#I’d like to add that the bookmarks are on my story

[movingmusically]

Caught Feeling: Pages and Promises - One Shot

Author’s Note:

I saw these set photos today and kind of lost my mind. Just smut, I know others have done it better, but it seems now I’ve started writing I can’t stop… so here you go!

Word Count: 8,548

Masterlist

The book had a chokehold on me. From the moment I’d picked it up, I hadn’t been able to stop reading, completely immersed in the characters’ world and their sizzling, almost unbearable chemistry. Hours had passed with me curled up on the couch, my legs tucked under me, and my breath hitching at every intense scene.

Hank had been observing me from his usual spot, a bemused smile playing on his lips. He couldn’t seem to help himself. Eventually, he ambled over and dropped down at the other end of the couch, giving me a once-over.

“You’ve been in the same spot for hours,” he teased, his voice deep and full of warmth. “I swear, I could’ve set the apartment on fire and you wouldn’t have noticed.”

I laughed, hugging the book closer to my chest. “It’s just really good,” I defended, glancing at him with a grin. “You’d understand if you were reading it.”

His eyebrows rose, and the curiosity in his expression sharpened. “Want to put that to the test?” He held out his hand. “Hand it over. I’ll read to you.”

I stared at him, momentarily caught off guard. “You’re serious?” I asked, even though the idea made my heart race.

He smirked. “Of course. What, you don’t think I can handle your little romance novel?” The challenge glinted in his eyes, and it was too tempting to resist.

With a huff of amusement, I handed the book over. “Fine, but don’t say I didn’t warn you,” I said, shifting around so I was lying down, my head propped at the opposite end of the couch, my feet resting in his lap. The position was comfortable, but there was a dangerous thrill in the way he settled his hand on my ankle, a casual touch that made my skin feel hot.

Hank cleared his throat, opening to the bookmarked page. “Alright,” he said, his voice dropping into that smooth, soothing register that always made me feel like I was floating. “Let’s see what’s got you so hooked.”

He began to read, and I immediately regretted—no, relished—my decision. The sound of his voice rolling over the words was intoxicating. Every sentence took on a new weight, dripping with a sensual undertone that was definitely not present when I read silently. My heart pounded faster, and I felt my whole body start to respond.

“You know,” I teased, half-joking but entirely sincere, “you really should consider a career narrating audiobooks. You’re too good at this.”

He chuckled, a rumble that made my toes curl. “I’ll add it to my list of backup plans,” he said, and his thumb brushed gently over my ankle, a movement so subtle and casual yet unbearably intimate.

I closed my eyes, letting the sound of his voice wash over me. The scene he read was a turning point, where the main characters finally gave in to the undeniable attraction that had been crackling between them. I was fully absorbed, both in the story and in how Hank’s voice grew huskier as he read, his breath hitching at certain words.

“Her pulse thundered under his lips,” he read, his voice a low murmur that made my own pulse jump. “His hands mapped her body like he was memorising every curve, his touch leaving trails of fire in its wake.”

There was a beat of silence as he hesitated, and I glanced up to see his cheeks flushing slightly, his grip tightening on the book. “Want me to skip this part?” he asked, a teasing edge to his voice, but I could hear the nervousness there too.

I grinned, biting my lip. “Absolutely not,” I replied, though my voice was breathier than I’d intended. “Keep going.”

He took a shaky breath, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he forced himself to continue. “She arched into him, her skin hot and her breath coming out in ragged gasps, the feel of him making her dizzy with want…”

He read, his voice low and rich, and I couldn’t ignore the way it seemed to caress every syllable, each word sinking into my skin and setting it ablaze. My whole body was buzzing with a restless energy, a heat that pooled between my thighs and made my breath catch. I could feel how tightly wound I’d become, my senses honed in on every tiny detail: the way Hank’s fingers flexed slightly around the book, the way his breathing grew a fraction heavier as he spoke, the tension in his shoulders that mirrored the tension humming through me.

The thought of what I was about to do sent a thrill through me, a heady mix of anticipation and nervous excitement. I knew he could see me, that he could watch every little reaction, and the idea made my pulse race even faster. My heart thumped in my chest, and I couldn’t stop myself from wondering how he’d respond, if he’d be as affected as I was. The risk, the vulnerability, the delicious ache of wanting to be seen—it all heightened the thrill.

With my decision made, I let my hands wander, slowly and deliberately, over my stomach and down to the waistband of my shorts, my movements unhurried but full of purpose. Anticipation crackled through me, and when my fingers slipped beneath the fabric, I let out a soft, involuntary sigh, the sensation magnified by the intensity of the moment.

Hank’s voice stumbled, and his eyes snapped to where my hand was moving beneath my shorts. His pupils dilated, and he let out a shaky breath, his chest rising and falling faster. He kept reading, but his voice had thickened, and I could see how much effort it was taking him to focus on the words.

“Her nails raked down his back,” he read, the tension evident in his voice. “His name fell from her lips, a desperate, breathless plea…”

My own breath came out in gasps, and I knew he could see how much I was enjoying this. My other hand slid up to tug at my top, exposing more skin, and I arched my back, moaning softly. The teasing, the display—I wanted him to see everything.

Hank’s hand on my ankle tightened, and he leaned forward, the book slipping from his grasp. “Fuck,” he whispered, his voice breaking. His gaze was ravenous, and he looked like he was about to crawl over and join me, his desire barely restrained.

But I wasn’t ready to let him have his way. When he shifted forward, I pressed my foot against his chest, stopping him in his tracks. His eyes widened, and a groan rumbled out of him, his self-control hanging by a thread.

“No,” I commanded, my voice husky, but firm. I spread my legs wider, the invitation undeniable, but I kept him in place. “You have to finish reading.”

He swallowed hard, his hands shaking as he picked up the book again. His eyes never left mine, full of heat and hunger, and the struggle to obey was clear on his face. “You’re—” He stopped himself, the words catching in his throat. Instead, he took a steadying breath and tried to continue, his voice rough.

I let my fingers move against myself, the wet heat only intensifying as I kept teasing him with my foot, pressing into the growing bulge straining against his pants. The moans that slipped from my lips were shameless, and I could see the way his hands clenched the book, his knuckles white with tension.

Hank’s voice was ragged as he whispered, “Please baby,” and it sent a thrill of satisfaction coursing through me. The desperation in his tone, the way his eyes clung to every inch of exposed skin—it made me feel powerful, in control, and I wasn’t ready to give that up just yet.

Slowly, I lifted my hips off the couch and hooked my thumbs into the waistband of my shorts. Keeping my eyes locked on his, I slid them down my legs, letting them drop to the floor. The cool air kissed my bare skin, and I spread my thighs wider, leaving nothing to his imagination. I was exposed and aching, my arousal slick and glistening in the dim light of the room.

Hank’s breath hitched, and he looked like he was on the verge of losing his mind. His eyes roamed hungrily over my body, lingering where I was wet and needy. His grip on the book was so tight that his hands were trembling, and his Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed hard.

“Keep reading,” I ordered, my voice dripping with command, and the way he struggled to obey only made my desire burn even fiercer, every pulse of heat pooling low in my belly.

He managed to find his place in the book, but his voice was hoarse, full of raw need as he read the next line. “Her thighs trembled as his mouth moved lower,” he read, his words faltering as he watched me touch myself. “Her breath came in gasps, and she couldn’t… couldn’t stop…”

I let my fingers tease over my sensitive folds, slick and warm, and I couldn’t hold back the moan that escaped my lips. The sound sent a shiver through him, and he let out a strangled noise, his eyes glued to every movement of my hand. I could feel how wet I was, how each brush of my fingers sent sparks of pleasure shooting through me.

He cursed under his breath, the sound desperate, his face twisted in frustration. “You’re torturing me,” he choked out, his voice so thick with need that it made my own core clench in response.

“Hank,” I murmured, dragging out his name like a taunt, and he groaned, shifting uncomfortably as the bulge in his pants strained harder. “Don’t stop,” I teased, pressing my foot against his chest again, keeping him in place. “Not yet.”

The challenge in my voice made him clench his jaw, his breath coming out in harsh, ragged pants. His eyes never left me, watching every flick of my fingers, every arch of my hips, and I could feel how close I was, how every stroke of pleasure was pushing me closer to the edge.

“Keep reading,” I commanded, my voice cracking slightly as pleasure coursed through me, and his gaze flicked down to the book, though I could see how difficult it was for him to tear his eyes away from me.

He forced himself to keep reading, his voice thick with raw need. The words poured from his lips, describing pleasure and release in a way that made the ache between my legs pulse with even more intensity. His voice washed over me, each syllable winding the tension tighter, and it was like he was guiding me to the brink.

I arched my back, my fingers dipping deeper, and my moans grew louder, unrestrained. My body was a live wire, every nerve ending crackling with the pleasure that built and built, and knowing he had to sit there and watch made it all the more intoxicating. I pressed my foot lower, over his chest and down to his stomach, teasing him with the lightest touch as I rocked my hips into my own hand.

“God, please,” he begged again, his voice breaking, and I could see the way his whole body was trembling, his muscles taut and strained.

The control I had over him was thrilling, and I loved seeing him like this, brought to his knees by the sight of me. But the truth was, I was losing my own composure, the need for him becoming overwhelming. His eyes darkened, full of raw desire, and I knew he was barely holding himself back, his restraint fraying with every passing second.

I couldn’t help the grin that spread across my face. “Do you like watching me?” I asked, my voice a seductive whisper. “Do you like seeing what you do to me?”

His eyes locked on mine, and the desperation in his gaze was almost too much to handle. “Yes,” he admitted, his voice wrecked. “God, yes.”

I arched my back slightly, giving him an even better view, and he looked like he was barely holding it together. His pupils blown wide with desire, and it was intoxicating to see him so undone, so completely at my mercy.

“Please, baby,” he whispered, his voice cracking on the plea, and the sound sent another thrill racing through me. I pressed my foot more firmly against the hardness straining beneath his pants, and his whole body shuddered, his head falling back as he let out a tortured groan.

“Not yet,” I whispered, even as my body was crying out for him. “You’re going to wait until I say so.”

He clenched his jaw, his voice fraying as he choked out, “I can’t take this much longer.” The sheer desperation in his eyes made my heart race, and I relished the way he was teetering on the edge, barely holding himself together.

The tension between us was electric, a charged wire that had been building and sparking all evening. I let my touch become more deliberate, my breath coming out in ragged gasps, and Hank’s eyes darkened further, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the book like it was his only anchor.

As he spoke, I couldn’t hold back any longer. My body arched off the couch, every nerve alight with sensation, and I shuddered as the pleasure coursed through me in wave after dizzying wave. I cried out, my fingers gripping the cushions, completely undone under his hungry gaze.

Hank’s voice faltered, the book slipping from his hands as he watched me come apart, his breathing ragged. The look on his face was wild, a perfect blend of awe and barely restrained desire. He leaned forward, desperation evident, but I wasn’t ready to let him break just yet.

I sat up, biting my lip, savouring the power I held over him. “You’ve been so good for me,” I whispered, dragging my foot teasingly over his lap, feeling him twitch beneath me. The tension was almost unbearable, the anticipation crackling between us, and I could see how close he was to breaking.

I paused for a moment, searching his eyes for any hint of hesitation, my heart pounding at how far I was pushing things. “You’re okay with this, right?” I asked, my voice a little softer, just to make sure. “Me making you wait, making you watch…”

Hank’s gaze was dark, blown wide with desire, but he nodded immediately, his breath coming in harsh pants. “Fuck, yes,” he said, the rawness in his voice making heat pool even deeper in my belly. “It’s so hot, baby. I’ve never wanted you more.”

A shiver of satisfaction ran through me at his words, and I felt my confidence surge. The way he was looking at me, like he’d do anything I asked, made me feel powerful, and I wanted to see how far I could take him. “Good,” I murmured, letting my hands slide down his chest, feeling the tension coiled in his muscles. “Because I love seeing you like this. So desperate… so needy.”

He groaned, his head falling back against the couch, and I could see the way he was barely holding it together, his body strung tight with anticipation. The sight of him so undone, so completely at my mercy, sent a thrill through me, and I decided to give him a little more, but still on my terms.

I guided his hand to my waist, feeling the heat of his palm against my skin. “You can touch me,” I said, my voice a breathy command. “But only where I tell you.”

His eyes snapped open, filled with a renewed intensity, and he didn’t waste a second. His fingers flexed on my waist, stroking up and down my side, and the gentleness of his touch sent a rush of warmth through me. But he kept his eyes locked on mine, waiting for more direction, and I could see how much he was restraining himself, holding back for me.

“Kiss me,” I whispered, and he surged forward, his mouth capturing mine with a hunger that made me shiver. His kiss was all-consuming, full of longing and need, and I melted into him, letting myself get lost in the heat of it. But when his free hand started to drift lower, I broke the kiss, pulling back just enough to stop him.

“Just your mouth,” I reminded him, my voice still firm, though I could feel my own control slipping. “Remember, I’m the one in charge.”

Hank let out a tortured groan, but he nodded, his gaze full of pleading. “I know,” he said, his voice wrecked. “God, I know.”

I felt a wicked grin spread across my face, loving the way he was falling apart for me, but the truth was, I was unraveling just as quickly. The way he looked at me, the way he trembled with the need to touch more, was driving me wild, and I knew it wouldn’t be long before I gave in completely.

His lips found my neck, and I tilted my head back, a sigh escaping me as he kissed and nipped at my skin. The sensation sent sparks of pleasure dancing over my nerves, and I let him explore there, his mouth hot and insistent. My hands tangled in his hair, pulling him closer, but I still maintained control, deciding how far he could go.

He kept his kisses focused where I allowed, though I could feel the desperation radiating off him, the way his body tensed every time he tried to move further. It was a delicious game, one that had us both on the edge, and I couldn’t get enough of it.

“Tell me what to do,” he begged, his voice cracking on the words, and I felt my heart stutter at how vulnerable he sounded, how willing he was to give himself over to me.

“Take off my top,” I commanded, my voice husky and full of need. His eyes darkened even more, and he wasted no time, his hands trembling slightly as he grasped the hem of my tank top. He pulled it up and over my head, the cool air kissing my newly exposed skin, and I watched the way his gaze devoured every inch of me.

I could see how much he wanted to touch, to feel, but he held back, waiting for my permission. The sight of his restraint, the way he was barely keeping himself in check, sent a thrill through me, and I couldn’t stop myself from grinning.

I shifted forward, slowly crawling onto his lap, straddling his thighs and feeling the hard press of him beneath me. The way his eyes widened, his breath hitching as I settled over him, sent a thrill through me, and I could feel the heat between us growing, nearly suffocating in its intensity. His hands hovered in the air like he was dying to reach out and touch me, but he held himself back, waiting, his restraint teetering on the edge.

His gaze locked onto mine, dark and desperate, and I couldn’t help the way my body responded to the power I held over him. The anticipation was electric, winding us both tighter with every heartbeat.

I reached out to him, my fingers brushing over his chest, teasing at the hem of his shirt. The contact made him shiver, and I felt a grin spreading across my face as I began to slide the fabric up, revealing the toned lines of his stomach inch by inch. But before I could get far, his hands found their way to my hips, squeezing gently as if he couldn’t resist anymore.

I stopped immediately, pulling back and narrowing my eyes at him. “Ah, ah,” I chastised, my voice dripping with teasing authority. “I didn’t say you could touch.”

He let out a strangled groan, his hands clenching into fists at his sides as he forced himself to let go. “Fuck,” he whispered, his voice full of frustration and need. “I’m sorry.”

I tilted my head, considering him, loving the way he was coming undone for me. “You have to be patient,” I said, my own voice wavering slightly from how much I wanted him. “If you’re good, I’ll let you touch. But only if you listen.”

He nodded, his eyes wide and desperate. “I’ll be good,” he promised, his voice breaking on the words. “Please, baby, tell me what you want.”

The power I had over him, the way he was at my mercy, made me feel heady and bold. I reached for the hem of his shirt again, this time pulling it off completely and letting my hands roam over his bare skin. The heat radiating off him, the way his muscles tensed under my touch, only made me crave him more, but I was determined to stay in control.

“Keep your hands to yourself,” I warned, and he bit his lip, doing his best to obey even though it was clearly killing him.

I took my time running my hands over his chest, feeling the way his muscles tightened beneath my touch. His breathing was ragged, his whole body trembling as he tried to stay still, and it only made me want to push him further, to see how much he could take. Slowly, I trailed my fingertips lower, tracing the line of his abdomen until I reached the waistband of his pants.

With deliberate slowness, I undid the button and pulled down the zipper, watching as his chest rose and fell with each shaky breath. He looked like he was barely holding himself together, and the desperation in his eyes was heady, intoxicating. I slid my hands under the waistband of his pants, inching them down his hips just enough to give myself access, but I kept my eyes locked on his, making sure he was still at my mercy.

Hank’s head fell back against the couch, his mouth falling open as he struggled to control himself. The sight of him so wrecked, so undone, made the heat inside me burn even fiercer, and I couldn’t resist teasing him more. I let my fingers ghost over the hardness straining against his boxers, a feather-light touch that made him curse under his breath.

“Fuck,” he whispered, and I could see the tension in his jaw, the way he was barely keeping himself from reaching out and taking control. But then, unable to hold back any longer, his hands found their way to my waist, squeezing gently as he pulled me closer, desperate for more.

I immediately froze, pulling my hands away and sitting back on my heels. “Did I say you could touch?” I challenged, my voice dripping with authority, and his eyes snapped open, full of regret and frustration.

“I—no,” he stammered, his hands retreating as quickly as they had moved, his face flushing with embarrassment. “I’m sorry.”

I tilted my head, feigning contemplation. “I don’t know if I believe you,” I teased, my lips curving into a grin. “If you really want me to keep going, you’ll have to prove you can follow directions.”

He let out a strangled groan, his hands clenching into fists at his sides as he forced himself to stay still. “I’ll be good,” he promised, his voice raw and pleading. “Please, baby, I’ll do whatever you say.”

I arched an eyebrow, loving the way he was completely at my mercy. “Then don’t move unless I tell you to,” I ordered, my voice steady even though my own desire was burning hot.

He nodded, swallowing hard, his gaze locked on mine. “I won’t,” he swore, his eyes full of longing. “I promise.”

Satisfied, I slid his pants and boxers lower, exposing him completely, and the way his body tensed, the way his breath hitched, was intoxicating. I wrapped my hand around him, moving slowly, deliberately, and he bit his lip, his hips trembling with the effort to stay still.

But again, his hand twitched, reaching out to touch me, and I stopped, pulling back and narrowing my eyes at him. “What did I just say?” I demanded, and the look on his face was a perfect mix of agony and submission.

“I’m sorry,” he choked out, his voice breaking. “I can’t help it.”

I leaned in close, my breath brushing over his ear. “You have to,” I whispered, my voice low and commanding. “Or I’ll stop. Completely.”

Hank shivered beneath me, his eyes wide and full of regret, but I could see how badly he wanted this, how much he was willing to give up control. He swallowed hard, his voice coming out hoarse. “I’m sorry,” he murmured, his gaze searching mine. “Please… don’t stop.”

I studied him for a moment, loving the way he was trembling with anticipation. “You broke your promise,” I said, my voice teasing yet firm. “And you know what that means, don’t you?”

His breath hitched, his pupils blown wide with desire. “What… what does it mean?” he asked, though his voice held a hint of nervous excitement.

A wicked smile spread across my lips as I slowly climbed off his lap, leaving him looking dazed and hungry. “Stay put,” I commanded, and he didn’t dare move, his eyes following my every step as I sauntered out of the living room and into the bedroom. I could feel the weight of his stare on my back, the tension in the air crackling between us.

My heart was racing as I grabbed a soft silk scarf from the dresser, the idea thrilling and a little dangerous in the best possible way. When I returned, Hank was exactly where I’d left him, sitting on the couch with his hands fisted at his sides, his whole body taut with anticipation.

I held up the scarf, and his eyes darkened even more, understanding immediately. “I’m going to tie your hands,” I told him, my voice gentle but full of authority. “You’ll have to keep them behind your back. And if you want me to stop at any point, you just say the word. Understand?”

His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, and he nodded, his gaze never leaving mine. “I understand,” he said, his voice thick with need. “I trust you.”

A rush of warmth flooded through me at his words, and I moved closer, my heart pounding. “Good,” I murmured, climbing back onto his lap and guiding his hands behind his back. The scarf slipped easily around his wrists, and I made sure it was secure but not too tight, checking his reaction to make sure he was still comfortable.

“Is this okay?” I asked, my voice softer now, needing to be sure he was still with me.

