#and obviously the more research put into a fic the better

[blueflyingturtleontheway]

via penny-anna: #personally I'd say ok to point out factual errors PROVIDED its a very easy fix #eg 'this story is set in the UK and you have mentioned a character taking tylenol' #if it's something that would require significant editing then do not

I'd actually say this falls under the same category as the "bleach into cleaning products" mentioned above! With all due respect, because I absolutely do not mean it as a personal criticism, but this type of criticism seems... unnecessary? Worst case scenario of such a mistake is someone will read such fic, go to a pharmacy in the UK, try to buy Tylenol and find out they can, realistic scenario it'll break the immersion for a moment and best case no one would even notice. Because yes, it's an easy mistake to notice - if you live in the UK. For a reader outside of it it doesn't really matter, as long as they can gather from the text what the medicine is for.

Now is this an easy fix? Yeah, sure, the author can google "painkillers available in the UK" and substitute the word. Is it really that jarring of a mistake? I don't know, in my experience even if the author changes it, it'd be in a more "here, are you happy now?" way.

So yeah, unless you see that the author strives for maximum accuracy to the point where they use up to date timetables for city buses, I'd say don't do that. Just assume the author is a foreigner or a total layman on the topic, let it slide and enjoy the story.

I just saw a Tik Tok that said writers on AO3 are not looking for constructive criticism in their reviews. I have no audience on this platform so I have to know if this is true? I've always left my pros and cons when reading a fic and now I'm concerned that the authors didn't like that.

Yeah writers are Not looking for criticism, constructive or otherwise. Unless they specifically ask for it, it’s considered rude and honestly a bit hurtful. In the least bitchy way possible, don’t do that. It’s unwanted.

[angelfrombeneth]

SECRET - A . DONALDSON

Sexual Content Ahead

Art Donaldson x Fem!ChubbyReader

Summary: Where you and Art are 'secretly' hooking up without your friends knowing.

Warnings: SMUT (18+), Born with barely any plot, Art is slightly pathetic in this, Reader loves a cheeky ass grab.

Note: This one is a quick one I rushed, because I'm writing a nice long Art fic for yall. So please enjoy this for now.

If you told yourself 3 years ago that you'd be sat on some bleachers watching tennis you wouldn't believe it.

You were never interested in tennis, you knew about it obviously but it was never your thing.

You came to Stanford as an international student due to the fat scholarship you recieved so you packed your bags from London to California.

That is where you met Tashi Duncan, your best friend. She introduced herself to you one day in the library after hearing you tap away to the music playing in your headphones. It was a close call, she saved you from another warning from the librarian.

Tashi and you were inseparable. Learning about eachother more you discovered she played tennis and was quite well known but you had no clue. She found this a breath of fresh air as everyone knew of her some how. She put it down to the fact your from a different country additionally to your lack of interest of the sport.

Tashi coaxed you to come watch her warm ups and games - which you did being a great friend. But you sported to opening your sketchbook and sketching out the scene infront of you additionally. Might aswell do a research project on human posing and what better sport that tennis.

After your first semester you noticed Tashi always hanging out with this tall lanky man. He seemed nice but, you'd never seen him around. She told you he was her 'thing' which made you both laugh over lunch one time. She had mentioned he will be around alot more and he has a friend and that's when you met Art Donaldson, and well. The rest is history.

It had been a good year since you met Patrick and Art and you four were now a little quad. Despite the three of them being raging tennis players and you just sat on the side line they didn't mind.

You did try to take up a sport but it just wasn't for you, after Tashi found you face down in a bush after a 100m sprint.

You were watching Art play against someone from another University - you weren't listening to their name though.

Tashi and Patrick sat beside you, gasping and groaning, cheering and whooping at what was going on in the game but you only knew so much.

In the year you've known Art, you two had a great bond and tend to.. dip into eachothers bonds from time to time. You had no clue if Tashi or Patrick knew about your occasional flings with Art, you both never aired it nor got caught it just happened sometimes.

But as of late, you can't take your eyes off him. The way his shorts ride up his muscly thighs as he jumps from one end of the court to the other. The way his hair bounces but also sticks to his forehead due to his sweat. You were slightly obsessed.

You wouldn't say you had feelings for him, it never got deep enough for that. But you craved him. You craved every single inch of him and how he'd just melt into your hand.

"COME ON!!" You jump slightly as you were ripped out of your daydream as Tashi flew up beside you screaming as you looked at Art celebrating on the court.

You smiled, standing up and clapping as you grabbed everyone's coats and bags as Tashi and Patrick dashed off to see Art.

Climbing down the stairs was tricky balancing everything but as soon as you saw Tashi and Patrick bust through the door of the court as they piled onto Art you smiled. Walking towards them as you put down the stuff.

Art turned to you smiling, walking up to you and pulling you in for a hug. It wasn't unusual just took you off guard.

"We should celebrate! Let's go out for dinner" Tashi smiled.

"I love a good dinner" You smiled as they all chuckled at you.

You got changed for the dinner into a little black dress, you can never go wrong with it. Tashi texted you earlier her and Patrick will be late - which you assumed they were fucking in his car yet again. Dinners cancelled you assumed.

You walked over to Arts dorm, knocking on the door as it swung open to reveal a slightly disheaved Art as he stared at you. Shirtless and in the tightest pair of shorts ever.

"Did you forget we are going to dinner-"

"No- I was just.. working out" He spoke slightly.

You looked him up and down, a knowing smirk on your face.

"You can't hide it from me" You laughed. Art's face contorted as he looked at you confused as you swiped your hand over the very obvious bulge in his boxers before walking past him into his room.

He doubled over, groaning as he shut the door as you laughed, sitting on his desk chair.

"I thought Tashi was taking you to the restaurant?" He dove onto his bed, laying on his stomach as he scrunched a pillow up at leaned against it looking at you. God he looked so pathetic. Ass up and everything.

"Seems she got preoccupied with Patrick, I got this" You pulled up the text and turned it around to show Art.

"We definitely won't make it to the restaurant now" He laughed.

You stood up, dropping your bag on the chair as you walked over to Art, sitting by his head as he looked up at you.

"What do you wanna do then?" You caressed his cheek, smiling down at him.

"I have a few ideas.." His head turned to kiss your palm as his lips made its way up your arm till he was on his knees infront of you.

You stared at him blankly, sucking in your bottom lip as you took in the situation. You both paused for a brief moment staring at eachother.

You leaned in, kissing him roughly as your hands dropped to his back, pulling him closer as his hands slid up the back of your dress as he squeezed your ass. One thing about Art he loved your ass.

The pair of you tumbling with one another as you yanked down his boxers slightly as the back, grabbing a chunk of his ass with his hand as you sucked onto his tongue. A soft moan leaving his lips as you yanked down his boxers completely rolling over as you caged him below you.

"Mm- want you- s'bad" You pulled at his lip as you sucked on it, grinding down against his bare cock as you reached to pull your dress off in one swift motion.

"Fuck- good girl-" He groaned as he unclasped your bra throwing it off as he pulled your neck and pulled you back into another kiss. It was passionate but needy. The way his tongue slipped in and out of your mouth had you yearning for more. You reached down to wriggle out of your panties as you kicked them off to the side before you held the base of his dick. Running it between your slit as you gasped, pulling away from the kiss.

You bit your lip, sighing as you bucked your hips against his tip. Your hands sliding up over your breasts as you peered down at him. "You piss me off how fucking hot you are. Why are you so fucking hot" You groaned, grinding down harder against him as he harshly gasped.

"Shut up" He whined lightly as he grabbed your hip, lifting you up so he could grab his cock and curve it up towards your entrance as he dropped you down against his abdomen as his cock slipped up inside of you. "Fuck-" You both yelped in unison.

You peered down at him, chuckling softly as you let out soft moans as you rocked back and forth against him. "Oh fuck-" You grit your teeth as your hand slid down his chest as you rocked back and forth. Your thighs slightly twitching as your eyes threatened to roll back.

"Such a good girl f'me aren't you" He smirked, sliding a hand up overs your stomach. This was something Art tended to do. You knew you were chubbier that other girls you'd seen him with before but he was definitely into it. His smile grew as he slid them further up to grip your breast as he squeezed and toyed with it.

You smirked down at him, leaning forward slightly, pecking his lips as your ass rebounded against his abdomen as you dropped down on him continously as you rode him.

"Good.." You spoke with breathy moans as light whines escaped Art's lips as he stared into your eyes. It was pathetic. He was pathetic. The way his eyes watched you.

His hands dropped from your breasts, gripping onto the plush of your thighs as he whined slightly, spreading his legs below you.

You could feel his hips thrusting up into your for more, as you bit your lip moaning lightly. "Yessss~ fuck. Art- s-so good" You yelped as his hands gripped your waist before flipping you onto your back. The movement shocked you but the second he got his balance he began to piston into you.

You reached back, grabbing the headboard of the bed as you yelped. Whines and moans pouring from your mouth as Art demolished you. His hips slamming into you. His balls slapping into your ass as the bed creaked below the pair of you. One of his hands, gripping at a chunk of your thigh as his thumb caressed against the skin. The other, reaching for one of yours as your fingers interlocked with one another.

You reached forward grabbing his ass harshly with your free hand, as you squeezed it, looking up at him, biting your lip.

His mouth ghosting over yours as he let out soft whines and groans - just like he does in tennis. Fuck do you love the sounds he makes when he's playing fucking tennis...

"Yes- Fuck Art please.. Harder" you groaned, your hand removing from his as they both flew to his back, your nails scratched down it as he pounded harder into you.

His groans got louder and needier, as his hands returned to your chunk sides, his fingers dug harder into your hip. His thrusts became sloppier, you knew he was close.

Art threw your legs over his shoulders as he slammed back into you. A guttural moan yelping from your throat as you shrieked, his pace quickening as you whined. Your nails digging into his shoulder as your back arched down against him as your eyes rolled back as you drew closer to your climax.

He knew you were close abd so was he. He continue to pump into you as fast as he could till you both came undone. Both cumming together, his head hung low as he watched a mixture of your releases create a ring at the bottom of his cock as he thrusted a few more times, dragging the pair of you through the high.

"Fuck-" He groaned as he pulled out, biting his lip as he leaned back on his legs as he stared down at you panting.

You looked at the disheaved boy infront of you, you couldn't help but let out a breathy chuckle as he panted.

"S'good as always" You smiled, sitting up as you pecked his lips.

Art leaned forward, kissing you deeper as his hand snaked around your neck, pulling you closer as he kissed you. You hummed softly, your tongue swiping over his lips as the kiss grew more heated.

Before the pair of you could even consider a second round a loud string of knocks banged against the door.

The two of you pulled away and froze. Your hand pressed against his chest, your other frozen as you stroked his cock. His hands cupping your face as the pair of you just stared at each other.

After a while no knocks were heard so you were going to continue till another string of loud knocks.

"Fuck" You hissed as the pair of you both stood up, grabbing your clothes as you tried to quickly dress.

Your dress nowhere to be seen amongst the large pile of clothes. "Art where the fuck is my dress-" You whispered shouted.

"Shhh!-" He quipped. You grabbed his dress shirt he was wearing off the floor and threw it on over your underwear. He was scrambling around the room looking for his shirt when he looked at you wearing it.

He quickly pulled on his trousers and opened his wardrobe for a tshirt as he stumbled to the door. You stood behind him.

You don't know what you both expected or who you expected to be behind the door. But the colour drained from both of your faces as the door revealed your two friends.

"I texted you Y/N that we were outside 10 minutes ago but I can see you were occupied" Tashi raises her eyebrow, a sickly smirk across her face.

You gulped as you stared at her, smiling awkwardly.

"Tash- did you figure out where Y/N was-" Patrick's voice could be heard down the hall as he gained closer to the door. Stopping behind Tashi as he stared at you and Art. "Fucking knew it" He laughed.

If you enjoyed this fic and want to buy me a coffee, you can do so here!

[brucewaynehater101]

Hurt/comfort AU based on a dream I had:

Tim has been Robin for a short time now.

Bruce finds Tim's fanfiction account.

At this point in time, Bruce has warmed up a little bit to Tim, but they still have a more professional relationship. Tim thinks he has to earn his spot still.

Bruce finds Tim's fanfiction account that has fics from before and after Tim becomes Robin.

The before ones are self-insert Bats ones. Plots like a nine, ten, and eleven year old being saved, being the witness to a crime, or solving the case before them. They all end with the self-insert joining the team.

The ones after Tim becomes Robin are filled with Batman being fatherly and kind to the self-insert (who's an additional vigilante) or to Robin. He'll ruffle their hair, hug them, and tell them that he's proud of them. All of this is stuff Bruce currently doesn't do for Tim.

There's only a few fics where Batman is written in embarrassed situations (and Bruce crossed referenced the upload dates. Some of the dates were after Bruce did something mean or fucked up. The others, Bruce has no idea why Tim might have been upset).

When Bruce first reads the fics, he's mad. He, incorrectly, assumes that Tim has always been trying to become part of the team and took the first opportunity available. He's cold to Tim for a few weeks because of this (because Bruce is an emotionally constipated asshole who doesn't communicate).

Then Bruce starts to notice that the relationships Tim describes in his fics don't match up with how their relationship currently is. The teen doesn't eagerly ramble about his activities, ask Bruce to hang out with him, or otherwise engage unless it's mission related.

In fact, Tim's fanfics seem to portray what doesn't happen in their interactions. With Bruce being cold to Tim, the self-insert gets more hugs, words of affection, and praise.

Bruce learns more about Tim's hobbies, likes, dislikes, and passions from the fanfics than he ever knew. Bruce has the startling realization that they just don't talk.

There's a few fics Bruce has been avoiding (the ones with Robin II tags), but he read the ones with Nightwing. Tons of brotherly bonding and affection, basically.

Bruce finally makes up his mind when Tim releases a new fanfic a few days after an interaction with Poison Ivy. In the fic, Robin had gotten dosed with cuddle pollen and was cuddled all night with Batman and Nightwing.

Bruce is in a panic because he realizes that Tim could've gone back to his own house afflicted with cuddle pollen, and Bruce would have never known. He doesn't even know if Tim was making this fanfic as a desire due to him actually being dosed or if it just came to his mind. This freaks Bruce the fuck out.

Thus, Bruce then uses the fanfics as guides for how he should be acting with Tim and Dick. He puts the effort to be a better mentor and parent to them.

