#but dangit I'm writing these things so

[delicateartisantrash]

[an-inky-fingered-lass]

illuminate the no's on their vacancy signs

A collection of non-chronological moments from a different sort of happy ending. Family feels, pointless fluff, and important conversations. Rated G.

Read on ao3.

chapter 1 -- strawberry-stealing squirrel

“Hey.” 

May blinked contentedly at him, lit up with warm lamplight. “Hm.” 

Coulson got into bed beside her, slow and aching. There was warmth in that too, somehow. May curled up, setting her head against his shoulder, her weight solid and still somehow light against his side. She wasn’t actually reading any more, just flipping idly through pages. 

There was moonlight fading gently through the curtains. It was like they could see all the world’s stars out on the porch, most nights -- but it was chilly out there on this one. The stars would still be there tomorrow.  

“You tired?” 

May’s voice was soft. She was in better shape than he was, these days, because of course she was, but the hot water bottle half-tangled in blankets said she ached, too. 

“Mm. A little.” 

Tired meant something kind of different, these days. It was the years weighing down his bones, the way everything was somehow going so much faster the more they slowed down. It was a good feeling, most days, the way certain kinds of melancholy wrap around you like a blanket. 

May hummed again. 

“How are you feeling?” 

That slight shift of her weight was surprise. May leaned over to put her book down before she answered, switching off the lamp. She still insisted on sleeping on the side by the door, still carried those old specialist reflexes; unlikely reaction times and the almost cat-like effortlessness to it. He’d lost most of that to those months of deterioration, years ago; but the vigilance, the automatic, constant analysis was still there. They still went people-watching every once in a while, mostly to watch the world go by and be judgy old people in peace (May zeroed in on every leather ensemble that passed and ran background checks on stores instead of people, these days). They’d fought their wars.

May moved slower these days, limped more days than she didn’t, but she could still take Yo-yo’s entire STRIKE team. She didn’t teach much any more, but Yo-yo still wheedled her out to do demonstrations every once in a while. She said it kept the youngsters in their place. 

Phil got to spend every day beside her steadiness, steadfast as the mountains, and that was as safe as he could ever ask to be. 

“A squirrel stole all the strawberries off the plant,” May stated, as she curled up beside him again. Coulson wrapped long arms around her as she huffed, one arm draped warm over his belly. “All three of them.” 

Phil jostled them both with a startled laugh. “That does not answer the question.” 

“I feel like the squirrel.” May told the darkness, and also him, prim and matter-of-fact. The drowsiness in her voice was getting thicker by the moment. “Like I stole something nice and I’m happy about it.” 

Phil was outright belly-laughing by then, trying to get the blanket untangled from around his ankles without having to sit up to tug at it. So much for philosophizing. May lifted her head in annoyance at all the jostling, dropped her cheek back on his chest once he paused to gasp for breath. 

“Ask me how I’m doing next time,” she muttered, mostly asleep already. “ Please. ” 

“Ohohoho, like hell. You, Melinda May, just told me you feel like a strawberry-stealing squirrel. I am never asking you anything other than how are you feeling ever again.” 

There was no answer. May could feign sleep as well as anyone -- better, actually, since she’d finally trained herself to stagger the length of each exhale so you couldn’t crack the rhythm by counting to it. Phil lay still for a long minute, grinning into the darkness, just listening to the quiet snuffle of her peaceful breathing.

She might actually just be asleep.

[greyborn2]

First Lines!

Tagged in by @thana-topsy and oh gosh I do not know enough/have enough writer connections here to tag in more folks. Aaaaaa. Rules such as they are: Post the first line/paragraph of your current WIPS Gosh this was a hard one. Gave me an excuse to put the first paragraph(s, I got carried away.) down for the weird west fic I've got burning in my skull. Aside from that the only WIP I've got is Breath of Kyne, even though I'm technically several chapters deep in that. (And ended up burning through my word limit so I guess just one WIP it is! Another aaaa xD)

First page (like I said, got carried away) of the weird west fic (no name for it yet) - See, Junebriar was a witch hunter. One of the best in the northern counties by her reckoning. Though, ‘course, she only had her own reckoning to go off on that matter. The agency kept matters of a hunter’s record strictly private. To ‘discourage competition’, they said. But it doesn’t take a genius to figure out who’s on top. Stand around the agency hall long enough and folks would talk. They’d blather. Tell tales and stop trying to hide such things. Braggery did a good job of loosening lips, she knew that well enough. The rest? Well, they were green as fresh cut grass. They’d act as if bagging a dozen score witches and maybe a Dead Man or two was something worth bragging about. Junebriar… she knew better. She’d been at this since she was big enough to hold n’ shoot a gun, and that was pretty lil’ indeed. She wasn’t some short-horn novice. She was a hunter, and more importantly, she was a professional. In the literal sense of the word, too – was her profession dead and clear. She’d been in this game and would be in it still for the long haul. The other hunters, well, they didn’t like Junebriar much. Not least of all ‘cause she was a woman and there were still many, especially those that came from the far north-west counties, that thought hunting was a man’s game. That, and though they’d never admit, they just plain didn’t like her much. Management didn’t like folks talking ill of their top killer. Words carry meaning, and management didn’t want bad ones hanging over her head. She didn’t have time for idle talk or social calls. She’d once broken a man’s nose – Mayfield, his name was – in such a way that it had never been set right after. ‘Scarecrow’ they called her, as if that’d be a jab to her. Was on account of her looking half like one – all skin and bone and sinew under her dust worn clothes, her head as hairless as any scarecrow’s sack-skull. Words of menfolk stopped getting to her once she’d gone against such creatures that could put force behind their words.

[blackbutler-readerinsertsandjunk]

requests holding at 69

hehe

[captainmera]

ok but Caleb saying " I do not want to rob my son of his life" is heartbreaking.

It so bittersweet that he sees him like a son especially since he never got to meet his own child. I really love the scene where he gives hunter his cloak when he puts him to sleep, I think he would've been a good dad...

The way I've written Caleb's fatherhood-ness is this:

He was a parental-figure brother to Philip, but he was a child himself when he started doing that. I am sure Caleb grew painfully aware that he wasn't equipped to take care of Philip; 'nor in maturity or ability, but what's the alternative? There isn't one. You do what you gotta do with the knowledge and power you have.

Which means he probably didn't raise Philip exemplarily. You can blame the adult-Caleb for not adjusting to it; but then you're asking him to control his brother with a whole new set of rules and reshape their set and working dynamic, which is easier said than done with a teenage little brother. And you cant really blame child-Caleb for not knowing better.

Caleb acts quickly on his fears or intuitions out of terror that things can escalate for the worse. He thinks he knows best because that's who he had to be, regardless of if he actually does knows best. He never had anyone to turn to, he just had to figure it out on the fly.

I think his worst bully is hindsight, and although he acts out of love (embraced by fear) he, too, can see retroactively that his actions are at best clumsy and at worst consequential.

Nobody's perfect, I don't think he would've been a perfect dad (just as there are no ideal person or people, people are just.. people! trying their best) But I do think he'd be a very loving one. And for someone like Hunter, I think that's pretty much all Hunter wished for.

But yes, I think Caleb, with the person he discovered himself to be in the BI, is someone who would do a good job as a dad. He does care, he does love. Even if it kind of comes out like a hiccup and a slap on the back that's a little too rough.

centuries of watching his doppelganger (sons) live their lives I'm sure he also picked up on a few things to advise them on. He's better on giving advise as an observer than being the one to interfere. (clearly)

But all in all, I think he is very proud of Hunter and already considers himself a father to him. Hunter is, technically, his flesh and blood.