He tested the bonds, his breath coming out in a shaky sigh. “Yes,” he said, and the way he was looking at me, full of longing and surrender, made my pulse race even faster. “More than okay.”

I leaned back to admire my work, his hands now restrained behind him. The vulnerability in his posture, the way he was completely at my mercy, sent a thrill through me, and I knew I was about to make him lose his mind.

“Now,” I said, my voice dropping to a sultry whisper, “let’s see if you can keep your promise this time.”

I leaned forward, my hand coming up to hold his chin, my fingers sliding along his jaw and holding him there. His eyes widened slightly, the vulnerability and awe in his gaze making my heart clench. He looked so open, so ready, and it was intoxicating to have him like this.

I tilted his head up, and let my thumb brush over his lower lip, I could feel his breath on my skin, warm and unsteady. My heart raced as I closed the distance between us, pressing my lips to his in a slow, deliberate kiss.

His body went tense for a moment, a shiver running through him, but then he melted into me, his mouth moving eagerly against mine. It was a heady, exhilarating feeling, knowing that I had him wrapped around my finger, that every ounce of desire he felt was under my control.

The kiss deepened, my tongue slipping past his lips, tasting the desperation that had been building between us. His hands strained against the scarf, his chest heaving as he tried to lean closer, but I held him steady, refusing to let him take over. This was still my game, and I wasn’t done playing yet.

I pulled back, breaking the kiss, and his groan of protest sent a thrill down my spine. His eyes were dark, his lips flushed and slightly swollen, and I could see just how badly he wanted more. But I wasn’t ready to let him have it yet.

“You’re doing so well,” I praised, my voice soft and full of warmth, and I watched his eyes flicker with a mix of pride and desperation. “So good for me.”

His breath shuddered, and I could see the way his body trembled with the effort it took to hold back, to obey. The praise seemed to light something within him, and he looked at me with such intensity, such hunger, that it made my own heart race.

“You like hearing that?” I asked, letting my thumb brush over his flushed cheek. His lips parted, but he didn’t speak, his gaze locked on mine as he nodded fervently.

I couldn’t help the smile that spread across my face. “Good,” I murmured, shifting my hips slightly in his lap, teasing him with the friction he so desperately craved. His groan was raw, his head falling back against the couch as his control teetered on the edge.

“You’ve been so good,” I continued, my fingers trailing down his chest, feeling the rapid beat of his heart beneath my touch. “And because of that…” I trailed off, letting the promise hang in the air as I wrapped my hand around him, stroking him slowly, deliberately.

He sucked in a breath, his muscles tensing with anticipation, and I watched as his eyes darkened, his need laid bare for me. His hips twitched, his body begging for more, but he kept himself in check, waiting for my permission.

I took my time, drawing the moment out, savouring the way he reacted to every little movement. His jaw clenched, and I could feel the heat radiating off him, the way he pulsed with need beneath my touch.

His eyes met mine, wide and desperate, and for a moment, he thought I was done teasing, that I would finally let him have what he wanted. He leaned forward, capturing my lips with a kiss so full of raw longing that it made my head spin.

The kiss was hungry, his lips moving over mine with a desperation that set my whole body aflame. He poured everything into it, all the frustration, the need, and the desire he was holding back, and it left me breathless.

But as much as I wanted to melt into him, to let go completely, I pulled back from the kiss, a teasing smile on my lips. His eyes were heavy with desire, but a spark of mischief flickered there as well. “You want this just as much as I do,” he murmured, a cocky grin spreading across his face. “Admit it.”

The words made me pause, my smile fading as I slowly slid off his lap, putting a bit of distance between us. His grin vanished instantly, replaced by a look of pure panic. “Wait, no,” he said quickly, his voice breaking with urgency. “I didn’t mean it like that. I need this. I need you. Please don’t stop.”

I crossed my arms, tilting my head at him, a challenge in my gaze. “Tell me how much,” I commanded, my voice low and dangerous. “Show me that you really mean it.”

Hank swallowed hard, his entire body tense as he sat there, his hands still bound behind his back. “I mean it,” he said, his voice thick with desperation. “I need you more than I can put into words. I’m losing my mind here, baby. You have no idea how badly I want you. I’ll do anything. Just… tell me what you want, and it’s yours.”

I let his words hang in the air for a moment, savouring the raw vulnerability that spilled from his lips. The way he sat there, hands tied behind his back, exposed and pleading, sent a thrill through me that I could feel down to my core.

“Anything?” I asked, my voice a whisper but full of challenge. I stood and moved toward him, my hands gliding over his hips as I hooked my fingers under the waistband of his pants and boxers. With deliberate slowness, I pulled them down the rest of the way, exposing every inch of him. His breathing grew ragged, and the intensity in his eyes made my own pulse race.

He sat there, completely bare and vulnerable, his muscles taut as he held himself still.

“Anything,” he repeated, his voice hoarse, almost reverent. “Just tell me.”

A sly smile curved my lips as I gently pushed him back against the couch, making sure he was positioned just where I wanted him. I leaned in, my mouth just a breath away from his, and I let my fingers trail lightly over his chest, feeling his heart pounding under my touch. His breath came out in shallow pants, his entire body straining toward mine, desperate for more even though he was bound and couldn’t reach me.

I took my time, letting my fingers trace a line up to his jaw, tilting his head back so he had no choice but to look up at me. His eyes were wide, wild with need, and I felt the thrill of control coursing through me. “You look so pretty like this,” I murmured, my voice soft but full of authority.

I stayed standing in front of him, the anticipation between us crackling in the air. He gazed up at me, his expression a mix of confusion and burning desire, waiting for my next command.

“Kiss me,” I told him, and his eyes flicked to my lips, his brows drawing together in slight bewilderment. He made a motion to stand, but I stopped him. “Ah, ah,” I murmured, my voice still holding that note of authority. I smiled, a mischievous glint in my eyes. “Not there,” I clarified, my voice a low purr.

Realisation dawned on his face, and his eyes darkened further with lust. His gaze slid downward, and he nodded, his tongue sweeping over his lower lip as he adjusted. Shifting carefully, he slid from the couch and knelt on the floor in front of me, his head level with my stomach. His hands were still bound behind him, adding a sense of delicious vulnerability to the moment.

He leaned in, placing a soft, reverent kiss just above my navel, his lips warm against my skin. My breath hitched, and I threaded my fingers through his hair, holding him close as he trailed kisses lower, each one sending shivers of pleasure through my body. His mouth moved with a gentle yet deliberate purpose, and I could feel the tension winding tighter in my core.

As he kissed his way down, his lips growing bolder, I let out a quiet moan, the sound escaping without my permission. The way he worshipped every inch of me, even bound and kneeling, had me trembling with desire. He looked up at me, his eyes full of heat and a hint of playful defiance, and I knew he was willing to do anything I asked—anything to make me feel good.

“Good boy,” I whispered, my voice quivering with both control and want, and his answering groan sent vibrations through my skin. He leaned in even closer, eager to please, his mouth working me with unrestrained devotion, each movement driving me closer to the edge, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to hold out much longer.

My breaths came out in ragged pants, my legs trembling as he continued, and I felt my resolve begin to slip. Just before I could lose myself completely, I forced my grip to loosen, my fingers sliding away from his hair. With a shuddering breath, I stepped back, my knees almost giving out.

I reached behind him and began untying the scarf around his wrists, my fingers brushing against his warm skin. He watched me intently, his eyes dark with anticipation.

“I’ll let you go,” I murmured, loosening the final knot, “but only if you promise to do exactly what I tell you. No more, no less.”

His hands slipped free, and he rubbed his wrists for a moment, the ghost of my restraint still lingering on his skin. He looked up at me, his expression completely sincere and filled with need. “I promise,” he said, his voice raw and low. “Only what you say.”

I stepped back slightly, and his hands moved to rest lightly on my hips, his touch both reverent and possessive. I couldn’t help the shiver that ran through me as I felt his hands finally touch me again, his fingers warm and strong.

“Good,” I breathed, threading my fingers through his hair and tugging gently to guide him. “Use your fingers, too. I want to feel everything.”

Hank’s eyes lit up with a mix of eagerness and reverence, and he lowered his head without hesitation. His lips pressed warm, open-mouthed kisses against my skin as his hands slowly moved up the backs of my thighs, his touch igniting every nerve in my body. One of his hands slipped between my legs, his fingers exploring and teasing, and I let out a gasp, the sensation sending sparks through my veins.

His mouth followed, and he took his time, his fingers and lips working in perfect harmony to unravel me completely. He was attentive, responding to every sound I made, every shiver and sigh, and the way he adjusted his movements to bring me higher only made me want him more. I was losing myself in the pleasure, my head tipping back as he worshipped me with a focus that left me breathless.

But then, before he could bring me over the edge, I pulled back, needing to regain control. My body ached from the sudden loss of his touch, but I had something else in mind. I lowered myself to my knees in front of him, meeting his intense, questioning gaze.

Without breaking eye contact, I reached for his hand, bringing it to my lips. I took two of his fingers into my mouth, tasting myself on his skin as I slowly, deliberately sucked, swirling my tongue around each digit. His eyes darkened, and a low groan escaped his lips, the sound rumbling deep in his chest.

“Feel that?” I whispered, releasing his fingers with a pop, my voice full of command and desire. “That’s how much you’ve affected me.”

His breath came out ragged, and I could see the way his chest rose and fell, his restraint hanging by a thread. My heart pounded in my ears, and the thrill of having him so undone, so desperate, only made the moment even more electrifying.

I watched the way Hank’s eyes searched mine, wide and waiting, the raw desire in his gaze mixing with trust and anticipation. A smile curled at my lips as I decided to reward his patience.

“You’ve been so good for me,” I murmured, letting my voice drop into something softer, more intimate. “I think you deserve a little something in return.”

His breath hitched, and his eyes darkened even further, his hands gripping my waist a little tighter but still not moving, still waiting for me to give him more. I let my hands drift down his chest, feeling the rapid thump of his heartbeat beneath my fingertips, and I slowly sank lower, my lips trailing along the path of my hands.

He shivered as I kissed down his chest, my lips and teeth grazing over his skin, leaving him gasping and straining for more. I glanced up at him, catching the way his entire body trembled with anticipation. “You’ve been waiting so well,” I whispered, making sure he knew how much I appreciated his restraint.

“You want your reward?” I teased, my mouth brushing against his ear, and he groaned, the sound full of need and surrender. “God, please,” he whispered, the words spilling out almost involuntarily. “I need you so much.”

I smirked at the desperation in his voice, how each plea seemed to echo with the tension that had been winding tighter and tighter between us. Slowly, I traced my lips lower, taking my time, drawing out his anticipation until I could feel his whole body taut with need. My fingers grazed over his hips, and I felt the way his muscles clenched beneath my touch, how he was holding himself back with every ounce of strength he had left.

“Good boy,” I whispered, letting the words slip past my lips as I finally wrapped my hand around him. He shuddered, a strangled groan escaping his throat, and his head fell back, mouth parted and breath coming in short, uneven gasps.

I let my mouth follow, my lips pressing gentle kisses to his lower stomach, then to the sensitive skin along his hip bones. He was so hard, aching, the wait and my teasing having pushed him to his absolute limit, and the satisfaction of having brought him to this state sent a thrill through me.

When I finally took him in my mouth, the reaction was immediate and overwhelming. His entire body tensed, a broken, desperate moan tearing from his lips, and his hands flexed at my waist, fingers digging into my skin as if he needed something to hold onto, something to anchor him.

“Oh, fuck,” he breathed, his voice raw and trembling. “You feel… God, you feel so good.”

I could feel how much he’d been holding back, the way he was barely holding himself together, and it only made me want to give him more. I moved slowly at first, savouring every tremor, every strangled sound that spilled from his lips. The heat of him, the way he pulsed in my mouth, was intoxicating, and I took my time, teasing him with gentle sucks and swirls of my tongue.

“H-how are you—” He choked on the words, his body arching slightly as I hollowed my cheeks around him, and I loved the way he was coming undone, the way all the teasing and waiting had left him so desperate. His hips jerked involuntarily, and he caught himself, a tortured groan spilling out as he tried to stay still, to be good for me.

I pulled back just enough to catch his eyes, loving the wrecked, needy look on his face. “No moving,” I reminded him, my voice sultry and full of command. “Be good for me, Hank.”

He nodded frantically, his breath coming out in ragged pants. “I—I’ll try,” he stammered, and there was something so beautiful in the way he surrendered to me, in how much he was willing to give up control.

I rewarded his obedience with more pressure, taking him deeper, hitting the back of my throat, my tongue tracing along the sensitive underside. His whole body shuddered, and his moans grew louder, more desperate, each sound making the heat between us burn even hotter. His need, his raw, unrestrained desire, made me feel powerful and in control, and I knew I had him completely at my mercy.

I picked up the pace, drawing him closer to the edge, and he was helpless to stop the sounds pouring out of him, his voice breaking and his hands trembling as he tried to hold himself back. “Please, please,” he whispered, his voice cracking on the words. “I can’t—oh God, I can’t take it.”

I pulled back abruptly, my lips leaving him, and the sudden loss of contact made him gasp. His eyes flew open, wide with disbelief and frustration, and I saw the tears glistening at the edges, a result of the overwhelming pleasure I’d brought him to and then cruelly taken away. He looked wrecked, utterly undone, and the sight of him in that state made my own desire flare even hotter.

“P-please,” he choked out, his voice breaking, and the raw emotion in his eyes nearly made my heart stop. I felt the weight of his need pressing between us, the desperation radiating off him in waves, and it made me ache for him, made me want to give him everything.

Without another word, I swung my leg over his hips, straddling him, and he let out a ragged, relieved sound as I positioned myself above him. His hands flew to my waist instinctively, gripping me like he was afraid I might disappear, and the raw intensity in his gaze was almost too much to bear.

I lined myself up and sank down onto him in one smooth motion, a moan tearing from both of our lips as I took him in. The sensation was overwhelming, the stretch and the heat making my whole body shudder, and I could feel the way he trembled beneath me, barely holding on.

His head fell back, and his hands gripped my hips tighter, and I leaned in close, my mouth brushing against his ear. “Go ahead,” I whispered, my voice dripping with authority. “Take what you need,” giving him full permission to lose himself, to let go.

A shudder ran through him, and he didn’t need to be told twice. His hands slid up my back, pulling me closer as he thrust up into me, the desperation in his movements palpable. I gasped, clutching onto his shoulders as he moved, each powerful motion driving me higher, making me feel every ounce of the need he’d been holding back.

“God, you feel incredible,” he groaned, his voice thick with awe and raw need, each word sending a shiver down my spine. His hands gripped my waist, firm and commanding, guiding me as I sank down onto him over and over, our movements in perfect, desperate rhythm. I arched my back, the sensation overwhelming, pleasure rippling through me as his fingers dug into my skin, holding me as if he never wanted to let go.

His eyes locked onto mine, dark and filled with pure, unrestrained desire, and it made my heart race even faster. The way he watched me, his gaze hungry and reverent, sent another wave of heat rushing through my body. I braced my hands on his shoulders, meeting his every thrust, and a whimper escaped me, the intensity too much to contain.

He groaned again, the sound guttural, and his hips snapped up to meet mine, pushing deeper, harder. “Fuck,” he gasped, his breath ragged, his control fraying. His grip on my waist tightened, and I could feel how close he was, the tension building between us like a storm ready to break.

I leaned in, my lips brushing against his ear, my voice trembling with pleasure. “Don’t hold back,” I whispered, and he responded instantly, his movements turning frantic, driven by the fire that had been building inside him. The friction, the heat, the way our bodies collided—it was all too much, and I could feel myself spiraling closer to the edge.

Our breaths came in short, uneven pants, and I cried out, my entire body shuddering as the pleasure burst through me, white-hot and blinding. He followed moments later, his hands pulling me against him as he lost himself in the release, a broken moan spilling from his lips as he came, his body trembling beneath mine.

We clung to each other, breathless and trembling, the world around us fading away as we rode out the waves of pleasure, wrapped up in each other and the euphoria of finally letting go.

Our breathing slowly steadied, the tension in the air dissipating and leaving only the warmth of our shared satisfaction. I stayed where I was, straddling his lap, feeling the gentle rise and fall of his chest beneath my palms. His hands loosened on my waist, no longer gripping but resting there with a kind of reverence, like he was still processing everything that had just happened.

He looked up at me, his eyes softening, a lazy smile spreading across his face. “You… are absolutely incredible,” he said, his voice husky but full of awe, a playful light flickering back into his expression. “I don’t think I’ve ever… well, experienced anything like that.”

A blush crept up my neck, but I couldn’t help grinning back at him. “Good,” I replied, a teasing edge in my voice. “I’d hate for you to think I was boring.” I brushed a strand of hair from his forehead, letting my fingertips linger, and watched the way his gaze followed my movements, still laced with admiration.

He laughed, the sound warm and genuine. “Boring is the last word I’d use to describe you,” he said, then sobered slightly, his eyes searching mine. “Are you okay? I mean… everything we did, was it…?”

I cupped his face in my hands, letting my thumbs brush over his cheekbones. “More than okay,” I reassured him, my voice gentle. “I loved every second. What about you?”

His smile returned, this time softer, more intimate. “I loved it,” he murmured. “I mean it—I loved giving you what you wanted. Watching you… having you in control like that…” He let out a shaky breath, his hands sliding up my back in a soothing motion. “It was perfect.”

We stayed like that for a moment, basking in the closeness, and I felt a sense of peace wash over me. “Good,” I said, leaning down to press a tender kiss to his lips. “Maybe next time we could switch it up,” I suggested, my voice teasing. “You in control, me doing exactly what you say.”

His eyes widened slightly, his breath hitching, and then a wicked grin spread across his face. “Really?” he asked, his voice low and full of anticipation. I nodded, my cheeks flushing at the idea. “Yeah,” I murmured, my fingers tracing gentle patterns over his chest. “If you’re up for it.”

His hands tightened gently on my hips, his voice dropping to a low rumble. “Oh, I’m definitely up for it,” he said, his expression full of a newfound excitement. “But only if you’re sure.”

I laughed, the sound bright and happy, and kissed him again, lingering just long enough to make his breath hitch. “I’m sure,” I whispered against his lips. “I trust you.”

He sighed contentedly, pulling me closer until there was no space left between us. “Then we’re in for one hell of a next time,” he promised, and I felt the warmth of his words settle deep in my chest, filling me with a sense of happy anticipation for whatever came next.

[crowdemoninkinkyboots]

Can I ask your top 10 fav fics ever (from any fandom, if you don't mind)?

Also, just curious, is there a story behind your name "crowdemoninkinkyboots "?

before i give my fav fics, my username is in reference to sebastian because he’s a crow demon with kinky boots uvu

okay these are in no particular order but here’s my top 10 fics:

Shapeshifter by Honeythief

black butler, sebaciel

y’all this fic broke me. whoever suggested it owes me emotional compensation. but it also hurt so good. it’s in first person which may turn off some people but i promise it’s worth the read

Sanglier by vanroku

twisted wonderland, rookpel with a hint of jackpel

it’s painfully hard finding dead dove/whump content with my fav pomefiore boys, but this is absolutely perfect

Timeless Eternity by GammaRays

demon slayer, kibutan

y’all this fic is dark. but it’s so good. it kinda sparked my thing for captor/captive tropes, and tbh it’s probably my fav kny fic

actually i lied the next two are fics i commissioned i still absolutely adore (they’re also omegaverse lmao)

Knock Knock Little Bunny by mattysones

demon slayer, kibutan

i was so excited for this fic and it was worth the wait. omegaverse + whump is such a tasty combination for me and matty wrote it perfectly. best money i’ve spent.

Torridity by mcpoggy

demon slayer, kanaoi

mcpoggy is usually a giyutan writer and i’m probably going to add one of her other fics here but i absolutely adored how this fic came out. it’s so vanilla compared to the other fics listed but i love it. i need more omegaverse yuri in my life

When I Kissed The Teacher by mcpoggy

demon slayer, giyutan

this is like THE giyutan fic, and also my first bookmark on ao3. it’s also vanilla compared to most other fics on this list but giyutan does have an age gap. it’s super long but i’d alway recommend mcpoggy’s giyutan fics uvu

heads rolling for the one i adore by nyabatos

genshin impact, zhongven

ok i’m INCREDIBLY biased because the author is my best friend but she’s such an incredible writer. it’s also such an interesting au where venti sacrifices his freedom to zhongli to save mondstadt and the aftermath of that deal

The Fall of Mondstadt series by Probabri

genshin impact, kaeluc

whoops my bias is showing again bc i’m also friends with the author but this story awakened kinks in me i didn’t know i had oops

Spear Fishing by reallybadcontent

genshin impact, beidou/fem!reader

ahem. so. i’m not typically into reader pov fics but beidou is. beidou. and i’m a weak lesbian. and ngl i also imagined my oc instead. so. next fic

Dream A Little Dream of Me by BadBadz

black butler, sebaciel

ok i’m being biased again, since this was based off of a tumblr post i made, but i was so happy it inspired someone and it turned out great. of course my fav sebaciel fics have angst in them…it’s like i like hurting myself…

pls lmk if y’all have ever read any of these fics/ur thoughts! i’m sure u all noticed a trend lol

[the-starry-lycan]

Starry’s Fanfic Year In Review!!!!!

got tagged by @smaller-comfort and I'm gonna tag @boltslutters @lostsoulofdragon @neoyi-backstreetback for this, as well as anyone who wants to pawticipate!!!

