#THIS HAS BEEN IN MY DRAFTS FOR AGES i forget even what edits i was goig to make. i stand by it.

[chemiosmotic]

Hi my names Kris and i have long navy black hair with bangs that reach the middle of my nose and icy red eyes like determination and a lot of people tell me i look like Chara Dreemurr (A/N if u dont know who they are get da hell out of here!). i'm not a gaster follower but i wish i was because he's a major fucking glitch expert. speedrun strats.

I'm a human but my blood is all inside of me and neat. I have pale blue skin. I'm also a legendary hero, and I go to a Dark World in the abandoned supply closet where I hang out with other teens (I'm seventeen). I'm a goth (in case you couldn't tell) and I wear mostly hand-me-downs. I love the Dark World and I get all my character development from there. For example today I was exerting my autonomy and wearing some chain mail and glasses with one pink and one yellow lens and carrying a pink rubber sword. I was wearing a cool knight suit of armor with high-waisted black pants and big armoured boots.

I was walking around Castle Town. It was abandoned and full of Darkners so there were many friends there, which I was very happy about. An eldritch creature from beyond the bounds of time and space waved at me. I put up my middle finger at them.

[rubyuji]

Restless (Lee Chan) ౨ৎ⋆˚｡⋆ ☕️

“OK enough, as far as I know, you know way more about me than I do about you. So, tell me about yourself?” 𓂃 ࣪˖

Genre: Fluff (this is just the sweetest thing ever, I can’t)

AU: Nonidol!au, College!au

Pairing: Dino x afab!reader

Warnings: none

Synopsis: After a week of traveling for school, Chan was ready to get home and crash onto his bed for the weekend. The problem? He was locked out for the night as his parents and younger brother had gone to visit their relatives on short notice, so he turned to his only option, you.

Note: Another recycled fic from my drafts that I never really finished ;; I’m popping out fics left and right atp but this one has a lack of proofreading and editing. Happy reading again guys, don’t forget to like + reblog!

Word Count: 2.8k

“Bye Ms Kim! Bye, everyone! It was so nice to be with you all in Japan, until our next competition. You all did well” Chan bowed toward his teachers and fellow students as he left the bus, bag slung over his shoulder.

Once he was on the pavement, Chan sighed and hastily walked into his building, ready to pass out on his bed. He clicks the elevator button to the floor he lives on while fidgeting with the new keychain he had bought as a souvenir. The ride was taking longer than usual for some reason.

When the elevator dinged, indicating that he had arrived, Chan eagerly stepped out and headed for the door of his family’s apartment. Instead of him being able to open it easily with the password, the lock buzzes and the sound causes Chan to frown in confusion. Did his family decide to change the house code while he was away?

As Chan was about to try one more time, his brother had texted him about how they had gone to see family and forgot he would arrive that day, adding that wouldn’t be back until the next morning.

Seeing this, Chan runs a hand through his hair and huffs. He was so ready to get the rest he badly needed until an idea came to mind.

Chan turns towards the apartment next to his family’s and grins, you were probably home, right? A girl who was his age, living independently next to his family, probably wouldn’t have many places to be, so he tried the last bit of his luck.

You hear your doorbell ring and wonder who would be at your door late into the evening. As per your paranoid self, you bring a knife to the door, being a girl and living alone with her cat wasn’t exactly the ideal situation to be in, especially at this hour.

You hesitantly peek into your peephole and your jaw falls slack as you struggle to open the door. What the hell was Chan doing at your doorstep? You thought his family would be at home like usual, the Lee family never really went anywhere and would often invite you over so this came as a surprise.

“Chan? That’s new, what brings you here?” You squint at the boy and he chuckles awkwardly, a hand scratching his cheek.

He had his backpack still on his back and a small stroller next to him, he looked like he had just come back from the airport. ‘Oh, I forgot he flew to Japan last week for a dance competition,’ you thought to yourself.

“My family forgot about me arriving today and left to go see my relatives without me, so uh, I had no other option? Unless you’re uncomfortable with me staying for a night, I can just call up one of my friends to let me crash at theirs” Chan cringed at his own words.

Seungkwan lived an hour outside the main city and Vernon lived in a one-bedroom apartment that barely had anything but a bed and a place for his pet iguana. Mingyu was at his sister’s place, and Soonyoung had gone with his family, the house already cramped enough with two grown kids and their parents. He genuinely had no other option.

“What? No, it’s fine. I’ve known you and your family since the day I moved in, it’s the least I can do since you guys have been nice to me. Now come in,” You moved aside so Chan could shuffle in, and in his head, he made a mental note to thank you later when he wasn’t as tired from the jet lag.

You helped him move his things into the guest room before getting him settled. He looked exhausted, and as much as your crush on the boy had started to take in how adorable he was, you couldn’t afford to scare him off when he seemed like he had no other place to go.

“You can use the shower, I have extra products for guests in the second drawer so you’re free to use that as you like. I was making dinner so you’re also welcome to join me in case you haven’t eaten yet. Make yourself at home,” You offered Chan a shy smile and the boy felt his heart skip a beat. Have you always been that pretty?

Chan snapped himself out of his daze and nodded before smiling back at you. “Thanks, I seriously owe you a lot for letting me stay the night. I’m sorry for coming up on short notice,” he says bashfully. You were very kind and the fact that you even offered him dinner was crazy enough as it is.

“Hey, it’s no biggie. I don’t have guests over that often so it’s nice to have someone around now and then. Call this our first unofficial sleepover if you will,” You laugh and Chan can’t help but feel flustered around you. You were so calm despite everything, it was almost impressive to him.

You put your hands together and excuse yourself, making Chan stand up and smile at you once more before you leave the room.

“Towels are in that cabinet under the desk, I think you already have the password here since it’s just my cat’s name in lowercase letters,” Chan once again nods as he watches your figure disappear into the rest of the apartment.

The silence welcomes Chan as he turns to observe every inch of the room. It was very minimal with a simple white desk, a few pictures on display, and two candles off to the side. A white double-door closet stood at the opposite end of the bed, a plant in a gray pot right next to it.

A part of the wall had postcards from places he assumed you had gone to, as well as some awards from your school. It was nice how the room still had a few elements of you in it despite it being a guest room, he would’ve never known that you had topped your class or that you had been to France.

Grabbing a towel from the cabinet and some clothes from his bag, Chan then made his way over to your bathroom. As he was passing the kitchen, he saw your back and got a whiff of whatever you were making for dinner. It smelled like meat and ramyeon, something he had missed dearly during his entire trip to Japan.

Chan enters the bathroom quietly to avoid distracting you and looks at how organized everything is, noting that the room itself is also well-lit.

‘Maybe I should take a selfie in here later,’ he thought while checking himself in the mirror, only to grimace at his appearance shortly after. He looked beat despite the flight only being three hours.

You hear the shower turn on from the outside and continue to finish up plating the food, your cat rubbing herself against you as you bend down to pet her.

“It’s a bit weird, but you don’t mind having him around right?” Luna meows as if saying ‘Not at all’ and you chuckle.

“Well Luna, you already know how much I talk about him and it’s no surprise,” you tell your cat in a whisper. The shower halts and you bring the food to the coffee table in front of your TV, turning Netflix on while waiting for Chan.

“Oh, no way! Ramyeon and meat? You made this for me?” You hear Chan say dramatically as he clutches his chest. The reaction causes you to laugh as the boy plops himself on the couch beside you.

Seeing Chan in your peripheral almost made you choke on your bowl because of how good he looked. He was wearing a white shirt and grey sweats, so simple yet he looked godly.

“Not for you but I made extra ok! Wash the dishes with me at least since you still are technically a guest,” you joke.

Chan hums without another word and that was when you choked on your food. Wow, it was that easy? You thought you were going crazy. He looks at you oddly and raises an eyebrow at you.

“Sorry, I was shocked at how you agreed so quickly,” Chan laughed at your words before taking in the last bit of food on his plate, collecting all the dishes once you leaned back on the couch and sighed in contentment.

“Y/n, you said you’d do the dishes with me!” Chan whined from the kitchen. After opening your eyes and huffing, you then make your way into the kitchen and see Chan’s back in front of the sink.

“I have a dishwasher by the way, we can just rinse these off and put them in,” you say as a matter of fact.

Chan turns toward you with a huff and watches you open the space beside him, seeing you put in the rest of the dishes and turning them on.

“Remind me never to do dishes over here ever again” Chan frowns, a pout set on his lips as you wipe your hands dry.

“I’m honestly way too bored to watch something right now, do you mind just chatting for a bit? I’m too full,” the two of you walk into the living room once again before the boy hums with a smile. You sit on the couch and throw a blanket over the two of you.

Chan shifts to make himself more comfortable, suddenly noticing a very obvious lump under the blanket that slowly starts making its way toward you. “Luna, what did I say about hiding under the blanket? You’re so naughty.”

Grabbing your cat from under the covers, you then put her on top of your lap, her blue eyes staring straight into Chan’s soul. “Does she always stare? Her eyes are very, blue. It’s like she’s staring straight through me” he says, and takes a closer look at your cat.

“Sorry about her, I haven’t had anyone over in weeks so Luna’s fascinated by a new presence at the house” You giggle while petting her. Chan feels his heart do flips, seeing you in your most natural state made him fall for you just a tad bit more if that was even possible.

“Anyway, where have you been? Your parents told me you were in Japan or something. How was it there?” You grin.

You had been to Japan quite a few times, from what Chan could tell. If he could vaguely remember, one of the postcards in your room said Osaka and Kyoto, even Kobe.

“Ah yeah, we had our most recent competition there, it was great. A lot of sightseeing and whatnot for the most, I wish I went outside of Tokyo but we couldn’t leave so I had to settle with just exploring the city,” Chan breathes out, recalling the memories he made with his friends Yeonjun and Changbin.

“That sounds so cool! I’ve been to Tokyo loads of times and honestly, city life is way too busy for me. I think visiting the more provincial areas is great if you want the feeling of peace.” Chan noticed a bit of a distant look in your eyes and wondered if you were thinking about your memories in Japan as well.

Luna suddenly meows and jumps onto Chan’s lap, causing the two of you to jolt up out of surprise. “Huh, she’s usually weary of everyone. This is a first for her,” you say with a soft smile.

Chan pets Luna with a soft smile on his face, the image making your heart flutter. It was impossible to contain your crush on the male any longer after everything that happened, hell, even your cat liked him as much as you did.

“Well, hi there Luna. You’re adorable and look just like your owner. Y/n, you legitimately like your cat, she’s like a mini clone of yours.” Your cheeks heat up at Chan’s stare, the male looking between you and the cat as his eyes linger a bit too long on you.

“OK enough, as far as I know, you know way more about me than I do about you. So, tell me about yourself?” Chan says after a minute of silence.

You jolt at his voice and look at him with an awkward smile. There wasn’t much to say about yourself if you were being honest, you couldn’t gauge anything interesting enough to tell the boy.

“I can’t think of anything, I’m a pretty boring person,” Chan frowns at your words. Boring? That didn’t seem right to him, there was probably more to you than you think, he just had to get it out of you somehow.

“Are you sure? Y/n, you’ve gone to Japan and a lot of other countries, judging from your guest bedroom alone, and I think that’s interesting enough as it is.” You blush at Chan’s words, this was the first time someone had ever asked about you, and you felt grateful towards him.

“Thank you, Chan, that’s honestly super sweet of you to say. I just traveled a lot from a young age since I was offered the opportunity to, but for now, I’m just taking a break from it all. Moving to different places in such a fast-paced environment becomes exhausting once you get older,” You play with your hands and recall every single place you’ve been to.

Traveling and moving was all you had ever known since early childhood, due to your parents moving around a lot because of their jobs and because they were always just super busy people in general. One day, you just got so used to all of it that settling down for the first time in college felt foreign to you.

“That’s honestly really cool, I’ve only ever known the practice room and the music so dancing is like my version of that. Now that I was offered the opportunity to travel, I didn’t realize it would be so overwhelming, especially as a first-timer.” Chan smiles comfortingly.

He truly admired you a lot. After getting a feel of what your life was like, before settling down into one place, he was intrigued by your way of life. How things worked after you had gotten used to it all, and how you coped with the amount of change you were faced with.

“I guess we still do have quite a lot to learn from each other then. You have a lot to tell me, and I think that’s very clear based on our current ordeal.” Chan laughs.

You shrug your shoulders and throw him a sheepish smile. No one had ever been curious about you, or how you lived your life, unlike how Chan did. It felt refreshing to be able to share your life experiences and what you had gone through with someone who listened.

Sure, you did have your friends who were also curious about you, and that's how your friendships even came to be, but Chan was different.

You always thought you’d only have a few chance encounters with the boy next door, but you never thought you’d have him sitting beside you on your couch as you go over your life with him.

“I never really got the chance to talk about my life as much, but you were willing to listen to me like it was nothing. If I continue yapping though, we’d take forever and I don’t want to keep you up any longer since you are still tired from your flight,” You say, and look at Chan beside you.

A pout stays on his face, but he had totally forgotten about the jet lag and how badly he wanted to just pass out after spending time with you.

Chan truly couldn’t get enough of you, and he starts to feel a crush blooming in his chest, not like he had one already, he just never acted on his feelings towards you.

“Don’t be like that, I live next door so you’re technically welcome to come over anytime. Now go on, I’ll let you rest up. I’ll be in my room if you need me ok? Goodnight Chan,” You tilt your head a bit as you greet him goodnight, and Chan swears he felt his heart melt right at that very moment. It didn't help that your adorable cat was rubbed up against your leg too.

“I will, thanks again for letting me stay Y/n. Goodnight, sleep well,” Chan breathes out a breath he didn't even know he was holding. You grin and turn in the direction of your room, Luna following closely behind you.

Chan was restless when he came but with your presence alone, it seems like he could stay up for a whole week if he could.

© rubyuji 2024’ -. no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any manner without the permission from the publisher.

[thebiscuiteternal]

I am a dumbass and accidentlly deleted the ask while trying to edit the draft, which meant typing it all over again, but here are some notes for the nonnie who asked for more of the reverse Nies with a larger age gap.

This Huaisang is probably one of my most quiet and withdrawn ones. Being the only child for so long meant he was given no slack by the grown-ups, so any frivolous things he likes are buried way, way down deep where they can't be mocked or taken away from him.

He still paints on the very rare occasions he can get time to himself, and he looks after the sect's hunting falcons with great zeal (a trait actually encouraged by Papa Nie, and the first thing they actually bonded over), but he never lets anyone see the paintings and he is so, so careful not to let himself get too caught up in wanting, or even looking at less "useful" birds.

Ironically, two of the people he was closest to before the murder were Wen Ruohan and Wen Xu.

The former was like an indulgent uncle (he thought at the time, though he came to question that quite a bit later), always praising his cleverness and never forgetting to bring a gift when he visited, and the latter was the one to sometimes drag him out of his metaphorical defensive shell and off on an 'adventure' (usually ending in some new food he'd never tried before).

He was introduced to the Lan heir and spare as a child, but he and Xichen never hit it off like Xichen and Mingjue would have (they're... okay, just kind of blandly polite to each other the way they'd be expected to be as sect leaders) and Wangji was of the age where he didn't like anybody.

Due to becoming sect leader on the same year he would have been sent to the lectures, he has to miss them. Lan Qiren "sells" him copies of the materials with the price being he has to keep up some kind of correspondence to show he's actually reading them at least occasionally. They become friends? Sort of? Though it's more like an amiable mentorship.

Mingjue is a rambunctious little hellion from day one. His laugh is loud, his crying is loud, and the only two people he actually calms down for are his wet nurse and Huaisang.

There are those in the sect who accuse Huaisang of trying to hoard Mingjue's attention and mold him into a less-than-proper heir to protect his position, which Huaisang tends to roll his eyes at because 1) who would want the kind of sect leader role he's been crammed into, and 2) it's deeply rich that they accuse him of doing the same thing they want to do to his baby brother.

Whenever Mingjue is being a particularly big handful, Huaisang calls him "Beastie"(<3) or "Little Monster"(<3), which just makes Mingjue laugh and laugh even though he has no idea what the words mean.

Mingjue's first word is "Ge" to the surprise of no one and the annoyance of many.

Mingjue's favorite animal in the whole wide world is tigers, and it's common to see him clutching a stuffed one as he snoozes in Huaisang's lap.

Once he's weaned, Mingjue loves mushed up fruit, but he likes gumming on preserved meat the most, because he is his father's son. Huaisang makes sure he always has snacks on him, and this also winds up forcing him to quit skipping meals because Mingjue gets snippy and won't eat without him.

There are nights where Huaisang is just so tired and so miserable from constantly fighting to do anything without being judged or second-guessed that he just wants to curl up in a ball and cry until he's empty, and then Mingjue will crawl across the bed and pap his face with little baby hands in a demand for sleep cuddles and the love of and from his baby brother is usually enough comfort to get him through to the next day.

