#beloved fanfic writers please.... i will love you forever

[ouaw-facts-i-just-made-up]

Gideon proposes to Kremy after the Krew settles down.

He forges the rings himself (many failed attempts happened, but Gideon is anything but a quitter), got them enchanted (one is cold, one is hot), and he saves up money to take Kremy on the most extravagant date he's ever been on.

He gets all dressed up, Gricko, Frost, and Torbek all hype him up. They take a nice walk, go to a fancy restaurant, do some other cute lovey dovey shit. Kremy is throughly swooned. And when they go back home, in front of all their friends, Gideon proposes to him, "I didn't do it right the first go around, will you let me have the honor of marrying you, for reals this time?"

Kremy, obviously, says yes

[strongheartneteyam]

Realize where you belong.

Pairing: neteyam sully x female!human!reader/female!dreamwalker!reader

Neteyam is aged up.

Chapter 2

CW: angst, reader hates her life, neteyam is like her "secret admirer" but he eventually becomes obsessed, so, it gives off some creepy vibes, possessive neteyam, forbidden love, neteyam is REALLY protective over her, neteyam isn't really fond of humans (hates them) and only makes an exception for reader, TRIGGER WARNING for a few depression symptoms (such as reader holding back tears and looking miserable really often), stalking, obsessive behavior & possessiveness

Synopsis: Reader is unhappy with her human life. She works for the lab as a cook. She's a Dreamwalker and she spends every free day she gets walking through Pandora's forests. In one of those days, Neteyam sees her but she doesn't notice him. He falls in love, seeing how happy she is amidst nature. Neteyam finds out she's actually a human in an Avatar, so, he finds a way to go where her real body is. He hates to admit it but, seeing her in her human body, he realizes he still loves her. After watching her, he notices how she's always happier when she's in her Avatar, so, he develops a deeper connection to her. However, he becomes obsessive. Reader has only heard about him, the famous son of Jake Sully and future Olo'eyktan, praised for his great achievements as a young Omatikaya. After getting reader's attention, Neteyam asks her to choose to live forever in her Avatar, becoming his mate and making tsaheylu with him, gaining a new home as a fresh member of his tribe. Reader is scared and torn, since, even though she's intensely attracted to him and only truly enjoys life when she's Dreamwalking, she doesn't really know him and she's afraid of dying when trying to go past Eywa's eye. But Neteyam just won't give up on her that easily.

♡ This is Reader's Avatar

☆ This is the official playlist for this story, the songs I listen to while working on it.

•

Finally, this fanfic is out!! lots of people seemed to love the tiny sneak peek I posted so... I hope you guys will love the fanfic itself too hehe I'm so relieved I could finally post it ooof My environment is the worst EVER rn & i haven't had any motivation or focus to write lately BUT i seem to be getting out of that damned writer's block I was in (ITS THE WORST FEELING IN THE WORLD UGH HATE IT TO DEATH)

Not proofread. My life is a hurricane, so, we don't work with proofread stories here. Hope you find it in your hearts to forgive me, my angels :')

na'vi words:

yawne - beloved

tsaheylu - the neurological bond the na'vi make with their mate, through their tendrils, at the end of their long braid.

Chapter 1

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

I love your touch, cold as ice

And I love every single tear you cry

I just love the way you're losing your life

Oh, my baby, how beautiful you are

Oh, my darling, completely torn apart

Gone With The Sin (HIM)

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

Neteyam would look at you every moment he could. He didn't have that much free time since he was the Olo'eyktan's son and had so many responsibilities weighting on his shoulders. But he would always make any sacrifice he needed to make to find time to see you. Even if it meant using the few hours he had to himself to contemplate you. His sad, gloomy-eyed, beautiful girl. You were not actually his yet, but, he was determined to make that change.

Neteyam saw you holding back tears way too damn often, so, he was always deeply worried about you, and, that was one of the reasons why he was always creeping around, high up in branches of trees located in Hell's Gate, watching over you, almost every day, ready to help you, defend you from any danger, to say "screw it" to how out of the blue it would be if he - a stranger, a male na'vi stranger - just came up to you and said "hey, I've been watching you for a while, and… I'm so, so in love with you. Please, leave this damn idiotic human life you live and let Eywa help you be transferred to your Avatar body for good, just like she helped my father. You're so insanely pretty like this - and I have never felt attracted to any female of your demon kind before, so, believe me when I talk about your beauty - but you look even prettier when you're in your Avatar form. Let me make you my mate, let me make you the future Olo'eyktan's mate. I can give you a far better life than the one you have now"

He knew he was just a weird alien boy (as the humans would probably say), stalking you, always up in the highest tree branches he could find and reach, watching a girl while she cooks - as it was your job - like a hunter watching their prey. But he meant no harm. On the contrary, he meant to take care of you, to save you from it all. Because he wasn't blind. Neteyam saw how unhappy you looked while peeling potatoes (he knew what they were because his dad who was once human told him and his siblings about how delicious that vegetable from Earth tasted, especially when it was made as French fries) to cook on the high-tech stove the humans used to prepare their meals in and prepare mashed potatoes to those damn lab guys who invaded his Planet and did nothing but harm.

Neteyam thought it to be unnecessary. His future mate could easily prepare the same potatoes in a bonfire he would light up for you in the Omatikaya forest. He knew they would taste even better roasted in the natural fire than just plainly cooked in that energy fueled cooking device the humans used. He could give you a life so incredibly better than the one you had right now, it pained him to see his yawne working so hard to feed every damn scientist in that cold, air-conditioned lab while not being as appreciated and thanked by them as you deserved to be. You could be preparing food to feed his children instead, the sons and daughters he would give you, if only you accepted becoming his forever mate.

He hated the humans. They didn't know how to lead a proper life. But you were different.

Neteyam knew how breathtaking you looked in a na'vi like body because the first time he saw you, you were in your Avatar body - as you were a Dreamwalker - and that's when he fell in love with you. But he learned to love your human body too. He could never hate you, even in your human form. You were the only human he did not despise.

The day Neteyam first saw you, he was out in the forest to hunt and gather food, collecting bladder polyps, lionberry seeds and trying to kill a hexapede, so, he could bring all of it home and him and his family could eat a nutritious dinner.

That's when he heard a squeaky, funny laugh. It was a female voice, he recognized. Neteyam followed that sound just like he was a sailor and the girl whose laugh he heard was a mermaid, bewitching his senses and drawing him closer.

When he saw you, it was like his heart was going to explode in a thousand pieces, so fast it was beating inside his rigid ribcage, so strongly the blood was being pumped through his arteries. He knew he had to make you his mate, to have you forever.

Neteyam had always been a practical and rational young man, he had to be. He was the eldest son and had to look after his 3 younger siblings and not show a single sign of weakness when his father would scold him in a harsh tone, whenever any of his siblings - specially his younger brother, Lo'ak -, got into trouble and somehow, Neteyam ended up having to take responsibility over their actions. "But that girl… that beautiful, ethereal girl… she makes me believe in things I've never even considered before. I know it sounds stupid to say that about a girl I just met, only some minutes ago but I don't care", he thought. Only he and Eywa herself knew the raw, powerful feeling he was experiencing at that moment. He just wanted to let go for a while. To not force himself to be all brains, zero heart for once, just once. And you were gifting him the opportunity to do just that. Your beauty was so enchanting, it could leave any creature in awe.

His father had once told him about Christianity, one of the most popular religions back on the glory days of the Planet Earth, and, of course he didn't follow those beliefs, his spirituality was completely based on Eywa, the Great Mother, the spirit and moving energy of Pandora, but, if the beings called "angels" his father talked about were real, Neteyam was utterly sure that they could only look like you.

You were perfect. Every curve of your body, every bioluminescent freckle, every pattern of your stripes, your long dark braided hair falling like water on your flawless back, as you kept smiling and touching every single flower you could see, playing in a foolish way, just like a child. He felt a primal urge coming from his guts to make tsaheylu with you right there, right at that moment.

So many thoughts roamed through Neteyam's mind: "I need her… right here, right now. She's… ugh… I've never felt anything like this before… What's going on with your stupid mind, Neteyam?! You can't just choose any girl to be your mate, you'll be the next Olo'eyktan, remember?! The best choice would be a girl who has a calling to be Tsahìk. Maybe your parents will try to arrange a marriage, to find the perfect match for you. Damn! Who am I trying to fool? She is the only perfect match for me…"

Neteyam started to watch you go about the forest every chance he got.

When he found out you were actually a Dreamwalker, a human in a body created in a laboratory, a hybrid of demon and na'vi, a freak... It was like his world was falling apart, piece by tiny piece crashing on the floor. How did he not notice your fifth finger before?! Was he that much under your spell, that blinded by how beautiful and charming you were?, he asked himself.

So, he told himself he was going to find a way to at least see what your true form looked like. He hissed at the thoughts and feelings you had caused him the whole way to Hell's Gate, where the laboratory was and where he knew all the humans that stayed in Pandora and had an Avatar stayed.

When Neteyam saw you in your human body, he got hit by something as strong as lightning. The moment he sniffed your sweet scent (the smell you had in your Avatar had notes of your original human scent, as your DNA was used to build that body), the moment he recognized that melodious voice… The expression in those eyes, that smile, that laughter… it was you. His yawne.

He didn't understand how that was possible, what he was feeling. Nevertheless, he realized he still loved you. His heart still beat fast for you. It didn't matter which physical form you took. Na'vi or human. You were you. And he loved you. Madly.

His people had a great contempt towards the ones who Dreamwalked. They were "demons in false bodies", like his grandma and his mother always said. And Neteyam himself felt the same. Worse, he had felt disgusted by the love and desire you made him feel, back when he watched you wandering around the Omatikaya lands, when you would jump like a little kid, so happy playing with the bioluminescent, neon plants of the forest.

But, still, that feeling lingered inside him. The attachment, the deep affection, the devotion… He could not comprehend it.

All Neteyam could grasp was that he hated all humans, but you were the only exception.

Even though you were originally human, you had a na'vi heart. He just knew that. As crazy and impossible as it sounded, he figured out it was true. And that blew his mind. That sorrowful girl he was seeing cooking in a small technological kitchen was not the same one he had seen at the forest. But it was, at the same time. It apparently made no sense, but it actually did. You were not where you belonged. You did not belong imprisoned among those four walls that the other humans kept you in. That you were keeping yourself in. You belonged free amidst the Pandoran trees. You did not belong in those big human clothes. You belonged in a comfortable loincloth and a big leaf necklace covering your beautiful breasts, letting the wind hit your skin.

You seemed out of place in that environment you were currently in. And that made Neteyam feel something so overpowering. He knew it was useless to try and fight it. He was not even sure if he even wanted to fight it anymore. That feeling was good. It felt just like what he felt when he thought you were a na'vi girl. He even felt attracted to you, even though he still thought you looked much prettier in your Avatar body.

He was fully aware you were one of the demons. But you were not like the rest of them. You were special. He could tell that. He could tell you'd be a hundred per cent happier if he could convince you to become na'vi. And that's exactly what he was planning to do. He still did not know how, but he would find a way.

༊⁀➷

Taglist:

@crazy4books1

@samistars

@lik0

@miri-belle

@nerdybouquetofkittens-blog

@xxunnie

@your-girl-mj

@sereisstuff

@darktyrantwinner

@henhouse-horrors

@explosiongamora

@yeosxxx

[1lostsoul0fishbowl]

August 21 is Fanfic Writer Appreciation Day 💕

…so I tried to make a list of 21 of my absolute favorite fanfics, but I couldn’t quite narrow it down enough. Instead you get 25!

(will tag the author if I know/can find their Tumblr— if I miss any please let me know)

🎉🩷🎉🩷🎉🩷🎉

Warm by @patternscolorsflowers - I made an Ao3 account for the sole purpose of bookmarking this as my very first favorite fic. A gorgeous one-shot of Joyce giving Eddie some much needed motherly TLC. I must’ve read this fic at least a dozen times, and cried every single time.

Disliking You Less by @claracivry - Claudia Henderson slowly learns to accept Dustin’s weird new metalhead friend. Just the sweetest, cutest fic!

Red and the Metalhead by @cunninghamschrissy - of course! The adorable fic that inspired me to write Not-so-iron Maiden! Max and Eddie as sibs have my heart forever.

Best we can do is to pick up the pieces by @hearjessroarfics - very, very sweet fic from Wayne’s POV as he observes Eddie and Chrissy in an unguarded moment.

Come True in the End by Many_Impossible_Things - absolutely BAMF Chrissy is tired of being underestimated, and comes back to life with a vengeance through the power of Pat Benatar. Seriously, read this one!!!

Take a chance on me by @womanof-1000-faces - Chrissy joins Hellfire. And it’s just as awesome as it sounds.

We’re not alone (I’ll find a new place to be from) by @grasslandgirl - Eddie learns to love Dustin’s hugs. Soooo cute.

Of All The Waffle Houses In The World by Babeinthewoods - a few unconventional wingmen (aka, the Party) help Eddie get a date with Chrissy, with lots of hilarious shenanigans along the way.

Eddie My Love by @ghostlynimbus - sweet little Hellcheer scene, and you’ll end up with the song stuck in your head for days.

Graceland, too. (Whatever she wants) by cunninghams - Eddie and Chrissy survive Vecna and then make a bucket list to take advantage of their new lease on life.

Five Drunks and a Cheerleader by @phoenixwrites - Chrissy goes to see Corroded Coffin at the Hideout. It sounds simple but it’s so.dang.cute and there’s a whole delightful series now!

That’s all I’ve got to say by @barriss - Eddie gets a little too emotional during movie night. Absolutely adorable.

The shop around the corner by @adelaideelaine - Hellcheer meets You’ve Got Mail with a little dash of tattoo parlor AU thrown in. One of my favorite ships plus one of my favorite movies? Heck yeah!

Have no fear (the monster’s gone) by JuliaRose12 - Heartmelting Wayne and Eddie fluff, as everyone’s favorite uncle looks after his beloved nephew in the hospital.

In Her Mercy Does All Abound by viharker - medieval troubadour AU. Nuff said, right? This one is so beautiful.

the buzz by @hangon-silvergirl - modern day Eddie as a chaotic DJ wooing Chrissy the Barista via music and text. Absolutely hilarious!

Come What May by @lokinightfury - Hellcheer starring in Grease? The entire Party and Corroded Coffin as wingmen? Yes please!!!

Wasted Years by @bratanimus - Eddie and the guys listen to a new album, as Eddie comes to terms with the past and prepares for his future. So introspective and beautiful, I cried so much reading this one. Really the entire Man to Man series is amazing!

