#also i'm in love with writing weird aus in the canon setting but it's so hard coming up with ideas

[stilemawillow]

Zenith [Levi | Blind! Reader | Soulmate AU!]

"This is fucking bullshit." Was the one brave invective not one person in the room had dared voice despite everybody's desire to do so. The figures - seated, standing or otherwise having placed themselves about the interior of the spacious office - reached the ultimate number of five. A random insignificant number they didn't seem to pay attention to or grasp the meaning of. Five was a steady number that could easily ruin itself - not a personal favourite of most people one came across even though they would hardly have time to think of a preferred number in a world such as the one they inhabited. Analogically, five's qualities were of no importance whatsoever to the members of the supposedly secret meeting currently holding place.

Standing in front of everybody, with his callused index finger pointing at a specific spot on a detailed map, Erwin Smith raised a thick blond eyebrow for everybody to see. The prominent question it posed - is everything clear? - would unanimously be given an affirmative answer but that didn't stop most from wishing to shake their heads in fake misunderstanding instead, just for the sake of being obstinate. The situation's sombre atmosphere prevented that from happening by inflicting professionalism upon those listening to the plan of action, with its one purpose being to draw results nearly as quick as they would be positive. It was Erwin's speciality - acquiring positive results through efficient plans.

The one to have requested the founding and application of such an efficient plan was standing by the open window, tall and bearded, with his arms crossed over the breast pocket of his uniform and his dark eyes tracing every movement in the room. Nile Dok had been reluctant to ask help of the Survey Corps' Commander and his most trusted subordinates but as long as the unsuitable (not to mention humiliating) phrase could be substituted by the better-sounding impose his command the raven-haired superior felt no need to admit his helplessness. Ordered to do anything he thought would reap results the quickest had immediately made him think of his old friend and fellow Commander, but now he was rather dissatisfied with his own actions.

A few feet away from him Hanji Zoe - most vivacious and outspoken of the five - was seated at the table with her brows knitted and her usually smiling lips curled downwards. If that wasn't enough of a shock, the following comparison would make up for it: a blind person could probably tell she was morose. The woman who would've been maybe the second person to object to Erwin's plan was now only frowning at the map in front of her, head and mouth both devoid of words that might as well be called 'an act of insubordination' if ever spoken aloud. The scientist's brown gaze wasn't flittering about as it normally would and had instead chosen to stare at the spot Erwin's finger stood over as if hypnotised.

Across from her weirdly silent self sat Mike Zacharius, second in abilities and power only to Humanity's Strongest Soldier, with one of his hands running through his dirty blond locks and the other one resting atop the polished table - stiff and tense, and ready to take action though nothing dangerous was close. Besides being strong and responsible for a lot of confidential information, Zacharius was famous for the one thing nobody else had or could acquire - his extremely acute sense of smell. Now his nose told him a long tale of all the emotions in the room: frustration, pride and indignation mixed with thoughtfulness and confusion, but a clear sense of malodorous reproach outshone them all and its source was unmistakable.

Levi Ackerman, besides occasionally being vulgar and oozing raw austerity 90% of the time, was also the one person who, in such a moment of unprecedented stupidity, would've been most vocal about his negative opinion. Now he was leaning against the wall across from Mike, glaring daggers at his blond Commander, with his slender finger pointedly tapping away at his bicep. Maybe it was wordlessly articulating an angry rant in morse code nobody in the room could understand. Either way, a clear sense of reproach rolled off of his body like waves, hitting everybody present as hard as a heavy rock would hit their head if properly guided by a malicious hand. Levi's discontent with the situation was obvious, but his usually harsh tongue was yet to lash out and choose itself a victim.

"It seems to me nobody will offer an objection," Nile Dok began in a stiff tone that attracted only one person's fleeting attention, "so I'll be the first to do it." Four pairs of calculating orbs turned to look at him now, unaffected by the beginning of his sentence and completely baffled by the remainder. Suspicion was present in the air and doubt lingered about the small cracks in the paint on the tall ceiling yet the anticipant silence was not disrupted; the Survey Corps' higher-ups gave him permission to speak. "Levi Ackerman is unsuitable for the job." It was all he had to say, if the subsequent stillness was anything to go by.

"Levi is my most reliable man." Erwin intervened with a diplomatic tone that made Mike's eyebrows raise in brief surprise and Nile's lips part in objection. "He's been on such a mission before so he has both experience and skill. I don't see anything that would deem him unfit for the mission in this case." The blond's defence, however determined and assertive, did nothing to hinder Dok's inclination to argue - and argue he did, in a restrained manner with his condescending snarl being the only thing to betray the ferocity of his prejudiced opinion.

"We're talking upper-class society and proper etiquette here, not Underground rats and deals under the table. This is an elegant setting that requires eloquence and geniality. Mike's ways I trust in - because I'm aware where he comes from and how he got here - but the same reason stops me from trusting your most reliable man." The strident, almost grating speech put additional strain on Levi's nerves but he didn't show it, didn't even do as much as clench his jaw in dissatisfaction or mild anger. The person to do that was Erwin, but the clear exasperation on his stern profile was voiced by the only woman in the room instead. Their minds were linked at that moment, expressing the same notion - our comrade and friend doesn't deserve this shit.

"I think," Hanji started with startling spite, "since you're here asking for our help you'd better trust our judgement as well. Levi's past is not an ace up your sleeve for you to pull and his skill is an undeniable fact known to all people present - not to mention a treasured asset for all three walls, so I suggest you leave the subtle insults for when they're needed." The three stages of shock suffered a distinct decline painted on the faces of the three males before Zoe - from Nile's gaping mouth to Mike's parted lips to the stubborn straight line Erwin's mouth formed. Only Levi was still leaning against the wall, stiff and quiet - an uncanny phenomenon that would normally presuppose a certain lack of vocal cords for him to utilise.

"I stand by Hanji's words. Levi's background doesn't matter one bit because he's with us today, fighting and risking his life as much as any other dedicated soldier. He can handle the big city as well as the Underground and if his geniality runs out I'll be there to offer what he cannot in regards to sugar-coated pleasantries." Mike's words received a warm welcome in the face of Hanji and Erwin's defensive stances, but this whole argument had become predictable - it was a terse discussion devoid of raised voices popular amongst the more intelligent kind of soldiers and its end would mark their victory and be marked by Nile's polite retreat.

"As you can see," Erwin's restrained smile held a thousand words on the topic of his current complacency, "that's a unanimous decision right there, taken and further verified. Levi's going to do well on the mission." Erwin's blue eyes shone with dignified victory (a gleam similar to the one in a proud father's orbs when his son won his first fight) when Dok snorted at the lot of them, refraining from scratching at his goatee as his mind scurried for a final blow at their defence. And the chink in their armour was suddenly visible - not the member of their team whose reliability he was attacking, but him. Just him.

"You're too busy barking up my tree to realise he's the only one who hasn't joined. Blind overprotective mothers failing to see their son knows I'm right and that's why he doesn't put up a fight." The dark-haired man attempted offence one last time - a desperate act that reaped surprising success when it came to affecting the people most indefatigably set to argue with his statements, but then the thing nobody expected (the silent ebony-haired man speaking up) occurred and it made all occupants of the room realise Levi was far from mute or unwilling to talk. When it came to his qualities he preferred not to interfere, but when his comrades' sober convictions were being questioned he would not keep his mouth closed. He was getting tired of listening to Nile's bullshit anyway, it was finally time to end this pointless argument.

"You being right and me putting an overly big amount of trust in your few brain cells are two vastly different things, Dok. You can keep me away from the mission, but you'll never catch the royal asshole if you do since money is the only thing keeping your upper-class society from turning into a bunch of Underground rats. That being said, a knife to the throat works the same on both." Everything Levi said amounted to the exact number of words he'd given life to for the few hours preceding this moment that day, but that didn't matter as long as his words held a certain point and had the proper impact on their intended recipient. And they did both, how well they did both.

"I think," Erwin Smith started before Nile could blow a fuse, "we cleared that up. Levi and Mike leave for Sina tomorrow. The Military Police will take credit for the arrest but will not interfere with the mission otherwise. This is the conclusion of this meeting." The blond removed his finger from the map and Hanji almost expected to hear a kind of invisible glue rip the smooth paper. Mike stood from the table and Nile slammed the window shut with a last muttered reluctant agreement. The dark-haired Commander shook hands with Erwin prior to leaving the room and when everybody else started clearing the table, Levi stood against the wall, pensive still.

"Brighten up, you're getting away from the paperwork for a while." Hanji came to pat the raven's shoulder reassuringly but that didn't offer him any comfort. Yes, he might as well get a momentary escape but what would happen when he fucked up on the mission because he couldn't bite his tongue? He'd leave the talking to Mike, that was for sure, but he couldn't just play mute the whole time. Or could he? Only time would tell which way he preferred it. "You're paler than usual, shorty. You okay?" Hanji's voice sounded from up close and he could still feel her hand on his shoulder. The short man nodded, a click of his tongue announcing his mild exasperation.

"Never been better." He pushed himself off the wall and left his three comrades behind so he could flee to the safe haven of his room. On his desk, illuminated by the sun coming in through the window, stood Hanji's regular gift - a goddamn mirror. Levi grumbled in dissatisfaction prior to nearing the reflective glass with a steady step and drawn brows. It was a simple oval this time with a thin wooden frame. Levi would have a hard time discarding it, taking into account that it was also bigger than his torso. The ebony-haired Lance Corporal grabbed the mirror and lifted it from his desk with the intention to move it to where all other mirrors Hanji gave him went.

The pale man moved to the door of his personal quarters and then to the doors of his wardrobe. They creaked open as he supported the mirror's weight on the floorboards under his feet and, as always on such occasions, caught sight of the woman painted on the glass surface. Shorter than him for sure, with a defiant look in her (e/c) eyes. Long face, small nose, braided (h/c) hair. That face seemed like it would always smile. He put the mirror next to the others - small and big, square and oval - that had left almost no space for the clothes he possessed, then closed the wardrobe with a sigh. Always smiling, that woman. It pissed him off in a way.

The silk bedsheets were warm under her waking body as Hans draped his arm over her bare torso with an audible groan. His morning breath was hot against the crook of her neck as (Y/N) concluded she would have to get up to make his coffee soon. The open window to her left let the fresh scent of morning pour inside the room - a chilly wave that caressed her (h/c) locks with its pleasant aromas. It was early morning, she analysed drowsily, because she was yet to catch a whiff of the mouth-watering freshly baked bread from Marlow's bakery down the street.

"Are you sleeping, love?" The husky term of endearment attached to the inquiry made her bite her bottom lip as her lover pressed a feathery kiss at the side of her neck, shifting in his wake. She lifted a hand to touch his jawline and he hummed in understanding like a purring kitten. "The big day is here, so I want you pretty and smiling tonight when I come to pick you up." He pulled her closer, making her nod as her fingers scratched at the beard he was starting to grow. "I don't have time for coffee today, I've got a lot of documents to put my signature under." The calm timbre of his voice had a small annoyed undertone (Y/N) didn't fail to catch.

Hans got up without waiting for her response, leaving her tangled in the sheets, with her tired eyes resting and her soft hands blindly looking around for the covers. She could hear the shuffle of his clothes and the hurry in his footsteps as he approached the door of their bedroom and bid her a last goodbye prior to leaving the house altogether. (Y/N) slowly rose from the bed they shared, eyelids lazily lifting as her warm feet came in contact with the cold floor. She stood up and counted the steps to the door, not bothering to put on any clothes. Hans's maid came in at eight o'clock and (Y/N) could bet it wasn't even seven yet.

One, two, three... eight. The ritual continued as she kept counting, drowsily letting her soft fingertips move along the wall to her left, then the railing of the staircase. The numbers were increasing in her head, numbers she knew very well by now. Twenty to the kitchen door. Five to the counter. Two more to the hot plate and then one to the drawer for the utensils. She followed the inward count religiously, with her lips curled in a childish smile and her bare feet padding along the ground. Her coffee was ready after three minutes, she let it cool for two more and took it to the living room, naked body moving slowly in the brief sunlight peeking through the windows of the empty house.

She was about to sit on the couch when knocking sounded at the front door, hurried and just a bit forceful. Not any of Hans's friends then, she concluded as her voice called for the visitor to wait. She rushed upstairs, methodical counting not halting for a second - ten stairs, a turn to the right, five steps down the hall, eight from the doorstep to the wardrobe - and she got dressed as fast as she could, hurriedly combing her fingers through her messy (h/c) locks. The big mirror she passed on her way out failed to attract her attention and she descended the stairs again, wearing a pair of slippers and a black blouse tucked into a pair of pants Hans would never let her wear outside the house.

One, two, three... five and I'm by the hanger, seven more and I reach the door. Her counting was like clockwork - methodical and meticulous, always followed with utmost precision and dedication. (Y/N) opened the door with a bright smile, (e/c) hues staring straight ahead as the man in front of her - judging by his cologne - extended a hand for her to shake, as presupposed by the brief shuffle of his shirt only on the right side.

"Good morning, Mrs. Hansen. I'm Mike Zacharius and I was hoping to speak to your husband - Hans." (Y/N)'s smile didn't twitch as she found Mike's hand and squeezed with her frail fingers, feeling his gaze on her form.

"I'm afraid Hans isn't home. Furthermore, we're not even engaged so please call me (Y/N) or miss (L/N)." His hand retracted and hers lingered, analysing and feeling the skin beneath the cheap cologne meant to mask (the mold on the stone walls, the gas in the tanks or maybe the leather uniforms) something he didn't want anybody to smell. Or maybe himself? The (h/c)-haired woman's smile widened at the lack of response. "Please, come in and ask me anything you would've asked him. I'll make coffee." The additional offer was an unneeded stimulant, she figured as the man stepped forth, towering over her petite form.

"It's really unfortunate Mr. Hansen isn't home," Mike started and though his social skills were undeniable, (Y/N) was well versed in the art of unravelling people, "but I'll accept your generosity. I don't need coffee, though." She led him away to the living room where her own cup sat, patiently waiting for her delayed return. The woman took a seat on the couch and Mike sat on the armchair across the table, right by the lifeless fireplace, over which hung the only other mirror in the whole house besides the one in the bedroom.

"Where do you come from? If you don't mind me asking." She started off, not deceived by the fake disappointment in his voice and having caught the clear alleviation lacing his words from then onwards. Suspicion settled in the crevices of her brain but she wouldn't hasten to point fingers. In any case, if this Mike Zacharius bore any ill intent he wouldn't have bothered to come and sit in the armchair across from her, desperate to manipulate some information out of her mouth.

