#also i’ve probably dreamed about your ocs too

[whumpy-wyrms]

had a dream that me and 4 other mutuals were hanging out irl and all our ocs were there too and we were all sitting around my room talking about our oc lore and stuff it was so silly and fun

and the tllr mystery character was there taking up all the attention hahahaha i think this is a sign for me to write. i’m sooooo excited to introduce them

[holy-puckslibrary]

━ 𝐚𝐥𝐥-𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐨 𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬.

main masterlist

pairing(s) — bull-rider!MATTHEW TKACHUK x barrel racer!hughes!reader (can be read as an unnamed oc) wc — 1.8k synopsis — wear the hat, ride the cowboy—even if it might get you disowned.

note — there's one line referring to the reader as jack's twin, but no physical description is given. also, this one-shot is a "party favor" from our feb slumber party

specific content warnings under the cut.

cw — quinn being a dramatic, misogynistic douche-canoe 3000 for the entirety (ratty matty has his moments, too), no actual smut but it's heavily implied they do the dirty on the reg, a disgustingly intimate situationship — ick, off-color comment(s) relating to first times and the concept of virginity, lots and lots of familial angst (jack is a snake), oh! and more than a few loose ends... but you know the drill by now, i'm incapable of keeping a story contained

“Go on, Palomino Princess. Ride me like one of your ponies.” 

Condescension drips from the lazy taunt. Matthew earns a palm to the chest for it; her ire lands with a faint thud, but he doesn’t mind. He gets off on riling her up, and after two years of backseat meetings and hushed phone calls, he’s damn good at it too. That, and she might be the most reactive person he’s ever met—and that’s saying something. 

Matthew’s been going head-to-head with all three of her brothers for over a decade, and he’s known their family for even longer. Having a short fuse must be genetic.    

“Y’won’t break me if that’s the hold-up. S’gonna take a hell of a lot more than a dry humpin’ buckle bunny to put me outta commission, sweetheart.” 

He knows damn well she ain’t anywhere close to the derogatory term, but he likes what the complete disregard for her accomplishments does to her deceptively cherubic face. 

It may look less harrowing than every other event on the card, but barrel racing ain’t for the faint-hearted. The event is a death wish personified, and it feels about as good as someone taking a metal pipe to both shins. It takes balls—metaphorically, in her case—to charge into an arena on an American Quarter horse with the intention of guiding it through a cloverleaf pattern around three barrels while sprinting at top speed, but it takes dedication and skill to succeed the way she has. The winner is determined by just thousandths of a second. 

The woman perched on his tailgate is unmatched—undefeated.  

Flames of pride lap at his loins, the fire of desire stoked by the wicked roll of her hips. 

“Ohh—shit!” Matthew hisses, his head lolling back as his hips buck into her heat. 

She smirks, apparently vindictive as ever. “How’s that, cowboy? Everything you dreamed?” 

“And more,” he growls as he grabs a fistful of her backside. 

His grip is tighter than it needs to be as he switches positions. Not nearly as rough as she would prefer it; beggars can’t be choosers.  

Matthew steps between her knees, and, despite herself, she shivers with anticipation. Chuckling, amusement twinkles in his baby blues. “Now give me a kiss, sweetheart. My lips are feelin’ a little lonely tonight, and you happen to be wearin’ my hat, Little Miss.” 

He flicks the brim of his hat. She catches it before it hits the ground before plopping it back on the rightful owner, the damage already done.  

“You just love that antiquated rule,” she shakes her head while most definitely laughing at his expense. “Y’wouldn’t see any action without it, now would you?” 

Matthew grins. Trading insults is his favorite form of foreplay. “Neither would you. Isn’t that your signature move, outlaw?”

“I should kick you to the back of the line with that attitude. Hell, I’d probably be better off keeping you at a distance anyway.” 

“Keep mouthin’ off and see how far it gets ya. Definitely nowhere near that McMansion castle you call home, that’s for sure.” 

“Oh, don’t you worry ‘bout me, sugar. I’ve got plenty of options if I need a ride home.” 

“I’ll bet, show pony. Sexiest can chaser east of the Mississippi; who wouldn’t be chomping at the bit to carry Cinderella home to her Daddy?” 

Men have a habit of gawking at her; Matthew has a habit of relieving them of their teeth. 

He leans in to taunt her ear with greedy lips and barbed arrogance. “Best of luck finding one that’ll fuck you better than me.”     

“Do you think about other guys fucking me often?” she fires without missing a beat.

More than he would like, actually.

With a heavy, drawn-out sigh, he runs a hand over his face. His patience is running thin, and his jeans are starting to chafe. Exasperated, he tries coaxing her to reason, “Sweetheart, c’mon. We both know you want this—want me. Stop makin’ this so damn hard.” 

“Why? Because you already are?” 

Matthew makes an exaggerated show of play-biting her scrunched-up nose. 

“Woman, you drive me insane.”

“It’s why you’re so obses—“ 

Her teasing is thwarted by the sound of her own name. Spat out of her older brother’s mouth like a heirloom gone sour, it's no great surprise Quinn looks at her like he can’t recognize her. Like a stranger—like a traitor. 

Guilt, thin and fleeting, pieces the tenderness between her ribs. 

She squirms, attempting to put some distance between them as if that could erase the discovery—and her culpability—from his mind. Matthew and his shit-eating grin keep her from getting too far but don’t be fooled. This is no chivalrous encouragement to stand her ground. It’s got nothing to do with her and everything to do with her brother. 

Quinn rages outside the hauler housing Matthew’s precious 3500 Laramie. Walking by, seeing the main trailer hitched Brady’s F-350 made his stomach churn. It didn’t sit right, and now he knew why. 

“You can’t be serious! Nuh-uh, no—no fucking way. Get out here before I drag you out myself.”  

At his tone, what little remorse she felt dissipates. They were both far too old for his tired, overbearing song-and-dance. 

“Who died and made you king?” 

Quinn, blinded by overripe anger, sweeps over the irritation, twisting her tongue and the disbelief arching her brow. “I thought I made myself clear last time. Don’t make me repeat myself.” 

“Oh, crystal, Quinny.” Matthew snorts at the juvenile nickname but is swiftly cajoled into silence with a pinch to the side. “Message received.” 

“Then quit screwin’ around and get your ass back to the truck before Dad blows a gasket. He’s been lookin’ all over for you. So, you best be thanking your lucky stars I got here first. That its me catchin’ you red-handed colluding with the enemy.” 

He’s so serious, nearly shaking with rage, it’s difficult not to laugh. She can count on one hand the instances wherein her brother became visibly angry—all of them involving the man standing between her dangling feet. She fares better than him, but that’s to be expected. Unlike her accomplice, for her, there’s real risk involved. 

“Just ‘cause I heard you don’t mean I have to listen.” 

Lips pressed to her temple, Matthew clicks his tongue in approval. ‘Bout damn time she started giving back what Quinn so readily dishes out. 

“Look, y’can spread your legs for anyone with big dreams and a buckle some other night. Parade around the circuit acting like a slut, see if I give a shit. But not tonight. And not with him.” 

The knowing glint in Quinn’s blackened eyes is telling, but it isn’t as menacing as he thinks it is. The Hughes heir apparent couldn’t be judge, jury, and executioner. He doesn’t have a lick of proof. Just suspicion and a personal vendetta the size of Texas. 

A safety net swaying below, Matthew decides to have a little fun. “Whoa, settle down, Trust Fund. Y’can’t talk to a lady like that, ‘specially not your sister.” 

He’s no white knight, but he can pretend. 

And isn’t that what you’re all doing? Pretending to be people you aren’t. Acting out your roles, putting on a show. After all, a performance will always be more entertaining than the truth. 

“—and here I thought etiquette classes were a Rodeo Royalty rite of passage. Glad t’know she ain’t the only roughneck hellion in your family tree, Huggy.” 

Quinn’s jaw tightens. His tongue threatens to put a hole through his cheek. Hands on his hips, the eldest sibling only nods. He ignores Matthew entirely. 

“Real winner y’got there. A class act. You really know how to pick ‘em—cream of the goddamn crop. Say, what’re you gonna do when he inevitably gets bored of you? When he gets his hands on a fresh doe-eyed virgin to tarnish?” 

After she finishes with Matthew, she’s kicking Jack’s sorry ass. 

Those anxieties—and that majorly personal tidbit of information—were shared in confidence. Because unlike her older brother, she trusted her twin. Well, she used to, at least. Luke’ll be over the moon at the chance to be her favorite. 

She bares her teeth like a scorned lapdog. “We’re not kids anymore, Q. You can’t push me around whenever you want or tell me what to do like you’re my father. And you sure as shit can’t bully me into submission, either. Give it up, or get lost.” 

“Whatever,” Quinn barks as he backs away from the trailer. “Your fuckin’ funeral.” 

Listening to the fading sound of her brother’s Ariats pounding through the dirt, she buries her face in the warm, familiar crook of Matthew’s neck; she needs a moment alone. He seems to understand this, his mouth zipped shut as he runs calloused hands up and down her sides. She’s breathing heavily, but he does her the simple mercy of leaving it be. 

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d think I was growing on you,” Matthew hums, a low-maintenance attempt to lighten the mood. 

They don’t do the touchy-feely BS. It’s one of the things that reeled him in—and kept him coming back. 

“But you do.” She pulls away to look up at him, chin resting on his sternum. He hates that her melancholic eyes are red-rimmed. “—and stop thinking, it doesn’t suit you.” 

“And what does, princess? I’m dyin’ for your insight.” 

“Shut the door and I’ll show you.” 

He blinks, taken aback. Who is this brazen tart, and when did she take your place? Matthew wonders to himself. Maybe he is the bad influence everyone paints him as… He hasn’t really thought about it until now, and it's troubling the way it makes his chest tighten. 

Matthew clears his throat—and, from his mind, the distressing notion that he’s ruined someone good with his carelessness—as he leans over. 

“Yes, ma’am.” 

He pulls the hauler’s heavy metal door shut with clamorous finality.  

Matthew Tkachuk might be the most self-serving swindler on dirt, but Quinn Hughes is just another name on his list. A box to tick and then forget. He wouldn’t lose sleep, it wasn’t like their friendship meant a damn thing. Not anymore. A friend turned foe, reduced to another obstacle in his way, a hurdle to jump. 

Tonight, his sister’s fealty; tomorrow, his title.

Retribution is at his fingertips, so close he can taste it. Yet, it would seem that Matthew merely traded one hornet’s nest for another. 

At least this one’s easy on the eyes. 

⤑ to my inbox💌

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[mrsjoeythehurler]

When I Met You

(OC FMC x Liam Mairi)

I’ve decided to write a fic about an OC and Liam Mairi from Fourth Wing. It’s going to follow the events of the first book and I’m so excited to share it with you. This is my first fic I’ve ever written so keep that in mind while reading :)

I hope you enjoy it!

All characters except for Aurora Sallow who is my OC and the FMC of this fic belong to Rebecca Yarros. The plot of Fourth Wing also belongs to Rebecca Yarros.

Content Warnings: most of the warnings that are for Fourth Wing are also going to be for this fic. That includes: Blood, death, injury, violence and war. The only content warning I am adding is panic attacks (2).

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ Aurora Sallow ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ

It's Conscription Day—a day I'm not particularly happy to take part in, but I don't have a choice.

I was always meant to become a Scribe. I was always meant to look at books all day and spend my time transcribing them. It's what I've been studying for since I could remember.

That all changed when my parents sat me down two days ago to tell me I was required to become a Rider. My whole world was flipped upside down, my entire future ripped away from me in one 20-minute conversation.

The Riders' Quadrant is apparently in need of more Riders. I heard it's because most dragons are uninterested in bonding with humans, and I'm one of the unlucky ones who's been chosen to try and change that.

