#every chapter is better than the last. im not joking.

[chromatic-corrosion]

.

[too-deviant]

jackie and wilson.

previous | next masterlist.

pairing: luke castellan x unclaimed!reader

summary: you haven't been given a quest, but you have made it your personal mission to make luke castellan smile

word count: 6.2k

content: very juicy chapter. is all im gonnna say.

notes: i cant stay mad at my otps i fear

PART IV — better yet, she wouldn’t care 

“If I have to hear one more handjob joke, I’m gonna lose it. So please tell me you have good news.” 

Lee Fletcher’s dark blue eyes flitted up to yours, his lashes tickling just under his eyebrow when he did. His hands were fiddling with the bandage that wrapped around your hand, but they slowed when you spoke, “Bare with me, newbie.”

You sighed deeply, fighting the urge to fall back onto the cot that you were sitting on — you’d had the stupid bandage wrapped around your hand and wrist for what felt like eternity, but was really only five days. You should be thankful, really, since the last time you’d broken your wrist you’d been walking around with a thick blue cast on for a month, but you couldn’t help but be a little peeved. Capture the flag was today, and you hadn’t trained nearly as much as the others had due to your injury — when you probably should’ve been training twice as much, only because you were new and unfamiliar with the game. 

It was their fault for hyping it up; if they had just shut up about it, you wouldn’t have been as excited about taking part, broken wrist or not. But alas, demigods were barbarians — barbarians who thirsted to beat each other up in a controlled battle. Barbarians who didn’t have any regard for the new camper when they were climbing all over each other to see the freshly posted team setup, and trampled all over their perfectly good wrist. 

“Maybe you shouldn’t have been standing right in front of the notice board.” Luke had been saying all week. 

“Maybe you shouldn’t have asked me to accompany you there, then.” You replied every time. 

Lee narrowed his gaze, flipping your hand around carefully in his, kneading at curtain parts of your skin while checking you for reactions. When you showcased nothing but annoyance at your own shit luck, he leaned back with a cheeky smile, “Well, it’s looking good. I don’t think you need this anymore.” 

He lifted up the knot of bandage he’d removed from your hand and threw it with perfect precision into the trash can on the other side of the room, before turning and grinning at you. You couldn’t help but grin back, “You’re the best.” 

“I’m told.” He shrugged, feigning a humble demeanour. You stood, and he did so with you, looking at you pointedly, “But you should still take it easy today. It’s your first game, and you’ve been here for a week. Nobody is gonna judge you for stepping back today.” 

You scoffed, rolling your newly healed wrist around with a small smile, “I’m not stepping back for shit, Fletcher. I’m beating the hell out of Chris Rodriguez.”

“He’s on your team.” 

“I don’t care.” You rebutted. Lee rolled his eyes, but ultimately let you off with a wave. “See you later!” 

The past five days had been fairly tame. When the team setup was posted on Sunday afternoon, everyone went immediately into prep mode for the game. You knew they took it seriously, but you didn’t realise how seriously they did until you found yourself being pulled out of your sleeping bag at five in the morning so you could get a headstart on training with Luke. Although you didn’t see the relevance — after you’d broken your wrist, the boy hadn’t even let you look at a spear, so you woke up at the asscrack of dawn to…sit around and watch him train. 

Thankfully, Hermes had paired up with Ares for once, and Clarisse wasn’t letting you off easily. Whenever she could, she was dragging you to the arena and teaching you how to fight one-handed. So you were more than ready, skipping down the infirmary steps with an easy smile. 

“I think I see you here more than I see you anywhere else.” 

You paused, looking up and spotting Evan, leaning gently on the porch railing. You rounded the steps and stopped in front of him, “Hey. I’ve only been here twice.”

“In…” He checked his imaginary watch, “One week. That’s gotta be a record.”

You narrowed your eyes jokingly, “Okay. I’m still learning, leave me alone.” 

“We’ll see how much you’ve learnt later today.” He quipped, running a hand through his hair. He smirked at you, “Good luck.” 

“Thanks.” You slid out, sarcasm evident in your tone. He laughed, and you smiled, rolling your eyes. 

“Come on, clumsy. Let’s get to training.” He began to walk off, and you followed, presumably to where the Hermes team were gathering for last minute preparations. 

For this game, they’d paired up with Ares and Athena, Apollo taking lead for the blue team with Hephaestus and Aphrodite. Red team also had Demeter, and the boys of cabin twelve were on the blue team. It seemed like a pretty good split; or at least you thought it was, judging by the reactions of everyone when they read the pamphlet. You might have been reading it wrong, though. After all, you were crying out in pain and cradling a shattered wrist when it happened. 

Athena was always a good cabin to pair up with, was what Evie had told you when she was taking your measurements for armour. You presumed so, goddess of war and all. But you were a little wary about the Cabin Ten girls — Aphrodite was also a warrior goddess, after all. 

Evan led you around the back of the pegasi stables and through a mudded path. The only reason you hadn’t taken off running in fear that he was leading you to your imminent death was because the wood nymphs were out and about, milling around like bodyguards. They eyed you up at first, but a few of them recognised you from your impromptu baseball session with Luke last week and told them to back off. 

“Here she is, the woman of the hour!” Clarisse exclaimed when she saw you break through the trees. A few people glanced back and smiled at you politely, a sentiment you returned as Evan led you to the front of the crowd where she stood. 

Luke was beside her, and only nodded at you. You nodded back, a glimmer in your eyes that made his hands twitch. 

“Okay, now that our whole team is in attendance, we can begin.” The Ares girl said, conviction prominent in her voice. She was made to lead, that much was obvious. “You all know the deal. I won’t repeat it, not with the blue team so close by, but…” She sent a meaningful look around the whole crew, “You know where to go. We’ve been practising this, and in a couple of hours it’ll be time to bring home yet another win.”

“It’s pretty much all in the cards for us.” Luke cropped himself into the speech, “Cabin Nine have their special machinery but we’ve got wit, power and numbers. We’ll be fine.” 

“Speaking of cabin nine.” Clarisse hopped down from the wooden crate she was standing on, “I grabbed this from them just before the teams went up. Had to make sure they didn’t sabotage it.”

She pulled a long spear out from behind some other boxes, and let it shimmer in the light. It was beautiful, and you couldn’t keep your eyes away from it. Despite it being made from celestial bronze, the forger had clearly done something to make it shine a mesmerising silver. You could see your reflection in it as it glistened under the sun. It was double ended and if you squinted, you could see tiny spikes coiling around the first ten or so inches of each end. The shaft was smooth and engraved with something you could only make out when she walked over and handed it to you. 

“Wait.” You took it out of instinct, weighing it in both hands but giving a shocked look to Clarisse, “This is mine?” 

“You’re damn right.” She smirked, “Jake was having a field day making that thing, couldn’t stop talking about it. Especially when he added these,” She poked one of the spikes that coiled around the shaft and rubbed the tips of her fingers together with a wince, “They’re lethal. You’ll be unbeatable out there with this thing.” 

“Cool.” You gave it an experimental swing, and everyone in your vicinity took a long step back. You shrugged, smiling anyway, “Whoops.” 

You felt very powerful with your new weapon, and now that you had it in your hands, you could marvel at the engravings. They were images, battles fought — a lot of them recognisable. There was Perseus killing Phineus and Polydectes with Medusa’s head, Heracles and the Nemean Lion. There was even an engraving of Tantalus stealing the ambrosia and nectar from Olympus, for some reason. You’d have to ask Jake about that later. 

“We have two hours until we need to gather at the pavilion, so we won’t bore you with details.” A young girl who you’d seen around camp before stood up and addressed the crowd. She was very little, but she exuded authority even at her young age. “But if I see you lazing around, I’ll put my dagger through your foot.”

There was a chorus of nods and murmured agreement, so the little girl stepped back and nodded at Luke, who told them all to go get ready. The crowd dispersed, but you stayed firmly put as the boy made his way over to you, the little girl following behind him. 

“Sunny.” He tried not to smile, but you saw his lips twitch. He gestured to the girl beside him, “This is my little sister Annabeth. Newly appointed Counselor of Athena.”

You raised a brow, impressed, before looking down at the girl with a smile, “Hey, Annabeth.” You introduced yourself, trying not to show her how kind of scared you were for her to not like you. 

Luckily she nodded, “Hi. You better be good with that spear.”

“I’d like to think I am.” You joked. She didn’t laugh, simply telling Luke she was going to brainstorm and left you both alone in the clearing you’d been gathered in. You raised your brows at him, “I think she gets her stoic indifference from you.” 

He cracked a smile then, grabbing your spear from you and weighing it in his own hands, “Yeah. She’s a firecracker.” He looked at you firmly, “Think you’ll be good for this game? It’s not too late to back out.”

You snatched the weapon right back from him, rubbing his finger prints from the shaft with your sleeve and sending him a half-glare, “You just want an excuse to use this instead of me. I’m fine, JoJo.”

He raised a single brow, “Fine. But if you end up back in the infirmary, I’m not gonna kiss your wounds better.”

You smirked, backing away and pointing your free finger at him daringly, “You wouldn’t be able to hold back.”

He laughed, hand on heart, “Right.” 

You were quick to retreat to the Arena where you knew Clarisse was waiting for you. A good chance to break in the new armoury and swing a spear around that wasn’t made of styrofoam or rotten wood. You caught yourself a good sweat in an hour and a half, and Clarisse was covered in bloody dots from those spikes. Even if you were injured, they still didn’t stand a chance against those. It was a comforting thought. 

You would’ve practised the whole time had it not started raining — something that confused you greatly since the camp had a controlled climate. Clarisse just rolled her eyes, though, claiming that Chiron was upping the dramatics for the game. You were unsure that the centaur could just…make it rain, but you went along with it. You’d only been a demigod for a week after all. 

Not wanting to be completely soaked by the time the game started, you retreated back to the Hermes cabin, shortening your spear down with a click and tucking it into your belt loop before you sat down. You were still on the floor, still next to the six year-old who almost always rolled on top of you in the night — you had now perfected your rollover technique to get him off you without waking him up. 

You were re-lacing your combat boots when two shadows loomed over either side of you. Without so much as a glance away from your foot, you said plainly, “Stolls. What do you want?”

A twin pair of scoffs sounded and you just rolled your eyes. The one on the left spoke first, and you thought it might have been Travis, “Bold to assume we want anything.” 

“I mean, we do.” Connor added from your right, and the indisputable sound of a hard slap came right after. “Ow! Asshole.”

“Cut to it.” You moved onto your other shoe now that the left one was wound tight. You were always pretty speedy at tying laces, a fairly random skill but a skill nonetheless. 

“Well…” Connor started. 

“Luke put us on second offence.” Travis continued. 

“But we sorta hate doing second offence.” 

“Yeah, it’s way too much work.”

Connor leaned over your shoulder so his stupid grin was visible in your peripheral vision, “And we heard that you are on side offence. Which has a much lower maiming risk.”

“So you wanna swap spots?” You deducted, looking up from your feet and giving them a blank glance. They nodded, and you sighed, “Ok, first of all, there’s two of you and one of me. You’ll have to find someone else to swap with too.”

“Already done.” Travis nodded, “Sabine loves second offence.”

“Second of all,” You sent them firm looks, “Luke isn’t going to let you change the layout right before the game. Neither is Clarisse and neither is Annabeth.”

“Which is why we aren’t telling them.” Connor said like it was obvious, holding out his hands like he’d presented you with the best idea ever conjured, “Luke and Clarisse are on first offence and Annabeth is on last defence, right by the flag. No one will know.”

“Plus,” Travis sang, wiggling his eyebrows, “This is a perfect opportunity to prove to everyone how badass you are.”

“Yeah, Luke’s had you on a leash since you hurt your wrist.” Connor raised a teasing brow, “Why not show him what you’re made of?” 

You looked between them, and the silence that stretched seemed to serve as an answer because they were smirking at you and pushing themselves up and out of the door before you could utter a word. 

The rain hadn’t settled — Chiron and his dramatics, although it appeared Mr D wasn’t too much of a fan. God or not, he still got wet with the rest of them. You stood between Luke and Clarisse, the former shielding both your heads with his black jacket — Annabeth ended up squeezing between the two of you when she couldn’t keep up with her I’m too good to hide from the rain facade. You took it as a win, she was warming up to you! 

“Welcome to our first capture the flag of the summer!” Chiron bellowed, pausing for the cheers that resounded. “The usual rules are enforced. Magic weapons are permitted, the flag must be prominently presented with no more than two guards no less than ten yards from the flag! No killing or maiming, and no gagging or bounding of prisoners. Let the games begin!” 

There was a loud echo of cheers and battle cries as the first conch sounded — they only had twenty minutes to get into position and then they would be permitted to cross the creek into enemy territory. Annabeth was quick to gather up the flag guards and send them off to their agreed location with nothing but a sharp eye before she was pulling together the defensive lines and sending them off too.

“Hey.” Just before you could walk off, Luke grabbed your attention, levelling his eyes with yours as best as he could from under his helmet. He adjusted yours and patted your shoulders, “You got this, Sunny.”

You nodded, “Damn right I do.” 

It was hard to navigate the woods in the rain, which was still pouring almost torrentially over them. The forest floor had grown slippery and wet with the new downpour, but the campers traipsed through it roughly, boots squelching as they moved. You followed the side defence through mud and grass, dodging branches and puddles until you couldn’t hear the chatter of Luke and Clarisse from behind you. Then you stopped, and just ahead of you, Sabine did the same. 

It wasn’t long before Connor and Travis were pushing through the trees and greeting the pair of you with wide grins. Sabine rolled her eyes, “Shove off, punks.”

Then she was storming in the direction they came from, and you had no choice but to follow. It was hard to keep up with her long strides, but whenever you lost her in the fog you just followed the sound of her annoyed mutters. 

“Stupid kids. Can’t be trusted on last offence let alone second. It’s not fair. I punch one kid for cheating and Luke sends me to side defence. Side! Stupid punk has been out of it for too long, needs a reality check.”

You didn’t bother responding — whether you were going to agree or come to Luke’s defence, you had no idea. You just followed her to the edge where the second offence was lined up just past the edge of the shore. Evie and Evan gave you the same confused look. 

“Those Stoll fuckers wanted an easy out.” Sabine spat, pushing a stray curl back under her helmet and heaving her giant club over her shoulder. 

The twins didn’t question or fight the decision, simply shrugging and going back to where they were tracing their own tic tac toe game into the wet sand. You stood idly, hands fiddling with your belt buckle before the second conch sounded. Almost immediately did the first and side offences cross the creek and disappear into the woods, while you pulled your spear from the ground and followed the twins and Sabine across the water moments after they were gone. 

Then it was a waiting game. 

“Fuck Apollo, Marry Athena and Kill Hermes.” 

Evie scoffed, shaking her head, “No. No way. Athena would be way controlling as a wife, you gotta bag Apollo.” 

Sabine hummed, “No. I think Athena and I would be unstoppable together.”

You looked up from your shoes and between the three that stood before you. It had been two hours and the most action you had was seeing one of your own teammates get flung right back over the creek by some cabin nine contraption that you were not too keen on meeting. Your spear rested across the back of your shoulders, your arms swung around the shaft at either side as you contemplated your own answer. 

“No, see —“ You huffed, “I couldn’t marry Athena, but only because she conjures babies with her brain. I could never win an argument, I know that for sure.”

“But we all agree on killing Hermes, right?” Evan butted in with a laugh that was immediately shared by the rest of them. He settled down and squinted for a moment, “Ok. Fuck, Marry, Kill. Iris, Nemesis and…Hypnos.” 

There was immediate discourse, everyone speaking up at once with their own opinions. Sabine thought Hypnos would be a terrible lay — He’d fall asleep halfway through! — but Iris would be overbearing as a wife. Evie said Nemesis would be the best wife, she’d never let anyone hurt you, and you were just about to add on that Iris could let you eavesdrop on other people’s conversations whenever you were bored when a loud crack echoed through the trees. 

