#I might make a fic out of this eventually at some point but we’ll see

[jamietwat]

Roy and Jamie getting engaged and Roy assuming that they’ll both just keep their last names because of course they will, they’re very well established as Roy Kent and Jamie Tartt and they already have the Roy Kent chant and the Jamie Tartt baby shark remix so why the fuck would they fuck with that? Plus, he’s sure as hell not changing his name and he’s sure Jamie’s far too full of himself to even consider changing his own and that if anything, he’s going to try to talk Roy into changing his just to annoy him

But then Jamie starts talking about how they shouldn’t say anything publicly about it because people are dumb enough to not have caught on to them being a thing yet (but the people in their lives all know and still would know about the engagement too) and think how funny it’ll be if they don’t say anything and then the first game after the wedding, he just shows up in his new kit with his same number and Kent across the back and let the general public figure it out

And Roy’s like you’re planning on changing your name 🤨 because he still doesn’t really believe Jamie’s even considering it and he just assumes it’s all talk until Jamie’s like yeah, duh, am I not supposed to??? And Roy hadn’t considered it all before that moment but now Jamie’s talking about playing with Roy’s name on his back and Roy kind of thinks it’s stupid career wise for Jamie to change his name but he’s also suddenly very aware that he likes that idea so he’s like no, I just didn’t think you’d want to… or that you’d make a decision like that just so you could have a laugh and make a whole scene of it (even though, to be perfectly honest, that second part doesn’t feel that surprising at all when he thinks about it for a second)

And Jamie’s like I’d rather have your name on my back than my dad’s because Georgie either took Simon’s last name or went back to her maiden name and Jamie already has more than enough names in common with his dad and would LOVE to not be playing with his dad’s name on his back to be a constant connection and to make it easier for his dad to take credit for his success and use Jamie’s achievements for his own benefit

Roy has an internal oh moment at that and it feels like it’s going to be a serious talk kind of moment until Jamie grins and leans into Roy’s personal space and nudges him as he adds that and you know that I can’t pass up an opportunity to start a little drama and get all the attention on me and then Roy’s laughing and the serious moment is over, but that’s more than decided it for Roy

So of course they go with the hard launch by having Jamie play in his new kit as soon as they’re married because it’s funny and it both works out fantastically for Roy being uncomfortable with the public all up in his personal life for the lead up to the wedding and with Jamie loving the attention on him and attracting more to him than Roy with the dramatic reveal

[skywalkerslvt]

Rough Ride (so rough)

❥Pairing: RE2!Leon x AFAB!Reader

❥Summary: What happens when you have to sit on Leon's lap for a very long and bumpy car ride? Leon's pants get soaked 😍

❥CW: 18+, smut, sub!leon, dry humping, cumming in pants, overstimulation, crying kink, semi-public sex, sorta non-con at first? but both parties are consenting, 1.6k words

❥a/n: can you guys tell how much I like dry humping from the amount of times it shows up in all my fics? anyways RE2 Leon is so subby i need to make him cry so I wrote this. Also my requests are open if any of u leon sluts wanna request something 👀 Hope you guys enjoy! <3

Leon Kennedy was utterly fucked. Both literally and figuratively. He was approximately one hour into the grand camping trip that your shared group of friends had planned, and it was already off to a bumpy start.

It started with the excessive amount of luggage you and Claire had decided to pack. The trunk was bursting at the seams, and the backseat was already crammed with more than it could reasonably hold, leaving the driver seat, the passenger seat, and a single seat in the back free for its intended use.

With Chris driving and Claire staking her claim on the passenger seat, that left you and Leon with the single seat to share.

And when you whispered a seductive “I guess we’ll have to make do,” with a mischievous glint in your eye, Leon knew he was done for.

Before he could respond, he was shoved into the car, barely even registering that you were manoeuvring yourself into his lap, carefully trying to find a comfortable position.

At first, Leon was awkward. It wasn’t every day that the girl he had a massive crush on was situated on his lap, and especially not for a 2 hour long drive like this one. But as you leaned against him and whispered a soft “Relax,” he eventually settled in, wrapping his arms around your waist and propping his chin on your shoulder.

The first hour was fine, enjoyable even. Leon had managed to stave off a massive boner, and everyone had been happy despite the luggage situation. But issues started to arise as Chris turned the car onto a bumpy gravel path in the woods.

“We’re gonna be on this trail for about an hour and then we'll be at our camping spot. It might get a bit bumpy,” Chris muttered quietly, not wanting to wake up his sister who had dozed off against the window.

As the car drove deeper into the forest, the road became more uneven, causing you to bounce slightly in Leon’s lap. His cock started to twitch, the boner he managed to avoid coming to as all his attention was focused on that single point where your ass was softly bouncing on his cock.

Leon was flushed head to toe, his teeth worrying his lower lip as the rate of his breathing increased. His cock was now fully hard and leaking pre-cum in his boxers, and by some miracle, you hadn't noticed. Needing to feel more friction, he pushed his hips up slightly, softly grinding his hard dick against your ass, playing it off as shifting to a more comfortable position. He felt like such a pervert, getting off against your ass while you were completely oblivious, but the weight of you on top of him felt too good to stop.

He had managed not to make a sound, harshly biting down against his surely bruised lip any time he felt like moaning, but when Chris hit a particularly hard bump, causing you to bounce harshly back into his cock, he let out a barely audible whimper, right against your neck.

Leon stiffened, panicking as he was sure he got caught. You were going to realize what he had been doing, and you'd think he was a disgusting pervert, never wanting to see him again.

But as you turned your head slightly, concern etched on your features, and asked him if he was okay, Leon went lax with relief. You didn’t know.

“Y-yeah- Sorry I was just startled by the bump,” he stammered out.

You smiled softly, seemingly unaware of the turmoil raging inside him. “It's okay. These roads are pretty rough. Just hold onto me if you need to, okay?”

Leon swallowed hard, nodding. “Sure, thanks.” You leaned in and pressed a chaste kiss to his cheek, then turned back around and shifted your hips, moving in a more comfortable position. Leon’s hold around your waist tightened and his dick twitched at the feeling of you moving against him.

The car continued to jostle along the uneven path, each bump sending another wave of sensation through Leon’s body. He tried to focus on anything else–the trees whipping past outside, the sound of Chris humming along to the radio, the soft snores of Claire asleep in the front–but his mind kept coming back to the warmth and pressure of you against his twitching cock.

Desperate to maintain some semblance of control, Leon shifted slightly, trying to find a position that would ease his arousal. It was useless. Every movement, every slight adjustment only heightened the friction, the pressing of your body against him his own personal torture.

Minutes felt like hours as the car bumped along the trail, each jolt a reminder of the situation Leon found himself in. To make matters worse, you began shifting, unknowingly pushing your ass against his cock continuously, and Leon couldn't help himself. He just had to cum, so he began grinding against you again, timing his thrusts with your shifting.

He closed his eyes as his thrusts got sloppier, the building heat in his gut reaching its peak. He knew he couldn't hold out for much longer, and he was careless with his sounds, his heavy breathing against your neck becoming louder and louder.

Leon's body tensed, and with a muffled groan, he came, his cock twitching as he spilled into his pants. Relief washed over him, but it was short-lived as the car continued to jostle along the path, your ass still bouncing in his lap, overstimulating his already sensitive cock.

His breathing grew ragged, and tears began to well up in his eyes. He couldn't take it anymore, the friction becoming unbearable, and he bit his lip hard, trying to stifle his whimpers.

Despite the overstimulation, the continued friction of your ass bouncing against him caused his cock to twitch and harden once more, much to his confusion and frustration. The sensations were too much to handle; his body was a mess of sensitivity and arousal, and he couldn't stop the tears that began to spill down his cheeks.

Leon's mind was a haze of pleasure and pain, the overstimulation blending into a desperate need for more. His hips involuntarily thrust upward, seeking more friction, even though it was torturous. Each bounce of your ass pushed him closer to the edge again, and he couldn't understand how he could be this turned on despite having just cum.

Minutes felt like hours, and Leon's body was on the brink of collapse. The continued friction, combined with his heightened sensitivity, pushed him to the edge once more. He tried to stay silent, but soft whimpers escaped his lips, tears streaming down his face as he clung to you, desperate and needy.

Just when he thought he couldn't take it anymore, you turned your head slightly, a smirk playing on your lips.

The realization hit him like a freight train—you knew. You had known all along. Your smirk widened as you watched him, your eyes dark with arousal.

You leaned in, your breath hot against his ear as you whispered, "You've been such a good boy, Leon."

Leon's breath hitched, his body trembling as your words sent a jolt of pleasure straight to his cock. He was overwhelmed, his senses on overdrive as you licked the tears from his face, your tongue tracing a path along his cheek.

Without warning, you began grinding against him, your hips moving in slow, deliberate circles. The friction was maddening, sending shockwaves of pleasure through his overstimulated cock. Leon's hands tightened around your waist, his nails digging into your skin as he fought to hold on.

"You like this, don't you?" you murmured, your voice dripping with teasing amusement. "Getting hard again so soon after cumming. Such a needy boy."

Leon could only nod, his voice failing him as you continued to grind against him, each movement sending him spiraling further into a state of desperate arousal. He was completely at your mercy, and he loved every second of it.

Your pace quickened, and Leon's breath came in short, ragged gasps. Each grind of your hips sent jolts of pleasure through his overstimulated body, and he clung to you as if you were his lifeline. His tears mingled with sweat, his entire world narrowing down to the intoxicating friction and your teasing whispers in his ear.

With a final, deliberate roll of your hips, you sent him over the edge again. Leon's body convulsed, his cries muffled against your shoulder as he came for the second time, his cock throbbing and spilling more cum into his already-soaked pants. His tears of overstimulation turned to tears of overwhelming pleasure, his entire being consumed by the raw, intense sensations. You held him tightly, a satisfied smirk on your lips as you licked away his tears, savoring the sweet taste of his submission.

As the last waves of his orgasm subsided, you continued to move gently, coaxing every last bit of pleasure from his exhausted body.

Leaning in close, you kissed him tenderly, a silent promise of many more games to come. In that moment, Leon knew he was utterly and completely yours, and he wouldn't have it any other way.

When they finally pulled up to the cabin, Chris hadn't even fully parked before Leon threw you off his lap and bolted for the door. His face was a deep shade of crimson, and he mumbled a halfhearted excuse about needing to use the washroom, doing his best to conceal the completely soaked front of his pants. As he disappeared inside, you couldn't help but laugh softly, the image of his flustered expression etched in your mind. You exchanged a knowing glance with Claire, who raised an eyebrow in silent question. Smiling innocently, you shrugged, already anticipating the next opportunity to tease Leon further.

[lialox]

In response to AO3 being down... I present to you a doksoo fic. :)

ORV 530

Just before they reached the final scenario, Han Sooyoung got a chance to talk to Kim Dokja for the entire night. It was to discuss their plan moving forward, but also to talk about the matters of the past, as well.

+

Summary:

We stared at each other like that. Memorizing each other’s features like this moment was our favourite story approaching its end. 

I alone knew the ending of Ways of Survival.

That’s why I knew. There was nothing past the Final Scenario. It was never written.

In a world where a novel became reality, what would happen when that very novel ended? Would reality end as well? 

If so, if this was really our last moment of sanctuary together… then there might not even be a future development to this to be afraid of.

I pushed myself upward.

In one swift motion, our lips touched. It could hardly be called a kiss. It was the sensation of softness, and nothing more. 

+

+

“Han Sooyoung.”

