#at least the fanfictions we'd get from it

[lexosaurus]

Hello people who are getting into Danny Phantom through dpxdc!

I am not a dpxdc blog, but I am a gen dp blog. Here's a few things you should know about us:

👻 Most of us do not like Butch Hartman, the executive producer. We typically ignore him now. What you may not know is that while he was the "business guy" and the one who pitched the show, beloved artist and character designer Stephen Silver is actually the one who designed the characters for Danny Phantom (and, presumably, his team). Not only that, but he has also designed characters for many other shows of that era, including Kim Possible.

👻 Yes, we call ourselves the "phandom." We also, jokingly, sometimes put a ph in front of other things, like calling a fic a phic. It's a bit—don't take it too seriously.

👻 Yes, we have a subgenre of our fanfiction dubbed as the "dissection fic." While I may be a bit biased (as I've written a few), I think it's pretty good. You may enjoy it too if you like angst, who knows.

👻 No, you did not miss an episode, we collectively "made" an OC named Wes Weston who had the same character model as Danny but with a different color pallet. We just thought it was funny. You can read about his story here. The tl;dr is that he's the town crazy conspiracy theorist, he's the only one who knows Danny Fenton is Phantom, and he is constantly trying to prove it but nobody believes him. You remember Dib from Invader Zim? He's like Dib.

👻 On the contrary, you remember the finale of the show? That's okay, we don't either. Phantom Planet who? Never heard of her.

👻 But on the topic of adding things to fanon, the show's been off the air for decades. We're still around. Naturally, we've added things and made different AUs overtime. Different creators have different AUs they like, but you don't have to prescribe to any of them if you don't want. If you're confused about anything you see, feel free to pop me or anyone else an ask and we'd be happy to explain!

👻 There's also different bits of lore that were hinted on in canon that we've expanded. Things like ghost cores, half-ghost biology, worldbuilding with the ghost zone, ghosts having obsessions, dynamics at the school, etc. You're free to adopt or ignore whatever you'd like.

👻 The show is no ATLA, and it's a bit dated for its time, but overall it's a fairly fun background show you can throw on while you're cooking. If you've never seen an episode, I highly recommend watching at least a few fan favorites. I made a list here a while back, and I think it still holds up pretty well.

👻 We host a LOT of events. There's a full calendar of them here. You can assume these are crossover-friendly unless the event coordinators state otherwise (like in the case of phic phight). Feel free to join some!

Welcome, and have fun!

[userautumn]

i thought you would be happy with buck getting his oh moment and realizing his feelings for eddie but i guess you really were sucked into the bucktommy fanon created huh. Shame that you won't be able to enjoy canon buddie when it happens.

This is the only message I am going to answer about this specifically since I initially brought the topic up on my blog.

So, first of all, by definition, BuckTommy isn't fanon. Fanon is a ship or character that is completely generated by fandom. Buddie, for example, is fanon. Although they share a strong platonic bond, their relationship is not textually romantic. They do not kiss. They are not textually established romantic partners. Eddie said in the last episode that he is straight. So Buddie only exists within a fandom context. Conversely, BuckTommy is established as canon. Buck has touched mouths with that man on-screen. They were established as boyfriends and, now, ex-boyfriends. So it is, quite literally, impossible for BuckTommy to be fanon, even if fans do extrapolate, embellish, or reconstruct that relationship for their own pleasure. So, that's number one.

Number Two: According to this fandom, Buck and Eddie have had their oh moments a combined total of six times now at least (3x15, 3x03, 4x13, and 5x11, to name a few) and absolutely nothing concrete has come out of these events. The shooting is the closest we ever got, and that was four seasons ago. I don't begrudge anyone for reading that moment at the end of tonight's episode within a romantic Buddie context. Go absolutely nuts and have fun with it. But to me, that moment, such as it was, was more of the same - Buck or Eddie look at each other a certain way, or have evident (non-romantic) feelings related to the other, fandom loses their minds, they speculate, convince themselves they're right, nothing happens, rinse and repeat. I'm personally tired of the spin cycle.

I said I wanted strides toward Buddie canon to be made crystal clear and that's still true. You clearly see things differently (and that's alright), but outside the Buddie fanfiction hivemind, tonight's episode was not crystal clear. There was no discussion of Buck's feelings. He didn't vent them to Maddie or Bobby or Eddie himself. He didn't say, out loud, or indicate in any explicitly romantic way that he has feelings for Eddie. Buck having feelings about Eddie leaving is not the same as having feelings for him. They are best friends. They are family, actually. If Eddie leaves, Buck is losing the anchor to his support system and his (pseudo-)son. That's a big deal. That is an extraordinary weight to carry, especially on the heels of a significant breakup, and especially while dealing with abandonment issues. There was nothing romantic about that and, reducing that moment to a romantic reading, seems... odd. To me.

I'd like to think I'd still be able to enjoy Canon Buddie if it happens tbh. I actively write fic about those two in my spare time even though I keep my conversations about them to the DMs. But if I'm not able to enjoy it, it won't be because of the ship itself, it will be because I finally tired of the abject cruelty that's cropped up in this space. There's this unspoken rule in fandom that what happens during hiatus stays in hiatus, and we all just silently agree to move on from it when the show comes back. But I'm having a hard time with that this year because I've seen and experienced some absolutely insane things from this fandom the last few months that have stuck with me. So. Maybe I won't still enjoy it, but I hope I will.

I was really angry with the (non-Buddie related) content of this episode when you messaged me, so you probably thought or hoped I would bitch and curse you out, and we'd do this whole back and forth thing that would inevitably lead to you getting blocked. But I meant what I said - I have no interest in arguing with anyone about this show. We're not going to agree, and that's okay. I'm not your inspirational Buddie Warrior, and that's also okay. I have too much to deal with than to actively engage in internet beef. What is is what is, whether you or I or both or neither of us like it, and arguing about it isn't going to change it. So we might as will just learn to live with it and each other as best as we can.

I'm going to go watch TV now.

[edelgarfield]

man i wish we got to see more of kingsley bc fanfiction has finally gotten me fully on board & I know when the finale aired, introducing a new character instead of bringing back Mollymauk left an impression on people, which you can still see in Mollymauk Lives AUs. And I think if we'd gotten to see more of him & see his relationships with the rest of M9 evolve that would've won more people over.

bc I think I get it now, or at least I've made sense of it. The idea of Kingsley is emblematic of everything that M9 has fought for throughout the campaign. They're someone who was loved from the moment they woke up for the first time, who immediately had a place to belong and a family that loves them unconditionally. As soon as he wakes up, the first thing he knows is that eight people went through hell to give them a chance at life. Even when he's alone, he's always going to have a home to return to & eight people that will move heaven & earth to protect him.

Like he's definitely going to have his own struggle with identity & finding his place within M9, and challenges that come with the grief & joy that follows him. But he's never going to experience the crushing isolation & loneliness that each of M9 carried for so long. I think that's a very beautiful & poetic thing. They didn't get their friend back, but they were able to give someone the world they deserved to be born into.

[thescarletnargacuga]