Looking around me, I see guards mounted on either side of the entrance and walking about. I see people hugging and conversing with their loved ones and the occasional person silently praying, most likely to any gods who will listen to ensure their safety. They're probably going towards the same destination as me.

Sighing, I look down and make sure my outfit is in order before fixing my hair. I tried to dress appropriately for the Riders' Quadrant—well, as appropriately as my closet back home had to offer. I'm wearing a gray long-sleeved shirt and corset, black pants that are a bit too tight for my liking, and my favorite pair of black platform boots. I'm just about to look through my bag to double-check that I have everything when I hear a familiar voice.

It's Violet Sorrengail. We've been classmates for a really long time. She's always been really kind and someone I consider a friend. Like me, Violet always wanted to become a Scribe; we would always talk about our hopes for the future and look forward to reading books all day.

What is she doing in this line?

She's talking to her sister Mira, so I don't want to interrupt, but I want to know why she's not with the Scribes anymore. She was always among the most intelligent people in our class, if not the smartest. She was going to be the best Scribe the Quadrant ever had. I don't see her wanting to give that up, especially considering it was her dream.

The line continues to move slowly, and when there's only one person ahead of me, I start to really feel the anxiety. I don't know how I'm going to do this. I didn't know two days ago, and I sure as hell don't know now. Who knows if I'll even pass the Parapet? I could be slowly walking towards my death right now. Maybe I should have talked to my parents more and tried to convince them that I can't do this and that anyone else out there is a better fit for this than I am. But I hate disappointing people. My parents don't even know that my panic attacks are back. They were so happy and relieved that I was doing better over the last year, but it all fell apart.

"Next!" Someone calls from ahead of the line.

It's a rider, a marked rider. Along with Captain Fitzgibbons, who’s a Scribe. "Aurora Sallow? First Violet Sorrengail, and now you?"

I give him a small smile. "I'm sorry, sir."

He nods. "It will be sad to see you go. Your future as a Scribe looked so bright."

I want to cry. Instead, I keep my small smile in place and try my best to keep my voice level. "Thank you."

As I go through the entrance, I climb the hundreds of stairs.

After what feels like 100 hours, I'm at the top of the turret, and it's raining. The turret is all stone, formed in a circular platform. The river below shines, with the sun glinting off the surface. Darkness runs through it that rivals the deep sea. I shouldn't have looked down.

Straight ahead lies the Parapet. It's a very slim bridge made of stone with nothing on either side to hold onto. It's a test to see how well you would manage while riding a dragon.

I'm screwed.

There are three riders at the entrance, but only one catches my eye—a mountain of a man with black hair and warm, tawny skin. He turns my way, and I can see the scar running through his left eyebrow, and that's when I know who it is. Xaden Riorson.

Xaden is the son of the Great Betrayer, Fen Riorson, who led the Rebellion. All of the children of the rebels were forced to join the Riders' Quadrant in response to their parents' decisions. I bet they hoped Xaden would get killed, but they were wrong. He's a third-year Wingleader now.

And he's also kind of scary.

Once he sees me staring at him, he narrows his eyes. I'm not sure if it's with recognition or disgust.

Then, I decide to wave at him like an idiot.

He turns back to talk to the Rider beside him, pretending I don't exist.

Yeah, I'm so screwed.

"Next!" Another Rider calls, and I step forward.

[greedystevie]

SECRET

not as it seems part one

college!steve x college!fem oc

summary: you and steve are in a "secret" relationship and your best friend/roommate doesn't know

cw: MDNI (18+) smut (p in v) oral (fem receiving) fingering

word count: 1.9k

18+ MINORS DO NOT INTERACT 18+

authors note: okay this is actually a little bit of a novel i've been working on but i named one of the main character's steve so now i just keep thinking about steve harrington whenever i write for it (probably why i've written 2k words in like 3 days when i've been in a drought) so this is not a y/n insert but i don't describe the fem!main character in any specific way so go and imagine yourself :) but also don't be surprised if this disappears in the future

“Beatrice! Hurry up, we're going to be late!” Thomasina called down the hallway to a distracted Beatrice. A Beatrice who was too busy fantasizing about her crush Steven.

While Beatrice was busy trying on pretty dresses and making herself up to try and ask out the guy of her dreams at this party he was showing up to  their shared New York apartment for Thomasina. Beatrice comes out of her room to see who came in to see Steve- she almost falls to the floor. “Oh uh, hi Steven I didn’t know you were coming over. Did Cece let you in?” Beatrice tucked her hair behind her ear. Posing herself as she tried to come across desirable.

Steve cocked his eyebrow up as he wondered what the fuck she was doing, “yeah she did.” He ended up responding.

Thomasina came out with a couple of drinks, handing one of them to Steve. “Finally she emerges from her cave,” she giggled, stepping towards her friend.

“I uh, heard the door open and shut so I came to see what was going on. Also,” Beatrice grabbed a random garment off the back of a chair. “I’ve been looking for this everywhere.” Huffing out back towards her bedroom.

“I always forget how much she flirts with me,” Steve chuckles softly.

“Probably because she has a-“ Thomasina stopped before she told her best friend's secret. Even if it was about her boyfriend, to her boyfriend. She could never do that.

“What?” Steve asked.

“Oh nothing,” Thomasina stepped close enough to touch his chest. “It doesn’t really matter anyway.”

Steve tenderly placed his hands on her hips, bringing her body closer to him. Locking lips with hers in a heated makeout session. Gripping the edges of her thin t-shirt Steve slipped his hands onto her smooth skin. Fingertips feeling every bone, every twitch of her muscle as he climbed up further towards her breast.

Just as their shirts were coming off and things started to steam up between them Beatrice could be heard coming back into the living area. Thomasina jumped off of Steve. Frantically searching for the articles of clothing while Steve stood still trying to hide his ever growing erection with his hands. She tossed him his shirt and he quickly put it on. Thomasina scurried behind the long sofa to put hers on, pretending to look for something she dropped. Popping up over the couch after Beatrice had been standing frozen at the edge of the room for who knows how long.

Thomasina sauntered over towards Steve, a jacket that had been on the floor for days gripped in one hand, the other grazing his erection. Steve flinched, screwing his eyes shut as he calmed the rising reaction inside himself. Thomasina smirked to the ground before turning towards Beatrice, “hello again Bea.” Thomasina smiled. Slipping past her towards the hall closet to finally put the jacket away. No thought in her head about possibly cleaning it.

Beatrice didn’t budge from her spot, continuing to stare longingly at Steve as if he might vanish at any moment. He was visibly becoming uncomfortable by her gaze by the time Thomasina came back to lean on the couch near him. Side-eyeing his muscular profile as discreetly as she could, stifling a giggle as she saw him still trying to hide his bulge. Sighing and heaving herself off the sofa Thomasina started, “Bea- are you-“ she was interrupted.

“What is he doing here? I don’t remember inviting him?” Beatrice let out a high pitched half giggle near the end. Her nerves finally subsided.

“Sally sent him over to drive us to the party,” the lie came out so smoothly.

“Why couldn’t she make it?”

“Last minute errand I think,” Thomasina scratched her head trying to remember specifics. Specifics that didn’t exist.

“Hm,” Beatrice touched her pointer finger and thumb to her chin in thought. “How ‘bout you Steven? Did she tell you anything specific?”

“No,” he shook his head.

Beatrice nodded in response. Backing away towards the front door, “okay. I guess I’ll head downstairs then. I’ll meet you in the lobby.”

“Are you sure you’re ready to go?” Thomasina asked.

“Oh yeah,” she sniffed. Closing the door behind her.

Steve relaxed as she turned away. The tension in his shoulders instantly lifting, “finally.” He breathed out. Cracking his knuckles which sent shivers down Thomasina’s spine. Her breath hitched in her throat as she took a moment to remember how to move her chest up and down to let air in. Thomasina spun back around to face Steve, the last thing on her mind was to go meet Beatrice down in the lobby.

After a few moments of silent tension between them Steve took a couple long strides, closing the gap between them. Removing his black cotton t-shirt and tossing it to the brick wall, revealing the few tattoos he had hidden on his chest and back. Thomasina delicately reached out to touch her lanky secret boyfriend. Feeling his rough skin underneath her fingertips as he gripped her hips to bring her closer to him. Snaking her arms around his neck at a snails pace, slowly bringing his head closer to her lips. Tenderly pecking his mouth, tugging at his hair. Bodies in sync as their knees move to the floor. Steve’s fingers tug at the edges of Thomasina’s shirt. Sliding his hand up underneath it to feel the heat of her stomach on the way down to unbutton her jeans. Taking off her acid wash pants for her, lifting her feet one at a time out of the stiff fabric. Leaving her in generic cotton panties that match her cotton shirt. She started to lift the shirt over her head when Steve stood up and quickly gripped her hands to stop her. Lowly growly, “no. keep it on.”

Thomasina smirked at the request. Now she didn’t have to reveal that she wasn’t wearing a bra, although she was pretty sure he could tell. Lowering her arms back down to her sides Steve began leaving kisses on the palms of her hands, pulling her down to the floor. Before continuing he grabbed a couple of pillows off the leather couch without looking, always keeping eye contact with Thomasina. Laying her down on the rough pillows one under her head and one at the small of her back. “How's that?” he queried.

“Perfect,” Thomasina breathed out.

Steve lowered his head to her thighs, leaving soft kisses along the line of her underwear. Thomasina’s leg kicked up as a reflex when he brushed up against the one ticklish section on her body where her torso and leg meet. A quick series of giggles burst from her lungs. Steve continued to kiss down her leg and over to the other one as his motions calmed her back down. Thomasina moved her arms towards his head, letting her fingers grip chunks of his freshly washed hair. Gently tugging them towards where she wanted him, but he resisted. She huffed in frustration. His cold nose biting her flesh as he moved his face wherever he pleased.

Finally, as her consistent grip in his hair felt him move back to the middle. Steve’s eyes darted up to see Thomasina’s eyes screwed shut. Waiting for something spectacular. He smirked, snaking his fingers into the fabric of the elastic waistband of her underwear pulling it down slowly. Thomasina’s thighs constricted slightly by the excitement of him moving closer to the most needy part of her. Nuzzling the tip of his nose deep inside of her, Steve took in her intoxicating scent. Pulling it away from her and replacing it with the stroke of his fingers. “Is this okay? Does it feel good?”

All Thomasina could manage in response was a hefty moan. Steve smirked, a little bit proud of the effect he had on her. “I just want to make you happy Tom cat,” he stroked her thigh with his free hand. Taking it all the way up her torso to her breast.

“Stevie,” she groaned out in pleasure. “Faster.”

Obedient Steve pumped his fingers faster, eyes just peeking over her waist as he started to lick her pearl. Never taking his eyes off of her face. Coming up for air Steve pulled his fingers out completely, leaving Thomasina yearning for more. Licking his fingers clean of her insides before unbuttoning his pants and pushing them down part of the way. Boxer shorts following suit, covering his cock with his big hand and started to rub it back and forth a few times.

“Don’t forget the condom dumbass,” Thomasina panted.

“I thought you were on the pill?” Steve questioned. Eyebrow popping up as he pulled his pants back up for the wallet that he didn’t realize had fallen behind him.

“Doesn’t mean I want you’re dirty-“ she gagged before finishing. “Penis inside of me without a jacket on.”

Leaning back to pick up his wallet and take out one of the many fresh condoms he had tucked in it since they had started having sex. Sighing heavily as he knew she wasn’t serious. Rolling the rubber up, watching her bite her bottom lip as she watched the act. “I literally took a shower today,” Steve sighed as he settled into her with a grunt.

“I know boo,” Thomasina moaned. “Your hair is so luscious. Have you been using that shampoo I recommended?”