"Yolkell, I deal with farming and a friend of mine interested me in Mr. Hansen's business." The blond started with a polite tone, hinting at manners a simple farmer wouldn't have. His occupation made (Y/N)'s inward brow furrow as she contemplated the calluses she'd felt on his hand - at the base of his index finger and thumb only. A farmer had calluses all over; dry skin was easily acquired in the sun and most tools had a tendency to wear out the flesh. Mike Zacharius's hand felt like he held a pen often. Maybe something else, too. Something with a trigger. "I'll be attending tonight's celebration but I was impatient. My friend's explanation was rather vague and Hans's business sounds promising, but I crave more details."

"Hans isn't your perfect businessman, you should know. He deals with selling and distributing livestock but big deals rarely come through his hands. That's why tonight's really important for him." Mike was looking at her and she could feel it. Something about her eyes struck him as exceptional, maybe a tad bit odd. Their (e/c) colour was vivid as she observed her coffee, but their gaze was stiff and mostly glued to one spot. Mike tried not to dwell on it, focusing on the mission at hand and cursing the fact he might just get side-tracked by this woman if he wasn't careful enough.

"And what do you do, if I may ask?" Mike took the time to look around briefly - the furniture in this house was undoubtedly expensive. Not royal but getting there. If Hans Hansen's business kept growing he'd be inlaying his drawers with gold this time next year. The blond's eyes slid over to the fireplace at his side and the shelf above, supporting a number of tasteful decorations Mike would never witness in a person's home if they didn't live in Sina. Above the shelf, hanging on the wall like a framed oil painting would, stood a giant rectangular mirror, showing him a second image of the living room in all its glory. A bit conceited - hanging a mirror of such size in that place - it was like announcing: look at my fortune and now look at me doubling it as the mirror does.

"I sit around, Mr. Zacharius, nothing else. I wait because Hans is being hasty." (Y/N)'s words attracted Mike's attention but not in the real world. He looked at the woman in the mirror's reflection, expecting to see a man completely unknown to himself aside from the plain drawings Nile Dok had handed him. What he saw almost made the bearded man's eyes pop out of their sockets in shock. Pale skin, ebony locks, stiff broad shoulders and a pair of piercing hues. Levi Ackerman was sitting on the couch across from him, dressed in casual clothes and sipping on a cup of coffee. His frown was eloquent as to what he thought of its taste.

"And he is your soulmate?" Mike's tone was hushed and his tongue felt like lead but his eyes couldn't leave the mirror. There was something wrong here, in this whole picture - not just the one shown by the reflective glass. Turning to look at the (h/c)-haired woman, the tall man saw her nod in affirmation prior to sipping on her coffee. Her eyes were bright and beautiful, and completely still in their sockets. Then it hit him as to why. "If you've found him why not get married?" He prompted, making her (h/c) tresses sway as she shook her head with a sad smile. Mike suppressed the urge to look at the mirror and behold the sight of that smile on his frowning friend's lips.

"Because money, dear mister. As the farmer you claim to be, I doubt you come across a lot of cash in one place. My father does and I'm his only heir. Hans is young and blinded by the expensive life he can have, so he hurries. But I don't mind waiting until he calms down." (Y/N)'s explanation was calm and confident, in full control of the knowledge it voiced and the emotions fueling the final decision she spoke of. Mike listened patiently, registering the information he hadn't known of like a poor person collecting money from the ground. So (Y/N) (L/N) was a rich person's only child. No surprise Hans Hansen had taken advantage of her, but to what extent? Was her blindness just something he'd been lucky to have stumbled upon or was it less of an accident than suspected? He'd have to dig into that.

"He won't." Mike's soft-spoken frankness didn't evoke an ounce of shock, but called forth a smile on her lips - a sad smile. She was well aware of that, despite the radiant naivety with which she'd regarded him initially. The blond soldier stood to his feet, uncomfortably turning his back to the rectangular mirror and biting his tongue at the woman's beautiful smile. It was a vile act of Hans Hansen to abuse that smile the way he had, emotionally at least. "It was a pleasure to chat with you, Miss (L/N)." His scruffy beard itched as he forced a polite smile at the woman's standing figure.

"You've been most polite, Mr. Zacharius, it was a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Her suspicion wasn't something he could catch, but that way was best since he would not owe her any awkward excuses or explanations. She shook his hand again as they stood at the door, him on the outside and her on the inside. He could at once see her there all the time, dressed in naivety and intelligence - a rich prisoner with beautiful eyes and a sad smile. "I'm also curious as to how you've held yourself back from asking." (Y/N)'s abrupt statement failed to surprise him - his profession relied on his ability to expect everything - but he had to admit he didn't have a response at the ready.

"Plain self-restraint. Should I have not applied it?" His inquiry came out nonchalant but curious and the radiant woman in front of him parted her lips, a small snort escaping her nostrils before she laughed - a sound that was loud but by no means obnoxious. Levi might've liked it, Mike considered briefly prior to asking: "You are blind, are you not?" The question was finally here, though he didn't think he was wrong to say it. And the (h/c)-haired woman seemed not to mind its vocal appearance. In fact, judging by the smirk curling her lips, she was amused to hear it.

"Indeed I am. And I thought I had mastered the art of disguising it." She announced with a pout and a smooth voice that betrayed not a single ounce of genuine disappointment. Mike was sure if she wanted for it to appear sincere he would be nothing more than a mere slave at the feet of her manipulation. The upper-class society often taught people the art of subtlety, but this woman, blind or not, was an expert at portraying herself in different manners depending on the people she was surrounded by.

"I'll see you tonight, Miss (L/N)." Mike bowed politely, an instinct he couldn't hold back in this particular moment in spite of its pointlessness. (Y/N) (L/N) let out a giggle, like a child relishing the innocent secret it kept, and nodded at him in further confirmation. Yes, they would see each other tonight. Then, Mike realised, Levi would see her too. He'd see the braid and the smile and the eyes - the vivid orbs that would rarely stare elsewhere but up front. The tall man wondered what the Lance Corporal's reaction would be - shock maybe? Or indifference? He couldn't know.

"You, too. Make sure to introduce this friend of yours to me. I think I have a cup of tea he'll really like." (Y/N)'s words shocked him, but she regarded them casually, giving him a mischievous smirk prior to closing the door after herself - a smirk that said look at this neat magic trick of mine, it's called a sense of smell. Mike was left at the door, smelling his own coat and furrowing his brows at the faded scent of tea leaves from yesterday morning. His dark eyes turned to the street, then to the house, and he thought of the woman inside. His initial intentions had been to head back and report immediately after the visit but now he had something else to do - some research he knew for a fact would prove to be profitable.

It was nighttime, but in Sina that could hardly be recognised due to the many street lamps positioned strategically along all roads in order to illuminate their entire length and the many intersections they possessed. The houses at their sides weren't gnarled and dilapidated like in wall Rose, but well-kept and opulently decorated for everybody to admire in passing. The cobblestone streets, besides having nice pavements, were also times more even. Mike could see the carriages flying past them and could only imagine the feeling of being inside one - on this type of road compared to the one they were used to it would probably feel like flying.

"What did you even get out of that woman?" Levi was scowling at his side as they made their way to Hans Hansen's house. Mike had spent the entire day digging up information on the yet-to-be-rich (Y/N) (L/N), connecting the dots with remarkable speed as a person who was typically not the best at solving mysteries. As it turned out, Miss (L/N) was not born blind, but instead suffered an accident three years ago that, as the medical journal stated, damaged her optic nerve, halting the connection between the images she saw and her brain. And who then appeared in her time of utmost sorrow when she was told her condition couldn't be helped? Her dutiful soulmate, Hans Hansen, of course.

"She's been manipulated into thinking he's her soulmate. If the brothel ring stops doing the trick one day he's sure to force her into marriage." The blond, not having shared every bit of information with his friend beside the date of the accident, felt the inward need to protect both the woman and her real soulmate from Hansen's toxic lies. Mike acknowledged Levi was perfectly capable of taking care of himself, but the duty to help him through the situation emotionally stayed.

"She's none of our business, we're only here to seek evidence of his involvement with the ring." The ebony-haired man was quick to click his tongue in disinterest, but Mike quietly built himself a castle made of hopes that that would soon come to change. "Anyways, how does she even get manipulated into thinking he's her soulmate?" Levi's uncomprehending question, ever so appropriate and logical, seemed not to catch his tall friend unprepared. Because Mike had thought of this a lot and now as they stood in front of Hans Hansen's polished walnut door, he wished he had more experience on the topic of such conflicting scenarios.

"You'll see in a bit." Though his words were nonchalant, the genuine smile was absent from his face. Levi frowned up at him with visible confusion and disgruntlement when the taller male knocked on the walnut surface three times, calling for the host's attention. The door was flung open with restrained politeness and a beautiful pair of (e/c) hues twinkled on the other side, making the blond soldier smile his first genuine smile since this morning. The woman recognised him without even hearing his voice - it was the cologne, he concluded quickly - and grinned, beaming up at him and his companion in a way that warmed his heart.

"Mike! I was wondering when you'd show up. Oh, your friend's with you this time. I've prepared a cup of tea for you. No worries, it's not poisoned." She pulled them along inside the house, counting the steps as always, when her little joke received no response. Her smile didn't halt for a second, even when she sensed Levi's hostile air. "Mute or am I just too pretty to look at?" She fluttered her eyelashes coquettishly, to which Mike laughed, throwing Levi's stunned expression a worried look. The short man had followed them inside, but was standing motionless, shoulders rigid and eyes just a tad bit wider than usual. His stormy orbs were glued to the woman in front of them and how she wasn't reacting to him at all even though her (e/c) hues had settled on his form twice hitherto.

"I'm inclined to believe the latter, you're literally glowing tonight." Mike's compliment was background noise to the thought process in Levi's head; the gears in his mind were quick to turn and finally process the situation, piecing the puzzle together as a frown replaced the shocked expression he'd worn a second ago. His tall friend glanced at him, concerned but determined not to let him get too emotional during the most crucial part of their mission.

"Well, I'm a hostess, we have to glow in the presence of gentlemen." (Y/N)'s pleasant voice called for both's attention with mild mockery. "But don't think me naive now, I know for the men in this room I'm more of a... how do they say it in the Underground... piece of meat with tits and enough holes." She giggled like a little child at her own joke, briefly covering her mouth and averting her unseeing eyes to the floor beneath her feet. "Pardon my language, but I've always been fascinated with vulgarity. There's something charming about being that frank and down to earth. A breath of fresh air after all the pompous pleasantries round here." Her explanation was rather surprising - unique almost - because as far as both men's knowledge of aristocrats went nobody would lower their point of view to that extent.

"I see you're a woman of many faces. Why don't we go fetch Levi that tea you've promised him? His vulgarity is something to behold once he unties his tongue." Mike's suggestion had the (h/c)-haired woman excitedly nodding up at him as he reached for her arm. Levi was looking at her like he was seeing a ghost, about to follow them into the kitchen or wherever they would head, but then a big hand appeared on (Y/N)'s bare shoulder and they were at once introduced to the visage of their host and target.

"Love! I told you not to leave my side." Hans Hansen's smile was wide as his lover gently grasped his swarthy hand and grinned up at him. Levi watched the face of her so supposed soulmate, finding one or two striking similarities between the devious rat's features and his own. The ebony locks and the long nose at least. His lips were far from thin or pouting and his eyes might've not been narrow and grey but the overall facial form was there and Levi hated himself more than Hans Hansen for it.

"But I wanted to greet my new friends, Hans. The taller one is Mike Zacharius and the... silent one is," she trailed off gently prior to introducing, "Levi?" The question mark clinging to the end of his name, spoken with such softness it made his jaw clench, was what turned Hansen's head in their direction, brows twitching at the sight of Mike's face and then shooting up like a firework at the Lance Corporal's stoic countenance. Instant recognition shone in Hans's big onyx orbs, and just a smidge of fear Levi didn't fail to catch.

"Yes, just Levi." His voice had been at once retrieved in this time of need from the depths of his vocal cords and it sounded to (Y/N)'s ears like a gelid piece of metal softly gliding over a dry bone - smooth and deep but also dark and intimidating in its evident lack of hospitable emotion. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mr. Hansen." A shuffle, meaning an extended hand for her lover to shake. The action was accompanied by a hesitant gulp on Hans's side only she could hear.

"... same here." The pause preceding the hardly polite sentence seemed to betray his uncanny nervousness. Not to mention the sudden stiffness in his voice. (Y/N) couldn't see but she was clever enough to understand her lover's odd behaviour was caused by the seemingly harmless guests. Her orbs switched directions to observe the spot Levi was supposed to occupy and she suddenly caught a whiff of something that made her brows furrow in uncertainty. Unlike Mike, Levi had deemed the use of cologne pointless and thus avoided it completely, giving the (e/c)-eyed woman a chance to smell the lingering scent of metal rolling off the clothes he wore. Metal and something else she couldn't identify.

"What's wrong, Hans?" Mike and Levi both heard the soft inquiry that slipped past the blind woman's lips. Hans Hansen shook his head with a smile he couldn't fake well enough, but the two soldiers didn't miss the nervous tremor that shook his hand from (Y/N)'s waist. She had obviously chosen not to ignore it as well.

"Nothing, love. Why don't we go back to Andrew and Mathias? They said they wanted to see you." He attempted to pull her along as far away from them, but Humanity's Strongest Soldier stepped forth with a polite voice that came close to surprising Mike. This mission, with the help of Levi's astoundingly admirable self-control, would be a big success. Now, they only needed an opening to investigate and acquire evidence amidst the celebration's light-hearted commotion and if Levi had already come to that conclusion then Mike had a hunch as to his following words.

"Forgive the intrusion but do you mind staying with me for a minute, Mr. Hansen? Mike can keep Miss (L/N) company." The unequivocal message in the short man's eyes made his blond friend nod in understanding as the ecstatic hostess didn't leave space for her lover to argue, grabbing Mike's arm and dragging him along inbetween the Underground rats masked as the upper-class society Nile oh so loved to worship. Levi didn't know at the time, but the seemingly naive and oblivious (Y/N) would come to be the unravelling of this case in just a few minutes when she would show Mike Zacharius her lover's study and with it, all the evidence the Military Police would need to arrest Hans Hansen and send him to prison.

"What is it you want with me?" The man with the swarthy countenance asked, Underground roots coming out when (Y/N) (L/N) wasn't close enough to sense them. Levi's frown might've been intimidating but his eyes were straight-up scary. Despite the frustrated exasperation Hans Hansen was brave enough to voice, he sensed the way in which his tall figure was struggling not to cower in fear.

"Just a chat," Levi announced casually, eyes containing a storm in the making that would soon start shooting lighting. "Since when have you been with Miss (L/N)?" The question was simple enough, both men thought so. But Hans was having doubts about answering. He couldn't allow himself such cowardice, though.

