... he also moves around. A lot. Not just walking- he emotes a LOT. And laughs... a lot

Hanging out with him often times leads you hanging out with just about everyone for at least a few minutes

EYELESS JACK

He likes to spend his time alone. He doesn't... really enjoy spending time around others. Everyone's either too nosey or too loud. Your best bet at getting close to him is just... letting him take the lead

Small talk is going to be your best friend- slipping in some words in passing whenever you guys run into one another. He's reclusive but he's not outright rude... well... okay he's blunt and sometimes doesn't have tact but he's not going to ignore you if you haven't done anything wrong

It's like trying to befriend a cat. Give him time and let him warm up to you at his own pace. He won't be all over you when he starts seeing you as a friend but overtime those few shared words turn into sentences...

Maybe one day you can convince him to come hang out in your room to watch a show or something

[ahgasegotarmy116]

Seven Days to Fall Again | Friday | Jeon Jungkook

Inspired by the MV "Seven" by Jung Kook ft. Latto (obvi lol) Summary:Caught in the rain, trying to get to you. You tried to go out to clear your head but he wants to make sure you know he's always looking out for you. Pairing: Reader x Jungkook (almost exes to lovers lol) Word Count: 4.3k (longest chapter so far lol) Warnings: Smut (too lazy to add specifics lol), Explicit language that's it lol a/n: Hey guys so uh...got a little carried away with this one but I said this a little while ago but Friday really didn't have much of a plot in the mv so I kinda just went with whatever felt right. I hope you like it! Let me know what you think! p.s. barely edited and written in one sitting but I figured I might as well post it lol Start from the beginning

I'm going out tonight, nothing major or anything I just wanted to go out so I can get him off my mind even if it's only for a few hours.

Walking into the restaurant I'm greeted with a big group of my colleagues and I slide in next to one of the girls while I greet everyone. A couple of minutes later we all settle back into our own separate conversations with one of the many not so comfortable ones about to start. 

"You look like shit" Kayla whispers to me. She's my best friend so I'm used to her being this honest but it still comes as a surprise sometimes. "Thanks Kay" I say sarcastically, rolling my eyes at her before taking a sip of water. 

"No but for real what's wrong? You've been ignoring me for the past few days and then suddenly you're inviting everyone out like nothings happened?" she questions, knowing that something's up. "What's wrong with inviting people out? I'm sorry I haven't been answering you, I've have a busy couple of days" I say, not necessarily lying but knowing that I had the time to respond to her if I wanted to. 

I decided to just take what I had hoped for was a step back for a second to just do me but then I ended up dealing with Jungkook chasing me around instead so everything else just seemed like it was too much. "Whatever" Kayla says taking a sip of her beer, knowing I'm lying but deciding not to push it. If it were just the two of us I know she would shake me until I spit it out but she knows better than to do that in front of everyone. 

"So y/n, how are things going? We thought that Jungkook would've come with you" one of the girls at the other end of the table says with her boyfriend right next to her nodding in agreement. "Oh he had to work late" I say giving a simple excuse hoping they'll drop it and luckily they do. Before we're able to move on though my eyes widen in horror as I see the devil himself walking into the restaurant and look around until he spots me, giving me a soft smile with an unreadable expression. 

"Hey guys" Jungkook says awkwardly but comes up to sit next to me and gives me a kiss on the cheek to make things seem normal, being able to tell from my body language alone that I haven't told anyone about the breakup yet. 

"Hi Noona" he whispers in my ear making me shiver. I scold myself for letting my body betray me but I can't really do much to change it anymore. I pull away from him and take another drink of water trying to cover up things but I can tell from the slight smile on his face he know he's still got a hold on me. 

"Oh Jungkook! Y/n was just saying how you couldn't come because you were working late" the same girl asks, curious for an explanation. I know she means well but this girl just doesn't know when to quit. "Oh I wanted to surprise her" he says draping his arm around the back of my chair. It's luckily an answer that satisfies all of them and the conversation switches to another topic soon after. 

"What are you doing here?" I turn and whisper to him, making sure the people around us definitely won't hear. "I went by the apartment and I saw that you weren't there and I got worried. You still share your location with me so I wanted to come and make sure you were okay" he says placing his hand on my thigh as a way to show his sincerity and also play the part of still being a happy couple. 

"Well as you can see I'm fine so you can leave now" I say and pull back giving him a pointed look but before he can respond another person from the group speaks up. "What are you two love birds talking about over there?" one of the guys teases. "Wouldn't you like to know" Jungkook says with a smug smile taking the burden of having to come up with an excuse off of me.

"How have things been with you guys though? It's been a while since either of you have been out with us?" another girl asks. When did tonight become a ask y/n and Jungkook 20 questions? Why can't we just drink and eat and talk about anything but us, even though there's not really an 'us' right now. 

"Things have been good, yeah we're- oh look the food is here!" I start but I'm thankfully given an excuse to turn the topic to something else as the waiters place all of the various side dishes in front of us as well as the raw meat to grill with everyone's minds are now focused on getting everything ready to eat. 

Jungkook gets a piece of meat off the grill and adds it to his ssam and I go to do the same but as soon as I'm putting the finishing touches on mine Jungkook holds his out and offers it to me. "Open" he says, urging me to let him feed me and I give him a dead pan expression, annoyed that he would even go this far. 

I look around the table and see the others taking little glances at us and commenting on how cute we are and so I turn my eyes back over to him and open my mouth for him to put in and he does so happily, watching attentively and making sure I don't choke on anything. 

Once I've chewed a bit I continue filling the one I was working on and instead overfill it and hold it out for Jungkook to eat. He looks down at it, intimidated by the size but once I cock a brow at him he opens his mouth receiving it and the next second I shove it into his mouth, leaving him coughing and struggling to get it down. 

"Is he okay?" one of the guys asks me. "Oh yeah he's fine don't worry about it. Aren't you honey?" I say, daring him to say otherwise and he simply holds up an 'okay' sign with his hand as he coughs and tries his best to chew and swallow everything down which annoyingly he's able to do. 

"How did that taste love?" I whisper to him with a sickeningly sweet smile, payback for him showing up here even though he knew I wouldn't want him here. "Was that really necessary?" he questions after taking a few gulps of water. "Was you coming here really necessary? I told you to leave me alone" I whisper to him and at this point I sound like a broken record. 

"I want to talk to you though" he responds doing just the same. "And until you let me I'm just gonna keep showing up and bothering you until you give me a chance to do so" he says, finally admitting to his nonsense tactic to getting his way, clearly making his younger age show. I stand up abruptly, and decide that I have given up on keeping up appearances and make moves to leave. 

"Sorry guys I'm not feeling well so I think I'm gonna get going" I say and open my purse and hand Kayla twenty dollars to cover my part of the bill. "You okay?" she asks and I say yes but she can clearly see that I'm not. "I'll be fine guys don't worry I'm just gonna head home and get some rest" I say and when I start to walk away Jungkook follows after also following suit to give Kayla more than enough to cover for us. 

"You can stay here and have fun with them" I says sweetly, putting up an act for them but using it as a threat to him. "No it's okay Jungkook go help take care of her we'll see you guys next time" one of them says but before I'm able to disagree Jungkook jumps in. "Thanks for everything guys" he responds before ushering the both of us towards the exit. 

Before we step outside the door though we finally notice it's started to rain, and not just rain but a full on downpour. "When did it start raining?" I ask looking at the world outside as it looks a though it had been raining for ages already. "It looked kind of cloudy when I came in but it wasn't raining yet" he says, just as shocked by the sight. 

"Lemme call us a cab" he says and pulls out his phone to do so. "No I can get one myself" I say and take a deep breath before walking out, no rain jacket, no umbrella, nothing. I just need to get away from here and away from him as soon as possible. "Y/n where are you going?" he says and runs after me and before I'm even able to try and hail a cab I can clearly see that there are none in sight. 

"Just come back inside and we can wait for one and if you want we can even take separate cabs" he offers trying to meet me halfway. "No, I don't need your help" I say and blindly start walking away, hoping he will just go back inside and leave me alone "Noona wait it's too dangerous!" he calls after me but I don't even bother looking back. 

"You know you're going the wrong way right?" he yells, hoping to get me to turn around and let him help me. "I don't care" I yell back and start walking faster. "Where are you going?" he yells, making sure to still stay close. "Away from you" I say and keep going on my journey to no where. 

"Just let me help you get home okay, please" he begs but I don't budge, I'm gonna keep walking until he gets tired and finally leaves me alone. "You know I'm not letting you walk these streets all by yourself right? As long as you're out here I'm staying with you" he say, seeing right through me but I keep walking anyway.

~~~~~~ 

I keep walking and walking until we've come to that same bookshop I had been in just yesterday, finally taking notice of just how far I've walked. I finally stop and catch my breath for a second, trying to figure out what the hell kind of point I'm trying to prove here but I can't come up with one that is big enough to do something ridiculous like this. 

He catches up to me a few seconds later and just stands beside me, not trying to get closer and not bothering to say anything since he knows it would probably just make me even more angry. 

We stand there for a second and I look up at the sky, taking a deep breath before looking back over at him where he's just standing there and looking at the wet ground around me, not making eye contact with me either, just making sure that I know that he's going to be right here standing next to me no matter what I say. 

I take another deep breath and swallow my pride before holding my hand out for him to take. He shifts his weight away from me and just stares at it for a second, trying to figure out what caused a change in heart that I would not only stop but ask for him to grab my hand. 

"So you gonna take it or not?" I ask getting irritated that he's taking too long to make up his mind and at that he reaches his hand out quickly and places it in mine before looking back up at me with a questioning gaze. Instead of responding I just tug on his hand and turn us both around to walk back the way we just came and start heading back home.