It freaks the other two out at first (and Tim is the most resistant to the change), but they slowly become closer.

Bruce never tells anyone that he found Tim's fanfic account.

Part 2: After Red Hood comes back and does the whole Titan's Tower Attack.

Bruce, after realizing that Tim's fanfiction account now had Red Hood fics (both ones making fun of the man and ones where the crime lord is being kind/brotherly), tells Jason mid-fight that he should check out this random fanfic account Bruce thinks he'd enjoy.

Jason, obviously fucking confused why Batman is recommending fanfiction in the middle of a fight, just stops.

Bruce nods at this, tells Jason he cares about him (Bruce has been working on it!), and then just leaves.

Cue Jason researching this account (that he doesn't initially know is Tim's) and going through a series of conflicted emotions.

[teddywesworl]

write what you want forever censorship is an insidious evil kill the cop in your head and so on but also. frankly. get comfortable with the idea that if you write about (a life experience) without any knowledge, insight, or research done into that thing, people with that experience irl won’t like what you’ve made and may even talk to their friends about how they don’t like it

putting this under a read more bc I don’t want it reblogged bc people on twt got mad at me for saying basically this but like listen. I’m not gonna harass individual authors bc they didn’t bother looking up an Indiana harvest calendar before writing a stranger things farm au. Or they clearly didn’t bother asking literally anyone with horse experience to beta their cowboy au. Obviously. Like who gives a shit, really. Do what you want. Your factually nonsensical farm/cowboy au doesn’t really affect my life. But I AM going to be annoyed if a fic is super popular or comes highly recommended and it gets a million details wrong that would have been easily caught by 10 minutes of googling, and that’s my right, too!!!! And also it’s your right!!! Kvetch in your friends’ DMs, it’s good for you

I’ve seen a few versions of the sentiment “I’m a hater because I love this thing and I want it to be better” floating around recently and that’s what it comes down to in the end. Fic can be really good. it doesn’t have to be “just fanfic.” I really really like when someone has obviously put in the extra effort and gone the extra mile to make a genuine art object. There are some big name fics I disproportionately dislike bc they have not bothered at all. One day I’ll be able to put all my thoughts together cohesively about this paradox of “do what you want forever but also take your audience seriously or so help me” but tbh I think it really comes down to the fact that I love the medium of fanfic and I want it to be good and when it’s not good in lazy ways it feels like disrespect to the audience, to me.

[kiki-writes-stuff]

𝐓𝐞𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫 𝐛𝐨𝐲𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮

𝐓𝐞𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐱 𝐟𝐞𝐦!𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞 : fluff

𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 : none

𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢��𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐥: please note that I'm a manhwa only, so my perception of the boys is based solely on what we've seen up till chapter 60 of the manhwa and researching their wiki pages and mbtis (studied for it like a damn test omg 😭).

a/n: this was inspired by this fic by @starry-nights-garden, ik ya'll are here for testar and not ateez, but they're an amazing author so if you happen to be an atiny do check them out!

𝐁𝐚𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐣𝐢𝐧:

Always puts you first

This may seem like something to be expected in any healthy relationship, but our little baby hamster takes it to a whole other level

He’s very shy and hesitant at first

But once he gets comfy with you and gains a little more confidence in his understanding of you and your needs…

Ooooooh boy you better prepare yourself

You mention in passing that you’re bored? He’s already running through his schedule in his head to try and find an opening so he can swing by your place with a list of activities he thinks you might enjoy

Something happened to upset you? He’s all ears, will find a way to slip out of practice just so he can videocall you and listen to you vent to get it out of your system 

You miss him? He’s honestly upset with himself for not realising he’s neglected you sooner, immediately drops whatever he can to make time for you

I still feel like he’d overthink and second guess himself a lot tho :(( always worries that maybe he isn’t giving you what you need, or that he’s too much or too little :((

So please give this baby lots of smiles and assurance! He needs to know that he’s reading your cues right, and that what he’s doing genuinely makes you happy

Because your happiness is always his top priority

𝐑𝐲𝐮 𝐂𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐰𝐨𝐨

Taking care of you

Now, one thing I’ve noticed about our boy Chungwoo is that he’s got a really strong sense of responibility and obligation, and I’m sure that’s something that would carry into the way he treats his partner

He sees it as his duty to make sure that you’re safe and comfortable at all times

The kinda guy to treat sidewalk and door rules like Law

If anything’s bothering you he makes it his personal mission to fix the problem

Which causes some friction at the beginning of your relationship because sometimes he can be a bit much about it

Like offering slightly unsolicited and overly practical advice 

That friend’s been giving you a hard time? Just ditch em cuz they obviously don’t deserve someone as amazing as you 🙄😮‍💨

Or blaming himself and getting frustrated if he can’t do anything to help fix the problem 

But eventually you talk it out, and once you assure him that it isn’t his job to make everything okay, and that he already helps you so much by being there to support you, he concedes and learns to be more chill about it

Still gets upset when you’re upset

But he knows to channel it in healthier ways now

Like helping you out with little chores when you’re stressed, checking in and offering to take care of more tedious things like laundry and groceries when he can

He never asks for anything in return because it’s HIS job to look after YOU

But is still absolutely not so secretly over the moon whenever you reciprocate that energy

Kicking his feet and giggling kinda happy that one time you dropped by the practice room to bring him lunch (bonus points if you made it yourself!)

𝐒𝐞𝐨𝐧 𝐀𝐡𝐲𝐞𝐨𝐧:

Little things

My baby 🥺💕

My sweet precious little faerie prince 🥹✨️🌸

He’s gentle and soft in the way he loves you

But dear god it could not be less subtle 

Will bring you these random little gifts

Usually food (snacks, chocolates, coffee, milkshakes, muffins)

But sometimes it’s just things that reminded him of you

Like a stuffed animal that looked just like you, a sticker sheet in your favorite color, a keychain of a character you love, a postcard with a picture that made him think of you

Sends you texts throughout the day too

Pictures of flowers, the sky, a book he thinks you might like, a cute cat he saw on the way to the studio, a selfie Eugene forcibly took with him

Little reminders to eat, stay hydrated, “The weather report says it’ll be a bit colder than usual and that it might rain today, please make sure you dress warmly and bring an umbrella with you!”

Will randomly ramble about how much he loves you when he thinks knows you’re asleep or busy so you won’t read the texts till later

“I saw this quote on pinterest earlier today about how ‘intimacy is safety’ and I just wanted to tell you that that’s what you are to me. I always feel safe and comfortable when I’m with you, like there’s no one else in the world but us and I don’t have to worry about saying the right words or being misunderstood because I know our hearts are both fluent in silence, and as soon as I’m with you I’m home.” 

He thinks of these things when he’s with you tbh, like when you’re having coffee together and he watches the way you laugh and scrunch your nose when you smile

But he’s worried that if he tries to say it it’ll come out wrong :((

So he sets the feeling aside and it ends up accumulating into this neverending well of love and affection that he just HAS to let out somehow

So, basically, you’re on his mind 24/7 and he needs you to know that

You’re such a wonderful person ofc you deserve to know how loved you are :((

And so does he!! He’ll get all shy and squirm a bit whenever you tell him how much he means to you, or when you lean your head on his shoulder and thread your fingers through his own

But he’s smiling and blushing

If he’s feeling brave he’ll bring your hand up to his lips and kiss your knuckles

Adbhsafwilfhawliu I’m just so soft for him I’m sorry 

𝐋𝐞𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐣𝐢𝐧:

Makes you laugh

There’s nothing he loves more than hearing you absolutely lose it

Even if you say you sound like dying frogs trapped in a windshield wiper

Will insist that it’s the prettiest sound he’s ever heard

He’s lying, it’s not

But it makes him so happy to hear you so what does it matter?

The way your ears turn red and your face flushes as you try to hide it in a pillow or your hands

Or better yet his shoulder or chest

Sejin absolutely has physical touch as a love language 

His favorite thing is the way you cling to him when you laugh

Even if it means you hit him a few times in the process

Because sometimes a lot of the time once you’ve calmed down you don’t really move

You stop putting all your weight on him sure

But you stay tucked into his side and he gets to put an arm around you and look at the way your eyes are still sparkling and your lips are pulled into this giant grin

Bonus points if you’re shorter than him and he can look down at you without you really noticing 

Our boy is whipped

But not whipped enough to spare you from tickle fights 

If you’re a ticklish person he can and will use that to his advantage 

There have been one or two occasions where it got really intense and someone hit the other person in the nose or kneed them in the stomach

𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐌𝐨𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐞:

Makes time for you

Listen

Listen 

This boy is literally singing and dancing for his LIFE okay

He’s a twenty nine year old in the body of a 20 year old with the soul of a sixty seven year old man

He doesn’t have time for all this trivial nonsense

…………….

Unless ofc you wanna go to that cute cafe you mentioned last week

Or that movie you really wanted to see is coming out this Friday

And yk if you really must have that spa day where you spend hours doing his nails and putting on face masks….

Who is he to deny you?

Sometimes his poker face does bother you

You’ll be rambling about something or enthusiastically making plans

When you suddenly realise he hasn’t said anything in a while

You feel bad and backtrack, apologising and saying you’re probably boring him or rushing into plans when he’s already so busy with performances and practice and whatnot

He actually looks surprised 

Quickly tells you you have nothing to be sorry for, he loves listening to you talk :((

And he’ll set aside time so you guys can go do the thing, ofc he will when you’re so excited about it >:((

He’s so matter of fact and blunt about it that there isn’t much room for doubt, and you’re back to happily telling about whatever it is that’s got your interest this week

Except this time, if you’re really paying attention

There’s this tiny smile resting contentedly on his face

Everything else can wait just a bit, just for a little while longer

𝐂𝐡𝐚 𝐄𝐮𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐞:

Is your personal hype man!!

Eugene is one of the most passionate people in any universe, and he’s pretty straightforward when it comes to voicing his thoughts

So there’s no way he’s not the most vocal partner ever 

Whatever it is, whether you’re hitting an important academic/professional milestone or working hard for a personal goal, he’s right there cheering you on

Will catch you off guard sometimes though

Like he’ll suddenly get all serious, and tell you in the most sincere tone of voice you could imagine that he’s really proud of you

Before grinning and grabbing your hands

Will swing them back and forth while talking about how lucky he is to have such an amazing s/o

One of his favorite things is when you’re trying to choose an outfit for something and he gets a personal fashion show

He’s not really all that into fashion himself but he loves seeing all the outfits you come up with

Applauds and wolf whistles every time you step out

Except when he doesn’t 

There have been times where he goes quiet and says he doesn’t like an outfit

Confuses you because excuse?? You KNOW it looks good on you???

After some interrogation he grudgingly admits that it does look amazing on you… He just doesn’t want anyone else to see you in it 

He knows you’re a grown adult who can wear whatever they want wherever they want

But he still gets just a little bit jealous

You’re so gorgeous he can’t help it :((

After some cheek kisses and assurance he’s all good tho

10/10 would have an album on his phone that’s just pictures of you

𝐊𝐢𝐦 𝐑𝐚𝐞𝐛𝐢𝐧:

Includes you

My precious bby pt.2 🥹✨️

Now, we all know that Raebin is our little producer genius and very much introverted 

So when inspiration strikes and he’s caught up in the thick of it, he can sort of retreat into his own little world

And when he’s all tired from being around the other members and fans all day

He loves having you there with him

You don’t have to be doing anything in particular together, definitely don’t have to be talking (he loves you but his social battery can only take so much)

He just wants to know you’re close :((

He won’t be the one to instigate, but his brain fizzles into static noise for a second or two if you pull up a chair beside him (which is in there especially for you btw) and curl up next to him 

Doing work on your laptop, reading a webtoon on your phone, or reading a book 

You make eye contact when he looks over and you guys share a small smile :((

He’s so happy that you’re comfortable enough in his space to treat it as your own

Does the same if he’s in your space 

You could be sitting on your bed and he’ll sleepily shuffle into your room

If he’s awake enough he might stand just inside the door and knock a bit on the doorframe just to get your permission before walking in

But if he’s real tired and you guys have been together for a while baby feels so comfy and safe he briefly forgets manners and propriety and walks right in

Flops onto the bed beside you and lays his head on your tummy or thigh depending on how you’re sitting 

Falls asleep almost instantly if you start running your fingers through his hair 

Remember to reblog, comment, and like! Feedback is always appreciated, support your authors loves, don't be a stranger ૮꒰˶ ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶꒱ა

[skyward-floored]

Whumptober Day 13: Cold compress, Infection, “I don’t feel so good”

This was originally day 2’s fic, but looking at the prompts, I decided to swap them because they fit a little better. Course this one didn’t turn out exactly the way I wanted... *grumble grumble*

Also my medical research was a bit stymied by a lot of “if this happens you’re dead basically” but this is fiction so I decided it was fine. He’s fine. Dw.

Read on ao3

Warnings: injury, infected injury, intense symptoms that arise from infected injury.

————————————————————

Warriors hurried through the woods, nearly tripping on a root as the setting sun shone in his eyes through the trees.

He’d been away from the cave where he’d left Four for more than an hour now, collecting water and looking for signs of the others, and leaving the smithy alone had sent his stomach into knots, even though it had been a necessary trip.

He and Four had been separated from the others after a portal the night before, dropped right into a rough fight. Warriors was only superficially injured, but Four had gotten a nasty gash that went nearly from his ankle to his knee.

They’d done their best to clean and bandage it, but they had no potions and few supplies, and the smithy had lost a lot of blood. He put on a brave face, but was obviously in a lot of pain, and couldn’t even stand without Warriors holding him up.

“I’ll be fine,” he’d said before Warriors had left, but the captain had heard the tremble in his voice, despite the easy-going grin Four had shot him.

And Warriors had left him anyway.

You had no other option, he tried to tell himself as the small cave where he and Four had hunkered down came into view. We needed more water, and that stream was the closest one. Leaving him completely undefended and barely able to move was your only option...

Warriors quickly brushed past the handful of vines that half-obscured the opening, and looked around, breathing heavily from his run.

“Smithy?” he asked as he caught his breath, and the small lump near the wall shifted slightly, revealing a few wayward strands of blond hair.

Warriors let out a quiet sigh of relief at the sight and went over to the pile. Two eyes peered at him through tired sockets, pale cheeks making the grey of Four’s eyes seem even brighter, and for a moment when they caught the light, they almost seemed to shine with a faint iridescence.