"Since I met her three years ago." He cleared his throat after tugging at the collar of his silk button-up shirt. Heat waves were a normal occurrence when one was under pressure and a victim of mild panic, but Hans wasn't aware of that in his nervous state, dismissing it as some type of cold he might've caught around the Underground's bad air. His work required occasional visitations to his home, but the lanky man did not feel melancholy or nostalgia once - much like Levi himself once he finally made his way above. It was the one similarity they shared that would forever stay unspoken.

"So around the time she was blinded." Levi's calm voice announced, like he was reading a number of bullet points from a document. The mechanical tone he'd accommodated in his speech made a shiver crawl up Hans's spine as he listened, features shadowed by alarm. "You met in the hospital I assume? Gave her flowers maybe. And then you told her you were soulmates, knowing very well she couldn't confirm it for herself." Occasionally, a tinge of spite or sarcasm would shine through the words, successfully jabbing into Hansen's pride and composure. The tall man stepped back a bit, glancing around for anybody who could help him get rid of Levi. Such a person was not found, or Hans was the one who couldn't find him due to the indignation he felt. Either way, the situation looked bad to him.

"If you're insinuating I'm behind the whole accident you're a lunatic. Nobody would waste that much time and effort on a random girl just to risk introducing himself as her soulmate," the raven-haired Underground rat argued, a little blue vein popping on his forehead due to how strained his nerves had become. Levi looked paralyzingly cool, placid even, with how mocking his voice came out of his mouth as he stepped forth with the intention to trap Hans Hansen. This was no longer a discussion meant to distract, it was Levi refraining from grabbing the lying bastard's hair and pulling until the bloodied white of his skull became visible.

"Not a random girl, but the very heir of the only person who comes close to being as rich as the king. A great thing to invest all that time and effort in, if you ask me. Even more when you know your looks come close to those of her soulmate." His narrow eyes glared with spite that hit poor Hans as wholly dangerous, like it would materialise in front of his face and stab him. The tall man scrambled to gather the pieces of his pride and composure, managing a last attempt at warding off the short male.

"Look, I don't know what your deal is, but if you're planning on coming into my home and accusing me of shit you can't prove I suggest you leave because I won't tolerate this." His angry tone was the one thing that didn't betray him, Hans concluded. Levi noticed the prominent blue vein on his forehead with a snort prior to giving a compassionate nod, as if perfectly understanding the low creature that dared give itself a human name and its mindset. But in truth he didn't, not one bit - mostly the bit where he'd ruined one whole life for the sake of - no, not becoming rich - becoming richer when he already had everything he could've wanted. The woman who would never see again, never trust a man again, maybe never smile in the mirror for him again.

"No, I guess you won't. How about you cut this celebration short then? It's about to become really morbid." Levi glanced over the raven's shoulder at Mike and (Y/N) descending the staircase to the right, with the woman clutching a thick file and the blond's eyes beaming at the Lance Corporal from under his hair. The game was won and the mission - a success. All they had to do now was wait for the Military Police. Nile was very diligently spying on the conversation from somewhere outside the building, but it would take him a minute or two to call for his soldiers.

"Hans Hansen, you're under arrest. On your knees with your hands in the air." Mike's booming voice caused the expected - mass panic that threatened to ruin their plan for smooth sailing to the end of this mission. (Y/N) almost tripped down the stairs, but, Levi guessed, that was more a result of Zacharius's words than their volume. Hans fell to his knees but his friends' chatting came to a screeching halt and most dropped their glasses of champagne in hopes to grab their guns instead. Levi's reaction was too fast to be traced if the eye was unprepared, and in this case, most weren't so when he whipped out a revolver from under the coat on his back the majority gaped in horror, believing the weapon to have teleported in his hold.

"Don't you fucking dare pull that gun on me, pig. God, this is so annoying." The final mutter was something that reached only (Y/N)'s sensitive ears, but she caught the minimal shuffling of clothing as the 'pig' decided he treasured his life more than his freedom. "If I see a weapon you're going to become minced meat before you can use it,” Levi warned coldly, a promise written in his eyes for all to behold. The upper-class society in the room was oblivious to something as insignificant as the Survey Corps since the army didn't affect them directly, but when it came to having a brain - no matter how big or creased - everybody in the room could agree the man in front of them was very dangerous.

Silence ensued, broken only by Mike's footsteps and the clicking of handcuffs round Hans Hansen's wrists. Then the door was slammed open and the Military Police invaded the place, successfully cuffing everybody and leading them out of the door one by one. Nile Dok stood at the entrance as his men did their work, diligently eyeing the soon-to-become vacant room as if he'd been the one to sneak inside and mingle with the criminals it contained. Nearing Hans, the Commander of the Military Police announced his right to stay silent, which, as he was being forced to his feet, the rich Underground rat had decided not to take advantage of.

"You stupid bitch, you helped them find it, didn't you!" He spat in his (now former) lover's direction as the shocked woman clutched the papers containing the evidence Mike had stumbled upon minutes earlier. Her brows furrowed as she gulped and the swarthy man watched her tremble in her pretty dress, smile gone from her lips. Still kneeling and refusing to get dragged away by Nile Dok, Hans Hansen felt the full power of Humanity's Strongest Soldier's shin as it kicked his abdomen, making a rib or two cave in, which painfully reminded him of the number of organs his body contained and how most were probably bleeding right now.

"The only stupid bitch in this house is you, Mr. Hansen." Levi spoke with a surprising amount of derision as the raven-haired man doubled over in his handcuffs, bloody saliva dangling from his gaping mouth as he tried to take a breath his lungs were incapable of producing. "And I suggest you mind your insults in front of the woman you blinded and used," he warned with a snarl as Nile called over Mike and the blond dragged away the gasping Hans Hansen, leaving his confused lover to the awkward short man. "I would very much like that cup of tea now," he said, having regained his composure and decided to distract the woman from the current situation.

"What do you mean blinded and used?" She inquired, supporting herself on the wall as her wide eyes frantically sought his face. The rhythm of her erratic heart was preventing her ears from picking up on Levi's exact location until he gave it away himself, by pulling the file from her trembling hand. Fingers brushing against hers, (Y/N) recognised the smell of gunpowder on him she hadn't been able to identify before and a shiver ran down her spine at the coldness of his skin. Levi watched her panic, the woman he'd seen in the mirror almost every week or so, and he felt sudden guilt grip his heart. Brutally honest as he was, he couldn't tell her the three years she'd spent thinking she was in paradise with her soulmate had been just a clever scheme.

"Nothi---"

"No, you meant something. Don't lie to me." There was a feral kind of anger in her voice, to the point it shook in fury, along with her bare shoulders. Levi felt her hold on his wrist and it made his nose scrunch up but he didn't make an attempt to shake it off. Giving her the truth was the only option so she would acknowledge the ways in which she'd been wronged, but he couldn't help his own regret. If he'd gone searching for her - if he'd found her - first none of the misfortunes in her life would've taken place. And she would be able to see him as he saw her - radiant and vivid, unlike any image the mirror could offer.

"... your accident aligns with his intentions perfectly. He probably studied you from afar, picking the right moment. He knew he held similarities to your soulmate and decided to use it." Levi's explanation made her features contort in clear exasperation and he thought the crinkle forming on her forehead was strangely charming, thus making her anger lose its menacing factor in his eyes. The female attempted a glare, hold on his wrist disappearing as she parted her lips.

"How do you know he isn't my soulmate? You haven't even seen me in front of a mirror." She was no longer leaning against the wall, instead huffing and puffing in dissatisfaction and making Levi click his tongue in mild condescension at her words - condescension that, subsequently, led to his fall.

"I don't need to," he said with a clenched jaw, making them both freeze as they studied the meaning behind his words. The woman was first to get over her stupefaction. He couldn't see a single feature of hers judge and blame him for what had happened to her, but when her dainty hands reached for his visage he couldn't help but step back in a fit of sporadic panic. She asked to touch his face with a tremulous voice, soft and low, and very close to its breaking point. Levi refused but she kept pleading, pleading and inching forward until he got scared she'd trip in her disoriented haste and fall.

Catching one of her wrists, he guided her hand to his face and let it rest on his cheek. (Y/N)'s (e/c) hues were staring at the staircase as she felt the curve of his nose and the form of his brow with shaking digits, tracing the outline of his jaw and lips and painting them in her mind along with the hollows of his cheeks and the distinct wrinkle between his eyebrows. Her breaths were ragged as Levi watched her unbelieving countenance, and when tears started pouring from her unseeing eyes he decided enough was enough. But she was clinging to his features desperately, like they would save her from this nightmare she was suddenly immersed in and it made his lips pout as he distanced himself from her warm touch with a frown.

"That's enough. You're in shock. I'll get you something to drink and you focus on breathing." He turned on his heel but she gave a small sob that pierced his heart from the back and then he heard her almost trip, inwardly counting as her wobbly knees chased after him.

"I'm perfectly calm! I don't--- understand all this." She sounded frantic and her expression was very far from the definition of 'calm' one would have in mind, but Levi saw the pain peeking from behind her (e/c) iris and it made him understand she was more in control of her feelings than he gave her credit for.

"It's not your fault." He uttered softly, hoping to have sounded just the right amount of cold and indifferent, but he couldn't lie to himself. They were at the foot of the stairs and she wasn't looking at him, instead taking her time to wipe the tears from her cheeks and breathe properly. (Y/N) had ninety-nine problems at the moment and one of them wasn't supposed to be the compassionate tone of her soulmate, but it somehow was. Because it called forth a thought she immediately hated herself for - a very simple notion that would evoke a lot of self-hatred in Levi himself if said aloud - couldn't I have just met you first?

"What is going to happen to Hans now?" The (h/c)-haired woman's voice was back to being calm, but her thoughts were elsewhere. They were all over the man standing at her side, emanating warmth and an odd sense of comfort even though he smelled of gunpowder and ice. He was unexpectedly harsh and vulgar, but she couldn't judge him for being a person, so she refrained from critique altogether. The only thing she knew that made the usual pang pull at her heart's strings was that she couldn't see his eyes and that was the one thing she missed most in her life. Not seeing her father or the blue sky above, or the beautiful little details a person regretted not having observed only after losing sight of - those were all things she could live with. But not seeing his eyes - grey, piercing and so cold yet beautiful - was what hurt most.

"Prison. A life sentence if we're lucky, sixty to seventy years if we're not." Levi saw her blink as she moved to the living room, counting not stopping for a single second even when she was living through something similar to an emotional crisis. A turn to the right, one, two, three... seven to the door. If the furniture isn't pushed around the couch should be three steps from here. She heard the short male's voice behind her. "The house is going to get searched so you're going to have to gather your stuff and move elsewhere."

"I'll rent a room down the street. Does this mean I have to start packing now?" She was sitting on the arm of the couch, quietly staring at her feet as her dress caressed her ankles. Levi observed the furnishing with a sceptical gaze (Y/N) wasn't able to witness and maybe, in a world where she had her vision, that kind of look would've made her laugh - the loud ringing sound Mike had thought Levi would find quite pleasant. And maybe he really would, if she'd only let him hear it.

"Preferably. Won't your father take you in?" The ebony-haired male's orbs skimmed the room but only one thing attracted his attention. The mirror above the fireplace, big and rectangular. Yet another sign of Hans Hansen's greed. In the dim lighting, the image shown on the glass surface wasn't perfect but the forms it portrayed were easy to recognise and trace. There his figure was, sitting at the arm of the couch with its back to the mirror. And there (Y/N) was, in his place at the doorstep, frowning like he was. Levi's eyes left the mirror and his jaw clicked in self-reprimand.

"Things between us are fragile right now because of my new stepmother. I don't want more arguments than usual." The woman's voice sounded soft and kind when she was calm, which wasn't far from how he'd initially imagined it. Not that he'd ever admit he'd imagined things about her. Even on his goddamn deathbed, he wouldn't concede that ever so embarrassing little fact because lying in your bed at night and thinking of a stranger's voice and background wasn't really an activity Humanity's Strongest Soldier could include in his resume.

You could come live with the Survey Corps. It won't be comfortable but you'll be protected and I'll be close by if you need me. It sounded in his head but his vocal chords couldn't produce it. Hans Hansen was going to prison and there was nobody out to hurt her so there was no need for Levi to play a mother. The short man gulped down the shameful notion and reconsidered five different sentences prior to speaking up.

"Do you want help with packing?" It wasn't a suggestion he would've normally offered, but the act of it getting instantly rejected hurt his pride more than the fact he'd suddenly become mellow enough to offer it at all.

"Thank you but no. I'd rather do it on my own." The (h/c)-haired woman stood to her feet and gracefully walked to the door, standing in front of him when she sensed he wouldn't move away from the only exit. He saw her petite form crane her neck lightly and it occurred to him how poor he looked next to her. The Underground rat and a true member of the upper-class society; how unfair of fate it was to pair them up.

"I'll order a carriage for you." She felt his breath on her skin and he could see the small goosebumps covering her arms. The urge to lend her his coat was immense but he just stepped away from the door and she counted the steps to the stairs, where her feet paused and she declared that she would be travelling on foot instead since it wasn't that far away. Then, just as he thought she'd go up the staircase and disappear forever---

"Just... wait for me at the front door?" Hesitant, yes, it might've been so, but it was also the first step to what they would one day dare call a relationship. Levi gulped, watching her beautiful profile as she waited for his response. It was in that second he thanked God for the fact he wasn't truly mute - as his comrades would love to joke periodically.

"Understood." He didn't nod and she smiled on her way up the stairs, in a single moment of misery being times more radiant than she'd been at the beginning of the night. Levi took a breath when he heard the bedroom door upstairs close, then he moved to the outside, where the night air did his stranded lungs a big favour. Mike was conversing with Nile Dok and the rest of the Military Police soldiers were already leaving the place. When the blond soldier returned to Levi's side and asked him what had happened, the short male had very little to say, so Zacharius took the initiative to promise he'd wait for him back at their hotel. Levi agreed, forcing himself to seem reluctant.

When (Y/N) appeared at the front door two minutes later, he pursed his lips and offered her a hand, which she gratefully took, smiling brightly all the while. On the way to the inn she had in mind, the female scarcely tried to talk to Levi but he could see her beaming at the road ahead, unable to contain the happiness she felt. Towards the end of their journey, Levi observed a fancy store in passing, seeing their reflection in the shop window's surface. In the light of the street lamps, the ebony-haired man watched his smiling countenance, eyes glistening with genuine joy as (Y/N) walked by him, a serene look of contentment lying across her placid features. Always smiling that woman. Now he knew why it pissed him off. Because every time she'd look in the mirror, he'd be the one smiling.