SHADOW PUPPET

PART 4 OF THE UNSEEN SERIES: A HARLEQUIN AU FANFICTION

Harlequin AU credit: @tadc-harlequin-au @iamespecter

Shadowblade is my OC and NOT CANON

Featuring MOTSI, OC by @paper-fowl

WARNING: swearing, nightmare imagery, PTSD

~~~

"OW! Are you sure you know what you're doing!?" Jax loudly complained as Pomni mended a crack in his arm.

"I'm not Caine, shithead. You're lucky I'm even attempting this. Now shut up, so I can concentrate." Pomni focused her energy into the mending tool, slowly soldering Jax's wound closed. It was messy, but at least his inner workings were no longer exposed.

They sat with Shadowblade in the middle of the ruined warehouse where their epic battle with the silver beast ended. The beast's body laid headless, purple fluid congealing around it. Jax was badly wounded from using a powerful energy attack that finished the beast off. He could still fight if he had to, but energy was out of the question until he had more rest. Pomni wasn't too bad off, the only serious thing was some shrapnel in her left leg. Shadowblade needed serious repair, the giant dragonesque puppet had gone into shutdown and was unresponsive.

The sky was still dark. It was hours before dawn. Pomni had her mask to help her see in the dark while she attempted minor repairs. Jax bared the pain of the unprofessional work by occupying himself with conversation.

"Hey, is your pet going to live?" Jax nodded to Shadowblade.

"They better, or getting back home will be a bitch. I don't want to deal with you more than I have to." Pomni commented sarcastically to distract herself from her worry over Shadowblade.

"Ditto." Jax deadpanned. "You gonna call your boyfriend for help? They're pretty messed up." He looked over Shadowblade's torn torso and wings. If he hadn't arrived when he did, they would likely be dead.

"He's not my boyfriend." Pomni grumbled. "But, yes, I'll have to call him. Shadowblade's damage is too severe for me to even attempt to fix. We're going to be here for a bit. Even with his blink, I don't think he could get here faster than we did, and it still took us a whole day."

Jax rolled his eyes. "I told you we'd end up stuck here. Why don't you-.... Uh....why don't..." Jax collapsed.

"Jax??" Pomni put down the tool and double checked what she did, seeing if she damaged him in a way that would make him fall over. "Jax! Wake up! That's not funny! We need to-!!!!" Pomni felt it. An overpowering aura that made the air feel dense. She could sense the direction it was coming from but couldn't see anything yet. She instinctually reached for her sword, but her hand shook too much to unsheathe it. She couldn't stand, her body refused to move from its kneeling position on the floor.

Thunk.

Thunk.

Thunk.

Rhythmic tapping of a heavy metal cane echoed from the far end of the warehouse. Pomni's eyes went wide with panic. Not him. Not now. Please, if there is a god...

Thunk.

Thunk.

Thunk.

A towering, suited humanoid figure emerged from the darkness, within range of Pomni's night vision. The seven foot, bullhorn-head puppet walked slowly but with purpose. He was going straight for the silver beast.

Pomni hyperventilated. The Patriarch was going to kill her. She was defenseless and miles from Caine. She internally cursed herself for not even being able to draw her sword. She watched the imposing figure hold the end of his cane to the silver beast's chest. Firey red energy blazed down the cane and made the end white hot, burning through the beast's armor.

The Patriarch cut a hole over the beast's core with one circling movement of his cane, then held his hand out as though expecting something to be dropped into it. The purple crystal within the beast's chest cracked and shifted out of place before the very core of it shot out and landed in the Patriarch's palm. He closed his fist and pocketed the crystal before slowly turning his head to Pomni.

Pomni gasped, her heart going wild with fear. Everything inside of her screamed to run, but she fought it to stay with Jax and Shadowblade. Even under distress, she would not abandon them.

Thunk.

Thunk.

Thunk.

The Patriarch approached calmly, completely unbothered by anything around him. Then, in a burst of fast forwarded motion, he was directly in front of Pomni, staring down at her.

Pomni would have screamed if she could breathe. Instead, she scrambled backwards; managing to find the strength to back away, at least until she was against Shadowblade. She stared into the Patriarch's single bright red eye, knowing it would be the last thing she would see before the void.

"You have something I want." He held out his hand. His voice clear and derisive, but with a threatening undertone.

Pomni put her arms out against Shadowblade, covering their exposed core like she could stop him from harvesting it too.

Instead, an object in Pomni's vest jumped, drawn in by the Patriarch's telekinesis. She tried to hold it down, but the journal from the basement safe flew away from her and into the Patriarch's waiting hand.

"Thank you." The Patriarch gripped the journal and turned to leave.

Thunk.

Thunk.

Thunk.

Pomni's mind raced as she stared into the back of the Patriarch for as long as she could see him, half expecting him to turn around and put his cane through her heart. The air still felt oppressive even after he was long out of sight. She felt like she was holding her breath for eternity when it finally stopped. She gasped and held herself as she trembled against Shadowblade.

Jax groaned. "Fuuuuck, my head...what happened? What did you do to me?" He sat up, rubbing his head. His chest felt weird as well, like his soul had been disconnected from his body before coming back suddenly. He saw Pomni curled up against Shadowblade with a thousand yard stare. "Hello, I asked you a question."

Pomni didn't respond.

Jax got himself to his feet and dragged his tired frame over to her. "Pomni?"

No response.

Jax has never seen her like this. Something spooked the Harlequin into silence and it was freaking him out. They couldn't wait any longer for reinforcements. He extended his arm to reach into the saddle bag. He rummaged around until he found a communicator. They were outside of radio range, but the distress beacons were detected by the W.A.C.K.Y watch no matter where they were. He activated the beacon and sat next to Pomni. For once, he was fine with the silence. He didn't know what to say anyway.

~

Caine was roused from sleep by a pinging noise from his watch. "Huh..?" His vision swam as he struggled to focus on the noise. "Wha-.. woah!" He rolled off the bed, nearly hitting his head on the nightstand on the way down. He groaned and searched his pocket. His watch continued to ping loudly and a distress marker was lit up in the City of Gears. He got to his feet and hastily grabbed his things. He was about to start blinking when Gangle and Ragatha came in.

"Caine! What are you doing out of bed??" Ragatha fussed.

"Pomni's activated her distress beacon. I need to go." He tried to blink outside but his heart lurched from the overexertion, causing him pain. He grunted, clutching his chest.

"Absolutely not! You're in no state to travel." Ragatha put her foot down, trying to guide Caine back to bed.

"Unhand me!" Caine pulled away, stumbling into the bed post. "Pomni's in trouble!"

"Then we'll send others!" Ragatha argued, scared for his well-being.

"No...no... You won't get there fast enough. None of you can...oh god." Fear gripped Caine soul. He barely felt strong enough to stand, let alone blink all the way to the City of Gears. He cursed himself for holding on to the void for too long. Now Pomni needed him and he couldn't get to her.

"I'll take you." Gangle said quietly when there was a silent pause between Caine and Ragatha.

The two looked at Gangle, surprised. Caine steadied himself. "Have you learned to blink?"

"No...but I am more comfortable with my soul magic and I....can fly."

"Since when??" Ragatha gaped.

"Not long. I figured out I could do it when one of Kinger's stick bugs wouldn't come down out of a tree. Next thing I knew I was floating." She giggled lightly. "Caine, If you need to get to the City of Gears, I will take you as fast as I can."

Caine put a grateful hand on Gangle's shoulder. "Thank you. We need to leave immediately. Grab anything you may need."

Gangle swept out of the room and Caine double checked his pockets for tools. Ragatha sighed. "It's going to be dangerous. You're so low on energy, you're stumbling around like you've been drinking all night. Let me go with Gangle. Let us handle whatever's got Pomni down."

"With all due respect, if Pomni has activated her distress beacon, you wouldn't be able to handle what made her do it. She and Jax, and possibly Shadowblade, could all be downed. They'll need an expert healer. I can rest on the flight there. By the end I should have enough energy to at least help them, even fight if I must. Try not to worry." Caine adjusted his coat on his shoulders, as ready to go as he could be.

"Impossible, I'm afraid. Everyone here has come to mean a lot to me. Including you. Please, don't push your soul too hard. It can only take so much. I'm sorry if I'm being overbearing, I just...."

"You're a wonderful friend, Ragatha. The world needs more people like you. I'll be careful." Caine reassured.

Ragatha nodded solemnly. "That's all I ask...oh, before I forget, I found some information on the crystal that I think you'll want to know." She took the fragments out of her pocket. "This is piezoelectric quartz. It's used as a power source for marionettes. It comes in a variety of colors, but they all generally come from the same place. The City of Power."

Caine remembered what the Master said about the existence of a D.I.E in Shadowblade. "Within...oh my god."

"What?" Ragatha asked.

"That's how he did it. The rat bastard fused a D.I.E with a large marionette's power source and then used a charm to maintain control. The process required to do such a thing.... I'm sick just thinking of it." He gripped his cane hard.

"Who...?" Ragatha stood confused.

"I spoke with the foul soul responsible for Shadowblade. Why do you think I'm so tired?"

Ragatha took the reformed control charm with S.B's initials out of her pocket. "Here. I don't know if it'll be of anymore use, but you should have it."

Caine took it as Gangle rushed back into the room, wearing a small cross body bag. "I'm ready!"

"Let's go then." Caine turned on his heel, marching to the door. "Hold down the fort, Ragatha."

Gangle and Caine went outside, where the sky was showing only the slightest bit of light from dawns approach. Gangle nervously held her arms out. "I, um...have to carry you."

Caine jumped into her arms without question, eager to get going. Gangle securely wrapped her ribbons around Caine legs and torso, carrying him as though he were her bride. She was the only one even slightly embarrassed.

Gangle focused on the gentle breeze lazily wafting by. A silvery glow emanated from her heart, traveling down the ribbons she stood upon. The wind rushed around with force, becoming gale force in an instant. Gangle's ribbons caught the air and gained lift. Caine watched with fascination as they rose from the ground. Gangle leaned forward and she started flying quickly, due east.

"Well I'll be dipped. You're soul magic uses the wind! That's incredible!"

"Heh, thank you." Gangle smiled with a tiny blush.

"Now we just need to find someone who can influence water, and we can make our own weather." Caine joked.

~

Birds chirping in hazey morning light gently stirred Shadowblade. They were in a comfortable human bed, wrapped in warm blankets. The smell of food in the air.

Shadowblade sat up, feeling very light and strange, their body not moving in a way they were used to. Removing the blankets, they saw a fair skinned human hand. They gasp. Two hands. Dainty and young.

Slowly, they get out of bed, standing on two legs. They look down, lifting their long nightshirt to see two human feet. Ten toes. Cold against the hardwood floor. They take a step forward. Then another. They balanced as though they had been walking on two legs their whole life.

Shadowblade looked around the room. It was small; only a bed, small vanity and wardrobe. The sunlight pouring in from the window gave everything a warm glow. They go the vanity. A crystal clear mirror reflects their chest as their head stood just out of its sight.

Shadowblade's hand shook as they reached for the top of the mirror. They tilted it...to see a young woman wearing a bonnet staring back. Shadowblade touches the human face, staring wide eyed at the reflection. The face was that of a young adult woman. Bright hazel eyes. Light freckles dotted pale skin. They grasp the bonnet, pulling it off to reveal long dark red hair that spilled over their shoulders. The hair curled lightly, a bit frizzed in the morning humidity.

Shadowblade touches the hair. The thick locks slide between their human fingers. It was the softest texture they'd ever experienced.

"You awake in there?" An unfamiliar woman's voice called from beyond the bedroom door.

Shadowblade jumped, staring at the door like a startled cat. "Coming, mother!" They said involuntarily. They gasp and clap their hands over their mouth. Their voice was soft, melodious even, like Gangle's.

Their eyes went back to the mirror and they looked different. They wore a simple brown dress and their hair was tied back. They felt compelled to leave the room, so they went out to find "mother".

The house was tiny, a bit ramshackled, but cozy. Floors boards creaked with each step. They only had to turn a corner to see a woman standing at a stove, her back to Shadowblade.

She was humming to herself, stirring a small pot of porridge. Shadowblade approached tentatively, jumping again when the woman looked back at them.

"Good morning, dear! You slept late. Have a seat, breakfast is nearly finished." Mother said with a smile.

Shadowblade sat stiffly as they were served a meager meal of porridge and a slice of bread. They kept their eyes on Mother, not trusting to take their gaze away from a stranger.

"Wh...where...am...I?" Shadowblade said slowly, not knowing their own voice.

Mother sat next to Shadowblade at the table with her own food and gave a warm smile. "You're home, silly. I certainly wouldn't mistake this place for anywhere else."

"I don't... understand...how..?"

"Where else would you go when you are hurting? You've been in a lot of pain for a long time. I'm glad you finally made it back. I've missed you."

~

Jax eyed the shrapnel in Pomni's left leg. "...you gonna get that?"

Pomni still wasn't responding. She stared emotionless at the floor, lost in a daze.

Jax gripped a piece of metal sticking out of Pomni's leg and yanked it out.

"AH! SON OF A FUCK THAT HURT! WHAT THE HELL!?" Pomni gripped her leg, glaring at Jax.

"There you are." Jax tossed the shrapnel. "What happened to you? You got all weird."

"Nothing." Pomni said stiffly.

"Bullshit."

"I'm not obligated to tell you anything."

"You are if it puts me at risk. I pass out for no reason and then you start acting like scared child?"

Pomni picked at the remaining pieces of shrapnel in her leg, carefully removing them. "You wouldn't understand even if I told you."

"Try me." Jax said firmly.

Pomni locked eyes with Jax in an intense stare for a long moment. "...fine. Are you familiar with an entity referred to as The Patriarch?"

"No."

"I may be the last combat Harlequin, but I am not the only Harlequin. This self proclaimed Patriarch has been following me ever since I defeated Kingr. I've seen him everywhere... I don't know how he gets around so fast."

Jax paused, thinking. "...maybe he isn't real."

Pomni went ridged, looking about as mad as she could be. She pulled the collar holding her bell away from her neck, exposing an ugly scar. "He did this to me, just by LOOKING at me. He's real. I don't know what he wants... Some times he hurts me. Sometimes he doesn't. Nothing and no one can stop him."

"Caine hasn't fixed that?" Jax pointed at Pomni's neck.

"I never take off the bell... He doesn't know about it."

"Damn...what did The Patriarch do this time?"

"He took part of the core of that thing." Pomni pointed at the deceased silver beast. "And he stole the journal. I don't know what he would want with it, but I can't imagine anything good. I'm just glad he didn't take Shadowblade." Pomni looked over her damaged companion.

Silence fell between them once again. The only sound being the soft rhythmic hum of Shadowblade's core. Pomni took off her mask, morning light giving her enough to see.

~

Gangle zoomed across the sky as fast as she could. Making much better time than expected. Caine took the time to meditate, rejuvenating some of his energy on the flight. His watch pinging louder as they grew close to the City of Gears broke his trance.

"We're here already?" Caine checked his watch.

"I found a jetstream!" Gangle proudly announced. "Where are they?"

"Down there. The warehouse with the big hole in the roof."

Gangle gracefully descended through the roof, bringing the wind with her and kicking up dust. Pomni and Jax were on their feet, expecting a fight. Caine almost blinked to Pomni, but saved his energy. Gangle released him, feeling his anxious squirming.

Caine ran up to Pomni, checking her for injuries. "We came as fast as we could! What happened!?"

Pomni embraced him. "I've never been so happy to see you."

Caine stood stunned, looking to Jax and Shadowblade's body, but gradually hugged her back. "I'm glad you're safe."

Jax avoided looking at the hugging duo. He was more interested in why Gangle was so far away from the manor. "Well, look who decided to leave the manor walls for once. Enjoying your field trip?"

"Indeed, Sir Jax. The air is so fresh up high." Gangle was transfixed a moment, then looked away shyly. " Master Caine needed to get here quickly. So I helped."

"Descending from on high like an angel? That's one way to get my attention." Jax chuckled.

Gangle squeaked. "I didn't- I'm not- oh my..." She hid her face, emotive patterns on her mask changing wildly.

Caine wished Pomni wouldn't let go, this was the most contact he's had with her that didn't involve fighting in a long time. His very soul sang in her presence.

"Shadowblade isn't doing good." Pomni said quietly. "And...he showed up."

Caine's blood ran cold. "The Patriarch?"

Pomni let go of Caine and pointed to the silver beast. "He took the core of that thing that attacked us. I thought he was going to take Shadowblade's too, but he didn't. He just...left. Even thanked me. Condescending bastard."

Caine could see the broken core and blood of the beast. "...the traitorous son."

"Huh?"

"Later. Shadowblade." Caine started evaluating Shadowblade's condition. The torso and an entire wing were torn apart. Heavy damage to the neck as well. They lost a lot of fluid, the core was dim and cracked. "Void preserve me, this is going to take awhile." He puts a hand on Shadowblade's face, drowning at seeing no signs of life.

"You can fix them...right?" Pomni asked with worry in her voice.

"Enough to get them back to the City of Circuits, but even that's going to be hours. You'll want to get comfortable."

Gangle and Jax came close to hear Caine's take on the damage. Gangle gasped, staring right at the core of Shadowblade.

"Oh my goodness...I can see them."

"Yeah, they're kind of hard to miss." Jax snarked.

"No, I mean I can SEE them. They're soul... This creature is a puppet!?"

"Hey, that creature has a name." Pomni glared.

"I-I'm sorry. I never thought-...Poor soul." Gangle stared, transfixed. The energy from the soul escaped through the cracks of the crystal containing it's D.I.E. She read what came through. "You saved them..." She looked at Jax.

"What?" Jax looked behind him, like Gangle could be talking to someone else.

"The last memory they have is you stopping the silver beast from killing them. You're a hero."

Jax blinked. "You know what? We haven't had a chance to secure the perimeter. I'm going for a walk." He turned on his heel and made for a side door outside.

"Jax?" Gangle called after.

"Let him go." Caine said, not looking up from Shadowblade.

"I think I insulted him. I didn't mean to." Gangle said.

Pomni huffed. "I'll have to remember that the next time I don't want him to bother me."

~

"Am...I...dead?" Shadowblade asked Mother.

"Not in a way that matters." She cryptically responded. "Won't you eat? You need your strength."

Shadowblade looked down at the bowl and considered eating but something blocked out the sun coming through the window. Shadowed mist poured in through every window and under the door and even the cracks. Shadowblade stood so fast, their chair fell over.

Mother didn't react, watching Shadowblade solemnly. "I wish we had more time..."

Shadowblade breathed heavily, they had no means of defense. They were small and weak and fragile as just a human. Ominous mechanical growling came from outside, from all sides of the tiny house. The mist filled the building, choking Shadowblade's throat and stinging their eyes. They fumbled blindly for a door but found nothing. The building they were in was gone. There was only darkness.

A golden light shined down on them. Two large eyes peered from the shadows. Shadowblade ran, but no matter how fast or far they thought they went, they couldn't get away from the eyes watching them. Ever nearer.

They ran until the eyes were on them. A beaked maw large enough to swallow them whole descended upon them. Then, they were the eyes. Feeling tall and powerful...and cold.

The mist dispersed to reveal an unknown battlefield. Human bodies by the hundreds were piled and rotting. Puppets torn to uncountable pieces littered the landscape. They knew this was their doing. They never failed a mission. Obey the Master. Seek and destroy.

Behind the stoic mechanical eyes was horror beyond comprehension. Shadowblade was realizing for the first time the true weight of what they'd done. All those people, humans and puppets alike, dead by their hand. The blood that stained their soul would never wash away.

~

Caine focused hard on putting all of his energy into healing Shadowblade, mending vital systems first. Pomni stood watch, keeping a com handy if Jax reported something. Gangle sat with her eyes locked on Shadowblade's core, taking in as much information as she could gather.

"Shadowblade is a she..." Gangle commented.

"Do you know her name?" Pomni asked.

"Not yet. Their a lot of memory to sift through and...most of it is as this form. She's been a puppet much longer than she was a human."

"Fucking hell..." Pomni grimaced.

"She fought in the war." Gangle added. "Against her will."

Caine tossed Gangle the charm. "You can thank this for that."

Gangle examined the ruinic stone. "SB... Shadowblade?"

"No, but an amazing coincidence." Caine answered. "Probably why they liked the name to begin with."

Pomni's com came to life with Jax's voice. "Hey, you bonzos wanna see something cool? Go outside, south side of the warehouse, and follow the ramp down."

"Really? You want to look for more trouble?" Caine guffawed. "We're lucky this place isn't swarming with marionettes."

"I'm sure that silver beast over there took care of anything troublesome a long time ago. I need to stretch my legs." Pomni left to go see what Jax wanted to show them.

Gangle stayed, putting a sympathetic hand on Shadowblade. "What will we do when she wakes up?"

"I don't know..." Caine answered honestly. "Figure out how to communicate, that's for sure, but otherwise, I'm not sure what we could do for her."

"Maybe a new body? Like the rest of us?"

"If that's what she wants, but I'll have to figure out how to safely extract the D.I.E from the crystal. This is all unique technology and I don't want to risk severing her soul from the mortal plane."

Gangle frowned, seeing more of Shadowblade's memories and state of mind. "What if she wanted you to do that?"

Caine paused. "Then I would understand." He left it at that.

~

Pomni met Jax on a subsection of the warehouse. They were in what looked like a massive subway tunnel system, but there were no rails. A tunnel to their left was collapsed, a train buried in the debris. To their right, an open tunnel with an odd looking train intact and waiting for passengers that would never come.

"We need to work on your definition of cool, Jax." Pomni looked around, bored.

"You don't know what these are, do you?" Jax forced open a hatch near the front of the complete train.

Pomni saw writing on the side of the nose of the train. "Mobile Operative Transport, Sector I."

"Exactly! It's a MOTSI! One in good condition, too. These living trains took people back and forth across and to other cities super fast. I rode more than a few in my time. Always fun."

"Living..?"

Jax activated a power stitch in the front car and the train came to life with a loud hum. As it shifted, the front of the train shook debris off its head raising it slightly from the ground. Bright yellow lights shined in Pomni's face.

"Ha! It still works!" Jax cheered. "We just got our ticket out of here."

The MOTSI train was more snake-like now that it was active. A faded white and red paint job was down the entire length of it's body. The hatch Jax had opened shut him inside and the train went off through to the only available opening in front of it.

Pomni stepped aside, avoiding being accidentally crushed against the wall. The movement of the giant train made the earth beneath it rumble. It forces it's way out of the smaller entrance, under Jax's direction, and breaks free of the underground railroad.

All the noise got Caine and Gangle to rush outside, prepared to fight, only to see a massive metal snake coil itself around a building. Jax popped out of the top front section, behind the head, and jumped down. "I got us a ride home. You're welcome." He smirked.

The snake stayed put, watching Jax.

Pomni joined the others. "This is getting ridiculous. Why can't we find any small pets."

"I was about to ask the same thing." Caine stared up at the snake train.

~

Shadowblade tore at their body. Their claws ripped away armor and spikes and cut into vitals. They tried to speak, only roars and rumbles of anger and agony came out. All they could hear were their own thoughts.

I am not a monster.

I am NOT a monster!

I AM NOT YOUR PUPPET!

I AM ME!!

They dug their claws into their chest. The crystal cracked under their grip. The pain was immense.

YOU DO NOT CONTROL ME ANY MORE!!

Shadowblade roared as mist poured from them. It formed a shadowy silhouette of their form, glaring back with the same golden eyes.

YOU ARE NOT ME!!

Shadowblade crushed their own core. Golden shards fell like stars from their chest. A white light beamed from the center of the crystal, piercing the shadow. It scattered in the harsh light.

I am...me.

Shadowblade's mind felt clearer. More memories came, but they didn't hurt. They flowed freely like a river that had been dammed for too long, washing away the barrier that held them back from feeling human.

~

Caine went back to Shadowblade alone, the others entertained by their new pet. He was about to continue repairs when a sharp sound from the core for his attention. He watched in amazement as thin black tendrils sprouted from the center of the crystal, forcing their way out through the cracks.

The new flesh wove itself into Shadowblade's inner workings, spreading across the entire body like vines. Shadowblade's eyes slowly brightened as she came to consciousness.

Caine smiled softly, putting a hand on Shadowblade's head. "Welcome back."

Shadowblade rumbled, happy to see a familiar face.