My version of Caleb is a very flawed person. His fatherhood and continues attempt to be a martyr or take on all the load is.. also.. Reflective on the Noceda family trauma of losing Manny.

Luz and Camila both try to shoulder the burdens in the family. Wanting to be the one who makes life easier for the other.

Caleb sees and recognises this, especially in Camila. That's why he seemingly hold no qualms in laying out the hard cold cards for Luz the way he did in chapter Modern Times.

Anyway, I like Caleb. At least the way I write him. He's a little scatter-brained and wheezing, but dangit he's pulling the plot onwards. :'D

[howlingday]

Nora: Ugh! Time traveling is so exhausting...

Jaune: Wait, what? What are you talking about?

Nora: You ever just sit around and write, then the next thing you know, you time skip twelve hours into the future?!

Jaune: Uh... Isn't that just passing time?

Nora: (Falls out of a portal) Ugh... We gotta get that fixed...

Nora: Did I forget to eat again?

Nora: Why do you think I'm here?

Nora: Aw, dangit! (Fades from reality)

Jaune: !

Nora: (Stands up)

Jaune: W-Wait! Where did she go?!

Nora: Uh-uh. Anyways, you got any snacks?

Jaune: ...

[tobiasdrake]

I was never hooked in to Digimon as a young thing but I started reading your Episode write-ups with the dub comparisons as it scratches a similar itch to the old Yu-Jyo site that compared the YGO Studio Gallop!Anime and the 4Kids dub (and helped assure me I was enjoying the series best with the Manga lmao)

Such detailed, interesting analysis seem to be a rare breed on today's internet! - but, now I've gone and got attached to them Kids. Dangit XD;;

XD It's hard not to.

Digimon Adventure almost feels like a deconstruction of an isekai from long before the genre was so prominent. Isekais are like "I have 80 million hit points and I'm the Demon Lord's Cousin!"

And over there in the 90's, Digimon Adventure was like, "What if suddenly being transported to a fantasy world of whimsy and peril against your will kinda sucked actually."

But it's not super grimdark and edgy about it either. There's lovable characters and goofing around and fun to be had here. It's just. Also going to put a therapist's kids through college some day.

[2ndalt]

To aid me on my quest of extreme procrastination, I've decided to translate the French version of The Dragon's Code. For context, the non-English versions of the Thea Stilton books have little extended scenes at the end that are basically just the main characters chilling after solving the mystery. There's quite a bit to translate, so I'm breaking it up and just translating one character per post.

Starting off with Violet!

Right off the bat she writes a letter to Colette, complaining about the nicknames that they gave Vi. She acknowledges the other nicknames Colette gives her friends, like calling Pamela "Pam" and Nicky "Nic" (And Violet points out that it's a bit excessive, since Nicky's already an abbreviated name). Violet then addresses the nicknames that Colette gave her: "Vivi" and "Princess". She hates these nicknames with a burning passion.

In fact, Violet is being so incredibly petty about it that she comes up with a couple of amazing nicknames for Colette to get back at her. My favorites include:

"Collante": Sticky

"Cocotte": Casserole

"Colique": Colic (I had to look this one up to understand the joke; Colic is frequent, prolonged and intense crying or fussiness in a healthy infant. Violet's basically using a fancy term for cry-baby.)

These jokes wouldn't have worked as well in the English version, but they're hilarious in French.

Then she writes a list of various things that annoy her, like loud music (dangit pamela), nicknames (looking at you colette), people who talk while she's trying to study, etc., etc.

However, the next letter Violet writes is to her parents, in which she mentions that she has some new friends! She's like: "Hey Dad, I know I'm terribly shy and introverted and most people view me as a dismissive, short-tempered person, but I have friends now! Even I'm surprised by this development!"

Honestly, it's very sweet to see how much happier Violet is after properly getting to know and become friends with the other Thea Sisters. Despite all of their differences, Violet has grown to appreciate their company and uniqueness. She ends off her letter with a hopeful little note:

"P.S: Raxford (Mouseford in other translations) has an amphitheatre where we can give concerts. Wouldn't it be great if we could organize one and have you come?"

All in all, very cute extended scenes :)

[my-autism-adhd-blog]

I've always hated euphemisms and I'm wondering if that's an autism thing. It feels like it is. I feel like they don't actually change the weight of the conversation and they just add an extra step in me understanding what someone's talking about. Like I've been on this world long enough to know the phrase "passed on" but no matter what every time I hear it my thoughts process is gonna be "passed on what? like passed on a turn? Oh they mean he died!". Nothing about that makes the conversation easier, it just adds more delay between me hearing something and me coming up with the right reaction, and then I'm risking coming across as cold and insensitive. And the thought in my head is still that the person is dead now, same as it would be if you just said that. It's annoying and I really don't get why people use these.

Hi there,

I can get where you’re coming from. Kinda like how some say “dangit” instead of “dammit” or “gosh” instead of “god”.

Some people just chose to speak that way. Maybe to make the conversation easier to talk about? Since the topic of someone dying can be hard to discuss if you just state “the person died” point blank. It’s easier to state that they have “passed on” before getting more into the topic.

But these are just my thoughts as I write this, so I may be misunderstanding the entire thing. I’m not sure if it’s a neurodivergent thing or not, but I think both NT and ND individual can get annoyed with these.

My main point here is that sometimes people can find things like death hard to talk about. So certain phrases are used to ease the conversation a bit. Like saying “they passed on” instead of just saying “they’re dead”. That’s too direct and blunt for some people.

Maybe my followers can help with this because I have no idea if what I’m saying to making any sense.

Anyway, I appreciate the inbox. I hope you have a wonderful day/night. ♥️

[suzukiblu]

I am loving billy adopting Conner !! 💖 ty for feeding us always with your DC content!! it's always unique and I very much appreciate the fact you love so many blorbo's (especially my batgirls who never get any screentime or rights within fics coughhh)

Thank you! I try to at least name-drop characters who are important to the specific blorbos I'm writing about/obsessing on, especially when they'd logically be relevant, even if I'm not majorly including them in the fic du jour. I feel like it rounds out the world and characters more and also it's just like . . . there was this thing where, for example, I used to read a lot of Steve/Tony fics back in the day and SO many people just NEVER mentoned Rhodey EVER, and it made me LEGIT INSANE, lol. So like, I try not to do that to people myself? It's just weird and jarring and ANNOYING, dangit!

Like I understand wanting to tell a ship-focused story, for example, but when you're 50k deep in a plot-heavy Stony fic and nobody's even throwaway-line MENTIONED Rhodey . . . . . . like COME ON, PEOPLE. And like, I feel similarly about for example Timkon that forgets Steph or Tana or other relationships ever happened even when it's clearly taking place AFTER those relationships had happened.

Also I still really wanna write some Cass/Kon sooooo . . . 👀

[dingbatnix]

Slime

Who's ready for some angst?

So anyway I have a different fic (the snippet I posted just a second ago) I wanted to do for valentine's, but that one is nowhere near finished, and this one is, so. Y'know.

It's kinda badly written, buuuut I don't care. I'm so very tired o~0

Anyway, enjoy!

Warnings:: Fear of death, dehumanization, ect.

Word Count: 3,070

Karl can't speak in his gummy/true form—which I've decided to use for angst.