~~~~ 

Once we get to the door I immediately grab my keys and open up, letting the both of us inside. "Fuck I'm freezing" I say taking off my shoes and stripping off my sweater, forgetting the tiny tank top I'm wearing without a bra and I don't even notice until I turn back around and see that he's staring at my chest, nipples cold and hard and when he he notices I'm staring at him he looks up at me with an intensity I haven't seen in a while. 

I look at him, drinking in his figure as well seeing how soaked his white t-shirt is and how his pants are clinging to his thighs. I gulp and look back up at his face where his eyes have gotten even darker from observing how I was checking him out as well. 

He takes a few steps towards me and I stumble back against a wall and am forced to watch as he takes a few steps closer until he's looking right down at me. He takes his hand and reaches for the one he had been holding before and then brings it up to his lips giving it a kiss. 

"Why did you let me in?" he questions, his voice deeper and a bit strained from breathing in the cold air from the journey here. "I-i don't know" I whisper and my eyes flick down to his lips unconsciously and he takes that as a sign to keep going. 

He places his other hand on my cheek and I flinch a bit at how cold it is but lean into it a few seconds later, welcoming the fluttering feeling it stirs my my stomach. He leans down and rests his forehead against mine causing me to close my eyes, feeling like I'm burning under his intense gaze. 

"What are you doing to me?" he whispers and all I can do is try not to whimper in response. He tilts my chin up and brings his face closer and rubs his nose up against mine making me feel breathless at the slightest sign of intimacy no matter how small and I find myself unconsciously wrapping my arms around his neck. He in turn leans in and closes the distance between us, kissing me softly but still coaxing a whimper out of me, missing the feeling off being wanted by him. 

He moulds his lips against mine and brushes his tongue along my bottom lip and I open my mouth at the feeling, letting him use his tongue to explore my mouth, making butterflies fly in my stomach and leaving me moaning softly as I welcome him in. 

I take my hands off of his shoulders and feel for his jacket and start to push it off of him which he obliges and I reach for his shirt and push it up to help him take it off and he parts from my lips only for a second to slip it over his head. I touch his bare skin and even though we were so wet and cold his skin has already started to heat up leaving me not being able to take my hands off of him.

My hands travel up and down his abs and pecks that have both gotten more defined since the last I had seen them and before I'm able to think about it any more he trails his hands down my hips and  continues to trail them down and grabs the inside of my thighs before he breaks apart our lips again telling me to jump and I do immediately, kissing him as he walks us both back to the bedroom. 

Once we get there he helps me out of my tank top and traces his hands along my bare back while pressing me closer into him our chest now flush against each other while it almost feels like he's trying to hold me even closer, not letting go and devouring my mouth until he trails his hands along my curves and fiddles with the button of my pants and waits for me to say something before actually taking them off. 

Still kissing me I part for a second and utter a hurried 'yes' before he's unzipping them and taking everything off leaving me completely bare and I help him get out of the rest of his clothes right after. 

We both fall onto the bed together and never stop kissing and I part my legs for him to lay between. He runs a finger along my slit making me whimper against his lips as he teases my clit and then circles it around my entrance and then slowly slips a finger in making me let out a restrained moan, being sensitive from not having been touched by him for so long. 

"Shit" he says feeling how tight I am just from putting in one finger and working it in and out of me, coaxing me to stretch out for him. "Jungkook" I whimper when he adds another digit and he swears again at how much I'm clenching around them. "Relax baby" he whispers rubbing his thumb against my clit in circles to help me calm down and open up enough so he can slip another finger in. 

"I haven't fucked you properly in a while huh?" he says between kisses, curling his fingers up inside of me making a breathy moan spill past my lips as I squeeze my eyes shut. "I don't know if this tiny cunt can even take me anymore. Do you think it can?" he asks rubbing his nose up against mine while he curls his fingers inside me again.

I nod my head but he's not satisfied, "Words Noona. Do you think this pretty little cunt can take me again?" he pushes and rubs his thumb around my clit again while thrusting his fingers inside of me. "Yes" I moan out and he luckily decides not to tease any longer. 

"That's a good girl" he says before taking his fingers out of me and placing them in his mouth, savoring my taste before he leans down and kisses me again "Almost forgot how sweet you taste" he says and before I'm able to even think about responding he pushes the tip inside making me let out a breathy moan. 

"Fuck I missed this" he says pushing in a bit more, giving me time to adjust before going in further. "Jungkook" I whimper, not being able to focus on anything but the sensation of feeling him bare and going deeper and deeper. "I know baby, I know" he says pushing in more while placing a kiss on my temple before bottoming out. 

"Looks like this pretty cunt is greedy isn't she?" he says while rubbing my clit, helping me get used to him. He rests his forehead against mine and lets labored breaths in and out, relishing in the feeling of my walls clenching around him. I nod my head and he takes it as a sign to move and he pulls out half way before pushing all the way in, setting a more gentle, sensual pace that leaves my brain fogging up with thoughts of only him. 

He pulls out all the way and presses back into me inch by inch, savoring how my walls are sucking him in. "Please, faster" I say, throwing my head back on the pillow, dying from the slow building feeling of my orgasm, wanting to be granted release sooner. "Patience Noona" he taunts and he presses back in but pulls out and gives me a shallow hard thrust leaving my back arching up into him. 

He quickens his pace and starts kissing on my neck, leaving marks in his wake and soon thrusting into me harder while I let out restrained moans. "No Noona let me hear you, I wanna hear you scream my name" he growls and starts thrusting into me at an animalistic pace. "Fuck Jungkook" I moan, starting to get closer to my release.

"What is it pretty?" he says slowing down the pace, leaving me whining at the feeling of my high coming down again. "No" I say throwing my head back into the pillows, hating that he robbed me of it. "No what? I just gave you a chance to tell me what you wanted, I couldn't hear you over all of your moaning" and he punctuates his sentence with a sharp thrust earning him a choked moan coming out of me and feeling me squeeze around him. 

"Does Noona wanna cum?" he taunts, giving me another sharp thrust. "Jungkook please" I beg, pulling him closer to kiss him but he stops before our lips touch. "I don't know what you want me to do unless you tell me" he says, lips brushing against mine but not close enough to kiss. 

"I wanna cum, please" I breathe out and at that I see a mischievous glint flash in his eyes before he kisses me and pounds into me harder than he had before and swallowing all of my moans of pleasure. 

"You close?" he questions after a while, already being able to feel the answer but making me say it nonetheless. "Shit y-yes so close k-keep going" I stutter, about to tip over the edge and seconds later it all comes crashing down, leaving me arching into him and dragging my nails along his back and he groans at the feeling and cums seconds after that, fucking us both through our highs. 

Once he's emptied out he keeps on thrusting until I whine from over stimulation and kisses me while he pulls out, me hating the feeling of being empty again. He lays down on top of me for a second as we both catch our breaths but soon rolls off and lays next to me while we both take a second to slow down our breathing. 

Without a word he sits up and walks over to my side and scoops me up in his arms. "What are you doing?" I ask throwing my arms around his neck. "You need to go to the bathroom and then we need to clean up he says, making decisions for what I need to do before giving me an option like always but I decide not to mention it this time, staying silent and waiting for him to put me down. 

He sets me down on my feet and turns around to turn on the shower and walks out into the hallway to get us both towels, giving me a bit of privacy to do my business before coming back in. When he comes back he opens the shower door for me and lets me walk in, holding on to make sure I don't fall before coming in after me.                         

We both stand there in the shower getting warm under the water as the doors and mirrors get fogged up in turn. 

Neither of us talks for a while until he puts some body wash in his hands and lathers it up before rubbing it onto my back and shoulders, talking his time to wash me from head to toe, cleaning and massaging all of me to make sure to loosen me up so I won't get sore. 

He's does this every time we have sex, or had sex since it's been a while and I welcome it, hating and loving the feeling. Feeling guilty about letting him take care of me like this when all I've done is push him away. 

As he finishes up he takes my shampoo and conditioner and washes my hair as well before rinsing everything off of me and switching places with me gently so he's in the direct stream of water so he can wash himself as well.

While he has his arms up and is scrubbing his scalp I wrap my arms around him from behind and rest my cheek against his back. "This was a mistake" I mumble and at that he freezes before hurrying to rinse the shampoo out of his hair so it doesn't get in either of our eyes. 

"Is that how you truly feel?" he asks, sounding disheartened but knowing that something like this was going to happen if I still wanted to push him away. "Yeah. Well, I don't know" I say, being honest with honestly not knowing how I feel. 