“...Wars?” Four mumbled, and Warriors quickly got to a knee next to him, studying the smithy.

Perhaps it was because he’d been away from him for a while, but Four looked significantly worse than he had just an hour ago, pale and weak, trembling when he moved. He seemed even smaller like this, and terribly young, but Warriors firmly shook his worry aside, placing a gentle hand on his forehead. The heat that met him made his heart sink, and he leaned back, feeling dread creep up his spine.

If Four had a fever, that could only mean two things, neither of them good.

“You’re back,” Four murmured in a tired voice, and Warriors nodded, guilt threatening to knock him over with its intensity.

“Yes. I’m so sorry I was gone as long as I was,” he apologized quietly, and Four hummed.

“S’okay. I was fine.”

Warriors looked at him a moment, then asked if he could check his bandages.

Four mumbled an affirmative as he stretched out his leg, and Warriors gently began removing the bandages, trying to convince himself that Four’s skin was merely hot from being wrapped in a blanket. He pulled the bandages loose, and stopped short, heart sinking at the sight underneath confirming what he had suspected.

The gash was now an angry red, inflamed and radiating heat. The edges had hints of pus around them, an unpleasant smell hitting his nose, and Warriors swallowed, setting aside the old bandages and wishing fervently he had more supplies.

Infection had set in.

“It’s bad, isn’t it?” Four murmured when he continued to stare, and Warriors nodded, dread hollowing out his chest. “....it infected?”

“Yes,” Warriors said steadily, hoping his voice didn’t betray his fear. “But I’ll get you through it until the others find us. You’ll be fine Smithy.”

“That’s good...”

He went silent, and Warriors got to work cleaning the wound as best as he could, murmuring apologies whenever Four flinched. The bandages were replaced overtop it, and Warriors leaned back, looking over his work. He had laughably few supplies to be dealing with an infection, or really any injury, but he did his best.

No worse then some of the supply shortages in the war.

He could handle this.

“Wars..?” Four murmured a little bit after he finished, and the captain looked down at him, still swaddled in blankets.

“Yes smithy?”

Four looked at him a moment, his grey eyes looking unnaturally bright, then he closed them, turning his head to the side.

“...I don’t feel so good,” Four admitted quietly.

And that more than anything else that had happened today made Warriors’ heart stop with fear. Four never admitted to feeling anything less than fine.

Ever.

Warriors swallowed, and pushed down the panic that was threatening to constrict him. Focus on the problem!

“Can you try eating something?” Warriors said quietly. “You need to keep up your strength.”

Four nodded in reply, and Warriors handed him some of the food they had, watching him nibble silently at the bread. He only managed about half before stopping, and Warriors helped him lie back down, unable to stop himself from feeling his forehead again.

It seemed even hotter, and he quietly sent up a prayer, hoping fervently that Four would only improve.

Goddesses please let this be mild.

But as the sun sank below the horizon and twilight set in, Four grew more and more hazy, taking longer to reply to Warriors’ questions, hands shaking when he reached for water. With every star that appeared, his shivers increased, and Warriors soon found himself waging war against Four’s raging fever.

The smithy kept turning from side to side, seeming like he just couldn’t get comfortable no matter how he lay. Sweat poured down his face, and Warriors had to stop him from getting up more than once, his addled brain making him forget he was injured.

He’d deteriorated so rapidly, Warriors was beginning to wonder if Four had already been sick.

The smithy moaned, and Warriors replaced the damp cloth over his forehead after it was knocked off yet again, sighing as he brushed some dirt off of it.

“Wars...” Four croaked, and the captain ran a hand through his hair, fingers catching on the sweaty strands.

“I’m here smithy, you’re alright,” he said softly, and Four closed his eyes, face screwed up in a wince.

“Wh-where’s everyone else..?” he asked, cracking his eyes open again.

“We were separated, remember Four?” Warriors reminded him. “I’m sure they’re nearby, they’ll be here soon. I know they have potions, so as soon as they get here we’ll fix you up.”

“Oh... good,” he said hazily, then shivered as he closed his eyes. “Not feeling s-so great...”

“I know, just hang on Smithy,” Warriors said quietly, running his hand through his hair again. “You’ll be okay.”

Four leaned into the touch, and soon fell asleep, still shivering on and off. Warriors tucked him a little closer to his side, and made sure he was wrapped fully in the blanket. All he could really do was keep Four comfortable, and try to ease his symptoms until the others found them.

He just hoped it would be enough.

Warriors spent most of the night in a light doze, tending to Four and keeping an ear out for anything approaching the cave. Sometime before dawn Four began to whimper, and Warriors calmed him down, wiping the sweat from his face yet again. His worry only grew stronger as he felt his temperature, and he looked down at the smithy in dismay.

Four looked dazed where he was lying, his eyes half-lidded, shivers wracking through his body. Warriors had never seen him so fragile-looking before, and it... scared him, honestly.

Warriors admittedly didn’t know all that much about Four, not compared to some of the others. But he knew that he was an experienced young man, and possessed a surprising strength for his size, in both physical and mental capacities. Four always came across as so put-together, strong in the face of pain, and dependable to a fault.

Seeing him laid up by an infection, shivering and moaning, and pale as a sheet, worried Warriors more then he’d care to admit.

He’d never seen Four like this.

Warriors sighed, and leaned away to rifle through his bag yet again, hoping he’d find some supplies he’d somehow missed. But a hand grabbed at his arm, hot and shaking, and he looked back to see Four’s expression had turned to a frantic one, eyes wide and scared.

“Don’... don’ leave...” Four breathed, his voice slurred and panicked. “Don’...”

“I’m not going to leave,” Warriors soothed as he leaned back to where he had been, wiping Four’s face again. “I’m staying right here.”

A violent shiver wracked through him, and Warriors moved Four so he was more on his lap, hoping his body heat would help warm him up. Four whimpered and turned into Warriors’ chest, and the captain ran a hand through his sweat-soaked hair, firmly squashing his fear.

Four would be fine. He was strong. He would be able to fight through this until the others came.

The words were harder to believe the next day when Four was in even worse shape.

His temperature was blistering hot, so much that Warriors was beginning to run out of water to dip the cloth in. He thought about heading to the stream again, but the thought of leaving Four alone in his condition made his stomach churn. Leaving Four by himself wasn’t an option, unless it was a matter of life or death.

It may come to that, he thought grimly as Four moaned, sweat pouring down his face.

“Z-Zel...” he murmured, shivering under the blankets Warriors had placed over him. “Vio, y-you have t...”

Four’s feverish gaze caught on Warriors’ scarf, and his eyes widened, reaching a hand out towards him.

“W-Wars, don’...” he whispered, and Warriors took his hand in his. “I’m not crazy, I’m n-not... I’m not...”

A tear trickled down his cheek, and Warriors gently squeezed his hand.

“I don’t think you’re crazy, Four,” he said in a reassuring voice, and Four closed his eyes, shaking his head.

“Everyone does...” he whimpered, more tears falling. “Th-they say I talk to nothing, a-and my shadow... they don’t think Zel should b-be near... me...”

He let out a hiccupy sob, and Warriors tucked him more into his arms, rubbing his back to try and calm him down.

“Shh, smithy, you’re alright,” he said, and Four buried his head in his lap, a muffled sob escaping him.

“I’m not crazy... I’m not crazy...” Four cried into his tunic, and Warriors continued to hold him until his breathing evened out, and he fell back asleep.

Warriors held him a little tighter, and cleaned his wound again, using up the last of his bandages.

Please, let them find us.

The hours ticked by with nary a sign of anyone aside from themselves, and Four grew weaker every time Warriors checked. He could barely get him to eat anything, no less drink, and his feverish rambling had mostly petered out, replaced only with occasional, faint mumbling.

Warriors never let him go, dutifully cleaning his wound, helping him drink water, and calming him down when he suddenly started crying or otherwise reacted strangely.

Four abruptly woke up again and started gasping that the mirror was broken, and no matter what Warriors did he couldn’t get him to calm down, the smithy either ignoring Warriors’ presence or completely unaware of it.

“Link, easy, you’re safe,” Warriors said soothingly, but Four only panicked even more, nearly throwing himself out of Warriors’ arms.

“He wants to marry her!” Four screamed, and tried to jump to his feet. Warriors put an arm around him to stop him from moving, and Four thrashed, surprisingly strong. “No! No, no no l-lemme go!”

“Four, please, it’s okay,” Warriors tried, and Four screamed again, though it quickly dissolved into more sobbing.

“No, no no no sh-she’s dead...” he wailed, and Warriors held him tight to his chest, trying to comfort him in the only way his addled brain could understand. “Th-the bell... E-Ezlo we were too late.”

He let out an agonized sob, then stared up at Warriors’ face, tears pouring down his cheeks.

Then he abruptly fell limp.

Warriors’ heart skipped a beat as all of Four’s frantic resisting stopped, and his head fell against his arm.

“Smithy?” he asked, but Four didn’t reply, and Warriors quickly turned him over, careful not to jar his leg. “Link. Link.”

Four didn’t move, and Warriors pressed an ear to his chest, blood roaring in his ears. Come on Four, please...

A faint breath rattled under his ear, and Warriors exhaled in relief, sitting up and running a hand through his hair. He was still alive. He still had time.

But now he had a choice.

He could stay here, in a defensible position, safe from monsters and other dangers, or... try and find help.

It wouldn’t be the best for Four to be moved, not with his leg injured, and the overall state he was in. But between sitting here and watching more and more life drain out of him, or be out and actively searching for a way to help...

Warriors closed his eyes, and began to shove things into his pouch.

He couldn’t wait any longer. Staying here wasn’t doing Four any favors.

At least out of the cave, they’d have a chance of finding a town, one with a doctor, or maybe even a fairy loose in the forest. If they were truly fortunate they’d come across the others, but Warriors wasn’t confident in that regard.

They might not even be in the same era as us.

Warriors finished collecting all of his things, and he nudged Four, hoping for a reaction of some kind.

Nothing.

“Come on Smithy. We’re going to find the others,” Warriors said softly, and pulled Four up into his arms, blankets and all. “Or a fairy or something, but we’re not waiting here any longer.”

Four’s head flopped against his shoulder, and Warriors got him settled, making sure his leg especially was secure and wouldn’t be knocked around.

Then he set off into the woods, the late afternoon sun lighting his path.

The weight of Four in his arms was a familiar one, and as Warriors trotted quickly along, he couldn’t help but think back to during the war, and carrying around a different blond hero.

He’d ended up carrying Mask around more than once, but he remembered one incident in particular where Mask had broken his ankle, and Warriors had had to carry him since he could barely move. Mask had nearly complained his ear off at not being able to walk, but he’d rested his head on Warriors’ shoulder anyway, and in the end, fallen asleep in his arms.

Four let out a weak moan, and Warriors sped up his pace. Now wasn’t the time to get lost in memories.

The woods went by at a steady pace, Warriors keeping a sharp eye out for any herbs or fairies or anything that could help Four. His eye didn’t catch on anything though, and all he could do was keep walking as the sun began to go down, and the shadows grew longer.

Four remained almost completely still in his arms, and Warriors stopped more than once to make sure he was still breathing. It was hard to make out, but it was there, and as long as Four was fighting, Warriors would keep walking.

As long as it took.

A flicker of light caught his eye, and Warriors turned to it, immediately hopeful.

“Hello?” he called, then immediately cursed himself for giving himself away. If it was a monster, they were dead.

But Four doesn’t have much longer anyway.

The light flickered again, and Warriors stayed still as he watched it, on guard, but hopeful. A blue, glowing creature abruptly poked its head up, and Warriors stared, watching as it wiggled its... antennae?

Is that a rabbit? he thought wonderingly, staring at the little creature in awe. He’d never seen one before, only heard stories. It’s cute I guess... in a weird sort of way.

“...Can you help me?” he asked, slowly crouching down while still holding Four to his chest. “My friend needs to be healed, he’s... he’s sick.”

The rabbit tilted it’s head, then hopped an inch or two forward, it’s heart-shaped face turned towards Four. It’s nose twitched slightly, then it bolted away and disappeared into a shower of sparkles.

Warriors stared, then closed his eyes in disappointment. He should have known better. Strange magical creatures in the woods were rarely helpful, unless they were fairies.

Four let out a weak murmur, and Warriors pressed his forehead to the smithy’s burning one.

“I’m sorry Four,” he apologized in a whisper, listening to his labored breathing. “I’m so sorry.”

A faint flicker of light caught his eye again, and Warriors raised his head, meeting the golden eyes of the blue rabbit.

It blinked at him, then tilted its head, almost as if it was beckoning him towards him. Warriors carefully got to his feet and took a step forward, and the rabbit twitched it’s antennae, taking a hop away from him. Warriors repeated the action, and the rabbit hopped again, and he began to follow it through the woods, hope starting to rise in his chest.

The sun began to disappear behind the tree trunks, the sky darkening and making the glow of the rabbit stick out more.

Warriors continued to follow, Four growing heavy in his arms. He was still sore from the battle that Four had been injured in, and gotten barely any sleep the night before. He was tired, and aching, and nearly sick with fear for Four, but he kept going, Four’s head tucked under his chin.

The rabbit suddenly stopped in its tracks, raising itself up onto its haunches and twitching its nose. Warriors stopped as well, and the rabbit met his eyes again, glowing softly in the darkness of the woods.

“Captain?!”

Warriors’ head shot to the side, and he nearly fell to his knees in relief as Sky and Wild ran towards him, their worried faces lit by a glowing rod Wild held.

“We’ve been looking for you for days Captain! After that portal we were all together except you and— what happened to Four?” Wild asked, and Warriors closed his eyes as Sky put a worried hand on Four’s head.

“Infection. We need to get him to camp,” he managed to get out, worry for Four one of the few things still fueling him. Sky gave him a searching look as Wild immediately began to lead them back the way they came, and Warriors didn’t resist when he gave him a bit of support.

“How did you find us?” Sky asked, and Warriors glanced back at the rabbit, not surprised to see the creature was nowhere to be found.

“...long story,” he settled with, and Four murmured something in his arms as Sky nodded in silence. Warriors held the smithy tighter, and ran a hand through his hair.

Hold on Four. You’re safe now, you’ll be okay.

Just hold on.