He is a relative of the slime family, kinda like Slimecicle, but Karl can’t really control his form when he’s stressed/has lost too much mass. He mostly violet/purple, but his limbs do have a slight gradient to blue/teal. He is much younger than Slimecicle, and has not lived in a hole for centuries, so he has a much, much better understanding of retaining a human form and shape than Charlie does.

So anyway, he gets stuck in his true form for some reason, like exhaustion or stress.

It's equated to damage, like slime hybrids in osmp. He gets attacked by a mob of zombies, loses his ability to retain human-ish shape, and loses enough mass to be small, like a foot tall small. If he had enough to eat, and wasn't super stressed, maybe he'd be able to gain back enough mass to become his human self again, but, as it is, he can't.

And he can't speak, either. His two fiancés, Sap and Q, don't know about his true form, and he's scared of what they might do to him if they catch him (while Sap and Q are very kind to him, in his human form, he didn't want to risk it. Quackity had a mean streak twenty miles wide, and Sapnap did enjoy killing things. Especially pets. What if he got mistaken for a hostile mob? He was a slime, after all) so, he tries to hide in Kinoko.

But! After a few too many close calls, he decides that it would be better for him to go somewhere else, so he travels out of Kinoko into the main Smp. This leads to him getting caught by some curious people (Tubbo, Ranboo, and Michael) who think that Karl's just a strange, somewhat intelligent, mob. They end up keeping him in a cage as a cool new pet, and poor Karl doesn't have anything to write with or signify that he's not an animal, dangit. A pencil wouldn't really be much use, because he didn't actually have fingers in his slime form, but still. He could have worked it out.

The teens weren't so bad, he supposed, but they treat him like he’s a cat or a dog or something, and it just feels demeaning. So, he devises a plan to escape. It’s really not that hard, actually, he just has to squish his malleable body through the bars of his kennel and make his way out the door. The snow outside poses a bit of a problem for his semi-liquid body, but he is the consistency of jello. It helps him a little bit, but some of his body mass freezes off, leaving him even smaller. Eventually, though, he manages to get out of the tundra and starts making his way back to Kinoko, because even if he gets caught and treated like a pet by Sap, Q and Goggy, at least it'd be safer. At least it'd be by people he trusted. At least it'd be by the people he loved. And even if they kill him, at least he wouldn’t have to live as somebody’s pet anymore.

Meanwhile, Sap and Q are freaking out, cause they can't find Karl anywhere, and it's bordering on four weeks that he's been missing. They’ve nearly turned the Smp upside-down looking for him, and unfortunately, nobody else has seen Karl, either.

So when Karl finally makes it out of the tundra, he still can't change back. He's just so stressed with everything going on, so when he eventually gets to Kinoko, he's faced with a choice: hide again, or show himself to try and communicate with the other residents of Kinoko.

He made the easy choice. He decides to find his fiancés.

The two were in the courtyard, Quackity reading through some documents piled next to him and Sapnap sparring against a training dummy. He approached them carefully, hiding behind barrels and building fixtures until he was close enough to reveal himself to Quackity. (He was not going near Sapnap with a sword, not when he looked like this. That was a good way to get cleaved in half.

He finally revealed himself to Quackity, stepping out from the shadows and tugging on the avian’s pant leg. Quackity shrieked, flailing enough to tip his wicker chair over and scatter his papers across the stones of the courtyard. Sapnap heard Quackity scream and was running in a flash, brandishing his sword towards Karl as he sprinted over.

Karl’s heart stopped. He had the opportunity to run, in the short time before Sanap arrived and speared him through, but…this was the first time he had seen either of his fiancés since he first got stuck like this. It had been nearly a month. And now, Sapnap was about to kill him, and they’d. They’d never know. They’d never know that it was him.

Karl’s legs wobbled, and then all but melted beneath his body. He threw his arms over his head and curled in on himself, his entire being quivering in fear and despair. He didn’t want to see Sapnap kill him, didn’t want to see one of the loves of his life deliver the final blow.

Sapnap skidded to a stop just as he reached them, head cocking in confusion as the little purple slime folded in on itself upon his arrival. The entire mass was wiggling, almost like it was afraid of him. Curiously, he poked it with the tip of his sword and was rewarded by it unfurling and trying to scramble away on its back. Beady little dot eyes blinked at him, wide and glimmering in the morning light.

"Hey! It's colored like one of Karl's hoodies! Like, y'know, the blue and purple one?" Sapanp realized, a grin spreading across his face as he shot a glance at Quackity. The avian, who had been crouched behind his overturned wicker chair, peeked over it at the slime's splayed out body. Sapnap was right. It did look like one of Karl’s hoodies.

“So it does,” he agreed, climbing to his feet and approaching Karl. “It…it seems more scared than hostile.” Karl nodded frantically at the avian’s words, scooching backwards as Quackity grew closer. Quackity paused in surprise and shared a look with Sapnap. He waved at the fireborn to put away his sword and turned back to the shivering slime on the ground.

“Hey,” he murmured, crouching slowly down to inspect the little slime. “Can you understand us?” At Karl’s hurried nod, a pensive frown stretched across his face. “...can you speak?”

Karl slowly shook his head, feeling strangely ashamed.

After some contemplation, he turned back to Sapnap with a curious expression on his face. “I think it’s like Charlie. Just…not quite as developed, maybe? Cause Charlie can talk, even when he’s small.”

Sapnap snorted out a small laugh. “Don’t let Charlie hear you say that. He’ll freak out over his ‘cover’ being blown.” All the same, he joined Quackity in inspecting Karl.

Karl deflated at the remark. While it wasn’t meant to hurt him, it still smarted. Charlie was older than he was! By several centuries! Of course he’d have better control over his body!

He waved his arms furiously, gesturing towards himself, and then towards Sapnap and Quackity. He was trying to tell them that it was him, that he was Karl, but they just didn’t seem to understand!

He couldn't sign either, he didn't. Have. Fingers.

He was still himself! He was still Karl…he guessed the others didn't realize that. He guessed they couldn't tell. They wouldn't have any reason to think that he, the strange little slime creature that wandered up to them, was their fiancé.

Unbidden, his eyes started to burn, and tears sprung to his eyes. Karl scrubbed at his eyes furiously. He didn't want to cry! Of all the things he couldn't do in his slime form, why wasn't crying one of them?!

"It's crying! Dude, I think you hurt its feelings! What do we do?" Sapnap exclaimed, tail twitching and flicking anxiously. Quackity shrugged, eyes guilty. “I dunno, man! I didn’t know slimes could cry! Charlie never has!”

Sapnap bit his lip, thinking, then scooped Karl up into his arms. “Hey, it’s okay, little guy. I know Quackity can be a dick sometimes, but don’t take it to heart. It’ll be okay, okay?” Sapnap ignored the affronted noise that the avian made and gently stroked his fingers over Karl’s head while making cooing noises. Karl took the gesture of comfort for what it was, burying his head against Sapnap’s chest and sobbing into the fireborn’s shirt. He poured the pent-up emotions of being trapped in a cage for days and treated like an animal, of being half frozen, of being afraid and unable to speak for weeks into Sapnap’s shirt, soaking it through with fluids he probably couldn’t afford to lose. If he kept crying like he was, he'd start losing more mass. He didn’t want that. Not when it was so hard to gain back.

Karl cries for a long, long while. Sapnap and Quackity don’t really know what to do, because that’s obviously not because of Quackity’s remark, but something that had built up over time.

