#currently rereading dark force rising
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frc-ambaradan · 1 year ago
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«“(...) I don’t care who C’baoth is or whether he felt justified or not. What he did constitutes mutiny.” “It did indeed,” Thrawn agreed calmly. “Shall I throw him out of the Imperial service altogether, or simply demote him in rank?” Pellaeon glared at the other. “I’m serious, Admiral.”»
Timothy Zahn, Dark Force Rising (1992)
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imraespace · 3 months ago
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LIFE'S HARD WHEN YOU'RE INLOVE ─
─ WITH RIN ITOSHI !!
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Choki is your best friend's cactus. Sometimes you may see Seishiro greeting the plant as you pass by his room. Today you wanted to see Choki, so here you are at 5:00 AM entering Seishiro Nagi's room to achieve his plant.
Choki and yourself have had past conversations before, you even give him the peace sign when leaving if you pass by Seishiro's room.
But this morning, being the first one up, your thoughts are currently tormenting you and the only person who will understand you in this house is:
"Choki..!" You muttered quietly as your eyes landed on the cactus. Your eyes shifted to the sleeping boy who was right next to you. He hasn't once moved since you've entered his room.
"Sorry Sei, I really need Choki right now." You whispered to the sleeping boy and picked up Choki, making your escape out of his room and into yours.
Now you're seated on your bed with Choki in front of you. You both had a staring contest for a while in the dark. Were you really going to talk to a cactus? Of course.
Finally you spoke up.
"I think I'm sick." You simply stated.
In response you got..
"..."
"Yeah I know Choki, I am indeed going crazy, you don't have to shove it in my face." You mumbled.
You looked away from the plant and at the book. This book is what all started this mess.
"I feel so weird, I think I have a heart condition.." Still, talking to the cactus, and reaching for the book.
You opened the pages, skimming through the words until you reached to a scene.
"He will do anything for her.. // He noticed me!.. // I feel happy.. "
You reread those certain phrases again, then thought about someone. It makes you upset.
"Why am I thinking about him again." You grumbled, feeling a bit frustrated.
What were you thinking? Will he do anything for..
"NOO!!" You suddenly yelled, holding your head as you threw yourself back, head planting on the bed with force.
Too into your own mind, you failed to notice the owner of Choki, who has entered your room not to long ago.
"Are you okay..?" A voice quietly asked, scaring you shitless.
With a gasp, followed by a shocked expression, with that same speed you used to rest your head is the same one used to make your rise up from your bed.
There you see, your 6'2, very close, male individual. Seishiro stood by your door and was there long enough to witness your rants.
"Sei.. You're up?" You asked. he shrugged his shoulders, slowly walking up towards you.
"Y/N.. You're up?" He countered-back, and now sat at the edge of your bed.
You stared at him for a while, then your eyes landed on Choki.
"Are you here for Choki?" You asked him.
He shook his head. He's not here for Choki.. So why is he here?
"I heard when you said that you needed Choki, so I can't take him. Reo said that he didn't have to clean anything on your bed last night." He reported.
Upon hearing those words you simply shrugged your shoulders.
"Is that a bad thing?" You asked.
And he nodded..?
"Why?"
Sei then got up, picked up Choki, placed it on your bedside table and then sat right next to you.
"You don't seem normal."
"I know."
Honestly, he wasn't expecting that answer, as a surprised expression made its way onto his face.
A small pout formed on your face as you looked down onto your legs.
"I don't wanna talk about it, it seems weird." You mumbled to him.
"Hm."
You looked up to the boy and realized he was staring at your window, probably at the sky.
"Whatever it is, don't upset yourself over it. For me I think you should go slowly with it. I mean whenever I'm stuck on a level, I retry but more slowly that time." He confessed.
It may be in Seishiro Nagi's words but being friends with him for almost your whole life, those simple words helped you a lot.
So a small smile made its way on your face, your arms wrapped around his shoulders and a hug was formed.
Sei let out a small "Hm" as he accepted the hug, squeezing the life out of you..
"Sei.. too much.." You silently let out.
.
,
"Sorry.."
The soft moment present, the glow from the stars and sun that's slowly peaking out to make an appearance, the silent hug was warming enough to ease your mind.
Warm enough to bring snores and shut eyes in the room.
Under the glow from the window rests a brother and sister in a comforting hug, sleeping the worries away.
Sister and brother not by blood, but from bond.
.
.
.
━7:00 AM
"Oh so now we're having sleepovers without me huh?"
...
"LEARN TO WAKE UP ON TIME!-"
There he goes again.
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When you arrived at the building, you didn't walk to your class, instead you made your way to your first friend in life, Hyoma Chigiri.
On the way there, your eyes landed on him..
Suddenly you forgot how to walk, talk, breathe, think-
"Y/N are you okay?"
"HYO!" You exclaimed, holding your chest.
He passed by you as if you're a side character in his own world, well technically you are but..
Hyoma Chigiri, he noticed your presence from the time his eyes landed on your head as you walked past, he stood up from his seat, making his way towards you but stopped when he noticed the way you looked at him..
For some reason, he felt a bit sad.. Why Hyoma? Why do you feel sad?
"Is there a reason you're here?" He asked you.
You stuck out your tongue a bit at him.
"I'm here for you dummy.." You confessed.
For him huh.. He feels warm now. But why look at him like that?
"That book is killing me Hyo, literally yesterday I did something weird and this boy, whenever I see him my chest hurts, I think I have a heart condition." You stated.
Hyoma stared at you as if you're dumb but also hurt.
Of course you noticed.
"What's wrong? Are you scared my condition might be-"
"Y/N.. Seriously?."
The sudden bold words caught you off guard.
"..Are you okay?" You asked, hoping to fix whatever you caused.
But he sighed and walked away. Hyoma Chigiri has his sassy side, it messes with his emotions and right now, it's messing with yours.
What did you do? It was like clouds formed in your mind, and it rained on your face.
Why be upset? Maybe because Hyoma was your first friend. You never fought, the last time you cried over him was when you had to part ways. It wasn't anyone's fault, but right now it's yours..?
You sucked it up, wiping your face.
Seishiro said to take it slow. Whatever you were thinking before, whatever is happening now, take it slow. Like a hard level, just take your time.
Where is Sei? You kinda need him right now..
"It's almost class time.." A passerby said, entering his class.
Nevermind.. You won't even see him until hometime.
"This sucks."
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Sometimes, when you view your timeline, you feel a bit jealous. it doesn't help that your second half, Hyoma, doesn't like you right now..
"What's happening?"
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## LIFE'S HARD WHEN YOU'RE INLOVE. --
╴“ WITH RIN ITOSHI?? „
ฅ^._.^ฅ : some things about y/n !! she mostly sleeps through the day, only does stuff IF needed !! with her given gift of being effortlessly smart , all she does in her free time is : nap , eat , sleep. hmm what if.. one day y/n develops a crush and now has to ACTUALLY work to achieve a goal ? : date rin itoshi !!
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4 // 6 note: idk i dont remember this
TAGLIST: @deezy12299 @kuroronana @khoiyyu (OPEN)
-`♥︎´- for this story, i'm trying a something new, which includes words/phrases, foods and hometowns from japan and germany. if there's any errors please point it out !
-`♥︎´- word count : 1.2K
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everybody-loves-purdy · 2 years ago
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My 2023 Warriors reread!
As you may know, we celebrate 20 years of warrior cats in 2023, so I decided to do my long overdue reread of every single book this year. I thought it would be fun/interesting to keep everyone updated with my progress and thoughts, so here is how this is going to work.
To reduce spam, this is going to be a regularly updated master post containing a continually updated tier list. I’m going to have a short pinned post containing a link to this post, and update that with what book I’m currently reading. I also thought it would be fun to have one sentence reviews/ statements/ thoughts about each book.
Since I have very recently reread River, Sky, and Onestar’s Confession, they’re already on the tier list/review list (I couldn’t find a tier list with Sky yet so that won’t be on the list itself but it still gets a ranking). I will mostly read the books in publication order with a few exceptions which include reading all books in a single arc together, and reading a few books in a reading order I prefer more.
As books come out this year I will pause my reread to read those, give them a review, and then continue my reread after they’re done.
Anyway, the tier list:
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One sentence thoughts on each book:
Into the Wild - A - No wonder this thing got like 100 sequels.
Fire and Ice - B - Graystripe commits manslaughter twice in this book.
Forest of Secrets - S - This book is littered with so many good character moments throughout, and despite reading this book more times than I can remember, the third act is still so tense and emotionally driven for me.
Rising Storm - A - This book is quite chill until Runningwind dies and it all just gets more dramatic from there, I always am unprepared for how hard Yellowfang’s death hits.
A Dangerous Path - A - Seeing just how ill Bluestar gets in this book is absolutely heartbreaking.
The Darkest Hour - S - What an excellent way to end the arc, and what would have been at the time the whole series, special shout out to that guy Vicky knew/knows which came up with the initial idea of Scourge.
Firestar’s Quest - B - The only real problem I have with this book is the extremely forced Spottedleaf relationship drama.
Midnight - A - I do not remember liking this book this much last time I read it at all, I wasn’t expecting this to get an A, I really like the character interactions in this particularly.
Moonrise - D - You know in games where you choose to play a side quest but it goes on way too long and you can’t wait for it to be over, yeah that’s this book’s Tribe plot.
Dawn - B - The workmen in this book are pretty terrible people, one deliberately injures a cat and most of them just don’t seem to care when several cats are running around their active heavy machinery.
Starlight - C - Brambleclaw please stfu.
Twilight - C - I already can’t remember most of what happened in this book and I finished it about 10 minutes ago.
Sunset - B - I was on the fence about whether to give this C or B but the Hawkfrost confrontation pushed it to B.
Rise of Scourge - A - Wherever Scourge is living there’s a pretty severe feral cat problem judging by the overhead shots showing them littering the street.
The Sight - A - I forgot how good the character interactions are in this book.
The Lost Warrior - C - I feel really bad for Millie’s owner, she clearly loved Millie a lot.
Warrior’s Refuge - C - Why does that cat have a hereditary 90s haircut?
Warrior’s Return - C - Diesel is the best part of this book, he’s great.
Secrets of the Clans - B - A cute field guide, it’s interesting to see in particular the stuff which ended up becoming dotc, and how those stories in the book are presented as the stories as how the clans know them rather than be totally accurate.
Dark River - C - The character interactions really hold this together, it would definitely be a D tier book if based on the plot alone.
Outcast - E - There’s a few good character moments, especially from Breezepaw, but otherwise the book is just racist and boring.
Eclipse - A - I wanted to keep reading this despite having my life consumed by tears of the kingdom so you know it’s good.
Long Shadows - B - Everything before the fire scene was C and the fire scene and beyond was S so it all evened out to an B to me.
Cats of the Clans - C - It’s fine, that’s all I really have to say about it.
Sunrise - S - What a tragic story for so many involved, and the emotional beats are absolutely nailed.
Into the woods - D - The priceless look on the big handsome cat’s face was the best part of the book
Escape from the Forest - C - She should have stayed with the captain and Patch, I hope she went back to them later on
Return to the Clans - D- In hindsight maybe Sasha shouldn’t have insisted to her kits that Tigerstar was misunderstood and other cats just didn’t understand him
Code of the Clans - A - It’s a shame more and more of this is becoming retconned, I like to still think that it’s all still canon bar the elements of the stories that directly contradict new canon.
Bluestar’s Prophecy - A- It’s a miracle no one in ThunderClan immediately recognised Mistypaw and Stonepaw at their first gathering only mere moons after the identical Mistykit and Stonekit supposedly died.
The Fourth Apprentice - B - Jayfeather just can’t catch a break can he?
Fading Echoes - B - I feel so bad for both Dovepaw and Ivypaw, I thought to myself “oh honey… no” so many times reading each of their POVs.
Battles of the Clans - C- How and why does Cedarheart know about SkyClan in this?
Shattered Peace - C - Willie is the worst BloodClan cat name ever, imagine losing your home to a cat named Willie.
A Clan in Need - B - It was very satisfying to see Violet and Barley beat up their abusive brothers.
Heart of a Warrior - B - the last 3 pages are a RavenBarley shipper’s dream.
SkyClan’s Destiny - E - I did like many of the character moments, and almost rated the book higher on those alone, but the plot is just a bunch of random things happening before the main plot gets a rushed resolution in 3 chapters after getting barely any focus.
Night Whispers - B - Dovepaw and Ivypaw’s relationship is breaking my heart in this one.
Sign of the Moon - F - It started off ok but then it became very quickly apparent that there is no reason for this book to exist apart from padding out the arc to six books.
Crookedstar’s Promise - S - This book hurts my heart.
The Forgotten Warrior - E - In this one I can just feel the writers struggling under the weight of everything they set up but neglected to plan how they would follow through.
The Last Hope - B - I found about 77% of this book to be C tier but the battle at the end is good, iconic, and emotional so I bumped the whole book up to a B.
The Rescue - B - That old lady seemed really nice, I hope she found a cat which loved her and stayed with her.
Beyond the Code - B - I hope Sol’s siblings ended up having good lives, did Cinders scout the homes for her children beforehand or did she just randomly choose houses I wonder.
After the Flood - B - Glad Shrewtooth got some time in the spotlight like that before he disappeared, I wonder what happened to him, I miss him.
Yellowfang’s Secret - E - This book is just messy; lots of obvious errors, bad pacing, and Yellowfang herself is just so bland, she’s nothing like the cat she is in the first arc.
Hollyleaf’s Story - C - Nice insight into Hollyleaf’s time in the tunnels, I don’t have much else to say about it.
Mistystar’s Omen - C - Probably worth a read again if you’re invested in ASC, you get more out of it.
Cloudstar’s Journey - A - Why no one talks about this book is beyond me, do yourself a favour and check it out if you haven’t.
Tallstar’s Revenge - S+ - Words cannot describe how I feel for this book but maybe the fact I added an S+ category just for it can.
Ultimate Guide (2013 Edition) - B - Nice guide with a few mistakes, B tier rather than C for the art, RIP Wayne.
The Sun Trail - S - Overall I really liked this one particularly the stuff at the beginning up to Gray Wing finding Jagged Peak.
Thunder Rising - A - I’m sorry for the gross treatment you were given Bumble, you deserved so much better.
The First Battle - S- What a heart-wrenching tragedy the second half of the book is, perfectly crafted to just continue inflicting emotional pain on the reader.
The Blazing Star - C - You died too soon One Eye.
A Forest Divided - B - Surprised I enjoyed this one as much as I did, not looking forward for Slash next book, such a nothing villain.
Path of Stars - B - Was considering giving this a C until the second half picked up and the ending left me an emotional mess, Slash still sucks as a villain though.
Moth Flight’s Vision - C - This book was so close yet so far to saying purposefully something meaningful about trauma.
Tigerclaw’s Fury - F - I liked Jaggedtooth and not much else at all.
Leafpool’s Wish - D - I liked the last two chapters with the three as kits, that was cute, unfortunately how vile StarClan are drags the whole book down.
Dovewing’s Silence - B - The first few chapters that dealt with the direct aftermath of the battle were my favourite.
Bramblestar’s Storm - D - Would be a lot better if it was about 30% shorter.
Mapleshade’s Vengeance- A - A really good self contained villain origin story - Warriors needs more like this.
Goosefeather’s Curse - A - Genuinely probably the bleakest and most hopeless warrior cats story, and I adore it.
Ravenpaw’s Farewell - S - This story radiates love.
The Apprentice’s Quest - B - The characterisations of Needlepaw and Alderpaw are my favourite things about this book.
Thunder and Shadow - A - “A person often meets his destiny on the road he took to avoid it”, isn’t that right Onestar?
Hawkwing’s Journey - A - Probably simultaneously both the most hopeless and hopeful warriors book there is.
Shattered Sky - S - Manages to build a sense of horror and dread about the fates of the missing cats that you rarely see in a warrior cats book.
Spottedleaf’s Heart - F - This book is just thoroughly terrible in so many ways, I don’t think I need to explain myself here.
Pinestar’s Choice - B - I really like how Pinestar’s struggle is handled, and Shanty, I fully believe those dream cats telling him to kill Tigerkit were just a normal nightmare rather than a message from StarClan.
Thunderstar’s Echo - A - I liked this one better than I remember, the character bonds and interactions really sell it for me.
Darkest Night - C - Admittedly this one took me about two months to read but it wasn’t its fault, I had a lot of distractions, so maybe my rating might be different if I read it quicker but I’m happy with this for now.
Onestar’s Confession - E - Imagine building up a character for an entire book as an awful person then just having them be forgiven by everyone at the end, enjoyed the Darktail stuff so it gets E rather than F.
River - A - I’m really glad to see warrior cats doing some good old murder mystery again.
Sky - B - Wake up bestie new character with anxiety just dropped.
Shadow - A - Nightheart gets smacked in the face with a frog, if that’s not enough reason for you to check this book out I don’t know what to say.
A Thief in ThunderClan - A- After all these years of wanting a Brightheart book it finally came and I definitely wasn’t disappointed.
Riverstar’s Home - S - We got a really nice close platonic friendship between a male and female character in this, to make up for it the Erins gave us the most fridged character in warrior cats history.
Thunder - A - It only took 20 years but the warrior cats discovered therapy.
Wind - A - Oh Splashtail, Tigerstar would have given his tail for a son like you.
Ultimate Guide 2023 Edition - C - I liked the new stories, points off for the horrendous colour errors though.
TPB Graphic Novel 1 - A - I love the art, the pacing for the fire and ice section isn’t great though.
Ivypool’s Heart - S- One of the most emotionally mature stories in warriors, with the underlying message that there is life and beauty in everything and nothing ever truly leaves us.
Star - S - Thank you for everything Kate Cary, this final book of yours is fantastic.
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corduroyserpent · 2 years ago
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tag 9 people you’d like to get to know better!
thanks for the tags @squeeegs and @jiangwrongcurator 💖💖💖
Three ships: it’s difficult to pick just three but Tianxi (Tianlang-jun/Su XIyan), Ranwan (Mo Ran/Chu Wanning), & Zosan (Roronoa Zoro/Sanji)
First ever ship:  Percabeth (Percy Jackson/Annabeth Chase) probably! and i still love them together so much 🥺
Last song: The Moon Will Sing by The Crane Wives (i have it on repeat while writing a certain fic)
Last movie: Glass Onion! i really enjoyed it
Currently reading: just started my yearly reread of The Raven Cycle + The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater (very exciting bc now the story is finished!!), i’m also slowly working my way through The Thrawn Trilogy by Timothy Zahn (currently on Dark Force Rising), and i’m rereading Heaven Official’s Blessing by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu because i’m in a Hualian zine and i like to brush up on canon for stuff like that
Currently watching: i’m about to start s2 of The Mysterious Benedict Society!! i was quite literally obsessed with those books as a kid and i loved how they adapted s1 so i’m very excited
Currently consuming: uhh water? i should probably go eat something tbh
Currently craving: SOUP!!!
tagging – @livingmeatloaf, @naamah-beherit, @goatpunch2, @beloved-fool-clown, @dumbkatsu, @lazuilis, @d20owlbear, @nedsseveredhead, @curiosity-killed (but only if you want to!! feel free to ignore otherwise asdfghjk💕)
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mr-miss-sunny · 2 years ago
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I decided to make a list of actually really good (lgbtq) wattpad stories because i feel like its hard to come by a good one nowadays, and who knows maybe someone who sees this post is desperately looking for something
(All of these include very good to extraordinary writing, imo)
Catching Rainbows by FairlyLocalTreehouse
Luna falls for Chloe at first sight… literally, off a ladder. And it’s the beginning of a beautiful friendship, after Luna gets past the fact that Chloe doesn’t seem to be single
Sapphic, great autistic rep, really sweet and heartwarming
Vanilla by theCuppedCake
Julian White doesn’t say his real name in self-introductions. Hiding behind his middle name and a pair of overly round glasses, he tries to get through the tenacity of attending a competitive culinary school under his uncle’s influence. Amidst his learning of crust structures and the nutritional value of bananas, he meets an old friend
MLM, best writing I’ve seen in a while, cried for 30 minutes after reading, probably my favorite Wattpad book ever (strongly suggested autistic main character, but not confirmed) sequel is currently being written
The Kids Aren’t Alright by bee_mcd
The year is 1988, and Finn, Ronan, Becca and Jasper are spending the summer at a reformatory camp located deep in the Yukon. The camp, named Lightlake, is the last chance the teens have to get their lives back on track, but changing for the better isnt easy - and especially not at a place like Lightlake, where secrets outnumber the campers and myths have a way of coming to light
Amazing summer read, mainly focus on friendship but also MLM main character and a sapphic side character, sequel is also currently being written
When Shadows Rise (previously called When Queens Fall) by HeleySulich
A magic addicted spy trapped in the queen’s service must take a princess-turned-assassin in order to earn her freedom, but things get complicated when she falls for the princess she’s supposed to capture
Now a paid story, i wanted to include it regardless because its just so amazing, i wish i could reread it but i don’t have money lol. WLW, great world building, non binary rep, dark fantasy
Being Wrong by overlordpotatoe
When Charlie gets away from his drug dealing father and is sent to live with his grandparents, things aren’t suddenly okay. Charlie’s broken. He’s not sure he ever wasn’t broken. When things get unbearable, the only thing that helps Charlie feel grounded is music. What can he do when he runs out of battery for his walkman?