I had no idea what I was saying.

“Do you want to spend the night?”

I really had no idea what the hell I was saying.

“We’re about to go the Final Scenario and now you decide to reveal you’re a pervert?”

Han Sooyoung gave me a judgemental stare.

I had no idea what I expected, either.

“Don’t twist this into something strange. Obviously I wanted to make plans. A novel became reality, and as a writer…”

I made up excuse after excuse. 

Han Sooyoung started laughing. It was a refreshing sound. 

As much as I loved to see her smile, I knew she was laughing at me rather than with me and I did my best to ignore her.

“Look, if you don’t want to plan, fine, we’ll—“

“You crazy fool,” Han Sooyoung choked out between her laughter. “You’re blushing like crazy.”

[Exclusive skill, ‘Fourth Wall’, is strongly activated!]

“I’m not.”

“Just admit it. And turn that damn skill off, it’s creepy.”

Han Sooyoung turned away. 

I couldn’t see her expression but I was certain she was mocking me somehow.

“Just as you’ve requested, I’ll grace you with my presence for the night! No funny business, got it?”

+

No funny business, my ass.

Han Sooyoung was currently lying next to me in my own bed. Her complaining led to this strange development.

Come on, you’re definitely the sort who reads novels in bed and pretends it counts as resting. Don’t you need to take it easy while we still can?

Every time I tried to put some space between us, she’d shift closer as if to try to catch a glimpse of this nonsensical text file somehow. 

How was I supposed to not be bothered by this?

I was still a man, dammit.

Eventually, I had reached the very edge of my own mattress without a word of complaint, and Han Sooyoung pointed out the distance we’d traveled in the sheets. 

“What, you don’t like it?”

It was unlike her to ask.

The things between us, it had always been something unspoken, something we had to look in between the lines to see. There was something about speaking things aloud that made things real somehow. Like a spell, emotions were given permission to exist outside of my own imaginations as soon as they were uttered.

I was afraid of what would happen if I told her I did.

Just as much as I was afraid she would stop if I told her I didn’t.

“Huh.”

Han Sooyoung shifted after a beat.

“So that’s how I get you to shut up.”

Han Sooyoung pushed herself up. The tips of her hair grazed my cheeks as she loomed over me, her leg having no choice but to steady her weight in between mine with the meager space on the mattress we were left with. Her lips were just a breath away.

We stared at each other like that. Memorizing each other’s features like this moment was our favourite story approaching its end. 

I alone knew the ending of Ways of Survival.

That’s why I knew. There was nothing past the Final Scenario. It was never written.

In a world where a novel became reality, what would happen when that very novel ended? Would reality end as well? 

If so, if this was really our last moment of sanctuary together… then there might not even be a future development to this to be afraid of.

I pushed myself upward.

In one swift motion, our lips touched. It could hardly be called a kiss. It was the sensation of softness, and nothing more. 

If I had to describe it, it would be more like two people who were afraid to love because we didn’t know how to receive it. 

We were two pairs of confused eyes and we stared at each other like we couldn’t believe that just happened.

I felt the need to hide. 

But, where to? In the silence of my room, it felt like my heart had just been laid bare for her to read.

“I didn’t think you’d have the guts to do that.”

Han Sooyoung’s face twisted.

“You’re not thinking of dying again are you?”

“What the hell made you think of that?”

“That was way too out of character for you. In cases like this, isn’t that a death flag?”

“You’ve been spending way too much time thinking up cliches.”

Han Sooyoung pinched my cheeks.

“Your favourite novel is a collection of cliches. You have thousands of cliches memorized yourself, you bastard. Your head is full of them.”

I swatted her away, rolling her off of me.

“Stop complaining. It’s saved us countless times.”

Han Sooyoung pinned me down. 

As if to ask to continue.

To discover where this development lead to, and to craft this story together.

I knew I wanted to. But at the same time, I didn't.

The Final Scenario was just around the corner. 

If I grew anymore attached to her than this, I don’t think I would be able to let go.

“Kim Dokja.”

I realized her hands were running through my hair.

“After the scenarios, you’ll still read my novel, right?”

“I will,” I promised her.

Han Sooyoung considered this for a moment.

“Do you still want to read a romance?”

That dumb joke I had made when I thought she wasn’t being serious. She continued to bring it up. But I did mean it, just a little. 

Everything was just a story. This moment was, too.

I nodded.

“If there was any sort of story I wanted from you, it would be something like this.”

It would be something like a sanctuary stolen away from the storm of the scenarios. The two of us, snickering away at something only we could understand, crafting our story together. 

A story that included us covered in blankets, talking about our future. The things we wanted to give, all the things we wanted to receive. A kiss. Intimacy. Each other.

And of course, our playful banter long into the night, hoping the words we exchanged with each other would never end. 

Han Sooyoung’s eyes shook. 

If it was her, she would understand what I meant. She understood me best.

I reached out to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear.

“Will you write me a romance, Han Sooyoung?”

Han Sooyoung smiled. She looked both tired and relieved.

“I’ll write anything you want, you idiot.”

This girl, that visceral need to insult me at every turn—

“Just as long as you promise to be there to read it.”

Along with her declaration, she kissed me back. We sealed our promise this way, with a kiss, with our faces buried into each other.

I held her closely to my chest.

I wished this story would never end.

[lemonsrosesandlavender]

How do you choose which POV to write from?

What fic do you wish you got more of a response on.

Something you hate to see in smut.

Something you love to see in smut.

I would ask more but I don't want to overwhelm you.

POV?

I usually start in a fandom by echoing the POV of its source material - so, in BG3, second person, Tav's POV. It’s typically an unconscious move though. 

After that, I might branch out. Second person is great for immediacy, and especially smut; if I’m writing second person POV, it’s always the person I want to project into (confident/strong woman fucking Rolan stupid, usually). However, the more detail and specificity an OC picks up, the harder it is to persuade a reader that they “are” them.

Writing third person allows you to play with the difference between what the character perceives, and what the reader perceives, in a way that’s not really separable in 2nd person POV because the reader is the character. So that leads me to write in 3rd person often too. POV-wise, I stick to the romance MCs, and write third person limited; I like being close to a character’s thoughts and immersed in them for long periods of time.

Picking a POV for third person then  gets more tailored to the story. In Planar Tears, Catrin has secrets and feelings that I wanted to unspool gradually, so it’s all Rolan’s POV. Plus, we’re all immersed in the modern world, so it’s much more fun to see it glimpses of it from Rolan’s perspective, rather than having it be the window through which all the story events are framed. 

I am kind of tempted to write an excerpt for it at some point that’s from Catrin’s POV though, because I think it would be fun! Maybe once it’s finished :) There have been a couple of times where I was frustrated by the limitations of Rolan’s POV - times where most of the story was the struggle going on in Catrin’s head, and I didn’t feel that dipping over randomly for one chapter was right for the story - but it was definitely then challenging to keep Rolan’s side of things engaging. I hope I succeeded!

In Service of Magic on the other hand, has a dual POV. Phaere has MAJOR secrets, but I’m enjoying leaving the breadcrumb trail within her POV and then we’ll be weaving in and out. The dual POV here is partly for smut reasons - I like imagining a whole load of deliciously subby thoughts and feelings in Rolan’s head, and seeing him horny for Phaere when she’s not around, but I ALSO like projecting myself into Phaere’s head as she thinks about how fucking hot he is and how good it feels to fuck him. (It’s also kind of humanising, hopefully; we’ll see she has her own issues and isn’t just some aloof, mysterious dominant. Don’t get me wrong, that’s fun too, but this is going to be a romance in the end so I want her to feel real and sympathetic!)

Rolan’s POV is just always a delight to write. He’s so opinionated and judgemental, and frequently misreads or assumes the worst in people. It gives you a lot of room to have fun!

Fic I wish I got more of a response on?

I would never say no to more eyes on In Service of Magic! I know the kink tags, crack-taken-seriously concubine premise and “eventual mpreg” are not everyone’s cup of tea, so this is very much not whining - I’ve always known the audience would be limited. But honestly, I think I’m doing a good job of making it fun and sexy, keeping it in character for Rolan despite the crack premise, and also working in a wider storyline about kink and acceptance. (Lia in particular is not amused that Rolan dragged them all the way to Firgenstrame without being honest about why - but Rolan’s also got a lot of shame about what he secretly wants, and having his siblings react badly to the idea only further drives a wedge between them that has to be resolved). 

So if you** ever do fancy reading about a whole load of femdom filth and a surprising amount of plot, then check it out here ;) Chapter 5 is in the works at the moment; it’s hard balancing all my WIPs!

** “You” at large - I know you’ve read it Rev! 💜

Something I hate in smut

I answered this in Jessica’s ask, but I’ll add a silly one here, that YOU cursed me with knowledge of: “gummy walls”. Whoever invented this phrase should be burned at the stake. It conjures gummy bears, and the thing is they’re actually quite DRY?! Urgh! It’s such an evocative image… evocative of all the wrong things, that is.

(Also I gotta be real with you Americans: I like actual fisting in stories but if you’re writing about a character “fisting the sheets” or their jumper or whatever that is just going to crack me up and take me out of it, because then I’m picturing the character rolling it up into a tube to shove their arm inside. Utterly a personal issue, but the image is indelible).

Something I love in smut

Creative new ways of showing off how much one character needs or wants another. That’s a solid chunk of kink for me. 

I do love some conflict and stakes throughout the story. It’s not necessary, I enjoy PWP, but OH when they’re arguing and then they’re fucking, and through fucking/cuddling they work it out? S tier. Delicious.

[shiorimakibawrites]

Idea: Legacy (Spider-Man)

These are rough notes and therefore subject to change. Any thoughts or suggestions are welcome.

Warnings: Spoilers for Avengers: Infinity War, Alternate Universe, Temporary Death of Canon Characters

Legacy

Peter Parker / Spider-Man x Reader

You are the daughter of Matt Murdock, born when he was 17, inherited his superhuman senses. You have trained in martial arts but strictly as exercise – your father is very clear that he’d rather you not be fighting crime.

MOTHER is either died or left when you were very young:

(1) protect you from some shady organization like Hydra

(2) having severe postpartum depression

(3) pressure to pretend she never had a child out of wedlock – maternal family is wealthy, devoutly Catholic . . . wanted to have you adopted far away to some couple but MOTHER gave you to your father.

STEP-MOTHER meet Matt sometime during university or law school, married sometime before BROTHER was born. BROTHER is about ten years younger than you and about 7 years old.

Matt and STEP-MOTHER are dusted during the Snap.

(1) Wilson Fisk and some other enemies of Daredevil did not.

(2) Uncertain if Foggy or Karen are dusted.

(3) BEST FRIEND and BROTHER might have also been dusted but leaning toward not – what your situation to be similar but not identical to Peter’s.

Elektra didn’t die (again) in Midland Circle but never bothered getting herself legally alive again. She had left everything she inherited from the Natchois family to Matt in her will . . .and maybe Matt hasn’t found out that she isn’t dead before the Snap . . . we’ll say that is enough of a fortunate that you can easily cover your rent and other expenses, pay for school, etc. Maybe not Tony Stark level of money but qualify as rich? Part of it is business interests or real estate that that regularly brings in money?

Marci or Foggy (if he’s not dusted) might be the executor of Matt’s estate since you being still a minor can’t yet. And would have no idea what happen all you needed to do anyway.

You want to uphold Matt’s legacy. The part that has Foggy and/or Karen enthusiastic support is the lawyer idea but that will take several years to accomplish – you haven’t even finished high school yet.