Steve nodded, unable to say words as light, breathy moans escaped his throat. Thomasina mimicked his actions, trying to keep the sound to a minimum. But it was hard. Wrapping her arm around his neck entwining her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck once more. “It’s done wonders for you honey bunches.” She gasped so loudly as her body shook with release.

Riding it out right with her until they were both a sweaty mess on top of each other. Heaving and giggling until the front door slammed open. Their faces covered with shock, at least until they realized it was Sally.

“You two are so lucky I slipped past Bea!” She screeched, not caring about their half naked, tangled bodies. “You are not as slick as you think you are. You are going to hurt that poor girl if you aren’t careful,” Sally stomped back out. Making sure to also slam the door shut the same way she opened it.

“What does that mean?” Steve asked, confused. Removing himself from Thomasina. Exhastedly huffing as he lays next to her on the rough floor.

“I promised I wouldn't tell,” Thomasina bit her lip. Turning to face him.

“Well if I know what’s going on maybe I can help,” he smiled sweetly at her.

Sighing Thomasina weighed the options in her mind. Ultimately deciding to tell him, “Beatrice has a crush on you.”

“Oh that,” he chuckled.

“You knew?” Thomasina sat up like a shot, “Who told you?”

“No one told me,” he grunted as his elbow slid against the floor when he struggled to sit and meet her gaze. “I figured it out.” He sighed as he gave up on trying to sit up.

Thomasina silently got up, picking up and dressing herself in the discarded cotton underwear. Going back over to her turtle of a boyfriend she bent down to grab his arm and heave him off the floor.

“Guess we better get going then,” Steve sighed as he pulled his clothing back on.

Thomasina quietly nodded in response. Not very happy about the wake up call her friend had given her, very much planning on getting wasted at this party.

[erisweekofficial]

Today, we're celebrating @ninthcircleofprythian, the mastermind behind Make It Hurt, a smutty xReader fic that’s as intense as it is hot. 😏 Maybe you want something angsty? Try Part 1 of The Bird and the Badger, an Eris x OC fic. And then when you're thoroughly drowning in that sweet, sweet angst, be sure to read on to part two, which will spoil you with SO much fluff 🧡

psst. The rest of Ninth's masterlist is great too 👀

Read on to learn more about what Ninth thinks is Eris's ultimate goal and who she's locking Eris in a room with!

What do you think Eris's ultimate goal is?

I think the theory that Eris is a dreamer like Rhys and the inner circle is pretty spot on. I really do think Eris has dreams and ideas to make Autumn Court better once his father is out of the way.

What drew you to Eris Vanserra as a character?

I’ve always had a soft spot for mysterious fictional men. And redheads. Honestly it was probably the hair that got me first. Well - actually Lucien had me first and then when Eris was introduced it was like “Yeah - that’s the one.” I don’t know what it is about the redheads. Hahaha.

How do you stay motivated to keep creating?

I don’t have a fluffy or cool answer, I’m just mentally ill. Hahaha. I get an idea and then it plagues me until I do something with it. Basically I make fictional characters my entire personality.

Purely for your amusement, you can lock Eris in a room with 1-2 other acotar characters. Who are you choosing?

I wouldn’t lock them in all together, but I’d love to see him locked in a room with Beron. Just let Eris go straight for the kill shot. Be done with it. I’d also like to force proximity him with Az. Because I’m truly an Azris girlie in my soul.

Give us a name for one of his brothers

No thoughts just first one that pops in my head - Demetri

Give us a name for one of his dogs?

Why do I feel like they would be named after trees? I’m going with Willow.

[ereyies]

i love your of mice and men oc. let me tell you i was scrolling thru the omam tag after reading that book for class because GOSH that ending destroyed me. bronwyn is so cute!!! and i love the ideas you have for her character and how she’d add onto the book. is there any more of your character that u thought of?? i’d love it hear it! ur art is stunning btw!!!

artists and writers are the backbone of dead fandoms. but i dont know if you could even call this fandom dead cuz i dont think it even had a life 💀

THANK YOU SO INCREDIBLY MUCH!!

this means the entire world to me you have no idea just how touched i am that you love my oc 💖 💖!! be VERY careful going through the of mice and men tag because unfortunately there are a LOT of nsfw bots!!

as for anything else relating to Bronwyn and her character, I don't have much else written/in mind other than that I have already shared other than maybe two things (copied and pasted from a document i made just to keep track of her lore):

Candy and Bronwyn probably wouldn't be close despite Candy having worked at the ranch for years. Not because of anything bad that happened between them, however I imagine that Candy was initially the main contributor to all the gossip said about her on the ranch and later on he learned she wasn't a bad person at all and just a lonely ill child, but by that point he had both immortalised her as a legend but condemned her from ever making real connections with people again. Knowing what he started and how he unintentionally isolated her and prevented her from being easily able to make friends with people on the ranch, the guilt would probably prevent him from forming any close connections with her.

I feel like if she were actually a character within the novel, her presence within the story would be similar to Andrey Bolkonsky in the musical Natasha, Pierre, & the Great Comet of 1812 (brilliant but strange musical btw, if you're interested in musicals it's definitely worth a listen!!). She is this looming presence amongst all the characters, always being mentioned in passing during conversation, this figure that everyone is aware of yet never sees, never actually being present in person up until the very end.

Candy would probably be the reader's introduction to Bronwyn, since Candy is a known gossiper. She'd be this influence in the story but is never truly there. I'm not too sure how she'd be important if that were the case though? Perhaps she'd be a figure symbolic of a 'point of no return' for all the characters. They all have a dream that isn't totally impossible which they come very close to achieving, and could very well leave their situation, but Bronwyn never had a chance and can never truly escape, locked up just to be forgotten about. Maybe she'd be a warning of the terrible fate which Lennie would have faced if he had lived and been institutionalised.

ANYWAYS moving past all of that; i have only made very few drawings of Bronwyn since my last post talking about her (admittedly due to extreme art block). But I’ve mostly been brainstorming about Curley and Bronwyn, the similarities and differences between them, mostly differences. Here is some of my recent art:

I always love experimenting and playing around with my style, trying out new brushes, techniques and colours <33 The last isn’t exactly my favourite mostly because i was just getting a feel for how to draw Curley and had little to no references for the pose and so it looks a little stiff. But!! I made many notes for my ideas while I was doing the sketch:

Thank you once more for your ask!! It means the world to me <33 I was so embarrassed when I first made her and feared being called ‘cringe’ or that people wouldn’t like her or something else along those lines, but the reception so far has been nothing but positive and encouraging!! I definitely plan to make more art and potentially even write some short fanfics including her in the future!!

oh one final thing, i also made a spotify playlist for her!! https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0qrBhwqopc6KrC7RouFxOZ?si=GPudTv12S92QwBBXqxw0Bg&pi=khdpmOzjTfeQP

Thank you once more for being so kind <33 I hope you have the most wonderful day/evening/night!!

[darqx]

It’s late and i cant think of a title OTL

❗️For commonly asked qs please see my BTD FAQ

FFFFT IF ONLY MY IRL SELF WAS AS PRODUCTIVE AS YOUR DREAM VERSION OF ME, DEAR GOD XDDD

Oh he has a number of Royal duties and that’s mainly running the equivalent of a country lol. So a lot of politicking, making decisions for his sector and that no one but him is fucking with the trade route, getting rid of rabble rousers if needed, fighting any Battle Royale challenges (not often nowadays). That’s not his daily routine obvs but any given day would have something particularly related to the politicking.

I cannot say if Rire would take someone as a Royal Consort but he could. Other Royals have spouses so it’s not like it’s unheard of lol.

My personal opinion is that Rire is like a master to demon!Strade (cos he DID give Rire his soul in this outcome) but also he’s not tugging on his leash all the time because he finds it infinitely more entertaining to let him loose and see what happens.

I have answered before how Rire would be as a father! It’s in this answer dump. To quote here:

Aristocrat dad, when he is around simultaneously kind of strict (has expectations of child) but also school of hard knocks and doesnt care unless you are annoying him so not overbearing. Teaches child essential things like ballroom dancing, manners and how to destroy people.

Also will not hesitate to kill child if they conspire against him so there’s that.

I’ve had a few of these recently and whilst I’ve answered them directly I figured one being placed here might be helpful.

With Rire (and only Rire for me lol) because he's mostly known through BTD - me and Gato decided that as long as people were using their OWN art, then they could sell fan products of our main BTD characs. So, a) as long as someone is only using their own BTD artwork and b) saying where the characters are from/not claiming the characters as their own, then it is ok.

(though, this is just for me and Gato's characs I think - Gato might want to clarify her stance if anything has changed. I don't know what EP's stance on this is)

Hello! To answer your qs, yes Rire is quite partial to that style (not entirely too sure about the age itself per say but some of the aesthetics and culture, which was already a bit similar to his own) :D

I think there are no real “rules” to having oc insert interaction, unless you are trying to be very true to the source material lol. After all, oc insert is mainly to have fun with an existing concept right? :) With BTD, since the “au” was already like a smash bros kind of thing with characs from different universes (ie Rire from my BP au, Strade from Gato’s TINR au, Sano from whatever EP was working on), there’s kind of almost...nothing that can’t be shoved in XD. This is because whatever rules that apply for our individual aus don’t apply to the BTD one. So if you wanted to have fun with your god/deity oc then you can if you really want ✌🏻

Rire’s reaction to one would really depend on the power level of said god/deity. If he calculates that he has a very low chance of say beating them in a fight, then he would probably make sure their paths do not cross often. If they are of around equal power or he is more powerful, then his actions wouldn’t change much from what we have seen from him already. He is always making sure he gets the best outcomes from things.

(A realm for souls huh? That might be interesting for Rire considering he is a soul stealer/soul eater demon haha!)

I do not, sorry ~

[rei-does-stuff]

Some SaH ocs I’ve made with @sah-headcanons !!!!

Might be a little incoherent but I hope I’m making it a little clear <33

First up is Kaeleomel! (Meaning Caramel in Korean!)

So you know Guemsaegi’s unnamed sister we see in his whole dream sequence where we first see Bamsaegi, well we never see her again after this and why is that?

Wellllll we decided it’s because she’s a defector, moving to the SaH equivalent of Europe or something and not just that but she is married to a Weasel! Nampyeon! (Meaning husband, so creative right? /s)

Geumsaegi, obviously, does not like this! Like at all! Since y’know, I imagine leaving the country and marrying the enemy would probably be pretty frowned upon in Flower Hill—

Geum sees her once and calls her a traitor, refusing to acknowledge her existence or even that he had a sister (which is why she’s never mentioned!)

Kaeleomel and Nampyeon would have kids and Geum probably wouldn’t look at any of them favorably either. “Hopefully these things will have more sense than you.”

I’d like to imagine during an argument Geum would use Bamsaegi as a way to be like “Now he’s alone and YOUR fault” Bc of course we need to make Bamsaegi suffer more than he already has (my favorite pass time!)

Kaeleomel would try to reason with Geum at first but Geum just literally wouldn’t understand why Flower Hill is bad and why the Enemy aren’t bad, it would be a very frustrating conversation for sure

She still tries to convince Geum even now, she knows deep deep DEEP down he still cares about her so she’s desperately trying to get through to him

I imagine when she still was in flower hill they were very very close

If she ever got hurt Geum would probably send a letter saying that she has a home in flower hill, and that she should come back and that it’s “not too late for you” along with some chestnut cakes and of course a lily bell

Kaeleomel loves Bamsaegi, even if she’s pretty disappointed that he became a soldier, but would mainly pity him, esp if she learns that he basically gave up being a scientific career for it, and that Geum encouraged it alongside making Bam more paranoid of enemy attacks,

Bamsaegi, in turn, is very conflicted, since he cares about his sister but now that’s she’s directly involved with the enemy he’s mainly just confused on what to think, esp since Geum is basically his dad so at times it feels like he has to choose between them

Kaeleomel got word of Bamsaegi being send by Flower Hill on a mission where he ended up almost dying in a gas chamber and still being expected to fight, I think she’d be pissed

It would probably be the one time she’d try to go to flower hill, just to visit him

And what’s worse is that Bam would still be like “I have to go back, I have to fight” even if he’s literally in the hospital

(Which like, Geum basically did the same thing, father like son)

She’d loath commander Darami and Goseumdochi

They’d visit Bam in the hospital to congratulate him for trying to sacrifice his life for Flower Hill and telling him to go back once he’s recovered and Kaeleomel sees this and is “HES LITERALLY DYING???? WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU??”