He turns around to face me and looks down while cupping my face in both of his hands. "Do you want me to leave?" he asks, his eyes going back and forth between mine searching my face for answers and finding the one that says I want him to leave and he utters an silent okay before I even have a chance to say anything.

He opens the shower door and closes it behind him, taking one of the towels and drying off his hair quickly before wrapping it around his waist and walking out of the bathroom. I let out a pained sigh and feel a rush of emotions flood my system with senses of doubt in all of my dealings with this.

'Do I want him to go? Do I want him to stay? Do I want to be with him? Do I want to break up?' those as well as many more are the questions that go round and round in my head without answers. 

The thing that breaks me out of that circular train of thought though is the sound of the front door closing behind him as he walks out and the next is the sound of my sobs as I hit the floor, finally let my heart break.  

Thursday / Saturday Series Masterlist

Taglist: @jkslipppiercing @trina864 @kaitieskidmore97 @goddesofimortality @coolbluedude @00frenchfries00 @bangtans-momma @coralmusicblaze @pastelpinkjoon @joonwater @marvelbun @j3nni-rs @evidive @beomieboi @forevrglow @jesssssmaybankk @teugiie @chaconnelatte @whoa-jo @snehal @xumyboo @mindurbuzznezz @diorh0seokie

Join my Taglist!

Feel free to fill out the form or just comment on any of my fics to be added :)

[wolfpants]

writer questions

Thank you so much for the tags, @houndsinhades @citrusses @arminaa8! I loved reading your responses! What a talented, thoughtful bunch of lovelies you all are.

How many works do you have on ao3? 72

What is your total wordcount? 821k

Top 5 stories by kudos:

Romp and Circumstance (Drarry) Pages of You (Drarry, Wolfstar) Forever Live and Die (Wolfstar) Led by Light of a Star Sweetly Gleaming (Wolfstar) Terrible People (Drarry)

Do you respond to comments? I read and respond to every comment! I'm not always timely with it (usually because I freeze up trying to figure out something to say other than a bashful 'thank you!').

What's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending? It's between In My Room and The Hollow. Probably The Hollow.

What's the fic you've written with the happiest ending? Gotta be Pages of You. I wanted that fic to exude queer joy.

Do you write crossovers? Not yet!

Have you received hate for a fic? Sure. Plenty of times. In My Room seems to have caused a lot of contention, either for the character choices (they're teenagers, and they make a lot of mistakes, and not everyone is good all the time), or just for the way it's written.

Do you write smut? Hello, pervert.

Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not that I'm aware!

Have you ever had a fic translated? No. I'm boring and don't allow translations of my fics :(

Have you ever co-written a fic before? I'm currently in the process! It's been so much fun. I'm learning a lot about [censored]! @citrusses and I can't wait to share this with the world. Watch this space...

What is your all-time favourite ship? Drarry. Closely followed by Wolfstar, Dron, and Sirry.

What's a WIP you want to finish but don't think you ever will? *stares at WIP graveyard* I mean. I have a lot here. The sequel to In My Room isn't quite dead yet but it's not looking great. I also have a fairly hefty Drarry matchmaking romcom fic that I'm not sure will ever see the light of day...

What are your writing strengths? Outlining, organising, etc.

What are your writing weaknesses? Pacing, emotion, beginnings and endings (endings especially) I always struggle with. Letting my self doubt steal my pen away from me.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in another language? I'd only do this if I had a native speaker to consult/work with.

What's a fandom/ship you haven't written yet but would like to? I think I've written pretty much all HP ships I enjoy (and if I haven't, you will see them appear soon in Kinkuary...). But there are a few fandoms I'd love to write for! If I was brave enough...

Inception House of the Dragon Captive Prince Snowbaz

What's your favourite fic you've ever written? I think my writing was probably strongest at The Hollow. That's where I peaked 😂 But my personal favourite, story-wise, is probably Pages. I'm really proud of that one, and even though it has kinks and bumps in it, it's still my first Drarry, my longest fic, and the one I think I poured most of my heart into.

tagging @hoko-onchi-writes @the-invisibility-bloke @magpiefngrl @skeptiquewrites @sorrybutblog @toomuchplor and anyone who wants a go!

[liminalmemories21]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

tagged by @screamlet (who I've been reading since at least 2010). Thank you!

1. How many works do you have an AO3? 48

2. What's your total AO3 word count? 711,517

3. What fandoms do you write for? 911 LS, and 911

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos? Long Story Short (series) - LS A home isn't always the house we live in - LS It came without ribbons! - LS Always Wear Your Invisible Crown - LS Awful quiet here since love fell asleep - 911

5. Do you respond to comments? I really try to, sometimes I think they get lost in my inbox, but I do try.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? uh, none of them? I don't think I've written anything that doesn't have a happy ending.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? hmmm, maybe It came without ribbons?, or Knave 4 (The Knave of Clubs ... swears he'll take her part). They both end in marriage proposals.

8. Do you get hate on fics? Just a few on Knave 4, which I expected and mostly ignored.

9. Do you write smut? more often than I ever imagined I would

10. Do you write crossovers? I love a good crossover. Haven't written one yet, but would enjoy it.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not that I know of. Let's keep it that way. (finger's crossed)

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? no

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? Yup! All the 911 stuff with @cecilyv - nothing better.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? Well, I don't publish WIPs, not because I have an ethical stance on it, but because I'm usually still changing things at the beginning right up until I hit post and I don't understand how people post things as they write them. Not my process.

That being said, there's a LS kidfic that I'd like to finish some day, but every time I look at it I can't figure out where it's going.

16. What are your writing strengths? I feel like this is a thing other people need to tell me? Dialogue? Plot (apparently? or so 200,000 words of Knave-verse would like me to believe).

17. What are your writing weaknesses? brevity

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? I'd like to do more of it, because I have characters I write who I think probably do think in another language, but it's not a language I speak, so I don't.

19. First fandom you wrote for? published? Lonestar. unpublished? there's a Merlin story @cecilyv and I wrote for years that is mostly not great, but has it's moments.

20. Favorite fics you've written? ooh, okay:

There were a bunch I wrote early for LS that are kind of character studies that I love - A home isn't always the house we live in (Judd), Stitched with its color (TK & 9/11), and through same of am through haves of give (Enzo)

And, I'd be lying if I didn't say Knave-verse, because I think Knave 2 and Knave 4 are the best things I've ever written - and there is just so much of me in the way TK thinks about art.

And then Baggage That Goes with Mine - because there isn't necessarily me in there, but there is a lot of my history in fandom and the huge cultural shift that I have seen happen since I started reading fic in Tommy's story. Also, I do love me a split timeline narrative.

tagging @walkinginland, @rmd-writes, @alchemistc, @rcmclachlan, and @three-drink-amy

[earl-grey-teacake]

How’d you get into writing? I have a few general ideas but have no idea how they would come to fruition 😭!

I got into writing fanfic because I really wanted to see certain things written out and to read them. I just felt this overwhelming need to write just so I could read it. It is very much "if you want to eat something, you have to make it yourself."

I know you are just asking how I got into it but I thought I would include my process in case you found it helpful. For background, I've been writing fanfic for 7 years. For a very long time, I was not good at writing. I learned English very close to the end of my critical period for language learning and struggled for over a decade before I got my footing. Through my own experiences and what I learned from school, I figured out how I prefer to go about write.

I am going to use First Fight from the Baby!Loscar AU as an example since it took me the longest to write. I came up with the idea in April but did not manage to finish it until August but I felt I improved my writing process a lot more.

The idea- which is the stage I think you are at. You have an idea and maybe a scene figured out but you haven't worked it out how this scene connects and how everything forms a whole story.

My idea was just " Logan and Oscar having their first big fight and not handling it well."

2. Write the most imperfect draft you can- I don't say rough draft because it makes people think that the next draft has to be a final draft. I genuinely mean imperfect. Grammar and punctuation? Does not matter. Formatting? Doesn't exist. Logic and cohesive timeline? Irrelevant. What you want is for all your thoughts and ideas to be on a page and it can be in any way you want. It can be bullet points, written scenes, summaries. Doesn't matter.

My imperfect draft was just this section of dialogue and it sat on my computer for months

“We are not friends! Go away!” Oscar had yelled.

“I don’t like you! I hate you!” Logan had yelled back.

“I hate you too!” Those were the last words spoken between them.

3. Know what you want to get across- This is your Northern star, it will guide you when you are lost. Dialogue, timelines, plot- all of those things are subject to change. What isn't going to change is the message you wanted to get across. What is your theme, your core?

For First Fight, it was "these kids do not handle being separated very well. They love each other, they had a misunderstanding, and now they refuse to apologize to each other. As a result they are suffering."

4. You write the roughest draft known to man- I mean very, very rough. Expand a a bit on your imperfect draft, write a couple more scenes you would like to see. They don't need to go together yet, they just need to be on paper. Write out every scene you would like to see play out.

This was Oscar and Logan refusing to play together, Oscar playing alone with Charles, and the ending where they reconcile.

