#but also it's halo video game fanfiction so

[eightw]

i'll just have to learn (by blankie)

chapters: 1/1 fandom: Halo (Video Games) & Related Fandoms rating: General Audiences relationships: Cortana/John-117 | Master Chief, Cortana & John-117 | Master Chief characters: John-117 | Master Chief, Cortana (Halo) additional Tags: One Shot, Pre-Relationship, Codependency, Relationship Study, POV Master Chief, John-117 | Master Chief needs a hug, Spartans Have Feelings (Halo), Pre-Game: Halo CE, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Emotionally Repressed summary:

“I missed you,” he says, and immediately it’s too much. The words don’t fit between them, that isn’t the kind of thing they say. He wishes he could take it back. He can’t.

[bakuliwrites]

Video Game Fanfiction Table of Contents

Disclaimer: 18+, Minors DNI!!!!!!

Baldur's Gate 3

Just to Be Held (M): Astarion x Tav, His shoulders slump as he releases a heavy sigh. He’s been worn down by your patience, worn down by years of keeping everything to himself. Here you are, offering up companionship without any expectation. Here you are, sitting in front of him, telling him that you actually, for some gods’ forsaken reason, like spending time with him and you’re not expecting any sort of compensation from him. So why is he trying so desperately to push you away? Astarion and Tav share a quiet, peaceful moment together along their journey. Astarion learns that he is valued and loved. Tumblr, AO3

The Elder Scrolls

Devotion (18+): Cicero x Listener, He worships her, every piece of her. All of his Listener must be worshipped, as ordained. Cicero, sweet Cicero, eager to please. Eager to serve. His lips on hers, his hands roving, searching, exploring. Venerating. He dies inside her, and it is glorious. He would die a thousand times in her, as many times as she wanted. Immolating in her light over and over and over again. Cicero is unsure of this new Listener, but his feelings are muddled and confusing. What will happen when the Listener is forced to choose to take or spare his life? Tumblr, AO3.

Legend of Zelda

Ebb and Flow (18+): Prince Sidon x Reader, “I will not accept that all we’re meant to be are star-crossed lovers,” Sidon states passionately, his tone filled with a steady resolve, “I cannot accept it. Was it not here that I pledged myself to you? And you to me? Was it not here that we promised our hearts to one another? Aren’t we more than just crossing tides?” Sidon is given earth shattering news. His duty as a Zora Prince outweighs all else. But how can he accept that when his love for you is so deep? Tumblr, AO3.

Stardew Valley

Love Letters (18+): Elliott x Reader, My Muse! You inspire in me such vivid dreams that when I wake to find my bed empty, I despair! I ache for you, body and soul. How I long to return to you, scoop you up in my arms, and ravish you from evening until dawn (Beyond dawn! For dawn does not limit my undying love, my eternal passion for you). Though weary from this whirlwind tour, I am never too weary to show you the depths of my adoration for you. I will return to you early next week, and I am beside myself with excitement. Elliott returns home from his book tour and the Farmer has a sultry surprise for him. Tumblr, AO3.

Dark Souls

Lunar Halo (18+): Gwyndolin x OC, Gods do not require witnesses. So in the sanctity of the Holy Church of Anor Londo, Gwyndolin weds a mortal woman, a marriage that takes place with sightless statues and eyeless stained glass figures for guests. Veiled by cloth woven of moonlight, Gwyndolin guides his Beloved Star to the altar. Her robes are redolent of the night that enshrouds the earth, glimmering diamonds and sweeping swathes of indigo pooling around her feet as she glides up the aisle. Iridescent moonstone enamels her hand and with the promise of fealty, of love for eternity, the Dark Sun is wed. And a mortal has been anointed his wife. A tale of how the Dark Sun came to love a woman born of the Dark Soul. AO3

Fire Emblem

Restless (18+): Xander x F!Reader, As leader of the combined Hoshidan and Nohrian armies, you find yourself growing restless one night, plagued with troubling thoughts. You decide some fresh air and quiet reflection under the stars might do you some good; but, you run into Xander, also lost in thought, and decide to spend some time together. AO3

Slip Away (18+): Xander x Gender-Neutral Reader, Xander finds himself unable to unwind at his birthday party, until a certain someone whisks him away. Tumblr, AO3

To Walk a Path of Light (M): Jeritza von Hrym x GN!Byleth, Jeritza’s desire for Byleth was sparked long before the goddess had even conceived of either of their forms. Their fates have always been intertwined... Long after the war has ended, Jeritza seeks out a familiar face, while the Death Knight seeks a battle. Tumblr, AO3

Gentle (18+): Jeritza Von Hrym x OC, "She is soft. And in her softness, she dissolves whatever sharpness, whatever edge I have. In perfumed sheets and gilded sunlight, I am, for a moment, vulnerable. My gentility clambers out from where it's been buried deep for so many years. The Death Knight dies in her embrace, and from him blooms a new creature." Jeritza finds himself drawn to one of Garreg Mach's newest professors. Tumblr: Chapter 1, AO3

[holyshonks]

I've been keeping a secret for longer than seems helpful, and I'm starting to feel like a lurker in a trench coat and one of those novelty glasses-mustache disguises, so uhhhhhhhhh. Announcement:

I'm in the process of writing a three-part Halo fanfiction series! Part one is already complete and we are underway with part two.

I wasn't going to say anything, but now it feels weirder not to? I kept it close to my chest bc

1. Shy

2. I'm out of practice with creative writing generally

3. I'm new to this, so I wanted to feel it out first and;

4. I knew that for an undertaking like this, i needed to stay laser-focused, and to do that, I needed to cut out the noise. Just me and the text. Otherwise I would have felt a lot of pressure.

It was also kind of a challenge to myself, as if to prove that I was writing for myself and only myself, I had to tell no one. I had to go in with zero expectations. But the longer I go, the more I'm sad I can't share. Writing and feedback is such a communal thing that I effectively cut myself out of for over a year now, and the more time passed, the more I felt like I couldn't say anything. But then some of the lovely folks on here started interacting with some of my other writing on there and I feel weirder not saying anything.

So, what's it about? The series is called Don't Go Where I Can't Find You and is, at its core, an interspecies love story. You're shocked, I know. But, it is also:

A story about grief in a traumatized galaxy, and how that shapes us. It's a story where the ghosts are as much characters as the living. It's a story about the people who don't get to be heroes, the people who actually suffer the consequences of the machinations going on above them. It is about people who feel desperate and alone. It is melancholy.

On the other hand, it's about love! And healing. It's about taking risks and relearning how to be happy. It's about family and facing generational trauma. It's about grappling with new normals and writing your own story.

It is unashamedly a love story and can get saccharine and ooey-gooey at times. It also gets sexy. You have been warned.

I personally love every single Halo character and want to give them a little kissy. That being said, they tend to be exceptional or heroic or powerful and that's not what I wanted for this story. This story is about normal folks, so I created a lot of normal folks. If you're looking for your favs, they are not in here, and even when they appear, they will not be at the forefront of the story.

More than anything, this story is me playing in the Halo sandbox and loving it. I am getting to explore so much lore and really sink my teeth into the aspects of the universe that appeal to me the most. I can't verify it, but I think I've extrapolated well (and have yet to be proven wrong!!). This is my labor of love and the biggest creative undertaking I've taken on in 8 years.

Sorry for the paragraphs, it's just that I was going to brush it off as a "tee hee, surprise, nbd" sort of thing, but actually I've been busting my ass for over a year and I'm not going to pretend otherwise. I poured (and continue to pour) my heart into this, and would be glad if you took a look. Maybe there's something in there for you.

And the BEST news is I get to interact with everyone on AO3 without feeling like I'm creeping under the floorboards.

Find me! I'm FleshandFaith!

p.s. I'm also TERRIBLE and titles and blurbs. I give them .003 seconds of thought so don't think too hard about them bc I certainly didn't. More than anything, I am determined to fucking finish it. It will not be perfect. I will finish it.

[c4tto626]

🐱 find me on

📸 instagram — elsvveyr

🖥️ steam — C4TTO

📝 ao3 — C4TTO_626

🐲 flight rising — moons

📌 personal tags

✍️ c4.txt — writing posts

📝 c4.fic — fanfics

🖥️ c4.exe — gaming posts (10 screenshot series)

🖼️ c4.gif — gifs

📖 c4.lib — book quotes

👀 c4.ocs — oc posts

📸 c4.img — me :3

⬇️ about

names: C4 ('cee-four'), catto ('cat-o')

gender: nonbinary

pronouns: any, prefer it/its and they/them

sexuality: bisexual, aromantic

date of birth: june 26th, 1992

timezone: CET (CEST)

welcome to my twisted mind blog ✌️

hi i'm C4! i've been on tumblr since 2010, so this blog has become a weird and often embarrassing repository of my interests and things i enjoy(ed). i work a fulltime job and i'm here to have a good time, so i largely keep politics and drama out of this blog, i handle enough of that in my actual life already.

i'm an adult and my posts will reflect that. this is not a space for minors. i don't care if there are minors following me, curate your own online experience as you like, but there will be horny posting and some days plenty of it, you have been warned!

also sorry, beyond a handful of tags i don't maintain a proper tag system, tags are mostly a space for me to add commentary lol

interests:

video games: halo, elder scrolls, call of duty, destiny, swtor, warframe, too many others tbh (my gaming posts: #c4.exe)

hobbies: playing with my cats, collecting rocks pins and velcro patches, playing DND, hoarding dice, warhammer writing horny CoD fanfiction, playing video games, picking locks, listening to audio books, drawing (not enough)

music: asp, metallica, unleash the archers, 2ne1, van canto, miracle of sound, mick gordon

movies/shows: (i don't own a tv and i don't really watch many movies or shows, but) leverage, star trek, star wars

books: the murderbot diaries

📝 original characters

the elder scrolls:

haj'yena (morrowind)

shaahni'la (oblivion)

ra'hara (skyrim)

khanjari'daro (eso)

destiny 2

ifa'siir & echo

auphan-3 & vigil

sophia & hope

call of duty:

charles "shrike" waszkiewicz

eliza "thorn" waszkiewicz

original:

0851D-14N (sid)

immortal

[bloodgulchblog]

PLEASE tell us your thoughts about whatever the hell is going on with Chief's hallucinations(?) in Halo 3 and Arbiter's perspective on the matter. please. please.

Alright I have two things to talk about and I'm putting it under a readmore bc I got longwinded like I always do.

OKAY SO-

We actually know what the hell is going on with the Cortana moments.

Here's a mention of them in one of the Halo crate data drops because of course that's where they revisited this:

The earlier explanation for them (courtesy of "Human Weakness" by a certain Halo author you all know I have problems. No, not that one, the other one) was that they're messages that the Gravemind used its increasing infiltration of Cortana's systems to send to convince the Chief that she was too far gone in rampancy to recover. (Basically. Through a couple layers of interpretation probably, I was using the Internet to refresh my memory because I don't feel like reading that again.)

I'm not actually super invested either way in the interpretation of what the Cortana moments are in literal terms myself.

But my thoughts about the Arbiter's perspective (which is, to be entirely honest, very colored by my own fanfiction bullshit) are:

It's funny to read the Chief and the Arbiter's interactions as Chief just ignoring him, and that's definitely how it feels when running through. The obvious answer for why Chief doesn't respond is because it's how they usually handle the Chief in Halo, especially earlier Halo: he's the player's avatar and they have him say very little so it's easier for people to project onto him.

But, my personal read really is that the Chief says nothing in those spots. It's consistent with his characterization and the situation. So, that raises a question for me:

Why does the Arbiter tolerate the Master Chief not answering him?