Then it was quiet. You all shared silent looks, baring your weapons and facing the enemy side. 

Another crack, a snap of a twig. Then a crash, like something being dropped onto a pile of leaves. 

A scream, and a manic son of Aphrodite breaking through the trees and aiming a large Kopis at Evan, who was quick to defend with his dual wielding swords. His teammates followed, and the rest of you jumped into action — you were only slightly panicked when you realised your opponent was a Hephaestus kid who was nearly double your height. 

You’d seen him around sometimes, he was only a year or so younger than you. Same age as Clarisse, and definitely the same level of skill in battle. What made him even scarier was that he fought with nunchucks…fucking nunchucks! And he was good with them, too. 

But you had been taught well. You were quick to defend your body and use both ends of your spear to deflect each nunchuck from making contact. At one point, he clipped your arm pretty hard, and that was when you realised they were ribbed along the edges making for a harder hit. You bounced back though, swinging every which way and not letting him touch you again. 

Briefly, you could hear your peers’ own battles. There weren’t any shouts of pain, or cries for help, so you put all your focus on the boy before you. He had a height advantage, and swung his weapon down on you fairly often, which left your torso open when you held your spear over your head. But your reflexes were like lightning, and no matter how hard he tried he just couldn’t land that second hit. 

Fuelled by his own frustration, he lunged forward and tried to wrap the chain of his chucks around the shaft of your spear. He attempted to no avail a couple of times, but then he clicked a button on one of the shafts and released a crackle of energy along it. You were shocked momentarily by the reveal of his electric nunchucks that you faltered in your defence and he managed to wrangle your weapon in his own on the third try. You pulled back hard, trying to regain control and prevent his disarm, but he just pressed that damn button again and this time the volts ran through his chain and up the entire length of your spear. 

The crack that resounded was huge. Too huge to have come from those tiny nunchucks.  

Where you were expecting a sudden and painful shock through your hand and arms you instead felt a massive give. You stumbled back, shocked, but regained your footing before you could fall onto the wet ground. Your spear was in your hands, and the nunchucks were still wrapped tightly around the middle. You looked up from them to see their owner crumbled in a heap on the ground, nursing his painfully red hands while the rainfall soaked his clothes even more. 

You’d completely forgotten you weren’t alone until one of his teammates dropped their shield and ran to his aid. You looked up, expecting to meet the dumbstruck eyes of Evie and Evan, only to see their gazes fixed elsewhere. You turned your head. 

There in the grass was a giant streak of black, stretching along the shore for nearly five metres. It took a second for you to realise that it was embers — the ground had been burnt completely from where you stood to where it ended. And standing just before it was Luke and Clarisse — the blue team's flag in hand. They weren’t moving, they were staring at the burn in the floor, at you.

Your chin wobbled a little until the echo of the other team reached your ears. You looked at the pair urgently, “Move!”

And they did. Even when the blue team kids you’d been fighting  before tried to stop them, they were held back and Luke and Clarisse led your team to an easy victory. 

They cheered, and the conch sounded. Chiron emerged through the wood and smiled at them in congratulations — the whole spark debacle was nearly forgotten, campers too busy either cheering or groaning to notice the burn streak on the floor. Chiron did, though, and soon though the short lived celebration quieted down as he asked about it. 

Eyes turned to you. You shrugged, “I don’t…I don’t know what happened, it just —“

But then there were gasps. All around you. And suddenly Chiron wasn’t looking at you, he was looking at the space above your head. And then so was everyone else. 

When you looked up, squinting past the rain, and your eyes fixated on that glowing lighting bolt that floated above your head, the world went quiet. A week of hearing everything about the glory of being claimed — how at ease you would be, how reassured you would end up. None of it was true. Because for some reason, the symbol that hung above your head sent nothing but trepidation running through you. 

You almost missed Chiron's next words,  

“Zeus. Law Maker. Striker of Lightning. King of Olympus. All hail.” He shouted your name, but it didn’t feel right in your ears, “Daughter of the Sky God.”

When you couldn’t stand the sight of it — when it started to make you feel sick, when the picturesque summer camp you were finally finding yourself in started to feel tight and uncomfortable, you looked down. Everyone was kneeling, eyes on the ground. It was comforting that they weren’t staring at you anymore, but when you searched the crowd for those baby brows that held you down, they were fixated firmly on the mud. 

After your claiming, Chiron dismissed everyone sharply. They left, all talk about the capture the flag win long left behind and replaced by canards about you and your family. Your lineage. You were very prepared to stand frozen on the other side of the creek for the rest of the day but the centaur ushered you into his office in the big house just as the rain stopped. 

The next hour was a muffled blur. You felt as if you had just been plunged underwater and all you could hear was your heartbeat in your ears — you vaguely registered Chiron and Mr. D asking you a load of questions about your childhood and whether there were any signs of your parentage along the way. You couldn’t answer that. 

They Iris-Messaged your mother — who was in her office and jumped up startled when the call came through. You might have been in a hazy funk, but you could tell the surprise on her face when Chiron informed her of your claiming was genuine. She’d had no idea. That, out of all things, angered you the most. 

“This new information will have caused quite a stir in Olympus.” Was one of the last things he said, “But you should be fine, since you’re seventeen.”

“Why does me being seventeen mean anything?” 

Zeus’ Cabin was subpar to say the least. Alright if you’re only going in there to worship the guy, not so alright if you’re planning on living there. There weren’t any beds, but there were alcoves lining the walls that you tucked your sleeping bag into so you didn’t have to look at the giant statue of Zeus that stood at the end of the room. For good measure, you chucked a spare blanket over its head — he could smite you for it, you didn’t really care anymore. 

You zoned back into reality when a knock sounded on your door, and you realised it was nightfall. Dinner time. You stood from your perch on one of the many benches that sat in the room — you thought they’d have better use in the pavilion, where Hermes kids were practically falling off the benches there were so little of them — and headed over to the huge double doors, heaving one open and breathing deep at the workout it took just to see who was at the door. 

It was Evie, and for some reason that made a pit of disappointment form in your gut. You sent her a weak smile nonetheless, “Hi.”

She smiled back, full of pity, “Hey. Just thought I’d come check on you, we haven’t seen you in hours.”

“I didn’t like them staring at me.” You said plainly, stepping out into the open air. The rain had stopped now, the sky clear, and you fought the urge to roll your eyes. 

“Yeah, I get that.” Was her heartfelt reply. You felt bad for being so plain with her, but there was really only one person you wanted to see, “But, um, it’s dinner right about now. Wanna…come with?”

You didn’t really wanna, but you were starving and almost certain that nobody would be bringing you any food, so you shrugged, “Sure.” 

The large door shut on its own when you stepped away from it, and Evie jumped at the sound. You folded your arms and walked alongside her in silence until you were forced to part at the pavilion. She tried to say something — maybe a goodbye, a good luck. Maybe a we can’t be friends anymore because you’re forbidden. You didn’t stick around to check, walking over to the empty Zeus table where you unfortunately belonged. 

You filled your plate, hungry from the workout of capture the flag and exhaustion from the day, but your appetite was ruined when you saw Luke walk in and avoid your eyes completely in favour of sitting at his usual spot at the Hermes table. You hadn’t seen him all day, he hadn’t seen you, and yet here he was; ignoring your existence like he used to. It sort of hurt. 

So you dropped your fork, leaned your elbows on the untouched wood and stared at nothing. Only hours earlier were you at the top of your game, happy and ready to use your skills in capture the flag, show your friends what you could do. Now? You were completely alone, completely miserable, and completely ready to go back to Vermont. 

You wanted nothing more than to climb into your bed and cry. 

People started to stand. Heading in the direction of the campfire that you were definitely going to skip. Some Hermes kids stood, Luke included, and started a slow stroll down there too, past your table and down the hill. Chris was talking animatedly to his friends on either side of him, but Luke didn’t look very happy with whatever it was he was saying. Before you could build up the courage to call out for him, beg him to look you in the eyes and still stay your friend, he was shoving Chris roughly, the boy falling into your table with a grunt. 

“What the hell, man?” He sneered, brushing himself off. Luke just glared. He scoffed, ���You’ve changed, bro. And not for the better.”

Then he was walking off in a huff, and his friends were following him. Luke met your eyes for half a second before storming off in the opposite direction — and with the influence of the tug on your heart, you followed. 

He was halfway to the Hermes cabin when you caught him, and you were thrown back to the time he got into that…thing with Dean from Ares and you chased him all the way up the hill. This time, it was down, and you were a lot less out of breath when you reached out and tugged on his elbow. 

He turned to you, “What?”

You paused, hand falling to your side. You swallowed, shrugged, “I…uh…”

Luke tightened his jaw, eyes flicking above your head like if he looked at you any longer his facade would break. He took in a deep breath and met your gaze once more, “Go to the campfire.”

“What —?”

“Go to the campfire.” He was backing away, “Entertain your fans, give out autographs. Conjure some more lighting. I don’t know. Do something, but don’t do it here.” 

You weren’t having that. Your gaze hardened, “Hey. You’re not allowed to say that to me after you ignored me all day.”

“I —“ He went for a rebuttal, but came up short, licking his lips in frustration. “You disappeared.”

“I was in the Big House, being interrogated.” You explained, annoyance clear in your tone, “I would’ve liked it if my best friend was waiting for me when I got out but unfortunately he decided he hated me like everyone else and I had to cry alone in my cabin.” 

He paused then, taking slow steps back towards you and meeting your saddened gaze. His brows furrowed, “I’m your best friend?” 

You cracked a tiny smile, “Of course you are, idiot.” 

His nod was barely there, but you saw it. You also saw his smile, small like yours and gone in a flash. “I don’t hate you.” He said, “I don’t care that Zeus is your dad. It’s just…”

“He forgot about me.” 

“What?”

You shrugged, folding your arms. There, standing in the middle of the cabins and staring at Luke Castellan, you admitted out loud what you’d been avoiding since you left the Big House, “Zeus. He forgot about me. That's why I never got attacked by monsters, because my deadbeat father was so busy turning his kid into a tree that he forgot he had another one.” 

Even under the tears brimming in your lids and through the lump on your throat, you saw Luke flinch. A minute movement, but you caught it like you caught all of his other details. The freckle on his eyebrow, the scar on his forehead that other people missed because they were too busy staring at his big one. The flinch when you brought up the tree. Thalia Grace, is what Chiron had called her. 

“I’m sorry for avoiding you.” He said in a low murmur. “Thalia was a friend of mine and Annabeth’s. Brought back some rough memories.” 

“Oh.” You breathed, “Oh, gods. I’m so sorry.” 

You stepped forward and wrapped your arms around his torso before you could think about it. Big bad Luke definitely didn’t like hugs, but there you were; hugging him and staining his camp shirt with your salty tears. You couldn’t help it — you were so full of emotions that a single hug that he hadn't even reciprocated was bringing you to tears. 

Then he hugged you back, and you started bawling. 

Bawling like a baby into his chest while he stood there and held you. Crying about your dad who forgot about you, your sister who died while you lived a happy life, your nonexistent purpose in life because you were over sixteen now and there was nothing for you. Maybe being a forbidden kid was enough, but not really. You weren’t forbidden enough for them, apparently. 

“Sorry for shoving Chris.” He spoke into your hair. You pulled your head back enough to meet his eyes, “He was saying shit about you and Thalia and it pissed me off. I know that you want me to be better, happier or whatever, and I am trying but…”

“I don’t care.”

His lips shut with a smack, “What?”

You let out a sad chuckle, “Be miserable. I don’t care, I like you for who you are. Plus, I get it. Y’know? This isn’t the happiest life.” 

Luke looked at you with an expression so genuine and heavy that it sort of scared you, but you let it burn you. You’d let him burn you forever more. Then he let out a breath, tinged with relief, and relaxed his forehead onto your own. You stayed like that, heads pressed together and arms wrapped around one another, until footsteps bled into your ears. 

You pulled away from each other and spotted Annabeth, who was making her way over very quickly, trudging through the grass that was still wet from earlier. 

“Anna Banana.” Luke squinted, his new way of smiling, “What are ya’ doing over here?”

The girl stopped between the two of you and ignored her brother in favour of looking at you, “So, you’re Zeus’ kid.”

“Yup.”

“I knew your sister. She was my sister, too, for a bit.” She said, and you thought it sounded sad, but the girl hid her emotions well. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.” You shrugged — it wasn’t anyone’s fault but Zeus’. You sent her a kind smile. 

She returned it, glancing at Luke then, “Don’t call me that.” 

He chucked, patting her on the head and yanking on one of her braids. She huffed and smacked his hand away, but smiled nonetheless. Then she looked back at you, “You were good with that spear today. Maybe Athena could pair up with Zeus for the next game.”

“Maybe they could.” You nodded. 

She nodded back, before announcing her departure and heading off. You looked at Luke with a proud grin, “She likes me.” 

He smiled fully, amused, “She does.”

“You like me.”

A little sheepish, “I do.”

“So who cares if daddy dearest doesn’t?” You settled on, tilting your head, “We got each other.” 

Luke nodded, and you admired the way he looked. He was handsome, that you knew, but he seemed particularly beautiful under the moon, alone with you.

🏷️ @katherines-imagines @lovingjasontoddmakemewanttocry @jennapancake @cobaltskiez @loveryoushouldcomeoverr @m00ng4z3r @ma1dita @woodlandwrites @tsireyasgf @theo-notts-doll @iammightsadyall @fennecswife @csifandom @evilwrongdoer @blueberryjune @dancing-inasnowglobe @acidaciruela @solshaven @rosieandthethorns @sofiacblair @obxstiles @lukecastellanirl (comment to be removed/added!) (also sorry if some of these didn’t work idk what’s going on)

[bosbas]

Chapter 10: even my daddy just loves him

series masterlist previous part || next part

pairing: colin bridgerton x enemy!fem!reader WC: 3.5k words

Warnings: period-typical gender roles, small part of the dialogue in French, period- and class-typical views about the economy, idiots in love being idiots in love, heavy on the idiots, heavy on the in love

Summary: It took precisely two days in England for you to utterly despise Colin Bridgerton. It took him approximately twelve hours after that to hate you right back. But he doesn't care that you're the only person in the ton who doesn't like him. You're set to marry someone else anyway, right?

A/N: the first TTPD chapter title :,) also no interaction between reader and colin in this one IM SORRY it'll come soon i promise

June 23, 1816 – In the wake of yesterday's lackluster ball, one can't help but lament the dreary fashion choices on display, particularly the Featheringtons' blinding ensembles in shades of yellow. Sadly, the absence of Lady Y/N Montclair was acutely felt, as her impeccable gowns and Parisian flair were sorely missed. However, tonight at the Ashbury ball proves a wonderful opportunity for her to dazzle us with her sense of style.

“Well, don't you look gorgeous tonight,” gushed Eloise upon seeing you, kissing your cheeks in greeting. 

Your heart soared, delighted that your best friend had taken to your French customs so easily. 

“I didn’t particularly have a choice after Whistledown’s column today,” you joked, smoothing out your skirts. 

Of course, it was flattering to have the ton’s most trusted source speak about you in such a positive manner, but at times it did build a fair amount of undue pressure. Though you supposed you preferred feeling pressure to dress well over pressure to marry someone as you had with Lord Barlow.

“Either way, you look stunning. I’ve caught more than a few gentlemen staring at you already. You’d think they would have been able to pick up their jaws off the floor by now,” Eloise teased, linking arms with you, and leading you toward the far end of the ballroom. 

You politely covered your laugh with your hand, shaking your head as you assessed who was present at the ball today. More accurately, you were assessing whether Colin Bridgerton was present. 

It had been two weeks since you’d even seen him, and you were exerting more mental energy than you cared to admit pretending that you were unbothered. You supposed you couldn’t blame him. You were the one who had asked him not to speak with you anymore, and he’d listened to you better than you could have hoped. 