Nampyeon we decided is directly related to Aekku, with them being brothers, just to add more sting to everything. He’s willing to keep his mouth shut only to keep his wife safe, of course. He doesn’t like Geumsaegi at all.

He’s a lot more pessimistic than Kaeleomel, thinking there’s no point in trying to convince Geum or Bam of anything since he doesn’t think they’ll ever listen

He’s also a therapist <3

Next is Eolin (which just means young in Korean)

She’s a little weasel girl! (The daughter of this unnamed weasel)

Geumsaegi meets her whilst undercover and since she doesn’t realize he’s a Squirrel and not a field mouse and thinks Geum and his dad are friends she tries to form a bond with him much to Geumsaegi’s dismay. He sees the kid constantly though, basically haunting his narrative that the enemy are all evil and horrible as the kid repeatedly tries to befriend him, he consistently has to interact with them and pretend to be nice but each time that mask starts to slip

The kid makes him drawings and other small gifts that at first Geumsaegi just throws away in secret but even he starts to keep one or two small things, he tells himself it’s because it can be used as evidence or something to use against the enemy but deep down he knows that’s a lie.

That is basically it <3

[caelum-in-the-avatarverse]

Hello! I’m trying to collect seminal fanworks for different fandoms, and figured that it would be a good idea to ask you for any for atla since you said that you’ve been involved in writing fanfic for the show for so long. Basically, I’m hoping to find any fics that are widely popular within the fandom and/or have laid the groundwork for certain aspects of fanon. I’ve already got Embers by Vathara down for this since I’ve seen influence from it pop up pretty often, but I’m a bit new to the fic side of the fandom so I wanted to know which other ones were out there. Thank you!

Hmmm. Well, I can probably point you in the right direction, BUT there's a few things about me you'll want to take into account.

I have always had incredibly niche tastes. Even back in 2009 I was way more interested in reading about minor characters than I was reading about the main cast, and I preferred genfic over shipping. So the fics I read didn't tend to get popular, and the fics that did get popular were usually shipfic and thus I didn't read them and wouldn't be able to track their effects on the fandom. I also haven't regularly read ATLA fic in years; I write it, but I'm way more interested in my own OCs and worldbuilding and headcanon sandbox than most fic these days, so I'm not sure what the current trends are or where they came from. Most of the things I point you towards are going to be very old and possibly forgotten.

That said, I think your best bet is going to be figuring out where the hangout spaces were and who the major players were in old ATLA fandom and going from there. @loopy777 and @piandaoist may be able to help us out here too, especially since I only joined the fandom after the finale aired; they were around long before that.

So, where did the original ATLA fandom and its fic live? Well, for the fic, mostly on FanFiction.Net. You're lucky in this regard--I don't think there were any big independent fanfic archives for ATLA. Harry Potter was around at the same time and had several big fic sites, but HP was older than ATLA, so places like Sugar Quill and FictionAlley were founded around 2001. FFdotnet was founded in 1998, but back then it was pretty commonplace to build your own personal place on the internet. By the time ATLA aired, though, I think FFdotnet was becoming the go-to fic place. And old ATLA fandom never seemed to have much of a slash fandom; if it had that would've been more incentive to start up a separate slash-focused archive, since m/m would be especially vulnerable to purges. So as far as I know, no one felt a need to establish an ATLA-focused fic website, and if they did it never got very big. You'll probably have some good luck seeing what was popular if you just go to the FFdotnet ATLA section and sort by number of reviews and check the dates on what you find.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you are going to go looking for this stuff, you need to keep in mind that you are looking at a past internet that is very different from what you might be used to today. For all that purity culture wankers like to complain, AO3 is a dream compared to the olden days. Now, you can see a fic's tags and warnings (or that the author chose NOT to warn) before you even open it. That was not possible or expected on many other fic archives. FFdotnet only gave you so many characters to write your fic summary, that was precious real estate. Sometimes people warned for things in author's notes, sometimes they did not. The culture and etiquette around warnings was different; in many fandoms back then, failing to warn for character death was seen as way more upsetting than failing to warn for rape. Check the rating, the summary, the author's notes--and then understand that you might still run into a completely random sex scene halfway through the fic. Was every fic like this? No, of course not. Most of them weren't. But you have to understand that this is an unavoidable risk. If you can't handle the idea of stumbling across some underage Zutara smut, this might not be the project for you.

Oh, and mind the citrus scale--lemons mean sex, limes mean the characters don't go as far as having sex.

And FYI, it's been ages since I've read anything I'm about to go over and I can't remember the details, so yes, this warning applies to anything I recommend here, too.

Other places to check...well, fandom lived on LiveJournal back then. I'm not sure if ATLA fandom was very affected by Strikethrough and Boldthrough; like I said, there didn't seem to be a lot of slash fans back then. But you could probably go trawling through old journals and communities and see if you find anything interesting... Oh, and back then all fanart would've been posted on DeviantArt, that was pretty much where fanart lived back then. LJ didn't have native image hosting, you had to use Photobucket if you wanted to post any images on there, and why do that when DeviantArt was RIGHT THERE for your fanart.

Ooooh, here you go, FanLore has some lists of ATLA fan spaces, lots of which are on LJ and DA!

There was also AvatarSpirit.Net, but they shut down ages ago. I archived a lot of the threads before it went, but I basically skipped the whole fanfic forum--everything in there was probably on FFdotnet, and no one really left comments on the fic threads, so it seemed pointless since I was pressed for time.

I think that pretty much covers the places. So what about the people?

Well, off the top of my head, I think one fan you might find useful is AvocadoLove (haha your names match). She wrote a lot of fic, but her most popular by far was Another Brother, which I believe was the original Zuko Joins The Water Tribe story, so that trope can be traced back to her. AvocadoLove also kept what might've been the fandom's most prestigious fic reclist, which you can still see on both her LiveJournal and her DreamWidth:

LJ 1 | LJ 2 ||| DW 1 | DW 2

There's a lot of popular fics on this list. Be warned, though, that a lot of them have disappeared, especially if they were posted on someone's LJ instead of on FFdotnet. A few years back I went down this list archiving everything I could, and the number of error pages I hit was saddening. It's possible some have been reposted to AO3 so you can go check there.

Going off this list...

Enslaved by sharkflip--This was a popular Zutara fic, Zuko's the one who got enslaved lol. Extremely different worldbuilding from canon, I gave it a read once and it was interesting.

Mai's Ramblings by @loopy777--Oh my GOD I forgot this existed but it's great. Unfortunately ASN is gone and I have no idea if they're posted anywhere else, LOOPY TELL US, but these were just hilariously stupid rambles by Mai on every ATLA ship imaginable. Did they have a big effect on fanon? Unsure. Were they beloved by the ASN community? YES.

Stormbenders by Fandomme--Another super-popular Zutara fic, people loved it, so it's possible it might've affected Zutara fanon?

Water Tribe by Rufftoon on NoSelfControl--Okay, so this is a long webcomic about "what if Zhao survived the Siege of the North, got amnesia, and the NWT begrudgingly took him in?" Very popular with Zhao fans back in the day. The really cool thing about this is that Rufftoon was actually an ATLA storyboard artist, so her artwork looks a LOT like the show. I believe she made Water Tribe as a sort of personal practice for long-term visual storytelling or something. She did lots of other ATLA art too, you should check her out.

Oh, speaking of webcomics...

Plight of the Freedom Fighters by SioUte and PFFbySIO--The first webcomic was a "how to make Jet survive" story, the second followed the Freedom Fighters after the war as adults. SioUte was the Freedom Fighters BNF back in the day.

And while I'm thinking of it, not a webcomic, but sylvacoer had this whole not-really-Zutara story going on that was literally Blue Spirit/Painted Lady.

*thinks* Look, when it comes right down to it, unless there's stuff going on in the shipping subfandoms that I'm not aware of, I don't think you're going to find anything that directly established as much fanon as Embers did. There were plenty of other super-popular fics, sure, but most of them focused on shipping, and worldbuilding wasn't quite as important. Embers put worldbuilding first and foremost, and therefore it was easier for the fandom to pull from as a whole.

Uhhh let's see what else...at this point I'm basically just throwing whatever I can remember being interesting at you, lol, idk how much of an effect any of this really had.

DJNS wrote a bunch of fic with interesting premises, some shippy, some not. The Zuko/Aang roleswap AU was pretty cool.

For me personally, the biggest influences on my writing were Dark Puck and Rebecca Hb, specifically their Dai Li fics. They had a circle of friends on LJ who put out some good stuff.

*thinks* Yeah, I think that's all I've got for now. Hope that gives you a starting point! I'd also recommend, as you trawl through FFdotnet, checking out the authors' favorited fics in their profiles, you could probably find more interesting stuff that way.

Idk, I'll add more later if I think of anything. But if you start with AvocadoLove, I think that's an excellent starting point.

[starfall-isle]

Petri questionnaire for @sonic-oc-showdown!

Name: Petri

Species: Hedgehog, with a little bit of field mouse!

Home: She usually rents an apartment in Sunset city, but that’s getting more complicated in her current situation

✨ How did you come up with the OC’s name?

Sonic naming conventions, so I went through a list of names that fit her skillsets! Petri like a Petri dish ^^

🧑‍🦳 How old are they?

27!

💞 Do they have any love interests?

Nope! Aside from a tiny crush on her boss, but what non-robotic Eggman lacky can’t say that.

🥞 What is their favorite food?  

She needs her fill of coffee every day if she wants a chance at staying upright. Aside from that she enjoys pastries and breakfast foods! Usually during a busy night though, she isn’t an early riser.

💼 What do they do for a living?

If she had her way she’d be working her old job as Eggman’s Secretary! While not the line of work she dreamed of, she’ll take any chance to get closer to the doctor and his resources someday. For now she’s interning at the Chaotix detective agency in exchange for their skills.

🏐 Do they have any hobbies?  

She’s an avid chess player! Though she doesn’t like playing on a competitive level. Petri adores board games and puzzles, and enjoys any activity that gets her mind racing and an opportunity to show her skillsets!

🎯 What do they do best?  

Setting her mind to something! Once she’s made a decision, she’ll be hard pressed to go back on it. Whether it’s due to arrogance or genuine passion is debatable, but either way she won’t settle for anything that she doesn’t deem to herself as successful.

🥊 What do they love? What do they hate?  

Petri loves her work as a chemist!! She cares about what she does a lot, and strives to one day create her own company. And as much as Petri loves the idea of success she hates any notion of not being needed or acknowledged for her talents even more. She’s also somewhat dismissive and snide, but can’t stand when people respond to her on the same level. 

📸 What is one of your OC’s best memories?  

Hanging out with Orbot and Cubot during slow office days! Whether it’s the chance to chat their processors to mush, or play a friendly game of checkers, those little visits secretly shine in her memory.

✂️ What is one of your OC’s worst memories?  

I Can’t really say yet! She sure isn’t happy about losing her job though.

🏚️ Is their current design their first one?  

Nope! I had a couple scrapped designs before I landed on what I liked. Originally she was going to be a lot more studious, a paleontologist, and she had a long braid for a little while! 

