#every 6-8 years they just make More x-files

[twogravesinsomecemetery]

Love that David and Gillian do The X-Files for a bit and they get sick of it so they quit but then 6 years later they do it again for the nostalgia but it's just a one-off thing so then 8 years after that they revive it AGAIN for a few more years until they quit for the second time and say they're leaving it for dead but WHAT DO YOU KNOW another 6 years later here we are and Gillian Isn't Saying No to a reboot

[downbadf0rficppl]

someone's there

Bucky x F!Reader

Summary: When you walk home from the office, someone seems to be following you home. Your best friend is not happy about that.

Word Count: 2.5K

Warnings: Stalking/Stalker-Ex BF, Domestic Abuse, Anxiety, Angry!Bucky, Protective!Bucky, Panic Attack

Repost

You stepped out of the office, pulling your coat tighter around you against the night. It was mid-November and New York was getting colder and colder every day that passed by. You were excited about Christmas - it was one of your favourite times of the year. The lights that went up from apartment to apartment, the tree and ice rink in Rockefeller center that you and your boyfriend - Nathan - visited every year, you and Nathan driving up to Boston to meet your family. Well, your ex-boyfriend.

You'd broken up a month ago. He'd been laid off about a year ago and taken up drinking to fill the time. Nathan was not a very nice drunk. He'd yell and throw things when he was angry, which was most of the time when he was drunk, and then beg you to come back, saying that he needed you and that he'd clean up his act as soon as he got a job. You had a well-paying job - secretary to the Avengers - but Nathan was always the higher earner of the two of you. You could hardly sustain his lifestyle on your job, but you stayed. Why? You had no idea.

Nathan was a smart guy, he got picked up by some major firm headquartered in Manhattan just over a month after he got laid off. He was back to his old routine of leaving the house at 6 and coming back by 8 - you hardly saw him anymore.

And much to your dismay, the drinking didn't stop. Sure, he slowed down. He couldn't risk ruining his reputation at his new workplace. So he limited the drinking to after work. But he never stopped.

The throwing vases became throwing punches, the yelling became constant threats, consoling words became consoling sex.

You did well to hide the new bruises from your colleagues, although your act was not good enough to fool everybody. You'd let your guard down in the toilet, rolling your sleeves up to wash your hands, just as Natasha Romanoff. Yes, Natasha Romanoff aka the Black Widow aka the world's best assassin.

She didn't mention it there, but you were called to a meeting with her soon after. She sat you down with a glass of water and asked you a simple question: "Are you safe?"

Your wide eyes and trembling figure gave you away.

Nat implored you to break up with him or to at least come and live at the compound for a while - just until you figured out what you wanted to do.

You turned her offer down, stating that you were fine. You'd be fine. She fixed you with a stern glance, but even Natasha Romanoff couldn't force you to do something you didn't want.

Bucky, on the other hand, was a completely different story. He'd noticed the bruises long before Nat had, and gone out of his way to try and make your life easier. He sent you less paperwork to file, fewer menial tasks to do, and even put in a request for you to be moved to the New York office. In his eyes that meant you'd be further away from Nathan.

The next week, you both moved to Manhattan.

The bruises started to get darker, and more visible around your body. You dropped the short-sleeved dresses and low necklines in favour of long-sleeved turtlenecks with trousers.

Bucky worried for you. The dark rings around your eyes, the ghostly pallor of your skin. He was determined to save you. The only issue was he had no idea where you lived. New York was a big enough place that he'd never run into you. He knew you didn't live in Brooklyn, but that was about it.

The night where it all came to a head was after a Stark Gala. There was a group photo, where Bucky's arm rested on your hip while your arm rested on his. Nathan was pissed. He'd been sitting on the sofa when you came home, the photo open on his phone and a half-drunk bottle of whiskey in his hand. He pushed you into a wall and slapped you, his rings cutting into your face. He yelled every manner of words in your direction, calling you a 'slut' and a 'whore', and telling you that you were worthless. You cried, fresh bruises forming on your neck where he gripped you and blood dripping down your face.

You took his berating for the next few hours until Nathan retreated onto the sofa, sitting down and muttering under his breath. You opened your mouth, trying to defend yourself. Wrong move. Nathan stood up, even more agitated than before. He grabbed the bottle of whiskey that was almost finished and brought it down on your head.

The next thing you remember was waking up to 4 white walls. You were in a hospital, your hand being gripped tightly by someone. You tried to escape from the vice-like grip when a thumb ran over your knuckles. You knew those hands.

"Bucky." You whispered, your eyes still adjusting to the light. Your voice was sore from disuse, but the way that Bucky's eyes lit up, you would have thought that you were singing a love song just to him.

The calmness in your heart faded as soon as your brain caught up with you. You tried to convince Bucky that he needed to go but he shushed you gently.

"Shh. Don't stress yourself out. You're safe. I promise." The red rings around his eyes gave him away. Bucky had been crying. Over you.

You held his hand tightly that day. And the day after. And even the day after that. You weren't sure if you would ever find the strength to let go.

By the time you were out of the hospital, you'd moved back to Upstate New York - Bucky had made sure that you would never have to set foot in the city again if you didn't want to.

You returned back to work as normal - the restraining order you had filed against Nathan made your mind rest easier. The whole team was happy to have you back and smiling again, but they made sure to check in with you a hell of a lot more than they used to. Clint would swing by with an apple, and accidentally leave it at your desk - the first time, you'd felt bad and tried to return it, but you quickly caught on to his tactics. Nat would bring up game nights and movie nights, begging you to come, even if it was just you both.

But most of all, Bucky. Every day, you'd wake up to a text from him, wishing you a wonderful morning and spewing some inspirational affirmations for the start of the day. He'd bring you coffee, made just how you like it, as soon as he was back from his morning run. He'd spent a while perfecting the drink - making sure it was exactly to your standard. He'd walk you to your apartment for your biweekly 2pm therapy sessions (that he'd set you up with after he had realised how much difficulty you were having sleeping), and then off to lunch at some random hole-in-the-wall spot that he knew you would love. He'd call you as you got home, making sure you got home safe, and then a goodnight text to fall asleep to.

To others, his persistent need to be around you would be stifling. But after 4 years of having your needs be put lower than the damn cockroaches in the walls, it was nice to feel wanted.

You set your life up - personal bank accounts, new social media - anything to separate that part of your life from your new one. You got a new phone (courtesy of Tony, who insisted on buying you the latest iPhone, no matter how hard you tried to convince him that he didn't need to do that because 'where on earth would you find the money to pay him back?' He scoffed at that, "I'm a billionaire hun, I think I can afford to buy my secretary a new phone). You went to get your haircut, the shorter length was something you knew Nathan would have hated.

You'd walked into the compound the day after you got it cut, worried that no one would like it as much as you did.

As soon as you made it to the kitchen, you heard a loud wolf whistle. Nat was sitting on the sofa with Sam, and they both cheered loudly as you posed for them.

Bucky's jaw dropped as he walked into the kitchen. You were still showing off for Nat and Sam - you hadn't seen him walk in.

He walked over, reaching behind you to get a pod for the coffee machine, leaning down to whisper in your ear, "Looking good, Doll." His hot breath against your neck sent shivers down your spine.

You smiled up at him, before grabbing an apple and heading back toward your desk. You glanced back at Bucky and your eyes drifted downwards to a very large and very prominent issue. You stifled a giggle before getting back to work.

You'd continued to tease Bucky for a while, inconspicuous brushes and a few comments here and there. Enough to make him flustered, but not enough to make him suspicious.

He continued being the perfect gentleman. Helping you when you needed him to, being there when no one else was.

You started your normal journey back home, getting out of the compound was sometimes a tedious affair because of the thousands of security gates between the compound and the outermost gate. Given that this is where the Avengers live and train, it's justified. Still tedious though.

It was a quarter mile from the compound to the bus stop that took you home - you didn't like driving, especially in the frost and the dark. You put your headphones in, picking back up on the podcast you started this morning. It was an interesting one - some new True Crime podcast that your best friend had recommended to you.

The hair on the back of your neck stood up as you walked through a dark and lonely street. You gripped your bag tighter around you and sped up. There was someone following you.

You glanced behind you, your eyes catching sight of brown hair and a blue t-shirt. It had Palm Springs emblazoned on it. Funny. You'd bought Nathan a similar t-shirt a few years ago.

You fished your phone out of your pocket, quickly dialing the one person you felt safest with.

"Doll?" Bucky picked after the first ring.

"Bucky, cred că cineva mă urmărește." You said, your voice loud enough that the other person could hear you were on the phone.

"Tell me where you are, Doll, I'll come and get you." You could hear Bucky pulling on a jacket and grabbing his keys.

"Umm, cred că sunt aproape de Joey's."

"The pizza place?"

"Da, îl văd de unde sunt." The footsteps behind you seem to be getting louder, but you forced yourself to remain calm, "Am să te aștept acolo. Vă rog să veniți repede."

You ducked into the pizza place, walking straight up to the counter. By now, you were sure of who it was - but Nathan didn't follow you into the pizza place. Maybe you were just overreacting. Joey's was mostly empty, with a few teenagers here and there - probably camping out after some house party that got shut down.

"Same as always, kiddo?" Joey asked, and you nodded with a slight grin. You and Bucky came to Joey's Pizza Place a lot - Bucky used to say that it felt like home. You were inclined to agree.

"No metal man with you today?" Joey enjoyed teasing Bucky. His dad, also named Joey, had fought alongside Bucky in the war. Joey had grown up on stories of the greatness of the Howling Commandoes and it had been one of his greatest pleasures to serve him pizza every time they came.

"He's coming - got caught up in traffic."

"Busy men, huh?" You giggled at that.

The door opened again. You turned around to find yourself face-to-face with someone you hoped you'd never see again. Nathan's sister.

"Thought I'd find you here, bitch."

June stalked over to you, her face filled with rage. She had been good friends with you before Nathan and your relationship started going wrong, but when you had confided your pains with her, she'd turned her back on you. Blood is thicker than water. She'd called you names before - filling your comments with every vile comment she could think of, texting and emailing you death threats, anything to remind you of just how broken and damaged you were.

Before you knew what was happening, her hand collided with your cheek. The whole place burst into action.

Joey jumped around the side of the counter as June hurled insults at your face.

You tried to push her away as she swung at you again, but her hand hit your shoulder.

Joey pushed you behind him, as one of the kitchen hands stepped out to pull June back.

A teenager was on the phone with the police.

You tried to cover your ears as the noise built in your head.

The door swung open, letting in a draft.

Boots on the linoleum floor. Familiar boots.

Sirens.

"We were in the neighbourhood, Sergeant." Something about a noise complaint.

A hand pulling you into a firm chest. Tears streaming down your face. Your favourite voice whispering sweet nothings, stroking your hair, begging you to calm down.

"You're doing so good for me, Doll, just keep breathing." Bucky's pulse was steady under your hand. Slowly, your breathing evened out and you lifted your head to meet Bucky's eyes. He kept his arms wrapped tightly around you to stop you from collapsing.

You stayed in Bucky's embrace while the police wrapped up - June was being taken to the local PD for the altercation and also driving under the influence. Bucky told you that Nathan had also been arrested for violating the restraining order. Your heart sunk.

"I'll never escape him, will I?" You whispered to Bucky, as you sat down in your favourite booth to eat.

"You can, and you will," Bucky reassured you, squeezing your hand in his.

You ate your pizza in relative silence after that - most of the shop had cleared out with the police. Joey gave you your pizza for free, along with a tight hug on the side. He told you that you'd always be safe in here, "although metal man seems to have that covered." Bucky glared at the nickname, making you both laugh.

You walked hand-in-hand to Bucky's motorbike - his fingers ghosted over the bruise on your cheekbone from the slap as he fastened your helmet on your head.

"It's nothing, Buck. I've had worse." Bucky gave you a pointed look, "Too soon?"

He threw his leg over the bike and you settled behind him, resting your cheek on his spine. "Forever is too soon for my liking."

You smiled at that and nuzzled further into his back.

"Where to madam?" He said, putting on an exaggerated British accent. You leaned up to whisper in his ear.

"Take me home, Buck."

fin.

buy me a coffee

[vaspider]

Hey, I have a slightly cheeky request - I happened to come across your answer on mediachomp about the history of American recipes. I don't know if you remember it, it must have been at least 3 years ago. Anyway, you described why recipes in America in the 50s/60s were so Jell-O-heavy and horrible.

Firstly, thanks for the history lesson, I found it really interesting!

Anyway, you also talked about your grandmother and how she made 2 pies for dinner every day of the year. And that you have all her recipes 😉

And idk - I love to cook, I love to cook traditional recipes from all countries - and this short description of your grandmother has given me appetite 😅

Would you mind telling me 1 or 2 of your favourite recipes?

Well, first of all, that's... not my post. That's a media aggregator that is actually stealing my words and @steampunkette's & @thestuffedalligator's and putting ads on them and making money off of them. I don't know how the others feel about this but this is just wholesale theft for the purpose of making ad revenue, and while it did direct you back to me, most people don't actually come back and interact with writers when our words get hijacked for the direct ad revenue benefit of others.