Secretly, you’d been hoping he would still have shown up and tried to talk to you. It was an absurd desire, you knew, but you couldn’t help it. Apart from balls like these where all you did was speak with Eloise, you had to admit that arguing with Colin was the most fun you’d had in England, and perhaps everywhere else, too. 

You hated him, you reminded yourself. And he hated you, too. Worse, actually. He had no respect for you. Or any woman in general. Which only brought you back to the shameful burning at the top of your ears every time you searched for him in a crowd.  

But you were only human. And there were times when you couldn’t help but give in to your self-sabotaging. “Is the rest of your family in attendance tonight?” you asked Eloise, trying to seem casual and uninterested. 

“Anthony and Kate are,” she responded brightly. “Benedict was able to weasel his way out of this one, I’m afraid. But it’s all for the better. He was being quite irritating at dinner last night.”

You turned to her, eyebrows raised. “I assumed you’d stay home if Benedict stayed home, too. I thought you hated these things.”

“Oh, not at all! Now that you aren’t being swarmed by suitors at every moment and I have you somewhat to myself, the balls are far more enjoyable.”

Shaking your head at her fondly, you laughed in disbelief. She was truly the only reason you hadn’t gone completely mad these past two weeks. 

Lady Whistledown, whoever she was, had proven to be quite perceptive. As she had reported, you effectively had laid your parents’ dreams of marrying you off to an Englishman to rest. You’d only told Pen and Eloise about your disillusionment, but you supposed it was rather obvious to everyone else given that you barely danced with anyone anymore. 

You looked through the crowd once again searching for the face you knew would not be there, and you felt your gut twist, but you couldn’t quite tell if it was in relief or disappointment. 

“And what about Colin?” you asked, internally cringing at not being able to help yourself. “Has he left the country again?”

Eloise looked at you carefully, noting your barely hidden grimace and shifting eyes. She would’ve laughed at how obviously painful the question was for you if she didn’t completely understand what was happening. Eloise still had no idea why you hated Colin in the first place, but she could tell that it was tearing you up inside anyway.

“No, he’s still at home, believe it or not. He just doesn’t particularly enjoy these kinds of events anymore, I suppose. It must be the ambitious mamas wanting to auction him off to their daughters,” Eloise finally responded, trying to keep her tone light. 

Although that wasn’t the whole truth, Eloise couldn’t just come out and tell you that her brother was completely in love with you and that you had broken his heart enough that he had no desire to come to ton events anymore. It would have been unusually cruel for her to do so.

Besides, she could tell you had been feeling the same way. The only difference was that your parents were not as forgiving as Violet Bridgerton, and you had to come to most balls whether you wanted to or not.

“Oh, that’s a shame, I guess,” you said, not particularly knowing how to respond. In a pathetic attempt to make it seem like you truly were unbothered, you added, “It’s rather nice when he isn’t here, though, isn’t it?”

Eloise stared at you suspiciously. Though she always thought it easier to stay away from your conflict with Colin, the curiosity was killing her. And she could only go so long before she went insane trying to figure it out.

“Why do the two of you hate each other so much, anyway?” she asked, hoping her disinterested tone would make you more likely to open up.  

No one seemed to know why you hated Colin. You weren’t particularly forthcoming with the information, but Eloise could sense that it wasn’t something trivial. Having grown to know you fairly well over your time in England, Eloise was still perplexed by this specific detail. 

Next to Eloise, you were tactfully avoiding eye contact and staring intently at the floor in front of you. You couldn’t tell her. You simply couldn’t. It wasn’t that you were worried about your reputation. You knew Eloise well enough to know that she wouldn’t spread rumors that would sully your image. 

But if you told her the truth, she’d be heartbroken. If someone were to tell you that they hated one of your brothers for the same reason you hated Colin, you would crumble. You were incredibly close with them, and knowing that they thought of women that way would crush you. And you couldn’t bring yourself to do the same to Eloise. 

Luckily, some man you’d never spoken to before asked you for a dance right at that moment. He had barely finished speaking before you placed your hand on his elbow and rushed him to the ballroom. Dancing with someone was far easier than having to figure out what you were going to say to Eloise. 

Eloise stared silently as you were whisked away to dance. She let out a small laugh in disbelief, amazed that her question had been what finally propelled you to start dancing at balls again. 

But her work tonight was not done. Shaking her head, Eloise looked around the ballroom, looking for your brother. Unsurprisingly, he was by the refreshments. 

“Hello, Louis,” greeted the Bridgerton. “I believe you might have some information that would be of interest to me.”

“I do?” asked Louis, confused. 

Eloise nodded over to where you were dancing and smiling politely and turned back to your brother with an expectant look. 

“Oh,” said Louis, catching onto what your friend was saying. “I don’t, unfortunately.”

“Are you serious?” she responded, exasperated. “She would rather dance with that…man than tell me why she hates Colin!”

Louis shot her a sympathetic look. “She won’t tell me either. But she’s never been this upset over someone, so I wager it must have been something serious.”

“Colin doesn’t even know! And he only hates her because she hated him first! It’s terribly unreasonable.” 

Having overheard the conversation about you and Colin from a few paces away, Carlos quickly joined Eloise and Louis with a knowing smile. He considered himself to be somewhat of an expert when it came to matters of the heart, having found a true love match after falling completely head over heels for your sister.

“Yes, but Colin is completely in love with Y/N,” he said. “So, I suppose he doesn’t hate her that much.”

“We know,” responded Eloise dejectedly. “That’s why I need to know why she hates him.”

“Excuse me, we? We know?” scoffed Louis. “I most certainly did not know this. What do you mean Colin loves Y/N? I should think that I would know if someone was in love with my little sister.”

Eloise looked at him, unimpressed. “I fear you only have yourself to blame, then. Colin came to every single event on the social calendar until your sister told him to stop talking to her, and he hasn’t come to another one since. Why exactly did you think that was?”

“I don’t know! I suppose I thought… I don’t know what I thought! But it doesn’t matter. He does not love her, Eloise. I know because Y/N is the exact same with Colin as he is with her.”

This time Carlos looked at Louis in disbelief. “Yes, Louis. Precisely,” he spoke slowly, nodding to make sure your brother understood.

Louis furrowed his eyebrows, eyes widening as he came to grips with the realization. “What do you mean? Does this mean that…”

“Yes,” confirmed Carlos. “Y/N loves him too.”

“What? How did I miss this?”

---

Colin was standing in Anthony’s study, arms crossed tightly over his chest as he glared at his eldest brother. 

“I won’t go,” he said defiantly.

“You will, and you will be the perfect gentleman while you’re there.”

“Why do I even need to be there? It’s not like I know what I’m doing when I hunt, anyway,” Colin huffed, uncrossing his arms and fiddling with a quill on Anthony’s desk.

Watching his brother, Anthony sighed, exasperated. “Because it would be impossibly rude not to go. And the Bridgertons, especially Colin Bridgerton, if I recall correctly, are never impossibly rude.”

Colin groaned. “It’s one hunt without me! Please-”

“Y/N won’t be there if that’s what you’re worried about. She and Eloise went to the modiste and won’t be back until later.”

“But what if-”

“She won’t be there,” assured Anthony firmly. He had an inkling about why the Montclairs had suddenly invited the Bridgerton brothers on a hunting outing, and he was not about to let Colin ruin what were most likely some very well-laid-out plans.

Colin blinked and licked his lips, still considering whether being rude to your family was worth the risk of running into you. Resigned, he sighed and turned away from his brother.

“Very well. But this is the only time I’m doing it. I’m not particularly eager to have a run-in with the woman who wishes I didn’t even exist.”

Not seeing you for two weeks had proven to be an extraordinarily difficult challenge. But it was better than having to look at your face and know that he would never be in your good graces. You wanted nothing to do with him, and it was more than he could take. 

Even though Colin had relatively successfully convinced himself that the only reason he was upset at your rejection was because he wanted to maintain his status as the best-liked member of the ton, he’d still barely been able to get out of bed since he’d last seen you. His heart ached too much when he thought of seeing you at any events. Yet it also ached when he thought of not seeing you. So he was confined to his chambers night after night, pacing as he thought of you laughing with someone else while he sat in agony at home.

“Oh, don’t be so dramatic. She can’t hate you that much,” said Anthony, rolling his eyes as he patted his brother on the back, leading him out of his study.

“You’d be surprised,” muttered Colin lowly.

---

“Frères, il nous faut causer,” announced Louis upon entering the mudroom (Brothers, we need to talk).

Seeing Edward preparing for the afternoon’s upcoming hunt alongside Philippe and Jacques, Louis cleared his throat and tried again. 

“Brothers, we must have a chat. And Edward too, I suppose.”

Philippe and Jacques looked up at their younger brother in surprise.

“A chat about what, pray tell,” asked Jacques, fiddling with his hunting boots as he placed them on his feet.

“It has come to my attention that our dearest sister Y/N might be in love with Colin Bridgerton. I thought it best to discuss the matter between us before we go out and hunt with him.”

Philippe shot his youngest brother an amused look. “Well, yes, Louis. That’s why we’re having this hunting trip.”

Louis’ face contorted into an expression that was a funny mixture of disbelief and annoyance. He most certainly did not like to be the only one out of his siblings who didn’t know something. “How does everyone know this except for me? Am I truly that clueless?”

Laughing, Jacques clapped his younger brother on the back. “I suppose it’s a certain sensibility that comes once you’re married, Louis. Don’t feel too badly about it.”

“A sensibility that comes from your wife telling you that the man is obviously in love with Y/N, is what you mean, Jacques,” Philippe quipped, looking even more amused. 

“I would’ve been able to tell!” argued Jacques. “If Chiara hadn’t told me within five minutes, I could’ve figured it out. Probably. In a few days. Who cares! We still have an advantage over Louis because we’re married, and our wives are more attuned to those things than we are.”

“Carlos was the one who told me, actually,” commented Edward. “Charlotte would have been the one to do it, but she thought it was so obvious that it wasn’t worth mentioning. I doubt I would have been able to tell on my own, anyway.” 

Louis laughed, not feeling so bad about how oblivious he was anymore. “I suppose you’re right. But I still want to be included in the scheming! How is our little hunting trip going to help Colin and Y/N come to their senses?”

Philippe sighed deeply, and Louis got the impression that he had aged about ten years in the making of this plan. “Y/N has been spectacularly miserable these past couple of weeks. That is certainly no secret. And as much as it is not in my nature to meddle in her affairs, I don’t take any joy in seeing her like this.”

Jacques nodded in agreement. “Especially after what Nigel Berbrooke said to her, we think it would be nice for her to get a love match. Something that has been made much easier by the fact that she is already in love, even if she doesn’t know it.”

Although it had been two weeks since you’d told the rest of your siblings what Mr. Berbooke had said, Louis still felt a surge of anger rise in him when he remembered his words. “He’s worse than Barlow, that one.”

“I was at Eton with Berbrooke, and I assure you it was torture,” agreed Edward, crinkling his nose as he recalled his younger years alongside Nigel. 

Sending his brother-in-law a sympathetic look, Louis continued, “That still doesn’t solve the main problem. Even if Y/N does love Colin, she still absolutely hates him. Despises him, actually.”

“Actually, the main problem is that Father wants his daughters to marry a title and a fortune. No offense, Edward.”

But Edward, ever agreeable, waved Philippe’s apology away. “Not at all. It was an advantageous match for me, too. I’m just lucky we grew to love each other. But I do recall your father being quite insistent that she marry nobility.”

“Precisely,” agreed Jacques. “I’ll wager that Y/N will realize she loves Colin quicker than Father will come around to the idea of her marrying for love.”

Louis hummed thoughtfully. “But what if it goes wrong? What if Father hates Colin, and this hunting trip only makes it more difficult for him and Y/N?”

“Not a chance.”

“Absolutely not.”

“That won’t happen.”

Louis just stared at the three men in front of him, looking entirely unconvinced. “How can all three of you be so sure?”

“Because it’s Colin Bridgerton!” said Edward. “Everybody likes Colin. He’s the ton favorite.”

“Y/N doesn’t like him,” argued Louis, still unsure about how effective the plan would be. 

“But she loves him, so that’s different,” said Philippe, smiling brightly. “Don’t worry, Louis. Father will surely like him and it’ll be a step in the right direction. Now, are you ready? I believe the Bridgertons should be arriving shortly.”

---

All in all, Colin was having a lovely time this afternoon. As Anthony had assured, you were at the modiste when he arrived at your home, and he was barely there long enough to spend time looking for any trace of you. It was just as well because he feared what would have happened if he did find anything that reminded you of him.

Hunting, and specifically shooting, was not Colin’s greatest strength. As a result, he’d been mostly hanging toward the back of the group, chatting pleasantly with Edward, who didn’t seem to be very enthusiastic about hunting either.

That is until your father started talking about his travels. Truly, Colin’s biggest weakness was the opportunity to talk about his time abroad. That and you, he thought longingly. 

Colin jogged to catch up to your father, Anthony, and Jacques so he could join the conversation.

“You and Chiara are settled in Tuscany, then?” asked your father.

Jacques laughed. “More than settled, I think. Hello, Colin! Lovely afternoon out, isn’t it?” 

“Quite,” Colin agreed. “You would think it would make me a better shot, but I think this just proves I’m completely hopeless.”

Lord Montclair laughed, and Jacques felt an internal sense of pride as he saw their plan progressing. 

“My sons tell me you’ve traveled a lot,” said your father, turning his gaze to the younger Bridgerton. “Have your travels taken you to the Persian Gulf, perchance? I am contemplating investing in pearl diving there.”

“Indeed, I have,” confirmed Colin. “However, if you seek pearls, might I suggest Ceylon instead? I visited last year and witnessed firsthand the expanding pearl industry.”

“Really?” said Lord Montclair, immediately immersed in the conversation. “But wouldn’t the Persian Gulf offer the most promising returns?”

“It certainly would right now, but trust me, Ceylon holds vast untapped potential.” Colin was in his element. This was practically all he did, and he was glad it was proving useful, and interesting, for once. “The industry there is on the precipice of greatness. In five years' time, mark my words, it shall surpass all others. I've even noted down a particular lagoon in my journals that I think will be particularly successful, based on what the locals have said.”

Impressed, Lord Montclair arched an eyebrow in interest. “You have my attention, Colin. Shall we meet next week to explore this further? A partnership between us could prove quite lucrative.”

Colin’s eyes widened, momentarily taken aback by your father’s offer. “Absolutely, my Lord. It would be my pleasure.”

“Please, call me Philippe,” he replied, clapping Colin on the back. 

Turning to Jacques, your father spoke softly, “Je suppose qu'un titre n'est pas tout” (I suppose a title isn’t everything). 

—

previous part || next part || buy me a ko-fi!

I no longer have a taglist for this fic, but turn on post notifications for @bosbas-library to stay updated when I post!