~~~

To be continued...

[cowboylikeyouu]

why does everybody hate mcu clint so much??? i’ve read his comics but i still love jeremy renner’s portrayal of him and stuff :(

like i can understand being disappointed in some ways about how the character was changed for the movies, but i can’t understood all the hate for him

for me, personally, it's not that mcu clint is a bad character per se, it's really just the fact that he doesn't feel like clint barton. give him any other name and he's a fine character, but compare him to comic clint and they're in NO WAY the same person.

on one hand you have that responsible, serious husband and well adjusted father of three, who cracks a joke here and there but takes everything pretty serious most of the time, who has his life under control, while everyone else on the team is a mess. he doesn't have that much of a personality, no weird habits or (dis)likes, he really fades in comparison to other team members like tony, who's lines are always on point and who gets a back story and everything.

on the other hand there's this 6'3" disaster of a human being, who lives for coffee, dogs, tv shows and nothing else, is obsessed with purple for no reason at all, grew up in a circus after he escaped his abusive dad, can't take anything seriously and cracks the funniest joke all the fucking time, even makes fun of captain america on a regular basis (at least in the early avengers comics), runs away from himself and responsibility, fucks up nearly all of his relationships because he really sucks at emotions, but then forms those really precious bonds with people like kate, and who's just kind of an asshole really, but simultaneously a fucking ray of sunshine. plus he's deaf and we always love some representation. oh, and mcu clint is like the straightest guy ever, and then there's comic clint who is just so easy to headcanon as this bisexual disaster, and we all know how much fandom loves a queer coded character.

so, the mcu basically took away every fun part of the awesome character that is clint barton and it SUCKS. i really don't hate movie clint as his own character, i just hate hate HATE the fact that he's supposed to be THE clint barton because he IS NOT, and he'll never be. i'm sorry, but jeremy renner just can't pull it off, i'll never understand how they saw bigger-than-steve, blond-mess, purple-loving, coffee-addict comic clint and where like: "oh yeah, let's cast 5' 9" jeremy renner and give his character a huge, healthy family, and no mental health problems, that's just perfect😍"

it's just so sad to be aware of the awesomeness of comic clint and then watch the movies because you're constantly thinking "oh what could've been..." if they did comic accurate movie clint, he'd definitely be a fan-favourite and we'd have tons of edits, and ships, and merchandise, but NO, most mcu fans just forget about him or don't find him special or entertaining (bc his mcu version really really isn't) and he gets left out of all the casual merchandise you can find in random shops (i literally have an album on my phone that's dedicated to photos i took of cheap avengers merchandise with the "o6" avengers sans clint lmao)

you're obviously allowed to love movie clint and jeremy's portrayal, that's great!!! i was an mcu fan way before i even knew just how different comic clint was, and i loved mcu clint so much back then! but after reading the comics and thousands of fanfiction, i'm just really really angry that there isn't a good live action on screen representation of my all time favourite fictional character, and i think many people feel the same :(

okay, i think i'm done lmao.

anyways, shout out to avengers assemble clint, my one true love <3 the mcu should take notes.

