#WIP: Powerless Trap

[ulfrsmal]

Seven Sentence WIP Tag Game

I was tagged by the lovely @vveissesfleisch (I love the new url!) to post 7 sentences from a current WIP. Thank you for tagging me! Here's something I wrote literally nine (9) years ago and that I will finish and edit this year because I never finished that damned sex scene...

Oh, I should mention this is for the videogame Prototype, and it is... not my best lmao, but I'm still proud of it for some reason!

When he first felt the pain, he did not quite know what was wrong; only that he had to get away from Cross as fast as he could and, possibly, never cross the man again. Fuck, even that last name said it all! You don’t want to piss off a living weaponry expert who kept more than five types of them all over his tall, muscular body; and even if you do walk across him, you might as well pray that it’s just that one time. Alex Mercer sighed, leaning against the wall on a dark corridor between two high buildings, slightly away from the Hive where the soldier had forcefully put the injection on him. He was in real pain now, almost as if his limbs were about to disintegrate, but with a loud bang and a colourful explosion of red and black instead of a fade-to-nothing effect, which, come to think about it, would be more dramatic. The young man sighed, right arm falling limply at his side, while clutching the elbow with his other hand, head low and almost grunting in sheer despair. He knew too well that he had escaped by the thinnest chance he had ever seen or had, but hey, he was alive for now.

No Pressure Tag for some beautiful people in my notes: @bouncehousedemons, @solinarimoon, and @naps4bats. Have fun lovelies!

[not-nogal]

WIP

I love Caine so much- working on a poorly constructed theory/ au that Caine isn’t infact an ai but he’s literally been there so long he thinks that he is and is Resentful of his role in the circus. Or Atleast he has to pretend he is an ai for the sake of the others sanity- because the idea that even the ring master is trapped and powerless to fix it is pretty world ending- making himself the big bad people can spend time thinking how to defeat rather than delve into madness. Idk

[bluemoon1331]

Hello, hello! Welcome to my main blog, where the DCA fascination consumes! My alt blog is @sharetheartman, go check it out if you wanna see the amazing art this community has to offer!

My Ko-fi (if you're able to help a struggling writer, very much appreciated. Can request written commissions if you want): BlueMoon1331

Below is a list of all my current fics on A03 and planned AUs! Give them a read if you love fantasy and the DCA! (Updated to divide between the SFW and NSFW stories)

<<<<<First up, the SFW section!>>>>>>

Finished Works:

One Lost Star- You are a bit of a hermit, living solo off the land since the death of your grandfather. Until you draw certain godly attention, that is.

Scarlet Masquerade- The sole heir to your kingdom, you find yourself caught in the tangled web of the automaton emperor's plans. However, things are about to go from bad to worse when you catch the interest of the deadly automaton assassin sent to end you.

WIPs:

Cosmic Journeys- Trapped in the depths of depression, you seek an unfortunate out. The nearby land owner won't let that happen, though. Thus begins a journey of self-worth and finding hope in a world of madness and compassion, monsters, saints, and everything in between.

Come and Go- A Megamind-inspired AU with Sun as Metroman, Moon as Megamind, and Eclipse as Titan, while you are a delivery driver caught in the middle.

Unusual- An oceanographer, there is no place you'd rather be than scouring the depths of the seven seas, studying its plant life and creatures, in particular the infamous mers, beings most of your co-workers are quite wary of. They don't seem to mind you too much, though, a fact you try not to put stock in until an encounter on the beach near your house flips your entire world upside down. Strings of fate and a battle to rule the oceans with you as the key? Ridiculous. Right?

Of Metal Parts and Roadside Shenanigans- You are a trucker traveling home before unwittingly tripping headfirst into a giant mystery. (More of @deceptiveshadow's Blood Moon cause I love him and cannot help myself.)

One-shots:

Party Crashing 101- A piece inspired by the mafia episode from Helluva Boss. Badass, protective reader ftw XD

Blooming In Adversity- You and the princesses were great friends in your youth, until you had to move away. Years later, you return, your friendship blooming anew. However, dark plots turn in the background, and it may be up to just you to save them.

Phantom Tide- You are a siren, crushed under betrayal. Sun and Moon are brothers recovering from the throes of grief. Perhaps you may be just what each other need.

Connotations- Your duties as a druid are fairly life-consuming, but you have happily devoted yourself to them. Keeping the peace is not the easiest, but you do it all the same. Unfortunately, the arrival of contesting priests threaten your efforts, setting you on a collision course to meet three of the forest's most powerful caretakers.

Diamonds and Iron- Being a rather big-time mafia boss, of course Eclipse needs places to stash away his income. As an outdoor enthusiast, you love visiting the local motorsports arena when you can afford it. Oh, who's that standing in the middle of the track, where you can't see?

Birds of a Feather- You are stuck as the basically powerless manager to the newly opened pizzaplex. With problems everywhere you look, you're not sure which one to focus on or handle first. Perhaps you could find a kindred soul in a certain mechanic, however. (Based in the EAPS universe)

<<<<<<<<<NSFW area ahoy!>>>>>>>>>>

Finished Works:

Never Play Cat and Mouse With Vampires- Living alone is a necessity, your skills in hunting, magic, and evasion giving you all you need for contentment, or so you tell yourself. In your newest home you, unfortunately, find that your capabilities only draw the infatuation of three local creatures that are intent to finally capture you and make you theirs. Annoyingly, they may just get that chance.

Dancing In Orbit- The lunar vampire is the last of his kind, a deadly plague on the Earth that refuses to yield despite the uncountable years that have passed since the last of his kin and kind died off. You, running from your intertwined past, seek to finally put an end to that, with some help from friends old and new.

Familiar Constellations- The vampires get a bit quirky about you, especially when you egg them on. Mature. Very, very mature. Good gods they are rough, but you love it. After all, you can get a bit rough with them, too.

Gravity- Featuring another of @deceptiveshadow's lovely OCs, Nova. Normally quite the quiet and cat-like companion, you join him for a round of games in which his behavior becomes increasingly odd. That's nothing compared to when you strangely wake in the tower the next day, having no recollection of how you got there, and what comes after.

WIPs:

Embers and Ash- Ghost hunting is your profession, and you are damn good at it. Which is why you don't think twice when you're hired to cleanse an abandoned mansion of its otherworldly resident. Too bad this job is not the cake walk you thought it would be.

Burning Stars- You run your farm alone on a world teeming with aliens and humans, content with your animal family and helpful community, even if you keep the latter at arm's lengths. Until your peace is interrupted by a certain intergalactic bounty hunter, anyway.

Rosewood's Serenade- The eldest child of your kingdom, you have trained since birth to be all your home needs and more, intent to take the throne when the time comes, marriage or no. However, your parents harbor a secret, a deal struck when disaster threatened to destroy all they hold dear, and you soon find yourself meeting a most intriguing being...

Demonic- The saying of Hell is empty for all the demons are here has never been more apt. Caught smack dab in the middle of the infamous Hell-Day event, you come out with an unexpected passenger woven into your soul. Now, you secretly fight to preserve the fragile balance between mortals and the demons trapped on Earth, all while contending with the fact your new neighbors are the very ones responsible for sealing the gates, the infamous Celestial Graces. They also happen to be the mortal enemies of the one currently living in you. Fun times all around, especially with devil himself on your heels, seeking to reclaim what he lost.

Along the Akesh- Blessed with visions since your youth, you were taken and raised by the temple, becoming one of the highest-ranked priests, second to only the grand heijut himself. With an awe-inspiring festival and ritual that happens only once every five centuries under way, you are eager to meet the moon god, one of the many you have had the pleasure of conversing with throughout your prayers and oracles, in person. Things take an unexpected turn, however, when the temple must pay recompense for an accidental screw up with a gift left by an old friend. You are about to learn just how intrigued you and the moon god truly are with each other.

One-shots:

Bleeding Feathers- You weren't supposed to go into the exclusionary zone, but that's never been a problem for you before. This time, however, you might just get more than you bargained for. Fan piece for @deceptiveshadow's harpy au! (Not TSAMS)

Color Theory- Moving back to your late grandma's cabin, you pray for things to finally settle down. Unfortunately, her myriad of secrets seek to come back and haunt you, but hey, it might not be all bad this time. You could use the comfort of an old friend. Another fic inspired by @deceptiveshadow! Their god Blood Moon this time. (Not TSAMS)

<<<<<<<Lastly, miscellaneous potential AUs!>>>>>>>

Lich King AU- With the three realms in shambles, cut off from each other, it is up to the most powerful warriors of Earth to fend off the lich king and his Elite army, including his own brothers. You, whom offers them a secret safe haven and relaxation when they need it, cannot deny your love for Sun and Moon, nor they you, but with Eclipse hounding for any weakness he can use against his kin, is the danger really worth it? You find the answer may be coming sooner than you would like when the two go missing after a fight.