I'm not angry with you about this - I'm explaining. Taking a whole long thing someone wrote and just going "hunh, interesting," at the start and then making revenue off of it isn't actually okay. A lot of writers file a lot of DCMA takedown notices over shit like this. So, like, thank you for letting me know, but this isn't a fun positive thing to find out. It's... annoying.

Anyway, I'm not doing a lot of baking or cooking at the moment because I had a hysterectomy 9 days ago, so, have a low-spoons recipe.

1 box Trader Joe's gluten-free gnocchi

3 medium Tupperware containers (mine are 8" x 4" x 2") with airtight lids

6-8 T butter, divided into thirds and cut into chunks

Parmesan cheese, grated (green-bottle shake cheese works great)

Onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and other herbs (parsley, sage, thyme, oregano) to taste

A small bag of spinach

Boil gnocchi. While it's boiling, divide the butter and spinach between the containers. Tear the spinach roughly. Add seasonings and shaky cheese to the containers. Put at least 1/3c shaky cheese in there, maybe 1/2c. Trust me.

When the gnocchi are done, drain them and immediately divide them between the containers. Put the lids on loosely, put all 3 containers in the microwave at once if you can, and microwave for 30s. This is just to make sure the butter fully melts during the next bit.

Close the lids firmly and shake the everloving shit out of them. Preferably don't do this all yourself, give the other 2 containers to whoever else you're feeding and let them shake their own.

The starch from the gnocchi will combine with the cheese and spices and make a really easy alfredo-style sauce. The spinach will wilt. You will have a meal with carbs, veggies, and protein in about 5 minutes that feels a lot more elaborate than the work it took.

It ain't multiple pies a day, but it'll feed you.

[honeysorwell]

all of it (all of you)

Pairing: Melissa Schemmenti x hairdresser!fem Reader

Synopsis of the story + Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9, Chapter 10

Link on AO3

Chapter 5

Tag list: @janeyseymour @italianaidiota @chloeelou02x (and if you want to be tagged too just let me know.)

Warning: no, in my clean era once again.

I'm really sorry for the wait, but this past week I ended up losing all the writing files I created for this story on my computer (ideas for future chapters and also dialogues that I really wanted to incorporate into this story). So I spent the last two weeks trying to remember everything and rewrite what I could to save it and make future updates easier.

But anyway: here it is and once again, thank you all very much for embracing my work with such affection.

Enjoy!

The next few months are peaceful for Y/N and Melissa.

Very peaceful.

The hairdresser always finds a way to make the conversations they shares while she dyes Melissa's hair revolve around the teacher's routine at Abbott Elementary, where she works. It's a good topic, which the Brazilian woman takes advantage of because it's particularly simple to stay on the redhead's good side thanks to how fun children are regardless of their ages.

If Melissa told her that she preferred a quiet appointment, Y/N would honestly be fine with accommodating her request. But the fact that the redhead had never verbalized or even hinted at this was what she wanted, along with the way Melissa felt guilty when she was late for her hair coloring months ago, hammered at the hairdresser's mind in a way that made her feel safe to chat animatedly with the teacher whenever she had to see her at the salon.

In the midst of these conversations, Y/N makes a point of telling stories about some of her child clients back to the redhead, just enough so that Melissa knows she is not talking to herself, but always letting the redhead do most of the talking, in addition to laughing and telling the teacher things she has heard from them while keeping Melissa's haircut perfect, renovating it every three months.

In Melissa's seventh month as a Y/N's client and after many cheerful conversations about children, Janice, a regular client of Angelina, has decided that in addition to her nails, she wants to wash and dry her hair once a week.

The first thing Y/N notices about Janice is that her hair is thin and completely white, worthy of the elderly lady that she is. Since Janice is not at all demanding about the result, she is just tired of washing it at home due to her age and thinks it would be convenient to take care of her nails and hair in the same place, the suggestion of adding her to the Brazilian hairdresser's list of regular clients starts to sound more and more attractive to Y/N.

After an honest conversation with the sweet older lady, the Brazilian woman offers her a $10 discount on her hairdressing service in an attempt to get her as a client as soon as possible. It makes sense for Y/N to base her decision on how her frequency as a client would make up for the lower weekly fee, and when she accepts, they both share a tight, joyful hug.

And even though that's great for the hairdresser, Melissa isn't sure if she shares her enthusiasm.

The trouble starts the following week, when Janice has her first appointment as a Y/N's client. Melissa had already noticed, ever since she was late for her appointment with Y/N ​​almost half a year ago, that the time slot she was scheduled to see the hairdresser on Saturdays was significantly empty for the Brazilian woman, with no clients either before or after her appointment.

It was good. The teacher couldn't deny it even if she tried. The lie would be seen from miles away.

Sometimes she would show up early for her appointment, and find Y/N smilingly looking at her cell phone, watching videos of animals doing particularly adorable things (videos that Melissa told herself were the reason her heart beat faster, not Y/N's proximity when she offered to show them to the redhead). Other times, when the teacher took longer to pay due to the lack of connection on her cell phone, Melissa would notice how Y/N's chair remained empty for at least half an hour.

The first time Melissa arrived early on a Saturday, which should have been like any other and saw that she had to wait to be seen, according to the time that was marked under her name with the receptionist, she found it peculiar.

It was, to say the least, eccentric to watch from a certain distance and among unknown women, who were also waiting for their turn with their respective hairdressers, an unknown face sitting in the chair that only remained empty, as if it were always waiting for her.

But that wasn't exactly the problem.

After all, the teacher knew that Y/N was a wonderful hairdresser and definitely wanted all the clients she could get her hands on. The problem was what Melissa noticed when Janice's presence as her hairdresser's client extended from a single week to every single week that Y/N saw the teacher.

Melissa noticed, since her first appointment, how the Brazilian woman always had a very private conversation with Melissa, prioritizing keeping her voice low so that no other hairdresser or client in the salon would hear what they both talked about so much. And the teacher liked it, found it personal and respectful that Y/N didn't let her matters be heard or commented on by strangers, even though they never talked about anything really private.

But now, seeing how Y/N was with her other clients, she didn't like it as much as before.

After all, the women of the Schimmenti family have always had many adjectives to describe them, but inattentive was never one of them, and that was the key to discovering that Y/N always shamelessly compliments all the women and men in the salon for everyone to hear.

But not her.

Sometimes, they are absurd and caricatured compliments, not exactly sensual, even though Melissa saw Y/N wink at one or two clients before bursting out laughing. Compliments come naturally from her lips, always encouraging others around her to agree with her words. The Brazilian's compliments are also never disrespectful or sexual, just indescribably genuine words that are almost always responded to by her clients with the same enthusiasm.

And she only finally believes what she is seeing after the fourth month of watching Y/N compliment Janice's nails. Over and over again.

But the conversation between Melissa and the hairdresser remains the same. Children. Over and over and over again.

It's not the redhead's intention, but she can't help but get irritated, month after month. And she hates even more the fact that Y/N notices her bad mood like a sailor notices an oil slick in the sea, in a clear and worrying way.

The Brazilian woman is even nicer to her, making even more superficial conversations and offering her tea or coffee while showing her little drawings she received from her clients just to make Melissa smile. Y/N’s favorite is one with a car full of blow dryers and brushes, made by a little shy boy who apparently adores the Brazilian woman, and Melissa can’t help but smile between her lips when Y/N looks so proud.

The teacher feels unstable and absolutely ridiculous. Sitting in the hairdresser’s chair with a frown on her face, month after month, then smiling softly at Y/N’s worried look until someone in the salon compliments some other person around her, reminding Melissa why she’s feeling this way.

Is it stupid to want something like... a friendship? Something bigger than the superficial shell of what Y/N is offering her month after month?

Until she finally understands, when a client in the chair next to her asks Melissa which of the two shades of red would look best on her own hair and sees how the Brazilian woman interrupts the question, albeit politely, saving Melissa from interacting with the other client in the salon.

The realization shines in the teacher's mind as if she were a cartoon character.

Y/N believes that maybe this is how their relationship should be. Professional. Distant.

The Brazilian woman must believe that this is how Melissa wants her to be, and that's why she maintains this pattern of behavior month after month.

The problem, bigger than all others, is that Melissa is not good at asking for things.

She is good at bartering. Being born into such a large family and having so many siblings was a great help.

Her mother always loved to sew, and her father worshiped baseball. So, after her teenage self sneaked out the window on Saturday night to meet up with whoever she was interested in at the time, Melissa would sew with her mother every Sunday after they got back from church until lunchtime, and then watch the game with her father in the late afternoon, cheering for them the same way she cheered for the Eagles, all for a few extra minutes away from home the following week.

Her sister, Kristin Marie, has always been passionate about nail polish. Colors, designs, sparkles, and little gems, all of them fascinated Melissa's sister, and so it was easy for the teacher to simply barter the household chores that needed to be completed between the two of them when Melissa had something to offer in return.

As she grew older, the targets became different, but the way of offering always had the same basis, making Melissa triumph brilliantly in bartering as if she were in the Middle Ages.

Now, asking without having something to offer in return?

Please, Y/N, talk to me like you talk to others around you. And if it’s not too much, compliment me like you do to them.

It was definitely off the teacher’s list of skills.

But fortunately, she doesn’t need to ask for anything. And she only doesn’t need to because a look from her, on a Saturday like any other, is seen by Angelina.

And what kind of friend would she be that wouldn’t open the Brazilian’s eyes?

“Your redhead is mad at you.”, the Greek woman says with a smile, watching her face contort in confusion.

“My redhead?”, Y/N asks, completely lost until she sees Angie tilt her head toward the salon door, where Melissa can still be seen, walking slowly toward her own car, “You mean Melissa? Mad at me?”

“She looks at the other clients as if they personally offended her every time you compliment them.”, the Greek manicurist explains as she helps her friend clean the counter for the next appointment, who will be there for a haircut in forty minutes.

“You are being ridiculous.”, the hairdresser’s response is said with a smiling but suspicious tone, as she continues to gather her belongings.

“Just pay attention. It’s not jealousy, but discomfort.”

And so Y/N does, only to see as clear as the light of a sunny day how right her friend was.

Melissa looks at her for too long, as if she is studying her, before glancing at the other people in the salon. The redhead looks at her reflection in the mirror seriously before bouncing her foot nervously, absorbing Y/N’s every move like a hawk, but it only takes one sentence to dismantle all her bravado.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?”, Y/N says softly as she points to the hair of a client next to them, but makes a point of touching the redhead’s hair at the same time, watching the teacher’s face attentively.

The face of the woman of Italian descent turns as red as her hair, even after realizing that the compliment wasn't meant for her, and that's what turns on all the emergency lights inside Y/N's brain.

"Yeah... beautiful.", she says with little enthusiasm, but still with a small smile on her face, and the Brazilian woman feels so guilty about it that, before Melissa leaves the salon, Y/N hands her a lollipop and justifies the gesture by saying that it's to sweeten the rest of the redhead's weekend.

Even knowing that her own weekend is ruined.

Y/N sleeps little in the following weeks, caught up in thoughts and possibilities.

The Brazilian woman has been attracted to clients before, and she always compliments them shamelessly the moment she notices that they are open to receiving her words. Sometimes, some of them even turn into something bigger and more intense as comfort has settled between them.

But Y/N had been reading Melissa wrong all along, and thinking about how to compliment a client like her was eating her brain day after day.

Because Melissa wasn't like the other clients. The teacher had not only had an awkward moment with her when they first met, but she had also been a dear client of Andrea's, and Y/N deeply believed that she needed to walk on eggshells around the redhead.

Melissa was important. Too important for small talk and silly compliments.

So she thought.

How would Y/N justify, more to herself than anyone else, if Melissa took her behavior back to that first day at the salon because of her words?

Y/N knows she's not one to mince words. The hairdresser knows she's kind and even considers herself more charismatic than most people, but the way her brain works has always gotten her into trouble. If something bothers the Brazilian woman, her reaction in response is automatic, no matter the consequences. Wherever or with whomever, the Brazilian woman receives the information spoken, her mind suddenly processes those words and then creates her response, which escapes between her lips without any warning. Over time, with the maturity of becoming an adult and working with people every day, Y/N managed to tame this side of her soul. But if something went too far, Y/N would quickly act accordingly.

What would she do if her words offended Melissa?

But the teacher's gaze was too obvious.

Expectant, even anxious, even in the midst of discomfort.

And it is thanks to this impulse, in the middle of a calm night watching bad television after an exhausting day of work, that the Brazilian woman realizes that perhaps being honest is the best thing to do.

After all, Melissa is pretty. Very pretty.

The redhead is attractive like those women who change the entire trajectory of someone's life with just a wink. With her leather jacket, sunglasses, and high-heeled boots, it's absolutely impossible not to notice her the second Melissa walks into the salon. So why not take advantage of that to complement her?

Something natural and quick, as if it were an impulse from her own mind or as if she were taking off a bandage. But something that could also be said to any other client without making it awkward, because the last thing Y/N wants is to embarrass herself in front of the redhead.

"It could work.", the murmur leaves Y/N's lips softly towards the television, as if the characters from Survival had the ability to answer her, "What woman doesn't like to be complimented? Especially in a hair salon, right? What's the worst that can happen?"

And wrapped in this wave of courage is how Y/N is the next time Melissa shows up at the salon.