[hiding-in-the-vault]

Okay let’s pull something out of the drafts. This has been sitting here for 8 MONTHS AND NOTHING HAS CHANGED

need more people to talk to me about AUs....

fine, I’ll just ramble about AU thoughts myself. fine!

Been mulling over an immortal!Dream with some reincarnation shenanigans in the back of my head for ages now. it started in the “Self-indulgent” box, with being stuck in prison for like,, uh. hundreds of years. And, ya know, angst yay. Then got a bit more developed as it moved out of the prison. But like most things, I came up with a set of circumstances and very little direction of where to take it. :’] I tend to treat AUs like fics- need a beginning middle and end. How do you end an AU? This is where all my problems derive. sigh.

Forest spirit AU didn’t get that treatment, though. Remember him? I have some ideas still, ofc. Thinking about re-drawing some older stuff too. Thought about bringing in Sam and Q, or even going more of a Schlatt and Q angle. My problem with Sam and AUs is that I think his history with Dream plays a big part in uh.. *gestures at him* all of that. Ofc we know with his lengthy past that it wasn’t all just because of Dream, but idk how to deal with those two when Sam hadn’t already been friends with Dream and then felt betrayed by him going super-villain mode, and uhh Tommy, and then just- going off the rails. :|

Had thoughts about s2. Dream forgets everything, but Punz still remembers. Punz holds onto the smile mask. Something symbolic about remaining in the past. But he’s fine with it. The plan worked! And he still has knowledge of the revive book. (but that doesnt mean anything because the point was to remove permanent death?) Something about power, something about it not really mattering in the end, when everyone else moved back to simpler things eehhhhh

Recently been thinking about protege dreblr-edition... I like Sif’s idea and I think we as a community should make it happen. How? to what end? idk, man. But it’s funnnyyyy and it’s easier to excuse Tommy doing something spontaneous like that himself.

Oh hey what about mer AUs? I love those. Cuz I love fish! But what to do with them? idk. I could ramble about water perimeters for quite a while, though.

I think modern fantasy urban stuff is rrraaaad. City but also magic >:) No solid ideas for that though.. Mulled over a prison thing for a while, but as usual, no direction. The author of No Rest for the Wicked started a fic like that and it was awesome but they didn’t get far into it and it’s been deleted...

And then ofc good ol’ No Man’s Land, which I have a very concrete plan for. And will slowly get to finishing at some point in my life :D

[bunny-hoodlum]

I almost forgot about this! 👀📌🖊️❓please!

Hiii~~ 💕 Thank you for the ask~ 😌

👀 Do I have any words/phrases I use habitually?

Probably, but I can't remember. 😓 I think I use 'Well,' quite a bit, along with other short phrases to add a sort of casual/musing flavor to the inner dialogue. I know there's some sort of phrase that I'll cap a sentence off with, but I really don't know which fic to skim through to confirm that. 😅 Sorry, my laziness has yet to budge. 🥴

📌 If all your fics/WIPs fell off a ship and were drowning (go with it), and you could only save one, which would it be?

I think it'd have to be Powerless. I could probably rewrite all the others to some extent. They wouldn't be perfect 1-to-1 replicas or anything, but they'd still retain the same spirit. Powerless, however, was written during pure creative possession. Plus, that mofo is like 39k overall or more? I forget. But that in of itself would be hard to replicate and the only reason why I took it down was due to uninformed advice. That I was worried about shipbaiting my readers because I didn't know when Hinata was going to show up, so I just took it down like that was going to be okay. 🤦‍♀️ As if I could repost it in a matter of weeks and nothing would be lost. Lesigh. I'm still totally fond of it. There are some changes I want to make when I work on the rest of the re-upload, but Naruto's childhood in the first chapter was my favorite thing to write and I could never replicate the same feelings, I don't think. Even if I listen to the playlist I made for it. It'd help but never be the same.

🖊 What is the most recent line you've written?

I haven't written anything new yet since my Witchcraft AU. 😅 I wish. Yoga AU is top of my list. I think it's gonna be really long, but I'm looking forward to it. I feel like I have a better understanding of oneshots now. Hmmm, y'know what? I had this pre-written in my head, so let's just go with this (and I'll most likely edit in the final draft anyways):

"He was exactly like a sunflower. Tall and lanky, his hair sticking out in every direction like radial petals. She's never seen a shade as cheerful as his. It contrasted so sharply against the consternation darkening his face. As she drew closer, she noticed two things: The erratic bouncing of his right leg. His right hand cupped over his mouth, with forefinger and middle finger parted as if something was meant to be there. A pantomime of a bad habit."

Or maybe I don't have to edit this. This turned out pretty good. 🤔

❓ Write an alternate summary for a published fic without using names. (Points if your followers can guess the fic.)

Oh, you sadist. 🤣 Making me write a whole new summary. 💀 I'll just totally go ahead and use this line that's been sitting my outline files for ages. Not much of a proper summary, but excerpts count. 😤

"Pressing himself against her backside, slouchy black pants rustling against her fitted pair, he breathed hot venom in her ear, his hands like vices clamped around her wrists. She could twist, whimper and wrench away all she wants, but she wasn't going anywhere. "Do you know how boys do it, huh? They take it in the ass.""

I feel like I made that one pretty obvious. 🤭

[luvdzu]

get home safely

180708 - - - ♡ after celebrating her birthday, sua brings home a very drunk (blackout) dokyeom back to his dorms and meets someone she least expected awake in the middle of the night

a/n: edited a few stuff, but dang they're so cute what about it i have other moments of them in my drafts and they're just so cute and for what? honestly, wonwoo makes the brain go brr, go dokyeom for being the bestie of the year 🥹🥰

“Now… slowly… there you go… Don’t-” struggling to catch her breath, Sua carries Dokyeom’s heavy body under her weight, “don’t make such hasty movements hmm?”

Pushing the male over her shoulders, Sua takes in every last of her strength to carry her friend at least towards the entrance where her manager is waiting for the both of them.

Combining their heart to heart conversation reminiscing the moments they shared back in high school and catching up with their latest projects and plans, talking about the future while Dokyeom choses to help himself in drinking almost three soju bottles all by himself it was evident that one of them would end up leaving the restaurant drunk and fortunately it’s not Sua.

Nonetheless as a good friend, and the only sober person left between the two, mo Sua took it upon herself to bring Dokyeom home, not just for her peace of mind but because of something her now drunk, half-passed out friend blurted halfway through their conversation twenty minutes ago when he wasn’t blackout.

As for Sua, she couldn’t quite satiate the curious and imaginative ideas in her head that have sparked, which may or may not have been the deciding factor of her deciding to stay sober for the rest of her birthday dinner.

At least one of them has to remember for the other right? Is her excuse, but in reality the words Dokyeom spilled like beans back at the restaurant had lingered a little longer and harder in her head.

Was she using her drunk friend as an excuse? Maybe. But she was also doing a good deed for Dokyeom, it’s a win-win situation, and because Dokyeom said something, maybe he was expecting for something to happen?

How could he spill something like that so lightly, and so openly to me, about his member?

But maybe Sua was overthinking things, and it couldn’t be more that a respectful admiration, after all she was a sunbae but her heart, without admission, longed for more.

Not to forget that Dokyeom was half drunk when he said those words which meant he might be twisting them, or exaggerating the context but Sua had nothing to lose.

At least not her because just like any sane person, (and a good friend) she put it to herself to take Dokyeom back to their dorms. Not a smart move after he said something about a certain member, but she's curious.

How could she say no when an opportunity arises?

Sua is left standing awkwardly, half her body limping, carrying Dokyeom’s weight in an attempt to ring the bell in front of her probably more times that she could count.

I don’t know why I’m so nervous, my hands are all jittery, I should’ve accepted manager-oppa’s help in bringing Dokyeom up. Drunk people are dead heavy.

Unconsciously holding her breath, Sua expected her fellow same-age friend Mingyu to open the door, or their leader S.Coups, but it had to be the one person clouding Sua’s mind.

Jeon Wonwoo opened the door.

What are the odds of Jeon Wonwoo, opening the door? Very little. Yet here he is, standing in front of Sua.

In a split second Sua looked away as fast as she could, standing awkwardly with a drunk Dokyeom over her left arm she could feel blood rushing in her cheeks, which could be thankfully blamed on the alcohol in her system.

“We were having dinner-” Sua choked up words to fill the deafening silence between him, Wonwoo, and the sounds of Dokyeom snoring. Sua wants nothing more but for the ground to swallow her whole, including Dokyeom, who is so lucky to be even sleeping through this whole thing.

Though this is partially Sua’s mistake, she wants to blame Dokyeom for this whole interaction and his loud mouth for rambling words that have a high possible chance of not being true at all, thus humiliating her in front of his member.

“Not like a date, but I was celebrating my birthday and we drank, Dokyeom drank there, he’s now drunk.” Shit.

She didn’t totally have to explain, but Sua didn’t want Wonwoo to get the wrong idea, not that there is a wrong idea but there could be speculations around regarding her totally platonic relationship, which is 100% platonic, nothing more and nothing less-

“I know. Happy Birthday by the way, Dokyeom practically told everyone and would talk to anyone who would listen.” Wonwoo took a step closer with his arms wide open.

Everything happened quickly, Sua couldn’t even think for a split second and took a step back nearly stumbling against the wall. If it wasn’t for Wonwoo’s quick reflexes. Damn.

“Please be careful, let me take Dokyeom, it must’ve been hard carrying him like this. Thank you for bringing him home, and at the right apartment at that.”

He was going to grab Dokyeom, I- your head feeding you all these dangerous thoughts, why did you think Wonwoo would hug you after greeting you Happy Birthday, on the first meeting at that. That would be too fast, not that there should be any progress-

“Please do get Dokyeom.” Sua pushed her friend away from her without second thoughts. “It’s fine, the place isn’t that far from here, Dokyeom recommended the place, he told me one of you said the food was good.” Standing with one arm wrapped around the other Sua looks away from his intense aura.

It’s already late, he’s barely got any makeup on, looking clean and fresh yet there’s something about the way he looks, the way he stares at her. Sua tilted her head closer to check inside and saw Wonwoo laying down Dokyeom on a bed in the living room.

“Aren’t you going inside? Would you like a cup of water? You seem flushed.” Wonwoo turns around catching you peeking over the front door.

“It’s fine, I’m fine- it’s probably the remaining alcohol in my system. Anyways I should go home now, I just dropped Dokyeom, thank you for opening the door, I thought I had to leave him here or maybe let him sleep in our van.” Sua bit her tongue back to stop herself from saying anymore which could lead to her embarrassing herself even more.

“Could I walk you home? It’s getting late-”

“It’s fine, my manager is actually waiting for me to at the entrance, just take care of Dokyeom for me, he’s going to regret it. Perhaps he says or does anything stupid, maybe take a picture and send it to me for blackmail?”

“Perhaps may I ask for your number?” Wonwoo hands Sua his phone leaving Sua little to no time processing the words that just left her mouth.

“Sure! Sure.” Typing her phone number so fast, Sua handed Wonwoo’s phone back readying herself to leave the place. “Thank you so much I have to go now. Bye.”

“Get home safely, message me when you get home… Or Dokyeom’s I’m sure he’d appreciate seeing a message on your whereabouts when he wakes up. I’ll fill him in on the other details of what happened.”

Before Wonwoo could say another word Sua left, running down the emergency stairs not bothering to click on the elevator buttons frantically. Her heart is pounding, but Sua couldn’t pinpoint if it’s due to her exhaustion or the thump of her heart booming every second she talked to Wonwoo.

Scrambling inside the van, Sua closed her eyes, slowly calming down once she’s inside her own safe space. As her manager slowly drives away from their apartment, her phone chimes as she received a message from an unknown number.

+82 XXX-XXX-XXX

11:58 pm

“This is Wonwoo, get home safely and message me or Kyeom when you get home. Once again, Happy Birthday sunbae.”

[nostalgia-tblr]

(okay so I apparently can’t send asks from my sideblog but I saw your asks post!)

13, 30, 60, 66

You get to choose the fic for the 60 and 66 ones because I bet you have something you’d like to say abt those particular ones <3

13. Do you listen to music while you write?  If yes, what have you been listening to recently?

Yes! I have a playlist of Songs That Evoke The Right Sort Of Feels For Fic-Writing that I change up from time to time and some of them are there for inspiring one specific story and some are more generic. Recent adds to that have been from ongoing attempts to listen to some slightly-more-modern music by buying secondhand CDs of artists who were born in this century. I am weird about telling people what music I like, I always feel I will be judged, even more than I normally assume that, not sure why that is.

30. How much do you edit your fics?  Do you edit as you write or wait until you finish the first draft?

I don't think I *do* edit, really? At least, there's no stage of going over things and rewriting beyond just fixing typos. By the end I'm usually like "well I spent AGES on this I am not changing any of it now, I don't want to have wasted those minutes thinking of each sentence." It's written, it's done, I'm not willing to change it now that it's in a form I like! Maybe that means I edit as I go? Does it?

60. In [insert fic], what inspired the idea for the plot?

I am gonna go with Forget-Me-Not, picked for being recent enough that I can remember why I wrote it. It was one of them "fandom-inspired" works because MCU fandom (what I know of it) seems to see Frigga entirely through the lens of how nurturing and comforting she is (or isn't, but usually is) to Loki and this is obviously quite reductive especially when there's only two women on Asgard who have names. And she gets used as the Perfect Loving Mother in contrast to Odin The Worst Parent Ever and like many fannish dichotemies this is both understandable and a bit reductive. So I decided I should write something where she is not the Best Parent Ever, but where she can justify everything she does as Good Parenting and so it's fucked up but the reader can see how she ended up there.

BTW when I say "spite" was my motivation for a fic this is usually what I mean - that something in fandom has annoyed me to the point where I want to write the opposite thing just to make a point. (Even a stupid and/or petty point is still a point!)

And also because I have read enough Historical Shite to know that everyone - everyone!!! - knows when a queen is pregnant. And yet I am seemingly expected to believe that Odin came home carrying a baby and Frigga wasn't pregnant and yet somehow Loki being adopted is not common knowledge? I had to plug that plothole for my own mental wellbeing! Frigga having mindwiped everyone including her own children kills two birds with one fucked-up stone!

66. What’s a fun fact about [insert fic]?

The bit with Donna and the chameleon arch in Continuity Errors (or, Five Things The TARDIS Half-Remembers) is something I'd been trying to turn into a fic since literally 2005, ie 'The Companion Becomes A Time Lord' Is Not Necessarily An Unreservedly Good Thing. I don't know how long I'd been trying to turn 'continuity errors' into an in-universe bit of jargon but that was Bloody Ages as well, I'm sure of it.

[aris-c0rner]

pre-read: beautiful deception

hello all! ari here, i finally got around to editing, updating, and moving my NCT gang au, “beautiful deception”, off of wattpad and onto tumblr! it’s been about 6 or so years since i first wrote this fic... wow. it got a lot of love on wattpad, but my writing style has changed and grown immensely since i started this, so i figured it was time to give it an upgrade and finish it here on my tumblr. so if you read this fic and it seems really really familiar for some reason, you probably read the initial version of it on wattpad under my old username mineyoonghi!! 

a few things to be aware of before you begin reading:

1. i started this fic waaay back when NCT was ot18, literally days after the “black on black” mv was released lol. that being said, the fic is written with only ot18 until chapter 21, when i found a way to incorporate wayv; i am hoping to find a way to make it ot23 but be warned, you may not see sungchan or shotaro here.

2. i wrote the initial fic on wattpad from a 1st person pov and named the character song seunmae- i decided to change this and instead convert the fic into a reader-insert 2nd person pov, so bye-bye seunmae lol. if you see the words “i” “me” “my” etc. in this fic, that’s just a typo from the original version hehe, please ignore.

3. i got locked out of my wattpad account where i wrote this fic (mineyoonghi) a few years ago because i lost access to the email i used to sign up.. smh. anyways, wattpad has been a bitch about not letting me get back into it so the story is unfinished on there; i’m pretty mad abt it because i had SO many chapter drafts and plot points saved in my unpublished works there, and i have no way of getting back to it to remember where i was going with the story. so everything after ch.21 will be from scratch, since that was the last part uploaded on wattpad for public reading. i’ve called my email provider so much that they know me by name and they still can’t unlock the account for me. ugh.

4. in case i havent mentioned wattpad enough yet, i’d like to say that this gang au was largely inspired by another fic i read on there named “bandaids”!! i totally fell in love with it although i don’t remember the user who wrote it (or if it’s even still up anymore). so if you see a lot of similarities between bandaids and this fic, it’s because beautiful deception was brought to life after reading that one!!