They decide to take in the little slime, letting it live with them as long as it wanted to.

For Karl, their decision was a godsend, because he could rest and recover in a familiar place, with people he loved. He was allowed to roam wherever he wanted (which is a step up from the cage Tubbo had him in) and he stayed with at least one of his fiancés every day. Unfortunately, he was still stuck in his slime form, no matter what he tried.

Despite everything, Sapnap was rather…dense. And most of the time, Quackity was either busy with his affairs with Las Nevadas, or he was looking for Karl. Neither of them ever realized that he was with them, nearly all of the time.

And no matter how much he tried, he couldn't get his hands on an inked quill and a piece of paper. The frustration had reduced him to stinging tears, and it took him a while more before he gave up and accepted that he'd probably never get to tell his fiancés who he was.

It was fine. He would be fine.

He would.

_______

Quackity found himself becoming rather fond of the little slime over the few weeks it had been with them, and he was absolutely delighted on the days it decided to hang around with him. It usually alternated between himself and Sapnap, and sometimes didn’t go with either of them, but today it had decided to spend its time with him.

Right now, it was hanging from his neck like a sloth, or perhaps a koala would, as he made his way along one of the many paths of Las Nevadas. He was headed to the casino today, needing to do a checkup on the slot machines and make sure that nobody had tampered with anything.

A green, semi-translucent figure bounced towards Quackity, and a fond smile grew across his face as Charlie barreled closer. He raised a hand in preparation to greet the slime. Charlie’s face lit up, and he sped towards Quackity at a much more rapid pace, his own gelatinous arm raised to meet the avian’s.

"Hello, Quackity from Las Nevadas! Hello, Karl from Kinoko Kingdom!" A green palm slapped his own, but Quackity was too startled to respond to the slime’s exuberant greeting. Karl was here?!

Quackity jerked ramrod straight, and his head whipped from side to side, wildly searching the surrounding buildings. "Karl?"

The little purple slime frantically patted Quackity's chest, nearly losing its one-armed grip around the avian's neck. Quackity looked down at it with sad eyes, confusion clear in his face.

Karl slapped his own chest, staring imploringly at the big avian. To his utter disappointment, Quackity looked away from him and back up at Charlie.

"Wh–where's Karl, Charlie? Where did you see him?" The avian sounded desperate, and it hurt, to hear Quackity call for him when he was right there. Karl’s eyes stung, and he sent a pleading look Charlie’s way. The bigger slime met his gaze, and a small, sympathetic grin formed over his face.

Very gently, the bigger slime leaned forward and patted one green hand on top of Karl's head. "Karl from Kinoko Kingdom." The green slime said plainly, moving his gaze from Karl up to Quackity’s.

Karl nodded frantically, twisting his hand-nubs into Quackity's rumpled dress shirt and bracing his legs against the avian’s sternum. He pulled himself up, high enough that he was face-to-nose with Quackity, and waved frantically between himself and Charlie. His movements were so violent that he lost his grip, and panic strummed though his body when he tipped backwards and fell.

His back smacked against something oddly lumpy, and he realized that Quackity had brought his hands up to catch him, even while he was staring at him as if he was in some kind of daze.

Finally, Quackity blinked several times and hesitantly brushed his thumb along Karl’s arm, almost as if he thought the slime would disappear at a moment's notice.

“Y-You’re Karl?!” His voice was shaking, and his eyes were watering. Karl nodded frantically, curling one of his hand-nubs around Quackity’s thumb. The line of the avian’s mouth wavered, and he wiped his eyes on his shoulder before turning to Charlie.

"Charlie, why can't he talk?"

"He's been de-gooped, Quackity from Las Nevadas. He doesn't have enough of himself to form properly." Charlie paused for a long moment, then. "Not that I know anything about that, seeing as I am a perfectly normal human being with perfectly normal human bones."

Quackity didn’t bother answering, instead staring down at the little purple slime draped over his hands. Karl had been with them the entire time…? Karl had been with them while they were looking for him…

An incredulous laugh escaped from his lips, and soon, he found himself doubled over, Karl clutched to his chest, cackling like a madman as a wave of emotion overcame him.

Karl found himself squished against a layer of smoky cotton as he was squeezed to Quackity’s chest in a desperate hug, the scent of cigarettes and the dusty smell of sand pervading his senses from the tight embrace.

After what felt like too much time and not enough, Quackity loosened his grip on Karl’s body, and his laughter petered out. A doofy grin still decorated his face, and his eyes were scanning over Karl like he’d never seen him before.

Seconds later, his eyes widened, and his grin grew. “I gotta tell Sapnap! Holy fuck he’s gonna be so happy!”

Quackity shifted Karl to one arm and pulled his communicator out with the other. It took him a few seconds to do it one handed, but Karl saw him pull up Sapnap’s contact and hit call. It rang for a few moments, before their third picked up. “Yea–”

“Sapnap, Sapnap, I fucking found Karl.” Quackity didn’t even pause to let Sapnap get a word in, bowling over anything the other man had to say. “Sapnap, he’s the fucking slime, he’s fucking been here the whole goddamn time!”

“Oh my fucking god.”

“I fucking know!” Quackity grinned down at Karl, cradled in the crook of his left arm. Karl waved back up at him, eyes scrunched up in joy.

“I’m headed over there right now. Don’t you two fucking move, got it?”

Quackity laughed and planted himself on a bench on the side of the road, pulling Karl into his lap and hugging the little slime to his chest. “We won’t, we won’t. We’ll be here, dude.”

Quackity hung up and shoved his communicator back into his pocket. His other arm circled around Karl’s pliable body, and he looked down at the slime, eyes wide with wonder.

“Dude, what the fuck,” he whispered, and all Karl could do was shrug, chest feeling lighter than it had in a long, long while.

Charlie wandered away while they waited, stating that he needed to go check his holes (Quackity needed to fill some of those in, he’d nearly broken his ankle about eight times) leaving the two of them to wait for their third.

When Sapnap finally arrived, he made a beeline for the little purple slime resting in Quackity’s lap, sprinting through town and skidding to a stop right in front of them.

He immediately reached for Karl, his warm hands surrounding his torso and his thumbs pressing against Karl's chest. He was plucked up from Quackity’s arms before he could blink, and then he was brought towards Sapnap’s face.

The huge fireborn pressed a kiss against Karl’s face, lips as big as his head smothering against his face. He leaned into it, wrapping his arms around Sapnap's cheeks and jawline in an awkward hug. It was a good thing he didn't technically breathe through his nonexistent mouth, because he'd be suffocating from how long his face was being squashed into Sapnap's lips.

Then he was being squished against the fireborn's stubbled cheek, a deep, elated purr jiggling his entire body. Karl leaned into it, burying his face into Sapnap's cheek and wrapping himself in the familiar, comforting scent of charcoal and dirt. It felt different now, now that they knew.

Sapnap held him at arms length, hands still wrapped firmly around his chest. Karl’s legs dangled limply below, but he couldn’t find it in himself to care.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Sapnap asked earnestly. Karl shot him a flat look and getsured first at his mouthless face, then at his fingerless hand-nubs, and then finally over his whole body in general. The fireborn winced, realizing that Karl physically couldn’t.

It was fine now, though, because they finally knew.

When they finally went to bed that night, he was cocooned between their chests, in a warm embrace formed by the blanket and the two bodies of his fiancés. He wasn’t a pet, he wasn’t dead, and they. Knew.