And I was thinking about this because I've been thinking a lot about how do we know these characters actually became friends when we get so very little of the process?

The Arbiter was an important man for many years, and he is used to immediate response and compliance. He has to notice and feel something about this, but we never see him pursue the Chief for an answer when the Chief is silent. It doesn't piss him off, and all his later appearances indicate he thinks incredibly highly of the Chief.

He's not the only character who has interactions with John like this. Johnson also isn't bothered when the Chief doesn't talk back to him, and the Chief frequently doesn't respond verbally to Cortana either.

So.

A critical thing for other characters coming to understand John is being able to read his silences. This is personal character read stuff here, but I really think a lot of the Chief's quiet is a line of self defense because talking opens him up in ways he doesn't like and/or wastes time. He's bad at talking and doesn't have a "good" response to a lot of things, and has learned that he can often get away with not responding at all.

John is weird, but a person can get used to how he communicates without taking his weirdness personally.

When dealing with the Cortana moments, John is already distracted and not in a good place to even explain what he's responding to. When the Arbiter asks him what he sees, he doesn't say "don't worry about it" but he communicates "don't worry about it" by moving on without comment.

That Thel 1) understands and 2) accepts this answer is, if you want to overengineer a red string conspiracy diagram based on video game nonsense with me, readable as evidence that Thel has gotten to know the Chief a little over the course of the weeks they've had to work together. We see John and Thel look at one another and silently coordinate in I think at least a couple cutscenes.

Also... Thel knows that the Master Chief is not doing great. He's seen how the Chief responded to the message from Cortana. He's seen Johnson, who does absolutely know the Chief, talk to the Chief about the situation with her.

They're in deep shit, the Arbiter knows the Chief is not doing particularly great, and he understands how the Chief communicates (in his stupid weird Spartan way) about the situational information he asked for. It's not worth pressing him to reply like someone else would, it would be a waste of time and needlessly antagonistic in this shitty situation they're trying to survive.

[egcalledgari]

realizing i never made any sort of intro post on here soooo

hi! my name is Ezra! but i also go by eg ot eggie in most online spaces! I use any and all pronouns besides it/it's please do not refer to me with those! otherwise I don't care

I am but a child (16)

you can find me on most social media under one of these three usernames: Egcalledgari, egigari, or EzraEggie. though I'm most active here and on discord (feel free to add me on discord, egcalledgari)

my timezone is pacific standard but I am practically nocturnal and tend to be up till around 4am. I am NOT Australian, that has somehow become a common assumption in a few different discord servers probably because of my sleep schedule.

i mostly post the maze runner and just roll with it! as well as just my own thoughts and stuff

I love doing stuff with my local theaters! I mainly act but sometimes I dabble in tech. I also write (very rarely) mostly about my oc's but I've dabbled in fanfiction in the past when I was really into dsmp and hermitcraft but I dont do it much anymore. I also draw on the very rare occasion. I'm not good at it by any means but I still have fun with it! I did artfight this year and 100% intend to do it again next year. I also play many video games! at least seven different zelda game, phasmophobia, bg3, project zomboid, minecraft, halo, house flipper 1 and 2, slime rancher 1 and 2, power wash simulator, little nightmares 1 and 2, sims 4, animal crossing new leaf and new horizons, sons of the forest, and so so many more I can't remember rn. if people want to play games with me I will play games!!

I know some people are anxious abt reaching out and stuff I know I am but I very much love and encourage dms and asks. being added on discord and other socials, being invited to disc servers, requests to play video games, and any other things like that! I am a very contactable person! I do get very busy from time to time but I'll still do my absolutely best to respond to stuff!!

[r0sa4077]

Absolutely no one has asked for this but these are my top 10 favorite video games. I sort of ranked these based on the emotional impact they had on me, how many times I've replayed them, how many hours I have in the games, and how well I think they were made, etc.

10. Life is Strange: Before the Storm

I liked Chloe as a protagonist more than Max. I also really enjoyed Rachel and how you couldn't rewind this time, and you were stuck with your choices. And the emotional impact of the story has stuck with me after all these years.

9. Elden Ring

Elden Ring introduced me to souls-like games and showed me that they were not as hard as I originally thought. I love the gameplay, and the lore is ✨️chefs kiss✨️.

8. A Way Out

I can't describe how heartbroken I was at the end of this game. It takes you through so much laughter and heartache. And you get to experience it all with another person since it's made to be co-op. It's such a fun and emotionally impactful story.

7. Shadow of Mordor

I am a huge LoTR fun, but more than that, I am a huge lore and Silmarillion fan. Even the minor inclusion of Middle Earth lore in this game had me geeking out. I also really enjoy the story and gameplay.

6. Dragon Age 2

The main character, Hawke, has my entire heart. And so do all the other characters. The gameplay might not be as good as others on this list, but to me, the story and the side characters have left such an impact on my brain.

5. Halo: Reach

The Halo series as a whole has a special place in my heart anyway, but something about Reach has stuck with me after all these years. I love the whole cast of characters. I love the level design and the combat. I love the story. I have probably played this game about 6 times. I have another friend who loves Halo, and when we just want to talk or need to vent, we'll play Reach, and we can play it while on autopilot and just talk to each other.

4. Red Dead Redemption 2

I love so much about this game. The story, the open world, all the characters, Arthur Morgan. Unfortunately, I was spoiled for the ending before I got to play it, but the impact of it hit just as hard. I don't think I've ever cried so much about a video game besides this one and number two on this list.

3. Assassin's Creed: Blackflag

Assassin's Creed was one of the series that really got me into gaming, and Blackflag is by far my favorite. Edward Kenway is such a good and interesting protagonist, and I really enjoyed playing as him in one of my favorite series. To this day, it is the only game I've ever completed to 100% in quests, collectibles, and achievements because I just couldn't stop playing it

2. Mass Effect 3

When I tell you that I am obsessed with the Mass Effect universe, I mean it. There is just something about Bioware's world building, character work, and storytelling that I just love so much. Commander Shepard has got to be one of my favorite protagonists of all time. And like I said, this game and RDR2 the two games that I have actually sat there and sobbed over. When I finished ME3, I immediately wanted to replay from the beginning of the trilogy, but I had to stop myself and go finish other games I had already started. I think about this trilogy and the characters from it so much that I actually read Mass Effect fanfiction, and I'm not a big fanfic reader.

1: The Sims 4

This one might seem really out of place with the rest of the bangers on this list, but listen ... this game is like a guilty pleasure. I have so many hours in it that it's kind of embarrassing. I've spent way too much money on TS4, and I love all kinds of aspects about it. Dressing up sims, building houses and other stuff, playing out storylines, I love it all. And most of the characters from the rest of the games on this list, I have remade them in TS4 and given them happy endings.

[ang3l0fde4th4ndd0gs]

Okay so at some point I was writing like 4 fandoms at once and some original stories. I have since written one Disney one shot and the rest has all been Marauders. So I have a feeling I should fix that 😂. I loved being a fully multi fandom account. Like I wrote Marvel stuff, Harry Potter stuff, Disney stuff, MCYT stuff, BNHA stuff, OUAT stuff all at the same time and had like 40 different books. Most of it was MHA of course cause at the time, that was the big thing. Everyone was into that. But I haven't written much outside of my bubble. So I present a challenge (for those who want to participate of course), give me a fandom to get into. I will post my list of fandoms under the cut. I will look into said fandom and write at least one one shot about it and put it in AO3. Only because I would love to be multi fandom again, I just haven't gotten into much as of lately.

Once Upon a Time 

Harry Potter

Marvel

Star Wars

Glee

Liv And Maddie

Disney

V for Vendetta

Hamilton

Heathers

BNHA

Doctor Who

Firefly/Serenity 

Lovejoy (But I don't Support Wilbur)

Wilbur Soot (Don't support Wilbur himself)

Technoblade

Friends

Wednesday

Divergent

Disney Parks

Tesla

Riverdale

Melanie Martinez (I don't support Melanie herself)

Sam Smith

Tom Lehrer

Mitch Hedberg

John Mulaney

Nick Kroll

Taylor Tomlinson

Dungeons And Dragons

Gabriel Iglesias 

Stranger Things

Unus Annus

Markiplier

Jacksepticeye

CrankGamePlays

Five Nights At Freddy’s

Slime Rancher

Harley Quinn

Dear Evan Hansen

Dangnonronpa

Bob Ross

In The Heights

Free Guy

Percy Jackson

Apollo Series

Asylum Series

My Chemical Romance

Paramore

Cinder Series

Nerdy Nummies

How To Cake It

Monster

Grease

Animal Crossing

Totally Reliable Delivery Service 

Call Of Duty

Halo

Zoo Tycoon

Powerwash Simulator 

Alexa and Katie

The Crown

Bo Burnham 

Beetlejuice

Lana Del Rey 

Face Off

Red Rising

Kevin Hart

Jo Koy

Mateo Lane

Slime Meowy

PeachyBbies 

Assassination Classroom 

The Grinch

Moriah Elizabeth 

TPM Videos

Andy Weir

Project Hail Mary

Artemis

Ready Player One

The Martian

Inception

Punisher

Spiderman

Shadow And Bone

Six

Narnia

Marauders

Hazbin Hotel

Dear Evan Hansen

Game Of Thrones

Gilmore Girls

StampyCat/StampyLongNose

Mean Girls

After Series

Archie Comics

The Flash

Arrow

Ouran Highschool Host Club

TX2

SkyDxddy

Cloudy June

We Three

AC/DC

Aerosmith

Dorian Gray

Ben Barnes

Hadestown

Blue Eye Samurai

Daz Black

JacksFilms

Bridgerton

How to train your dragon

P4perback

Whataboutpadfoot

P4perangel

Taylor Swift

Brain Leak

VOILA

Skyrim

Assassin's Creed 

Pirates Of The Caribbean 

Deadpool

X-Men

Bluey

Mario

Jujutsu Kaisen

Hozier

Good Omens

Sam And Colby

Kall Me Kris

Billie Eillish

Little Misfortune 

Nerdforge

The Princess Bride

DSMP

HermitCraft

My Little Pony

A Goofy Movie

Slime Obsidian 

The Rise Of The Order

The Last Of Us

The Big Bang Theory 

South Park

Winx Club

OddCat Cosplay

Commander BunBun Cosplay

Soul Eater

Heartbreak High

Young And Hungry

The Lord Of The Rings

Saturday Night Live

Westworld 

Lucifer

Chapell Roan

Renee Rapp

Tinkerbell

Queen

(As of 8/01/2024)

Some might be doubles but, that was everything I've been into. A lot of it honestly doesn't have great fanfiction potential though. I have admittedly written a little bit of Ben Barnes stuff too. But not much. I think maybe 5 one shots if that.

The whole list was taken from my Quotev list. But, I wanted to share my own interests and encourage others to share theirs. Perhaps tag someone and let's see how many interests I can collect lol.

I know that there are a lot of fandoms here that I probably could write for but haven't gotten around to it. I probably will eventually I just also enjoy the thought of learning new things as well.

[getoutofmyjaneway]

Beta Cannon: the Pre Voyager Era of Kathryn Janeway | Mosaic v The Autobiography of Kathryn Janeway

This weekend, I got a copy of the Autobiography of Kathryn Janeway from a local book store. For how frequently we speak about Mosaic in the community (despite having some flaws) I was shocked that I had not heard a lot about this book and assumed it was a bad thing. And yeah in some regards it was (see @mia-cooper’s post on the subject). I have a lot of feelings (I’ll post a proper review at a later point) but one thing that did stick out to me is the divergence from what we have considered Beta Canon, aka, the extended universe of Star Treks told through novels, short stories, video games, etc. After completing the novel, I jumped right into my old standby copy of Mosaic, which has dictated a lot of Janeway’s back story since 96. Both of these novels cover the beginnings of Janeway’s life and how she was shaped into the woman we know. 