5. Polish up those sections- I know people say to polish at the end and I also do that but making the scenes you wrote look nice will help you feel confident in your work. Include the descriptions, the formatting, the add that bit of sparkle to the dialogue. Figure out the writing style you want to write in and edit all the sections to fit that.

6. Lock in- This is the not so fun part. Pick a free day, get a drink. Now is the time to write everything in between. The boring dialogue, the paragraphs that transition the reader from one scene to another, the scenes that are just lead up to the bigger, funner, more impressive scenes. They don't need to be perfect that just need to be on the page. By the end of it, you will have a some what cohesive plot. Will it be perfect? No. Will you enjoy reading it? Not really. Does it make you want to give up and write something else? Yes, but do not do that.

7. Read it and mull it over for a day- Do not touch the rough draft. Just read it and think about it. Do you like how the plot is? Do you want it funnier? sadder? Do you like how the characters are speaking? Does it feel natural to you? Is it giving what you want it to give? Is it following your Northern star?

8. Change everything you don't like- Delete everything you don't love. If it bothered you enough to stick with you for a day, you can toss it out. You feel like you need permission to delete it? Here's your permission, delete it. I have deleted half of a fic before. Nothing is sacred because none of it is perfect. Toss it out. Replace it something newer. Do you feel better when you replace it? Yes, then that's great. You don't feel better? Put something else in.

9. Do you love to read it?- It is not would other people love to read it. Is it not "is it perfect?" It is do you love to read it, if you were to come across this fic in the middle of the day on AO3. Would you be excited to see it? If the answer is no, repeat step 8 and 9. Do it until the answer is yes or until you cannot change anything else in it.

10. Polish it- Now that you love your work, it is the time to make it easier to read. Separate out your paragraphs, throw it into a grammar checker, format (bold, italicize, etc.). This is where you make it look pretty.

11. Post it- Congratulations! You posted your work on AO3! You did it! Pat yourself on the back and treat yourself to some boba. The work is your baby. You worked hard on it and you should be proud.

FAQ

I wrote all of this and I love it but what if other people don't love it?

They will. None of us writing know for sure if people will love or hate our work before we post it. So until someone outright sends a 500 word count rant about how much they despise it, assume everyone will love it.

What if it isn't perfect?

Many things in this world aren't perfect and we love them. A plushie that was sewn wrong or is missing an ear is still picked up and loved. A puppy missing a leg or an eye is still a beloved part of the family. Writing isn't about being perfect, it is about being human. It is your words, your emotions, and your imagination all on a page and like all humans, you writing will improve as we all do. I don't consider any of my writing perfect and yet, I continue to write because I want to get better and because I love it.

What do you use to write?

You don't need any tools to write but some make it easier for you than others. I recently spent money on Bsun Tuzi switches for my keyboard and it had helped me write a lot quicker but a mechanical keyboard is an investment and a pricey one.

I use Apple Pages to write since I like how clean their format it. I also organize my work on Notion or Obsidian,

I started off writing on Google docs and Word so you don't need the fancy stuff.

I don't know how to write dialogue.

Since I mainly do F1 and Indycar RPF, my biggest recommendations is to listen to Grill the Grid and podcasts. I don't usually be press interviews since I find the drivers to be more stifled and are likely saying what their team wants to say. They tend to be a bit more human on Grill the Grid and podcasts.

I just listen and see what each of them like to talk about, how they talk, etc.

I hope this helps. If you want me to elaborate on something, let me know. Feel free to ask me more questions.

[ultravioletbrit]

fanfiction author interview game

thank you @emlovessid, @courfee, @ecstarry & @calamitoustide for tagging me 💜

how many works do you have on ao3? 12

what's your total ao3 word count? 85,629

your top 5 stories by kudos/likes? Murder Before Pancakes What I Like About You, You Hold Me Tight ocean blue eyes looking in mine He’s So Lucky, He’s a Star Here Comes the Pride

do you respond to comments? Yes! (but I get just as anxious responding to comments as I do when I comment on other people’s fics. I think I just have reader/writer interaction anxiety, but I’m working on it!! <3)

what's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending? I’ve only written fluff so far, so none of them really have any angst at all. I could maybe say instant connection. There’s some Black Brother angst with an ambiguous ending, but it’s one of those endings where we don’t know what happens, but we all know what happens, ya know? Plus I’m thinking of doing a part two anyway and then there definitely won’t be an angsty ending.

what's the fic you've written with the happiest ending? They all have really happy endings 😂 But I guess Murder Before Pancakes because they are the most domestic, and fluffy, and settled and so stupidly happy together in that one.

do you write crossovers? nope

have you ever received hate on a fic? Not on ao3, but about my microfics on tumblr I have.

do you write smut? Written – yes. Posted – no.

have you ever had a fic stolen? nope

have you ever had a fic translated? nope

have you ever co-written a fic before? nope

what's your all-time favorite ship? Jegulus <3

what's a wip that you want to finish but don't think you ever will? I have a jealous-James fic, but it’s sad and angsty James instead of hot and possessive James. I have a few scenes written and a lot of dialogue written (so, so much dialogue), but I’m not very good with angst and I’m not good with filler-scenes. So, it will probably never fully come together. (which makes me sad, because I really like the story)  

what are your writing strengths? It might sound like a weakness, but I think one of my strengths is how slow I write. (even if it's really annoying) If I have a scene in my head, I have to get it all out exactly like it is in my head or I’ll forget all the good bits and the smaller things I like by the time I come back to it. So, I spend a lot of time on one scene getting it to match what’s in my head. But this also means I read and re-read and re-read a scene over and over as I’m writing it, and I think that helps with the flow and continuity and it really helps with the editing process. By the time I go back to edit, I’ve already fixed most of the errors.   

what are your writing weaknesses? Anything that’s not dialogue. I love writing dialogue but when it comes to descriptions, actions, inner monologue, feelings, etc., I don’t enjoy it, I don’t think I’m good at it and I think that shows in my writing. I’ve often considered doing a fic in script format where it’s mostly just dialogue.   And this might sound weird, but I also struggle with sounds. I think because I focus so much on dialogue, the sounds a character makes are very important to me. A very specific type of hum or sigh, or agitated sound or startled, or angry etc. I so badly want the reader to ‘hear’ it exactly like I do, and I can never find the right words to describe it. (I may or may not sit at my computer making a sound over and over trying to figure out how to describe it 🤫)    

what are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic I’m fine with other languages, I enjoy reading it and I think it often adds to the dynamic of a character. I haven’t written any, but I would if the situation calls for it.   

what's a fandom/ship you haven't written for yet but want to? I don’t have another fandom I’d want to write. And for ships, I don’t really want to write something different, but if I did it would probably be Reg/Kingsley or James/Evan (underrated ship that I wish there was more of! i know that mean i should write it) But even if I did write other ships, I’m pretty positive it would still be Jeggy endgame.  

what's your favorite fic you've written? Probably Murder Before Pancakes for a lot of reasons. It was my first fic on ao3 and it took a lot for me to post it, and I was really proud of myself when I did. It was also so fun to write; it’s campy and over the top and ridiculous and some parts don’t even make sense if you think about it too hard. It was fun to have that freedom knowing that it didn’t have to be serious or completely realistic. Plus, I love writing soft, sweet, domestic Jeggy. And even though they're murder husbands, they are just so stupidly in love, and I love writing them like that.

np tags: @samynnad102687, @shoopsthereitis, @yourfriendlygryffindor, @black-on-maroon, @wolfpadx, @weasleytriplets

[radioactivepeasant]

Snippet Thursday: Viper continuation

For context: in previous sections Daxter's ottsel hearing and Jak's eco-assisted eyes picked up a deadly snake camouflaged near Damas’s throne. It didn't get there by itself. Having foiled the assassination attempt, Damas keeps the boys with him to help identify the would-be assassin. As it will turn out in a part I haven't written yet, there are two: one is an agent of Veger disguised as a monk who wants to destabilize the Spargan nation so Haven can control it. The other is an exiled Krimzon Guard who thinks Damas is too soft and who has been promised his old rank back if he kills him.

Obviously, this means tensions are about to be very high between Spargus and Haven. A note: the language I have Spargans using for ceremonies comes from some conlangers on reddit who have been expanding the Gerudo language from Breath of the Wild. I chose Gerudo because "Sabaa'geru" or "Evening People" sounded like something that over generations could become the word Spargus.

Check out their work HERE and HERE!

"Hey boss!" Daxter hopped out of the elevator and made straight for the pools of water. "Aaaaahhh. Sweet relief."

Damas stifled a chuckle at the boy's antics. He was better suited to the heat than he pretended, but he'd never begrudge Daxter the use of the water. By the time he'd looked away, Jak was already halfway to the dais with a spring in his step. Something rattled in his hand.

"I didn't expect to see you today, Jak," Damas greeted him, "What's that you've got?"

Jak held up an intricate band of bones, fangs and claws symmetrically spaced between tiny vertebra and polished until they shone. "It's done!"

Carefully, he passed it to Damas, watching him eagerly for his opinion. Damas turned the band necklace over in his hands, eyebrows raised.

"You have some skill, my boy! I'm impressed with the detail! How long did it take you?"