The Kingdoms Never Weep by @sokkas-first-fangirl - Eddie’s estranged family tries to come back to haunt him, but the Party has his back. I love the gorgeous friendships in this fic and the whole series!

Guidance Counseling by @khaleesa - Eddie is determined to graduate, and slowly gets his life on track after surviving the Upside Down. I wanted to climb into this fic and live in it forever.

On the Other Side by @iwasateenagevirginiawoolf - One year after Vecna’s attack, Eddie and Chrissy are both learning to live again. Absolutely heartbreaking but so beautiful and optimistic at the same time.

Long is the Road out of Hell by @justhere4thevibez - Chrissy joins Hellfire, but this glorious fic comes with the added bonus of her escaping her mother, and the best Mike Wheeler I’ve ever read.

Family Recipe by @foxylibrarian - the cutest fake dating AU, Chrissy has Nancy, Robin, and Barb as her BFFs, and there’s lots of Wayne too. It’s everything you could want!

On My Terms by @pipergirl17 - Jason injuring Wayne in an accident doesn’t sound like the basis of a Hellcheer hospital meet-cute, but trust me, it works.

In the Shade of Aurelias by @pearlypairings - last but MOST CERTAINLY not least, is my favorite fic by my favorite author! A magical fantasy AU, with hints of D&D, mystery, intrigue, and romance. It was hard to choose just one from Pearly, because all of her works are amazing, but this fic is truly outstanding.

Happy Fanfic Writer Appreciation Day to all of my favorite writers, and happy reading to everyone who enjoys these fics!!! 💕

[cdragons]

From the Beginning - A Persephone!Eternal Reader & Hecate!Eternal Reader Drabble

Pairings: Persephone!Eternal Reader & Hecate!Eternal Reader, ft. Sephia x Ikaris, and Kaetlyn x Druig Word Count: 1.1k Summary: A lil' drabble idea to show how it all started for our favorite thinker and fighter, and how they would soon change everything for everyone. Warning(s): none it's so fluffy Notes: Once again, thank you to the most wonderful beta reader a new fanfic writer can ask for in the history of everything, @valeskafics! She is an incredibly kind and patient human and one of the best and most incredible fanfic writers for HOTD, GOT, and the Ewanverse on Tumblr! If you love any of Ewan Mitchell's works or are a fan of GOT/HOTD, I highly recommend checking her blog out! You will not regret it! Also, the BIGGEST thank you and shout of love to @ethereal-athalia, my good man in the storm, I have never clicked so well with someone on this platform when it came to crazy ideas, and thanks to her, I can write out my ideas and share them on this site! If you want to read more from this AU, please click on this masterlist!

“It is time,” were the first words uttered that would mark the beginning of a mission that would change their lives forever. Long gone were their lives on their home planet, Olympia. Now, their only priority was their mission on the planet Earth.  

Twelve individuals stood from their seats and made their way to their positions that marked their roles in humanity’s growth. Six on one side, and six on the other.  

Six Eternals would serve as “fighters,” protecting humanity from the hideous creatures that threatened their feeble existence known as “Deviants.”  

The other six would take on their roles as “thinkers,” guiding humanity to evolve in their intelligence so that they would be able to create wonders without assistance.  

But regardless, “thinker” or “fighter,” each Eternal was blessed with abilities that would play an integral role for their mission. Each Eternal stood in their place, golden streams of celestial energy encompassed their bodies as they could now wear the armor that marked their Olympian origins and culture.  

With their bodies equipped, and minds ready, each Eternal made their way to gaze out from the many windows that their starship, the Domo, was built with in preparation for their travel.  

As each Eternal introduced themselves to one another, hoping to gain common ground with the team to settle rattled nerves, only two individuals had no need for introduction. 

As one Eternal gazed out the Domo - bereft at the sight of the planet where her new life would begin – she wondered if Earth would ever be home the way Olympia had been to her despite her having no true memory of it. She wondered if her abilities would prove useful, and she was worried that she would be incapable of making any friends. Luckily, that fear would be one that would pass very, very soon. 

“Sephia!” 

Her name was all she heard before arms encased by iridescently dark blue with pearly ivory entwining into celestial bodies that wrapped around her nimble but powerful form. A wide smile grew as she registered the familiarity of the voice.  

It was Kaetlyn, her very best friend.  

Instant relief filled her body as she shifted her body to return the hug. Sephia’s joy knew no bounds as she realized that she would at least be in the company of one of the greatest warriors Olympia had ever produced. But even without her arrows, Kaetlyn was the best person Sephia could think of for as long as she remembered. The fact that she left her home and was aboard with too many strangers no longer mattered to her. So long as her beloved Kaet was by her side, Sephia would get through anything that came her way. It was if their bond was testified and bound by the stars themselves. 

“Aren’t you so excited? Look at it! It’s so beautiful! I wonder what sites we’ll see!”  

As Kaetlyn’s curiosity grew, so did her excitement. Her voice could hardly contain the sheer ecstaticity that was flowing throughout her entire body. The next words that escape her would mark the shadow archer’s true intentions.  

“Think of all the adventures we’ll have,” she whispered out so that only Sephia would be able to hear her, “The stories we’ll be able to tell!”  

If Kaetlyn was known for anything besides her skills in combat, it was her insatiable curiosity. For as long as Sephia had known her, Kaetlyn was never ever satisfied with only knowing whatever she currently knew. She always wanted to know MORE. Sephia smiled at a memory of Kaet once explaining to her that it was her solemn oath that she would never EVER be satisfied with only what anyone gave her, and that she’d always find her way to learn more. That oath felt like it was from a lifetime ago. 

These words were from another lifetime, in more ways than one. But that will come to light at another time. 

But despite Kaetlyn’s contagious excitement, dread began to course through Sephia’s veins. As her nerves began to eat at her, Sephia couldn’t help but pick at her fingers. A horrible habit that would always result in inflamed tissue, bleeding, and ugly scars.  

“I’m scared,” she timidly replied, eyes turned away so that she wouldn’t let her friend see her cowardice. “What if the life forms on this planet are horrible? What if they are beyond help?” As Sephia continued to list her concerns, Kaetlyn understood that it wasn’t the fear of others that terrified Sephia, it was the idea that she would be of no use to Arishem’s grand design. 

“It will be alright Seph,” Kaet declared in a tone that filled herself with confidence and Sephia with reassurance, “After all, as long as we’re together, nothing will be too terrible.”��

“…I suppose that’s true,” Sephia let herself agree to her most trusted companion’s advice, but her heart was still heavy with anxiety. 

Very softly, she dared ask the most stupid question that ever left her mouth. 

“Will we always be together?” 

Kaetlyn looked at her most cherished friend with so much warmth in her eyes that it was as if all the most beautiful things in the universe were born into the very person in front of her.  

“Sephie,” she began with love in her voice and stars in her eyes as she leaned forward to press their foreheads together, “As if you even need to ask.” 

Unbeknownst to either of the girls, two men from opposite sides of the room gazed at the loving embrace with curious eyes.  

One came from Ikaris, a fighter gifted with the ability to fly and emit optic beams of celestial energy, as well as a commanding figure and attitude. His watch was fixed on the beautiful Eternal, with flowing blush fabric draped across her lovely figure as strategically placed brass armor hinted at the curves of her physique. He could not stop staring at her, despite the impossibly lovely Sersi that stood beside him at that very moment. 

The other came from Druig, a thinker who was known across Olympia for his telepathic abilities, along with his quick wit and surly demeanor. But all somber thoughts came to a halt at the sight of the slim figure, who after donning her armor, disappeared into the shadows of the room. Only to reappear to embrace her friend with so much delight, it surprised him.  

Two very different individuals, but both somehow staring at the sight before them for so long, that it would set in motion the events that would be all four individuals’ joy, as well as their end. 

Please like, comment, reblog, and/or share this post with anyone who might enjoy it! Please be kind, and live an extraordinary life!

Tagging: @ethereal-athalia, @valeskafics, @aphroditesmoon, @its-actually-minicika, @spacetalbot, @angelnyx, @vikingqueen28, @redheadspark, @siempre-bucky, @beananacake, @asa-do-your-thing, @heliosphere8, @bambiandbam, @sunphyre, @bryandechartisasmolbean, @getawaycardotmp3, @americanprometheuss, @karimac

Please let me know if you want to be tagged in future posts!

[camillathe6th]

Fanfic Writer Questions

@askweisswolf tagged me, thank youuuuu for thinking of me ♡

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

Huh, 12 apparently? A lot of them are shorts and gifts, though.

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

66,495???? When did THAT happen (I have never opened the statistics tab before can you tell)

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Mostly and forever Fallen Hero my beloved, but I have one (1) foray into Baldur's Gate 3.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Hmmm, my "main" fics really: 1. Splinters (Fallen Hero, Una and Ortega's relationship's turning points) 2. Dialogue Box (Fallen Hero, people having conversations) 3. Hopefully, No Biting (I can't believe this is in the top three JKLHGLKHGLH. Probably the oral sex helped.) 4. Hauntings (Fallen Hero, little mindfucks and experimental chapters) 5. The Heist, a three-part gift about Hollow Ground and @kittlesandbugs Sidestep, Riley. This one was a passion project, very happy to find it (surprisingly) in the top 5.

5. Do you respond to comments?

Usually, yes, if I can't reply directly to the commenter on another platform! If people are lovely enough to take the time to write, you know... Right back at them.

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

No endings to my fics, really, but the angstiest as a rule is Hauntings.

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

No endings to my fics, really, but I think my happiest / sweetest / peacefullest might be one of my recent ones--Shipname: Burnt to the Ground (it's sex, but not sad babygirl sex, you get me?)

8. Do you get hate on fics?

No.......... But if you want to go and hate on Hollow Ground when they appear in my fic please be my guest lads I'm right there with you.

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

Not sure my sex scenes count as smut considering I'm firmly rooted in the suggestive rather than explicit territory. I write metaphors for fucking, more like.

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

Not really! I'm such a one-trick pony man, all my money's on Los Diablos.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Hmmm.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I have not! I do like to fuck around with language and I have translated part of my fics once or twice and then back again just to throw a punch into the English and its pacing though. And I used to translate fics out loud for my friends who couldn't read English when I was, like, a teen.

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

Started to, didn't finish, but the idea's there somewhere—co-writing with @astarien is the heights of existence obviously.

14. What's your all time favorite ship?

... Chargestep. I guess. I guess they're alright. Whatever.

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

If I want to finish a work I do—but there's nothing I'm gunning to end yet, except for shorts, which I finish in one-go.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Hm, I don't really know... I enjoy dialogue, action scenes, and fucking up pace, musicality, analogy, words and format so that language says more than it usually does, or shows more than it usually does—goes further than it wants to go if you don't give it a shake—and makes you FEEL. That's what's in my brain when I write.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Fucking... plot. Logical pathways. Lore. I do not have a brain.

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

Love it! I gesture at it but keep it in English when I don't know the language (too scared of fucking it up, and not enough control over tone / nuances / connotations), but if I do know the language then absolutely.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

In my little notebooks when I was 8? A French Child Fantasy book I loved. But the only fandom I've written seriously for is FHR.

20. Favorite fic you've written?

My darling, though not my easiest, is Splinters. The hard-hitting writing moments are compiled there, I usually break out of a chapter a little brain-weird and all rabbit-hearted, it's always a blast to get to work on it.

Annnnd I'll tag @astarien, @kittlesandbugs, @ejunkiet, @impossible-rat-babies, @rab-bitly, @witchfall, @silvery-bluish, @ladyshivs, and anyone who feels like it!

[dedkake]

For the numbered ask meme: SGA (optional anime of choice if already answered), McShep, John Sheppard, annnnnd The Mummy/SG-1, please?

<333 thank you!!

001 | SGA

Favorite character: john sheppard

Least Favorite character: elizabeth weir am i allowed to say that? landry. get that guy outta here.

5 Favorite ships (canon or non-canon): john/rodney, ar1 ot4, carson/john, john/ronon, john/teyla

Character I find most attractive: not the question for me.

Character I would marry: carson? jennifer? lorne?

Character I would be best friends with: prrrrooobbably jennifer lol i'm not a very adventurous person.

a random thought: what happened to the "large, particularly venomous snake-like creature that inhabits the mainland" on new lantea?

An unpopular opinion: season 4 has the tightest plot

my canon OTP: i like that ships are not the focus of this show actually

Non-canon OTP: john is my fandom bicycle. get that boy with everyone.

most badass character: they're all kinda badasses, aren't they?

pairing I am not a fan of: i'm not terribly interested in ships that don't involve john, altho i see the logic behind most of them. so i'm probably not going out of my way to read them. or read longfic of them. or sparky sorry.

character I feel the writers screwed up (in one way or another): jjjjjjennifer. she was done so dirty by s5 and canon mckeller.

favourite friendship: john and teyla. teyla and rodney. teyla and ronon. ronon and john. john and rodney. radek and rodney. idk all of them. they are all such good friends and i love it.

character I want to adopt or be adopted by: please no. they are all my children, but i don't want the responsibility of any of that.

002 | mcshep

when of if I started shipping it: ngl i fought this one. when i started watching the show for real in early 2019, i told myself rodney didn't deserve to be redeemed from sg1 and that i wasn't going to fall into the Big Ship Trap. but dang i really did fall lmao. i love them.

my thoughts: friends to lovers, my beloved. they are so silly dorky and devoted.

What makes me happy about them: the friendship! the saving each other! the talking to each other on the comm! the bickering! all the things!!

What makes me sad about them: as i said before. i love angst. so i'm not really sad about the sad things. they can pine away in repression forever and i will be delighted.

things done in fanfic that annoys me: woobie rodney.

things I look for in fanfic: hurt/comfort. subby john. idk. pining. friends to lovers. quiet realizations. the inevitability of it all. domesticity. shepwhump.

My kinks: they can be so kinky together. d/s is good with them.

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: john: anybody. rodney: uhhhh

My happily ever after for them: they retire as together civilians, but maybe not on atlantis.

003 | john sheppard

How I feel about this character: he's my sweet space disaster child

All the people I ship romantically with this character: everyone .. ..

My non-romantic OTP for this character: also everyone.

My unpopular opinion about this character: i'm not sure i have any lol. he looks good in every hat, i'm not picky. maybe--don't put him in charge of anything?