[speakofthedebbie]

by popular demand (re: one person) some radioapple fic recs!! (i hope thats what you meant lol most of the fics i read are just radioapple)

Bedtime Rituals to Try out Before the Next Angelic War by @miribalis

just yes. thousand times yes. so basically my boy luci has some sleep troubles and that somehow leads to a qpr with al look its been a while ok just read it

Managerial Liberties by the same fella

these two tags explain it pretty well

something that sticks out to me about this is that charlie is actually (reasonably) cold to adam and like. im actually surprised with how little ive seen that. i mean i dont think id be exactly buddy-buddy with my besties killer either. only 3 chaps as of writing but already looking to be a radioapple classic

im not sure if its meant to be read as such but it kinda feels like a squeal to bedtime rituals in a way (edit: not meant to be read as such, just the same vibe)

devils don't fly (don't expect me not to fall) by @corgiss

also just yes. basically a really not cool joke evolves into a blossoming romance because why wouldnt it. (man if i had a nickel for every radioapple fic that had a masquerade that was sabotaged by the vees- *gets shot bc i cant mention osas yet*)

i’ll hold you close (i’ll stay the course) by the same fella

the entire time i was just going "yas king! put that egotistical flatscreen in his place!!". basically luci reminds the overlords who he is and vox shows he can be more of a threat than he lets on.

ykw fuck it just the entire series (i didnt mention i would give anything to not give a shit (but i do) and my perfect rock bottom (my beautiful trauma) because the first one sounded a lil too angsty and ive gotten enough of that from other sources [pointedly glares at Quietly, It Slips Through Your Fingers, Love {also coming up later!}] and the second is (mostly) smut and ive been trying to step back from that because "ive seen worse" isnt a valid excuse for that torture actually)

Of Saints and Sinners by the forever amazing @morningstarwrites!! (if you see this i have a serious question: is this your first time ever writing a fic? because how do you get so much right the first time- [not even beginners luck could explain this level of skill])

i could sing its praises until my death bed but ill hold off so i can explain whats happening. basically after burning down a meeting room several times, luci and al make a deal ("not a deal!", luci laments to the void): they will attempt to be civil and maybe even friendly, and by the end luci will owe al a favour. whats the favour? read it yourself dammit! seriously, 10/10, i am foaming at the mouth till friday (depending on how this goes, that might be tomorrow or today)

Quietly, It Slips Through Your Fingers, Love by Starlit_Rainfall (no tumblr in sight, so AO3) (i. urgfgh. what happened. i was just smiling over the fluff while crossing to go to school. where did it go. where did it gooooo)

if thats anything to go by, the last few chapters have been rough. the fluff feels so far away that i cant even explain what happens. luci was waxing poetic about swimming in maple syrup for al, i remember that much. also emily is there (fallen) tho we havent seen her in a sec. if you read it, warning for the gut punch of angst that starts chap 32 "She/Her" (though the chapter before that, "Should Alastor Know By Now?" ends pretty rough too)

Freely We Serve by @romanaxe

i dont remember how i managed to stumble upon this but im having a great time. basically alastor is a new sinner fresh in hell (but time doesnt matter and the whole cast is still here) and thinks "what better way to gain power than be the personal assistant of the heartbroken king of hell!" features a 6(?) year old charlie and a morally dubious lilith (also i loved eepy al X3)

A Family Forged in Hellfire by Green_Ghostwriter (once again, no Tumblr, so AO3)

this ones a bit newer (10 chaps), is so far mostly exposition and the slowburn pot hasnt even been put on the stove, but as just a hazbin fic in general i see the potential. basically its a 1920s au where heaven decides little charlie doesnt deserve to be raised in hell and is sent to earth with a "foster" family where her actions in life will determine witch realm she will return to after death. her "parents", al and minzy, are given false memories so they can claim the girl as their own and gee i wasnt kidding when i said it was a lot of exposition. erm honestly explaining anymore would tech be spoiling so go read it!

The Red Thread That Binds Us by @scun-gilli

{{future me prefacing this by saying i have no idea where i was going with yesterdays thought process, all you need to know from it was im on chapter 27. also scungilli your comment is making me very worried 😟 well theres no mcd tag so im sure itll fine, right? RIGHT, SCUNGILLI??}}

basically its a king x kings guard au where al and luci grow up together and only grow closer after a. certain life event for al (its fine guys trust :)) [she said, like a liar]) then al is sent of for royal guard training school (ik its not called that i forgor 😭) but dw he comes back. just watch out for graphic depictions of injuries (i think thats this fic) angst and a sneaky eve bc radioapple fics are allergic to happiness (or maybe im not looking hard enough lol) (also im really tempted to make the friendship bracelets they had 👀)

somewhere down the line by kj_crwm (AO3 link)

this one starts off as human!alastor/lucifer but by the middle(?) its just regular radioapple. basically al is encountered by luci while finishing off a job who agrees to keep quiet. luci just keeps on showing up, reveals hes the devil to which al us just like "lol ok" and eventually they get in a relationship (ooh lala 👀) but they break up after saying some hurtful things to each other (oh nono 👀) with luci promising al they will never cross paths again. if you watched the show then well. you know that doesnt happen 😂 most human!al radioapple have al summon him (no hate to them) so this was an interesting change of pace

cannot stress it enough but this is a WORKING list i WILL be coming back to it bc these are purely the fics i could think if off the top of my head. IN FACT, if any of you have radioapple fics you love, SEND THEM THE FUCK IN! i am one person whos only been in this fandom for 4 months, and reading fics/shipping radioapple even less, theres bound to be some ones i missed that you think are Worthy™️! and if theyre nsfw then at the very least it shouldnt be the main focus

EDIT: so sorry anyone who reblogged this before had to see the disgusting unedited version. literally just found out that tumblr doesnt apply edits to reblogs. what the fuck

[badger-tales]

Everywhere and Nowhere//F.W x Reader (finale)

a/n: finally the last chapter i hope people enjoyed this! also i was going to post this later but god im just so excited for this series tbh!!! so this is the end of the series super cute super fluffy!!

word count: 4.5k

request:

Hiiii! :) I was wondering if you could do a oneshot about a fred weasley x reader idea I've had for forever where the reader was a hat stall for a really long time. To the point she had to be put aside to be sorted later. Plot twist, she never gets sorted. I always wondered what would happen if the sorting hat couldn't decide what house to put someone in. I imagine she would have a room in the faculty tower or something, and because she doesn't have a house but she is a student, she would be able to figure out how to get into every common room. I'm really tired right now, so sorry if this sounds really bad, I promise it sounds better when I'm coherent. You don't have to do this if you don't want to, though 🫶

Thanks sm!!!

Returning for Fifth Year

As Y/N stepped off the Hogwarts Express at the start of her fifth year, there was an unmistakable sense of change in the air. The towering spires of the castle were the same, the familiar hum of magic whispered through the grounds, but something inside her had shifted. This year felt different—charged with a new energy she couldn’t quite place.

Waiting for her on the platform, as always, were Fred and George, both grinning like they had just pulled off something spectacular—which, knowing them, wasn’t far from the truth. The twins had become a constant presence in her life over the past two years, their friendship growing into something steady and unshakable. But lately, especially with Fred, there had been something more—an undercurrent she didn’t fully understand, but one she couldn’t ignore.

Fred spotted her first, waving her over with that familiar, wide grin. “Y/N! About time you showed up!”

George elbowed Fred with a playful smirk. “Don’t scare her off, mate.”

Y/N smiled, feeling warmth bloom in her chest at the sight of them. It was strange to think about how different her life had been before Fred and George. Hogwarts had once felt like a vast, lonely place, full of secrets that she had explored on her own. Now, with the twins by her side, it felt like home. And yet, there was something about Fred that had been quietly evolving, a connection between them that made her heart beat a little faster whenever he was near.

“You two look like you’ve already caused some trouble,” Y/N teased as she reached them, raising an eyebrow.

George grinned in mock innocence. “Trouble? Us? Never.”

Fred shot her a wink, his eyes gleaming with mischief. “We were just waiting for you to get here. Can’t have any fun without our favorite partner-in-crime.”

Y/N laughed, falling into step between them as they began the walk back to the castle. But as they chatted and caught up, she started to notice small, subtle shifts. Fred’s shoulder brushed against hers a little more often than usual, and she caught him glancing at her when he thought she wasn’t looking. The easy banter between them hadn’t changed, but there was something different in the way his presence made her feel—a flicker of warmth that went beyond friendship.

She tried to shake off the thoughts, telling herself it was her imagination playing tricks on her after a summer spent apart. But as the days passed and they slipped back into their familiar routines—planning pranks, navigating secret passageways, and sharing quiet moments in her room in the faculty tower—the feeling only grew.

Fred had always been playful, quick with a joke or a grin, but now his teasing felt softer, more personal. He’d linger when they talked, his eyes crinkling at the corners in that way that made her stomach flip. And she found herself lingering too—staying just a little closer, letting his warmth radiate through the space between them.

One evening, a few weeks into the term, the three of them were huddled in her room, planning their next big prank. George was sprawled on the floor, sketching out the details, while Fred leaned against the desk, his attention drifting more toward Y/N than the prank itself. They were laughing about something—one of George’s wild ideas, no doubt—but Y/N noticed Fred’s gaze had softened, his smile more relaxed than usual.

“You alright, Fred?” Y/N asked, raising an eyebrow at him as she leaned back in her chair.

He blinked, his grin widening as he met her eyes. “More than alright.”

George, catching the exchange, groaned dramatically. “Oh, Merlin’s beard. You two are unbearable.” He got to his feet, rolling up the parchment with a flourish. “I’m heading back to the common room. Try not to get too mushy while I’m gone.”

Y/N’s face flushed, and she was about to protest when George shot her a wink before making his way out of the room, closing the door behind him with an exaggerated sigh.

The room felt suddenly quiet, the air thick with unsaid things. Y/N glanced at Fred, who was still leaning against the desk, his arms crossed casually but his eyes focused entirely on her. The playful spark in his expression had softened into something warmer, something that made her heart skip a beat.

“So,” Fred said, his voice teasing but gentler than usual, “you think George is right? Are we unbearable?”

Y/N laughed softly, trying to keep the mood light even though she could feel the tension building. “Maybe just a little.”

Fred’s grin turned lopsided as he took a small step closer. “Well, if it’s just us, I think we can be as unbearable as we like.”

There was a lightness in his words, but his gaze had grown more serious, more intent. Y/N felt her breath catch, her mind racing to figure out what to say, how to handle this moment that felt both exciting and terrifying.

“I guess we could,” she said, her voice quieter than she intended, her eyes meeting his.

---

The Return to Mischief

The beginning of Y/N's fifth year was a whirlwind of OWL preparations, new classes, and increasingly frequent late-night planning sessions with Fred and George. Their evenings together had become routine, a mix of creative chaos and friendship. Most nights, the three of them would gather in Y/N’s small room in the faculty tower, where they sprawled out across the floor or perched on her desk, heads bent over prank plans and new product ideas for *Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes*—the joke shop Fred and George had been dreaming of starting.

Y/N had grown more and more drawn into their world of mischief. She found herself contributing more than she had before, her voice becoming an essential part of the creative process. She offered insights on how to refine their prank ideas, how to enhance the magical effectiveness of their products, and—perhaps most importantly—how to use Hogwarts' hidden passageways to avoid detection.

One night, they sat huddled around a box of sweets that Fred had been tinkering with for weeks. The enchantment made anyone who ate one grow temporary antlers, and Fred was testing the final tweaks. He tossed one to George, who inspected it with exaggerated care before tossing it back, unimpressed.

As Fred examined the sweet, he caught Y/N’s eye and grinned, his voice dropping a little lower than usual. “You know, Y/N,” he said, leaning in a bit closer, “we couldn’t do half this stuff without you.”

Y/N felt a flutter in her chest, her heart skipping a beat at his words. She shrugged, trying to play it off as casually as possible. “You’d be fine without me. Probably just get caught more often.”

Fred chuckled, his voice warm, his eyes twinkling with that familiar playful spark. “Maybe. But it wouldn’t be nearly as fun.”

There was something different in the way he said it this time, something about the way his gaze lingered on her, not just with mischief but with a quiet intensity that made Y/N’s stomach flip. For a brief moment, the world seemed to shrink down to just the two of them, and Y/N felt herself at a loss for words. The silence that hung between them was thick with unspoken feelings she wasn’t ready to name.

Before she could find a response, George broke the moment, completely oblivious to the shift in atmosphere. “Oi, stop hogging her attention, Fred,” he grumbled playfully, holding up a sketch of a new product he’d been working on. “I need help with this one.”

Fred shot his brother a mock glare, clearly annoyed at the interruption, but the moment had passed. The charged silence dissolved into their usual banter, and though the tension faded, the warmth between Fred and Y/N lingered.

As the evening wore on, the three of them fell back into their familiar rhythm of planning and laughing, but Y/N couldn’t shake the memory of Fred’s gaze or the way her heart had reacted to his words. She had always felt close to Fred and George, but there was something new simmering just below the surface, something that had been growing steadily between her and Fred, and it was becoming harder to ignore.

And though they didn’t talk about it, Y/N knew that things between them had begun to shift in a way that might soon be impossible to ignore.

---

Subtle Shifts

As the months slipped by, Y/N found herself more attuned to the subtle shifts between her and Fred. It wasn’t anything obvious, nothing that could be easily pointed out or discussed, but the signs were there—small, fleeting moments that spoke volumes. The way Fred always seemed to sit just a little closer to her during their late-night planning sessions, how his hand would brush hers when passing a note or reaching for the same prank material, or how his gaze would meet hers across the room, even in the middle of their chaotic pranks. 

Fred had always been the one to make her laugh, to bring lightness and joy into any situation, but lately, there were moments when he seemed more serious, as if there was something weighing on him that he hadn’t yet found the words for. His focus, at times, was entirely on her, and though nothing had been said, there was a quiet intensity growing between them that neither could ignore.

It wasn’t something they discussed—not yet, anyway—but the unspoken connection between them was becoming harder to deny.

One evening, after an especially brilliant prank involving enchanted fireworks that lit up an entire hallway in a spectacular display of color and sound, the three of them hurried back to Y/N’s room, breathless and giddy from the success. George, ever the master of dramatic entrances, flopped face-first onto the bed without a care, leaving Y/N and Fred to collapse onto the floor, their laughter bubbling up as they tried to catch their breath.

“That was brilliant,” Fred said, turning to Y/N with a grin that was filled with admiration. “You really outdid yourself with the timing, Y/N.”

Her heart fluttered at his words, her cheeks flushing with warmth as she smiled at him. “It was your idea, Fred,” she said, trying to deflect the compliment, though she couldn’t help but feel a surge of pride at his words.

Fred shook his head, his gaze never leaving hers. “Maybe, but you’re the one who makes it all work.”

The air between them shifted, the compliment lingering, heavier than usual. Fred’s grin softened into something more, his eyes searching hers with a quiet intensity that made Y/N’s heart race. For a moment, it felt like the rest of the world fell away, leaving just the two of them in that small room. Y/N could feel the unspoken words hanging between them, the possibility that Fred might say something more, something deeper.

But before either of them could act on the moment, George snorted loudly from the bed, rolling over with a muttered, “You two are disgustingly sweet sometimes, you know that?”

Fred let out a bark of laughter, throwing a pillow at his brother with mock annoyance, breaking the tension as George dodged it with a lazy roll. Y/N laughed too, though the moment had passed, leaving behind a warmth in her chest that refused to fade. 

Even after the laughter died down and the easy banter resumed, Y/N couldn’t shake the feeling that something had shifted between her and Fred. The unspoken connection that had been building over the months wasn’t going away—it was growing, quietly but surely, and it was only a matter of time before they would have to face it.

But for now, Y/N let herself enjoy the warmth of Fred’s lingering gaze, the quiet moments they shared amid the chaos. Whatever it was between them, it didn’t need to be rushed. It was there, and that was enough.

---

Winter Holidays

Winter at Hogwarts brought with it an air of quiet enchantment. The snow-covered grounds glistened in the pale sunlight, and the Great Hall was festooned with festive decorations, making the castle feel warmer despite the cold winds that howled through the corridors. Most students had left for the holidays, but Y/N, as always, had stayed behind. She liked the stillness that came with winter at Hogwarts, when the castle was almost entirely hers. This year, though, she wasn’t alone—Fred and George had decided to stay as well, insisting they needed the time to “perfect some new ideas” for their joke shop.

It was during one of those quiet, hushed evenings, with the castle blanketed in silence, that Y/N and Fred found themselves alone together for the first time in what felt like forever. George had disappeared off to the kitchens on one of his snack raids, leaving Y/N and Fred alone in her room. The only sound was the faint crackling of the fire and the occasional creak of the castle’s ancient walls.

