#because his name was the same as one of my favorite rarepairs and the tag searches were muddled together

[riddlerosehearts]

i don't know what agatha all along is but i wish it didn't have to be abbreviated to a3 when there's already a separate thing called a3 that has a tiny fandom 😭😭

[lily-alphonse]

For the rare pair challenge: my favorite one is Sam/Alex!

unfffff I love this one how HOT would that be 🥵

My brain is scrambled tho because I have shipped them both with Sebastian as the openly gay one to even out the dynamic. I interpret Alex as closeted and Sam as bi/pan but skewing more towards women. Like he's not opposed to getting with a guy if he liked them but hasn't really thought about it kind of thing.

So how would they end up getting together?

Ok, I think I want Alex to be coming back from college. He lost his sports scholarship due to bad grades and was forced to come home, leaving his secret fling in the city at the same time. He's heartbroken, he's dejected, he's wallowing.

A couple of weeks after coming back, Haley decides she's had enough of his moping and they are going to a bar in the little town nearby to see some people from their high school perform. They're in a band now, and getting some minor success playing gigs at local venues.

Alex is totally plastered by the time Goblin Destroyer comes on stage. That must be why time slows when he sees Sam. Why his smile makes him feel warm and his heart race.

"Holy shit," he murmurs to himself. The scrawny class clown he knew in high school looks so different.

Haley eyes him knowingly. "No. Nuhuh. Not him. When I said we were getting you laid tonight I didn't mean one of the few people from Pelican Town!"

"But he's gotten SO hot."

"He's got a mullet, Lexie."

"Mullets can be hot," he pouts.

And then they begin their set, and Alex is certain he must be drunk as hell because he doesn't even like this kind of music but he's dancing along to it and having the best time. He's amazed that Sam can play the guitar and sing at the same time. He's amazed by Sam's voice, the rasp in it seriously fucking with his inhibition. And even when he stops singing, and just shreds a guitar solo, Alex is still awe-struck.

They hadn't been sure they would stay for the whole performance, but then Alex is cheering along with the crowd after their final song, cheeks flushed with exertion and heart racing.

He hasn't thought about his ex in hours. He hasn't thought about how royally fucked up his life is. And he doesn't want it to end. But Sam disappears.

Suddenly the crowd is too stifling. He needs to get outside. He needs to breathe. Haley seems to be having the time of her life pressed up against a wall with a man she met fifteen minutes ago. Alex texts her that he will be outside, and pushes his way to the exit.

It's cold, instant relief. It's quiet too, just a group of smokers chatting in the parking lot. He turns to walk the opposite direction from them, when someone bumps into him.

"Alex?"

Sam.

Teehee this is my most cliffhanger one yet I was really getting into that one. I might actually write it for real. If you'd be interested in being tagged if/when I post the fic, reblog or comment letting me know! (What are we naming this ship??)

UPDATE: I decided to give this a full fic, you can read that now on AO3 it is live as of Oct 3rd "Suckered (Alex x Sam)"

Send me any Stardew Valley rarepair and I will tell you how I would make them work! (Even non-marriage npcs) If youre lucky you may get a mini fic out of it. Check the list below to see if Ive already answered yours

Rarepair Masterlist

[1lostsoul0fishbowl]

annual writing self-evaluation 📝

Many thanks and muchas smooches to @justhere4thevibez for tagging me! 🥰

1. List of works published this year (in no particular order):

chapters 56-84 of With a Little Help From My Friends (completed 5/15/23)

Next Time I Fall (24 chapters, completed 12/19/23)

Lost and Found and Turned Around (7 chapters, completed 11/16/23)

2. Work you are most proud of (and why):

I’m incredibly proud of all my works, but I think probably I’m most proud of Next Time I Fall. I created a brand new rarepair, shaped a beautiful fluffy love story for them, and persevered through extreme personal difficulty to finish the fic despite the temptation to abandon it.

3. Work you are least proud of (and why):

There are a couple of chapters in Little Help that I feel aren’t as strong as they could’ve been. 64, 73, and 81 in particular. I don’t know what I should’ve done to make them better; I just know they needed more.

4. A favorite excerpt of your writing:

I’ll pick one little snippet from each fic…

Little Help:

Wayne waited until she’d finished her tiny blueberry slice and was debating over which to try next. “Actually, sugar,” he said quietly to Max, “I wanted to talk to you about that.”

“About what?” she asked, puzzled. “About gaining weight? That was a joke.”

“No.” He watched Eddie let Lucy lick a tiny smear of pie filling from his finger, despite Chrissy’s protest that sugar wasn’t good for cats. “About staying with us.”

A chill ran through her. “It’s still okay, right?” she said hesitantly. “My mom’s getting out of the rehab next week, but Claudia said I could stay longer if I needed to. But if that’s changed…” She trailed off, swallowing hard.

Wayne patted her shoulder. “Naw, sugar, that ain’t changed. You can stay long as you like. Fact is”— he rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly bashful— “fact is, what we really want is to keep you for good.”

~~~

Next Time I Fall:

Gareth couldn’t imagine having to grow up without his mom and dad. He thought of the way Janie held so tightly to his mom every time they hugged, and a lump formed in his throat.

“They never found your parents?” he whispered. “Baby, I’m so sorry.”

Honestly, he hadn’t even thought before speaking, he’d just blurted that out. But somehow it had been the right thing to say; Eddie and Chrissy’s tense expressions melted into something that looked like relief, and Janie’s crushing grip on his hand finally relaxed a little. Gareth laced his fingers through hers, giving her hand a little squeeze, before gently turning it to examine the small number tattooed on the inside of her wrist.

“Is that where this came from?” He lifted her hand to his lips, softly kissing the tiny 011. “Did they do that to you in the Lab?”

She nodded, tears spilling down her cheeks. “It was my name,” she murmured. “That is why everyone calls me El. El is short for Eleven.”

Fucking hell. Gareth felt tears running down his cheeks, too.

~~~

Lost and Found:

“Jane, you need to wake up!” Kali tried unsuccessfully not to shout. “You really are naive! They can always take you if they really want you. You need to face facts. Your policeman cannot protect you, you have to be able to protect yourself. Are your friends helping you with that? Is your boyfriend? No, they just want you to be ‘normal’. They want you to suppress your gifts instead of using them, and they want you to forget who you are and where you came from. And if I stay here they’ll do the same to me. Putting on their hypocritical smiles as long as I convert to their idea of normal. I don’t want to hide who I am, and neither should you, Jane. You can’t heal by hiding. The only way to heal is to face up to the truth, confront and conquer your past.”

“Stop calling me naive,” Jane snapped, “just because I am trying to accept my past instead of confronting it. I confronted Papa face to face, and then I let him die, and it did not change anything. All your revenge has not changed you either.” Just as quickly as her anger flared up, it dissipated again. Her voice softened, her entire demeanor settling into something more gentle. “You talk a lot about healing, but you are still so mad, Kali. I think I am more healed than you are. Maybe if you stayed here, as part of my family, maybe that can heal you like it did for me.”

5. Share or describe a favorite comment you received:

I love every single comment I get, truly I do. But I think the ones that made me smile the most this year were the few on Next Time I Fall that basically said ‘I never would’ve considered El and Gareth together but your fic made me ship them’. Is there any greater compliment? 😄

6. A time when writing was really, really hard:

Basically the last eight weeks have been awful. I got covid, and had barely recovered from that when a family emergency happened and I was thrown into the role of caregiver, and since then just more and more stuff keeps going wrong. I’m exhausted and honestly in a pretty dark place, mentally and emotionally, right now.

And yet. In spite of that I finished both Next Time and Lost and Found. Neither of them seem to have made any great impact— I barely even got any comments on either finale— but it was a goal of mine to finish them both and I’m still proud I managed to achieve that.

7. A scene or character you wrote that surprised you:

Kali, in Lost and Found, was so much fun to explore! I rewatched “The Lost Sister” before I started writing this fic, and I realized that I still hated her obnoxious friends but Kali herself was a super interesting character with a lot of potential. I had a lot of fun digging into what might possibly make her want to reconnect with El, and what would make her feel drawn to Steve. Also it surprised me how much I ship Stali now!

8. How did you grow as a writer this year:

I learned that my stories come out better when I write them the way I want them, instead of “taking requests” and pushing the characters in directions I wouldn’t have chosen if left to my own devices. I feel like certain parts of Little Help suffered because of this, so I resolved I’d stick to my own plans for Next Time and later Lost and Found, and I think those two fics came out better for it.

9. How do you hope to grow next year:

Next year, if I write any more, I want to somehow learn not to be so obsessed with stats. Stop comparing my kudos/comments count to other fics and feeling sad and inadequate. I have no idea how to accomplish this, but it’s where I need to be if I’m going to keep writing.

10. Who was your greatest positive influence this year as a writer (could be another writer or beta or cheerleader or muse etc etc):

Oh it’s 1000% @pearlypairings �� she’s been all of the above for me and so much more! Lost and Found would never have happened without her, and Next Time would likely have been abandoned unfinished.

11. Anything in your real life show up in your writing this year:

Lots of things, yeah, I don’t think I can help adding little bits and pieces of myself to my stories. I write the kind of world I’d like to see, and populate it with characters I either want to be like or wish I’d had in my own life.

A very silly specific example, though, is that I made Eddie adopt a kitten because I lost my cat last year and I missed her so much.

12. Any new wisdom you can share with other writers:

Um. Not really? I don’t think I’m good enough yet to be passing on wisdom to others!!!

13. Any new projects you’re looking forward to starting (or finishing) in the new year:

I have a couple fun ideas jotted down in my Plot Bunnies folder, but no definite plans to start anything new right now. I gotta get out of this awful headspace before I can even think about new projects.

14. Tag three writers/artists whose answers you’d like to read:

@sokkas-first-fangirl @bratanimus @slowandsteddie

[abyssal-ali]

Hi, my friend is asking why there are so many maribat fics, and especially with DamiMari.

Maybe you know about the history of these crossovers in Batman Fandom?

Hi!

(Fellow Maribat fans, feel free to add your own commentary or correct any of my mistakes.)

So @/ozmav created the Damian x Marinette ship in 2018, I think? It was just a fun little crossover that blew up and became really popular. I was not around either of those fandoms at the time, so I'm not sure about all the details.

Daminette was the first Maribat ship created, so it was around the longest, and thus accumulated the most works.

Eventually, the other Bat Boys got their own ship, and now the Maribat (or now, more technically, DCxMLB) fandom has so many more ships and crossovers -not necessarily between the Bat/MLB main characters.

Some rarepair ships (any DCxMLB ship not between one of the four main Bat Boys and Marinette) include Konette (Conner Kent/Superboy and Marinette Dupain-Cheng/Ladybug) and Timdrien (Tim Drake/Red Robin and Adrien Agreste/Chat Noir), to name a couple.

The Maribat fandom also crosses over with multiple fandoms, like DPxDCxMLB or MCUxDCxMLB.

Some pure MLB and DC stans definitely dislike Maribatters, especially during the beginning of the fandom, when the tags for both fandoms were cluttered with DCxMLB content. Now that it's grown so much and has its own tags, I think the hate has calmed down somewhat. (Although, I prefer to keep out of fandom drama, so I may simply have missed the hateful discourse ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.)

Overall, the Maribat fandom has really grown from a crack ship to its own large, well-populated community. There are tags on Ao3 and many discord servers, which runs events such as "Jasonette July" and "Maribat? Get In! [a server] Civil War".

On a personal note:

As to my thoughts on the ships themselves, my favorites are Daminette (Damian Wayne/Robin and Marinette Dupain-Cheng/Ladybug) and Jasonette (Jason Todd/Red Hood and Marinette Dupain-Cheng/Ladybug). It's always fascinating to rotate a character or ship in your head like a rotisserie chicken, considering their Canon and Fanon traits and then exploring them in whatever medium you choose (my medium of choice is writing fanfiction).

For Daminette, the ship you specifically asked about, I am drawn to it because I find the differences between the couple adorable. I personally have a fondness for the Grumpy x Sunshine trope, a Tsundere male lead, and relationship/character growth. (Of course, sometimes it's nice just to read a cute 500 word drabble with no plot, no specific dynamics, and no development, where the couple is just cute and happy.)

I think that is one of the beauties of Maribat. With so many various ships and characters to choose from, there's something for everyone, and we can all bond over belonging to the same fandom(s). Some of us have joined from the MLB side, some from the DC side, some just got dragged in by a friend and have no knowledge of either fandom, and that's okay! With so much to explore in both fandoms, there is constantly new content* being made with love (and tears. And laughter, both evil and joyful. And hornin-).

I've made some of my best friends through this fandom, and I'm proud to be a part of it.

I hope this helps, and I apologize if my ramblings detracted from my answers!💜

*Yes, I am aware of the popular Tropes such as "Akuma Class Trip to Gotham" and "Long-Lost Wayne".

[pearlypairings]

annual writing self-evaluation

Thank you @justhere4thevibez for tagging! I woke up so early bc I'm still not adjusted well to the time difference on my vacation so I figure I could work on this to kill some time💕

1. List of works published this year (in no particular order):

Meet Me At Our Spot

Coffee and Contemplation *

Dear Donna,

painting (a masterpiece)

not a sound, but the wind

In the Shade of Aurelias *

all good dates begin at the cemetery

so much (for) stardust

there is a light that never goes out *

* = WIP

(I have a few more anon works too which were fun to try some new things with😄)

2. Work you are most proud of (and why):

OH this is tough… I think I have to choose two. I'm so proud of not a sound, but the wind for many reasons. I tried a lot of new writing techniques within that story, which honestly the first images came to me at 2am fever dream of Chrissy with short hair and distraught pushing her way through the woods in a blizzard. I didn't know where the story was going but once I got started I had so much fun. And right now I'm also very proud of there is a light! It's my rarepair fic that I've fallen in love with for chrissy x jonathan and it's been a true delight to meet other people in the fandom from that fic alone!

3. Work you are least proud of (and why):

Hmm I think painting (a masterpiece) is one that I would probably revisit to edit and change if given the option. I don't think it's terrible by any means, but it was really a self indulgent fic for me inspired by the song of the same name. I think I published it very quickly without letting it simmer for edits, so I would change some of the beats for pacing.

4. A favorite excerpt of your writing:

From not a sound, but the wind

“Do you comfort all your crying customers?” She let her fingers graze his palm as she accepted his makeshift tissue with a sad smile.

“Only the ones I like.”

Chrissy dabbed her eyes, praying that none of the mascara smeared beyond recognition. “You’re not gonna sell me anything, are you?”

“Who said that? If there’s any time you need pot, it’s now!”

A small laugh shook her fragile frame, warmth spreading across her chest from within. She folded the bandana into a small square and tucked it into her pocket with a sheepish grin. The last of her tears iced over the corners of her eyes.

“Coming from my dealer, that sounds a little like a sales pitch.”

Eddie fell back, miming an arrow through his heart and rigorously pulling the invisible weapon out from his chest. “You wound me. How about half off and twice as much?”

5. Share or describe a favorite comment you received:

ALL of my comments on there is a light are my favorites. People really enjoying my take on jonathan (a character that even I slept on and didn't really connect with until I saw things from his pov) and being really supportive of my WIP that's ending soon! It's really been such a joy to read all the lines each reader loved and the plot twists they had guessed right or wrong. It's been the best!

6. A time when writing was really, really hard:

2023 was a……year. Yeah, I think the fall was very hard because of some family hospitalizations that were very scary and exhausting. So I didn't have the energy nor the will for quite a bit after that to write much. I'm hoping 2024 is all for good health and better headspace.

7. A scene or character that you wrote that surprised you:

At the risk of sounding really cheesy, I really loved the scene in not a sound when Chrissy and Eddie are about to kiss. The two chapters with back to back pov were so much fun to write bc we get little glimpses into both perspectives of the situation and how wrong they interpret the other person's reactions. It's so cute and I didn't intend to write an eddie pov chapter when I started that fic, it just happened (and we got more Wayne which is always a plus).

8. How did you grow as a writer this year:

I have a long way to go with this, but I think I'm finally shedding parts of my past where for work I had to write scientifically and directly. It's so hard for me to break that frame of mind, so I'm constantly going back in edits to add in more details and worldbuilding and mood setting beyond action and dialogue. In 2024, one of my goals is to do enough exercises where that flows more naturally in the drafting process.

9. How do you hope to grow next year:

LOL oops! I sort of just answered that question, but another goal of mine is to continue to finish my beloved WIP Aurelias AND write a ton more for rarepairs to stretch my imagination.

10. Who was your greatest positive influence this year as a writer (could be another writer or beta or cheerleader or muse etc etc):

Losty, @1lostsoul0fishbowl you are all of the above. So glad we found each other on this site and via Dear Donna,. It's been lovely getting to know you and I appreciate all the times you've read through drafts and ideas and insanity on my part. You da bomb diggitty 💣

11. Anything in your real life show up in your writing this year:

Definitely…. The break up in there is a light is loosely based on a real break up between me and my first high school boyfriend. The AUDACITY. But definitely many, many other little bits of dialogue or scene set ups are from moments in my life :) the life of a writer.