Spirited Away AU- You have moved to a more remote region in hopes of forgetting a troubled family life. Content to spend your time among the lush jungles of the land, you inadvertently stumble upon an obviously long-forgotten temple. Curiosity eats at you, and you cannot help get closer, initially unaware of the myriad of eyes watching you, until you spot...an icy blue leopard? It's a good thing you helped those snakes and that spider on your way here.

Harem AU- You saved them from certain death, and now the clan of vampire brothers serve you. For years uncountable, you have pulled the strings, quite happy to cause chaos around the world when it becomes too dull for your liking, going from hero to hero. On blood soaked ground, you are content with your helpful vampires, though can things really stay the same forever?

Skyrim AU- Every place has its demons, no matter how reclusive or small. You consider yourself one of them. Seeking an escape, you move to Solstheim hoping for a fresh start. How unfortunate for you that you would arrive during the island's darkest hour. Cults, strange creatures, a frost giant king, and the arrival of two Dragonborns drag you right back into the spotlight, dredging up your past as you all race against time and the greedy daedra of knowledge to stop each other's destruction.

Then There Was One- You wake up to an empty world. You don't comprehend how or why it happened, just that everyone seems to have vanished in the blink of an eye. Cars sit vacant in traffic, meals left uneaten, internet full of messages that abruptly stopped hours ago. You try to live on your lonesome, keeping yourself distracted, and ignoring the gnawing loneliness. Except, well, you might not be as alone as you think, a fact you find out far too late when your page gets flooded with AI messages and bots are suddenly knocking at your day. Just what the hell kind of universal joke was this robot apocalypse you were stuck in? Or...do you have this all wrong? Your new companions may yet help you figure it out.

[batpham-discord-highlights]

Wip Wednesday

It's Wip Wednesday :D This piece is a writing excerpt but remember that art wips are encouraged too!!!

Today's Piece:

"I'm sorry Damian," his friend mumbled lowly, so that he could feel the apology vibrate in his bones. "It's my fault you're here. If I had known somebody was going to be put into that thing, somebody not apart of these assholes I would've-" "You would've been powerless to try," Damian interrupted. "My grandfather has been around for a very long time, and for as long as I can remember he has seen the Lazarus pits as a perfect panacea; the key to unlimited power and eternal life. He had always thought of ways to turn that outwards, so that he could have the perfect weapon under his control. That he found you was a coincidence. That he used you was inevitable. There was nothing you could have done to stop this, so do not try to apologize for something you could not control." A small wet plat echoed in Damian's cell, and it took him a few moments to realise that his eyes had begun to glow. Damian reached up, not entirely surprised to feel wet streaks as he brushed his cheek. He didn't know why he was crying, but there was an emptiness swallowing him and it felt like the only emotion he could feel right now to cope with it was sadness. Here, in this dark cell miles below ground, Damian let himself cry. Both for his death and the treatment of his friend. It was only after his eyes had dried and he'd laid back down that his friend spoke again. "Thank you."

Creator's Socials

tumblr - @half-dead-ham

ao3 - Half-dead Ham

A little about the project :D

An as-of-yet unnamed fic about Damian becoming a halfa through an experiment performed by Ra's. He and Danny are trapped together and must reach Damian about his new ghostly aspects while trying to undermine Ra's and escape.

Interested in showing off your current wip? All submission are taken in server, so send an ask to the blog and get your link 💗🥳

[wyked-ao3]

Writing Share Tag

thank you @frostedlemonwriter for the tag

My wip spn fanfiction Omens snippet

Tw for threats of violence and unwanted flirty threats

No pressure Tagging @the-golden-comet @sunglasses-in-the-bentley @gioiaalbanoart

Ellen stepped in between them and said, "you will tell us what we know or I'll leave you in a anthill covered in honey...you can leave that devil's trap darlin and I assure you I can make that a living hell or unliving as it may be" her eyes narrowed on the demon

Ruby snorted, "easy there mother tiger, you got your claws in the wrong direction...your best bet of surviving what is to come is with my help" her arms crossed she flicked her wrist and the leak stopped dripping

Rufus was getting nervous as that trap should have had her powerless

Sam asked, "why should we trust you?"

Ruby said "oh heaven's don't trust anyone let alone a demon...I'm using you just as much as you will be using me" giving a flirty grin.

[autisticwriterblog]

From my Horizon WIP. Erend is not having a good time. And neither is Varl, thanks to being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

TW for mentions of drugging and rape

Varl leans down, wrapping his arm around Erend’s shoulders in a way he’s done so many times. But things are different now. Less than a week ago, Erend was… Someone hurt him. And as Varl’s hand rests on his upper arm, terror stabs Erend’s chest like a knife and twists. There were hands on his upper arms, pressing Erend back onto the pillow, holding him down—not that he had much strength to fight back when his muscles felt all weak and shaky. When he tried to yell, one of the hands clamped over his mouth, silencing him. Erend was trapped. Nobody came to save him. And it’s so stupid, because Erend knows that the man isn’t here, that Varl would never drug him, follow him back to his hotel room, and then violate him when Erend was vulnerable… but his brain can’t process that this is Varl. In that moment, with a hand on his upper arm, Erend feels like he’s back in that room. He smells the man’s musk. Feels the bruises blossoming on his upper arm. Sees a slightly blurry face hovering above his own, smirking when Erend tried to wriggle free. And he feels hands on his skin and pain between his legs, and all he can think about is getting the fuck out of this situation. So, before his brain can catch up, Erend’s body moves on reflex. He shoves Varl with all his strength, spilling ale all over the place in the process. In that moment, it isn’t his friend who he shoves away from him. And Erend isn’t in the Base. Not fully, at least. “Don’t fucking touch me!” Erend snarls as Varl goes crashing to the floor. It’s what he wanted to do that night, but a combination of drugs and being restrained left him powerless. But he isn’t powerless anymore.

[rainpebble3]

WIP Wednesday

Thank you so much to @thequeenofthewinter for the tag. And what a lovely snip you shared <3

I'll tag @mareenavee @paraparadigm @kookaburra1701 @orfeoarte @archangelsunited @gilgamish @thana-topsy @tallmatcha @snippetsrus @rhiannon1199 @inquisitiondragonborn @the-storytellers-seer @elfinismsarts @friend-of-giants @saltymaplesyrup @changelingsandothernonsense @thelightofmorning @dirty-bosmer

I wish I had more to share but words haven't been wording so please enjoy my paltry offering of Nera chatting to Savos :)

edit: ooops almost forgot some screenies :D

Chapter 11 - Still 😅

He held up a hand, “Brelyna’s mother is not named Savyana. The Maryon family has always been close to mine and I have known Brelyna since she was a child. So, could you perhaps tell me the truth before I summon some atronachs to escort you from my college?”

His college?! Nera swallowed, struggling to get past the knot forming in her throat. Her next words came out in a harried wheeze. “My name is really Nera, I met Brelyna in Windhelm… she…” Nera stopped and clenched her fists. She shook herself before continuing. She couldn’t lose her chance to escape the frozen pit of Oblivion she had been born in.

Master Aren watched quietly. “Windhelm?”

Nera nodded. “Yes. I was born there and well, Brelyna was passing through on her way here and she saved me from…” Rolff’s words from her nightmare echoed violently in her ears and Nera shuddered before continuing, “Brelyna saved me from an attack. She used magic against him and told me to come with her for my own safety.”

“You’re from the Gray Quarter?”

Unable to stop herself, Nera flinched. “Yes, sir.”

“Your assailant, I presume he was a Nord?”

She paused at the question, it caught her off guard for a moment. It wasn’t what she was expecting. Eventually she nodded and Master Aren sighed. Neither one of them spoke for a while, but Nera was kicking herself for being caught out like this. Gods what if she got Brelyna kicked out too?

“I hope this doesn’t affect Brelyna’s future here,” she suddenly whispered. “Please, Master Aren, she just wanted to help me out of a bad situation…”

“I’m glad she did,” he interrupted before sighing again, running a hand through his bone white hair and lowering his hood. “Given what you have said, I fear I already know the answer, but I must still ask. Are things still as bad as they were years ago? The last time I visited it was… it was terrible.”

Nera hugged herself tightly. “It’s worse. My parents discouraged me from doing anything that would have brought any attention to my existence as a Dunmer.”

This seemed to upset him, and his lined face furrowed. “Damn it. I had hoped things would improve with time.”

“You and my father both.”

Master Aren eyed her. “Are your parents…?”