He still couldn’t build up enough body mass to grow back to normal size and retain his human shape, but it was more bearable now, now that his fiancés knew who he was.

Taglist!

@brick-a-doodle-do @i-am-beckyu @da3dm @kayla-crazy-stuffs @local-squishmallow @skullsnbruises @munchkin1156 @gt-daboss

[tonberry-yoda]

You Don't Have to Miss Me

Pairing - Reaper x reader

Warnings - none! angsty, but fluffy, but angsty lol (i also didnt proofread this at all lol, so if there are some funky bits, i really dont care lmaooooo)

Word Count - 1,954

Notes - i have been loving overwatch and then this hottie appeared and i was like... dangit. now i have to write for him smh. this is 7 pages on google docs lmaooo. im not the biggest fan of this one, but i thought i would just put it here for funsies lol. enjoy and have a good day and stay hydrated!! <333

Gabriel woke up, completely exhausted. Nothing new. At least he had those few moments of sleep that made him forget about the pain. Even if it was only a couple of hours, it was bliss. But it still didn't make up for the times he would wake up with nothing but pain surging through his body.

He quickly got out of bed, trying to make himself busy before he thought too much about the pain. That was difficult though, especially considering just how bad it hurt. He was in agony. It's like he was going insane. He just wanted it to stop.

Gabriel jumped feeling his cat rub on his leg, hoping to get some attention. Gabriel leaned down with a small smile, petting it on the head. “I'll feed you soon, Grimm.”

Grimm mewed with curiosity as Gabriel walked to the bathroom immediately greeted by his tired face. The icing on the cake. On top of feeling like shit, he looked like shit too. Just great.

He was quickly pulled from his mind as he felt Grimm’s soft fur back on his legs. “Grimm, no kitties in the bathroom.” He held Grimm from under his arms, the fat thing going ragdoll mode just to annoy Gabriel. “Shoo, out.” Gabriel pushed Grimm’s chubby butt away from the bathroom and slammed the door, sad and lonely meows quickly following.

Gabriel just stared at himself in the mirror for a moment before taking a deep breath. He needed to take a goddamn shower. He already looked and felt like shit, he didn't want to smell like it on top of that.

Ignoring the sad meows from the other side of the door, Gabriel let the water from the shower cover his whole body. Nice and warm. Today was going to be a long day, best to start it off good.

His nice shower was quickly interrupted, however, when he heard his phone ring. Usually, he would ignore that sort of thing, but when he peeked his head out of the shower, he saw your name plastered on his screen.

He cursed under his breath and jumped out of his shower, wiping his hands dry enough to at least answer the call.

“Reaper! That you?!” He put you on speaker and could hear that you were in the middle of battle, gunshots and explosions going off in the background.

“Y-Yeah. What’s up?” He jumped back in the shower, washing the soap out of his hair.

“Are you in the shower right now? OH SHIT!” He heard a couple of gunshots in the background and then silence.

“Are you oka-”

“You still there, Reaper?”

“Yeah, I'm still here.” He quickly ended his shower and wrapped a towel around his lower half.

“Are you nearby at all?” You sounded out of breath.

“Nearby as in…”

“We’re in Spain right now. I was wondering if you-”

Gabriel laughed, drying off his hair. “Sorry, sweetheart. I'm at home in America right now. There is no way in hell I'm rushing my ass over to Spain in the next five minutes. Call someone else.”

“Ugh! You’re no help, you know that?!” You took cover and reloaded your gun. “EAT MY BULLETS YOU PIECE OF SHIT!! I'll call you later, Reaper. I should be back tomorrow morning. Oh… and about the other night-”

“I don't want to talk about it.” Gabriel put his finger over the hang up button, tempted to press it.

“Don't hang up, Reaper. I just wanted to-”

Gabriel hung up quickly. He didn't want to talk about the other night, nor did he want to hear about it.

— — —

“What an asshole!” You reloaded your gun and went haywire on the other team.

“Is everything alright?” Widowmaker ran up to you and quickly grabbed your hand helping you off of the ground.

“I'm fine. Just a little pissed, that’s all.” You couldn't help but talk through gritted teeth. You were on edge right now.

“Do you wanna talk about it?” Widowmaker watched your back and you watched hers. Thank god you had her on your side.

“I mean… I do… but he asked if we could keep it on the downlow, so I don't think I can.”

“He? You didn't tell me this was about a guy!” Widowmaker’s eyes went shiny, ready for you to spill everything.

“Oh, shut up, Widow, it's not like that.” You rolled your eyes, giggling a bit.

“Sure it's not.” Her tone was mocking, but it didn't stop you from laughing a bit. “So, who is he? Is he handsome? Does he have muscles?”

“Not telling. Yes. Yes.” You quickly ran through her questions, keeping your eyes on the other team.

“Do I know him?”

“I'm not telling you that.”

Widow rolled her eyes and you both heard a loud, “FIRE IN THE HOLE!!!”, which meant it was time for you both to get out of there.

“Come on, y/n! Just tell me!”

“He would kill me if I did that!” You both hurdled over a bus and held the back of your heads for cover.

“I got it!” You heard loud music and looked up to find Lucio, who threw you a thumbs up. Quickly after his attack, there was cheering from the rest of your team.

You won. Thank god.

Maybe that would finally get Widowmaker to stop asking questions.

— — —

“Sooooo,” DVA walked over to you, taking a long sip from some fruit punch. “I heard you were uh… you know… with a guy?”

You nearly choked on your food that you got from the little celebration table for winning. Of course Widowmaker had to blab about this. You knew you should’ve kept your mouth shut.

“Look, DVA, it doesn't really matter, okay? Where’d you get the punch?” You tried to change the subject, but of course that wouldn't work for DVA.

“So, who is he? Is he a dirtbag? I hope he’s treating you well!” She put her hands on her hips dramatically and you shook your head, standing up to leave.

“It doesn't matter, DVA. And yes! He’s treating me fine, thank you!”

“But Widowmaker said you were pretty pissed at him.” DVA checked her nails and you froze. How much did Widowmaker say?

“What are you two talking about?” Widowmaker appeared, grabbing herself something sweet off of the table full of food.

“Oh nothing,” you walked over, nonchalantly taking some food for yourself. “Just that you're spilling the news to everyone about a guy that I'm friendly with.”

Widowmaker’s face turned a dark shade of red. “I-I'm sorry. I just thought-”

You giggled and patted her on the shoulder. “I'm joking Widow. But seriously,” your tone got low, getting close to her ear. “Tell one more person and you’re gonna get it.”

Widowmaker laughed nervously, but you gave her another reassuring pat. “You can't blame me for wanting to know about the mystery man, y/n.”

“I know, I know it's just-” You were quickly interrupted by your ringtone. “Sorry, Widow, I gotta-” You looked down at the name and your face went bright red. “I-I gotta go! Eat an extra cake for me, okay?!”

Why did Reaper have to call you now?

“Hello?” You found a small closet to hide in for the time being, far enough from the celebration. “Reaper?”

“Hey… uh…” Gabriel rubbed the back of his neck. “Are you busy?”

“No… I mean… we just won, so we’re kinda celebrating,” you scooted an old mop to the side, sitting on the ground. “But I'm not busy. I can talk.”

“Oh, congrats.”

“O-Oh! Thanks, Reaper! So… uh… what did you want to talk about?” Your voice was soft, trying not to attract any attention if anyone walked by.