MLM, autistic main character, I’ve reread this book at least four times, its my ultimate comfort read, it actually contributed to me realizing i might be autistic, and look at me now, a formal diagnosis and all
The Gay Gatsby by mismatchedsockslife
When two high school boys find themselves being forced into partnership for a class project, things get interesting. With Callaway’s snarky remarks and hidden secrets, and Chance’s accidental girlfriend, their path to completing high school is anything but straight
MLM, if you’re looking for good angst, this one right here. Amazing writing, amazing characters, great overall
The Broken Song by NotJuliaChild
Elusia Vale is the most fabulous adventurer, swordswoman, thief and lover to ever grace Ishara, and she is always the first to say so. Her life has been filled with excitement and reckless abandon, but how long can she outrun the tempests she leaves in her wake?
If you’re bummed that When Shadows Rise is a paid story, read this instead, its just as fantastic and free. WLW, multiple main characters if I remember right, very long lmao, I’m still reading it
Conan The Dandelion by letsgohomehidee
Conan moves to the Big City for University, but he’s not like other boys. He doesn’t nt know how to interact with others. He’s socially awkward, and is often considered as “weird” or “strange”. He also cant touch people without feeling sick, but why? Parker is a sex addict. He’s wild, outgoing and loves to party. He’s known to be a playboy who changes women quicker than his socks. Not a day goes by when he’s not in bed with someone else. But what happens when he meets a boy who can’t be touched
MLM, autistic main character, extremely angsty, you’ll feel like an emty shell after reading, be warned (😭)
In Between Days: Raising Jordan by tristan2500
Jordan lives in his own world, or so that’s what it seems to the average person. No one, not even his brother, has ever given him a chance. That is until Tim’s best friend comes along
MLM, autistic main character, beautiful writing, Call Me By Your Name vibes
SEVENS by -crucible-
Alexei is drowning and he’s having a hard time staying afloat by himself. With a disappearing mother, unsympathetic social workers and hungry police not far off his trail, he is running out of ways to keep going. He’s desperate to find a foothold that will propel him into a secure future
MLM, angst with happy ending
Finally, my favorite author on Wattpad, I waited for last to introduce all their books (that I’ve read) into one
The Treehouse
The Lost Angel
Art For Art’s Sake
Oakleaf Academy For Boys
The Dutch Boy
By Pixie022
Go to their page for summaries
Honorable mentions: Knight by hipstateasee, All Is Found by findinglove9499, The Sound of Ice by MAndALaptop, Y.O.L.O by letsgohomehidee, Nathaniel Jean’s Senior Year by stayonbrand, Getting Wilder by booklored
And my current read that I love so far:
The Stars That Night by SkeneKidz
-
There’s an overwhelming amount of MLM, and not enough WLM on this list, but thats because I’ve lost track of alot of the sapphic books on Wattpad that I read in the beginning before knowing that you can make reading lists (lmao im stupid ok) im definitely gonna update with more WLW stuff when i find it
Please trust my taste, I have high standards when it comes to Wattpad
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marvelcriminalhoe · 3 years ago
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Steve Rogers Fic Recs
 I find that it can be hard to find Completed works. So this list is ALL COMPLETED. I have Fics I'm currently reading that are WIP currently and when those fics are complete I will add those to the list aw well :)
  I will continue to add to the list as time goes on. Im always looking for new fics to read so if you have one please feel free to message me so I can read it and add it to the list!
ALL FICS ARE (X READER) STORIES however how inclusive they are depends on the writer. Please read ALL WARNINGS AND NOTES of the authors. Some stories could be DARK or be 18+. You are responsible for reading the warnings.  I have no claim to any of the stories listed i am simply just a fan of the stories and would like to help writers get their work out their :)
I also selfishly made this list so its easier for me to find the stories when I want to reread them  
If any of the links don’t work or are not wrong please let me know :) 
Bodyguard!Steve x Reader 
Presidential by @kaunis-sielu
Biker!Steve X Reader
Biker Boss by @kaunis-sielu
Can’t Help Myself by @itsanerdlife 
Count Your Blessings by @itsanerdlife 
Help Wanted by @itsanerdlife 
Hate You Less by @itsanerdlife 
Hold on Loosely by @iwillbeinmynest
God!Steve x Reader 
Persephone by @kaunis-sielu
Stargazing by @prettyyoungtragedy
Sugar!Daddy Steve x Reader 
Sugar, Sugar by Brooklynboys  (I don’t know if they have a tumblr still, but this is a link to their google drive where they re uploaded their work) 
Mobster!Steve X Reader 
Guns and Roses  by @kaunis-sielu
Made in Brooklyn by @marveliskindacool 
Secrets and Sins by @kayteewritessteve 
Sunshine by @sweetlyscared
Love on the Brain by @howardpotts 
Teacher!Steve X Teacher!Reader 
Teacher, Teacher  by @kaunis-sielu
Cop!Steve x Reader 
Ever After by @itsanerdlife 
Cowboy!Steve x Reader 
Ride & Prejudice by @pagesoflauren 
(Sequel) Love & Brotherhood  
Professor!Steve x Reader 
Back to School  by @jamielea81 
Attached by @anika-ann 
Royal!Steve x Reader 
A Knights Lady  by @kaunis-sielu 
Her Royal Favor by @promarvelfangirl 
Love is Not Forced by @just-dreaming-marvel 
Love and War by @kayteewritessteve 
Heavy is the Head by @luciilferss
Pseudo Princess by @shreddedparchment
Steve X Reader 
Arming the Soldier  by @kaunis-sielu
Dear Mr.Captain America by @kaunis-sielu
Kisses by @floatingpetals
Super Like & Swipe Right by @avengerscompound 
Rose by Any Other Name by @promarvelfangirl 
His new Partner by @star-spangled-steve
The Line Between Respectful and Stupid by @anika-ann 
Traditions Kept by @anika-ann 
The Blue Stick by @itsanerdlife 
Baby Come Home by @itsanerdlife 
Classified by @itsanerdlife
Nothing Like You @itsanerdlife 
Call Sign: Renaissance by @captain-kelli 
Old Fashioned Way by @notyetneedcoffee 
Sunburst by @the-canary
Kissing Games by @avengemebuckyy 
Used to be Overlooked by @justkending 
Panicked  by @prettyyoungtragedy 
Wonder of You by @panicfob 
Scratch by @findyourhappyplaces 
A Good Man by Brooklynboys 
Muse by Brooklynboys 
Three Hearts by Brooklynboys 
Twofer & Threefer by Brooklynboys 
Wanderlust by Brooklynboys 
LifeGuard!Steve X Lifeguard!Reader 
Save Me  by @captainrogers-ass
College AU
The Lonely Tree by @sarahwroteathing 
Sexiled by @i-am-a-closet-fanfic-fiend
Missed Connections by @i-am-a-closet-fanfic-fiend 
The Art of Love by @i-am-a-closet-fanfic-fiend 
Aurora by @prettyyoungtragedy
Military AU
Finding Home by @promarvelfangirl 
Lawyer!Steve x Reader 
Hold That Thought by @itsanerdlife
TattooArtist!Steve x Reader 
Love in the Ink by @itsanerdlife 
Boxer!Steve x Reader 
Knockout by @itsanerdlife 
Lumberjack!Steve x Reader 
The Night We Met by @avengerofyourheart
Trucker!Steve x Reader 
Before you Go by @world-of-aus 
SingleDad!Steve x Reader
Mini Matchmaker  by @avengerofyourheart
Slow Like Honey by @heli0s-writes 
Roommate! AU
A Series of Unfathomable Feelings by @redgillan 
Mess with them  by @redgillan (this isn’t room mate but oh well)
ABO Au
Welcome to the pack by @sweater-daddiesdumbdork 
Serendipity by Brooklynboys 
Stucky x Reader 
Fallen From Grace by @the-mighty-jellybean
(Sequel) Rising from the Earth 
Menage et trois by Brooklynboys 
Modern AU
Beautifully Unfinished by @kayteewritessteve 
If Only You Knew by @kayteewritessteve 
Tear in My Heart by @prettyyoungtragedy
Unexpected by @sunriserose1023 
Doctor!Steve 
Black & Blue by @the-mighty-jellybean 
Ransom x Reader (because this was so good I couldn’t NOT add it) 
Highest Bidder by @pagesoflauren 
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sniper-childe · 3 years ago
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Hello! I’d like to share some of my notes if I were to Beta-read the most recent Archon Quest. I will be going through what worked, what could be taken out, and what could’ve been better. Note that I’m looking at this through an editor’s lens so I’m going to try NOT to change the plot we were given no matter what my opinions are about it BUT some of the said opinions may slip out.
Also, a bit of a disclaimer: I know that Genshin isn’t an actual literary work but miHoYo is known for its writers’ great storytelling and I’ve always loved their work so it really came as a surprise as to what happened to the mess that is Inazuma Act 3. So yeah.
Contains:
1. What was foreshadowed about the characters and why the payoff of their portrayals felt cheap.
a. About Kokomi and the rebellion.
b. About the Fatui, the James Bond villain wannabe.
c. About Ei and the Raiden Shogun.
2. How Chapter 2, Act 3 could have been the turning point that would have us, as the Traveler, cement our perceptions of the Archons and Gods of Celestia OR what I think the death of Signora was supposed to be but was undermined by this one tidbit.
BONUS: I wrote this before Kokomi’s story quest was released but decided to wait for it before posting. And guess what? I think Kokomi’s Story Quest works better as an Archon Quest. At least, some parts of it.
miHoYo teased us this intelligent leader of the resistance that is well-versed in the Art of War. The end of Ch2: Act 2 showed us a powerful Kokomi. So why was she sidelined all throughout the act?
I actually like the idea of the resistance asking the Fatui for aid. But miHoYo chickened out and made it so that they did it unknowingly. To which I say: how? If Kokomi was so smart she should’ve known better. I figured it was the Fatui within a single sentence, so why didn’t Kokomi?
They should’ve stuck with the concept of the underdogs – or in Kokomi’s words, the little fish – of war in an act of desperation. They could’ve shown a calculated Kokomi “making a deal with the devil” and will do anything to win the fight against the Shogunate.
In her Character Teaser, she was willing to burn the enemies’ supplies – to starve the enemy. She can be ruthless, that’s why Kokomi actively giving Delusions to her foot soldiers would have made much more sense to cause the Fatui to be involved rather than the whole “the Fatui orchestrated everything” schtick.
Which brings me to my next point: when did the Fatui turn into a James Bond villain? I hate that trope so much. It’s like the Deus Ex Machina of villainy. It’s lazy. And it doesn’t even fit the Fatui’s modus operandi.
In the prologue, the Abyss Order corrupted Dvalin and the Fatui was just there waiting to steal Barbatos’ gnosis while the Knights are distracted. Morax decided to retire one day so the Fatui swept right in and offered a test of Liyue in exchange for his gnosis.
The last two locations had their own story to tell while the Fatui was just in the background like the opportunistic antagonist that they are.
It also would have been a stronger plotline to have the already set lore – like the tenuous relationship between Watatsumi and Narukami – be the driving force of the Inazuman Civil War.
The prologue and chapter 1 also delivered what we are told we’re going to get in the Story Preview. That’s why they are satisfying. However, with chapter 2, the way it ended turned out to be more about the Fatui rather than “what do mortals see of the eternity chased after by their god.”
Sure, we got the consequences of the war in the World Quests and some of it in the second act. But making the Fatui the Big Bad in the end takes value away from the actions of the characters that are supposed to be the main feature of this chapter.
How much of the Eternity the Raiden Shogun is pursuing is directly from Ei? How much of it is its own understanding of eternity, coupled with Ei’s memories, and its own response? How much of it is the Fatui’s influence?
I have to say though, I’m fine with the puppet actually. Believe it or not. I have had kinda figured that out with the weird shifting of emotions in and out of the puppet. And the dead glowing eyes. So kudos to the design and animation team for that foreshadowing.
It was also said that the current Electro Archon lost someone dear to her and, while I didn’t think it was a twin, I did figure that the current Electro Archon wasn’t the real Electro Archon. So the whole Baal and Beelzebul backstory didn’t really surprise me. So I guess that was foreshadowed too? But my friends didn’t feel the same way so I don’t know. I’m not touching that.
But I do agree that all of the new lore got info-dumped to us by Yae rather than have us find out about them. To be honest, I would have wanted the backstory of Ei to be in her story quest rather than it be in the Archon Quest. A World Quest could work too.
I just feel like the 2.1 Archon Quest ended up cramming so many themes and subplots when it should’ve been focusing on what was promised: the darkness that is brought by their god.
They already had set up the Visions are people’s motivations/ambitions and that taking them away also takes away their agency.
Then they could’ve played with the idea of the people of Watatsumi looking up to Kokomi as their pseudo-god in-place of Orobashi and so with her actively giving Delusions could fit well in the said theme.
They could’ve made Ei and Kokomi character foils of each other and have the final showdown be about them.
And then it’ll all, of course, end up with the people of Inazuma learning how to work without their “gods” or something like that, which is the overarching theme of the whole series if you think about it.
But as I said, my opinions about the plot shouldn’t matter and I’m only here to make what was already written better.
So let’s talk about something that the puppet has done which didn’t make any sense on the surface level but could’ve been clever if it was done right. Killing La Signora.
Okay. So there is a pivotal moment at the end of the first arc of a three-act story where the main character experiences something that will leave them no choice but to move forward. This usually is a physical thing like Alice falling down the rabbit hole. But it can also be a mental or emotional situation.
Over at Honkai, the first arc ended with the death of a beloved mentor and a shattered world (both external and internal). The characters had no choice but to step up and “to stay alive, bravely” (yes, I won’t stop using this line ever). It was so very well done and even after so many years it still hurt no matter how many times you reread/rewatch the scene.
This reread value is what shows how much a twist is well written.
And that is what miHoYo is known for. So I had high expectations with the plot twist (technically this pivotal moment is called a plot twist because it twists the feel and/or pace of the story). Chapter 2 is the perfect spot to end the first act of a seven-chaptered story. So I’m really preparing myself for the inevitable twist.
But then we ended up with Signora’s death.
Okay. So. They could have used that to show us, as the traveler, how Archons and Celestial beings are unfeeling and not to be trusted. We were told this repeatedly by Dainsleiff and by the Abyss Twin. But it is only textbook writing 101 to show NOT tell.
And Signora’s death could have been this portrayal. Although, to be honest, it would have been more impactful if the one who died is a friend of the Traveler.
Them seeing someone die at the hands of an Archon could have their idea of gods shift. Because there is no turning back once you see the proof right in front of your eyes.
But instead, the puppet did it. So what was the point of Signora’s death if not just a power demonstration? We already knew that the Raiden Shogun is powerful. So why did Signora have to die?
Sure, one can argue that the puppet was enacting the Ei’s will so maybe there was a point. But! In Ei’s story quest, we were told that the puppet would have no hesitation when it comes to killing whereas Ei can show mercy.
Which begs, again, the question: how much of the Raiden Shogun’s actions is a reflection of Ei’s will, and how much of it is a logic response of an artificial intelligence from Ei’s memories?
Honestly? I don’t like that they killed off Signora. It doesn’t feel right. I would’ve taken Beidou’s death over Signora’s no matter how much I love Beidou. There was just no build-up to it and it feels weak. I… didn’t feel anything besides confusion. The anger only came later because of the wasted potential.
But overall, I do think they could’ve made it work if it were actually Ei doing the killing.
--
So I just did Kokomi’s Story Quest and man. The soldiers wanting to continue the war is what they really should have made the motivations of the actual war rather than have it as a post-war response and then have Kokomi fix their mess.
Seriously. While it was really interesting to see the usual trauma response of soldiers who had only known war their whole life, they wasted this idea, man.
Before doing the Archon Quest I had thought that the Watatsumi had a hand on the Vision Hunt Decree. Because if I were a tactician, I would have made something to anger the people of my enemies and have them have their internal issues. And while the Shogunate is weak, that’s when I will strike and claim Inazuma for my people and my god.
Then Orobashi will rise once more.
Yep.
Obviously, I really wanted Kokomi to be a more active character in the Archon Quest.
Anyways. If you reached the end, thank you for reading this ~1.5k words of musings. Tell me what you think. Or don’t. You do you.
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ddarker-dreams · 5 years ago
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Aspiration Part 2. Yan Chrollo x Reader [COMM]
click here for part one! 
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“You’ll hurt your neck if you keep craning your head down like that.” 
What good it does to chastise you on an insignificant action like this is beyond you. There isn’t much else to do until you land in this “unknown” destination that he’s spoken of earlier, yet the thought of entertaining conversation with him doesn’t feel appealing either. Being kidnapped will have that effect on you, he shouldn’t expect otherwise but seems to. 
“Nothing a few painkillers won’t solve.” you respond with forced disinterest, flipping to the next page of the magazine Chrollo gave you earlier. It feels like a minor loss to entertain him with a response, your cold shoulder treatment temporarily lifting. 
You’ve read this magazine at least three times by now, hoping that giving your mind something to focus on will steady you in reality. The lackluster stories about summer sales, latest keto recipes, and what celebrities have been up to lately offer none to little substance. Yet your eyes continue scanning them dutifully as if it’s a sacred text recovered by a forgotten civilization.
Letting out a small yawn, you continue to read until you get to the familiar final page once again. Fully intending on completing the cycle of rereading it, Chrollo interrupts this by plucking it from your grasp before you get the chance. All you can offer in return is a halfhearted glare and grimace. 
“Hey! I was reading that.” you protest with a frown, feeling vulnerable without anything to hold onto. 
He ignores your agitated exclamation, placing the magazine out of your reach by his side. “I don’t believe you’re missing out on anything of importance, seeing as you’ve read it multiple times already.” 
Huffing but not humoring him with a response, you cross your arms and stare out the window. The clouds below you are an enticing sight, still not enough to maintain your attention for the remaining thirty or so minutes of this flight. When traveling, it’s always the last amount of time before reaching your destination that feels like the longest.
Chrollo lets out a disapproving sigh at your actions, then pulls back his sleeve to check the time. “It won’t be much longer. I’ll attribute your current behavior to being hungry.”
“Well, yeah, there’s that,” you finally look over at him, lips pursing indignantly. “And there’s the fact that I’ve been kidnapped by an A bounty criminal and am currently heading to god knows where at four in the morning.” 
“You’re by all means welcome to rest.” 
How he can calmly rebuke all your thinly veiled sarcasm is a special talent, like water off a duck’s back. You don’t want to admit it, however, you’re grateful he isn’t hotheaded and offended by your boorish remarks. Watching your tongue would be how any sane person would deal with a threat like this… then there’s you. Making poor decisions and winging it. A life motto, really. 
An invitation to rest your weary eyes isn’t easily declined, an alluring proposal. His presence makes it a challenge to feel comfortable enough to fall asleep, that state leaving you entirely vulnerable. When you’re awake you have some tandem of control, even if it isn’t much. 