“They’re alive, and as well as they can be.”

“And they approved of you leaving with a stranger?”

She shook her head. “Not at all, my father said if I left, I was no longer…” she stopped as tears suddenly choked her. She sniffed and blinked them away. “I was no longer part of their family.”

“You seem upset by this?” he asked, and she nodded. “So why do it?”

Nera couldn’t explain why the words fell so freely, they just did. Something about Master Aren made her feel safer, perhaps it was some strange illusion magic or something else. “Because if I stayed, I would be dead. Or I would be trapped, powerless for the rest of my life. Something which could be easily ended by those Nords, and no one would care.”

Master Aren tugged on his beard as he digested her words. He finally nodded. “I understand. And I will continue as if you were Miss Maryon’s sister.”

The tension left her body and she nearly crumpled to her knees. “Thank you, Master Aren.”

He frowned at her. “I’m sorry for the circumstances which brought you here, but as long as you abide by our rules, you will always be welcome here.”

She nodded, clenching her fists tightly. “Yes, thank you.”

He rose with a groan and began walking back towards the main building of the college. “So, did she move?” he asked.

Nera glanced at the statue of Azura. The sun had risen higher, and the clouds were different, instead of seeming like a misty shawl, they had grown thinner into a short scarf. She nodded quietly. “I think so.”

[dapperbasil]

For the wip ask: power

Is it cheating if its in a word? I don't think so. Anyway, from my most recent WIP, please enjoy (though I will post more than the sentence for context)

Were she not trapped and powerless Tammy would have laughed, considering how absolutely furious the voice sounded. “Of all the fucking cammies you could’a picked, you had to pick the Prince's motherfucking childe?”

[WIP Word Guessing Ask]

[pigeonrocks]

Wip Wednesday fic snippet ^^ who's gonna do the horrors of kabal some justice. ANYWAYS !!!!!!

--

“damn, with how many people are around you'd think I was a celebrity..”

“be quiet.”

Kabal shrugged, not caring enough to listen to what the rest of them were discussing, trying more to investigate what was on his ankles and wrists- perhaps he was in an Edenian dungeon, the air smelled like he was in Edenia- traces of magiks strong and contorting as a current-

he glanced back over to Kano- the reason his life is now all wrong, threw him to the red dragon like lamb to slaughter- he's thinking too hard and he's far too close to a telepath for his own comfort- again, he glances around, his gaze stilling on Stryker, the man made his heart ache and bleed, it is another thing the red dragon had taken from him, his ability to breathe without agony, or to feel air on his skin, to feel anything along his body without the sensation he was burning another time, to take away everything he could've ever possibly done, break him in ways immendable- he cannot love, not be held, not feel anything on his skin, not warmth or cold- his ability to feel numbed, in its wake a never ending rage, hate, a fire the Red Dragon were unable to steal from him, brought back from the brink of death and convinced by the same chaos mage to restore his clan and sought out a deserved revenge- if Kabal desired anything, it was to break down Mavado and make him hurt as he had done to him.

Kabal really wasn't sure what happened, exactly- he watched exactly wordlessly how Reptile held Stryker's hand- a quiet comfort to the horrors of himself, it left a hollow emptiness in his chest, he's disgraceful, maybe- Kenshi flinches and tenses when his thoughts got intense as they always did- the branches of pain beginning to arise in his chest, releasing a withheld breath in the form of a sigh, he hated the situation he got himself in- hated more on how powerless he was rendered.

“You're breaking.” the low gravelly chime of his spirit snarled, “you are still weak from Mavado's assault.”

Kabal hung his head low, acknowledging the creature's contempt for his state.

“where- is he?” Kabal growled- with the same hate he's harbored heavy in his heart for the man.

“Dead.” it made his blood boil “But he's escaped netherrealm.” The spirit tilted it's head, Kabal could still reap vengeance.

“Where.” Kabal yanked his arms, trying to free himself from his restraints.

“I do not know.” the spirit retorted “Settle a truce-”

“It's against my values, what of my anarchy? the trust the dragons have in me and our cause of complete societal collapse?” Kabal stared at how his wrists were bound above his head, eyeing the metal with intent study.

“What of your gas and plasma that the mask releases? they should melt this if they can melt flesh..” The spirit approached him, the green glow and faint flickering fire it trailed, engulfing its skeletal form, nudging one of the chains with its lower horn- just as curious as he was.

“Maybe-” Kabal took in a deep breath, letting the respirator release a horrific purpling cloud that hid his wrists.

the weight around his wrists felt lighter, pulling his hands quickly from it, the respirator letting out a hiss as he released held breath, rubbing at the warped marbled skin, the numbness shooting a tingling sense in his fingertips.

“My escape is rather limited..” Kabal looked closely at the chains, they stung his skin- he presumes from the chill, he had no saw blade to cut himself free with- holding his breath another time, watching plasma eat away at the metal in strange awe- not reacting to how the exposed skin near it bled from its contact, rising to stand on wobbled knees- Kabal was impossible to keep trapped, never caught- never kept.

“What now, Rhino?” Kabal looked over, adjusting his clothes and mask, checking over the hose and oxygens state- The spirit trotted to where the door had been shut, Locked- perhaps.

“With enough force the metal will weaken- then the building may be against you, without a saw blade or hooksword, what is it you have left, Karlos?”

Kabal stilled, the use of his name was foreign, and hearing it hissed out from his spirit was almost surreal- words clumping together in his throat.

“I have my speed.” Kabal glared at the skeletal rhino “I have my plasma, my gas, and my strength, with my own speed- there is little to oppose me until my swords and blades are returned to me.” he took a few steps back, the spirit watching him intently, nodding- the fire and green light that once illuminated the chamber left him now in the dark, the reddish light of his respirator and machinery lighting it up faintly.

Kabal threw about as much force and put in as much velocity as he could manage in his cell against the door with a almost deafening noise- it wasn't enough- the door was awkwardly opened, the metal dented and bent- his lungs did not burn, there weren't aches or pains in his body or joints.

again, he reared back- repeating the same dash towards the door, it weakly giving in to his abuse of it, clattering into the hallway- stepping over the obstacle.

He glanced around the hall, moving casually further down it, his weapons were a top priority, He'd just have to find where exactly they were being kept- the likely scenario was that the entire vicinity had heard him barge down the door to his cell- at least the thrill would be enjoyable, perhaps that's the only bonus for him here.

[amewinterswriting]

10 Songs Tag

Tagged by @red-pen-ally - ta!

If I understand this correctly, it's: find 10 songs you associate with your WIP. Tagging @ahordeofwasps, @j-1173, @winterandwords and OPEN for anyone to have a go because playlists are fun!

I've actually recently made a playlist for Magic's Servant to try and get me through the rewrites and it was actually really tough going. There's a ton of songs out there about every possible aspect of romance you could want: hooking up for one night, growing old together, breaking up, lazy Sunday mornings, bumping uglies, reluctantly falling in love, enthusiastically falling in love...you name it, someone's written a song about it. It's less easy finding songs about being a helpless teenager in way more trouble than she can handle by herself and everyone around is powerless to help for various reasons. So there's some very specific vibes here, and a lot are from my own teenage years:

Rain - MIKA (I mean, it is set in Wales, the chorus is 44% the word 'rains', I like to think I'm funny. But also the vibe of being trapped in a situation you didn't want)

Relax, Take it Easy - MIKA (similar vibe of being scared and in a helpless situation)

Half Light - BANNERS (living a secret life/half life/keeping secrets from loved ones)

Yellow Light - Of Monsters and Men (unknowable danger and wonder in the strange)

Lost! - Coldplay (trying and trying, despite knowing it could all be futile)

42 - Coldplay (themes ruminating on life and death)

The Other Side - Scissor Sisters (similarly, more about death and life beyond death)

A Bad Dream - Keane (vibes on fighting all alone and being tired of fighting)

Little Lion Man - Mumford and Sons (this one is specifically for Cerberus, the cat - or 'lion', if you will - whose lack of courage messes up Talli's life and gets her involved in the plot to begin with)

Demonheart - Luca Turilli (this one is specifically for Morgana - I was just stoked to get something metal-ish on this playlist, given symphonic metal was such a huge part of my own teenage playlist)

Special shout out to the whole album of Under Mountains by Rachel Sermanni - there's a kind of surreal darkness/timeless folk that gets the musical vibe of the WIP spot on, even if the lyrics don't quite fit. If I was ever adapting Magic's Servant for any other media and needed music, I would love to have her onboard.

[ulfrsmal]

WIP Game

Rules: post the names of all the files in your Work In Progress folder regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them and then post a little snippet of it or tell them something about it! And then tag as  many people as you have WIPs.   