Number of stories posted to ao3: 35, holy bones!!! Given this is my first year ever posting, this is an awesome number!

Word count posted for last year: 124,187… so dang, not bad!! I wrote quite a lot, it seems.. at least in my own opinion. There’s also my unpublished fic, which adds to that number significantly.

Fandoms I wrote for: Sea of Stars, The Messenger, Subnautica, Transformers (several continuities), Trigun, and Honkai Star Rail.

Pairings: VashWood, MegOp, ProwlBee, Reshorul, RatioRine, Al-An/Robin.

Stories with the most kudos, bookmarks, comments/threads: Wise Man’s Folly, and your patience a virtue are two of the really famous ones in terms of most kudos and hits. Chrysopoeia is one that’s had a lot of comment interaction, same with A Glass Golem’s Adventures in Throwability.. but a certain octoberfic I have on anon takes the cake for comment threads! And thank you to all those who interacted on that one :3 it gives me a lot courage to keep writing!

Work I’m most proud of and why: I think I’m most proud of Wise Man’s Folly, because I feel like I really wrote well the trauma that some of the characters experience, get the storyline going, and got that tasteful, emotional smut to hit just right. The love’s strong with that one!

Work I’m least proud of and why: I.. might actually think Chrysopoeia. I’m a little insecure about how I portray Aephorul there, and I feel like the fic’s too long, like it dawdles on it’s purpose. Hope to finish it soon and be done!

Share or describe a favorite review you received: There’s a good several pawfuls on my sabo sexyfic that I really loved, but one I’d like to reminisce on was from Wise Man’s Folly, where this sweet person gave me such a wonderful review on both chapters! I go back and read the comments I get pretty often, so thank you to everyone who comments on my work!!

A time when writing was really, really hard: Christmas was tough because I didn’t really have any time to write undisturbed, as I’m kind of a secret writer to my family.. but finals and uni admissions earlier in spring was also a very tough time because of the sheer amount of stress on me.

A scene or character you wrote that surprised you:  I have really enjoyed writing Ninja, from the Messenger, as I feel like I can write him well AND convey that which I want to. He’s a fun character, what can I say!

A favourite excerpt of your writing: I have a couple, hehe, but here're the ones I happen to like a lot.

"Your beautiful smile, that one that seemed so genuine when you were drunk and when I bundled you up? As though you cherished to be held for every moment? You wanted so badly for me to sleep with you.. ..but was it simply that closeness you craved?"

"...as though Aephorul wanted to draw Resh'an into the depths of himself, absorb him until the two were one, silent and writhing and perfect."

How did you grow as a writer last year: I've honestly gotten a LOT of bravery as a writer, pushing boundaries to discover what I like and to write more of what I already do enjoy! In fact, sharing my work was a biiiiig step in my growth as a writer, and I am really proud of this.. not to mention happy for all the support I've gotten from my readers!

Who was your greatest positive influence this year as a writer (could be another writer, beta, cheerleader, etc.): I've had a lot of positive influences from my friends, both online and irl, as well as my readers and the Sabotage Studio fandom as a whole! A particular friend has helped me with ideas and some bravery with my transformers fic, so thank you!!

Anything from your real life show up in your writing last year: Very probably? I know I definitely put in my fics some of the stuff I learn from uni and that I'm generally passionate in, like my biology and chemistry stuff... psychology, too, but that's just 'cause I like psych! (and it's on the MCAT..)

Any projects you’re looking to starting (or finishing) this year: I really do wanna finish up certain unfinished fic from last year, namely ones like Chrysopoeia and the sabo sexyfic, just so I can tie up all my loose ends. Cell Block Tango's a fun one and I do wanna write for that just because it's a fic I'm excited to write for!

As for new stuff, I am planning a LOT of transformers fic for this year, ranging from my empurata!Prowl AU to some variegated TF fics of all continuities! I also have a couple of Hellboy (comic & movie) fics I wanna get out, and some Ace Attorney and Trigun things while I'm at it. So.... LOTS of things for the new year!

[marty-parties]

Happy September 15th! Which, if you didn't know, is 'leave a comment day.' I could be wrong though, since my source is a poll i took on my other blog - either way, i've come up with a fun idea.

In honour of ‘leave a comment day’ i’ve made a list of all of my favourite fanfics/authors that I can think of atm, and I wanna leave a nice little note about them and their work! This isn’t in any particular order, tbh it’s mostly me going through my AO3 bookmarks and re-reading all of my fav fanfic, haha. 

I honestly had no idea 'leave a comment day’ was a thing, and if you didn’t either, show your favourite authors that you appreciate them! Anything from a heart emoji, or a key smash, or an insightful/heartfelt comment will do wonders in terms of showing/being appreciated.

A lot of these fics below have influenced me in some way, big or small, into how/what I write today. I guess I wanted to give thanks where I could. (It’s also just really sick to make a doc full of your favourite things,and I highly implore you to do it too, even if you don’t wanna post it. (That's totally fair, no pressure.) I keep going over in my mind what I like about each fic and ‘oh, this fic is different from that, but it’s still fantastic, oh and this fic, too,’ etc. it’s such a fun little snowball effect of positivity, i definitely recommend you do this if you have time and need a pick me up, haha.)

Little note, here, If you’ve seen that I’ve read your fic, but found you’re not on the list - it’s not that I don’t like you/or work! I probably very well did enjoy it! I found as I was making this list it was taking a lot of my free time. (Free time that i’d rather like to use writing or reading more, haha.) And, I feel like this list is already so wickedly long ‘cause I can't shut my mouth to save my life, to add more might be a little bit much to read all in one go. 😅

So, please don’t be upset if that’s the case! ily *mwah* 

Also, there’s a few nsfw fics mention at the end, so if you’re a minor, pls buzz off,  that content isn’t for you! I also recommend you check the links on some of these fics. I think I’ve included warnings where I think they’re due, but you know yourself better than i do. And, who knows, I might’ve accidentally missed a tag or two - So, please take care of yourself out there! 

You’ll notice i’ve either included a source for either the authors tumbr, or AO3. I originally was going to try and do both, but i lost steam. Each story is linked to their author, on some site, promise. 

Last thing, most of these fics are in the undertale fandom, tbh. It’s been my ride or die since highschool, so i’ve got a lot of love and things to say. You won’t find any frans or foncest here, i’m a reader insert girlie, simply put, and I don't care much for those tags on the fics i read. 

Quick legend here:

Complete = complete work

Ongoing = still updating / i think they’re still update

Incomplete = either hiatus, or just incomplete

So, without further ado- 

 Road Side Attraction (Ongoing, teen+ rating) and Dirty Laundry (Complete, teen+ rating)

By Popatochisp  (AO3) / popattochisp (Tumbr)

I’m going to be grouping together fics by author. Usually when I find one I really like, i really lurk around their tumblr/AO3 for others, haha.

–AND because I can’t think of one fic without the other. I find myself going back to read them both quite frequently, usually on rotation,  they’re my little bedtime stories i keep on repeat in my mind, lol. 

I mean, if you’re in the undertale fandom how can you not know about pop? For me, them (and luluwrites, among a few others i can’t remember rn,) –were really impactful to me growing up, as I think it was to a lot of people. (Tbh they’re still impactful, actually. I find myself going back even pretty often to read the same fics I read in high school.) They’re like the one piece of media you read in English class in high school that sticks with you throughout your adult life. (Looking at you, monkey’s paw.)

Pop has like 1,000 different au’s to choose from, all with fantastic and deep characterizations and lore.( I don’t know how they do it, i’m only writing a/b ONE skeleton rn, and i feel like a hamster on a wheel trying to get his characterization right.  I couldn’t imagine doing that for every single au they have. God damn.) 

I especially love Roadside Attraction, because of how easily i can relate to it? I’m deep in the sticks, a town more populated by livestock and people. When I read this, I can really put myself i MC’s shoes - b/c i’ve been there! (Hah, maybe not the dating skeletons part, granted, lol.) But it’s such a fantastic read, I love any and all media that has a vibe that it could take place in like a   rural Montana. (think scenes in Twilight. Tall spruce/pine trees, misty morning, the possibility of seeing bigfoot, that sorta thing.) 

And Dirty Laundry? Come on, dude. What a love letter to the swapfell universe, truly. If you haven't read it, you gotta. The world building, and the changing POV’s are so damn good, that every chapter feels crisp, and like you’ve got a really good inside scoop of each character. You can’t knock the characterization in this one, fellas. All the dynamics are so dead on - how Sans and Papyrus interact, how Sans and Alphys – dude, even how Sans and Toriel interact read so deeply in character. Everyone’s motives and ideas make sense to each character and the conflict that it  brings. Big fan. 10/10, will definitely read again and again. (There’s also a ‘Menswear addition, where the reader has he/him pronouns if that’s your cup of tea!) 

Bones Picked Clean (Incomplete, teen+ rating) and) Apéritifs (Ongoing, Mature rating)

By Skelezbian (tumblr) / luluwrites (on AO3)

Woof, where do I start?? I think Bones Picked Clean is another one of the first fics I remember being a really impactful piece of undertale fanwork that stuck with me. I know they’re not the one who created the whole ‘lodge’ scenario, (if you know, you know. Thank you @Tyrant_Tortoise, we’ll be seeing you next,) but they put a spin on it that is so interesting to see. The problems feel very realistic, like something that can easily happen in a house full of busy bodies with not enough communication. And, ohmygod the MC. My first love, truly. You get to see each set of skeleton brother’s, and watch how MC’s befriends them all. Granted, they have a track record of putting themselves in dangerous situations, for reasons revealed in the fic, but they’ve got a heart of gold, and a PHD in being a sweetheart.

The horrortale boys really shine here. I haven’t read much horrortale centric fanfics, but I really like the soft horrorale’ spin. The healing after the damage, the sunshine after the storm, watching the fauna overgrow, etc. I love watching characters grow when love is shown, and here, you can really see it here. I love domesticity, and using food as a love language– which is something this fic has in spades!

(I also love love swapfell characterization in this fic, chapter 13 does a REALLY good job of walking you through the mindspace of sf pap. But in terms of favourties, i’d have to say that would be Chapter 18. You get to see sf pap’s relationship with his brother!  You really see/understand their dynamic, and how they really act as brothers behind closed doors. The other reason it’s a favourite is the inherit domesticity! Maybe I’m a sucker for the normie, slice of life, but how MC and sans chit chat at the start of the chapter is so cute! )

Warning: mention of past cannibalism, past murder, past abuse? I think that’s it, maybe check the tags to be sure. They sound scary, but I promise it’s a very sweet story. 

Ohh, Apéritifs. First of all, what a clever name! I’m a sucker for word play, and this title alone really did it for me, haha. (if you don’t get it, please google ‘define Apéritifs’, and you’ll be just as jazzed as me.)  They’re three stand alone one-shots featuring a  different skeleton each chapter. I will say, I think chapter 3 is my fav. It’s actually heavily inspired me to make one of my one shots - it’s that good! I love the world building in it, as well. Really, you can’t go wrong. (Lulu really knows how to nail flirty dialogue, in very funny ways. ‘“so, you a fan of spare ribs, or just mine?”’ (ch. 3 – Apéritifs) KILLS ME, oh my god, what a funny flirty little one-liner. 

Skeleton Squatters and The LandLady (Incomplete, teen+ rating)

By Tyrant_Tortoise (AO3) tyranttortoise (Tumblr)

Man– SSLL walked so we all could run. The amount of ‘lodge’ type fanfic dynamic i’ve seen, BECAUSE of this fic is wild. I might be wrong in saying this, but I think they were the one who came up with the whole ‘lodge’ type scenario, like all the reverse harems with all the au’s. 

I haven’t read anything of theirs in a long time, but I wanna pay my respects where respects are due. Tyrant made one hell of an influential fanfic, enough so, that I’m pretty sure if I had a timeline of fandom evolution on undertale alone– I think there would be a noticeable difference in the before and after SSLL.  Which, is so sick!! To have influenced a whole fandom with a concept that we’re still seeing it years later? (I get that trends sorta tend to last longer in fandoms than they do irl, but isn’t that such a neat thing to think about?) 

I’m going to age myself (and maybe you, reading this a bit, but–) the first chapter was posted in 2017. 2017! Isn’t that nuts to think about? I was literally 17 at the time. No WONDER it stuck with me, my teenage brain was looking for all the  serotonin it could get from fandoms.  (wow. Things haven't changed all that much for me, haha. 

Skeleton Ex Machina (Incomplete, teen+ rating)

By Cryptid_jack (AO3)

Ohh, okay, for all the SSLL fans out there, you probably already know who cryptid_jack is. And if not, I'll gladly tell you!

They’ve made this cool ass AI AU (it’s a LOT cooler than it sounds, I promise!) in their words, ‘a fanfic of a fanfic’ that’s actually in Skeleton Squatters and The LandLady (see above.) I’d recommend reading SSLL to fully understand this - although, if you’re good at picking up context clues, or maybe don’t mind missing some context, I don’t necessarily think you’d have to, since jack does a really good job of showing the reader everything that’s going on. (although, i really  recommend you do.)

I think this au is so cool, it’s literally tagged as ‘Quarantine Sans’ (which, i’ll be the first to say, that maybe that name didn’t hold up too well, with recent 2020 events, an’ all that. Pandemic aside, it’s a cool name for an AU!) 

It’s also really fun to see two friends in the fandom interact with each other's works like this. Even reading the note at the start of the fic, you can just feel the camaraderie and care that went into paying each other's proper respects. 

Big big ups, hats off to proper manners and friendship!

All’s Fair In Love and (Prank) War (Incomplete, teen+ rating)

By torrikor (AO3)

Ohh, this is a short and sweet 2 chapter read. I don’t the author is going to circle back to it, but i suggest you read it anyways! the idea is so so good! In essence, MC and sf sans are roommates, and MC starts a prank war. I love love love their dynamic, their bickering is a real treat to read, that, coupled with their size difference? Sign me up!

My Favorite Thing (Complete, teen+ rating) and A Conversation Starter ( Complete, teen+ rating) 

By peachwhimzy (AO3) peachwhimzy-things (Tumblr)

I’m a slut for their characterization of sf pap here, oh my god. Both are so so good, and i know  i must sound like a broken record by saying I love how this author interpreted his character - but i can’t help it! So many people have good ideas and ways to showcase a character! Sue me.  

A Conversation Starter is another one that’s inspired me to write a little one-shot. It’s so fantastically written, sf Papyrus and MC are at a bus station, both the first human and monster either have met. The world building is subtle, but wonderfully done. MC is so damn cute in this, and so is Papyrus, who’s really just trying to keep the conversation going, lol. There’s a delightful slice of life aspect to this. 

Honestly, a lot of of Peach’s work feel very domestic, and sweet, and romantic. Sorta like i’m reading a studio Ghibli movie. Do yourself a favour and go check em out!

Late Night Shift Romance (Complete, teen+ rating)

By Inumaru12 (AO3)

The one fic on here that’s not a romance,how about that. (I guess that’s not technically true. There's possibly something budding, if you squint. I always read it as platonic friendship- it’s fanfic! Read it with whatever context you’d like!)

Burgerpants and MC are at the same convenient store late at night, and there’s a robbery. Friendship ensues. I love seeing the background character of undertale, and honestly, who doesn't relate to Burgerpants? Perpetually working shitty minimum wage jobs, trying to chase his dreams - that’s rough. I appreciate a character who can give a nod to class solidarity.. I think Inmuaru12 did so well writing his character, it feels like he was plucked out of the game himself, haha. 

My Dearly Detested Delivery Man, (Complete, teen+ rating) and Black Coffee (Complete, general audiences rating) 

By Little_old_lady (AO3)

Lol yet another set of swap fics, haha. (Yet another great example of different interpretations of the swapfell au!)

My Dearly Detested Delivery man is so  fun, I love an ‘enemies to friends to lovers’ type of fic. I love the dialogue, it’s so funny! Like almost sitcom-esk with how good the one liners are. I think my favourite thing about writing fanfic is the dialogue- but reading what other authors have cooked up is such a treat, too. I love seeing authors with a certain brand of wit/cleverness they think the character would have, and seeing their own comedy bleed through, too sometimes. Little_old_lady does a good job showing the reader what you can gleam from the characters with how they talk to each other, in a way that sets the tone for their relationship. (whether it’s platonic, romantic, etc.)  There’s so many ways you can show friendship, but I think the “passion” (lmao I don’t know what else to call it!)  that’s at the heart of any argument is what can create the difference between friends arguing, vs two people who could be more. (Better put, I think what I like about two characters arguing is the sorta obvious chemistry it can create.) 

Black Coffee does a good job about that too! I’ll be the first and last to say that I love any characters whose love language is ‘argue’ (lol even though irl I wouldn’t last long in any relationship like that, haha. ) I can be hit or miss with a soulmate au, but there’s another layer that I think undertale adds another level to in a soulmate au-since the game established that monsters and magic are real— that it almost feels a little more plausible of an au, than say, a soulmate AU of parks and rec? (no hate on the au or parks and rec, haha. I guess it just feels more “realistic” being that undertale is already a world made of magic, that magical soulmates, is one more step into weird that also makes sense?) I also love the bro-ship mc has with pap, in this one. Coming from someone who’s constantly worked retail/with customers one-on-one, somedays you want to go ape shit, so it’s nice to see an MC who can.

Half Your Age Plus Seven (Complete, teen+ rating) 

By KassyKins

Ohhh, what a little treat this was to read. Tragedy! Romance! Love-rivalry! (NOT a love triangle!) People just Trying to do their best, they’ve got it all! This is another MC i’m in love with. They know what they love, and what they’re passionate about, but when push comes to shove, they’ll choose their family over themselves every single time. I think it’s a very admirable trait to have, integrity, and the ability to self-sacrifice.  I think those two tropes/characteristics can really lead a story in so many interesting directions - weather it be an MC who’s too self-sacrificing, giving parts of themselves to everyone, leaving nothing for themselves, or an MC who’s pushing themselves through the ringer trying to do what they think is right according to their integrity, burning them up in the process.  In this particular case, it’s maybe a little bit of both, coupled with (sad) a slice of life meet cute, with a healthy dose of growing pains. 

There’s something about it that always hits extra hard to me, the ‘thrust into the lime light, or power, or a position they have no business being in. But, they’ve got people on the line, their people to take care of, so by god they’ll try.’ There’s something so tragic and poetic about it – but who knows, maybe I'm waxing poetic about the eldest daughter trope. 

This fic really nicely written, and there’s so many fun hijinks and shenanigans in there to make you chuckle. Featuring another MC who’s able to shout at their boss and get away with it- big ups from me, lets goooooo working class!

Fair warning, this is a notable age gap from MC and swapfell gold sans. It is talked about in the story as well. I personally don’t mind it too much, but if that’s a no-go from you, you’ve been warned. (Maybe just check the tags on this one, (spoilers!) I know someone gets pregnant later. But, I know that can freak some folks out, so, heads up.) 

There’s some smut mentioned, but it doesn’t go into detail about it, so i’ll leave it above the NSFW section. Just fair warning! (Maybe not a story for minors? I don’t know, read at your own discretion if you are?) 

For the smut mention, be warned that I couldn’t find any age in their bio, do with that what you will. 

And Now It’s Crystal Clear(Complete, teen+ rating)

By nighttimelights (AO3)

Oh, man. What another banger read. 

Fun fact- i read this in . . . highschool? But i forgot the name of the fic,and it took me FOREVER, im talking YEARS before I found it again. I actually gave up the hunt, and just found it again one day– what an utter joy that was for me to rediscover it. I felt like I ran into my highschool sweetheart at the grocery store after not thinking about them in years. 

It’s really cool concept on the whole ‘machine gaster’ situation. I respect someone so damn much who incorporates a bit of sci-sfi in their fics, I have no idea how to write it, but I love to read it/see it in media. So to see it, and understand it, and how it’s relevant to the plot is a real treat!