[skeren]

So like! I was tagging a cute post which I will state for the record has nothing to do with anything here and promptly leaped off the deep end all about my personal interpretation of ABO in the SVSSS universe. I quickly (after about ten long explainy tags) realized that these had nothing to do with the post at hand, so here I am, sharing with all of you instead.

Bonus! This, in many ways, fits very well with my whole Liu Mingyan is Liu Qingge's nascent soul and Ning Yingying is Yue Qingyuan's whole dealio that I made a post about a couple weeks ago. I will now explain.

First up, a little vocabulary for those who haven't gone researching the intricacies of ABO terminology in other languages. I'm gonna say though, I like the meanings of the ABO terms in Chinese better okay? So, quicklike, this is what me and my friend found when we went looking:

乾元 qianyuan = alpha 中庸 zhongyong = beta 坤泽 kunze = omega

I also linked the literal translations of the characters used for them for the curious. I do not, in fact, speak Chinese, before anyone comes for me. But back to the matter at hand now that everyone's on the same page! Sort of!

I already had my own ABO system but the version I went 'hey universe feel free to use this' is more of a general use case that I based initially on Marvel. My version for SVSSS has some similarities but I threw down some changes because, well, Shen Jiu.

I will explain. Basically, I do a crazy amount of RP in this fandom. I don't actually post much fic or anything for it, but I do a lot of stuff okay? It means me and my bestie have experimented. We've settled on some baseline stuff. One, PIDW is (most often) actually ABO from the get go because Airplane thought it was hilarious to get one over on his audience, since everyone has dicks. Everyone. All the genders have dicks. Male and female in this version of things only really exists for animals or the odd really unusual kind of demon.

Airplane just has a lot of really busty people with dicks, because while everyone has dicks, they also have the other half of that too. Everyone also has a vagina. See? Easy for him to play his readers if he just never mentions the dicks.

Anyway, Shen Jiu. In this nebulous situation we have a lot of overly elaborate backstory that's vaguely horrifying for Shen Jiu, because we love him and yadda yadda, things. Basically, he's a qianyuan who is 100% convinced he's a kunze because he had a baby (all those flowers that let ANYONE have babies still exist) but said baby very quickly died, in part because he really really didn't have any of the properly working infrastructure for that to actually produce a healthy child. The other half being that just because he was pregnant didn't mean he was treated any better. Thanks for nothing Qiu Jianluo, you are an awful awful person.

What did Qiu Jianluo do in this situation? Basically, our ABO folks don't actually get labeled with a gender officially until puberty. They can't. They have a facsimile of everything they need to be any of the three genders, after all, you can't just tell by looking! You have to wait!

Side note: People often do not wait and then get mad when their perfect son turns out to be a kunze, or their perfect daughter turns out to be a qianyuan. How dare you not conform to what I need for an heir/political marriage/whatever the heck other social plans some idiot might have wanted!! Also note, because of things like this there's a whole system in place for marrying off your foot bound qianyuan to a battle trained kunze to maintain an heirship in the intended line and stuff. It's awful but it is what it is.

Side to the side note: Three person relationships are considered the ideal, one of each sex, but harems still exist, obviously. It's PIDW.

Back to the point though! Qiu Jianluo, being unwilling to wait and risk -gasp- Shen Jiu possibly being a qianyuan, got his hands on some plants that would force a presentation. Namely, he wanted to put a baby in that and did his best to make Shen Jiu's body conform. It only worked... kinda. He sure looked more girly and things did their best.

Trauma all around.

But years later, this whole situation means that Shen Qingqiu is convinced his ruts (utterly debilitating, leaves him laid out and utterly completely miserable for days in horrible pain which is not normal for anyone) are heats. He is always jealous of kunze whose heats come and go just being overheated and sweaty, honestly. He always thinks he's going to die. Due to Reasons, in verses like this he often spends these with Shang Qinghua (who by our default is actually basically always Airplane with wildly divergent System/memory issues) who he at least trusts not to try anything. Up until he's mad at him for never trying anything. You're a healthy zhongyong! Disrespect him!

Spoiler: Shang Qinghua very rarely in these verses ever disrespects him without outside intervention. Does this cause problems with Mobei-jun?! No, not really, since to him Shen Qingqiu is a perfectly normal (if extreme) qianyuan for his zhongyong and he's a healthy kunze. That seems very balanced and fortuitous to him. (He's less pleased when some other kunze swoops in and steals march on him though.)

So, that's the Shen Jiu side. Which let me tell you, is hilarious when Shen Yuan comes in to take over and be Shen Qingqiu because that guy doesn't even notice he's got a vagina for... a while, typically. And once he does he's just 'huh, this explains so much' and just assumes what he's got in his pants is the weird stuff. However, this also makes Binghe's life both easier and harder at least because Shen Yuan's forever misogyny at least works with him for once. Kinda. Vaguely. In an awkwardly 'I want to shake Shizun' kind of way.

Which brings me to Binghe! Oh Binghe, you early bloomer you. We make him a kunze. Because he's a half demon kunze, however, his day to day bodily presentation is more masculine. Demons have that whole 'the girls are bigger than the boys' thing going on like birds do. They guard the home territory while the qianyuan go out and fight things. Kunze are supposed to be bigger and have a better body for carrying babies after all. Gonna fight real good. Also, big dicks to subdue a rowdy qianyuan putting up a fuss about this or that so that the kunze in question can get their way? Perfectly sensible.

Anyway, little Bunhe starts having heats at twelve, and due to him being ten when his mom died, did not actually get a proper explanation on how he can tell what the heck is going on. Ning Yingying is the one who finds him and explains, and then proceeds to keep it a secret because she only ended up on this peak at all because Shizun's last kunze student was sent off to Qian Cao by the sect leader. No, she has no idea why. She was a Smol.

Everyone knows about it though. Shizun was very upset and it's how he got Ning Yingying in trade, after all. Which relates back to the Yue Qingyuan Nascent Soul thing because he put her on his Xiao Jiu's peak at the first opportunity and look! He kept her! (Nevermind how possessive this man is. He'd keep anything and fight for it too whether he liked it or not.)

Anyway, so Ning Yingying, liking Binghe very much, kept this a secret. Bunhe didn't realize the woodshed had scent suppressors from his Shizun's time there (generational trauma for everyone) but he did know that it sure the heck felt safer than trying and failing to sleep in either of the dorms.

Though, it got increasingly rankling when years later Ning Yingying started coming around on his heat days to try to get him to let her in. What with her being a qianyuan and all. He was Not Amused. He wanted to marry Shizun and he didn't care if it made him super gay! (It would not but it's not like he had any reason to know that).

Anyway, years later, Sha Hualing does her thing! Sha Hualing is very quintessentially a demon qianyuan! Pretty, flashy, light on her feet, smaller and faster than a kunze would be! She wants very much to impress all the pretty kunzes! She's got the spirit but doesn't realize most of the people she thinks are kunze are human qianyuan. She's a demon used to demons, she'll figure it out eventually.

Side note about that: A lot of the reasons demons seem to kidnap men so often is because they think they're kunze. there is a lot of confusion and rancor on both sides about all of this. Also, zhongyong are the most highly prized among demons as they don't really have many. That's mostly a human thing.

Of course, the other 'qianyuan' she fights is Liu Mingyan! Who is... actually a kunze, so sorry, you'll figure that out eventually too, dear sweet confused demon girl. All in all, a very big day for a young demon Saintess.

It should be noted that due to how gender and sex works in this situation, and the inability to tell the sex of a child who might go to Xian Shu, people there are less 'all kunze' so much as 'all feminine.' You will commit to the lifestyle or you don't get to live on that peak! Be pretty, be fabulous, be graceful, and above all, learn the feminine arts! Have issues growing a nice bosom? We'll teach you how to dress to hide that and fill it out.

Anyway.

Circling around and around again to that Nascent soul thing. Thought I forgot didn't you? Liu Mingyan is a kunze. So, well, doesn't it just track that by that logic so is Liu Qingge? Which means that he's a pretty slender person who mostly bounces off to the wilderness so that everyone continues to assume he's a qianyuan and doesn't try to stick him in a box and guard him like they keep trying to do to Shen Qingqiu. Noooo thank you very much. He'll never have a heat where any of you people will hear about it, that's for damn sure.

But, you know, all in all, just some thoughts, nothing detailed, about my take on SVSSS ABO. Questions, comments, additions? I'm curious.

[ukulelevillainwrites]

Heist time

One shot

Warnings: swearing, spoilers for the empty grave sort of

Content: I used the characters from the show, but it’s set after the events of the empty grave tho it’s a tiny bit canon divergent. B99 Halloween heist for our favourite agents.

Summary: Lockwood and Kipps engage in another bet, only this one involves a heist.

Word count: 7.3k

This fic was inspired and triggered by this post

Quill Kipps believed that the longest, most excruciating moment of his life had been when he almost bled out from a stab wound caused by a relic man’s sickeningly rusted blade. But now that he thought of it, he sort of missed the cold and comforting embrace of the Other Side. If it were up to him, he’d cross over again in an instant. Anything to get out of lifting yet another heavy piece of furniture up the never-ending stairs of this damned house. Lockwood might have been satisfied with the new look he was giving his home, but Kipps’s back certainly disapproved of his decoration choices. His former rival and current part-time employer had taken the easy side of course and led the way up to his bedroom, the last piece to complete the Portland Row puzzle. How had his life come to this? He had asked himself this question countless times since he had more or less joined the agency. One day he was a highly esteemed Fittes agent, the next he was playing mover for his much younger boss, which was certainly not part of his job description. He almost tripped over the carpet on the landing but at least they had reached the final floor. Lockwood could find a way to fix the headboard of his new bed on his own, Kipps had already done enough.

“Quill?” Lockwood started, obviously about to ask him another favor.

“Nope. I’m going to get some tea, ask someone else.”

The boy didn’t insist. Well, he was eighteen now, but he was still a boy to him. He probably always will be. What happened next certainly confirmed his intuition. As he headed down the stairs to go put the kettle on, he caught sight of the worst prank he had ever seen.

“Are you serious with this?” He asked, detaching a frame off the wall.

“Oh, nice look out, Quill! This is obviously in the wrong place! I usually hang it along the first flight of stairs, where more people can see it.”

Lockwood took hold of the framed article. He didn’t look ashamed, not even a little bit. Instead, he smiled. A wide and proud grin that Kipps really wanted to punch off his face.

“This isn’t funny. You know how badly written that article is! It made me look like a total fool.”

“My point exactly.” Lockwood winked before passing him in the stairs.

“Here! This is much better!” He said as he hung the frame on the first landing of the house. Kipps wondered if he had done it on purpose to hang the article in the one spot where sun shone brightly to reflect in the glass and make it even more apparent than it needed to be. Knowing Lockwood, he probably did. But for a moment he considered if even divine forces were against him in this fight.

“Take it down. I thought we’d grown past this.”

“Well, obviously you haven’t.”

Kipps stayed silent for a moment. However childish Lockwood was, that pesky boy had still managed to get him right where he wanted. Fine. If he wanted childish, he’d give him childish.

“Take it down or I’ll do it myself.”

His light but somehow threatening tone had gathered a crowd around the landing. Lucy was intently listening to their bickering, apparently very entertained. Holly and George were standing by, not sure where this conversation was headed.

“I won’t let you.” Lockwood responded with a grin.

“It’ll be when you least expect it.”

“I highly doubt that.”

“Wanna bet?”

George audibly sighed at the offer. Kipps didn’t look away from Lockwood’s defying stare, but he could sense the researcher rolling his eyes behind him.

“What are the stakes?” Lockwood asked back, seemingly eager to humiliate him one more time.

“If I manage to steal that article before 6pm today, I get to burn it.”

“Interesting. I’m willing to agree to your terms,” he kept the attention of the room, voluntarily lingering before certainly overbidding, “but if I win, you have to call me the best agent/genius and wear a shirt with this very article printed on it for a day.”

“Are you really this childish?”

“You’re the one getting mad over a piece of paper.”

Kipps paused to consider the offer. How hard could it be to out-think his pompous and overconfident rival? Lockwood held out his hand for him to shake and without hesitating much longer, Kipps agreed to his terms.

As soon as he shook his rival’s hand, Lockwood could feel the cogs turning in his brain. Besting Kipps should be easy enough, but he wanted his plan to be extravagant. After all, when was he not? With a proud grin, he looked back at his audience. George seemed exasperated.

“What? This one doesn’t involve the future of the agency!”

It did nothing to relax him. Instead, he cleaned his glasses with a concerned frown on his face, like a disapproving parent disappointed in his son’s poor life choices.

“So, how are you gonna do it?” Lucy asked with much more enthusiasm.

“Well, you could always help me out, Luce.” He winked at her and enjoyed seeing her blush slightly.

“Hold on,” Kipps interrupted from behind him, “if you’re getting outside help, I should too!”

“I’m out!” George exclaimed, “I have work to do for that case coming up in two days. A case we should all get acquainted with, by the way.”

“I’ll help you out!” Holly volunteered, “Let the responsible adults win for once.”

“I will allow no such courtesy.” He declared. “Now, time to strategize.” He grabbed Lucy’s hand and lead her towards his bedroom to discuss his plan behind closed doors.

He didn’t register the inherent intimacy of such a gesture until he saw Lucy lingering near the door, unsure where to sit. The desk was still lying in pieces on the floor, his office chair was downstairs, the headboard was resting sideways against the dresser and the only available seat was the bare mattress resting on the bed frame, the one piece of furniture he actually got around to building. Awkwardly, he signed her to join him behind his dresser that was acting as a protective sound barrier. Hopefully, the chest of drawers would keep Kipps and Holly from hearing anything in case they were trying to eavesdrop.

“Is this really necessary?” Lucy asked out loud.

He brought her near and whispered, “You can never be too careful.”

Besides, he would be lying if he said it wasn’t a good opportunity to stand closer to her. His hand didn’t leave her arm while he explained his plan.

“I need you,” he locked eyes with her and closed his hand around her forearm, “to take care of Holly while I distract Kipps.”

“That should be easy enough, how do you want me to proceed?”

“How good are you at making a mess?”

She smirked. “Good enough to drive Holly insane. What about Kipps?”

“Oh, don’t worry… I’ll get him to leave the house.”

He sent her a knowing smile and she looked back at him with a warning stare. He knew she would object to part of his plan, but she wouldn’t get mad over something so insignificant. Besides, she looked adorable when she gave him that look.