Tagged by @vveissesfleisch, thank you! I have many WIPs but the titles may not be very exciting, ahah 😅

🖤 Powerless Trap

🖤XS bloody shower sex

🖤the dragon's gift (totally not stolen from an economy book sshhhh)

🖤ataraxia

🖤mental noncon turns physical dubcon turns literal mindfuck

No Pressure Tags: @lauwrite1225, @solinarimoon, @kingslionheart, @crookes-library, and @its-tea-time-darling! Have fun lovelies :D

[x-atlas-x]

How about 8 🤭

You are, by far, the worst for asking me this question.

8.) Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you've written and explain why you're proud of it.

This is an extremely hard one to answer because I have literally a million drafts and so many works that I'm not entirely sure if I am necessarily "proud" of any of them. But, I'll share one that I really enjoyed writing from a WIP that I decided not to post - my AI!Atem project.

"That brings me to my next challenge - I have to create an NPC to take place of his AI and then-then I have to figure out what to do with him."

Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl looked at each other, trying to figure out what to say in response. When they looked back at Yugi, both of their faces fell.

"What? What is it?" Yugi asked. He tried to look behind him, but again, this wasn't VR. He groaned in frustration. Maybe working from home wasn't as easy as he thought. He attempted to move his mouse, hoping that his character's view would change, but it stayed exactly where it was. His mouse was fucked up too?

"Did you miss me?" A familiar voice purred in his ear and his blood ran cold.

He desperately flicked his wrist, needing to see who was behind him, but it was no use. His mouse was out of commission and he already knew who it was. He messed with the movement keys on his keyboard. Apparently, those were useless too.

"Atem..." He breathed out, his hands curling up into fists out of sheer annoyance. He couldn't do anything else with them.

"That's my name," Atem chuckled next to him, but he refused to step into his line of vision. "It's a shame that I didn't get to hear you say it more, though."

Yugi rolled his eyes, "Why are you here? You're not supposed to be here and-and did you fuck with my controls?"

"Possibly. It's much easier to deal with you when you're powerless."

"This is unfair."

"No," Atem hissed. "You don't know what unfairness feels like. You have no idea what it's like to be trapped in the darkness for ages. The shadows haunt me, Yugi. I never want to see them again and I'm going to make sure that I don't."

"You wouldn't have to if you just cooperated-"

"Silence!" Atem screamed and Yugi's camera moved, pointing directly at him. The sight of him enraged was absolutely terrifying. It was like he was looking at a rabid dog that was foaming at the mouth. Yugi's heart was racing and he was itching to unplug the USB. But, he couldn't. He was paralyzed where he sat.

Somehow, Atem managed to get closer, his face taking over Yugi's computer screen, "You don't get it. You're a real human. We are AIs trapped inside of a game. You have not a single clue what it's like when you shut it down. You allowed these two to be free to roam the game, but me? I was stuck for what felt like an eternity. I can't go back to living like that. For the first time, you made me feel alive. I want to keep that feeling.

"But, you... You have plans to replace me," Atem scoffed and backed away. "I can't let that happen. You're not going to get rid of me, Yugi. You may try all you'd like, but I plan on staying-for good."

---

A long snippet, yes, but I do really like this conversation because I loved writing Atem being so evil and powerful, which is something I don't typically write for his character. It was fun and to make him a rogue AI for this AU was exciting. I'd have to say that was one of my favorite scenes from this unfinished project.

Thanks so much for asking, even though it killed me a little!!

If you want to ask a question, here's my post for the list!

[umbry-fic]

Across the Sands

Summary: Kou’s first meeting with the girl with vivid red eyes was among the shifting sands, on a day out of an infinite number that had blended together.

Fandom: Arcaea Characters: Kou, Mir Relationships: Kou & Mir Rating: T Word Count: 4263 Mirror Link: AO3 Original Post Date: 10/01/2024

Notes: This was a WIP from June 2021 that I recently finished! I started it before Shirahime was introduced pretty sure but this fic is a canon-divergent AU now. Kou and Mir's relationship in this is a forming QPR but you can interpret it whatever way you want!

~~~

Kou longed for the days of the past when she had hopped from shard to shard, viewing the happy memories contained within with a gleeful smile, gobbling up the colourful scenes ravenously like they were the sweetest slices of cake.

But the past was the past. Despite the vast quantities of memories she had burst into without a care in the world, her actions within hadn’t been able to leave even a single ripple behind. She was powerless, no more able to change what had happened in the pasts of the people whose lives she got a glimpse into, than her own carefree behaviour from days long past.

New sights had become old. The familiar sequences of events unfolding within memories that had once made her clap in delight, only left a bitter taste in her mouth once she learned to describe them beat-for-beat. Not even bright new worlds could interest her anymore, for they all followed the same formula: trying to entice her with shiny trinkets and sparkly magic. It all left her feeling hollow.

She had tried reaching out for darker memories, shards whose surfaces rippled violently, but did not emit the same shine she was used to. But their contents were not worth recalling, for she had retreated quickly after barely catching a glimpse, a chill gripping her heart that would only dissipate after hours of sitting in the artificial sunlight of this world of glass.

What would have happened if she’d forced her way in like she had used to do? The outcome wasn’t worth dwelling on.

There were a lot of things she didn’t dwell on nowadays. It left her mind bereft but for the barest, most trivial thoughts.

So she had taken to trailing among the desert that her home was situated next to, kicking her feet through the grains and trying in vain to recapture the childish joy she had once felt exploring fantastical worlds. She would trek for hours or even days without rest until her legs were too numb to take another step, cresting dunes that all looked the same, resembling a wandering ghost that had forgotten it had died. Then she would curl up, grains of sand rough against her bare shoulders, and close her eyes, drifting off into limbo. Not sleep, for she was very much aware of her surroundings. But it was the only form of rest she could take, trapped in the darkness behind her eyelids.

When her eyes next opened, she would repeat the entire tired process, unable to get any respite from monotony.

Eventually, she would grow tired of it all and head “home”, to the pieces upon pieces of furniture that she had once haphazardly stacked and bounded upon without a care in the world. Gazing upon the twisting mess now did not elicit excitement anymore, only a faint relief that there was something in this world that was undeniably “her” - something that she had created, that would hopefully remain even after she was gone.

She would sit upon the soft covers of the bed she had once dragged there, kicking her feet back and forth as her gaze settled on a random spot on the floor, no more interesting than the rest. And there she would stay, letting the river of time pass over her until she snapped out of her daze and set out into the desert again.

Each time she did, her steps became heavier, her shoulders slumping further. She had long since stopped caring how she looked. And without the dedicated time spent defeating the tangles in her hair with her favourite comb, her hair had become a tangled mess, her clothes wrinkled. The cute appearance she had once been so proud of was now just as drab as the sands she walked upon.

The Arcaea that had once flitted beside her like enthusiastic butterflies now sluggishly drifted around her, like they had had one wing ripped off and were struggling to remain in the air. Kou was surprised they were still here at all, but the crowd had certainly thinned.

Perhaps when they had abandoned her completely, her long-awaited respite would claim her.

~~~

The day that she met the girl with vivid red eyes among the shifting sands was a day… that started just like all of the rest. Nothing out of the ordinary happened as she walked, until she stumbled across something in the sand.

That had happened before. Planks of wood, bits of plastic. It had been exciting the first few times, but quickly became dull, until she would just pick herself up and keep going with barely a glance downwards as to what she tripped over.

This time, what she saw made her pause. A sword that was made of a metal dark as night, with a ruby inlaid in the grip, the craftsmanship looking as impressive as those she had seen in fantasy worlds with their imposing castles.

Her heartbeat echoed in her ears as she picked the sword up gingerly, the sand slipping off the smooth and wide blade with ease. The metal proved to be cold when she balanced the sword in her palms, but somehow, she could sense a phantom warmth from it. Someone must have curled their fingers over the grip just recently. There were some scratches on the blade, and clinging to its wickedly sharp edge were short strands of hair, strangely enough. But once that was cleaned off, the blade underneath was so polished that she could see her face staring back at her. A face she had not seen for a long time as she avoided the gilded mirror hanging in a corner of her room.

And one she didn’t peer at for long, for such a pale and lifeless face turned her stomach. And it did not deserve to be displayed on such a masterpiece, even as just a reflection. The sword had clearly been treated lovingly, swung with great skill and care.

It was someone else’s proof of existence - that which she lacked.

Which, of course, meant that there was another person here. Close by, if the footprints disappearing behind the nearby dune was any indicator.

Kou shot to her feet, finally breaking out of a snail’s pace and into a desperate run as she followed the footprints, the sword held awkwardly, if tightly, in her grip. She had to return this precious object to its owner.