I also love the ending.  :)

Wish Bone (Ongoing, Explicit rating)

By timeofjuly

I could not, in good conscience make this list without including my bestie, the OG and probably the reason why I'm actually posting what I'm writing today. I really can’t sing their praises high enough – but for the sake of comment day, I sure can try, haha.

July really does a good job of creating a wicked atmosphere in her works. The stark difference between Wish Bone (a political romance drama) and Resisting the Currents (reverse harem, but the gf likes you too. It's linked in the nsfw section, please check it out if you can.) is so incredible – they’re really an author that can do both, haha. Even though both fics are so different, what they have in common is their ability to get you right in your feelings, in whichever way the story calls for. 

In Wishbone  – Flint (the MC) has a bad case of being a massive asshole, that’s verging on becoming chronic. Their paranoia has caused their head to permanently be a swivel, and they’ve developed a taste for their own brand of Justice (however malicious as it is.)  That sounds like the start of a vigilante story, but in all truth, Flint is a dick. Which, is another thing July is great at! Writing MC’s who are assholes! You love to hate them, you hate that you love them! 

This is a MC x sf Pap, and later X sf Sans as well, If you’re hoping for a sappy romance, you’ve come to the wrong place. This is a reluctant soulmate AU fic, a fantastic spin on the traditionally very romantic au, a meet ugly, sort of vibe. If you love arguing, political drama, fantastic world building, and a very, sad, broken MC – you’re going to love this. Hell, even if how I described it doesn’t sound appealing to you – I implore you to check it out anyways. July will absolutely knock you on your ass with her writing. By god, there’s themes, motifs and symbolism that I'm not smart enough to analyse, let alone talk about. Whether July intentionally put them there or not, I have no idea, but they’re there and it adds another layer of depth in a delightfully, painful soul crushing way. 

Go, see what I mean for yourself! 

Tbh, i feel like I could go on forever about what I love about their fics, and my little personal theories on them – but I feel like I already look pretty unhinged. For the sake of my ego, i’ve gotta move on. 

In terms of warnings, I think I sorta covered them? There's Plenty of anger, and hatred, ummm monster phobia? There might be some sorta nsfw stuff down the line, thus the rating, but as it stands now it’s smut free! Just a heads up, I suppose. 

 In Two weeks time and Red is my favorite color

By who_wants_a_muffin (AO3) 

My other current ongoing fav, in two weeks time! Another swapfell sans one, to the surprise of absolute of no one, haha. 

This MC is a dude! A man! Which is a refreshing change up, I don’t think there’s many many fics out there with a male leaning/male dominant MC’s. The characterization of MC is very good, 

is so so good, it’s and X sf sans, and he’s got the exact right amount of snark and sass to keep you coming back, haha. (Or, I guess in this case, he keeps coming back. MC works at the pool he frequents.) Their banter is really fun to read, bordering on bickering, really. They’re almost like a little old married couple, haha. Which is to say, you can really feel the chemistry they have even though they’re basically strangers. 

sf Papyrus is such a little shit in this one, i love it. He’s perpetually the youngest brother, and how Muffin writes him is so snarky and funny, and very endearing. 

The chapters are short and sweet, enough so that you can read it a few times in the same day and still enjoy it, even though his updating schedule is crazy fast! I don’t know how he does it, but they’re just motoring along, haha. I get excited whenever I get an email saying Muffin updated. It’s like a little treat to brighten your week.

I’ve been reading a bit of his other stuff, and he just gets it! Like the dynamic between MC and fell sans in Red in my favorite color, is just perfect. I love the soft!underfell au, and he does a really good job of capturing how underfell sans straddles the line between being a bad boy, and a boy that's not all that bad.

I also love the notes he writes, ‘Hello gays and other assorted sillies!’ (from Chapter 2 in Red in my favorite color,) Like COME ON, that’s so funny! 

– Undertale related 

Bonley Hearts Club (Demo available, Ongoing, teen+ rating) 

Bonely Hearts Club (tumblr) 

owl-bones (tumblr) is the Developer and Director and (self proclaimed! I’m not being mean!) Lead Nerd.  Here is a link to their cast, although it might not be fully updated. (It’s  \a big one, so I'm going to leave it as a link.) 

I don’t even know how to begin to explain my love for Bonely Hearts Club. It’s a fanmade game, made entirely of love, which you can tell, even before you play it. The sprites are so cute, and fantastic, and the writing is so in character and on point, do not get me started on the voice acting - which is also incredible. I’m not kidding, when I first played the demo, I immediately followed the voice actors on tumblr after, haha. 

This is the kinda piece of art that you just stand back and look at it, and just go ‘wow’. It’s such a big undertaking! I know very little about game development, but from what i vault remember from my comp sci class - is that is’s hard. Mad respect from me to Owl, and everyone a part of the team/process. 

This is off topic, but I wonder if Toby Fox has read any of these fics, or played the demo of this dating sim, like in the same way Alex Hursh has played a bit of Swooning Over Stans: A Grunkle Dating Sim. I’d pay serious money to have Toby play the dating sim demo. God, could you imagine the energy in that livestream? It would be goddamn electric.

[ Soul Redacted ] (Completed, teen rating) and The Great Noodle Jape (Completed, teen rating) 

By nighttimepixels (game jolt) nighttimepixels (tumblr) 

// active twitter lethalhoopla  

//active tumblr lethalhoopla

Good god, talk about a . . .what, triple, quadruple threat? There’s nothing nighttimepixels can’t do. They write, they make art, they’ve made two complete games, (and the beginning of another,) and they animate!! Like oh my god! Another love letter to the fandom, everything they do is so so good. 

[Soul Redacted] is a very cool rpg sidescroller explorer/mystery, and i’d say a touche of sci-fi in there, too. It has fantastic writing, and features Q! (from Cryptid_jack au, in Skeleton Squatters and The LandLady fromTyrant_Tortoise  fic! see above for all!) Truth be told, I got a little scared playing this. Granted, I played it at like 2 am in the dark - and I am a coward lol. I don’t think the average person will get scared, but fair warning anyways, haha. 

They’re not into the undertale fandom anymore, I don't think. Which is sad to hear, but also understandable. It’s not fun making art and other creations if you’ve lost that spark there. However, if you’re a mass effect fan, they’re making a bunch of art on their other bog. I personally really love their art style, so i’ll gladly keep checking back. Also, there’s so much undertale content on their blog that you’ll be good for a long while. And if not, you can always go back and look again! If you can’t experience it for the first time, the next best thing is to experience it again. 

Warning: I think there’s some flashing lights at some point? Maybe double check the tags on that one if that’s a concern for you. 

The Great Noodle Jape is so damn cute. As night put it, ‘a visnov style silly whodunit’, which I think it captures it perfectly. The writing is so fun, all the characters feel very well written/in character, and i love how they all interact with each other. As well, the sprites are so fantastic! Night has that kind of art style where you just know it's theirs without needing to confirm. 

No warnings that I could think of, other than you’ll be wishing for the experience of playing it for the first time once you’re done.

– non-Undertale related fics - 

Cult of the Lamb—

The Rehabilitation of Death 

By bamsara (AO3) / bamsara (Tumblr)

WOOF. I am an ‘happy ending angst’ lover, and a ‘energies to lovers slow burn,’ and this fic takes the cake on both regards. Truly, who could pine better than a god, who’s named literally ‘The One Who Waits’? What an aptly named character for one of the major troupes in the fic, haha.

But for all you freaks out there (lol me) who don’t mind horror some of the time, I recommend reading it! Even if you’re not into CoTL, the pining is so goddamn good! (Considering it’s about gods, they’ve been pining for hundreds of years without even knowing it–  the slowest of burns, like oh my GOD.) Bam also is known to post longer chapters- so if you like a read that lasts a couple days, PLEASE do yourself a favour and check it out. I don’t wanna spoil anything, but they’re getting to the part where the main couple is starting to be nice to each other, plus, the subplot B couple is starting to sorta shack up too. There are so many good, funny dynamics that are in this fic, that I don’t have enough words to properly explain them. 

They also make fantastic artwork and sketches for just about each scene in their fics - which for all you visual girlies out there (myself, haha.) I think you’d appreciate it! I wish I was that type of triple threat, but I think i’d burn out too quickly if I was also drawing scenes of my fics – which is why I think it’s so impressive when other authors/artists do it! 

 They do art streams pretty frequently, too, and they make stickers too! A true triple threat, 

Just, fair warning-  like Cult of the Lamb (the game the fic is based off,)  this fic mentions a lot about gore, and death, and mention of cults and religion. So if any of that is a turn off, or something you don’t like to read about, this might not be your cup of tea. 

Non-fanfic Undertale fandom related material– 

FNAF—

Solar Lunacy (Incomplete, Mature)

By BamSara

(I kept these two separate on the account they’re different fandoms, lol) 

I was very briefly into the FNAF fandom, I only read a handful of fics— but Solar Lunacy really stuck with me!

Robots with trauma! An overly curious MC! I think what I like most about this, is how driven mc is? Usually it gets them into trouble, haha, but I love that troupe where the MC really puts themselves through the wringer looking for answers. (I.e like ford and bill from gravity falls.)  

What’s not to love? For all you robot fans out there, it’s pretty sick! I’m sure if you dig deep enough on Bam’s tumblr you’ll find all their old DCA fanart, and draw parts from this fic. 

Fair warning! Scary robots, the regular tags of the fnaf fandom (past child abuse/past child murder), robots don’t understand boundaries, maybe check the tags on this one, just in case. 

Sleuth Jesters (Series!) (Complete, teen+ and mature ratings, depending on which fic in the series you’re reading.)

By naffeclipse (AO3)

This was the other FNAF fanfic that really stuck with me when I had the robot bug. (lol)  I’ll be the first one to admit that I’m not overly into the whole ‘mafia boss’ side of self-ships, but if I had to choose one to read for the rest of time –  it would definitely be this one. It’s like a detective noir, where mc is the vigilante who’s only law they follow is their grey moral code - but usually it’s for the good! So you can’t really feel to bad about that, haha. 

Tbh it’s almost hard to verbalise what I like about it, it’s one of those fics that give you a feeling you can’t name, and it’s so frustrating to have this unnamed feeling you can’t quite pinpoint! (PLEASE tell me some of ya’ll know what i’m talking about!)

I feel so tragically for the MC, if that makes sense? They’re constantly putting themselves in harm's way for answers, and for others.  They’re selfless, yet selfish, and they never let anyone too close, except for when they do. There’s some heavy themes and very toxic relationships, but there’s a happy ending! 

Ahh warning for a very possessive, toxic robot, and kidnapping in later fics - i suggest you read the tags just in case! Bam is really good at tagging triggers accordingly, 

Fair warning: blood and injury, very possessive character, toxic relationships (one sided), mention of injury, violence, kidnapping, guns, gunshot  wounds, shootouts, broken bone- probably some more. I recommend checking the tags on this one as well, just to be on the safe side. 

NSFW Below – Minors get out of here pls!

A quick mention, before I get into this–

I tried to check and make sure all the authors below are all well over 18, i’ve indicated which link has their age posted in their bio’s if you’d like to check for yourself. If I couldn’t find it, I made sure to be clear that I don't know. 

Just doing some light housekeeping, here. You should also check the tags on each fic for what kinda . . . stuff it has, lol. 

Play With Me (Incomplete, explicit rating) 

By grimrester (AO3) / grimrester  (tumblr/ age in bio here.) 

Oh my god. Oh my god! For all you queers on the ace/aromatic spectrum just like me, this is the fic for you!

I could easily go back and read this again and again - tbh I already do. It’s plot with porn, and then it turns into porn with plot, but emotional!  love the relationship between MC and Sans. There's something about their intimacy that’s so casual (maybe not the right word for what I mean,) but vulnerable, and realistic, but very enthusiastic and personal? I don’t think I even have the right words to properly and fully describe what all I like about this fic, but what I do know is that I like it a lot, haha. 

I like that it shows sex and intimacy in a different way. I know it’s pretty common for undertale smut to have some kind of ecto junk involved - this one doesn’t. I personally, like the creativity involved in thinking different ways a person can get off that isn’t just penetration. (Don’t get me wrong, that’s in here too, but that comes a little bit later.) 

I’m also s Big Fan of the sf sans interpretation here. It’s like a soft swapfell, one of my favourite version of him. I said it already, but there’s so many ways a person can go with his character, and I really really like the worldbuilding. It’s a nice subtle nod told through the characters. I love his relationship he has with Alphys, it all feels so incredibly in line with the character, even though he’s a swapfell version, he still does have some sort of friendship with her – even if to him it’s under a guise. To me, it’s one of those things that you can see the core traits that make him a sans, and that’s a hard needle to thread! Just an all around great character study. 

ALSO, I think I have a particular penchant for MC’s with oddly specific niche jobs?? In my heart of hearts, Pixy’s (the name of the arcade MC owns in Play with Me) is like right next door to Faunas (the name of the pot store my MC owns in Into The Weeds.) 

Warnings: i’m pretty sure this one is tagged accordingly on AO3, so i’m not going to tag it all here, just know there’s smut. 

Something Good (Ongoing, Mature) 

By skeletonlvr22 (AO3)

WARNING: No age in bio that I could find. This fic isn’t at the smut yet - but becuase of the 'eventual smut' tag, and for the sake of transparency, i’m letting you know. (I’m like 90% sure this person is an adult though, since there’s a tag thanking their husband for their help.) Do what you will with this info, you’ve been warned. 

This is another one of my current reading obsessions lately! 

I think i’m realizing I have a particular penchant for some of the lesser known au’s? (niche, I suppose?) Fellswap Gold Pap sets out on his own in only his trusty bus, to explore the surface above, away from the (over-) protective eyes of his brother. 

This is the escape fantasy of my dreams. A stray skeleton on the adventure of his lifetime, seeing the sights and the city lights. The romance portion in the later chapters is so damn cute too, it’s very much the ‘first love’, type of romance that’s very sweet and charming. (also, c’mon, who doesn't love a coming of age story?) Love love seeing a Fellswap Gold fic, and a Papyrus based one, too! People are so damn creative, I never would've ever thought of this plot for a fic, but now that I know it’s real, I love it!I I’m really not kidding when I say it’s prime escape fantasy material -  I think it would be the cats ass to have a van and travel across north america, thanks skeletonlv22 for letting me vicariously live through Pap in your fic. :) 

Warning: Only the ones i’ve given at the top! It’s a very cute story. I put it in the NSFW section b/c of the eventual smut, there’s none in it now – although, they certainly are starting to get flirty. 

Resisting the Currents (Ongoing, Explicit) 

By timeofjuly (AO3) timeofjuly (Tumblr) 

WARNING: No age in bio that I could find, but I’ve been chit-chatting with July for months now and i’m 99.99% sure they’re well above 18. It’s not my info to give out, and i’m trying to be transparent on my end, do with this info what you will! 

Edit: age confirmed in the tags!

This is easily another fav of mine for sure. 

Resisting the Currents is a reverse harem fic (with all the au’s!) but with a twist - the gf likes you too! It’s a refreshing take on the ‘reverse harem’ tag you see often in the undertale fandom - and holy shit, truly ‘only love can hurt like this.’ The relationship they have with the MC is so painful, verging on devastating. There’s love there! There is! But there’s also hurt, and a lot of it, the kind that doesn’t just go away, not on its own, anyway. I’m trying not to spoil too much, because I truly think you should read it for yourself. 

But, Oh My God, their MC? Holyshit- I have a(n aforementioned) weakness for impressionable MC’s, oftentimes, I end up loving them more than the love interest in the fics.  I can’t help it! The electrician is personable, relatable, and funny! They’re a lovable goofball with a rough past, with a history of doing the wrong things.They're recovering/recovered? (I’m not too sure which is the correct term, here,) drug addict, and they’ve come a long way! They’ve changed a lot, and I love love love to see that kind of realism in an MC. 

If you’re reading RtC (which you should be,) you can 100% see me going apeshit in the comments trying to figure out what the elections and Quinn’s deal is. (ESPECIALLY chapter 11!

(Sorry if they’re not coherent, at one point, those theories made sense in my head, but looking back on them, I think they’re more so like the crazed ramblings of a conspiracy theorist, haha.) 

This fic is in the NSFW section b/c it does have a chapter where two characters get it on, but i can’t say that’s what the whole story is about. I put it down here to be safe rather than sorry, haha. 

Ahh, fair warning, there is past drug mention, and past abuse child abuse I think? Plus, a bit of mention of religion and the negative effects that can have on a person. Read the tags just to be safe!

Shark Teeth (Complete, Mature rating)

By luluwrites (AO3) skelezbian (Tumblr)

Warning: No age in bio that I could find. If it makes you feel any better, they joined AO3 in 2012, while I joined in 2016 and i’m 24 currently. I’m not good at math, but I think we’re all in the clear here. But like always, do with this info what you will! 

I will say, this isn’t full on smut - it’s saucy, but I’m trying to keep anything suggestive, kinda together? 

Not to divulge myself too furiously here, but uh–There’s not a day that goes by where I don’t think about Shark teeth. C’mon. Y'all get it, right? It’s just a funny, saucy little number! A funny moment that happens between couples that we get to see. There’s so many different interpretations on the fellswaps, (I know i’ve said it a lot,) but Lulu’s just happens to be one of my favourites interpretations!! Sf Sans is a very precarious character, and I think Lulu does a good job showing that the swaps can be written in a multitude of ways, he doesn’t just have to be the dickhead all the time, lmao. They really do a good job showing how he shines, y’know?

Warning: teeth and/or biting? Not full on smut, or anything, but it is saucy. So, take that into consideration. 

The Fulfilling Ordeal of Being Known (Complete, explicit) 

By nighttimepixels (tumblr) / // active on twitter lethalhoopla (age mention in bio here) 

Ohhh, for all my sapphics out there – you’re going to love this. 

Blade (fem  horrortale sans, who’s apart of her ‘Lillytale’ au, a sapphic take on all the au’s,) and MC settling down for a nice night in, MC playing breath of the wild (BIG UPPS, great game, lol) while Blade plays some games of their own - hopefully you get the picture. 

Just some great lady-lovin’ smut! Size difference! If you love the pillow princess treatment, this is the fic for you.

Warnings: (Lesbians? Queers?) really going to town on each other, def NSFW. Check the tags before reading, it’s nothing Dead Dove, or anything - just want you to be aware. 

mothiepixie (tumblr / age in bio here)

mothiepixie (twitter, age in bio here too) 

No fic to tag, but their art? AHHHHH. They’re more active on twitter than tumblr since The Ban, but ohhh their art is very, very good. Very great if you like fictional hunky men, and beautiful shapely ladies. 

Warnings: tasteful (shameless) smut, you’ve been warned, lol

Woof. That was a lot of typing. If you made it this far, circle back to one of the recommendations above and get to reading!

[tommosgun]

Thank you to @kingsofeverything for tagging me 😘

Rules: give us the links to your fics with the most hits, second most kudos, third most comments, fourth most bookmarks, fifth most words, and fic with the fewest words.

1. Most hits: Rise up like the sun

My actor Harry Dr Louis fic. I found this one the easiest to write by far. I’m not sure why it’s got 71,300 hits but I’m super proud of it. Love the characters in this one.

2. Second most kudos: King of wishful thinking.

My ‘Pretty Woman’ story. Harry the hooker, Louis the businessman. Written around Leeds, my home city. It has 1584 kudos. I’d love for more people to read it.

3. Third most comments: (so king of wishful thinking was third so I’ve cheated and gone to the second most comments which is) We are timeless

Harry is minor Royalty, Louis is in a band. They’d met years before in Ibiza and had this sweet but very brief encounter. Fast forward a few years and they meet again…

I love these characters and this story. My last fic written 🥺

4. Fourth most bookmarks: The light to guide me home.

My Vegas/instant attraction fic. Louis runs a bar, Harry is on holiday with the others and they stumble into Louis’ bar… it’s fun and smutty, yet feelings do develop.

5. Fifth most words: Can I lay by your side

Louis a Uni student and barman bumps into Harry in his local shop buying Vodka and looking lost. They bond over Harry’s weekend bucket list of getting drunk, getting laid and getting stoned. It’s quite angsty as they part ways, only to meet up six months later under very different circumstances.

My first proper fic and I do adore the characters.

6. Fewest words: Sugarpie honeybunch. (500 words)

We had to use keywords which were, Ice crystals, cooking and candle and use exactly 500 words.

Louis cooks mince pies for Christmas and gets in a bit of a mess...

7. ( there isn’t a 7 but I’m cheeky and want to add this one) Can I just be the same?