[stormycs15]

⸻ Topside, Male Oc x Reader ⸻

Chapter Three: (Not Much Time)

Characters: female reader, Vi, Powder, Mylo, Claggor, Vander, Oc, Enforcers, Vander

genre: fanfiction, Arcane season 1

summary: Life has been hard for you're friends and family in the Lanes. Doing odd jobs to get by is second nature for you, but will one job topside really change your lives?

word count: 2522

Previous / Next

Your POV

I run my hand through my hair before entering the bustling bar. I'm not looking forward to talking to Calyx—I have no idea how he'll react. With a lecture? A disappointed speech? The place is packed tonight, no doubt buzzing with rumors about what happened in Piltover earlier today. I'm sure my mother is busy gossiping with strangers, trying to stir up rebellion among Vander's followers.

As I enter, I spot Calyx working behind the bar. With a sigh, I hop over the counter to join him. He glances at me through his shaggy, brown, medium-length hair before returning to mixing drinks for patrons. Before I can even don an apron, orders start flying at me. I wince while shaking drinks—the pain isn't too bad—and carry on. We work in silence for a few moments before Calyx speaks up.

"That from the explosion?" I hear from my left. I look over to see Calyx, his eyes still on the drinks. I frown as I pour one. I knew I had no idea how he'd react, but I wasn't expecting this. I sigh, getting some ice for the drink.

"No, some idiots who were waiting for us at the border," I grumble, pouring a beer from the tap. I hear him pause, and I turn to see him looking down at the drink in his hand, emotions clearly bottled up. I roll my eyes and go back to making drinks. "I'm fine, Cal. It barely hurts," I say, handing some drinks to regulars.

"Why didn't you guys wait for me?" he finally asks, a slight hiss in his voice. I stretch my arms, tired from today's excitement.

"Violet really wanted to go. They were going with or without me... I didn't want them to get lost in Piltover, and Violet said you'd tell Vander no matter what. It wasn't my plan—you would've been on my list." I look at him, and he finally meets my gaze, raising an eyebrow smugly. I roll my eyes before pouring more drinks.

"We'll talk about it after the shift. I'm glad you're back in one piece, though," he says. I can't help but look down at the drink in my hands with a small smile. I hand it off, mulling over his words. We work the rest of his shift in comfortable silence amidst the bustling bar. I honestly enjoy it—I don't need to talk to have a good time with Calyx. It's why I like hanging around him. A few hours pass, and as we near the end of the shift, Vander emerges to take over for Calyx.

"Calyx..." Vander says, making both Cal and I turn to his father. Vander glances at me before focusing on his son, his expression grim. "Make sure they lay low and stay safe," he says in a low voice. Cal nods seriously to his father, then turns and motions for me to head to the back. But I frown and step forward instead.

"I'll catch up with you, okay?" I say, stuffing my hands into my pockets. I notice his eyes flick to where my hands disappear. His gaze meets mine briefly before he nods and walks off. I turn to see Vander surveying the bar, clearly waiting for me. I take a seat on a stool, feeling his eyes on me. It's slightly uncomfortable. I swallow, resting my arms on the table, trying to hide behind them a bit.

"I know why you went with them," he finally says, and I sigh. "Even if it was in vain... why didn't you talk them out of it?" he asks, sounding tired.

"I tried to... I even tried to stall them so Cal would find out, or we'd run into you. But Vi had her mind made up, and I knew if I didn't go, they would've gotten lost or caught," I grumble, knowing I should've tried harder. Vander is silent at my words; I can tell he agrees with me.

"I don't know what to do with her... She has a different kind of fire than Cal does... he at least listens to me. She just reminds me of her father," he grumbles, pouring more drinks for customers. I just sigh. I never met them...

"She's unhappy with how we're treated down here. She wants to change that. She thinks she can be the one to do it," I say, watching as Vander fills a cup with beer and hands it off before turning to me.

"I was like her once," he says, looking down at me. "I thought I could solve our problems with my fists. But life only gets harder when you live that way. And it hurts the people around you more." I avert my eyes at his words.

"I'll try to help Cal keep them in line," I say, starting to get up from my seat.

"Hey, [y/n]..." Vander says, making me turn back. He doesn't look at me as he speaks. "I'll try to talk to them."

I sigh with a huff. "You don't have to. It won't change anything." I turn to go downstairs and meet up with Cal.

At the bottom of the stairs, I find Mylo, Vi, and Cal. They all look at me, and I quickly scan the room, gathering this wasn't a happy conversation. I avert my eyes as I walk down the steps.

"Oh, and don't forget about her," Mylo says, trying to deflect attention. "She gets hurt on every mission we go on." I raise an eyebrow at his words.

"Mylo, will you stop?" I say, halting a few feet away from him. He looks up at me with furrowed eyebrows. I rarely raise my voice.

"Yes, Powder made a mistake. Yes, I made a mistake. You make mistakes too, Mylo. There won't be another mission—can't you wrap your thick brain around that? What we did today was a mistake. Half of the underground—no, half of Piltover knows what we did. While Vander does his best, he can't hide us forever. It's only a matter of time before someone snitches on us." I growl, poking his chest as he gulps.

"[y/n], calm down," I hear Calyx say. I don't look at him, keeping my glare locked on Mylo.

"Instead of talking, maybe you should make yourself useful. I don't know, try to pick some locks or something." I turn and jump up, grabbing onto one of the beams to pull myself up. I grunt as I haul myself onto my loft, slamming open the hatch door to show how angry I am. On the roof, I look down at my bandaged hand and sigh, moving my good hand to my side as I close my eyes.

"You know, it's extremely hard to get up here. Not everyone is as acrobatic as you," I hear. I look up to see Cal. I huff, amused, and crawl over to hold out my good hand. He takes it, and I help pull him through the hatch. He sits down next to me silently and starts to unwrap the fabric on my hand. I watch as his delicate fingers prod my swollen wrist. I wince a few times before looking up at his face. A look of concern shows, and I can't help but stare. He's always so quiet, but never shy.

"I'm sorry, you know," I mumble, earning a look from him. "I didn't say it earlier, but I really wanted to at least tell you."

"I know how Violet can be, [y/n]. It's okay. Everyone's safe," he says, shaking his head.

"No, it's not, Cal," I say sternly but softly. "You deserve an apology either way. You won't be getting one from Violet, so you're getting one from me."

"Are you hurt anywhere else?" he asks. I quickly avert my eyes, and he reads my silence. He sighs, rewrapping my wrist. "Where?" he asks. I don't move, causing him to furrow his brows further. Slowly, I move my good hand to my stomach, near my ribs. He sighs, drooping his head.

"Is that from the explosion?" he asked, his voice tinged with concern. I nodded slowly, eliciting an exasperated sigh from him.

"How did it even happen?" he inquired, absently fiddling with the edges of my shirt.

"I'm not sure... Something about that place was weird, Cal. This inventor—I've never seen anything like his plans. I went through some of his journals; whatever it was had to do with these small blue stones. I saw Powder playing with a few before that jerk came back." I grumbled, finally lifting my shirt just enough to reveal the large bruise on my side. "As I was trying to get everyone out, something exploded and I collided with something," I added quietly, earning a silent, worried stare from him. I avoided his gaze, but I could tell the bruise was bad. He took what remained of the bandages he'd brought up and began wrapping them around my stomach.

"You need to be more careful," he finally said, taking my hands and lowering them, my shirt falling back into place. I looked at him, studying those green eyes carefully.

"That's why I'll be sticking around with you," I smiled, earning an eye roll from him. I just smirked, squeezing his hand that hadn't left mine. He didn't say anything—he didn't need to. I could hear a commotion from the bar and frowned, looking away from him, knowing they were here.

"Let's go find the others. We were told to look after them anyway. They're probably at the arcade—let's go," he said, already knowing who I'd sensed entering the Last Drop. Pulling me up, I followed him down to the hideout. There, I saw Vi using the boxing machine, Mylo and Powder at the shooting range, and Claggor just standing around. It was eerily quiet when we arrived. I surveyed them all as they continued with their individual ways of passing the time. I walked over to a spot under the rafters, jumping and quickly pulling myself up with my good hand. I turned and offered my hand to Cal; he quickly took it and joined me on the loft.

"Remind me why we even bother with this dump?" I heard Mylo ask. I started bouncing my leg, listening to everything going on.

"Vander said to lay low... Enforcers never come down here, so it's as good a place as any," Violet replied, throwing a few punches at the machine.

"What's the matter, Mylo? Scared Powder's going to beat you again?" I teased from my perch, smirking. I heard his mocking grumble in response.

"I'd win if she didn't keep fixing these things up," he said defensively. I rolled my eyes, lying down with my legs dangling over the side. I closed my eyes, trying to relax a bit.

"You know I wouldn't take you guys on a job you couldn't handle, right?" I heard Violet ask, making me open my eyes and turn to look at Calyx. Our eyes met at her words, and neither of us said anything, knowing it would be an unpopular opinion. We loved Violet, but her anger sometimes clouded her judgment, putting us at risk. As they continued to talk, I sat up, narrowing my eyes. I pulled my legs up from their dangling position; Cal noticed my sudden focus and followed my gaze, though he couldn't see anything. I started to see enforcers harassing some people and frowned. I didn't notice Powder getting closer to the window, and before I could say anything, a man was thrown out, landing motionless on the ground.

I turned to Cal with a worried look, which he returned, shifting closer to me to watch the unfolding scene. I observed the enforcers entering the arcade through the now-shattered window. As they started to circle the rest of the group, a blue shine caught my eye. Blinking, I saw Powder hide her pouch where I'd spotted the blue glimmer. My eyes widened as I reached out, clutching Cal's shoulder. I slowly began to piece the information together. Those blue stones... the shock I felt. The energy that had been pulling at me. Those weren't stones—they were Arcane crystals. I'd only heard of them before, but it made sense now: the explosion, the blue flecks in my vision. I'd thought I was just seeing stars from the blast.

Those things were dangerous. As my mind filled with worry, a hand placed itself on my arm. I looked up and nodded at Cal. We needed to find a way to get them out. This wasn't good—what if they found what Powder had? I tried to get into a good position, but just my luck, the enforcers walked right under us. I looked to Claggor, noticing him already eyeing Vi. I shifted, ready to jump, and just as the lights switched off, I leapt down onto the back of the enforcer below me. I turned to Powder and ushered her over the counter. Jumping after her, we both dodged the illuminated moving figures with ease.

I went to duck when I was yanked back by my wrist and pulled face-to-face with an enforcer. I tried to tug away, but his grip only tightened. He started to drag me back through the arcade. Scanning for anything I could use to break free, I spotted one of Powder's new experiments. It had big jaws with spiky teeth, and we were walking right past it. Using the little momentum he gave me, I pulled him back so his arm was between the jaws. I reached up, trying to slam it down, but quickly realized my bandaged hand wasn't strong enough. I heard his triumphant laugh. Looking up into the enforcer's face, I gasped at the chilling glint in his eyes. Suddenly, the jaws snapped shut on his arm—enough to leave a nasty bruise. That was definitely going to hurt later. I felt a gentle hand grasp my good arm, pulling me away from the enforcer. I started running, my knees wobbly.

I turned my head to see Calyx practically dragging me out the back door. Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I fell into pace with him. I needed to stay focused until we were safe, so I intertwined my fingers with his as we ran after our friends. I didn't want to trip or accidentally lose him, but in the haste, I couldn't tell if he squeezed my hand back.