The Arcaea followed her, like a pair of wings, dragging along the sand.

Another living, breathing person.

She didn’t know what she expected to happen. But perhaps this was a golden opportunity to shatter the monotony, dropped right into her very hands.

~~~

What does happen is more mundane than Kou could have possibly thought.

Another girl was before her, prone on the ground in the same fetal position Kou had employed many times. The girl’s head was turned such that her face was buried in the sand, her luscious black hair splayed across it.

Kou had come across many people before. But all of them had been fake, contained within the glassy worlds of the shards - phantasms that she could stride right through. This was a person in the flesh, who would not disappear beneath her fingers.

And she had no idea what to expect. Her heart was like a tiny hummingbird, threatening to fly away.

Hesitantly kneeling, she placed a trembling hand on the motionless girl’s shoulder, and shook.

The other girl did nothing but roll onto her side. What caught Kou’s attention was the vivid red eyes, the same shade as the ruby inlaid in the sword. But past the colour, was the inherent emptiness. The girl wasn’t looking at Kou - she was looking straight through her.

It sent unease tingling straight down her spine.

Trying to force words out of her throat resulted in a coughing fit, her throat dry after months of unuse.

“Hey,” she finally managed to force out, thankful that she could still recall the shape of words. “Are you alright?”

Silence was the girl’s only response.

She sighed. A little of that naive girl had resurfaced again in the surge of hope, complaining rather loudly that this wasn’t as easy as she thought it would be. She did her best to push those thoughts away and focus on the task at hand.

Lifting the sword, she presented it to the girl.

“Is this yours?”

Finally, there was a response. Just not one she’d been expecting.

The girl violently flinched, her entire body shaking as she screwed her eyes shut. Kou immediately hid the sword behind her back, apologies spilling from her lips until her throat was hoarser than it had been when she’d started.

It was very clear that the girl recognised the weapon. And despite her terrified mannerisms, she had not denied her ownership of it.

Her proof of existence was hurting her, Kou realised. Just like looking upon the home she had created was a bitter reminder for Kou of the frivolous girl she used to be, even if that knowledge had not stabbed as deep as it did for the girl before her.

What had happened to this girl for her to react like this? What trials and tribulations had she gone through, utterly alone? Wondering if there would ever be a better time to come?

She was looking into a mirror, she realised, one that showed a terrifying future. This was one of the possible fates that awaited her if she were to go on alone any longer. She would become like this girl, unable to respond to another, pain crawling from her crimson eyes.

Perhaps nothing could rescue this girl from the state she’d found herself in. But Kou wanted to try. Her suffering made her own heart twist in her chest, flooding with fear.

That decided, Kou got to her feet. She closed her eyes, retreating within herself and looking for that thread which had frayed in the time it had been ignored. Grabbing hold of it, she tugged, as insistently as she could, even as the thread resisted to the point of nearly splitting in two.

The Arcaea gathered around her, finally coming to life as they, like her, awoke from slumber. They raged around her in a whirlwind, lifting her hair slightly as she willed them into shapes that could be useful.

The girl stared at her with wide eyes, not uttering a word.

Kou smiled, the shine finally back in her eyes.

“I’m Kou. Let’s bring you someplace safe, shall we?”

~~~

“We’ve arrived,” Kou declared, the girl in her arms giving no sign she’d heard her. She was surprisingly light for her size, and Kou was able to carry her with ease, even with her weak arms, though they were starting to ache. The sword was being carried by the Arcaea, trailing far behind the two of them.

“Sorry if it’s cramped. It’s not meant for more than one person. And… apologies if it’s messy.”

That was an understatement. She scanned the room that had been her home since she built it, constructed out of the blank space between random pieces of furniture that had been haphazardly stacked together. The ceiling was made out of the bottom of armchairs, and the wall constructed out of bed frames. Nothing was aligned neatly, and awkward wooden bits were sticking out everywhere that she had to navigate around to avoid the girl smacking her lolling head on everything.

There was also a thin layer of dust over everything, except the bed. Which was good, because that was her destination.

“There,” she muttered, dropping the girl as gently as she could onto the bed, the Arcaea doing its job and dumping the girl’s sword in the corner of the room, tucked away from the girl’s view. “I hope it’s comfortable.”

The girl immediately turned onto her side and brought her knees up to her chest, trying to make herself as small as possible. But she did not turn fully away from Kou, so maybe that was progress.

“You’re filthy,” she sighed, seating herself on the swing that hung from the ceiling and beginning to clean off the grains of sand that still clung to the girl’s dress. “Appearances are important, you know. Though I suppose I should heed my own words.”

The girl still did not reply, but she did not pull away from Kou’s touch. Maybe she didn’t know how to speak, or had entirely forgotten how to while mired in the depths of loneliness.

But she didn’t mind the silence, surprisingly. Before, it had been stifling, with just the sound of her feet kicking against wood and the crunch of the sand. But now, the silence that fell over them both was comforting, broken only by their gentle breathing. She employed rhythmic sweeping motions, sinking into the relaxing silence as she watched the girl’s chest rise and fall, those ruby eyes trained on her.

“Ruby…” she mused, her hand stilling as she cleaned off the last of the sand. “Can I call you Ruby? At least until you’re ready to tell me your real name. It’s not the most creative of names, but I admit to not being the most creative of persons. It just… doesn’t feel nice referring to you without a name.”

She didn’t expect a response, so she almost fell out of the swing when she spotted the tiny dip of the girl’s head. That passed as a nod, right?

Giddy, and not even sure why she was so happy, she giggled. “Ruby it is, then.”

She picked up the comb that she had kicked to the wall some months ago and that had been gathering dust ever since, shaking it clean.

“Now for the hair,” she hummed, moving to sit on the edge of the bed to be closer, her arm brushing Ruby’s back. “There’s going to be quite a few tangles to straighten out, but once it’s done, you’ll look great! Sorry if this tickles your shoulders.” She ran her hands through Ruby’s long black locks, pulling them onto her side for easier access - only to pause when she reached the end.

There was a section of hair that was much shorter than the rest, the strands barely tickling Ruby’s shoulders. Had something done this to her? However, inspecting them with her fingers revealed that the shorter strands were all even in length, the ends smooth instead of jagged. It had been cut on purpose.

The strands of hair on the sword…

Ah.

“Sorry,” she whispered, placing the comb onto the bed and reaching into the pitch darkness under it, shaking her head to clear it of images of Ruby hacking away at her hair. She pulled back with a pair of dusty scissors in hand, her entire arm covered in cobwebs that she had to brush off. She aligned the scissors such that Ruby’s hair was pressed between its blades, tiny compared to her sword. “I don’t think I can salvage this.”

Snip. Snip. Snip.

The black locks came loose and fell to the floor in a pile, Kou making quick work with the scissors as she avoided looking at Ruby’s face.

“There. Done.”

She leaned back, observing her handiwork. She’d done pretty well, if she had to say so herself. Ruby’s hair was shoulder-length, the locks uniform. All that practice from trimming her own hair had paid off.

Ruby finally showed her first visible reaction since arriving here - reaching up a hand to feel her now much shorter hair, her fingers trembling as she rubbed a bunch of strands she had gathered in hand. Her expression was unreadable - Kou couldn’t tell if she was sad or happy.

In the silence that had now turned rather awkward, she peered down at her own pink locks. They were a tangled mess, matted with sand. It would take hours to clean it up properly.

Making her decision, she brought the scissors up to her hair and brought it across her shoulders in one fell swoop.

And so the pile of hair grew taller, pink strands mixing with black.

She placed the scissors down on the table, feeling surprisingly light. She hadn’t realised just how overgrown her hair was.

Ruby had paused in her motions, staring at her with the same wide eyes she’d sported in the desert, disbelief swimming in her gaze.