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: omg i wanted at least one episode where he was captured/stranded/in peril and the team actually saved him without him doing 90% of the work himself. i want it SO BADLY. show this boy he's loved and cared for please. (istg i thought the team was going to kill kolya for john in irresponsible on my first watch and i'm still disappointed)

my het ship: john/teyla or john/sam fwb

my fem/slash ship: mcshep, john/ronon

my OTP: mcshep

my OT34: ar1

my cross over ship: no thank you (unless you count sg1 as a crossover, in which case, john/everyone over there too)

my kink: he just wants to be used a little bit.

a head cannon: he would've let jeannie die if wallace hadn't volunteered.

my gender bend: yes please.

004 | the mummy/sg1

hmm. so i hate to admit this on tumblr dot com, but i only saw the mummy once when it first came out and the bugs freaked me out and i never watched it again. i keep meaning to revisit, but i haven't gotten around to it 😂

i'm sure that any of the characters would make delightful matches with anyone from sg1. i can See The Potential.

[aria-ashryver]

Positivity Chain!

Please recommend 3 favorite fanfics by other creators and 1 of your own.

Then tag 5 other creators to do the same.

This is the sweetest ask, thank you anon! 🌷

Choices Fandom

Incident in the Ghostland (AO3 | Explicit) by @dreamscapingsblog

sorry for the notif my sweetest bestest friend, I know tumblr isn't your vibe but I can't have the opportunity to rec your works put in front of me and not JUMP at the chance to put Ghostland out there first and foremost!! Your prose is poetry, your angst makes my teeth hurt, and I will forever be in awe of how you capture such beautifully emotional motifs in the most unique and expressive ways. I'd put this whole fic in an art gallery if I could. Love you, love you, love your writing 💖💖💖

Let Me Be Your Valentine, Saint Valentine (AO3 | Teen) by @aallotarenunelma

Another beloved ID writer, but a MAH fic this time! I was tossing up between this and Indigo Blood because I adored the bond between Skylar and Saini (see how I'm cheating by linking both? 😈💞), but they way you told Donovan and Edelmina's story just brought me so much peace. I always loved their bond in canon over their shared grief, and seeing in here as this deeply vulnerable and trusting relationship just made my heart so happy (and it was really cool to read about Edelmina's aspecness)

The 2AM Christmas Tree Farm by @thosehallowedhalls

Listen I'm a fool for only having just caught up on CoP, because I have been missing out on all this goodness, and I just know I'm going to have so much fun making my way through the rest of your works, but holy hell what an introduction to your Emma and Trystan this was!! You can perhaps tell, from the absolute chaos that was my comment, that I rather enjoyed this one!! And with the way you write? I know I'm going to find some more gems to adore in your masterlist 😊

Non-Choices Fandom

For a Good Time, Call (AO3 | Explicit) by ScarlettStorm

I gotta take a second to rec this, because it might be hands down my favourite fic of all time. The authorial voice is just ✨DIVINE✨, and it is just so deeply moving, I have no words. Its just so... healthy? Portrayal of sex and consent and sex work? Amazing. Attitudes towards trust and communication? Wonderful. Exploration of mental health, PTSD, panic attacks, ASD, inward growth as well as fostering something beautiful between the two romantic leads? Fan-freaking-tastic. Plus it also features lines such as

He wonders if Wei Ying would keep talking, even while being kissed. He thinks he probably would.

Its absolute ADHD meets Autism solidarity, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. (Plus, the smut is seriously god-tier.)

Oh, yeah! I was mean to rec one of my own!

Uhhh... Snow in Crimson, Starlight in Gold (AO3 | Explicit) is very much my baby, and every time someone tells me they liked it and/or my charactersation of Cas, Gabe, and Luca, I go ugly cry for ten years

But also! If you want something about a million times shorter, Whatever You Say, President Adalhard (AO3 | Explicit) is a wlw!Gas fic which is pretty cute. (and I'm trying so hard to finish chapter 2, I swear)

[ruggiethethuggie]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, D!!!!!!

Summary: Today is D's birthday and Takemichi wants to make sure that they have a special day. **note: NOT TWST RELATED. Takemichi is from Tokyo Revengers.

WC: 1593 Tags: fluff, one shot, self insert for D because I said so (but technically gn!reader), Takemichi Hanagaki, established relationship, scary movies, building a fort, cutesie uwu happy bday ;P © please do not copy and or repost my work as your own, my brain is massive and these are my thoughts.

a/n: TO MY BELOVED BESTIE, @demonichikikomori ♥ I hope you have a wonderful day today, or if you sleep all day, I hope your night is just as wonderful. You're the first fanfic writer I found that I enjoyed and I think you deserve the absolute best in this world. I am forever grateful for your friendship, your company, your time. I'm very, very happy to have you here on this fucked up planet for another year. Thank you for being a wonderful friend to me, I just hope that I can always be as wonderful to you. You are forever in my heart and I could kiss you (no homo, homo ♥) I love you so much. HAPPY BIRTHDAY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (and ps I wrote Takemichi because I cannot write a Ruggie fic to the gold standard Ruggie writer, pls forgive me)

“What are you doing here?” you asked, very confused seeing the person standing in front of you. “What do you mean what are you doing here? It’s your birthday?! I wanted to spend it with my favorite person,” Takemichi said, smiling back at you. “I figured maybe we could… hang out and watch a movie or something,” he said scratching the back of his head. 

“It’s just my birthday, it’s nothing special. It’s just like every other day,” you said sharply. The expression leaving Takemichi’s face almost seemed hurt by your words. “Hey, don’t say that,” he said, taking your hand to hold. “This is my favorite day, because it is a day solely for you.” His genuine smile was pure as you stared back at him. You hated how sincerely sweet he was sometimes, but also greatly appreciated it. His words always found you at the right time, bringing you an immense amount of comfort.

You moved out of the doorway and let him inside. “You are so cheesy sometimes, you know that?” you playfully teased. Your words must’ve embarrassed him, or maybe he was already on edge before coming over. He was always in his head, thinking about what ifs and whys, even though you constantly told him to stop. “Oh, uh, yeah I guess so,” he said with a shy smile and looked off somewhere else in the room.

“Sooo, what movie did you want to watch? I’m not super into movies-” you started to say before he cut you off. “True! But you ARE into scary spooky things, and I have your favorite thing. The Strangers,” he said with a cheeky grin and holding up the movie box in his hands. You looked at him, both amazed by his choice of movie and utterly confused. “Are you… sure you want to watch it? I thought you hated scary movies?” you asked with a small laugh.

Takemichi straightened himself up, almost like becoming a new person. “I can handle it, I know it’s just a movie,” he said reassuringly. Something told you this wasn’t reassuring at all, but more so a cry for help. Maybe he wanted you to change your mind and pick a different movie, but the Strangers was your favorite so why would you.

“Ok, if you say so,” you said with a chuckle. You walked into the kitchen to grab a snack for you both while you watched the movie, while Takemichi made his way to the living room to get the movie setup. “What do you want to drink?” you shouted to him from the kitchen. A few moments passed with no answer, so you shouted again. Still no answer. You walked back to look in the living room, he was so entranced in setting up the living room for the movie he hadn’t heard you call to him.

“Takemichi?” you said quietly, even more confused seeing what he was doing. He was fluffing pillows, arranging them on the couch almost to… build a fort? Your voice surprised him, making him smile and laugh nervously. “Sorry, I wanted to watch in a fort… cause I think it’d be fun. And ya know, if you get scared, I am right there for you to hold,” he said. The cheeky grin across his face was adorable. Building a fort, in your living room, to watch a movie together, all because it was your birthday.

“Uhuh, is that really why you want a fort? Because you think I’ll be the one scared?” you asked amusingly with a laugh. Takemichi put his hand on his chest and dropped his jaw. “Are you saying you don’t want to build a fort with me? How could you…” he said sarcastically. You rolled your eyes at him and walked towards the kitchen again. You were going to make a treat for you two to have during the movie, your go-to buttered popcorn with some cheddar flavoring up top. Takemichi would always joke about how simple the snack was, but you loved it, so why not have it for the movie.

You put your popcorn in the microwave, turning it on and leaning on the counter behind you while you waited for it to finish. After a few minutes, the popping stopped, and you haphazardly took the bag out of the microwave. The bag was hot, so you carefully opened it and dumped the buttered popcorn into a large bowl. You opened one of your cabinets, looking through your slew of spices and powders for your white cheddar popcorn powder. Once in hand, you sprinkled a good helping on the popcorn and lightly tossed the popcorn in the bowl to coat it over all the pieces. You grabbed you and Takemichi both a drink from the fridge, gathering it all in your hands carefully and taking it to the living room.

You came back to the living room to see that in the short amount of time you were gone, he had finished the small fort, using the throw blankets on the couch to make the covering and moving your furniture a bit to create the sides of the fort. He was something else. “Wow, I feel like I’m not turning 21 but maybe turning 7 again today,” you laughed. Takemichi looked up at you, smiling from ear to ear while he tried to help take the drinks and popcorn bowl from you. “I have the movie ready to start, but I just wanted to make a safe spot for you, ya know… cause it’s a scary movie and I don’t want you to be afraid,” he said plopping down on the floor that he had covered with more blankets and pillows. 

You found a cozy spot in the fort Takemichi had made for you both, snuggling up beside him as he turned the movie on with the remote. As the movie starts and the beginning starts to play, you look over at Takemichi. He seems anxious, does he get scared easily? “Hey, babe, have you ever seen this before?” you asked, popping some popcorn into your mouth. Takemichi laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head again. “Uh, well, no… not exactly. This is the first time watching it,” he said with a small chuckle. You nodded your head slowly in response.

“Inspired.. by true events?” Takemichi asked, turning to you for confirmation. The expression on his face looked so concerned. That’s when it hit you, he is an actual baby watching scary movies. He is not going to make it through this movie at all. “Yes, it is.. Is that ok?” you asked teasingly. Takemichi grabbed the pillow beside him and held it in front of him. “Yes? Why wouldn’t it be, it’s not like it’s happening to us so.. It’s fine,” he answered in a not so reassuring tone.

As the movie continued, it was obvious he was getting more and more paranoid with every minute. Watching the movie must’ve been torture for him, but he was adament that he was going to watch it because it was your favorite and today was your birthday. Every few minutes, even if nothing was really happening, was like a jumpscare for him. It was entertaining hearing him talk to the characters on the tv as if they could hear his advice on what not to do. It was a very adorable sight, if you were being honest. By the time the movie was over, Takemichi was gripping the pillow in his arms so tight that fluffing it would never put it back to the way it was. His eyes were wide and he was clenching his jaw so tight from all the anxiety he was having. 

“Are you going to be okay?” you asked playfully. He let out a long sigh before completely laying on the floor and putting the pillow over his face. “I am going to take that as a no,” you laughed as you poked his side. You could hear his muffled ughhhhh from under the pillow. You leaned down close to the pillow so you could whisper to him. “Do you want me to protect you next time, you can sit in my lap and I’ll hold you,” you whispered teasingly. He pulled the pillow off his face and gave you a look that could kill. His pouty, angry face was even more adorable than his normal face. “I swear, I am not a big baby,” he said, puffing his bottom lip out. “I know you’re not,” you said as you leaned down to give him a kiss on his pouting lips. 

“Happy birthday, butthead, I love you very much,” he said as you leaned away from him. He made your heart very happy and you loved that he took the time out of his day to make your day special.

Suddenly, a few knocks were at your door. “AHHH!!” Takemichi shouted as he jumped up, accidentally spilling the remainder of the popcorn on the floor. He was glaring at the door, his eyes wide and his expression nothing but anxiety once again. “It’s fine, nothing’s wrong. It’s probably just my neighbors or something. They know it’s my birthday,” you reassured him as you walked towards the front door.

“Please, please, please do not open that door… What if it’s like the movie?!” he said, his eyes still wide as ever as he watched you grab the door handle. “Oh come on, babe. There’s nothing to be afraid of,” you laughed as you opened the door slowly.

[quaranmine]

I want recs so 32 for the fan fic ask game >:D

you're getting several because I have several friends and mutuals and i can't just list like three people (also some of these people are rightfully very popular, so i'd be surprised if you hadn't read any of their stuff)

32. Name three of your favorite fanfic writers.

@doctortrekkiefe / doctortrekkie Doc has written some of my favorite mcyt fics in this and I recommend her Echoes series so much.

@theminecraftbee / Bee_4 mildly obsessed with everything second writes, of course. Stuffed bird is still one of my top hermitcraft fics.

@redwinterroses / RedWinterRoses (and darkleweather) Everything Turns to Gold is one of my favorite mcyt fics. Also, Red is a very cool person :] I don't know darkle as well but they're definitely very good writer too.

@prismartist / prismartist eli my beloved. oh, do i have to say something else? fantastic writer and so underrated so please check them out pretty please (threat) Recommending the To Break Bread series for your double life soulmate feels and the love language of food, speak now, or forever hold your peace for your moon big feels, and now i'm sure that it's true for any desert duoers who wanna get broken. prism is also very good at "unconventional" fic with stuff like poetry, script-fics, etc.

@chrysalizzm / chrysalizzm chrys's prose is so beautiful that whenever i read it im like how i am qualified to talk to you sfljsdlfjslf. seriously beautiful, beautiful work. Chrys mostly writes DSMP but has fantastic expanded universes and worldbuilding that isn't strictly limited to just those characters so you'll find a few hermits scattered about, even if it's focused primairly on dsmp.

@lunarblazes / lunarblazes very good writer :] i like late at night when the stars don't look quite right

@ivi-prism / Iviprism BELOVED. BELOVED. also off-world vacations is a beautiful thing to behold. look at it!

there's probably more but I've been at it for a while now so just know if you arent listed that you probably should be here <3

[shrinkthisviolet]

⛔🍦👀🤗

⛔: Do you have a fic you started, but scrapped?

Quite a few tbh 😅 tho one that comes to mind is a House of Anubis fic focusing on Joy’s trauma (specifically, having her and Nina be friends instead of the Nina/Fabian/Joy triangle, and focusing on Joy’s actions in s2 being trauma responses).

I didn’t even have a particular reason for scrapping it tbh, I’ve just sorta…moved on from HOA in a way? Like, I still read fic for it eagerly, but in terms of writing…idk. Especially for a season as extensive as s2 😅 that takes stamina. Maybe one day I’ll get back to it (maybe if US Netflix decides to release the rest of the seasons), but we’ll see

🍦: What's the sweetest fic you've created so far?

Oooh this is a tough one but probably this one! Lucy & Luke, my dearly beloveds 🥰

👀: Tell me about an upcoming wip please!

