#fic: Champions Aren't Born

[merlinfromberlin]

I would LOVE to make fanart for your fics, are most of them just Tf Prime designs???

Oh, wow. Okay. That's ksdjfksajdflkjdsafl incredibly cool. I feel so honoured, thank you. <3

Yes, most of my fics just use the TF Prime designs, but there's a few exceptions:

Make You Feel Alright (universe): everything is TF Prime designs, but Bee has antennae similar to those he has in the Bumblebee movie;

Champions Aren't Born: this was initially a TFP prequel, but now no longer is - so, it is no longer associated with any specific continuity and its designs, but Bee still has doorwings;

A Little Left of Right: mostly TFP designs, but a lot of my Shattered Glass designs deviate from the official Shattered Glass designs/colour schemes;

Nooks & Crevices: not associated with any specific continuity, but I believe Bee is mentioned to have horns;

[hexhomos]

I don't know if you've written about this before, but I saw that you wrote a bit about Jayce's potential origins in Arcane. I was wondering if you wrote anything similar about Viktor anywhere, or what you headcanon his heritage to be? I know he was originally Evil Russian and is now vaguely Czech. Arcane leaves it extremely untouched, but I always thought it was implied his parents were immigrants based on the unique accent (not typical for Zaun or Piltover which basically means not American/UK based), and the fact that he even has an accent where Jayce doesn't (even though Ximena does). Viktor is such a narratively isolated character in Arcane that it's hard to rationalize him having a large interpersonal community in Zaun, which makes me doubt he belonged to like a specific cultural enclave, but I don't really know.

I vaguely implied his mother comes from Bilgewater in my catafalque fic i think, but that isnt a "country" so much as an island that got turned into an universal pirate all-purpose hub in the middle of the sea. Viktor’s deal is that he's inextricable from Zaun (as one of the establishing champions of that region, defining look and theme for so much that came later) but he's very much penned as an Outsider, alienated, etc. He was born here but he doesn't fully Assimilate, his disability and his accent detaching him from standards of normalcy.

My solution to this general conundrum is that his family originates from Somewhere Beyond. The continents and regions currently displayed in the league worldmap aren't the "entirety" of the world, just what the lore has explored so far. There are other places behind the dark spots of the map that we haven't seen yet! One big example of this being the birthplace of Nilah, the yet-unrevealed Kathkan region, which takes inspiration from south & southeast asia. (Nilah is specifically drawing from India, iirc.)

Here's what im talking about, taken from the Ruined King book:

See how the land keeps going off the side? There's more we haven't seen!

This map is also some centuries outdated, which is why you see Zaun's pre-colonization name (Oshra Va'Zaun) and some pieces of land that have since nuked themselves out of existence (Camavor has gone through a life-extinction event known as the Ruination, and records of its existence stopped circulating.)

In my head, somewhere beyond that border is where Viktor’s family came from, but since they were fishermen (remember Zaun is a harbor town) they eventually end up as part of Bilgewater's regular population, until his mother settles down inside Zaun, where Viktor is born. ta-da! The finer details and lorebuilding are up to the viewer, take your pick.

[rustedhearts]

✶ series/collections ✶

✶ the king of the ring

the story of middleweight boxing champion steve ‘the king of the ring’ harrington, and you: his librarian girlfriend.

✶ severed lamb

set in 1981 georgia, severed lamb follows the mysterious arrival of a handsome new pastor, who takes a special interest in you.

✶ raise hell

set in nascar hot spot talladega, alabama in the mid 90s: midwest-born nascar driver steve harrington has a crush on you, a small town waitress just trying to make ends meet. you can’t ignore his charm for long.

✶ scholar stud

set at the fictional tillman university in indiana, 1988: handsome, rich, and obnoxiously perfect, steve harrington is the scholarly stud of every tillman girl’s dreams. too bad he’s only got eyes for you.

✶ the only living boy in indiana

you grew up together in indiana on the cusp on the vietnam war. you saw each other through elementary, then middle, then high school, and now classes passing as college. you went your whole life knowing steve would be right by your side. what you didn't expect was to fall in love with him along the way.

✶ christmas carols

a collection of christmas fics for various steves.

✶ the sinner

set in the early 2000s in the rural midwest, the sinner series follows steve harrington and his rapid decline into crime, paranoia, and sin.

✶ short series/collections ✶

♡ everytime (part one)

though you broke up with steve months ago, the pair of you can't seem to stay away from each other.

♡ every corner (part two)

it's been 7 months since you said goodbye to steve. most exes that fell out of love move on and never speak. but you never really fell out of love, did you?

✶ just friends (part one)

you and steve have been just friends for years now. but how long can you convince everyone you're 'just friends' before it becomes a lie? or steve harrington is your super hot roommate and everyone thinks it's stupid you guys aren't dating yet.

✶ just friends (again) (part two)

you’ve convinced everyone around you that you and steve are just friends. now you just have to convince yourself—but it proves difficult when steve finally admits how he feels.

☆ i want your things in my room (part one)

fratboy!steve loves to keep you waiting, and you love the chase

☆ somebody told me (part two)

steve has made it very clear that he doesn’t want you. but he doesn’t want anyone else to have you either.

✶ 'tis autumn (collection)

autumnal and halloween themed fics

✶ stand-alones/one shots ✶

♡ melancholy

autumns with steve were distinctly blue and melancholy.

❆ last christmas

the return to your hometown for the holidays comes with the many ghosts of christmas pasts—including your ex-fiance, steve.

♡ my funny valentine

the hand-written evidence of an affair between high school sweethearts, displaced and reunited after war.

✶ blurbs ✶

✶ disclaimer: i don’t do tag lists. ✶

[elementaldoughnut12]

"Loved To Infinity"

*This involves mpreg and crying*

*This is for @thlayli-ra and @afterdarkprincess cause I know they love my babygirl Drew fics*

Drew woke up from the sunlight shining through the window and to the sound of the humidifier. He felt around the bed and it was cold on both sides. Realizing his husbands aren't in the bed with him, he turns around and looks at the clock on the nightstand. He whines when he sees it's nine o'clock in the morning and neither Seth nor Sami had decided to wake him up when they did. His disappointment disappears when he feels a tiny kick in his stomach.