“Where exactly would I do that? I don’t see any beds in here.” You emphasize your rebuttal by glancing around the room you two occupy, as if one would materialize at your words. Now that would be a useful nen ability, if he happened to have it. 
Chrollo smiles, in a way that doesn’t sit well with you. “Why not rest on my shoulder?” 
“W-whatever happened to your previous care over the well being of my neck? That’ll just hurt it after five or so minutes.” you stutter back, face flushing as his lips quirk further upwards. Amusement is dancing within his dark eyes, drawing out further discomfort from you. He seems to like exchanges like this, flustering you with the same ease as breathing.
“Painkillers. You said it yourself,” Chrollo throws your previous statement before you, challenging you with a raised eyebrow. “I’d be happy to get them, if that’s the only reservation you have about sleeping on me.” 
Inhaling sharply at his teasing assault, you close your eyes to prevent yourself from doing anything foolish. Gritting your teeth and balling your fists by your side, you remember why you were giving him the cold shoulder earlier. Talking to Chrollo is exasperating, all of his composed words like needles in your skin. Not wanting to swat at the wasp nest any further, your mind starts drifting, in a last ditch effort to distract yourself. 
It’s been an eventful night. The most memorable night of your life, if you’re being honest. You had always acknowledged and accepted the risks of looking into the Phantom Troupe. The stories of their unabashed cruelty served as an appropriate warning. Playing it close to the chest usually entailed fear of death, so never in your wildest dreams were you expecting… whatever this is. 
At least it beats dying? So you’ve got that going for you.
There isn’t anything you can do now, is what you’ve been telling yourself. Playing along with his whims is all you can think to do. It isn’t the ideal situation, but your only option now is to wait for an opening for escape. Even though Chrollo has more strength than you, he is still human. The thought offers a glimmer of encouragement, knowing that people aren’t infallible. You’ll take advantage of any weaknesses you can find. 
Getting more information out of him is a path worth pursuing for the time being. 
“I hope we’re not camping,” you murmur, shuddering at the horrific thought. “Bugs eat me like I’m the last supper.” 
“We won’t be camping. And despite the name, the last supper isn’t actually the last time the disciples ate.” There’s something extremely ironic about a murderer correcting you on this. 
“Please forgive me for not being up to date on biblical theology. I’ll be sure to correct that before the next test,” you deadpan before a realization hits you. “Wait, so what exactly are we doing? How am I even allowed to be on this blimp without my passport? God, none of this makes any sense…” 
“I was beginning to wonder if you’d ever ask. To answer your questions, we’ll be staying at a hotel for a few weeks. I know some people in the area who are interested in purchasing what was stolen earlier.” Chrollo explains with a casual air, smoothing out a wrinkle in his shirt. 
It all hits you again. This is really happening to you. An inescapable reality where you’re at the complete mercy of this man, who despite showing no interest in harming you, is fully capable of doing so. Your contempt style of speaking until now has been a pitiful defense mechanism to help you cope with the extremity of this situation, not doing anything aside from momentarily distracting you. Running a hand through your hair, you feel your heart pounding within once more.
Chrollo takes note of how you shift in your seat, and tilts his head. “I understand this has been quite a lot to process. I meant what I said earlier -- about having no intention to harm you -- unless you do something that forces my hand.” 
He smiles, the warm action not matching up to the dark implications of his words. It makes your blood run cold, how a monster can wear the skin of a human. There isn’t any benefit of getting yourself further worked up, so you continue rambling on. Life is all about testing the boundaries of what you can and can’t get away with. 
“I still… don’t really get it. I know I was looking into information about you guys, but in that case, why not just,” you gulp, fearful that saying it will solidify the possibility. “Kill me? Even more so now that I know more.” 
For the first time all night, Chrollo doesn’t offer an immediate quip in response. He carefully considers your words, in a way that leads you to believe he doesn’t entirely know the answer himself. It’s not that you have a death wish, yet your curiosity is overwhelming. Whenever he does decide to grace you with an answer, maybe you’ll find out something that’ll prove useful to escaping in the future.
“There’s no simple reason that’ll satisfy you. You piqued my interest, and that’s a dangerous thing to do with a thief,” he leans over, clearly assessing you as you back away in response. “I confirmed my suspicions when we spoke earlier in the car. So for the time being… I want to observe you.” 
He was right when he said the answer won’t be satisfactory. His response leaves more questions than answers, some of which you don’t want to delve into. Backing down from this befuddling conversation, you focus on something else.
The soothing night sky outside elicits butterflies in your stomach. Darkness allows for the city lights beneath to stand out, little twinkling dots of light growing closer as the blimp descends. You can’t help but feel a sense of relief knowing that you’ll be on the ground soon, a sense of claustrophobia constricting you in this room with no escape. His suffocating presence doesn’t help on that front. 
Chrollo is finally considerate enough to leave you to your thoughts. Within a few more minutes you’ve made your landing, leaving through a private terminal with what has to be forged ID. A black car rental car is waiting for you outside the airport, Chrollo opening the door to the passenger seat for you. The gentleman-like act almost causes you to roll your eyes, but you’re far too exhausted to do anything other than sitting down obediently. You’ll save the cheek for a later time. 
He shuts some luggage into the trunk, then starts the car with a low hum, driving off to where you presume the hotel he mentioned earlier is. Looking out the window, you squint as the sun begins to rise into the sky. Your eyelids grow heavier by the second, in spite of how desperately you cling to consciousness. Eventually, the world around you grows distant, and you’re lulled into a deep slumber.
Dreamless rest is stolen from you, Chrollo gingerly shaking your shoulders and bringing you back to cruel reality. Letting out a low groan at the unwelcome interruption, you feel like swatting his hands away. “What… oh, it’s you.” 
“Good morning to you too,” If he’s bothered by your unenthusiastic greeting, he doesn’t show it. Taking out the keys from the car, the vehicle ceases making noise. “We’re here now. You did mention wanting to sleep on a bed earlier, didn’t you?”
Craning your neck to look out the window, you see only about half an hour has passed since you first fell asleep. Outside is a grandiose looking building that must be your hotel. As much as you hate to admit it, you find yourself staring at what has to be the very expensive venue. Much more than anything you could ever hope to afford. While you’re appreciating the sight before you, Chrollo gets out to get his luggage. 
That’s right. What are you supposed to do for clothes anyways? All of it’s stuck back at your apartment, and you don’t think Chrollo was generous enough to pack for you. At least a hotel will have toiletries, so that won’t be a concern. 
‘Oh well. I guess we’ll cross that bridge once we get to it.’
“Do you need me to carry you?” Chrollo calls over from the curb, two large suitcases in hand. You realize only one of them has a lock on it.
Not even humoring him with a response, you get out of the car, keeping your distance from him. To your understanding, attempting to flee or signal down anyone will earn “unwanted consequences”, or at least that’s how he put it. It’s one thing to endanger yourself in a daring escape, but you can’t justify putting other’s lives on the line. 
Morning chill prompts you to wrap your arms around yourself, warding off the cold. Following Chrollo’s lead, you head through revolving doors into a breathtaking lobby. Warm, yellow light from a glass chandelier basks the room in an ethereal glow, accenting the white marble flooring. He walks up to one of the employees behind a desk, checking in and getting a key to the room. 
In the liberating few minutes away from Chrollo, your eyes sweep the surroundings for any openings. Is it possible to make a run for it for one of the cars outside? He’s fast -- you’ve seen it for yourself -- undoubtedly more than you. Such an obvious attempt at escape will only be met with failure. The lobby is wide open, no possibilities for hiding evident. 
‘There goes that idea.’
Your insistent glancing around the area must’ve given you away, Chrollo placing a warning hand on your shoulder, and giving a firm squeeze. “Let’s head to our room. You must be exhausted by now.” 
Once again offering no signs of protest, you head to an elevator together. Chrollo hits the button with the highest number on it. Ascending upwards, you watch the lights around the rims of the buttons with interest until it reaches level thirty. The elevator adds to your dizziness, a fuzzy feeling budding in your head. 
With a ding, the door opens to reveal a long hallway. Chrollo checks the number on his key once more, before navigating to a room.
Finally, after what feels like forever, he opens the door to your shared suite. The lobby clued you in earlier that this is no cheap hotel, the suite confirming that. Since it’s at the top of the building, the entire city is visible to you. It’s a breathtaking sight, one that keeps you entranced as Chrollo shuts the door behind you. Looking out the window, you see more signs of life as the morning progresses.
The glass opens up to a balcony, the handle locked and cold to the touch. It’s probably not a good idea to walk out without permission, not sure of the act could be interpreted in a negative way. 
Chrollo takes a place by your side, a little too close for your liking. Amidst the beauty before him, he’s more interested in looking at you. “I take it you like the view?” 
“I’ve never been in a place like this,” you tell him, eyes wide and mouth agape at the breathtaking scenery. “If I had known we’d be staying here, I would’ve let you kidnap me sooner.”
“That’s a joke, by the way.” 
He chuckles lowly at your rushed cover up, thinking little of it. “Are you hungry?” 
Now that gets your attention. You can only imagine how wonderful the food here is, and you haven’t had anything to eat since your dinner last night. Having gone so long without food you’re surprised you aren’t ravenous, the kidnapping likely stunting your appetite. Still, you won’t be turning down the offer. 
You nod your head to confirm his words. Chrollo walks over to a phone in the room to place an order for room service, quietly listing off a variety of breakfast foods. While he’s occupied doing this, you look around what will be your residence for the next few weeks. He must not take any issue in your wondering about, seeing as he’s covering the only possible exit. How considerate of him. 
While he’s busy placing an order, you wonder off to take in your surroundings. From the door that leads to the hallway is a small closet on the left, and an expansive kitchen in the middle of the room. To the right of which is a living room, all surrounded by glass windows. That leaves your sleeping arrangement. 
Saving the bedroom for last, your fears are confirmed. You realize that even in such an expansive suite, there’s only a single bedroom, with a king sized bed. Luck doesn’t seem to be on your side. Well, it’s not like you can’t sleep on the floor or couch if the opportunity presents itself. A nagging voice in the back of your mind tells you Chrollo won’t allow for that, unfortunately. 
Plopping yourself down on the right side of the bed, you could almost melt into the comfortable mattress. Tempting as it is to fall asleep, you don’t trust Chrollo enough to give that a shot. Frowning at your fancy evening wear from the previous night, your previous concern about not having any clothes to change into returns. The bathroom did have a fluffy, white robe in it. 
‘That feels too vulnerable... I’ll take my chances with the dress.’
Getting up before you fall asleep, you look around for anything that might be useful. The phone in the living room might be an idea, if you could somehow call and alert the staff of your predicament. Something tells you Chrollo has already taken that into account, and you write off the idea as soon as it appears.
Speaking of Chrollo, he enters the bedroom with an inviting cart of food in front of him. Everything from hashed browns, scrambled eggs, pastries, pancakes, bacon and waffles sit atop silver plates. 
“I wasn’t sure what you like, so I got everything. Help yourself.” 
Not needing to be told twice, you grab a plate and go to town. Chrollo grabs a steaming cup of tea, taking a sip and sitting down next to you. The bed creaks underneath his added weight, you too occupied with eating to care about the implications of his action.
He raises the glass to his lips. “Is there anything else you want to ask me, [First]?” 
Swallowing your previous bite, you give his question some thought. There is plenty on your mind that you’d love to know. A better, more conclusive answer for why he kidnapped you at the top of that list. You recall how he looked detached from reality when you asked him about it on the blimp, leading you to believe that asking again will earn a similar result.
‘It’d be best to play it safe for now.’
“Yes, actually,” you take a bite of a blueberry muffin, wiping your mouth before continuing. “Am I supposed to wear this damned dress for the remainder of this... arrangement?” 
"As lovely as you look in it, no. One of the suitcases has clothes for you, among other things.” 
Blinking at this new information, you wonder if he ever intended on telling you this. In your short time of being acquainted with Chrollo, you’ve picked up on how he rewards you for conversation. Humiliating as it is to play along with his tune, you’ll have to do just that. 
“Other things...?” you repeat back in a faint murmur, showcasing your confusion by tilting your head. Chrollo nods his head in affirmation to this, setting his now empty tea cup on a nightstand with a faint click. 
“You strike me as the type to want something to do, so I went through the trouble of procuring a few of your belongings. A few books, and the like.” 
‘Ah. How terribly considerate of him.’ 
It’s not much, but knowing you have some of your personal possessions is comforting. Anything is better than being stuck alone with him, or your thoughts. The worst possible case scenarios. 
Your meal now finished, you get up and place your dirty plates back onto the tray. Chrollo continues relaxing, eyes still following your every moment. How is he not exhausted? The only thing keeping you awake is your fear of what could happen when you’re asleep, and even that is beginning to wane. Maybe some caffeine will help with that. 
“I’m gonna get my stuff.” you call over, holding your breath in anticipation of a response. 
At his lack of protest, you assume this action is approved of. Helping yourself to the suitcase without a lock on it, you unzip it to find it’s just as he said. Some of your clothes from home, your switch, books, a few offline games, your favorite perfume, shampoo and body wash. 
It’s creepy to know someone went into your residence and took your stuff, but that’s the least of your problems right now. While grabbing a change of clothes, a thought hits you. Looking up towards the phone Chrollo used to call room service earlier, your hand twitches by your side. It’s a temptation, taunting you over the possibility of freedom. 
‘He’s in the other room relaxing. Maybe, just maybe I have enough time...’
Cautiously, as not to alert him of your scheme, you begin to silently tiptoe over to the phone. Time feels like it goes slower, not even trusting yourself to breathe in fear of him hearing it. Hand hovering over your possible saving grace, your fingers grow closer to pressing 9. 
That’s when he appears in the corner of your eye, leading you to hurriedly bring back your hand and straighten your back. 
“I already cut the wires. It was a good idea though.” he calls over from the doorway, leaning against it and smiling in a way that makes your stomach curl. Not a single detail has gone overlooked, but what were you expecting from a mastermind criminal who has managed to go this long without being caught? 
Checking to see if his words hold any merit, you find it’s just as he said. Wires cut in a single clean motion, biting your lip as your hopes evaporate in front of you. 
It reminds you of Tantalus. Who was cursed to be hungry and thirsty forever, in the taunting reach of food and water that’d recede whenever he went to partake in it. An eternal punishment you’re now being subjected to. 
‘I should’ve known it wouldn’t have been so easy. Still, how could he have not made a single sound? I didn’t even hear the bed creak.’ 
Laughing nervously at being caught, you step back as to avoid further consequence, cheeks flushing at being caught in your measly attempt. “Just... checking to make sure all is in order, aha...” 
Walking away from it, you look to change the subject. Chrollo doesn’t seem bothered by your defiant actions, having clearly already anticipated your idea. He rolls out the cart from before, leading you to stiffen when he walks past you. Heart pounding away in your chest, you silently observe him opening the door to place it outside. 
He looks back at your anxious form after shutting the door. “I’d rather not have to constantly monitor you. Whether or not I do will be determined by how you act.” 
There’s a thick pressure in the room from his words, one that pushes down on you like a heavy weight. Unable to maintain eye contact with him any longer, you look to the side, clutching your clothes to your person. Chrollo doesn’t have to resort to infuriated threats or physical violence, his presence commanding enough on its own.
To ease the tension in the air, Chrollo speaks up. “If I happened to leave out anything you need, let me know.” 
Grateful for the change in subject, you nod your head in a daze. From now on you’ll have to be more discreet. Mentally slapping yourself for not giving your earlier actions more consideration, you move on at Chrollo’s lack of reprimanding. 
“Is it alright if I get changed?” you speak up, voice meek enough to remind you of a mouse. Chrollo considers you before nodding his head. You jump at the opportunity to be alone, borderline running to the master bathroom and shutting the door behind you.
Looking in the mirror, you see your frowning reflection staring back. Placing a hand to your face, you inspect the bags forming underneath your eyes. Peeling off the dress feels heavenly, using a wet rag on the sink to quickly clean your body. Showering with a murderer in the other room isn’t a tempting proposition.
Putting on your clothes, you feel like a new person. Straightening up your hair and splashing your face with cold water, you place your hands onto the cool marble counter top. 
‘I’m going to get out of this. It’ll be okay, [First]. Stay calm.’
Finishing your mini pep talk, you fold your previous outfit and place it on the floor. Will Chrollo even allow someone into your room to clean it? Not that it matters, seeing as you spotted a washer and dryer earlier. 
He’s sitting up in bed when you open the door, a book now in hand. At your presence, he looks up to acknowledge you. Chrollo’s dark hair frames his face, and you flush at his admittedly handsome appearance. How are you supposed to remain composed in his company? 
“I can close the blinds if you intend to sleep.” he offers before turning to the next page of his book. 
Oh, that’s right. Now that you’re wearing pajamas he must assume you want to sleep. The next hurdle of this headache inducing dilemma, Chrollo having the expectation of you resting next to him. Eyelids feeling heavier by the second, you wonder how much coffee would be necessary to keep you awake.
That’d still be delaying the inevitable. Coffee or not you won’t be able to stay conscious forever. Earlier, when you fell asleep in the car, he didn’t do anything weird... right? Nothing that you can account for. 
He looks up at you, noting your lack of response. Unfreezing from your prior stiff position, you make the decision to sit down next to the bed. Chrollo most likely wants you where he can see you after your previous stunt, and sleeping on the floor isn’t the worst thing in the world.
Aside from the back pains. 
Making yourself comfortable, you fully intend to fall asleep on the floor. Chrollo closes his book at your antics, coming over to your side of the bed and frowning. “What are you doing?”
“I’m about to sleep.” 
“... On the floor?”
“Yeah, that’s the plan.” 
Unreadable grey eyes pierce through your being, sending chills down your spine. From your previous interactions with him, you thought a measly sign of resistance such as this one wouldn’t matter. Your initial assessment must be incorrect, as he sends you a disapproving look.
“There’s no reed for that.” he reasons with you, leaving little room for argument. Not wanting to give in, you remain planted in your spot. Without wasting anymore time, he gets up and crouches next to you. You wonder if he’s going to chastise you further for your childish actions. 
He instead lifts you up in a single, fluid motion. A small noise of shock leaves your lips at the sensation of being hoisted up, scrambling to clutch onto him in fear of falling. It doesn’t last long, as he places you down onto the bed with gentleness that you didn’t expect him to have.
Arms receding back to his side, Chrollo returns to his previous position as if nothing out of the ordinary had just occurred. You feel your face burning, a bright red glow coupled with it. The scent of his cologne lingers, memory of his touch flustering you further. 
Clearing your throat to play off the events, you still can’t manage to look at him. “I was planning on sleeping here, actually. Was just testing the floor out.” 
He opens his book back up to its previous page, lips quirking into an amused smile. “I’m sure you were.” 
Having no other options, you lay on your side facing the wall. Muscles taut and incapable of relaxing in his presence, you squeeze your eyes shut to no avail. All you hear is the gentle hum of the air conditioner on the wall, and the occasional page flip from him. 
More time passes, at a snails pace. An hour ago you would’ve entered slumber easily, now it taunts and eludes you. Huffing at your inability to rest, you adjust yourself against the soft mattress. 
Sighing quietly in defeat, you attempt to make conversation to pass the time. “Do you not ever need to sleep?” 
“I’ll be fine for a while longer. Are you concerned for my well being?” You can imagine the smug visage on his face, clear as day. It’s tempting to want to bite back with no, you’re not very worried about his health. You bite your tongue and instead ignore the teasing.
Sitting up and hugging your knees to your chest, you look over at him. His guard is still on high alert even while he’s reading. There’s an immeasurably gap in strength between you two, accented by his casual demeanor. 
“That makes two of us. I don’t feel tired now,” you narrow your eyes in his direction, wanting desperately to know what it is he’s thinking. “Something tells me we’re not going to be sitting here all day.” 
“For a majority of it. I’ll consider taking you out for dinner if you continue acting agreeable.” 
Tempting you with food, huh? It’s a most valiant effort, one that almost threatens to win you over. Especially since cities always have a variety of nice restaurants to choose from. Giving his proposition some thought, you realize there might be a catch. There always is with these kinds of ordeals. 
“What is your definition of... agreeable?” 