TLDR The Autobiography of Kathryn Janeway changes a lot of things for no reason. Some of these are for the good. Some for the bad. And some, for like no good reason at all, like it was fine as it was, and was accepted cannon for like 25 years, but sure fine whatever.

I will mention that, as Mosaic has been a book in my library and I have read it too many times, so of course, I do have a bias toward it. Additionally, I feel like it is fair to mention here that authors of Fanfiction have leaned on this as their bibles since 1996 as Mosaic is written by Jeri Taylor, one of the show-runners for Voyager. Because of its connection with a showrunner, Mosaic is also integrated into the canon of the show. It seems that most points that are taken from Mosaic in the Autobiography are only included because of their existence in cannon material.

Anyway, this review is going to focus on the characters that shape Kathryn and I will end with my final thoughts. This is long so to respect your dash, you are going to have to click keep reading. You’re welcome.

Obligatory Spoiler Warning for ALL of Mosaic, chapter 13 of Pathways, and chapters 1-7 of The Autobiography of Kathryn Janeway

Edward Janeway

In all media, I feel like we can safely say that Kathryn Janeway is in fact a daddy’s girl. Her relationship with her father is very important to her, so it is interesting to see how it is portrayed very differently in both novels. In Mosaic, a lot of the highlights of Janeway’s earlier years revolve around time spent with him. From giving her special attention after ‘Your Sister’ was born, to consoling her after her losing tennis match and subsequent walk home in the rain, and trips to Mars, Kathryn mentions great fondness of quality time spent. In the Autobiography of Kathryn Janeway he is more described as an absent father, one that she always wanted to see and please. When he was home, she wanted all of his attention and to impress him greatly. She wished to follow in his footsteps after gaining a love of flight and the stars with a plane ride and a telescope he gave her. He tried to prepare her by detaining the events of the current conflict with Cardassia and inviting Starfleet brass over for dinner. Overall, in her early childhood, it makes more sense for Edward to not be around often. There is not a lot of conflict between the sources, other than the details of the aforementioned tennis match and different childhood nicknames.  

Edward is in a crash aboard an experimental ship on Tau Ceti Prime which leads to his death. This is where the big differences begin. In Mosaic, Kathryn and her fiancé are also on board. In  Autobiography of Kathryn Janeway, Kathryn is still on the Al-Batani. The fall out of this event has a great effect on Kathryn of course in both novels. As this is a missive shaping event of Kathryn’s life, I felt it very jarring to be changed. This moment shaped Janeway and gives us good context for why she handles situations the way she does. I see this trauma and I understand her character better, for dealing with the loss of two of the most important people in her life all at once.

Gretchen Janeway

The Autobiography of Kathryn Janeway was good to Gretchen Janeway as her character is basically a blank slate. We know little about her from Mosaic as it mostly focuses on Kathryn’s relationship with her father (and other male influences in her life). It is nice to learn more things about Grechen as with Edward’s job, it is likely that Kathryn was mainly raised by her. Other than being an artist, she also wrote some of the Flotter holos and wrote a number of children’s stories about the people of Bajor during the occupation. She does a lot of humanitarian work with the refugees from Bajor during the occupation. She loves to garden and get her daughters involved. She has a close bond with Phoebe due to their overlapping interests, but you can tell that she strives to support her in what she does. Overall, I like getting know Gretchen to be someone of than Kathryn’s mother.

Phoebe Janeway

 I was shocked when researching Memory Alpha for this review, Phoebe is never named in any Cannon media up to this point (Star Trek Prodigy could very well change this). We know Janeway has a sister and she is an artist, but that is it. Both novels keep her very similar personality-wise. In both stories, Kathryn is not looking forward to being a big sister. They also both mourn the loss of their father together. In Mosaic, she is not mentioned much. Kathryn tells her she is not old enough on an off planet trip and Phoebe plays pranks on her. The Autobiography of Kathryn Janeway goes much more into depth. They don’t get along when they are younger. They fight a lot. I feel this is a very realistic portrayal of real siblings, vying for attention and approval, snapping when they don’t get their way.  They both excel at what they do, Kathryn in her studies and Phoebe through her art. They seem to need to one-up each other at every turn.  As they grow up, they grow closer together, as many siblings do. Points added for giving Phoebe a wife, something which has been included in a lot of fanfiction. Overall, there are no big conflicting points.

Mark Johnson

Kathryn’s fiance at the time of the Voyager’s disappearance, Mark is a very different part of Kathryn’s life in both novels. In Mosaic, he is a childhood friend and went by his middle name Hobbs. Seemingly always two steps behind Kathryn, he did a lot of the same activities that she did, tennis and swimming in the underground cave systems. He did these poorly, and this makes Kathryn always look down upon him. They reconnected after her father’s death and she fell head-over-heels for him. Personally, I always felt this was a little uncharacteristic of Kathryn, to run away from her responsibilities to be with a man. It just seems very out of character and has always bothered me. The  Autobiography of Kathryn Janeway takes a completely different approach. She meets Mark as a friend of Pheobe and her wife as a widower. They hit it off and they fall hard. You can see the conflict in Kathryn as she debates how to move forward with a relationship as they have different outlooks on life. She has a drive to explore but does not want to be an absent parent. She debates quitting, which I don’t think is something Janeway would have ever done. Overall she decides to accept Mark’s proposal just before taking command of Voyager. This makes the Dear John situation a lot more believable as it makes sense that he would want to move on with his life much quicker. Overall, I have to just ask, why? I know Mark doesn’t have a lot of character, but why change basically their whole relationship dynamic? 

Justin Tighe

Justin is a character I actually like for selfish reasons. This explains why I was very miffed that he was nowhere to be seen in the Autobiography of Kathryn Janeway. Justin is Kathryn’s first love, they were coworkers, engaged and in love, and dies in the same accident that takes her father. As a person who always wanted Chakotay and Janeway to get together, this incident perfectly gives the reason. She is afraid to get romantically involved with a crew member because of the nature of the job. This dynamic is seen between Picard and Nella Daren in TNG very well. Kathryn has learned the hard way that she can lose a person under her command and how it feels when you are in love with that person. In early Voyager, you can see she isolates herself from the crew and it takes time for her to get comfortable. And during Night she relapses to her old ways. This is the way I have always justified Janeway’s reluctance to have a romantic relationship during their time in the Delta Quadrant. By understanding her background, I have a lot of respect for that choice. Her relationship with Justin really shaped how she handles relationships and without the impact he had on her life, it actually makes her character weaker.

Owen Paris

Owen is Kathryn’s mentor. In Mosaic, they meet as he is reviewing her junior honors thesis advisor on massive compact halo objects. From here they gained a relationship built on respect and learning. It makes sense that, as he was her personal mentor, that she would be close with his family, and why she would seek out Tom as a person to bring with her to the Badlands mission. In the Autobiography of Kathryn Janeway, she does not meet him until she is on the Al-Batani. This doesn’t only weaken her relationship with Admiral Paris, but moreover weakens her relationship with Tom. If he was her superior officer, why would she develop such a ‘big sister’ mentality to Tom if she didn’t have as many opportunities to meet him?

Tuvok

Mosaic does not go too much in depth with Tuvok and Janeway’s relationship, but its sister novel Pathways does. In Pathways, Tuvok meets Janeway when he is an ensign under her command of the USS Bonestell. The Bonestell and the Billings, two ships that Janeway served on, tend to get confused a lot. Most sources have Janeway’s first command as the Voyager, Including Voyager itself -  “It doesn't seem like my first command is shaping up the way I expected,” Janeway Shattered. The Autobiography of Kathryn Janeway has her and Tuvok meet on the Al-Batani. I actually really like the dynamic between them, as they grow to respect each other over a much longer period of time. I also like that, though Janeway climbs through the ranks, it does not change their relationship dynamic as she still relies on him and asks him advice as if they were equals. I think giving them a longer time to build their relationship. Also would like to note that Janeway and Tuvok also had a friendship with the original CMO of Voyager, Dr. Fitzgerald. I always wanted to know more about the Pre-Caretaker crew and I would have loved to see this dynamic and how the grief of losing a close personal friend in the Caretaker incident would impact them both.

Also I feel obligated to shout out the Janeway and Tuvok story in Star Trek Waypoint One-Shot. I need to get around to doing a series retrospective, but this short story I have not seen anyone talk about and I love it so much. Please read Waypoint. Okay next.

Other characters

Cheb - Janeway’s boyfriend in Mosaic. He was kind of an asshole and got her into trouble. He is not in the Autobiography of Kathryn Janeway and I see no problem with this.

Boothby - “[he is the] head groundskeeper at Starfleet Academy. When I was a cadet, he used to give me fresh roses for my quarters,” Janeway Revulsion. Boothby is not in Mosaic. In the Autobiography of Kathryn Janeway, it is explained that her mother loved to garden and this was something that Boothby did as a gradian figure to make her feel at home and destress. Makes sense.

Aisha - A childhood friend of Katheryn’s. Only in the Autobiography of Kathryn Janeway. Mosaic has this weird thing about highlighting the relationships with only the men in her life, so it is nice to see her have some other female friends.

Nexa - Katheryn’s roommate at the Academy.  Only in the Autobiography of Kathryn Janeway. Nexa helps broaden Kathryn’s horizons by helping to learn about Exoliguisticts, first contact, and the Betazoid culture. Again nice to see her have other female friends.

Riker - Yes they go on a date in Mosaic. He is not mentioned in the  Autobiography of Kathryn Janeway. I know he is a gag character but I still liked it.

-----------------------

Final Thoughts

A lot of characters were changed between these two novels. There is a lot to like and a lot to hate. I really like what the Autobiography of Kathryn Janeway did with characters like Tuvok and Gretchen Janeway. Other characters were not so lucky (Justin, sweetie I’m so sorry that they would erase you like that, oh my god). It’s a mixed bag, but one thing I need say is... why?

We have had a good thing going here with the established canon as is. Mosaic (and Pathways) is the foundation of which the last 25 years of fanworks and the relaunch novels are based on. Why change history when it is already written?

Always, would love to hear your thoughts and thank you for reading my novel of a post. I will see you in the full review.

[dawn-wasabi]

Pride Month 2022 - Prideful OCs 

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Happy Pride Month, everyone! 

Okay, so the original idea I had was to make little doodles of these characters, either with family members or with their partners if they had one, all showing of their LGBTQ+ swag. However, the touch of drawing only comes to me when I’m inspired, and I haven’t been lately. Since graduation, I’ve mainly played video games like Pony Town and have been writing fanfiction. Hence, this lovely piece for Pride Month. 