A smile spreads across his face and he lets out a small giggle as he gently rubs his bump. “You're awake too huh?” he says, receiving a kick in response. He giggles even more as he rubs his baby bump in small circles. “Let's get up and go scold your daddies for leaving mommy alone” Drew says with a smile as he turns off the humidifier. As he goes to sit up he feels a twinge in his lower back and he automatically puts his hand there to relax it. “Ok Drew, deep breaths just like every other day” he says as he takes deep breaths. He continues to take deep breaths until the pain subsides.

He sighs in relief and slowly gets off the bed still with a smile on his face. He looks down and blushes immensely when he realizes he's completely naked. “They do this to me everytime” he says with a quiet laugh as he feels two rapid kicks. “Alright alright little one! You're not even born yet but you already like looking in the mirror just like your daddy” he says with a smile as he rubs his stomach to calm the baby down. Ignoring the slight pain from his swollen feet, he walks over to the vanity in front of the bed and smiles wide with a blush on his face…

When he found out he was pregnant, he knew his body was gonna change everyday but it always still surprises him. He's still just as strong and muscular like he always was but his muscles were padded all over with thick and soft layers of fat. The iron muscles that once bulged out of his skin were now hidden away, insulated and hugged by softness. His pecs have gotten bigger and softer with the areola turning a dark brownish color. He even started leaking milk a week ago and it made his tits more sensitive.

His arms and legs were thick and sturdy with his thighs being the softest part of his body. His ass, which was already big, grew even thicker and both his husbands love to put their hands all over it. Even his hair grew longer and stretched to his mid back. He currently has a bed head so it's fluffy all over. What's changed the most was his belly which is currently measured at eight and a half inches. All over his sides and the underside of his belly were tiny pink stretch marks. “Battle scars”, Sami and Seth affectionately called them.

He thought he was hairy before but he looks like he has a carpet glued all across his body since he's been pregnant. His body hair has been growing darker and in thicker tufts. He tried to shave but his husbands automatically confiscated his razors and told him they like him fuzzy and soft. They even started calling him “Mama Bear” because of it and that never fails to make Drew blush. He brought his hand up to his face, previously defined by hard edges, was now round and soft and easily covered by his thick beard. Drew never felt more beautiful…

He never thought getting pregnant would've saved his life. The night Damian cashed in on him and took the belt, Drew wanted to just crawl into a hole and die. All he wanted was to be a champion again and have the recognition he deserved but it all got ruined by CM Punk. He was in a fetal position and crying his eyes out when Seth and Sami found him. They took him back to the hotel, calmed him down and fucked him like he deserved the world. Couple weeks later he found out he was pregnant and the three never felt happier.

His mom always told him “the lord wouldn't have given you a challenge if he knew you wouldn't overcome it” and he took that to heart. Despite the aches and immense changes to his body, he knew it was worth it to know he's carrying a child for the two men he loved more than anything. He felt a little kick as a signal that he was taking a bit too long. “Impatient too? Now I know you're my daughter” he says with a quiet laugh as he looks for some clothes to put on. He realizes that being five months pregnant means that most of his clothes would probably be a bit too tight.

“Come on, there's gotta be something in here…” he mumbled to himself as he rummaged around in the dresser drawer. He smiles when he pulls out a pair of plaid pajamas that look a bit big. He first puts on a pair of soft cotton underwear and is a bit embarrassed when he realizes they are a bit too small and nestle between his cheeks a bit. “Hope it doesn't turn into a thong when I walk” he says bashfully. Next he puts on the top and whimpers a bit when the soft fabric brushes against his sensitive nipples.

Over the course of his pregnancy, Drew's sex drive has been going haywire. The slightest touch against his nipples makes him hot and bothered. He refuses to give in to his urges cause he's afraid he'll harm the baby in some way. Seth and Sami tell him that it won't harm their unborn daughter in any way but Drew isn't taking any chances. He takes a deep breath, ignores the pleasurable sensation and puts on the matching shorts. Lastly, he puts on his favorite pair of blue fuzzy wool socks that his husbands got him for Christmas.

He looks at himself in the mirror one last time and feels tears form in his eyes. The pajamas fit him perfectly and show off his thick thighs and full cleavage. It especially showed off his belly that holds his little girl inside. “I can't wait for you to be here” Drew says softly as he wipes the tears from his eyes. He gently rubs his belly and was deep in thought until he felt two rapid kicks.

“Alright alright sweetheart! Let's go have them at our mercy! Watch mommy, my little warrior!” Drew says happily and receives a little kick in return. He crosses his arms, puts on his best pouting face and walks out the room. He enters the living room and sees Seth on the couch scrolling on his phone while Sami is in the kitchen based on the frying sounds he hears in there. “Hmmph!” Drew says dramatically, catching Seth's attention.

“Morning princess! What's wrong?” Seth asks curiously, making Drew glare at him. “Why didn't you two wake me up when you woke up?” Drew asks sadly as he feels tears form in his eyes again. Well, Drew didn't expect his hormones to screw him over but he can't stop it now. “We thought you needed to sleep in and you never liked waking up early anyway” Seth says truthfully.

“You could've at least stayed with me until I woke up! You left me alone! Even worse is that you upset the baby!” Drew says through tears. “How do you know she's upset sweetheart?” Seth asks curiously as he puts his phone down. “I'm not talking about her! I'm talking about me!” Drew says as he starts sobbing. “Oh baby, come here” Seth says gently as he opens his arms for an embrace. Drew walks over and sits in Seth's lap and lays his head on Seth's chest.

“Why did you both leave me alone?” Drew says through tears. “Princess, I'm so sorry that you had to wake up alone but we wanted to surprise you! Plus you technically weren't alone cause you had our little girl with you!” Seth says gently as he rubs Drew's bump. “You got a surprise for me?” Drew asks curiously as he wipes his tears. “Of course sweetheart! That's why we woke up early” Seth explains, smiling when he feels a little kick from Drew's belly. “Is that why you two stripped me naked?” Drew asks with a giggle, causing Seth to blush.

“We always thought you looked beautiful when you had nothing on especially when you're pregnant” Seth says truthfully as Drew sits up. “You know I would've modeled nude for you two if ya just asked” Drew says sweetly as he leans towards Seth. “Are you trying to get under my skin princess?” Seth asks with a smirk. “Maybe I am or maybe I'm doing it because our little girl kept kicking me cause she likes looking in the mirror like you do” Drew says causing Seth to laugh.