Disliking the way the word feels on your tongue, you purse your lips. Dehumanizing is how you’d describe it, knowing that your actions are being analyzed and studied. If Chrollo notices the bitterness in your voice, he doesn’t feel a need to mention it.
“I don’t care much for labels, but I’d equate it to wanting to date you. I told you earlier that I had taken an interest in you, that’s what I meant.” Chrollo explains to you with ease that tells you how much thought he’s given it.
When he had told you he was interested in you earlier, you thought he meant it in an entirely different way. Like how you find a certain movie interesting or entertaining. Now you’re unsure what to think. Mind swarming with thoughts ranging from maybe it’s a good thing, to what do you do now? 
Finally, you deliver your eloquent and delicately woven response, having put every level of care into it. 
“Oh.” 
Glancing over at your dumbfounded expression, he can’t help but laugh airily at your mortified look. 
“I’ll take that as a yes.” 
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tenderlyrenjun · 3 years ago
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[9:15 am]
(feat. Mark)
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You barge into Renjun’s private study, pushing the classificatory Azure Dragon emblem on the push plate so violently that the doors clammor deafeningly against the walls they hit. The force, even quicker, drives the doors to shut before the head guard, Mark, can follow you in, even with his vampiric speed. Surprisingly, the doors remain intact, likely due to the fiberglass material. But Mark still enters, half a second after you, bowing apologetically to Renjun who reads a sales and revenue report.
“What the hell is this?” you demand, waving a letter with Jaemin’s government seal stamped prominently contrasted against the black-inked characters and tinted white parchment.
Renjun gives you a momentary look until returning to his deep red wine and business report. And neither of you spare a glance at Mark, who immediately assesses the entire room, looking underneath the desk, leaning against the wall to scan the garden outside through the curtains, taking out his ear piece to listen for the slightest of movements, etc. etc. 
“I don’t know,” Renjun answers, eyes glossing over the drop in profit, trying to figure out where it comes from.
Every couple of decades, the two of you obtain successive internships at your various companies, under the guise of nepotism, usually to oversee any errors or the general income. And with Renjun having suggested attending college a few months back, this internship with your tech company seemed to just fit the whole college students persona, particularly your A accompanying that computer class Renjun asked you to take. Plus, he wanted to review why the stocks have been going down, especially since your companies are privately owned and you two, the owners, are well-hidden from the public. The only people, prior to your new reemergence into the 21st century, who saw you were other ancient vampires and the members of your coven - Kun, Aurora, Mark, Jiu, Woosung, in addition to the security detail turned and operated by Mark.
“It’s Jaemin’s signature,” you state obviously, crinkling the parchment louder in the air before pulling it in front of you again to reread the message.
“Mhmm,” Renjun hums, already having gathered that, simultaneous with Mark’s reaction: a whispered Oh.
Both you and Renjun turn to Mark, who finished surveying the area. Your vampire hearings amplified the exclamation, so you two raise matching eyebrows. 
“Sorry,” Mark excuses himself formally, then resumes the composure of a head guard again: shoulders squared, head up, position alert. He stares blankly at the wall but receives challenging stares ordering a real answer. “I just,” he concedes to his founders, “thought it was something more zealous, or, even, outrageous, like an ex-lover or something.”
You eyebrow raises further, and Renjun closes his file, setting his feet firmly on the ground. It is ... entertaining when vampires make passing comments about your intense relationship - even Jaemin mentioned that he had not seen either of you separated in all 700 years that you three have been friends. Scarcely anyone knows about Renjun’s earlier indiscretion, and you would like to keep it this way, especially if the future unfolds as Doyoung’s right hand predicts it to. The thought paints an intense stare on your face that almost scares Mark.
“We’re both two and a half millennia old,” Renjun reveals, something he rarely admits to people and something that Mark largely underestimated, given by the way his eyes widen and body stiffens. Renjun turns to you, smirking. “Do people always assume that we are first loves?” You glare at him, not wanting to answer, especially after the incident Mark unintentionally brought up. Renjun drops the corners of his lips, right, then reclines in his chaise longue, resuming his casual position crossing his ankle over his knee. “Not that it matters, of course, because you are my only love.”
“And you are my last,” you respond equally. 
“What did Jaemin sign?” Mark interjects, not wanting to be caught in yet another lover’s ... to be honest, he cannot describe the intensity; he just knows that he does not want to be in the middle of it again.
“A declaration of war,” you announce, tossing the opened envelope into Renjun’s lap. 
Renjun slowly sits up again, then closes his file and chugs the last of his blood, in case of a surprise attack. Younger vampires ... they tend to be more dramatic, and he would not hold it against them if they waited for this exact moment to make a move and jump all three of you at once. So, he needs the last of the blood to have more than enough strength to fight them off.
“Against who though?” Mark asks, making sure to emphasize his presence. Sometimes, you and Renjun slip into that fabled telepathy supposedly shared by Mates (it is fake; you two just know each other well), and as head guard, he needs the information to make a protection plan for the entire coven.
But to his surprise, you answer, “I don’t know,” and rub your forehead. You walk toward Renjun, rereading the message over his shoulder. “Some faction in North America, I assume, based on all the tensions both politically and economically - what with one Lee clans slaughtering an entire town to occupy it.” You sigh, then realize how callous the sentence sounded and look up at Mark, who shared that surname in his mortal life. “Sorry, Mark.”
“Not a problem,” he amends, “Likely no relation.” He triangulates in front of Renjun to watch your back in case a vampire appears from the large mirror at your blind spot. “Was it one of the newer factions?”
Still standing, you exhale loudly through your entire chest (to give yourself a pause to think, to remember), then step a bit further from Renjun, mimicking Mark’s protocol: creating a triangle position amongst the three of you. You would honestly love to sit with Renjun, like all those nights lounging on a couch, studying or watching TV, but the both of you need to be as alert as Mark always is, if not more; the responsibility of protecting your newly rebuilt coven weighing heavily. It took centuries after the last war just to be able to trust other vampires into your hours, and even more decades to do extremely thorough background checks on those who live with you now. At the beginning of the war, assassins infiltrated your manor at your weakest point and Renjun had to rescue you from Yeon’s kidnapping and extortion attempt (possibly even murder, if Renjun had been too late). That was when you lost Xiaojun, Mark’s predecessor who was sire bonded to you. Then, more spies, from all sides, from all covens, absolutely decimated your numbers until only you and Renjun remained. Renjun, too, barely managed during the war, to keep you safe. Luckily, his special compulsion ability was able to order vampires away, undermining their sire bonds to defy their traitorous leaders. He currently keeps this gift secret, only using it when necessary (or as a party trick with his closest friends), though it does still come out subconsciously, hence why his first impressions are always so great.
You sigh again. “Newer vampires don’t know just how many of us there are, or how long we have been around. Aurora is barely 35, and prior to joining us, she was not aware of Jaemin or the Laws. So, of course they have to be a new faction. An arrogant new faction, likely affiliated with one of the Italian clans who want ultimate power again and for the capital to return to Volterra [Italy] again.”
“Rumor has it that Jaemin’s Mate even returned to Korea after drifting through North America,” Renjun gossips. You are always surprised to hear about Jaemin’s Mate, because while he has not been off the compound in 90 years, his Mate is scarcely ever with him. It reminds you how horrible that century without Renjun was; you cannot fathom wanting to be separated for more than a few days. “Perhaps there is some benefit to his Mate having been gone; Jaemin might have more to say than what he send.”
“What did Jaemin want?” Mark asks, as the only person in the room who has not read the letter.
“For us to pledge allegiance,” Renjun answers before you do, also recalling that darkest time when you perfected your poison techniques on treasonists. He deadpans and crumples the letter into a ball, feeling your anger rise with Jaemin’s words. You give Renjun a look, Jaemin cannnot be serious, right? But Renjun shakes his head, unsure; Jaemin is a fan of loyalty, even more than you, so neither of you know what this invitation means - you will have to schedule another meeting with him.
“Does he not remember our commitment to neutrality?” you seethe, balling your hands into fists like the ball, shaking your head with Renjun but in disbelief. 
“Does he want to absorb us as well?” Mark asks more realitistcally than you. “Our vampires are highly trained and over half possess special abilities, so -”
“Jaemin is not Doyoung,” you seethe again, interrupting Mark before he can accuse Jaemin of one of the highest crimes (passed into law by Jaemin himself): stalking vampires into a coven. It rose into law after one New Year in the early 19th century when too many newly turned 20-year olds emerged as vampires. Covens grew; entire high school classrooms slaughtered; police stations were at an all time high for corruption as leaders bribed them to turn the other way. The law had been coming for a long time, especially since this is how Doyoung acquired all of his member. Doyoung only recruited leaders with special abilities; hence his left hand atrium, a vampire with subjective precognition born under a chancellor following the Dark Ages, and his right hand (Jeno) atrium, a prince, a former East Palace in the years preceding the Dark Ages, with the ability to recognize any relationship and induce one, though only if he is present. But that holiday was the final deciding factor.
“No,” Renjun agrees, his voice rising to command the room. “But do not forget, love. We wanted Doyoung to rule as well.” You share a lot of qualities with Doyoung, hence why you are old friends, but Jaemin is the current leader and a good one at that too.
“Not at the cost of war.”
“So what do we do?” Mark asks, looking between the two of you for a direction before he creates a plan. “How do we avoid the war?”
Renjun glances at the letter. Jaemin was very firm and strict. So he sighs, resigning in doubt.
“We don’t.”
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woahitslucyylu · 4 years ago
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Sleep.
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GIF credit to @intimacypng​. 
Author’s Note: Here is Smut Sunday. Please forgive my lateness. I am a teacher in my real life, and it’s rough in these streets for teachers right now. Thank you for your never ending support, sleazies. You make writing so much fun! 
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You leaned into the pillows - the TV’s light bathing your room in a soft glow - as you watched Snapchats mindlessly. Selena was visiting a winery with her new boyfriend, Tina was thrifting somewhere in LA, and he was at a party - was that the clubhouse? You couldn’t be sure. Your thumb hovered over his name again, weighing the implications of watching it again. Swallowing thickly, you replayed his snap again and again - he would already see your name in his notifications, so it seemed harmless to indulge in endless views. 
There he was - his dark eyes staring through you - penetrating your soul even through the video. He was at the clubhouse - Angel’s hulking frame towered behind the pool table as EZ and Gilly flipped off the camera as it panned around. 
“Ay, come through for me and my brothers,” He requested as he winked in the snap, “We trying to hang out with you. Come on, ma!” He spoke as if he were asking for you. His eyes held yours and his smile made your pussy tingle as you watched it again. Why were you torturing yourself? You hadn’t viewed his snap in two weeks and hadn’t texted him in nearly the same. You had pushed him away - worn down by late nights and half-truths, and not even his golden dick could keep you satisfied. You wanted more. You begged for more, and that’s when you knew it was too much. The fight was explosive - the truth dipped in insults, reminding each of you why this wasn’t meant to be. 
You collapsed into the pillows - your phone sliding from your hands as you sulked in frustration. Closing your eyes, you took a deep breath, trying your best to focus on the rerun of Real Housewives - feigning interest in Kyle and Lisa’s current catfight. Yet, your mind and your pussy continued to dream about Coco. Your phone vibrated in the blankets and the screen illuminated with a notification from Snapchat. Your breath caught in your throat as you opened the app - finding a little blue bubble beside his name. 
“Oh,” You whispered as you clicked the conversation thread and read it again and again. 
go to bed, ma. it’s past ur bedtime. 
You smiled at the audacity. He taunted and teased for foreplay. You knew this game well. 
You held the phone at an angle, snapping an off-center photo of your bent legs and lace panties. You rolled your bottom lip through your teeth - analyzing filter choices and  listening for your conscious to remind you that this was a bad idea. No warning came as you typed a simple caption - 
Can’t sleep, i’m not tired
You held your phone in your hand as you settled back into the pillows. Your heart beating fast as you waited for a response. Would there be one? It was early by club standards. Your home screen read 1:17 - early hours for Mayan mischief. Your phone brightened again - another notification. Your mouth dropped as you opened the thread - his hooded eyes staring at you as he inhaled a blunt, blowing the smoke at the camera. Watching him smoke made you wet. There was something about the way his hands held the blunt and his lips formed the most perfect ‘o’ that left you panting. 
The video was tagged, and you cursed yourself for not reading it quick enough. You replayed the video and reread his message. 
I’ll put u to sleep. 
Your hips wiggled into the mattress as your thumbs hovered over the keyboard. Who was going to speak for you? Your pussy or your heart? They were both lonely, but only one wanted to invite the boogeyman over for the night. 
Shedding your t-shirt, you held your breasts behind your forearm and opened palm. Your nipple piercing peeked through as you chose a black and white filter - sending it without reservation. You held your breath as you sent your reply and waited for his response. 
key still under the mat? be there in 10. 
You squealed as you replied with a simple smiley, dropping your phone onto the plush comforter as you waited for the familiar rumble of a Harley to light the fire in your belly. 
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The door creaked as you sat up straighter - waiting for him to shadow your door frame. You stopped listening for footsteps early, when you learned that El Coco didn’t make any noise - a shadow in the night. 
“Hey mami.” His wiry voice electrified your body as you sat up on your knees, drinking in his slender frame leaned against the door. His henley clung to his arms as his eyes studied you up and down. You suddenly felt exposed in just your tank top and panties and for a second, you wondered if it was a good idea. 
“You still not sleepy?” Coco’s half smile was deadly as he shed his kutt, hanging it on the edge of the door, and slipped his feet from his Vans. 
You shook your head in response, your voice was trapped in your throat, but he liked your submissive side anyways. He stood at the end of your bed, his gaze holding yours as he stripped. His pants pooling on the floor, his belt clattering on the hard wood as he stripped his shirt - your breath catching at the sight of his tattooed body. Only two weeks apart, but yet you raked your eyes up and down him, memorializing his image in your mind. 
Coco climbed onto the bed - the mattress dipping as he pushed blankets and pillows to the floor until he kneeled in front of you, matching your pose. The air was thick with lust and forgotten promises as he reached for you. His hand roughly palmed your breast - his fingers rolling your piercing as your nipple hardened under his touch. Coco sat on his heels - watching your body give into him with each swipe of his finger. Your panties wettened with each twist of the metal bar as he tortuously teased you. You could beg or you could play, and you chose to play. 
You held his gaze as you licked your palm and reached for his dick that rested against his thigh.
“Shit.” He hissed as his hand froze - holding your breast as his head lulled back, enjoying your tight grip as you jerked him. Your clit throbbed at the erotic sight - nothing made you come wet like this, watching his eyes flutter behind his eyelids, his mouth slack as he breathed deeply, letting his dominance melt into need as you swiped his tip with the pad of your thumb - his hips rising to meet you. The giggles were reactive; your body flushing with desire as Coco pushed you backward - your elbows catching your body. 
“Don’t laugh, querida,” His knee forced your legs open as his hand slid over your panties, pulling them down, “I can play all night with you.” Two fingers filled you without warning and your hips arched, pushing him deeper as you rocked. “Oh fuck.” You clenched at his fingers and his gravely laugh left you dripping as he called to your orgasm - curling his fingers into your soft walls. “Is it funny now?” He taunted as his thumb pressed against your aching clit. “Oh Johnny, don’t move,” Your hips moved, grinding against his palm. “I found the spot, huh?” His hand rested heavy against your throat - the sounds of your gushing pussy filled the room. The sounds and the sight of Coco’s face above you was enough to send your body sliding into his hands. 
“That’s it,” He mumbled into your neck, his teeth nipping your collarbone, “Is she feeling sleepy yet?” He pulled back - his fingers still inside of you. His gaze stilled you as he pinched your clit - pulling the glistening nub as he dropped a trail of saliva - the sensation strangling moans in your throat as you went limp against him. 
“Not yet. I think she needs one more.” He nudged you - pushing you to roll over. “Fuck, you’re so pretty.” He rubbed himself against your raised cheeks, sliding his tip across your swollen clit as his hands danced across your body - trailing your sides. Each touch left your body tingling. You pressed yourself into the mattress - wiggling your ass against him - begging for his touch. “Don’t be bratty.” His hand came down heavy on your thigh and it jiggled under his assault. 
“Johnny,” You whined as you turned your head, pouting as you looked back at him. “Tell me how bad you want it.” His eyes were clouded with lust as he gripped himself - slapping your glistening lips with his dick. You sighed - he was so close, yet so far, “You feel so good when you’re in me. I dream about it.” Your hand slid between your legs as you slid your knees apart - your fingers sliding into your creamed center. 
“Damn, ma. You really got my attention. Do it again.” He strangled a command as he wrapped his hand around his length - jerking himself in tandem with you as you rubbed your clit - your hips rocking against your own hand. 
“Baby, you feel so much better. Fill me up, please.” You felt yourself dripping down your leg and Coco noticed too as he dipped low - licking your arousal from your thighs. “Johnny, please. I just want to come on your dick.” You pleaded - the edge in your voice clear. 
You felt him press against you as he slid his dick between your folds - pushing into you all at once. 
“Fuck, papi, fuck.” You panted. Coco felt your heartbeat in your pussy - your walls pulsing around him, edged to the brink. Your nails gripped the sheets as you steadied yourself against his powerful thrusts - each time, his sack hitting against you, sending quivers through your body. 
His long fingers tangled through your hair - pulling your head close as he leaned into you. “Oh my god, right there.” Your hips pushed back against him as he buried his head in your neck - hot kisses searing into your skin. Grinding against him, you felt the burn in your belly as his strokes slowed - letting you feel every ridge of his heavy dick. “Yeah, baby girl, I feel you.” His praise was enough as your legs shook with your orgasm. Coco’s tattooed hand slid over your throat, pulling you into him, as you came hard - spilling over the sheets. “Fuck, it’s too good.” He groaned as he fell onto you - his cum warming your insides. 
Your breaths came in unison as you laid connected - his hands intertwining with yours - the most intimate gesture. “Ah, come on, mami, let me go.” He teased as he pulled out - you and him sliding down your thigh as you rolled to your side - wrapping the sheet around your naked body. 
The air was still once more. The passion bubbled over, leaving steaming questions and faint regret in its wake. His hand found yours once more - his tattoos in stark contrast to your unblemished skin. You smiled lazily as your eyes fluttered as sleep slowly came - your last vision of a sleepy Johnny with his lips parted and eyes closed. 
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mystical-salamander · 3 years ago
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First Lines Meme
Copy the first few lines of your last ten fics, note any fun observations, then tag a few more friends.
Thanks for tagging me @thatonegreyghost ! I'm gonna tag @checkmate-gargoyle and anyone else who wants to join in.
Unfortunately I don't have ten fics, but I do have five! From recent to oldest:
Up for a Dance? (kalluzeb fic. Currently still working on the second chapter. Kallus struggles to stay undercover as Zeb becomes the subject of an Imperial's affections.)
It had become increasingly difficult for Zeb and Alex to have any time together. The Ghost was sent off-planet for weeks at a time and they rarely had a moment to stay on base. It was a selfish desire he knew, after all, they were fighting a war, and they both knew there would have to be some sacrifices on their end for the Rebellion.
And this time was no different.
Ringing in my Head (kalluzeb fic based on a post I made a while back. Currently thinking of rewriting the two chapters already posted before continuing on with the rest. Kallus and Zeb are sent on a mission together. They have to deal with their rising feelings for each other and the resurgence of a certain weapon. )
She was hunched over her datapad to hide its traitorous blue lighting from the dark forest. She watched the bar slowly upload the information onto her datastick. 
Come on! Come on! Come on! DONE! 
She pocketed the datastick and smashed the datapad into a tree. She wiped away the blood that ran down her forehead before running off deeper into the forest. She held her blaster in her hands, her knuckles nearly going white. She needed to get to the rendezvous point. 
Day 4: Stranded on a Desert Planet (kalluzeb fic. The fastest I ever finished a fic– 2 days I think. Still really like it. Title explains the plot, but Kallus and Zeb get stranded on a desert planet and Zeb suffers from a heat stroke.)
It was kriffing hot.  
The thought repeated itself in Kallus' head for the millionth time. The former agent growled to himself as he stared into the endless golden landscape.