Fred was tinkering with one of their latest joke products, occasionally glancing up at Y/N. She sat on the floor, pretending to read one of her books, but her mind wasn’t on the words. It kept wandering back to Fred—the way he was sitting close enough that their knees brushed occasionally, the way his fingers fidgeted with the prototype, and most of all, the way his eyes kept flicking to her when he thought she wasn’t looking.

The tension that had been building between them for months seemed heavier in the stillness of the room, like something unspoken was hanging in the air, just waiting to be acknowledged. Y/N’s heart raced every time Fred moved just a little closer, and she found it increasingly hard to focus on anything other than the growing intensity between them.

Finally, Fred set his project aside with a sigh and turned to her, a soft, uncertain smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. His voice was quieter than usual, hesitant in a way Y/N wasn’t used to hearing from him.

“Y/N,” he began, his eyes finding hers, “can I ask you something?”

Her heart skipped a beat, her fingers tightening around the book she hadn’t been reading. “Sure,” she said, though the word came out softer than she intended.

Fred hesitated for a moment, as if he wasn’t sure how to continue. He ran a hand through his hair, the playful, confident Fred replaced by someone more thoughtful, more vulnerable. “Do you ever think about... what it would be like if things were different? If we weren’t just—”

He stopped, his words hanging in the air, unfinished. Y/N’s breath hitched. This was it. The conversation they had been skirting around for months, the thing neither of them had dared to say out loud. Part of her didn’t know if she was ready for it, but the other part, the one that had been feeling this shift in their friendship for so long, knew it was time.

“I mean,” Fred continued, his voice a little more rushed now, as if afraid of losing his nerve, “I’ve been thinking a lot about you lately. And I know we’ve been friends for a while, but... it feels like there’s more to it, doesn’t it?”

Y/N felt her pulse quicken, her stomach flipping in that familiar way it did whenever Fred’s hand brushed hers or his gaze lingered just a moment too long. Hearing him voice what she had been feeling made her heart race in a way that wasn’t entirely unpleasant.

“Yeah,” she said quietly, her voice barely above a whisper as she met his gaze. “It does.”

For a moment, neither of them said anything, but the silence between them felt fuller, heavier with meaning. Fred’s eyes softened, his smile fading into something more serious, more sincere. Slowly, he leaned just a little closer, his hand inching toward hers on the floor. When his fingers brushed against hers, the quiet gesture felt like the beginning of something inevitable, something that had been building for longer than either of them had realized.

Y/N’s heart pounded in her chest, the room suddenly feeling smaller, as if it held only the two of them and the weight of the moment they were in. Fred’s eyes never left hers, his fingers grazing hers again, lingering this time.

But before the moment could deepen, the door burst open, and George barreled in, arms overflowing with snacks from the kitchen. “You two look entirely too serious for a holiday!” he announced cheerfully, completely oblivious to the charged atmosphere he had just interrupted.

Fred groaned under his breath, glancing at Y/N with a look that was both amused and frustrated. She could see in his eyes that this conversation wasn’t over—not yet. But for now, the moment had passed.

Fred shook his head at his twin, trying to mask his disappointment with humor. “You’ve got impeccable timing, George. Really.”

George, still oblivious, grinned and tossed a bag of pastries onto the floor between them. “Always a pleasure to keep things from getting too boring. Now, who wants a pumpkin pasty?”

Y/N laughed, though the tension from the moment still lingered in her chest, making her heart feel light and heavy at the same time. As Fred reached for one of the pastries, his eyes flickered back to hers, and in that glance, Y/N knew. This wasn’t over. Whatever had started between them tonight would find its way back, and when it did, she knew they would be ready for it.

For now, though, they let the moment slip away, folding back into their usual banter with George. But the warmth of Fred’s hand brushing hers, the quiet promise in his gaze, stayed with her long after the laughter had filled the room.

---

Slowly Growing Closer

After the winter holidays, the connection between Y/N and Fred continued to evolve, growing deeper in a way that felt natural, like it had always been meant to unfold this way. It wasn’t rushed, nor did it come with any grand declarations or sudden changes. Instead, it was a steady deepening of their bond, woven into the fabric of their everyday lives. They still laughed together, still plotted pranks and caused mayhem with George, but there were more quiet moments when it was just the two of them—moments where Fred’s hand would brush hers and linger, or when their eyes would meet, and something unspoken would pass between them.

Fred’s protectiveness toward Y/N became more noticeable too, though it was subtle in its execution. He would walk her to her classes, finding excuses to be near her in the hallways. He made sure she was always included in the plans he and George concocted, and when they found themselves in groups, he always seemed to gravitate toward her, his presence grounding and reassuring. It was a quiet kind of care, one that made Y/N’s heart race with an excitement she hadn’t quite known before.

One evening, after a particularly exhausting day filled with OWL preparation and lessons that seemed to stretch on forever, Y/N and Fred found themselves alone once again in her room. The fire crackled softly in the hearth, its gentle warmth casting a golden glow over the space. The two of them sat side by side on the floor, closer than they normally would, the room filled with a comfortable silence as they enjoyed a rare moment of peace.

Fred shifted slightly, his arm brushing against hers, and Y/N felt her breath catch in her throat. The tension between them had been building for weeks now, a quiet hum of energy that neither of them had addressed directly but both had felt. Slowly, almost as if testing the waters, Fred reached for her hand.

Y/N froze for a moment, her heart hammering in her chest as Fred’s fingers gently intertwined with hers. The simple gesture felt like the culmination of all the unspoken moments they had shared—the lingering looks, the accidental touches, the way they seemed to move in sync with each other without ever needing to speak.

Neither of them said a word. They didn’t need to. The warmth of Fred’s hand, the steady reassurance of his presence beside her, said more than words ever could. They sat there, side by side, their hands linked as the fire flickered and danced in front of them. The quiet between them wasn’t uncomfortable—it was full of meaning, a shared understanding that something had shifted between them. Something that couldn’t be ignored any longer.

Y/N felt a sense of calm wash over her, a warmth spreading through her chest that had nothing to do with the fire. For so long, she had felt like an outsider—the unsorted student who didn’t quite fit into the usual Hogwarts mold. She had wandered the castle’s halls alone, forging her own path in secret passageways and hidden rooms. But with Fred’s hand in hers, she no longer felt like she was on the outside looking in.

With him, she had found her place.

Fred didn’t say anything, but Y/N could feel the quiet affection in the way he held her hand, his thumb brushing softly against her skin. It was a small, simple gesture, but it meant everything. And as they sat there, side by side, watching the fire crackle and glow, Y/N realized that this—being with Fred, sharing these quiet, unspoken moments—was where she truly belonged.

In the silence of the room, with Fred beside her, Y/N felt like she had finally found her home.

And that home was with him.

Confessions

It was a quiet afternoon in early spring, the soft hum of Hogwarts life buzzing in the background as students moved through the castle, preparing for the last stretch of the school year. Fred and Y/N were sitting by the lake, away from the usual bustle of the courtyard. The gentle breeze stirred the leaves, and the warm sunlight reflected off the surface of the water, creating a tranquil atmosphere that wrapped around them like a cocoon.

They had been talking about nothing in particular—just catching up on the day, laughing about their latest prank on Filch. But Fred had been unusually quiet for the past few minutes, fidgeting with a small pebble in his hands, tossing it between his fingers in an absentminded rhythm. Y/N noticed his distraction but didn’t press him, sensing something was on his mind.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Fred took a deep breath and turned toward her, his usual playful grin replaced by a more serious expression. His eyes, which were usually filled with mischief, now held a vulnerability she hadn’t seen before.

“Y/N,” he began, his voice softer than usual, as though he was afraid of breaking the delicate balance between them. He cleared his throat, his hand brushing nervously through his hair. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to say… for a while now.”

Y/N’s heart skipped a beat at his tone, the air between them suddenly charged with a different kind of energy. She turned to him, her full attention on him now, waiting for him to continue.

Fred looked down at the pebble in his hands, rolling it between his fingers before finally setting it aside. When he looked up, his gaze met hers, and the intensity of it made her breath catch in her throat.

“I’ve been thinking a lot lately,” Fred said, his voice steady but filled with emotion. “About us. About you.”

He paused, his eyes searching hers for a moment before he spoke again. “You’ve been a part of my life for a while now, and… it’s hard to imagine what it would be like without you. You’re always there, Y/N—helping with our pranks, keeping us from getting caught, being part of everything we do. But it’s more than that. It’s not just about the pranks or the laughs.” He hesitated, his voice dropping slightly. “It’s about you.”

Y/N’s heart raced, her pulse pounding in her ears as she listened, every word Fred said sinking into her chest.

“I’ve been trying to figure out what to say,” Fred admitted, his smile softening. “But the truth is, I really like you, Y/N. More than just as a friend. I don’t know when it happened—maybe it was the way you always seem to know what I’m thinking before I say it, or how you’ve just… become part of everything that matters to me.”

Y/N’s breath caught in her throat, the weight of Fred’s confession hanging in the air between them. She could see the sincerity in his eyes, the way his usual carefree nature had given way to something deeper, something vulnerable. He wasn’t hiding behind jokes or laughter now—he was being completely honest, raw in a way she had never seen before.

“I don’t want to mess this up,” Fred continued, his voice quieter now, as though he was afraid of what her response might be. “But I had to tell you. I’ve been feeling this way for a while, and I can’t keep pretending it’s just… nothing.”

Y/N stared at him for a moment, her heart racing as she processed his words. She had felt it too, the growing connection between them, the way Fred had become more than just a friend to her. But hearing him say it out loud, hearing him confess that he felt the same, made it all the more real.

A soft smile tugged at Y/N’s lips as she reached out, taking Fred’s hand in hers. The touch was simple, but it felt like an answer to the unspoken question that had been hanging between them for months.

“Fred,” she said quietly, her voice full of warmth, “I feel the same way. I’ve been thinking about you too. About us.”

Fred’s face lit up with relief, his grin returning as he squeezed her hand gently. “Yeah?”

Y/N nodded, her heart swelling with emotion. “Yeah.”

For a moment, they just sat there, hands intertwined, the weight of Fred’s confession settling into something comfortable, something right.

Fred let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding, his grin softening into something more genuine, more sincere. “Blimey,” he said with a laugh, shaking his head. “I’ve been worrying about saying that for weeks.”

Y/N laughed, the tension between them dissolving into something lighter, more playful. “You should have just told me sooner,” she teased, nudging him gently with her shoulder.

Fred’s grin widened, the familiar spark of mischief returning to his eyes. “Well, better late than never, right?”

“Right,” Y/N agreed, her heart still racing, but now filled with a quiet joy that settled into her bones.

As they sat together by the lake, the sun beginning to set behind them, Fred squeezed her hand one more time, his thumb brushing gently against her skin.

And in that moment, Y/N knew that whatever came next, they would face it together.

Tagged: @buzzbuzzlilbee

[aestherin]

privacy

11: are you my heart?

NOTES Hello! Sorry for the very late update haha this took me way longer than I thought it would?? That's it I have no excuses bahahaha </3 My very first attempt at writing a written chapter (semi?) im so bad at this omg apologies in advance abdhadhaha Anyways, I hope u guys enjoy!! 🤍

"The heck?" You muttered as you saw Ayato waiting for you silently in the lobby.

Aside from his mask and sunglasses, he was wearing almost exactly the same thing as you. Well, except the bottons on the upper half were open, revealing his turtleneck underneath. Your sightseeing was immediately cut short when he walked towards you.

"Good morning, love," he beamed.

As he reached your spot, he leaned in playfully, bringing his mask down using those slender fingers of his. "Missed me?"

"I think you missed me," you smiled sweetly. Attempted to, at least. "Seeing as how you're bringing your face so close to mine."

If Ayato were to be truthful, he really did. However, the prideful Kamisato (albeit a worshipper of even the mere ground you walk on) does not wish to lose a game he started himself.

"Come now, love. Just admit you missed me just as much, seeing as how you're not pulling away from me, hmm?"

"Using my words against me? That's not fair."

He just chuckled as you finally got to distance yourself away from him. With arms crossed, you gave Ayato the eye, scanning him from head to toe. "Are you sure you weren't trying to copy what I'm wearing?"

"I was already at the lobby when you messaged me about your outfit, [name]," the man grinned. "You're really good at assuming things wrong."

It was embarrassing, really. To have Ayato win every single argument. No matter who starts the banter, it's always him who gets the last laugh.

Therefore, you, who shared that prideful trait with him, swore to one day win at least once against him.

For now, you just ignored Ayato and walked straight towards the entrance of the building, but you suddenly felt him tug on your shirt's fabric. "What?"

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Outside?"

"I parked at the back. Less exposure that way, hun."

"Oh."

"Well, fuck."

The back, was in fact, not deserted. No. Not at all.

Contrary to what your companion thought, it was now swarming with... pests.

"When, how, did the media get to the rear parking lot?" Ayato started rambling, keeping you close next to him as his right arm was placed around your waist and the other trying to protect your face from the continuous flashes.

You rolled your eyes in an attempt to fakely mock him. "I can't believe I agreed to be in a fake relationship with someone dumb. If I knew you'd be bringing your flashy sports car again, I would've just called for a taxi."

"Excuse me? Me? Dumb?" He sighed, backing down. "In my defense, I just wanted to give you the most comfortable experience possible."

"Yeah, running from the paparazzi is real comfortable, love."

You heard him laugh, making you smile too despite the situation at hand. "Well, love, I didn't know they'd follow me here. And for that, I apologize."

"By the way, Ayato. Seriously speaking," you poked his side. "I can manage. Prioritize yourself."

"No." Even through his mask, you can note how his expression slightly changed. His jaw. His jaw freaking clenched so fucking attractiv— No. Stop. Oh my God self.' "You're my priority, [name]."

Oh.

Wow.

At that very moment, you wanted to go to the hospital because you were certain that something was very very wrong with both your stomach and your chest. 'I think there's been a glitch. Is my whole system in error? What the heck?'

"You really have a crush on me," you joked as the two of you were still looking like idiots trying to avoid getting drenched by the rain... when really, you were just trying to get past through the nonstop flickering of lights.

"Oh wow. How did you know? Was it that obvious?"

"Shut up."

"What if I really do?"

"No you don't."

"Are you my heart? How would you know my feelings better than mine?"

"Feelings are processed by the brain."

"So? You're not my brain either. My point still stands."

"God, stop."

----------

-----------

"[Name], this is Hirotatsu. Hirotatsu, this is my lover, [name]," Ayato motioned towards the guard standing near the gate.

Hirotatsu bowed his head to you, even going as far as placing his hand over his chest. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, madam. Sir Ayato has been talking about y-"

"Ahaha," your boyfriend started pulling you away from the well-built man and towards the main frontyard. "I think this introduction's been a little too informative." He then guided you towards an old woman, all while muttering something along the lines of how his security personnel should have 'keeping-mouths-shut lessons', or something like that.

He introduced you to everyone outside the estate, every single person there, including the housekeepers, the guards, his staff, as in everyone.

It was as if you really were his girlfriend that he was bringing home to meet the family.

"What about your p-" Flashbacks of the time you saw the articles about this renown actor (also now your fake lover) being an orphan stopped you. "Hmm?"

"Your power bill? How much is it? Your house is so so huge how do you afford to pay the bill?"

The blue-haired man let out a laugh before smirking at you. Suddenly, you felt a light flick on your forehead. "Hey! What -"

"Well, love, it just so happens that my net worth is also so so huge."

You made a face.

And again, he laughed.

"Would you like to tour the inside now?"

"I'm tired."

"Then let's rest first. Inside."

You groaned.

----------

Unbeknownst to you, the people previously introduced to you were enjoying the endearing scene playing in front of them. Who knew their young master would ever be so fond of someone to this extent?

Yes, the people of the Kamisato Estate find banters endearing. Don't ask why, don't judge.

"The lady that Sir Ayato has been talking to me nonstop about is very attractive indeed," Granny Furuta stated. "I really do hope they last and end up together."

privacy — ayato x reader smau

prev. masterlist. next.

