#fic: destructive interference

[atlasarcana]

old memes about destructive interference that i saved to my phone

[syntheticavenger]

better off

Thank you to @geminixevans-stan for giving me the cheerleading I needed to get this finished.

Senator! Bucky Barnes x Female Reader

Word Count: 1.8K

Warnings: World building so nothing really, unless you count heavy angst and mentions of a break up. If you follow my work, I’ve sprinkled in an Easter egg in here from another fic.

Summary | Keeping busy is something you know how to do well, especially after the publicized break up with your ex. As his political fame rises, so does the need for you to focus on yourself and keeping your walls up for self-preservation. If only it was that simple.

The ringing in his ears has finally stopped, President Wilson’s State of the Union speech bringing people to their feet, the applause thundering for more than a few minutes. 

Sam Wilson hasn’t always been known to be a rousing orator - years as a VA counselor meant he led with empathic firmness - but the determination in his voice, two years after the battle with former President Ross had nearly brought the world to the brink of destruction, President Wilson’s speech would be forever cemented in history.

“Senator Barnes!” A woman shouts, a microphone thrust in his face as she turns on her megawatt smile like she’s turned on some internal switch. “President Wilson’s speech is being hailed as a tremendous achievement, bringing multiple party lines together. As a longtime friend to President Wilson, I am sure you’re very proud of him tonight.”

”Very,” Bucky agrees, seeing Jules, the head of his staff, tap her watch. “President Wilson did not hold back on reminding the public of the things he had promised once he got into office and how he has delivered these promises to the great people of the United States and our allies and friends.”

Jules mouths the time as he pivots to leave.

”Thank you Senator, always a pleasure!”

The flashes of the cameras and more reporters yelling for him for another sound bite only makes his steps quicken to the waiting car. Normally, he would stop for another interview but time is of the essence - he has a speech he will be delivering to his constituents in less than six hours. 

“You alright?” Jules asks, looking up from her phone to inspect her boss. “We can move the speech back by a day, you know. You’ll get two hours of sleep if you’re lucky.”

”Two hours is a start.”

He can see her running her teeth over her lower lip, which means she wants to say more, even as her eyes go back to her phone.

”Jules.”

Her head snaps to attention at the mention of her name.

”Hmm?”

”What’s wrong?”

”Uh, nothing, I…” she trails off. “I sent her flowers. It’s her birthday today.”

Immediately he goes silent, his head sinking back into the headrest while Jules lets out a sad sigh. 

“It doesn’t have your name on it if that’s what you’re worried about,” she says quickly, pushing her black rimmed glasses back up her nose. “You didn’t ask this time but I figured you were busy with everything else going on so, I -”

”I didn’t forget. It’s been almost a year and a half.”

”I’m sorry, Bucky. I didn’t mean to interfere, I just know that you used to…” she stops, shaking her head as if to remind herself to drop the subject. “I’ll shut up.”

The car ride is quiet for a moment - almost too quiet to where he can hear the soft pull of the leather when he adjusts in his seat.

He knows exactly what day it is. He woke up this morning wondering what you would be doing, how a year prior he woke you up to breakfast in bed, a myriad of gifts placed around the room for you to open. You never wanted anything fancy, just a small celebration and he had done just that.

How it had all gone wrong was his fault.

”I’m sorry,” comes Jules’ reply after a moment. 

“I’m not mad, Jules,” Bucky replies. “Thank you for sending her flowers. For doing what I wanted to do but didn��t.”

”Why didn’t you?”

”She stopped taking my phone calls a year ago. I got the hint.”

”It wasn’t your finest moment,” Jules counters with a nod. “I think you had noble intentions.”

He lets out a snort as the car turns down the street, the airport in full view.

”Noble intentions? That usually means -“

”You fucked it up. She was good for you, Bucky. Remember President Barber? Married his VP! Now he’s the governor of Massachusetts and deliriously happy. You have to allow yourself to be happy, your constituents are great and the ones that aren’t? You give ‘em a big middle finger and move on.”

Jules is pleased with her little speech, nodding at the end of it as Bucky turns to look at her.

”You think she would survive these stories about my past? I barely survived.”

Jules pokes him in the shoulder.

”And look at you now,” she clarifies. “A whole public servant, Senator Barnes.”

-

Deep pink roses greet you when you open the door to your office, wrapped in a happy birthday sash in a sage green.

Your favorite color.

These same ones were delivered to your apartment two days ago, the ribbon a light pink. A gift from Jules, you know that much. Ever since she had seen you wear a pink dress to a dinner, instead of your monochromatic go-tos, she’d decided that pink was your favorite color.

It was a nice gesture, of course, acknowledging the occasion.

Birthdays are a thing of the past now, something you force yourself to think of as any other day, 

You have nowhere to put them, wondering if you can get a vase today in between your packed schedule. Running a business isn’t for the weak but it’s kept you busy and that’s all you can hope for these days.

Your attention goes back to the roses, a card peeking out from it that you hadn’t seen before. It could be anyone but you know it isn’t.

In fact, the minute you slip the silver letter opener under the envelope flap, you’re aware of the writing. It isn’t wordy but succinct and to the point, your eyes settling on his penmanship.

Happy birthday, beautiful. I miss you every day.

You’ve been strong.

Even when he was ending things, wiping your tears as he apologized over and over for hurting you - for hurting both of you - over a decision that he thought was best, you had been strong enough to know that you’d have to process the hurt, the feeling of betrayal that you believed you had been enough. 

Strong meant living the shared apartment you’d had for two years, mailing the key and garage opener certified mail as you licked your wounds, leaving a job you loved because you knew you would run into him and that was nearly as devastating a thought as the breakup itself. You’d cursed his name into your pillow, hot tears sinking into the satin fabric before you woke each day, a little stronger than the last.

You could be stronger, you tell yourself, shoving the card and envelope into a drawer when a knock at your door brings you back to center. After a moment, a head pokes inside, your assistant Rea cocking her head at the sight of you. Trying to fix your expression, you’re aware that you’ve let your emotions get the better of you, straightening your shoulders as Rea walks up to your desk.

”Goddamn it,” Rea mutters, pushing the door open as you try to sit up straight. “He did it again, didn’t he?”

She inspects them carefully, picking them up to inhale the scent.

”He’s good at this,” she continues, voiced filled with praise before it takes on a cautionary tone. “Are you gonna give in?”

You’re quick to deny her, shoving the card into the drawer.

”Give into what? Flowers for my birthday don’t mean anything.”

”It’s a nice gesture. Expensive too. I know French roses when I see them. ”

”Do you want them?” you ask, seeing her face go into shock at your offer.

”What?” Rea asks. “They’re for your birthday.”

”I don’t celebrate my birthday anymore, remember? They’re all yours.”

”I mean, you don’t have to tell me twice,” Rea says, pulling the bouquet toward her. “ I couldn’t impose… but if you insist.”

She doesn’t move from near your desk, intently watching you for a moment.

“What?” you ask, giving her a look.

“Happy birthday, boss. You may not believe in celebrating things anymore but I’m grateful for you every day.”

Rea gives you a smile before she plucks the bouquet off of the desk.

”And don’t stay late tonight because I know you,” she says in finality, closing the door behind her.

-

Jules watches as Bucky paces in his hotel suite, his tie hanging over his neck as he practices his notes. His support of a veterans bill means five rows dedicated to those who have served, the glint of his metal hand peeking out from his white shirt. He’s deep in thought, the minutes ticking by until he has to finish getting ready.

A notification on her phone makes her glance down.

Thank you. 

She knows better than to share this news, as small as it may seem. Her little confession about sending you flowers had turned into an uncomfortable silence, him diving headfirst into work. Great for his constituents and bad for her personal life. Focusing on his work meant more interviews, more town halls and more canvassing for up and coming electoral candidates.

It’s what he doesn’t say, the way he checks his phone to see if there are any signs of communication before placing it face down on the table, to the way he not so casually glances at your now deleted social media to see if you resurfaced.

Jules knows how quickly you had swept your presence off of social media, quitting your job at the law firm to pursue your own career. Whispers around your former social circles had said you had disappeared to start your own bid for office, a ploy to get back at Bucky for breaking up with you.

She’d known better.

If anything, removing all traces of your presence had been devastating, especially with how quickly you had done it.

Neither of you had gotten the closure you needed, him so quick to end things when the media began to poke around your personal life, cameras popping up when you least expected them and how his name was now appearing in fashion magazines, rather than the political heavyweight papers. He’d given you an out and you’d taken it and then some, leaving him reeling with a sense of loss that still continues to be felt, even by the way he’s written in a clause that his personal life is completely off limits when it comes to interviews.

And you, quick to accept your fate, ceasing all communication with him. The bad timing of his speaking engagements had meant he had left days after, leaving you to simply mail what was left of your relationship.

You hadn’t been there to see the absolute despair in his eyes, how fast his walls had come up when she had asked him if he needed time.

He checks his phone again, shaking his head as if to get himself out his thoughts, quickly fixing his tie in the mirror.

“Ten minutes,” Jules says in a warning, another notification coming through.

Jules? Tell him thank you as well.

She hides her smile at the idea of him sending you flowers after all.

[harzilla]

Honestly can I admit I've been sitting on writing a full God!Yuu fic? I keep trying to turn game mechanics into God skills. I just wanna throw this out there. Sorta a ficlet? It's mostly my kind of stream of thoughts.

Imagine the guys are absolutely clueless that the "magicless" human is a god. Like a trickster god and whatever little thing that follows their amusement and they notice a weird little blip of magic one day and decides to follow where it leads.

they immediately shift into a vessel that fits the world and when Grim busts open the coffin the god realizes it's his magic they noticed. Oh? Interesting....