“Uhm… you know what… nevermind. It doesn't really matter. Celebrate your accomplishment. You deserve it. See you tomorrow, alright?” Gabriel went to press the hang up button, but you stopped him.

“Wait… Reaper… what’s up?”

“I'm sorry.”

“Sorry? Why are you sorry?”

“Just,” Reaper sighed. “About the other night. I know we haven't seen each other in a while. I shouldn't have-”

“Gabe… I mean, Reaper. You don't have to apologize. Really. I just-” You were quickly interrupted by a knock on the door. “I have to go. We can talk tomorrow. Promise.”

“Wait, I-” You hung up the phone, leaving Reaper’s house in complete silence.

— — —

Gabriel woke up to the feeling of Grimm’s cold paws on his face. “Dude,” he sat up, his voice tired. “Who the heck let you in here? Did I leave my door open last night?”

Grimm mewed at him sweetly and ran his tail under Gabriel’s chin. He looked around the room, subconsciously petting Grimm. Something was off. Different. His door was open and so was his closet. Did he just forget to close everything the night before? Was he that tired?

Grimm jumped off the bed with a loud meow and quickly ran down the stairs. He was acting weird too. Was Gabriel just that tired?

He just remembers getting off of the phone with you and then…

Wait.

Gabriel quickly jumped out of bed, slipping on some sweatpants, and ran downstairs, immediately greeted by the smell of eggs and bacon. He slid to the kitchen, pulling out his guns pointing them at… you?

“Woah! Put those down, Reaper!” You ran up and moved his guns down with a giggle. “Sorry! I didn't want to wake you up!”

Gabriel sighed with relief and leaned against a nearby counter. “I knew something was off in the house.”

You smiled and handed him a plate of breakfast. “I'm just glad you didn't shoot me.”

“Me too.” Gabriel chuckled softly and took his breakfast with a soft thank you.

“I'm not mad by the way, Gabe.” Your voice was low, your eyes glued to the window in his kitchen.

“You're not?”

You shook your head and turned your gaze to Gabriel. “We just… needed to talk. Maybe not that loudly,” you chuckled and took a long sip from your coffee. “But we talked, didn't we?”

“I guess… I just… I didn't want to yell at you like that.” Gabriel got flashbacks of a couple nights ago. You were just coming to visit. It had been years. You ended up talking… and then yelling… and then screaming. Some of it felt good, and some of it didn't. Some of it he meant to say, and most of it, he didn't. He knew you cared about him… he just didn't want to get attached. He didn't want to be a burden to you. He just… wanted you to be happy. And he didn't think that being around him would make that happen.

“And I didn't want to yell at you like that either, Reaper. I just… I care about you.”

“But you shouldn't.” Reaper could feel tears in his eyes that he quickly tried to cover. He couldn't cry. He wouldn't.

You walked up and cupped his cheek, smiling into his eyes. Something about seeing him without the mask made you feel special. Hell, maybe you were.

“Gabe, I-”

He couldn't help it. Those cute eyes. That sweet smile. Your soft touch. He cupped both sides of your face and leaned down to your level, pressing his lips to yours. You quickly sank in, throwing your arms around the back of his neck, pulling him closer.

He couldn't help but still love you. Even after you and Soldier left him. Even after he left you. He couldn't help but want you back in his life. He loved you. He loved you so much.

You pulled away, running your fingers through his soft, but messy hair. “Gabe. I miss you.”

“You don't have to miss me anymore.”

[plushietoon]

Also, just saw your pinned; hit me with the sweet Kat & Ana takes

N'aww, you think my takes are sweet? I'm flattered! I hope I don't let you down! ...also so sorry this ended up being a REALLY long post. The twins be a hyper fixation, I feel awful about it. So um...maybe get a snack or something while reading...idk...thank you for reading and supporting my thoughts if you do.

send me a character and i’ll list:

favorite thing about them

They are baby but they can kick your ass.

Individually, Kat has ADHD vibes and as a person with ADHD, I feel we both just forget to pause and have taken things seriously. Also she is protective of Ana and I relate. Plus there's something charming about Kat trying to act like the grown up between her and Ana.

I'm a bloody sensitive crybaby and had projected that onto many favorite characters much to my current shame. I'm trying not to push that trait onto other characters now. But to know that Ana's an actual crybaby resonates with me and thus I get to write sob stories with her as I please. Horrible, I know. But I do adore that she is childlike but observant, sort of mature.

least favorite thing about them

The original voices. Ok, I can't diss on those ladies too much, they were doing silly voices for a bit. It is frustrating that most of the twins' voice stuff then and now are not separated in files. I want to animate them saying stuff dangit.

Anyways, I love and hate that Kat is a bit of a bully to Ana because like, why would you be mean to your baby sister, but at the same time, siblings tend to fight. It creates interesting situations. IDK, her saying that Ana is hopeless resonates with me as in yeah I been in Ana's shoes, but also I shamefully take any chance to pity characters I love. Woobiefication been a thing for my whole life, unfortunately.

I'm not a big fan of Fryda and probably the newer games' writers and voice director making Ana more loud and energetic in GiT and Move It. It makes her less distinguishable from Kat who's always been the energetic loud twin. Ana has always been portrayed and described as the timid, quiet, cautious sibling and to see the newer games muddle that trait makes me annoyed. Ana's portrayal in Gold is perfect, though I will not lie some newer voice lines are still cute.

favorite line

Kat - "I need a nap!"

Ana - "I've never been readier!"

...what? I like it when the twins' actual age show up.

brOTP

If you spend like 5 seconds on any of my active plushietoon accounts, you'll easily find that I adore Lulu and Ana being besties. Stemmed from throwing the two together in roleplay, and seeing Ana kinda latching onto Lulu whenever Kat's away cuz Lulu is like...brash and confident like Kat. But Lulu also likes frilly things that Kat can't stand. I feel Lulu is also a bigger fan of cuddles. But both Lulu and Kat will protect Ana...though technically all of WarioWare would protect each other.

Can't forget that technically Kat and Ana are also BrOTP too, cuz they're siblings. Best siblings perhaps. But most certainly they are like each others' best friend. Kat can be outspoken and speaks a lot for herself, she's also one to speak up for Ana too...though maybe sometimes too much. Ana is a bit different from Kat so there are some differences in needs, and like Kat can assume incorrectly and overstep boundaries. But generally Kat is pretty good at guessing what her sister needs. On the other hand, Ana is scarily good at knowing what Kat wants and needs in general. She is observant and cautious...though isn't above following Kat's childish/reckless antics...sometimes.

OTP

Debatedly Lulu and Ana but, they're baby. It's too soon to tell. Plus I love platonic stuff. I have mixed feelings about romance in general due to...past experiences. People be taking (romantic) shipping too seriously sometimes. IDK, I'm one to say that Lulu and Ana end up having a very deep intimate connection that doesn't surpass the twins' familial love for each other, but is plenty close enough with snuggles. It's the kinda bond that makes one think "is that romantic?" when they're older but the true answer is a mystery because love comes in all shapes and forms. But that's a me logic.

Kat x ninjutsu #1 ship though. Nothing beats that in regards to the twins besides the twins' love for each other. Life long love, baby!

nOTP

Aside from me saying "i do not care what you create or consume but please keep the non platonic ships involving the girls with anyone who are teenagers and adults when the girls are kindergartners away from me", I'm iffy about shipping Kat and Ana with the Volt boys. They're currently at different developmental levels. I get it could get romantic when they're older, but it's not my cup of tea. Plus, it's probs a me thing but, imagining the twins and volts dating each other simultaneously feels weird. It's hard to pinpoint why for me but I won't be dissing anyone who ships them.