The next fic of the Morgan AU is gonna cover 1x8 to 1x14! It’s gonna be centrally about Barry & Morgan…specifically, it’s going to be about them fighting (mostly one-sided—Barry loves Morgan like the sister he never had, but Morgan can hold grudges like nothing else…especially when the offended party isn’t even herself).

The exact impetus of their fighting is complicated to explain, but I’ll say this: the consequences of Barry being whammied for Morgan might not be over just because she pretends they are 👀

Also, next fic is when I reveal who Tina’s been protecting! One of you has guessed it, and another of you threw me for a loop in the best way, since I realized I left the door open for multiple possibilities without even realizing 😅

🤗: What advice would you give to new fanfic writers that are just getting started?

So this is going to sound incredibly cliché, but…write for yourself first and foremost! Numbers are great, I know—they make for great validation—but if you base your writing on the numbers, you might end up writing stuff you don’t like, or scrapping stuff you do like. Write what makes you happy! I guarantee you someone out there wants to read it.

Also, don’t burn yourself out! Take breaks, take your time…prioritize your real life over fanfic and hobbies and whatnot. Don’t lose yourself in this. It can consume you if you let it…but there’s no replacement for your real life and good mental health. Don’t forget that.

Also, feel free to ignore this advice if you have a system that works, but…from my own experience, I highly recommend writing out the whole multichap before you post. Otherwise you run the risk of losing the muse for that multichap, and it just sits in your works forever, begging for your attention (I’m sorry Bumizumi AU, I promise you’ll be updated someday 😭)

fanfic writer ask game!

[zannolin]

🛒🌞🤗!

dee my beloved <3 <3

🛒 What are some common things you incorporate in your fics? Themes, feels, scenes, imagery, etc.

oh all sorts of things but especially the star imagery/metaphors. we all know how much i fucking LOVE stars. my god i can't wait to get elbow deep in comparing cleon and mithan to stars i have so many metaphors just waiting to be used <3 <3 cosmic imagery baby!! also my beloved jigsaw puzzles i will forever put them in. personal headcanons i can think of appearing in multiple fics include cwilbur with his compass tattoo and chronic migraines. um. postcards i do love a good postcard. friendship breakups and the search for belonging and characters hiding in closets because the world is too big to deal with sometimes. lighthouses. sea glass. ribs and knuckles. yeah.

🌞 Do you have a preferred time of day to write?

i usually end up doing it in the evenings because i try to do homework from 8 am to 4 pm. i have so much homework. weekends it's usually in the early afternoons because i work nights.

🤗 What advice would you give to new fanfic writers that are just getting started?

please put effort into your summaries i swear they do so much to get people to read your fic. don't just put you're bad at summaries. you will be good one day just put an interesting hook from your story tell me why i should read it i beg. write whatever the fuck you want. it doesn't matter how niche the au—there will always be at least one person (even if it's yourself) who will enjoy it. i am so deeply fond of niche aus about things the author clearly loves. they resonate. read a lot. reading a lot helps you write better crazy i know.

overall be happy. write what brings you joy. that'll make it worth it.

ask game.

[writeformesinpie]

Zombies And Ice Cream

Tao x Fem!Reader

Word Count - 7.6k

Genre - Crack/Romance

Summary -

You and Tao are in the middle of an argument when an unexpected guest arrives. Will you both survive the uninvited pest? Is this the end of your relationship? And will Tao ever get his ice cream?

Warnings -

Suggestive / implied sexual content, swearing, violence, death and violence (non-major character)

A/N -

This fanfic is inspired by a similar scene in Shaun Of The Dead.

It is apart of the EXO collab The Undead run by @biaswreckingfics​. Please check out the Masterlist and the other writers of this collab!

KPOP Masterlist

   There they sit all in a row, polished and protected from the elements inside their glass encasings. A collector's dream. Perfect for daddy. Never aging. Never changing. Their creepy eyes unwavering.

   Tao’s beloved BearBrick Babies will live forever if cared for correctly unlike your delicate flowers which last less than a season. Their frailty is the draw for you. Unlike these obnoxious toys that he can’t seem to get enough of them, flowers are alive.

   Turning to look back outside the window, rage brews as you stare out the window, the obnoxious teal muscle car blocking the view of the garden you spent weeks planting. Is it too much to ask for this one small thing? It took painstaking effort to arrange the perfect garden. You had even done it with inferior tools. After planting your beautiful flowers, you had thrown the disastrous gardening supplies out in last week's trash. The new ones will be arriving any day now. Tools that are sure to make you feel as pretty as the flowers you plant.

   The sun room is a place where you’re meant to be able to escape and you can’t even have that. The anger crescendos into a squeal of frustration as you realise the angle of the car suggests the flowers you placed into the ground just yesterday have been run over and are currently shredded under the flashy tires of the eyesore Tao decided to buy on a whim. He might as well smash all your fine china as well, just destroy everything you love.

   The floorboards squeak above as the plant killer himself makes his way from the bedroom down the stairs. Each step creaks from wear and tear, a reminder of another thing that needs to be fixed. Of course, instead of coughing up the money for house maintenance, Tao decided to buy a ferrari.

   “Why are you carrying on so early? I was trying to sleep.”

   If this were a cartoon, there would be flames rising from your exaggerated, beetroot-stained face as you turn to address the oblivious man. He didn’t even bother to get dressed, adorned in his Dragon Ball Z socks and the boxer briefs he found online with his face (his own face!) on them, a toothy grin spreading across his manhood. And of course he had to ask you to suck him off that one time while he was wearing them. You'll never forget that horrific moment no matter how deep you hide it in the back of your mind. Just one of the many ridiculous experiences Tao decided he couldn’t live without trying.

   Looking at him, you're surprised by the tousled hair and dark rings. He had gone to bed early last night after throwing a fit about you eating the last Cornetto. Carmel. It was delicious and you’re glad you ate it.

   “The flowers.” The words are soft as you hold back your fury, you don’t want to start another fight. Not on the first work-free day you’ve had together in over three months.

   “What flowers? I don’t see any flowers.”

   “You don’t see the flowers because your nasty vehicle destroyed them,” you say, your fists tight balls. “I thought we agreed to park in the garage, which is why we bought the damn thing.”

   The clench of his jaw signals the beginning of an argument. He’s stubborn and even though he knows what he’s done is wrong, you’re willing to bet he’s about to push back, probably bring up something he feels you’ve done to justify his mistake.

   “It’s a bit hard to fit in the garage when you practically double park. You shouldn’t be allowed out on the road with the way you drive.”

   Bingo. He knows how much you hate to drive. It’s something you avoid whenever possible. The idea that other people's lives are in your hands every time you get behind the vehicle is enough to keep you from enjoying it. Walking is just easier. If it’s somewhere close, like say your mother's house, it’s easier to just walk.

   “Well at least I didn’t buy some ridiculously overpriced pussy magnet.”

   “Pussy magnet?”

   “Pussy magnet!”

   “How is that-”

   “We all know the only reason you bought it is so you can soak in all the heart-eyed girls from work. And your incel friends that think of you as their God,” you say, your voice pitching up as he tries to interrupt. “Pride is a sin, baby. It’s such a male ego move and you must know that as they praise you, they’re all thinking about what it is you're overcompensating for.” As you finish you hold up your pinky and wiggle it around.

   “Fuck off. I don’t have a small dick.”

   “I know that but they don’t,” you say with a shrug. You're sick of his constant need for validation.

   “God, you’re a vindictive harpy. Why are you such a bitch in the morning?”

   “Why do you care so much? Because you know I’m right.”

   “You sound like your mother.”

   “Fuck you.”

   “Two harpies living in the same city is bad enough as it is and then she just had to go and move in just two blocks from us. She just had to, didn't she? Like a leech she follows you wherever you go and it’s me who’s always stuck dealing with her.”

   “Like you can talk! You think your mother is a saint?”

   “Don’t bring up my mother!”

   “Then don’t bring up mine!”

   “I can’t keep living like this. Every day I want to wrap my hands around your pretty little neck and snap it like a twig,” he says, venom dripping from his lips as his eyes bore into yours.

   “Go ahead then. Snap my pretty little neck,” you say, jutting out your chin in an act of defiance. He would never touch you, not like that. Tao may be a lot of things but he has never hurt you and you know he never will.

   “I’m going for a drive,” he says, turning towards the door but stopping in front of the window.

   “Just go then.” What is he waiting for?

   “There’s a girl in the garden.”

   “Oh? Go on, then. If you think you can do better. Run off with your new girl.”

   “No, there’s really a girl out there. Look.”

   At first you think he’s talking about his car until you see her too. Her strawberry blonde curls fall across her slack, ashen face as she wobbles back and forth behind the teal car. “What the fuck? Is she drunk?”

   Tao taps his knuckles against the window, swearing under his breath when she ignores him before using sweeping gestures with his arms to get her attention. It works. Her eyes roll to the back of her head as her head lolls to the side. She starts to shuffle forward, her white slippers with Sheraton written across the side kicking up dirt as she walks towards the window. She must have walked over from the hotel - it’s only a five minute walk from here. She must have gotten turned around in her intoxicated stupor.

   As she gets closer you can see her dirt-crusted elbows and knees and a strange red smudge across her nose and her left cheek. Even with the blemish she is practically perfect. No makeup but under the white robe is a black lace lingerie one piece that pushes her up in all the right places, making her look like a Barbie doll. Frowning, you tug at your shirt, pushing your breasts up and wiggling them back and forth. They don’t compare to her and you look over at Tao with a glare. Of course he’s looking at her. Pig.

   “She’s pissed!” Tao laughs before shaking his head, walking in the direction of the door. “Don’t worry, I’ll go and chase her out.”

   “I’m not worried but Tao...”

   “What now? I thought I was doing you a favour here.”

   “You’re in your underwear.”

   “Yeah? Well maybe our new friend shouldn’t have gotten shitfaced last night,” he says with a stubborn flick of the brow before opening the front door and walking out of view. You dig into your purse hanging off a hook in the hallway, apply some lipstick then follow.

   “Excuse me but I need you to get off my property.”

   “Our property.”

   “For fucks sake,” Tao says, looking over his shoulder at you from the walkway connecting your door to the driveway before glancing back at the girl standing by the window. She turns back towards him with staggered steps, one of her Sheraton slippers lost in the grass, forgotten behind her as she makes her way over to Tao. “We’re just trying to have a quiet morning and I can’t do that with some rando in the garden.”

   “Technically it’s just the lawn.”

   “I swear to God, woman.”

   “Well it is. The garden is the area your ridiculous little car is currently parked in,” you say with a shrug as the drunk girl gets closer, her eyes locked in on Tao as he turns around to you.

   “Is this really the time? Why are you always on my dick? I am-” Right as he steps towards you, the drunk swipes at the air behind him, a soft gurgling sound erupting from her small frame. “Holy shit, lady.”

   “She’s smashed!” you laugh, starting to walk down the path to the pair, adjusting your hair as you walk.

   “Looks like you had a great night,” Tao says with a chuckle, shaking his head. “Whoa, whoa hands to yourself there.”

   “Oh, another one of your fangirls?”

   He’s gorgeous. People flock to his sexy aura but this is getting ridiculous. You have to be worried about these desperate freaks coming to your home now? This one is half naked and practically throwing herself at him, her hands grabbing at his naked skin.

   “Very funny,” he says while trying to push the lush off, her hands caressing him as she starts to bite the air right by his face. He stumbles and they both fall to the ground.

   “Oh wow, looks like she’s got the hots for you.” This wanton slut. “I mean, don’t let me stop you, just pretend I’m not here, I guess.”

   “She is attacking me,” Tao says, his voice starting to lose its lighthearted edge as his muscles tense to keep her in place.

   “And with our relationship already on the rocks.” You bend down to take a selfie with the pair on your phone. “Proof for the lawyers.”

   “She’s bloody strong! Help me get her off,” Tao sputters, avoiding her gnashing teeth.

   “I can’t help but think this is exactly what you deserve,” you say but after seeing his wide eyes and pressed lips, you grab her arm, pulling her back. Tao rolls out from under her and you let her fall face first to the ground. No guilt; she shouldn’t have gotten blackout drunk, she shouldn’t be on your property and she shouldn’t be touching your Tao.

   She moans in pain on the ground, trying to get back up. Well, maybe a little guilt. She does have such a pretty face.

   “Ma’am, we need you to leave now. You’ve had your fun. Now this is getting old,” you say as she gets back up to her feet, no more Sheraton slippers. “Just go home and sleep it off.”

   There are grass stains on her white shirt. Her feet are bare as she hoists each leg one after the other in peculiar, jagged movements, each grueling step bringing her staggering towards you.

   Stepping back, you look over to Tao who shrugs. “Just call the police.”

   You pull out your phone and start to dial as he looks around the yard for supplies. He jogs over to the side of the house. The girl turns to watch him, her whole body jerking in his direction before turning back to you. The sounds of Tao ransacking the shed drift to the background as the polite message from the emergency line tells you ‘all lines are currently busy’. Too bad if this was a real emergency. What is this city coming to?

   “Shit,” you say, the phone slipping from your fingers and crashing to the cold concrete below. Shattered. Fuck.

   When you stand up, smashed phone in hand, the drunk girl is disturbingly close. Her stale breath is warm against your face and her dirty hands push roughly against your shoulders. Her teeth are tinged pink inside her wide mouth and smelling of rancid meat. You can’t help yourself - you scream out for Tao.

   Her fingertips cling for a moment before being ripped from your shoulders. The girl flings back a few feet where she then stumbles and falls. Tao is holding a large rake in front of him, both hands holding the wooden handle, the metal tines edging threateningly towards her. As she starts to get back up, you wonder why she’s doing this, why she won’t just leave.

   “Get back woman, I mean it.” Tao jabs the rake a few times towards her but it doesn’t deter her.

   “I doubt a rake is going to scare her.”

   “It’s the only thing in the damn shed worth anything. There is so much junk in there, do you ever clean it out?”

   “I guess I’ll add it to my list of things to do,” you say as you both back up a little towards the wall as she approaches painstakingly slow. “I ordered new tools. I was going to try and tidy it up then.”

   “I’m warning you,” he says to the drunk, pushing against her roughly with the rake, his back now up against the red brick of the house. “Did you call the police?”

   “They didn’t answer.”

   “They didn’t answer?”

   “That’s what I said. They were busy.”

   “Well, try them again.”

   “I can’t.” He glances over at you from the corner of his eyes, exasperated as he continues to hold the girl back. “I dropped my phone. It’s broken.”