“Have you noticed any difference in the color fading this month?”, she says as she takes the cape that will protect the redhead’s clothes from the dye and gently spreads it over Melissa, touching and moving the teacher’s hair away so she wont accidentally catch it when closing the cape before turning her attention back to her reflection in the mirror.

“No, I didn’t notice anything... Your work made me look like a million dollars in twenties just like the last few times.”, the teacher answers her as she does every time the Brazilian woman asks her this question, with a soft and unpretentious shrug, giving Y/N the cue she needed.

What could go wrong? It’s just a compliment.

Y/N holds a lock of Melissa’s hair, sliding her fingers carefully, as if she were evaluating her previous work, and then holds her gaze in the reflection in the mirror. The Brazilian woman's lips curve into a shy smile at the redhead who watches her through her reflection, before plucking up the courage to answer her, knowing full well that it will be enough to slip through her lips what lives in her mind as naturally as breathing:

"I appreciate it, but I dare say that this is only because of your pretty face, the work I do is just a bonus.", and as Y/N's words are spoken, she misses the button that should close the protective cover around Melissa's neck and, when trying to fix it, ends up gently scratching the pale skin of the teacher's neck.

As an automatic reflex, the hairdresser's fingers caress the slightly scratched spot with loving pressure, but only until she realizes the weight of the silence there.

Melissa has a single eyebrow arched, mouth open in surprise, and watching the hairdresser and her every move like a fucking eagle, but she doesn't pull herself away from her touch. A slight blush rises to her cheeks, and Y/N notices the surprised sigh that escapes the teacher's lips as she feels the skin on the redhead's neck visibly shiver beneath her touch.

With a quick movement, she attaches the cape in Melissa's body with trembling fingers before stepping back.

What Melissa doesn't pay attention to, thanks to how shocked she is watching her own blushing reflection in the mirror after recovering from the light scratching of Y/N's nails on her neck and her warm touch, in addition to her gentle praise, is the speed at which Y/N ​​runs towards the salon's stockroom.

Inside the stockroom and with no idea what to take back as an alibi for having so brutally walked away from Melissa right at the beginning of her appointment with the redhead, Y/N gently leans against the closed door with her right hand precisely on her own chest. With her mind dizzy from a feeling that takes over her, Y/N can feel not only her breathing affected but also her heart, beating hard enough for the Brazilian to believe that it is fully capable of escaping from her chest and running straight to the lap of the teacher who is waiting for her outside.

[imtryingbuck]

Come back

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x fem!Reader

Summary: The team lose their friend (I’m bad at summaries sorry)

Word count: 3,919

Warnings: Angst. Sad times. Swearing. A grave gets dug up. Brock Rumlow. 

Masterlist   Series Masterlist

  In Loving Memory Of Y/n L/n

    Killed In Action Saving 5 Innocent Children

    Dedicated Agent

    Friend To Everyone

 10/05/1990 - 10/05/2017

“Pass me a donut will ya”

Everyday since the plaque went up 5 years ago, Bucky always reads it. Everyday a small chuckle will leave his lips when reading the quote Tony made sure was engraved in the marble. ‘She always said it and she did tell me once that when she died to have it on the plaque they HAD to give her’ Tony repeated that conversation when they deciding what would be put on the plaque. It was true, did she always say it. He can hear her voice saying the words he reads every day. 

Putting his two fingers to his lips he lightly kisses them, the gently places his fingers on her photo. Her ID photo took 8 tries to take because she wouldn’t sit still or she wouldn’t keep a straight face. In the end they settled on the final one, her with a huge smile on her face. She told Bucky once when he had asked-

‘why are you smiling in your photo?’

‘Because a smile a day keeps the dentist at bay’ 

‘That’s not an expression’

‘Well it should be’

He missed her more and more every day. Today however left a bitter taste in his mouth, today was the anniversary of her death. 

Every year since they watched their friend die, the team makes sure they don’t have missions just so they can celebrated her death as well as her birthday.

Every year on that painful day they gather in the common room and watch all of her favourite films and play all the board games she went crazy over, they would order and/or cook her favourite food. Then they would each blow out a candle on the large donut Tony had specially made for her birthday. 

He remembers that day when Tony surprised her with it a few years before her death. Her squeals made everyone laugh, she made everyone blow out one candle ‘it’s my birthday and I want everyone to get a wish’ and as the years passed they still did it.

They were halfway through the third film when director Fury walked in.

“I’m sorry to interrupt but you guys need to hear this”

“What is it?” Tony asks sitting up from where he was slouching.

“Earlier today there was an attack at SHIELD headquarters”

“How many are dead?” Steve asks. 

“The real question you need to ask is how many are alive Rogers”

“Well?” Natasha speaks up from where she sits next to Wanda.

“None. 28 people are in critical condition” each member of the team murmur their different abbreviations of ‘oh god’.

“Who was it do you know?” Steve questions. 

Walking around the sofa and sitting down on the lone chair Fury sighs “There’s was only one person. With a symbol on their back, take a wild guess which one”

“Hydra” They all speak at the same time.

“Yep. Now heres the reason why I’m here. The computers were tampered with, the IT department has managed to find out what was deleted”

“Go on” Tony says when Fury trails off.

“The file.. the only file to be downloaded and deleted was Y/n’s.”

The teams reaction was different from one another’s however Bucky, Bucky’s heart stopped, he’d gone cold and clammy at the same time, so many questions circled his mind. Why hers? Why now? Why couldn’t they just leave her alone? Why her of all agents?

It was as if Steve could read his mind because it was him that asked “Why hers? She’s been dead for 6 years now. Why would Hydra want her file?”

“We-I don’t know. Now here’s the part you guys are not going to like. Ross wants Y/n’s body to be dug up”

Before anyone get say anything “Absolutely fucking not! You touch her grave I’ll kill you myself!” Bucky shouts.

“Then I’ll bring you back to life just to kill you again” booms Thor.

“Listen to me, I don’t want to do this! Ro-“

“I don’t care what Ross wants. It’s bad enough her headstone needs to be replaced every two months because of arseholes keep wanting a piece of it, now you want to dig her up? It nearly killed all of us watching her coffin go into that hole now you want us to watch it come back up?” Bucky’s left hand is balled tight in a fist as he paces back and forth.

“You don’t have to watch and you need to watch your tone” Fury shot back.

“What are you going to do with her?” Wanda asks before Bucky can say anything.

“We’ll put her somewhere different- safer. It’s just a precaution and we have no idea what they want with her file. We don’t know why they picked her out of all active agents and Barnes I don’t like this anymore than you do, Y/n was” taking in a deep breath “I miss her too. I’m sorry but I’m going to give Ross the go ahead on this. You guys don’t have to to be there when it happens and when we find out what’s going on we’ll bury her again. I promise”

For a full 20 minutes after Fury left they were sitting in complete silence each trying to wrap their heads around the information they were just given. SHIELD headquarters had been attacked by Hydra - using just one person to assassinate so many agents. Out of all the Agents of SHIELD alive or dead they pick their friends file, their friend who they loved and adored the same friend who always had a smile on her face no matter what, the one person who could light up a room just by walking inside of it. A person who was so full of happiness and sunshine yet deadly and damn right terrifying when she needed to be. 

Now said friend who they have grieved for, for the past 6 years was about to have her resting place disturbed. Like Bucky had said to Fury, it nearly killed each and everyone of the Avengers and the Guardians - who came to Earth just to attend her funeral - they knew that the probability of dying on the job was high, of course they did, they just never expected it to happen to her, they had to watch as their friend, confidant, colleague, the better half to all of them lay in a box surrounded with 4 camera crews broadcasting their every move just so the whole world could watch them in their most vulnerable moment. They watched as her coffin was gently placed into the ground, knowing that it was going to be the last time they would ever see her after the soil would cover her.

They broke. Plain and simple, they broke. Worst part of it was is that the world lapped it up, the images of Natasha more famously known as the Black Widow standing at the grave of her best friend in bright colour clothing crying, was every where - people joked about how the deadly assassin was crying, saying she wasn’t as strong as everyone made her out to be because she cried. Y/n was undoubtedly the only person Nat felt comfortable with, the one person who saw Natasha as Natasha, not the Black Widow but her friend Natty. She was actually the first person in a very long time to see Nat cry, it was when the goldfish - that Y/n had brought her after she found out that Nat had always wanted one - had died, she felt so unbelievably stupid for crying over it but all Y/n did was hold her, told her to stop being silly for calling herself stupid. They buried it near the lake, just the two of them. Y/n even had bagpipes playing on her phone which made the redhead chuckle.

Wanda was called a crybaby because guess what? She was crying, she was crying because she was burying her best friend! The first person other than Steve to treat her like a human being. The first person to show her that not all people were bad, the one person who wasn’t scared of her that time when Wanda had lost control of her powers making people run in fear, not Y/n though nope she was the one who managed to help Wanda ground herself.

Steve was also mocked for crying for the loss of his friend, ‘Captain America weeps at funeral’, ‘Captain America is weak’, ‘Steve Rogers needs to give up the shield’. Y/n was the one who taught him how to use technology, showed him how the modern world worked and operated. She was the first person on his side when he wanted to track Bucky down. He loved her, not romantically, but he loved her so much. She made him feel normal, she never treat him like he was nearing a 100 years old who was missing 70 years of his life, like he actually was.

Sam just like the rest was called weak for crying at his friends funeral. The two of them drove the whole team insane when they were together (which was pretty much all the time) Like Steve he loved Y/n, she was his sister, his angel as he always called her. She was his best friend, favourite person in the world. The photo of Sam falling to his knees at the side of his angels grave was blasted all over the internet.

The photos of Tony clinging on to his now wife Pepper made front pages as well. ‘Billionaire Tony Stark cries at funeral of dead agent’. ‘Billionaire Tony Stark has to be held up by woman at funeral’. He saw Y/n as his daughter - shit she called him dad and he introduced her to anyone as his daughter. She didn’t see him as a bank, nope she hated it when he would give her money, one time she had to ask him if she could borrow money from him doing it with tears in her eyes because she felt ashamed of herself for asking. A few weeks later she gave him the money back with interest, when he told her to stop being silly and for her to keep it they argued for nearly 3 hours. She managed to slip the money into his pocket without him even realising it. Tony loved her so deeply, when he and Pepper found out they was having a baby girl they already had her name picked out - Morgan, Y/n’s middle name.

‘God of Thunder Thor spotted crying at funeral’ Like everyone else of course he was crying he lost his friend, she made him laugh, she made confused - once she convinced him that she was invisible and that he was the only person who could see or hear her, for 3 weeks he was absolutely convinced he was the only person on planet Earth who could see her. It wasn’t until Sam got back from a mission that the whole jig was up. He was truly captivated by her but even more so especially after she was able to lift Mjölnir higher up than Steve was able to, waved his hammer around like it weighed nothing. He, like Bucky, blamed himself for her death, he thought no believed it was his fault she was no longer with them. So yes of course he cried.

Bruce wasn’t allowed to attend his friends funeral because when she died he couldn’t control the big green beefy fella - as Y/n called him - from coming out. Fury and Ross said it would be bad and take the attention away from Y/n if the Hulk was there. He agreed. Y/n loved Hulk like she loved Bruce, she wasn’t afraid of the Hulk - Christ she once tried to have an arm wrestle with him! She didn’t once make Bruce feel like he was a freak or a dangerous monster as small minded people called him. No she treat him with respect and kindness. It took 2 months for him to go from being Hulk to being Bruce again.

Clint turned his hearing aids off for months after her death, he remembered her asking him to teach her how to sign language just so he didn’t have to always wear them. That was an interesting experience to say the very least. Clint adored her, adored the spark she carried around, adored the warmth and tranquillity she oozed. Her strength, willpower and willingness that no one could dream of having been one of the many things he loved about her, and what he misses. The day after she died he went home, home to his wife and children where he collapsed in Laura’s arms and cried himself to sleep that night. He too was mocked for being weak.

Then there was the photos of Bucky who was struggling to stand strong. ‘The world’s deadliest assassin cries’ was the headline on magazine’s for weeks or his personal favourite one ‘Winter Soldier more like Weak Soldier’ Like Nat he too was mocked because he wasn’t wearing all black but bright colours - hell they all were, it was what she wanted and whatever Y/n wanted, she got. Her death hit him the hardest. He loved her. He still loves her after 6 years of her being gone. ‘True love is what them two idiots have’ Tony would say. He blamed himself for what had happened to her, he had just turned his back for a second to hand a child to an agent when the whole building came down trapping her inside, he should of done more he always tells himself. Other than Steve she was his best friend, the one person who wasn’t afraid off his arm, the only person who could calm him down after a nightmare. She was the first person he opened up to and not once did she judge him or called him names, after he finished telling her all the things he remembered she got up and walked over to him and pulled him in for a hug, crying her heart out and apologising over and over again. The worst part for Bucky other than losing her was that he never got to tell her how madly in love he was with her. 

“It doesn’t make sense” Steve was the one who broke the silence.

“Which part?” Tony asks.

“Everything. The attack, Y/n’s file, Ross wanting her to be dug up. Nothing makes sense”

“We need to figure this out. We can’t let them do this to her” Sam shakes his head, whilst trying to keep the tears he was fighting back at bay.

“Fury let me into his thoughts. They think they’re trying to find out how to recreate her genes.” Wanda finally speaks.