[musette22]

I wonder if Steve has a significant amount of imposter syndrome, especially when he came out of the ice. People had solidified this idea of him and expected him to excel and be that, hell even his teammates were just like oh I know all about you. (Expect maybe Thor, who I think was one of Steve’s closest friends in the beginning)

He can’t escape these expectations and if he goes against it, he’s berated for it. It’s made even worse with the serum, but at least with that he had the howling commandos to ground him and encouraged him. In the 21st Century there was no one to bounce of and the fact it would have been made worse by his survivors guilt.

Idk Steve is a character that has so many layers but gets over looked because he isnt allowed to fall into a vulnerable headspace. I kinda wished we saw more of that in his character, not in like a reflective sort of way but a kinda overwhelmed by everything portrayal. I’m sorry if this doesn’t make any sense.

Oh absolutely, yes! I think you're completely right. I also think Steve struggles hugely with the expectations people have of him, the dichotomy between the persona & legend of Cap versus the real Steve Rogers. He had to get used to a whole new body first, and then on top of that, he also had to learn to deal with all those expectations and the idea(l) people have of him which he doesn't even recognise himself in, half the time. He doesn't feel worthy of all the attention and hero worship, constantly thinking that if only people knew the real him, they'd be sorely disappointed. At the same time though, I think he feels like the whole celebrity aspect of being Cap is empty and meaningless anyway, most of the time (except for when he can use his fame to do something good, of course, which he tries to do as much as he can because otherwise, what's the point?), so in a way I think he doesn't even want to live up to people's expectations of him. He is also known for his stubbornness and righteousness, after all 😉

And yeah, in the 21st century, there isn't anyone left who knows the real him, who can grab his shoulders and shake them and tell him that it's the real Steve Rogers, that little guy from Brooklyn who was too dumb to run away from a fight, who makes Cap great, that he is worth knowing and loving. That his ideas may be reckless and harebrained more often than not, but that he does what he does for the right reasons, because he is a good man first and foremost, even if others can only see a perfect soldier. He must've felt so enormously alienated and lost, those first few years 😔

While I love the idea that (most of) the Avengers would've ultimately come to understand and appreciate Steve for Steve too, the way things stood at the beginning of TWS, they definitely weren't there yet (thank god for Sam, who at least tried). Which is why I adore the kind of fics in which Bucky, after he comes back, is not only cared for and helped to get back to himself by Steve, but in which he also gets to care for and help Steve to get back to himself in return ❤️ Mutual healing, that's my jam 💫

And yes, Steve Rogers is actually a huuuugely layered and complex and interesting and underrated character, and I will die on that hill!!! The MCU unfortunately did not explore any of this nearly enough (in fact, they cut some of the scenes that would've been the most telling when it came to the state of mind he was in) and they massively oversimplified his character development for the sake of action/tony/heteronormativity/etc. I'll always wish we'd have gotten to see more of Steve's motivations and character in the movies, but I'll also always be grateful that fanfiction has given us what the MCU didn't dare, and a thousand times over too! ❤️

[not-poignant]

wait okay so now that you're seriously thinking of publishing, will you be writing a new prequel to game theory with the new 'Canon'? like the story as it's meant to have happened between gwyn, augus, terho and the nightingale, or are we just starting from game theory?

ALSO I'm so glad that you might be publishing the ftv soon for wholly selfish reasons -- you're clearly done writing about these characters, but personally I am nowhere near done reading about them, and I'm definitely not creative enough to write fanfiction myself either, so I'm just stuck rotating the characters inside my head like a microwave😭😭 it's really tough out here!!!

imagine the massive wave of new readers and the new community that's gonna come in once the story's more accessible... IT'S SO EXCITING

Hi anon!

No prequel, I'll be starting with Game Theory (and Deeper into the Woods will be published afterwards as a prequel, just as it was chronologically in general!)

Quite a bit of Game Theory is being edited and new content being added (anyone on the Gary & Efnisien tier can already see about 2,000 words of new content in the first three chapters alone, including new scene/s with Crielle), and some content being removed where it's OOC. The events with Terho and the Nightingale will be explained in Game Theory, with Gwyn likely meeting with Terho (or learning about him) a few times within.

As for Fae Tales, you know, it's nice to think there will be some new readers, and there might be like a handful or two, but there will be no massive wave. It is the least popular thing I've written in proportion to the amount of time I've put into it. Even the AUs have all generally done better proportionately.

It's one of the reasons I've never rushed to publish, honestly. It's a lot of work to put into something that you know will never financially justify itself. To the point where I think other projects are far more viable financially (Underline the Rainbow as a series I actually think would be great, because new, meaty omegaverse has a very intense (though small) fanbase and I think that series would bring more people in).

There would be no massive wave of new readers. I think we'd be lucky to see at most about 10 or 20 new folks, and I'll cherish everyone, but I'm also pretty realistic. More people find all my other works these days than Fae Tales, The Ice Plague is still one of the worst performing things I've written in proportion to length + time + work investment (despite being one of my favourite series out of anything I've written).

I think I'm realistic, and I also think there's a chance that the Fae Tales Verse if published could draw some haters. Most people don't want that level of BDSM in their epic fantasy, unless it's much lighter 'romantasy,' which Fae Tales definitely isn't. There's even a chance I might get my KDP author account suspended because of breaching content TOS/violations.

So yeah, it's a risk, but I'll take it. It's just not a risk I'm prioritising right now, because I can't see a way that the Fae Tales Verse will ever really go that far. Hand on heart, way more people who come over from my fanfiction find Falling Falling Stars and Underline and almost no one (with maybe a few exceptions - I love y'all) goes into the canon these days unless they're older / long-time readers.

[elizabethrobertajones]

I wish to hear the tales of siren Lizzy driving men into rocks with disinterested lesbian asexuality! Those sound like fun stories!

Oh my god, like, the most recent event, I think I manic pixie dreamgirled a dear friend, who we'd met in weird circumstances (he and his brothers were notable town characters being small business owners with a visible presence and themselves as a trio came across a lot stranger than they actually were. A bestie of mine met his brother and married him and he's the nicest most normal guy, so his brother (much nerdier) became a sort of friend-brother-in-law and we became friends, but I'd reacted in shock and awe to my friend having met her husband by chance since I recognised them in a very silly way and when I was a teen had used their appearance for characters in a story on account of them being Notable Strange People In Town and I'd thought they were only background characters in my life forever until then and therefore fair game to take inspiration from.)

I was just being me at him (chatty, fun, extremely weird, trying not to admit I'd basically made up spy fanfiction about him and his brothers a decade earlier) and he also was sort of weird in a benign normal nerdy way so I didn't think there was anything strange, until I realised he was coming around regularly and bestowing quite large gifts and writing really really really nice birthday cards specifically to me (easy to tell when you're a twin and your twin also gets a present and card from him) which made me start to realise he miiiight have a crush on me, and then I thought about it some more from his perspective of meeting me and how I can be rather full on in person and he was a wallflower who rarely got any attention especially compared to his two more conventionally normcore brothers, and realised I'd accidentally enabled him up to the point that I briefly considered just marrying him to avoid the embarrassment if he did proposition me. But I sort of gently ghosted and just toned back the interaction to group chats and collective meetings and while I feel sort of bad and miss hanging out with a friend who is in town, it was probably very sensible because he was way too nice to accidentally destroy through awkwardness :P

since I'm biromantic and demisexual I do end up crushing on guys and giving anyone a really long time to shoot their shot because I can't tell if I'm just mildly crushing and it could be more or if it's going to turn into more but it is Always a catastrophe and makes me feel More Gay Than Ever in the aftermath and I know now after so many failed attempts I am Not Meant to date at the very least any guy who is excessively cis, het, shy, or normcore in interests because I just end up in a spiral about not matching them in any way whatsoever despite my surface ability to start crushing, and it causes an enormous communication gulf that they are never equipped to handle and I always end up feeling like I'm trying to explain myself to a brick wall until I give up and things fall apart, because in the same time I was giving them a run up, they had already fallen completely in love or else thought we should already be having tons of sex and were hurt I wasn't interested yet and couldn't SAY that so they get passive aggressive and super weird and - aaurgh. Sometimes I just want to be friends, also, but that can also be seen as interest from some people so then they hit a double brick wall where I only ACCIDENTALLY led them on and I sometimes don't even know myself which one it was if I did crush on them at least a little at first.

I do catch myself thinking sometimes that I should just shave my head to try and get some sort of visible barrier up XD

[xvxblahhhxvx]

What if skk got caught in a bank holdup

A random idea/fanfiction by me.

Inspired by: the shower (truly, it's a magical place)

Because like, imagine, will you, that Dazai goes to the bank on his day off after payday, possibly looking to get some new bandages, and who should he come across but Chuuya, who is there to take out some money from a totally legitimate Port Mafia account. They'd probably bicker for a minute, Dazai would find at least three ways to insult the mafioso, who would then shout back at him, only to have everyone else in the bank shoot them strange looks, so he then resorts to whisper shouting. Until suddenly, the doors burst open, and in rushes five men with guns blazing, their faces obscured by masks. "This is a hold up!" they declare. Three of them usher all the bankgoers to one wall, forcing them to sit down quietly. And of course, if any of them try to call the police, they'd really get it. The other two deal with the clerks, getting them to open the vault, and no one gets hurt.

Meanwhile, Dazai and Chuuya are watching this play out with mild amusement. After one of them sticks a gun in Dazai's face and tells them to move it, they share a shrug and walk to the wall, plopping down criss-cross applesauce. The patrons are shaking. Some of them are crying, some are praying. Dazai folds his arms behind his head and leans back against the wall, suppressing the urge to yawn. Chuuya takes the opportunity to munch on a granola bar and observe the robbery with vague interest.

With his eyes closed, Dazai asks... "so...are you going to stop them, or...?"

"Nah," Chuuya answers between bites. "I haven't eaten much all day, so..." He turns to Dazai. "What about you? Aren't you the detective here?"

"Yeah, but it's my day off now. I don't want to work."

"Yeah, yeah, definitely know the feeling."

"Hey, you two!" shouts one of the thieves watching the hostages. "Be quiet!"

"Sorry." Neither of them sound particularly apologetic. They sit for a few more minutes. Dazai yawns and stretches. Chuuya finishes his granola bar. Nothing changes.

"What's taking them so long?" Chuuya mutters. He's starting to get annoyed. "Some of us have things to do, you know."

"This is actually really pathetic," comments Dazai. "We could have gotten double the money and been halfway back to the base by now, gone before the police even knew there was a threat."

"And we'd never do it like this," agrees the mafioso. "This is too loud, and it's got no class."

"Right? It's like begging for the police to come. And besides, this whole hostage situation is thin as paper. If they really wanted to intimidate people, they should have shot someone by now, prove they're serious."

"Those guns probably aren't even loaded."

"Honestly, this whole set up is awful. Truly amateurish."

"This whole thing would be much smoother if we did it. Maybe we should help them, just so they can get their money and leave the rest of us alone."

"That-"

"Hey!" shouts the same guard again. He points at Dazai, then at Chuuya. "What did I say about talking?! If you don't shut up-"

"No, you're doing it wrong," Dazai informs him.

"I...what?"

"If you really wanted to intimidate us, you should have fired off a warning shot, at the very least. Even if you're too coward to actually shoot a person, at least don't make it so obvious the thing's not even loaded."

Beads of sweat drip down the thief's face. "Huh?"

"And could you tell your friends there to hurry up?" adds Chuuya. "They're going to be caught at this rate. Obviously, the clerks are stalling. They're probably sticking in the lowest bills they have to give the bags some weight. It would be way more efficient to have one guy guarding the clerks and two of you doing it yourself."