She smiled, cocking her head. “We match now.”

~~~

Time passed without much incident. Kou spent it regaling Ruby with her life story - which wasn’t much. Just that she woke up here with no memories other than her name, had tried to escape this world by constructing a tower to the heavens but had only found more glass, and then had spent her days exploring the worlds within those shards of glass.

Ruby maintained her silence, but she had sat up at some point, her gaze remaining fixed on Kou the entire time she was talking, telling her that she had her attention. To her delight, those eyes now housed the tiniest bit of light.

“-and then I left.” She finished her latest story, stretching and causing the swing to sway back and forth. This must have been her sixth or seventh tale; she was beginning to lose count.

A soft “thud” sound drew her attention to the bed. A quick peek informed her that Ruby had gone back to lying on the bed, still favouring her left side. She hadn’t curled into a ball, at the very least. Her eyelids had fluttered closed, her features more relaxed.

“Tired, huh?” She lowered her voice, not wanting to disrupt Ruby’s rest. “It has been a long day.”

Now that she thought about it, her own eyelids felt heavy. That, in and of itself, was rather surprising. She hadn’t felt… tired, not in a long time - there had only been a bone-deep exhaustion out in the desert.

However, all of this meant there was a problem at hand. There was only one bed, and it was occupied by Ruby. Who, now that she had decided not to take up as little space as possible, had her arm flung across the mattress.

Kou knew from past experience that trying to sleep on the swing was a horrible idea, one that always ended in her waking up to the nasty surprise of slamming her head on the hard floor.

Which meant that she had to share the bed with Ruby if she wanted to get any fruitful rest.

“Scoot over, would you?” she asked gently, lightly picking up her limp arm and shaking it.

To her surprise, Ruby turned her head, lips mouthing something.

“Come again?” Kou prompted, lowering herself so she could better attempt to decipher the message by reading the other girl’s lips. Excitement ran in her veins, pumping through her heart.

“M… I… R…?” she mused. “Mir…? Oh! Is that your name?” she exclaimed, a lightbulb sparking to life in her head.

Mir nodded, letting out a small sigh before returning to her original position, back to acting like a lifeless doll.

But this was progress! Real, tangible progress! She grinned, finally completing her initial objective of getting into bed. It was a little cramped, with her back pressed against Mir’s… Yet it was surprisingly nice - warmth, seeping into her.

It didn’t take long for her to drift off to a dreamless sleep, faintly aware of a hand finding hers.

~~~

Mir didn’t open up much further after that. She still sequestered herself behind a door covered by a thousand locks, which had been opened just a crack to let a few rays of light through.

But she was willing to let Kou drag her around and into the various memories she had stored around the place - tiny glass shards that she had collected over the time she had spent here. They had been gathering dust recently, their appeal having completely vanished once they stopped lighting a flame in her chest.

Maybe a change in scenery was just what Mir needed?

The first time they’d stepped into the glass, hand-in-hand, Mir’s grip had tightened to the point of pain, Kou letting out a muffled hiss from between her teeth. Mir’s head had whirled around, her breaths coming in quick pants as she surveyed their surroundings. Looking for something, but what?

When she hadn’t found whatever it was she’d been looking for, she’d calmed down instantly, relinquishing her death grip on Kou’s hand. Kou had asked her if she wanted to leave, but she’d shaken her head, and so Kou had continued on.

By the time they’d finished touring the gardens that they’d found themselves in, Mir had had a small smile playing on her lips. She’d followed Kou’s example and reached out a hesitant hand to touch the leaves, still wet with morning dew. Her mouth had fallen upon at the sight of the fairy lights draped between the lamps, and a gasp had left her lips when she’d encountered the flowers that came in a dozen colours, waving their cheerful heads.

Watching her had made Kou’s chest warm, an emotion she had never felt before flooding her heart. It was strange, to feel joy within the bounds of memories again.

The next few times they’d entered a memory, Mir had flinched, but recovered much quicker. Gradually, she began to look forward to these trips - tugging on Kou’s arm to wake her up so that they could venture into a new one together, her eyes shining with a renewed glimmer. She was smiling more, drawing smiles from Kou as well.

Kou suspected that she had never seen sights like these before. What had this world chosen to show her, a warrior clad in red and black, wielding an obsidian blade? What memories could have hollowed her out, into a shell with haunted eyes and trembling hands?