12. Any new wisdom you can share with other writers:

Write it down. WHEREVER you are (unless driving lol). Whatever the idea is, the dialogue you thought of, the plot puzzle piece. Just write it down somewhere on your phone, in a notebook etc. Because you will forget it and it will frustrate you lol.

13. Any new projects you’re looking forward to starting (or finishing) in the new year:

2024 is when I'll be finishing Aurelias! Slow and steady because it's my baby and very setting/period heavy. And there's a few tricks up my sleeves for future fun projects that I'll be writing mostly for me (and maybe losty lol). AND I CAN'T WAIT! Rarepairs galore ✨

What a fabulous evaluation and deep look at the past year! Can't wait to see what 2024 brings 💞 happy new year!

[piastrinorris]

edancy for this ask game because its me and of course i'd ask JHBSDKNJF

wouldn't expect anything less, bby <3

when I started shipping it if I did: shortly after joining the server and seeing the eddie x nancy channel, even if i was too overwhelmed by it to ever really contribute LMAO. but yeah, i'd never really thought of it as a pairing until i started reading you guys' works.

my thoughts: i love them to bits. i've been rarepair shipping for years, but being out of fandom so long made me forget how much i loved it until edancy sucked me right back in.

what makes me happy about them: they're so opposite but so complementary? like i'm watching brooklyn nine nine rn bc the final season is finally available in the uk and they're literally just stranger things' peraltiago.

what makes me sad about them: well, eddie's dead. so there's that. but also the fact that there was prime chance for nancy, while talking to wayne, to have learned things about eddie that she could have asked him about and we could have gotten more of his backstory? AND the same thing that makes me sad about every eddie ship, for a small town that seems all up in everybody's business, i wish there'd been some kind of allusion as to how they perceived each other growing up. especially with it being canon that nancy used to play d&d with the party, surely they'd have encountered each other looking it up in middle school??

things done in fanfic that annoys me: honestly i've only ever read fics written by people who are in the server bc you guys' characterisation of them both is the only one i trust, lol.

things I look for in fanfic: again, since it's a rarepair, literally any lmao. but i do skim the fic just to make sure the characterisation of nancy is just right. there's a lot of people out there who do her dirty.

who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: pretty much anyone with either of them, except b*lly, j*son, and i don't ship st*ncy unless platonically, either.

my happily ever after for them: again i accidentally helped make this part of road trip canon lmao, but the two of them travelling the world together, kicking ass n taking names. deciding to elope somewhere just bc they feel the moment's right.

who is the big spoon/little spoon: i don't really see them as "spooners" necessarily, i think they typically cuddle with nancy laying her head on his chest.

what is their favorite non-sexual activity: i just really, really love the idea of them essentially doing parallel play together. eddie strumming on his guitar while nancy reads. nancy plotting where she wants corroded coffin to tour next so that she can tag along while he busies himself writing his next campaign.

[myfaveisfuckable]

Rants!

Yor/Mori: Another sxf crossover au but it's actually also an academy au and it just so happens that loid and Yor go to Ouran as third years

And Loid's committing various crimes such as identity theft and impersonation bc his legal guardian basically dumped him and their daughter to go off to who knows where so now he's a 17yo single father (to Ouran elementary schooler Anya) basically and is lying on so much paperwork it's practically his day job and Yor is in on a sports scholarship

Yor and Mori are on the same kendo team and loooooove blossoms etc

Kyoya finds out about Loid's situation and so does tamaki, so they make him join the club bc he's pretty and they're lowkey blackmailing him (well kyoya is). Subsequently the clubs crossdressing is much better looking, thankfully

Loid and Haruhi are good buddies but she does think he's in dire need of coffee addiction counseling and also the school nurse agrees bc no 17yo should have an ulcer or whatever (he's got a lot on his plate ok??)

But back to Mori and Yor. We already know he likes adorable op goofballs, and he'd be such a steady source of support for Yor when she starts to get nervous about things or worries she isn't fitting in well enough... And the sparring matches! Amazing. Yor as like this vigilante crime buster within the school and Mori as the guy who like... Holds his girls earrings and keeps an emergency medical kit on hand and yeah. She's very kind and cute and strong as a person and also physically and I think he'd get a Lil crush on her

And because he's my favorite I obviously cannot conceive of someone not returning his honest affections, but even so, I really do think yor would enjoy spending time with him

As for Loid and Yor I think they meet at a host club thing when she's there looking for Mori for a kendo thing and they quickly became besties and then it turns out they live just down the street from each other, sort of. And also I think they should live near Haruhi so all three of them can be besties and Haruhi's very angry about these two teenage single parents of younger siblings not getting enough support from adults and anyway. Yeah

Matmodean: So I definitely believe they hooked up in book 4 and then barely talked all of book 5 for reasons that will take too long to explain here but it involves jealousy and akwardness and drama because of secrets. But I will say that there are no fics tagged with this ship(other than my unpublished wip 😓), they are the most favoured candidates to join the canon polycule (mostly mat)-

And here is a fic I did find that has a conversation between them set in book 5:

(Some context for the fic, not sure how much it will help: Jasin Natael is Asmodean's fake name, he is one of the Forsaken, feared villians from ages ago, but was recently captured magically by Rand to teach Rand about magic. Mat doesn't know this is who he is but Rand does. Rand is the 'chosen one' in the series, is the center of the aforementioned polycule and is shipped with both Mat and Asmodean (and also like half the cast))

[arofili]

smut4smut 2023 exchange letter

Hi there, thanks for creating for me! My likes/DNWs/etc are in my actual signup; here’s my breakdown of tags and prompts for each ship I requested :)

~~~

Aragorn/Arwen/Éowyn/Faramir: My LOTR OT4! I love the idea of these two couples being one big polycule :)

Calling character(s) by their title or rank in bed; Fealty: Gotta love some fealty kink. Everyone having fealty feelings around King Elessar would be fantastic.

Clothing - Undressing Each Other; Wedding Night: Gentle wedding night/first time sex?

Crossdressing, Gender Euphoria related to sex: I LOVE trans characters and I’d adore something to see you transing someone’s gender. Transfem Faramir is a particular favorite that would be amazing to see here, but really I’ll love any gender shenanigans.

Cunnilingus - Licking Someone’s Clit as They Ride Someone Else’s Dick/Strapon; A eating come out of third person who got fucked by the person A desires/pines for; Fucking Someone While Being Fucked By Someone Else; Threesome - Character A Pegs Character B While B Pegs/Fucks Character C: These are all VERY appealing foursome situations. Probably not pining for the come eating tag, but Faramir kinking on licking Aragorn’s come out of Éowyn and/or Arwen would be super hot! So would Aragorn and Arwen kissing/licking Éowyn’s clit as Faramir fucks her...or really any combination of that scenario. Maybe trans!Éowyn (or cis!Éowyn with a strap-on) could fuck Arwen while Aragorn and Faramir make out over/with her clit, or something. Or someone with a dick could be getting fucked and the other two give them a messy blowjob at the same time. I also love pegging and situations where everyone’s fucking someone all at the same time.

Experience - Experienced Character Gently and Lovingly Takes Partner's Virginity; Wedding Night: What if 3/4 of this ship are experienced, but one of them isn’t? Would love to see three partners gently deflowering their inexperienced spouse on their wedding night. In general, would love to see one person getting smothered with affection by their three partners.

Face-Sitting: Arwen and Éowyn both deserve this. Maybe Faramir and Aragorn compete to see who can make their respective spouse come the fastest in this position? And/or they could swap ladies. Or tbh, kick the guys out entirely, and have Arwen and Éowyn go at each other.

First Time Having Sex Postpartum; Pregnant Sex: Could work for any of them, depending if you want to make any of these characters trans. But generally I love body worship and having three people shower their pregnant (or recently-not-pregnant!) partner with affection is such a wonderful idea.

Nipple Piercings: Any of them could have pierced nipples, but I’d especially love to see Aragorn with nipple piercings.

Sex after a long day of duties: This would be everyone teaming up to make Aragorn relax after a long day of Kinging!

Elladan/Gildor: Kind of a rarepair, but I like the idea of them together. Usually my Gildor headcanon is that he’s the son of an elf named Inglor, who is himself the son of Finrod and trans!Bëor...OR that he’s the secret peredhel son of Aegnor and Andreth! Either way (or if you’ve got a different origin for him) I think he’s been around since the First Age, and so is significantly older than Elladan. Still he has something of a youthful energy, and I think they had something of a friendly rivalry before they became lovers.

Bickering as foreplay: Would love to see them snarking at each other and getting riled up from bickering!

Character Who Wants to Explore Sexuality/Secretly Pining Character; Casual Sex while Secretly Pining: Maybe Gildor has been crushing on Elladan for awhile, and then Elladan comes to him because he wants to figure out his sexuality, and of course Gildor accepts but he thinks Elladan doesn’t actually love him. Or he agrees and only then realizes that he’s pining for Elladan / catches feelings he didn’t expect, but still doesn’t think Elladan wants him. But of course Elladan does...and maybe he’s hoping Gildor will say something if he asks for sex.

Character B realizes feelings after Character A's near death experience: Or perhaps Elladan doesn’t realize he has feelings for Gildor beyond sexual ones, until Gildor almost dies, and he realizes what he almost lost!

~~~

Finrod/Turgon: My rarepair-that-shouldn’t-be-a-rarepair!! I love a super repressed Turgon that Finrod has to coax into embracing his sexuality. You could focus on just these two, or...

Amárië/Elenwë/Finrod/Turgon: ...you could go all-out and write them as part of an OT4! Whatever you do, Elenwë should be relevant to Turgon’s backstory (unless he somehow falls for Finrod before she enters the picture?). I don’t headcanon Finrod and Amárië as being actually in love; a situation where they’re mutual beards, or friends with benefits, or something else similar would be great. My favorite combination of these four is: established vanilla Elenwë/Turgon where they are deeply in love and mutually supportive, past Elenwë/Amárië where they still have fond feelings for each other but are no longer “together,” Finrod pining after Turgon but not ever believing he would love him back / repressed bisexual Turgon terrified his secret gay feelings for Finrod will ruin his marriage, kinky friends with benefits Finrod/Amárië where they’re both more interested in pursuing relationships with their same gender but have a firm, abiding platonic (or queerplatonic!) relationship with each other that also includes sex. But really any combinations of them would be excellent! This would probably be some kind of pre-canon YotT situation. If you’d like to write Finrod, Turgon, and Elenwë on the Ice without Amárië, that would be excellent too. And of course I adore Finrod and Turgon in Beleriand angsting about the women they left behind and what they mean to each other. So many possibilities!!

"Practice" No-Homo Sex Is Actually Real Feelings Sex; Article 69 of the Brocode states friendly duty to fuck your Bros whenever they want it; Experience - Inexperienced character asks experience friend to help them 'practice'; It's not gay if (insert excuse here); Character Who Wants to Explore Sexuality/Secretly Pining Character: These are all excellent Turgon/Finrod tags. Really I’d just love for you to lean into Turgon’s repression - maybe he got over his sexual repression and is fucking Finrod, but he’s even deeper in denial over his romantic feelings for Finrod. Finrod could be helping him “prepare” for his wedding with Elenwë and pining all the while. Would definitely want a happy romantic resolution here! (Preferably with Elenwë giving her blessing/getting involved in the fucking herself).

C overhears A/B discussing a fantasy involving them; Can't Stop Thinking About It - A Hears B Masturbating and Moaning A's Name; Voyeurism - Accidental Voyeurism: Maybe Finrod overhears Elenwë and Turgon talking about seducing him; that would be a change! Or more likely, Elenwë comes to Finrod and ropes him into a plan to get Turgon to accept his own feelings, and Turgon overhears that (maybe they wanted him to as part of the scheme?). Or Turgon walks in on Finrod masturbating and realizes oh shit, maybe I’m not straight?? Or Finrod accidentally sees Turgon and Elenwë fucking and realizes that wow Turgon is not as vanilla as he thought!

Character B realizes feelings after Character A's near death experience: Some sort of disaster on the Ice makes Turgon realize that he loves Finrod?

Character Bottoms Who Normally Tops; Experience - Experienced Character Gently and Lovingly Takes Partner's Virginity: Experienced Finrod takes Turgon’s anal virginity! Turgon’s first time bottoming!

Cuddling - Arousal from cuddling; Huddling For Warmth Leads To Sex: Cuddles and huddles on the Ice lead to sexytimes! Could be with Elenwë, or after Elenwë’s death when Turgon is emotionally vulnerable.

Masturbation - Guilty Masturbation: I’m such a slut for this lmao. Married or betrothed Turgon guiltily jerking off to thoughts about Finrod...or to thoughts about Elenwë and Amárië fucking...mwah! Or Finrod guiltily jerking off to thoughts of Turgon, who is married now...

Polyamory - Character in v-shaped relationship gets their lovers together: Okay, not a V relationship really, but I’d love to see Amárië and Elenwë conspiring to get their boyfriends together!

Repressed and serious character gets to be horny: This is literally the essence of what I want from Turgon lmfao.

Sex as Grief Processing: Turgon proxyfucking Finrod after Elenwë’s death >:)))

Sex Pollen - Afflicted Character/Pining Friend; Sex Pollen - sharing increasingly dirty sexual fantasies helps: Turgon gets sex pollened and Finrod has to fuck him to help!! Or perhaps, Finrod gets sex pollened and Turgon feels it’s his bro-ly duty to help him out. Or they’re both sex pollened and resistant to touching each other so they just talk about their fantasies, which helps, until it doesn’t and they’re so horned up they can’t resist having rough, desperate, messy sex!

Threesome - Character A Pegs Character B While B Pegs/Fucks Character C: Would love to see a Turgon sandwich where he’s fucking Elenwë while Finrod fucks him! Amárië could be watching/directing; I imagine her as something of a dom.

~

Anairë/Eärwen/Finarfin: I’d like to see these three together in the aftermath of the Darkening. Anairë and Eärwen’s marriages have both fallen apart, and they’ve turned to each other for comfort...and then Finarfin comes back?? How does he earn back Eärwen’s love and trust? How does Anairë feel about him returning, but not Fingolfin—and how does she feel about him trying to win Eärwen back when she’s only just now been able to have Eärwen? Would love to see a groveling/pathetic Finarfin and a righteously angry Anairë doing her best to protect Eärwen from getting her heart broken all over again. And perhaps aside from their hair color, Finarfin and Fingolfin look a lot alike, so maybe Anairë can close her eyes and imagine her husband did come back after all...

Agreeing to rough sex as self-punishment; Anal - Antagonistic Pegging; Angry Sex: Finarfin accepting punishment and/or brutal treatment in penance for abandoning Eärwen. Especially would love to see Anairë being the one to dole out “justice” for Eärwen’s sake.

Consensual Cuckolding Kink; Voyeurism - Having sex while third party watches: Finarfin being “forced” (but not really) to watch as Anairë fucks his wife better than he ever could.

Fleeting moment of unexpected tenderness in the midst of hate sex: Anairë having a moment of tenderness/pity/commiseration with Finarfin while they hate-fuck? Them coming into alignment over their mutual love of Eärwen?

Threesome - Character A Pegs Character B While B Pegs/Fucks Character C: Eärwen finally lets Finarfin fuck her again...while Anairë is pegging him. Alternatively: Eärwen getting double dick from Finarfin and Anairë with a strap-on.

Anairë/Fëanor/Fingolfin/Nerdanel: One of my very few incest exceptions, I find Fëanor and Fingolfin to be a very interesting pair. It’s the rivalry!! However, I hate when they abandon their wives to fuck each other, so I want Anairë and Nerdanel to also be involved in this relationship. Anairë is a holy woman; how does she feel about Fingolfin transgressing incest taboos? What is it that made Fëanor and Fingolfin break, and fuck instead of fight? And of course I’d love to see Nerdanel and Anairë getting it on too. Fëanor and Fingolfin getting riled up about cuckolding even when they’re in a foursome situation is extra juicy! (Though I’d really prefer to avoid any situations where Fingolfin has kids with Nerdanel or Fëanor has kids with Anairë. They can talk about it/kink on the idea, but no actual pregnancies in those configurations.) Probably it would be best if this OT4 came together after all their kids are born/mostly grown (though Argon and the Ambarussa could be young still)...OR it could be an OT4 situation where they’ve all four been together all along (again, do still want the parentages of their kids to stay canonical!) so Anairë and/or Nerdanel can get worshipped by their lovers while pregnant :) A bit of dubcon between Fëanor and Fingolfin is okay, but I don’t want noncon.

Angry Sex; Characters about to kill each other decide to fuck instead; fleeting moment of unexpected tenderness in the midst of hate sex; Rough Sex: Fëanor and Fingolfin have a confrontation that almost ends in Kinslaying, but they fuck it out instead!! This should be rough and merciless—until there’s a moment where it’s so good and they’re releasing so much pent-up sexual tension that they can’t help but be tender for a second.

Aroused by Partner's Scholarly Accomplishments: Fëanor is so accomplished that I can absolutely see Nerdanel and/or Fingolfin getting turned on by his latest episode of genius.

Can't Stop Thinking About It - A Walks In On B Masturbating: Probably Fingolfin walking in on Fëanor or vice-versa. Would love it if one of their wives arranged for this situation to happen.