“You can't blame me that our baby wants to be fabulous like one of her daddies” Seth says as he leans in and kisses Drew. Drew wraps his arms around Seth's neck as he properly straddles his husband. He lets out a little whimper when Seth grabs at his ass. “Seth, you know I can't…” Drew says with a whine as they depart. “I'm not pressuring you to do anything, all I want is to give my beautiful pregnant wife some affection” Seth says as he gives Drew a quick kiss.

“I love you so much” Drew says with a blush. “I love you too princess” Seth says as he gently caresses Drew's bump. “Can I finally come out now Seth or are you still distracting him?” Sami asks playfully, catching both of his husbands' attention. “Sami!” Drew says happily, quickly sitting up and suffocating Seth with his chest in the process. “Morning princess! How was your sleep?” Sami asks as he kisses Drew and sets the covered dish on the coffee table.

“I would say good if you two didn't leave me!” Drew says with a pout. “We wanted to surprise you! Also I think you're crushing Seth with your chest” Sami says worryingly. “Oops! Sorry Sethie!” Drew apologies as he lifts his chest off Seth. “I thought I went to heaven for a minute… it was beautiful” Seth says happily, causing both his husbands to laugh. “You ain't dying until I say you can! Anyways, what's on the table?” Drew asks curiously while looking at the table.

“Oh right! Well, we know you've been having a little bit of a rough time while pregnant so we thought we could make you something to make you feel better!” Sami says enthusiastically as he lifts the metal cover off, causing Drew to gasp in shock. Under the cover were drop scones which were Drew's absolute favorite. “My favorite! Wait, did you make them or did Seth?” Drew asks worryingly, causing Seth to gasp. “I'm not a bad cook!” Seth argues back. “Sethie… you burnt cereal before” Drew says truthfully.

“Whatever, I guess I'll just leave” Seth says dramatically, causing Drew to grab him. “No! Don't leave please! I'm sorry!” Drew says as he hugs Seth tight. “I'm kidding princess! I would never do that to you!” Seth says with a laugh, causing Drew to pout. “Asshole! Now you gotta keep holding me while Sami feeds me” Drew says seriously as he turns around to face Sami. “With pleasure princess” Seth says with a laugh as he grabs onto Drew's hips to keep him in place.

“You ready princess?” Sami asks curiously as he grabs a scone off the tray. Drew responds by closing his eyes and opening his mouth. Drew moans a bit when he chews on the scone and was surprised to find it was chocolate filled! “Such a pretty girl” Sami says quietly as he continues feeding Drew the scones. “Most prettiest girl we've ever seen” Seth says quietly as well. Drew feels himself blush as his husbands give him compliments and the cold feeling of their wedding bands feels nice on his belly.

“That's all of them sweetheart” Sami says, which causes Drew to whine. “Really? Guess our little angel was hungry” Drew says with a yawn. “I'm so excited for her to come out” Sami says happily. “She's gonna be loved so much” Seth says as they both feel tiny kicks against their palms. “I think it's time for a surprise of my own” Drew says sweetly as Seth and Sami give him confused looks.

“Seraphina Angelina McIntyre is gonna be her name” Drew says proudly as he rests his hands on top of his husbands. “That's so beautiful! I love it!” Sami says as he hugs Drew. “Just what we need! Another person in this family whose name starts with the letter “S”” Seth says as he hugs Drew as well. “I love you guys so much” Drew says quietly with a blush. “We love you to infinity” his husbands say in unison as they kiss his bump and then kiss Drew on his face. Drew can't wait for their daughter to be loved just as much as he is.

[witchboyjimin]

❤️👻🎁

❤️ What is your favorite line that you’ve written in a fic?

i don't think i have a favourite line the same way i don't have a favourite fic. there's always lines i'm really proud of in every fic and i always tend to love the last fic i wrote the most haha but! here is a line i wrote a long time ago that i do rly love:

"He’s born at twilight, on the cusp of night and day, a slow ache. He feels it in his chest, an emptiness following him around like a lost boy looking for home." - from i was born knowing you

and from a fic that will be posted after the zine is released: "Jimin has always treated his feelings for Jeongguk a little like an adult playing peek-a-boo with a child. If Jimin covered up and hid the enormous, pulsing desire writhing inside of himself, it obviously wasn’t there. If he never gave the way Jeongguk made his belly swoop, the apples of his cheeks burning, tongue tied, a name, then it wasn’t real. If Jimin fell, and kept falling, then he would never land."

granted these aren't single lines so forgive me but sometimes you need the build up for the line to land the way you want it to.

👻 What is your wildest headcanon?

that jeongguk will find a way to get jimin pregnant. he will defy biology. if anyone could, it would be jaykay

🎁 Have a piece of a WIP you want to share?

this is the opening scene to the kmss fic i was going to write (but i had to drop out of the fest due to work and a myriad of personal life things happening). it's a fantasy isekai au that is kind of a romcom but also there are near death experiences:

Jeongguk dies on a weekday.

It all feels rather mundane now -- he’d been heading home from university, the streets of Seoul busy and lively as they always were, the sound of little kids screaming and laughing mixing in with the sound of traffic.

He was 24 and in his last year of university, his greatest accomplishment to date being that he’d made it to Champion Rank in Overwatch after many years of being cursed out by his mother for not focusing on school more. Eventually, he’d moved on to other games and well. It’s actually kind of sad that he’s died already because he’d almost beaten Elden Ring after months of getting his ass handed to him and now he was dead and everyone would know that he didn’t even beat it. How was he going to live this down?

Right.

He stares up at the ceiling of what he thinks is the afterlife -- surprising to see that the afterlife has a ceiling. Jeongguk had always thought everything would just be like, grey and amorphous or something. Why did the afterlife need a ceiling?

Also, why did the afterlife feel so painful? 

His back is killing him and his chest feels like someone’s hit him with a car. That part may be because Jeongguk died after being hit by a car but he’s pretty sure he’d been hit -- oh, wait.

He did get hit in the chest. 