"I never once doubted you, Levi. You are my most reliable man." Erwin Smith's compliments, most would say, were a limited number you could never exceed. But, for his most reliable man, the Commander of the Survey Corps had a few more than he did for the average cadet or squad leader. "So, you want a day off? May I ask what for? You never take days off." Erwin's curiosity was, as always, justified, but that didn't mean his mind wasn't one bit clouded by the fatherly pride he felt at the moment.

"I have an appointment." The pale man stated, like a teenager announced they would be going out without wanting to give any more details. The blond was sitting behind his desk, a smile plastered on his handsome face as he took a pen from the top drawer and signed the small paper Levi had placed on the wooden surface a minute ago.

"Mike mentioned a particular... acquaintance you made that turned out to be vital to the mission." The Commander had no shame when it came to making inquiries that embarrassed his subordinates, but to say he expected genuine embarrassment from Levi Ackerman would've been a lie. "So you'll be visiting her? This is the second time if I'm not mistaken?" The results that sentence reaped were almost unimaginable. The usual frown was in place, but Erwin could see in the downward curl of Levi's pout something childish and in his eyes - a strange glimmer that dared not glare as menacingly as usual in its mild pudency. "Alright, alright. I'm just happy for you. Go ahead then, we don't want you to be late for your appointment."

"Not a word of this to Hanji." Levi cut in, halting Erwin's booming laughter prior to snatching the signed sheet of paper from his desk. He was back to normal now but for that small moment of discomfiture, the tall blond had seen in his dear friend the behavioural habit of a typical teenager about to go out on a date. Such an amusing story this would make for Mike, Erwin concluded inwardly, satisfied with what he was seeing.

"Understood." The Commander nodded, willing to obey this one order for the time being. Levi huffed, then the office door was slammed shut and its hinges cried in protest, leaving the blond alone in his office to stare at the wall and grin from ear to ear. This mission, he proudly declared in his mind, was the best thing that had happened in a while. Because what now formed the commencement of something beautiful between the two was just that - the simple beginning preceding the actual zenith of what fate dictated. And it was what they would look forward to, since such a moment was truly a sight to behold and experience; beauty and love lying tangled in reality instead of glass - relentless, unforeseen.

[error-dream-was-found]

I just saw your idea about Quackity sucking at torture and I am SO intrigued 👀 Please do tell

(Also I absolutely love love love your writing <3)

Hiii, thank you for asking :)

And I'm happy to hear that you enjoy my writing <3

It's been a while since I came up with that idea and I can't seem to find my notes on it (I found like 15 other half forgotten AUs instead oops) but I'm pretty sure it came from some discussion with Flora.

The basic idea is that everything happens just as it does in canon and Quackity goes to torture Dream. This is where things get sketchy because as I said, this is a 100 % crack idea so ... what if Quackity just somehow managed to fuck up every single torture attempt?

I really wish I could find my notes on this because I know I had some specific ideas written down but let's go with what I remember. During the first visit I think he might've just underestimated Dream who in spite of being in the prison for a while now was still able to dodge Quackity and maybe even disarm him or something just it ends up with Sam having to interfere.

But it's okay! Quackity's got it! It was just a ... a minor inconvenience, nothing more. But ... things are just not working out during his second visit either, nor during the third one or the fourth one.

Dream is totally not giving fuck about what Quackity wants and for the sake of crack Quackity just miserably fails in all his attempts to torture Dream in the most ridiculous ways possible.

Like, he will get his axe stuck in the obsidian and can't pull it out, he drops a harming potion and hits himself instead of Dream, he sets himself on fire on accident (that lava wall had no business being over there!), he fails to realize that Dream is actually good in strategic games and his plan to hurt Dream for losing a game fails when the game drags on for way too long (bonus points if he loses somehow). Just some very weird (and hopefully somewhat funny) stuff happens.

Some time he doesn't even get to try his hand at torture because he gets carried away with wedding preparation and all (just imagine him forcing Dream help with choosing the decorations or something lol)

After his fight with Karl Dream is forced to be the therapist (he has no escape while Quackity cries about the state of his relationship), least to say Dream is very confused why Quackity thought he is the right person to ask about the relationship problems (srsly Q have you seen the state of his relationships???)

At this point Dream himself might try to give him tips, look he is not a fan of getting tortured but this is just sad, okay?

Perhaps he will manage to actually hurt Dream at some point but by then I think he would be too used to failing that it actually freaks him out more than it freaks out Dream himself. The rest of the "session" was spend fretting over Dream because god man you're bleeding! Dream is just there like ... isn't this what you wanted? And well yeah but also no! (Q has some very mixed feelings)

Overall though I think Q would maim himself in that cell more than he ever did to Dream. On accident of course. I never figured out the logistics of this one but it'd be hella funny if Q somehow managed to idk cut of his own finger or something of the sort which would just end up with him freaking out and Dream having to try to calm him down while also calling for Sam to bring a healing potion

I know that it's supper cannon inaccurate but it's really just a crack idea without any real plot behind it 😅

[wangxianficfinder]

Fic Finder

Apr 12th

~*~

1. For the ficfinder: In the last "In the mood for", no 8 reminded me of a fic but I cant recall the one. Wwx is travelling by himself, writing letters to LZ, he stays in a town and it ends up cursed. LZ and the juniors arrive to solve the case. Wwx is acting weird and hides his letters. The juniors read the letters and find out wwx is angry and full of resentment about how he's been treated. They find out the curse resonates from him. They talk it out to resolve matters. It was written really well. Any idea? @kesterling

FOUND! i found it myself, it kept bugging me. The fic is sadly deleted but on the wayback machine: Dock of the Bay by Haysel.

~*~

2. Hi! This is for Fic Finder. All I remember is the ending, where Yu Ziyuan had her arms cut off, and that there was a part that mentioned that this was punishment enough as she would have to live her life with no pride. Also, she had an affair with Jin Guangshan, and Jiang Cheng was his child, and she had to become his concubine, I think. Hope someone knows which fic this is!

FOUND? sounds like the deleted "OOC!" by A_flower_in_the_snow. It's avaiable on the wayback machine.

~*~

3. Hi, once again.

I’m looking for a fic that I seriously can’t find, at all.

So it would really be a great help if you could.

Wwx was brought to cloud recesses for healing after madam yu had whipped him so bloody he couldn’t move and wa sin active danger of dying.

The disciples who brought him there did so on a donkey I think?

Anyway they asked LZ to please befriend Wwx.

The healers weren’t sure if Wwx would survive. He does.

And joins the lan, befriending LZ oh and he can’t fight with his sword anymore because of the damage and something about his heart having been weakened.

That is all I remember.

Have a nice day/night. @ravenwithwings

NOT FOUND!🔒🧡 rain falls and soaks into the earth series by RoseThorne (T, 57k, WangXian, WIP, Near Death Experience, Attempt Drowning, Madam Yu Bashing, Recovery, No war AU)

FOUND! 🧡 Company by WithBroomBefore (T, 29k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Pre-Relationship, Getting Together, POV LWJ, Fix-It, Pre-Canon, at least to start, WWX goes to Cloud Recesses, But Not In The Usual Way, fear of character death, Everybody Lives, Hurt/Comfort, Happy Ending, Light Angst, good teacher LQR, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, brief discussion of past minor character suicide, Kitten, Not YZY Friendly)

~*~

4. Hi!! I'm looking for a fic I can't remember the name of, a modern AU, possibly set in the UK where lwj is part of some sort of anarchist/ community activist group and wwx joins. Most people in the group already know wwx and are reallly good friends with him but lwj is super skeptical about him. Also at some point I think wwx goes missing and lwj is super worried??? I can't remember anything else... thank you in advance🙏🙏🙏 @kavlobebeki

FOUND? now to begin the road by detectorist (E, 28k, WangXian, Modern AU, Pining, Miscommunication, Misunderstandings, Getting Together, Light Angst, Food as a Metaphor for Love, Activism, Politics, Rooftop Conversations)

~*~

5. Hi, I'm wondering if anyone else remembers a fic similar to leading tone by silencemostofall, and pastel by antebunny, but that's set in the canon era while they're at Cloud Recesses? A few details I remember was that the coloured mark that indicated Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian's relationship started to fade, and that Jiang Cheng was allowed home to celebrate his birthday, while Wei Wuxian's was completely ignored by the Jiang Sect and so he spent it drinking and was caught by Lan Wangji. Apologies that I don't have more! @flaxenhairedsamurai

Hi, I was number 5 on the fic finder on April 12. Just letting you know I found the fic I was looking for! It was Mark Me With Your Devotion by an orphan account. Thank you, and I've bookmarked it so I don't lose it again!

FOUND! Mark me with your devotion by orphan_account (M, 18k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Soulmates, soulmate AU with a twist, The twist is not a curse though, I'm sorry but everyone is kind of toxic in this, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, A-Yuan is adorable, First Time, Canon-typical Sex, Cultivation Partners, Fluffy wangxian, Nothing else is all that fluffy, Night-hunting together, Their studies are different that's why they keep going on missions and not staying in Gusu much)

~*~

6. There was this fic on ao3 I don't remember, much, but it had this part, where lwj refused to go near his child(/children??) Because when wwx was pregnant he slowly grew ill or I dunno I think there was some complications (?) and when it was finally the time of delivery, wwx fell into coma I think. And lxc was angry with lwj for not even looking at his child / children when both wc were so excited for the baby.

There is a similar wx comic on Twitter. Can you please find both of them? The ao3 fic and the Twitter comic too please?

FOUND? I don’t know the Ao3 but I do know the comic similar to the description which made by AlasseTassir in twitter and they post it on their pixiv.

~*~

7. A while back I found and lost 😥 a fic where WangXian, I think, were smuggling Wen Ning (and probably Wen Qing) across a border somewhere and they put a fake mustache on one of the two and people kept complimenting them on how nice it looked. I think people even copied the mustache after that? Maybe even the bad Wens? That's literally all I can remember about it. I've tried every tag I can think of and haven't been able to find it. Hopefully someone will know. TIA! @lilyinthesnow

FOUND! Bloom where you are planted by luckymoonly (M, 44k wangxian, MM/WQ, Canon Divergence, Fix It, courting, Mpreg, Sunshot Campaign, Fluff, Happy Ending, getting together early, Romance, WWX giving birth in the middle of the war? Most likely than you think!, Yúnmèng Siblings Feels, Smut, Drama, Blood and Violence, Minor Character Death, There Is Only One Bed, No Fall of Lotus Pier, Crossdressing, Shotgun Wedding, Mention of miscarriage (not WWX), wangxian Have a Breeding Kink, Giving Birth, Soft granduncle LQR)

~*~

8. hii i need help finding a fic. I remember it is ongoing it is a time travel one where wei ying travels back to the past decides not to join the jiang sect but to be rouge i remember he stole gold from the sects which made the economy go to shit the emperor got involved and disbanded the wen sect wei ying is now rich he is studying to pass some exams he has a nice house with a mini farm meets lan zhan and they fall in love and we find out from lan qiren that wei ying is a royal bc his father was a prince but he ran away to be a servant to the jiang sect and sometime near the last chapters the emperor gives permission to wangxian to marry and to take with him some princes and princesses to raise away from the palace. @wangxian4evermdzs

FOUND? Starting Over by SplitGirl28 (M, 69k, WIP, Time Travel Fix-It, Back to Childhood, Change his life, Different lifestyle, But WWX is still gifted genius, Unrestrained WWX, Living his ideal life)

~*~

9. Hi all! 👋 I am so sorry to bother you if you’ve already found this fic but I’ve scoured across the internet all day and decided to go ahead and ask anyway! I’m looking for a fic that has Wei Ying being adopted into the Lan clan as a child, he was scared to be kicked out and became rather solemn and a perfect lan clan member, on the other hand Lan Zhan has grown to be shameless and flirts with Wei Ying every chance he gets. There’s also some Jiang Bashing, OCs, and maybe some time travel? Help🥹

FOUND? could be the deleted "Uno Reverse" by A_flower_in_the_snow. It's on the wayback machine.

~*~

10. Hello!! I swear I just read it and now I can't find this fic- but it's supposed to be an AU where wwx stayed behind during Lotus Pier's attack and Madam Yu and JC escaped but wwx stayed to fight, and lwj heard wwx was missing and he rushes to help wwx and he runs in JC and JY also trying to save wwx? Thank you in advance!

FOUND? for as long as he will let me by RavenclawLoki (T, 8k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Hurt WWX, Love Confessions, Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, First Kiss, BAMF JYL, WangXian Get a Happy Ending)

~*~

11. Hi, thanks so much for all your efforts!!

I’ve been looking for a fic and hope it hasn’t been deleted. Wei Ying, Jiang Cheng, and Jiang Yanli were mermaids but were also semi-amphibious? They could go on land for short periods and they helped fight the Wens during the Sunshot Campaign. Wei Ying is married off to Lan Zhan and he lives in the Cloud Recesses. Most of the story is centered around Wei Ying adjusting to his life on the surface amongst humans and navigating the relationship with his new husband.

FOUND? you’re a bird in the water / i’m a fish on the ground by plonk (Not Rated, 8k, WangXian, Merpeople, Canon Era)

~*~

12. Hi, can you help me find a fic . The story goes somewhat like Lan Wangji was in a nighthunt and had taken shelter in an inn . There was a storm, and Wei Ying came to that inn seeking shelter with a few orphan kids . Those kids and Wei Ying were both from the same, and they escaped from being sold ? I think Wangji was a bit older than Wei Ying. Also, Wei Ying could use his cultivation powers without any medium like swords or instruments. 🙏

FOUND? ❤️ Seen and not heard by eatmyass (E, 51k, wangxian, case fic, no sunshot, kid fic, dadxian, strangers to lovers, found family, LWJ pov, pining, fake/pretend relationship, first time, falling in love)

~*~

13. Helppp! looking for a fic I read awhile ago and it just wont leave my mind, So basically Wangxian had an age gap LWJ was like 16 or 17 and WWX in his 20's but like "the cloud recesses" is some sort of mansion and the lotus siblings visit them in cloud recesses. I think it was tagged E if that helps

~*~

14. Hi! For Fic Finder. Thank you very much for your help. There’s a fic I thought I bookmarked but can no longer find.

The first fic is a dark Lans fic set during the Cloud Recesses arc. WWX and JC are betrothed in this universe. But LWJ and WWX fall in love. LWJ manipulates the environment and JCs insecurities to break them up. I believe it’s in a two part series.

Thank you!