"Not too long. The fangs were the last piece I needed. See?" Jak leaned over his arm to point to the Dust Demon viper's fangs, forming a circle at the front that mimicked the emblem on the tower door.

"You can keep it, I have another one I'm working one." Jak clearly meant it, but the way he was looking at the necklace suggested he wasn't ready to part with it.

"It reminds me of the arm circlets my captains wear outside the city's walls, albeit bone rather than woven fabric." Damas stepped back up to his throne and set the jewelry down on its arm to admire it. He turned to look back down at Jak, who was clearly pleased by the comparison.

"Were you able to locate Thrax or the false monk?"

Jak's smile fell immediately into a scowl. "Lost Thrax in the Underport. Veger's guy? No idea. Sorry."

Damas jolted. "You chased him all the way into Haven?! Were you seen?"

In the water, Daxter opened one eye and called up, "They don't suspect nothin'. See, those ungrateful yakkows think they can just snap their fingers and Jak will come runnin', so they just figure we're there on one of their orders and start piling on the tasks."

He shut his eye again and yawned. "Boy are they in for a surprise if this turns into war."

"It may come to war," Damas acknowledged. He was devastatingly matter-of-fact about it, as if he was simply discussing the weather. He turned away from his throne, and the ring of tiny bones, to face Jak.

His gaze rested on him with an unbearable weight.

"Should that day come, you will no longer be able to simply run between cities as you please. I need to know where you stand, Jak."

Perhaps his own lack of hesitation should have concerned him. Made him feel guilty for abandoning friends and history so quickly.

It didn't. It made him feel braver than he'd ever felt.

Taking a breath for courage, Jak stepped up onto the dais and approached the king.

"If you asked it of me," Jak said quietly, meeting Damas’s eyes for as long as he could, "I would breach the walls myself. If you gave the order, I'd even lead the Infiltrators right into the Council Hall. As long as the few people who actually stood with us are given at least a chance to support Spargus, there is nothing binding me to Haven."

Damas looked at him with a bemused expression that wavered between stern and fond before a gentle pride won out. He laughed softly and shook his head.

"I don't think I've ever had a citizen quite as bold as you, young one." He rubbed his chin in thought for a moment, then smirked. "Very well, I accept your terms. Give me the names of these "friends", and they will be granted a chance for asylum."

The boy's smile was brief, but genuine and full of life. He stood a little straighter, trying to look as grown-up as possible.

"Then you have your answer," he replied.

"You'll stand with me? Even against the city your friends call home?" Damas pressed, just to be certain.

With a level of emotion unusual for him, Jak answered firmly, "I'd follow you into the underworld. You're-"

He cut himself off quickly, but his eyes finished the sentence for him.

You're the closest thing I have to a father-!

Blinking in a belated effort to hide those emotions, Jak let them push his impulse into action. Two deep breaths, one for courage, one for luck. Then he bowed, fist to his heart.

"Damas, where you go, I go. I will stand with you -- I swear on the Beacon -- even against the people who called themselves our friends. For our people."

Inside, he was shaking. This was a step he'd never taken. He'd never formally given his loyalty to anyone. If Damas didn't accept it-

Jak refused to think about that.

In an instant Damas’s entire posture softened. He placed both hands on Jak’s shoulders, and raised him back up.

"Do you understand what you're saying?" he asked in a hushed voice.

With a dry throat, Jak swallowed and nodded hard. He searched his mind frantically for the old Coastwatcher language Wastelanders still used for ceremonial purposes.

"A'neen Sabaa'geru vaqu."

We are Spargans.

"E'so Sabaa'geru vaqu, darro'ni," Damas answered gravely. You are of Spargus, my son.

It took him far less time to remember the old tongue.

He stepped back to scoop the band of snake vertebrae off his throne and looped it twice around Jak’s right arm before bringing their foreheads together for an instant.

"I will not forget this," he vowed. "I'm...proud of you, Jak."

Now we are one, son-of-my-heart, his spirit sang. What do I care if you have not earned your last amulet? Now and forever you are Spargan!

Jak's eyes glistened when Damas released him, but his crooked smile didn't budge. This was no childish impulse, he'd meant every word. And Damas would honor that pledge.

"Go, then," he said, returning the smile, "seek out your allies in Haven and tell me where they stand."

"We will." Jak squared his shoulders proudly.

"And," Damas added, raising a brow, "I will expect regular reports on your progress, Captain."

"Don't worry, I- Captain?!" Jak sputtered.

There was just a hint of mischief in Damas’s eyes as he gestured to the armband now covering Jak's bicep. "I am giving you the same authority to recruit citizens that I gave Sig. Use it wisely."

Scurrying up out of the water, Daxter rejoined Jak and smacked his leg repeatedly. He knew exactly who he was recruiting.

And who they weren't recruiting.

Jak stood straighter, stiffer, and Daxter felt him trembling just barely under his paw.

A captain? Him? No one listened to him, he was a glorified servant! What was Damas thinking, giving someone like him authority?

Don't screw this up, Jak. Don't screw this up, whatever you do.

He took a shaky breath. "I- I don't um. I don't know how to- to lead, or if anyone would listen to me but-" DON'T SCREW THIS UP!

"I'll-"

The words caught in his throat, then escaped past his teeth.

"I'll do my best to make you proud."

Damas grinned fiercely at him.

"You already do."

[venus-haze]

Writer Tag

Thank you so much for tagging me @frstcorinthians🖤

Just a "proceed with caution" on the fics I've linked on this list. Plenty of detailed warnings!

How many works do you have on AO3? 42

What's your total AO3 word count? 178k

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

3 out of 5 are Homelander fics🤭

My Destruction Is an Hour Late (my first Homelander fic🥲)

She's Out To Please, She Pouts Her Best (Soldier Boy x Reader)

Bruised Fruit (Michael Corleone x OC, an honor that it’s even on this list)

Got No Reason To Run (Homelander x Reader)

Baby Let's Play House (Homelander x Reader)

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? Always! I appreciate every single one so much!

What's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending? Definitely Sinnerman, I need to write more for Midnight Mass. There's so much potential there.

What’s the fic you've written with the happiest ending? I think Eat Your Heart Out...

Do you write crossovers? No, I haven't.

Have you ever received hate on a fic? No, which is shocking considering what I write about.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind? The kind that usually requires a lot of trigger warnings.

Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not that I'm aware of.

Have you ever had a fic translated? Nope.

Have you ever co-written a fic before? No, I couldn't with my schedule.

What's your all-time favorite ship? I absolutely love the way Minxie @cherubgore writes Vincent/Paige! Rarepair forever🖤

What's a WIP that you want to finish but don't think you ever will? None I can think of. I mostly write standalone fics, and I know I'm gonna finish Bruised Fruit at some point. Usually my WIPs change over time so they might not look the same as when I started, but they end up getting posted eventually.

What are your writing strengths? I don't know…I've been told I'm good at bringing the reader into a fic, so I guess building settings and scenes, which makes sense considering I write mostly readerfics and the immersion aspect is the backbone of that.

What are your writing weaknesses? My writing is more straightforward and doesn't use a lot of poetic style, which is something I wish I were better at. I don't think I write individual sentences that "wow" a reader, you know?

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic? I do not trust Google Translate and will not walk around with egg on my face. I just use italics to indicate speaking in another language, on the off occasion that's included in my fics. Or like with Bruised Fruit, Gloria doesn't speak Italian, so part of portraying that involves her asking people what they said and hoping they're telling the truth or trying to figure out based on her interpretation of their tone and body language.

What was the first fandom you wrote for? The Outsiders! I was so upset about the ending that I wrote many fics on Quizilla where Johnny and Dally lived.

What's a fandom/ship you haven't written for yet but want to? I'd like to write something for Justified, but I need to rewatch again.

What's your favorite fic you've written? That's so tough...maybe Howl.

No pressure tags: @cherubgore @zaras-really-dreamless @shoshiwrites @blurredcolour @blindmagdalena @sehtoast @flaggermuser @zepskies (please make a new post, don't reblog)

[roseshewrites]

Yet another Sunday gone by with not a single word written in Neon 🥺 I will finish this story. By the grace of the gods lmao!

Meanwhile, since I,haven't updated on this blog in two weeks, have another random snippet of Alastor and his mother from The Devil's Forked Path:

~

In the early hours right before sunrise Alastor's mother woke him and ushered him outdoors. There was the tire swing. There was the mound nearby where Alastor's father had buried the bird, that clearing of earth free from grass where Alastor had spent countless hours scuffing his feet; grass was growing back. 

"Mama," he said. "What are we doing?" 

That early morning sweetness clung to everything; that humidity that didn't suffocate yet, that aura of blue previous to dawn that whispered with bugs in trees and the scuffing of nearby wildlife. 

They knelt in the dirt near that tire swing and she beckoned him close. Near to her again, he was able to see how her eyes gleamed with unfallen tears as she reached to a pack at her side and took out some items. 

"A lesson for you this morning," she whispered. "A lesson about Gede. About Mother Mary, and Gedeon in tandem, because they watch over us both at once. Take this," she handed Alastor a stick. 