Once again the room went quiet. Y/n back story was still a bit of a mystery to the team. It was just something she never spoke about, they knew of the scars that covered the majority of her body and they did know of her mutant gene and that was it. 

Y/n was exactly like Logan, better known as Wolverine. Though Logan’s a Beta level mutant whereas Y/n was an Alpha level, the only one of her kind. She had complete control over her abilities, her fighting skills were untouchable and unmatched. She was a part of the Weapon X program, when she was a young child she was taken from the orphanage she was placed at as a baby - and unknown to the team she was subjected to the worst abuse imaginable at the hands of The Facility. Unlike Logan though her Adamantium claws weren’t poisonous.

And what made Y/n even stronger was just like Wanda she had telekinesis abilities, though Y/n was a bit stronger than the other woman.

They didn’t know that Logan had found her when she was 16, with a chain wrapped around her neck that was connected to the wall, in a dark room that only had a toilet - nothing else. Logan had managed to get her out, which wasn’t easy considering she didn’t trust him and he wasn’t her handler. Logan kept her with him for roughly three years, moving around place to place, keeping each other safe. He was growing weak and unable to keep his promise to her, promise being he’d keep her safe. With a heavy heart he took her to Fury, begging the other man to take care of her. And since then she was a highly respected SHIELD agent and member of the Avengers.

They knew if Hydra were trying to recreate her genes they would have an army that would be unstoppable.

“But why dig her up? Hydra has her file so therefore they… they…”

“Tony? You okay?”

“Other than finding out my daughters grave will be disturbed, I’m fine”. He gets up and walks away.

One by one they follow his lead, leaving Bucky and Thor to blow out the candles - making the same wish as the previous years.

For her to come back.

The very next day they all gather at the cemetery and watched with a heavy heart as her grave gets dug up.

Three days later Fury gets a phone call “Fury you need to come to the Pentagon as soon as you can and don’t tell anyone”

“On my way”.

As soon as he got there he meets with Ross. “What’s all this about?”

“It’s not her”

“What are you talking about Ross?”

“Y/n… it’s not her in the coffin.”

“Hold on, you fucking lied to me you told me you wasn’t going to touch her!”

“Fury we brought a dead agent to the Pentagon for a reason”.

“A dead agent? Remember that dead agent saved you life how many times? Oh yeah six. Six fucking times she saved your arse Ross.” The anger coming off Fury made everyone in the room shift foot to foot.

“Sorry, we brought Y/n to the Pentagon for a reason”

“Why?”

“Simple. We wanted to make sure that they hadn’t gotten to her so we checked, and it’s not her. If-if you just look to your left Nick you’ll see the body that was in her coffin”

Fury stood there for a few minutes just staring at Ross before he looked over to where he had pointed. 

There laid the decaying body of a woman, that was most definitely not Y/n.

“H-how is this possible?”

“We don’t know. It’s a possibility that Hydra got her body first, but it doesn’t explain why they would put this person in her place”

“Or she could be alive?” Fury asked hopefully.

“She’s not” Ross puts a hand to Fury’s shoulder “I checked the footage of the attack and it’s not her, I asked some of the agents that could talk if the person had claws and they all said no” Ross hated himself for calling her ‘a dead agent’ even if she was just that, but like Fury had said, she saved his life more times than one. When Y/n was introduced to him, he had to admit he was intimidated by her. But as time went on they gained each others trust and respect.

“Fury you can’t tell the Winter Soldier about this”

“James. His name is James and you honestly expect me not to say anything to the team?”

“We have no idea how any of them will react, especially him and Thor”

He hated to admit that Ross did have a point, there was no idea how the two men who blamed themselves for her death, would react.

Sighing “What are we going to do?”

“I’m not sure. Let’s just hope and pray that they don’t have her I guess”.

The screams of pure terror coming from civilians were muffled by the gunfire and explosions, the bodies of civilians and SHIELD agents scattered amongst the wreckage. Hydra made another attack on the Capital.

The Avengers were able to stop Hydra agents from pushing further forwards. But when the ground started to shake they all looked at each other.

Both Steve and Bucky gulped at the sight of the Uber Tank, memories of seeing it during the war flashed through their minds.

“What the fuck is that!” Tony questioned.

“T-that’s Hydras Tank - I thought I destroyed it” Steve answers.

The rain pour of gunfire came to a stop on both sides, agents of Hydra smirked, agents of SHIELD looked terrified. The rumbling stopped, the only sound that could be heard was rubble still falling in the background.

When the hatch came open they waited with bated breath. Rumlow.

Brock Rumlow climbed up and out of the tank, standing on top with a megaphone.

“Do you like her? She’s a real beauty isn’t she? Took us longer than I care to admit to rebuild her but here she is!” He laughs “Hey so the attack the other week on your headquarters, sorry about that. We just needed something, take a wild guess what” Not receiving an answer he sighs and tilts his head to the side “It was to get your friends file! Jesus do I have to do all the work around here?”

“I’ve got a clean shot” Voiced Clint from where ever he was at.

“Not yet” Steve says.

“Truth to be told guys we didn’t need her file, we just wanted to give you a heads up to what was going to come” Waving his arms towards to chaos “I knew if we took her file it would get your attention, and it did didn’t it. I also know that her coffin was taken to the Pentagon, and I also know that Fury’s been keeping a secret from the almighty Avengers”

“What are you talking about?” Steve shouted.

Rumlow chuckles “It’s about time you spoke Captain America, the secret is… how about I just show you huh?” Stomping three times on the Uber Tank “Little bird why don’t you come out so you can play”

The hatch comes open again, a figure all in black - very similar outfit that the Winter Soldier use to wear - emerged and moving their way to stand next to Rumlow.

“Our little bird here is even stronger than she once was. We gave her the serum and it just enhanced her strength.” Moving closer to the person he whispers something none of them could hear. “Look I’ve gotta go, don’t worry I’ll be taking this beauty with me so no need to cry. I’ll let little bird have all the fun, she deserves it” Placing a kiss to the side of the woman’s head, he pushes her off. “Good luck everyone, you’re gonna need it” Climbing back into the tank, the tracks started to rumble once again before leaving the same way it came.

Nobody moved even long after Rumlow and the Uber Tank had gone. That was until some Hydra agents started to drop to the floor with foam spilling from their mouths.

Little bird as Rumlow called her took one step in front of the other until she was roughly 100 feet on the Avengers.

Her hand slowly came up to her face, removing the bottom half of her mask then the glasses.

They couldn’t believe it.

They didn’t want to believe it.

“Y/n?”

<Previous   Next>

Tags: @bethexo07 @doublebassallie

~ banner credit goes to @sweetpeapod ~

[kvllcrvsh]

Kvllcrvsh Books ✮⋆˙

Books are in Alphabetical Order by Character!

Current Character List: Bucky Barnes Johnny Storm Charles Xavier x Erik Lensherr

Bucky Barnes

Vogue

Summary: After sneaking onto your brother Steve’s mission to assist him in the war you two started to argue. Halfway through the argument a blast comes from in front of you, sending you flying off of the train and into the snow mountains below. Just inches from you was Bucky who reached out for you but missed your hand, watching you plummet to your presumed death. Until 2011 when your body was discovered in an abandoned HYDRA lab. Tony Stark and Steve Rogers helped rehabilitate you and adapt you to modern days. It was now 2012, you were apart of the Avengers and sent out on missions with your brother until one day Natasha asks a favor from you to retrieve files from a HYDRA lab underneath New York City where you are met face to face with a man with a metal arm.

- Prologue - Chapter 1 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 7 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 8 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 9 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 10

Redline Reader

Summary: After a huge public backlash you were basically told you couldn’t go on missions anymore. Homelander kept you strictly in doors at all times until Valentina offers a very generous donation to Vought foundation for in return you joined the new avengers.

- Chapter 1 - Chapter 2

Johnny Storm

• Better In The Dark [completed]

Summary: You have been Johnny’s Storm assistant for the last three years. Following him around wherever he goes, scheduling events, planning his outfits, doing his shopping for him— it was a lot yet you managed to tick every one of his boxes with ease making you valuable to him. It’s not until after the Fantastic Four go to space do the two of you realize how much you need each other to live.

- part 1 - part 2 - part 3

Charles x Reader x Erik

Jealousy

Summary: There is someone walking behind you. You turn around to find the silent street before turning back you felt a soft breeze. Somehow from that moment, the man you had met that day would change your life forever and just when things can't get more complicated his best friend can't seem to leave you alone either.

- Chapter 1

[floating-in-the-blue]

20 Questions for Fanfiction Writers

@hot-elf thank youuuuu for tagging me, hunny! <3

1). How many works do you have on AO3?

96. I hope I can get that up to 100 by the end of this year

2). What’s your total AO3 word count?

397,297

3). What are your top five fics by kudos?

Will You (Julie and the Phantoms, 425 kudos)

Stormy Nights and Comforts Bright (Red, White & Royal Blue, 305 kudos)

In Your Starlight (JatP, 258 kudos)

Home is Where My Ghost is (JatP, 257 kudos)

Silent Souls (Fantastic Beasts, 251 kudos)

4). What fandoms do you write for?

Julie and the Phantoms is my main fandom, although I dabble in Red, White & Royal Blue occasionally (ie. more than I expected).

Past ones: Metal Gear Solid, Stargate Atlantis, Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, Iron Man (+ the occasional visit in a handful of others)

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

Yes. I think it's just good manners to say "thank you" when someone said "I liked your fic". I'm not a YouTube/Insta influencer girl. I'm not here for followers, I'm here for community. And I've found some of my best (fandom) friends via comment section conversations.

That being said, I've definitely had times where it was difficult because of brain fog or guilt at not having finished a story or because the comment was actually so overwhelmingly wonderful I would get too emotional every time I tried to answer. It's a form of socialising and takes socialising energy, which is not always at hand. But I'm working on reducing the pile of shame and I got it down to 12 now that I still need to respond to. (Though some of those are placeholders (aka replies to comments I wrote) as reminders to go back and finish reading/commenting a fic)

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

Breathe [Extended] (Metal Gear Solid) is very angsty throughout although the ending is kind of hopeful in a teeth-gritting determined kind of way so I don't know if it really counts. But until I post my magnum opus/white whale of a fic, Nature 2.0 (also MGS), I think it's still the best choice because everything else has happy endings.

PS: oh, I thought of a small mini JatP one shot, that's pretty angsty in a way though too short actually to have any proper beginning and ending ...

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

All the rest XD But let's go with In Your Starlight because the ending has that bouncy kind of optimism and hope for the future that always makes me smile.

8). Do you get hate on fics?

Not much, thankfully only one truly upset me.

There was one instance of anon hate I got via tumblr message on a genderbent MGS story, which was written for a prompt my giftee gave me, so not even really my idea. It accused me of transphobia for some reason but it was so laughable, I ignored it.

And then there was, of course, a dark moment in the JatP fandom where every writer who dared to write smut was put on a blacklist and accused of pedophile tendencies, which was definitely NOT fun, despite the outpour of love and support that elicited.

9). Do you write smut?

As seen above, yes I do write smut. I don't do it too often these days and I don't want it to be the only thing I write (although that's totally legit and I know several writers who do it splendidly, @hot-elf included). But I'm pretty happy with every one of the sex scenes I've written so far.

10). Do you write crossovers?

The first fanfic I ever started to write (as a wee teen without a clue), was actually a massive crossover (2x Star Trek, Star Wars, Stargate, X-files and probably more I've forgotten about now) but I haven't done it much or seriously since.

I've read excellent crossovers but so far, I've never been tempted tp write one.

11). Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of. I'm happy about that of course but I remember when someone on Wattpad stole several smutty JatP stories and mine weren't among those and I was almost insulted mine hadn't been chosen XD

But nah, on the whole: PLEASE DON'T STEAL MY FICS!

12). Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes! Silent Souls (Fantabi) got translated: Silent Souls (Vietnamese translation). I can't say anything about the translation since I don't know any Vietnamese but I was very flattered (even though I don't think many people read it)

13). Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

Kinda. I haven't sat down and actually written a fic with someone (though I tried once until we both kind of lost interest) but I have turned two truly massive and epic RPGs I wrote with @textualpoacher (Iron Man & MGS) into fics with her (or we started to, at least). I haven't given up hope yet to finish them some day but it's not a priority in any way (and I first need to dig out the files from ancient computers).

It's why I count Iron Man as one of the major fandoms I wrote for even though that's not reflected on AO3. Because we posted the fic on ff.de and had written much more than posted, so it was very dominant in my life for quite a while.

14). What’s your all-time favorite ship?

Impossible to answer. There's too many and I love them all.

The major ships I've written for though are: Tony Stark/Pepper Potts (Iron Man), David 'Solid Snake'/Hal 'Otacon' Emmerich (MGS), Alex Mercer/Wille (JatP), Phryne Fisher/Jack Robinson (MFMM), Alex Claremont-Diaz/Henry Too-Many-Names (RWRB)

Ships I haven't written for but that are extremely dear to me: Richard Castle/Katherine Beckett, Willow Rosenberg/Tara Mclay (Buffy), Willow Rosenberg/Oz (Buffy), Buffy Summers/Spike (Buffy), Wesley Wyndham-Price/Winifred 'Fred' Burkle (Angel), Shallan Davar/Kaladin/Adolin Kholin (Stormlight), Samantha Carter/Jack O'Neill (Stargate), Leia Organa/Han Solo (Star Wars), Artemis Entrer/Jarlaxle (R. A. Salvatore's D'n'D books), ...