During her years at the agency, Lucy had become more than familiar with Lockwood’s tricks. She knew them so well that she could guess which ones he would use before he said it out loud. She even called some of them her own now. This experience also gave her enough hindsight to know that she shouldn’t get her hopes up. Every attempt Lockwood had made at costumes and disguises had failed horribly. The future of the company wasn’t at stake here, which was a relief. But she had already taken to the game, even though it had barely begun, and her competitive side was showing.

“Please, don’t do an accent.”

“Come on Luce! Don’t you have a little faith in me?”

“Only a little…” She mumbled teasingly. She was lying of course. She knew that he would find a way to make it work somehow. He still hadn’t let go of her arm and brought her closer. She felt flustered. She wasn’t used to this proximity yet. His eyes dropped down to the necklace that never left her neck and he smiled softly.

Suddenly, a thud knocked against the door, revealing the anticipated eavesdropping of their competitor. With a grin, Lockwood offered her his arm before heading towards the door and opening it in a dramatic swing. Kipps did his best to discreetly stand up straight and look like he was casually checking out one of the books on the nearby shelf.

“How about some tea to set the start of our bet, Kipps?”

Lucy felt bad for him. Sort of. He was clearly running out of excuses. He mumbled under his breath and led the way down the stairs with a defeated gait.

“I’ll prepare the mugs.” Holly declared, following closely behind him.

Lockwood and Lucy grinned at each other before joining them, ready for the first part of their plan.

They were sipping in silence. Each of them eyed the other over the freshly poured mug she had handed them. Lucy and Lockwood kept throwing side glances in the other’s direction and Holly couldn’t tell if it was just them being them or if she should be on high alert for heist-related shenanigans. She knew the point was to have fun. She knew the rivalry between Kipps and Lockwood wasn’t really relevant anymore. But it did little to prevent her from keeping a professional and watchful attitude. Old habits die hard. After another stare-filled silence, Lockwood put back his mug on the Thinking Cloth with more noise than necessary. He announced that he had some work to do and winked at Lucy in a very unsubtle way before exiting the room. Something was up, that much was clear. But what was he planning? Before she or Kipps could object, Lucy spilled the content of the honey bottle both on Kipps and the floor.

“Oh no Kipps I’m so sorry!” Lucy apologized. She talked loudly and there was an edge to her voice. This was a distraction and Holly knew better than to get caught up in it. She stared at the basement door, sure that Lockwood would try to sneak back upstairs in the commotion. She tried to stay focused but out the corner of her eye she saw Lucy approaching Kipps’s stained sweater with a tissue. She could already picture the bits of white paper sticking to his ruined clothes and the frustration in his brow. He did care a lot about his black turtleneck.

“Lucy, no! Stop! Start by scraping the excess honey then use dish soap.”

The girl took her jam-covered knife, loosely scraped it on the side of her plate and was about to make matters worse.

“No! Forget it, I’ll do it.”

She got up, and before she could attend to the sticky stains George came in with a call for Kipps. The room fell silent when he answered.

“Wait, who is this?”

He seemed perplexed. George went back to the library undisturbed, and Lucy jumped up to reach for the dish soap. Oh no. She wasn’t going to… Before Holly could react, Lucy covered Kipps in dish soap, making him jump up and walk into the pool of honey formed on the floor by the spill. He shrieked as he almost slipped and Holly couldn’t help her high pitched scream at the mess.

“You told me to use dish soap!” Lucy justified.

“Not like this! Is this your first day being alive?”

Kipps gestured them to shush but apparently the caller had hung up. He set the phone on a spared corner of the table, looking down at the mess.

“What did I do to you, Carlyle?”

“I’m… sorry?”

“A very touching apology, thank you! Well, apparently there’s an emergency staff meeting at the restaurant I work at… whatever that means. I guess I should go.”

“Please, don’t make a trail of honey around the house, it’ll take forever to clean up!” Holly said, already dreading the hours of cleaning ahead.

Kipps nodded and exited the room with his shoes in his hand. He gave her a weird look before leaving. “What about the heist?” she thought. She looked back at Lucy’s fake sorry look and before she could scold her, Lockwood came back up.

“What’s all this noise about? Oh, Holly, you’re doing that thing with your face again.” And then he smiled, his usual wide charming smile like he was a perfect angel who had never done anything wrong. Whenever she got stressed out, Holly had this unconscious habit of furrowing only one eyebrow, giving her face an asymmetrical tension that made the two idiots next to her laugh occasionally. A giant, impossible to clean, sticky puddle of honey was more than enough to stress her out. She did not laugh at his remark and he toned down his gigawatt smile.

“I’ll be with George working on our next case, if you need any help.”

No. He wasn’t getting away that easily.

“I know what you’re doing.”

“Working?”

“Who do you think I am, Lockwood? The fact that you thought this would work is seriously offending.”

“You can come watch me work if you want.” He asked with the same grin.

“Yes, Holly, you can go. I’ll clean, it’s my mess after all.”

At least, she was acknowledging it. She turned around to follow Lockwood into the library when a glass hit the floor, breaking into a thousand little shards most likely wedged in honey or hidden in unattainable corners. She shut her eyes tight, annoyed but also impressed at how easily they had played her.

When Kipps arrived back at the house, he already knew what he was going to find. A stressed-out Holly, a proud Lockwood and a missing frame. At least he wasn’t covered in honey anymore. His rival hadn’t been too discreet about his ploy. He had recognized the boy’s voice through his horrible accent when he had picked up the phone. His sudden disappearance and Lucy’s exaggerated efforts to mess with his favorite turtleneck only confirmed his suspicions. He wasn’t too offended by the simple and frankly idiotic way they had used to get rid of him. At least they felt threatened enough to need him gone before attempting anything. 

When he crossed the door, he didn’t even go upstairs to look if Lockwood had bothered to replace the frame with a fake. He headed straight for the kitchen to relieve Holly from the work she was certainly still attending to. Lucy and Lockwood were nowhere to be found, probably too busy celebrating to keep an eye on their prized possession.

He found his partner in crime trying to get the honey out of the multiple sponges she had used. The floor was spotless, but now the mess had been moved to the sink. He came to stand next to her and looked out the kitchen window to surveil the garden at the back of the house. She turned and apologized for having been so easily distracted. She was ashamed of how simple it had been to sidetrack her. Kipps said nothing. After a minute or two of pensive silence, Holly asked if he was upset, worried she had messed up his plans for good.

“You did a wonderful job.” He simply offered, the shadow of a smile forming on his stern face. She looked back at him with a frown.

“What do you mean?”

“I knew it was Lockwood’s plan from the start.”

“And you let him get away with it?”

“Are you familiar with the Hungarian fencing term ‘husszú görcs’?”

She sent him a look to let him know how pedantic he was being. He knew that already, he just couldn’t resist.

“It’s a strategy-”

“Of letting your opponent win points early to give them a sense of overconfidence thus exposing a much easier target for you later.” Holly finished.

He stared at her in stunned silence.

“I was an agent at Rotwell remember? And our fencing coach was Hungarian.”

He had trouble hiding the thin smile slowly twisting his lips. Even though she took away his moment, he was incredibly grateful to have her on his team.

“Now the real question is: how do you know where he hid the frame?”

He lifted an eyebrow and looked back at her with a smirk.

“Oh. Right. Lucy.”

They looked back at the garden in unison. There were two things that even a stranger could figure out about Lockwood by just looking at him: he had too much confidence and he was head over heels in love with Lucy Carlyle. This specific girl happened to have done a lot of gardening in the last few weeks, planting flowers in the back garden, which made for a perfect hiding spot in the turned soil.

“How do you know for sure he hid it there?”

“I have eyes everywhere.”

They stepped outside and a small shadow emerged from the apple tree at the end of the garden. Bobby Vernon had stayed loyal to Kipps even after his humiliating demotion by Penelope Fittes. Or should he refer to her as Marissa now? He was grateful for the boy’s admiration and even more grateful for his help.

“Is that where he hid it?”

Bobby nodded. “Just like you said he would.”

The three of them stayed out of view from the windows and approached the new patch of purple and yellow pansies freshly planted last week. Kipps took the lead, crouched down and looked around in the dirt, trying not to disturb Lucy’s recent work. Lockwood wouldn’t have been so careless as to mess up her gardening for the sake of a bet. He must have hidden it somewhere he could disturb without risk. The three of them crawled out of sight to the next empty lot where the soil had been turned recently.

“That’s where I saw him.” Bobby confirmed.

It didn’t take much digging to reach the white plastic bag sticking out of the dirt. Inside sat the frame and its perfect example of bad journalism.

“Thank you for your time, Bobby. That’ll be all.”

He dismissed the boy, hid the frame underneath his sweater and asked Holly if she wanted to keep the bag. It was covered in soil but she had the habit of keeping every plastic bag they used since it could ‘be useful still.’

They were surprised to see George back at the Thinking Cloth, scribbling away something probably regarding the upcoming case.

“I thought you were working in the library?” Holly asked innocently.

Her tone was far too conspicuous to Kipps’s taste. It was obvious they were hiding something. Karim would figure it out instantly. He nonchalantly bent slightly over, hunched over the frame to try to hide its shape under his clothes. A sudden pain in his lower back reminded him of his labor earlier that day. It also made him realize that he must look ridiculous. The bet was messing with his head. But he’d need to stash the article somewhere safe before letting his guard down.

George asked Holly further details on the clients’ rendition of the events, what they had described precisely on the phone to get a better idea of what they should be expecting in the coming days. Her professionalism took over, she sat down at the table and took out a notebook he didn’t realize she had with her this whole time. Kipps used the distraction to slip out as discreetly as possible. He checked on Lockwood through the library door ajar. He could see why Karim had preferred to move back to the kitchen. They were lying down on the couch, sharing one magazine, tangled together under a blanket. Lockwood seemed to be reading the article out loud, Lucy staring at him starry-eyed. He had to admit that it was rather sweet, a bit nauseating if you stayed with them too long perhaps. He didn’t mind though. It provided him the perfect distraction to complete his plan.

He started up the stairs slowly and carefully. They may have redone a lot of the house in the recent months, but the foundations were still old. Those stairs can reveal any attempt at sneaking around. Luckily for Kipps, he had worked on those very steps when fixing the damages. He knew them like the back of his hand by now. Every single one that creaked and where to step to remain invisible. This part would be a piece of cake. He made his way up the first set of stairs without trouble. He smiled to himself. He couldn’t wait to see Lockwood’s face when he would pull out the frame from its cache at 6pm. Right under his nose from under his bed. He began his way up the second flight of stairs confidently. Despite his boots, he could feel where he had worked, where the wood was solid and silent. He was three steps short to the landing when suddenly a loud reverberating creak alerted everyone of his whereabouts. Betrayal. He had worked so long on those stairs, listening, learning their pattern, but most importantly renewing them. He gave them his time and patience to rebuild them and for what? He wondered how it was even possible for him to have missed a stair in such bad shape. He heard shuffling downstairs. The love birds had probably been alerted by the wooden backstabber. He didn’t have time to dwell on treachery, he needed a place to hide. Fast.

He made no effort to conceal his footsteps anymore. He rushed to the landing and into Lockwood’s room but the others were already catching up to him. He didn’t have time to lift the mattress and secure the frame there. Panicked, he looked around for a new hiding place. There were still some cardboard boxes lying around the landing. They would have to do. He picked the one filled to the brim with random items and buried the frame among them. When his rivals reached the floor, they found Kipps leaning in that same falsely casual stance he had when they caught him eavesdropping earlier.

Creak. Something wasn’t right. Lockwood could hear Holly in the kitchen. It must have been Kipps. He had to check what he was up to. But doing so meant getting up. Getting up and giving up on having Lucy in his arms. It was a tough choice. So tough that he considered letting Kipps win the bet for a moment.

“Did you hear that?” Lucy suddenly said, listening intently.

Before he could answer she rose to her feet, determined to see who was making a move on the frame. It didn’t matter much since he had replaced it with a fake. However, it did little to stop her. She would hinder the plan of anyone who dared try to take victory from him. Lockwood couldn’t help but stare for a moment, watching her fondly while she resolvedly climbed the steps to investigate the noise they heard. His heart was beating fast when he caught up to her. He reached for her hand and tangled his fingers with hers.

They arrived on the landing hand in hand to find Kipps looking at the same bookshelf he had earlier. He was visibly panting, his chest rising fast despite his best efforts to seem casual.

“Still can’t find that book, Quill?”

“Erm… I was just uh…”

“Maybe you’ll have more luck in the library. There’s plenty more there. I can help you look for it if you’d like?”

“No need for that.”

“No, please, I insist.” He offered him a gracious smile, internally proud they managed to disrupt his plan.

Lockwood took pleasure in watching his opponent’s defeated face as he slowly turned back towards the stairs. He squeezed Lucy’s hand before letting go and escorted Kipps back downstairs.

While the two of them were busy squabbling on their way to the library, Lucy used the distraction to check on the decoy and on their hiding spot. The fake frame was still hung on the stairs which was a good sign. What worried her was what she might find in the garden. It would be bad if Kipps’s team got the frame, but she would be lying if she said it was her only source of worry. Lockwood had been mindful of the freshly planted flowers but she feared his rival had not made the same effort. She quickly followed downstairs and waited for them to enter the library. Out of the corner of his eye, Lockwood slightly smirked at her to signal her to go check their hiding spot. She made sure Holly wasn’t spying from the living room. The coast was clear. She silently reached for the handle on the kitchen door she overheard George mumbling, probably about that case he had been talking about. It wouldn’t be the first time she heard him talk to himself out loud. She could always ask him to stay quiet. Maybe bribe him by giving him her next biscuit in the rotation. She turned the handle and before she could step into the room, Holly’s familiar voice answered George’s. Lucy froze in place. This was perfect, Holly wouldn’t be watching her every move. But she had to release the handle unnoticed, and more importantly a much more acrobatic mission awaited her. As delicately as she could, she released the handle and stepped back from the door, silently aiming for the entrance. Walking backwards, she passed Lockwood again, who made Kipps carry as many books as he could before the poor man had enough of his nonsense. When he saw her going towards the front door, he dropped yet another book onto the pile Kipps was already carrying, making him drop everything. In the commotion, Lucy quickly opened and shut the door, slipping outside without anyone knowing.