The identities and orientations here are considered canonical in terms of my fandom AUs, except for my mane OC. Also, some of these characters’ designs are outdated or are currently being worked on or reworked, so bear with me. 

~~~~~~~~~~ 

Line-up; from left to right; top to bottom: 

Patches - Magnus and Ellegaard’s youngest daughter in my Minecraft Story Mode Next Gen. She is a lesbian and is more so the masculine one in a relationship. She is married to her cheery and bubbly wife, Belladonna, eldest daughter of Radar and Stella in the same fandom. Together, the couple have three wonderful girls as their children. 

Bach - The only child of Quackity and Slimecicle in my Crimson AU, or my crossover of the Dream SMP and iDots SMP. Though he is not one for labels, if directly asked, he claims to be bigender, fluctuating between male and female. Despite this, he assures others that he does not take offense to only being called he/him since he still technically identifies as a man. He is easygoing with labels because for him, it is not always relevant to his day-to-day life. His boyfriend, Ralsei, (son of Antfrost and VelvetIsCake) respects this more private label, and he too shares the similar philosophy that labeling is not always a necessity. 

Dawn Wasabi - My ponysona and mane OC. I’m currently debating whether or not I am asexual and/or a straight ally. I think I mistakenly assume that I’m ace because I’m anti-social and never get out enough to explore my options. If I decide that I am not, then I know for sure I would be straight and an ally of the LGBTQ+ community, of course. 

Yeong - Originally the eldest son of Jamison and Rocco in my Minecraft Story Mode Next Gen. Quick recap: Jamison is the oldest son of Jack and Nurm, while Rocco is the youngest son and ninth child of Romeo and Xara. During their teenage years, Yeong chooses to identify as a demi-girl because they do not want to make an official decision about being a transgender. At this point in time, they go by she/her and they/them pronouns, but they are unphased and not offended by friends and family who still refer to them as he/him. Raised in a large, traditional, and somewhat more religious family, they are more than okay and understanding with having a few prejudiced family members, such as their grandfather Romeo and their aunt Zofija. Reaching early adulthood, they still feel more feminine than masculine, so they finally decide to make a full transition and become a trans-woman. She remains going by the same pronouns and is still lenient with being called he/him by others. 

Abraxas - The first child of Skeppy and BadBoyHalo in my Crimson AU, or my crossover of the Dream SMP and iDots SMP. He is also the first born of the Halo twins. Being more accustomed to and favoring the communities of gen Z and gen alpha, he thinks highly of placing a label upon himself. Though he does not experiment until his mid-teenage years, he claims to be bisexual years beforehand. He and others eventually do discover this to be more than likely, as he maintains a secret relationship with a male partner, while he also has a short-lived relationship with his childhood crush, Belladonna, daughter of a6d. 

Asriel - The second child of Skeppy and BadBoyHalo in my Crimson AU, or my crossover of the Dream SMP and iDots SMP. He is the second born of the Halo twins. The polar opposite of his brother and similar to the rest of his friends and gen Xers, he is not sticky about labeling himself. He does not like to claim that he was born into the world with a gay preference, but he, friends, and family have noticed his liking for those of the same sex since he was a little boy. Rather than having innocent crushes on girls, he always displayed affection and crushes toward boys and men. He never once experiments with any women, and even when he has not experimented with a male partner, he gets to understand himself through submissive escapades. As mentioned before, he is not one for labels, but by this point in his life (mid-teenage years), he begins to believe that he is indeed homosexual. 