"Draw in the dirt. A crossroads." 

Still sleepy, Alastor sat with his bare feet digging into the earth beneath him and did as she asked. When the crossroads was complete, she placed a little white candle in the center and lit it reverently, giving Alastor a cigarillo to offer to the god, and placed her own offering there next to the candle of a small glass which contained rum. 

Gede. 

An invisible guardian, an enigma of chaotic energy who smiles with unhinged grace and protects with the same zeal. A figure, his mother once told him, who appears physically as a well dressed man in a suit and a top hat, carrying a scythe. 

"Greet him with respect," his mother reminded him gently. 

"Bonjou, Gede," he murmured. 

"Bonjou," he mother echoed, laughing a little. 

He cast her a look of nervousness and she said, "Oh Al, our Gedeon has a sense of humor. There are no wrong prayers with him. You should ask him for protection." 

If Alastor shut his eyes he could nearly vividly imagine it, this spirit with a boisterous laugh and and a wildness who would scoop you in long arms or cut you down with his scythe just as eagerly any way; that perhaps Gede's laughter fell onto the wind and cut like a weapon and made the candle flicker oh so slightly in the humid air while Alastor's mother was muttering her own prayer in her native language. 

Alastor's prayer was silent. It was in his heart, in his mind; it filled his blood with a simmering of longing that he could not comprehend. He longed for that wildness for himself. He longed for that ease of laughter, and imagined that if the god would speak with him, it would be with a suave carefree grace, that Gede's heart and soul was like a drum beat of dance and song and language. 

Perhaps Gedeon liked jazz music.

Alastor thought that might be so. 

"Mwen Cheri. Listen to me. Listen to the songs in mass today. And if they get too much, listen for the protection of our Gedeon. Remember to hail Mary with respect today. Please? Honor your father today. Do as you're told. Endure it with grace. Because mother Mary watches just as Gede."

Don't stumble, Alastor, he thought, don't fall to your stuttering and forget the ritual of it. 

But he'd much prefer, instead of keeping a straight back, feeling restrained in this church mass full of incense and guilt, to dig his toes into the earth and run his hands over the rough bark in the trees and forget the whisperings of Mary, the Saints, and Christ. He'd not enjoy that tang of sour wine which represented blood. 

The body of Christ. 

The laughter of Gede. 

The protection of Mary, full of grace. 

"I understand mama. Don't cry." 

By the time he had gone back to bed, and morning sun had lit the tops of the trees outside with a magical orange light, his lesson about Gede had seemed like a strange dream. 

[snowcoffeee]

Thank you for the tag @rhodophoria!! :D This was fun!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

Just one (but there will be more soon ;))

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

127,025! I think Ashen Wishes is the longest story I've ever written (and it's still going, holy-)

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Mostly Undertale. In fact, I haven't written for anything else in years ^^' I need to have a lot of passion for a fandom to get myself to write. Unless the characters live 24/7 in my mind rent-free, no ideas will pop up.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Yes.

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Yeah, I love to! I really appreciate when someone takes their time to leave a nice message :] I always try to reply as soon as possible, or at least within a day.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I currently have a few one-shot ideas that have rather angsty endings, but I couldn't bear writing a whole longfic that ends on a sad note. ...I think.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Ashen Wishes will have a pretty happy, positive ending, so I suppose that counts (?)

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Thankfully, I never have :)

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Well... not really. I've given it a shot a few times and I have a couple ideas, but I don't think I can bring myself to post anything too explicit at the moment.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

I've never written one! I've always found them too difficult to execute well.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I don't think so...? Though I never looked for it.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope, but I wonder what that would look like! Although when it comes to writing fics, I'm much more comfortable writing in English than my native language.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Not yet, but it sounds fun. I have friends who help with brainstorming sometimes, if that counts :)

14. What’s your all time favourite ship?

I've never been into shipping characters that much. Sometimes I come across a ship and I genuinely like it, but then I move on. My reader-insert craze just never left me enough, I guess.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I strive to finish everything I start, even though it might, uh, take a little more time. I really hope I won't ever abandon my fics.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Dialogues? Maybe? Those are usually the first things that pop up in my head when I'm trying to figure out a scene, and I build everything else around them. But I'm also really obsessed with pacing and trying to find a healthy balance between the events in a story. I'm not saying it's necessarily working, I just tend to pay more attention to it.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I'm very, very slow. I can linger on a single sentence for ten minutes because I can't get over how awkward a sentence feels, so I just stare at the screen trying to figure out how to fix it. Also, describing environments. I can't make them sound fun for the life of me. I feel like they always end up being very dry and unimaginative :/

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I don't run into them often, but I think they can spice up a dialogue sometimes. I especially like special short phrases that give the conversation a deeper meaning.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Oof, uh, Hollow Knight, if I remember correctly. I don't plan to post any of my older works though ^^'

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

Ashen Wishes is probably the fic I've put the most effort in so far, and it's currently my favorite, too!

@imtrashraccoon if you'd like to join, but as always, no pressure! :D

[zarogz]

Writing tag game!

Tysm @moonlightfrogsandkisses for tagging me!! :D

1.How many works do you have on AO3?

I have 4 so far! Working on my first au rn :)

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

Somewhere around 1500 I think? Probably a little less.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Young royals :)

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

I only have four as of now, but ranked by kudos would be:

The Road We Take Funnily enough the first one I ever wrote.

As Darkness Falls I think this one just had to get out of my head, I'm not a huge fan of how I wrote it and looking back there are a LOT of mistakes but I'm keeping it online in case anyone likes it.

Where Soul Meets Heart Genuinely forgot that I wrote this :')

When Two Worlds Collide A space/sci-fi au I'm working on right now!

5. Do you respond to comments?

absolutely! (I accidentally ghosted like an entire fic once because I forgot about them, sorry!!! and responded like 2 months later) but yes definitely! I think it's really fun to see the perspective of other people on my stories, and they inspire me!

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I want to say Where Soul Meets Heart but realistically it's probably As Darkness Falls

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Definitely The Road We Take

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Nope! luckily not

9. Do you write smut?

no :)

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

Nope :D

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope :)

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Oooh not yet, but that does sound fun! I think I'd like to settle a bit more into my writing skills/style first tho. But I would definitely love to do that someday!

14. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I don't have any (posted) as of right now. At least not any that I don't think I will finish. But I have so many ideas/scenes that I just can't figure out the right fit for if that makes sense? I'm thinking of posting a fic with just random WIPS though.

15. What are your writing strengths?

I like to think I write dialogue pretty decently? But all the fics I've posted now are my only experience so we'll see!

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

Probably making things sound smooth, or write how the characters feel in a smooth way. Sometimes I read a fic where people can describe certain emotions in such beautiful ways instead of "he was anxious" and I think that's so incredibly cool.

17. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I definitely think it can be done right! But also in a way that doesn't pull you out of the reading experience because you don't understand what they're saying, if that makes sense?

18. First fandom you wrote for?

Young royals

19. Favorite fic you’ve written?

When Two Worlds Collide Which I'm working on right now. I think it's my first 'professional' fic if that makes sense? I proof read a lot more, am settling into writing, and I even managed to convince a friend to beta read!

Granted they watched the first few episodes so they don't really know when a character is out of character, but they have helped immensely on the rest of the writing or when I can't figure out certain sentences!

I’m also messing around a bit with world building and sketching/drawing things for a fic for the first time, so that's fun!

I haven't really connected with people on here yet, so I also have no idea who's been tagged, but I'll give it a shot. No pressure!:

@gioliana @grapehyasynth @filmspring

[evilpenguinrika]

How about 4 and 73?

Ask Game For Fanfic Writers

4. what is the plot bunny you’ve been carrying for the longest? optional bonus question: do you ever wonder why you haven’t written it yet and experience deep existential dread?

OHHHH BOYYYYYYYYYY. I actually have a few I believe. But I'll share a few since this would end up getting way too long lol (plus I would have to comb through my backlog to remember):

I have two plus one rewrite ideas for Ikarishipping. The rewrite is basically just a whole rewrite (for the second time in my life) of my biggest at-the-time on-going fic Bluebells and Lavenders/re: Bluebells and Lavenders that I posted way back on ffnet. The reason being that when I first wrote BbaL I was like, 13-15 and got a really nasty flame comment (I am showing my age with this lol) about my grammar and writing syntax, plot, etc and like, at the time despite English being my first language, I just could not understand grammar or the basics of the English language (look, words are hard okay 😥).

So I decided from that flame comment I was going to rewrite that fic and I did when I was 16-17. But since then my writing and style have changed and I would like to rewrite it and post it on ao3. I think I haven't gotten around to it is because it's just... A lot to do. And a lot to plan. When I rewrote BbaL and wrote re:BbaL I had meticulous notes that I have no idea where they are now.