The dark mirror can't read their soul because the mirror is tuned into the souls of those born in Twisted Wonderland. The body? Yes. Their actual being? No. So for the first time the mirror calls a colorless empty soul since it's creation.

The god soon realizes they're in a school of humanoid mages and they can sense the different flows of magic from everybody. Allowing them to be able easily analyze what kind of magic it is, ties into the world/nature(aero, water, fire) and emotions(void/light)the self.

Our God realizes that things could get boring fast if they push their powers around and they decide to handicap themselves by only using intentional power to prevent somebody from dying. They're not particularly interested in seeing a bunch of kids die. Mortal lives are fleeting but full of fascinating things.

It turns out that Twisted Wonderland is very interesting if you're willing to see where things lead. But, they can still interfere if they do it within the limitations of a magicless mortal, right?

They also can also pick up on the emotions of mortals and the drips of blot they see are literal buildup of negative emotions starting to manifest in a physical world, very nasty little thing. But only they can see it at this point. They stick by Ace and Deuce because they know that the two will lead them to Riddle. The only one dripping blot at this point within their line of sense. They work with Ace and Deuce, so it's only natural they follow because they helped make the tart, right? They know they can only allow the overblot to happen because they limited their powers but the rancid magic wafting off Riddle makes them unhappy. Diving into Riddle's mind they gently pull through his memories and pull the threads of his thoughts in the right direction. Weakening the link to the overblot and allows Riddle's own mind to push forward and ask the question he needed to hear. This Allows Riddle to hit a breakthrough the overwhelmingly destructive negative feelings. It severes the link to the overblot completely, killing the overblot and allowing Riddle to live.

Riddle awakens and now our God slips back into the magicless human act. They know something is off and they're going to follow along because they want to see just what is causing the world to flow in the direction it's going.

The sticker system is them giving the guys blessing. Our God likes interesting things and the entire rewardable cast is their kind of fun. These stickers kind of create a pavlova effect where they feel positive energy/feelings when around the prefect. The emotions trigger the blessings they received that it boosts their magic. Thus the higher the friendship the higher the magic output

Honey? Candies? All the treats? More blessings. Increased lessons is the god blessing them with more lessons by tweaking the flow of time. They can't perceive the change unless the god wants them to.

They enjoy learning new things about everybody and seeing their progress. They like studying the different dynamics between everybody and are always curious about what's running through their head. A bunch of hormonal teenagers with way to much power at their fingertips always attracts trouble. But also they find them all endearing in their own weird ways.

Of course our god sometimes creates it's own trouble, oh my it seems the tsums felt the gods power somehow and they showed up at specifically Ramshackle? oh my how odd? The God permits it because, well it's interesting and the tsums are harmless if not as chaotic as their counterparts. Just the right kind of mischief they're looking for. Of course maybe our god might have felt a tiny bit bored, saw this adorable magical creatures by staring out into the infinite void of space, magic, and existence and was all "Visit this world please? 🥺"

I just have so many ideas for this I honestly feel like I should try to make a long fic of this idea. But I just want you to think about the absolute crisis all of them go through when they're revealed to be a god that has just let the guys do everything that has happened throughout the entire plot and events because they're amused?

But oh what fun they can have now! Now that they can mess with the guys openly. Only the ones they permit can tell anything is happening.

Pay backs fun now isn't it?

[thedubiousdallon]

Apparently cluster focused fic ideas just what my brain is on right now, so fuck it, here's a half formed premise. Let's start with two changes to canon. First, New Wave doesn't get Marquis. Second, when Anette dies, Danny triggers with some kind of power that interferes with his emotional regulation - let's say a Breaker state where he becomes a swarm of insects but his conscious decisionmaking basically turns off while he's in it - he acts on whatever his conscience or unconscious intentions were at the time he went Breaker. And let's say there's a lingering impairment after he changes back proportionate to the time spent transformed.

With a power like that, it's very easy for him to get on the bad side of the heroes, and with that plus his anger, easy for him to start taking it out on them. So let's say he throws in with Marquis. Taylor doesn't know what Danny's been up to, but he's getting more and more angry and id driven, both for mundane grief reasons and because he's not taking enough time to rest relative to how often he's using his power.

After maybe a year of this, it comes to a head. One day, while Danny and Taylor are out for a fun day together on the Boardwalk, they bump into New Wave doing some PR demo, introducing Shielder or something, with a still-unpowered Victoria cheering the loudest to cover up how much the shame of getting passed by her little cousin is eating her alive. And the sight of this happy family that he's come to blame for the destruction of his own happy family life makes Danny snap. Second trigger, seeing red. He wants to annihilate them. He goes Breaker, and now his swarm is massive, composed of giant, monstrous, and lethal bugs, but his control is even worse. Massive collateral damage. He has just presence of mind to have some of his bugs shove Taylor somewhere she'll be safe from the crossfire - which just so happens to be into a dumpster.

And he goes scorched earth on the boardwalk, especially on the New Wave capes who have been knocked flat by the trigger vision and cannot defend themselves.

By extreme misfortune, Marquis is also in the crowd, in civvies. He wanted to do some quiet recon on his longtime enemies' newest addition, and thought he'd take Amy with him both as a teaching moment and for a fun outing. He goes out like a light when Danny's second trigger goes off, and he gets trampled by the crowd trying to flee and gets caught in the bug apocalypse crossfire.

So we have:

Taylor, alone and trapped in filth, who has spent a year watching her dad pull away and become angrier and angrier, who's still had Emma turn on her as in canon, and has just seen her dad turn into a biblical plague and, as far as she can tell, literally thrown her away.

Victoria, seeing her family at the mercy of a murderous supervillain, utterly powerless to defend them and with years of feeling impotent and like a disappointment to her family having just been brought to an indignant fever pitch by being the literal only person in her family not to have powers.

Amy, whose father has almost certainly kept her fairly isolated for her own (and his) protection, watching the only person she feels she has in the world, who always seemed invincible, bleeding out in front of her.

Boom, cluster trigger.

The trigger event knocks Danny out of his Breaker state, and they're able to contain him before he does much more damage. Most of New Wave survives (maybe he gets Carol? Maybe Eric?) and he goes to the Birdcage. Amy saves Marquis. Through cluster bleed through, she finds Taylor in the aftermath - and thank God for that, because who knows how long it would've taken for someone to find her otherwise. Once Marquis understands who her father is and what's happened to her, her connection to Amy, he takes her in.

And that sets the stage for the story. Amy and Victoria, villain and hero, the embodiments of an old and deep rivalry, and Taylor, the daughter of the man who nearly killed them all, caught between her desire to do good and her family connections to villainy. Tie them all together with cluster bleed through, kiss/kill dynamics, some power mediation, add in social dynamics and pressures, interactions in their civilian lives - it's a stew of rich possibilities.

And that's not even touching their powers!

[shadowgast-recs-weekly]

Featuring Essek's Parents: A Shadowgast Rec List

This week, we have Essek's parents! Check under the cut for seven fics that feature Deirta, Essek's father or both! Don't forget to comment and kudos if you like them!

No One By That Name Lives Here Anymore by Operafloozy (13138, General) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

A few years after faking his own death, Essek runs into someone he used to know by chance in Uthodurn - A certain someone who had supposedly died his last death in Bazzoxan a few decades before.

Reccer says: This is a really interesting look at what consecution might actually imply in terms of family. It's really bittersweet and invites you to try to empathize with both sides of the central conflict instead of painting them in black and white. One might imagine that the beacons are grey for a reason. (Plus I REALLY love outsider POV!)

destructive interference by atlasarcana (141219, Mature) Reccer's Content Notes: Graphic Depictions of Violence

Essek is haunted by a monster in Aeor that makes him suffer flashbacks of his worst actions; Caleb helps him forgive himself and take accountability.

Reccer says: Essek's family (Deirta, his father, and Verin) play a prominent role in the character study of how Essek is the way he is.

The Joys of Parenthood by Queen_of_Thornes (3945, General) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

Four vignettes of Deirta Thelyss's exhausting life as mother of two precocious future leaders.

Reccer says: I'm not one for kidfic but this is just so dead-on to life with toddlers, insane and baffling little gremlins that they are, that I couldn't help but love it. It reminded me of my younger siblings when they were that age with the "How did you even think to do that" shenanigans they'd get up to so it's pretty nostalgic for me. Readers with children or who helped raise siblings will find a lot to relate to here.

spare just a day for the weeping by essektheylyss (divinationwizard) (3619, Mature) Reccer's Content Notes: Major Character Death

Criminal punishment among the upper echelon of the Dynasty is determined by the court, but implemented by the umavi of the den of the convicted.

Reccer says: Features a wonderfully complicated Deirta, and incredible character dynamics all around

until it doesn't hurt by breitweisergallery (3800, General) Reccer's Content Notes: None

5+1 times Deirta spoke to Essek via sending.

Reccer says: The fic delves into a more loving Deirta who is distant from Essek but still loves him all the same.

looking for the meaning of life by quinn-of-aebradore (15281, Teen) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

Centuries later, Essek has settled into another new life. Little does he know so has Deirta.

Reccer says: A year is a long time all on its own and this fic is packed with impressions of lived history and emotion built over the course of centuries. If Deirta was once a distant parent, how might she try to bridge past gaps when a new life gives her extra perspective? If Essek has loved and lost and loved again, how might he understand his mother anew? A fascinating exploration of how time can change people and how people can change over time.

The following fic received two recs!

Starburst Hearts by kaeda (4805, Teen) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

A wonderfully tender fic in which Deirta catches up with Essek a few years after c2 and finds that her son is a man remade.