Consensual Cuckolding Kink; Voyeurism - Having sex while third party watches: Fingolfin fucking Nerdanel would drive Fëanor CRAZY. I also imagine Fëanor fucking Anairë would arouse similar feelings in Fingolfin.

Degrading Praise: Dirty talk, degradation kink, slut-shaming...for this I’d like to see Fingolfin dishing it out to Fëanor.

A eating come out of third person who got fucked by the person A desires/pines for: Some sort of foursome situation where Fëanor and Fingolfin have given each other “permission” to fuck each other’s wives, but haven’t admitted to any feelings for each other yet—or maybe Fingolfin is aware of his feelings but Fëanor is in denial... but Fëanor comes inside of Anairë, and “forces” Fingolfin to eat his come out of her. Fingolfin knows how to please his wife, and is crazy horny to be ordered around by Fëanor and to finally get a taste of Fëanor’s come. This would go great with the cuckolding kink too, knowing that Fëanor came inside his wife.

Possessive Sex; Jealousy leads to possessive sex: After one of those aforementioned sex parties where either Fëanor or Fingolfin saw the other fucking their wife, they have to have an extreme sex marathon with their wife afterward to assert dominance. The wife is very much on board with all of this. OR perhaps Fëanor gets possessive of Fingolfin or vice versa!

Fealty: Fingolfin bowing to Fëanor every. single. time. he possibly can MUST lead to some juicy dynamics in the bedroom! Or flip the script and have Fëanor humble himself for Fingolfin for once, which is so arousing for Fingolfin that he just can’t help what he does next...

Jewelry kink; Magical/high-tech strap-on that allows the wearer to feel every sensation: These are Noldor. This is FËANOR. Of course there’s gonna be an absurd amount of body jewelry! Piercings everywhere: ears, nipples, cocks, clits... And as for that magic strap-on, #FeanoriansGetPegged and absolutely Nerdanel deserves to peg Fëanor until he can’t think anymore. Same with Anairë and Fingolfin. Or maybe Anairë pegs Fëanor and/or Nerdanel pegs Fingolfin—perhaps the guys are tied up and blindfolded and the ladies take turns pegging them/riding them until they can’t tell which wife is which.

Overstimulation; Pregnant Sex: Anairë and/or Nerdanel are pregnant, and their lovers team up to drive them crazy. Pregnancy-related overstimulation takes the pregnant character’s mind of any pregnancy-related aches and pains!

Threesome - Character A Pegs Character B While B Pegs/Fucks Character C: Literally any combination of these four where one person’s getting fucked while fucking someone else would be insanely hot. Fëanor fucking Fingolfin as he fucks Nerdanel, getting “revenge” on Fingolfin for cuckolding him in that exact moment? That same scenario but with Fingolfin fucking Fëanor as he fucks Anairë? Fingolfin fucking Fëanor as he fucks Nerdanel, possibly leading to Fëanor impregnating Nerdanel because Fingolfin made him orgasm so good? Fëanor and Fingolfin double penetrating Anairë while Nerdanel supports her and rubs her off? Anairë pegging Nerdanel while Fëanor fucks her, all while Fingolfin is tied up and watching? Nerdanel pegging Fingolfin while Fëanor fucks him through her? Hot fucking damn to ALL of these situations!!

~

Fingon/Maedhros: My OTP OF ALL TIME. If you write me some smutty Russingon I will love you FOREVER. They are literally so good in every combination,, I love them SO MUCH. This is a pairing where trans headcanons are EXTREMELY encouraged!! Trans Fingon x cis Maedhros, trans Maedhros x cis Fingon, trans Maedhros x trans Fingon, nonbinary Maedhros x trans Fingon, any other possibility you can think of....YES PLEASE. Cis x cis Russingon is also fabulous and very much welcome. And I usually think of this ship in the context of transmasculinity, but writing one/both as transfem would also be amazing.

"Thank God You're/We're Alive" Sex: Post-First Kinslaying sex...or perhaps an AU where Fingon survives the Nírnaeth?

Breeding - Character can feel the moment their egg(s) is/are fertilized (and it's very erotic): Trans Russingon pregnancy and kidfic are so addictive for me! Would love to see them trying to conceive an heir, and knowing the moment it happens!

Reunion Sex; Characters are almost feral because they want each other so much (everybody is very into this): I drool just thinking about them having feral, frantic, desperate reunion sex.

Characters Experiment With Sexy New Ways To Use Detachable Body Parts: Maedhros fucking Fingon with his prosthetic hand ;)

Cunnilingus - Character Can’t Stop Touching Themselves While Performing Cunnilingus: Especially partial to Maedhros giving trans!Fingon cunnilingus and being so turned on he can’t help himself!!

Devotion Through Sex; Fealty: Fingon worshipping Maedhros post-Thangorodrim and showing he’s still worthy of love? Or Maedhros going full fealty kink on his king husband?

Mating Cycles/In Heat; Sex Pollen: I would go absolutely insane if you wrote them literally physically unable to keep their hands off each other!! Especially if this is an inciting incident for their relationship and it leads to a confession of real feelings!!!

PiV With Trans Male Character: Either trans!Fingon or trans!Mae would be amazing here. I prefer a more dominant Fingon / submissive Maedhros, so if it’s trans Fingon I’d love to see him topping from the bottom.

Body Worship: Fingon worshipping Maedhros’ body post-Thangorodrim, especially scar-worship! Also would love to see post-partum body worship <3

Praise Kink: They both have one, Maedhros especially.

Pregnancy - Character loves being pregnant because of how horny it makes them/how good the sex is: Love this in all its forms, but I’m especially fond of trans!Maedhros out of his mind with horniness while pregnant!

Sex Toys - Vibrator Inside A Is Controlled Remotely By B In Public Setting; Soul Bond - Sharing Physical Pleasure Through Soul Bond: Ósanwë-controlled sex toys abused in public settings is SUCH a sexy concept. Alternately/additionally, ósanwë/marriage bonds used to share dirty fantasies is also hot. I also love when ósanwë allows for characters to feel like they’re penetrating and being penetrated at the same time!

Tender Sex While Still Sore From Rough Sex: Gentle husband sex after rough husband sex <333 Tender sex as aftercare after an intense scene <333

Amlach/Fingon/Maedhros: There really should be more threesomes with Russingon that don’t include Maglor so I thought Amlach was the perfect candidate to join them! Amlach who’s heard a lot about Fingon but doesn’t meet him for awhile? Fingon who learns about Amlach and rides to Himring to make sure he’s gonna be good for Maedhros? Fingon and Amlach double penetrating Maedhros? Fingon and Maedhros exchanging letters about all the things they want to do to Amlach, and him intercepting one of those letters? Some other situation?

Fealty: Would love to see this Amlach as Maedhros’ vassal and Maedhros as Fingon’s.

Threesome - Showing Off Favored Subordinate To An Ally By Inviting Them To Share Them: Would rather see this as a role-play or pre-negotiated kink scenario between Amlach and Maedhros rather than Maedhros treating Amlach without respect for his own desires and consent. But Maedhros offering Amlach for Fingon’s use is a very sexy idea.

Exhibitionism: Alternately, Fingon is just desperate for someone to know just how good he is at fucking Maedhros and asks Amlach to watch.

Fucking Someone While Being Fucked By Someone Else: Orrrr Maedhros fucking Amlach while Fingon fucks him?

~

Aredhel/Celegorm: I see them both as aromantic, so this is absolutely a friends with benefits situation. They can have a very deep bond, but “to none was her heart’s love given,” and Aredhel is not gonna catch feelings. (Now, Celegorm might unfortunately discover he’s demiromantic and fall for her, but she’s not gonna reciprocate that.) I love their wild and free characterizations and absolutely adore them as a foil to the utter devotion that is Russingon!

Antagonism Leads to Sex, Rough Sex: I can absolutely see them still fucking while they’re fighting. I think they’re both prone to rough sex in general, but especially when they’re angry.

Friends With Benefits; Aromantic Character: They are NOT romantically involved. But...

Casual Sex while Secretly Pining: ...I think Celegorm accidentally falling in love after they’ve already affirmed their friends with benefits relationship is a really juicy dynamic. He knows how she feels about romance, and doesn’t want to pressure her, but he’s nursing a broken heart...and this is the first time he’s felt this way about someone, which is all the more difficult for him.

Aroused by hunting and/or being hunted by love interest; Place - Sex in a Forest: They would get up to some wild hunting-themed games!

Clothing - Clothes Pulled Out Of Way: Or ripped in their eagerness to fuck!

Cunnilingus - Receiver Grabs/Pulls Giver's Hair: Aredhel pulling Celegorm’s hair is something that can be so personal

Face-Sitting: Look I just know Celegorm gives good head

Getting Back Together: Post-Helcaraxë reconciliation!!

First Time Having Sex Postpartum: AU where Aredhel escapes Nan Elmoth shortly after Maeglin is born and Celegorm is able to comfort her and make her feel desirable again!

Good Boy/Good Girl Kink: Look Celegorm is such a dog person...you can’t tell me he doesn’t have a good boy kink, and that Aredhel wouldn’t exploit the hell out of that.

Markings - Hickeys/Bite Marks: Rough, possessive sex!

Sex Toys - Strap-Ons: #FeanoriansGetPegged !!!

Aredhel/Celegorm/Curufin: My other incest exception; Celegorm and Curufin as extremely, fucked-up-ed-ly codependent is super interesting to me! I don’t want their relationship romanticized—it’s hotter if it’s super fucked up. As for including Aredhel, I think she and Curufin could have a really interesting dynamic, and she’d be down to get fucked by both brothers, and she’d find Curufin and Celegorm to be hot together largely because of the incest taboo.

Antagonism Leads to Sex: With Curufin involved, honestly I think the antagonism is worse. He needles both of them and they can go from fighting to fucking really quickly. (This only solves problems in the short term...)

Aromantic Character: Tbh I think Curufin is arospec too.

Arousal From Killing: Post-First Kinslaying threesome? Because Aredhel is absolutely a Kinslayer too. Alternatively, post-Hunt threesome, or post-killing a bunch of orcs in Beleriand. OR even better, post-killing Eöl!!

Clit jewelry: Look Curufin is a smith, the son of the best jewelsmith Ever. If he’s not piercing Aredhel’s clit and giving her the sparkliest jewels and then driving her crazy with his tongue, I don’t know what he’s doing.

Threesome - Character A Pegs Character B While B Pegs/Fucks Character C: Aredhel pegging Celegorm while he fucks Curufin? Curufin fucking Aredhel while she pegs Celegorm? Any combination of this would be super hot. Would also love to see them double penetrating her. She can take it.

Sex Toys - Strap-Ons: Again: #FeanoriansGetPegged !!! And perhaps if Curufin is trans, they can both peg Celegorm...

Consensual But Not Safe Or Sane: These are not very emotionally stable people. They absolutely will get up to some fucked up shit. Let your imagination run wild.

Aredhel/OFC: Look, my girl also deserves to be have some fun times without her murder cousins. Give her a girlfriend!! Could be set in any time period—a friend in Aman, a devoted follower in Beleriand, a hot Sinda lady she meets at the Mereth Aderthad, a sexy lady in Gondolin (perhaps one of the lords’ wives, bored with her husband?), a servant in Nan Elmoth who provides comfort in a dark time, someone she met post-canon after being reembodied... Just give her a girlfriend, please!

Aromantic Character: “Girlfriend” doesn’t mean “romantic partner.” Her gf can be a qpp who also has sex with her, or a friend with benefits, or a purely sexual partner, or whatever. I’d rather not have angst about this from the gf’s POV, she could also be aro!

Cunnilingus - Receiver Grabs/Pulls Giver's Hair: Noldor Hair Kink!!!! This would be especially juicy if Aredhel is going down on her gf, who isn’t a Noldo and doesn’t know how crazy Aredhel will get when she pulls her hair.... <3

Face-Sitting: They can take turns~

Oral - Sneaking away from public event for risky semi-public cunnilingus: Specifically picturing Aredhel and a gf sneaking away at the Mereth Aderthad for sexytimes!

Sex Toys - Strap-Ons: Aredhel’s strap-on game is immaculate. Let her girlfriend experience that!

~

Here are my human/elf pairs!!

Caranthir/Haleth: In my mind these two are both aro/arospec and I would LOVE to see a fic depicting that! I like their relationship to be somewhat antagonistic, but also based in a genuine trust and care for each other. They’re both extraordinarily prickly people so it took some getting there - show me the beginning parts of that relationship where they’re just mad about how much they’re attracted to each other!

Clothing - Armor: Post-battle sex where they just can’t wait to get out of their armor!

Crossdressing; Trans Female Character: I’m extremely fond of transfem Caranthir <3 Haleth helping her come to terms with her gender would be incredibly sweet. Alternately, nonbinary/GNC Caranthir feeling safe enough around Haleth to crossdress (in traditional Haladin clothing, perhaps?) would be wonderful.

Trans Female Character; Trans Male Character: t4t Halenthir is also amazing!! Trans woman Haleth is just...iconic <3

Cunnilingus - Character Can’t Stop Touching Themselves While Performing Cunnilingus: Caranthir getting really into eating Haleth out is real spicy~

Inappropriately-timed emotional conversations: These two are not very good with feelings. I imagine them having a heated argument that leads to sex and confessions and messy fallout and hurt feelings all around. Especially if they’re arospec, and this is the first time one or both of them has ever had anything close to romantic feelings before and just doesn’t know how to handle that.

Mating Cycles/In Heat: Haleth domming the fuck out of her desperate elf boyfriend who’s in elf heat...mmmm chef’s kiss

Orgasm Delay: Haleth deciding when Caranthir can come!

Service Top: Caranthir tops frequently, but always in service to Haleth.

Size - Size Difference: I LOVE a tiny buff Haleth and a tall lanky Caranthir!! Haleth greedily taking all of Caranthir’s very long elf dick is also hot af.

Soul Bond - Accidental Soul Bond: Caranthir thought he didn’t have to worry about LaCE-style marriage if he was fucking a human, but oops, now they’re soul bonded. That wasn’t supposed to happen! Mortals don’t soul bond! Now what??

Fingolfin/Hador: Fealty kink my beloved,, Okay but really, these two have the perfect liege/vassal dynamic and I’d love to see that explored. Also: beards. Sexy, sexy beards.

Beard Kink: Fingolfin’s never been this close to a beard before and he loves it. Especially when Hador sucks him off.

Calling character(s) by their title or rank in bed; Loyalty Kink; Oaths of Loyalty: Even though Fingolfin asks again and again to just call him by his name, Hador is too caught up in the fealty of it all to not address him as a lord or reaffirm his vassaldom. It’s part of the kink, okay?

Clothing - Armor: Post-battle sex!

Crossdressing: Fingolfin feels safe enough around Hador that he can explore his femininity. Hador will respect and honor him no matter what, and maybe he can even provide some women’s clothing through his wife. (Glóredhel knows what’s up and is fine with it.)

Devotion Through Sex; Service Top; Sex after a long day of duties: I am a sucker for bottom!Fingolfin in this ship. Hador is devoted to taking care of his king and it’s great for Fingolfin to be able to relieve stress by getting fucked.

Mating Cycles/In Heat: In a world where elves have heats but humans don’t, Fingolfin goes through his first heat without Anairë...but thankfully Hador is there to help out.

Throne Sex: The symbolism of fucking on the throne is very hot for both of them.

Maeglin/Túrin: Now this is my rarepair that I completely understand why it’s a rarepair, but also like MATCHING CURSED SWORDS. How do they meet? Idk it’s not important, or it can be important if you want to make some kind of canon divergence AU, I just think they’re both pathetic little meow meows and they deserve to have some very angsty sex. Generally I imagine Túrin meeting Maeglin after Beleg’s death :( So he’s had an elf boyfriend before, and falls for another elf... can’t be worse than his other rebound relationship though

Calling character(s) by their title or rank in bed: With these two, it would probably be very sarcastic. Or it could be Maeglin needling Túrin about having too many names.

Trans Male Character; Cunnilingus - Character Can’t Stop Touching Themselves While Performing Cunnilingus; PiV With Trans Male Character: I headcanon Maeglin to be trans pretty much 100% of the time. Túrin getting very into eating Maeglin out would be fantastic. I can also imagine Maeglin being very whiny and demanding and trying to get Túrin to stop touching himself and focus! Also Maeglin is very much a bottom and loves to have Túrin fuck him, not that he’ll admit it.

Heat - Three Days of Almost Uninterrupted Sex; Mating Cycles/In Heat: More than any other pairing in this request I think they would be the most intense in a heat scenario. Maeglin is so reluctant to be vulnerable, and if he’s had heats before he probably tried to suffer through it alone. And Túrin remembers how Beleg would get during his heats, so he knows how to help Maeglin...

Inappropriately-timed emotional conversations: I imagine cursed talking swords would not make their communication any better, lmao.

Soul Bond - Accidental Soul Bond: Mortals aren’t supposed to be able to soul bond!! What’s this?? I think this is especially juicy in a situation where they were both hiding their identities from each other, but can’t anymore. And the swords I’m sure would be very opinionated about all of this.