The other two Ikari fics I want to write, one is insp by Marianas Trench song "Haven't Had Enough" which I also originally wanted to do a Cosplay Music Video back when I was 15-16 because why not lol. Plus CMVs were really popular back in my day (OH GOD I USED THAT PHRASE). I'm not sure if it's still popular now? It would be, also a Modern AU/College AU I think? I haven't really thought that ahead other than "slow burn rivals to friends to lovers" LOL

And the second idea is just inspired by the song "SUPERMODEL" by Maneskin. I'm not sure what the root idea would be other than maybe Paul and Dawn are both huge top models...? Yeah, I hadn't really gotten too far with this idea haha.

Another plot bunny I had on hold is a Hosie one actually! Actually I have a lot but I'll share two:

One is a Modern AU and it's actually inspired by my time working on student films. Except this idea is more Josie has a webseries and brought in friends from her film school days to help her out and Hope is the cinematographer. I started writing it actually, around the same time I was working on my own webseries. But since my webseries project went caput, I haven't found motivation to keep writing this fic.

The second is a Life is Strange 1 AU where Josie is Max Caulfield and Hope is Chloe Price. I wanted it to also be like a "choose your own adventure" type fic as well where at the end of certain chapters with BIG decisions, you would then pick your choice between 2 options and skip to whatever chapter your choice would be in. I think the reason I haven't done this is cuz it's also pretty hefty to write, and also doing a "choose your own adventure" is gonna require lots of meticulous planning that I don't have the spoons for.

73. how do you visualize scenes? do you see it like a movie in your head, or do the words just flow?

Definitely like a movie in my head!! It helps me more when I picture the scenes I want to write in my head and then I just figure out the words from there.

It's especially helpful when I write fight scenes! I watch a lot of anime and other action-based shows (recently binge watched Cobra Kai and watched some clips from The Magicians since I miss that show a lot), so when I write fight scenes in my stories (mainly You're The One Born To Save Hosie series), I just visualize the fights/actions like an anime. I mean, I already mucked up the magic lore in the TVDUniverse so I might as well keep going with the artistic liberties and flair with it haha. Plus, it's really fun writing these anime-esque action fight scenes :3

.

thanks for the ask!!

[multiverse--wanderer]

Unshaken Outlaws | Arthur Morgan x John Marston [ENG]

[ Fan-Fiction based on the OTP between Arthur Morgan and John Marston from Red Dead Redemption ] In a world where the last cowboys are ruthlessly hunted, survival is the only rule. Loyalty, fragile yet vital, is the thread that binds the outlaws together, their sole hope in a landscape marked by betrayal and constant danger. Amidst war and a passion that defies the rules, Arthur and John will find an unexpected path to redemption as their world crumbles around them. For Dutch's gang, the fight for survival has never been easy, but it becomes even more complicated when a forbidden love blossoms amid fallen bullets, lies, and deep wounds. Can this love become the sanctuary they need to withstand the coming chaos, or will it be the end of everything they know?

...

REMINDER:

This story has been written in Spanish, which is my native language. This story has been translated to the best of my ability, although it is possible that it may have mistakes.

This is just a way to transport my writing to a common language for the rest of fans like me. For a better immersion, I recommend reading the story in its original version.

You can find this story on Wattpad and Archive of Our Own.

Thank you so much for reading me and see you in the stars.

...

Chapter 3: The Cold Spring

Present

"We've been running for weeks. We've taken refuge and are resting here, in an abandoned old mining town, while we wait for the snow to melt... Spring isn't going as I expected. There are no more sunsets filled with promises, where joy slipped away between passionate kisses. Now, all that's left is cold and despair, though the feeling still burns beneath layers of snow and condensed ice.

Remembering hurts.

I bought this new journal after the previous one burned in the fire a few months ago (I can't remember when exactly). I haven't written or drawn much in the past few weeks, but I've missed it more than I expected, so when I was near a store, I thought, "What if I buy another one?" After the fire and everything that happened up north, we spent a few months living in the wild, traveling from the Grizzlies to the worst part of winter, trapped in the western mountains. Food was easy to find, and we were living well. Dutch was interested in buying some land he'd heard about, but it didn't fit his preferences, or maybe he was afraid the authorities were watching us and someone knew who he was. So, we never bought it and kept wandering here and there. In the Grizzlies, we recruited two more members: Jenny, a lovely young woman we found alone by the side of the road, and Micah, an outlaw Dutch met in a nearby saloon. It seems Dutch is fascinated by Micah because he's impulsive, combative, and arrogant. Hosea and I aren't too fond of him. We'll see what happens.

Eventually, we managed to leave the wilderness and took refuge outside Blackwater, although sometimes I stayed in the city looking for ways to make money.

In Blackwater, I may have discovered something interesting. We had plenty of money, and the path we took was so winding and slow that no one could follow us southeast or figure out where we were headed. We thought about going to California, but Dutch and Hosea ended up taking us to Blackwater. It seemed like Blackwater had grown a lot since the last time they were there; they told me it was mostly a trading post. But it developed so quickly that it's practically a small city now. Corruption seems to run rampant, and it's clear that money is abundant there. I slept in a bed there, which is a pleasure once in a while after living so long in a tent, but I've never liked the idea of being so close to a city.

We lived there, and most of the time we camped outside the city, trying to stay unnoticed. Life there was uncomplicated. Abigail and Marston never stopped (and never will) arguing. I wonder why she came back. It seems she can't decide if she wants to act like a mother to her son or not. Their arguments exhaust me...

Hosea and I had a plan while we were there, something important we'd made a lot of money from, stemming from a real estate scam Hosea thought he'd uncovered. It was the perfect crime: robbing some criminals, and we were very careful. It's always fun working with Hosea because he comes up with the wildest ideas... Even if we end up with nothing, we have a great time. Hosea is a born talker, though back then, he was worried about us drawing too much attention in the city for too long. Dutch also thought he'd uncovered something important: a ship carrying money from the banks. Micah and Dutch planned to rob the ferry in the city, believing it was full of riches since it was carrying money meant for the banks. I didn't participate in the heist. Hosea and I were too busy with our own matters, and Dutch always seems to trust that if the group stays united, everything will be fine.

Their plan was to carry out the heist and then flee to the western plains. The next day, Hosea and I would pull off our scam and meet up with them. Things got pretty complicated.

Now we've been running for weeks. The ferry heist they pulled off in Blackwater turned into a disaster. They killed young Jenny, poor thing, and no one is sure if Sean and Mac are dead or were captured. Dutch shot a girl, not sure if by accident or on purpose, and it's possible we were set up. We fled in a panic through the hills, leaving almost all our belongings behind. Then, while running east through the Grizzlies, we were caught by a storm. Davey Collander, who had been shot in the stomach during the raid, passed away. Watching him die was overwhelming, and the rest of us nearly froze, but we found shelter and are resting here, in an old abandoned mining town, waiting for the snow to melt.

Spring isn't going as I expected. Hosea and I had planned a heist of our own in Blackwater, but I think that's in the past, like most of my previous belongings. I'm deeply worried about what will happen once we leave this place or if the authorities find us hiding here.

I've found a girl; well, a woman, actually. Her husband was killed by some of Colm O'Driscoll's men. Something horrible. Her name is Sadie Adler."

Arthur's pen came to a stop as he closed the journal that cold morning, his numb fingers barely able to trace the final line. Outside, the storm continued to roar like a wounded beast, and inside the cabin, the air felt so cold that the men's breath formed small clouds in front of their faces. The wooden planks, worn by the moisture, allowed the cold to pass through like invisible blades that pierced to the bone. It was a modest cabin, barely an improvised refuge for desperate times, shared by Arthur, Hosea, and Dutch, each of them struggling with their own demons while trying to escape the ghosts that haunted them.

Arthur rose from the chair in his small room, the creaking of his boots on the wooden floor echoing in the silence. He walked down the hallway to the central fireplace, where the fire fought to stay alive, flickering in shades of orange and gold. In front of the flames, Dutch and Hosea sat, their figures cloaked in shadows and a palpable air of tension that seemed more tangible than the cold itself. The arguments between them were as common as they were inevitable, especially in moments like this, when decisions weighed heavier than ever and uncertainty gnawed at everyone's spirit.

—When the storm lets up, we'll leave. —Dutch said, in the tone of someone trying to convince even himself—. But for now, we're fine here. We're not too cold.

He extended his hands toward the fire, letting out a soft groan as he felt the warmth on his sore fingers. Arthur leaned against the stones of the fireplace, observing the contrast between the two men. Hosea, with his sharp, calm gaze, seemed to be analyzing every word Dutch said with a mixture of skepticism and patience. Finally, he responded with a simple:

—I suppose.

That one word, laden with resignation, seemed to trigger something in Dutch. He lifted his gaze to Hosea, noticing the fleeting expression on his face that sought something in Arthur—perhaps confirmation of his own doubts. Arthur, caught between the two like a pawn in a chess game, lowered his eyes, trying to avoid becoming the target of the tension that was about to erupt.

—It seems you have doubts. —Dutch accused, his voice sharp as a dagger.

The air in the cabin grew colder than the weather outside, and Arthur tucked his head into the collar of his coat, seeking to protect himself from something more than just the freezing wind.

—I don't have doubts, I'm just concerned. —Hosea replied calmly, though his tone didn't soften.