~~~~~~~~~ 

Minecraft Story Mode @ TellTale Games Dream SMP and (former) iDots SMP @ YouTubers Pony Town @ ponytownteam My Little Pony @ hasbroplz and @ fyre-flye Dawn Wasabi belongs to me. These next gens/AUs belong to me. 

~~~~~~~~~~ 

You are NOT permitted to use this artwork!

[msotherworldly]

The Writing Medium You Don’t Know About

In several of my YouTube videos, I discussed the different mediums creative writers could experiment with to tell stories. I went over categories like film, television, comic books, poetry, web serials, and so on, but there’s one category I wanted to discuss further.

When I say “medium,” I’m not referring to genre, or even writing type (such as blogging or copywriting). Instead, I’m talking about the media form you use, such as writing a book versus a film, or a web comic versus an epic poem. Though storytelling is an old art, the way we actually tell stories is evolving all the time. Some of these mediums are relatively new, having only come into existence within the last two decades. After all, much of the mediums we know and love now - web comics, web series, or web serials - only, as their names imply, exist because of the relatively recent birth of the internet. 

The medium which hasn’t gotten mainstream attention, though, despite having an ever growing community, is the Sims story medium. Most creators writing plot lines for their characters do so out of fun, but if you’re making characters, planning plots, and putting together narratives, you’re a writer.

It’s strange, because nobody refers to the authors of Sims stories as “writers,” despite the fact that’s what they are. Most writers posting online learn quickly that few care when you post your chapters or share your characters - unless you’re offering writing advice, or you’re famous, you can end up ignored.

Yet the Sims story category seems to be an exception to this on some level. Creators share snapshots of their OC’s, obsess over their OC’s wardrobe choices, and post original story lines...and people love it. If you tell a Sims story, people will actually give your story a chance. 

It’s kind of like writing fanfiction - there’s a built in fan base, but the difference with the Sims community is that they’re engaging with your characters, your world, and your story. Other than the Sims packaging, it’s your original content. 

I make this post because I want to open writer’s minds to the possibilities there are for your work. There are so many mediums open to you, and I encourage you to experiment with them all - especially if you’re in a creative rut.

Writing Sims stories does come with some barriers to entry, if you’ve never touched the game before. For one, there’s the steep cost of the expansion packs when taken together. For another, there are the vast swaths of mods you’ll need to download to populate your world with the furniture, clothes, props, and hairstyles you’ll need to populate your paracosm. Finally, there’s the learning curve. You’ll have to learn how to use poses, how to build sets, and how to dress your characters (this last one sounds simple, but every character should have a distinct style and colour palette). The most advanced creators even add their own lighting and photo shop their pictures, but plenty of popular creators just stick with the game’s default look too.

This medium won’t be for everyone. I only mention it because seeing the work people have put out has opened my eyes to what storytelling can be. There is no right or wrong way to tell a story. Some writers put out novels through a traditional publisher, while others share content through video games (even before the Sims, Rooster Teeth - also known as the creator of the RWBY show - was using Halo to tell stories through it’s Red VS Blue series). 

Experiment. Find what you love. Then stick with it. You don’t have to write novels to call yourself a fiction writer.

[deepdarkdelights]

Content Tag Game!

Thank you @yoongsisbae for tagging me! I love Handshakes of a Lifetime, by the way, it feeds my need for OT7 wonderfully 😫💜

1. what fandoms have you written for (but do not currently)?

Oh boy, okay: Twilight, Black Butler, Attack on Titan, My Hero Academia, Teen Wolf, Young Justice, Batman Arkham Knight (video game), Marvel, Once Upon A Time, Narnia, Doctor Who, Rise of The Guardians, HTTYD, Fable (video game series), Percy Jackson

2. what fandoms are you currently writing for?

BTS 💜

3. how long have you been writing?

Okay, this is kind of weird, I wrote my first fanfiction when I was nine but never published it, when I was twelve I began posting to Quotev and Wattpad so I would say...eight years? I refuse to look back at either accounts because my writing was horrendous...I was a child.

4. on which platforms do you post your stories?

At this point in time, Tumblr and ao3.

5. what is your favorite genre to write?

Dark / Yandere / Horror. Anything that would make you freaked out I guess 😅

6. are you a pantser or a planner?

Uh, a bit of both? I usually have an idea of what I want to happen in a story so I have a vague outline, but as I am writing I tend to add more things and branch out from the plan. When I first started writing and posting to Tumblr, I used automatic writing and was a full-fledged pantser.

7. one-shot or multi-chapter?

If I had to choose, one shot. I feel less tied down and not as pressured to write when it comes to a one-shot. I would like to make a multi-chapter story one day though!

8. what is the perfect chapter length in your opinion?

I like usually something longer, so anywhere from 6-10k is good for me.

9. what is your longest published story? is it complete?

Actually, 10 Seconds is my longest story because it has multiple chapters. At this point in time, it is 38,250k.

10. which story did you enjoy working on the most?

Hmmmmm, probably Predator. It was my first fic after the end of The Bouquet Series and I got to flex more of my creativity and relax with it. It was fun to play with more classic horror tropes as well.

11. favorite request you’ve written and why?

I don't really take requests, I did ask for help in writing Tae's fic for The Bouquet Series and I had two asks that suggested an actor element and that was how Cut was made! So, that 😂

12. are there reoccurring themes in your stories?

Hm, the concept of time is rather prevalent in a lot of my fics now that I think about it. Weather and location are reoccurring, I like to write scenes in forests or scenes with rain. I think another common theme is not to trust grandmothers as funny as that is, in two fics we have had grandmas with bad intentions! Also, references to good and evil, Hades and Persephone, Adam and Eve, temptation, as well as predator and prey dynamics.

13. current number of wips?

Three! One is currently being written, and the other two are in the planning phases.

14. three things you have noticed about your own writing?

(1) It's fucking long 😂. I always go in with a plan to write something shorter, 8k max, and I always end with a fucking monster of a story. I also tend to overexplain, I think. (2) A lot of my writing is describing an action, facial expressions, scenes, and inner monologue. I think that is my way of trying to immerse readers or make them see my exact vision. But it can be pretty tedious and probably boring to read. I need more dialogue too, I feel like I spend too much time showing instead of telling. (3) Sometimes I think I sound like a high and mighty asshole like I am trying too hard to be profound or something so I try to dial it back a bit.

15. a quote you like from a published story.

"He could tell she had injured her head as well, scarlet drops of blood had streamed down the contours of her face and a pool of blood had formed beneath her sprawled tresses. She looked like she had a crimson halo beneath her head, carving its way into the soft, white snow under her. She was ethereal, like an angel that he had found just after they had been dropped from heaven. Forever resting, forever beautiful, and forever young." (The Stranger)

16. a quote from an unpublished story.

"Loving you has been the one pain I always want to endure. Being with you sets my heart on fire, it makes my muscles ache, it makes my lungs burn, and everything so much more complicated. But it’s the best brand of pain I could ask for.”

17. a space for you to say something to your readers.

Hi! I hope you enjoyed learning more about me and my writing if you stopped by and read this! I have been having a tough time writing as of late, but doing little things like this has made me very happy and has made me want to write more often! I am still working on my next fic, progress is going a little slower though. School starts soon too and I am going to be working two jobs and hopefully going back to cheerleading. So let's spend as much time together as we can before I get busy again! I am still aiming to write during the school year so wish me luck! Thank you for reading 💜

I tag: @chummywchimmy @chimchimsauce @chaoticpuff17 @sinning-on-a-sunday @celestial-moonlight @unfurlingtwinklingstarx @scribblemetaetwo

[theonlygamergost]

A tattoo for a lost best - Fd!au - 3/3

This fanfiction is based on the Family Dynamic au made by @antarctic-bay if you would like to know more, go check them out!!!

Also please bear in mind that the things written in this might not be canon!

This fic was corrected by the lovely @im-default

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

Techno and Skeppy bet on stupid things, and sometimes their bets can have very severe consequence if lost.

If you want to, look at what Minetra’s desing of Techno tattoo

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

Tw! Betting, swearing. Btw, this is very long

<—Previous part 

Enjoy~

To avoid any more drama, he went straight home. The house was empty though, so he connected his phone to Wilbur’s small Bluetooth speaker to his phone and played a random playlist he had made to motivate him to do chores, took out the mop and started cleaning the floors, humming the songs and sometimes bopping his head to the beat.

While the pavement was drying, he logged on Minecraft and started playing on Hypixel.

Tommy arrived home just as the pavement dried out, grabbing a glass of chocolate milk and another glass full of cookies. Bringing them to his room and closing the door. A few minutes later he logged into Hypixel and sent Techno a party invite, they started playing various minigames, winning most of them.

Until, while playing BedWars, Tommy whispered to Techno.

TommyInnit whispers to you: I’m sorry

Techno finished destroying a bed and sat at the generator while quickly responding.

You whisper: About what?

TommyInnit whispers to you: About telling Will about your tattoo, I sneaked into your room this morning and I saw it

TommyInnit whispers to you: I’m really sorry, but if Phil found out later it would have been worse

Tommy’s and Techno’s bed was gone, they were just flying around as ghosts at this point. But if they wanted to keep talking, they couldn’t have gone into another game so Techno typed /hub and teleported both of them into the main hub of the server.

You whisper: It’s fine Tommy, I’m not angry

TommyInnit whispers to you: Then can I come and hug you?

Techno wasn’t expecting that. But he smiled and closed Minecraft after sending the last message:

You whisper: The door is unlocked

Techno lied down on his bed closing his eyes as he listened to Tommy’s steps growing louder.

The door gently creaked as the young Pandel stood by the door, looking at his older brother laying down with his eyes closed.

Climbing onto the bed, he plopped down next to Techno, scooting closer to him and hugging him, Techno exchanged the hug, embracing the blonde boy tightly.

They stayed like that in silence, the world around them looked like it froze. When Wilbur got home and went to check Techno’s room to see if he was there, he found the two brothers peacefully sleeping. Wilbur smiled at the cute sight, he made sure to cover them with a blanket and close the door.

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

When Phil arrived home, the brothers were silent, they couldn’t get themselves to talk or make jokes, the older brother acted as usual, solar and positive, but he had noticed how Wilbur and Tommy were silent. Something was wrong, and after dinner, he was going to figure out what.

To his surprise, when he got out of the bathroom, the brothers were back at the kitchen counter, all of them had serious and sad faces, “Phil, we need to talk to you”

He sat on one of the stools, “Sure… what is it?” The two brothers both looked at Techno who’s shoulder tensed, he looked like he wanted to disappear.

“I… have made a serious decision without asking and… It’s something you have explicitly said to not take before... “ What was going on? Techno never made dumb decisions, and if he did, he alone came to talk to him, then why were all of the brothers there? Phil was now very worried.

Without saying another word, Techno took off his hoodie, revealing a sleeveless shirt, and the tattoo.

Wilbur looked away, Tommy looked sadly at Techno, Phil looked unimpressed.

So you really did it too huh…

“Wait, you guys didn’t know he had gotten it?” Everyone froze.

“It was pretty obvious, the bandage, the moisturizing cream, the antimicrobial soap, they all gave it away. Plus, we all know Techno hates carrying his backpack on one shoulder, there had to be a good reason for him to carry it like that” The brothers were impressed, Phil could notice the most subtle changes in behaviours, it wasn’t surprising he had picked it up quickly, but still…

“Of course, that doesn’t mean I’m okay with your decision”

Phil brought a hand on his forehead, thinking about what to say, choosing his words to get his point across, he hated scolding his brothers, but they were teenagers, sometimes he had to be strict and direct with them.

“The only thing I can say, Techno, is that I’m disappointed in you, very disappointed” The pink-haired boy fidgeted with the hoodie in his lap.

“I thought I had made it clear that tattoos were prohibited until you're old enough, just because I have one doesn’t mean you could get it too” Phil sighed, “You’re grounded Technoblade” All of them looked at the older brother in disbelief, Phil almost never grounded anyone, both Tommy and Wilbur now felt guilty for getting Techno in this situation. Techno just accepted his fate, all of this for a goddam bet.

“No going out after school and no video games for fifteen days, let this be a lesson for you two too, ok?” Wilbur and Tommy looked at each other, only fifteen days? That was nothing! Techno had gotten a permanent tattoo without permission and he got away with fifteen days?!

“Now, Techno, prepare for bedtime and go to your room, I need to talk to you more in private. Wilbur, Tommy, you’re free to go” They nodded and got up the stools, both of them flopping on the couch. Techno instead whispered a soft “I’m sorry” and headed for the bathroom, leaving Phil the only one at the counter. He took his head in his hands and leaned over the counter, using his elbows to support himself.

I hope your reason was better than mine.

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

A knock on the door interrupted Techno’s train of thought, he quickly sat at the edge of his messy bed and waited for the crack of light coming to illuminate his dark room. Phil peeked from the door,  surrounded by a halo of yellow light, smiling brightly as he always did, “May I come in?” Techno gently nodded.

Phil sat next down and hugged Techno for a bit, “Let me guess” He started, bringing a hand to scratch his short beard,” You didn’t tell the others why you got it” Techno nodded again. The older brother looked at the younger one, waiting for him to start talking.

“I’m warning you, you won’t like it” the blonde man shrugged, so he took a deep breath.

“You remember when Skeppy had to get his ear pierced last year?” It was Phil’s turn to nod, “That was because we had made a bet. He didn’t believe I was going to get max votes for every subject, so we made it that if I did have max votes, he would get his ear pierced, if I didn’t, I was going to get my ear pierced. You know who won the bet” Techno chuckled when the memory of Skeppy getting super mad at him for getting max votes arose, he had gotten one of his ears pierced, and even if he will never admit it, he loves wearing e-boy earrings.

Techno had actually bought him his first pair of earrings, he kept a mental note to look at Skeppy when passing near jewelry in case he started staring at a pair of them, he was bad with gifts so this was a good way to get ideas.

“This was… the same… We made a bet and… “ He had lost, Phil knew that Techno and Skeppy made these “bets” and he knew that they sometimes could have a strong penalty if lost… but they were childhood friends, if something was “too much” they could always call it off. So Techno did make the decision to get the tattoo, he just didn’t want to admit it.

“Okay then, I understand… You’re still grounded though” Techno smiled, “Goodnight Techno” Phil patted his brother on the shoulder and left his room, leaving him back in the dark of his room.

He just climbed further into the bed and fell asleep.

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

“There is something going on here, there HAS to be!” Wilbur was pacing back and forth in front of the coffee table, he sounded pretty stressed about his thoughts, not that Tommy would care. He was just sitting upside down on the couch, legs slumped over the back and head dangling off the seat, of course, switch in hands playing the Octo expansion for Splatoon two. Techno bought it for him as his quote on quote “reward” for cleaning his room for him.

“You’re getting too agitated big dubs” The blonde boy shot a look at the legs walking around on the other side of the table, they stopped, facing his direction, “Shut the fuck up Tommyinnit I’m trying to think!” the legs continued pacing left and right. “Well, now that you said I need to shut up I’m interested!” He sat back up properly on the couch, pausing the game and placing the switch down. “What we thinking, big dubs?” He said before rubbing his hands together.

With a roll of his eyes, the older brother started explaining: “You remember when I took Phil’s scooter and drove Techno around town a year before I got my license?” Tommy giggled, Wilbur dead stared at him. “OKAY Okay jeez! Go on!” Will shook his head, “Well, Phil that time grounded us both, understandably, Techno got away with no video games for a week, I was the one driving after all…” He scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, “But I had to go through A MONTH without video games and phone! And look at Technoblade! Fifteen days! Only fifteen days for getting a big ass tattoo without permission!”

Now that Tommy thought about it, Will did have a point, plus, not going out after school didn’t really affect Techno, he never went out anyway. “I know this going to sound bad but…” Will looked at Tommy, noticing the serious look he had on his face, “Do you think… Phil has… favourites?” Will’s eyes widened, a shiver shot down his spine. “Wha-what are you talking about Tommy? Phil loves us equally, he quit college to take care of us, there is no way he has… “ He couldn’t even finish the sentence, the words got stuck in his throat, he refused to believe that his older brother had a favourite among them. He just couldn’t.

“But what if he-”

“No Tommy, there has to be a reason why he gave him less time than he did with me, and he will tell us, I know he will. I’m going to sleep now” He passed by the kitchen and closed himself in his room, Tommy whispered “Goodnight Wil”  and headed for his own room, grabbing his switch along with him.

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

From there on, it was a monotone style of life for Techno.

Wake up, go to school, go back home, read, clean, and go to sleep.

He and Skeppy had to hang out at lunches since they couldn’t meet up after school, and if for some reason they couldn’t, they would either discord call or facetime each other and just talk about the most random things for hours, as good friends do of course.

The house felt a little bit empty for some reason: Tommy would stay outside later than usual and Wilbur didn’t try to create any type of chaos or loud noise, the melancholic sound of a soft guitar would fill the house more than it used to and Phil was constantly spaced out, it was like the cheerful Pandel apartment had lost it colours.

All of them had noticed this phenomenon. They all knew that they couldn’t last long like this, they needed the chaos, they needed the cheerfulness and the happiness of each brother equally. Their house was like an echo-system: If something was off, it made an impact on everything else.

So on the fifteen-day, the last day, while everyone was sat around the kitchen counter sharing dinner, Wilbur spoke up.

“Taking turns, let’s say what’s on our mind, anyone wants to start?” Techno nodded in approval of Will’s proposal, after setting his spoon down, Tommy started talking.

“I feel like we are hiding something from each other” Phil froze, Techno’s mouth curved slightly downwards “I don’t know why Techno didn’t tell us about the tattoo, I-I  honestly felt betrayed when I saw it, but someone else is keeping a secret now, and I don’t want this to become a normal thing!” Tommy looked away, clinging his fists. “You’re right, Tommy” The attention moved to Wilbur, “ We have always been honest with each other, please let’s keep it this way” Techno nodded again “ I am so sorry for not telling anyone about… you know… “ silence fell briefly while he recollected his thought, “ It felt wrong doing so, but I had no choice-”

“You did Technoblade!” Wilbur interrupted him,” You know we would have supported you in any decision you would have made! You were always the one to encourage us every time we were insecure about anything, no matter how stupid it was!” Techno took his glasses off, letting what Wilbur had just said sink in.

“I know… But-” He rubbed his eyes, “But what?! Don’t you trust us-”

“Alright, calm down boys” Phil interrupted them, making them realize what tone of voice they were using against each other.

“I am the one who should fix this since I was the one who started it” He sighed, allowing his head to rest in his hands.

“I gave Techno a pretty light consequence for what he did, I am aware of that and I’m sorry if that looked like I was playing favourites” Tommy looked at the plate in front of him, how could he have doubted Phil?

“There is a better…  or worse, reason for that, let me explain” he looked up at the other brothers waiting for a response. They looked at each other in confusion and nodded, at that sign Phil started.

“You all are aware that I also have a tattoo, a pretty big pair of wings on my back, I’ve never hidden it from you guys because there was no need too… what I didn’t say was why and when I got the tattoo… and there is a good reason for that, I promise” the brothers felt a bit dumb, why did no one ever think of asking him why he had gotten his tattoo? No matter how long back they recalled Phil always had that tattoo, that pair of angel-like wings who occupied most of the upper part of their older brothers back felt to them like something that always had belonged to Phil. They couldn’t imagine him without it, but it was still shocking how no one had asked him why he had gotten it.

“The reason why I never told you about why I got it was because I was afraid you would try to imitate me… which was the last thing I wanted to happen” Techno tried to lighten the mood a little bit, “Jeez Phil, you’re making it sound like you got it to enter a gang” Tommy and Will smiled, “That’s at least is a reason to get a tattoo” the smile faded away, “Mine wasn’t even a reason, I got my tattoo because the thought of getting a tattoo made me feel free, made me feel independent… me and a good friend of mine were “good boys”, we always did what our parents wanted and had the highest grades, getting a tattoo was the most rebellious thing two sixteen years old kids could do, so that’s why we did it” They all looked down, each of them absorbed in their own thoughts, “So that’s why the wings… “ Wilbur whispered, “To symbolize freedom… “ Techno finished the thought.

When the silence was about to become awkward, Phil got off the stool and grabbed his jacket that he’d left on the couch,” Get your shoes on, were going out” They looked at each other in confusion, “Wh-why? Where are we going?” Tommy stuttered while asking. “You’ll see”

~~~~~~~~~~~

The night’s breeze blew lightly through the Pandel’s hair, Phil was walking ahead of everyone with his hands in his pocket, Wilbur was behind him, trying to figure out where he was taking them meanwhile Techno and Tommy were playing rock paper scissor, mouthing each other insults and quietly cheering.