TAGLIST I (still open!)

@catsrkool @sukunasrealgf @redactedhimbo @layla240 @mxlkytea13 @itsactuallylina @milza12 @aixaingela @tatiratty @kimiesstuff @laventiseriou @kunihaver @bibisbestgirl @lunaavity @coquettemaiden @opchara @slvdsjjk @cotton-eee @lady-elodie @dearxiiao @wheneverthesunrise @heartswonder @chuduchok @r1tas @lleoll @vnderthesunn @lizzardlady1234 @nekogakuro @rifran @atlatcaheart @ani-st @creammpuff @lunastarjay @kittycasie @poisoned-candy-apples @zannivrs @b0bafl0wer @moonlightaangel @elsoleil

[nights-nonsensical-ramblings]

Damn it im trying to start a ramble but i cant really form anything much. (later note here, i managed it. I am so sorry for anyone thats come across this in the tags (they're there for my organisation), ive kinda made it a mess to put on any blog cuz of all the contradicting stuff) Like i've got "mmm i like Knuckles, he's best boy". But it feels like any headcanons or au ideas i could talk about are out of reach on my own. Again its like a fog, i know they're there but i just cant reach them. Subnautica 2 got a trailer and again its like i cant grab any thoughts on it. Like I love subnautica, never actually finished it, but i adore this game, its vibes its world the creatures

hmmm I just finished binge watching every single episode of Viva la Dirt League's bored series, did that over the last few days, saw its evolution and how stunningly high the production value got, how certain jokes were more/less common than i thought.

You know there's actually a reference to Baelin from their epic npc man series in one of my fics. In chapter 16 of 'No child should have to inherit a war' i have big say “morning, it’s a nice day for fishing, isn’t it?" a pretty close match to Baelin's "Morning! Nice day for fishing ain't it? Hua hah!" Alas no one ever got the reference. Okay, i got some Knuckles thoughts. Like in a generic fantasy rpg style world it would be so easy to put knux in a fighter/warrior/brawler type class. He likes to hit hard and get up in the heat of the fight. But i adore his more quiet moments so much. He likes to help out the animals of his islands, he's a protector who cares so much and is always jumping to help strangers, enemies and friends alike. (even if he still tries to play the stoic role) But what would be absolutely hilarious in my opinion is if he was an incredibly powerful sorcerer/mage/wizard. (in reference to how powerful he is due to the m.e connection) and he's hyped up as this powerful and dangerous magic user,

only for him to punch you in the face when you go to fight him.

Oh he'll use his magic (and m.e powers in canon also apply here) to look after the place he protects, but he's not a fan of using it in combat. Both cuz its not his style, he prefers a direct, get it done style and cuz he feels its not his place that his power is not to be used in an offensive manor.

and throw in some healing powers of course cuz i will forever love Knuckles as a healer who will tell you off for being stupid and will huff and deny he's worried. (Platonic tsunderes hold a place in my heart)

Cuz yeah, caring is a major part of who knuckles is.

And back to bored, cuz Knuckles being the type to care reminds me of Rowan (the character) being such an opposite and a terrible boss. Cuz man Ben and Rowan and SO good at playing hateable characters. Like Bens character in Bored is the culmination of all the most frustrating and OUTRAGEOUS customers. He does such a good job that i get excited when he plays a less punch able character.

Like Charles, sure he's a mugger, but he's literally just following his programming. But he's also one of the npcs whos kinda able to break out of it. (but is very easily reset).

hmmm the string of thought is kinda knotting up a bit. Like i got a little more about subnautica and how i really wanted to do a thing about Knuckles bonding with the sea emperor leviathan over being the last, but idk how to write the sea emperor so it hasn't really gotten anywhere. hmmm now what... I definitely want to keep rambling (its working and i feel better) but idk what to say now.

[nin-deer]

Ch 143

i mean i think we all knew deep down the kiss was gonna happen based on the flow of the story but i think this chap reveals a lot about gorou and sarina

(uh warning this got a little out of hand so its pretty long lmao)

so.

i dont think anyone's completely in the wrong, but i definitely don't think they're in the right either. (not that i condone incest; its just that their motivations led them to this specific point. would the story have been fine without it? hell yeah. please i actually prefer it that way. but this is the direction the author decided to take it, so we have to take it as it is as a point of learning more about the character's motivations)

Let's first analyze sarina and gorou's relationship pre-reincarnation. I think I covered this in my last post where I rambled about onk, but gorou is doing a doctor thing where he "accepts" sarina's proposal just to make her happy. We learn in this new chapter that he basically catered to her every request, and that's what started that infatuation. we know from previous chapters that her bio family's shitty, so the only place she would get this love is from gorou. we also learn in this chapter that it's not actually a romantic love but a fanatic love, for lack of better terms. she sees him as her idol. does sarina even know what it feels to be romantically in love with someone? she spent her whole first life in a hospital, isolated from others her age. she spent her second life very curated and protected because of her mom and her future career; she couldn't really live a normal life. (we'll get back to this point later) all she knows about love is through her idols, so she's channeling it into (what she thinks is) romantic love for gorou.

gorou, on the other side of this, is an actual adult who had an actual life before all this, so he knows what a normal life is like. assuming sarina is one of his first patients, its obvious to see that he got attached, which is a very risky situation for scenarios like this. we see this attachment made her death worse, as he threw himself into following Ai to cope for her death. not gonna go too in depth about this here because, again, i made another post for this that i'll probably link at the end bc im referencing it more than i thought... continuing! he knows sarina doesnt have long left so he wants to do what he can for her, thus creating that "idol" persona sarina has for him.

we see in his regret in this new chap that he actually knows what he's doing and is aware of the consequences of his actions. ruby doesn't. she doesn't regret anything. as someone who reads a lot of isekai/reincarnation stories, its easy to joke that ruby and aqua are their old age + their new age, but that isn't necessarily true for ruby. sure, aqua is old and this could apply to him. but ruby? she didn't make it past 18 before she died. she's like,,, 13 times 2. double 13. she never fully developed in her first life, and she's developing in this current life. it's like a continue from where she left off. aqua actually was an adult, so he has all the knowledge and wisdom of an adult. why does this matter? shift your attention back to the concept of love for a bit. aqua knows what she's doing is bad and is trying to stop her, but the knowledge that she's sarina is making him automatically succumb to her wishes. a part of his brain, because of the trauma, still sees ruby as the sickly sarina he was caring for.

ruby is naïve. she doesnt know what love is. all the love she's ever been exposed to is whatever she saw online: idols. i dont even think she fully knows what the concept of family is. aqua is her brother? nope. aqua is the doctor she proposed to and now she has a chance to follow through like all the shows she's seen. she's closer than ever to him, so why give up the chance? even as ruby, she wasn't exposed to a lot of normalcy because of idol culture. she isn't able to learn about the difference between platonic love and fanatic love. we even see this with ai, who she sees more as an idol than her mom. the joy is in her idol being her mom, someone who's supposed to care for her. it's like shes living a fantasy made just for her. because aqua was so obsessed w revenge, he didn't have the chance to teach her anything, and it's not like he needed to learn bc he already knows. ruby doesn't.

aqua, as the one who understands these nuances, should have sat her down and explained things, but he didn't because of the trauma of sarina. ruby is ignorant and is treating things like a tv drama, now that her dreams as sarina can finally become true. aqua doesn't realize how serious ruby is about this because in his mind this is just a child playing house. ruby is like,,,, imagine you die and you wake up actually being sold to one direction. or whatever happens to you in your fav self-insert scenario/fanfic. idk a better analogy lmao but its like finally being able to play out your fantasies irl. she doesn't realize the real world impacts of her actions because, frankly, she doesn't care. she gets to live out her life as she wants. aqua was shocked after the first kiss with ruby because he realized then she was being serious, but he didn't speak out about it because, again, the trauma™. (we see him again uncomfy with the whole situation in the next page, but his lack of objection could be bc it's a scene in the documentary and he finds it more important to get revenge rn) ruby kissed him then because she purposefully created the mood like that so it would fit in the story she was writing in her mind.

so what does this mean? because of their shared pasts, aqua and ruby are put in this situation where ruby can do what she wants and aqua goes along with it. even if he knows its morally wrong, he can't bring himself to break ruby's immersion in all of this. BUT. big but. aqua shouldn't act like this. they're both capable of living out their lives as normal (barring the revenge and the whole idol stuff). he doesn't need to act like this anymore; ruby's not terminally ill. he's not a doctor. what he should have done was firmly deny her stuff he knows is wrong because then he can educate her about the reason why. as much as their personalities are inspired by their past lives, sarina and gorou are dead. they need to move on and live a aqua and ruby. (Harsh, I know, but because of this scenes like *gestures vaguely to the newest two chapters* happens. if aqua stood his ground and taught ruby about familial love and that what she's feeling is probably not romantic, i think this could have been avoided. but alas, we need it for the ~drama~)

-

sorry that went on way longer than i thought lmao. i think i covered everything i wanted to say but im too lazy to read back so fingers crossed

if you made it this far and are curious about the other post i mentioned in the beginning, its here. i just think its some context to my thought process but not necessary to understand this post

[wasyago]

Is the recks au dead?

recks au is that one corpse i keep in my basement that me and friends reanimate every month or so in secret. every time someone asks where recks au is i say "ohh they're okay they've just been really sick lately, but the doctors say they're gonna be fine soon... no, you can't see them it's very contagious, im sorry". obviously there's no doctors. it's been two years. the recks au i know is very different from what people remember it to be, no one actually knows who it is now, everyone misses the person that doesn't exist anymore...

jokes aside!

it's insane to me that people still remember recks au, and that new people keep finding it somehow even if no one mentions it anymore. it's not even the masterpost in the pinned, no one looks at that thing. like, you guys have no idea how much there actually is to recks au, you've only seen a very small portion of it. and yet you keep asking and you keep returning. that's crazy

i wouldn't say recks au is dead, i still think about it often and i still want to do stuff for it. but, just like with everything else, i want to but i don't do it. i dont know why really. i want recks au to be so much more, i want it be great i want it to be interesting i want everything i do for it to be top quality, and maybe because of that I've put too much pressure on myself for no real reason. not sure. it'd be better if i just kept doing little bits at a time and post about it every so often instead of just abandoning it.

the main bottleneck is "scar's story", a small comic series that was supposed to introduce scar into the au and tell about his past and introduce big worldbuilding elements, etc. i got all the way to the last "chapter", planned it all out and then never finished it.

and instead of moving on and finishing it some other day, and maybe focusing on other characters in the meantime, i decided that actually! no! im gonna stop posting about recks au entirely until i finish that comic! smart. once again, lots of unneeded pressure. why? I DON'T KNOW 😭

should i just forget about that comic and start posting now? better late than never? yes, probably. am i going to do that? mngnmhmmhgmhhmg.....

(recks au is centered around s8 of hermitcraft, and it's season 10 now!!!!! that's insane that it's been so long. should i really post about it now? is it too late? should i really do something for s8 when there's new stuff and new concepts to be made? am i playing into the consumption movement thinking that everything i do should be new and relevant and if i post about old stuff im outdated and missing the opportunity? why do i even care about all that????? 😭😭😭😭)

people have been mentioning recks scar a lot recently, mostly because of the charity stream bc he was a little robot on wheels (just like in recks au wow crazy!!!!!!!!!!!), and i do have a drawing of him done that i could post.................... and there's nothing stopping me except myself............................................ auggghh

[lindisworld]

Close || Matt Murdock x Reader

Summary - Soulmate Au! In which [Name] has Daredevil as a soulmate and Matt unwillingly wants [Name] in his life. However Fate does its job and always brings them together.

Chapter five.

It was currently 8 pm at night, her coffee shop closed an hour ago. After she left Nelson and Murdock, [Name] stopped at her cafe and sent her staff home early, leaving the cleaning up part for herself. A routine she got fairly use to due to a certain male coming in.

“Frank, this is getting quite odd.” [Name] states as she slid a hot black coffee cup towards him. “You can always come during normal business hours. Instead of coming before or after opening and closing time.” 

“You kickin’ me outta here, boss?” Frank chuckles and sips on his cup. The bitterness of it hitting his tastebuds. “A man needs his cup of coffee before he does his work.” He adds with a smirk. 

“No, all im saying is you’re acting like a vampire. Can’t be seen by the light if not you’ll be burned. You’re an open guy, you hiding something?” [Name] asks. Ever since she had that one incident where her hearing was gone, Frank came a couple days later to see how she was. Frank explicitly told her that this doesn’t mean they have a friendship or anything like it. He’s a very blunt person, always speaking his mind, never sugarcoating anything.

Yet, it’s been a couple of weeks since the incident, Frank’s been there when [Name] comes early morning to start her preparations for the day and comes late after closing when she’s cleaning up by herself. She didn’t know how he knew when she comes, but she never questioned it. It’s not that he cared for his appearance in open space, but he’s made enough enemies to create chaos where he goes publicly. Frank would hate if his favorite coffee shop would get caught in the midst of a fight. 

“I ain’t hidin’ nothin’, gotta ask the right questions and you’ll get the answers.” Frank said, his eyes looking at the tv screen that’s in the corner of the shop. [Name] scoffs in amusement and rolls her eyes. 

“Alrighty, what’s your last name? I need to place a tab for you at my shop. You haven’t paid a single coffee ever since you started coming. There’s a ton of Franks that come here,” [Name] states, “I need to know which Frank I gotta charge.” She said sarcastically. 

“Castle. I ain’t robbin’ ya though, you refuse every time I gotta pay.” Frank retorted.  

“Yeah cause you always come beat up, this time you blamed the Devilman for the injury. You might be lying.” [Name] explains, “Came here with that bloody cut of yours. You’re glad I fixed the stitching on that nasty wound, it probably won’t scar.” 

”Cause it’s true, believe me or not. You know I don’t lie.” Frank responds, shrugging his shoulders. “Would you believe if I said I’m the one person that everyone is talkin’ about?” 

“The Punisher? You gotta be joking.” [Name] laughs and shakes her head in disbelief, why would Frank be The Punisher? It’s not that she would judge, but she felt a twinge of fear in her. She read articles that vividly described the brutal and merciless ways the people were killed. She realized she only knew a small portion of Frank, she didn’t know the extent of his abilities.  

Frank let slip out that he served in the military a few day ago, completely dismissing [Name] whenever she asked or gave little to none information. It was a subject he didn’t want talk about yet. [Name] turns to Frank whose face is stoic, his lips in a straight line. His expression never faltered for a second. He was serious.

“[Name], I shouldn’t have told you but I figured it’s better hearing it from me than the media anytime soon.” 

“Frank Castle is The Punisher. You think they’ll give me a money reward if I turn you in?” [Name] jokes, wishing it would ease the tension in the air. Frank hums in amusement, “Thought you’d kick me outta here and tell me to never come back.” He said honestly. 

“You ain’t leaving until you pay all your debts with me.” [Name] responds, she took a moment before speaking again, “I don’t know if this’ll reassure you but I won’t tell anyone or turn you in.” She spoke softly. Frank nods in appreciation, uttering a small ‘thanks’ as he finishes the coffee. 

“Thanks for the free coffee, it might be awhile till you see me again. I gotta take care of some things.” Frank said. 

“Take care Frank, be safe.” [Name] pulled Frank into an immediate embrace that took him by surprise. The few seconds of shock washed away as he returned the hug, allowing his arms to wrap around [Name]. 

“You too, also here.” Frank pulled away and placed a cold metal on her hand, her fingers grabbing onto the handle of the gun. “In case of any trouble, you’ll have this to protect yourself.” 

“Frank, I don’t think you know but i’m always carrying.” [Name] laughs as she grabbed her purse from the counter, opening it enough for Frank to see the weapon. Frank chuckles at the sight, placing a hand on her shoulder, “Attagirl, I knew you were something special.” He walked behind the counter that led to the back. 