~

Celebrimbor/Maeglin: Poor doomed smiths! I love them very much. I usually imagine them getting together post-canon, after all their traumas, when they’ve been reembodied and are trying to live again. Aredhel is good friends with Celegorm and Curufin, so of course Maeglin will be introduced to Celebrimbor... You could also go the Celebrimbor in Gondolin route, but that’s not my preferred canon.

Trans Male Character; PiV With Trans Male Character: Again, my Maeglin is almost always trans, and that’s definitely how I see him here. 

Dom/sub - Subspace; Service Top: I don’t think this relationship really fits dom/sub roles perfectly, but Maeglin is a sadist and Celebrimbor is a masochist; Maeglin is more dom-like than Celebrimbor, but they’re both stumbling through this thing together and figuring out power dynamics and partnership after having gone through some truly awful things in their first lives, especially regarding relationships (they’ve both got Sauron trauma). Anyway: Celebrimbor used to really enjoy subspace before Sauron abused his trust, and he’s relearning how to get back to that state in a healthy way. Maeglin is terrified of becoming like his father (demanding/abusive) and really benefits from having a top who will be good to him and still let him feel like he’s in control.

Hand and Finger Kink; Hand Jobs: Celebrimbor’s name means silver-fist. Do what you will with that. Also, would love to see a size difference here, with Celebrimbor being much bigger and having very big hands...and a big cock...Maeglin’s hands being much smaller. Can he even wrap his fist around Celebrimbor’s cock? He’s definitely going to try.

Kiss - Inner Thigh Kisses; Cunnilingus: Celebrimbor giving Maeglin very tender oral sex <3

Jewelry kink; Clothing - Wearing Nothing but Jewelry; Nipple Piercings: These are Noldor, y’all. Bling bling!! 

Magical/high-tech strap-on that allows the wearer to feel every sensation: Again: Noldor. If Maeglin and Celebrimbor didn’t both independently invent this kind of technology, they certainly will invent it now!

Orgasm Delay; Sex Toys - Cock Cages: Maeglin putting Celebrimbor in a cock cage <333

Overstimulation: Maeglin gets overstimulated easily and Celebrimbor loooves to take advantage of that!

Praise Kink: They both have SUCH bad praise kinks lmfao. Celebrimbor can hide it better but when he gets really deep into subspace it makes him melt. And just telling Maeglin he’s good at something is gonna make him need to nut.

Sex Toys - Strap-Ons: #FeanoriansGetPegged

Roleplay - Character Gets Picky About Worldbuilding: I can totally see Maeglin getting annoyed that Celebrimbor keeps breaking character or isn’t following the plot of some scene they planned out, lol

Sex gets paused to deal with PTSD then maybe returned to: This is especially relevant for Celebrimbor, after what he went through with Sauron, especially when they’re doing BDSM things.

Arranged marriage between enemies must be consummated to avert a war: I was thinking this would be some kind of AU where Celebrimbor of the House of Fëanor and Maeglin of the House of Fingolfin are forced into a marriage alliance!

~~~

Erinti/Nielíqui, Erinti/Nielíqui/Ómar, Erinti/Salmar, & Nielíqui/Ómar

Erinti was the daughter of Varda and Manwë. In later drafts she became Ilmarë, but originally she was also very associated with flowers and trees as well as stars. She was one of the few children of the Valar who went out into the world and interacted with the elves.

Nielíqui was the daughter of Oromë and Vána. She liked to dance in her father’s woods, and was associated with flowers, especially snowdrops and daffodils.

Ómar Amillo was the youngest of the Valar, master of language and song. He would often sing for Nielíqui, who danced to his music; or he would sing to the harp-playing of his brother Salmar. Ómar and Salmar went with Erinti to dwell among the elves on Tol Eressëa, and Salmar went further, fighting in the wars of Beleriand.

Nielíqui and Ómar did not survive through later drafts, and Salmar was downgraded to a minor Maia of Ulmo. I like to picture them all as Maiar: Erinti in the service Varda and Manwë (but as a separate character from Ilmarë), Nielíqui in the service of Vána and Oromë, Salmar in service to Ulmo, and Ómar in service to Nessa (though he could be attached to someone else). It’s natural to think of Ómar and Nielíqui together, given their relationship in the text, and since Erinti was with him and Salmar, it’s easy for me to place her with Salmar. But I kind of headcanon that Salmar (like Ulmo his master) is aromantic, so maybe he’s not married to Erinti. And we can always use more femslash, so Erinti and Nielíqui are also a great pairing. And why not throw Ómar in there with them? Basically, these four are very interesting to me in their various combinations, and I’d love to see something about them brought into the later legendarium. Would rather not have Ómar and Salmar paired together; and if Salmar is involved with Erinti, maybe don’t make their relationship very romantic.

Wedding Night: Lots of Valar came into Arda seemingly already married, but Tulkas and Nessa had a wedding. Did these characters have one too?

Voyeurism - Having sex while third party watches: Ómar watching Erinti and Nielíqui? Or maybe Salmar watching them have a threesome?

Sex under the stars: This is especially relevant for Erinti.

Religion - Praying While Being Fucked: As Maiar, what even is religion to them? Is sex an inherently religious experience? Are they praying to themselves/each other?

Polyamory - Two people sharing a third makes them realize they like each other too: Ómar and Erinti falling in love while they share Nielíqui!

Polyamory - Character in v-shaped relationship gets their lovers together: Or Nielíqui conspiring to bring Ómar and Erinti together!

Outdoor Sex: In the Oromë’s forests, where Ómar sang and Nielíqui danced.

Mutual Masturbation - Watching Their Partner in Rapture: It’s the word “rapture” that really caught me here, with its religious vibes.

Magic - using telepathy to cause other person to orgasm: Ainur magic has got to allow for some wild stuff...especially if it’s based in music.

Hair Washing as part of foreplay/intimacy: Salmar is associated with the sea. Maybe he’s washing Erinti’s hair?

Exhibitionism: Good for the threesome here, or just in general.

Dual Genitalia - Character With Both Cock And Cunt: They’re Ainur, they can have whatever kind of body they want!!

Fucking Someone While Being Fucked By Someone Else: Maybe someone’s fucking their cunt while someone else rides their dick!

Courtship/Wooing: What would this even look like for Ainur??

~

Eriol/Lindo/Vairë: This being Lindo’s wife Vairë, not the Vala. (Personally I’ve renamed her Vairilmë in my headcanons to distinguish the two.) Eriol learns a lot from these two during his time at the Cottage of Lost Play—I can totally see that extending to sex or a relationship as well! As for him marrying Vairilmë’s niece, maybe that’s a cover-up for him having a kid with Vairilmë, who’s already married? Naimi offered to be his new “public” wife/mother of his child, but really it’s Vairilmë (and Lindo) he’s in love with.

Being Woken Up By Sex: Eriol being surprised (consensually) by his new lovers would be really sweet!

C overhears A/B discussing a fantasy involving them: Is this how their relationship starts?

Character Embarrassedly Asks For First Time Kinky Sex: Though Eriol had two kids before he came to Tol Eressëa, he also doesn’t seem very broken up about leaving them and their mother, so perhaps he wasn’t very comfortable in that marriage. Now he’s got more supportive/understanding partners, and is slowly coming to terms with his desires.

Cunnilingus: Perhaps Eriol is good at cunnilingus. He learned that from his time with his first wife! Or perhaps Lindo can teach him how to please Vairilmë.

Courtship/Wooing: Lindo and Vairilmë sweetly seducing Eriol!

Cuddling - Arousal from cuddling: Eriol is embarrassed that he gets horny from something like this but Lindo and Vairilmë are amused and flattered. Differences between mortal and elf sexualities?

Threesome - Character A Pegs Character B While B Pegs/Fucks Character C: An Eriol sandwich! Maybe Eriol’s first time bottoming?

Meril-i-Turinqi/OFC: Queen of Tol Eressëa!! We need more content about her!! I’m imagining her having a girlfriend/wife/lover who also serves as something of a handmaiden. For some reason I think a second person POV would be good here, from the gf’s perspective? But go wild with your imagination!

Clothing - Lingerie: Dressing down for your lover

Cunnilingus; Oral - Sneaking away from public event for risky semi-public cunnilingus: It’s even more risky when you’re the Queen, and it’s your own event...!

Devotion Through Sex: Worshipping your Queen

Established Relationship - The Inherent Romance And Eroticism Of Being Known: Meril knows you very well, and takes very good care of you

Markings - Affectionate Bruising/Marking: Your queen marks you as her own

Oaths of Loyalty: You are eternally faithful to your beloved queen

Service Top: You are honored to be able to top your queen for her pleasure, and to take pleasure of your own from the act

Sex under the stars: This seems very soft and elvish and romantic

Trans Female Character: Perhaps the gf is trans? Or Meril could be! Either way is lovely

Trying to Stay Quiet While Being Fingered in Public To Avoid Detection; Vaginal Fingering: Your queen likes to tease and torment you in public

Nuin/Tu: For some reason I decided my headcanon-name for Tu was Túvon, but you can call him Tu or Túvo or even Thû if you’d like. I also like to see Nuin as nonbinary.

This relationship really interests me, especially considering Tu’s gray morality and uncertain loyalties. Is he a good guy? Is he a servant of Melko? A rogue agent? Is he a Wizard or a Maia or an elf or what? Why does he feel he can tell Nuin what to do? Why does Nuin disobey him? So much room for exploration! 

Dual Genitalia - Character With Both Cock And Cunt: Nuin could be some sort of altersex; or Tu could be magical in nature and give himself whatever genitalia he wants

Religion - Praying While Being Fucked: Nuin is of the Avari, so what’s their relation to the Valar and Eru? Do they see Tu as a figure to be worshipped?

Sex under the stars: Much of their story takes place before the Sun and Moon even existed, and I imagine the stars remain important to their relationship even after that.

~

Makar/Tulkas: Bros having aggressive and/or friendly manly gay sex?? Why not?? I tend to reintegrate Makar into the later legendarium as a Maia of Tulkas who joined Melkor, so you could go with that, or Makar could be a Vala like he was in the early drafts and thus on equal footing with Tulkas. They’re both warlike, which is an unusual trait for the Valar, so I’m definitely interested in their relationship.

Voyeurism - Having sex while third party watches: Tbh throw any of the other Valar or Ainur into the mix—I’m sure Nessa at least would appreciate watching her husband fucking Makar!

Size - Size Kink: I imagine Tulkas as big and beefy, where Makar is leaner and faster and overall smaller. Makar taking Tulkas’ huge cock would be pretty hot.

Angry Sex; Rough Sex: They’re both warlike jocks, this isn’t gonna be gentle

Rimming: I think Tulkas would enjoy rimming Makar tbh.

Place - Sex in a Forest: Why not throw Oromë in the mix and have them fucking in the forest?

Danger/Adrenaline Kink: Sex as a prize in a wrestling match, dangerous sex, sex at spearpoint...so many possibilities

Consensual But Not Safe Or Sane: These do not seem like guys who think things out before doing them

Article 69 of the Brocode states friendly duty to fuck your Bros whenever they want it: Maybe they’re actually besties and have casual bro sex all the time!

Antagonism Leads to Sex: Or maybe they’re bitter rivals who find each other very hot...

Meássë/Thuringwethil: Sexy evil ladies!! Like her brother Makar, I imagine Meássë as a former Maia of Tulkas who switched over to serving Melkor.

Size - Size Kink: Big lioness Maia and tiny bat Maia >:)

Injuries - Sex while recovering from an injury: Maybe shortly after Thuringwethil “dies” and has her bat-fell taken by Lúthien...Meássë comes across her and takes her to a safe place? Or she takes advantage of her?

Danger/Adrenaline Kink: Thuringwethil is a literal blood-drinker, I think Meássë might get a kick out of endangering herself in that way. And Thuringwethil probably likes that Meássë could break her with one hand if she wanted to.

Melko/Tulkas: This one is probably noncon or dubcon, taken from the part in BoLT where Melko wants Tulkas brought to him in chains... Either Melko has his way with Tulkas then, or Tulkas takes his revenge on Melko later.

Throne Sex; Having sex while third party watches: Melko fucks Tulkas in his throne room? Or Tulkas fucks Melko in Máhanaxar?

Threesome - Showing Off Favored Subordinate To An Ally By Inviting Them To Share Them: Melko has “trained” Tulkas to submit to him and invites someone (Gothmog? Sauron? Makar?) to use him.

Rough Sex: No matter the scenario this is gonna be rough

Position - Spitroasting: Melko and Gothmog spitroasting Tulkas?

Oaths of Loyalty: Forcing captive!Tulkas to swear fealty to Melko?

Injuries - Sex while recovering from an injury: Tulkas gets beat up and then fucked?

Deepthroating: Melko shoving his cock down Tulkas’ throat, or vice versa

Degrading Praise: Slut-shaming and dirty talk about how good Tulkas is to fuck

Consensual Non-Consent: Would actually love to see you spin this noncon ship into a consensual one with noncon elements!

Characters about to kill each other decide to fuck instead: This could be another take on them together more consensually!

~~~

Thanks for reading and for creating for me!! I’m super excited to see what you write!! If you have any questions, I have anon messages on!!

[whimsicalmeerkat]

Five of my fics I love (as opposed to those other bastards)

Originally saw this from @fairytales-and-folklore via @greyhavenisback: "Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love 💖"

These aren't in any sort of order. I don't know if they're even my five favorite fics I've written. This is going in public so none of my hockey RPF fics were even taken into consideration. I'm not about to try to rank things or whatever. They're just five out of the crowd that I love and want to share today.

Can't Start a Fire Without a Spark

Daemon Sadi/Lucivar Yaslana

Black Jewels by Anne Bishop | 1188 words | Explicit

Summary:

Lucivar didn’t always want Daemon when he saw him, but sometimes he did, and after nearly two thousand years, he knew he could usually have what he wanted. Not always. Both of them valued the ability to choose - that freedom they were denied for centuries. There were times when Daemon wanted him when he would say no, for no reason other than that he could. They had never talked about it, but he knew there were times when Daemon did the same. or The one where they fornicate against a tree

Thoughts:

Daemon & Lucivar is one of my favorite ships to write, and I have so many, many feelings about them. I saw someone describe the series in an exchange request as the author creating a kinkverse and making it a story about family, and that's absolutely true. These two went through so very, very much trauma, and in this story I give them a chance to act on the mind-boggling amounts of sexual tension they have going on while still acknowledging what they've gone through. They are half-brothers, so mind the tags.

Tags:

incest, sibling incest, anal sex, outdoor sex, smut, plot what plot/porn without plot, top lucivar yaslana, bottom daemon sadi, trauma bois, acting on impulse, fornicating against a tree, excuse me sir there are feelings in my porn

lie beside me baby, that's an order

Emhyr var Emreis/Geralt of Rivia

The Witcher | 13.693 words | Explicit

Summary:

Geralt was relaxing after dinner when his life went to hell. The sound of a carriage pulling up wasn’t surprising. He had friends who came by occasionally. The sound of two more was unexpected though. He got up to see what was happening at the same moment a rather pale, unusually flustered Barnabas-Basil came out onto the patio, and proclaimed, “His Imperial Majesty has arrived.” His tone was distinctly accusatory. Geralt really couldn’t blame him.

~

Emhyr shows up at Corvo Bianco because of a threat which can only be solved by Geralt, specifically by sleeping in Geralt's bed. What's a poor Witcher to do?

Thoughts:

Grumpy old men all the way on this one. One of the tags is 'Emhyr Has Schemes(TM)' and it is well-earned. There's bed sharing and misunderstandings, but it isn't all light-hearted shenanigans. They talk about things like Blaviken and the wars Emhyr has waged. There's a happy ending, but it takes a fair amount of feeling each other out before they get to feeling each other up. Well, back to. Guess you'll just have to read for that to make sense!

Tags:

canon what canon, boys being dumb, Emhyr has Schemes(TM), sharing a bed, mild potential somnophilia, the lesser evil

make a moan upon the midnight hours

Enkidu/Gilgamesh

Mesopotamian Mythology | 3879 words | Explicit

Summary:

“Teach me,” Enkidu said simply, smiling slightly when Gilgamesh turned his head to look at him. “I would learn you.”

“You mean you would learn from me,” Gilgamesh corrected with a smile.

"That too,” Enkidu said, rising up and turning onto his side.

~

Enkidu can’t fall asleep indoors. Gilgamesh has a solution for that.

Thoughts:

I knew nothing about the Epic of Gilgamesh beyond the name and relative age of the text when I signed up for the Chocolate Box exchange, but my personal place in rarepair hell made me decide I wanted to give my recipient something they probably didn't expect. I ended up having a hell of a good time writing this original enemies to lovers pair. I got good feedback from both the person the gift was for and others who've read the epic. Not into it from that perspective? Maybe you'll be drawn in by the fact that they get together on the palace roof under the stars. Features both humor and tenderness along with the smut.

Tags:

blow jobs, hand jobs, first time, smut, outdoor sex, sex under the stars

every breath you take

Rodney McKay/John Sheppard

Stargate Atlantis | 1356 words | Teen+

Summary:

John couldn’t help but count the beats, trying to time them in his head. If he could focus on that—somehow find a way to mentally track breaths per minute without looking at his watch—maybe, just maybe, for a little bit, maybe for longer than a handful of seconds he could forget the awful sound of Rodney not breathing.