I agreed to be a pinch hitter and when I got my prompt I was scared shitless! It was vampire-y and totally NOT what I’m used to reading or writing. But the pics for the post were so gorgeous I just had to give it a go. It’s set in present times, Harry is the Vampire (of which we don’t really see much of this going on, only how it happened 🫣) Louis is in Law. They meet outside of a pub as Harry walks home from work and Louis is outside having a cig. There are flashbacks to Harry navigating his life around never getting older and therefore never putting down roots or having anyone in the world for him. He runs away as things become more difficult in his life and he starts again. Can Louis be the one to give him roots and a reason to stop running?

I’m going to tag @reminiscingintherain @allwaswell16 @disgruntledkittenface @indiaalphawhiskey @jacaranda-bloom @twopoppies

And absolutely anyone else. If you’ve already done it, sorry x

[rjthirsty]

2024 Writing Stats

What a beautiful year it has been. In July of 2023, I wrote my first piece of fanfiction. I didn’t do any writing stats for last year, mainly because I didn’t really put any stock into what I was doing. I didn’t think it’d turn into my obsession, but here we are!

Now that I’m a full year (and then some) into writing fanfic, I’ve got loads of data to share, but I’ll try to keep it short and interesting.

These were my ending stats from last year. I figured I’d include them to see basically a starting point for this year. So this is how the year started.

And this is how it’s going. As you can see, there were some big changes! Let me give y’all some cool breakdowns.

In 2024, I:

Wrote 277,212 words!

Was Bookmarked 90 times!

Received 461 kudos

Received 53 comments

My fics were hit 9,357 times!

I got to experiment in writing. I tried fluff and dark fics, but I’m still doing the best with smut and angst. 

“I’m Pregnant” with Ikemen Prince is my highest kudo and viewed fic (impressive since it’s multi-chaptered and you can only kudo it once.) It’s a fluff/angst set of drabbles and headcanons about the princes’ reactions to reader being pregnant.

Memento was my highest kudo and viewed fic for a very long time. That was honestly the first smut I ever wrote. First smut and first fanfic, really. It’s reassuring to see that it still gets a lot of love.

Memento (Gilbert - IkePri), The Perfect Distraction (Okazaki - CxM), Between His Teeth (Gilbert - IkePri), and Incomparable (Nokto/Dahlia/Licht - IkePri) are all smut fanfics.

I wanted to add in my hit stats since Deceit and Decay is in here, which is a multi-chapter dark long fic I’m in the progress of writing. It won’t receive as many kudos due to being multi-chapter, but it has gotten a lot of views, and that’s pretty cool. I think having fluff, angst, and smut all on my top viewed fics is really fucking cool. It kind of makes me feel like I’ve managed to do something memorable with each genre I’ve tried.

I joined Tumblr May 28th, 2024. I guess I have a thing about starting things mid-year, haha. There are a lot of small ideas and headcanon posts that aren’t listed on my ao3, but there are no easy Tumblr stats for writing.

I did, however, create my first OC this year, and two others that I really love as well. I made an RP blog for one of them! I've gotten art done of all of them! And countless stories were written for all of them - some only in my head, but same same.

All-in-all, it has been an amazing year for me as a writer. I hope to do more next year, and do bigger and better things as well. I'd like to play around with ideas more. I'd like to write more long fics. I'd like to have an overwhelming amount of stories written for people to feast on.

If you want to check out my fanfics on this site (including posts I don’t put on ao3) you can find it on my pinned post. If you want to see my thoughts on things I’ve written and posted to ao3, go check out my work. 

[sopherfly]

Hey, Soph- I'm new and have been reading a lot of Obikin. They're all enjoyable and gorgeous, but they are also from the top filters on ao3. I would like to read and support the lesser known fics - the ones buried under the top Kudos, Comments, and Bookmarks filter. I would prefer canon (divergent, compliant, or au of canon) but I wouldn't mind modern too.

Do you know any? Can you rec some, please? I just know there are gems there and I want to support writers, always. Thank you!

Hi Anon,

Thank you so much for this ask. I have been working on this, and I desperately wish I’d had more time to devote to it. (Things are a bit chaotic in my life right now!)

SO, with that said: this is not a complete list, but rather a starting point. I will add to this post as I am able, and expand the rec list so that more obikin authors can get the kudos and recognition they so deserve. My invitation to anyone reading this: if you have a rec, especially of a lesser known author or fic, share it! Rec yourself and your work! Share your absolute favorite obikin fic!

Without further ado, here are the authors and fics I want to recommend to start.

✨MisanthropyMuse (@complementaryhalves) writes some terrific Obikin. For a great standalone fic, check out promises, promises. ✨BrynneAgain (@brynne-again) was an LJ writer back in the Old Days of Obikin, and has posted a few of her works to AO3. I really enjoy her Series of Short Fics. ✨Dreaminghour (@dreaminghour) has so many lovely fics—and she’s especially good at capturing a complete story in a shorter format. One of my absolute favorites of hers is Three Kisses. ✨Boonki (@boonki) has a fic called i witness heaven in unholy time that is beautiful, but will absolutely rip your heart out—be warned. She also has some less angsty Obikin stuff! ✨Zaecula (@zaecula) has some delightful obikin fics. If you’re up for some second person and some angst (fair warning, heed the tags, Anakin is still married to Padmé in this one), I definitely recommend Touched. ✨Wernnaa (@wernnaa) has a fantastic in-progress fic called Recoil and Ricochet. If you have any interest in mob AUs, this is a great one, and has a wonderful mix of plot and action.

[vienssunshine]

7, 69, 73, and 75 for your writing ask! btw.. I adore you and your writing sm, stay sexy 😔💜

Kisses for submitting this ask 💋

7. Post a snippet from a wip.

The next fic I’d like to post is a Choso x fem!reader work which is already written and currently in the editing process. I’ll add the intro below! :)

Your friends said Shibuya was the place to be for Halloween, that they would just die if you didn’t join them for the party tonight. You surrendered to their begging—it’s not like you had other plans—and put on a more-slutty-than-tasteful vampire costume to accompany them for the festivities in the square. It should be a good time, you thought, the perfect opportunity to get buzzed and maybe laid. But as the screams got louder and you realized that no, someone hadn’t slipped something into your drink and yes, that the stampede coming towards you was real, your only concern became staying alive.

69. What are your favorite fics at the moment?

I try my best to reblog fics I find in tumblr with the tag #sunshine favs, but I have been holding out on my praises for my favorite fic until the last chapter comes out. It’s called Blackmail by @crouching-vinus. It’s a Sukuna x fem!reader AU work. It’s also funny how much I love how they write Maki (because I’m in love w Maki obvi) even though she gets so little screen time. Oh, also, I really like the fics I have bookmarked on my ao3!

73. What do you tend to get complimented on the most about your writing?

Characterization and descriptions. I think these two things come to mind because I am always worried I mess them up—which I probably do at some points—so when someone compliments me regarding these, it really sticks out.

75. Is there a particular fic that readers gravitated towards that you didn’t expect?

I was floored by the fact people were into Body Count so much that they were waiting on the next chapter. Crazy to me! I want to keep the story going but it’s hard knowing people are waiting so long for an update, especially if it’s not the fic im currently working on.

[velkynkarma]

I’ve been rereading Parallel by Proxy recently (just got an ao3 account and immediately made it the first series I bookmarked), and it occurred to me that we never see the actual moment the team and Ryou find out he’s a clone— we get a description of it when Shiro is waking up from the coma, but it starts in media res after that. Im curious how you imagined the moment of the reveal and the immediate aftermath (If you remember, I know Mirror Image is like seven or eight years old now? man that’s crazy! Which by the way, it’s so weird— in an GREAT way— to reread Mirror Image and see Ryou act like Shiro. It’s almost uncanny compared to how he comes into his own later on; it’s really interesting) Also, is there like an “add to playlist” sorta option for works? I’d like to organize all my old VLD gen favorites now that I finally (after like seven years lol) have an account!

Hey anon! Welcome to AO3 proper! Being able to bookmark things is amazing.

So I never actually wrote that "actual moment of discovery that this is in fact a clone of Shiro" moment because back when I actually was writing Parallel by Proxy, S4 had just come out. That meant 2 seasons already where fans suspected the returned Shiro was a clone, but we didn't have official confirmation yet. Everyone on the Kuron train had already written that scene, and I didn't really want to rehash it when I wanted to get into the actual horror elements of the story (i.e. Shiro being trapped in his own head and then the inverse side from the clone perspective).

At the time I wrote Mirror Image, there had also been no plans to turn it into a whole series with Ryou. Mirror Image was originally written for a Halloween-themed PlatonicVLDWeek event, so at the time I was just having fun writing spooky horror stories. The original crux of Mirror Image was supposed to be a mental horror story of a character thinking they're fine but getting messages to wake up. Ryou wasn't originally even supposed to be in it, but the clone theory worked well with the idea of Shiro constantly seeing himself telling himself to wake up, so Shiro's subconscious warnings to himself were upgraded to an actual other person trying to pull him out of the situation. Because of that, HOW Ryou got there wasn't really as important to the story as WHAT he was doing there, and I never felt the need to get into it.

After that when I decided to write more stories with Ryou and turn it into a series, he'd already been established as part of the team, so I just rolled with it from there.

How would it have actually gone? More or less how it's described as an afterthought, but with a lot of tension. "Shiro" would have realized after they lived through the Naxzela debacle that Haggar had arranged for them to be there somehow. He'd look into their data and their intelligence and eventually realize the changes and the nudges always came from him, but he didn't remember doing it. He'd start putting two and two together with some other facts that never lined up (why did Black teleport him into Galra hands? Why did he wake up on a table with too-long hair and a beard when he'd only been gone for a couple months? Why did he see another him on a table in his escape? What was the deal with that whole control blip with Black? Why did he always have those awful headaches? etc etc). Once he began to suspect, he'd bring it to the team honestly, because even if he's starting to realize he's behind all of this, he still cares for them, and he's horrified at the thought that he's the reason everyone could have died. The team does more in-depth digging once they know where to look, and...well. Shiro's not real.

There's probably a lot of mixed emotions at that point. They definitely would not have trusted "Shiro" at first, but he'd have been pretty compliant with their demands because he'd feel guilty and is in the middle of having an existential crisis about not being "real." They need him and his ability to lead and pilot though, so they eventually deal with any mental conditioning or control left in his head and grudgingly work with him to find Shiro and keep Voltron running. Even in Mirror Image, you can see everyone is kind of awkward with him at first, and he realizes he's more or less filling in for the real thing. He's helping them look for Shiro out of guilt and obligation, because he stole this person's life.

As for your other AO3-related question, I'm not sure what you mean about a playlist. But you can tag bookmarks, add comments or notes for yourself and others, and either leave them public or make them private. That would let you organize them on your end. I recommend against making "collections" as this can take control away from the writer (for this reason I never agree to let my works be put into collections when people ask).

Happy reading anon!

[imagionationstation]

BRUVERS, I TELL YOU

I cannot tell you how much I appreciate every kudo, comment, and bookmark that appears on my stories! And to be asked to add my stuff to collections?! Best feeling ever!

On the other hand, I can’t express how nauseous I felt when I found it was being asked by someone who has many Tcest works saved in this collection. I will never have my works associated with the likes of Tcest.

I’d rather delete all my fanfics than ever watch that happen. They are wholesome, fun-loving, adventurous, platonically affectionate BROTHERS.

Thank you. Good day. 💚💚💚

[thefanficwriterscraft]

Loved this week’s new episode! I’m definitely guilty of putting short fics (<1k words) into a singular story instead of a series (though it’s all the same ship/universe). I’ve actually been struggling with the idea of continuing to do this or not but get caught up with 2 things:

1. The thought of having them ALL as individual stories on my page stresses me out from an organizational standpoint. And

2. I wish AO3 had a way to split a work, because I don’t want to lose the comments attached to each chapter/fic by deleting and reposting since I didn’t have the foresight to originally post them as separate entities. (Though with this option then you also run the risk of spamming everyone who’s subscribed to you on ao3).

And I guess also adding on to this and the ao3 improvements mentioned, I’d love if there was a way for an author to highlight their favorite works, because otherwise if you have an author who writes a lot of short works, they add up and things get buried 150 fics deep.

Sorry for the massive drop in the inbox 😅 This has been something on my mind for awhile and the episode just brought it all back. Thanks for all the work you put into the podcast!

Thank you so much, and our apologies for the delayed response as I (pebblysand) was on holidays. So glad you enjoyed the discussion!

Regarding your first point, I can't help/relate, because I think honestly, the opposite would stress me out haha! Having all of my one-shots bundled as one instead of individual stories would drive me nuts! I would feel that is disorganised 😅.

Having said that, I want to be clear that I do think it is legit to do this in some circumstances. For example, from 2015 to 2018, I wrote a bunch of three sentence stories in different fandoms, ships, etc. as a writing exercise. I mostly posted them on their own on tumblr, but ended up bundling them when I uploaded them to AO3 years later. I bundled up together in one fic all the ones that were for the same fandom (so there was one big fic for TGW, and one for silk), then created a series to link them together. The TGW "fic" had multiple ships so I created one chapter for each ship, which I tried to indicate as clearly as I could in the summary.

I think the same thing applies if you're writing multiple short-ish (less than 3k) one-shots in the same pairing/ship/universe. Like: if, say, you're writing post-war Dramione, you have a vision for that universe and all of your one-shots are coherent with that universe and with each other. But again, I do think it's important to consider the fact that it may cause people to rec your work less. Because they might like one story but not the others, and so instead of reccing one chapter, they might just rec nothing at all.

I think it depends on your comfort level for this. For me regarding my own series what comes in threes, I didn't care because a) I published these on AO3 years after I published them on tumblr, and it was more about archiving them than promoting the work, as these stories were very old and I wasn't writing in these fandoms anymore, and b) both of these were in fandoms where reccing isn't the main way people find fanfic. I've mentioned this on the pod before but there is a massive difference in the way people find fics in big fandoms that are too massive to search (tags, rec lists, bookmarks, etc.) and small fandoms where you can just refresh the front page each day and find stuff. TGW and silk are small enough that I knew anyone reading fanfiction for these would be trolling the front page, and thus see the fic as it was published and be able to decide for themselves if they wanted to take a look or not.

Regarding your second point though, I feel you! I haven't talked about it on the podcast but I've been going through a similar struggle of my own with my long work. Castles has three very clear "acts" that are around 100k each. I didn't anticipate this early on and posted all three acts in one fic, and am now very stressed/nervous that it's making this fic too long for people to read. I would love to be able to retroactively split it, but I also, like you, don't want to lose the comments. I really wish there was a way to do this! 😫

And to your third point, I very much agree. I don't have that problem as I mostly write longer pieces but yeah, I get you!

Thanks again for your kind words and for taking the time to write to us! It's amazing to know our little podcast isn't just going out and falling into the ether, and that people are listening!

[colorsunimaginable]

the spare // chapter forty-nine // death eater ! tom hiddleston oc x plus size ofc - a voldemort wins au

story summary: 

While on a mission to avenge the death of her best friend, Ilvermorny graduate Melisa Alder finds herself in the middle of the fight to defeat Voldemort. Upon capture after the Dark Lord's triumph, she's being sold at an auction with other muggle borns and blood traitors. Her only hope is also her only bidder - the tall, dark, and handsome Thomus Malfoy, Lucius Malfoy's younger half-brother. Is he just another Death Eater or is he hiding more than just his face beneath the mask? Will she realize her true potential to be one of the resistance's greatest weapons?

*a Voldemort Wins AU with Tom Hiddleston cast as an OC x a plus size protagonist* *takes place in The Auction universe by Lovesbitca8*

words for this chapter: 2.2k warnings for this chapter: none

CHAPTER MASTERLIST

Chapter Forty-Nine:

Narcissa isn’t exactly thrilled that I’d thrown an explosive potion into her pond. I got a very stern “Don’t ever do that again” before she enlisted Hermione to help me find a proper disposal method.

So we hole up in the library. I’m trying to hunt down an explosion containment spell to potentially enchant a box. Hermione is going off my list of ingredients and procedures.

“After you meddle the Eye of Newt, you add a crushed and dried Flitterby?” she asks, glancing up from the written list I provided.

“Yup,” I say, my eyes scanning the index of a book about common enchanted household items. “Then I grind that fucker down until the consistency is that of a thick jelly.”

“Doesn’t wetting the dried Flitterby reactivate its acidic qualities?”

I pause. “Uh, yeah. The acidity reacts with the Willow root that gets added at the end. The acidity is what reveals the image in the film.”

She frowns and tilts her head. “And you still add bursting mushroom powder? Isn’t that what’s making it explode?”

“Actually no,” I say and close my book with my finger acting as a bookmark. “Despite its name, it’s actually what’s keeping the explosion from happening the moment the potion cools. It acts as a temporary neutralizer.”

“How temporary is temporary?”

I shrug. “Depends on how much of it I add. No matter how much, it’s still not a permanent solution.”

“Have you tried adding something to neutralize the acidity after the potion has cooled?”

“Like what?”

“Well,” she sighs, leaning back in her chair. She shoves her thick hair behind an ear and taps her quill on the parchment roll on the table. “This might sound silly, but have you tried baking soda? It neutralizes acids.”

“No, but I could try.”

~*~

Since we were just testing her theory, I made the smallest batch possible with a short waiting time. Once the potion cools, I add the baking soda, and we anxiously await for the scheduled fifteen minutes to be over.  

I keep my eyes on the cauldron, looking for the telltale signs of its impending explosion, but amazingly, it doesn’t. Even when the fifteen minutes were up.

I laugh incredulously. “Hermione, where were you when I blew up our photography room in fifth year?”

She smiles, too, and it feels good to see her face light up. “Probably fixing Harry or Ron’s homework.”

A beat passes and both of our smiles fade. By the look on her face I can tell she’s remembering, too.

I sigh and shake off my feelings, tossing the memories back into their vault where they belong. Since I have my magic, Occlumency has been metaphorically turned back on. I keep the memories of my travels with the trio inside the tent where we’d spent most of our time together. When I lock the memories away, I’m not forgetting them, I’m just putting them in a place where they won’t hurt me. Where I won’t be overwhelmed by longing or hurt just by the mere thought of them.

I nod to their strips of film still hanging from the string. “Those should be plenty dry enough to show them to Narcissa. Do you think she’ll be cooled off by now?”

Hermione shrugs as her lips twist sympathetically. “I’m not sure,” she says. “I don’t think she was really mad at you, though.”

“Still,” I sigh, unclipping the film. “I feel bad.”

~*~

“Oh my,” Narcissa says, clutching a hand to her chest as she examines the film against candle light. “Wasn’t he adorable as a baby?”

I give a non-committal nod and peer at them over her shoulder. “So that’s his mom?”

“Yes,” she replies. “As you can see it’s where the dark hair comes from. You’d hardly find a Selwyn without it. Oh, look there’s Abraxas. I’d forgotten what he looked like back then.”

She shows me a frame with Thomus and Abraxas standing on a busy train platform. Steam from the train billows behind them as they smile at the camera, ignoring the rest of the din. Thomus is dressed in his Hogwarts uniform.

The closer I look, the more I think Thomus’ smile looks forced. The hand on his shoulder is tight, pulling him towards his father awkwardly. A silent plea hides in his eyes as he looks at whoever is behind the camera.

“When did his mom leave?” I ask.

“She might’ve left the year after that photo was taken,” she says. “I’m not quite sure.”

“Were they close?”

She looks at me then, sitting back in her reading chair. “I know that her leaving greatly affected him.”

“It makes me feel bad for him,” I murmur. “I don’t know if he really got closure… but then, do any of us?”

The memory of Sam climbing out of the grave finds its way to the forefront of my mind.

Well, I definitely haven’t gotten closure.

I stand. “I think I’m gonna go take a walk before dinner.”

~*~

I walk to the clearing, plopping down onto my back in the grass.

All these things about Thomus, everything I learn is further blurring whatever sort of line I had drawn. Being attracted to him is one thing, but this? Learning about his past and how maybe if his mom had never left, maybe we’d be fighting on the same side. Maybe I wouldn’t have to feel so guilty for caring about him.

Somewhere in my ponderings about Thomus that question that I keep locked up in the mausoleum has escaped.

Why did he buy me?

I close my eyes against the late afternoon sun and Occlude, sweeping up every thought and feeling about him until I dump the dustpan full of memories behind the gates.

When my head’s finally empty, songs akin to elevator music starts to play, filling the new space. So I sit up, ready to mosey on back to the Manor, when my eyes catch the fleeting glimmer of a human form. I blink rapidly, letting my eyes focus on the spot.

A disembodied chuckle comes before I can cast Homenum Revelio. “I was waiting for you to take a fucking look around.” Kyle disarms his Disillusionment spell and casts the Muffliato charm. Then he looks at me. “How’re the potions going?”