Also I sometimes consider myself Leo x Ana's biggest hater. I mean...I'm ok with it, and very much support the idea of Leo having a crush on her. It's just that he's like a bully to the ninja twins, and probs punched below the metaphorical belt even when trying to figure out that lovey feeling. People shouldn't be rewarded for being a dick to those they have a crush on (or love). But again, do what you want, it's fiction. I get the enemies to lovers thing and people change as they grow. Fans probably ship the two because they aren't shown to be glaring at each other in the GiT gallery. I've thought of Ana and Leo like the Anya x Damien thing from SPY x FAMILY. But I know there are folks who ship Kat x Leo, and that's coo too. And that's waaaay more fitting of the enemies to lovers dynamic.

random headcanon

I could go on all day about what brainworms I have about the twins, but here are the ones I said on this account so I don't repeat myself. And now for two more.

Kat fractures her (left) leg at some point in her life, possibly around the current 'ware period, or older. Definitely from a fight with some baddie (or training gone wrong). Has some agony over "no fighting, training, or rough play for awhile" for about a week. But she recovers quickly enough from it in that time thanks to cartoon logic and the Crygors' help. Based off the fact that my first Kat sticker from Sweet Cosplay Sisters lost her leg. Also she's reckless, and battle happy.

Ana is sensitive to touch and affection. Does not like it when a stranger or person (she doesn't trust) touches or holds her and can cry from it. But being gentle and familiar is comforting and can ease upset feelings or overstimulation. Will often take hugs from Kat and some of the crew, though Kat isn't a big cuddle bug. Ana's the one who initiates most of the affection between herself and Kat.

Seriously, please ask me about the twins, it makes my day. Y'all may also ask questions to the Ana ask blog I made (@/cautiouslittleninja). It'll be like asking Ana herself...kinda...it's unofficial for sure. I want to return to it and all the WarioWare fanfics, comics, and whatnot that's brewing in my brain. But i'm terrified of the fandom. ;w;

unpopular opinion

Repeating what I said earlier, I do not ship Ana and Leo romantically. It seems like shipping the younger twin and the lion boy is popular. I've written and drawn Leo into situations where he's dealing with (an) Ana who doesn't reciprocates his feelings.

Also this is mostly a me thing but I don't like it when people forget the fact that the twins are kindergartners. Like yes the twins are badass, but they aren't teenagers, let them be silly like-KAT NO DON'T POKE THE BEEHIVE.

...You'd think the new voices would help, but people just insist that the twins should only be badasses, no room for kiddy stuff. But I get where they're coming from because the food loving trait is being pushed a lot. It did give me a tragic headcanon that pushes that the twins aren't well off so any chance of eating is treasured. Wait they did canonically state that they had to pay for kindergarten AND THEY LIVE IN A PARK. But yeah, the twins can be badasses and baby. The powerpuff girls did it, so why can't these girls do that too? Actually were the WarioWare writers inspired by the PPG? It's a mystery.

song i associate with them

Barring the excellent Split Screen tune that perfectly encapsulate the twins vibe and the amazing Patchwork title music lovingly played by the twins on recorder, gonna go with Oshiete Yo by Hyorotto Danshi. It's partially due to Gold moving to a more cutesy (chubby) aesthetic for the twins to the point I keep imagining them, Red, Lulu, and Pyoro dancing that animation. But the lyrics fit them and Lulu with the childhood whimsy. I do have a playlist for the twins but I'm not completely sure if it fits completely anymore. Though if I were to remake it, the Baby Shark, Bluey, and Sago Mini (and maybe Pororo) songs stay. I feel the twins got some silly preschooler bones in their bodies.

favorite picture of them

The babies are eepy.

Sorry I've been calling the twins baby a lot. I'm 99% sure Kat hates it. She's a big girl y'all. But the twins are kids, children, sometimes toddlers and littlies. I just find baby easier to say.

[alwaysmanages]

What do you think Little my's relationships with the other characters are? Like her friends and the moominparents.

Hey there! Thanks for asking, and that's a good question because I know I don't put nearly enough attention towards the rest of the crew.

Ok so before I get into this I need to preface that while I'm basing my thoughts off of a variety of Moomin sources, it's not all gonna align with canon because I'm also mixing in a bunch of stuff that 6+ years of writing and headcanoning for this little lady has built that just feel good to me. But anyway, here goes.

Moomin Parents

As much as I love the Mymble's character, and how I'm sure she loves her children in her own way, being adopted by the Moomin parents (in the comics and Moominvalley) is by far the best thing that's ever happened to Little My. Through Moominmamma especially, she is given the love and attention that a girl like her needs to grow up healthy, and with enough space to level out that anger inside of her. In their care, she feels seen, safe, and secure in the family, and she knows they would never leave her behind. A little more on Moominpappa, I think it's interesting to give her a father figure when she never really had one before. She knows his stories are a load of bull, but will humor him because dangit does he spin a good tale. It's a bit hard to pin their relationship, because on one hand she can be a pest to Pappa, but I like to think she warms up to that silly old man and anytime he acts especially fatherly towards her, she feels a little warm inside (she probably thinks she's getting sick).

I think her relationship with Moominmamma and Moominpappa mean a lot more to her, personally, than her relationship with her biological mother. I don't think she feels resentment towards the Mymble, but she does realize that that wasn't a home where she could grow up in.

Moomintroll

That's her adoptive/foster brother right there. She took the role of annoying sister pretty quickly with him and it pisses him off so much at the beginning (I mean can you blame for having been an only child prior to her?). Gradually, I think he learns to appreciate her companionship over time as her harsh truths are more like the heavy blows of a hammer to a slab of metal on an anvil. Like the elder sister she is, Little My is another influence on Moomintroll's character. She loves him enough to give him a swift kick in the teeth when he needs it, but he's also the sibling she can bully a bit.

Snorkmaiden

Pulled mostly from MV and the 90s anime, I like to think they're good friends. I headcanon Little My to be on the aroace spectrum, but the Little Maiden/Snorkmyden ship can be cute and is probably one of the non-canon ships I find really sweet if done right. For the most part though, because Little My is more on the rougher side as opposed to Snorkmaiden's more gentle nature, I think they can have very funny interactions where occasionally they trade off on who gets to endure the other's antics. Maybe Snorkmaiden teaches My how to be a little more comfortable with a bit of femininity, and My teaches Snorkmaiden how to throw a strong left hook.

Sniff

Kind of going off of the 90s anime more because I really like their back and forth banter and I don't recall them having a relationship as strong in any other adaptation. I don't think their differences are as stark a contrast as Sniff and Snufkin, but I do feel like Little My watches Sniff get up to his get-rich-quick schemes and rolls her eyes. She thinks his endeavors are silly, but she's not above joining in if it sounds fun. At the end of the day, despite their differences and their bantering, they're still good friends who laugh at the same stupid jokes (even if that joke is each other). I'll also say that I really loved the episode in Tanoshii Mumin Ikka s2 where Sniff faces heartbreak and his friends are there to snap him out of it. My chasing him around just to get him to laugh and have fun again was so sweet.