He sighed and looked over at the unconscious Lasat next to him. The rapid and shallow breathing Zeb produced made Kallus' insides twist horribly. The former agent leaned over to grab his jacket and fanned at the Lasat's sweltering body.
Bleeding Love (first kalluzeb fic. I don't love the intro to this, but I still reread the rest of the fic. Currently trying to plan out a sequel. Zeb gets captured by the Empire. Kallus decides to rescue him and leave the Empire before his cover as Fulcrum is blown.)
Stormtroopers gathered in the hundreds, their orderly groups waiting for the ship to arrive. Nowadays, with the Rebellion growing every day, it was uncommon for a mission to prove to be successful. Much less to exceed expectations. 
Kallus stood with the other officers at the hangar. News of a captured rebel was cause for stress for him. Not only would he have to report back to the Rebellion so they could extract their rebel, but he would also have to help with that rescue.
Endless Love That Owns Me (Tales of Arcadia/Wizards fic. My first fic, its old and not super terrible. I really wanted more Gunmar and Bular interactions, might write another fic focused on this evil father and son duo. Gunmar's thoughts and reaction after finding out that his son was captured by King Arthur. Lots of father and son thoughts and feels ensue.)
Gunmar wasn't worried, when the messenger arrived with the news that Bular was missing, he didn't get a sinking feeling, a lump didn't form in his throat, he didn't have to force himself to not immediately go searching for his son. He tried to deny every uneasy sensation that arose when those words were uttered. 
Bular was missing.
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thebibliomancer · 3 years ago
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Tides of the Dark Crystal liveblog pt 25
Tides of the Dark Crystal by J.M. Lee because some fire just proclaimed Tavra the true All-Maudra, the Vapra have joined the loosely affiliated resistance, and skekSa has our heroes back against a cliff. Two chapters left, tensions high!
Last times on book: Amri and co are on a quest to unify the Gelfling clans against the Skeksis. They’ve succeeded with the Sifa, the Dousan, and now the Vapra. But they’re cornered by skekSa the Mariner who is feeling a bit sore about the Sifa ditching her and wants to take Naia to use as political capital with the other Skeksis.
Chapter 25
Amri and the others fight to escape the clutches of skekSa, they don’t get out unscathed
skekSa stared, wide-eye, rage saturating her dark eyes and making her look more Skeksis than ever. Amri tried not to let it frighten him. Not now that they’d had their victory lighting the Vapra flame. All that was left was to escape the Mariner’s clutches. Survive, like Tavra had said.
Win condition: get the heck away.
Similar to the first book conclusion, having to escape the Hunter. Different from the second book where they planned to trap the Satirist to keep knowledge of the resistance secret longer.
Beating skekSa in a fight, not even a viable outcome.
For one, her sword is longer than Amri is tall. That’s a bit of a discouraging thing.
skekSa tries being ‘reasonable’ one last time, offering Naia a chance to surrender for the safety of the others but Naia refuses.
[skekSa] charged at Tae, swinging her sword. Even if its edge were not sharp, the sheer power and weight of it would crush a Gelfling if it struck. Tae leaped, wings taking her up so her toes touched the gleaming metal of the blade. She ran along the sword, leaping again and slashing with her dagger.
That’s some more choreography that I’d love to see in puppets.
It’d look silly if not execute well but maybe good silly.
There’s only so many ways you can portray a small individual fighting a much larger one and its not like Yoda’s method of jumping around everywhere like a grasshopper doesn’t look silly if you’re not in the moment.
Naia runs to help Tae hold off the Mariner and Amri runs to take care of Kylan.
Kylan being Kylan, his first concern is to stop skekSa from destroying any more trees after the trees helped send the message but Tavra chides him they have to save themselves first.
Problem being they’re backed up against the cliff, they don’t see Onica’s lantern down in the ocean, and all the fliers are trying to knife fight a behemoth.
skekSa doesn’t give them space to think about it either, she dashes in and tries to split Amri in half. He tries to block with Tavra’s sword but the Skeksis wrenches it from his hand with the hook on her sword.
Not ideal.
Naia and Tae attack her again and do some damage but she just jumps away from Tae and throws Naia off of her. Fighting Skeksis is hard.
Tae tells Tavra to protect the others and keep lighting the fires no matter what happens and then dives against skekSa from the air.
Tae’s dagger bit. skekSa’s sword flipped into the air, and Amri caught his heart in his teeth when he saw that the Skeksis’ severed hand still clutched the hilt as it flew.
skekSa screamed. She grasped the stump where her hand had been.
“How dare you!” she cried, over and over. “HOW DARE YOU!”
Well, uh, plus side is that now she can get a hook hand to add to her piratey aesthetic?
Minus side is the Swimmer just lost a hand too.
Other minus side, Skeksis have four arms. Two usually vestigial but like the Hunter, the Mariner engages in vigorous exercise in the brisk outdoors and hasn’t had arm atrophy.
Amri tries to warn Tae when he sees the movement but is too late.
One of skekSa’s smaller arms slipped out from the Skeksis’ coat. Something flashed, and a BOOM rang through the mountain air. A cloud of smoke exploded from skekSa’s hip, blasting Tae off her feet. She crashed into one of the Waystar trees, leaving a red mark on its glowing white bark where she struck. Then she fell into the snow and did not rise.
The smoke cleared. skekSa coughed and reached into the depths of her coat again, drawing out a leathery, egg-shaped device and holding it in her tiny palm. Her breath rasped in anger and pain, her blood still falling on the white snow. She stumbled to one knee.
“I can’t believe this,” she panted. “Can’t believe it one bit.”
Holy crap! Guns exist? Skeksis have guns??
This is even weirder than the Emperor doing force lightning.
Guns!
And here I was joking about her improving her piratey aesthetic when she had a gun up her sleeve!
A weird, egg-shaped gun.
The tech level of this world sure is unusual.
-rereading- Oh! Its a grenade!
Yeah, that’s more in keeping with what we have/will see. But geez, she hit Tae with a grenade. Poor Tae.
Also, sure she got blown up for it, but props to Tae for taking off an entire hand in one go.
Down below in the bay, Onica’s lantern has finally arrived and Naia says that their best chance is to fly down. Except now they’re down one flier and have two non fliers to convey.
skekSa throws another egg-shaped grenade, which Amri blocks by throwing a branch in its path. The explosion still knocks him on his ass because that’s what explosions DO.
And by the time he recovers, skekSa reaches them.
She had found her sword, held it in the hand that was intact, carelessly bleeding from the other as if it meant nothing.
“I don’t want to do this,” she said slowly, her blade tasting the snow at her feet. Her voice turned hard at the end, wicked as her sword. “I told you we had a deal -- you ungrateful fool.”
Huh.
I can almost believe she means it.
The Mariner takes a swing but she’s blocked by someone with a Vapra sword and then has her sword knocked off the cliff.
skekSa is having a really bad day.
[Amri’s] eyes were still hazy, trying desperately to focus. But even so, he could see how stood between them and skekSa: a Sifa with hair gold as the sun, holding Tavra’s sword. Shining on her neck was a crystal spider, silver and blue as the moon.
The ringing dulled enough that Amri could hear Tavra’s words, stern and commanding in Tae’s voice.
“Get out of here, to the cliff,” she said. “Run! Fly!”
!!
Tavra spidered Tae!
I guess Tae is alive from being exploded? If her body is still capable of being spidered and fighting?
skekSa tries to lunge past TavraTae to get Naia but without weapons and against someone with a sword who knows how to use it, she’s stymied.
The Mariner even grabs a tree branch and tries to use that to swat TavraTae, without success.
Naia follows TavraTae’s advice and grabs Kylan and jumps off the cliff.
And after breaking from the fight with superior mobility, TavraTae grabs Amri and jumps too.
Amri having a lot of trouble reconciling in his mind Tavra and Tae because its Tavra but looks like Tae and plus he might have a concussion.
Naia still is the Drenchen whose wings have only just come in and haven’t been strenuously tested much so she’s having trouble doing more than slowing down her and Kylan’s fall. Its a nice touch that that’s remembered two books later.
But TavraTae glides close so Amri can take Naia’s hand and they can all glide down together.
As soon as they land on the boat, Tae crumples, probably Tavra abandoning controlling her as soon as its not a life or death situation. Because of ethics. And because moving her around when she’s been exploded can’t be good for her explosion wound.
Naia immediately starts trying to heal her, only pausing so they can all move inside the cabin where its warm.
In the end, the glowing eased and Naia put her hand on Tae’s forehead.
“I’ve healed her body,” she said, brow creased with pain. “But she was deeply injured by that explosion. Even though I’ve mended her cuts and broken bones, her mind still sleeps. I cannot even sense her dreams. I don’t know when she will wake... if ever.”
It was hard to imagine. The Sifa merely looked as if she were sleeping.
“I didn’t mean to...,” Tavra began. She rested on Tae’s cheek, glistening like a tiny moon in a cloud of sun-gold hair. Amri sighed and shook his head. The moon had eclipsed the sun during a storm in Ha’rar, after all.
What a weird prophecy.
In the end, it turns out it wasn’t a prophecy of a sweet, sweet romance. But a premonition that Tae would eventually be body-jacked by a spider that was really a cool Vapra.
Goes to show, prophecies aren’t straightforward. Unless they’re incredibly straightforward. Like the one from the movie.
But sometimes they’re poetic because fate doesn’t like you screwing with it.
Amri tells Tavra that this isn’t her fault because she did all the right things and saved the group which is what Tae would have wanted and which she’ll definitely confirm when she wakes up.
Buuuuuut, the plot hasn’t stopped happening just because there’s like four pages left in the book.
You’d think it would and we’d be winding down and figuring out what to do next. But no.
A familiar metallic whistle shrills through the air. A whistle that Amri knows exactly what it foretells.
Amri ran out onto the deck, followed by the others. The ship trembled as the sea shook. He grabbed hold of the rigging on the ship as waves rolled out from the ocean and crashed across the back of an enormous black shell. A deafening moan trembled through the water and echoed against the steep cliff. Terror shot through Amri’s body as a behemoth mouth rose from the depths, water gushing from its enormous hooked-beaked maw.
It gaped, spreading its jaws. The ocean churned, sucked into the black abyss of the creature’s throat. Onica’s ship was caught in a vortex of inescapable currents, and Amri watched the slowly brightening sky disappear as the monster ship closed its jaws, swallowing them into a sea of darkness.
COME ON!
This is where the denouement is supposed to go! And you go and release the kraken on them?
You’re persistent, skekSa! You’re very persistent!
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thevindicativevordan · 4 years ago
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Mongul
Wanted to chat about another Superman Rogue who has been around a while: Mongul.
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Background
Now this guy enjoys something of a mixed reputation. On one hand he, unlike many other Superman classic Rogues, has actually been in some good stories. There’s the iconic For The Man Who Has Everything by Alan Moore which is the perfect encapsulation of his core character traits. There he’s a hulking brute, with enough raw power to go toe to toe with Superman and actually hurt him with physical force alone. He’s crude, making misogynistic comments to Wonder Woman, and gleefully reveling in the conquest he plans. Yet he’s also clever, using the Black Mercy to incapacitate his foe, and has an air of faux affability to him that only adds to his menace. 
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It should come as no surprise that an Alan Moore story is still Mongul’s best showing, but there are other stories worth mentioning as well. There’s Superman: Exile, the first meeting between the Post-Crisis Superman and Mongul and personally one of my favorite Post-Crisis Superman stories. There’s Mongul’s debut Pre-Crisis issue where he and Warworld first appear. There’s his attempt to hijack the Sinestro Corps during the Johns era of Green Lantern. Finally there’s his usage in Bendis Superman, which has been the first time in ages he’s been treated as a serious threat, and given an interesting way to serve as a contrast as Superman.
So why does he suffer from a mixed reputation? Well...
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He sure does look familiar doesn’t he? He was created by Len Wein and Jim Starlin, and Starlin you might recall was the creator of Thanos, who was a ripoff of Darkseid. So Mongul is a copy of a copy, lacking the grandeur of Darkseid and the ambition of Thanos. He and Apocalypse are both cast in Darkseid’s mold, and have both gotten one really great and iconic storyline that guarantees they’ll stick around, but have also not traditionally fared well outside that one story. Also like Apocalypse:
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He has a really bad habit of jobbing and being used by writers to prop up their characters. Jurgens used him to prop up Hank Henshaw in Reign of the Supermen and Henshaw again along with Zod in the Rebirth arc Revenge!, giving him a reputation as a joke. He also got killed by Sinestro pretty easily during his coup attempt.
Besides that he’s also unfortunately been treated as a generic tyrant for Superman to beat up, lacking much in the way of characterization, or in being a meaningful contrast to Superman beyond “Superman uses his strength to serve others, Mongul uses his to oppress them”. For a while I kind of wrote him off as a lost cause, someone that really didn’t offer anything as a Superman opponent beyond that one Alan Moore story. But recently I’ve changed my opinion; I’ve come to believe Mongul does in fact serve an important purpose and should be treated as an essential part of the Superman Rogues Gallery. Part of this turnabout was caused by really enjoying his usage in Bendis’ Superman run, which caused me to do a reread of Mongul stories, and got me thinking about who Mongul is, what he’s about, and what role he plays.
What Role Mongul Plays
A crucial realization hit me while I was rereading Mongul stories: Mongul is The Bully of the Supermythos.
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He’s the guy who doesn’t delude himself into thinking he’s the hero like Lex does. He doesn’t consider himself above petty emotions or notions of right and wrong like Brainiac. He doesn’t have a sympathetic background like General Zod does. He’s the guy who enjoys pounding people into the dirt, who doesn’t mask his desire to lord over the populace behind pretenses of noble intentions. He’s gleeful as he crushes his enemies beneath his heel, he’s petty in that he enjoys forcing people to fight for his amusement, he’s dangerous in that while Darkseid can be bargained with, Mongul is always going to prefer to take what he wants via force and is powerful enough to do just that. In other words, he’s the exact kind of guy Superman started out wanting to take down, just living in the cosmic space where Superman can actually kick his ass without it feeling like punching down. 
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That core ethos, beautifully summed up in All-Star Superman, is in direct opposition to Mongul’s entire lifestyle. When the United Planets starts to form in Bendis’ Superman, Mongul is outraged, not just because it may pose a threat to him, but because the very idea of the “weak” uniting into a stronger whole downright offends him. He runs Warworld to cull the “weak and unfit” of the universe for his own amusement and entertainment, the petty schoolyard bully who has turned a planet-sized Death Star into his own playground, and he climbed to the top via crushing anyone that stood against him with his own two hands or outwitting them with his brain. He’s got no time for others who think they can rise above their station in life without the physical/mental power to back that desire up. If Superman believes that everyone is capable of greatness, Mongul is a firm believer that greatness is the sole purview of the very few (and really only himself). 
This core conflict allows writers to bring back the bully hunter of the Golden Age and early New 52 t-shirt and jeans Supermen. Here’s a guy, a foreign ruler no less, who is actively oppressing people. We get to enjoy seeing Superman taking on a foreign dictator because he’s off in space instead of doing so here on Earth where thorny parallels to American interventionism abroad would be raised. Superman can be the Champion of the Oppressed again, and that’s always something I enjoy seeing.
I’d also like to bring up why Mongul was originally created. Len Wein wanted a foe for Superman who could match him physically. In other words, Mongul is like Doomsday if Doomsday actually had a personality. Mongul offers the opportunity for deeper exploration of Superman that Doomsday can’t. We know this literally because Mongul’s best story isn’t just a slugfest between the two the way Doomsday’s is. For The Man Who Has Everything is one of the best explorations of just how damn lonely being the Last Son of Krypton is for Kal. Exile explores the ethics of Superman’s no kill rule, his belief in the sanctity of life, his struggles to hold onto that belief in the face of the cruelty of others. His usage in Bendis’ run is to illustrate just how fragile the United Planets is, how easily it can break apart, and how hard Superman is going to have to strive to make it work. PKJ used Mongul in his Future State Superman: Worlds of War stories to show the lengths Superman will go to liberate others, his defiance in the face of Mongul’s attempts to break him. There’s an opportunity for psychological evaluation of Superman when Mongul shows up that just isn’t there with Doomsday. That alone is reason to keep him around, but he also brings a bunch of cool shit in addition.
Cool Aspects Mongul Brings to the Supermythos
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He’s got a Death Star that doubles as a gladiator coliseum, where we get to see Superman compete with other gladiators from across the cosmos. Mongul lets Superman channel that Conan brutality in a very entertaining way, putting Superman in a setting where he’s facing lots of foes who can go up against him with raw strength and numbers alone. 
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It’s a place that channels that pulp science fiction that Superman was borne from in a very entertaining way in my opinion. Also they should set a Superman video game there (but that’s another blog post). The gladiators are also useful, either as oppressed prisoners for Superman to liberate, and showcase directly how he makes life better, or as bloodthirsty mooks that can actually challenge Superman without dimishing him.
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The Black Mercy is an awesome science fiction concept. While it’s been overused in relation to Mongul, it’s also the embodiment of the unknown wonders and threats of DC Cosmic. In the right hands it’s a great tool for exploring characters’ psychology. 
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Bendis and Fraction reestablished that the name “Mongul” is a legacy one. The current Mongul is from a long line of Monguls, the sons killing their fathers when their fathers show weakness. Given how Rebirth has established the importance of legacy to Superman with Jon, something continued by Bendis, this may be a very crucial aspect to play off of. The way “Mongul” as a mantle is assumed is a dark contrast to the way the “Superman” mantle is taken up by others after Clark. Exploring the Mongul father-son relationship in contrast to the Clark-Jon relationship may be in the cards for the PKJ run given Mongul will be the first classic Superman Rogue appearing in PKJ Action. If not I hope some other writer will take a chance to explore the way the two contrast and compare with one another because it could be very interesting.
What I Would Change About Mongul
I think there’s already a pretty damn solid base to build off of with Mongul, but some aspects that I would play up to better establish him as separate from both Clark and Darkseid:
Making him more of a hedonist. This is a guy who eat, drinks, and fucks, and enjoys himself while doing so. He loves being a bad guy and isn’t “weighed down by his sins” or any such nonsense
Showcase his knowledge more. Mongul is smart, he’s been all over the cosmos, he learned about Warworld and the Black Mercy, show that he knows other dangerous secrets as well. Weapons, planets, florua, fauna, Mongul knows stuff not even the Guardians do
Establish some underlings. Instead of having Mongul job, use some of his gladiators, elite ones raised above the riffraff who can pose a threat and hold off Superman while Mongul accomplishes his goals
Appearance wise I’d like to make him look more different from Darkseid. I’d want to draw on dinosaurs for his look. If you need to justify it, just have another son replace the current Mongul and become the new Mongul, or have Mongul modify himself with enhancements in order to beat Superman
Mongul is cool and brings a lot to the table, DC just needs to stop treating him as a jobber and more as a legitimate threat. I was happy with how Bendis used him, and I am hopeful that PKJ will continue to treat him well. He’s a villain who actually has stories that showcase why he rocks, and not just cool ideas that have never come together like other Superman Rogues. Hopefully he’ll get more opportunities to showcase that.
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offtopicoverload · 4 years ago
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Disney Princess - 2
Day late, but oh well, I got it done and that's an accomplishment in itself.
Chapter 1
Chapter 3
T Rating (just grumpy Aurora in this one lol)
Aurora x f!MC (Rylen Damen (changed it lol)) 
~4.3k
Read on Ao3
-
Aurora Emery is tired.
She’s incredibly tired, of anything and everything. She can barely sleep anymore, she can barely relax, and now she can barely focus on her work. Which is arguably the worst of the three, since this is her livelihood, her passion, her priority. It’s what she’s always excelled at, it’s what she’s poured years and years of her life into, and now she doesn’t even know what she’s reading and has to restart at the top of page 268, for the fourth time now.
But instead of rereading once more, she huffs, slams her textbook shut, and falls back on her bed, staring up at the plain, empty ceiling as if it will solve all her problems for her. Unfortunately, it doesn’t, and that fact only further irritates her. She turns on her side, facing her open window and the lights spilling into the ill-lit room through the glass panes. Lights from the buildings surrounding her own, lights from traffic swimming in the current of the street, lights from neon signs and street lamps lining the sidewalk, lights that provide a tiny glimpse of sunshine in the chilling dark of night.