🧠 What originally inspired this OC?  

Petri was only developed as an attempt to design a hedgehog character to see what I could come up with myself! What was meant to be a one off sketch quickly turned into a slew of ideas once it dawned on me how much i’d enjoy making a more antagonistic character! If I created her now knowing what she would evolve into I probably wouldn’t have made her a hedgehog, but I really love the way she is now.

🎬 What genre do they belong in?  

Whatever you’d label sonic. Not as much mystery as you’d expect a lady tagging along with the Chaotix to have though.

🏳️‍🌈 What is your OC’s gender identity and sexuality?  

Bisexual trans woman! 

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 How many siblings does your OC have?  

Only child!

🧑‍🍼 What is the OC’s relations w/their parents like?  

Not strained by any means, but not really on speaking terms. I think Petri is a little too prideful to let them back into her life before she’s established herself the way she envisioned.

💜 What do you like most about the OC?  

She is just sooo silly and holds a special place in my heart due to how much joy I’ve found from developing her! I’ve planned out an entire story around her and it’s the most passionate I’ve felt toward an oc in a very long time! To be succinct, I just like writing her :)

🖍️ How often do you draw/write about the OC?  

A lot comparatively, but i created her during a rough time and haven’t been able to draw as much as I’d want. So like! As often as I can.

🔪 Do you ever see yourself killing off the OC?  

Nope! I don’t think I’ve ever killed off any of my own characters, I’m much more into the idea that she has to face her mistakes than use her for a big self sacrificing gesture.

💀 Does your OC have any phobias?

Petri is much more anxiety prone than she lets on, and is deeply afraid of being forgotten. Aside from personal fears she doesn’t like being around flickies and small animals.  

❤️‍🔥 Who is your OC’s arch-nemesis or rival?  

Currently she has a guttural hatred towards Sonic for costing her her job, but he doesn’t know that. (Or her.) But other than that… well. :)

⏱️ How long have you had the OC?

Since September 12, 2021!!!

[i-suc-at-art]

Day 6: immortal

Ik this isn’t exactly danny phantom but it’s my dp oc so id like to think it counts.. This also is something i’ve had in the google doc vault for like ages lol it takes place during beyond batman, i was eventually going to have danny join the story but this is only the first part so don’t come for me that danny isn’t in this.. I still think it’s good writing so take pitty on my and read it pretty please 🥺🥺

“We have a ghost problem in Gotham” Terry says

“I don’t think so.. I’ve seen everything, Zombies, vampires, only one ghost though..”

“A real ghost?” Terry asks while sitting on the desk, Bruce was repairing the Suit sitting down in a chair.

“She was a half ghost but yes. She was once the ward of Vlad masters, she came to Gotham when she was 17, the two of them weren’t on good terms.”

“Woah, rich kid huh?”

“Didn’t act like it, but she was dangerous, vindictive too. She didn’t love that i wasn’t willing to go the extra mile in stopping bad guys” Bruce continues working on the suit not looking up

“Freaky.. Wait, wouldn’t she be like 40 by now?”

Bruce looks up at Terry and sighs. He stands walking over to the bat computer “Computer bring up file on Clover Morte.”

“Clover Morte, previous identities unknown, alias: Reaper, Age:17, metahuman powers: increased strength, intangibility, invisibility, increased sight, flight, overshadowing, ghostly fire, immortality, other powers unknown.”

“Do you know where she is? or how to find her?”

“I have a few ideas, you worry about the bad guys, i’ll worry about finding the ghost who haunts Gotham.”

“Right.” Terry puts on his suit and heads out in the batmobile.

Bruce steps into the middle of the small graveyard in Park Row, his cane hitting an inground plaque he side steps to not stand on the grave.

“My eyes must be deceiving me! Is that the one and only Bruce Wayne? The living ghost?” A voice asks from the shadows

“I could say the same about you Reaper.” Bruce turns to where he heard the voice

“Ain’t nobody called me that, not in a long time..” Clover says landing silently in front of Bruce

“You still look good for 37..” He smirks down at the young ghost, her body still looking 17

“You look good too, for a dead guy.” A burst of fire lights from her hand as she passes Bruce patting him on the shoulder with her non burning hand “So, whatcha need? There’s no way you’d see me just to visit.”

“You ever talked to your Dad before he passed?” Bruce follows her and Clover slows her pace so they can walk side by side

“Vlad? Oh no he’s alive and well, he’s also a halfa, naturally created halfas age slower than humans, but they age.” She pauses and opens up a decently sized mausoleum to have a dry place for the two to talk.

“Ah.. That’s good to know that Mr. Masters is alive, still, that bastard’s probably going to live longer than Mcginnis.”

“You’re the one who's going to outlive us all Bruce..” She steps further in motioning for him to follow “So that’s your new ward? Or maybe the new Batman that I've been hearing whispers about?” Clover pulls up a chair for Bruce to sit, clearly she had made this some sort of home. A cot bed in the corner, a couple empty takeout containers sit in a trash bag, looking around Bruce is seriously considering offering Clover a room

“Perceptive as ever. You know you should really talk to Vlad before it’s too late.”

“I mean we’ve talked, he knows I'm alive.. well half alive, but still. He understands that my place is here. Though I haven’t seen him in about 3 or 4 years now, I'm really thinking about it..” She pauses and looks at Bruce, his eyes darting around inspecting the room

“I don’t need a room Bruce. This is my haunt, take me away from it and I won’t hesitate to bring your spirit here myself.” She glares at him and he can’t tell if she’s being serious or not.

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” He sighs, eyes focusing back on the ghost girl. She lights a couple of small torches on the walls with the fire from her hand. A bright green ring glows around her waist; it splits and starts to change her body, her hair falling from its fiery ponytail, to equally fiery red hair that reaches her shoulders, her bangs black and eyes a bright green. She now looks to be 17 or 18 but her face looks just as aged as someone in their late twenties. Her eyes suckin in, mouth positioned in a frown, she looks troubled. Bruce can tell she isn’t hiding it either.

“Ok, spit it out.. you didn’t just come here to pass along fatherly advice, and exchange pleasantries.”

“Mcginnis says we have a ghost problem. But i’m not so sure. It seems to..” Bruce pauses searching for the right words “high school to be a real ghost.”

“What do you want me to do? Play high school?” She crosses her arms and leans against one of the walls

“That might be a good idea.. Mcginnis does need someone out there who I trust helping him learn the ropes.”

Clover sighs “My guy.. I was joking, I'm not going back to school. Last time it was kinda a hellhole.”

“I’m sure it gets lonely here..” Bruce says

“One; that was out of pocket, two; Jason visits quite often ok?” she pauses “I know what you're doing.. I quite enjoy my simple life I've carved for myself so why don’t you stop trying to carve your dick into it.” She glares her green eyes turning a bright blue for a moment

“It would be good to get to know your peers.” He continues to push her buttons

“Oh yeah, like I'll be able to connect with a bunch of teens who were just sperm when I started my haunt.” She rolls her eyes

“It would be nice to have an inside man. Dont adult actors play teens all the time?” He questions.

She sighs, “If you stop nagging I’ll give you one week. When we get this figured out and I'm back in this graveyard. If you make me stay any longer I swear I will make good on my threat.”

Bruce just nods then sticks out his hand for a handshake, clover grasps it tightly “Death.. I can’t believe that worked..” She balls up her fist and hits it to her forehead.

[miracles-and-butterflies]

Hello again, I have a new load of questions, heeere we go:

What did Mirabel study in uni? Is being an assistant satisfying for her or will she leave to pursue her dream job?

Was Bruno forced by his mother to become a policeman, or is it more of an internal thing? Had he ever considered pursuing another profession? Is he satisfied with his job?

Just checking - the partner OCs you are talking about are from this post, right? https://www.tumblr.com/miracles-and-butterflies/744309949351542784/references-for-the-partner-ocs-this-has-been?source=share

For some reason, Pepa strikes me as a single middle aged woman who’s into esoterics (like, does taro readings, probably owns an orb, to look into the future, knows a lot about astrology, etc). Probably this way she has this ‘goddess-like’ aura around her (like when she could change the weather) that lures Felix in, and then he falls in love with her because she’s also extremely funny and charming. Oo and what if she flirts with Feliz and reads his palm or something else and tells him he is destined to end up with a tall and extremely stunning woman. Is this anything?

What is Julieta and Agustin’s relationship? Do they know each other?

How did the collapsing house incident happen? Did the Rojas family have to live in an old house because they had no money for a better home?

Yes, more questions! I love talking about these guys, definitely one of my favourite AUs I’ve made if you couldn’t tell.

Mirabel studied History and Literature, she has a doctorate. She loves her job, but has definitely had it said to her that she’s holding herself back. But the idea of leaving terrifies her. She sat two job interviews before the 99 and failed them on account of being too panicked and/or nervous, though she was completely qualified and capable. Luisa got her this job, so she didn’t sit an interview, just signed the contract then and there. This is comfortable.

Bruno becoming a police officer was something Alma probably hoped for, but she didn’t outright force or demand Bruno take that path. After all, it is how she lost her husband. It was more something Bruno internalised. Don’t get him wrong, he loves his job and what he does for the community, but his more creative pursuits and passions definitely got tossed aside. And maybe, just maybe he secretly regrets that.

The partner OCs are definitely that of my own personality design, but are basically background characters taken from the film and/or books, etc.

Damn, that is so accurate about Pepa. That is basically how their first meeting went, much to the disgust and horror of Dolores. (Camilo was a lot more supportive). Félix would 100% be allured in by this stunning goddess.

Julieta and Agustín don’t know each other. They have no connection. They have other spouses in this AU, they don’t get together here.

The Rojas family did have money, but they lived in an old house. They had came over to America from Colombia (when Mirabel was about two) and found it difficult. This old house was all that was willingly offered to them that fit their price and requirements, so they had no choice but to take it.

There is no real story behind the incident. The house was old and falling apart, it was only a matter of time before it seriously broke. Mirabel was the only one home at the time and got caught in it. (Luisa had long since moved out at this point, their parents both work stupidly long hours). Right before it happened, she tried calling both her parents separately, having heard noises but was dismissed. She tried calling again, the cracks becoming more audible, and that’s when it happened.

When Luisa arrived at the hospital, she was pissed that things had gotten this bad and that Mirabel had tried warning their parents to no avail. So she took Mirabel to her own house (well, flat) and decided she was keeping Mirabel because she’d actually keep her safe. Unaware she was going to be dumped about this.

Hope this answers your questions!

[writing-for-life]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love 💗 (i don't know if you do these sorts of chain-letter things, or if you'd prefer not to, but for my part i do like to know which of their works a given author is especially hype on, so consider this an opportunity to gush!)

I was sweating for a moment there because I thought, “I’ve written all my life and even published, but I don’t have 5 fanfics, shit!”

And then I noticed… well, with a little bit of goodwill, I do. So thanks so much for asking, @stellerssong , and here comes the gushing:

The no. 1 has to be “The Light of Stars”.

I completed most of it during NaNoWriMo 2022 for a bit of fun and respite from other projects—and then did nothing with it. Until I thought, “Fuck it,” and started publishing it chapter by chapter, editing and tidying it up along the way.

It is a long fic, and I know that’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but I’m honestly proud of it. I put a lot of thought into characterisation and plot, keeping everyone in character (as much as aimed-for character development allowed, so certain OOC moments had to happen) and crafting an OC that works for what I was setting out to do. So much so that many people asked for a sequel, which I’m still in the process of writing (I completed the concept again last NaNoWriMo and wrote over 40,000 words back then, but progress has been slow since because… life).