Reccer 1 says: Outsider POV my beloved! It turns a camera's eye onto the man Essek becomes through the Mighty Nein and gaining Caleb as a lover, and onto the love that the Nein have for him, shown through a soft lens. Reccer 2 says: A wonderful fic from Deirta's perspective of Essek's interactions with the M9 and all of the complicated family feelings that come along with it.

This is one of our weekly communally-generated shadowgast rec lists. Every week we announce a new theme and allow anyone to submit a fic recommendation. 

And hey, anyone includes you!

Next week, we'll be featuring xenobiology! This includes all sorts of unusual and non-human biology

Any fics coming to mind? Well, then use this form to submit!

[shewrites02]

IDK IF THIS IS HOW YOU WRITE A REQUEST BUT

Prompt 7 with Luffy? If you can❤️❤️

Prompt Seven | Luffy x Reader |- “Don’t say that to me. That’s not fair.”

A/n: This is apart of my 400 follower event. I've decided the prompt will be more of drabbles, than full fics. Check the prompt list here: 400 follower event

Word Count: 1.3k

Your hands cling fervidly to the pirate captain's wrist. White finger tips dig into his tan flesh. Tears flow down your cheeks in rivers. The sobs distort your voice when you speak. There is a gut wrenching pain at the sound of your request. Your selfish indulgent request.

"Please, don't go Luffy."

It is not a lack of trust that drivers you plea. That has you so desperately imploring the pirate to stay. If Luffy said he is going to win, that is what he is going to do. But did he always have to be the one to do the saving?

Luffy's smile does not waiver. It is still warm. Inviting. Assured.

"Go to the sunny. I'm going to be back." He says with an abhorrent casualness. There is no sense of relief at his promises. No matter how gleefully they are delivered. It does not offer your heart any comfort. If you were a Strawhat, a member of his crew, you would leave. Take his words as the orders they are, in spite of how kindly they're disguised. But you are not his subordinate-

You are his wife.

"Please, Luffy-"

The pirate captain has broken your hold. Is already creating distance before your words reach him.

"I'll be back!" He calls out running in the opposite direction. Into the flames. Chasing the very destruction he is sending you away from. His two wings on either side of him, following his direction. Usopp pulls at your arm, begging your movement. You can't leave. Refuse to leave until Luffy is out of your line of sight. Until it is official- he has left you here.

"Y/n!" The snipper begs.

He doesn't have the words to coddle your feelings. The sense of urgency seems to have no one minding their manners. Once Luffy is gone you allow one last huff to leave your lips . You snatch your arm free from Usopp's grasp. Wipe at your cheeks til the evidence of your tears are gone. Then you follow your husband orders: 'Go to the sunny'

- The booze flows freely, though most of it is being hoarded by the swordsman. Sanji has entrée after entrée coming out the kitchen to assuage the captain's appetite. The deck is full of celebratory singing and laughs.

You wish you could join in on the cheer. Shove your hurt feelings down enough to be with your family, and not sulking on the railings but- here you were. Maybe waiting to see how long it would take your husband to notice your absence. To your surprise it is not long before Luffy's eyes are scanning the deck in search of you. They widen at the sight of you. His smile spreads to the span of his face.

There are two drumsticks in the captain's hands as he approaches. Before he says any words he is extending one out to you. Begrudgingly , you accept. The aroma is much too enticing to let your feelings interfere with your stomach. With no words you chomp away at the meat, leaving Luffy to burrow his eyes into you.

"I was looking for you. Why are you over here? Don't you want to come join the crew?"

"I'm not a part of your crew Luffy!" You snap.

The rubber man's eyebrows furrow into a frown. He doesn't mask the hurt that hearing your words causes. Wears it so blatantly as he stares back at you. The clench your heart makes is reflexive. Hurting the captain is not something you enjoyed doing. Even if it came out of anger.

"Why would you say that?" Luffy questioned. His voice is only a fraction of its usual lively self.

"Because I don't think it's clear. When we got married I told you that I was not going to be a Strawhat. That I was not someone who took orders from you! We're supposed to be partners Luffy, and you left me there alone after I begged you not to go!"

You watch as the captain's hurt expression morphs into one more of confusion. His obliviousness only angers you more. Watching him ponder the thought as though he couldn't recall.

"But- I won."

You don't fight the roll of your eyes at his announcement. Could never diminish the accomplishments of the future pirate King, but his conquest seems to be the only focus of his. The only thing he keeps his promises to.

"You promised me Luffy! … Tell me now do you want a partner, or a subordinate because I refuse to be both."

Luffy opens his mouth to speak but no words fall from his lips. The hesitation makes your heart break. It is your expression that is falling. Turning into something fragile, something broken. Tears claw their way up your throat despite the many swallows to keep them down.

"Luffy, you are so worried about protecting everyone else, but when are you going to protect me ? My feelings ? Or does saving everyone else come before me?"

You hate to guilt trip the pirate. To challenge the wholesome , whole hearted personality you feel in love with. But it is so hard to take a back seat to everything in Luffy's life. His ambition. His Crewmates. His wants. All demanding you make sacrifices, so the pirate king doesn't have to. Sacrifices you have made willingly, with a smile on your face, until now.

"Don't say that to me, that's not fair!" The pirate challenges.

"Fair?" You let out a laugh at his testament. It screams more of disbelief than amusement, but it deepens the pirate's frown all the same. "Luffy, I have given up everything for you, but you can't even prioritize my feelings… that's not fair!"

All the eyes of the strawhat pirates are staring back at you at the end of your rant. Hadn't even realized that you were shouting at their captain in the midst of your anger. In the face of their stares , embarrassment is quick to cascade over you. You can't stand to be on display any longer. With no response from your husband , you go rushing to hide in the shared quarters.

Face buried into the pillows, you sob and sob and sob. So distraught at the idea that you meant the least to the man you have vowed to spend the rest of your life with. 'stupid.'

That is what your friends and family called you when you left home to follow after Luffy. When you told them you loved him too much to ask him to give up his dream for you. To not watch him ascend among the greats like you knew he would. Then it had not bothered you, was willing to be stupid if it meant spending the rest of your life with Luffy. Now-

It echoed so loudly in your mind.

There is no knock prior to the door swinging open. Luffy had no concern for any such formalities, even if he knew you were angry with him. You don't turn to greet him. Couldn't look into his big round eyes just to hear him spout more empty promises.

"Is that really how I made you feel- like I don't care about you?"

"At all." You respond without a beat.

You feel the dip in the bed as Luffy takes a seat. For a moment there is just quiet. An uncomfortable, heavy silence.

"I'm sorry I made you feel that way. I- I didn't know that."

Finally you turn to meet the pirate's gaze. See the sincerity in his eyes. He offers you his hand , pulling you to sit up to face him.

"I know you don't take orders from me." Luffy reaches out to swipe his thumb along your cheek, to wipe away your tears. "I don't want to make you feel that way anymore."

"I know who I married Luffy- I'm not asking you to change-"

"But I was selfish. I'm going to do better." He proclaims.

He takes your cheeks into your hands. Pulls you forward until your lips meet his. This kiss is slow, gentle. Very different from what you were used to receiving from the captain.

"I'm sorry." Luffy mumbles against your lips.

If you enjoy my content or if you have $5 to spare , please consider donating it to Besan . she is a mother trying so desperately to get her family out of Gaza. She is still so far away from her go fund me goal!

[unknowngaytoaster]

Paperjam meets Goth

(A small fic of in the scenario of Paperjam meeting Goth after the discovery of Error being Geno)

Voices crowd and cradle the vicinity of Olympus, many intrigued at the freshly discovered news. Most prominently on the grounds of Olympus were the Gods of death, destruction, and creation. All three beings gathered to discuss new arrangements in the foreign circumstance that had not too long ago come to be. On the horizon, just on the edge of Olympus, sit Goth and Paperjam, legs dangling on the edge of the free fall down below.

The air between the two is one-sidedly tense, Goth's fingertips curling tightly into his snow-white cloak from the anticipation. While Paperjam's gaze lay calm and collected, basking in the beautiful sunset before him.

"I'm sorry," Goth uttered under his breath.

Paperjams' skull snapped toward the smaller skeleton. "What?"

Goth repeated. "I'm sorry."

With an arched eyebrow, Paperjam pressed forward, "For what exactly?", genuine curiosity spilling.

"I... I'm sorry for taking your dad away from you." Goth spoke, guilt spilling from his trembling mouth.

Even more confusion spread through Paper Jam's expression before finally landing on realization. "My....? Ah, right."

Goth's eyes widened as words started spilling from his mouth, apologies and explanations, desperate acknowledgments to understanding the conundrum that had unfolded with the discovery that Error was in fact Geno.

"I-i know it's probably messing with your family-."

Paperjam interrupted casually.

"I don't really consider Error to be my dad."

Goth's body froze, then loosened at once.

"....oh."

Possible misinterpretations flooded Goth's head, as Paperjam rushed to explain.

"Uh, well, it's more like I consider Error and Ink to be my creators?"

The silence grew from Goth, and more concern and confusion sprouted.

Paper jam took a breath and took his time to explain.

"It's hard to say, I guess I was kind of an accident?"

At the time of Paperjam's creation, Ink and Error were never in a formal relationship; the two clashed at many points, and the opposites attracted yet repelled each other consistently. The relationship was casual at best, for both a being that was erratic and ever-changing in moods, to a being that felt nothing without the interference of vials to guide the direction of emotions, consistency was difficult between the two.

Paperjams's creation itself was a mesh of magic intertwining at length at enough of an intensity to create life, and such a life that confused both Ink and Error.

Both the guardian and the Destroyer found themselves at an impasse, neither having memories of experience with cultivating life, let alone raising it.

"It's not that they were horrible at taking care of me, it's just they were kind of...detached? Especially when I was just a baby bone, which wasn't for a long time."