~*~

15. Story of Yanxi Palace based fic. WY is the empress/consort who hides in a box from Sizhui. LZ knows he's inside the box, and as a prank/punishment, he uses the box to play a boardgames with Sizhui

~*~

16. Hi! I really am looking for this story in AO3 and still can't find it. It was about Wei Wuxian who got married to Wen Chao but Lan Zhan couldn't take it so he plans to take Wei Wuxian back by claiming Wei Wuxian each time he got (even in the wedding night of WWX and WC) and destroying the company of the Wens. As they (LWJ & WWX) continued the deed, WWX ended up pregnant and LWJ is more than determined to take WWX back. I do hope you can help me find this story. Thank you in advance!😘 @gegegeeee

FOUND? 姻緣 | this marriage was always predestinedby saccharinings (E, 43k, wangxian, Cheating, Infidelity, not between wangxian, WWX is married and LWJ persuades him to cheat on his husband with him, Dark LWJ, A/B/O, Feminizing Language, Exhibitionism, Size Difference, WagnXian Have a Breeding Kink, Stomach Bulge, Possessive LWJ, Manipulation, WWX Wears Lingerie, Rape/Non-con Elements, for one part, Hair-pulling Kink, Alpha LWJ, Omega WWX, Mirror Sex, Vibrators, Phone Sex, Rimming, Edgeplay, slight choking kink, Light Bondage, Inappropriate Use of Gūsū Lán Forehead Ribbon, LJY’s Big Fat Crush on Milfxian, Pregnant WWX, WangXian Endgame, Spanish Translation)

~*~

17. I'm looking for this fic that's basically a bunch of drabbles in one. Each chapter title is one word and serves as the theme for that chapter. I remember it having quite a lot of chapters, but I only remember one titled "kneeling" where Wuxian kneeled before Wangji (if you need a better picture, imagine that one scene in CQL where Wuxian kneeled and put his head on Yanli's lap in that one episode) @mindaneacc

~*~

18. Hey, I'm looking for a fic where LZ and WY are already married and living in Gusu. But they get separated from each other due to an illness/curse going through the Wen Sect, so LZ leaves to give medical aid. In the process, he ends up adopting Wen Yuan. There is a sweet connection between WY and Lan Qiren. But most importantly Wen Qing managed to assassinate Wen Ruohan. @mother-of-pigeons

I remember 18, though I can't find it either. The sickness/curse in question made people burn from the inside; it was contagious from breathing in the ashes of the people dying. There was a honestly touching scene with Wen Chao dying while Wen Ning kept him company. Wen Qing assassinated WRH because she was treating him for the illness, for which they'd finally found the cure, and he announced that he therefore would use it as a weapon against the other sects, by deliberately infecting them and holding the cure hostage. The only ones they'd allow to have the cure are the Lans, because they're the only ones who came to help. He also intended to marry WQ, as he'd lost both his sons and needed new ones. I think it might have been part of a series, with the first part showing how WangXian got together.

FOUND!🔒Distance Makes the Heart Grow Fonder by Titans_R_Us (T, 11k, WangXian, Arranged Marriage, Mutual Pining, Temporary Separation, BAMF WQ)

~*~

19. Hello!! Here I am again looking for a wangxian fic. It's one that I read through here but never found again, anyway, the things I remember from the fic are: the sects transform into animals, being shapeshifters, the Lan are dragons like WWX, I also remember that the transfer of core occurred but the core has a mind of its own and it goes back to WWX's body, WWX faints and Wanji makes a soulmate connection... Those are the only things I remember!!

Note: I think Ao3 should have category filtering in our subscriptions, because I think I subscribed to the story but I already looked and couldn't find it... @sweettiebah

FOUND? sounds like "Revealed Truths Against Dragon's Fire" by Preludian_Staves. It's hidden on AO3 but avaiable on the waback machine.

~*~

20. Hi! I'm looking for a fic with a red string of fate au where wwx jumps off the cliff, but has a moment of weakness when he looks at lwj and end up tying himself to lwj before dying... And when he wakes up he discovers lwj kept the string bc when he wakes up as mxy he can see it connecting him to lwj. He flees and tries to put as much distance as he can between them but lwj still finds him at dafan mountain... It's a multi chapter (I think) with a happy ending. Help please? 🥺

FOUND? 💖 a trail of blood to find your way back home by blackelement7 (T, 19k, wangxian, JC & WWX, what if a soulmate string au, but without the soulmates aspect of it, a reflection on the nature of marriage, WWX is full of regrets, so is LWJ, Mutual Pining, Miscommunication, JC & WWX Reconciliation, JC is trying his best but words are hard and his brother is stupid, Siblings, Canonical Character Death, but it’s just WWX, accidental 3zun feels, WWX as the most unreliable of narrators)

~*~

[most-datable-datable-bracket]

ROUND 4 MATCH 7

Chrom propaganda:

“Chrobin (Chrom x player character) is so many tropes in one oml. You have friends-to-lovers (Chrom and Robin are canonically best friends according to Nintendo), enemies-to-lovers (Robin is heir to the Grimleal cult, the enemy of the Halidom of Ylisse which Chrom is the prince, and later king, of), there's amnesia, time travel, official next-gen AUs, changed dialogue to lore important events in the game if you marry Chrom, and Nintendo keeps teasing us with the ship. Cheery prince who knows when to be serious, very strategically smart but very bad at communicating, a guy that can comfort you when you're down, make a fool of himself when you're not around, and he's just generally a very sweet guy. Also please consider the fact that you get to watch a cutscene of him dying in the prologue and despite the horrors he's just so supportive of the protagonist. Chrom doesn't care about where you came from or who you're related to, he cares for YOU. He gets KILLED by the protag and he reassures them that they did nothing wrong and pleads with them to get out, to a safe place. I lost my soul to Chrom, I physically can't play this game without romancing him.”

“He eats oranges with the peel still on, he's an absolute himbo. Also the writers accidentally made his daughter canonically trans so he definitely supports trans rights. And technically you can only marry him if you play as female Robin but their dynamic is still just as romantic if you play as male Robin (they literally call each other their other half and m!Robin and Chrom have a valentine's day duo unit in the gatcha, and in the anthology manga m!Robin asks Chrom to make polygamy legal so he can also marry Chrom's wife and they can be a family) so most people play the game with the gay mod so they can still marry him as a guy. He's incredibly stupid ("yeah, let's set all our ships on fire then walk through a volcano, you're so smart, Robin" "I know you've had prophetic visions about killing me and our daughter came from the future to warn us it would happen but I'm sure THIS TIME it won't because of the power of our bonds") but also really sweet. In the summer DLC they're fighting on a beach and when he sees Robin get excited over a weird creature they found he immediately forgets about the battle and starts trying to make a bunch of crafts (and failing) and cooking food (and failing again) and writing "Chrom and Robin were here" in the sand so that Robin could have some nice beach memories. I'm obsessed with this man”

Asra propaganda:

“He GIVES AWAY HALF HIS HEART TO REVIVE YOU okay but like. He's the MCs roommate and they were together for a few years before the MC caught a plague and died and he obsesses over a way to bring them back before succeeding by making a deal with a god to trade half his heart for MC and betraying the emperor. And then when MC comes back but without any of their memories, he takes care of them and teaches them how to live all over again and he never asks for anything in return. On all the routes where you don't choose him he's really supportive and helps you out despite your history and overall he's just really nice and supportive of the MC and is their rock no matter what route you go down. Also he has a pet snake named Faust and I love her she's so <33 

Idk I just appreciate him so much”

"He gave you half his HEART!! He would literally go to hell and back for you!! He wants to take you on adventures all around the world—doesn’t matter where, as long as he’s by your side!! AND he’s nonbinary!!!"

[sugaredrhubarb]

Reading with Ru: Aug/Sept Fic Recs

I know I'm certainly in need of some positivity and escapism lately, so I'm gonna try to do semi-regular fic and book recs! Starting with a retroactive what I've been reading from the past couple of months with this account! (I might go back in time and make an all-time rec list later)

COD

starting with cod because i know most of you go here

Sergeant Squeaks by @charliemwrites - (series of one-shots ghost x reader and price x reader separately) both one of my favourite reader characters and my favourite canon setting depictions of Ghost and Price. their own weird brands of showing love are wonderful; the tension leading to getting together is fantastic, and the sex is super enjoyable.

Ghost Stories by @kneelingshadowsalome - (ghost x medic!reader) I'm repeating myself, but I love Salome's writing. This is where I was first introduced to it, and I think it's really special. Ghost POV as he struggles with developing and then accepting love. felt so real and grounded. angsty and then fluffy, and you can't help but adore the reader as well.

saltwater by @ceilidho - (ghost x reader) It's pretty unlikely any of you don't know Ceil, but on the off chance you haven't given this one a read yet, it really is a must. I lump praise on her pretty regularly, but I don't know anyone who is able to portray their character's emotions as intimately as Ceil. her ghost feels really grounded in all his complexity. there is a common theme in these recs of really enjoyable reader characters, and this is not an exception; the reader feels like a full but still ambiguous character who is vulnerable and strong and really great.

don't leave me locked in your heart by @ohbo-ohno - (ghoap x reader dark!) we all know bo, we all love bo. I always love the way she depicts ghost and soap's dynamic changing and evolving to include the reader. the descent into dark territory in this is really really fun. It's also just hot and well-written! if you haven't read it before, go read it, and then go read all of bo's drabbles and asks on here. genuinely one of my favourite dark but still fun writers. I think she balances it really well.

body electric by @yeyinde and Afterburn by @sprout-fics - (141 + Los Vaqueros x reader) a classic. I've returned to these so many times. sometimes you just want to read dirty, filthy, well done, smut and then warm cozy aftercare. not to wax poetic about pure sex (except that's exactly what one should do), but I think it can be really hard to write group sex like this and still have such insightful and individual glimpses into each character and dynamic, and Lev does it wonderfully. and then it's also hard to find good aftercare fic, and Sprout's feels like literal aftercare for both the reader character and the reader.

other fandoms

tried to curate to themes i think overlap in some of the cod works! and I think most of these can be read fandom blind.

i revisited @winterrose527's fic in August, and even though she already knows how much I love her work, I won't skip a chance to repeat it. Anna writes for asoiaf and is pretty much the queen of Robb Stark/Myrcella Baratheon, but I would say the modern AUs (my favs) can be read almost completely fandom blind. Any contemporary romance enjoyer would love her work. I'm really partial to her kid/single-parent fics. I think it's so hard to get right, and I always adore reading her kid characters and how she approaches love stories when kids are involved. anna's works are always brimming with love and incredible platonic, familiar, parent-child, and romantic relationships (if kid fic isn't your thing she also has a ton of other great fics). personal favs: We Could Be a Little Something, And There They Are, All the Same

Lawless by @goldcranes - (arthur morgan x ofc) age difference, cowboy love story, essentially a romance novel. if goldcranes has no fans, I'm dead. I encourage you to explore her work; very few people write as strongly across multiple fandoms as she does, and each of her works feels like a really strong love story with special characters.

The Odyssey by @sunlightmurdock - (bradley bradshaw x reader) 1980's roman literature prof x virgin student - no need to know top gun. katie's work is another entry in the 'feels like it stands really strongly separately from the source material' category. she has multiple ongoing AU's that I really love, but this one is a favourite. i think she does complex characters really well - their actions always feel intentional, and as flawed as they are, I always love them.

Wouldn't it be Nice by allyoops - (m/f captive A/B/O) if you aren't reading original works smut on ao3 you are missing out and allyoops is a great place to start for noncon, dubcon, age gap, taboo etc. enjoyers. they have a ton of works; usually one shots with lots of really delicious dynamics and different settings and tropes.

An Intoxicating Presence by FormerlyIR - (mob a/b/o haladriel) MOB. A/B/O. HALADRIEL. picks up with Halbrand in prison thanks to undercover FBI agent (and his mate!) Galadriel. does that sound crazy and awesome? well it is. mix it with Gal's internal struggle, the added complication of omegaverse, and overall great writing. really fun and really damn good.

civitas terrena by banalityofweevil - (darklina) angel Alina on an exploration of love in immortality with fallen angel Aleks. honestly, it's just a must-read for enjoyers of writing. incredibly creative with divine (literally and figuratively) imagery. i think one of my comments was on the precision of lulu's diction and I really stand by that.

tinsel into gold by ribbonedhare - (darklina) ddlg and cnc friends, this changed me. it is so warm and soft and my god, is it good. just scrumptious.

Be My Babydoll by KittyDruthers - (darklina) ddlg dollification need I say more

check the reading with ru tag for more!

[empressofthewind]

Hey there, Meronia fan! Do you mind if I ask for Meronia fics recs? And, do you have any fav ships (from any fandom) that the dynamics remind you of Mello/Near?

You can't imagine, how excited I am to find your blog. Let's just say in my older anime/manga group who love Death Note mostly ship Lawlight & Matt/Mello, anti Meronia and are Near haters. So when I said I love Meronia, some blocked me and said I was the weird one. So, I never said it again. But now, after I got out from that group I feel better. Then finding your blog with amazing Mello and Near's metas, I'm so happy! Thanks for your blog...

Thank you very much!!! I'm so happy to hear this :-) in my experience most people on Tumblr are pretty normal about Meronia, and it's SO easy to block/filter users who aren't.

Unfortunately re: ships with similar dynamics, I can't think of any off the top of my head, but I'll put this post in the ship tag; I'm sure someone else will have an answer!! In terms of fic recs, I've actually set up my bookmarks page on AO3 to function like a rec list. I have 36 fics there each with a little blurb and I'm constantly updating it, so hopefully a decent amount that you haven't read! I'll pick 10 of them to link here for easy access (ordered by rating in case you can't/don't want to read the mature ones):

the roof by @lightningblade | 3692 words | Rated T

This is a college AU focused on the development of Mello and Near's relationship through a series of encounters on a rooftop. The writing is GORGEOUS, the progression is masterfully done, and it removes the element of the rivalry without removing the core of what makes Meronia such a great ship! There's also a companion piece up as of yesterday which I'm still recovering from (very very positive).

Dear Mello by @tzviaariella | 4158 words | Rated T

This fic is written during the canon timeline through a series of emails. It's an AU where Mello survives, originally written for the 2023 Meronia Zine but also posted on AO3 (which is what I've linked here). The format is really creative and I'm OBSESSED with the way Mello and Near's dynamic is written. The petty back-and-forth is very entertaining and in-character, and there's a certain familiarity and fondness underlying it that I adore. There are also a few artworks throughout which is a nice treat!!

How to Get Any Guy to Fall in Love with You by Sick_head_Sweet_heart | 7025 words | Rated T

This one has such a late-2000s fandom classic feel to it that I'm surprised it's only a few years old??? It's set at Wammy's House, in which Matt gives Near advice on how to make Mello fall in love with him. The dynamic is insanely cute and I'm obsessed with the way Matt and Near's friendship is characterised here. Them scheming together is something I need more of in fics!!