Thoughts:

I set out to write Rodney getting physically hurt and John comforting him. That lasted maybe a sentence. This one is all about the feels with no smut. I'm quite happy with it. Zero stalking in spite of the title, which probably shouldn't be allowed, but I promise it makes sense.

Tags:

hurt/comfort, fluff and nonsense, this fic contains zero incidences of stalking, the botanists were fine

just give me one thing that I can hold onto

Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski

Teen Wolf | 9392 words | Explicit

Summary:

Derek woke up feeling relaxed and content, which was how he knew something was wrong.

~

Derek & Stiles keep waking up naked in the woods. It’s obviously a curse. I mean, what else could it possibly be?

Thoughts:

A plot bunny run rabid, but one I'm pretty damn proud to have tamed. Full of tropes, but with a few of my own ideas on things like mating bites and claiming. At least 60% porn, but with lots of feelings (thanks, Derek), hence the 'excuse me sir there are feelings in my porn' tag. Includes Stiles saying he wants a werewolf divorce.

Tags:

alternate universe - canon divergence, blow jobs, anal sex, knotting, mates, porn with feelings, mild angst, fluff and smut, smut, marking, scenting, banter, top derek hale, bottom stiles stilinski, alpha derek hale, derek hale is a failwolf, derek hale deserves nice things, even though he doesn't think he does, fluff and nonsense, excuse me sir there are feelings in my porn

Well, there you have it. Five of my fics I especially love. I'd love to know what you think of them, either here or in comments. I'd also love to answer any questions you might have. I adore talking about my stuff.

Tagging a random assortment of people, but feel free to grab it and run with it if I missed tagging you. I'd love it if you'd tag me when you do. I'm always on the lookout for new stuff to read. @torrefaction-of-silver, @ooksaidthelibrarian, @krabraccoon, @dreaminghour, @calenlily, @pterawaters, @mswhich, @bad-at-names-and-faces, @alondradina, @dr-fumbles-mcstupid, @elder-flower, @milficwriter, @shadow-wasser

[electricshoebox]

writing tag

Tagged by the lovely @adventuresofmeghatron, thank you!

Tagging: @junemermaid, @molliehaswords, @desynchimminent, @valkyriejack, and @mercurymiscellany​, if you’d like to do it!

1.  How many works do you have on AO3? 

39. Holy shit. 

2.  What’s your total AO3 word count?

533,274 words. Holy shit.

3. What are you top 5 fics by kudos?

How to Share a Bed Without Killing Each Other: a Love Story (Dragon Age: Inquisition, Dorian/Iron Bull, 5 Chapters, Complete) The trials and tribulations of literally sleeping together.

Rivers in the Sand (Dragon Age: Inquisition, Dorian/Iron Bull, Oneshot, Complete) The Hissing Wastes unsettles Bull’s memories, and when he and Dorian are trapped together by a fallen pillar, Dorian helps him deal.

a soft place to land (Dragon Age: Inquisition, Dorian/Iron Bull, Oneshot, Complete) When a letter from his father sets him off, Dorian turns to Bull for a distraction.

Always Good at Bad Ideas  (Dragon Age: Inquisition, Dorian/Iron Bull, Oneshot, Complete) Bull gets injured fighting a dragon, which leaves Dorian frantic enough to blurt out the one thing he was trying to keep to himself.

Flashpoint (Dragon Age: Inquisition, Dorian/Iron Bull, Oneshot, Complete) “One time he got so excited he set the curtains on fire.”

4. Do you respond to comments?  Why or why not? 

Yes, always! I’ve seen various opinions on whether authors should, but to me, engaging with and getting excited with readers is half the fun and half the point. I also just really want people to know how much it means to me not only that they read, but that they take the time to leave a comment. Comments are hard to write. I completely sympathize with that, sometimes you just don’t know what to say or how to say it, and I absolutely don’t begrudge anyone that doesn’t. It just means a lot to me when people do, even when it’s literally just “This was cool!” or something, and I want them to know that it’s appreciated!

5. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

Hmmm. I guess that sort of depends on your definition of angsty. None of them have directly tragic endings, it’s just not in me to write that way, but I have one or two with open or less definitely, obviously happy endings. The rarepair DA2 oneshot I wrote for Merrill/Orana, Counting the Cost, has the most open ending, left completely up to interpretation. The Inception AU DAI fic I wrote for Dorian/Bull, In the Shadow of Dreams, has what I think of as an optimistic ending, and less a happy one. I tried to end that one with more romance, but it just didn’t fit the tone of the rest of the fic, so a quiet ending that signals a road to recovery was what I chose instead.

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

Most all of my oneshots have pretty happy endings. I guess I’m tempted say A Line in the Sand, my Deacon/MacCready start-from-scratch slow burn novel, just because it goes from antagonists to lovers and has the longest road with the most earned happy ending. I feel like the long struggle to get there makes it feel happier. 

7. Do you write crossovers?  If so, what’s the craziest one you’ve written?

Not really. Instead I’m sometimes tempted into AUs based on other media, but not full blown crossovers with actual different characters meeting. Even then, I’m really picky in what I enjoy. I’ve only written one, the Inception AU for Dragon Age that I mentioned above. Honestly, it requires no knowledge of Inception at all. I really just stole a bunch of concepts from it and then made my own modernized Thedas around them.

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Thankfully no! I’ve received one or two kind of odd comments, but otherwise I’ve been very lucky and everyone’s been really nice.

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

Hell yeah! I’ve written many kinds, really, whatever I feel like or whatever fits the fic. I’ve done plenty of your typical smut. I branched out into light BDSM with several of my Dorian/Bull fics, as well as waxplay and praise kink. I’ve also done some roleplay in the vein of “established relationship pretending to be strangers meeting at a bar” for Deacon/MacCready with By Any Other Name.

10.  Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of. 

11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I have! Two of my Dorian/Bull fics, Wishing Stars and No Patron Saint of Silent Restraint, both by the same lovely person: landanding on AO3. I don’t think I stopped flailing for a solid day when I got the request for permission either time.

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

Not since pre-AO3 days, beyond collaborating in a tabletop setting. I’m not completely opposed to the idea but it would have to be someone I felt really, really comfortable with and with whom I have really good communication. I’m really particular about my writing, and I’d need to know someone’s emotional comfort level with trading and changing and even eliminating ideas.

13.  What’s your all-time favourite ship?

Oh god that’s honestly really hard. I’ve written the most for Dorian/Bull and that ship will always have a special place in my heart. But I did write my first full-length novel for Deacon/MacCready, and they’ve already got me in the middle of my second. So they’re the ship that taught me I could do that, and they’re my beloved rarepair. There are a few more I absolutely love, but I think those are my top two right now.

14.  What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

Definitely Uprising. It was the first time I tried longform fic, and it was meant to be an entire retelling of DA2 with Velanna as the Justice-bearing character, rather than Anders, because after learning the developers almost took DA2 in that direction, I couldn’t get it out of my head. I had a lot of plans for it, for how Justice might develop differently, for what it might have looked like if elves had been more of the battleground issue instead of mages vs. templars, for some angsty bittersweet long distance Nathaniel/Velanna and some complicated Fenris/Hawke and Merrill/Orana. But I drifted away from Dragon Age fandom in interest a long time ago, and I’m not sure I’ll ever get the steam back for it. I’m proud of how far I did get, though.

15. What are your writing strengths?

I feel pretty confident with dialogue, I can usually make a scene flow with it pretty well and I spend a lot of time trying to be meticulous about character voice. I’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback on my descriptions, which I appreciate and wouldn’t have considered a strength, but my readers have been kind. I think I’m pretty good at including body language, too, though maybe to a fault.

16.  What are you writing weaknesses?

Much as people have been kind on the feedback, I really feel like action scenes are a weakness for me. I don’t enjoy writing them and I struggle a lot to make them feel like they’re flowing over just bulletpointing. I also feel like I struggle to make them exciting. I feel like I struggle with exposition scenes as well, and keeping them interesting over info-dumping. 

17.  What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I’m generally in favor of including them, but with the caution of doing thorough research if it’s not a language I speak. I shy away from it if I can’t be completely sure it’s accurate, because I don’t want to risk putting off a native speaker reader, or saying/doing something offensive. I’d expand that to include anything about another culture, really. For example, I’ve been slowly picking away at writing a Fallout fic for my Sole Survivor Anthony and Preston, and part of what has been slow going is just making sure I’m getting Anthony’s culture right. His parents immigrated from Vietnam, and I want his experiences with them and with his culture to be as accurate and respectful as possible, not falling into any stereotypes but also being allowed to be complicated. 

18.  What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Depends on what we’re measuring. The first fandom I ever wrote fic for of any kind was Sailor Moon. The first fandom I actually put fic on the internet for was Lord of the Rings, on good old fanfiction.net. The first fandom I published on AO3 for was Dragon Age.

19.  What’s your favourite fic you’ve written?

God this is such a hard question to answer, my feelings on my writing change so often. I think it’s hard for A Line in the Sand not to be my favorite for the reasons I’ve already mentioned, it’s my first successful novel-length fic, I accomplished a lot with it and learned a lot from it, and it’s a rarepair I got to kind of develop from scratch in my own way. 

But if I look back at my whole repertoire so far, just to branch out from the usual answer, I’d say I’m also really fond of To Have and to Hold, which was the first time I ever participated in a minibang, or really any kind of writing challenge. It’s a Dorian/Bull established relationship fic set during Trespasser, and it’s kind of a meditation on Dorian’s past and present and how they’ve shaped his feelings on love and commitment and marriage, all while he’s trying to decide his future. I’m proud of how it came out, and I think my Dorian voice still holds up okay. Plus I had two incredible artists working with me who put together stunning work for it, and how could I not be super grateful for that? 

It’s funny, most of the top ones up there for kudos are ones that I don’t personally think are my best, it’s a lot of my very early offerings for Dorian/Bull that I think I could improve on a lot of if I tackled them now. I’m grateful people like them but I feel like they’re more an accident of timing, being published early in the ship’s popularity. 

[kholran]

Fic Tag Game

Once again I saw this before work and then promptly forgot to do it when I got home. So I’m doing it now at almost 2:30 am. As always, thanks to @vishcount for the tag!

Name: Kholran (or Khol)

This is my go-to screen name for just about everything. I made it up for a tabletop RP character that I never ended up actually playing. So I stole his name for myself and have been using it ever since. Chances are if you encounter a Kholran anywhere online, it’s me.

Fandoms: Since this is specifically about fic, I’m going to limit it to fandoms I’ve written in. Because otherwise we’d be here all night.

Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit: Specifically Bard/Thranduil (Barduil). It literally took one exchanged glance on screen and I was totally sold on this ship. I wrote more for them than any other ship I’ve shipped. AUs, canon, you name it I wrote it for them.

Les Miserables: Ok so let me start by saying I’ve been a huge fan of the musical since middle school, when the 10th Anniversary Dream Cast happened. I read the Brick in 7th grade. So I didn’t JUST jump on the bandwagon when the movie came out. But that Les Mis renaissance did inspire me to write my one and only fic in the fandom. A Titanic AU that turned out less cracky than intended. Don’t judge me.

Guardian: So technically speaking I haven’t PUBLISHED any Weilan fic yet. But I do have the first four and a half chapters of a mermaid AU finished. And I plan on getting back to it and finishing it once I stop obsessing over my pool noodle in-

DMBJ/Lost Tomb: Something about cdrama gives me plot bunnies. And adopted side characters. And rarepair pool noodles, apparently. This is where I’m living right now, paddling around on the SS Risang.

Tropes: Uhh. I’m positive I write tropes but it’s not like a conscious thing? I guess angst with a happy ending is where it’s at? Considering I love me some damaged characters, it’s almost impossible not to write a lot of angst into my fics. But I also want to give them love and happiness and cookies.

Fic I spent most time on: I think probably the aforementioned Weilan mermaid AU. Because I started it last...September? Maybe? And I haven’t finished it yet.

Favorite fic(s) you’ve written:

I’m happy to report that I don’t...hate...my old fics? Like I can re-read them and sometimes even think I’m not half bad at this hobby. But at the same time I fall into the mindset of “Oh that could have been better. I should have done this differently. I want to change that so bad. Man I wish I’d finished this series.”

So I think I’ll have to say the Under Your Skin Barduil series, featuring soulmate tattoos. I wish I hadn’t gotten too insecure to finish it because I had a whole big idea plotted out that I just never ended up writing. I like what I did finish though. And then I think my very favourite is my Risang pool noodle baby, I Will Go Now to My Pyre. Not only is it my rarepair crowning glory (in that I named the ship, was the first one in the tag, and got more than one “I never even thought about this ship before but I’m into it” comments), but I’ve put so much time and sweat and tears into it. (PS I promise I’m working on the conclusion! It’s 7k words and counting!)

Fic I spent least time on: I don’t even know. Maybe I Get By? From concept to publishing I think it was only a few days.

Longest fic: It’s definitely GOING to be the Weilan AU. But currently it’s In Every Age, the Les Mis Titanic AU. I Will Go Now to My Pyre might end up beating that one by the time it’s done. We’ll see.

Shortest fic: AO3 says it’s Run, which was the intro to a Barduil Zombie Apocalypse AU. But it didn’t get much of a response so I never continued it past the brief intro.

Most hits/kudos/comments/bookmarks:

Hits and Kudos: And Here My Troubles Begin, part 3 of Under Your Skin. Not surprised. It has porn in it.

Comments: I Will Go Now to My Pyre, and I cannot thank all of you enough for validating my pool noodle this way!

Fic you want to rewrite/expand on: Um. Literally all of them. Like I said above, as soon as I re-read them, I want to re-WRITE them. Because I think I can always make them better. But I guess I’ll really say the Under Your Skin series. Also like I said above, I had a whole storyline planned out for that and I’m sad I didn’t get around to fleshing it out.

Share a bit of a WIP: Ok, here’s a tiny sneak peek of the next (I say next instead of last even though it’s supposed to be the last because the word count is getting away from me and it might end up split) chapter of I Will Go Now to My Pyre:

“Did you do this yourself?” he asked, grimacing at the state of the bandage as he started to cut it away, slowly revealing the marred skin beneath. The question was met with silence, and Liu Sang briefly glanced up from what he was doing. Zhang Rishan had an odd expression on his face, like he'd somehow misinterpreted what Liu Sang was asking. “The bandage. Did you do it yourself?”

“Oh.” Relief? That was weird. What had Zhang Rishan thought he meant? “Yes. I spent some time in the Army a while back,” Zhang Rishan replied, as if that explained everything.

Liu Sang watched him for a moment longer before turning his focus back to his task. Everything about the dressing and the wrapping was wrong, and half the gashes he'd revealed needed stitching. He wondered if they'd even been cleaned first. Probably not, given the warmth of Zhang Rishan's skin and the angry reddened edges of the wounds.  “Not as a medic, I hope,” he muttered after a beat.

I tag: ALL of my writer friends. I want to know all about your projects. TELL ME.

[goldencursive]

Chapter Two: 1965 words

Title: bro, will you be my bro forever, bro?

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Relationships: Kaminari Denki/Sero Hanta, Kaminari Denki & Sero Hanta

Characters: Kaminari Denki, Sero Hanta, Uraraka Ochako, Ashido Mina, Hagakure Tooru, Midoriya Izuku, Kirishima Eijirou, Bakugou Katsuki

Additional Tags: BNHA Rarepair Week 2021, Fake/Pretend Relationship, 5+1 Things, Fluff, Humor, or At Least an Attempt at Humor, Carnival, Meet the Family, a wedding wheeee, its not kamisero's lol, POV Kaminari Denki, POV Sero Hanta, POV Alternating, Mutual Pining

Summary:

alternatively titled: five times denki and hanta pretend to boyfriends and one time they actually are

“Brooooo, look at that!” Eijirou’s excited voice calls from ahead. The Bakusquad were hanging out at the fair during a rare day of relaxation. Most of the other members of their class are scattered around the fairgrounds somewhere, but right now, the five of them - minus Kyouka, who’s on a date with Yaomomo - are standing in front of a small contest stage.

“Wow,” Hanta remarks. “That is a giant Pikachu plushie.” Denki gapes at it. It’s in a sitting position, arms out, face beaming. It’s as big as he is. He wants it.

“I want it,” Denki announces out loud. “It looks so soft and cute and huggable. Can you imagine the cuddles you could get out of it?”

The Pikachu is sitting close enough to the front of the stage that they could touch it if they want to. Well, if they had really long arms. Like, arms twice as long as their legs, while holding one of those claw grabber thingys.

Okay, maybe they can’t touch it, but still. They can see it close up in its full, fluffy glory.

“Hey, you guys admiring our Pikachu plushie?” A bubbly girl with bright green hair pops up from behind it. “You can win it from our contest! Couples only, starts in an hour. I can give you a sign up sheet if you want it.”

Denki turns to Hanta immediately, because he might not have a boyfriend, but he does have a best friend who he’s totally not crushing on what do you mean and who owes him so many favors for charging his phone. “Hanta, bro, please. I have never wanted anything more in my life.”