Her phone buzzes from behind her, shaking the comforter underneath her, and, with a sigh, she tosses her arm backwards and searches for it, her palm fumbling along her comforter as she does. When she finally finds it she grips her case tight as she draws her arm back, and unlocks it to find a notification from Rylen Damen. ‘Hey Princess,’ Aurora rolls her eyes, ‘How’s Jonathon Quell? Did you figure out what was wrong?’
She sighs, pulling her other hand from beneath the weight of her body, and begins typing, ‘It was a bacterial infection. His results arrived this morning and we ran through his treatment plan this afternoon. He should make a full recovery,’ she sends, dropping her phone back to the bed as she does.
But of course, that’s not the end of the conversation; it never is with Rylen. Aurora’s phone vibrates again, and she turns it on to find ‘:DDDDDDDDD’ staring back at her, her mind immediately replicating the obnoxious smile Rylen has when she’s excited.
Her lips twist as she stares at the obscene image, an image she cannot fathom sending to a colleague when discussing patients, an image that she hates she knows it’s actual equivalent to, before she begins typing with another sigh, her curiosity getting the best of her, ‘Not that I’m advocating for this professional conversation to turn at all casual, but why not use emojis?’
‘I dunno,’ pops up almost immediately, ‘Just always used them. Old habits die hard, I guess,’ arrives just as quickly.
‘Okay,’ Aurora types, somewhat eagerly for a change, ‘Now are we done here?’ She taps the side of her phone case - some random black one with red flowers she found at the store she bought the device from - distractedly, waiting for her escape from this horrendous exchange.
Rylen’s response is just as fast, a few dots bouncing before grey explodes on the screen, ‘Ouch, Princess, you really don’t like me.’
Aurora rolls her eyes at her screen, frown firmly in place as her fingers fly back to the keyboard, ‘This is a professional interaction, and if we have run out of professional material to discuss, then this conversation has come to an end.’
‘You must be a blast at parties,’ Aurora rolls her eyes again, a seemingly constant urge when around Rylen or even interacting virtually, just as her phone pings again, ‘Sorry, *professional parties*’ she corrects.
And Aurora barely suppresses another eye roll, frowning heavily at her screen, even as her lips fight against her to quirk upwards the tiniest amount, ‘I don’t go to parties.’
‘No kidding.’
Aurora glares at the letters, at the challenge held within them, at the unbridled insult staring her in the face. ‘Do you?’ she retaliates, the faintest droplets of hurt welling somewhere inside herself.
‘Too busy. Why, you asking me out? ;)’
Aurora shakes her head exasperatedly with an exhale from her nose, simultaneously fighting against the growing smile on her lips even harder. She forces it away as soon as she realizes it’s there, her jaw clenching and nostrils flaring in irritation as she decides it’s time to put an end to this absurdity provoked by Rylen, ‘Enjoy your evening, Damen, I have work to do.’
‘Night, Princess,’ buzzes her phone for the last time, a final message to bookend a conversation Aurora would rather not repeat again, but she knows she will. And it’s some odd mix of infuriating and oddly comforting, knowing that even if she tries to shut her up, Rylen will still be there chattering away, coming up with joke after joke, tease after tease, all presumably to force Aurora into smiling or something of the like.
Rylen once asked Aurora if her muscles were incapable of moving like that, of lifting in a smile, and Aurora scowled in response. Rylen put her hands up in self-defense, eyes wide as she explained that she was only curious why Aurora never looked happy, that it was an innocent question. And Aurora’s terse reply had shut her up quite quickly: “If I find something that makes me happy, then I’ll smile.”
Aurora sighs, letting her gaze shift to the blank, unassuming ceiling once again. Her eyelids fall shut as she sucks in a deep breath, steadying herself as best she can, working to dissolve her irritation and annoyance as her chest rises with each calming breath. Then she launches upwards, grabs her textbook, and flips it open to page 268 to continue reading. After what feels like forever, she’s managed through each of the passages she needed to read, and gathers her books and papers to settle them on her desk.
She flops back on her bed after she clears it, staring at the dull, boring ceiling for another quiet moment before scooting up to the pillows and tossing the covers back. She sinks into her pillow, hating how unfamiliar the sensation has become in recent weeks - maybe even months - and grabs her phone to set an alarm. She moves to plug it in on her nightstand, but before she does, she opens her messages again, scrolling to her last conversation for one final text: ‘Night, Damen.’
---
An alarm blares near Aurora’s head, startling her awake just as sunlight creeps above the horizon outside, glinting through her still-open window and bathing her in yellows and oranges. With a huff, she turns off the blasting noise, suppressing the urge to throw her phone against the wall as she does, and crawls out of bed reluctantly. She retreats to the bathroom for a quick shower and throws on her scrubs when she’s done, just two more steps in the constant routine that’s been her life for years now.
She leaves the apartment without breakfast, she enters Edenbrook without any greetings or warm welcomes, she works her shift without any breaks or breathers. She works until she has nothing to work on, until the nurses are looking at her funny as she orders exam after exam, and until her aunt’s calling her into her office. Only she wishes she could just keep working, keep ignoring her aunt and keep helping people, it’s the entire reason she’s here, anything else is a distraction, a waste.
Another buzz shakes her phone as she exits Harper Emery’s office with a huff, her features twisted in frustration as she shuts the door behind her with a thud. She stalks down the corridor outside, glaring at anyone that dares to look in her direction, interns and residents alike. She stops outside a patient’s room, pulling in a deep, steadying breath as her phone vibrates in her pocket once more.
With a roll of her eyes, she pulls it from her pocket, flicking open to the last person she wants to talk to, but is the least surprised by at this point. ‘What about Cynthia Lane?’ is the first one she sees. ‘Did you figure out Nathan McAllister too?’ is above it.
She rolls her eyes at the messages, at the gall of Rylen to insert herself into hospital affairs from her apartment, miles away. ‘They are in my care for a reason, Damen, I assure you that all your previous patients are fine,’ she types back, tapping her foot as she does.
‘Sorry,’ fires back almost immediately, as if Rylen was waiting on the edge of her seat for some sort of answer. ‘You’ve definitely got this,’ a beat later, with a smiley face tacked on the end, before one last message arrives, ‘Just keep me updated? Please?’
Aurora sighs, tapping her foot and considering a response. But she can’t think of any outside of providing Rylen with her request, so she pockets her phone without sending another message and steps into her patient’s room, forcing a tight smile on her lips. He smiles back, though much more relaxed, and she runs through the usual, familiar, boring routine that’s starting to drag on her day by day, wearing her down quicker than it should. And all the while, she plans out her analysis of this patient for Rylen, focusing her energy on the recent addition.
---
A day later, Aurora’s flying from room to room, floor to floor, and wing to wing. And she hates it. She hates that she’s running around like a chicken with its head cut off, she hates that she’s the only one working, alone in the stark halls, and she hates that her aunt refused to listen to her earlier, ignoring her words and piling more charts in her arms.
She tugs a door shut behind her, already scanning another chart as she hurries down the hall to the next room. She repeats the process all morning, lines and lines of exams, results, treatments, medical histories, anything and everything fill her mind, imprint on the back of her eyelids, drown her in monotony and the emptiness of Edenbrook today.
Her phone buzzes against her as it rests in her pocket, an annoyingly familiar sensation now. And she doesn’t even have to guess who it’s from; no one else texts her, least of all when she’s in the middle of a shift. She pulls the offending device out with a huff, immediately greeted with ‘Didn’t see you at the hearing.’
Aurora’s jaw clenches, eyes alight as she drops her stack of papers on the nurse’s station she’s found herself at. ‘For your information, I’m working, rather than wasting my time on something so ridiculous. This is a hospital, people need help, and you’re stealing all the decent doctors from them,’ she types furiously, irritated at both her situation and the circumstance the entire hospital has found itself in, all because of Rylen.
She waits for a response but after a minute or so, it’s clear she’s not going to  receive one. She shuts her phone off entirely, jamming it in her back pocket as she carries on, a scowl plastered on her face as she works, and works, and works. She meets with new patients and attendings, she assists old ones, she even discharges two, but the entire time she’s irritated and frustrated and just so tired.
Nearly the entire hospital’s at that hearing, she has every right to be there, too. This impacts every single member of the staff, she has every right to know what could happen to her career. This affects one of her colleagues, she has every right to know what’s going to happen to her, whether or not she’s going to see her in the hallways and put up with that absurd grin that she can call upon in a fraction of a second.
She sighs as she exits another room, flicking through her files and folders and stack of papers, and starts for a nurse’s station, dropping papers off with the few people still working. She forces a smile at Danny as he beams at her, before spinning on her heel and starting for the atrium, gritting her teeth as she marches down a series of hallways. She drags a hand through her hair as she draws near, finding a crowded atrium as she exits into it. She grits her teeth as her aunt spots her, waving her over with a smile.
She obliges, snaking through the gathered groups of doctors and observers until she reaches one Harper Emery. “Aurora, perfect, I was just about to send a page for you,” she greets cheerily.
Aurora forces a minuscule smile back, opening her mouth to respond when Harper cuts her off, “I have new assignments for you, I’m guessing you finished your previous ones?” she inquires with a smile.
“Well, actually,” Aurora begins, shifting on her feet and forcing herself to meet Harper’s gaze, “I was hoping I could come watch the hearing to see the outcome,” she explains.
Harper shakes her head, “No, you should be working,” she answers, rather sternly.
Aurora bristles at the tone, “Everyone else is watching the hearing, why can’t I?” she counters, her lips twisting downwards into a frown.
“Because, Aurora,” Harper begins gently, Aurora only further bristling, “this is the perfect chance for you to pick up some extra cases,” she smiles encouragingly.
“But…”
Harper ignores her quiet protest, “Report to Dr. Alondra, then Dr. Mirrielees.” And Aurora can’t take it. She can’t take being ignored and forced to walk those empty halls when everyone else gets to be a part of something so important, and crucial, and she can’t take that she can’t be there to see what happens to Rylen. Harper’s continued, “Tell them I sent you -”
“God, Aunt Harper, would you just stop?” Aurora explodes, “You don’t listen to me! Ever since I got here, you’ve used me to feel like you’re still practicing.” Her face has contorted into an brazen scowl now as she spits the words.
“That’s… that’s not true,” Harper stammers, staring at Aurora in disbelief and simultaneously attempting to wrangle the surprise on her face.
“No? Tell me how much you love being chief, then,” Aurora challenges, drawing herself to her full height. “Tell me how you don’t miss being a surgeon. How much you love paperwork and kissing up to scumbags like Declan Nash! How much you didn’t care about getting back in the O.R. the other day!”
Harper plasters on her own scowl now, “Aurora, you can’t talk to me this way!”
Aurora only laughs coldly in response. She’s done with the ‘can’t’s and the ‘no’s, she’s done with being her aunt’s lap dog, she’s done with conforming to someone else’s ideals for her. She’s done with this, with all of this. “You know what the hilarious thing is? Damen is exactly who you’ve always wanted me to be and you’re letting Nash railroad her out of a fair hearing.”
Harper doesn’t respond, her face tight as Aurora meets her gaze in challenge. She can feel pressure building behind her eyes, but she’s not giving up, she’s not giving in, she’s not losing this fight like she’s lost countless others. If she has to work herself to exhaustion, alone every step of the way, she’s doing it on her own terms.
Harper only huffs, turning away from Aurora and striding in the direction of the hall that’s held the hearing. Aurora turns too, storming across the atrium with her face set in a glare, firing it at anyone stupid enough to stare at her, to acknowledge the raised voices that came from her and Harper. She sneers at some random intern that still doesn’t get the message, and they quickly avert their eyes.
She turns forward again, and, for the second time today, Aurora catches Rylen’s gaze across the room. Only she’s not interested in conversation this time, she’s not interested in wishing Rylen luck as she faces the demise of her career, she’s not interested in even holding her gaze. She’s not interested in anything to do with Rylen Damen, plain and simple. “What?” Aurora snaps at her.
She watches Rylen stutter for a second, her eyes displaying her evident shock at whatever’s just occurred before her, until a grin splits her lips in half a heartbeat, “Thanks for standing up for me.”
Aurora’s frown remains firmly in place as she meets eager eyes, “That wasn’t for you, Damen. That was for me.” She stands taller, flicking her gaze away from Rylen’s, “But you’re welcome anyway,” she mumbles awkwardly, her feet already moving again as she retreats from that stupid smile, that smile that seems to be Rylen’s default, that smile that was present in the fourth floor supply closet.
She retreats in the direction of the hearing’s hall, slipping inside carefully to remain as unnoticed as possible. She takes a seat, slumping in it in the back corner behind two random interns that won’t stop chattering, even as the hall begins filling up, even as the board retakes their places, even as everyone else within the grand room slowly quiets. It’s become still enough that Aurora can hear what they’re saying now, even as they whisper, “Dude, she killed someone,” one of them insists, “Throw her in jail, she’s fucking crazy.”
Aurora jerks forward in her seat before she can even consider reacting, lips pulled back in a snarl as red sparks in the corners of her vision, “Hey!” she hisses, a low, vicious sound. The interns turn, eyes wide, and Aurora focuses in on the one that uttered something so ridiculous. “You wanna stand up and tell everyone that? Or you gonna keep whispering like a coward?” she hisses again, watching his features slowly morph from surprise to fear as he takes in not only the person speaking to him, but the expression on her face.
His jaw falls open as he glances to his friend, eyes wild and face quickly flushing red. But his friend only leans away, hands raised in surrender as he abandons his friend to the wolves. Or, more accurately, a furious Aurora Emery. He turns back to her, stuttering incessantly, “I, um, so - er - I didn’t - that’s - well - okay - er, I, uh…” he stalls, face paling as Aurora sinks into her seat again.
“Then keep your mouth shut,” she snarls, a slight sense of pride blossoming in her chest at the way the intern adamantly nods his head, turning back to his friend just to get laughed at. She’s about to snap at him too for treating her understandable frustration as something comedic, when Rylen retakes her spot at the podium, the entire hall silencing immediately.
Aurora taps her foot anxiously as she watches Rylen standing at the podium before the gathered group of attendings. She watches the way Rylen stands ram-rod straight, her spine like a ruler and her body rigid as she stares ahead, eyes trained on the people before her, the people judging her. She watches the way Rylen relaxes some as she mentions her friends, turning back to them with a small smile, the words like an activator, alighting something inside her.
She watches the way Rylen uses that fire, her face settling into stone as Dr. Chandra asks her a final question, “Do you regret what you’ve done?”
Her jaw sets as she speaks, clear and determined, her voice ringing in the hall, “I regret distracting us from what matters. This hospital is full of sick people who need our help. But instead we’re in here, debating the consequences of my actions. So if you’re gonna pull my privileges, let’s get it over with. Because all of you need to get back to work,” she accuses, fingers gripping the podium and knuckles turning white.
And Aurora watches the entire speech with a slight smile crooking her lips, some combination of self-satisfaction and pride swirling in her stomach, stirring her, provoking her to shift forward, knees on her elbows as she watches intently. As she watches the vote that determines Rylen’s entire future, that might even determine Edenbrook’s entire future. “The seven panelists will now vote whether to revoke Dr. Valentine’s privileges at Edenbrook,” Harper begins, adjusting in her chair and looking down towards the other panelists.
Until the door at the back of the hall swings in, a low voice booming throughout the room, “You weren’t going to start without me, were you?” Dr. Banerji’s cheery tone echoes, stealing every pair of eyes in the room as he enters, an intern Rylen knows - Landry, Aurora corrects - helping him walk down the aisle.
Aurora’s eyes flicker to Rylen, to the shock on her face as her mouth hangs open, the artificial lighting playing in her wide eyes. Rylen blinks, still processing the man before her, “Dr. Banerji?” she whispers, and it’s too far for Aurora to hear, but enough for her to make out the shape of Rylen’s lips as she murmurs.
“Sorry for the wait. Once he woke up, I got him here as fast as I could,” Landry announces, still aiding the older man towards the board of gathered panelists, carefully and slowly.
“Naveen, what are you doing here? You said you were retiring,” Harper’s standing now, palms flat on the table as she gapes at Banerji with her own wide eyes.
Dr. Banerji laughs lightly, albeit weakly, “I should have said I was expiring,” he clarifies with a grin, somehow unafraid in the face of death. “Until yesterday, I was on the verge of death. Sepsis of unknown origin,” he continues.”Unknown, that is, until Dr. Damen gave up her last day to prepare for this hearing by solving my case.” Rylen’s cheeks flush as she bows her head, avoiding the eyes settling on her. “Now then, I believe that seat still has my name on it,” Dr. Banerji beams to the board.
Declan Nash jumps to his feet, his face beet-red, “Cyrus! Stop this!” he whisper-shouts in the direction of one of the panelists, earning a panicked expression from the doctor in question.
He fumbles to follow the order just given to him, “That’s, uh, fantastic news, Dr. Banerji, but I’m afraid it’s too late for you to vote. Procedure and all…”
“You never were a good liar, Cyrus,” Banerji tuts disapprovingly, even with his grin still firmly glued to his face. “Now then,” he takes his seat, Landry retreating to the audience, “Given the circumstances of my resurrection, I think we all know what I’m about to say. That’s going to be a ‘nay’ from me.”
Two more ‘nay’s echo Dr. Banerji, until the attention falls on Harper. Her brow furrows as she visibly regards her options, eyes roving across the hall before coming to rest on… Aurora. Aurora meets her gaze, attempting to force the anxiety from her eyes as best she can, still slumped in her seat and tapping her foot, an unstoppable beat that shakes her entire body as it continues and continues and continues, just like Harper’s gaze pinning her to the spot. Just like the nerves squirming inside of her, just like the exhaustion eating away at her.
Declan mutters something to Harper, every feature on his face drawn tight, a snarl splitting his lips as he glares at her, still bright red.
Harper draws in a deep breath, finally removing her eyes from Aurora and settling them on Rylen, Aurora relaxing as her heavy, contemplative gaze leaves her. “Dr. Damen, you’ve proven you’re someone who focuses as much on what a patient wants as what their body needs…” she pauses, Rylen visibly twitching with anxiety at the gap in speech. “But we’re not here to save bodies. We’re here to save lives. I vote nay,” Harper nods, Rylen instantaneously melting on the spot.
Her head bows to the podium, her shoulders rising and falling with deep, steadying breaths as the board continues, three more ‘nay’s sounding and applause beginning to echo at the prompting of Bryce Lahela, another of Rylen’s friends, a surgeon. But Rylen doesn’t move, eyes glued to the podium as she grips it, potentially even harder than before, her knuckles pale as they remain clenched.
The room spins into chaos around her, cheers from her friends, a few disappointed murmurings that Aurora may have to stamp out, and the shouts of Declan Nash as he attempts to fight the resolution. It’s mayhem, pandemonium, but the entire time, Rylen stays frozen, a peaceful island escape from the waves of disaster.
When Rylen’s head finally shoots up, a brilliant smile is on her lips in a heartbeat as she steps around the podium, nearly skipping as she walks to the board with her hand held out. She stops at every single panelist, shaking their hand and sharing small conversation with them, even the ones that worked for her downfall. By the time she reaches the end of the board, she’s almost bouncing on her feet as she turns back to her friends, rushing over to tackle Sienna Trinh in a hug, lifting her off her feet as she does.
All the while, Aurora’s sitting in the back of the hall, her foot no longer tapping as she shifts her gaze to the floor beneath her feet, observing the light playing of it, reflecting, creating shadows from nothing. That’s all it takes, is one spark, one illumination, one flicker to send the world careening to a stop or to kick it back into action. All it takes is one catalyst, one butterfly effect, for Aurora to sit alone, facing the floor as Rylen celebrates her victory. One tiny domino for her phone to buzz, ‘Looks like you’re stuck with me, Princess.’