5. if you’re an OG who read the oldie version of this up on wattpad, two things: i love you i love you i love you, and also forget that version pls and thanks its SO embarrassing haha. but seriously, if you remember that version then you remember how weird the ages/personalities were for some of the members,, don’t worry i fixed that here. idk what i was on when i wrote some of the members that way lmao but it’s all good in this fic, it’s much better now.

6. if you were one of my beta readers for mineyoonghi and you remember who the traitor is, DO NOT I BEG OF YOU PLEASE!!! do not comment who it is!! please don’t spoil the reading experience for my lovely tumblr followers,, and for those of you who have no idea what i’m talking abt: it’s not who you think. :)

7. this was such a long note so thank you to all who made it through to the end!! i’m so excited to bring this passion project of mine back to life after so many years, and happy reading! xoxoxoxo times infinity!!!

[worldwidewizardingweb]

The Post (draft 1, pt 1)

It was March 25th, two weeks after Cyrus Sinclair’s 11th birthday and he was waiting anxiously at the breakfast table as he did every morning since. The room was filled with the savory smells of breakfast, all thanks to Winnifred Sinclair, though only three of the six chairs were occupied.

“Has the post come?” He asked for the umpteenth time, fork tapping at the aging wood, not even bothering with his eggs.

“Not yet Cy, don’t worry it’ll come.” A woman with curly auburn hair reassured the boy, she affectionately ruffled his hair, which he took after his mother. The unruly mass of curly hair, large and unkempt after a night’s sleep, seemed to never sit quietly despite years of trying. 

“Sure it will, you’ve been showing signs since you were three.” His older brother Noah grinned, patting at the younger’s back. Noah, though years younger, looked nearly identical to the man who was sitting directly across from Cyrus, and was busy reading the newspaper. They both sported rimmed glasses that smartly finished their appearances, light brown straight hair neatly combed back. Noah was four years older than his brother but seemed much more mature, but he had always been like this since Cyrus could remember. 

“But what if it got lost?” His appetite seemed to have deserted him and he pushed the plate away from him with great distaste. His mother smiled softly and slid the plate back towards him. 

“Dumbledore’s a smart man, it wouldn't have gotten lost.” 

As if on cue, Felix, the family owl, flew through the kitchen window, a small white letter landing promptly in Cyrus’ open hands. 

“See, smart man, that Dumbledore.” Cyrus’ father smiled warmly at him, sounds of newspaper ruffling loudly as he set it down, “But I’d best be going, the Daily Prophet isn’t going to write itself, is it now?”

“Oh Eddie, don’t forget your lunch. Your mother has been pestering me about keeping you fed, honestly it’s as if that woman thinks I’m starving you.” She eyed his slightly rounding middle with contentment. “For Merlin’s sake, you could do with losing a few pounds.”

“Winnie, you’re a peach.” Her husband grinned, kissing her cheek quickly before grabbing the sack and hurrying out the back door, where he promptly disapparated. 

“Mum, have you seen my robes? I’ve been looking all over for them, I think I’ve lost another pair. I swear if Ev is– oh! Your letter’s come? Well, go on, open it.” A voice carried down the stairs, loud stomps echoing through the small room. A girl with long hair down to her waist stopped short as she stared at the youngest boy of the family.

Though a foot shorter, a carbon copy of her sister followed behind, green eyes peeking enviously at the paper held tight in Cy’s grip.

With shaky fingers Cyrus tore the envelope at the red seal and pulled the parchment out. 

“Oh wonderful, they’ve attached the list of supplies have they? Well, we’ve got plenty of time to get it all, I suppose we’ll have to make a trip to Diagon Alley.”

Tatum lifted her head at this, pausing for only a moment before sliding into the chair her father had just vacated, “Mum, can I go as well? I might be needing new robes, and I wanted to have a look at the Nimbus 2000. I heard it’s the fastest yet.”

A snort came from across Cyrus, Noah wasn’t trying too hard to hold back the smile on his face. “What do you want with a Nimbus 2000? You don’t even play Quidditch.”

“Well, I was thinking I might try for team–”

“For the team? Oh that’s right you’ve got a thing for the Hufflepuff seeker, don’t you?”

“Shush Noah.”

“Cedric Diggory isn’t it? Of course all the girls fawning over him, why wouldn’t you?”

“Stop it Noah.” But Tatum was blushing fiercely at the mention of Cedric, a dead giveaway. “I only thought I’d give it a try.”

Noah grinned at her as if he was going to say more, but then thought the better of it. “Actually mum, I think I’d better go as well, I heard Weatherby’s come out with a new edition of Professor Dippet’s memoir. I’d like to get a headstart on it, I just know that Professor Binns is going to require it. They were friends, did you know?”

“Certainly, why don’t we make a trip out of it? We’ll stop by Gringotts before we pick out Cy’s robes and we’ll make everyone’s stops.”

“Can I get my wand then?”

“Of course, we’ll swing by Ollivander’s.”

“Mum?”

“Yes Ev, you’re coming.”

Evangeline’s face lit up with excitement at the idea of going to Diagon Alley, it just meant that she was one step closer to Hogwarts.

©Copyright 2024. World Wide Wizarding Web. All rights reserved.

[corrieguards]

For the fanfiction writing ask!

#1, #11, #12, #18, #35, #48, #56, #72, & #76

Please and thank you 💚

@the-bad-batch-baroness

Fanfic writing asks

Hi bby!! Ty for the asks, there are so many of them🥹 I've already done some of them, but you can find the answers to 1 and 35 here and 12 here

11. Do you write scenes in order, or do you jump around?

I have 0 structure ngl, especially in the first few drafts I'm literally jumping all over the place, and then I'll go in and fill the gaps later.

18. Do you enjoy research?  Which fic of yours required the most research?

Most of my research is just rewatching tbb or tcw episodes and I'll take any excuse to do that. And the fic that has needed the most reseach so far is one of the ones that's still living in my wips.

48. Who is your favorite character to write for?  Has this changed since you’ve started writing for that fandom?

Rex is obviously one of my fav boys to write for and can you blame me? he's perfect. Echo's also always been a fave, his speech and personality just come to me a lot easier 'cause I relate to him in a lot of ways so i don't really have to think about it too much.

Since I've been writing for fandom tho, I've found that writing for Cody and Fox is a lot of fun too. Something about their grumpyness and dry humor really gets to me and it makes me giggle everytime.

56. Are there any fics that you would change or rewrite if given the chance?

Assuming the question is refering to my own fics, abso-fucking-lutely.

I always find things I can change or tweak even in fics that I wrote ages ago, but once they're posted I try very hard to restrain myself from editing them.

72. What’s your favorite writing compliment you’ve gotten?

Literally every single one makes me blush. But when people mention that they like my characterization of the boys, or the way I write them, then those compliment definitely stick around for a while in my brain <33 This anon in particular lives rent free in my head

76. How do you deal with writing pressure, whether internal or external?

Bruh I don't even know, I'm still figuring it out. I try to remind myself that I don't actually owe anyone anything, but I tend to forget, especially when I'm working on requests.

Internally is a whole 'nother ball game that I'm even more lost with. It's a work in progress.

[ifeelsounsure0]

Year End Thank You

TW: Very Sentimental. I am still at the age where I am perhaps overly prone to being sentimental about things so if that triggers you. Please go wait till my next post in the new year.

 Foreword: Well according to my first post. I’ve been a part of this community for 48 days now. Such a short amount of time compared to the eons that the writers who I said inspired me have been on here. Nonetheless, I want to take the time to thank everyone who I’ve gotten to know in this community in those 7 or so weeks that I’ve been here. Words could not adequately convey my gratitude to you all but they’ll have to suffice.

 @midnightdancingsol: My beloved Celestial. Milord. What can I say to you that would convey how much I love you? I still vividly remember the day I sent you my first draft for Part 2 of Finding Love at 10 pm and just went to sleep right after. When I woke up in the morning, I had almost 300 notifications from all the edits you put onto the piece. Granted they were nothing horrible but I will be the first to admit that I have learned so much about writing and grammar simply from your corrections, even if they sometimes made me feel bad because I read them in a disappointed dad voice. Nonetheless, I love you so much mate and I hope you have a lovely 2022.

 @v1ntrix: The other half of the Celestial pair even though I like to call you the god of the Underworld. To say that we are similar would be an understatement. Never in my life would I have ever thought that I would meet someone in Discord who is so annoyingly similar to me and yet just different enough to avoid driving me insane. Our conversations sometimes make me forget that we met in this community and not on some strange philosophy or gaming server. Still, they’ve been some of the most fun that I’ve had in a long time. I don't really know what else to say to you. Thank you for dealing with my low self esteem and low opinion of myself, I don't think many people would be able to. Take care of yourself this coming 2022 and I can’t wait to talk to you again.

 @ggidolsmuts: Ddeun, ddeun. To say that my plots and plot line wouldn’t be the same without you would be underplaying your role. I am so grateful that even before I published my first fic, you took your time to talk with me about elements of my plot and the characters that I wanted to build. Truthfully, I don’t think the characters of So Hee and Sana in Finding Love would be who they are without your advice. For that, I am forever grateful. I wish I had more time to read all of your fics, there are so many and I know they’re amazing so I promise. One day I will get to them. For now, I just wanted to wish you an amazing 2022.

 @worldsover: The newest addition to my growing pool of people that I torture with my writing. Well… to say you’re an amazing writer, I think it would be a tad bit too obvious, so I’ll avoid mentioning it entirely. Thank you for taking your time to edit my latest fic, I know dealing with my stupidity can’t be easy but I am really thankful that you took your time to explain to me how to improve my writing. Hopefully, people can recognize that improvement, but nonetheless, I feel as though it has made my writing better, and I am my own greatest critic. I just wanted to wish you a happy new year and a happy birthday to one of my favorite writers.

 @writerpeach: I love your work, Peach. There’s really not much else to say. You’re an amazing writer, and I hope you continue to grace this small community with your works. Even though at times, I do feel a little pang in the heart when you tell me off for momming people, I still think you’re a lovely person. Thus, I wish you all the best in the coming year and hope that you’re able to at least be a little happier than you were this previous year.

 @lockefanfic: I know you’re on vacation, but perhaps you’ll read this when you come back. You’re probably the single greatest inspiration for me in writing than everyone else. BT was a fic that I fell in love with as soon as I started to read it, and I can only hope to capture a fragment of the world-building that you were able to accomplish within my own works. I hope you continue to enjoy your vacation and return to us soon. Much love.

 @justkajin: What to say. What to say. What to say. You were the first writer I ever read on this platform and the first person I ever messaged. You’re a beautiful person Kajin and an absolute pleasure to chat with. I don’t think there’s anyone who’s advocated for positive mental health as much as you have, and I think that’s an amazing thing. It hurts to see you write your final goodbye on planetport, and I hope that you change your mind later on, but know that no matter what, I still love and adore you. Even if you no longer write, I hope you stay on and keep giving us those fun comments that brought me so much joy when I first started. Hopefully, 2022 will be better for you, and I wish you all the best.

 @kaedewrites: One of our resident cuties and our resident cheater, although that title seems up for contention by some Suzy Stan, so we’ll have to see. Although we sometimes love to make fun of your slow writing speed and tendency to change favorites on the fly, I still love and adore you so much. I remember the day of my Math final when you texted me to ask if I was okay because I hadn’t been talking all day, and honestly, that meant so much to me. You’re such a cutie, and I hope you have a fantastic 2022 and some news about your beloved Chaewon.

 @kpopflorxl: It seems only fair to put your name after Kaede’s since you two were my first ship when I entered this strange community and will always be my favorite. I'm sorry about the drama that happened so early on in my career, and I'm really thankful that we were able to put it past us. You're a wonderful person, and I adore you a lot. It pains me to see you no longer writing in this Tumblr world, but I hope that you're enjoying whatever endeavors you're working in right now. I wish you all the best in 2022, Flor, and all the happiness in the world.

 @sinswithpleasure: BL5? No, I’m kidding, or am I? I don’t know what to say, mate. Gamble made me discover parts of me that I didn’t even know existed, and for that, I will be forever thankful. You’re such a fantastic person who always has valuable insights about relationships and life in general, so I cannot really express how much I truly cherish you. Hopefully, this coming year will go amazingly for you, and I cannot wish you anything but the best.

 @mintwithchoco: It takes a particular person to stay with Sins and contain the destructive force that is his mind, but you somehow accomplish it. To me, you are the resident Yeji Stan no matter what nonsense Kaede tries to pull, but I think, more importantly, you have my favorite Lippie piece on Tumblr right now, and for that, I adore you. I hope that you have an incredible 2022 and that you can continue to put out amazing works for all of us to enjoy.

 @asmodeussoularium: The cutest, and I mean the absolute cutest F1 fan within our little community. There’s no one else I would rather rely on for F1 recaps after the race when I had a final on the day of Abu Dhabi, so I couldn’t watch Verstappen win. I digress tho. An amazing writer who contributes more to Sins Corp more than Sins himself and definitely the one with the cutest pfp on Discord, and it’s not even close. A quick confession. The pfp made me rethink berets. Anyways, I wish you all the best in 2022 Asmo, and I can’t wait to read your next work.

 @co-reborn: Skips over after realizing he doesn’t follow me back. Fucking jackass. Well, I don’t know what to say, mate. I love your work. Obedience is by far one of my favorite interpretations of Mina within our community and there���s not much about your work that I can really hate. I do hope that sometimes you would stop fucking bitching about your follower and note count when I still have significantly less than you, but I digress. You’re still a wonderful person, and I hope that you have an amazing 2022. Perhaps maybe even see the light of Loona. One can only hope.

 @panchatea: The newest arrival into the Sins Corp Universe and another absolutely adorable writer who I may have seen dox himself once or twice and I gotta admit is an absolute cutie IRL as well. I love your attention to detail in your fics and your absolute obsession with presenting idols as accurately as possible, even though the conclusions of your fics may make me sad. Nonetheless, I hope that this coming 2022 is absolutely amazing for you, mate, and I can’t wait to see what you write this year.

 @nsfwmaemi: Another cutie and our resident Eunbi Stan second only to Peach himself. I’ve had so much fun talking to you about so many things, and it’s always a pleasure to talk to you. However, I have not yet had the chance to hear you sing, and I wish to hear this one day. Hopefully, you will grant me that wish this upcoming year. Still, I wish you a fantastic 2022 Maemi and all the happiness in the world.

 @usedpidemo: My favorite symbol, even though I will always think of you as a slice of pie whenever I say your name in my head. Delete this is an amazing series, and I won’t let some crazy anon tell you otherwise. You’re an amazing writer, and I hope that you grow more confident in your skills this year and continue to put out amazing works for us all to read. In the end. I hope that 2022 is a happier year for you than 2021 was. Take care of yourself, mate.

 @fillinforlater: Well… what the hell am I supposed to say about you. You’re a glory-seeking fool for being a Bayern fan, and I hate your guts. No, that doesn’t quite sound right. You’re an incredible person Smite. The person that I have gotten to know through discord is someone who is beautiful and amazing and someone that I would wish all the happiness in the world to. You’re amazing, love, and I hope you have the greatest year of your life in 2022.

 @banananutsmuthie: BNS. The writer with the cutest logo and the absolute best blog page out of any of us. I wish I would’ve gotten to talk to you more this year, and I hope to talk to you more this upcoming year. You’re an amazing writer, and I’m really excited to see where you take your writing from here. I wish you all the best, and I hope that 2022 will be an incredible year for you.

 @turtleturbulence: One of our newer writers and my absolute favorite reptile. Well, what is there to say. He is the, and I mean the IU Stan, and nothing's gonna change that. We have far too many interests in common, and when I say that sometimes your proposals make my heart flutter, I wouldn’t be lying. You’re such a cutie, and I’ll forgive you for not having part 2 out yet. Nonetheless, I wish you all the best in the future and can’t wait to talk to you again.

 @moonrazeeclipse: I’ll add a short bit for K since I really haven’t gotten to talk to him a lot. Thank you for noticing that I was on Pi’s discord; even though I know that may seem like a minuscule thing, it does make me realize that I am not as invisible as I sometimes hope I am. I hope you have an amazing 2022, mate, and can put out more amazing fics with Pi or by yourself.

 @nsfwflint: How could I describe you, Flint? Oh, I know. You’re like my opinionated old Uncle, who’s still in touch but just has very and I mean very strong opinions. Although most of them are generally right, we do tend to disagree on some things at times. I think you’re a great person Flint and funny even though you may hate my guts because I play blue in Magic 😂. I hope you have an unforgettable 2022 and continue to put out works at your absolutely rapid-fire pace.

 @cataboliac: The newest addition to our very special thread within the lounge. I’m glad you joined, and I absolutely love your writing, so I can’t wait to see more of it in the coming year. I wish you were online more so we could talk a bit more, but still, I hope you have an amazing 2022 and all your wishes come true.