“They’re going,” I sigh. “The second one did some funky things, so I’ve been avoiding taking the next.”

“So you’ve already beat the first one?” he asks, his expression alight with curiosity.

“Yup.”

He puts his hand in his pocket. “Would you be willing to take it again? Right now?”

“Why?” I ask, getting to my feet to grab the vial he holds out.

“Do you remember that spell Rabastan Lestrange used on you at Jacob Astor’s house?”

“I think so,” I say, sitting back down. “Electrocumvis?”

He crouches, elbows on his knees. “There’s a theory that electricity can break through no-magic barriers. Recorded cases are mostly in rural areas of the US, where the last dregs of the Scourers huddled in with their No-Majes and wanted magic to be kept out. There was a small town in Georgia that had an electrical panel short-circuit along the town border. A year later, a town who’d never had a magical kid before, suddenly had a dozen kids with magic.”

I look at him skeptically. “So you want to see if me trying to produce electricity will… turn off the effects of the potion?”

“I know it sounds far-fetched, but yeah.”

I pull out the stopper for the vial. “I guess it’s worth a shot.”

I chug the contents of the potion and feel all of my hard work disappearing, fading, smothering. I toss the empty vial at him before closing my eyes to concentrate.

~*~

I stay out there for a lot longer than I should have, but fuck if I’m not determined. Kyle is of no help. He’s just hanging out, watching me. Watching me struggle is closer to the truth.

I’d never overcome a suppression potion in one day before, let alone mere hours. It feels like trying to start a car with a dead battery. I need a jump, but I’m not sure what to use for it.

Why did he buy me?

The question flutters about, untethered and unrestrained now that I have no magic. But I don’t need magic to latch onto the question. I don’t need magic to let it consume my thoughts and make my chest ache with unwanted emotion.

Upon my final utterance of the spell, my fingers tingle where they’re touching the ground. Static snaps and pops coming from my skin make me focus on the spell even more. The question fuels the power behind my concentration and the familiar electrical hum from the fence now floods my ears.

I open my eyes to see the bright, white-blue light of electrical waves circling me, it’s point of origin my hands against the ground. It charrs and blackens the grass it touches. I feel the hair on my arms and the back of my neck stand on end. With a grin, I look up at Kyle to see his reaction, but immediately stop the spell when I see he’s not there.

“I see Narcissa didn’t give you the suppression potion like I instructed,” Thomus says, and I whip around with a gasp. He’s got his foot on a log, one hand on his hip. Was I so focused I didn’t hear him? Holy fuck, he’s here.

My eyes jump back to where Kyle had been and my pulse quickens when I realize I can see the outline of his Disillusionment charm.

“It’s rude to sneak up on someone like that, you know,” I snap, flustered.  

His eyebrows shoot up. “Me? Rude? How could you ever think such a thing.”

“It’s pretty easy.” I turn my back to the fence, legs criss-crossed, facing Thomus. “Do you have my rock?”

His tongue peeks out the corner of his mouth, jaw rolling while he lets out a huff. His eyes travel down and he steps over the log, slipping his hand into his pocket as he walks toward me. But he pauses when his eyes jump to something beyond the fence. I hold my hand out, pretending like I didn’t hear a particularly loud rustle of leaves. Goddammit, Kyle.

When Thomus doesn’t move, his eyes searching, I obnoxiously clear my throat. His gaze finally focuses on me again and a hint of a smile curves his mouth. He strides the rest of the distance and drops the rock in my waiting palm.

“Thank you,” I chirp, immediately bringing it to eye level to inspect it for damage.

He sits down next to me, facing the fence. “I can assure you it was in safe hands. Shouldn’t be a scratch on it.”

“I’ll be the judge of that, thank you,” I tease, unable to help myself.

He fiddles with his wand where it dangles from his hands, elbows on his propped up knees. “Mostly just used it as a paper weight.”

The tone of his voice makes me look up at him. “How was Italy?” I ask. “You look… tired.”

His lips tilt up again. “That’s because I didn’t get much sleep.”

“Pretty Italian women keeping you up at all hours of the night?” I tease.

Thomus takes a deep breath, but he doesn’t answer me. His eyes go from me to the fence again, his focus sharp. I get the sense that Thomus knows how to detect the Disillusionment charm too. It would make sense after all, being a tracker. The grip on his wand goes from loose to tight as his eyes narrow, still staring at the fence.

I do the first thing that comes to mind. I scooch closer to Thomus until my thigh touches his hip, while my right hand reaches out to grab his jaw. I lean forward, smashing my lips against his.

Whatever I was hoping his reaction would be, is not what I get.

I feel his whole body stiffen from where it touched mine as I lean over him. His lips don’t move against mine, even when I trace my tongue along his bottom lip. After a moment, I take the hint and pull back completely. There’s anger in his eyes.

I force a smile. “What, I can’t kiss you?”

His eyes are cold when he says, “I’d prefer it if you didn’t.”

When I swallow down my hurt, it’s audible, and makes me cringe. I focus on deep, even breaths.

“Is this what you meant, from before you left, when you said nothing’s changed?” I ask softly.

“I’d think that were obvious,” he states dryly.

“So you’re back not two seconds and you’re already being an asshole?” I say as I blink away unshed tears and get to my feet.

He stands, angry as well. “That night was a terrible lack of judgement.”

“Oh, and has time away from me allowed you to clear your head?”

“Yes,” he snaps without missing a beat.

I can’t even look at him. I keep my face down and away, eyes on the scorched earth beneath our feet.

I sigh. “You know, for a little bit, I almost thought that I somehow, miraculously, missed you.” When I look at him, my expression is full of sadness and spite, while his is furrowed brow and pursed lips at my words. I hear my voice crack.

“But you’ve just fucked all that up.”

I push past him and head back for the Manor, not caring if he follows.

~*~

Comments, likes, and reblogs are always appreciated 💕 Thanks for reading!

[ruthytwoshakes]

Howdy everybody!

it’s June! What! It was March yesterday I think,,,, urgurgh

But actually wait this is super exciting!! I’m out of my depressive slump which means I get to use the rest of June to prepare for artfight!

I’ll still be posting here, but it’ll be just my preparations + artfight attacks until August. I’ll be tagging everything with “Daffys Artfight 2023” so if you don’t want to see soooooo many skeletons and my cool swag characters than block that tag babey B)) and I’ll see you in August with more tf2!

And since I am very much developing a special interest with tf2, I’ll be doing attacks on tf2 ocs! If you want to attack me and draw my little meow meow Glider, than I’ll love you forever and ever and draw your little guy too teehee

Alrighty! Here’s the breakdown for this years artfight:

Until July 1st, I’ll be redesigning, updating, and writing my characters + (hopefully) posting about them on here! Also I’ll be bookmarking characters during this time, so send me your little guys during this time >B)

When the teams are decided I’ll make sure to use the templates that go along with it and finally edit my profile lol.

Every year for artfight, I do a mass attack with a bunch of skeleton characters! Last year was about 70, this year I’m planning to do 100 and actually finish it this time! As soon as artfight starts I’ll begin planning out my sketch and working on editing a nice little speedpaint for you all.

If I’m able too, I’d love to start a chain with someone and give my characters some friends! Last year I did one with Sam, my most littlest guy, and it was super fun!! (I’ve also got a lot more characters this year that I’ve been wanting to flesh out hehehe)

And that’s about it! I’ll add on some art I’ve been working on below

Here’s the personification of my process of creating characters! That’s a mouthful though, so he’s just called the Creator. Silly guy. As old and as young as time itself. Fuzzy.

Here’s some WIP character designs! I’m struggling a bit for inspiration on the top two, but fuck it we ball.

Thank you for reading! And I hope to see ya there! (My user is DaffoDuck) or https://artfight.net/~DaffoDuck

Well howdy again,, did you think there was secrets down here?? Because there is MUHAHAHA

here’s some tf2 plans and progress for my ongoing projects

The tf2 horror thing I’ve been working on! Sure have been working on it! Most definitely my most bodacious dude. H. I’m just mainly struggling with the bigger meaning of it,, got the plot all done,,,, now gotta somehow make it anti-capitalist. I gotta go analyze some more horror stories,, gotta go back to the scp phase.

I absolutely adore the child mercs that people have come up with, so I wanted to try my hand at it! I’ve got a real fun story going on, and I’m involving the classic mercs! I’ve changed them up quite a bit though because they’re much younger in this, and teachers,, hehheheh. Basically I stuck them all in a summer camp,, imagine LumberJanes and Gravity Falls with tf2 humor. Kinda terrifying when I write it out

OOOOO IM ALMOST DONE WITH A REALLY COOL THING!!!! I just need to finishing a little bit of writing but I’m almost done with my take on a class swap! As far as I can remember it goes like this: Heavy is Medic, Medic is Heavy, Sniper is Scout, Scout is Sniper, Pyro is Demoman, Demoman is Pyro, Spy is Soldier, Soldier is Engineer, Engineer is Spy. GHHRGRRRRR IM SO FUCKING EXCITED

I have a lot more but I forgor because it’s 5am in the fucking evening what oh my god goodnight!!!!!!! SHIT,!!!!!

[kiljoius-writes]

Tag - Chapter Twenty Six - BONUS

Ao3 | FFN

Previous Chapter

First Chapter

SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS FOR THE ENTIRE “TAG” FIC

Warning: Headcanons galore ahead.

None of this is required reading for the enjoyment of Tag, it is simply some enrichment, I guess you could say. Clarifies some things possibly, adds backstory for my OCs and how they fit into the Narutoverse. Things I wish I could have put in the fic but were just simply unnecessary to Hanabi and Konohamaru’s stories (who the fic is really about, ofc). As well as the outline of the original story.

Feel free to skip it in case you have specific things in mind for characters never specified in the actual fic. I know sometimes hearing the authors ideas can ruin an image of a character you’ve crafted in your head, so I won’t be offended at all.

Be warned, this is messy and not meant to be taken as "good writing." It's basically me just ranting and raving and sharing my outline. :p Thanks.

Ow. This is painful.

It took me so long to finish that damn epilogue because I just didn’t want it to be the end.

I loved writing this story so, so much. It hurts to end it, but that was its natural conclusion.

Thank you all so, so much for sticking with it and getting to this point with me. I love these two and all the other characters I wrote. I will continue to manifest KonoHana energy into the ether in the hope it will result in something canon. At the very least, we can hope our babies are treated with more respect in the manga/anime.

Regardless, this has been my favorite fic to write at this point. It was the first one I really planned out and put a lot of thought and research into. All of your comments fueled me, every single comment I got compelled me to reread the entire thing to make sure it was good enough for you all because you (we) all deserve the best.

Also, thank you for indulging in my silly little OCs. Hanabi’s background is ambiguous, and I didn’t want to force her into Konohamaru’s team, so I came up with a few OCs (Jun, Eiji, and Tora). Honestly, I ended up loving them by the end of it, and I hope you guys think they were at least okay as her team. I wanted her to be in a female-dominated environment, but with a male who was sensitive to her. They were crafted around her, but honestly, I love them as individuals now and may or may not have more in stock for them as a team in the future. Don’t get me wrong, my proudest part of this fic is the development of Hanabi and Konohamaru HANDS DOWN. But I will admit, I love my silly little OCs (even Maki and Shinjuu, if you remember them, too).

Further, everyone who commented was a godsend, more than I deserve. But everyone who simply left kudos, a bookmark, or just read it from start to finish, are important, too, and I appreciate every one of you.

Finally, if any of you have any KonoHana fics you’d like to recommend (I know lots of my readers have guest accounts) please, please put them in a comment. I’d love to read them, and I know some people reading would love to read them, too! All of the ones I love are in my bookmarks, all you have to do is filter for KonoHana and you’ll find them, and I definitely recommend every single one!

P.S. As a parting gift, in addition to fic recommendations, if you guys have any prompts or general vague ideas you’d like to see a story for these two about, I HIGHLY encourage you to put it in a comment or DM to me on tumblr or discord or whatever you use (all my contact info is in my profile!) I’d love some inspiration and writing for anyone who read my monstrous 260k fic about these idiots would be a treat. Thanks :3

OCs are a contentious subject when writing a shipfic, I know, but I didn’t want to sandwich Hanabi into an existing team that she didn’t belong to or a sensei that wouldn’t realistically be taking on a genin team at the time she would have graduated. I crafted the OCs with her future characterization in “The Last” and “Boruto” in mind.

All ages listed are from the first chapter to the last chapter (not epilogue). Hanabi’s age starts at 10 (3 years after Part I, 1 year before Part II) and ends at 27.

Tadashi (Loyal) Age: 38-55

Probably my favorite OC. I thought it was kind of strange for Hanabi not to have a male guard? So I created one.

He’s branch, but highly respected by the main family anyway. He’s older than Ko and Natsu by over a decade, but younger than Hiashi. As Hinata and Hanabi grew old enough to not really require their help (if they ever did in the first place), the three gravitated towards each other naturally.

I envision him running in the same circles for a brief time with the InoShikaCho parents, sensei to the Naruto era sensei. Tora was on his team, along with two boys who constantly annoyed her.

It was his only stint with being a sensei when Hiashi recalled him to look after his brothers wife while she was pregnant. He remained as a guard for the main family thereafter.

When Hanabi was born, he was the one who carried Hiashi’s wife to the hospital, as Hiashi was gone on a diplomatic mission. He had been close with her before she married Hiashi, and he was charged with watching over her for her pregnancy as well. She begged him to watch over Hanabi like Ko did Hinata, and asked him to work with Natsu on ensuring she doesn’t have to fall into the same role as herself. He was conflicted about this, but made the promise anyway, not knowing if he could actually keep it.

Then she killed herself a few months later, since no one had taken her post-partum depression seriously. No one was allowed to let the girls know, they were simply told she passed from “sadness.” Tadashi and Natsu took comfort in one another, and he knew in his heart he couldn’t allow that to happen to these girls.

He helped Natsu raise Hanabi since Natsu was still a teenager herself when Hanabi was born, then stuck to the shadows for the most part, ensuring their safety.

During the fourth war, he remained behind to keep an eye on Hanabi, at the order of Hiashi, but he had no problems with that (he’s a lover, not a fighter).

When Konohamaru first ‘assaulted’ Hanabi, he was apprehensive of the boy. He knew he was the third’s grandson, but also knew he was prone to trouble. He quickly took a liking to him when Hanabi integrated herself into his group of friends. If forced to admit it, he was fond of the boy. The fondness grew as they grew into adults, and he was truly pleased to hear he’d be Boruto’s sensei.

Speaking of Boruto and Himawari, he favors Himawari, but would never let anyone know that. He’s pretty sure most of the compound agrees.

Yes, Tadashi had absolutely caught them kissing before. He only ever told Natsu, and they agreed to keep it quiet until they were ready to come out about it. They both enjoyed teasing her, though.

And yes, everyone in the Hyuga compound knows Hanabi is not sneaky whatsoever. Never had been, never will be. They let her believe she was so she didn’t try to get better at being sneaky, ensuring they’d be able to keep an eye on her better this way if she thought she was getting away with stuff.

It was a running joke between him, Natsu, and Ko. Even Hiashi got in on the joke once and a while.

Was very happy to see the clan leader soften with the grandchildren. Finally felt like he just might be able to keep that promise to Hanabi’s mother.

Approached Hiashi about it one day after Hanabi had become a sensei. Hiashi told him he was well aware of their relationship, and was simply keeping it in his peripheral for now. Tadashi was the one that told him he had a very difficult choice ahead of him, because the heiress was in love.

He thought Hiashi might be readying to close all his chakra points when he said that, but the man’s face softened with a sigh. Told him they’d cross that road when it came to it.

Incredibly relieved that Konohamaru finally (wo)manned up and spoke to Hiashi the way he needed to be spoken to.

However, Tadashi is a little irritated to admit that Konohamaru was probably the reason their clan changed at all.

Oh well. At least it was changed.

It was probably a little troubling to other clans that the Hyuga now had an Uzumaki Hokage jinchuriki along with the longest running Hokage’s grandson in their family, though.

If Konohamaru tried to get Hanabi to take the Sarutobi name, though, Tadashi wouldn’t stand for that.

Let them keep one, damnit.

Tora (Tigress) Age: 29 - 46

My lovely Nara character. I truly enjoy writing Shikamaru (not really romantically, just generally) and couldn’t resist making up a Nara OC. They’re a big clan, I figure there’s Nara’s floating around in all facets of society.

As she’s not part of the main family, she was never placed with any Yamanaka or Akimichi kids, simply got stuck with two boys she, to this day, is not fond of. She was, however, fond of Tadashi, and continues to be. He was always on her side when the team got into arguments, and often put the boys in their place in favor of her. In return, she was a decent student to him. Despite wanting to nap all the time, she took her role as a genin and eventually a chunin very seriously.

Her father pressured her to promote to jonin, as her older sister was a student of a legendary sannin herself. Tsunade was a familiar face in her household growing up, often coming by to share drinks with her sister when she was in the village. Shizune was also a close friend during those times as well, she had hoped to be on her genin team. Not a fan of Kurenai, found it annoying that boys fell over themselves to get her attention. She wasn’t jealous, okay? It was just dumb. But she really never had problems with her or Asuma. Just didn’t like to be near them, especially with those disgusting googly eyes they made at each other. Plus being around the Hokage’s son was actually kind of intimidating, if she was honest. Did enjoy when Moriko would treat all the academy students to dango after class when she’d pick up Asuma.

Ran in the same circles as the sensei from OG Naruto. Found Kakashi annoying, though did sympathize with him, having lost her mother, too. Found Anko’s antics amusing if they did not involve her, but would quickly disappear if Anko tried to rope her into anything. Had Genma in her ear far too often, and Ebisu was too rambunctious for his own good. Found herself around Ebisu far too often, and she did indeed push him into that ravine. She still denies it. Almost killed Gai one time when he and Kakashi’s battle intruded on her nap out in a nice field of flowers, and Gai came slamming down, nearly crushing her. The only other student besides Shizune she was somewhat close with was Rin. Was part of the group that called Kakashi a friend killer.

In her 20s, she apologized for it once she had matured and realized how wrong she had been. She tried to take him for drinks to somewhat make up for it, but he politely declined and told her they were fine. They still never talked much after that. Her father had been friends with Sakumo, but he never really talked about it, just told her to never let others make her feel unworthy. She never really knew what he meant until she was an adult, and stuck to that as a sensei to her one and only team. She never wanted any of her kids to feel insufficient, not Eiji, not Jun, not Hanabi. All of them always had value, to her.

When Tsunade came to her to become a sensei, she instantly said absolutely not. Then she told her it was specifically Hiashi Hyuga requesting her, as a former student of Tadashi, and Tsunade had to insist. Finally, she was told it was to be sensei to that Hyuga brat. Tora asked if she could think on it, and Tsunade told her that unfortunately, no, she couldn’t, because she was to pick the kids up the very next day.

Tora met with Hiashi that night and told him that if she was gonna take on Hanabi, she couldn’t have her guard leering about, even if she liked Tadashi. The girl needed to learn independence, and that would never happen with Tadashi and Natsu fretting over her.

Encouraged Jun to become a medic, a philosophy hammered into her by aunt Tsunade. Wasn’t totally sure what to do with Eiji, just sort of let her fall into that tracking role.

Was behind the scenes, trying to pull strings so her and her little team could visit Jun when he was hospitalized. Kakashi did tell her how bad the injuries were, and when she heard, decided it was best to wait and not tell Hanabi, lest she bust down the hospital room door.

Treated Shizune to an expensive meal after Jun recovered as thanks for her help in healing him.

Spoke with Kakashi after the fateful Anbu mission that dictated Hanabi kill branch Hyuga. She went to him at Jun’s pleading to find out why Hanabi was so withdrawn, and he didn’t give her the details. Kakashi simply told Tora that Hanabi had endured something he both understood and did not. Something he knew the pain of, but could never be in her shoes about.

What Kakashi meant—was that he understood how horribly painful it was to lose others, and kill others. Especially those that should mean something to you. But he also knew he could never understand what she went through, killing her own clansmen that sought to kill her, too.

Tora never questioned what he meant, simply nodded in understanding. Because Tora knew she could never really understand, either.

As for Konohamaru and Hanabi’s romance, she knew of Konohamaru’s crush after Hanabi’s injury and his mopey demeanor. Knew of Hanabi’s crush the moment she caught them coming out of the weapons store in the Grass. Definitely the first person to catch onto either of them. Admittedly, it was cute, but she was more concerned on Hanabi focusing. Then as they grew up and continued their stupid little game, Tora was just annoyed. Love is stupid. She’d meet with Tadashi once every couple of months to speak about Hanabi’s progress and she was the one who clued Tadashi in on what seemed like an obvious crush. During the battle portion of the chunin exams, when she saw Moegi about to leap into the arena to stop Hanabi, Tora was the one who yelled at Hanabi to stop. She couldn’t gauge whether Hanabi was actually capable of killing to poor kid, and figured it was going too far anyway.