It was not worth dwelling on. These new memories were healing the cracks in her fractured soul, and thus she would share these gathered worlds with her, again and again and again, until Mir could finally free herself from the shackles of her past experiences.

~~~

There was still one last memory they had not visited, that Kou continued to shy away from. Presenting this final memory felt like baring all of her, despite everything she had already shared.

This memory had been her favourite, once upon a time. A sprawling town, red-roofed buildings lining the streets paved with cobblestones, imposing stone walls rising in the far distance to enclose it all. The entire town alive for a night of celebration, candles with flickering flames neatly laid next to the doors of houses, people milling about - men, women, children - having all left their homes to join in the festivities. Couples were hugging each other, children laughing and chasing each other, snacks held tightly in hand.

And that was where she found herself now, gazing up at the night sky. It was clear, as it always was, not a cloud in sight to block the moon, round and bright. Soon, the fireworks would start...

She was jolted from her thoughts by a squeeze of her hand. Mir gazed at her, a question painted in the cock of her head.

“It’s nothing. I’ll be alright. Let’s go!” she cheered, pulling the other girl along as she headed towards the familiar rickety staircase. “You’re going to really love this.”

Emerging onto the rooftop and doing her best to ignore the nauseating fear roiling in her stomach, she found the two of them the best possible seats to watch the upcoming spectacle and got comfortable.

The fireworks would go off with a resounding bang soon - she knew the entire timeline of this memory by heart. The crowds jostling on the roof would still, their attention drawn, as appreciative gasps filled the air. Vibrant flowers of fire forming in the sky for a few fleeting seconds before fading. Impermanent, but lingering long enough to bring wonder to life in people’s hearts.

She used to come here almost every other day, hiding herself among the crowd who could not perceive her. The fireworks had been lovely - so, so gorgeous - but they had eventually lost their shine. And lost together with it had been her curiosity, her desire to experience this world and all it had to offer, and her reason to exist. Thus she had become an aimless wanderer, unwilling to return to the world of glittering memories and see just how much they had lost their lustre. It would only hurt more, surely.

Nervous shivers ran up and down her back as she counted down the seconds, afraid that those once incredible fireworks would still seem dull.

Taking a deep breath, she remembered that Mir was right there next to her, her presence comforting among the growing panic. Perhaps that outcome wouldn’t be so bad. After all, it was hardly her reason for existence anymore. So she had no reason to keep holding on so tightly to this ball of fear.

Light exploded across the night sky, blinding for just an instant, sending tendrils of colour across Mir’s face and illuminating the sparkle of wonder in her eyes. A small smile stretched gently across her face, warmth sinking into Kou’s side as she shifted closer, their fingers intertwining together.

“Thank you,” Mir whispered, leaning her head on Kou’s shoulder.

At that moment, the fireworks seemed all the more magical.

Humming in reply, Kou squeezed her hand, her chest feeling so much lighter now that a weight had finally been lifted.

Things… were more than alright.

[arielana]

last line game

I was tagged by @lambourngb for the last line game. Thank you 😘

The very last thing I did was actually to open up a new document called Protect the Powerless, which doesn’t have any actual words yet, but the concept in my head is alien loss of power, something something, their humans need to protect them, something something, safe house. In my dreams this would become a longfic (we’ll see about that though), with Malex obviously, but not just Malex. (I guess I desperately crave group scenes after realising we’ll never get enough of them in canon, so I just want to send the gang off to a secluded location somewhere.)

I was also tagged by @foramomentonly ❤️ a while back in the wip ask meme, and since I only have one other ongoing wip I’m gonna go ahead and just post a bit from that as well.

Alex fought to keep his feelings under control and breathe slowly. He needed to be strong. He had a mission. (Michael was his mission. He wouldn't lose focus.) It didn’t matter if he lost himself in the process. It didn’t. 

He kept his voice even.

“Hello, Guerin. It’s time to get out of this cell don’t you think? Go someplace nicer?”

Michael didn’t move.

“Stand up, please.”

“Make me.” Michael gave him a defiant look.

Alex sighed, making a show of rolling his eyes at the other guards before he approached Michael.

“I would, but…” With a shrug, he leaned forward to tap at the lower part of his leg.

Michael couldn't hide the flash of pain in his eyes as he registered the prosthesis, but by the time he got to his feet the attitude was back.

“Not sure actually pointing out your weaknesses is the smartest move, private.”.

“It’s Captain, actually.” Alex took a step forward, getting in Michael's face. “And what are you gonna do? Fight me?”

The working title of this is “honey trap - dark” (as opposed to “honey trap - light” which became my RNM After Dark contribution Starting a conversation (shut your mouth)), and as the working title implies, I really would like to go a bit darker and angstier with this one. (Make Michael suffer 🥺)

[ananicoleta]

Together Again

(A Space Jam 2 FanFiction)

Ok, so I imagine that after Bugs "died" in Space Jam 2, he didn't show up immediately. Instead, there were needed a few days for him to reappear, time during which the Looney Tunes thought he was dead. This fic shows their thoughts during that time, as well as a surprise at the end.

Enjoy!

WARNING: angst + kinda long

Daffy crept around the forest, always looking over his shoulder to make sure no one had followed or seen him. Not that it was very likely to happen. None of the Looney Tunes paid that much attention to anyone or anything anymore, so his absence would probabpy go unnoticed. All of them - him included - were trapped in their own thoughts and regrets, and the outside world just didn't matter anymore. The dynamic, the jokes, the atmosphere weren't - couldn't - be the same. Not ever since Bugs had...

Shaking his head, the duck snapped out of the thought that threatened to cloud his mind with pain and fog his eyes with tears. He had promised himself he won't let that happened. Just focus on the road, Daffy. You're almost there.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he reached his destination. The glade he knew so well looked just the way it did when he had left. The fresh grass, wet from the rain, shone into the sunlight as if it was made of cristal. The lively river cut its path through the strong rocks, running like a carefree child, while the birds happily sang their lovely tune.

Right in the middle of the glade, stood the well-known oak tree, tall as always, like a nobleman, proudly wearing its green attire. On the trunk, there could be spotted a poster that read: Duck Season. That was what Daffy was looking for.

He walked quietly towards it, still paranoic that someone might be there and see him. They for sure would ask him what was he doing and, honestly, he didn't know either. All he knew was that if he stayed one more minute alone in his house, trying to not think about Bugs, while automatically thinking about Bugs and missing him dearly, he'd go insane. He needed to feel the taste of their old game again, even if he had to play it all by himself.

Standing near the tree, he took a deep breath and began.

"Wabbit stheason!" He said, ripping the Duck Season poster.

Then, moving to the side opposite to him, he said in a quite accurate Bugs Bunny impression.

"Duck season!"

After, Daffy moved to the other side again and repeated the procedure. This went on for a while and it was, surprisingly, relaxing. It took his mind off of things and if he pretended hard enough, he could actually see and hear Bugs...

"Daffy?"

The duck slipped and fell right in the pile of posters that he had torn. When he lifted his head, he saw none other than Elmer Fudd, looking down at him, confused. He wore his usual clothes, complete with the hat and hunting gun.

"Didn't your mother tell you it wasth rude to sthcare people?" Daffy snapped, getting back on his feet.

"Sowwy, didn't mean to cweep up on you, duck." Elmer said apologetically. Then, peeking at the pile of sheets behind Daffy, he asked.

"Uh, what were you doing hewe?"

"I could ask you the sthame question." Daffy responded, not wanting to explain himself.

Elmer sighed and sat on the grass, his expression turning sad. In that moment, Daffy realised that the reason the hunter decided to come in this specific glade was the same as his.

Sighing as well, the duck sat down near his friend, feeling the depression taking control of him again. None of them spoke for a few minutes. They just sat there in silence, listening to the forest's whispers that seemed to mourn as well, as if it could feel someone was absent.

"You miss him as well, don't you?" Daffy asked after a while.

Elmer nodded. "I nevew thought I would miss him so much. He always annoyed me, always made me cuwse him. Now, though, I would give anything to heaw him again, to do pway 'Wabbit Season! Duck Season! Fiwe' just one mowe time..."

Elmer let out a stranggled sob and Daffy bit back his tears. If he had known that a few months ago would be the last time he, Elmer and Bugs would go through their hunting routine, he wouldn't have left, no matter what Al-G Rythim would have promised him. He would have listened and stood by the rabbit's side. But he was too selfish, as usual. He wanted to spread his wings, to be the hero of his own story and didn't care when Bugs practically begged them all to not go. And now it was too late. The rabbit was dead and there was nothing he or anyone could do.

Looking over at Elmer, he saw tears falling down his cheeks. Daffy extended his hand and gently wiped them away, ignoring how wet his own eyes were getting.

"Come on, Fuddsey." He said softly, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Let's go home and do something else. There's nothing for us here, anymore. Maybe we can help Granny with that big dinner she wanted to prepare for all of us."

And with that, the two left the glade that held so many happy memories, never looking back, afraid that they might get a glimpse of the past, one that would make them lose their composures completely.

/////////

Porky walked through Tune Town, making his way to Granny's house. He had recieved a message that morning from her that kindly asked him if he wanted to come over and help her make a delicious meal for the family, since cooking alone was a bit depressing.

Although she didn't say it, he could tell from her tone that the reason she wanted him near was so she wouldn't have the opportunity to think about Bugs. Who could blame her? None of them wanted to think of Bugs. And they all tried so hard not to.

The pairs of enemies, like Road Runner and Wile E., Sylvester and Tweety, Foghorn Leghorn and Barnyard, went right back to chasing and teasing each other, though Porky could see the lack of energy and how forced it looked. Toons like Yosemite Sam, Marvin and Speedy were always away, probably somewhere where there was just them alone and their thoughts, where no one could bother them. Then there were the ones like Garnny, himself and occasionaly Pepe Le Pew and Penelope, that tried to cheer them all up, while they themselves were almost dead on the inside.

And it hurt a lot. It hurt to look at their dishearted family, trying to do anything in order to forget, even for a moment, that Bugs was dead. It hurt to feel so powerless to put an end to their pain, to hear them crying their hearts out, knowing that no matter what he said, it won't make a difference. It hurt to see them separated and not wanting to interact with anybody.

This was the main reason Granny had proposed the dinner.

At first, he didn't think it was such a good idea, but then he figured that they couldn't just stay in their houses forever, watching time fly by, grieving their friend. As painful as it was, he knew he had to put it all behind him and accept that they would never see Bugs again. If only they wouldn't have left...

"Hi, Porky." Came a voice from nearby.

Wipping his eyes quickly, Porky greeted his friends as well.

"H-Hi, Da-Da-Daffy. And hello, Elm-Elmer, t-too."

Seeing the black duck and the toon human cheered him up a bit. His family always managed to do that.

"Whe-where you guys o-off t-t-t, uh, going?"

"We thought we might stop at Gwanny's and hewp her with the cooking." Elmer said.

"Oh, re-really? Th-That's great, 'cause I was he-hea-heading there a-as we-we-we, uh, too."