Snufkin

Dunno if you wanted me to include him because I feel like I talk about their relationship more than anyone else, but he is part of her circle of friends so it'd feel weird to exclude him. I recognize that in canon, they're not as close in a sibling relationship as, say, My and Mymble Jr. or My and Moomintroll. In fact, according to The World of Moominvalley, they didn't even know they were siblings during Moominsummer Madness. I think the only time it's ever covered in canon is the slight mention in Moominpappa's Memoirs where Snufkin is coming to realize he's related to the Mymble and therefore Little My is his sister. It doesn't get deeper than that (and it's frustrating as hell). So Snufkin has gone most of his life not knowing he had a family, nevermind a big sister; meanwhile, Little My has so many siblings that finding another one in the wild probably doesn't faze her. My point is, I get why their relationship isn't explored much in canon adaptations, but that doesn't make it less important to me. Even though you could say they started out as siblings after Snufkin was born, you could also say they didn't consciously know each other until they were much older, and at that point they were friends before they were siblings. Being friends with your sibling is a very defining factor for Little My, because among her horde of siblings, how many can she say is someone she'll willingly hang out with and consider an equal? And for Snufkin, who's probably overwhelmed learning he not only has parents, but A PLETHORA of siblings, it's a relief to learn that he at least has one he gets along well with. So I'd like to think in post-learning they're related, there's a bit of awkwardness on Snufkin's part in figuring out how differently he's supposed to treat a sibling as opposed to a friend, but eventually they figure out that what they had was fine enough and learning that they're siblings is just another building block to an already solid relationship. She doesn't bully him as much as she does with Moomintroll, but occasionally they have their playful jabs and it's hilarious.

I love her relationships with the valley folk. They really shaped her into the well-rounded person she is and teach her what it's like to have a family that will love and support her. Because really, no matter the relation, they're all part of her found family.

[citrus-cactus]

1, 21, 22, 24, 49! :)

Ask game is here!

1). Do you daydream a lot before you write, or go for it as soon as the ideas strike?

Answered here!

21). Do you prefer writing chaptered fics or one-shots?

Ohoho, one-shots FOR SURE. I've tried to write multi-chaptered fic, I really have... but if I don't basically finish them before publishing the first chapter, my success rate for completing currently sits at 50%. I have two multi-chaptered fics that have been stalled for YEARS now. They’re DEFINITELY NOT ABANDONED, and yet... T^T

I am at peace with being a short story/one-shot type of author. I WILL finish those multichapters someday though... I swear!!!

22). Do you title your fics before, during, or after the writing process?  How do you come up with titles?

Answered here!

24). How do you choose whose POV to write in?

I write exclusively in third-person omniscient, but I do almost always have a "POV" character whose thoughts and feelings are most transparent to the reader. I never thought about it until now, but that character almost always ends up being the one who has the least information in a scenario, the one who's trying to understand something about themselves or their situation or another person, and thus they have a high chance of experiencing some sort of change or growth by the end of the fic. I'm sure that's a fairly typical choice for a protagonist, and I'm also sure the specific characters I zero in on don't say anything about me as a person, nope not at all :) But like you, I think I'm also most able to write a character that I feel most comfortable inhabiting, so I have to know them really well before writing them! So I guess what I'm saying is I really need to be confident about a character’s uncertainty when I'm making the choice for POV? Interesting if true!

Is gravitating toward characters who struggle with low self-esteem or some sort of invisible-to-them personality flaw also a requirement? LA LA LA OF COURSE NOT, WHY WOULD YOU SAY THAT, I'M SURE IT'S NOTHING IT'S FINE DON’T WORRY ABOUT IT!!!!

49). What fic of yours would you say is the best introduction to you as a writer?

Hmm, well! That's a really interesting question for you to ask!! I haven't published any Gargoyles fic yet (but hopefully soon. There are two of them!!!!!), and pretty much everything else I’ve written is for anime, specifically shows that end in "-mon." I think this Digimon fic is the one I’ve always been the most proud of, even though it's—yikes—10 years old at this point! It's just a meandering little walk in the woods with two teenagers having feelings(tm), but like... decent characterization, decent metaphors, good vibes, a little poetic interpretation of existing lore, these are all things I end up striving for when writing something on the fluffy side! But for whatever reason, writing felt a lot easier back then than it does now ^^;

For something a bit more recent: this one, probably—also Digimon. A bit more adult, a bit more rooted in horror, a bit more like the things I'm working on for Gargoyles. Dangit, but I do support women's wrongs... particularly if they're redheads ;D

[ladyanidala]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

@sleepingbeauty21 thank you for tagging me!! This looks like a lot of fun!! :D

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

46! (That's wild, dude)

2. What's your total A03 word count?

Total AO3 word count is 127,857.

3. What fandom's do you write for?

Almost all of my fics are for Star Wars, but I do have four that are in the Attack on Titan fandom! (Still gotta watch the end of the show, rip)

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

We're Not Needed Here - 709 kudos (oh crack fic, my beloved <3)

Her Step Forward - 155 kudos (this is my first published fic on AO3, and I love it, even if I'd rewrite it differently now, haha)

(Galactic) History in the Making - 125 kudos (this is an Obitine proposal fic! Qui-Gon meddles too, and it makes me happy)

Though Darkness May Be Our Companion, I Will Watch Over You - 121 kudos (this is a Merrical fic that I wrote after I either finished playing or watching a gameplay of Jedi: Fallen Order. I love those babies :') )

Sparring with Buir - 110 kudos (Korkie and Obi-Wan spar after reuniting on Mandalore.)

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

I do! I like to interact with everyone who reads my stories. I like building community!!

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Oooooh, that's a hard one. I don't write super angsty endings, bc everyone deserves a happy ending, dangit, but the one fic that does foot the bill is Ghost Star, Are You Very Far? This is a fic centered around Kata Akuna and her love for stories. Sounds cute, yeah, but BROOOO there's some angst in there, I promise.

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

The happiest ending? That's a hard one as well. The one I love the most is Tequila. Very cracky, and very fun to write.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

No, not really (and that's not an invitation to start, lol)

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

No, I don't write literary pornography. It's all kinds of damaging to your brain (see increased anxiety and depression rates) as well as the rest of the body (see erectile dysfunction). Click here if you want to see more of my reasons.

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

No, I don't. My brain honestly has such a hard time making characters from different universes meet like that. They stay separate in my head XD

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Nope! (And again, not an invitation to start XD)

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes!! The beautiful @sleepingbeauty21 is translating We're Not Needed Here. Check out No Nos Necesitan Aqui!!

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

Kinda?? My brother helps me out and writes some things in my fics sometimes, but I've never done an intentional co-authored fic before.

14. What's your all-time favourite ship?

Anidala, hands down. I love them so much :')

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

I doubt that all my WIPs will get finished, does that count? XD

In all seriousness, my very first WIP - that's still unpublished - is sitting in my docs folder, just begging me to write more, but I feel like I'm at an impasse. I don't know where to go from where I stopped, haha.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Ummmmm, my ability to keep characters in character when I write crack??? Idk, dude, I just put stuff on a page and people like it enough XD

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I definitely don't describe things as well as I want to. I often feel like I'm jumping from point to point in my writing without connecting it on paper. It all connects in my head, but it comes out clunky on paper.

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

Would that I could :') I'd LOVE to become fluent in German or Spanish one day and write a fic!

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Star Wars!!

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

Oh, dang, that's hard XD Ask me to pick a favorite child, why don't you? :P For the sake of finishing this, I choose Tequila again, lol. I love it so much XD

Tagging: @screwtornadowarningsimsouthern, @clawedandcute, and anyone else who wants to join, I don't speak to too many people on here XD