Mina snickers and drapes her arm around him. “Didn’t you say that last week about the cake Sato made?”

“His cakes are like heaven and angel tears rolled up in the burrito of the gods, okay? Don’t judge me, Kiri said the same thing.” Denki crosses his arms, pouting. “Anyways, I have never wanted anything more in my life, Hanta, please help me.”

Katsuki smacks Denki in the back of the head (but nowhere near as hard as he would have in first year because they’re totally friends now, no matter how much he likes to deny it). “Idiot, you didn’t even see what kind of fucking contest it is. Don’t just jump into it without being prepared.”

“Says you,” Mina snickers.

“Oi, you wanna die?!”

“I’m a bad bitch, you can’t kill me,” she answers playfully, ducking behind Eijirou.

While Eijirou tries to defuse the Bakubomb, Denki turns to the sign next to the Pikachu. “How well do you know your partner?” he reads. “Hey, that doesn’t sound too hard! We know each other pretty well, I think,” he says, turning to Hanta. Although he’s not sure the kind of information he knows, like how Hanta still sleep with a blanket his mom made

“I mean, it’ll be fun,” shrugs the taller boy. “I’m down.”

Denki cheers, and accepts a sheet from the girl. “Let’s gooooo.”

<><><><><>

An hour later, they’re sitting across from each other with a whiteboard in their hands. The three couples sit at tables arranged in a row with the two hosts in front of them and the prize Pikachu on a raised pedestal behind them.

“All right, let’s get started!” cries the bubbly girl from earlier. “I’m Hina and this is Yumi.” She gestures to the pink haired girl beside her, who cheerfully waves to the crowd gathered in front of the stage. “This is our ‘How Well Do You Know Your Partner’ contest for couples. It’s a lot harder than you’d think! We host this every day at the same time, so if you wanna participate but missed out today, you can always come back tomorrow! Now, can we get some introductions from our couples? We’ll start with you two,” she says, gesturing to the couple on the right of Denki and Hanta, a shy looking boy and brown haired girl.

They wave to the audience, introducing themselves as Yui and Haruto. “We’ve been together for over a year now, so I’m certain we’ll win!” the girl, Yui, says, smiling.

“All right, long term relationships are the best for this kind of contest! How about you guys?” Hina continues, gesturing to Denki and Hanta.

“What up, people? I’m Denki, and this is Hanta, my best bro and the love of my life.” Denki gives Hanta a dopey smile that’s not hard to fake because it’s not fake, and playfully bats his eyelashes, making Hanta crack up.

“Bro, stop, you’re going to make me blush in front of all these people,” Hanta says between snickers.

“What a lovely relationship! We love the ones where you can play around with your partners,” Hina says with a grin. “Now, what about the last couple?”

“I’m Ayaka and my girlfriend is Sora,” grins a girl with hair red enough to rival Eijirou’s. “We’re just here for the Pikachu!” Her girlfriend smacks her arm for being so blunt, but Ayaka’s grin doesn’t falter.

“That’s right! Our lovely prize, a giant stuffed Pikachu plushie, will be in the possession of whoever wins our contest! Now, our rules.” Hina looks over to her partner, who smoothly jumps in.

“The rules are simple: we’ll ask twelve questions of varying difficulties. Each of our contestants have a different color based on the seat they sit in, red or blue. We’ll direct our questions to either color. For example, if we ask Blue what Red’s favorite color is, Blue will write their guess on their board, while Red writes the correct answer on theirs. You’ll have thirty seconds to answer the question. Everybody got it?” She looks back at the contestants, who all nod back at her.

“Then let’s get started!” smiles Hina. “First question: what is Blue’s favorite food?”

Okay, blue, that’s Hanta. Denki looks down at his whiteboard, thinking. The first two things that pop to mind are oranges and soy bean flavored food. But which does he like better? Can he write down both? Is that allowed?

“Ten seconds!” Yumi calls. Ok, no time to agonize over it. Denki quickly scribbles ‘soy bean flavored stuff’ down. Hanta drinks soy bean milk all the time and hardly ever steals Denki’s orange juice, unlike SOME people who shall remain unnamed (cough *mina* cough cough). “Time’s up! Please flip your boards around to show the audience!”

Denki cranes neck to see what Hanta wrote. “Hey, we wrote the same answer word for word,” he says, grinning at Hanta. “High five!”

“Looks like everybody got this question right! Congratulations!” says Yumi. Hina makes a show of adding points to a large whiteboard bearing their names. “Next question: when is Red’s birthday?”

Denki writes a neat “July 29th” on his board, smiling as he remembers the first time they told each other their birthdays. Denki had been so excited to find out that their birthdays were only a month apart.

“All right, another easy point for everybody,” cheers Hina. “Keep it up! The next question: what is Blue’s favorite hobby?”

Favorite hobby, huh? Well, they don’t really have time for any serious hobbies outside of hero-ing, but Denki remembers oohing and aahing with Mina and Eijirou over the beautifully hand-woven rugs and tapestries all over Hanta’s room. His family owns a crafts shop, and Hanta had gotten into weaving that way, saying it was fun playing with the patterns he could create and good stress relief as well. So, weaving then.

“Let’s check out your answers,” Yumi says, calling the time. “Hm, looks like Yui and Haruto are the only ones missing this question.” Yui, sitting in the blue seat, frowns at her boyfriend for getting it wrong, but softens when he murmurs something back.

“I’m surprised you remember I like to weave,” Hanta says, a teasing glint in his eyes.

Denki snorts. “Your room is covered in the stuff. It’s kinda hard to forget.”

The next few questions go by without a hitch for Denki and Hanta. “Hey, we’re doing pretty good,” Hanta says. “We’re the only ones who have a perfect score right now.”

“Heck yeah, that Pikachu’s gonna be mine,” grins Denki. He’s honestly kind of surprised that they were the ones with the perfect streak, even though they weren’t even dating. But he can’t deny the burst of satisfaction that comes with getting each question right, and further cementing their brohood.

“Okay, we’re getting into the last few questions now. Who was Red’s first kiss?” Hina asks deviously.

Aw, shucks, this might actually throw their score off. Denki’s not sure if he’s ever told Hanta who his first kiss was since the guy wasn’t really anybody special. Actually, Denki kinda feels bad for forgetting the dude’s name as he scribbles down “a boy in middle school.” When the timer runs out, Hanta’s board only has a question mark on it, and he smiles sheepishly at Denki.

“Sorry for not knowing,” he says.

“Nah, dude, you couldn’t have known since I never told you,” Denki says, brushing it off. “But, hey, we still have the lead!” he continues, beaming. Hanta returns his smile with a wider one. Honestly, Denki could get drunk off Hanta’s smile, sweet and goofy and always there, like the way All Might’s always smiling, but softer and infinitely cuter.

Get a grip, Denki, he scolds himself. He’s definitely going to notice if you keep staring at him. So he looks towards the two hosts and gets ready to answer the next question.

“What is Red’s weirdest fear?”

Huh. It would be an easy point if the question were biggest fear since it’s common knowledge that Denki hates spiders as much as Katsuki loves swearing, but weirdest fear? Denki has lots of fears, ranging from insects to angry pomeranians (thanks katsuki) to forgetting his homework to Midoriya with no sleep (you’d understand if you saw it). And it has to be one that Hanta knows, so what about...sand foxes.

Okay, listen, Denki knows next to nothing about sand foxes, but he does know that their faces are NOT NATURAL and CREEP HIM OUT, so DON’T laugh at him. Seriously, the first Denki saw one, he couldn’t stop thinking about that face for hours. It still haunts him to this day. And it's definitely a weird fear that Denki complains to Hanta about all the time.

“Alright, let’s see your answers!” Looking around, Denki sees that only he and Hanta got this question.

“Dude, we’re totally gonna win,” Denki whisper-shouts excitedly, leaning into the table. “Look at how far we are compared to everyone else!”

It comes as no surprise, then, that they do end up winning. The contestants line up in front of tables. “Hey, that was a great game! In third place, unfortunately, is Yui and Haruto, with six points.” Kinda strange, that the couple has been together for over a year and they have the lowest score, Denki muses. Meh. Worked out in his favor. “Second place, we have Sora and Ayaka, with eight points. And finally, our winners, Denki and Hanta, with eleven points!”

Denki whoops, turning to give Hanta a high five. The other two couples walk off the stage while Yumi and Hina hand over their prize. “I know this Pikachu is huge and kind of hard to carry, so you can leave it here until you’re ready to leave,” Hina tells them.

“Promise we won’t let anyone steal it,” Yumi adds, winking.

“Nah, I think we have to go now,” Hanta says, shaking his head. They say goodbye to the two ladies and rejoin their waiting friends, carrying the heavier-than-expected plush between them.

“Bro, it’s even bigger up close!” Eijirou raves.

“And it’s so fluffy I’m going to die!” squeals Mina. She strokes it reverently. “Denki, you have to bring it to our next Bakusquad sleepover.”

Denki laughs. “You know it!”

<>

one thing that i couldn't find a proper place to add in: i promise denki's not being inconsiderate in assuming the pikachu all for himself! they had a convo abt it while they were waiting for the contest to start

part one | part three

[inkatheart-fandom]

Ranty Plot #003

Oooh look, it’s my favorite fandom. I know, not many people are into HTTYD stuff and see it as weird. I don’t care, here we go.

Fandom: How To Train Your Dragon - Race To The Edge

Ship(s): Viggo/Hiccup, Hiccup/Astrid

Tags: Rarepair, uncommon ship, ‘dark ship’, somewhat unhappy ending, villain to ally, enemies to lovers, age gap, pining, violence

So this takes place directly at the end of Triple Cross, with a slight deviation:

Figuring himself for dead anyway, Viggo admits to Hiccup that he had never poisoned Toothless. That he'd just needed Hiccup to work with him. Hiccup looks to the Skrill, then to Toothless, and finally to the arrows in Viggo's back. Viggo tells Hiccup that he'll hold the hunters off for as long as he can. Hiccup asks him why, why he was doing all of this, and Viggo admits his deep admiration for Hiccup and the Riders. That he wishes he could do better, but doesn't have the time. As he goes out to face the hunters so that Hiccup can escape, Hiccup refuses. He grabs Viggo and pulls him onto Toothless, and the four of them make their harrowing escape out of the cave. Viggo, however, is in bad shape. He knows he's dying, but he silently admires Hiccup for thinking he's worth saving. For thinking he's worth something at all. The one person in the world he wanted had turned those caring eyes on him, even after all of the horrible things he'd done. He tells Hiccup his final goodbye before he feels the last vestiges of his energy give out and he falls from Toothless's back. He's saved by the Skrill before he hits the water.

Viggo is surprised when he wakes up. He has been bandaged, and taken somewhere that feels safe. Familiar, even with the gray storm hanging overhead. When he looks around he and Fishlegs spot each other at the same time, and Fishlegs informs Viggo that he's been ordered not to let Viggo go unsupervised. It's not surprising though. Fishlegs has Meatlug go get Hiccup. While she's gone, the two discuss what happened between Viggo's fall and now. Viggo hears the scream of the Skrill somewhere on the island, and learns that it had come with Hiccup back to the Edge and has been hovering around making everyone nervous. Hiccup returns and relieves Fishlegs of his post, then tentatively takes a seat next to Viggo's bedside. When questioned about why he would save the life of his enemy, Hiccup explains that if someone like Dagur the Deranged could change for the better, then anything was possible. He hadn't hurt Toothless, and he'd formed a bond with the Skrill of all dragons. He goes on to say that if Viggo was telling the truth before, about wanting to do better, then Hiccup would give him the chance. But if he double crossed Hiccup again, there would be no redemption. Viggo wholly understands that, and gives him a sincere thank you.

It isn't long before the Skrill becomes a problem. It makes all the dragons nervous, and has a storm constantly hovering overhead. It comes to a head when a lightning strike sets one of the huts on fire (again). Hiccup and the Riders come together to discuss what to do about moving the Skrill, and Viggo listens from the outside. He makes the decision to go see if he can calm the Skrill himself. Viggo, still injured and completely unarmored, makes his way into the forest to find the Skrill. He finds the beast and seems prepared to be mauled, only to find that the Skrill calms when he sees Viggo. Viggo is able to approach the dragon and pet his head, further calming the beast. Viggo finds himself amazed at the intelligence and strength he finds behind those eyes, the power beneath his hand. With a dragon like this, a man could take control of the Archipelego with ease. He's forced so sit, weak and winded from his injuries. This is how Hiccup and the Riders find him, with the Skrill's head in his lap and the storm overhead finally calming. Hiccup explains that whatever happened, the Skrill must have formed a bond with Viggo. After a long moment of contemplation, Viggo decides on a name: Talon.

Viggo tries to help around the Edge, but none of the Riders trust him with any task. Only Hiccup seems willing to put up with his company, but everyone seems to want Hiccup's attention all the time, and further, the Riders are territorial of Viggo near Hiccup. It's understandable. When he isn't with Hiccup, he's being watched by one of the other Riders. Attempts at conversation are met with either ridicule or suspiscion. Bored and feelingly uncharacteristically lonely, Viggo falls asleep in the stables one night with Talon. He wakes to find Hiccup watching him. He asks after Viggo's injuries, then sits down with Viggo. He explains that he understands how painful it is to have nobody like or trust him. Viggo trades, explaining that he grew up the runt of his family as well, but he didn't get a Nightfury to change his life. He talks about how he had to prove himself to a viking family, how he was mocked for never being strong enough to slay a dragon without trickery. It led to him blaming dragons for his shortcomings. They stay up talking, and Hiccup falls asleep against Viggo's shoulder.

Viggo understands why he isn't trusted by the Riders. As the weeks go on, when his injuries have healed and Fishlegs deems him recovered, the Riders make the demand that Viggo leaves. Hiccup tries to levy for Viggo, because with Viggo's skill with tactics and the raw power of a Skrill on their side, it would be a huge advantage against Johann and Krogan. Their discussion is interrupted then dragon flyers attack the Edge, everyone goes out to fight. Viggo hopes that this could be his chance to prove himself. Without a saddle, he can't ride Talon without being killed, but he knows the other Riders can control their dragons off the saddle, so perhaps he can too. He tries to control Talon from the Edge, but the two are uncoordinated and don't understand how to give or take orders. A Singetail lobs a fireball at Viggo, Talon intercepts and in his rage, lets loose a powerful lightning blast. An errant bolt hits Viggo and sends him toppling off the ledge. Hiccup and Toothless save him.

Viggo wakes up in what he's come to accept, lately, as 'his' bed. For the first time since he'd been at the Edge, he's alone. After a moment he quickly recalls the events before he was struck and jumps to go find what happened. He finds Hiccup at the blacksmith, working along on a new project. He has the blueprints and the starting leathers for a new saddle. Viggo's saddle. After querying, Hiccup admits that he was impressed by Viggo's attempt to help. The Skrill, though, is a dragon that can't be handled like most others. They'll need to find a way to keep Talon's lightning from hitting Viggo. Together, the two work on the plans. Fishlegs and Snotlout appear to voice their disapproval of giving Viggo a saddle. In the end, the saddle has to have a rubber base, and Viggo's armor has to be given a similar treatment. Getting to work alongside Hiccup, though, is thrilling. Viggo gets to see, firsthand, how Hiccup's mind works and solves problems. In the end, even Fishlegs has started to help out. Once finished, Hiccup announces that tomorrow, they'll begin Viggo's training.

Viggo stumbles onto a meeting of the Riders where everyone seems to be ganging up on Hiccup, calling him insane for giving Viggo the ability to ride the Skrill of all dragons. Hiccup coming to Viggo's defense, especially when Viggo isn't there, touches Viggo in a way he doesn't want to admit. He wants nothing more than to claim Hiccup for his own, to have that ferocity and loyalty all to himself. But to do that would mean hurting Hiccup, would mean revealing himself as the monster that Hiccup is trying to insist that he isn't. He goes to find Talon and contemplates leaving; he'll never be trusted by the Riders and he could save Hiccup a lot of stress if it left. But leaving would be the cowards way out, and he knows he can be useful to Hiccup and his mission. He resolves that he's going to prove to Hiccup (and the others) that he can be trusted. And maybe, somewhere in his heart, he hopes that Hiccup might look at him with the kind of reverence he looks at Astrid or dragons.

Their first riding lesson is rocky. All of the Riders insist on being there, and get in Viggo's way and make things more difficult. Talon is hard enough to control, as it getting Hiccup's lesson through. It's not about controlling Talon, it has to be about trusting and working with him. Hiccup's constant encouragement, though, does get through. He ends the first lesson sore and a little humiliated. Hiccup comes to his hut that night and gives Viggo encouragement, he thinks the man did well despite the trouble the other Riders gave them. Viggo is nearly overwhelmed by the desire to touch or kiss Hiccup, being so close to the man, all alone. He resists, though only just. Hiccup tells Viggo meet him before dawn at the stables. They're going to go to a more private training area where the other Riders won't come barging in. When Viggo lays down that night, he can't help but touch himself to the thoughts of Hiccup. He should be thinking about training, about the thrill of flying with Talon, but all he can think about is Hiccup, and how badly he wants to claim him. He finishes himself, and falls asleep feeling a little guilty.