Paperjam explained, glancing at Goth, who solemnly nodded along. Oddly enough, even though time frame-wise, Goth was surely older than Paperjam, perhaps a child created from soul-bonding and a child created from magic had different rates of age progression, but Paperjam couldn't be sure.

"Error wasn't bad at parenting, now that I think about it. Probably was better between the two. It kind of seemed like he vaguely knew what he was doing, like some... far-off muscle memory."

Goth's eyes gleamed at the prospect.

Paper Jam's memory of the early days was hazy, especially when he could barely take care of himself. Blurred memories of Ink's enthusiastic attempts at connecting with the child before losing concentration and forgetting what he was even doing in that moment.

Error's attempts at child care were sporadic and nonsensical in their levels of effectiveness. Ranging from leaving him on a couch to watch Undernovella to attempting to educate him with books and puzzles.

Error seemingly understood that touch was an important aspect in a child's development, whether this knowledge came consciously or unconsciously. The days when Error showed affection and attempted to make contact were just as sporadic as his attempts in child care.

Some days, Error would hold Paper Jam at arm's length, maybe just barely cradling him in his arms, until he would place Paper Jam on the ground as his body would force a hard reboot from the sheer stimulation of physical contact. Other days, Error struggled to even stay in the same room as Paperjam, as if the mere air of living beings made his spine shiver.

For the days that Error did leave paper jam on his lonesome, which happened more frequently than both his creators would have liked to admit, he would spare Paperjam a puppet of Classic Sans to supplement his need for affection, and Error's lack of availability to provide it.

A certain moment in time rang clear as odd in Paperjam's memory. An afternoon filled with oddly casual parental affection, a young Paper Jam being held close and dear to Error's chest, skull resting softly on the Destroyer's shoulder as his back was gently patted, Error humming a tune. The moment had been odd yet well appreciated in the grand scheme of things, appreciated until the moment was broken as if a sudden realization came to Error that something was off.

Paper Jam was tugged away from Error's shoulder and brought once again at the regular arms-length distance that usually Error provided. The glitch's eyes squinting hard, eyes blurred in their effort to see what was before them, before a shiver ran up his spine as Error quickly plopped Paperam on the floor. A hard reboot racking his body, the sound of shrill glitching echoing in the emptiness of the antivoid, painfully coursing through Error's body for many minutes.

What followed was many days of silence and isolation from Error, though Paperjam’s memory didn't remember those days with as much clarity.

Paperjam's gaze returned to Goth, only to see intense glee.

“My dad was also weird!”

The little skeleton started sharing his own stories of memories of his father as a baby bone.

Toriel freaking out at the site of Goth covered in his father's blood, after being hugged just a little too hard to his father's chest. The eternally-bleeding stab wound blessed him with a horrifying look that made the Goddess of Life almost collapse from surprise.

Paper jam and Goth spent the rest of the night trading stories and sharing laughs, worries of the future lying behind them as a concern for then, not now.

[harpymin]

i bound a fic! Destructive interference was written by the lovely @atlasarcana

this took about 4-5 days of on and off working and as far as first times go, i think this turned out preety coool

[comrademutancy]

2 quick Obikin recs while I have the tabs open bc this was originally started as a fic rec sideblog

Within Limits, now orphaned on AO3, previously under the username "sacrilegist," originally posted on livejournal in 2005, 22k, explicit

summary: "Anakin’s fustration grows as he and Obi-Wan’s tour on the Outer Rim goes on with no end in sight."

very intricately written. a lot fic will say "oh how they bantered" or "they loved to quip" or "one would never let the other have the last word" and so on and leave it as an article of faith or something in a purely decorative, adjectival way intended to add some casual flavouring to the characterization of a relationship without actually working out or even caring very much about the sources and consequences of this kind of friction. NOT SO THIS ONE. The relationship IS essentially in its very form this contestation. of words, and emotions, and status, and autonomy. I don't think I have read another Obikin fic that so explicitly and thoroughly and continuously explores some essential conflict between the two of them in this way.

am I explaining it well? I don't think so. ok. there's a lot of fic that do some aspects of power negotiation very well. or you know, Darth Vader is some variant of evil/unacceptable/way beyond the norms of permissible behaviour and Obi-Wan is... not. And that poses an intractable conflict. this fic is like... what if we have that intractable conflict BEFORE any of that even begins to fully realize itself, assume it was there all along. (I think a very common premise anyway? but rarely taken seriously and written out all the way)

I am also very predisposed to the idea the Jedi Order is very casual about sex in terms of dogma or principle, but Anakin or (in this case) Obi-Wan have specific personal reasons why they cannot be casual about sex with each other. this fic is a great example. (I also enjoy interpretations when they are casual about sex with each other. please msg/reply w recs if you know of any!)

History Never Repeats, ValiantBarnes (Cimila), 36k, mature

summary: "There's no possible way to keep track of how long Obi-wan's lived, now. He lives, he dies, he lives again. He'll wake up somewhere in the past, the possibility of change infuriatingly close but forever out of reach. Anakin always falls to Vader; the Republic always fails. The hows and whys of both are not set, Obi-wan's interference never changing anything for the better.

He quite dislikes the lives where they find themselves on Mustufar. The heat of it, the stench; Anakin's yellow eyes burning more than the lava ever could.

Sometimes, Obi-wan misses the sickly yellow of them as much as he does clear, sky blue."

if I had to pick, this is probably my favourite Obikin fic of all time. some things I really care about: intractable conflict, Obi-Wan's infinite sadness (did you know the tag "infinite sadness" on ao3 actually directs back to Obi-Wan's infinite sadness specifically???), a certain level of fidelity to canon and canon characterization if we're not going total AU or similar, murderous impulses taken to their logical conclusion

at longer length: I think I like this so much more than other (also excellent) time loop stories because it never lets go of the brutality of Vader's crimes and his personal involvement in the fall of the Republic as the underlying engine driving all of Obi-Wan's choices and actions. and so Obi-Wan will never stop trying to thwart Vader and Sidious by whatever means necessary. like of course it's a personal history/story for Obi-Wan and Anakin and that, as usual, is the emotional core of this fic. but they were also adherents of ideologies. real true believers. the violation was not only at the level of personal betrayal (and murder and maiming and so on) but a fundamental breach to belief systems they were living and dying for - ie the Republic. the destruction of everything once held dear doesn't just happen incidentally or accidentally. I read Obikin fic because I care about their relationship, but I care about their relationship because it's an artifact of a galactically rending conflict preceded and followed by centuries of rebellion and revolution, which is not something that could be avoided with just a change in disposition or temperament. there has to be a futility to the effort and at the same time there can never be any question Obi-Wan would ever stop throwing himself on the pyre of history in a seemingly hopeless attempt to put it out. Spoiler alert: we are rewarded w a HEA, a very lovely wrapped with a bow HEA, and it feels earned precisely because it was not guaranteed. to be honest I don't think I would be as emotionally satisfied or loved this as much if it was otherwise but I would almost respect it more for leaving us hanging

please read this fic I love it so much

[undertale-fic-librarby]

Hey! Do you know any good Errormare fics? I know ‘Wayward’ and ‘At Their Mercy’, but I’m looking for more 👀

Howdy, thanks for asking! Here are some fics that might fit what you're looking for!

It's All Just Training, Right? by atomiCherry, Souldew_UT (Explicit, Complete)

Hopping from universe to universe after his own Anti-Void no longer suffices as a safe place from the chains of Fate, Error winds up in Nightmare’s Castle with none other than the God of Negativity himself, who’s far too pleased with the Destroyer’s presence. Unaware of Nightmare’s true intentions, Error finds himself taken aback by a suspicious yet remarkable deal that very few people have the courage to propose. It was meant to be a simple session, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but then the both of them find out that there might be more to their meeting than meets the eye… - updates every Tuesday and Friday

Catalyst for Concord by Somebody_OntheInternet (Mature, Incomplete)

“My ecto-o isn’t unsummoning.” He kept his gaze firmly locked on the carpet, refusing to look the other God in the eye. The tentacle in his grasp curled around his radius and ulna, and he squeezed it. There was an awful, crushing silence for a few moments, before his husband spoke: “…you don’t think..?” *----*----* After their mating cycles lined up, the "evil" Gods of Destruction and Negativity find themselves in quite the predicament. They must figure out how to balance their dangerous work with the task of ensuring their baby's development is healthy. That, and they have to ensure the Council does not find out. No matter what, Ink cannot find out.

Signed, Your Penpal by Hellsaint7w7 (General Audiences, Incomplete)

Geno and Nightmare fall in love through anonymous notes to each other and their love of books. But of course, Geno doesn’t stay Geno forever and Nightmare doesn’t handle it well.

Day 1: Teratophilia/Size Difference by Destiny_Of_A_Dragon (Explicit, Complete)

Nightmare feeds on too much Negativity and the only way Error can get them to calm down is by letting them use his body. Error felt Nightmare’s whole body shift and ripple— and couldn’t resist taking a peek over his shoulder again. The destructive Skeleton froze in a soulbeat, eye-lights shrinking as he saw the corrupted Guardian fumbling with their own pants, mind not stable enough yet to undo them properly. Eventually, the fabric tore— and Error’s eyes went wide as he saw what was underneath. S-stars, that was—! That was—! Nightmare was currently over twice his size and full to bursting with excess magic, but Error hadn’t really thought about what effect that might have on their ecto!

Chocolate Pampering by Souldew_UT (Mature, Complete)

Error succumbs to anxiously drown himself in chocolate - eating more and more every day than usual. He pays so much attention to the chocolate which eventually causes Nightmare to get stupidly jealous. Nightmare doesn't like sweets, but he likes to mess around with Error, so he takes all the chocolate away when Error is not present and hides it.