It takes a second, but Aurora grins at the letters, at the message. Unabashedly, she grins for what feels like the first time in forever, not caring who sees, not caring what someone will think at Aurora Emery smiling and what that could possibly mean. She even snorts at the next message, the next letters, because she knows the exact beaming smile it’s meant to convey, the smile still sparkling across the room: ‘:DDDDDDDDDDDDDD’
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origamiblades · 4 years ago
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@goldcnblood:  meme 34: a kiss upon returning from death
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         (does this even count???)
  DO NOT CLICK ON THE DASH, 4,408 WORDS YOU’D DOOM YOURSELF!!!
The World Between Worlds was, perhaps to some people (who'd even heard of it)— a myth. Or, maybe, something not quite accurate to the claims. Armitage refused to believe that. That he was chasing after something unattainable.
That he'd truly, absolutely lost Ben. Yes, on a purely selfish note but also because he couldn't shake off the guilt that tore him open anytime he caught sight of the ghost that haunted him in the other man's image. Originally, he'd figured he'd been hallucinating. That his brain was conjuring up something to make up for everything— or manifest his guilt into something more demanding of his attention. Within time, he realized it wasn't so— that Ben had come back and practically tethered himself to Armitage. He hated it so much, but he also couldn't bring himself to tell the man to go— or, at least… couldn't bring himself to tell him it really was what he wanted.
Because in truth, he didn't want Ben to leave. He wanted him here… but physically. And not the passing chance touches that they were lucky enough to chase after on occasion but… alive.
Getting his hands on information about this realm wasn't exactly easy, but when the idea had come up from Ben in passing, Armitage had immediately latched onto it. His entire work had been practically sidelined (which in and of itself, was a miracle)— that which could be delegated out was, and everything else that was left over was only given partial attention once Armitage had more or less worn himself out mentally or otherwise ran out of information (sometimes that'd merely lead to another, more aggressive rereading of older information).
The entrance to the planes that had been recorded to exist on Lothal was a bust— and while he'd read as such, still Armitage had found himself before the ruins. Seafoam eyes criticizing the rubble as if he might find something that would still grant him the access he so desired. He’d seen pictures of the temple back when it was still standing— of the paintings that had graced the walls and supposedly worked as a sort of key. There were no paintings now.
Every piece of rubble that had been left likely wasn’t in the spot it had fallen at this point, and Armitage couldn’t locate any tells of any of the paintings that had been a part of the temple. He couldn’t help but wonder if that meant the Empire had picked through the ruins. Had confiscated every last piece. Or, perhaps— something more ludicrous but not entirely out of the question as he’d learned dealing with the Force— the paintings had merely vanished on their own.
Only after hours of picking over the site did Hux allow himself to sink in defeat to rest atop one of the larger pieces of rubble. Head resting in hands as a groan tore it’s way from the man’s throat. Seafoam eyes staring down at the ground beneath himself as he desperately wished for Ben’s ghost to once again appear. But would that make him feel better, or worse? This time the sound that left Armitage was a sigh— eyes finally drifting shut. For all the pain and sadness that gripped the man since he’d been unable to save Ben’s life, Armitage could feel a soft trill of calmness surrounding him amongst the ruins. He’d figured that it might well be lingering tells of the Force’s touch here, and that prompted a low, pained laugh from the man.
“So close, and yet…” Another sigh, as Armitage contemplated his next move. He could stay here— scour over the land time and time again with a growing desperation and the probability that nothing would even come from it. Or, he could quit before he found himself walking down the path of further mental descent. Before he managed to work himself back up into a once more crazed state that would do no one any good.
A hot breeze of air washed over Hux and brought him pause— eyes snapping open to note that darkness had crept in. That meant he had lost a few more hours musing in his inner turmoil. He'd been about ready to shrug it off and dive right back into the dark recesses of his mind when he noticed large silver paws just within his peripheral.
Jolting into an upright position, Armitage's hand quickly flew to the blaster that sat at his hip— eyes leveling with the giant silver canine that stood before him. A… loth-wolf, wasn't it? He recalled reading about them while looking into finding a way to access the World Between Worlds.
Sentient beings. Dangerous, and connected to the Force. And when seafoam eyes locked on the golden ones that were watching him Armitage felt no reason to believe everything he'd read was wrong. Recognition sent a chill crawling up Hux's spine and he narrowed his eyes towards the creature.
"... can I help you?" He'd finally prompted after a long stretch of silence passed between them. The loth-wolf dipped her head minutely before sitting down, and Armitage quirked an eyebrow, "How so?"
Nothing happened. Instead of doing anything to provide something that could be taken as an answer, the creature's bright eyes simply continued to regard him— and Armitage couldn't help but feel like he was being judged. And while he was more than deserving of such a thing, it still irked him.
"Look… if you don't need anything I'm going to leave. I've been here longer than I should have as is." Still nothing, and Hux found himself biting back a frustrated sigh before he pushed himself to his feet. When the loth-wolf didn't move to stop him— to try and get his attention again, Armitage turned on his heel and started off back towards where his ship awaited him.
A heavy object collided with his back after only just three steps and slammed him into the ground face first. The impact drew a loud grunt from Hux before he cursed softly. The weight applied to his back wasn't enough to cause anymore pain but he knew without even trying that the loth-wolf wasn't about to just let him up. With a huff, Armitage couldn't help but to let his forehead collide with the ground beneath him.
"Fine." The word was practically hissed out, "I suppose I'll stay then, since you're so insistent."
There's a long moment before the pressure is removed from Armitage's back and an even longer one before the man finally dared to heft himself into a seated position— shooting the creature a faint glare. He wondered, briefly, if she was simply wasting his time for the sake of entertainment.
"What do you want from me?" Armitage pressed, watching as the loth-wolf once more sat down. Her golden eyes fixated on Hux as if he should already know the answer to his own question. Another sigh heaved out of the man before he dipped his head— eyes drifting shut as he regulated his breathing into something calmer.
Though agitation prickled at the back of his mind, Hux managed to otherwise quiet the racing thoughts that were much more rampant these days. Brows furrowing slightly at first before the frustration slowly eased away.
Soon, the loth-wolf's nose found itself pressed against Armitage's forehead and his eyes blinked open— seafoam hues peering up towards the towering creature in thinly veiled curiosity. Hux dared not to speak up again, instead staying quiet and allowing the connection he had to the Force to do the 'talking' for him. 
With a faint puffing sound, the loth-wolf slowly pulled away and turned— starting to pad off slowly back towards the chunk of ruins that were bulked together. Without even having to think about it, Armitage found himself on his feet and trailing after her. She, likewise, didn't bother to look back to see if he was following.
They could sense each other's intentions, now. At least, mostly. Hux knew she knew why he'd come here, and the loth-wolf knew he knew she wanted to lead him somewhere.
Armitage had to bite his tongue at the rising anxiety— a feeling that threatened to overwhelm him and make him sick. The disgusting, vulnerable feeling of hope hammering deeper into his soul with every hard thump of his own heart.
Within minutes the pair found themselves halting before a large slab of stone left over from the collapse. The side facing them was cast in shadow thanks to the positioning of Lothal's moons at current, and when the loth-wolf looked back towards Armitage expectantly he couldn't help but frown. He'd looked over this place five times before having given up— checked every inch of every rock to the best of his capabilities. There was nothing of worth here.
Yet still, the canine once more looked back towards the stone and despite all logic suggesting this was a waste of time Hux entered into the shadow the smooth chunk of stone provided.
Unlike the last few times Armitage had scoured this rock in particular, the man was able to pick up on something faintly painted across the stone— a trick of the light, or something new…?
Instinctively Armitage reached out— fingers making contact with the design he could just barely make out. As fingertips slowly trail down the painting, golden light seeped from where he touched and spread out until the entire figure was shining in the brightness.
"A loth-wolf?" Armitage questioned out loud— about to turn back towards his current company when the painting moved. Painted eyes focus on him as the golden loth-wolf painting turned its attention towards him— before it stood from it's seated position and howled. The sound echoed deep inside Armitage's head and he couldn't help but feel a sense of wonder over it, watching as more painted wolves poured in from the edges of the stone— traversing between pieces of ruin to come alongside the one who had howled.
After a long pause where it felt like the paintings seemed to scrutinize Hux, the loth-wolves looked away and began to create a moving circle. Slowly but surely picking up speed at time ticked by.
"What the kriff…?" Armitage couldn't help but let the crude word drop from his tongue in bafflement, a hand tentatively reaching out only to pull away before it made contact with the wall. Perhaps he really was losing his mind.
Armitage managed one half step back before the loth-wolf who had led him to the slab aggressively headbutt him, shoving him face first into the wall—
Through the wall. 
Falling to hands and knees was the last thing that Armitage had expected— and he was quickly on his feet, peering back towards where he'd come from and seeing the loth-wolf watching him from through a circular portal— a portal! 
A disbelieving laugh bubbled out from Hux as he looked down towards his hands— out across a scenery that seemed to be space with transparent pathways methodically weaving throughout it— back to the loth-wolf.
"... thank you." At the words, the canine dipped her head, before turning and wandering out of sight of the portal. Armitage flexed his fingers— an attempt to dispel nervous energy— then turned his back towards the portal he had entered through. 
A sense of sheer wonder enveloped the man— distant voices echoing off just far enough away to be picked up, some closer than others. The words spoken seemed… mostly useless, at least out of context. Words of encouragement, snippets of conversation, a phrase here and there. Lips twitch up into the barest tells of a smile before flattening out once more. With one more glance back towards the portal he’d entered through, Armitage finally started forwards.
For as engulfing as the surrounding space-esque setting was, the place hardly felt dark… instead, somehow the illuminated pathways managed to bring an easing brightness to the realm— something that wasn’t overpowering in nature, almost comforting as a matter of fact. Slowly, Armitage came to a halt where the pathway forked off into three different directions and frowned to himself. Eyes casting down each route before looking once more around himself. The apparent vastness of the place was overwhelming.
“Now how the kriff am I supposed to know where to go..?” The words left his mouth, though Armitage knew well enough that the chances of an actual answer was slim to none. Eyes close, a breath filtering in slowly until he heard a particular, familiar voice. Seafoam eyes snap open once more and before he could completely register just what it was he’d picked up on, his feet had carried him with a certain urgency down the path to his left. Within moments symbols came into sight— ones that felt familiar, in a distant sort of way. As if something one might have seen in a dream or perhaps their foggy memories. Hux couldn’t place his finger on just why he’d felt he knew them… until he heard the voice again.
Eyes drift from the symbols surrounding the portal to the actual thing itself— landing on the sight of a terrified woman that he knew he should recognize. Though his memories tried to escape him, the answer as to why still somehow managed to form itself and escape past his lips, "Mother..?"
It was Arkanis, Hux realized with a sudden jolt as he rushed to be standing before the portal. Before the woman. She was close enough that if he were to reach out he could—
Commotion on the other side of the portal cut Armitage's thoughts off sharply and brought the man to a defensive bristle. Deep in his gut he knew exactly what was going on— there was only one real possibility.
Instinctively, his hand reached out— fingers brushing against the odd sensation of the portal but refusing to penetrate past it. Frustration welling up deep inside of Hux as anger burned at his eyes— tears brimming. If he were to pull her out— to save her, how much damage would he cause to the world as he knew it? He was already risking so much bringing one person back from the dead. Making it two… would be too risky.
"I'm so sorry…" The words spilled out, fingers curling against the portal as the tears broke free— burning hot as they trickled down his cheeks, "All this time I've dreamt of such a moment and now that I have it…"
He fell silent— seafoam eyes seeming to lock with a pair so similar to his own on the other side. Almost as if his mother could sense him and— that would make sense, wouldn't it? If she, not so unlike himself, was connected to the Force then maybe…
The commotion grew louder and Armitage felt the urge to risk it all burn hotter in his chest, teeth gritting as his mother turned her back on him and pulled out the small blaster she kept hidden on her person.
"No no no don't fight back." Fingers curled into fists and he wished so desperately he had something he could smash them into, "Don't be stupid."
He could hear the door slide open and finally he forced himself to glare away— the sound of blaster fire ringing out for only the span of a few seconds before everything went eerily quiet. When eyes dare look back up there was merely the sight of stars where the portal had been. A heavy breath heaved from Armitage's lungs as he collapsed to his knees.
Slowly, eyes drift shut and Armitage slammed his fist into the ground, uncaring of the factor that it sent a painful sting up his arm. If anything, the pain helped. A nice, shocking jolt to his systems. Hux took a deep breath, then opened his eyes again— forcing himself back up to his feet and turning his back to the place the portal had been.
“Focus,” He murmured to himself, casting seafoam hues back out towards the vastness of his surroundings. There had to be a system in place here, right? He just needed to make sense of it. Finally, Armitage started back off once more. Doing his best to tune out the voices that whispered off in the distance as he kept his eyes peeled for any signs of Ben. If he could find something that led to a place in time where the man was, perhaps he could use that as a jumping off point— a reference.
Booted feet click softly on the illuminated path beneath him as Hux eased his way along the path set before him. Sparing glances towards portals to make quick note of what point in time they were— some of them he recognized. Flashest of familiar faces, familiar moments— and sometimes he caught glimpses of people he’d never seen before in his life. And while that incited curiosity in the man, he could not be strayed from his mission at hand.
Until, of course, another all too familiar voice froze him in place and brought a chill to the air. Goosebumps prickled along Armitage’s skin and for a short moment, he’d almost forgotten how to breath. 
Just keep moving, he urged himself desperately in his head but just like with most times when it came to him, he couldn’t help but to freeze on the spot. Even after all the years without the man terrorizing him, he still had that effect.
“You’re pathetic,” The words were ones that echo in the back of Armitage’s mind time and time again— less often these days, after coming so far… but they still lingered. Needled his conscience when he was already down, “Can’t you do anything right?”
“I’m sorry father, I—”
“Don’t be sorry, be better.” Armitage couldn’t help but finally turn towards the direction the sound had been coming from— taking in the sight of his father back in his younger years. And a little kid… himself, he realized with a jolt. Surging forward, Hux took in the scene before him with a sort of morbid curiosity. While he could remember bits and pieces of his past, many memories were either hazy or entirely unreachable.
“Clean up your mess.” The child dipped his head at the demand, almost something akin to a nod and moved to bolt off when Brendol reached out and snatched his arm to keep him from leaving, “No. Right now.”
“But, the glass—” The protesting seemed only to further piss the man off, and it prompted him to yank the child closer towards the shattered glass on the ground.
“You made the mess without using anything, you can clean it up without using anything.” Armitage couldn’t help the low growl that left his throat at the man’s words. One that only cut off when the child meekly stooped down to start picking up the broken shards with his bare hands. Anger rose in Hux’s chest, and finally the ice in his veins started to melt— a rage replacing the fear that had captivated his frame moments ago.
It wasn’t even a minute before Brendol’s foot lashed out, catching the boy and knocking him over, “You don’t have all day.”
Finally, Armitage snapped— hand turning and lifting, coaxing the shards on the ground on the other side of the portal to raise up into the air. Seafoam eyes glared towards Brendol and he knew all it would take is the slightest bit of effort on his part to send the sharp pieces flying into the man’s neck. Seeing the flash of momentary terror in the bastard’s eyes was almost worth it, if it weren’t for the rage that quickly swallowed it up.
The satisfaction that would come with ending the man’s life a second time, however… he knew he couldn’t take. Anger had Armitage’s blood boiling as instead of sending the pieces right into the man’s neck as he so desperately wanted they flew past him and into the wastebasket behind him. The force with which they slammed into the bottom of the trash prompted them to shatter into smaller bits and Armitage forced himself to take a step back away from the portal.
Hux could feel fear crawling back up his spine as realization finally hit him on just what he’d done. Forcing himself back another step—  then another— Armitage had to whirl away and block out the sounds that soon followed. He knew the consequences of using the Force.
“Stupid,” He chastised himself, hands flying up to grasp his hair, “Stupid, stupid! You know better than to use the Force! You can’t just—”
“It’s okay.”
The words had Hux freezing once more, and his heart skipped a beat. Was he hearing things again—…
“It’s just us.”
Ben.
The sounds from the portal behind him were drowned out in an instant, as Armitage took off towards the sound of the familiar voice. Ignoring all the other portals that shimmered on either side of him before nearly passing the one he was after over. Skidding to a halt, seafoam eyes lock onto the portal— again, the symbols were vaguely familiar. But not nearly as familiar as the sight that lay beyond them.
“Yavin IV…” the words left Armitage as a mere wisp, feet slowly carrying him towards the scene playing out before him. He could see himself, seated on the ground. Next to him sat Ben. Despite his best efforts, Hux felt a grin tug at his features. Even just seeing him alive through a portal hurt less than the ghost that had taken to haunting him.
Moving closer still, Armitage only stopped once he couldn’t move any closer without breaching the portal. A hand raising up and brushing just along his side of the bridge. He was so close… so, so close.
“Ben…” The knife that had been in his chest since the other man’s death twisted again, and the smile vanished, “How am I supposed to find you...?”
Again, the whispering voices off in the distance seemed to cascade down on him. The scene playing out before him was quiet and peaceful— something incapable of drowning out the other sounds as they crashed down on him suddenly. Hands instinctively reach up, covering his ears until a voice rang directly in his head. One he didn’t recognize.
Use the Force.
“The Force…” Armitage echoed, shaking his head as if to dispel the rampant sounds. Eyes flutter closed then, and a deep breath is taken. Brows furrow, as Hux slowly relaxed. Soon, the voices dissipated— fading off into nothingness, and a small feeling seemed to all but reach out for him. With only momentary hesitation, Armitage conceded to the pull. Following after the coaxing feeling.
A few minutes peel past, before the man found himself stopping abruptly— eyes blinking open to the sight of yet another portal. The first thing he noticed was Ben. The man had been forced to his knees and restrained but still managed to wear that insufferable smirk, as if the threat that was before him was nothing. Armitage felt his heart lurch, then, as eyes cast instead to the ambitious officer that loomed over the man that he’d accidentally fallen in love with.
Without even thinking, Armitage quickly breached the portal— lifting up the startled stormtrooper that raised their blaster towards him with the Force and redirecting their shot into the one standing next to them. With a clench of his fist, the stormtrooper he held crumpled then dropped to the ground beside their partner.
Then, seafoam eyes lock onto the officer that had shifted his full attention to Hux— and Armitage couldn’t help quirking his head slightly to the side at the blaster that was now pointed towards him. Eyes dark as they bore into the other man’s.
“Supreme Leader H—” Armitage cut him off immediately with a raise of his hand, wrapping the Force tightly around the man’s neck.
“I thought I made it clear that killing him was off limits?” Armitage demanded, striding forwards and past Ben— daring not to allow himself to get distracted for the time being.
“Not- n—…” Armitage laughed when the officer spoke up, seemingly desperately trying to deny the factor that that’s exactly the path he was about to take. The grip tightens even more, before loosening enough to let the man breath.
“Not?” Hux echoed, “Not clear enough? Apparently so.”
Then, the hold releases entirely and the man gasps for air, immediately swallowing up as much as he could before trying to scramble to speak, “Not… killing.”
Armitage hummed, almost seeming to consider that refusal. Then he nods, slowly. But not at the man’s words. Oh, if he hadn’t intended to murder Ben he wouldn’t have left the wound he had. The man was foolish— even more so, it seemed, as the officer seemed hopeful over the nodding. Hux chuckled dryly, before pulling his knife out and swiftly driving it home into the man’s throat
The shock was worth it— as for the second time, the man fell desperately on his knees. Hands reaching up as if they could do anything to prevent the inevitable. Armitage merely tilted his head as he watched until the man finally fell face first into the ground. A long moment stretched out before he even dared to turn around.
Seafoam eyes immediately locked onto Ben, and Armitage felt the knife in his heart twist once more. Within seconds he was kneeling before the man, hands desperately seeking out the part of his torso where the wound had been inflicted— where he’d, months ago, bled out and left Armitage with only the blood that had stained his hands. His clothes. The floor…
Tears well up in his eyes, as hands pull away. Press again. Pull away—… nothing. He’d almost managed to convince himself maybe he’d missed it, hands seeking out all over. Eyes scrutinizing Ben before finally he laughed. A pained, yet happy laugh.
Hand finally abandon their search for a fatal wound, instead grasping Ben’s face in between them as tears rolled freely down Hux’s face.