Well, he got hit all over because he’d been crouched down trying to save a stupid little kid from getting smashed into and punted through the air. He wonders, fleetingly, if the kid survived.

All in all, Jeongguk can’t recommend the experience.

He coughs, a puff of green smoke escaping him, and Jeongguk blinks, wheezing as he attempts to suck in a single breath despite how shrivelled up his lungs feel. If he’s being honest, this feels far worse than just getting hit by a car although he doesn’t have a wealth of experience with such a thing so maybe he shouldn’t come to any conclusions.

Still, there’s a strange tingling feeling running through his body, mixed in with the dull throb that pulses through him everywhere.

Shouldn’t the afterlife be pain free?

“Are you alive?”

The voice comes from somewhere to Jeongguk’s left and despite asking after his wellness, sounds entirely uninterested in if he’s actually alive or not. If he had the energy he’d look over but as it stands, Jeongguk is still struggling to get that single breath in and he’s pretty sure his clothes are soaked through because they feel rather sticky. God, he hopes it’s not blood. Could he even be bleeding this much?

“Jeongguk!”

This is a different voice and definitely seems to care about him even if Jeongguk doesn’t recognize it. A head pops up in his field of vision, a shock of purple hair greeting him and wow, the afterlife was very strange. His mother’s not going to be happy about these “alternative” lifestylers when she gets here.

“She’s going to be so sad,” Jeongguk says, the words croaking out of him.

“Who’s going to be so sad?” the person hovering above Jeongguk asks, their eyes -- also purple, Jeongguk notes -- blinking in confusion. 

Jeongguk realises that the pain in his body has eased down into a bearable throb, mostly centered in his chest, and pushes himself up. The room spins for a moment, and Jeongguk has to squeeze his eyes shut lest he throw up. 

A hand is rubbing his back and the sticky sensation in his clothes disappears the longer he sits up. When Jeongguk does open his eyes, he finds that his clothes are suspiciously dry and very much not his own. Unless he’s forgotten when he purchased himself black robes and a frilly, ruffled dress shirt.

“I told you not to add the dragon’s blood until after the nectar of Spring’s Day,” the purple person says, waving a hand in front of Jeongguk’s face. “Should I get Hoseok?”

“He said the incantation wrong.” This is the first voice and with Jeongguk’s newly acquired alertness he looks over to the left and finds a black cat, paws curled in toward its chest, sitting in a windowsill.

“I did not,” Jeongguk argues, brows furrowing together. He’s not even sure where that came from but the cat looks at him like he’s the stupidest person on Earth -- it’s a kind of condescension Jeongguk could only aspire toward. 

Then his brain seems to catch him up on what’s just happened: he’s arguing with a cat. 

More specifically, he’s arguing with a talking cat.

“You’re a cat,” he says rather eloquently.

The cat, already deeply unimpressed, snorts -- could cats even do that? -- and curls up, head turning inwards so that it can stop looking at Jeongguk. He’s been dismissed.

“Ignore Yoongi,” the purple-haired person says, helping Jeongguk to his feet. He smiles at Jeongguk, twin dimples peeking out of his cheeks and through the fuzz in Jeongguk’s head, he notes that this man is terribly handsome and very well colour-coordinated. He must really love the colour purple because he’s wearing an indigo robe over his own frilly white, ruffled shirt along with a pair of matching pants. “He’s just angry his punishment still has several more years left.”

Who names a cat Yoongi? Jeongguk thinks, glancing around the room. He notes that the walls are made entirely of stone, curving inward into a perfect circle, and that there is a bubbling cauldron sitting in the center of the room, the walls lined with an assortment of jars, hanging herbs, more books than Jeongguk thinks could actually fit into this space, and God knows what else. 

He blinks, an eerie sense of recognition beginning to gnaw at him.

Jeongguk turns his head back toward the man in the room with him. It takes him about half a second to realise that this person looks terribly familiar and not in the, oh, did we go to high school together kind of way but in the aren’t you a character in a boy’s love webnovel I dedicated the last year of my life to kind of way.

Jeongguk’s eyes widen.

“Oh shit.”

[derpyfangirl]

So I almost forgot to show off my trainer in Pokemon Scarlet!

You all have seen the awesome art @k-chips did for me, but imma post it again alongside general screens screenshots of her:

Trainer Profile: Samantha Weiss

Age: 17

Nationality: Unovan

Favorite Subject: History, Art, and Biology

Team: Tuesday (Meowscarada), Leliana (Corviknight), N (Zoroark, smaller than usual), Loid (Sylveon), Alder (Volcarona)/Cullen (Pyroar), Riley (Lucario), Koraidon, Zorua (Shiny Zorua)

Born in Unova, cousins with White, Unova’s Champion and who is off searching for N (and who is rumored to be missing). Isn’t a big fan of battling, at least battling other trainers. Prefers exploring/ finding new Pokemon/ picnicking. Wants to be a Pokemon professor someday and aims to complete her pokedex. Her hero is Laventon, the creator of the first pokedex. Fiercely protective of her friends, has a soft spot for Arven. A bean, smol bean.

Totally is in love with him lol

Team Personalities:

Tuesday: Samantha’s starter and one of her aces. A girl. Curious and nurturing. The older sister/mom of the team. Friends with Mabosstiff, originally grooming and laying with them while they were still recovering

Leliana: Named for a video game character. A glutton. Bit of a clutz. Loves shiny things; often chases Gimeghouls around

N: unusually small for a Zoroark. Mischievous and tends to pull tricks. Very protective of Samantha, and gets jealous easily. BFFS with Leliana. Often butts heads with Riley

Loid: Named for a character from an anime. A bit spoiled. Samantha’s other ace. Rather serious. Koraidon fears him, even if Loid could care less about him. Likes Arven.

Alder: A cuddlebug (lol). Used to sit on Samantha’s head as a Larvesta, and still does despite being bigger than her. Named for the former Champion of Unova. Thinks he’s smaller than he really is. Talkative and cheerful

Cullen: Named for a character in a video game. Samantha found him being bullied as a Litleo being bullied by a group of Gastly. Tends to wait and study a foe before attacking. Scared of Ghost types. Loves little kids and Deerling- has befriended several wild and owned Deerling.

Riley: Stern and serious. Rarely speaks. The peacemaker of the group. Often butts heads with N.