The next part would be harder than anticipated. Without taking the time to think too much about it, she jumped to reach the top of the garden wall and pushed on her arms to pull herself up. It was easier to do when she didn’t have an eleven-pound silver-glass skull on her back commenting on her form and mocking her graceless performance. She let herself drop in the garden and remained low as she made her way to the flower beds. She was relieved to find them untouched. Kipps and Holly had had the good sense of digging into the empty patch of dirt next to it. It was good news for her gardening, but the turned soil also meant that their rivals had the frame in their possession. Luckily for them, they had a grouchy reluctant ally to keep track of the frame’s location.

Getting back upstairs hadn’t been easy. Lucy tried her best to sneak around the landing as silently as she could. Coming through the front door, she hadn’t had the chance to check if Holly was still busy with George. She counted on the researcher’s inability to keep his explanations short to keep her cover safe. She retrieved the ghost-jar from its hiding spot and made her way into Lockwood’s room, their rendezvous point. It still made her queasy to go into that room like it was her own. He had said to make herself at home, even in the middle of half-finished furniture. She hesitated, unsure where to settle the skull before getting answers.

“Just put me anywhere but the bed. Lord knows what you did there.”

She put it down on the floor with a crash, no longer caring about being discreet.

“Looks like I hit a nerve,” the annoying ghost said, “Will lover boy be joining us?”

As if summoned by the nickname, Lockwood entered his room and sat on the bed with giddy anticipation.

“So? What did you find out?”

“Kipps has the frame. He dug it up from the garden.”

“Damn it. Did the skull see where he hid it?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Skull answered with a crooked smile.

“Yes, we would. Now tell us!” Lucy asked not so nicely.

“I’m not sure I was paying attention.”

Oh, how that ghost could push her buttons.

“You were the one begging to participate in the first place! But fine if you won’t tell us maybe I’ll leave you in the oven again so George can get back to his experiments…”

“I was not begging! It’s just nice to be included for once. Fine. I saw the ginger head run upstairs and he hid the frame in a cardboard box on the landing.”

“Perfect!”

She ran back outside.

“What did he say?” Lockwood asked, his eyes following her to the landing.

She came back in disappointed.

“It’s supposed to be hidden in a cardboard box there but I’ve looked through all of them… it’s not here. Looks like Kipps was faster.”

“Damn! That son of a bitch is good…”

Kipps joined her and George after a loud bang was heard from the library. It sounded like books being dropped, another task for her later. Probably seeing the exhaustion on her face, he told her that he had taken care of it.

“Another meagre distraction of Lockwood’s.”

She laughed at his comment before asking George if he still needed her help.

“No worries, Holly. I can finish this by myself, thanks.”

“So, what is our next move?” She asked her partner.

He threw a sideway glance at George who was back to reading his casefile intently. He nodded towards the door and she followed him without a word. She thought he might be taking this whole thing a little too seriously. George said he was too busy with the case to participate, he wasn’t a threat. Still, she followed him in a corner of the library and listened intently as he whispered his misadventure with the steps. She tried as hard as she could not to laugh when he rambled about the steps of the house betraying him. It got especially tricky when he went on about dishonor and treachery.

“Now, I need you to go back upstairs and get the frame from that box I hid it in.”

“On it.”

“I’ll keep an eye on George.”

She refrained from rolling her eyes and went upstairs. When she got on the landing, she heard Lockwood’s muffled voice coming from his room. He must have been elaborating a new plan to steal back the frame with Lucy’s help. Hopefully, that would distract him enough while she looked through the boxes. They really needed to unpack them soon, it clogged the stairs and the access to their rooms. She opened the first one she could find. Inside were items that certainly belonged to Lockwood’s parents. She felt uncomfortable rummaging through them like this, especially for a silly bet. She opened the rest of them and looked but tried not to disturb anything. Her search was not successful. Instead of disrupting the items, she tried to call Kipps discreetly.

“Do you remember which box you put it in?”

“I think it was that one…”

He opened the box and looked delicately through it, just like she had done. One box after the other, his face went from relaxed, to worried, to panicked.

“Where is it, where is it?!”

“Lockwood must have taken it back.”

“Damn! That son of a bitch is good…”

He barely had time to think of a plan when the door to Lockwood’s room opened, letting his rival on the landing with them.

“Kipps! What a surprise…” He said in that smug tone of his. “It’s almost 6.”

“It looks that way yes.”

They stood face to face, each glaring daggers in the other’s eyes. Lockwood might have come back before he could get the frame from where he had hid it, but Bobby was still watching his every move, standing by behind the apple tree. Kipps was still sure of himself and he knew he would best his rival at that game.

“I’m gonna get that frame back!” They both declared at the same time.

Kipps’s faith in his plan and in himself evaporated before his very eyes. His conviction was shaken. Was Lockwood imitating him poorly? Was he making fun of him? Or was he genuinely convinced that he had the frame in his possession? His rival’s mask slipped too. So Lockwood did not have it. And he didn’t have it. Then who did?

“I’m gonna get that frame back!”

As Kipps exclaimed the same sentence, Lockwood took a step back in surprise. What game was he playing? He stared at him for a few seconds, trying to read whatever ruse he was attempting. The longer he stared and the more obvious his confusion was. How could he look so sincere? Kipps had really worked on his poker face, he thought. Unless he wasn’t acting and the frame was actually out there, out of both their reach when time was running out. Lucy might have an idea. But before he could turn to her to try to read her expression, she bolted down the stairs.

“I’m gonna get that frame back!”

The fact that both boys exclaimed that sentence at the same time threw a gust of cold air through the landing. Everyone stood silently, staring, observing, waiting for someone to stop pretending. The moment never came. One voice broke the silence.

“How strange. It’s almost like that box just disappeared, isn’t it?” Skull asked in that smug know-it-all tone Lucy was so used to. “Didn’t Karim take care of the boxes? No that must have been another day. Unless…?”

Without thinking, Lucy rushed to find George. She didn’t know whether it was the adrenaline, her feelings for Lockwood or her sense of competition, but she had never climbed down the stairs so fast. She called for Lockwood to follow her and heard the hurried footsteps of three eager agents rushing to meet her first. She made a mental note to stick that bloody ghost-jar in the oven for a good forty-eight hours for being so unreliable.

They found George still hunched over his research in the kitchen, so focused that he didn’t seem to register their arrival, no matter how loudly they opened the door.

“Please don’t bother me because of your bet.” He said without looking up from his notes.

Lucy took a tentative step forward.

“Actually… We were just wondering what you might have done with one of those boxes that

are on the landing.”

“You mean the ones I asked you to sort out about a week ago?”

“Better late than never?” she tried to justify.

“I put most of them in the basement.” He answered after a long sigh.

The four of them rushed through the cupboard-like basement door. Lockwood and Kipps tripped each other the whole way down, resulting in loud banging noises against the iron spiral stairs leading the way to their office. Kipps threw himself on the first box he could find, hurriedly but somehow delicately pulling everything out of it and laying all the items on the floor next to him. Lockwood and Holly did the same, and she joined the party a few seconds later without results. Both rivals looked up from their respective boxes visibly panting with matching defeated looks. Apparently neither had prevailed from their thorough search. Where could that frame be?

“Look there’s another one in the storage room!” Holly exclaimed.

With one last race, they all scurried into the room. Before they could turn around, the door slammed behind them, effectively trapping them among magnesium flares and iron chains.

Kipps spun around first to see the iron door sliding shut. He put all his weight to try holding it back but it was no use. Panicked, he tried to go for the back door, rattling the handle vigorously like it would make a difference.

“It won’t budge, Kipps. I made sure of that.” Came a mocking voice from outside.

“Is this your idea of a joke, Karim?”

The gap in the storage door slid open, and mischievous eyes peaked inside.

“Indeed, it is.”

Only his eyes were visible, but it was obvious from his tone that he was smiling in that self-sufficient way of his.

“Cut it out, I’m claustrophobic.”

“You weren’t that claustrophobic when you slept in that broom closet to avoid bunking with me. I think you’ll be fine.”

The humiliation slowly dawned on him. The four of them looked around the room, unsure of their fate. Kipps looked at his feet, defeated. When he looked back up, he saw the three others at different stages of confusion. They didn’t seem to know what was happening either. However, he noticed that Lucy had a small smile on her face, almost satisfied. Did she betray Lockwood to win the bet? Or worse, was Lockwood up to this?

“What is this about, George?” Lockwood asked before Kipps could.

“This,” he paused dramatically, “is how you lose.”

Slightly squinting through the hatch, George reveled in seeing his friends squirm. He wondered if that made him some sort of evil villain, but he liked seeing Lockwood stare at him with that fly-catching gape way too much to care. Even more so when it was joined by Kipps’s despair-filled eyes. He took the general tensed silence as a sign that they had not in fact anticipated this turn of events.

“So you were playing all along?” Lucy asked.

“No. I just saw an opportunity and took it.”

Kipps rolled his eyes and George couldn’t help smiling wider.

“I knew I had to be weary of you Karim.”

“I appreciate the compliment, Kipps. Though, obviously, you weren’t cautious enough.”

“So how did you double-cross us all?” Lockwood asked. If he didn’t know any better, George could almost hear a certain pride in his friend’s voice.

“Well… Since you’re dead set on turning anything into unnecessary races, I had to find a way to teach you a lesson.”

He heard Lockwood scoff.

“I’m with him on that one.” Lucy added in a lower tone.

“So, when you asked me to make you that fake article to use as decoy, I saw an opening.”

“Hold on. Karim was helping you too? How is that fair?”

“I know Bobby’s pocket-sized, Kipps, but since you had him surveil the house I’d still say your teams were pretty equal.” George retorted.

“You knew about this?”

“You had Bobby watching us?” Lockwood asked his rival.

“I mean, we planted Skull too.” Lucy tried to reason him.

“The skull was in on it too?!” Holly exclaimed.

“When Lockwood asked for my help,” George started again, effectively shutting up any other protest emerging from the small room, “he asked me to replace some parts of the article with more modest words like ‘Lockwood is the best agent/genius.’ Instead, I added my own version, almost certain that Lockwood wouldn’t even bother to check. Turns out I was right.”

“Lockwood! You couldn’t even look through it?” Lucy said.

Kipps let out a self-sufficient laugh.

“Yeah, well, you didn’t check either!”

Before any other fight could erupt, George carried on with his explanations.

“Even though Lockwood kept his hideout secret, it wasn’t hard to figure out that it had something to do with Lucy. I mean… even Kipps thought of it.” Through the hatch, he saw Kipps’s eyes throwing daggers his way. “Which left either the attic or the garden and given the number of times I caught you all coming back inside, it was obvious it was the latter. I didn’t need to bother getting it myself though, Kipps did an excellent job retrieving it, as I knew he would. What I needed was to mess up his plans instead.”

Silence had returned inside the storage room. They all had their eyes focused on his, waiting to hear more about their defeat.

“While Kipps and Holly were outside, and Lucy and Lockwood weren’t paying attention to anything besides themselves, I slipped into the hall to mess with the stairs. I made sure enough of them creaked to make sure Kipps would panic-hide the article. I have to say, you avoided a lot more creaky steps than I thought you would, I was impressed.”

Kipps stared back expectantly, clearly curious to know how he had managed the rest of his plan.

“When you hid it on the landing, I had a much easier target to disrupt all future strategies. Now the last part was harder. I had to move the box one step at a time very quickly to make sure you wouldn’t see me. First, while Lockwood and Kipps were in the library, I kept Holly busy with the case, pretended to go to the bathroom, saw Lucy sneaking out the front door and I ran to put the box in my room. Then, Kipps’s paranoia dragged his team in the library while Lockwood and Lucy where in his bedroom, so I took the box back into the kitchen. Finally, while you were realizing the box was missing, I was busy placing it inside the storage room, like a piece of cheese on a mouse trap. A trap in which you all fell being none the wiser.”

He paused for a minute to savor their reactions. Lucy accepted defeat and laughed at the situation. Holly looked stunned. But the most priceless reactions were the two rivals going through different stages of grief. He wished he could record this moment to look back at it a hundred more times.

“I bet with this whole getting-locked-in-the-storage-room thing you didn’t even see the frame I placed inside the box, right?”

Lockwood and Kipps exchanged a glance and jumped on the box. They battled to get hold of the frame first. Lockwood prevailed, holding the prize up high before looking at it more intently. He scoffed and looked back at him through the hatch.

“Well, what does it say?”

“George Casper Karim is a genius hidden two, no three times-”

“It’s actually four times.” George said with a smile.

“Lockwood is a loser” he continued, “Kipps must incline in front of George and so does Lockwood, Kipps still managed to lose spectacularly to George Karim.” He concluded.

They all looked back at him, Kipps’s murderous eyes contrasting with Lucy’s barely contained laughter.

“Are you proud of this?”

“Very yes, thank you for asking.”

“But where is the actual article?” Lockwood asked, almost too certain he found a chink in his armor.

“Oh, you mean this?” He said as he pulled the piece of paper from his back pocket and unfolded it through the hatch.

There was another stunned silence. Lockwood shook his head, slowly admitting defeat. 

“So, what now?” Lockwood asked.

“I believe you both need to say something.”

They exchanged a look, Lockwood now amused.

“George Karim is the best agent/genius.” They said in unison.

General relief flooded the storage room now that the bet was over. George certainly hoped it would deter them both from making more bets any time soon.

“Well, maybe we can celebrate with a cup of tea?” Holly offered.

“That’s a sweet sentiment Holly but I’m not opening this door.”

“What?!” They all exclaimed, louder than necessary.

“You see, I’ve worked all day on our next case and you’re all way behind. I’m gonna need you to catch up. You’ll find the materials on the shelf next to Holly.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“Don’t worry, I left some water and a box of doughnuts for you, I’m not a monster.”

Lockwood tried to force the door, like Kipps had earlier. They all shouted a mix of indignation and insults his way. It all sounded like incomprehensible gibberish.

“You can keep screaming if there’s more, but I’ve got a date with Flo!” And with that he left them there, the protests and the clattering of the metal door fading as he went up the stairs.

Note: I’m guessing that, just like Lockwood, you didn’t check the article hanged at the top of this post. You might want to check it out. *wink* (you have to zoom in because it blends in)

[wannaeatramyeon]

Lookism and their silly lil hobbies

My headcannons of their less obvious interests!