The Mihael Factor by spiritcrimson | 16 chapters | Rated T

One of the longest completed works I've ever read for Meronia and I have been DYING to find something like this ever since. It's a talent agent x singer AU, and it's literally everything I could have asked for in a longfic. A unique idea, compelling progression and a fun antagonistic dynamic that blossoms into a really sweet romance. It's a slowburn but it doesn't drag on at all, and the ending is SO well worth the wait.

3 + 1 by @squidish | 2423 words | Rated T

x + 1 fics are a favourite trope of mine, as is the general concept of Mello and Near behaving inappropriately in the workplace, and this one combines both of those perfectly. The premise is 3 times Mello and Near got walked in on by one of the SPK members, and 1 time they were caught by the whole group. The writing is SO delightful and there are several lines in this that are permanently lodged in my brain. I find humour in writing immensely difficult to pull off so I'm always in awe of authors who can integrate it naturally, and squidish's writing is a great example of that! (Worth noting that this one is slightly more mature than the other T-rated fics here, so I've put it closer to the M & E section; however the smut scenes are not explicit)

it's friday, i'm in love by @neallo | 2676 words | Rated M

You could read literally anything by neallo and it's guaranteed to be good, but to keep this list short, I've included one angsty fic and one lighthearted fic so you can pick the vibe. This one is more lighthearted, and it depicts a very tender moment in which Mello shows up at Near's door drunk and dances with him in the kitchen. This is a prequel to a bigger AU focusing on a casual relationship between them, but it also holds up as a standalone fic! It's unbearably sweet and there are many lines in there that made me audibly laugh.

Speculation on Demisexual Sex Drive by SayHiDestery | 4069 words | Rated M

The smut scene in this fic is so intimate and perfect, I'm melting just thinking about it. It's an established relationship fic in which Near has PTSD and has certain struggles with intimacy, and Mello guides him through it. It's quite slow-paced and takes its time to linger on the small details, which I absolutely adore, and the writing itself is vivid and beautiful. It also features demisexual Near!!

Winning the Game by clearmain | 4134 words | Rated E

This one is a PWP set mid-canon, immediately after the raid on the SPK. I'm a huge sucker for bold & bratty Near and that's EXACTLY what this fic serves. The way this introduces elements of rivalry and competition into their relationship is excellent and makes this fic feel faithful to their canon dynamic. It's a compelling push-pull with an open but hopeful ending that very succinctly captures the complexities of their relationship.

A Certain Hush by BlueberryAsh | 5434 words | Rated E

One of the first fanfics I read for Meronia and I'm not exaggerating when I say it changed my life. This fic has had SUCH a massive influence on the way I view and write the ship. It's a little glimpse into Mello and Near's relationship immediately after getting together. It's really cute and sweet in a way that feels authentic to the characters, and I'm incredibly impressed by the way it manages to give just enough backstory for their relationship to make sense without getting caught up in the details. Genuinely a masterpiece!

i want to hold you (hostage) by @neallo | 4 chapters | Rated E

The aforementioned angsty neallo fic! This one is an exes AU set during the canon timeline, and it is, as you can imagine, a very fraught dynamic done SO incredibly well. The tension is absolutely delicious and there are earnest moments littered throughout that are guaranteed to have you tearing up. Brilliant setup, brilliant writing, brilliant dynamic; just an absolutely stellar fic on all counts!!

[recurring-polynya]

Hi! I want to start off with saying I love your blog and it was this blog that introduced me to a new side of the Bleach fandom, so I owe you a huge thanks for that. My question pretains to when you mentioned that you read a lot of fics where Byakuya was there when his father died in the lines of duty, and I was wondering if you could recommend those fics and any other byakuya centric ones.

You're very welcome! I am always excited see new people in the fandom, especially here on Tumblr.

I want to preface this with saying that I have kind of a complicated relationship with Byakuya. He is an interesting, complex character and I like to read fanfic about him, but I hesitate to call myself a fan. I'm mostly interested in his character as it stands in relation to Rukia and Renji. I like stories where he is shitty and causes problems. I like reading about the long, horrible history of the Kuchiki clan, and how much it screws a person up to be raised in that mess. I also just like stories that make fun of him a bit. He's a deeply strange person, and I love his weird, dry sense of humor. Byakuya-shipping usually falls flat for me: I think he's mostly ace, except for the time he fell in love with his wife, and even then, I only really like Byahisa stories where the author has done something creative with who she is and I also need her to drag his ass a little. I would swipe left on him. So, anyway, take these recommendations (and the absence of ones I have missed) with that grain of salt.

The fanfic I was specifically referring to regarding Soujun dying after a mission he and Byakuya were on together was the Rise & Ruin series by @afinepiece, specifically part 2, An Education. It's a...little-bit-AUish precanon fic where Hisana is a thief who ends up getting tangled up in the Kuchiki family after she attempts to steal a painting from them. If you're looking for Byakuya fanfic, AFP is always going to be my first recommendation, especially her Thin Red Line series. Her works are always sprawling and genre-defying, but beautifully crafted. They've got noble/family drama, intricate world-building detail, and great character writing. The Kuchiki family deserves epics, and that is what AFP is out here doing.

Funnily enough, my other favorite ByaHisa writer is all the way at the other end of the writing spectrum. @thegreenfaery. She works in the AU space, and if you enjoy Byakuya Going Thru It but also being in love with his beautiful wife. I'm biased, because she wrote it for me, but The Wedding Party is my fave of her works (80's/everyone's human AU where Hisana has to rent out part of Byakuya's house for her little sister's dirtbag wedding).

If you like Byakuya in his gothic horror era, please read dogviolet by @renjirukia. It's a closer examination of some canon between-scenes during Byakuya and Rukia's Bad Times period.

I think @lucymonster is one of the best Byakuya character writers out there, and Metaesthesia is one of the best fanfics I've ever read. It's a Byakuya - Renji bodyswap, but not in a fun way. You should really only read it if you're in the mood to have your heart kicked down the stairs. I also really like Sticks and Stones and Building Bridges. Note: Most of her works are ByaRen (these are not, at least not explicitly). That's not a ship I am normally fond of, but I get, like 3 weird days a year where I can read it.

Speaking of ByaRen, if you are into it, the other ByaRen writer I like a lot is @grizmelder, who is also a very nice person. I particularly enjoyed Heart Tangled, which is a historical AU set at the end of the samurai era, where Renji is Byakuya's bodyguard.

I was just talking about Lull the other day, but it's a lovely little fanfic by Branch about the relationship between Byakuya and Rukia and sometimes Renji. It's an older fanfic and breaks off from canon after the Soul Society arc, so you can think of it as sort of an alternate idea for how Soul Society rebuilds after Aizen's betrayal.

The Journal of Kuchiki Byakuya by @saranel is a great little fic in the form of young Byakuya writing diary entries about his life, in particular, his dealings with Yoruichi and Urahara. It's really cute in general, but in particular, I love the way it portrays Byakuya's interest in photography.

I also have a soft spot for Breaking to Bridle by Vivienne Grainger, which is about how Byakuya sees Renji, both as lieutenant and eventually as suitor for his sister.

I guess I would be remiss if I didn't mention my favorite crack Byakuya fic, which is Become a Ghost by @hardlyfatal. Orihime dies and goes to Soul Society and becomes a therapist and falls in love with Byakuya. It's pretty silly but also a lot of fun, and it's chock full of Byakuya being Byakuya.

I hope you find something you like in there! Like I said, I am not the world's best Byakuya fan (probably in the top ten worst Byakuya fans tbh) but these are some that I have enjoyed and have stuck with me!

[mushiemellows]

✨UPDATED!✨

All of my Frobin fics I have written from December 2023 when I first started writing, up through my most recent work posted October 2024, stored in one convenient place! 🌸

🍔 Staying Right Here (and not a step closer)

RATING: E

words: 317,056 status: COMPLETE chapters: 14

Set the week Post-Enies Lobby. The core lore mostly canon compliant getting together fic. Weird sex, fast food, and an accidental wedding. My first big fic, and an adventure into writing smut. Epilogues go up through timeskip/Fishman Island reunion.

🐊 These Foolish Things

RATING: M

words: 14,178 status: ONE SHOT

Includes the Wanihana ship to tell a story of Robin's healing over time. A songfic that uses a whole catalog of Frank Sinatra songs to frame Franky and Crocodile's differing relationships to Robin. A bit more serious, as it discusses abuse. This one was a practice in writing in complex tense.

✈️ Floating Through the Stratosphere

RATING: E

words: 30,742 status: COMPLETE chapters: 2

Modern day airplane pilot AU except they are only rarely on the plane. Half one-bed-rom-com, half amnesia medical drama. This was a really fun world to build up, and I've been considering writing more stories within this world.

🕵🏻‍♀️ The Sunday Affair

RATING: E

Words: 68,078 status: ONGOING chapters: 8 (/10)

Robin is a Russian spy, Franky is an American spy. Its 1967 Cold War DC. Franky is assigned to find and kill an assassin named Sunday, Robin has to assassinate an agent named Flam. Oh, and they're married.

⏱ Another Day in the Sun

RATING: T

words: 43,413 status: ONGOING chapters: 7/ ???

The crew is stuck in a time loop, living the same day over and over again, but only some can tell. Matchmakers Robin and Franky have to get everyone to kiss each other. A thinly veiled fun little excuse to make everyone make out. And also its a bit (lot) poly (Paradise+EB5). An adventure in keeping things T.

🍼 Super Troupers

RATING: M

words: 11,130 status: ONGOING chapters: 1 (/3)

A baby fic! Chapter 1 is mostly set up, pregnancy, and delivery. But I'm still working at the follow up chapters, I want to tell more little stories with each of the boys. A bit sweet and sappy and emotionally indulgent but I don't care I love this fambly. M rating only for blood and a few intense discussions around pregnancy.

⚡️ What Makes a Man

RATING: M

words: 47,592 status: ONGOING chapters: 14 (/20?)

Putting the Franky in Frankenstein. A reanimation fic. Franky dies at Laugh Tale but leaves behind instructions for Robin to put him back together. Mainly meant to be little pocket character studies. BACK FROM THE DEAD, NOT ABANDONED FIC! I told ya I'd update it.

💀 For the Thrill of It

RATING: E

words: 46,551 status: COMPLETE chapters: 2

Nasty spooky Thriller Bark monsterfucker erotica. Brook joins the party and things get Weird. 5+1 but more like a 5+2. Established Frob with added skeleton. Chapter 2 has now been added, Robin's pov + bonus scenes. And perhaps a chapter 3 still lives in the back of my brain.

🤖 Handle With Care

RATING: E

words: 13,365 status: ONE SHOT

More nasty erotica for the sake of itself. Franky gets hurt, needing significant repairs and a full service tune up. This one is distinctly T4T. This one was written simply because no one else had written like, proper robot shit with Franky on ao3 and I was so appalled to see the hole in the market that I just HAD to fill it.

🧰 Showoff (the devil’s in the details)

RATING: E

words: 16,929 status: ONE SHOT

Even MORE pwp. Post-Egghead on the run to Elbaf, Franky shows Lilith Sunny and all of his little inventions. Things heat up between him, her, and Robin, but Vegapunk keeps all the praise to herself. This one was written in gut reaction to the most recent chapter, and I think I wrote it for entirely personal reasons lol. Franky just wants to be told he did a good job.

That's all I wrote! 610,000 words this year (of just my posted fics, not counting other works and wips) (and 45,000 words posted Halloweek alone!). I'm really proud about how my writing has developed over the year, I hadn't written much in the past so this was a huge journey, but a really fun one. Thanks for growing with me! Enjoy the works!

[vermillioncrown]

This is going to be a huge post because you've picked up so much of what we put down I'm just 🥰🥹

@sunshinerotting replied to your post “(@rozaceous) dpnf ch 11: housebroken”:

will be rereading immediately but i love your guys’ characters very much and the way you write the canon characters makes so much sense. the way the people in that house interact with each other is so interesting to me because if tim was actually the normal boy he thinks he is the entire balance would be thrown off. no one else could’ve done what he does in that dynamic. they’re like a jigsaw puzzle to me. i have more thoughts give me a sec

thank you so much! roz and i keep joking that this fic is now an au of an au of an au of an au... and on and on, and then it's like. what makes this still a fic and not a fully original setting and work? we had to sell readers on a lot, that these characters (outside of our SIs) were still some flavor of canon. especially, "who is the core of tim drake?" and yeah, he's so not fucking normal. but he's not obviously wacky, either.

​out of order now i don’t remember chapter numbers: when jason showed up like a huge asshole i texted my friend about it. very much “he WOULD fucking do that but by god is it PISSING ME OFF” and it was!! love that genuinely. might not be what was intended but i do think he IS odd and sad and unable to move through the cycle of grief fully enough to show back up like a haunting and not expect it to get to allie like that. zero ability to understand how loved he is. 10/10 more...

GAH to know you texted abt our fic!!!! 🥹🥹🥹 best praise tbh. and the second sell: how is jason an asshole but worth rooting for later? or at least, allowed into the enclosure lol. we might not have had it summarized as neatly as you did, but roz and i are in full agreement you Read jason here. that's exactly what we wanted, that's so much of what we take from his character in various canons.

allie reminds me of a bobcat which feels weird to say but she’s so nonthreatening outwardly and she minds her business but the second someone steps in on her people it’s like Oh. oh right. teeth and claws. when jason showed back up i felt so much for her. there was no way for her to move. korvin acts in ways similar to me, which i will examine on my own time and not in your comments. i do love how everyone in this house has their own preferred flavor of Avoidance

you also have such a read on allie, i love it. i'll leave her to roz but i'll say my piece that i sometimes get bummed that korvin's so obviously wacky + a lot of gender stuff at play (the audience/demographic of ff readers, we live in a society and all that) that make more ppl focus on korvin over allie whereas they're both equally wack. and korvin's behavior makes the most sense when taken as a convoluted male re-socialization of someone initially female-socialized but rewarded in a male-dominated space. AND both of them are AuDHD, word of god putting that out there. add on the isekai brainworms, and yeah, isekai is just an extended analogy for masking → hence the different flavors of avoidance

tim is somehow the most well-adjusted in this regard, before jason shows up maybe, and thats so crazy. tim drake. Tim Drake ????comparatively well-adjusted to anyone ??? i know i’m forgetting something so i’ll come back but writing that down genuinely through me off a little bit. lol

you also recognize that jason ranks above tim in "well-adjusted" here, god, how does it feel to be so correct. and tim is well-adjusted here! he's never had to be a vigilante! but he's also much lonelier than in canon. something that made retrospective sense while we were writing is that he fell out of liking ball sports (despite not being a desk nerd) is that...who does he have to enjoy them with in this au?

threw not through. anyway I FORGOT ABOUT RUTABAGA. I AM SO SORRY RUTABAGA. the amount of love between the characters is so important to me bc it’s always there no matter how fucked the bats are about showing it normally. the brownstone does end up feeling like a safe space like it somehow feels so easy most of the time and then when tangential forces (sorry dick) show up it’s like the air changes. but allie and korvin and tim all have such Personalities its insane it works out like that.