Koraidon: Sammich lover. Dislikes battle, so Samantha never forces him to battle. Scared of Loid, even though the Fairy-Type could care less. (In the AI!Clavell AU: Technically Clavell’s, but he requested she keep Koraidon for the time being.)

Zorua: A shiny Zorua Samantha found rummaging through her bag one day. A baby, having assumedly only hatched earlier the same day he met Samantha, he doesn’t battle. Refuses to return to his Pokeball and enjoys traveling around in her arms or in her bag. Jealous of Arven and a bit judgemental of him.

Does she alternate Alder and Cullen? Yes. Do Zorua and Koraidon exceed the limit of 6 Pokémon? Also yes, but I imagine you can keep more if they aren't used in battle- Zorua is a literally baby while Kor isn't a battler and prefers zooming around lol

Is her team (and by extension mine) named for Pokémon and Dragon Age characters besides Tuesday, who is named for my cat? Yes and you can't make me change them this is the first time I fully named a team (my first Riolu/Lucario in every game is always named Riley after he gave us the Riolu egg, one of my favorite (if not favorite) Pokémon movie is Lucario and the Mystery of Mew, (and I may or may not still have a crush on Riley and Sir Aaron since I was little), so he is always named as such but everyone else is a new naming thing I decided to do apparently lol)

She'll be showing up in my Scarlet/Violet fics (WHEN I FINALLY START WRITING THEM 🥲)/drabbles/the occasional headcanon (so I can stop saying Player/MC) and in the AI!Clavell AU (again, when my lazy ass finds energy and motivation and inspiration QAQ)

Might make an old blog an ask blog for her, no idea yet.

Feel free to ask about her!

[lizhly-writes]

I wish you would write a fic where jmx meets yhs. I like yang haoshu.

man! what's the point of sending this ask anonymously! yang haoshu's never even made out of discord!

Ahem.

Right. So. "Yang Haoshu" is an alternate universe version of Chen Lihua, where she was the second-born child of the Yang family instead of Yang Haoran.

The way she meets Jiang Mingxi in this universe is virtually identical to how the original Yang Haoran meets Jiang Mingxi -- that is, as small children and almost immediately trying to beat the shit out of each other, because they're both very easily angered.

It's really not that different from 'canon', because truthfully, at that age, the original Yang Haoran and Yang Haoshu aren't that different. I could have written that out, swapped a few names, and then I would have a scene I could actually use in the not-cnovel as a pseudo flashback, or something.

Instead of doing that, though, I wrote an entirely self-indulgent and significantly easier to write weird crossover snippet that I can't use anywhere else but this ask.

Under the cut!

...

Yang Haoshu was a world-class champion at making Jiang Mingxi angry.  This was a skill she had mastered at a young age, when she had realized that fighting Jiang Mingxi – punching, kicking, clawing, biting – just didn’t work.  

Jiang Mingxi was bigger, stronger, faster, and she devoured the martial arts education their parents gave them with an enthusiasm that Yang Haoshu couldn’t come close to matching.  There was no way around it; in a fair fight, Yang Haoshu would always lose.

Still, there were other ways of fighting.  As the saying goes, “sticks and stones may hurt my bones, but words–” 

Words had never hurt Yang Haoshu.  

Oh, she got angry, sure, but hurt?  Not at all.  And as she got older, the anger had mellowed out into irritation into annoyance into, perhaps, mild amusement. For all of the things Jiang Mingxi was good at, she could not rival Yang Haoshu in this.  This was ultimately the key difference between them: Yang Haoshu could keep her temper.  Jiang Mingxi could not.

And thus, when it came to words, Yang Haoshu always won.

Naturally, Yang Haoshu endeavored to win as much as possible.  And she did!  It was probably a little mean of her, but at this point, she was very good at it – even the right sort of smile was enough to send Jiang Mingxi into a barely restrained rage.

…This one, though.

“Hmm,” Yang Haoshu said, tilting her head at the Jiang Mingxi in front of her.  “You’re more level-headed than mine.”

“What’s that supposed to mean,” said Jiang Mingxi.  The words were right, but Yang Haoshu’s Jiang Mingxi would have been grinding them out, nails digging into her palms and drawing blood.  This one, though, only narrowed her eyes.  No sign of any real anger in her at all.

How interesting.  

Yang Haoshu smiled brilliantly.  “Ah, I don’t mean anything bad!  I suppose I’m projecting some expectations on you.  You look so much like someone I know from home, after all.  A childhood friend of mine!  I always called her Ming-jie –”

“Don’t call me that,” Jiang Mingxi said immediately.

Well, Ming-jie always did hate it.

“Are we not close enough for that kind of thing?” Yang Haoshu said.  “I must look very familiar to you, too.  Does she not call you that?”

“It doesn’t matter if she does or if it doesn’t,” Jiang Mingxi said.  “It doesn’t have anything to do with you.”

“It could be argued it does, at least a little. After all–”

They were the same person.  This Jiang Mingxi’s Yang Haoshu – more than family, more than genetics, more than what science could ever hope to achieve, they were really, truly, the same person.  

“Doesn’t matter,” Jiang Mingxi said shortly.

“Is that all you have to say?”

Jiang Mingxi was like this at home, too.  Fiction, fantasies, philosophy, theology – none of them, no matter how well written, well-made, ever caught her attention more than sheer brute force and violence.

“None of this interests you at all, huh?” Yang Haoshu said.

How boring.

“Did I say that?” Jiang Mingxi said irritably.  “You sound just like – no.”

Yang Haoshu perked up.  “I sound like…?”

Jiang Mingxi exhaled, hand going up to her temples.  “It doesn’t matter.  Nothing about you, and your counterpart here – that relationship isn’t there.”

“...Pardon?”

“It’s experiences who make people what they are,” Jiang Mingxi said, turning abruptly.  “It’s those memories that shape a person’s drive, goals, personality.  If those memories aren’t there anymore, you can’t say that they’re the same person.”

Yang Haoshu blinked.  

“I,” Jiang Mingxi enunciated slowly, “am not the person you know.  You aren’t anyone I know, either.”

In truth, this was the conclusion Yang Haoshu had been contemplating, despite the shit she was trying to feed this Jiang Mingxi.  But –

“You have actual, articulated thoughts about this?” she said, delighted.