"Just figure out the accounts with the most in them and take from there," Dazai suggests, standing up. "You'll get more and faster like that."

Chuuya rises as well. Now, the other two thieves who were supposed to be guarding the hostages come to back up their friend, pointing their guns directly at their heads. Dazai frowns.

"Hold on a second, can I see that? Thanks." He reaches out and grabs the nearest thief's gun, and before he even has a chance to protest, he opens up the magazine and shakes it.

"See? Empty. Would it really have been so hard to even find one bullet to put in there?"

From behind their masks, the burglars begin to panic. The public, now aware they're being held up by nothing, stand up angrily.

"And look!" Chuuya strides over behind the counter, where the clerks are supposed to be filling up bags with money. He takes one out of a male's clerk's hand and dumps it out on the floor. "All 1,000 yen bills. If you had just paid more attention, you could have made off with much more. And, now the police are coming."

Indeed, the sound of wailing sirens gets louder and louder. The thieves glance at each other. With a single nod, they turn on their heels and run.

"Not so fast!" All of the former hostages block the door. The thieves freeze, turning to Dazai fearfully. He shrugs.

"That's what happens when you don't back-up your claims. This is due to your own stupidity."

The public manages to easily restrain the thieves until the police arrive to take them away. As they're being dragged out, Dazai and Chuuya merely watch with their arms folded, shaking their heads and muttering to themselves.

"Disgraceful."

"What a sloppy job."

"Embarrassment to all criminals, really."

"Can't believe I had my time wasted with this crud."

"Hopefully, they'll do better next time."

"Yeah. If you're going to hold up a bank, at least do it well."

After the thieves are taken away, the police ask Dazai and Chuuya about what happened, since everyone says that they're the ones who stopped them. They answer with vague statements that amount to nothing, and leave the bank before they have to get more involved.

Neither of them speak much, each caught up in his own memories from the past. Eventually, Dazai decides to head back to his apartment, though not without giving one good jarb on Chuuya's height. In the end of the day, he supposed he did stop them. Well, as long as it didn't have to count as work-

The next day, both Chuuya and Dazai were required to make a report on the matter.

End.

[charlidos]

I keep writing Viggorli fanfiction in my head, sometimes with a little help from Viggo's poetry. I think Viggo uses his art and poetry to express himself, but of course no one but him can know what he was thinking when writing it. But I can imagine. And I wish to imagine he wrote some of them thinking of Orlando. I'm sure my imaginations and theories are only new to me.

As with the O+H painting, the poems which are dated from the time frame of filming LotR (1999-2002) can reasonably be considered to be quite influenced by everything Viggo experienced while in New Zealand. He spent 18 months+ there, after all. For this reason, I read his poem Communion imagining he was also under the heavy influence of love for his elf boy. And to me, it reads like a very romantic but also very wistful poem. So this story would be labeled "friends to lovers, angst".

In my view, at least two sort of objective facts, support my not-very objective theory that Orlando is the unamed object of desire, namely Viggo's choice of words:

"Bloom of compassion" - the most obvious (too obvious even? - or hiding in plain sight?) - it's a common enough word, sure, but in this context, during this period of Viggo's life, is it really a coincidence? It seems to stand out like a neon sign: BLOOM. It's difficult to unsee.

"Anglican doorway" - "Anglican" mostly refers to "Church of England" or the Anglican communion as a whole. But it can also be another way of saying that something is English. And so it can be read as "English doorway", if you wish. Regardless, it certainly leads your thoughts towards England. Furthermore, Orlando was brought up in the Church of England (and born in Canterbury, the place of origin for the church, no less), while Viggo has no known connection to any religion really. It's perhaps not as obvious as bloom, but it's still quite a significant choice of word. Again, in this context, at this time, when we know Viggo spent so much of his time with Orlando.

Here's my interpretation of Viggo's Communion:

we've left shore somehow become the friends of early theory close enough to speak desire and pain of absence of mistakes we'd make given the chance.

The two are described as friends, who have become closer, intimate in words and thoughts. Sharing secrets, fears, feelings. Bordering on something more.

each smile returned makes harder avoiding dreams that see us lying in the early evening curtain shadows, skin safe against skin. bloom of compassion respect for moments eyes lock turns forever into one more veil that falls away

He seems to be having thoughts of them becoming lovers, the veil of "just friends" falling away. But it seems to be still just a dream, a hope. It's such a beautiful image: the two of them, together, intimate, safe. And that "bloom of compassion", maybe V just wanted to get the word in...

this after seeing you last night, first time smelling you with permission: shoulders to wonder openly at as carefully kissed as those arms waited impossibly on. they've held me now and your breath down my back sent away the night air that had me shaking in the unlit anglican doorway.

But seems they've already been intimate, maybe just a first kiss, a lingering touch, holding each other. The "smelling you with permission" implies he's smelled O without permission before. Sneaking a little sniff when in close contact. Inhaling the sweet scent of a beloved friend. If we accept "anglican" as a reference to O, then what is this unlit doorway? Is it just an image of being allowed inside O's private space? And why is it unlit? As in Orlando being from that church, but not believing in its god? Or an opening into this other person which is difficult to find, maybe not fully opened to him.

are we ruined for finding our faces fit and want to know more about morning? is friendship cancelled if we can't call each other anymore in amnesia, invite ourselves to last glances under suspicious clocks telling us when we've had enough?

A worry that sex will ruin their friendship, implying it's not clear what their relationship should be, even after crossing that line. I love that phrase "finding our faces fit", it's both funny and beautiful; finding that when they kiss, they felt a sense of belonging. And that they probably don't want to stop. I'm not sure if he also worries about other people seeing, finding out, being in the public eye. And he worries that they won't be able to talk like they did before, as friends.

your steady hands cradling my grateful skull: were you taking in my face to save an image you've rarely allowed yourself after leaving that cold alcove? am i a photograph you gaze at in moments of weakness?

Again, he seems to feel this relationship only exists in private, in bed. Maybe implying that O regards it as a weakness, these feelings. This part could also be read as if it's him looking back, when the relationship is over, or changed, distanced, wondering if O thinks of him.

you ordered me off my knees into your arms. wasn't to beg that i knelt; only to see you once from below.

The image of V on his knees could both be a sexual thing, but it could also be about worship; that he wants to be on his knees to adore O. But it's also a part of the poem's religious theme; you usually kneel while taking the communion. You kneel to pray.

tried to say something that filled my mouth and longed to rest in your ear. don't dare write it down for fear it'll become words, just words.

The relationship seems fragile, filled with fear of loss. Like he can't say everything he wants to, afraid it'll lead to it ending. There's so much desire and longing, but also so much despair of the relationship being so brittle, that it can fall apart at any time.

Once I read it this way, like with that painting, I can't see anything else. Maybe it's just coincidences, maybe it's just something from inside Viggo's brain (and not connected to reality), maybe it can be read in many other ways. But since my brain is warped, I can only read it like this.

[hollowhearts-and-espresso]

on an outsiders kick so heres the main gang as things me and my friends have said

Soda: Your wish is my command. Be gay forever

Steve: I'm still straight but I'd fuck you now

Soda: Not that gay

--

Darry: I dont really like you. Why are you always hanging around?

Dally: I ask myself the same thing every single day

--

Pony: I know we're supposed to be saying embarrassing things about ourselves but before we talk about me i'm really upset Two-Bit didnt mention the fact that he was in love with thomas the train

Two-Bit: i watched ONE episode when i was FIVE go fuck yourself

Pony: You have a shrine by your bed

Two-Bit: irrelevant

--

Johnny: I'm not really scared of anything, no

Johnny: but cats freak me out. and so do dogs, sometimes, but mainly cats. and especially ducks. oh, and needles, and doctors in general. also loud noises, sharp objects near me, any sort of projectile, and stoves. but like, thats not that many things

Dally: I understand so much about you now

--

Pony: I'm going to write a novel and all of you are gonna have characters based off you. Any questions about it?

Two-Bit: Am I hot?

Pony: No. Next question

Darry: Am I going to regret reading this?

Pony: For sure. Next.

Johnny: Please dont make me a crybaby

Pony: You shouldnt read this. Next

Steve: Can me and Soda date?

Pony: You already are. Next

Soda: Can me and Steve not date?

Pony: Too late. You know you love him. Next

Dally: You're going to make my character really deep, arent you?

Pony: Possibly. Havent decided yet. Anything else?

Johnny: Is Dally as hot in the book as he really is?

Pony: I'll no longer be taking questions because I'm extremely uncomfortable, but on second thought, you might really like this book

--

Two-Bit, upon walking in on Steve and Soda cuddling: I leave for FIVE minutes and i'm left out of fucking everything. all the fucking time. i hate everyone in this house

Steve: Do you want to lay with us?

Soda: Yeah, come lay with us

Two-Bit, practically dropping himself on them: I'm still mad at you

--

Dally: For some reason Ponyboy is really obsessed with the idea of me being really soft inside and just not showing it so I dont get hurt. I think he wants me to be narrative foils with our other friend too

Dally: How do i tell him i'd change the narrative doom him if i could and feel no remorse without crushing that hope in him

--

Pony: I like to think its a secret but me and everyone around me knows im writing a slowburn, hes only soft to him trope, slight enemies to lovers fanfiction about Johnny and Dally in my head

Dally: the term fanfiction implies i have fans

Johnny: i'm a fan of you

Pony, whispering: they practically write it themselves

--

Dally: Here, i stole this. dont ask questions, just take it

Darry, taking the sleeping pigeon that Dally just handed him with a mildly horrified expression: where did you get this?

Dally: i told you i'd bring back souvenirs from my field trip. no more questions

--

Johnny: Not many people like me.

Johnny: its probably because im kind of a pussy, but i like to tell myself its because i'm annoying because at least then im not calling myself a pussy

Dally: Wait, wait. Who doesnt like you?

Johnny: Huh? Why does it matter?

Dally: No reason. Just, like, give me an example

Pony, in the kitchen and hears all of this: *puts the knives in the cabinet where Dally wont look for them* I dont really want to have to bail anyone out again

--

Soda, to Darry: I think Steve is kind of in love with me, but I really dont want to have to break it to him that I dont feel the same

Steve, with Soda in his lap: *stops playing with Sodas hair* What?

Soda: Nothing, baby, you're fine

Darry: I will never understand you

--

yes, one of my friends did bring a live pigeon back from a field trip. it slept a lot, and we'd hold him all the time while he slept and he'd stay asleep when we passed him around because we had to move. i hope he wasnt sick and is doing okay

[honey-worm]

A fanfiction I wrote about 10 years ago. You can find it on Wattpad here https://www.wattpad.com/story/51392437-all-my-love🫶🏻 More chapters will be published soon! Tell your Harry friends about it! 