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

Nature 2.0 (MGS). ALTHOUGH I WILL NOT ABANDON ALL HOPE!!!

The story is too complex and ambitious and research- and plot-heavy for my current skill levels (and my current time/focus/etc) but it's also my dream project that I would very much LIKE to finish one day.

Even less likely (though also a dream project), I guess, is the Victorian Stargate Atlantis AU I started. Same problems apply. At least I never posted anything of that on AO3. Just in a private forum that no longer exists.

16). What are your writing strengths?

Hm ... characters, emotions, descriptions, metaphors, humour (and occasionally smut)

17). What are your writing weaknesses?

PLOT!!! Also action scenes (I think, I've mostly been too afraid to try them plus they usually require plot which I also suck at).

Not technically writing but part of the process and definitely a weakness: research! Hate it.

(you see why those dream projects are still dreams rather than actual projects)

Idiomatic character speech + giving characters distinctive narrative voices.

And as a non-native speaker I honestly don't care enough about the distinctions between British and American English.

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

Tricky. If it makes sense for the character, yes but there should always be a translation either in the end notes or an explanation in the fic itself. And if it's more than a word or sentence, I wouldn't do it and instead do that bit as a 'telll' not 'show' thing and summarise the dialogue because otherwise it gets boring pretty quickly for someone who doesn't speak that language.

And there's two pitfalls of course: a monolingual person trying to write a bilingual person and/or a person writing a language they don't properly know and then having readers who do. Can get awkward.

19). First fandom you wrote for?

That massive crossover mentioned above so: like five at once? XD

The first thing I posted online was, of all things, a one shot for Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along blog, which, I think, nobody read. I didn't write anything for that fandom again ;D

20). Favorite fic you’ve ever written?

Why would you ask me to choose between my children??? *wails*

... I tried to narrow it down by fandom but even that doesn't work! How do people answer this??? I'm bisexual, I can't choose between things for the life of me!! (I'm also forever baffled by people with favourite movies, shows, books etc like HOW? THERE'S SO MANY OF THEM AND SO MANY OF THEM ARE GREAT!)

GHJKLKJHGF ..... okay.

Have Dear Dave. A MGS fic I'm still super proud of even though there's things I would add/alter if I wrote it today. But there's a physical copy of that fic on my shelf and I've been told it's got at least a little notorierty in the fandom as a destroyer of hearts. Tears have been shed over this fic, including the fake ones on the physical journal (though making the coffee stains was more fun).

___

inflicting this with no-pressure tagging on: @innytoes, @onlygenxhere, @jonairadreaming, @thatbitchmabel, @chanihobbit, @kbstories

[waddingham]

20 Questions for (Fanfiction) Writers

hihi sage :) @broadwayfreak5357 thanks for tagging me 🥰

1. How many fics do you have on ao3?

50

2. What's your total ao3 word count?

744,207

3. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

leg fic 💀

wildflowers (which has slowly crept up this far? somehow?)

two sweethearts and the summer wind :)

it's a symptom of your touch (it makes me so happy this is still top 5 lol)

someday 🥺

4. What fandoms do you write for?

actively right now, just ted lasso. but i've written for schitt's creek, twin peaks, and written for but never shared x-files

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

listen. i'm just a severely antisocial girl, staring at almost 4,000 comments, wishing LIKE HELL i could be that person 😭 i did originally on my first tl fic and i so badly wanted to keep going because i am SO grateful for every comment and reader I get, but now I'm so behind I genuinely wouldn't know where to start

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

hmm. i don't do angsty endings really. maybe in the cracks of light just bc i was talking about it with a friend once and they said they genuinely didn't know which section was truly the dream section and i'm obsessed with that idea.

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

probably someday? I don't know. i end most of my fics in a happy place. or at least a hopeful one.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

no, thankfully. i don't mind criticism but hate would piss me off

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

yes, i do. the sexy kind.

10. Do you write crossovers?

no. they don't hold much interest for me

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

no, but i had a joke from one of my early fics stolen which is honestly just funny lol

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

nope

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

no. that sounds so stressful fldndkdnd

14. What's your all time favorite ship?

it's gotta be mulder and scully. the way they ate my brain up for years on end......the way I read quite literally EVERY fic on gossamer.....most timeless ship on the planet

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

oh the western au. rest in peace my beloved </3

16. What are your writing strengths?

ive been told i write really gutteral emotions in a way that comes across very strongly. unfortunately i don't really know how I do that but I'm very glad people feel it when they read certain stories of mine.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

i can be too heavy handed and overwrite things. in my more recent wips, I've gotten a lot better at showing instead of telling and trusting the reader to understand the nuances rather than explain them. also if I overthink a plot, or the order of scenes, it literally all falls apart. if I do anything but flow along from one scene to the next, I can't put the story back together. (again — rip western au)

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

I don't know why I'd have thoughts on this. if it makes sense, go for it. I've done it.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

x-files, but as far as posted fic, it's some twin peaks ficlets that you could not pay me to reread, but i can't bring myself to orphan lol

20. Favorite fic you've ever written?

this is a hard question because in terms of how the final product came out, it's probably a song of mourning, but my favorite experience with posting a fic was most definitely the escort au, BUT my favorite ones to actually write have been the vampire au and someday (though she needs [and will soon be getting!] a major edit) so i don't know. it doesn't help that if I have even a slight dislike of a project I simply won't post it lmao so the things that have made it up are there because I really liked them

[aala-13jellychocolate]

Odious Love Part 10

This gif is not mine…….

Author: I hope you all will forgive my mistake and grammar too. I’m so sorry for the late update. It has been long there might change of writing style from previous chapter. I hope you enjoyed the new chapter.

Pairing: Junmyeon x Reader  

Genre: Angst, Fluff, Smut, CEO! AU

Prologue, Part 1(M),  Part 2,  Part 3 (M),  Part 4 (M), Part 5 (M), Part 6, Part 7 (M) Part 8 Part 9 (M)

Summary:  

Suho and you were sleeping together for the last 3 year. You were in love with him but he was not. He just wanted to depend upon someone emotionally. You were okay with it, you wanted to be with him in whichever way you can. You were not his girlfriend but he never treats you less. One day he got married to other women because of business. You thought everything was over between you two but he came back to you. He spends his wedding night with you leaving his wife all alone. 

Part 10

Life is unpredictable or it is predictable from the choices we make. You choose to stay with the person you love, even though you know you shouldn't. It was wrong to be greedy, yet you let your greed win, stealing moments. There wasn't any love to begin with, yet there was something you couldn't give a name to those feelings. Maybe it was only your imagination. 

You let your love evolve lust, stay as he wants, do what he wants, be what he needs or wants you to be. In all this, you lost yourself, lost so much that you became living humiliation. 

You have built life-like beggars for your parents. Give them so much struggle to let you out of your prison. They were the only ones fighting for you right now. No one else is here. No Junmyeon. No friends. No one else. Everything makes you hate yourself more. For being so weak and making your parents vulnerable. After everything, even after your mind has accepted the truth, your heart is not convinced. 

All this started six months ago. You have returned from your village. And Junmyeon was nowhere to be found, only for you. You remember him being angry as you weren't ready to shorten your trip. Next thing you know, he didn't even call or message you. It wasn't new. Usually, you are insecure and intimidated when he is not talking with you, but his post-marriage action gives you the security that he won't leave you soon or suddenly. You weren't aware you were assuming things on your own. 

After a few days, you get a letter from Suho, stating that he was leaving for Japan with Youra and his friends. It was odd, yet you didn't think much about it as it was about Suho's security. But that is where you went wrong. After a month or so, he came back from Japan just for two days. He was not happy to see, somewhat disgusted. You were irritated, plus Suho's bodyguard is acting like his assistant or, you should say, like a possessive/overprotective wife. Everyone needs to stay 3 feet away from Suho. 

He scolds you over missing one file. It was your mistake; you were so busy thinking about seeing him that you forgot the importance of work. It was the first time he was shouting at you in front of the whole staff. Still, you were okay with all the sharp words he was saying. You had made a tremendous mistake. But you don't comprehend when his words start coming as he is humiliating you. Or how you have lost your temper and slapped him in front of everyone. It wasn't supposed to happen, but it did happen. You immediately regret your action, but this was the thing he had taught you. Before you can rectify it, you have lost your job. It wasn't wrong. It is a huge mess you have created for yourself. 

While trying to find another job, you have attempted to reach him millions of times. Every message, every call, every letter went unanswered, or his guard answered him. 

Your struggle started with it. You couldn't keep up with anything. You were a mess inside out. Your heart hurt, and your mind was not working as you weren't getting any job. Not even a small cafe was ready to hire you. Then the miracle happen, or you thought it was a blessing. Mr. Kim called you back to work with him. You looked in the mirror for the last time before leaving your apartment, checking the formal ironed attire with ponytail hair and make-up that hides your dark circle. You were not willing to make any mistakes. It was not easy to start from the junior level again. Mr. Kim was generous and gave you a job within the company.  

Part of you wanted to leave and run back to your parents, but it was essential to work. It is not like you were broke, but you needed to save something for the future.  

Future. You have forgotten the meaning of that. For a moment, you were trying to save money, return home, and take a good rest to think further. And if you are going to work in the company, you can try to reach Suho and apologize. You left the apartment after taking a last look in the mirror.

As you enter the office building, you start remembering the old days. Blocking your mind to think about Suh... Junmyeon. Mark comes running toward, "So, you are back to work." You gloomily said, "Not exactly. I'm going to work downstairs in the Accounts department." Aera comes, and hugs you, "Wait for a few days, Junmyeon Sir will be here. We can talk to him." You were desperate to do it, yet you want to avoid it too. Not wanting to show others how vulnerable you have become, you smile, "You guys have seen what happened the last time. I'm glad his father allowed me to work in the company." They all said goodbyes after a few minutes of talking. You will miss them. Although you will be in the same company, you won't be able to meet them. You started to feel the difference between others and the CEO floor.

On the CEO floor, Junmyeon provided the freedom to be creative. There were no rules until your work gets completed on time or before time also, more holidays and more earnings, nothing like a junior or senior among you ten people, must work ass off but all was worth it. In your case, Junmyeon used to give special treatment. That time, if you weren't holding him back, he would make sure everyone refers to you as a 'boss.' To respect, you address others as Mr., Miss., or Mrs. No matter how senior a person is, you are not allowed to greet them as 'Sir.' or 'Madam.' He used to tell, you were equal to him. And all of his reasons were madness. 

Realizing you are self-torturing by remembering, you block your thoughts. You cannot break down in tears. Making yourself strong, you start walking toward your department. Jia asks you to wait and runs to reception. She comes back with two female and two male cops looking dreadful. One of the females asked, "Who is Ms. Y/n here?" You nod your head. Before you could think or ask anything, another female officer came behind and handcuffed you. A male officer said, "You are under arrest for stealing Mrs. Kim's jewelry and conspiracy fraud toward Kim Corporation." Stealing? Fraud? You tried to say it must be some mistake. You didn't talk with Mrs. Kim recently. While they were dragging you out, the look on everyone's face says they are blaming you for everything. 

You were locked inside the cell, alone, while some officers were searching your apartment. You couldn't think properly. However, it wasn't the first time Mrs. Kim accused someone of stealing her ornaments. Resting your mind, you ask the officer to let you talk with her. Again, they refuse your request. You had no choice besides waiting. 

Your subconscious gives a warning, and you ignore it, trusting once you talk with Mrs. Kim, she will let you go, or else Mr. Kim will. Even if not them, Suho will come. He does care for you. No matter what has happened, he won't let you be in a place like this. Repeating it, you sit in the corner of the cell. 

You jolt as a lady officer knocks a stick in your cell gate and asks you to come out as Mrs. Kim has arrived. You don't even know how much time has passed, although you breathe in relief while your subconscious is skeptical. 

Mrs. Kim sat like a queen while a few officers behaved like servants. You know wealth possesses influence. Kim's were sturdy. You have also heard that Mrs. Kim and Mr. Kim are abusing power. However, you never imagine getting a taste of abuse. Before you can utter anything, Mrs. Kim throws an evil smirk at you. You know this look. She is not going to listen to anything you say. That expression speaks for itself. She has purposely done it. She turns toward the senior officer and orders him loudly, "Did you find anything in her apartment?" One of the head sheriffs answers, "Ma'am, she has many expensive things, including some ornaments and your ring too." They handed over her ring, which you had collected from the jeweler on behalf of Mrs. Kim. You were supposed to give her. However, at first, she wasn't available, and then other things just happened, Suho went. Afterward came two necklace sets. Junmyeon purchased it in advance. He always keeps a spare; in case he forgets any occasion. You never had any intention with them, just that you had forgotten about them. Lastly came the pendant, your birthday gift. You have an explanation of everything, Mrs. Kim also knows, but she didn't want to hear any. It was clear to you. She just smiled and then handed over the officer one file. "Here is a document that shows she had the company's share in her name," This was something you weren't aware of. You still try to explain her things, plead to her. She only smiled at you and left. You kept shouting, but there was no one listening to you. Mrs. Kim had arranged things for you, all the humiliation and actions of cops. She had come to know about your relationship with Junmyeon. Plus, it is about slaps. A person like you had no right to offend Kim.