Could understand the attraction between Hanabi and Konohamaru, both spoiled little kids of high standing clans, but not Eiji and Jun. Not that she was against their little relationship, it just confused her. She felt quite bad for Jun, taking on Eiji and her whole family, but he seemed happy, at least. Their happiness was paramount, even if she’d never admit it aloud.

Shizune phoned her one day, long after she’d retired as a sensei (she never took on another team, she refused), asking to meet with her and Tsunade to discuss business (betting on this stupid relationship). Shizune wasn’t a big fan of the betting pool, but did find it funny that Tsunade was so elated to bring gambling into village gossip. Tora immediately agreed, and helped Tsunade organize the whole thing. Had her cousins keep an eye on the pair while she did as well. Caught them kissing on far too many occasions—did they really think this was sneaky? Good gods.

Surprisingly, Shino Aburame had the largest stake. He was a quiet watcher, and was constantly, unintentionally, being fed information during his weekly tea (tea as in the beverage, but also tea as in…well, the gossip 😉) sessions with Hinata. Then when they became sensei, Shino was well aware of how these things were going to play out. Konohamaru was bound to snap, and his prediction was within the month it happened and they became public.

Many were none too pleased to find out he had won the most out of the pool.

Spends her retirement with her books, shows, and whiskey. Fine with not having found love, figured there were too many brats running around anyway and she enjoyed solitude. Still has drinks with Ebisu on occasion to gossip about their idiot high-standing clan kids. Usually ends in an argument and swearing to never speak again. Can’t resist using her shadow jutsu to make his mouth stop yammering.

While most sensei let their teams go once one or more promote to chunin, Tora stuck around longer at Tadashi’s request. Once Hanabi became a jonin, she finally stepped down and let Hanabi be the team leader. She was relieved for it.

She did miss those kids, though.

Eiji (Cheerful) Yorimaru (Trust) Age: 11 - 28

My sweet Inuzuka girl. Again, I flippin love Inuzuka clan stuff, Kiba’s my favorite, Tsume’s my favorite parent, Hana has the potential to be cool as hell, the puppies? Come on. I had to give Hanabi an Inuzuka teammate, and yes, I was very intentional on giving her a primarily female team. I don’t feel like we see it enough in the Naruto series (hence why I was over the moon that Hanabi had an all girls team—lets not talk about that, tho.)

The youngest of six, her oldest sibling is a sister 12 years her senior. She’d been an aunt since she was barely 9, and often loses track of how many nieces and nephews she has. Being around so many kids made her vow to never have her own, though she did fantasize about getting married. Being the runt of her litter forced her to be loud and obnoxious in effort to ensure she got some attention.

Tsume is her aunt, and she often hangs around Hana at the clinic. Kiba took it upon himself to train her since he himself had no one to really help him with Tsume and Hana being busy with their jonin and vet duties, respectively, and all of Eiji’s older siblings were too busy for her, too. Finds Kiba to be stupid, but has to admit he’s nice enough to pay attention to her. Adores Tsume, who adores her back.

Got Yorimaru while in the academy. Had to beat girls back while she trained with him because they all wanted a piece of the adorable pup. Would give her life for the damn dog she loved him so much.

Tough exterior, soft interior, as is typical, I think, of Inuzuka. Like she said on Hinata and Naruto’s wedding day, she loves love and couldn’t wait to be married. She had a crazy amount of crushes when she was in the Academy, Jun not being one of them.

Didn’t realize she had a crush on Jun until he kissed her forehead during the chunin exams. That brought up a lot of weird feelings, good and bad. Began discretely dating shortly after the wedding, especially after spending so much one on one time together after Hanabi’s kidnapping. They weren’t keeping it a secret, Jun just wasn’t a huge fan of public affection and she was trying to respect that. He did eventually come around, and you can often find her clinging to him, jumping on him, riding on his back, and just showering him with general affection. She gave Hanabi the same treatment, too, sometimes, if she’d allow it.

Was thoroughly surprised when she heard her name called alongside the Hyuga princess, as she’d been calling her. She didn’t have any qualms with Hanabi prior, just didn’t see the point in interacting with a spoiled, cold little girl. Same for Jun, he seemed weak and meek and she preferred louder company that could match her energy. But within weeks of being teamed, she found herself loving her teammates. Tora’s personality constantly clashed with her, but they eventually took to each other, too.

She’d always been annoyed by Konohamaru. You’d think they’d get on great as similar personalities as kids, but the way his voice sounded when he cried for Naruto or declared himself the next Hokage was grating to her. He liked to hang around her when his friends were absent, even called her friend, but she never returned the gesture, which he had been oblivious to. Then of course her teammate had to be in love with the idiot. He did eventually grow on her and now she’s happy to see him. Usually.

Cried when Jun proposed. Unashamed, streaks of tears, snot, the works.

Biggest fight between her and Jun is when he proposed getting a cat. Jun didn’t like to indulge in fights, but this was one he felt was just wrong on her part. She managed to convinced him she was allergic (he didn’t believe it, but decided the fight was tired at this point). They eventually agreed he could have a cat at his office in the hospital.

Impatiently awaiting Hanabi’s wedding. It better be as good at Naruto and Hinata’s, if not better. And she would demand to attend this reception, damnit! She can smell certain combinations of pheromones that indicate pregnancy, she’s been around her sisters and brothers wives too often when they were pregnant, she’s very familiar with the scent. And yes, whenever Hanabi comes around, she’s taking a long whiff to make sure. Depending on the timing, she would either kiss Konohamaru for making her an auntie again or murder him.

Jun (Obedient) Age: 12 – 29

My complete original creation I adore. He’s a sweetie and may or may not be distantly related to Sakura. It’s something I considered, but decided not to expand on. As of now, he comes from no notable clan and has no relation to any characters from the manga/show.

Parents died when he was young. Both were jonin who kept to themselves, and were killed in action on a mission. One of the reasons couples going on missions is frowned upon. Jun never found out what came of them.

Gentle nature and medical skills from his mother, sensory ability and reasonable personality from his father, from what he could remember. No one really knew his parents, either. During a one-on-one training session, Tora did tell him she recalled his mother being sweet. Encouraged him to start training as a medic because she knew his mom was one (and of course because of Tsunade’s influence). Decided that was what his calling was the moment she brought him to Shizune.

Though they rarely got to see it, when he wasn’t with his team, he was volunteering in the hospital and studying under Shizune. She was quite fond of him, and he her. She told him once she might have become a sensei herself if she could be guaranteed good kids like him. He reveled in that praise, never really getting it anywhere else except the occasional “good job, kiddos” from Tora.

Moegi was one of the only people to keep him company in the academy if her attention wasn’t on Konohamaru or Udon. She had been his first crush. Udon and he had a respectful friendship, admiring each other’s intelligence. Liked his entire team right away. He considered himself lucky to be on the same team as the Hyuga heiress, and did have some pride in being part of her protection, especially after he healed her during the Grass mission. She often came to him for healing, whether they were on a mission together or not.

It also hit him he might have some sort of feelings for Eiji after he instinctively kissed her in the chunin exams. They both avoided the topic for a long time before he forced himself to be brave after the wedding. She walked him home and he kissed her on the cheek. He found he quite liked the way her markings blended in with the blush on her face, and did it again.

Then she jumped his bones and his face was as pink as his hair.

Did the entire to-do for his proposal leading up to the Hokage inauguration. Took her to dinner, a moonlit walk, and got down on his knee in the midst of the forest. Cleaned her up as she sobbed. Took her last name, didn’t matter to him, anyway. Jun Inuzuka sounded just right. Went to his parents graves to tell them she accepted, and he finally had family, again.

Moegi was visiting her father’s grave when she overheard that shit and damnit if she didn’t cry ugly tears.

Relieved Eiji didn’t want kids. It was a tough topic to broach, but both were incredibly relieved neither wanted them. They’ll grow old without kids, surrounded by dozens of Inuzuka nieces and nephews (and they figure whenever Hanabi and Konohamaru had kids). Is very fond of the kids and has taken it upon himself to teach them medical jutsu at the very least to help with their pups should they need it.

Did eventually take Hanabi up on going in to do lessons at the academy in medical jutsu, where he ended up taking a liking to Wasabi. Reminded him of Eiji. Wasabi, as seen in Boruto, took on the mantle of medic (even though Hanabi initially thought it would be Namida) because of Jun’s influence.

Big KonoHana shipper, probably the biggest just behind Moriko. While he is more outwardly patient than Eiji, he is constantly impatiently waiting for this stupid dance to end so they can go back to just being a damn friend group. Every time Konohamaru and Hanabi had a fight, Jun fought the urge to join Eiji in berating her. Eiji did that enough for both of them. Just imagine this sweet, calm man outwardly smiling and offering comforting words, but in his head he’s cussing them both out and about to explode.

Discovered they were public when he saw Konohamaru shamelessly kissing her all over the face, similar to how Eiji might assault himself. Was a little irritated he had to find out that way, but was happy, regardless.

Finally, Jun was more than ready to move on from this.

Moriko (Forest) Age: 44 – 61 Hoshito (Courage) Age: 3 years younger than Moriko, deceased at 36

I’ve always had the idea that if Konohamaru had any alive parents in Naruto, it would be a doting mother who was much older than Asuma. I also liked the idea she’d be the daughter of the Hokage, honestly its probably just me trying to get more female characters in here. Moriko and to some extent Hoshito’s past were the hardest one for me to write, because these are characters that we know must exist in some form, but have almost zero information on except that they were highly respected, powerful Anbu.

But I liked the idea that she was a stout, round woman who was warm and kind, and her husband was the tall one (where else would Konohamaru get his height, Hiruzen and Biwako were tiny. She resented that Asuma ended up being tall, how the hell did her baby brother end up looking down on her?!), stoic but not cold like Hiashi, and fiercely loyal to his wife and Hokage.

Moriko grew up with her father being Hokage and doted on by Tsunade and Jiraiya. They often brought her treats from their travels. Not a fan of Orochimaru, even before his villainous turn. He always creeped her out and whenever he was around, she tried to play pranks on him to discourage him from coming around.

Wasn’t fond of baby Asuma, being nearly 14 when the kid was born. She was busy working towards jonin and distancing herself from the Honorable Daughter title. Babies sure seemed annoying, she was glad she made the decision not to have kids (oof, sorry Moriko. You were super wrong there). Ended up growing to like him when he could finally talk, and found he was actually kind of funny…kinda cute, she admitted. So she took on the task of walking him to and from the Academy for a few years, then would drop in by surprise to treat the class to treats. She enjoyed feeling like a celebrity to all those silly little kids.

Asuma kind of hated it, because it was always when he got Kurenai to pay attention to him, and then his big sister comes in and grabs everyone’s attention, including Kurenai’s. She was a huge wall in his plans, damnit.

Didn’t really know Hiashi and Hizashi that well, but they ran in the same circles and encountered each other quite often as important figures of the village. Found Hiashi to be her competition on more than one occasion for the top spot in class. Hoshito had been a few years younger than her, so she never knew him prior to her Anbu career. Whenever Hiashi promoted to jonin, she was demanding her father promote her, too. Hiashi was too smug when he joined her on her test mission. Then she decided she couldn’t fall behind, and joined Anbu. The look on his face was priceless and whenever she saw him, she took the opportunity to rub it in his face (even now, as an old man and woman).

As stated, never wanted to be Hokage, despised the idea. She saw how often it took her father from her, rarely seeing him. She only got to really know him when he retired and Minato was inaugurated. She told him, blatantly, that she resented that he was the Hokage and she never had a true father. He was regretful and did his best to make up for it by being a doting grandfather later, even though he had become Hokage once more. Once she had Konohamaru, she had softened her stance against her father and finally began welcoming interaction with him. Never told Konohamaru how much she resented his grandfather as a child, just ensured she wouldn’t repeat his mistakes. Konohamaru has no clue about his mothers strained relationship with his grandfather.

That’s why, when she met Hoshito in Anbu, she immediately pushed him away. Anyone who was a fanboy of her father was no friend of hers.

But he had fallen for her long before.

Hoshito, as stated, comes from no known clan. His parents died in the second war when he was a teenager, like so many others his age. He was three years younger than Moriko and always admired her in the Academy. She was fearless, never let anyone push her around, and skilled as all get out. He fell in love with her from afar at a fairly young age. The Hokage’s daughter had no clue she had an admirer all that time until he confessed it while they were on an Anbu mission.

She pushed him away immediately.

Like, no chances were given. She made it quite clear she wanted absolutely nothing to do with someone who followed her father so blindly. No matter what he said, he was just a fanboy.

And he wasn’t even remarkable in any way! Sure, he was skilled in wind style, complimenting her fire style when they had to battle together, and sure, he was strong, fast, had deep blue eyes, and—wait, no, not that.

He relentlessly pursued her anyway. He never saw her date around, she took her Anbu responsibilities seriously, and so did he. So when one night, they were forced to huddle together next to a fire in a cave in the Rain, relentless downpour, he took his chance and kissed her.

He got a punch in the gut when she confessed that had been her first kiss and he laughed in disbelief. He told her if she let him, he’d be the only one she kissed. She told him she didn’t realize he had such a way with flirting, and maybe he should have been doing that in the first place!

Oh, and he was tall. Moriko had always been a runt, so she often climbed him. Sat on his shoulders while he carried her around. He insisted, who was she to say no?

Hoshito was completely unbothered when Asuma threatened to kick his ass if he hurt his big sister. Asuma also wasn’t fond of fanboys of his dad, he and Moriko had always been on the same page about that. Even if she would pluck his cigarette from his mouth whenever she saw him and promptly stomp it out, threaten to kick his ass if he didn’t quit, damnit. How was Kurenai ever going to love an ashtray?!

Then Hoshito got her pregnant. Sheesh, what a romantic. And she was the one who told him they had to get married, now. He didn’t find anything wrong with that. She told him she’d kill him if he got her pregnant again, and he took that threat quite seriously. He knew she could kill him.

Regardless, they fell in love with Konohamaru the moment he was born, her being 33 and Hoshito being 30 (Asuma would have been 19, for reference). The name was suggested by Hiruzen, and Hoshito agreed. Moriko didn’t really mind, anyway. She did love her village, even if she had problems with her father. It was actually amazing how well it fit him.

Hoshito fell into the father role naturally, and they both retired from Anbu when she became pregnant. She insisted she’d rejoin after giving birth, but Hiruzen refused her, and she found she didn’t actually want to be away from her son, anyway. Being daughter of the Hokage came with perks, and both parents were able to be home with him. Hoshito taught him everything he knew about wind style and she with her fire style. Hoshito brought Konohamaru to Hiruzen often, which made Hiruzen very fond of the man.

Hoshito often told Konohamaru stories about his missions, his time in Anbu, stories of the wars and founding of the Leaf. Emphasized duty to village and it’s people, as well as the Hokage. Really laid it on thick what an honor it was the be grandson of the (in his opinion) most revered Hokage in history. This all shaped Konohamaru’s mindset when it came to the Hokage and becoming one. Moriko reluctantly let all that slide, even if she didn’t necessarily agree with it all.

Phew. When he died, Konohamaru was 6. Moriko greeted him as she normally did, brought him his coffee and paper, and he didn’t wake up. She was the one who had to come to the realization that he was dead.

Worst day of her life, worse than her own fathers and brothers deaths a few years later, worse than her mothers death years before. She had never felt such a horrid, searing, stabbing pain in her chest before. She immediately took Konohamaru to Asuma while she dealt with what this all would mean for her and him going forward. Asuma took over the task of telling Konohamaru that his father was dead as she laid in bed for the next three months. Asuma ended up taking care of Konohamaru during all that time, and it was Kurenai who helped him with it.

Eventually, she recovered, though was somewhat of a shell of her own person for a while. It was her father who told her that she needed to be strong, lean on him and Asuma for support, and move forward for the boys sake. At first, she was furious with him for coming to her like this. The moment her and Asuma’s mother was killed ten years prior, Hiruzen had been made Hokage again, and they had no such support from him in that department, it was just her and Asuma, navigating their mothers death with her having to be the strong one then. All while dealing with the aftermath of Kurama’s attack. But she eventually let that go, too, and simply accepted the help.

With Asuma’s support, she recovered fully. Too bad fate would then take her father from her just as their relationship was mending, and then her brother. She was the only one left, and clung to Konohamaru for dear life in those years. She knew her presence was overbearing, but she couldn’t bear to be away from him for too long. She became withdrawn from the village for a time, wondering if she was cursed to lose everyone she loved.

And then the damn kid took on a Path of Pein and it was the angriest she’d ever been in her entire life.

She laid into Ebisu. How the hell could he let him do that?! Ebisu’s life flashed before his eyes. She laid in Konohamaru’s bed with him for several nights after that, crying over him, berating him, telling him she loved him. He did apologize, but told her he’d do it again, to protect her and everyone else. She told him she knew.

Then Mirai was born and she was in Kurenai’s home whenever Konohamaru wasn’t around.

She thanked the gods she at least had these two. Thanked Asuma posthumously for getting Kurenai pregnant right before he was killed.

By the way, don’t get her started when she saw Shikamaru with a cigarette. “Is that a fucking cigarette, Nara?” Strong language wasn’t characteristic of the woman, so it held power when she used it. She was immediately knocking on his mothers door, and they proceeded to talk mad shit about the recently deceased Sarutobi. It was the only thing that could bring her comfort, to pretend like he wasn’t dead.

Konohamaru’s playful nature comes from her, and his sense of responsibility from his father and the stories he heard about him. Konohamaru remembers his father fondly, and gets teary every time he thinks of his uncle gently telling him his father had passed. He pushed his mother away for a couple of years before Asuma threatened to choke him with his scarf if he didn’t start treating her better.

It was Asuma who made him realize he had to be a man, sooner rather than later.

Moegi and Udon were often in her home when they were children. Moegi’s mother had been a friend from the Academy, who had been friends with Udon’s father, and their children naturally ended up spending time together. She adores both, and was the one to tell Moegi to keep Konohamaru and Udon in line. Eventually realized it was Udon who had to keep them in line and told him as much.

Flashing forward (because Christ, I could write so much about them), when Konohamaru came home one day to say the Hyuga heiress was in his class, she was elated.

Immediately “do you know I was in her fathers class? What a stubborn old fool. Oh, but his daughters are just so cute, don’t you think?”

“Moooom….”

“You don’t think that little firework is a cutie?”

“MOM!”

She had seen the girl around in passing at events, but never really got a chance to interact with her. But the prospect of her son being her friend was interesting, to say the least. Moriko was completely unbothered by Konohamaru’s defeat in the exams by the girl. When he was in his hospital bed, she sat with him dutifully, and when he awoke, she made sure to tell him to go thank her for the riveting match. Perhaps bring her for tea. Then, when she arrived on her doorstep, she was blown away. What an adorable little Hyuga, looking so like Hiashi but so much softer and sweeter. The moment she indulged her in her stories, she decided she liked her.

Then, watching them dance at the Hero of the Leaf’s wedding, well, she was sold. They were destined to be, and the thought highly amused her. So she sauntered up to Hiashi to make sure he knew it, too.

Hyuga were good at feigning indifference, but she saw the way he looked at them, too. He did know it.

Very excited to have Hanabi visiting her after the wedding. Konohamaru became so incredibly busy as he grew into a teenager and eventually an adult, she didn’t see him as often as she wanted to. Moriko had always craved companionship, so having Hanabi visit for tea was welcome. She was delighted she was a good conversationalist (she figured she would be) and was slowly able to pry out information from her about her little love affair with her son (unintentional on Hanabi’s part).

Had too much confidence in her dear son, thinking he would have swept her off her feet far sooner, and ended up losing a healthy amount of money to that damn betting pool.

Has many ideas for their inevitable wedding, and assured Eiji that yes, it would indeed be bigger than Naruto and Hinata’s. She’d make sure of it.

The biggest fight Konohamaru ever had with his mother was when he told her he was joining Anbu. She told him she’d kill Kakashi, then proceeded to not talk to him for the entire time he was training. When he came back, she relented and told him the path forward would be fraught with death. Told him she would personally kick his ass in the afterlife if he died on her, her heart could not take anymore. He promised he wouldn’t, and when he came to tell her he was thinking of retiring, she instantly insisted that he do so. Also insisted he talk to Hanabi about it, too. She didn’t want to see that sweet girl die.

She needed grandchildren, after all. She was getting old, damnit.