**Please be aware that this story is RATED-R. Viewer discretion advised. It is full of ups and downs. A rollercoaster full of vulgar language, alcohol, sex, passion, kindness, confusion, pain, anger…but most importantly, love. I would like to warn you that it is a toxic relationship where love overpowers all. I do not advise that you romanticize toxic relationships in real life. This is strictly for entertainment purposes only. It has been a way to escape from the real world for me and to use my creativity. I want to proclaim that Harry is only used for his name, birthdate, and “frat boy era” appearance. This character is not based off Harry's real life personality and stardom. This character does not affiliate with the real Harry Styles.**

Rebecca Bowman is the soft and sweet type of girl. Her world is turned upside down as she finds herself in a sticky situation with one of her best friends, Harry Styles. She never would have thought she’d end up being friends with benefits with someone. That’s not how she values love… Only something in her changed as she decided it was time to move out and live with her best friend, Stella Paxton. Over the next year, she found herself mesmerized by Harry and his unusual, mysterious ways. He’s charming but arrogant. Sweet but angry. Cold but hot… All the traits her mother always warned her about as she was growing up. “Stay clear of the misunderstood and unemotionally available men, they’ll only cause you pain.” Angie would say. Rebecca knew she was in deep for a rude awakening once she made up that irresponsible label with one of her best friends.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Viewer Discretion Advised For Mature Audiences Only  18+

Chapter Word Count: 2.7k Chapter Includes: Sex

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CHAPTER 72

| Flashback | 

It's been three. Three months since driving to Harry's and telling him to give me experience. Little did I know that we'd end up doing something at least once a week, and if we're lucky, twice. At first it was a little strange doing all these sexual activities with him but the more we did it, the more I've grown really comfortable. 

It's actually surprising how long we've kept it a secret from everyone. I'd like to brag about how well we keep it on the down low while sneaking around. Not even Stella has a clue and she's usually the first one on top of everything.

"I totally just whipped your ass in Mario-Kart once again!" Harry shoves it in my face as his character, Bowser, crosses the finish line in first place. For the sixth time I should add. I roll my eyes and frown when baby Peach comes in tenth. 

"It's hard using the steering wheel." I huff, setting the white controller wheel on his coffee table. When I cross my legs on the couch, pushing my hair back, Harry turns off the game to switch on regular television. 

Taking me off guard, Harry's hand lands on the inside of my thigh, slowly running his fingertips up and down. My skin rises, my stomach tenses, and the lump in my throat makes it hard to breathe from the sudden mood change. Our eyes stayed glued to the television, ignoring the fact that Michael could walk out of his room any second now. 

Harry's fingers start dancing their way over to the front of my shorts, slowing down the pace they're going at. The feeling of his fingers messing with me, rubbing the outside of my clothes, are sending chills all over my body. I gulp when he puts more pressure, causing me to glance over at him who is glued to the TV screen in a smirk. 

Just as I begin to shut off my mind, Harry's hand gets ripped off of me, clearing his throat the same time he repositions on the couch next to me. I look at him confused, wondering why he stopped but Harry's eyes gesture over. I look to where he pointed to and sure enough, Michael is walking over with his eyes on his phone.

"What are we watching?" Michael finally looks at the screen and then over at us, plopping down next to me. I look over at Harry, who then looks over at me with an annoyed look on his face over the fact that he just got interrupted. I exhale and sink more into the couch, crossing my arms while I keep my eyes on the TV screen. 

•••

I walk out of guest bathroom that sits across the hall from Harry's bedroom, taking my time to get back in the living room. I'll be back with an annoyed, sexually frustrated Harry and a clueless Michael that still hasn't left to go hangout with someone. I remember he mentioned who that someone was but I was too distracted from the secret touch of Harry's pinky on the side of my leg to listen. 

I do admit that I've been teasing Harry, which is probably why he's so grumpy about the fact that Michael's still in the room with us.

Whenever he was in the kitchen making a snack, I purposely got up to get a drink just so I could try to reach for a cup on the top shelf, giving him a good view of my body. Not to mention, me bending over as I looked in the fridge to get out the apple juice, knowing his eyes were glued to my butt. It only made me giggle when I'd look back at him. A tense jaw with a hard inhale before looking away to finish the preparation.

I look down at my nails, that are depressing from how much of the blue polish has chipped off. Without paying attention as I'm walking, I run into what feels like a brick wall. When my eyes meet what's in front of me, I see Harry smiling down at me. 

"Watch where you're going, yeah?" He asks in a laugh and I squint, shoving at his shoulder only to look behind him for a second. I push him up against the wall, surprising Harry which helps my confidence. He breathes hard, deepening his eyes into mine as he stares down at me. He sucks in his lips with a raise of his chest the same time my small hands creep their way underneath the front of his shirt. My fingertips slowly glaze along top of his skin causing goosebumps to rise. When I palm his chest, I take notice how warm he is. No matter how cold it is inside or outside, his body holds heat better than anyone I know. I get up on my tip toes, hovering my lips over Harry's who licks his, yearning for me. 

"Alright guys, I'll see you later!" Michael yells from the front door, interrupting my move to plant my lips against Harry's. 

"Okay." Harry raises his voice loud enough as his eyes continue to burn holes in my mine. We wait for the door to shut and without a second to spare, Harry rips his shirt off and cups my face. Our lips connect, sparking the mood and I feel my back hit the wall the same time Harry pushes his body up against mine. My hands travel up and down his back, feeling his lips line my jaw before moving down to my neck. 

"Harry." I pant out when he reaches my favorite spot. He hums against it in question and I swallow all my nerves down before running my fingers through the hair on the back of his head. "I'm r-ready." I manage to say and Harry quickly stands up straight. 

"Ready?" Harry asks and I nod, biting my lip. "Like... To have sex?" Harry's emeralds are glistening from the pleasure of being turned on and I blink mine a couple time before stuttering a nod. "You need to speak Becca, nodding isn't good enough for me." Harry tells me with demand behind his voice and I part my lips. I know that, I just can't get myself to speak over the jittery feeling I'm going through.

The couple times I've told him I was ready, I backed out just as he was going to enter. I felt so bad each time I did. I thought I was ready like really really ready but the closer he got to entering, the more I became terrified. I think I'm more scared of how it's going to feel than anything. I've heard it hurts like hell or that it doesn't or that it only hurts for a second. My pain tolerance isn't very high but I need to get it over with. I'm bored of just his tongue and fingers.

"Yes." I say in a whisper and he deepens the intensity with the stare. If we continue to stand here and gaze at each other, I know for sure I'll tell him to forget about it. I can't keep waiting. 

"You have to be absolutely sure this time Becca. I-I'm not rushing you or trying to pressure you into it but this happened a couple times before and you ended up backing out." Harry tells me and I take a deep breath.

"I know, I know. But I'm sure, for real this time. I want to." I speak with confidence and holding our eyes in a lock. "Please?" I add and he licks his bottom lip trying to hide a smirk but it appears. Harry doesn't say a word, he only scans my face before staring at my lips, planting his on mine seconds later. His tongue pries it's way into my mouth, battling against my own as he picks me up by my thighs to walk us to his room.

As I'm laying down on Harry's bed, with him hovering me, I can't help but promise myself that I won't let this get to me. The way you see it in movies or in books. 'You'll be attached to the person you have sex with.' It's just sex. Everyone has casual sex. I won't fall in love. I can't. I won't. We agreed there'd be no strings attached. Just like he has said, shut off the mind, let the body take control. I'm capable of that. 

Harry lifts my shirt off above my head, tossing it on the floor. I watch as his eyes eat up my chest while he unbuttons his jeans with a tense jaw. I do him the favor of sitting up and unhooking the back of my bra. The straps fall down my shoulders before I let it finally fall all together. 

No turning back, my subconscious reminds me. 

My cheeks become a sudden shade of red because of the parted lips I'm getting from Harry. He's only seen my breasts once before and it was an accident. I stepped into my room after a shower and sure enough, Harry was sitting on my bed. I wasn't even expecting him and I definitely wasn't expecting to drop my towel from the startle.

"Stop being so shy. You're fucking hot." Harry tells me in a husky voice above my lips and I swallow hard as I start laying back again. He follows, skipping the lip to lip action and immediately leaving soft pecks all over my neck. 

Goosebumps rise and I let out a moan before my mind can keep up from the sensation of being underneath him. 

No strings attached. 

His touch is magical. Magnificent even. I always have to remind myself that this isn't a dream and that his touch is actually happening in real life. Out of nowhere his left hand grabs ahold of one of my breasts, gently massaging the same time he sucks at my neck. It sends a shot of electricity through my body and another quick moan falls off my lips. 

I honestly didn't think it'd feel as good as it does by but here I am again being proven wrong. Harry's mouth leaves my mouth and starts with sloppy kisses all over my chest, kissing the top of the breast he just massaged. His lips move to my other, kissing around my nipple slowly while his left hand slides down my stomach. I start to arch my back from the bed because of the new feeling of breast play but his hand pushes me back down. 

Just as I thought nothing could beat this new sensation, his mouth wraps itself around my nipple, causing me to look down at him. Holy crap. My heart is racing already. 

Harry's eyes make their way up to mine and smirks against my breast, noticing my pleasurable reaction. It only encourages him. His tongue swipes across the top of my nipple while being in his mouth. My head falls back into the pillow, letting the feeling take over and I feel like my breathing is all over the place. 

Not expecting it, Harry's hand is in my pants, working it's way in my panties and I shutter from the chill of his rings that never seem to leave his fore and middle finger. Harry's lips begin to plant salt and pepper kisses around the breast as his fingers make it my clit, moving in small circles. My jaw falls open and my eyes close just as his fingers move down my folds, teasing my entrance. No strings attached. I push my subconscious to the back of my mind. I thought I had already blocked her out.

"You respond to me so well. You're already so wet." Harry speaks low and my insides stir from the way his voice is raspy over each word. Harry gets up on his knees, fumbling my shorts, keeping his eyes on his hands. My eyes stay glued to his hands, growing anxious for what's going to happen any second now. 

My shorts are ripped off along with my red panties, tossed with my other articles of clothing. Harry licks his lips, staring down at my area as he spreads my legs apart. As much as I'd like to be shy in this moment, the look in Harry's eyes is too appealing to start now. He gets off the bed and walks over to the nightstand and opens up the top drawer, picking up a box of condoms. My eyes stay on him while he takes one out and tosses it back into the drawer. "Open this." Harry hands the condom wrapper to me and takes his pants off, watching me do as I'm told. I hear Harry spit and look over at him, now stroking himself before getting back on the bed. No turning back. I gulp as he again spreads my legs and he takes the lubricated latex away from me. "I'm going to ask you one more time before I put this on, are you sure you're ready?" Harry asks, locking our eyes and I nod staring at his now red lips. "Use your words." 

"Yes I'm sure." I squeak out and he nods once before rolling the condom down on himself.

"No strings attached." Harry then says, taking me off guard.

"No strings attached." I mock him with a smug look and he smirks. 

Suddenly my nerves are through the roof, my body is on fire, and my breathing is skipping rhythm. My eyes are stuck staring up at the ceiling and the thoughts rush through my mind, wondering if this is a bad idea or not. I want this. I know I do but why do I have to be so scared? I trust Harry more than most guys, let alone people, but this is about to happen. My virginity is about to be taken from one of my best friends.

"Becca, look at me." I hear Harry's voice and my eyes shoot to his. He notices my nerves and leans forward, hovering over me to give me a few kisses to calm them down. His lips drag down my chest and stomach before going back to sit up on his knees. "Relax." Harry whispers, running both of his hands slowly up and down each inner thigh of mine. I close my eyes and inhale holding it for five seconds before exhaling. "Just tell me to stop and I will." 

"No." I spit out instantly and a belly laugh escapes Harry. 

"There's a possibility it will hurt so please tell me when you need me to stop." He says, his voice low. I nod only to correct the nod with a vocal okay. "I promise you, you'll be okay." Harry licks his lips, spreading my legs a little bit more before positioning himself in front of me. I feel the half cold half warm latex rub against me, warning me that any second he'll be entering. I don't even know if I'm really breathing right now. I'm so anxious, scared, but honestly really excited all at once. My emotions are flying, giving me no time to know which one I'm actually feeling.