I don’t want to give too much away here, but while it’s romance and there *is* more than enough sex (I write steamy romance professionally, albeit in my other language), this is really not what this one is mainly about. So it’s not one for people who look for thinly-disguised chapter-porn and super-explicit descriptions. It’s a novel with a fully developed arc, and it deals with topics like friendship, loss and grief. Someone told me though that it felt hopeful and they didn’t struggle with the broaching of those topics like in some other works, and that was probably the most wonderful thing anyone could ever have said to me.

I’ll choose “Snow Globes and Whisky” as my second, but only because it is a Christmas gift-type one-shot with the same characters.

You can, in theory, read it without knowing TLoS, but it just wouldn’t make sense. It’s just Christmas fluff, not incredibly deep (despite picking up on the friendship and loss-theme again), it was fun to write and to get Dream a little bit drunk (just because he was intrigued and allowed it of course 🤣).

Then there are Rachel and Johanna.

They have such a special place in my heart. I always wanted to tell their story because we never got it in the show—so I did. And as a bisexual woman, I am also Jo’s biggest stan. I desperately want her to be the Sandman-character who does away with bi-erasure once and for all (because if the onscreen love interest is female, everyone cheers, but bi m/f relationships never count in fandom because they’re “heteronormative”. Newsflash: We’re not “50% straight, 50% gay”. We have nuance and deep inner lives and different preferences that make up very personal identities, and we’re not some token queer representation that stops to exist once we’re in straight-passing relationships). We’ve seen her date a woman and she has tons of chemistry with Dream too—I want them to have the messiest affair ever and somehow have her take Thessaly’s place. But better. Because she’d protect Lyta for all the RIGHT reasons. There, I said it, and I’m not sorry. Anyway, that’s not what “As it Was Before the Otherness Came” is about. It’s sad and heartbreaking and canon-compliant. It just fills in the gaps. And again, I’m super-proud that someone in the comments said to tell Gaiman about it (we all know that’s not a thing for fanfic) because they thought it was so in character and well-written. Yes, I’m shamelessly blowing my own trumpet because you asked me to 🤣

Then there are my Inktober Haikus.

I still intend to turn them into a bound book with accompanying art one day (the latter is where it all falls down really because although I could, it would take me 1,000 years to create all the art myself). 31 poems, some more inspired than others, but they were a great creativity exercise, and I honestly love them for what they are.

And last but not least, from the serious to the totally unhinged: Muhulhu. Murphy and his Cool Hat. The crack ship of all crack ships, aka:

I set out to write a trilogy, the first part “By The Sea, I Mean In The Dreaming: A Comedy Prelude” is published, the second and third are currently in a vegetative state because I just can’t find the time to write and/or edit. And if I do, I prefer writing the TLoS sequel. Or metas. Or running silly fandom events 🤣 I’d love to write more fanfic, but between a full time job (or rather: three jobs that make up one) and a family, I just stare in awe at the people on here who produce constant output, because I honestly can’t. But I will get back to it eventually because that one is just sheer unhinged fun.

Thank you again for giving me the opportunity to flog my goods!

@stellerssong ask answered

[gwens-fiction]

OC Interview Tag-Game

Tagged by @writingsfromspace

Doing this one for Vasco

Are you named after anyone?

—Actually yes, after my grandfather Velasco on my father's side

When was the last time you cried?

—I am not sure, but probably recently. Some ghosts just have such tear jerkers of death tales.

Do you have kids?

—Not yet, but I think eventually Estella and I have plans for at least one some day

Do you use sarcasm a lot?

—Not as much as my brother-in-law. Sometimes I miss it and take him seriously

What's the first thing you notice about people?

—Their general vibe I get being around them….Though I wish it was whether they were living or ghost because that would make life so much easier.

What's your eye colour?

—A kind of reddish brown, but when using my magic it’ll brighten to more of a scarlet

Scary movies or happy endings?

—Happy endings all the way

Any special talents?

—I’ve discovered I’m great at accidentally creating all new undead beasts when I’m absolutely not meaning to do that

Where were you born?

—Honestly I don’t remember. I got separated from my family when I was pretty young and at this point that was nearly two centuries ago.

Do you have any pets?

—Not yet, but I am trying to talk Estella into us getting a drabbit

What sort of sports do you play?

—I have never been the sporty type

How tall are you?

—Pretty tall. Definitely taller than the average of humans…But I’m also taller compared to many other Avendiae too.

What was your favorite subject in school?

—Forbidden tomes….Mainly since those are where the dark magic spells are, and so they’re the ones that agree most with my magicris and don’t give me vertigo to perform.

What is your dream job?

—One where I can practice dark magic and show to others it’s not necessarily dangerous as it all depends on how it’s used….For instance, there is nothing dangerous about reviving my wife's dead house plants.

No pressure tagging: @sleepyowlwrites @slenders1ckn3ss @insert-meaningful-username

Blank questions under read more

Are you named after anyone?

When was the last time you cried?

Do you have kids?

Do you use sarcasm a lot?

What's the first thing you notice about people?

What's your eye colour?

Scary movies or happy endings?

Any special talents?

Where were you born?

Do you have any pets?

What sort of sports do you play?

How tall are you?

What was your favorite subject in school?

What is your dream job?

[mrfancyfoot]

Raphael x Evie (f!OC)

Fic Rating: E/Varied | Chapter 1: AO3 + Tumblr | Master List

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Chapter 15: (Blood)lust Pt.1 "Haarlep finds the sleeping Evie and, seeing an opportunity to disrupt their Master’s plans, decides they’re tired of waiting around. They get more than they bargained for."

< Previous Chapter: Ch. 14 Scarlet | Next Chapter: Ch. 16 (Blood)lust Pt.2 >

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Couldn’t let anyone catch too much of a break over this little arc.

Hello, friends! This is probably the darkest dip in this direction that will be in this fic. As such, I have separated it into two parts. The AO3 version has an additional spoilered extended summary of the events for Pt.1 for those who would like a bit more help determining if they would like to read this part or already know they’d prefer to skip this and go straight to Pt.2 (which is now also posted). :)

Thank-you for reading and any likes/comments/reblogs!! ❤️❤️❤️

Please mind the tags/warnings!

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Ch. Rating: E / NSFW Ch. Word Count: ~2.1k Ch. Tags: POV Evie; Minor Haarlep(M) x Evie (Non-Consensual) Ch. Warnings: Haarlep; Sexual Assault (Non-Consensual Touching and Kissing - Does not go further than this); Non-Con Drugging/Aphrodisiac (Incubus Venom via Spit) and Restraints; Blood/Injury

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Read under the cut or on AO3-

Her breath caught tightly in her throat.  Gold eyes stared back at her.  Not of Raphael - who would also be alarming to wake to like this - but of that lookalike fiend that wore his skin as they lounged on the bed next to her.  Haarlep.

Evie’s mind raced to remember what had happened before she had fallen asleep.  She was still at the House of Hope…for some reason.  She had been talking with Raphael in his office when he had to step out, then she wandered around the office leaving behind a few tiny gifts for him to find later.  Someone must have moved her to a bed after she fell asleep at his desk.

It was hardly any surprise that she had fallen asleep with how exhausted she had been when Raphael had pulled her here to begin with…but she still couldn’t believe that she just fell asleep in the House of the devil.

She frowned and turned over, facing away from Haarlep in what she hoped was a clear signal of her disinterest in them.

“Aww, no need to be like that, little one.  I merely desire to get to know you.  We could be friends!  You talk to the Master so often, yet you ignore poor me every time I try to talk to you.  You have yet to even come visit!  That is quite rude!”  Why were they even here?  She remembered Raphael saying he forbade them from ‘touching’ her.  Though now that she thought about it, this technically wasn’t touching…

She could hear the humor in their lilting voice as they pivoted to a different tactic, “Did you enjoy the steamy dream?  Your lovely scent says you did!  Apologies if it may have been interrupted.  But you can tell me all about it - we can even reenact it!  Or we can do any of the other things with which I’ve regaled you while you’ve pretended you don’t hear me.”  Though they laughed, there was an unmistakable edge of annoyance that they were swift to mask.  They hadn’t liked being ignored.  “Are you attracted to the Master?  There is no reason to hide it from me~”

Evie pulled the thick blanket up over her head, and while it wasn’t enough to block out the incubus’ laughter, the darkness gave her some minor comfort while she thought of how to get herself out of this.  Again.

The dream hadn’t been her own?

That made sense.  It was rare that she dreamt at all and she had chalked up the who to be from being in his House and having just talked to him.  She hadn’t really given consideration to Raphael in that way before…  Sure, he was flirty and good looking - attractive, even - but he wanted her soul and possibly her companionship to an extent, not, well, her.  She might have been trying to befriend him, but he was a whole other league in status.  She told herself that she wasn't going to assume ill intent just because he was a devil, but it was difficult at times to tell what was genuine and what was an act meant only to pull her in.

Maybe as, like, a one time thing to satiate some thrill and curiosities of being with a devil.  Though…that wasn’t fair to him, was it?  She’d hate to lead him on even if his goal was her soul.

Magic rushed brightly to the fingertips of her unsteady hand but kept flickering out.

The weight behind her shifted and suddenly Haarlep was straddling her, their knees caging either side of her hips and pulling the blanket tight over her form.  She reflexively curled into herself as much as she could, feeling her heart and stomach meet to flutter sickly in her throat as her tail hid between her legs.  This was a mistake, this was a mistake, this was a mistake-

She should have run.

She was only a guest in Raphael’s House and didn’t know the rules around harming another, even if in her own defense.  Which fate would be worse: the incubus getting their way or whatever might befall her for attacking them?

Where was Raphael?  Maybe if she made enough of a commotion, he would come…

Their hand landed behind her head as they bent over her.  Through the plush material of the blanket she felt them trace a finger down and then up her arm.  A shiver shook her, her breaths came quick.  She couldn’t panic.  Her hands clenched tighter on the blanket when they got to her wrist and she braced herself, but the finger retreated, reversing the trace, then repeated it again from her shoulder.

Haarlep slid sideways to lie next to her, still keeping a leg slug over hers as their hand brushed along her body.  They let out a loud sigh.  “Oh, ‘She liked the story of the duergar and the salamander!’  ‘Do you think she would enjoy the one of the bard and her cursed lute?’  And I have heard everything about your time-travelling woman and her dog-devil companion.”  They poked and drummed their fingers across her waist as they drawled on and she had to fight herself not to squirm, each unwanted touch like a shock bursting through her skin.  She could feel the spark of her magic just there and struggled to grasp it.  “Raphael has gotten all excited over such silly things.  You have made quite the impression.”

Under other circumstances, she’d be over the moon to hear that.  Now couldn’t be a time to be distracted.

Her mind wavered.  Should she take the opportunity to shove herself from the bed?  She needed to.  She needed to move.

But she took too long being paralyzed by indecision during those precious seconds, the window to act lost as Haarlep slung themself back over her and sat up.

The words to ask Haarlep to get off of her - as futile attempt as she knew it would be - died as they continued, “And then I hear, ‘Bah!  The fox can never sit properly!’ ‘She is always fidgeting.’ ‘She arrives wearing rags!’ ‘Why will she not eat any of the food prepared?’ ‘What will make her sign my contract?’” The bed bounced and shook her with whatever dramatic gestures they were making as they spoke.  “And now I hear that you sat yourself upon the Master’s chair!  How familiar you are for one not even signed with him.  Tsk, tsk.  And yet!  He has generously allowed you to rest your weary little head here.”

Her jaw rigid from trying to keep her words steady, she demanded, “Get off of me!  Where’s Raphael?”

“Hm?  Off working away on something or other, I would suppose.  Seducing a potential client, demanding research from the Archivist, paperwork,” they replied flippantly, completely ignoring her order.  Their voice was then cooing right in her ear, “Would you not like to spend eternity with the Master and me?  He wants to keep you, you know?  We would be able to play together whenever we want!  I would love a cute, little, foxy playmate~  We could make Raphael feel so good together.”