The walk went on for five minutes until Phil entered an ice cream shop, “C’mon, order what you want” the brothers looked at each other after ordering their flavours.

They sat down on a bench, each of them focused on their ice cream, Wilbur was leaned against a light pole since they all couldn’t fit comfortably on the bench.

“So…what was this for?” Tommy asked before licking his chocolate and strawberry ice cream, Phil looked up at the moon in the starry sky, “An apology, for hiding this part of me from all of you until now… “ Techno finished his ice cream and wiped his mouth with a napkin, “ I hope you guys can forgive me and we can all go back to when we never lied to each other-” All of the brothers threw themselves on him, “Whoa-! Guys careful I’m still holding my ice cream!” But the brothers didn’t care.

“We forgive you Phil, in fact, we were never angry at you, we understand that you didn’t tell us to protect us” Wilbur broke from the hug, “Thank you Phil for being the best brother in the world!” Tommy said with a huge smile, the other two nodded and he couldn’t help himself from crying with joy. If he had to decide again between taking care of his brothers and continuing collage, his answer would have never changed.

[bloodgulchblog]

Current description of and state of the ongoing Halo fanfictions:

When You Come Back Down: The one where the Chief's armor (with the Chief in it) gets smashed all to hell and he has to 1) recover and 2) figure out what to do while navigating that he has emotional bonds with and responsibilities toward these two whole other people, meanwhile Fernando Esparza hates himself for being this pathetically in love with this beautiful dude he just met five minutes ago. (Slowburn.)

Status: I have a chapter that I know how to write and I just continue to not do it for some reason. I have lost my grip on where I thought this was going, to be truthful, but I'm sure I'll figure it out.

Like/Subscribe: Ridiculous premise where the Chief has gone AWOL and is just existing mysteriously on Sanghelios now, and the only evidence of his continued existence is a space youtube channel where he does woodcraft tutorials and videos of alien birds at his bird feeder. ONI is dying mad about it. Told through the analysis of an ONI peon who is used to analyzing much more horrible and violent videos than this. ...And through excerpts from the comments section, I guess.

Status: I know what the final arc of this is and need to just finish it but keep putting it off.

Smoke If You Got 'Em: During the three month voyage from Earth to the Ark in Halo 3, the Arbiter bonds with Sgt. Johnson over trying to teach human and Sangheili soldiers to work together. The chosen medium? Paint round games in the Shadow of Intent's massive hangar. Also, the Master Chief. Maybe. If the Chief will let him.

Status: Hung up on a really emotionally intense chapter I gotta write, but I mostly know where I want it to be. I know how this fic ends.

The Unnamed Armor Firmware Oneshot: Kelly teases John about why his armor firmware is set up in a very particular out-of-date way and it launches the first emotionally honest conversation they've had in probably over a decade.

Status: WE'RE GETTING SOMEWHERE...

Coda: Sequel to Smoke, post-Halo 3, in which Thel 'Vadam processes how his life was just impacted so strongly by so many aliens so quickly and then all of them died.

Status: A couple paragraphs and dreams.

[passionate-hedgehog]

Hooked (Damien Haas x Reader)

Damien and his producer girlfriend just wanted to update their fans on a SMOSHcast after he posted a picture to his instagram account indirectly outing them as a couple. So, why are Sarah and Shayne singled out at the end?

Damien Haas x OC

5020 words

ITALICS are flashbacks

AN: I wrote this in 5 hours so if it sucks, it’s because I rushed. I tried really hard not to delve into SMOSH fanfiction but fuck me, I’m here. and I hate it. I had to pee the entire time. I have zero clue how VIDCON or any fan convention works. It is what it is. Mythical are assholes kinda in this.

AN2: Find my first Ian Hecox fic here.

AN3: I’ve rewritten it to be a Damien x Reader

m.list

“Welcome to another SMOSHcast. I am Ian Hecox from SMOSH.” The host of the podcast looked into the camera put off to the side to record video. “We have a few guests today. Right next to me is producer Sarah Whittle…”

“Isss meee!” The producer proclaimed in her cute tone. “I’m Sarah Whittle from SMOSH.”

The host continued, “And next to her is Shayne Topp, actor extraordinaire.”

“Heeeeyyyy. I’m Shayne.” The actor whispered weirdly into the mic.

As the group at the table giggled and/or rolled their eyes, Ian did the next introduction. “And then we have our video game professionalist: Damien Haas.”

“Aw, that’s sweet, man. Thank you.” Damien replied to the host and then looked into the camera. “Yes, I am Damian Haas, an actor from SMOSH. Disclaimer: we ALL play video games. Don’t let them fool you, listeners.”

“Mmmm...not quite.” The final guest commented from the left side of Damian. “Unless you count merge games on the phone. Not that you haven’t tried to hook me into them.”

“Oh, yeah.” Shayne piped in. “Y/n, you’re not a fan of video games.”

 Damien and Y/n were sitting on his couch with controllers in their hands and cats by their legs. Damien was working on loading Smash Bros onto the tv while Y/n scratched behind Zelda’s ears.

“I know our thing is you watching me play, but I think you might really like this one. I promise.” Damien tapped at his buttons to work through the settings.

“When I gave you that business card back at VIDCON that said ‘I’d love to watch you play games sometime,’ I meant it. YOU play. YOU.” She pouted.

He shrugged as if it was out of his hands. “It’s already been decided.”

“Do we gotta, though? Like, I’m totally content watching you play and using my hands for more important things...like loving on the felines. So important.

”“Super important.” Damien nodded in agreement.

“Super important.” Y/n repeated, feeling as if she won.

“Too bad.” Damien looked back at the screen. “What character do you want to play as?”

Y/n groaned in despair and threw her body backward against the cushions. “Fuck me.”

Damien looked at her with raised eyebrows. “What’s up?”

The look on Y/n’s face told him not to push it.

 Damien turned his head to the new producer. “You just can’t be hooked.”

Ian chuckled. “Well, I think we’ve proved that you can, as a matter of fact, be hooked.”

She looked at the host with a playful glare. “You really ready for this conversation?” 

It was Y/n’s first VidCon and, honestly, still her first month at Mythical. Her job was to engage the attendees that walked past the Mythical booth in conversation. She was meant to talk about things pertaining to the people and things in the videos. She was still fresh at her production assistant role and didn’t know much about Mythical’s behind the scenes things quite yet. She’d had a few people stop by, and she was able to amp up the hype for the projects she knew were coming up. That was a thing she could do, and she did it well. She loved Mythical so far.

When a small group of people around her age started walking towards her booth while laughing and what looked to be recording, she started to feel a little shy. She was an extrovert, which helped with what she was supposed to be doing. But there hasn’t been an actual group of people to approach her. The closer they got, the more nervous she got. She ended up deciding to take the L and make herself look busy in hopes that they’d just keep walking. It worked in the end, but she felt bad about purposefully not doing her job. She promised herself she wouldn’t let herself do that again and made sure to engage with anyone she could while at her station.

When it was Mythical’s turn at the panel, she stood off to the side and took pictures of her bosses and co-workers. She filmed a little for future needs and made sure to enjoy her time overall. She also made sure to listen to what Rhett and Link talked about and store it away for later and made mental notes on things she had questions about.

It was when she was going through some of her pictures during the fan Q&A that she noticed someone was watching her. She had glanced up for a second while being in thought when they locked eyes. She squinted while trying to figure out who he was really looking at because there was no way he was looking at her. She wasn’t even a producer that the fans knew. It took a minute, but he eventually looked away, while looking like he was caught with his hands in the cookie jar.

The next day, she was able to explore a little bit more. One of the OG producers took over the booth, and she decided to go and see what else was out there. She ended up stumbling upon interactive video gaming booths. She wasn’t a fan of video games, but she always liked watching people play them. Those that really enjoyed video games would be the most entertaining. It always pulled her in.

She scanned the games that were being played and caught sight of the group of people from yesterday. Feelings of guilt from not doing her job hit her, and she gnawed at her lip. She knew she had to start going easier on herself, but there was still a fear that the company would one day realize she was some incompetent girl from the midwest that didn’t belong in California or the industry.

“Hey, are you okay?” A voice spoke from in front of her.

She looked up and noticed the guy from the day before looking at her with scrunched eyebrows. “Huh?”

“You looked like you were trying to give yourself snakebite piercings with your teeth, and your foot was tapping faster than Thumper. Do you need anything? Or is there someone I can get for you?” He looked around the area.

She shook her thoughts from her head. “No, thank you. I’m fine. I didn’t realize I was that lost in thought.”

“Do you...do you work for Mythical? I saw you yesterday taking pictures of the panel, and I noticed you were at the booth. So yes...you do work for Mythical. That was a dumb question, never mind.” The guy scratched his face awkwardly.

Y/n assessed the situation. Was this guy a fan of Mythical? Like one of THOSE fans that she needed to be concerned about? Or was he just trying to make conversation? Y/n was at a disadvantage. She was alone at VIDCON (and California altogether, but that's for a different day), and she wasn’t quite sure what to do.

“Hey, Damien! I thought you were going to play the Halo campaign?” A blonde guy came up to the two. There were a few others with him; Y/n recognized them as the group from earlier.

The guy, Damien?, looked to the group as if forgetting that they were there. “Oh. Yeah. That slipped my mind entirely. Guys, this is...uh…”

“Y/n. My name is Y/n.” She smiled her work-place smile—the polite one she saved for when she didn’t know what else to do.

“She works for Mythical. Isn’t that cool?” Damien smiled as if he really thought taking pictures of the panel at VIDCON was the biggest dream job anyone could ever have.

“I think you’re way too excited about what I do for my job.” She laughed in response.

“It’s probably because he relates to it a little. We work for SMOSH.” The blonde friend supplied.

Y/n tried really hard not to let her face control the conversation. “Forgive me, but I don’t know what that actually is. And by the looks on your faces, I feel like maybe I should….”

“Oh, it’s ok!” Damien interjected. “If you haven’t gone to a panel yet, ours is later tonight. You should come by and check it out. Our channel has a few different things.”

One of the other group members stepped in. “Yeah, there's sketch comedy, video games, things like that. You’re at the video games booths, so I’ll assume you like video games?”

That made her chuckle. “I actually don’t really like video games. I was just wandering around because I got a break from the Mythical booth.”

When she looked at the group again, she noticed they were all staring at Damien with raised eyebrows.

“Oh. Right…” He said while looking shocked. “Well... as Noah said...there’s sketch comedy?”

“Well, who doesn’t like to laugh??” Y/n shrugged. “I’ll try to make it to the panel! Thanks for introducing me to something. I have to actually make it back to my booth to help with cleaning up. But I’ll be waiting for the panel!”

On the last day of VIDCON, Y/n was exhausted. She was just thoroughly exhausted. When she went to get herself a snack from the food service area to refuel for breaking down the booth, Damien was there as well. His group wasn’t with him, which made it easier for her to approach him.

“Damien?” She called when she was a few feet behind him. He turned around and held a pleasantly surprised expression. “Hey, I ended up missing your panel, but I hoped it went really well.”

“That’s ok. It means a lot that you found me and told me that. Thank you for the consideration.” The look in his eyes was earnest. He really meant what he said. “How was your first VIDCON?”