Your apologies didn't work with her. She wanted to show you your place like you are nothing. Your parents arrive, and that is when the nightmare begins. You know she had informed them. She wanted to increase her torment.   

Mrs. Kim became vigorous. Every moment, you were worried that your parents would find out about you being with Junmyeon even after his marriage. Mrs. Kim used your fear very well. Every day, Mrs. Kim comes to see you and tries to talk about Junmyeon in front of your parents but never says the main thing, keeping you at the edge and just plaguing you. The worst was to watch your parents begging her to let you go.

Last month, your confidence was crushed when Mrs. Kim called Junmyeon on your request and the way he answered. It clearly felt that he didn't care. After that call, she stopped coming, possibly because she got bored, but nothing has changed for you. You are counting the days in this abyss and losing all hope.  

It has been three months, and every day you wished Junmyeon would have a change of heart. Your mind knew it wouldn't happen while you hoped for it. He was the only person you know who could take you out of this prison. Your thought gets interrupted by an officer. You guessed she came to do something that was scheduled for you. Surprisingly, you lost the handcuff and asked to follow. You weren't scared like before. Part of you got used to all the insults and tortures. You just don't want your parents to watch whatever is happening. You follow the office and stop when you see Minsoek. It was surprising to see him, but you stayed hushed. Maybe Junmyeon sent him. Or....... 

For a while, everything was quiet. You peek at him as he examines you. Inspecting your dull face, few cuts and bruises, and dirty clothes. You had zero trust in anyone for now. You have the taste of money and power. Maybe he was there to plan a new misery for you.

"You are free to go. Your parents are waiting outside", He said. It was strange. Minsoek has nothing to do with you. Why did he come to free you? You looked at him confusingly.

He continues, "Don't try to contact Junmyeon anymore. He doesn't know we are letting you out. Don't try to complicate your life again. Forget everything and move on. Stay in the village." His voice was firm, yet he stammered a few times. You couldn't even reply or have the will to nod your head. You wanted to ask why. Why was he helping you? Part of you asked you to stay silent. You needed to get out of this place. You didn't want to anger any more people. He got up and left.   

You got your old clothes to change into, afterward a few signatures. You were free, as per the officers. You didn't believe it. Maybe you are free from here, and something could happen outside. The last few months have made you scared of everything. Particularly frightened for your parents.  

All this time, you hope Junmyeon comes or he sends someone to help you. Even after that call; even after Mrs. Kim's word; even after your prison time; even after your parents' misery; you only hope for Junmyeon. You might not believe Minsoek's words. You might not believe Mrs. Kim's words, but the situation was in front of you. And things were evident. 

You went out of the gates and saw your parents. Your mom was crying, and your father was thanking Minsoek and Yixing, which made you sore. You wanted to run far from them, far from the city. Thankfully, that happened. You and your parents took a cab home. 

You stayed silent while your parents tried talking, telling you about everything that happened in the last few months. You were tired without doing anything or tired from those six months. You are free yet not feeling restricted. There is a lot inside you. Questions, anger, sadness, loss, hurt. The pain was agonizing. All wounds appear as if they are never going to heal. You look out of the window. The city roads ended. So does your previous life, your hard work, your degree, your love, and everything you built for yourself, now onward mean nothing. These questions never get answers. Finally, it felt like everything changed. He is gone. You started crying. Letting go of everything, accepting your fate. Letting your pain take over completely. Letting your hope, love, and feeling, him buried deep inside your heart and moving forward. Forward to staying alive and happy and well but only for your parents. If you were alone, you would have rather died than stay alone without him however you are not. The cab was silent, only your crying noise was there. 

-Suho p.o.v-

I didn't want to, yet I'm here again. Mom called many times already. Y/N had messaged me. Numerous times, telling me to go and meet my parents. It has not been a day since Y/N went, and I must deal with my parents without her support. Taking a grip, I went inside. The good thing is my father was going to be there too. That means the conversation will be short. 

The door was opened by new staff. Mom again changed people. She can't trust people for long. Surprisingly, she trusted Y/N. 

I didn't have to wait. My mom was already in the drawing room. After a formal greeting, we sat to talk. "You have to go to Japan till the matter gets solved," Mom said. And I said no, and we argued until my dad didn't talk. He explained I must at least for the safety of Youra, Sehun, and Jongin. Others will handle their business themselves. It wasn't wrong. I agreed to everything. As things got calm, my mom called, "Y/N, bring my wine and set dinner table." I was shocked. Why is my princess going to set the table and bring wine? Before I could react, Y/N came. My mom noticed, "She is not your assistant. I got my own Y/N."  

"I can see. I thought...."  Before I could complete it, she added. "There are many Y/Ns in the world." I rolled my eyes, had dinner, and went home. 

I want Y/N to come back. I know I never gave her much time with her parents, but I will be in Japan when she is back. Plus, Dad said I cannot take her with me, as he needed her. He argued that she would be helpful to the company and him, especially when I'm not there. I was so proud of her. She was excellent with her work. As much as I don't like it, my dad was right. She will be a better help here. And I don't have to worry about her security. People are after me and my wife. This is the only time I'm okay with Youra being my wife. This way Y/n was safe.

A few days went by, and things were normal, or I tried to make it look normal. I didn't let Y/N know that I was leaving for Japan, or that things had become more intense. Last night, Youra almost got kidnapped. I didn't want to make her worry. 

I was managing everything about Japan. Plus, I had a small quarrel with Y/n. She wasn't ready to come back soon. I have stopped calling or messaging her for now. It was good though I didn't have to explain things. I didn't mean to hide anything from her. I didn't want her to worry about things here. 

In between this, Youra came and started staying in the penthouse with me. It wasn't that Y/n wouldn't understand why Youra was staying with me. She knows the need for protection. But it would hurt her, and I didn't want to see her hurt. 

When Y/n came back, I was so busy handling everything. Plus, Tao has increased security. They are irritating people. I know right now, I wasn't in a place to avoid them. So, I stayed quiet. 

I couldn't even have one proper look at her. I can't message her as my phone is connected to surveillance. 24/7 watch on my life. I don't have any issue if someone finds out about my relationship with Y/n, but she didn't want it. I have to respect it.  

As she started working with Dad, it became more challenging to reach her. I hated it, but I had no choice. I had to wait.  

The day came, I left for Japan; leaving a letter, hoping she understood. She will be upset and irritated. But I have already planned how to make it up. 

Japan was tiresome and annoying. Youra acts as a sweet, innocent, and dedicated wife. I can see she was faking, and she hates it. I was counting the days here. I needed a break from Youra already. Go back to Y/n.

After a few days, Tao came to visit and started asking questions about Y/n. I didn’t like the tone of his voice that using while asking about Y/n. Before I lost my temper about it, he showed me a video.

Y/n was having coffee with Choi Hee-sung. He was my business competitor. And the one who wouldn't miss any chance to flirt with her. I trust her, but my jealousy has no control. My jealousy is the reason for my anger. I needed an explanation of the meeting.

I got a chance. I was back for two days. Unlike Y/n, she made a mistake. I let out all my anger over the file. It was wrong of me. I knew it, but I couldn't control it. I was frustrated with everything. It was the first time since we had become close, the first time I was staying away from her like that.

I don't know when I start attacking like we are alone, in my bedroom. I had forgotten my professional behavior, saying a personal thing. I came to my senses when I felt her slap. It wasn't strong, but I know she was equally frustrated as me. I have oversaid things. I regret it. It was unexpected that Y/n gave an answer to insults or to any ill talks. What I was teaching finally came to life, but it was on me. As much as I was stunned, I was satisfied. However, we will have to sit and talk about this too. For that, I needed to come back and find time with her.

She was fired, not actually. The slap happened in front of staff, meaning my mom would also know about it. Before she used her method, it was safe for Y/n to stay away. I already talked with Dad. He said he would bring her back after a month or so. By the time Mom calms down, I will be back. My Dad wasn't ready to lose a good employee. According to him, I needed to get hit when I kissed her in front of everyone, but she reacted late. I went back to Japan, thinking everything would go back to the way it was. But I was wrong. After months of fighting, making everyone and everything safe, I'm here.

I'm here, in my cabin, with the letter in my hand and my given gift, the pendant. She left, resigning. With the resignation letter, she wrote a small letter. Stating she could not deal with this anymore, how she loves me, and how she hates Youra. Or I should say How and why Youra is right for her.

She returned my gift, and it implies a breakup. She indicated she ended things between us. I don't know what broke inside me. I needed my answers. Why after everything we have been through, she left? It didn't hurt my heart, but my ego did too. I don't know what was left. I did everything to show she was the only important person in my life.

I want to let her go if she wants, but the problem is I don't know how to live without her. All these months, I lived with the hope of being with her.

A single tear of frustration, pain, anger, and hurt; left my eyes while I kept reading the letter again and again, still not believing it.

---//---

Mr. Kim dashed home. He came to know that Y/n got arrested a few days ago. He knew who did it. He loved his wife. So much that he even let her affairs go on. Even after his son had to pay for it, he let it go.

He always saved her, no matter what. But it was too much. Suho will come back if he knows about Y/n. Suho wouldn't care about anything, not his or others' safety.

Mr. Kim knows about Suho and Y/n. He never interfered because Suho was happy. He is on the right track of his life. Y/n was positive for him. She made him calmer and more efficient. He was aware, even after his marriage fling continued. The good thing about Y/n is that it is crystal clear she wasn't after their money, nor did she have any dream of becoming Suho's wife. She was there for him and herself. Her feeling was pure. Maybe that was because she came from a village where feeling matters more than money. He wasn't much surprised by the slap incident. Suho was teaching her; she would have become bolder sooner or later.

He has seen the world. He knows who is good or who is pretending to be good. That was a reason he also let it go. If anyone else dared, he wouldn't have gone easy.

He stands in front of his wife and confronts her. Mrs. Kim sloppily answered; she was angry because Y/n slapped Suho. Later, she learned about her affair with Suho. How could she have let Y/n go?

Mr. Kim wasn't pleased. He knows his son. Suho will never look back to his mother if he finds out that Y/n is suffering because of her. He didn't want to lose his son over a girl. Plus, this might be a good opportunity to separate Y/n and Suho. Sooner or later, it was supposed to happen. They both had different lives and lifestyles.

Again, to save his wife and her relationship with Suho, he would do pathetic things. He will let Y/n suffer.

The first thing he did was to ask his wife not to go overboard with her punishment. He went to the office, closing every eyewitness's mouth with money or with the threat of losing their job. Y/n's topic went in the trash. For everyone, she resigned and left. 

He finds Y/n's old letter, which she wrote when Suho was getting married. She had written a resignation letter along with a handwritten letter for Suho.  

He coincidentally thought about everything found in Y/n's place. If his judgment was correct, the teardrop pendant could be a gift from Suho because out of everything, that wasn't very expensive. And he might have seen Y/n wearing it once or twice.  

Without wasting time, he keeps the letter and pendant in Suho's personal drawer on his table. And a resignation letter on his table.  

He didn't tell Suho about Y/n's resignation until he was back from Japan. He made sure everyone said the same thing in case Suho asked anyone.  

Thankfully, things went as he expected to go. 

---//---

Suho was in Japan. Things were going as planned by them. Everyone will be safe soon. Minsoek just talked with Suho. He couldn't stop thinking about Y/n whenever he thought about Suho or heard his name. She was clever in her work. Before leaving for the village, she made sure everything would follow as Suho needed. He thinks of her as a gold-digger, but he feels she isn't like that.  

Minsoek went to meet Mr. Kim. He sees two people beseeching to see Mr. Kim. He usually ignores this kind of thing, but he noticed the CEO floor employee looking at the couple helplessly and disturbed. The female came and started dragging him, "Mark. Think about our jobs. You and I both know there is no way to help Y/n." She said in a hushed voice.

"Her parents have been coming every day, since late three months," Mark started.  

"I know. We cannot do anything, not even comforting. I know you are feeling bad, we all are." They left Minseok in thought. He inquired a bit, and everyone said Y/n resigned. 

He didn't possess experience like Mr. Kim, but he found out.

If he can, Suho can too.

He took Yixing's help to find out more. Yixing went to see Y/n during the night, he had his connection. Even if he didn't like Y/n, he didn't like what she was going through. The worst was to see her parents.  

The case wasn't even going to court. In the name of proof, they only had a few jewelry items, and the company's share was merely one million. One million was nothing. Logically, if Y/n had to do a fraud; it should be above 50 million, at least. Who would risk everyone for one million?  

Minseok and Yixing didn't tell Suho anything, they confronted Mr. Kim.  After a long talk, Mr. Kim convinced them. Suho can't be angry with his mom for a girl. Mr. Kim wasn't aware; even after a warning, Mrs. Kim went overboard. Mr. Kim promises to handle his wife.

Minseok and Yixing helped Y/n. They didn't want her to be in prison. She was innocent and had already gone through a lot.  

They talked with her parents and helped them with everything. From place to stay, food, lawyers, etc; until Y/n was out, and went to the village.  

They see the cab going away. Yixing said, "We need to tell Suho. Mrs. Kim will try to hurt her."