 @existslikepristin: Or as I like to call him, boss. The founder of the great place where we all meet and the man I can accredit this fantastic opportunity to meet all these people listed above. Thank you for helping to build this community and making me feel like a welcome part of it. I know that my addition to the latest assignments post was definitely a late admission. However, I’m still ever so thankful that you chose to add me along with so many great writers that I look up to. I wish you a great 2022, boss, and hope everything goes exactly as you imagine.

And last but not least. To my beloved followers and readers. This wouldn’t be possible with all 500+ of you and I love you all so much. Hopefully, I will continue to impress you in the future. Anyways, I wish you all a Happy New Year. Love ya’ll.

[nabrizoya]

RoW Theories and Things I Want to See

with RoW literally a few weeks away, here’s some theories your way. 

this is Really long. like, really very long; mind you. 

Nikolai might become a disabled character.

It’s just the vibes. If we can take reference from the Too Clever Fox story, there’s a line that says “...and his [Koja’s] fur never quite sat right the same...”, which might hint at it (mostly bc i don’t want him to die). Also if this is indeed possible, it can be used to address ableism if it exists in this universe, especially since Nikolai is someone in the highest position of power. 

Zoya will experiment the shit out of powers. 

Idk why the synopsis says that using her powers might be a great deal, which tbf will be because she is truly the most most powerful atm; but Zoya wouldn’t mind taking the step outside of the old norms and bend the orders until they serve their purpose. That’s the entire goal rly.

But all along, she will consciously keep herself mindful to not hunger or discharge her power in a way that may cause harm. She knows the tyranny of the Darkling and the ways he employed. She knows better. 

More character depth to Zoya. 

Given the excerpts, the book does seem to explore Zoya’s infinite grief. And of course her Suli heritage, which a great part of the fandom consistently wants to shadow what with the talk “white features/ part Ravkan” bs. 

But there’s more. I hope RoW will show Zoya’s dilemma (that was alr hinted in KoS) she has with the power she holds, the responsibility she has with having that power + using it in the way that will not be detrimental to her and the country. It will be a great way to portray her self-awareness and doubt and insecurity. She is a good leader, that much is told in text but not shown. There’s character development from the end of R&R until KoS that makes her evolve from a what she was then to the capable and mature 22 year old she is in KoS. 

Of course all of their capabilities will come to light in RoW but I think Zoya and the agency to her as a character will play an integral part. More so because Zoya is to be the conduit to reversing the current Grisha orders, which runs in parallel with the fact that she needs to go back, go back to the roots of her Grisha knowledge and roots of her i.e. her unending grief and trauma. 

She will need to forgive herself while also dealing with the guilt and anger she may have caused due to her position and power. All of this while dealing with her own complex and contrasting emotions due to her own trauma.

Nikolai is held for treason. 

The word of allying with The Darkling may be out and that is enough reason for the entire country to turn against him. The secret about the monster causes issues more than enough already, and this will plunge the country into deep political turmoil and threats to security. So RoW will be more politically driven. That said...

There’s no overt war. 

By this I mean that there will not be war on the battlefield, both armies or more charging at each others’ enemies and such. Ravka cannot afford one either. The excerpts have already proved that. There will be skirmishes akin to a war scenario, but a complete battle like the last battle in R&R? Like a final battle? That’s not going to be there, I think… What I’m assuming might happen is that the Fjerda and Ravka will take a possible Cold War route, if it isn’t already the case they’re already dealing with atm. 

Ravka’s monarchy will collapse. 

It may become a democracy or any other form of public or majority vote. But the monarchy (as well a possible dictatorship, esp with the Darkling returned) will be eliminated. ...Or so I hope, since it has been alluded to in KoS. 

But that poses many problems. With no one line for the throne, let alone with a crime so dark like a blot on Nikolai’s skill (of taking the Darkling’s help), it is possible that Ravka will shun it, right alongside being torn about it because Nikolai has been, for the best of his ability, a good King. All of this in line with the Resistance rising in West Ravka. 

This ties in with the court matters, especially if I want to hold the further points I make true. The resolution to acquit Nikolai of his charges requires a testification forth a jury which will then make a decision about his motives and future. 

Zoya as the Interim Head. 

After all of this, Zoya’s point about Ravka not accepting a Grisha Queen will be true after all, because there will be no monarchy to welcome such an arrangement. 

But Ravka will need a good and trustworthy leader despite Grisha powers and Zoya is the best person to take care of that. The comment “...becoming a steady leader...” and the “Welcome home, Commander,” were there in KoS for a reason (and this is what I think it will link to). 

That being said, there’s more nuance to this than my summary. Zoya is a character of colour. That—in addition to the already existing threats, objections and possible question of capability in the position—ill play into how she will be able to discharge her responsibility. It’s not going to be convenient.

EDIT: taken from a reblog/addition to the og post:

A smoother/more structured transition

Once after the monarchy collapses and a leader must be chosen, it will not be Nikolai. Nor will it be Zoya, though she might serve as an interim head. What I assume might be possible is that someone older is chosen, someone older and loyal and with the proof of knowledge and service to the country. Possibly by majority vote or elected by a council.

Instead of the sudden change, this can be a smoother (if that can even be said about such a major political scenario change) or more structured. I also say this because a. if Nikolai is indeed charged (and later acquitted), firstly his political career will already hold a blot if the word about using the Darkling as a resource is out and secondly, he’s way too young to serve as the leader (by modern standards, sure, but like, the required age will be set while drafting the constitution? currently its 35+).

Instead, the current cast can become representatives (which Zoya would already be, (mostly the head of the) international committee that safeguards the Grisha all over the world) and the Triumvirate will be dissolved. (it should be, tbh)

And hey, b. after all of this, they can and kind of need to take a step back. Nikolai and Zoya will be able to truly explore their relationship, given how Nikolai mentions how he wouldn’t marry unless he’d have had the chance to court someone and marry someone he barely knows nor knows him. For Zoya’s part, she does know Nikolai but surely probably not the extent of openness that a healthy relationship has, and on Nikolai’s part, he admits he barely knows her beyond as a General except for just little things about her.

They could be able to realize and work on their feelings while alongside being involved with the workings of the country and the constitution.

“One day you will overstep and I will not be so forgiving.” 

Need I say more? Something that Zoya does will cost her Nikolai’s goodwill and we know Zoya knows her practicality and the extent to which she will unapologetically move if there is threat to the country and its King. She will do what was right and required. 

A major part of that line ties in with Magnus Opjer and I think with the confidence in the versatility of her powers, Zoya might as well move w/o any word to the Triumvirate to eliminate the most direct threat to the throne. This will bring splits in Nikolai and Zoya’s relationship. 

How this tension between them will be resolved without compromising either of their values, without playing into fandom stereotypes and others must be carefully handled. All of this while showing the best of their dynamicity, practicality and priority as they carefully pull out just those weak sticks of the jenga without putting the whole country into trouble. And with a war in plain sight, they’d know better than pointlessly argue and would rather see how the two of them are wrong. This ordeal will bring out just how condensed power is in the current scenario, imo. 

Importance on the way women have shaped history. 

Something that KoS has already set precedence for. Zoya being a PoC, Nina taking into account of the sufferings of women she comes across and the consistent ‘Who will remember them?’ will be elaborated on further. As for how it is done and how well it is done, that remains to be seen. 

Baghra is alive but maybe not thriving bc she’s stuck in the Ice Court. 

They entered a chamber where an old woman sat with her hands chained, flanked by guards. Her eyes were vacant. As each prisoner approached, the woman gripped his or her wrist.

A human amplifier. [...] But the Fjerdans used them for a different purpose – to make sure no Grisha breached their walls without being identified.

Kaz watched Nina approach. He could see her trembling as she held out her arm. The woman clamped her fingers around Nina’s wrist. Her eyelids stuttered briefly. Then she dropped Nina’s hand and waved her along.

Had she known and not cared? Or had the paraffin they’d used to encase Nina’s forearms worked?

- Chapter 22. Kaz; Part 4: Trick to Falling, Six of Crows.

Nina will be the one to free her and together they might wage a war from Djerholm together.

This gets even more interesting because we know the anguish and scorn that Baghra feels for her son at the same time; she understands the wrongness that he used to seek and will continue to. Zoya does take Baghra’s name at the Fold when she mourns and rages over how people forget the destruction and most importantly, forget the women. Baghra could be the symbol of the stag as the art piece depicts, or will be shown with relation to the Darkling’s powers.

As for how she will play into the story, perhaps she will be the one to help reverse and find the roots of the orders, in the sense that changes the perception of the Grisha powers for the Grisha as well as the common folk of Ravka. She is the only other person other than Juris and the Darkling to have the age of eras together, knowing Ilya Morozova, and she will be instrumental in giving Ravka an advantage over Fjerda. Either that or she will help in scrubbing the prejudices of Fjerda slowly away with whatever powers she has left. Or both. 

Alina will reappear, but will not contribute to the plot significantly.

Zoya understands that the truth she knows about the Darkling is very minimal not enough to end him for once and for all. It makes sense that she will probably consult Alina for it. So, Malina appearance, possibly at the orphanage. Alina will not directly contribute to this war, but she will play a critical role in defeating the Darkling.

Besides, Alina —and Baghra— are the only ones who know that there has only ever been two Darklings. Zoya did sense, multiple times during KoS, that the Darkling is damn old. Yuri mentions it. And while it is not outright specified, the fact that Zoya thinks that she realizes just how ancient Lizabetha is in context of meeting the Darkling is enough proof for her to seek more information about the age and the older skill of the Darkling. 

And I think it goes without saying that I want to hope that the Darkling and Alina will not meet. Pls, she’s had enough. 

Lada is the lost, other friend that Zoya refuses to bury. 

“She saw her mentor die and her worst enemy resurrected, and she refuses to bury another friend.”

Liliyana is dead, we know. But there’s no other mention of Lada except for the “wondering what happened to the pug faced girl.” Lada is possibly a part of the group of women and a Grisha returning to Ravka from Fjerda, exploited by the parem. She might die being unable to withhold the sheer torment of the parem induction, which will devastate Zoya because Lada was also the closest she’s had to a family with Liliyana. 

Either that or Lada is already dead or dies some other way, and Zoya cannot bring herself bear the grief of losing her. 

Cameos: Inej and Jesper. 

The most likely of the crows to appear in RoW are Inej and Jesper and they’ll play equally important roles in the plotline. Here’s a breakdown of why:

Inej

Inej has taken the responsibility of becoming a slave hunter, and it makes sense for Inej to make an appearance in the book, given that there’s going to be a ship taking the Grisha from Fjerda to Ravka. 

The women aboard are vulnerable and require immediate attention, which Inej will immediately zero in on. She will have enough reason to suspect both Leoni and Adrik on the ship, especially when the jurda parem is still a secret. Leoni and Adrik cannot give that information away because they don’t trust Inej (and have no reason to either). Inej won’t trust them either, not until she understands that the reason why the women are being taken to Ravka and for what reasons. 

Which gives her excellent reason to step in, try to analyze the situation and help the women accordingly.

Here’s an exciting thought though. Once after the entire misunderstanding is overcome and Inej understands (esp. if Nina is brought into the conversation and security and secrecy of the conversation is ensured), there may be discussion about how the Grisha might find a safer space in Ravka.

Inej’s appearance might also extend to playing a pivotal role in giving Zoya the confidence to seek her heritage and where she hails from, to embrace the part of her past and forgive herself and others for her mistakes. 

ALSO, 

Grisha finding a safer space in Ravka will mean that Inej can pitch Jesper’s case for him to Zoya. Being the highest authority who takes cares of the responsibilities of the Grisha, Zoya will be the best person to talk about this with. 

And so, here comes Jesper. 

Jesper

For one, I wish Jesper and Leoni interact, talk and just bond like the iconic siblings they would be. <3 But more than that, Jesper plays very integral to the plot for more reasons.

Jesper’s arc will parallel Zoya’s. Both of them are new to their powers in their own individual sense; Zoya is trying to use her new powers in a way that hasn’t been done before, thereby breaking the Grisha orders of powers and Jesper (assuming he has decided that he might want to learn and embrace his Grisha powers) is learning them afresh. 

This journey of them trying to embrace, learn and relearn and reject older norms and experiment really work in tandem.

That will lead us to a further (plot) theories. 

Ties with Novyi Zem 

As of the KoS end, Ravka has no support from anyone atm. Sure the Kerch will provide funds but Ravka has no real allies. Here’s where Novyi Zem and Jesper come in. 

We know Novyi Zem is a new country and also that it is the second safest country for the Grisha in the universe. As of KoS, their agreements are not renewed and they would be since between Kerch and Novyi Zem, Ravka was forced to pick Kerch. Yet Ravka needs their help in acquiring jurda for the antidote. 

So here’s the deal: Ravka will get their jurda but at many conditions that the Novyi Zem will impose on Ravka to not let exploitation get in the way. 

The conditions imposed could be (these are just some at the top of my head but I hope there are more to ensure the safety and security of the Zemeni, in Novyi Zem and in Ravka too) : 

Naval support from Ravka

We know of the Zemeni ships and ofc Nikolai has been hard at work trying to develop plans to use the sea to its fullest advantage. While the news of the izmars’ya isn’t public, Zemeni can place a condition for technical aid from Ravka since Ravka does have the technical knowledge it can dispatch as a condition.

A Grisha School in Novyi Zem

Think about it. Ravka, despite being the safest place for the Grisha, still isn’t entirely safe. Not all Grisha become soldiers in Ravka, they have a choice to abstain but those who are training are still recruited a honed for purpose alike preparing for war, especially the teens and preteens from the time of the Civil War. The training does take a lot of time. Ravka intends to make a home first and then service, but at the moment, while the Grisha are provided safety, it’s not assured in the best sense. Both the facts about a home and service are in precarious positions atm.

TL;DR: Ravka isn’t entirely safe for Grisha therefore the Grisha themselves too are not + Ravka is war torn. 

So what happens? 

One of the conditions as the next best country that serves as home to the Grisha, Novyi Zem may put forth the prospect of building a Little Palace like institution for the Grisha in Novyi Zem. It sounds morally wrong in the sense that the Grisha there will also be trained for war, but the war will end and soon, the Grisha will not be subject to serve for something but engage in economic activities as anybody else with the progression of time.

All of this won’t happen immediately either; learning their powers, honing it in the way that is unocnventional from what it had been pre-RoW and that transition + the building of the establishment in Novyi Zem and laying foundation for the  transnational panel or committee for Grisha that Zoya talks about will all take so much time. 

A few Grisha representatives from Novyi Zem can learn at the Little Palace and by the time the construction of the institution is done in Novyi Zem, these Grisha, along with other willing Grisha who either want to return to the country they were born in (like Leoni) or are offered to teach in a different country can do so too. 

There will be stricter terms so as to not ensure exploitation and possible colonization in these nations. 

Zoya mentions in one of her chapters that eventually there will be a need for the a  transnational panel or committee for Grisha. Jesper can Zoya can make it possible, adding in other countries to the panel slowly as the war recedes. 

Kaz and Wylan? 

Least likely to make an appearance, in my opinion. I think they’ll be mentioned plenty of times or brought up once and given great importance for how they can help in the side plot. 

Shu Support: 

This is more a hope than an actually theory dfbkdhjadfh but Makhi might have to step down from the throne because Ehri will take the place; either as a Queen (no...) or she might oversee the process of strengthening Shu Han and finding a leader (if she doesn’t want to become one herself). 

Ehri is capable, more than capable despite the little we know of her from the last chapter in KoS. All I hope is for an understanding and friendship between Nikolai and Ehri (and the subsequent cancelling of the marriage duH) for this to happen. She has little interest in statecraft but with the time she might spend with Nikolai, she might change her views. Even if not then she still gets the happy ending she deserves with Mayu (which is canon at this point rly).

Emotional Development or Breakdowns

Okay but I really, really, really hope we get to see all the three protagonists lose their shit and deal with their trauma, seek help or trying to stop isolating themselves or anything else they do to cope? Nina, Zoya and Nikolai, all of them cry, all of them get to completely lose it, let themselves be human and healthily cope and learn to rely on the people they trust the most. Like the sheer power and potential to show the myriad of ways to deal with grief, sadness, stress and more and make use of the trio’s backgrounds to show healthy and diverse ways of helping themselves, by letting themselves and others help them is just *combusts* Incredible! 

That being said, can I also ask for moments of fear and desolation from the side characters too? Impending war isn’t small business, it will take its toll on people, and all these reactions just cement their fears and what they value the most so. pls. Humanizing them rly. 