   “You have got to be kidding me,” Tao almost growls, his fingers digging deeper into the handle. Pushing back the woman while spitting out profanities, he digs the prongs of the rake into her ribs. She doesn't stop, instead turning towards you, her hands outstretched. Before she is able to get close, Tao jams the rake into her chest, the tines drawing blood as they gouge deep into her skin. “Get lost!”

   “Holy shit, Tao!” She falls on her back flush against the manicured lawn, the erect rake sprouting out of her flesh. “You killed her!”

   Tao steps back, his face blank, then turns to you. His eyes flicker across your face and body, his hands joining in their search. “Are you okay? Did she hurt you?”

   “No. What do we do?” Your whispered breath is shaky. “We can go buy a shovel and bury her under the garden. This isn’t so bad. In fact she’ll make great fertilizer.”

   “What the fuck? It was self defense,” he says, an incredulous look on his face. “I appreciate the ride or die mentality but-”

   He stops mid sentence as you gasp, your eyes widening as Sheraton Barbie rises, arms out stiff in alignment with the wooden handle still protruding from her chest.

   “There’s no way.”

   The wood sticking out of her body flails senseless and free, back and forth as she sways, each staggering step creeping closer. Tao looks over and you both burst out laughing, the image of the rake thrashing about while still embedded within this undead woman is too much to bear. You continue to laugh until she’s too close to ignore, stepping back a few spaces before you both run to the front door. Leaning against the door, you look over at each other and laugh again.

   “Let’s call the police,” Tao says, grabbing his phone from the living room table. Pushing a few buttons, he presses it to his ear. After a moment of silence he says, “It’s busy.”

   “I told you.”

   “Yes, but it’s still busy,” he says, handing you the phone. “Hold that and let me know when they answer.”

   “Where are you going?”

   “We need to find weapons. Something to use against that- that thing.”

   “She’s dead. You killed Sheraton Barbie.”

   He looks at you with one eyebrow raised before he nods. “I’m well aware of that.”

   “I mean, I think she might be a zombie.”

   “Don’t be ridiculous.” A loud thump on the door makes you both jump and when you turn to look, the Sheraton Barbie is outside. Her grubby hands press against your window and the wooden rake sticks out lengthwise against the glass as she chews the air looking right at you. Every time she moves the rake moves with her, thudding hard against the window.

   “She’s going to break it,” you say, looking up at him. “What do we have down here that we can use? What about your Bearbrick Babies?”

   “Don’t even joke.”

   “They’re right there. It’s in the name. They are freaking bricks, Tao,” you say, pointing towards the case holding his collection, the pristine gleam of the clear glass calling out to be opened. The banging of wood on glass from outside punctures the silence every three to four seconds. “We don’t have many options.”

   “I would rather that trashy, drunk undead ‘Barbie’ break in here and rip out my intestines while I’m still alive. We are not hurting the Bearbrick’s. We have other options.”

   The banging increases. It’s every one to two seconds now. The audible sound of glass cracking ringing out throughout the room. “Well you better find something else quick or we won’t have a goddamn window.”

   “Fuck.” Tao squeezes his head, the force of his hands against his skull turning his knuckles white.

   “Ah!” You dive to the bottom of the display case's shelf, the one covered in a light blue marble. You slide open the door and pull out two large metal boxes and slide them across the floor. “What about this?”

   “The Rolexs?” He frowns, hesitant. Another crack echoes off the walls as the zombie outside tries to get in.

   “Well I don’t think throwing the table or lounge chair is gonna do it.”

   “Why do I have to throw my precious collections? What about your china?”

   “The fine china? My fine china? Why would I-”

   Another crack, this time right before the window smashes inward. Sheraton Barbie on the other side is already starting to climb in. Behind her you see another zombie at the edge of the lawn, close to the road but making his way toward the house. The sound of this stupid, dead bitch breaking your window must have gotten his attention.

   The fuck nut zombie inside knocks over your kaleidoscope-coloured crystal vases and your fine china tea sets with that stupid, stupid wooden stick and you scream out in frustration. First your garden and now your fine china. Is nothing sacred? Your vision starts to blur on the fringes of your eyesight as a wet rage builds.

   “Just do something!”

   “I don’t think freaking out about your little tea set is going to help the current situation,” he says, lunging over the sofa and jamming his palm onto the wooden stick to hold back the zombie.

   “I am calm,” you growl, giving each word emphasis before grabbing one of his silly little watches and throwing it towards Sheraton Barbie. It hits her straight in between the eyes then bounces, ricocheting off the handle and slingshotting back up against her chest. It lodges itself in one of the widening holes created by the rake.

   “What the hell? Did you just throw my Rolex? Did you throw my Rolex? Did you just throw my damn Rolex and now it’s got zombie gunk on it?”

   “Well, wasn't it last season anyway?”

   “Last season? It doesn’t really work that way and if it did, no ‘season’ is any less important than the last when it comes to a Rolex. They’re timeless.”

   “There’s a zombie in the living room, Tao.”

   “I am well aware of what is in the house, sweetheart,” he says, accentuating the last word as he nods towards the undead woman.

   “Well, what about this one? When did you last wear this?” The silver watch dangles from your index finger as you hold it in front of your eyes while you use your other hand to search for the next sturdy Rolex to throw.

   “I wouldn’t dare to wear that one.”

   ‘Oh, great, then this one?” You throw the watch and this one bounces off her temple. Gnashing teeth turn your way. Tao moans, his staggered breath punctuated by moisture building up around his eyes as he holds steadfast. Good. He deserves it. “It’s not working. They’re too soft, Tao.”

   “It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that one out.”

   “We need to use the Bearbrick Babies. They are good for nothing. Literally useless,” you say, jumping up and running towards the case.

   “Fuck that. Hold this,” he says, leading the zombie over and shoving the handle into your hand. Pain trickles throughout your palm from what you are certain will be splinters. “Hold her and stop throwing my stuff.”

   “Wait.”

   He doesn’t. He runs past you and around the corner before you hear the familiar sound of his footfalls on the wooden steps as he continues on to your bedroom.

   Her stench is unbearable; you can smell death on your lips. Turning to look out the window, you notice the other zombie is halfway across the yard. His lifeless eyes lock on the shattered frame.

   This is not how you want to die. Where is Tao? As long as you don’t die before he gets here, it should be okay. He won’t let anything happen to you… right?

   Right as a tear rolls down your face, the moisture seeping into your dry skin, you hear the thumping sounds of Tao running back down the stairs. He dashes out from behind the corner now wearing jeans and a white sleeveless shirt. Yesterday's outfit that was carelessly thrown across the room last night. There’s something off about him. Searching him over a few times, you notice it. At first you had mistaken the silver glint as an accessory.

   “Is that a gun?”

   “If it looks like a gun and acts like a gun then I guess it must be a gun.”

   “Where did you get that from?”

   “Not in the safe, that's for sure,” he says, bitterness on his lips as he raises the weapon towards the zombie that now has you pinned against the wall, her arms flailing out in every direction, desperate for your flesh. “Nope, couldn’t put it there. Not after you randomly changed the code on me.”

   “You kept that gun in the house? After I told you to get rid of it?”

   He’s upset because you needed a place to keep your documents and all his friends know his combination, which he in turn said wasn’t a big deal. It’s not that you don’t trust his friends, but why should everyone have the code? If everyone can get into the safe, what’s the point of it? And you bought it after all, it’s only right that you be the one that makes the code.

   “Yeah, that's right. It's a good thing too,” he says, waving at Sheraton Barbie with a crooked smile.

   “A zombie apocalypse is an outlier, Tao!”

   The zombie lurches forward, the rake squelching inside her undead skin until it passes completely through to the other side, leaving you face to face with her bared teeth. Screeching, you push against her chest, leaning away from the overwhelming stench of decay leaking from her mouth as the other one starts to paw at the windowsill. This is it. This is where you die. This is how your pathetic life finally comes to an end. What has it all been for?

   Fireworks penetrate your thoughts. Two loud pops. Sheraton Barbie falls to the floor with a thud and your eardrums vibrate.

   “Gross! What the fuck, Tao!” A tremble rumbles across your skin and you feel pressure like when high altitudes pop your ears. After a few seconds, your hearing resets to its original level of capacity. Your face scrunches up as you pluck pieces of Sheraton Barbie out of your hair. “My eardrums might never recover.”

   “Don’t be dramatic.” He puts the gun into the holster and upon noticing your glare he continues. "You’ll be fine. It will settle in a few minutes. It’s only a 45mm.”

   “Only.”

   “And what would you suggest instead?”

   “I don’t know, a knife?”

   “And use the good cutlery? I’d never hear the end of it,” he says, his voice dripping with sarcasm. It’s not your fault that whenever he tries to make something in the kitchen something ends up broken. It’s not the cost of replacing the item, it’s the inconvenience.

   “That’s it!” You are done. You refuse to be in the same room as this Neanderthal for a moment longer. The way he prances around the house, fists beating against his chest. The way he makes you feel like you can’t do anything right. “I’m going to my mother’s house.”

   “In the middle of a zombie apocalypse?!"

   “I’d rather die out there than be stuck in here with a plant killer like you.” You grab your envelope clutch from the entryway table, slamming the door on the way out. “I’d rather die out here than live in there with you.”

   A pout forms on your chapped lips as you walk down the walkway thinking of all the cutting words you could have said instead, the ways you could have hurt him but didn’t. You restrained yourself yet again for the betterment of the relationship. You always put him first and here he is sending you outside when he knows you left your keys inside and he knows you’re too stubborn to turn around and get them now. How could you when you’ve already gotten this far? Why would he send you out into the cold in the middle of a zombie invasion?

   Reaching the footpath in front of the house, you turn in the direction of your mother's house that, as Tao so eloquently put it, is only two streets away. The walk will do you good - the fresh air and the quiet. The deafening silence is just what you need. The empty streets, the absence of children's laughter and blaring horns. The empty red Buick with all four doors open, its front bumper wrapped around the wooden telephone pole while smoke spirals from its engine. It’s all so refreshing. The absence of humanity.

   Continuing down the next street, the smell of rot and rust in the air, you turn the corner and run straight into a crowd of the restless undead, their mouths slack and their eyes lifeless. There’s about fifteen of them and they’re blocking the walkway. They haven’t seen you yet, their attention instead on the young couple in front of them. The pair are holding hands up on trash cans that look ready to cave in at any moment.

   The issue is how to get over to that side of the street without the horde noticing, because although they seem oblivious to you right now, the couple they currently have their eyes on have taken notice. What a bother.

   “Help!” the woman yells out. You point to your ear and shrug, pretending you didn’t hear before trying to creep past them. “Please! We can’t hold them off for much longer!”

   And just what the fuck do they expect you to do?

   Before you can reply, the man tears his arm from hers and pushes her towards the zombies. Her screams quickly become gurgled gulps of blood as you stare slack-jawed after the prick now shimmying up one of the poles holding the awning above. So much for true love. Must all men be scum?

   Turning away, you shake your head and decide to take this moment, the death of another hopeless woman in love, to not let her death be in vain. Right as you step out onto the road, a loud tearing sound echoes out over the groaning of the hoard of zombies.

   “No, no, no. No!” It’s the dickless fuck. He’s hanging from the railing. The soft material of the awning now split in two, its nonchalant flapping drawing several of the mob. The ones not eating his girlfriend start to surround him and claw towards him, reaching with hungry sweeps of their arms. He looks to you with pleading eyes and calls out, “Help me. Please!”

   You give him a thumbs down and mouth the words, ‘die bitch.’

   And he will die. The first zombie that reaches him when his hold on the pole finally weakens digs her teeth into his ankle. It’s his partner. Poetic justice. He squeals and falls to the ground, his high pitched screams soon snuffed out by the crunching of teeth on flesh.

   Shuffling as quietly as the tips of your shoes will allow, you dart across the street to the promise of safety and it pays off. They didn’t notice you, instead immersed in the meal already caught. Resisting a triumphant shout of achievement, you continue to walk down the pavement, your eyes glancing back at the group every so often to make sure you haven’t been seen.

   Turning back to face the street ahead you’re caught off guard when a lady dressed in classic black skinny jeans, a white tucked in shirt, business black kitten heels and a tan blazer walks out from the boutique and slams right into you. Her face is perfect, eyebrows plucked and lined, not a single lash out of place. If it wasn’t for the small smudge of her red lipstick spread across her slack jaw you might not have noticed anything was wrong.

   Fuck. You should have thought of the stores. What an amateur move.

   Before you have time to ponder your mistake, hands grab you from behind, a hoarse moan accompanying the stench of wet dirt and old pasta sauce. It’s too much. The thought of it ending this way, sandwiched between this cheap business woman and the man who loves meatballs a little too much, it's depressing and not at all the type of threesome you wanted. You scream. It’s a guttural noise that reverberates from chest to throat in a painful spiral.

   It’s a mistake of course. The booming sound echoes out across the street, bringing the unwanted attention of the horde of undead looking for something more exciting to snack on now that the asshole has gone cold. Caught between the two creatures, you kick the woman hard in the chest, causing her to stagger backwards. Ducking from the tall man still leaning over you with his teeth bared, you crouch down while kicking out your leg and slamming it against his knees. He topples over in time for you to turn back to the woman who is now lunging at you on the floor. You roll to the side and let her fall face first into the concrete pavement.

   Fuck.

   Three more are behind her, exiting the boutique. Tears spring to your eyes out of frustration. Not fear. You refuse to be scared. Scared people act stupid in these situations and get themselves killed. No, you will not be dying here today.

   You take a quick look at the three zombies. There’s a queen of hearts sticking out from the breast pocket of one of the old women and when you see it, a glint of metal catches your eye. One of them has a cane. Sorry Grandma but this firecracker refuses to be taken down by an old bridge group.

   Spinning on your toes, you dart out of their direct line of contact before kicking the old lady square on the left knee. She buckles and as she goes down you grab the silver cane. Is this considered elderly abuse? You can’t think for long because the other two are coming towards you and the one you took out is already wobbling to her feet.

   “Let’s do this, you ugly bastards.”

   Holding the cane out in front of you with both hands on the end, you jab at them Three Stooges-style: one in the eyes, one in the gut, one across the ear. In quick succession you jab at them over and over again until your arm aches. Then you dash past them, holding them back by the length of the wood.

   “Haha!" Cheerful glee drips from your words as you continue down the street. Looking over your shoulder for the last time, you poke your tongue out and turn down the next street. You ram into another zombie. This one grabs your arm to take a bite. You kick him in the shin and start to beat him over the head with the cane when he folds over in pain. “Just die, you bastard!”