“What’s that supposed to mean.”

“You’ve thought about this concept enough to immediately cleanly say this sort of thing?  You, of all people?”

“What’s that supposed to mean.”

[crackinglamb]

I'm late for Dragon Age Day (I'm sick, so I haven't been around), but in honor of it, here's some shameless self-promotion of the OC's of What a Wicked Game to Play.

Imogen McLean

Without her, there would be no fic. MGIT, lover and agent of Fen'Harel, reluctant badass. A physicist from Earth, transported via an experimental accident and in full possession of all the spoilers from the games, Imogen knows what she needs to do, but is Extremely Tired of doing it. She hates being a killer. She is disdainful of the Chantry as a cult and singular influence of the current political landscape. She does NOT like Orlesians. Armed with her foreknowledge, her smartphone and her determination to get a better ending, she's chugging along breaking canon all over the place and saving as many people as she can. Yes, including that damned Dread Wolf.

Eliana Hawke

The years have not been kind to the Champion of Kirkwall. She enters WG as a bitter, exhausted, terrified woman who is still grieving over Anders and everything that happened in Kirkwall. She copes with functional alcoholism. Imogen can relate. Their friendship helps smooth her edges, gets both of them in a healthier headspace and gives her the impetus she needs to finally go after what she always wanted: Varric.

Terisin Mahariel

The Hero of Ferelden didn't want to be here. He had his own agenda he was working on that was abruptly waylaid by a higher power. His secrets have secrets, and what he's going to do about them is still unknown. Still, he got to reunite with his son Kieran and repair his relationship with Morrigan after years of estrangement. He is a stoic, intense survivor of all Thedas has thrown at him. He would like some peace and quiet, thanks very much.

(He also became something of a thirst trap for my readers. Smol and mighty, he is my offering to the buff elf agenda.)

Dogmeat (Aju'ithanun)

A wolf inhabited by a spirit of Determination, now evolved into Hope. Aju'ithanun means to act with purpose, resolution and/or determination (crafted by me using Project Elvhen, yes I'm aware of the Problems). In day to day, he answers to Dogmeat, since in Cole's words: "To you it means devotion, trust and companionship. Franchise doesn't matter". He was a 'gift' from Wisdom, so that Imogen would have more help than just Pride at her side. He's very doggy, but he's also a stalwart companion and gives Imogen strength she didn't know she had. A Thedosian emotional support animal, if you will.

Honorable mentions:

Guardsman Meuric - a Fereldan born commoner who joined the Inquisition in Redcliffe. Serves as Imogen's door guard and often has the best gossip. He was supposed to be a one-off kind of character, but he's grown on me, and ended up having several appearances, including one during WEWH.

Amund Sky-Watcher - yeah, I know, he's a canon character. But I took what little we see of him in-game and expanded it exponentially. He has become a mentor and support to Imogen, and a love interest to Cassandra. He gave me a reason to bring Avvar lore into the fic early and was half the reason Imogen went to the Frostback Basin when she did.

Inassan of Clan Soran - a member of Hawen's clan. She went with Taven to the Emerald Knight's Tomb. Technically she's a canon character too (she's the one who tells you to keep your distance, or better yet, leave). She is a prickly woman, justifiably distrustful of shemlen, but a proud, adept warrior who is ultimately impressed with Imogen and her open-mindedness. They aren't friends, per se, but they are certainly not enemies. In writing her, I also gave the clan a name since one isn't mentioned in-game. Inassan uses a longbow in the fic, and gave me the headcannon that each clan has a specialty. Since the Dalish clans take their names from the Emeralds Knights, and Soran was an archer, it seemed fitting.

Malika 'Licker' Cadash - Varric's niece and heir. And daughter of Vera Cadash, who had been sent to the Conclave and died there. Mostly she serves as a bit of reality driving for Imogen, who makes the connection that if she had not interrupted Corypheus' ritual, someone else would have become Herald of Andraste. Making Malika Bartrand's illegitimate daughter, and thus Varric's only remaining blood relative, was just too fun to pass up. She shows up from time to time. Imogen does eventually get the story on the origin of 'Licker'.

Wisdom - anyone who's read the fic knows how much canon got yeeted here. She is equal parts maternal figure, mentor, friend and meddling in-law. Solas may be her closest friend, but Imogen is her beloved da'len, in all connotations of the word. Nothing more really needs to be said, I think.

[gemalawashomestuck]

Gem, I saw the fic ask and I can't read that much text but I wanna know 4: do you have any ocs?

This could be homestuck ocs or personal ocs for your original works, or even something for another fandom idrc I'm just curious

If you don't have any you can just talk about dirkjohn bc ik you like them (or choose your fav thing from the actual ask game lol)

BHey! Honestly that's funny because...I didn't read it all either, just saw a few interesting questions and reblogged, heh.

But regarding 4...yeah I do! I actually have some in Homestuck, some for other fandoms (Pokemon and Warriors) as well as some personal ones. Answers below the cut because I got into it!

In Homestuck, I've got quite a few adopts that I snagged because I...cannot draw. My ability to draw is actually godawful. I love weird unconventional things that aren't supported by canon and...it shows. Some of them include a little Doom-aligned Cherub who lives on Alternia and disguises himself as a bronzeblood, a mutant naga troll with scales and bright green blood, a winged goldblood with wings covered in eyes (she's so cool), a bronze librarian with a gun, and a rainbow blooded mutant who gets out of culling on a technicality because they have fuchsia blood. There are a bunch more too and I don't have them super fleshed out but I'm still happy to talk about them if y'all want to hear.

I've also got a Pokemon fanfiction sitting in my drafts that would be a full ten anime seasons long. Yeah that's not an exaggeration. The main OC is named Phoenix, and she's kind of a modification of the canon protagonist Hilda (though, her adventure actually starts in Kalos). She's a weird girl who fucking loves Pokemon battling and has too much of a stubborn streak for anybody's good. By the end of the story, she's a multi-regional Champion with an Arceus and a match in ability in the form of N, who's the Hero of Ideals to her Hero of Truth and they've got a...complicated relationship. You...may be able to tell that I think the concept of Mary Sues is stupid. All her Pokemon are also kind of OCs, due to the detail in their personalities - a favorite of mine is a very old transfem and aroace Ho-Oh who played a major role in the creation of the world and who she accidentally calls 'mom' at least twice.