The Saving Each Other 

As much as I mostly kinda hate this trope, there are traces in the KoS that Zoya might be the one to end Nikolai’s affliction. On the other hand, there is talk of Nikolai helping Zoya control her powers which seems counterintuitive when you consider that Zoya knows that there is a line that she must never cross and that she is very, very careful about it and will continue to be. 

They can instead be the ones who motivate each other in times of distress as they always do (as shown with how Nikolai tries to gain control over his monster during the burning thorn ritual in KoS, allowing himself the vulnerability but also knowing that giving up will be unforgivable to both himself and Zoya as well) but I seriously do not wish for each other to be the ones directly ending one another's misery. Or perhaps this is just a fear imo that Leigh wouldn’t even take the route of (in which case, thank fuck).

Stab Stab Stab 

Zoya gets the chance to kill the Darkling with the rest of her friends. After all, Darkling does call them all his old friends. Just Julius Caeser him all the way and put a bow tie on the book. *chef’s kiss* Everybody deserves a second chance... at ending a tyrant when it fails the first time. 

+

So far, this is it. Rule of Wolves is in less than a few weeks and im- asdfghjkl. not Ready. i’m more Worried than Ready.

[liminal-librarian]

Baby Blanket

Story from prompt (I finally found it again!): https://www.tumblr.com/yomikoreadsbooks/640978150247006208/dateagirlwhosweird-lustfulpasiphae

Content warning: First draft, will probably edit later.

Growing up, from my very first memories up to the day I came home crying over my first break up, my favourite baby blanket, and my go-to comfort was my mother’s seal skin blanket. It always smelled just like her, always the warmest thing in the house after Dad’s pancakes (the wheat kind, and the seaweed kind). (And equally popular (the seal skin and the pancakes), therefore just as likely to go missing if left unattended for long.)

In other words, my siblings all would say the same, except Mum got them their own around age seven, it was some sort of reward for finishing her strict regimen of meditation lessons, and swimming lessons, and I don’t know what all.

I’m afraid I inherited a full dose of Dad’s ADHD and was always pants at meditating, Though I always thought I swam well enough, (with three fishermen, and twelve fishermen’s children in the family, (don’t forget the boat mechanic and the 5 boat mechanic’s children). There was plenty of time and opportunity to be in and around the water.)

(Dad was the boat mechanic.)

The official story with Mum is that Uncle Ross (the oldest of my uncles, and the head of the family) is a proud, arrogant, stubborn, skin-flint of a man and never got his machines looked at until they were on the verge of failing or had already failed.

So of course one day (two days after a huge squall) when he caught something unusually big (like a seal the size of a walrus, (a Tiger Seal, you know, like from the south pole)), of course the winch that is supposed to pull the nets up failed completely. (As winch motors tend to do if they have not been seen to in much too long.)

(If you ask Uncle Ross, he’s not a skin-flint (have any of his children or nieces or nephews ever gone hungry? Or gone more than a week having outgrown their life jacket? Or without a new bike for their sixth birthday?) He’s an excellent uncle for his big family, he’s not a skin-flint, he’s trying to ‘minimise his carbon footprint.’ Etc.)

And of course, Dad being the boat mechanic in the family, was brought in to repair the winch, and in the process was on hand when they got the seal out of the net onto the boat, and being that it didn’t seem hurt, but did seem very disoriented (to have turned up at entirely at the wrong end of the ocean) and him being the one with the most unstructured time on land, appointed himself the one to research the official channels and whatnot to get her taken back to Antarctica and released into the wild where she belonged.

Completely normal and believable, no?

Unofficially, of course, the winch motor was fine, because Dad is sneaky and wouldn’t let something like paperwork or ‘not getting paid’ stop him from keeping all the family boats operating smoothly. It’s just that Mum is a selkie, and was going through an idealistic/rebellious phase at the time to even be near a fishing boat.

She says she was trying out some water magic to keep the net in the water so she could rescue the fishes that were too dumb to rescue themselves. It A) didn’t work, and B) led to a situation where she figured out, contrary to official dogma, humans are people too. C) also, humans are very interesting.

Dad’s shop is only a short walk from the house, so Mum could usually find him when she needed to, without needing to swim, also Dad is something of a maverick himself with a strong sense of family/community and very little sense of property. Of course, he never considered hiding her seal skin. He tried to teach her to put it ‘away’ when she came visiting, but eventually got the idea that if he thought of it as a blanket or couch throw, to be left out and snuggled under, not an overcoat to be hung up in the hall closet, he stopped minding seeing it left wherever.

.

So yeah, it’s my dad who has ADHD, but it’s my Mum who is the one addicted to Telly. I’m not saying she wasn’t a good Mum. And she would take care of us in all the ways we asked for help. But if you left her unattended you’d probably find her on the couch in front of the telly, curled up with whichever of my siblings was already there, or who also came for snuggles.

At least, that’s where we found her in the afternoons returning from school. In the mornings she went wading and swimming in the ocean, to harvest enough seaweed for the day. We ate a little seaweed on the side at every meal. (Except when Dad made it into the pancakes.) I guess like normal humans have spinach or whatever kind of greens works for them.

I read somewhere that only the Japanese have the stomach bacteria to digest seaweed properly, somewhat like only Europeans have the enzymes to digest dairy products or something.

Neither bothered me, so I figure, I’m half European, and either you swim and eat seaweed enough you’re going to inoculate your system with the right stomach bacteria eventually. Or else, it’s just that I’m half whatever Mum is. So there’s that.

.

A couple of years after the earthquake happened, and the island started sliding gradually into the ocean, Uncle Ross moved as much of the family as was willing to the mainland.

Most of the family went. I did too, at first.

(No, we do not subscribe to the conspiracy theory that fraking caused the earthquake, Dad showed me the numbers, how deep fracking happens, how deep the epicentre of the earthquake was, etc. I’d sooner believe that Mum’s family misunderstood something Mum or one of my siblings said, and decided to work geomancy or something crazy to wipe the island out of existence. Or drag it down out of the air, however you calculate that.)

But I always found myself returning home to wander, and to paint my landscapes, (Have I mentioned that I make my money selling paintings of the sea, and of dune grasses and such? I do. There, now I’ve mentioned it.)

Gradually my day trips changed into overnight camping trips, and then into whatever you call this, I’m living here again, my dress clothes and valuables are in my room at the new Family compound on the mainland. But most of my everyday clothes are here on the island.

I’m not the only one who came back or the only one who stayed, however you calculate that.

The island is two-thirds gone.

My family’s cove was more than halfway along towards the end that was first to slide off into the abyss.

The big bay where the town was, is probably going to be the last to go.

Many of the displaced live here.

Every time someone moves from the sinking edge into the village, I feel guilty for taking up space in this ghost town, because unlike them, I have a place on the mainland that I could be occupying instead. But I’m here, sleeping in a room that could be used by someone else who needs it more.

Except there is plenty of space. Everyone with the means has moved to the mainland, or to a more fortunate island.

Even those who have been slow to move, well there are other islands, the price of real estate might be a bit dearer than it might have been if they’d moved as early as Uncle Ross insisted.

But still, they’re leaving, fast enough that the town is still getting emptier over time, the port is merely a port in the storm, a stop on their way from moving out of their ancestral home, to wherever they are going next.

But still, I feel guilty, I’m here, taking up space on an island that is no longer my home. Walking the gradually shrinking perimeter, with my easel and paints.

Have I mentioned that I’m hardly painting landscapes anymore?

Mostly I paint the sea, either the calm sea on the lea of the island. Or the hungry, wild sea towards the abyss that is slowly eating the island.

Sometimes when the wind blows just right I feel a temptation to throw myself in and go looking for the house where I grew up, the couch in front of the telly, the warmth of my mother and her seal skin blanket.

But I know that it is not there, that couch and telly are on the mainland. Mum is either there or out in the sea harvesting seaweed or visiting her family. My siblings are the same.

It’s only me here, the humans passing through, leaving the island like rats leaving a sinking ship, except in slow motion (both the sinking and the fleeing). While the selkies, mum and my siblings, flow past me the other way, sometimes I think that I can feel them when they pass the island. Sometimes I know because they stop to greet me and sometimes stop for a while to watch me paint.

It is so strange because I know that I don’t have to choose. I don’t have to choose land, like the humans, and I don’t have to choose the sea like my mother’s people who I have never, or at least, very rarely ever met.

I could be like my mother and siblings and have both. But I don’t know how. I never learned the meditation that should grant me access to my magic and a seal skin of my own.

I was always pants at meditating, so I just sit here for hours and days and paint the sea.

[softforklave]

The Big Klave Fic Rec

Reginald Hargreeves does everything he can to learn about the Umbrella Academy’s powers, but Klaus is the one who finds out why they have their powers. No one expected the answer to be “we’re fallen angels” but here they all were. This is for my lovely @cemeteryklaus I hope you enjoy this! You will not run out of klave fics on my watch ;)

I have excessively been reading klave fics since s1 came out in February 2019, when there was only one page under the Klaus Hargreeves/Dave tag on ao3 (before our King shared his full name on Twitter). There are currently 2056 fics on ao3, and I can (un)fortunately say I have read almost all of them (what am I doing with my life?). Klave has been blessed with so many talented writers, so this is quite the list. Many of them have written more than one fic (some even over 50!), and since they are all amazing, it would take ages to list them all. Therefore, I have decided to recommend authors who have written two or more klave fics and linking to their the umbrella academy ao3 works page. Go read all of their works, and I can guarantee that every single fic is wonderful! And dont forget to leave kudos and comments, our writers deserve all the love and appreciation that we can give them! 

I also highly encourage people reblogging with their favourite fics, if you want to show the writers some more love or if I have forgotten your favourite fic (you can also dm me if you want me to add it on)! I have tried to @ the authors, but sometimes it can be hard to find the right blogs. Please let me know if I have tagged you wrong, forgotten to tag you or dont want me to tag you, I will remove the @ at once! I will try to update this as I continue to excessively consume klave content (though this is limited to ao3 and tumblr), so please come back to this list for more recommendations. Happy Reading! <3

Authors (2 or more klave fics)

A - B

a_nybodys /// accidentallyanoctopus /// actuallymaxie ///admirabletragedy @admirabletragedy /// aelisheva /// AliNear /// Allandnothing /// allthempickles /// Ama /// Anglophile_Rin @anglophile-rin /// aubrey_writes /// aye_of_newt @aye-of-newt /// bacondoughtnut @spookybeez /// Becca_Hay /// Bendy_CA @apocalypse-gang /// bennybentacles @bennybentacles /// blazeofglory /// Bluebacchus @bluebacchus /// bluetigerlillies @frogsarebxtches /// brionylarkin @brionylarkin 

C - E

CaptainAmericaoftheTardis /// CharryWotter /// covenofthearticulate @codenameseance /// CowgayKermit @cowgaykermit /// crisecardiac @thistlemoth /// Cyane /// Dancinbutterfly @dancinbutterfly /// dandelyre @dandelyre /// deargalileo/// deathishauntedbyhumans @deathishauntedbyhumans /// discohargreeves /// Doctor959 /// Dog_Bearing_Gifts @dogbearinggifts /// Drhair76 @handcoversheart-76  ///  dyllpickless @dyllpickless /// electric016 @electric016 /// Eternal_Peace_Is_Overrated @flowercrownsandbooks 

F - K

Faetality @faetxlity /// forestdivinity (ForestDivinity) @forestdivinity /// forthekidswhoaintgotnosoul @prime8svevo /// FrazzledSquidz G33kinthepink /// ghostbythesea @gay-poster-child  /// goldieknocks @goldieknocks  /// Hemitreunited @hermitreunited /// hippieklaus @hippieklaus /// hujwernoo /// iamnotalizard @lizard-overlord /// ilikeshipment @theseance1968 /// intheflowers /// Karturtle (karturtle) @karturtle /// Katplanet @katplanet /// KawaiiCommunism @kawaiic0mmunism /// KindaCool @kindasickkindacool /// klausmoon 

L - P

lastyoungrene-gay-de @lastyoungrene-gay-de /// livid /// LiviJoyann /// livtontea @zontiky /// loves_buckybarnes ///  Lyviel @justatiredghost /// Majure @fanthings /// Mars_and_Moon /// mieczyhale @mieczyhale /// momebie (katilara) @charmingpplincardigans /// noodlerdoodler ///  MusicLover19 ///  Nyctae /// obscurityofphylum /// ohmygodwhy @gaycinema /// Opal_Lakes /// @opal-lakes /// ophelibob_writes @a-human-pippin-took /// Papapaldi @wykart/// perceptuallydisorganizedwriter ///  PickledBeef  @pickledbeefwastaken ///  polarkai /// princejoopie @princejoopie /// punk_rock_yuppie

Q - S

queenbaskerville /// QueenOfAllCorgis /// rumbleroarsslumberingcubs /// Scalliwag @sscalliwag /// seancequeen @seancequeen /// sehn_sucht @sehn----sucht /// SerpaSas @queenbeyondthewalll  /// Shadowscast ///  Shamefulshameless @shameful-shameless /// Sharpworksamurai/// shipNslash /// Siriuspiggyback @cowboyklaus /// Smallswritesstuff @mychemicalxmen /// smile_it_will_get_better @smileitwillgetbetterbitches /// softforklave @softforklave (shameless self promo) ///spookyfbi @spookyfbi  /// stuckinmybook /// Squintern @chinchillinator ///  squishitude @squishitude /// sunriseseance @sunriseseance /// sunshineklaus

T - Y

tealeavesandtrash @carry-on-my-wayward-hobbit /// thefangirlingdead @thefangirlingdead /// TheMadHatterOfficial /// thetreasuerhunter @yeah-klave /// tjstar @i-seeaspaceshipinthe-sky /// TobiBooneTheSmallSpoone @tobiboonethesmallspoone/// TotallynotRemus @totallynotremus /// TwistedIllusions @courtneytarynofficial /// twosidedcoin /// VeteranKlaus @veteranklaus /// wildeism @knifecatklaus /// writer_inthe_dark /// yukiawison /// zweebie 

Fics (authors with currently only one klave fic)

Placeholder by Ace_Chey (mrs_sakuma) @cheydoesfandom

PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS A FIRST DRAFT WIP, EXPECT MISTAKES IN SPELLING, GRAMMAR, AND TIMELINES after NaNo I plan to edit and republish a cleaner, more complete version in 2021 ~~~

When Klaus sees the news that their father is dead, they’re feeding their seven-month-old daughter, Grace Kelly Katz, one year sober, and finally back on T (prescribed this time). Their siblings still haven't met Dave, let alone Gracie, and Klaus can't bear the thought of introducing them, not now, under these circumstances, so they go alone. But when the family reunion becomes complete with Five's sudden and bizarre arrival, not from 45 years in a wasteland, but directly from the lunch he ran away from 20 years ago, they realize things are going to get more complicated and they might not be able to put it off any longer.

Words: 58,217 Chapters: 36/? Status: Hiatus

Snapshots of a Life Well Lived by Ace_of_Spades_400

One week into Vietnam and the briefcase is broken. Klaus is never going home. He's just going to have to make the most of his life here, now.

Words: 13,960 Chapters: 3/3 Status: Complete

Run for miles just to get a taste by Agf

Dave comes back to 2019, and Klaus has some memories best exorcised with new ones.

Words: 1,666 Chapters: 1/1 Status: Complete

Not a Replacement, Never a Replacement by AndThenHeGotKnockedUp

Klaus hasn't piloted a Jaeger in years. He hasn't wanted to without Ben. He's spent all that time wandering far, far away from anything having to do with the Academy and kaiju.

Unfortunately for him, the world is ending, and Luther doesn't give him a choice.

(Pre-Klave! Will have a follow up in the future.)

Part 1 of the UA PacRim Fusion series

Words: 2,625 Chapters: 1/1 Status: Complete

soldiered together by Anonymous 

"... I was foolish enough to follow him all the way to the front line."

Words: 2,993 Chapters: 1/1 Status: Complete

know tenderness by applepandowdy

Klaus wished, more than anything, that they had just had a bit more time.

Words: 1,266 Chapters: 1/1 Status: Complete

whatever words I say, i will always love you by ariya167 and bigembarrasingheart @ariya-167and @bigembarrassingheart

Dave kissed Klaus first, but Klaus kissed him back.

Words: 921 Chapters: 1/1 Status: Complete

if i could choose anything in the world (id pick you every time) by aseriesofessays @macroglossus

"Would you have come back?"

He thinks about a farm.

Words: 588 Chapters: 1/1 Status: Complete

The Boy and The Ghost by Astheroid 

“Look for me. Promise me Dave, promise you’ll look for me at the Umbrella Academy!”

Dave never knew what those words meant, the parting words of the man he loved, and they made absolutely no sense.

Until thirty-four years later when he found his purpose.