Thanks for the recommendation! The fics being recommended are…

Wayward by Queer_Sleep_Demon (Mature, Incomplete)

Error had always been in control of his teleporting abilities. He knew the ins and outs of world-hopping like the back of his hand. The joke was on him, though, because the multiverse didn't play by anybody's rules. An impulsive decision to teach Nightmare a lesson in respect went horribly wrong. As a result, Error and Nightmare become stranded in a foreign and hostile dimension. Finding a way out was easier said than done.

At Their Mercy by Devcipher (Teen And Up, Complete)

The multiverse had been perfectly balanced when the seven higher beings weaved it together. Through countless interferences, however, the balance has begun to tip, and stability is threatened. Fate's creation has been unresponsive to their warnings, and thus a solution must be made. While feuding with Destiny over a monster to be Ink's counterpart, Karma intervenes. Inspiration from Harrish6's Forced God of Destruction universe, but a unique alternate multiverse/universe of my own. Discord is constantly breaking the link for the ATM discord but: https://discord.gg/DgHWGnMNrs *EDIT: My server got raided twice please message me for a link lol* Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/devtemrys

Here's a few more fics that are similar to what you're asking for!

[mochi-munchies]

AU/Fic Idea: Ragnarok *Title Still in the Works*

This one has been in my brain for a while and I thought I'd just spew it out on my board just to get it out and not forget it. But anyway-

An AU where Ink and Error were the original menaces to the multiverse. As the two most powerful entities with the personalities of toddlers, they were fucking destroying everything, leveling entire AUs in their clashes and tantrums and impulses. Until the other deities finally had enough.

Core Frisk, Reaper, Life, Fresh and Gaster all get together and are like, "Yeah. We can't keep letting them do this, the multiverse is gonna break." So they devise a plot to get them to fight, and then when their balance of Destruction/Creation was at a sweet spot, took them by surprise and sealed them away. Error in the anti-void, and Ink in the Doodlesphere, where they are promptly put into a deep slumber as long as their balance is not disturbed. *1

Fast forward to present day with Nightmare and Dream having their little war. All the other entities aren't pleased with it, but are neutral to the conflict as they see it more as a childish spat.

Until it wasn't.

One day Nightmare takes it too far and his scheme threatens to actually destroy an AU, which immediately has Reaper, Frisk and Fresh flying in there like, "Nightmare stop. You have no idea what you're doing." But they're too late, the damage is done and the AU is destroyed.

So the outcodes are absolutely freaking out, and Dream and Nightmare are super confused like, "you guys have been watching us from the sidelines for hundreds of years?? Why tf do you suddenly care??"

"You morons! Do you have any idea what you've done??!? You disturbed the balance! They're gonna wake up..!"

Then cue Error air-dropping in and absolutely making a fool of everybody and their moms. Making Dream and Nightmare realize that, oh. They were not. In fact. Among the top of the food chain.

The rest of the story then going on about the brothers being forced to finally put their shit to an end and reconnect under duress while also dealing with two overpowered children. *2

*1 - Was also considering the idea of the whole 'putting them to sleep' part failing, unknowingly to the other gods. Leaving Ink and Error completely awake in their isolation- however, due to the connection of their balance, they can speak to each other not unlike with the Creators. Over the thousands of years of only having each other, in their loneliness they come to have a codependency and low-key errink feelings coming in.

When their balance is finally disturbed and their seals are unleashed, of course the first thing on their minds are mayhem and vengeance. But after letting out some steam, the next thing is to obviously find their other half. Something that the other gods are hellbent on preventing, fearing the return of the days when they ravaged the AUs endlessly in their feud.

So Nightmare and Dream are spending the majority of the fic learning to reconnect with each other as they try to reseal the two and prevent them from meeting. However, they also notice how their behavior seems to be incredibly strange compared to what the others described. And eventually, trusting their instincts as the guardians of feelings, they let Error and Ink meet, only to discover that the two were in love and not in fact looking to settle their ancient death match. Error and Ink vow to behave as long as the others dared not to interfere with them, etc. Cue happy ending.

*2 - another alternative version for the story is for Dream to teach Ink empathy (and low-key domesticate him) as he tries to reason with him, and at the same time learn to let the past go and accept his brother as he was, instead of hanging onto who he envisioned him to be before their fallout. And for Nightmare to learn to trust with Error (as well as rehabilitating him) after failing repeatedly at overpowering the other, and at the same time coming to accept vulnerability in his life again.

At first Dream fears Ink as a soulless being and subconsciously sees him as something inherently evil (just how he sees his brother's corrupted form as evil) however, as he peeks behind the curtain of Ink's behaviors, he comes to realize that is not the case, and starts to help Ink with his memory issues, his lack of empathy, his impulsiveness, etc. Also learning along the way that just because someone's nature (soullessness/corruption) was different didn't mean they were bad.

They get close, and Ink starts to cling to Dream. Connecting the emotional growth within him with the first person to actually have the patience to guide him and understand him like this, he starts to prioritize also being there to help Dream more so than having art binges and harassing Error. Oh, and they also end up falling in love BTW.

Meanwhile, Nightmare is getting his shit rocked by Error, struggling to compete with such a powerhouse and is honestly feeling fucked up bc this is the first time he's been so powerless after his corruption. He continues to use more and more low blows and playing on any and every weakness the glitch has- desperately trying to regain his dominance (which he has been using all this time as a feeling of protection).

Nightmare is low-key tweaking at this point, until he finally discovers a way into Error's hidey-hole. So of course he sneaks in with the intention of catching the maniac with his pants down. Only to peek in during one of Error's low moments.

And then Nightmare suddenly realizes how similar the two of them really were. This whole time he was picturing Error as this larger than life, unstoppable and ruthless pinnacle of violence. When in fact.. he was just another monster, just like he was. So, he starts changing tactics after that. Reaching out to Error in the way he wished someone reached out to him back then, and they come to slowly open up together and eventually just.. tumbling into a situationship.

In the end the other gods are really uncertain about just leaving the two to the apple twins- especially with the fear they might use them in their little war. But the twins have none of it, and even have a realtalk then and there to prove no grudges remained.

[melodygatesauthor]

Chapter 10: Some Heroes Wear Ties

prof!Steven Grant-Jake Lockley-Marc Spector X f!Reader

Edited by: @welcometostayingawake

Mood Boards - Book Cover - Masterlist

Chapter Summary:

Your depression after the break-up has turned into self-destructive behavior. It's a good thing there's someone out there keeping an eye on you, making sure you're safe.

Tags/Summary (these are for the ENTIRE fic):

college AU, no powers/not in MCU/no Khonshu, talk of mental illness, Marc has DID, forbidden relationship, age gap, reader is 21y/o, Boys are 38y/o, reader attends college in America but isn't necessarily American, smut, sex, masturbation, p in v, creampies galore, reader is on birth control, dubious consent due to identity issues, ANGST, romance, fluff and smut, oral sex, falling in love, reader is not race coded, minor mentions of alcohol addiction and depression.

Word Count: 5.2k

SPECIAL WARNING - THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS THEMES OF ALCOHOLISM AND DUBIOUS/NON-CONSENT. READER DISCRETION ADVISED.

The next two weeks were a blur.

You made it to most of your classes, but you weren’t mentally present in the slightest. You felt a burning hatred for Steven, but even more for yourself. Every evening was filled with you drinking more than you could handle and being brought back to your dorm by either Layla or Cameron. 

Your first week away from Steven ended with you and Cameron sitting across from each other at a restaurant. He’d seen how upset you were while studying together in the library, the day after you’d noticed Steven wasn’t in class. Cameron was kind, and had always been friendly toward you, so when he invited you out for pizza and a couple drinks, you had a hard time saying no.

Two drinks in and you were feeling a buzz. Jokes were rolling off your tongue and you were laughing for the first time since the pain you’d endured on Monday afternoon. Cameron seemed to think you were funny too, either that or he was just being kind. You wished you’d put more effort into him in hindsight instead of going after Steven. Maybe if you had pursued Cameron instead, you wouldn’t be feeling the way you did right now.

Jake lit a cigarette on the other side of the street, keeping an eye on you while you finished off your fourth drink. If someone saw him right now, they might think he was a creep, watching you while you were out with a friend. Jake had no intention of doing anything, he knew Marc was right about keeping their distance from you while they tried to get Steven to return, but he needed to make sure you were okay…that you were able to move on.

He noticed that you didn’t take a bite of the pizza slice you put on your plate. Over the last week, he observed that you didn’t eat much at all. You weren’t focusing on school work either. This was the kind of self-destructive behavior Jake recognized all too well. Marc had gone on a bender a time or two, leaving Jake and Steven as passengers on his harmful path. He wished he could let you go; that he could just walk away, leave you to your own healing, but he couldn’t. He just needed to make sure you were okay, and then he would leave you alone.

You weren’t okay. The second week without Steven you spent even more time with Cameron. It wasn’t the time with Cameron that was the problem, it’s what you were doing with him that was most concerning. Jake didn’t care that you were smoking weed, in fact, that was the least of his worries. He didn’t like that you seemed to be neglecting your studies in favor of this new lifestyle you’d adopted. He knew he couldn’t interfere, but he couldn’t just stop watching you.

Marc was unaware of his alter’s actions, spending his days trying to coax Steven out. Like you, he kept finding himself in the bottom of a glass bottle most days. Even though this was mainly Steven’s fault, Marc couldn’t help feeling some guilt for the things that had transpired. If he and Jake hadn’t done everything they did overseas, then the repercussions of Steven’s actions wouldn’t be so damaging.

Steven’s phone buzzed on the second weekend of him being gone. Marc looked at it and groaned. You were texting again, and you were still angry.