Visits Hoshito’s grave sporadically. Doesn’t have a set schedule, just takes off whenever she feels like talking to him. Has caught her son at the gravesite on multiple occasions, and it’s always nice to sit with him and both chat with the headstone.

Honestly, I could do an entire fic about these two and the ideas I have, it’s ridiculous. I can’t fit it all here or else it’ll just turn into it’s own fic lol.

Shinjuu (double suicide, aka Sakaki, evergreen tree) Age: 16 – 29 Maki (obedient, aka Sawara, cypress tree) Age: 10 – 23

Shinjuu is nearly six years older than Hanabi, while Maki is the same age as her. He was actually in her class that first day, having been taken off guard when she walked in. Then she skipped a grade. Typical main family nonsense.

Maki had actually been friends with Hanabi at one point, when they were both small. He remembered thinking she was very pretty and maybe even having a crush on her? They were babies, okay, he didn’t know any better. Then he got his curse mark, and they quit seeing each other. He had no idea why when he was young, but obviously found out why later.

Maki was always soft and kind, he never really resented Hanabi. Thought she was a foolish girl who always had too much to prove, but didn’t dislike her. Even wished maybe they could be friends again one day, though she was busy with that grandson of the Hokage.

Hanabi did remember him, and remembered asking him if he was Natsu’s son. Aside from that, she admitted she didn’t know him well.

Shinjuu was indifferent. He knew what his role was and just accepted it. Did he resent the main family? To some extent, yes, but never took it as far as Neji. He often sparred with Neji and would listen to his tirades about the injustice of it all. Was bewildered when Neji mastered main family techniques, and was secretly tutored by the boy when they were teenagers to become well-versed in some of them. Truly mourned Neji’s death and sacrifice.

Shinjuu actually admired Hanabi, found her older sister to be weak. He was one of the few let in on information when she was kidnapped. He was part of a team that surveilled around the village, along with some of Hinata’s old classmates. He’d never let her know that he was actually concerned about her, because Hanabi probably didn’t even know he existed.

Again, Hanabi knew Shinjuu to be her cousins friend, but not much more than that.

Joining Anbu was one way for branch Hyuga to live relatively removed lives. They still serve the Hyuga to some extent and can be recalled (and chosen for missions specific to Hyuga matters, such as the little rebellion in Chapter 15), but otherwise, they were primarily servants of the Leaf. It’s why Shinjuu and Maki chose the path, to be further removed from the clan.

Both him and Maki just figured the heiress knew nothing about them until they were teamed for that mission to take out branch Hyuga. They had discussed the mission privately after Hanabi had stomped away the night before they were to leave. They agreed that they would both lay down their lives for her, even though they’d never expect her to.

Shinjuu’s last thought was of his mother, and Maki’s of his girlfriend back home. They hoped they’d understand.

Here’s a list of ages of some relevant (to some extent) canon and OC characters starting in the first chapter for age difference reference. First chapter is set 3ish years after Part I, 1 year before Part II These are from databooks and informed guesses.

Tsunade – 54

Hiashi, Moriko – 44

Tadashi – 38

Ebisu - 31

Asuma, Kurenai, Shizune – 30

Kakashi, Gai, Tora - 29

Ko, Natsu - 24

Neji, Shinjuu – 16

Hinata, Naruto (really all of the rookie 9) - 15

Jun - 12

Eiji, Konohamaru, Moegi, Udon – 11

Hanabi, Maki – 10

And finally, here is the original outline, originally created July 23rd, 2022 at 12:30 pm and unchanged since I began writing the first chapter, July 25th, 2022 at 6:08 pm.

Tag Outline

(10) Hanabi tells Hinata she wants to join the academy

Hinata speaks with their father

While Hanabi waits, she continues observing Konohamaru and gang.

Father tells her he decides he accepts her request and she will attend next day.

Her first day is full of people whispering about her.

Iruka is wholly impressed, tells the head of the academy they should promote her to genin

They do, she joins a team – maybe one other girl (Eiji Inuzuka, cheerful, pup is Yorimaru – trust) and a boy (Jun, Obedient)? Think of names and lets have it be a female sensei (Tora Nara, tigress)

Konohamaru takes note of her while she’s training with the boy on her team, but doesn’t approach.

(11) They are assigned a mission together, a c-rank escort for a large party from and back to earth country. They are attacked by some rogue shinobi – Konohamaru saves Hanabi due to her lack of in field experience – training with the Hyuuga always had strict rules to follow, but didn’t prepare her for ambush

Hanabi and Konohamaru purchase a matching set of kunai that they both keep.

(12) They’re both recommended for chuunin exams (possible different viewpoints for both sensei)

They have dinner with all of the other teams recommended a week before the exam

Hanabi and Konohamaru have a moment outside.

Combo of intelligence and team test:

Genjutsu is placed on them, a rough replica of a far off distant village. Each team is given a scroll with very little relevant information, essentially a mission to track down a target. They are told that if they capture the wrong person, they will not be allowed to retake the exams.

The team with the best times will move on (the first half) but won’t know until it’s over, so it may be beneficial to impede others time

But if you do too much, you may scare away your target.

They are chosen to battle (already written from Hinata’s perspective but should be rewritten from Kono’s)

Hanabi freezes when their matching kunai clash. He gives her a little smirk when he shoves to her to ground

He’s flooded with emotion at the sight of the kunai

She’s frozen, realizing he really did cherish their bond

Hanabi joins him in hospital.

(13) Hanabi attempts babysitting but fails- Konohamaru helps her and kisses her.

She accompanies Hinata while she babysits Mirai since her team is busy

She gets to inquire about Konohamaru, which Kurenai says he’s been busy with missions and training under Naruto

Hinata gets called by ANBU to the Hokage’s office

Konohamaru shows up and teases her about her inability to calm the girl, then kisses her

Hanabi accuses him of avoiding her because she’s barely seen him since they graduated to chuunin.

Konohamaru expresses regret over not being there for her when she was kidnapped, expressing how agonizing it was for him not to be able to come to her aid and he has trouble looking at her now due to shame.

Hanabi finds out Moegi is upset with her

Goes to talk to Konohamaru, meets his mom Moriko (Forest) and finds out she knows her

(14) Hanabi avoids him for a while until the wedding, where Konohamaru does his best to stick around her

You ever feel like helping with Mirai, I’m all ears, Hanabi.”

“Big brother Naruto really seems to love your big sis…interesting, huh?”

“I will destroy you.”

She kisses him, initiating the game of “tag”

(15) Boruto’s birth? He and Hanabi have the same birthday

Kono kisses her, asking if they’re still playing.

(17) Her and a few peers are recommended for jounin. The test was an A-Rank mission to successfully deliver a scroll across rebellion territory. She and Konohamaru successfully complete it.

Them, plus Udon and Moegi and two others embark (one being Jun)

They wonder why this scroll needs so many shinobi to deliver

As they try to slip through enemy territory, Hanabi and Udon scout ahead, leaving another sensory type (Jun) behind. While they’re scouting, the rest of the group is attacked.

Hanabi rescues Konohamaru and the other member (A) while Udon comes to Moegi and the other sensory type (Jun) aid.

They end up having to slaughter several people, and it’s bloody.

They are all silent for the rest of the trip. They successfully deliver the scroll to an older woman in a shack, who gave them no details, just a signed scroll indicating she had received it.

They speculate on what the scroll was and who the woman was as they make the four day return trip. They manage to pass through the enemy territory without detection this time.

Hanabi and Konohamaru have a quiet moment together by a river as Hanabi reveals that having to kill the enemy shinobi was affecting her. Konohamaru offers comfort.

When they arrive home, Hanabi offers for Konohamaru to join her while she visits Hinata, Naruto, Boruto and the newly born Himawari.

Hinata admires the two as they dote on Himawari.

Hanabi admires the fact that despite what they just experienced, he can immediately becoming a loving uncle with Himawari.

She kisses him.

(18-19) slice of life as Konohamaru and Hanabi avoid each other

Assigned a mission together

Seeing each other with other people

??????? idk, something cute maybe??? WHY ANGSTY

(20) For her 20th birthday, there is an extravagant party in the Hyuuga mansion.

Hinata and Naruto attend, with Naruto inviting Konohamaru.

Boruto complains, asking when it will be his turn to have a big party for his birthday

Hanabi assures him she wishes it was his party, but will make every effort to ensure next year will be a joint party.

Konohamaru presents her with a necklace that had an aquamarine gemstone pendant (her birthstone).

She questions how he afforded it but he brushes her off, asking to dance.

She questions him about his relationship with someone in the village, which he immediately corrects her to say they broke up.

While dancing, he asks her on a formal date.

He kisses her.

On the date, he reveals he’s formally joining ANBU, so won’t be around as much. The necklace was a sort of ‘goodbye for now.’ She’s confused and ends up leaving him in the restaurant.

ANBU are still a required service in Konoha, as despite peace, threats still lurk in the form of rebellious forces and nin who deflect

Konohamaru joins ANBU, she keeps an eye on him.

(21) Kono escorts her and other Hyuuga on one of their diplomatic journeys.

He’s disguised as ANBU, but she can see through it.

She finds him in a nearby tree, watching over her party, and kisses him.

(22) Two years later, restless and wishing she could see more of him, she requests to join ANBU.

Kakashi quickly accepts it

Konohamaru is shocked to see her and attempts to convince her to quit.

They embark are missions separately for a while, a seemingly intentional move by Kakashi.

After returning from a mission, he corners her and kisses her on the forehead. “tag.”

(23) They are assigned a two man mission escort a young boy from a nearby outskirt village, who accidentally murdered his mother when he transformed into something similar to what Jugo turns into. They’re assigned as to not trigger panic in Konoha, and they’re escorting him to the Orochimaru hideout Jugo is located at.

During their trek back, Konohamaru expresses his regret that things ended before they began between them. She tells him nothing would have began.

She kisses him on the cheek before they part ways.

(24) A few months later, she finds him mindlessly plucking at grass near the Hyuuga complex, Hanabi stumbles on him after returning from her own mission.

She asks what’s wrong, he tells her he’s quitting ANBU. She notices tears in his eyes. She softens. He reveals he had to kill one of his early academy school mates. She comforts him.

He gives her a solemn warning about being in the ANBU

True to his warning, she is sent to subdue a rogue branch Hyuuga. Kakashi and Hiashi both specifically request her to keep it quiet and within the clan only. She is joined by Shinjuu (double suicide, aka Sakaki, evergreen tree) and Maki (obedient, aka Sawara, cypress tree)

Hanabi has to face her toughest opponent yet, and after killing the branch Hyuuga, she returns with a broken spirit.

Konohamaru visits her in the hospital. He holds her as she sobs for almost an hour, and stays with her, despite not knowing what happened.

He kisses her.

A month later, she turns in her notice of retirement, citing clan obligations, though Kakashi understands the true reason.

(24) Tanabata

Meets with Konohamaru as she’s escorting Himawari, him Mirai

Pregnancy scare

Eiji protective of Hanabi

(25) Slice of life style for several scenes from 25-26

Konohamaru babysits Boruto and Himawari (10 and 8) in Hinata and Naruto’s home, Hanabi comes over without knowing

She finds he’s built them a forte, which Boruto claims is too kiddish but ends up joining them

They tease Boruto about Academy, telling him he wont need babysitting once he becomes a genin

He expresses that he is considering training to be a jounin instructor. Though it’s a lie, she expresses that she’s also considering it.

She visits his mother and gets him Ramen when she tells her he’s sick

When she witnesses the state of his home, she forces her way in to take care of him.

“You always take care of me. Let me take care of you.”

“If you’re gonna get all sick like me, you might as well c’mere.”

“I draw the line at sick sex.”

(26) Hokage ceremony. She anxiously awaits with Konohamaru, only for him to be pulled aside by Iruka. He later confides in her that he had to take use a transformation jutsu to pretend to be Naruto because Himawari incapacitated him. Hanabi nearly sheds a tear of pride along with lots of laughter.

She gives him a little peck on the cheek and congratulates him for finally attaining his “dream”.

(27) Upon learning Konohamaru was accepted as a jounin instructor from Hinata, she puts her application in with Iruka

Naruto discusses it with Iruka, finding it funny that Hanabi always ends up where Konohamaru does.

Naruto decides to deliver the news by visiting the Hyuuga compound with the kids. He asks her if she’s excited to work alongside Konohamaru, causing her to blush and warn him.

They excitedly discuss their acceptance of becoming jounin instructors and speculate what their teams might be like.

Once they find out their teams, They exchange comments on their teams,

Konohamaru says he was expecting the InoShikaCho group but figures big brother Naruto wanted him to personally train his son.

Hanabi expresses that she’s happy that Konohamaru is Boruto’s sensei.

Hanabi warns Boruto that Konohamaru will not be going easy on them

Hinata muses on Konohamaru and Hanabi with Naruto

(27-28) Jun and Eiji wedding

Big, rowdy Inuzuka wedding

Moegi pushes Hanabi forward when Eiji throws her bouquet, forcing her to catch it. Cut scene of Hanabi locking eyes with Konohamaru.

Hanabi dances with Jun, Konohamaru with Eiji

Eiji berates Kono

Jun berates Hanabi

"stop being stupid"

“Hanabi…be happy. Please.”

Drunken Hanabi telling him to get her pregnant so they can just definitively be together

He swiftly rejects the idea. Drunken crying from Hanabi about him not wanting her, devolving into her feeling like she’ll never escape her fate.

The next day, Hanabi’s already gone. Moegi and Udon bring him breakfast.

“Figure it out,” Moegi tells him sharply as she tries to shove rice in his mouth, “you have to secure this.”

“For all of our sake,” Udon adds, grabbing him water, “if there was two people who are meant to be, it’s you two. And gods you know, I don’t believe in any of that.”

Just as Konohamaru tried to protest, Moegi closed his mouth to chew, “shut up. You have nothing to say.”

“Be a little easier,” Udon tried to interject to her irritated look, “c’mon! He’s an idiot in love.”

“Fine,” Moegi mumbled.

Konohamaru wondered how he could possibly end up in this position, with his childhood best friends shoveling food and water into his mouth to placate him as he moped over a girl.

“Eat, you idiot,” Moegi mumbled, shoveling more food into his mouth as Udon looked in amusement.

“You better not be thinking of arguing, are you?” Udon asked.

(28) Drunken scene with the debating of whether to recommend for the chuunin exams

They walk home together, eventually arriving at Konohamaru’s unit, far passed the Hyuuga compound.

He apologizes, insisting on walking her back. She insists she go inside. Konohamaru is caught off guard, blushing as he questions her. She insists and he obliges.

He offers she take the bed, and she drunkenly kisses him.

After some heavy stuff, he insists they’re too drunk to continue. She tries to say she doesn’t care, but he puts her to bed regardless and takes the couch for the night.

In the morning, he’s gone and she seeks him out at the training grounds. She apologizes for her behavior and he gives her a comforting embrace. She insists it was just a fluke moment, but he grabs her by the face and tells her he didn’t want their first time to be like that. She questions him when she asks about ‘first time’. This needs to be reworked unfortunately, smut brain took over.

“Hanabi. I’m in love with you.”

Epilogue?

Summary:

She was the firework, sparking in the shadow of his leaves. He was the brat, bathing in her sun. Somehow, she was always following after him. And he was always waiting for her.

Or: Watching Konohamaru and his team wreak havoc around town, Hanabi desperately wants to know what it’s like to be a kid. Follow Hanabi and Konohamaru from academy students to sensei, a fully fleshed out story.

I’m so, so incredibly lucky that I had such a strong base of support for this silly little pairing. Receiving any sort of feedback is always a euphoric experience (at least for me) and I was and continue to be so deeply grateful anyone took time to let me know they liked what I wrote.

Thank you, all of you. My heart is full even as it breaks. Be well, and maybe I’ll see you soon.

[deadmandairyland]

Considering starting The Fog Cutters over from the beginning but I’m not sure what the etiquette is for starting a fic over on AO3. Currently thinking that I should add a new chapter telling people that I’m going to start the fic over and why, but I don’t know how people feel about that kind of thing. Though I think it’s better than saying nothing.

For the record, here are my current thoughts on why I want to start the fic over:

I’m not a fan of how it’s going so far. I want to at least revise it and make it more well-rounded. (I feel like I’m focusing too much on comedy right now and I want it to just have some comedy, some serious, etc.)

I want to focus on world-building a bit more, which is something I feel the fic is lacking. Though the story takes place in an established city in the Danganronpa universe, I’m reworking the city as a “Japanamerica” type setting, so it’s not 1-to-1 with the official depiction of the city and should be treated as such.

Longer fic projects like this, in my personal opinion, benefit from the story being written in a way where you write the characters as if the reader has never heard of the character before. This is especially important in my fic because it’s a massive crossover fic, so there’s a good chance that there may actually be some characters the reader doesn’t know anything about.

I’m still not confident in my ability to write mysteries, so I want to look more into that.

I feel like I’m just hitting bullet points rather than telling a properly flowing story, which is something I need to work on in my writing in general.

Ironically I also feel like I haven’t planned the bullet points out very well either. I had a much more concrete outline with Despair Imitator and I’m mostly okay with how that turned out, and I think I need to plan this fic out a lot better too if I want it to work.

Fukawa deserved better than how I’ve written her tbh

I am also considering maybe splitting it up into separate fics that follow an overall story arc and combining them in a series. This would resolve a few problems that I’m worried about:

The new tag limit. By splitting up the arcs into separate fics I won’t have to worry as much about having too many tags per fic.

Longer fics in general can be pretty overwhelming to get into if it’s not broken up, I think. I know I sometimes see 100 chapter fics on AO3 and I get overwhelmed just looking at that, and I feel like doing it this way will make the series feel more accessible.

The arcs I have in mind are mostly episodic, so if you don’t like one arc, you probably wouldn’t miss much if you skip it (and if it’s super important to the plot as a whole I’ll probably mention that it’s an important arc in the author’s notes anyway), and it’d be easier to skip those arcs this way.

Related to the above, if I decide to add some lemon-lime to this... insert food analogy here, I feel like it’d be easier to notice and skip because you’d see a change in rating and new tags with sexy words and be like “I think I’ll go to the next one.”

So what I’m thinking of doing, if I decide to go through with this, is updating the fic with a message saying I want to start the fic over, and then when/if the new fic is ready to post I will delete the old one and start a new one. But I’d like to know if this is a good idea. Personally I would feel weird about just removing the chapters and just revising it because the hits, kudos...es, and bookmarks would reflect the old fic, not the new one. But if there’s some kind of issue like a waste of bandwidth or something that might be a problem, or if it’s just considered rude for some reason, please let me know before I make any changes.

[swissmissing]

I never look at the bookmarks which readers have made for my fics on AO3. Why should I? I know where my fics are. Well, after seeing some posts going around in which authors are upset at bookmarks which they feel should have been made private, I decided to take a look. Here are some of the bookmarks on my fics which contain information that could be considered either negative and/or spoilery.

My reaction and discussion under the cut.

I honestly do not see what the problem with this is. OK, not everyone liked or finished every one of my fics. And I’m sure there are bookmarks on other authors’ stories that are a lot harsher.

But these readers are making notes for themselves and/or the community, not for me. I never needed to be aware of these. If I find something hurtful, it’s my fault for seeking out the content (and for allowing myself to be hurt by a comment like “uncharacteristic plot” or “disliked the ending”).

I think one concern is that bookmarks like this either spoil the story or could bias the reader against reading the fic in the first place.

But consider: a reader who looks at bookmarks before deciding whether to read a fic needs to seek that information out and be prepared to encounter spoilers, negativity, or uncomfortable content. Putting spoilers in a bookmark doesn’t spoil the fic. No one is forcing readers to look at the bookmarks.

Additionally, maybe there’s some content in a fic that I don’t think twice about, but which makes someone else uncomfortable. (”Poorly cured animal hides,” “bottom Sherlock”) Instead of barging into my comments and demanding that I add a tag to my fic (which has also happened to me), the reader quietly makes their own bookmark and helpfully shares it with the community in case someone else might find it useful. I’d rather those readers screen themselves out from the start than read one of my fics and have a bad experience.

The negative comments (didn’t finish, out of character, disliked ending) are probably primarily for the reader’s own sake, so they don’t waste time re-reading a fic they didn’t like. After reading thousands of fics over the course of decades, it’s impossible to remember them all by title and summary. But I support the right of such readers to keep those bookmarks public. Maybe they have followers who use their bookmarks as a rec list. If they have similar tastes and reading habits, that’s useful for them to know.

The upshot is, this is the reader’s side of the equation.The author has no business nosing around the bookmarks. The only reason I can think of why authors do this is in the hopes of more ego-stroking than they get from the comments section. That’s not what the bookmarks are for. They are for the reader.