   “What the fuck!"

   It’s Tao.

   “Oh my god! I thought you were one of them!”

   “What the fuck!?”

   “Oh Tao! Tao!” You squeal, pulling him up to his feet and hugging him. “Thank God you’re here!”

   “That hurts like a bitch,” he says, holding you with one arm as he shakes his leg and rubs the top of his head. He’s so strong. You know it doesn’t even hurt him at all. He’s come and saved you. You’re safe!

   “Oh, Tao.” Holding him tighter, you let your legs give way underneath you, finally allowing the stress of the day to wash over you. “You came for me. You came to save me. I knew you would. I knew you couldn’t live without me, Tao!”

   “Well, I mean, I knew you would get yourself killed out here,” he says, dragging you by one arm into the alleyway right as the limping, caneless grandma from the previous street turns the corner and walks past aimless and hungry, followed closely by her slack-mouthed friends. Tao’s quick thinking saved you again. He’s so brave. He’s so smart. He’s such a man.

   “I-” He holds a finger to your lips, stopping you from drawing attention to your hiding spot, and you can’t help but admire his reflexes. Instead of pushing him away like you usually would, you step closer. His base scent of pink pepper, limes and amber wood is provocative and you want the taste of him on your lips.

   Grinning up at him, you grab his finger still hovering in front of lips and suck on it, taking it in all the way to the knuckle and making a soft plop sound as you pull back to his fingertip. You kiss each digit, your eyes glued to his. The quirk of his brow is the only response as you kiss up his hand, his arm and his shoulder. A glint of something you haven’t seen in months flickers across his face before he pulls you into his embrace, one arm wrapping around your waist, the other circling your neck.

   It’s fire. The look in his eyes. The look he lost. It’s desire in its rawest form. He wants you and you can’t blame him - you’re quite the catch - but after today you can admit that he is too. A hero. The type of man you can depend on no matter the situation.

   Biting your lip, you lean into his chest. An animalistic urge to take him where you stand in this dirty back alley, wild and free of worry, builds up inside, right next to the searing heat within your gut. Heat that threatens to spread like wildfire and burn you both down for being so foolish to play with matches in the forest. The type of fire that leaves nothing. Spontaneous and unyielding.

   Your thoughts start to muddle as his lips press against yours with the same desperate need that mirrors your own. Your hands grasp with reckless lust, clawing at this shirt, needing skin to skin contact. His chest is tight under your fingertips that mark and claim his body. He belongs to you and to you alone and you wonder why things were even going south lately. He’s fucking sexy. The burning desire and aching love you feel for Tao now might well be the same as the first time you realized he was your one love, your other half.

   He places creamy kisses across your neck before biting your bottom lip. He sucks on your tongue as he squeezes your ass. The taste of him is salty and bitter like that of a margarita on a warm summer's night. A small moan exits your lips and his eyes shift to the entryway of the alley before he pulls you closer, your hips flush against his as he lifts you like a doll, defenseless in his arms. Defenseless but safe. His toned arms engulf you as he continues to fuck your mouth with his magic tongue and you can’t help but think of all the things you want him to do with it.

   As if the heavens themselves are opening up for you, a light drizzle of rain starts to fall upon you, deepening the romance. The dark cramped alley, Tao covered in blood, and now it's raining; it’s as if you are in a movie. A romantic comedy, Tao and you the stars. The signs out on display, it was fate that you and your soulmate had saved each other from a fate worse than death.

   Grinding against him, you nip at his tongue with a muted chuckle, your swollen lips crushing against his. Then his sweet, salty taste starts to change into something less appealing. Something… sour, acidic yet metallic.

   “What the hell?” Separating, you both look up, the romantic rain actually rusty, red water coming from the pipe off the gutter above you. It stains your clothes, Tao’s white shirt turning an atrocious shade of pink.

   “It suits you,” you say, laughing before slapping a hand over your mouth and looking down the alley. No movement. Yet.

   “Yeah, yeah. It’s hilarious,” he whispers with a tilt of irritation on his lips. He grabs your hand, entwining his fingers with yours as he leads you back to the street's entrance. “Let’s go home.”

   “Okay.” Although you are closer to your mother's place you don’t argue, knowing he must have one thing in mind for when you return, your hearts and bodies now aligned. He needs you as much as you need him and you’ve proven that today. After all he was your saviour, your knight in shining armour, cutting through the hordes of beasts in the way of his one true love. He’s amazing.

   “Jesus Christ,” he says under his breath as he looks down the street. His face is scrunched up in pain as he says, “That guy's dick has been chewed straight off.”

   “He really is a dickless fuck.” When Tao quirks his brow, you shake your head. “It’s what he deserved. Believe me.”

   Making your way back down the streets that separate you from your home, Tao is ready to jump in front of you whenever danger strikes. Although there are less zombies on the way home, there is a close call with a Chihuahua. Once the crisis is averted, Tao limps down the street in remembrance of his brave act. It takes less time to return. Most of the zombies wandering the streets are in pairs or alone, easy to evade.

   As you turn onto your own street, your home in view, you lean into Tao and let him guide you up your driveway with your fingers still entwined with his. Nothing can ruin this moment. Not the broken window or the dead zombie slumped under said window, not even the crushed flowers under Tao’s ridiculously overpriced pussy magnet muscle car. And although yes, a small part of you was hoping that he would carry you inside bridal-style, you don’t let that get to you either, because nothing is perfect and that’s okay. It’s okay because it's almost perfect.

   You don’t let the fact that Tao didn’t remove Sheraton Barbie from the living room get to you. It’s not like you’re strong enough to get her out of here, anyway. A delicate flower like you should be taken care of and you know you will be. You know that Tao will get rid of her soon. He was just in too much of a rush to come and find you. If the house looked like he had cleaned up, it would be suspicious. Kind of like the fact that his watches are all put back inside the case inside the glass cabinet. His watches are all safe and packed away. How lovely.

   No, you refuse to be brought down in this moment, a moment of pure bliss by anything. Not even by Tao turning on the TV and flipping through the channels.

   “What are you doing?”

   “I want to see if there’s any news about what’s been happening,” he says with a frown as he stares at the television, each channel providing the same blank static as the next.

   “I thought we were gonna, you know,” you mutter, touching the ends of your pointer fingers together. “I mean, that whole rescue thing got me pretty hot.”

   “Yeah, it’s hot out there.” He continues to switch through channels as he walks over to the bookcase behind the couch, grabbing the ancient satellite radio.

   “Are you kidding me right now?”

   “What?”

   “We had a moment, Tao! What about our moment? It was romantic!”

   “Are you crazy?” He is looking at you now, finally paying attention to you. “Are you talking about that psycho move you pulled in the middle of a fucking zombie apocalypse that ended in us being drowned in rusty pipe water? That romantic moment?”

   “Yes, Tao! It was a sign that we are meant to be together. Didn’t you feel it?”

   “A sign?” he laughs, shaking his head while fiddling with the radio. “I felt an intense desire to fuck my kinky wife who was obviously going off the rails after dealing with this whole traumatic event and you obviously needed comfort and who was I to deny you that? But a sign? It’s literal Armageddon out there and I’m just trying to figure out what’s going on.”

   “It needs batteries and we have none that size in the house.”

   “What?”

   “The bloody radio, arsehole,” you yell, turning your back to hide your tears. How had he not felt it? It was as if he hadn’t been there with you at all. It was like magic and he was denying everything you felt. “I thought you cared about this marriage. I thought you cared about us.”

   “Hey.” He wraps his arms around you, squeezing you tight enough that you can’t breathe for a moment as he lifts you in the air and swings you around. “I do care about this marriage.”

   “Could have fooled me.”

   “You know, when you left I thought, 'Good riddance, and don’t come back.'” He ignores your huff as he continues, “I did. I thought about how peaceful it would be without you. But then the longer you were gone, the more deafening the silence became. There was a knot forming in my chest and all I could think about was what I was meant to do without you if you didn’t return.”

   “Really?”

   “Of course, you idiot.” He pushes his pointer finger against your cheekbone before lightly touching his forehead to yours, your breath connected in unison. “I didn’t realize it was that bad out there or I wouldn’t have let you leave at all.”

   “As if you could have stopped me,” you say, biting the inside of your lip.

   “You think I couldn’t have?”

   His eyes sparkle with a mischievous gleam, a smirk spreading across his face as he spins you towards the recliner and pins you underneath him. Leaning close he whispers your name as he brushes his lips against yours. Squeezing your ass, your hips lift up to his as he deepens the kiss, his tongue dancing with yours, singing a song only they know the words to. Your hand digs into his hair and you suck on his tasty lips before he pulls back with a start. He leaps up to his feet and walks towards the door.

   “What? Where are you going?”

   “I’m going to the store - do you want anything?”

   “Are you serious right now? I swear to God,” you say the words behind clenched teeth, your hands balled up into little fists. How can this man be so oblivious? “Also I don’t know if you noticed this but there just so happen to be zombies out there!”

   “Yeah? So? I want a Cornetto. I think I work hard enough for this household to give myself a treat.”

   “Oh and I don’t, I guess. It’s always I work so hard. I do this. Well I work hard, too! I cook, I clean. I do a lot around here and I am sick of your condescending attitude!”

   “Listen. I’m going to get some batteries and a Cornetto and at this point I might not get you anything!”

   “Get me some chocolate milk. The expensive one. The cheap ones upset my tummy,” you say with a pout.

   “Anything for my princess.” He kisses you on the temple with a sly chuckle before saying, “And when I get back we can fuck since I know you want to so bad.”

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this content! If you did, please consider liking, commenting, reblogging and/or following, and check out my masterlist for similar content. Have a great day!

[ghosthan]

hello!! i saw that you made a lot of stuff for 1872 and i was wondering if 1872 tony is similar to regular comics tony?? i know mcu and comics tony are different and i want to get into 616, but if 1872 comics are more easy to read i might try those first! 😅

Hello, hello! 

Thank you for asking, and sorry it took me so long to get back to you! I wanted to think about it and put together a thoughtful response because I am desperately trying to convert MCU fans to 1872. Or comics fans who just haven’t gotten into 1872.

This post will contain some 1872 spoilers, but not the Big Spoiler that you probably already know about anyways. 

Anyways, let’s get into it. Yeehaw.

What is 1872? It’s Steve/Tony in the wild west.

1872 comics are very easy to read, very short, and you need absolutely no prior knowledge to get into them; I highly recommend these as a start point for MCU fans who are curious about dipping their toes into some of the other Steve/Tony universes. And 1872 is, indeed, a Steve/Tony universe. It’s really gay, (and dramatic.) Uh. So gay, in fact, that one of the comic artists who drew pages even occasionally shares Steve/Tony shipping memes. So.

Marvel 1872 is a four issue series released as a part of the Secret Wars event; you really do not need to know anything about this to enjoy 1872, because it is a self-contained alternate universe in a “pocket dimension”, meaning it’s totally separate from the 616 cannon but technically exists in the expanse of the multiverse!

Here’s the summary:

In the Battleworld zone of 1872, Sheriff Steve Rogers faces corruption and fear in the boom town of Timely. Can Anthony Stark pull Rogers' fat from the fire? Probably not, since the only thing he seems capable of pulling is a cork from a bottle. Things in Timely are bad, and getting worse — and when a stranger arrives in town, Timely will be changed forever.

Now, to compare “regular comics Tony”, or 616 Tony, with 1872 Tony.

The main difference? 616 Tony wears this sexy little under suit (or nothing) under his armor, like this:

And 1872 Tony wears dirty, stinky one-piece pajamas under his armor (not sexy):

He’s so gross, he’s a mess. I love him. You’ll love him, too. 

No, okay. Being serious.

 616!Tony’s backstory is a lot more complicated just due to how long the character has existed, and the decades of cannon (much of it self-contradictory at points.) Like MCU Tony, 616 Tony used to manufacture weapons, experiences something life-changing, and becomes who he is as a result of this as a catalyst. 616 Tony’s backstory has been rebooted a few times, and I’m definitely not the definitive source on Iron Man lore compared to people who have read all of his comics, but I’ll try to touch on the basics.

Originally, 616 Tony Stark is shaped by his experience in the Vietnam War. This is later rebooted and changed to war in the middle East (we see this in the MCU when Tony is held captive in Afghanistan.) In both circumstances, he is taken captive after being in the air for war technology, and then he creates the suit to save his own life (losing a beloved mentor in the process, the guilt of which stays with him after.)

Tales of Suspense #39

In 1872, Tony’s formative event is the Civil War in some ways, but in other ways, this is only half of it, because this is not the event which causes him to build armor or set him onto his “become a better person” trajectory, like in the other comics. Mainly, the Civil War functions to cause Tony to stop weapons manufacturing and throw his life away down a bottle.

We get a flashback of Tony in the year 1862 with his female companion, picnicking and about to watch a battle, (rich people from the North did this in real life. If you’re interested, read more here!) We don’t get much of his past, but we discover that he is a rifle manufacturer and that he has created something called the ‘Stark Repeating Rifle’, and it seems that he has done so with the hope of encouraging a cease-fire, more than a slaughter.

Well. We don’t always get what we ask for.

Tony vows to actually never touch a weapon ever again, and this personal oath means so much to him that he gets creative at times during 1872 when he’s being chased by baddies:

Witnessing the extreme bloodshed of the Civil War, and feeling responsible for a huge amount of deaths, Tony turns to drinking, (and presumably moves to the west to escape the Pain of his Past, but this is not shown explicitly on panel; I have assumed, though, that Tony’s weapons manufacturing company was in the East, probably Boston or New York, since he comes from family money and because the American West was still “young” at this point in time so it would be unlikely that an established business would be supplying a war from lawless territory with little infrastructure.)

In 616, it’s worth noting that Tony builds the armor to save himself from danger in a war scenario; this is not the case in 1872, things unfold a bit differently. The Civil War certainly sets in motion the chain of events that eventually lead to the creation of Tony’s armor, but he’s not in physical danger or physically traumatized by the war in this verse as he is in other verses, and 616 Tony seems to have a stronger sense of duty than 1872 Tony, but this might be a complication of the depression/apathy related to the alcoholism.

What I mean by this is that both iterations of Tony struggle with alcoholism, but differently. Mainly, while 616 Tony has several alcohol themed arcs, and hits rock bottom with his alcoholism to cope with his trauma, he is sober more than he is drunk in the comics. His drinking almost kills him, and he almost loses everything because of the drink. It’s a source of enormous shame for him.