As they walked down the road they continued to chat about this and that, just for the sake of making conversation and not walking in silence. They climbed the hill that led to the valley full of nice, suburban houses, meaning they were almost at Granny's.

When they made it to the top, Porky simply glanced in to the distance... and his heart caught in his throat. Stopping dead in his tracks, causing his other two friends to bump into him, he stared forward convinced that his eyes must be playing tricks on him.

"Hey, what gives, Pig?" An annoyed Daffy asked.

Seeing as Porky didn't answer, they followed his startled gaze, and saw exactly what had caused the pig to react like that.

Down in the valley, right near the entrance of Tune Town, there was a silhouette walking towards the suburbs. It might've been just a trick of the light, or maybe a product of their grief-struck minds, but the creature (that also appeared to have grey fur and long ears) looked an awful lot like...

"BUGS!" Daffy shouted and before one of them could do something, the duck broke into a run, all while screaming the rabbit's name at the top of his lungs.

The silhouette also started running, and in less than ten seconds, the two crashed, warping their arms around each other in a tight hug.

At that moment, Porky felt an uncontrolable smile spread across his face. All the negative feelings that had polluted his mind until then, evaporated. Instead, his heart swelled with pure and utter happiness. He also heard Elmer repeating over and over, excitedly:

"He's awive! Gwacious, he's awive!"

Letting out a joyous laugh, both of them ran as fast as they could, to hug their brothers.

Behind them, the rest of the family, that had probably heard the noise and came to see what was happening, shouted with surprise and glee, and ran right after them.

Slowly, one by one, every Looney Tune joined them in a giant, family hug that warmed their hearts and casted off their sadness.

Finally, they were all together again, and they were never ever separating.

[ashenpages]

Current Projects & Emoji Voting Key

Quick disclaimer: I’m a romance writer in all aspects of the term, so most of my works will contain mature content. Engage at your own risk, you know the rules, you’re responsible for curating your own experience of the internet, blah blah blah.

This post serves as a current mock up of fic ideas I’m either actively working on or considering working on next. You can drop me an ask about any of them, or just vote via the emoji combo I’ve assigned them.

Voting lets me know you’re excited about an idea and makes it more likely I’ll actually work on it. You can vote anytime, there’re no deadlines or winner announcements, just me gauging your interest by what I see in my ask box most often.

You can also ask me about the original stuff I’m working on currently. The current WIPs are Medusa centric and the emoji for them is: 🐍

Support my original work on Ko-fi and Patreon.

- Lupin: 🤑🤠💍  These are all oneshot ideas, between 5-15K each. If you want to vote for a specific idea, send me the emojis and the number of the idea.

Born from the idea that Goemon and Zenigata probably couldn’t be an item, my brain decided to come up with how I could write for them. Goemon’s teaching an ikebana class as part of his training, and Zenigata shows up as a student on forced recreational leave for his health from the ICPO. Zenigata wins the samurai’s heart through flowers. But what happens when Lupin and Jigen find out? (Only good sexy things, I promise. These beans are in a healthy polycule--be gay, do crimes) (WIP)

Jigen/Lupin, but it's Jigen deciding to seduce Lupin while wearing his own Lupin disguise. The thief is waaaaay too into it, and some artistry is taken with the sex so that they don't mess up the disguise too much during their encoutner.

Jigen/Zenigata/Lupin where Jigen has some fantasices about Zenigata, but is pretty sure they'll never happen. Tells Lupin about them. Suddenly the fantasies are coming true, in the middle of a heist, and Jigen doesn't what to do except get swept up in the moment and enjoy. Plot twist, it's Lupin dressed up as Zenigata granting all his gunman's dreams. Plot twist again, Zenigata catches them at it.

Zenigata/Lupin, where Lupin keeps doing good things in illegal ways and Pops has to find a way to punish him for it. Good thing for Pops Lupin's a masochist?

Trans!Lupin and Trans!Jigen premise: Jigen cares for Lupin after the master thief has top surgery, since Jigen has Been There and Done That. Caring, sweet, and a little sexy. Lupin is a much better patient than Jigen.

The one time Zenigata caught Lupin in an alley and kissed him and it was Jigen in disguise. Things get sexy anyway, and Zenigata has crushes on two thieves now. Lupin and Jigen "kidnap" him later for an evening of taking care of their inspector.

The background plot of Jigen's Gravestone where we see Jigen think he's done for and try to leave Lupin. Our thief has none of it, and we get to relish in the inherent eroticism of Lupin sitting in sniper fire, knowing Jigen's got his back. This is the moment I think Jigen finally believes he can be with Lupin forever.

I love the idea of something longer and more plot driven like a Lupin special where Lupin ends up in hot water and Jigen and Fujiko have to work together to save him. Jigen and Fujiko have such an interesting relationship. They're both partners of Lupin, they don't really like each other, they constantly screw the other over, but when it really matters they take care of each other. I'd like to see that highlighted a little more and also give them space to call each other out and bicker. Nothing sexy between them, but maybe a really interesting threesome with Lupin and Fujiko in a strap on once they save their boy.

- Sonic Vampire Novelist Coffee Shop AU: 📚☕💐

Shadow is an immortal vampire who has seen the world change for the worse too many times. These days it feels like he only lives for his coffee dates with Rouge, another immortal who loves each new era they encounter, warts and all. He has to admit that the book series she got him into speaks to him, at least. If someone in this era can understand him without meeting him, it can’t all be bad. But he hardly expected the goofy blue barista at the new coffee place to understand him the way those books do.

This is a novel length romcom romp with some big feelings about what it means to watch as things change, grow, and die. Expect lots of Big gothic feelings from this one, emotionally charged kissing, and overly-adoring sex. But also expect shenanigans from everyone in the coffee shop, which include Rouge, Amy, Tails, Knuckles, Cream, and more.

- Sonic Blazamy, "Like the Sun": 💖🌸💎

Amy Rose has been in love with Sonic for a while.

Or has she?

When the Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Shadow, and Silver are trapped as the fuel sources for Doctor Eggman’s newest evil scheme, Amy teams up with Blaze, Rouge, and Cream to save them. With Sonic out of the picture and Amy fulfilling his role, was she ever really in love with him? Or did she just want to be like him?

This is a novel length epic romance with lots of competent women and lots of romantic Blazamy content. Expect flowery hopes and dreams, badass self-actualization, and glancing hand touches that give way to cuddly and sweet sex.

- Persona 5: 🗡🍛☕

After bringing down the Metaverse twice, Ryuji didn’t think graduating high school and figuring out what to do with his life would be so hard. Akira’s back in town, and the gang’s more-or-less all in Tokyo, but everyone else seems to have a plan while Ryuji just floats. How’s he supposed to change the world when he’s not a phantom thief anymore?

This is a novel length fic that addresses how powerless one can feel being just one person in the face of all the corrupted systems and bigotry the world has to offer. It’s about holding on to what you believe in, working through the doubt, and fighting your way to a better tomorrow with the power you do have. The whole gang is queer, featured relationships being Mako x Ann, Ryuji x Akira, Futaba & Yusuke as platonic life partners. Akira is polyamorous and omnisexual, Futaba’s asexual and aromantic while Yusuke is demisexual and very romantic, Makoto’s a lesbian, Ann and Ryuji are bi, and Haru’s pansexual, demisexual, and aromantic. They’re one giant band of queer Phantom Thieves, and even if they’re not really doing the Metaverse thing anymore, they’re still gonna save the world!

Also, I’m gonna make Makoto not a cop. That super didn’t age well. Zenkichi and his boss can work on making them better/abolishing them for other better organizations.

- Hades Game: ❤️‍🔥💀

Oneshot. I just really need to elaborate on the threesome you can have with them in-game, okay? Healthy and canon poly relationships are so few and far between, so often I have to do a ton of groundwork to explain why it’s working in the fic, but NOT WITH THESE KIDS!

Get ready for Meg helping Zag and Than be better at expressing their feelings, lots of kissing, and probably pegging.

- Castlevania Animation Trevor/Sypha/Alucard: 🧛🏰🛌

Castlevania gave Alucard a threesome last season, and I just really need S4 to give me him being taken care of by his partners. They’re probably not going to give it to me, so I’ll need to do it myself. This is just an everybody loves Alucard oneshot, with the gang’s signature banter (to an extent), Sypha being sexy, and Trever being remarkably sincere. This fic is gonna feel like that Ann Hathaway picture with Trevor kissing Alucard and Sypha holding the end of Trevor’s whip while she leans her head on Alucard’s shoulder adoringly.

- Devil May Cry Nico/Lady/Trish: 💋✨😈

Nico’s gay, okay? Like really, really gay. And Lady’s bi and not into men who make her pay bills, but very into women who make amazing guns for her and demonesses with hearts who fight by her side. Trish is ace, but loves people and is pretty attached to Lady at this point. Plus it’s cute when Lady blushes and says nice things like they’re insults. I don’t have super solid ideas for them yet, and I envision these more like a polycule where Lady’s with Nico and with Trish but they’re not with each other more than seeing it as a threesome, but who knows what might happen. This is probably 1-2 oneshots depending on ideas, but might turn into a series of oneshots if people are interested (or I can’t control myself and inspiration strikes).

- Post FMA:B Blind Roy & No Alchemy Ed: 👀👑🙏

This is actually an old novel-length fic I wrote ages ago and didn’t post that didn’t turn out well because I was new to writing sex when I first wrote it. The plot is good, and is all about Roy learning to work with his blindness to reclaim his ambition of being Fuhrer and changing the system to something that actually cares for its people. He and Ed reconnect, fall into bed, and both set about working through their respective traumas about being “useless” having lost their sight/alchemy. They go to Xing as an ambassadorial party to offer Amestris’s collaboration on Al and May’s Alkahestry experiments--and uncover a plot that might threaten both kingdoms.

- Age of Calamity continuity Mipha x Revali: 🦚🐟💘

The first time Revali noticed Mipha, it was in the heat of battle. She stole his mark, taking them down with a flurry of quick blows from her spear. Violence rained from her like water--and then she healed him on her way to her next battle. No questions, no conditions, just pure kindness. The usual need to measure himself against those around him was quiet in her wake. And Revali couldn’t understand it. But how to get to know more about her? A fish and bird may fall in love, but where would they live?

This fic could be a oneshot or novel length depending on how far down the hole I fall. I need it to cover time, but it could be done in linked vignettes or with actually covering events in detail. I may elect to do a oneshot just to get it done and out of my system faster. So much fic to write, so little time.

Expect trans!Revali, polyamorous Zoras, scary competent Mipha, songbird Revali, love confessions that are made up entirely of berating Link for not loving Mipha the way she wants him to, and breaking these characters a little outside of their assigned roles in BotW and Age of Calamity. Background Link x Zelda, and Urbosa x Zelda’s Mom.

- Epic desert romance about Urbosa and Zelda’s mom: 🏜🏝⚡

I just think Urbosa should kiss women and Zelda’s mom should get more development and maybe a name or something. Also, lightning imagery/metaphors/play.

It also went way over my head that Riju wasn’t Urbosa’s daughter the first time I played BotW, so now I want to write about the Gerudo queen who refused to produce an heir. The Gerudo are fascinating and have a very interesting cutlure, but I think it could be examined from a nonbinary perspective that rejected pregnancy and wanting to find a husband. Not in like a hateful way, but in a way that examines if that’s really right for everyone. There’s that shop in town that sells Voe armor, after all. Maybe finding a husband and having children isn’t something you have to do if you don’t want to. And Urbosa really doesn’t want to.