“Our world is changing. Has changed. There are some among us gifted with abilities far beyond the ordinary. I have adopted six such children. I give you the inaugural class of the Umbrella Academy.”

or story of ghost Dave finding thirteen year old Klaus and swearing to protect him from all evil.

Words: 4,494 Chapters: 2/? Status: WIP

new year, new me (things always turn out how they’re meant to be) by Astronomical_Aphrodite @aesthetic-antheia

When they travelled back through time, Klaus wasn’t expecting to be the only one who remembered. 

Part 1 of maybe by next January

Words: 80,770 Chapters: 18/20 Status: WIP

Five times Klaus dies in Vietnam and comes back, and One time Someone else does by BabyPom

Klaus can't seem to die, at least not permanently.

Words: 1,169 Chapters: 1/1 Status: Complete

How The Hollyhocks Bloom by batcavemasquerade

In which Klaus Hargreeves, a retired pacifist, is dumped headfirst into the Vietnam War. Klaus never comes home and his brothers and sisters claw their way back to him, one by one, after the end of the world.

AKA: The siblings go back to the 1960s to regroup and to get a few measly moments of goddamned peace and quiet, and find Klaus serving in the Vietnam War, different and sober as can be.

Words: 24,035 Chapters: 16/20 Status: WIP - Chapter 16 is the new chapter 1. For the rewrite, read from 16 and upwards.

i hope you know you're my desire (i hope you know you're the one) by beezran

It must be fate when Dave puts his hand on Klaus’ cheek right as Klaus starts to ache for his kiss.

Kiss me.

His touch makes Klaus stand up straighter and edge closer to him.

“You’re beautiful, you know?” Dave says, and even with all that they’ve been drinking, Klaus knows it isn’t that what’s talking.

“Kiss me,” Klaus actually says it. He can’t take it back, and he doesn’t want to when Dave is looking at him like that.

Dave’s breath ghosts over his lips and Klaus keeps repeating it in his head like a prayer.

Kiss me. Kiss me. Kiss me. Kiss me.

Or he might have said it, he’s not sure when he’s so caught up in the feeling of Dave so close to him.

Words: 22,708  Chapters: 1/1 Status: Complete

Arcane Incidents of Anoxia by Bellovebug

Klaus dies.

Klaus dies, and Dave can't breathe.

He forgets what it's like, the feeling of oxygen entering his lungs, the sensation of carbon dioxide exiting them.

He remembers, though, the stories Klaus used to tell. He remembers that joke he'd made about that briefcase he always carried around being a time machine. He remembers the tall tales of a family of superpowers, a less than stellar father. He remembers the stories he'd spun out of thin air, of time travel and a disappearing brother and a talking chimpanzee and a robot mother.

(He remembers the true story he'd told about seeing ghosts.)

He only learns once he opens that mysterious briefcase under Klaus's cot that all of the stories were true.

Every one of them.

Words: 22,075 Chapters: 4/? Status: WIP

life is full of pain, i'm cruisin' through my brain by bigembarrassingheart @bigembarrassingheart

Bullets whizzed past his ears, and he would have screamed but he already was. Klaus grabbed Dave’s face, stroked his cooling cheek, rested his head on his shoulder like he did when they had nights alone. There had to be some life left in his body. In any second he would feel the heave of his chest. He had to.

or

Klaus takes a pit stop before going back to the future.

Words: 1,188 Chapters: 1/1 Status: Complete

found by burlesquecomposer

Klaus’s right hand is Dave’s favorite one to hold. As long as they embrace hello, Dave says, they’ll never have to say goodbye.

But war is a bitch, and Dave is the one who gave him an excuse to charge into it head-on.

Words: 2,628 Chapters: 1/1 Status: Complete

You Drew Stars Around My Scars by caliibee

“Does it hurt?” Klaus asked softly, running his fingers over Dave’s face and down his neck. He trailed down his chest, mindful of the deep-set wound that always sent a shock through his heart no matter how many times he’d seen it. Dave caught his hands and brought them back up to cup his face.

“No, not anymore.”

Words: 792 Chapters: 1/1 Status: Complete

The Umbrella Academy: Winter Soldier by chiquitasdave and ratsbaby (orphan_account)

Luther lands an uppercut to the jaw, sending the soldier flying, and Diego’s moving before he even lands. His grip on Klaus tightens and his mouth opens to say something, anything, to pull him back to the safety of the car they crouch behind, but Klaus beats him to the punch. He leans forward to better watch the action, to cheer his brother on (or clean up his remains, depending on how this goes), and stops cold as the soldier pushes himself to his feet again.

Klaus' first thought is that he’s beautiful. Klaus’ second thought is that he knows him.

The threat of danger is sensed and signals fire to tell the brain, no, not yet! We weren’t meant for this! He can’t take it now! The body reacts to stop him, but Klaus steps forward anyway. He ignores every impulse because he knows him, because love makes him stupid, because he has to.

Klaus takes another step forward.

‘Dave?’

‘Who the hell is Dave?’

Words: 13,120 Chapters: 3/10 Status: WIP 

I Could Not Be At Rest, I Could Not Be At Peace by CosmicJourney @cosmictapestry

With the apocalypse delayed, there's now ample opportunity for Klaus to open up to his siblings about his past. There's also ample opportunity to try and conjure Dave. Unfortunately, one of these has to take precedence over the other.

(Season 1 AU)

(Sequel to "I'll Find Sleep, I'll Find Peace")

Words: 52,274 Chapters: 10/10 Status: Complete

Sick Of Losing Soulmates by CrazyAngel

"Do you think the universe fights for souls to be together? Some things are too strange and strong to be coincidences."

Back in 2019, things are the same but also different. The Hargreeves have messed with the timeline way too much and some things clearly aren't the same — like giving the chance for Klaus to meet Dave again. Klaus knows nothing about reincarnation or if it was really he and his brothers fault for this, but he'll take the chance anyway. Even if this Dave is blind now.

Part 1 of the Right Back Where We Started (Again) series

Words: 26,417 Chapters: 6/6 Status: Complete

Admist the Chaos by crazynadine 

Ten months. Klaus spent ten months in Vietnam, fighting a war he didn't belong in, falling in love with a man he didn't deserve.

The long and convoluted tale about how a time traveling junkie and a disillusioned solider found love amidst the chaos of war....

Words: 87,700 Chapters: 10/10 Satus: Complete

The beginning of something by DoctorProfessorSong @doctorprofessorsong

The Hargreeves siblings find themselves in a future they barely recognize. Their father is alive. Their home is occupied by a mixture of strangers and familiar faces calling themselves The Sparrow Academy. None of them are friendly.

But it's all going to be okay. Five has a plan to restore the timeline. The rest of the siblings just need to sit tight and lay low. Just don't wander off. How hard can that be?

A continuation of the story from S2 because I am impatient for more. This one is gonna get real dark but I promise I am going to give the Hargreeves a happy ending.

Words: 52,548 Chapters: 18/18 Status: Complete

take me out, baby by downpours @fourhargreeves

For someone who spent a decade running from the debts he owed, Klaus spent an alarming amount of time trying to recompense Dave for loving him.

Words: 6,802 Chapters: 1/1 Status: Complete

Your Song by eithergayorgayer @yerbluues9

"And you can tell everybody, this is your song."

In which Klaus can play piano and sing and decides to serenate Dave who is watching from above.

Words: 3,578 Chapters: 1/1 Status: Complete

Hands by GoldenBones

Late at night after the disco when everyone else is asleep, Klaus kneels at Dave’s bunk and whispers a silent prayer into Dave’s hands. In a rare moment of peace against the harsh Vietnam winter, Klaus holds Dave’s hand against his face and tries to sleep.

Words: 1,640 Chapters: 1/1 Status: Complete

Ink and Dirt, Eggs and Orange Juice by HappySeaNinja

It’s a quick job on an overcast day, in and out, smooth like coffee, and the only hitch is in his voice when he says goodbye. There’s dirt under his fingernails, ink on his stomach, and a lingering shot of whisky on his tongue.

Really, it’s all that’s left.

Non-linear moments in Klaus and Dave's relationship across seasons 1 and 2. Please don't read unless you've watched all of season 2 as there are spoilers.

Words: 4,631 Chapters: 1/1 Status: Complete

oh love, i'm there in memories by hellchoirs

"If only there could be an invention that bottled up a memory, like scent. And it never faded, and it never got stale. And then, when one wanted it, the bottle could be uncorked, and it would be like living the moment all over again."

Words: 1,536 Chapters: 1/1 Status: Complete

To Have a Home by heterophobe

Dave Katz is a simple man. He values kindness, honesty and strength of character. As someone who is queer and homeless, he also has a fairly substantial distrust of law enforcement.

This is why—when a twig of a man, with kohl-lined eyes and a vibrant pair of purple tights, sprints across the alley-way he’s seated in, skids to a halt at the corner of a dumpster, and balls himself tightly out of view from the street—Dave doesn’t make a move to flag down confused-looking uniformed officers that follow him into the mouth of the alley.

It’s also why—when said officers approach him, and ask him if he’s seen anyone come by—he takes one look at the man’s pleading eyes and shakes his head mournfully. “No, sorry officers.”

OR:

As told through a series of non-linear snapshots, Dave and Klaus come to know one another.

Words: 3,346 Chapters: 2/15 Status: WIP

Dream A Little Dream of Me by idkpeachystuff

"Klaus, thinking back, had always thought that was a strange term. Making love. He wasn't actually certain why. Sex had always felt like...well, sex. Fucking. Nothing entirely special or intimate that he felt had the effect on his heart like nearly everyone had made it seem it should be. And despite how utterly and disgustingly cliché it sounded, that was of course until he met Dave."

Klaus wakes before Dave on their last morning together, on a weekend out in town that is, leaving him with one of his only options to remember everything that had happened the night before and realizing that he was deeply in love, and no matter what, he was never getting out

Words: 3,015 Chapters: 1/1 Status: Complete

projected stars across the night sky by iheardarumor (sonicraptors)

The best nights he’d ever had in his life were spent at his side.

Words: 1,496 Chapters: 1/1 Status: Complete

Late Shift at The Umbrella Café by intravenusann @jeffgoldblumsmulletinthe90s

Klaus and Ben have the afternoon shift together almost every day. But not every day are the customers as nice — or as hot! — as this new Dave guy.

Or, in other words, a story where Klaus gets his life together enough to get a boyfriend.

Words: 45,563 Chapters: 6/6 Status: Complete

Need Some Advice by Jenni4

Niki wasn’t used to anyone asking her opinion, so she was surprised when Vina walked into work with an extra energy drink and slid it to her. “Need some advice.”

Niki raised an eyebrow and opened the can and took a big gulp. Vina had been sitting next to her at the call center for exactly two days now. “What makes you think I’m qualified to give anyone advice?”

Vina shrugged out of her jacket and took her seat. “You seem to have your shit together.”

Niki almost choked on her laughter at that one. “That’s so far from the truth but…”

Words: 5,192 Chapters: 1/1 Status: Complete

Farewell by JuliusQuasar @juliusquasar and LittleRit @littlerit

Day 20: Shipwrecked

Part 10 of the LittleRit's MerMay Fills 2021

Words: 100 Chapters: 1/1 Status: Complete

a life so demanding by kaijugore @kaijugore

"He was still carrying the war in his heart, how was he supposed to talk about that?"

Ten months. 304 days. 7,300 hours. 438,000 minutes. It would never ever ever be enough time.

Part 1 of the i am (not) afraid to keep on living series

Words: 1,861 Chapters: 1/1 Status: Complete

the sugar rush, the constant hush by kamisado 

The scars across his body mark a treasure map of mistakes. Tiny shrapnel scars and rosy-red roadrash, a lifetime of being thrown to the ground by Academy training and the real world. The ivory line tracing across his jaw, almost invisible. The tattoos and the traintracks, the pockmarked puncture wounds scattered like a horrifying constellation across his body.

He’s so tired.

[a klaus s1 character study]

Words: 3,801 Chapters: 1/1 Status: Complete

By The Firelight by keatches @klauzoleum

They share a long look, their lips still tilted in small, secret smiles.

“I’m Dave.” He extends an open palm, skin callous but inviting. Klaus reciprocates with a clap of his own hand against his.

“Klaus.” He tilts forward as the bus jolts, trundling them away to disaster. The briefcase knocks against the heel of his boot, but Klaus absentmindedly nudges it aside.

The five significant times Klaus spoke to Dave. The one time he never will again.

Or, how they fell in love.

Words: 14,681 Chapters: 6/6 Status: Complete

in midnights, in cups of coffee by klausgraves

Dave is just trying to keep his bookstore open, and the stoned hottie that keeps wandering in and talking at the air really, really isn't helping.

Words: 7,316 Chapters: 3/? Status: WIP 

Sehnsucht by KimbaSprite @pokemonmasterkimba

Day 26: Longing

What was supposed to be a casual night out takes a turn for the weird when Dave encounters a mysterious stranger stranded on the beach. His sister keeps telling him he needs to meet new people and make connections, so why not with Klaus? Even if he is so attractive that Dave feels he may get sick from nerves alone.

-

“Hey, my eyes are up here. Careful, or you may get lost in them.“ He looks into Klaus’s eyes as instructed and hmm. Yeah, wow.

Klaus bites his lip in a way that is definitely attractive, and Dave wonders if he realizes what he’s doing to him. Probably. Probably. Klaus seems like the kind of person who knows just how powerful they are.

All at once Dave finds himself sympathizing with old-timey sailors; he could see himself risk drowning just for the chance to exist in the same space as Klaus.

Words: 8,585 Chapter: 1/1 Status: Complete

I'll Never Let Them Hurt You (I Promise) by LaceratedLullabies

But whatever apocalyptic future Dave found himself in couldn’t be worse than the present. His world had already ended. - On February 21st 1968, Klaus Hargreeves dies in Vietnam. A heartbroken Dave follows his last connection to the man he loves: a time-travelling briefcase. 50 years out of time, Dave has to deal with a changed world, his aborted grief and a tortured Klaus who doesn't know him yet. Oh, and the impending apocalypse.

Words: 13,851 Chapters:7/? Status: WIP

I Will Follow You by lostonthisisland @distilledspirit

After Dave's death on the front lines of the Vietnam War he's pulled through time to witness important points in Klaus' life.

Was going for a 5+1 format, but it's a bit looser than that. So, in other words, 5 times Dave sees Klaus and 1 time Klaus sees Dave.

Words: 6,693 Chapters: 2/2 Status: Complete

i get down on my knees and pretend to pray by marinersapptcomplex @wavesknowshoress

He was quiet, for once, standing silent and breathing in the air around him. There were tears in his eyes.

Words: 2,044 Chapters: 1/1  Status: Complete

Soulmates by Meilena

"Klaus was twelve, as high as a kite, and in fact, did know why his soulmark looked so thin and light."

Everyone has a soulmark, which is where the name of their soulmate resides on the skin of their left forearm. Klaus has one too, only his is a little different.

Words: 853 Chapters: 1/1 Status: Complete

(Feels Like) Heaven by Melivian @melivian

When Klaus wakes up in the afterlife, he can't believe his luck.  Somehow, despite his checkered past and wobbly moral compass, he's made it into the Good Place, where he'll spend eternity with his dream soulmate in a dream neighbourhood.

Only there are two problems. The first is that he's pretty sure the architect of this neighbourhood has the wrong person. And if she catches on that Klaus doesn't belong with all the heroes and philanthropists here, he'll be sent to the Bad Place.

The second is that for the residents, this dream is starting to feel a lot like a nightmare...

Part 1 of the I slithered here from Eden just to sit outside your door series

Words: 23,496 Chapters: 5/28 Status: WIP

Hello, Goodbye by michaelfalls

His eyes stare where Klaus can’t see. His soul goes where Klaus can’t follow.

Words: 2438 Chapters: 1/1 Status: Complete

come on, baby by myeyesarenotblue @myeyesarenotblue

“Dave, my sister has powers,” Klaus says, matter of factly, bobbing his head up and down, “She’s had powers this whole time but my asshole father decided she was too-” and he looks down at the notebook, does finger quotes with one hand, “- 'uncontrollable' and 'dangerous’ to use them.”  

“Powers?”  

“Yeah.”  

“As in- superpowers? ”  

“Yeah,” Klaus says, and then- “I have to tell her," and then- "Wanna come with?"

Words: 5,081 Chapters: 1/1 Status: Complete

your fingers weave quick minarets by nerdsandthelike @nerdsandthelike

According to Five, they have an apocalypse to stop in the future and here Klaus is fifty years too early trying to get in the pants of some probably straight GI who Ben keeps reminding him looks like Luther before the protein shakes. Because he’s not Allison, Klaus decides to put that particular observation waaaaaayyy to the side.