Viggo meets Hiccup as promised. They fly to a nearby island with the hopes of not being distrurbed. This lesson goes much smoother, and by the end of the day he feels confident on Talon. A few days later, their next lesson begins, trust exercises with him and Talon. Then a little more advanced, with verbal commands. Then hand signs. Hiccup seems genuinely impressed at how quickly Viggo and Talon are progressing, and determines the two of them to be a great match. Viggo goes to bed each night with thoughts of Hiccup, mental retellings of the day wherein Viggo gets to touch or kiss Hiccup, and it's slowly driving him crazy. Soon enough, Hiccup and Viggo are practicing much more advanced maneuvers, and in one case, Viggo manages to knock Hiccup off Toothless and pin him to the ground. It's a tight, tense moment where Viggo has Hiccup beneath him, both of them staring into one anothers eyes (eye). Viggo is a breath away from a kiss and Hiccup doesn't seem like he's going to stop him when Toothless intervenes to save his Rider. Both men are a little dazed and off balance. Just as Hiccup is about to call it a day though, Viggo grabs his wrist and yanks him in for a kiss. He isn't at all surprised when Hiccup pulls away and flies off without a word.

Their training lessons stop, though Viggo knows it's as much because he's competant on his dragon as it is for what he did to Hiccup. Hiccup seems more subdued around him, and Viggo finds himself worried that Hiccup would never look at him the same way. He'd made a grave mistake. When the Riders discuss Krogan's supply of Singetails, Viggo helps them determine the correct location. He hadn't been a direct part of Krogan's dragon capturing, his job had been to figure out the Dragon Eye and its lenses. Hiccup, though, decides that this will be Viggo's first mission with the Riders, despite everyone's complaint. They fly to Singetail island and find the Deathsong. As they discuss battle tactics, Viggo makes his suggestion. Krogan's men expect the Riders, but they don't expect Viggo and Talon. The other Riders agree, only because Viggo will be hanging back and out of the fight until a more opportune moment. Hiccup seems reluctant to agree, but he does. Sure enough, when the hunters have Hiccup and the others pinned down, it gives Viggo the perfect opening to strike from behind. With the success of the mission, and both Deathsongs freed, Hiccup gives Viggo that proud look that makes his heart do funny things. The Riders still seem reluctant, but not outright hostile.

That night, back at the Edge, Hiccup finds Viggo in his hut. He has a box in his arms and he sets it out on the table. It's revealed to be a Maces and Talons board and Viggo recognizes the peace offering for what it is. They settle down to play a round as they talk. Hiccup was impressed by Viggo's plan, it worked well. Viggo admits that it's difficult knowing that he'll never be fully trusted, that Hiccup will always have a small part of himself that will doubt Viggo's new alliance. Hiccup, however, surprises him. He admits that if he could trust Dagur the Deranged as wholly as he does now, after everything the man did, then it's possible for Viggo to be the same in the future. It won't happen overnight, but slowly the doubts will ease away. Viggo can never wash all of the blood from his hands, and he knows that no matter how many good deeds he does, he's destined for Hel for the sins of his past. Hiccup doesn't seem so sure, and it's that naive optimism that melts some of the ice from Viggo's heart. He admits out loud that once upon a time he wanted to crush that optimism, to make Hiccup as cynical and dark as Viggo. When Hiccup queries about now, though, Viggo admits he wants to protect it. He wants to give Hiccup a reason to be optimistic about the world and about him. The game ends in a draw, but neither man makes to move. Hiccup inquires about the kiss. Viggo admits his absolute admiration for Hiccup, and how badly he's wanted to do that since the two of them met. Hiccup stands, but instead of leaving he comes around the table and pulls Viggo into a kiss that's curious and uncertain. Viggo is more than happy to return it, and when the kiss gets more heated, he pulls Hiccup into his lap. They grind against each other until they both finish, and Hiccup leaves shortly after, confused and dazed.

A few days of quiet pass. Viggo has been entrusted with patrol routes since his successful mission at Singetail island. He's happy enough to be given the responsibility - perhaps it was as Hiccup said. He could earn trust slowly over time, prove that he was their ally. When he spots another Dragon Rider he halts Talon from immediately attacking - it's not a Singetail so chances are it's an ally. It's Dagur and Mala, but when they see who's on the back of the Skrill, they attack. Viggo tries only to defend himself, but Mala lunges and knocks him from Talon's back. He yells for Talon to put up an SOS as the fight is taken to the ground, and he barely manages to keep the furious woman from killing him. Between Mala and Dagur, by the tim Hiccup arrives Viggo is injured and barely able to keep Talon from trying to kill. Hiccup arrives with the other Riders and Viggo goes to calm his dragon. Hiccup struggles to convince Mala that Viggo is no longer their enemy, and when Mala looks to the other Riders and finds that they're still somewhat skeptical, she remains unconvinced. He tries to get everyone back to the Edge. Later, he tends to Viggo's wounds in his hut and admits that he's relieved and even proud that Viggo had refused to hurt Mala or Dagur. They kiss, and Viggo pulls Hiccup into the bed this time. They get a little further, but still end up not touching one another below the waist. Hiccup leaves, and Viggo decides that his injuries were well worth it if it got Hiccup in his room.

Hiccup summons a summit of his Berk, the Berserkers, the Defenders of the Wing, and the Wingmaidens. He wants to talk strategy for Johann and Krogan, and he also wants his allies to understand that Viggo is indeed on their side. The summit devolves into an angry mob, nobody wanting to trust Viggo, which he understands is for good reason. Not even Hiccup can keep up with the fury around him. It gets even worse when a terror mail arrives and reveals that Defenders of the Wing island is under assault by Flyers. Everyone immediately turns on Hiccup and accuses him of treason, leading them away from their homes while Krogan and his men attack. Viggo breaks in and states that the mail is a ruse, that Krogan and Johann sent it to divert the attention of the Riders away from their real assault, they're going for the lenses at Wingmaiden island. Hiccup struggles with a decision, everyone in arms, and orders half of his people to Wingmaiden, and half to Defenders. He then asks Viggo to stay behind and watch the Edge. He does so, but he can't help but worry about Hiccup. When Hiccup and the others return, Viggo finds out that he was right. Krogan and his flyers attacked Wingmaiden island, and with the Riders split up, Krogan and Johann got away with the lenses. Hiccup is injured, but as much as Viggo wants to help him, the other Riders don't let him close enough to do so. So Viggo makes a reckless decision. While everyone is tending to Hiccup, he saddles up Talon and takes off into the night.

He knows it's paramount to a suicide mission. He doesn't have time to set up a trap for Johann and Krogan, so all he can hope is that letting Talon attack at full power will be enough. He gets to the island where Johann and Krogan are based and, using some clever tactics and Talon's full strength, does significant damage to the enemy forces. He separates from Talon so that he can go after the lenses, and comes face-to-face with both Johann and Krogan. The battle is hard fought, but he manages to get the lenses and get away, though very badly injured.

By the time he returns to the Edge, everyone had been looking for him. They're all shocked when Viggo returns with all of the lenses, and all but collapses. When he awakens, covered in bandages, Hiccup is there immediately to scold him for being so reckless and idiotic. Viggo is shocked when Hiccup starts crying because Viggo was very nearly dead, and he realizes how much he'd made Hiccup worry. Viggo pulls Hiccup down to hold him, and after the younger has calmed he finally thanks Viggo for retrieving the lenses. The next day, when he comes face to face with the other Riders, he finds that he's being regarded with much more respect. Hiccup had been right all along. It was possible to be trusted given enough time and good will. That night, though, when he goes to find Hiccup, he finds the younger talking with Astrid about their future. Viggo knows he wants Hiccup all to himself, but at the same time he knows he wants Hiccup happy, in the end. He retreats to his room.

When Stoik is attacked, everyone goes to Berk to help defend it. Viggo struggles upon seeing Hiccup so broken up about possibly losing his father. He's surprised when, late one night, Hiccup seeks him out and all but throws himself at Viggo, begging the man to give him something else to think about. Hiccup is suffering, and Viggo wants to help - Hiccup is handing himself over and this could be his only chance. In the end, Viggo takes Hiccup to his bed and pleasures him until he falls asleep. He gets the opportunity to run his fingers through Hiccup's hair and enjoy the feel of him, but leaves before morning so nobody finds them in a compromising position. When Heather shows up with news about Vanaheim, Hiccup struggles once more with what to do. Viggo offers to stay behind and defend Berk so Hiccup can go. Both Hiccup and Viggo are surprised when the other Riders seem to agree with the idea.

When the Riders return, successful, they also have the final Dragon Eye lense they need. It's off to Dramilion island to head off Johann and Krogan. Hiccup makes a quick plan as they find Krogan and Johann already there. Knowing Talon's full power now, Viggo agrees to assault the ships. Hiccup is shot down into the sea by a Flyer, and Astrid jumps to save Hiccup. Viggo goes for Toothless. With everyone still struggling with the battle, the Dramilion is captured and Viggo tells Hiccup something he knows the other won't want to hear. If they want to keep the King of Dragons out of Johann's hands, Viggo can kill it. Hiccup is enraged by the idea, and in his anger says that Viggo hasn't changed at all. It's a slap to the face, but Viggo knew it wouldn't be met favorably. He just tells Hiccup that they have to be prepared for the concequences of Johann having the dragon.

They find the Dramilion, abandoned and dying, and take him back to the Defenders of the Wing. Mala orders Viggo to be bound, and Hiccup, still upset it seems, doesn't stop it. Viggo doesn't fight it. While Mala and the others are trying to save the Dramilion, Hiccup goes to Viggo and apologizes. What he'd said wasn't fair, but Viggo has to understand that killing dragons is never the answer, no matter how dire the circumstances. He lets Viggo free, and Viggo takes the opportunity to steal a kiss. Shortly after, they find out that the Dramilion isn't the King of Dragons, and race for Berserker island.

The final battle begins. Hiccup needs to get beneath the island and leaves Astrid and Viggo in charge of commanding their forces. Viggo goes for the ships while Astrid takes the Flyers. Krogan moves to stop Viggo, and as the two fight, Viggo gets an opportunity to take out Krogan and his dragon - he knows that the dragon won't leave if he just takes Krogan from its back. But remembering what Hiccup had told him, not wanting to disappoint the man again,  he refuses to take the shot and gets shot down because of it. Talon can't fly, and Krogan assaults them both from the air. Krogan calls him weak, and when he finally gets to the ground, he and Viggo continue their fight. He drives home that Viggo let his infatuation with a child break him, that he's become weaker, he was always the runt of the hunters, but now that he's lost his ruthlessness he's nothing. Just as Krogan is about to deliver the final blow, Astrid swoops down to the rescue. Viggo is surprised, but the woman helps him to his feet and reminds him the Riders look out for each other. The roar of the Dragon King turns all the Flyers' dragons against their riders, and the tide of the battle quickly changes. They are victorious.

When they return to the Edge, for as much as Viggo wants to celebrate with Hiccup, to finally and fully claim the younger for his own...he finds Hiccup and Astrid already embraced. He realizes then that if he pushed himself to Hiccup, he would be forcing the other to choose between a life with his best friend and lover, or the man whom the world barely trusted. So, that night he pens Hiccup one final letter and leaves it in his Maces and Talons box, then takes Talon and leaves for good.

[vannahfanfics]

Between the Book Spines

Category: Mild Romantic Fluff

Fandom: Katekyo Hitman Reborn!

Characters: Kyoya Hibari, Kyoko Sasagawa

Additional Tags: Bookstore AU

Greetings, all~! Here’s my story for Day 4 of Katekyo Hitman Reborn! RarePair Week, for the prompt “Bookshop AU”! Happy reading! <3

Kyoko could get lost in it all- the heavy aroma of parchment painting the air, the flutter of flipping pages and shuffling of quiet footsteps, the rows and rows of colorful book spines stretching to the back of the story like towering forest trees. She thought that at least once a day, leaning over the cashier’s counter with a cheek in one hand while her deft fingers flipped through an illustrated fantasy novel. Many people read simply to escape reality into faraway, fictional lands. The escapism was all well and good, but Kyoko loved the bookstore itself. It was a gateway full of countless doors, doors for all different kinds and desires. It was the most magical place on Earth, more magical than any of the realities inked within the many, many pages.

Kyoko straightened up when the little bell on the front door chimed, indicating the arrival of a customer. She called a cheerful greeting and asked if she could help, which was customary, but the patron did not reply. He never did; that’s how Kyoya Hibari was. However, he always answered her more pertinent question.

“Did you enjoy the last book?”

“Indeed.” He always answered as such. He strolled over to the “new arrivals” bookstand beside the front door, pausing to scratch the shop owner’s fluffy, fat cat behind his ears. Kyoko watched him with intense wonder and curiosity. Kyoya Hibari was a regular customer to the bookstore, but she had hardly heard more than a few words out of him out of the countless interactions they’d had.

Kyoya Hibari was slightly older than her, a high school third-year. He was the head of the disciplinary committee, a position he had relished since his time in middle school. Thus, he held high power and authority. His status naturally landed him in the eyes and thoughts of every hopeful young girl in the three-story building. He was the school’s heartthrob. Too bad Kyoya cared not for fledgling school romances. He also held the reputation of a ruthless heartbreaker, bluntly refusing every poor soul who dared toss her heart to him. Kyoya swatted a confession away like a disinterested cat and sauntered away, leaving the heartbroken girls sobbing in the halls and classrooms.

Kyoko hummed thoughtfully as she watched him peruse the selection. His calm and aloof demeanor certainly lent to the rumors; she’d never once seen him smile. Still… Can he be that cold-hearted?

“You’ve been staring a while. Is there something on my face?” Kyoko flushed when he suddenly turned his piercing gaze on her. His black eyes shone like polished obsidian, hard-edged and shining. Still, she detected no malice there, not even a glimmer of annoyance. More like… amused curiosity. Rubbing her pink cheek with an index finger, she regarded him enquiringly.

“No. I was just thinking about what all the girls say at school.”

“And what do they say?” he smirked, plucking a courtroom drama from the shelf and striding over to the counter. His every move exuded confidence and pride; he moved like a lithe panther, fluid and dangerous and riveting. Kyoko found herself involuntarily straightening up when he leaned over the counter to trace his index finger over the inked pages of her fantasy novel.

“They say you’re a cold-hearted, mean boy who won’t let anyone in. You don’t bare your heart to anybody.” He blinked, and then his mouth curled into a devilish smirk. Despite his attempts to seem amused, however, Kyoko saw a flash of pain in those obsidian eyes.

“They’re right. I don’t.” The blunt admission startled her, making her swallow thickly. What a mysterious boy. He comes right out and admits it, yet I have the feeling he’s not entirely truthful. The hardback binding of the courtroom drama scraped over the counter as he pushed it forward. “Just this, please.”

“That will be 1500 yen.” He fished over the proper amount of bills and dropped it into her hand, then grabbed the book. He never asked for a paper bag. He tucked it under his arm and headed for the door; the little bell chimed as he pushed it open, piercing the air like a cry of lament. He paused in the threshold and glanced over his shoulder at her.

“They’re all troublesome, those girls. They don’t care about my heart at all. To them, I’m just a pretty face.” Kyoko watched with wide eyes as he strode out of the bookshop. Her gaze trailed him through the clear glass window until he disappeared from her line of sight. The fat cat meowed and hopped onto the counter, butting her chest demanding pets. Robotically she complied, still gawking at the space he had melted behind the brick.

Kyoya Hibari… What a fascinating boy.

The next day he came, it was raining. Business was always mind-numbingly slow on rainy days, so Kyoko was reclined in one of the store’s bean bag chairs in the front lobby, flipping through a historical fiction novel. The drumming rain cascading down the glass gave the light a marbled effect, and the rhythmic pounding was the perfect level of ambient noise to help Kyoko concentrate on the book. Suddenly, the little bell chimed gleefully, and the fat cat mewed invitingly. When Kyoko peered over the top of the book, there Kyoya was, scratching the cat’s belly and poring over the “new arrivals” stand.

“Did you enjoy the last book?”

“Indeed,” he answered without looking at her. He plucked a book from the stand and read the summary before putting it back. “I enjoy reading about law and order.” Kyoko giggled, and in response, he peeked at her through his peripheral vision. “Is that amusing to you?”

“A little. You’re head of the disciplinary committee; I’m sure rules and order are something you enjoy very much. It’s just a little funny to hear you say it aloud.” He blinked slowly at her, not unlike a cat. The corner of his mouth then twitched upward into a wry smile.

“I suppose.” He retrieved another book from the stand, a biography of a civil rights activist. He tossed it up into the air by the spine, watching it twirl before catching it. Kyoko jumped when he abruptly rounded on her. “And what do you enjoy, Miss Sasagawa?” She admittedly flushed at the proper use of her name. Of course, he knew her name; it was written plainly on her nametag, and she had introduced herself to him as such. Yet, it made her feel… happy that he called her by name.

She closed the book and showed him the front cover.