The eyes of both men locked in a silent duel, a battle that Hosea won when Dutch, with a sigh of frustration, shifted his gaze to Arthur. Arthur felt the weight of the expectations fall on him as Dutch spoke:

—What do you think, Arthur?

Arthur swallowed, knowing that any words he spoke could tip the balance. He kept his tone firm, though his hands clenched into fists inside his pockets.

—Well, I wasn't on that boat, so it's hard to say. But I trust your judgment, Dutch. I always have.

Arthur's words seemed to temporarily calm Dutch's inner turmoil. He nodded slowly, massaging his cracked hands while his gaze once again drifted into the fire.

—Thanks, son. —He said, his voice softer, almost paternal, before turning toward Hosea with a hardened expression—. We've been through this before. I don't think this is anything new.

—I hope not. —Hosea replied, not conceding an inch.

—We've had some bad luck, but the storm has covered our tracks, so we wait a little longer, go back to Blackwater, and grab the money, or get more money and keep heading west.

The conversation continued like a game of chess, each word measured, every gesture laden with meaning. Dutch, always the dreamer, the strategist, spoke with the confidence of a man accustomed to leading, while Hosea, more pragmatic, tried to anchor him to reality.

—But we're heading east.

—For now... for now. Everything's fine, Hosea. We're safe. Stay strong.

Dutch rose from his chair with a heavy sigh, his movements reflecting the exhaustion of days filled with uncertainty and tension. The wood creaked under his weight, a sound that resonated through the cabin like a somber echo, almost as much as the words he had just spoken. His gaze turned to Arthur, still leaning against the fireplace. Dutch's dark, hard, determined eyes studied him as if they wanted to pierce through the layers of his coat and reach his soul. Arthur, unlike Hosea, hesitated before meeting his gaze. There was something in Dutch, a mix of authority and distrust, that made it harder to face him in moments like these.

—What do you say, Arthur? —Dutch asked, his voice carrying an almost imperceptible challenge—. Do you doubt me too?

—Never.

Arthur's response came before Dutch could finish his sentence, quick, almost desperate to dispel any hint of suspicion. His tone was calm but firm, as if he were willing to cling to those words with all his might. Dutch let out a sigh, one that carried a mixture of relief and pride.

—Good, because you know me, boy... This is just the beginning. Once we get some money, well... They'd better send competent men after us, because they'll never find us... But we need money.

Arthur nodded slowly, his eyes briefly drifting toward Hosea, who sat silently behind Dutch. Though Hosea said nothing, his expression spoke volumes. A slight nod, almost imperceptible, seemed to shout the doubts Arthur couldn't voice aloud. Dutch, however, didn't notice that small betrayal of silence, or perhaps chose to ignore it. Instead, he leaned toward Arthur and gave him a couple of heavy pats on the shoulder, his gesture paternal and weighty.

—Thanks for your strength, boy. It means a lot to me.

Arthur didn't respond. He felt the weight of Dutch's words like an anchor that added to the already unbearable burden of loyalty he had always shown him. Dutch turned toward the cabin door, his steps resonating with determination as he grabbed his weapons and adjusted them to his belt. He didn't spare a single glance toward Hosea, who remained seated by the fire with an expression that fluctuated between weariness and reproach.

—And the money's well hidden in Blackwater? —Arthur asked, raising his voice slightly when he saw that Dutch was about to leave.

Dutch stopped with his hand on the door handle. He turned just slightly, letting his eyes rest on Arthur for a prolonged moment, as if evaluating the sincerity behind the question.

—I think so —he finally replied—. They don't even know we tossed it.

—Well, then it can wait.

Dutch nodded with a slight grunt, opened the door, and stepped outside. The snow-laden wind rushed into the cabin with a chilling force, bringing a blast of ice that made the candles flicker and snuffed out part of the fire. The snow that had accumulated on the doorway's planks slid inside, forming a cold, damp puddle that seemed to claim the space Dutch had left behind. When the door slammed shut behind him, the silence settled again, though now it felt heavier, more uncomfortable.

Hosea let out a deep sigh, so heavy it seemed to take part of his energy with it. He closed his eyes for a moment, leaning back in the chair as if he needed to reorganize his thoughts. Arthur, who had been watching everything in silence, moved closer to him, stepping carefully, as if he feared disturbing the delicate balance left in the room.

—How are you, Hosea? —Arthur asked in a low tone, almost a whisper—. You were coughing all night.

Arthur placed a hand on Hosea's back, a gesture full of care and familiarity. To Arthur, Hosea was more than just a companion on the road; he was a father figure, a counselor, someone he could always trust.

—It's the cold —Hosea replied, downplaying the matter with a wave of his hand—. Thanks for bringing John back.

Those words carried a different weight, a gratitude that went beyond mere courtesy. It was a sign of trust, of respect.

—Of course.

Arthur rolled his eyes slightly, sensing in Hosea's gaze something more than gratitude. There was a spark of understanding in his eyes, as if he knew what the young man was feeling, like a mother who knows her child's secrets without needing them spoken aloud.

Suddenly, Arthur noticed a figure in the doorway. Molly, with her red curls and green eyes, was watching from the shadows, her arms crossed in front of her chest. There was something in her posture that seemed to ask permission to come closer, but also something that held her back, as if she knew that the warmth of the fire wouldn't be enough to melt the coldness that hung in the air.

—Are you okay, Molly? —Arthur asked, turning toward her with a gentle tone—. It's warmer by the fire.

—No, I'm fine, thanks. —Molly murmured, her accent wrapping around her words.

But her eyes told a different story. Tired, disappointed, Molly preferred the solitude of a cold room to facing the tension still hanging in the air by the fire. Arthur nodded, understanding without insisting. Finally, he decided it was time to leave.

On the porch, he found Dutch, the cigarette lit between his fingers, the smoke rising in spirals that were lost in the snowstorm. Arthur leaned on the railing, his hands leaving warm prints in the accumulated snow. The silence between them was more eloquent than any words.

—Thanks, Arthur. Thanks for bringing John back. Finally, a little peace.

Arthur held back the sigh that threatened to escape from his chest. He knew that any gesture, any misplaced word, could betray him under Dutch's inquisitive gaze.

—The wolves gave him a good beating, but he'll be fine —he replied finally. And in a barely audible murmur, he added—: I hope.

Dutch smiled faintly, his expression reflecting a mix of confidence and exhaustion.

—He's been awake for a few hours. You might want to visit him.

—I think he'll be fine. He's got good company, and I've got things to do.

Arthur didn't look at him as he descended the stairs into the snowy expanse before them. However, both knew he would go. He would always go for him.

...

CONTINUE READING THE FULL CHAPTER HERE:

Chapter also available in ARCHIVE OF OUR OWN: https://archiveofourown.org/works/61174720/chapters/158540431

[avidbeader]

Got tagged by @amidalogicdive!

1. How many works do you have on ao3?

83

2. What's your total ao3 word count?

648,594

3. What fandoms do you write for?

In order of works, VLD, Harry Potter, Sherlock, Doctor Who, Sense8, and Ted Lasso. Dead Boy Detectives is probably next on the list.

4. Top five fics by kudos?

The Perils of Innocence (no surprise there) - HP

The Quintessential Bond - VLD

From the Outside Looking In - VLD

A Disturbing Lack of Flora - VLD

An Unacceptable Bargain - VLD

5. Do you respond to comments?

I try to. But either I get to it right away or they sit there until I have the time and the motivation together for it.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Either "Unseen", a HP fic where Hermione saves Harry but because the (IMO awful) canon pairings happened, he can't properly thank her, or "The Dying of the Light", a preKerb Sheith fic about Keith learning of the Kerberos mission failure.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Oh, there's so many happy endings in my fics! But I'll say "Rebuilding Reality", my fix-it for S8, since we have to go through all the mess first.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not hate as in antis being dumb, but I have gotten some unnecessary "criticism" on "The Perils of Innocence" because people don't like something about it. Or can't read the original books/pay attention to the first movie and realize that Harry doesn't get the first Hogwarts letter on his birthday, meaning that it's perfectly valid to think that the school sends out all acceptance letters at the same time each year.

9. Do you write smut?

Now and then.

10. Craziest crossover?

I haven't done a crossover yet. Might do one between VLD and Dead Boy Detectives in the near future.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I tried translating "The Perils of Innocence" into Spanish myself, but got a lot of unnecessarily harsh comments on it and took it down. Someone asked to translate the same fic into Polish on FFN and I gave my permission, but I think they stalled out on the third chapter.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Not yet, although I have an outline of something that I might write with another fic author.

14. All time favorite ship?

Sheith

15. What's a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I am not giving up on any of them.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I'm told description of action scenes and dialogue and incorporation canon bits into my world.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I find endings very hard.

18. Thoughts on dialogue in another language?

Maybe a line or an exchange, but not a prolonged conversation.

19. First fandom you wrote in?

The *very* first that I can remember is making stick-figure comics involving Wonder Woman and Barbie and fairy tale princesses. The first time I shared anything I wrote with someone else was for "Star Wars". "Harry Potter" is the first fandom where I posted fic online.

20. Favorite fic you've written?

Sorry, can't choose.

If you like the questions and want to play, consider yourself tagged.