“I’ll see you later, Castle.” [Name] said as Frank walked away from her and towards the back exit of the building. [Name] watched his retreating form, she then placed the gun in a nearby safe spot where it was hidden but easily accessible. 

She walked towards the back door, Frank no where in sight. [Name] proceeded to lock the doors and called it a night. Knowing Frank was The Punisher didn’t set in until she reached her car. Her heart thumping against her chest, her fingers became clammy as she tried to ignite her car. It was a big secret to know. Especially with how many people were dead and probably more to come, reporters and citizens were calling him a terrorist. [Name] wouldn’t know what to do if anyone were to come find out that she knew who he was all along. 

 

Multiple dead bodies were spread around the carousel, except for one person left alive. Matt walks towards the merry go round, the sounds of grunts coming from a guy who attempts to crawl away. Once he turned around, he was faced with Daredevil who dragged up against the carousel. Rory immediately withdrew his weapon, a couple of rounds hitting the ceiling. Matt snapped his wrist into a L bent position, the sounds of bones snapping uncomfortably resulting a pained hiss from Rory and dropping the gun in that second.

”Who did this?” 

“People you shouldn’t mess with.” Rory said. 

“I got all night and you’re bleeding out,” Matt told Rory, his hand still holding Rory’s wrist in a tight hold. “Go to hell!” Rory spat. Matt twisted his wrist in another direction that shouldn’t be humanly possible, a yell of pain left Rory’s mouth. It seemed like he wasn’t gonna get the answer he needed. 

“It doesn’t matter anyway, as long as we’re done with him. He’ll be good as dead. We’ll get that bitch from the cafe he’s been seeing next.” Rory chuckled, blood running down his mouth. 

Matt gripped onto his wrist tighter than he had been, it couldn’t have been a coincidence that the person he’s talking about is [Name]. “Who’s the girl?” He asked, police sirens were ringing in his ears, he didn’t have much time to talk so he needed to do this quick. 

“[Name]. Stupid bitch is gonna get what’s coming.” Rory wanted to continue to talk but was interrupted by his pain. Matt slammed him against the ride, his hands gripping Rory’s stained shirt, his head hitting the merry go round.

“When are they coming for her?”

”When Frank’s dead.” Rory let out another laugh, “unless they already got her and she’s dead.” He said in amusement. Matt grabbed his other wrist and twisted it, a wail of agony echoed through the park. 

Matt was able to get Frank’s location a few minutes later, injuring Rory more than he intended. Anger coursed through his veins, a hint of worry seeping through too. [Name] was in every corner of his life ever since they met. It was hard to stay away. Now that Karen and her are friends and apparently Frank too.

Matt arrived at the place and got through the group of men with ease, knocking each of them out, using his baton as help. Gunshots were heard from another room, no doubt Frank killing them. 

“You were there. Who killed my family?” Matt heard Frank ask as he took a swing on a guy who came running up to him. “Who cares! We’ll get [Name] next!” Matt landed a kick against the attacker’s chest before knocking him unconscious. 

“What’d you say?!” Frank pressed the shotgun against his head, his finger itching to pull the trigger. “I said she’ll be good as dead by tonight.” Finn replied with a smug expression. 

“That’s not happening on my watch.” The shotgun echoed through the room, Matt ran closer to where Frank was. Two guys were leaning against the wall, avoiding shots that Frank was shooting. 

“One batch, two batch.” Frank bows his head and breathes in, “ Penny and dime.” The rhyme he always says before doing his work.

Matt threw his baton, knocking the guy off his feet and taking the other guy down by surprise. Matt grabbed his batons off the floor, “They’re gonna pay for this.” Frank states, struggling to stand but his adrenaline keeps pumping through him. 

“[Name] has my gun, she’ll use it if she has to.” Frank said, it was more of reassuring himself that she’s safe. “Fuck. I didn’t mean to bring her into this.” He adds, the urge to eliminate them intensified every passing minute. Couple of men came barging into the room, without hesitation both men sprang into action. Their bodies dropping unconscious to the floor. Each time Frank attempted to end their life, the weapon flew out of his hand. Matt was restricting him from doing it, reminding him of the importance of justice over revenge.

[nadvs]

I treat ur whole page like d daily newspaper i swear HAHAAHAH THANK U FOR GIVING US WAL I LOVE IT SO MUCH. We love uuu

In d previous chapters i always think “wow it would be so difficult to top this” but u do it everytime AAAA

Im so excited for ur future works n its inspiring me to get back to writing (i wanna write rafe but cmon do we need another rafe writer when we have YOU AHAHAHAH)

Mwah thats all hehehe i hope d writing gods give u d writing juice to create MORE juicy rafe fics!!!

I ADORE YOU 🥺 thank you so much for reading and supporting the series 💘

right up there with being told that i exceeded expectations with an ending is being told that each chapter is getting better than the last, no joke 😭 such a meaningful compliment, thank you!! i love love love to hear that readers enjoy how i’m building onto a story 🥹

the world can NEVER have enough rafe fics so PLEASE write if you feel inspired to!! i know it’d be great 🥰 every writer brings something special!!

thank you so so so much, angel. i’m looking forward to creating lots more series and one-shots about our favorite boy 🤭

[not-poignant]

hi pia i just wanted to respond to what you said in your tags about the burnout w chronic illness. and i dont mean to condescend or blame but i think your burnout came about because you are an absolute beast of a writer!!!!! the amount of words you were pushing out consistently had me wondering what kind of spell you must’ve been on. (in a good way, except it turned out to be harming you) you worked really really hard for a long time, i think harder than many healthy people even (my chronic illness could never). i know you also enjoyed writing (we enjoyed it too!), but that workload honestly never looked sustainable. the astounding part is not that you burned out, but that you managed to push for so long, despite your handicaps and hardships. want to be careful not to sound like im praising/blaming you. but you’re really just build different than a lot of folks. i hope you had time to recharge so far and keep taking it easy. i do miss your updates but i can assure you im fine waiting, as are your other readers! its really okay! get better soon 💐🐀💓

Hi anon,

This is very kind of you to say, but tbh, I don't think many people know how much some writers can, well, write.

I might seem like an over-achiever, but there are writers out there who easily write around 6000-10000 words per day, and release a book per month. I have met successful authors who aim for 150k or 200k at NaNo, because 50,000 words is 5 days of work to them.

It's hard for me to comprehend, because I know I can't do that. But likewise, I think many folks don't realise that I actually used to write a lot more than I do now!! For some years it was normal for me to write 50-80,000 words every single month. NaNo was a joke. That caused burnout, and so I adjusted down to a 25,000 minimum monthly wordcount which sometimes felt so easy that it was absurd. I now have a maximum which I have to adhere to per month (50k), because it's too easy to go past it.

For me, writing is relatively easy. It's still work, yes. I still need to put time into it. But I don't need to put in the same amount of time as someone who hasn't done it for thousands and thousands of hours. I don't need to put in the same amount of time as someone who can only touch type at 80 wpm, when I touch type at 120-150 wpm.

The amount of stories is an issue, and the number of chapter updates is an issue, but the actual output re: words themselves really isn't. In fact I've written more words this month than I did last month already, and will very likely hit my monthly minimum with the next chapter.

The things that contributed to my burnout are multifaceted. Getting a puppy. A death in the family. Not having access to the mental health drugs I need to function for a long period of time. Friendship disintegration. These things can cause burnout in anyone, even if they are working very sustainably, because they all require separate labour on top of the labour that someone is doing for their job.

When I come back from hiatus, I will not be writing less. I don't believe the wordcount is the issue and haven't for a long time. I will be scheduling out less chapters, because admin is overwhelming to me. If you told me that my job wasn't writing anymore, but I had to schedule + figure out when to post twice as many chapters, I'd fail, lmao.

So I will be addressing admin stuff! But the amount of words I was pushing out, anon, was completely sustainable, and in fact a highly reduced number compared to what I was pushing out 6/7 years ago. Anon, I have been pushing out this many words or more for 5 years without stopping until now. It's felt comfortable. It's been so much less than what I used to make myself write.

So yeah, again, it can be hard for people who don't do this professionally to imagine writing at this level. And all professionals are different. I couldn't write 150k for NaNoWriMo, but the people writing 100k a month find that extremely easy to do. How I feel about their output - that it's impossible (because it is for me) is not how they feel about their output. For them writing 50k a month to make it easy might be extremely laughable to them, like, 5 days of work and then they get 25 days off. That's sometimes how I've felt about 25k (though it's more like 10 days of work to me - which is great, because I have chronic illness lol, so I need a lot of rest days and periods).

The amount of words I was pushing out consistently will be the amount I go back to because that is truly the most sustainable part of my job. I don't expect folks who haven't plugged in as many hours into writing, and who haven't written millions of words to understand, but the fact is the more you do something, the faster you get at it. The more practice you have, the more competent you become.

That was actually how I knew the burnout was so bad, because the easiest part of my job - the words + the writing - was impossible last month, and I only ended up with 14k for the first time in 5 years, and had to make a call.

The reason the hiatus is so frustrating is that so much of it is being caused by external factors, and not actually the job itself. Like yes, I am working on too many stories, and I can address that, but I was actually doing much higher wordcounts when I was working on less stories.

It's all the extra stuff that becomes very overwhelming! But I'll get there anon, and my wordcounts aren't going anywhere.

[saintarmand]

Is armand really that obsessed and in love with lestat like the fandom claims i haven't read the books but i get the feeling that he hates him

the fandom DEFINITELY exaggerates it but it's not at all a baseless claim either. but you're right that he does hate him too lol

obligatory disclaimer i've only read books 1-6 in full (stuck on chapter 2 of merrick still) and seen some out of context quotes from later books

without going into specifics their relationship started by armand fucking over lestat who then fucked him over right back (while also mocking him) and armand kinda lost everything and decided that the person(s) responsible should fix it by becoming his everything. because that's what happened LAST time armand lost everything. and they both realize how much they have in common and they're both attracted to each other but lestat gets Bad Vibes so he says thanks but no thanks. but then later he's like hmm maybe armand freaks me out so much because i actually could love him TOO MUCH. scary... and every time armand falls in love he goes intense obsession mode (which lestat also tends to do ofc) and getting rejected by someone who was clearly tempted made it so the whole thing rears its head again every time armand doesn't have someone else. such as louis who is worth a million atrocities they both know this.

to summarize the Vibe they have a mutual love hate thing going on like they've done awful things to each other but also forgive each other but also don't forget but also care deeply about each other but also find each other so fucking annoying. the love is mutual but bc lestat is repulsed by both their similarities and their differences, he doesn't want to actually spend much time around armand. whereas armand wants lestat as his companion because of those similarities and differences. i saw a post once saying they're basically "recognition of the self through the other (derogatory) and (affectionate)" and i think that's a great way to put it. and they're able to forgive each other to an insane level because they recognize that in the same position they would've done the same thing. to me that's kinda the core of their relationship

but yeah there's a lot of baggage so they just end up fighting every time they meet except sometimes lestat is like omg hi armand hiiiiii 😄🥰 and armand is like omg hi 😳🥰🙄

oh and also armand seems to be the only one consistently willing to acknowledge out loud that lestat is a fucking idiot. but also kinda looks up to him in some ways. and lestat thinks armand is pathetic and a child even though armand is older by several hundred years. basically this:

and lestat is kinda marius's "favorite" (or rather just the one he actually respects) even though armand is the only one he actually kinda "raised" (yuck) and lestat is the one who never fucking does as he's told (probably actually all crucial to the respect thing.) so this also contributes to a deep resentment once armand finds out which is valid as hell like who wouldn't go insane like that's his ex-loverfather (die marius die) and lestat is just some guy marius met and decided to like and trust. but im getting off track

basically as always it's much more complicated than the fandom jokes make it out to be and like almost everything in these damn books it's a fascinating relationship that's very underwritten and has the potential to be explored better in the show...

tl;dr it's like this:

[speakofthedebbie]

you (read: i) asked so you shall recieve: radioapple fic recs august 2024 update!!

the following are the ones from the last post w/some minor changes (think: misspellings and even more osas praising) (sorry for the re-tags!!):

Bedtime Rituals to Try out Before the Next Angelic War by @miribalis

just yes. thousand times yes. so basically my boy luci has some sleep troubles and that somehow leads to a qpr with al look its been a while ok just read it

Managerial Liberties by the same fella

these two tags explain it pretty well

something that sticks out to me about this is that charlie is actually (reasonably) cold to adam and like. im actually surprised with how little ive seen that. i mean i dont think id be exactly buddy-buddy with my besties killer either. only 4 chaps as of writing but already looking to be a radioapple classic. has the same vibe as bedtime rituals, but it is NOT a sequel

devils don't fly (don't expect me not to fall) by @corgiss

also just yes. basically a really not cool joke evolves into a blossoming romance because why wouldnt it. (man if i had a nickel for every radioapple fic that had a masquerade that was sabotaged by the vees- *gets shot bc i cant mention osas yet*)

i’ll hold you close (i’ll stay the course) by the same fella

the entire time i was just going "yas king! put that egotistical flatscreen in his place!!". basically luci reminds the overlords who he is and vox shows he can be more of a threat than he lets on.

ykw fuck it just the entire series (i didnt mention i would give anything to not give a shit (but i do) and my perfect rock bottom (my beautiful trauma) because the first one sounded a lil too angsty and ive gotten enough of that from other sources [pointedly glares at Quietly, It Slips Through Your Fingers, Love {also coming up later!}] and the second is (mostly) smut

Of Saints and Sinners by the forever amazing @morningstarwrites!! (if you see this i have a serious question: is this your first time ever writing a fic? because how do you get so much right the first time- [not even beginners luck could explain this level of skill])

if youre even half the radioapple fanatic i am and havent read this, literally what are you doing?? i could sing its praises until my death bed but ill hold off so i can explain whats happening. basically after burning down a meeting room several times, luci and al make a deal ("not a deal!", luci laments to the void): they will attempt to be civil and maybe even friendly, with some daily compliments sprinkled along the way, and by the end luci will owe al a favour. whats the favour? read it yourself dammit! seriously, 10/10, i foam at the mouth every friday

Quietly, It Slips Through Your Fingers, Love by Starlit_Rainfall (no tumblr in sight, so AO3) (i. urgfgh. what happened. i was just smiling over the fluff while crossing to go to school. where did it go. where did it gooooo)

if thats anything to go by, the last few chapters have been rough. the fluff feels so far away that i cant even explain what happens. luci was waxing poetic about swimming in maple syrup for al, i remember that much. lilith is particularly an asshole even tho we havent seen her yet (or maybe we have. idr, mightve chatted with al) also emily is there (fallen) and has a lil smth to do with als and liliths deal. if you read it, warning for the gut punch of angst that starts chap 32 "She/Her" (though the chapter before that, "Should Alastor Know By Now?" ends pretty rough too)

Freely We Serve by @romanaxe

i dont remember how i managed to stumble upon this but im having a great time. basically alastor is a new sinner fresh in hell (but time doesnt matter and the whole cast is still here) and thinks "what better way to gain power than be the personal assistant of the heartbroken king of hell!" features a 6-7 (rosies words) year old charlie and a morally dubious lilith (also i loved eepy al X3)

A Family Forged in Hellfire by Green_Ghostwriter (once again, no Tumblr, so AO3)

this ones a bit newer (10 chaps), is so far mostly exposition and the slowburn pot hasnt even been put on the stove, but as just a hazbin fic in general i see the potential. basically its a 1920s(30s?) au where heaven decides little charlie doesnt deserve to be raised in hell and is sent to earth with a "foster" family where her actions in life will determine witch realm she will return to after death. her "parents", al and mimzy, are given false memories so they can claim the girl as their own and gee i wasnt kidding when i said it was a lot of exposition. erm honestly explaining anymore would tech be spoiling so go read it!!