Daniel: now he's in the fashion department and earning some money, he guesses he should take more of an interest in current trends. He's still wearing Jay's castoffs and he's happy with them but he takes a huge interest in women's fashion for his momma. She's worked hard and she deserves nice things and Daniel wants to spoil her 🥰

Jay: his hobby? Daniel. His thoughts? Daniel. His dreams? Daniel. But guns and motorbike? This boy has a thing for Hollywood action films and he has pretty good taste too. Classics-ish such as Matrix, Terminator, John Wick

Zoe: she loves watching animal rehab videos on social media, and even the videos of newtubers helping out homeless or down on their luck people. Most of it may be scripted but the act of kindness (even for selfish purposes) makes her melt

Vasco: you think this man doesn't have a Pinterest account? He doesn't spend his spare time putting boards together? His boards aren't public? He's not ashamed. He's got at least 1 for parties, 1 for golden retrievers and 1 for Hero Man pics

Jace: kdramas, the more romantic with as many tropes the better. He likes a good story filled with miscommunication, lots of crying, scenes in the rain and open eyed kisses 😳

Zack: sneaky little hobby of reading up on supernatural shit. After running into the ghost of J High, he's been absorbed with ghosts and demons - in particular how to avoid getting cursed...

Mira: meditation. Putting up with Zack all the time and the violent boys, she needs her moment of peace before she gets overwhelmed. She's also had some pretty traumatic experiences, so this helps her to centre and recollect her thoughts

Johan: unironically a sneakerhead. Started off researching expensive shoes so he can recognise them but now he's fully into the hobby. Way too tight to buy any for himself when he could be saving for his momma's operation but it's nice to window shop 🥺

Vin Jin: we all know he would be twerking to Dukes music. But apart from obviously his music (cos music is his life yknow), he would be leaving hate messages and death threats on Dukes social media and fanpages. He hate watches Dukes live streams but cant stop the twerk creeping up on him

Mary Kim: she's in the Vocal and Dance department but this girl can shred like no tomorrow. She has a band she's the lead vocalist and guitarist of that she keeps off Vins radar so he can keep the shitty rap to himself

Crystal: hiking and the outdoors. It's a way to keep her second body fit and get away from her desk and all the business bullshit. During the days that Gun acts as her bodyguard, she tells him to stay at least 50ft away so he doesn't ruin the mood

Jake: memelord. Cos at least humour is free. He collects pics and memes, and has so many shitty dad jokes up his sleeve to send to the Big Deal members and groupchats that he often gets kicked out or blocked. Hearing their exasperation at another one of his messages always brightens up his day

Samuel: lol drinking as a hobby. this man should be spending all his spare time in therapy but can't win them all 🤷‍♀️ Doesn't do much on his own time that doesn't advance his goals but enjoys sipping on some smooth expensive shit. Not the best for his health, but he needs something to block out the demons

Lua: not the queen of info for nothing. Spends a lot of her time on social media, forums and the dark web reading up on info (and gossip). Shes also kicked up a gear with her Muay Thai training so the assholes in Big Deal would stop underestimating her

Sinu: all that time being locked up with that little bit of chalk? You know what he did? HE'S A FIC WRITER. Headcannons of Big Deal, Sinu X Yeonhui. What the guys would be doing now, what sort of girlfriend Yeonhui would be (I wrote this as a joke but it's pretty depressing)

Gun: you thought that was a casual notepad and pen he had on hand for brekdaks autograph? No bitch its his actual autograph book. He lives and breathes fighting and fangirls a little internally meeting his fighting idols

Goo: anime and boardgames. Yes yes he's a nerd ok. He watched 1 too many anime shows and in his head he's the protagonist fighting his way to the top, with his sidekick Gun. But who do you think left all the boardgames in that shitty house? Gun is boring and Goo needs entertaining. It's one way to let them get competitive without beating the shit out of each other... Usually

[starstruckodysseys]

20 questions for 20 writers !!

thank u to @localdisasterisk for tagging me in this! i honestly do not know how many writers i follow so um. ill tag my pibe fic besties @wheelsupin-azarathmetrionzinthos @angelwiththeblue-box @fatestitcherr @incorrect-play-it-by-ear and the rest of u can fight amongst yourselves

1. how many works do you have on ao3?

48. i don’t know if its more concerning that almost half of them are from the past five months or that almost half are play it by ear. its the same almost half but still

2. what’s your total ao3 word count?

143,389. woof

3. what fandoms do you write for?

obviously play it by ear. everyone knows that. also d20 occasionally and project sekai. unfortunately

4. what are your top five fics by kudos?

toya and mizuki’s step by step guide to romancing a shinonome — i will be so real with you guys i specifically crafted this one to be popular. and then i fell in love with it along the way. but it did start as a science experiment

let me take you with me (just like this) — WHY. this is my second pjsekai fic and my fourth fic ever posted. it’s not at all reflective of my current style. help

kiss it better — yeah. same issue as the other one. this one’s better though lmao

say you miss me (say you want to kiss me) — honestly? just impressed a honakana fic made it up this high. love my girlies

the moon is crumbling (but that’s okay) — yeah everyone pretend to be surprised the ruikasa fic got this high up. it was a new concept for me, though, so i’m pretty proud of that

5. do you respond to comments?

i used to, but not really anymore unfortunately. to be fair, i will point you all to the fact that most of my recent fics are pibe, and then to the discord where we all scream about them together

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

i don’t usually. write sad endings. bc i don’t like them. okay that’s not true i just usually don’t. i guess the moon is crumbling?? if i had to choose?? it’s more bittersweet than anything, but people did say they cried, so…

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

99.9% of my fics are getting together fics. it’s just the same ending a million different ways. you tell me

8. do you get hate on your fics?

not publicly!

9. do you write smut? if so, what kind?

i would simply be too powerful if i could. this is for your safety actually

10. do you write crossovers?

in the sense of characters across universes/media interacting? no. in the sense of “i am going to put my blorbos in every single other setting i slightly enjoy”? absolutely. putting them under a microscope. researching and recording how they react to their surroundings

11. have you ever had a fic stolen?

not to my knowledge!

12. have you ever had a fic translated?

i simply do not think there is a demand for my fics in other languages. not in like a depressing way, it’s just that i’m writing for like five people including myself, so. yknow

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

no, but if someone wanted to… 👀

14. what’s your all time favorite ship?

i’ve never written for them (yet, at least), but by sheer volume and span of time i have to say souyo persona4. my silly boys. i’ve never scoured the entire tag for a ship multiple times on ao3 like i have for them. i have so many thoughts about them that have never seen the light of day but they exist!!

15. what’s a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

stares awkwardly at feed your anger like fire… i’ve tried!! but it turns out that sometimes you get stuck on clothing designs and stop writing and then lose passion for the project and then stop updating for three years because you were too ambitious and also you hate your old writing style. not that i would know anything about that

16. what are your writing strengths?

i think i’m really good at dialogue, or at least banter. unfortunately this makes me very judgmental but that’s not important. also i can create a vibe well i’ve been told

17. what are your writing weaknesses?

in general? i SUCK at character description, or at least knowing where and when to place it. i also always worry about characterization and if my characters sound too similar

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

i used to read so many fics that centered around using another language (shoutout bmc fandom when i was. in that. a dark period of my life, but alas) and honestly if it’s done well i think it’s cool!! i’m not going to get into the intricacies of bilingualism on account of being an english only speaker but it is rad to me

19. first fandom you wrote for?

wrote for? probably warriors. yes the cats. i had a whole fanfic for my oc. shoutout to… honestly i don’t remember her name but she was a real one! wrote for and posted is another story, by which i mean i don’t remember At All. probably bandori tbh, bc i don’t remember if i posted fanfic on my wattpad

20. favorite fic you’ve written?

either the venn diagram of curses and crushes (which is still my favorite fic title ever) or soaking in the glory. one of them is a 3k word expedition into the play it by ear canon space and the other is a 7k word fever dream i went into a fugue state to write in two days. honorable mention to the like the sweetest cup of chai series which i hold so close to my heart. silliest besties of all time

[raspberry-vinaigrette]

you're so based and real and so i MUST ask about your thoughts on henry miller

they could be ANY thoughts i just like hearing how people perceive him ... he's my favorite-ist evil scientist ever

oh i have so so so many thoughts on henry miller dude. my sister is in part to blame because she writes a damn good henry miller (she's working on a fic focusing on him during dave's first death right now. i've seen some snippets, i think you'll ADORE it if and when she finishes) and it's gotten him super in my brain but he's such a fascinating character study. beneath the cut because this got sorta long

one big detail i like is the fact he's very obviously not stopping the cycle of abuse -- we see how he treats dave and directdoggo has implied he was not good to his actual family either, and overall henry doesn't seem to value they concept of family that much in general? which i think probably ties into how his father treated him. ultimately henry likely views the idea of family as just some innate biological aspect of humanity but puts no real stock in it beyond that, and i wouldn't be surprised if he had a family largely because of his idea of a legacy. he never wants to die, and if he cannot do that literally, he will do it metaphorically by keeping his research and name alive forever. overall i think because his father was a complete deadbeat who henry wanted to be away from as much as possible and clearly utterly despised, henry viewed family as nothing more than a base, instinctual desire, and with his view on dave it makes sense he extorted this a lot with dave. dave is an animal to him (which i glean from the one DSaF tale that directdoggo wrote -- henry's narration is SO dehumanizing/anamalizing towards dave and it's very interesting) and henry views him as a very impulsive, instinctive creature, so of course henry uses something he views as instinct as major leverage.

BUT my original point is that henry likely believes he's doing so much more than his father could ever dream of but like. even if he's doing that in terms of education? he's ultimately ending up in a similar situation to his father mentally. he's abusive and thinks he's so much better than everyone and deserves to be treated that way, hence why he's so obviously super indignant about his doctorate being taken away. he dehumanizes the people around him and while he seems to think he's teaching everyone a lesson, making them better, and they should be grateful... how much of that is an echo of his father? abusers will take any opportunity to justify their abuse and pin blame on their victims. how many times did henry deal with being told he was being taught a lesson? but it's different, he swears, because he IS smart. he is educating the frail and the weak. they should be grateful.

henry's connections to dave and his father also make his dependency on logic and science and rationalizing things really interesting. henry views both dave and charles (in different ways but ultimately not too seperate) as irrational, illogical, impulsive monsters, either due to dave's reliance on henry or charles' vicious abuse of henry. i think he believes that this animalistic nature is what keeps people from truly breaking the chains of death and reaching immortality, especially with the way he talks about the children souls -- if i recall he basically calls them simplistic and beast-like or at least it's implied. again, he really seems to think what seperates him from the rest is the fact he is educated, when in reality he's kind of acting out of desperation just as much as dave, just in different ways.

this also kind of ties into him and jack (on the evil/legacy routes) too, though this is more headcanon than canon so like take this with a grain of salt. given that the purple text during the real fredbear fight in DSaF2's pure evil route is goading jack on and telling him to keep going, to break the real fredbear, a direct parallel to DSaF3's legacy route ending, and there's also an instance of henry's name being purple + plenty of other things i could tie into this but don't feel like digging up right now, i've always interpreted the purple text throughout the games (with the exception of things like dave's name/people referring to dave, though this still kind of counts, since dave's name comes from henry's son) as dialogue directly influenced by henry pushing jack along! which has a lot of fascinating implications! i could do a whole seperate post on this but that's kind of besides the point and i again do not feel like digging up liveblog screenshots

my point in mentioning this is that henry's influence seeping in even as early as DSaF1 (albeit that's more of a retroactive application, since i doubt directdoggo had the henry plot much in mind at the time LOL) with "WE started this and WE'LL finish it" directed at dave kind of reflects this desperation, just executed in what henry would consider a far more honorable way. instead of henry forcing himself up, he finds an appropriate vessel to leech his spite and influence and hate into, and lets the dominoes fall. it also gives this plausible deniability if and when jack ever shows hesitance -- you wanted this, didn't you? i just shared ideas with you. you carried out the plan. you can't honestly be upset with me, can you? -- which reflects exactly what henry did with dave, just in a different, more detached way. give them enough to cling to and then distance yourself until they start to doubt, then shoot them enough of a line for them to cling onto you again.

idk. he's cool

[scoops404]

Casual reminder that to know the true amount of reviews an author get on ao3 you need to !

Divide the number of comments by the number of chapters (ex : 24 reviews for a 8/8 chapters story is 3 reviews)

Divide that number by 2 for the author's answers (so 1-2 reviews by chapters)

Big numbers are often just inflated, in particular for big stories ! There are never too much comments

(I know you know as a writer but your public is the more susceptible to care about leaving reviews. Also, would anyone be interested about a guide on how to write a review bc I know it's something people get stuck on)

Hi!

There's a few things I want to talk about in this ask, and I realize that you absolutely mean well, but trying to do breakdowns of comments or even kudos vs hits or anything like that is kind of... against the spirit of fanfiction? I think that's the best way to phrase it.

Comments don't get divided up evenly between chapters. Not necessarily. As a story picks up momentum, more people discover it and comment. Sometimes an author will drop all three chapters at once and people will only comment on the last one, etc. Some authors don't respond to comments, or are perpetually behind on them, so diving by two doesn't really work there. There's many reasons this doesn't shake out entirely.

But, moreover, I really want to encourage readers (and nonwriters I guess, more accurately) to realize that it doesn't matter how many comments a fic does or doesn't have. If you liked it and you feel led, then you should leave a comment. Obviously it's not necessary (and there are days where I'm brain-dead and I don't have the mental capacity), but comments on a fic are better than gold to writers.

There's not a magic number that means you have to leave a comment, or on the flip side, this fic has *enough* comments so I don't need to leave one. The spirit of fanfiction is that it's a fan service someone takes time to craft to share with the fandom, and you can encourage them to do it more by writing some nice words about their story.

Imagine spending hours and hours of your time working on something, thinking about it in the shower, talking to your friends about how to make it better, researching things online to make it better, editing down words, and when you go to share that--silence.

Comments are the lifeblood of fanfiction writers, it's how we know we're doing something that people like. Fanfiction is what keeps fandoms going when the source material dries up or goes on hiatus.

It's so so important to let writers know you like what they're putting out, or one day they might just stop. There is a point when we as writers get little to no feedback and start thinking, "What's the point? No one is reading this anyway." (This happened to me in the Dan and Phil fandom years ago). Now, I have a healthy view of my stories and I write for myself and my close friends (which is why i have such batty stories), but if my close friends didn't even want to read what I was writing, I'd just stop.