Her stomach churned.  The idea of being stuck with this fiend…

“It is clear to me that you require discipline.  And I would love nothing more than to tame our naughty pup!”  Another dramatic sigh.  “It is such a pity my charm doesn’t affect you, dear fox.  It makes this more difficult than it needs to be, though the direct approach should work.  You will come to enjoy it soon.”

The blanket was yanked harshly from her hands.  She gasped, immediately lashing out to push and scratch and twist herself free from them, but they were fast to catch her hands, pinning her wrists to the mattress.

She snapped at them when they leaned in too close, her teeth clacking together so hard her jaw hurt.

“Come now, you have been so eager to show me your tongue before.”  They gathered both of her wrists in one hand and reached over her.  As she struggled and pulled, she felt metal being slipped around her hands until it shrank securely around her wrists.  They released their grip, but, in this position, the cuffs had little give to their chains that were connected to a ring in the mouth of a golden devil head embedded into the headboard above her.  “I would say I hoped these would not be necessary, but that would be lying, dear one, and we know how the Master frowns upon that,” Haarlep chuckled.

The unfamiliar rumble of a warning growl bubbled and rattled up through her throat as her fear began to give way to anger.  Anger at what she knew this fiend intended to do even if she didn't want to acknowledge it.  Anger at herself that her magic was still so weak and untrained that it was utterly useless with her inability to focus this whole time when she needed it the most.

“Aww, look at you, all grumbly and fluffy!  You can’t fool me - you are drenched in the delicious scent of your fear, little fox,” they purred, licking their lips as they leered down at her.  “But it would be even lovelier with that intoxicating arousal I smelled from you before.”

They grinned as their wings spread widely behind them.  “Your options are either to allow me to have your beautiful form - which will be most pleasurable, I assure,” they dragged a claw down her chest, the fabric snagging until they stopped halfway between her breasts, “or…I relish every moment of consuming your soul.”

“Does Raphael know what you’re doing?  Or would he kill you for daring to take it?”  Buy time, delay, stall as much as possible.

“Ha!”  They shrugged, not appearing at all perturbed.  In fact, they looked scarily smug.  “I imagine he may torture me, but he cannot kill me.  Even your soul isn't worth upsetting his dear old father!”

That was what she feared - there was something between them that made Raphael put up with the incubus.

She tried to jerk away from the hand they ran down the side of her face.

“My fox, what will you choo-”

“Go-” ‘fuck yourself’ was weird to yell here, her brain had the odd fortitude to interject, “-stick your dick in a meat grinder, you fucking asshole!”

Their hand flipped to seize her jaw in a steely grip she couldn’t shake.  They leaned in close, their nose brushing hers.  “Such language!” they breathed, their lips ghosting hers.  “I adore that spirit - though, must I gag you, as well?  Do allow me to change your mind.”

They closed the rest of the distance, working their mouth against hers as she remained unmoving.  She felt their fangs prick and nibble along her lips that she kept pressed tightly together.  Their tongue swept along the seam of her lips seeking entry.

“Open, Evie…”

Their fingers pressed increasingly harsher into the sides of her jaw but it was the hand suddenly under her shirt and skirting claws up her side that gave them what they sought as she squeaked and flinched away.

Invading her mouth, their tongue curled wetly around hers, an abnormal amount of saliva moving with it to coat everything it touched.  Though flooded with disgust, their fingers kept her mouth pried open and unable to bite down how she wanted.

She felt an alarming heat building through her body that had her rigidly trembling as she tried to both fight off it and the fiend atop her.  

“Just relax and give into it, love,” they whispered, removing their hand from her face.  She failed to notice for the molten fire scorching her from the inside.  While the burn dizzied and hazed her mind and made her heart feel like it was about to burst from her chest, Haarlep mistook her slackening and the confused whine that left her throat for succumbing to their tactics.  “That’s it…”

They eagerly returned to her mouth with a groan and a loud snarl broke from her.

Her bite caught the edge of their lip as they jumped back in surprise.  Their hand reflexively flew up and she lurched towards it, her fangs sinking into their flesh with all the strength she had until she felt a gush of blood and wildly shook her head to rip into it.

All thought ceased, her mind singularly honing on shredding apart the being screeching and flailing over her.

❤️ Thank-you for reading!! Please consider liking & reblogging.❤️

< Previous Chapter: Ch. 14 Scarlet | Next Chapter: Ch. 16 (Blood)lust Pt.2 >

[sixpennydame]

North Star✶Chapter 3

A Levi Ackerman x oc slow burn

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter | Series Masterlist

Read in AO3

Levi finds a job, but it might be more than he can handle.

Warnings: just the tiniest bit of smut.

A/N: Subtitle for chapter: Sailor had a horse phase when she was a girl and now she's living her fantasies in her fanfic. ;-)

The next morning, you get out of bed just before the sun rises. You love the early morning light in late summer and having an hour or two to yourself before everyone else gets up for breakfast. You wash your face, put on a day dress, and tie up your hair. You reach for the simple gold wedding band on your vanity and put it on your left ring finger; wearing the band helps you to still feel connected to Martin. Sometimes, you’ll have dreams about him still being with you and upon waking, you’ll reach for him on the right side of the bed. You miss his smile, his laugh, the way he’d touch you. God, you miss his touch:

Martin used to slide his arm around you just as you were waking up in the morning. He’d start caressing your breast gently at first, and as your breathing would get heavier, he’d start to pinch your nipple. Then, he’d move down and slip his hand in your underwear, touching your clit with his finger. As you started getting wet, he’d slide a finger inside, moving back and forth. He’d start kissing your neck and you would bring your arm around to touch his hair. You’d begin to grind against his growing hard-on, and when neither of you could take it anymore, he’d pull his underwear down and slide his cock in from behind as he continued to massage your clit…

“No”, you shake your head, “I’ve got things to do.” Attempting to push the thoughts away, you go to the chicken coop and collect some eggs, then to the garden to cut some fresh chives and thyme. Even though it’s cooler in the mornings, you don’t want to heat up the kitchen today, so you make a cold breakfast of tomatoes, cheese, and ham with bread. You have some fresh strawberries so you decide to put those out too. You’re just about to put the kettle on the stove when Levi enters the kitchen. He’s wearing a simple white henley shirt and dark pants and his hair is neatly combed. Once he sees you he nods, “Good morning.”

“Good morning, Levi. You’re an early riser too?”

“Just an old habit, I guess,” he sits at the table, “and I’d like to start looking for a job today.”

“The biggest employer right now is the silver mine, but you said you didn’t want to work underground, right?”

“I’d like to avoid that, yes. I…have some past injuries that will probably keep me from doing labor like that.” There’s a sorrow in his voice. “But I’m a hard worker, at whatever I do.”

You look again at the deep scars that run across his face, and the two fingers missing from his right hand. “I hope you don’t mind my asking, but your scars….are you a veteran?”

Levi knew this would come up eventually. He wants to put it all behind him, but it seems his scarred body gives away everything. And how many questions will you ask? What if you figure out he’s from Paradis? He shifts in his chair, “I was…a soldier..yes.”

“My husband was also a soldier for Marley - an airship captain. He died at the Battle of Heaven and Earth.” You should probably just leave the conversation there, but something makes you want to tell Levi more. “I was there that day, at Fort Salta. I tried to get him to escape into the mountains with me, but he said he had a duty to uphold. I watched as his ship fell from the sky. If I had just…”, your words trail off.

Levi remembers your cries of loss when you found out your husband was dead. He’s known that helpless feeling so many times. “I’m sorry for your loss,” he says awkwardly, not knowing what else he should say.

You realize that tears are running down your cheeks. “Oh god, I’m sorry. I’ve shared too much.” You start wiping away tears when Levi pulls a handkerchief out of his pocket and hands it to you.

When you take the handkerchief you look into his eyes and can see the pain beyond his scars. You wonder what all he’s been through and what friends or loved ones he’s lost. The tea kettle starts to whistle and it breaks the silence. “Thank you, Levi,” you say, wiping your eyes. “I hope I haven’t made you too uncomfortable,” you say as you pour the hot water into the tea kettle. “Now let me think about some job openings..” you take a moment to ponder, “You’re not against manual labor?”

“I’m not. My knee gives me trouble if I’m standing for too long, but I’d rather be active than work at a desk.”

Although Levi’s short in stature, you notice that he does have a slim, muscular build. This is actually the first time you’re really taking a good look at him. Is he older than you? It’s hard to tell with his youthful appearance, but you think you see just a few grey strands in his dark black hair. His thin eyebrows seemed pursed into a constant scowl, but he doesn’t seem ill-natured, just serious. Despite his scars, he really is quite handsome. You also notice he’s not wearing a wedding band. Who is this mysterious man, and why is he here? What’s he running away from?

“Do you have anything in mind?” Levis asks, jolting you back to the issue at hand. This new stranger has certainly piqued your interest. 

“Hmmm..the only thing I can think of is maybe the stables across the meadow. It’s been run forever by Mathieu Singer, but he’s getting older and his sons never returned from the war. He still breeds quite a few horses and trains them before sending them all over Marley. It’s where I sent you to stable your horse and where I keep my horse as well. I should go there anyway and check on her, so I can introduce you to him.”

“I appreciate that,” he shifts in his chair, “but I can go myself.”

“It’s no problem. I have to go over there anyway. Give me a minute and we can walk over together.”

Levi takes a few last bites of his bread and cheese, then drinks his tea. “Alright. I think I’ll walk outside for a bit.”

“Yes, feel free to explore the property. I’ll meet you out there soon.”

Levi takes his tea mug and walks out the back door. The sun is just coming over the mountains and it’s casting a beautiful golden glow over the valley. He notices your herb and vegetable garden and is impressed by everything you’re growing: corn, peppers, tomatoes, beans, and other things he’s not quite familiar with but assumes are native to this part of the world. Not far from the garden is a chicken coop with several chickens eating the breakfast that you had already put out for them. As he continues walking, he notices a small shed with three goats ambling around the fenced area. They stare at Levi and bleat at him as he walks by. Flowers are interspersed between the gardens and animal areas, and it seems that the bees and other pollinators are already busy at work, flying from flower to flower. Levi recalls many beautiful places within the walls of Paradis, but nothing quite like this place. Or maybe he’d just never had the time to appreciate these kinds of simple things before. 

He continues walking and comes upon the banks of a very large lake; so large, in fact, that it was difficult to see the opposite shore. The water is ridiculously blue; bluer than he had ever seen. He picked up a stone and threw it into the water with a small thud. 

“I see you’ve found Mirror Lake,” you say as you walk towards Levi. “Silly name, if you ask me. Sure, it reflects the mountains beautifully but it's the blue color of the water that gets me every time.” You crouch down, looking for a smooth stone. “Something about the algae in the water makes the water this beautiful color.”

“I don’t particularly like lakes,” Levi says, throwing another stone in the water, “you can never see what’s swimming past your legs, and I hate the feel of algae.” 

You laugh. “Don’t worry, there’s nothing dangerous in these waters. Just some trout and other fish. But still…it’s rather nice to have something like this practically in my backyard.” You find a smooth stone, stand up, and skip it across the water. “Oh! Three skips!”

Levi looks at you like you’ve just done the most interesting thing. “Don’t tell me you’ve never skipped stones before.” You grab another stone from the ground. “See, all you need to do is throw like this from an angle-“

Before you can finish your lesson, Levi has already found a stone and tossed it across the water, skipping it four times. “I think I get the gist,” he says, nonchalantly.

You raise an eyebrow at him, “Apparently,” you laugh, then skip another stone; it only skips two times. “Shoot. I guess you beat me this time. But I warn you, I’m quite competitive with stone skipping.” You could have sworn you saw just the smallest smile creep across his lips. It makes you feel accomplished somehow. “Shall we walk over to Mathieu’s?”