My other major Pokemon AU, with a working title of Many Legends, also has a good few! The main protagonist is a young professor who specializes in Legendary Pokemon, which in this AU exist in multiples and can be caught by regular people (with a permit that's pretty hard to get, and some Legendaries require additional permits beyond the basic one). Her name is Professor Wisteria, and she's very chill but treats literal death gods like adorable kittens. Part of her job, especially since she's new in the field, is to check in on people who have Legendaries or are working towards permits, and to check in on wild Legendaries who live alongside humans or otherwise are amenable to being checked on. One of her very notable clients is a middle-aged farmer (he raises several Pokemon for things like milk and eggs, but also breeds starters for the local professor) who had to emergency start working towards a permit after discovering an Yveltal egg abandoned in his coop and, shortly after, having a young Mewtwo created in an unethical experiment show up at his doorstep asking for shelter. Because everyone who has a Yveltal is required to have a contact who has or is close to a Xerneas (or do so themselves) for safety reasons, he comes into contact with an older widower who keeps a Xerneas that's a family heirloom - it was born under the care of her great-grandmother, and will pass to her kids and grandkids when she passes away. She definitely encourages him to think about the far future, as Mewtwo only live a bit longer than humans do but Xerneas and Yveltal, like some others, can live for hundreds of years.

My Warriors OCs aren't much to write home about, unfortunately - there's a couple, and they're all hilariously overpowered (and fun). For my personal OCs...I tried to write a novel or several when I was in sixth grade, a dream I hope to revisit someday. Of course, they had their own cast of original characters - notably including a pair of genetically engineered lesbian generals named Lightning and Angel. They're fun :)

Because I feel like it, I'll also answer your other stuff - Dirkjohn is fucking awesome. It's a closeish second favorite ship for me, behind Johndave. I write...kind of a lot of them haha. I'm clearing quite a few drafts at the moment, but I have 70+ dirkjohn drafts even ignoring anything involving polyamory or splinters. My first ever ship fic was Dirkjohn! It's "Searching" on my AO3, it's definitely not my best work (again, first romance fic) but it was a lot of fun to write. Other people have written incredible analyses on dirkjohn and why it would work, but for me I read some fucking awesome dirkjohn fics and got hooked on the dynamic. One dirkjohn fic that I'm working on right now is based on a dream I had, where they (along with others) are stuck in a time loop, in which the world ends when they're both 23 and they live their whole lives over and over again. It's a getting-together fic and very cute despite the setting.

Just because, I'll answer a few other questions!

Hilariously, my answer to No. 1 (Which of your fics would you keep the basic plot of but rewrite completely?) is...Searching. Yep, the one I just mentioned. The basic premise is really good, but I think I made quite a few mistakes lol. The other one, that I didn't initially count because I'm literally already doing that, is We Live Again - I had a really ambitious set of ideas for it and accidentally wrote myself into a corner with the help of shoddy organization and a nearly nonexistent outline. So, I'm planning to come back to that one.

And 16, are oneshots underrated? HELL yes they are. I fucking love oneshots, they're the main thing I read rn and the main thing I'm writing! Not everything has to be a federal fucking issue lol, it's nice to just bang the keyboard for a while and make a cute little distilled plot, especially when it's for a punchline.

[merlinfromberlin]

aghagahsgah hi i saw the post about your ama and i am. i read Champions Aren't Born and hhhhough it makes me feel things. ik u likely have a plan but i just gotta know: do we get to meet whoever trained bee as a child soldier? also can we punch them

Hi.

Thanks so much for your question. I'm happy to hear you enjoyed Champions Aren't Born. ^^

Yes, we will get to meet Bee's commander and yes, you're more than allowed to punch them. You'll have to get in line, though, because Ratchet is calling dibs. And I think a few other Autobots are already starting to queue up behind him.

It will take a while to get there, though. I have a still relatively rough plan for a few big steps and important scenes in the story that we need to get to, first. Most of the story will be focused on Bee settling in with the bots and unlearning some of the vile brainwashing. Also, language and communication will be important. I also have the next four chapters planned out in a little more detail, I just need to sit down and write them already. ^^"

(I hope I can get to it in January, during my term break. I'd love to write it ealier, but probably won't be able to make it due to essay deadlines. ^^")

[geeneelee]

Arceus opinions. Gimmee.

THOUGHTS THOUGHTS THOUGHTS HERE WE GO

I 100% believe that the protagonist is the Sinnoh Champion, because it would make total sense for Arceus to entrust them with this, they look exactly the same (unless you choose otherwise lmao) and it just makes all the ironic differences between the ancestors and descendants crueler lmao

If you demonize Laventon in your fics, first of all WHY, second of all delete your fic

I don't respect Volo at all and I think he's motivated less by being some tragic backstory and more by a bloated sense of entitlement. I love that he's this bastard who takes advantage of a frightened teen and tries to destroy the universe because the it's not to his liking. I hope he never gets a redemption arc he sucks so bad I love it.

Relatedly, some Celestica people headcanons: The ancient hero was from the Celestica people, and he caught "Arceus" like the current protagonist after defeating it, which is why it loved among them for a while. Then, I dunno, the hero died or they did something fucked up because Arceus living among them gave them a power high and Arceus left. They couldn't handle it, and eventually most of them left to go find Arceus, and the remaining people couldn't keep it together for more than a few generations. Cogita and Volo were both born after Arceus left and are the only ones still remaining and became immortal somehow? not sure. Cogita was given the responsibility of one day helping the protagonist, while Volo felt cheated that he never got to meet Arceus and instead watched his people fall apart, and viewed everyone else in Hisui as stupid and unworthy for not even knowing who Arceus was, which is why he's fully ok with killing everyone and likes to toy with people (e.g. asking Ingo about his memory loss while knowing its his fault). I fully believe he's still on his shits to this day and may or may not have a fic idea related to that if i ever stop being afraid of writing documents lol.