In fact, during this time in 616, I think Tony at his lowest reminds me a lot of 1872 Tony; 616 Tony is not an apathetic person and he holds himself accountable for an obscene amount of responsibility, but during what is referred to in fandom as The Second Drinking Arc, Tony basically gives up. This is the most “like” 1872 Tony, at least at the start of his arc. Rhodey takes over the mantle of Iron Man, and 616 Tony spirals, not caring whether he lives or dies, not hero-ing certainly.

We see both versions of Tony express similar sentiments, a certain cavalier attitude about their lives (and outright suicidality at other points) with nothing left but the drink.

Iron Man Vol. 1 #182

Compare with:

And you can certainly see a resemblance between this set of panels from IM v.1 #176 and in 1872:

Iron Man Vol. 1 #176 and Marvel 1872 #1

It’s a little different in 1872, where his drinking really is purely a result of his existing despair, and it doesn’t cause enormous problems for him, (minor problems, sure. He spends a lot of time drunkenly singing to Sheriff Rogers, or bothering him from the inside of a jail cell.) But this Tony lives at rock bottom, whereas 616 Tony only stays at rock bottom long enough to get his life back together (as many times as it takes.)

This Tony really doesn’t show any outward shame about his drinking; presumably, the people he knows in Timely have only ever known Tony as a drunk, and none of the people from his old life are here to see him like this. 

This is a Tony who has essentially given up on himself and has moved out West to hide from his shame and his past; this is not a Tony who is scared of letting down his friends by drinking, or scared of shirking his “duty”, because this Tony has moved away from all of his friends and has given himself no duties. He’s a bit more apathetic, but I would argue that this is not because he inherently is a less moral version of Tony, but because in this verse, he was drinking for a very long time and circumstances unfolded differently so it took him a longer time to find that sense of purpose and responsibility (beyond just shutting down manufacturing guns,) which is awakened in him by Steve Rogers. 

616 Tony’s sobriety is a major part of his character, and a conscious choice that he makes, even during some lowest points:

Civil War: The Confession

He takes some amount of pride in his sobriety, and when he does fall off the wagon at times (or magic makes everyone think he did,) it absolutely tears him up because 616 Tony cares very, very much about his sobriety and does not like who he is when he’s drinking. We do not know if 1872 Tony’s father had been a drunk or not, but we know 616 Tony’s father was, and that the drink lead to him treating Tony abusively.

Iron Man Vol. 1 #285 

Avengers Disassembled #1 (This was when ~magic~ made Tony drunk and it wrecked him breaking sobriety without ever having actually drank. Oof.)

616 Tony’s long struggle with alcoholism is a major part of his character and he has had relapses over the years and throughout the reboots, but in general, he does not drink.

1872 Tony starts drinking in 1862 and doesn’t stop until the last pages of the story, so in terms of the cannon we have for him, he is a current drunk, rather than a former drunk. This isn’t to say he doesn’t stop; but since it’s in the last page or so, it sets the reader up to imagine his sober future, rather than exploring his sobriety as 616 does. (Calling all fanfic writers!)

Anyways, both Tony’s are excellent. Both are damaged and traumatized, both are Iron Man in their own ways, both (eventually) find sobriety, both have some cute, quippy dialogue (though 616 Tony tends to be more reserved/polite for sure, in general). 

The last thing I’ll point out, is that both Tonys’ narratives are intertwined with and influenced by their respective Steve Rogers. I’m not saying soulmates but I’m saying soulmates.

Anyways. Sorry this post got super long, and I apologize if any of it is confusing or redundant, I am not functioning at my highest capacity currently. Please read 1872. Let it rock your world. Create & consume the fanworks, I would love to see a boom of 1872 content (more than the fics and art I keep making!) And my ask-box is always open!

[chickwiththepurpleguitar]

fanfic ask game: F, U, W, X (besides bobby lol) and Y!

Thanks friend! From this:

F: Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

(This was stupidly hard to choose, because dialogue comes so easily to me that I just, like, don’t think about it. We’re gonna go with this). From build a new silhouette in the skylines up ahead:

Behind them, the front door creaks open, and Rose turns her head to give Ray a tired but grateful smile as he joins them in his ratty pajamas and socked feet, carrying two steaming mugs of coffee. He hands one to Rose and keeps the other for himself, then settles down on the curb on Bobby’s other side, pressing in close as he sips his coffee. Bobby sits up and frowns at him, mock-offended. “Hey, where’s mine?”

Ray shakes his head, doesn’t even look at him. “Mm-mm. You don’t get coffee until you sleep through the night. House rules, cariño.”

Bobby makes a face and turns to Rose for help. She just laughs into her own mug, shrugging unapologetically, and Bobby pouts.

“How can there be house rules when you don’t even own a house?” he grumbles.

I just love their little parent-child bantering. it’s 2am, Ray is taking no bullshit, Bobby’s grumpy and tired but they love each other. Also G’s podfic of this fic gives me so much serotonin, and this bit is one of my favorite line reads of hers. 

U: Share three of your favorite fic writers and why you like them so much.

omg omg omg I will ALWAYS fangirl over my talented friends

@sunsetcurvecuddles G my beloved. Everything she writes gives me so much joy, which is wild considering it’s all sad. Her Bobby characterization is not the same as mine most of the time, but it’s often better, and also recently she’s been writing a Bobby Ray Rose fic based in my headcanon verse and it’s so much better than anything I could ask for or write myself. She just gets these characters like nobody else and her prose is beautiful and she’s just the coolest person ever so I will fawn over every word she ever writes forever. And omg her Hurt/Comfort skills are UNPARALLELED, she’ll write these gorgeous hard-hitting lines of people suffering and caring about each other that make my stomach hurt in the absolute best way I can’t recommend her fics enough.

@julies-butterflies As previously stated, I only read AUs when Lydia writes them. Because she has such a strong hold in these characters that they still feel like them no matter what’s going on in the universe. I think Lydia’s the only fic writer whose words have given me literal chills (deathfic represent) because she just has a MASTERY of the English language that I bow down to every single day. Every single one of her fics is a masterpiece, and also she just writes so much so quickly it’s the only thing keeping me going sometimes is those Ao3 Subscriber emails lmao.

@pink-flame Listen. Taryn’s famous for angst and wants to be famous for fluff. But her COMEDY is actually my favorite part. She does amazing things with every word, but one thing I really admire about her fics is the handle she has on the balance between humor and seriousness that we see in the show! It just makes her fics so easily memorable and quotable, which is great to see when they’re also angsty and long lmao. 

W: Do you like more general prompts, or more specific ones?

I’ve received both and had success with either one so far! The nice thing about specific is less thinking required, but the nice thing about general is I can take it in an unexpected direction, whic his always fun.

X: A character you enjoy making suffer.

BESIDES Bobby??? I mean, who are we kidding? Luke. Even if most of the non-canon suffering I’ve caused him is Bobby-related. Just please don’t think about Luke finding out all the trauma and pain and suffering Bobby went through in 25 years and blaming himself because if Luke hadn’t dumped him and died, Bobby would be okay.

Y: A character you want to protect.

Julie Molina. She’s been through enough, and now she’s got all these traumatized ghost himbos to deal with. She deserves the world. 

[redglassesgirl-maruma]

Hello Everyone! 

A day like today 20 years ago the first novel of our beloved series was published in November 2000. This is an incredible anniversary and that’s why we’ll celebrate the whole month with events! 

I hope you can join this special occasion and contribute a little bit by sharing your posts and art here in tumblr.  

This is not the first event run by this blog, if you want to see what we did in previous years you can visit my tags MA Event,  MA Event 2017 and MA Event 2018.

The dynamic of the events is to have some deliver themes and inspiration divided in different sections. This event will run weekly, except for the last week of the month when we’ll have daily content shared to inspire you even more. 

Please save the date around the last weekend of November for our Live Chat! I’ll post more information about the exact date and time along the next weekly posts.

Update: Live Chat Sunday 29 at 1am Buenos Aires timezone GTM-3 You can check online comparing with your time zone here. We’ll meet and chat, share opinions, and play some games or draw together!

20th Anniversary MA Event - First Week Activity Share your MAlove, share your MArt! From November 1 to November 8

This week we’ll draw fanarts, write fanfics or make any other kind of media to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the series. We have list of 365 prompts in case you need a little bit of extra inspiration, please check under the cut and try to mix anything you pick with a festive mood to make it really special ;D

Remember to tag your posts with #MAnniversary 2020 and #MA Event

Links to the weekly event’s posts:

First Week (in this post) Second Week  Third Week Fourth Week | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday

Prompts:

01. Introduction

02. Love

03. Light

04. Dark

05. Seeking Solace

06. Break Away

07. Heaven

08. Innocence

09. Drive

10. Breathe Again

11. Memory

12. Insanity

13. Misfortune

14. Smile

15. Silence

16. Questioning

17. Blood

18. Rainbow

19. Gray

20. Fortitude

21. Vacation

22. Mother Nature

23. Cat

24. No Time

25. Trouble Lurking

26. Tears

27. Foreign

28. Sorrow

29. Happiness

30. Under the Rain

31. Flowers

32. Night

33. Expectations

34. Stars

35. Hold my Hand

36. Precious Treasure

37. Eyes

38. Abandoned

39. Dreams

40. Rated

41. Teamwork

42. Standing Still

43. Dying

44. Two Roads

45. Illusion

46. Family

47. Creation

48. Childhood

49. Stripes

50. Breaking the Rules

51. Fanart

52. Deep in Thought

53. Keeping a Secret

54. Tower

55. Waiting

56. Danger Ahead

57. Sacrifice

58. Kick in the Head

59. No Way Out

60. Rejection

61. Fairy Tale

62. Magic

63. Do Not Disturb

64. Multitasking

65. Horror

66. Traps

67. Playing the Melody

68. Hero

69. Annoyance

70. 67%

71. Obsession

72. Mischief Managed

73. I Can’t

74. Are You Challenging Me?

75. Mirror

76. Broken Pieces

77. Test

78. Drink

79. Starvation

80. Words

81. Pen and Paper

82. Can You Hear Me?

83. Heal

84. Out Cold

85. Spiral

86. Seeing Red

87. Food

88. Pain

89. Through the Fire

90. Triangle

91. Drowning

92. All That I Have

93. Give Up

94. Last Hope

95. Advertisement

96. In the Storm

97. Safety First

98. Puzzle

99. Solitude

100. Relaxation

101. Hello World

102. Fear

103. Anger

104. Regret

105. Happiness

106. Love

107. Family

108. Friendship

109. Home

110. Childhood

111. Adulthood

112. Birth

113. Death

114. Me

115. You

116. Thoughts

117. Emotion

118. Sun

119. Rain

120. Thunder

121. Noon

122. Midnight

123. Twilight

124. Rooms

125. Window to the Soul

126. Games

127. Halo

128. Serenity

129. Firefly

130. Phone

131. Movie

132. Television

133. Plants

134. Freedom

135. Forgetfulness

136. Remembrance

137. Memorial

138. War

139. Fight

140. Loss

141. Winning

142. Losing

143. Nature

144. Hurricane

145. Storms are brewing

146. Lightning

147. Colors

148. Bravo

149. Punishment

150. Picture

151. Another Wolfs

153. The Life You Dream Of

154. Dreams

155. Tears

157. Smiling

158. Laughing

159. Crying

160. Looking in the Mirror

161. Steam

162. Candy

163. Cats

164. Dogs

165. Glasses

166. Orbit

167. Satellite

168. Stars

169. Jade

170. Emerald

171. Gems

172. Dreaming Out Loud

173. Insomnia

174. Rabbits

175. Snake

176. Borders

177. The Year

178. This Time

179. Last Time

180. Forever and a Day

181. Sometimes

182. Always

183. Power

184. Weakness

185. Green

186. Purple

187. Blue

188. Sight

189. Blindness

190. Hurtful

191. Stages of grief

192. Arguments

193. Country

194. Frog

195. Forest

196. River

197. Flying

198. Mountains

199. Snow

200. Goodbye

201. Heart of Glass

202. My Life

203. Me In a Nutshell

204. Forever Yours

205. True Colors

206. My best friend’s girl

207. Impossible Love

208. Forgiveness

209. Fibers of Our Lives

210. Challenging Dream

211. Living My Dream

212. Forgetting Myself

213. Saving Grace

214. Lonely

215. Unbalanced

216. See-saw

217. Math

218. Match Making

219. Beyond Good and Evil

220. Second Sight

221. Double Take

223. Upon Review

224. Losing You

225. Baseball

226. Shouting

227. Farmland

228. Heartland

229. Brick Wall

230. Glass Houses

231. Eyes

231. Ring

233. Circle

234. Square

235. Boxes

236. Moving

237. Well Being

238. Insanity

239. Repetition

240. Learning

241. Class

242. Flowers

243. Special

244. Snowflakes

245. The Man They Call Jayne

246. Malicious

247. Pretty on the Outside

248. The Outside

249. Thankful

250. Neglect

251. Remorse

252. Embracement

253. Reflecting on My Life

254. Space

255. Constellation

256. Collection

257. Magic

258. Thrill

259. Attack

260. 20 Seconds to Mars

261. Unable

262. Foolish

263. Science

264. Sign of Life

265. Motto

266. Me

267. Balloon

268. Self Esteem

269. Narcissism

270. Ideology

271. Pageantry

272. Keeping Up With the Jones’s

273. Crack in Your Armor

274. Spilling Your Guts

275. Lean on Me

276. Crippling Emotion

277. Biggest Fear

278. Prejudices

279. Fresh

280. Corn

281. Sugar

282. Ice Cream

283. Accents

284. Speech

285. Writing

286. Doom

287. Shape

288. The Real You

289. My Name Is ____

290. Who are You on the Inside

291. Hidden Hatred

292. Hanging

293. Jacket

294. Jail

295. Stepping Up to the Plate

296. Star Player

297. My Hero

298. Castle

299. Losing Yourself

300. Finding Hope

301. Pirates

302. Fallen Angel

303. Drowning Lessons

304. Ghosts in the snow

305. Rawr.

306. Pidgeons… Birdy

307. Broken Hearts Parade

308. Paranoid

309. Vampires

310. Betrayal

311. Emmi&Rumura

312. The three friends

313. Horror

314. Mirror

315. Candlelight

316. Spider moneky

317. Devil

318. Flowers

319. Teddy Bear

320. Mist

321. Kingdom Hearts

322. Ferret

323. Vanilla

324. Thunder

325. Pinto Pony

326. M&Ms

327. Killer

328. Grass

329. Peace

330. Chibi

331. Mr. Klaw, polite Lion

332. Eternal

333. Star girl

334. Hats

335. Calvin & Hobbes

336. Misery (A cup full of something… unknown )

337. Hot chocolate

338. My Chemical Romance

339. Light in the darkness

340. Laughter

341. Nightmares

342. Necklace

343. Fire

344. Clorotaint and Treegirl

345. Swirls

346. Pokemon

347. Friends

348. Double Trouble

349. Do not cross

350. Unknowing

351. Chocolate

352. Time

353. A phone

354. Little kids on a playground

355. Darkness

356. A purple lady

357. Writer’s block

358. The dark corner in my room that I go to cry at (and a unicorn)

359. Sunglasses

360. The sun relaxing by an air conditioner

361. A girl fleeing from her nightmares

362. A girl staring at a blank canvas

363. A visual representation of poetry

364. Trolls

365. A hat

[gloster]

FAVORITE FANFICS OF 2019

HAPPY NEW YEAR’S EVE & HAPPY 2020 TO YOU ALL.