You: Just so you know, I did terribly on my history test this week so thanks for that.

Marc ran his hand down over his face in frustration. He knew he would have to block your number eventually if you didn’t stop, but he also felt terrible for the things you were saying. Most of the time your texts were angry, but sometimes you came in pleading for Steven to meet up and talk to you. Each notification felt like salt in the wound.

You: Going out to get trashed tonight. Maybe another loser will fuck me and leave me.

Layla was watching you put on more makeup than you usually wore and pushing up your tits in a tight red dress she’d never seen you wear. You’d bought the dress earlier that day with the intention of finally trying to get over Steven in some way. If you drank enough you knew you’d have the confidence to go home with anyone.

“What’s gotten into you lately?” She asked, raising a brow at you.

“What do you mean?” You asked, applying a deep red color to your lips, matching your dress.

“I know you’ve been drinking, you’re hardly ever here.” She crossed her arms over her chest, “you reek of pot half the time.”

“Oh! Yeah, just trying to find myself or whatever.” You kept adjusting your makeup in the mirror, trying not to pay her any mind.

“Well, I’m worried about you,” she said softly, “this isn’t like you.”

You turned and looked at her finally. You appreciated that she cared about you, but you didn’t need her to. She was your friend, not your parent.

“Well don’t,” you muttered, grabbing your purse and pushing past her.

“Will you at least promise me that you’re being careful?” She called to you while you reached for the doorknob.

“Promise,” you said in a snarky tone before leaving.

You took a cab out of town, riding into the city. Layla had every right to be worried. You were a young woman, going out alone, with the intention of getting so drunk you could hardly remember your name and possibly going home with a guy you hardly knew. That wasn’t like you. Then again, you’d never felt emotional pain like this before. All you wanted to do was find someone else to fill the void that Steven had left behind.

You spent hours at the bar, drinking everything some desperate guy bought for you. No matter how much you tried to flirt with the various men who were there, you found yourself losing your initial fervor. You were still going to tell Steven that you were going home with someone, even if it wasn’t true. You hoped he would read it and feel the pain in his chest that you’d felt every moment of every day for the last two weeks.

You: I hope yous happ Steven I got a boy brings me home 2 nite

You made your way outside, deciding you were ready to call a cab to take you home. You were dizzy, and the lights of the cars were blinding as they drove down the street. There was a man who approached you. You recognized him as one of the guys from inside who had bought you a few drinks throughout the night. In your blurred vision he looked fairly attractive. He smiled and placed a hand on the small of your back.

“Hey sweetheart, you lost?” He asked, snaking his hand to the other side of your hip.

“Need a cab,” you muttered in your drunken state.

“Oh, course you do. There’s one right over here.”

The man’s grip was starting to hurt, even with the way the alcohol in your system numbed everything. You followed him though, knowing that you weren’t in the right mind to call a cab. When he pulled you down into an alleyway you felt cold all of a sudden, a sinking feeling entering your gut. This wasn’t the right way.

“W-wait,” you tried pulling back but he wrenched you forward instead.

He used his forearm against your throat to pin you to the wall. You gasped, realizing that you’d made a mistake going out that night, realizing that you should’ve just stayed in your dorm eating Ben and Jerry’s and watching bad romantic comedies to fight the pain. Layla was right.

“Come on, I bought you like four drinks babe, don’t give me a hard time.”

He’d never get the chance to even start making a move. In a sudden motion, he was pulled from you, and you felt the pressure release from your throat. You put a hand up against it while you caught your breath. The man who assaulted you was yelling while your savior was hunched over him. He was holding the assailant’s collar while beating him relentlessly. All at once your assailant was silent, and you watched the man who saved you drop him into a bloody heap on the ground. 

Jake kept his face hidden by his flat cap. He took off his coat and wrapped it around your bare shoulders and used a gloved hand to escort you out of the alley. He didn’t want to get his hands messy with you, but when he saw you go down that alley with that jerk’s hands around you, he’d put out his cigarette immediately to follow you. It was all too obvious that you were completely wasted when that man had taken you there. Damn Marc to hell if he thought Jake was going to just stand by and watch something bad happen to you.

You felt warm having the jacket around your shoulders. Was it dangerous to follow this new person? He had saved you, how dangerous could he be? When you got to the street, he opened the back door to a sleek black car and helped you inside. You felt dizzy and confused, but followed him regardless. He went around to the front and got in the driver’s seat before pulling away from the bar. A realization hit you through the fog of your drunkenness. You were in a car with a stranger. You’d traded one bad situation for another. You wondered how stupid you had to be to put yourself in danger twice in the same night.

“Who are you?” You asked, scowling at the man who abducted you, if you could even call this an abduction.

He did just save you. Perhaps he was bringing you home, but it occurred to you that he had no idea where you lived. When he didn’t answer you, you felt uneasy and started panicking. You didn’t know what to do. You were drunk in a stranger’s car. His eyes peered at you in the rearview mirror, stern with a furrowed brow. You felt a chill down your spine. You felt in your gut that he might have the same intentions as the man in the alleyway, and you needed to make a quick escape.

“I need you to let me out!” You said loudly, panic clear in your tone.

Jake could see you starting to freak out, just based on the way your chest was heaving and your eyes were darting all around the car. You were looking for a way out, and then he saw your hand on the door. Slowly, you were reaching down on your right and you unlocked the car door. You grabbed the handle, flinging it open.

You’d never seen someone move so fast. The car was pulled over and stopped on a dime, and you grabbed on to the seat in front of you for support. It could’ve been your drunken state, or maybe he was just quick, but the man seemed to move unnaturally fast to your right in the open door. You slid out quickly, holding both of your hands up to defend yourself. You started walking backward, and he continued advancing.

“Listen, asshole…” you started as he got closer. “You saved me, so thanks for that but now you’re–“

He stepped forward into the light of the streetlamp above and you saw his face. You froze.

“S-Steven.” You said as though all the air had left your body. “Steven?”

Something was off about him, but there was no question. That was Steven.

You couldn’t believe your eyes. There he was, in the flesh. You remembered seeing that outfit in the back of his closet all folded up, but you weren’t sure what it was for. This wasn’t even the same car he’d driven you in before. You felt uneasy recalling his words to you, “you don’t know a thing about me. I’m not the man you think I am.” Was this what he meant? Was he some kind of vigilante or something in the night, going around saving drunken women at clubs? That would certainly explain why he was tired all the time. 

Jake could see how shocked you were, and he expected you to give him an earful, thinking you were talking to his other alter. Steven still wasn’t there. Part of Jake thought that seeing you might bring Steven back to the front, but it seemed that he was still dormant. Jake knew how to fake a British accent in a pinch, but he knew you were too smart to be fooled by it. He thought it better to just stay silent.

You walked up to him, charging forward before striking him across the cheek. He hardly reacted. He clenched his jaw when he looked back at you. Of course, Steven knew he deserved it. You thought about doing it again, but it wasn’t going to help you feel any better. Your drunken gaze fell on his lips, and while you wanted to continue giving him an earful, a stronger part of you wanted to feel him touch you again, make you feel like he still cared. When you were sober you would give him hell, but right now you just wanted to kiss him, and so you leaned in. You tried to kiss him, but he pulled back away from you. You felt tears immediately threatening to fall from the blatant rejection.

“Y’know what, fine, if you’re gonna act like that then I’m walking home!” You turned around and started walking away, not even aware of the direction you were going in.

Jake wished he could just let you go, but you were still so trashed. He doubted you even knew where you were. Letting you walk away now was dangerous, and he wasn’t going to let anything happen to you. He just wanted to keep you safe, drop you home and hope you forgot about the whole thing in the morning. He grabbed your arm and spun you around, gripping both of your shoulders in his large hands.

“Steven, you can’t just treat me like this and then start fucking manhandling me! Piss off”

Jake brought you to the car silently, and in your state you couldn’t put up much of a fight. You grumbled at him and he sat you down in the front seat this time. He thought at least then he could keep a better eye on you. You tried to push him back and get out, but he wasn’t budging.

You were stuck in the passenger’s seat of Steven’s new and shiny black car. He still looked so different, but you couldn’t put your finger on why. It didn’t matter to you, you had missed him, no matter how angry he’d made you with his absence. You leaned in again, and you thought he’d push you away, but he didn’t this time. You reached a hand up, grabbed his tie and pulled him closer.

Two weeks, it had been two weeks since you’d felt Steven’s lips on yours, but now they were on you, soft as ever. Something felt a little different, but you brushed it off as your own drunken passion. It tasted like Steven, in your mouth and in your lungs. You reached a hand up behind his head, stealing a soft moan from his lips.

“Steven,” you whispered.

Jake’s body was buzzing with excitement. This was wrong for so many reasons. You thought he was someone else, you were young, drunk, and vulnerable. It wasn’t like him to do something like this, but you were so desperate, and you really thought he was Steven, giving yourself to him so willingly. You brushed your tongue over the seam of his lips, and he readily parted them for you. You entangled your tongue with his hungrily, arching your chest into his and he felt his own chest puff up with the excitement of finally feeling your lips against him.

“Let’s go somewhere,” you said, breathing heavy.

Your words broke Jake from his trance. He couldn’t do this. Marc had been right when he told Steven to break things off with you so many times. You were in danger if you stayed with them, and vice versa. He had to put a stop to it now.

“Yes, home.” He said firmly in the best British accent he could muster.

“Of course you’re going to bring me home.” You shoved him back and then conceded to accepting the ride, pulling your feet back into the car and slamming the door in his face.

You were acting like a brat, and Jake liked that fiery side of you. He vowed to keep his hands to himself, but he couldn’t help the swelling in his chest that he’d never felt before. He was really starting to understand why Steven had fallen for you. They all shared a brain after all, it made sense that some of those feelings might seep into his mind as well. He shook the thoughts from his head before getting into the car next to you.