You can hear how bad things are getting – the streets your father bled to make safe have become dangerous and maybe there are rumors that Fisk and others might be released or paroled early due to resource constraints or some other indicators that all of your father’s hard work is going to be flushed down the drain. All of which you hate.

If BROTHER wasn’t dusted, maybe BROTHER is frightened by all the bad stuff he can hear (“I want Daddy . . . he made the monsters stay away!”).

You decide that Hell’s Kitchen needs a Devil and make your own version of the black suit – Matt’s red suit would be more protective but it doesn’t fit. Eventually get your own version of it that actually fits you.

Inspiration pictures on Pinterest are mostly Elektra when she was Daredevil so maybe you use sais instead of billy clubs? Probably need to use different tactics – at 17, you are smaller and lighter than Matt.

Meanwhile Peter isn’t doing so great. He lost his girlfriend, best friend, Aunt May, and both of his mentors. One is Tony Stark with the added trauma of seeing him dusted right in front of him. Also for the purposes of this fic, Spider-Man has been taught a little fighting by Daredevil (mostly because Matt found Spider-Man’s attempts at hand-to-hand painful . . . maybe they were teamed-up and Peter broke his hand because he doesn’t really know how to throw a punch, yes it healed by morning that wasn’t the point).

Peter is trying handle everything on his own – he doesn’t want bother Ms. Potts while she’s grieving Tony, the Avengers have their own stuff to deal with . . . he can handle this.

Peter might have problems because Aunt May didn’t have much an estate – maybe Tony named something in his will, maybe not – and there is only so much work a high school senior can do without quitting school . . . and daring-do doesn’t make him the most reliable employee . . .

Hears about the new Devil and decides to check this person out.

Vigilante team-ups at first but start doing other things to support each other. Like patching each other up, food . . . then you are friends. Romance is slow-burn – MJ being dusted doesn’t mean Peter’s feelings for her disappeared.

Those who were not dusted and aware of Matt’s identity are not enthusiastic about you becoming Daredevil. But also become aware that you are just as determined and stubborn about it as your father. Eventually stop fighting you about it but acknowledge that if Matt ever comes back, he is going to be so mad . . .

Claire might make some comment that Matt would richly deserve to be on the other side of his ‘no hospitals, I’m going to fight with my broken ribs’ nonsense. Like see how infuriating that is, Matthew?

Question!

One thing mentioned in Into the Spider-verse films is that all Spider People have certain things in common. Like there is always a spider involved in getting their powers (generally they are bitten by a weird spider). All of them have an Uncle Ben moment (where the death of a beloved paternal figure teaches the 'great power, great responsibility' lesson).

So for the Daredevils out there across the multiverse, what are the repeating elements that always seem to happen if you already are or become Daredevil? The lost of your dad? Being blind?

It might be cliche or something to have Reader is this story lose her eyesight but sighted Daredevil just doesn't sound right . . .

Maybe you were on the fence until blind and you take the loss of your vision as a sign from God that He wants you to continue your father's work as the Devil of Hell's Kitchen.

Or you lose your eyesight as part of the side-effects of The Snap - drivers suddenly disappearing from the trucks, etc would cause a lot of deaths and injuries . . .

Thoughts?

[astral-cookiery]

Hello! I'm the anon that requested the Red Velvet and Dark Cacao small fic :D

And omg, I loved it!! Thank you for doing my request (⁠◍⁠•⁠ᴗ⁠•⁠◍⁠)⁠❤

May I request for the same trope/scenario but with Caramel Arrow Cookie? She has been living in my head for quite some time.. once again, thank you! (⁠ ⁠˘⁠ ⁠³⁠˘⁠)⁠♥

(Sorry if this got sent twice, my Tumblr is being a jerk)

A/n: I absolutely loved writing those fics, so I'm glad you enjoyed it! <3

I don't understand flirting, but my early morning brain was determined to write it, so apologies if that isn't what you were looking for. CA also might be ooc since I haven't completed Chapters 13/14 yet (｡•́︿•̀｡)

I try my best to make my writing gender-neutral when I can, so please point out if I seem to be leaning towards any gender at all.

‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗

Caramel Arrow Cookie x Reader

Caramel Arrow Cookie sat cross-legged on her bed, in no rush to get up and at her duties today. It was one of her days off- which were few and far in between. She decided to spend the day doing things she wouldn’t usually, such as sleeping in. So instead of waking up before sunrise, as she normally would, she slept until the sun was creeping into her window, shining in her face- which was relatively late in the morning. 

She did eventually decide to wake up however, and took her comb to start working at the ridiculous amount of hair she had. 

Knock knock.

Caramel Arrow Cookie didn’t need to guess who was at her door, seeing as you had a rather particular rhythm in which you knocked on her door. 

“Come in!” She called.

The door creaked open, allowing you to step in, giving Caramel Arrow an enthused expression.

“Goood morning Caramel Arrow! What are you up to?” You asked, watching her continue to comb out her hair, which trailed around her like a winding river. 

“Ah, I’m just brushing my hair right now.” She answered, briefly smiling up at you to signal that you were welcome to stay.

“Can I braid it?” You asked without missing a beat, which meant that you probably thought about it beforehand.

“Oh, I don’t see why not.” She answered, gesturing for you to sit on her bed. After taking a seat behind her, you combed your fingers through her hair. You had to pause for a moment, marvelling at how the sun made the brown swirls in her hair shine, making it look almost golden.

“Has anyone ever told you that your hair is really pretty?” You asked, starting to break her hair into two parts.

She thought about it for a moment, before shaking her head slightly. “No, you would be the first to say that.” She claimed, resting both of her hands in her lap now that you were handling her hair.

“Really? I suppose your absolutely fantastic hair must be overshadowed by how great of a Watcher you are then.” You said decisively, giving Caramel Arrow a grin she couldn’t see. The tiniest amount of heat rushed to her cheeks, momentarily surprising her.

She didn’t have a response for flirting. The silence stretched, slightly uncomfortably on her side as she mentally struggled to find a new topic. “We- would you like to go get bubble tea after this? My treat.” She offered.

“Like a date?” You asked teasingly, which only made her want to curl in on herself in embarrassment. 

“N-no! As a… payment, for… helping me braid my hair?” Caramel Arrow Cookie answered defensively, but you gave the back of her head an unconvinced expression.

“Uhuh, sure. We’ll get bubble tea after I finish braiding your hair, but in a totally platonic not-date way.” You reiterated, making her sigh in exasperation.

The whole time, you had been delicately braiding her hair, crossing one side over the other and trading a small piece each time, creating an elegant fishtail braid.

By the time you were finished, tying it with a hairtie so that it wouldn’t slip out, her hair only reached to around her lower back, as compared to how it usually could touch the floor. The magic of hair braiding, you supposed.

“There! I’m all done!” You announced, not-so-gently pushing her off the bed so she would go over to the vanity. Caramel Arrow shot you a playful glare as she caught herself, then moved to the vanity, where she looked in a hand mirror to get a view of your handiwork.

“Oh, that looks beautiful, [Name]-Cookie. Thank you.” She said delightedly, setting the mirror down. 

Caramel Arrow Cookie took her dapho off the vanity, putting it on. She then gestured toward the door. “Shall we go now?”

‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗

All done!

[meenawrites]

Trudy and the McCoskers

So... we all know Spider had a shitting time with his supposed foster family. Now in my AU, I imagine he'd still be given to the McCoskers at some point because a majority of the involved parties are saying that it would probably be better for Spider to be raised in a two-parent environment, and I'm imagining the McCoskers are the only real couple on Pandora. I think Trudy would be pretty against it at the beginning, but the others wear her down and she doubts herself because what the hell does she know about raising a child. 

(The below is like a pseudo-writing summary of how I would see it going down. I'm considering turning these into an actual fic but we'll see. Just going to share my ideas for now.)

So she lets him go but she makes sure to take him aside before them. She crouches to his level holds him by the shoulders gingerly. 

"Kiddo, I want you to know that I'm here if you ever need anything. I'm sure they're nice people, but if they say anything you don't like or even look at you in a bad way, you don't hesitate to come find me okay? You got that?"

I imagine Spider wouldn't really understand why he has to go live with these people but he's comforted by the fact that Trudy is there as his backup. 

The few weeks Spider is in their custody, Trudy's a bit of a mess. Now that she's not constantly looking after Spider, she doesn't know what to do with herself anymore and finds herself pacing aimlessly. 

She tries to give them time to adjust and maybe be a family, but eventually she caves, and she has to go see him. At first, she thinks Spider seems fine, though there is something off about him. He doesn't seem super comfortable with the McCoskers but Trudy thinks they just need more time. Her instincts are screaming at her that something is wrong though, so she starts dropping by unannounced, and figures out after seeing through a few of their bluffs that the McCoskers have no idea where this kid is most of the time. She realizes it with certainty when she drops in and they're having dinner, but Spider isn't there. It's almost Eclipse and he's not there, and his supposed foster parents seem not to give a damn. 

Trudy is about to snap but decides she'll deal with them later. She immediately goes out to look for Spider, who, when she finds him kind of just sitting near the edge of the forest, holding his knees to his chest, looks shocked that she came. Or that anybody came to find him period. He seems completely fine though otherwise, and she pulls him to her. All she notices is that Spider immediately clings to her and buries his fists in her clothes, as if scared she'd let him go, or as if he hasn't been held in a long while. Trudy has never been so angry in her life. 

She takes Spider back to her room, tucks him into her bed, and promises to come back as soon as possible. She unceremoniously goes to wake Norm and Max the hell up and drags them to wherever the McCoskers live because THEY were the ones who convinced her to give Spider to them and yet no one but she had bothered to actually check up on how he was doing and she is FURIOUS. She gives all of them a good verbal lashing, barely holding it together enough not to start throwing punches. She calls the McCoskers all the swear names in the book (and she's got an expansive repertoire so it doesn't end quickly) and threatens their lives should they ever so much as pull on a single hair on Spider's head. 

Then she wheels on Norm and Max and shouts at them for not following up with Spider, for thinking that being raised in a two-parent household was the primary thing to secure for him. It doesn't mean shit if they don't actually care for him. She's just so incredibly angry, especially at herself for not having checked in on him sooner, for not having been more interrogating and assertive about his wellbeing, and for letting the scientists convince her this was the best course of action for the kid. She might not know much about good parenting, but she knew what NOT to do. And more than that, she CARED, so she decides to bury all her doubts and declares that Spider is HERS from there on out, and stomps out. 

Spider's been waiting anxiously for her to come back, and she softens upon seeing his scared eyes. She comes to him and sits on the edge of the bed, telling him in a gentle but fierce voice that he would stay with her from now on and he would never have to go back to those people. That Spider belonged to her now. It's this claiming of him, the feeling of belonging to someone that starts the kid's rare display of waterworks. He clings to her fervently and she eventually gets him to confess that the McCoskers hadn't done anything violent to him or anything, they had simply... ignored him. Which hurt so much more. They didn't really look at him, told him where the food was but didn't make any for him, got annoyed when he asked for permission to go outside, and just generally barely talked to him. They basically just dismissed his existence, made him feel incredibly unwanted and a burden. Spider started spending more and more time outside of the house because of that, not wanting to come back to a house so lacking of warmth. He thought parents were supposed to give off the feeling that Jake and Neytiri did with their kids, so when they did it, Spider thought it was his fault, that something was wrong with him and that was why they didn't seem to want to interact with him. 