I've been very very blessed with a comment section in my time here in the DNF fandom. I've made friends through my comments, including a new IRL friend -- hi @czargasm.

Sorry, I'm not trying to be so preachy or single you out or anything. I think a comment guide would be really really lovely and something that could help a lot of people who would be willing to leave more comments if they had an idea of what to say.

As a writer, my favorite kind of comments to get are 1) in depth analysis, but of course that's a lot so, equally loved are 2) the "i was doing X thing when I saw you dropped a chapter so I ran here" and 3) "I made myself a treat to read this update" comment - extra points if you tell me what the treat was 4) A line you particularly liked or a story it reminds you of, etc.

Thank you for giving me a vehicle to apparently preach about comments. I guess I had a lot to say. Oops.

From the bottom of my heart, writers love comments. Nothing will make us write faster or better than knowing people are into out stories.

[hallabaloo]

New Fanfic: The Complete History of William Lucipher

Heya!! Since a few people seemed interested in the Gravity Falls fic I'm writing, I thought I'd share a bit of what I have planned so far! Currently, it's going to be a 5 part series that will amount to roughly 100k words. Just note that this is still the planning stage and all of this could possibly be changed, although this is still the bare bones so probably not much would be altered.

PS---Ford and Bill in the first few parts won't have their canon names because they didn't exist in the time period I'm writing about. That's why I refer to Bill as "fallen god" and Ford as "the mortal" so frequently.

Premise: Bill Cipher is a fallen god who is striving to gain his godship back. In this journey, he repeatedly meets reincarnated versions of Stanford Pines, the only person who can seemingly help him.

Part One: Alexandria 49 BCE

In the height of Alexandria's fame and being full of knowledge-seekers, a fallen god walked unnoticed among them, searching for his own wisdom of which he had searched far and wide to find yet all was futile. So, regretfully, he stood in front of the well-known library. Here, he met a mortal with outrageous beliefs being kicked out, his prestige inadequate to enter the building. Yet the god recognized unknown truth in his words. How could such a poor man as him know of that?

Part Two: Rome 509 BCE

The fallen god recalls upon a memory of meeting such a man before. At the time, he had influenced the tyrant Roman king for his own pleasure and power, but that king thought himself better than the god. Obviously, the god has to now put the arrogant man in his place, so with the help of a little mortal investigator, he does just that.

Part Three: Byzantine Empire 700 AD and Mongol Empire 1200 AD

The fallen god decided to visit the now split Rome, but ill memories of his past followed him wherever he went. His mortality was haunting him at every turn. He had to leave. He fled to what is now known as Mongolia, where he eventually rose an emperor which united the region, as he'd done twice before. But he still had not ran far enough. You cannot get away from what is inside your very being.

Part Four: England 1692 and 1901

The god had now meddled with humans so often that a name began to identify the influence he had: Lucifer. Under this name, William Lucipher was unbeknownst to him the cause of witches and hysteria. Of course, he couldn't let this horrid lie be spread. Years later, his attempts became forgotten, and a certain society arose to defeat him and anyone associated with him, although they did not last very long.

Part Five: Gravity Falls 1974

It ends where it began.

~~~

There we have it!! Now, a good bit was omitted because, you know, spoilers and what-not, but I hope it still sounds interesting and fun to read!! Also, if anyone has any information they'd like to share about any of these places and/or time periods, feel free to comment them! I would love to learn more!

I think I've researched more for this fic than any essay I've had to write lmao ★

[rightpastnowhere]

Gwen doesn't talk to Percy so much about why she's curious about medicine. Everyone assumes she's just as much of a nerd as her dad and she IS to be fair, and her mum has healing magic, and auntie Pike and auntie Keyleth so like. Obviously. And doing it the hard way is cool and more prestigious and can also deal with things magic can't (*points at Blorb's wisdom teeth fic*) so yeah, of course.

The real reason is that all of the kids know about Percy's scars. Vex wore him down on pyjamas in bed and while he wears pyjama bottoms he doesn't wear shirts so much anymore - he's a furnace, he hardly needs it - and all of the kids have very distinct early memories of the day they realised just how different their dad's skin is to their mum's. Not in colour, they vary in colour too, Gwen especially, but- texture. The feeling of scars, some shiny and some twisted and some ridged and all old, and the abrupt edge of Percy's shoulder where the scars suddenly all vanish into smooth skin.

None of the kids get told the story early, but Gwen hears hints from her older siblings: she's button cute and really good at convincing them to make bad decisions, after all, of course she does.

And so she does as any daddy's girl does: she decides she's going to make him better. Scars come from injuries, bad injuries, and CLEARLY his were REALLY bad and so she is Going To Make Them Better, Damnit. (Language, Gwen!)

But she is. She just isn't going to tell him that yet, because he'll make the Face. But you see. She's gonna find a way to fix scars, all because she loves her dad.

FUCKFUCKFUCK????? FUCK ? ?>!?!? ?! !? ?! ? >

oh my god, ,oh my fucking god,., , she's gonna fix her dad............... she's gonna make him better................................... oh my GODDD

kid logic fuckin. kicks me in the heart sometimes. because so often it is so simple and yet the intentions are so purely GOOD. and gwen puts together injury + medicine = better, and she loves her dad so much that she wants to make him better,,,,,,, and i can imagine vex sewing up her owlbear stuffie time and time again (because we know it was passed down velora), and she wants to do the same, but she's gotta research it!!! and she !!!! and she!!!!!!

i love parent-child bonds but there's so little about how the devotion can flow back the other way, when that breaks my heart just as much, if not more. seeing kids who love their parents and just want to help them just makes me so fucking emotional cause they see the world so plainly, and it's plain and simple that they love their parents and want to help!! and i'm barely making sense i think but i just. i love this HELP

[colleybri]

Answer the questions and tag 5 Fanfic Authors

Tagged by @mosylufanfic :)

1. How did you get into writing fanfiction?

I’m relatively unusual here, I think, in that whilst I’ve been writing it since my teens I have had a good twenty year break up until a few months ago. Years ago, I just started writing it for my own pleasure - certainly no internet or easy ways to share it back then. More recently, I can attribute my return to one thing and one thing only: my love of the series Andor. An obsession that came out of nowhere in September 2023 when I watched it for the first time and it resonated with me in a way nothing has come close to in quite some time. After several months of writing various analyses of it I felt the urge to get creative.

2. How many fandoms have you written in?

Not many - most recently, Andor - obviously - and with the obvious overlap of Rogue One. Going back: I started out on E.T. (early teens then so that will date me accordingly :) ) - moving on to Aliens, The Silence of the Lambs and The X Files. Some novels then too: Narnia and Clive Barker, notably.

3. How many years have you been writing fanfiction?

As above, really. I’m in my mid 50s now - which I imagine makes me one of the older ones here. I dabbled most recently in the late 90s, with The Phantom Menace slashfics that were hugely popular back then - one of my friends was a superb writer (her stories were considerably better than the film itself ) and absolutely churned them out on whatever forums were around. They were a wholly new thing to me and I hadn’t even seen the film, but I dabbled a bit anyway :)

4. Do you read or write more fanfiction?

I write more at the moment, but I’m gradually trying to catch up with the reading. I missed Andor when it was first released and therefore the glut of fics from that time. But I’m getting to know the writers I really like and rediscover my own interests, genre speaking, along the way.

5. What is one way you’ve improved as a writer?

It’s really hard to compare as I haven’t got much left hanging around from my earlier years, but I would say that with several decades of teaching Lit under my belt now I do care a lot more about characterisation than I ever used to. It used to be all about the plot. I’m finding myself very drawn to subtext-heavy dialogue, internal monologues, drabbles and even poetry - the last being something I never thought I’d touch with a barge pole. I’m not saying I’m any good, just that I enjoy the challenge. That’s the main thing, in fact. These days I’m happy to embrace a challenge rather than shy from it. 

6. What’s the weirdest topic you researched for a writing project?

That would be what human flesh tastes like. For a Silence of the Lambs fic, obviously. The answer is apparently “pork crossed with beef” so I guess a genuine ragu lasagne would scratch that particular itch if anyone’s curious. 

7. What’s your favorite type of comment to receive on your work?

At the moment, as I’m pretty much starting from scratch and trying to find readers, absolutely anything. Probably excluding ‘don’t give up the day job’. 

8. What’s the most fringe trope/topic you write about?

Probably the cannibalism thing. Though that’s no doubt more mainstream nowadays…. I haven’t even looked at all the Hannibal (tv series) fics out there. 

9. What is the hardest type of story for you to write?

Anything long - the longest thing I ever completed was a 250 page novel but I was 14 at the time and haven’t come close since. Haven’t the stamina these days. Same with reading – I prefer one shots.

10. What is the easiest type?

Missing scenes or scene commentaries - not so much easy as such but probably my favourite forms, so they come relatively easily once I really put my mind to them. I find analytical essays the easiest of all, if I know the text well, but that’s no doubt a teacher-thing. I’ve made myself a regular feature on the Reddit Andor sub, probably to the chagrin of some :)

11. Where do you do your writing? What platform? When?

Looking at other answers to this one, I’m a bit perplexed. I have an elderly iMac and write on that. Hell, I used to do everything in long hand. Thank God I learned to touch-type. I guess I use Googledocs when forced to use my laptop. I’m fortunate to be semi-retired, so I generally find the time.

12. What is something you’ve been too nervous/intimidated to write, but would love to write one day?

Something longer, I guess. Hard to tell. I was and am intimidated by Smutfics, but had a go at a challenge recently and was quite pleased with the result. Not something I’ll be writing often though - not the main event, anyway. Love the buildups, and there’s some really great erotica out there, but I do get pretty stuck using the same vocabulary if I’m not careful. I’ve done a few humorous variations and quite liked those too. I’m British, lived in Bath for many years so like to imagine Austen’s ironic take on sex scenes quite a bit. 

13. What made you choose your username?

Nothing very deep - it’s to do with where I live. I’m a keen birder and Colley is an old West Country (England) word for a blackbird. 

Apologies in advance for tagging you - I’m sure some or all of you have been ‘done’ already! I don’t know a huge range of writers yet and I’m new to Tumblr and Discord. Absolute social media dinosaur as I am. 

Tagging @beladonna02, @ceruleanphoenix7, @faceofpoe, @jake-and-amy-are-married, @vadercat

[via-the-cryptid]

Okay, I love your snow queen au so much and I want to see where it’s headed for the future, but one question before I forget abt this bit: How did Snow Betty’s dynamic with Marcy work exactly? Betty never struck me as quite as motherly compared to Simon. More like awkward cool aunt vibes. Will be real with you, and never unfair, and does her best to comfort you if she sees you need it, but not good at being intuitive, or dealing w/kids, sort of talks to you mostly like a small adult at first and clumsier with getting down to the kid’s level. Obviously she’d still have a caring side, but I’m just curious about their dynamic.

Did Betty have to sort of adjust to getting better at being more parent like to Marcy at first? Did she always toe a line between mother and sister/cousin-ish? Did Marcy end up having a harder time expressing her feelings or needs because of Betty being more in her own world and less obviously emotionally giving than Simon? Did Betty get more motherly over time (ik in the show she’s not really given a chance to be more than off in her own world so it’s not totally fair)?

And their separation, woof, their separation. How did that go, the lead up to it and after? Did Betty decide to leave because she was scared of hurting Marcy too, and/or because it was too exhausting fighting the crown and caring for Marcy and she was afraid of what would happen if she stopped? Was Marcy willing to verbally beg Betty to stay or did she take it more quietly? How did Betty tell her?

Did Betty summon Hunson to take care of Marcy? She’s still into the things Simon is into, magic-history research vibes, but seemed like her skills still lay on a slightly different bent..?

Betty and Marceline’s relationship isn’t something I’ve had much opportunity to explore yet, which is ironic since they’re the focus of the fic’s second chapter! You’re definitely right about Betty being a bit less directly parental than Simon is, which is why I’ve decided to give her more of a gradual fall into parenthood rather than a willing shouldering of responsibility. Simon went into this knowing he was going to be Marcy’s father figure, Betty got whacked in the face with the idea half a month in when a sleepy Marceline called her ‘mom’.

Betty isn’t as good with kids, mostly because she tends to forget that they need a softer hand with certain things. in Marceline’s case this is mostly fine, but there are points (such as encounters with the oozers) when it becomes more obvious that Marceline is still fundamentally a terrified seven-year-old girl who feels completely alone in the world. Betty’s realization of this is what leads her to start being more soft and parental towards Marcy, whether consciously or unconsciously. Marceline, in turn, grows closer to Betty until they eventually form a more parental bond, but you’re right about Marcy having a bit more trouble with just talking about her emotions since, as you said, Betty is less emotionally vulnerable and more in-her-own-head about a lot of stuff. Betty also has to work through this, which she starts doing when she sees that Marcy is now having trouble with it, but ultimately she isn’t able to get through this block completely before she’s consumed by the madness of the crown.

which then brings me to their separation! I believe I’ve mentioned it offhandedly on another post, don’t remember which one, but Betty eventually falls to the crown when taking a final stand to fend off a band of vampires that are after her and Marceline. previously, Betty hadn’t used the crown nearly as much as Simon since she’s more physically capable and also more willing to straight-up Attack, meaning that she’s actually with Marceline for longer, hence how she meets the vamps. Marceline of course has some internalized guilt about being the reason Betty had to put the crown on that day, thinking that maybe she wouldn’t have fallen prey to it that day if she hadn’t had to defend Marcy against the vamps. Simon is actually one of the people who helps her get through that later because he, as the only other person that knew Betty and not just Snow Queen, is able to reassure her that it wasn’t her fault and Betty would never blame her for any of it.

Betty did not, however, summon Hunson, as she never ended up leaving Marceline in the same way Simon did — Betty’s thinking was a lot more along the lines of ‘the longer I stay, the longer we have together, I’m sure you’ll be okay as long as we’re together’, whereas Simon’s thoughts were more ‘I’m terrified of hurting you, so it will be safer for you if I’m no longer here to present that option, and I’ll make sure there’s someone else to be by your side in the meantime’. Snow Betty is a lot more impulsive and more willing to hold on than Ice Simon was, especially because Betty wore the crown far less and therefore had less opportunity to actually see it hurt Marceline. Simon had seen that, and so he knew how dangerous it was and in his mind, acted accordingly.