The Red Thread That Binds Us by @scun-gilli

{{future me prefacing this by saying i have no idea where i was going with yesterdays thought process, all you need to know from it was im on chapter 27. also scungilli your comment is making me very worried 😟 well theres no mcd tag so im sure itll fine, right? RIGHT, SCUNGILLI??}}

basically its a king x kings guard au where al and luci grow up together and only grow closer after a. certain life event for al (its fine guys trust :)) [she said, like a liar]) then al is sent off for royal guard training school (ik its not called that i forgor 😭) but dw he comes back. just watch out for graphic depictions of injuries (i think thats this fic) angst and a sneaky eve bc radioapple fics are allergic to happiness (or maybe im not looking hard enough lol) (also im really tempted to make the friendship bracelets they had 👀)

somewhere down the line by kj_crwm (AO3 link)

this one starts off as human!alastor/lucifer but by the middle(?) its just regular radioapple. basically al is encountered by luci while finishing off a job who agrees to keep quiet. luci just keeps on showing up, reveals hes the devil to which al us just like "lol ok" and eventually they get in a relationship (ooh lala 👀) but they break up after saying some hurtful things to each other (oh nono 👀) with luci promising al they will never cross paths again. if you watched the show then well. you know that doesnt happen 😂 most human!al radioapple have al summon him (no hate to them) so this was an interesting change of pace

new recs below!! ↓↓

Alastor and Lucifer do whatever the Hell this is (series) by Vagabond_Sloth (personally asked, no Tumblr, but they might make one 👀)

i know this is radioapple fic rec post but... *cough* Husk and Angel do a Romance for some soft huskerdust *cough* anyway- basically, a perplexing flower arrangement leads to a blossoming something between the resident radio demon and king of hell. seriously, its some good shit, and the author is really nice!

A Compliment A Day by @decembercamiecherries

spinning this around in my head at all times

basically, a classic "charlie makes al and luci compliment each other as a bonding excessive" but it does not disappoint (check out her other three radioapple fics too)

a lovely night (lalaland is that you??) and pancakes, small talk by @mirotic_chess (X Twitter account)

in a lovely night they do a lil dancey dancey and in pancakes, small talk luci makes some pancakes!!

Sin and Sentiment and Time On My Hands by demon_fawn (supposed Tumblr leads to a dead end)

oh my god future debs here and i am so fucking tired of doing these descriptions but. um. the plot for sin and sentiment def seems very interesting and time on my hands is an incomplete (but good!) attempt at radioapple week. hmm not sure if they still post bc the most recent update was july 12th

honestly just every radioapple fic by @otoshigo (i think ive read all but Forbidden Fruit of the Poisonous Tree)

if you look underneath the little island that is radioapple, on god otoshigo is one of the creators holding it up. all 19 (yes, 19. we eatin good tonight [excluding forbidden fruit]) of their radioapple fics are fantastic, buuut if i had to recommend anything specific: A Guide to the Care and Maintenance of the King of Hell (fuck count furfur!) and The Devil's Trip to the Big Apple

not to continue the trend, but basically anything by @thief-of-eggs (even the singular huskerdust) but personal recommendations: Trust and Hair Pets and Let Me Be Your Shelter (sickfics 🔛🔝)

idk if youll catch me doing the descriptions for these anymore shit was exhausting

tagging time!!!! (i want to end it all)

[omg-im-such-a-masochist]

The Beginning Of The End Series

Summary: You were once a “honeybee”, now you’re simply a “bunny”. Can an alliance and friendship still last after one’s former lover became the current lover of another?

Pairings: ELP x Reader x Jay White

Warnings: +18

Editor: @thenightmareismyreality

Tag: @theworldofotps , @writtingrose , @aerynscrichton , @daddyhausen , @melissahausen , @unoficialy-married-to-ace-austin , @sophiewolfheart-blog , @sultryfandoms , @new-zealand-chic , @crowleysqueenofhell , @thealliasylum , @legit9thlunaticwarrior , @baysexuality , @josiewrites , @seeingstarks , @irish-newzealand-idian-dutch , @whenimakeitshine1234 , @moxkindagirl , @sunshinevirus , @im-just-a-mississippi-girl , @pleasantpastels

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

When I found myself alone in the hotel room that afternoon it all hit me like a brick wall. I had barely gotten to Japan and I already felt exhausted, my body ached, my heart was heavy but my mind was racing. After Riley showed me the text he received after I slept last night, I had no doubt that Jay had also gotten one.

I thought of every possibility I could find but still none of them made sense. Riley made a comment in the morning about how he thinks that Jay is behind all of this but in my heart I knew better than that.

Still I found myself here, in front of his hotel room, knocking on his door so I could talk to him about the texts and do the one thing I promised myself I would never do: willingly come after Jay.

Jay had finished pulling his sweatpants up his hips when someone knocked on his door. Frowning at the unsolicited visit at this time of the afternoon, Jay finished squeezing the excess water from his hair with a towel and tossed the damp fabric on top of his bed.

Choosing to look for a clean t-shirt later, he opened the door dressed just in his sweatpants, with his damp hair sticking to his chest.

“Yeah?” He asked before opening the door widely. His voice was completely lost, words were unable to form on his tongue, heart beating fast with both surprise and happiness, his mind nothing more than a white canvas.

“Can I talk to you for a minute, please?”

Jay’s body reacted as if on autopilot, he nodded in confirmation and stepped aside so you could come into his room. It all felt like a dream, a dream painted in watercolors, with soft lines but vibrant colors, so soothing and breathtaking.

“Are you really here? I’m not dreaming, am I?” His hand cupped your cheek, calloused thumb caressing your soft skin, gray eyes sparkling with fulfillment and disbelief.

“Jay, please” Your hands closed around his wrist, slowly pulling his burning touch away from your face.

It took Jay a few seconds to regain his composure but once he felt somewhat in control of his body again he smiled sadly “I’m sorry, I don’t know what took over me” Jay’s eyes focused on your face, and as he felt himself starting to drown in your eyes again he spoke “Anyway, would you like to sit down?” He pointed towards the messy bed before taking a spot on top of the fumbled sheets but you only shook your head in return “No, thank you”

“How can I help you?”

Your eyes momentarily darted to the floor, as a way to ground yourself to whatever answer he might give you. “Jay” You refocused your gaze on his gray eyes. Eyes that were never able to lie to you, even when his mouth did. “I’m gonna ask you something, but I need you to be dead honest with me”.

The urgency in your voice had Jay’s heart tightening with worry, “Honeybee, you’re scaring me”

“Promise me, Jay”

“I promise” He quickly replied “What happened?”

“Did you send me or Riley any kind of text messages from an unknown number?”

“No. Why would I sen-” The words died on Jay’s lips as the memories from last night hit him, “I got a text last night from an unknown number too. They asked what would I do to get you back, and at first I thought it was a joke because what kind of weirdo would send someone a message at 3 am-”

“You were awake at 3 am?”

“Yeah, I had a nightmare and woke up a little after 3:30, why?”

This was one of the things that always frightened you when you were together, the synchrony. Unexplainable synchronized occurrences: dreams, nightmares, pains, thoughts, sicknesses, feelings…it was all tied together by a silver string that somehow managed to connect you and Jay even when you were thousands of miles away from each other. Synchrony that apparently had never died, even though your relationship did.

It only took a glance at his direction for Jay to understand what had happened.

“You had a nightmare and woke up at the same time too” He said in a whisper “What was yours about?”

“You, me and Riley. At a dirt crossroad and…blood” You sighed heavily “A lot of blood. Yours?”

“Charlie, you and I. Then eventually Lisa” Jay felt his mouth starting to taste bitter after speaking the last name. “Charlie was…he was our son…yours and mine. We lived in our old apartment and we were lying on the couch, you were breastfeeding him and had your back against my chest, I was twirling your hair with my fingers and we were talking about taking Charlie to the park when someone knocked on the door. It was Lisa, she took him away from us, and started screaming at the top of her lungs that he was her child not ours. Just hers” Jay felt the same shiver running down his spine again “And, ummm…you were-”

The loud knocking had both yours and Jay’s heart beating frantically with fright.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were expecting someone” You quickly apologized

Jay’s eyebrows frowned, as he bolted from the bed “But I’m not” He walked the small distance between the bed and door.

His hand closed around the doorknob and once his eyes spotted the person standing in the hallway his frown got deeper as he spat “You? What the fuck are you doing here?!”

There was something bothering Riley ever since you told him you were going to ask Jay about the text messages. A lingering, burning feeling had settled in his chest and gave no indications of leaving anytime soon. Similar to an irritated patch of skin that one continues to incessantly scratch, causing the burning sensation to grow and spread throughout the uncontaminated flesh, this feeling of anger and worthlessness was taking over Riley’s rational side to a point where he stopped his workout just so he could go back to your room.

*If she wanted to stay with him, she would never have left him in the first place! And if she wanted to cheat on me with him, she wouldn’t have been honest with me and said she would go there and talk to him. Just think about it, if she had anything to hide she wouldn’t be so upfront and honest about her actions* Riley thought to himself as he pressed the button to the 7th floor.

“She loves me, she’s with me, she loves me” He repeated to himself like a mantra, until the elevator doors opened and the screaming coming from Jay’s room made Riley whisper “Bunny”, and so, he ran towards the direction of the deafening screams.

“What the fuck are you doing in my man’s room, bitch?” Lisa screamed. She took quick steps towards you before Jay closed his grip around her arm, roughly pulling her back. “Respect her!” Jay warned, he stepped in front of Lisa, blocking her view of you as you stood behind him. “Where’s my son?”

“With Keiko. I told her I was coming so she came and picked him up so I could stay with you alone for a bit” Lisa purred, eyelashes batting at Jay as her hands caressed his bare chest .

Jay pushed her hands away from his body with a grunt “What the fuck are you doing here?”

“I missed you!”

“I didn’t say you could come here, Lisa!”

“I didn’t know I needed your permission!” She huffed loudly, closing her arms in front of her chest as she asked “Why are you putting on a show, Jay? Why do you want to pretend that our relationship sucks? Is it because of her?”

“Pretend it sucks?” Jay laughed, sarcasm dripping from every word “It does suck, Lisa. As a matter of fact our relationship is a fucking disgrace! A never-ending torture!”

“Jay, please” You pleaded, trying to put some sense into his mind.

You, more than anyone, knew how harsh Jay’s words could be. They’re cold and sharp like a dagger that sinks deeper into your heart after every sentence. When Jay wants, he manages to be the most hurtful, cold and mean person anyone could ever know.

“Honeybee, trust me when I say she deserves every word” Jay’s voice was cold and distant. He kept his deadly gaze fixed on Lisa, so you tried once again.

“She’s the mother of your child, Jay. Choose your words wisely, please”

“Stay out of it, bitch!” Lisa spat at you “What makes you think you can get in between Jay and I? I don’t need your intervention nor your fucking help!” She took a step to the right so she could look at you “If you think that I’ll let you take him away from me, you don’t know me at all. You’ll never have him back!”

“I don’t want him back, Lisa”

“No? What the fuck are you doing here then? You're the one to blame, you know? For everything! I don’t get it, I truly don’t get it, what do you have that’s so charming and attractive that every fucking man seems to be obsessed with you? You have Riley now, don’t you? You love him, no? So why don’t you let him obsess over you and stop running after my fiancé?!

“I don’t run after Jay, Lisa. But it would be pointless to explain anything to you because you’re so focused on your own obsession and fantasy that you refuse to see anything remotely different from your own perceptions. As for Riley, please refrain yourself from bringing him into your mess. Our relationship will never be like yours nor will he ever treat me the way Jay treats you and you know why? Because I would never allow a man to treat me so poorly. But I guess people are right when they say that others treat you the way you treat yourself, so I don’t expect any less coming from you” You closed the distance between you and her until you stopped mere inches away from her face.

“You want Jay? Keep him, he’s all yours. But I’ll tell you this only once: keep my relationship and Riley’s name out of your mouth. I do love Riley, although my feelings don't concern you, but don’t you ever make the mistake of blaming me or Riley as the cause for your unhappiness. If you don’t have what it takes to maintain a somewhat normal relationship with someone who deeply despises you, you and Jay are the only ones to blame” You calmly replied before your gaze traveled to the pair of blue eyes standing by the door.

The urgency to defend you gradually turned into admiration and finally an unexplainable lust. Riley had listened to the whole argument and decided to intervene right after Lisa began to spit bitter words at you. But when Riley listened to the “I don’t want him back, Lisa” coming out of your mouth when the other woman accused you of wanting Jay back, Riley instantly froze in place.

Those words poured over him like a bucket of ice water, catching him by surprise before they woke him up to the reality of the one thing he wanted to hear the most: that you don’t want Jay anymore. Your follow up response to Lisa and the way you defended Riley and your relationship made Riley’s cock grow painfully hard.

He once heard his best friend talking about the emotional boners he would get with his wife, like the need to protect her when she felt sad or even when she cried, or the instant hard on he would get when she did something incredibly courageous or protective of him or someone she loved and the action flooded his heart with admiration.

“Those are the ‘love boners’, man. The real ones. When you get one of those with a chick, that’s when you know she’s the woman of your life”,was what his best friend had said to him once on a winter night at their favorite bar in Ontario. At the time, Riley thought this was complete bullshit, I mean how the fuck can you get a boner not from being turned on but from your feelings alone?

However, he understood how now. Because of you he understands how a man can have a true ‘love boner’.

When your eyes met him in that silently deep stare that only you possess, the one that can see directly into his soul, Riley was absolutely certain that the small velvet box he had hidden inside of his bag was the best spent money of his life.

[msookyspooky]

OH. MY. GOD.

i just finished terrible trilogy AND OH MY GOD set me up, sequels suck and terrible trilogy are SO FUCKING GOOD???? you got me hooked on every fucking word !! a fanfic has NEVER done that to me before !! i had to literally drag myself away from my computer and stop myself from clicking on the next chapter because i had things to do !! i mean hell my exams start a few days from now and for the last couple of days all i could think about was ur fic !! couldnt do anything other than read it and have it consume my brain!! i have so many thoughts and so many more things to say about this but ill have to wait till my exams are over and when they are rest assured i will be making a huge post about all of it !!! when i finished terrible trilogy i had to stop myself from starting four’s a franchise!!! i just i cant ur writing is so SO SO good it makes me go insane !!! and the way ur reader is so realistic!! like still emotional and a wreck but still strong, badass and strong-willed !! shes stronger than me FOR SURE cause after stu being a wet sad dog in the last chapter of terrible trilogy i wouldve taken him in but that’s probably why shes the final girl and im not

okay enough rambling i need to save my thoughts for that one huge post ill be making after exams

AAWWW STAHP YOU ARE SO SWEET FOR WRITING THIS OUT 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤 I HAD THE BIGGEST SMILE WHILE READING THIS JUST-

OMFG ILY SM FOR WRITING THIS BC I NEED IT. LIKE, I PHYSICALLY NEED TO HEAR I DID A GOOD JOB BC I AM REALLY STRUGGLING WITH THESE LAST 2 OR 3 CHAPTERS OF FOURS A FRANCHISE BEFORE 5 GETS STARTED 😭😭😭🥺💘💝😤

I cannot!!! I'm so appreciative you like my writing because right now the dialog in the latest chapter of faf isn't hitting and I'm about to post it anyways so thank you for the lil confidence boost 💘🥺

Terrible Trilogy I wrote in both the worst and best year of my life idk how to describe it and looking back chapters really reflect that bc how YN felt at times, that hopelessness, is how I felt. Yet at times the way they all were joking and reminiscing on a happier time was also a mood in 22-23 when I wrote it.

But fr YN's emotional state was easy for me to write but irl I would've either gave up sooner or fell for Stu's manipulative ass ways! 🥲😃 Like, you love me??? Well that changes everything! C'mere pathetic wet dog boy you have a home now. (The dog bites and killed the neighbors 💖)

I hope your exams go well!! And when you do read Fours a Franchise I hope it's worth it it's angst filled but I promise you all 5 gets much better with a time skip 😭🖤