Trudy mentally contemplates going back and committing murder, but decides to focus back on the kid. He's hers now and she's going to give him the best and most love and care she could. 

[bylightofdawn]

2023 Wrap Up.

It’s officially New Years in Texas. 2023 has been a weird year for me, one that both dragged and flew by way too quickly. There’s so much pain and awfulness going on the world right now that it’s hard to not dwell on or carry that into 2024 but I’m going to try and keep this relatively light-hearted and positive if only because I want to try and start the New Year on a positive note. For me personally? I didn’t really do anything big or notable but I had some smaller but meaningful victories.

I made a New Years resolution (something I’m pretty vehemently against because I always feel disappointed in myself when I don’t follow through) that I was going to start writing again and I would try and write every day. I didn’t manage every day but boy howdy did I still keep up that resolution. The major project of course being Seeds for the Future which I clocked in at 176,456 words minus I want to say around 10,000 words which I’d previously started like 3 years ago before abandoning it. So we’ll call it 165,000 to make it even-ish.

Holy. Shit. 165,000 in one year. I did not in a million years think I had that in me. And it’s been a wild ride. At points I felt like I was being ridden by a damned demon that was demanding I write this NOW. I was especially busy the first six months or so and then I burned myself out which….completely understandable when you consider your standard basic fiction book is around 70,000+ so I wrote two fucking novels in six months length-wise. But I also wrote a bunch of other stuff. I wrote A Fragile World Between Sharp Teeth which I’m still absurdly in love with. Wrote two whole-ass Witcher fics this month and one Star Trek fic as well as some other WIPs.

By my calculations I wrote -drum roll- 233,383 words in 2023.

223,383 WORDS WRITTEN ARE YOU SHITTING ME

And actually followed through on a New Years Resolution.

I also forced myself out of my comfort zone in little ways. I pushed myself to take action on my health to try and figure out the cause of my chronic pain and while the diagnosis was a bummer as was getting diagnosed with diabetes on top of everything else this year, I am proud that I forced myself to do it. I also did silly things like bleached my hair and dyed it all manner of crazy colors.

I think for 2024 I’m going to try and hold myself accountable for my health. I desperately need to go back to therapy and as much as I hate to admit it, I need to join a gym and strengthen my body. It will be the best thing I can do for my RA if I can help strengthen my muscles and I think it will help with my pain levels. It just...it sounds like so much effort though and it scares me so we’ll see how that journey goes. I’m going to keep plugging away slowly but surely.

I’m also going to keep trying to write in 2024. I have so many fic ideas I want to write. I’m definitely not going to do anymore crazy fucking 100K fics again. It definitely takes a toll on me creatively and not going to lie, after a while it feels like I’m just kinda screaming into the void because the sad truth of the matter is, long-fic will turn readers off and they won’t click or interact with it. And eventually my imposter syndrome reared its ugly head and the last half of this year and trying to finish Seeds has been a slog for the most part and not one I enjoyed.

Now, I’m going to go pour myself a glass of Moscato, eat some stupidly expensive caprese salad and I think edit the first chapter of my Gallahir sequel. I think I might be able to get it up and posted today if I can edit the first chapter tonight. Thank you to all my tumblr buddies, both new and old who have stuck it out with me through everything. I love and appreciate y’all and I am hoping you all have a happier, more kinder year than 2023.

[bonesandthebees]

The there’s what Phil was going to ask or say (thanks, Ponk for that interruption btw, really adds to the suspense). Phil might have asked what the common ground was, might have asked if Wilbur thinks Tomys would be capable of ruling. If he wanted to work with him. We’ll never know (maybe we will, but not right now).

Either way let’s get to how father and son play the game because having both pov’s makes this so much fun. We already know how Phil plays this game. He keeps every card he has a close to his chest as he can and probably only trusts Techno with the full set. Wilbur gets to see some of them if proven he can keep it a secret. Sneeg doesn’t really get the cards but he has some vague outlines and can probably guess the next play.

Side note: Niki plays the game similarly, she just has less connections (and no idea the Consul is bribing the Sneeg, or does she? She has to be somewhat aware of Phil’s influence if she has known not to trust him for a long time.) before this, she did trust Wilbur with some of her cards, but not all of them, and she’s starting to trust him less and less. She knows how dangerous his father is and I think she’s starting to understand how dangerous Wilbur can become by extension, but I’ll get to that.

Wilbur on the other hand, knows how to hide his cards in theory. He’s just not really that good at it yet. Nor does he seem to know what to hide without being told. In this case that is. Now he does not need to hide his new relationship with Tommy from his father. That’s info Phil very much needs to work his schemes.

But using the same nickname Tomys’ close friends use is a dead giveaway. Phil and Techno know it when they hear it. And Niki knows it too. And if Wilbur was as cunning as his father (or maybe just less tired) he would know to hide that new connection from her. Though at the same time that would come out eventually and it would be better if she knows right away rather than found out he tried to hide the fact he’s bonding with the enemy.

Another point I want to make is that Wilbur very much gains Tommy’s trust (and loyalty) on accident. He was at no point thinking of how he could work with this when (if) they got back to the palace. And that is the big difference between what his father would have done. See Wilbur pulls the right strings without the intentions behind it while Phil would have told Tommy about being heir with the intention of gain his trust. Wilbur just wanted the kid to know why someone tried to kill him. (I really should reread that convo too.)

I think maybe Wilbur does things because he knows he should do them or thinks his father would want him to do them without really getting why. Not to say he’s not smart. He often knows the goal and how it can help. But he’s also been preparing to be Niki’s advisor for his entire life and suddenly his father is considering shifting those plans and Wilbur is not as quick to shift gears. (Does this make sense? I feel like I’m just rambling.)

(4/?)

-🌲

actually, phil wasn't going to ask wilbur about any of that. he was going to slightly change the subject away from tommy and to the bandits, but ponk interrupted before they could have that conversation. probably for the better lol

I love having both povs in this fic because I love showing how the two of them are both similar and different in how they think about this game. phil has been at this for years. he's the most experienced and understands the value of keeping a card up your sleeve. wilbur is still struggling to differentiate what cards you can sacrifice and which ones you have to hold onto.

niki isn't specifically aware that phil gets info from sneeg, but she's sure he has eyes all over the place. she knows he knows everything that goes on in the palace and is smart enough to put together that he must have some kind of information network available to him. she just doesn't know the who or how of it.

but yeah, wilbur lets the nickname slip out in front of niki. to be fair he's incredibly exhausted and recovering from a very traumatic mountain trip. but I think even if he was in his right mind while he would've thought it over more, he would've still ended up using the name in front of niki. because it's niki. wilbur still isn't trying to hide things from her per se, because in his mind he's still on her side. he hasn't consciously switched to only supporting tommy or anything. he's still telling himself niki is someone he should trust with most things (as long as his father hasn't told him to keep it from her) so he doesn't think there's a reason to hide this new connection with tommy. at least... not yet.

I will say, actually, there is one instance of wilbur and tommy talking in the cave where wilbur does in fact think quite a bit like his father.

"Wilbur could still see the needle he could thread here. This was a moment he could connect with Tomys." (Chapter 8) Wilbur isn't exactly being manipulative nor is he lying, but right here he's choosing his words very carefully to try and make himself feel sympathetic to tommy.

so actually wilbur gaining tommy's trust wasn't entirely an accident. for the most part doing things like saving his life and all was just him acting on instinct. but during these quieter conversations wilbur did still have his father's voice in the back of his mind telling him this was an opportunity.

I do get what you mean though, wilbur is struggling to keep up with his father's sudden shift in plans. and wilbur himself isn't sure where he falls. he knows what his father expects of him, but niki is wilbur's friend. if the day tommy arrived at the palace phil told wilbur to stop trying to help niki get the throne to give it to tommy, wilbur would've argued. for all of his fear of disappointing his father, he does have a limit. which is why wilbur had to come to this point on his own. his mentality shift isn't something phil could force on him, it was a seed he had to plant. and then circumstances ended up forcing that seed to grow faster than expected.

[asterdisaster06]

Forever Winter

simon "ghost" riley x john "soap" mactavish

Pt 1. Pt 2. Pt. 3

summary > “I’m tired of you disappearing for weeks and then waltzing back into my life like it’s nothing.”

“Better than me disappearing for good.”

“Is it?”

. . .

word count > 1.3k

a/n > mmm pain and suffering. Tbh this is a self comfort fic for how I wished a conversation with an old situationship ended.

ao3

“I’ll be fine on my own,” Soap says.

“Are you sure? If you need us you know which market we’ll be in right? Price just needs a few ingredients for tonight's dinner, mkay?” Gaz fusses over him, heartwarming in the mother-hen kind of way. 

“Yes, yes, and got it,” Soap replies, practically shoving the two out the door.

“Call us if you need anything, you hear me,” Price barks out. It reminds MacTavish of time on the battlefield a long time ago.

“Sir, yes sir,” Soap offers up a mock salute.

Price rolls his eyes and drags Gaz by the arm out the door of the house the three had shared for the past few days. It had been rough, but Soap was doing some healing on his own. He seems fine most of the time, forcing smiles and neverminds. Grief eventually catches up to him on days such as these, but it diminishes a little with every day that passes. Soap thinks that at some point he might be able to truthfully say he’s okay.

A knock at the door crushes that dream almost immediately. Despite everything in him, his intuition that has kept him alive all this time, he opens the door to see Simon’s face staring back at him with flowers in his hand.

“Johnny-”

“Don’t call me that, you lost that privilege as soon as you ran off without a word,” Soap snaps.

“I know, God, I know that there’s nothing I can do to make up for all of the shit I’ve put you through. I know all of my broken promises means you can’t trust me. And I’m not asking you to, just. . . can we talk?”

“Now you want to talk? Huh? I have spent the past year wishing that you would say these words to me. Too fucking bad it’s far too late for us,” Soap spits, considering slamming the door on the fingers of the man in front of him.

“Please. If not now, then later?” His voice comes out begging.

“You were really selfish, Simon,” Soap sighs.

“I know, all this time I was ignoring you breakin’ down as if it would go away. I should have known better than to believe that you coped in the same way I did,” Simon speaks, shameful like a dog whose owner came home to the mess they made.

“Yeah, you should’ve. I have always called to check up on you, 5 AM wasted you. You were always long gone, not even listening to me. The one time I needed you, truly needed you, you turned your back on me,” Soaps’ voice breaks, but he refuses to let the tears fall in front of the man he used to look up to. “Please go, I don’t want to see you right now.”

“I understand. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you need anything,” Simon relents, hesitantly grasping the hands of his beloved, handing the bouquet of white orchids over. 

“I’m sorry,” Soap whispers, a breaths width away from his ghost.

“Why are you sorry?” Ghost asks sincerely, faltering as he reaches out to instinctively comfort his lover before realizing.

“I’m sorry that I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forgive you, and I’m sorry to ask you to move on. Allow me to move on,” Soap murmurs, leaning into the rough and callous hand grazing his cheek.

“I can accept all of that, except you asking me to move on. I still love you too much to let that happen,” Simon smiles sadly. 

“That’s hard to believe. Then again, I don’t believe anything much I hear these days.”

“Believe in one thing, I won't go away. I promise I’ll respect the distance you set, but my heart won't let you go. I know it’s selfish of me, but I have to ask you to promise never to get back with me if you truly think it would be detrimental to you. God knows I’ve caused you enough pain and suffering," Simon leans forward, letting his forehead rest against Soaps. 

“I promise. Goodbye, Simon,” Soap takes a step back.