“You’re alive…” The words were a breath, hardly even a whisper.
He can touch him….
Finally, Armitage caved. Lips crashing into Ben’s with the same desperation he’d showcased moments before. Hands easily seek out the man’s hair— his shoulders— just anything Hux could touch. He missed touching him.
And he’d be dammed if he ever let anyone take him away from him again.
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tsarisfanfiction · 5 years ago
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Fic Rec Bingo
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Okie dokie, this is the Fan Rec Bingo - idea courtesy of lightvials on twitter, but I don’t have a twitter that I ever use, so I’m filling it out here instead.  Let’s see if I can fill it all out!
I did, and then some.  To save poor dashboards, it’s all under the cut!  If I know author tumblrs they’ve been mentioned - I know pitifully few so if anyone knows the ones I don’t, let me know so I can mention them, too!
A fic you love without knowing the source material: The Dragon-King’s Temple by Kyral (Stargate SG-1/Avatar the Last Airbender)
Through the spite of the spirits or plain rotten chance, a door that would have been better left untouched has opened. On the other hand, with Fire and Earth as one's allies, sometimes escaping is the easy part. Rated: Gen.  AO3 Archive Warning for Graphic Descriptions of Violence. Characters: Zuko, Toph Beifong, Janet Fraiser, Sam Carter, Jack O’Neill, and more Words: 196311.  Status: Complete
I very rarely read fics without already knowing the canon, but one that I think counts would be a Stargate/ATLA crossover, because I know nothing about Stargate and I have yet to finish ATLA!  This was recommended to me due to the creativity of the author regarding a language barrier (something I always enjoy, and my friend knows that).
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A fic series with a premise that shouldn’t work but it does: Crazy=Genius by blackkat (Bleach/Harry Potter)
Minerva McGonagall isn't about to let Harry go back to the Dursleys after his first year. She finds an alternative, and along the way, Bazzard Black finds that he might have more family left than he'd ever thought. Rated: Teen.  AO3 No Archive Warnings Apply Characters: Bazz-B, Harry Potter, and more Words: 21682.  Status: Incomplete
Okay, I cheated and picked a series.  Not my fault blackkat decided to make this universe a series of oneshots rather than a single entity and you’re certainly not getting me to only pick one of the five already published ones.  Bazz-B being a Black and also kinda a wizard is a brilliant concept, and having him adopting Harry is pure gold.  Not sure how crazy Quincy adopting poor, neglected Boy Who Lives works, but it does!
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A fic you’ve reread several times: The Guardian (Director’s Cut) by SGTBrowncoat (Naruto)
Itachi Uchiha receives his first mission in ANBU: protecting a certain trouble making Jinchuriki. He bonds quickly with the boy, but dark forces rise to threaten Itachi, Naruto, and those they care for most. Rated: T.  Canon-typical violence Characters: Uchiha Itachi, Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Shisui and more (includes Uchiha Itachi/Inuzuka Hana background pairing) Words: 35945.  Status: Complete
Back to my first ever fandom, here, and a really fun non-massacre AU fic, with lots of Itachi and Shisui goodness.  There are a fair few ANBU-looking-after-kid-Naruto fics but this is by far my favourite of them!  There is a sequel, but unfortunately it’s not finished and hasn’t been updated in a long time (I live in hope!)
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A fic you still remember many years later: While The Ring Went South by Thundera Tiger (Lord of the Rings)
What happened after the Fellowship left Rivendell but before they came down off Caradhras? Behold the missing scenes. Rated: K+.  Canon-typical violence Characters: Legolas, Gimli, Aragon, Gandalf, the whole Fellowship Words: 149624.  Status: Complete
I refound this fic completely by accident the other week, after first reading it (according to when I favourited it on FFN) in 2011!  It was just as amazing as I remembered, and is really the standard I hold all other LotR fics to, especially ones that involve the entire, pre-Moria, Fellowship.  It has a sequel but sadly that’s not been updated in some time (but again, I live in hope!)
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A comfort fic: There May Be Some Collateral Damage by metisket (Bleach/Harry Potter)
Ichigo’s been ordered to go undercover at a magic school to bodyguard a kid named Harry Potter, and this would be fine, except that he’s about as good at bodyguarding as he is at magic. And he considers it a good day, magic-wise, if he hasn’t set anything on fire. Rated: Gen.  AO3 No Archive Warnings Apply Characters: Kurosaki Ichigo, Harry Potter, Weasley Twins, and more. Words: 61209.  Status: Complete
I have no idea what this means by ‘Comfort Fic’ but if I want a laugh and Umbridge getting a pile of comeuppance, this is definitely the fic I’ll turn to.  As the A/N says: ‘sending Ichigo to Hogwarts is basically the same as swinging a wrecking ball directly into the side of the castle’.  Beautiful chaos is what we get.  Beautiful, beautiful chaos.
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A cathartic fic: See You Again by cookietosser (One Piece)
Rocinante has been through a lot in his life. Adding uncontrollable time travel into the mix? That's just the icing on the cake. Rated: Teen.  AO3 Violence and (canon) Character Death Warnings Characters: Donquioxte Rocinante|Cora-san, Trafalgar Law, Heart Pirates Words: 15755.  Status: Complete
You want to rip my heart out and trample it into lots of little pieces while still making it all better because Law and Rocinante?  Well, this little time-traveller’s wife AU fic is just the one for all that.  Sad moments, frustrating moments, happy moments, all wrapped up in this oneshot!
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A fic you’d print and put on your bookshelf: Thrower of the Dart by Vathara (Artemis Fowl/The Avengers)
What might have happened instead of Artemis Fowl book 6, if it'd happened in the Marvel Universe. Megalomaniacs ahoy! Rated: Teen.  AO3 No Archive Warnings Characters: Artemis Fowl II, Tony Stark, and more Words: 101272.  Status: Complete
It’s long, it’s epic, and it would nestle in perfectly at home alongside my Artemis Fowl books on the bookshelf!  It’s not so much a rewrite of book 6 as a complete replacement of it, with a new plot and an all too familiar villain!
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A fic you associate with a song: Goodbye, Brother by Serena Estelle (Bleach)
Ilforte's final moments as I like to picture them-with his brother. Rated: T.  Canonical character death Characters: Szayelaporro Granz, Yylfordt Granz Words: 3073.  Status: Complete
Might be cheating, because the author actually names a song in their starting A/N, but this definitely brings to mind Exile Vilify by The National, and I fully recommend listening to that (on loop - there is a 10-hour loop version on youtube) as you watch this for maximum tear-jerking effect.
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A fic that inspires you: Magic of the Rose Cross by Awensweth (Harry Potter/D.Gray-Man)
In Harry's 4th year the Triwizard Tournament is brought back to live, but the appearance of a fourth mysterious school about which only Dumbledore seems to know brings new secrets with it for everyone. Who are the students of Rose Cross? Rated: Mature.  AO3 Chose Not To Use Warnings Characters: Harry Potter, Allen Walker, and more Words: 66632.  Status: Incomplete
I have been inspired by many, many fics, but I chose this one in particular because it was the main one that inspired me to join the HP/DGM Triwizard Tournament wave of the early 2010s - indeed, The Combat School is one of my most popular fics, but without this and other fics of the trope, I probably would never have written it!  That’s not to say I’ve copied this fic - aside from the base trope I tried my best to make my own work unique against the others, and hope that I succeeded!  Sadly, this fic is incomplete and hasn’t been updated for some time, but it’s still worth a read.
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A fic that brought you on board a new ship:  Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell by MsChunks (Boku no Hero Academia)
Uraraka and Bakugo have a secret. It’s not what their classmates think it is. Rated: Teen.  AO3 Chose Not To Use Warnings Characters: Bakugo Katsuki, Uraraka Ochako Words: 182478.  Status: Complete
Putting Bakugo and Uraraka together was something I’d never considered, and I started this fic with some trepidation after a friend recommended it to me, but said friend has never steered me wrong with fics and didn’t start now!  Fake dating, Uraraka actually being badass, the most terrifying couple in class 1-A?  That’s this fic.
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A fic you wish could be a movie: Mission Impossible by Loopstagirl (Thunderbirds)
Being selected for his first solo mission should have been exciting for Captain Scott Tracy of the Air Force. But there was something else at play. Something dangerous and deadly. Something that could cost him more than his life. Rating: T.  Warnings: Violence Characters: Scott Tracy, Gordon Tracy Words: 55048.  Status: Complete
Air Force!Scott?  W.A.S.P.!Gordon?  On a joint mission together?  Yes, gimme, gimme, gimme.  Gimme Scott’s awkwardness alone on a boat of WASP personnel, gimme Gordon’s horror when he realises the suicide mission pilot is his older brother, and now give that all to me on screen!  And we can’t forget the Hood, of course!  Might be a bit higher rating than the current Thunderbirds stuff, but hey, I’m old enough.  Gimme.
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A fic that led to you becoming friends with the author: The Gabriel Project by Aceidia (Bleach)  - @thetwelvecaesars​
When Szayelaporro knew Aizen's reign in Heuco Mundo was coming to a close, he took matters into his own brilliant hands. He reincarnates himself and the other nine Espadas into a new life full of surprising turns and irony. Yet, the harmony and ignorance is not forever as they begin to remember. Rating: M (violence) Characters: Szayelaporro Granz, the Espada Words: 116030.  Status: Complete
Well, this fic sparked off a friendship that’s still very much there, even if neither of us write much for Bleach any more!  What started off as a challenge to identify who the Espada were turned into essay-length PMs about anything and everything, and then RP groups and now random emails about whatever at random times of the day (different timezones don’t help)!
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A fic you’ve gushed about irl: Living Like Kings by CLynnB (Thunderbirds)
The world wants to know more about the Tracy brothers. So Lady Penelope takes it upon herself to show the world just who they are. Through YouTube. Rating: Gen.  AO3 Author Chose Not To Use Warnings Characters: Lady Penelope-Creighton-Ward, Tracy Family (background Pen/Ink, Scayo, Virg/Brains) Words: 35348.  Status: Complete
I love social media fics like this one, and my poor boyfriend got the brunt of it while we were on holiday... he knows basically nothing about Thunderbirds except for what he’s heard from me (which is a lot because he’s amazing and lets me gush).  I mean, Tracy boys playing “The Floor Is Lava?” and tackling each other to the ground?  Gimme.
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A fic you associate with a place: Thunderbirds Meet Thunderbirds - Alan trip in to the movie verse by ak47stylegirl (Thunderbirds) @ak47stylegirl​
Crazy stuff always happens to Tracys, don't they?  Add felling into a different world to the list. Rating: Gen. AO3 No Archive Warnings Characters: Alan Tracy, Tracy Family times two Words: 25599.  Status: Incomplete
This might be a little random, but this fic was one that I found while I was ill on holiday to the Lake District last autumn.  Sadly, it’s the only trip there I’ve ever done where I couldn’t climb a single fell (and my car’s clutch burnt out after having to reverse up a pass... thanks bus coming the other way), and this fic’s updates while I was there kept me sane!  This has actually very loosely inspired a fic of my own which is in the making - which might get posted in the next year if I’m lucky...  Still waiting eagerly for this fic’s next update :D
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A fic that made you gasp out loud: The Colours Of The World by MaiKusakabe (Fullmetal Alchemist/Harry Potter)
When Roy Mustang went to retrieve his eyesight from Truth, he wasn’t expecting to end up doing a job in exchange. It couldn’t even be an easy job, of course, because Edward’s assessment of Truth was a pretty accurate one. Rating: Mature.  AO3 No Archive Warnings (but watch for canon-typical violence) Characters: Roy Mustang, Albus Dumbledore, Sirius Black, and more Words: 120578.  Status: Incomplete
Badass Roy yesss.  Twists and turns and Truth is a pretentious you-know-what but Voldemort’s even worse so where does that leave poor Roy except caught in the middle and very much a war veteran at this point... much to the horror of a few wizards!
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A fic you found at the right time: Seafaring Heartless: Exit North Blue by Avian Swallow (One Piece)
Pirates may be considered evil by the majority, but Law had met quite a few of the world's navy who were corrupt to the core and putting up a very thick facade. He reasoned that if he was going to manipulate and scheme his way into that goal, at least he was going to be honest enough to admit it. Rating: T.  Canon-typical situations Characters: Trafalgar Law, Bepo, Penguin, Shachi, Heart Pirate OCs Words: 159644.  Status: Complete
Is there ever a ‘wrong time’ to find a fic?  (a 100k+ at 4am debatable, but shh).  When I craved Heart Pirate content, this fic (and its sequel, still in progress but updating) appeared!  Only loosely clings to canon at the moment, thanks to some SBS revelations, but with well developed OCs to fill the faces we have no names or personalities for at the moment!
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A fic that you would read fic of: Only a Boy by Riddle Lee (Harry Potter/Merlin)
Merlin has changed Camelot forever but while that part of his life is complete, destiny has a new task for him. Now he has to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, hide the fact that he's the Merlin, and defeat a Dark Lord that's messing with magic he knows nothing about. Rating: T.  Canon-typical situations Characters: Merlin, Draco Malfoy, Hermione Granger, and more Words: 340998.  Status: Incomplete
An amazing universe with Slytherin!Merlin, no Harry Potter/Boy Who Lived, and the good old ‘hiding real identity’ trope to underpin the whole series.  Currently just into the start of Merlin’s third year at Hogwarts, aka “The Prisoner of Azkaban”.  This universe has so much to give, although Riddle Lee is doing a fantastic job at it.  It’s incomplete and slow to update but does update!
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A fic that made you laugh out loud: HOW’S THE COMA GOING by ossicle (One Piece)
Kidd and Penguin keep trying to murder each other and Law is done with their shit. He assigns them to take care of each other’s injuries so they’ll learn to get along. It doesn’t work. Rating: Teen.  AO3 No Archive Warnings Characters: Eustass Kid, Penguin, Trafalgar Law (background KidLaw) Words: 2062.  Status: Complete
Oh this one had me in stitches basically the whole time.  Kid’s bedside manner should not be mimicked in the slightest, but a beautiful bonding fic in typical pirate fashion - beat ‘em up ‘til they have your approval.  Poor, poor, Law.
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A fic with a line (or two) that you’ve memorised by heart: On Their Side by Gumnut (Thunderbirds) - @gumnut-logic​
She trusted these boys with a great deal. Rating: Teen.  AO3 No Warnings Apply Characters: Colonel Casey, Virgil Tracy, Gordon Tracy Words: 1116.  Status: Complete
I think I have basically the entire thing memorised.  This one also falls into several other categories, most notably ones that made me laugh and ones that I’ve reread several times, but it really belongs here on this list.
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A fic that gave you butterflies: it’s a long way forward so trust in me by aloneintherain (Miraculous Ladybug)
Six times Marinette carried Adrien (plus one time he carried her). Rating: Teen.  AO3 No Archive Warnings Characters: Adrien Agreste|Chat Noir, Marinette Dupain-Cheng|Ladybug (all sides of the love square) Words: 5611.  Status: Complete
Aaah I have a weak spot for strong!Marinette and this fic ticks that box time and time again, with a side of blushing!Adrien and general love-struck Adrien/Chat.  I mean, what more could a girl need?
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A fic that embodies something you value in life: Team Itachi by Killer of thy Cookies (Naruto)
What if the Third Hokage stopped the council before they could order Itachi to commit the Uchiha Clan Massacre? Itachi is one of the village's strongest ninja, and has now been given the task of being a Jonin sensei, assigned to Team 7 with his little brother Sasuke, the 'dead last' Naruto Uzumaki, and fangirl Sakura Haruno. This is Team Itachi. Rating: T.  Canon-typical situations Characters: Uchiha Itachi, Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura, and more Words: 155092.  Status: Complete
(Yup, another non-massacre AU.)  Loyalty.  Honestly, there are so many fics that have loyalty in them, especially in fandoms like Naruto, where loyalty is a pretty big thing anyway (alongside friendship, of course), but this one is Itachi staying openly loyal to the village because Sarutobi actually saved the clan, and of course lovely bonds between the team!
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A favourite AU: A Son By Any Other Name by carryonstarkid (Thunderbirds)
Cursed as a child, Scott Tracy lives a life in which everyone he encounters must follow all of his given commands. Rating: Teen.  AO3 Chose Not To Use Warnings Characters: Scott Tracy, Tracy Brothers, Kayo Kyrano, and more Words: 83429.  Status: Complete
I rarely read AU fics - my preferred sandbox is the canon one, or a nice slice of canon diversion, rather than completely taking characters out of their home and dumping them somewhere entirely new.  This fairytale AU, however - reminding me very much of Sleeping Beauty except instead of sleeping it’s, well, what the summary says - is fantastically well done and addresses the strain such a thing would put on even the closest of family relationships.
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A fic you stayed up too late to finish reading: As N Approaches Infinity by Corisanna (Bleach/Puella Magi Madoka Magica)
Despairing as yet another timeline goes horribly wrong, Homura wanders into Karakura. There she discovers that while the spiritually-aware people of Karakura were distracted by Ichigo Kurosaki and Xcution, Kyubey had managed to contract the Kurosaki sisters as magical girls. Drawing the attention of the shinigami could be just the advantage Homura needs. Rating: Teen.  AO3 No Archive Warnings but watch out for canon-typical situations for both fandoms (especially Madoka) Characters: Akemi Homura, Kurosaki Karin, Kurosaki Yuzu, Urahara Kisuke, and many more Words: 465297.  Status: Incomplete
There are many fanfictions that have kept me up til dawn.  Many.  This one, however, has literally robbed me of all my sleep and I’ve still been unable to finish it in one sitting.  It’s good, the pacing is fantastic, and with Homura as our leading lady, that means those time resets really hit hard when they happen (and they happen.  They really, really, happen).  Might be incomplete, but is still updating - and there’s plenty to keep you occupied in the meantime!
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A fic that made you feel seen: A Seed Once Grown by Darkestwolfx (Thunderbirds) - @darkestwolfx​
Believe it or not, they did have a garden on Tracy Island. It looked a little like a… tip. And that was being kind. Rating: Teen.  AO3 No Archive Warnings Characters: Ned Tedford, Tracy Family Words: 4785.  Status: Complete
Okay, so I’m taking this literally because I spend a lot of time feeling invisible on the internet so having a fic written for me from someone I’d barely spoken to before was a whole pile of screaming.  Not that it’s the first time someone’s written a fic for me, but the other ones have been done by friends I’d already known for some time, and not someone in a fandom I’m just starting to find my feet in.
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Free space: whoo boy, fun time!  There are a few fics on the top of my head that didn’t fill any of the above prompts (or got beaten to the punch by another), so my wildcard space is going to be a few fic links without the extra detail because I’ve already spent about 12 hours on this to get to this point (did I get sidetracked and re-read a bunch?  You bet) and I’d quite like to also get some fic written today, too!
Eight-Day Week (JoJo Spotting) by TrufflestheMushroom (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure)
The Trouble With Eastern by teaandtumblr (One Piece)
Remembrance by ClioSelene (One Piece)
Legacy by MaiKusakabe (One Piece)
A Fleeting Smile by AnonymousTwit (Boku no Hero Academia)
Too Loud For Comfort by vaporeon_ninja (Boku no Hero Academia)
A Dragon’s Hoard by Chezka (Boku no Hero Academia)
Nine Lives by P_Artsypants (Miraculous Ladybug)
Chat’s Eye View (Love Letters To Paris) by Icka M Chif (Miraculous Ladybug)
Gabriel’s Lament by Chaotic Neutral (Miraculous Ladybug)
What The Cat Dragged In by Kyral (Avengers/Miraculous Ladybug)
Weekend Warrior by BlackDog_66 (Avengers)
Fitting In (Tiny Spaces) by aloneintherain (Avengers)
Autonomy by beetlebee (Naruto)
Great Minds by ScreamingViking (Final Fantasy VII)
Dear Kunsel by Sinnatious (Final Fantasy VII)
Cracks in the knight by authorettejasmin (Magic Kaito)
To Wrap An Elvish Princeling by Jael (Lord of the Rings)
There are more, many more, and I’ll probably post a few more recs around - you can also find some on my blog and I’ll try and get that updated with a few more at some point because there are many more than that!
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