“Love stories! This is a Victorian-era love story.” She imagined Kyoya had no interest in romances, given his track record of purchases from the bookstore, but he admired the tome with slight interest. He quirked his eyebrow, clearly asking for more details. “It tells the story of a young maid who works for a rich banker. He refuses to marry because he believes that all women love him for his money.”

“Why does that sound familiar?” Kyoya snorted in laughter. Kyoko blinked, then looked at the illustrated couple on the front cover. She then snickered. Now that she thought about it, the wealthy banker’s plight definitely resembled Kyoya’s present reality. Smirking, Kyoya sunk into one of the armchairs and crossed his legs. “What happens to this young banker? Do you know?”

“Oh, yes. This is one of my favorite love stories,” she nodded excitedly. “The banker marries the maid, because she was the only one who ever loved him for himself.” The smile fell from his face, returning that dull blank stare to his features. He gave her that slow, cat-like blink, but she could read nothing from the countless emotions swirling in those onyx irises of his. Slowly, he rose from the chair and regarded his chosen book as if it were suddenly the most uninteresting scientific dissertation.

“I wonder,” he breathed distantly, almost to himself. “I wonder.” Stiffly, he plodded to the counter and placed 1500 yen’s worth of bills on the wood. “The same price as usual, yes?” Kyoko tossed the book aside and jumped up.

“Y-Yes, but-!”

“Good-bye.” Then he was gone, the little doorbell wailing his parting. He plunged into the rain without even bothering to retrieve his umbrella from the small stand by the door. The fat cat sprung down from the windowsill and wound around her legs, purring thunderously. Kyoko wrung her hands thoughtfully, the image of his back still burning in her eyes.

Kyoya Hibari… Just what were you thinking, then?

He came again the following week. The wee bell tinkled his coming like the greeting of a long-parted friend. Kyoko stood within the stacks on a stepladder stocking the teen romance section. Through the gap between the row of novels and the wooden shelf, she could observe him scratching the massive cat on his haunches, with his other hand under his chin as he searched the “new arrivals” shelf for his latest read.

“Did you enjoy the last book?”

“Indeed,” he affirmed. Kyoko smiled, taking comfort in the ritualistic aspect of their interactions. She had come quite to enjoy his routine visits; the simple idea of looking forward to his coming was soothing, in a way. After he had stormed out so suddenly the previous week, she was slightly afraid he would not come back again.

“Hibari-” she began as she carefully climbed down the stepladder.

“You may call me Kyoya.” She paused halfway down the steps to gape at him surprisingly. His mischievous grin flashed at her through the bookshelves’ gaps. “I feel we are well acquainted enough for a mutual first-name basis, eh, Kyoko?” Her hand flew to her breast on reflex when her heart somersaulted in her chest, and her cheeks blazed bright pink. His obsidian eyes glinted at her from between the book spines, waiting, measuring to see if she would take offense. How could she? All her peers would kill to be on a first-name basis with the handsome Hibari Kyoya. Swallowing thickly, she peered around the bookshelf at him.

“Y-yes, I suppose so.”

“You have something on your mind,” he remarked. Kyoko sunk her teeth into her bottom lip; how could read her so effortlessly? She fisted the fabric of her sundress nervously, but she was not the type to lie or avert conversation away from a blatant question.

“You left so suddenly last time. I was afraid that I offended you in some way.” He stepped away from the display stand without even choosing a book, which made her eyes fly wide open. Kyoya always selected a new story to read; it was almost sacred practice by now. The routine was crumbling before her, and the deviation unsettled her. She retreated within the towering bookshelves as he approached her, and he stopped to loom over her with an amused yet regretful grin. He slipped his hands into his pants pockets, and bored deep into her soul with those eyes like pure polished hematite.

“And how could you offend me in any way?” His baritone voice rumbled, not unlike the fat house cat’s purr. The vibration rattled in Kyoko’s cells, making her body pulse with an electric energy unlike any she had ever experienced. “I left for personal reasons.”

“P-personal reasons?”

“Indeed.”

That was the first time Kyoko had ever seen Kyoya Hibari smile.

It was so warm, the way he looked at her, like a fire blazing to life in a long-cold hearth. Its heat pulsed in the small space between them, filling her to the brim with simmering fondness. She whispered his name but had no conscious intention of doing so. He brushed her cheek with the backs of his knuckles, and she instinctually leaned into the caress, craving so much more of his touch. “For a moment, I fancied myself the bachelor banker… But I was afraid that I would not find my maid.”

“What do you think now?”

“Well, that depends, Kyoko. Tell me… what do you think about me?” Kyoko frowned as she considered how to formulate her genuine opinions of Kyoya. She knew he would not appreciate flowery words or placating lies, so she settled for brutal honesty.

“I think that you distance yourself from others because you are afraid that they won’t see you for what you truly are… and that saddens you. You come here to the bookstore to escape that sad reality, if only for a little while.” His face softened, and the hand caressing her cheekbone stilled to cup the entire side of her face.

“Astute observation, but it seems one minor detail escaped your notice.” When she blinked inquisitively at him, he smirked, “I come to the bookstore to visit the one person who does see me for who I really am.” Kyoko’s face burned with a fiery blush up to the tips of her ears, and the way her mouth wriggled unsurely made the stoic man chuckle softly. His hand dropped from her face to begin skipping along the book spines of the romance section.

“Are you… going to try a new kind of book today? You’ve never bought a romance novel before.”

“Indeed.” He smirked toothily at her. “I’m looking for a rather specific story, however. It’s one of a cold-hearted, mean disciplinary committee president who bared his heart to a bookstore attendant. Do you happen to know it?” Kyoko could not help but squeal, clap her hands on her cheeks, and whirl on her heel. Who knew Kyoya was such a smooth talker?! Oh, my heart is going to beat right out of my chest! “Kyoko.” She whirled back around with a very loud “hmm?!” to find Kyoya replacing a book to the shelf. “I’ll be back tomorrow. Do have the story in stock.” With a final, cocky smirk and a glint in those obsidian eyes, he promptly took his leave, forsaking Kyoko to short-circuit in the stacks. The little bell signaled his departure, tinkling a promise of short return.

“Oh my. Oh my!” Kyoko whispered under her breath as she paced violently in the two-foot-wide stretch of hallway between the bookshelves. In one turn of her frantic striding, she spied a strip of paper peeking out between two book spines where Kyoya had been messing around just a few minutes ago. She sank to her knees when she discovered his phone number written on it. “Oh my! Oh gosh! The other girls will kill me for this, but- ah!” she screamed and hugged the scrap of paper to her chest. The bulky, fluffy cat came sauntering up with his feathery tail swaying, rubbing his head against Kyoko’s bent knee.

“Can you believe it, big guy? I finally get my own love story!” she beamed and pulled the purring creature into her lap to happily rub his furry tummy.

A love story indeed, one not written within any leather book spine in the entirety of the world… One that was her own, and that was real.

Enjoy this oneshot? Feel free to peruse my Table of Contents!

Tag List: @deliathedork​ @khrrarepairweek​

[daughterofluthien]

Rules: Pick 5 shows, then answer the following questions. Don’t cheat. Tag some people.

Tagged by @brambleberrycottage! Thank you!!

(a note: these are not necessarily my fave shows or anything, but they are the shows that are more on my mind than others :P)

Teen Wolf

Star Wars Rebels

Stargate: SG-1

Leverage

Parks & Recreation

Who is your favorite character in 2? Kanan Jarrus. He has a fantastic character arc, he’s a wonderful mentor and space dad, and he’s probably my fave Jedi (and character) in all of Star Wars. Sorry about it, Obi Wan 

Who is your least favorite character in 1? I mean, I don’t tend to focus on least favorite characters too often. However, I do generally have a vague desire to punch Theo in the face anytime he’s onscreen.... He’s slightly better in 6B with the (incredibly rushed) redemption arc and all that, but like. Also.

What is your favorite episode of 4? Oh man, that’s a really difficult question for this show, actually. But for sheer creativity and memorability, I’d probably say “The Rashomon Job.” That was one of the ones that really stuck in my from when I first watched the show, and it ended up being just as good as I remembered.

What is your favorite season of 5? Hmmm I wanna say either S3 or S5. The harvest festival arc in 3 is great, but all the Leslie/Ben stuff in S5? Beautiful and iconic.

Who is your favorite couple in 3? I was a Jack/Sam shipper way back in the day, and that honestly hasn’t changed.

Who is your favorite couple in 2? Kanan/Hera! They’re just... !!! They care about each other! They’re supportive! They just love each other so much and I have so many feelings

What is your favorite episode of 1? “Frayed” Like !!! The entirety of 3A up to this point has been building up to the idea of Scott being/becoming an Alpha, and, like, throughout the season we see him do little Alpha things -- being a leader, pretty much everything about his relationship w/ Isaac, etc. And then!! Then!! This is the episode where he actually starts to realize it! And where he actively chooses the leadership role!

And I’m sorry, I’m not done talking about this episode yet, because I honestly just have so many feelings?? And it’s got this one moment. One moment in particular. Which may be one of my favorite moments in the entire series. Like the whole set up is really good (it’s also one of the few TW eps where anachronic order actually worked), and there’s this whole moment in the middle where Scott and Isaac have to calm Boyd down and keep him from attacking Ethan, as Boyd thinks the Alpha Pack killed Derek. And then, at the end of the episode, Isaac (who did not get upset about Derek in the same way Boyd did) learns that Scott isn’t healing from the wound he got fighting the Alphas, and he just. Absolutely freaks out and attacks Ethan.

(The show directly parallels Boyd’s reaction about Derek to Isaac’s reaction about Scott, and !!!)

BUT THEN. Then Scott comes out. And he roars.

And it’s not technically a roar, but he yells Isaac’s name and it has power behind it. And everyone (including Boyd) notices.

But Isaac!! Isaac stops! He responds as if it was a roar! And I’m!! Gonna go!! Absolutely!! Feral!!!

Ahem.

Anywho that’s my fave episode of TW, and I really love my Alpha son

What is your favorite episode of 5? Oh man, I don’t actually remember a lot of specific favorite episodes, even though I know there’s a lot of eps that I really like... I’m thinking “Flu Season”? But also that’s just one among many very good episodes.

What is your favorite season of 2? I’m gonna say S4, actually. I thought the show had a really strong ending, and I love the final arcs of all the characters.

How long have you watched 1? So I started watching in... 2012 or 2013 I think? And then watched off and on through at least part of S4. Then I started a rewatch here in the year of our Lord 2020 and uh. Here we are :P

How did you become interested in 3? This was actually one of the first fandoms that tiny!Carolyn was ever involved in! My mom discovered it back in like... 2003 or something, decided it was not inappropriate for her barely nine-year-old daughter, and from then on we were both pretty much hooked. 

Who is your favorite actor in 4? Mmm frick, do I have to pick? Probably either Christian Kane or Aldis Hodge. But also Beth Riesgraf is fantastic, too, the whole show is just so delightful. 

Which do you prefer, 1, 2, or 5? Okay okay okay. So. Rebels is definitely the tighter written and better show, imo, but also I’m having a ton of Teen Wolf feelings right now and I just care so much about this characters. So like, currently and tentatively, Teen Wolf? (Sorry P&R, I love you, but straight sitcoms are probably never going to be my pick, even though it is really good)

Which show have you seen more episodes of - 1 or 3? So like, this is really just a contest of how many episodes each show has, right? Since I can’t imagine picking a show for a game like this if I hadn’t seen all the eps? Anywho, seeing as Teen Wolf has 100 episodes and SG-1 has 213 episodes, I think SG-1 is the clear winner here.

If you could be anyone from 4, who would you be? So like, I wanna say Amy Palavi, the waitress in their Brewpub in S5? She doesn’t have a terribly intense life or tragic backstory, but she also gets to befriend and hang out with Parker -- along with some mild involvement in shenanigans -- so that seems ideal, honestly.

(And yes, I know she gets kidnapped in that one ep, but that works out all right in the end, so I’m still down.)

Would a crossover between 3 and 4 work? Weirdly, absolutely yes. I’ve actually read a few that were pretty good.

In fact, according to Word of God, Leverage and Stargate actually take place in the same universe? Apparently there were going to be a flashback gag with Eliot going through the gate as part of one of his many past jobs, but they weren’t able to do it, due to the sets already have been dismantled.

Pair two characters in 1 who would make an unlikely but strangely okay couple? Huh, oh man. I’m not usually much of rarepair person tbh. And like this is literally something I’m pulling out of absolutely nowhere and haven’t actually thought about before now. But maybe Sydney/Hayden? or Sydney/Lori?

Overall, which show has the better storyline, 3 or 5? Y’know, I was gonna go with Stargate with this one, but actually the big storyarcs were never my favorite part of SG-1. Whereas P&R actually had some really good and emotionally compelling arcs. So I’m actually gonna go with Parks & Rec with this one.

Which has better theme music, 2 or 4? Neither of them really have much theme music to speak of, but if we’re just talking about music, then Rebels is the clear winner here. Like seriously, props to Kevin Kiner et al., it has some seriously fantastic musical cues. Heck, the score for the finale got nominated for an emmy.

Tagging @whitecatgraycatblackcat, @experimentaldata, and @darnitjack! Also, as always, feel free to do this if you feel so inclined, and please tag me and let me know!

[talesfromthefade]

Author Ask Meme

tagged by @apostatetabris

Author Name: @honestly-wilde (formerly 4vraFangirl) / @talesfromthefade

Fandoms You Write For: Oh goodness, so many. Let’s see...  Kingsman, Turn: Washington’s Spies, Pacific Rim, Dragon Age, Mass Effect, Once Upon a Time, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Marvel Cinematic Universe, Bioshock, Sherlock BBC, Yuri!!! on Ice, Detroit: Become Human, His Dark Materials, Good Omens, SyFy’s Tin Man, SyFy’s Alice, X-Files, Lie to Me, Harry Potter... I’m sure there are more I’m forgetting or some I’m still working on polishing up before I feel comfortable enough sharing/publishing them.

Where You Post: Tumblr, Ao3 (although I haven’t put anything new up there in a while, hopefully soon.)

Most Popular One-Shot: Smut. It would be smut. XD “Any Excuse Will Do” with Eggsy Unwin x Harry Hart from the Kingsman fandom. Sometimes I think I’ve gotten a lot better at writing smut, but seeing this one is still my most popular, I’m not so sure... maybe it’s just that this fic has been up longer than some of my other attempts at it.

Most Popular Multi-Chapter Story: “Colors Seem to Fade” Whew. So relieved and thrilled that my most popular multi-chapter is a finished one. I always hope to go back to some of the unfinished ones, but some of them have been neglected for quite some time now, much to my frustration and shame. This was actually my first multi-chapter I shared on ao3, written for Hartwin Week 2015.

Favorite Story You Wrote: I don’t know that I could pick a single favorite. I have little bits and pieces, lines, descriptions, etc that I might love from each, but on the whole, I would have a hard time picking any one out that I was entirely satisfied with or didn’t feel I could go back and somehow make better. It’s kind of a miracle that I’ve let go enough to share any of my work, it’s often a matter of forcing myself to. I love to write, but opening it up to possible criticism is absolutely nerve-wracking.

Story You Were Nervous to Post: All of them? See above. I suppose this would go double for those where there is a character in the story I especially relate to, or where I’ve filled in some of the gaps of their characterization with elements of myself. Writing is a fantastic means of therapy for exploring yourself, but making it that intensely personal, even if the reader can’t possibly know when and where you’ve done that makes it difficult to share sometimes. And I suppose, I’m always a bit nervous about the stories I write for the smaller fandoms or rarepairs that they’ll be seen as silly or a waste of time to write because they don’t have the same following as the bigger ones, though, speaking as an enthusiastic rarepair shipper and reader, that could just be paranoia on my part.

How Do You Choose Your Titles: I title everything when I am initially writing it “NOT YET TITLED” just to annoy myself into coming up with something better. Sometimes if I can’t come up with anything else I will use a poem or song lyric. It just depends.

Do You Outline: For any of my longer and multi-chapter fics, I find it’s an absolute necessity to help me organize my thoughts. That said, I have nearly as many drafts of outlines as I do drafts of the actual story if it’s one I’m pretty invested in, since I prefer to have the characters drive the story so I may find something I had planned doesn’t work so well as I thought or there’s something that would fit their characterization better.

Coming Soon Eventually: As far as fanfiction goes, I am currently working hard on finishing up a lengthy one-shot for “Good Omens” (Aziraphale x Crowley), and another for “Detroit: Become Human” (Connor RK800 x Hank Anderson), as well as chipping away at prompts from/for the @dadrunkwriting group. I’m still in the drafting stage, but also working on an original work I hope to share more about once I finish the full first draft.

Do You Accept Prompts: Always! Some of the fics that have taken me most by surprise and proved my favorites have been sparked by a prompt/request that someone sent me. I love getting prompts. <3 Feel free to spam my inbox anytime!

Upcoming Story You Are Most Excited to Write: I’m excited about most stories I work on, otherwise, I don’t write them. Not to say there aren’t moments/scenes, etc where it can get a bit nerve-wracking wondering if I’m doing it all right or it’ll turn out the way I want, but I write because I love writing, if I don’t I’m doing something wrong.