You kept your gaze out the window and your arms crossed over your chest. That kiss sparked your body alive with the desire you’d missed after he left. Watching the city pass you by, another thought occurred to you: Steven must’ve been nearby to be able to save you the way he did. Was he…watching you? Surely if he’d broken up with you, he wouldn’t be stalking you, unless he really did miss you. Was this an attempt to see you in secret? You wondered why he wouldn’t have just said that in the first place.

“So, are you just done teaching? If you’re not gonna teach anymore then there was no point to break up, you know…unless you really did just want to fuck me and leave me.” You hoped that stung, but you weren’t going to look over to see his expression.

It did sting. Jake knew how this all looked, and he knew how you must’ve felt when Steven broke things off. He was quiet when it happened, but he saw the look on your face. He’d watched the disappointment fall over you until your bottom lip was quivering in your attempt to keep your composure. Now you were angry, and that was good. You could use the anger to move on. You had every right to be, and Jake hoped that Marc would feel the burn of your slap in the morning and wonder how that happened.

“Fine, don’t talk to me if you don’t want to. Just gotta…take care of something real quick.”

Jake tried to keep his eyes on the road, but you were pulling up the skirt of your red dress around your hips. You’d worn black lace underneath, clearly with the intention of some loser taking them off. When you stuffed your hand into the waistband of your panties and started moaning, Jake felt his own arousal growing behind the seam of his pants. What the fuck were you doing?

That kiss had made you worked up, despite the anger you felt. Not to mention you were still completely wasted, not caring if what you were doing was considered ridiculous or not. All you could think about was Steven and the memory of how he felt inside of you. You weren’t sore anymore, not after a couple weeks of giving your body a rest. Now you wanted more, you craved it, but you didn’t think you’d ever have the chance again. Maybe if he remembered what he was missing he’d reconsider. You weren’t opposed to taking him back, but you were going to make him be the one to ask you to come back, you weren’t going to beg.

“Stop,” Jake said coldly, the wet sounds your cunt made was deafening to him.

“St-stop what?” You asked with a soft moan to punctuate your question.

Jake couldn’t take it. His cock was aching in his pants, aching for release. He shifted in his seat, trying to mimic the friction he desperately needed. You were making such pretty sounds and all he wanted to do was make you come undone, the way he’d watched Steven do a few times over. He didn’t mean to get caught in the television that day while you were on Steven’s lap in his flat, but Jake wanted to see you so badly. He pulled down a dark and poorly lit road. He parked and got out of the car, dropping his hat in the seat before slamming the door.

Jake took a moment to breathe, thinking about the consequences of the next move he wanted to make. It would be so easy to just stand there and wait for you to finish your business and then bring you home. Hell, he could even get back in the car and drive you home, painful as it may be, and then relieve himself later. Either way he wanted to take a minute to himself.

But you just had to get out of the car, didn’t you? You just had to walk around to him, grabbing on to his white button down and step on your tippy-toes to brush your nose against his. Your breath was hot against his face, reeking of alcohol. He would’ve been fine, he could still push you away, but your right hand trekked down his abdomen and slid over the bulge just under the fabric of his pants.

It was over for Jake at that point, he couldn’t deny you any longer. He cupped the back of your head and melted into you in a flurry of passion. He was emptying every emotion he’d pushed away for the weeks after you and Steven started seeing each other. You tasted like the booze you’d been drinking all night, but beneath that he tasted the essence that made you…you, and it was delicious.

You noticed that Steven even kissed differently, and you wondered if he was just nervous, or maybe this was him letting loose. You didn’t care though, it felt so good to have him touching you again, to give you that attention you so desperately craved from him. He lifted you and you wrapped your legs around his waist. He was so fucking hard you let out a breathy moan just from the feeling of him brushing against you.

He opened the door to the back seat and put you down, climbing in over you. The seat was surprisingly spacious. He didn’t stop kissing you, groaning while he rolled his hips against you. You brought your hands into his dark locks, reveling in the way they felt against your fingers. You’d missed him so much you could hardly stand it. You thought you might start to cry, but then you felt his gloved hand start tugging at the waist of your panties.

“I got it, let me,” you helped, toeing them off.

Jake let you work on his button and zipper, shuddering the moment you grabbed around his thick cock and pulled it out of his boxer-briefs. His breath was shaking while you guided him to your entrance. He looked down and seeing the way his length sat between your thighs made it twitch eagerly.

“Fuck me, Steven,” you said in a soft whisper.

Jake gritted his teeth, the sound of the other alter’s name reminding him of the fact that you thought he was someone else. You brought his face back to look at you though, eyes darting between his. When you kissed him again, he forgot all about his prior reservations and thrust forward harshly, your pleasure-laced gasp was like music to Jake’s ears.

You gripped the back of Steven’s curly head tightly in your ecstasy, continuing to melt into him with sloppy drunken kisses. It felt so good to have his cock inside of you again, stretching you out and filling you deep. You tossed your head back, and a guttural groan rolled up through your chest.

Jake had so many things he wanted to say to you, but knew he’d better not. He wanted to tell you how good your tight little pussy felt fluttering around his length. He wanted to tell you how much he loved the way your skin tasted under his lips. Mostly, he wanted to tell you how much he wanted to hold onto you and never let go, how much he wanted to keep you safe and smiling. Your fingers were intertwining with his hair, such a small gesture, and yet it was one of the most intimate things he’d felt in…he wasn’t even sure he could recall ever feeling anything so intimate.

“Fuck, Steven–yes.”

He reached up and covered your mouth, muffling your moans. He couldn’t stand to hear you moaning someone else’s name while he continued grinding his hips forward, thrusting his length into you deeper. Your hot breath could be felt huffing through your nostrils against his gloved pinky.

He’d never done anything like that to you before, you thought that he normally liked to hear you moan and say his name, but you weren’t going to question it. The change in breathing was hurdling you closer to the edge than you anticipated. You wondered where this idea to cover your mouth came from. It didn’t really matter, you were just so happy to have him back, to have him touching you the way he had before. Except it wasn’t quite like before. Even in the fog from the alcohol, you could tell that something was different about the way he was thrusting into you. It was more forceful, intentional and like he wasn’t holding back his strength. Even before, it felt like Steven was trying to restrain himself, despite being sloppy about his actions. Now he was relentless and tactful, pace never wavering.

Jake kissed your neck, dragging his tongue over the soft skin there. You took in a deep breath, chest arching up to brush against his. Fuck he wanted to feel your breasts, but with one hand over your mouth and the other keeping him from flattening you, he couldn’t. Next time, he thought.

He shouldn’t be thinking about a “next time”, but he was. He was already thinking about how he wanted to bend you over the center console and watch your pussy splitting over his girth; or how he wanted to put you in his lap, back resting against his chest while he fucked upward into you. There was no end to the ways he wanted to feel you come undone, and that was in his car alone.

You let out a sharp scream that frightened him so he removed his hand quickly. You drew in a sharp breath and that’s when he realized that you were coming. Your cunt squeezed so tight around his cock that he had to grab the back of the seat to stop himself from falling over.

Fuck that feels good, so fucking good.

His hips stopped rutting into you and he started moaning heavily in your ear while his cock pulsated hot ropes of cum inside of your still clenching walls. 

You couldn’t believe he was finally back, after two weeks of suffering, you had Steven back. He didn’t kiss you after he pulled out, in fact, he didn’t seem interested in the usual post-sex intimacy as he tucked himself away.

Jake had to get you back quickly now, feeling the guilt wash over him as clarity came through. He’d just slept with you, under the guise of Marc’s other alter, while you were plastered. Of all the terrible things Jake had done, this was up there on the list. He closed the door, leaving you in the back seat before getting in the front and peeling off the dirt road.

You didn’t say anything to him, not wanting to push any further. It was exceptionally clear that he was still trying to keep his distance, and you felt like you were on eggshells. If this was going to continue, you knew that you had to play by his rules, whatever they may be. When he pulled up to your dorm, you leaned up in the seat and kissed him on the cheek.

You stopped at his ear to whisper, “please don’t leave me again.”

You made your way to your dorm, cleaned yourself up in the bathroom, and then went to bed without waking Layla. You sent a quick text to Steven, and in a moment’s notice you’d drifted off, satisfied with the conclusion of your night.

----

Jake parked his car in a parking garage down the street from Steven’s flat. He had to keep it from the other two, or they would know he was leading a secret life separate from theirs. When he got inside the apartment, he took off all his clothes and neatly placed them in the closet, exactly where they’d been before. He put on the outfit Marc had worn to bed before crawling under the blankets himself.

Steven’s phone lit up on the end table, forcing Jake’s heart to stop in his chest.

You: Thank you for saving me tonight. When can I see you again?

The truth was that Jake wanted to see you again, despite knowing it was immoral. He thought that maybe if you saw how good he was to you, that you might not be too upset when he was able to finally reveal himself…if he was ever able to finally reveal himself. His heart was deafening in his chest thinking about you. You were so pretty tonight, the way your dress fit your body, and the way your big eyes had looked up at him before you kissed him.

Your words rang through his mind so clearly, please don’t leave me again.

No one had ever looked at him like you did. No one had ever looked at Jake with so much love and yearning in their eyes. He’d never felt such passion, and now he didn’t know how to just let it go, even if it was the right thing to do. Even if the love you felt was for someone else, he could look past it for now. He just knew he couldn’t go without seeing you again.

Steven: Don’t text me anymore. I’ll reach out to you when we can see each other again.

Steven: If you want this to be able to continue, I need you to keep this a secret. Don’t talk about it, and don’t ever text me.