So this was a fun post I did last year, inspired by the dozens of Favorite Books of 2018 by the booktubers I followed and I thought to myself: why not do a little something something for the fanfics that stood out to me, stuck me with throughout the year. 

Last year I read insanely amazing reads, and if you’re interested to see what were my favorite fanfics of 2018, here’s the link: past favs

For this year, I read sooooooo many incredible fanfics that it was hard to narrow it down to just 10. And the funny thing is, a good portion were from the same author, so it was insanely hard picking the top one. 

I implore all of you reading and following me to try the tag-and please tag me. Always on the hunt for fanfic recs. I also am curious to hear the favorites from the following people: @kila09, @sebbies, @bookstakeyoutootherworlds, @scarlet47, @fleetofshippyships, @eyelashesandentropy, @tired-luxis, @dreamydrarry, @mothermalfoy, @profoundfelicity & @goldentruth813

Without any further ado, here are my top 10 favorite fanfics for 2019:

1). Soup-pocalypse and The Great Curry Cataclysm by SqaudOfCats/ @norelationtoatticus (drarry)

Summary: Eleven years after the war, Draco Malfoy leads a quiet, boring, and perfectly respectable life, thanks very much. Or, at least he does, until a sudden and very unexpected veela awakening causes him to throw soup all over Harry Potter in the middle of the Ministry cafeteria.

If the summary alone doesn’t get you to immediately click on the link and read, I don’t know what to say. But I can say this. SqaudofCats has become my new drarry favorite author period. I read all of her drarry stories, loved them all, and am hoping she does more. 

This story, in one word, was a GEM. A FUCKING GEM. It was so so so good.There were so many good elements: Veela Draco, Dad Harry raising Teddy, Draco learning how to cook, a strang but HILARIOUS courtship involving food that I didn’t realize how much I needed until this story. It was also a perfect blend of fluff with so many cute moments and angst, which thankfully didn’t involve the couple but had to do with Harry’s mental health and PTSD post-war. 

I read this story back in May and I still think about it. Have to stop myself from reading because I have so many fanfic tabs. But it is so good. It’s so addicting. Highly recommend. 

Honorable mentions from this writer:

*Gift for Draco

*Nearly Lost Things, Carefully Tended

2). Cinderfella by @goldentruth813 (sheith)

Summary: Takashi Shirogane is exactly the kind of man Keith likes; built like a brick house with a smile sweet enough to rot teeth and a heart of gold. Of course he’s also YouTube famous and worlds out of Keith’s league. The closest he can get to his pseudo-celebrity crush is when he watches Shiro’s videos from the safety of his bed. Or so he thinks.

This incredible bean of a human being, this incredible writer is the reason I was pulled into the sheith ship long before I finally got into the show-and then had me drag @kila09 into the incredible maddness that is Shiro and Keith and the crew....and the disappointing season 8 that I am still pissed about. But yes @goldentruth813 is the reason why I got pulled into this ship, and this fanfic is the story that sealed my love for sheith and made them my 3rd favorite ship of all time. 

This story is a fun, hilarious modern twist of Cinderella that obviously involves two guys, one is who a popular Youtuber and the other who is a hardcore super fan who meet in the most surprising circumstances and come back together in the most hilarious of ways. With our classic glass slipper being a beloved leather jacket. 

It’s so stinking cute. It’s so hilarious. And it’s so weird since, while I do appreciate the fairytale, Cinderella isn’t one of my favorites but I’m a sucker for a good retelling of it. And this was so good.

Honorable mention by this writer: 

*Safe Haven 

3). Burn the Witch by @lettersbyelise (drarry)

Summary:  When Harry Potter is sent in to investigate Draco Malfoy’s successful potions company, posing as Draco’s bodyguard, he doesn’t know the case will launch a series of events that will change his life — and Draco’s. A story about choices, scars, Chopin piano pieces, and finding all kinds of love in the most unexpected places.

Let’s be honest here. At this point, are we really surprise to see this story here , featured in a favorites/rec list? Are we honestly surprise? At this point, I feel every drarry-shipping reader has read it. Devoured it. And praised it. 

This story pretty much took over the drarry community the way Red, White & Royal Blue took over the book world. There wasn’t a day when I didn’t see Burn the Witch featured in a drarry fanfic recs post, saw posts praising it. Fanart of it, edits for it, and several mood-boards. It was THAT STORY. And I am proud to say it was worth THE HYPE. 

Because it’s so well-known, I’m not going into too much detail but I can say it involves Daddy Draco and Scorpius who is precious, Harry in an undercover mission, and has one of the BEST post-war, slow-burn to the point of excruciating drarry relationship I’ve read all year. READ IT. 

Honorable mention by this writer:

*Draco Malfoy’s Stupendous Seduction Seminar

*Love Me (Four Times)

4). Evitative by Vichan (drarry)

Summary: In the summer before his fifth year at Hogwarts, Harry is drawn to a room in Grimmauld Place. Like the Gryffindor he is, he enters the room without fear. The room is a library, and Harry is surprised to find that he’s eager to learn.Then he gets the bad news: he’s been accidentally expelled from Hogwarts, and he needs to be sorted again. Everyone is confident that he’ll go straight back to Gryffindor, but with what he's been learning, Harry’s not so sure.

Out of all the stories I have in my list, this is the only one that is currently a WIP. I know some are hesitant with WIPs but this one is so worth it. Another hidden jewel found by chance. This story has to be one of the best slytherin-Harry ever and that shows the Slytherin House and the Slytherins in a positive light while still remaining true to their cunning ways. 

5). Up We Go by Oh_Hey_Tae (BTS: Taehyung x Jimin x Yoongi)

Summary: “If you’re a witch that works with plants, then why are all of yours dead? That can’t be good for business.”

The room dims again, and Jimin lifts a hand to flip off the ceiling. Taehyung knows he’s sad and that’s why the shop darkens and he shouldn’t find it funny—but he can’t help it. Because this is ridiculous. The good kind of ridiculous. The amazing kind.

(Or: Taehyung has a green thumb, Jimin runs a magical store, and Yoongi can kind of see dead people.)

Oh my goodness, where on earth do I even begin with this one? I am loss for words. It’s been months since I read it and I am still lost for words on how incredible it is. This story reads like a fairytale. Who am I kidding? This is a fairytale. A beautiful fairytale that is of loss, grief, friendship, family, love, and magic. And a beautiful fairytale that features a poly relationship

I was broken at the last word of the last chapter. Broken. Broken and put back together again.This story was so heartbreaking and heartwarming and I couldn’t think of anything else the whole damn week after I finished it. It was that good. 

Honorable mention by this writer:

* Tell Me Again

6). Silence by the Night by @parkkate (drarry)

Summary: After a spell goes horribly wrong, Harry has to deal with the loss of his eyesight. It’s such terrible timing, too, because how is he supposed to find out what Malfoy has been up to in the Room of Requirement? It’s not like he can ask the git, not only because it’s Malfoy, but also because the Slytherin has suddenly lost his voice. While they’re both trapped in the hospital wing, however, Harry discovers there’s so much he didn’t know about Malfoy, and it’s highly intriguing, but also a bit alarming. Where did all these confusing feelings come from all of a sudden? And what is Harry going to do about them?

See no evil. Hear no evil. Speak no evil. That is the best way to sum up this story. The themes of it certainly tie with the story. This story....there is a certain chapter and @parkkate knows what I mean if she remembers my reviews that shattered me. That made me sit down with a gasp because the angst just cut through me in a way that no other drarry fanfic had do to me. @parkkate I hope you know what I mean. 

Funny thing is about this fanfic is that it took my lazy butt forever to read it, like months after it was done. And mind you, I’ve seen so much praise and incredible fanart for this fanfic as well. So yeah, I was cursing myself for not getting to it sooner. And it was so so so so damn good that I literally said to @parkkate THIS IS CANON. This is canon. This happened 6th year after the bathroom scene and no one can tell otherwise. 

7). You only Live Once by @dreaming-fireflies (viktuuri/victuuri)

Summary: It's when the man is soaring in mid-air under the full moon that Victor gets a good look at him: he's Japanese, with black hair slicked back in a styled look, and a lithe body covered in tight, tight, leather under a navy blue coat.

And when the man lands on the ground again, Victor sees the final piece that captures his heart absolutely and thoroughly – a pair of brilliant, golden eyes.

Victuuri supernatural AU in which Victor is a Western demon hunter and Yuuri is a Japanese half-youkai exterminator.A cross-cultural romantic comedy/drama, with Japanese mythology, shounen action, and slice of life elements.

Literally the summary itself said everything you needed to know, everything that should AND MUST intrigue you enough into reading, that I don’t know if I really have anything to add. But I’ll try to add some of my own input. 

Like the summary said, this is a Supernatural-au YOI story, infused with Japanese mythology. Two different shows that shouldn’t work together but somehow did, creating such a fantastic read. I loved it. From beginning to end. I even knew first chapter it was going to be an ultimate favorite of mine. This fanfic just reminded me of my great love for Vikor and Yuuri-and my need for a fucking season two. As well as reminded of the glorious prime days of Supernatural, which in my opinion were seasons 4 & 5. There was action, there was angst, there was mutual and insane pining from both sides, and so many incredible moments to put into words. Seriously, what more could you want?

@dreaming-fireflies, you seriously did the damn thing with this story. 

Honorable mentions by this writer: 

*Entwining Fates 

*Zanka

8). your sharp and glorious thorn by @arahir (sheith) 

Summary: To end the war they inherited, Keith marries the King he lead an army against.

“You know, we met once,” the king continues, voice closer, and Keith almost turns. They met many times on the field—but then the king clarifies with a single word. “Before.”

Before he was a king. Maybe before he was a general. Keith has traced his rise like the growth of a seed he planted in clay and never expected to see again for how poorly he sowed it. None of this would have been possible without Keith—not the war, not a line soldier's battlefield promotion, not the end of it all, tied up so neatly by all Keith’s best mistakes. Not the killing, either. The king is right about that much, at least.

This is an arranged-marriage AU story, a trope I don’t love too much unless it’s really well done, and had very strong Game of Thrones vibes. And please note when I said Game of Thrones, I mean Game of Thrones back in its incredible prime, not the shitty season 8 we all agree was a nightmare never to be thought of again. But yes, this story was so good. Arranged marriage, enemies-to-lovers, slowburn. Please read. 

9). Your Constellation Prize by rosegardenlake aka @whoalookingcooljoker (sheith)

Summary: Akira is Hollywood's biggest celebrity. He sings, he acts, he models, he does it all and he does it perfectly. That's what Shiro thinks at least, but what would he know? He's just a tired office worker whose dreams fell through years ago. ...But when he sees Akira, oh god, when he sees him - Shiro's world fills with light again.

When Shiro lands an interview to be an assistant at Akira's company, he has a hard time believing it's reality. Though Akira's rarely around, meeting everyone is like a dream. Especially meeting Keith, Akira's shy sweet dorky cousin (OR IS HE?!)

I didn’t realize how much I would liked-love in fact-or needed a celebrity-AU until I read this story.  And that’s about all I will say since I feel anything else will probably make things spoilery. But I will this say: these two can be such idiots, but they’re our lovable idiots and they’re so sweet, so soft. Also that this story definitely well-portrayed the dark side of fame.

10). That Old Black Magic by @bixgirl1 (drarry)

Summary: Centuries ago, marriage contracts were the norm — ready-made alliances between families, expected and complied with, without complaint. But norms have a way of changing, and when a long-dormant contract flares to life, Harry has to navigate an unexpected splintering of the path he'd thought would be easy after the war... with Draco Malfoy.

Least but certainly not least: an incredible, incredible drarry story done by the impeccable @bixgirl1. 

I know I said that I’m not the biggest fan of the arranged marriage trope since I’ve been let down by so stories that started out promising but disappointed in the end. However, there are a few authors who I can always count on to make this trope into a great story. Such as @beatitudinembty, and also @bixgirl1. 

This being is pretty much....I wanna say Sarah J Maas, one of my fav authors, in the drarry community. Everyone knows her. Everyone loves her. Everything she writes always turns into gold, and this latest story by hers was no except. Arranged marriage brings Harry and Draco together in the most infuriating, excruciating, incredibly-done slowburn. 

Honorable mentions that I seriously wanted to add to the list but this post is already lengthy. All amazing, all greats reads by various writers y’all should check out:

*Moon-Eyed by @l0vegl0wsinthedark (Veela Draco, werewolf Harry, done by another star in the drarry community 

*Expectant by @l0vegl0wsinthedark (drarry mpreg with Veela-Draco & werewolf-Harry)

*Where There is Tea by @bafflinghaze (drarry + bookstore+ tea=goodness)

*The Rules of Matchbreaking @nerdherderette ( drarry: match-maker Draco, oblivious Harry, what more could you want?)

* Come For Me by Frayach (drarry; STEAMY STEAMY smut and disabled rep)

*I Want Your Touch (And I Want Your Love) by @awjiminie (yoonmin with bad boy Jimin, good boy yoongi. What more could you want?)

*Seasons of Love by mucha (BTS; Jimin x Tae x Yoongi; incredibly well-done poly relationship)

Lovely people, that concludes my favorites of 2019. So many fantastic fanfics that I could spend hours gushing over them. To the writers who created these incredible stories. I applaud you. I thank you for creating and sharing these wonderful stories. Anyone interested in doing the tag, please do. 

HAPPY NEW YEAR, GUYS.