“Goodbye, Johnny.”

. . .

“I pulled at every thread, trying to solve the puzzles in his head. Lived my life scared to death he'd decide to leave instead,” Soap sighs, recounting what he had told his therapist for his boyfriend. “I’d be in pieces on the floor, pacing at 3 AM wondering if Simon was still alive.”

“Hey, listen to me, I need you to know that if I ever do that to you I fully expect you to rip me a new one. You and your entire squad of terrifying teammates,” He chuckles.

“I don’t know who’s luckier for you treating me so well. Me for experiencing what I always wished for, or you for getting to live another day,” Soap smiles. 

“How could I not treat you like this? In fact, you deserve more than what I could ever dream of giving you.”

“I love you,” Soap says softly.

It had been a few months since the last time Soap had even seen, let alone thought about Ghost. They had their occasional interactions, always kept brief and to the point. Both of them had kept to their promises, respecting the lines the other had set. Sometimes Soap had really wanted to take him back, getting lost in thought about the what ifs of it all - wishing it was how it used to be. 

“Johnny?” A voice from the crowd calls out, Soap’s heart stopping at the tone he recognized so well. 

“Simon,” A curt reply masking the pain seeping through the cracks of his facade. 

“How. . . how have you been?” Ghost asks, clearing his throat as if he hadn’t used it in months. 

“I’ve been doing better.” Soap leaves it at that, leaning into his new lover's side. 

“That’s good to hear. Tell the boys I said hi?” Simon says, phrasing it as a tentative question. 

“Yeah, yeah sure. Will do,” Soap chews at the inside of his cheek. 

“I’ll see you around,” Ghost lingers a bit, fitting for his callsign, before eventually departing. His figure seemed to long for the past that could never be again.

“Are you okay?” Soap was asked.

“I think I will be,” Johnny responds bittersweetly. 

. . .

Two invitations were the only interactions that Soap had with Simon for the rest of his life. The first was a last minute decision after tearing himself up over it for a week. A wedding invitation sent to Simon, an out of place joy in a cliche font inviting the man and a plus one. It was almost thrown out and burned at least ten times, but those old feelings left claw marks that clung to his heart. Scar tissue beating memories mercilessly alongside the newfound love he had for life. He was fine, most of the time.

Simon had cleaned himself up well, appearing almost sane and well despite his figure spending most of the time hunched in the corner. Nobody except Soap really noticed, but he was really only there for Johnny so it didn’t matter. Not to Simon. 

The second invitation was one from Simon to Johnny. One that he had been planning for a long time, too long. A funeral invitation, left in the meager will of a once steadfast soldier. The only thing that came out of Johnny for a long time was begging and screaming. Silence was the only thing heard at the funeral, broken only by the soft rain mourning alongside the worms of the ground. 

A blood red poppy appears over the grave of Simon Riley month. A remembrance of sorts for what once was, and what will never be again. They both kept their promises in the end. 

[tickly-trashcan]

Earful {Tighnari and Aether}

A/N: This is the first fic req for the 1k event!!! Thank you so much for this I genuinely had so much fun writing this I cannot even speak properly rn omgggg I love Tighnari so much???? He’s so cute I cannot! I’m so glad you enjoy my fics, that makes me so happy!! I... honestly might need to write more stuff for Tighnari after this LOL I want to hold him like a burger!!!! (sorry in advance i finished this in like an hour and that depleted my energy so i didn’t really proofread orz if there’s any mistakes oops)

Summary: While Collei is out on patrol, Aether and Tighnari are collecting some nearby mushrooms. Aether is a bit distracted by Tighnari’s ears though...

Word Count: 1.5k (under the cut)

“We’re heading out now! See you in a bit!” Collei called, waving to Tighnari and Aether. The two of them waved back, watching as Collei went off with Paimon to go clear out a Withering Zone with some other rangers.

“I hope she’ll be okay…” Aether mumbled after she disappeared from view. Tighnari shrugged.

“Paimon and the other rangers are with her, there’s no need to worry. She’s in good hands, and she’s capable of handling herself as well.”

Aether nodded, still unsure. Tighnari’s ears twitched as he sorted through some of the notes he had been collecting on some plants, catching Aether’s attention. He narrowed his eyes, watching Tighnari’s ears until they twitched again, making Tighnari turn to Aether.

Aether quickly turned around, pretending to be rather interested in one of the butterflies on the wall. “If you’re worried, I can go get her.”

Aether shook his head, knowing that Collei wouldn’t appreciate that. Tighnari tucked away his notepad, his ears twitching once more as he turned to the entrance of the small room. “While Collei’s away on the Withering Zone, I was wondering if you’d help me with something else? Supposedly there’s a fungus that’s growing in abundance nearby, and I’d like to see what kind it is. The other rangers haven’t been able to identify it.”

“You don’t want to wait for her?” Aether said, still worried. Tighnari raised his eyebrow and crossed his arms, shooting Aether a little glare. Aether sighed. “Fine, fine, I’ll stop worrying!”

Tighnari smiled slightly and walked out of the room, Aether following close behind. The two of them walked down through the forest, Aether watching where he was walking to keep himself from tripping over any tree roots. Tighnari looked directly ahead with the familiarity of the forest that only a ranger could have.

“Ah, here’s some. It looks like a common fungus – nothing poisonous. Actually, this one is rather tasty. Help me collect some, we’ll cook it up.”

Aether looked down at a large group of beige mushrooms. He recognized them from his own travels. He bent down next to Tighnari and helped scoop a bunch up into his bag, watching Tighnari. His ears continued to twitch with every sound in the forest, tilting and flicking. Aether couldn’t tear his eyes away, and eventually Tighnari caught his gaze.

“You’re going to step on a mushroom,” Tighnari pointed out, making Aether quickly look away and scoop up as many mushrooms as he could. Tighnari chuckled and continued on.

“Tighnari,” Aether started, putting a handful of mushrooms into the bag. “Are your ears… Can I…”

“They are my real ears. And no, you can’t touch them.”

Aether immediately began to pout and whine, nudging Tighnari. “Oh come on! They look so fluffy!”

Tighnari’s ears twitched at that comment, and Aether couldn’t tell if it was representative of approval or not. Aether continued.

“They move all the time. How could I not want to touch them? Please? Just really quick?”

Tighnari shook his head and Aether threw his head back with an exasperated groan. Tighnari grinned as if he was enjoying watching Aether struggle to convince him. Aether grumbled, deciding to take a different course of action.

“Pretty please, Tighnari?” He said sweetly, giving Tighnari the best puppy-dog eyes he could muster. They would always work on Lumine, surely they would work on Tighnari.

Tighnari seemed to hesitate at Aether’s pleading eyes. Aether had to fight back a grin; he had him. Tighnari sighed in resignation.

“Fine. But… just this once, okay? And don’t tell anyone.”

Aether silently cheered in excitement. He quickly tucked the mushrooms he was holding into the bag and dusted off his hands. He reached forward and lightly cupped Tighnari’s ears in his hands, rubbing them gently with his thumbs. They were even more fluffy than he imagined, and Aether’s eyes lit up with excitement.

He rubbed his ears, sparing a quick glance at Tighnari. His cheeks were a light shade of pink, and his face was screwed up in a tight smile, as if he was fighting it. Aether raised an eyebrow and stopped rubbing his ears.

“You okay? You seem sensitive there…”

Tighnari shook his head. “No, it’s fine. I’m just more ticklish than I remember, I suppose.”

Aether blinked. Ticklish? 

Tighnari looked at Aether with a raised eyebrow. “What’s with the face? You look like you ate a bad fungus.”

Aether’s shock was quick to turn into mischief as he looked at Tighnari with a grin. Tighnari put a bit of distance between him and Aether, going back to picking mushrooms. “Stop being weird. Come on, there’s still a few more fungi.”

Aether didn’t care about the mushrooms though. He was hooked on this new little fact, and he was determined to test it out. He waited until Tighnari set the bag down, not wanting to crush the mushrooms they had worked hard to collect, then pounced.

“Wha– Aether! Get off!” Tighnari gasped when Aether tackled him, the two of them landing in the soft grass as Aether laughed.

“You can’t expect me to not tickle you now!” Aether said, watching as Tighnari’s eyes widened. His ears were straight up, unmoving for what was probably the first time all day. Aether snickered when Tighnari went to try and push him off again, already giggling nervously.

“You’re already laughing?” Aether teased, making Tighnari whine.

“If you’re gohohonna tickle me thehen just do it!” Tighnari giggled, kicking his legs uselessly as Aether cracked his knuckles.

“If you say so!”

Tighnari shrieked when Aether squeezed his sides, immediately dissolving into frantic giggles as he squirmed. His laughter was hiccupy and bubbly, and he gasped when Aether caught him by surprise. Aether found it endearing and continued, scribbling his fingers across Tighnari’s tummy.

Tighnari squealed, kicking his legs as he tried to curl up. Aether held him down a bit, one hand on his hip to keep him from curling up as the other explored Tighnari’s tummy, which was proving rather sensitive.

“I never would’ve guessed you’d be ticklish!”

Tighnari could only laugh in response as Aether chuckled in amusement. He squeezed Tighnari’s hip and he shrieked, jolting. Aether laughed, quickly using both hands to knead his hips as Tighnari twisted and squirmed under Aether.

“I wonder where else you’re ticklish…?”

“Nowhehehere else! Stahahap!”

Aether grinned. “Hmm… I get the feeling that you’re lying.”

Tighnari shook his head, his nose scrunched as his cheeks slowly turned even more pink. Aether chuckled.

He began to lightly dig into Tighnari’s ribs, making him squawk loudly. He went to shove at Aether, but Aether retaliated by burying his hands under his arms, making Tighnari’s arms retreat in hopes to defend himself. 

“NAHaha! Not thehehehere! Ahahahaether!” Tighnari wailed, trying to roll away. Aether managed to hold him in place, grabbing his hip and pulling him closer. He also gave his hip a quick squeeze, earning a rewarding squeal from Tighnari.

“Okay, so we’ve got ears, tummy, hips, ribs… right here seems especially ticklish though,” Aether teased, scribbling his fingers under Tighnari’s arms as his back arched.

“GAhahaha! Plehehehease, no mohohore!”

Aether shrugged. “Okay, I’ll stop. But first, I need to try something.”

“Nohohoho!”

Aether chuckled and used one hand to grab Tighnari’s flailing wrist. Tighnari peeked through his tightly squeezed eyes and whined. “Dohohon’t! Ahahaether, I swehehear!”

Aether only stuck out his tongue playfully, pulling Tighnari’s arm above his head before using his other hand to tickle Tighnari’s helpless underarm. Tighnari shrieked, tugging frantically on his arm in hopes of getting out, pleading with Aether to stop.

Aether finally did, letting go of Tighnari as he laughed softly, watching as Tighnari sat up and shoved his hands under his arms. He glared at Aether and scooted away, his ears twitching as Aether went to move towards him.

“I’m not gonna tickle you again,” Aether said. Tighnari narrowed his eyes in suspicion. “I promise! You’ve just got a few leaves in your hair.”

Tighnari frowned and let Aether pluck the few leaves from his head, averting his gaze. His face was somewhat akin to a pout, and Aether found it rather funny.

“I think you needed a laugh, Tighnari,” Aether said playfully, nudging Tighnari with his elbow. Tighnari glared at him.

“Why do you say that?”

Aether shrugged. “You’re always working and you seem a little too serious. It’s good to let go every once in a while. My sister and I would always have tickle fights if one of us was feeling a bit out of sorts.”