"I know, she is not going to let anything go easily. But right now, we should keep things from Suho."

[sweethoneyrose83]

Five Nights at Freddy's Hospital AU Writing prompts:

1. Animatronic Doctors and Nurses

After a freak accident, you're admitted to a hospital where all the staff are animatronics. Each one has a specific specialty: Freddy as a surgeon, Chica as a nurse, Bonnie as a therapist, and Foxy in charge of emergency care. You soon realize they have an unsettling way of "treating" patients. Can you escape before your "treatment" begins?

2. The Midnight Shift

You’re the new night shift nurse at Freddy Fazbear's Hospital for Animatronic Injuries. The hospital runs like a normal one during the day, but at night, the animatronics become strange, following you through the halls. Can you survive the shift and uncover the secret about the patients?

3. Possessed Medical Equipment

Strange things happen at Fazbear Hospital, especially with the medical equipment. The X-ray machine shows images of animatronics, the heart monitor beeps in eerie rhythms, and the surgical tools sometimes move on their own. The hospital seems alive, and it wants something from you.

4. A Mysterious Patient

A new patient is brought into the hospital’s restricted ward, heavily bandaged and unconscious. Rumor has it that they’re an animatronic, but their file says they were human. As part of the night staff, you’re tasked with watching over them. One night, you hear them whisper your name.

5. Animatronic Rehabilitation

After years of malfunctioning and being hostile, the animatronics from Fazbear’s Pizzeria are sent to Fazbear Psychiatric Hospital for rehabilitation. You’re the only human nurse assigned to their care. They claim they aren’t crazy—just misunderstood. But every time you let your guard down, something terrifying happens.

6. Infected by the Virus

A virus spreads through the hospital, infecting both human staff and animatronics alike. The symptoms are different for each, with humans becoming aggressive and animatronics behaving in strange, almost human ways. You’re immune to the virus, but that makes you a target—by both groups.

7. Haunted Pediatric Wing

The pediatric wing of Fazbear Hospital is said to be haunted by the spirits of missing children, and the animatronic toys in the playroom are acting strange. As the new pediatrician, you start hearing laughter in the middle of the night, and some of the toys seem to move when you aren’t looking.

8. The Therapy Program

Glamrock Bonnie has been reprogrammed as a therapy bot for patients with PTSD and anxiety. However, during your sessions, you begin to feel like you’re the one being manipulated. Bonnie’s behavior becomes more unsettling, asking personal questions about your past, and you begin to wonder if this "therapy" is more dangerous than healing.

9. Underground Lab

Beneath the hospital is a secret lab where failed animatronic experiments are kept. One day, you accidentally stumble upon it during your rounds. The animatronics aren’t dead—they’re waiting. And now that you’ve seen them, they aren’t letting you leave.

10. The Visiting Hours

Patients complain about strange visitors that come during the night—dark figures resembling animatronics but with glowing red eyes. The hospital denies any late-night visits, but you’ve seen the shadows. What do these "visitors" want from the patients, and why do they seem to linger near you?

11. Animatronics in the ICU

After a devastating incident at Freddy Fazbear’s Mega Pizzaplex, several employees are rushed to the ICU of a nearby hospital. However, as they recover, strange things begin happening at night—flickering lights, odd noises, and glimpses of animatronics wandering the halls. Are they hallucinations, or is something sinister lurking?

12. The Pediatric Ward

The children in the hospital's pediatric ward love the animatronics visiting to cheer them up during the day, but one night, one of the animatronics doesn't leave. The nurses dismiss the children's claims that Freddy is watching over them as nighttime paranoia. However, the night shift nurse soon discovers that not all animatronics are friendly.

13. Vanny's Surgical Game

Vanny poses as a new surgeon in the hospital and begins experimenting with new "procedures." Staff begin to disappear one by one, and the hospital staff must uncover the truth behind their new colleague before they become her next patient.

14. Possessed Life Support Systems

A patient in critical condition is hooked up to a state-of-the-art life support system. However, the machine begins to malfunction—blaring unsettling noises and playing Freddy’s jingle. When a nurse investigates, she finds evidence that the equipment has been hacked by none other than the twisted spirit of a former employee, now inhabiting the hospital’s systems.

15. Glamrock Bonnie’s Hidden Wing

While working a late shift, a security guard stumbles upon an old, forgotten wing of the hospital that isn’t on the blueprints. Inside, they find animatronic parts scattered among outdated medical equipment. As they try to leave, they realize they're not alone—Glamrock Bonnie, who had disappeared from the Pizzaplex, is hiding there for reasons unknown.

16. The Night Shift Experiment

The hospital staff on the night shift are aware of strange new patients being admitted—patients whose charts are suspiciously blank. Each one has vague connections to the Fazbear Entertainment franchise. As the night progresses, the staff start encountering disturbing apparitions of animatronics and feel an unsettling presence as if they are being watched…or hunted.

17. Springtrap in the Morgue

After a series of brutal accidents at Fazbear locations, several bodies are brought to the hospital’s morgue. Unbeknownst to the staff, one of the bodies is housing the vengeful spirit of Springtrap. Strange occurrences start happening in the morgue—body bags are ripped open, and a decaying animatronic figure begins moving.

18. Vanessa’s Recovery

After a near-fatal accident, Vanessa is taken to the hospital for recovery. As she drifts in and out of consciousness, she sees a white bunny mask hovering over her bed and hears whispers urging her to act. Is Vanny trying to break free, or is something even darker at play?

19. Possessed Equipment

The medical equipment in the hospital begins to behave strangely, with heart rate monitors playing the music from Freddy Fazbear's band and X-ray machines showing shadowy animatronic figures inside patients. A few staff members notice, but when they try to speak out, they are met with dismissals or disappearances.

20. Freddy's Therapy Session

A hospital psychologist is assigned to work with a patient who claims to be haunted by memories of Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria. As the psychologist delves into the patient's history, they realize that these memories aren't just psychological scars—they're signs of something much more real and dangerous.

[mytardisisparked]

Tagged to do this Fic Writer Q+A by @more-better-words! Thanks!

1. Why do you write fanfic?

Because if I don't do something creative on a semi-frequent basis I will shrivel up like a little raisin.

2. Which of your posted stories do you think about the most, even though the story is “finished”?

I think about "And Still, The Sea Is Salt" a lot. It's a Pikeuna fic which, while I still ship them, I don't really think about them frequently these days. But this fic is still, IMO, some of my best work and so I think of it often.

The other fic I think about a lot is "The Ghost of You," which is an MSR fic. It's another one that feels like some of my best work. I feel like this, and "Salt" are fics that I am constantly trying to replicate in terms of quality.

3. If you could give yourself fic advice from when you first started writing fic, what would that advice be?

Take your time. Chew on it. Let it simmer.

4. What’s your relationship to fic stats?

I love looking at comments but, otherwise, I don't pay attention to stats. I always appreciate comments and kudos and bookmarks but I'm not aiming for a certain number or anything. I appreciate them on an individual basis, I guess.

5. Is there a pairing or scenario or friendship you miss writing? If so, why? If not, why not?

Hmmmmm sometimes I miss writing JC or Obitine, but I am totally at the mercy of my hyperfixations so I am usually content writing whatever pairing or friendship I am currently obsessed with.

6. What motivates you to write?

The gremlins in my head. Also whenever one of my writing or art buddies goes "hey that's a good idea" when I pitch a fic to them.

7. Why do you write for the fandom(s) that you write for?

I'm currently writing for the X-Files because it makes me feel insane. I also still love writing for the Voyager Threshold!AU because it's SUCH a tasty story and it's full of great people to work on said story with.

8. If you’re stuck writing a WIP, what do you do?

I usually let it simmer for a bit and then come back to it. If that doesn't work I typically go paw at @singeart's door and bounce ideas around with her.

9. What do you wish people knew about comments?

I cherish every single comment - no matter how long or short - like someone just left me a vast fortune in their will. Also PLEASE don't stop yourself from leaving comments on older fics. Getting a comment on a fic I wrote 4 years ago is like getting willed a vast fortune and then finding out it grew a ton of interest at the bank. Fic writers love comments on old fics.

10. Maybe there’s a question you wish had been on here. What’s that question (and answer)?

Will you wear wigs? Maybe.

No-Pressure tagging: @singeart, @thursdayinspace, @jellybeansarecool, and anyone else who wants to because I am having a heck of a time figuring out who has and has not been tagged to do this lol

[neopuff]

since im rewatching TNG for fic writing purposes im gonna review every ep now that i can remember them better. lets start with season one:

1x01 - 1x02 - Encounter at Farpoint: the first time i watched this episode i was bored out of my mind. the second time i enjoyed it a lot more. i think its messy and too much is happening but its always fun to see Q and obviously i love the scene where Will and Deanna see each other for the first time in two years they're so funnyyyyyy 6/10

1x03 - The Naked Now: first time i watched i was like 'why would they put this so early in the show? thats nonsensical' but now when i rewatch it i just find it very very funny. its silly and stupid it makes me laugh what else do i need 5/10

1x04 - Code of Honor: yeah well. im sure it couldve been worse 1/10

1x05 - The Lone Prophet: its fine nothing really super interesting happens and classic style ferengi are so strange to watch. 4/10

1x06 - Where No One Has Gone Before: traveler!! idk hes weird but i like him. i think the camera angles in this ep are unique for some reason. its one of the better Wesley-centric stories 5/10

1x07 - Lonely Among Us: gasp...among us. i like this ep just fine its weird but in a fun way 6/10

1x08 - Justice: lmaoooo this ep makes me crazy its so dumb but its so funny and weird 5/10

1x09 - The Battle: i wouldnt call myself a Picard fan by any means but i think the story for this ep is fun. its neat. better than the first Ferengi ep 7/10

1x10 - Hide and Q: one of the worst Q eps, its just not very good. the Q Riker thing is weird. tasha hitting on picard makes me uncomfortable 3/10

1x11 - Haven: well what do you expect from me? i love Deanna. i love Lwaxana. i love Will acting like a whiny baby bitch. i prefer the dialogue from the original script than the end product and wish i could know why they made some of the changes they did. especially i dont understand why they removed the line where Deanna talks about honoring her father........its a good line. it adds a lot to Deanna's motivations in the ep. she loves her dead dad so much. whatever, its so weird and so messy but all Betazoid episodes get high scores from me cuz i love them but this is probably the lowest of the Lwaxana episodes because it is so goddamn messy no one is surprised to learn that the writers had very few pre-determined details about Betazed 8/10

1x12 - The Big Goodbye: i hate holodeck episodes and this is the first one! also its clearly out of order, 11001001 definitely shouldve come before this one, so thats annoying. anyway whatever. it bores me but i like when Beverly plays and actually this ep has one of the few Beverly/Jean-Luc scenes that i like so thats fun 3/10

1x13 - Datalore: i would like this episode better if not for all the Wesley stuff. its still a fun episode but it could've been better yknow? 7/10

1x14 - Angel One: i am one of very very few people who dont hate this episode. idk i think its funny. ohh feminism reverse sexism planet its so backwards and horrible unlike us in starfleet we have no sexism anymore obviously none at all equality is real and its here. anyway. i digress. this ep makes me laugh 7/10

1x15 - 11001001: this is probably my least favorite episode of the first season. genuinely i find 'create your perfect woman'-type stories to be 100% irredeemable garbage. there has never been one that i could find even remotely enjoyable. riker and picard both come across as shallow creeps 0/10

1x16 - Too Short a Season: its not the most memorable ep but i like the story just fine 5/10

1x17 - When the Bough Breaks: i like seeing Deep Throat from The X-Files. i also think Deanna saying "humans are unusually attached to their offspring" is a very funny line. i like Wesley in this ep, too. 7/10

1x18 - Home Soil: i am completely neutral about this episode i think. nothing really stands out one way or another 5/10

1x19 - Coming of Age: the Wesley story leaves me confused about Starfleet Academy things but the other storyline is a fun way of recapping the season so far. not that interesting though 4/10

1x20 - Heart of Glory: oh good a Klingon episode. its fine, i guess. (shrugs) 4/10

1x21 - The Arsenal of Freedom: okay i stay confused about officers ranks and whose allowed to do what but WHATEVERRR Geordi and Deanna have their first 1:1 scene in this episode! the first of maybe 4 in the entire series. isn't that insane? its fine. I also like the weird security capitalism planet i think this ep is fun 7/10

1x22 - Symbiosis: sad story. i like when Lower Decks came back here and said "wtf". prime directive stories often make me crazy and this one is no exception 6/10

1x23 - Skin of Evil: another unpopular opinion but i actually enjoy this episode. i think Armus is a fun nonsensical villain monster, i like the mortal danger. i don't like that Tasha dies but I wouldn't have liked that no matter how it was done lol and Deanna got some good scenes in this ep so i cannot hate it! sorry Tasha 8/10

1x24 - We'll Always Have Paris: hmmm its fine? its fun. its confusing, a bit. this is a good ep to rewatch actually 7/10

1x25 - Conspiracy: this ep i'd probably like better if any of it mattered later in the series? lol. i dunno its just kind of like "okay but what happened next?" and the answer is nothing 5/10

1x26 - The Neutral Zone: for whatever reason, i really enjoy this episode. something about it...its fun. its weird. obviously it makes no sense as a season finale but thats life for you 8/10

[we-keep-odd-hours]

tagged back by @hex6rcist! Thank you!

under a cut since I also rambled.