RUTIE BEST GIRL, forgiven lol. YES YES YES there is so much love and it's like, the love doesn't stop you from doing the work. the bats are so fucked up, and we only get a glimpse of dick and korvin's relationship where you can see the maladapted consequences on both of their parts, dick not being fully equipped to "raise" korvin and korvin wanting to be easy/convenient for dick. and korvin's deep-seated not-abandonment issues tied with family and cultural trauma/burden.

(i still stand by the "good older brother dick grayson" tag, he's just. oh there's a lot. if you read between the lines there's so much being implied for TPAC)

but having allie in this 'verse, allie and korvin together ground each other. that's why they're so co-dependent in the beginning (it's healthier at the end), that's why they still had the wherewithal to seek an outside friend, and yes, that is why the brownstone is like that. their place that they made with their own hands.

obviously jason was an issue initially (it felt redundant to write that sentence) but he’s such a necessary part of them by being 1) necessary to allie and 2) the catalyst allie and korvin needed to end up where they are. i do think ppl that important to each other need one big unavoidable conflict to avoid stagnation like obviously he was a necessary part of the story but he was a Necessary Part Of The Story. does this make sense?? four strand braid.

AND YES DUDE you literally. we were writing this and we had the vibe, but we literally did not articulate it to each other until the very end that jason's actually necessary to make all of them normal. i love everything you're saying about needing one unavoidable conflict to resolve. he is part of a four strand braid. it's so strong. it's critical. korvin still finds jason annoying and vice versa. and yet they'd both say the household contains all of them by the end.

i just like that they start off alone and end up together. that’s my thing. jigsaw puzzle. polycule of all time. i can’t think of a way in which another person would ever get that close to them the dynamics are so perfect to me. every need is accounted for. its like a perfect little box in my mind. i think thats it for now lol i’m happy you guys write together. not just bc i love it but also bc it’s so clear u guys have fun doing it and that makes me happy <3

WE MADE IT. it's one thing to prescribe "hey guys this is a polycule" but selling it? the logistics of a polycule? not so easy, and it has to be tailored to the situation and characters. not all of them are romantically/sexually involved, nor do they have straight-forward relationships (hence, qpr), so having you say it fits and they seem seamless is like. top tier praise. coherence, it's everything we've aimed for.

thank you for all of your thoughts! we do have tons of fun and that's why we love sharing what we have! and we hope to keep doing projects like this, or we'll just be at each other's side while we work on our individual fics.

[needle-noggins]

A Guide to eezybree's Trigun Fanfiction

Hi all! For @trigunfanfic appreciation week, I would like to do a little self-promo. I've only been writing fanfic for about a year (if you don't count my POTC fic from middle school) but it has changed my life and I'm really proud of what I've done so far. If you'd like to read some of my stuff, here's a quick guide!

Bluebells | E | Vashmeryl | 43k, in progress | post-canon Trimax, canon-compliant | Hurt/Comfort, Emotionally-driven, Character-driven. My long fic about Vash and Meryl figuring out life after Trimax. It's mostly Meryl POV, with an emphasis on her PTSD and trauma, but Vash is even more messed up. He's lost and grieving both Wolfwood and his brother, and Meryl's hangups about his nature as a plant certainly don't help their feelings of loneliness even as they're living together. It doesn't help that the ghost of Wolfwood won't leave the damn room. They work it out together while still acknowledging the things that haunt them - Vash's grief and Meryl's fear - and put on a brave face for the TV special on his life. This fic has converted a few people to see Vashmeryl, has made people laugh and cry, and has inspired a little bit of art. This fic is my baby, and I'm so so damn proud of it. ALSO: The smut is skippable!

Funeral Rites | T | Vashwood | 3k | Trimax canon-compliant Vol. 10 Burial fic. My first fic and still beloved. Vash buries Wolfwood and gets weird about it, would you expect any less? This baby is so chock-full of love and grief.

Freaks of Nurture | M | Gen/Vashwood | 2.8k | any canon. Vash gets vivisected and he hallucinates that the surgeon is Knives. Wolfwood gets triggered to hell trying to save him. This is my best and weirdest prose, and I had the most fun writing this. Dead doves abound here.

Silent Night | T | Gen | 4k | Pre-canon sci-fi epistolary-style story of Rem on the SEEDS expedition, leading up to the birth of the twins. My heaviest sci-fi with Rem's grief over her late partner Alex and regret over Tesla running throughout. I adore this fic. It was also inspired by Lenipez's Becoming Eden series, and in turn inspired another Rem-centric fic by mydetheturk!

Fresh Cut | E | Millionsummers | 5.7k | DEADEST DOVE. DESSICATED. My uhhh... body horror smut and essay on what compels me about the messed-up relationship between Legato and Knives. I wrote most of this on a plane (in public). This one is very kinky and weird and somehow hot, if you're into getting visions of your lover cannibalizing you when he comes.

Cigarettes & Saints | E | Mashwood | 3.8K | post-canon Trimax, set somewhere within/after Bluebells. Vash and Meryl visit a grave outside Hopeland and they... get weird with it. One of the tags is Outdoor Sex, and it does a lot of the heavy lifting. Wolfwood's ghost pays them a visit in Vash's butt. This sounds incredibly silly but it's very sweet and sad and there isn't a single dry eye by the end of the fic.

Growing Black Irises | T | Stryfewood | 1k | set somewhere in Bluebells again. Here's how post-canon trimax stryfewood can still win, but oh no it's painful and somehow sweet. So much yearning and regret over things never said or done.

Lightning Rod | M | Elendira POV | 1K | Trigun Stampede | Body Horror week fic; there's a dead dove in here. Inspired by Beelzebby666's Elendira/Tesla, I wanted to explore Elendira's thoughts and feelings about growing up and being experimented on, lauded as Knives' new Tesla. Compels me.

Learn to count on you (as my own fingers) | G | Vashmeryl | 800 words | Any canon. Meryl helps Vash clean his prosthetic, and it's very sweet.

Meet in the Middle (Like Pistols at Dawn) | G | Vashmeryl | 672 words | Domestic Fluff and Sillies. For the indirect kiss prompt for Vashmeryl week. I just really love writing them be goofy and sweet.

Ship to Wreck | T | Stryfewood | 1.6k | Pirate AU! Two small scenes of my pirate AU that is actually a bit more elaborate than the fic lets on. It's a fun time.

Raising Hell | T | Trigun OCs | 1.7k | If you ever had more questions about my silly trigun OC Fanny Paine, well, here's half her backstory. This was fun to write and got me out of a funk! I may write more again. I love Fanny.

[scary-grace]

masterpost/faq/etc

**UPDATE: My fics on Ao3 are currently locked for registered users only. I have plenty of invites available, so let me know if you’re in need of one!**

I have been meaning to make one of these for probably a decade, but here we are. I'm Grace, I'm 28, and I'm a purveyor of weird fics and zero-note personal posts. I write exclusively for the Tolkienverse (with heavy emphasis on The Hobbit and heavier emphasis on Barduil) and for My Hero Academia (Erasermic, Shigaraki x reader, and probably other stuff if I stay in the fandom long enough). You can find me on Ao3 at BiSquared.

My askbox is always open! I'm basically always accepting prompts, but I'm bad about doing them with any consistency, so there's usually a backlog. That being said, when I do answer prompts, I answer them in the form of full one-shots (which for me are almost always 3k+), and if you're on Ao3 I'll gift them to you! I don't really do commissions, but I do have a Ko-fi.

My Fics

Shigaraki x reader masterlist

Tolkienverse:

seeking a friend - the Barduil zombie apocalypse AU you were probably not warned about. This is a series - the main fic, seeking a friend for the end of the world, is complete, and there's also a lot of bonus content, including an AU of the AU where there are no zombies. (280k+ words)

bring on your wrecking ball - the Bagginshield and Barduil band au nobody asked for. Come for the thought of Thorin singing lead in a country band, stay for the ridiculous bedtime stories, homemade song lyrics, and very slow burn. This is a series, involving the same events told from three different perspectives -- Thorin's, Bilbo's, and Bard's. (650k+ words and counting)

Kairos - a Barduil fic set in 1977, wherein Thranduil and his children move into an enormous house on a sprawling estate and Thranduil falls in love with the caretaker. This fic is a monster. I finished writing it in 2021, and it's 565k words long, so it'll be posting for a while. (243k+ words and counting)

soon you'll get better - a collection of thirty whump prompts featuring Bard and Thranduil, all written during February 2022. (90k+ words)

more than words can wield the matter - canon, post Battle of the Five Armies, featuring Bard receiving some rather inappropriate letters from a certain Elvenking. One-shot.

and many more...

My Hero Academia (Erasermic)

one headlight - Erasermic hanahaki AU series, featuring both Aizawa's and Mic's POVs! (58k+ words and counting)

the rooftop gang's guide to finding a family - Erasermic no quirks AU series, featuring Jewish Present Mic (check out @corndog-patrol's art for the inspiration), adoption of various children and pets, and very awkward first meetings. (79k+ words and counting)

As Above, So Below - Erasermic AU based on Junji Ito's Uzumaki. In progress but close to completion! (72k+ words and counting)

promise i'll be the cure - Erasermic sex pollen fic, wherein Aizawa gets nailed with sex pollen and Mic finally gets the chance to take care of him. Warning: No sex. One-shot.

and many more...

If you have any questions, feel free to hit up my askbox or send me a message! I'm always happy to chat.

[aha-chuu]

I'm writing an AU rn and like

So Wriothesley woke up in hospital after (correctly) killing his foster parents and Arlecchino is just There. So Wrio doesn't know who tf she is but he's a lil broody and very "yes I deserve prison, yes I'm 13 what about it"

Arlecchino meanwhile has only just taken over the House of the Hearth and killed her own abuser so they're kinda vibing in a dysfunctional way. She really wanted to kill all the child traffickers in Fontaine but she couldn't find them yet (she's only just come back from Fatui stuffs and since she's only just taken over the HoH she doesn't have an information network to rely on).

HOWEVER by killing his foster parents (who were part of the same trafficking ring) Wriothesley unintentionally picked a thread that Arlecchino can now follow go deal with all the shitty nobles in Fontaine and save a bunch of children. She's pretty much come to see Wriothesley to tell him this and legit thank him because she genuinely really cares about the children of Fontaine and this all Sucks.

So now Wriothesley is still going to prison but Arlecchino has her eye on him. She basically sees him as her first 'child' even though he doesn't know her as 'Father' like the rest of the kids do.

(which: in this AU the reason Arlecchino was there to save Lynette was because she uncovered the nobleman involved through the info chain Wriothesley set off so there's layers here).

Wriothesley is in prison and Arlecchino sends him fun little letters (and he replies (honestly feel bad for the poor Fatuus who was stuck in Meropide as their go-between)). Importantly she never sends him anything more than morale boosts - no bribing the guards for special treatment, no rigged pankration fights, no extra credit coupons. Arlecchino loves all her children but Tough Love is as important as any other form.

So Wrio had a ten year prison sentence and everything pretty much goes as canon: he learns to thrive, garners everyone's respect and, eventually, takes control of Meropide by duelling the administrator on the day he should have been released. Arlecchino's getting all these updates and she's so so pleased at how well he's doing. He's given the 'duke' title and she's ready to give him all the desdert, he's a great son and he deserves a treat.

But there is a whole layer to this that, though Wrio & Arlecchino have been in communication for a decade, he's never learned that she's Fatui and, when he eventually does learn, he doesn't confer those two identities. Same with Arlecchino - where Lyney, Lynette and Freminet are Fatui agents, Wrio is her First child and he's disconnected from that. That's why Lyney is her heir - Wrio's almost like a pet project she took on outside of her Fatui responsibilities.

Obviously it's then funny when Lyney & co clash against Wriothesley because like. They've never met but Arlecchino definitely considers them all part of the same family. Lyney has too much of a big brother complex to have to deal with his 'Father' introducing a much bigger big brother into the fold who has also managed to do like,, everything.

Like poor Lyney cos Wrio literally went to prison at 13 and still became the third most politically powerful and richest person in Fontaine before he was 25. Forget Forbes Under Thirty, Lyney has to contend with whatever this shit is without developing issues

(Lyney is actually very cool and better suited to all the Fatui stuffs but you know. He's gotta compare himself).

So anyway the concept of the AU (Arlecchino Adoption AU???) mostly centers on all the letters Arlecchino & Wriothesley sent to each other, and then navigating the dynamic later on when the Fatui are crawling all over Fontaine and The Prophecy. Bonus points for Neuvillette's most trusted Wriothesley having this weird Arlecchino connection, and if he can be convinced to side with her, Wriothesley could fuck up all of Fontaine by having Meropide go on strike and halting all of construction. So messy.

Everyone gets to bribe Wriothesley with tea to be on their side but in reality Wriothesley is on his own side (Arlecchino's like: yes this is how to raise an independent child, Lyney: he literally shot me and convinced me he would murder my family, Arlecchino: yeah they really don't make em like they used to huh).

Also all of the letters with Arlecchino were 100% like,,, philosophical debates and historical discussion from whatever prison book Wrio just read. No parental guidance here. He met this woman once, she is not his dad - she's his pen pal. Arlecchino finds labels unimportant in this instance.

[cosmiclion]

If you thought I couldn't outdo myself more with the fluff for this AU then you haven't seen my true power yet 😈

I don't know if I got OCiel's bangs right but, realistically speaking, human hair never stays in the same place, that's how physics works so whatever lmao.

Anyway, trying to write a Black Butler AU with some fluff where Sebastian and Ciel have a parent-child like relationship WHILE keeping them in-character (Sebas more than Ciel tbh) and still basing it on canon material but making changes and making said changes make sense requires a bit of work ngl.

I mean, I know it's just a project I'm doing for fun and technically there's nothing stopping me from going nuts and making them completely OOC and disregarding canon at all, but I feel then it'd become a separate story with new, original characters who simply happen to be inspired by Kuro (which is also okay, and who knows, maybe in the future I'll repurpose the whole thing to create my own Kuro-inspired original story, even if I don't think I'll ever fully lose interest in Kuro, this cursed series has me in a chokehold lmao). Full ramble under the cut.