“I wasn’t really sure what to expect, to be honest. I don’t know a lot about any of this. I’m completely new to the industry. But I’m excited to see where it takes me. I hope to see VIDCON next year. Maybe you’ll be here too?” She licked her lips, wondering if that was a little too forward.

“I hope so, too. I’d really enjoy that.” He gave a smile that melted Y/n’s insides.

“Oh! I have a thing for you!” The PA reached into her sweater pocket and pulled out a small card. “It’s the industry, and one of the rules is to exchange business cards, right? Here’s mine.”

He looked at the white cardstock in his hands, noting that something was scrawled onto the back of it. “I gotta say. You’re super prepared for someone new to this. I don’t even have one. But thank you. I gotta get back to my group so we can head back to Sacramento. It was nice to meet you, Y/n.”

Y/n watched him reach a hand out to her, and she took it to shake. “It was nice to meet you, too, Damien.” 

The host sighed. “And our final guest, today, is SMOSH producer: Y/f/n Y/l/n. This is her first cast, and we’re very excited to have her on.”

“Aw, thanks, Ian. I almost forgive you.” She said with a glint in her eyes. “Yes, I am Y/n. I’m a new producer for SMOSH. I currently work under Sarah until I can get my feet more settled on the ground here.”

Shayne chimed in. “Have you noticed a difference yet? Between here and Mythical?”

The producer looked to be in thought before she replied. “Hm. The obvious difference is the job title. I was just a PA there, but I did a lot of producer side work because there were opportunities. I didn’t ever actually produce, but I still did a lot. I’m not complaining; I loved it. Obviously, or I wouldn’t have stayed as long as I did. But because I am currently working under someone, it’s mostly the same.”

The host closed his water bottle after taking a swig from it. “Are you excited to start as a producer on your own soon?”

“Uh, oh! Trick question!” Shayne called in his Aunt Carolyn voice before going back to normal. “You gotta say yes. Or you get fired.”

“Listen, bruh. I’ll take you. Don’t think I won’t.”

“Well, that’s not fair. Fighting you is like fighting three people right now. I’d have absolutely no hope!” The actor threw his hands into the air.

“OOOH nice segue, Shayne! It goes right into today’s first topic.” Ian looked into the camera. “We’ve always considered SMOSH as a...a family. We’ve had good times and some really awful bad times together. There are a few different kinds of out-of-the-workplace relationships amongst all of us.”

“Yeah, like Y/n has become my complete best friend. I mean, it started while she worked at Mythical, but it hasn’t changed since she moved over here. And right now, especially right now, we’ve grown even closer.” Sarah cut in while motioning to the new producer.

Y/n excitedly jumped in. “Yeah, I’m super thankful for Sarah just existing in the first place. I don’t have any family here in California, as you guys here at the table know. So, during everything that’s been happening, it’s been really...uplifting to have her support through it all. I couldn’t imagine the past year and a half without her.”

Sarah’s sweet smile held as she reached her hand out across the table and Y/n grabbed it to hold for a second. The men around the table let out a chorus of “aw’s.”

“Yeah, Damien, are you being replaced?” Ian asked. Jokingly.

The actor chuckled. “Listen, if Sarah wants to replace me, that’s fine. She’s got more cats. I completely understand.”

“That’s true.” Y/n looked into space. “She has quite a few more cats than you. But Freya and Zelda have become my children. I could never leave them behind. I’d have to take them with me!”

Damien looked at her for a second before he gave a simple “no.”

“I tried. Sorry, Sarah.”

The older producer giggled and shrugged. “That’s okay. I don’t know how many more cats Claudio will be okay with me having.”

“You just see Claudio coming home one day to an apartment full of six cats, and he’s super confused. ‘Sarah Whittle???? Do you even live here anymore? Sarah?’” Shayne laughed after giving a very bad mimic of Claudio’s accent.

“And then there’s just one giant cat because I’ve become one myself. ”

“But it’s like a cat from the movie ‘CATS,’ so it’s super terrifying.” Damien chuckled his way through his addition to the joke.

“Oh, my God. No. My poor husband. I couldn’t. OKAY, no more cats. I give I give! Damien, you can keep your girlfriend.” Sarah laughed.

There was a quick hush that spread across the studio. Ian raised his eyebrows and nodded. That just made his job so much easier.

“So, back to today’s topic…Some of our guests have an announcement to make.”

“It’s not really an announcement, though, Ian.” Damian began but stopped when the girl to his left gently put her hand on his arm.

“It kinda is. The photo from earlier wasn’t like...an official announcement. The caption you gave was a little vague. I also don’t know why I’m even arguing. My bad, babe.”

Damien turned toward her as best as he could with the surrounding equipment and table. “No, don’t worry about it. You’re right. This morning’s photo wasn’t an official statement.” 

If there was one aspect of being in Y/n’s current life situation that she detested the most, it was the constant migraines. Without fail, she would develop a headache when she first woke up.    

Damien learned to be prepared for the morning routine. In the first few months of their new lifestyle, he had grown to realize that mornings weren’t going to be the easiest. He would be the first to wake up, take his shower, and start the coffee and tea. Y/n had been a heavy coffee drinker until recently.  

After the actor got his morning routine out of the way, he went to wake up his girlfriend. It wasn’t that she wasn’t a morning person...but that she had difficult mornings. As he walked into their shared bedroom, he noticed she was sleeping peacefully for the first time in a while. Without wanting to miss out on the opportunity to express how happy he was at seeing his partner in a relaxed state, he pulled out his phone and snapped a pic. He opened Instagram to edit the picture, adding a grayscale filter. The caption was kept short, simple, and mildly vague; they did have a SMOSHcast announcement to make later that day, after all. After making sure that the blankets covered her body, he posted the picture for all of his followers to see. He proceeded to put his phone back into his pocket and get on with the rest of the usual morning routine.  

 Y/n pouted. “You’re so good to me.”

Damien gave a gentle smile and tapped her bottom lip so she’d stop. “It’s because you deserve the world.”

“I remember now why I made that rule about you two showing affection in the office. Y’all are gross.” The host shivered.

“You don’t have to lie, Ian. We know you dig it,” Shayne interceded.

“Yeah, when I first started a few months ago, I really believed my job would have been in jeopardy had Damien and I been caught in anything other than a respective distance apart from each other as co-workers. But, now that I’ve been here for a minute, I can tell how much you like to see your kids happy.” Y/n winked at her boss.

The president of SMOSH nodded in agreement. “The rules were for you two, honestly. I knew that you wanted to keep things private, so I was just trying to create a safe work environment for you. I’d never, well...at least now that I’m in charge of it all… I’d never ask you guys to do anything you weren’t comfortable with. When we agreed that you’d be coming over to SMOSH, Y/n, I knew that your privacy as a person and a couple would be at the top of your concerns. It wasn’t necessarily your choice to be a part of SMOSH, and I’ll never stop apologizing for that, but I want your experience here to be worth it. You’re worth it just by existing.”

“God, Ian. You know I cry easier these days, man. Don’t do this to me. Don’t be that ho. Fuck.” The girl was wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her SMOSH merch hoodie. “It’s fine. I didn’t actually put makeup on today. It’s cool. Whatever.”

“But I mean it. You were thrown to us when we needed it the most, and I’m, and the rest of us, are extremely grateful for you.”

 There was a jovial nature to the lounge that everyone was in. The SMOSH cast hung out in between sketch takes and were gathered for an impromptu meeting that Ian had called earlier that day. No one thought anything of it when Y/n walked in and made herself comfy next to Damien on the couch. Shayne was originally next to him, but he automatically got up and sat on the arm instead.

“How’s today been so far?” The Mythical PA asked as she settled in.

“Not bad. We knocked out a few sketches. We have some Pit stuff to record after this meeting.” Her boyfriend’s best friend responded.

“OH Y/n!” She heard Courtney cry from across the room. “Them boots! They’re so cute!”

“Thank you, Courtney! I found them on a resale Facebook shop. I’m not mad at them.”

Everyone in the room fell into their own conversations about this and that. Y/n took the time to look around and really take in the SMOSH members surrounding her. A year ago, she didn’t know ANYTHING about SMOSH, but she was happy for the relationships she built and the opportunities that being affiliated with the channel gave her. When SMOSH was bought by MYTHICAL, she found herself wandering over to SMOSH once or twice and did some side work. They’d borrow her occasionally, and she loved it.

Ian had walked into the room during her reverie and was attempting to draw everyone’s attention. Y/n missed the first part of what he was saying but eventually caught on.

“So, because we’re down a producer, we’ve been able to pick up a new one full-time. I think we’re all pretty excited that Y/f/n Y/l/n is officially joining our team as a SMOSH producer.” Ian kept going, but Y/n tuned him out to work through what he just said.

“Wh...what?” She asked, completely confused. “What did you just say?”

“You moved to SMOSH?” She heard Jackie ask from her right.

“Babe?” Damien looked down at her with scrunched eyebrows. “I didn’t know you were leaving Mythical.”

“I...I didn’t either.” The girl started floundering. “I...what? When did I move here? What do you mean I work here now? I don’t...What? I love Mythical...I would never leave.”

The president of SMOSH sighed and rubbed his forehead. “Well, fuck. This is not what was supposed to happen. I was given the green light from Mythical to make an official announcement. I would not have had this meeting if I, at any point, didn’t think you would know…”

“So...just like that...I work here now?” The girl was close to tears.

The room was quiet.

“Right. Right...I uh…” she got up and wiped her hands on her jeans. “I guess I have an office that I gotta cleanout on the other side of the building. If you’ll all excuse me…”

No one said anything as she left. Everyone looked at Damien, who then looked at Ian. Ian sighed heavily and walked out of the lounge.

Y/n was in the office she used to occupy putting things in boxes and trying hard not to cry. She loved working at Mythical. There hadn’t seemed to be any problems that she could see, but maybe she was so blinded by all of the good things in her life that she missed something.

“Do you want some help?” Damien stood in the doorway, wearing a sad smile.

That’s when she lost all composure. He must have caught the second she was about to start sobbing because he was right next to her chair, holding her as she kept sitting. He whispered words of love and encouragement as she cried.

“I don’t understand! I thought I was doing so well. I love it here! I got so much out of being here. What did I do?!”

Damien was crouched next to her at this point, wiping her tears. “Did you talk to them?”

“For like a minute. They said that I’d see more opportunities at SMOSH. They said that they could see me becoming something better over there. But they didn’t tell me that before they talked to Ian? I’m the one that essentially got fired! How can they just make these decisions for me?! I’m not…” She stopped.

“You’re not what, Baby?” He had his hands cupping her cheeks.

“I’m...I’m not ready...I don’t want to be a producer yet. I’m not ready to leave the nest yet. I don’t want it to change.”

Damien nodded in understanding. “That’s what’s really upsetting you, isn’t it? You don’t feel you’re ready to make this career change. Yes, and about being traded to SMOSH.”

“Don’t get me wrong. I love all of you. I love SMOSH. But I belong at Mythical. This is my home.” The woman sniffled. “It’s not time to leave.”

“Baby, you’re going to flourish at SMOSH. I know you’re terrified. Especially since this isn’t something that was discussed with you. And you’re right. It’s not fair. I’m sorry that they didn’t say anything to you.” He brushed some hair out of her face. “Love, it’s your choice if you want to work at SMOSH, but Baby, it’s time to leave Mythical.”

The next day at SMOSH, the couple found themselves at Ian’s desk. They were called in first thing, but Y/n wasn’t quite sure why. Ian was in his chair, taking a sip of his coffee while the two looked at each other.