Jake deleted the texts that the two of you had sent, and put the phone back where he’d found it. When Marc woke up in the morning, he’d never have a clue that his body had wandered about while he slept.

----

When you got up in the morning, hangover be damned, you saw the texts from Steven. He was willing to keep it going. You could cry, you were so relieved. Steven was back, and he was yours.

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Moon Knight Masterlist

TAGLIST (please let me know if you would like to be added or removed): @my-secret-shame-but-fanfiction, @my-secret-shame, @thatmomwitchfriend, @alexxavicry, @welcometostayingawake, @jake-g-lockley, @campingwiththecharmings, @steven-grants-world, @bloodredwolfsbane, @minigirl87, @ahookedheroespureheart, @ninebluehearts, @outmodead, @sleepyamaya, @pimosworld, @ababynova, @flordelalunas, @360iris, @momo-mochiball, @missdragon-1, @lunar-ghoulie, @liquorlaughslove, @kiwibaekie, @wordacadabra, @deezisnotreal, @onzayhe, @romanarose, @mt2sssss, @justmaragudytha, @strawb3rry-gal, @ravenz-hope, @thewinterv, @winwin70, @cookielovesbook-akie, @plastichearts @dumbbitchenergy, @moonknightly, @cloudroomblog

[the-prophet-lemonade]

hi! are you planning on writing more for your shadowgast fic by any chance? it is just lovely and i am aching to see the scene excerpted in the description & how these two traumatized wizards manage to get there. no worries if not, but i’d be remiss not to ask!!! you write them wonderfully (and i am very picky about my shadowgast, lol) — i know i’d take whatever offerings you’d be willing to share/publish, incomplete as they may be!

on a similar note, any recommendations for shadowgast fics? based on how well you write them, i trust your taste :)

(also, was so pleasantly surprised by the space struck epithet — paige lewis was a mentor of mine for poetry and became a close family friend, so it was crazy to see them in a shadowgast fic!!! so good)

hello! thank you so much for the love on You'll Be You, i've been meaning to get back to it forever! i definitely intend to finish it and have most of the remaining 6 chapters started (the next chapter is almost over the line), but it's just something i chip away at when i have a bit of time and am in the mood, so i can't make any concrete promises about when it might appear. that said, this is lovely encouragement and makes me want to work on it soooooo ... watch this space, i guess?!

i have a lot of sg fic recs (over 90 in my ao3 bookmarks if you just want to look through those), but it's been a while since i actively read anything and my brain is a sieve. here are a few i remember enjoying:

Love Letters to Toss Into The Fire by Anonymous

In the Dark with No Stars to Guide by Somestreptomyces

a man by any other face by mousecookie

destructive interference by atlasarcana

Gravity, and all that's born within by SkyScribbles

Rumor Has It by Chekhov

Keys to the Castle by Anonymous

realigning by Anonymous

Paper, Ink by aeli_kindara

The Mind and The Malady by SaltCore

fuck being remembered, I think I was made for you by canyon_wizard

to make an end by mllekurtz (TheKnittingJedi)

burned house horizon by principessa

the other things that make us by saturdaysky

displacement by mllekurtz (TheKnittingJedi)

Hard Mouth by road_rhythm (this is my #1 sg fic but i'm sure everyone has read it!!!!)

also i've bookmarked so many fics by lakrisrot, it would be a crime not to mention them too! too many good ones to pick a fave!

p.s. mad jealous about the paige lewis factoid ... how cool!!!!!

[shadowgast-recs-weekly]

Getting Nerdy About Magic!

What's more Shadowgast than the wizards being nerds about magic? It's not surprising that this is a common theme in the ship, so here's eight fics where Caleb and Essek show their affection though magical items, help each other out with magical mishaps, and do some magical experiments. Check them out under the cut, and as always - comment or kudos if you like them!

Precision & Power by marsmystic (2475, Teen) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

Essek and Caleb have very different casting styles. One is elegant and precise, the other brimming with burning strength. Very different, but both powerful (and attractive) in their own way.

Reccer says: A look at the wizards and what it attracts them to each other (their magical genius). Beautiful writing

destructive interference by atlasarcana (141219, Mature) Reccer's Content Notes: Graphic Depictions of Violence

Essek is being haunted by his past in the form of an Aeorian monster; Caleb helps him.

Reccer says: This fic has a few chapters in which Essek's nerdiness over magic is described in detail, and even a few chapters where it becomes the forefront of the plot.

We Should Explore Other Things by Chanse (SpottedEnchants) (8692, General) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

The wizards attempt to reverse engineer a spell, and Essek confronts one of the moorbounders in the room (his feelings about Caleb).

Reccer says: The "Spellcrafting as a Metaphor for Relationship Development" and "Essek Thelyss Overthinks" tags say it all

Artificer Devices from Late-Period Aeor: An Experimental Interpretation from Arcane Reconstruction to Functionality (E. Thelyss, C. Widogast) by renquise (5858, Explicit) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

Caleb and essek find an ancient Aeorian fuck machine. Caleb descides to recreate it.

Reccer says: Very well written sex scene, and there's so much love between the two of them.

Golden Hour by Technojuicebox (1914, Mature) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

An experiment gone wrong leads to Essek asking for Caleb's assistance, and they navigate around the elephant(s) in the room.

Reccer says: Lots of tension and pining, and a little bit of humor

when headlong might save a life by stygius (5489, Teen) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

Caleb wakes before dawn, the morning after, to find the other side of the bed empty. Meanwhile, Essek prepares breakfast, or tries to.

Reccer says: The wizards attempt to combine dunamancy and cooking - to very sweet results!

heart's ease by quinn_of_aebradore (627, General) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

During their honeymoon in Aeor, Caleb and Essek exchange their findings as gifts.

Reccer says: I liked it!

write a line, erase a line by hydraxx (5231, General) Reccer's Content Notes: Choose Not to Warn

Meta nerdery: this fic is framed as an in-universe textbook excerpt talking about Caleb and Essek's academic collaborations.

Reccer says: I liked it!

Want more nerdy fic? Check out our earlier reclist from January 2023!

This is one of our weekly communally-generated shadowgast rec lists. Every week we announce a new theme and allow anyone to submit a fic recommendation. 

And hey, anyone includes you!

Next week, we'll be featuring Older Favorites! That's any fic that has not been updated (or completed) in over two years.

Any fics coming to mind? Well, then use this form to submit!

[necer0s]

The thing about a Cal Kestis time travel fic is that I have such a strong vision in my head of what that fic needs to look like (to the point where genuinely I might have to try writing it).

A Cal Kestis time travel fic is not actually about the fix-it, not really. The fix-it obviously has to happen, but it’s almost an incidental side effect of allowing Cal to analyze the journey he’s been on and decide whether he should change it or not.

Because to me, so much of Cal’s character is about the ways that the life he’s lived has changed him and forced him to grow. “Failure is part of the path” is such a core element of his character to me, and I really do think that the perspective he has (especially by the end of Survivor) lets him see that failure may well have been a necessary part of the path for both the Jedi Order and the Republic. That there were flaws in both of them that led to their destruction, and perhaps on some level justified it.

I want a time travel fic where Cal goes back and has a genuine, serious internal debate about whether he should interfere at all. One where he eventually decides that yes, maybe the organizations deserve to fall and one day be reborn… and then decide to change things anyway, because the real people who would get hurt by that change matter more than the abstract systems they belong to.

[rev-wrath]

Assassin's creed has me on a chokehold, and even though I haven't even started on the Ezio soulmate guide au fic, I have already picked out soulmate guide animals for Altaïr and Ratonhnhaké:ton. As well as their Rs' patron Endless (who were chosen mainly because I've always focused more on Dream and Death- Albatross has made me become infinitely more fond of Desire though).

Ezio's R is a shy, easily flustered human aid of Desire and Despair. There's R's guide- a Golden eagle- and Ezio's- a mourning dove.

Altaïr's R is snappy, sarcastic and about as stubborn and prideful as he is and they're the human aid of Destruction. Altaïr's guide is a Honey buzzard whilst his R's is an Eastern Imperial eagle.

Ratonhnhaké:ton's R's flirty and extroverted, and they're Delirium's human aid. His R's guide is a Stellar's Sea Eagle whilst Ratonhnhaké:ton himself has an Albatross.

All three Rs die though, before the end of each respective game (I have yet to play AC1 or AC3 so the both of the latter fics won't get written until I finish them) because everything must lead to the creation of Desmond, and for that to happen, Ezio has to have children with Sofia. Alta��r has to have children with Maria. Ratonhnhaké:ton has to marry and have children that leads to William Miles, and later Desmond Miles to be born.

However, the Endless aren't going to watch false gods as the Isu meddle with their aids' happiness and life. Thus the reincarnation. Death is fond of her siblings- one way or the other- and if four of them come to her with the exact same request, who is she to say no? It also does help that Destiny too, is a little peeved by the Isu's rampant interference.

(The Kenway line is honestly super interesting and after the three fics + a fourth one where they all come together to have Desmond not die and save the world in their own way, I'll write something for Edward and Haytham too. Maybe Shay too, if I get around to playing AC Rogue- this is a ramble btw, feel free to ignore the info dump of random names)

I genuinely thought you would have started on it by now not gonna lie. Even with exams. But other things!!

I love all of these animals already, they sound so cool. All of their personalities also match with their patrons in a way and I am so intrigued.

It’ll also be interesting to see what kills an Endless’ aid who is also the partner of an assassin. And then another two times. (Love that you’re playing them out of order)

I actually didn’t take notes so I need to go back and read over what information I do have about the Isu. Destiny and Death work together a little to make sure Desmond is still born, but that the aids still get to live a proper life with their lovers.

(Look at all those names I don’t know. I’m nodding along either way. But fourth fic!)