Tighnari huffed. “It’s hard to let go sometimes.”

Aether frowned. He pat Tighnari’s shoulder and helped him up, grabbing the bag of mushrooms they had collected. “Well, maybe I can tickle you again if you need to let go.”

“Absolutely not,” Tighnari concluded, walking away as Aether followed. Aether’s gaze was directed towards Tighnari’s ears, but he noticed they weren’t moving. Another movement caught Aether’s attention, and he looked down at Tighnari’s tail, which seemed to wag just a bit.

Aether hummed. “Normally it’s your ears that move, Tighnari.”

Tighnari’s walk quickly sped up and Aether laughed, now chasing after Tighnari as they made their way back to where Collei and Paimon waited. 

[ramblyngrobyn]

Juvenile (Pkmn/Prsk crossover) Prologue notes extended

Okay! So! This is the start of a little big something I've been sitting on for a while. For the last several months (since at least April 2023) I've been occasionally poking at this ever-expanding AU in my phone's notes, adding ideas for story beats and things to do with the characters and world. I always figured I wouldn't actually turn this into a real thing and figured I'd just keep it to my own imagination but the brainworms eventually won, so here I am!

Uh, so I don't know how "good" this is gonna be? Hell even this first chapter I'm already worried that maybe I tried to do too much at once. As I was writing a lot of extra ideas hit me for how I could better build this as a solid foundation of the rest of the story. I wanted every scene to like, matter, yknow? It might just straight up be too long! But any time I considered cutting a scene just to make things more brief I was like "no, no, I need that part". I could have also cut it into multiple chapters but it's the same amount of content so like, what would the point be. If you're wondering, the break points for a 3-chapter version of this would have been Mafuyu showing up at Kanade's place and Kanade seeing the others off at the train station.

Right off the bat, the prologue is a bit different tonally and I wanna talk about that. There's not a super high saturation of Pokemon stuff in this opening! I hope that isn't too weird considering this is a Pokemon AU! I wanted to ease Kanade into it before dropping her in the deep end for the last chunk. When the next chapter hits, we’ll be in full on Poke-mode. This chapter also has a handful of more serious moments, which is par for the course since y'know, Niigo. I actually cut out or edited some bleaker moments because I thought they felt out of place, lol. It's gonna get a lot more consistently lighthearted from here, I promise! (Mostly!)

I have the broad strokes of this story outlined, both in written notes and a map that I scribbled out. I don't have all the details in-between locked in, I'm being flexible there, but I know where I want this to go and generally speaking what I want to do with the whole cast.

I'm not aiming for anything super profound with this, and I have no practical experience in long-form storytelling. Hopefully that doesn't bite me in the butt too hard. Going forward, some chapters might end up being mostly choreographed action, some might be the characters sitting around talking for a few thousand words. At the end of the day, this is just me having fun with my favorite characters in one of my favorite fictional words. I'm trying to not think so hard that I corner myself.

On that note, I think it's worth noting up front that this is very much my version of these characters in my version of Unova. Not in a "my fic don't like don't read" kind of way but like... you might not agree with every choice?

For the most part character origins will have to be built from the ground up, though as you can see from this first chapter I've tried to keep bits and pieces from canon that I think naturally fit. Niigo's origin story is honestly pretty easy to write and intuit around considering they first met remotely. And while I did do a lot of expositing in this opening I think that instead of every character getting an airtight, perfectly laid out backstory, I'll leave some things to the imagination.

As far as the laws of the Pokemon universe goes, it probably goes without saying that I definitely won't be following strict rules from the games. Some Pokemon might end up learning moves that aren't in their learnset, for example (or at least, if they make sense for the Mon in question). Some moves and abilities might have their function tweaked for this context, or I might go for a different interpretation of how the move manifests physically. There’ll be Pokemon that have more than literally four moves. Stuff like that. I'm inserting some headcanons, some ideas that I think fill in gaps in the world building, and there'll be a lot of changes to the design of the world. I joke to myself that this is a "post-globalism Unova", because there's some locations that are really different, a couple totally original locations, and Pokemon here that don't show up in Pokemon BW/2. You could call it "anime logic" if you want, I just think loosening the rules makes things more interesting and fun to write and read. 

One more little nugget: In case you didn't recognize it, the title is from the Jin song made for the Project Voltage collab! It's my favorite song so far from the crossover, it makes me feel so many things. It just felt like a perfect fit for this story vibes-wise, as well as a fun coincidence since I’d been imagining Kanade with an Eevee for months beforehand.

I may run out of steam eventually, but I'm publishing this first chapter because I'm currently feeling fired up about it. Even if the current enthusiasm wanes over time this'll be here for me to poke with an update whenever I want.

I'd love for you to join me on this silly journey, and I hope you can enjoy it!

[aviangrian]

ahhh i just wanted to say i love starboy SOOO much!!!! i did not/still dont know anything about f1 but the way you write it is so easy to follow along with and read!!! i love how you write the characters, especially scar/grian/joel/lizzie, you write them so so sooo flawlessly... i love how it seems like were there with scar in the moment of everything going on and how you describe everything from his perspective. i also LOVE how you write scar and grian especially because they both seem just so *real* and *raw* and i usually never see that from fics. the way you write is just so in detail that it really allows the reader to imagine everything thats happening and i LOVEEE that!!! i also love how you write grian and mumbos friendship, like they obviously care about each other so muchhh and i love how the readers able to see that even through scars perspective!!!!! esp the scene after grian fell asleep watching topgun and mumbo helping him lay down into a more comfortable position,,, and how they hugged when grian finally got p1 😭😭❤️ NOT TO MENTION THE LATEST CHAPTERRRR AND SCAR AND GRIANS FIRST KISS????? THAT WHOLE CHAPTER WAS GOLDDDD i loved that chapter so much,,, so much happened between grian and scar???? that scene of them in the club??? scar (and us) finally getting some insight to what happened in grians past from grian himself??? grian being comfortable enough with scar to actually open up to him??? AND THEM CONFESSINGGG??? ☹️☹️☹️❤️❤️❤️ might be my fav chapter if im being honest

i also just wanted to ask a few questions while i was here though;

first, do you have a set upload schedule? or is it like a whenever you have time to work on it thing?

second, do you think youll be posting more content abt this au after starboy is finished? like a grians pov or something? ive become so interested in this au because i can tell so much work has been put into it and id love to see more it!!

lastly, is this going to be an eventual mumscarian fic??? i think its obvious Somethings going on/has happened between grian and mumbo but i just dont know What... like that one scene with them all at the dinner??? or the car scene with grian standing up through the sunroof???

i cant wait to read more chapters!!! but im also scared As Hell because SO much has happened already and its only been 6 chapters. we still have 5 more longgg chapters left and im so scared but also excited for how things are going to go... i hope youre having a good day, i cant wait to see what you have in store for this story!!! 🫶🫶 sawrry that this was a lot of rambling though,,, 😭😭❤️

anon i’m crying?? 😭 thank you so much.

the goal of the fic is real and raw! it’s an unusual setting (maybe not for me considering this is my second racing centric fic) but everything that happens is a product of the environment! the wins from his own team left scar feeling bitter at times, but watching grian win had him so proud he knew he’d get in trouble w his own team if he showed it lol. it’s all about where they are and it makes me sooo happy (like you would not believe) when people who aren’t f1/sports fan still enjoy the fic!

last ch was a lot and contained a lot of really vital stuff that i couldn’t wait to see the reactions of. grian finally opening up is so important to me and scar letting it happen in its own time is a huge part of why grian begins letting him in, which is evidently not something he’s used to at all. mans has been through it in this universe

as for the questions: i don’t have an upload schedule but i try to churn out the chs when i have time. it fits that valentine’s was right before midterms season for me so i got to get something out before i get swamped by all that 🥲 i don’t like to let a full month go by without posting but we’ll see how my semester keeps going lol

and i’ve been thinking of content once i’ve finished starboy. i’ve had ideas of grian’s pov hitting all the major plot points or even a jimmy spin-off one shot but nothing is planned for now. definitely floating around in my mind

mumscarian is not the endgame but the mystery behind grian and mumbo will be revealed! grian is mysterious and mumbo being mumbo goes along w it, but it does come full circle eventually!

i didn’t even realize there’s already only 5 chs left! that’s crazy, considering how much of the story i have left!

thank you again anon, this is all very much appreciated. i love your rambling because it allowed me to ramble too haha

[skyward-floored]

I….I couldn’t decide so I’m giving you 3 options and you can either do all 3 or just chose 1 for a snippet or any random facts you want to tell me! My brain will love anything you throw at me! I love all 3 of these so much! No pressure also! 💜

Incredibles au

Royal castle town wedding

Courage of ages

I will gladly talk about all three, you underestimate my ability to blab about my projects hehe

Incredibles au

INCREDIBLES AU WOOO Been working on the main fic on and off, was feeling kinda discouraged, and then I actually reread all of what I’ve got and was like “okay this actually isn’t so bad”.

I’d love to start publishing it, but the literal first chapter is so full of action scenes that I can’t write it very fast 😓 Plus there’s some (kinda important!) plot things I’m still trying to make work, and haven’t figured out yet. So eventually! Just not yet. Here’s a bit of it though!

“Hey Warriors!” Wild called from the table, then spat an entire mouthful of water at him from across the room before Malon could tell him not to.

Warriors lunged forward and shot some ice from his hands, freezing the water and catching it before it could hit the ground. He held it out to Wild with a grin, and he took it with a slightly disappointed expression.

“Aw... I like it when it shatters.”

Time grabbed his coat from the hanger as Warriors made the rounds and asked how everyone was doing, before ruffling Legend’s hair and making him squawk.

“How you doing Ledge? See you’re still crazy about carrots,” he teased with a look at his plate.

“And I see you’re still insufferable as ever, uncle freezer burn,” Legend snapped back, whacking his hand off his head.

“Aw, I love you too.”

Royal Castletown Wedding

I’m going to put the other two under a cut so I don’t take up everyone’s dashboards 😅

Castletown wedding! It’s only got another chapter or two left, then it’ll be finished! I’ve got a few deleted scenes from it too I’m hoping to maybe post once it’s finished. I honestly just need to sit down and finish the silly thing, but lately other things have been taking my attention heh.

Here’s a section of it :)

“Poor Cia...” Artemis murmured, pity in her eyes. “She’d never truly returned after all. She was merely a shadow, a tool like everything else...”

“Well shadow or not, she sure made a mess of things” Legend grumbled. “Good riddance.”

The others nodded, though Warriors seemed oddly subdued still, his eyes glazed like he was looking at something only he could see. Then he shuddered, and shook his head, snapping out of whatever daze he’d been in. He noticed Wind was looking at him, and gave him a faint smile, but Wind turned away.

Courage of Ages

Coa my beloved 💖💖💖 My own Links meet au thing, I’ve got so many random scenes and interactions (and aus heh) with these guys written down that may or may not actually end up in the alleged main fic. I always welcome questions about them! :D

But here’s a bit that’ll probably end up in the main fic at some point, or might just be a scene I’ll post by itself. We’ll have to wait and see :)

“Who all do you have back home Cloud?” Gloam asked once Windy had finally quit pestering him.

“You got anyone like that?” Light asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

Their resident cloudy hero blushed, and scratched the back of his neck. “Well. Yes. I mean...”

He held up his left hand, tugging off the glove atop it and revealing a wedding band around his finger.

“...I do have someone waiting for me back home.”