Sebastian is the hardest one to write, though I think I'm finally more or less figuring it out. I didn’t want to write him as suddenly learning to love the way humans do thanks to the power of cute children or something, as it just didn't feel natural (or I couldn't personally make it feel natural, I know other people have managed to write that concept very well). What I have so far is that when he does act nurturing he’s simply imitating the behavior of human parents he has observed, but he doesn’t love the kid the same way humans do because he literally doesn’t have that ability. BUT that doesn’t mean he feels nothing at all and that it doesn’t mean anything to Ciel, after all this weird creature is the one who saved his life and raised him with care and patience. The closest comparison I can think of is the relationship between people and “unusual” pets like reptiles, amphibians, insects, etc. We know they can’t love us the way other people (or even other mammals) would but that doesn’t make our bond any less significant! Some bits of canon material also come in handy here, for example I based the fact that familiar Sebas finds Ciel adorable as a kitten on the canon fact that he likes squishing his cheeks because they remind him of a cat's paws 😂 Just know he's an awkward demon who doesn't know how to human but is doing his best 🥺

I think in Ciel’s case I have more freedom since he is, after all, human, and a human’s personality is strongly shaped by their environment and life experiences. Like, what exactly counts as making a character OOC? Sure, I can agree that in a fanwork set in the exact same universe with the exact same events as in canon there’s some things a character would never say or do, but I think AUs were created as a way to explore what-if scenarios. What if this character had been raised by different people? What if they had grown up in a different place? What if this or that event hadn’t happened or had gone differently? Tbh I think it’s just fun to explore endless possibilities, it’s maybe a form of character analysis in some way. And if we think about it, canonverse Ciel was originally sweet, shy and affectionate, and if he’s the complete opposite now it’s only because he went through an utterly horrific and traumatic event that forced him to grow up before his time and toughen himself up because it left him with little to no support system, on top of having to be hyper vigilant because the only thing that "saved" him from that is a literal demon who wants his soul and is haunting him.

So I just wanted to create this alternative timeline where maybe things aren’t as terrible, or they start out as terrible but then some good things come from the most unexpected sources. Ciel is five years younger and thus has more time to process everything and try to heal as he grows up. Sebas isn’t entirely a bastard and willingly does nice things for the child, even if he still doesn’t understand human needs, and while he stills views him as a potential meal (at least at the beginning) he's actually respectful. There’s another demon who understands humans all too well and is happy to lend a hand. His friends and the relatives he has left are more involved in his life. So Ciel more or less has a support system now, albeit a weird dysfunctional one, and doesn’t entirely lose his sweetness (also like... he's 5/6 at the beginning of the story, we really can't expect a preschooler to be an edgy emo who craves violence and revenge ☠️). I imagine he grows up to be just as calculating and cunning as canonverse Ciel, maybe even just as ruthless in his job because it’s a requirement, and is still pretty much a little shit, but this Ciel is not as cold and undemonstrative. He’s still very much an introvert who prefers to be left alone, but he smiles (as in genuinely smile) more often and it’s a little easier for him to express emotions and feelings (more through actions than words, but still meaningful). Hell he may allow himself to be playful and silly sometimes if he’s in the moment.

And if it wasn’t clear from the picture, little Ciel ADORES Sebastian. Sure he's (understandably) a bit skittish around him at first, but once they bond he comes to fully view him as a parental figure. Yes, he's hurt, sad and traumatized, but he's still a resilient little kid, and with enough kindness Sebas can coax his old self to come out of his shell, and until the kid becomes more independent they're like a mama duck and her lil duckling. Their constant banter and bickering when he's older is more a teens being teens thing than anything.

[storyspinner91]

Twenty Fanfic Writer Questions

Tagged by @littleblackraincloudofcourse

Tagging @lowkeyed1 @evodevo-geekmonkey @dianels @bisexualshakespeare @spybrarian @blackdalek

1. How many works do you have on Ao3? 

7 (3 are WiP)

2. What’s your total Ao3 word count? 

186,452

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Willow! ...Technically other things too but really it's just Willow with playful skins.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

Red Embers: dark alternate future AU, resistance fighters against the Wyrm's tyranny, grim & gritty

Like Constellations, a Million Years Away: sprawling mecha sci-fi AU set in the world of the Lancer tabletop roleplaying game. The Questies all pilot giant mechs; four books (2 done), one focused on each of Jade, Kit, Graydon, and Elora (in that order). Posthumanism, anticolonial to the extent a fanfic can be, utopian, dramatic.

Soft Blazing Crowns: Tanthamoretober one-shot. Modern AU. Elora helps Jade with a sexy photoshoot for a gift for Kit.

Full: (E-rated) Tanthamoretober one-shot. Modern AU. Straight-up smut drabble, 100 words on the dot. Extremely funny to me that this is in the top 5. :P

The Loving Hurt: Canon-set one-shot digging into the violence implied by the canon against the Bone Reavers, Scorpia's backstory, how Jade got her name. Dark, grim, not pleasant to write and in some ways probably not to read TBH. I was in A Mood!

5. Do you respond to comments?

Religiously! Sometimes it takes me a while, but I do.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? 

Hmmm. I mean I think it's gotta be The Loving Hurt. Like I said. Dark. Blame the show's writers, I do. :P

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? 

Gonna resist the temptation to say Full and instead say I think that it'll probably be Flawless Five vol. 1 when it's finished in a few weeks!

8. Do you get hate on fics? 

Not so far!

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? 

The only thing I'd consider smut is Full. Otherwise, not anywhere that you can see. ;)

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written? 

No true crossovers, though Like Constellations is set (loosely) in the Lancer Universe.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I don't think so! They're too weird!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? 

No but I'd be so honored.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? 

Nope!

14. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

I am a Tanthamore diehard, what can I say.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? 

If you'd asked me recently I'd probably have said "all of them." Fortunately I'm feeling a little better lately! I hope to finish all of the current ones; Constellations is a slow, weighty project, F5 I hope to have done very shortly, Embers...we'll figure that out after F5.

16. What are your writing strengths? 

I think I'm pretty good at dialogue, and I'm decent though not incredible at humor (especially character-based humor). I'm also a decent mimic - though this can feel a little clunky sometimes, I think I'm able to adjust my voice pretty easily to suit a situation, genre, or style. My unhinged and unpopular fic Excerpts from a new translation... is a pretty good example of that, lol. And on that note: I have a lot of fun with wacky metatextual stuff.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Taking the wacky meta stuff too far; not being bold enough in straying from the established character arcs/plots in canon; I don't think I'm great at writing really juicy interiority. Starting very large projects that will take forever to finish. ':)

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? 

I'm comfortable enough in Spanish to write simple dialogue in that language. I've done one line in Latin (which I'm comfortable with since it's functionally a dead language) and made up some words in a conlang for Constellations. Wouldn't try anything via Google Translate though.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Willow! At least if we count conscious fanfiction. If we're going back to the Days of Yore probably Animorphs when I was a wee one.

20. Favourite fic you’ve written? 

Difficult to pick...but Like Constellations is the baby, the one I'll finish come hell or high water (I hope). On the other hand, Flawless Five is probably the most fun (to write, and maybe to read if you like that sort of thing) and Red Embers is the one that in many ways I find most exciting. Like I said - hard to choose!

[stargazer-sims]

pointless rambling below the cut...

I accidentally deleted my post from yesterday where I mentioned wanting to retcon timelines to remove child characters because it almost never fails that when I make my OCs have a child, I stop being interested in them. But anyway, maybe having to start over with a new post is good, because it gives me a chance to elaborate and to be in less of a mood about it. I'm still not happy with my writing lately, but that's not entirely connected to the child character issue. That's more of a me problem.

So, first off, let me just say that I'm not opposed to child characters in general, either in my work or in another writer's work. I have no problem "going back in time" and writing my established OCs as children, and I also see the utility of having a child character if their purpose is to advance the plot.

My problem is that when i give my established characters a child or children, it almost invariably feels awkward, burdensome or just plain forced and wrong, either from my perspective as the writer or from the perspective of the character(s) themselves.

That having been said, it's not normal or realistic for people (and characters in a realistic setting) to not have children. At least some characters must have them, because that's what many normal adults do, and it wouldn't be a credible setting if literally no one had kids. Enter the child characters, whether I want them or not.

It's not just the fact of the child characters being children that bothers me either, because even time-skipping to a point where they're teenagers doesn't fix it. Logically, they had to be babies and children at some point, and well-developed parent characters can't reasonably be expected to have no memories or feelings about that.

And it occurred to me that I can't actually retcon anyone's timeline and be comfortable with it. I mean... I could, but that would fundamentally change what I feel is canon (for better or worse) and would completely negate entire stories such as Au Ciel Étoilé and Caroline & Co.

So, I guess what i really get to do is explore the parent characters' feelings of regret, resentment, fear, frustration, loss of individual identity and loss of freedom in the cases where I probably should not have added child characters to the mix. It's not that these characters hate their kids - the majority of them love their kids - but that doesn't take away from the thought that their lives would be vastly different (and in some cases happier and better) without children.

Yuri, for example, should never have been a parent. He doesn't like children and doesn't like being a parent, and even though he's learned to live as a parent and be a good one, there'll always be an undercurrent of resentment there whether he's fully aware of it or not. He and Caroline love each other, but they don't necessarily like each other, and Caroline knows just as well as Yuri does that Victor is the glue holding the two of them together.

I actually feel bad for forcing Yuri into that corner. The experience has made him grow, but it also ruined the image of the future he wanted and pushed a wedge (tiny, but still...) between him and Victor that he's constantly trying to pretend does not exist.

Fox and Takahiro, my "super parents", completely lost their individual identities when they became parents. They absolutely love their kids and find immense joy in parenthood, and definitely should be parents, but for me as their author, they are no longer of much interest to me as characters themselves.

With Au Ciel Étoilé, I feel like almost every character, with the exception of Félix and Davian, are there for the sole purpose of having a child. Even though the premise of the story is weird and kind of science fiction-y, I think the real reason I lost interest in it was because it was basically "have kid, end of story".

I think Caroline is the character I regret the most, honestly. On her own, she's very interesting to me as a character, but I think she would've been equally interesting with different parents. I went back and forth on whether or not to even add her to the same universe as Yuri and Victor, to say nothing of how much I wavered on whether or not to make her their foster child. While I can't deny the bond between Caroline and Victor, I also can't reconcile the idea that it came at a cost to Yuri, who never wanted to be a parent.

It's perfectly in-character for Yuri to agree to foster Caroline even though he wasn't one hundred percent comfortable with it, though. That's kind of his M.O., doing stuff that Victor wants, even if he doesn't necessarily want it himself. It was a difficult adjustment for Yuri to have a kid around, and although he can't imagine his life without Caroline in it at this point, he often wonders what it would've been like if he'd said no in the first place. Of course, this isn't something he feels he could ever say out loud. Like a lot of things, he's just learned to accept and live with it.

Ironically enough, the child character I'm the least put off by is Belle Blanchet, even though she's not all that interesting. Maybe it's because Félix and Davian don't really think of themselves as "parents" in the traditional sense, and have always treated Belle almost like another adult. Belle isn't a psychological or literal burden to them and almost nothing has changed about their lifestyle. They're still the globe-trotting, thrill-seeking party animals they always were, and Belle is more or less along for the ride.

I don't know... There are probably a dozen story ideas in all of this, now that I see it all written out. Ugh...

[tossawary]

Hope you’re doing well! Ive been following your an ding lbh au since it started and I loved the ending SO MUCH! Now I like to believe sy transmigrates only just in time to fall victim to sqh‘s empty nest syndrome.

Hi! Thank you! I'm doing well, though I'm also trying not to fall asleep on the couch while chilling. Again. I hope that you're doing well as well. (SPOILERS for "Stepping Up"!)

I considered bringing Shen Yuan in at the end, honestly, and my strongest idea was having him transmigrate in as Gongyi Xiao or something for a Meet Cute or Meet Ugly with Luo Binghe at the Immortal Alliance Conference. Because I thought it would be really funny for Shen Yuan (who had, at that point, probably been suffering years of his own difficulties in whichever role he'd been given) to be anticipating an abused and neglected disciple of Qing Jing Peak, making all his plans based around The Plot, only to get Head An Ding Disciple Luo Binghe who is shamelessly Shizun's Favorite and an author who has utterly abandoned all original outlines.

But I didn't feel like writing that when I still felt pretty uncertain about the idea. I'm interested in writing about Gongyi Xiao and about Huan Hua Palace politics, but I don't want to "spend" those ideas (for lack of a better word) and that writing energy on a side fic for Bingqiu that I wasn't really feeling excited about. If I'm going to write about Gongyi Xiao, then I have a post-Abyss Luo Binghe/Gongyi Xiao canon divergence AU idea that I'm much more passionate about.

Shen Yuan's place in this AU world is fun to think about, I like Bingqiu a lot, but I also didn't want Shen Yuan to be the only thing people focused on in a fic that was very much not about Shen Yuan or Shen Qingqiu or Bingqiu, but rather the relationship between Shang Qinghua and Luo Binghe. I like to use canon as my launchpad and sometimes find things more difficult to write the further I get from canon. If I'm going to write about Shen Yuan and Bingqiu in an AU in the canon setting, then I have another fic idea about Shen Yuan and asexuality that I'm also more passionate about.

I can totally see myself writing a Bingqiu one shot for the An Ding Peak Luo Binghe fic, whether Shen Yuan transmigrates in as someone like Gongyi Xiao or an original character. I think Shen Yuan would probably end up finding An Ding Peak Lord Luo Binghe distressingly attractive, especially because of the undeniable similarities between LBH and SQH accentuated by this AU, and I think that would be fucking hilarious. But I want to sit on the idea for a while longer. I like having a distinct plot idea or a strong aesthetic vision or a really distinct theme in mind before I get started on a fic, and I just don't have that yet.

It felt a little... hmm... I don't have a good word for this. After I explicitly covered Luo Binghe's awkward teenage romantic/sexual feelings for Shang Qinghua and Luo Binghe was, in a way, gently rejected in AU, it felt a little weird to then immediately bring Shen Yuan in and say, "Look! It's fine! Binghe finds love with someone else and everyone is safely paired off so we don't have to think about any awkward feelings anymore!" I liked wrestling with the ambiguous nature of Shang Qinghua and Luo Binghe's relationship, as SQH dealt with his disciple (and insert character) becoming like a real son to him, and LBH dealt with his desperation not to be thrown away and to receive real affection. I like the idea of Luo Binghe having to go out into the world and find himself.

I think there's a lot to be said still about LBH's relationship to love, to family, to loneliness, to SQH, to MBJ, to Tianlang-Jun and Zhuzhi-Lang, and to any potential future romantic/sexual partner, and so on. So, I didn't want to jam anything in at the end at the last minute while I was still thinking about it.