Words: 6,615 Chapters: 1/1 Status: Complete

My Heart Is Playing Hide-And-Seek (Wait And Count To Four) by nessbess (orphan_account)

Klaus had spent what felt like a lifetime searching for Dave after he died in 1968. But Dave found him first, long before that. Klaus was five years old the first time he appeared.

Words: 11,908 Chapters: 8/? Status: WIP 

Five and Dave's Life Changing (Life Saving) Field Trip by neuronary

The little boy, who Dave could now see was not as little as he’d first thought, shoved a tin mug at him. “Drink this.”

Dave drank. It tasted sickly sweet and slightly citrus-y. “Who are you?”

“Five.” The boy’s scowl deepened at Dave’s confusion. “Klaus’ brother.”

Or, Five saves Dave's life to stop Klaus from moping. From Dave's perspective, a very grouchy, sleep-deprived twelve-year-old kidnaps him and he finds it much more entertaining than he should.

Inspired by Lyviel's 'Fixes to the Timeline'

Words: 1,728 Chapters: 1/1 Status: Complete

breathy on the bits by Nucci @maundering-marauder

“So Fivey, tired of the school boy chic?” Klaus asked with a manic grin, “Because do I have so many ideas for you.”

“As long as it’s warm, I don’t really care.”

“Warm, check” Klaus noted, miming checking a box with his finger, “Any other demands?”

“No sequins,” Five replied and blipped out of the room.

---

Or, Five’s tired of wearing the Academy uniform and Klaus offers to help. As is wont to do with the Hargreeves, emotions and miscommunication ensues.

Words: 8,702 Chapters: 1/1 Status: Complete

The Collision of Your Kiss by orphan_account

Klaus spends ten months in Vietnam.

Dave is why.

Words: 4,505 Chapters: 1/1 Status: discontinued

pieces (skin to bone) by orphan_account

The first time Klaus dies, he is thirteen. He dies again at seventeen, eighteen, twenty-four. By his fifth death, he has resigned himself to the blackness that awaits him. Not that he much cares: anything would be better than this, even blissful oblivion, even floating in blackness until his mind decays, and, like Five, he starts seeing people where there aren’t there, falling in love with a mannequin or a fleck of dust in his eye.

-

Dave won't come to Klaus, so Klaus decides to go to him.

Words: 2,128 Chapters: 1/1 Status: Complete

in the mountain of the crouching beast by patrocluus

Dave catches his eye later, when they’re sitting next to each other in the bumpy truck, men jostling into each other on all sides; the corner of his mouth quirks up a little, just enough to make Klaus’ heart jump in his chest. He doesn’t remember the last time someone looked at him like that: like they have a secret to share, and that secret is the most important thing in the world, even if that world seems to be ending around them.

Or: It's 1968, and deep in the A Shau Valley, Vietnam, Klaus meets a man who feels like home.

Words: 8,203 Chapters: 1/1 Status: Complete

in the january rain by phcbosz

And all Klaus has left to prove that any of it happened and wasn’t just one fucked up dream is a pair of bloody dog tags, a tattoo on his arm, and the taste of ash sticking to the roof of his mouth.

Words: 5,226 Chapters: 1/1 Status: Complete

Dancing to the Rhythm of a Different Drum by PlaneJane

Klaus escapes from one terror, and finds himself in another: the A Shau Valley, Vietnam, 1968.

"They kissed at midnight, breath heavy with liquor, the first brush of Dave’s lips making Klaus weak at the knees. Giddy at the gentle way Dave took his face in his hands, like Klaus was something precious."

My Klaus and Dave backstory, because the show didn't give me enough.

Words: 1,498 Chapters: 1/1 Status: Complete

His name was Dave by punkspiders

Klaus reflects back upon his time both in the Vietnam War, and with the man he loved more than himself.

Words: 1,654 Chapters: 1/1 Status: Complete

How Not To Propose by RhubarbDuck

His life follows a monotonous routine: wake up, smoke, go to the same shitty grocery store, space out for eight hours and occasionally stock shelves, more drugs, rinse, and repeat.

His life was, at some point, a little more exciting (if exciting meant going on a week-long bender and waking up in a cell with the worst headache he ever experienced). After a couple weeks in jail and the threat of a rehab that he could never attend, he met Dave. Honestly, Klaus couldn’t remember his life before Dave. Dave was kind and understanding and way too put together to be with a fuck up like Klaus, but for whatever reason he seems to love Klaus- or at least he tells him so twice a day.

Or

American Ultra AU

Words: 19,824 Chapters: 5/? Status: WIP

The Moments We Had by RosyPages @thesevenumbrellas

A series of moments between Dave and Klaus as they fall in love during the war.

Words: 2,044 Chapters: 3/8 Status: WIP

In the Dark by runrarebit

So they're back in the past, they're thirteen again, Ben is alive, Vanya doesn't remember, her siblings are suddenly treating her differently, better, and all of a sudden she and Klaus are bonding- Klaus who is still trying to be clean and sober- except things are never easy, are they? There’s their father to contend with, once more alive and at the height of his power over them, and there’s secrets, always secrets, always in danger of getting out, and after their father decides that a clean and sober Klaus is a Klaus that can resume his training Reginald Hargreeves just might not be the scariest man walking the halls of the Umbrella Academy- even if only one person can see him.

The thing about Klaus is that, even trapped, in the dark, he is never alone. Never alone. Never. And the past he's been running from ever since he was a small child might just now be something he can’t escape from.

Words: 61,243 Chapters: 18/18 Status: Hitaus

well, the clock says it's time to close now by rythyme (pugglemuggle)

The first time Klaus falls in love, it's in the middle of a war. Fate really does enjoy cruel irony.

Or, a series of vignettes from the ten months Klaus and Dave spent together in Vietnam.

Words: 3,788 Chapters: 1/1 Status: Complete

Fancy Seeing You Here by Saccha @sacchariwrites

Dave miraculously survives being shot in the chest, and is present when Klaus gets in a fight at that vets bar.

Written for EnKlave Fest.

Words: 1,891 Chapters: 1/1 Status: Complete

Valentine’s Day in Vietnam by salvador-daley @salvador-daley

A hungover Klaus awakes after a night in the arms of a young man from Dallas

Words: 1.7k Chapters: 1/1 Status: Complete

In the Dark of the Night by sassmaster_tiresias @i-will-fong-you

The flashlight is still on, peeking out between the folds in Dave’s comforter, and Dave remembers how frantic Klaus had been to turn it on.

He remembers how he couldn’t even really see Klaus when he’d first woken up, his beautiful face obscured by the darkness. Then, he remembers the Christmas lights in Klaus’ room—strung in a haphazard zig-zag up the wall beside his bed, the soft glow that was present every time Dave had been in that room.

“The lights,” he says.

Words: 2,437 Chapters: 1/1 Status: Complete

War is Hell by sauropod @occult-criticality

Klaus' hands were still filthy with dried blood and muck as he fumbled at the clasps, the combination lock on the top. Desperate, blind hope had his heart going a mile a minute. The dial still read that seemingly random set of numbers it had the first time he opened it on the bus, what felt like a lifetime ago.

0213-18-02-1967

“Please.” Klaus choked. “Please work.” He opened the briefcase.

Words: 80,813 Chapters: 21/? Status: WIP

New and Familiar by Snabby

If you told Dave a year ago that he had a loving (if a bit crazy) boyfriend, in a relationship which he didn’t have to hide, he wouldn’t have believed you. Although that thought isn’t as crazy in comparison to being in the future and the fact that his boyfriend, can not only see ghosts but was raised in a crazy cult-like superhero family.

In Dave’s opinion, the oddest thing out of the whole family is Five

So he was a little shocked and confused when Five popped in front of him.

“I need you to get a decent fucking cup of coffee” shoving his little finger in Dave’s face

----------

Or Klaus and Dave pretend to be Five's parents so the poor little dude can get coffee

Words: 1967 Chapters: 1/1 Status: Complete

It's a Piece of Cake to Bake a Pretty Cake by StardustInYourEyes

Prompt: Flour fight in the kitchen Klaus and Dave's attempt at making a cake

Words: 2,535 Chapters: 1/1 Status: Complete

i just wish that you were here, now by sapphictomaz

Immediately after the Season One finale, Klaus finds himself back in 1968, and is forced to so some soul-searching while dealing with the rest of his siblings and the memories he has of Dave from the first time around.

Title from "Wish You Were Here" by Marianas Trench.

Words: 4,055 Chapters: 1/1 Status: Complete

face to face (and a thousand miles apart) by shadowlancer_95 @shadowsofmoonracer

His strides were long, and shaky as he stumbled through the darkness, relying on the barest threads of memory to Allison’s house. The cut on his lip stung in the cold night air, his throbbing cheekbone a mere shadow of the agony in the hollow cavity where his heart used to be.

Or,

Klaus, after his second (and most disastrous) meeting with Dave.

Words: 1,799 Chapters: 1/1 Status: Complete

i wore his jacket for the longest time by sharkhette

So, maybe Klaus wasn’t in his right frame of mind. Maybe he hadn’t been for a long time. But Dave was dead, and that meant Klaus should be able to conjure him, one way or another. The traditional method of cleaning up his act and sitting around to wait hadn’t worked, so it was time to get imaginative.

Klaus just wants to see Dave again, and he's willing to do whatever it takes to make that happen, no matter the cost. Includes conversations with Ben, Diego, God, a surly preacher, and gratuitous references to certain MCR songs.

Words: 7,252 Chapters: 1/1 Status: Complete

His oxygen belongs to Death by Sophiethegeek

He can almost taste their bloodlust on his tongue, feel their rage heavy in his breastbone. They’re bad today, and it’s safe to say he’s having a very bad day as a result. Each swipe is sending icy pain across his skin, making him shiver. God, he’s cold.

He closes his eyes, pretending not to hear the faint roar of the snarling, crying, screeching mass around him. Why did he think sobriety was a good idea? Christ on a cracker, this fucking sucked.

Or: After hopping around time, and returning to the day of the apocalypse that never was, Klaus falls apart slowly, then all at once.

Words: 91,661 Chapters: 8/? Status: WIP

Love You, Sugar by spaceysev

There’s a reason Klaus can’t listen to Total Eclipse of the Heart anymore, and it’s got everything to do with the only man who was ever allowed to call him Sugar.

Words: 3,828 Chapters: 1/1 Status: Complete

musical preference by sourcheeks

“Of course you don’t like country.”

“I never said that,” Klaus replied diplomatically, even though it was true.

Words: 227 Chapters: 1/1 Status: Complete

Wings of Feathers and Wax by TerezFox8989

A look at the morning after their first time.

Hell, he always considered it a personal victory if he could put a name to a face after, which had suited him just fine. Sex had always had a means to an end, he used and was used; drugs, food, sleep, alcohol. But never this...not mornings after wrapped up in each other talking about family.

Words: 1,534 Chapters: 1/1 Status: Complete

One Night in Saigon by terracotta_heartbreak

They're drunk, they're in a Saigon Hotel, and Klaus is smoking on the bed, but that's nothing new. But it's such an odd thing to be alone together, that doe-eyed strange man who never made sense here, and the soldier who'd fallen for him, for all those eccentricities. How are you meant to make sense of each other in the 60s, in that musky haze of war, drugs and the sounds of political blues rock?

Words: 2,011 Chapters: 1/1 Status: Complete

Just One in Thousands by TheArchaeologist @ancientstone

Take the idea that Five is followed by all his victims from his time at the Commission, and take the idea that Five is responsible for Dave’s death, and what do you get?

Pain.

Pain is what you get.

Words: 1,351 Chapters: 1/1 Status: Complete

Dancing with a Ghost by TheBestofEverything

"Would you like to share this dance with me?" Dave asked quietly.

"I'd love to," Klaus smiled as he took Dave's hand in his.

(Klaus is finally sober, and he conjures Dave.)

Words: 664 Chapters: 1/1 Status: Complete

Bad Enough for You by thehoundisdead

Dave can be bad. He doesn’t want to be but he can. He wants to spoon Klaus; to gather him up tight enough against his chest to hold all of his pieces together, to let him relax for once. He wants to take a bath with him and shampoo his hair and make him breakfast in bed and wrap him up in his softest blanket. But that’s not what Klaus wants, at least not yet. Dave has a strong suspicion that Klaus has never been treated softly by a partner. So, bad boy.

based on the song bad enough for you by all time low

Words: 8,757 Chapters: 1/1 Status: Complete

The Way Light Swallows Shadows by TheSevenUmbrellas (RosyPages) @thesevenumbrellas

Dave is a vampire hunter who has never hunted a vampire in his life. Klaus is a vampire made for a war that ended before he was even born. When ten years of peace are put at risk after the death of a hunter, they’re both faced with the possibility that maybe the war isn’t over after all. Separated from their respective sides, Dave and Klaus have no other option but to depend on each other to get home before a war can tear their lives apart.

Words: 5,932 Chapters: 2/24 Status: WIP

Tag, You're It by totallyevan @totallyevan

Dating in Vietnam was never easy. Klaus and Dave have to watch out for everything, but thankfully they know their way around the system. Things escalate quickly and the only witness is the moon.

Words: 11,116 Chapters: 1/1 Status: Complete

something so magic about you (so tragic about you) by Tremble

Snippets of their live in Vietnam or Dave slowly finding out that Klaus is nowhere near ordinary. --- This was originally suppose to be a 5+1 thing, but uh that didn't happen. oops

Words: 6,625 Chapters: 1/1 Status: Complete

21.02.1960 by Uglyfrogboi

It was funny how time worked, how it was both only a couple of weeks ago yet it was also exactly nine years in the future. Why is he mourning a day that hasn’t technically happened yet? It’s a simple answer really, that was the day he thinks he last felt anything other than that horrible, thick, smothering, emptiness that seems to follow him around. Today, nine years from now, is the day that his world ended.

<>

How Klaus deals with being dropped in the past, ten days before the anniversary of Dave's death.

Words: 3494 Chapters: 1/1 Status: Complete

you're getting on my (optic) nerves by untrustworthyglitch 

Klaus Hargreeves is many things. He's a former child superhero, an estranged brother, a drug addict, a frequent flyer at the local rehab facility. He can talk to the dead and never seems to die and loves a good thunderstorm.

He's also blind, but he wasn't always.

Part 1 of the blind!klaus (hazy, but hopeful) series

Words: 6,375 Chapters: 1/1 Status: Complete

Scarlet Song by UrsaCentum(phantomviola) @flecket

Klaus isn’t a big fan of Hell.

drabble written for TUA AUgust 2021 Day 25: Angel/Demon

Part 6 of the Ursa's AUgust Fills 2021 series

Words: 100 Chapters: 1/1 Status: Complete

never felt so high (think i'm coming down) by wewhofightmonsters

“Dave,” he whispers, and he leans down to press a kiss, light as a summer breeze, to Dave’s forehead, “Dave, I’m a fucking idiot. I love you back. I love you back.” And as he says it, he knows it to be true, and that small, closed up part of him that has languished in the dark and the constant haze of drugs, unfurls and stretches out towards the light. “I love you back,” he says again, in wonder.

(Klaus and Dave, and second chances)

Words: 24,536 Chapters: 8/? Status: WIP

Curl Conditioner by wormbcy @nastyworm

Klaus tidies up his supplies and puts it all back in the cabinet, and then hums to himself in thought.

"Hey Dave, space for another in there?"

Words: 6,524 Chapters: 1/1 Status: Complete

would it be enough (if I could never give you peace) by ZJpotter

The Hargreeves' and their sixties love. 

Chapter 2: Klaus, bugs, and the definiton of home. 

Words: 2,909 Chapters: 2/2  Status: Complete

[winterhawk-olympic-bang]

How To Edit Your Writing

Guest Poster: Chronicwhimsy

Here is our final Writer Workshop post, written by Chronicwhimsy. Have a read and then head over to the Discord Server where we have a channel for you to take part in a discussion based on the post, with chances to share your own ideas too.

Editing: a drive-by guide

Hi, my name is Claire, and I’m an editor.

(Hi Claire)

I’ve been asked to give a quick guide on tips for editing your stories, as I’ve been a beta/editor for various fanfic writers over the years. I’m a professional editor, working for a publishing house in the UK, and I offer independent freelance editing too, via my website. I’ll be on the Discord server answering questions this evening, but I’m also happy to chat to people either through my website or even if you wanted to drop me a line on tumblr.

The key thing to remember about editing is that the end goal is to make your story the best it can be, and make sure your initial idea comes across as clearly and purely as you first imagined it. It’s about ensuring that the lines of communication between you and your reader are 100% open.

To do that, you need to have finished your story, because you can’t fix something that doesn’t exist.

Then you edit.

What now?

So, you’ve finished your Winterhawk Olympic Bang Fic, and you’re wondering what to do next?