Gloam clapped him on the shoulder as a few ooohs went up from the others. “Well wouldn’t you know it, one of us is hitched! You’ve been holding out on us! What’s her name? You been together long?”

Cloud’s face turned wistful, and he sighed. “Zelda. And it hasn’t even been a week. I was on my honeymoon.”

Several glances were exchanged at the name, but Windy merely looked dismayed.

“Oh no, that’s terrible Cloud, this must be awful for you!” the sailor exclaimed, and the chosen hero smiled a bit despite the sad look in his eyes.

“Yes. But at least I know she’s safe.” His expression turned dismal. “She likely has no clue what happened to me.”

[stewardofningishzida]

Dr. Strange Meta-Fic Sequel!

PEOPLE! The Meta-Fic is back and strong as ever. So, here’s Chapter 1 of the sequel. Thanks to Trix, Tear, and PrettyWitch for sticking with us! Have fun and enjoy, everyone! TRIGGER WARNING: Cryptids, mention of blood, some horror elements, panic attack mention, language

Chapter 1:  Lingering Fragments

*It’s been 5 months since Stephen left. The world remained unaware of his visit, although strange sightings were constantly reported in the news. A glowing baby, a dodo bird, and HD photos of Bigfoot, to name a few. At first, we dismissed them as AI-generated images or possible side effects coming from the rift that Stephen and Wong had closed, but the latest picture of a chupacabra taken only 4 hours away from our town was too uncanny to ignore. I text the group.*

Me (text):  Hey…There’s been a lot going on and I don’t think we can ignore it anymore.  Should we try to check this chupacabra thing out and make sure nothing majorly wrong is happening?  I know it’s kinda far, but it’s closer than anything else reported.  What do you guys think?

Tear (text): It would be nice to confirm if this is all just more proof that AI is a curse, but I have to point out that there’s also the possibility that it could be real. If we do choose to go, we’ll need a plan for every single eventuality. I really don’t want a repeat of the mines.

Trix (text): No one needs a repeat of the mines.

PrettyWitch (text): I think we should go. I’ve been having weird flashes of some kind of monster lately, so it might not be such a bad idea.

Me (text):  Agreed.  I would like to not be caught off-guard and have one or more of us nearly killed.  Wait…Weird flashes, PrettyWitch?  Like visions or something?  You’re sure it’s not just nightmares from the weird news stories?

PrettyWitch (text): Maybe…I mean, I have been watching a lot of BBC Sci-fi and post-apocalyptic shows recently.

Me (text):  Hm.  Well…How vivid are these flashes and do they all have the same monster in them?  Like, describe these flashes.  At this rate, we should probably figure it out and confirm whether or not these ARE visions.  

PrettyWitch (text): Well, they usually start as an image that I swear I’ve seen before, almost like I’m having deja vu. Problem is, they’ve been coming more often and in weird ways. For example, sometimes I’ll feel off, like my body is reacting to this intense aura or something and then a few days later, something happens. It’s not always bad, but it’s been happening a lot recently. My mom’s even worried that something may be wrong with me. What’s funnier is that I’ve been seeing flashes of this monster whenever it happens, and the real kicker…I feel like I predicted we’d be having this conversation in a dream I don’t remember. In fact, I’m getting a sense of deja vu right now!

Me (text):  Weird…Also, seriously?  Erm…Okay then.  If this is what’s going on, taking into account everything else happening, then I suppose that these really might be visions.  Man…So much for the rifts being closed.  If we find that chupacabra during our search, then that all but confirms that they’re still open and actively spilling magical energy into our universe.  Which monster do you keep seeing, by the way?

Tear (text): Wong personally assured us he had closed them, though. With both him and Stephen gone, there shouldn’t have been any magical signatures luring other beings and monsters into our reality…

Trix (text):  These might not be from their universe but another one and that’s why we haven’t heard from them.

PrettyWitch (text): I keep seeing this dog-like creature. But its body is…longer than a dog’s would be. And it has these long, sharp claws and inhuman eyes.

Me (text):  Hmm…Well, Wong kinda said that the rifts would close on their own over time.  However, according to him, sorcerers traveling through the multiverse don’t usually stay longer than 24 hours.  Stephen was here for 2 weeks.  Even Wong said that it was unprecedented.  So, maybe the rifts are still closing or got torn open more because Stephen was stuck here for way too long?  Not sure.  As for the monster in the visions, that might be our beast.  If we find it.  What do you think, guys?  Recon mission?

PrettyWitch (text): Yeah. I’m all for that. 

Trix (text): I volunteer to be base camp!

Tear (text): …Guess there’s no helping it, then.

Me (text):  Okay.  Meet me in my driveway on Saturday.  If any of you have trail cameras, bring them.  We’ll also need plenty of water, sunscreen, and tough clothing that ventilates well so nobody gets overheated.  We also need a cooler.  I’m making a stop by the specialty butcher shop.  If it really is a chupacabra, we’ll need fresh goat blood.  That’s the only place I can think of to get it.  Maybe a few cups or small bowls to place in front of the cameras too.  That should work.  I’m hoping the thing doesn’t notice us and get aggressive.  If so, then the last things we may need are some baseball bats or any other weapons to get it off of us.  However, seeing as we aren’t Stephen and Wong, let’s try not to get noticed and shredded.  See you guys this weekend, Saturday morning.  I’ll get ready and wait by the car.  

PrettyWitch (text): Okay, but where are we gonna find fresh goat’s blood again?

Me (text):  The halal butcher shop downtown.  They sell goat meat there.  The local Indian restaurant nearby makes an amazing goat curry.  Anyway…Since the butchers process the meat, they should also have the blood.  

PrettyWitch (text): Oh okay.

Tear (text): Saturday it is, then. Be sure to bring as much protection as you can think of. Chupacabras have never attacked human beings, they usually prefer to creep and stalk only, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Trix (text): At least it isn’t vampires.

*After a few days of work and gathering materials, I grab the cooler from my garage, some bottles of water, a bottle of sunscreen, and various other supplies.  After putting them in the trunk, I wait for the group.  Tear is the first one to arrive.*

Me:  Hey, Tear.  Got as many supplies as I could.  Also found some of my old spare fencing armor.  It has a protective layer of kevlar sewn onto it.  So, it might come in handy.  It’s hot, though.  So, better to only put it on if things get really hairy.  

Tear: That sounds like a great idea. I asked my dad to lend me some of his tools and made these. *I pull from my trunk two baseball bats with long, thick nails hammered on their top end* I’ve watched enough zombie and horror shows to know they come in handy. Let’s just keep them hidden in case there are any road patrols… Oh! I also brought a few dog bite sleeves my uncle still kept after his stint as a trainer.

Me:  Good stuff.  Yeah…That stays in the trunk under the spare tire so it doesn’t look sketchy.  Okay.  Let’s think…Anything else?  Still have to wait for the others to arrive.  

*PrettyWitch is the next to arrive.*

Prettywitch: I’ve brought a couple of sleeping bags and a tent in case we need to camp out for the night. Oooh!!! I also brought some Hershey’s s'more packs if we want something sweet for later. And I think  I’ve got an Aero brand in here, too. And…a few books to read and some pen and paper for jotting notes on.

Me:  Awesome!  

*Trix arrives last.*

Trix: Sorry I’m late! Let’s get this started.

*Once we’ve packed everything into the car, we’re off.  It’s going to be a long drive into the desert.*

Me:  Everyone feeling okay still?  How are the nerves?  Oh!  Butcher.  Just a sec.

*I make the side stop to the butcher shop for the goat blood.  Trix and the others follow me in out of curiosity.  There are some tasty imported treats that we can buy there anyway.  The shopkeeper’s husband, Mr. Singh, is a recent immigrant.  So, his English is spotty at best.  He hangs back most of the time and talks to his wife in Punjabi.*

Mr. Singh (in Punjabi to his wife as he goes to get my order):  Goat’s blood?  What kind of request is that?  At least we recently processed some of the livestock…

*Trix frowns as she hears Mr Singh loud and clear compared to when he just recently talked to a customer hesitantly. She assumes he’s just shy and prefers to stay in the back but doesn’t note it as particularly odd.*

Me (noticing her expression):  Something up, Trix?

Trix: I don’t think so. But it looks like they have the goat blood for us. *Nods her head at Mr Singh discreetly.*

Me (oblivious):  All right.  I suppose I’ll go pay.

*Things go without any additional hitches.  Though I do notice that Trix looks a bit confused.  I didn’t notice anything different.  Mr. Singh always chats with his wife while working.  Though I have no clue what he’s saying.*

*Trix just frowns at a sudden headache and decides to just follow the others.*

*After a few hours, we arrive at the suspected site, a spot with limited pasture that is a few minutes away from the nearest farm.*

Me:  Okay.  So, first thing’s first.  Let’s lay low, keep quiet, and stay together.  Our first objective is to scope out some potentially good areas to place trail cams.  Here.  We can use my binoculars.  *I offer them.*

Tear: I think we should hone our cover story in case we run into anyone else. The press might be concentrating on stalking the farmers and locals, but the cryptid hunters might also be trying to make their way out here for their own investigations.

Me:  If anyone asks, then we’re wildlife biologists looking to see any potential predators causing problems.  That includes diseased coyotes and such.

Tear: *I hum in agreement* Mange is a rather nasty disease.

Me:  Yep.  The really bad cases often end up in wildlife rehab centers for a while.  Also, in case anyone gets suspicious, I can just blab some ecological jargon.  I still remember quite a bit from back when I was an environmental science major.  Just smile and nod.  Maybe point at a plant or animal and ask what it is and I’ll start talking about it.  That way, it makes us look like just a group of grad students.

Trix:  Just smile and wave friends, smile and wave. *She can’t help but meme at a time like this*

*I smirk at the joke.*

PrettyWitch: Sweet! I can pretend I didn’t graduate with a useless degree!

Tear: Alright, should be easy enough to fake. Let’s get this done quickly then before the heat gets to us. If we hurry, we can then nap until sundown so that we can spend the night surveilling our footage.

Me:  Onward, then.  *I put some sunscreen on and sling my backpack onto my back while also picking up the cooler full of blood.*

*We start looking around for any viable camera placement areas.  Any place we think might work gets a camera either strapped to a shrub or tied to a stake hammered into the ground.  I place a small cup of goat blood in front of each camera.*

Me:  That way, the sun’s heat warms it up and the smell can start to waft around.  Should tempt the thing more.  Whatever it may be.  Anyone see any potential issues with anything set up here?

Trix: Besides being outside? *Makes a face but is clearly joking at least a little bit.*

Tear: Other than attracting every animal that scavenges for carrion? We’re gonna have a long night ahead of us…

PrettyWitch: Oh yeah…Not to mention all the bugs and stuff that’s gonna try and eat us alive.

Me:  Will help to rule anything else out, I guess?  Most stuff doesn’t usually go for blood only.  So, since there’s no meat, maybe they’ll just cruise by or sniff.  If this IS a chupacabra, then they’ll really want that blood.  Ergh, yeah…I’m kinda glad I picked up some canned coffee.  Triple shot espresso.  That should do the trick.  Heh…I don’t have a problem at all!  *I half-joke.  Admittedly, I’m quite dependent on caffeine.  More than once, I’ve been caught bouncing off the walls after several cups of tea or coffee.*  We should take turns watching the cameras and surroundings.  That way, nothing can catch us by surprise.  Who wants to do the first shift camera and who wants to be the first sentry watching our surroundings?  That way, 2 of us rest and 2 of us are active at any given time.  *I think for a moment.*  Ehh…I can do sentry duty for the first shift since I was the one who had us all come out here.  Just need one other person to cover the camera footage.  Sound fair?