Speaking of Ingo: he did not fall out of the sky! He canonically just appeared, and honestly I'm betting it was through a space-time distortion like a lot of the displaced Pokemon we see. I think the protag only fell from the sky because they were express delivery via Arceus instead of random fallout from reality tearing itself apart. Also I love Ingo sooooo much autistic king of my heart I want him to go home please let him go home. I think he's been there for a few years judging by how settled and familiar he seems, but man I think he wants to go home and he should go home, although I'm not sure if that'll happen in a DLC or not. (SIDE NOTE: it's too early to say whether there will be DLC or not it hasn't even been three months yet guys chill)

I don't forgive Kamado but I think he's an interesting, thoughtful character. He got off light but it's Pokemon. What can you do. Cyllene on the other hand deserves the world.

ALSO BENI. BENI WAS THE MOST GOBSMACKING REVEAL. HAS HE KILLED PEOPLE? HES A REAL NINJA.

Speaking of killing my slightly edgy headcanon is that it's Volo's fault that there aren't any noble pokemon or their ilk in modern Sinnoh because he drove them to extinction out of spite for having Arceus' favor.

I love Palina and Iscan they're so cute t4t romance right there.

Arezu is my funny little gal. I want to kiss her and let her do my hair please please please

Also Melli is the funniest bitch on the planet. BUT ADAMAAAAAAAAAAN. Pokemon sure knows how to make pathetic little men that are so funny

The Forces of Nature were so hard to catch they are my FUCKING enemies. Also I'm really bad at mass outbreaks because I get seen and then can't move because as soon as I get off my ass I get hit again and then I die.

The soundtrack is amazing but Pokemon games always have good music I love them

[merlinfromberlin]

All the ideas.

All the motivation.

But also all of the headaches.

And none of the energy.

Or time.

;-;

[merlinfromberlin]

Good news: My best friend called my notes for the epilogue of Champions Aren't Born very cute. Several times because I sent them in chunks. She is not into Transformers at all, all she knows is stuff I told her. So, I guess that means that it is universally cute.

Bad news: The notes are for the epilogue of Champions Aren't Born. So, it may take forever until you get to see what they are about.

[merlinfromberlin]

AMA about any of my fics!

Hi, my week's been absolutely, singularly terrible and is most likely only going to become more terrible in the next few days.

So, if you have any questions about any of my fics or wips or headcannons, please, please, please feel free to shoot me an ask about them.

I could really use any distraction right now.

Overview of Fics and WIPs below the cut because I have a long, long list of projects:

Fics:

A Little Left of Right

Champions Aren't Born

Dreaming of Home

Make You Feel Alright (+ companion fics!)

Nooks & Crevices

various oneshots

WIPs/Ideas:

Numb Little Bug (TFP rewrite; Bee as a sort of disciple [honestly, not entirely sure if that's the correct English word] of Primus/mildly possessed by a weird feeling - 1st chapter is almost finished)

TF One Prequel (focuses on B-127's life up until meeting Dee and Orion, features Dad-Ratchet and at least Brawn, if not more of the Minibots from G1; I have 1 prologue and 1 chapter of this finished and might upload it next weekend)

Starsabre Possession AU (something lives in the Starsabre and takes posession of Bee when he dies at the fight at the Omegalock)

Megatron "Fake Redemption" Arc (TFP; not entirely sure if the redemption arc would really be fake or not because I have complicated feelings on redeeming someone like Megs, especially in TFP - maybe I'd also do an Amnesia arc; anyway, I'd want to explore Bee's feelings towards that and especially towards it happening in his direct vicinity + I want to do something A Monster Calls-Esque where he talks to the spirits of the Primes in order to make sense of all of this; + I'd imagine him running away at some point or another and hanging out with KOBD who've abandoned the Cons at that point)

Humanformers/Mecha AU (probably based on TFP, maybe a mix of different stuff - Earth and Cybertron are parallel dimension versions of the same planet and Shockwave creates a portal between them; and then throws a few people through it in order to test it out - among them Predaking and Bee; later a rescue mission consisting of a few more Autobots as well as more Cons also ends up on Earth)

"Bayverse Twist-Up" (Shattered Glass esque rewrite of the Bayverse Movies inspired loosely by Arthurian Literature - although that Arthurian Literature inspo is relatively new so I can't say too much about that part yet)

TF ONE Shatterred Glass (based on Animal Farm by George Orwell)

TFP MegOP after the War (because I need more angry Bee in my life; similar to the Fake Redemption but oneshot focusing on the fallout between Optimus and Bee)

TFP "Back to the Future" AU (I think Bee and Hot Rod going back in time and watching Orion Pax and the crew being friends with Megatronus and working together with him before he turns could be really funny/interesting)

Theoretically I have some more ideas but these are the ones that are the most fleshed out so that I can actually answer some questions about them.

I'm starting to understand why I never finish any of my ongoing projects. Well. Also, yes, my roommate was absolute correct when she said that there's a pattern to my stories and that is torturing Bee.

[merlinfromberlin]

Rules: make a new post with the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, and then post a little snippet or tell them something about it! and then tag as many people as you have WIPs.

Thanks a lot for the tag @keef-a-corn :3

I don't really have one real wip folder, so I've decided to just go with the fics I still plan on returning to and writing some day. Whether the notes/ideas/snippets for them are in a word file, in my notebook or on a series of post-it notes. Or on a discarded roll of unused sales receipts from my work place.

Transformers (mostly Transformers Prime)

5-Things-Hands-Edition (also known as Make You Feel Alright on Ao3 or, to me, MYFA)

5-Things-Family-Edition

Champions (also known as Champions Aren't Born on Ao3; only has the first chapter/prologue posted which I don't like all that much anymore, but I will only update it once I upload the second chapter and that will probably take at least a few more weeks)

Black Cat

The Ratchet gets kidnapped Angst sequel to Black Cat

Hide-and-seek-story

HUMANFORMERS AU

X-Men/Cherik

Great-Gatsby-AU

5+1Dreams

A-Non-Exhaustive-List-of-Songfic_Ideas I have some independent songfic files but this covers all of them and I have notes on all of them in there

Stalking story

Elementary AU

Death Note/Meronia

Near having to deal with the question of how independent he may be able to be and feeling inadequate because of not being able to function completely independently

If you want to be tagged, feel free to just ask me. Or just, you know, feel tagged. I just don't have anyone I feel comfortable tagging as of yet. ^^