——- ✶ ——-

The Singer Stables are just a quick walk across the meadow from the house, and as you and Levi get closer to the main barn, you see horses grazing across the several acres. Mathieu is already hard at work cleaning out the stables and refreshing the hay. 

“Catherine! What brings you over so early?” 

“I wanted to see how Astrid was doing and to introduce you to my new tenant,” you gesture toward Levi. “Matthieu, this is Levi Ackerman. He’ll be staying in Mursa for a while.”

Levi shakes his hand. “Mr. Singer, it’s nice to meet you. Thank you for taking in my horse on such short notice yesterday.”

“Oh please, call me Mathieu. We’re informal around here. And it was no problem - it’s a fine mare you got there. I just put her out to pasture to let her run around a bit. Should I get her for you?”

You speak up. “Actually, Mathieu, I was wondering if maybe you had any-“

Levi interjects. “Catherine, I can take it from here,” he turns away from you. “I’m looking for a job. Do you have any need for some extra help?”

Mathieu looks Levi up and down. “You a veteran?”

“…I am..”

“My sons were soldiers too. Infantry. They were stationed to fight against Allied Forces at Fort Slava and have been missing in action ever since. I reckon they’re never coming back..” Mathieu looks away. “I suppose an old man like me could use a hand around here, but I’d like to see how well you do with the horses first. Consider it a trial run for the next few days, then I’ll make a decision.”

“Fair enough,” Levi replies.

“Well then, let me show you around.”

You follow Levi and Mathieu to the stables, feeling a bit dejected at the way Levi treated you. You did bring him here, after all.

Mathieu sees you walking toward the pens. “You gonna take Astrid out for a ride this morning? She could use the exercise.”

“Yes, I think I will.”

 You walk over to Astrid and she whinnies for you. Astrid loves to be groomed, so you start brushing her golden coat and mane. She has a white starburst shape on his forehead, which you alway pet when you’re finished. After Astrid is properly brushed, you walk over to grab her saddle and bridle but see that Levi is already holding it for you.

“I’m told this is yours. Mathieu said I should get her ready for you,” he says nonchalantly.

“No, I can take it from here, thanks,” you say coldly as you grab the saddle from Levi. He watches as you put the blanket on Astrid’s back, then walks away to meet Mathieu. 

“Not even a ‘thank you’,” you complain, as you heave the heavy saddle on top of the blanket. Once it’s strapped on tightly, you ride out of the barn and see Mathieu putting Levi to work already, cleaning out the horse stalls. The breeze feels refreshing against your skin as you ride Astrid out into the meadow, first at a trot, then faster as you get further from the barn. 

You ride out past your house and around to the other side of Mirror Lake. Small white flowers dot the countryside, like a halo around the water. You decide to take your shoes off and walk on the grass; it always has a way of soothing you. Talking and thinking about Martin this morning put you in a melancholy mood, and you’re embarrassed that you cried in front of Levi. Most people would say that you’re an amicable and cheerful person; however, you often feel sad, lonely, and empty. Why did you let your mask slip for those few moments? Now Levi probably thinks you’re some overly-emotional woman.

You laugh to yourself: there you go, overthinking things again. Levi probably hasn’t given you a second thought. And who cares what he thinks? 

Astrid breaks you out of your thoughts by pushing you with her muzzle, almost as if she could sense your feelings. You turn to smile at her and pet her forehead. “If only people could be as simple to understand as horses.” 

When you arrive back at Mathieu's, you notice that a few older men have gathered around the training pen. You lead Astrid over to meet them and see that they’re talking to Levi while they watch a dark, wild-looking horse. 

“I’m telling you, Levi, it’s a lost cause. I named this one Demon for a reason. He won’t let anyone near him,” Mathieu says.

Another man chimes in. “He was taken away from his mother too soon and abused by his previous owner. He doesn’t trust any human that I’ve seen. I don’t know why you’ve even kept him this long.”

“He’s too beautiful to get rid of. If I could just tame him, he’d make an excellent race horse.”

Demon was a beautiful stallion. He had a black coat as dark as the blackest night, which looked dark blue when the light hit it just right, a long mane that flowed down his neck, and dark, wild eyes. His muscles tensed as he galloped around the training pen - a formidable threat to anyone who dared approach him.

Levi looks at Demon, determination growing in his eyes. “If I can tame this horse in three days, will you give me a job?”

All the men laugh, Mathieu the loudest of all. “If you can do that, not only will I give you a job, but I’ll give you the damn horse.”

Levi climbs over the fence and looks at Demon on the other side of the pen. He slowly starts walking toward the horse, eyes locked on him and arms at his side in surrender. Demon flattens his ears and stomps the ground, as if warning Levi to stay away, but he continues to move forward. He’s saying something to the horse; it’s too low and quiet for you to hear, but you see Demon’s ear perk. Levi gets just close enough to touch his mane, which he begins to pet gently. The group is holding their breath.

Suddenly, Demon rears up and knocks Levi down hard on the ground. The men laugh.

“Levi, I thought you had him there for a minute,” Mathieu jokes, slapping his friend on the back, “didn’t you?”

Levi stands up and dusts himself off. “I’ve got three days. It’s not over yet,” and he walks out of the pen.

You notice that his limp is worse than usual, so when he walks by, you place a hand on his shoulder. “Are you ok? You’re limping pretty badly.”

He shrugs your hand off. “I’m fine,” he answers in a short, annoyed tone as he walks to the barn.

——- ✶ ——-

That evening, Levi silently eats as everyone else talks about their day. You came back home after the first time he was knocked over by Demon, but you’re guessing by his attitude that he wasn’t successful that afternoon either.

When dinner is finished, Levi goes to his room without saying a word.

“I don’t know if I like that new guy,” Max remarks as he sits down in the parlor. “He’s rude, don’t you think? I mean, he won’t even pretend to have a conversation with us.”

“He’s new around here. Give him some time to adjust,” you defend, but you have your own misgivings. Initially, you found his silence mysterious and intriguing, but now you wonder if he’s just being rude. You’re not really sure how to read this man.

——- ✶ ——-

The next morning, Levi is up even earlier than you are. You see him coming back from a morning jog as you finish up feeding the chickens and since it seems like he’s busy with an exercise routine, you decide to not greet him. You’re just putting some scones in the oven when he comes in. Sweat is running down his neck and chest, and he lifts up his shirt to wipe off his face. You can’t help but notice his toned chest but quickly turn away. He moves next to you and takes a glass to pour some water. 

“Good morning, Catherine,” he says, then takes a drink of water.

“‘Morning,” you reply, taking some cream out of the icebox. You resolve to be cordial. “Nice time of day to exercise. Is this part of your routine or” - 

You turn around and notice he’s already left the kitchen. 

That evening is the same routine: dinner in silence and then straight to his room without a word. 

——- ✶ ——-

On the third day, you decide to go to Mathieu’s, mainly to check on Astrid, but you also want to see if Levi has tamed Demon. You’d guessed from his behavior of late that he hasn’t, but you also wonder if Levi is just perpetually grumpy. You’re not the only one who is curious: word has spread about the mysterious stranger who is attempting to tame this devil incarnate, and when you arrive at the stables, a crowd has gathered. Even Max and Luka are there, which surprises you.

“I bet Luka fifty crowns he won’t tame it,” Max says, leaning on the training pen fence.

“I didn’t even know you guys were interested in this.” 

“I was raised around horses, like most of us have here and I’ve known Mathieu for a long time. He said he’s never seen Levi’s style of horse taming. He’s barely even tried to get on Demon these last few days. He just…stays in the pen with him. Looks like the most he’s been able to do is get a bridle on.”

You had enough familiarity with horses to know that most trainers in this part of the world tamed a horse essentially by ‘breaking’ them - bending the horse to their will. What Levi is doing - well, you’d never seen it before.

Levi stands in the middle of the training pen, rope in hand. Demon runs around the circumference of the pen and when he stops, Levi walks slowly over. You can tell that Demon is more comfortable with Levi’s presence, so much so that Levi is able to put a rope around the horse’s hindquarters. He holds this rope in his right hand and takes the bridle already on Demon in his left. Demon objects at first by shaking his head side to side, but Levi has control and he uses the bridle and rope to guide Demon around the pen. 

After Demon runs around the pen a few times with guidance, Levi drops the rope and grabs a saddle blanket hanging on the fence.

“Here it comes…he’s gonna try and saddle him,” Luka comments.

Levi again approaches Demon, who snorts and then paws the dirt. He lifts the blanket up, and although Demon twitches, he doesn’t run away when Levi gently puts it on his back. Someone has moved the saddle closer to their location, so Levi grabs the saddle from the fence and with the slowest of movement, places it on top of the blanket. It’s a simple training saddle with only one strap, so Levi carefully latches it around Demon’s belly. 

The crowd is silent, almost as if they are holding their breath in expectation. Levi grabs the horn of the saddle and puts his foot in the stirrup. Demon protests and moves just a bit as Levi balances himself on one stirrup and lifts his body off the ground. A few seconds pass, and then Levi hoists his other leg over, his hands on the reins. Again Demon whinnies in protest, but doesn’t run or buck. Levi uses the reins to guide Demon into a trot, his concentration totally on Demon and his body movements.

The crowd is in stunned silence, knowing that any loud noises might spook the horse and endanger Levi. He rides Demon around the pen a few times then brings him to a halt to get off. As he exits the pen, he receives cheers and pats on the back and he walks over to Mathieu.

“So I’ve got the job?”

“I’ll say! I’ve never seen anyone tame a horse like that. How’d you do it?” Mathieu asks quizzically.

“I gained his trust by respecting his power, not by breaking it. Once he knew that, he let me ride him. It’s all about mutual trust and communication.”

“Well, I’m a man of my word, Levi. The job and the horse are yours,” he puts out his hand, which Levi shakes. 

“I’ll take the job for now. The horse…we can talk about later. I still have a lot of work to do with him.”

The crowd begins to disperse but you hear them remark about Levi’s skill. You’re also impressed. When Levi was working with Demon he was patient and attentive. Of course any animal (or human for that matter) would want to be treated that way. 

——- ✶ ——-

All anyone can talk about at dinner is Levi’s triumph over Demon. Luka updates everyone on what happened at the stables, as Levi quietly eats. 

“And to top it all off - Max owes me fifty crowns,” Luka goads.

Max squints. “I don’t think we ever shook on that..”

Patrick leans back in his chair. “That’s impressive, Levi. You obviously have extensive experience working with horses.” 

“Where I’m from, it’s important to bond with the horse in order to use them in battle. But Demon was a particularly challenging horse. It took me longer than I expected to gain his trust.”

“Horses can sense if people are trustworthy or not, so you must be a pretty good guy,” Max says jovially. “I guess I had you pegged wrong,” he smirks.

——- ✶ ——-

As Luka and Albert do dishes, you go outside to get some night air. You hear someone walk up and sit beside you. 

Both of you sit in silence for a few moments.

“I think I owe you an apology.”

You turn to look at Levi, his profile illuminated by the setting sun. 

“You helped me get this job and I haven’t even thanked you. That, and when you asked me how I was, I pushed you away,” he sighs, then looks at you. “It’s not easy for me to accept help from others and I let my pride get the best of me. I can…also be a bit of an asshole sometimes.”

You feign being shocked. “You? An asshole? Whatever do you mean?” You say in a sarcastic tone. 

He grins and lets out a silent chuckle.

That’s the second smile you’ve gotten out of him.

“I think I might be better at communicating with horses than I am with people.”

“Then I guess we found the perfect job for you,” you smile at him. 

Maybe Levi isn’t such a bad guy after all.

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