1. How are you!? I hope your day is going well.

ehhhh. I'm working not a great job, but its from home and if everyone is going to be insufferable, every single second i get of downtime I'm going to be on tumblr to stay sane.

2. What are you currently working on? Any little projects of any kind you’re excited to share?

I have an original novel in the works, I'm in the brutal final stages of tying off the loose ends of the rough draft (while this advice is some that I struggle to accept, to all writers I'd like to share this: the only thing that a first draft has to be is done.), I have two on-going fics (an Aliens one that's posted anonymously but tbh you could probably find it easily) and one of Diamondback's origin story.

Her origin story is more or less done (posting new chapters as I edit) except for a few plot points I'll make my decision on as I get to them in editing. There's details from my next project, a full follow up to the movie, that I kind of want to include in an epilogue to her story, since they're scenes/plot threads tied on her character arc.

3. What have you been watching lately? I just finished Righteous Gemstones and I need a new show lol.

I'm halfway through my rewatch of Hannibal right now, and I SHOULD rewatch West World next so I can finally watch the last season, but I've been itching to rewatch X-Files for a year now....the only problem being that X-Files is nine seasons, a mini series, two seasons of Millennium (IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND), and one season of Lone Gunmen (ALSO IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND). I never technically finished Millennium either, because they [spoiler] and it made me so angry at Chris Carter that I rage quit.

4. (A Near Dark one because how can I not) what’s your favorite small detail in the movie that other people might overlook?

When they first walk into the bar, Jesse kind of surveys the layout, but Diamondback immediately looks over to her right--at the bartender and the waitress, she then smiles, holds onto Jesse's arm and sets her head on his shoulder--and looks over the waitress again. Between that and her grin when the woman walked over, that whole weird thing seemed like some continuation of whatever game they were playing when she kissed the hitchhiker, which....guys, get a room. Homer and Mae are right there.

There are others, but this is the first one that came to mind.

5. What blog should I follow right now?

I'm bad at this; most people I've followed on here for literal years, or else picked up along the way when we had the same media obsession of the day.

6. Best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

I said it above already, but THE FIRST DRAFT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE GOOD, IT JUST HAS TO BE DONE.

7. If you could add one fantastical element to the real world and have it be a commonly accepted and known about thing what would it be? (Ie make Santa real)

This is asking for trouble: I believed in fairies at an age that was much, much too old to do so. I think it would be fun, or at least interesting if the fair folk were commonly known to exist. Dangerous, unwise, but fun.

8. What’s the last book you didn’t just read, you DEVOURED?

In the Valley of Sun by Andy Davidson. It was nasty, infuriating, full of characters I didn't like for but occasionally felt bad for, and it's about a wandering killer turned vampire living in an old RV just outside of Waco, TX in the 1980s. Yeah, that's what I thought too.

It was a break-neck paced mystery, not exactly of ''who'' did it, but of what happened, how did they do it, and are they going to get caught?

9. What are you most passionate about?

Art, literature, zoology. The order of those items changes frequently.

10. What do you think is your best quality?

oh I hate this question. Passion, I guess? It's not easy to get interested in something, but when I am, I can learn fast, pick up on details, and make weird connections. I'm literal minded and frequently get over-detailed on things, but I can think on multiple tracks at once and have caught things that even our Risk department at work didn't notice because they disrupted something.

[agent-troi]

20 Questions for 20 Writers

thanks for the triple tag @thatfragilecapricorn30 @randomfoggytiger @virtie333

i started working on the original questions before I was tagged by @randomfoggytiger so i'm just gonna keep going on those😅

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 108

2. What’s your total AO3 word count? 402,230

3. What fandoms do you write for? mostly the x-files and star trek but i've dabbled in fringe and the west wing

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos? Platonic Procreation, Security Questions, Eden, Mother Knows Best, The MSR Files

5. Do you respond to comments? i always reply if they commented on something specific, and i try to reply most of the time but sometimes if i get a lot of comments at once i get overwhelmed and don't reply to them all😅

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? i don't usually do angsty endings but i think that would have to be my rain king ivf fic, Driftwood Lullaby

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? you're pretty much guaranteed to get a happy ending with most of my fics lol but some contenders i wanna highlight are Aqua Vitae, Defining Parameters, Sweet Kisses, Where A Million Stars Catch Fire, Though the Heavens Fall, The Wrong Scully, Coda, and Blood and Water

8. Do you get hate on fics? i got one hate comment on my most popular fic (lmao) and a couple of nitpicky comments on other fics that didn't quite rise to the level of hate

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? no never lol

10. Do you write crossovers? i've had ideas with varying levels of ambition but never actually written one lol

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? nope

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? nope

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? several! they're all in this collection with @katy-kt-katie, @tofuttim, @incidental-ao3, @baronessblixen, and IStanYouStan5676🫶🏻🫶🏻

14. What’s your all-time favorite ship? MSR!!

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? i have two: an AU that i was steadily chipping away at until my building burned down in february and i've opened the google doc maybe twice since then lol, and a multi chapter that's been sitting for literal years with every chapter either complete, partially complete, or outlined, but i just can't make myself work on it lmao

16. What are your writing strengths? dialogue i think, i spend a lot of time thinking about fictional characters so their voices are always in my head lol

17. What are your writing weaknesses? i'm so jealous of people who can write multiple multi chapter epics and i'd love to write more elaborate and complicated multi chapter fics but i just don't have the time or energy to invest in fully fleshing them out😔

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? i love it when it adds to the realism of the setting

19. First fandom you wrote for? lord of the rings

20. Favorite fic you’ve written? hmm idk if i can pick just one favorite so i'm gonna drop a few that i haven't already linked: A Most Owlish Conundrum, Beyond Antares, Light in Dark Places, The Scully Dimension, Scientific Proof, Faith, Hope, and Love, When Toads Fly, Cucumber Time

tagging the friends i already tagged in question 13 and anyone else who hasn't already been tagged bc i'm sure i'm late to the party lol

[emeraldorchids]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Thanks for the tag, @catherineflowers29! 🌸

1. How many fics do you have on ao3? 86, though i've orphaned a few over the years, and i never bothered to move my earliest fics from tripod over.

3. What are your top 5 fics by kudos? they're all in the same fandom... (1) Feels Like Home, (2) Infidelity, (3) Good in a Crisis, (4) The Press Pass, (5) Hemorrhage. Honestly surprised that 2 and 5 made the cut.

4. What fandoms do you write for? Currently I'm into Succession (Roman/Gerri). in the past I've written for Hacks (Ava/Deborah), The Sopranos (Tony Soprano/Dr. Melfi), The X-Files (Mulder/Scully), and The Devil Wears Prada (Miranda/Andrea), though the latter will always have a special place in my heart and idk if i can ever stop writing those characters.

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? i try to! i'm always so flattered that someone is actually reading my stuff, let alone taking time out to tell me what they liked (or didn't) about something. i do get in moods where i just turn off the comment emails and let them go through... but right now, i'm on a kick and responding to almost every comment.

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? oooh, i really don't know. how bad is that? i can think of the one with the saddest ending... that would be Wintersong. Maybe Last Night With You is the angstiest? Idk, it's also pretty sad. I'm a happily-ever-after girl and really hate ending on angst.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? oooh this is so much harder to choose. I think there are two that tie for this spot: Regrets Only and The Fault In Ourselves ...both of these are on the list of my own fics i frequently reread (is that weird? if so, don't tell me...) because i just get such feel good vibes from the endings.

8. Do you get hate on fics? not so much. sometimes when i'm new to a fandom and don't have all the fanon bits down yet, i get schooled by some commenters LOL. i've also had to turn on comment moderation for one because someone kept trying to offer constructive criticism but it was SO much that it didn't even fit in one comment (right? did you know there was a max char count?!) and i was just like, hey i write for fun and to relax and rarely edit my own stuff, so no thank you... and then they didn't get the hint, etc. but it wasn't 'hate'

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? umm, yes? all the mirandy stuff is f/f, so there's much more of that, but the roman/gerri stuff yields so many ideas and possibilities, i don't think i'll ever tire of reading and writing that.

10. Do you write crossovers? no, too much to keep track in my brain LOL.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? no, thankfully!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? not to my knowledge!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? sort of! i participated in a pass-the-story thing organized by the folks on the mirandy discord a few years ago, but it was a blind collab... i'm not opposed to actual co-writing though, if anyone wants to hit me up!

14. What's your all-time favorite ship? way too hard to pick. i love roman/gerri for so many reasons. i love miranda/andrea because i've written so much in that space and stretched those characters to their limits. a new season of hacks is coming soon so deb/ava is still evolving which can be good or bad... mulder/scully will always have this annoyingly in love dynamic and there are so so so many episodes and interactions between them to fuel my mind. then tony/jennifer is just so intriguing to me, as a hurt/comfort devotee. :)

15. What's the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? i make it a point to never post WIPs anymore! looking at the 61 files in my drafts/unfinished folder, i think the mirandy story where miranda thinks there's a ghost in the house is the one i'll never be able to finish. i'm just so unhappy with the ending and think i need to split it into two separate stories but that sounds like too much work.

16. What are your writing strengths? dialogue, i think. it comes naturally to me, and i sometimes catch myself writing something that's more like a play and less like a story... then i have to go back and turn stuff into sentences and tell the story a little more. i also really like writing in first person but people are sometimes weird about not wanting to read it.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? oh. yeah. describing things without obviously describing them. like, instead of saying, "she could tell he was nervous," i'll consciously change it to something like, "his foot nervously bounced under the table." dialogue is so much easier!! haha

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in a fic? no thanks. occasionally i'll throw in a few phrases after a lot of google translate and discussions with friends who speak the language... but tbh i studied dead languages, so i'd have better luck including phrases in greek or latin or old english!

19. First fandom you wrote for? the x-files. unfortunately, i don't even have a copy of that anymore... maybe on some old floppy disk somewhere.

20. Favourite fic you've ever written? hands down, Correspondence. It's a story told through letters and nothing more. I put so much work into this and am so proud of how it turned out, how so few words can paint a picture. ranked by comment threads alone, this fic is #2 for me.

tagging any other writers here who want to join in -- @guardianrock, @xvnot15, @scarlet-heels, @quinnheartfiction, @ironicfury, @lilolilyr, @lumossmile, @chilly-flame, @jasfiction36, @theliteraryassassin ❤️ ❤️

[1lostsoul0fishbowl]

Twenty Questions for Fic Writers

Tagged by the absolutely lovely @staceymcgillicuddy and my wondrous darling @pearlypairings - thank you both! 🥰

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

15, 13 of which are complete and the last two very nearly finished. 😭

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

365,528 and counting. I’m a rambler!

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Only Stranger Things… nothing else has grabbed my attention quite the way s4 did.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

With a Little Help From My Friends (my ultra-long found family fic)

Why Should I Cry For You (that one surprised me, it came from way behind!)

Not-so-iron Maiden (Eddie & Max sibling supremacy)

Tattoos and Trash Talk (Eddie and El bonding)

the shield and the shepherd (my very first fic! Eddie and Chrissy falling in love without Vecna in the way)

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

I do! I’m absolutely tickled every time somebody likes something I wrote enough that they take the time to leave me a comment about it. I’ve even made a few friends that way!

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

Probably Into the Shining Sun? Even then, it’s angst with a very hopeful note to it. There’s enough angst in my real life; I like everything in my fics to turn out okay.

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

So far, With a Little Help, because it ended with Eddie and Chrissy’s wedding!

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Thankfully, I haven’t. I honestly think it will break my heart if it ever happens. I stumbled completely by accident across a post here on tumblr hating on GreatMage and I literally cried about that for two days. (Shameful!)

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

Nope, I live firmly in the fluff zone. All of my fics are rated a very mild T.

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

Haven’t tried one yet, but maybe someday, if I can think of a good idea!

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of. How would I even know that? 🤔

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope.

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

Not yet, but @pearlypairings and I have kicked around a few fun ideas and someday we are going to make Clarkelley happen!

14. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

This is a nearly impossible question.

15. What’s a wip you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

I’ve only got two WIPs and they’re both almost done, so— none!

16. What are your writing strengths?

Omg, I don’t even know, honestly. Umm… I guess building friendships and relationships between characters?

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Anything outside of my comfort zone. I have a tiny little box I tend to stay in, and refuse to even try branching out.

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

With the help of Google Translate, I’ve scattered some bits of Welsh dialogue here and there throughout Next Time I Fall. Apparently I got most of it wrong. So I don’t think I’ll try any other languages unless I’m actually familiar with them!

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Probably X-Files? And then there was that random embarrassing NSYNC stuff… we won’t talk about that. Those were all just scribbled in old journals, though. I never actually posted anything publicly until I found Ao3 last year.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

I think each one is my favorite while I’m working on it! But I think I have to say Next Time I Fall, because the response to it was so much more than I expected, and people’s engagement with and investment in the story has given me so much joy.

Randomly tagging @tnmdfhgkg @saltyseagoat83 @sokkas-first-fangirl

and for anyone else who sees this and feels like sharing, 🫵 *boop* I tag you!