“I think...we need to talk about somethings now that you’re both at SMOSH together. I know that you guys have been keeping everything private dealing with your relationship.” Ian took a minute to think through his thoughts.

The two nodded to show that they were listening and agreeing, so far.

“I couldn’t be happier that you two found each other. You’ve somehow managed to find your perfect other halves. It lifts the spirits here when you’d come over and visit, Y/n. You were already one of us before this week happened. I mean it.”

Y/n gave a sweet smile. “I know you do, Ian. I love you, too.

”Ian sucked in a breath. “So, I’ll have to lay some rules down in order to protect your privacy, because that’s my concern. What you do out of office hours is whatever. If you decide to come out as a couple, then I support it one hundred percent. But for now, with your wishes to remain unknown to the fans as in a relationship, there can’t be any PDA. We gotta nip that in the bud. I know this place is our home, but you never know. And when we’re on location or on a set, just please be careful. Okay? We’re a small company. We don’t have that many PR resources. Okay? Does that sound fair?”

The couple looked at each other. They seemed to be conversing with just their eyebrows and head movements. It took a minute or two before Damien spoke up.

“Yeah, about that...We do want to keep it as private as possible, but that might start to get a little hard.”

“Please don’t tell me that one of you posted something and that I’m too late.” Ian tapped the desk, anxiously.

“Oh, don’t worry, Ian.” Y/n bit her lip. “You’re not the one that’s late.”

The president couldn’t keep the deadpan expression from his face. “You kids are gonna put me in an early grave.”

 “Keep it up, Hecox, and I’ll quit. I swear it. I’ll just sit at home all day with the cats whilst judging OG SMOSH videos and why that weirdo with a bowl cut acts the way he does.”

“Okay, claws in, tiger.” The table laughed with Ian trying to fake-placate the girl. “I’ll hold in the nice things for the rest of the cast.”

“Thank you.” Y/n blinked. “No, wait!”

“Hey, Y/n,” Shayne called. “I like your hoodie.”

“Oh, this ol’ thing?” She pulled at it. “It’s borrowed, and it’s super soft. I’m LIVING. I wanted to ask if there was some vault or something where I could get my own.”

“No, no…” her boyfriend patted her shoulder. “You can wear this one. You can just wear all of my hoodies. Don’t worry about it.”

“I won’t be able to fit in them forever. I was already bigger than you to begin with. I don’t have long until I’ll get stuck putting them on. I need bigger ones, babe.” She turned to Ian. “Honestly, I don’t care what they look like. I just know I’m quickly running out of time before nothing fits anymore.”

“Yeah, of course. You’ll get your own to pick from. Don’t worry about it.”

It was Damien’s turn to pout. “But I like seeing your tumtum. Don’t put it awaaaay.”

“I love you so much, Damien, I do. But I’m about to suffocate in this.” She tried pulling at the bottom hem of the shirt to prove her point.

“If I may ask, how far along are you?” Ian spoke. “Also, as I ask this, I can see Shayne in the corner of my eye, giving me a look because he knows this answer.”

The blonde gave a suspicious smile. “I’m like the pregnancy stalker. I wasn’t trying to be weird about it. I was trying to give them their space, but like, Damien is my best friend in the entire world. I admit I have a problem. It hasn’t reached the point where I show up to doctor appointments, however.”

“Yet.” Y/n chimed in. “But uh to answer your question, Ian, we’re about...6 months? I think? Honestly, anything with numbers is gone from my head. Pregnancy brain is real. I talked to my best friend back home, who has two children, and she said sometimes, pregnancy brain never goes away. So...I’m SUPER excited for that. I can't wait to never do math again. THANKFULLY my man is super smart. He just has to be smart enough for the both of us from now on until we die.”

“That’s the most pressure I’ve ever been under. Thanks, babe.”

Shayne laughed. “Yeah. Having a kid? Easy. Being smart? Oh, man. OOOOOOH MAN. Whole other level.”

The SMOSHcast went on and drifted away from Y/n and Damien’s relationship to other topics. They talked about upcoming projects, future trips, and movies that were coming out. Shayne and Damien threw out jokes. Sarah and Y/n shared looks pertaining to things that were between just the two of them. Ian made sure to keep the talk flowing and always had something to say to stir the pot.

Finnerty called out that they were winding down to about fifteen minutes left of recording. Ian looked at the couple across from him and gave a slight signal that Sarah and Shayne didn’t miss. They shared a look but waited for the expecting couple to start. Y/n and Damien looked at each other to decide who was going to start. Y/n shrugged and sat up straight.

“So there was something else we wanted to share. But it’s actually for the two of you.” She faced Shayne and Sarah. “We were wondering if you’d do us the honor and be our kid’s godparents?”

Sarah’s face lit up, and Shayne gave a simple and quiet “what?”

Damien picked up where Y/n left off. “You two are our best friends, respectively. While yes, we wanted to discuss everything and make this cast an honest statement to the fans, we wanted to ask you something important to us. We love you guys, and there’s no one better for it.”

“OH MY GOD YES! REALLY?!” Sarah yelled but immediately apologized into the mic to the editing team. “You really want us to be godparents?? It’s a total, yes from me! I could never turn that down!”

Everyone turned to Shayne, who was busy trying to hide his tears behind his hands as he tilted his head back. They let him try to collect himself for a minute before Damien tried again.

“Buddy? You good?” He put a hand on his best friend’s shoulder.

“Oh, my God. You really trust me with that?” The blonde actor ran his hands through his hair while still looking at the ceiling.

The look in Damien’s eyes was softer than what Y/n was used to seeing aimed at anyone but herself. But she understood it. It was Damien and Shayne, after all. She winked at Sarah as the two giggled softly.

“Of course! Who else do you think I’d ask? You’re the only one I’d ever pick for that, man. I love you. And I’d be honored if you’d just say ‘yes,’ you dingus.”

“Well, duh! You think I’d say no? Oh, my God.” Shayne and Damien awkwardly hugged as best as they could.

Ian nodded at the whole thing. “Yep. Well, that’s a good place to leave that. Thank you, guys, for listening. If you enjoyed this SMOSHcast and want to know when we post more, then hit that bell. Subscribe. And hey, watch the rest of the videos we’ve uploaded. Stay safe out there. We love you.” 

[oopshidaisyy]

March Fic Recs

social distancing = a lot of time to read fanfiction instead of, um. working on my dissertation. i’m doing great!

Packing Nonstandard Equipment by susiecarter Caution: handle with care. The unexpected and unlooked-for (but not, in the end, unwelcome) complexities of banging Clark Kent. Clark/Bruce, 4k, E Note: look no further for clark kent’s hundred prehensile tubular mushroom dicks (hotter than it sounds)

in the bone by patho (ghostsoldier) It all began when Corvo started kissing the Mark for luck. Corvo/The Outsider, 2k, E Note: oh look, it’s the fic that singlehandedly convinced me to buy the dishonored video game, a purchase i regretted once i realised that 1) i am not good at video games and 2) there was no hand kink smut in the actual game. sad

Distance Between by thingswithwings Sam's doing paperwork when aliens come through a rift in space and start attacking New York. Steve/Sam, 11k, T

What I Need I Just Don’t Have by gyzym If you want this choice position, have a cheery disposition. (Or: Tony needs an assistant. Rhodey needs a break.) Rhodey/Tony, 2k, Not Rated

i thought of you and where you’d gone by gyzym Their eyes meet in the reflection of the frosted-over freezer glass, another layer of distance to be splayed haphazardly across the oceans and mountains and countries they keep building between them, and Eames is smiling at him. Arthur/Eames, 1k, T

oistros by arriviste Enjolras has heard all the stories about bonded pairs, but he's always dismissed them as propaganda. Half the work is already done for the oppressive system when they can package your commodification as a fairytale, make you kiss your chains. Enjolras/Grantaire, 41k, E

we live under a halo of held breath by gyzym Eames is wrong. Arthur can juggle. Arthur/Eames, 1k, G

wildest dreams (burn it down) by susiecarter Clark isn't sure why it happens. But the important thing is that it is happening: he's in heat, he can't figure out how to make it stop, and he's not sure what to do except flee to Antarctica. He isn't expecting Bruce to follow him. Clark/Bruce, 11k, M

Lovesickness by idiopathicsmile Inspired in part by tumblr user feferi's post here, specifically: "i am in love with the idea that enjolras is so baffled by his own emotions towards grantaire that he legitimately cannot tell if he has heartburn or stomach butterflies" Modern AU. Joly is a gentleman, a scholar, a med student—and, when need be, a matchmaker. And oh, the need is definitely being. Enjolras/Grantaire, 11k, T

Arms And The Man by copperbadge His best friend keeps cockblocking him, his relationship guru is a computer, and he might be gay. The future is very complicated. Steve/Tony, 14k, E

A Beginner’s Guide to Vulcan Sexual Practice, by Captain James T. Kirk by thingswithwings “It is tradition," Spock says blandly. "Surely you would not ask me to abandon Vulcan tradition." "Uh," Jim replies. Kirk/Spock, 4k, E

Hold Me Down by Elspethdixon, Seanchai Steve takes Tony back to his apartment to recharge and get warmed up following a fight with a supervillain. PG-13-rated shower sex ensues. Steve/Tony, 4k, E

hit me baby one more time by theappleppielifestyle Richie reaches up a shaking hand and puts it on Eddie’s stomach. “Uhhh,” Eddie says. “Is this a bit? Is this a really inopportune bit? ‘Cause I don’t know if you’ve noticed, Richie, but this is kind of an important moment-” “What the fuck,” Richie says, not for the first or last time, and lurches forwards to hug him. (Or, Richie gets stuck in a time loop.) Eddie/Richie, 11k, T

Mistake on the Part of Nature by idiopathicsmile Steve takes in Bucky's betrayed look and Sam's confusion, follows Sam's gaze to the pile of mangled fruit in the trash can. Sudden comprehension fills his face. "Oh," he says. "Bucky found out about bananas." Bucky/Steve, 1k, T Note: sometimes i like to rec a fic featuring a pairing i don’t even ship just to keep you all on your toes

inspired by your laugh to wait for things by gyzym Maybe in Night Vale, where everything else works a little bit wrong, love works a little wrong too. Maybe in Night Vale, where time occasionally stands on end and gravity pulls slightly less than usual every second Thursday, someone like Cecil, a love like Cecil's, could come without any strings attached at all. Carlos/Cecil, 4k, T

Love, Changing Tenses by susiecarter Bruce goes to the funeral as himself for a reason. Not so he can make friends with Mrs. Kent; that part's an accident. And definitely not so he can posthumously fall for Clark Kent, which is an even bigger accident. But it's fine. He can handle it. Until Clark rises from the grave, that is. Clark/Bruce, 17k, T

nice and nasty by firstaudrina Villanelle masturbates about Eve a lot. Eve/Villanelle, <1k, M

Momentum by gyzym It doesn't matter who you are; eventually, everyone's past catches up to them. Steve/Tony, 15k, T Note: i can’t remember whether i’ve already rec’d the first part of this series (ready, fire, aim) but this part is just as good, if not even better

close your mouth (open up your heart) by susiecarter Post-JL, Clark isn't sure what to make of Bruce Wayne, or that he's ever going to be able to figure it out. But maybe all he needs is a little help. Or: five times Clark had conversations with other people about Bruce, plus the time he managed to actually talk to Bruce. Clark/Bruce, 7k, T

Margin of Error by idiopathicsmile Amy had this thing where she did stuff that normally would’ve annoyed the hell out of Rosa, except it didn’t annoy Rosa at all. Which was confusing. Also, annoying. Rosa/Amy, 7k, T