Prettywitch: Sure. I’ll be the first camera watcher, then. I wanna see if I was right or not.

Me:  All right.  Tear, Trix, you guys can rest for now.  We’ll wake you up either if something happens or our shifts end.  Deal?

Tear: Deal. Just remember not to charge in and go investigate on your own if anything does happen. Wake us all first.

Trix: I absolutely will not be running towards any monsters.

Me:  I’ll be careful.  Not liking the idea of getting jumped by anything in the dark.  If any of us sees anything, we’ll holler to wake the others.  I’ll patrol our campsite with my machete.  I carry it in my hiking bag anyway to help cut small branches for kindling.�� Can wear my fencing jacket to protect my torso.  In the dark, it looks enough like a normal coat for people not to notice.  The kevlar in it should make sure nothing can get to me too easily.  Let’s set up camp and then Tear and Trix can get some sleep.

*We set up the tent out of sight of the road and farm so we’re harder to spot.  I put a few of my old field guides, a calculator, and a notebook in the tent just in case someone comes around and starts asking questions.*

Me:  Again, if anyone asks, we’re wildlife biologists.  Good?

Tear: *I nod.*  Don’t wander off too far.

Me:  I’ll be sticking to the perimeter of camp.  If I get too close to any of the bait or cameras, it might not show up.  So, I’m not going to disturb them.  *I open the canned coffee and drink it.*  There’s more if you guys want it.  I bought 4 cans.

*When night falls, I hand PrettyWitch the phone with the camera feed, put on my gear, grab the machete, and head out while Tear and Trix settle down to sleep.  I’m very quiet with only the soft padding of my footsteps to be faintly heard.*

Prettywitch: *Is currently walking around with a camera in one hand, and a bottle of pepper spray in the other. The whole time she’s thinking she’s glad she never saw “Blair Witch” or she’d be even more freaked out than she is now. Pulls out her phone to text Steward.*  Hey; I just remembered I didn’t have time to research Chupacabras before we got here. What am I supposed to be looking for, exactly? Not appearance wise, just more like signs to look out for.

*I text PrettyWitch back*

Me (text):  Chupacabras go for blood as a main food source.  So, if the thing starts eating or licking up the blood from the cups, that might be a sign.  Also, if you hear animals screaming from the farm, it might be an ongoing attack.  They mutilate livestock.  I put the cups of blood right in front of the cameras as bait.  So, hopefully the cameras will show it coming over to feed.  I can hear your footsteps, by the way.  You don’t have to patrol.  It’s just a wireless camera feed on the phone.  That way, it’s easier on you and you can concentrate on the screen.  

PrettyWitch (text): Alright. But I’m keeping the pepper spray with me!

*The first shift passes fairly uneventfully.  So far, only a curious opossum has come by to sniff at the bait.  I head back towards the tent to wake up Trix and Tear so we can switch shifts.  However, I hear PrettyWitch call us.*

Prettywitch: Uh…Guys! You might wanna come see this.

Me:  Huh?  *I hurry up and get over there.*

Tear: *I wake up and blearily look at the time in my phone’s screen before shoving at Trix next to me* I think that’s our cue to change shifts… *I yawn and clamber out of my sleeping bag, instantly missing its warmth*

Trix: “Please tell me that nothing has happened.”

PrettyWitch: Well, that’s what I’d love to tell but, um…Yeah… *She holds the camera to Steward so she can see the footage.*

*I look at the camera feed and my expression gets more and more shocked as I watch.*

Me (quietly):  Oh shit…That’s not good.  That is REALLY not good…

*I try to text Stephen again.  Though I know that it most likely won’t work.  It certainly hasn’t worked the other times I’ve tried.*

Me (text, to Stephen’s phone):  We have a problem.  If you ever get this message, please help.

*The same red exclamation point shows up as usual.  I curse under my breath.  Then, I look back at the camera.  There’s…something…staring right back at us.  It isn’t just looking at the bait or the camera.  It seems like the thing is looking directly at US.  The creature has a dog-like face with eerie, blank eyes.  Its frame appears to be a hunched-over humanoid with spines along its back.  Not to mention the long claws at the ends of thin, skeletal fingers.  There is an uncanny sort of intelligence in its gaze.  I can feel a chill running down my spine.*

Tear: *Peeking through the flap of our tent, I see you huddled over the phone and look back at Trix.* Looks like we did get something… *We move over closer so that we can look at the footage over PrettyWitch’s shoulders and my blood instantly chills* That, my loves, is no mangy dog…

Trix: Welp. That’s a big fat nope from me.

PrettyWitch: Yeah. Same.

Me (mouthing this silently at the group):  What the hell are we supposed to do now?  

*I take several screenshots to save as more evidence.  In the time that I do that and the files save, the creature has disappeared.  We hear a faint rustling near the camp.  It’s dead silent.  Now, not even the crickets are chirping.  I give the group a look.  I know EXACTLY what’s going on.  This is the very same silence that I encountered that day I was stalked by a mountain lion while hiking a few years back.  I know precisely what it’s doing.*

Trix (Absolutely about to have a panic attack): We let it have the goat blood and call park rangers to helicopter us the fuck out of here. That or we pull off a miracle and do Stephen things out of nowhere. 

*Since this isn’t any state or national parkland, we don’t have that option.  So, I quietly gather my friends close to me and clutch my machete tightly, ready to defend us if needed.  When I hear more rustling close by, I turn on a flashlight and aim it at the nearby scraggly shrubs in an effort to deter it.*

Me (growling):  Fuck.  Off.  *I’m in defensive mode right now.*

Tear: Nope, staring it down is not gonna work. *I grab at Steward’s shoulder and pull the entire group back into the tent before zipping the flap back closed.* We need lights and tons of music. Loud music. Make it believe there’s more of us here than there is and it won’t dare to approach.

Trix (actively sobbing): We better not be the next Blair Witch project or I am gonna haunt the shit out of all of you.

Tear: *I give Trix a small smile, as shaky as it is, trying to comfort her.* It might stalk around a bit, but Chupacabras have never attacked people before. Damn, it is ugly though.

PrettyWitch: Tell me about it!

Me (quickly to resolve the situation):  Okay.  Radios and phones on, people.  *I turn on the portable radio to blast some rock music.  “Helter Skelter” by The Beatles blares from the speakers.*

*Trix is still sobbing but follows the instructions.*

Tear: *I open Spotify and set up a podcast before moving our belongings into vaguely shaped lumps to cast shadows over the tent walls* Different voices means more people, right? If any humans come to ask, we just thought it was a good idea to bring booze to our research trip.

Me (pretend whining, though just to add to the noise and make it sound like we’re a group of research students):  Guys…Our PI is gonna kill us!  We gotta keep it down!  *I’m playing along while also watching for any signs of more trouble.  Meanwhile, I help Tear move a few more items to make more convincing silhouettes.*

Tear: Has it looped back to any of the cameras yet?

*PrettyWitch checks the cameras, the tension still high.*

PrettyWitch: *Shakes her head*  Doesn’t look like it.

Tear: Shoot, it must still be over on this side then… *I take in the inside of our tent* Trix, the flap on the window next to you keeps coming off the velcro. Can you keep it fixed somehow?

*Trix tries to help but is shaking a bit too much to keep a hold of things. As she digs through our supplies for some tape, she drops her flashlight and it startles her for a moment before she picks it up. She looks up to find the Chupacabra staring at her through the uncovered slit of the mesh window. It is sitting less than a foot away, close enough that our light reflects off its white eyes. Its sharp teeth are on full display due to what we can now see is a terrifying lack of lips. Trix screams.*

***To be continued***

[chimerickat]

Hey, do you have/do any platonic writing for Reader and Kaiba? I’m aro ace so I’m not into romance. (And frankly, Kaiba seems aggressively aro ace to me, but I understand that there are tons of girls with crushes who desperately want that to not be true, so obviously there’s a much larger market for romantic stuff.) But SOMEHOW, over the last year, I’ve developed such a squish (platonic crush) on this disaster of a man.

I just want to be friends. I want to help him make virtual reality games, and slowly grow to be friends because we have shared interests, mutually feel protective of Mokuba, and are both needlessly theatrical. Kaiba would show me the cool stuff he’s working on, and I would be suitably impressed and give good feedback like a sensible person, but also, when Kaiba tells me things like he wants to launch Duel Monsters cards into space so if there are aliens they’ll learn how to play his favorite game, I’m like, “That is ridiculous, but I love ridiculous things because I too am ridiculous. Also, that is a dope idea and you should do it immediately.”

I don’t want to fix him, I just want to largely ignore his past and have adventures and become someone he trusts. And we’ll have a great time helping each other out and problem solving for twenty years or so—at which point the Ener-D Reactor will blow up and ruin everything. I don’t know what you headcanon as happening to Kaiba at that point. Personally, I imagine he ends up being the public scapegoat for all the destruction, is bared from using his technological know-how to help the newly formed Satellite, and is found guilty in a kangaroo court. I can’t bring myself to accept that he would probably be executed, so I say he’s sentenced to live in Satellite for the rest of his days, separated from Mokuba and having lost most of his worldly possessions. (Maybe he owns a house in the area that became Satellite, and he gets to keep it and his cards?) And uh, realistically, that event will be my own downfall as well, because everyone knows I’m his friend, and heck, my name is probably in the documentation for the first Ener-D Reactor somewhere. But let’s be real, I knew from the beginning it was dangerous to befriend Seto Kaiba, and I did it anyway. 🤷‍♀️

Hi! *Waves* Thanks for reaching out! :) I can see an aro-ace reading of Kaiba. (Overall I try to be supportive of headcanons for Kaiba but an aro-ace reading is one that I can vibe with.)

First, I’m going to recommend a fic by someone else because I think it’s more what you’re looking for and I am reading and enjoying.

Acquaintances by JoeyTaylor is a reader insert focused on Kaiba and Mokuba that doesn’t have any romance at all.

Now as to me personally…

How to Trick a Sick CEO is a very short one shot that can be read as the reader being an overly meddlesome best friend. The idea was romantic partner but there’s nothing in the actual text that states that.

Maybe Someday has a reader who is Not Interested in Kaiba romantically. However Kaiba is interested in her so you might not vibe with that.

Here’s a link to all of my Kaiba centric work without any romance at all. It’s not Reader insert stuff though:

I also have some recs by other people if Kaiba centric is stuff you enjoy.

If you like my writing, I’m definitely open to writing a reader insert for Kaiba where the relationship is best friends. :)

ALSO, if you’re open to fics where the romance is Not the plot but rather a background that you can ignore, I would like to try to sell you on A Handful Of Bullet Shells. We are 50k into the story and you have to squint real hard for any romance. It’s more about the relationship developing between Kaiba and the reader ( who is working on one of his games). Right now they’ve gotten to a point where they’re friendly (and I don’t mean wink wink friendly). Eventually there will be romance but it’s not going to be the focus. (Disclaimer: I try to sell this fic because I think it’s my best work when it comes to Kaiba’s characterization but I also feel the lack of romance due to that makes it less popular.)

Also, Virtual Remains is a thriller and based on my current plans you can skip the last chapter because that’s the only place any hint of romance will show its face. (I’m not even there yet. I just don’t see any romance featuring in this until like the very very end and even skipped the romance tag because of it.)

Posting this publicly because my followers may have other platonic Kaiba recs?