I try to take a deep breath as Harry begins to slide himself in but a sharp gasp falls out the farther he enters. This is happening. This is really happening, he's inside me. The pain of the foreign size causes tears to prick my eyes and I squeeze them shut before gripping the sheets to help relieve my tension. 

"Am I hurting you?" Harry asks with concern and I shake my head as I bite down on my tongue at the uncomfortable pressure. Harry moves at a slow pace, making sure I'm not completely overwhelmed from this whole new thing we're doing. I'm thankful he isn't being harsh about it. I've heard way too many times by old friends and Stella that most guys just go for it, not even making sure they're enjoying it. So being the one in bed with Harry is relief in itself.

A million thoughts are running through my head but not one can I process. Harry's being so gentle, almost so loving from the way he's handling this for me. It has me thinking about his first time. I never asked or care to really know. "I'm going to move a little faster, okay?" Harry's hands touches my cheek. "You're tight from being nervous so I need to get used to you." He informs me, moving his hand to the top of my head and running it over repeatedly in comfort. I gulp and just let my body take over, feeling him pick up the speed.

| End of Flashback |

[whizzochocolate]

dearest @memorial-sewer tagged me in this & i am an absolute sucker for q&as so here we gooo!

do you make your bed?

always. part of my morning routine.

favourite number?

7. don't even really have an explanation for it but it continues to be a number that randomly pops up throughout my life.

job?

i work in a grocery shop.

if you could go back to school would you?

absolutely not. i went to 2 different highschools & both of them felt like they were birthed straight from hell. not to mention that teenagers & kids in my area have a tendency to be nasty little creatures.

favourite childhood sport?

i liked running as a kid. not sprinting or endurance. simply running for funsies. even better if i could incoporate obstacles. climbing over/through stuff, running around something etc. but i was never a fan of stuff you'd do in PE or team sports.

i still like that type of running & walking. nowadays i'm very into watching sports.

can you parallel park?

my father has said i'd be quite good at it if i was capable of driving a car – which i'm not.

do you think aliens are real?

i do believe there's more life out there somewhere. i don't want to speculate in which form it may appear but i'm pretty certain there's at least something we'd attribute to our definition of nature.

can you drive a manual car?

no but i'd love to look into learning in the future because i am really fascinated by old cars & pretty much all of them are manual.

what's your guilty pleasure?

reading/writing fanfiction in the middle of the night & making very obscure playlists.

tattoos?

when i was younger i really wanted to be covered in tattoos. i specifically loved blackout sleeves. now it's not top of my bucket list to get inked but i might get around to getting a few.

favourite colour?

blue & yellow. lots of earthy tones, too.

do you like puzzles?

i can't remember the last time i sat down to actually do a puzzle but i do think i'd find it quite relaxing. i really like puzzle games & such.

any phobias?

emetophobia. which is an intense fear of vomiting. doesn't matter if it's me or someone else. i don't think i have to go into further detail.

do you talk to yourself?

all. the. time. but that's because i spend about 90% of my time alone & often surrender myself to daydreaming.

let me tag @knoxoverstreet16, @chapmanzz & everyone else who'd like to feel tagged, just go ahead :)

[sunflowersunite]

Here for the character ask game! This is gonna be LONG, sorry i couldn't help myself 😭

2. Favourite canon thing about them?

Eren, Mikasa

3. Least favourite canon thing?

Eren, Mikasa, Levi

5. The first song that comes to mind when you think about them?

Hange

6. Something you have in common with them?

Eren, Hange

8. Something the fandom does to them but you despise

Eren, Hange, Levi

9. Could you be roommates with them?

Levi

10. Could you be best friends with them?

Mikasa, Hange, Levi, Eren

17. A ship about them that you're fine with and you don't hate?

Mikasa, Hange

20. The ideal best friend for them?

Hange, Levi

thank you for the looong ask @quillsandblades, it was so great thinking about these!! (plus you asked me all about my four faves!)

For the character ask game!

2. Favourite canon thing about them:

Eren: his damned determination. Eren fights for his dreams, he fights and he just doesn't know when to give up. This just doesn't exist in his vocabulary.

Mikasa: her strength, especially emotionally. That girl will live, she will keep moving forward even if she's lost it all. How she longs for peace and fights for it. How she loves, deeply and certainly.

3. Least favourite canon thing

(This question is the reason why it took me so long to answer this, especially for the Ackermans. I just couldn't find anything negative.)

Eren: he never?? addressed his feelings for Mikasa?? I'm not saying this as in "Eremika was badly written", no, it was beautifully written, but Eren just ran from his feelings because he's a damn idiot. He planned a free future but forgot to live in the present. Also how he straight up left in Season 4, it ruined me.

Mikasa: She and Eren didn't have a proper conversation in the Paths like he and Armin did (although there's a canonical and logical reason about that one). Also she killed Eren. That was Not Cool, Isayama.

Levi: His Ackerman ancestry wasn't acknowledged properly. No bonding moments with Mikasa. Not wondering what the Ackermans even are, what their purpose is. It was brushed off entirely. "Guess I'm an Ackerman now. Oh, shit, I'll have to do tons of paperwork to legally change my name."

5. First song that comes to mind when I think about Hange?

Bauklötze, forever and ever. It's her song now.

But besides that, Curses by the Crane Wives

There's a fire in my brain, and I'm burning up Oh my, oh my Keep running for the sink, but the well is dry Oh my, oh my Every word I say is kindling But the smoke clears when you're around Won't you stay with me, my darling When my walls start burning down, down, down?

before you kill me, no, it's not because of the fire rather than how overwhelming everything is.

("won't you stay with me, my darling/When this house don't feel like home")

How out of place she feels. But the melody is still cheerful because despite everything, she's still Hange Zoë.

6. Something I have in common with Eren and Hange

I dream big

I get excited and passionate

but my soul can feel heavy at times

8. Something the fandom does that I don't like

Mischaracterization throws me off big time in fanfiction. I don't finish if a central character is ooc. Examples I can think of right now are: Eren being depicted as a "bad boy". I don't mean "rough and a little rude", that's just Eren. I mean substances and lack of respect (towards women, especially Mikasa) etc.

For Hange, it throws me off if the ooc version of her is a damsel in distress and/or passive.

Now, specifically for Levi, I don't know if the fandom is still obsessed with him or if they've moved on. He is a great character, but the obsession was a little too much. I bet that Levi would consider himself overrated if he knew what was happening in the real world.

9. Could I be roommates with Levi?

Sure! I'm not that organised or tidy if I get used to living in a space, but I'm quiet and I respect boundaries. He'd tolerate me, I'd make him cards for his birthday, we'd watch movies together and comment on how much the script sucked. I'd help when he'd be too constipated to communicate things like feelings with Hange. She'd be my friend, I'd invite her over and Levi would be jealous of how well she and I are getting along.

10. Could I be best friends with them?

Mikasa: not best friends, but if we clicked, we'd make a great duo. We'd hang out in silence. Whenever we talked, it would be about something deep and we'd be satisfied until our next discussion.

Hange: yes! I'd tag along in her experiments, she'd read my stories. She'd inspire me to study and learn more, and have fun with it. Who wouldn't want a friend like Hange?

Levi: I don't think so. But his heart is in the right place, so we'd hang out and drink tea together and communicate in a civilized environment (?) about recent findings. Plus in the aot extended universe we've established that we're roommates, so we get along just fine.

Eren: possibly! I'd have to run behind him and therefore we might argue a lot, but I care about that idiot so I don't mind. We'd be thick as thieves. And unlike his current best friends, I'd make sure he addressed his feelings properly.

17. A ship I'm fine with and I don't hate-- Mikasa and Hange

I did not expect that question, but let me tell you, I had so much fun. Because I get to share a dumb crack headcanon of mine.

Of course my favourites are Eremika and Levihan and I wouldn't care about the ships at all if Mikasa and Hange were with other people. But hear me out:

Mikasa x Reiner. That would be hilarious if it was confirmed post canon, so much that I wouldn't even be mad. I even headcanon it jokingly. In all seriousness, Mikasa died single. But in none at all seriousness, imagine her with Reiner, who is canonically terrified of her. Imagine if they got married post canon for the tax benefits or whatever and they're basically only roommates. Reiner gets scared out of his mind every morning when he sees Mikasa because she's the focal point of his PTSD.

For Hange, Zekehan, since we're talking hilarious ships. As I've mentioned in my study on Zeke's role in Levihan, it intrigues me how a character who's not remotely interested in romance is portrayed in some fanfiction to be interested in Hange (and how under different circumstances he totally would have a crush on her, hands down). I don't like it but I don't hate it either.

20. The ideal best friend for Hange and Levi?

Each other, all the way. They're meant to be together in every way possible, significant other, best friend, co-captain. They're so different yet they manage to fit together so well and they communicate wordlessly because they know the other one's soul. It could never have been someone else. In every universe they find each other, and in every universe, they're best friends.

(you should know about that 😄)

Thank you again swordslinger! 😉

[kyu-nee]

Calling for a SKZ roleplay!

Hi!! As you can see my name is Kyu, currently 24, and starting my summer break for the year! With only my part-time job to keep me busy during the summer months I am very free to amble about all day thinking of my eight favorite brainrot men and dreaming up little plots for them. Since writing fanfiction is nice but not as engaging and entertaining as roleplaying, I'm looking for someone who might want to chill out, go a little (a lot) nuts over them and write out some scenarios! 🍃

Talking about my roleplaying style: I'm a novella writer. That means you are getting at least 1-7k+ replies from yours truly, and it also means I am thirsting for someone who goes just as crazy with the internal monologue, the backflashes, the in-depth character exploration as I do! If I'm fed two listless little paragraphs in response to a 5k post then my motivation just flags. My grammar is (this comes off as snobby, I know) flawless except for the occasional typo or slip of the keyboard, and I like to think of my writing as rather engaging. What I really need from a roleplay partner is communication, activeness and friendliness, though. I'm very energetic sometimes and can ramble for hours about possible what-ifs in our roleplay, so I would very much like someone who wants to become friends, strikes up conversation as much as I do, and generally doesn't mind rants and fawning! 🍃

As far as topics and genres go: I love me some fluff and romance but angst, hurt, comfort, drama, misunderstandings are sooo good! I'm all in for dead dove themes and smut also, so long as we have a decent plot for it to fit into! If we get to talking I am also more than happy to provide a list of my kinks and no-nos for you to skim over and see if we'd be compatible in that regard. My absolutely favorite verses to play are omegaverse or hybrid verses, in which I am a strong stickler for the version where omegas/prey hybrids are naturally AFAB no matter their gender. 🍃

I play on Discord in private servers for easy organization and comfort!

Let's get to the (I assume) interesting part for you! I am generally all-in on every single member/member ship (NOT looking for any oc/member or self-inserts as that doesn't vibe with me at all and I don't like the notion of it) but of course I have some favorites, those being MinChan, MinSung, JeongChan, ChanBin, ChanSung and JeongLix! Still, I am very open to suggestions as I love all of my boys and am excited to play them, also as a pack, OT8, or any variation including however many of the members! 🍃

There are some plots I've been mulling over, most of them little snippets or vibes more than actual plotlines, but I'll try to piece them together coherently for your perusal once we get to talking and sort out or preferences! 🍃

Please shoot me a message that possibly also introduces yourself and I'll get back to you with haste! Will not be considering Likes/Reblogs since that low level of initiative and engagement is not what I'm looking for!🍃

Have a lovely day and thank you so much for reading through all this! 💖🍃