The very first, and most important thing you should do? Celebrate. I mean congratulate the hell out of yourself, pat yourself on the back, and have some cake. Finishing stories is hard. Getting through a first draft is one of the trickiest parts of writing, so you should be proud of yourself, and proud of your story.

Because in a short while, editing is going to make you hate both.

I mean that in the nicest possible way of course, but you absolutely are going to be thoroughly sick of this whole thing by the time you’re done, and you’re going to question everything you’ve ever written. You’re going to get a close-up view of all your narrative bad habits which will make you think you’ve never had any skill at all, and you’re going to re-read your work so many times that it’ll feel trite, old, uninspired. This is normal and it is your brain lying to you. If you remember nothing else, remember that!

“The writing itself is no big deal. The editing, and even more than that, the self-doubt, is excruciatingly impossible.” Jonathan Safran Foer

Don’t lose faith! Editors and editing exist for a reason, no first draft is perfect. You’ve done something amazing in finishing, and now you’re going to make it incredible.

Before You Start - Take a Break

You know the phrase “can’t see the wood for the trees”? It could just as easily be “can’t see the story for the words.” It’s never recommended to go straight into editing as soon as you finish writing, and part of the reason for that is because you’re too deep in the story to be able to assess it objectively, or to catch things that are missed out because you know they’re there, but the reader wouldn’t.

“Once it's done, put it away until you can read it with new eyes. When you're ready, pick it up and read it, as if you've never read it before.” Neil Gaiman

Most writers and editors advocate putting a story away for a month or so before returning to edit, so you’re looking at it with fresh eyes. Obviously, with a Big Bang (or other fic event) this sort of time is usually at a premium! Try and make as much space as you can while still leaving yourself time to edit.

If you really don’t have any time, one trick that can help is changing your location. If you write in your room, can you relocate to your kitchen? Or a café (if you can safely)? Could you print it out? (Printing Top Tip: if you do print it, try and do it double-spaced - this makes it easier on the eyes, and gives you room to make notes. Also, serif fonts can often be easier to read than sans serif fonts, as it gives stronger distinctions between different letters.)

The Filter System

I like to think of the editing process as a series of different filters which, when used one after the other, produce a finely-sieved finished product. Each filter stage has slightly smaller holes than the one before it, as you look increasingly closely at your work.

Filter 1: Structural editing

Does the story make sense? Is the pace okay? Do all the scenes work where they are, or would they be better elsewhere? Do some scenes need to be there at all? Is the characterisation consistent? Does anyone change names halfway through? Did you forget what time of year it was set halfway through?

Filter 2: Line editing

Is this phrase as tight as it could be? Have you repeated yourself anywhere? Does this sentence add anything or does it throw the pace off? Have you gone overboard with adjectives and similes? Have you been too sparse with them?

Filter 3: Copy editing

Is your style consistent? Did you start writing in present tense and switch to past tense? Could this scene transition be snappier? Are there any bits that you want to tidy up? Have you left any half-finished sentences because you got distracted before you could end it?

Filter 4: Proofreading

Is everything spelled correctly? Have you caught all the strange grammar mistakes?

Some of these things might be picked up by your beta reader if you have one. Different beta readers have different styles, and also they will work based on their relationship with you and what you prefer. Some may stick to proofreading and consistency-checking, others may be more confident to dive right in and look at structure, pacing and characterisation. Some may work through the process with you as you write, others may only look at the story when it’s complete so they can get a full overview. There is no right or wrong answer, and having a conversation with your beta about your respective styles at the start can help you work better together!

Filter 1 - Structural Editing

For this stage, you want to read your whole story through from start to finish, and resist the urge to tweak anything to begin with! You will want a way of making notes as you go through because as you do, you’ll make yourself a cheat-sheet to help you with your line edit. Things to keep track of:

Character name spellings

Character ages

Character relationships (drawing a relationship web can be very helpful to visualise this!)

The time span of the story - the date it starts, the date it ends.

As a subset of this, I find it can be very helpful to set up a spreadsheet with a timeline of what happens in the story, and who is involved. Doing this both chronologically for the characters and in order of how it happens in the story can help you keep track of what characters know when, and also when the readers find out certain information. You might have one of these from when you were planning your story (as detailed in Sara Holmes’ workshop). If you’ve kept it up to date with changes to the plot and structure as you’ve written, this will be super helpful.

At this stage, you’re looking to see if everything works as a consistent story. You want to check to see if it feels like it’s the right pace, or if there are bits where it drags or rushes through the action. Why is this? Are there scenes which aren’t adding anything to the progress? Could they just be referred to in passing, or removed entirely without impacting the story? Are there other scenes which need to be added to provide more detail and growth? Is there anything that you as a writer know that is essential to the story, but you forgot to actually put in the text?

“Crafty writers...don't allow Exposition to form Lumps. They break up the information, grind it fine, and make it into bricks to build the story with.” Ursula K. Le Guin

You’re also looking to see if the characters feel true to themselves all the way through. Do the relationships spark? Do they sound like themselves? Can you hear them in your head?

Some people recommend doing several structural edits, with a different focus each time. One pass to look at the pacing, one pass to look at the characters, one to look at the story arc. You’ll work out what floats your boat, but you will be re-reading this story a lot of times before you’re done editing - which is why it’s very important to write what you love and want to read! You’ll go through many stages of hating this story before you let it go, and that will be even harder if it wasn’t something you enjoyed in the first place.

Filter 2 - Line Editing

So you remember I told you to make all those notes during your structural edit? Here’s where you’re going to use them. Now’s the time to go through your story line by line and check that the details in your cheat sheet are correct all the way through the story. I’ve written a novel that I initially set in November, but by the time I finished it, I’d decided it was taking place in early May. I had to go back and fix all the dates and weather descriptions to make sure the action hadn’t actually been yeeted forward six months spontaneously in the middle of a conversation.

Arguably, the line edit will be the most painful part of editing. At this stage, you will be taking a fine-tooth comb to everything you have written, examining it to within an inch of its life, and casting judgement. You’re going to find every stylistic tic you have (for me, everyone is constantly quirking their eyebrows and smirking like they’ve got cramp in their facial muscles), and you’re going to get rid of them (a person only has so many eyebrows, and they can only quirk so far). Now is the time to kill your darlings - don’t hang on to anything unless you feel it’s really doing a job to further the story and the characters.

“Kill your darlings, kill your darlings, even when it breaks your egocentric little scribbler's heart, kill your darlings.” Stephen King

If you have ever worried about the unbearable sensation of being Known, the line edit is where you will experience that with every word, and you’ll be doing it to yourself. This is when the doubts will really start to creep in and you will maybe feel like everything you write is unoriginal, derivative trash and unfit for human eyes.

Here I’ll reiterate what I said above:

This is a normal feeling, everyone experiences it when editing. E V E R Y O N E.

It’s a lie. No-one else will ever read your story in this state, no-one else will ever read your story this closely. Of course it feels obvious and uninspired to you - you wrote it. It’s your idea, and you’ve read it several times, it holds no surprises for you. (I may be projecting my feelings from every time I’ve edited something here, but…)

You’ll also be catching any ELEPHANTS or whatever your mammal of choice for placeholder text is that you’ve stationed throughout the story as a flag for you to come back and add in a name, or a food, or a song title later. You know, the things you decided were a problem for Future!You. I have bad news, the future is now.

Top Tip: if you have changed someone’s name halfway through, DON’T for the love of Mike, just do a straight find and replace to correct it. Because that’s when you suddenly find out how many other words actually contain names (Mark became Bill? That’s great, until your characters are going to the superBillet to buy groceries). Some word processing programmes have a “whole word” option which is your friend, otherwise ensure to put spaces either side of the word when you search. If you don’t, you’ve just made another horrible job for yourself...

Filter 3 - Copy Editing

Once you’ve made it out the other side of the Line Edit (and given yourself a nice treat to congratulate yourself because that stage is HARD), we get onto copy editing. This is basically the set-dressing stage. You’ve built the house, you’ve decorated the room, and now you’re just making sure every bit of furniture is in the right place for optimal feng shui.

Here’s where you go through and go, do I really need a dash here, or could I just use a comma? Could I use fewer commas? Could I go in and move all of @kangofu_cb’s commas around because I’m the sort of person who will come into your house and change how you hang your toilet paper or where you keep your ketchup.

Now is the time to be as picky as possible, like you’re an interior designer for the most demanding client in the world and the ornament must be exactly equidistant from both ends of the mantlepiece and facing precisely south-west. Things that may have just survived your line edit will be measured again, and if they’re found wanting, then they get binned.

“Substitute ‘damn’ every time you’re inclined to write ‘very’; your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be.” Mark Twain

Another thing you might like to do here is check that all your features and things are correct. Did you make a wild claim about the lifecycle of salamanders, or the average price of corn and then never go back to verify this? Take a second to just do that now. It may be that you decide it’s not a problem (I received one copy edit note saying that an idiom used in a book wasn’t recorded until 200 years later, and I made the editorial decision that no-one would care), but for bigger things you may want to make sure you’re accurate.

If you google it (as I just did, to make sure I was definitely giving you the right information), copy editing is often conflated with line editing, and that’s because in reality a lot of the elements of copy editing actually wouldn’t usually be done by the author, and are probably irrelevant to fanfic. The copy editor is responsible for ensuring the book has a consistent grammatical style in line with the preferences of the publisher (em-dash or en-dash, curly quote marks or straight ones, how you deal with acronyms, what needs to be italicised, etc. etc.), which isn’t necessarily required for fanfic. In reality, for fanfic I’d use this stage as a second, lighter line-edit to see where things can be tightened up in phrasing, as well as perhaps a preliminary proofread where you start to mark up any spelling errors.

Filter 4 - Proofreading

By this stage, you’ll be exhausted, and sick to death of the blasted thing. But the end is in sight! Now you’re onto the proofread. This is another close read, where you go through and check for spelling errors, typos, missing full stops, strange formatting stuff (which probably will be less of an issue as AO3 basically makes everything uniform anyway).

Before you even start this, change your font.

We’ve all been there, thought we’d caught every spelling error, every weird typo, only to spot six immediately after posting. That’s because after a certain point our brain becomes used to the font we’ve written in, and will automatically correct things that aren’t right. AO3 has its own unique formatting - colour, spacing, font - and the minute your fic appears on there in this new format you brain wakes up and is like “oh shit, yeah, that’s not how it should be.”

By changing the font before you proofread, you preempt this step.

Another thing to remember: it’s unlikely you will ever catch every mistake. Published books regularly go out with a smattering of typographical errors throughout the text - how many first editions of books are valuable because of misspellings that slipped through the net? You’re only human.

“Connie's other job was proof-editing which she did very badly. Transferring the author's corrections to a clean sheet of proofs was something Connie was unable to do without missing an average of three corrections a page, or transcribing newly inserted material all wrong... she put angry authors' letters about the mutilation of their books under the cushion of her chair to deal with later.” Muriel Spark, A Far Cry from Kensington

Often, spelling errors and things you would look for in a proofread are things that a beta reader will pick up as they go, as they’re the easiest things to spot, but it’s also worth looking over yourself for anything your beta might have missed.

Whether you decide to follow any or all of these steps, always do the proofread last.There is no point carefully spellchecking a chapter you are then going to delete, or proofreading the whole thing, but adding loads of new paragraphs later that either don’t get looked at or mean you end up having to proofread twice. That’s the only hard and fast rule when it comes to editing, and it will save you a lot of unnecessary work!

FREEDOM

And then, finally, unbelievably - you’re done. Your literary child is ready to leave the nest. Resist the urge to keep re-reading and tweaking. Instead, click “publish” and give yourself a nice little treat. You’ve earned it.

Miscellany and Disclaimers

These editing stages are ones that would be applied to a published novel. An author would probably do this several times - once on their own to get it ready for submission, then perhaps again with their agent, but the really heavy work would be done with their editor. The structural edit would be done under the advice of an agent or editor where the author looks at their comments, rejigs things accordingly, and lather, rinse, repeat until everyone’s happy. The editor would undertake the line edit, and the author would decide what they wanted to keep or change. The copy edit and proofread would be done in-house or sent to freelancers, with queries and changes wafted past the author for clarification or approval.

Self-published authors will often hire freelancers to help at various stages to get feedback and advice.

Very rarely would an author go from draft to final published piece by doing all their editing alone. Because it’s hard fucking work, and because your brain will get exhausted.

In light of that, you need to remember:

You’ve written a fanfic

The editorial standards of fanfic are significantly less stringent than published books

Editing by yourself is really hard work that many people are often paid to do for published books

No-one is paying you for your fanfic

Fanfic is supposed to be fun

Some published authors will edit and rewrite and edit and rewrite again and again. At a panel I attended, Joanne Harris said that if she didn’t rewrite her work at least five times she was being too easy on herself, while Joe Hill said he usually aimed for three rewrites - Joe edited as he went along, going over the previous day’s pages before continuing, where Joanne completed her manuscripts before editing. Elizabeth May has talked about her stages of drafting, starting with her Trash Draft, then her Clean Draft, and then rewriting and editing after that.

These are people who are writing professionally, getting paid for their work, and so the time they put in has monetary results. If you want to write original fiction, their advice is extremely valuable.

For fanfiction, it’s a large time investment for something you’re doing as a hobby for free. If I’m strictly honest, I’m fairly lax with my fanfiction editing. I do structural discussions and tweaks with my beta reader as I write, and then a spell check. I’m also aware that my fanfics aren’t narratively complex, nor do they seem as polished, rich and deep as some of the other works out there. That’s fine by me. You simply need to find the level you’re happy at, where you can still feel proud of your work but you’re enjoying the experience.

In the end - it’s all for fun!

Resources:

Online

Curtis Brown Creative: An Editor’s Guide to Editing Your Novel

Joanne Harris: Ten Tweets About Editing

Joanne Harris: Writing Resources

NerdsLikeMe: Beta Reading vs Proofreading vs Editing

Books

Stephen King - On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

Ursula K. Le Guin - Steering the Craft: Exercises and Discussions on Story Writing for the Lone Navigator or the Mutinous Crew

[protectgeorgeweasley]

Drafting Update

The chapter is still in the works.

I thought I should probably share a bit more information to explain what's gone wrong with my writing pacing this holiday season.

Without going too into detail, there's been some stuff with family, and in between being there for my own band of "Weasleys," I've been dedicating an awful lot of time for writing. Which I love. But, which I also haven't had a proper break to breathe from in over a month.

Completing most of Mollywobbles was a significant feat, and when I was through, I felt a bit like I'd run a marathon. Happy. Exhausted. Really exhausted. Dazed.

I know myself, and I knew at that point that I really ought to take a break. But I wanted to get the next Lumos chapter out because I know that people have been waiting to see what happens with Bill, and it'd been far longer than intended with all the connectivity trouble and unexpected roadblocks that accompany life.

So, I did a dumb thing.

I ignored that little instinct, and told myself that I could scrape through the next chapter.

"It will practically write itself," I thought.

No.

Chapters do not, in fact, write themselves. They never have. Even when I so thoroughly lose myself in them that I forget my own name.

The content in this chapter is complicated, too. [No spoilers, but there are many lego pieces that I'm sorting.]

I've planned these story developments for ages, but I've found that physically writing them has been far harder this time because I'm just...tired. I still adore the writing process, but it's taking me longer. Words seem more plastic and lifeless.

Have you ever felt like you've used every word in the English lexicon, and also a good number of made up ones, in every possible combination? I'm combing through my thesauruses, doing my word hunts, watching the way everyone moves and walks in the world around me like some sort of people scientist, but--well--

I'm tired.

I am aching for a week straight where I don't look at the computer, and just soak in the holiday time. I am frustrated that the creative process is dragging so long. I'm bemused at my own, predictable reaction to an obvious set of parameters. Overwork yourself, and you will get tired. Obviously.

I do not often talk at length about the emotional labor of writing, and that's because 1.) Lumos is intended to be a place of escape, and I never, ever want people to feel poorly about the workload I distribute to myself. I am a grown adult, and I make my own decisions on that. I started writing Lumos because I needed it. I share it because maybe sometimes other people find it comforting, too. 2.) Emotional labor is a loaded term that sometimes implies unequally distributed work. But sometimes work is lovely. Sometimes work leaves you with a satisfied, exhausted glow in your chest because you've tried hard and done something and loved it. 3.) I'm incredibly shy and socially anxious.

Some people will read this and say, "You should take a break now, then." But Treesap-brain doesn't quite work that way, and a break before I meet my goal will not sit comfortably. It will not be a break, truly.

But I wanted to explain that this is why things have slowed down this month. There's a definitive reason, and I'm doing my best to work in harmony with it. I will also be quite careful to assign myself some intentional, restorative rest time after this chapter.

TLDR: For now, know that the next chapter is on its way--later than planned, but still happening. I'm drafting the last third of it now, and then we only have editing left.